The End of Hurricane Season

Today is the official last day of the hurricane season. I doubt that nature will regard this meaningless timescale established by mere mortals, especially since tropical depression Epsilon or whatever is forming as I type here. That is my semi-fun factoid of the day, can you feel the sarcasm? I'm just exhausted... 5 hours of sleep a night is killing me, but I cannot fall asleep before that no matter how awful I feel. I just keep finding stuff to do, like burning cd's and reorganizing my desktop and doing laundry. I am also disturbed lately by a desire to run out to the mall and do all the shopping errands I have to do within the very last hour of business in the evenings. I sit around all day procrastinating and only at the eleventh hour do I feel that it's time to accomplish something which means getting all panicked about having to do battle with other humans. I need some energy and I think the quickest source might be the Siberian ginseng in the bathroom.

You know, I'm grateful for everyday that I still have a job to go to but it's really fucking hard to get up in the mornings and it's really hard to drive to work while it's still dark and sit drinking a hot beverage right before work starts, because it's still dark. If you're getting the impression that I do not like the darkness, you'd be correct. Time keeps hurtling us towards the shortest day of the year which I believe is the Winter Solstice on the 21st of December. After that I think things should get better and brighter.
I'd like to start saving for a laptop (hopefully an Apple Powerbook, or whatever I can afford come August 2006). I keep lusting after them whenever I walk past the Apple store in Yorkdale. It's always crammed with at least a hundred people which is VERY annoying, and because it's the first Apple store in Canada you'd think Apple would have chosen one of the prime lots that was once part of the Eaton's department store, but no, they have a small shop. It's a space more worthy of a Sonystore, but not the numerous (and crammed) interactive displays of Apple laptops, computers, iPods, the Genius Bar, the accessories for iPods, the software wall, and hell, even the checkout counter. I always find it a frustrating experience.

At work, I had to try really hard all day to keep from sleeping. N. and I watched the Italian workmen from Dufferin Construction build the enclosure for the ossuary which will hopefully support it during the winter and prevent it from falling out of the wall. Unfortunately, as a result of all the activity at the ossuary a large mound of dirt with some bone in it has been scraped together to be water screened on this side of the road and we haven't finished water screening on the other side. This is like the never ending hell project. It's cold out, it's muddy, it snows, there is ice, and frozen fingers and toes.
As much as I want to keep working, I wouldn't be totally unhappy if I knew that I could stay inside for an extended period of time. This quality indoor time would ideally be attached to a paycheque, however that just isn't going to happen for me at my company this winter. I personally feel that they could utilize me for cataloguing but obviously I am delusional. I'm trying not to be bitter and more than a little upset, but it's hard. Sometimes I just feel so beaten down in this profession (at school and work) that I wonder if I should have sold out long ago and gone to law school or teacher's college or something more professionally safe. I know I have the determination and the skill to get through this period but some days you just have to have a big mope. Hence, I declare today Mope Day, not Hump Day, just Mope Day. Everyone feel free to mope.

P.S. An afterthought, well more of an observation. Italian workmen are funny, trying to act polite in front of me, while N. later informs me that as soon as I walk away to the van they begin swearing like sailors. As if I am not aware of the crudeness of construction workers. Like I never walked by crews on the way home from high school in my Catholic school uniform and had some choice commentary yelled my way. Can't you just sense the sexism all around you?

The Devil You Know

Yesterday's Grey Cup was a real nail-biter and I have to admit that I even found myself yelling at the TV at pivotal moments, like when Montreal was in the lead and Edmonton would turn over the ball. I never thought I would sit down to watch a full Grey Cup that the Argos weren't part of but I think my parents are beginning to instill in me a love for the CFL. We will have to see if this carries over into next season.
Next weekend is the Vanier Cup, with my beloved Golden Hawks taking on the U. Saskatchewan Huskies. Here's to a Laurier win! (crosses fingers).
So anyways,... back to the Grey Cup half-time show with the Black Eyed Peas. I thought it was a useless performance and I am even more puzzled as to why the show wasn't by a Canadian artist and how the CFL managed to coerce some Americans to put on a show on their Thanksgiving long weekend. I suspect a fistful of cash and then some was forked over. The only thing I really noticed from that performance was that Fergie has gained some weight on her "lovely lady lumps and humps". There was no way she should have been shaking her booty in those short shorts at a family event, but she did it anyways. I cringed inside and out. She's beginning to show some Kirstie Alley potential, and I mean in a Fat Actress kind of way. If Fergie keeps growing in the direction she has been, then she might be able to pull off a sequel to Kirstie's show. Perhaps 'Fat Songstress' would be an appropriate title. Yeah, I know, it's cruel commentary but if I had the money to make sure my ass was in shape, you know I'd be there.

And onto the depressing news. The Liberals are going down thanks to the non-confidence vote that took place in Parliament today. We are going to have a national vote in January which is annoying since it's a big waste of time and money. I mean, every candidate is a crook in some way. So who does one vote for? There is no satisfying answer, especially when it was so close between Harper and Martin in the last election and is likely to be again. Even after the Gomery report, national support for Martin's Liberals is still at about the same rate it was before that damning report on how much money they stole from Canadians. At least I know the Liberals took money. If the Conservatives have their way, every social program in the country would be up on the chopping block and the rich will keep on getting richer. I personally would rather vote for the devil I know over that other shameful candidate. I mean at least I know the Liberals were/are stealing from us. The state of the Conservative party in this country absolutely disgusts me. I am always frightened by how quickly most Canadians forget about the merger between the Reform and PC parties, which basically made the Conservatives mostly Reformers, causing many Tory supporters to switch over to other parties or to go Independent. The Reform party didn't succeed at much besides revealing what must have been some indication of their agenda, through some of their more colourful candidates who liked to voice racist, sexist, and discriminatory remarks of any sort.
I guess when it comes down to it I could cut up every single political party in Canada right now. None deserve power, but someone has to be voted for. I just wish this stupid non-confidence vote had never come down. You know we'll end up with the same government we have now, and we will have wasted a shitload of taxpayers money and time. Here's to the holiday spirit - election campaigning and maxing out your credit card on over-priced consumer goods. It's going to be a good Holiday 2005. Cheers!

On Your Marks, Get Set, Shop!

Some of us, we're hardly ever here,
the rest of us, we're born to disappear.
How do I stop myself from being just a number?
How will I hold my head to keep from going under?
~Vultures ~ John Mayer Trio~


The busiest shopping day of the holiday season is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving in the US, and so the insanity of holiday shopping officially begins with that smoking gun everywhere else too. For me, however, 'tis the season to be slothful. Winter is upon us a bit early this year, and I am finding it increasingly harder to get out of bed in the mornings because it's so cold everywhere else but under my duvet. This past week I only worked three out of five days due to snow and nasty negative temperatures with, I dread to say this... windchill. Windchill is evil and easily the one factor that makes winter such a hardship. There are many names for Windchill, for instance, this past week, our cold front was called an Alberta Clipper. That name alone sounds so bloody COLD that it strikes fear in my heart. I'll be digging out my winter jacket now. I was in denial before, but I'm slowly coming to terms with it. This winter is just going to suck and probably last until next May. Fuck you Winter!
So, anyways, two weeks from now I am going to get the shittiest paycheque ever for this work period. I also did nothing productive during the days I had off but sleep in and go swimming once with Gosha. Oh, and of course I've been watching a lot of Buffy and trying to get through the third season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. My favourite episode so far is 'Club Soda & Salt'. Some classic comedy there... I won't go any further except to say the last minute of the episode had me crying with laughter.
So should I count my blessings that I will still get at least one paycheque before Christmas? Probably.
However, 'tis also the season of lay-offs and I am dreading that day more and more, especially since you never can tell when the axe is going to fall. I live paycheque to paycheque and I just bought two new pairs of shoes. I think I have a shopping problem. I must rearrange finances so I can at least say that I accomplished paying back OSAP and buying Christmas gifts before I have no income. The worst thing is that every time I get a paycheque I also get a receipt with a summary of all the taxes taken off etc., but there is also an evil little column summarizing how much I have made so far this year. I cannot bring myself to look at that number without cringing since it always leads to me wanting to sit down and cry and then berate myself for not knowing how it all slipped through my fingers. None of it went to paying off debt so much as maintaining the status quo, which means only a fraction went to paying monthly interest charges. It's a grim situation.

On the days I did work this week, we were working within the ossuary enclosure because part of it is starting to fall out of the wall with all the thawing and freezing that is going on. So, we were cleaning up piles of human bone and bagging it before the construction company has their engineer come in and build sandbag support for the winter.
I have seen the ossuary a few times but have only been inside the tent a few minutes at a time. Working so close to it for a full day was completely different. I just had these overwhelming feelings of sorrow and depression. It was kind of a tight squeeze to fit four of us under the tarp though, so perhaps a lot of it was in my head and it was just the oppressive nature of the enclosure. Although I somehow doubt it. I just don't get that bothered by death unless it's right there smack in my face. Seeing that much bone probably triggered some sort of emotional response or extrasensory perception. Whatever it was, it eased off as the day continued, but the first few hours were kind of intense.

The latest development for the ossuary is that the native groups involved in the negotiations of dealing with this site have agreed to have DNA testing done on the remains. This is basically being done in order to figure out which group can claim the final right to decide if the ossuary will stay or move. It is purely a political move, but regardless of those motives it is really cool (and progressive) that this kind of study is going to be done. The only other archaeological DNA study I have heard of is the one that is being carried out in Lebanon and North Africa (Libya) where researchers are testing the local populations for genetic links with the Phoenicians. I assume there are probably more studies of this sort being undertaken throughout the world at this time and that it will become more commonplace in the next few years. It's definitely going to play into national ideologies of ethnicity and identity... probably demonstrating that Archaeology can play to both good and bad politics. We shall see I am sure.

And now for another totally different topic... if you're a Canadian and you use the iTunes store, are you not pissed off by how inadequate our music selection is? I mean I guess I can applaud iTunes for being really aware of promoting Canadian content (actually I credit that to the CRTC, SOCAN, and whatever other groups work to promote Canadian artists, moreso than iTunes itself) but at the same time, there is so much good music that is available in the American store that I want to buy but can't because I don't have a credit card registered to an American postal code. It's probably not that great of an argument to say that Canadian and American entertainment culture is so similar that we should get the same musical treatments, but I am going to play the devil's advocate here and say that we kind of are and I want a lot of the music available there to be available here. Also, our celebrity playlists are so BORING compared to the ones that are published for the US. The Canadian iTunes store has only been online for about a year now, so I guess we are still playing catch up with a lot of content, but sometimes I am so damn frustrated by how limited my musical choices are on that store. I am trying to do the right thing here and purchase my music legally but it's getting hard to do that when the content just isn't there. So... my solution? Well, it's evil, it probably hurts more people than it should, but it satisfies my craving. I just BitTorrent the shit out of everything I want to sample and if I like it, I'll eventually buy it.
Yes, I do like the cold hard CD copy in my hands. I would never buy a full album off of iTunes unless it was a limited edition online release, because I am not satisfied by digital full album downloading. I like to know that the money I spend is also going towards a nice package put together by the artists. It's probably irrational, but isn't it nice to know that when iTunes crashes during an upgrade or some other disastrous event, that you can just copy all your music back onto your computer again? The thought satisfies me...

Ok so speaking of BAD music, I saw on the iTunes store this week that the White Stripes did a cover of Tegan and Sara's "Walking with a Ghost" which is an awesome song. Now, I kind of loathe the White Stripes except recently I was digging that 'My Doorbell' song, so I thought to myself, 'I can sample the 30-second clip on iTunes' but what I heard was so blasphemous and painful to the eardrums that I was horrified. Firstly, it's kind of weird that the White Stripes chose to cover a recent song that was also a single for Tegan and Sara, but they are not a rational band in my mind, so who knows what the logic is there. And secondly, they did such a bloody bust up of that song, that it just solidifies in my mind how CRAP they STILL are. I bet Tegan and Sara were honoured that a group that is praised to high heaven by critics (who are also insane in my mind) wanted to cover their song, but really girls, protect your musical and artistic integrity here. RECLAIM your song from these evil evil people. Your song is awesome, their version blows donkey dongs. I hope you were paid so much money that you can retire with your banjoes, guitars, mandolins, and whatever else, strumming to the back porch of a house in a tropical paradise. And of course, laughing all the way to the bank.
I guess you had nothing to lose since you can still sing your song better and Jack White still howls like an off-key coyote. I guess that mostly, I'm just disappointed by the sell-out nature of this entire debacle. Ok, well, I will get over it because I won't ever listen to that P.O.S. again, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I want you to know that. So there.

Also on the topic of covers, I kind of like that Alanis cover of Seal's 'Crazy'. I still think Seal can sing it better, but it's interesting to hear some new range coming out of Alanis' mouth. So thumbs up on that one Ms. Morrissette. It's a way better offering than other artists have to give (still glaring at Jack White).

Wish I could drink a Goblet of Fire

Ok... more snow today. Flurries, they ain't. Definitely steady snow, sticking to the ground, icicles forming, cold.
I am determined to get to the theatre for Goblet of Fire tonight. The tickets have been pre-purchased and we're going to see it in Imax. My review to follow, as well as some thoughts on Shopgirl and Pride & Prejudice (The Dirty Version).

First Snowfall

Mark this day on your calendar! The sky finally managed to squeeze out some snowflakes on our poor shivering heads today. Actually it wasn't just a few snow flakes, it was a good squall that brought some white out conditions through our area, but thank goodness none of the stuff stuck to the ground. The temperature was absolutely miserable; it felt like -10C with the wind chill, and N. and I concluded that we currently hold the worst job in the entire company right now. So, if anyone else from another crew or the office complains to us about it being cold, I'll probably want to beat them over the head with my frozen shovel.
This evening I went out and bought some better gloves (i.e. winter gloves that are waterproof), 'below zero' socks (they better work, because I totally bought the gimmick), and a new neck warmer. I suspect at some point I may either have to get warmer rain gear or some warmer pants to wear under the rain pants. As it is, I have been wearing my long underwear since the last week of October. For this site alone, I have spent over $100 in gear apart from the warm clothing I already own. It's really cramping my pretend savings account, especially since we are probably in the final weeks of working in the field and I will soon not have a paycheque for four months. That will not be a very happy situation.

But, in other news, I am the new proud owner of the entire Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series. Yes, it was a frivolous use of money especially regarding my impending bankruptcy, but it was money from my birthday which I was instructed to use only on myself and not bills and other debts.
I've waited for years for all the seasons to be compiled into one glorious space-saving boxset and it was finally released this week. I blew most of my birthday money on it, so I will probably have to hide it from my parents who think that at the age of 25, it is a little ridiculous for me to own.*
However, in my defense, I was a devoted Buffy watcher from episode 1, which I first discovered on a Saturday night at home in 1997 with my sister. She was actually watching it on TV before I wandered into the room. It aired on YTV if you can believe it. It's a pretty dark program for YTV but they were surprisingly loyal to the show and kept it in their programming (unedited too!) until the very last episode of Season 7. So now I have something to occupy my spare hours with... reliving the story of the Slayer. That may sound sad, but I think I'll be quite happy. Lately, I have also been going through a lot of my cd's which I used to listen to a lot in high school. I've been reliving my love for Catherine Wheel, the cranberries, Ben Folds Five, Black Sabbath, and even silverchair. God, I loved those guys. I'll have to remember to add them to my iTunes library. Anyway, that was a bit of a digression.

Here's a bit of an issue I've been having lately. I don't have much to challenge me intellectually at the moment so bear with me. My daily routine at work has been bringing me to a Tim Horton's/Wendy's coffee shop everyday now in the morning and at lunch. It's pretty well the only decently well-rounded (menu-wise), cheap place to eat lunch. The bathrooms are usually clean and most importantly, it's warm. So, having spent an extended amount of time in the place, I have many criticisms which mainly consist of how I disapprove of all the changes they have made in the menu and their pricing. But apart from that, why the hell can't "Tim Hortons" spell their name grammatically correct? This is actually pissing me off more and more each day. Even "Wendy's", who own the company now, uses a cleverly situated maple leaf as an apostrophe to indicate possession. It makes me wonder if "Tim Hortons" was always spelled like 'Tim Hortons' or not. I'd have to take a trip to the first one that opened, down in Steeltown (aka Hamilton), to check this out. But seriously, Tim Horton was a hockey player, therefore, his doughnut and coffee shop should be called "TIM HORTON'S". As a company, they're really not doing much to encourage proper literacy in this country, which is a shame considering how ubiquitous they are. They should be ashamed.


Take note "Tim Hortons", this is how grammar works.


P.S. As a classical archaeologist, I try and keep up to date on what crazy stuff is going on around the world. Currently in Athens, this lovely little temple in the middle of the city is slated for destruction so that some jerkwad can build who knows what on the land. Please stop the evil and sign the petition for the Greek government to wake up and save their history!

Save the Artemis Agrotera temple in Athens:
http://www.artemisagrotera.org/en/petition.asp


*Perhaps it is also a little sad that I still have to live with my parents at age 25. I blame school loans. Wish I could declare bankruptcy.

Have a Laugh

Occasionally I still check out my first alma mater's website and have a look through their news postings.
This following posting of an upcoming lecture gave me a bit of a giggle. I am not laughing at what the topic is really about, but more about how coincidental the exact descriptive phrase of the topic is to my life and those of my friends in grad school. See the bolded text.

Spain Marks 30th Anniversary of the end of Franco's dictorship

Nov 15/05

Date: Nov 15/05
Time: 19:00 - 21:50
Location: N1044 Science Building
Cost: Free

Historical remembrance of Franco's dictatorship, and a presentation of a documantary by Alfonso Guerra, "Exile".

Family Matters

This is going to be a frustrating post because for the first time in my blog's history I am going to use it as I originally meant it to be, as a personal diary. The awkward thing about it is that you, the reader, will have no idea what I am talking about because I am not at liberty to discuss details. I'm protecting identities here that could or could not at a later point in time become known.
Basically, something really really awful happened this past week in my family and it's causing a huge upheaval and a lot of sorrow. No one has died or is physically ill. It's just an unthinkable and totally unexpected situation which most people believe could never happen to them.
I've basically sat here at home all day in shock, trying to make sense of it all and getting in contact with the specific family member(s) that it involves. I don't know what to say or do, how to offer support or comfort, or how to rationalize the circumstances, and I am sure that no one else does either. It's not like we won't get over this, but for the moment our lives and potentially some others are going to be affected. I know this is brief and probably not even conveying how disturbed I am, but this is one place I knew I could have a little vent even though I cannot detail what is going on. I hope you'll understand that in this situation, it's not my right to give an account, but I am equally affected and distraught.



Invictus

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

~William Ernest Henley~

A... B... C's....

Ashlee Simpson was in town last week to promote her new album and had a bit of a rough day in the process. When she went to MuchMusic, a crowd had gathered outside the windows to boo her and there was no doubt that she couldn't not have heard it, because of the way the speaker system is rigged and the fact that there were VJ's indoors and outdoors gauging audience reactions. I feel kind of bad, but at the same time, it is amusing that some people took time out to humiliate her on national television. I guess she was feeling so bad that later that night she went drinking and had a nice little public incident at a McDonald's at Bay & Bloor (it's right across from the ROM). If you want to see what liquid truth, aka alcohol, makes Ashlee Simpson do, check out the video here. She seems like a lovely person...
On a side note, has anyone noticed her preoccupation with herself? Her first album is called 'Autobiography' and this new one is called 'I am Me'. There has to be a better way for her to vent her feelings, like perhaps in a personal journal. I don't think many people really care what she has to say, unless she will be giving commentary on the alleged failure of her sister's marriage.



The Bodyworlds 2 exhibit of plastinated human bodies put together by the German doctor Gunther von Hagens is on right now at the Ontario Science Centre, so Michaela and I went to check it out on Saturday evening. It is actually a really cool exhibit to see although I didn't learn too much more about the human body than what I had learned in High School Phys. Ed. (which, at my highschool, was like an Intro to Kinesiology course).
It was kind of weird because the organs and models of the bodies are plastinated so they seem kind of fake but at the same time they are so vividly real that it's kind of freaky to know they were once alive and that these people chose to donate their bodies to science. It kind of felt like the first time I saw the Acropolis in Athens, or went to Mycenae and I realized that the way my textbooks at school presented these places visually was quite accurate. Seeing the bodies and their systems is like seeing an anatomy textbook open in front of you and realizing how accurate the facts presented to you really are. I know it sounds ridiculous to explain it like that, but until you have a personal experience related to what you are reading, sometimes it is just hard to visualize the reality of what is being described.
The most interesting part of the exhibit for me was a section devoted to the stages of pregnancy. There were samples of human embryos from Week 4 through 23, and it is absolutely astonishing to see how quickly the fetus develops in that amount of time. Actually, the embryos grow so quickly in the first trimester of pregnancy that the display presented the stages of growth as 'beginning', 'middle', and 'end' of weeks 4, 5, and 6.
I think the saddest part of this area was that a woman who was 5 months pregnant at the time of her death had donated her body to the exhibit. Her body model had her stomach opened so that the fetus in utero could be viewed, and since she was placed in a corner, a mirror was put behind her so we could see her chest cavity that had been opened from behind to view her blackened lung. She had died from lung cancer.

Now that it has been a few days, the fact that these are real bodies keeps coming back to me, so that I think the entire exhibition really freaked me out more than I realized at the time being. It is such a bizarre exhibit, definitely worth seeing, but I am not sure if I would be interested in going again.
As an archaeologist, I definitely have an interest in the human body and human life, but generally speaking, what I deal with on a day to day basis in the field are bones and not organs or other body systems. It seemed really personal to see what these people had died from but not know any other details like their age or where they were from. I guess it is still something that intrigues me, an unsolved mystery, but at the same time it keeps me feeling a little distressed. I wonder if future Bodyworlds exhibits will feature displays of people who don't mind basic biographical facts about themselves to be listed. I think I would appreciate it, but on the other hand, maybe it would disturb me even more. If I don't know the details about these people's lives than I can't worry too much about other pointless info.
So anyways, despite what I have written here, if you get a chance to view a Bodyworlds exhibit, take the chance to see it. It's worth it if you have the interest.


And now, in a totally inappropriate way to end this post, this morning on the way to work, N. and I were listening to the radio in the car as the radio hosts were talking about the tornadoes that hit Kentucky and Indiana on the weekend. They were discussing how tornadoes are attracted to mobile homes and that 22 people had died. At one point in the conversation, one of the hosts just shrugged off the entire incident as being nature's way of "culling the mullet". And, as inappropriate as that comment was, I laughed my ass off for 5 minutes. I guess the thing that I want to know now is, of the 22 people who died, how many actually had a mullet?
I know, I'm a bad person. Maybe that's why I have had this cold for exactly one month today. I'm going to drink some neo-citran, watch Prison Break, and go to bed early, which means 10pm sharp. I may be going to hell tonight for inappropriate laughter. Hopefully, I'll live to write another post.

Road Rage

I got called a bitch today by the most moronic driver on the 401. He tried to change into my lane but couldn't because, a.) I was going too fast and would pass him so he would have had to wait which he did NOT want to do, and b.) his bloody dry cleaning was hanging in his blindspot so he couldn't fucking see me. As I drove by him my sister said that he mouthed the word 'bitch' at me which kind of makes my blood boil since he was the retard who couldn't drive fast enough to accelerate into the Express lanes AND he hung his stupid dry cleaning in his leftside blind spot. He was a real class act... put on a good show for his wife and baby who were also in the car.

Sometimes in situations like this I really seriously consider buying some white paper and making pre-arranged messages for idiots on the highway. As I drive by them I would hold them up. Such signs could include captions such as 'Use your signal' for idiots who think you are a mindreader and abruptly change lanes in front of you, or kind of pull the meandering wander in and out of your lane until they decide that, yes, they do in fact want to drive in front of you.
I was also thinking of the big 'Fuck You' sign and probably something related to tailgating for assholes who just don't get that they should get away from you if you don't drive at a speed of their liking.
But, as much as I like the idea of it, I just know I would be the lucky girl to have someone pull a gun out and shoot me in the face for being a smart ass. Maybe I should get a gun, because apparently everyone and their grandmother has one in Toronto now.

Ok, this is done. I need to get away from this post because my rage is starting to surface again and I really need to get to bed. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 6 degrees with a high of 11. I'll definitely be shivering in my rubber boots at the water screen. *Sob*

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gun powder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder and treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.

By God's mercy, he was catched
With a dark lantern and lighted match.
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys, long live the King.


York, England - Birthplace of Guy Fawkes 

One of the things that I really appreciate about England is that every place you go there is some sort of weird historical fact associated with it. Today, I thought I would post this although I've never celebrated Guy Fawkes day. I do know that it involves burning a scarecrow type effigy on a fire and when I was younger I used to think it was kind of like England's version of Halloween, mainly because of it's proximity in date to North American Halloween and the fact that you burn a scarecrow, which is kind of creepy. As well, apparently young children can go around collecting pennies if they show you the doll they've created to burn. Which is sort of like collecting candy but way more lucrative. Maybe the children spend their collected money on candy, unless they are forced to donate to UNICEF by their parents.
Anyways, as an adult I know much better and could tell you that Guy Fawkes day is celebrated as a reminder of the treasonous lunatic who was going to try and blow up the Parliament buildings in London in 1605. So doing some quick math, I guess this year there is a super big bonfire since it is the 400th anniversary. This was also a good opportunity for me to post the above photo of the sign at his birthplace in York, which I randomly saw when I was in York in February. Yay for happenstance!

UBC sucks

So just to be clear... I hate my old department at UBC. They won't support my SSHRC application for god knows what reasons. They just won't. Technically they should not have the right to make these decisions for me (because I can qualify for SSHRC) but here they are, telling me they don't give a flying fuck if I cannot pay for school and they certainly won't do me any favours by helping me attempt to get funding for my PhD. That's a great department for you.
So, if anyone is considering going onto a graduate degree in Classics, Classical Studies, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology or Religious Studies at UBC, I suggest you take a good long look at how they treat their past and current students because you will be treated just as badly. It's no laughing matter. There is no support in finances or mentorship.

The Quarter Century Birthday

Well, I've made it to the quarter century birthday. I don't have any deep insights on this except that I hope I live another 75 years. I wish this mainly because I realize I have a tendency that is kind of obsessive compulsive, where I like to tie things up into neat ends. A century long life seems like a good wrap up, but... now I have just realized this post is just idle nonsense.
Perhaps I should be re-examining my life so far, but I don't want to fall victim to that quarter-life crisis issue that John Mayer references in 'Why Georgia'. I think things are ok. Things could always be better, but they could always be worse as well. I am doing just fine sailing along at my own pace. So there!
This is me at 25, alive.


25 


Twenty-Five