Stuff

But first... I'm so unexcited by the new Star Wars movie. My coworkers tell me that I should be, but... hey, I loved the heck out of the original three. We were kids. We collected the figures (they were in music bands. Long story). We accidentally melted a jawa. We were into it. The next three? Heard they were crap. Didn't go, because I enjoyed my childhood impressions.

This one? Can't make myself care. Guess I'm old.

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Ok, on to actual topic. I have too much stuff. I live in a one room apartment and I still manage to have too much stuff. Not hoarder level, mind, but after twenty years here there's just plain too much stuff.

I should say, by the way, that the stuff piled on the chair in today's pointless photo is just because I have the bed folded out. It's mostly ok stuff.

We get so concentrated on stuff in this society. I don't need half of the stuff I have. And I know that.

So?

So I've been giving it away. Not for religious regions (Whomever no), not for hipster reasons; just because I have too much stuff.

Think about it, really. Do you use your stuff? Do you need it? Could someone else use it?

I'm not on a crusade or anything here. I'm just a person who has too much stuff. Which the phone is now predicting, so that can't be good. I guess what I'm saying is just look at your stuff. Do you need it?

Story of our world, really. Look at your stuff. Do you need it? Then get rid of it. Simple, right?

Except apparently it isn't. We're geared to get stuff. We enjoy stuff. For a while, at least. It can be really hard to say ok, no more stuff.

I'm not there. Not by a long shot. I am at the place, though, where I can honestly look at my stuff and say ok, that needs to go. It makes me happy, because I don't ever want to be in the position of drowning in my stuff. Stuff is just stuff in the end, and that's how it should stay.





Want any of my stuff, then? I'll negotiate.

Social media is weird, and other facts from Captain Obvious

One more pointless flower picture, because it'll be all snow once I start using the photos from yesterday. Oh, and for those looking for the weekly Turkey Brothers shot, it's here on twitter.

Ah, twitter. As much as I use it -- especially at work -- I'll never fully understand it. You can tweet something important that you're sure is important to the community (twitter community AND real community, in the case of work tweets) and you might get a like. I won't comment about why likes mean that twitter assumed its user base was too stupid to figure out favourites, by the way. Anyway, something important might get a like, but something completely stupid tweeted in passing is bound to be liked and retweeted all over the cyberverse. I have a personal example from just yesterday when it comes to silliness ruling the day. I'd tweeted a slightly fuzzy shot of my ear and earrings for someone who wanted to see the diamond studs (a birthday gift from my uncle, who bought them for himself but hardly used them, so he passed them on to me. Which, thanks!), Me being me, though, I couldn't leave it at an ear photo (and have you ever tried to take a clear shot of your own ear with a phone? Not the easiest thing), so I then tweeted a joke about my scar.. oh wait, I may as well just link to it: Everyone will want that scar. And what happens? Five retweets, and here's the weird part. None of these people follow me, and I have no idea who any of them are. Five retweets is pretty weird anyway when you have less than thirty followers.

Social media works in mysterious ways, I suppose.

I was going to type more, but I want to do a little drawing before lunch so I guess I'll just stop now. If you need anything more, you could always check out my new favourite thing: kitchen gadget tests. Appropriate for the Christmas shopping season, maybe.

The wonders (and non-wonders) of technology.

Hello? Yes, this is phone.

For anyone who didn't get that.

I've been doing my seasonal purge of you didn't use this one with the photos on my nerdstick, since we now have snow (sigh) and I'm not likely to post more photos of spring flowers until the snow (sigh) completely depresses me. In other words, expect a mixed bag coming up.

I thought I'd give you a quick update on my belated life with a smart phone these days. It's ok. I use it more than I want to, but it's handy. I use it an awful lot at work, actually, because I do a fair amount of our tweeting and instagramming (twitter @naturecentre; instagram @kerry_wood_nature_centre). Besides, at work I can hitch a ride on the wifi so it doesn't blow my data out of the water.

No, I don't have wifi at home.

Why would I have wifi? I don't have a computer.





Except the phone, of course. Which I actually used as a word processor this week to work on the newsletter when I was home on Tuesday. That's when I feel old, really; it's doing things like that. It wasn't all that long ago that we were wondering why the Japanese would even want a camera on a phone, and now I instagram events and write articles on mine. The funniest moment so far (to the point where he couldn't understand my message) was when I realised things were different as I was leaving a message for Dad about the fact that I'd e-mailed him a photo of my first attempt at pizzelle (um... pizzelle), since he was the one who bought me the pizzlle iron as a birthday present. As I was trying to leave him a voice mail it occurred to me how odd it was that I was phoning him to tell him that I'd e-mailed him (from my phone) a picture that I'd taken with my phone.

Our world's become a weird, weird place.

Anyway, there's where we stand with modern phonage. I've joined the cult, I guess. And for those of my two fans who've been missing my incredibly non-exciting blog blather because I'm generally too lazy these days, since I got the phone (and since I curated @PeopleOfCanada a little while ago), my own twitter account's busier than it used to be. Find me @deeolworld. Or, you know, just use the link on the sidebar.

If you've bothered to read this.

Geez, who reads nowadays anyway? Isn't that why Whomever created tl;dr?





tl;dr: I have a phone. I use it.

Something animal-y

 I really don't have anything and should get back to work, so here's a photo of a Red-breasted Nuthatch I took at Dad's last weekend.

Nuthatches are great, and I'm almost convinced that gravity just plain works differently for them. These metal feeders, by the way, are really good if you want to feed peanuts, because squirrels can't chew through them and steal your whole stash.

Unlike a lot of people who feed birds, I really don't have a problem with squirrels. In fact, a few years back I bought Dad a feeder specifically for squirrels, and I'd probably have one myself if I wasn't feeding from a balcony. I get the rare squirrel visitor who'll climb up the stucco to try to have a go at the metal feeder, but it's not nearly often enough to bother having a dedicated squirrel feeder.

And for those who aren't into birds, here's a Bob looking deceivingly cute. And yes, he's a sleep in the picture. He picks some odd postures to sleep in, that cat.

That's it for me, then. Later, folks.

So...

Yep, they do. They being my parents. And the government. It must be true, then. Also, did you know that if you open Google when you're signed in and it happens to be your birthday, you get this?

I did not. And let me tell you, it slightly freaked me out in a computer Big Brother sort of way until I looked at the right-hand corner of the screen and saw that I was signed in. Thanks, Google, for the ever-so-slightly-creepy acknowledgement.

Anyway.

If you wondered, this is pretty much the sum total of my celebration today. I did some quick colouring on a free phone app (and if you wondered, adult colouring is a real thing, boys and girls. I was in Chapters to pick up a book for my dad's birthday, which is the day before mine, and there were adult colouring books all over the place. And, erm, yes, I bought one. On discount, though. I wasn't going to pay twenty dollars for a colouring book), I was startled by Google, and...? The end, I guess.

Oh, I might make some pizzelle later, since I was given an appliance that makes pizzelle and crepes, amongst other things.

Let's end with a revisit of my 70's childhood, which I found while looking for something else (isn't that how it always works?). Oh, and excuse my horrid skin; I had a reaction to a new wrist brace. This lovely leather sign of the times was well worn during my phase of being obsessed with owning things with my name on them. It used to be much pinker, which is funny because I've never been much for pink. Maybe the name won over the pink? Probably. I'm taking it home with me. Maybe I'll wear it this week for old times sake.

And speaking of old times sake, this is pretty cool. And I love how Dee Snider still totally owns the corniness of that song so many years later.

And speaking of later, this is the part where I usually say that. So... later, folks.

Interesting couple of days

 In honour of my father's birthday I thought I'd show you a picture of the cat I gave him, still in its wrapping paper. Or maybe that was just a cat thinking that the wrapping paper was his present?

Sounds more likely.

I also brought a little (read: cheap) present for the Turkey Brothers, which Tom is demonstrating below. You never know with cat toys, as any cat owner can tell you. You might notice that Bob has a very ugly candy cane-ish thing beside him in the birthday paper? That was from a cat toy "stocking" from a dollar store. They lost it almost immediately after Christmas and found it only about a month ago. Now they're obsessed with it.

The current toy hangs from a door and has a dangly mouse that makes an electronic squeak. To these two at the moment it's seeming like cat crack, the way they go at it. They'll probably get tired of it in a day or two, but for now it almost -- almost -- beats the ugly candy cane.

I took these shots with the phone even though I have the actual camera with me because the phone seems to annoy Tom less. I'm still not sure whether it's the flash or the beep that bothers him, but more and more my Tom photos just look like photos of a PO'd cat. Maybe I should try it on silent today and see if that changes anything.

Anyway, what I started out to say is that it's been an interesting couple of days. After a year of planning and design, we had the grand opening of our new displays at the Nature Centre. I'm not talking one or two pictures here, either; this was a $1.5 million project, replacing the thirty year old displays that were put in when the building was constructed. Thursday we were making sure that everything was ready for the sneak preview we gave staff and their families, and Friday was the opening itself, complete with dignitaries and speeches and everything that goes with a lot of money spent. I was on photo (with actual camera) and social media detail, so when I wasn't shooting I had my head buried in my phone, like I always said I would never do.

Ah well. At least it was for work.

I have to admit that after all of that on a sprained ankle I'm more than tired, though.

Anyway. Again. This post got a little delayed because my uncle came over bearing gifts (and if you take blogging over gifts I'd really wonder at you), and now I'd like some lunch. I'll put a panorama of part of the new displays below. It's more fun on the phone where you can scroll through it, but at least it gives a little bit of an idea.

Besides, if you're in the area at all you really should come down on your own and have a look. We think it turned out pretty well, and we're kind of proud of that.

In case you wondered

I lived.

And I'm here at work... um... taking photos of my camera? Ok, honestly, I'd been taking photos of the new displays and I just didn't feel like getting up again so soon.

The ankle? Rolled, but I've had worse, sad to say. I'll be hobbling for a while. More annoying is my elbow, which took the brunt of the fall. Not broken, but the joint's swollen and the arm isn't terribly happy about being straight.

Boys, since you won't know unless you happen to be drag queens or transgendered, I'll just tell you that it makes putting on a bra a helluva joy.

Anyway, back to work. We didn't open until 1 pm today because, after all, it's important to take time for Remembrance. Shake a veteran's hand today, ok?

No title today

I've fallen, and hurt myself. Someone helped me. I didn't get his name, but jesus he was kind. I hope you know, whoever you were, that this person who caught a bad edge on a sidewalk and rolled her already injured ankle needed help.

You gave it.

Thanks.

Shopping and why it's dangerous. For me, anyway.

Today's pointless photo? Well, what else does an arachnophile buy at the post-Halloween sales?

I should mention that these are from two separate pairs of socks. If I could have found a pair with one spider foot and one web foot I would have bought it, though.

Anyway, enough about my socks (which yes, I will be wearing year-round, thank you very much). As you might have gathered, I went shopping yesterday, which is a weird thing.

I don't do much shopping. Well, other than for groceries, obviously. I don't do much shopping because I'm not all that big on malls, and big box stores don't thrill me either. I'm not a recluse -- if I need something I'll go out and get it -- but if I don't need anything I don't shop for pleasure. I've got to the point in my life, you see, where I'd really rather get rid of some stuff than accumulate more.

Um, with a couple of exceptions, I guess. I seem to be good at accumulating art supplies. And neat-looking wearable rocks (yeah, yeah, you hadn't noticed). I used to be good at gaining books, too, but lately I'm getting just as good at giving them away when I'm done with them.

Finding out that the world doesn't end when a book leaves your possession was actually a pretty big thing for me, you know.



Anyway AGAIN, yesterday I had to go shopping. Yes, had to. There was a present I needed to buy. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, but I figured that if I was shopping anyway I may as well look around a bit. So instead of a quick trip to the bookstore, it was a trip to the electronics store which, as it turned out, opened an hour later than the other stores around it (and why? It makes no sense). So, an unexpected trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond while I was waiting. Which, by the way led to a complete WTF moment, as in WTF is it with the whole Elf on a Shelf franchise? Now you can dress the wretched creepy thing up in a tutu and have it watch its own movie with its pet reindeer? Ugh.

After the electronics store, a bit of a drive to the next "power centre" where Chapters is. But, of course, you have to visit the 50% off sale at the temporary Halloween store first to buy spider socks. Then you should probably stop at the bulk foods place to see what's new and not to buy discount Halloween candy (no, really. I didn't buy discount Halloween candy).

Then, finally, the bookstore. Where I bought what I came for. And next year's Moleskine datebook which I would have bought anyway. And maybe a couple of other things. Ok, three other things.



Are you seeing the problem yet?

When you go to a physical store you're likely to see other things that you might like. That's the point for the retailers, after all. You come for one thing; you're tempted into others. There's a whole science behind making sure you are, at least when you're talking about big chain stores. I went into a bookstore to buy A book and came out with four things, only two of which I could really justify. When I shop online? I get what I came for, more or less. The only time I get more is if I'm making up a minimum order for free shipping, and even then I usually have a couple of things that were in the back of my mind in case I need that extra couple of dollars to top off an order. In a physical store I don't have to make a minimum purchase, and yet I'm more likely to get one or two extra things.

And so I generally don't shop. Not casually, anyway.

Oddly enough, I'm much less likely to have that extra temptation around Christmas time. Maybe it's the crowds, maybe it's the annoyingly bland music; I just find myself pretty good at getting in and out as quickly as I possibly can, as long as I have a vague idea of what I'm looking for.



Anyway (the third), back to work for me now. I hope that you appreciated the extra words today. And that without a required minimum, even.