I like email, I really do. Great jokes, good tips, interesting advice. I try to be selective about what I forward to my friends.
When I get a sob story about some kid dying of cancer and Bill Gates is going to donate 10 cents every time the email is forwarded, I actually want to reach through cyberspace and smack someone for being a gullible idiot.
There is a website called Snopes, www.snopes.com. It’s an urban legend myth-busting site that has a vast library of scams, hoaxes and lies that circulate by email. Do everyone a favor…when you get an email that says “Cough to stop a heart attack” or “Starbucks is unpatriotic”, take two seconds to find out whether it’s fact or fiction before you hit forward. If it’s fact, great! If it’s fiction, send a reply to the person you got the email from and tell them, too.
Some of this stuff is a matter of common sense – yes, women get attacked in dark parking lots at night. Always have your keys at the ready, pay attention to your surroundings and don’t give rides to strangers. Duh. But weird guys using drug soaked business cards to knock out drivers and steal their lives/cars/money at large gas stations? Please – large gas stations have cameras and people around. Not the ideal setting for an ambitious criminal.
As for emails asking for your bank or credit card information, requesting your help to get some money out of Nigeria or offering to share an inheritance with you, for a small processing “fee”… if you or someone you know have actually fallen for something like that, please give me a call. I have this great investment opportunity on Arizona oceanfront condos.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Life is a one-way trip...
Someone called me brave last night. Hey, I've been called worse, but I was quick to correct him by pointing out that bravery and drunken foolishness are often confused, but I was flattered none-the-less.
I was at my friend Rob's company Christmas party, and the DJ was also a karaoke host, so people could sign up to sing stuff (or sign their cowokers/competing departments up to sing stuff). It was a hoot. Towards the end of the evening, after massacring several songs each and a couple duets, Rob and I opted to do Paradise by the Dashboard Lights (sorry Meatloaf). Which is when the "brave" comment came out. And that got me thinking...
It didn't cross my mind that it would take courage to get up there and sing. After all, it was a small, non-judgmental group who had consumed a lot of booze. It's just that at the end of my life, I don't want to get to the Pearly Gates and have St. Peter ask me "Remember that karaoke party back in 2008? Did you want to sing something? Well, since you did, why didn't you?" Fear isn't a good reason.
I don't want to be the girl that looks at other people and says "I wish I could be that brave". It's not bravery. It's that I want to have these experiences, I want to try stuff and do stuff and learn stuff, and if that means butchering Eminem's Slim Shady song, then at least I can laugh at myself for doing it, and my friends can laugh at me for doing it. And because they're my friends, they laugh in the good way, and then pick a song to butcher themselves, and on we go.
If you make one New Year's resolution this year, one promise to yourself, make it that you will try one thing, even a small thing, that you have always admired someone else for doing.
We only get one shot at life, ladies and gentlemen. At the end of it, if anyone says to me "Did you do everything you wanted?" I want to be able to answer, "No sir, but not because I didn't try, only because I kept finding new things to do!"
I was at my friend Rob's company Christmas party, and the DJ was also a karaoke host, so people could sign up to sing stuff (or sign their cowokers/competing departments up to sing stuff). It was a hoot. Towards the end of the evening, after massacring several songs each and a couple duets, Rob and I opted to do Paradise by the Dashboard Lights (sorry Meatloaf). Which is when the "brave" comment came out. And that got me thinking...
It didn't cross my mind that it would take courage to get up there and sing. After all, it was a small, non-judgmental group who had consumed a lot of booze. It's just that at the end of my life, I don't want to get to the Pearly Gates and have St. Peter ask me "Remember that karaoke party back in 2008? Did you want to sing something? Well, since you did, why didn't you?" Fear isn't a good reason.
I don't want to be the girl that looks at other people and says "I wish I could be that brave". It's not bravery. It's that I want to have these experiences, I want to try stuff and do stuff and learn stuff, and if that means butchering Eminem's Slim Shady song, then at least I can laugh at myself for doing it, and my friends can laugh at me for doing it. And because they're my friends, they laugh in the good way, and then pick a song to butcher themselves, and on we go.
If you make one New Year's resolution this year, one promise to yourself, make it that you will try one thing, even a small thing, that you have always admired someone else for doing.
We only get one shot at life, ladies and gentlemen. At the end of it, if anyone says to me "Did you do everything you wanted?" I want to be able to answer, "No sir, but not because I didn't try, only because I kept finding new things to do!"
Friday, October 3, 2008
Random Entertainment
It's been a while since I've posted anything, and while I have a few thousand options circling in my brain looking for a way out, they will have to wait. In recent weeks I've seen a number of amusing statements on bumper stickers and t-shirts, and I think they're worth posting. What with this being MY blog, I'm gonna post them!
Got one you think belongs here? Let me know, if I agree, I'll post it too!
- I don't mind coming to work, but that eight hour wait to go home is a bitch.
- Your garden club called. Their ho' is missing.
- Kinky is using a feather. Perverted is using the whole chicken.
- Deja Moo - the feeling you've heard this bullshit before.
- I didn't say it was your fault. I said I'm going to BLAME you.
- Well behaved women seldom make history.
- When your gecko is broken, you have a reptile dysfunction.
- I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables.
- Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
- Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
- There is plenty of room for all God's creatures. Right next to the mashed potatoes.
- I'd tell you to go to hell, but I work there and I don't want to see you every day.
And my personal favorite:
- If you're gonna ride my ass that hard, you could at least pull my hair.
Got one you think belongs here? Let me know, if I agree, I'll post it too!
- I don't mind coming to work, but that eight hour wait to go home is a bitch.
- Your garden club called. Their ho' is missing.
- Kinky is using a feather. Perverted is using the whole chicken.
- Deja Moo - the feeling you've heard this bullshit before.
- I didn't say it was your fault. I said I'm going to BLAME you.
- Well behaved women seldom make history.
- When your gecko is broken, you have a reptile dysfunction.
- I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables.
- Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
- Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
- There is plenty of room for all God's creatures. Right next to the mashed potatoes.
- I'd tell you to go to hell, but I work there and I don't want to see you every day.
And my personal favorite:
- If you're gonna ride my ass that hard, you could at least pull my hair.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Why Pick on the Fat Girl?
Having just seen a movie with a fat girl as a supporting actress who plays a sterotypical fat girl (on a diet, trying to get into a smaller bridesmaids dress, manages to, until she sits down and splits the dress), I have to ask, why does the fat girl always get the short straw? If Star Trek had two expendable people on an away team, and one was a fat girl, the fat girl would die first, in a horrible and possibly funny fashion. The fat girl never wins.
Take Criminal Minds, one of my favorite TV shows. Penelope Garcia, played by actress Kirsten Vangsness, is not a tiny little thing. She's also not Rosanne Barr. She's average height and somewhat statuesque - a lovely woman, actually. Kirsten herself is not exactly a mainstream fashionista, but rather goes for "clothes that make her happy". She's got her own sense of style and self, and she has overcome adolescent shyness to be an actress I admire. Bravo. Her character, Garcia is the cyber-wiz of the FBI criminal profiling unit. She's a genius with a computer, and comes across as bold, witty and fun. Her blonde hair sometimes involves pink streaks. I wish I could be so bold. She'd be a hoot to party with.
Garcia has a great relationship with another character, Derek. (And both actors are friends off-set, as well) They flirt, they laugh, you kind of get the sense of maybe she has a crush on him, that maybe it might go somewhere some day. You never saw an insecure side to this girl. Until last fall. An episode started out with Garcia in a coffee shop, where a hot guy is having computer problems. She helps him out, he kind of hits on her and asks her if he can buy her dinner to say thanks. And I thought, hey, cool! She tells her buddy Derek, and he's cautious, rains on her parade, and she snaps on him. Kind of lays it out - "dude, you flirt with me, and don't do anything about it. I'm not the kind of girl that this usually happens to, so back off and let me have a moment, he's just saying thank you, but leave me to enjoy it". And I thought, you go girl! Show Derek what he's missing! This could be the start of something beyond friendship.
About half-way through the episode, I started thinking, uh oh. Something's hinky. This guy isn't what he seems. But, Garcia goes out with Hot Coffee Guy, he buys her dinner, walks her to her front step, gives her a kiss good night. He starts to walk away, turns around, and shoots her. WTF?? Why can't the fat girl get a break? Ya know, I don't even think this woman is in the plus sizes, she's just not a size 2. So why is it that she gets set up with the psycho? One of the skinny chicks on the show could have had a bad date. Why do they take a strong girl, who up until this episode has been happy with herself, and turn it around so that, if she hadn't been so desperate to believe that a hot guy could go for a chick like her, she wouldn't have been so blind about this guy and wouldn't be in the hospital fighting for her life. Now, the reasons for this all do with story line, but it bothers me that they played on insecuries that, up to this episode, had been non-existent.
It gets worse. The guy who takes over for Garcia while she's recovering is this completely nerdy geek, sort of cute around the edges but so utterly goofy he belongs on reality TV. And I though, oh, no. I'm gonna be some pissed off if she comes back to this guy in her computer lab AND FALLS FOR HIM. Guess what? Yup. So, the fat chick gets the nerd with the pocket protector. Not only falls for the guy, but becomes more stupidly moony over this guy than any other character in love on any other TV show I've seen.
Hey, I get that Brad Pitt isn't going to call any time soon. I also understand that I'm not exactly pin-up fantasy material. Frankly, I don't usually date pin-up fantasy material, either. But to imply that a hot guy can't find a chubby girl attractive is utter crap. I guess I'm just disappointed that one of my favorite shows fell into the fat girl stereotype. Shame!
Take Criminal Minds, one of my favorite TV shows. Penelope Garcia, played by actress Kirsten Vangsness, is not a tiny little thing. She's also not Rosanne Barr. She's average height and somewhat statuesque - a lovely woman, actually. Kirsten herself is not exactly a mainstream fashionista, but rather goes for "clothes that make her happy". She's got her own sense of style and self, and she has overcome adolescent shyness to be an actress I admire. Bravo. Her character, Garcia is the cyber-wiz of the FBI criminal profiling unit. She's a genius with a computer, and comes across as bold, witty and fun. Her blonde hair sometimes involves pink streaks. I wish I could be so bold. She'd be a hoot to party with.
Garcia has a great relationship with another character, Derek. (And both actors are friends off-set, as well) They flirt, they laugh, you kind of get the sense of maybe she has a crush on him, that maybe it might go somewhere some day. You never saw an insecure side to this girl. Until last fall. An episode started out with Garcia in a coffee shop, where a hot guy is having computer problems. She helps him out, he kind of hits on her and asks her if he can buy her dinner to say thanks. And I thought, hey, cool! She tells her buddy Derek, and he's cautious, rains on her parade, and she snaps on him. Kind of lays it out - "dude, you flirt with me, and don't do anything about it. I'm not the kind of girl that this usually happens to, so back off and let me have a moment, he's just saying thank you, but leave me to enjoy it". And I thought, you go girl! Show Derek what he's missing! This could be the start of something beyond friendship.
About half-way through the episode, I started thinking, uh oh. Something's hinky. This guy isn't what he seems. But, Garcia goes out with Hot Coffee Guy, he buys her dinner, walks her to her front step, gives her a kiss good night. He starts to walk away, turns around, and shoots her. WTF?? Why can't the fat girl get a break? Ya know, I don't even think this woman is in the plus sizes, she's just not a size 2. So why is it that she gets set up with the psycho? One of the skinny chicks on the show could have had a bad date. Why do they take a strong girl, who up until this episode has been happy with herself, and turn it around so that, if she hadn't been so desperate to believe that a hot guy could go for a chick like her, she wouldn't have been so blind about this guy and wouldn't be in the hospital fighting for her life. Now, the reasons for this all do with story line, but it bothers me that they played on insecuries that, up to this episode, had been non-existent.
It gets worse. The guy who takes over for Garcia while she's recovering is this completely nerdy geek, sort of cute around the edges but so utterly goofy he belongs on reality TV. And I though, oh, no. I'm gonna be some pissed off if she comes back to this guy in her computer lab AND FALLS FOR HIM. Guess what? Yup. So, the fat chick gets the nerd with the pocket protector. Not only falls for the guy, but becomes more stupidly moony over this guy than any other character in love on any other TV show I've seen.
Hey, I get that Brad Pitt isn't going to call any time soon. I also understand that I'm not exactly pin-up fantasy material. Frankly, I don't usually date pin-up fantasy material, either. But to imply that a hot guy can't find a chubby girl attractive is utter crap. I guess I'm just disappointed that one of my favorite shows fell into the fat girl stereotype. Shame!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Government Gone Wrong
Oh. My. God.
The Office of Government Commerce, or OGC, is the treasury branch of the UK government. Some brainwave in a design firm in London came up with a great new logo, seen here:
They put this logo on mousepads, coffee cups, all sorts of promotional material. It cost them 14,000 Pounds just to have the logo designed. That's only about $30,000 CDN, for anyone who's interested in the conversion.
For the cost involved, you'd think they would be more...thorough. Obviously, they didn't look at this from all angles. If you turn that baby on its side, you get an entirely different logo:
I believe this is actually a much more accurate representation of any government department, regardless of country.
In the meantime, I'll bet employees are selling stuff with this logo on eBay. I'm going shopping!
The Office of Government Commerce, or OGC, is the treasury branch of the UK government. Some brainwave in a design firm in London came up with a great new logo, seen here:
They put this logo on mousepads, coffee cups, all sorts of promotional material. It cost them 14,000 Pounds just to have the logo designed. That's only about $30,000 CDN, for anyone who's interested in the conversion.
For the cost involved, you'd think they would be more...thorough. Obviously, they didn't look at this from all angles. If you turn that baby on its side, you get an entirely different logo:
I believe this is actually a much more accurate representation of any government department, regardless of country.
In the meantime, I'll bet employees are selling stuff with this logo on eBay. I'm going shopping!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Life is a Highway...
I wanna ride all night long.
Ideally, while staying between the lines and rubber side down.
Actually, I find something very comforting about driving at night, especially somewhat late at night, with very little other traffic out there. There a peace to be found on the road at these times, a sense that I could just keep driving. For me it's a time of contemplation, where the journey is way more important than my ultimate destination, and it's just me and my out-of-tune CD sing-a-long. No worries, no cares. Some of the best trips have been these late night excusions - by myself, with friends, or a love. Whatever. These kind of moments are what I live for.
I love having the freedom to pull over on some side road and get out of the truck and watch the Northern Lights dance, like I did the night I wandered out into the middle of Highway 43 to take this picture. Driving with the light of a full moon rocks, too, with or without snow to reflect the cold fire of the moonlight.
I'm always just a little disappointed when I get where I'm going. Happy to get there safe, sad that the road ends. May all your journeys be this much fun.
Ideally, while staying between the lines and rubber side down.
Actually, I find something very comforting about driving at night, especially somewhat late at night, with very little other traffic out there. There a peace to be found on the road at these times, a sense that I could just keep driving. For me it's a time of contemplation, where the journey is way more important than my ultimate destination, and it's just me and my out-of-tune CD sing-a-long. No worries, no cares. Some of the best trips have been these late night excusions - by myself, with friends, or a love. Whatever. These kind of moments are what I live for.
I love having the freedom to pull over on some side road and get out of the truck and watch the Northern Lights dance, like I did the night I wandered out into the middle of Highway 43 to take this picture. Driving with the light of a full moon rocks, too, with or without snow to reflect the cold fire of the moonlight.
I'm always just a little disappointed when I get where I'm going. Happy to get there safe, sad that the road ends. May all your journeys be this much fun.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
All Things in Moderation
My new year's resolution was to lose weight, and to do this, I've joined Weightwatchers to help with the diet and Curves to help with the exercise. Thanks to the glorious rear-end collision in early March, the gym has been put on hold, but the diet is going.. well.. not strong, but still going.
I'm overweight, and the reason for that is simple mathematics. From 1998 to 2008 - a whole 10 years - I have eaten more calories than I have expended. The weight gain has been slow, and somewhat yo-yo like in the past couple years. I started out around 140 pounds, when I first moved to Edmonton in 1997. At my heaviest, in 2000, I was more than 280 (how much more, I don't know. I avoided the scale.)
My name is Robbi, and I am a chocaholic. I love food. This is partly nature and partly nuture. (No, Mom and Dad, I'm not blaming you. Read on.)
I am genetically hardwired to love food. And I am what is known as an "easy keeper". I can pack on weight just SMELLING French fries.
Growing up, food was both comfort and reward. A scraped knee might be treated with a band-aid and ice cream. A good report card could mean dinner at my favorite restaurant. My mom is a great cook, but her baking could tempt a saint. Mom makes butter tarts to die for. Her black forest cake is soaked in cherry whiskey and covered with real whipped cream and chocolate. Even her fruitcake is good!
Some of my fondest memories (even recent ones!) involve food. Each birthday meant a homemade shaped birthday cake with buttercream frosting - I recall Mickey Mouse, Holly Hobby, Garfield, a rainbow, a horseshoe (darned useful U-shaped pan, that one), a Smurf, and several others. Yummy!
Road trips meant toast and coffee on the road and usually lunch or dinner at a truck stop - I have never met truck stop food I didn't like. Camping meant smokies and smores over an open fire, and mac and cheese cooked in a pot on a Coleman gas stove somehow tastes better.
So, what to do? These days I'm still finding reward and comfort in food. I'm just making different choices - berries and yogurt soothe skinned knees just as well as a cookie, and my niece had an angelfood cake with strawberries for her birthday that was pretty tasty indeed. There will still be summer smokies over campfires, but I think I'll limit my intake.
I wouldn't trade those childhood memories of food for anything. Fighting the battle of the bulge might be easier if the war wasn't being waged on so many different fronts, but it also wouldn't be nearly as interesting.
I'm overweight, and the reason for that is simple mathematics. From 1998 to 2008 - a whole 10 years - I have eaten more calories than I have expended. The weight gain has been slow, and somewhat yo-yo like in the past couple years. I started out around 140 pounds, when I first moved to Edmonton in 1997. At my heaviest, in 2000, I was more than 280 (how much more, I don't know. I avoided the scale.)
My name is Robbi, and I am a chocaholic. I love food. This is partly nature and partly nuture. (No, Mom and Dad, I'm not blaming you. Read on.)
I am genetically hardwired to love food. And I am what is known as an "easy keeper". I can pack on weight just SMELLING French fries.
Growing up, food was both comfort and reward. A scraped knee might be treated with a band-aid and ice cream. A good report card could mean dinner at my favorite restaurant. My mom is a great cook, but her baking could tempt a saint. Mom makes butter tarts to die for. Her black forest cake is soaked in cherry whiskey and covered with real whipped cream and chocolate. Even her fruitcake is good!
Some of my fondest memories (even recent ones!) involve food. Each birthday meant a homemade shaped birthday cake with buttercream frosting - I recall Mickey Mouse, Holly Hobby, Garfield, a rainbow, a horseshoe (darned useful U-shaped pan, that one), a Smurf, and several others. Yummy!
Road trips meant toast and coffee on the road and usually lunch or dinner at a truck stop - I have never met truck stop food I didn't like. Camping meant smokies and smores over an open fire, and mac and cheese cooked in a pot on a Coleman gas stove somehow tastes better.
So, what to do? These days I'm still finding reward and comfort in food. I'm just making different choices - berries and yogurt soothe skinned knees just as well as a cookie, and my niece had an angelfood cake with strawberries for her birthday that was pretty tasty indeed. There will still be summer smokies over campfires, but I think I'll limit my intake.
I wouldn't trade those childhood memories of food for anything. Fighting the battle of the bulge might be easier if the war wasn't being waged on so many different fronts, but it also wouldn't be nearly as interesting.
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