VCon 31

This is my third VCon which takes place during the October long weekend in Vancouver British Columbia Canada. It is a Science Fiction & Fantasy conference with dealers, gaming, authors, panel discussions, filking, dancing and varioius other events. It isn't Star Trekkies either! Many of the people here enjoy the same things you'd like yourself. Most of them have read Lord of the Rings and other fantasy, plus science fiction. Now I never considered myself a science fiction fan, but actually I've discovered I am. Reading Connie Willis or enjoying Firefly puts me into this category. However, when I mention I'm going to VCon I have to explain it isn't a bunch of Star Trek fans dressing up.

This year I even took an oragami workshop to learn how to fold paper into a dragon. Since my friend Steph loves dragons so much I've placed my first, and maybe only, paper dragon into her safe keeping.

I didn't dress up and never have, nor do I feel I have to.

I've participated in discussions on "How will Harry Potter end?", global warming, what I read besides science fiction or fantasy, what new movies are to be released, dragons good and evil, the emotional palette of horror and magic or religion.

It is a great way to share ideas, meet wonderful people from many different walks of life, do some shopping (Ikea & Richmond Centre), spend time away from the island and spend some time with John.

Maybe one day I will attend some of the other cons.

IKEA Catalogue

A coworker brought me an IKEA catalogue which she picked up when she visited her parents on the mainland. I'd been checking my mailbox daily awaiting my ordered copy. Of course the ordered copy showed up two days after Kate brought me one.

I had two!! I had already started to put post-it notes onto pages with notes written on the post-its. The second catalogue was scooped by my partner, John, as his ordered copy had not shown up. When I mentioned to friends that during our trip to Vancouver (aka Vankookoo) we would be making an IKEA stop, I was asked if I had a catalogue. I had to mention I had two, one already scooped and one now plastered with post-its. However, I would bring said catalogue along for viewing purposes only and I would turn the pages.

I willingly lead out some of my books, but my IKEA catalogue is a treasure not to be lent. I've saved for months to purchase the matching dresser for the bedside tables I purchased last year.

I think IKEA should include a page of post-its you can peel off labelled: NEED IT, LOVE IT, WANT IT, like LOULOU Magazine.

Now the latest question is, Last year did John leave the back seat in the van or did we take it out to fit in the IKEA purchases??

What Now?

I applied for a Payband 7 position in our office and again I didn't get it. I asked for feed back on the interview and got useful information. To be honest, when I left the interview I went through that phase where I thought of better answers. I know from past experience that when I start doing this my instincts are letting me know..."not this time".

It isn't IF it is just a matter of WHEN!

Or as I hope something better is coming my way.

I won't believe it when I see it....I'll see it when I believe it.

I will, I will, I will, I will be a PB7!

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw

Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw, Travels in Search of Canada by Will Ferguson

I started this book, and then put it down to read The Secret Language of Girls (see review below) and then picked it up again. Some books you just can't pick up again, you have to go back and begin again. This book isn't like that, this book is a road trip across Canada, and one can take a side trip, such as reading another book, then return to the main road.

As someone who has studied Canadian History at university and who has lived and travelled through most of my selected home country, I completely enjoyed this book. I've been to some of the places Will Ferguson writes about and a lot he hasn't. Which just made me realize that writing a book about Canada isn't easy, there is just too much to see.

I've seen a lot of the Giant Objects beside Canada's highways, and could add to Will's list as he forgot Husky the Muskie in Kenora, the Icelandic man in Gimli (aka the giant chess piece) and a few others. I've even drunk Muskoka Dry.

What Will Ferguson has given us is a taste of Canada with a sense of humour. One that will make you yearn to hit the road and see this great big country for yourself.

The Secret Language of Girls

The Secret Language of Girls by Josey Vogels is the book to buy your best girlfriend for her birthday or Christmas. It is the book to buy your sister for her birthday, Christmas or just because you want to thank her for being there even if she is a pain. This is the book to buy your Mum, just because she was the first woman in your life, and you dressed up in her old dresses and wore her high heels and learnt about being girly from her. This is the book to buy your coworker to thank her for all her support. This is the book you pass along to your girlfriends to read and don't mind when they return it to you dogearred.

This is the book ALL your guy friends MUST read including former lovers and your current beau. It will help them understand us, communicate better with us and open their eyes to our world.

From the first chapter "From the Mouths of Babes" to the last "Long-Term Investment" Josey Vogels hits the nail on the head. I love her quotes at the beginning of the chapters (Be she old, or be she young, A woman's strength is in her tongue--Welsh proverb), the comments from other women and best of all the Secret Language of Girls Glossary (take note of this area men!!!) Here is a small sampling from the glossary....

In Relationships

"Was there something you wanted to watch?": meaning: Are you going to stop and see what's on any of those channels you're frantically flipping past because you're driving me nuts. Now give me the damn remote control before I whack you.

During Sex

"Not tonight": meaning: I'm sorry guy but because you have perpetuated the idea that men are ready for sex anytime you have made me the gatekeeper of sex. But truth be told when I say this it usually means I just require a slightly different seductive approach than you pressing your hard-on into my back when you spoon me.

To Other Women

"Wanna come to the bathroom with me?":meaning: Will you come to the bathroom with me so you can pass me toilet paper under the stall because I will once again pick the only stall that is out of toilet paper or the one with the door that doesn't shut and because the women's washrooms are inevitably 330 miles farther away than the men's and often down some dark hallway down creepy stairs and because I need you to help stave off boredom because women's bathrooms aways have a lineup and I need to borrow your lipstick and gossip about everyone else we're with and update each other on how the evening is going and strategize about how things will unfold and to make sure you don't walk out with a trail of toilet paper stuck to your shoes!

Well worth reading and sharing....and one last note....

When a man gives his opinion, he's a man, When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch -- Bette Davis

Its Not Really Global Warming

My friend, Clive, lives over the pond in England, Salisbury, Wiltshire to be exact. This isn't very far from Stonehenge or Ashbury (the other round stone site) or the Giant on the Hill. We've been exchanging emails for a number of years now, and he has come to visit twice, although I haven't made it over there since....well its been a long long time since I visited any relatives, and I now have an open invite from Clive.

Over the years we've passed back and forth lots of info, Blair's shame and disgrace in trusting Bush, MP3s of British music, birthday greetings, have mailed Christmas cards, CDs from Britain, Canadian music (thanks to John), etc.

Lately we've been talking about the weather. We had a little heat wave here in Victoria for a few days. England had the same, only it isn't over. The heat is still going on over there. Clive has reported that it hit 37C one day although it felt more like 45C as he rode home on his bike.

Then he reported that a street in Plymouth melted. Just melted away right down to the grit.

Nope....not global warming...at least not according to Bush....

Decisions on my education

Thanks to another blog I have taken a test and discovered that I am on the right track strangely enough...thinking about English or Anthropology as my major. This September I start Anthropology 312, taking another course without the pre-requisites just to challenge my mind.

You scored as English. You should be an English major! Your passion lies in writing and expressing yourself creatively, and you hate it when you are inhibited from doing so. Pursue that interest of yours! English 83% Anthropology 75% Journalism 75% Sociology 75% Psychology 67% Mathematics 58% Biology 50% Theater 50% Philosophy 42% Engineering 42% Dance 42% Art 17% Linguistics 17% Chemistry 8% What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3) created with QuizFarm.com

Money can't buy you love...or happiness...

I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright
I'll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright
'Cause I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love
I'll give you all I got to give if you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love
Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love, no no no, no
Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love
(McCartney/Lennon)

Science has now confirmed money can't buy you happiness. Go ahead read this article below. I bet the scientists who did this study make more than $100,000.

Your next raise might buy you a more lavish vacation, a better car, or a few extra bedrooms, but it's not likely to buy you much happiness.

Measuring the quality of people's daily lives via surveys, the results of a study published in the June 30 issue of journal Science reveals that income plays a rather insignificant role in day-to-day happiness.

Although most people imagine that if they had more money they could do more fun things and perhaps be happier, the reality seems to be that those with higher incomes tend to be tenser, and spend less time on simple leisurely activities.

Scaling bad mood

In 2004, the researchers developed a survey tool that measures people's quality of daily lives. Then they asked 909 employed women to record the previous day's activities and their feelings towards them.

The study focused on women because the researchers wanted to study a homogeneous group while the surveys were in the early developmental stages.

Recently, the researchers revisited the data from the 2004 and focused on correlating the amount of income with the percentage of time each participant reported as being in a bad mood each day.

It was expected that those who made less than $20,000 a year would spend 32 percent more of their time in a bad mood than those that had an annual income greater than $100,000.

In reality, the low-income group spent only 12 percent more time in a bad mood than their wealthier counterparts. This suggests that the link between income and mood has been perhaps overstated.

The researchers once again surveyed another group of women in 2005. In this study, participants not only recorded their overall satisfaction with life but a moment-to-moment account of their contentment.

The results showed that higher income had less of a correlation with momentary happiness than with overall life satisfaction.

"If people have high income, they think they should be satisfied and reflect that in their answers," said study team member Alan Krueger, an economist from Princeton University. "Income, however, matters very little for moment-to-moment experience."
More chores, less fun

Krueger and colleagues also looked at data from a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey to see how people in different income brackets spent their time.

What they found was that those with higher incomes had more chores and less fun.

They devoted more time to working, commuting, childcare, and shopping and were under more stress and tension than those in lower income brackets.

According to government statistics, men who make more than $100,000 a year spend 19.9 percent of their time on passive leisure activities such as watching television and socializing. Meanwhile, men whose annual income were less than $20,000 spent more than 34 percent of their time dedicated to passive leisure.

Although the correlation between income and life satisfaction is weak, people are highly motivated to increase their income. This illusion may lead to more time spent on activities like commuting while sacrificing time spent on socializing, something that people consider amongst the best moments of their daily life, the researchers said in the study.

The scientists are now conducting a national survey with both male and female sample groups.

* When Money Does Buy Happiness (at what cost??)
* Marriage Brings Wealth, Divorce Steals It (no kidding!!)
* The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them (and laughter is the best medicine)
* Republicans Happier than Democrats (because they know Bush can't run again)

(Yahoo!News)

Cell Phone Confidential

I am a cell phone user....there I admit it. I only use it for 1) emergencies ie: Bernie paddles off to Seattle without Paula's knowledge 2) secondary emergencies ie: I'm stuck in traffic and am going to be late 3) phoning my mother when I've found a great deal on (insert: shoes; furniture; antique) to ask her if it is a great deal.

I don't use it continuely due to having mixed feelings about whether it does cause brain tumours and not really wanting to find out that it does.

I don't phone and drive either! One of my pet peeves is people who talk on their cell phones and drive. Get off the phone and drive!! Or pull over to the side of the road!! Too many cell phone talkers do not concentrate on the act of driving ie: not signalling that you are turning; or sitting at a red light that turns from green to red again while cars behind are honking and people are yelling at you and you just sit there chatting away on your phone.

Then there is what I call cell phone confidential. A term I reserve for people who walk down the street yakking on their cell phone. I don't need to hear you yell at your mother, boyfriend or sister. I don't want to hear about how you gave the guy you picked up in the bar the best b***j** he's ever had. Keep this for the privacy of your own home or your car (not while driving) or find some quiet place.

Oh yes, and two other things.....don't bring your cell phone when you work out at the gym. Some of us actually go to the gym to relieve stress, to get away from the office, which includes getting away from the phone.

And anwering a cell phone in a public washroom is just really bad manners....

It is now scented anything

After purchasing $40.00 worth of gas (full tank!!) I thought I should check on the price of windshield washer as I would probably need some in the very near future. Only two types were available -- the normal blue coloured type, only what the gas station had was for winter weather. This is June, Victoria June, which may not be that warm but certainly isn't winter weather. The other washer available was summer grade for removing bugs, etc, was pinkish coloured and came in spring rain scent. 1) I am not going to be able to smell the washer when I squirt it on my windows because my windows will be closed to prevent getting splashed with droplet of fluid 2) the car in front of me probably won't be able to smell this stuff either.

Why does the summer washer fluid get scented when the blue winter washer fluid isn't? And if the blue winter washer fluid was scented what scent would it be?

Victoria Golf Course

WOW! I drove home along Beach Drive near the Victoria Golf Course today--finally someone has installed bright yellow signs that caution about flying golf balls! I've lived in Victoria for 11 years and driven that road all the time! There has NEVER been any warning before!

The fee to be a member of this golf course is $100.00.

You would figure someone would put some of those fees towards warning people driving the road that golf balls can be a hazard!

I wonder if someone got hit and finally someone went, "um duh maybe we should put up a warning??" or did it just take this long??

An Inconvenient Truth

I went to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth on Thursday June 15 presented by Monday Magazine and KOOL FM.

Worth seeing! 2 thumbs up, 3 1/2 stars!

I wonder what would have happened if Al Gore had become president instead of Bush.

I mentioned this movie to my landlord. His comment was to be open minded and see both sides of the issue; Is this really global warming?, there was past ice ages, glaciers are receding but some are advancing.

I went and did some research on my own. Al Gore's presenation on CO2 emissions is true; yes glaciers are receding and some are advancing, but those advancing are small and those receding provide water to large numbers of people. What happens when those people don't have any water to drink or can't grow crops? Doesn't that warrent a disaster situation? Which is maybe why disaster planning is one of the fastest growing careers, but isn't actually advertised.

It is human nature to bury your head in the sand, to say "it won't happen here" or "it won't happen in my life time" and not see the bigger picture. I think we all need to change our way of thinking before we have to change our way of life for the worst. We need to make changes, we need to do something.

Plan on having children in the future? Do you have children now? Think about those future generations, think about what may happen to them.

I don't remember who said it but I think one of the best quotes I heard in a long time is this and I may not be quoting it word for word but the message is still meaningful:

"I use to ask my Dad what did you do in the war Daddy referring to World War Two, I wonder when my kids grow up and ask what did you do in the war Daddy how will I answer them and tell them what I did in the war on global warming."

I'm in a club

I wasn't one to ever really join clubs as a kid, at least I don't remember doing so. I was briefly in Brownies, once was a member of the St. Mary's Academy Athletics Club, but then all the students who attended school there were members because that way you could play sports either on a team league or during lunch hour. In some instances I formed my own club...like tree climbing when I was 8-10 which was an all girl "club" but only in an effort to out climb the boys in my neighbour. As always, it was fun until someone got hurt, in this case me, and we stopped the whole thing.

Sure I go to the gym, but I don't consider this a club. It is my choice, something I've been doing for years and where I find peace, a way to release stress and is good for my health.

Now I find myself a member of a club, only I'm not sure of the name if there is one or if it is merely a common bond. It started last summer, or rather the late Fall and has progressed to be something more ever since I purchased my new kayak. It is the casual eye contact of the passenger in the car next to me stopped at the lights, kayaks strapped to the roof of both vehicles, checking out my new boat and us both smiling. Me with delight that someone noticed my new kayak and the other person remembering what it was like when his own boats were new. It is the neighbour on my street strapping his kayaks to his van, and as I walk by mentioning I like his boats only mine is nicer, and then stopping to chat about kayaks, and where is he headed for the day.

It is the thrill I get when talking to one of the organizers of PaddleFest in Ladysmith and her "envy" that I own a Delta and how awesome my boat is. This from someone who has demoed many kayaks in her time. It is attending PaddleFest, taking courses and scoring some great deals.

It is talking to other paddlers about equipment, safety, and great places to paddle.

It is the secret smile, the nod of the head, the light in the eyes of a fellow paddler. It is forming our paddle group and expanding it. It is this blog....

If it is a club, then Groucho Marx was wrong!

Vampires

Why don't vampire stories have the same rules?? Lately I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- yeah yeah I'm behind the times -- and I've noticed that these vampires don't sleep during the day, they can eat and drink, and even go into churches! And they can cut their hair and it doesn't grow back the way it was when they were made a vampire. All different "rules" from the Vampire Cronicles by Anne Rice. And there are other movies and books that follow a different set of "rules".

Which makes one wonder if one did met a vampire what would one do??

A Farewell to Summer

Call it the September Blues, for some reason ever since I started going to school, September holds for me a time of feeling a bit sad. The air is crisper and the days are starting to be noticeably shorter. Summer is on the way out.....in some parts of the country the leaves will be starting to turn displaying wonderous shades of yellow, red and orange -- those Autumn colours. Why sad? Spring and Summer are my favourite seasons, a time of play and being outdoors. September has always seemed to me to be a "get back to business" month. And so I feel a bit sad that the summer months have slipped away. It has been a delightful summer!!

And yes, September does herald a time of new beginnings; a changing of the seasons. A time when we gather the harvest and prepare for those long winter nights. Here in British Columbia the changing of the seasons isn't so harsh and I can easily tolerate the change. Luckily the days are often filled with sunshine long into October and November. Why live anywhere else? I haven't forgotten September in other provinces that I've lived in -- the cold nights, the whisper of snow to come, the TV commercials for tropic get-aways and the sudden onslaught of Christmas advertisements.

So I bid farewell to Summer a little later now....but the feeling of "getting back to business" is there and all the more so for working in an educational institution. For as September begins our office knows "they're back....."

Welcome

Welcome to Lou'z Newz!

A little site that will keep you up to date on what's happening with me, jokes, interesting tidbits and life in the slow lane.

John helped me to create this blog on a sunny Sunday morning in August 2004.

Drop by, sit back, relax and check out what's going on!