I finally had the chance to watch some of the Continental Cup this week, now that TSN is showing more than just the last couple of draws.
What a brutal display of curling. The mixed doubles, in particular, was simple awful to watch. Totally boring. Shitty ice. Players who had no idea what the rules were. Skips with no idea where to put the broom. It looked a lot like our Thursday night social league...
And the team captains and coaches were just as bad. What looked like a good mixed skins lineup was actually an invalid team, according to the convoluted rules, so the teams ended up splitting the points, instead of actually playing for something. What a joke.
If this was meant to increase interest in curling, I hope nobody was watching.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Aphorism of the day
Today's aphorism deals with starting over, with a clean slate.
"Don't bring old lube to a new relationship."
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Photos of the year
It's that time of year again.
Telegraph's photos of the year
and
National Geographic's photos of the year.
Telegraph's photos of the year
and
National Geographic's photos of the year.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
For the man who has everything
How about an underwear repair kit?
Features iron-on patches, white out, duct tape, elastic waistband, needle & thread, safety pins and a user manual.
Features iron-on patches, white out, duct tape, elastic waistband, needle & thread, safety pins and a user manual.
We're number 10! We're number 10!
SuperMegaCorp shows up at number 10 on the list of European-based Top 100 software companies. We're #44 overall.
And how does the stock do today? It falls like Ron Jeremy's pants.
And how does the stock do today? It falls like Ron Jeremy's pants.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Calling Ralph on the great white phone
I'm a fairly light sleeper. Certain noises in the night quickly wake me up. The dog having a seizure (always happens in the middle of the night), the kids calling for a drink of water or an escort to the bathroom...
Friday night I heard a coughing sound - was it just a cough, or was it a retch? I listened... ok, there it goes again - that was a retch. I jumped out of bed, went into the bathroom and... empty. Quick jog to the next room... no five-year-old. Ok, now I know who's about to puke, but I can't find her.
Then a cry, from the kitchen. There she is! Standing on tiptoes, trying to barf into the sink. I picked her up just as she heaved. Let her go at it a few times, then take her to the bathroom. Glance at the clock on the way. 11:15pm.
When she was done, I tucked her back in bed, and told her to head to the bathroom if she needed to do that again.
Which she did. At 11:45pm. And 12:30am. 1:15am. 2:30am. 3:00am. 3:30am. 5:00am.
At 5:00, as I was helping her back to bed she said, in a sad voice, "Dad, I know nobody likes being sick, but I hate it the most."
Then she slept until 9:00 and woke up feeling great.
Friday night I heard a coughing sound - was it just a cough, or was it a retch? I listened... ok, there it goes again - that was a retch. I jumped out of bed, went into the bathroom and... empty. Quick jog to the next room... no five-year-old. Ok, now I know who's about to puke, but I can't find her.
Then a cry, from the kitchen. There she is! Standing on tiptoes, trying to barf into the sink. I picked her up just as she heaved. Let her go at it a few times, then take her to the bathroom. Glance at the clock on the way. 11:15pm.
When she was done, I tucked her back in bed, and told her to head to the bathroom if she needed to do that again.
Which she did. At 11:45pm. And 12:30am. 1:15am. 2:30am. 3:00am. 3:30am. 5:00am.
At 5:00, as I was helping her back to bed she said, in a sad voice, "Dad, I know nobody likes being sick, but I hate it the most."
Then she slept until 9:00 and woke up feeling great.
Any fool knows, a dog needs a home
I have a problem with an mp3 file. The Windows Media Player (version 11.0.5721.5230) on Windows XP SP3 can't play it. It complains about error C00D1199, which turns out to be "Invalid or corrupt data was encountered".
This is strange, since the file plays in Media Player at home, on Vista. It also plays fine in QuickTime. The Google turns up some suggestions that the codec I'm using might be a little strict, and the data in the file might be a bit buggered up.
I found a neat mp3 editor, mp3DirectCut. Opened the file, filled in the ID3 tags, and saved it. Now it plays beautifully in Media Player.
So if you'll excuse me, I need an Animals fix now.
This is strange, since the file plays in Media Player at home, on Vista. It also plays fine in QuickTime. The Google turns up some suggestions that the codec I'm using might be a little strict, and the data in the file might be a bit buggered up.
I found a neat mp3 editor, mp3DirectCut. Opened the file, filled in the ID3 tags, and saved it. Now it plays beautifully in Media Player.
So if you'll excuse me, I need an Animals fix now.
Friday, December 12, 2008
They must have taken my marbles away
When I saw the headline, "Sarcasm used to diagnose dementia" I was a little worried. After all, sarcasm is my middle name. [ed: no, it's not - it's Alain].
Anyway, turns out that sarcasm is the tool used to diagnose dementia, not a sign of dementia. People with Alzheimer's, for example, don't get the sarcastic joke.
One less thing for me to worry about.
Anyway, turns out that sarcasm is the tool used to diagnose dementia, not a sign of dementia. People with Alzheimer's, for example, don't get the sarcastic joke.
One less thing for me to worry about.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
A sudden look in the eye and an easy smile
Let me see if I understand this correctly.
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to fill all 18 vacancies in the Liberal-dominated Senate before Christmas, a spokesman for his office told CBC News."
Harper, who has demanded that the Senate be abolished, or at the very least filled with elected members, is now planning to stack it with his own Yes-men.
Now he's not only running scared, he's looking desperate at the same time. Maybe we're nearly through with the clown, after all.
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to fill all 18 vacancies in the Liberal-dominated Senate before Christmas, a spokesman for his office told CBC News."
Harper, who has demanded that the Senate be abolished, or at the very least filled with elected members, is now planning to stack it with his own Yes-men.
Now he's not only running scared, he's looking desperate at the same time. Maybe we're nearly through with the clown, after all.
Why is it...
Why is it that almost every time a developer gets involved with a problem at a site, the conversation starts out "if we don't fix this right away, they're going to throw us out"?
That threat would carry a lot more weight if it actually happened once in a while. Or if only a fraction of the cases didn't carry the threat.
As it is now, the developers just shrug it off with a casual "whatever... get a log file and get back to me next week."
That threat would carry a lot more weight if it actually happened once in a while. Or if only a fraction of the cases didn't carry the threat.
As it is now, the developers just shrug it off with a casual "whatever... get a log file and get back to me next week."
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
One sheet to the wind
I've played in the two-sheet Plattsville Curling Club a few times. Interesting experience, for sure. Pressing yourself up against the cinder block walls to get out of the way of the other team's sweepers...
I have not had the pleasure of curling at a single-sheet club, though. The aptly named Loonie Curling Club is the Ontario Curling Association's only one-sheeter, and they have a pretty good chance of getting a team to the Provincials this year.
I have not had the pleasure of curling at a single-sheet club, though. The aptly named Loonie Curling Club is the Ontario Curling Association's only one-sheeter, and they have a pretty good chance of getting a team to the Provincials this year.
Sadness is...
Yesterday's theme was happiness. Today's theme is sadness.
Sadness is... no four wheel drive on the ice. I guess the City of Waterloo gave a day off to the guy who is responsible for counting the grains of salt as they go on the truck.
I almost needed a push around the corner this morning.
Sadness is... no four wheel drive on the ice. I guess the City of Waterloo gave a day off to the guy who is responsible for counting the grains of salt as they go on the truck.
I almost needed a push around the corner this morning.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Engulfed in a fever of spite
It's amusing to watch all the righteous indignation spewing from the Tory bloggers these days. There's no monopoly on being an asshole, boys and girls [ed: are there any female Tory bloggers?], although you have to admit, Harper's really good at it.
Don't overreact when the kid with the glasses gets up off the ground and gives you a solid punch in the mouth. You've been asking for it for a long time.
And didn't Stéphane Dion look better yesterday when he called Harper on his flag lies? Where has that guy been for the last two years?
Don't overreact when the kid with the glasses gets up off the ground and gives you a solid punch in the mouth. You've been asking for it for a long time.
And didn't Stéphane Dion look better yesterday when he called Harper on his flag lies? Where has that guy been for the last two years?
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