I went up to Stouffville this weekend to help Angela with the tree farm. Busy weekend, moved some 300+ trees -- dragging them around, pulling them through the wrapper, tossing them in piles, shaking off dead needles. If you want to work on your forearms, get a job at a tree farm. Got up Saturday and Sunday around nine, ate breakfast and tea, and worked straight from ten to dusk. No breaks, directing traffic with one hand and eating a kaiser sandwich with the other for lunch. Once all was done and I retired inside, I just lay down in an exhausted daze, unwilling to think or do much else, mentally and physically numb.

Work for me consisted of directing cars into the limited parking spaces and working the wrapper. It's a simple contraption and works well, being made up of only a handful of parts, but once in a while there's a tree that requires a bit of elbow work. Then a one man procedure turns into a three man operation -- one to operate the drill, one to stuff the tree into the baler, and one to hop up and down on the tow line like an animated ape. It's quite the spectacle, but satisfying for us once that sucker slides on through, making a lumpy evergreen sausage.

While I dressed warmly, I managed to pick up a head-cold -- right now it feels like there are shards of glass in my skull, and every now and then one of them slices into my brain. And my boots, large, heavy, steel-toed affairs, are apparently not as waterproof as I had thought and were soaked through the second day, making the chill air even more unpleasant to endure. Even worse, I picked up a cold-sore! Oh woe of woes, especially in this time of numerous social events. I am truly upset by this.. I haven't had a cold sore in years and years. So embarassed to take the streetcar. Ugh, it's just too upsetting to contemplate.

The business is so simple, but I still can't tell the difference between the trees... spruce.. balsom.. frasier fir. The funny thing is, most of the customers can't tell either. They'll say, "I want a frasier fir," you point them in the right direction and quite often they'll come back with a balsom and say, "How much for this frasier fir?" And if you tell them they're wrong, they get upset, as if they were somehow tricked! If it were me, I would just pick out one that I thought was pretty -- I don't care about the name. You're never going to find the "perfect" tree... it just depends on how much time you're willing to spend looking. Every tree will have its imperfections, if you scrutinize enough.

It's amusing to draw a comparison between getting a tree and hunting a beast. You have your male, stalking the lot, searching for the right target. Then he cuts it down, drags it back from the forest and straps the poor thing to the top of his car. Now he can drive out of 2005 knowing that he is still a man, and a victor over nature.

At other times, I'm amazed that such an industry exists, that people pay to get a tree that lasts them a few weeks. Christmas, when you think about it long enough, is weird.

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This dry air is killing my skin. Who needs snow when I'm dusting flakes everytime I rub my face, brush aside my hair. And in my morning haze I decided to wear all black today. Loveleeee!

It doesn't help that the right side of my mouth feels HUMONGOUS thanks to this cold sore. Look away, I'm hideous....

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So much for the frequent updates. I have been spending a lot of time WoWing, so that's that. And I've started up kung fu again this week, after an absence of two weeks, good stuff. Conditioning last night, which only served to highlight that my body is not very well conditioned. I was also reminded of my lack of flexibility in my left leg, indicated by my ineffectual kicks. I always feel so much better after a workout. Am I repeating myself? I think I really do feel it when I miss a session -- I get kind of cranky.

I've been thinking -- this online journal of mine (ok, "blog") will probably be the closest thing to what is really me when I'm gone. Not only a record, but a thin slice of who .. no whatever, I'm boring myself with this. I mean, I had the thought but it just sounds so inane when I write it out. Yay.

So my sister has another DJ thing tomorrow night at Sneaky Dee's. She's invited me out as a kind of birthday celebration. I just might go! And I can get people on the guestlist, if they want. But I might not be up to it -- I got yet another cold sore, but I think I know why I get them. The reason is too embarassing to mention though, so I won't.

Oh hey I posted some more picture on my flicker account, but nothing interesting. As you can see, I love being able to add notes to images. It makes it a thousand times more useful and fun. Hmmm.. I'm not 100% happy with the results I'm getting from my new digicam. With a lot of light available, the pictures are fantastic -- as good as I've seen from any digital camera. But in low light I think my trusty ole Nikon Coolpix outperforms it. I dunno, I need to read the manual and figure out how to do low-light shots.

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Yes, warm intemperate weather is all the rage these days. Today it got up to 8 degrees, and we're looking at a possible _13_ on Saturday! That's pretty warm! I even rode my bike today. Actually, that's good because I can avoid people eyeing up my delightful coldsore. It started just before New Years, doncha know. Speaking of which, I made the mistake of shopping at the LCBO on December 31st, something I will avoid as I do not enjoy standing in line for booze. People do seem friendlier on New Years, I'll give them that.

So boingboing posted a link to the Toronto Serial Diners club, which I'm very much thinking of joining. Essentially they meet once a week to visit a new restaurant out of the Yellow Pages. In alphabetical order. They're currently in the Is. Sounds fun, though I do hate meeting new people alone. Maybe next week, after this coldsore's nice and gone and I'll hopefully have gotten a haircut by then.

So I am slowly getting work done on my little website project. Figured out how to steam images, built a nice random age range routine, am slowly learning sessions. Still have to figure out how I'm going to handle users who want to upload big or lots of pictures. Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and install a bigger harddrive on the server, which I think is currently 80 gigs. Maybe it's too early to worry about things like that.

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I spent some time last night fixing the SQL used to generate the "Popular Topics" area in the sidebar. Turns out there are a lot of new bots out there and my code didn't recognize them. I also had to get familiar with REGEXP for MySQL. The only interesting tidbit is that "colitis" is by far the #1 most popular search on hwan.com. I do hope that my colitis/IBS handling tips come to be of use to someone.

We've been pretty busy at work, which I don't mind but for some odd reason I've been having trouble sleeping this week. I stayed up super late Monday night, ended up climbing out of bed and reading for a couple hours. This lack of sleep unfortunately resulted in my cold sore returning, and it's getting nice and juicy now.

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Yeah it figures -- there was an extended power-outage in my area some time after I left for Orlando, so hwan.com was down most of this week. I just got back a couple hours ago. It was a very busy time, manning the booth with both feet dying and then going to parties and drinking up the night. My enjoyment of the five or so days was dampened by a coldsore that decided to start the night I left (likely because I stayed up to catch a 6:20 AM flight), but for the most part I was too occupied to care.

Lemme first catch up on e-mail and uploads and spice-intake, then I'll get around to writing about my time in Florida.

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I hate coldsores, I really do. I am also so amazingly frustrated that they should appear not only on my lip, but also my chin. How messed up is that? Bloody hell! I am vain it is true and having this awful pox does much to deter my going outdoors. Look away, I'm hideous!

In less hideous but equally annoying news, my Bodum French press broke! Or rather, I found that the glass part had a huge crack in it when I removed it from the drying rack. My guess is either that using a metal spoon to stir caused this or that the metal press part was too tight/had a stray wire scratching the inside. Either way, I am less than impressed. Apparently there are plastic-coated versions of the same press which, if I come across them, will snag one. For now, I have downgraded back to instant when making coffee at home. What a world, what a world!

Tired of being tied to my meagre supply of TTC tickets, I went and bought myself a TTC pass for February. Finally I am free to roam, to explore, to shop unfettered by concerns of travel costs. My first purchases with this newfound freedom? A beef burrito (from New York Sub) and a mango puree. There is no limit to my power!

Well, once this coldsore thing is done and left with, that is.

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It would be nice if Microsoft Outlook supported icons or some other visual indicator so that one would know if one hit "Reply" or "Reply All". You know, like avatars for recipients of the current mail message. Gmail seems to be but one step away from this, though it doesn't seem likely that they'll implement it, in keeping with their practical "text-only" aesthetic.

I was just about to say "Not much going on" but in reality a whole bucket-load of crap-like material has hit the proverbial wind-making device. Can't go into it on-line, but suffice to say it sucks for me. Sucks in a pretty, pretty, pretty, soul-stealing way.

Speaking of things that suck, coldsores! Again! For feck's sake man. Truly, nothing is more fun than walking around sporting a fresh, reddened cold sore. And by "fun", I do mean "making one feel so very socially low, a veritable pariah". I am trying apple cider vinegar this time around, which I can attest is milder than hydrogen peroxide but smells like the most freakishly disgusting brew one can imagine. Yeah, staying in sounds good to me.

Continuing of the suck-theme, Raptors and Calgary Flames. Last night's Raptor's game pushed me back over the edge, into the realm wherein I care not how they do, such a capricious and arbitrary beast is their game.

Finished season 3 of The Office. Woo! Man that show really satisfies. I don't understand how there can be a 4th season however, as it really seemed like all the ends were wrapped up in the "hour-long" season finale. I say "hour-long" because it's really only about 40 minutes, meaning that commercials made up 1/3 of the show. Disgusting.

FInally, let me say that Kudos is Greek for "magical glory".

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Blast this weather! How is it that it always manages to ruin my complexion, and thus my mood, and hence my mind? Cannot think, cannot feel. Aching, itching. Mornings are still a struggle, unrested, unready.

This morning was more tedious than usual as there was some kind of streetcar stoppage at the corner of Queen and Roncesvalles. Eventually a bus came by to pick us up, but it unfortunately struck (or nearly struck) an old woman crossing the street at Dufferin and King. Yes it was nutty, but I think she was more shaken up than physically injured if indeed there was contact as I didn't witness it directly.

Not really watching much these days. I did see an old French film on the weekend, The Wages of Fear (1953) a black and white thriller. It takes a while to get going but once it does WHOO it's a wild ride. I saw the Criteriion Collection version and wasn't happy with the translation used -- there were times when even I, with my faltering French, could tell that details were being left out, that nuances were missed. I guess however that it's not the dialogue that makes The Wages of Fear the memorable experience it is.

Did you hear about that taxi cab that hit a cyclist, amputating his leg? Cabbie charged with assaulting cyclist who had leg amputated [cbc.ca]. The story makes one squeamish to be sure. I've driven past the mentioned intersection often, as recently as yesterday. Toronto definitely needs a better bicycle infrastructure but I certainly hope that this incident is not indicative of driver attitudes towards cyclists! I'm not sure if I mentioned here before but I really believe that we need designated lanes for cyclists if cars and bikes are to share the roads. Dancing that thin line between the curb and moving traffic is fun and all but it's just not worth it.

Christmas! Seriously, what is up with that. Will nothing stop the flow of time?

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Work.. it consumes us, surrounds- no, that's not how I meant to start. I have been pouring myself into work, a mould I am familiar with: staying late, stressing about deadlines, focused in my coding and procrastination. So many lines have passed through my mind and fingers, but to what end they will achieve is yet to be seen. I am not (yet) proud. I am a little worn.

Movies! Lessee...

1. Where The Wild Things Are (2009). I liked it. Not for kids, I'd say, though sure they'll enjoy parts. The look of the film is wonderful; I couldn't imagine it done better.
2. Paranormal Activity (2009). Awesome. Enjoyable. Made me laugh at how good it was. Even now I smile thinking of how masterfully they've managed to tap into fear, to draw it out and run with it. Dude, just go see it.
3. Some Like It Hot (1959). Pretty funny! Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon. I did find that I get uncomfortable watching beautiful women climbing over each other. How very odd.
4. Bullitt (1968). An incredible, jaw-dropping car chase surrounded by a flimsy plot. The car chase could be the best I've seen of all time.
5. Adventureland (2009). Entertaining, with plenty of familiar, talented faces. I do find Jesse Eisenberg to be a little too similar to Michael Cera in, well, just about every way except hair. Martin Starr is filling out the "dishevelled-sarcastic-nerd" role quite nicely.
6. The Queen (2006). A film I'd been meaning to see for a while and finally getting around to. I avoided the hoopla that went on when Princess Di was killed so I learned quite a bit from this film, on top of the insights into the private life of British royalty. I may fail to make it sound interesting but I was surprised to find myself quite liking it.
7. Zombieland (2009). Fun. Some gore. Again with the Michael Cera/Jesse Eisenberg thing. Woody Harrelson seems to have been created for his role.
8. The Graduate (1967). I liked the film, but I'm not sure I understand its impact on American film. Perhaps a second viewing is called for. I did find Ebert's two very different reviews (1, 2) to be quite insightful into what I might be missing. It is pleasant to hear so much Simon and Garfunkel.

What else.. oh, some dude broke into my neighbour's car. I'd always thought of our back alley to be quite safe from such acts. I surely hope this is not a sign, that it's merely a blip to be soon forgotten.

And... I've been feeling low, but that's nothing new, ha. Oh that's right; I had a coldsore and those damnable things always bring me down. Such an ego you have, Mr. Wolf. OH YEAH and I went to the AGO. On a Saturday, no less. But I went in the morning, before the crowds had time to accumulate and choke up the floors and doorways. I quite enjoyed it, the new architecture quite fine to behold, quite fine.

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2010/08/03 Hwan I won't say that all is well (for I don't believe it to be so), but I am better. Thanks to all for asking!
2010/07/20 QYV Expected range for Creatinine for guys is 60 - 110 umol/L
2010/07/20 llamariffic Hmm, macrocytosis here as well, but to be honest I've had it since before I truly embarked on drinking as a proper hobby. Similarly, stopped drinking entirely, and it didn't go away. Just one of those things, I think.
2010/07/19 girl ack!! It's weird to think that I am now a parental unit. It was nice to see you hwan!
2010/05/21 Hwan I recall trying earplugs well back in my undergrad years, to mixed results. My sleep was troubled by feelings of claustrophobia. I also have a, perhaps unfounded, fear of not hearing the essential alarm in the mornings. However, I may give these another go, thanks.
2010/05/21 llamatron Have you tried sleeping with earplugs? My flat faces out onto a main road, so I've started using the standard foam plugs. It took a few nights to get used to them, but they make a big difference.
2010/05/21 girl The original swedish title: "Men who hate women". I'm not sure if it's the fault of the translation, but I never liked the reporter dude.
2001/03/07 Hwan Damn.. it seems Unweb has since died. http://www.gamegrene.com/node/183
2001/03/07 TY SHARDEL YOU CAN TRADE WITH THE UNIVERSE AND ENABLE SOCIAL NEEDS, OR PERHAPS POST WISH LISTS, HUG THE GLOBE LIKE A BIG OCTOPUS... TY
2010/03/24 Hwan I am amused by the John Irving comparison. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Irving#Recurring_themes