Zombie and Prejudice

Books That Have Stayed With Me

2010-09-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

Once again, I am borrowing an idea from a friend on Facebook. Mostly I ignore these things, but one of my book club friends did this and since I really do love reading, I thought that I would give it a try myself. Here are the instructions.

List books you've read that have stuck with you. List as many as you can recall.

In Alphabetical order:

All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque
This novel tells the story of a WWI veteran from the perspective of a German soldier.

Animal Farm – George Orwell
Definitely not a children’s book.

The Bread Bible – Beth Hensperger
This is the book that really got me started making my own bread in a way that my bread machine ultimately failed. Because of the awesome recipes in this book, I now happily make pretty much all of my own bread by hand. Normally I hate a cook book without pictures, but the recipes are so good that despite this failing, it is still probably my most used reference book in the kitchen.

A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking
This is a book about Physics that is written for mainstream audiences. It is a great overview of various subjects in cosmology that is simple enough to understand without specialized knowledge, but with enough scientific detail to keep it interesting and genuinely informative.

The Brothers Lionheart – Astrid Lindgren
It’s a children’s book about two brothers who have adventures in a fantasy world while fighting battles against the forces of evil. I remember reading it at night in my room with a flashlight and loving it. This is the same author that wrote the Pippi Longstocking series.

The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
I read this one as a teenager and it is probably the least well known of her books, but totally the best (in my humble opinion), about a woman that decides to stop caring about conventions and to say/do exactly what she thinks and feels, with hilarious consequences.

A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens
Great Christmas reading.

A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
This is a dystopian novel that takes place in the near future. In describing the adventures of the violent and amoral protagonist/anti-hero, the author practically invents a new language, which is meant to portray futuristic slang but is oddly understandable within the context of the story.

The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
This was the first book that I read by her and definitely my favourite. I wish that they would make a better movie version.

The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde
Hilarious comedy of manners.

Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
What’s not to love about Jane and Rochester’s forbidden love affair?

Les Liaisons Dangereuses – Choderlos de Laclos
A controversial and much banned book written in the 1700’s as series of letters between two morally corrupt aristocrats, this was the book that movies like Cruel Intentions and Dangerous Liaisons were based upon (originally set in 18th century France).

Like Water For Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
This is a story of doomed young love set during the Mexican Revolution. The heroine is forbidden to marry her true love due to a family tradition that demands the youngest daughter must not marry so that she can care for her mother until she dies. She is only able to express herself while cooking, and each chapter begins with a recipe. Reading this will make you hungry.

Moll Flanders – Daniel Defoe
The full title is really the best plot summary I can think of so I will quote that:
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who Was Born in Newgate, and During a Life of Continu’d Variety For Threescore Years, Besides Her Childhood, Was Twelve Year a Whore, Five Times a Wife (Whereof Once To Her Own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon In Virginia, At Last Grew Rich, Liv’d Honest, and Died a Penitent. Written From her own Memorandums.

The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco
A murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in 1327.

Night – Eli Wiesel
A haunting and tragic memoir of a Holocaust survivor.

Pride & Prejudice – I started reading Jane Austen in High School way before it was cool. Other kids thought I was weird (and probably still do, oh well), but I am glad about the current trendiness because it means lots of movies and adaptations. I love anything by Jane Austen, but P&P will always be my favourite.

The Road – Cormac McCarthy
I know, I know, the movie was sketchy, but I love post-apocalypse stories and the book really drew me in with its sad tale of a man and his son trying to survive and retain their humanity in a world gone terribly terribly wrong.

The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
About a young boy that finds a mysterious book and attempts to find out more about the author, only to discover that someone has been systematically destroying all of his works.

Stitch’n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook – Debbie Stoller
This is the book that really got me addicted to knitting. I am a pretty lazy knitter and mostly stick to easy stuff like hats and bags, but I love that I can make something by myself that is one of a kind, inexpensive and fabulous.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Set in London and France during the French Revolution. It took me some time to get into it, but I loved the story and particularly some of its unforgettable characters. My personal favourite is the twisted and vengeful Madame Defarge.

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
I love time travel stories, especially when the various time jumps do not result in inconsistencies. It’s confusing, but they all line up in the end. I am hoping that the movie will not be a disappointment.

The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
A classic children’s story about a much loved stuffed bunny. I really have to get this out of the library to read to the monkey.

War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
Epic novel set in Russia in the period leading up to Napoleon’s invasion and how this eventually impacts the lives and fortunes of various aristocratic families. It is long, but totally readable.

The Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks
It's nice to know that I am not the only one out there that is obsessed with zombies. When in doubt, aim for the head.

How Many of These Books Have You Read?

2010-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I stole this from a friends facebook.

Supposedly, the BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. I don't know if that is actually true or not, but I thought I would see how my own reading habits stack up, mostly because I really love to read books.

[x] 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
[x] 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
[x] 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
[ ] 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
[x] 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
[x] 6 The Bible
[x] 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
[x] 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
[ ] 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
[x] 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
[x] 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
[ ] 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
[x] 13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
[ ] 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
[ ] 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
[x] 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
[ ] 17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
[x] 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
[ ] 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
[ ] 20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
[ ] 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
[x] 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
[ ] 23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
[x] 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
[x] 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
[ ] 26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
[ ] 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
[ ] 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
[ ] 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
[x] 30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
[x] 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
[ ] 32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
[x] 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
[x] 34 Emma - Jane Austen
[x] 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
[ ] 36 The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
[x] 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
[ ] 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
[x] 39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
[x] 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
[x] 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
[x] 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
[ ] 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
[ ] 44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
[ ] 45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
[x] 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
[ ] 47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
[x] 48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
[x] 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
[x] 50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
[x] 51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
[ ] 52 Dune - Frank Herbert
[ ] 53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
[x] 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
[ ] 55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
[x] 56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
[x] 57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
[x] 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
[x] 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
[x] 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
[ ] 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
[x] 62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
[ ] 63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
[ ] 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
[x] 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
[x] 66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
[ ] 67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
[x] 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
[ ] 69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
[x] 70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
[ ] 71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
[ ] 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
[x] 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
[ ] 74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
[ ] 75 Ulysses - James Joyce
[ ] 76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
[ ] 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
[ ] 78 Germinal - Emile Zola
[x] 79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
[ ] 80 Possession - AS Byatt
[x] 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
[ ] 82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
[x] 83 The Color Purple
[ ] 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
[x] 85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
[x] 86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
[x] 87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
[ ] 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
[ ] 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
[ ] 90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
[x] 91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
[ ] 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
[ ] 93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
[ ] 94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
[ ] 95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
[ ] 96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
[ ] 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
[ ] 98 Beloved - Toni Morrison
[x] 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
[x] 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Assuming that I counted correctly, I got 51 out of the 100 titles on this list, so I guess that I am doing alright. I suspect most people would have read rather more than six though. I might refer to the list in the future when I am looking for books to get out of the library.

Attack of the Zombie Borg

2010-01-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

So, the husband and I were going off on a bit of a tangent the other day, and for whatever reason, we happened to be discussing the Borg (yes, we are geeks, in fact we were watching Deep Space 9 season 5 at the time, so there), and he brought up the interesting question as to whether or not the Borg would be able to assimilate Changelings. After some debate, we decided that they could not, but we both agreed that they could and would assimilate the Jem Hadar (spelling???) if they ever got the chance.

Anyhow, this led to the even more interesting (in my opinion) question of what the consequences might be of the Borg finding themselves exposed to the zombie virus. At first, we felt that what with the Borg nanoprobes and such, that they might be able to maintain remote control over the zombie Borg, despite their zombie-ism. The infected Borg would become zombies, but the collective would maintain control over them through the nanoprobes and their linked consciousness.

The more I thought about that though, the less sense it made. Maybe, the nanoprobes could succeed in destroying the virus, but assuming that they could not, I think that the virus would cause the infected Borg's conciousness to be severed from the link with the Borg collective. What seems more likely, would be that an infected Borg (in the early stages of the infection) would probably spread the virus throughout the cube when it tried to link up with its friends (kind of like spreading it through a blood transfusion), and once the virus took over completely, their link with the collective would be severed and they would start feasting on whatever brains they could get its hands on.

Probably, the rest of the collective would realize that something had gone terribly wrong, and use their linked minds to set the infected cube on auto-destruct or something. Or else they would just destroy it with weapons, since the zombie Borg wouldn't be able to operate the cube and what with being in outer space, they would be rather effectively isolated. It would be cooler if the virus could be spread to other cubes, but that somehow seems unlikely. So anyhow, yes, this is the sort of thing that we sometimes like to think about.

Getting Crafty With It - Homemade Advent Calendar

2009-11-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

So, I was feeling crafty this weekend, and being the Christmas fanatic that I am, I decided to make a homemade Advent Calendar for the upcoming holiday season. Let's start by giving credit where it is due, I got the idea and inspiration mainly from two different websites that showed similar projects. My own project is an amalgamation of ideas from both sites:

www.kiddley.com

www.craftlog.org

My first step was to obtain the necessary 25 matchboxes for this
project. Not as easy as you might think, though not especially difficult either. I initially tried my luck at the local craft store, but they didn't have matchboxes. The closest thing that they did have were similarly sized little gift boxes, but at over a dollar a piece I would have rapidly blown my budget. The very helpful lady that worked there suggested that I try the nearby dollar store.

Heeding her advice, I headed over there and was pleased to find that they sold packages of six little matchboxes for merely a dollar, much more to my of liking. The only problem now, what to do with all of the leftover matches. I settled on dumping them out the boxes, which resulted in a funny looking mini mountain of matches.

I used some long neglected scrap booking paper (purchased years ago on a momentary whim to become a scrapbooker, which never really came to fruition) to wrap up the outsides of the boxes. To make this easier I cut a stencil out of cardboard to the exact sized rectangle that I needed to cover the boxes. I decorated the boxes with some stickers and also labeled each with a number to indicate each of the days of December leading up to Christmas.

Next, I printed up and cut out little strips of paper containing Christmas or holiday related tasks and activities, folding them up and placing them inside of each of the boxes. I checked over the calendar to make sure that certain tasks fit on specific days, but for the most part you can be pretty flexible with this. I plan on adding some small goodies to each box as well, if I can find ones that are small enough to fit. I placed them all in a cookie jar and positioned it on the mantle. Final step, stand back and admire my supreme craftiness. I must say, I am pleased with the way that this turned out.

My list of Christmas/Holiday/Just-plain-fun activities is as shown below:

1. Write letters to Santa Claus
2. Paint everyones' toenails
3. Make paper snowflakes to decorate the house
4. Have a Christmas movie night
5. Make and hang edible gifts for the squirrels and birds
6. Enjoy hot chocolate with all of the trimmings
7. Choose some puppets to use to tell the bedtime story
8. Fold origami decorations for the Christmas tree
9. Dance and sing to Christmas music
10. Give everyone crazy hairstyles
11. Make decorations for the tree
12. Play a game in the backyard (or hot chocolate party if it is raining)
13. Pick out a nice Christmas tree, add decorations, and consume eggnog
14. Make a list of things that we are thankful for
15. Bake a batch of Christmas cookies
16. Have breakfast for dinner (pancakes, waffles, etc.)
17. Finish Christmas Cards for family and friends
18. Go star gazing or take a night time walk with flashlights and check out the Christmas lights
19. Go to see the Nutcracker Suite Ballet
20. Family Games Night
21. Bake another batch of Christmas cookies
22. Wrap a toy and bring it to a charity Christmas tree
23. Dress up fancy for dinner time
24. Prepare a special Christmas Eve treat for Santa Claus
25. It's Christmas! Remember that you have a family that loves you and that's the most important gift of all.

If anyone enjoyed this post or has done something similar that they would like to share, I would love to hear from you!

Lest We Forget

2009-11-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

It isn't easy to find the words to express some things, but for the sake of trying to remember a friend of mine that I lost this past year, I am going to attempt it. For the most part, I haven't really allowed myself to fully process or grieve for her passing. It is still in many ways too raw and painful to think about. What I remember most is the sick feeling of shock that rolled over me when I saw her picture in a news story, followed by the desperate hope that somehow it was all a mistake. I knew deep down of course that it wasn't, but I couldn't bare the thought of believing it. I still find it almost impossible to wrap my mind around the fact that she is really gone.

I remembered that it had only been a matter of days since I had checked out her latest photos on Facebook. I remembered thinking how happy she looked, and feeling proud of how successful she seemed to be. We had been closer many years ago, but for the most part we had lost touch with each other. Even so, as I tried to digest the news of her death, I felt myself reeling over from the shock. I collapsed into the chair on which I was sitting and I felt the tears pouring out of my eyes. Since that moment, it has been extremely difficult to really think about it, and for the most part I have avoided it.

It is easy enough in hindsight to say that there were warning signs, that someone should have known that something was wrong, but I think that everyone who knew her personally was just as shocked and stunned as I was, and probably more so. This was the first, and thankfully the only time in my experience, that someone I've known personally has chosen to take their own life. I had always believed that I would feel angry with someone for committing such an act, but I can honestly say that I have not been able to muster even the smallest shred of anger towards her. What I mostly feel is an aching sadness that no one had the slightest idea of the secret pain she must have carried around with her always.

There is the longing to go back in time to do something, say something, to make it somehow better. Even if I could just go back in time and stay a little more connected to her while she was still with us. She was a remarkable person, full of life, and talent, and kindness. Her story should not have ended this way. No one's story should ever end like that. To her family and loved ones, my deepest condolences for their tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with them at this time. Sad though I am, I know that I can scarcely imagine their pain. As for my friend, she was truly the kind of person that I feel fortunate to have known, however briefly. I can only hope that somehow she has now found the peace that seems to have eluded her in life.

Rest peacefully in Heaven. I will always remember you.

Bzz Hat

2009-06-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

Spoiler Alert - J., don't read this. You know who you are.

Finished my latest knitting project at last. It is a pattern called Bzz Hat from the book, Stitch n Bitch Nation. I am giving it to my sister for Christmas. I know it is rather early for that but I am hoping to make several knitted gifts for presents this year, so I have to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. I am pretty sure that my sister doesn't read this blog (does anyone?), so I am not particularly worried about spoiling anything. For my next project I have to do some quicky baby hats as gifts.

Susan Boyle - Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

2009-04-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

Wow. Like many people, I heard about this performance on the telly show, Britain's Got Talent, and so I decided to look up the clip on YouTube. I suspect that my initial reaction to this woman was much the same as the majority of others. I like to think that I am open minded and willing to judge people by their inner worth, but I am ashamed to admit that when I saw her, I just couldn't get past the thought that this poor lady was about to humiliate herself. Why? She looked, well, old and frumpy. She did not look at all like what I thought a star should look like. I wasn't proud of it, but a part of me was snickering right along with the audience.

But then she opened her mouth and started to sing and I was blown away, along with everyone else. To see the looks on everyone's faces, from the audience to the judges, was absolutely priceless - no less so, because I knew that the same look was on my own face. She took a hostile and derisive crowd that was chomping at the bit to tear her apart and instantly transformed and humbled them. The snarky and bemused laughter quickly stopped and was promptly replaced by looks of amazement and cheers. Even the terminally cynical Simon Cowell (and who can blame him, considering how many truly awful performances the man has been forced to sit through) was grinning from ear to ear.

There is something timeless and wonderful about the triumph of the underdog, and this was frankly one of the greatest come from behind victories that I have ever witnessed. So go, Susan go! You are my new hero. I don't actually watch any of the Idol/spin off type shows, but if I did, you would get my vote.

Hot Cross Buns

2009-04-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

We're just enjoying a lazy Easter long weekend here, and we decided to try our hand at hot cross buns, since this is a tradition in the husbands family. So, I figured I'd better give it a whirl and add them to my repertoire. The monkey and I worked away at them this morning, then let them rise for a bit. Pretty soon, they were about to overflow the confines of the bowl we put them in and take over the kitchen, so we proceeded with the next stage of prep. We haven't actually tried to eat them yet, but I just finished piping on the icing and I think they look yummy, if I say so myself. They had better be, after the disaster zone that was our kitchen while we baked these guys up. A good time was had by all throughout the process, so I think I will call the experience a success. Time to make up a nice cup of coffee and perform the taste test!

It`s my job to be cute, Mommy!

2009-04-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

So the monkey has discovered the art of delaying tactics as far as bed time is concerned, to the point where it is really starting to drive me bonkers.

After getting up for something like the 10th or so time, I told her that she could tuck herself back into bed this time, because mommy was going on strike.

To which she looked somewhat shocked and resulted in the following conversation:

Monkey - But Mommy!, that's your job to tuck me in!

Mom - Yeah, well maybe you should have done your own job, staying in bed and going to sleep.

Monkey - It's not my job to go to sleep, mommy! It's, it's.... my job to be cute! I'm a cuty pie!

Mom - (D'oh!) Okay fine, you win, you're cute, let's go tuck in.

Monkey - (triumphant smile, followed by evil genius laughter)

But seriously though, something has got to give here, and I am going to have to find a new way of dealing with this bedtime terrorist, because the whole appeasement policy thing is just not working out for me.

My Toddler, the Pill Popper

2009-04-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, the monkey caught a bad case of the flu. She had a good weeks worth of fever, coughing, runny nose, etc. So, during this time, upon the doctor's advice, I gave her an assortment of meds - mostly children's Tylenol before bed for the fever, and some cough syrup for kids, as needed, depending on how much she was coughing. Both of these meds have been specially formulated with flavours that make them appealing to children. Seems like a good idea, because of course if it tastes awful, it might be hard to get your child to take it when they need it. Unfortunately for us, we had the opposite problem. The little monkey liked the bubblegum flavour of both meds so much that she considered them to be basically a candy-like treat. I tend to use medicine sparingly and only when really needed, but the monkey kept on asking for it all the time, and just wouldn't give up already.

``Mommy, please! I need medicine! I`m sick mommy, I have a fever! I need it! I need it!``

You get the idea. This same phrase, with slight variations, was repeated ad nauseum, long past the point when she no longer needed it in any way. Even now, several weeks later, she will occasionally ask for medicine, claiming to be sick, though she is gradually getting somewhat discouraged by the consistent NO! response.

I told this story to a friend of mine with a similarly aged daughter, thinking that my child was a freak for loving medicine, and she laughed and told me that her daughter does the exact same thing, sometimes claiming to have a tummy ache, when she obviously doesn't. Not sure what the answer to this is, but it almost seems that by making the stuff taste too good, it's almost dangerous, because children are far more likely to have accidental overdoses if the manage to get their paws on stuff. Of course, I keep it all in a safe place out of reach, but anyone who has small children can attest to the fact that they are pretty darned resourceful when they want to be, so it's still a worry. Anyhow, I may start purchasing less kid friendly products in the future in order to alleviate this issue.

Brand Loyalty - Don't be Scammed!

2009-03-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about the concept of brand loyalty lately, and mostly how it usually results in people getting screwed or taken advantage of, though often without them even realizing it. I used to consider myself as having brand loyalty to a number of companies, often without any particularly good reason aside from the fact that they tended to be what I was used to and the thought of switching to a different brand seemed rather tedious. Unfortunately for consumers, companies tend to take advantage of the fact that people like to stick with what they know, and often use the opportunity just to further gouge their customers instead of actually giving them something of value in exchange for their loyalty. When this happens, it is time to give your business to someone else, because really, loyalty has to be a two-way street or else it is just getting taken advantage of.

Case in point, tax software. There are a million other examples, but I am picking up on this one because I recently finished my taxes. We used to always purchase Quick Tax. It was a good program and I was happy with the interface, results, etc. But then each year they started jacking up the price, as opposed to say, offering me a discount for being a repeat customer. Even worse, they introduced multiple tiers of products, designed to meet different levels of complexity in terms of how involved your return was. Doesn't seem like a terrible idea on the surface, but they pretty much designed it so that the most basic (and cheapest) version was so crappy that pretty much everyone would want to upgrade to the mid-level (that is more expensive) version. Even that one strategically didn't have a few of the commonly required functions for all but the most basic of tax returns. In order to gain access to those functions you had to opt for the next level up (another excuse to charge you more money).

What really blew my mind was the fact that with the basic version they wouldn't even carry forward your information from the previous year. I mean really, how petty can they get here? When it comes down to it, there really isn't all that much information to carry over, just a few basic facts about yourself, family members, a couple of numbers from last years return, but honestly what is the point in using the same product year after year if they won't carry forward basic information like this. The point of course is that they want me to purchase the more expensive versions of their software. Well this is one customer whose loyalty they no longer possess.

Last year we switched to something called UFile. Having used both, I can honestly say that they are pretty equal in terms of interface. Both follow a sort of interview format, with prompting me to enter information about myself and my family. Both allow me to file electronically. Both allow me to download updates. UFile however, has only a one size fits all version, which has all of the same functions as the most expensive Quick Tax software, for less than the price of the least expensive (and worst) version of Quick Tax. It also allows me to file a greater number of returns. It also not only offers to carry forward my information from last year's UFile return, but it actually allows me to carry forward information from returns prepared with different software (including Quick Tax). Despite all these advantages, I was still initially hesitant to change programs. Inertia can be a difficult thing to overcome.

This is how brand loyalty tricks you. It takes an effort to shop around and compare prices for the best value, and companies take advantage of this. Instead of giving back something in return for customer loyalty, they use it as an opportunity to gouge you. Not cool. This isn't always the case of course. There are many good companies out there that provide good value to their customers, I am just saying that you need to make sure that you aren't giving your loyalty away for free, just to get screwed over in return. Make sure that the brands you are loyal to are earning that loyalty in some way, be it customer service, price, superior product, whatever. And just because they have earned it in the past shouldn't give them a free pass to take you for granted in the future. If a company ceases to deserve your support, by all means stop supporting them. If they earn it back, by all means go back. Someone I know who works for a phone company assures me that they reserve the best deals for people who are threatening to leave. So if enough people start voting with their feet, companies will either have to change for the better or go out of business. Sounds like a good idea to me.

25 Random Things About Me

2009-03-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

So, I know this is way behind the 8-ball and has already been done a thousand times by a thousand different people, but I really needed an excuse to make me put in another entry already, since it has been way too long. I normally hate this sort of thing, which is why I resisted up until now, but I decided to go ahead and just do it anyways. So if you are the sort of person who would rather gouge their own eyes out than read another one of these, I recommend you just close the window right now before you go any further. Otherwise, enjoy. I will try to be brief.

1. I am a Scorpio. I think that astrology is interesting, but bunk.

2. I know how to walk on stilts. I taught myself when I was about 12, when I randomly decided that this was something I wanted to do. I got my dad to help build me a pair. Once I mastered the first set, I got him to build me another higher pair, and then a higher one again. After that he refused to build me any more pairs, so that was that. It's like learning to ride a bicycle though and you never really forget how to do it.

3. I have a tattoo.

4. I have 3 piercings (1 on each ear and my belly button).

5. I got my appendix taken out when I was a kid.

6. I am a bad liar. Not enough practice, I guess.

7. I can do a trick where it looks like I am removing my finger. It is always a hit with children.

8. I love camping and the outdoors. My most ambitious hikes thus far were with the husband on the Juan de Fuca trail and hiking to a mountain called the Golden Hinde (tallest one on Vancouver Island). The husband and I want to hike to a place called Della Falls (tallest waterfall in Canada).

9. I prefer cross country skiing to downhill.

10. I used to watch figure skating when I was a child.

11. I have a TV, but no cable, so I only use it to watch DVDs. I prefer to wait for a show to come out on DVD before I watch it.

12. My current DVD obsession is House, M.D. I am part way through the second season now.

13. I am unashamed to admit to being a geek. I love all the Star Trek spin-offs, Battlestar Gallactica, Babylon V, you name it.

14. I enjoy making graphs in Excel. Sorry if that is beyond weird.

15. I am also obsessed with Zombie movies and Jane Austen period style movies.

16. I played the flute and the piccolo in a marching band.

17. My favourite dessert is creme brule. The husband bought one of those little torches so he can make it for me.

18. I have a major weakness for chips, pretzels and anything salty.

19. I think that prime numbers are pretty cool (hey, I admitted to being a geek).

20. I was really good at skipping as a child.

21. My Starbucks drink is a Tall Americano with cream.

22. I am afraid of spiders. Something about the 8 legs just gives me the creeps.

23. I enjoy knitting, though I have a short attention span, so most of my projects are pretty small. Some of them are pretty cool though if I say so myself.

24. Someday I aspire to keeping a houseplant alive for more than a few months.

25. I was the president of an Astronomy Club at one time.

So there you have it. If you feel like you want the 10 minutes of your life back that you spent reading this, don't say I didn't warn you at the beginning.

Help! My toddler flushed the cardboard toilet paper roll down the toilet!

2009-02-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am really not sure what to do about this one. The monkey was on the toilet taking a poo. The good news is that she is somewhat toilet trained (still has the occasional accident, but no more diapers). The bad news is that I ran to get something in the other room, and I heard the monkey saying, "Oh no!". When this comes from a toddler it is usually bad news. So I run back to find my daughter with a concerned look on her face, saying, "I flushed it down the toilet mummy!" Further questioning ensued and she tells me that she flushed "the whole roll" down the toilet. The bowl is empty and all of the poo and toilet paper appeared to have gone down just fine. In spite of the grossness factor, I reached in to see if I could get the thing out, assuming it might have gotten stuck in the pipe somewhere. There was nothing within reach for me to take out. A few test flushes seem to have gone down just fine, though I haven't tried actually using the thing. We have another toilet that we can use instead, so this isn't an emergency situation.

My question is though, what the hell, if anything should I be doing about this? Can I just let it be and assume that it will eventually dissolve? Is this a problem that requires immediate attention? If the toilet continues to flush, can I just forget about it? Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Knitting Two Socks at the Same Time

2009-01-28T11:34:00.001-08:00

The husband got me a book for Christmas called, 2-at-a-Time Socks: The Secret of Knitting Two at Once on a Circular Needle, by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. It looked kind of complicated, but I loved the idea of finishing them both at the same time. In the past I have made wrist warmers, and I know that each time after I was finished the first one, the last thing in the world that I felt like doing was knitting up the second one. Being a sort of novice knitter with a low attention span, I have never attempted socks before, but after looking through the book, I figured I might as well give it a shot, and why not learn a new technique while I do it? How hard could it be?

Well I won't pretend it isn't tricky, especially at the beginning, but I do think that it is a super cool idea. My first attempt had to be unravelled after a couple of rows, due to a number of errors that were compounded by the fact that my 2-year old got a hold of the thing and pulled a bunch of stitches off the needles, but the second time around appears to be running smoother. I have finished the ribbed part at the cuff and I am onto the main body of the sock now, which I love because it means I can just stick to knit stitches as opposed to knit 1/pearl 1 ribbing. I am also getting better at keeping the wool from being a tangled mess of criss-crossed yarn, which can certainly tend to be a problem with this technique (it was for me, at any rate). I feel like I am starting to get the hang of the whole thing, and the next big step forward will of course be when I have to start on the heel flap and stuff, which is a little intimidating, but I hope to push through it all. So anyhow, wish me luck, I will post more pics as things progress.

Still Not a Millionaire

2009-01-26T11:49:00.001-08:00

Well, I didn't hit the big jackpot this past weekend, so I guess that means I can't quit the old day job just yet. I don't normally even bother with lotto tickets, considering the infinitesimal chances of winning and all, but I do admit to being tempted once the winnings start to surpass the $20 million mark. With a windfall like that, I would definitely be kissing the working world bu-bye, but it begs the question, how much would be enough to say, "that's it, I'm set for life"? Not sure what the answer is, though $1 million is probably enough, but what about $500K (maybe) or say $250k (nothing to scoff at, but probably not retirement time)? So where do you draw the line? As I said, I don't really know, but I like to think that I would probably be happy enough with any kind of winnings I was lucky enough to acquire, be they large or small. So, if anyone out there wants to donate to my personal Early Retirement Fund, please feel free to set up a donation (yeah, I know, it is not going to happen).

Lovely January West Coast Weather

2009-01-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to love the west coast. It has been sunny and beautiful here for the past several days. We've been for walks by the ocean, romps at the park, and just generally enjoying the lovely weather. The warm sunshine made me think about plans for my garden and such and then I realized that it was still January, which actually doesn't signify that much in a city where the trees start blossoming in February. As always, I have great hopes for a lovely little garden this year. I think that I will start with planting a few bulbs this weekend with the monkey. I seem to have the best luck with planting most stuff directly into the soil (rather than starting from seed inside), so I will still have to wait a bit before things will be warm enough for that to happen. I'm thinking a mixture of flowers, herbs and maybe a few veggies or lettuces. If things turn out well I will post some pictures later in the season. Wish me luck.

The Best Job in the World

2009-01-14T18:30:00.000-08:00

I heard about this one on the news last night and I couldn't help but dream just a little bit. The idea is that some lucky duck gets to spend 6 months exploring the Great Barrier Reef and getting paid $100K to do it. They have to keep a blog or something, but really it has to be pretty much the sweetest deal around. It is actually a genius move by the Australian Tourism Agency, because it has gotten them a huge amount of international attention at a pretty bargain price when you think about it. Apparently the web site keeps on crashing because they are being so flooded with applicants. To apply one must create a 1-minute video explaining why you are the best for the job. Unfortunately for me, I am probably too lazy to bother with doing that, but I would have to admit that I am tempted. Anyhow, some lucky so-and-so will actually end up getting this job and I would have to say that I will be pretty darn jealous of them, let me tell you.

Out of the Mouths of Children

2009-01-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

No doubt you've heard it before, but kids really do say the darnedest things. It occurred to me the other day that I should probably write down some of the funnier/cuter things that the monkey says before I forget them. Maybe they will seem silly out of context, but for us they were all pretty funny at the time.

One of the monkey's recent obsessions includes Peter Pan and the Little Mermaid. I won't even get started on the political incorrectness of the classic Peter Pan movie (perhaps another post), but they have both cemented the fascination with Fairies and Mermaids, only, the monkey calls them Tinkerbells and Marmalades. Ariel is the little marmalade, and all fairies are referred to as Tinkerbells, or Tinkerbell's cousins. Another favourite character is Baby Beluga, but the monkey insists on calling it him baby dabluga. The husband and I always find it hilarious.

Another one, which only happened once, but was hyterical, happened when we were driving along the road and the monkey got really excited because she noticed that the car in front of us had a tail. I tried to explain about it being the exhaust pipe. She processed that for a couple of moments and then stated very seriously, "that's for the car to go pee pee mommy". I was laughing so hard, I'm lucky there wasn't an accident.

On the subject of priceless moments, grandma was over for the holidays, and of course one morning the monkey starts having a total meltdown, can't remember why, but then suddenly she stomps back up to me and states in a loud and unmistakably clear voice, "Holy Cr**, Mom!, Holy Cr**"! Now, the husband and I do NOT use profanity, around her or otherwise, and neither does grandma. I was shocked, and of course because she got such a reaction, she starts shouting it over and over again, just in case we didn't get it the first time. I can only assume that she picked it up at daycare or on the playground or something. After the initial shock of it, I played it as nonchalant as possible, calmly explaining that we don't use that sort of language in our family, and she seems to have more or less forgotten about the expression, since there hasn't been a repeat. Her new expression of choice in similar circumstances is, "Oh, bother!", which I know that she picked up from a Winnie the Pooh story and is, I think, far preferable to the other one.

My other favourites in the cuteness category, are when she says things along the lines of, "You're my favourite Mommy in the whole wide world!", or things like, "Ariel loves her daddy, just like I do!". I know, mushy, but it still melts my heart every time I hear them.

Wet and Soggy Newspaper - Yuck

2009-01-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

I know, it's been raining and all, but isn't there something that can be done to avoid the second day in a row of opening the door to find a wet and soggy clump of grossness waiting for us? It didn't get wet after it was left because it was in a sheltered location. The thing was virtually unreadable, even worse than the day before. Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow and decide if I need to complain about it. I understand that stuff happens and all, but after the 2nd day in a row I would hope that people start to take some kind of precautionary action in order to avoid another repeat. End of rant.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

So, ha ha, it is that time of year again and I am really not a big one for making resolutions that are inevitably broken in short order, but since one my plans this year is to improve the abysmally small number of entries in this blog, I figured this would be a good way to start posting again. Yes, I know that was a run-on sentence, and it probably won't be the last one, so there.

So anyhow, here are some of my plans for 2009. Hopefully my next entry won't be made a full year from now lamenting my dismal lack of accomplishment with respect to the following list. I guess we'll see.

1. Make more frequent entries to this blog. Hopefully at least 2-3 per week, or more. Try not to laugh if you think this is a pipe dream.

2. Knit presents for my parents and in-laws for the coming Christmas. If I really get my stuff together, I could maybe even knit presents for the sister and sister-in-law, but I am trying not to set myself up for too much failure. Also, the husband will be making stuff as presents too (not kniting). He seems to find it amusing that I am making that one into my resolution, but too bad for him.

3. Eat healthier and prepare more foods from scratch. We've been doing a pretty good job of baking bread and I want to keep this up and expand more into other things.

4. Engage in more exercise, nothing major, just start running a bit again, or hiking or what not. The husband wants to do push-ups and sit-ups at night and I said that I would do it with him.

5. Get things organized and establish tidier habits for everyone in the household. Living in a 2-bedroom condo with a 2-year old sort of forces you to keep on top of things, and we actually haven't been doing too bad with this, but it is the sort of thing that requires constant vigilance, because if you let things slip, the next thing you know it looks like a chaos explosion ripped through the place.

6. Read more books. I love reading and I have been re-discovering the library recently, so I want to keep up with that, and balance between the classics and newer stuff. Along the same lines, I want to work on completing all the unfinished books on the shelves in the office. I was going to say I'll read Ullyses, but I am just not sure that I am up for that one.

7. Learn to play the penny whistle. The husband brought one back from Ireland and it is similar enough to the flute and piccolo of my youth, so it shouldn't be too hard and I know that the little monkey will enjoy hearing it.

8. Watch more zombie movies. Really, how can you go wrong with that one? The husband also wants to see all the new super-hero movies, and of course there will be the new Star Trek and Battlestar Gallactica season. Oh yeah, and also Terminator. I am hoping that a new Resident Evil movie is coming too.

9. Keep the garden alive and thriving. We started off pretty well with that one this year, but then we went away on vacation. Enough said.

10. Get the monkey out of diapers. We're getting pretty close on that one, but it just seems like it is going on forever and ever. Seriously though, I will totally cry if that one isn't done like dinner by this time next year.

Well I guess that is ambitious enough for now. Wish me luck and don't worry, future posts will mostly be shorter.

I Heart Battlestar Gallactica

2008-03-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

We just purchased the third season of Battlestar Gallactica to watch on DVD and, WOW, the first disk was SO very awesome. There are some downsides to watching television on DVD (namely the long wait between seasons, but that happens anyhow really), but I have to say that I really think it is the best way to go. What is not to love about those all-night marathons where you just HAVE to watch one more episode before bed. We are trying our best to ration this one out bit by bit to savour it and not become non-functioning zombies at work the following day.

So anyhow, I love BSG, that goes without saying, but I was thinking how my favourite characters tend to be the deeply flawed ones, with a strong mix of good and evil in them. Dr. Balthar is a classic example of this, but I think my favourites overall are Colonel Tigh and his wife Ellen. Watching these two self-destruct together is truly a mesmerizing and heart wrenching experience. They are both deeply flawed and together they can be a toxic combination, and yet in spite of it all you can tell that they both truly love and take care of one another. One of the best scenes in the entire show in my opinion takes place I think on the 4th episode of season 3, where certain truths are revealed between them, with seeming inevitable and tragic consequences. It seems certain that things will get a whole lot worse from here before they get better, if ever they do. I think that it will make for a fascinating side plot line anyhow. So yeah, go Colonel Tigh, I love you, you rock!

Baby vs. Technology, Round 1: Baby 1; Laptop 0

2008-03-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

So, I've heard about the terrible twos and all, but we really didn't need the early preview. We've been gradually trusting the little monkey more and more with a variety of stuff. Probably, that was our first mistake (or more likely, one amongst many). So anyhow, we've pretty much made the computers off limits altogether except under close supervision by mum or dad, but for some reason we let our guard down today and admittedly the computer was sitting in a place that it probably shouldn't have been. Still, did the little monkey really need to pick the thing up and smash it forcibly towards the ground? We watched this unfortunate turn of events from across the room in a sort of nightmarish slow motion, unable to stop it in time. The effect of this action upon said laptop was pretty much inevitable, though no less painful for us to observe. Several distortions and multiple cracks now mar what was previously a blemish free and unobjectionable screen.

We've tried to replace a broken screen on a previous laptop we had and our experience with that one was that you're better off purchasing a new laptop altogether. So that sucks pretty badly under any circumstances, but just now happens to be a particularly bad time for it. To add insult to injury, the little monkey got a hold of my glasses after lunch and ripped open one of the frames, popping out the lens and bending it up pretty badly in the process. My husband thinks that he can fix that one and I am hoping that he is right. How much destruction can one child really cause before afternoon nap time? The answer: a lot.

The husband just got back from computer store with a new laptop. and according to him they didn't even try to sell him the 2-year warranty. In the salesman's words, "Nothing covers 2-year olds".

And So It Begins...

2008-03-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

It would seem logical that for my first post, I ought to explain the title for the blog. In a nutshell, my two favorite movie genres tend to be zombie/monster movies and Jane Austen style period pieces. My husband seems to think that this makes for an interesting contrast, and I feel as though the title, 'Zombie and Prejudice', expresses this dichotomy rather nicely. Lucky for me, it wasn't taken already by somebody else who thought of it first. Like most people, I have a wide range of interests and influences in my life, so I am hoping that this blog will not fit too neatly into a ready-made category, such as mommy-blog, knitting-blog, book-blog, movie-blog, food-blog, outdoor enthusiast-blog, etcetera. I guess that we will find out soon enough how that works out for me, assuming that I don't grow bored of the entire process, thus allowing the blog to suffer from an premature death caused by neglect. At any rate, I remain hopeful at this point that the blog will fare better than my garden herbs did, but I suppose we will see.

Anyhow, I will attempt to keep entries on the shorter side, such that updating the thing is something that I can conceivably fit into a busy working mom schedule without it resulting in the sort of all-consuming time black hole that online activities invariably seem to end up becoming for me. I will talk about a variety of random topics and interests that happen to be on my mind at the time. Probably, no one will give a damn or read it;I can accept that. The idea is mostly that the process of writing the thing will be cathartic in some way, reduce stress, blow off steam, give me something to do after the monkey goes to sleep, and perhaps be a source of amusement and embarrassment in later years, to be read ironically on shows that highlight the inane things that we wrote in our younger years. Thankfully, I destroyed my childhood journals long ago, but thanks to the internet, any embarrassing missteps in this blog can live on forever in cyberspace. I guess that's life. Enough rambling though, this blog entry is now over.