Kara’s Blog

I'm going to skip my usual rant about the Christmas season and go straight to the part where I talk about all the fun material goods I acquired.

Oodles and oodles of chocolate and candy, firstly, which is never a bad thing. Plus some movies, season 2.0 of Battlestar Galactica, some nail clippers, some desk calendars, and some games for Xbox 360.

What was that? Xbox 360--surely Ben doesn't have an Xbox 360!

I…

So what if it's plastic and doesn't actually unlock things (which would be ever so slightly illegal)? It still makes authentic noises, extends, and lights up. Plus it pulls double duty as a regular pen and a UV pen!

Yes, I'm talking about the sonic screwdriver toy. It may be a simple toy, but it makes me happy. :D The sonic screwdriver is a brilliant little device from Doctor Who, so even a plastic…

I'm finished all my exams. Classes are done. Aside from work and the inevitable demands of Christmas, I am on break until January 7. ^_^ Let the relaxation begin. Or at least, that's what I'd like to do.

I've got tons of stuff I want to work on, however. I have several website-related projects, one of which is particularly dear to me. I've been working on it since about September; I don't know how it…

SNOW

There is no other way to describe it. Since it started four days ago, winter has systematically and ambitiously blotted out any trace of summer from our lovely little town, plunging us into a deep snowy (literally) miasma of cold. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

But there is snow, and lots of it. My dad and I spent about an hour shovelling this morning--and that was just to clear the driveway so…

Every time I try to get Kubuntu working, I become more and more convinced that Kubuntu just doesn't want to be friends with me. It's always a mixed bag. It's not all Kubuntu's fault--it's a very nice Linux distro, functions well--sometimes I'm to blame. Still, the learning curve--and the bumps along the way--are disheartening.

Yesterday I decided to do a clean install of Kubuntu 7.10 ("Gutsy Gibbon"). My hard drive was already partitioned because…

We all do it. A celebrity--actor, athlete, whoever--appears on our television screen and tells us to do something, to support some cause, to buy a product. Because, you know, they use the product or support that cause, so we should too.

When that happens, I just like to remind myself that these are the same types of people whom we vilify for leading immoral, hedonistic lifestyles of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. We condemn…

Canada is an excellent place to live. We have a high standard of living, lots of yummy technology, a diverse mosaic of culture, and many other advantageous qualities that make us a good country in which to birth your offspring. But I don't think Canada is necessarily the best place to live. Naturally this begs the question, where is?

Which makes me think about Iceland. For those of you who do not live in Iceland,…

For a moment today, I was almost able to forget that it was Halloween. Not that I have anything against Halloween. In its present incarnation it's a charming way for kids to dress up, express their imagination, and of course, collect as much Canada as they can. And really, if you can't count on candy in a democratic society, then what is my government doing with all those tax dollars?

Somewhere between this year and…

Often the question arises: what is Canadian? How do Canadians identify themselves as Canadians? How do non-Canadians identify Canadians? What represents Canadian culture?

The answer usually boils down to the commonly held view that we are "not American". And it's true. We Canadians love to distinguish ourselves from their counterparts south of the border. But that can't be all we are--call me crazy, but I suspect there are other countries who also see themselves as…

Although it's only been two days since we moved into the new house, and we had Internet by 1 PM on Friday, I still feel so disconnected. This really puts my online activities into perspective: I spend most of my waking hours online. If I'm at home, I'm basically online. I may be doing something else, either on the computer or something completely different, but I'm still online if people want to talk to me.…