I got an “I’m not worthy” from one of my writers today, after I correctly used “whom” in casual conversation.
Archive for September, 2005
Grammar Policing Isn’t So Bad After All
Thursday, September 29th, 2005Onward and Upward
Tuesday, September 27th, 2005Level 3 yoga instructor training last weekend was absolutely fantastic (more on that later); I was lucky enough to attend a seminar taught by one of the master trainers. She’s written large portions of all the training manuals, and has been with the company for long enough to be one of their top people. I can’t say enough wonderful things about her, and I’m looking forward to seeing her again. That’s almost certain to happen, because I just signed up for my Level 4 training, at the regional conference in Hood River, Oregon, next August. I was planning to do my Level 4 in Hood River anyway, because it’s not that far from Portland, where my brother lives, and I could get extra mileage (so to speak) out of my plane ticket. Seredipitously enough, the master trainer from this weekend’s seminar not only lives and runs a yoga studio in Hood River; she’s one of the main reasons that the regional conference is held there.
I also found out that the training program is going to change on 1/1/2007, because Yoga Alliance (the main yoga instruction certification agency) is changing its requirements, and that sort of thing rolls downhill. Fortunately, that’s plenty of notice—and incentive–for me to get my act together and finish up by 12/31/2006. Next year is going to be both busy and expensive, but by then, I should be teaching professionally already, and that’ll help.
And that brings me to a couple of additional happy coincidences. The training was hosted by NIFS, and the very person I’ve been trying to contact about my student teaching was the local coordinator for the seminar. I couldn’t ask for a better circumstance to meet her in person for the first time. I’m finally starting to believe that I’m going to get my volunteer hours in before the end of the year. Furthermore, there was talk of getting more trainings scheduled here in town, which would be ever so convenient. The response was sufficiently enthusiastic that I’m keeping a close eye on the training schedule. And as if that weren’t enough, one of my yoga teachers AND two of the lovely women from my Level 1 class were at the seminar.
Finally, out of 28 or so participants, a good 25% were from northern Kentucky. Turns out that Louisville—which is only a couple of hours from here—is becoming quite the hot spot for yoga. There are several different styles available, lots of studios, and because the cost of living is pretty low there, I expect the prices are reasonable. That means that a) maybe I can finally try out a couple of yoga styles that interest me, and b) odds of more training seminars ending up at reasonable, if not convenient distance, are improving all the time.
And all of this is just the icing on the cake.
Unmitigated Good News
Tuesday, September 27th, 2005And what a nice change that is.
Last Tuesday, I had a suspicious mole removed. To be honest, I’ve always been suspicious of that mole, for as long as I can remember. It looked like a mole that was up to something, or at the very least, desperately wanted to be up to something. Recently, it started to change shape and texture ever so slightly. I was happy to finally have an excuse to have the damed thing removed so I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. As it happened, I needed a followup visit for my weight problem, so I decided to only make one copayment and address both problems in one visit.
The good news is that my weight is no longer in freefall; I was down a little bit from my last weigh-in, but no more than could be accounted for by water weight. I passed my take home test, as expected, which means that my digestive system problem is most likely IBS and certainly not something malignant.
The better news is that my suspicious mole came up benign in laboratory tests. I think that’s a generous description, given the amount of worry I’ve expended on it, but I’m ever so pleased to know that there’s definitely nothing more be concerned about.
Inside Job
Monday, September 26th, 2005Connie Willis strikes again. Her latest novella, Inside Job, is a delightful poke at psychics and skeptics alike. The point-of-view character is a professional skeptic whose lovely and talented assistant has turned up a psychic who is involuntarily channeling H. L. Mencken. The tone of the book is very much like her novel Bellwether; you can tell that the author is leading you somewhere, and while the payoff alone is worth the trip, it’s also a fun ride. At only 99 pages in hardback, it’s a quick read that’s well worth the time.
Do You Need a Prescription for That?
Monday, September 26th, 2005“I want a placebo, if it’s nice and minty.”—Roz
Proofreading Hell
Thursday, September 22nd, 2005“It’s not that [editor] f*cked up, so much as the original content appears to have been written by the F*ckup Fairy.”
Very Special Relativity
Wednesday, September 21st, 2005Coworker: Time stands still for no man…or woman!
Me: But it slows down for meetings.
Arrrrrrrr!!!
Monday, September 19th, 2005Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!! In honour of same, I present (in the original Canadian spelling) the lyrics to “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate,” by the Arrogant Worms. Everybody sing!!
I used to be a farmer, and I made a living fine,
I had a little stretch of land along the CP* line
But times were hard and though I tried, the money wasn’t there
And bankers came and took my land and told me fair is fair
I looked for every kind of job, the answer always no
Hire you now? they’d always laugh, we just let twenty go!
The government, they promised me a measly little sum
But I’ve got too much pride to end up just another bum.
Then I thought, who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone?
I’m gonna be a pirate on the river Saskatchewan!!!
(arrr! arrr! arrr! arrr! arrr!!)
‘Cause it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the jolly roger on Regina’s mighty shores
Well, you’d think the local farmers would know that I’m at large
But just the other day I found an unprotected barge
I snuck up right behind them and they were none the wiser,
I rammed their ship and sank it and I stole their fertilizer!
A bridge outside of Moosejaw spans a mighty river
Farmers cross in so much fear their stomachs are a-quiver
Cause they know that Tractor Jack is hiding in the bay
I’ll jump the bridge and knock them cold and sail off with their hay!
Cause it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the jolly roger on Regina’s mighty shores
Well, Mountie Bob he chased me, he was always at my throat
He’d follow on the shoreline ’cause he didn’t own a boat
But cutbacks were a-coming and the Mountie lost his job
And now he’s sailing with us, and we call him Salty Bob!
A swingin’ sword, a skull and bones and pleasant company
I never pay my income tax and screw the GST** (screw it!!)
Prince Albert down to Saskatoon I’m the terror of the seas
If you wanna reach the co-op, boy, you gotta get by me!
Cause it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the jolly roger on Regina’s mighty shores
Arrrr, metis! get it? matey? (hey, that’s riel-ly funny! you know, Louis Riel***? )
Well, pirate life’s appealing but you just don’t find it here,
I’ve heard that in Alberta there’s a band of buccaneers
They roam the Athabaska from Smith to Fort Mckay
And you’re gonna loose your stetson if you have to pass their way!
Well, winter is a-comin’ and a chill is in the breeze
My pirate days are over once the river starts to freeze
I’ll be back in springtime but now I have to go
I hear there’s lots of plundering down in New Mexico!
Cause it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the jolly roger on Regina’s mighty shores
Cause it’s a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin’ down the plains
Stealin’ wheat and barley and all the other grains
It’s a ho-hey, hi-hey farmers bar yer doors
When ya see the jolly roger on Regina’s mighty shores
When ya see the jolly roger on Regina’s mighty shores…
*Canadian Pacific (railway)
**Goods & Services Tax
***Google it yourself.
The Benefits of Procrastination
Saturday, September 17th, 2005I felt ambitious today and decided to try and get to the bottom of my mending basket. I replaced a drawstring in a pair of Ed’s gym shorts, and sewed a button onto a pair of his pants. With the quick-and-easy tasks out of the way, I steeled myself for some serious hemming and mending of seams on my clothes. It turns out that I’ve shrunk out of everything of mine that was in the basket, except for one dress. I didn’t even finish hemming one of the skirts and one dress, so there are things I’ve never worn—effectively, they’re brand new. Fortunately, my semi-niece (Alisa’s quasi-adopted daughter—just go with it) not only can wear these items, she can hem them herself to her liking. As for me, my mending basket is nearly empty; there’s a patchwork quilt top that I made with Alisa in mind ages ago, a baby quilt that only needs some blanket binding, and one dress which needs to be taken up above the unmendable rip near the hem. (It was getting to be too long anyway.)
It Makes Sense If You’ve Seen Her Purse
Thursday, September 15th, 2005“Yes! It’s in my squid!”—Karen
Two thumbs up from the wannabe Fashion Cop.