Everything Else
The Making of a Morning Person (Day 2)
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on March 25th, 2006
Got home from poker at midnight, and went straight to bed. My alarm went off at 5am, and I groaned out of bed and started the day. I was worried this wasn’t going to work.
The Making of a Morning Person
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on March 24th, 2006
I hate the morning. Somewhere in high school, I started despising the AM, and now I’d prefer a timetable to 11-7, staying up until 2AM reading, writing, and chilling. But then I read an article by Steve Pavlina, who turned himself from a night owl into a morning person.
I recognize the value of this; many times I have risen so late on the weekends (and when I was self-employed) that I couldn’t run errands because shops and services closed at 5pm. And it’s a self-perpetuating cycle: getting up after lunch leaves you wide awake at 2am, meaning you stay up later, and get up later yet again.
This Steve fella managed to get up every morning at 5am, regardless of when he went to bed. My goal: to try the 5am wakeup for 30 days, and see if it sticks.
This is day one. The ironic thing is that I was up until 2am last night reading about this, and some of the Steve’s other exploits. Then, I got up a few scant hours later, at 5am.
I treated myself to a breakfast of bacon and eggs, listened calmly to the news, had a nice long shower, got ready for work, read some internet feeds, and left the house with lots of time to spare. It was very civilized. Perhaps too civilized….
This Can’t Be Right
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on January 18th, 2006
Your 2005 Song Is
Beverly Hills by Weezer
“My automobile is a piece of crap
My fashion sense is a little whack
And my friends are just as screwy as me”
You breezed through 2005 in your own funky style!
Christmas Mispackings
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on December 30th, 2005
I left for the airport carrying many large and various items in a thick paper Old Navy bag with handles. I thought it would work. I hoped it would hold. I prayed it would survive the trip.
Ed’s Note: Say it with me: “foreshadowing.”
Christmas Misspeakings
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on December 29th, 2005
Over the holidays, I was lucky enough to be able to visit my good friend Ian, and his wife Andrea, at their newly-improved home. During the guided tour, we exited the kitchen into the front hall, I saw this cool little lay-down-couch-thing beside a table with a phone. Called a “chaise lounge,” it appealed to the geek in me for its efficient use of space, and convenient access to both remove one’s shoes or recline during a phone call. Then it all went bad.
Survival in Print
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on November 30th, 2005
Newspapers are undergoing a serious risk to their survival. Consider that more and more people get their news online; ad and subscription revenue will decrease directly with decreasing print circulations, and reach a tipping point unless the media outlets can find a better way to leverage their online products.
Maybe a Fig Leaf Would Help
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on November 21st, 2005
The female research lead, referring to Michelangelo’s David, claims that “Men of 35 to 40 years of age … are attracted by the extraordinary masculine beauty and at the same time, are also agitated.” Perhaps this is some kind of homo-erotic insinuation; if anything, one look at David’s penis should make anybody feel more confident about their luggage: that thing’s tiny.
Fewer Mistakes = Less Confusion
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on November 19th, 2005
The media is starting to sound like a bunch of four year olds. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed an alarming increase in the number of times people use the word “less” when what they mean is “fewer.” In conversation, in articles, and even recently, in marketing slogans. It sounds ridiculous, especially coming from the mouths of educated CBC radio personalities who speak for a living.
Look Out Nintendo: Ninjas vs. Pirates!
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on November 10th, 2005
My computer science class is starting a unit on video game design. They are using a freeware program called GameMaker that frees them from all the background programming details. After two units of real programming, they are vibrating with excitement. Yesterday we played a bunch of GameMaker-designed games so they could get a feel for what’s possible. Today I had them write down a basic outline of a game they would design. Here are my two favourites.
You Are What (Defect) You Eat
Posted by yoursinwriting in Everything Else on October 29th, 2005
I’ll never forget the time my sister and I split a huge package of Whachamacallit chocolate bars, my favourite at the time. I tucked into the first one, and noticed it tasted strange; not exactly stale, but really, really close. After my second bite, a big chunk fell away from the bar. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the dried corpse of a moth, balled up in spiderwebs. I was too stunned to feel sick. And to be fair, I was too young to be that picky where free chocolate was involved.
Fast forward to a few days ago, when I found this page, which outlines the levels of “defect” that, if discovered, require action by the American Food and Drug Association.
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