Work in Progress

New Husker Colours

 

If you know anything about American college football, you know the distinctively plain uniform of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers is a somewhat bland Red & White.

Much like abominable Blue & White combinations seen elsewhere, this sleepy Red & White combo just cries out for another colour and word out of Lincoln is that alternatives are finally being considered.

In fact, a fashion show of sorts was recently put on by the inhabitants of the Good Life state. Enjoy.

Go Huskers.

 

dumb

  

Everything, EVERYTHING about this, is dumb.

The lady is dumb, the host is dumb, the audience is dumb.

The person who posted this to youtube didn't know how to spell Blonde.

(To be fair, we never got to see the kid's answer so we don't know if he's dumb.)

And this dumb collection all have a vote on who runs the most powerful country in the world.

Ugh.

 

that's what she said

From the mind (and blog) of Erin:

 “Taking a trip for six months, you get into the rhythm of it. It feels like you can just go on forever doing that. Climbing Everest is the ultimate and the opposite of that, 'cause you get all these high-powered plastic surgeons and CEOs... and you know they pay $80,000, and have Sherpas that put all the ladders in place, and 8,000 feet of fixed ropes... You get to your camp and you don't even have to lay out your sleeping bag – it's already laid out with a little chocolate mint on the top.
     And the whole purpose of climbing something like Everest is to effect some sort of spiritual and physical gain, but if you compromise the process, you're an asshole when you start out and you're and asshole when you get back.” - Yvon Chouinard

What's your Everest?  That thing so big it takes your breath away just to think about it.  That thing you barely remember, pushed so far back in your heart by fear.  That thing you just can't shake.  That thing you wait for the conditions to be right...  what is it?

Do that.

Start the journey.  Start the climb.  Today.  Right now, as a matter of fact.

Read the rest here.

Speaking as a wannabe-reforming asshole, thank you for that.

Wonderful kick in the butt to start the week.

and you think you got problems?!?

 
And what's with all this white powder?

red number day

And meanwhile, somewhere in Texas, an idiot drives obliviously on, hoping to avoid choking on a pretzel.

on Ebay

We've been living in the same house now for nine years and for most of that time, I've been stomping around like a fiend, looking for stuff to throw away or give away. The rate at which young kids accumulate stuff can be truly terrifying for someone with mild-to-moderate OCD and limited closet space.

In any case, I've been reasonably successful over the years and but a couple of weeks ago, I got hit with a second wind for clearing out the old: eBay. I had an old printer cartridge lying around the office for over a year. A year. The thing had value but I no longer had the printer! What do you do with it?

One afternoon, on a whim, I took a photo of it with my bb and made up an ad on eBay. I'd never sold anything online before and mentioned that in my ad. I had no idea whether it would sell but I figured I'd give it a shot before tossing it into the bin.

It sold in 20 seconds. Twenty seconds. Twenty. Seconds.

I did not have time to move on to another task after I hit the "List" button before I got a confirmation that it had sold for $25. So, in the space of about 10 minutes and 20 seconds, I turned about one cubic foot of used rental space into unused rental space and made $25 for my trouble. Hmm.

Now, I'm pretty busy so I try not to undertake new obsessions unless they fit in with my vast array of others but selling unwanted stuff would meet with the usual Prime Directive of Get It Out. In the past, we've always donated clothes & other items to Goodwill & on Kijiji and that will continue but that is usually for items that we figured young families might want but might not be able to afford.

There is a wonderful aspect of being Green by re-using something that someone else wants, rather than seeing it end up in a landfill. Finally, getting a couple of bucks for my trouble is nice but really, the eBay process has struck me as surprisingly fun. I'm less concerned with how much I get than I am with getting stuff out of my life so I've gotten into the habit of putting a starting price of $.99 for most items to generate interest and making sure it sells.

It has also lit a fire under the kids who are somewhat less impassioned about being Green or the concept of Simplify. They are more by the notion of selling stuff to get money to buy new stuff but I figure as long as we are only getting stuff we'd be getting anyway, tying the acquisition to the prior disposal of previously acquired goods actually does carry an important lesson.

Anyway, the next time you see me, don't be surprised if you notice my eyes roaming around the room. I don't mean to be rude but if it ain't nailed down...

the most Canadian

Year after year, nothing makes me feel more patriotic than the Terry Fox Run day.

Thousands of volunteers assisting tens of thousands runners from coast to coast to coast and around the world swells my chest with national pride in my country. Pardon me if the occasion leads me to engage in a little jingoistic hyperbole but it is my blog, after all.

Words matter and as I ran today, I wondered if linguists have not erred in the definition of the word Canadian. To date a Canadian has been defined as a noun, i.e. a person from Canada, but I'm wondering if the term Canadian should not also be used as an adjective: defined as one who is strong, modest, courageous, generous, tenacious, loyal, caring, determined, enthusiastic, tough.

Looking through our history, this strikes me as an honest description and in particular describes our boy Terry. No on epitomized those words more than the young man whose momentous spirit inspires millions 31 years after his passing.

Thus, going forward, I will no longer refer to Terry Fox as the Greatest Canadian. He will heretofore be known simply as the most Canadian. One day, I hope to become more Canadian.

not shaken, not stirred

I don't know who invented coffee but I know one thing for sure, the Italians perfected it: I'm convinced there is a meditative quality to the combination of an Americano and a glass of water.

Over the past few weeks, I've gotten into a routine of coming to work early to have a cup of coffee by myself, basking in the quiet before the commotion of the work day begins in earnest.

Being alone to gather my thoughts with a steaming cup of ebony elixir is a simple pleasure that is nothing short of sublime.

still in progress

 

I just realized it's been three years to the day that I started blogging and it surprises me a little that it hasn't been longer. I find it hard to remember what life was like before.

Though readership waxes and wanes, and despite my appreciation for a well-crafted 140 character e-missive, the blog remains a wonderful outlet and one that I should make an effort to feed more regularly.

 

Is it any wonder we love Aragorn??!

Oh and that Keira Knightley suddenly warrants our attention!

Go Habs.