you know it is sunday when...

dear friends,

you know it is sunday when you would rather be doing anything but school work, so you even do an online test. very 1997.

anyway, this proves that i am not as nerdy as y'all may think (although the test is biased towards those who are scienc-y and computer-y)





i trust you to tell me if i am a bigger nerd than you,
cam

ps- on the agenda tonight rockaberry and napoleon dynamite
pps- should be on the agenda: schematic diagrams of putnam's research design in making democracy work

more reasons to not trust people who wear capes

dear friends,

so i was reading page six, as per usual, this morning when i came across the following quote in a piece on the phil spector-muder-less-than mystery?

Bramwell goes on, "Phil didn't have a gun license in the U.K. but he always told me that he was never without his big U.S. police .38s, which he kept stuffed into his belt and in a shoulder holster beneath his capes [emphasis added by me because it is totally warranted and deserved] . John [Lennon] was fascinated by the weapons and would discuss them at length with Phil."

also, i never would have imagined john lennon as a potential member of the nra.

for your own safety, don't be-friend the caped,
cam

zero degrees of freedom

dear friends,

i would like to take this opportunity to semi-publicly apologize to mr. brennan, mr. moran, ms. wojda, and ms. wojda again for not paying attention to their math classes in grade nine through twelve inclusive. why didn't anyone tell me that matrix algebra was going to be relevant to me getting a ph d in sociology.

my most recent stats assignment consumed several intense hours of my life, and inspired the following nerd-a-rific sayings/msn names/msn conversations:

- i have zero degrees of freedom!
- the z score of fuck! [note that this can be adapted to an test statistic you enjoy... the t-test of fuck! the t-score of fuck!]

in particular the latter was said in the same spirit as "fuck the duck"... but i can envision its expansion to "omigod i am the z-score of fucked", as a response to "how is the stats assignment going?"

all in all, i am the little engine that could about the whole stats thing. i think i can.

yours in the name of all that is sociological [and perhaps mathematical too],
cam

bright eyes appreciation day

dear friends,

in an attempt to revive the grand tradition of icrm appreciation days (don't you remember the joy of lionel ritchie appreciation day?!)... i hereby announce that today, saturday january 22nd is bright eyes appreciation day. i do try to appreciate bright eyes on a regular basis, but tonight that appreciation will be expressed with an extra-special level of swooning and fanfare at the spectrum between 10ish and 1ish. there is also a corresponding increase in appreciation for omaha, nebraska for creating bright eyes.

in honour of the event, i direct you to the following treasures of the interweb...

one- an article on "whimpsters" that cites as an example mr. conor oberst. also cited are other cam celebrity loves lloyd dobler/john cusak and duckie. if seth cohen or zach braff had been cited i would seem to have a celebrity pattern. maybe i have a real life pattern. not that the article is completely fair to the y-chromosomes in the population. but if sweeping generalizations, post-femenist bitterness and dead-on humour are your thing it is well worth checking out.

two- an interview with the kids in rilo kiley friends and sometimes label mates of the bright eyes. [link via largeheartedboy]

three- and, i will admit this is a stretch... a link to this hilarious sounds of napoleon dynamite page. what's the connection to bright eyes appreciation? nothing other than the fact that i might wear my vote for pedro shirt to the show.

y'all are the roots that sleep beneath my feet and hold my world in place,
cam

the embodiment of cuteness

the dog and the deer...

dear friends,

i got this via an email forward from an old martha's table friend. i just think it is the cutest thing in the whole world... next to pinky my new ipod/baby.

cam

where my ipod mini at?

stolen and defaced illustration

dear friends,

i have purchased an ipod mini. i am financially irresponsible and easily distracted by pretty colours. i have named the ipod pinky, a name which in fact i have stolen from my friend tonia who also has one. apparently i am a klepto. i am eagerly awaiting it's arrival. the above is an illustration that depicts the situation. my ipod is apparently walking in memphis. it needs to bust a move and get to montreal.

back to the work, and by that i mean tv.
cam

adventures in cooking

dear friends,

inspired by the culinary adventures of new roomate kate and a long-standing desire to own/use/love a slow-cooker i went to the home of cheap kitchen appliances, walmart, to purchase said slow-cooker. i came back with a $12 slow-cooker, a $8 hand-held blender and a head full of kitchen-centred hopes and dreams. after an intense interweb search that truly kept me away from some pressing work, i decided that i wanted to make sweet potato quesadillas (hand blender) and spanish rice (slow cooker). the results are mixed. the slow-cooker has proved to be a formidable opponent. after eight looooooooong and slooooooooooooow hours of cooking the rice managed to remain "crunchy"... it is beyond rescue using conventional stovetop methods. however, the sweet potato quesadillas are my new/old favourite thing ever. they taste exactly like the ones at the sleepless goat. with this matter resolved, i may never visit kingston again. well, of course i lie. but still... they are that good. and, i got the recipie from a website on spiritual food grown by alternative farmers. for those of you who do not even want to click and yet are curious about how to re-create the goodness i offer the first truthfullytruthfully recipe.

enjoy,
cam

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups grated peeled sweet potato (about 3 potatoes)-- NO NEED TO GRATE IF YOU HAVE SUPER-AWESOME HAND BLENDER!!!
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
generous pinch of cayenne
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 tortillas (8- to 10-inch)
fresh or commercial Mexican-style tomato salsa sour cream

Saute the onions and garlic in the vegetable oil until the onions are translucent. Add the grated sweet potatoes, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. When the sweet potato is tender, add salt and pepper to taste and remove the filling from the heat.

Spread one-eighth of the filling and 2 tablespoons of the cheese on each tortilla. Cook the filled tortillas by following the procedure for Simple Quesadillas (below) Serve immediately, topped with salsa and sour cream.

Simple Quesadilla preparationLightly oil a heavy skillet. Warm the skillet on medium heat. Sprinkle or spread the filling ingredients on one half of each tortilla, leavinga 1/2 inch border along the edge. Don't pile it on too thick or thefilling will ooze into the skillet; about 1/2 inch deep is good. Foldthe plain half of the tortilla over the filling. Place the quesadillas(as many as you're cooking or as many as will fit) in the heated skilletand cook each side for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and thefilling is hot. Add more oil to the skillet if necessary, and cook theremaining quesadillas. NO NEED FOR SKILLET IF YOU HAVE SUPER AWESOME MICROWAVE!!!

best site on the interweb

dear friends,

quickly... go to this site and be sure to listen to one of his songs... trust me...

http://www.billyharveymusic.com/

love,
cam

no more ironhorse

dear friends,

most of you know how i feel about horses (they kill people, and ponies kill babies)... but one horse related establishment those does not always make me think so violently is the ironhorse, kingston's kitchy little establishment that was home to some newts related memories and kareoke. and now it is closing. closing!

optimuscriminals this happened under your watch!

single tear in my beer,
cam

law and order bests and worsts

dear friends,

tonight as per usual was full of law and order... two full episodes... the new one at 10 and the rerun on bravo.

worst line possibly ever due to lack of context: serena aka the lawbot on being fired "is it because i am a lesbian"... whoa... like where did that come from?

best line of the night not uttered by our beloved lenny: detective green describing a budding author/witness as "f scott fitz-stupid"

also, can someone please explain to the residents of the icrm what happened on the re-run... why did buddy want a deal? was he protecting "denise" or himself?

and i am glad the lawbot is gone,
cam

sundays with you

dear friends,

so, there is this carnations [thanks sofi!] song lyric that goes "i wish i could spend sundays with you" [thanks hilary]. it has long been a favourite of mine, and it regular gets incorporated into my speech. example:

friendofme: i'm confused about fillinblank boy/girl
me:
option 1: (s)he clearly wants to spend sundays with you
option 2: (s)he's crazy for not wanting to spend sundays with you

maybe it is not yet ready for urban-dictionary inclusion, but i like it. and, it does not always refer to relationships of the romantic nature. for instance, today i am happy to have spent sundays with highschool ryan, who dropped by unexpectedly as per usual and am looking forward to ending the day with the newest resident of the icrm, optimus-sister kate.

happy sunday,
cam

thursdays with seth cohen

dear friends,

haven't talked about the OC in days... very excited about tonight's episode... modest mouse are playing at the bait shop.

watch for your invitation to my wedding to adam brody any day now,
cam

this is what i do

dear friends,

this is what i do. sometimes.

A Canadian Culture War?:
Evidence from the 2004 Canadian Election Study
Carol Ann
McGill University


Abstract
This paper asks two questions: is there a Canadian-equivalent to a “culture war” that pits religious conservatives/orthodox against the secular and religiously liberal? How polarized are Canadians on issues such as abortion and traditional family values? For all the media attention to issues such as same-sex unions, are such issues fault lines in Canadian electoral politics in the same way they are in the United States? The second, and embedded question, this paper will address is: how do the religiously conservative/orthodox behave politically? Using data from the 2004 Canadian Election Study and the 2000 World Values survey, attitudes toward abortion, positions on same-sex marriage, and vote choice in the 2004 Canadian Election are examined on the basis of religious tradition, doctrinal orthodoxy, and religious commitment. It is argued that there is preliminary evidence that the culture wars thesis can be applied to Canada as well, but that further data analysis is necessary to adequately understand both the scope of the phenomenon and the mechanisms by which it works.

tommorow brings the return to classes, just three more if i stay here...
cam

cutest baby ever

introducing ms. hope

favourite music 2004

dear friends,

thought i would share with you my list, since i have read many of yours...

in no particular order, my fave records of the year were:

• the arcade fire, funeral
• rilo kiley, more adventerous
• modest mouse, good news for people who like bad news
• devendra banhart, nino roja
• the hank collective, how to prosper in the coming bad years
• pete elkas, party of one
• stars, set yourself on fire
• futureheads, self-titled
• le tigre, this island
• the streets, a grand don't come for free

and my favourite songs (discovered, if not created, this year) were:

• annie, me plus one
• ac newman, miracle drug
• hayden, home by saturday
• the decemberists, red right ankle
• lasse lindh, the stuff
• frausdots, soft light
• styrofoam, couches in allies (f. ben gibbard)
• magneta lane, constant lover
• iron and wine, such great heights
• the futureheads, hounds of love

back to the never-ending essay,

cam