Question of the Week #3

(— Question of the Week #2

What are your thoughts on the penny?
Recently the Canadian Government decided to stop manufacturing pennies.
How do you feel about that?

Welcome to Question #3. Every week (it won’t be every week) I’ll put up a question, ramble on about it for a bit, and then would very much like it if you chip in your opinion.

So, penny for your thoughts?

*knock-knock-knock* Penny! *knock-knock-knock* Penny! *knock-knock-knock* Penny!

I think it’s neat. Like, it sounds like something trivial and silly. You know, like something you’d see a parody of a government arguing about on a skit of SNL. Like, The representative from Toledo motions for a larger surplus of push pins in civic buildings. Motion denied on account of prior request for longer extension cords and lack of storage space, or something. But apparently, this is serious business.

Did you know it costs a cent and a half to make a penny? Nickels cost about nine cents. The Canadian Government apparently lost somewhere around $7 billion making pennies last year.

I’m happy with this change in policy. People don’t accept pennies anyway. Well, the only people who accept pennies are people; you can’t use them in vending machines for example. One we get rid of the penny, I think transactions would go faster. Some people might lose a bit at having to pay an extra two cents when their $X.X3 gets rounded up to $X.X5, but they’ll make it back when it rounds down.

Admittedly, there is the whole ‘tradition’ argument. We’ve always had the penny and always should, and all that.

What do you guys think? Is dropping the penny something you agree with? Is completely discontinuing them a step too far? Or, do you think we should go further and only have coins in dollars, dimes, and fifty-cent pieces?

If you make the Now we’ll have to say ‘Nickel for your thoughts’ joke, I will kill you.

“ In the United States, you never hear politicians or members of the cabinet saying things like, “It costs taxpayers a penny-and-a-half every time we make one. Therefore we will stop making them.” We don’t make politically neutral, factual statements.
This is why we still have pennies.” 
― John Green, ( What the Death of the Canadian Penny Says about the U.S. )

Question of the Week #2

(— Question of the Week #1

Question of the Week #3 —)

Would you rather have your cake, or eat it?
Maybe it’s that toy you really wanted. Or that really pretty flower on the bush. Whatever it is, its use is limited; the toy will break and the flower will die, but only if you take it.
Do you?

Welcome to Question #2. Every week (it won’t be every week) I’ll put up a question, ramble on about it for a bit, and then would very much like it if you chip in your opinion.

So, what do you do?

The title is actually Ready for number 2, which could mean something else entirely.

As far as sayings go, this one isn’t a very good one. “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” uses a meaning of ‘have’ that, contextually at least, isn’t usually applied to cakes. Eating a cake is, using a certain definition, having the cake. But you and I both know that the saying means something along the lines of “You can’t keep your cake and eat it too,” and that I’m just beating around the bush and stalling for time. So let’s get to it.

I’d rather keep it, in most cases.

I don’t know for sure why, but I’ve been like that even since I was a kid, more or less. When I got a toy that came with stickers or whatever that I was supposed to put onto the toy (headlights and logos on a toy car for example), I just wouldn’t. In that particular situation, I think it was because I was afraid I would screw up and wreck the sticker and the car would look bad and that the car looked very fine indeed without any stickers.

I’m sure you know other people like this, too. That relative with the special dinner ware that’s for a special occasion that never comes. That friend who always carries around an extra twenty ‘just in case’ but will never spend it.

People do this in video games a lot as well. Many gamers have found themselves facing the final boss while carrying an inventory full of healing potions and stuff, and still refuse to use them.

I also sort of do it with food, if you can call junk food food. Every once in a while, my mom will buy me one of those bigger Wonka Nerds boxes. When I first open the box, I’m practically drinking it down. But, as it gets lighter and lighter, I start eating it less and less. It’s like a bell curve, I guess. When I’m left with what would have been a single mouthful when the box was first opened, might end up sitting there for weeks ‘just in case’ I need a sugar fix.

On the other hand, these things were made for a specific purpose. To be used. The candy for eating, the fancy plates to be eaten on, and the stickers for sticking. Who am I to deny this thing of its destiny? The toy was meant to be played with and the flower was meant to be enjoyed.

Man, I’m hungry.

“Debbie had to get up and slice me a thick piece of cake before she could answer. And I do mean thick. Harry Potter volume seven thick. I could have knocked out a burglar with this piece of cake. Once I tasted it, though, it seemed just the right size.” 
― Maureen Johnson, (Let It Snow: Three Holiday Stories)

Question of the Week #1

Question of the Week #2 —)

Have you told the person you like that you like them?
Maybe you’ve known them for years. Maybe only a couple of weeks. Your heart flutters when you think about them. In your mind, the two of you are perfect together. They are the one for you.
Have you told them?

Welcome to Question #1. Every week (it won’t be every week) I’ll put up a question, ramble on about it for a bit, and then would very much like it if you chip in your opinion. This might seem like a big question to start with, but I felt that pulling my punches with a fake, easy question would be a little disingenuous.

So, have you told them you like them? If not, why not? If you have, have you done it recently?

They came with the frame.

A couple months about a year ago I managed to work up the courage to tell the girl I like that I liked her. Her response was a small smile and a “Yeah, I know,” (I had said “… You know I like you, right?”)

But why is it so hard? Best case scenario is that they like you back, while worse case scenario is that you learn that they don’t (if they do worse, then I don’t imagine them being someone you’d want to be with anyway). Then hopefully you could move on.

Depending on how subtle or introverted you are, they might already know. Maybe they like you back, but don’t know if you like them. I know if someone liked me I would want them to say so.

But that’s the thing, though, isn’t it? Telling someone that you like them is really putting yourself out there. That’s a very vulnerable minute. And no one likes feeling vulnerable. People like feeling safe, or routine.

A case of “Better safe than sorry” versus “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”

“Make your choice, adventurous Stranger,
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.”
— C.S. Lewis (The Magician’s Nephew)

Vague JMMPOP Mission: Day 41 —[Day 41]–

So, faithful readers, I did it. One (or more) post a day from start to finish. A fact which means that we have reached the end of our little adventure. And what have we learned in that time?

Well, I learned that I could do it, for one thing. I learned that writing a couple paragraphs of text each day (or at least the equivalent of that), is something I could do. I learned that I should write down all my ideas the second I think them (Fun Fact: I came up with almost ALL of the topics I talked about in a brain wave right after I was enlisted). I learned that I tend to take a long time to say something, since many of my long posts were intended to be one-off paragraphs. I learned that ‘sorrow sells’ (Fun Fact: Pessimistic Post #1 broke the record for most one day views). I learned that a loose but structured list of topics is the way for me to go (tying back to the whole ‘write things down’ thing). I learned that coming up with things that rhymed with the numbers 1-40 is a very very hard thing to do. And so is coming up with unique and clever one-liners to introduce myself and are also vaguely related to the previous one. I learned that sometimes it’s okay to push something back another day. I learned a lot of things about myself that I couldn’t have learned without vocalizing (or at least verbalizing) them. I learned that I’ll agree to join in on almost anything at the drop of a hat. I learned that I learned that the Post Scheduling feature on WordPress is a very very nifty (and useful) thing.

I also learned that sometimes being under equipped might not always matter as long as you’re resourseful. You see, my life is split between two houses, my family is insane, and my penmanship is awful. I haven’t seen the girl I like in over half a year, my room is a mess and, more importantly, I don’t have access to the Internet; yet I was able to keep up with the whole one-post-a-day.

So, debrief time! How’d y’all do?

Me? I’m not done yet. There’s still a few things qued up in the pipe; Animorphs, my conspiracy theory around NaNoWriMo, perhaps a review of my Christmas loot, and so on. But for the next few days I’ll probably take a little break. Maybe watch some tv, work on some of my writing.

It’s been an adventure, faithful readers. Quite the learning experience. Would I do it again? Probably. Just, maybe not for a while.

‘Cause till then, I’m free.

Vague JMMPOP Mission: Day 4o —[Day 4o]–

Merry Christmas everybody.

___
Tomorrow’s Topic:
Day 41

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milkin’
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree

{ Total:
12 drumming drummers
22 Piping Pipers
3o Leaping Lords
36 Dancing Ladies
4o Milking Maids
42 Swimming Swans
42 Geese layers
4o Rings
36 Calling birds
3o Hens (French)
22 Doved Turtles
12 Partridge (in pear tree) }

Vague JMMPOP Mission: Day 39 —[Christmas Eve]–

It’s full of stars! Wait, no… it’s VJM!

Today, faithful readers, is Christmas Eve. Tonight dear children, is the night that is one of the most likely to send you off on an adventure. It happened to Scrooge (and all the people in the movies after him pretending to be him), and probably other people too. Yes, it seems that when we set aside a day to prepare for another day, on the thin line between Eve and what it’s the Eve of; the narrow crack between days, that it’s very likely for one to eat an undercooked bit of potato and have your life, your actions laid out before you to be judged.

You know what? Never mind that.

Instead of rambling on about whatever that was going to go to, how about I write you a story, hmm? Now, I’m sort of coming up with this story on the spot (from a writing prompt I got earlier), so bear with me.

The story will start in the next line, so in case you don’t want to read it for some reason, you can stop reading here.

S.C. In The D.T.E.S

The day was Christmas Eve. The place? Santa’s Workshop. The- the real one, not the one in your local mall (although most of them are in fact officially sanctioned by the North Pole HQ). The Workshop was busy with little Elves doing last minute touches on all the toys for the little girls and boys. The last little bit of Love was being crammed into the teddy bears, the Little Susie Wets-A-Lots’ were getting, erm… topped off, and the iPods were being shrunk down to their retail size.

Elsewhere in the Greater North Pole County, the reindeer had woken up early to go over flight plans and formations and such. Being, you know, deer, flying would be (no matter how much they practiced) a very difficult thing to do. Although, they have had a pretty good track record so far so, you know, just saying.

Next we come to the kitchens. The ovens baking and the air smelling of peppermint steak, Mrs Claus and the Cooking Elves we preparing food for the big post-Christmas Dinner to celebrate a good toy making year and letting the Elves take a little break before making them go back to work. Now, to be clear, Mrs Claus was doing the cooking out of her own free will, and not out of some dated stereotypical gender roles. She was very clear on this point. She was in fact the person who convinced her husband to diversify into different types of toys so as to not get left in the dust by the more ‘corporate’ competitors.

Lastly, we come to Mr Claus. Mr Claus, or “Santa” as he is also known, was sitting in front of a large monitor. This machine should, going forward, ‘ladder up synergy to actualize goals and best utilize company assets to synergize the unification and productivity of the fact checking process on the Naughty/Nice List’. In short, it would give him time to check it more than twice. Mr Claus had actually received the device the previous year (on his birthday) and had just finished typing in the names of every child ever.

“And… Z-z-y-z-i-c Z-z-e-i-v-e-r-t-o-n. There. Done.” Santa wiped his brow. “Alright, you blasted machine… Go!”
Santa stood patiently for a moment.

“…Activate!”

The computer did nothing.

Santa reached over and pressed a couple buttons on the keyboard and took a sip of his peppermint tea. Nothing happened. Santa frowned. He gestured to an elf that was standing nearby.

“Carl, could you come here for a moment? I need help with this machine again.”
“What seems to be the problem, Santa?”
“Well, I- I just finished typing in all the names, and then I pushed a couple buttons. What do I do next?”

The elf walked over to the monitor and pointed at the screen. “Alright, to check for kids that are Nice, you press this button here, but it’s gonna take a while. You… you checked the list manually already right? Yes, okay. You can also press this button over here to check the list for kids that have been Naughty; it’s a different query, so you’ll have to do it separately. Another thing you can do is click this button over here, which it looks like you just did. It’ll randomly show you places on Earth. Can’t imagine why that’d be a feature. I guess you could use it as a screen saver? A memory game, maybe?”
“Ho ho ho. That sounds fun! Let’s see what we have here…”
Santa leaned towards the computer and, using his Santa Magic, began naming off the names in the picture as well as their Christmas present.

The first picture showed a city skyline on the water with a enormous white ferris wheel. People were walking to and fro.
“Ah, good ole London town! Let’s see here… Stacy Macdonell age 12, an iPod… Jeff Dougal 9, a big bucket of Star Wars Lego… Jenny Bishop age 72, a box of Fancy dark Chocolates… Larry Knite age 16, a… a bottle of vodka? Hmm, let’s just change that to “Coal”… there we go. Ho ho, this is fun! Next slide!”

And so he continued, moving from place to place, naming each of the people and their presents. From Amsterdam to Zimbabwe to Hong Kong to Anchorage without a single mistake and his rosy cheeks pulled back in a smile.

“Zac Kincaid age 8, the P3QXR UltraSoak Water Gun… Lily Schaffer age 10, a Silly Stacy Speaks-A-Lot doll… John Sticaggio age 15, a Three Wolf Moon t-shirt… Katie Smith age 12, a pair of those, you know, what are they called, those… those… those shoes with wheels in them! Ha ha, look at this old man go. I’ve still got it! Another slide!”
“Umm, Santa, it’s almost time to board the sleigh. Maybe we should…”
“Oh, we’ve got time. Come on, I’m on a roll here! Three thousand nine hundred and seventy two out of three thousand nine hundred and seventy two! Next slide.”

Carl smiled and pressed the button for the next picture. The room suddenly got very quiet.

The picture showed a city, like many it had shown before, only in addition to street lights lining the streets, there were the homeless. It was the Downtown East Side of Vancouver, B.C. People lying on the streets, people sitting in doorways to keep out of the rain, people wearing coats and cardboard and newspapers to try and keep warm. Santa just stood for a moment. He pointed at a dirty faced man holding a syringe.

“That… that’s Little Billy Swenton. When he was 10, he wanted a toy train. When he was 11, he wanted new clothes. When he was 12, he wanted… He wanted a door that would lock. Now he wants… Let’s see… Bill Swenton age 34, wants… food.”

Santa looked at Carl for a moment. The elf was leaning against a stack of books with a sad look on his face. Santa looked back at the screen.

“Becky Heinz age 28, Shelter… Robert Lawrence age 30, Safety… Jane Coulton age 45, Compassion… Matthew Davies age 19, Love… Lisa Drumlin age 35… Eye Contact… Warmth, comfort, help, a soft bed, family, kindness, charity. Oh my… ”

Mr Claus and the elf stood silently for a few minutes, tears welling up in their eyes.

“No houses,” Santa said quietly.
“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t…”
“No houses, no address. No addresses, no… they didn’t… they don’t show up on the… they’re not Listed.”

They looked sadly at the picture on the monitor.

DING! HO HO HO! DING!

Carl cleared his throat. “Well, sir, there’s… there’s the signal. Time to start the boarding procedures.”

Santa quietly turned off the monitor. “Carl,” he said as he walked to the door. “Call ahead to the Workshop. Tell them to get the Extra Large Sack ready. We’ll be making a few extra stops.”

___
Tomorrow’s Topic:
Day 4o

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milkin’
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree

{ Total:
11 Piping Pipers
2o Leaping Lords
27 Dancing Ladies
32 Milking Maids
35 Swimming Swans
36 Geese layers
35 Rings
32 Calling birds
27 Hens (French)
2o Doved Turtles
11 Partridge (in pear tree) }

Vague JMMPOP Mission: Day 38 —[Man in White]–

Recording eighteen hours of static, it’s VJM!

Faithful readers, recently I was able to catch the 1997 movie Titanic airing on one of the stations. Yes, this record breaking, semi-historical disaster epic has been reduced to television syndication. Anyway, I watched it; because, well, being six at the time, my memories of it were mostly a blur. I was slightly disappointed that the car scene and the painting scene were much more tame than I thought they’d be.

But what I want to talk about is not Rose (slowly realizing that it’s a more common name than I thought) or Jack. Or even the boat itself, really. What I want to talk about is the man in white.

I first noticed the man when he helped Rose to her feet near the end of the movie. She and Jack had just jumped over the railing down to a lower part of the deck. Upon landing, she tripped. Out of nowhere, up walks a man with dark hair and white clothes. He helps her up and says something along the lines of “Let me help you miss,” and then rushes back into the crowd. I mention this man because, not only were his clothes all white (instead of a tuxedo that most the other passengers wore), but because he shows up again. He is a recognizable figure during the whole *spoiler* sinking *spoiler* because of his unique and one coloured clothing.

The man shows up in the background when Rose and Jack rush to the end of the boat; he is in the back, off to the side, pushing through the crowd along with them. He reaches the back railing just after Jack and Rose, and to hang onto the boat easier (it was *spoiler* sinking *spoiler* and sticking out of the water at about a 45 degree angle), he hops onto the other side, on top of the railing. He then takes out his flask of liquor and takes a sip, all while the main part of the movie (Jack and Rose) are three feet away. Because of his white clothes, he is easily spotted in distant wide shots of the boat. Shortly before the ship *spoiler* sinks completely *spoiler* the man is seen helping another man up onto the railing. The man in white is last seen standing, and bracing himself as the last of the ship *spoiler* sinks *spoiler*.

You gotta love it when film-makers stick to unnecessary continuity.

___
Tomorrow’s Topic:
Christmas Eve

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milkin’
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree

{ Total:
1o Leaping Lords
18 Dancing Ladies
24 Milking Maids
28 Swimming Swans
3o Geese layers
3o Rings
28 Calling birds
24 Hens (French)
18 Doved Turtles
1o Partridge (in pear tree) }

Vague JMMPOP Mission: Day 37 —[Christmas List]–

Floating through space dressed up like Weird Al, it’s VJM!

Faithful readers, recently I’ve had some people ask what I wanted for Christmas. So, I thought what better time to put up my Christmas wish list than two days before Christmas Eve. In (more or less) some kind of order it goes:

1o) Zorro’s Sword
Who wouldn’t want Zorro’s sword? It can carve the “Z” into solid stone, yet can do the same to clothing without cutting the skin. That’s some kind of magic!

o9) Portable Hole
I’m sure you’ve seen these before. Bugs Bunny reaches into his pocket, pulls out a hole, throws it against a flat surface, jumps through and safely appear somewhere else. I want this just for the ability to pull holes out of m pocket

o8) The Key from The Lost Room
Near-instant teleportatuon to anywhere where I can picture the door? An impenetrable secret room that I can go into at any time? You’ve read my post about the show, right?

o7) Bus from The Magic School Bus
Like having a magical living bus, as a pet. Need I say more?

o6) Mindwipe Device from M.I.B. (with special sunglasses)
In the movie Men in Black, the main charactors carry around a small, silver, tubular device which, if you turned it on, would create a flash of red light that wipes the memories of whoever sees it. The special shades they wear seem to block the effect. For those times I accidentally say something stupid.

o5) Sonic screwdriver
Come on, the coolest Swiss Army Knife / Skeleton Key ever? Who wouldn’t want this?

o4) Psychic paper
Basically a really fancy fake I.D. Really though, I’d even settle for the type of flip-open wallet it’s carried around in.

o3) Portal Gun
Like portable holes, but colour coded. And it has a longer range than just throwing one.

o2) Invisibility Cloak
I’d… rather not say what I’d use this for. Umm, let’s go with ‘fighting crime’ for now. Yeah. If I had an invisibility cloak I’d totally… umm, fight crime with it. Honestly.

o1) The Raygun from The Tick
Now, this is not just any raygun. Since The Raygun is from a city populated by superheroes and supervillains not super enough or evil enough to be helpful or dangerous (respectively), this Raygun works a little bit differently. If it’s shot at a person, it turns that person into “some guy named Ray.” There was also mention of a Tommy Gun…

So, faithful readers, get shopping! If you look hard enough, you might find the perfect gift for that special someone (ie me).

___
Tomorrow’s Topic:
Man in White

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milkin’
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree

{ Total:
9 Dancing Ladies
16 Milking Maids
21 Swimming Swans
24 Geese layers
25 Rings
24 Calling birds
21 Hens (French)
16 Doved Turtles
9 Partridge (in pear tree) }

Vague JMMPOP Mission: Day 36 —[A Gift of Gold]–

Dangerously waving around a stick of dynamite, it’s VJM!

Faithful readers, out there on the Internet somewhere is an animated short, titled “A Gift Of Gold”. It’s about eight minutes long, and follows the life of some wrapping paper after being purchased. It was one of the short segments of the cartoon Animaniacs, and therefore is pretty good.

If you can find it, watch it.

___
Tomorrow’s Topic:
Christmas List

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eight maids a-milkin’
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree

{ Total:
8 Milking Maids
14 Swimming Swans
18 Geese layers
2o Rings
2o Calling birds
18 Hens (French)
14 Doved Turtles
8 Partridge (in pear tree) }

Vague JMMPOP Mission: Day 35 —[A Christmas Story]–

From the smoke monster’s secret cave (which is Egyptian for some reason), it’s VJM!

Faithful readers, a few Christmases ago, my family and I spent the season in San Jose California with some family friends.

When Christmas proper rolled arround, we all hopped into a car (well, two cars actualy), and drove to the house of their relative(s), as was their Christmas tradition.

After spending some time hanging with the kids my age, everyone was called together into the main living room. Looking back, there were like, twenty people sitting comfortably in a circle, so I’m thinking the room was pretty big.

In the circle, everyone was holding a wrapped present. The game as I remember it was that when it was your turn, you would pick someone else in the circle and swap with them. This would continue around the circle (a couple times maybe), and when everything was done, the presents would be opened. One of the the presents that a relative opened was a framed picture of wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I’m guessing this was also some kind of tradition. Or at least a running joke.

Afterwards was the regular gift exchange. When the younger son of the family we were staying with recieved his present from his parents, he had a specific thing in mind. You see, what he wanted for Christmas was the Mario Kart Double Dash videogame for the game cube, which had just been released.

When their family was walking through the mall a few weeks before, he made his parents aware of this. The dad responded with “How about we just get you this?” and pointed.

At the time, they were passing through the clothing racks of Wal-Mart (or something). The thing the dad was pointing at was a ringed t-shirt, which was horizontally striped with rainbows.

The kid basically responded with “Ha ha. Seriously, I want the game.”

So, jumping back to the Christmas party, the kid is sitting on the floor with the present in front of him. He quickly tears open the wrapping.

His face visibly falls when he opens the box and sees the rainbow shirt, neatly folded in the box. Everyone bursts out laughing.

Pushing the box to the side, he reaches for another present. Before he can however, the dad tells him to try the shirt on. The kid is resistant at first, but in the end he complies.

When he lifts the shirt out of the box, something falls out from inside it. It’s the game! He starts smiling and jumping and shouting. We kids all rush upstairs to play it.

Now, I’m sure there’s a lesson in this somewhere. Something about getting a gift you don’t want, and there being something you really DO want inside it, but hey, it’s the Christmas Break. I’ve turned my brain off long ago.

I’d end off by saying Merry Christmas, but I’m holding off until closer to the actual date. Instead, I’ll just let this paragraph peter out and, like, I don’t know… end with the word “yeah”, or something… yeah.

___
Tomorrow’s Topic:
Gift of Gold

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree

{ Total:
7 Swimming Swans
12 Geese layers
15 Rings
16 Calling birds
15 Hens (French)
12 Doved Turtles
7 Partridge (in pear tree) }