Betsy

So, we have a mouse. It is just one thing after another in this place! We have named her Betsy. I refuse to put down those sticky traps. That is the most inhumane way to die dammit! Apparently she is now locked in the linen closet. I want to save her but I want her gone! Oh the Dilemma. I am satying at the 'rents tonight. I just cannot deal with this. I'd be really bad on survivor.

Is "same sex marriage" an oxymoron?

I'm so confused. This may sound bad but I kind of wish the LGBTTIQQ community would get passed this idea that equal marriage will promote equity.

I mean why do people get married? Is marriage not a institution that was developed in order to pervade the notion that the nuclear family is the ideal form. A means by which heterosexual couples can fuel the patriarchal and capitalist system?

Perhaps the queer community should really think about whether or not it wants to be considered the same and whether or not it wants to accept this system and fit into it. Do we want to live in it or challenge it? Do we want to be able to marry the way a man and a woman can, or do we want to challenge this institution altogether?

I know this may sound like bullshit to some people (including me at times lol) but really...Since when is being different a bad thing? Equality and equity are not the same thing. Do we not want to be appreciated for our differences or do we want to assimilate? This whole we want to be just like you thing kind of annoys me at times.

I know two married people have more rights (financially) and it is important to make sure your loved one is taken care of, but maybe this notion should be challenged too...Why does a piece of paper automatically give two peoples' love more weight in the eyes of the government? I know its complicated. I do not even know what I am saying now *Sigh.*

I just do not think I buy into the whole argument that people marry simply to declare their love in front of friends and family. Please. It is expensive and it is a stressful process. People do it because they think they will be judged if they do not. It is a party that everyone is supposed to have...supposed to want. I think I am going to be sick :P Maybe I have issues...

Let's face it thought, there are many people that get married that are not in love and many people who have great relationships that never get married. We are not inferior because we choose not to be married or because someone says we can't.

I think the main reasons people get married are 1) It's what they expected to do (tradition), 2) Money, and 3) Security (Possessive anyone?). Love? Not sure yet...

K I'm done...Who wants to be my wife?

Must post something...I am watching this now.

Who picks these guests?

I've got it. A lot of the women who watch the Ellen show are stay-at-home republican soccer moms...that is why he was even allowed to sit in that chair. I know I need to get passed this. Here is the transcrpit from the bullshit interview.

McCain Tells Ellen DeGeneres: You Shouldn’t Have The Right To Get Married»

Pissed off today...

So David Cook won American Idol. I was pretty shocked I have got to say. I really like him but based on the performances the night before, I thought Archuleta had it wrapped up. I guess we'll see what happens for these two next!

In other news, John McCain was on Ellen today. Why the fuck does he have any right being on that show? Perhaps I am biased as I turned it off before watching the interview (because i was so mad). I will bring myself to watch it later and comment. I really hope my girl decides to slap him. Ooh, she could totally beat him in an arm wrestle. When I saw it though, I turned off the television in protest, and like John and Yoko, got back in to bed and feel asleep singing Imagine (the David Archuleta version of course).

I am sure she does not pick the guests but she's gotta have some sway. I think I'm boycotting for a while for this reason and because she had to congratulate Jenna Bush on her marriage. WTF! Hopefully I am just missing the joke.

I really miss Rosie O Donnell. WE NEED HER BACK ON MAINSTREAM TELEVISION to tell it like it is :P

And what the fuck is with this weather Toronto? Do something!

Reminding myself to read her Bio.

Not the right intervention

Britney Spears and her father are on a trip this week with Mel Gibson and his wife. LOL

I thought I told her to stay away from him!

Finally.

Ontario health plan to cover sex-change surgery
Updated Thu. May. 15 2008 2:44 PM ET

The Canadian Press

TORONTO -- Ontario's Liberal government confirms it will resume coverage of sex-change surgery under the province's health insurance plan.
Health Minister George Smitherman says the details have not been finalized, but Ontario will soon start paying for sexual reassignment surgery. He says about eight to 10 people each year would qualify for the operation.
Ontario's previous Conservative government cancelled coverage of sex-change operations 10 years ago, leaving some people stranded midway through the process.
Smitherman says people wanting the procedures must first go through "very, very sustained psychological evaluations" and must get approval from the Centres for Addiction and Mental Health.
NDP Leader Howard Hampton says this was a long-standing Liberal promise that the government is finally honouring.

Portia and Ellen are getting Married.

Well, marriage is legal again in California. I wonder how long it will last this time. Oh, America. On a brighter note Ellen and Portia have decided to take advantage of the new/old legislation. Congrats!!! Hmmm. Who do I wish I was more? It's hard to say! On her show Ellen said,"Thank you. I'll tell you who the lucky guy is soon." So wity. ;)

California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban

In a 4-3 decision, the justices rule that people have a fundamental 'right to marry' the person of their choice and that gender restrictions violate the state Constitution's equal protection guarantee
By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 16, 2008
» Discuss Article (1931 Comments) SAN FRANCISCO -- -- The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would invalidate virtually any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation.The 4-3 ruling declared that the state Constitution protects a fundamental "right to marry" that extends equally to same-sex couples. It tossed a highly emotional issue into the election year while opening the way for tens of thousands of gay people to wed in California, starting as early as mid-June.

All In A Day's Work...For Martin.

Why does Martin always get to field the interesting posts? For the record this is referred to as Camel Toe!

The Battle for St. Jamestown.

Some say it is a pretty shady neighborhood. Nah, I mean, I do hear the occasional cries for help during the middle of the night, but those drunken domestic disputes can happen anywhere. They take place inside my folks house all the time, so hearing them from a far is actually a step up. :P

The screaming and the crack dealing really pails in comparison to the biggest battle taking place in St. Jamestown. The battle between the pigeons and the segeal who parks herself on a rock outside my window and heckles. She must think that this is Ontario Place or the Toronto Zoo. This is actually understandable as the zoo is in Scarborough (Malvern I believe). I guess she is just getting her 'high risk' neighborhoods mixed up. It is a shame for me though. Something must be done. They're mocking me!

Above is a snapshot of our living room. There is going to be a black cover over the couch but we thought it looked nice like this for now. What do you think?

What?

This is a hot picture, no?

Apparently, her girlfriend and her are gonna get married. I love how these naive Americans think same sex marriage is just around the corner in their country. HAHA. Plus, she said this which pisses me off: "I had been with men all my life and I had never met a woman I had fallen in love with before. But when I did, it didn't seem so strange. I don't define myself. I'm just a woman in love with another woman."

Wtf does this mean really? Why can't she just say yes, I'm a big old dyke. It's like "I'm straight, I just happen to be in love with a woman." GAY GAY GAY. IDENTIFY PEOPLE.

I am Lion...P.S. Martin where were you today? :(

"I am a child of fire, I am a lion I have desires. And I was born inside the sun this morning." - From Hanging Tree (Counting Crows) (2008).

P.S.

It's just a rumour. Actually, I also hear they are breaking up. I know who cares...

So, that's how it's done!

Apparently Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson are engaged now. I was going to say something very inappropriate but Mel reminded me I have a responsibility to the children of Canada.

Apparently I would not want my collegues to read it and think this chick as lost her mind...as if they do not know already.

I want this...NOW

Posted by Simon Cohen at 3:59 PM E-mail this post
Playing songs, watching videos, flipping through photos. The iPod does it all and does it well. But recording onto Apple's little wonder is not so easy. It doesn't even have a microphone. Fear not, ye budding musician: Belkin is coming to the rescue with its TuneStudio. So how does it fare?
I confess, I get excited by new gadgets - even if I have no idea what they do or how to operate them. So it was with some sadness that I reluctantly handed our demo unit of Belkin's brand new TuneStudio over to one of my colleagues.
Why you ask? Well, I'm not musically inclined. Actually that's an understatement. I'm tone-deaf, I have no sense of rhythm and my 3 year-old puts me to shame on that little xylophone she has.
Clearly I have no business reviewing (or even touching) a device designed to allow musicians to easily record their tracks onto an iPod in multi-channel uncompressed audio files. So that said, here's my office-mate Tim Ashby's take on Belkin's TuneStudio...
As a guitarist and a songwriter I found myself with a dilemma. I'd invested in a pretty good home studio setup centered around a Mac desktop, some nifty recording and editing software, several pro microphones, a digital input box which converts those pro mics into good old USB to send to the computer and a snaking mess of cabling leaving me little room to put my feet.
This setup produces amazing results, but it isn't portable. If I wanted to record in a rehearsal space, at a friend’s house or even in the comfort of my own living room, I can't, not without purchasing a $1500 laptop at the very least.
Belkin's TuneStudio offered me a great solution for mobile recording and quick takes, as well as potential integration with my home studio. The TuneStudio is a 4-track mixer that records directly onto something which most of us have lying around the house: an iPod (5G, classic, 2G/3G nano). The TuneStudio will take up to four inputs at once and record onto high quality 16-bit stereo using the iPod's voice memo feature. (As I found out, it is important to make sure your iPod’s voice memo feature is set to ‘high’ quality). Your recordings are retrieved through iTunes when you sync with your computer.
The TuneStudio has an impressive array of inputs and outputs. On the input side there are 1/4" jacks for basic podcast quality microphones and the direct input of electric guitars and basses, RCA inputs for line-in from a mixing board at a live show, a DJ's turntable or an electric keyboard and XLR jacks with phantom power for balanced and unbalanced high-end microphones. On the output side one can independently control the mix heading to an iPod, monitor headphones and monitor speakers, as well as via USB directly to a computer.
Each of the four input channels has gain, three-channel EQ, pan and level controls, including peak indicator lights. The professional looking unit also has left and right recording LEDs which bounced colourfully up and down as I strummed my guitar. If all these features sound a little fancy, it’s because the TuneStudio packs in a ton of useful features into its compact body.
However, taking into account the light-weight and portability of the TuneStudio it would have been nice to see a built-in microphone, as found on many portable 4-tracks, for truly instant song sketches when cables and microphone stands are not handy. Also, from a practical level it would have been sensible to include at least two headphone sockets for when two musicians are playing, and recording, together. However, a simple headphone splitter will achieve this.
As Belkin acknowledge in their promotional literature, the iPod configuration of the TuneStudio is ideal for quick takes where no computer is available. The price for this convenience is that there is no opportunity for overdubs or track separation as might be found on slightly higher-end digital 4-tracks. The user must set all the levels and pans and EQ correctly before pressing ‘record’ and searing the mix onto the iPod.
For many users the TuneStudio will come into its own when they bypass the iPod and send the audio output via USB directly to their PC or Mac and record using software such as GarageBand, Audacity, ProTools, Cubase or the bundled version of Music Creator from Cakewalk. At this point, the TuneStudio has the full versatility of a 4-track with many features and inputs not generally available within its price range.
Whether recording onto an iPod, or via USB directly onto a computer, the TuneStudio produces rich, warm recordings. The built-in EQ really helped me bring out the tone of my guitar before the sound was digitized onto the iPod. This is preferential to tweaking a flat sound using software EQ in post-production. However, I did notice some hiss through both the monitor headphones and on the final recordings I made with the TuneStudio. Tweaking the input levels, EQ and compression (as I mentioned, for the price this unit has a lot of high-end features) I was able to remove some of the hiss - but I was never able to eliminate it completely. However, at its price point I doubt many would expect better sound quality than the TuneStudio delivers.
Considering its bells and whistles, I think the TuneStudio will appeal more to musicians than podcasters. Therefore, it is interesting to see Belkin, a brand best known for iPod accessories trying to slide into a market dominated by brands such as Fostex and Tascam, with a rich heritage in audio recording. [editor's note: Belkin is releasing a forth-coming podcasting-specific solution called the Podcast Studio, which is very similar to TuneStudio, but not intended for multi-channel recording]
For those who wish to get into home recording the TuneStudio offers an affordable entry-point. And, for those like myself, who have already invested in recording equipment it offers a great tool to use in conjunction with my existing microphones and equipment when I need to record away from my home studio. Now, if only Belkin offered a battery powered version to take out in the garden.

A few weeks of hot yoga and surely I will look like this...

My apology (great now I have that one republic song in my head)

For Melanie (My heterosexual partner in crime). I am sorry. :)

So long (and I am sure it is).

Paul Maurice was a lot easier on the eyes then some of those others dudes who coached the team in the past.

.........

How many social workers does it take to change a lightbulb?