Category Archives: fun

22/6/22

Numbers to remember.  Any plan should have an expiry date.  Mine has one and it is a little less than 5 years from now.  There are milestones for me to achieve, some that will be easier than others.  Through all that, I have to remember the goal that will lead to greater independence, choice and new horizons.  I expect to be able to do more of what I want when I want.  I can do this now and have much happiness in my life, but I have this vision in my head of change that I think will bring me and my loved ones new adventures and experiences for us together.

The next 5 years will be filled with challenges the will make our lives amazing.  Afterwards, new challenges will come to be and I know that we will face them together.  I am looking forward to them.  🙂

So, I will remember 22/6/22 and will strive to check off the different milestones of challenges I want to conquer with the ultimate goal to be a better person for me and my family.  More to come on progress as it happens.

 

Friday Link Sharing #7

PolarBear

It’s Friday morning and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time to share a link!!  Ok, it can mean other things, but your relationship with cod and cod related products is yours and yours alone…

Today’s link is about finance.  I know you are all now salivating in anticipation!!  If you want to learn more, something I love to do, check out http://www.investopedia.com/.  I find the site to be well structured and informative.  However, it does have quite a bit of US based information and that is not always the same as Canada (If you know of any good Canadian sites, send them along!).  You can also read about the rumour that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, should buy Verizon.

As a bonus, here is Graham Norton’s YouTube Channel.  He is one of my favourite talk show hosts and I love the British spin on the interviews.  🙂

Have a great weekend ahead.

Friday Link Sharing #6

CheersIt’s Friday and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time to share a link!  Ok, it can mean other things, but the debate surrounding the roundness of the earth is pretty moot at this point even if certain rappers seem to think otherwise.  Both Carl Sagan and Neil Tyson have very strong, and sometimes funny stances on this.

This week’s link is a recent discovery for me.  Maybe I’m late to the game or just never looked in to it.  Did you know there are public discussions happening all around you that are often free and available in many cities?  The one I went to last night is https://www.concordia.ca/events/conversation-series.html.  There are many videos available online and the one I attended in person was really well put together.  The moderator and panelists worked well together and the conversation flowed well.

As a bonus, if you enjoy a good dram, you can enjoy it with Nick Offerman now.  JJ

Have an amazing weekend ahead.

Friday Link Sharing #5

DataSec

It’s Friday and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time to share a link!  Ok, it can mean other things, but your “good” ideas should be reserved for Saturday.  However, I would love to see the GoPro video afterwards…  😉

In our everyday lives, the need for security is omnipresent.  We hear about it our discussions with friends (well, my friends…) and in the news.  Have you ever wondered what RSA means in your SecureID token or what cryptography is and does?  There is good story behind it, that you can read about either on Wikipedia or in a book, aptly called Crypto, by Steven Levy, that makes it a little more dramatic.  Another good book about cryptography is The Code Book, by Simon Singh.   Mr. Singh makes these really complicated subjects easier to understand and makes them more exciting at the same time. J  Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you could create your own Cryptocurrency!

In other news, responding to spammers can be quite entertaining.  This TED Talk is definitely worth 10 minutes.  I ROFLed and LOLed quite a bit at it.  J

Have a great weekend ahead!!

PS: I realize it’s Tuesday, but time got away from me and Friday is really a state of mind, kind of like no pants.  🙂

Friday Link Sharing #3

scotch

It’s Friday morning and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time to share a link!!  Ok, it can mean other things, but I really don’t think the ceiling fan was engineered to support that kind of weight…

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with work but didn’t know how to respond professionally?  We all know that burnt out people do much less work than those who have reasonable demands on their time, but we don’t always have the appropriate words to express our feelings and make sure we are doing our part in managing our own workload.  Mashable has some suggestions for us all: http://mashable.com/2015/01/29/drowning-in-work/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link?#rbDa_ygPO5qO

Have a great Friday and may your day be TIFU free (Ah, Internet lingo, how I love thee).

Cheers to a great weekend ahead!

Friday Link Sharing #2

It’s Friday and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time to share a link!!  Well, it can mean other things, but wishing for it won’t make it so.  Get out there and do it!

This week’s link gives you lots to watch during your time off with the top 25 holiday movies, as rated by Rotten Tomatoes.  http://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-christmas-movies/    Yes, Die Hard IS a holiday movie and anyone who thinks different is wrong!

As a bonus, watch this awesome video to get you in the spirit of the season.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTLAx3VDX7g

Have a great weekend and holiday season!!  May the force be with you and your family.

Friday Link Sharing – #1

Caroling with Yoda

 

It’s Friday and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time to share a link!!  Well, it can mean other things, but sometimes bacon isn’t the answer.  Rarely, I admit, but sometimes…

 

This week’s link was going to be something completely different, but a typo in an earlier email gave me some inspiration.  This is a TED talk I watched with the family last night:  https://www.ted.com/talks/al_seckel_says_our_brains_are_mis_wired?language=en  – Our brains are interpretive wonders, but, as Plato said, our senses deceive us.  There are lots of cool things to learn at Mind Hacks as well.  My daughter recently started to get interested in these as she showed me how to find our blind spot.  Very cool.

As a bonus, check out Amazon.ca’s holiday deals.  There are new ones every day and Christmas is only TWO WEEKS away!  With the lack of snow, getting in to the spirit has been more challenging.

Have a great weekend!!

 

Funny Love

Heart

This morning, I woke up with these two words floating in my head: Funny Love.  Yes, I decided that whatever was in my head when I woke up would be what I write about today.   Perhaps not the most thought out idea in the world…

First, I asked my 10 year old daughter what those words made her think of.  Her response was a typically pre-teen “I don’t know”.  I think she knows but doesn’t want to tell me.  She is smarter than that, but, in her defense, she was eating breakfast and still half asleep.  I will ask her again later.  …  Ok, it’s later.  She says it’s “someone who likes someone for something, but then he likes someone else and ends up not knowing who he wants”.  Yep, that’s pretty funny.  Not in a ha-ha kind of way, but in a “figure it out cowboy!” kind of way. Funny love is confusing.

Talking to her, it made me think of the silly things I have done to make her laugh in the middle of the grocery store that were just for her.  I didn’t care what other people thought of my weird singing and dancing in the pasta aisle.  It was for my three, four or five year old.  (Yes, this went on for a while. I am sure the grocery store employees saw me coming and focused the security cameras on me every time.)  This is what we do for the people we love.  We ignore everyone else and do things just for them.  Even if they would seem completely insane without the other person around.  Funny love is focused caring.

Then, I started thinking about my relationship.  I say and do some weird shit if they are taken without context, but to my significant other, they make complete sense.  They make her laugh, either because she finds it funny or just because she thinks I may indeed be a little crazy, and that makes it worth it.  To see your loved ones smile and laugh, that is where the gold is hidden.  Funny love is closeness.

Oh, and it turns out that laughter is a natural pain reliever.  It releases endorphins, the same way as exercise, runner’s high for example, which reduce your perception of pain.  So, if you happen to sprain your ankle and someone tells you to walk it off, maybe you would be better laughing it off.  Seems more fun anyway!  If funny reduces pain, then why not pair it with your love?  Funny love is more comfortable.

Whether it is confusing, caring, closeness or comfort, put some funny in your love.

PS: Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for the cool image of a heart.  🙂

 

 

 

Being social

Relationships are very important in our everyday lives, at work and at home. I find that the better you get along with people and the easier you make it for them to work with you, the more willing they are. Everyone becomes more productive and understanding. This applies at home too.

Compared to many of my friends, I do much more socializing online using tools such as Facebook, Friendfeed, Twitter, etc. I find like minded people very easily and am able to spark up conversations about common interests. Being naturally introverted, I often find it difficult to do this in more open situations, at a bar for example. This is a great reason to attend Barcamps or Tweetups. At least you know that people share your interests and starting discussions will be much easier.  At work, I have much more in common with my fellow worker, but the culture in a large, long established company is different from what I gravitate towards, so it takes some work to identify those who share my passions.

So the big question becomes: How to make it better?  Well, there are probably many responses.  I tend to prefer just leaping in and asking a bunch of questions.  You just have to prepare yourself mentally and say that you really have nothing to lose.  If the person does not share your interests, perhaps there is some disappointment, but at least you know up front!   Curiosity pays off personally and professionally.  If you find that you are not comfortable or not feeling fulfilled, then you should start looking at other opportunities then figure out if it is worth the change.  There are many factors involved, so take the time to think about it!  🙂

Another rambling post is out there for better or worse! 😉

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Long haul

It has been a while again. Sorry for that! I have just been busy with my daughter’s activities, school and work. Also, I had a road trip to Chicago and New York! It was great fun.

At work, I have to admit that I am now challenged quite a bit and enjoy my job a lot more. I am overwhelmed at points, but actually get great support.

At home, I really need to start painting my walls. White just doesn’t cut it anymore. Now the debate about colour vs. earth tones comes up. What to do? I’m not a decorator, I’m a geek! 😛

At school, it is all about psychology of work, which is really interesting, but I am having trouble getting motivated to write my term paper. Good thing I have a team to back me up and push me along. I like school, but some subjects pique my interest more than others…

That is about it for now. Busy! Busy! Busy!

Stay interested and interesting!!

John