Having my a$$ handed to me on a platter...

..but sadly the drinks came in sippy cups.

I entered the world of online multi player gaming yesterday and it was a pretty sad scene. I was playing a beginner game and was being killed...a lot...by someone. I decided to turn up the volume on my headset so I could hear what they were saying. Sadly, I heard little squeals of delight when I got killed and then it occurred to me. I am getting pwned by a child. I aged a little bit when I realized that the kid killing me over and over probably hadn't hit puberty yet as the voice was so high, I couldn't even tell if it was a boy or girl. I think I will continue multi player in September, when most of the rugrats in North America should be in school.

I realize that part of my problem is that I am playing in the morning/early afternoon. I work midnights so I play when I am awake. Besides, if I play with the kiddies in the morning and am getting killed, what will happen when I play at night with the hardcore gamers?? I shall be tea bagged constantly. It was bad enough yesterday.

However, I am enjoying Halo 3. I am working through normal difficulty after doing a run-through on easy. I never said I was good at gaming, just that I enjoyed it. I think I will work on unlocking better armour and getting better with the weapons for a while. If anyone wants to see my progress they can go over to http://www.bungie.net/stats/default.aspx select Halo 3 from the dropdown menu and put in my gamertag "CelticSam13" - you can see how much I suck.

On an aside note, I might change my gamertag so be warned. I am getting tired of people asking me if Sam is a boy's or girl's name. I might go more abstract with my next one to take gender out of the equation. I just want to game! Don't label me! :) If I do change it, I will update this post with the new gamertag, mmm k? :)

UPDATE: I did indeed change my gamer tag. You can search for my stats with my new gamer tag "EmpireOfFluff", if you would like :)

Sorta inspired

While searching google for tips on how to wash your hair without hot water (I am currently waiting for the repair guy to show up and fix the leaky water heater) I stumbled on a blog entry about a girl going shampoo free. I have heard of a few people doing that for a few reasons; some don't like what their hair looks like and others for fear of what is in their shampoo. Rather interesting that the American FDA doesn't regular what goes into grooming products and there are some rather harmful chemicals out there.

Link clicking took me on a tour of the interweb and I got some ideas.

I have to research it more but I am kinda considering trying to go shampoo free. While I have "nice hair" because it's naturally red and curly, it looks good for about an hour and then becomes a dry, fizzy, bushy mess. I use moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and a ton of products that are supposed to help your hair but they don't help. There's a man in my life who likes it when I wear my hair down but I never do because it looks (to me) terrible. I am doing what the salons and hair experts say I should be doing with marginal results. Maybe it's time to change what I am doing. Just thinking out loud here.

I am also going to try and use less plastic. I am trying my best to recycle at home but I do see ways I can reduce even further. I need to start shopping with reusable bags. I have to get some first but they make more sense. It is almost impossible to 100% avoid plastic as it's hidden in a lot of products like milk cartons and aluminum cans but I think the main thing is to be more responsible with it. Recycling is key, as is looking at ways to avoid having plastic. Returnable milk jugs is a good way to go. I also will try to buy more in bulk so there's less packaging. There's an eco-friendly store not too far from me so think I will check that out.

I applaud those who are committed to making their lives as plastic free as possible. I am afraid that since I can't match that level of commitment, I will have to make slower, less radical changes but have good intentions.

I haven't figured out how to live with a cat and be plastic free. There's just no way.

Swim downstream, not up!

One of the few benefits of my cave of an apartment (aside from central air-conditioning - I'm wearing a hoodie! In July!) is that it is close to downtown and the river. While walking home today from doing some errands, I saw something swoop down to the river. I thought it was a hawk and when I got closer, it was preening it's red tail so I am safe in concluding it was a red-tailed hawk. They're not uncommon in the city and there are a few nesting pairs on the university grounds but this is what made me stand and watch the hawk for a while :

Sorry for the crappy detail as it was taken from the other side of the river and up on the path with my phone. I think the text boxes say it all. There was a mother duck and her three little ducklings swimming downstream when the mom saw the hawk. She proceeds to turn herself and the babies around and try to swim the other way. Upstream. Against the current. They pretty much stayed where the picture shows them for a good 5 minutes. I think when the hawk landed it was just looking to have a drink and a bit of a bath but when tasty tasty morsels swim in front of you and don't seem to be leaving, I am sure the hawk may have changed it's little raptor mind. I am not sure how the scenario played out as I left before the feathers flew. I was not in the mood for Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom to be enacted in front of me. Silly mother duck.

Whhheeee....Wiiiii...ow.

I wondered if I should format this like a study but there are tons of them out. I got Wii Fit yesterday and I wanted to share my progress with everyone, but I don't want to share EVERYTHING. I mean, no one really needs to know my weight or BMI (body mass index) but the results are something that would be helpful for others. I did some research before I got it and some people are getting results. What struck me is that the weight loss people are showing is slow and steady. All the fancy scientists say that rapid weight loss is rarely long term and that slower steady weight loss is more likely to stay off.

A couple of words about the game for those of you who haven't heard of it. It's a combination of traditional workout with a personal trainer (for yoga and strength training) and wii-wacky mini-games that are designed to help you though the balance and cardio sections. There is a reward system (the more time you put in, the more time in your wii fit bank) which helps you unlock new exercises and modes. I can see this being fun but what happens when all the aspects of the game are unlocked? I wonder if there will be any downloadable content for Wii Fit in the future...

Since I just got it yesterday, I decided to try all the modes. Boy, am I feeling it today. That's a sign of a decent workout - when you are reminded of it every move you make the following day. Today, I think I will just do the cardio and balance stuff.

Max update:
He's totally confused by the gaming - he kept getting in the way of my jack-knife sit ups yesterday and walking on the balance board. However, he seems to be coping as best he can.

Cesar Milan, eat your heart out

Well, I have always been told I have a way with animals. Look what followed me home yesterday morning.






I was able to find her owner wandering the streets looking for her. Her name is Molly (good name for cute critters) and she's a 6 month old golden retriever puppy. She was able to get out of her backyard and was running around the neighbourhood like a mad fiend. She's not so good with the walking (she would roll on her back whenever I grabbed her collar..and would pee) but I was able to lure her into my backyard thanks to a nice man walking his dog (which was a lovely Kuvasz). When in my backyard, Molly got into my upstairs neighbour's garbage and ran laps around the yard. Occasional figure-eights were run as well. Sticks were chewed. Barks were heard.

I am glad she is reunited with her owners (including a 5 year old boy who told his dad "Daddy, Molly made a new friend!") and it made me realize that I am SO not ready to get a puppy. They require far too much supervision. Max is fine for me. He was interested in the commotion in the backyard but I assured him that he wanted no part of what was going on.

I walked by the house where Molly lives on my way home this morning (it's on my usual route) and Molly apparently lives with a cat. A cat that came off the porch for pettings and even belly rubs.

I guess that makes me the cat whisperer too :)

Pack-Muleage.

You ever have something for so long that you think you`ll have it forever? I used to think my backpack would be around always - it had been through university, to Scotland, carried tons of groceries and laundry...I had it for more than 10 years. Until yesterday when I ripped the bottom out of it stuffing jeans into it before a trip to the laundromat. Greeeaaatt. I am more annoyed than anything as I didn't want to have to get a new bag. But I did! It's bigger than your average backpack so I can do weekend trips with it, as well as schlepping laundry and groceries. It's also red. I am liking red more and more these days. Dunno why. Anyway, there's lots of pockets and it has already done me well. I took a full load of laundry to wash today and it was pretty comfortable to carry. That's a huge bonus as it might make doing laundry more appealing. Well.....it can't hurt.

I guess the timing is good. I have to go to my sister's at the end of the month as my bathroom is getting ripped up. There seems to be black mould under the floor and there's something else leaking. On the upside, I might get a tub out of it!! :) You don't know how wonderful having a bath is until all you have is a shower. I really am not sure of what it will look like when the landlord is done but time will tell.


And now for the obligatory cat picture:


Max loves to look outside. Just wait until I try to put the harness on him :)

He's here....

"Max"

He came with the name Max but I don't know if I like it. He sometimes pretends he knows it's his name but most of the time "Hey!" gets more of a reaction out of him. I suggested "Igor" and he kinda turned his head when I called that. Who knows? It will take a while.

He's from the Humane Society and he's two years old. He's huge! Here's a picture for scale. Remember that he's doing his slender paws here. When his pads are stretched, his paw is the size of a Clementine, easy. He's got his claws as well so we will make sure he gets clipped often.

His hobbies include whining whenever anyone walks in the kitchen, begging for attention when humans are on the toilet, chasing crinkle balls and laser pointers, and attempting to pull down his dangle toys from the wall. He also enjoys grooming which is a really good thing considering his long, luxurious fur.

I said I wanted a cat totally different from Beau and I got it. Thankfully, this one is affectionate as well so he's still my kind of cat.

Over the next month, I will be trying to get some unfinished knitting projects and video games completed so hopefully Max will allow me to do so. Haven't tried to knit around him much so I don't know if he's a yarn/needle chomper like Beau was. I have gamed a bit and he seems ok with that. I think he's just happy to be out of a cage and have a real home. I hope to keep him healthy and happy for a long, long time.