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December 29, 2006

Wrapping Up My Trip

I fly back to Seattle tomorrow, ending another Christmas visit in Southern Ontario. I had a great time seeing friends and family (thanks again to everyone for hosting and coming out to see me). I got to see a little more of Toronto thanks to my brother who has a place in the Junction near Malta Village (I didn't even know Toronto has a Maltese population, let alone one large enough to necessitate their own village). I also spent a lot of my time eating, and I fear this distended belly of mine won't go away anytime soon (yes, the poutine was delicious).

My flight home should be enjoyable, thanks to all the DVDs I got for Christmas (Family Guy, SCTV, The Ben Stiller Show, Fargo). I'm sad to leave, but will be glad to get back to Seattle to spend New Year's with Bonnie and my Seattle friends.

17:24 | Travel | Comments (1)

December 26, 2006

Sad Statistic

Today marks a grim statistic: more American soldiers have died in Iraq than people killed in the 9/11 attacks. As of today, 2980 American soldiers have been killed in the second-deadliest month for Americans in Iraq in over a year, and it's not over yet.

My condolences go out to the families of the fallen this holiday season.

18:12 | Iraq War | Comments (0)

December 23, 2006

Hockey Night In Canada

There's nothing like hanging out in my sister's garage drinking a couple of beer and getting my jacket covered in salt from leaning against her boyfriend's truck while watching a Leafs game on the TV he has set up in there.

The only thing missing is the snow!

22:54 | Canada | Comments (1)

December 18, 2006

Blogging in Toronto

Well, I made it to Toronto, finally. The crazy windstorms that hit Seattle on Thursday knocked out power to much of the Puget Sound area, and affecting the runway lights at Sea-Tac airport. We didn't leave Seattle until after 2:00am. My flight was delayed by two hours, which made me miss my connection in Chicago. Luckily, for once I wasn't screwed by an airline. I went to the customer service desk, swiped my credit card at a kiosk, and received a boarding pass for the next flight to Toronto (and a window seat to boot). Keep it up and I'll overlook the fact that you made the emergency exit seats "upgrades".

I'm sitting in a wifi-enabled Toronto coffee shop right now, blogging from my Macbook. (How did I get along so long without a laptop?)

Anyway, I'm staying with my brother for a few days and have time to hang out. Drop me a line.

18:10 | Travel | Comments (1)

December 15, 2006

Five Years Of The Rant

Today marks the 5th anniversary of One Big Rant. Five years of Self-Indulgent Tripe. Congratulations if you've stuck around this long. You either have an unhealthy obsession with everything Chris or you're my mom. Hi Mom!

I first started blogging before I knew what that word meant, in September 2000 to keep an online journal of my adventures in Japan. I liked it so much, I decided to start One Big Rant.

So five years later, how has this blog enriched my life and the lives of my readers around the world? Well, first off it was a way to publicly rant about my university and the nerds that inhabit it. It chronicled my co-op experiences and my initial interactions with those crazy people we call Americans. OBR allowed me to share some of the strangest and most frustrating elements of my post-secondary education, and the heart-wrenching feeling one gets when horribly bombing an interview (and the redemption of getting the job anyway).

Since moving to the US, the blog has allowed friends and family to keep up on my adventures, following my virtual breadcrumb trail from Ontario to Seattle. It's allowed me to expound my crazy political views, nerdy musings, my joys and heartbreaks.

If you're still reading this, most self-indulgent of blog posts, thank you. I've you're a regular reader, thanks for your patronage. I'll try to keep the posts frequent, interesting and rant-filled (you know you love it). If you've just stumbled upon my site, no, I can't get you an XBox, so stop asking.

09:18 | Blog | Comments (3)

December 13, 2006

The Gayest Bean

Think homosexuality is a choice? What about homosexuality from birth? Well, you're both wrong according to Jim Rutz at the World Net Daily:

Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That's why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today's rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products.

That's right folks, tofu makes you gay. That probably explains how China's population is dropping dangerously low, since they're all homos who don't procreate.

03:12 | Stuff | Comments (3)

December 9, 2006

Ontario For Xmas

Once again I'll be Ontario for Christmas this year. I'll be arriving on December 16, and leaving on the December 30 to spend New Year's in Seattle with Bonnie and friends. So send me an email if you want to meet up in Toronto for food and drinks!

While I'm back, I will try to indulge in all the wonderfully Canadian foodstuffs I can't get in Seattle, including (but not limited to):

16:09 | Travel | Comments (8)

December 8, 2006

No Debate on Same-Sex Marriage

Yesterday Parliament voted against reopening debate on the legality of same-sex marriage in Canada, meaning the law stays on the books, and gays and lesbians can continue to marry (and divorce) .

As someone who is in support of same-sex marriage, I'm glad debate will not be reopened. But I'm also a little impressed with Prime Minister Harper for making good on his promise to reopen debate, despite the fact the motion had little chance of passing. It's refreshing when politicians deliver on unpopular campaign promises, I just wish Harper had made some different ones.

08:12 | Canada | Comments (0)

December 4, 2006

The Tufty Club

No, it's not the name of some Furry convention. Tufty is a stop-motion animated squirrel from 1960s Britain who teaches children about safety. The safe way to do something is demonstrated by Tufty, while the unsafe way is demonstrated by Tufty's idiot friend Wally Weasel.

Check out this video of how not to get frozen treats from the ice cream van. Tufty's way is to bring "Mummy" with him. Wally's way is to run blindly into traffic. Be sure to listen for the thud as Wally disappears behind the van.

07:43 | Entertainment | Comments (1)

December 2, 2006

Nog Blog

Did you really think I would let this holiday season pass without professing my love for Egg Nog?

I briefly toyed with the idea of creating a blog entry where I post the various brands of Nog I've tried this year (like what I'm doing for the Winter Beers). But then I decided, for the sake of my heart, that drinking copious amount of Egg Nog was probably a bad idea. So instead of risking cardiac arrest, I gaze longingly at the yellow cartons in dairy counter, then grudgingly pick up a litre of Soy Nog.

Incidentally, Silk Soy Nog isn't half bad. They've got the Nog taste almost perfect (slightly too sweet), but the thin consistency is all wrong. When I drink Nog, I want to feel my insides get coated with nutmeggy goodness, dammit!

09:44 | Stuff | Comments (2)