[j]³.ca

Detour Ahead

2007-02-13T02:09:00.000-05:00

I saw Wynne's post on the planet and just couldn't help myself. Here's my weird musical 8-ball thing:

What does this year have in store for you?
"When I Was a Young Girl" - Feist (I've never been a girl... really)

What does your love life look like?
Mrs. You and Me - Smoking Popes (This is probably the scariest, but least likely)

What do I say when life gets hard?
I'm In Touch With Your World - The Cars (uh, yes?)

What do I think of when I get up in the morning?
Crack Head Joe - Little Freddy King (Wow! This DOES work!)

What song will I dance to at my wedding?
The Wives of Artie Shaw - Kinski (Odd choice, but seems wedding related, I guesS)

What do you want as a career?
From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea) - The Decemberists (I'm confused, will I work at sea, or make a career of losing loved ones on the high seas?)

Your favourite saying?
Bukowski - Modest Mouse (This is actually a word I could get behind)

Favourite Place?
Kathy's Waltz - Dave Brubeck Quartet (Uh. This isn't a place. Lets move on.)

What do you think about your parents?
Three To Get Ready - Dave Brubeck Quartet (Wow. Dave Brubeck's popular. I agree though, I need at least 3 parents)

Where would you go on a first date?
Leash - The Weakerthans (Yeah. I'm kinky.)

Drug of choice?
She's Drugs - Danko Jones (This is my favourite answer.)

Describe yourself?
Clark Gable - The Postal Service (Yeah. We're pretty much the same guy.)

What is the thing I like doing the most?
No Good Reason - The Super Friendz (I like doing things FOR no good reason. I guess it's close)

The song that best describes the president?
Good Music - The Roots (Uh. No comment.)

What is my state of mind at the moment?
Crooked Cigarette - Reverend Horton Heat (If crooked = no because I don't smoke.)

How will I die?
Danny's at the Wedding - The Walkmen (Holy crap! I'm not attending any more weddings!)

The song that will be played at your funeral?
No Wow - The Kills (Not surprised in the least)

The song you'll put as the subject?
Detour Ahead - Stan Getz (Seems appropriate)

Wee!

Laptop == Toast

2006-04-06T11:37:00.000-04:00

Well, it took just over five years to do it, but my laptop has finally broken down and said "No! No more!". I honestly can't believe it has lasted so long with all the problems it has had over the ages.

The battery had a poor connection and later on had a problem holding a charge.

In the summer of 2001, I accidentally dropped it off of a coffee table, making it unbootable. I later found out that one of the platters was broken/the head for that platter was broken and the rest worked just fine - I partitioned off the first three gigs and it worked fine :P

Somewhere over time, the hinges both broke that held up the screen... one went early on and I didn't notice. The other hinge would have probably been fine if the first hinge didn't go, but it couldn't handle the weight of the screen solo forever.

Most of the keys have the letters worn off of them. Some of the keys had broken holders.

The nub pointer had worn down significantly.

And finally, the power connection between the cord and the laptop went - with the connection lost I decided that it's probably not worth it. I'm not sure if I want to get a new laptop or not at this point in time, but I'm sure I'll get one eventually.

Suck.

Somebody Went to California

2006-03-06T12:09:00.000-05:00

And somebody took some pictures.

That's all I got.

James' Life Choice

2006-02-19T15:06:00.000-05:00

James' decision to stop playing Everquest, or UO or whatever moronic game he was supposedly addicted too, has inspired me. From this day forward I will stop brutalizing hobos, except if I am drinking or am asked for change.

Damn Flu!

2006-02-19T00:46:00.000-05:00

Argh! I've had the flu since tuesday and it sucks. I've been off work since thursday, and it feels like a keep trying to swallow an open umbrella. Damn viral intruders! Of course, they do have their bonuses - I'm under 200 lbs now! Yay! Now I only have 15-20 more pounds to go and I'll be happy with my weight.

In other news I have stopped playing WoW. Nina saw to that. She deleted the game and then smashed the CD's. The CD destroying was my idea though, as I did recognise that it was an addiction that really wouldn't help me out at all. I also took the final step and cancelled my subscription, without any help. It feels kinda good.

The problem with kids today . . .

2006-02-19T00:43:00.000-05:00

. . . is that they often mislabel intraracial pornography as interracial pornography.

Pictureish

2006-02-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

James wanted me to take some more novelty shirts. I did... well... at least one. Also included are random (even more useless) photos. Enjoy.

English Style Pickled Onions

2006-02-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

Picked up some of these bad boys at the grocery store the other day on a whim. I really like the tiny cocktail onions, so bigger is better, right?

Wow! They were great!

I think I really need to delve more into the pickled world.

The Worst Cook In The World (TM) Strikes Again

2006-02-06T12:28:00.000-05:00

I'm slowly trying to overcome my inability to cook anything. To further this end, I actually made some veggie lasagna on Saturday. Surprisinly, I'm still alive today, and it didn't even taste bad.

Here's the recipe (stolen from here):

====
VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

8 lasagne noodles
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green or sweet red pepper
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1 beaten egg
2 c. low fat ricotta or cottage cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. shredded part skim Mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles and broccoli separately according to the package directions; drain well, set aside.

For sauce, cut up canned tomatoes. In a large saucepan, stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, onion, green pepper, basil, bay leaves and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves.

Meanwhile, in a bowl stir together egg, Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in broccoli.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in a 13"x9"x2" baking dish. Top with half of the noodles, half of the broccoli mixture and half of the remaining sauce. Repeat layers, ending with the sauce.

Bake, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with Mozzarella. Bake 5 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.
====

I also played a part in making yam fries and apple cranberry crisp from here on Sunday too. I'm special.

Poundage

2006-02-05T12:17:00.000-05:00

Down to 201 lbs! That's over 15 lbs since xmas. I'll be happy when I break the 200 lbs mark. I'm not really following any special diet, but the three crucial things I'm doing are:

No chips.
No fries.
Avoid mayonnaise if at all possible.

Numbers one and two have the indirect effect of making me eat more fruits and vegetables as snack and side dishes, which is probably a good contributer. It also helps that Nina has suddenly gone on a granola binge and I consume avid amounts of the stuff if I just breathe in the house. Yogurt is the natural next step to granola eating.

Also: As far as posting goes on Friday and Saturday, as long as I work at the bar on those two days, I doubt I'll be able to post on those days as I'm really not thinking about anything except work.

So Tired

2006-02-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

Insomnia Sucks.

Weather sucks

2006-02-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

Atlantic Canada's getting pummeled by snow, and I couldn't be more jealous. The past month in Vancouver has been pretty damn raining. In fact, out of the 31 days in January, there was only 1 day that didn't have rain. January set some kind of record for most rainy days and most rainfall in the month of January.

We almost hit our goal of 29 straight days of rain, but fell short by a day. Anyway, here's the forecast for the coming week. If this rain does't stop soon, I'm seriously going to crack. I had no idea how much of an impact perma-cloudy skies and constant wetness can have on your daily outlook.

We had better have a damn fine summer to make up for all this rain crap. Crap. Rain. Damn rainy crappy rain.

Poo.

Battles on the Home Front

2006-02-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

15 year-old girl in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia beats up two thieving older guys.

Top 1 Reason I Haven't Posted In 1 Days

2006-02-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

I got nothing...

That is all :)

Top 5 Reasons I Haven't Posted In 3 Days

2006-01-30T13:02:00.000-05:00

I've been the hostage of ants
Overcome with exhaustion, I decided to take a short hiatus
To make Dan place short, smarmy, and totally unnecessary comments under my last post
And god said: "James, post thee not on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of thyne present week or I shall smite thee."
I forgot

Why don't I use my camera more?

2006-01-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

combined02,
originally uploaded by jademonde.

I mean, it's there... I bought it... Why don't I use it? I think it's one of those apathy things I should be conserned with. Anyhoo, I decided to take some photos. Of myself. I liked these three so much that I smushed them all together.

So rejoice! It is I! Your supreme overlord. No, not him... the other one. Yeah. The lazy one.

NIN in Ottawa!

2006-01-25T16:09:00.000-05:00

Yeah, this news is old, but I'm going to be picking up my ticket(s) today from Jeff, so why not talk about it now!? I'm very excited that NIN decided to come to Ottawa, as they never have before. There is some speculation that this might because Trent is poor... There is also some speculation that he just never came to Ottawa before because John Malm is a big stupid jerk (John was the NIN financial guy who Trent fired quite a few months back BECAUSE he's a big stupid jerk).

It will be a really good show though, regardless of why he's coming here. I saw the show in Toronto last year and it was really, really good. I was highly impressed. Bootlegs of performances sound terrible when compared to the real thing. It also wasn't a very roudy crowd, although that may be because Queens of the Stone Age as well as Death from Above 1979 played with them. The people that came were quite a mix then. This time around the supporting bands are TBA, so maybe only hardcore NIN fans will show up, making me wonder what it'll be like... Good, right? :)

So Sideshow Bob, what are your thoughts on our new government?

2006-01-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

And just look how happy he is!

Conservative Minority in Canada!

2006-01-23T23:52:00.000-05:00

I for one welcome our new Conservative overlords.

Women: I'm accepting proposals now

2006-01-23T17:30:00.000-05:00

James sent me a link to an Australian news site with a little bit of coverage on the Federal Election here in Canada. The picture of Mr. Stephen Harper gives a good idea of how I feel about his policies regarding social freedoms (think zeig heil). I also think he's kind of a jerk.

Since I'm writing here, I might as well post this thing. Sure it's on a jokey Rick Mercer site, but it scares the crap out of me too. This is who you Conservative voters are electing into office.

If Jerkface and his jerk-brigade actually do gain a majority, I will be accepting applications from foreign women for visas. Hell, I'll take applications from foreign men as long as it'll get the job done.

Oops

2006-01-23T08:44:00.000-05:00

Here I go, saying I'm going to make a post on every single day and what do I do?

I forget to post yesterday.

Well, I mean... Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, isn't it? I mean I thought of posting yesterday, I just didn't. I believe it was me going to bed very early in the evening that did it. 8pm is really too early to be honest... I woke up at 1am wondering what the hell was going on. Indeed I also woke up on the sofa when I was sure I fell asleep in the bed! That's usually the opposite of what happens...

Sherlock Holmes Adventures

2006-01-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

Recently, I have been listening to the BBC renditions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures fo Sherlock Holmes on BBC 7. They've been playing it for a week now and I find them to be very enjoyable to listen to. I do, however, have to listen to each story about three times to get the entire grasp of it. But I suppose that makes sense when one listens to the radio while doing work. You can also read all of these stories for free through Project Gutenburg.

This is sentence... six.

Stephen!

2006-01-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Stephen is in Ottawa! Woo hoo!

I know you folk don't know who Stephen is, but that doesn't matter to me.

Edit: In other news, my stupid friend Dan tells me that according to the UN's Commission on Daily Bloggers, the minimum number of sentences per post must be five. But in reality he's a wank, so why should I listen to him?

Movie Test Screening Americans

2006-01-19T16:27:00.000-05:00

I was listening to BBC radio today and heard a very interesting monologue from the host of the Now Show about the people who did the test screening for the remake of the Jane Austin movie called Pride and Prejudice:

...They changed it [the ending] because 90% of american test audiences didn't like it. Yes, well done Hollywood focus groups but your results are skewed. It was 90% of test audiences who didn't like the ending but by definition it was therefore 90% of the sort of Americans who go to test screenings who didn't like the ending, and the sort of Qmericans who go to test screenings are the sort of Americans who only go to test screenings because in return for their obese worthless opinion they are promised a skid full of free oil-butter fat corn and three buckets of all you can drink fizzy lard. I ask you what is the point of testing anything on an american... unless it's a new type of cattle prod or the ebola virus.

I suppose I sould point out at this moment that the Now Show is a satirical program and that the host is some kind of jerk. I found it funny, anyhoo...

Apartment Griefs - Update

2006-01-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

In my "we've moved" post I mentioned a few little issues with the apartment that I was hoping to get around to and I have managed to fix a few. I think this would be a good time to update the list then! Here goes:

Bedroom door makes really loud noise when you open it (Fixed: Bottom of door had split, solved with packing tape)
Lock on doorknob doesn't seem to work... the deadbolt does tho (This actually does work)
New toilet installed, doesn't flush quite properly (Fixed: shortened the chain)
New toilet installed, doesn't sit properly on floor... on washers? (Fixed: I tightened the bolts myself and now it rests on the floor properly)
Unsure about heat situation... noticed they have a boiler room... do they shut heat off in the summer? When do they turn it on? Is it controllable by us? (It kinda is controllable by us... we can turn it off and on at least! Winter temperature so far is acceptable)
Can hear other apartments plumbing when in the bedroom sometimes. (I don't think this one is going to change)

I also have some new griefs:

All walls made of cement covered with plaster... I have yet to figure out a good, cheap way to hang stuff on the walls.
Faucets in the bathroom are starting to leak. I really need to talk to the super about this as it's an easy fix.
When coming from the basement (usually for laundry), the elevator always stops on the first floor.
The driveway doesn't seem to get cleared of snow/ice which makes for a bad start on the walk to work.

KMFDM - Flesh

2006-01-06T12:41:00.000-05:00

there's a rusty halo on my head
it must have been something that i said
this is the dome of my betrayal
this is the final broken nail
fill this hole
suck this soul
i'm the thing that i can't control

press my flesh
...
press my flesh

inside this noise...
is a weak and godless... soul.

Merry Christmas!

2006-01-04T10:13:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!,
originally uploaded by jademonde.

Ho ho ho! Merry Chri...

...it's over? Aww, maaan!

Oh well. At least I got a bunch of photos from when we were still in the holiday season! :)

New Epic

2005-10-31T14:57:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Jalsa got herself a Breastplate of Bloodthirst. It's rather nice and I'd be more happy about it if she would have got it like a month earlier. As it is, my guild is now in an area where it's very likely that something better will pop up.

Jalsa will have another epic next monday, I guarantee.

The way out is through

2005-10-31T14:37:00.000-05:00

after all i've undergone on i will keep on
after all i've undergone on i will keep on
after all i've undergone on i will keep on
after all i've undergone on i will keep on
after all i've undergone on i will keep on
after all i've undergone on i will keep on
after all i've undergone on i will keep on
after all i've undergone on i will keep on

UNDERNEATH IT ALL
WE FEEL SO SMALL
THE HEAVENS FALL
BUT STILL WE CRAWL

World of Warcraft: First Epic

2005-10-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, I play World of Warcrack and I got my first usable epic yesterday. Two months of casually collecting all the material I needed to trade in to the Darkmoon Faire (a faire that pops up once a month in various locations in World of Warcraft) to get enough faire tickets to buy this:

Amulet of the Darkmoon

So that makes my Rogue happy.

Char Info:
Name: Jalsa
Class: Rogue
Level: 60
Guild: Uruha
Server: Terenas

New Couch!

2005-10-11T11:37:00.000-04:00

Very happy to add this "little" number to our meagre collection of livingroom furniture:

The Ektorp Sofa: Lindefall Red

I think you actually have to see it in real life to appreciate it properly, but rest assured it's one kick-ass sofa.

Hail to the Chef?

2005-10-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

I've been slogging through cooking websites looking for food other than some random meat fried with some random noodles or rice. The two big contenders that I like the most for simplicity and detail (and niceness of the websites) are the Food Network and Kraft Kitchens. I made this last night (got it from the Kraft Kitchens website, if you couldn't guess from the ingredients) and I thought it was quite good... Nina didn't think so. :(

---

Foil-Pack Chicken & Mushroom Dinner

Ingredients
1 pkg. (120 g) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup water
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.), about 1/2 inch thick
4 slices deli smoked ham (about 50 g), cut in half
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup Kraft Signature Sundried Tomato and Oregano Dressing

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix stuffing mix and water. Evenly divide and layer stuffing, chicken, ham, mushrooms and peas in centre of 4 large separate sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle evenly with dressing.

2. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place packets in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170°F). Remove packets from oven; let stand 5 min. Place 1 packet on each of 4 dinner plates. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening.

---

I'm sure Kraft has some good recipes out there that both of us can enjoy, I just have to find them!

The day after fruit day

2005-10-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

Now that I have survived the most evil of days, I have to now resist the urge to consume every piece of food I see in sight...

All in all, it's probably good that I put in one day a week to reset my system. I definitely feel much better this morning!

---

Waking up early, while I seem to be doing it alot more at this new place, doesn't seem like as much of an issue when I can walk to work in 10 minutes. I actually can take my time in the morning.

My Hated Day of the Week

2005-10-04T14:38:00.000-04:00

Nina makes me eat just fruit on Tuesdays to help clean out my fat saturated system. I really need to find more creative things to eat at lunch. Presently, I have to hoof it to the grocery store and get something premade because I always forget that it's fruit day when I leave for work.

Here's what I had for lunch today. Note that I bend the rules a little and make it fruit and vegetables.

V8 Juice
Brussel Sprouts
Orange Juice
Loeb "Berry Mania" (Strawberries, Kiwi Slices, Blueberries and Raspberries)

And The Reconstruction Begins...

2005-10-04T09:24:00.000-04:00

Yep. I ripped out all the background images. This blog is now officially Under Construction.

Cable Guy Today

2005-10-04T08:54:00.000-04:00

Even though we've had cable since we moved in, it'll be nice to have a splitter so that cable can be directed both to the TV and the computer. Currently we've opted for justs TV... even though this leaves us with no phone. I think we're both afraid to plug in the computer again.

We've Moved!

2005-10-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

Hallelujiah!

Finally we have moved out of the seedy outskirts and into the seedy inskirts. Benefits of the move:

Bigger place by ~200 square feet
All hardwood floor (except kitchen and bathroom - tile)
Beautiful view of just above the treeline
Yet another corner apartment so windows on two walls!
Consistent water temperature in the shower
Much smaller and friendlier apartment building
24 hour laundry room with cheaper rates ($1.25 wash and $1.25 dry)
More accessable storage space
Alot more closet space
A bike room we will use
Larger and much nicer balcony
Bigger stove
Bigger fridge
Beautiful windows including working patio doors
5 minute walk to two grocery stores
10 minute walk to the mall
5 minute walk to the bar
15 minute walk to my work
Near a more major busstop
University of Ottawa 100 metres away
Allows pets (cats and smaller - no dogs and up)
Heat included in rent
Power included in rent

There's probably more, but that's what I can list off of the top of my head. Here's a little list of things that bug me abit about the place. I'll add more when I think of them and will also add if I fix any since I have for a few already!

Bedroom door makes really loud noise when you open it (Fixed: Bottom of door had split, solved with packing tape)
Lock on doorknob doesn't seem to work... the deadbolt does tho
New toilet installed, doesn't flush quite properly (Fixed: shortened the chain)
New toilet installed, doesn't sit properly on floor... on washers?
Unsure about heat situation... noticed they have a boiler room... do they shut heat off in the summer? When do they turn it on? Is it controllable by us?
Can hear other apartments plumbing when in the bedroom sometimes.

Bands on the Vanguard

2005-09-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

Had four bands play at the Bar last night... Photos to come!

Here are links to stuff about them:

Throatmotor
homepage
mewwwsick

Ladymilk
homepage
musak

Pianosaurus Rex
homepage
moo-sic

You say Party! We say Die!
homepage
der music

All 4 bands were really really good! We had to cut You Say Party! We Say Die!'s performance a little short out of fear from noise complaints from the hotel accross the street, but we hope they come back to play a slightly earlier show when they return to Ottawa.

Dodgeball!

2005-09-23T12:53:00.000-04:00

I joined a Dodgeball league this fall, and it's NUTS! For anyone who thinks that Dodgeball is not physically intensive, they are sooo wrong. The day after my first game, I thought I was going to die.

Anyhoo, here's some fast and effective Dodgeball strategy.

Page Ranking

2005-09-22T11:19:00.000-04:00

It seems that currently my webpage is not very good. If I go to Page Rank and punch in my URL, I get a ranking of 3/10.

Let's work on that, shall we? :)

Brick Testament

2005-09-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

When I want to catch up on a little religious reading, I always consult the Brick Testament.

Nina + Mess

2005-09-22T08:20:00.000-04:00

Nina + Mess,
originally uploaded by jade_monde.

Yay! My first photo blog!

I love to listen to Beethoven...

2005-09-21T15:58:00.000-04:00

did i tell you i was lying, by the way,
when i said i wanted a new mink coat?
i was just thinking about something sleek
to wrap around my tender throat.

i was dreaming like a texan girl,
a girl who thinks she's got the right to everything.
a girl who thinks she should have something...
extreme.