AllDayMeeting

I am stuck in a boardroom all day :-(
At least I am not at work.

Some Interesting Pope Trivia

While browsing the Wikipedia, I came across this fascinating piece of trivia:

Popes who died during sex

Main article: List of sexually active popes

Catholic Popes who were said to have died during sex: Pope Leo VII (936–939) died of a heart attack, Pope John XII (955–964) was bludgeoned to death by the husband of the woman he was with at the time, Pope John XIII (965–972) was also murdered by a jealous husband.

Fascinating indeed.

A (brief) conversation with my Six-year-old Daughter

Daughter: Most grandmas tend to be Portuguese.

Me: Is your grandma Portuguese?

Daughter: No...well, if I had another grandma, maybe she would be Portuguese.

Tagged

I was tagged back in June by Running42k (my old roommate from my undergrad days). Finally, I have answers. I am supposed to write about 8 facts about myself, then tag 8 others.

1. I hate unexpected loud noises. For example, if I plug in the vacuum cleaner and it fires up immediately - because the switch had been left on - I have to turn it off even if it means that I will turn it on again in a few seconds. I have to be ready. I need to know if anyone in earshot is going to turn on a blender or a food processor or hair dryer so I can be prepared. I also hate leaf blowers, but you already know that. If you have one, dump it and buy a rake. Better yet, mulch your leaves with your lawnmower (but warn me before you start up your mower) and then leave the leaves on your lawn all winter so that they make some nice fertilizer. That's why they are called leaves, after all.

2. I have a tendency to count stairs as I walk up or down them, even if I know how many there are.

3. I have only ever sent one text message on my cell phone. I just don't understand the appeal. Maybe that's because I am tethered to a computer for most of the day.

4. I like mayonnaise on my french fries. In fact, I am not a fan of ketchup or catsup or catchup. Speaking of condiments, I prefer to have my salad dressing on the side in restaurants because they always apply too much. Salads are usually soaking in the stuff, making most of them practically inedible.

5. I like my job. It's the best job I have ever had. I hated my last job. It was the worst job I have ever had.

6. I am a huge fan of dark chocolate (dairy-free, that is). If you have no idea what to get me for Christmas, please mail me some Lindt dark chocolate. My birthday is coming up too.

7. My favourite cuisine in Indian. I couldn't live without it. Aside from naan, it is virtually gluten-free, which makes it even more indispensable.

8. I'd like to go to Greece and the International Space Station.

I have no idea whom I should tag, so I will tag everybody.

Technorati Tags: memes, me

Chalked Up

Here's an action shot of my daughter drawing another painfully accurate picture of me, this time in chalk. The only problem is that she made my left foot preposterously large, rather than the right as in the previous effort. Notice, however, that I am still afflicted with three-fingered hands. I do like the sun and birds. Please note that I have no shirt or pants even approximating the colours suggested in this piece of sidewalk art.

Technorati Tags: me, daughter

Hi There

I wonder why it is that when I take a small break from blogging, it turns into a long hiatus? Just why is that? Anyway, I took a recent trip to the Niagara region (St. Catherines, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, etc.). That was cool. I got a couple of bottles of wine and some jam and took in the Falls and the tackiness Clifton Hill. It's always a bizarre sight.

More recently, I headed up to the rural parts of Ontario for my dad's 75th birthday party. The old man is getting older. Aside from the potato overload, it was fine. If you are hosting a potluck, be sure to secure the proposed dishes ahead of time. Otherwise, you will end up with three versions of potato salad.

Other than that, I have been working and sleeping. I have a new article coming out which was co-written with a colleague. And, I have to speak twice at an upcoming conference, once with a colleague and once with a panel. No, I am not prepared yet, but I hope to be by then. The worst part is that one of the speaking days is a Saturday. I hate it when that happens, mostly because fewer people show up.

I am starving and really need some food.