Will the Docs still charge for the faulty treatments

Thousands Given Wrong STD Results



I don't know what I could say that would make this any funnier sadder.



Wonder what the average charge to the BC medical system is per treatment. Actually on second thought I wonder what effect this has on the DIVORCE RATE in Cranbrook...



Betcha that's cast a pall over the bustling Cranbrook singles' scene...

History Repeats

Stalin called them "useful idiots."

Proceed with the plan...

The plan continues to take shape.

Our two cars are being swapped into one minivan soon. I did just say that. A minivan. And I'm actually excited about it, as it's nice- a Honda Odyssey with beaucoup de leather. How do you know that you've reached that stage of life where you cease to be interesting? You buy a minivan.

But this one's got 240hp and I embarassed that guy in the Camaro during the test drive...So it's not all bad.

Instead of getting the $2,000 factory-installed DVD system, we're looking at cheaper/better aftermarket systems or a laptop that plays DVD's that we can strap down between the two front seats. Don't know which way we'll lean yet.

The house now needs to be cleaned and furniture needs to be moved...

I really hate this part, but somebody's got to do it. We're looking at listing next month. It's sooner than I think.

My newest pet peeve...

...is people who feel the need to comment on something without reading the entry fully.

Oh well. At least I worked out some frustration...

Indifference

Yay!

Today is part 2 of nasty big scary CMA (Certified Management Accountants) entrance exam.

I am probably going to fail. That's OK. My goal was to get a split (pass either part 1 or part 2) and I feel like I did OK in part 1.

I may surprise myself and get some extra neurons firing in this beat up ol' head, but if I don't that's OK.

Either way, I won't have to worry about this crap 'til the next entrance exam in June, when I'm sitting on a sunny beach out west...

POST EXAM UPDATE: Well there's five hours of my life that I won't get back...

It Could've Been Much, much worse

"When Doves Cry" (by Prince)
How could you just leave me standing,
Alone in a world so cold?
Maybe you're just too demanding.
Maybe I'm just like my father--too bold.
Maybe you're just like my mother.
She's never satisfied.
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like,
When doves cry.


Which 80's Song Fits You?
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Tip of the hat to On The Fritz

Busy little bee

If someone had told me that I'd still be writing accounting exams into my thirties...I'd would've had them killed.

Honestly, there is nothing more boring than accounting exams, 'specially if you don't have the time to study (re. file that under KIDS)

The nasty one is Thursday afternoon...

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Plans are under way for the eventually relocation to the beautiful (underwater?) land of British Columbia...

Met with the agent we'll use to sell the house. She suggested (surprise!) more work to make the house presentable for sale. Like we've got the time or extra cash lying around. We'll do what we can...

Took some quotes on moving all our stuff (Oh the internet is a wonderful thing for actually figuring out what something costs!) It's a lot cheaper than I thought and companies are falling all over each other to send quotes.

And we are also debating the swapping of the Krautmobile and Rue's chariot (our two cars) into something a little more family-practical (hey, I'm hoping to be a soccer dad. It might actually get me back into watching sports for more than ten minutes at a time...)

---

My current job just keeps on pissing me off more and more and more...I still feel a small twinge of guilt about the fact that I'm just working there until our moving plans get activated, but that twinge gets smaller and smaller for every stupid manual task that gets dropped on my desk that any decent, written in the 1990's software package could do instantly...

Well, that's all for now. I'm too tired to rant about anything at the moment. I promise something else will piss me off soon...

The U.N. way

I was sick on Monday, so I got to stay home from school and catch up on Sesame Street watching with my daughter.

My fever-soaked brain refused to believe what I saw but I found proof:



That's right Kofi Annan brings that "compromise is best" attitude to Sesame Street. And it's supposedly a good thing!

The gist of the segment was this:

Elmo was arguing with another character about who gets to sing the alphabet song. Historically Elmo always sang the song, but now the other characters are muscling in, wanting a piece of this rich singing pie...

In walks Mr. Annan and dictates that they should solve the problem the "U.N. way" and mandates that they should all sing the alphabet song together- no auditions to see who was the best singer, no digging in to the history of the situation, no exclusion of AWFUL performers - just a compromise solution that rewards the slackers in the group and punishes those that have worked hard and are actually better than average.

---

So by now you're saying that I've gone off the deep-end. It's just Sesame Street for Pete's sake! Remember though that Sesame Street has cultural icon status in North America. There's probably not one person in their 30's who grew up in North America who hasn't watched it as a child. The "teachings" are lauded by educators everywhere as crucial to forming early child abilities and attitudes. So by espousing "the U.N. way" they are promoting an agenda.

---

So what's my beef?

I hate compromises. They only work best when there is no optimal solution and you need to move forward with all parties agreeing. They shouldn't be used as your default starting point and catch-all solution.

Many people are just plain wrong. Without vigorous debate and the occasional shoving match the wrongness of some positions wouldn't get exposed. And the right solutions get diluted by crap.

Specific example: In Toronto there was a plan in the 60's for an expressway that would connect the 401 and the Gardiner Expressway along Spadina Avenue. If you've ever been caught in a Toronto rush-hour, an alternate North-south route would come in handy.

It doesn't exist. Because it was an all or nothing proposition. The debaters in favour of their neighbourhoods won and the expressway didn't happen.

The "U.N. Way" would've compromised and created an expensive half-assed expressway that went nowhere and caused more problems than it solved.

But that's bad for the commuters right? Too bad. They lost the debate. Deal with it. There was no optimal solution for everyone and a compromise would've been worse for everyone.

---

So what's the lesson here re: "the U.N. way?"

• If you're better at something, it doesn't matter. You'll have to carry the shittier performers


• If you're not that good at something, scream loud enough to be included. Instead of trying to get better, those that are better will carry you


• The best solution doesn't matter as long as no one's "wittle feewings" aren't hurt

I could write a lot more on why I think the U.N. has become a modern League of Nations, but I'll be brief.

The U.N. seems to want to punish the successful countries for being successful, because their mindset is that in order to be successful, they must have unfairly "stolen" this success from the sweat of the third-world.

Before the leftist history majors come out of the woodwork: this is not TOTALLY wrong, but has become a crutch every time the shortcomings of the third world are pointed out. The fact that these regimes punish innovation with prohibitive taxes, have no property or individual rights and are rife with corruption never seem to enter the argument as to why they are basket cases...

What I wish they would do is help the "loser" countries (c'mon, we all know they're losers...) do better rather than lay blame and guilt at the feet of the richer countries.

But that would require saying bad things about the weak wittle countwies wouldn't it?

Morning

I'm more of a night person.

Mornings are a necessary evil. When I was in school I'd get up at the absolute last possible moment to ensure that every last comfy doze was taken. It was mine, all mine. During summer vacations I'd try to sleep in 'til 10 or 11, but usually aroung 10am my mother would send a gang of 3 year olds to attack me if I was still asleep. (My Mom ran a daycare centre in our home during the 80's)

Sometimes they'd catch me unaware. Anyone with a child who likes to jump on them while they're asleep? Multiply that by 4 and you'll know what it was like. I'm surprised sometimes that they didn't do any permanent damage.

Sometimes I'd lay in wait and at the last moment play-wrestle them all until the last one screamed: "GIVE GIVE GIVE" and then the other three would take that opportunity to attack me again. It was fun.

But Saturday morning was all about the sleep in. Even when my girlfriend became my roommate and then my fiancee and then my wife, Saturday morning was STILL about the sleep in. I infected her.

So what's changed? One word: Kids. They don't get it. Someone should tell them that when they're older they'll appreciate the extra sleepy time. Does my youngest 4 month old understand when I quite reasonably request that she go back to sleep?

"GA!" Followed by some excited gurgling when she realizes she has an audience. I have to get her away from the bedrooms so that Rue and Boo can still sleep. Somebody should get to keep the Saturday sleep-in.

Maybe I'll blog something.

Maybe Mama Stalin didn't hug him enough

Ed Asner thinks Joe Stalin was misunderstood.