rants and ramblings of utter randomness

What genius had the brilliant idea of putting a HUGE SPOILER in the synopsis for the S3 opener of The Border? Way to be stupid, CBC.

WARNING: If you haven't seen the Season 3 premiere of The Border (which I have NOT), do NOT visit the show's CBC website unless you want to be majorly spoiled.

Asshats.

Inuktitut phrase book tackles language barrier for visitors

So this is what Fraser has been doing in his spare time since he moved back home with Ray--writing phrasebooks!

Ray: Well, I'll be. The Inuit really don't have three hundred words for snow.
Fraser: I've been telling you the very same thing for years (repeatedly, I may add, although to be completely honest, you were asleep during some of those times).
Ray: Fraser, stop talking in parentheses. Nobody talks in parentheses.
Fraser: Understood.

• I have so much to do and not enough time to do it, and it's all my fault. Today I go and clean out the old place with Hannah and figure out how to move the rest of the furniture. Quite honestly, though, except for one bed that was built by my stepdad, I don't care if the landlady takes all of it. I'll try to be responsible, though. For once. After I clean today I go to work at eleven, whee! Then at three on Sunday for a double shift. Holy shit.
  
  
• OMG, did I even mention that I'm expecting another grandchild? I didn't, did I? Oldest child Mary *points to icon* is due in December. She'll be having the baby at home, and I get to be her doula! *wins at life* She's a teenytiny thing (5'2" if that), and therefore will look very cute indeed at say, 37 weeks. She will likely disagree with me at the time. :D
  
  I'm going to ask Mary's midwife about finding an apprenticeship. Maybe finally I'll get going again towards what I actually want to be when I grow up? If I get one I'm thinking of not doing my Bachelor's in nursing, but rather something much funner, like history or poli-sci.
  
  
• Discovered through camwyn's LJ: FurSuit!Cthulhu. Is that not adorable and twisted and utterly wonderful?
  
  
• I want to start taking fiddle lessons again. Anyone in the Boston area know where I can get lessons? I'd rather do classes than private, but I'm open to any suggestions. I am particular about the tradition, however--as much as I love Old Time and Bluegrass and Irish trad, and anything, really, I'm set on learning Cape Breton style (Quel surprise!). Everything starts with the same basics, but still. I'd rather go with the same instructor for everything.
  
  
• My eyes are killing me. I'm having a flare-up of my chronic infection, and I'm itchy and burny and watery. And it's not allergies, so please, over-the-counter CVS, people, stop telling me it is.
  
  
• Honestly, does everything thrown at this guy turn to gold? Talk about taking lemons and making lemonade. Sheesh. Whatever luck he has, I could use some of it. Also, If I were a convict, I'd SO want a job in the prison library. I could make like Fraser and push my little cart o' books around and everyone could give me the evil eye and stuff.
  
  
• Dear CBC,
  
  *hates on your new format*
  
  No love,
  
  Me
  
  I mean, way to dumb down the website. Where's my Latest News stream that's always right there when I click on 'video'? Gone. Where's my FULL SCREEN VIDEO of clips from The Hour? Gone. It's horrible, hard to use, and generally sucks like a sucking thing. It was bad enough the last time they redid it. This format is the Pit of all Pits, and I'm stuck with it, because it's not like I can watch any of this stuff on television. Grr.
  
  
  
• Does anyone know how to make me automatically stay logged on in LJ/gmail/everything? For some reason clicking 'remember me' or 'keep me logged on' doesn't work. It's obviously something with the computer itself, but I'm not techhie enough to even know where to look. Advice, all you technically inclined people? Also, I am still not able to track my comments on other people's LJs except for email. 'Manage settings' just loads and loads and never stops. The support people have been less than helpful, which probably means that they have no clue either. That particular annoyance happens no matter what computer I'm on, so in that case it's something LJ-specific. Ugh.

Now I've gotta get ready to go clean or Hannah will kill me. Angry!Hannah is a force to contend with, so I'd better not be any later than I already am. TTFN, all!

Aww! Fraser would be SO happy about this. Yay! :D :D

This documentary needs to be watched, especially during one of the most important election campaigns in US history.

There's nothing new here, but as far as I know it's never before been compiled in one place by anyone who's not Michael Moore or an antiwar activist group, and certainly not aired in prime time by a mainstream network:


The Fifth Estate: Lies That Led to War (Click on the picture of the White House on the right, then right-click and fullscreen).


Warnings: Graphic images of war and disturbing footage of Ann Coulter being herself.

Surprise cameo appearance by John McCain (I honestly didn't expect it).

First of all, happy birthday to the original, inimitable, incomparable, and quite lovely Callum Keith Rennie, who is now officially older than me again. And much more attractive. *loves* I'd picspam were I home, but alas I am not. Where I am is Toronto, so here's a


Brief as hell Toronto/TIFF recap:

• Normal was pretty good. Stuff could have been kept in, stuff could have been left out. Could have used a few more script edits. Callum? Was awesome, and looks better than ever.
  
  
• Silk was entirely forgettable. The plot needed to have actual plot. The romance needed to have actual romance. The film needed to have an actual reason for existing. The leading role needed to have Ewan McGregor.
  
  
• Note on washroom near theatre: "ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THIS WASHROOM?" along with a couple of phone numbers to call to express our concern.
  
  ♥♥ Canada ♥♥
  
  
• meresy was very patient with scriggle and I being Toronto-challenged. We followed her all around and she didn't complain once. And she took us to eat at the Patrician Grill, where Dead!Bob and Fraser have lunch in Victoria's Secret. It was a moment that will live in dorky infamy, I tell you. I didn't get pictures, but meresy has some here.
  
  
• The Tracey Fragments was the best of the three films I saw. It was trippy and intense and very, very good (and OMG, Ellen Page!). Bruce McDonald is made of awesome, even though I hid while scriggle went and talked to him. So far Martha Burns and Stephen King are the only two I would actually approach without a second thought. I'm not sure why this is so.
  
  
• Pimped S&A to at least two people, one of whom is a long-time Torontonian who loves theatre/film and has never seen it. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS. The other is Australian and therefore gets a pass.
  
  
• Compare and Contrast:
  
  Paraphrase of recorded message on Boston Subway (MBTA): "For your own security and safety, if you see any suspicious behaviour, report it RIGHT AWAY".
  
  Paraphrase of recorded message on Toronto Subway (TTC): "Please collect all your belongings and any trash and take it with you when you exit the train. Thank you."
  
  ♥♥Canada♥♥ (part the second).
  
  
• Reason why Toronto streets are litter-free: Wee street-sweepers whisk through every morning.
  
  
• Saw Nanook of the North at the ROM, all the way through this time. This means that I have seen Nanook of the North MORE THAN ONCE.
  
  
• Finally got to the CBC museum, which is tiny but fun. Saw exerpt from Fraggle Rock! Also, I asked Nice Lady at Info Desk about next year's television season. She gave me a printout. Also:
  
  Me: I was also wondering if you knew when The Trojan Horse is scheduled to be broadcast?
  Nice Lady at Info Desk: Let me check. *gets on phone, calls someone*
  Me: *waits*
  NLaID: *looks up, smiles* Sometime in January, 2008. *hands me pen and paper* Here, give me your name and telephone number. We'll call you when we're sure of the actual date.
  Me: Really?
  NLaID: Sure, we'd be happy to.
  
  This? Made my day, truly.
  
  
• scriggle and I were trying to figure out what to do tomorrow since we only have reservations through tonight. scriggle casually suggests Ottawa as a possibility. Me: *holds out arm for her to twist*
  
  DUDE. WE ARE GOING TO OTTAWA. Sure, it's only for a day. But WE ARE GOING TO OTTAWA.
  
  
• Next year definitely coming back to TIFF. I figure it's a good possibility that both Blindness AND Passchendaele will be shown there. Eep.
  
  
• Was going to watch telly, but lots of people sort of burst in and wanted to watch a movie. I caught the last ten minutes of the Mercer Report. I wanted to watch the news, dammit. Blergh.
  
  There's lots I missed, I'm sure, but I really have to go get my laundry and go to bed. We're getting an early start because WE ARE GOING TO OTTAWA.

Y'all have seen this, right?

sdfa;lhds.

I was so impressed with this that I printed it out at work and showed it to the staff. Some were less impressed than I was, but for the most part the response was "that's a really, really good idea", with the added caveat of "not that it would ever be even close to legal here".

They're right, of course. But really, which is better? spending zillions chasing after drug dealers/makers/users/ and only catching a tiny fraction of them (and hello, going after users isn't going to make them stop using, y'know?), or using the money wisely and providing users with a safe place to use with clean needles and medical supervision? Which scenario is more likely to make addicts think that the system might be a place to go to for help?

And there's PROOF it works:

"The study...found that drug users who visited the site at least once a week were more willing to enter detoxification programs". Makes a whole lot of sense to me. There are health professionals on site. Willing to help and not judge, y'know? And you really can catch more flies with honey than you can with prison.

"The researchers also found that all users in the area, including those with HIV, have been sharing syringes less since the start of the injection site, which is the first of its kind in North America. They have also engaged in other safe injection practices like using sterile water to formulate their drugs and swabbing alcohol on their skin.

Users were less likely to overdose when they used the facility at least once a week, the study found."

The way I look at it is that if you want to to help addicts (or more important, get them to want help), it's not gonna happen if you're judgemental and persecutory. How about being supportive and nurturing, treating them like people with illnesses, which, um, is what they are (HUGE emphasis on "people", here)?

So anyway, go Vancouver. Maybe some of our people will take the example and start pushing for similar facilities in the States. I hope the site gets the funding it deserves. Things don't look too rosy right now, according to the article, anyway. The federal government seems to have its head up its arse and is refusing to provide the funding that would keep the site open past the end of next year. Yay for craniorectal inversion.

From everything I've been reading, I'm quickly reaching the opinion that Stephen Harper is a creep. Dubya probably likes him. At least he probably knows his name, which if true would be novel for him (I'd really like to meet PM Poutine. We could do lunch. Although his cholesterol level is probably through the roof). Oh, and, another thing: if I ever get the chance to meet Rick Mercer I might just snog him senseless. :)

In other news, here's my Repeat Loop Song of the Moment:

Dispatch - The General. Lyrics here.

I love this song: its acoustic-y goodness, the extra words shoved into lines that they really don't fit but somehow they work, and the perfect, perfect lyrics, and perfect, oh-so-very-right theme of soldiers (and their general) as people. Because, um. They are, y0.

Oh, and the Best. Chorus. Ever.:

He said: I have seen the others
And I have discovered
That this fight is not worth fighting
And I have seen their mothers
And I will no other to follow me where I'm going


So,

Take a shower, shine your shoes
You got no time to lose
You are young and you must be living so
Take a shower, shine your shoes
You got no time to lose
You are young and you must be living
Go now you are forgiven

i_am_a_hannah introduced me to this song. I adore it. And her, of course. *hugs her*

And now I have writing to finish. I'll most likely be up forever doing it, so expect random spams. Feel free to ignore them.

And send me Vecchio drabbles. I'm running against a deadline and need to stay in the Gestalt of Vecchio.