Since this happened at stupid o'clock this morning, before any of the day's other events, today's thing for the happiness meme is that I lost my eBay virginity and bought a copy of the looong out-of-print Matchbox 1998 tour video Live from Australia. Yay! :D

Aside from my too-early-morning fangirly glee, today was obviously Inauguration Day for the Americans. I've been thinking about the election since it happened and it occurred to me at some point that ultimately, a vote for Barack Obama wasn't a vote against John McCain. Or against Hillary Clinton. It wasn't against the Republicans - it wasn't even for the Democrats. McCain's been a senator for many years. Hillary may not have been the one in the Oval Office before, but she was close enough that she counts as being old guard, too. No, a vote for Obama was a vote for the future, against the past, and that future began today. May it be a bright one.

There was more I was going to say, about that and some other stuff, but I'm so tired that I'm mentally slurring so it'll have to wait for another time. :-)

Mkay, I haven't even posted all week, oops, and now my head is just spinning because I've been looking at Canadian news and what the fuck, people?! I guess Harper's plan of slipping through the election because everyone was paying more attention to what was going on in the US has just blown up in his face. Parliament's closed until the end of January when the budget's due so he can figure out how to not be ousted by a coalition that includes the Bloc. And does anyone know if the Liberal leader candidate Bob Rae is the same Bob Rae that was the Ontario Premier under the NDP umbrella in the 90s? I can't imagine that it's *not*, it's not that common a name, especially in the in-bred political world. Just... the hell? I mean I don't like Harper, he gives me the heebie-jeebies, but I don't much care for Dion either, and while I do like Jack Layton, putting the NDP in charge is a bad idea when the economy is all puppies and rainbows, never mind now. Erm, but a coalition of everybody else against the Conservatives? Wow. I don't think we've *had* a coalition government in my lifetime. (This is partly due to almost half of that being under Trudeau, though, natch.) I don't even know what to SAY to that! No, that's not true, actually, I do: bet the Conservatives wish they'd never dropped the 'Progressive' from their name now. :P

Also, whilst on the political subject, I think the Brits are even more obsessed with US politics than Canadians. Seriously, it is as overarchingly prevalent in the media here. Difference comes in at Canadian politics, which aren't even mentioned, hence me doing periodic catch-ups - which I obviously need to do more often so I don't get my head blown off, yeesh! The dollar's back down to 76 cents US, too, which is possibly the clearest sign to my mind that the Americans electing Barack Obama into office has had an enormous impact on global confidence in the US. It violated my notions of natural order when the Canadian dollar was worth the same and sometimes more than the US dollar. It's just not normal. The United States of America is supposed to be the movie star, you know? Canada, we're Gene Hackman. Talented, hardworking, and always *there* but turn that spotlight somewhere else, plz.

I'm in a ridiculously good mood, for absolutely no fathomable reason, which only makes it more welcome, really. I spoke with the temp consultant today and she will contact me if anything suitable comes up for next week; in the meantime it's about jetting the CV out there and it doesn't bother me so much today. I suppose that means I'm over my disappointment about losing out on the other job. It obviously was not meant to be.

I made a completely frivolous purchase today - well, two, since I also picked up Kerrang for its included Iron Maiden tribute CD that has a track by Metallica on it *waves extra copy at evaine*, but that was fannishly necessary, dude. That's a totally different category. ;D No, the other thing I bought was this five CD box set of 100 80s songs. Hee! There are a handful I don't know sprinkled through the collection, prolly b/c it's a British compilation, but sooo many that I have varying degrees of love for, even if some of it is shameful. *cheerful grin*

Speaking of music, I hear a decent amount of Bryan Adams and, strangely, Shania Twain on the radio, but I really, really miss hearing Matt Good. Not that I can't power up iTunes and listen to him any time I want, but that's not the point. It's such a tragedy that his music hasn't crossed over here, or all that much to the States, either. Although, blargh, guess what has? Oh, come on, you know who, or at least you should if you're a Canuck. Yeah, that's right, the Tragically fucking Hip. Oh Gord Downey, why won't you leave me the fuck alone???

And that reminds me, a note to non-North Americans: if you hear someone speak and think that they sound like they're from North America, the appropriate question to ask is, "Where are you from?" Do not ask, "Are you from America?" While most Canadians will politely correct you - it's what we're known for, after all :P - even I, who adore many Americans and considered moving there, will sound distinctly frosty whilst doing so (I can't help it). It's like a national hot button, which didn't always provoke such a strong response but has definitely evolved into doing so in, say, the last 8 years or so. ;) I actually had a discussion with the guy at LUSH about that, b/c he'd learned the hard way not to ask the latter question and upset his customer. Though it's interesting in and of itself that the USA is referred to as "America" here. We never say that back home. It's "the US" or "the States"; "America" is only ever used as part of the full, formal name or when referring to the continent as a whole, which is undoubtedly why Canadians don't use it to refer to the country immediately south of us, because it's more heavily associated with the continent and hey, fuck you, we're part of that, too. We take it up the ass enough from NAFTA for there to be any doubt about that, dammit.

I've been vaguely dizzy a few times today and I'd be concerned about it, except that I just realised that I haven't eaten yet, like at all, so I'm not sick, I'm just an idiot. I wasn't even hungry in the grocery store, though, so I didn't really think about it. Oh, and I bought some Quaker Oats instant oatmeal. "Golden Syrup" flavour, which hopefully doesn't suck, but is the only non-plain flavour that doesn't have bits of something in it, and I can't reasonably expect there to be Maple here, heh. But, I was just reading the directions, and it calls for motherfucking milk. You're supposed to add milk to it and then microwave it. WTF? The sachets at home call for boiling water. I have not decided yet if I'm going to attempt making it with water and see what happens, though I likely will. I mean one of the things I *like* about oatmeal is that it's a dairy-free breakfast for me. *grumbles* *goes to munch on crispy seaweed, mmm*

I have, perhaps surprisingly, been more or less following the US elections. Maybe it's from having been friends with politically-minded people long enough that some of it's rubbed off, heh. Or it could be because what happens there will affect what happens here on an even larger scale than usual, and in an increasingly uncertain world, I find that there isn't the room for wilful ignorance that there used to be. Despite that, and despite obviously being aware of Obama Barak's race, it did not occur to me to worry about his personal safety whilst making a speech. This blog entry demonstrates that there were people so worried, though; scared that his ultimate prize would be not the Presidency he seeks but death. It's a sobering and heartbreaking read, and I encourage you to read it for that very reason. There is an awareness there that I will never share. That's okay, because I am who I am and I can't, nor do I want to, change that. But it bears reminding me of that every so often, because the true crime would be to forget.

Tangential to that is this article about the new security measures for US drivers' licences that the HSO wants put in place. Ew. Invasive much?

In ...happier news (?), we have moved the cat's food dish to the second platform of his tree. This is actually more easily accessible than the first platform, as it's a small step above the end table beside the couch he gets up on twelve million times a day already anyway. The idea is that he will go to his food dish when he's actually hungry, as opposed to his existing habit of, "When in doubt, eat." We tried to do the rationed portions at specific times thing (he's always been allowed to free graze dry food), but my dad is the one who feeds him primarily and he wasn't cooperative with that. *eyeroll* Nibbs needs to lose some weight and the mother saw the tip about the tree location and we thought that might actually work with him. He's not exactly a happy camper about it but this was the first day, so we shall see. So far the only problem is that he keeps forgetting where it's moved to... *sigh*

This entry on the Making Light blog, entitled, "We Give Thanks for Peace on the Border" after the Steeleye Span song, inspires a lot of thought. It's about the USA/Canadian border and the asininity that currently characterises Homeland Security et al's attitudes towards and proposed governance of it. This is a subject I've talked about before, but placed in a fuller, less personal context with a lot of intelligent discussion going on in the comments.

Elizabeth Wein has a funny post about not wanting to be the next Lancelot. If you write, it'll make more sense, but it's good nonetheless.

It's going to snow and everything else again tomorrow, so I went on a liquor run today and I intend to spend New Year's Eve right here with my computer, my TV and a bottle of bubbly, in my pyjamas. I'm not much for NYE partying, anyway - it goes into the same category as prom queen wannabes and bridezillas: too-high expectations ruining everyone's fun. I did the whole Nathan Philips Square thing in Toronto; once. Never felt the need for a repeat, especially since the nearest available bathrooms were at St. Michael's Hospital some twelve blocks away. *eyeroll* No, the one New Year's tradition I indulge in is sparkling wine or Champagne, and phoning/etc. people to say "Happy New Year!" I'm quite happy to watch the fools in various city squares freeze their asses off from the comfort of my living room. :D

I don't do resolutions, either. I think that flipping over a calendar is an arbitrary and supremely shitty reason to make resolutions. If you want to make changes in your life, make them. Now. Whenever 'now' happens to be. Pledging to do things because the year has changed when you may not be ready, or your personal motivation isn't amped up to where it needs to be, or it isn't even something you really want to do but feel like you ought to, is just dooming you to failure. Interestingly, this is something I feel very strongly about despite the ten million kinds of hypocrisy evident in my own difficulty in making life changes. I am, however, going to make two resolutions this year: 1) watch more movies, especially with catching up on older stuff; and 2) get regular manicures. Not even 'getting' necessarily, doing them myself is perfectly fine, but I received six lovely bottles of nail polish for Christmas this year and I want to wear them all without feeling like I need to hide my hands because the cuticles are so ragged. I'm already working on that one and my nails are currently a pretty denim blue. ♥

It is an entirely unpleasant day outside. The torrential downpour seems to have finally quit but the 80 km/h winds are still very much present and it's just grey and dark. I'd considered curling up on the couch with a book for the afternoon but my couch is currently occupied by the four-footer, who is a giant suck and has one throw underneath and one over top whilst he sleeps like a big lump in the freaking middle of the couch. *laughs* Suffice it to say, I am feeling completely unmotivated to do anything. But, the rain HAS stopped, so I suppose I'll get ready and go run some errands, so I don't have to do it tomorrow when I could be enjoying the solitude. The 'rents are having a mini-holiday Sunday night, staying at a hotel on the beach, in an effort to bring the mother's blood pressure down. It's being screwy on her and that sort of thing is always good for her, so off they go.

C and I are supposed to be going out tonight - last night of the Pop Explosion. Unfortunately, while there are lots of bands playing in lots of places, nothing even *starts* until 10/10:30/11/11:30, and of the like two names that I do recognise, I'm not interested in seeing either one. The rest are basically random hopes. And the venue that's most likely to have bands we'd like is the one that doesn't get going until 11:30. Oy. I know things tend to run late in this city but I wasn't really looking to be just *starting* my night at midnight, y'know? I'm thinking maybe we'll ditch the idea and go to the movies or something. Or cancel altogether much as I dislike flaking. But all I really want to do today is hibernate. :-/

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Link salad

In non-me news, I'm presuming that most everyone has heard the news that Dumbledore is gay. Considering that my father felt it important to tell me when it showed up in the Sunday paper, I'm thinking that it's probably saturated everywhere by now. :D But, just in case.

Many of you might have missed eatpurelight's gorgeous Billie/Tré drabble; if so, go have a look. Beautiful language.

Speaking of language, as seen several places by now, Test your vocabulary and donate rice by the handful at the same time. I haven't tried it out yet but it's on mah list!

Zach Braff's found himself a nice Jewish girl: Shiri Appleby. They look cute together. :-)

synecdochic posted an interesting bit on monoculture that referred back to this post of vassilissa's about the USA and what non-Americans are expected to know about it. And touches on the other side of it, too, that conversely Americans can be shockingly ignorant of other countries/cultures. That last bit...that's kind of an ongoing national joke among Canadians, actually. Considering that we're, y'know, right there and all, geographically speaking. There are reasons that Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans is a much-beloved comedy sketch series. At the same time, it's a bit wince-inducing. (And yes, I *have* been asked before if I lived in an igloo. For reals.)

Aaaand some swearing in French! ( Cut for profanity, clearly.Collapse )

Oooookay... I'm familiar with Come As You Are; I mean, hi, Queen West in Toronto. :D I did not, however, have the slightest idea that they started such a thing as the Toronto Erotic Arts & Crafts Fair. Dude. WTF?! Oooo though I like the knit boa - unless it's wool, in which case, I'd still be allergic lol (can't wear feathers - or fur! - either). O_O There seems to be a LOT of knitting-related kink links there, too. Hee.

Totally unrelated WTF...the dollar is a dollar???!!! Or so close as to be virtually indistinguishable. For those of you not Canuck or US border-dwellers, our vernacular is to say, "The dollar is $XX.XX," with 'the dollar' meaning the Canadian dollar and the given amount being the US dollar, which until recently was some-odd cents. They are not supposed to be fucking equal. Ow the economy!

That's my preferred poison, as it is for both my parents, my godparents, my cousins, several friends... lol. Actually, I also prefer Pepsi because as angela_o educated me, Pepsi > Coke because vanilla > cinnamon for my personal tastes. But if I order it at a bar, I just ask for a rye and coke because whatever sort of cola they have on tap is what I'll get.

Anyway, the parents drink a specific kind of rye, aka Canadian whiskey, and they buy a specific bottle size - a 40, aka 40 oz or 1.17L. Since they moved here seven years ago, this size bottle has always come with a mini of a different type of the same brand whiskey, i.e., special old or a different blend or whatever, and neither of them really likes the other stuff, so they've been collecting it. This is usually what I drink, lol. But I don't drink all that often and I couldn't for the first six months or so that I lived here, so it's an impressive little collection taking up most of the bottom drawer of the hutch by this time. Hee. Which actually has little to do with what I was thinking about, really; it's just highly amusing. I feel like a failed lush when I have to get envelopes from that drawer. *grins*

So - back to ordering at the bar. If I'm in Canada, 'rye and coke' is just fine, and I'll get what I want. In the USA, it's iffy. I've gotten anything from Bushmills (yay! Irish is also v. good), to Jack Daniels (nearly spit it back at the bartender, omg!yuck), to blank stares. I've learned to ask for either Canadian whiskey, which can also be iffy because frequently they stock the shit brands, or for Crown and coke, which is usually intelligible but also more expensive as it's a premium brand (and I generally drink Wiser's Deluxe; Crown Royal occasionally sparks off an allergic reaction for some reason so I avoid it though I like it well enough).

But for some reason I was thinking about people drinking in the UK tonight and it occurred to me to wonder, wtf would I get in a British bar if I ordered a rye and coke? Anyone ever asked for one there? *is all curious now* If not, anyone willing to field test it for me? :D

Hanging out in Chapters last night was fun, btw. We ended up in the middle of children's books in the line - the 5-8 yo section - and proceeded to read to each other and play with the Gund display. There was a really pretty stuffed beaver that turned out to be a hand puppet and we completely cracked up like the twelve-year-olds we are. :D And there was a, "10...9...8..." type countdown at midnight and then a lot of screaming. o_O Last time, I didn't actually arrive at the bookstore until about 12:15 - in fact, I was out dancing at a bar with some friends and was like, "Oh hay midnight gotta go!" LOL

The recent lj_biz posts meant to clarify what constitutes a violation of the ToS have been not that well presented or thought out; very poor examples were chosen to attempt to illustrate their explanations and it makes me a little uneasy. However, fandomtossed is still going over on GJ and according to this post, someone reported one of their own NC17, non-con, underage HP slash fics to the Abuse Team and their response was, "The material in question does not violate our policies on acceptable content." So there's that. Apparently they can tell the difference between fiction and truth after all. There is, however, whatisobscene, which is "[a] community to discuss what is obscene on Livejournal," since the Miller test et al were invoked in the explanations, meaning that obscenity is partially determined by community standards.

matociquala has a post about the recent doings of the US government that those of y'all who are residents should read - as should those of us who are neighbours. It's extremely sobering and, dare I say, frightening. In truth the USA frightens me now in general. Growing up, I didn't even think of us as separate countries. We were North America, man. Friends; brothers even. As I got older, I obviously understood that we were different - that, in fact, Canada is ever and always caught between the States and the UK, pulled in two different directions whilst trying to carve our own identity in the middle. My first trip to California was in August 2001 and it was glorious. Right after that, of course, everything changed. I realised after my last trip this May that the US is no longer a country in which I feel welcome, or safe, as a non-American. It saddens me. It also makes me aware that by this point, mostly I am grateful that the job/move to San Francisco did not end up being feasible. As much as I love that city, it doesn't exist in a vacuum and what governs its country is not friendly to me.

Gacked from screwthedaisies and evaine.

My Birthday: March 8
Your Colour: Mauve Mist
My Attributes: Good-natured, productive, spiritually strong

You have a strong spiritual side that can be a great source of strength when channeled properly. You were meant to do something that has meaning and value. Try not to let material concerns bog you down. Focus your sense of responsibility toward high ideals and aspirations. Cultivate discipline and self-effort early on to avoid losing your footing later on in life. Your personal color resonates with your spiritual integrity. Wearing, meditating or surrounding yourself with Mauve Mist is uplifting and helps you sustain a positive and healthy outlook. (From here.)

(Re: unitalicised section: Oops. So thaaaaat was the problem. *snerk*)

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Not entirely unrelatedly, I got my university alumni magazine in the mail today and I always feel weird reading through it. For all that I graduated from U of T, so much of that time is a total blur that it doesn't feel like my school. Queen's still feels like my school. (For those going WTF, I went 2 years at Queen's, got married, transferred. Hence, blur.) I don't do anything to take advantage of being an alumna, and there are some perks associated with having attended one of the largest schools in the country. Mind you I don't need health & dental insurance atm since I get that at work, but I will when I leave. Which process would be facilitated by the mail I was supposed to get today and did not: my passport. Though I am not at all surprised by the delay as I indicated I would not be travelling until 2007, and there is a MASSIVE demand for passports right now due to the restriction being implemented on January 23rd that Canadians must possess a passport in order to enter US airspace. Ground and sea entries will require such come 2008. I can't say that the institution of the requirement surprises me; indeed, I think it's a good idea. But it saddens me a little that the camaraderie and understanding that had existed between our two countries when I was a little girl has eroded so greatly. Somewhere, I have a photograph of me on the bridge at Niagara Falls, in my mom's way oversize sunglasses, with one foot in Canada and one foot in the United States. It's yet another innocent pleasure that has fallen prey to the modern world.