Sunday, March 30, 2014

Rainy day distractions


I had great intentions of doing work-related type stuff yesterday, but then I got distracted. This is the result. (You should be able to click to enlarge them Mom - most of them look better like that ;)

Only one with flash that sort of worked
Panoramic-esque
Sploosh!
Waterworks!
Slightly off kilter
This would look so awesome frozen!
Slightly b'jubbled
Crop option 1
Crop option 2 (shhh but I think I like this one better)
Kaplooey!

Don't mind me, just living the fantasy

A friend of mine sent me this from some shop down near LA


Now I know everyone loves Canadians (how could you not ;) but I didn't realize there was such a need to *be* Canadian.

If being Canadian is one of your fantasies, we have a set of instructions you can follow.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Hockey night in Canada

I was listening to the Vancouver - Avalanche game which I suppose ended awhile ago now... and I've just realized that it rolled in to a loop of what sounds like practice ice...

It's relatively quiet, although there are voices in the background. Everything echos a little bit, belying the size of the arena they're in. The slap of shots and the *donk* sounds of the puck off the bar or the deeper hollow sound as it hits the boards... sticks *klacking* and my favorite the *skshhhhhht* of skates making shaved ice.

It's strangely soothing. 

If I close my eyes I can almost imagine watching my friend play. Sitting on a flat, well worn bench in the stands... hot Tim's in hand. Its almost cold enough to see your breath, but the game is exciting enough you don't feel it between cheering them on.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

There's more to it, than just using the right words

While messages such as this one (which I correctly received) in my inbox make me smile... and for the most part convey the correct message.

(Click to enlarge)

I am simultaneously appalled at our use of the English language.

By "our" I mean society as a whole.  I say this because whether I like it or not, I have found that my own usage is influenced and affected by those around me. Some of it is local colloquialisms... but sometimes it's just bad grammar.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

For future reference

Here's a way to sort drop down lists, the way you should be able to in FileMaker...

http://www.soliantconsulting.com/blog/2012/09/extending-filemaker-pro%E2%80%99s-value-list-sort-capabilities-using-char-function

Monday, March 17, 2014

Look out for those little green leprechauns!

So my friend the music teacher had the kindergarten class today, and apparently they were a little riled up, what with it being St. Patrick's Day and all...

Her: I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with dime, and starts with an "L"

...at which point half the kids in the class yelled out "Leprechaun!!!"

Her: Hmm... No, leprechaun doesn't rhyme with dime.

I think what probably put them over the edge... was coming in to their classroom to find that a leprechaun had come and "trashed" the place in the middle of the night, leaving green sparkles and destruction everywhere he went. 

If everyone did things, just because they could...

Last night I was coming out of Home Depot, walking across the parking lot when I saw a lady  balancing a large unwieldy item, she paused... and I called out to ask if she needed a hand with it (it really looked a little awkward).  She told me she had it, as she stuffed it into the back seat of a laden down 4-door car.

Then she stopped.

She looked up, and said "Thank you. I don't usually meet such nice people when I'm shopping. You just made my evening."

I walked away wishing her a nice evening too... and realized on the way home that I was so shocked by what she'd said, that I'd forgotten to tell her I'm Canadian.


It breaks my little heart, that when people see someone struggling with something they don't stop and offer to help. If she had accepted my offer, it would have taken less than five minutes out of my evening... but even as it was, we both left the parking lot smiling.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Nutritional benefit -1

I'm not sure what my dysfunction is, but I have had no luck getting celery that lasts any length of time down here... 


Ok, well technically it has lasted. But the crunchy aspect leaves more than a little to be desired... I certainly don't eat it for it's nutritional benefits.

I ask you

How is it that the last three minutes struggling through a run, feels longer than five minutes of drinking coffee in the sunshine?

Friday, March 14, 2014

Beware the dark side!

Dark in there it is, take one of these you should...


Brush your teeth you must, or lose them all you will. 


Sunday, March 09, 2014

So you had a bad day

There's nothing in this world quite like a bad day... especially the kind where you exhale until there's a vacuum in your chest, and you feel surely that at any moment you'll disappear into the negative space only spoken about in hushed whispers of calculus discussions...

and then an eternity in a second...

before the tears explode.

Breathe.

One of the benefits of getting older, is knowing that this too shall pass...

That whatever it is that isn't okay in my little world, will sort itself out one way or another, and be okay again.

Besides, someone once told me...
"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end yet!"


Tuesday, March 04, 2014

"Terrible" has never been so refreshing

Yesterday I was graced with the honest opinion of a disgruntled employee.

After sitting on hold for at least 20 minutes, waiting for dispatch to tell me my shuttle number I walked out into the rain washed air.  It was cool and fresh, and still raining a little - I grew up on the "Wet coast"... so to everyone else at the airport it was raining a lot.

I climbed into the van, and asked the driver how his night was going. "Terrible!" he responded, and then fully explained it when I asked why.

It was very refreshing.

It wasn't the usual, in fact he told me about his frustrations with dispatch... that as a van service he had made three single runs that evening, and that any time he called he had also been on hold upwards of 20 minutes. Which is "unacceptable!" he exclaimed.

I happen to agree.

He was frazzled, and brusque, but despite all of that he was still patient and polite. I could tell that he was trying his best, and each passenger he contacted, he gave directions to find the pick up area.

I felt bad for him, his level of customer service is higher than the company he's working for and it was bothering him that things weren't what they should be... and yet there didn't seem to be a whole lot he could do about it. I respect that he hasn't adopted an air of indifference, blaming everything on dispatch. In a sense he is still blaming them... but somehow it seems more like they deserve it.

2 hours later I got home.

While I appreciate the reminder not to always just smile and give the rote answer that everything is "fine" it would have been nice to get home sooner.