Well, didn't know what toput in the title. So you can all relax, there is no kid in my life.
So, good morning everybody, I'm glad to be back. As my last post said I have been very busy painting, to the point where I did little else except for going to work, walking the dog, and eating. The grand finale was friday night when I spent 13 hours straight painting till 7:30 in the morning, which left me with a wealthy 1 hour sleep before I had to go to the tournament. I guess some people love their hobbies a bit too much (me?). But anyway, I got the job done, and the tournament itself was a real blast. I got my ass handed to me for the first three games though (but always very politely), before somewhat salvaging the remnants of my pride and stomping on someone in the last game. But everyone was a great sport and it was an overall great gaming day.
As an added bonus, the Ottawa audition to 'Canadian Idol' was taking place in the same mall, and several thousand hopefuls had made it there (one of our gaming friends went too!). While some seemed like they actuallly knew how to sing or play an instrument of some kind, the vast majority did not, and a sizeable portion were simply ridiculous, either in their attitudes or attire, and we got a good few laughs out of them. Oh cynical, cynical Nick.
Anyway, Last night was the first in 3 weeks that I didn't have to paint, so I watched scrubs and went to bed. Felt pretty good, but I miss my brushes already. I'm giving myself one more day, and I'll get back to it tomorrow - without a deadline this time! Although there is this tournament in a month and a half...
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
In my car
Something comes over me every time I get in, with my hands on the wheel and my eyes straight ahead. An impulse to just take the next wrong turn, hit north on the highway until it stops a few miles before Wakefield, then take the first road west to where I've never been. Find a quiet town and stop my car, get off and take a walk down the main street there as the last rays of sunshine run through the leaves and branches.
I'd walk into the local bar and everything would go quiet, not many strangers come around here and it sure isn't the tourist season. But I'd sit at the counter and order a drink, probably start chatting to a few regulars, three or four names in my pocket by the time last orders are called. I'd find out Jim at the convenience store is looking for someone, or maybe Francine at the old Moore's farm, her old man can't put up with all the work anymore. She speaks French too, she'd be glad to trade a few words with me.
I wouldn't need much more than that, easy for me to drop my bags and leave the rest behind. Forget about before, well, most of it anyway. Forget about deadlines, fast food and traffic jams, the rushing and racing, just take with me the love, friendship and good times, the rest doesn't matter.
Life would be rough, unsophisticated and slow, but life would be good. Every now and then an old friend would come by and stay for while, whenever the world would let them. We're only 26 and already we seem not to have much time for us all, just wait till everybody gets settled... But we'd have that, a few days or weeks for us to pretend we're kings and queens again, a chance to enjoy life without a clock, just like when we were kids. And when they'd leave they'd be refreshed and rested, but still they wouldn't quite get it, why on earth would I stay here, so far away from everything? Me, I'd just smile and watch them go, holding my girl in one arm, praying whatever local god to bring them back sooner next time - but hey, why would a god give me anything? Later we'd fall asleep to our favourite film, an old rerun or halfway through the chapter of a book.
This goes through my head every time I get in the car. So far I've always turned south onto the highway, but as each day goes by the pull gets that much stronger, to carry on straight over the bridge, or miss the exit on the way back home. I wasn't driving today, but still I could feel it, and I started wondering, who of you would understand, who of you would drop their heads, and who of you would smile and nod. Not that I'm looking for answers, mind you.
That's what happens in my car.
I'd walk into the local bar and everything would go quiet, not many strangers come around here and it sure isn't the tourist season. But I'd sit at the counter and order a drink, probably start chatting to a few regulars, three or four names in my pocket by the time last orders are called. I'd find out Jim at the convenience store is looking for someone, or maybe Francine at the old Moore's farm, her old man can't put up with all the work anymore. She speaks French too, she'd be glad to trade a few words with me.
I wouldn't need much more than that, easy for me to drop my bags and leave the rest behind. Forget about before, well, most of it anyway. Forget about deadlines, fast food and traffic jams, the rushing and racing, just take with me the love, friendship and good times, the rest doesn't matter.
Life would be rough, unsophisticated and slow, but life would be good. Every now and then an old friend would come by and stay for while, whenever the world would let them. We're only 26 and already we seem not to have much time for us all, just wait till everybody gets settled... But we'd have that, a few days or weeks for us to pretend we're kings and queens again, a chance to enjoy life without a clock, just like when we were kids. And when they'd leave they'd be refreshed and rested, but still they wouldn't quite get it, why on earth would I stay here, so far away from everything? Me, I'd just smile and watch them go, holding my girl in one arm, praying whatever local god to bring them back sooner next time - but hey, why would a god give me anything? Later we'd fall asleep to our favourite film, an old rerun or halfway through the chapter of a book.
This goes through my head every time I get in the car. So far I've always turned south onto the highway, but as each day goes by the pull gets that much stronger, to carry on straight over the bridge, or miss the exit on the way back home. I wasn't driving today, but still I could feel it, and I started wondering, who of you would understand, who of you would drop their heads, and who of you would smile and nod. Not that I'm looking for answers, mind you.
That's what happens in my car.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Back to work...
Well, tomorrow I'll be starting my new job. System administrator and overall friendly and helpful new guy in the office. Turns out I will be working for the same company as my mom - not for the first time. Maybe it's a sign we should open a business together, I don't know.
The irony in all this - there must be some irony, of course - is that the day after I accepted the job, I get a phone call: " Hi, this is Jennifer from company X. We would like to hire you!". In those words. Well, sorry sister, you're 21 hours too late.
Funny though, everytime they call to say you've not been chosen for the job, it's George or Frank on the line. When they want to hire you, it's young, sexy Jennifer... I thought I would feel good turning down the job, seeing as I've been turned down a few times myself, but not even. All I could think was "What a waste, where were you 3 months ago?"
Anyway, I'm happy. Especially since Natalie has announced she would make her way to Ottawa sometime in May. It's been 4 months now, but May is just around the corner. All we have to do is find ourselves a little lovenest now and we should be rocking!
Times could be worse huh?
So I'm gonna leave you on this happy note. And for those who asked, Rob's story is coming. Although I'm going to be busy painting like a mad dog for the next three weeks (yes, mad dogs have compulsive paintings tendencies) as I've somewhat optimistically signed up for a tournament on the 25th. Gotta get the army ready now. Ah well, it'll give me something to do when I come back from work everyday... I got 1 guy done, 20 more to go!
The irony in all this - there must be some irony, of course - is that the day after I accepted the job, I get a phone call: " Hi, this is Jennifer from company X. We would like to hire you!". In those words. Well, sorry sister, you're 21 hours too late.
Funny though, everytime they call to say you've not been chosen for the job, it's George or Frank on the line. When they want to hire you, it's young, sexy Jennifer... I thought I would feel good turning down the job, seeing as I've been turned down a few times myself, but not even. All I could think was "What a waste, where were you 3 months ago?"
Anyway, I'm happy. Especially since Natalie has announced she would make her way to Ottawa sometime in May. It's been 4 months now, but May is just around the corner. All we have to do is find ourselves a little lovenest now and we should be rocking!
Times could be worse huh?
So I'm gonna leave you on this happy note. And for those who asked, Rob's story is coming. Although I'm going to be busy painting like a mad dog for the next three weeks (yes, mad dogs have compulsive paintings tendencies) as I've somewhat optimistically signed up for a tournament on the 25th. Gotta get the army ready now. Ah well, it'll give me something to do when I come back from work everyday... I got 1 guy done, 20 more to go!
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Lost
First came the pain, lancing through his skull in white, agonising flashes. Panic quickly followed, as he struggled to fully regain awareness and re-awaken his dulled senses. Questions flooded his mind, where when whys that seemed to have no answers, what and hows that he just… couldn’t remember. Fear finally struck when he realised he couldn’t see, nor hear. The cacophony in his head became worse, his instincts screaming at him to curl up, roar, run away and cry all at the same time. And then it stopped; all that was left was the headache and the shivering of his weakened body. He remained frozen for a while, wishing only to faint or fall asleep and relieve his throbbing head. Respite never came. Eventually he decided to sit up, only to find his left arm too frail to support his weight. His hand went from under him, he slipped, fell from where he was lying and with a flat ‘thump!’, smacked his head on something hard – the ground maybe. His headache faded away, his consciousness too…
He woke up this time to the absurd sound of a heavy door being unchained and unlatched. His face felt wet and sticky, his body cold on the rough tiled floor. Two footsteps, then someone flicked a switch. For a second or so, he could make out the distinctive buzz of neon tubes charging up. Then bright light flashed, bringing back the pain that now also radiated down his neck. Maybe blindness hadn’t been such a curse after all. He rolled off to his side, trying to take in his surroundings, while the door was being closed again, somewhere behind him. The room was large but mostly empty, from what he could see a rectangular space about twice as long as it was large, with two opposite pillars rising across the centre. The walls and floor must have been white once, though a yellow-greenish taint had spread to most of the room, reminding him of an old subway station. A stainless steel table rested behind him, which probably masked the door. He gathered he must have fallen from it earlier. Blood had pooled where his head had been in front of him and had started to flow between the floor tiles in little rivulets. Most of it was dry though. With a few reverberating steps a man came into view and nonchalantly squatted in front of him. The two men observed each other for a few seconds, the stranger seeming almost bemused, his head tilted slightly to one side.
-“Didn’t like the table, Rob?”
In other circumstances, Robert – it was indeed his name – could have appreciated the dry humour. Now however, most of the wit was lost on him as fear clamped in a knot around his lower gut.
-“Wh - who are you? Where am I? How do you know my name?”
-“Who I am”, replied the stranger “is of no importance. As for this place it is my own, my… realm of some sort. I never named it, for few need ever talk about it, and fewer still even remember it. Let’s call it… ‘Here’. And how do I know your name? Well, I’ve been keeping an eye on you for long enough to know all that there is to know about you.”
The man got up and started pacing in front of Robert, taking slow, deliberate steps. Six-foot tall, maybe more, he walked with a grace that was both alluring and menacing. His age was lost in a face that could have been twenty-eight or forty-five, sitting on top of wide yet slim shoulders. He stopped suddenly, staring at Robert with what could have been raging contempt or the deepest sorrow.
-“Tell me Rob, when did you lose it?”
-“When did I lose what? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?”
-“I want you to answer my question, for the moment. When did you decide to give up, what made you decide to renounce what had guided you for so long?”
-“What are you talking about? What is this, how – how did I get here?!”
Weak, helpless, lying on the floor, Robert fought tears of despair from running down his cheeks. None of this made sense, he felt too stunned to piece it together. Who was that guy and what was he playing. If only he could remember how he had got here, where was he before, what was he doing? His memories escaped him, at least the recent ones, everything was a blur, an insane patchwork of pictures and voices. And still the throbbing in his head, the pulsing that prevented him from thinking, from concentrating on anything. He tried to massage his temple with his right hand, but his fingers met with blood and open flesh. Terror overtook him then. He screamed.
-“My God! Please, you have to help me!!” Tears flowed freely down his bloodied face now. “Please, I beg you! What happened to me?!”
Robert reached out frantically, trying to grab on to the stranger, trying to get a hold of something that would make him feel safe. But he was too weak to drag his body across the floor; the stranger simply stepped out of reach, his eyes never leaving Robert’s, unshaken. Terror made way to rage and injustice, cries and screams, as Robert vainly tried to right himself up, to get up and leave and get someone to help. He finally collapsed, sobbing, helpless and dying in front of this sadistic witness.
-“Don’t worry, you’re not going to die yet, not until I see it fit.” Robert could barely hear him through his weeping. “You truly don’t remember, do you? I should have expected that. You shot yourself, Rob, right through the temple. Did you know that is a mortal sin? Of course you knew”. The stranger had Robert’s full attention now.
-“Yes, you should be dead now,” he continued, “but I prevented that – albeit for a while. I haven’t decided of your fate yet. In fact it will depend on you, and the answers you give me, so be sure to think them carefully. But you will need your memories for that, and you seem to have blown off too much of your own head. I suppose I will need to assist you then.”
Without warning, he bent down a grasped Robert’s head with icy fingers whose touch pierced to very soul, then wrenched it and tore it apart. In an incoherent distortion, Robert’s world turned into a chaotic maelstrom of sounds and impossible colours as time unfolded backwards. For the ensuing hours the room was filled with Robert’s screams of agony as his body suffered through this most unnatural of process.
He woke up this time to the absurd sound of a heavy door being unchained and unlatched. His face felt wet and sticky, his body cold on the rough tiled floor. Two footsteps, then someone flicked a switch. For a second or so, he could make out the distinctive buzz of neon tubes charging up. Then bright light flashed, bringing back the pain that now also radiated down his neck. Maybe blindness hadn’t been such a curse after all. He rolled off to his side, trying to take in his surroundings, while the door was being closed again, somewhere behind him. The room was large but mostly empty, from what he could see a rectangular space about twice as long as it was large, with two opposite pillars rising across the centre. The walls and floor must have been white once, though a yellow-greenish taint had spread to most of the room, reminding him of an old subway station. A stainless steel table rested behind him, which probably masked the door. He gathered he must have fallen from it earlier. Blood had pooled where his head had been in front of him and had started to flow between the floor tiles in little rivulets. Most of it was dry though. With a few reverberating steps a man came into view and nonchalantly squatted in front of him. The two men observed each other for a few seconds, the stranger seeming almost bemused, his head tilted slightly to one side.
-“Didn’t like the table, Rob?”
In other circumstances, Robert – it was indeed his name – could have appreciated the dry humour. Now however, most of the wit was lost on him as fear clamped in a knot around his lower gut.
-“Wh - who are you? Where am I? How do you know my name?”
-“Who I am”, replied the stranger “is of no importance. As for this place it is my own, my… realm of some sort. I never named it, for few need ever talk about it, and fewer still even remember it. Let’s call it… ‘Here’. And how do I know your name? Well, I’ve been keeping an eye on you for long enough to know all that there is to know about you.”
The man got up and started pacing in front of Robert, taking slow, deliberate steps. Six-foot tall, maybe more, he walked with a grace that was both alluring and menacing. His age was lost in a face that could have been twenty-eight or forty-five, sitting on top of wide yet slim shoulders. He stopped suddenly, staring at Robert with what could have been raging contempt or the deepest sorrow.
-“Tell me Rob, when did you lose it?”
-“When did I lose what? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?”
-“I want you to answer my question, for the moment. When did you decide to give up, what made you decide to renounce what had guided you for so long?”
-“What are you talking about? What is this, how – how did I get here?!”
Weak, helpless, lying on the floor, Robert fought tears of despair from running down his cheeks. None of this made sense, he felt too stunned to piece it together. Who was that guy and what was he playing. If only he could remember how he had got here, where was he before, what was he doing? His memories escaped him, at least the recent ones, everything was a blur, an insane patchwork of pictures and voices. And still the throbbing in his head, the pulsing that prevented him from thinking, from concentrating on anything. He tried to massage his temple with his right hand, but his fingers met with blood and open flesh. Terror overtook him then. He screamed.
-“My God! Please, you have to help me!!” Tears flowed freely down his bloodied face now. “Please, I beg you! What happened to me?!”
Robert reached out frantically, trying to grab on to the stranger, trying to get a hold of something that would make him feel safe. But he was too weak to drag his body across the floor; the stranger simply stepped out of reach, his eyes never leaving Robert’s, unshaken. Terror made way to rage and injustice, cries and screams, as Robert vainly tried to right himself up, to get up and leave and get someone to help. He finally collapsed, sobbing, helpless and dying in front of this sadistic witness.
-“Don’t worry, you’re not going to die yet, not until I see it fit.” Robert could barely hear him through his weeping. “You truly don’t remember, do you? I should have expected that. You shot yourself, Rob, right through the temple. Did you know that is a mortal sin? Of course you knew”. The stranger had Robert’s full attention now.
-“Yes, you should be dead now,” he continued, “but I prevented that – albeit for a while. I haven’t decided of your fate yet. In fact it will depend on you, and the answers you give me, so be sure to think them carefully. But you will need your memories for that, and you seem to have blown off too much of your own head. I suppose I will need to assist you then.”
Without warning, he bent down a grasped Robert’s head with icy fingers whose touch pierced to very soul, then wrenched it and tore it apart. In an incoherent distortion, Robert’s world turned into a chaotic maelstrom of sounds and impossible colours as time unfolded backwards. For the ensuing hours the room was filled with Robert’s screams of agony as his body suffered through this most unnatural of process.
I know, I know
It's been far too long, and I apologize. Not much has happened in my life however and there wasn't any point in me just posting - nothing -
Anyway, I've been playing with several little things these past couple of weeks, but I'm not happy with them yet. I'm still posting this one, as I think it's not too bad. I can always fix it later. I'm hoping to post the end someday soon, but I'm not making any promises... You all kow me...
Nico
Anyway, I've been playing with several little things these past couple of weeks, but I'm not happy with them yet. I'm still posting this one, as I think it's not too bad. I can always fix it later. I'm hoping to post the end someday soon, but I'm not making any promises... You all kow me...
Nico
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Snowfall
Part of the magic is in the silence. As I walk among the trees, the night is only disturbed by the soft crunching of my steps. As if the snow wrapped around every sound and smothered them to no more than a whisper. Even the dog follows quietly, like a fiery little ghost in the white stillness.
It is late at night, yet I can perfectly see where I am going; the snow blanket and the smooth cloud cover give the scene a strange illumination, the light seeming to come from nowhere yet everywhere at once. Hues of blues and silver dance around as my eyes wander through the park around me.
I sit down for a while, my doggy cuddling on my side. Both our breaths drift lazily through the cold air, unperturbed by the snowflakes that are now falling thick and soft. For just an instant time is frozen. I am one with this scene and there has never been anything else, nor will there ever be. In this eerie quietude, all those I love and miss are here with me. I wish I could find something to tell them all but I can't, so I simply stay there and enjoy seeing all those faces and smiles for a moment.
A small shiver brings me back after a few minutes, or maybe an eternity. It is cold out here tonight and I didn't put on my jacket. I enjoy a few more frosty breaths before picking myself up, sending light chill tremors down my arms and spine. One by one people are getting up too, going back the way they came with a nod or a wave. I watch the last one leave then start on my way home, the dog lopping ahead, eager to go snuggle up in front of the fireplace. And all around me the snow is falling.
It is late at night, yet I can perfectly see where I am going; the snow blanket and the smooth cloud cover give the scene a strange illumination, the light seeming to come from nowhere yet everywhere at once. Hues of blues and silver dance around as my eyes wander through the park around me.
I sit down for a while, my doggy cuddling on my side. Both our breaths drift lazily through the cold air, unperturbed by the snowflakes that are now falling thick and soft. For just an instant time is frozen. I am one with this scene and there has never been anything else, nor will there ever be. In this eerie quietude, all those I love and miss are here with me. I wish I could find something to tell them all but I can't, so I simply stay there and enjoy seeing all those faces and smiles for a moment.
A small shiver brings me back after a few minutes, or maybe an eternity. It is cold out here tonight and I didn't put on my jacket. I enjoy a few more frosty breaths before picking myself up, sending light chill tremors down my arms and spine. One by one people are getting up too, going back the way they came with a nod or a wave. I watch the last one leave then start on my way home, the dog lopping ahead, eager to go snuggle up in front of the fireplace. And all around me the snow is falling.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Fruitful Weekend
Well good evening young acolytes,
Indeed it has been quite an eventful weekend. To get things started I actually got a game in (wargames for those who wonder...) on Friday. That was good because 1) I don't usually have a game on Friday 2) it was a big, big game 3) I won. So happy all-round.
Then over the weekennd I had a 2-day First Aid and CPR course. Saturday we concentrated on CPR. That was quite instructive, and a bit of fun too. When we were finished I got to hang around with Karim for a couple of hours - that was too short but it felt good to see the big guy. I then happilly proceeded to put on the Marseille soccer game I'd recorded during the day. They got trounced by the worst team in the league. Yay! So I went to bed kinda pissed off, which probably explains the weird and violent dreams that I had (OK, my dreams are always weird, but not always violent...).
But anyway, I woke up bright and early this morning - that's right, on a sunday... - and made my merry way to the first aid class, where once again I learned a good bit and had some fun times.
And at the end of the day, a few bagels and a passed test later, I had my certification. Hoo-Rah! ( ;o) ). It's actually like a business card that I will need to plastify quickly if I don't want to damage it. I feel a little something at having that in my back pocket, some sort of confidence or something, I don't know.
But hey, it's sunday night and I'm happy I did what I set out to do for the week end, I can now sit down and relax until tomorrow morning. Gotta love sundays...
Indeed it has been quite an eventful weekend. To get things started I actually got a game in (wargames for those who wonder...) on Friday. That was good because 1) I don't usually have a game on Friday 2) it was a big, big game 3) I won. So happy all-round.
Then over the weekennd I had a 2-day First Aid and CPR course. Saturday we concentrated on CPR. That was quite instructive, and a bit of fun too. When we were finished I got to hang around with Karim for a couple of hours - that was too short but it felt good to see the big guy. I then happilly proceeded to put on the Marseille soccer game I'd recorded during the day. They got trounced by the worst team in the league. Yay! So I went to bed kinda pissed off, which probably explains the weird and violent dreams that I had (OK, my dreams are always weird, but not always violent...).
But anyway, I woke up bright and early this morning - that's right, on a sunday... - and made my merry way to the first aid class, where once again I learned a good bit and had some fun times.
And at the end of the day, a few bagels and a passed test later, I had my certification. Hoo-Rah! ( ;o) ). It's actually like a business card that I will need to plastify quickly if I don't want to damage it. I feel a little something at having that in my back pocket, some sort of confidence or something, I don't know.
But hey, it's sunday night and I'm happy I did what I set out to do for the week end, I can now sit down and relax until tomorrow morning. Gotta love sundays...
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Intelligent Design - Complement to Nono's post
Good evening audience,
For those of you who don't know him, Nono is my oldest friend, and one of the great thinkers of our time. We are but a few privileged ones to know that however, we can only hope that his glory will not come post mortem. There is a link to his blog on the right, for all the French speakers (or readers) among you.
His latest ramblings concern an article published recently in a French 'volume' magazine about 'Intelligent Design'. This article apparently proceeded to mock and discredit the 'Intelligent Design' theory, all the while putting forth the unshakeable virtues of 'Science', which should be held as ultimate Truth.
Nono didn't like that. Not that Nono believes in any way in 'Intelligent Design', far from it. But the outright refutation of anything 'non scientific' seems wrong to him. All science-head that I am, I agree with him here, if only on the premise that 'just because it's not a scientific subject yet, it doesn't mean it never will be'. (For having studied advanced maths myself - and not even that advanced - I know that you can quickly reach a point where matters become almost more philosophical than mathematical. Maths then simply adapt and adopt new models to cover the new ground and be able to deal with it scientifically.)
I do however have several problems with I.D. being taught in school - which fortunately should not happen in the foreseeable future.
The first one being that evolution - Darwinistic or other - as is it taught now is not incompatible with the idea of I.D. . There is a point beyond which science says 'we don't know' where ID could find a very comfortable spot. Most religions so far refuse to go that far; after all, they have been preaching for several thousand years that Man was created 'as is' and hasn't changed since. Old habits die hard, but the world is changing, and slowly even the most conservative are becoming more flexible as their followers' faith is being shaken - mostly because of eduction and science, actually. So who knows...
The second problem that I see with ID being taught in school, is that it comes from a movement that is almost entirely catholic. Had it come from an oecumenical body, I might have shown some - not much! - more leniency towards it. It didn't, and I am certain that divergent views would clash very rapidly and create yet more tensions between religious communities. All that the world needs, really...
One thing about the push for ID being taught in school leaves me wondering: why? Why is it so important that ID be taught in school? School doesn't categorically refute religion, it simply does not teach it. On top of that, the idea of evolution as presented by Darwin is presented as just that, an idea: 'Science says evolution blahblahblah, because suchandsuch...' (well, that's what my classes were like). It does not say: 'Religion is wrong, and that's how it happened...'. Since there are plenty of places to learn about the creation theory of a particular religion - church/temple/mosque/other for example, text studies classes, etc... - why is it so important it is taught in school? I don't know...
For those of you who don't know him, Nono is my oldest friend, and one of the great thinkers of our time. We are but a few privileged ones to know that however, we can only hope that his glory will not come post mortem. There is a link to his blog on the right, for all the French speakers (or readers) among you.
His latest ramblings concern an article published recently in a French 'volume' magazine about 'Intelligent Design'. This article apparently proceeded to mock and discredit the 'Intelligent Design' theory, all the while putting forth the unshakeable virtues of 'Science', which should be held as ultimate Truth.
Nono didn't like that. Not that Nono believes in any way in 'Intelligent Design', far from it. But the outright refutation of anything 'non scientific' seems wrong to him. All science-head that I am, I agree with him here, if only on the premise that 'just because it's not a scientific subject yet, it doesn't mean it never will be'. (For having studied advanced maths myself - and not even that advanced - I know that you can quickly reach a point where matters become almost more philosophical than mathematical. Maths then simply adapt and adopt new models to cover the new ground and be able to deal with it scientifically.)
I do however have several problems with I.D. being taught in school - which fortunately should not happen in the foreseeable future.
The first one being that evolution - Darwinistic or other - as is it taught now is not incompatible with the idea of I.D. . There is a point beyond which science says 'we don't know' where ID could find a very comfortable spot. Most religions so far refuse to go that far; after all, they have been preaching for several thousand years that Man was created 'as is' and hasn't changed since. Old habits die hard, but the world is changing, and slowly even the most conservative are becoming more flexible as their followers' faith is being shaken - mostly because of eduction and science, actually. So who knows...
The second problem that I see with ID being taught in school, is that it comes from a movement that is almost entirely catholic. Had it come from an oecumenical body, I might have shown some - not much! - more leniency towards it. It didn't, and I am certain that divergent views would clash very rapidly and create yet more tensions between religious communities. All that the world needs, really...
One thing about the push for ID being taught in school leaves me wondering: why? Why is it so important that ID be taught in school? School doesn't categorically refute religion, it simply does not teach it. On top of that, the idea of evolution as presented by Darwin is presented as just that, an idea: 'Science says evolution blahblahblah, because suchandsuch...' (well, that's what my classes were like). It does not say: 'Religion is wrong, and that's how it happened...'. Since there are plenty of places to learn about the creation theory of a particular religion - church/temple/mosque/other for example, text studies classes, etc... - why is it so important it is taught in school? I don't know...
Monday, January 16, 2006
I'm back
Yeehaa!
So I've been away for a while - well, from this blog at any rate.
As I said before, I went skiing, armed with my video camera and all. However, after only 5 minutes of use, the battery died :(. I did charge it all day, so I don't know what happened. Anyway, all I could get was one - small - run from my brother, and one from my novice-skiier step sister, Ruth. And unfortunately nothing outrageous happened in 5 minutes (Well, Ruth fell of course, but it's just not as funny with debutants. Or is it?). Ah well...
I also promised you pictures of my brother. Now for those of you who don't know him, he's quite a shady character, and doesn't like to be pinned on pictures. I did however manage to sneak in at one of his decadent 'parties' and steal this shot. I think images speak for themselves...
So I've been away for a while - well, from this blog at any rate.
As I said before, I went skiing, armed with my video camera and all. However, after only 5 minutes of use, the battery died :(
I also promised you pictures of my brother. Now for those of you who don't know him, he's quite a shady character, and doesn't like to be pinned on pictures. I did however manage to sneak in at one of his decadent 'parties' and steal this shot. I think images speak for themselves...
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Finally done!
So yesterday was a day of mixed fortunes - but hey, that happens. But 2 good things happened: first my brother came back (ladies stay tuned, I'll try to post some 'shocking' pix of him later!), and that's good because I missed the little nuisance. And today we're going skiing!! OH YES BABY, old school style! Hopefully I'll also have pictures of that to show later on.
The second good thing that happened? Well, those of you who know me - other than through reading some stranger's blog - will also know of my addiction to little models and wargames. And yesterday I finally finished a unit I have put more or less 40 hours of work on. And I'm happy enough with the result, considering I'm not the best painter in the world. So for those of you who care, here are bad quality pictures of what they look like...
The second good thing that happened? Well, those of you who know me - other than through reading some stranger's blog - will also know of my addiction to little models and wargames. And yesterday I finally finished a unit I have put more or less 40 hours of work on. And I'm happy enough with the result, considering I'm not the best painter in the world. So for those of you who care, here are bad quality pictures of what they look like...
Friday, January 06, 2006
Dogs have a right to slippers too
Yeepee Kay Hey! The snow is finally back!! We now have about 20/25 cm of fresh powder on top of the old snow! Much better let me tell you! The end of troubles for Macha? Weeelll... not really. When the snow is very powdery and soft and fluffy (you get it, the ultimate cream-dream...), it builds up between her 'toes' very quickly, and then she can't go for more than 5 metres without having to stop to get it out. It seems to hurt her as well (hell, if I had snow between my toes I'm sure it would hurt bad enough!).
The solution? Doggy slippers of course! No more snow between the toes for Macha, and the added bonus for me that she looks extremely comical (and for some reason, she looks even more cute to passer-bys... "Oooh, lookit the cute little doggyyy!!" She's a real star out there!). Anyway, I thought I'd share with you people, so enjoy!
The solution? Doggy slippers of course! No more snow between the toes for Macha, and the added bonus for me that she looks extremely comical (and for some reason, she looks even more cute to passer-bys... "Oooh, lookit the cute little doggyyy!!" She's a real star out there!). Anyway, I thought I'd share with you people, so enjoy!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
How does this blog work?
Well, it seems the genial plan the makers of this blog had is working: I created my blog just so I could post a comment on someone else's blog, and now 2 friends of mine have done the same just so they could post comments on mine...
Question is, why? As far as I know it's made by google, who already provide their cool email service. But at least there they seem to have some sort of advertising going on - albeit discrete - whereas I've seen very little external advertising on this blog service. Granted, I haven't spent my days looking for ads, but still. What they have going on is the possibility to add AdSense to your blog, which lets them put some ads on your page. However they pay you for all clicks and referals, so their own margin must be minimal.
So now I am left wondering, what do they gain from this? Reputation? Webmaster experience to put on their CVs? Good Karma? This is intriguing to me, especially in the evening as I'm getting tired...
Question is, why? As far as I know it's made by google, who already provide their cool email service. But at least there they seem to have some sort of advertising going on - albeit discrete - whereas I've seen very little external advertising on this blog service. Granted, I haven't spent my days looking for ads, but still. What they have going on is the possibility to add AdSense to your blog, which lets them put some ads on your page. However they pay you for all clicks and referals, so their own margin must be minimal.
So now I am left wondering, what do they gain from this? Reputation? Webmaster experience to put on their CVs? Good Karma? This is intriguing to me, especially in the evening as I'm getting tired...
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Happy New Year!
Well the title says it all, wish everybody the best for 2006!
It started not so good for Macha though. I went to walk my dog this morning - like every morning. However, a couple of days ago we had what is know here as 'ice pellets' or 'freezing rain'. That's like tiny little snowflakes/hailstones that melt on impact with the ground but freeze almost immediately after, leaving you with a very smooth layer of ice on the ground.
Apart from looking beautiful - especially on tree branches which now have a smooth, transparent yet reflective coat of ice - it's also quite slippery. Now on top of that we've had some very light snowfall since last night, with wee little flakes of snow. Since it's -10 outside they don't melt, but instead make a very thin cover over the ice sheet, kinda like makeup dust on a woman's pocket mirror. And this my friends is lethal.
I managed not to fall mostly thanks to my level-10-ninja skills, and partly thanks to good luck. Macha - my dog - has yet to master kung fu though, and she was flying all over the place. Towards the end I had to encourage her to carry on, as it took the poor scared animal more time to get up after each fall. I couldn't carry her either since my own balance was precarious enough; I didn't want to fall on top of her and end up crunching her hip or something. Finally we made it home, and somehow this time Macha was a little more eager to come in and lay by the fireplace. Go figure...
It started not so good for Macha though. I went to walk my dog this morning - like every morning. However, a couple of days ago we had what is know here as 'ice pellets' or 'freezing rain'. That's like tiny little snowflakes/hailstones that melt on impact with the ground but freeze almost immediately after, leaving you with a very smooth layer of ice on the ground.
Apart from looking beautiful - especially on tree branches which now have a smooth, transparent yet reflective coat of ice - it's also quite slippery. Now on top of that we've had some very light snowfall since last night, with wee little flakes of snow. Since it's -10 outside they don't melt, but instead make a very thin cover over the ice sheet, kinda like makeup dust on a woman's pocket mirror. And this my friends is lethal.
I managed not to fall mostly thanks to my level-10-ninja skills, and partly thanks to good luck. Macha - my dog - has yet to master kung fu though, and she was flying all over the place. Towards the end I had to encourage her to carry on, as it took the poor scared animal more time to get up after each fall. I couldn't carry her either since my own balance was precarious enough; I didn't want to fall on top of her and end up crunching her hip or something. Finally we made it home, and somehow this time Macha was a little more eager to come in and lay by the fireplace. Go figure...
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Here we go!
Alright, first post on my new blog! Let this be a new year's resolution, I'll try to keep this - relatively - up to date.
First, to all you out there that I haven't had a chance to talk to yet (roughly 6 billions of you), I wish you the best in this holiday season. 'Tis the season to be merry, so enjoy yourselves.
And now I'm going to walk my dog and jump in the snow, then make myself a hot chocolate. If I'm not looking after myself, who will?
First, to all you out there that I haven't had a chance to talk to yet (roughly 6 billions of you), I wish you the best in this holiday season. 'Tis the season to be merry, so enjoy yourselves.
And now I'm going to walk my dog and jump in the snow, then make myself a hot chocolate. If I'm not looking after myself, who will?
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