I saw a blogring today called "Christian's For Social Justice". It's maddening. Not the "Christian" part or the "For Social Justice" part; but rather, the pathetic punctuation. I bet there's a "Christian's For Proper Punctuation" blogring somewhere out there.

*Sigh*

P.S. I know that some of you will be tempted to correct my usage of the period after "Christian's For Social Justice". See, there it is again. If you're American, you'd be right. You guys put everything inside quotations. Everything. And that's okay. But us Canadians (and all other English speaking nations) have different rules for when particular punctuation will go inside--or outside--the quotation mark. Ok, I'm done.

I always heard that, sometimes, the cure is worse than the disease. Because I'm 29, and still have the skin of a pre-pubescent, I was researching Minocyline online today. The list of side effects is ghastly. Okay, so you ask your doctor to give you something for your complexion, and what follows COULD happen to you instead:

• itching of the rectum
• diarrhea
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• furry darkening or black discoloration of the tongue
• redness of the skin (sunburn)
• changes in skin color
• hearing loss or ringing in your ears
• severe headache
• blurred vision
• skin rash
• hives
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• itching
• dark-colored urine
• light-colored bowel movements
• loss of appetite
• upset stomach
• vomiting
• stomach pain
• extreme tiredness or weakness
• confusion
• joint stiffness or swelling
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• decreased urination
• pain or discomfort in the mouth
• throat sores
• fever or chills

What is "unusual bleeding" anyway? And so, your acne has cleared, but you have an itchy bum, your tongue has grown fur, your skin--in place of the acne--is red, yellow, or otherwise discoloured, and shows a rash or hives. Apparently "light-coloured bowel movements" are really bad, too. I wonder what the reaction would be if you showed up to the ER, complaining of an itchy rear, light-coloured bowel movements, and unusual bleeding. Who's willing to test it out?

Messenger Chat Ethic is a strange thing. What I think is rude, someone else might find perfectly acceptable. If you start chatting with someone, are you committing to that conversation until it reaches its natural conclusion? Is it acceptable to, while in the midst of conversation, leave the computer without warning for 5-10-15-20 minutes? Is it acceptable to, in the midst of conversation, switch your status to "busy" or "away" and let that alone state that the conversation is over (or postponed)? I think not.

I have a fairly strict chat ethic, it seems. If you're chatting with someone and you have to leave for an extended amount of time, you tell them. How hard is it to say, "One sec, phone" or "Be right back, I'm about to soil my pants if I don't hit the toilet NOW!" or "Oh crap, the INS is knocking on my door again. Hold on while I dim the lights...." I mean, honestly. I've been chatting with people, and then all of a sudden they're gone; 30 minutes passes; they arrive back and continue on as if nothing had transpired. Well nothing, in fact, had transpired, but mostly due to the fact that they left. The whole point of chat is that something transpires. Communication. Words. If you don't want to chat with someone, pony up and tell them. They can handle the rejection. Ohhhhhh no! So-and-so didn't want to chat with me! I'm broken, a hollow shell my former self! My life is now completely and utterly meaningless! Uh-huh. Trust me, they'll get over it. And if they don't, a failed chat conversation is the least of their worries.

So tell me your thoughts on chat etiquette. What's hot and what's not? What bugs you? What e-vile chat behaviours do you exhibit? Come on, fess up.

New Book. YES!
Inclement Weather. YES!
Curry on the Stovetop. YES!
Braveheart OST. YES!

I like the fact that I live in a place with seasons. It gives me something to tire of, as well as something I can look forward to.

Is there a place that dwells in perpetual Autumn? Does it exist? If it does, and you know of it, please tell me! I long for this season. I want to wear warm and bulky clothing, scarves, toques (pronounced "tooks" and otherwise called "beanies" or "toboggans" by the severely uninformed) and long pants. I want to smell hot cider and Gluhwein. I want to, occasionally, notice the faint smell of burning wood in the air, and see my breath as I exhale. In this mostly mythical place, one can, at any given time, hear the faint trill of a bagpipe and the war cry of William Wallace. Don't ask me how this makes sense: it just does.

Halloween. The anticipation of Christmas. It all just adds up to make Autumn, hands down, the best time of year. And so, if a stroll through the redandyellowandorange pedestrian walkways while sipping some hot spiced tea, and perhaps puffing on a clove, sounds good to you . . . . come find me in two months and we'll talk!

Feeling a bit better about things today. See? Fickle. Perhaps it's the weather (greyish and cool, my favourite); perhaps it's a decent night's sleep; perhaps it's the beginning of three days off in a row; perhaps it's the big cup of coffee I'm nursing. Call me crazy, call me what you will, but don't call me Shirley.

BTW....I'm accepting ideas for short comic strips. Dialogue only, nothing on characters or appearance of said comic strip. Dialogue only. Get it? If anyone has any brilliant ideas, send to my email.

P.S. Thank you, Virginia, for introducing me to Rufus. I resisted for so long....

Isn't it strange how fickle and unstable we are? Happy one moment, mountains of burden weighing us down the next; energetic and good to go, then fatigued beyond belief; confident of the future, or a nervous wreck over the simplest decision. Regardless, it's a very frustrating human condition. Guilt is another frustrating human condition. It seems that I feel a great deal of guilt when I have no reason to feel guilty. I feel guilt over the most normal things (like going out and having fun while knowing that someone might be at home alone, not having fun.) Honestly--why? I'm ridiculous. And I'm tired.

Has anyone ever endured a period of their life when all you needed were a few good friends, but the reality of your situation, your emotional state, and your inability to see past it all prevented you from having those friends? A self-defeating state, if ever there were one.

I've found myself thinking a lot lately about what makes me valuable. Why do I have worth? What does anyone see in me? I think--but not in a morbid way--about what people might say at my funeral. Or, would they say anything at all? Who would spend the money to show up, and who wouldn't? Interesting thoughts, I reckon. Whose lives would feel any real loss from my absence? You know--in a tangible way?

What a depressing post. Well...I'm moving toward honesty. And this is how I feel, folks. As my good friend, Nathan, said: "Take a deep breath and press on."

Cheers...~Drew~

crap new editor.

Me and My Homeboys