Note to self

It's Cameron's birthday.

Naming conventions

I've always named my computers after guitars. Windows computers have generally gotten named after Gibson guitars; Linux/BSD/Mac computers get named after Fenders; laptops get named after acoustics. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but as time has passed and the computers have gone out of date, I'm finding that I'm running out of good names, and my brand spanking new computers -- vastly superior to the old in every respect -- get worse names. My first PCs were ES335, LesPaul, Telecaster, Stratocaster, but then it was on to SG, Jaguar, and Jazzmaster; fine guitars all, but no ES335 or Telecaster. My current desktop is Starcaster, which is really starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel.

Apple probably had this same problem with their operating systems, but they wisely started with Cheetah, went on to Puma, then Jaguar, then Panther. When 10.4 came out and they called it Tiger, I thought "What the hell are you doing? You have nowhere left to go but Lion." But they said screw it and went back down to Leopard, which is clearly an inferior cat. I understand that 10.7 will be called Lion, though, after which they may have to go to things that can beat a lion, such as Drought or Desert Hardship or Two Lions.

Though I already have a naming convention for my guitars, I think maybe it's time to augment with a second one; a second name that can go in parentheses, like the songs on Hail to the Thief. From here on, I shall be naming my guitars after computers. Look at my new guitar, Cray-2. Sorry, Thinkpad T60 is in the shop. Excuse me, I've got to go restring Deep Blue.

It's probably a good thing I don't have children.

Current Music: Mr. Mister - Broken Wings

Note to self

It's Eric's birthday.

Current Music: Wolf Parade - Cloud Shadow on the Mountain

What's Wang This Week

A 6th birthday for this blog!

And a bunch of other boring stuff.

Regardless, happy birthday, blog. I still love you.

Current Music: Camille - Ta Douleur

Note to self

It's Victor's birthday.

Note to self

It's Thomas' birthday.

Revelations about my friends (or, Random paraphrases from recently, provided with some context)

me:

How old are racehorses typically?

Regan:

Usually about two or three years old.

me:

That's it, eh? So for the rest of their lives are they just put out to stud?

Regan:

Yeah, basically.

me:

What about show jumping horses?

Regan:

A little older, like 7 years old.

me:

Oh, so they last a little longer?

Regan:

Yeah, well they're not worn out so quickly, right.

me:

And do they use the same horses for both? Like, after a racehorse is retired, does it ever go to show jumping?

Regan:

No, I don't think so.

me:

How do you know so much about horses? Oh that's right, you're a girl.

Victor:

[steps to the tee wearing a pair of bright purple Converses, takes a practice swing]

me:

That is a striking pair of shoes, Victor.

Victor:

I know. They're my groomsman shoes.

me:

Your brother had you wear those at his wedding? Oh that's right, your brother's a hipster.

me:

So we're decided on sushi then?

Megan:

Yeah, someplace with good rolls.

me:

Oh that reminds me, we should really go to Posh, they have a deal right now with non-stop sukiyaki and sashimi.

Megan:

But not sushi.

me:

Yeah, the sashimi is all-you-can-eat too.

Megan:

But not rolls. With rice.

me:

But... oh that's right, you're all white.

Whitey:

[looks on]

Current Music: The Black Keys - Next Girl

Note to self

It's Steve's birthday.

Current Music: Wolf Parade - Expo 86

In conversation with Dickolas (or, Non-random quotes from just now, provided with context)

Eric:

birthday?

Eric:

oh. soon

Eric:

there's still time!

me:

still 20 minutes of being 27

me:

what should I do with those 20 minutes??

Eric:

Two women at the same time.

me:

man, I'd settle for one

me:

even just half of one

me:

either half

me:

provided it is halved latitudinally

Current Music: Van McCoy - The Hustle

P.S.: Yes I had to look up "latitude"

In conversation with Dickolas (or, Non-random quotes from yesterday, provided with minimal context)

me:

fortunately I have a Mickelson-esque short game

me:

it helps that I carry four wedges

me:

like Mickelson

me:

basically my goal is to be like Phil Mickelson

me:

in retrospect I should probably have picked a role model who isn't basically known for being an underachieving lovable loser

Jim:

to be globally admired yet still have man boobs?  I'd take that too

me:

good call

Current Music: Paul Simon - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

Note to self

It's Ian's birthday.

Note to self

It's Megan and Adam's birthday.

Current Music: Sloan - At The Edge Of The Scene

Random quotes from my past, provided without context #43

MAKE ME A BUTCHER! FUCK!

-- Richard Liang

Current Music: Beck - Debra

Random quotes from my past, provided without context #42

I'm trying to decide if a band called National Calves would write this song, but I think the answer is "probably not".

-- Graham Pollock

Current Music: The Box Tops - Soul Deep

Potent Quotables (or, Non-random quotes from last month, paraphrased and in context)

Ian:

[seeing my desktop background] Did you take this picture?

me:

I did, yeah.

Ian:

Is this your view from the window?

me:

Yeah. I just took it from out on the balcony.

Ian:

... This is a nice picture.

me:

Oh, thank you.

Graham:

Wow. That's high praise, coming from Ian. He doesn't usually give such high praise.

me:

I know!

Ian:

... Maybe it just looks good because of your monitor.

Graham:

See?

Current Music: Neon Neon - Belfast

In conversation with Dickolas (or, Random quotes from last week, provided with paraphrased context and an accurate punchline)

Friend #1:

[describing a pro-life rally in Ottawa] ... but there was a stage and a band and everything.

Friend #2:

Whoa really? A band?

Friend #1:

Yeah.

Friend #2:

But what kind of songs do you play at a pro-life rally, anyway?

me:

"All That She Wants Is Another Baby"?

Current Music: anything but

Here is some music

I've been working at updating my musical tastes the last couple of weeks; mostly this just means new stuff by bands I already liked, but hey it's a start. Here is a taster of what I've been listening to:

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal



Vampire Weekend - Cousins



Neko Case - People Got A Lotta Nerve



Neon Neon - Dream Cars



Neon Neon feat. Cate Le Bon - I Lust U



St. Vincent - Marrow



Current Music: one of the above

A glacier's patience

I can't stop listening to this song:

Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You

Note to self

It's Graham's birthday.

Current Music: Fleet Foxes - Sun It Rises

Has anybody noticed

that Stephane Auger's defence in the Burrows/Auger saga hinges on the fact that no neutral third party can corroborate that he said "I'm going to get you"? And that both sides of the argument agree on everything else that Burrows alleges Auger said?

In other words, has anyone noticed that Auger's defence has boiled down to "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit"?

Isn't that awesome?

(I'm going to resist spelling this one out for the Americans, non-French speakers, or people who are otherwise pronouncing Auger like "augur". Well, I guess there's a hint for you.)

Current Music: Super Furry Animals - The Very Best Of Neil Diamond

Statistics indicate...

... that Super Furry Animals was (were?) the 3rd best band of the aughts.

Juxtaposed With U



(Drawing) Rings Around The World



Venus and Serena



Moped Eyes



The Very Best Of Neil Diamond



It must be true. Statistics said so!

Current Music: Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years

Conan the Barbedwitian

It's a real shame that apparently people aren't watching Conan on the Tonight Show. I for one like him there a lot. Just think: when someone says the name Conan to you, do you think of Conan O'Brien or Conan the Barbarian? I'm guessing you probably think of Conan O'Brien. That alone is a feat! That's like someone named He-Man Smith becoming the preeminent He-Man in our culture!

Anyway, it's also a shame that apparently none of my friends watch The Simpsons anymore either. Because of that, many of you will have missed this little pearl from Conan, writer for the Simpsons from 1991-1993, right at the end of their 20th Anniversary Special:

interviewer:

[If] you had to write the... the ending of the Simpsons, how would it end?

Conan:

Marge is gonna take a good hard look at Homer, and say he's so stupid, and he's... screwed us over so many times.

It'd be humourless, it won't be funny, it'll just be her looking at Homer and saying, "You are such a stupid sonofabitch. I... you're endangering my children, you've destroyed the town six hundred thousand times, you're... you... you're a threat to mankind. I'm leaving you. I'm leaving you forever."

Current Music: Vampire Weekend - Contra