Canadians need a Backbone!

Don't get me wrong, I love my country and I think the people in it are generally nice, laid back and wonderful people . However, there are occasionally times when our tendency to take things as they come gets in the way of our need to collectively stand up as a group and say "No, I don't think so!" Unfortunately, and as as much as it galls me to say it, Americans are much better at this than we are. I remember when Gas prices started to soar (as it it hit 80c/l. shock and horror!) an American that I knew who was living up here made a comment that if prices rose that quickly in the states, people would be rioting and burning down gas stations. Now, I was shocked beyond words then, and I do still find this attitude extreme, but one has to appreciate this mans confidence in his irritatingly boastful (ooops did I say that?) fellow citizens to make a statement. It kinda makes me wish I knew people who knew how to vehemently stand up for themselves without breaking into violence.

However, the issue I am slightly riled about (yes I know I am not much better than the rest of us) today is not rising gasoline prices (as a non-renewable resource, I am bowing to its rising price as inevitable and planning to walk more until and alternative is found or we all die from starvation because of our dependency on long distance food sources), But rather Traffic Shaping,the loss of Net Neutrality, Throttling, whatever you want to call it. Basically, the issue is that we Canadian types are slow to follow our southern neighbors in protecting ourselves from becoming slaves to our Internet Service Provider's control of the internet and how we use it.

Currently, the immediate issue revolves around the ISP's limiting speed to certain users, based on what they are using their bandwidth for. Peer to Peer downloading is the bad guy of the moment. Torrents and MMO games being the main offenders. Which in my case, is my main internet usage. However, what may start as an attempt to evenly spread the so called "available bandwidth" among their user (and I am not techie enough to comment on whether ISP's are making up the shortage to justify their reluctance to upgrade their equipment, but that is my suspicion), and thereby slowing the service of these P2P "offenders", can lead to even more controlling behaviors. I am okay with internet prices rising along with everything else. It sucks, but its the way of life. As long as we know what our money is getting us, and it is the same for everyone.

However, if no one tells these big capitalist corporations that they actually CANNOT control who or when or what the internet gets used for, we are going to lose our only unbiased form of media. Suddenly websites owned by Telus related companies are going to load faster then their competitors'. the new Bell video downloading site will be the fastest way to get movies or video clips. Those alternative news blogs that tackle the hard issues and point out flaws in the corporate or government structure are going to load way slower that CNN, if ever. The internet will have a toll run fast lane for those who can pay for their connection or their website to run as well as it does now. When the Chinese government censors the internet to promote their views, we all tsk and shake our heads, sad for the loss of freedom. But what happens when our internet is censored for the sole purpose of making money? Will we feel outrage? annoyance? or will we just follow the big glowing arrow the money makers have put in our path and pay the toll and use the approved features because they are more convenient?

The sad thing is, Canadians are just cluing into this. This battle was fought and won in the states not long ago, and very few people up here noticed. Meanwhile, the ISP's have been cutting back services unannounced, and blocking rival websites and goodness knows what else, while the CRTC, which is supposed to protect the Canadian Public's interests in the media sits on its thumbs and says, "well gee. we might want to do something about this, but the big companies won't like it. maybe we will wait and see if enough people notice". Its actually kinda terrifying.

I know few, if any, read this usually half hearted journal/blog of mine, but I needed to vent somewhere. If I would be out east, I would have joined the protest in Ottawa. I almost feel bad for not being the type to organize one out here. But I would join it.

There is a petition. Sign it. Tell someone else.

Big Changes

Okay, so just after Christmas, I decided that I finally had time and motivation to join Curves again. Such a great workout. Anyway, along with this I decided to sign up for their website that runs their diet program, complete with meal plans, and nutrition tracking, health articles and all that stuff. So I went from sitting on my butt and eating whatever I felt like to working out a few times a week and planning meals and eating less and differently. Its been 3 weeks and 7 or 8lbs and quite do-able thus far.

However, today I have got the mid winter blues. I am cranky and tired of being stuck in this house. Because Gord has the car all day, I can only work out in the evenings which is a drag cuz I am most energetic mid day, and going to work out when my day is almost over seems tiring. and I am starting to feel a little trapped in this apartment. When I got rid of my car a year ago, it wasn't a big deal. I was working and going to school and didn't have a whole lot of time to spare anyway. But now that I am only working a couple days and have one class, I have a lot of time to kill and not much to do with it. I really should make use of the bus system in this town, however stupid it may be.

My Last Essay

So, its been a crazy busy few months, with school and work and all. like normal. Except that this time, I"m actually gonna be finished. With English. With essay writing. With my BA! YAY me! I thought I had one more semester left, so that adviser meeting was a pleasant surprise.

On the other hand, I now gotta come up with something to do with it. I am totally overqualified for a job taking peoples money at a gas station. But what does one do with a degree in English Literature? especially when one can't edit, doesn't enjoy writing enough to have deadlines of any kind, and mainly specialized in pre 1900 British writers? I mean sure I can quote Shakespeare, roughly demonstrate middle English vowel sounds, and tell you which Romantic poets hung out together, but thats not exactly an employable set of skills.

Enter, another year or so of classes. Its like finishing a marathon, and then having to run home. But if I get my library tech certification, the only even somewhat local library system in the region might actually be willing to cooperate and employ me. I mean, I have applied with everything from a resume (which I actually got an interview with) to a letter from a library manager saying "hire her" (for which effort I did not even get a phone call) and several other times in between.

But if one lives in an area where there is only one hiring opportunity in the public library realm, and one doesn't want to work in a corporate or public school library, thats just the way it goes. Anyway, I am taking a semester or two off from heavy workloads. and then finishing up the Library thing so I can actually USE the BA. fun fun!

But I am still excited to be (almost) done with the writing of papers. YAY!

Back Again And Thinking.

Okay, so I really suck at writing during the summer. We all knew that by now right?

Hawaii was Amazing. We would go back in an instant if we had the cash. Gord practically lived in the ocean. too cute. And we had perfect weather the whole time. And Gord bought me pearls and diamonds, so I ain't complaining! :-)

After that, its all been crazy. Family reunions, lots of hanging with friends, me working full time all of a sudden, etc. We were just last night at a friend's wedding party. That was a tonne of fun. after the 3 hour trip to get there. Apparently a chicken truck fell over on the freeway, so what shoulda been an hour trip took considerably longer. even after we got off and took other routes. thats right, most of the wedding guests were delayed by chickens. go figure! Vancouver area traffic really sucks. The routes really need to be reworked. gah! complain complain complain some more.

My little sister starts college next week. We even have a class together. Now she is younger then me by enough that we have never been to the same school, even my high school that went from grades 7 to 12. I have been doing this for way too long. Its a good thing I usually enjoy it! Of course the homework is getting very very tiresome.

Anyways, random musings of the day: Tradition, why do some people get so hung up on doing things just the same as everyone else for no other reason then its "traditional"? I mean, I am all for a good turkey dinner for Christmas, its as good an excuse as anything, but why pressure oneself to do the things that you don't really like, just cuz thats the way its done. silly. Get married in teal. Its good for people! ;-)

Laters!

Fox SUCKS

okay so I lied. one more entry before I leave.

the Fox network is stupid. They had this new show that started and I rather liked it. Drive. about an illegal cross country road race run by a mysterious "they" who occationally kidnap people and force there loved ones to race to get them back. It was really interesting. good character dynamics and development, interesting premice and best of all, cool cars driving fast.

it was been airing for a little over ONE WEEK. and they cancelled it. Okay, so there were 4 episodes released, but 3 of them were within 2 days. There's hardly enough time for people to find out about it! I know a lot of people who were intending to watch it but were busy the weekend it came out. I can't tell you how often I remember about shows I wanted to watch 2 or 3 weeks after they start. What really annoys me is that they replaced it with more reruns of House. now, House is a good show. but reruns??? I would rather see something new anyday. and I am still not gonna watch 24.

And this is certainly not the first good show they screwed over. Family guy, Futurama, Wonderfalls, Dark Angel, True Calling, FIREFLY. Thats it. I do not watch fox shows ANYMORE! they just get my hopes up. okay, maybe after a shows first full season. the trouble is that they pick up good shows and then don't give them a chance to be found by the public to be good. especially to the sci-fi public. It also doesn't help that they are often unadvertized and aired out of order. you just can't air Science fiction shows out of order! it usually screws up the explaination of the world. If it is a drama about relationships, fine. everyone already knows the premice and setting behind falling in love with your stepbrother or having an affair. you don't have to explain the rules of the world and culture its set in.

There is a serious shortage of good Science Fiction shows. that aren't another rehash of Star Trek, and they keep teasing us with interesting things, and then desiding we aren't a big enough audience to justify it. I would rather have NO sci fi then 6 or 8 shows with only 6 episodes each! (or less)

I'm TV depressed. I have no sci fi to watch. BSG is done for a year, Stargate is gone. Atlantis is on break. Dresden Files is on an unexplained just-not-there break (cancelled?). Lost is stupid now. Jericho doesn't really count as Sci fi. although the US does get blowed up which is kinda interesting. at least Heroes is back. And I am gonna miss it for the next two weeks. *sigh*

I'm gonna find something good to watch.