Today was the first day back to the first full week of work after the holidays, and when I checked my work email this morning, I was shocked to see I had been sent all of three emails in my absence. 10 days, and only three emails (one was even a mass corporate email!)? I've been gone for three house in an afternoon and come back to 10 emails. If anything, my recent decision regarding my career was reaffirmed.
But you don't want to hear about my sad Monday back-to-work blues.
So instead, how about my shock to find that the beloved animated film Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest is available on DVD for a mere $5. It gave me a sad. Sure, I need it in my collection, but it was an awful moment of being confronted by our throwaway consumer culture, and the irony was not lost on me that a movie about saving the environment and reducing our footprint on the planet was consigned to the mass produced bargain bin.
A simpler life...
...Wish you were here.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
January 6/13
In the wee small hours of the morning, the NHL and the NHLPA reached an agreement in principle; with that, professional hockey in North America is back.
I rolled over at about 8:30 this morning and reached for my phone. When I got to the Twitter part of my routine, there it was...still so early that most of Canada was still asleep, and thus unaware that their hockey heroes would soon take to the ice, though the glamour and prestige of the league is arguably tarnished. I looked over at Etienne, still asleep, and I debated waking him up to tell him, but I decided against it. He's got a variety of sports reporting apps on his phone and the list of Twitter accounts he follows is by and large sports figures, so I decided it was best to let him find out from them when he woke up.
In the meantime, I had time to think about the return of hockey. Honestly, aside from missing my Detroit Red Wings, I had grown quite indifferent to hockey's absence. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Etienne kept hockey alive in our house, watching a variety of junior leagues, plus the world junior hockey championships, PLUS the Spengler Cup, but there was little notice that the NHL wasn't there. Indeed, for the third time in my life, the absence of the NHL did not end the world.
Welcome back NHL.
Indifference...
...Wish you were here.
I rolled over at about 8:30 this morning and reached for my phone. When I got to the Twitter part of my routine, there it was...still so early that most of Canada was still asleep, and thus unaware that their hockey heroes would soon take to the ice, though the glamour and prestige of the league is arguably tarnished. I looked over at Etienne, still asleep, and I debated waking him up to tell him, but I decided against it. He's got a variety of sports reporting apps on his phone and the list of Twitter accounts he follows is by and large sports figures, so I decided it was best to let him find out from them when he woke up.
In the meantime, I had time to think about the return of hockey. Honestly, aside from missing my Detroit Red Wings, I had grown quite indifferent to hockey's absence. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Etienne kept hockey alive in our house, watching a variety of junior leagues, plus the world junior hockey championships, PLUS the Spengler Cup, but there was little notice that the NHL wasn't there. Indeed, for the third time in my life, the absence of the NHL did not end the world.
Welcome back NHL.
Indifference...
...Wish you were here.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
January 5/13
This morning, Gail was out early to meet her clients, and I headed out to pick up my car share car to go get cat food. Such a chilly morning! It was bright and sunny, and the large snow banks, augmented with frequent street plowing, gleamed in the light of day. As it was relatively early (nearly 10 am--trust me, that's early in our house on a Saturday), there were few people out, and who can blame them.
As I trudged through a quad behind city hall, I came across about 12 wood picnic table/benches, all completely covered with more than a foot of perfect, undisturbed snow, save one. One table had visitors, though not recently, as there were signs that two people sat on the table top, but there was a fresh layer of snow. It was one of those moments when I wanted to take a picture, however I wasn't in any rush to stop and take my mitts off so I could snap the scene with my iPhone, so I carried on with my trudging. It seemed so wrong to be trudging on a sunny day, but the snow was quite powdery, so it made for a slower, sloppier gate than normal.
So a photogenic moment wasted by the chill of the day.
A photographer...
...Wish you were here.
As I trudged through a quad behind city hall, I came across about 12 wood picnic table/benches, all completely covered with more than a foot of perfect, undisturbed snow, save one. One table had visitors, though not recently, as there were signs that two people sat on the table top, but there was a fresh layer of snow. It was one of those moments when I wanted to take a picture, however I wasn't in any rush to stop and take my mitts off so I could snap the scene with my iPhone, so I carried on with my trudging. It seemed so wrong to be trudging on a sunny day, but the snow was quite powdery, so it made for a slower, sloppier gate than normal.
So a photogenic moment wasted by the chill of the day.
A photographer...
...Wish you were here.
Friday, January 4, 2013
January 4/13
Living in Ottawa can be a bit like vanishing into a black hole, where you are never to be seen or heard from again. But only a bit. People rarely come here to visit.
When I lived in Edmonton, visits were frequent because it's the major urban centre that serves many of the residents of the Northwest Territories. It was a rare time when I went to West Edmonton Mall and did not run into someone I knew. When I lived in Burnaby, people came to visit because, well, it's Vancouver, people just love coming to Vancouver. In Ottawa, there have been only a few brave souls who have come by for a visit. Anastasia has made a few trips for business, and Olaf and Rick have been up from the centre of the universe for study and play, and Gail (yes, the Gail) of Gail at Large fame has been down (also from the centre of the universe) for personal and professional shoots, but that's about the extent of my visitor. Well, as it happens, we are hosting Gail this weekend! She's in town for an engagement shoot, arriving soon, and we're looking forward to it. Etienne may grumble because he can't spend his weekend in his jammies on the couch, but in reality, it's great to have her because it is a welcome distraction from the long, torturous winter.
Come for a visit!
...Wish you were here.
When I lived in Edmonton, visits were frequent because it's the major urban centre that serves many of the residents of the Northwest Territories. It was a rare time when I went to West Edmonton Mall and did not run into someone I knew. When I lived in Burnaby, people came to visit because, well, it's Vancouver, people just love coming to Vancouver. In Ottawa, there have been only a few brave souls who have come by for a visit. Anastasia has made a few trips for business, and Olaf and Rick have been up from the centre of the universe for study and play, and Gail (yes, the Gail) of Gail at Large fame has been down (also from the centre of the universe) for personal and professional shoots, but that's about the extent of my visitor. Well, as it happens, we are hosting Gail this weekend! She's in town for an engagement shoot, arriving soon, and we're looking forward to it. Etienne may grumble because he can't spend his weekend in his jammies on the couch, but in reality, it's great to have her because it is a welcome distraction from the long, torturous winter.
Come for a visit!
...Wish you were here.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
January 3/13
According to Wikipedia (naturally the highest quality source available in two seconds), Weltschmerz is presented as such:
Don't worry, dear readers...this too shall come to pass, no doubt far sooner than it should.
Real solutions...
...Wish you were here.
"Weltschmerz (from the German, meaning world-pain or world-weariness, pronounced [ˈvɛltʃmɛɐ̯ts]) is a term coined by the German author Jean Paul and denotes the kind of feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind. This kind of world view was widespread among several romantic authors such as Lord Byron, Giacomo Leopardi, François-René de Chateaubriand, Alfred de Musset, Nikolaus Lenau, Hermann Hesse, and Heinrich Heine. It is also used to denote the feeling of sadness when thinking about the evils of the world.Folks, despite having much to preoccupy me at work, today was a weltschmerz-ridden day. Whether it was the shooting in Switzerland, the vitriolic and harsh words flung at Aboriginals regarding Idle No More online, the Best of the Left podcast about the Newtown shooting, or the odd work situation I find myself in, there was little I could do to fight the feeling of depression and alienation from my fellow humans, as well as the feeling of impotence about how little I could do to affect a change for the better.
The modern meaning of Weltschmerz in the German language is the psychological pain caused by sadness that can occur when realizing that someone's own weaknesses are caused by the inappropriateness and cruelty of the world and (physical and social) circumstances. Weltschmerz in this meaning can cause depression, resignation and escapism, and can become a mental problem (compare to Hikikomori). The modern meaning should also be compared with the concept of anomie, or a kind of alienation, that Émile Durkheim wrote about in his sociological treatise Suicide."
Don't worry, dear readers...this too shall come to pass, no doubt far sooner than it should.
Real solutions...
...Wish you were here.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
January 2/13
"You ask yourself a lot of questions after watching that movie---mostly WHY?" -Etienne
There are a lot of movies that this could apply to, but tonight, this applies to The Change-Up starring Ryan Reynolds (hot) (I love you Etienne) and Jason Bateman. What a freak show of a movie.
And the part that I found the weirdest was a man running into a ballroom full of people, kissing another man's wife, and asking that man if he's ready to take a piss. When I proclaimed this to be too weird, Etienne laughed at me and asked, after everything proceeding that moment, if I was serious. Yes. Yes, I was.
You just had to be there...
...Wish you were here.
There are a lot of movies that this could apply to, but tonight, this applies to The Change-Up starring Ryan Reynolds (hot) (I love you Etienne) and Jason Bateman. What a freak show of a movie.
And the part that I found the weirdest was a man running into a ballroom full of people, kissing another man's wife, and asking that man if he's ready to take a piss. When I proclaimed this to be too weird, Etienne laughed at me and asked, after everything proceeding that moment, if I was serious. Yes. Yes, I was.
You just had to be there...
...Wish you were here.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
January 1/13
Welcome to 2013!
First of all, raise your hand if you are hungover today...
Anyone?
Not me! Last New Year's Eve, I was completely hammered because everyone brought champagne/sparkling wine/prosecco/champagne-like substance to the party, and wow, if you drink that all night, you will not remember all night. I know I went to a party at the Ottawa Youth Hostel after midnight, but I don't remember much about that experience. This New Year's Eve, I had a couple of beers as the evening progressed, I ate a good carb and protein supper, and I got an unexpected workout that helped me metabolize the liquor quicker. So today I will gleefully lord my non-hangover status over those of you spending your day in close proximity to a toilet, curled up in a ball wishing for a swift death, or suffering a world-class headache. Suckas!!
But I digress...
Have a Happy New Year, all!
...Wish you were here
First of all, raise your hand if you are hungover today...
Anyone?
Not me! Last New Year's Eve, I was completely hammered because everyone brought champagne/sparkling wine/prosecco/champagne-like substance to the party, and wow, if you drink that all night, you will not remember all night. I know I went to a party at the Ottawa Youth Hostel after midnight, but I don't remember much about that experience. This New Year's Eve, I had a couple of beers as the evening progressed, I ate a good carb and protein supper, and I got an unexpected workout that helped me metabolize the liquor quicker. So today I will gleefully lord my non-hangover status over those of you spending your day in close proximity to a toilet, curled up in a ball wishing for a swift death, or suffering a world-class headache. Suckas!!
But I digress...
Have a Happy New Year, all!
...Wish you were here
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