Update on Norma Rae

So the Conciliator came up with an agreement that the Union is recommending. It basically sounds like UN Resolution 242--worded vaguely on purpose.

"All assigned duties of the Teaching Assistant are part of the Teaching
Assistant’s work, including any revision of objectives as provided for in
11.02.03 and nothing in this Workload Form detracts from the Course
Supervisor’s pedagogical autonomy in the exercise of her academic duties."

Thanks for clearing that up!

Porkins: Hero of the Red Squadron

Perhaps I should make a note of something. I did not compare myself to Jek Porkins in a previous post as a way of insulting myself. Porkins was a great hero who died trying to destroy the first Death Star. (How strange that his last name was such a self-fulfilling prophecy, though.)

My friends Gilby and Alfonse have a group of guy friends who for years did a holiday gift exchange. The rule was to bring one gift, and people chose them randomly (including girlfriends/wives) but if you went after someone else, you could steal their gift and give them your lousy one.

Alfonse, who clearly has excellent taste, one year brought the Porkins action figure. I was terribly jealous! I forget who won him, but not someone very excited by him, because they regifted poor Porkins the next year! And then someone's wife got him, who also had no interest in him. When I heard of this, I was shocked. I begged Gilby to reclaim Porkins for me, should he be regifted again. He was of course, and Gilby snatched him up for me.

When we went to see the final Star Wars movie as part of Gilby's Bachelor Party Day I stuck Porkins into my jacket breast pocket (I think I also had a sign that said "Porkins: Regifted No More") and wore him to the movie theatre where all G's friends could see him and feel shame.

Hard-won Porkins is the pride of my Star Wars collection.

If it's Sunday it Must Be Vancouver

Sleepy day in Chilly Vancouver. Watched tv with the Madre, did some microwave cooking. Now I'm tootling around on the internets, reading randomness.

So here's one of my randomnesses. I like Robert Downey Jr. But I can never remember what I've seen him in, that has led me to like him so much. He did some silly romantic comedies that weren't very good--couldn't be for those. So I had to google him.


The first big film I loved him in was Chaplin. Great acting, and looked the part. (Ever seen Chaplin without his Tramp makeup? Very cute.)


He had a funny part in Wonder Boys which reminded me how great he is; and the only time I watched Ally MacBeal was when he was on. Also has a nice singing voice.

But it must have been Restoration that made the biggest impact on me, after Chaplin. I love both the movie and the novel, which is about a young man in Restoration England, who has a natural gift for healing people, but is partying his life away. And it's only after various highs and lows that he grows up and awakens to this gift (he is restored, get it? Huh huh?)

Downey has had about 9 lives, thanks to all the people who've given him chances in Hollywood, over and over again. I hope he's out of the drugs for good this time, but it won't surprise me if he backslides. Hopefully he'll backslide after an Iron Man II, but before a III, because the 3rd movie of most trilogies sucks.

Nanaimo to Vancouver

Alright, I've got my mom's power cord. We're back in business. (If you click on photos you can see them in a bigger size.)

Last Day in Nanaimo... went to the Mermaid's Mug for lunch

After we went for a walk down "Rhododendron Grove Garden. The Grove is in bloom from late February – July. The best display is from mid-April to mid-May. A tranquil woodland garden adopted by the Nanaimo Rhododendron Society. The Grove is situated in the Millstone Valley of Nanaimo’s Bowen Park. With over 350 rhododendrons to view it is just truly amazing."

Can you see me taking the photo?

Since we weren't in the mid-April to mid-May high season, sometimes it was
"Valley of the Rhodo-dead-rons."

Here is a photo of the tropical birds' playland. No one should own tropical birds unless they're willing to go this far, because they're very intelligent animals.

Traveling to Vancouver by Ferry:
from Duke Point to Tsawwassen.
This is the home of the Tsawwassen First Nation
--they just signed their first treaty in December.

In the olgen days, the ferry might have looked a little like this.

Farewell Vancouver Island!

Just a little cabin by the ocean. (Gabriola Island I guess?)

In the olgen days the houses seen along here would have looked more like this. Fishing villages, sometimes decorated with animals, sometimes flanked by totems.

Up on deck with my reading material.

And arrived at my mum's.
Here is one of the newer additions to her kooky animal family.
This is Oasis. He is The Paws That Refreshes.

And the other newbie is Bobby. This is his "Please sir, can I have some more?" look. He's had three seizures today so we took him to the vet and he's being put on the same meds as my cat. Hopefully, like Nombly, it'll make the seizures less frequent. He's supa friendly and supa cute.

Mystery basking by the fireside.

If it's Friday it Must Be Vancouver

Well, no big posting today, and maybe for the week. I left the computer power cord in Nanaimo! My dad's mailing it to me. And I don't know where I put the cord to upload photos from my camera, so none of that either. But here are photos from my computer - saying goodbye to Philea, and here in Van: a photo of a black cat sleeping in a dark room, with fireplace.

Just call me Jek Porkins: Red Six

So I've been on amitriptyline for about 8 months. The dosage was increased to 50 mg before Christmas I think.

I thought the only side effect I was having was the drowsiness, which I can live with since it helps me sleep. And I've occasionally had dry mouth. I might be getting constipation except I eat so much fibre I wouldn't notice. But I've gained weight this year (as measured by the snuggness of the jeans I bought last summer), and while there's nothing surprising in that (sitting at a desk writing papers and eating homemade treats) I can't say I'm eating much worse than I did in the first few years of school. This recent gain seems unusually rapid for me.

So it's occurred to me that it might be the drug, since most anti-depressants (which this was originally made for) cause weight. Sure enough, it's a possible side effect, and it doesn't take long to find long threads of people panicking about their post-amitriptyline rapid weight gain. Doh!

Well I won't go off it--I can't live with that level of headachiness. But I may have to... no don't say it!... gasp!... exercise. I bought this pair of jeans and 3 corduroys last summer, I can't afford to outgrow them! That's money, baby.

And speaking of drowsiness... I took my pill 2 hours ago and now I'm ready to fall face first into the keyboard. Away to bed! Tomorrow I shall be reporting in from Vancouver.

If it's Thursday It Must Be Nanaimo

No photos today.

- it's raining
- dad and I went out to the airport to pick up his cousin's girlfriend
- I make jerk "chicken" and Indian rice for supper
- I made dad his peanut butter birthday cookies
- now we're watching Ben-Hur, which dad's been dying to watch all week
- big galley slave fight scene