Snow Softly Falling

It is a beautiful Friday and snow has finally arrived in Toronto, mind you it isn't staying around. I get to sit in my office and look out of the big glass window (see Right) and watch the soft little flakes fall across a backdrop of deep red brick. I work in Liberty Village. In fact, I work FOR Liberty Village with the BIA (Business Improvement Association). I really love my office, both on a emotional liking of the work and work environment level but also at the physical architectural level. I can't even tell you how tall these ceilings are and I sit amongst exposed beams and brick. Very beautiful, very inspiring. It's easy to work for an area that you love.

I Like This Concept

13 - 99 Luftballoons
By Stephanie Beach Phtotography

The above photograph is part of a conceptual photography series by Steph. You can read about it and see the entire set hon her Flicker. They are some of my favourite pictures of me. I love them. Check it out HERE.

Art & Barbie

The Mona Barbie
(or Mona Lisa, Skipper, or Kelly...)

My only problem with this is that it there isn't enough of it!! The above image is part of a series called "Barbie Ma Muse." It is a small gallery that superimposes Barbie onto the vision of various well-known artists, by Jocelyne Grivaud. See the whole set HERE. I love Barbie!!

Monday

I am having a hard time finding something to write about...

I went to my first group session at CAMH (Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). It seems like it is going to be good, it is a 15 week CBT group for depression. Today was tiring, and there is homework. I'm glad I finished school before starting this, seems like it could be tough.

Sending You Home

I wish I could steal the photos and re-do the post here on Always Standing, but I do feel in this case that would not be right - I should send you to the source. Urban Toronto.

This is a cool Then & Now article from the intersection right near Rrunuv Bayit. Amazing!

A second one of interest is this Then & Now article about a building near the Tim Horton's I work at.

Blogging Before Birth

I don't know if anyone noticed, but for a while in the Blog Archive section of Always Standing has been a post that apparently was published in 1980. I was born in 1984. Obviously it was spam. It was a long rambling thing about someone's inheritance and parents and I'm sure some sort of royal family member was mentioned. (You know how it goes.) I don't really know how it got posted - maybe through the post-it-email like before or maybe it was posted though this site. Either way it is deleted now, but I liked that I was writing before birth.

Want more Always Standing to read? Go back!! Vintage Always Standing is often quite amusing. I have blogged for almost 6 years and my life has changed a lot over that time period. Remember you can comment on any post no matter when it was originally written; I get notification of comments through my email so I will get to read what it is you write. (And remember bloggers live for comments!!)

Wiki Silence

As many know - Wiki is doing a blackout today, see below.

Imagine a World
Without Free Knowledge

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.

I do support this idea. However, without spending considerably more time fully understanding the reasoning, wording, and politics behind the two bills currently being debated in the US, I can't really give a good arguement. I'm sure there are actually elements of these bills that I would support. I can remember from the many years of studying communication and copywrite laws at Carleton that this is a complex issue - the balance between freedom of expression and protecting artistic ownership, along with, the balance between censorship and freedom of speech - it is very difficult to figure out what is best. I am decisive but this issue has always presented a challenge.

Contested Bills:
House Bill 3261
SOPA
Stop Online Piracy Act
&
Senate Bill 968
PIPA
PROTECT IP Act
Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011

The Correlation Between Hiding And Comments

First off - where are my comments? Remember, blogger's live for comments! You can scroll completely down the page and none of the posts have been commented on. I will admit that the posts aren't exactly gold but this has been a 'comment dry spell' like I have never seen before.

I think it might have to do with the fact that there are some things that I have choosen to not disclose on Always Standing. I would not say that I have been lying, but there are things in my life at the moment that I haven't written about. Firstly, my current job. I do plan to post about it soon, but since we are a small office and I'm such a 'digitally public person' I'm worried that I would be perceived as less than professional.

I have also been on eHarmony for the last week. I don't have much to report on that except that it has been an intense and busy week, not just because of eHarmony. However, I am glad that Kristen, Taylor, and Noah pressured me into it.

From The FBI & Interpol, No Less

---- This might be spam....

From: US DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
To: Me
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 4:49 AM
Subject: FROM US DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

affairs/Foreign Assets Lodgings
U.S.Department of Treasury 1500
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20220.

Attn Beneficiary,

The office of secretary for foreign assets treasury inform you that today at the foreign assets treasury lodgings of US Department of treasury Washington,DC we received and acknowledged your inheritance funds via cash box from our "Office of international affairs" Europe and Eurasia.

I deem necessary to inform you that the retrieving of your inheritance was witnessed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Interpol envoys deployed from Europe by United States Department of Treasury to monitor the proceedings, It was confirmed to be a fair judgment by the Bureau and the Interpol as the outcome of the event was a perfect solution to curtail the activities of con artist and scam generally and is also a perfect end to your payment. Your Beneficiary Funds that was allotted into cash consignment baggage is now been deposited in our pecuniary vault.

The proceed of these event was successful because our office of international affairs led by Mr. Barry Mackay (Deputy director) who has been monitoring outstanding Beneficiary debts and Lottery Wining Debts of US citizens lodged in some international financial institutions(particularly the IMF, World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and development).He has also been keeping senior economic policymakers including the Treasury Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and the Under Secretary for International Affairs informed of our efforts.

Hence you have to contact my office for further clarifications to this matter: Office of Foreign Deputy Financial Officer U.S. Department of Treasury Washington, DC, Head of Consignment Lodgings: Mr. Michael Cena. Before we commence any further on issues concerning your consignment you are to reconfirm your bank name and your residential address as stated below to enable us verify if you indeed the rightful and legal beneficiary of the consignment for immediate payment to you with out any further delay.


Full Name:
Residence Address:
Bank Name:
Current Occupation:
Contact Telephone Numbers:
Any Form of Prove of Identification:
Current Age:

At the receipt of the above information we will not hesitate to open communication with you given you vital information for easy communication between you and the U.S. Treasury.


Thank you very much for your understanding.
Best Regards,
Michael Cena
Head of Consignment Lodgings

On Steph's Playbook

A little while ago I wrote about Jeska's iPad, well now I'm on Steph's Playbook. Now, I just really want a tablet, of any kind! It is something that I am going to start researching, once I have some money.

The Wonders Of Make-Up

----- from Facebook

Twitter Is Hard

I got a personal Twitter account because I was having so much fun Twitter-ing for work. However, I guess I have more to network professionally because I'm not finding Twitter as useful. Maybe it is that I actually know how many followers I have and it just isn't very inspiring. (On Always Standing I can always image that millions are reading.) I am still adjusting but it is going to take a while to connect with this new social media site. It will also be easier if/when I get a new phone that is more compatible with updating Twitter. Follow me: @SweetonChris or click the Twitter feed to the Left.

A Kiss For The Ages

(Click Image To Enlage)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Also, the wedding mentioned to be occurring in 2012 will be in the Fall and I am super excited to be the Maid of Honour. I love them both so much, best wishes Steph and Dave!! For details on the Dec. 30, 2010 proposal - see Steph's Blog Post.

Quote Of The Day

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Spelt It Wrong

I did a post a couple of years ago about about the words Learnt & Learned; it was then that I discovered that both spelt and spelled are correct. However, in the previous post, I was caught off guard when 'spelt' was flagged. I feel the need to publicly reiterate that I think the 't' endings sound better than the 'ed'.

-spell, learn, burn, dream, kneel, lean, leap, spill, spoil...

The Two Page To Do List

I have a small notebook in my purse and keep a handwritten To Do list in it. However, I type up my work To Do lists.

The typing isn't just because my spelling is terrible, although that is a key consideration. I often use these lists to report on projects and their next steps at meetings or to go over my various tasks with my boss. So, at an update-style meeting with a boss it is nice to just hand over my list and go over everything - obviously it is important that things are spelled correctly.

However, another reason to use the computer to do it is that I have to update it so frequently. (No, this is unfortunately not an environmental thing, I still print it out - though only once or twice a day.) With my little booklet in my purse, I only rewrite the list once a bunch of things have been crossed off. I tend to work in fairly fast paced environments, and while some things sit on the list for a long time, my tasks are constantly moving, changing, etc.

I can remember at Justice when I had to make the change from having the list go straight down the page to having the tasks in two columns. I don't know what I felt it meant at the time: we were understaffed, it was a busier time of year, I was being given more responsibility, my pace of work had slowed, I don't know, I'm sure it meant something. At GeoConnections I never made the jump to the second column, though the list did occasionally reach a second page. It was a scary thing when the two column Justice list made it to two pages though, which it sometimes did.

I just started the typed up To Do List thing at my new job (which I will detail at some point in the future) and this place is really fast paced. I have a lot on my plate and juggling the tasks is going to be a constant challenge. I have completely filled a two column page and I haven't really been here that long at all!! It could easily go to two pages but that would just be too overwhelming. The Director has also said that this is a slow time period too. Being back in the real world is definitely an adjustment!

I'm On Twitter

My first New Year's resolution was to get a Twitter account and start tweeting - last night I did so. I was a little sad about my Twitter name options, so many were taken that I had to end up with @SweetonChris. If you are on Twitter follow me!! My Twitter feed is also now featured on Always Standing, please see it on the Left.

Thank You Cartouche!

I thought I had mentioned this on Always Standing before but I looked back and it seems I haven't - I have a Cartouche deck! Erin AH got them for me a couple of years back; like Tarot Cards, Cartouche should not be purchased but must 'come to their owner' so I never went to go get my own deck. I was so happy when Erin gave me a deck as a present. However, I lost them in my move to Toronto and it was only a couple of months ago that I came across them again. I use them now and then, to ask questions using the Star. Last night I did my World for the next six months, and it looks like they are going to go well!

However, not everything appears to be perfect. I did get Set (Opposition, Delays and problems at all levels - otherwise known as the Death card) in the 2nd House (Money, Possessions, Financial prospects). After Set shows up, following Em's technique, I always select a card to place on top so as to get more information; the one that showed up this time was Earth (Industry, Thrift, Money and possessions, Conservation, Practicality, All things that grow). I think I need to be much more careful financially. Thank you Cartouche! I had already figured this out though - but a little more reinforcement never hurts.

A Fresh Start

My New Year's Resolutions

-Get a Twitter account and start tweeting

-Only have 'a starch' at one meal per day, and keep it small
*a starch is rice, potato, pasta, or bread

Two's New Year's Resolutions

-Stop biting

I guess that means that I have a third, which would be
- Teach Two to stop biting