Someone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it a constitutional right for us to be able to confrot our accuser in a court of law? I’ve always thought it was, and if it isn’t, it should be. A thief or murderer is given at least the illusion of a fair trial infront of a jury of his/her peers. So why should traffic offenses be any different?

This frightens me.

Unfortunately, so does the journalism that brought it to my attention.

Instead of focusing on the lack of judicial resources (making it “not worth their while” for cops to show up in court, nevermind their lack of motivation to follow through in their part of the judicial process - do they actually believe in the viability of their accusation of a traffic violation if they can’t be bothered to show up and ensure it stands?) and the right we, as the accused have to a fair trial, the writer instead threw in some bullshit about photo radar, and forced a weak connection between the two.

I’m honestly not sure which makes me angrier.

There’s an interesting commentary on nee’s site today about how she’s irritated that someone she knows is managing to get their math requirements waived because they have a “math phobia.” She figures (and rightly so) that it’s not fair to other people in that program, if their peer is allowed to have the same degree without completing all of the requirements.

Which brings me to my peeve when it comes to my experience at University…
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So, because I have absolutely nothing to write about, and I’m bored at work, I figured I’d do the Friday Five - BUT THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS THIS WEEK!

So uhm yah.

That’s all.

I just spend the last hour witnessing what is arguably the most significant moment in North American radio, dare I say mass media communications, history.

Listening to the streaming audio of the original War of the World’s broadcast.

Amazing, and highly recommended.

I’ll have to give it another listen sometime soon, as I wasn’t paying 100% attention to it. It was on in the background as I was working tonight. I feel a strong urge to set aside an hour on halloween night to light some candles, and lay down in an otherwise dark room and give it a listen.

TiVo is allegedly available in Canada!!!!!

I am an income challenged (as in, I have income, but not a lot of it) individual, and one of my guilty pleasures is prime time TV. This is a problem lately, as the new fall season is starting, and I have an evening schedule.

TiVo claims to have service dial-in numbers in Vancouver, Chilliwack, and Abbotsford, but does not advertise having service available or units for sale anywhere outside the US or UK.

But I must persist. I must have TiVo!

Does anyone have any suggestions?? (getting a dish with a PVR does not count, I don’t want and have bad exposure for satellite - digital cable wouldn’t be out of the question, although I don’t know of any PVR’s compatible with Shaw).

As of tonight, I’m the first ever “Employee of the Month” at my place of work.

I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but it’s nice to be appreciated.

They’re filming Blade 3 across the street from my work for the next week or so. Today, I saw Wesley Snipes and his stunt double standing on the street waiting between takes. He’s a lot smaller than I figured he would be. That is all.

You may now resume your regularly scheduled lives.

Already? How did that happen.

I made a mostly introspective post the other day about why I think I stay healthy (emphasis on the “I”) and what works for me when I’m sick. This (may have) triggered a post on geekgirl’s site about how she’s sick of people harping on her for not taking medications when she’s sick.

Now I understand fully that not all things work for all people, and some are unable to take some medications due to their own health reasons. I am far from a medical professional, although I was following my own medical professional’s advice on what works in my world in anything I said. I’m also 99.9% positive that g.girl wasn’t lashing out directly at me. It’s just an issue that she feels strongly about as it obviously effects her in her daily life.

Kyn also made an interesting comment about whether or not things we say on our public blog (unless overtly scathing) should be taken personally by the people who read said blog.

Was geekgirl’s post a direct rebuttal to something she took offense to on my blog? Or was it simply that her creative juices were stimulated enough to engage in her own rant about illness/medication in her life? Or was it all a big coincidence?

What do you think?

Who went shopping this morning and got a new outfit? Me! That’s who!

And guess who picked up the Canadian Idol Greatest Moments CD while she was out? Yep, me again!

And who’s the sad girl who is letting her new shoes (*shoes* people) sit idle while she listens to the new CD - the first CD I’ve actually bothered purchasing in about 3 years since I discovered file sharing? Oh yah, definitely me.

UPDATE AND DISCLAIMER: Results not typical. Please consult your physician before starting this, or any other diet and/or fitness regimen.

It’s funny, a lot of people I know and have semi-regular contact with are getting sick lately. It actually seems like I’m the only person I know who’s *not* getting ill with something. Strangely enough, it’s not uncommon for me to never actually get “whatever’s going around”.

And I just don’t know why.

I don’t eat well. I don’t exercise on purpose. I don’t get enough sleep most of the time. I abuse my body with alcohol binges every month or so.

And yet I still don’t get sick very often. Sure I come down with a case of the sniffles every now and again, but nothing debilitating, and I never ever vomit unless I’m too drunk or have food poisoning (partially through self-training in my early life that was all about willing myself *not* to vomit because I hate the senstaion so much).

I figure I can only attribute my health to two things:
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Making stew, and thinking I’ve totally screwed up and it’s going to be horrible, then putting it in the fridge overnight, only to discover the next morning that it’s actually fantastic!

Finally paying off one of two credit cards that still have balances on them. One down, one to go.

Finding a piece of heirloom jewelry while cleaning out some boxes yesterday that I was almost positive (and mortifyingly afraid) I’d inadvertently vacuumed up almost a year ago.

Really, really smart and keen trainees at work.

A Stella after work.

Farting at exactly the same moment they announce a story about a book about a farting dog on the late news.

You are in the top 8.56% richest people in the world.
There are 5,486,272,493 people poorer than you.

For those of you who don’t know, I work for a Premium Business Services Company, and a large part of what we do is telephone answering/messaging services. I’m also a trainer there, so a large part of my job is to hammer the ultimate telephone etiquette into trainees and co-workers.

I am now fully incapable of answering the phone like anything other than the pinnacle of personal assistants. As soon as I hear a ringing phone, something inside me snaps, like one of Pavlov’s dogs, and I launch into work mode. “Hello, how may I help you?” is occasionally my greeting now, although I usually manage to snap it off at “Hello.” If the phone isn’t for me, my automatic response is “I’m sorry, she’s not in right now, may I take a message for you?” - no more “nope, can she call ya back?” When my roommate is home, and I happen to answer, it’s all I can do to not say “would you be kind enough to hold while I transfer you?” before I pass her the phone.

I also have absolutely no tolerance now for

a) People with little or no phone etiquette - it’s not hard; and

b) People or businesses who don’t answer their phones during business and/or reasonable hours. If you’re home, pick up. I don’t care if it’s probably not for you. If you don’t want to answer the phone, DON’T HAVE ONE. Get a pager. At least then I know I’m going to have to leave a message and wait for your lazy ass to call me back.

Also, I don’t give a shit how busy your business is. If you have more than 2 people working there, and can’t manage to answer the phone ONCE over a 20 minute period, you have a problem. May I refer you to the services of the company where I work? You probably need them.

1. Is the name you have now the same name that’s on your birth certificate? If not, what’s changed?
It certainly is.

If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be?
I fully expect to change my last name when I get married. Other than that, I wouldn’t want to change anything.

3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?)
My first name is a derivative of my Paternal Great Grandmother’s name (it also has the unfortunate side-effect of being *the* name of the late 70’s/early 80’s). I have 2 middle names, the names of each of my Grandmothers - so I reflect each of the living female elders at the time I was born. My brothers are just lucky they decided to be twins, or their name(s?) would’ve been astronomical.

Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why?
I hate cutesy girlie names ending in “i” or “y”. Buffy, Bitsy, Fluffy, Muffy, Jennie, Tammie, etc. You’re really just dooming your child to a life of peroxide and ill-fitting miniskirts. I’ve always been a fan of a really flexible name. Elizabeth for example can be liz, lizzy, liz’beth, beth, ella - many choices to fit whatever personality the recipient of such a name ends up having.

5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com / triggur.org / astroexpert accurate? How or how isn’t it?
They’re all full of sh*t.

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