As you may have guessed, the new profile pic is not of me. Ten points to the art or literature major who can guess who it actually is.
Not much is going on these days. I think it's better that way.
Not much is going on these days. I think it's better that way.
So I'm sitting in the lecture yesterday, listening to the prof yammer on about F1-F0 ATPase pumps driven by the proton motive force generating by cytochromes lining the inner membrane of the mitochondrial matrix, and all of the sudden, a 25-piece marching band strides in and starts playing the "Sesame Street" theme song. They get up on the stage with the professor, and proceed to play for 5 minutes or so, making up their own lyrics as they go along. Then they leave, and we return to the alpha subunits of the F-class proton pumps.
Ahhh, the university life.
Ahhh, the university life.
This week's issue of NOW Magazine (nowtoronto.com) has a piece questioning the wisdom and sanity of "Canadian ad execs" who chose to put the song "There She Goes" (by The La's) into a Kellogg's commercial for Special K. They refer to its alleged references to heroin use and suggest that it's either "clever subliminal advertising or just a real dumb mistake."
Does anyone think they're grasping at straws just a bit here? I already wrote a letter to NOW telling them they would've been better off complaining about JH Kellogg's anti-masturbation campaigns. You did know that Corn Flakes were intended to stop people from masturbating, right? Right?
Does anyone think they're grasping at straws just a bit here? I already wrote a letter to NOW telling them they would've been better off complaining about JH Kellogg's anti-masturbation campaigns. You did know that Corn Flakes were intended to stop people from masturbating, right? Right?
Ech, I put too much salt in my omellette. 
In half an hour, I'll be turning 22. What's good about being 22? It's not like turning 21, when you can do all sorts of things (legally) that previously you could not. The only good thing I can say is that it's a double-number birthday, and they only come around every 11 years!
My blinds are still up, I'm happy to report. Pictures will arrive on Friday, if you're at all interested in seeing my Rube Goldbergesque contraption.
Dat's all for now.
In half an hour, I'll be turning 22. What's good about being 22? It's not like turning 21, when you can do all sorts of things (legally) that previously you could not. The only good thing I can say is that it's a double-number birthday, and they only come around every 11 years!
My blinds are still up, I'm happy to report. Pictures will arrive on Friday, if you're at all interested in seeing my Rube Goldbergesque contraption.
Dat's all for now.
OK, it's Tool Time at the mycophile household. Frustrated that I haven't been able to properly install the mini-blinds I bought over a year ago, I decided to take action. The following recounts my adventure.
Preliminaries: The landlord won't let us use nails, screw, or anything else that pierces the walls, so I have to use No More Nails industrial-strength glue to attach things. Also: There are two windows in the frame, which requires two separate sets of blinds.
Take one: (Several months ago) I glue the thingies that hold the blinds up to the ceiling, and hope that the glue will be strong enough to hold up the blinds. Result: The glue works so well that it pulls off the drywall as soon as I attach the blinds. No good.
Take two: (A bit after that) I stick a nail in the grout attaching the righthand side of the window frame to the wall (not in the wall, so technically, it's allowed). Then I string some phone wire between the nail and the deadbold of the balcony door, which is right next to the left side of the window. Result: The blinds stay up, but end up only covering about 75% of the window, because the phone cord slips a little and the blinds end up in a 'v' position. Better, but not perfect.
Take three: (Last night) I buy a 10 foot length of chain, corner bracing brackets, and a set of Allen wrenches. The plan is to glue the brackets to the corners of the window frame, attach the chain to the brackets with the Allen wrenches preventing the chain from slipping, and then hang the blinds from the chain. Result: Chain slips out of the brackets, even with the Allen wrenches. Terrible.
Take four: (Tonight) The brackets are still attached. The chain is useless, but fun to play with. I realize that the brackets will hold up one side of each set of blinds, but how would the middle, where the two unsupported ends meet, stay up? *light bulb* I take some old school notebooks, a few phonebooks, and my broom, run a long length of plastic picture framing material through the hole in the top of the broom, and stand the whole thing up in the middle of the window frame. Result: Voila! Both sets of blinds stay up!
Epilogue: After making a huge mess next to the window, I have no way to clean up, because -- you guessed it -- the broom is holding up the shades..
Pictures to follow.
Preliminaries: The landlord won't let us use nails, screw, or anything else that pierces the walls, so I have to use No More Nails industrial-strength glue to attach things. Also: There are two windows in the frame, which requires two separate sets of blinds.
Take one: (Several months ago) I glue the thingies that hold the blinds up to the ceiling, and hope that the glue will be strong enough to hold up the blinds. Result: The glue works so well that it pulls off the drywall as soon as I attach the blinds. No good.
Take two: (A bit after that) I stick a nail in the grout attaching the righthand side of the window frame to the wall (not in the wall, so technically, it's allowed). Then I string some phone wire between the nail and the deadbold of the balcony door, which is right next to the left side of the window. Result: The blinds stay up, but end up only covering about 75% of the window, because the phone cord slips a little and the blinds end up in a 'v' position. Better, but not perfect.
Take three: (Last night) I buy a 10 foot length of chain, corner bracing brackets, and a set of Allen wrenches. The plan is to glue the brackets to the corners of the window frame, attach the chain to the brackets with the Allen wrenches preventing the chain from slipping, and then hang the blinds from the chain. Result: Chain slips out of the brackets, even with the Allen wrenches. Terrible.
Take four: (Tonight) The brackets are still attached. The chain is useless, but fun to play with. I realize that the brackets will hold up one side of each set of blinds, but how would the middle, where the two unsupported ends meet, stay up? *light bulb* I take some old school notebooks, a few phonebooks, and my broom, run a long length of plastic picture framing material through the hole in the top of the broom, and stand the whole thing up in the middle of the window frame. Result: Voila! Both sets of blinds stay up!
Epilogue: After making a huge mess next to the window, I have no way to clean up, because -- you guessed it -- the broom is holding up the shades..
Pictures to follow.
