5.792%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Interesting things that happened today:

  • I saw a bunny eating the lawn outside. First time I’ve seen one up here.
  • I discovered that this building has switched from Pepsi products to Coke products. This does not bode well for me getting a damn thing done this week. DP = productivity.
  • I learned that middle-aged British professors with soft voices who discuss strategic analysis models could put a coffee-riddled chihuahua into a coma. Come Wednesday I shall require toothpicks to keep my eyes open.

[tags]mba[/tags]

A wider platform at Union Station would probably solve about half of those

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That wasn’t taken today, but it could have been if I could be arsed to find the camera. I believe that’s St. Catherine’s in the distance.

.:.

Yesterday, the good: since my team is moving from one office building to another (just down the street) we had to be packed up and out of the office by noon. One meeting later and the six of us were off to T-Bone’s house for a bbq. We sat in her back yard, had steaks and veggier burgers (ok, I was the only one who had the veggie burgers), and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. Well, proximity to the sunshine anyway; half of us burn within seconds in the hot sun.

Yesterday, the bad: too little sleep Thursday night combined with a few suds and embarassing activity (see below) made me exceedingly tired and I crashed around 10:30.

Yesterday, the ugly: Dance dance revolution. That is all.

.:.

The TTC is removing signs from their escalators that say “walk left, stand right” as there are growing concerns that such a policy causes injury. I have two problems with this.

In fact, last year alone, 138 people were injured on TTC escalators, with 50 ending up in hospital.

While the TTC recognizes the lack of signs is unlikely to change escalator-use habits, removing the signs may protect the commission in the event of a lawsuit.

First, I have yet to hear how many of the 138 injuries had anything to do with walking on escalators.

Second, expecting litigation is a bit much. The TTC is no more subject to litigation over people walking on their escalators than the provincial government is for allowing drivers to pass one another on their roads.

[tags]bbq, ttc, escalators[/tags]

Can one glamp in Central Park?

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This is my favourite time of night. Not day, but not night yet either. That’s St. James Cathedral, by the way. It’s the structure that inspired my building.

.:.

Apparently I’m even further behind the time than JR, ’cause I’d never heard of glamping either. But I like the sound of it. Someone needs to make a canoe with a Bang & Olufsen stereo in it. I’m also in the market for an inflatable 5-star bathroom.

.:.

Porter is now cleared to fly to New York. Well, Newark airport, but close enough.

Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, and now New York; I may never fly from Pearson again. Uh, until September when I got to Europe.

[tags]st james cathedral, glamping, porter air[/tags]

Hollywood loves him and so should you.

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I want to see A Mighty Heart. It’s compelling subject matter. It stars Angelina Jolie. It’s about terrorism and geopolitics and the importance of journalism.

But here’s why I won’t go see it: the name. A Mighty Heart? C’mon. Show me that someone has a mighty heart, don’t try to convince me before I even get to the theatre. You’re supposed to be telling a story, not selling me a hero.

.:.

Even in re-runs Friday Night Lights is better than most things on TV. Within five minutes Jason Street rattles off two classic lines:

“Because I’m crippled and I want to listen to Nirvana. Is that so hard to understand?!?”

-and-

Jason: “If you’re looking for Clay Aiken you’ll find him under A.”

Lyla: “You should know, he’s your boyfriend.”

Jason: “Hey…what Clay and I have is special. America loves him and so do I.”

But it’s the way they all deliver their lines on that show. You just have to watch it, if you’re not already.

[tags]a mighty heart, friday night lights[/tags]

Richard Thompson = White Bear

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A few days ago I talked about how certain songs have particular — and often irrational — connections to certain places in my mind.  Another one just came to me as my Zen is on random: “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” by Richard Thompson, for some reason, makes me think of an English pub called The White Bear. My brother, his girlfriend, Nellie and I stopped there as we drove north to Scotland, and they had amazing food, a stunning view, great ambience and charm…none of which have anything to do with Richard Thompson or vintage motorcycles.

I have no idea why my brain makes that connection, but hearing the song just puts me back in that seat, eating a huge feast of duck in black cherry sauce, sipping whisky, ducking low ceiling beams, laughing with my family, surrounded by misty English hills as we started our European adventure two years ago.

I am a puzzle wrapped in a mystery inside a music-and-food-associating enigma.

[tags]richard thompson, vincent black lightning, white bear pub[/tags]

Winner of the first annual Least Absurd contest: the independents

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I finally visited the bakery downstairs (called “Porh Pawh”…anyone want to take a stab at what the hell that means?) since I was walking by it around 7:45. I got an almond croissant, still piping hot…it was really good. Dammit. Fresh, tasty croissants downstairs — literally, I don’t even have to outside — is not what I need.

.:.

Is anyone else having problems with Sympatico? Or is it just me? My connection has been le suck since Saturday.

.:.

I am stunned. I knew it was bad down there, but I didn’t know it was this bad.

I remember being amused when three of the Republicans running for the party candidacy admitted, during a debate, that they did not believe in evolution. I thought, “That’s it. Those guys are toast.” Little did I know that they’d probably just read the advanced polling and were giving their constituents what they wanted to hear. That’s horrifying in and of itself, but the fact that 68% of the party who voted in the president doesn’t believe in evolution is just…staggering. I’m flummoxed, really.

Full story here.

[tags]porh pawh, sympatico problems, evolution, republicans, democrats, gallup[/tags]

Experts agree: The Strokes suck

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Our bbq has gas. Not flatulence gas, natural gas. Not natural flatulent gas, just natural gas. We can now cook food. In fact, Nellie is outside doing so now whilst I try to recover from the day that was.

.:.

Four interesting things that RSS’d their way to me today:

  1. There will be a Voltron movie. When it is released I shall re-live my childhood.
  2. Voting for the Golden Tap awards is now open. The awards honor the best microbreweries (and their beers) in the GTA, and in Ontario. My picks are as follows:
    • Best microbrewery in the GTA (Granite Brewery)
    • Best beer brewed in the GTA (Granite Brewery Dry Hop Special Bitter)
    • Best microbrewery in Ontario (Neustadt)
    • Best beer brewed in Ontario, outside the GTA (Neustadt 10W30)
    • Best pub in the GTA, in terms of draught selection (Bar Volo)
    • Best pub in the GTA, in terms of bottle selection (Smokeless Joe’s)
    • Best pub in Ontario, outside of the GTA (Manx, in Ottawa, though I should admit that it’s the only one I’ve been to)
    • Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario (Granite Brewery)
  3. Il Fornello, a Toronto restaurant, will be adding an Ontario-only menu.
  4. There are a lot of “classic” albums that I just can’t stand. A few of them are mentioned in this Guardian article, and some folks agree with me. In fact, the only ones I don’t agree with are the Arcade Fire (which seems out of place from the rest, and I think it’s just an easy and controversial target) and to some degree Nirvana and Pink Floyd. The rest I don’t care for at all.

[tags]natural gas bbq, voltron, golden tap awards, ontario microbrew, granite brewery, neustadt, il fornello, arcade fire, nirvana, pink floyd[/tags]

A big steel decoration

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The good news: we picked up our barbeque today.

The bad news: our natural gas connection doesn’t seem to be working.

.:.

CBGB came over this morning for brunch. There was much sitting on the balcony. Then there was gelato. Then there was an overwhelming desire to nap, followed by work and some painting. Truly, a red-letter day.

.:.

We watched Nacho Libre (imdb | rotten tomatoes) yesterday. A few funny bits early on, but overall pretty disappointing. I expected more from Jack Black and the director of Napoleon Dynamite. One interesting thing: the female lead, Ana de la Reguera, looked like someone had spliced Winona Ryder together with Penelope Cruz.

[tags]natural gas barbeque, gelato, nacho libre[/tags]