Cafe Alpha

If you have time or need something calming and tranquil, I highly recommend downloading and reading Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Record of a Yokohama Shopping Trip). It's a manga (Japanese comic book) by Ashinano Hitoshi and has been running in a monthly Japanese manga anthology for years.

I think I'll quote the site where the translations are found: "YKK is a remarkable series. Quiet, thoughtful, and meticulously constructed, the story unfolds with grace and elegance. It became a favorite of mine almost from the second I first set eyes on it." And since it is a manga, gags common to Japanese comics abound, so YKK has lots of humour too. Note that the website I've linked to is a fan translation of it, as YKK hasn't been picked up by any North American companies for official English translation.

To be honest, I prefer it this way. The site does a great job translating, it's more accessible than official (expesive) releases, and it offers incentive to buy the series in the original Japanese by allowing you to sample the storyline in advance. But now that I've started re-reading it, I can't stop. Oops.


Bruno

"Widely regarded as one of the best realized comic characters on the World Wide Web." - Newsbites Magazine

On the other end of the comic spectrum, Bruno is an American comic strip that ranges from funny to depressing, from political to inane but it's always interesting. I don't agree with many of the things that the title character talks about (who is a girl by the way), but it's a refreshing change from comic strips that are constantly fluffy and pointless in content.

Good stuff.

The Top 12 Things Overheard from Klingon Programmers

12) "Specifications are for the weak and timid!"

11) "This machine is a piece of GAGH! I need dual Pentium processors if I am to do battle with this code!"

10) "You cannot really appreciate Dilbert unless you've read it in the original Klingon."

9) "Indentation?! - I will show you how to indent when I indent your skull!"

8) "What is this talk of 'release'? Klingons do not make software 'releases'. Our software 'escapes' leaving a bloody trail of designers and quality assurance people in its wake."

7) "Klingon function calls do not have 'parameters' - they have 'arguments' - and they ALWAYS WIN THEM."

6) "Debugging? Klingons do not debug. Our software does not coddle the weak."

5) "I have challenged the entire quality assurance team to a Bat-Leth contest. They will not concern us again."

4) "A TRUE Klingon Warrior does not comment his code!"

3) "By filing this bug report you have challenged the honor of my family. Prepare to die!"

2) "You question the worthiness of my code? I should kill you where you stand!"

1) "Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"

Mmmm....geekiness....

The Weekend Where Nobody Slept

Okay, Thursday night went to A&P with WND and the MA half of MAHA for midnight food forage. Since I still hadn't bought groceries since getting back to Kingston from Thanksgiving at home, this is a good thing. However, the nice people at A&P finally managed to restock the candy corn supply. I needs my sugar, b'y.

Therefore, no sleep.

Friday night, went to KCCF and then to birthday party for Mike the Engineer. WND and I spent the day baking a "Death By Chocolate" cake and slathered "Death By Clogged Arteries" icing on it. It was a chocolate brick. Lots of fun, lots of laughs, lots of poking (okay that was just me). Lots of booze, though not on my part. Apparently my face turns inside out when I try anything alcoholic. Which is fun for others, not so pleasant for me. Cake served late, party ended later.

Therefore, no sleep.

Saturday night ended a quiet day at home. Ventured outside nice warm house with Margaret and WND to buy cheap pillows from Zellers ($3.97 for overstuffed, oversized pillows!) and bought a purdy skirt from the used clothing store. Did some "homework" (i.e. stared at PEP/7 program for a while and then watched 7 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion). Was about to curl up around my giant new pillow when WND kicks open door and makes me watch Fight Club (hee hee) until 2am.

Therefore, no sleep.

BUT. Tonight is a school night. Tomorrow I have classes until 5:30 PM. I am determined to go to bed before midnight tonight, come "fire, fog or Fall" (Pern quote. I am such a geek.)

Tally

So far this year, I have...

...fallen down the stairs 4 times 7 times (or as some like to call it, pokked).

...finished one jar of Nutella.

...gone home two times.

...poked an innumerable number of people an innumerable number of times.

...written three essays.

...sang the Oil Thigh zero times.

...learned three new recipes.

...wished several wishes.

...practiced slacking off many times.

Hijinks

Me housemates and I have been up to our usual tricks. Well, by "usual tricks" I mean embarassing ourselves.

Gaff #1: So Bento and I are on a midnight A&P run to buy ice cream and candy in preparation for a viewing of Totoro, when we see a Chinese someone wearing a purple windbreaker and jeans, with shoulder-length highlighted black hair. I.e. a Wendy look-alike. Needless to say, it wasn't Wendy. Unfortunately for us (and that poor girl) we didn't know that and we ran up behind her and gave her a slap on the back. Each. Well, we apologized profusely and ran away and that was the end of that.

Gaff #2: So Margaret and I are on our way to HIST299 and a biology lab (respectively) when we get to Princess. So we creep out in preparation for jaywalking. It's Kingston. Everyone jaywalks. We see a green SUV barreling down the road, so I pull back. Only Margaret pulls forward. So I move forward, but Margaret pulls back. Finally, we both dart forward and get beeped at by the Green SUV Of Doom but the traffic fairy is with us and we make it across, laughing ourselves silly as we run away.

Gaff #3: So we're making cheese biscuits today and I completely overeat. Okay, that one was just me. But I couldn't run away. Too full. Sat on squashy couch like sack of wet cement and moaned while starting on my sixth biscuit of the night. Sever lack of sympathy from Wendy. Ingrate.

Sugar high

As WND says quite often, I am in a perpetual state of sugar-induced hyperactivity. But this week I've been especially wired, to the dismay of those who live with me. This is because of two reasons:

1. BIG SUGAR ROCKS. The concert was awesome, Gordie is cool, the Old Guy even more so. I think my hearing is finally returning, but it was worth it. They played all the best songs (Better Get Used To It, The Scene, Nicotina, Diggin' a Hole, Turn The Lights On, If I Had My Way, Red Rover, etc) and we were about 5 feet from the stage, so we had a great view of the band. Big Sugar is really overlooked in terms of concert announcements and hype because they tour so much. This is apparently the last time they'll be touring as a 5-man group (Gordie's leaving. Boo.), but none of the campus newspapers even mentioned it in the concert listings (Three Days Grace over Big Sugar? Unlikely). Oh well, it's their loss. Really an awesom, awesome show.
   
   Noticed:
   • Orange juice is the drink of choice when on stage
     
   • The SGJ made an appearance
   
   
   • The Old Guy is very very cool. And boy, can he dance.
   
   
   • Mojah is a neat name. And he has cool pants.
   
   
   • Gordie is indeed "the best-dressed rock musician in Canada." Sparkly.
   
   
   • The drummer is slightly mental. In a good way.
   
   
   • The keyboardist looks like Dan Akroyd.
   
   
   • It's very tempting to whip out the old taser on the overly-enthusiastic dancer flailing in front of you. Of course, half an hour later, I was that over-enthusiastic dancer. Oops.
   
   
   • The drummer for Bedouin Soundclash. *dimple*
   
   
   Discovered afterwards:
   • The Old Guy's name is Garry Lowe.
   
   
   • The Keyboardist's name is Kelly Hoppe.
   
   
   • I can't figure out what the drummer's name is. Sorry.
   
   
   • Gordie is a Hugo Boss model. Or at least clotheshorse.
   
   
   • They watch a lot of hockey.
   
   
   • Bedouin Soundclash will be releasing a new album soon.


2. I have consumed roughly my own weight in French Vanilla cappuccinos.