What a suck I am. I had good intentions do do all sorts of honest and productive things this weekend — pausing momentarily of course to visit with the various people who passed through the house. I was going to catch up on some writing, take down the christmas lights, and maybe even bake some of my infamous monster cookies. Instead, I made the mistake of installing a version of Settlers — the one that came in the box with the actual board game — onto the ol’laptop, and immersing myself in far too many rounds of conquering the imaginary island. Combine that with the sad fact that between Thursday and Saturday night I’ve played three full games of either Settlers or Seafarers (with actual, [...]

Apparently, our bout of unseasonably warm weather is coming to an end. It’s weird observation of the humanity around us that everyone tries to blame the weather on themselves. A superstition, I guess. But so many people I’ve talked to lately have some cornball theory about how their actions have doomed the string of warmth we’re experiencing, like they actually have some effect on the outcome of the global climate. I’ve heard car related reasons: “Oh, I just switched my tires!” or “I just washed my car!” Sometimes simple activites seem to be the force behind climate change: “We bought season passes to the ski hill this year, now everythings gonna melt!” or “Just when it got time to take down the Christmas lights — [...]

My little sis, Sharyl, bought me a coffee grinder for Christmas. As requested. And, as I told her just this past weekend, that at the current level of usage it might need to be an annual gift. Yes, it’s being well-used. So, I’ve been sampling from the world of whole-bean coffee lately. Not only does this mean I don’t need to either (a) drink the expensive pre-brewed stuff occasionally at Starbucks or (b) drink the swill from the office, but it also means I can experiment (did you expect any less) with my own oddly disturbing concoctions and blends. For example, I’ve discovered that Save-On-Foods has a good selection of bulk coffee beans with an enviable subset of “flavoured” beans. When things go right, such [...]

Awaiting me at work yesterday, an email from my boss: “Educated as a political scientist and, until now, proud of that fact, I’m currently reflecting on some of my major life choices and contemplating retirement as a pundit, to avoid further embarrassment. So, let’s all give appropriate and due honours to Brad, the mighty oracle, and lets buck up and pay our gambling debts.” Apparently, listening to CBC in the mornings on my way to work has made me something of a political “realist” and thus netted me something of a healthy beer fund from our informal election pool on Monday. I guess drinks are on me tomorrow.

“Oh, Brad!” You say, your upper lip quivering in a pitiful, graceless display of mental anguish. “Why aren’t you writing more? You said you’d be writing more in 2006.” “Ah!” I reply, shrugging. “But I have been writing more. I’ve been writing lots and lots more.” “But, but…” You stutter back. “You just can’t see what I’ve been writing.” I grin wryly in your direction. “Thousands and thousands of words. Dozens of ideas. Multiple projects. And I’ve hidden them away until such time as the world is ready for…” Your face turns from humilty into a sarcastic glower. “Huh!. What the hell is that supposed to mean, you egotistical sack of… ” But I cut you off, holding a single digit arrogantly in the air. [...]

Someone stop me. Okay, fine. I’ll say it: I made fun of this channel when it first premiered, shifting all the stations to confusion. It didn’t bother me, or anything. Flipping through our digi-cable listings, all I saw for that first week was movies from the thirties and forties, in their own right fine, I’m sure. But well, black and white mid-century romance is not exactly a target for *my* interests. So, whatever. Really. Who’s going to watch THAT? But, alas, last night between the syndicated episodes of Seinfeld, reality television, home-revonation shows, and yes, more episodes of MXC, this caught my eye: a commercial-free, unedited showing of Castle in the Sky. All I can say: Slick. Karin retreated to the bedroom to read while [...]