First off, I’m sorry if I gave you a Monty Python earworm with the title. Actually no, I’m not sorry since the lumberjack song is one of my favourite Monty Python songs and if you haven’t heard it you need to go and click on the link right now. Go ahead, I’ll wait. It isn’t a long song but it’s seriously catchy and never fails to make me smile. Secondly, if the title of this post made you run for a dictionary (physical or online – I’m not too picky) to look up logophile and you returned with a smile, you just might be a logophile too.
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
I swear if I have one more “friend” on Facebook or Twitter follower or casual acquaintance tell me to stop being so political I’m going to lose it. I was raised to speak up if I see wrong and to work towards fixing it. Silence is dangerous – today and always. As a historian, I’m haunted by the times humanity turned away instead of helped and I am going to do better. If it means I lose some followers and “friends”, so be it. If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem and I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.
Word Wednesday – I resolve…no wait, I don’t.
It’s not much of a secret that I think New Year’s resolutions are a bit of a fool’s game, and not only because I’m already sick of the weight loss and fitness infomercials / advertisements online and on the television. I have nothing against self improvement, but I really wish gyms would have sales year round instead of just in January when the weather is crappy and blowing snow can make it impossible for me to leave the house. I turned off the extension I usually use in my browser that prevents advertisements from sneaking through as an experiment – I was curious as to what kind of ads would show up. The answer? Unhealthy fad diets, workout programs making unrealistic and unattainable promises, and meal delivery programs that a) won’t deliver to rural areas and b) are seriously overpriced. I ended the experiment 2 days after I started because the ads were seriously getting on my nerves. I understand that a new year (by one calendar) is a convenient time to make changes, but I don’t like the pressure of New Year’s resolutions so I don’t participate. I’m far more likely to embark on a journey towards self improvement on a random Thursday in March than January 1st. As for all of my ‘friends’ on social media who are hard selling nutritional supplements, exercise programs, and other ‘miracle cures’, the offending posts have been muted and will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future (and in some cases the ‘friends’ have been unfollowed / unfriended if all they were doing was shilling). Don’t call me, I’ll call you (actually I won’t, but still – don’t call me.).
How my BlackBerry Passport Equals Mobile Freedom
It’s no secret that I love my BlackBerry devices. I have a BlackBerry in my hand for a good 60% of the day. One of the things I love most about BlackBerry is how easy it makes it to work on the go. I wrote about my Blackberry Classic and how much I loved it and the difficulties in choosing a case for it. I’ve found the same thing with my BlackBerry Passport. I love the Passport even more than the Classic. At first I thought it was going to be too big. I looked down at the device in the box and thought “I’ll probably be using the Classic again within a month”. Well, I was wrong. So very wrong. The Classic has found a new home in the hands of my dad, and the Passport is mine, all mine. I mentioned with regards to the Classic how much I had missed the physical keyboard even though I had loved my Z30 with all my heart. Well the Passport takes the keyboard experience to a whole new level. It just feels right. The screen width on the Passport makes reading text a breeze – the wider screen allows more characters which reduces scrolling (and makes me a happier reader). Contrary to what I thought before I had a Passport, the Passport does fit in my pants pocket, and in my purse, so it goes pretty much everywhere I go. I have a BlackBerry hard shell case on it 90% of the time and a Folio case with a credit card slot the rest of the time (It’s an aftermarket one, but needs improvements if it was going to be a daily driver).
Heartache and healing
Regular readers may remember about six weeks ago, I published a post about music, depression, and grief that outlined how music helps me through some of the hard moments in life. I heard from many of you that it echoed how you felt about music. Music has always been something that brought people together and made them forget their troubles for awhile. Until it wasn’t.