» Gyms

York University (Toronto) has a phobia about biceps and small towels
On my first visit to the gym at York University I was denied access because I was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt. I laughed and thought it was a joke until they showed me their official policy on shirt sleeve length:

Fitness Centre Mandatory Policies
All users must:

1. Wear a T-shirt (no cap sleeves)
2. Bring a towel (min. 22” by 42”)
3. Have valid tag visible on shoe
4. Not bring personal items into the Fitness Centre (e.g. bags)

www.recreation.yorku.ca/operations/hours.htm
(Fri 10th Jul 2009, 21:25, More)

» Strict Parents

No baths or school for you!
My Dad started his own super-strict funadmentalist religious cult when I was a child. We weren't allowed to read anything except the bible, and we could only listen to hymns that had been written by god-fearing people. I was forced to drop out of school after grade 10 because "they were corrupting my faith" and because women's only purpose in life is to get married and raise families.

My father was clealry insane. As a result, the only women who would marry him were also insane. My 3rd stepmom instigated a "bath schedule" to deal with the fact that there were seven kids and only one bathroom (and heaven forbid we should bathe together and see one another naked!) So, my bath time was Monday afternoon....that's right, only 1 bath permitted per week for an 11-year old with oliy skin and hair. She once punished me for taking a bath on Sunday, even though there was no one else home at the time.

Fortunately, I moved out so I could finish high school, and am now a faculty member at a Canadian college.
(Fri 9th Mar 2007, 16:04, More)

» Your Weirdest Teacher

The Evil French
In high school we had a supply teacher who, no matter what the subject he was supposed to be teaching, would somehow find a way to lecture the class about how the evil French were trying to overthrow the government of the United States. Apparently the French have realised that US currency says "backed by gold," but the Americans do not have sufficient gold to cover the value of all the dollars in circulation. The French are hoarding US dollars so that once thay have enough, they will present them to Washington, and demand gold in exchange. This will cause the collapse of the United States economy, which will then cause the collapse of the government.
(Sun 13th Nov 2005, 14:42, More)

» Fire!

I set our field on Fire
I was 4 years old, it was August, and we were experiencing a drought. My big sister suggested we go hide in the tall grass so our mom wouldn't see us playing with matches. My sister showed me how to light a match on a rock, them stamp out the fire. So, I lit my match, dropped it on the ground, and only then realised that I wasn't wearing any shoes. Obviously, I wasn't going to stamp on a live match with a bare foot. Within minutes the entire field was on fire.

I was afraid of getting a spanking, so I ran away and hid. By the time the volunteer fire department arrived, 5 acres had burned, and no one could find me...they all thought I'd burned up in the fire.
(Fri 4th Nov 2005, 22:35, More)

» I'm an expert

I'm a Physical Limnologist
I am an expert in the identification of benthic algae from central Canada...benthic algae are the ones that live on the bottom of bodies of water, not the ones that float in the water (they're planktonic algae.)

I'm also an expert on how the sloshing of water in a lake basin affects the lives and competitive abilities of these benthic algae.

My mom is very proud.
(Fri 24th Jun 2005, 15:24, More)