Playing Randomly

I can't quite put my finger on what it is that annoys me most about Facebook... I must admit I'm not a fan of the total addictiveness of it. I'm a weak man. And anytime my mind wanders it seems to wander back to facebook. Email is becoming obsolete. Even if I do get an email, it's usually alerting me that I have a message on facebook. And when I go to check that message I get a new feed about all the mundane things that have been hapenning during someone's day. I admit I often stalk other people's conversations.

Person 1's wall: "Hey I didn't see you at the place today."
Person 2's wall: "I didn't go to the place I had things to do."
Person 1's wall: "Like what? Go on facebook?"
Person 2's wall: "Yeah, facebook is super addictive. Did you see what that slut, Person 4 said to person 5??"
Person 3'swall: "Woah.. I went to High School with Person 4."

Jbo has the most exhaustive list of interests, favourite music and activities that I have ever seen on one page. And as if the dozens and dozens of songs, and movies and TV shows he puts up there isn't enough, he even has the balls to put entries like, "ANYTHING BY Ronald Dahl... for example." "ANYTHING from the 80's!" His list isn't long enough, he has to include all the music from an entire tacky decade. We discussed this phenomenon at length and Jbo concluded that having many diverse interests make him a fascinating person. To which I replied, "Wow! You like the Simpsons??? that's an AMAZING SHOW!!! You're fascinating and complex."

But the biggest Facebook grab for attention is the relationship status. Why would someone announce to the world that they're in an "open relationship"? What is an open relationship? Does it mean you're sleeping around but you sleep with one person more than others? Isn't that just not a relationship? Or a "complicated relationship"? What's complicated about it aside from the fact that now everyone knows something's going wrong? And wondering... And waiting for the day when the news feed reveals (with that tell tale broken heart icon next to it), "So and so is no longer in a complicated relationship...They are single and interested in dating individuals of the same sex..." Then I have to waste my time checking to see how their relationship is going, seeing if there are any revealing messages being exchanged between partners involved in said "complicated relationships".

And what does it mean when people say on their profiles that they're looking for "Random Play"? What is Random Play? Those two words together mean nothing to me. Then there's looking for, "Whatever I can get." I wish someone would give me one example of what they can get from facebook besides a place to flush your precious time down the toilet.

I think Facebook is one of the most interesting social experiments of our time. It really reveals the disparity between who people are, and what people want others to see. The best example is Vrej's FAVOURITE QUOTE: "Have fun!"

First of all, that is not a quote. I mean, who said that first? Even as far as a motto goes it's kind of iffy. Second of all coming from Vrej it's downright offensive.

Me: "Vrej want to go to Cabane a sucre?"
Vrej: "It's far... I already went... I need to go to city hall to attend to some paper work."

Or the yearly New Year's Eve conversation. Every year since 1998 I have this conversation with Vrej.
Me: "Vrej, want to do whatever for New Year's Eve?"
Vrej: "I'm boycotting New Years. New Years is overhyped, overrated. I'm staying home."

Or clubbing?
Vrej: "I'm never going clubbing ever again."

Want to go to the restaurant Vrej?
Vrej: "I'm trying to eat out less. And whatever restaurant you suggested is too expenisve, or too far or too unhealthy..."

Few people don't enjoy Vrej's company, but "fun" is not the first word that comes to mind when you think of Vrej. On Facebook however, Vrej, much like Cindy Lauper, wants nothing less. I think I should start a facebook group, "People who think Vrej should change his favourite quote to, "Don't have fun!""

But yeah, facebook is awful, awful stuff... To all those of you in "complicated relationships". Good luck! To those of you looking for whatever you can get, I hope you get whatever. And please, if you play randomly, use a condom.

Those bureaucrats are some crazy cats

It should have been simple enough. I just needed to submit some documents for a Graduate Award I was applying for. In all fairness I was late but I was told it was okay.

So I called up the office for the people actually offering the award and naively asked the secretary if I could submit the required documents. She immediately replied, "Sure, but you'll have to make 10 copies of them."

Me: "10 copies??"
Secretary: "YES!!!"
Me: "Of everything?"
Secretary: "YES!"
Me: "Why?"
Secretary: "Because they'll all be asking for copies!!"
Me: "Really? All of them? All of who??"
Secretay: "YES!!!"

Anyway, I hung up the phone wondering if I had misunderstood something. Clearly I wasn't going to make 10 copies of the application and ask my references to make 10 copies of their reference letters. I just concluded that the secretary was completely insane and decided I would send my documents to the graduate awards office at Concordia.

I went to the wrong building and was redirected to right adress. When I arrived there I explained my situation to the receptionist who immediately donned the most dumbfounded look she could muster. "GUUUUUUUUUUHHHH???" She then pointed a trembling finger to a door behind me. There was a woman seated at my desk.

I asked her one question. She made a phone call to get the answer. I asked her another question, and she called the same person back. Finally she just took what I had and went into some dark hallway for a few minutes. While she was gone I noticed the receptionist on the phone looking very perplexed. Whoever she was talking to must have been asking her some really tough questions. "OH really? I don't know.. I don't know... That's strange.. I'll transfer you."

I can just imagine the person on the other end. "Hello... Is this the graduate awards office? What number have I dialed? What time is it? What's your name? Do you know anything?"

Receptionist: "Duuuuh.....??? Uuuurggghhh....?? I know nothing... Buuuuuhh??? I'm an idiot... Let me transfer you to someone who can help you. Gaaaahhh...." And while she warbles the frustrated noises of an over-taxed brain, her feeble mind tries to decipher the strange numbers on her phone and eventually she transfers the person to another random department where an answering machine is primed to take a message that will promptly be deleted the moment someone hears it.

Person: "I need to graduate! Help me!"
Receptionist 2 looks at her phone in disgust: "DELETED!"

The most surprising thing is that the receptionist answered the phone at all. I have never, EVER called a number at school and gotten an answer unless I was actually in a secretary's office already using their phone so that the cretin on the other end would know it was an internal number.

It would be very interesting to see what would happen if you eliminated 90% of the work force in a school. No one really seems to know anything. I mean, 3/4 people I had spoken to today were just there as foils, to lead me somewhere else. And in all of these cases, if you're persistent enough, you'll find someone who has access to the person with the brains. Some sinister mastermind who holds all the keys to solving all the problems. One day I hope to meet this person, so I can bypass all of the simple minded bureaucrats who waste hours and hours of my time anytime I need any help with anything.

The story basically ends with me going back to this lady with a completed application. The fun part is they need an official transcript. I'm told that it takes 3 business days to get. Something that I can print out on my computer right this instant in 5 seconds except it wouldn't be official. I love it.

*disclaimer* some secretary's are lovable, competent and super efficient. They know who they are.

Old School

So a few days ago it came to my attention that Kardinal Offishal was going to be giving a concert at the Hive, basically a crummy hall at the Loyola Campus of Concordia. I thought he was a pretty well known rapper and the tickets were free. So I decided to go and ask a few people if they were up for it. I got responses like: "Who is Kardinal Offishal? What does he sing?" To which I would reply with a blank stare, "I'm sure you know songs by him... ummm... Money Jane? Everyday Rudebwoy?" Those were pretty much the only songs I could think of by him.

So tonight was the concert and the doors were supposed to open at 10 but they kept us waiting out in the cold until about 10:30. I was pretty irate, "Could someone please tell Kardinal Offishal some of us have work in the morning??"

They frisked us and stuff. My first thought was, "They really fixed up the hive." It looked presentable and was bigger than a lot of lounges I'd been to. My second thought was, "Why does every white person who comes through the door feel obliged to do some crazy dance move."

One white guy walked through the door and went, "OOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!" No one turned around. He skulked off in shame. Then a white girl came in and flailed her arms in a most embarassing manner that I suppose was supposed to pass for dancing. I glowered at her. She looked back at me and scurried away. I was proud of that.

11pm rolled by..... I started feeling like an old man as often happens when I'm out past my bedtime. I thought of the quizzes I needed to correct, work I needed to do in the lab. And I was losing my voice to the point where it was completely impossible to communicate. I asked my friends if it would be unacceptable to buy a girlie drink. "I feel like an amaretto sour." They said that would be embarassing so I settled for a rhum and coke. By 12:30am I felt like Kardinal Offishal was Offishally late...

I also started feeling old when I realized I didn't recognize a lot of the songs, until they played some Al Greene, which seemed quite out of place. But I was pleased.

Finally at 1am someone busts out and starts rapping. I didn't even realize it was Kardinal Offishal even after a few bars of ... errr... fresh beats? He promptly sang Money Jane and Everyday Rudebwoy, getting that out of the way as early as possible. Then he went into cheesy showman banter. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was just going through the motions of being a rapper and wasn't really feeling what he was saying, "Where my ladies at? Where my dawgs at?? Canada is good! Bush is a pussy! Throw your guns in the air! etc..."

I thought to myself what an ironic punishment it must be to be forced to live out most of your life as if it was a party, feigning enthusiasm until the wee hours of the morning, blurting out every MTV cliche that comes to mind at a given moment to a crowd so mentally crippled by substance abuse they're barely aware of who's on stage.

Kardinal Offishal: "How many of you have never been to a Kardinal show?"

*everyone raises their hand*

Kardinal Offishal: "How many of you have already been to a Kardinal show?"

*everyone raises their hand*

Kardinal Offishal: "So the set of people who have been to my concerts is the same set of people who have never been to my concert before?"

White girl: "Sorry Mr Offishal! We don't speak Black!"

Whatever... I'm getting to old for this. But I did enjoy the music. Good show I say. I will repay Kardinal for his free concert by stealing his album in the near future. He's a very talented young man.

Pussy... ... Cat Dolls (graphic)

It was a typical slow evening at the Gregg household. I went to my Dad's and after supper he my sister and I flicked through the dismal television shows on his many channels. "This Pussy Cat Dolls show is disgusting!" My dad said.

I have been living under a rock the past few years and didn't even know there was a Pussy cat Dolls reality show. There's a group of ugly girls trying to be the next pussy cat doll. I guess a member of their group. The girls themselves are for the most part, dreadfully unnatractive and embarassingly untalented. The entire show they walk around wearing really short shorts, practically underwear but even this fact can't bring you beyond the fact that they're not good looking enough. I'd even go as far as to say they're kind of dirty.

Apparently last weeks challenge involved showing their "confidence" by executing a dance move that involved twirling around a pole and spreading their legs so that the audience could get a view of their vaginas (yes I could have minced words or used a euphamism but... they're the ones showing their vaginas to everyone! Don't hate the messenger.) It was quite graphic.

The show is embarassingly bad. Then before a challenge the ACTUAL Pussy Cat Dolls appear on screen to impart their words of wisdom. One of the pussy cat dolls starts talking, "One of the cornerstones of being a Pussy Cat doll is confidence. You demonstrated that by spreading your legs like a whore... Another cornerstone is... persona!"

Persona, eh? I didn't quite know what they were talking about but one of the blonde contestants was on board, "I think I can capture the essence of confidence AND persona." I wonder what the other cornerstones are? Boob grasping followed by ass slapping and graphic gyrating? Whoreism? (It's a word!)

Now I could go on about how I think this show is another nail in the coffin of the music industry's integrity. I could even wine about how I think it's a terrible example for young girls who are going to want to capture the essence of confidence by spreading their legs and subsequently capture the essence of genital herpes but what's the point? I just hope that people are keeping a close eye on their children during prime time.

A few weeks ago I was flicking through channels and I saw an episode of Family Guy that was making light of the guy's wife having an affair on him. They attempted to solve the problem by arranging for Peter to have sex with his wife's mom. The show was very, very sick... Later on I stumbled across the first 120 seconds of a show called Nip and Tuck. There was an EXTREMELY graphic sex scene during which a stripper was negotiating with the guy she was with to get a free breast reduction for more sexual favours. This was at 10pm on CTV! And the only thing that could distinguish this show from actual porn is that you couldn't see the woman's nipples. It was very graphic.

I fear for the generation of kids who are growing up watching these shows. I can't see how they can grow up right. I can see an entire generation of little girls succumbing to a culture of whoreocity (It's a word).

Bible Thumping

I remember seeing this clip a while ago. There are a bunch of children at a Christian Camp and a somewhat psychotic woman is brainwashing them into believing that Harry Potter is evil.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ru7Ds2FZpVk&mode=related&search=

Wow... Someone show me where it says that children who study at Hogwarts are to be put to death? She didn't even quote the bible once. Now that's power. Just mention God somewhere and you have an argument for anything. Just last week a co-worker of mine was trying to explain why people in the states believe it is wrong to have sex for reasons other than procreation.

Here's a gross embelishment of his rant: "Yeah... Having sex for reasons other than giving birth is wrong. Aren't you familiar with that story in the bible, where God's like, 'Don't have sex unless you want kids.' And the guy's like, 'I just want to get off'. And so the guy does his wife from behind and pulls out before he climaxes. So God strikes him down... Or created AIDS... I can't remember."

I wasn't familiar with that story obviously. But it just goes to show you that people can use the Bible can be used to prove any ridiculous point even using stories that don't exist. Take the story of David and Goliath. The champion of the Israelites decides to face Goliath (who is a giant apparently) for supreme rulership of the universe.... Or Israel or Judah I can't remember which kingdom. Anyway, just when they're about to start fighting, David hurls a rock into Goliath's face and Goliath is killed. David becomes a king and goes on to murder a man to steal his wife. Read the Bible. David's kind of a jerk but we're tought to empathize with him.

He faces off with Goliath for a battle to the death and when Goliath pulls out his sword ready for a fair fight, David slingshots a rock into his eye. Is it just me or is that cheating? That's hardcore cheapshot. I wouldn't be surprised if they cut out the part where David kicks Goliath in the nuts. It's like going into a boxing arena with barbed wire on your gloves. And the moral of this story is, people who pray to God are good and everyone else is bad.

I'd like to read the Philistine's bible (Goliath was a Philistine). Just to get a non-bias view of things. "And so Goliath pulled out his sword ready to face David in hand to hand combat. The sinister David, who was 20 feet tall, began spitting flaming rocks from his mouth. One struck down the noble Goliath. But Goliath will live on in our hearts forever because he died holding his sword. An honorable death... A hero's death."

Man all the wars and prejudice you can instigate with an almost non-existant knowledge of the bible... So this is just a warning. In the near future someone will use the bible to sway your weak mind. Remember, Jesus loves Harry Potter and Goliath... and... Gollum... why not?

I say, "Ah, Washinton" :-(

There's nothing like a good old insincere apology to let you know that someone is truly full of crap... And sometimes desperate. This year the media has been full of them. We've had what in my opinion was the least offensive which was Mel Gibson who apparently let some racist remarks slip while he was drunk. Then we had the most offensive which was Michael Richards who went on an awe inspiring tirade against black people later in the year. Then falling somewhere in between was Isaiah Washington who called one of his co-stars on Grey's Anatomy a derogatory word for gay people.

I find it interesting that the media chose to make an example of these people this year. But what's most interesting is the worthless apologies we get afterward as these celebrities desperately try to save their career. I don't know what Mel Gibson's apology was like but Michael Richard's was just hilarious. After saying that black people should be hung upside down with forks in their ass he claimed that he "wasn't even a racist." Of course, he doesn't have a job to lose. Isaiah Washington's going to some kind of counseling? That's interesting. It all reeks of desperation.

So what exactly are we playing at here? Are we pretending that we're a society of tolerant nice people when clearly we're a load of bigotted monsters? Do celebrities now serve the extra role of being a scapegoat for what's inside of us anyway?

I'll tell you what bothers me most. Rosie Odonnel says ignorant things every week! Most recently she said that American Idol was a show about making fun of the mentally challenged. Who is she to say the people on the show are mentally challenged? Who is she to say Clay Aiken is gay and Kelly Ripa is a homophobic? And if she's so righteous why was she mocking Asian people a few weeks back? I'd like to say this isn't another I hate Rosie rant... but for the record I hate Rosie.... rant. She can get away with being consistently ignorant now? Why? Because she's a gay, woman. The mantle of saying whatever the hell you wanted in the media used to belong to the black people. Anyone who's seen Eddie Murphy's delirious knows that. Oh, the things he said about gay people back in the day. 50 cent, Beanie man even P.Diddy have had lyrics in their music that would be offensive to gay people. But when Eminem used the "f word" he was quickly reprimanded. Ah yes, it was quite a time to be black not long ago.

But those days are over. Isaiah Washington (and Mel Gibson) was punished for saying in private what Rosie Odonnel says on a weakly basis in front of billions of people. What a world. I guess it's a good thing that we're more vigilant about what we say, but it seems like there's a lot of pressure building up. As if biting our tongues for so long is going to result in an unleashing of verbal hatred so foul it will destroy the world in one all encompassing slurr. Soon, all the bigots of the world will go into the streets and scream the word "ChakiNaggot-Bitch!!!" (that's my attempt at putting several racial epithets into one word. You like?) and all the minorities of the world will cry. Maybe everyone living in a multi-cultural society needs counselling.

Stephen Lewis

So last night Jen invited me to go see a lecture given by Stephen Lewis, a journalist/diplomat etc... who is very vocal about his dissapointment in the global community's failure to respond to the the continuing deterioration of the quality of life on the African continent. He's actually very interesting and I encourage anyone to read up on him and of course, if you feel moved make a donation to his foundation.

After a quick stop to pick up some non-perishable food items for a donation we went to the Hall Building. The lecture was being given at Concordia and organized by the CSU meaning the potential for a riot was already high.

I'm very wary of these politically vocal students, not so much because I believe that people shouldn't be politically active, but rather because I believe that many students are passionate about certain issues more because they need something to identify with, some place where they feel like they belong. Which is all good except I sometimes wonder if having a bunch of emo hippy types supporting a cause is more of a hinderance than anything else. I find they lack a certain amount of credibility but that's just me.

Sure enough when waiting in line all the usuals were there. The line was full of oddly dressed, socially akward individuals who seemed to be taking the entire event as a big social event. They were cutting in line, hugging each other and giggling away at anything and everything. They all seemed to be vegan somehow. I saw more than a few people putting humus on some kind of cracker. People were told to bring non-perishable food items to the talk but I find that the receptacle for such items was suspiciously empty. Way to go ya bong smoking, hemp wearing simpletons. You showed no love for the hungry.

During the talk there was a girl in back of us who really got on my nerves. She forced laughter at the oddest times. Any time Stephen Lewis used a big word she would blast this pretentious cackle. I believe she was trying to prove to her friends (or herself?) that she had a big fancy vocabular and in actual fact had NO IDEA what the guy was saying. Finally after the talk it was time for the question period, otherwise known as, "Let's kiss Stephen Lewis' ass."

One after another, students would get up and thank him for being such a compassionate human being, before asking there question. "Thank you Stephen Lewis for being such a humanitarian... I love you so much. I tatooed your name on my vagina!!! Please remember my name!! I dont' shower because water depletes the St Lawrence, home to many organisms that need that water to live... But I hope you'll marry me anyway."

The oddest question was when this white girl got up and asked a two part question (of course).

White Girl: "Stephen Lewis I want to have your baby!!"
Stephen Lewis: "That's not question."
White Girl: "My second question is, why aren't there more black people at these events??"

As all the black heads in the audience turned around grinding their teeth, she went on a tirade of how she always goes to talks about conflicts in Africa and finds that for the amount of black students at McGill and Concordia, they always seem to be underrepresented at these talks. I was hoping a good old fashion ConU riot would ensue but alas, Stephen Lewis in a pretty intelligent way. He suggested that one of the reasons for the low turn out of African students may be that they were suspicious of what a non-Africans motives are when they claim to be concerned about the situation in Africa. He even said that they might suspect Stephen Lewis of having some political agenda.

And for that I admire Stephen Lewis. Very sincere straight forward kind of guy and obviously very perceptive. I think it shows true empathy when you can even imagine why people might be suspicious of you and just take it in stride. You can tell by the way he speaks that he is very passionate and hurt by how people are being dehumanized on the African continent.

Then one girl got up and berated us all for not signing some petition for something... I can't remember. But again... the total opposite attitude. No empathy, just an accusatory, self righteous emotional outburst to an audience who was probably unaware that there was any petition to sign. I certainly hadn't been aware of any. Besides, I always wonder what happens after a sign a petition. What power does a petition have? Has a petition ever accomplished anything aside from alleviating the guilt of an over-priviledged North American population?

Of course there were lots of people there and not all of them looked like naive flag burners. Stephen Lewis' talk was really interesting. Of course a lot of the impact of the talk came from the details and the numbers he was able to throw at you. Did you know that the US spends more than 8.5 billion dollars a month on the war in Iraq? A MONTH! Lewis brought this up to emphasize the point that the war on Iraq has become an excuse to reneg on all the promises that were made to fight certain travesties that take place in Africa. To name a few, the maternal death rate, sexual violence, hunger, AIDS and other horrors that may or may not come as a surprise to you. It's worth learning about. I do hope people with some clout and some power can get on board with his kind of thinking and make a difference.

The Spy Who Thugged Me

It was an odd day in the lab. Rather an odd half day. I had started relatively early to finish off an experiment when at about quarter to 10 a security guard came into the lab and said, "Don't wander off too far. We're looking for a 'suspect'."

I was showing someone how to do the experiment I was doing and we looked at each other. "Was that a joke?" Regardless I continued walking around doing my work as if nothing was going on then I commit the ultimate sin... I wandered off too far. I went to the third floor to make photocopies for the student I was working with while she went to her locker. The third floor was almost completely deserted. Then I hear, "Madame il faut sortir!"

Apparently someone had escorted the student away. I was left stranded. Lacking any better ideas and not wanting to go outside in the cold I went back to the lab where I spent the next few hours mostly alone. A guy from the lab next door gave me the summary of what was going on. Apparently a janitor called to say that someone wearing army fatigues was carrying a suspicious looking bag. A bag that COULD contain a gun.

Of course it could have contained a lot of things... Books, kittens maybe lunch. Anyway, whatever was in the bag, the entire school was evacuated leaving only a few zombie like scientists roving around on the fifth floor. It was funny how I ended up being the only person in the lab. I got a few phonecalls from people asking if I was alright. I heard ambulances and things in the background. Someone actually called to ask me to tend to their experiment, which I found somewhat inoble. My life could have been in danger after all.

My mind started to wander as I started to imagine what kind of heroic feats I could describe about how I dispatched with the gunman. Then I started thinking about James Bond and how cool James bond is and wondered what bond would do in such a situation.

Then I thought I should write and produce an "urbanized" James Bond movie called, "The Spy who Thugged Me." I like the word "thug" as a verb. Very versatile. I immediately thought of the Jay Z song where he says, "Yo I, Thug em', f**k em', love em', leave em' but I don't f**kin need em'!!!"

What does thug mean in that context? During my inexorable descent into madness I imagined all my friends outside, partying it up getting all excited about the minor drama taking place. I was trying to figure out how there was absolutely no one else in the lab at that time. Honestly I kind of enjoyed the alone time. Perhaps I should take the opportunity to... remove all my clothes? Sit in the lab naked??? This would be my only opportunity...

But before I could undo one notch on my belt my supervisor came into the lab and described to me what had been going on outside. Cops and guns and ambulances and a huge media circus. And what did they find out? The mysterious bag contained what appeared to be a pair of kendo sticks. Makes sense, they offer a kendo class across the street.

People are saying it's good that people are so vigilant, but i wonder now. All it took was a 9-1-1 call to basically shut down the entire school for the day. It doesn't seem very efficient. If I didn't want to go into work all it takes is a 30 second phone call to shut EVERYTHING down? I suppose it's better than people getting shot but then it also occured to me that if someone really wants to go on a shooting rampage, then there's really nothing anyone can do to prevent them from doing just that? I mean, the gunman just has to have better sense than to go into school with something as large as bazooka, maybe he could wear something less conspicuous than army fatigues like say... some unremarkable shirt from the Gap.

All this to say, all that hooplah for nothing. If someone was going to get shot today, I don't think all of this would have made much of a difference. I think the best prevention is to assign every school an emergency James Bond. And as I was at ground zero during this incident, I think I'm the most likely candidate for this position cuz ...

Noboday does it better
Makes you feel sad for the rest
But I'm MastaCSG
The spy who thugged thee
And I'm keeping all the students safe tonight!

Pillaging in the Ghetto

There are upsides to living in the ghetto and being friends with the Janitor. First off let me say the new Janitor is awesome. The building is actually clean and he put up Christmas decorations in the lobby. He's Cote St-Luc's leading supplier of Pron! Also of interest about the Janitor... He believes the story of King Arthur is true. While pouring through my collection of movies he came across king arthur and like most crazy people felt compelled to give me his point of view on this contreversial subject. "You know it's based on a real story!!!" he declared. What a guy.

Anyway, after a recent visit to my apartment to aquire some movies, the Janitor told me about a vacancy in the building. It was a Thursday and scrubs wasn't really holding my interest so me, the Janitor and his little son went to the apartment and began pillaging....

Oh what lovely treasures were left behind in the now nearly vacant four and a half down the hall. Office chairs and... a black folding chair... An aquarium and tables and stuff. Oh and a lamp. I casually mentionned that I could use an office chair. The Janitor nodded solemly but said nothing.

Until today! He asked if I wanted some stuff. So I went and took things like a common viking, looting pillaging and yes... raping all that was left behind in the apartment!! Now I sit in this luxurious office chair with all the office chair functions a Masta of CSG could ask for. It's good for sitting on, leaning on. It has arm rests. It can be deployed at several heights and I have yet to examine if it has any reclining function... let me check....

It has no reclining function.

I also tiefiscated a lamp that I have no use for and a derelict black chair... For sitting! The Janitor also asked me if I wanted the abandonned aquarium. I laughed at first then thought to myself... the price is right...

Anyway, just a quick post to express my grattitude for my Janitor's Jawa-esque culture.

Oh, and also I'll be off to San Diego by Friday. I'm going to a Cell Biology Conference to present some research. Incidentally, temperature there on Friday: 21 degrees Celcius. Temperature in Montreal: High of minus 7. I imagine that will make your orifices pucker and your genitals wither!!!

Have a nice weekend, jerks!!!! If you survive, feel free to leave a message.

From Monty Python and the Holy Grail:

Arthur: I am your King.
Peasant woman: Well I didn't vote for you.
Arthur: You don't vote for kings.
Woman: Well how'd you become king, then?
Arthur: The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by devine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. That is why I'm your king.
Dennis: Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
Arthur: Be quiet!
Dennis: You can't expect to weild supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!
Arthur: Shut up!
Dennis: If I went 'round sayin' I was an emporer just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

New Hobbies

I really think I would like to get into some more extreme type sports. Man, I'd be ... errr.. the man, if I were an expert Polo player... But not just any polo... ELEPHANT POLO!!! I imagine that would be exciting. Maybe not so much for the elephant... What do you think goes through an elephants mind while playing Elephant Polo? "Man, I hate human Polo. This game is super lame. I wish I worked in a circus..." The horses probably aren't too pleased either. "What the hell??? Polo is our sport! This is makes me as uncomfortable as Jack Nicklaus when Tiger Woods started playing golf!"

Also, since last week, it's also been my life long dream to become a free runner. You know those guys who jump across rooftops and stuff? The idea is to make your entire environment an obstacle course. I think I might drop out of school to pursue this. I bet I'd be sick at free running! Watch the video! The guy starts climbing buildings and stuff... Like... spiderman! Or the matrix!

They're actually starting a free running club in Toronto. But I'm a strong believer in going to the country of origin to learn something. That's why I sent Jen to Bangkok!! I want her to come back and make me the best Pad Thai I ever had! As for free running I guess I should go to Europe. And elephant Polo... My understanding is that's popular in Nepal.

So yeah.. Don't stand in the way of my dream! Please send a cash, check or money order to MastaCSG. As I said, Snake Charming is my life long dream and I need to be funded. Do it!

THUG!

I have to go on another bus rant. Have I ever mentionned I hate the kids on the bus when I'm coming home? Always cursing and swearing and ignorant. I was on the bus with a friend the other day when some girl was talking about the new Nintendo. I think???

Girl: "You know that game... Where you hunt the ducks??? What's it called?? Duck.... shoot??"
Me: "DUCK HUNT YOU STUPID KID!!! IT'S A CLASSIC GAME FROM THE 80'S!! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!! I HATE YOU ALL!!!"

I was arrested for scaring all the children. Upon my release I found myself on the bus again. There was one kid trying to explain some kind of hooliganry he had engaged in this week. He was showing some of his idiot friends something.

Stupid kid: "Yeah... then I showed my friend jerkface and he's like... What the f**k??? And I punched him... and he punched back. And we got into a fight. And the principal shows up.. And he's like... What the f**k?? and everyone hates me..."

But the winner of the stupidest kid I've ever seen in my life, goes to the white kid I saw on the bus today. The kid was wearing the usually baggy clothes associated with rappers on MTV... Let's say he was about 14 years old. The kid was wearing a grill... That foolishness you put on your teeth and the BEST PART... An earring that looked kind of gold. The earring said THUG.... That was the best thing I've ever seen. I wanted to slap the kid in the face just to remind him that he's nothing, certainly not any kind of thug. And then walk off the bus.

Anyway, thanks stupid kid. I know what to get Jen for Christmas. An earring that says THUG. You know you like it!!

"If people would only look to the cookie!!!"

In the interest of freshenning up the new blog, I think I'll post something new. Gregg factor is not about these, Dora Dildos and... butthole pleasures... Dirty Sanchez and the hot carls and the rusty trombone and the hanging brain! It's about racism.

And so it is my duty to write about Kramer going on that racist rant the other day. For those of you who hadn't seen it, Kramer from Seinfeld started yelling at a bunch of black guys who heckled him at a comedy show the other day.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/showbiz/2006/11/19/b.anderson.nword.cnn

It's pretty awesome when you think about it. I admire the guy. Not too many people would have the balls to go up on stage in front of an audience, apparently with several black guys and say what he said. The most offensive part of all of this is his apology on David Letterman. He says, "The worst part of all of this is I'm not a racist."

???

Ummm... Once you say that once upon a time black people would have been hung upside down with a fork stuck in their ass for interrupting a white man, you're at least a little racist, no? I think at that point you just have to flaunt your racism. Embrace it. He should have gone on Letterman saying, "I regret nothing... This is my position and I stand by it. Black people who heckle white people should be lynched! I'm Michael Richards; Racist."

It's pretty sad when you realize that on Seinfeld he was the open minded character. He had the black lawyer, the black girlfriend in one episode. Imagine all those black people now who had shared a scene with him.

You know, the best thing he could have done is pretended he was on drugs or something the next day and go into rehad. "I was just going through some thangs, that's all!" Lay low from a little while and then emerge and all these problems would go away.

Meanwhile, Rosie Odonnel is "defending" Clay Aiken?!? Apparently he was co-hosting Regis and Kelly with Kelly. And during the show while Kelly was talking Clay Aiken put his hand over her mouth and Kelly didn't like that and said so on the air. Rosie Odonnel is "sticking to her guns" claiming Kelly Ripa's reaction to Clay Aiken putting his hand over her mouth was homophobic.

People are so afraid of hatred. Racism, homophobia (fear of... one?) and I think the reason is really that it's human nature to be prejudice. When we see it in other people we want to deny as much as possible that it exists in ourselves. The fact that Michael Richards said he's not a racist is HILARIOUS to me. And the fact that Rosie Odonnel said Kelly Ripa is a "homophobe" cuz she didn't appreciate Clay Aiken clasping his filthy hands over her mouth is equally HILARIOUS.

People are in denial. God bless Kramer for his hateful, cathartic racist explosion. It's kind of sickenning, but it's kind of a reality check when people just go nuts like that. Shows us what's inside just how bad people can be deep down. I mean sometimes people let the N-word slip, but he went on an all out hateful rant!!! CRAZY!!! Did you see some of the audience? Sure most people were horrified but Some people not sure if they should keep laughing. "Hanging black people?? Kramer's right! We were all thinking it!!! LET'S DO THIS!!"

And a pox on Rosie Odonnel for trivializing prejudice by pointing a finger at someone for not wanting to be molested by some random dude, who hapenned to be gay. I think the only suitable punishment for Rosie Odonnel having the balls to exist, is to have her cloned, so that the clone can make sexual advances on Rosie Odonnel. Then they'll be forced to have a relationship and listen to themselves talk so they can realize just how vile they are. Oh yeah, and she'll have to have sex with herself. That's the only way she'll learn. I can just see her in the shower after the experience, "Wow... That was really disgusting... and annoying."

I really don't like her... NOT cuz she's a lesbian. I love Ellen. I have loved Ellen. She's so sweet. Some of my best friends are lesbians, really.

....

I don't know any lesbians... Alright, that was in poor taste... But the worst part of this is, I'm not a homophobe!!!

*Vrej, I really don't know how many D's are in Rosie Odonnel but I"m sure you'll tell me if I've mispelled it. I refuse to look it up. But whether the name takes double D's, or C's... Quite frankly I like to think of Rosie Odonnel's breasts as little as possible..*

Pronography

I knew it would happen someday... I was going to just post it as a message but I think it's worthy of an entire post. I got home from work late and saw the janitor waiting in the lobby. The usual type of conversation ensues.

Janitor: Hey, I was just at your apartment I wanted to give back your movies!
Me: Cool, it's no rush.
Janitor: Have you seen Mission Impossible 3?
Me: Yes?
Janitor: Have you seen that movie... ummm... little man???
Me: No but... that REALLY doesn't interest me...
Janitor: Have you seen... oh... horror movie...?
Me: :-
Janitor: Mmm... What about Prono??? Do you like Prono??"
Me: What???
Janitor: Prono... I burn Prono DVD's for my friend.."
Me: Pro.... OOOOOHHH... Prono... As in Pronography. No thanks, I don't want any prono...

I was afraid he would start offering me pronography. From the moment he started offering me movies I knew prono would come up. Of course, it's for his friend. I'm sure he doesn't watch any pronography .

Moi, c'est le ghetto dans mon jacques cartier

It's been over a year since I've been living on my own. The conditions have been steadily deteriorating since new management took over. The last straw for me was the lack of heat on several occasions. So I called the building manager, yelled at him and sent a registered letter. Not more than a week afterward, the manager was fired and the old janitors were replaced.

Too good to be true? Of course... I rejoiced on Saturday when gales of heat fountained out of the radiators. I was pleased when some... random... old guy came to my apartment to make sure the heat was working. But I was somewhat confused with why the janitor was there. The janitor is an Indian guy, pleasant enough with a typical indian accent. He's probably about 30 years old. He usually smells of cigarette smoke.

So the random old guy checks the radiators and approves. The janitor is suddenly looking at my movie collection. "You like movies?" he asks... I respond that I do. He then starts reading titles. "I love movies... My entire storage space is filled with movies... Anytime you need anything just let me know... Have you seen that movie... The Inner... Man... Insider? Man.. With ... Dezzel....actor..."

Anyway, he goes on about his creepy movie obsession and then leaves. Later that evening, the doorbell rings. Someone shows up at the door in a Domino's Pizza uniform. I didn't order any pizza. I open the door, not recognizing the goofy guy at first. Of course it's the janitor, allegedly here to check the radiator again. sigh... He busts in and finally asks what he's been dying to ask me all along. He wants to borrow movies. Damn... it begins...

He borrows Anchorman and Bad Boys 2. Fine whatever.

Today is November 1st. He wants the rent of course. I see him in the hallway bringing a couch downstairs he tells me he'll be up in 20 minutes to get the rent. He shows up at the door, I have the check ready. I intend to just give him the check and go back to my business. He returns anchorman and bad boys 2. But the poor janitor is now thirsty.

Janitor: "Hey... do you have a glass of water?"
Me: "Actually I..."

By the time I turn around he's already perusing my movie collection again. At least he takes off his shoes. I hand him a glass of water (a glass which will be discarded).

Janitor: "Do you like Blade movies??"

Oh no... Not blade... My favourite vampire hunter... My hero.

Me: "Yeah, I love them... Not so much the 3rd one but it was still good."
Janitor: "Could I borrow Charlie's Angels and Blade 1 and 2 and 3."
Me (scandalized): "How about you try borrowing 2 at a time for starters."
Janitor: "Okay, Charlie's Angels and Blade 1 and 2. I'll bring them back tomorrow."

I"m thinking that's still 3 movies. But whatever... He brought back the last movies and I really just want him to get the hell out. "Fine, fine..." Then he starts offering me stuff, "Do you need a clothes umm... cupboard? Some night tables?"

Me: "Ummm... I... don't... know..."
Janitor: "Do you need mission impossible 3? 5$!!! I get hooked up because I run a video blablablablabla..."

5$ for mission impossible 3?? How about 0$ and you get out??? What the hell is going on here? When did this man become a part of my life?? I thanked him for his generosity and ushered him out of the house. But here's what really bothered me.

1) He's borrowing my movies
2) He's burning them and running some illegal movie piracy business
3) He has the brass balls to charge me 5$ for a pirated movie???

It is official. This building is now the archetype for all things ghetto. I really want this to end. The rent is good though. The apartment is nice. It's hard to give up. But... it just feels so wrong to be part of this guy's little movie piracy hustle. Especially since he's not giving me a cut. What do I do? Confront him? Or just wait until he has gone through my entire movie collection so he'll lose interest in me? What a bother...

Degeneracy Revisited

If there's one thing that makes me lose faith in humanity, it's people who can't open the back door of the bus. I've written about this before. Nothing makes me so angry as people who can't figure out that the back door to the bus works with motion sensors. If there are stairs, walk down the stairs, if there's a big hand drawing on the door you put your hand on it and magically the doors open and you can be free of the bus.

To this day there are still people who can't figure it out. They walk up to the door and just stand there helplessly. Then people wonder why bus drivers are so bitter. It must feel like some kind of horrible punishment to have to chauffeur the unworthy around town. All the obnoxious yelling, cell phone ringing and noise to bring someone to a place that couldn't possibly improve their life. I mean, if they can't open a door, where are they going? Really?

You'll notice that generally people who can't open the doors are slightly older so maybe the answer to life's problems lie in future generations. We can place our hopes on the children. Today I saw a bunch of bright students on the bus from the local high school. They were all dressed in uniforms, trying their best to make the uniforms look as slovenly as possible. One of the students, I'm guessing around 15 or 16 years old was sitting at the back and some of his friends showed up. He saw this as a chance to show off and suddenly became very loud. He decided to pick his friend's brain with this hypothetical scenario.

"Imagine you got a date with Jessica Alba... Somehow you managed to get a date with the hottest woman on earth. And you show up to her house, go into her bedroom and you find her lying in bed naked. But here's the catch... She had a heart attack 2 minutes ago... Do you still have sex with her?"

Yes, I'm sure you're just what Jessica Alba is looking for in a man (seriously though I hear she's pretty slutty). The other troglodytes began asking for details, how long has she been dead, when is someone considered officially dead. One of the kids explained that it takes 12 minutes for a body to be completely dead so he would probably try to finish with her before she was "actually dead". The elderly people on the bus were not pleased and the younger people were traumatized.

Anyway, the reason I called this post Degeneracy Revisited is because it is the name of one of the sections in the textbook. I'm supposed to teach the students about how the genetic code is degenerate meaning many genetic “words” can code for the same amino acid. I'm imagining all the students who read book after book, and spend years in school and still the world is in a pretty sorry state. And that's simply because there is no cure for stupid. These kids from the hight school in the area could spend the rest of their lives in school and they'd still be a bunch of cretins. They litter and speak profanely!! What if I end up TAing one of them??? It just bothers me to think of educated people who could shoot off some facts about science or commerce or economics. But they'd still be grotesque simpletons.

So I transferred buses and at one bus stop you could hear the pathetic cries of someone at the back. "MONSIEUR!!! MONSIEUR!!!" I turned to look at the bus driver. I've never seen so much venom as he muttered under his breath, "Mets ta main sur la porte petit *grumble grubmle*" And when I looked back I sawthe little kid from the other bus who asked us all to consider the deepest of philosophical questions, "Would you do Jessica Alba if she was dead?"

And with his vast battery of knowledge about forensics and god knows what else they learn in school, our degenerate necrophiliac was still unable to open the bus door.

Vrejstravaganza

The posse came over for Vrej's birthday. We watched the hockey game (Habs won 8-5 which I understand entitles us to free food at Cage Aux sports though I can't find the site). We played video games namely Halo. Ordered massive amounts of food and ate cake.

Behold, Marie Eve's latest cake, an endeavor that took her 5 hours to create! Marie Eve tells me that Mario actually has 2 moustaches. You don't want to know where the second one is. Thanks for the tasty treat... (though if Memory serves mario has an 'M' on his hat... How about a little effort next time, huh??? I'm kidding, beautiful cake. It was a work of art).



It was cool that lots of people showed up to the Crizzouse for the first time. Amish, Milen and Kevin were Crizzouse come by anytime people. When you're at Crizzouse, you're family.





Among the no shows were Mo. What the hell Mo??? People were also asking where Jen was and if she really exists at all. Marie Eve, jaded at being the only girl present at most of these events that normally involve Halo and other video games, was particularly curious about the wereabouts of this "Jen" character. This resulted in an uncomfortable conversation with Jon.

Jon: "Where's Jen?"
Me: "She's in Korea."
Jon: "Sure she is... Is she coming back?"
Me: "Yes..."
Jon: "When?"
Me: "Before Christmas..."
Jon:"...."
Rez: "You don't really have a girlfriend do you?"
Me: "I do! She called me from Chicago!"
Jon: "I thought you said she was in Korea."
Me: "Oh.. yeah... I always mix up Asian countries."

It's kind of ironic because Jen doesn't believe I have any friends either. It's kind of like the Big Bird/Mr Snuffleuppagus drama. For those of you who remember, in the early days, no one believed that Big Bird had a friend named Mr. Snuffleuppagus because he would run away whenever people showed up. Of course eventually people saw Mr. Snuffleuppagus and knew that he existed.

But what if, unlike Big Bird, I'm just crazy. Maybe I have no friends, girl or otherwise. Maybe I imagine these elaborate evenings and all the people I think are closest to me are figments of my imagination. Maybe I have some kind of multiple personality disorder that manifests itself as me photoshopping imaginary people into my pictures and posting messages on my blog under different names. What's even wierder about that is, some of my imagined friends don't believe that other imagined friends exist!!! That would be creepy. An imagined social life. I know there's a movie plot in there somewhere.

Anyway... Happy Birthday Vrej? If you truly exist, I hope you enjoyed yourself. Always a pleasure having you guys over.

Summer-y

My most humble apology to all of you Greggophiles out there(Factorphiles?). Work's been pretty crazy and it takes some time and effort to format these pics.

So lots of people ask me, "Hey Chris, what did you do over the summer?"

Actually no one has ever asked me that but I will answer the question anyway. Here is a summary of my summery adventures (for those of you who didn't get the AMAZING pun in the title).

One thing that was different about this summer was that we had actual birthday parties. Where once upon a time we would just go to a movie and dump gifts on the person in question, now we actually get personalized cakes courtesy of Justin's woman, the very talented, Marie Eve Bernier. I find it funny that in old age are birthday's are regressing to elementary school style parties.

There is the Belle Cake for Masta's Bday.



And the Chu Chu Train for Kenny Chu's birthday, right on schedule.



And there is the Wrestling Arena for Jbo.... That is to eat...



I took a trip out to the country to visit the old Thetford Mines. This time Marie Eve(Leblond) and I visit the actual mines and got behind the wheel of some of the monster machines they use to mine all of that sweet, sweet asbestos.



This wheel costs more than what I make in a year if I remember correctly. Here's Marie Eve trying to find a way to take it home and make a profit. I know women can fit lots of stuff in their purse but this is ridiculous. Furthermore, I have never known Marie Eve to carry a purse.



People in thetford believe things like this...



I don't know... maybe. But steak is more delicious than asbestos.

Not to be forgotten are the biowives who were upset that I didn't put this picture up in the Bahira Cristina birthday post. Always eager to accomadate my waxing ego, they call this the pimpin' picture.



Viv and I. Viv can be so badly behaved sometimes. Can't take her anywhere!



And finally, the ultimate cheese, Toron Sci Fi Con. I'll put a few of the least disturbing pictures of that experience.

Here's alpha posse at the aptly named "Cool School" where we listen to comic book artists and writers talk about their craft and we rubes learn how to become comic book artists. Note how attentive Vrej is. He realizes that this is the big break he's been waiting for. He subsequently asked Michael Bendis, artist of the recent spiderman series, out on a date.



I don't know why I loved these two. I think we should all hope to be in a relationship as healthy as the one that Mario and Princess Toadstool share. Though for some reason at first Anthony thought that these were a pair of lesbians.



This guy was the belle of the ball in a Spock costume. Not just any Spock costume, but a Mirror Universe Spock costume. Could he have more creed?? Doesn't he just scream, "This is the best day of my life!!!" The sad part is... It probably was.



This guy was always alone for some reason and eager to pose at the drop of a dime. How shocking that he should have no friends.



Me trying to pose like Yoda. How shocking that I should have any friends.



Star Wars Posse. Nice costumes. The plasteel armour on Obi Wan was a nice choice.


An interesting Meal in the hotel Lobby. We fiended on that swill, right out of the box like the swine we were.





Sci Fi Con was fun. I mean... It's the geekiest thing ever!!! But I haven't been in a while. And it was a chance for me to network with other artists so in a way, it was work!

Don't judge me.

Most surprising was Anthony's two lady friends. We went out to desert one night, and the next night one of them was mysteriously absent. Who wouldn't want to hang out with some studs like us?



Anyhoo, that was pretty much the summer. Hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed being about it. And now as the weather becomes colder and colder and the work hours become longer and longer these precious memories slide through the meninges of my cerebral cortex like sand through the tiny fingers of a newborn child. I leave the warm embrace of summer to be groped by the bitter chill of autumn.

I'll spare you all the vulgar winter metaphor... Want a hint? Winter is a dude in jail!!!

God Preserves the Ignorant

I remember one day after school one of my sister's claimed they had learned something fascinating. The muscles of the esophagous can work against gravity when swallowing food. To prove this my sister was going to chew something, stand on her head and have the esophagous work the morsel of food into her stomach. My mom's first reaction was, "I don't really like that idea. Won't you choke?" My sister reassured her and my mom simply shrugged and said, "Oh well, God preserves the ignorant."

It's a phrase that always stuck with me and a few sisters later, I still think of it when I see someone doing something particularly dim witted. And a dark part of me watches in fascination hoping that maybe this time God wouldn't preserve the ignorant.

So this weekend after going to a Greggscellent restaurant with Viv and Jon (Garde Manger, I highly recommend it. Owned by one of the stars of the show Instant Star) We went down to the area around Palais Des Congres where Viv said we absolutely had to see this fountain that spews out fire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Joute

It's a beautfiul work of art called La Joute and apparently it's been in the area since 2003 and I've never seen it. So we got there at about 9:30 and the fire is supposed to start at 10. So we wait around, people start gathering around waiting for the fire. Before the fire there's a mist cycle. Grates all over the park release mist, sometimes so thick you can't see where you're going.

As 10 pm approached I found myself questionning the wisdom of having a live fire in a park. Doesn't seem entirely safe. It does however seem very espensive. Jon tells me the sewers in Montreal are a mess! Have you noticed how the streets often flood when we get a lot of rain? Oh well, who cares about the Bubonic Plague that may result from poor drainage.. Let the Ninja turtles worry about that. We have a flaming fountain in town!!

And as the minutes passed we kind of backed away from the fountain. Others did not. By about ten minutes to 10 a bunch of gangly punk kids showed up, some smoking weed. I imagine they were looking for a place to light up their crack pipes.

Phil the pothead: "Hey guys, do you have a light?"
Craig the heroine addict: "No... But we could go light it up at the Joute!"

Already drunk, one guy kicks off his shoes and decides to have a dip. This idiot is walking around in a fountain that's about to start shooting fire at 10 at night! There was a security guard who came out (obviously this man had a moustache) and began making the place secure. He sees the guy in the fountain and starts going, "Hey.. Hey, Hey.... HeyHeyHeyHey... Hey..Hey.. HeyHeyHey." for about a minute. The punk didn't look like he wanted to leave.

Now there was this evil part of me that really wanted to see this guy catch fire. I'm sorry to admit it. But it would have just made my day to see this work of art burst into flames with this simpleton roving around in it. "I'm not going anywhere, eff you security guard! King Kong ain't got s**t on meaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

I don't think I would have done anything to help him. "I don't know art, but I know what I like!"

But as my mom said. God preserves the ignorant. Perhaps the security guard, not liking the crowd decided to interrupt the fire show. At 10:20 there was no fire, no mist... Jon and I went around pressing buttons. (there are buttons in the park, maybe one turned on the fire?). Then Jon went to the building across the street where the security guard retreated to. He pressed the button to the intercom.

Jon: "Where's the fire???"
Security guard: "11pm."
Jon: "What hapenned to the one at 10pm??"
Security guard: "11 pm!!!"

And that was that. We looked up in the building and I kid you not, there was someone in the office apparently lying down on what looked like a bed and covering up with a sheet. Was the security guard getting some action up there instead of turning on the fire? What a world. We went home and vowed to return to the Joute one day..

Musings about the late and great General Tao

I'm very indecisive. Especially when it comes to ordering food. As a result instead of actually picking up the phone and ordering Chinese food, I decided to ask Droopy about the origin of the phrase, General Tao.

Masta says:
I like how it's General Tao's chicken.
I really wish I knew what was behind that phrase.
was he some guy?
Is it some white person who made this up?

Vrej says:
"The dish is unknown in China
It is unclear how the dish came to bear the name of the 19th-century Chinese war hero General Zuo Zongtang. Around 1974, Hunan and Szechuan food were introduced to New York City. General Tso's Chicken was an example of this new style.

Peng's Restaurant located on East 44th Street claims that it was the first restaurant in New York City to serve General Tso's chicken. Since the dish (and cuisine) were new, Chef Peng made it their house specialty, in spite of the dish's commonplace ingredients."

Masta says:
alright... well...
I think I was happier in my ignorance.
I could make stuff up.

Vrej says:
fine
Tao made it up on the battlefield one day
Vrej says:
when he had limited ingredients
but many starving men
his troop's chef made a bad round of chicken balls and thusly lost his head to Tao's blade
tao's wife, the only person who could talk straight to him, yelled at him

Mrs Tao: "what will the men eat?"
Tao: "chicken"
Mrs Tao:"and who will make it? ...you?"
Tao: "Yes."

using the same blade with which he beheaded the chef, Tao prepared the now famous Gen. Tao chicken
to this day, the sauce on general tao is said to contain a hint of blood, to remind all those who eat it that bad cooking is punishable by death
happy?

Masta says:
More hungry than happy.

Galloway: "The Violence Will Go On!"

I almost NEVER put political commentary on my blog. I find it somewhat audacious and maybe innapropriate that I should say anything especially on this blog. But whatever trouble this might cause, I thought I should put it up anyway. What really inspired me, besides my buddy who's very political is something I heard on a television church service. The pastor was telling the story of a woman named Ruth who lived in a time when the jews were being persecuted.

Here's a link to the sermon. http://www.hourofpower.org/booklets/bookletdetail.cfm?ArticleID=4489. It's long but here's the most important excerpt from the sermon by Dr. Schuller.

"Now let me give you a little background. Esther is a Jew. She is queen to King Xerxes of Persia who was by all accounts the strongest king of his day and remained so until Alexander the Great overcame that empire. She became the queen and one of the prime ministers came along and decided that they were going to exterminate all the Jews. Can you believe it? There have been numerous times throughout history where people have tried to exterminate the people of God and this is one more time. The queen has kept her identity secret; nobody knows she is a Jew, except for her cousin Mordecai. So now she has an opportunity to put her life on the line and save her race or remain silent and hope that somehow, someway she can keep her identity a secret. "

I think the part that really struck me was the bible verse,
‘do not think because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain in silence at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place and you and your father's family will perish. (Esther 4:12-17)

What this says to me is, in matters of importance, when people are dying and suffering it is important to speak up. We're complacent because we're in the "King's House", up here in North America. But when injustice takes place it touches all of us. Now that our government has become as bigotted and immoral as the American government, how long will it be before we start suffering the consequences that they have? I have a friend who's extended family is mourning the death of a son in Lebanon. Whether he's Jewish, Lebansese, Arab, Black.... He was robbed of his life for no good reason.

So I think it would be irresponsible not to say something. Our leaders are engaged in an illegal and immoral war. Here they have an opportunity to show love and compassion and be worthy of the God they supposedly believe in, worthy of our progenitors and ancestors who all suffered at the hands of unjust people at some point, regardless of their background, jewish, black, arab, whatever... But apparently they will not rise up to this challenge, they will not fight for peace but rather continue this insane invasion, and continue to propagate, hatred, bigotry and murder. Have we learned nothing?

What a disgrace it would be to the human race if future generations couldn't learn to have compassion for the thousands who are dying in the middle east at the whims of greedy politicians and religious fanatics. I don't want to get into a long rant because "those in the know", already have their opinions and those who are already prejudiced will not want to have any kind of rational discourse. But I do think this video is VERY IMPORTANT!!! So I posted it for better or worse. If anyone has comments to make, please no hate, no name calling. Keep it tasteful. Also, if you're interested go to Rez's blog. He's far more informed than I am and has a few articles on the subject.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-galloway_060806,00.html#