My last post, sort of.

Hi everyone,

I realize that if anyone still visits on a semi-regular basis than you will have noticed that I am no longer keeping this blog up to date. I am writing my PhD and quite busy. I have moved and am enjoying my new surroundings. In fact I am so busy that I find myself less concerned with keeping an online diary, so to speak. I am applying for jobs (who isn't!), writing manuscripts and enjoying my new friends in the city. However, I do have some new ideas for my internet life and a few large projects in the works that require some heavy devotion.

My partner and I are throwing ourselves into another large site development this summer to compliment our other software as a service website, The Money Case. I don't want to divulge our plans, however in this economy I believe it will be highly successful and act in concert with our current projects.

I am also going to tie all of my personal sites and blogs together into a larger website that will act as my portfolio and online networking resume that can be both a showcase for my achievements and place for myself, my friends and family to interact in a slightly more intimate manner than a place like facebook, myspace or twitter. One of the only criticisms I ever hear today about the online environment and txt messaging is the that it allows people to get lazy about personal communication. To me, I imagine the space will be the beginnings of our family albums and hold heritage and family tree information, which has been collected from both my father and mother's side of the family by many dedicated members. I hope that it can bring people together and create opportunities for family re-unions. My partner, Shawn, has an enormous family and adding his family to ours as an addition to this will be soooo enriching, we may span the globe one day!

In closing this blog (yes, that is what is happening here) I will be removing much of the advertising. I will also post many of the old, previously un-posted material. I often write something and do not edit it with the intention of reading it later and clicking the big important "publish" button at the bottom of my back-end publishing interface software that blogger has created for me. Instead I will leave some posts for ages and never click the button. I don't know why. I can't even be the only one. Of all the bloggers out there, I imagine each blogger has about another 5% of un-posted blogs compared to their visible posted blogs. They just pile up in the unwritten blog ethos. Perhaps it's just like a big to-do list. There are always things that fall to the bottom of the priority list, and then over time they jsut become really unimportant. Every once in a while you look at that list and say "I am finally going to get to all of those things..."

So here I am, spring cleaning my blog to do - and it's the last thing I do before I close up shop. But I'll leave everything else here, in pristine condition for everyone to enjoy. Including myself. It's my first effort. Thanks for your time. I enjoyed the short run. The next run will be longer, however the next run will likely be devoted purely to websites. I enjoy that game - designing, the graphics and overall the more independent and self-sufficient nature of the website development game. I tip my hat to the hard-working bloggers and take my leave.

xo BD

Things that made me laugh today

Let me preface this blog post by saying that I am from Edmonton (Canadian Prairies) and I moved to Toronto (eastern Canada) in my youth. I return to Edmonton frequently, and I have often been confused as to why communication is sometimes a problem. I think I am beginning to understand and I find it amusing, because if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?

The noun bluff (and the adjective bluffy) in reference to an aspen and willow grove typically surrounding a slough, appears to be unknown outside the Canadian prairies, whereas the eastern Canadian and international use of the term in reference to a low cliff or abutment, is largely unknown in western Canada and causes some puzzlement to newly arrived westerners in Ontario.

In Saskatchewan, the term "bunny hug" refers to a hooded sweatshirt.

Chauch: A slang term generally referring to young men who work out and attempt to dress well but are ultimately, not classy. (In 1970s Ontario, "chauch" meant attractive young women, normally heard in the expression "Nice chauch". The word was both singular and plural.)

Wikipedia, accessed Feb 18, 2008

Crap! These are only a few examples of how the language these two regions use could be potentially confusing and offensive to eachother! I.e.; the ontario man says to a beautiful woman: you are one nice looking chauch - I would love to give you a bunny hug over that bluff. Translation: "you are the least classy girl I've ever seen - I'd like to give you a sweatshirt in that grove of trees!"

HAHA!

Selfish people

Don't you hate selfish people?

The ones I am talking about aren't necessarily the ones who like to have a lot of things and do not give to charity. That is selfish, but only in one way. That the kind of self that can come from years of having nothing and I understand it. Many people in the world think only about money and possessions because it is the world we have created and it isn't exactly character defining.

The kind of selfish I really hate is more subtle. It is when a person talks about themselves for hours and never stops to ask how anyone around them is doing. When that same person can't figure out why no-one likes them. For example, if a day goes by and no-one talks to a selfish person, they might figure it is because they must have done something to deserve this treatment and pout because no-one wants to be their friend.

It is that type of person I want to smack. Wake up! The world doesn't revolve around you. Perhaps you should say hello to someone and ask them how their day is going. Selfish people expect everyone to be their friend and come to them to massage their egos, lick their fancies and tickle their nipples. I think these people don't understand how disrespectful they are to people around them and overall how toxic their personalities are.

I made a decision a few weeks ago, after a couple of my "friends" did something completely self centered and selfish, that I have no need for these type of people in my life. I know that when I was young I was like this - when I was an adolescent I treated people like shit. I realized it, though, and I couldn't keep any friends very close to me. I was oversensitive and thought that everything was about me. I wanted everyone to listen to me all of the time and paid very little time and attention to my friend's needs. I was also very focused on my relationships with men. I would ditch a friend in a millisecond, regardless of the situation, if I thought I might be able to land a man.

Women out there - you don't need to behave like this. Be good to the people around you, be good to yourselves, and a good man will respect you for it. You will find yourself surrounded by good people and happy. There is no reason to think about only yourself - although there is a good argument for making sure you come first. Be sure you don't let yourself get walked over by people without being a selfish bitch.

Ahhhh. Rant over.