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September 27, 2005
iPod, Take 3
I got my replacement iPod yesterday, the 60GB with colour screen version. It's thicker than my old 40 GB iPods, so it doesn't quite fit into the dock (and as a way to make more money, Apple has stopped shipping docks with iPods and are selling them seperately). Hopefully this one is more resilient than the iPod Nano.
So now everything but my passport has been replaced from The Great Backpack Theft of 2005. I will be sending off my birth certificate today, and according to Passport Canada, they hope to have my new passport in 20 work days. So by November I should have my new passport, and be able to go back to Toronto for Christmas.
Of course, until then I'll be a nervous wreck, paranoid that my birth certificate will have gotten lost in the great bureaucratic machine in Gatineau that is Passport Canada.
07:49 | Stuff | Comments (8)
September 25, 2005
...Back In The USA (For A While)
Yes, I'm back in Seattle. I encountered almost no trouble at all at US Immigration. The only small problem was that the blank I-94 cards weren't on the table where the immigration officer said they would be, so I asked the guy at the ticket counter who gave me an I-94W, but that was quickly remedied.
We had a good time in Vancouver. Ate some Indian food and some sushi. Saw Science World and a book festival.
Now that I have my I-94, I can proceed to the next step in acquiring a new passport: getting a guarantor to sign my application, then send off the application and my birth certificate to Québec for processing. That means no leaving the country until my new passport arrives (since I won't have any proof of citizenship... kind of nerve wracking actually).
23:32 | Stuff | Comments (0)
September 23, 2005
Off To Canada...
Tomorrow I head out to the Great White North to spend the weekend in Vancouver. On Sunday I'll be coming back, and will hopefully get across the border with some replacement visa documents (that can only be obtained at border crossings). I'll be sure to give you all an update when I get back to my apartment, so if there's no entry by Monday, chances are my lack of passport presented a problem.
If anyone knows of any cheap hotels in Vancouver (just in case), let me know.
16:46 | Stuff | Comments (0)
September 22, 2005
Slashdot Now Standards Compliant (Almost)
News For Nerds site Slashdot upgraded their webpage to HTML 4.01 and CSS, coming very close to compliance. Well done!
I always found it somewhat ironic that the website that geeks flock to in order to bash Microsoft for their lack of following standards was itself not standard compliant.
07:44 | Nerd | Comments (0)
September 21, 2005
Move Over Osama, Paris Hilton Is Next
The FBI is now recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad as part of the Bush Administration's War on Porn.
Yes, you read that correctly. It appears that the War on Terror is going so well for the Bush Administration, that they can afford to put agents onto this new squad that targets - not illigal child pornography - but the legal hardcore kind.
The priorities of this administration never cease to amaze me.
08:05 | America , Politics | Comments (0)
September 19, 2005
International Talk Like A Pirate Day
Avast! Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I be excited for today's team status meeting... Yarr!
08:07 | Stuff | Comments (0)
September 15, 2005
Stop calling me B.M.
Yes, it's nerdy, but damn it's funny. For anyone who uses iTunes and/or Mac OSX, read The iTunes 5 Announcement From the Perspective of an Anthropomorphized Brushed Metal User Interface Theme.
07:57 | Nerd | Comments (0)
New Camera
I got my new digital camera today. I replaced my stolen Powershot S30 with the Powershot S70 (what can I say, I'm sold on the Powershots). Thanks to Dav for his camera advice. And what does that mean for you, my good readers? It means more empty promises to post photos of trips. Aren't you lucky?
00:49 | Stuff | Comments (0)
September 14, 2005
Must Leave Country
Ah, the joys of losing one's passport in a foreign country. To replace my I-94 card (a card that is stapled to my passport indicating my work status, date of entry, etc) which was lost along with my passport, I need to visit US Immigration by leaving the country, then coming back, all the while crossing my fingers that I'll be let back in.
So that means I'm planning a trip to beautiful Vancouver, BC next weekend, and who knows, maybe I'll be staying there a while... at least Timmy will be there to make me feel better.
07:38 | Stuff | Comments (1)
September 9, 2005
I've Got Two Legs
Yesterday my sister emailed me with the news that she had met a celebrity, of whom I am a big fan (huh, that was an awkward sentence): Mr Terry Gilliam. She is a Citizenship and Immigration Officer at Pearson Airport in Toronto, and Gilliam was on his way to the Toronto Film Festival to present his latest film Tideland.
She didn't recognize his name at first (Terence Gilliam), and so didn't get me an autograph (bad sister!). I've been a huge fan of Gilliam's ever since I was a kid and watched Time Bandits and Monty Python, and I even saw The Brothers Grimm on opening night.
I have a feeling she'll be meeting a lot more celebrities as time goes on, although I'm willing to bet none of them will have a rat tail quite as long as Terry Gilliam's (no, I'm not kidding).
07:53 | Stuff | Comments (0)
September 6, 2005
Delicious and Deadly
Thanks to Britain's Freedom of Information Act, previously classified records documenting innovative ways the Nazis planned to disguise bombs. These disguises include chocolate-covered grenades, bombs in cans of oil, explosive pastilles, and my personal favorite "the exploding Smedley's English Red Plums in Heavy Syrup".
I don't know about you, but English Red Plums in Heavy Syrup sounds deadly enough without the explosives.
20:13 | Stuff | Comments (2)
September 1, 2005
And The Universe Did Not Explode
Well it finally happened. After years of stalking me across the globe, I got to meet Para-Chris in person.
Rob seemed like a cool guy. We talked about Japan, living in the US, and future plans. Then we shook hands, and the universe did not explode.
I feel, even though it was not apocalyptic, the handshake was significant. With that instant of physical contact, the link between us was finally broken. All those adventures followed in my footsteps, from Waterloo, to Corel, to Japan, to Redmond, albeit a few years behind me, are done. I no longer have an international stalker, and Rob can stop living in the shadow of Chris Lyon.
Good luck on your own life Rob! And remember: you never know who's reading your blog.
06:57 | Stuff | Comments (1)