As you know President Bush calling for an ammendment against gay marriage... do we need an ammendment? Is that the most important issue facing our country? You what's interesting about this whole thing, according to polls 51% of americans do not approve of gay marriage, but 70% of americans do not approve of President Bush! So gay marriage is actually more popular than he is!
- Jay Leno, The Tonight Show: 06-05-06
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Jay Leno Quote
Superman is Fake?
I went to see Superman Returns tonight with Debbie and Colleen. As a kid I was in love with Superman, I had a boxload of comics, I always watched the cartoons, I even had Superman curtains in my bedroom . I am not sure how Debbie and Colleen felt about the movie, but I loved it. I had goosebumps whenever he flew around saving people!
As much as I enjoyed myself tonight, my close-by-movie-talker curse was in full force. I am not a fan of people who talk in movies, and there was a guy behind me who did just that. I am sure his narration had it's interesting bits, but quite a lot of what he said didn't need to be. For example, there is a scene where Superman flies up into space, closes his eyes and listens around the world for the most important crisis, (coincidentally that crisis was taking place in Metropolis again), anyway, once he hears what is going on he opens his eyes and and shoots back down towards the Earth and we get to see a brief flare up as he re-enters the atmosphere. The movie-talker, at this point, said "That was fake!"
OK yes, it was fake, I'll give him that. The guy who plays Superman can't really fly into space. I wonder if he thought he was the only one to figure that out.
As much as I enjoyed myself tonight, my close-by-movie-talker curse was in full force. I am not a fan of people who talk in movies, and there was a guy behind me who did just that. I am sure his narration had it's interesting bits, but quite a lot of what he said didn't need to be. For example, there is a scene where Superman flies up into space, closes his eyes and listens around the world for the most important crisis, (coincidentally that crisis was taking place in Metropolis again), anyway, once he hears what is going on he opens his eyes and and shoots back down towards the Earth and we get to see a brief flare up as he re-enters the atmosphere. The movie-talker, at this point, said "That was fake!"
OK yes, it was fake, I'll give him that. The guy who plays Superman can't really fly into space. I wonder if he thought he was the only one to figure that out.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Ben & Nat's Wedding Part I
Ben and Nat were married last weekend in Vancouver in the best place I could imagine with the best weather one could ask for. I had a really good time and I met some really nice people. In the next few blog articles I am going to write about my trip.
Ben & Nat's Wedding Part I:
The Walk, Part I
My day started at 5:00am on Friday morning. Fortunately I have been getting up at 5:20 most mornings to go exercise with Debbie, but unfortunately I was too excited to sleep the night before and was awake until 4. I guess after an hour of sleep I hadn't had time to hit that good sleep and so I woke up feeling like I would have been better off just staying awake. Luckily the airport Tim Horton's supplied me with a healthy dose of coffee before I got on the plane where they served me another portion, then of course my connecting flight supplied me with even more. By the time I got to Vancouver I was wide awake and had peed four times.
When I got on the first plane there were all these people with their Tim Horton's coffee, and the flight attendant came by to gather them all up before take off. Keep in mind that Tim Horton's coffee is delicious and that caffeine is addictive, but yet these Tim Horton's People just handed their cups over no problem. The Blackberry People though... they refused to give them up! They needed to email to the very end! I was quite impressed with the way both the Blackberry People and the Flight Attendants would hold their ground as they stated their arguments. It was almost a stalemate but thankfully I think even the BP's realized their behaviour was just shy of psychosis and ended up backing down. By that time though I had heard the rule many times over: Blackberries can be used during the flight, but no electronic devices of any kind are allowed to be on during take off or landing. On the flight between Calgary and Vancouver a woman in my row didn't turn her Blackberry off until halfway through accelerating down the runway. A few minutes later when I was still able to clearly identify cars out the window, I looked at her to see she had turned it back on. I appreciate her willingness to interpret the rule in such a way that allowed her to believe that the 'take off' was limited to the instant the wheels left the ground.
I arrived in Vancouver at what I thought was 7:10, but I didn't realize at the time that the clock I was looking at wasn't ever set, so I really had no idea what time it was. I did know however, that I was going to make an adventure out of the trip, and the best way I could think of to accomplish that was to do some urban hiking.
I knew I had to go east then north and find SW Marine Drive. I asked some guy on the street which way east was, and I started walking in the direction he pointed. I didn't walk more than 2 minutes before I saw a 'No Pedestrians' sign. From where I was I saw about 6 pedestrians ignoring the sign though, so I followed them.
I was just going on faith that I really was going east. For all I know that guy didn't even speak English. Before leaving home I had googled the route and I memorized the streets I needed to find. I was hoping to find a street sign soon, but for the longest time the only signs around pointed to "Vancouver", "Victoria" and "Richmond". I found this to be annoying, but not distressing at all. I wasn't distressed until after 45 minutes of walking I saw a sign in front of me that said "Airport" and it pointed in the same direction I was heading in!
I ignored the Airport sign and kept on going in the direction of the Vancouver signs. The road I was on was just getting busier and busier as the morning progressed and I was getting quite frightened. I was walking along a bike lane that I am sure is well intentioned but was obviously added long after the road was planned out, so it is about exactly as wide as the standard width of mountain bike handlebars. The narrowness of my space and the number of big trucks roaring past me convinced me to find a safer route. I took an exit and before long I was on
a narrower, busier road, with an even narrower bike lane. Within a few feet the road became an overpass and I realized I had no safe escape route. I really felt like I shouldn't be there. I didn't really know where I was going and I found myself over-exposed and under-protected in a very harsh and sterile no-mans land. I had a feeling that I was the only person who'd walked there in decades. I was lost and scared in a unknown dangerous place but I knew I wanted to keep going. For a second or two I started likening my situation to that of an early Canadian explorer, but then I looked at my feet and saw a pair of gotch and realized it was still 2006.
Coming soon:
Ben & Nat's Wedding Part I:
The Walk, Part II
Ben & Nat's Wedding Part I:
The Walk, Part I
My day started at 5:00am on Friday morning. Fortunately I have been getting up at 5:20 most mornings to go exercise with Debbie, but unfortunately I was too excited to sleep the night before and was awake until 4. I guess after an hour of sleep I hadn't had time to hit that good sleep and so I woke up feeling like I would have been better off just staying awake. Luckily the airport Tim Horton's supplied me with a healthy dose of coffee before I got on the plane where they served me another portion, then of course my connecting flight supplied me with even more. By the time I got to Vancouver I was wide awake and had peed four times.
When I got on the first plane there were all these people with their Tim Horton's coffee, and the flight attendant came by to gather them all up before take off. Keep in mind that Tim Horton's coffee is delicious and that caffeine is addictive, but yet these Tim Horton's People just handed their cups over no problem. The Blackberry People though... they refused to give them up! They needed to email to the very end! I was quite impressed with the way both the Blackberry People and the Flight Attendants would hold their ground as they stated their arguments. It was almost a stalemate but thankfully I think even the BP's realized their behaviour was just shy of psychosis and ended up backing down. By that time though I had heard the rule many times over: Blackberries can be used during the flight, but no electronic devices of any kind are allowed to be on during take off or landing. On the flight between Calgary and Vancouver a woman in my row didn't turn her Blackberry off until halfway through accelerating down the runway. A few minutes later when I was still able to clearly identify cars out the window, I looked at her to see she had turned it back on. I appreciate her willingness to interpret the rule in such a way that allowed her to believe that the 'take off' was limited to the instant the wheels left the ground.
I arrived in Vancouver at what I thought was 7:10, but I didn't realize at the time that the clock I was looking at wasn't ever set, so I really had no idea what time it was. I did know however, that I was going to make an adventure out of the trip, and the best way I could think of to accomplish that was to do some urban hiking.
I knew I had to go east then north and find SW Marine Drive. I asked some guy on the street which way east was, and I started walking in the direction he pointed. I didn't walk more than 2 minutes before I saw a 'No Pedestrians' sign. From where I was I saw about 6 pedestrians ignoring the sign though, so I followed them.
I was just going on faith that I really was going east. For all I know that guy didn't even speak English. Before leaving home I had googled the route and I memorized the streets I needed to find. I was hoping to find a street sign soon, but for the longest time the only signs around pointed to "Vancouver", "Victoria" and "Richmond". I found this to be annoying, but not distressing at all. I wasn't distressed until after 45 minutes of walking I saw a sign in front of me that said "Airport" and it pointed in the same direction I was heading in!
I ignored the Airport sign and kept on going in the direction of the Vancouver signs. The road I was on was just getting busier and busier as the morning progressed and I was getting quite frightened. I was walking along a bike lane that I am sure is well intentioned but was obviously added long after the road was planned out, so it is about exactly as wide as the standard width of mountain bike handlebars. The narrowness of my space and the number of big trucks roaring past me convinced me to find a safer route. I took an exit and before long I was on
a narrower, busier road, with an even narrower bike lane. Within a few feet the road became an overpass and I realized I had no safe escape route. I really felt like I shouldn't be there. I didn't really know where I was going and I found myself over-exposed and under-protected in a very harsh and sterile no-mans land. I had a feeling that I was the only person who'd walked there in decades. I was lost and scared in a unknown dangerous place but I knew I wanted to keep going. For a second or two I started likening my situation to that of an early Canadian explorer, but then I looked at my feet and saw a pair of gotch and realized it was still 2006.Coming soon:
Ben & Nat's Wedding Part I:
The Walk, Part II
Saturday, June 17, 2006
The View from 41,000 Feet
I flew to Vancouver this weekend on WestJet and I was quite impressed with the plane. It was a Boeing Next-Generation 737-700, which has a cruising speed of 850 kph and a maximum altitude of 41,900 feet. The length of the plane is 110 feet with a wingspan of 117 feet. WestJet's ads say they have the most modern fleet in North America and I believe it - when I got inside I noticed it still had that new plane smell.
When I sat down I was surprised to see a TV monitor on the back of the seat in front of me. As we idled on the runway it displayed a representation of the plane's position and heading on a map of western Canada. It even displayed the airspeed and altitude, which of course at the time was 0 kph and 5 feet. I was impressed with how quickly the numbers increased as we took off, but I was most impressed with the pilot because he flew to an altitude of 41,904 feet in a plane that has a maximum altitude of 41,900 feet! Talk about pushing the envelope! I bet he was probably speeding too.
Soon though, believe it or not, watching the airspeed got boring so I decided to see if this monitor showed anything else and soon enough I was flipping around the dial with 24 channels of satellite tv at my disposal. Right about this time in the flight we were flying over the spectacular Canadian Rocky Mountains and I found something to hold my attention. Before I knew it we were on our final approach to Vancouver and I realized I had spent the entire flight watching The View from my window seat... on channel 14.
P.S. This blog article was written on my way home while on another Boeing Next Generation 737... but this one was only a 737-600, and it didn't have a tv. I actually had to use my brain to entertain myself... so I wrote this blog on my Palm Pilot
When I sat down I was surprised to see a TV monitor on the back of the seat in front of me. As we idled on the runway it displayed a representation of the plane's position and heading on a map of western Canada. It even displayed the airspeed and altitude, which of course at the time was 0 kph and 5 feet. I was impressed with how quickly the numbers increased as we took off, but I was most impressed with the pilot because he flew to an altitude of 41,904 feet in a plane that has a maximum altitude of 41,900 feet! Talk about pushing the envelope! I bet he was probably speeding too.
Soon though, believe it or not, watching the airspeed got boring so I decided to see if this monitor showed anything else and soon enough I was flipping around the dial with 24 channels of satellite tv at my disposal. Right about this time in the flight we were flying over the spectacular Canadian Rocky Mountains and I found something to hold my attention. Before I knew it we were on our final approach to Vancouver and I realized I had spent the entire flight watching The View from my window seat... on channel 14.
P.S. This blog article was written on my way home while on another Boeing Next Generation 737... but this one was only a 737-600, and it didn't have a tv. I actually had to use my brain to entertain myself... so I wrote this blog on my Palm Pilot
Monday, June 12, 2006
I used to have a dream
I used to almost have this dream. A while back Bruce asked me to help lead a transgender support group. It didn't take long for me to get really excited about it. Before I would be allowed to talk to someone one-on-one I had to take a weekend course on peer-counselling. The feedback I got was that I was really good at it. I've never been one for talking to strangers - let alone talk about something serious - but here I was doing it and feeling so good about it. It was amazing to be able to talk to people about their troubles, and even more amazing that they felt it helped to talk to me.
Then probably one of the best boosts to my self-esteem happened. I was telling my psychiatrist that I had taken that course and this meant that if a TG called the Avenue Community Center and wanted to talk to another TG then they'd call me to set something up. That is when my psychiatrist told me that I'll have to let her know how it all goes, because she has some clients she'd send over to chat with me.
I was actually thinking that going back to school to learn to do something in the counselling arena would be worth considering. Then I met [name edited], and she has single-handedly demolished that dream. I've quit the transgender group altogether and I guess I'll be sticking with computer programming for a while yet.
Then probably one of the best boosts to my self-esteem happened. I was telling my psychiatrist that I had taken that course and this meant that if a TG called the Avenue Community Center and wanted to talk to another TG then they'd call me to set something up. That is when my psychiatrist told me that I'll have to let her know how it all goes, because she has some clients she'd send over to chat with me.
I was actually thinking that going back to school to learn to do something in the counselling arena would be worth considering. Then I met [name edited], and she has single-handedly demolished that dream. I've quit the transgender group altogether and I guess I'll be sticking with computer programming for a while yet.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Flixter
Flixter is pretty fun. It lets you rate and review movies.
I've only got three friends though, so come be my Flixter friend.
Sarah's Flixter
I've only got three friends though, so come be my Flixter friend.
Sarah's Flixter
The reason I am fat
Ever notice that sometimes you do things on autopilot? A good example of this is when you are driving, and you know you didn't just blow through any red lights, but you don't recall making an active effort to check at the last few intersections. When I worked at Wendy's they sent me to a course that was supposed to help me train better, and the term they used for this is "subconscious competent". It basically means that after a while, tasks that you have to repeat over and over become so easy that eventually you can successfully perform a task even while you concentrate on something other than guiding your body through carrying out that task. I suppose in the driving example this might sound dangerous, but admit it - when is the last time you had to consciously press the brake pedal when a car cut you off? Not since you first learned how to drive I am sure. Nowadays you skip conscious thought and as soon as your eyes sense a danger your foot is pressing the brake. When confronted with certain stimuli, even when driving, your brain just takes over your body and without conscious thought reacts in the most familiar way. Oh by the way, this is the reason I am fat.
A couple nights ago I drove Megers and I to Jen's house where we ended up enjoying some alcoholic beverages and Jen's old yearbooks. We ended up heading out from there and my car stayed for the night, so yesterday morning I had to go pick it up. I was in a bit of a rush because it was already noon and I had a nail appointment at 12:30. Despite the rush, a billboard advertising a double-cheese burger lured me into a McDonald's drive-thru for a quick lunch. I said "double-cheese burger and a small diet coke please."
The girl then asked, "filet-o-fish and what else?"
"No, just a double-cheese burger and a small diet coke please."
"filet-o-fish, double-cheese and what else?"
"no, double-cheese and small diet coke only"
"ok, so that was a double-cheese, small diet coke... and a filet-o-fish?"
Now keep in mind I had only had a few hours sleep, and I was in a hurry, and I was cranky. Instead of answering her last question I just drove away.
Hours later I had finished my nail appointment, gone for lunch with my sister, and spent the afternoon hanging out with her. I was on my way back from driving her home and I saw a familiar billboard that made me re-live the filet-o-fish incident in my mind. I was laughing over it for a few minutes and then suddenly I was stopped next to a speaker and heard a voice say "Double-cheese and a small diet-coke? That's $3.09 please pay at the first window."
When confronted with certain stimuli, even when driving, your brain just takes over your body and without conscious thought reacts in the most familiar way. This is the reason I am fat.
A couple nights ago I drove Megers and I to Jen's house where we ended up enjoying some alcoholic beverages and Jen's old yearbooks. We ended up heading out from there and my car stayed for the night, so yesterday morning I had to go pick it up. I was in a bit of a rush because it was already noon and I had a nail appointment at 12:30. Despite the rush, a billboard advertising a double-cheese burger lured me into a McDonald's drive-thru for a quick lunch. I said "double-cheese burger and a small diet coke please."
The girl then asked, "filet-o-fish and what else?"
"No, just a double-cheese burger and a small diet coke please."
"filet-o-fish, double-cheese and what else?"
"no, double-cheese and small diet coke only"
"ok, so that was a double-cheese, small diet coke... and a filet-o-fish?"
Now keep in mind I had only had a few hours sleep, and I was in a hurry, and I was cranky. Instead of answering her last question I just drove away.
Hours later I had finished my nail appointment, gone for lunch with my sister, and spent the afternoon hanging out with her. I was on my way back from driving her home and I saw a familiar billboard that made me re-live the filet-o-fish incident in my mind. I was laughing over it for a few minutes and then suddenly I was stopped next to a speaker and heard a voice say "Double-cheese and a small diet-coke? That's $3.09 please pay at the first window."
When confronted with certain stimuli, even when driving, your brain just takes over your body and without conscious thought reacts in the most familiar way. This is the reason I am fat.
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