February 2003 Archives

Picked up my itinerary from email today. Wondered what do about packing for about a minute, then realized the TV was on, and started watching it. I'm the kind of guy who packs everything at the last minute, mainly by stuffing a bunch of dirty laundry into an old shopping bag. I did, however, buy a nice new duffle bag with rollers in an attempt to get organized. I used it last year when I went to the Caribbean. This time, though, I'm thinking of just taking my backpack, since I'm not out to impress anyone. Hey, I'm going to 'Frisco to be a tourist for a week -- there's no reason I can't just dress normally.

Had to visit London, to check up on my parents' place. It's been a couple of weeks, and the fish needed feeding, the snow needed clearing, etc. However, I failed to take into account the snowfall last night. I had to clear the porch and walkway of snow. Then I had to go back inside and put on a heavier coat, then clear the sidewalk, the driveway, and part of the street behind my car. The snowplow had already been through, and there was at least a metre of snow at the base of the driveway. Here I am with this wee little scooping shovel. About an hour later, I was finished everything, and boy I was hyped. I wanted to clear everyone's driveway at that point. But apathy got the better of me and I just got into the car and headed for London.

It's the Leader's birthday today! HUZZAH! I gave him a call and we went to the Waltzing Weasel for beers and snacks. I tried the baked Brie (don't get it) which came in a skillet, drowning in raspberry or cranberry sauce. It was served with tortillas, although I have no idea how to eat Brie in a tortilla, especially when it's swimming in a fruit soup. Anyway, it was fun to see the Leader again. Hope he has another 26 birthdays. And then another 26 after that. But that's all.

Pretty schway party last night - managed to cram over 15 people into my TV room (the room where if I lie down on the floor, I can touch opposite walls). Got everybody drinking pineapple drinks, and eating fake satay chicken. No one was surprised it wasn't chicken (are they ever?) but everyone thought it deserved notice for trying. I doused everyone with cheesy surf tunes, and even got them to limbo to Harry Belafonte. All in all, a nice time was had. I didn't even manage to get drop-down drunk, thanks to a scary pamphlet from the LCBO on how to properly entertain at parties... you'd think a place that sold liquor would be a little less critical of drinking, especially in one of their advertisement pamphlets.

I do have to admit, the "Host" pamphlet from the LCBO is pretty useful. It's sort of a Party-101 set of lessons for the would-be host. In addition to reminding the host that they're responsible for the acts of their guests (even after they leave), it has great suggestions for what kinds of liquor to stock the bar with, as well as the ratio of different spirits to stock, as well as how much the average guest will consume, and how to modify this amount by the types of foods you server. Pretty crafty.

It's official - I'm going to San Francisco to visit my brother. Picked up the tickets on Expedia.ca -- it was my first time buying tickets online. I think I got a pretty good deal, but with the American and Canadian airlines begging for customers, it was just another $100 to fly to Europe. Maybe that's my next trip.

Spent two hours today in some boring WSAD training class. Luckily, there was in installation of RoboCode on the training machine beside me. If you're not familiar, this is a sample program we use when working with our code-analysis software. To keep people interested in code-analysis software, this RoboCode program is actually an AI simulation/tank game, where these tanks with different "personalities" fight to the death. I must have gone 10 rounds in this game before the class was over. Spinbot (a robot that spins and shoots when it sees other robots), Crazy (a completely random robot), and MyFirstRobot (with rudimentary AI) were the top contenders in the series.

Played poker last night at my folks place. I had a great time, and learned many new variations on the game. Next step, I guess, is to setup a regular "poker night" with hoagies, liquor, cigars, cheesy "dogs playing poker" paintings, and betting with real money.

Yeah, just doesn't sound like me. I'm more of a euchre-playing-guy who swindles old folks at their Presbyterian church Euchre Night.

Happy Chinese new year by the way. Year of the Goat, is it? Personally, I like the Chinese zodiac - I like it more than the one all western astrologers use, though I don't see how accurate it could be in determining a person's personality. I mean, everyone born in the same year would have the same sign, though since the Chinese zodiac is on a 12 year cycle, that makes it no less accurate than the regular, monthly zodiac.

Incidentally, I'm a "Dog", zodiacally speaking. I could be a secret agent:

"People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, plagued by constant worry, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders, activists, teachers, or secret agents. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit but ill-suited to the dragon and goat.

"Some Dogs: Cher, Winston Churchill, Bill Clinton, Socrates, George Gershwin, Benjamin Franklin, Herbet Hoover, Jane Goodall, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and David Niven."