Moving Day Is Coming Soon

Hello Universe!

Josh, Heather and I just returned from seeing Prince of Persia, and I have to say that while I wasn't disappointed, I wasn't overly impressed either. As predicted, the film was very reminiscent of The Mummy but with more special effects and without the attempted comedy of Brendan Frasier. The story was simple (though I can't blame them there, as the story in the games came from a very basic concept), and had a serious lack of shirtless scenes from Jake Gyllenhall. Overall, I'd say it was a decent movie, but not something I'll be rushing to buy anytime soon.

In other (much more important news), both Josh and Michelle will be moving in soon, which has me pretty excited. :D We haven't set an exact date yet, but it'll probably be pretty soon and that means I have a lot of work to do in order to get the place ready for roommates! It's going to be awesome. While part of me loves my privacy, I have to admit living on my own can be a bit lonely at times.

Josh and I have been busy trying to get the house in shape lately. Last week Josh attempted to clear the eaves-troughs with somewhat hilarious results. Lets just say he was kind of filthy afterward, but he tried to make the best of it.

We've also been preparing to paint the house. When I bought the place it was pretty much move in ready, but the entire house was covered in a very, VERY deep olive colour. That has to go. We're changing a lot of the rooms and lightening the paint a lot. The office Josh and I are going to be sharing is going to be shades of blue which is going to be pretty awesome.

Here's Josh testing out some of the colours we've picked out:

I'll be sure to take a lot of photos as we're moving them both it and I'll show you how the "renovations" are going. Wish us luck!

Desires and Hatreds

I've begun to wonder lately: why is it that on average, we all seem completely incapable of being honest with each other? Why is it that if we truly want something, desire it with all our being, that we can't express it to those around us? We all have a tendency to bottle up our thoughts and feelings until they crack under pressure. Why is that?

There are always of course those who feel they have the answers. Philosophers, psychologists, sociologist. And those who have their excuses, the fears of being hurt, ridiculed, opening themselves up.

Personally, I feel that I have reached a point in my life where I am able to be honest with the people around me whom I am close with. However, even then, the number of people who I can truly express myself freely with is very small. Sometimes it feels as though there are others that I wish I could tell things to. In the back of my mind that nagging voice tells me, "What will they think? What if that's not the right thing to say? Maybe now's not the right time. Are you sure?"

And so things get left unsaid. The cycle continues and I find myself trapped, unsure of what to share and what to keep sealed away. Yet I still wonder why we allow this to occur. Wouldn't life be better if we were all honest with each other? Maybe it would be better if our secret desires were no longer hidden away, and if our deepest hatreds were shared. I wonder what our society would be like if life were like that...and if it could survive such brutal truths?

Some days I just wish I could be more out-going...

Can I Live Here? Please?!

Image Credit: Forest of Hills By Sau, Pixadus

A Little Ethics With Your Lunch?

Yesterday I attended an ethical discussion at work which touched on the idea of "when does the end of life begin?" I've never had a strong interest in ethics in the past but I found the discussion topic fascinating and decided to check it out.

Our conversation veered rather quickly away from the topic of the "end of life" and more towards the difficult decisions that need to be made as an individuals life is coming to an end. The question: when do you know that it is the right time to allow for someones passing? Unfortunately the discussion tended to be vague because as we all accepted early on, you can't make any blanket statements and assume that it will apply for every situation. The right time for one person may be vastly different then another. But how do you know? Is it when there are no other options left, when you are just too tired to fight, or when a medical professional tells you it's time?

The discussion only ran for an hour and in that time we only touched on a few parts of the issue. The biggest discussion was based on how one person or a collective can make such a decision for a person who is non-verbal and can't communicate their own wishes. It is at that point that you have to ask yourself what is best for this individual, and make a decision that is well informed yet free from as much bias as possible. However, even armed with as much knowledge as possible, and being completely free of emotion I don't know that I could make that call on someones behalf. I would never be able to say I had decided with 100% certainty. If the individual could communicate, would they express wishes contrary to the decision I had made?

I have been wondering these things for a little while now, especially with the operation Lana recently underwent. Some might say that the situation with Lana is different because she is a pet and not a human being...but I beg to differ. She is still a member of my family, someone I had to make a difficult decision for. We appear to have made the correct call, but still I have to wonder what she was thinking during the whole thing.

Attending the debate certainly opened my eyes to new questions. I'm glad that I attended and even expressed my own opinions. At points I felt a little bit out of my element being in a room filled with physical therapists, nurses and managers, but none-the-less I am glad I went.

I pose this question to you now, how do you know when it is time?

Lana's Operation

Hello everyone!

Lana has come out of her surgery and is doing great. She looks a little beat and and worse for wear, but overall she's doing just fine. They've had to remove her right eye and the socket is sewn shut and the area is shaved. She should be good in a few weeks and is on anti-biotics for the next few days.

I took a picture of her on my phone, if you want to see it you can check it out here. I warn you though, it's a little distrubing.

I'll be spending tomorrow with her, taking care of her and making sure she doesn't hurt herself. I'm certainly relieved that she came out of the whole thing as well as she did. They've sent the removed tissue off for testing and we should know whether it was cancerous in a few days. Thank you all for the well wishes.

NASA: Rosette Nebula

Hello Universe!

The NASA website has released another photograph that I find absolutely amazing. This image was captured by the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. A full description of the photo can be found here.

It's impressive that we can observe so much detail of a nebula that is so vast and distant. It kind of makes one feel tiny and insignificant.

Image Credit: ESA/PACS & SPIRE Consortium/HOBYS Key Programme Consortia

I Fight Dragons

Hello Universe!

Not a great deal to report today, just another day filled with another migraine. Headaches aside my health has been pretty decent lately. I'm trying to get myself back into shape so I started working out again. I've discovered there are muscles that can hurt even if you don't know they exist. Getting out of bed this morning was a little difficult as a result.

I've been expanding my music library over the past few weeks in an attempt to fill my iPod and new iPhone with as much music as possible. Sadly my CD drive in my computer has decided that it will not cooperate and won't rip any of my old CDs so lately I've had to rely on iTunes (and The Sixty-One) to fill my musical needs. I recently downloaded a few soundtracks (Star Trek, Alice In Wonderland), some Beethoven music, and most importantly the playlist of I Fight Dragons.

I Fight Dragons is a video-game inspired rock band. I absolutely love their music and I've attached the YouTube video for Overture below. Visually it's not the most impressive...but it's an awesome song none the less. I demand you check it out right now! (Aren't I so bossy?)

Now that you're in love with them, spread the word! (Speaking of music...did you know Billie Piper had a singing career before Doctor Who?! WTF?)

Alright, on to more important business. I'm going to try blogging more frequently in my attempt to start writing regularly again. In order to promoting my blogging efforts I'm going to need a name for this pretty little weblog of mine (legantral's Weblog just doesn't do it for me).

So...suggestions?

How To Tell Between What Is Best & What Is Right

How do you determine what is in someones best interest?

If you are taking actions that will affect a persons life, you might consult with them first or you may make assumptions based on your knowledge of the person involved. Sometimes you might not even realize your actions could have an effect (positive or negative) to anyone beyond yourself.

But what about if the person in question can't communicate their wishes? What do you do when they are incapable of expressing what is in their best interest?

Do you make assumptions based on past knowledge, do you consult with an expert, or do you make a decision blindly and hope that it is the right thing to do?

I see these situations on a daily basis, typically minor decisions made on the behalf of someone who can't communicate their own wishes. Now, however, I find myself in the position where I must make a decision that will effect someone I care about. In my situation however, the person in question is my pet.

Lana is going in for surgery on Thursday to have her right eye removed. She has a growth behind her eye that is causing major damage to her eye socket. I told myself I would never put her through a surgery like that, but now I'm not sure what to do. If she were a person I would ask what she wanted to do, but she's not. She's a dog; intelligent but completely incapable of expressing complex desires.

She is not in any visible pain, and it is likely that the removal of the growth will stop the damage. However, in performing the operation she will be left blind on her right side and we may discover that her medical situation is worse (i.e. cancerous). How can I really make that sort of decision for her?

My family and I have elected to have the surgery done, and she goes in to the vet on Thursday. I can't say I'm very happy about the situation and I'm rather torn on how I feel about the whole thing.

What would you do if you had to make a decision for a pet who couldn't provide their own input?