July 28, 2002

I slept in today till about 10:15 or 10:30 for the first time in ages. Normally I wake up between 6 and 7 in the morning. So how did I manage it this morning? Easy ... I went to bed around 4AM.

Good heavens, I feel like crap today. It's been awhile since I felt this hungover. Did I at least enjoy myself?

I let you know as soon as I remember.

July 21, 2002

Although there isn't a great deal of activity here in the Burble, I have been adding bits and pieces to the Movie Room. And I'm still not sure what the story is with Blogger. Those 503 messages keep showing up yet, although slow, the posts do mysteriously appear. Wha's up? Hmm?

July 17, 2002

I just wrote a whole load of "stuff" about the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby road movies. Sadly, there are fistfuls of typos, grammar howlers and spelling mistakes. However, they won't be corrected till tomorrow because, well, I gotta eat!!! So if you plow through this material before it's fixed, try to pretend the goofs aren't there. Toodles!

July 16, 2002

I had a brilliant idea for Piddleville last night. Unfortunately, I can't write about it until I know if it's possible. Sorry. I guess I'm wasting everyone's time. Although the real reason for this entry is to see if the problems with blogger have corrected themselves. Toodles!

July 14, 2002

A Rash of Rain

This has a poor title. For one, it lacks any meaning since there has been little rain here (except for some sporadic trickling in the night and mumbling thunder). For another, the concepts of rash and rain fit together poorly; they don’t even have the merit of lame irony. Finally, it’s a weak stab at cuteness, one that falls upon the tiresome crutch of alliteration.

Clearly, my writing abilities have crapped out. Still, on we plod …

It seems I may not have a job soon. I won’t know for a month or so but uncertainty is in the air once again. This occurs every few years or so. It is cyclical, similar to (and tied in with) economic performance. When the economy tanks often the first pronouncement from companies is, “Get rid of the writers!”

Well, perhaps it’s not that overt. But it is true in the sense that few companies see any benefit in having writers despite the fact that everyone in a company is desperate for one, every company suffers from poor communications internally and externally, and writers are paid peanuts compared to upper management personnel.

I think writers are sometimes on the outs because they aren’t usually part of the golf crowd. That’s just a guess, however.

The effect of it all, for me, is a sense of irritable dismay. I’ll be honest, it terms of personal finances my ducks are definitely not in a row. Rather, they seem to be scattered like playing cards. So …

My trip back east is cancelled. (As a contractor, I don’t get paid when I take time off – this cost is compounded by the wildly high prices of Canadian domestic flights; going home is priced beyond me.) My debt load is higher than it should be (though not as bad as some). It has to come down – more funds must be funnelled in this direction.)

End result … a hot, grim summer worrying about money. How tedious.

(Why are so many blogs just so much moan and groan. Note to self: must change this. Who wants to hear someone bitch?)

July 7, 2002

I never knew who John Pilger was until I started reading blogs that ranted about what an idiot he was. Similarly, the little I knew about Noam Chomsky was restricted to ... well, whatever field of science or sociology he's in. (Or is it linguistics? ... can't remember.) The point is, these guys have far greater currency for their political views now due to the people who want them to shuttup and go away. It seems a bit self-defeating.

Anyway ... while both may have the odd point, from the little I've seen they're extremely tedious and have political positions that essentially amount to: we hate the United States and think it's evil. Not the most astute politcos, these boys. I mean, do they really think they'll sway American public opinion by crapping all over the U.S.?

As usual, it all boils down to a small group of noisy left leaning navel gazers ranting at an similarly small group of noisy right leaning navel gazers and putting the rest of us to sleep. There are far too many people out there who went to university in the 70's and never left. God help us.

July 5, 2002

Biometeorology and the Brain ... it's a small start. But who knows what it will turn into? Perhaps when I'm through I'll know more about why I get wonky. (That's the scientific term for the symptoms ... wonky.)

July 1, 2002

Son of a gun ... it's Canada Day!

While others engage in family outings as they enjoy the national holiday, I have gone DVD crazy. No less than 6 new reviews in the Piddleville's Movie Room this weekend. While not the most insightful or informed, they do have the quality of ... well, I'm not sure what. But who else is giving you reviews of The Quiet Man and Gosford Park?

Not sure what that means.

Adam Sandlar Update:

An unconfirmed report asserts Sandlar is taking diction lessons so he can learn to speak without mumbling. Insiders go on to say his agent is furious believing his career will tank if audiences can make out what he is saying.