Considering privacy when there's nothing to hide

I'm looking for your opinions on this ... I think I know how I feel about it, but I'm aware that other people feel differently ... so help me understand here.

I've posted here before about people marking some of my Flickr photos as favorites in a post entitled "Gay guys totally dig me on Flickr." There's a contingent of gentlemen who think my chubby, hairy belly is dead sexy.

When I check recent activity on my Flickr gallery, I regularly find that people have marked some of the photos as favorites. When I click on the person's name to see their favorites, there's usually a theme. When it comes to the context in which I find my pictures, it's usually a collection of overfed and underdressed hirsute dudes.

Me -- I'm not that spooked by it. I find it flattering that people would find me so attractive they want to see my picture more than once. I don't feel threatened by it. My pictures don't portray me in a degrading fashion in any way that would impugn my character or smear my reputation. They're just photos of me that happen to appeal to a certain narrow demographic. I even stuck out my belly in one of the photos on our Cuba trip as a nod to my "fans".

Lately I've spotted a few people favouriting my girlfriend's pictures. And, likewise, there's usually a theme. Usually it's breasts, specifically cleavage, although one guy clearly had a thing for cute girls' armpits.

Now, this is where I acknowledge my opinion may diverge from others.

I'm not threatened by men on the internets looking at our innocent snapshots and finding my girlfriend to be hot. I'm kind of flattered that they think she's as sexy as I do.

Some people find it really really creepy that people would be looking at them like that. I don't think Amanda's comfortable with strangers finding her pictures sexy. I don't think she finds it threatening but she's clearly not into having her armpits fetishized for people who troll the web for shots that accidentally show the body parts they love most.

Now, I'm not taking pictures of my partner in sexy underthings and in suggestive poses to post on the internet to vampiristically solicit the drooling glances of other strangers. Not that that would be entirely unlike me, or some version of me from the past, but that's not appropriate, welcome or ... y'know, it's not a good idea. I get that.

Aren't I scared that these people are stalking me or her? No, I'm not. I don't believe these people are infatuated with anything more than the particular image they're looking at. I'm not afraid that someone out there has spotted my lady's 'pits or decolletage and is crawling the web looking for a way to get to her. I don't feel that kind of fear.

What's going on here is that we're posting perfectly reasonable snapshots that the average person would find innocent and plain. But people are devouring other peoples' photographed life and cherry picking the parts that turn them on, then saving them out to a collection that focuses on their particular predilections.

So what's a person to do? Cave into the peepers and go private with our otherwise unproblematic photos? Consider this: every parent who's posting adorable photos of their kids playing in the backyard pool are also sharing those family memories with oddballs who scour the web for pictures of children playing in backyard pools! Your little boy or girl could end up bookmarked for future insalubrious viewing by a guy whose viewing habits would make you throw up.

Where's it stop? If someone has a thing for women in red shirts, you may find your photos ending up in a collection along with other women in red shirts. Blue-eyed redheads? You're bookmarked! Flat-chested? Ample-bosomed? Somewhere in between or maybe a little heavier on one side than the other? Someone's going to fancy you! Someone's going to fancy you for a part of you you may not be proud of. And even if you're proud of it, are you comfortable with someone other than your honey bunny ogling you at the keyboard?

So, that's what I want you to meditate on and comment about.

How do you handle the knowledge that the material you post innocently to the web is likely being consumed by people who are using it for pervy purposes you hadn't intended?

Congratulations to Amanda

My partner and sweetheart doesn't need this book because ...

... she's debt free today! Well before her 30th birthday.

After scrimping and saving, planning and plotting and forgoing some of life's luxuries, she's wiped out the last chunk of her student debt.

I'm so proud of her!

A few bloggy changes

I've tweaked a few itty bitty things on the blog. I hope you like 'em.

• There's now a search bar at the top. I'm not sure how efficient or in-the-way it is.
• I know I mentioned it before, but I'm doing some sponsored posts now. As promised, I'm trying to incorporate things that go with the material you expect here, not shill for junk in the name of a quick buck. You'll see sponsored posts tagged with "ppp".
• There's a blogroll in the sidebar now. It's a list of blogs I visit regularly and/or enjoy greatly. Drop me a line if you want to swap links! I'm hungry for inbound traffic that isn't a Google search for "big ass".
• The layout is still broken below "BigAss Records, Inc." ... has been since the beginning ... and I don't know why. If you're an HTML expert who can straighten it out, gimme a holler.

Selling out to the man

Hey, gang.

Life's ticking along in a loverly fashion. The weather here has been alternating between gorgeous and blech, but that's what spring's about, I guess.

I figured I'd give everyone a heads-up that you may start seeing some Big Ass sponsored posts.

As you might've gathered from recent posts, I'm taking an even greater interest in my finances lately. Part of that has been spurred by my voracious consumption of personal finance (PF) blogs. Some of these bloggers augment their income to pay down their bills by blogging for dough. The most common one I've seen among bloggers whose blogs I like is called PayPerPost.

PayPerPost offers bloggers various opportunities to write a little blurb that has something to do with a product, service, web site, widget, gadget, person, concept, whatever ... and get money for it. It can be a few bucks or it can be many bucks. Because I'm not one of the most popular blogs in the world (yet), I qualify for the few-bucks ones. And because I'm not an amoral shill who's willing to whore my writing out for just anyone (yet), most of the PPP opportunities are of absolutely no interest to me. And I'm told they have blog reviews.

So, it's not like I'm about to get rich doing this.

I'll try to keep the sponsored stuff to a minimum, and where I'm able, disclose that it's a for-money thing. But I hope you'll believe me when I say I won't tell you I love something if I think it's a scam. I'll try to pick opportunities that serve your interests. And since the only ones out there who give any regular feedback are people who know me personally, I'll assume that your interests are reading about what my interests are.

In other words, the blog will stay mostly the same.

Anyhow, if you write a blog ... if you have some decent traffic ... and you're interested in making a few bucks here and there ... check out PayPerPost.

And if you're dropping by and think -- hey, this BigAssSuperstar could really give a rub to my excellent product, service, widget etc. -- well, just click the picture in the sidebar and make me an offer. I may tell you to take a hike, or I may dig your scene and be happy to take your money.
What'm I going to do with the money I earn? Gosh, I dunno. Pay for my next belt test at tae kwon do? (I got my green stripe just before the Cuba vacation, if you hadn't heard.) Save to buy a house? Buy some of that kitten-soft toilet paper? Renew cygnals.com for another few years? (The ten-year anniversary is coming up, gang.)

Another PPP note ... You have to read and write pretty well. Reading poorly doesn't pay off, because the rules are strict. For example, this post didn't measure up to standards, so I didn't get paid. Them's the breaks, people! I'm actually grateful that a company like PPP is rewarding people who can read and write!

Random whatsits of recent weeks

Some notes on stuff that's been doin':

Amanda and I went Thursday to check out the dream homes being given away in the QE2 Lifestyles Lottery. The bigger of the two is ginormously huge. Like, huge huge. Almost-too-big huge. It has room in the basement for further living-space expansion. Either that or you should shoot some epic films down there. And that actually sounds like a good plan. The second home is smaller, but still kinda nice. The consensus seems to be that we'd keep the first one and live in it for a year upon winning, then perhaps sell it. The second one, though, would be a re-sell in order to buy something obnoxiously fantastic in the south end of peninsular Halifax, then renovate the heck out of it and buy me a little car.

I checked out the Music Nova Scotia open mic at The Seahorse last week. It's hosted by my friend and former coworker Laura Simpson (no relation, though her husband's name is Scott Simpson). Laura had been recommending I come check the place out, and seriously consider playing a few songs. Problem for me is that they don't want people playing covers. That's about all I do. So I'll have to get writing some original songs.

While there, I ran into the proprietors of onlinemusicnetwork.ca. I asked how it's even possible that my cover of Cub's "Ticket To Spain" is #3 on their all-time top 100 chart. Google their web site and find out.

I'm working on a heavy-rocking cover of Mika's "Big Girl". His original appeared here earlier via YouTube.

We've been barbequeing again off and on. I love steak. You can't hear how much I love steak through this medium, so ... y'know, think of a food you love that you make crazy noises about, and that's how I feel about steak.

More to come later, I expect! Be well, be happy, be healthy, and be in touch!

Big Ass Superstar: Mastermind

Krystal over at Give Me Back My Five Bucks posted today about the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. You may have taken the test. I seem to remember doing one in grade 5 (or 7), but I don't recall the designation.

I followed the link on GMBMFB (you can too!) and took the test ... I came up INTJ.

A link to a description of that personality type describes me as a "Mastermind":

Masterminds will adopt ideas only if they are useful, which is to say if they work efficiently toward accomplishing the Mastermind's well-defined goals. Natural leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command of projects or groups, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once in charge, however, Masterminds are the supreme pragmatists, seeing reality as a crucible for refining their strategies for goal-directed action. In a sense, Masterminds approach reality as they would a giant chess board, always seeking strategies that have a high payoff, and always devising contingency plans in case of error or adversity.

Interesting schtuff. Another description is also keen.

What'd you come up as?

---
More detailed breakdown:

INTJ, Strength of the preferences %
Introverted: 33
Intuitive: 62
Thinking: 38
Judging: 22

Saving money like a Big Ass Superstar

This is still not a Personal Finance blog, though I'm on a roll with writing about money ... so here's a few notes on how I do my financial thing, with a bit about how 'manda and I work the dough.

Some of this knowledge/wisdom is from watching TV shows like "'Til Debt Do Us Part", and "Maxed Out". Some is from books like The Wealthy Barber. Some is from reading personal finance blogs. And some has been arrived at organically through trial and error. I can assure you that if I'd had this much sense ten years ago, I'd have a lot more wealth now. But, that's what growing up is about, huh?

Budget
Jerry Good taught me in Broadcast Management class that "if you can measure it, you can manage it." And it works the other way, too -- if you can't measure it, you can't expect to manage it. We bought Quicken Cash Manager 2007 more than a year ago, and I never really figured out how to work all the accounts and stuff. But I *did* find the budgeting section, and I love it.

We laid out our regular bills -- groceries, rent, car lease, car insurance, phone, cable/internet, power, bank fees -- and income -- mine and hers. We also considered bills that come up expectedly but not monthly -- cat food, apartment insurance, car registration. We also added some items for entertainment, gifts and dining.

Beyond that, though, we guesstimated how much a couple of vacations might cost ... and factored in a little overhead for emergencies and saving.

Quicken and a calculator broke the regularly expected expenses + savings + vacation + misc into a monthly chunk that would take care of the here and now, plus save for the future. It's those little changes that make the difference between treading water, swimming, sailing and navigating. We're no financial Copernicuseses yet, but we're well ahead of many who just hope there's money left at the end of the month.

Combine and conquer
Our incomes are different. Not a whole lot different anymore -- Amanda, a few years into her career, is about on par with me, nearly a decade and a half into mine -- but a little different. We figured out who's making what percentage of the combined household income. I think it came out to 52 vs. 48%. We applied those figures to the monthly household budget and figured out how much each of us would transfer to the shared chequing account. So, each payday, I put $x into the pot, and on her payday, Amanda puts $x-a bit into the pot. Our nut is covered, and whatever's left is ours to oversee individually.

Routine and automation
Until Amanda converted me to online banking, I paid all my bills by taking them to the bank machine, stuffing them in envelopes and putting them through the magic slot.

Now all the regular payees are set up in the online banking. As soon as a bill comes in from cable, phone, power ("hydro" to you in Ontario), it gets opened, paid, marked "paid", and filed in Scott's handy-dandy file-o-matic in the dungeon. We don't wait for a specific day to pay the bills -- the money's always there, so the peeps get their money.

Every payday, it's the same thing with our respective contributions to the household pot. We have it set up for an instant transfer, and kaboom, the household money is refreshed.

The only thing we write a cheque for is rent.

Several bills are set up for automatic payment -- car lease and car insurance are pulled out directly. And once a month, a lump sum gets transferred out of the pot and into our shared savings account, as a combination emergency fund/vacation fund. My life insurance also gets pulled directly from my main account.

Having the right accounts
Some may see this as overkill, but I have several accounts, all with the same bank, and Amanda has a set of her own as well:

• "Our" chequing
• "Our" savings
• My daily account
• My 'stash'
• My e-saving account
• Plus assorted credit cards and a bank line of credit

They each serve a purpose. Both "our" chequing and my daily account, IIRC, have unlimited or very-high-number-of free Interac transactions. That way I don't have to carry much cash. I think the monthly fee is $12. My e-saving account is a high-interest, online-only account for accumulating cash on the side. I can transfer in and out free of charge, and there's no monthly fee, but if I do something thoughtless and pay a bill straight out of the e-saving, I get nicked for $5 a shot. So, if my daily account is low, I just transfer over and pay away. The 'stash' account has been empty ever since I set up the e-saving. I just never got around to closing it.

Other Stuff I Do
I also have an automagic transfer of $50/pay from my daily account to my e-saving. It doesn't stay long, mind you, 'cuz I've been spending it faster than saving it. Hm.

I take part in the company's share purchase plan. As I see it, it's a helluva deal. The company matches 25% of my contributions in the first year, 33% in the second, and 50% thereafter. I can contribute 1-10% of my gross income, with after-tax dollars, each payday. The shares are purchased once a month at market value. I should've signed up for this years ago. I could be rich by now. But I only got on board last year. I'm pouring the maximum I can in -- 10%. It means my take-home pay has been cut noticeably, but with the company's share prices down recently, and the company kicking in 25% on top of what I put in, it's still a great deal. Really, where are you going to get a guaranteed 25% return on investment? 33%? 50%?! I think it's a great offer, and I'm going to stay in it as long as I can afford to.

I try keep my RRSP maxed out. I didn't contribute for a long time. But some inheritance money came my way, and I put it into the RRSP. I reinvested the resultant tax refund and kept going. Not too many years ago, I reached the limit. I'm sketchy on the math, but my 'pension adjustment' on my T4 is keeping my RRSP contribution limit stupidly low. I'm hoping that means my company pension plan is kicking ass. As it stands, my tax refund comes pretty close to topping up the RRSP limit.

My investments are not interesting. The bulk of my RRSP money is in what I'm told is a stable money-market fund, with the aim of using it toward a home down payment through that nifty first-time-buyer plan. The rest is in a balanced growth fund that is not growing very fast.

Other Ways I/we Save

• Pack a lunch. I take a lunch to work. A wrap, two or three fruits, yogurt.
• Take your coffee. Amanda brews up a pot of Tim's at home and takes it to work in a Thermos. Easily saving several dollars a week.
• Grocery shop once a week. We check the flyer, sketch out some meals for the week, make a list, and hit the store one time. Amanda gets most of the credit here, as I'm not holding up my end of the bargain when it comes to meal selection and preparation. If something is an especially good deal -- let's say a ham for less than half price -- we'll buy it, chop it up into three pieces, freeze it, and use it later. Hint for leftovers: affix a label indicating what's inside and when it was made.
• Walk, bike or take the bus. I help pay for the car, but I don't drive it. Amanda has to drive for work, so she does, which lets her earn money, so ... it all makes sense. Me, I can take the bus to work, and I usually walk home.
• I don't buy clothes. Not a recommended strategy, 'cuz I really *should* buy some clothes.
• Make do with what we've got. I'd love to have HDTV. But to do that, I'd have to get an HDTV. And digital cable. And HD service. And a digital cable HD PVR box, 'cuz my home theatre PC is fantastic for standard-def TV, but won't do HD as I understand the current technology. It's just not worth it right now. Regular TV is okay for now.
• Delay, delay, delay. If you don't need it absolutely immediately, put it off. Then put it off again. And again. Do this often enough and you might forget you needed it. You might realize you can do without it. Or at least you'll have enough time to research the hell out of whatever you're planning to buy.
• Research the hell out of whatever you're planning to buy. I've moved from 'careless' to 'cheap' to 'frugal'. I think I used to waste money. Then I think I used to buy the cheapest stuff I could find -- think Dollar Store or Bi-Way. Now I don't mind paying for something I want, but I want to make sure I'm not going to regret my purchase. It's about value, not price. There's a sign downtown that says something like "the regret of poor quality outlasts the joy of a bargain" .. something more eloquent, I'm sure.
• Buy used or refurbished. I think Kijiji and eBay are great. And I recently bought a refurbished JVC camcorder from TigerDirect.ca for about $150.
• Be a late adopter. Brand-new technology gadgets are often buggy in version 1, and also pricey. Wait a while and you'll get a bug-fixed version for less money. Need an example? Consider the ipod.
• I rent, not buy. Yeah, there's a whole debate about this on PF blogs. In theory, the money I'm not spending on home repairs, property taxes, mortgage interest and whatnot is being channeled toward other things. I don't know how much that's really doing.
• Have a partner. Buying for two, cooking for two, splitting the rent in two ... it can save you a bundle. Plus there's someone to keep you warm at night.
• Buy generic. I don't buy a lot of stuff, but if I can save a few bucks by getting the store-brand Psyllium Fibre Capsules over buying Metamucil, I'll do it.
• Be smart about ATMs. Don't hop from machine to machine. If you have the money in your account and you have the right account, go Interac at point-of-purchase. If you absolutely need cash, get some at your bank's ATM. Paying an extra $3 ($1.50 for the machine, $1.50 to your bank) to get $20 is almost as foolish as getting on the payday loan cycle.
• Use credit cards as convenience. The bank is willing to loan you money interest-free for a month if you promise to pay it off on time. That, my friends, is a good deal. Break the deal and you pay dearly.
• If you can't afford it, don't buy it. Save for it if you really want it. It'll give you more time to find a good bargain.

Where I "Waste" Money

• Cigarettes. No defense here. I'll save enough to buy a big-screen TV every year when I quit. Soon. I promise. Hell, the 5k run is a month away.
• Energy drinks and chocolate milk. I buy one of each almost every day at work. I suppose I could save a little by buying a case of energy drinks and a case of chocolate milk.
• Lottery tickets. The odd scratch ticket every few months doesn't worry me, but I've been playing the dream-home lotteries in Halifax for the past year, at $200-$250 a shot. I haven't won the house ..... yet.

Where I Could Do Better

• RRSP. I bet I could get a better mix in my portfolio. When this year's tax refund comes in, I plan on putting a chunk in an index fund or two, then making smaller biweekly contributions to take advantage of dollar-cost averaging.
• Outside investments. I have a bit of money floating around in my e-savings account that could be working harder for me. Since my RRSP is usually maxed out, I ought to find some kind of investment vehicle that'd put that cash to work. Then I could throw a few extra bucks at it when little snowflakes of cash come my way from outside work, selling on ebay, etc.
• Selling old stuff. I threw out *so much* stuff that was ebayable when I moved from Toronto to Halifax. There's unliquidated capital sitting at my parents' place in Stratford in the form of vintage TransFormers and unknown other collectibles.
• Life Insurance. My eyes glaze over when I read about life insurance. But I've read enough to suspect that I have the wrong kind of life insurance. The experts I've read suggest the whole-life plan that acts like an investment vehicle doesn't perform as well as getting cheap term insurance each year and investing the difference in an actual investment.

That's all that comes to mind right now. Any other hints?

Weird for having no debt? Not so much.

I just did my latest round of net worth entries over at networthiq. Although my cash reserves are a little down after the recent trip to Cuba, my stocks continue to accumulate (contributions plus a recent rise in RCI.B mean 26.6% more just in the past month) ...

... and my credit cards are all paid off. In fact, one's overpaid by $66, 'cuz we had to get a refund for one of the Cuba excursions.

All in all, I'm all assets and no liabilities. Again. As usual. I have no debt.

Is that so strange?

Squawkfox wonders the same thing on her Personal Finance blog:

I must be weird. I don't have lines of credit, maxed-out credit cards, and most of my paycheck goes directly into savings. I do have nice things though. I purchased new furniture this year, I participate in an expensive sport, and I have a stunning diamond ring. So why am I worth six-figures while others shuffle debt?

Do I have a lucrative job? Nope. I make an average salary for my age group, according to the November 2007 issue of MoneySense Magazine.

Did I win the lottery or inherit buckets of money? Nope. I've never played the lottery, and my family is alive and well. Although I have been promised a pretty set of china tea cups from my grandmother.

Did I play the stock market and strike it rich on a flashy investment? Nope. I've invested small portions of money slowly over time. I invest in index funds and ETFs. I'm pretty boring about investing, actually.

Do I own a house, condo, or other real estate? Nope. I am a renter and have been renting for well over a decade.

Wonder how it can happen? Check out her entry. It makes a lot of sense.

Having no debt is a nice feeling. I'm sure it'll be a nice feeling to have a house, too, but for now, having no lingering financial obligations is pretty sweet. I don't feel like my life is lacking in luxury. I don't feel like I'm missing out. I'm getting a kick out of seeing my personal net worth climb, as our combined savings grows and our combined chequing account stays floating without overdraft.

Is it weird? Am I weird? I've never shied away from such a label, but in this case, I think it's something to be proud of, instead of resigned to.

One more Chris Andrews video, before he was Punch

The funeral for Chris "Punch" Andrews is today in Newmarket. I'm sorry I can't be there.

Thanks to those who replied to my previous post about Chris. I've heard from some people I haven't seen in more than 15 years.

Here's one more video from the BigAss archives. Judging by a shot from the end that shows an old Standard Broadcast News terminal, I think this was shot on September 30, 1991.

It shows Chris op'ing a Blue Jays game (on the Telemedia sports network!) at Energy 1480 (CKAN-AM) in Newmarket. It's also a short tour of the radio station. If you knew Chris, you'll appreciate the short bits of him in the tape. If you're just curious about what radio stations were like before computers, then you'll see that, too.

Keep an eye out for cart machines (YouTube video quality is too poor to read the labels), reel-to-reel machines, record players, old clocks, clunky headphones, ashtrays, the wooden weather station, giant PCs, and a small collection of compact discs.

All the best ... be good to each other.

RIP Chris "Punch" Andrews

One of my teenage mentors died this morning.

Chris Andrews, known for the past decade and a half by his on-air name "Punch" Andrews, died of lung cancer after a public and very upbeat battle.

Chris had a growing Facebook support group that, I'm told, is still growing. I'm not on Facebook, but I'm told the group is at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24463005229.

Everyone there has his or her own story ... I have mine, so here it is.

I met Chris about twenty years ago, when I was in grade 9 and started volunteering at Rogers Cable 10 in Newmarket. My first gig there was pulling cables and changing tapes for cameraman Chris at the Miss Portuguese Cultural Centre Pageant in Bradford.

From there, I worked alongside Chris as he toiled on both sides of the camera ... producing, directing, shooting, editing and hosting virtually anything on Cable 10. While he's long been known as a high-energy party DJ, he was equally adept at hosting all the shows. He was the Swiss Army Knife of community television. Public affairs, politics, Christmas shows, community events. He was the complete package for that environment. And a real professional -- even on days when he'd arrive 15 minutes before showtime, rush into the little bathroom with an electric shaver and smear on a tube of foundation. Whether no one was watching or ... well, hardly anyone was *ever* watching, but Chris always performed as though that show was going on his demo reel.

Chris really seemed to hit a groove at Rogers when he teamed up with handsome and charismatic volunteer Thom Marriott to do a show called Around Town with Chris and Thom. They made it no secret that they had no budget and were making the most of a rinky-dink format. Their signature special effect was snapping their fingers to simulate a teleportation to the next location. They tooled around the town in the rusty orange Rogers mobile unit that had been decomissioned in favour of the new production truck. It became the Around Townmobile, and it took Chris, Thom and their mascot Hotline the springy rocking horse to wacky adventures around York Region. I spent some good hours riding around with Chris in that messy van, lugging gear as he smoked and talked and smoked and smoked.

As they met with resistance with Rogers management, Chris and Thom took up a show on struggling Newmarket AM station CKAN 1480. There was no listenership to speak of, so Chris was given carte blanche to do whatever he felt like doing with his time slot. From what I've seen, his show on Mix 99.9 FM in Toronto was a modern-day version of the same show Chris perfected at CKAN.

He even brought in his own records to play. I would drop in at the station while Chris was running commercials during the Blue Jays game, and man the cart machines while he went to another studio to cart up some 45s or cassettes. I remember a smoke-filled control room where Chris spent what was probably half an hour, trying to get just the right recording of "Five Long Years" by Colin James. He even carted up a copy of "Closer to the Heart" by Rush from one of my cassettes, which I'd call in and request now and then.

Even though he was on a station that was a rudderless sinking ship, working for rubber cheques and being managed by people who he didn't seem to get along with, Chris was a ball of energy and determination. To listen to his Energy 1480 Saturday Night Open Line House Party, you'd think he was working the prime time shift on 680 CFTR in the mid-1980s. And I think that's exactly how he wanted it. He was playing radio. Some people say they love their job so much, they'd do it for free. Well, Chris actually did so.

And he did it all without an op. He did all the production himself. He was more than just a guy who could turn on the charm when the mic was live. He had the vision to imagine what would sound good, and the technical chops to make it happen. He played the mixing console like a piano. By spending so much time with Chris, and absorbing technical know-how from him and the others at Rogers, I was able to cruise through two years of technical class at university.

I had my first alcoholic beverage at a Rogers crew party at Chris' family farm just outside Newmarket. I remember taking a hay-wagon ride out into a field where one of Chris' drunken friends did back-handsprings in the tractor headlights.

I was a lonely, kinda miserable teenager, and I felt like I didn't have close friends. Hanging out with Chris and being invited along made me feel like I had someone to listen to me. He heard my angst and lonely rants, and kept me optimistic.

I remember shopping for back-to-school clothes and wanting "Chris Andrews shirts" -- striped button-ups with collars -- and Dockers, so I could look like him. He was, in my eyes, a cool guy. Seemed popular with the ladies, always taking them out to his boat.

Chris helped me out a lot by writing me a letter of reference when I applied to his alma mater Ryerson University (then Ryerson Polytechnical Institute) for Radio & Television Arts. He coached me about what they'd be looking for in an applicant, who to talk to, and what to bring up in the interviews. I got in. I did well. I was aiming for television, but got into radio.

We lost touch when Chris moved out to PEI for a paying radio gig.

A few years later, back in Toronto and teaching, Chris invited me to speak to his class at Seneca College. What an honor for me to have the man who taught me so much believing that I had something to teach his students.

I think that might've been the last time I saw him in person. I seem to remember visiting him at the Mix. We've emailed here and there, and I sent him a DVD of a video I made of him at CKAN back in the day, plus some video of him hosting the Rogers Christmas Hotline in the early 1990s. When I heard the Jim Richards interview from earlier this month, and he said he was hoping to visit PEI one more time, I offered to meet up with him in the Maritimes. But that won't be happening.

I'm sad that he's gone, but ... hey, he wasn't sad. Chris said he had a good run. Always leave them wanting more. He went from an energetic kid volunteering at Aurora Cable, to a jack-of-all-trades/master-of-most at Rogers Cable in Newmarket, to bar DJ on Newmarket's Main Street and weekend radio host at CKAN, to PEI, then back to where he wanted to be -- on the air in Toronto, keeping the party going.

Some people leave this world never knowing how many lives they touched. Chris exited this life knowing that he was loved and appreciated ... and respected. He made a big difference in my world. There would be no Big Ass Superstar if there hadn't have been a Chris "Punch" Andrews.

So long, groovy boy.

---
For your consumption ... two videos from the archives. The first is a show opening from Around Town. I loved that show. I was a big fan. The second is a segment from Around Town in which Chris and a woman -- Lorraine, I think? -- filling in for the MIA Thom throw to a segment about Teen Pro Wrestling. Chris was kind enough to send Bubba out to do a story about a wrestling group I was involved in. I got to be on Around Town. What a hoot.

Hola from Cuba, mang

Greetings from the sunny shores of the Barcelo Marina Palace in Varadero, Cuba.

We're having a lovely time here. The food is fabulous (bacon bacon bacon, as promised), the staff is friendly, the amenities are plenty, and the weather has been decent. The first coupla days were H-O-T-T and humid like a sticky Toronto afternoon, but today it's a lot cooler and windy... too surfy to swim.

Tomorrow we're off to Havana for a tour ... next day is a half-day of snorkeling on the reef.

Lots of photos to come upon our return.

Many thanks to Laura for cat-sitting ...

The internet is slow, and for some reason the hotel appears to be using Vista on its two public machines with mucho security enabled, so I can't even get at my main email ... so ... I'm gonna wrap up and go get a sunburn.

Adios,
..bigass

This is not a Personal Finance blog

I've been reading a lot of Personal Finance blogs lately. There's a whole genre of blogs out there run by people who share their financial plights and successes with the world. Some are struggling to get out of debt and blogging about how to save a few bucks here and there. Some are making millions and explaining how the average Joe or Jane can do the same.

I started at Give Me Back My Five Bucks, run by krystalatwork. She's a young Vancouver woman who buried her debt in a hurry and is now ambitiously saving up emergency funds, travel funds, condo down payments and whatnot. She links to lots of other Canadian and American PF blogs.

One that appears chock full of great links is Quest For Four Pillars run by Mr. Cheap.

Articles at Millionaire Mommy Next Door made me question the conventional wisdom that home-buying is the best investment.

So, yeah, there's a lot out there. And a lot of these bloggers show their stats for all to see. I applaud them, though I'm not quite prepared to do that here.

While I'm proud to say that my RRSP is usually maxed out ... and that my spending habits are generally sensible and sustainable ... and that I'm doing what I can to save, like putting 10% of my gross income into the employee share purchase plan -- the one that matches 25% in the first year, 33% in the second, and I think 50% beyond that.

But in reality, we know that people are often more comfortable talking about their sex lives than about their bank accounts. I'm happy to share some generalities, but I'm not about to post my income stats here. I'm not comfortable sharing my salary with the world. Likewise, I don't want to know how much my coworkers are making. I just don't wanna know. If they're making more, I don't wanna know. If I'm making more, I don't wanna know. I know how I'm doing, and I'm curious what the industry average might be, but I don't want to tempt any hard feelings on the part of me or anyone I work with.

Having said that ... a tiny tiny bit of PF blogging from BigAss. I've read that knowing where you're starting is key to knowing how to get where you want to go. You dig?

So, I ordered up credit reports from Equifax and TransUnion. I messed up the paperwork on one, so it didn't come through ... but the other one arrived, and was 100% beautiful. No missed payments, no red flags, nothing to complain about. I have credit, and I use it wisely. I have no outstanding debts. I make my payments on time. I'm a good consumer.

Next, I went ahead and calculated my net worth. Well, not in excruciating detail -- I haven't added up the value of my physical 'assets' ... that box of Generation-1 TransFormers in mom and dad's garage is probably worth something astonishing, but I didn't factor it in. I also have not included the value of any insurance policies or pension plans. I'm frankly not certain where all that info is, nor do I understand whether it should be counted in my Net Worth calculations. I'm looking at more readily calculable stuff.

A nifty web site called Net Worth IQ lets you punch in the numbers and keep track of it all. I've been keeping track, loosely, for a few months, and here's my 'badge':

At least I *think* it's supposed to stick it up there. Anyway. If that doesn't work, you can see it here.

So, that's it. I'm not a Personal Finance Blogger. I may write stuff here 'n there, but I'm not going to strip my bank accounts naked the whole time. Would you? Let's hear your thoughts...

What's in your wallet?

I've been reading a lot of personal finance blogs lately. Seems a bunch of them are answering the question "What's in your wallet?" I figured it might be fun to do the same here ...



So ... here's what's there right now.

• One $20 bill


• Thirteen Halifax Metro Transit tickets


• Two (why two?) business cards for my financial advisor at RBC Royal Bank


• Air Miles collector card (collector since 05/98 and I've never cashed in my points)


• American Express Air Miles credit card -- more miles


• Citibank MasterCard -- had this one since I was about 19


• RBC Gold Visa -- just got this one and I've only used it once


• RBC client card #1 for my personal accounts


• RBC client card #2 for the shared accounts


• Nova Scotia Health card


• Ontario Health card in rough shape and useless


• Rogers Video membership mood card


• Video Difference membership card (excellent video store, BTW!)


• Blockbuster membership card (I doubt I've ever been to Blockbuster in Halifax)


• Company insurance card


• Staples Dividends card


• Hallmark Club Card


• Carlton Cards Club card


• Birth certificate


• Two of my business cards


• Toronto Police Service media card, expired 2004 but still looks cool


• M&M Meats key tag


• Picture of me and Amanda


• Picture of me and my sister, circa May 1995


• Picture of my sister and her hubby


• Nova Scotia driver's licence


• and, what a crumpled and torn receipt from December from what's probably Boston Pizza

Wow. That's a lotta stuff in one wallet!

What's under the hood

This is mostly for my own benefit, so I can refer to what gear I've got if I'm in the mood to upgrade .... or if there's some kind of catatstrophic crash.

Little Eddie, the Home Theatre PC is:

• AMD Athlon XP 1500+ at 1.3 GHz
• 512 MB RAM (256 MB x2)
• MSI MS-6712 board (aka MSI KT4V)
• BIOS is American Megatrends Inc. 07.00T 04/02/01
• 704.03 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity (Maxtor 6B200P0)
• SONY DVD-ROM DDU1621
• Sapphire/ATI RADEON 9000 video
• Hauppauge WinTV 250 and 150MCE tuner/capture cards
• Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit
• SnapStream FireFly
• Logitech wireless mouse/keyboard
• Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter
• Inside an Antec Overture II case
• Hooked up to living room television and home theatre sound

The Stallion (studio/gaming/general purpose PC) is:

• AMD Sempron 3000+ at 2 GHz
• 2 GB RAM (1 GB new Kingston Value, 2 x 512 MB Kingston)
• ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe board (v2.xx), BIOS Rev 1013
• 407.87 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
• SiI RAID 0 Set + WDC WD800JB-00CRA1 (80.02 GB)
• NEC DVD_RW ND-3500AG
• CD-RW LG GCE-8481B
• ATI ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 Pro video
• SB Audigy Platinum sound card (removed for now)
• M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496 sound card
• LG L204WT 20" widescreen monitor

Both running Windows XP.

Well, that ought to do it. Enough geekery for tonight. Dinner's almost ready.

My first newscast

Back in 1982, my teacher, Bill Webster, invited the class to write a little newscast about the school to be aired in a weekly Sunday-night segment on Newmarket radio station CKAN 1480 AM.

IIRC, the whole class was assigned the job of summarizing a series of news items about the school into a short bulletin, and mine was chosen for the show.

Either that, or he picked me out of the class to do it. I'm not sure.

In any case, I present to you my first radio newscast!

I was at Pearson International Airport doing a story for 680News one morning, when I saw Mr. Webster walking through the terminal. I thanked him for giving me that break so many years ago. I don't know whether it had any effect on my future career, but I'm pretty sure I've never been as nervous filing a report over the telephone as I was that lunch hour in the principal's office.

---

Reference: scott%20simpson-grade%20four%20newscast.mp3

Sorry, bud, wrong Scott Simpson -- part 3

Looks like my Audi A4 has been serviced.

Of course, as documented here recently, I don't have an Audi A4.

Yet, I got another email today from New Country Audi thanking me for having my car serviced, and inviting me to fill out a customer satisfaction survey.

They didn't acknowledge the last email I sent alerting them to the fact that they're emailing the wrong Scott Simpson about the car.

Perhaps there's a field in the customer satisfaction survey about that.

I'll be sending them another email about this today.

---
Follow-up:

The reply to my inquiry was: "I apologize, all you have to do is unsubscribe on the email" (sic)

So, I asked, "Any explanation of why I’d be getting email intended for one of your customers?"

The answer: "To be honest with you, I have no idea, its a third party that does the email address collection, for some reason your email address is attached to scott B simpson. Again, I apologize for this inconvenience"

Goals for 2008

A few things on the to-do list for the year ahead:

• Tackle weight loss, again


• Complete two albums -- first, finish "Mind The Gap", then work on some originals


• Play at least two open-mic gigs in Halifax


• Advance two more belt levels in taekwondo


• Keep my RRSP maxed out


• Increase my net worth. It's not bad now, but will be even better


• Finally finish quitting smoking and eating cinnamon buns


• Get a tattoo commemorating the disposal of all my vices


• Develop my leadership skills
• Become a more accomplished cook -- and cook at home more
• Be more assertive about inviting friends to do things
• Be less codependent -- own my own stuff and get more comfortable letting others take care of theirs
• On the small-to-do list that's been sitting for ages: digitize all my media (tapes, videotapes, slides, prints, super-8 film), renovate my web sites, get new glasses, steam clean the carpet, take the cat to the vet, etc.

Big Ass Christmas Haul

To boast about Christmas gifts is decidedly un-Canadian, but I want to extend my thanks to everyone this holiday season for their generous and thoughtful giving by hitting just a few of the highlights.

From my parents, a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner. I love vacuuming, but I also love robots, so to have a robot that will chase the kitties around during the day and clean up hair and crumbs will be really, really cool.

From Sandra and Byron, a donation-in-name-of to an organization that buys goats for the goatless and hungry -- what a neat idea! And a Buddha Board -- a nifty thing that encourages you to just blurt out your visual creativity on a page by painting with water in a medium that shows up for a while, then fades away. We saw these in Charlottetown last year, and I thought they were way, way cool. Thank you.

From Shannon and Chris, an item that could make my effort to quit eating cinammon buns easier or more difficult: body wash/shampoo that smells like cinnamon buns. Specifically, somehow, like Cinnabon cinnamon buns. Seriously, it smells f'ing awesome. They need more serious warnings not to eat this stuff. Also, a big Toblerone bar. My sister knows me well. Toblerone = awesome.

From Barb and Wendall, a super-cool lunch bag made of neoprene. It holds all my lunch loot and can spread out to make a placemat. Also, some cool books including the Borat book and The Onion book.

And from Amanda, a ceramic jar for holding my thoughts or change, or change of thoughts, or thoughts of change, or whatever. And a pair of ceramic mittens that are so sweet!

From me ... well, from "Santa" via me. A Nintendo DS video game machine with Nintendogs, and Brain Age and Brain Age 2. A whole lotta fun.

Thank you to everyone for everything! Sorry we couldn't be with you all in person, but we felt the love from far away!

My teeth in sesquipedalian detail

Hey, look. It's my teeth. Spooooky, mang.

That's the third panoramic x-ray I had done during a visit to one of Halifax's top orthodontists for a consultation on getting a billion-dollar smile. The panoramic x-ray machine had a hard time navigating around my broad, manly, hulking shoulders. That, and I was biting the bite-thingy wrong the first time and moved a little.


So, here's the lowdown.

Apparently I have a borderline skeletal Class III malocclusion. Moderate overbite, 2mm overjet, deep Curve of Spee, maxillary anterior diastema, excessive upper and lower interdental spacing, incisal misguidance, mandibular retropositioning, mandibular thrusting, anterior bruxing, abraded 1-2, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, 3-1, 4-1, 4-2, mandibular left closing shift, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, mandibular macrognathia, dental asymmetry, missing 1-8, 2-8, 3-8, 4-8, malformed (small) 1-2, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, 3-1, 4-1, 4-2.

Yup. That's a mouthful. (Har, har.)

The doctor spent about 40 minutes telling me how a proper bite was important, not just for the sake of a beautiful smile, but for my overall health. He demonstrated on charts, pictures, gizmos and a human skull how my funky bite could mess up so many things.

But when I told him what I do for a living, and how I'm concerned that not being able to speak properly would be a big hindrance to my life, he changed course.

He switched from a track that would lead to train-tracks in my mouth, to one that would slap porcelain on my chompers.

He recommends:
- continued bite plane therapy -- the plastic mouth guard that stops me from smashing my molars to pieces every night
- periodontal referral -- I guess to see if the gums in the gaps between my teeth are in jeopardy due to their exposure
- cosmetic dentistry to eliminate excessive maxillary and mandibular interdental spacing -- that is, veneers or bonding or grinding or something to un-gap my gappy teeth

That's assessment number one. I plan to have at least one more before pondering futher.

Here's something interesting. In searching for some of the terms in the very wordy diagnosis, Google spat back some intriguing results. Namely, this very blog. I posted first and then went to add some links -- and Google sometimes found that my entry was one of the only instances of that phrase on the net.

Another page with some of the same terms is another blog. Coincidentally, a blog by a woman who saw an orthodontist in Nova Scotia. Does it seem weird that terms appeared in both her diagnosis and mine, but not so commonly across the internet?

Bruce The Moose mall display: Part One

Another story I've been meaning to bring up for some time ... but it's timely now.

What ever happened to Bruce The Moose?

You probably don't know Bruce The Moose. In fact, the only reference I can find to Bruce the Moose on the whole bloody internet is on this message-board posting by 'NorthernGrl':

When I was a child, Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, Ontario had "Bruce the Moose" He was this huge moose that played a giant piano and sang Christmas carols as you waited to see Santa. Then, in my teens, after the mall had huge renovations, Bruce was just gone.I was really upset, and still wonder where he went. I hope he was refurbished and sent to another mall, and not just trashed.

I also grew up in Newmarket, and have the same story. Bruce was there on the lower level as part of the sit-on-Santa's-lap setup. Bruce was a giant furry semi-animatronic moose. He had a sidekick -- some kind of squirrel or beaver? And they played and sang along in a clackety-clack mechanical way to a prerecorded soundtrack. Sometimes Bruce malfunctioned and didn't move. Sometimes Bruce moved and there was no music.

Now, I considered ... well ... odds are Upper Canada Mall didn't commission Bruce The Moose from scratch. That'd be a mighty big project. There had to be more Bruces the Mooses. (Meese?)

Then I met Sarah Mann, formerly the morning show producer at the radio station here in Halifax. She grew up in Chatham. A mall there also had a Bruce The Moose. She corroborated my story.

The only hard evidence I have of any of this is a single Polaroid. My sister found Bruce at a mall some years ago when she was in University, well past the Upper Canada years. I don't know where the photo has gone, but if I find it, I will scan it and post it.

So, the call is out to any and all who remember Bruce The Moose from any mall ... or anywhere the moose may have roamed.

Seeking:
- Bruce The Moose coloring books or other handouts
- Any recordings or other renditions of the Bruce The Moose music
- Photographs
- Video
- Background: who made the displays?
- Epilogue: where did the Bruces go after they were done?
- More: anyone work with these beasts and have stories to tell about their maintenance and implementation?

This is only Part One. You can add more in the comments or send me e-mail. As the material comes in, I will re-post and expand, and eventually we'll compile the official Bruce The Moose Christmas Display archive on the Interweb.

Step one: I think I'll go call Upper Canada Mall to see if anyone can give me some background.

Spread the word through Facebook or MSN or whatever you people use. Let's get 'er done. Preserve the memories.

Gay guys totally dig me on Flickr

I've been meaning to write something about this for a while, but I don't really know what to say about it.

The bottom line is ... some gay men enjoy pictures of my gut.

Stop laughing.

The picture on the right has had six people label it a favorite. That, as far as I can tell, makes it the most favorited picture in my Flickr library.

The favoriters (word? is it? probably not) include men named tex - just tex, N!(K -- loveforphotography --, Cute_Boy_Wonder, bobjeffs00, matadormat_net, and, the name that seems to sum it all up, Overfed & Underdressed.

Clicking on any of those names will show you their favorites. (I don't suggest doing it at work.) You'll note that they're mostly pictures of topless, hairy, fat men. I'm in good company.

The picture of me with Randy from the Trailer Park Boys comparing big hairy bellies is also a popular choice among the same crowd. Actually, checking right now, I see it has 8 people counting it as favorite, including beardad4bears.

I suppose I'm flattered. It's nice to be considered a sex object, even if those objectifying me aren't the ones I'd expect to attract.

If I were gay, I suppose I'd be welcomed into the "Bear Community." Wikipedia has an article about this, with the following terminology.

• Admirer - a term that refers to someone who is sexually or romantically attracted to Bears (this term is often used in various communities to describe an outsider who has sexual attraction to people within that community). Also often referred to as a Chaser.
• Admirers/Chasers can be of any weight, hairy or hairless and any age.
• Bear - a man with a stocky or heavyset build. Can be hairy or hairless and can be of any age.
• Cub - a younger (or younger looking) version of a Bear, typically but not always with a smaller frame. The term is sometimes used to imply the passive partner in a relationship. Can be hairy or hairless.
• Daddy bear - is an older guy sometimes looking for a daddy/son relationship with either a younger Bear, Cub, Otter, Wolf or Chaser.
• Goldilocks - A female, often heterosexual, who is often in the company of bears. A bear's fag hag. Also can be referred to as an Ursula.
• Muscle bear - a muscular version of a Bear. A muscle cub is a younger or smaller, yet muscular, version. Can be hairy or hairless and of any age.
• Panda bear - a bear of Asian ethnicity. A panda cub is younger version. Usually hairless.
• Polar bear - a silver- or white-haired Bear.
• Otter - a man who is hairy, but is not large or stocky - typically thinner, or with lean muscle. Slimmer version of a Bear with little pockets of fat like love handles or a tiny gut, but not as lean as a Wolf.
• Woof - A greeting often used when a Bear spots another Bear in public and wants to express physical attraction. He might make a growling noise ("Grrr!") or say "Woof!"
• Bear run - a gathering or circuit party for Bear/Cub types and their Admirers.

Kevin Smith has a nice bit about this whole phenomenon in the second An Evening With... DVD. A gay friend told him that if he were ever to switch teams, he could get a really really hot boyfriend, 'cuz the cute muscly hairless guys really go for the chubby hairy dudes.

So, to all the "chasers" -- uh, thanks. Thanks for diggin' my scene. You can look but don't touch.

PS: I now have a full beard. Oo, I'm such a tease.

Filmmaker flashback

I know a bunch of my grade-school/high-school classmates are gathered over on Facebook. I'm not on there. But I have something to share with them. If you were at Stuart Scott Public School in Newmarket Ontario in 1986 (87?), you may be somewhere in this clip.

I used to make stop-motion films for fun. Back in grade 6, I took my super-8 movie camera to school and shot a reel of film. Here's what we cranked out -- with some extra stuff at the end of the reel, 'cuz I had film left over.

I got the transfer done here in Halifax at Copy Cat Digital. I'm not terribly impressed with the transfer, actually. There's a guy in Ontario who uses a frame-accurate direct-to-digital transfer, so I think I'm going to send my films out there for another attempt at getting a cleaner copy. Then, perhaps, I'll add sound and repost this and more.

Storm's over. Back to bidniz.

I ended up sleeping through the storm, awakened this morning by a Blackberry email from my parents wondering if we'd been swept off the map because the Internet feed for the radio station was down.

Yes, we survived. No broken windows. No leaks. The barbeque is still on the balcony. I was afraid we'd lost Amanda's cat, but she was just hiding in the closet in the Dungeon/Studio.

We went out this morning to get material for more stories this afternoon.







This low-rise apartment building on Monastery Lane, behind the Canadian Tire on Quinpool, lost its brick facade around 4am. Two cars parked in a no-parking zone were crunched. A third was damaged. A woman who lives inside says the most-damaged car looked like it was a pretty sweet ride...beforehand.

A big tree tipped over at Quinpool and Rosebank, across from the Irving, next to the Ardmore Tea Room. It didn't snap the lines, but stretched 'em pretty good. I was lucky enough to find Nova Scotia Power's communications woman there, so I snagged a decent interview after she told some kids not to play on a fallen tree under power lines. (Parents? Anyone?)


We headed out to our favourite rocky shoreline area off Purcell's Cove Road -- and we weren't the only ones there this time. The waves were spectacular. You can't quite fathom the scale from the pictures here. (Click on 'em anyway -- they'll take you to Flickr.)

Storm's still coming

I went out in the storm for a reporting stint ... will probably head out again soon for an update.

Checked out the shoreline by the harbour ... lots of wind ... nearly lost my glasses coming back up Duke Street. I felt sort of like John Holliman on CNN standing in a hurricane -- and the storm is still 400km away. Chatted with some students at the Split Crow. They're hell-bent on drinking and partying no matter what the weather. The cover band was doing some Guns 'n Roses -- Sweet Child o' Mine, though November Rain would've been the obvious choice.

I came back thoroughly soaked, despite having worn Amanda's Land's End raincoat.

Forecast is for the peak winds to hit around 6am. We'll see about going out in the morning for more coverage. So much for getting an extra hour of sleep.

Hatches: battened down

There's a big storm coming tonight. It used to be known as Hurricane Noel. Now it's post-tropical, and Halifax is in the crosshairs.

The rain has started ... the wind has pickeded up ... and conditions are expected to deteriorate as the day and evening wears on.

Peter Bowyer at the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Dartmouth is saying the peak of the storm will hit after midnight, into the morning hours, winds of up to 140 km/h.

We're up in a high-rise building that suffered some window damage during Hurricane Juan a few years ago. We've strapped down the barbeque on the balcony and brought in the balcony furniture. Amanda is filling up extra bottles of water right now. We have plenty of food and water on hand.

The scary part, for me, will be later tonight when I'm out reporting. The radio station is putting on a special show tonight, and I've drawn the "out there" assignment. "Out there" as in "not at the station" -- so it's not clear whether I'll be reporting from Barrington Street, the bar district, my balcony, or hiding in the bathroom from flying glass. We'll see how it goes.

So much for getting an extra hour of sleep tonight. It sounds like we'll be getting an extra hour of rattling windows and howling wind. W00t!

I'll post any interesting pictures over to Flickr.

Considering braces

I was flipping through the teevee the other night, and landed on a show called Style By Jury on the dubya network. It's similar, kinda, to Extreme Makeover -- only more Canadian in terms of budget and production. They recruit a mark, put her in front of a focus group which, behind a see-thru mirror, criticize her appearance. Not viciously, just "honestly." Then they set the mark up with relevant aesthetic and lifestyle services. In this case, a woman had laser acne treatment, porcelain veneers, laser eye surgery, a new hairstyle and makeup, and spa treatment including some much-needed romance time with her fiancee. Looked like the lady deserved it, caring for a special-needs son and all.

Anyway, I got to thinking ... if I had a bit of money stuffed away ... which I do ... and I had some things I'd like to change ... which I do ... what would I do?

I consider my reactions when I see pictures of myself:
- Jee-zus, where'd my hair go?!
- Holy crap, I'm fat.
- Oh gawd, I have such goofy teeth.
- Oh, yes, I have glasses.

So, going down the list of solutions, I considered:
- My hair is going. I'll have to accept that. I've never been impressed with the results of other peoples' hair-replacement efforts. I don't want to look like "Spike" Gallagher or "Mel" Lastman. I may consider something for this eventually, but for now, I'm going to aim to embrase my Quibellesque hair pattern.
- The fat thing is thoroughly documented here. Surgical weight loss doesn't appeal to me. Liposuction is disturbingly violent and just doesn't sit well with me. We've watched a season of Big Medicine, and none of the stomach-reduction surgeries make me want 'em either. Getting un-fat is going to have to be an old-fashioned procedure.
- As much as it'd be nice to have great sight without glasses, it's not extremely high on my priority list. My glasses look alright, and they don't