Hi all,

I haven't much to say today but wanted to let you know that my comments are down. I think the problem might be with Enetation as there are others whose comments have disappeared as well. Hopefully, it will be resolved soon. In the meantime, I hope that you are all having fun.

Have you been wondering whatever happened to Voyager 1? Well, if you read this story you are sure to find out!

Is anyone else out there having troubles with ENETATION? My comments went down and I haven't been able to see them in days...

(You can email me at this address)

Robert emailed me to ask how my new vegetarian lifestyle was going and I realized that I hadn't reported much on that lately. (By the way Robert, that's a mighty fine photo you have on your site today)

It's two weeks today and everything is going well. I haven't really been that tempted by meat and am still adjusting things here and there to accomodate for the lack of iron and such.

Had best go now, I have a yoga class soon.

Until the next time, have fun!

Today, while on campus, I saw a lone figure in a wheelchair and my mind turned quickly to a man that I had met a while back. He has just returned to his home country to pursue a very interesting venture. My first thought was that he and his wife had returned and that the people that were his friend's would be happy that he was back in Victoria. (Ken & Reiko, if you are out there reading this, I hope that things are fine with you both!) However, it was another person, and I was reminded of the sadness that I had felt because he had left. I know that I will meet with them both again someday and I cannot wait until that day comes.

They are both missed by all that knew him here.

His friend will be leaving the country today and, he too, will be missed.

For those of you who are interested, my venture into the world of vegetarianism is still going pretty well. I need to get a bit more protein than I've had in the last couple of days but it's not like I haven't had any. I am definitely taking care though.

We have a long weekend here. I will be quite busy. What with sending people off at the airport, helping out at a friend's restaurant, cleaning out a garage so that I can use it as a studio (thanks to a very generous colleague who has offered it for free), and possibly attending the 107th Victoria Day parade (to take photos?) I should have just enough time to get enough sleep.

I hope that you all have a great weekend. Take care and have some fun for me!

See you next week!

Two nights ago, found myself in a dream in which Janice Dickinson, has-been model and current judge on America's Next Top Model, was instructing me on make-up techniques (somehow I ended up as a contestant). The lessons that she instructed me in transcended the boundaries of age and made me look much more youthful without the aid of cosmetic surgery.

I found this interesting on two levels... one, that I did look remarkably young despite the drag queen look that I had and, two, because Ms. Dickinson has had so much surgery that her lessons bordered on hypocritical.

The other thing I remember vividly was the gold lame dress that I was wearing.... It was fabulous!

Regardless of my happy feeling during the dream, I don't think that the photo shoot went too well. Hard to tell really... I woke up just before the shoot started...

Well, we survived another provincial election here in British Columbia and here are the results. I don't think the results are in on the STV referendum but it doesn't look good for that reform.

I don't know how I feel. Another four years of the same stupidity now that the province has re-elected the same party into power. All I know is that I voted with my conscience and I am proud that I did it in a way that I can feel good about.

Go and see the film Crash.

If you dare...

This Hollywood film surprised me. It was about prejudice and, in the minds of the people I saw it with (a very multicultural group), it was a very accurate portrayal of the issue. It offered no solutions, just portrayals of different people and their lives, and how prejudice touched them all.

I urge you to see it and then tell me what you think...

Next week, British Columbians will go to the polls where will be asked to vote for our provincial government as well as to see if we want to change the way we vote. As always, there are the usual smear campaigns and politicians making promises that they will never keep. However, the vote on electoral reform is a whole different subject.

The alternate choice for the "first past the post" system that we currently use is called a Single Transferable Vote (STV) which would involve ranking those on the ballot to get what many say will be more accountable governance. I have read the pros and cons but it's always good to take in other opinions.

The STV system is currently being used in the Australian Senate, the Republic of Ireland, Tasmania, Malta and Northern Ireland for local elections and elections to the European Parliament. I would be really interested in hearing about how in works in those areas of the world so that I could make a better decision.

Is anyone interested in sharing their opinions? If you are not familiar with this but know someone who is, I would be glad to hear from them.

Our decision is to be made on May 17, so if you could let me know before then, that would be great!

Have a great weekend folks!

Day One of my new vegetarian lifestyle went wonderfully. I feel better however, I do need to get some sleep. I am also coming down off of a caffeine high.

Went to see the film Downfall last night. Rasmus of Acutecut.com fame had this to say about it. I must say that I have to agree with him. The theatre was cold, although I am not sure whether it was intentional or not, which added to what was going on.

One observation that I made of myself is that I must really be desensitized because I really didn't have that much trouble with some of the more bloody images but my friend was a little shaken. I was more bothered by the loud noises of the bombing.

It was an interesting portrayal of this time in history. The insanity of it all and the final result. And yes, I did feel pity for the characters, as cruel as they were however, that feeling was inter-twined with the horror of it all.

If you get a chance, you should probably see this film. There are, after all, many sides to every story ever told. I do not sympathize with the final result however, I did come out with another perspective.

And as for vegetables, I am now well into Day Two. Despite the film yesterday, I think I will just feel better and better!

Have a great day!

I got some really terrible news yesterday.

My niece informed me that she was just hired for her first part-time job (besides babysitting) and it was at that evil fast food restaurant that has Ronald for their mascot. You know the one... the one with those big arches. The one that a guy recently made a documentary about eating there for thirty days.

I love my niece and I know it's her life but I felt like part of me has died. Here she is, working for (and supporting) the big corporate machine that provides really unhealthy food to millions of people all over the world. This corporation stands for everything that I hate in the world and it tears me apart that she took the job. I just want to cry.

However, instead, I want to be proactive. I cannot do anything to change her mind and I cannot change the way I feel about the whole thing but I can do something positive for myself. I am going to try, as of today, to switch to a vegetarian diet. It would be difficult for me to become vegan right now but I will try a ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet. I know that I will feel better physically but it will also help my mental state.

I have this really funky book written by Yoji Bhajan of Kundalini yoga fame and it is entitled The Golden Temple Vegetarian Cookbook and so I have been reading up on it all. I start today and I know that I will do my best to stick to it. When I falter, I will think of my niece.

Note: If any of you out there have any great recipes that you would like to share, please feel free to comment or if you want, let me know and I will pass on my email address to you.

Picture yourself in an alternate dimension where the disco music is blaring and coloured lights are flashing. That's where I am now. (Not literally, of course, they don't really let us have disco lighting in the hallway outside my office)

I've been listening to the soundtrack for the British ITV series Queer as Folk and I came upon a version of a song done by Divine in the eighties. This version is by Full Frontal and if you would like a little taste of it, you can listen here. Not only is this a great song for those gay men out there but also from us sassy women who want to unleash the power in themselves after a bad day.

Anyway, my song for the day is You Think You're A Man

Turn around, stand up like a man and look me in the eye
Turn around, take one final look at what you've left behind
Then walk away from the greatest lover you have ever known
Yes walk away, you're telling me that you can make it on your own
By yourself, all alone, without my help
Mister you just made a big mistake

You think you're a man but you're only a boy
You think you're a man but you're only a toy
You think you're a man but you just couldn't see
You weren't man enough to safisfy me.

Shut the door, take a look around and tell me what you find
Shut the door, take a giant step for you and all mankind
Then don't come back, I always gave you so much more than you deserve
No, don't come back cuz no one makes a fool of me
You've got a nerve to walk away, mark the words I'm gonna say
Mister you just made a big mistake.

You think you're a man but you're only a boy
You think you're a man but you're only a toy
You think you're a man but you just couldn't see
You weren't man enough to safisfy me.

Shut the door, take a look around and tell me what you find
Shut the door, take a giant step for you and all mankind
Then don't come back, I always gave you so much more than you deserve
No, don't come back cuz no one makes a fool of me
You've got a nerve to walk away, mark the words I'm gonna say
Mister you just made a big mistake.

You think you're a man but you're only a boy
You think you're a man but you're only a toy
You think you're a man but you just couldn't see
You weren't man enough to safisfy me.

You think you're a man but you're only a boy
You think you're a man but you're only a toy
You think you're a man but you just couldn't see
You weren't man enough to safisfy me.

Have a great day everyone!

Being the independent girl that I am, I don't find it easy when people help me and when they unexpectedly do, I usually end up getting hurt.

Yesterday, I was assisting at an orientation of sorts and when I was going to sit down, a colleague tried to help me to sit down. We were in a theatre-style room with the seats that are pivoted and so, when you sit down, you must ensure that the seat is in the right position. However, yesterday, when my colleague tried to assist me, I didn't notice what she did and walked right into the chair, causing a bump on my leg and then a big bruise. It hurt all night.

I had to muffle my scream of pain because people were talking which was quite difficult. People throughout the lecture hall heard the thud though. The sad thing is, she was just trying to help me.

It just doesn't pay to get help from people sometimes...

By the way everyone, have a great weekend!

Anyone else out there got a headache on this fine day?

I think the change in air pressure has a lot to do with it...

Any other theories?

I came across this today. This is the mascot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's community outreach office. His name is Peopo (pronounced Pi-Po) and he even has his own theme song.

I hope that you enjoy it!

I went to see Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy last night. I cannot say that I didn't enjoy it however, I did feel that there was too many American-accented people in the film and I am not really sure if that "translated" too well. Perhaps the older version of it has coloured my opinions. Still, I enjoyed it and will definitely read the book once again.

I thought the reaction of another woman and her daughter was spot on. The daughter said that she found it difficult to understand what was happening. The mother said that she thought that people were much nicer than she remembered in the original series. I have to say that I think that it did it's job with the younger woman because most of us were a little confused when we first saw it and with the mum, she was right. It was much darker back then.

For another website, you can try this. (Don't forget to try the Vogon game)

If you've seen it, I would be happy to hear what you think!

When I was young, I would take walks in the little wooded area behind my house. It connected to a swamp and it always had the green glow that a forest can have that I thought was some sort of magical place. I fully expected to see some playful fairies or wood sprites during those visits.

Even despite the cold on rainy days, I felt that I should live in the forest, unencumbered by the four walls of a house. One could always find a little "nook" cleared amongst the trees that would be ideal for a little home in the forest. I thought that, I could warm myself with moss and the surrounding tree branches would be a roof of sorts.

My love of nature has never gone away although it has changed since I became an adult. However, there are days that I come upon a wooded place and I am reminded of that time. Part of me still believes that I could live in the forest.

I was thinking that I should become more attuned to nature and its remedies for everyday ailments. Not only are there things in the forest that can make you feel physically well, I am sure that to spend time there does much on a mental level.

One of these days, I will venture into studying nature on a deeper lever and learn from it. I would really like to get more in tune with nature. I think that humans are capable of it and that we have just lost our way.

The next time I am in the forest, I will sit, look at the flora and actually take more time to listen.

Who knows? I may actually see a fairy...

I was watching the CBC yesterday and watched a short called "A War in Words - An Iraqi Family Diary". It showed life in Iraq as filmed by an Iraqi man, who had little experience in filmaking, that volunteered to film in his country on behalf of a female filmmaker was not allowed to go there.

It turns out that Khalid has his own blog. You can check it out here.

I found the program interesting so I just had to check out the blog...

This sounds like a really good idea. US led pre-emptive nuclear strikes over the DMZ in Korea.

Are they insane?