Just had to report that the temperature downtown, as I write this, is 44 C. Yes, 44 C. That's 111.2 F, for those who don't know celsius.
I really don't know what else I could say that would actually add to that.
"Stay cool," perhaps, would be appropriate.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
earworms
Have you ever had an earworm? Okay, that's a silly question because of course you have. Everyone has. You may not have known that's what you had when you had it, but there was no mistaking you had something and it drove you right round the bend.
Earworms are sneaky and contagious. They slither into your ear and stick in your head and then torment you for hours or days. Most times they start off pleasant enough, and we don't mind them being there. But after the first few minutes enough is enough and the more we want them to leave the more stubbornly they cling.
I'm not talking about a parasite here, that physically wriggles into your head (if you've had that experience, best to keep it to yourself). The earworm I mean is a song or tune - or sometimes a phrase or expression - that sticks in your head and haunts you all day and all night, over and over like a skipping record.
Advertisements are specially crafted to be earworms, I've heard. They're simple and catchy and easy to remember - unlike, say, Bach's Sonata No. 5 in F minor, which is beautiful but more difficult to pinpoint in terms of a catchy tune.
Songs from musicals, pop songs (especially from the '50s) and nursery rhymes, with their distinct rhythms and words ("round, round, get around, I get around," etc.) are also obvious worms.
When I was jogging, I used to - much to my great annoyance - get "Three-blind-mice. Three-blind-mice. See-how-they-run. See-how-they-run." and other lame-but-rhythmic nursery rhymes that I haven't thought of in years, playing out in my head to the rhythm of my footsteps.
Other ones, however, have been more random. I remember, my last year of university, I got the phrase "precious little point" stuck in my head for close to a month. I wasn't actually as discouraged as it sounds - it just had this catchy, poetic sound that stuck in my head.
Another one I remember was "Mike said it would be like this," a promotional phrase for the CHBC weatherman about 10 years ago. I'd wake up in the morning: "Mike said it would be like this." Get in the shower: "Mike said it would be like this." Pinch my finger in the door: "Mike said it would be like this." SHUT UP ALREADY MIKE!!!!
Last year, it was "Tetsuro Shigematsu," the name of a radio broadcaster who was (at the time) hosting the show Round-Up on CBC. Tetsuro Shigematsu: say it once to yourself. No, don't, or you'll be saying for weeks, every time you blink your eyes or swallow.
The good news is, I haven't had an earworm (also known as a sticky tune or a cognitive itch) in a while, thank you very much - at least not one that haunts me for days or weeks on end. But you never know what weird, catchy thing could get me started. If only there were a pesticide for this kind of pestilence!
Earworms are sneaky and contagious. They slither into your ear and stick in your head and then torment you for hours or days. Most times they start off pleasant enough, and we don't mind them being there. But after the first few minutes enough is enough and the more we want them to leave the more stubbornly they cling.
I'm not talking about a parasite here, that physically wriggles into your head (if you've had that experience, best to keep it to yourself). The earworm I mean is a song or tune - or sometimes a phrase or expression - that sticks in your head and haunts you all day and all night, over and over like a skipping record.
Advertisements are specially crafted to be earworms, I've heard. They're simple and catchy and easy to remember - unlike, say, Bach's Sonata No. 5 in F minor, which is beautiful but more difficult to pinpoint in terms of a catchy tune.
Songs from musicals, pop songs (especially from the '50s) and nursery rhymes, with their distinct rhythms and words ("round, round, get around, I get around," etc.) are also obvious worms.
When I was jogging, I used to - much to my great annoyance - get "Three-blind-mice. Three-blind-mice. See-how-they-run. See-how-they-run." and other lame-but-rhythmic nursery rhymes that I haven't thought of in years, playing out in my head to the rhythm of my footsteps.
Other ones, however, have been more random. I remember, my last year of university, I got the phrase "precious little point" stuck in my head for close to a month. I wasn't actually as discouraged as it sounds - it just had this catchy, poetic sound that stuck in my head.
Another one I remember was "Mike said it would be like this," a promotional phrase for the CHBC weatherman about 10 years ago. I'd wake up in the morning: "Mike said it would be like this." Get in the shower: "Mike said it would be like this." Pinch my finger in the door: "Mike said it would be like this." SHUT UP ALREADY MIKE!!!!
Last year, it was "Tetsuro Shigematsu," the name of a radio broadcaster who was (at the time) hosting the show Round-Up on CBC. Tetsuro Shigematsu: say it once to yourself. No, don't, or you'll be saying for weeks, every time you blink your eyes or swallow.
The good news is, I haven't had an earworm (also known as a sticky tune or a cognitive itch) in a while, thank you very much - at least not one that haunts me for days or weeks on end. But you never know what weird, catchy thing could get me started. If only there were a pesticide for this kind of pestilence!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
welcome to kelowna, have a nice day
Anyone who has ever made reference, even in passing, to Kelowna (or the greater Okanagan) in my presence will likely be all too familiar with my disdain for my hometown.
However. Even I know that, to be fair, this ignorant and indolent (wanna-be) city has its upsides. So in a sudden and inexplicable burst of goodwill, I have decided to list some of the things I really do, deep, deep down, love about K-Town and would no doubt (don’t expect me to admit this again later) miss if I was gone for good:
+ Eating fresh fruit right off the tree – cherries (today), peaches, apricots, plums, apples – and in no small volume. Ditto other fresh produce not grown on trees – carrots, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. etc. etc.
+ Being only a 15-minute drive from about three different lakes, and scads and scads of beaches.
+ Being no more than 20 minutes drive from pretty much anywhere in town.
+ Being able to ride your bike in the spring/summer/fall because traffic isn’t that horrendous and the hills aren’t too daunting. And in the thick of tourist season, it’s almost faster – if you can bear the heat . . .
+ People on their morning walks say “hi” or “good morning” to each other when they pass on the street.
+ You’ve got all the amenities of a city, but you’re just minutes away from the great out doors, where you can hike, bike or just sit and contemplate stuff and feel like you’re farther than you are from the maddingless crowd.
+ There’s no shortage of independent shops, boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants to spend your dollars. In fact, someone once told me that Kelowna has more restaurants per capita than any other city in Western (or was it all of??) Canada. I could turn that into something negative but I’ll refrain.
+ When it’s dry, it’s dead grass, brown hillside dry - - but when it’s green, it’s gorgeous. With the exception of the little drawback of being a semi desert (take away the lakes and we’d wither into nothing), there are flowers and well-maintained landscapes everywhere. Hanging baskets ornament shops and downtown streets, and most residential yards are colourful.
+ When it rains (like it’s doing now), the drops are big, juicy wet ones that explode deliciously upon impact. Just five or six of them could soak you – and few people object to walking umbrella-less in them.
+ People here, for the most part, lead much more active, relaxed lifestyles than they do in bigger or smaller cities. Probably because of the weather – hot summers and temporate winters, and also because we’re big enough to have lots going on – and tonnes of stuff outside – but still small enough to be casual about stuff.
+ And finally, probably the most obvious attraction (for me) is having my (almost) entire family in town – brother, sister, neice, nephew, mom, grandparents, aunts, cousins – as well as Kyle’s kin, all living within a few blocks (see #3) from me.
There, that wasn’t SO bad. Although it was sometimes a challenge not to counteract with a “yeah, but…” rebuttal to some items. Perhaps if my positive attitude continues, I’ll add more items later – or come up with an entirely new list. Maybe there’s hope for me yet . . . but don’t hold your breath!
However. Even I know that, to be fair, this ignorant and indolent (wanna-be) city has its upsides. So in a sudden and inexplicable burst of goodwill, I have decided to list some of the things I really do, deep, deep down, love about K-Town and would no doubt (don’t expect me to admit this again later) miss if I was gone for good:
+ Eating fresh fruit right off the tree – cherries (today), peaches, apricots, plums, apples – and in no small volume. Ditto other fresh produce not grown on trees – carrots, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. etc. etc.
+ Being only a 15-minute drive from about three different lakes, and scads and scads of beaches.
+ Being no more than 20 minutes drive from pretty much anywhere in town.
+ Being able to ride your bike in the spring/summer/fall because traffic isn’t that horrendous and the hills aren’t too daunting. And in the thick of tourist season, it’s almost faster – if you can bear the heat . . .
+ People on their morning walks say “hi” or “good morning” to each other when they pass on the street.
+ You’ve got all the amenities of a city, but you’re just minutes away from the great out doors, where you can hike, bike or just sit and contemplate stuff and feel like you’re farther than you are from the maddingless crowd.
+ There’s no shortage of independent shops, boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants to spend your dollars. In fact, someone once told me that Kelowna has more restaurants per capita than any other city in Western (or was it all of??) Canada. I could turn that into something negative but I’ll refrain.
+ When it’s dry, it’s dead grass, brown hillside dry - - but when it’s green, it’s gorgeous. With the exception of the little drawback of being a semi desert (take away the lakes and we’d wither into nothing), there are flowers and well-maintained landscapes everywhere. Hanging baskets ornament shops and downtown streets, and most residential yards are colourful.
+ When it rains (like it’s doing now), the drops are big, juicy wet ones that explode deliciously upon impact. Just five or six of them could soak you – and few people object to walking umbrella-less in them.
+ People here, for the most part, lead much more active, relaxed lifestyles than they do in bigger or smaller cities. Probably because of the weather – hot summers and temporate winters, and also because we’re big enough to have lots going on – and tonnes of stuff outside – but still small enough to be casual about stuff.
+ And finally, probably the most obvious attraction (for me) is having my (almost) entire family in town – brother, sister, neice, nephew, mom, grandparents, aunts, cousins – as well as Kyle’s kin, all living within a few blocks (see #3) from me.
There, that wasn’t SO bad. Although it was sometimes a challenge not to counteract with a “yeah, but…” rebuttal to some items. Perhaps if my positive attitude continues, I’ll add more items later – or come up with an entirely new list. Maybe there’s hope for me yet . . . but don’t hold your breath!
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