odds 'n' ends

Awesome:

• massage chairs: I go to Home Outfitters at Tillicum Mall and sit in their demo chair for up to a half an hour at a time--gold!
• pistachios: so salty and tasty. They remind my of my grandparents' place as a kid. They're not alive anymore.
  
• barbeque sauce: is there anything tastier than barbeque sauce??
• my beard: uniform growth, nice colour. My beard is one of the few 'manly' areas where I tend to have any kind of advantage over other guys. When it comes to things that 'manly men' are supposed to excel at (carpentry, cars, etc.), I'm essentially useless. However, I'm not lame at beard growth/cultivation! Ka-chow!
  

Fail:

• Justin Bieber: squeaky-voiced hairdo. On Twitter. End of story.
  
• The Victoria Salmon Kings: besides their 3rd period meltdown on Saturday night (where they gave up three goals in quick succession after going into the period tied 2-2) and the fact that they do have the worst name in professional sports (which is another reason they're on the 'fail' list), why is that their mascot is a marmot? Figure that one out...
• barbeque sauce: seriously, why is that every single time I eat barbeque sauce, I spill it on my jeans?
  

My friends Cory and Corinne are on a fast/cleanse right now where they only have a mixture of freshly squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper--supposedly they have to drink the stuff really quickly because if they don't, the enzymes don't do their enzyme-y job (whatever that is). I'm incredibly impressed with their discipline as Tuesday was their seventh day of ten and they were both in fine spirits and looked as right as rain--they sit and watch their three young boys eat dinner while they down their little concoction eight times per day with no complaints. I'm not even that much of a foodie and I find this pretty amazing. I have had times in my life where I've been incredibly disciplined, especially when I was running 50-60 kilometres per week, but generally I believe that I could live a far more disciplined life than I do, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

My own fasting story goes something like this: About five years ago I tried to fast for one day, having only water and fruit juice. I was a bit irritable by noon, grouchy by about 4:00, and around 7:00 in the evening I had a total meltdown and started screaming to Caitlin that I was going to "eat some #@*!*% cheese RIGHT NOW!" So...yeah, I guess you could say that it wasn't all that successful. However, since then I think that I've matured considerably and could probably do a lot better job of it than I could back then. Either that or I'll turn into FrankenBing once again and go bonkers...

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I waste a lot of water, and not even through showers either. Every time I brush my teeth, wash my hands, or rinse a dish, I turn the tap on full blast when a far slower stream would suffice. With so many people not having access to clean water, I feel convicted that there are a lot of little things that I can do to conserve water.

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Back in January I had started reading The Rebel Sell, but I had to put it down when some library holds came in that needed to be read right away and then my friend Matthew's novel came out. However, I've picked up Heath and Potter's tome once again and started to read. It's definitely a fascinating read and I've enjoyed their arguments that countercultural thinking is essentially bogus and that those who try to 'stick it to The Man' don't tend to accomplish anything that actually makes life better for others. Some of the thoughts in this book combined with some of the theological discussions I've been having lately are making for a very interesting mental stew. Stay tuned...

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Physics ala Bing:


The funny thing is, I used to write essays just like this one on my Math and Physics exams in high school (may have even done it a couple times in post secondary!!) because I didn't have a freakin' clue what I was doing. Retrospectively, I think if I'd listened in class and studied rather than thinking up ways of being funny and entertaining my classmates, I may have done decently in both subjects...

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A letter to a very special library patron:

Dear Extremely Drunk Patron,

Please don't stand behind the reference desk and stare at my computer screen. Also, when I'm talking with my colleague about a work-related issue, I don't really need to hear that you think she raises a good point (I already knew that)--neither one of us is interested in your opinion on a subject you know nothing about. Furthermore, I don't want nor need your advice on women. You can barely tie your own shoes, yet you're going to presume to talk to me, a complete stranger, about something like that? Better re-think your approach on that one. I also would advise against talking to little children you don't know and trying to grab their hand for a high-five. If I were a father and you tried that stunt with my child, I'd knock you into next week.

I hope that next time you're in Central Library, you'll be a bit more...not drunk and that you'll find some of the above to be ideas for further consideration.

Sincerely,

The Renegade Librarian

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You say tomato, I say tomato. Doesn't make much sense when you read it.