Halloween Party Mayhem!

Fog machine: $40
Firemen responding to fire alarm triggered by fog machine: $60
Having to apologize to a building full of angry tenants: Priceless

For every else, there's Mastercard.

Happy Halloween!

Word of the Day

Have you ever heard a word that was so cool that you wanted to use it in a conversation? It doesn't even have to be a new word that you learned. It can just as well be one that you've haven't heard in a while. This happened to me a couple days ago. The word: Modus Operandi.

Google defines the word as: routine; an unvarying or habitual method or procedure.

Don't be surprised if I use the word in the future. The conversation might go something like this...

So what time did you leave you house?
Oh, around 7pm. I took a leak before I left. It's my modus operandi!

Just some food for thought...

Nostalgia & Batman DVD's

Yesterday was a big day for Batman on DVD. Not only did Batman Begins come out but the Batman Anthology as well. Suffice to say, all the films, new and old, are in my collection now.

I spend yesterday watching Begins again as well as mining the special features. Today I started in on the older Batman films. I still can't believe that it's been 16 years since the first Batman film came out. I still remember going to Capitol Six on Granville Street with my mom and brother to catch a matinee.

Did I mention that I also bought the video cassette of the original Batman film when it came out years ago. Back then, it was uncommon for new films to release their videos at "sell-though" prices. The majority of videos back then cost about $100. This was done in order to ensure that video rental places had a significant window of time to "rent" the films out to people. Since they were priced so high, people were discouraged from purchasing and instead rent. But Batman changed all that.

The video cost me $25 back then and I watched it soooo many time from then on. I still have it, though it's a little worse for wear. Now along with the invention of dvd's, new releases can be had for as little as $15 and be considerably more superior to their video cousins.

It brings back so many memories just rewatching these older batman films. Did I also mention that I saw Batman Forever in the theater about 8 times!? Well....I did. But it was way cheaper back then to see a movie, especially when you're a child and you catch an afternoon showing. I even saw it once at a dollar theatre on Granville. So many memories...Time to watch the special features!

Question

What does it mean when an old friend from high school whom you haven't seen or talked to in many years sees you on the subway, but makes no attempt to talk to you? And does it make a difference that it seemed like he was with his girlfriend?

Laptop Voodoo

My laptop hates me.

Yesterday I brought my laptop in to be serviced because the cd drive wasn't working properly. Some dvd's and some cd-roms wouldn't read so into the shop it went.

Today I get a call from the store telling me that they've been testing my machine and it works fine! This is so mind boggling because I just tested the computer before I brought it in to be fixed...

Now the store wants me to pick it up...but I have a feeling that once I get it back home, it's going to still have the same problems as before. The store probably thinks I'm crazy now...

My laptop hates me.

Being Safe or Just Paranoid?

I've learned though experience that one should never be too trusting of people you meet on the street. But is there a point where this caution becomes paranoia?

Tonight, I was at the local supermarket with my mother and as we were leaving, an older gentleman comes up to us and asks me in Chinese whether I have jumper cables. Apparently, his car battery had died near a bus stop around the block.

I truly did not have jumper cables so I told him "no". He then asks whether I would be willing to ask others in the parking lot if they had cables because apparently he didn't speak English.

I suggested that he perhaps call a taxi, but he said he only had $9 and he lived pretty far away (Surrey to be exact). I then said maybe he should call relatives. He replied that all his relatives were in Seattle for a wedding. At this point, I noticed someone else driving into the lot who might be able to help. He went over to ask the other person and I told my mom to leave for the car.

The entire time I was suspicious of this man, perhaps he was trying to con money from me, perhaps he wanted to rob me. That was my gut feeling. If I had cables, I would need to move my car to where his car was, but that would require him getting in my car and driving over there together...something I seriously did not want to do. I don't let strangers into my car at night!

As me and my mom hurried into the car, the man follows us and continues to ask me to help him find someone with cables. I spend about 5 minutes flagging people down and asking them, but everyone says they don't have jumper cables...maybe it's just because these people don't want the trouble, which I can understand.

Finally, he says he'll just take a taxi and if I could spare $4 (I'm still not feeling comfortable with this guy...asking me for money really don't help). I didn't want to take my wallet out in the open, so I ask my mother, who was sitting in the car to get some change. While she was doing this I was standing at the door in case the gentlemen had any bright ideas....

While my mom was getting the change, he suggested that I get back in the car because I was pretty cold, but me being so paranoid, I interpreted his suggestion as a way to get me away from my mother's purse. I politely declined his suggestion.

All she had was less than $2 in change and I handed this to the man and said goodbye. He reluctantly left.

Was I too paranoid? Was this man simply having car trouble?

My instincts told me not to trust him, but my compassionate side feels sorry that I couldn't really help him. What if it was me in the same position? Is this what society has become...Everyone for himself?