An Informal Letter to Facebook
Hey Facebook. How’s it going. Notice you’ve made some changes to the profile page. That’s okay, I like change. Change is good. But let me give you some advice, Facebook. Not as a user, but as someone with a Philosophy degree.
Your favourite quote is not a "philosophy", Facebook. Neither are your religious views, political views, or opinions on cheesy snack stuffs.
phi·los·o·phy
- the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.
- any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study.
- a system of philosophical doctrine: the philosophy of Spinoza.
- the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, esp. with a view to improving or reconstituting them: the philosophy of science.
- a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Philosophy
Stop perpetuating the misuse of a term that has a very specific meaning and is actually a field of study. You wouldn’t arbitrarily stick "Mathematics" as a header on people’s favourite movies, would you?
Stop it. Stop it now.
Thanks.
Posted on January 19, 2011
Posted on January 19th, 2011
Meat Salad
How to make a salad that terrifies people who like salad. Via Epic Meal Time.
Posted on January 18, 2011
Posted on January 18th, 2011
Do Not Attempt
Posted on January 18th, 2011
Shit Girls Say
I’m sure you’ve seen this [shit girls say] by now. (If not, please watch it.) Cami and I watched it a dozen or so times before we went out for sushi on Saturday night, and everything that came out of our mouths sounded exactly like that actor. At one point Cami sat there gazing off at the chefs behind the counter, and while twisting her hair she said, "Sushi is so pretty!"
I have said nothing but that ever since.
Posted on January 17, 2012
Posted on January 17th, 2011
The Power of Resolutions
As part of my fitness plan for the New Year (read: do any fitness), I decided to walk to school at least three times a week. I’ll save money AND I’ll get more exercise, I thought! (Any exercise is more than none.)
Here is the breakdown of how this plan has gone my first two weeks back to school:
Day 1 - Wake up at 8am; must leave house in 50 mins. Forget why I thought walking for a half an hour in -12°C was a good idea. Decide to give myself a "day off". Drive to school. Pay $21 for parking. Curse self. Resolve to walk tomorrow.
Day 2 - Wake up at 7am; must leave house in 50 mins. Decide that any money is worth an extra 45mins of sleep. Go back to sleep. 45mins later, wake up and offer friend a ride to school so I don’t feel guilty. Decide to drive home between classes and walk back after lunch. Pay $8 to park for morning. Drive home at lunch. Eat lunch. Feel sleepy. Check that temperature is still -15°C. Drive back to school. Pay $8 to park for afternoon. Curse self.
Day 3 - Wake up at 10am; must leave house in 2hrs 20mins. Have leisurely morning in bed with breakfast and internet. Decide to have a shower. Realize it is already twenty past twelve. Decide hygiene is more important than fitness. Drive to school. Pay $10 to park for afternoon. Curse self.
Day 4 - Wake up at 9am feeling groggy and do not attempt to walk to school. Find cheap parking for morning and feel slightly better about self. Drive home at lunch, intending to walk back to school. Have a nap and almost miss second class instead. Do not curse self, but instead feel good about napping.
Day 5 - Class at 8:30am; decide I do not have to walk when class starts at 8:30am, since leaving the house before 8am is ungodly. Offer friend a ride. Friend makes fun of me for not walking all week. Resolve to walk next week.
Day 6 - Temperatures continue to drop. Curse self for living more than 4 mins from the school. Contemplate suicide. Realize I own a car and am not forced to walk. Celebrate life and automobiles by driving to school and finding cheap parking. Rejoice.
Days 7 through 10 - Continue to celebrate life by driving to school. Every so often notice that my ipod has a pedometer, and feel guilty when steps still register at "0". Make concerted effort not to look at pedometer. Feel better about self.
Of course, now it’s Sunday. It’s sweating hot in my apartment, although currently -11°C outside; I’m comfortable on my couch with my laptop, and this comfort is making me feel once again like I am totally able to walk to school. I will continue to document my struggle with walking half an hour (each way!) as the week continues.
Posted on January 16, 2011
Posted on January 16th, 2011
In Which I Am a Grownup
Sometimes I get can’t help but get excited by my own grownup-type productivity. I go to the grocery store. I wash the dishes. I do the laundry. I pay my bills. I make a real pasta dinner with actual noodles and actual sauce (yes, from a bottle, but still very grownup, not even a little bit Kraft Dinner). And then I go and play Paper Mario for four hours.
Yup.
Grownup.
Posted on January 13, 2011
Posted on January 13th, 2011
Similar to Me
Don’t know how to feel when my list of people who are "similar" to me aren’t people I would necessarily consider "similar" to each other.
Posted on January 13, 2011
Posted on January 13th, 2011
On Hookers
Me: Batman only knows where Sally works. She’s special.
Adam: I believe Batman knows where all the hookers at. "Where all the hookers at," one might ask.
"I will show you," Batman would say.
This lead to a discussion on the pluralization of "ho", which apparently is a matter of some debate.
Posted on January 10, 2011
Posted on January 10th, 2011
Snackify
"We see the emerging opportunity to ‘snackify’ beverages and ‘drinkify’ snacks as the next frontier in food and beverage convenience," Ms. Nooyi said. … Mehmood Khan, a former Mayo Clinic endocrinologist who heads PepsiCo’s nutrition group, said in an interview that it’s outdated to think that snacks are dry and beverages are wet. "Consumers don’t wake up in the morning and say, ‘I’m going to have a whole grain; I want a dairy product,’" Dr. Khan said. "They’re looking for combinations of those things." Dr. Khan wouldn’t specify what combinations might come next.
The worst thing I have ever read. Thanks, PepsiCo’s Tropolis Fruit Puree. And thanks Penny Arcade for pointing me there.
Posted on January 4, 2011
Posted on January 4th, 2011
Hopping on a plane to Toronto
Then it's a Dash (ha!) back to Kingston. Travel on New Years Day is not optimal, especially travel alone. It would be alright if there was in flight wifi, but that’s asking for too much from Air Canada.
Am I the only one who had sort of a lame New Years Eve?
Posted on January 1, 2011
Posted on January 1st, 2011
Familial Tweets
me: you should clarify the font and not the paper-like material.
Adam: Maybe I just really hate fucking pre-paper. Use regular paper, Egyptians. What, are you too good for us?
Posted on December 31, 2010
Posted on December 31st, 2010
(Simple) New Years Resolutions
Note from 2022 Rachel: all the links below are dead; "booth" is a reference to a site called the daily booth which essentially just allowed you to post selfies and nothing else.
- Write something real two or three times a week.
- Procrastinate less when I know I have work to do.
- Tweet more, tumble more, booth more.
- Keep positive (rather than just keeping calm) and carry on.
- Be internet famous.
Posted on December 31, 2010
Posted on December 31st, 2010