Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Supposedly it's "summer".

Hello lackies. I used to watch the show Street Cents, and Ken Pompadour would always greet his followers that way. CBC had some real gems back in the day. I was quite the fan of Jonovision (hosted by Jonathan Torrens) and his music shows, featuring the Coveted Golden Ear as first prize. Prestigious.

Good 90's tv aside, let's discuss more important matters: embarassing moments. Here are a few of mine that I remember. If they're not that good, let's keep in mind that there are probably WAY worse ones that have just been blocked out of my mind completely.

- In Namibia a few years ago, some locals wanted me to try eating a mopane worm. They collect these caterpillars from trees and fry 'em up, and everyone loves them and eats them constantly. I put one in my mouth and couldn't handle the rubbery consistency, and immediately spit it out onto the floor. I tried to laugh it off but was actually super embarassed that I couldn't even eat a worm.

- When I was about 16, I was in a fabric store with my mom and we split up to look around. I think I was looking for fabric for new curtains for my room or something. After walking around for a bit, I went and stood next to her and said, "Well, you know which ones I like." And she turned to me and said, "Pardon me?" Turned out it WASN'T MY MOM. Same jacket though.

- I can't think of any more.

Ok, weak, I know. I guess I don't have too many embarassing moments that haven't been blocked out by my stellar cranium. So - share yours.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Cumulus, Cirrus, Stratus.

In the title of today's entry you'll find the names of three cloud types. I know these (and others) because as a geeky teen, I owned dozens of "zany" t-shirts designed to convey the message that I was unique and cool, and one of them named the types of clouds along with diagrams of them. Instead of standing out, I probably just blended ever so nicely into the mosaic of teens all trying to be unique and cool. Besides the cloud shirt, I also had one with a mosquito biting someone's arm and getting filled up with blood, and one that said "Neighbors from Hell" with a picture of demons moving into a house.

And now, from the inquisitive mind of Cara A. Pauls.... things I don't understand:

- Why is it that humans, myself included, always seem to want to have something to look forward to in life? It's almost impossible for us to move forward and get out of bed if we don't have something that we're anticipating.

- Why do human reproductive hormones kick in at such a disgusting and awkward time of life?

- Why do things get dusty so often?

- Why is there no middle ground with certain things - I mean, why are there things that people either love or hate? No ambivalence for these things... eg. cilantro, poetry, watching surgery on tv, roller coasters

- Why is it so hard to change certain aspects of one's personality? How can one go from loving their personality one day to being really annoyed with it the next?

- Why has summer been so cold this year?

- Why do people that are "religious" have the hardest time accepting other people?

Ok, that's enough of a glimpse into my brain for today. Let's go back to the lighter side and talk about current entertainment options. The highly-anticipated movie Bruno premieres this week, featuring Sacha Baron Cohen as a gay Austrian fashion designer... this movie looks ridiculous but I'll probably see it because Bruno looks eerily similar to a friend/coworker of mine. Summerlicious is also happening right now, which I hope to be able to check out. Games night is also in the works, which I couldn't be more excited about!!!!! There are about a thousand other things I'd like to do this summer. Who's with me?

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Post-Canada Day... how do you feel?

Hey guys. I didn't really celebrate our nation's 142nd birthday very well.... I was at WORK!!!! It was incredibly horrible for the first couple hours but then things calmed down.

Some facts about life right now:

- I have a persistent cough lingering from last week's virus, and it is SO ANNOYING AND LOUD. I think everyone I work with probably wants to puncture my lungs with a harpoon in order to stop listening to it.

- A few recent factors have me thinking about veganism lately. I'm going to do some more research. Keep in mind that I'm not big on being friendly to animals, but the idea that you can actually prevent diseases by changing your eating habits really appeals to me. I may have to concoct my own unique brand of veganism though that would still allow me to eat organic/free range meat every now and then. I'll keep you guys posted on the developments.

- The garbage strike is ongoing on Toronto and it's getting just plain DISGUSTING. I feel like I'm living in some underdeveloped country with no infrastructure. I'm hitting up St. Catharines for a couple days this weekend, and I'm sure the Garden City will not disappoint.

- I'm caring less and less about the Blue Jays.

- People are feeling this weird, tired, Monday-type vibe today because yesterday was a holiday. So I'm glad I worked yesterday, thus avoiding the sluggish after-weekend feeling and being able to truly enjoy my Thursday.

- All this Michael Jackson hype is pretty interesting. As usual, the media is making dead people out to be saints, of the type that do no wrong. Clearly Michael Jackson was a musical genius, but he was also a total freak. Let's not forget that he had a disturbed childhood and was a tortured soul who made bad decisions and probably shouldn't have had custody of his kids. I just want our perspectives to be balanced, ok?