A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I felt a little creeped out after it was over.



The woman's sex appeal was obvious; however, she was born 105 years ago. That would have made her older than my grandmother was!

Labels: movies

One recent classroom assignment included a question where the students had to come up with criteria. They had to decide on a list of things one should consider when choosing an appropriate post-secondary institution.

One area that all groups considered important was a school's facilities.

Today, I gave a project which was completed in the BCIT library. I was thinking how the BCIT library had improved in recent years. Whereas, most people only attend a school several years themselves, they do continue affecting the public institutions. They, hopefully, find gainful employment. This allows them to continue contributing during their working years through taxes.

Eventually, the students who are currently making use of the facilities, will pay years of taxes for future improvements too. As long as the institution is successful, it will continue. That's a nice thought.

Labels: BCIT, library, money

Last Saturday, I mentioned listening to Mel Brook's commentary track on the Blazing Saddles (1974) DVD. That movie included an lusty-lady saloon singer played by Madeline Kahn. Mel said that she'd done an excellent job of re-creating the spirit of Marlene Dietrich.

I took that as a direct challenge.

It is no longer impossible to catch up on classic movies. I suppose in the past it was only possible if one lived hear an art-house movie cinema. Now, it's as easy as visiting the DVD section of the local library. My first decision is whether I should watch the German or English version of The Blue Angel (1930).

The second decision will be choosing a time when I'll have the time to view it. There're still a few hours of shows on the PVR that I've not watched yet.

Labels: movies, stars

As of today, I've got 1634 images online. This puts me right on track, if not a bit ahead of schedule. My goal is to have about 2000 images available by July which will be my first anniversary using Flickr.



Uploading while on last fall's European vacation was easy from my notebook. After returning home, I made a Flickr set which includes 136 photos in total. The continuously-updated data provided by the website, allows me to identify the number of views of each photo. The image above has been the most-viewed from that trip. Eighty-six people, not including myself, have seen this digital photo of a canal in Amsterdam.

Labels: Amsterdam, Flickr

I've recently given up wearing a wristwatch. That's really quite a change in behaviour. I've been wearing watches since I first learned how to tell time and was given my first Timex. That was forty years ago.

Back in that era, there were no digital timepieces, so one had to be able to differentiate between the big hand and the little hand. I don't believe the advent of digital clocks has improved people's punctuality, but they have made telling time a bit more clinical. Stating that it's 12:13 may be clear and accurate; but it lacks the traditional warmth of saying, "It's almost quarter past twelve."

I can choose either method even though I no longer wear a watch at all. Because I always carry my cell phone, I figured that I could drop the one I used to have on my wrist. Maybe the hair will grow back there and it'll get a suntan this summer.

Labels: technology, telephone

The weather was fantastic yesterday, so I spent a few hours doing taxes!

It's not too tough to file with software; one doesn't even have sharpen a pencil nor remember how to add. Even though it was Sunday, I completed the whole process. E-filing is a breeze. Then, arranging for the refund or payment is easily handled through online banking. It is so easy, it almost makes sending the government a third of one's money ... fun?

The feeling of having it all done early, did make the rest of the day seem great.

Vancouver was lovely.

Labels: government, software

It seems as though I can find time on the weekend to scan a half dozen or so, old photos. This way, over the course of a few years, I'll get a representative selection in An Old Box in the Attic on Flickr. Here's one that I put online yesterday.



It was taken on the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. I worked there from 1989 to 1991 for the Bahrain Defense Force. This shows an old boat, but if you look in the distance behind it, you will see the a bit of bridge between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The 25-kilometer, King Fahd Causeway was built for the four-lane highway. It was opened in November of 1986

Labels: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia