life on a whole minute

Alexis sent me this amusing note about the earthquake: . . .

Blogs often criticize, but it’s equally important to praise those who act honorably. So I’m happy to have something good to say about Imperial Parking. I asked them to do the right thing about what I felt was an unjust ticket. To their credit, they did. . . .

I only knew Bob Everton through the Political Media course he taught at SFU this autumn. I signed up at the last minute, and almost dropped the course. I’m glad I didn’t. . . .

Finally I may have a bit of time to blog. Last week, Cindy and I attended the Sakai conference in New Orleans. I may comment on the conference itself later – it was educational, especially about perceptions of open source. But the city was disturbing. . . .

Can someone explain to me why academics, journalists, businessfolk, and people who profess to know something about technology use the expression “a code” when they mean a software program? I have never heard a programmer use the word like that. Code is a collective noun, like sand, or water, or “copy” in journalism. You don’t say “I’m gonna get me a sand” any more than you say “I’m gonna write me a code”. . . .

I just stepped out of a hot shower on a chilly Victoria morning, and it made me feel like Christmas. Suddenly I realize it’s the cold air that makes the difference. My back is scorched from the temperature I slowly turned up while standing under the tap, and warm water covers me from head to toe, but along my ankles and my arms are pricks where the cold is getting through. Then I get it. Temperature is a flavor. . . .

The two games I despise above all others are Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly. For Monopoly, the reason is obvious: it’s brainless, self-centered, and blatantly unbalanced. For Trivial Pursuit I had an inkling why: I have trouble with U.S.-centric questions; when it comes to questions about sports or television and movie stars I am completely lost. The other day I saw a TV ad for the 90s edition: someone opens a time capsule and celebrities from the 1990s start pouring out. Suddenly it was very clear. Trivial Pursuit is stuck in a cliquish high-school view of the world. It isn’t about the game. It’s about cultural affirmation. And it’s not much fun if it isn’t your culture.

If anyone has been watching closely, they may have noticed my spelling. It’s American. It didn’t used to be: like all good Canadian students I was brought up to defend our proud mix of British and American conventions (“colour” and “centre” but “mom” and “civilize”). American spelling still bothers me. But language changes. Sometimes it simplifies, and boy could English spelling do with simplification. . . .

You know how Safeway has this loyalty card programme. So when they hand me the receipt, they like to be polite. It’s creepy as hell. . . .

On the way to the airport for our vacation the taxi driver was taciturn. His counterpart on our return to Vancouver was nothing like. . . .

Cindy and I are in the process of moving. This is the time when I see and regret everything I have accumulated. This is when I know, without a doubt, that of all the aspects of life which suck our life from us day by day, things are among the worst. . . .