fatfairies

It's a magical thing when you walk by a little song sparrow who hasn't seen you approach and is sitting only inches away from your face when it belts out a tune just as you walk by.

The look of surprise when it notices that it's actually you only inches away and can't quite figure out what do do next...priceless.

I admit to not being an Olympic supporter...an athletic supporter maybe (but that's a different story <eg>). However...I certainly don't consider myself as being anti Olympics. They're not going away...they're starting tomorrow..and I simply shrug my shoulders. With sarcastic amusement I listen to the majority of Olympic supporters in my circle who have modified their tunes over the last couple of days, weeks, months as Olympic hassles become more apparent in their lives. I think I may have even changed my tune slightly in that I don't think I'll even try the "I told you so" route when we're presented with the final bill. I don't think I'll even come close to going downtown and subjecting myself to the crowds over the next couple of weeks. I'm simply not interested.

I do have to mention that there are a few things that I've noticed, that are "Olympics" in nature, that rub me the wrong way. One of them is the Official Olympic Vehicles and their drivers.

First off...where did these drivers come from? Did they apply to become "Official Drivers"? Did they have to do a road test and be specially licensed? Are they being monitored by the IOC? By the Vancouver Police? By Anyone? Are they supposed to obey the standard road laws?

My take on the answers to these questions are - Don't know...No...No....No...No....No...and apparently No.

I have seen these Official Olympic Vehicles traveling down Granville in both directions at break-neck speeds. Speeds far exceeding the posted limits. I have seen these Official Vehicles zig-zagging through traffic and cutting other drivers off. I have seen these Official Vehicles making illegal turns, disobeying "Do Not Enter" signs. I have seen these Official Vehicles going the wrong way around traffic circles. I have seen these Official Vehicles barreling down side streets and blowing through stop signs. I have seen Official Vehicles being driven by people on cell phones..and not the hands-free variety.

I shouldn't really be surprised as this is standard Vancouver vehicular traffic behaviour...but I have a saying: "Don't drive like an a-hole if you have advertising on your vehicle". Official Olympic Vehicles are no exception.

So, to the Official Olympic Vehicle driver that almost ran me over because they weren't paying attention as they were on their cell phone and didn't happen to see that they had a stop sign and felt the need to honk at me and flip me the bird because they were clearly surprised and almost killed a pedestrian...perhaps you ought to re-think your career goals as a professional taxi driver and take up knitting.

Dear Okanagan's Soya Co.,
I frequently purchase your Swiss flavored block cheese and have noticed, in the last 3 blocks that I've bought, that they taste like a garlic flavoring has been added. This is a new thing and I'm not sure if this is intentional or not. Sadly, it makes the cheese rather unappealing and if this is what the product will continue to taste like I won't be buying it any more.

The other thing of note is that, as a consumer, I am disappointed that you decided to go with a 250g from 300g sizing difference. I know that you have no control over the pricing at the store level but Choices (where I typically purchase the product) charges $0.75 more for the smaller size. Given this, and my aforementioned issue with the flavor, saddens me greatly and I am no longer recommending your product and am seriously considering going with another brand. This may be trivial to you, but given that I once held your products in a rather high regard, I thought you would be interested.

Sincerely,

Simon

This is the point that I try to make in light of the claims that Avatar is the highest grossing movie to date. It's all about the price of the tickets!!! Thanks JoeMyGod for this post:

The REAL Top Movies List

 

After Avatar became the highest grossing movie of all time earlier this week, many of you noted that because of inflation, gross revenue and ticket sales are two different measures of success. The Live Feed notes today that in terms of attendance, Avatar is actually the 26th most successful film of all time. Here's the top 20, by tickets sold.

1. "Gone With the Wind" (1939) 202,044,600
2 "Star Wars" (1977) 178,119,600
3 "The Sound of Music" (1965) 142,415,400
4 "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) 141,854,300
5 "The Ten Commandments" (1956) 131,000,000
6 "Titanic" (1997) 128,345,900
7 "Jaws" (1975) 128,078,800
8 "Doctor Zhivago" (1965) 124,135,500
9 "The Exorcist" (1973) 110,568,700
10 "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) 109,000,000
11 "101 Dalmatians" (1961) 99,917,300
12 "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) 98,180,600
13 "Ben-Hur" (1959) 98,000,000
14 "Return of the Jedi" (1983) 94,059,400
15 "The Sting" (1973) 89,142,900
16 "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) 88,141,900
17 "Jurassic Park" (1993) 86,205,800
18 "The Graduate" (1967) 85,571,400
19 "Star Wars: Episode I" (1999) 84,825,800
20 "Fantasia" (1941) 83,043,500

FINALLY someone else who gets it!

Oh MAN! Did the nurse at Canadian Blood Services ever put both feet in her mouth this morning. On Breakfast Television, Greg Harper (their "Roving Reporter") was at Canadian Blood Services donating blood on camera. After his iron test, Greg gets up to go and chat with other people in the clinic and asks the nurse whether it was o.k. The nurse tries to crack a joke and says "we're homophobic". She meant to say, as a joke, "we're hemophobic". She corrects herself and then says "I hope the camera wasn't on". Talk about a Freudian slip.

Yes, Canadian Blood Services, you ARE homophobic! Your outdated policies and views are disgusting and exclusionary. Given that you test/screen the blood you receive after the donation, if there was anything wrong with it you wouldn't be adding it to your stores. You are hung up with the whole gay sex thing and, quite frankly, it's simply wrong.

A friend of ours recently gave blood and she won't be doing it again. She was asked repeatedly if she had had sex with a man who knew that he had sex with another man since 1977. She was asked no less than 10 times by 5 different people. She felt that the questioning was done in such an accusational and derogatory fashion that she will not be donating again until they revisit their policy. Drug users and prostitutes only have to wait 6 months until they can give blood...unless they've had sex with a man who has had sex with another man since 1977.

The other issue I have with Canadian Blood Services is that there isn't a definition of "sex" that they follow. I can understand trying to prevent people who have had numerous unprotected partners from donating. I get that. But people who are in monogamous, long term relationships and who have no serious health issues should be allowed to donate. The focus is only on men. I know many women who have had numerous partners (and some have admitted to having unprotected sex)...but they aren't precluded from donating. The rules for them, it appears, are different.

So...to the nurse on Breakfast Television this morning: Thank you for telling the truth. Your organization IS homophobic. Is nice to have someone there admit it publicly.

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/01/new-spider-found-in-giant-dune.html

"With a leg span of up to 5.5 inches (14 centimeters), the new spider is the largest of its type in the Middle East, the scientists said."

It's the eyes. I don't mind spiders if you can't see individual hairs and eyes. With this charming arachnid you can see both.

I sooooo have the heebie-jeebies right now!

I confess to not being a "newspaper" reader. Sometimes I reconsider....


Thank you New York Times for making me laugh!!! And thank You Joe.My.God for originally bringing this fabulous chart to my attention.

I simply can't stop watching/listening to this ad for Flora, the new Gucci frangrance, directed/produced by Chris Cunningham. He brought Donna Summer back to the studio to capture her voice for a new version of "I Feel Love"...and he even produced the soundtrack for the video. Natalie Portman does the disembodied and overly bored voice at the end. That part was the only downside to the commercial. Word on the street is that the full version of the redone "I Feel Love" will come out in 2010.  I really think this is lovely and it totally gives me goosebumps.

...the fragrance of Tangelos. For some reason I could sit and smell Tangelos for hours and never tire of the fragrance.

K...This was a FaceBook thing that I was tagged with by a great friend of mine. I'm not one to usually go for meme-type things...but yesterday, while I was waiting for Ron to pick me up, I thought why not? These came very easily and felt somewhat cathartic to get out. So here they are...clean and simple:

25 Things about me that you may or may not know...

1. I get goosebumps When a musical chord resolves.
2. I can't eat citrus without a major fanfare. The pith makes me barf.
3. I remember my dreams.
4. I love the tropics.
5. I love gardening.
6. My baby toe is the size of most people's big toe (thanks Suzanne for bringing feet into the picture)
7. I've had breast cancer and am convinced that the doctor sewed my nipple back on upside-down.
8. I hate clowns.
9. I despise monkeys.
10. I am terrified of basements.
11. I can't sleep in a pitch black room.
12. I still enjoy Saturday morning cartoons whilst eating sugared cereal.
13. I am not afraid of death (despite #14).
14. If I get out of bed in the middle of the night I still freak out that there is 'something' (read:monster) under the bed that will reach out, grab my ankles, pull me under the bed and eat me.
15. I have no fear of turning 40.
16. I hated being a teenager.
17. With the exception of making some great friends, if I could wipe out everything in the 5 years I was at high school I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
18. I love living beside the ocean.
19. I love the sound of crickets and tree frogs at night.
20. I love disco music.
21. I'm not a fan of organized religion.
22. I enjoy making people laugh.
23. I LOVE Bird's English Custard.
24. I love to sing...and especially when the lyrics are naughty...and if they aren't then I love making them naughty.
25. I love having 'moments' when everything aligns and the universe is right. Doesn't happen that often...but when it does it's sure bliss.