I Found a New Form of Politeness!

I have stumbled upon a gentlemanly phenomenon that I had not been aware of at my new building. I work at Commerce Place now, so I ride the elevator up 17 floors everyday. It is within these elevators that said phenomenon was observed.

All of the men in my building ‘hold’ the door open for all of the other people on the elevator, especially women. Even if a man is the last person to enter the elevator and is standing in front of everyone who needs to exist, he shifts to the side, places his arm or briefcase in front of the door sensors and allows everyone to go ahead of him. I’ve even seen it happen where two or three guys all make the attempt to hold open the door or be the last to exit and it makes for a rather entertaining little dance of ‘who goes first?’

This brings up a few questions to me, but my main question is why? Elevator sensors will sense the people exiting and not shut the door. The briefcase/arm is not really required. Where did this originate? Is this isolated to my building or is this societal? It seems like a very polite thing to do, but at the same time it has misogynistic undertones. I’m not saying that I would ever get upset at someone for holding a door for me, but it is an example of women being treated differently at the workplace. Could it be the guys like the ‘view’ that the situation provides? Maybe I should challenge the role and do it to the men in the elevator, to show them the same politeness they have afforded me.

Or perhaps I’m taking a polite gesture made by people who want to make the world feel a little more civilized and over-analyzing it. Either way, it’s still interesting to witness.

They Call it "F...Ff..Fr..Free.." Time?

I had the oddest realization the other day. It's odd in the fact that it was so obvious and simple that I had not even seen it. So ready? Here it is.

I'm not busy anymore.

Weeeeeeeiiiiird. I spent the last year prioritizing my internship above everything. My evenings were not my own half the time because I had meetings to be at. It was a fact of life that I got used to. I was so busy that I forgot to cut my hair for 6 months. It felt like I had cut it recently and then all of the sudden it's 6 months later and I have ridiculous amounts of hair.

But now I have my evenings free. I have to come up with ways to fill them for myself. I suppose one suggestion would be to get a hair cut.

You want to know what the tragic part is? I'm sad that I'm not busy. I love being busy. I like not having all that much time to myself at home because when I do find that time, I truly appreciate it. If I'm not busy all the time then I get bored quickly, what with having no TV to constantly entertain me. And you know what I hate? Being bored. It's definitely the worst.

Anyway, in a nutshell: I have free time and it's kind of freakin' me out.

It's The Force!

You know what is a tremendously interesting book? A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It's just awesome. I'm only 150 pages in and I can't stop thinking and talking about it.

It explains the most complex ideas in science in a form that regular people can understand. He uses fantastic metaphors and regales you with tales of drama from scientists' lives through the centuries. What inspired me to write this post is at the subatomic level. First of all, the subatomic level is a pretty crazy place that is pretty much as hard to comprehend as the vastness of the universe. But yet somehow Bryson made it accessible. So...

Ok. Think back. At some point in school we learned about what makes up an atom. There are neutrons and protons in the nucleus of the atom with electrons somehow floating/orbiting/they aren't even sure what to call it around the nucleus. There are always the same number of protons as electrons, and scientists have determined that each is partnered. If one electron is affected, it's partner proton is affected in the opposite manner. Here's the kicker that they haven't been able to explain; honestly it's so incomprehensible that scientists just ignore the 'why' and accept that it is the way it is.

If you spin an electron in one direction, the partner proton instantly spins the opposite way. They tested this when each was 7 miles apart from one another. 7 miles might as well be across the galaxy when you think about how small an electron is. Instantly the proton spun in the opposite direction. Instantly. Here's an example that allowed my brain to comprehend it. 2 Scientists. One is at Southgate and the other is at City Centre Airport. In front of each of them is a miraculous floating ping pong ball that is spinning. The scientist at Southgate spins hers in the opposite direction and at that same nanosecond, the ball at the city centre airport starts spinning in the opposite direction with no explanation but its relationship with the other ball. Of course the problem with this example is scale. If we're blowing up electrons and protons to the size of pingpong balls then the scientists would have to be... hmmm... uhhh... carry the one... really far apart.

Anyway, this occurence completely violates Einstein's Theory of Relativity whereby nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. This is the theory we use to currently define our universe!There is some force that allows for electrons and protons to share a connection across the relative distance of a galaxy. It's a miraculous connection that our meagre minds have yet been able to begin to comprehend. Could it be that it surrounds us and penetrates us? That it binds the galaxy together? Perhaps the only person smart enough to comprehend it is George Lucas.

One physicist has even said that scientists have dealt with this problem so far by 'not thinking about it.' Can you think of what it would be like to be the person with the brainpower to prove The Force exists? This person, like Einstein, will change the way that we understand our universe. Was your mind just blown? Mine was.

I'm totally nerding out over here.

And just for funzies...

Since I was talking about Tyra, I figured I should add this one in.

Damn Girl!

Ok, so we've all heard it a hundred times over the past few years. A ridiculous number of us ladies have the wrong size bra on. Oprah says it. Tyra says it. And if Oprah and Tyra say it, I don't think it could be any more true. Honestly, you'd think it was some kind of epidemic the way people talk about it.

However, I discovered today why they make such a big deal out of it. It's because when you put on the correct size, it's like your entire wardrobe and body changes. I tried on a size I never thought I was and BAM! My underclothing paradigm was forever changed. All I could think to myself was Damn Girl! (like in the Justin Timberlake song, not like in a cheezy Tyra kind of way)

Ladies? Go try a new size.

Oh and what's my new size?

Wouldn't you just like to know.

Where the Hell is Matt?

That Darn Travel Bug

This video just made my skin itch. It's so itchy and the only way it can be scratched is by travelling. Darn those expensive travel bugs. Darn them all to heck.

I should be going to Newfoundland in October, and I'm actually really excited for that. The NL is far enough that it is almost another country, but you know what? Watching this video just made me think how not far enough it is and how many places I haven't seen.

The guy who made this video was sponsored to go around the world for 6 months and dance badly. They paid for all of his expenses therefore his only limitation was time. Talk about the sweetest job ever created.

Anyway, pick your favorite scene out of the dozens there. My personal favorite is the one with the Rwandan children dancing around him - they're all so happy!

The Passing of the Torch

Here I sit on Tuesday afternoon, barely able to get my mind to focus. Bright and early tomorrow I leave to Kananaskis for my last intern-related conference. That's right. It's one more post about internship nostalgia. I promise it will stop eventually :)

It should be legendary good times as it starts with a road trip listening to cheezy 80's dance tapes and it can only get better from there. I get to freak out the new interns with tales of presenting to council, reviewing Economic Development Plans and overhauling 5 Year Business plans just because I felt like it. These are people who have yet to learn what the difference is between the MGA and MR. Just like me one year ago. Mwahahaha. New interns are already standing around like deer in headlights; I may actually feel bad if I freak them out anymore.

Then I will pass the alcohol torch onto them. This is the conference where all the interns are told that they should be a bunch of drunkards whenever they are together. This is a stereotype that my group rebelled against eventually due to the fact that we didn't like getting drunk every night we were together. What's wrong with being sober anyhow? However, it still seems like tradition that the new interns need to think that they should drink together. Maybe it's a bonding thing, maybe I want them to seem more inept than myself or maybe it's because there are CAO's and lawyers buying all of us free shots of tequila, but I think the tradition will be passed down.

Also, I have a loft suite to myself. So rad! Oh man, I'm so excited.

It's The Little Things That Getcha

Seriously.

Ok, so I know I'm no expert when it comes to vehicles, but I'm also not the most hopeless person. I'm not too afraid to try to fix the simple stuff ie. things I can read how to do on the internet.

However, when one gives up trying to work on the car for any longer because one has become convinced that the wire to pop the hood has broken, one walks away in defeat... for now. Bitter, bitter defeat. I was convinced that the engine of the corolla would be locked away forever in one final gigantic quirk that defined that car through the years.

Now, I was going over this incident after it happened and picturing it in my mind. I was pulling the lever and nothing was happening. Pulled lever... nothing. oh.....no.....I'm an idiot.

That's right. After the fact I realized I was pulling the trunk release, not the hood release.

No wonder the hood wouldn't open!