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Choking Yak
Here are the very first pictures ever of a live giant squid in its natural environment (ie. not washed up dead on shore). A juvenile at 26 feet. Just for your information, the largest ever documented was 60 feet long and weighed a metric ton. Scientists say that full grown males likely reach 65 feet. That means it has eyes the size of people!
I just happen to know this stuff.
"Arr, squiddy, I got nothin' against ya. I just heard there was gold in yer belly. Ha ha Harr, Harr Harr."The greatest damage done by that bitch Katrina -
"Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.""Yarr, it begins. The dolphins are upon us and only this old sea dog knows how to stop -- Yarr!"Speaking of tropical storms...
Taiwan's gonna get fucked up."Yarr, it's kind of you to deliver these copies of 'Jugs.' They'll keep my men from resorting to homosexuality...fer about 10 minutes. Harr, Harr, Harr."
"You should talk!"
"...yarr."
Big Al
When It RainsThe Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
This was finished on Monday night, but I'm posting it now for spacing purposes. Got to give Will's crazy links some room to breath, youknowumsayin'? Anyway...
In film class, we had a screening of an old silent film by D.W. Griffith called
Broken Blossoms. It's the story of a kind and humble Chinese guy who works in the store around the corner and the young white girl who he longs to be with.
*****
I asked Adriana to come out and watch
The Corpse Bride. It was Friday and her and I were talking and I mentioned how I was going to see it with Will and Jess and I had decided to ask her to come along. She gave me an "I'll have to see". I almost threw up in my mouth. Things went smoothly for the rest of the day including an incident where our manager had to discipline us for talking to each other too much. After that I had to think that she was SOMEwhat attracted to me. Well, that is until Saturday when I got the official response.
No. Not a big surprise. She explained that she had to do something with her parents, which I suppose is possible because I can vaguely remember overhearing her mother (who I also work with) mentioning it. Still, she didn't say no like she was upset or disappointed that she couldn't make it. I'd say she was relieved. The fact that she didn't suggest making plans at some future date was the nail in the coffin. I still ended up going out with Will and Jess and watching the Corpse Bride. It was excellent.
On Sunday, I ended up at work for ten hours. That might not sound like a lot to some of you, but for a part-time, minimum-wager such as myself it can be a real painus-in-the-anus. It was one of those situations where they kept asking me to stay longer and I felt obligated too for whatever reason. I was mad at them for asking me to stay, but even angrier at myself for not just walking out. And even angrier that the reason I was staying was because I hoped to talk to Adriana at the end of the day. I was planning to tell her how I felt. I think. I hoped. We had maybe about five minutes alone at the end of the day and for a second there, it almost all came tumbling out. It wasn't the right time though, not just because her ride was going to be there any minute but because...well, it wasn't the right time.
I know it was only one bad weekend but I have to seriously consider the possibility that this girl: Just. Does. Not. Like me.
Monday was one of those days where all these little things seemed to go wrong. In other words, it was Monday. First, I was twenty minutes late for class. Why did I still show up? Well, we're only two weeks into school and I did not want to start skipping classes already. I was supposed to have lunch with Caroline Walker, but I'd mixed up my schedule in my head and I forgot that I had class from 12:00 to 3:00 (as opposed to on Wednesday where after my first class I'm free for approximately 16 hours). She has no cell phone, so I had to wait for a break in my class, run over to Sid Smith, find her so I could tell her that I was NOT going to be having lunch with her and then run back to Innis Town Hall. Along the way, my cell phone went flying out of my pocket and fell to the concrete. I was lucky as there was no noticeable damage. Also, sometime during the day I tried to buy a cheese croissant and the girl ahead of me bought the last one.
I met up with Angel after film class. I'd say more about it, but that would ruin the negative vibes of this post. As always, she's a good friend.
*****
Back to the movie. The girl's father is an abusive and alcoholic boxer who threatens to whip her daily. After one brutal session, she wanders into the Chinese guy's store and collapses. He takes care of her, gives her dresses and toys and, according to the film, the only kindness she has ever known. He leans in to kiss her at one point, but she recoils. It is kind of creepy considering their age difference. Eventually the father finds out and get pissed off because, as the film so eloquently puts it, a chink is going after his daughter. The next day when the Chinese guy is out, the father goes and gets the daughter back. He beats her to death. The Chinese guy finds her missing, gets his gun and goes to her house. He shoots the father and takes the girl's corpse back to his shop. He lays her out on a bed and then stabs himself with a knife. The end.
According to
this site, I have a 60% biorhythm compatibility with Sarah Michelle Gellar. And it's 99% physical. I'm also 86% compatible with Shaquille O'Neal. So at least I've got that going for me.
Hear joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says "But, doctor...I am Pagliacci." Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains.
Choking Yak
Prepare to be
Provoked.
Factually.- I was up until like 3:00 AM yesterday in an online MSN meeting with my group for Design of Interactive Computational Media class, in which the last entire hour was spent trying to come up with the group name. The most meaningless yet difficult part of any group project. Here were some of my ideas...
Player Haters
The League of Extrainteractive Gentlemen
Breyer's Classic French Vanilla Ice Cream
The Men From Nantucket
Four Guys, No Girl, And No Pizza Place
The Communist Party Of Canada
As you can see, I was clearly reaching for some of them, but I still think most are solid. Better than combining all the initials of our name into some retarded non-word, at least.
...
Feel free to adopt my fantastic ideas as your own. Eventually in an attempt to kill the meeting off and get to bed, we decided on the group name "TBA" or "The Best interActors." ...I can assure you that at three in the morning, it sounds DYNO-MITE. Maybe not so much now, but what's done is done.
- Also, at some point down the line of designing our product, it became necessary for me to create a
Neopet. The details are fuzzy - all I know is that at some point I blacked out, and when I woke up, I had an illegitimate child that I immediately didn't want.
BoBizzile The Buzz. I wish I could say that I'm washing my hands of this site, but I can't help but see an uncanny resemblance between Neopets and
Gaia Online. ...which is a matter that may warrant further "investigation."
- One more thing about this class...today was the first day with the real lecturer - he had been away for a "conference" and the head TA was covering for the first two weeks. Apparently his office hours are going to be on Friday 1:00 at 171 College Street. Better known as O'Grady's Tap & Grill - he says that he'll buy a pint for the first student there each week. ... What the hell's going on!?!
- I was completely obssessed with conforming to popular culture and picking up my very own iPod - specifically a
Nano. But word on the street is that there's a lot of
issues with it. So I'm gonna hold off on that idea...maybe spend the money on dirty foreign hookers instead.
-
What an ass. I love it.
-
And finally...shit, I don't even know. That's fucked up.
This is pretty good too.
Mind the floor NIGGER
Choking Yak
I will now give you links.
- Found
this on the forum of my Design of Interactive Computational Media class. Extra points for old school Bruce Lee video. I can't indentify it though, so no points to me.
-
Areogel is really cool too.
- As are
methanol fuel cell powered mp3 players.
-
Some neato facts that you didn't know about your favourite baseball players from the 1980's! Collect them all!
-
And speaking of collections... Some quick facts so that you don't need to read through the thread - he's married (so
The 40 Year-Old Virgin parallels end there) and it all cost roughly $28,000, which is about the price of an average sedan. Oh and, WARNING! 263 pictures - it will literally explode your computer if you don't have Flash-speed internet. And I don't mean no Jay Garrick/Barry Allen Flash neither. I talkin' Wally West, Flash III, post-Terminal Velocity - when he started being able to tap into the Speed Force and run at light speed.
Is that the Six Million Dollar Man's boss?
FlamingSheep
Guess the Google. It's a fun game, for a round or two.
I feel obligated to spill the deepest secrets of my heart here. Luckily for me, I'm a h
ollowed husk of a man, and therefore have no heart in which secrets can be kept.
Big Al
I Couldn't Help But NoticeGold Digger - Kanye West
I honestly think my boss is trying to get me to stay at work without raising my pay. I've been complaining for months that we need some new blood. So what does my boss do? He hires four or five attractive young girls for me to train and socialize with and whatnot. They're all real personable and likeable and they bring some fresh energy to the store. I swear, the prospect of having to talk to Walter, Kyle and Ricky for the next six months had me on the edge of homicide. Of course, none of this matters because 1) these girls are VERY young and 2) Food Basics makes me think of one person.
*****
The summer harvest at UofT is as rich as ever. This warm weather brings out the best in the many females around campus. I don't think there is a scientific explanation for it. Their hair seems shinier, more full. The breasts have a little extra bounce to them. The light in their eyes is that much brighter. During my long breaks, I find myself sitting in a comfortable spot watching the world, and all the hot babes, go by.
My Shakespeare class is just retarded. I can't look up from my text without having my eyes, mind and heart assaulted by some ravishing vixen. It's not like I'm going to act on any of these attractions, but having them around gives me bad thoughts. I feel so confident these days and if the opportunity to talk to any of these girls ever came up, it would take all my willpower to resist flirting. Despite what most think, I quite enjoy flirting. I suck at it, that's all. But yeah, my Shakespeare class is insanely hot. One of these days, the professor is going to read a particulary erotic passage and the class is going to break into a
Sin City level orgy, I'm not even kidding.
*****
With that said, there's only one girl right now who I want. It's Adriana. As much as I may post about my encounters or thoughts about other women, it's her I want to be with. As well as school has been going and as nice as these days have been, I'm depressed because I only get to see her once a week. It's all I think about. It's absolutely illogical and somewhat perverse for me to be sweating over a seventeen-year old girl, isn't it? She's not a goddess. She's a sweet, genuine, intelligent girl who I work with and who I've fallen for.
Even worse, I've been down this road so many times before. I like a girl and I start having all these expectations about her. We have some good times that mean more to me than they ever could to her and I struggle with my feelings for her. Then I either tell her the truth or I say nothing at all. I haven't done the former in...a long time, so probably the latter. Inevitably, it all comes crashing down. I piss and moan for months. She becomes a memory, an anecdote. I move on.
And who knows how many opportunities I've missed while going through this routine over the years? Maybe I've been going after the wrong girls all along? Why should I close my mind to the possibility that one of these girls in my Shakespeare class might actually like me? Why limit myself to going after one girl who may not even consider that I'm interested in her?
*****
Today, my trainee was this girl named Ashley. Pretty as can be. Looks a lot like Rachel Hall actually. I'm telling her the story about this customer who filled up my area with groceries and then told me that she wasn't going to be able to pay. Then this happens:
"Oh yeah, Adriana was telling me about this yesterday."
I'm like, "She was telling you this story that I told her?" She said that Adriana was training her and they started talking about me. I paused for a minute. She said that Adriana saw I was training her today and she was singing my praises. "She was saying nice things about me?", I asked. "So many nice things," she said.
The expectations. The feelings. The tragedy. The memories. I'll go through it all again for her.
*****
Better go now. Things to do.
Yeah, well, the tunnel brings you out in a warehouse two blocks north...
Yes. I remember. Used to come here often. Back when we were partners.
Oh. Uh, yeah...yeah, those were great times, Rorschach. Whatever happened to them?
You quit.
Choking Yak
Oops. It's about time for a post, I'd say. How about some links!?!
- An odd
Bill Gates/Napolean Dynamite video. It's pretty dry, but there's novelty factor. ...novelty's pretty much all it's got, actually.
- Just want to make sure that we've all seen the new
Nintendo Revolution controller. Oh Nintendo, you so crazy.
- Oh man I need to get me
one of these. "Skiing and snowboarding is a perfect programming analogy." ...yeah, I don't really know about that one.
- At first I was wondering why it used a claw, but then I realized that
having a magnet would be too easy.
- I want to mention
this guy for the Real World Justice League.
I didn't get back home in time for the
Arrested Development premiere, which is pretty gay of me - I mean, for all the love I have for this show, you would think that I could maybe tune in once in awhile to support it's ratings. But I did see
Kitchen Confidential, which I rather enjoyed. Anything with John Cho as a "seafood genius" is a winner in my book! I also caught a little bit of
Prison Break which looks awesome, but since I missed the first episode, I didn't really feel like jumping in.
Oh, and I caught a commercial for
Ghost Whisperer which looks so bad that it might be good again. It's like she wasn't satisfied at ruining people's lives with just
The Tuxedo.
But honestly, I'm just waiting for God-almighty-in-television-series-form-aka-
24 to come back. My allegiance is to only The Psycho One.
Choking Yak
Links du jour...
-
1950's Soviet space monkey's flight pants. It doesn't even matter if it's authentic or not.
-
Fantastic commercial.-
An even more fantastical commercial.- Check out
this bit from
The Onion, dated February 18, 2004. And now read
this. Five
plus another trimming blade =
six motherfuckin' blades! You crazy white people.
- Ever wonder what happened to the original
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers cast? I know I do!
Well now you (and I) know! And knowing is half the battle. ...wait shit, wrong cherished childhood show.
- I found
this link off the Power Rangers page. It's not much, but I just thought the last line in the article is high comedy.
- So apparently, some crazy German dude has created a machine that can power his car using dead cats.
Look! But even with prices as high as they are now...20 dead cats for one 50 liter tank seems a little excessive. I mean, that's a lot of dead cats. And why cats? That's just odd.
- And now
here is the Chinese one-upping the Germans by harvesting skin from dead convicts to develop European beauty products. I'm trying to think of a "Now fortified with 10 essential vitamins!" type of pun with the Chinese angle worked in...but nothing's coming to me.
Big Al
Many Happy ReturnsAfternoons & Coffeespoons - Crash Test Dummies
Three days of school done, so many more to go. One at a time, one at a time.
*****
Here's a brief recap of my classes, which are great so far!
Twentieth Century Canadian FictionThe first story we had to read was
The Wedding Gift, which I'm pretty sure we read in one of our high school English classes at one point or another. Seems simple enough so far. My professor is obviously gay. He fulfills all those stereotypes. Thin. Feminine voice. Limp wristed hand motions. It's all there. He also has his own annoying quirk (don't they all?). Rather than actually finish any of his thoughts, he just says "etc., etc." I can't even count how many times he did that today. It drove me nuts.
Film TheoryYes!!! I have to admit that I was intimidated going into this class because I imagined that everyone was going to be super pretentious. Maybe they are, but at least I know that their pretension is as unfounded as my own. The first movie we watched was this French documentary about street bums called
The Gleaners and I. I definitely enjoyed it, though it's obviously not something I would watch for fun. I'm still thinking about it so I guess that's a good sign. Our prof told us to write a paper about our favourite movies, directors, genres, etc., etc. and we had to read it the next day in tutorial. I love the sound of my own voice, so I had no problems with this. I had to arm myself carefully though, so that my mainstream tendencies didn't shine through too much. Suffice to say, I passed on mentioning that I had watched
Batman Begins three times this summer. I professed my love for the
Wizard Of Oz,
Pulp Fiction and
Annie Hall, which I felt seemed intelligent enough. I even added the disclaimer that I'm not really an indie or foreign film guy. Luckily, the majority of the class was just as self-conscious as I was. Some girl felt bad about liking David Lynch flicks and another student admitted she felt guilty about liking John Hughes films. Why would you be ashamed about liking
Ferris Bueller's Day Off? This class is going to be awesome.
ShakespeareA lot of nice girls here. Had to sit next to this fat fuck named Patrick because we had English classes together last year. Hilarious professor. Naturally charismatic. Ran into Richard Burley. He called me Max. Hurm.
Mass MediaReally boring introduction. The guy rambled on FORever. I'm going to give him a mulligan on this one. Had an encounter with an old acquaintance. More on this in a bit.
American Literature 1880-1960*Yawn* This is the second of my three hour lectures along with Shakespeare. I may have made a mistake. I was battling sleep the whole time, but it could be that I've just been burnt out from being at school from 9AM to 9PM on both Monday and Wednesday. Not much to say about this class yet.
*****
I ran into Caroline Walker today. I think Gary knows her the best out of the lot of us. She's a small, cute, funny, intelligent girl who's a year younger. I hung out with her a few times in high school. I wouldn't say we were buds, but she was always alright in my book. I thought I saw her enter the class at the beginning, but because UofT has turned me into an anti-social xenophobe...correction, EVEN MORE of an anti-social xenophobe, I didn't want to risk saying "hi" to her. If it wasn't her I would have felt like the biggest moron. Well, it was her and I still ended up feeling like a moron. She followed me out after class and came up to me and asked if I was "Alex from Markham". And I was, like, "Caroline!" At least...I think that's what I said. There's a distinct, DISTINCT, possibility that I called her Catherine. If so, she either didn't notice or was nice enough to not call me on it. We played "getting to know you" while I walked her to Museum station. Apparently she's been at Guelph the last couple of years, which relieved me of having to feel bad about not keeping in touch. She told me that her cell phone got stolen and I said, "Welcome back to Toronto." We're going to do something soon.
*****
My one regret about the summer was that I didn't hang out with Michelle enough. I'm not sure that we did a single thing together, just the two of us. We met at parties and stuff, but I'm usually exerting a lot of effort not to strangle everyone else in our group so that doesn't really count. Today, we walked around the city looking for food and books. We talked and talked and talked. This is pretty much how I'm going to be spending my three to five hour breaks on Monday and Wednesday. Buying books, exploring downtown and talking to her. At least I hope that's how it goes. She said that her and I should go to Europe together. *sigh* If only.
You know what's amazing about a friend like Michelle? I mean, I thought about it today. Often, when I'm with a university friend I find myself struggling to find things to talk about. You know how it is when you don't have chemistry with someone. Your mind goes blank. With her, everything is perfect. The beats of the conversation are just right. Like when you're watching a well-scripted movie and the dialogue is so smooth. That's what we're like. Even better, I find myself with a surplus of conversation topics after we're done. And damn it, she gets me. Every stupid little thing I feel like talking about she listens to. And she's never afraid of doing the same for me! I missed her so much.
Having said that, it'll be a miracle if we don't get sick of each other by December.
This whole situation...it's horrible...
Well, me, I kinda like it when things get weird, y'know? I like it when all the cards are on the table.
But the country's disintegrating. What's happened to America? What's happened to the American dream?
It came true. You're lookin' at it. Now c'mon...let's really put these jokers through some changes.
Big Al
The Big HelloThere She Goes - The La's
I wanted to write a big end of summer vacation post, but I realized that now is not the time for endings.
*****
I saw her today. My fantasy from Markham District High School. The most beautiful girl in the world. On September 11, 2005, Erin Dunlop came to Food Basics.
Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story! One minute I was gathering green baskets and the next, well, she was there. She wasn't alone. I imagine a gal like her rarely is. She was accompanied by a large male who may or may not be her boyfriend. Could be a cousin for all I know. It didn't matter to me. All that mattered was that I got to see her again.
One of my great regrets in high school is that I never got my shot to try and woo Erin. I'd never met her, but I had to believe that if I was ever in a class or a club with her I'd at least have a chance. Anyone who knows what she looks like probably laughed at that last sentence, but I tell you that all I needed was a shot. I'd probably miss completely, but...I could hope all day. I've certainly agonized about it for long enough. I remember the first time I saw her. It was grade 9, early in the year. Max and I were doing our usual bout of hallway prowling and babe-watching and...and...she hit me like a freight train. The most gorgeous specimen I'd ever seen. I've wanted her ever since.
When she walked into the store today I froze. I was hoping for an excuse to follow her around the store, but luckily good sense and work ethic prevailed. I went back to my register, knowing that she wouldn't come anywhere near me because she was probably only passing through and would head to the express lane when she was done. I watched her from afar, passively handling my customers. I watched and watched and then, again, she was out of my life.
We have never shared a single word.
*****
On Friday I had to say goodbye to Annia. That sucked. No, that's not right. That's too simple.
I checked my phone during my break and noticed three missed calls. All from her. I call her back and she asks me if I have the new
Kanye West CD. As you might expect, I've had it for a week. She didn't end up finding a suitable replacement, but that would have been the perfect going away present.
She decided to drop by and visit me at work. As it had been all week, it was busy as shit. People getting ready to go back to school. I was working as hard as ever pulling those infernal shopping carts around the parking lot. We'd say a couple of sentences then I'd have to put the conversation on pause as I dragged those hunks of metal back into the store. After about fifteen minutes we gave up. We stood there, illuminated by the parking lot lights. "This is a pretty awful place to say goodbye," I said. "I know," She said. We thanked each other for the time we spent together and whatever it is that we did for each other over the summer. Then I proposed a hug. She mentioned how contrived it would be. We hugged anyway. I took an extra moment to watch her drive off and then she was gone.
Except she wasn't. The great thing about our friendship this summer is that we went from being "event friends" to "regular friends". That sounds bad, doesn't it? What I mean to say is, we stopped being friends that have to make a big deal every time we hang out. For example, an event friend would be someone like Tanya. Whenever I see her she gives me the ol' "Man, it's been forever since we last saw each other! How are things going blah blah blah..." And we don't even like each other that much! I think a lot of my old high school friends are event friends. Not everyone, just a lot. I look back on our trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario and I realize that that was a situation filled with people who I don't see enough, but that's because it is neither convenient or comfortable for us to do otherwise. For the longest time, I thought of Annia that way. I'd see her during Christmas or summer vacation or the occasional weekend and we'd laugh and have fun and it was always "until next time".
My "regular friends" aren't necessarily the people that I see all the time. Take Michelle for example, who I barely saw this summer. When I see her again, it'll be business as usual. Dan is another good example. I haven't seen this cat in a while, but we never make a big deal when we hang out. It's always like, "Yo, I'm back in town want to go get some bubble tea?" And I'm all like, "Fa sho', nigga." That's where Annia and I are now...uh, sort of.
We'll talk and complain to each other whenever we feel like it. Whenever she's around we'll hang out. Maybe I'll go to Guelph. Even if we don't talk for months, I'm never going to have that feeling that we're losing touch. Does that make sense?A part of me is sad that we're no longer event friends. That she's no longer going to feel compelled to drag me to a ballet just so we have something to do for an afternoon. That I can no longer consider going out for lunch with her as a special occasion. That I won't feel as compelled to brag to all my friends that I got to spend a day with her.
An event friend is someone you go to an art gallery with. A regular friend is someone you sit on the couch and watch
Gilmore Girls with.
Just like when I was standing in the Food Basics parking lot with her, I'm left with so much more to say and no way to say it.
Thanks again.
*****
Welcome back, William.
*****
Hello, Jon. I was hoping we'd have the chance to talk. Jon...I know people think me callous, but I've made myself feel every death. By day I imagine the endless faces. By night...well, I dream about swimming towards a hideous...no. Never mind. It isn't significant...what's significant is that I know. I know I've struggled across the backs of murdered innocents to save humanity...but someone had to take the weight of that awful, necessary crime. I'd hoped you'd understand, unlike Rorschach.
You needn't consider Rorschach. I strongly doubt he'll reach civilization...but yes, I understand, without conditioning or condemning. Human affairs cannot be my concern. I'm leaving this galaxy for one less complicated.
But you'd regained interest in human life...
Yes, I have. I think perhaps I'll create some. Goodbye, Adrian.
Jon, wait, before you leave...I did the right thing, didn't I? It all worked out in the end.
"In the end"? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends.
Choking Yak
Let's get this thing rolling again. But getting started is always the hardest part. So let's start off with an easy, no effort link post and then build from there.
-
Tales of Erotica: Chuck Norris and Me.- Another weird
Hello Kitty video.
-
This is a trailer for a new chink flick
Sha Po Lang. Looks chinkily awesome. It's Sammo baby!
-
ROFL WAFFLES on eBay. Extremely high "What Fuck?" levels. Read it all. I did.
-
Japanese game show footage. Every time you answer wrong...you go a little bit further down the crappy plexiglass tunnel.
What a bunch of fucking amateurs. You left your dog, you idiots!
Choking Yak
You missed one.

I love how it's so vague.
I have a bunch of stories. Or at least I think I did. I wrote down brief little point form notes of odd things that happened to me in a little notepad, but I think they were a little too brief. I'm reading them over, and I can't really remember what my notes describe. I'll go over them all when I get back. Prostitutes, gambling, car chases, mini-putt hustlin', multiple close brushes with death...fairly standard stuff.
I miss you, Turtle Smile.
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