We are getting our puppy tomorrow, and it’s a girl! The picture isn’t of her (I don’t have a digital camera yet but I guess we’ll be getting one soon now), but it shows pretty much exactly what she looks like.

I know it sucks to ask this again, but the name was supposed to be Cosmo if it had been a boy. I’m not sure it fits for a female, so any suggestions?

Stayed home extra late this morning to catch the revealing of the Oscar nominees live.

I was happy to see Les Invasions Barbares not only get the obligatory nomination for Best Foreign Picture, but also Best Original Screenplay. Of course, in the latter category it’s up against the incredibly fashionable (and that’s all I can say about it) Lost in Translation, so fat chance. However, for Foreign Film, it lost the Golden Globe to an Afghan film which isn’t nominated for the Oscar, so there is hope.

I was happy to see Return of the King get an Adapted Screenplay nod, which means the only one of the trilogy that didn’t get that nomination is The Two Towers, which is exactly as it should be (we still love ya, Faramir!).

I would, however, have liked to see one nomination for LOTR in acting, and if I had to give such a prize, it would have gone to Sean Astin (Sam). But with ROTK getting 11 nominations, I can’t really complain.

I’m going to have to do a lot of catching up to see the movies that did get acting nominations. I haven’t seen any of the nominees for actresses, supporting or leading.

The nominees for male actor in a leading role are
Johnny Depp (a pleasant surprise)
Ben Kingsley
Jude Law
Bill Murray
Sean Penn

A lot of people expected something for Tom here, but I think the Academy got it right. If Tom should have ever gotten an Oscar, it’s either for his role in Jerry Maguire or in Magnolia (in which he was fantastic). Those are the ones where he really let go of the Tom persona. In every other role, including The Last Samurai, he was Tom.

So, on my to-watch-before-the-oscars list, I have Mystic River (lots of nominees including Picture), Girl with a Pearl Earring (just cause I want to), Seabiscuit (do I have to?), 21 Grams and Cold Mountain (ugh ugh).

Will LOTR finally grab the brass ring this year? I would have thought so, but the fact that it is going up against Lost in Translation makes me nervous. As most of you know, my opinion of Lost was “stylish but dull”. Yes, I know I’m alone in this world not to have liked it. Yes, I know it’s so uncool to say anything against Sofia. Mais je m’assume.

Wishes and predictions forthcoming.

…but happen to be.

The pipes have frozen for the third time in as many weeks. We called the landlord two hours ago, tearing the poor guy away from a lovely evening by the fire with his wife and daughter. Now he’s in the kitchen, grumpily tearing down the cabinets to get to the pipes and warm them up.

T’s computer has just decided it’s not booting. T’s under his desk, grumpily messing around with this wire and that.

I’m going from one to the other, trying to make conversation, feeling totally ineffectual.

How far can you bat the penguin?

Last night in my management class:

The teacher is talking about the difference between “efficience” and “efficacité”. “Efficacité” is getting from point A to point B in the simplest, quickest way possible, regardless of cost and resources required. “Efficience” is getting there in the quickest and simplest way possible, but taking into account constraints like budget and resources. In other words, the best possible solution under the circumstances.

To illustrate this, she draws point A and point B, and makes a straight line between both. She says, “this illustrates ‘efficacité’”.

Then, she draws point A and point B again, and makes a curvy line between both. She says, “this illustrates ‘efficience’”.

A student raises her hand and says, “I still don’t understand. All this talk of point A and point B. Could you please give us a definition of points A and B?”

It’s done. We’ve booked our vacation for the two first weeks of June.

The itinerary is the following:
- five days in London, including a side trip to Hampshire to see Jane Austen’s house (side trip to Stonehenge too maybe?);
- fly to Edinburgh, Scotland;
- visit Edinburgh for two days, then make a side trip to St-Andrews;
- hop a train to Glasgow;
- visit Glasgow for two days;
- train to the Highlands, most likely Mallaig;
- return to Edinburgh then fly back to London, then Montreal.

Psyched!

(BTW: does anyone have a voltage adapter I can borrow?)

For those of you who wondered where the boat was going at the end of the movie, check this out.

(Thanks Ced)

Where should we go on vacation in June?

This year T and I decided to ditch the idea of going for one big expensive trip to Australia, and instead go on two cheaper ones. It’s already settled that we’re going to Costa Rica in November, T’s choice. It’s now up to me to decide where we go in June.

My choice was Scotland, though there isn’t much to attract T there (hot hobbits don’t do it for him). However, we sort of took a step back when we looked at the cost of travelling in the UK. 29$ CAD for a cheap breakfast? 50$ for a bed in a dorm?

Is our information wrong or is it really that expensive? Perhaps we could go to Ireland and just pop on over to Glasgow for a few days?

Blork and Martine have asked us bloggers to describe our previous jobs today. Here are mine:

Cashier, McDonald’s
Best part: Laughing at people who order hot dogs.
Worst part: Only getting a 10 cent an hour pay increase, because my salads weren’t attractive.

Investigator, Banque Nationale du Canada
Job description: Balance forex accounts, look for anomalies.
Best part: 7,33$/hour was the shit when I was 17.
Worst part: Even the mailroom boys laughed at me when I told them my hourly rate.

Film Teacher, Saint-Hubert Municipal Library
Job description: Teach teenagers how to make movies, then help them make a music video aimed at promoting the library.
Shining moment: Riding a bike laden with a tripod, backpack filled with equipment, and a teenager wrapped in toilet paper.

Counsellor for at-risk youths, Maison des Jeunes de Saint-Hubert
Job description, best and worst part: Counsel kids with way bigger crises than I’d ever had, and probably ever will. Realize I don’t have a problem in the world. Lots of personal growth.

Camera Operator/Editor, Hors-Ligne
Job description: Film auditions for movies and commercials.
Best part: Meeting minor celebrities, occasionally helping casting agents choose, rare behind-the-scenes peek.

Technical Writer/Trainer, Naoki Systèmes
Job description: Develop documents and training for CAD-based software.
Best part: Feeling like Kelly McGillis, because I was teaching at École Nationale d’Aérotechnique.

Trainer, Cognex Canada
Job description: Teach an international sales force about our product, so they can market it abroad.
Best part: Taking out a bunch of Europeans every night, on company money.

Waitress, Chichi’s
Best part: The money.
Worst part: The customers.

Biology Teacher, The Princeton Review
Job description: Prepare med school applicants for the MCAT entrance exam.
Best part: Teaching biology!

Teaching Assistant, Concordia University
Job description: Lead biology labs. Demonstrate stuff like dissection.
Best part: Teaching biology!
Worst part: Having to show live screeching cockroaches from Madagascar.

Research Assistant, Concordia University
Job description: Extract DNA from mushrooms.
Best part: Playing with litres and litres of liquid nitrogen.
Worst part: Hours from hell.

Research Assistant, Lund University
Job description: Extract DNA from owl feathers.
Best part: Swedes everywhere.

Trainer, Current company
Job description: Implement decision systems for crisis management. Train customers.
Best part: Trips to Calgary, Bruxelles, Hollywood and New Orleans.
Worst part: Not having done any training in the best part of a year.

Right now I feel very detached from my current job. I am thinking I might have something to add to this list before long…

It’s official, we’re getting a Boston Terrier. This weekend we signed a contract with a breeder for a pup from a litter that will be born in early February. Which means I have to wait two months before I get him (or her). Plenty of time to think up names.

So I guess we’ll be having a Boston T party around Easter.