SMOKIN RIGHTS?

there's alot of intertesting things goin on in this article from adrian that has really got me noggin crankin.

i've been smokin again for about a month now and just beginning my preparations for my 4th attempt at quitting. i've been really happy with the direction that we've been heading. the taxes and the limits on smokin areas have been invaluable deterants and i am grateful for any help i can get. quittin is no easy feat - i bow down to anyone who has. i'm sickened by those of u who make it seem so easy, i wish i could find that kind of strength inside myself. i've been smokin for 15 years nows and the ill effects are all are showing on me. i'm pretty grosed out with myself lately.

to date, last year was my most sucessful attempt ever. i went practically smoke free for about 8 months out of the year and it didn't even seem hard. i was around very few smokers and i was very active. i noticed my complexion cleared up spic n' span - i had radioactive skin that practically glowed. i saved a whlole whack of cash money (which i promptly blew on the dvd collection that has since gone wild). another interesting thing i noticed was that i wasn't cold any more. this might sound strange but some of u know that i had a problem with being perpetually cold. i was always wearin way more clothes than everyone else. i always seemed to be just a coupla degrees colder than everyone else. if anything, my body temperature is abnormally high now. i require much less clothing which rocks cuz i hate lookin like stay puft.
ROAR!

i think i would be ok if my company told me i had to quit - i think i would invite it actually. it's seems fair enough given the amount of time and resources the the company is offering the employee. the arguements listed in the discussion that followed the article just didn't seem to fly with me. there is no justification, no benifit at all, for smokers to smoke. it's a disgusting habit.

i noticed alot of people hiding behind the legality of smokin. this seems obsurd! how many of these same people do u think believe that their government really knows best? yes, i think tabacco should be made illegal but i don't see it happening any time soon. it's a profitable poison for the government to condone.

the company makes good points. smokin IS counterproductive and it IS costing them health care dollars. tabacco is "mind altering" - read: IS a drug. reflecting on just my own situation is proof enough for me to back the big ban. i took fewer sick days and was alot more focused while at work. i was more energetic and a more positive person to be around. how much of this had to do with not smokin? i'm not sure - it was kinda a crazy year - i was just a happier person who wanted to do more things but i'm sure the smoke-freeness had bundles to do with it. i could feel how much healthier i had become. now that i've started again - i feel that much worse. smokin takes a toll on my day to day activities, this is certain and i'm sure if i were any smarter i could measure it for u.

i do, however, have my doubts. the implications of such a drastic move are kinda frightening. i agree that there is nothin healthy about smokin, and props to any company willing to reasonably aid their employees quittin but some fundamental rights do seem to have been put through the wringer here. which ones? well, again, if i were smarter...

i keep runnin this scenario through my head. what if my company were to tell me i had to quit junk food - eat healthy or get canned? junk food, empty sugar, fat...there's a billion things in my day to day diet that r bad for me. this is a problem that could also possibly lead to dollars pawed from the health benifits kitty. obesity is quickly becoming an epidemic. in the last few months my diet has gone haywire. i've had no time to cook, no time to eat. work had me runnin round the clock so if i was really starvin i usually resorted to gettin someone to pick up lunch for me. i ate what everyone else ate - fast food. i felt sluggish, unhealthy and all around poopy. an unhealthy diet could proove to be as detrimental as smokin. the crap i've been eatin made me feel like crap. i'm not very happy with my appearance. this leads to depression which hinders my motivation. this = less productivity and a kinda grumpy me. but would i be ok if my company tried to control this in me? the result would be a healthier me but somehow the decison to eat what i want feels sacred - it's off limits. but how is this different than smoking?

how is it that i feel i do not have to right to pollute my lungs but yet i have every right to clog my arteries?

ninja
Originally uploaded by jennasi.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE

while putt-puttin thru our work adrian and i often chatter our little heads off. yesterday the conversation veered onto friends married or gettin married. he gives gifts on anniversaries - nice guy. i've got a few weddings to attend to this year so we put our heads together to brainstorm gift ideas.

he's decided on gift certifates to the hart house. it's a fine enough place but a little snooty for my taste. i've had better for less. it's just sorta novel tho i guess. we've each also decided to put together care packages (i love care package gifts!) i call it the love love package:

1 bottle of wine
1 copy of the kama sutra or, if u prefer - the 'i'm too inebriated to figure it out' version
1 disposable camera/poloroid
and a 1 year membership to photo storage space on flickr so that they could cyber-scrapbook the whole night to be shared - or not.

ARRGG ME PIRATE!

What kind of pirate am I? You decide!
You can also view a breakdown of results or put one of these on your own page!
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

DOES THIS MEAN I'M NOT COOL?

You're Not a Hipster!
Take What sort of Hipster are you? today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.

You're actually not much of a Hipster. Congratulations! You may have Hipster style, but you're healthy, you eat right, you have a decent job you enjoy, your finances are stable, you plan on buying a house (if you don't already own one) and settling down before you're 35, you have friends you like, your friends like you, and you can honestly say you're pretty damn happy. Perhaps you should adopt a Hipster and draw them into your perfect lair . . .

FUNNY

tee hee. i found this thru marlo's blog.

THE ADVENTURES OF LUNCHTIME GAL AND TALES OF A TALLER VARIETY

lunch hour was waterlogged yesteday. it was raining - just shy of pouring. i was meeting janet for sushi. yum. i just left the office when i realized i'd forgotten where we were meeting so i went back inside to check my janetmail. k - sushi @ georgia & dunsmuir. i repeated the info out loud and proceeded to leave. georgia & dunsmuir. i had to keep reminding myself cuz i've been such a spacey chowder head lately. k - georgia & dunsmuir...hey! wait a minute! georgia & dunsmuir don't intersect. i must be on crack. i was at the end of the block when i realized this and had to turn around again. janetmail reads: georgia & dunsmuir. whew...janet's the one on crack.

walkin in the rain was comforting - or i was in a really good mood. perhaps the rain added to my good mood? i dunno i just sorta woke up chipper yesterday. i enjoy walkin in the rain - it's familiar and feels kinda sexy.

lunch with janet is always fun and the hour is never enough. first topic of conversation - the weather, of course. janet brings out the crazy in people so i felt comfy tellin her about my strange take on all this extreme weather we've been having. is it just me or does any one else feelin a little judgement dayish? the blistering summers, the drastic temperature swings, the natural disasters? anyone? now, i'm not religious, not even sure i believe there's gonna be a judgement day but weren't these the purported signs? this all ties in with my fear of thunder too - it sounds like the end of the world. doomy stuff.

moving on. movies. i watched Confessions of a Dangerous Mind a coupla nights ago. based on chuck barris' autobiography - the life of a gameshow host doubling as a cia operative. anyone else seen? the absurdity of the story has me asking for everyone's take. good flick. it's got me on a total kaufman kick. The collection thus far: Adaptation , Being John Malkovich , Confessions and Eternal Sunshine i've done a bit of diggin through the cyber dirt and it seems that people are pretty dubious 'bout barris' story. it's pretty far fetched, yes? but what gets me is that he had the balls to write a book about it and publish it as - not a work of fiction but - an autobio! if he was full of shit wouldn't someone have called him on it by now? this interview makes me think it's all doo doo! but that won't stop me from lovin the movie. fasinating if it were true, eh?

lastly, we talked d&d. well - i talked 'bout my new d&d character and she made faces and hissing noises. k - not really but she has in the past. i just started playing a half-elven rogue who s'possed to be oozing with charasima. here's the thing - what if i'm 'bout as charasmatic as door stop? should u play as something u'r not for the fun of it (it is about the fantasy afterall) or do u stick to somethin u know to do the character justice? afterall, it's not just ur fantasy at stake, ur takin up a small part of everyone else's fantasy as well. r u wasting thier time if u can't make them believe in ur character? to be fair - i'm not charasmatically impotent but i am awkward and nothing shines or makes perky *ting* noises when i smile. so - can ur character be as witty and charming as u wish u were even if u r not? my rogue's dialouge and thought process r all generated in my head so if i don't have a stitch of charm in me, how would she? i named her faydah (kinda like the cheese).

anyway when i got back to work i had this email in my in box:

With Mr. [big boss man's] approval, I am writing this email. My family and I are currently collecting items for a "Care Package" which we will be sending to the children of the devastating tsunami. We will be shipping our "Care Package" specifically to the Bande Ache, Indonesia region. If you would like to donate, we are seeking small items such as coloring books, crayons, balloons, candies and very small stuffed animals or anything small that you would like to donate.

Please, no cash or checks.

Cards, letters and pictures would be appreciated as well (possibly created by your children).
We have not set any specific date to ship these items out, but have the end of February in mind. If you are interested, please send your items to me here in the Burbank office. My family and I will make sure every item donated is shipped out to the children.

i'm perturbed by this. i appreciate the need to cheer these people up but if half my family is missing and my home was devestated, i wouldn't be thinking 'gosh, it sure would be nice if i had some crayons and a balloon.' is this harsh of me? i'm really bothered by this request. no cash, no chqs, basically - nothin of use. this makes me think buddy has a gambling problem and needs supplies for his kids. not really - but i'm rather amused by the thought.

STILL FUNKED OUT

i'm still draggy draggy. slo on the get go. actually i don't think i've gotten to the go in weeks now. i just wanna curl up and watch all of my dvd's - all in one sitting. that'd be fun.

i finally finished the hat i was knitting. at the very least, i am consistent- it's ugly. i'm tryin another one with less funky yarn. let's see how this one turns out.

the rain has stopped so the drive in wasn't so bad today. ya think the weather is doin this to me or am i burnt out from the last 2 months? well - here's to gettin out of it.

k - i will work, i will work, i will work....i wanna go buy d&d dice. i will work, i will work, i will work.

OLD JOKES

HP
Originally uploaded by jennasi.

BUFF BUFF

2 hours at work and i've discovered i know way too much buffy trivia

sometimes ya really can't comlain. god i miss doin nothin here!

WTF?!?

It is a pretty sorry state !
These are from test papers and essays submitted to science and health teachers by junior high, high scool, and college students around the world.
All misspellings, etc are genuine.

"When you breath, you inspire. When you do not breath, you expire."

"H2O is hot water, CO2 is cold water."

"To collect fumes of sulpher, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube."

"When you smell an oderless gas, it is probably carbon monoxide."

"Nitrogen is not found in Ireland because it is not found in a free state."

"Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin, Hydrogin is gin and water."

"Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes, and caterpillars."

"Blood flows down one leg and up the other."

"Respiration is composed of two acts; first inspiration and then expectoration."

"The moon is a planet just like earth, only it is even deader."

"Artificial insemination is when a farmer does it to the cow instead of the bull."

"Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shines down on them and makes them perspire."

"A super-saturated solution is one that holds more than it can hold."

"Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas."

"The body consisits of three parts- the branium, the borax and the abominable cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abominable cavity contains the bowls, of which there are five--a,e,i,o and u."

"The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects."

"The alimentary canal is located in the northern part of India."

"The skeleton is what is left after the insides have been taken out and the outsides have been taken off. The purpose of the skeleton is something to hitch meat to."

"A permanent set of teeth consisits of 8 canines, 8 cuspids, 2 molars, and 8 cuspidors."

"The tides are a fight between the Earth and the moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight."

"A fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is, the more extinct it is."

"Many women believe that an Alcoholic binge will have no ill effects on the unborn fetus, but that is a large misconception."

"Equator: a menagerie lion running around the Earth through Africa."

"Germinate: To become a naturalized German."

"Liter: a nest of young puppies."

"Magnet: something you find crawling all over a dead cat."

"Momentum: What you give a person who is going away."

"Planet: a body of Earth surrounded by sky."

"Rhubarb: a kind of celery gone bloodshot."

"Vacuum: a large empty space where the pope lives."

"Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative."

"To remove dust from the eye, pull the eye down over the nose."

"For a nosebleed: pull the head down over the knees until the heart stops."

"For drowning: climb on top of the person and move up and down to make artificial perspiration."

"For fainting: Rub the persons chest, or, if a lady, rub her arm above the hand instead. Or put the head between the knees of the nearest medical doctor."

"For dog bite: put the dog away for several days. If he has not recovered,then kill it."

"For asphyxiation: Apply artificial respiration until the patient is dead."

"To prevent contraception: wear a condominium."

"For head cold: use an agonizer to spray the nose until it drops into your throat."

"To keep milk from turning sour: keep it in the cow."

I FEEL LIKE LINUS TODAY - STILL LOOKIN FOR THE TRUE MEANING OF XMAS

LINUS
Originally uploaded by jennasi.

it's been an off week for me. i can't do anything right and nothing feels right or even ok. my motivation is in the negatives - for no reason. i'm exhibiting signs of depression but i'd like to think otherwise.

i've been told that the weather effects my moods but i fail to find any of this evidence. i get into funks and i get out of 'em - i have no idea what the weather's like outside during all of this.

i've been feeling sad. sorta down. my thoughts r always wondering off, i'm perpetually dazed, splillin things and knockin crap over. every day i feel like it all woulda been fine if i had just stayed in bed. this week should not exist, should not have been. it's somehow wrong and i am somehow out of place. i'm not totally depressed, i still manage to be a wise ass for most of the day but there's a sense of having to drag myself from one point to the next and there's always a flash, to surrender and drop dead half way there.

i've been very sad since xmas. or it might be more true to say that i've been easily moved, dramatically emotional with a caldroun of nasty thoughts stewing. my emtional reaction to life has been enhanced and i just happen to be thinkin 'bout sad things alot lately. maybe i'm lonley? i don't really think so - i don't think i've ever had so many friends before. there were always people - lots and all sorts - but real friends were always few. lonliness is logical - it would make sense if these were merely pangs of lonliness but i don't really think that's quite it.

more accurately i think i feel alone. not the teenagey, angsty loner type but an outsider none the less. it's really the lack of family that does it - not only the lack but the loss. it was the dying for it, the working for it, the bleedin and suckin it all up - good or bad - only to lose it in a mad rush of nasty rumours, accusations and hurt feelings. everywhere i go - i feel outside, a spectator with a peep hole armed with a bottle of longing and junked out on the pain of once having. it's dwellin on glory days passed and realizing i shoulda, woulda, coulda. there was so much to be grateful for.

i'm doin it again, aren't i? drama drama drama. it's not as bad as i make it out to be. the darkness isn't in the forefront, just a sense that nags at the back of head. little things make me sigh, i'm always lookin for a good cry now but there's been a doublin of efforts to cherish the moments that i'm able to slip away from the dark cloud. and there's alot of these moments, there's alot to be thankful for and alot to be really happy about. it's only fair i've got a coupla of skeletons jabbin away at my insides, right? everybody's gotta have a couple of these, else the world tips over on it's axis and we all implode cuz the universe is not aligned.

CAR POOLED

i car pooled to work today. i arranged this with the new recept last night in anticipation of more snowfall. the HOV lane rocks! weeeee...so i'm here 15 minutes early and so feel the need to surf the net for a half hour before starting work. adrian thought he mighta been late cuz i was here before him.

i couldn't sleep last night. i'm all nerves 'bout tomorrow. what do u wear on a first date? what do u wear when all u wanna do is put on ALL of u coats and sweaters? the staypuft look ain't in any more, is it?

BOYS BOYS BOYS

when it rains, it pours.

dating again. nerves. *jitter jitter jitter*

BABBLES

brain still on holiday. body desperately trying to make do and get work done despite lack of vital cognitive ability. fingers frozen. typing near impossible. *sniffle sniffle sniffle* praying to sinus gods to unstuff my head (anyone know of some good sacrifices to offer up?) need to curl up in a ball.

blog collecting dust. *dust dust dust* all better ;oD

MORE DOODIE

pooppy etiquette

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

VICE PRESIDENT GORE:
I fight for the chickens and I am fighting for the chickens right now. I will not give up on the chickens crossing the road! I will fight for the chickens and I will not disappoint them.

GOVERNOR GEORGE W. BUSH
I don't believe we need to get the chickens across the road. I say give the road to the chickens and let them decide. The government needs to let go of strangling the chickens so they can get across the road.

JERRY FALWELL
Because the chicken was gay! Isn't it obvious? Can't you people see the plain truth in front of your face? The chicken was going to the "other side." That's what "they" call it-the "other side." Yes, my friends,that chicken is gay. And, if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other side." That chicken should not be free to cross the road. It's as plain and simple as that.

DR. SEUSS
Did the chicken cross the road?
Did he cross it with a toad?
Yes, The chicken crossed the road,
But why it crossed, I've not been told!

EDGAR ALLEN POE
To die. In the rain.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross without having their motives called into question.

ARISTOTLE
It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

KARL MARX
It was a historical inevitability.

SADDAM HUSSEIN
This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tonnes of nerve gas on it.

JEAN CHRETIEN
Oh no!!! He's coming straight for me!! *mace*

FOX MULDER
You saw it cross the road with your own eyes. How many more chickens have to cross before you believe it?

FREUD
The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.

BILL GATES
I have just released eChicken 2000, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook - and Internet Explorer is an inextricable part of eChicken.

EINSTEIN
Did the chicken really cross the road or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON
I did not have inappropriate sexual relations with that chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS
I missed one?

SNOW DAY

it took me over 2 hours to drive to work today. the parkade i usually park at was full when i got in so i had to park on the roof. i hope my door hasn't frozen shut! on the plus side, when i got here, no one had been up on the roof yet. i couldn't resist. i laid down and created a circle of snow angels before coming into the office. it was fun while it lasted but i'm just beginning to dry off now.

i'm terribly unmotivated today. i just wanna go outside and frolick.

and now for the arguements in the office over who has to hazard the drive in to the office tomorrow.

THE NEW YEAR POST

i've been laid up in bed for the last coupla days - not so much sick but just tired. 2004 was a rough year for me, i felt a few days of vegetation to bring in the new year was greatly deserved. so - here we are. 5 days in and i'm officially starting 2005.

last year was taxing beyond belief. it was a landmark, a year to change the rest of my life and i'm happy and relieved to report that that change was for the better. i came outta it a new person, finally complete and happy.

i've never been big on new year's resolutions but i do have an ongoin list. this year i'll be better. a better person, a better daughter, a better friend, a better employee (k - i'm constantly waiver on this one). i will not surrender at content, i will be happy. i'm gonna do the things i want to do and not what others will have me do. i will go on vacation this year. i will take my dad to calgary to visit his family.

a kiss farewell to the trials of 2004 and here's to a new year, new hope and new strength.