prosaic edification

Would you complain because a sunset doesn't have a future?
-Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas

Recently I discovered the chess game on my computer when I was looking for some other application. I set the difficulty low enough for me to be able to win and I've slowly inched it up over the last couple of games. It's nice to play a game that seems only limited by your own computational capacity. Also, last Christmas my dad beat me at a game of chess I had been dominating him in throughout and then proceeded to gloat for an hour. You could say I'm in training.

The snow is still here but will apparently leave us soon. It's been awesome while it's lasted, breaking routine and creating a little excitement, like an instant vacation. Also I enjoy making fun of this city for being so unable to handle it. Other cities I've lived in are sooooo much tougher. Take that Vancouver, you have no idea what I've seen.

abominable snowperson

The fundamental question is, will I be as effective as a boss like my dad was, and I will be. Even more so. But until I am, it's gonna be hard to verify that I think I'll be more effective.
-Ray Abruzzo, Sopranos

Apparently, this quote is based on a statement made by dubya before becoming president.

I use convenience store bought phone cards to call long distance on my cell phone. Overall, I reckon it’s a relatively cheap way to talk if you don’t have an internet phone. There are numerous problems with this system however. Let me count the ways.

1. Excessive keypadding. You have to dial 32 numbers before you get to talk to anyone. Approximately 25% of the time, I forget I don’t need to dial “1” or the circuits are busy or something, therefore increasing the average number of keys touched to be more like 39 per call. Oi.

2. The Password Dig. You have to scrape off a protective coating to reveal the password on the card you buy. Unfortunately, the cards are cheap and it can be difficult to remove the silver without also removing those precious digits underneath. Sometimes I feel like an archeologist, using a variety of instruments to try and coax the secrets from an ancient manuscript.

3. Ethical Ambiguity. I once saw this episode of Sopranos where Tony and the gang ran a fraudulent scheme, selling phoney phone cards. Also, I’ve heard that they are way for the Hell’s Angels to launder money. It’s probably not true, but I somehow can’t get over the feeling like these companies are full of sketchy people.

4. Replacement Scams. When you run out of money on your card, you have to go buy a new one. Or do you? I noticed a number on the back of the card that allows you to add moolah using your credit card. After waiting on hold for 5 minutes and giving the dude my card info, he wants to know my address. He wants to know my phone number. He wants to know the 3 little extra security digits on the back of the card. Umm, thanks, but I’m not sure I trust BRAVO! Phonetime with all my earthly details.

salubrious salutations

Say, any you boys Smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, are you otherwise trained in the metallurgical arts before straightened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

-George Clooney, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Another successful weekend in Vancouver for me.

Friday night Jordan, Sarah and I tried to hit the Tenacious D movie Pick of Destiny, but were foiled by excessive traffic and a lack of parking. Again, cities are lame. We ended up renting O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a favourite of mine. Someone has described it as "the soundtrack being the product and the film the wrapping paper", which I thought was apt. I don't really enjoy the "down-homie" style of music usually, but the movie and music work so beautifully together.

It's puking outside now. Pretty awesome actually, but I'm a little worried about getting to school tomorrow. Biking is out at any rate. Last year when it snowed, I figured that shouldn't stop me from riding. It was fine at the bottom of the hill, but once I got to the endowment lands, my skinny hybrid tires did not handle the slush very gracefully. I made it without a spill, but I wouldn't count on that again.

Definitely the snow is making me think about getting home for Christmas and therefore, the amount of work I must do before that. Panic. Panic. Panic. End of Post.

blank

I say I want someone else to stand behind me and write it all down
'cause I can't be bothered doing it myself
and I don't want the responsibility of proving its importance
-Barenaked Ladies, This is Where it Ends

I reckon about half of my thoughts get lost somewhere.

Despite the fact that it's still raining and it's still november, I'm feeling alot more into school these days. I had a good chat with Erin on Sunday and she insinuated I might be having a case of the "November Blahs". I guess realizing the transient nature of our moods was enough to improve mine.

Jordan moved in last night. It was pretty easy as he travels pretty light. Although upon coming home today I see he has an unfinished coffee table in his room now. I'm pretty sure it's his thesis (he took a degree in "wood engineering"). I hope he finishes it so we can use it soon. It looks sweet.

Rob (Trevor's sailing partner), who lived on our couch for a month left us a card and bottle of wine when he left. I thought it was pretty considerate until I opened the card.....and a wad of cash fell out! We weren't expecting anything at all so it was a pretty nice surprise. Now all Sarah and I have to do is decide what to spend it on. We made a deal that it had to be something fun that we could both enjoy. She suggested a new pair of heels.

chargin' the freshies

Brain : "I shall pollute the water supply with this DNAdefibuliser, turning everyone into mindless slaves."
Pinky : "What about the people who drink bottled water?"
Brain : "Pinky, people who pay 5 dollars for a bottle of water are already mindless slaves."

-Pinky & The Brain

I went up to Whistler on saturday with Trevor and met up with Cortney and Trish. Although I think my attitude has improved from the days my dad used to have to coax me away from saturday morning cartoons, I'm usually still a little reluctant to get up on the mountain. Snowboarding is an expensive sport. Never mind maintaining the appropriate gear, once you own the board/bindings/boots/jacket/pants/googles, you still have to pay $75 just to use it. Also, living in Vancouver, getting there and back usually makes the whole episode a 12 hour adventure.

Sometimes though, when the conditions are right, it's all worth it. Saturday was opening day and we managed to hit quite a bit of untouched pow-pow gnar-gnar. It was great to spend the day with Trev before he takes off to Miami for 3 months tomorrow.

We were meant to go out Saturday night and party it up, as we rarely do that anymore and wanted to have a bit of a fiesta to send Trevor on his way, but several events conspired to make the night a bust. I would go into the details, but I think I would be just about as bored writing about them as you would be reading them. That's' the thing with cities sometimes, there are a million and one great things to do, but you have to wait in line, fight the crowds and then pay an excessive amount of money to do them.

Sunday was a day of sleep, laundry, phone calls and procrastination, as it should be. Three weeks to go before end of term!

knee burn

Dude, rain is totally a state of mind
-Miles Estey

Miles and I were talking about the fact that maybe people care a little too much about getting wet, when really, it's not so bad, especially if it's en route to somewhere warm, as it almost always is. Really, though, maybe it's Hollywood and the rampant pathetic fallacy that has been socialized into us, but just as my outlook affects how I perceive rain, rain certainly affects my state of mind.

I always try to remember that old prayer about not worrying so much. It's something about asking for the power to change the things you can, the ability to accept the things you can't change and the wisdom to know the difference.

I am wise enough to know that I can't change the weather, but that hasn't been stopping me from feeling the effects of constant downpour. I mean, never mind the fact that the turbid tap water is becoming increasinly siltalicious by the hour, it's just a drag to have to suit up to leave the house. I'm not talking about a little sprinkle here. It's been pouring relentlessly.

I guess, if you believe that global warming is causing some of the weirder weather we seem to be experiencing, then maybe this is something we can change, and I should just be praying for more power to effect change. Either that or praying for Tenacious D to realize their ambitions and rule the world as two kings (the second decree: no more pollution, no more car exhaust. or ocean dumpage, from now on we will all travel in tubes!.....get the scientists working on the tube technology).

Anyhow, blah, blah, blah, the rain sucks.

snap!

She waters down the rain when I get home
-Gomez, Hangover

Just hung the two posters I had framed. All in all, I'd have to say they look posteriffic, minus the fact that they are slightly different sizes. Regardless, two great mementos from two great shows.

I have been playing ultimate since last year with the med intramural team- Rubber Glove Treatment. Ultimate is a great game because there is no refereeing involved, each player being responsible for upholding the spirit of the game. This doesn't mean teams always love eachother, but all in all, it makes for a much more amicable style of play. Players decide whether they were really in or out when they caught the frisbee, call fouls themselves and usually applaud a great play, regardless of what team made it. For me, this is really important, as I get quite bothered when teams really hate eachother. When I have played intramural soccer, for example, it always seemed that some men joined in order to vent a little testosterone on the field. Tensions often escalated and the teams just started going after one another, aiming to hurt. Anyhow, that's why I like Ultimate, it helps to tease out competition from aggression. You can have a hard fought game without having to pretend that the other team are a bunch of assholes, coming to town to try and steal the women.

Yesterday's games were alot of fun. Despite being creamed in the second game, we made some good plays and had a fun time. I had been looking for the right opportunity to really lay out and it came yesterday. The grass was just wet enough for me to jump forward, superman styles, catch the disc and slide into the end zone. Magic!

Here's a picture of our team after winning in the finals last year at BC Place.

mauve is the new pink

Beware the young doctor and the old barber
-Benjamin Franklin

Well, I did it. I returned the jacket. After finally making the decision to keep it yesterday, I reversed it this morning and returned it to the store and got my 282 dollars back. The trick will now be to suppress my desires for a million other drops in the bucket of the PLC, that I might try to convince myself that I "deserve".

Enough about that.

I had a great day at family practice yesterday. As you may or may not know, I have been leaning towards doing family practice when I graduate. I think it's the best fit for my personality style and goals and dreams for the future. Unfortunately, going out to our family practice placements can be less than inspiring, depending on who your preceptor is. Anyhow, last week, it was all chronic pain and psychiatric concerns. Now, I know that if you don't want to deal with this sort of thing, you shouldn't really be thinking about being a GP, but it can really frustrating when you are a student, as you often feel like the patient's problems are not being properly addressed. This week was much better. Seeing some interesting pathology and witnessing a delivery for the first time helped.

da pineapple juice

Trying to speak about reality is like trying to send a kiss through a messenger
-Anonymous

Apparently the weather we are experiencing in Vancouver these days is the result of some weather system called "The Pineapple Express". I've been enjoying riding through large puddles on my bike and thouroughly soaking myself on the way to school. People often get surprised when they notice that you still commute in downpours. Really though, I change when I get to school and show up much drier than all the other bozos that drive or take the bus. I am kind of tired of the puddles in my shoes though, and today I confirmed my suspicion that MEC is sold out of shoe covers, so for the time being, my room will continue to smell shoe-da-licious.

I recently bought a new winter jacket on impulse. We were walking down 4th and stopped in to look for a fleece for Courtney. I found this nice Northface soft shell jacket that actually fit my unusually long torso. I had been thinking that it would be nice to find a jacket that looked semi-respectable so I could blend in with the other doctor wannabe clones. Anyhow, as you may already be gathering, this sparked a bit of an internal debate. I couldn't (can't) decide whether or not I can justify spending $250.00 on something that I can't really say that I "need". Society keeps telling me that I should keep it....I just don't know whether or not to listen. I won't get into the back and forth that is still going on in my head about this dumb jacket, but it highlighted to me yet again how when my life is running along smoothly, I can spend alot of psychic energy pondering relatively insignificant decisions.

Oh now I remember why I started telling that embarassing story....
Anytime I have a difficult time making a decision, I eventually end up at THE MEANING OF LIFE. I try and reason my way out of things that don't respond well to that instrument and ultimately arrive at the ultimate question.

And so I did something that Erin did for me once when I was at the same spot some time ago. I googled it. I'm not sure if the site that I found is the same one she found, but it's an interesting read. Well, it was for me. It didn't really solve anything, of course, least of all my jacket woes, but I liked it.

Anyhow, I continue to enjoy my meaningless life as it rolls on into infinity....or Week 1 of the Endocrine and Metabolism block (aka Carbohydrates).

So, I keep learning and forgeting facts at school. My ulcer (if that's what it is) seems to be thanking me for my good behaviour (I miss you salsa), and I'm looking forward to the loooong weekend.