Was that “i” before “e”?

Posted on December 6, 2005 by Heather

Regardless of how often I manage to mangle it, I love the English language. We have so many words (over half a million at last count) that we can use to express ourselves perfectly. I’m pretty sure, though, that few of us actually have that many words at their command. I know that my daily vocabulary is actually pretty limited, even though I’m a well-read university graduate. And my spell, well it’s just awful.

With that in mind, I picked up a bargain book from Chapters – The Art of Spelling: The Madness and the Method by Marilyn vos Savant. It was an interesting book giving a brief history of the development of standardized English spelling as well as some tools to help improve one’s spelling. (I can use all the help I can get.) Ms. vos Savant also provides some interesting links in the back of the book, and through them I found SPELL (Society for the Preservation of English Literature and Language) and Verbivore. The former site is a very fun read for anyone who loves our language.

What I have managed to take away from all this reading in the past couple of days is a renewed respect for the English language, as well as a desire to improve my spelling especially of words that are spelt different by Canadians. It has also harden my resolve to continue to write properly online, whether through email, instant messaging or in a game. Our language is beautiful and deserving of respect. Using “4” instead of “for” or “2” instead of “to” or “too” is a very sad thing to those of us who love words.

As for grammar… well, that’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish.

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Visiting the Past

Posted on November 26, 2005 by Heather

I think that I visit the ROM so often because I am looking for peace among the Ancients. Maybe it is a symptom of my obsession with the past. When I see all the objects lying under the glass I can’t help but imagine the people who made them, as well as those who used and loved them.

The ROM has a beautiful broad collar necklace from the Amarna period of Ancient Egypt, the perfect size for a young boy or girl. Did her parents buy it for her, or was it a gift from a paramour? Did she wear it everyday or only on festival days? And did she know or care about the religious upheaval going on in her country? I also wonder why the necklace was left behind when Amarna was abandoned.

The ROM also has a model of the Isis temple on the island of Philae. I wonder what it was like to worship Isis there. She was honoured on the island well into the Christian era. The processions must have been glorious to see. I think that there is also something to learn from the temple complex–there are temples for Isis, Hathor, Horus, Augustus Caesar, the Christian God, and a Nubian chapel. How often do so many faiths share a space today?

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Let the Shopping Begin!

Posted on November 25, 2005 by Heather

There is something to be said for online shopping. After about 20 minutes of browsing, my Christmas shopping is nearly done. I’m sure there are some people who think that part of the fun of the Christmas holidays is to brave the crowds at the mall. For me, that just makes the season stressful. I don’t see anything fun about being shoved around by other shoppers and ingnored by store staff. And besides, I work in a store all day, I don’t want to spend my off time shopping! 😉

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What’s Your Secret?

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Heather

One of my favorite blogs to read is Post Secret, a site where people anonymously send in postcards containing a secret that they have never told anyone. A lot of the secrets are very sad, and I often finding myself hoping that the person gets help or talks to someone about the problem. Occasionally, the secrets are funny, like the person who thinks the new pope looks scary. (So do I!) I’m always surprises by what I see there, and I’m also a little encouraged because it is a nice reminder that I’m not the only one who feels certain things.

I think sometimes that the whole internet is a little like Post Secret, in that no one really knows who you are and you can pretty much safely say what you are afraid to tells those who are close to you. Blogs, obviously, work a little like this, but I think we often hold back if we know that it is read by our families and friends. I’d like to think, though, that I am as honest as possible in my blog even though quanta, my parents, and who knows who else reads my blog. And I’m also a little surprised that when I tried to think of something to send to Post Secret I couldn’t think of any deep, dark secrets that I held.

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Saying Goodbye to a Friend

Posted on October 26, 2005 by Heather

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about a friend of mine. We became friends when I switched to a new school in grade six. She moved away three years later, but we did our best to keep in contact through high school and university. I even went to visit her during a very difficult time for me, and she and her family were a great comfort. And, of course, I was there for her wedding and even helped her pick out her dress.

Time has gone by though, and things have changed. She has been married for about five or six years now, and is busy with her two small children. A great deal of distance separates us, but until recently we still exchanged letters and cards. Of course, cards from her have been arriving later and later, and letters were getting fewer and fewer, but I wasn’t going to let our friendship lapse because of that.

I don’t want to sound petty, but quanta and I have been married for nearly a month now and she has yet to send a note congratulating us. I’m not hoping for a gift or anything fancy, just a short note to let us know that she cares. quanta and a lady from work, Italia, both think that it might be time to let things go. This isn’t the first time she as neglected to send a note when it was appropriate. Maybe it really is time to let our friendship fade away.

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Anything Else?!

Posted on October 20, 2005 by Heather

Yesterday was not a good day. The Wendy’s Restaurant next door had a small fire, caused by a leak from the Second Cup above it. This caused our small mall area to close down. We were told by security to leave the store, but our jerk of an owner didn’t think we needed to. By the time we finally convinced him that we were leaving and he could stay if he wanted the alarm had been turned off. *sigh*

Thankfully, the rest of the day at work went fairly smoothly. But, my bus was over 30 minutes late, and I was very cold standing outside waiting for it. The problem is that work is still very, very warm, so I am dressing in light clothes and sandals so that I will be comfortable there. Normally I am outside for such a short time that I don’t get too cold waiting for the bus. Last night, I nearly lost feeling in my toes.

I had high hopes for today. I’ve got the day off and only a few things to do. So, I had planned on reformatting my notebook computer in an attempt to get it cleaned up and get my DivX codec working again. I just finished backing up everything important, and now when I try to reboot it just sits there… dead. I guess I can look on the bright side, since everything did get backed up. I just wish I knew why it has stopped working. *sigh*

Oh well, it’s not the end of the world. Now my afternoon is free for a nap, instead of spending the time reinstalling software. 🙁

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Big Questions

Posted on October 19, 2005 by Heather

– What if your talents don’t match with what you want to do?

– What if more money isn’t the answer?

– Is it really possible to make a comfortable living doing what you want?

These are some pretty heavy questions, but they are what I’ve been thinking about. Sometimes I’m a little frustrated that I’m not as successful as I would like. But, you know, I’m happy. I think that being happy and comfortable may be a little more important then making lots of money.

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