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November 29, 2006
US Tries Dollar Coin, Again
The US Mint is trying once again to get people using the dollar coin, but unlike Canada, it is not discontinuing the paper dollar bill. So how are they going to get people interested? The Susan B Anthony and Sacagawea dollar coins weren't very popular, so who are they getting to replace them? Why, all the presidents!
That's right, the US presidents are back, in coin form. I bet no one thought Nixon would ever be on a coin, and he won't be; until 2016. Personally, I'm waiting for the dollar with my favourite US President ever: William Henry Harrison, who died of pneumonia a month after taking office.
What's interesting is that there's a federal law prohibiting still-living presidents from gracing American money. I wonder how they're going to handle a 71-year-old Clinton holding up production in 2017.
20:30 | America | Comments (0)
November 26, 2006
Hallowe'en Photos
Hallowe'en photos are (finally) up.
We went to a cool costume party with Matt and Kayobi. Bonnie went as blonde Uhura, Kayobi as a "snail" (it's a pun... read the caption out loud), Matt as a Bad Scientist, and I went as a Scout Master. There's also photos of Bonnie's cute Jack o' Lantern, and me with a random pink wig (don't ask).
15:49 | Gallery | Comments (1)
Snow! May God Have Mercy On Us All
It just started to snow here in Seattle. Expect highway shutdowns, cars sliding into ditches, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Here's hoping for another snow day!
14:52 | Seattle | Comments (0)
November 22, 2006
Beardaversary
It was (American) Thanksgiving last year that I became bored of my physical appearance and decided on a change. I took the bold step of not shaving for three weeks. After a few brushes with security at work, and explaining to them I was not, in fact, a vagrant, I bought a pair of hair clippers.
It's been a year since my cheeks and chin have seen direct sunlight, and what do I have to show for it? That's right, more artists' renditions!
In other news, Happy Birthday Bonnie!
10:30 | Stuff | Comments (1)
November 20, 2006
Early Arrival
Orphans has arrived.
Oh yes, I'm enjoying it right now.
23:11 | Entertainment | Comments (0)
November 19, 2006
Canadian Water: On Par With Mexico
Well, I picked a heck of a weekend to visit Vancouver: a water advisory. The heavy rains for the past few days have taken their toll, causing mudslides to soil local drinking water reservoirs. That meant only bottled water for us to drink, and to use to brush our teeth.
The last time I experienced this was my trip to Mexico, and I foolishly thought I would never experience such a health hazard in my native Canada, let alone the third largest city in Canada. Hopefully their Grey Cup win makes up for having to boil their water.
Besides the water situation, Bonnie and I had a great time in Vancouver (as usual). We even caught the Santa Claus parade (complete with Mounties, cowboys, and extras stars from Stargate SG-1).
23:36 | Canada | Comments (2)
November 17, 2006
Over 30 Seasonals On Tap
You'd better believe I'm going to this: Winter Beer Fest 2006.
08:48 | Stuff | Comments (3)
November 14, 2006
The Military Commissions Act
As a bearded non-citizen living in the US legally, stuff like this case of a legal immigrant being detained for five years and counting without charge or access to a lawyer, scares the heck out of me.
But I guess since I'm not Muslim a terrorist, I have nothing to worry about, right?
08:04 | America | Comments (0)
November 10, 2006
American Terrorists
The Vietnamese government has just convicted seven people, including three American citizens, on terrorism charges, claiming they plotted to take control of a radio station and call for revolution against the government.
The defendants, all of Vietnamese descent, had been jailed without charges for more than a year, prompting Washington to pressure Hanoi to move forward swiftly and fairly.
In case you missed the irony in the above paragraph, here's a hint.
08:28 | America | Comments (0)
November 9, 2006
Staying The Course
As of right now, Allen (R) has not yet conceded in Virginia, delaying the final election results. Most news networks are calling it for Webb (D), which would give Democrats a majority in both houses of Congress.
In related news, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigns. I'm currently listening to Bob Woodward's State of Denial on Audiobook, so this news is especially interesting to me.
The book describes Rumsfeld as a man who helped mastermind the Iraq invasion, took charge of the military, was unable to delegate responsibilities, ignored advice from generals and intelligence experts, and was a generally unpleasant guy. I can't say I'll miss him much.
08:27 | America , Politics | Comments (0)
November 8, 2006
Election Roundup
As of right now, the Democrats have taken the House of Representatives, six governorships and are tied with the Republicans for the Senate.
MSNBC has a roundup of vote issues and irregularities. Issues ranged from illegally requiring photo ID, to poll workers not knowing how to turn the voting machines on. Fortunately, it looks like most counties with voting machines were able to use backup paper ballots to minimize wait times. Good job!
Speaking of the reliability of voting machines, Florida Secretary of State Sue Cobb is more optimistic than I:
History has shown that the machines are far more accurate than paper so we're quite confident in it. There is absolutely no reason to believe that there will be any security issues, any hacking going on.
07:41 | America , Politics | Comments (1)
November 7, 2006
Vote!
If you're one of my American readers and you haven't already, go out and vote!
If you're not American, be prepared to be inundated with news reports about voting irregularities for days to come. Looks like some states are off to a great start. Keep in mind that this is the country that wants to bring democracy to Iraq.
08:00 | America , Politics | Comments (0)
November 6, 2006
Another Paycheque Spent
It's insane how much money I can drop in one trip to Fry's. That's why I told Bonnie to monitor the cart and take my wallet away if I was spending too much.
I managed to walk out spending less than $200 (video card, card reader, headphones), mostly by avoiding lingering in the DVD section. Already the video card has made a huge difference. Bonnie had pointed out that ever since I bought my LCD monitor that the colour wasn't quite right. (I noticed something was a little off, but to her graphic-design trained eye, I might as well be colour blind).
It's nice to be able to go to the electronic store and buy yourself a present under the guise that you're doing your girlfriend a favour.
00:07 | Nerd | Comments (1)