In an effort to keep the material somewhat fresh for the first couple of days, I thought I would share something else. I’ve recently gotten caught up in this incredibly pointless but oddly fun thing called colorwars. I won’t go into an explanation as to what it is, as you can figure it out the way I did with a few google searches and a Twitter account. But, I will say one thing: I find it absolutely fascinating how it’s possible to interact with complete strangers over the internet and collaborate on things I never thought possible.

Case in point: a little ditty I like to call “Pork Rap”. Part of the “nerd rap battle”, Pork Rap incorporates everyone’s favourite stereotypes about the musical genre: misogyny, violence, sexual innuendo, posses, drugs, diseases related to doing misogynistic things, and pork-related products. I can honestly say that this wasn’t something I ever expected to exist, let alone make myself. Enjoy!

http://tinyurl.com/6hnnrw

So, I decided to start a blog. Why is that, you ask? Do I feel like what I say is important? Do I even think people want to read what I have to say? The answer, for both questions, is no. Is it because I am a self-serving narcissist? Maybe. Whatever the reason, and despite having openly mocked people with blogs in the past, it’s made. We’ll see how long she lasts.

Basically, I’m coming to two realisations. One is that I don’t write enough, and when I do write, it’s always science-y stuff. I miss writing for an audience that doesn’t care about, taking examples from recent classes, how hydrogen peroxide is produced in the lungs, or if SPME is a good way of sampling water samples for bisphenol A. There’s an art to that kind of writing, but I don’t want to lose the art of writing in a relaxed, conversational style of which journal articles are so painfully devoid.

The second realisation is that I don’t keep in touch with people very well. I figured that a blog would be a good way to exercise the writing muscles and keep up with people who live in other parts of the country and the world, hopefully without adding too much to the flotsam of the internet by detailing what I ate for breakfast. It’s writing an open letter, if you will, to anyone who cares to read it. Just thoughts, musings, events, and the like.

So to start out: it’s spring. Glorious springtime. The sun is out, I’m happy, and, more importantly, Toronto seems to have at least momentarily awaken from its winter funk. I rode my bike along the waterfront and saw people and families out smiling, laughing, and enjoying the warmth. And who cares if the weekend is going to be cold? I’m choosing just to take it as it is, rather than be brought down with what’s coming.

Oh, and the photo above is from Jasper, and is completely unrelated to everything. I just liked the photo and it happened to be on this computer.