Wii-Less… and I just got the Master Sword

I’m Wii-less. Notice the lack a Wii in the picture to the left. (Also notice my poor photography skills… Sorry about the flash.) No Wii in Sight

After having a wonderful three week long fling with Nintendo’s newest console, I’ve had to send it in for repairs. Sadly, when using all but one of the myriad of input jacks scattered across our TV and stereo receiver, the Wii will only display a picture for about 10 minutes and then the screen goes black. I managed to totally stump the phone tech support guy, who told me the only option is to send it in for repairs. So, yesterday afternoon I set out (in the wet falling snow) to the post office to send off my newest baby. And $20 later, it was on its way to Richmond, B.C. for repairs. (Thank goodness they have a Canadian repair facility!)

This, of course, happened on the day that the game I have been waiting (im)patiently for was release on the Virtual Console–Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I guess I wait patiently… and take the next couple of weeks to secure a copy of the Legend of Zelda collectors disc from eBay… and Chibi Robo…

As an aside, Nintendo tech support was great. The guy was concerned with making sure that neither the TV nor the receiver were damaged by what was happened. And he also made sure to remind me to back up my games, etc. (Of course, I forgot to back up my Miis.) He also didn’t treat me like I was a dummy; no stupid questions like “Are you sure it’s plugged in?” or “Do you have the TV on the right input?” It was a very pleasant experience… assuming I get my Wii back quickly.

Gosh, I’m going to miss out on so many Everybody Votes channel votes! So sad! 🙁

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Intelligence and Love

There is an interesting article over at the Boston Globe: The Romantic Life of Brainiacs. It discusses the old myth that an educated woman can’t have a satisfying romantic life.

I’m a fairly educated woman. I have a university degree in a fairly technical area. And, while my university marks weren’t the best, I have always been a good student. I don’t think that it ever really effected my social life–but, I was always a shy kid, so I didn’t have much of a social life to begin with. When I did have boyfriends, I will admit that I fell into the trap of pretending to less intelligent then I actually was. But, as I got older, I realized that it was a silly game that no one can win. Thankfully, my intelligence doesn’t bother my husband. And he is a smart cookie too, which makes me happy.

The article gives me a lot of hope, since it says that educated couples are less like to divorce. Perhaps that is because the partners have taking their time to get their education, and have build selves that are dependant on more then just the marriage. Or maybe they are just lucky.

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Da Vinci, The Grail, and Me

Last night, quanta and I watched The Da Vinci Code. While it was quanta’s first experience with the story (beyond watching bits and pieces of a few Da Vinci Code inspired documentaries), I was intimately familiar with it. Firstly, I had read the book about two years ago, and was neither impressed or disappointed. But the idea of Christ’s bloodline was something I knew about from some reading my father had done years ago. And, I was also aware of the story/myth/what-have-you because of my family’s history–Roslyn Chapel was built by one of my direct ancestors.The Da Vinci Cod

For those of you who haven’t read the book or don’t know exactly how the story ends, I won’t spoil it other then to say, if the theory is true, I’m feeling a little ripped off. Seriously though, I believe that Jesus almost certainly did have children, and that there are likely millions of people walking around with his blood in their veins. I also believe Jesus was not the literal son of God, but rather His figurative son. Meaning that Jesus was a very special man who was very aware of the divine, and did his best to let others know what he knew. Sadly, things probably haven’t turn out as well as he would have hoped, I’m sure.

But what about those people who may carry Jesus’s blood? Well, I don’t think they are (or would be) any more or less special then anyone else. I believe that we all carry the divine within ourselves, but some of us are more aware of it then others. I know that I am special and loved by the divine, but I also know that I can’t walk on water or turn water into wine.

For some fun, try creating your own Dan Brown novel synopsis. Or read about the Da Vinci Code at Wikipedia.


The image is from a card published by Recycled Paper Greetings in 2004/2005.

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Little Mosque

I’m not really one to watch to sit-coms, but the CBC’s new show Little Mosque on the Prairie is really fun to watch. In a nut shell, the show is about a small Muslim community in a rural town somewhere in the middle of Canada. The regular cast consists of some of the Muslim community members, their Imam, a local priest (who hosts the mosque in his church hall), the mayor, and the local shock joke (played by Neil Crone, who you might know from Canadian television, Pushing Tin or Hollywoodland).

Being a Canadian TV show, the production values are a little lacking. But, overall, the show is very well done. The actors are funny (if occasionally awkward), and the situations are fairly realistic. In the most recent episode, a couple of the women try to get a female lifeguard hired for the local pool so they can take swimming classes without having to wear a Muslim bathing suit. Of course, hilarity ensues when the shock jock learns about it.

When the show was announced, there was some controversy about the CBC making fun of Muslims, mainly from overseas news outlets. (CNN, I’m looking at you.) The show has been very well received in Canada, and present Muslims, and other Canadians, in a funny and friendly light.

Keep reading to see a clip of the show and a clip of part of an open-minded CNN segment about it.

Continue reading →

1 Comment | Posted in Media & Politics |

Around the World and At Home

It has been a full week, both personally and in the world at large.

Personally, I am still dealing with a good deal of pain. I think it was better when I thought it was a sinus infection that was going to go away soon. Knowing that it may stick around for a while makes it much harder to ignore. (Yes, whinge, whinge.) I am coping better, thought, and feeling much happier. I’m enjoying playing with the Wii. It is loads of fun, and worth every penny, especially since the funny games are helping to lift my spirits.

Work is work, but that’s nothing new. On Friday we visited the new campus where part of the company is based and where most of the rest of it will be shortly. I got a chance to sit it on some call centre calls. (I thought retail sucked, but call centre is even worse.) We also were able to learn a little bit about what other sections of the company are working. Overall, it was very interesting, and I really enjoyed myself. Hopefully, in a few weeks we will get to visit another company location where more of the nuts and bolts sort of operations are handled.

In the world at large, Anna Nicole Smith died, which is something that came completely out of left field. When famous people are older, it isn’t so unexpected when they die. But Anna Nicole Smith is only 10 years older then me, and so much larger then life. I hope that the legal battle over her daughter and her former husband’s wealthy don’t end up causing too many problems for the poor little girl that has been left behind.

And then there was the nasty political ads that our current ruling party is running on TV. They are bashing Liberal leader Stephan Dion, for no particular reason that I can figure out. There is no election expected soon… or least, not as of today. The ads are mean and insulting to Canadians, I think.

The Pickton trial continues in B.C., and the Libby trial goes on in the States. Bird flu has come to Britain, and Canadians are told not to travel to Mexico. An astronaut went crazy, and a child porn ring was broken. So, I suppose, nothing really unusual happened this week. Thank goodness.

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Fortune Cookie Pond

The world is full of interesting natural features. Google Sightseeing is a website that is devoted to showing off some of the more interesting things that are visable on Google Maps. My favourite? The Sphinx and the Great Pyramids, of course.

The other day, while scouting out the area near a building I was trying to locate, I came across this:


Fortune Cookie Lake

It’s a pond shaped like a fortune cookie, located in Etobicoke’s Centennial Park. How cute.

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Have You Tried Blowing In It?

Last night I managed to snag myself a Wii after five days of searching and losing out on them twice due to Best Buy’s crappy shopping cart system and Verified by VISA’s slow servers. Where was I… Oh, yeah. Anyway, the Wii is my first Nintendo console since the Super Nintendo way back in high school. (I’ve kept up with the Nintendo handhelds however. I love my DS.) I’m very excited to be able to try the motion sensing controller. It will be interesting to see how it works. The DS touch screen has allowed for some interesting ways to interact with games, and I have high hopes that the Wii will surpass it.

In honour of my purchase (which hasn’t shipped yet, whaa!), here is some Nintendo humour from xkcd.


xkcd

For those interested, I am feeling better about my health problems. Although I cried when I realized that I will need to give up carrots and apples, among other things, at least for the time being. I cried over carrots… Amazing.

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