Bemusing descriptions

I am in search of push pins, in one of our office supply catalogs. Our procedure for ordering supplies involves finding the product in the catalog, photocopying the page, and marking the appropriate item. As a librarian I of course look to the index of the 900 odd page catalog. Are they listed under pins? No. Under tacks? No. Under thumbtacks? Nope. My next strategy involves flipping the pages in the vain hope of spotting such creatures. In my browsing I see something that looks like an old fashioned oil can held by someone wearing a white glove. For some reason the picture attracts my attention and I read the product description underneath. "Dahlia Sprayer, Creates a fine mist for relaxing paper and removing stains." It is the next line that gets me though, "Considered by many as the standard in hand-held misters." Now whom do you suppose decided what the standard for hand-held misters would be? Is there an association that gives a stamp of approval or is it based on popular appeal? Who are the "many" in the statement? Me, myself, and I or are there other people who also consider the Dahlia Sprayer the "standard" in hand-held misters? Never did find the push pins.

Woo hoo first time result (I swear)

How is it that I have never done this test before? I am happy to admit that I am thrilled that Nathan Fillion is going to be on TV again even if it is on Fox.

Your results:
You are Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)

Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 70% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 70% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 55% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 50% River (Stowaway) 50% A Reaver (Cannibal) 50% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 45% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 40% Wash (Ship Pilot) 40% Inara Serra (Companion) 25% Alliance 25%

Honest and a defender of the innocent. You sometimes make mistakes in judgment but you are generally good and would protect your crew from harm.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...

Ask and ye shall receive?

Allright, not wanting to become hypersuperstitious or anything, but my last post may have brought about unwanted results. It was COLD last night in Houston. As a matter of fact so cold it set a new record, 27 degrees fahrenheit! If I was looking for those kinds of temperatures in February I would move home. For those of you unable or unwilling to translate fahrenheit to celsius it was -3 degrees celsius. That's fricking cold for a sub tropical city. Not to mention, its a damp cold that cuts through fleece in ways I didn't believe possible before living here. I wasn't alone in my reaction to this deep freeze, Ranger talks about it on her blog too. Any Canadians who read this blog don't bother commenting on my "delicate" nature unless they wish to come visit Houston in July.

Winter = depressing

One of the things that took me the longest time to adjust to is the lack of winter here in Houston. Not only is the weather (usually) not much different from fall and spring but there is a total absence of it officially. At MPOW we do not have a winter semester. There is Fall, Spring, and Summer, it is as if Winter just disappeared. I just welcomed another northerner into the fold last week and I told her about our three semester system and I believe she was as bemused as I.

That's not to say that holidays like Christmas aren't celebrated, but wrapping colored lights around palm trees still seems wrong somehow. I remember heading off to the airport for my first trip home to Canada at Christmas and getting a mosquito bite loading my luggage in a friend's truck. This too seems wrong. There is a cure for this melancholy and that usually involves experiencing two weeks of Canadian winter.

Ivins addendum

Some quotes from the late Molly Ivins

"If Texas were a sane place, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun"

"In Texas, we do not hold high expectations for the (governor's) office; it's mostly been occupied by crooks, dorks and the comatose"

"The first rule of holes: When you're in one, stop digging"

Progressive Texas icon, Molly Ivins

Many of my friends thought I was a little crazy moving to Texas. There have been times that I agree (usually in the summer). However, one of the things I am most fond of here in Texas is the directness and bluntness with which particular individuals speak. I know that there are blunt and direct people all over the world but I have encountered some doozies here in Texas. Political correctness isn't exactly eschewed it just isn't considered a priority. I kind of like that. Molly Ivins is a true Texas lady and was not afraid to embarass or condemn politicians. This is evidenced in her book titles, "Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush" and "Who Let the Dogs In?: Incredible Political Animals I Have Known."

My home province of Alberta is by far the most conservative province in Canada and its leadership has been conservative my entire life. I wish that Alberta had a Molly Ivins to call that leadership on the bs and the outright lies they tell the populace. The tendency of the citizens to constantly reelect the same party regardless of performance speaks to a fear of change and a willing blindness to the corruption and cronyism at the core of provincial government.