The beauty of Twitter is that it's all about instant gratification.  You have something to say?  Tweet it.  You want to know why the TTC is delayed - again?  Follow @ttcupdates.  You want to know what everyone's watching Friday night?  Check the Twitter trending topics.

But one of the drawbacks in the world of instant gratification - instant messaging, BBM, sms, Twitter, etc. - is what it does to accuracy.  You can only fit a limited number of characters in a text message (sms) or tweet.  And if you're BBM-ing or instant messaging (there are a lot of services for this), you have to do everything quickly.  The rules of spelling and grammar are not held as rigourously.  People use acronmys, shortforms, code words... whatever... just to make it fit.

Cue useless person with too much time on their hands.  Allow me to introduce:

http://twitter.com/momywatch

If ever you have too much passive-aggressiveness pent up, make a Twitter account and go about harrassing people about their tweets and IMs.  After all, does it matter if it was a genuine typo or if this person really doesn't know how to spell?  No... of course not.  Just go on and send your passive-aggressive tweet from your high and mighty throne... BITCH.

i like how my boss is always telling me that the work we do is "so essential" to the operation of the company.  i've stopped telling him that he's deluding himself because akin to banging one's head against the wall, at some point i had to stop.  either i was going to bash a hole in the wall, or knock my head clear off my neck.  i'm not sure between my neck and the wall which one is stronger.

so tomorrow i'm going on holiday for 2 weeks.  the boss had booked 2 meetings with me today to discuss stuff before i go on holiday.  i came in this morning and discovered that not only did he cancel both meetings, he's not even coming in today.  i'm not one to stress about it, but if the work is *so* important...??

anyways... i'm gonna get back to my "important" work and then leave him a nice little turnover package (he doesn't understand the concept of *that* either) so that everything will be exactly as he needs it when he comes in tomorrow.... and when i'll be flying over the continent on Virgin America.  California, here i come!!

i'm a proud Canadian, born a Quebecer (from Montreal), grew up as an Anglo in Toronto.  i'm as Canadian as you can get (for someone who doesn't have any aboriginal heritage).

i love Montreal.  there's nothing that'll ever change that.  it doesn't matter that i've lived in Toronto for almost 30 years, when i talk about Montreal, i refer to it as home.

Toronto is my home too.  i live here.  i work here.  i went to school here.  and most of my friends live here.  those that don't live here either went to school here or grew up here.

but...

every so often i see stuff like this in the news and i feel distressed.

Habs too English, PQ leader says

Marois was being the typical extremist and filled in the sports-ignorant woman stereotype quite nicely.  what exactly does she think is most important about the Habs?  that they need to speak French?  or that they need to play excellent hockey?  i agree with cabinet minister Line Beauchamp. "Come on, it's a hockey team that's trying to win the Stanley Cup."  this is NOT a place for politics.

i take great pride in my Habs.  but i loathe the Quebecers who take everything that's sacred and try to rip it out of people's hands just because ils ne sont pas francophones.  i don't see big Hollywood stars saying "You can't be my fan because you're not American."  i don't see Armani saying "you can't work for my company because you're not Italian."  so yes... Habs are a big, important symbol in Quebec... but for F*s sake... it's hockey.  there are fans all across the country (some even infiltrated America ) who love the Habs... and they're not any more or less important because they do or don't parlent français (actually... according to some tweets that @CanadiensMTL retweeted, we've got Habs fans in France and Australia too).  a ticket to the game costs the same regardless of whether you're Anglo or Franco.  and people are going to come watch the game for the game.  they don't come to the game to listen to hockey players read aloud... en français.  i get that they want some French speaking hometown heros, but what good is your hometown hero if the team never wins?  sure, people in Toronto love Wendel Clark, but he's from... oh.. Saskatchewan.  there's Mats Sundin, oh but wait... he's from Sweden.  fine... i guess that had Doug Gilmour... but coming from Kingston, doesn't that mean he's more of a hometown hero for Sens fans?  you see where i'm going with this?  oh yeah... and do you think for one second that it's as big of a deal to be Wendel Clark in Toronto as it is to be, say, Saku Koivu in Montreal? 

i love the city that i live in.  Toronto is a great place to live.  i don't mind some friendly (i.e. fierce) hockey rivalry and i encourange native Torontonians to cheer for their crap team (what is it now?  43 years now?).  it's not like there aren't days when the Habs lose to the Leafs.  it happens.  and i take my ribbing and mockery with grace at work (and i dish it out twice as hard when the Habs win.... this post season performance was pretty damned good, eh?).  but when i read the comments in that CBC news article from Torontonians and western Canadians (*cough*Albertans*cough*) i was filled with rage.  what is the matter with you people?!?  a politician mouths off... a PQ politician, no less... and you assholes start railing against "all the people of Quebec"??  seriously.  what the HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!?

Canada is a great place and my Canada includes Quebec.  But you idiot, extremist Frenchies and ignorant, narrow-minded Anglos are giving me a friggin' complex.

there is NOTHING wrong with English speaking players on the roster... as long as they're the best we can get after considering things like the salary cap.  if we have the best team we can possible have, then i'm happy - cuz that's the team i want.

no matter who is on the roster, a crappy Habs line up is NOT going to make the Leafs a better team... it's most certainly not going to help the Leafs win a cup... and NEWSFLASH... Montreal is *older* than Toronto.  the Habs have been around longer than the Leafs.  the Habs have almost double (24) the number of Stanley Cup championships that Toronto has (13) even though they were founded less than 10 years before the Leafs.  hockey is a defining feature and passion of Canada, but it's a RELIGION in Montreal (and the rest of Quebec).  i want the best players the Habs can get... Anglo, Frenchie, Canadian, American, Slovakian, etc...  i don't care who, as long as they play excellent hockey and are a good fit for the team.

GO HABS!!!

have you ever known anyone who bled to death? or you needed a blood transfusion?  or was undergoing chemo or going into surgery and needed blood?  how would you feel if you found out much later, that you or this person near and dear to you received tainted blood from someone who lied on the screening form?

Gay Ont. man loses blood donation negligence suit

points to note:

1. he was not being sued for being gay - he was sued because he lied on the screening form

2. all donated blood is tested.  ALL OF IT.  the point of the questionnaire is so that money isn't spent testing high risk blood.  tests aren't cheap.  it would be irresponsible of the Canadian Blood Service (CBS) to skip pre-screening via questionnaire (very low cost) to appease Charter waving, dillusional, self-righteous idiots and pay to test blood that is KNOWN to have a high risk of being tainted (very expensive). 

3. sure, maybe the rules/criteria can stand to be updated, BUT THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE!! the issue is that this man lied about his sexual orientation (bypassed a condition set to avoid testing high risk blood), cost the CBS the usual cost of taking the donation and testing the blood, and then caused the CBS to incur additional cost to pull all his previous donations because the test came back positive for syphilis.

4. it is absolutely a JUST PRECEDENT to set that he be fined damages.  he is being held accountable for LYING.  if he hadn't lied, he would have been turned away hence CBS would not be paying for
   • the nurse to take his blood
   • the testing
   • the search mission to find his previous donations
   • notifying hospitals/people who may have received tainted blood
   • the ensuing backlash

my opinion on this is pretty simple.

i was turned away from donating for a year because i was in Hainan for a week (high risk malaria zone).  so i didn't donate any blood until after that 1 year period.  if they told me i couldn't donate ever again, i wouldn't LIE on the declaration just to give blood.  it's not discrimination.  and if for some idiotic reason i did lie, then i should be required to pay damages - because none of this would've happened if i had told the truth.

if anyone got sick because of this, he deserves jail time.

you're donating something that's supposed to save someone's life - not make them sick or kill them.  did he miss the point about blood donation?  it's not ABOUT him.  the most important thing here isn't that he's able to get that warm and fuzzy feeling from having "contributed to society."  it's about saving a person's life.  saving them but giving them an STI is NOT winning half the battle.  it's an ULTIMATE FAIL!!

Because 20-year contracts have already been offered for FIT projects totalling more than 2,600 megawatts of power, Adams said, "it's now too late to avoid hundreds of dollars per year of increases." But Tom Carpenter, a research associate at Queen's University's Institute for Energy and the Environment, said claims that green energy will drive up the price of electricity are "simply false." Over the next two or three years, Carpenter said, the impact of FIT projects on electricity rates will be negligible, because the high-priced renewable energy will only represent a tiny fraction of the province's generating capacity.

As the program expands, he said, economies of scale will kick in and prices will come down sharply.

~The Ottawa Citizen

So let's have a little talk about this excerpt here, taken from yesterday's article in The Ottawa Citizen about increases in the electricity bills of residents.

The short of it all is people need to reconcile themselves with how much they want to do for the environment and how much they're willing to pay for it.  Yes, it's that simple.  Most of us say we want to do right by the environment for the first time since the Industrial Revolution.  That is GREAT! *BUT* because we haven't cared about the environment before (really... we haven't, so don't try and pick out things) we'd be paying for all that, plus factoring in consideration for the future, and paying for it all right now.  The new price, of course, isn't a one time deal.  Rather, it's what the going rate should be and the starting point for future increases.

In the article, Tom Carpenter claims that as the program expands economies of scale will drive the price down sharply.  Uhm... no.  It won't.  FIT prices for renewables have twenty-year contracts.  So, for 20 years, these generators will be getting paid the same rate.  As more of them are added to the generation mix the price increases because they are all getting the same generous rate.  There is only a few ways in which the price will be driven down. 

1. No sunshine no wind: Oddly enough, if Mother Nature decides not to shine on us and not blow wind when we need it, these generators won't be generating much, hence won't be paid much.  Case in point, in years when the water is flowing well (good winter ice growth, hence good melt; good spring rain, hence full reservoirs), electricity costs less because we don't import much from neighbouring markets.
   
   
2. New large-scale conventional generation constructed:  Right now, what's keeping the price "lower" is that large scale generators (nuclear, coal, gas, hydroelectric) cost a lot less than the 13.5¢/kWh for wind and 80.2¢/kWh for roof mounted solar (and I think it's now down to ~56¢ for ground mounted solar).  Large scale is ~5-6¢/kWh.  If a new large scale generator is put in, then it'll bring the price down.  But otherwise... no.
   
3. Energy storage may improve the economics a little, but it makes a better business case for conventional generation than for alternative generation... so politically, it might not get any traction if the government is pushing for alternative generation.
   

As alternative generation technologies improve, new FIT applications may not get the same generous rate (though they likely will at least for the next 5-10 years because a precedent has been set).  So it'll probably be at least 5 years before the economy of scale drives the price of green energy down.

For the record, I *am* pro-green energy.  But I'm not an impractical, blind, fanatic.  People have enough trouble as it is coming up with the money to feed their kids.  The economy isn't all that great right now.  So yes, we definitely need to phase in alternative generation technology and aggressively puruse energy conservation methods.  But pushing it through and promising all these exhorbant financial incentives is not doing right by the rate payers.  If you ask people whether or not they'd be willing to pay a little more every year for electricity if it meant we'd be doing the right thing, I'm sure many people would say yes.  But a little more is not 9-15% a year.

Economy of scale will not drive down the prices because the prices are not currently being set by demand.  They are being set by regulators, which also means they're legally binding for the term (20 years).  If these FIT find ways to reduce costs, these reductions contribute to profit margin and not reduced prices for the rate payers.  There is a better way to do this, but unfortunately no one in the municipal or provincial government is interest in listening to those with recommendations.  They just care about the politics and the optics.

Let me introduce you to the lesser of the four big newspapers in Toronto - The Toronto Sun.  The Toronto Sun is *barely* a newspaper.  They're borderline tabloid.  For many decades, it's biggest selling features were good sports coverage and the Sunshine girl (a bikini clad bimbo) on page 2 (or was it 3... i dunno).

Anyways... suffice to say it's not a paper that I've ever deigned to read.  I prefer to consume my news at a higher reading level than grade 3.  Unlike some other people... I *am* smarter than a 5th grader.

The other day a cold caller phoned my house trying to convince me to get a subscription for this printed crap.  I politely decline several times while she *insisted* that I *needed* to subscribe because I could then get the Sunday edition for free for the next couple months.  I finally got fed up with her and said, "I'm sorry.  I don't read the Sun.  It's not even intelligent enough for my dog to pee on," and hung up.  I know.  It was bitchy, but if you waste my time, I will only restrain myself and be polite to you for 10 minutes.  After that, you're on your own.  I make no excuses for the verbal lashing you will have to endure.

Yesterday, I was at the CNE.  I was wearing my Habs t-shirt because... well... to be honest... I was in a bit of a hurry in the morning and didn't look at which t-shirt I had thrown in my bag.  I wasn't about to wear my volunteer uniform shirt all day after my shift.  So when my shift was done, I changed into my t-shirt, only to realize I was wearing a Montreal Canadiens shirt in Toronto.  Truth be told, I'm not ashamed of walking around town in Habs swag.  No one normally makes too many comments... even at Leaf games.

So, I was walking towards the Better Living Centre when my friend and I passed a Toronto Sun kiosk.  Several people were there trying to sell subscriptions.  So what does the guy peddling a grade 3 reading level newspaper say to me? 

Toronto Sun Guy:  "Hey.  You're wearing the wrong shirt."

Me:  "No, I'm not."

TSG:  "Yes, you are."

Me:  "I don't think so."

TSG: "So would you be interestsed in a subscription of the Toronto Sun."

Me:  *rolling eyes* "What do you think?"

I swear.  It's so stupid... you can't even make this stuff up.

here's the conversation between me, and my former admin assistant
(i moved departments so she's no longer my AA).

AA:  hey, what are you doing tomorrow nite?  any plans?

Me:  lemme check.  no... looks like i'm free.  why?  what's up?

AA:  how do you feel like going to dinner?

Me:  sure.

AA:  it can be a date night?

Me:  uh... okay.  what's the occassion?

AA:  well... i figured we could go get some food, and then after that, we can catch up with Mr. Bublé.

Me:  you want me to go with you to the concert?

AA:  sure.  why not?  you don't want to?

Me:  no no... that's not it.  i'm always game to see Michael.  but what i want to know is why you would even have an extra ticket?

AA:  well... i got the tickets when i thought my husband might want to be a civilized human being and go with me.  but he's decided to remain an asshole.  so the first person i thought of who would enjoy the concert was you.

Me:  oh... okay.

yah... i like being the stand-in date for an asshole husband.  that's great.

on the bright side, i'm going to the Michael concert.

source:  http://thingsyoushoulddo.com/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/michael-buble.jpg

On my lunch break, I walked down to Chinatown to pick up some dumpling ingredients.  I'm attending a potluck on Sunday and that's what I'm making - pan fried dumplings.  I will make both veg (tofu, chive & mushroom) and meat (pork, chive & napa to be specific). 

source:  http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HeM5d5yfCTk/TCqHjyIu0wI/AAAAAAAABAU/q3iVFfM1wWs/s400/NAPA-CABBAGE+wrap.jpg

I picked up everything 'cept the pork (cuz I'm wary of buying meat in Chinatown) and the dumpling wrappers (because I'm an idiot and forgot).  But I can estimate that I'll buy approximately $5 of wrappers and ~$10 meat.  So $15, plus the $6.50 I just spent on chives, tofu, etc.  So if we factor in the marginal cost of condiments and seasoning, etc.... let's say that it's a total of $25 (I'm sure it's less, but let's just say...).  That's $25 for 250-300 dumplings.

source:  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zIjpxeHKnKM/Swvc8CZZSWI/AAAAAAAANQw/JQy1Kj6GhPQ/s1600/DSC_4306+0911.jpg
disclaimer:  these are not my dumplings...
but i will try to remember to take a picture on Sunday when i'm done frying them

That's roughly the equivalent to one grande Starbucks latte every business day.

source:  http://prospere-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/starbucks.jpg

I'm just saying...

i don't remember if i blogged it before (if i did, i didn't put a Burberry tag so i couldn't find it) but there's this admin at the office who alternates between dressing like a streetwalker and a bike messanger.  i always wonder whether or not she has "normal" clothes.

anyways... one day i was talking to someone in the exec kitchen about Burberry and she said, "What's Burberry?"  i swear, i almost passed out from shock. what woman in the Western world has never heard of Burberry?!

this post isn't about that incident.  it's a new incident.

she stopped by my office (while i was stuffing my face with onion rings - how convenient ) and said, "Oh... I love your dress."  i'm wearing a rayon sundress that i bought in Australia (many years ago).  it's brown and black, and has a kanga pattern on it similar to this.

source:  http://www.ozsculpture.com/eBay_pictures/November/Kangaroo_Mama.JPG

she continued on to say, "it looks very Indian."

i know she meant Indian as in aboriginal... not Indian from India.  so i said, "it's indigenous Australian art."

to which she responded, "so Indian-ish."

yeah.... Indian-ish.

at least she thinks it's pretty.

you wanna know why i have little compassion for people as a whole?  because of assholes like this.

Bear’s Problem with Jar? Or Society’s Problem with Common Sense?

for the record, i don't hate all people.  in times of disaster i do what i can.  i donated to several charities to send aid to Haiti after the earthquake.  i even nagged my friends to do it.  Elfie and i participate in walk a thons to raise money for guide dogs... which helps PEOPLE - not dogs.  i've bought hot soup for homeless people on very cold winter days/nights.  but if on any average day you ask me my opinion of society, it's "people are hateful, destructive mofos that are going to end up destroying themselves."

there are enough problems in the world (almost ENTIRELY created by humans) to go around.  the problem of poverty is created by people.  the problem of violence against women and children is created by people.  the problem of racism is created by people.  wars - created by people.  exploitation of natural resources - people.  global warming - people (debate as much as you want... i don't care... people created this problem).  illiteracy - people.  every single problem you can find in this world... the source of that problem is people.

it's not society's lack of common sense that makes helping animals more palatable than helping other humans.  it's that people will lie, cheat, steal, and take advantage of your kindness.  betrayal runs strong in humans.  they don't just milk your kindness.  more often than not, they come back and stab you in the back because you're such a sucker.  i've been there.  i've got a million metaphorical stab wounds in my back to prove it.  i have no problem admitting that my compassion and empathy has made a sucker out of me more times than i care to remember. and that's why, as i get older, i get more and more reluctant when it comes to helping people.

it's easier to care about animals because they show you exactly what they're feeling.  take my dog, for example.  if Elfie doesn't like you, she doesn't pretend to be your friend, buy you a latte, go shopping with you and then steal your boyfriend.  she'll snarl at you and won't go anywhere near you.  if she likes you, she doesn't play hard to get or tease.  she'll eagerly run up to greet you.  if you're about to get bitten by a dog, there is not a second of ambiguity as to whether or not the animal is going to strike.  you can tell from it's body language that it is not pleased and it's going to attack you.  people?  you *never* know when that scorned woman is going to attack... and you never know how exactly she plans to destroy your life.  ask Adam Giambrone.  he can tell you *all* about having a bright, promising political career blown to smithereens by a scorned woman.

there is another school of though... and this message is more for them.  these people claim that the other camp has lost perspective - choosing to save animals before saving starving children.  have they ever tried saving starving children?  how many reports of corrupt officials, lost aid money, outrageous administration costs do we need to hear before people realize the only way to REALLY help starving children is to actually do something about it.  that cheque they wrote in their kitchen and put in the mail rarely actually helps the children.  BUT... if you drive down to your local animal shelter and pick up a homeless cat or an abandoned dog, i GUARANTEE you that you will see directly how your aid is improving the quality of life for another living creature.  getting a pet isn't for everyone (so don't you all run out to adopt a rescue dog or cat right now).  but i HATE these self-righteous cheque-writers who judge and condemn pet owners for not sending their money to "save the children."  the strife that afflicts these children is inflicted upon them by PEOPLE.  puppy mills are nightmares created by PEOPLE.  dogs and cats end up in shelters because of PEOPLE.  a dog is not the reason these children are starving.

i'm not telling people what charity they should support.  i'm not telling people what cause they should champion.  there are enough problems in this world created by "our fellow mankind" to go around.  but for all those assholes out there, judging and condemning people for giving two shits about the animals... FUCK YOU.   if it was your kid with his head stuck in a jar, i would've taken him to the hospital to have the jar removed.  trying to do the equivalent for the baby bear is NOT losing perspective.  it's just doing the right thing.  your kid was not much smarter than the bear to land themselves in this predicament.  and there have been many a stupider kid who have done worse.  would you leave them to starve to death?  if not, then why would you leave the bear?