… I’ve joined a fantasy football league at work.
I’ve always enjoyed watching sports – preferably live – but I’ve never really been one to follow stats and individual player performance. However, that’s all about to change as I take on the challenge of managing my own fantasy team. Now I’m boning up on what being in a league entails and what the hell I have to do when draft time comes.
Any tips?
Let’s go Tofurk You! (that’s my team name)
I’m interrupting my very own apparently non-posting schedule to share some excitement.
I bought books! A whole slew of them in fact. I went to a used book sale at the library in the town where I work today. I was actually there to take pictures, but instead I ended up browsing the books and I managed to find some good ones.
The best part is, 9 books later, I was only out $12. Most of the books seem as if they’ve never been read.
In all, I bought eight paperbacks and one hardcover:
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Angus, thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Light in August by William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
Until I Find You by John Irving
These latest literary purchases follow on the heels of my online book shopping delivery. I had been upset about a lack of books to read at the time and attempted to go to Chapters twice to remedy the problem. However, my schedule didn’t seem to flow well with Chapters’ and everytime I went, they were closed. Online it was! I managed to pick up a couple good finds too:
Furious Love by Sam Kashner
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
What have you been reading this summer? My bedside table is full at the moment, but I always welcome suggestions.
Things have been hectic this last little while but I have managed to knock a few things off the list.
I was able to get into a groove with my invoices and thankfully, I don’t have to submit them anymore, so that’s item number 43 crossed off.
Also, I’ve been actively working on number 19 (paying off visa) and 45 (deadlines).
Bill, from work, recommended Cormac McCarthy’s The Road to me. He actually brought it into work and gave it to me without even asking if I wanted to read it first. I’ve had it for a while but just got around to reading it, it’s a good book! A little bit of a downer, but redemptive at the same time.
Composting is now an everyday activity in this house. When Sarah was away, I started doing it and she’s joined in too.
I made a delicious naan pizza recipe and I think I’m falling in love with naan pizza.
Books read: The Road, The Girl who Played with Fire
Movies watched: Valentine’s Day, Zombieland, The Hangover
It seems I’ve taken a bit of a break from the 101 day challenge.
I’ve stumbled a bit and am behind by a month, so I’m going to extend it for a month and get back on track.
While I haven’t really been working on any of the other items on the list, I do want to keep track of movies watched, books read… so:
Movies watched: Date night, Pirate Radio, Ironman 2, Brothers
Books read: Firefly Lane, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, House Rules, Hostage
Here are some pictures of a few of the things from my List that I’ve been talking about.
I’ve planted an herb garden! Pictures to follow, but I really wanted to get this update in. I feel like it’s been delayed long enough.
I’ve also signed on for a full-time contract at work, cleaned my desk at work and organized my bedroom at home.
Recipes made: Delicious bruschetta bread and a delicious potato salad.
Books read: The Count of Monte Cristo, 100 Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera
Movies watched: Precious, Men Who Stare at Goats, An Education, Sherlock Holmes, Role Model, PCU, Airheads, Hot Tub Time Machine
Sarah’s gone away for training for three weeks, which will give me time alone at the house to knock off some of the other things on this list 
Last night the girls and I went to see Hot Tub Time Machine.
Going into this movie, I was not expecting greatness. From the trailer, the movie looked silly, it looked a little dumb, but more than anything it looked fun. I’m a fan of funny movies, along as they don’t try too hard and don’t rely too heavily on dumb-comedy. This movie did neither of those things and ended up being a LOT better than expected. Actually, I loved it!
I’m sure you know the premise – a group of guys go back in time with the help of a hot tub (yes, you read that right). There’s the expected fish-out-of-water awkwardness, especially for Jacob who is young and was conceived on the weekend they travel back into time to. There’s no internet, cell phones were just released, and MTV still played music!
I’m a huge John Cusack fan and he’s fantastic in this movie. The best part? Craig Robinson busting out a song “from the future” to a packed house in 1986 – a song by the Black Eyed Peas. Loved it!
All in all, not an award-winning effort but still a movie that you could go back to and watch over and over. To me, a movie you’d want to see more than once is a good one in my books. Check it out if you can!
Here’s the red-band trailer:
The last two weeks have been busy busy!
I went to Boston and whenever I go on a trip it’s always a bit crazy before and after. I usually have a lot of prep to do, work-wise, before I leave and then there’s tons of catching up to to do once I get back.
Sarah and me at McGreevy's
With that said, I haven’t been able to cross much off the list. However, I have managed to keep up with the new recipes!
I’ve been getting most of my recipes off the web, like a delicious yogurt parfait. Last week I made a whole batch of it and divided it into individual sizes, then froze them. I’ve been bringing them to work all week as an afternoon snack.
This week I made stuffed acorn squash. There was an old recipe that I had been using but I decided to upgrade and took to the web to find a new, healthier version. It turned out great! I also found this awesome website that explains (with pictures) how to properly prepare certain vegetables. I love it!
Movies watched:
- Little Women
- Mean Girls
- The Hurt Locker
- Everything’s Gone Green
Books read:
None
My battery is dead on my camera, but I will get on board with taking more pictures. I promise!
Seven Earth Hour lanterns were released over the City of Cape Town, South Africa, (in front of Table Mountain) symbolizing the seven continents taking part in this global call to action on climate change. Credit: © WWF / Sean Kelland
It’s that time of year again! What are you planning on doing for Earth Hour?
Last year, Age, Kat and I played Scrabble by candlelight at my old place on Detroit Ave. It seems so long ago, especially since it was right before Age moved to Japan (and it feels like she’s been there forever).
This year, I don’t have anything planned as of yet but I’d like to do something special to mark the event. Of course, something power free.
Some people have a real problem with the Earth Hour concept because they say that people should be conserving energy all year long, not just for one hour. I agree that we as a society need to be more energy-conscious, however, I also think Earth Hour is a great teaching tool and a way to get people who wouldn’t ordinarily think about energy conservation to start thinking about it.
Everyone needs an entry point. For some, maybe it was an amazing course they took in high school, college or university; for others, their entry point could have been an eye-opening documentary they watched or book they read. For some, Earth Hour will be that entry point.
What do you do throughout the year to try and conserve energy and help the environment?
I’ve been trying to do the whole litter-less lunch thing at work. I’ll bring sandwiches in reusable, washable containers instead of baggies and bought a lunch bag to use instead of plastic bags. I have 3,000 reusable grocery bags and I’ve been using my travel coffee mug a lot (although, I am guilty of getting roll up the rim to win cups).
Earth Hour is happening this Saturday night at 8:30! For more info visit www.earthhour.org.
Oh Ottawa students, I’m proud of you.
Note how the only people mentioning any threat of violence were Coulter’s people. Protesting does not equate violence, nor does it equate threats of violence.
Also, I love the fact that they are decrying the state of freedom of speech; Coulter could have spoke but chose not to because people were protesting her. The students expressed their freedom of speech by protesting her. Are there no back entrances to this building? Yes.. there are.
Coulter, who constantly attacks people through vicious comments and then backpedals when confronted and claims she was joking, loves pulling the victim card any chance she gets. It’s ironic because she’s made a career out of victimizing people.
Go spew your hate speech somewhere else.
As for her quote about IQ points… give me a break. Please tell me I’m not the only one who remembers her interview on CBC… thankfully, YouTube remembers
Right-winger Ann Coulter silenced by angry protesters at University of Ottawa
Wed Mar 24, 5:24 AM
By Julian Beltrame, The Canadian PressOTTAWA – Hundreds of screaming students succeeded in what few thought possible Tuesday night – they silenced incendiary right-winger Ann Coulter.
Organizers for the American’s tour of Canada scrubbed her much-anticipated speech at the University of Ottawa when students crowded the entrance before her arrival. A spokesman for the organizers said about 2,000 “threatening” students posed a security threat to the darling of the American right, and she was advised against appearing.
“It would be physically dangerous for Ann Coulter to proceed with this event,” said conservative political activist Ezra Levant inside Marion Hall.
“This is an embarrassing day for the University of Ottawa and their student body . . . who chose to silence her through threats and intimidation.”
The announcement was greeted with shouts of “Shame” and “We want Ann” from about 100 people who had managed to get into the hall.
Outside students celebrated: “Nananana, nanana, Goodbye Ann Coulter.”
About 10 Ottawa police cruisers were called to the scene, but there was no violence.
Coulter expressed her outrage at the unfolding of events in Ottawa in interviews with the U.S. media.
“This has never happened before,” she told The Washington Times Tuesday night.
“I go to the best schools, Harvard, the Ivy League and those kids are too intellectually proud to threaten speakers.”
Calling the University of Ottawa a “bush league” institution, Coulter said “their IQ points-to-teeth ratio must be about 1-to-1.”
There were early signs the evening would not go smoothly.
A crush of bodies greeted organizers about 90 minutes before Coulter’s 8:15 p.m. speaking time as about 1,000 showed up for the 400-seat hall.
At about 7:30 a fire alarm was triggered.
Then hundreds of protesters arrived, mostly students carrying signs and chanting. There was no accurate head account, but one student said the protesters accounted for about several hundred while one event organizer estimated 2,000.
“Ann Coulter should go back to where she came from because we don’t want her back here,” shouted Ellen Ocran, a University of Ottawa student in a shouting match with a Coulter backer.
A protest organizer, international studies student Mike Fancie, said he was happy they were able to stop Coulter from speaking.
“What Ann Coulter is practising is not free speech, it’s hate speech,” he said. “She’s targeted the Jews, she’s targeted the Muslims, she’s targeted Canadians, homosexuals, women, almost everybody you could imagine.”
Levant blamed the bedlam on university academic vice-president Francois Houle, who had written Coulter to warn her that Canadian laws make provisions for hate speech.
“Promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges,” he warned her in the letter, which Coulter quickly leaked to the media.
The university has refused to comment since, but Levant said Houle’s not-too-subtle advice to Coulter emboldened students to block her appearance.
Coulter was in the middle of a three-city tour of Canada which began at the University of Western Ontario in London on Monday, and ends in Calgary on Thursday.
The event in London went without incident, but not without controversy.
When answering questions from students, Coulter told a 17-year-old Muslim student to “take a camel” instead of a the flying carpet she has previously suggested Muslims use for transportation.
And earlier on Tuesday, she protested, with a bemused smile, that she was the real victim.
“I’ve been a victim of a hate crime,” she said in a CTV interview of Houle’s letter. “I think he’s accusing me of criminal proclivities.”
If publicity was the goal of Coulter’s Canadian tour, the trip has already been a smashing success.
She even got a mention in the House of Commons, with New Democrat MP Olivia Chow accusing the government of hypocrisy in allowing her into the country, after having given the boot to an ideological opposite.
Chow said the decision last year to bar British MP George Galloway, who has expressed pro-Palestinian views, shows the Conservatives have a double-standard on freedom of speech.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney defended keeping Galloway out of the country by noting his financial help to a terrorist group, Hamas.
“Hogwash,” responded Chow.
“George Galloway has no criminal record. He can travel the United States, all over the world. What the minister is doing … people he agrees with, fine come; people he doesn’t agree with, you can’t come.”
Levant said the protest proves another point, that was the reason for the tour in the first place.
“The point of the tour was to demonstrate that the state of freedom of speech in Canada is in jeopardy, especially on university campuses,” he said.
Coulter is a best-selling author and syndicated columnist who has been called one of the leaders of the angry right wing in the United States, along with talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck. She embraces the outrage she triggers although she has often dismissed the ensuing controversy by suggesting she was trying to be humorous.
Her “camel” comment on Monday was obviously a joke, she said on CTV.
She has said worse things, including “not all Muslims may be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims,” and that Canadians ought to be grateful the U.S. didn’t roll over them. That was after former prime minister Jean Chretien refused to follow George W. Bush into the war in Iraq.
Coulter told CTV she made the remark when “the French-speaking influence was a little bit more dominant in Canada.”
Asked to comment on the Harper Conservatives, Coulter said she didn’t pay much attention to Canadian politics, but judged they were not her cup of tea.
“If they support same-sex marriage and socialized medicine, no they are not conservative enough,” she said.
And she summed up the harsh reaction to her with another smile.
“I am dangerous,” she said.