The pirate days are over once the river starts to freeze

I can't believe that the leaves are already changing colours and falling off the trees. Don't the trees realize that it is still August?

Up your kilt

I love meeting interesting, wonderful, fun people.

I hate it when it's time to say "see you around."

I hate it more when that realistically translates to "have a nice life."

Hey Culligan Man!

I like it when commercials do not falsely represent the product or service being advertised because it restores my faith in the existence of some “corporate morals.” After all, getting what one is expecting is usually a good thing.

And sometimes you just need a new water cooler. Otherwise how do you differentiate between a coffee break and a morning water cooler gathering break?

Now back to working and then fringing.

This lesson in reading between the lines has been brought to you by the words fedora and paralyser.

A series of firsts

It's August. I recognize that August means summer and not Christmas. However, on Thursday, I decorated a Christmas tree for the first time in my life.

It's been raining a lot lately. Apparently there are nine days of rain in August on average in Edmonton; this year we were at 13 days with rain by the 18th. However, on one of those non-rainy days, I went golfing for the first time in my life. We ended up at 9 over par, and I was the only person in my group to not lose a golf ball. I still think golf is a silly game. I suppose that as a commerce graduate that is heading into law I'm likely going to be condemned to a future that involves golf. But that doesn't make me want to accept it.

Advertised gas prices in Edmonton jumped over a 100 cents per litre. This is worthy of mention because most gas stations are only equipped to post prices that have two digits prior to the decimal place and as such are unable to post their prices as per usual (although some places, like Save-On-Foods gas bar, have just rounded up to the nearest penny instead). While many people are sad that the price of gas (and oil) is so high, and while I have no sympathy for the gas stations being inconvenienced in posting their prices, what strikes me as absurd is the fact that since gas stations are taking 3.5 cents (or more) off at the pump but are advertising the higher price anyway - why not just post the at-the-pump price on the sign. To me, posting the higher price just seems like bad business sense. First, I think that consumers are being unnecessarily patronized - there seems to exists an engrained psychological barrier to paying more dollars than you get litres, especially when 10 years ago, gas prices were 39.9. Second, what store in the world would advertise their prices as being higher than the actual price and think it's a smart idea? If you look at phone companies, they show the lowest rate plan and then nickel and dime customers with hidden fees, the last thing they would do is list the full cost to the customer, let alone a higher one. I suppose that gas stations felt that advertising a higher price with 3.5 cents off at the pump might seem like a better deal rather than just posting the actual price, however, even if mathematically 99.4 or 102.9 minus 3.5 are the same thing, I think that the former seems a lot less scary. So why don't gas stations just advertise the real at the pump price? It would make it easier for them to post their price, it makes better business sense, and it would make the advertised price more palatable to their customers.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

It didn't really sink in until last night.

I was at a random house party, and there were a lot of boys standing there drinking their beers in deep discussion. There would be the occasional shouting match, much disagreement, and lots of emotion. They were even resorting to asking the magic 8-ball questions to predict the future.

It made me smile.

Hockey is back.

Now so long as the Oilers get an awesome forward and don't waste money on getting Messier, this season will rock.

It takes one to know one

It’s amazing how fast time flies during the summer. It is hard to believe that school has been out for three months, and that there is only a few weeks left before it starts again.

However, rather than talking about my summer, I’m going to take up the challenge offered to me by Anastasia to come up with 5 reasons why I’m a dork. Apparently this exercise should lead to interesting results.

1. I have an unnatural and consuming love for excel.

2. I helped organize a knitting night. It was lots of fun. (Since I now knit, curl, and play bridge, I think I should start planning my retirement.)

3. I make nerdy comparisons. For example:
-I think there is an interesting correlation between the current papal succession and CBS anchorman succession (one old white man replaced by an even older, slightly more conservative, white man).
-I compare major sporting events to debate tournaments. To me, the Masters Games was the Diefenbaker of the sporting world, whereas the IAAF was like McGoun and the Olympics are like Worlds.
-I think that Stephen Harper’s makeover is the Canadian equivalent of the “I want to be a Hilton” reality show.

4. I often ponder how Miss Manners would advise one to eat twizzlers.

5. When reading the latest Harry Potter book, I was irked at the ubiquitous use of the words “oi,” “oho,” and “wonkers.” However, that was mostly redeemed by the profuse use of the word “snogging.”
That was fun. You should try it too.