Isn't It a Shame?

This post will consist of one word and one word only.

DONE

i am SO furious. My credit card this month...April 12th, (like a week ago) $137.91 from "The University of Waterloo"

i)they can never tell you if it was say the registrar/financial services, the watcard office, techworks, the bookstore, whatever...only "the university of waterloo"

ii)during final exams LAST year I got screwed for $100+ on the exact some goddamned thing. I tried to get my credit card company to look into it/get me the receipt but after calling them three times about it they were still coming up dry and so I let it slide. You have to pay the charge up front, pay a fee to challenge the charge, and go through all this paperwork to even get them to provide you with a receipt...and then and only then MIGHT they reverse the charge. Lose lose situation.

iii)there is no way in hell that I did ANYTHING last week for $137.91 from the school. I bought batteries from techworks that might have been $8.03, but I'm pretty sure I paid cash for them.

Yes I know, I should keep all my credit card receipts and write everything down somewhere...I'm lazy, its never going to happen. Frankly, yes I should probably do a better job of actually checking that the amount that I sign for is the actually amount owing, but I USUALLY do a good job about that...and during final exams I'm sufficiently distracted/preoccupied/stressed that I probably just signed without even looking. Really, its just the fact that its for so much money, and that this is the SECOND time that its happened to me...from the university of waterloo.

Okay...wow, a DOUBLE posting in one day. Don't touch me, I'm on FIRE!

My other big idea: You know how eBay has the option to "Buy It Now"? I think students should have the option to "Write It Now". For some cost, $5 or something, you could write your exam during the next available exam period. That way if you're totally ready for an exam you aren't forced into waiting around for it forever, plus you don't need to stick around until the end of the exam period! And on top of that, the school brings in a little extra money. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

Also: check out this awesome russian architecture from the 1930s. The huge statue on top of all of the buildings is Lenin. Why can't we have buildings that are as neat and exciting as these?

Further: Check out this neat personality test. You have to draw a pig. Mine...it wasn't so pretty. But it nailed me dead on in terms of personality! Also, be sure to check out the gallery(password: oink) Its neat to see what everybody else did! There are some super artsy ones, and some that looked more like mine...

I am
i) a realist.
ii) innovative and active, but don't have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates(wow, SO SO true about the dates!)
iii)ou are emotional and naive, they care little for details and are a risk-taker. (well, I don't know about naive, but otherwise...)
iv)secure, stubborn, and stick to my ideals.
v)a great listener! (well maybe not...)
and finally
vi) About the quality of my sex life: "WOW!"

That's right ladies, read all about it. The line forms to the left. Take a number please. Stand back, stand back...

I think I've always kind of been a bit of a rebel...I'm always cheering for the underdog.

I have a cryptography exam on tuesday. The basic idea of crypto is getting something securely from one person to another, so from A to B.

Well, for some reason every, single, solitary example of cryptography anywhere calls A "Alice" and B "Bob". Nice easy white person names, one guy, one girl, everyone's happy.

Let me tell you, if I was teaching this course, I'd have so much fun mixing it up. "Alfonso and Bambi" "Abdullah and Babette", "Artemus and Bronwyn". I think you get the point : ) Wouldn't that make class much more amusing?

I'm pleased. I was just having dinner at the chinese place in the plaza near school...they had October's copy of "Explore: Canada's Outdoor Magazine" (don't worry, I hadn't heard of it either).

I was reading an article about Canada's glaciers...(i.e. in the Rockies). They are melting at an astronomical rate...some of them have lost 25% of their volume in the last 8 years alone...and the scientists the article interviewed mostly all predicted that the glaciers will effectively be gone within the next 50 years and for sure 100% completely gone within the next 100, all due to global warming. Essentially the temperature difference(estimated at 1.4 degrees warmer than 1980) is enough that they melt more in the summer than they regain in snowfall in the winter, and that they melt basically 24 hours a day during the summer, rather than just during the day time. Long story short, if you want to see the glaciers, you'd better think about doing it soon.

This whole thing comes on the heels of the Liberals releasing their watered down version of Canada's Kyoto plan. From the summaries I've read it basically sounds like hogwash handwaving with no actual involved at all. A huge chunk of the "Reduction" in emissions will just come in the form of credits: i.e. there won't actually be a reduction in emissions, those that are emitting will just have to pay to do so. It truly infuriates me that the government isn't willing to take a hard stand on such an important issue, simply because big business doesn't want to have to cut back, and frankly because for now atleast the average person couldn't care less about pollution. The problem is, by the time the average person notices enough of a difference to care, it'll be well too late.

With the potential for another election as soon as June, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Ultimately, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Conservatives win...but I can't see them being any better. If I remember from the last election, their Kyoto plans were next to non-existant, and just as hand wavy....frankly, even the NDP and the Green Party plans, while better, still seemed hazy. Why? Because its an absolutely HUGE problem with no easy answer...the only thing *I* know is that the answer ISN'T to just ignore the problem and hope it goes away.

ANYWAYS, sorry for the tirade...what I was GOING to say is that I'm pleased as punch. The magazine also had a great article about adventure trips every canadian should take.

i)Hiking the West Coast Trail (I think this is basically the Juan DeFuca trail on vancouver island)

ii)Biking the Cabot Trail (cape breton...I hope to do atleast a big chunk of this this summer...its about 300km)

iii)Climbing Mount Assiniboine(near the border between BC and Alberta...12,000 ft climb).

iv)Paddling the South Nahanni River...this is something I've *ALWAYS* wanted to do...its a huge river that basically follows the border b/w the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, from the very north down to the BC/Alberta norther borders. 5,000 foot canyon walls(as deep as the Grand Canyon), 500km long, a 400 ft waterfall(TWICE as high as niagara falls) and the to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site...when Pierre Trudeau paddled it he insisted on making the area surrounding it a National Park...there's gotta be a reason. Mind you, the only way you can get there is by float plane.

v)Hiking the Bruce Trail (from Tobemory/Owen Sound down around hamilton to the Us border b/w lake ontario and lake erie. 800km long. Essentially follows the Niagara Escarpment.

I think the conclusion is I need to make it filthy rich very early in my life so I can basically do these kinds of trips full time. And I also need to do this all before I have kids....because I suspect that these are NOT easy trips for the mostpart. And really, this is the kind of thing that I just live for...it beats a beach in cuba by orders of magnitude for me.

*AND* the ultimate conclusion? HOT DAMN! I'm SO excited about my bike trip this summer!!!
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I also can't help but post about bathroom scribblings.

i) "I want a blowjob from a girl NOW". --> vandalized to read "I want a blowjob from a GOAT now". .

ii) "Gay Sex: Call Me. I just came out of the closet. 732-7865".

iii) : "Waterloo Degrees". (not sure who wrote this, maybe someone from Laurier? Anyways..) and someone writes "Your gay.". ....doesn't say much for Waterloo!

# posted by Greg @ 3:21 PM 0 comments

SO!!! Yesterday was the Jimmy Eat World/Taking Back Sunday concert. It was at this big old convention centre near the airport. My friend Jason drove John and I down...and we definitely were amongst some of the older people at the show. It was a pretty big crowd, I'd put it at something in the range of 3000. And let me tell you...the crowd was nutso...like john and I had to bail out and stand on the sidelines halfway through each show because we were sweating like dogs and dying from the constant jostling/crowd surfing, etc.

The music was splendid...Taking Back Sunday actually played a lot of their old stuff, even though they have a new singer...I'd give them an 8/10. Jimmy Eat World was just fantastico...played basically all of my favourite songs, were REALLY into it, and they seriously know how to work a crowd. Definitely a 10/10 no questions, hands down, just about as good as concerts come. The sound was great given how huge of a warehouse/hanger this place was.

The only disappointment of the show was that tshirts were $30 for the main bands, and $25 for "The Format" the openers. I would for sure have bought two or three of The Format's shirts if they'd been $15, because they were hilarious and hip...and the band was actually really great too, although we only caught about half of their set.

Anyways, the part you've all been waiting for...

Best Rap Lyrics of The Day
"Ass is just Ass
She was just Ass
Until I got her pregnant"

I kid you not. These are infact rap lyrics. Courtesy of our main man "Choclair" - All I need in This World is You.

And the reigning champion in the world of cube commentary...
"I fall asleep while my boyfriend sexes me up".

Birthday action, library style!

Talk about a raw deal. Atleast my study-buddy John bought me lunch, and murtle sent me a funny e-card. Simon chan even remembered my birthday a day early. Thus far these have been the highlights. My parents bought me one of those long plastic tubes that you whirl around to make a noise. Yeehaw!

I got back from lunch and some dude was sitting in the other half of my desk. This displeased me since I'd left all of my stuff behind. Anyways, after a while I went to the bathroom and noticed that there were TONS of totally empty seats on the floor. So I politely informed him that there were other seats so that he could sit by himself if he wanted...and he goes "Well, am I bothering you here?" "umm, well i *DO* kind of like studying by myself..." "oh, well, i suppose I could go sit somewhere else" "yes please."

I'm having SUCH a hard time caring about exams. I have one tomorrow at 9am, and I'd be totally game for going out tonight...

JIMMY. EAT. MY. WORLD. TOMORROW. (oh, and Taking Back Sunday too! and The Format! Toronto, watch out, here I come!)

Today's additions:

i)Countries suck, Continents Rule
ii)Why thank you!
and...my favourite
iii)Amit...but, someone had come along and changed it to A[r]m[p]it. This amused me immensely.

Well, history exam went decent. It turns out that on monday's class(Engineering finished class the thursday before, so I went down to toronto, and wasn't around for the monday lecture) he had basically given out 5 possible essay topics. I was thoroughly amused that the way he decided which essay we were going to write today was to get one of the people writing the exam to stand up, go to the front and roll this HUGE foam dice(di? die? how do you spell that?).

New feature: News from the Cube.
I study in the library, and am always entertained by the writing on the cubicle walls...

Today's wonders:
i)Welkum to Asia.
ii)I like when girls wear pleated skirts
iii)One word: penis envy
iv)DON'T SOAB

Your guess is as good as mine...anyone else studying in the library these days? Have you come across any winners?

I am currently studying/procrastinating for my history exam tomorrow morning. Thus far the most amusing nicknames for historic events are

i)"The Defenestration of Prague"(people got thrown out of a window, essentially sparking the 30 years war)

...and the french revolution brings us two winners

ii)"The Great Hat Fiasco"(French Estates General, King is supposed to put his hat on, then the 1st estate(Clergy), 2nd estate(Nobles) then 3rd estate(everyone else)...well King puts his hat on, then the 3rd estate do. Oh my! So the king takes his hat off...and tries again...still to no avail! WHAT TO DO!)

iii)"The Tennis Court Oath"(The 3rd Estate leave the Estates General - following someone named Guillotine - and start their own 'National Assembly' in a tennis court, where they vow to not leave until they have come up with a draft of a constitution).

Keep checking back for more action packed History related updates!

I suspect the frequency of my blogging will skyrocket over the next two weeks prior to settling back to its norm of approximately zero.

There are two reasons for this.

i)Final exams -> I'll be in the library, and I'll be bored.

ii) Increasing pressure from Simon@Grimsby.com. I can't let him wildly out-blog me. This would go against everything I stand for.

In conclusion, Richard has the world's best(at this momemt) facial hair. Props to that.