There's not a lot of fun stuff to talk about right now. I got my PS2 online, and it's time to fill out my tax return... um... that's the most exciting stuff right now.
BUT
As Colm mentioned in his blog, St. Patty's day is coming fast. So, not only is it awesome, it's the only day in lent I drink, and I really need to have some hilarious fun this year. It's been a couple of years since the famous Ryan and Matt smash green hulk fists of fury St. Patty's day, and I havent done anything since. No specific plan yet, but the Atlantic trap and gill is in the lead for the best craic in town.
Part of the fun of Patty's day is getting a diverse crowd together for a pisser, so I'm counting on everyone to post a comment saying 'I totally wanna party with you this year'. Bring your friends too.
Seriously, who wants to do up Patty's like the Irish. All are welcome (well, all who are 18 or older anyway).
Monday, February 28, 2005
Monday, February 14, 2005
The real St. Valentine(s)
So, time for a trivia lesson.
There were at least 10 people who were canonized named valentine, valenitinian and other such derivatives.
The one the feast day we 'celebrate' today was made after was St. Valentine of Rome. He died in 269 AD, so he is a very very early saint of the church. Now legends and miracles aside, he was canonized as a martyr. He was arrested by Emperor Claudius II and imprisoned. The story is that he gained favour with the emperor, but would not give up his faith, so the emperor had him clubbed and stoned. When this failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the falminian gate.
This particular St. Valentine is known to have existed, as his relics are in the church of St. Praxedes. As well, archeologists have found a catacomb and church dedicated to him in Rome.
So where does our current celebrations come from?
Well, around the same time, the pagans would hold a ceremony for the goddess Juno Februata (also who the month february is named after) in which boys and girls would draw each others names, and then be sexually partnered for a year. St. Valentine Christianized this by having them draw the names of saints, and your goal was to try to live the virtue of that saint for the year. In the 14th century they went back to drawing names, although less of a lewd tradition, more of a romantic one. In the 16th century there was an attempt which failed, to go back to saints again.
So today we honour an early martyr. And if you are asking someone to be your valentine, remeber, it means either you want to 'couple' with them for a year from that day, or you are holy enough that you want them to emulate your saintly behavior.
See now isn't that fun?
There were at least 10 people who were canonized named valentine, valenitinian and other such derivatives.
The one the feast day we 'celebrate' today was made after was St. Valentine of Rome. He died in 269 AD, so he is a very very early saint of the church. Now legends and miracles aside, he was canonized as a martyr. He was arrested by Emperor Claudius II and imprisoned. The story is that he gained favour with the emperor, but would not give up his faith, so the emperor had him clubbed and stoned. When this failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the falminian gate.
This particular St. Valentine is known to have existed, as his relics are in the church of St. Praxedes. As well, archeologists have found a catacomb and church dedicated to him in Rome.
So where does our current celebrations come from?
Well, around the same time, the pagans would hold a ceremony for the goddess Juno Februata (also who the month february is named after) in which boys and girls would draw each others names, and then be sexually partnered for a year. St. Valentine Christianized this by having them draw the names of saints, and your goal was to try to live the virtue of that saint for the year. In the 14th century they went back to drawing names, although less of a lewd tradition, more of a romantic one. In the 16th century there was an attempt which failed, to go back to saints again.
So today we honour an early martyr. And if you are asking someone to be your valentine, remeber, it means either you want to 'couple' with them for a year from that day, or you are holy enough that you want them to emulate your saintly behavior.
See now isn't that fun?
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Up up and away
Sometimes I wish I was American. Not for their garbage politics (not that they're a lot better than ours), their odd way of viewing Christianity, or for the gun toting part, but for the contests.
Yeah, the contests.
Volvo is giving away my dream. Right now, if you are a resident of the US, you can enter a contest (No purchase necessary) to win a trip into space on Virgin Galactic in 2007. Yes, you read that right... a trip into space. I got so insanely excited when I saw it, till I read the contest rules, which said no entering unless you live down here. I seriously almost broke into tears.
My only hope is that if Americans are offering it, sooner or later the idea will make it to Canada
Yeah, the contests.
Volvo is giving away my dream. Right now, if you are a resident of the US, you can enter a contest (No purchase necessary) to win a trip into space on Virgin Galactic in 2007. Yes, you read that right... a trip into space. I got so insanely excited when I saw it, till I read the contest rules, which said no entering unless you live down here. I seriously almost broke into tears.
My only hope is that if Americans are offering it, sooner or later the idea will make it to Canada
Friday, February 04, 2005
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Farewell sweet prince
*Sigh*
So last night, coming home from Okotoks, the camaro starts to 'backfire'. I'm not worried, assume it has to do with the goofy sensor on the computer. Then the 'backfiring' gets more frequent. Then it gets more or less constant. Then I realize that it was one of the tailpipes breaking off the muffler, and that about 3/4 of my exhaust system is dragging on the ground behind me. Actually, last night it just looked like a tailpipe, so I was full of hope. This morning I crawl underneath and realize its more like a tailpipe was the only part still attached to the car.
So there's enough else wrong with the camaro that it's done for. That's right... scrap city. *sniff* It was my first car, I paid $3200 for it, put maybe $500 into it over it's lifetime, learned how to do body work on it, replaced the radiator and alternator with my dad, took it into the field surveying (that was awesome... it was a great survey car), cruised many a warm day with the top down, squeezed 80,000 kms out of the almost dead tranny, painted the spoiler, rammed a guy in an 86 chrysler, fit an entire kayak, and on occasion a raft and all the neccesary whitewater gear, perfected my dukes of hazzard driving skills, went star gazing with the top down drove all the way too and from Regina in a snow storm with a severe lack of sleep, and many many other car related memories. And now... sniff... its dead.
It was a good run, and thanks to Dave, the sketchy biker who sold it to me for cash under the table and took me to the harley diner while it got inspected for selling me such a great car. It's the end of an era. Now I have no excuses left to have a mullet, or blast the AC/DC cassette tape Dave left in it when I bought it. I guess I'll have to fix up the valiant and work on my pompadour and get some bowling shirts.
So last night, coming home from Okotoks, the camaro starts to 'backfire'. I'm not worried, assume it has to do with the goofy sensor on the computer. Then the 'backfiring' gets more frequent. Then it gets more or less constant. Then I realize that it was one of the tailpipes breaking off the muffler, and that about 3/4 of my exhaust system is dragging on the ground behind me. Actually, last night it just looked like a tailpipe, so I was full of hope. This morning I crawl underneath and realize its more like a tailpipe was the only part still attached to the car.
So there's enough else wrong with the camaro that it's done for. That's right... scrap city. *sniff* It was my first car, I paid $3200 for it, put maybe $500 into it over it's lifetime, learned how to do body work on it, replaced the radiator and alternator with my dad, took it into the field surveying (that was awesome... it was a great survey car), cruised many a warm day with the top down, squeezed 80,000 kms out of the almost dead tranny, painted the spoiler, rammed a guy in an 86 chrysler, fit an entire kayak, and on occasion a raft and all the neccesary whitewater gear, perfected my dukes of hazzard driving skills, went star gazing with the top down drove all the way too and from Regina in a snow storm with a severe lack of sleep, and many many other car related memories. And now... sniff... its dead.
It was a good run, and thanks to Dave, the sketchy biker who sold it to me for cash under the table and took me to the harley diner while it got inspected for selling me such a great car. It's the end of an era. Now I have no excuses left to have a mullet, or blast the AC/DC cassette tape Dave left in it when I bought it. I guess I'll have to fix up the valiant and work on my pompadour and get some bowling shirts.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Wow, and you thought Canada was 'liberal'
I use quotation marks because I don't think it's fair to associate what I'm about to write about with 'liberalism'. To be liberal means open to change, open minded, tolerant and all that. Important tenets, but to be used with extreme caution.
Check out the article at:
Daily Telegraph
The summary... Germany legaised prostitution a couple years ago to minimize the selling of women into the sex industry and to regulate it a bit (and I'm sure they don't mind the taxes either). But that makes it legally moral. That also happens to mean that if you are unemployed and refuse work in the sex industry you lose your UI benefits. The basis is that since it's legal, they consider it moral, since it's moral, you can't object on moral grounds. Same goes for phone sex, sex shops, nude modelling etc.
Okay where do I start to rip this to shreds? Seriously. You could apply the same logic to a lot of stuff. That would mean say in Canada, when pot becomes legal (which I think it eventually will) that if you refused work on a pot farm because you are anti-drugs, then you'd lose UI. Or if you were pro life and offered a job in an abortion clinic... well, you see the trend.
The Germans got it messed up. Just cuz it's legal, doesn't mean it's moral. I will never believe that abortion is a moral option. I will never believe that drug use is moral. I will never believe that the sex industry is moral. You get the drift. However, morality and freedom aren't connected on the governmental level. Because we are free to do something doesn't mean I have to agree with it, and because I believe something is wrong, doesn't mean the guy down the street has to agree. But then there's the risk of going way to far. Well, heroin users get bad drugs and aids from used needles... better make it legal and regulate it. There are people out there who want to commit suicide, but end up badly hurting themselves and living, and hurting their families. Better make it legal and regulate it.
Sigh... how did we make the world so complicated.
Check out the article at:
Daily Telegraph
The summary... Germany legaised prostitution a couple years ago to minimize the selling of women into the sex industry and to regulate it a bit (and I'm sure they don't mind the taxes either). But that makes it legally moral. That also happens to mean that if you are unemployed and refuse work in the sex industry you lose your UI benefits. The basis is that since it's legal, they consider it moral, since it's moral, you can't object on moral grounds. Same goes for phone sex, sex shops, nude modelling etc.
Okay where do I start to rip this to shreds? Seriously. You could apply the same logic to a lot of stuff. That would mean say in Canada, when pot becomes legal (which I think it eventually will) that if you refused work on a pot farm because you are anti-drugs, then you'd lose UI. Or if you were pro life and offered a job in an abortion clinic... well, you see the trend.
The Germans got it messed up. Just cuz it's legal, doesn't mean it's moral. I will never believe that abortion is a moral option. I will never believe that drug use is moral. I will never believe that the sex industry is moral. You get the drift. However, morality and freedom aren't connected on the governmental level. Because we are free to do something doesn't mean I have to agree with it, and because I believe something is wrong, doesn't mean the guy down the street has to agree. But then there's the risk of going way to far. Well, heroin users get bad drugs and aids from used needles... better make it legal and regulate it. There are people out there who want to commit suicide, but end up badly hurting themselves and living, and hurting their families. Better make it legal and regulate it.
Sigh... how did we make the world so complicated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)