London Dreaming Redux

Well, once again it has been a few days since my last post. It seems that the organization for which I work has just remembered that I still actually work here and are trying to get their money's worth out of me in the waning days of my employment. Oh well, 2 more days of work left!

So, I've had yet another dream about what my residence in London will look like. This time, our residences were contained within a theme park/mall type thing where there were shops and arcades and restaurants and cinemas. Once again, I really do think this is wishful thinking. Also, once again, I was looking for Nesma throughout the dream. She was nowhere to be found. Why is Nes always such a jerk in my dreams?

Hello faithful readers

I'm sure many of you have excitedly checked my blog as of late only to be disappointed by the lack of any new posts. I will confess that I haven't updated it in a while, but only because nothing noteworthy has really happened (Pat Robertson's deranged rants notwithstanding).

Next week is my last week of work (YAAAY!) after which I will begin packing for London. Nes and I have been working on compiling a list of things that we'll need immediately (within the first day or two) in London. I've included it below and would greatly welcome any additional items you can think of so that I don't end up S.O.L.

Kitchen:
Pots and pans
Plates, bowls, Tupperware
Cups, mugs
Utensils
Salt, oil, vinegar, rice, pasta, water, milk, cereal, tea, sugar

Bathroom:
Toilet paper
Soap
Toothpaste
Shampoo/conditioner
Tissues
Q-tips
Gel
Lotion
Deodorant
toothbrush
towels

Room:
Desk lamp
Candles
Pillow
sheets, covers
Laptop case
Microphone for lappy (n.b. that's Nes's wording)
Bookshelf type apparatus?


School supplies
Pens
Paper
Highlighters
Scissors
Stapler
Folders
Waterproof bag

T minus 27 days.

Miscellaneous miscellany

I'm rather paranoid about things happening that would impede plans, so I have thus far refrained from initiating a "countdown to London" for fear that I wouldn't get housing, a visa, what have you. But now that everything is set, I feel confident doing so, therefore, I will be in London in:

T minus 31 days.

And now for something completely different. Being a total geek for question of culture, society, etc. I found this article really fascinating. Could this be the start of a Planet of the Apes? It might actually be a step up. As it says in the Sacred Scrolls of the Apes:

"Beware the beast man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, for he is the harbinger of death."

-Planet of the Apes, 1968
If you haven't seen it, go do so now

Finally, is anyone familiar with the figure of speech "I like the cut of his/her/your jib"? I'd like to incorporate it into everyday conversation for its whimsy value, but am unaware of its origins or anything. Any assistance in my quest for obscurantism would be greatly appreciated.

let the countdown to continue!

London Checklist

Apply to SOAS: check

Get accepted to SOAS: check

Meet conditions of SOAS offer of admission: check

Get housing: check

Get plane tickets: check

Get visa: check

Pay housing: check

Pay tuition: check

Get on a car to the airport, check in, board plane headed to London, disembark plane, get through customs and step on to British soil: pending

Nungunungu

Alright, a few things to talk about today.

First of all, I have officially discovered the coolest word ever, and unsurprisingly, it's not in English. The word is nungunungu, the Swahili word for porcupine. It's rather apropos methinks. Porcupines look like nungunungus...moreso than they look like porcupines I'd say. Say it a few times aloud: nungunungu, nungunungu. See how it rolls gently off the tongue. It is 4 syllables and 3 letters of alliterative delight. I discovered this whimsical word whilst reading this BBC news article. Apparently, the poor cuddly (okay, maybe not) nungunungu of Kenya are the latest culinary delight. Some of the comments below even offer various preparation methods and recipes! Quelle Horreur! Poor nungunungu. One more thing: nungunungu.

Why am I reading articles on nungunungu you ask? Well, because I'm bored out of my mind at work. It finally happened today. After weeks and months of joking about it possibly happening, it actually happened. I had a meeting in order to schedule another meeting. This must be some rite of passage in the 9- 5 office world.

Finally, I've gotten my visa. That's right, even the horrendous sight of this picture wasn't enough to discourage the British embassy from granting me a visa. I know, I don't know what they were thinking either, but this finally means that it's all systems go for London, WEEEE!

Oh Canada...

Much debate ensues up here about precisely what Canada's position in the world is. Middle Power? Declining Middle Power? A weak state that should satisfy itself with "niche diplomacy" in areas where it has clout, such as peacekeeping, the banning of landmines, etc?

I think the following picture puts the debate about exactly where the world holds Canada to rest. (click to enlarge and be sure to read the caption)






















For those of you who may not know, the "unidentified man" on the right is Canada's former Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, who served 3 terms for a total of 11 years.

Oh Canada...

"Not that bad" my foot!

After posting the picture for my visa application I received several messages from well-intentioned but undoubtedly delusional individuals to the effect of "it's not that bad."

I still hold, however, that I've seen more flattering mugshots. Take for instance, Bill Gates, who clearly knows how to take a reckless driving charge in stride:














Now I know what you're thinking: "That's not a terribly good picture of Bill Gates!" In response let me just say that Bill Gates doesn't generally make for a terribly good picture. I think this one is rather flattering. Just look at those pearly whites!

Heck, even the prospect of food and sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, having your holy text desecrated and, worst of all, having to wear jumpsuits in that horrible shade of orange that doesn't flatter anyone wasn't enough to dampen the spirits of one jovial Guantanamo inmate:




















So, in fine, let me just say I appreciate the good intentions of those who didn't think my picture wasn't too bad, but let's not kid ourselves. If you would like to say anything nice about it, how about complimenting my decision not to wear orange?

allay your fears...

Alright, I know you've all been in eager anticipation, so I'm here to put all your minds at rest.

Yes, I managed to learn how to fold a shirt.

In other news, an old friend from highschool who lives nearby (Robert, for those of you who know him) came for a visit this past weekend. We went to a club called the flying dog, but left at 12:30 because we're old, old geezers.

Watched The Wedding Crashers too. It was pretty entertaining, pretty much what I expected, in a good way. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughan are awesome.

Sorry today's update isn't more exciting, but I think it's just that kind of day. Mondays usually go by pretty quickly at work, but today is dragging on. If the week is starting out this way, I'm going to be dying by mid-week.

Please post comments to bring some merriment and mirth to my work day.

I can always work at the Gap if this whole "Education" thing doesn't work out

Well, I spent a good chunk of last evening trying to learn how to fold a shirt and I think I managed to get it pretty good, though the end product isn't quite as neat as it appears on that website. I'll perfect it over the weekend.

I know what I'm doing this evening

Okay, I saw this and I'm not ashamed to admit that it's the coolest thing I've ever seen. I'm going to try it out as soon as I get home. If I can learn to do that, I will be a happy, happy man. Check it out:

http://www.howtofoldashirt.net/

Yes, I know, I lead an empty existence.

This just in...

Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahaf, (aka "Baghdad Bob") the famed Iraqi information minister has come out of retirement, re-donned his military fatigues and called a press conference specifically to address an issue which he deemed of dire importance, let's go now to the press conference, already in progress...

















There you have it folks...


EDIT: Balcancan requested further evidence that Joe is not pink and girly in the form of Soviet propaganda, so here you go:








































I hope that settles that...

The camera adds 10 lbs...of ugly

So, I picked up the pictures for my student visa application yesterday. Wow, are they ever bad. Really, really bad. I've seen more flattering mug-shots. The British embassy staff here will get quite the larf. I've included them below for your viewing (dis)pleasure.

Worked a bit more on the blog template (which I'm sure you're getting thoroughly sick of hearing about) last night and made some headway. Still a few glitches I can't work out, so I might just simplify the design to make it easier on myself. Sigh, I'm sure Michelangelo didn't have to put up with this crap when painting the Sistine Chapel!

The pic:





















Now, if this doesn't elicit some comments, I don't know what does!

Okay, so I lied...

I didn't manage to get any work done on the blog this weekend.

I'll work on it tonight though, I promise.

Still looking for any help I can get though, help!

update on the blog update

Hello Ladies and Gents,

Nothing much to report today. Yesterday I obtained (through completely legal means...ahem...yes) Microsoft Frontpage so that I can try to turn my design into an actual website. It's going very slowly. To anyone with expertise using this program: help!

Also, I've only gotten two votes for which template to use. Come on people, if you don't excercise your democratic rights, they'll be taken away! Don't make me start a "Rock the Vote" campaign for my blogger template.

I'll be away for the weekend, during which time I hope to get more work done on the site design, see you on monday!

Blogger Idol

Which will be my next blog template? You decide!

Below I've attached pictures of the blog templates I've designed (special thanks to Kaelyn, Absi and Nicki for their input) and I've even recruited the web-designers at the place I work at to help me out with getting whichever template I decide on up on the web.

Now it's your job to decide which one of the following you'd like to see as my blog template. They're all pretty similar. The menu that's on the left of this page will either remain on the left hand side, or go up across the top, and the text will be in the center pane. When deciding, keep in mind not only how it looks, but how practical it would be. Leave your vote in the comments section as well as any suggestions for further modifications.

Cheers!

More London Dreamin'

I don't know what's with the dreams about London these past couple days. Last night I dreamt that I had missed the deadline for paying tuition and was scrambling t0 get my dad to transfer the funds. I certainly hope that's not a premonition, whereas I certainly wouldn't mind if the whole avante-garde castle residence dream came true.

In other blog-related news, I've put my meager photoshop skills to use and designed a template for this blog. Whether or not it'll actually work up on the website remains to be seen. I will be conferring with those more tech-savvy than I (you know who you are) to see if it's feasible.

Note: I just ran a spell-check on this post and did you know that blogger's spell-checker doesn't recognize the word "blog"? What's the name of that Alanis Morisette song that isn't at all ironic?

Premonition, or Wishful Thinking?

In keeping with the London theme, that is after all why I started this blog, I'd like to share a rather bizarre dream I had last night. Keep in mind, I almost never remember my dreams, so the fact that I still remember this one is significant.

The dream starts out as I'm arriving at the residence that Nesma and I are going to be staying in next year. In my dream it was dark out when I arrive, even though in reality I'm arriving 10:30 am. Hang on though, this is not the only way that this dream diverges from reality. In my dream, our residence was this medieval castle on the outside, while the inside had been converted into a really hip and modern decor, almost hotel-like. The dorms themselves were two-storey lofts, furnished with red futons and Ikea-esque decor all over the place. I remeber thinking in my dream: "this is awesome!". After I finished settling into my awesome dorm and meeting my dorm-mates and stuff, I went looking for Nesma, whom I knew was staying in the same residence. I didn't find her, but I found some girl I went to UAS (my old school in Kuwait that I went to for grades 4 - 8) with. I have NO idea what she was doing in my dream since I didn't even know her that well, barely ever spoke to her, she's not going to the same university as me or anything. Just dream-randomness. I ask randomgirl if she'd tell Nesma that I'm looking for her when she sees her. Randomgirl says "No, sorry, I can't" I don't know why she did that. AAAANYWAYS, I finally track Nesma down and ask her if she wants to see a movie with me and some people from my floor. She says sorry she can't because, get this, she promised her floor-mates that she'd watch Titanic with them. What the hell?!

I know, that's totally random and bizarre. In light of the fact that my dorm room is going to be 2.5 x 4 metres, I think my mental conception of the dorm room is really, really wishful thinking.

Also, I think Nesma has really crappy taste in movies in my dream. I mean honestly, standing me up to see Titanic?! What were you thinking Nes?!

Point of Clarification re: Pink-and-Girliness

Press release from the office of The Bedouin Project

It has recently come to my attention that there exists the notion that I am "pink and girly". I wish to rectify this misconception once and for all. Yes, I do have an inordinate knowledge of musical theatre. Yes, I have been known to play the flute. Yes, I do use terms like "[insert designer label's name here]'s spring line is to die for!". However, these things do not a girly-man make. This smear campaign is part of the ongoing conspiracy against cultured, well-dressed men such as myself, by the beer-swilling, football-watching, hooters-dining-at neanderthals (read: the better part of the Laurier male population).

Besides, I don't think pink would work too well with my complexion.

Regards,
The Bedouin Project