OW, my eyes! This site will make me blind.

Hmm . . .

Britney Spears is 19, Christina Aguilera is 19, the members of n'sync range in ages from 19-29. There are 26 year olds playing high school students on Popular.

So much for a "teen" revolution. Suddenly I don't feel so old anymore. :)

Nothing like getting naked for a good cause. The women of Salt Spring Island posed nude for a calendar.

True, but doesn't it sort of become a non-issue if both your boyfriend and you are staring at the vixen in question? That's so much easier to deal with:

boyfriend:"Do you think she's hot?"


girlfriend:"Yeah, she's hot."

See? Problem solved.

-----later-----

On the other hand, that also assumes that the girlfriend likes looking at other women, which isn't necessarily the case with all girlfriends.

Ah, if only the world were so simple.

I'll be the first to admit that Britney Spears is very attractive. But why does she have to be such a brainless pop-tart??? Everytime I have the misfortune of seeing her interviewed on TV or hearing her on the radio, you can almost hear her one brain-cell rattling around inside her skull.

She can't possibly be as stupid as she acts. If she is, I feel very sorry for her. If she isn't, I feel even more sorry for her.

Isnt' it possible for her to be attractive and intelligent? Can't she have some kind of substance behind all those shiny, lipsticked smiles? Am I just going to shake my head with disbelief when I hear her speaking when she's 50 and every perky little curve has headed south?

So sad.

Thank goodness for Britney Spears! Without her, semiconductor physics would be completely beyond my comprehension!

Found via Little Yellow Different.

How fun!!! A new blog for my amusement! Many funny new links, and even a SURVIVORblog! Joy joy joy!

~sigh~ This blog is so pretty. Maybe one day I can make beautiful things like that.

Ah, better. Now you can see the other fine blogs that are out there for your consumption.

I know . . . those weblog banner ads just screwed up my formatting.

Never fear. I have to readjust the header anyway, so give me some time and I'll straighten it out. :)

Oh, by the way . . . the package I got was a t-shirt I won from Intraware. Imagine my delight! I never win t-shirts!!!

Of course, not everyone feels like sunshine and roses all the time.

I had just got back from McDonald's, and I was balancing a crispy chicken sandwich, a medium fries and a medium iced tea and trying to get my mail at the same time. I opened the door to my mailbox to discover a rather large package, as well as several useless flyers. With my one free hand, I deposited the flyers one by one in the nearby garbage. When I reached for the garbage next to me, I noticed a man standing behind me. Apparently he lives in the building, but I didn't recognize him. I was surprised to see him standing there, as I hadn't known that anyone was standing behind me.

"You're in my way," he said to me. I raised my eyebrows at him in surprise, and turned back to my mailbox to pull my package out with my one free hand.

"I'm just kidding," he said. I forced out a half-cough, half-laugh, if only to convey the fact that it was one of the un-funniest things I had heard in a while. Most of my neighbours are nice, but he isn't one of them. I balanced my goods and made my way to the stairwell, relieved that I wouldn't have to share an elevator with him.

I'm getting really tired of listening to aging men bitch and complain and trod on everyone in their path. If you can do one thing today, for crying out loud, try not to be an asshole.

The Blog of the Week this week makes me realize how much I have to be thankful for.

The truly meaningful things in life suddenly become apparent when life is so fragile. Even a sunrise can be the most remarkable thing in the world.

Oh, super.

My FTP access is on the fritz again.

So much for my archive. It's missing in action, and I get a TCP error everytime I try to replace it on my site.

Looks like more problems with Freeservers. ~sigh~

Well, I don't quite look like the second picture. I look exactly like the first picture, but with much darker hair.

The tone isn't quite as warm as I had hoped, so I think it may take a few more sessions to get the colour to a rich, deep brunette.

My hair has finally given up.

I've taken as good care of it as I can, but all the bleaching has taken its toll. Bleaching one's hair at home is a delicate business, one that I'm not sure Forever North and I can manage without causing my hair to break off and fall out.

I'm afraid it's time to be a brunette again for a while.

Let me just say how much I've enjoyed being a blond. I also thoroughly enjoyed being a redhead. I would do both again in a heartbeat, and there are many shades left that I'd like to experience. Light blonde, deep red . . . the whole spectrum.

But I must now face that it's time to give my hair a break. It has been through hell, and I'm sure it won't take anymore.

So, tonight, I go from this:

to this:

Wish me luck!!!

That's super. Now I have a new way to die from cancer. Eating ice cream.

Found via Oh My Blog.

My computer is working so well that now Netscape shuts down while I'm in the middle of something and doesn't even give me an error notice! How thrilling! How efficient!

It is time to buy a new computer.

How exciting! Now all you people can leave me voice mail messages. I don't know why you'd want to do that, but hey, knock yourself out.

780-423-2492 ext. 2109

Nope.

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH.

Okay, let's see if I have FTP access today . . .

This is the second consecutive day that I am without FTP access to my site. I am utterly delighted.

Points to this gentleman for having the first blog I've seen that uses the word "choad" in it.

Don't know what a "choad" is? Well, see, there's this spot that the gentlemen out there I'm sure are familiar with that is often called the "taint" (as in, taint the balls, taint the ass . . . say it outloud and it makes much more sense). Okay, that's about as far as I'll go here before I end up with an X-rating or something.

Of course, I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that a "choad" is the same as a "taint". You're welcome to email me if I'm mistaken.

I have one nerve left, and Freeservers is standing on it.

It's time to consider packing up and moving. Any suggestions on where Limeworld could move to? Where do you host your domain? Tell me.

Ah yes, nothing like receiving an email addressed to someone else:

Subject: Shh...it's a secret...!!!!!

*~spencer~*


Hey this is erin. I just wanted to tell you that I talked to derrick and he said him and aaron were working on getting people to come do dustins party, because i wouldn't be there....so they said they would do it ok? Is dustin in a lot of trouble, because your momc alled my house this morning crying!??!? Is he still going to have his party, because my friend lindsey said that u told her this morning he couldn't talk on the phone or the internet, so i was just wondering. Well write back if u have a chance...


bu bye


*~erin~*

Hi Erin,

It's not much of a secret now, because you've got the wrong email address.

Limegirl

That image looked so awful, I decided to remove it. You can go have a look at it on the CDC page.

Caroline was taking a bath, and it looks like she left me a code on the bathroom wall!

On the wall, it says "xpt", "paris", and "bluebird".

"Bluebird"? Is that like "Rosebud"??? Must . . . crack . . . code . . .

Frosty Canadian winters may be able to keep a lot of things from surviving, but I'm not sure it's going to stop the West Nile virus, a blood borne pathogen that causes West Nile encephalitis.

It seems the virus has survived the winter with the mosquitoes, which is what concerns me the most. Canadian winters have protected us from a lot of things, but mosquitoes still manage to survive. It may not be long before this virus becomes a Canadian problem too.

It's not just a human problem, either. Some birds are vulnerable to the virus, and the virus has been found in tissue sample from some dead horses. (Read about West Nile and animals here)

I really hope they can come up with a vaccine for this.

So Caroline wore what I suggested for her evening with her friend Sophie. I can see that this friendship is really blossoming. She asked to hear more about me, so I think she likes me too.

What a gal.

Look, I built an anukshuk inukshuk on the shore of Lake Minnewanka. Yay me!

Hey, I just learned how to fix my leaky bathroom faucet via the internet.

Not only am I entertaining, but I'm also educational. Tell your kids!

~psssst~ Hey, did you know there are many species of bamboo that can survive a winter in Canada? Pretty cool!

http://bambooworld.com/

Hmm . . . excuse me . . . I have some shopping to do! :D

Tealights . . . ahhhhh . . . we had a bunch of these laid out on our picnic table while camping. It was so pretty. :)

These would make the tealights sooo pretty . . .

This would be so nice in the bathroom with a relaxing warm bath . . .

Mmmm . . . more yummy storage!

Ooh, this would save soooo much space!

Pretty storage! I love pretty storage!

Ooh, pretty rugs! If only I had hardwood floors . . .

I LOVE this! Finally somewhere to put all those bloody CDs!

Ooh . . . cute armchairs!

This would be so much better than the cardboard boxes the TV is resting on now:

A good couch is really dependent on how comfortable it is, but this one is kind of funky looking:

Ooh . . . pretty bed linen . . . something I can afford!!!

I've never had a wardrobe . . . a matching wardrobe would be so nice . . .

Then I could add some pretty dressers

like this:

or this:

No, wait . . . I love this one! It would save so much space, and I could have a little nook underneath!

I love my bed, with its four antiquated posts, but if I were to buy a new bed, this one would be pretty darn nifty:

Yay! I just got the latest IKEA catalog!

Now I can look at all the beautiful things they have for sale that won't fit in my squalid little bachelor pad that are totally out of my price range.

~sigh~

I had to come clean to Caroline . . . lying is no way to start a friendship. I lied about where I live, my age, what my first name is, but thankfully, Caroline is still talking to me.

She's such a good friend . . .

Mochi and Koji may seem pretty big for rodents, but this picture clearly shows just how big chinchillas can eventually get!

From CA Chins

Okay, Online Caroline is not dumb.

In fact, it's rather clever, and I'm slowly being sucked in. I don't know how or why this was created, but dammit, it's good.

And I'm totally addicted to IT3C. I'm sending all sorts of useless things to the people I know and love. No one knows if they'll ever get there, but hey, sending it is half the fun!

Boy, I wish I had visited Movies That Suck before FN, GMAN and I rented The Mod Squad.

Wait, I don't see it listed. There must be some mistake.

Found via Dack.com

Are you a lazy, cheapskate SOB? Is your friend's birthday coming up, and you can't get off your ass to buy them something? No problem!

Now there's IT3C, a virtual gift-giving service with a difference!

Goodwill. Globally.

Interesting . . . Online Caroline seems to be both demented and pointless.

Reminds me of a porn site where the premise was a gal pretending to showcase her real life online. In fact, it was a poorly fabricated lie.

Of course, I would never frequent a site like that.

Not much, anyway.

I love Robot Frank and his mundane little robot life.

Found via Dack.com

Oh my, what is this? Oh dear, I'm signing up. Oh my goodness . . . what have I gotten myself into???

Found via Neale

We "revolutionize clicks-and-mortar mindshare", and we're not afraid to admit it.

web economy bullshit generator

I love a bit of bullshit everyday.

One last look at the Limeworld gang before I go:

Adventures in Yahoo Part I:

homeboy: waz up? well would you join my club it is called Imort Madness checki out its off the hook! Homeboy's club


me: Okay, I'll have a look. Thanks.


homeboy: koo


homeboy: did u join?


me: Actually, I'm trying to look at it and check my email at the same time.


homeboy: oh


me: I was looking at your personal site . . . it's great, but the ENTER link doesn't lead to your page.


homeboy: yea it does


homeboy: go here then


me: Yeah, I did. Thanks. It didn't load.


homeboy: Homeboy's kickin' page


me: It gave me a white page.


homeboy: its probably loading cuz it has flash


me: It says it's done loading.


homeboy: click on that link i gave u


me: I did


homeboy: do u have windows 95


me: Windows 98


homeboy: then it should work


me: Okay, well, it's not working, but thanks anyway.


homeboy: k

So . . . I'm going camping this weekend, but I just found out that all the campsites in Peter Lougheed National Park are full. Now I have no idea where we'll stay. I may be writing you from a ditch somewhere next time . . .

I love Age of Empires 2, and now I have a new source of amusement . . . Age2oons! :D

Um, invisiphiles? This is a joke, right?

On the lighter side of things, it's been a busy few days!

On Sunday, Forever North and I went to Ma-Me-O beach on Pigeon Lake, about an hour from where we live. It was a beautiful, sunny day . . . perfect for a refreshing dip in the lake.

We arrived, set out our towels, stripped down to our suits and scampered into the water. It was fantastic . . . as good as I had hoped.

After spending a half an hour or so in the water, we decided to go out and warm up a bit in the sun. I climbed onto my towel, stretched out and basked in the sun. FN stood on the shore not far from me, and I noticed him patting his pockets.

"What is it?" I asked.


"The car keys," he said.


"What, you mean they were in your pocket?"


"Yes," he said, gravely.


"And now they're not???"


"Nope."

It was now apparent that our car keys were now at the bottom of Pigeon Lake.

We scampered back into the water and tried to feel around the lake bed with our feet. They would have been easy to find in the shallow water if the water had been clear, but its greenish, cloudy hue was impossible to see through.

We decided that we would have to call for help now, so I went in search of a pay phone so that we could call FN's brother and father and let them know what was happening. FN continued to search as well as he could.

I got my clothes on and began to walk in search of a pay phone. I figured there had to be one somewhere. Walking on the beach wasn't too bad, but walking in sandles with sand caked on your feet can be a bit abrasive. I made my way to the road, and soon I could feel my heels starting to ache. Running shoes would have made a much better choice of footwear, but who would have thought that our car keys would have ended up at the bottom of the lake?

It wasn't long before I started to feel a distinct ache and tingle on my shoulders, and realised that sunscreen was in order. I slathered it on and continued down the road. I was a bedraggled sight, becoming increasingly sore and dehydrated as I went. I walked for 30-45 minutes until I reached the centre of town.

I didn't know that Ma-Me-O beach was such a small town, but apparently it is. I did not find a corner store. I found 2 restaurants and 2 ice cream stands, and nothing else. I finally found the pay phone, and discovered that the call to Edmonton would be long distance. Terrific. So I called collect and finally got through to FN's dad. He called FN's brother, and made arrangements for him to meet us in Pigeon Lake after he finished work to pick us up with a spare key.

I walked back feeling even more bedraggled than before, and wondered what the higher reason was for us losing our keys in the lake. 30 minutes later, I dumped my butt down on my towel and collapsed.

We made some futile attempts at using a diving mask to try and find the keys, but the mask wouldn't seal over FN's glasses, and I felt too claustrophobic to use it myself. We tried borrowing goggles from one of the cabins down the beach (which was weird in itself), but the goggles wouldn't seal properly on my face. We decided to give up.

The day finally concluded four hours after it began with a nice Chinese supper in town and a long drive back home.

Rather unexpectedly, FN and I got invited to go fishing on Monday. That's obviously a work day, but the fishing was, oddly enough, work-related. :)

So, FN, FN's brother (GMAN), two Japanese guests (Dr. Y and Dr. O) and I piled into our Nissan Axxess and drove to Beaver Lake in northern Alberta (just outside of Lac La Biche). We left at 5:30 in the morning, and arrived at 9:00.

Lac La Biche may have "All Services", but it's still a very small town. I always feel somewhat amused, somewhat wary whenever we go to a small town. Just imagine a group of 5 people, 4 of whom appear obviously Asian in an otherwise non-Asian town. We get looks everywhere, although thankfully most people are friendly. I guess it would have been less weird if it had just been FN, GMAN and I, since we do a pretty good job of fitting into the small town scene, but having two Japanese guests makes for a rather unusual sight.

We rented a boat and headed out onto the water. GMAN was the first to catch a fish, using a jig lure and a frozen (or rather, semi-frozen by that point) minnow. He caught a good sized northern pike, which I'll post a picture of as soon as I have a chance. Soon, both Dr. Y and Dr. O had caught fish. FN followed soon afterwards. I, however, had not even a nibble. I refused to be discouraged, but I was disappointed, given how much success everyone else was having. I continued to harvest a large number of weeds right up until we went for lunch.

We went to town for lunch, and had some simple food and cool, refreshing drinks. The heat was starting to climb out on the water, and I was starting to long for a swim.

After lunch, we decided to try a different spot. We went to a cove near where a river enters Beaver Lake. With two boats, we were sure to have more success. Sure enough, shortly after arriving at that spot, I caught a beautiful walleye with a jig lure and minnow bait. Rarely have I ever been so thrilled. It's awkward getting a grip on a fish, but holding a fish in your hands that is still alive is a breathtaking feeling. You can feel its heart beating and its muscles twitching.

I felt so overwhelmed, so honoured to have this powerful little creature in my hands. It was too small to take home, but I couldn't have taken it home anyway. I couldn't have felt the animal living in my hands only to watch it die. I wanted to watch it, and the others I caught after it, free to wriggle out of my hands in the water and swim to freedom below. It was breathtaking, and extremely addictive.

Unfortunately, later in the afternoon, I found myself succumbing to heat exhaustion. Despite the water I had been drinking, I could feel myself growing weak and ill. FN had to take me ashore and fill me with as much cold fluids as he could find. I drank a can of iced tea, a bottle of water, ate 2 large popcicles and sat with 6 cold drinks in my lap and a bag of ice between my legs. I was slow to recover, but gradually the urge to lie down and pass out began to fade.

As the day started to cool off, the prospect of catching more fish became tantilizing. Dr. Y wanted very much to be able to take a fish home, so one more trek out onto the lake was to be made in the early evening. I decided that I wanted to go too . . . I was sure that there were more fish out there waiting for me.

We tried other spots on the lake, but we got nary a nibble. We ended up going back to the spot where we had been before, and lo and behold, I caught more walleye. I ended up catching 3 walleye in total over the course of the day, and FN caught 2 walleye and 2 northern pike. It was quite exciting indeed!

We drove back to Edmonton in the late evening, and dragged our weary selves to bed. It was a long day, but well worth it.

All in all, I incurred the following over the last 2 days:

1 burnt shoulder


1 burnt chest (near collarbone)


2 burnt ears


1 burnt neck (both sides and the back along the hairline)


1 lightly toasted nose


1 lightly toasted forehead


2 lightly toasted cheeks


15 mosquito bites (I had none before this)


3 scratched fingers (from handling the fish and trying to take the hook out with my fingers)

I wore sunscreen, but I was stupid and neglected certain areas. I don't know what I was thinking, but I'm certainly not going to make that mistake again. My ears and chest are the most burnt, and they're itchy and throbbing. :P

All in all, however, I'm very pleased. It was lots of fun, and all of my "injuries" just seem like battle scars now. I went to battle, and now I am a fishing warrior!

Next time will be even better, because I will get more than 4 hours of sleep, I will slather on sunscreen, and I will drink tons of water every day leading up to the trip.

~phew~ What a couple of days. Time to go back to sleep. :)

I feel 55% healthy.

I'm recovering from heat exhaustion, and it's going rather slowly. Just sitting here checking my email is exhausting, and I got tons of sleep last night.

I feel so worn out that I wanna give myself I.V. fluids and a catheter so I can lie in bed and not move for a few days. ~sigh~

Well, at least I didn't end up with heat stroke.