So I had to go down to the financial district today, and boy! I haven't had to do that during business hours for quite a long time! It was a very interesting experience; firstly, in my MEC clothes, I totally did not belong - I really looked like I belonged to another class entirely. Secondly, I couldn't believe how many people were running around underground on the PATH; it was like walking through a very stylish Eaton Centre on the weekends. I had no idea that many people would be wandering around under the tunnels of the city, like many small rats scurrying for their next piece of cheese. Thirdly, everyone looked so focussed, like they had somewhere to go and nothing was going to stop them, not even a little scuff on their terribly stylish shoes.
I felt like I was in a parallel universe, and I felt kind of sad; I think I would be terribly unhappy if I had to run around those granite halls underground, in my stilettos, all day. I suppose that's because I'm such a dilettante....
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
The impetus is rising...
Oh my, it breaks my heart when I am now hearing people are being murdered over loaves of bread.... Egypt's army is now being involved in quelling the rebellion, as citizens can no longer afford to buy bread to feed their families... Asian countries are now hoarding rice that was originally to be sent for export, as they cannot keep enough to feed their own peoples...
This all ties up with people demanding more meat in their diets, people having abnormally large families with more than one to two children, with people choosing to buy food that is cheap and convenient, as opposed to what is right and just, with this North American obsession with ethanol fuel... sigh...
See the links below...
"Asian Rice Crisis Starts to Bite"
"The New Global Food Menace"
Friday, March 28, 2008
About Lent
I had forgotten to mention about my experience in Lent this year; it was the first time I tried to observe it. So I decided to cut out all meat. Which really, for me, is not a terribly arduous task. That being said, I did miss it when I went to a sushi restaurant, and I did have two slip-ups where I totally forgot I was declining meat until after I'd eaten it. However, on the whole, I didn't really miss it that much, and, I didn't really alter my eating style much either (except for the sushi; see above).
Which I suppose is encouraging; it's nice to know that my diet pretty much follows what we're supposed to be eating anyways, that is, infrequent meat eating and more fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
I am not sure if I felt terribly deprived, or that I was lacking in anything, or even (heavens!) that I was sacrificing significantly. Besides, I've only had a bit of chicken since Easter anyways. However, it has allowed me to think a bit more deeply about food issues (?you mean more than usual, Julia, cause you think about it a lot!), as can be noted in recent posts.
Perhaps next year I should try something a bit more challenging, like sugar, or chocolate...
Which I suppose is encouraging; it's nice to know that my diet pretty much follows what we're supposed to be eating anyways, that is, infrequent meat eating and more fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
I am not sure if I felt terribly deprived, or that I was lacking in anything, or even (heavens!) that I was sacrificing significantly. Besides, I've only had a bit of chicken since Easter anyways. However, it has allowed me to think a bit more deeply about food issues (?you mean more than usual, Julia, cause you think about it a lot!), as can be noted in recent posts.
Perhaps next year I should try something a bit more challenging, like sugar, or chocolate...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Field Trip!
So, I had a terribly exciting day at the Ontario Food Terminal! I got to hang out with the folks from FoodShare and went on a tour and explanation of the nature of the operations at the Ontario Food Terminal, and can I say, folks, I am incredibly thankful that we have this here in Canada. We have no idea how blessed we really are when it comes to food, and how much more the onus and responsibility lies on us to make wise choices in what kind of food we buy, and where we choose to buy it.
The sheer enormity of produce that passes through its gates everyday - over 5 million pounds a day! The number of people that are involved in getting food to our plates, in trying to keep the large corporations from dictating what kinds of produce, and at what price, we can access! Just the vastness of the place was boggling!
I also learned that, many years ago, the large supermarkets (ahem, Loblaws, Dominion, Sobey's, etc) pulled out of this co-operative venture, a more level playing field for all involved, and went to go outsource their own produce for themselves, in the meanwhile screwing farmers left, right and centre, and, were it not for the independent nature of the Ontario Food Terminal, would dictate to consumers how much we would pay for produce. If it were not there, my goodness! The complexities of how it would change our food patterns, our food bills, etc, are a bit much to try to explain in a small blog account, but would completely change the nature of how we currently understand and access food.
Boy, today was totally a blessing (yeah, yeah, I didn't go to work again, so sue me), and I totally feel privileged for having been able to go learn more about our food webs...
The sheer enormity of produce that passes through its gates everyday - over 5 million pounds a day! The number of people that are involved in getting food to our plates, in trying to keep the large corporations from dictating what kinds of produce, and at what price, we can access! Just the vastness of the place was boggling!
I also learned that, many years ago, the large supermarkets (ahem, Loblaws, Dominion, Sobey's, etc) pulled out of this co-operative venture, a more level playing field for all involved, and went to go outsource their own produce for themselves, in the meanwhile screwing farmers left, right and centre, and, were it not for the independent nature of the Ontario Food Terminal, would dictate to consumers how much we would pay for produce. If it were not there, my goodness! The complexities of how it would change our food patterns, our food bills, etc, are a bit much to try to explain in a small blog account, but would completely change the nature of how we currently understand and access food.
Boy, today was totally a blessing (yeah, yeah, I didn't go to work again, so sue me), and I totally feel privileged for having been able to go learn more about our food webs...
Monday, March 24, 2008
FFT
I know this is Christmas-themed, and I don't really agree with the notion about Santa, but it's still funny and makes me laugh really really hard (likely because of the science geek in me), and I'm trying to streamline my paper piles, so I'm documenting this online, and recycling the paper, so just humour me.
A few facts about Santa
1. No known species of reindeer can fly. But there are 300000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not completely rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.
2. There are 2 billion children in the world (persons under 18). But since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist children, that reduces the workload by 85% of the total - leaving 378 million according to the Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there is at least one good child per house.
3. Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels from east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hope out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stocking, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move onto the next house. Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false, but for the purposes of our calculations, we will accept), we are now talking about 0.78 miles per household, a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding, etc. That means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second - conventional reindeer can run, at top speed, 15 miles per hour.
4. The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming each child gets nothing more than a medium sized LEGO set (2lbs.), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tonnes, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 lbs. Even granting the "flying reindeer" can pull TEN TIMES that normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine- we need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload, not even counting the weight of the sleigh, to 353, 450 tonnes. Again for comparison, this is four times the weight of Queen Elizabeth.
5. 353,000 tonnes travelling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance. This will heat up the reindeer up in the same fashion as spacecrafts re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy per second, each. In short, they will burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and creating a deafening sonic boom in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa meanwhile, will be subject to centrifugal forces of 17500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250 lb Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by a 4,315,015 pound force.
In conclusion, if Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's now dead.
A few facts about Santa
1. No known species of reindeer can fly. But there are 300000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not completely rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.
2. There are 2 billion children in the world (persons under 18). But since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist children, that reduces the workload by 85% of the total - leaving 378 million according to the Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there is at least one good child per house.
3. Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels from east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hope out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stocking, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move onto the next house. Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false, but for the purposes of our calculations, we will accept), we are now talking about 0.78 miles per household, a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding, etc. That means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second - conventional reindeer can run, at top speed, 15 miles per hour.
4. The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming each child gets nothing more than a medium sized LEGO set (2lbs.), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tonnes, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 lbs. Even granting the "flying reindeer" can pull TEN TIMES that normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine- we need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload, not even counting the weight of the sleigh, to 353, 450 tonnes. Again for comparison, this is four times the weight of Queen Elizabeth.
5. 353,000 tonnes travelling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance. This will heat up the reindeer up in the same fashion as spacecrafts re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy per second, each. In short, they will burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and creating a deafening sonic boom in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa meanwhile, will be subject to centrifugal forces of 17500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250 lb Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by a 4,315,015 pound force.
In conclusion, if Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's now dead.
The Prayer of Maimonides
This actually falls under the category of "FFT", but this is really for my own benefit:
O God, let my mind be ever clear and enlightened.
By the bedside of the patient let no alien thought deflect it. Let everything that experience and scholarship have taught it be present in it and hinder it not in its tranquil work. For great and noble are those scientific judgements that serve the purpose of preserving the health and lives of the creatures.
Keep far from me the delusion that I can accomplish all things. Give me the strength, the will, and the opportunity to amplify my knowledge more and more. Today I can disclose things in my knowledge which yesterday I would not yet have dreamt of, for the Art is great, but the human mind presses on untiringly.
In the patient let me ever see only the men, thou, all-Bountiful One, has chosen me to watch over the life and death of the creatures. I prepare myself now for my calling. Stand Thou by me in this great task, so that it may prosper. For without Thine aid man prospers not even in the smallest things.
-Maimonides (1135-1204)
O God, let my mind be ever clear and enlightened.
By the bedside of the patient let no alien thought deflect it. Let everything that experience and scholarship have taught it be present in it and hinder it not in its tranquil work. For great and noble are those scientific judgements that serve the purpose of preserving the health and lives of the creatures.
Keep far from me the delusion that I can accomplish all things. Give me the strength, the will, and the opportunity to amplify my knowledge more and more. Today I can disclose things in my knowledge which yesterday I would not yet have dreamt of, for the Art is great, but the human mind presses on untiringly.
In the patient let me ever see only the men, thou, all-Bountiful One, has chosen me to watch over the life and death of the creatures. I prepare myself now for my calling. Stand Thou by me in this great task, so that it may prosper. For without Thine aid man prospers not even in the smallest things.
-Maimonides (1135-1204)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Nice and wriiiiigggggly....
Now, I have never owned pets. I wasn't a "pet" child, with a collection of hamsters and dogs and such. I have, over the past few weeks, however, adopted my first living creatures into my house, though with a totally utilitarian role: my red wrigglers! It's been interesting, noting the slugs, and bugs and worms all crawling around in my garbage. Obviously, it is an utter tragedy to toss out perfectly good organic material into the garbage, and should be turned, and returned, back to the earth it came from. Hence, the worms.
They're not eating all my stuff as quickly as I was hoping (which is odd; I didn't really think I produced that much organic material), though they have cut down my 'real' garbage output to about one grocery bag worth every two weeks. I'm hoping that I don't drown them in too much acidity, or too much moisture, and can keep them happy, especially since I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing and I don't want to kill them.
Hopefully this experiment in my small agricultural endeavour works out...
They're not eating all my stuff as quickly as I was hoping (which is odd; I didn't really think I produced that much organic material), though they have cut down my 'real' garbage output to about one grocery bag worth every two weeks. I'm hoping that I don't drown them in too much acidity, or too much moisture, and can keep them happy, especially since I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing and I don't want to kill them.
Hopefully this experiment in my small agricultural endeavour works out...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Hurrah for the Vatican!
I am so glad to hear of the Vatican's new list of additional sins. I kind of wish that the Protestants would have some sort of central authority that could also voice such things. To label polluting, encouraging the dispartity between rich and poor, and deliberately keeping structures that encourage poverty as SIN is a good thing. I am so glad that they can recognize that much of the Church's involvement in those (previously unlabelled) sins have caused a lot of our current woes in our world.
Certainly, I find some of it greatly disturbing and compelling to me, personally. Another sin is having great affluence, at the expense of others - this, I find, is one that speaks to me and my generation. It makes me shudder every time people tell me, "Don't worry, you'll find things to buy for the house" when I scream in my head "NO! That's NOT the point!" I don't need more clothes, I don't need more stuff, I don't need more things.... pretty much, besides a good chef's knife, I'm pretty good, really...
Certainly, I find some of it greatly disturbing and compelling to me, personally. Another sin is having great affluence, at the expense of others - this, I find, is one that speaks to me and my generation. It makes me shudder every time people tell me, "Don't worry, you'll find things to buy for the house" when I scream in my head "NO! That's NOT the point!" I don't need more clothes, I don't need more stuff, I don't need more things.... pretty much, besides a good chef's knife, I'm pretty good, really...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Snort...
Apparently, the cigarette companies are getting more aggressive with their print media profile since the legislation of what constitutes appropriate cigarette advertising was clarified. What I found incredibly amusing was that NOW magazine's editor was interviewed about her paper's stance about full-page cigarette advertising. Her statements ran along the lines that NOW's "moral standards" cannot accept cigarette advertising in the paper, that they don't need to pander down to that level, that the money's not worth it.
This is from a paper that spends at least five pages in each issue for "Hot Sex! Live Girls!", as well as for alcohol and illicit drug paraphernalia. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help snorting when I heard that: When a paper actually carries advertisements looking for "Love Dwarves for Sex", I find their "moral standards" a bit iffy, no?
This is from a paper that spends at least five pages in each issue for "Hot Sex! Live Girls!", as well as for alcohol and illicit drug paraphernalia. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help snorting when I heard that: When a paper actually carries advertisements looking for "Love Dwarves for Sex", I find their "moral standards" a bit iffy, no?
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Going yellow...
So, I'm usually quite a loquacious, opinionated, incredibly verbal girl, as some of you may well know. What struck me as incredibly odd, especially while I was in the midst of doing it, was how I "went Asian" in a meeting with some friends this afternoon.
Now, some of you would understand what that means when I explain that I didn't say very much AT ALL, spent most of my time serving tea and tidying up after the meal, and being very submissive and demure, like the good geisha girl that I'm supposed to be.
It weirded me out, man... I was thinking to myself, "Self, what the hell are you doing? Why the racial inferiority complex all of a sudden? Is it because they're white people? Are you being a self-hater? Is your 'Asian' mask coming up for the kabuki that you are to play for the white folk?" I thought it was a bit paradoxical, both authentic, yet inauthentic.
It made me wonder as to why that is, why we tend to go Asian when we're outside of the yellow box. I do have some personal suspicions as to why, in this particular circumstance, that would be, however, that doesn't change the nature of the fact that it happens generally.
I was speaking to another friend about this, and she knew EXACTLY what I was talking about as soon as I said I had 'gone Asian' on some white people. Which was a relief; at least I'm not a total oddball. It is interesting to note, though, that this is something that infects the entire race, which is why so many of us do well and succeed to a certain extent, but we never get to the higher, more aggressive, echelons of power. We seem to be held back when it comes to speaking out and standing up; I suspect part of it is our Confucion heritage and our anti-feminist tendencies, perhaps.
At any rate, I found it really odd watching myself going Asian live, in real time, and yet somehow not being able to get out of that rut....
Now, some of you would understand what that means when I explain that I didn't say very much AT ALL, spent most of my time serving tea and tidying up after the meal, and being very submissive and demure, like the good geisha girl that I'm supposed to be.
It weirded me out, man... I was thinking to myself, "Self, what the hell are you doing? Why the racial inferiority complex all of a sudden? Is it because they're white people? Are you being a self-hater? Is your 'Asian' mask coming up for the kabuki that you are to play for the white folk?" I thought it was a bit paradoxical, both authentic, yet inauthentic.
It made me wonder as to why that is, why we tend to go Asian when we're outside of the yellow box. I do have some personal suspicions as to why, in this particular circumstance, that would be, however, that doesn't change the nature of the fact that it happens generally.
I was speaking to another friend about this, and she knew EXACTLY what I was talking about as soon as I said I had 'gone Asian' on some white people. Which was a relief; at least I'm not a total oddball. It is interesting to note, though, that this is something that infects the entire race, which is why so many of us do well and succeed to a certain extent, but we never get to the higher, more aggressive, echelons of power. We seem to be held back when it comes to speaking out and standing up; I suspect part of it is our Confucion heritage and our anti-feminist tendencies, perhaps.
At any rate, I found it really odd watching myself going Asian live, in real time, and yet somehow not being able to get out of that rut....
Boy, I'm pretty slow.
My gosh, it's been a while; I suppose it's a combination of just generally being stressed out and busy. WHICH IS NO EXCUSE. I am really wishing I had a second brain, or some sort of microchip implanted in my brain for extra storage space; I would be one of the first to volunteer if they had that available.
A friend of mine had asked if I had been considering getting an iPod Touch. Admittedly, it's beautiful, however, it's ridiculously expensive (for no phone capability), and honestly, I don't have the time to fill out all the applications and get it all on the go; I don't even have time to download more music onto my iPod, for crying out loud. I still haven't downloaded my previous photos from my last trip, oh, five months ago....
That really had nothing to do with what I was thinking about, but I figured I should jot down something, at the very least.
A friend of mine had asked if I had been considering getting an iPod Touch. Admittedly, it's beautiful, however, it's ridiculously expensive (for no phone capability), and honestly, I don't have the time to fill out all the applications and get it all on the go; I don't even have time to download more music onto my iPod, for crying out loud. I still haven't downloaded my previous photos from my last trip, oh, five months ago....
That really had nothing to do with what I was thinking about, but I figured I should jot down something, at the very least.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
FFT
The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land.
The Great Chief also sends us words of friendship and goodwill.
This is kind of him, since we know he has little need of our friendship in return.
But we will consider the offer.
For we know that if we do not sell, the white man may come with guns and take our land.
The idea is strange to us.
If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people.
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people.
The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man.
So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us.
The Great Chief sends word that he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably by ourselves.
He will be our father and we will be his children.
So we will consider your offer to buy our land, but it will not be easy. For this land is sacred to us.
This shining water that lives in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors.
If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred, and you must teach your children that it is sacred and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people.
The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father.
The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst.
The rivers carry our canoes, and feed our children.
If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children that the rivers are our brothers, and yours, and henceforth give the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go walk among the stars.
Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man.
We are part of the earth, and it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the juices of the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man - all belong to the same family.
The red man has always retreated before the advancing white man, as the mist of the mountain runs before the morning sun.
This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.
All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not create the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.
The white man too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Continue to contaminate your beds, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.
- Seattle, Dwamish Indian Chief, upon surrending his land to Washington Governor Issac Stevens in 1854
The Great Chief also sends us words of friendship and goodwill.
This is kind of him, since we know he has little need of our friendship in return.
But we will consider the offer.
For we know that if we do not sell, the white man may come with guns and take our land.
The idea is strange to us.
If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people.
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people.
The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man.
So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us.
The Great Chief sends word that he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably by ourselves.
He will be our father and we will be his children.
So we will consider your offer to buy our land, but it will not be easy. For this land is sacred to us.
This shining water that lives in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors.
If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred, and you must teach your children that it is sacred and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people.
The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father.
The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst.
The rivers carry our canoes, and feed our children.
If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children that the rivers are our brothers, and yours, and henceforth give the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go walk among the stars.
Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man.
We are part of the earth, and it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the juices of the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man - all belong to the same family.
The red man has always retreated before the advancing white man, as the mist of the mountain runs before the morning sun.
This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.
All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not create the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.
The white man too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Continue to contaminate your beds, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.
- Seattle, Dwamish Indian Chief, upon surrending his land to Washington Governor Issac Stevens in 1854
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Too much excitement... can I send some back?
OK, this week, though only being a Wednesday, is just a little bit too much excitement all in one week. Today's big event was my first major car crash! Praise God that it was only me, and I didn't take anybody else down with me. To be honest, it was actually a bit fun, though really fast - kind of like a really cheap rollercoaster. I was toddling onto work, to get there for 10:30am, so I did, in fact, leave at a responsible hour, 9am, to make sure I was going to get there with the weather conditions as they were. However, just as I was about 5km from work, just to get off the highway, I spun out, and around and about, and dodged the median ditch, and swung right around, back and forth across the four lanes of highway several times, to end up smacking my entire driver's side into the snowbanked shoulder!
Frankly, if I hadn't stepped out of my car and noted that I had blown two tires, I would've just turned around and driven the rest of the way to work. However, a parasitical towtruck driver showed up about 45 seconds after I crashed to charge me a ridiculous sum to take me to Canadian Tire (ie the tow cost as much as the tire replacement... hmmm.), which, of course, not being a CAA member, and not being able to drive a two-wheeled car, made it a deal that was impossible to refuse.
I'm only now starting to feel a bit of back pain, though not too much. I know it could've been a lot worse, and it was frankly a miracle that I didn't knock out a few more cars with all the highway I traversed for about half a kilometre, trying to get the car back in control.
Well! Seeing as it's only half-way through the week, I look with trepidation at the rest...
Frankly, if I hadn't stepped out of my car and noted that I had blown two tires, I would've just turned around and driven the rest of the way to work. However, a parasitical towtruck driver showed up about 45 seconds after I crashed to charge me a ridiculous sum to take me to Canadian Tire (ie the tow cost as much as the tire replacement... hmmm.), which, of course, not being a CAA member, and not being able to drive a two-wheeled car, made it a deal that was impossible to refuse.
I'm only now starting to feel a bit of back pain, though not too much. I know it could've been a lot worse, and it was frankly a miracle that I didn't knock out a few more cars with all the highway I traversed for about half a kilometre, trying to get the car back in control.
Well! Seeing as it's only half-way through the week, I look with trepidation at the rest...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
So that's why I'm totally and utterly bagged today...
Well, I was given the privilege of being the 'second person/doula/support person/general entertainment' in the room for my friends' baby. Providentially, they happened to have the baby on my day off work, so I trundled over there, and stuck around for 12 hours until she had the baby, catching the last subway train home again. I must say, watching and experiencing it from the other side of the fence, there are a few observations I should make:
1. It's really boring, lying in the bed for hours and hours on end. At work, I usually flit in and out of the room, making some (witty) observations, and then going on to the next patient, so to me, it looks like there's progress, since I come in every few hours. However, having to sit there on the other end, it's a pretty long process. Thank goodness for Settlers of Catan, as that helped pass the time.
2. I can understand why some patients complain that they rarely, if ever, see nurses and doctors while they're in the hospital. Now, perhaps I'm biased, as this doesn't happen in my own hospital, but I couldn't believe how little one-on-one nursing care my friend obtained - in the twelve hours I was there, she got a total of 45 minutes (45 minutes!) of direct nursing care, given by SIX different nurses (since they were all on various stages of break and lunch). That is ridiculous.
3. The whole process is a lot more intrinisically interesting when it's a baby involving people that you love.
4. Usually it's pretty easy for me to throw off the 'medical hat' when I'm dealing with realms of medicine that I'm not terrible proficient or interested in, but I found it was harder to take it off in this situation, likely a combination of getting 'mama-bear-ish' for my friends (with their 45 minutes of nursing care), and the fact that it's the one thing in life I feel I'm actually skilled in.
Anyways, they both did awesomely, and the baby was pretty darn cute and chub-a-lub coming out, so it was all fun and games, really, at the end of the day...
1. It's really boring, lying in the bed for hours and hours on end. At work, I usually flit in and out of the room, making some (witty) observations, and then going on to the next patient, so to me, it looks like there's progress, since I come in every few hours. However, having to sit there on the other end, it's a pretty long process. Thank goodness for Settlers of Catan, as that helped pass the time.
2. I can understand why some patients complain that they rarely, if ever, see nurses and doctors while they're in the hospital. Now, perhaps I'm biased, as this doesn't happen in my own hospital, but I couldn't believe how little one-on-one nursing care my friend obtained - in the twelve hours I was there, she got a total of 45 minutes (45 minutes!) of direct nursing care, given by SIX different nurses (since they were all on various stages of break and lunch). That is ridiculous.
3. The whole process is a lot more intrinisically interesting when it's a baby involving people that you love.
4. Usually it's pretty easy for me to throw off the 'medical hat' when I'm dealing with realms of medicine that I'm not terrible proficient or interested in, but I found it was harder to take it off in this situation, likely a combination of getting 'mama-bear-ish' for my friends (with their 45 minutes of nursing care), and the fact that it's the one thing in life I feel I'm actually skilled in.
Anyways, they both did awesomely, and the baby was pretty darn cute and chub-a-lub coming out, so it was all fun and games, really, at the end of the day...
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