Friday, November 30, 2012

Luna is a bitch!

At least that's what one of my buddies in the ADHD group says. Many of us believe he's probably right. I always have problem sleeping on nights where the moon is full. But I have problems sleeping. Gee, like a lot of other people with ADHD. 

And on nights like tonight I HATE myself. I was so tired around 8:30 last night that I lay down on my couch while watching "Corner Gas". Well I was out like a light till about midnight. You think I've been able to sleep since?  I cannot allow myself to sleep before 1 or 2 AM because otherwise I don't sleep till morning. The fact that I slept almost 4 hours means my brain isnt tired anymore. It wants to paaaaaaaartay the rest of the night. 

What's keeping me up, well.. Next Monday, my youngest daughter is having knee surgery to repair a broken ACL. That's some important ligament in the knee.  While they are fixing the ACL, they will also look to see if they can do something for her meniscus. She was supposed to have the surgery a month ago but it was delayed.  

Next Monday night I drop off my friend at the Heart Institute in Montreal. She's having an ablation done Tuesday, in hopes that it resolves the problem where her hearts beats incredibly fast. This is a problem she's was born with, and hopefully this time they will be able to fix her heart so it no longer does this. It's not healthy for your heart to be at 115 bps when at complete rest and go up to 150 bps when getting up just to use the facilities.  Which is where her heart was at for 5 days 2 weeks ago, before it was reset.  Also not something one wants to have done to their person too often. Have heart stopped and have it paddled back to function.

I'm crossing my fingers and toes, and praying that everything will go the best for both.  Thankfully, my 5 releases that were supposed to happen next week have been pushed off a week, so I can at least manage my stress a little better.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Those poor Syrian children

Those poor Syrians in general. Things have not improved, in fact the civil war is spreading. Now there's a blackout in Damascus as the fight for Syria continues and Assad fails to see how much he's screwing his people over.  I keep praying at Assad leaves or that he happens to be a casualty of war. After all he's been saying he's going to die in Syria.

The Syrian conflict has inspired a whole series of cartoons, that expresses the feelings of the various sides.

The situation in the middle east is still deteriorating, with the situation in Gaza and the situation in Egypt not improving either. These are interesting times we live in.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Different types of ADHD

Dr Amen talks about 6 different types of ADHD and according to his subtypes I'm most likely the "Basal Ganglia" or "Ring of Fire" type. It fits my problems and my description. It also fits that stimulants aren't that helpful with this type of ADHD and that diet makes all the difference in the world.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Consider who you donate money to this season

When I hear Salvation Army I think of a place where the poor can find help, like with clothes or small items of furniture.  Generally the fact it's a Christian sect doesn't phase me as it took people that others weren't willing to take in their churches, but apparently they take everyone but gays. 

So if you're considering donating to them, consider this.

Vietnamese hot sauce.

Lately I've taken to making myself eggs with 2 heaping teaspoons of the Sambal Oelek featured on the left.  I find it adds a bit of kick and the most interesting thing is that it seems to settle my stomach.  

What I like about the two jars of  hot sauce on the right is that neither has added sugar in that ingredients list, but if you get the ones in the bottles, they have sugar. so I stick to the ones in the jars.

What's awesome is that there is at least half a dozen places that sell this product in my shopping area. So no problems finding it. I think we'll also be carrying some when we go on camping trips. Also good to keep animals away from your food :)

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Berbere stew

I made Ethiopian Lentil stew, or Berbere stew, following this recipe. Its not the first time I make this recipe, but it had been a while since the last time I did it.  It is delicious on a bed of brown rice and is a gluten free vegan meal. I was reading comments at the recipe where some folks suggest that 2 tablespoons of the spice might be too much, I think I put closer to 3 tablespoons. Then again I've been liking my food spicy of late.
 
I also love the Berbere spice mix, to give some kick to my seven-bean salad. The way the flavour of the Berbere spice mix marries with the red wine vinegar and olive oil makes my seven bean salad incredibly unique.

Android apps

I've had an Android for over a year and I'm just slowly finding applications for it that I'm finding useful. When I first got my Android, most of the applications I installed, I thought might be useful and then I never used them. So I uninstalled many of them. 

Recently I've been looking for an application that helps me find stores when I'm somewhere I'm not familiar with. The Google "Local" is good for restaurants, and bars but not so good for finding a shoe store for instance.  Sure I can find an application that tells me where all walmart stores or all Canadian tire stores are, but I don't want 2000 apps, one per store,  I want just one that will help me find stores that are withing walking distance when I'm somewhere. 

I installed "Point Inside". It's an application that will help you navigate inside most large Malls and Airports. I used it the first time at Carrefour laval yesterday and it worked well. I came in by a door I don't usually use, and wanted to find American Eagle Outfitters.  I opened the application, it showed me a map of Carrefour Laval and and pointed where the American eagle was and I was able to find the location of the American Eagle and use it to navigate. Didn't have to find a map and figure out where I was.  Sadly it only works for large Malls.  But I'm happy to say it finds malls in Halifax, Moncton, Saint-Johns, and Fredericton.

I also love my Canadian Tire application. Especially since you can use it to scan items at the store and find it it's regular price.  I took off the IKEA application. It was like having a catalog on my phone it wasn't that helpful. Besides I rarely go to Ikea more then twice a year. I go to Canadian Tire far more often and when I go camping, I can find the nearest Canadian Tire on my route. 

GasBuddy is a great application as well. It points to you all the closest gas stations to you and how much their gas is. When in Montreal, most of the time I don't want to drive to find cheap gas, but when I'm on the road, it's helpful to know I don't have to stop at the first one I see, that there is another one down the road with better prices.

The Google maps on my phone are great too. I've not needed to buy a GPS unit because between the google maps and the GPS on the phone it really helps you navigate.  Even when I get no cell reception, so map cannot update close up but  I can still get my location. When we canoed around Lac Sorcier, I hadn't realized we'd crossed the entire lake. The GPS showed me we had. I have the google Star map, though I've yet to use it. Will have to remember to use it next time I'm stargazing :)

And for when I'm bored in a train station, there's the Savage Love app.  I can read his advice all day and all night. Nothing more entertaining then a gay columnist with an open mind, and no nonsense  sex advice. 

I won't talk about the Facebook application except that it's probably the app I use the most.  Especially since I like checking in.  As for ease of use, and stability well I won't say much. I find it unstable at best. But it's free and I don't have to use it. 

The other application I've been using is called "Shopping lists". This is the 2nd or third app I try using for making lists to not forget items when shopping. I'm not sure how much I like it or how much I've used it. I think last time I needed a list I wrote it on the back of an envelope. 
 


Saturday, November 24, 2012

Best giggle all day....

For the record I'm both for Gay marriage and marijuana being legalized. But this interpretation had me floored.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Highway 40 at sunset

Highway 40 at St Regis blvd just before the Sources Exit taken with my cell phone

Update on "Ah the help you get"

About a month ago I had an entry about the incompetence of the live chat tech on the Dell site. I had told one of my co-workers that the machine he wanted came with the features he wanted. 

Well the machine arrived last week, it was UEFI, had Wind8ws 64 bits installed and secure boot enabled. That means that if you do not use a card with UEFI graphics BIOS it will NOT BOOT. Of course to make it boot you can change settings in the systems UEFI BIOS and disable secure boot.

In the end I was right and the dell live chat tech didn't know her ass from her elbow. The machine came with the exact features my co-worker wanted.

Great article on the perils of Alcohol

Considering that I tend to pick up men with drinking issues, this article is very apropos.  It's well written and discusses how to protect from the  dangers of alcohol and alcoholism.  I'd send this to my drunken Mohawk ex but he probably wouldn't read it because he doesn't have a problem.  Just because it's legal doesn't make it any less dangerous.   Apparently it's people with bi-polar disorder that are more likely to abuse alcohol in hopes to help them with their mood  dysrhythmia. It doesn't help and with time it turns them in creeps. 

I'm sure my manic-depressive biological dad was just self-medicating with the volumes of alcohol he took daily. My mom used to say it was either one or two 40 ounces of hard liquor a day for him.  Under that type of intoxication he found it a good idea to try strangling me in my sleep at 2 1/2. Yeah sound judgment there. 

He would probably argue that it never happened, that he has no recollection. He certainly couldn't think of any reason why his daughter wouldn't want to have anything to do with him when he started calling me in my late teens. He had the nerve to say my mom had turned me against him. GEE. YOU DON"T THINK TRYING TO KILL YOUR DAUGHTER WOULD TURN HER AGAINST YOU?  Of course not. It's like my Mohawk ex - the one in denial.  I'm the bitch who won't talk with him ,and he doesn't get why. Because he never remembers how much of a douche he is when he drinks. 


I stopped drinking myself 31 years ago because I cannot control my inhibitions when I drink. I came to that mature realization at 19 years of age. I knew then that if I wanted to have a chance at a normal life I COULD NOT DRINK.  I'm not sure how normal my life has been till now, but far more so then if I had been drinking all this time. 

I really hope that the men that were in my life with drinking problems will find the will power to stop drinking. It's all I can hope for. It sucks that alcohol despite taking it out of my life, still haunts me in ways it should not. And before anyone thinks that being a dry alcoholic is easy, I still wonder if just trying one drink might not be fun one day. It's been so long.... alcohol still talks to me. So long as its out of sight, it's out of mind thankfully.




Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Painted Sky


More photos from Sunday at Parc Rive Boiseé

Syria goes to the back burner of the news

Since Israel has started pounding Gaza, all eyes are focused on that scenario. The never ending Syrian conflict is now relegated to the back burner of the news. 

Despite choosing a new man, Sheikh Ahmad Mouaz al-Khatib, to represent the Syrian opposition, not much appears to have changed. Some days I read that the rebels have made advances other days it's Assad's regime tearing an area a new one.  I really wish Khatib can get most of Syria behind him and   end this civil war. 

Things are slowly deteriorating. Not only has Syria shelled in Turkey, Lebanon, the Golan Heights, but all it's neighbours are suffering from the civil war in Syria. Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq are all filling with Syrian refugees, an estimated 400,000 refugees. Though I think in Iraq, it's Iraqis that had left their country because of the war there, slowly returning due to the instabilities in Syria. 

With temperatures cooling those in refugee camps are in dire need of warmer clothes and blankets as winter approaches. 

The whole region is going to hell in a hand basket. It sucks that the average person has no control over this catastrophe mostly caused by greed, selfishness and the need to control others.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Excessive advertisement

I had signed up for American Eagle/Aerie emails to get information on sales and the like. Until recently I'd get emails about once a month. 

I don't know if American's know that there is NO black Friday in Canada, and there is NO Thanksgiving in November in Canada. Well American Eagle/Aerie have been sending me each an email daily now for the past week to tell me about sales. 

Today for some obscure reason, they started also to come in French. Just because I'm in Quebec DOES NOT MEAN I WANT STUFF IN FRENCH, especially since I was receiving them in English happily before. 

So today I unsubscribed from both American Eagle and Aerie and I am never giving them again my email. If you are going to send me SPAM twice a day every day for a week, you will get axed. 

Not only that but in their infinite wisdom they  had also started sending me emails for their 77kids as well. My "kids" don't wear kids clothes. More spam. Thankfully I unsubscribed from them 2 weeks ago. Otherwise this week would have been in triplicate daily for AE outfitters. 

Here's a tip, when you FLOOD clients with advertising, they TUNE OUT.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Flaming river

Taken from the park on  Chemin de la rive Boiseé in Pierrefonds.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Four Month INTERNSHIP AVAILABLE!

Desperately seeking first and/or second year Engineering university students living in Montreal for internship starting in January 2013. It is a four months internship and replaces the January 2013 semester at school.  I still have two positions to fill and am receiving no resumes!

If interested leave me your contact e-mail address in the comments and I will email you the detailed job description including the company name.  If you're still interested, you will respond with your resume which I will forward to my HR department and they will schedule an interview.

Friday, November 09, 2012

Larger then life?

Yeah I've messed with the font sizes tried to make the reactions come out. I wish I could find how to fix it. I miss the old simple interface, I could resolve just about any problem. sigh.  I might mess with the fonts again in the near future.

What's up with Firefox?

I've been using Mozilla browsers for years. I've always hated IE, and as a rule avoid using Microsoft products. I've rarely browsed with IE or received email from Outlook.   I suppose working day in and day out with Microsoft products, I just wanted something different. Also something that has more flexibility. 

Lately I've been finding Firefox absolutely unstable. I run it on my laptop in Windows 7 64 bits, on my home PC in XP, and at work also in XP.  I'm one of them people who never closes their browser, because I live either on Facebook or on my blog, or even on Al Jazeera, for news, Fark for unusual and funny news, and iGoogle, so I get headlines, and my gmail.  That's just my main browser window with all those tabs. Then I have my 2nd, 3rd and 4rth browser windows dedicated to shopping. At the moment I have one window, filled with patterns I want to buy from Jalie, one is filled with about 30 tabs from DealExtreme,  one with Kijiji searches and another with Sony camera lenses. When I launch it with all these tabs opened, it's fine. A few days later, and it's hogging the entire system. 

From my years of experience as a tester, I suspect a memory leak. It crashes about once a day now. I used to be able to run it for about 3 weeks before it became unstable or too large and I'd have to re-start it.  In the past couple of months it's been particularly unstable in XP but was fine in Windows 7. It's this latest version that is flaky as all heck in all Operating systems I've tried.   We've scripted testing of it at work, and on 2 of the 3 machines it was run, it had crashed as well. 

I don't understand why it's so unstable. In the past Mozilla was able to provide us with a quality product. One that was far superior then IE. One that was innovative. The tabs were brilliant and first seen on Firefox. I love the tabs. 

I've also noticed that when I started this blog the majority of the people who read it were using IE, now it's mostly Firefox, and then IE and Chrome usage is about the same, but the two together do not equal Firefox usage. 

So Mozilla, looking forward to a more stable browser in my near future.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

More Fall colours



Photos taken in Frederic Wilson Park on Fredmir in Dollard des Ormeaux

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Fall colours

Photo taken along Fredmir in Dollard des Ormeaux

Trees along the baseball diamond in Aragon Park, Pierrefonds.

Monday, November 05, 2012

Fall sucks!

I've never liked autumn much. Don't like the fact the days get shorter, don't like the fact it's much darker and rainier in fall. Just not a huge fan. I can't wait till it ends and winter begins. Nothing gets my blood percolating like a snow storm!!!

Usually I still manage to muster some enthusiasm over Halloween as it is the Pagan new year. This year I didn't even think about the fact October 31st is the day where the veils between the worlds is the  thinnest and I didn't think of those I'd lost this year or in the years before. 

This too shall pass as winter approaches and I'll get the thrill of the first snow storms. I can't wait to move where there will be enormous amounts of snow!!!

Today I have all the enthusiasm of a wet noodle. :(