Spelling Rhymes: Wrong and Right

We have all been taught the little helper rhyme of "i before e, except after c." Annoyingly enough this seems to work only half the time you need it to. If you are ever unsure of a certain way of spelling something, I've discovered a rhyme that works most every time! The rule rhyme above is of American (USA) origin, but we all know that in matters of language they have over many years of poor English enabled wrong spellings and pronunciations to find their way into the dictionary. For example, Aluminum (Ah-lou-min-um) is WRONG. It has been said incorrectly so often that it became commonplace and considered correct. (Think of when you were little, spaghetti was 'skeddy.' They just didn't have anyone around to show them the right way). The correct way of spelling and saying this is Aluminium (Ah-lou-mini-um). The prior is merely a bastardized version of the original English form.

Moving on, there is a fool proof method of finding the order of your i's and e's. It existed before the American version and has sadly been forgotten on this side of the pond.

The correct rhyme:

"If the diphthong rhymes with "c" (sea), the letters go i, e. If the diphthong rhymes with "a" (ay), the letters go the other way!"

If you are unsure of what a 'diphthing' is, fear not for it's fairly simple. A Dyphthong is just a vowel sound created using two letters such as oy (royal), ow (cow), or in our case, ie and ei.

Now with a Canadian or American accent some of these words may fall into a gray area when we pronounce them. If this is the case, think of how the British would say it and you'll find it.

May you nevermore be burdened with such annoying trifles of spelling.

Several Fortnights Later...

Hello!

It's been far too long since I wrote last in my little blog. Some health issues got in the way, but are on the mend now. I'll ramble on about something insignificant soon.

T-Minus: 6 days or so

A few days ago, I was lying in my room staring out the window. I wasn't looking at anything in particular, as I had just woken from a deep sleep and my eyes were merely open for the sake of not being shut. As the thick, swirling fog of sleep cleared from my mind, I began to focus on something that seemed peculiar. The giant, previously bare, May tree of the back yard had many fat blotches of green amid the dull iron-gray branches. Upon realizing what was being seen, I dragged myself out of bed miraculously remembering to pick up my glasses. Slowly, I stumped through early morning sunbeams to my window. Peering through the glass before me, I could see hundreds of little buds on every branch threatening to explode. Each of these bundles are light green and have a very taut husk. Turning the latch, I tried to open the window. After many full-body tugs, it finally sprang open. A wave of fresh early morning air filled my lungs and enveloped my senses. I then spent the next 5 minutes sitting at the window staring at the tree enjoying the morning experience. What a wonderful way to start a day.

A May tree bud right outside my window

I always look forward to the annual budding and blooming our May trees. It always fills me with a sense hope, joy and utter amazement. These trees had undergone a cold winter and had looked sickly, skeletal shadows of their former grandeur. Now, with bundles of hopeful flowers and leaves on every branch, they have already begun the transformation to becoming a full, beautiful gem of nature. I expect these buds will detonate in the next few days as the May tree blooms in the month it is named after each year. It seems that once these trees have welcomed spring with their many flowers and leaves, all the other plants receive the message that it is time to wake up and grow the roses.

Spring has Sprung: Puppies, Plants and Porcupines!

Time flies when you are stuffed to the gills with work. My apologies for not posting in so long; I have had so much to do! Anyway, I have the time now and intend to post regularly again.

Spring has sprung here in Edmonton. Though we had snow last week, slowly the days get warmer and brighter. With this newfound warmth, come other signs that Old Man Winter's icy grip is fading at last.

On the farm, the miracle of new life has once again taken place. Like many wonders of the world, this was unplanned and accidental. Lexi and Glenny are dogs belonging to my Aunt Hilde and Uncle Neil. In January of this year, Sandy (Neil's old Rottweiler) and Lexi were in their annual heat. As Hilde and Neil are experienced dog owners, they diligently kept Glenny separated from the females at all times to prevent puppy procreation. However, during a frosty January morning, Neil turned his back on the dogs for but a moment. The sex crazed Lexi and Glenny took advantage of this chance and immediately followed instinct. For complete details of what followed, see Jody's blog. A few weeks later four puppies met the world eyes shut and hungry. After this Lexi became extraordinarily defensive and would not let any of the other dogs near her litter. She nearly tore off Glenny's nose when he got too close. Now if Glenny even sees one of the puppies, he immediately runs the other way, tail between his legs. Three weeks later, a party was held at the farm celebrating the birthday's of Hilde, Neil and my Grandfather, Leroy. We all took turns holding the rolly-polly puppies, captivated by their adorable dependence. Eventually we had the bright idea of snapping photographs of the foursome for family abroad and albums of the future. Here is but one of many. (It is my lap the puppies are on.)

All four puppies on my lap.

The grass has ris'. Puppies aside, a rather astonishing sight can be seen by examining our garden. We were worried that many of the plants put into the ground last year would not survive the winter as they had been planted late. As the snow melted away we could see all the year old ground plants are still alive with sickly greenery. Winter came so quickly last year that the plants must have become dormant under the large, layered covering of ice and snow. Three days ago, during the annual assault on the snow mold, we discovered a single, tiny, new bloom on the year old Vinka amid new tiny sprouts of Scilla reaching for the sky. The snow on this plot had melted only days ago. Could this little flower have begun to bloom under the snow? What ever the answer, it is most encouraging to see that our attempts last year had not been in vain. After trips home from school, seeing this determined little flower cheers me and I pause to think of the wonders Mother Nature brings us. I think this year will be excellent for the gardening folk of Edmonton.

The Vinka bloom.

I wonder where the Porcupines is? Yesterday, I received news that our neighbor's, Ken and Remmy Nelson, plum tree had come to an untimely death the night before. A porcupine had stripped all the bark off the poor little tree. This porky perpetrator as caught in the act by Jesse and Dina, the Nelson's dogs. They are two very large, black, mystery breed dogs that have been dubbed "The Bears" by the community. When our canine twosome were let outside in the evening, they almost immediately began to bark at the porcupine whom was snacking on the upper portions of the tree. Ken and Remmy after hearing this prolonged barking decided to investigate the cause. They opened the back door to see this fat little porcupine munching on the tree, totally unperturbed by the rather large dogs below. After putting both dogs inside, Ken got a broom and persuaded the little fellow down and into the alleyway. Jesse and Dina were thankfully unscathed and kept inside for the rest of the night. We got a call from Ken not long after. He explained what had happened and advised we keep our pooch (also named Jesse) inside for the evening. We occasionally see porcupines ambling through the neighborhood due to our proximity to the river valley. When they visit, these cute but dangerous creatures are always watched at a distance with fascination. Even though they sometimes cause problems, I always hope they come back. It is refreshing to see such curious wildlife in an urban atmosphere.

The Ken and Remi's plum tree. You can see all the claw and teeth marks.

Watertight

The ultimate peace keeper. This was created by one of my favorite sites: Think Geek. If you would like your own copy to print, you can download it from their website. You will find the address under my link list. Once there, simply click 'about us' and scroll down the page. Enjoy!

Bio Band-Aid

Recently a friend of mine was on the receiving end of a Diagnostic Lumbar Puncture (spinal tap). He had a horrible, migraine scale headache and the doctors wished to rule out some serious causes such as Meningitis or an aneurysm in the brain. Everything turned up clear so, they sent him home with the recommendation of bed rest and painkillers to get over both the migraine and the spinal tap. A couple days later, he seemed to be getting worse. He had developed a terrible hunch, and could not stand up straight. The only way he could be comfortable was to be lying down in a certain position. Needless to say, he had to go back to the hospital.

After much worry, it was discovered that this was not very serious at all. The puncture he had received from the spinal tap had not closed off and he was very slowly leaking spinal fluid into his body. The body just absorbs this fluid, but the normal spinal fluid pressure could not be achieved with this leak. This was the reason he was experiencing discomfort in his back. What is so interesting about all this is the course of treatment the doctors decided to take.

If left alone, this leak sometimes resolves within a few weeks. During this period the patient would endure night sweats, pain, and weakness while restricted to bed rest. Modern medicine has a much faster treatment: an Autologous Blood Patch. A blood patch is exactly what it sounds like; it is a patch made out of blood. The word autologous used here means that the blood used is taken from the patient. The doctor draws blood from the patient and basically squirts it from a needle into the spine near the internal leak site. I need to mention that spinal cord is actually made up of multiple layers of tissue, almost like sleeves. The blood used ends up in a certain one of these layers and forms a blood clot ball around the spinal cord at the leak site. During this procedure, the patient must stay very still and allow the blood to clot. Before all this takes place, a local anesthetic is provided. It's the perfect spray on band aid! As the blood patch is made out of your body's own product, the immune system recognizes it and does not attempt to attack. Your blood is also very clean, so there is no risk of infection unless the tools used are not sterile. As you are in a hospital, it's fairly safe to assume that they are. (Unless you are treated at the St. Joseph's Hospital in B.C. I suppose.)

Blood Platelets under an electron microscope. These cells allow the formation of clots.
The red pigment has been added by a computer as color does not exist at this level of magnification.

No one is quite sure why my friend got the headache in the first place. I think a migraine is the most probable answer, as I have them from time to time. There is some speculation that they can run in families.

Certainly beats using a fresh fish to "draw out the poison " (an old Scottish folk remedy.) I suppose they thought as the fish decayed, poison was absorbed causing the rot.

The Relentless Project

I have been working casually on a project for a few weeks now. Does anyone remember the old game known as Little Big Adventure? (Also known as Relentless if you bought it in North America.) Well, whilst on one of my weekly internet explorations; I discovered two fan sites. These dedicated fan groups (who enjoy the game as much as I do) have started two exciting projects. Using the old engine, they plan to and have begun creating a sequel and prequel! If you are interested in visiting these sites, the links are on my Favorite Places List. After poking around I decided I wanted to help in anyway I could. After all, it was my favorite game once upon a time. They emailed me back a reply and set up a MSN conversation. (For those not savvy with internet junk like this, MSN is a way to communicate instantly on the internet using text.) After "talking" they informed me that I could help with a few things.

-English to French Translations (TGR)
-Writing/Editing the storyline (TGR)
-Creating a Wikipedia article (LBAP)
-Creating a trailer for the game (TGR)
-Provide input on artwork and music scores (TGR)


Golly, does this mean I'm a Game Designer now? Perhaps this could turn out to be something I add to my resume one day. It may be a small role, but it's still pretty interesting to be a part of something like this. I may look into composing some music for the game as well.

The game and site are run by fans alone. Anyone interested in helping is welcome to apply. It is totally non-profit as to avoid legal issues with the original French company, Adeline. In all honesty, I think that's the best plan. The non-monetary drive will keep the spirit and atmosphere of the site and game intact. Also, anyone even remotely interested can look at the game.

One item that we are still in need of is voice talent for the characters! Be it either bystander or main character, both games still need voices. Imagine, your voice preserved for eternity in a mass produced set of files. If you're interested in performing, contact either me or the LBA team by email. You can find more information, again, from my link list.

Rather exciting isn't it?

The Beginning of a Brave New Blog

For a few years now I have wanted to keep a journal. Just a little place of my own to record and share parts of my life. About 6 months ago my cousin, Jody Lightfoot, introduced me to blogging. She showed me her blog journal that she had kept during her travels away from home. I found myself eagerly checking it every week thereafter for a glimpse into her life and experiences. After reading how much she enjoyed maintaining her blog, I decided to take a shot at it.

Now, I may not be traveling or doing amazing things like she is, but some of the things I do and ponder may be of interest to others. Also, blogging is an easy way to receive feedback on these ideas and activities. For you readers, this blog will be a window into my head as I go through life. For me, by writing these things down I will have a physical record of my thoughts, feelings and experiences without worry of forgetting. I suppose, as it is a public journal, it is also a way for me to communicate with the world.

All I ask of you readers is to listen (and comment if you wish).