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Wednesday, June 29, 2005
It's a great day to be Canadian! The same-sex marriage law passed in Parliament by a vote of 158-133, and just needs to go through the senate and get royal assent, where it's pretty much guaranteed a rubber stamp. Finally gays and lesbians are becoming full citizens in our great nation!
Not that there isn't much gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes from the homophobic crowd. "We're not homophobic, we just disagree with homosexuality!" When you bring up the spectre of humans marrying dogs, you're a homophobe. When you try to spread fear that this is the beginning of the end, you're a homophobe. I'd like to see another term myself, because there is as much hate as there is fear, if not more. Bigot works, I guess. Most people don't like to think of themselves as bigots, but the anti-homosexual crowd are bigots. Sorry.
It's obvious they don't get it. A quote from Edmonton Catholic Archbishop Thomas Collins in today's Edmonton Sun reads, "Our main concerns are the effects of this bill in making real marriage into simply a variety of marriage, and of undermining the most fundamental social institution there is by the introduction of this new idea that marriage is simply a legitimization of a close relationship."
First off, a gay marriage is a real marriage, but I expect rhetoric like this from the Catholic clergy. I'll be nice and not go into their abhorrent reaction to pedophiles in the priesthood. It's to be expected that they'll try to undermine the reality of gay marriages. Where they really don't get it is seen in the last sentence where he talked of "this new idea that marriage is simply a legitimization of a close relationship." We're not talking good chums here, Collins. We're not talking about a couple of buddies that want freakin' health benefits. We're talking about people in love, partners in life who want to spend their lives as one, just like straight couples.
Don't talk to me about "children", because infertile and elderly couples marry as well. The only reason "children" were brought into the debate at all was as a tactic against homosexuals who can't have children with their spouses. The bigotted crowd twists more than an acrobatic pretzel as they try to excuse heterosexual couples getting married when they can't have children of their own as different than gay couples getting married, because, well, you know, if they could they would. Of course, so would many same-sex couples, but that's a bigger horror to the homophobes than having them marry is (I would also like to point out that lesbians can bear their own children with the help of donors, and gay men can be donors, never mind the children many have while still in the closet).
But why am I arguing? The side of good won this day. Stephen Harper can bluster all he wants about how a Conservative government would rip these hard-earned rights away from tax-paying citizens, but the fact of the matter is that for now the matter is settled, good has triumphed over ill, and it's a very good day to be Canadian.
posted
by Tabby at 6/29/2005 09:32:00 a.m.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
One thing I love is conservative hypocrisy. It's so freakin' blatant! You know the kind of thing I'm talking about, that if a liberal talks about a conservative in the same tone that conservatives talk about liberals, they start whining about where's the liberal tolerance? Crikey, it can be entertaining.
Anyway, I was reading the paper today and read one of the most lovely pieces of conservative hypocrisy I've ever had the fortune to see in print.
On the subject of today's vote on same-sex marriage in Parliament, Stephen Harper, the esteemed leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, said, "Because it's being passed with the support of the Bloc, I think it will lack legitimacy with most Canadians. Truth is, most federalist MPs oppose it."
The "Bloc" he refers to is the Bloc Quebecois, a separatist party out of Quebec that is a pretty large number of votes in Parliament, and are the majority of seats out of that province.
Now this is where the hypocrisy creeps in... Harper had no problems working with the Bloc to try and topple the minority Liberal government. He had no problems getting their help to vote against the government on confidence issues to try and force an election. By his own reasoning, if this had worked, it would have lacked legitimacy with most Canadians, as most federalist MPs voted for the budget and against the non-confidence issue.
So what is it, Stephen Harper, are Bloc Quebecois votes legitimate or not? You can't have it both ways depending on whether or not they are with you or against you. Not that I expect any different. You are a conservative, so hypocrisy is your lifeblood.
posted
by Tabby at 6/28/2005 09:17:00 a.m.
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Thursday, June 23, 2005
I've given up on blackjack. It'll still be a fun game to play every so often, but two losing days in a row have convinced me it's not a good part-time job. Last Sunday I went with my usual $20, and four five dollar bets later it was gone. This is where I lost it, damn it, that was too fast! So I went against my personal rule about not going beyond the limit I set for myself to at least give myself a chance to get it back.
Anyway, between that and the next day, instead of being up $100 like I was, I'm now down $30. So I quit. I might go every so often, but I'll only take $20 and leave my debit card at home.
So on Monday after going home dejected about a second losing day, I came to a decision. If I'm going to be spending my hard-earned cash like that, I might as well have something to show for it. I weighed my options, took into consideration how much I could afford each month... Well, I now have a brand-spankin'-new Canon PowerShot Pro1 digital camera. It's not a digital SLR, but it's about as close as you can get without being one. I'm loving it, and have already shot hundreds of pictures with it, literally. Some of them can be seen on my Tabby Studios website on page 5 of the Photography section, a little attempt at still life. There are a couple on page 4 of the Black & White section as well, look for storm clouds in the sky. Many, many more will be going up now that I don't have to worry about borrowing a camera.
Of course, now I have to find more subjects to take pictures of.
posted
by Tabby at 6/23/2005 09:56:00 p.m.
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Saturday, June 18, 2005
While at West Edmonton Mall yesterday I was very happy to have a camera with me, and it's yet another reminder why having a camera at all times is a good thing. This little guy was being walked through the mall to some location, and it was the cutest thing. He didn't seem to be scared or wandering where he shouldn't. I didn't take any more pictures than this due to not wanting to stress him, so the quality isn't what I'd like but the adorableness still shines through. I will probably never be that close to a penguin again.
posted
by Tabby at 6/18/2005 01:09:00 a.m.
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Friday, June 17, 2005
I tend to talk about my work in the vaguest of terms, but not so my new part-time job... professional blackjack player!
Alright, maybe not professional, but I've managed to go to casinos twice within the past week, once on Monday and again today, and come out ahead by about $50 each time. Not bad, making $100 and enjoying it. I certainly don't expect to keep it up, but hey, quit while you're up money and don't try to strike it rich, and you'll do okay.
Usually when I play blackjack, I can take $20 and play with it for a fair amount of time, anywhere between one and three hours. Once this didn't happen, but that's gambling for you.
The $100 is going to go towards me enjoying myself even more, as there is a workshop I'd like to take that's $120, so it's already mostly covered. Being able to pay for it all with blackjack winnings would be great, but if not, the most it'll cost me now is $20.
What is the workshop? It's got nothing to do with gambling and nothing to do with photography, but it is creative. More on it later once it's done.
posted
by Tabby at 6/17/2005 08:23:00 p.m.
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Thursday, June 16, 2005
For reasons I'd rather not go into I'm estranged from much of my family, and everyone I am estranged from is painful, whether it's my dad, my brother, any aunts, uncles, or cousins. But the one that hurts the most is my baby sister. I moved out of the house when she was 7, and I do remember she loved me. I was the first of the children to grow up and leave, and she was never old enough for me to fight with.
I still feel guilty over the first time I missed one of her birthdays, and when I moved out I was still just 18, and what the hell does anyone know then? One of my favourite memories was having her come visit and we had a day just for the two of us.
The last time I saw her, I didn't even recognize her. She's all grown up now, an adult that I don't even know.
I miss my baby sister.
posted
by Tabby at 6/16/2005 05:01:00 p.m.
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005
As part of my job, I have to call specific people on fairly urgent matters. I will call, identify my company, and ask for the specific people. "Hi, this is Company, is John Smith there?"
The next step should be fairly simple for the people on the other end. The answer should either be, "Speaking," or "I will go get him/He is not in." Easy, huh? You'd think so, as any reasonably sane or intelligent person would respond that way. Maybe even a "May I tell him who's calling?" if they want to give the person my name. Fine! But noooooo. You'd be surpised by how often this doesn't happen.
I can't tell you how often I'll ask for someone, and we'll keep the "John Smith" example, and someone of the same sex replies "Yeah?" or "Yeah." "Hi, it's Company calling, is John Smith there?" Man replies, "Yeah." Pause. "Hi John, I'm calling about blah blah blah." What comes next? "Oh, hold on, I'll go get him."
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!?!?!
"Hi, it's Company calling. Is John Smith there?" Woman replies, "Oh, are you calling about so-and-so?" Or something similiar. She will then go on talking. Not a reasonable "Can I tell him what you're calling about" but they are taking the call and not putting on who I am asking for. Asses, all of them. Stupid freakin' asses.
WHO THE FUCK DOES THIS?!?!
I need to speak to the person I'm calling for in particular. That's why I ask for them by name. Who the hell doesn't just go get the person? I know if I'm answering the phone and they ask for someone else in the house, I will go and get that person! I won't start up a conversation and I certainly won't pretend to be that person! Holy crap, I really don't get this.
If this didn't happen so freakin' often, I wouldn't be venting about this, but it happens EVERY... FUCKING... DAY! That's a hell of a lot of people who are lacking the most basic skills of proper social interaction, and I'm the one who's living alone? Spouses are the worst for this, but it's certainly not just restricted to them.
When you answer the phone and it's not for you, your only job is to go get that person or take a message. Nothing else.
Damn, it pisses me off.
posted
by Tabby at 6/15/2005 06:44:00 p.m.
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Sunday, June 12, 2005
Conservative hypocrisy. It's become an oxymoron, hasn't it? As more and more evidence comes for that the Bush regime lied through its teeth over and over again about Iraq, conservatives still love the guys. "It's George W. Freakin' Bush, dude! He RAWKS!" In right-wing eyes, he can do no wrong, and neither can his staff of ne'er-do-wells.
But one wrong story (whether it was a lie or if they were deceived) about Bush's military record and CBS and Dan Rather are still reviled to this day by the poor, victimised right. Newsweek publishes a story about the Qu'ran and toilets that wasn't quite correct (nothing was apparently flushed, but there was disrespect going on) and they get the full venom of the rancorous right.
But Saddam Hussein having drones filled with chemical weapons ready to attack America isn't true? Oh well, he had to be taken down anyway! All's fair in oil and war!
I could bear a little hypocrisy if conservatives weren't so freakin' loud and self-righteous about it. A little less Free Republic would be good for everyone.
posted
by Tabby at 6/12/2005 11:12:00 a.m.
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Saturday, June 11, 2005
I've been spending a lot of time lately fantasizing over cameras. That can't be good, can it? Dang, there are some nice ones out there. They're just a little too rich for my blood though. The one I've been using is decent enough, but it's limited with what it can do and what I'd like to do with it, and besides, it's not even mine.
It has done a good job so far of giving me material for the new site. There are some things unfortunately that a new camera can't give me, like the ability to travel to new places to photograph, or people to take pictures of so I can start adding that to the site. I've been finding myself more and more looking at people when I do get around and seeing all sorts of faces I'd like to focus a camera on.
***
Looking at this blog, I see I really need to redo the way the archives are listed. There are over three years worth of posts, and that's really stretching the page down when I write short posts, and it's only going to get longer. Weekly just isn't cutting it anymore.
posted
by Tabby at 6/11/2005 05:52:00 p.m.
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Monday, June 06, 2005
I went to see the stars of Whose Line is it Anyway? again tonight. They were here last year and I got to see them then as well. It was money well spent, because damn, they are funny. So much so that I was getting headaches and dehydrated from laughing so much.
The performers were the more famous ones, like Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops, and Brad Sherwood, as well as Chip Estin and Jeff Davis who weren't on Whose Line as much as the others, bad damn, it was our loss not being able to see them on television more.
posted
by Tabby at 6/06/2005 11:39:00 p.m.
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Sunday, June 05, 2005
You have to admire conservatives, they sure know how to work The Big Lie. The Big Lie is a theory that if you repeat a lie long enough and loud enough, people will believe it. The concept of the "liberal" media is an example of this. Another is the idea that Christianity is somehow under attack in North America, and this is even more ludicrous in the United States.
I'm not sure if this strictly falls under the head of Big Lie, but I just finished reading yet another conservative whining about "the lack of tolerance in the name of tolerance" (Michael Coren (Google him if you'd like) loves to write that sort of line, and in fact inspired this post). See how hypocritical liberals are? They are so intolerant in the name of tolerance! All we want to do is denounce homosexuality and deny homosexuals equal rights! Of course it's in the name of our religions, so how dare the left be intolerant?
Um. D'uh.
We're not tolerant of people who wish to deny black equal rights as well. How intolerant of us in the name of tolerance! Damn, we're hypocrites! So you think homosexuals are deviant perverts who are out to destroy your family? Of course we're not going to tolerate such ridiculous nonsense. Or to be blunt about it, such crap. That's another example of The Big Lie. Homosexuals are not going to destroy the traditional family. Same-sex marriage isn't going to destroy the traditional family. This doesn't stop us from hearing how this will all destroy the traditional family, yet we never hear any specifics. What actual effect do two men or two women making love have on you other than offend your sensibilities?
On the other hand, I can easily show how harmful anti-gay rhetoric is on actual lives. I can point to the well above average suicide rates of gay teens who can't cope with not being able to choose to be straight. I can point at all the closeted people who get married to the opposite sex but aren't able to keep up the pretense. Talk about destroying marriages. That's not even mentioning the gay men who have brought little suprises home for the unsuspecting wives. How many women got AIDS this way back in the Eighties? I know conservatives, the religious right especially, are all about punishing any sex outside of married man/woman intercourse, and even that some times, but now we're talking about innocent lives lost.
So boo hoo, we don't tolerate your intolerance. Tough patooties.
posted
by Tabby at 6/05/2005 10:25:00 a.m.
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Saturday, June 04, 2005
You are cordially invited to visit my new website, Tabby Studios. There is still a lot of content waiting to be added, but the basic pages are finally all up and running.
There are photographs, wallpapers for your desktop, some of my other stuff like 3D rendered pictures, and a little poetry just because (though one of the poems can be found in the archives here).
posted
by Tabby at 6/04/2005 04:40:00 p.m.
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Thursday, June 02, 2005
I hate evening shifts so friggin' much. You have no idea.
***
I'm almost finished my new website. This blog will keep on going, but I needed somewhere to show my photography and a few other things, and Tabby Gallery has been dead for quite a long time. Besides, I wanted to start afresh with not so many Photoshopped pictures (though there will be a few of those on display). I want to concentrate mostly on my photography. There is a section for colour photos, a section for black and white, one for pictures of Edmonton that are nice enough to show my city, but not quite right for the artsy sections. There is one area for the digitally manipulated, 3D renderings, and other such different expressions of creativity. There is even a section for poetry, but that's far from a focus.
It's great, because I get the webspace through my Internet provider, so it's completely ad-free and I get to really create a design I can be happy with, and what makes me happy has changed so much since Tabby Gallery first went online. The design on this one is so much crisper.
So be ready for Tabby Studios. It should be ready for its grand opening in just a few short days.
posted
by Tabby at 6/02/2005 09:52:00 p.m.
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The
critics are calling
I
Was an Atomic Robot Jungle Vixen...
"Very
cool!" "Awesome!" "Good times!"
"Inspires
me..." A Critic - I
respect
"Cool.
And miles more exciting..." Someone Else -
You
might not know
"I
totally love it!" Whoo hoo! -
Posted
somewhere
"All
I have to say is... Cool!" Another Critic
"I
like the look..." An Opinion - YACCS
Comments
"You
think I have time to give you a quote? You're out of your
mind!" Wil Wheaton -WWfreakin'DN!
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