« January 2004 | Main | March 2004 »
February 28, 2004
Sick Of Comment Spam
This site has a new comment policy. Please contact me if there are any problems.
10:51 | Blog | Comments (1)
February 27, 2004
The Passion Of The Chris
Ok, having my name truncated isn't always annoying. It can also be blasphemous!
Image deleted
Christopher shortened to "Christ..."
Can You Tell Me How To Get...
Yesterday, a man who looked obviously from out of town sat next to me on the bus ride home. I say he looked obviously out of town due to his suitcase and Mappoint printout. When we got into Seattle, he turned to me to ask for directions:
Man: "I need to get to 5th and Pine."
Me: "I think the bus stops there, but it's after I get off."
Man: (pointing at his printout) "Yeah, that's what the printout says. I actually need to get to 5th and Stewart."
Me: "Oh, well we're on Stewart now, so you'll want to get off before we turn onto Pine. Get off when the bus turns left onto Westlake."
Man: "Yeah... You know, I think I'm going to stick with the computer's directions and get off on Pine."
If you trust the information you found on the Internet more than someone who lives here, then don't ask for directions.
February 26, 2004
Advice To Those Moving Out Of The Country
When you call your credit card company to change your address, make sure they actually change your address. I got an email from my mom yesterday saying the credit card company has been calling about an overdue payment. Funny, I thought, since I hadn't received a bill in months.
So I called them up, and found out they only changed half my address. They got the street address right, but instead of Seattle, WA, USA, they were sending it to Brampton, ON, Canada. They had been billing the wrong address since November, and only thought to speak up now.
I straightened it all out, but now I'm wondering who else I might owe.
February 24, 2004
Welcome
Congratulations Mr Goyer, and welcome to the dark side.
21:04 | Work | Comments (1)
Of Pints And Wine Gallons
Apparently my last quote of the moment caused some confusion, so let me clear it up.
Mark brought up a good point that British pints use 20 oz to their pints. I'll admit I did not know that. But what Mark didn't say is that British ounces and US ounces are different.
When the United States became independent from Britain, they kept the same measurement system (among other things). Until 1824, the British and American systems were the same. Then Britain changed their system, to be defined in terms of their metric equivalents, in this case they redefined volume in terms of the gallon, and corrected every measurement smaller. The Americans did not follow suit.
So back to the ad. Since the newspaper is American, the ad is for a pub in Seattle, I would think it safe to assume the phrase "20 oz to our pints", to mean 20 American ounces to our American pints. Because 20 American ounces is less than 1 British pint.
Source: Bartleby.com
By the way, it was an ad for Kell's an Irish pub, not a British one, and Ireland is on the metric system.
08:59 | Stuff | Comments (6)
February 23, 2004
Breathtaking
Busy weekend for me. Friday night Teresa and I saw The Triplets of Belleville. It was visually fantastic, but whimsical, and a bit light on plot. Although it's no Spirited Away, it was very enjoyable (unfortunately for me, I've had the wretched theme song in my head all weekend).
What I enjoyed even more than the film, was Destino the featurette that preceded it. It was a collaboration by Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí, and it's visually stunning. It was animated in exactly the way I would imagine Dalí's art would move; flowing, liquid. It was breathtaking.
On Saturday we saw a pre-opening showing of The Flying Karamazov Brothers (not to be confused with The Brothers Karamazov). On the one hand, we were highly entertained by the theatrics and incredible juggling acts. But I would say for the most part, the plot was weak and confusing, and more than a few times the jugglers "dropped the ball" (although, to their credit, they did acknowledge their flubs and joked about them).
Sunday Teresa and I eschewed the bright lights of the city and headed out to Snoqualmie Pass. A mere hour's drive outside of Seattle, but a world of difference. We went from moist warm Seattle, to over 2 metres of snow. We strapped on some snowshoes and stomped around the forest for a few hours. We snowshoed through dark evergreens, along steep valleys, and beside rivers with sheer banks of snow. I think I've become spoiled by the beauty of the United States of America's Pacific Northwest.
07:18 | Entertainment | Comments (5)
February 21, 2004
Pub Ad In A Seattle Newspaper
We serve 20 oz. pints!
16:01 | Quotes | Comments (6)
February 17, 2004
Targeted Advertising
I got two pieces of unsolicited mail this week (both real mail and email). Ok, I actually got a lot more than that, but I want to contrast these two particular pieces.
The junk mail I received was a credit card offer for a Democratic Party of America Visa. The card features a flowing American flag and a stylized donkey (the symbol of the Democrats). On the back of the envelope are emblazoned the words "Join your fellow Americans". I guess Visa is playing the odds that a 20-something male living in downtown Seattle would identify more with the Democrats than with the Republicans. Too bad for them I can't vote.
The spam I received was one of those discount software offers. But here's the kicker: the subject line offered Corel Ventura, a product I worked on during my first co-op term in university!
It's interesting that the spam from a random source managed to come closer to correctly targeting me than Visa and the Democratic Party.
23:25 | Stuff | Comments (6)
February 16, 2004
Run For The Border
In the news today, a woman who wanted to head south to Vancouver, Washington (just north of Portland, Oregon), got confused and instead headed north to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Why is the story of a lost driver news? Because she was carrying a grenade in her glove compartment. I guess the second amendment means something altogether different if you're from Texas.
It really makes me wonder how many Americans cross into Canada with explosives in their cars. Especially now that the US has labeled Canada a "transit country en route to the United States" for terrorists.
February 15, 2004
Peninsula Photos
New addition to the photo gallery! Select photos from my trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
Stay tuned for a write-up of my trip.
11:00 | Gallery | Comments (1)
Crescent Lake
A mountain reflected in Crescent Lake, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Taken on my February 7th trip.
February 14, 2004
Scandalous
I am really sick of hearing about yet another Liberal scandal. It's a wonder the Liberal government managed to post a surplus, what with this sponsorship scandal and the gun registry hitting $2 billion, among others.
Well, at least it's not my tax money. Not that mine is going anywhere better.
13:44 | Canada , Politics | Comments (1)
February 13, 2004
Conan The Bigot
I was all ready to write a lovely blog entry about my trip last weekend, when I read this news article.
Now I can appreciate a good jab at being Canadian. I also like to think that I don't get offended easily by ignorant remarks, but this just made my blood boil. I don't think going into another country and insulting, no ridiculing, their largest minority group is funny. I can't imagine any American talk show going on the street of America and making fun of blacks or Hispanics. But for some reason, French Canadian is seen as less of a culture, and more of a way of life chosen purely to annoy the rest of the country.
No, I'm not French Canadian myself, but I was born in Québec, and am proud that I was raised to be bilingual. I am proud of a Canada was built on two very different cultures, and I hope the delicate balance we currently have can be strengthened. I hope younger generations work to help heal the century-old wounds, not reopen them by indulging in tripe like this.
I don't know what to be more offended by, Conan's obviously poor taste, or the Canadian audience who cheered him on.
08:13 | Rant | Comments (11)
February 9, 2004
Monster Island Is Actually A Peninsula
Got back to Seattle last night from a weekend away on the Olympic Peninsula. I'll write up an account and post photos some time this week. Mountains, old-growth rainforest, glacial waters, Pacific Ocean, and killer beach logs (you'll see).
February 4, 2004
Good Birthday
As of yesterday, I am 26 years old. I expect you are all hanging your collective heads in shame for forgetting (all except for Ian, who chose an inexplicably bizarre picture to commemorate it). I celebrated by sneaking out of work at an ungodly early hour (5:30 pm) and went to Teresa's for a wonderful home cooked meal (chicken with cranberries and capers, green beans and mashed sweet potatoes and peach cake for dessert). I hope she doesn't have too high hopes for her birthday meal...
We're going to Washington's Olympic Peninsula this weekend to visit North America's only temperate rainforest.
22:06 | Stuff | Comments (2)
February 2, 2004
OneNote
For a version 1.0 product, I've really been impressed with Microsoft OneNote. I use it all the time at work to keep track of various random scraps of information. I use it at home to keep lists, and even organize my blog ideas.
Chris Pratley, Program Manager for OneNote has a blog all about the product.
Why have I suddenly turned this website into a commercial for Microsoft? I dunno. I guess it's not often I get excited about office software.
February 1, 2004
BON Homme
On the bus the other day, I happened to look over at a man reading a newspaper. There was a large ad on the back for a home sale at the local department store, BON-Macy's. The sale was called "BON Home Sale". I had to do a double take because I thought I had read Bonhomme Sale.
Here's a treat for all you Carnaval fans, Bonhomme: Cocaine Smuggler.