Merry Xmas

I hope you had a great Xmas! I flew home to Vancouver on Christmas morning, via Frankfurt. Right now I'm in Comox, BC visiting my mom. Then on to Victoria to see my dad, and then home to Vancouver by New Years to celebrate!

I'd love to see everyone; please email me and I'll send you the phone number that Angus the Fido Man has been nice enough to give me while I'm here.

posted by Flora @ 8:40 PM

Finally, it all makes sense

I am officially a guy trapped in a girl's body.

I put four pieces of my writing (two journalism, one creative non-fiction and one poetry) into what BoingBoing calls the"eerily accurate text-sexer" and I came back 75% male.

On the other hand, there is a Sir John A. MacDonald action figure, so life can't be that bad. Where's the glass of booze and the disembodied mom's head? (Heh, PM humour.)

posted by Flora @ 3:19 PM

Time again to link to the tears-of-joy-inducing Gallery of Regrettable Food

New sections have been added in the genius that is The Gallery.

posted by Flora @ 12:59 PM

MATT STUART | PHOTOGRAPHER

Lovely punnish photos of London.

posted by Flora @ 1:32 PM

Oui oui

Voici des photos de mon weekend a Paris.

posted by Flora @ 9:38 PM

Today: only 91% alive. Yesterday's tally: 99% (due to persistent dandruff)

ow, ow, fell off my bike. Well, more like it fell out from under me. Damn slippyness.

Nice train employees gave me a carton of milk for my face, only cold thing thay had. Nice train people. Also got to keep milk.

Why pupils different sizes now?

Hah, just kidding. I pass all neurological tests learned from ER.

Bike OK too.

Funny face bruise tho. I try to send photo when vision has cleared up. urgghhhh. Winter tire shopping tomorrow.

posted by Flora @ 11:53 PM

Don't touch it! It's a rat!

Hello darlings, put down that Nigerian credit card scam letter and gather round.

Sometimes urdan legends are great. Like, the time PUDS told me about the guy who finds the puppy and it turns out to be a rat, really it happened it was down at the Clyde, and it was hilariously lampooned by ALI for days—och, that still makes me laugh.

But lately I've gotten several email urbans legends (told as true of course) about women's personal safety and they've kind of bugged me. I really appreciate the women that sent them to me, out of genuine concern and kindness (I love you guys! Thank you!). But the legends themselves are bugging me.

These stories about women getting/almost getting drugged/raped/murdered really freak me out. Of course, all urban legends are based on common and natural human fears, and anxiety about personal safety is a loathsome but genuine part of every woman's life. But I think that preying and heightening those fears in this way is really horrible. I think that it contributes the unreasonable level of fear that comes from our/the media's obsession with crime.

Of course, be careful and smart. But don't stress too much (I know I do sometimes).

Check out http://www.snopes.com or Google to determine if email warnings are genuine before forwarding.

And, although puppy/rat legends are funny, truth is funnier and stranger than fiction!

posted by Flora @ 4:36 PM

Drei Tage Physik Vorlesungen nonstop!

German physics students always seemed uber-kick-ass compared to the rest of us physics students, and just to prove it they are throwing three days physics lectures nonstop!

posted by Flora @ 12:58 PM

PowerPoint Is Evil

Power Corrupts.
PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely.

Yay, humour and information design!

Written by this guy who is professor emeritus of political science, computer science and statistics, and graphic design at Yale. You go, Edward R. Tufte!

posted by Flora @ 1:13 PM

Toboggan
by Benjamin Franklin King

Down from the hills and over the snow
Swift as a meteor's flash we go,
Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Down from the hills with our senses lost,
Jealous of cheeks that are kissed by the frost,
Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!

With snow piled high on housetop and hill,
O'er frozen rivulet, river, and rill,
Clad in her jacket of sealskin and fur,
Down from the hills I'm sliding with her,
Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!

Down from the hills, what an awful speed!
As if on the back of a frightened steed,
Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Down from the hills at the rise of the moon,
Merrily singing the toboggan tune,
"Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!"

Down from the hills like an arrow we fly,
Or a comet that whizzes along through the sky;
Down from the hills! Oh, isn't it grand!
Clasping your best winter girl by the hand,
Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!

Down from the hills and both growing old,
Down from the hills we are nearing the fold:
Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!
Close to the homestead we hear the ring
Of children's voices that cheerily sing,
"Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!"

Down from the hills and we hear the chime
Of bells that are ringing out Old Father Time;
Down from the hills we are riding away,
Nearing the life with its endless day;
Toboggan! Toboggan! Toboggan!

posted by Flora @ 12:33 AM

Is it just me, but when you call the caretaker and tell him that you can hear water literally pouring down behind the panel that conceals the toilet pipes, fair enough that it's 10:30 at night, and you're a private tenant and he's a council employee, isn't he supposed to, like, care?

Not that "just close the toilet door" is bad advice, considering the wacky smell that is being generated. Water + 1966-era toilet nether region = BAD

What is nice about having flatmates, which is what I am now realising, is that though the net result is the same, there's something very comforting to have someone there just to say, "oh, er, that's not good. It's really dripping, eh. Yikes. What should we do?"

I'm a big fan of commiseration, I know it's a girl thing. So, if y'all could just tag me or email me that would be great. A simple, "jeez, will ya look at that. Hmm." will do fine.

Also, look at this cool Leak proof swing out water closet! Space-port chic or what! Yes I am a plumbing nerd. I googled for this. Please help me.

posted by Flora @ 11:36 PM