Psychoflower

A Simple Life

2007-03-16T23:32:00.000-04:00

Since January (and before that, to some extent), I've been thinking about the simple life. And not the one with Paris and Nicole. No, just the idea that simplicity has a lot to offer. At the Winter Retreat I went on with my Navigators, we spoke about this a little bit. The basic concept, as I see it, is having/buying what you need, and getting rid of clutter and complication in your life. I know it's true: I do not have a simple life. I have so much stuff that I don't need, and half the time don't even realize what I have. I have a perfectly good closet that I could put clothes in, but instead the room is taken up by about 4 plastic totes that are stacked in it. Sure, some of that stuff I need, but not necessarily right in my room, and probably not too often. It's unnecessary and ridiculous . . . but it's a habit. I think it's a habit that many people have. But it's not just material things . . . it's also aspects of my life. Do I need 4 e-mail addresses? No. Do I even get around to checking them all? Nope. The other thing that prevents my life from being as simple as I'd like it to be is busy-ness. Of course, some of that is unavoidable; I have to get to work on time, and hurry to my classes, run to meet my carpool. But honestly, there must be something in my power to stop me from running around like a headless chicken. Considering simplicity is helping me to realize the things that are important in my life. E-mailing my friends, talking to my family, getting my reading done . . . even taking an hour or two to relax and check out Veronica Mars or Grey's Anatomy. These things matter to me. I need to have time to do the things I want with my life. People are important. Life is important. And anything that can be done to make life a little easier should be sought after with reckless abandon. Which is why I am, inch by inch, trying to make my life a little bit simpler. My school e-mail now forwards to another e-mail account. If something can be put off for awhile without too much trouble, it will be. I'm going through old clothes and plan on giving what I don't need to charity (although not as quickly as I'd like to). I'm trying to buy only what I need. Not much progess has been made as of yet . . . but I'm working on it. And that's as good a start as any.

The Worst Day Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-01-12T16:56:00.001-05:00

*note: I am at a school computer, and the S key isn't working right. If a word doesn't seem right, imagine an s there somewhere*

This is not a happy story. If you're hoping for an uplifting blog, look elsewhere. However, if you're hoping to laugh at my misfortunes, you've come to the right place. I had an awful day yesterday, and I'm going to share it with you.

It started at work (co-op position mailing out math contests) when my co-worker and I messed up scanning some packages. It was an honest mistake, but it caused some greif. (We thought we had it all fixed at the end of yeterday, but when we got to work today we spent most of the morning continuing to fix it).

Alo, I don't know what it wa about yeterday, but all of my clothe were chapping my skin: pants, bra, hirt, everything. It' jut one of thoe annoying thing that pick at you all day long and break you down slowly until you are mierable. Thank goodne for cocoa butter, although it didn't help all that much.

At lunch I wa going to go to the SLC, but changed my mind, only to realise at 4:30 that I had igned up to help with the Navigators booth for clubs days during lunch hour. Not a big deal becuae there were other people there, but I hate feeling like I've let omeone down.

Then I wa almot late for class, and when I got there I made a bit of ass in front of my prof. Luckily it wa not in front of the entire cla, jut him, but in ome way it' worse. I gue it wan't a big deal, but I aked him omething that didn't make sense, or maybe wan't even in real englih, and he wa like "What??!". Not the impression you want to make.

The guy who iad he'd drive me home (who, by the way, is very attractive . . . but he has a girlfriend . . . of coure . . . but at leat he in't gay lol) ince he live in Guelph wasn't there. And I forgot to call my dad to let me know to come get me on my break. So I had to text meage Jenelle to call my dad to tell him to come get me (thanks again Nelle!), but he wan't home and hi cell phone wa dead. Even when I got out of cla, he wan't anwering. Finally, I managed to reach him but he took 40 minute to get there, and I don't mean to ound ungrateful, I appreciate my dad muchly all he doe for me, but I jut wan't in a waiting mood. All I wanted to do wa watch Grey' Anatomy, eat (drink?) my oup, pack for my retreat and go to bed.

On the drive home, dad hit an oppossum. Thi wa the traw that broke the camel' back. He wa o cute and jut walking along all innocent, and then WHAM! I hope it wan't a mommy. Or a baby. I tried not to cry but I couldn't help it. Yeah, I'm a crybaby, whatever. I don't normally conider myelf to be a huge animal right activit, but that wa horrible.

And, as the crowning glory, I got home to find out that Grey's DID NOT TAPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! The VCR told me it wa taping when I got home (I wa taping Grey's and ER), but then . . . no dice. I went through the tape 2 or three times, fast forwarding to My tepmother Is An Alien and Cinderella (the things I wa trying to tape over) numerou times. For week I have been looking forward to new epiodes of shows (jut ak April), and I only follow 2 or 3. And I don't think they replay them at any point.

Let' jut ay I'm glad that one i over.

Cheer to a better weekend, all!
-Amy

The Love of My Life

2006-10-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

Hey All

No, I have not met the man of my dreams. I'm talking about RENT. If you know me, you know I love it. A lot. I believe I have posted about it before, but not matter. I have seen it 5 times and am going again in November (y'all should come rush with my cousin Nathan (I love you, man!) and I. Best seats in the house for $20. It will be great.). It's so beautiful, so witty, so truthful, so well-written, so honest . . . it's pretty damn near perfect. If I knew a guy like Roger, I would totally date him. Who doesn't want a bad-ass rocker boyfriend? I sure do. Anyway, the reason I was thinking about RENT today was because I was looking at my friend Jenelle's blog, and she had her "What RENT Character Are You?" results posted, so I decided to take the quiz myself. Much to my delight, there are numerous such quizes. So I took 5 . One says I am most like Mark(this one only had like 4 questions, so I question its accuracy - but you can find it at http://quizilla.com/users/metaline/quizzes/Which%20RENT%20Character%20Are%20YOU%3F/), and one told me I was most like Roger (which I was super excited about), then Joanne, then Maureen (which is also awesome) (this quiz is at http://www.selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=RENTCHICK). Still another says I am Joanne (http://www.geocities.com/exactlywhoiam/renttest/renttest.html), and a fourth says I'm Collins (http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=14665). The fifth and final one I took told me there was a tie between Angle and Mimi, which is groovy (http://www.thealmightyguru.com/reviews/rent/rent-quiz.html). What is going on here? Anyway, the quizes were a good time, so you should go take them. Today for you, tomorrow for me!

Yes, I Am an English Major

2006-10-05T00:30:00.000-04:00

Hey again

Long time no write. Well, comparitive to other absences of mine I suppose this one is pretty minor. But I wanted to write this time before April threatens to delete her link to my blog.

It is a question that is commonly posed to university and even highschool-aged students: What are you (going to be) studying? And, closely following that, what will you do once you're done school? I myself hate both of those questions with the burning passion of 1000 suns, and I know at least two others who feel the same way. Now, some degrees pretty much lead you directly to one or a select few number of occupations. If I take computer science or engineering, it's pretty obvious what my career goals are. However, if I was to take environmental studies or even English Literature, the career paths aren't nearly as clear. I'm the first to admit that I do not know what I want to pursue as a career after I graduate. All I know for sure is I want to pay off all my student debt as soon as possible. There are some things within the realm of English that I think I might enjoy such as editing and teaching English. However, I don't actually know for sure, and I'm not 100% sold on either of those. And actually, what does it matter? I have possibly 4 more years of post-secondary education before I even have to think about such things. Besides, going to university in many ways is about getting a degree and the experience that it provides. When it comes right down to it, I don't have a stellar reason for choosing English. I always enjoyed reading and writing, and usually enjoyed English classes. zit also turned out that English was one of only a few arts subjects that had a co-op stream. I don't pretend to have exceptional taste in literature, nor perfect grammar, nor an award-winning essay writing skills. But it's something I enjoy studying, and for right now, that's enough for me.

As Summer Slips Away . . .

2006-08-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

If you've been to a Staples Business Depot lately, you should have realized two things
#1 Veronica Mars Season 2 has finally arrived! (for only $49.99!!)
#2 Back to school season has officially begun!!!
Now, let me just tell you, I am very extra SUPER excited about #1. I just finished watching all of the first season last weekend and can hardly wait for the second.
#2 I am having some serious mixed feelings about. Actually, back to school shopping is my very favourite kind of shopping. If you know me at all you know of my affection for pens of all sizes, shapes and colours. I feel that you can NEVER (ever) have too many of them. So back to school shopping is a little slice of heaven for me in that regard. Who doesn't love fresh paper, clean binders, and brand spanking new agendas? (btw April, I finally found one, so no need to give me yours, but I do appreciate the offer). Even though some of my classes will likely bore me to tears and leave me with more reading than one person can possibly manage, I am still excited for the new semester. After all, I am taking intro to human sexuality and get to read a book called The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way. Plus I am helping out with the Navigators, and my lovely Kate will be at my school. So now you're thinking, okay Amy, what are these mixed feelings you speak of? Well, let me just tell you that I have been having a fantastic summer. It didn't work out financially as well as I hoped, but I had a sweet job working as a nanny for a great family with fantastic kids. Plus I had weekends off and got to hang out with April (link to her Blog, Feria Films, from mine -->) and her cool friends. So I will be sad to leave this new life I have started and finished way too quickly. I have made some new friends here that I won't soon forget, and now I have more people to visit when I come to our nation's capital. As a perfect end to my summer, I get to spend one last week at camp! Woohoo!!! I still need on Ottawa shot glass or two . . . that's one thing I did not manage to find. Although I found some that said Toronto and Niagara Falls . . . figure that one out.

Single Girls in the Real World (it's a long one . . . )

2006-06-15T08:43:00.000-04:00

I feel sort of weird using these lyrics, but I'll explain that later. I really like the song, anyway, so here go my favourite parts of it.

Single - Natasha Bedingfield

I'm not waitin' around for a man to save me (Cause I'm happy where I am)
Don't depend on a guy to validate me (No no)
I don't need to be anyone's baby (Is that so hard to understand?)
No I don't need another half to make me whole
Make your move if you want
Doesn't mean I will or won't
I'm free to make my mind up
You either got it or you don't

[Chorus:]
This is my current single status
My declaration of independence
There's no way I'm tradin' places
Right now a star's in the ascendant
I'm single (Right now)
That's how I wanna be
I'm single (Right now)
That's how I wanna be
Ah yeah uh huh that's right

Don't need to be on somebody's arm to look good (I like who I am)
I'm not saying I don't wanna fall in love 'cause I would
I'm not gonna get hooked up just 'cause you say I should (Can't romance on demand)
I'm gonna wait so I'm sorry if you misunderstood

(lyrics provided by dani31@suscom.net at sing365.com)

Ok. Now the explanation. As most of you people reading this already know, I have been single for quite some time. The last two guys I sort of liked turned out to be gay, and the other guy from EBC, well, let's just say it didn't turn out as planned. Most days (maybe not 'most' by a large margin though . . .) I'm totally cool with my single status. Those are the days I could rock out with Natasha up there and be all hells yeah. (P.S. "Hells yeah" is exactly what I would be like, lol.) I like not having to impress anyone (at least not all the time), and I really do appreciate the (long) break from all the melodrama inherent in all (yeah, ALL) relationships. The "oh my gosh, I think he's mad at me!" , "actually, I can't hang out with you tonight it's me and (insert cute guy's name)'s night", and "well, (insert said name) said that . . ." does get old. And irritating. I'm also proud of myself for not bowing down to the level of going for any "smooth" guy trying to pick me up at a club (ew!) or even taking a chance with a guy I almost dated in highschool. Actually, to be honest, neither of those guys had a snowball's chance in hell. But I still have managed to remain single when I could have dated someone regardless of the fact that he was less than stellar. Which is something I haven't always been so quick to avoid. And, no offense to those into internet dating, but I am glad I have steered clear of that also. It's not my bag (did I pick that up from you, April? It's a good one).

However, if I'm honest with myself and anyone else reading this, there are days when I would kill (not actually!) to be dating. To me, there is just something about that kind of relationship that is unlike any other. It can't be matched with anything else. No matter how close you are to your friends, family, co-workers . . . it isn't the same. And no, it's not just the making out lol. It's just a special connection you have with that one person. You know they know you super well, and they get you. Of course, it isn't like that right away; it would take months or years to get to that. But I'd be willing to put in the time. With the right person of course. And then there's the fact that everyone, their brother, their fourth cousin and their boss are getting married. It's moderately (ok, more than moderately) distressing that while all my friends are tying the knot (and there isn't anything wrong with that), I have yet to even meet someone I like well enough to date. The fact that all the people in my class are like 3 years younger than me doesn't help. Ick! Then, once you start dating, there needs to be, at the very least, a year before engagement or weddings or whatever. And that's only if everything goes totally smoothly . . . which, if past experience is accurate, rarely (if ever) happens. The whole process could take numerous guys, and years! Dating someone would also make things like having a wedding date a question of the past (P.P.S. Has anyone seen that movie! It's killer good. April probably has. That's my girl.) I know I'm only 21, but I (and our culture) make me feel like I'm running out of time!

Which brings me to my next point, which is the stigma attached to being single. There are, of course, the stupid, stupid sayings like 'my other half' with the idea that people (most often women) need someone else to feel 'complete'. But that's not even what I mean. Now, I love my family. I'm glad of that fact, too, because I know not everyone can say that. But every time I go to a family gathering, someone asks if I have a boyfriend or who (whom?) I'm dating. They mean well, but really, if I was dating someone and felt like telling them, wouldn't I do it? I guess their concern is that I won't, which is valid considering the grilling I would undergo. They have even offered to 'find me someone'. Apparently my aunt has someone chosen for me , and Nathan knows who he is, but they refuse to tell me. My money is on someone from camp. I "jokingly" told my cousin Ian to keep his eyes open for a masters student for me (he'll be doing his masters at UW). They are mnore my age, anyway. The worst part is that they think that there's something wrong with me since I'm not dating. Maybe I'm too picky, or I'm not trying. Or worse. (Some of you already know this story . . .) I was talking to my cousin on the phone a few weeks ago, and she asked me if I had a boyfriend. When I told her no, she asked me, deadpan, in all seriousness, if I was gay. She honestly did! At the time I laughed it off, but every time I think about it now it kind of upsets me. The fact that I'm not dating does not make me a lesbian! Even if I was a lesbain, I'm not sure I'd react well to that. I should have told her I was. Anyway. Point is, there is nothing wrong with single people! Grr. Do your part to make the world a more single-friendly place. Which sounds funny coming from a bridesmaid. Whatever.

Sorry. That came off more bitter than I meant it. I'm totally happy for Cameron and Beth, Jenelle and Graham, your brother, boss and fourth cousin. Really I am. It just threatens my singleness, which I'm not always down with. I'll get over it. Thanks for reading.

Superstition and The End of the World

2006-06-11T22:45:00.000-04:00

Hello again

I just have to tell you people how freaking hilarious I found the whole world being up in arms about the world ending last Tuesday. It was totally ridiculous! Did God ever tell us that the world was going to end on June 6th 2006? Or Jesus? Did He not say we wouldn't know the day or the hour? Besides, do we really think satan would be that obvious? Although I must say I was amused that the lady on the news told me that if the world was ending that day we didn't really need to know the weather report.

Also, I went to the movies today with my charges. The plan was to see Cars but the dumb theatre people oversold the tickets and the idea of watching a movie while seated in the aisle did not sound like a good plan to me. So Alexie and I saw The Omen instead. (Or as she calls it, The Om - pronounced Ohm). It pretty much blew. It wasn't scarey except the dumb kind of scarey that makes you jump for a second. Of course, missing the first 20 minutes likely didn't help. Whatever.

To keep with stupid people being superstitious, Alexie and I conducted a bit of an experiment last week. We were talking about how some buildings don't have a 13th floor because it's "bad luck". Now, I get the theory behind Friday the 13th being considered bad luck because Jesus was supposedly crucified on a Friday the 13th, but what up with the 13th floor? So we decided to call some hotels and see if they had 13th floors. We must have called like 15 hotels, and while many didn't have more than 9-ish floors, out of those that had over 13, only one actually had a 13th floor. How lame is that? Superstition is kind of dumb. I guess I'd make a bad actor. I hit the roof of my car twice when I go through a yellow light not because I'm superstitious but because it amuses me and reminds me of those guys I met at that party who insist that when they do that they are "banking sex minutes". Hahaha.

P.S. And as for those buildings who just go from the 12th floor to the 14th floor, you're not fooling anyone. The 14th just becomes the 13th. It isn't brain surgery. What stupidity.

Stupid Freaking Customer Service Reps . . .

2006-06-05T12:21:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone

I was going to blog about my first week in Orleans but now I'm too mad. So instead I will blog about why I'm so mad. A few months ago I was into playing computer games so I got a subscription with RealArcade so I could download games. Since I'm not around for the sumer and have all the games I want, I decided to cancel it. Of course you can't just e-mail or cancel it yourself, you have to call a 1-800 number. So I call, and the first lady couldn't even find my information even though it has been located before. She tells me to call my bank and get a merchant number. So I do that, and the TD Visa chick can't give me a merchant number, and tells me to tell them to call Visa to verify the charges. So I call RealArcade back, and this time he finds my info, no problem, even though I give him the same information as I gave the first rep. And HE proceeds to patronizingly tell me that there is no sense in cancelling now because I have been credited two months, and I can just respond to the e-mail they send me to cancel. Even though I tell him that there is no sense in me having it because I'm away and can't use it, he will hear none of that. So three bloddy phone calls were made for no purpose, and I'm mad for no good reason. I hate customer service.

He's Perfect . . . He's Gay

2006-04-28T23:49:00.000-04:00

I have fallen prey to a habit lately. It has happened 3 times . . . and that's just the times I'm aware of thus far. I meet a guy. He's attractive (usually VERY attractive, maybe that should have been my first warning), sweet, kind, easy to talk to . . . all the things you would hope for in a man. He's even well-dressed (clue #2) and he smells amazing. So I get to know this guy, we hang out, we talk a lot, whatever. And then, usually out of nowhere, with no warning, the truth 'comes out' (haha) . . . he's - gay. Not at all attracted to women. Well, it explains the well-dressed and ridiculously good-looking bit. And at least you know it has nothing to do with you specifically - just your gender. But WHY are they always gay? And WHY did I not see it sooner? These are life's great mysteries. I won't mention his name, because ppl who know him may one day read this blog, and I don't want to make him feel weird or put him on the spot b/c he is fantastic and I love him dearly. But suffice it to say I had a bit of a crush on this guy and just when I was thinking about moving in for the kill I find out he's gay. And in no way is that a problem for me at all - it does not bother me in the least. Except for the fact that this beautiful creature is 100% off-limits. A non-breeder, as he humourously told me he was (hehe. I don't mean that in a nasty way at all. I laughed when he told me that.). It in fact is more than useless to even try. So, apart from your broken heart and wounded spirits, you still have an awesome friend, and (finally!) a guy who truly appreciates the beauty of the male form. He can tell you you have good boobs without it being weird, and you don't have to feel like you need to impress him (anymore). You know he'll dance with you at a club, and you'll actually have his name and number at the end of the night, plus you won't feel used and dirty because he knows the spirit of the thing, and it was all harmless. The thing that gets me is, these king of guys don't seem gay in the least. Which I guess makes sense, because if you thought he was gay to begin with you wouldn't be interested. In fact, when he told me he was gay, I preceeded to tell him that he was "the straightest gay guy I know." He may even be (or at least seem) the straightest of the straight guys I know. But this has happened to me three times, and twice lately. How is this possible? Can I not have a crush on nice straight boy? *sigh* Here's hoping for better luck in the future. Or at least better gay-dar.

I Guess I Got Tagged??

2006-03-07T18:41:00.000-05:00

4 jobs I have had:
1.Child Support Worker
2.Child Care Provider
3.Treeplanter
4.Replenishment Staff

4 movies I could watch over and over:
1.Ten Things I Hate About You
2.Down To You
3.50 First Dates
4.Saved

4 books I could read over and over:
1.The Bible (yes I did steal April's answer)
2.The Pact by Jodi Picoult (I think that's her name)
3.Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
4.Don't Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniels

(4) places I have lived:
1.Guelph
2.Kitchener

4 places I have been on vacation:
1.PEI
2.Florida
3.The Dominican Republic (sort of)
4.New York City (sort of)

4 websites I visit daily:
1.Hotmail
2.UW-ACE
3.TD Canada Trust (almost daily)
4.Real Arcade

4 favourite non-alcoholic drinks
1.Tea
2.Iced Tea
3.Water
4.Cafe Mocha

4 favourite musicians
1.Relient K
2.The Used
3.Dashboard Confessional
4.The Postal Service

last 4 books I read
1.Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
2.Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
3.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
4.Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
(can you tell I'm in Children's Lit?)

last 4 movies I have seen
1.Quiz Show
2.Brokeback Mountain
3.50 First Dates
4.Man on Fire

what is on my desk right now
Well, I'm not at my desk but bird seed, papers, books, pens, pins . . . I don't know I don't sit there much, especially since my wireless connection isn't working at the moment.

bloggers I am tagging
You all have done this already so there's no one left.

It's Been Too Long

2006-03-07T17:51:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone

I'm very sorry it's been so long since I last blogged. I don't have a good excuse really, except that I have 5 classes this semester as opposed to 4 last semester. There have been some new things in my life as late, or at least sort of new. So here's the lowdown.
-I went on a trip to North Bay to visit my friend Alicia.
It was fun. I saw snow banks taller than me and watched her rabbits go at it. It was her boyfriend's idea. I met him too. He's cool. An enormous improvement over her previous boyfriend Drew who was a major ass-face. Although, as her friend Corey pointed out, a gopher would have been an improvement over that jerk. (Don't worry I said that to her face.) So that was good times, especially since I hadn't seen her since August. We went out to a bar (after drinking Peach Schnapp's in lemonade, which sounds really sketchy but actually tastes pretty good - besides, lemonade was all we had) and it happened to be pseudo-'retro' night, meaning music from like 5-7 years ago. We jammed to tunes like "Baby When the Lights Go Out" and "Ghetto Superstar". We almost didn't care that we were the only ones dancing.
-This weekend I am going to Simcoe to chill with my cousins, the Cooks and a hot tub.
I'm pumped. Jenelle might come too. Haven't seen those guys in what seems like forever. Much time will be spent watching The OC, Will & Grace, Rent, I Heart Huckabees and whatever else we can get our hands on. They are renting a hot tub so that's awesome. And Nathan owes me an Apple Toffee Tart a la Jamie Oliver. Rock on.
-In a few weeks I am headed to the Wa. Woot.
My friend Stephy is coming with me. Nelle can't make it this time but I'm sure we'll be back. We get to see Chel (and also her baby-tummy). I may also have some interviews for a summer job over there. I think that April will lead us in making Jamaican Jerk Pork since she wasn't too down with eating it for breakfast (as I suggested we do). I think I would also like for them to show me some nightlife, and we should make fancy drinks. Girly ones. Boo-ya-ka.
-In a month and a half, I am headed to Moncton with Jenelle and Judy for Graham's graduation.
I am sooooo pumped. Judy's boyfriend is going too. Nelle and I will be taking a train WITH A BEDROOM! there and flying home. We will check out Halifax and get pierced (hehe) and hit up some PEI and all that good stuff. I am so excited! Hurray.
-I quit my job at Zellers. About freaking time!
I'd been thinking about it for awhile, and it's really only a month or so early because in order to afford school I have to work full time in the summer. I handed in my two weeks notice two Saturdays ago so I think tomorrow will be my last shift. I will miss some of the people there but that's about it. Oh, and they sure are fun to spend a night at the bar with. Denim rules!
-I am working towards my license that will enable me to sell life insurance and such.
I wrote my qualifying exam on Sunday and I got a 58%. Unfortunately you need a 60%. So I'll have to try again. If you need life insurance, you know where to find me.
-I'm working out at the YMCA, attempting to go 3-4 times a week.
Usually this literally translates to 2-3 times a week but it's better than nothing. I spoke to a trainer there so he has me doing 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps on 6 different machines: 3 for legs, 2 for arms and 1 for abs. Also I try to do some cardio. Here's hoping I'll see results by bathing suit season. And working out makes you feel awesome. If you don't yet, you should try it.

That should about cover it for the time being. Catch you later.
-Ames

school again

2006-01-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

Hello All

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I have been back in school for nearly a month now. And I think I have finally decided on a major: English Co-op with a Sexuality, Marriage and the Family minor, plus I want to take Spanish all the way through. Woot. Right now I am taking Spanish, Children's Literature (through distance ed), Sociology, Psychology, and Parents and Children. It's good times but so crazy busy.

I don't know what it is lately, but I can't stop thinking about summer. Perhaps it's the unusually warm weather. Or the fact that I'd rather be on summer vacation then reading copious amounts of psychology and other text books. Of course, this summer will not be like a grade school where you get two months off to do nothing but play with the neighbourhood kids getting filthy and selling lemonade. Indeed, you do get 4 months off, but they must be spent working full time or OSAP will whoop you. So lately I've been looking for summer work. I have a friend who is having a baby that is due in June, so I had this idea. I have this notion that I'd like to work as a live in nanny, and if I can find a position in or around Ottawa I could also be there to give her a hand. So if anyone hears of such a job, let me know.

That's really all there is for me to say for now. Except that I spent all of last night feeling like crap and puking my guts out at 3:00 am. Yay for (possible) food poisoning.

The End is Near

2005-12-07T00:11:00.000-05:00

Hello Hello

Don't worry April. I haven't forgotten my agreement to once a month. I have yet to master that but I'm working on it. Monday marked the end of lectures! Woot woot! I have almost made it through my first semester of university. Only 9 (gulp) or less left to go. I have 3 exams on the 17th, 19th and 20th. This does not include a stupid english language proficiency exam I have to write tomorrow. Firstly, if I am able to do well on my written assignments, does that not indicate that I am proficient in English? Secondly, how would I graduate high school with a sub-par level of english? Let me say that it is cruel and unusual punishment to make us write an exam at 9:00 am on a Saturday morning . . . or at any time during a Saturday. Jerks. I am also getting really sick of working at Zellers. Anyone have any creative ideas for jobs that I'm qualified for? Come to think of it I don't have much else to say. Except that I really need to go see RENT. Woohoo. Oh wait I do have one more thing to say. I have finally decided on a program. Only problem is, I may not be able to get into it because I have no way of garuanteeing I will end up with a 75% in the class. It hardly seems fair that in something as subjective as english you'd be held to that. Truth is, now that I've got my heart set on a co-op program I don't know how I will afford my education without one. I have a back-up plan (taking a 3 or 4 year general degree in Sexuality, Marriage and the Family), but it likely does not allow me to get into teacher's college (which is an option I want to keep open). Any brilliant ideas on how to ace an english final (which, might I add, has 3, yes THREE essays in it)??

yay wireless internet

2005-11-05T18:32:00.000-05:00

Hello All

So I am writing this blog entry from my bedroom. Which, might I add, has no phone hook up in it. But now, at this particular moment in time, it contains not only a phone (!gasp!) (or two if you count my cell phone) and a computer with functioning online capabilities. It did take 3 calls to linksus/bell/linksus to get it all up and running but now I think it's been worth it. And the phone is some new-fangled one that uses a signal from another phone but allows me to have my own extension that is only plugged in to the DC outlet. Sometimes technology is my friend.

Now some unconnected thoughts.

One thing that I was excited about at university was the long break for Christmas and summers. Well I saw my exam schedule last week and, since lectures begin again on January 3rd and my last exam is December 20th, that gives me like 13 days off. And that really ticks me off!! You might argue, ah, but Amy, your last class is on the 5th of December, so you have practically a month off. To which I rebut: it is not a holiday if you have exams to think about and study for. So I say this: POO ON YOU, UNIVERSITY. Give your students a break!

Last night, I went out and bought myself Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot. A mighty fine purchase if I do say so myself. I heard them this summer at Cornerstone and was very impressed by them. Then last week, while hanging out with CORE (a joint youth group between FBCG and some other local churches) as they had an all-night lock in (my 50-something mom stayed up all night! I didn't even last the whole time), Mike put in the CD and I really dug it. Oh and btw, Relient K has a new EP that is either out now or will be soonly. Which brings me to my next random point of discussion . . .

When I got an e-mail telling me that if I pre-ordered Apathetic (Relient K's new EP) from some website, I could get it autographed PLUS a copy of Mmhmm (their latest full-length album - which, by the by, I have worn out or something! I guess playing it every day for months didn't help. Yes, it is that good.) for $13.75 (albeit american) , of course I jumped at the chance. Having bought things online from the states before (we all know the sates freaking own in that regard), I didn't think I'd have any trouble. But then it came to the part where you have to select your state from a dropdown list. It said underneath that to select 'outside the US' if that's where you lived. That's all well and good, but 'outside the US' wasn't even listed as a possibility! So, when that failed the first time, I went back at a later date (namely today), but still no dice. Boo to that! If anyone figures out what is up with this, could you let me know? You're reward will be great.

Pretty much that's all I have to say. Except that I am pumped for my trip to Ottawa. WOOHOO!

My First Week @ UW (Cheese, anyone?)

2005-09-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

Hola!

Whoa! Tres posts in one day. I'm on a roll. Take that Martha Stewart (and April . . . how do you like them apples France? hehe)! So, as my title suggests, this past week was my first week at University of Waterloo. Me being . . . well . . . me, I was late for all but one of my classes on Monday. Luckily, the profs don't seem to care all that much, but I'm not a big fan of drawing unnecessary attention to myself and (I know this seems odd, coming from me) I actually don't like being late. Lateness aside, most other things are going pretty well. I can now find all my classrooms relatively quickly and can locate a bathroom in all the buildings I have classes in. I'm even starting to meet people (although I have not met my future spouse . . . oh wait, my LAST school was bridal college, not this one. Guess I'm out of luck. Maybe I'll still get my ring by spring, and perhaps this time the turkey dump can be avoided . . . lol.) I read the school's newspaper today, which is called Imprint, and I was impressed by it, which I take as a good sign. Let me tell you a bit about each of my classes, and then I'll end with a funny story that happened to me today at school.

Drama - This class is not quite what I expected, which turns out to be a good thing. I take it Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:20. The part I didn't expect is no acting whatsoever in the class. The reason that this is a good thing is because, although I've been interested in theatre for quite a number of years and understand and appreciate all the work and effort that goes into it, I've never been especially good at acting. This course is all theatre history type stuff, which I find interesting. My prof's name is Gerd Hauk; he's really awesome and it sure doesn't hurt that he has a very classy European accent that I can't quite put my foot on. He surprised everyone (or at the very least, me) on the first day with his humour, wondering out loud if we took his course because we thought that we were going to sit around, smoke pot and hold hands, and telling us that the way we were going to me out future husband wifes boyfriend girlfriend was by getting closer (he wanted us to all sit close together). So far we have learned about theatre as an art and Theatre of the Absurd. Interesting stuff.

Music Theory - This one was also somewhat not what I was expecting, but in a negative way. I was all excited b/c I have always liked theory and wanted to learn more. I knew going in that it was a more advanced theory class than the other 1st year one that's offered, but all it really said was that the student needed to have a basic understanding of triads and such stuff. Which I do. But he pretty much super-quickly reviewed everything I had ever learned in theory in all my highschool years in the first 50 minute class. Naturally I was freaking out by then, and it didn't help that my prof (Brian Corely or something? forget his name) was the same dude that auditioned me for a choir (which I didn't make it into btw, and he told me that before I had left the audition). After some thinking, I've decided that freaking out and dropping the class is not my best plan ever. So I realize that I might not ace it, but I know for a fact I will learn. And that is what I'm going for. We'll see how much my tune changes (haha, music pun) when the final marks come in.

English - Definitely more interesting than I hoped it would be, and I'm actually an English fan. It's short stories and drama, which is great both because I like short stories and drama and because it means . . . the reading is (relatively) short. I'm impressed by the way our prof (who's name I forget and/or am not encouraged to remember) has chosen all different types of short stories and drama in all styles and by all different types of people (different ethnicities, religions, etc). This is the one class I have that is quite a way from all the others, so I was even more late for his class than I was for the others on that first day. I entered on what seems to have been a class-long monologue. He looks the way you'd expect an english prof to look: tall, white hair, glasses, clear and kind of loud voice etc. His monologue, had it been titled, would have been called "Why I Read". It was kind of odd in that it seemed really rehearsed and gave out information on weaknesses I would not have told students I had. For example, he told us that by reading he learned things about himself; for example Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations' showed him that he was turning into a snob. I think his lectures have the potential of becoming boring but at this point could still go either way. I'm excited to be exposed to so many authors I haven't had experience with as of yet. So far we read You Could Look It Up which was unlike anything else I've ever read but quite good. Allegorical, at least moderately. Woot.

Spanish - This one's good stuff, too. I wanted to take more Spanish since I took that interest level class a year ago. I think I've met the most people in that class. Nevermind that I went to school with girl's older brother. I have a textbook, which makes me a hot commodity in that class (they only got more in yesterday). Next week when we all have textbooks I will be way less useful but hey. I'm sure we're all familiar, at least to some degree, with the Spanish song 'La Cucaracha'. Well, to work on pronunciation and as a ploy (I think) to make us feel silly, we all had to sing it in class. The professor (Regina Vera is her name, she seems really nice and I like her, the one and only complaint I have is that she insists on using a red marker on the white board which is more than impossible to see from the back of the room) passed out an obviously 'educational' version of the song (I could tell by the awful fake drums, synth sounds and ridiculously long instrumental breaks) on paper with the song in Spanish and it's English translation so we could sing along with the CD. I remember La Cucaracha from when I was little and have long since forgotten what the actual words were in Spanish (in fact I'm pretty sure I just invented english ones that fit). But I'm pretty sure the translation is not 'one thing I don't understand/is grown men with their nintendo/they play those games all day long/playing makes them happy'. Perhaps 'nintendo' was the best rhyme the 'educational' people could come up with for 'comprendo'. . .which seems hard to believe when I consider all the Spanish words that end in 'o'. I'm also fairly certain that at no point during the original song do 'Ernesto' and 'Carolina' introduce themselves. Eh . . . ci.

Couples, Marriage and Family - Just as I thought would be the case, this one is turning out to be my very favourite. And it's a good thing, b/c it's the only class I have on both Tuesday and Thursday, and it sucks to get from Guelph to Waterloo (not to mention home in the middle of the day when no one is headed that way) for one class. My professor is Dr.Scott Kline and he is awesome; very funny and interesting. The class is huge, maybe 100 ppl, consisting of like 90% females. So far we've been looking at marriage as it was in history. Specifically in the Leave It To Beaver kind of era. He also showed some ads from magazines that sort of underhandedly reinforce stereotypes. For example, there was an ad that shows four pictures of one guy in the exact same setting with the same backpack but a different girl. The caption read something to the affect of 'Who says guys can't commit? He's had the same backpack for years!'. (In case your curious about the stereotype reinforcement, it suggests that guys can commit to something inconsequential like a backpack, but girls are disposable.) I was incorrect in assuming that since this course is offered by St.Jerome's College it would look at things from a more traditional standpoint, but I don't think that that is a bad thing. If all continues to go well with this course I think I will consider making SMF (Sex, Marriage and the Family) my major. Three cheers for decisions.

Phew! Now a quick recount of my funny story. So today and yesterday in the UW Student Life Centre was clubs day. Now that was cool b/c I don't know many people and I really want to get involved, especially with a Christian group. I saw a bunch of cool stuff and was especially looking for Navigators (aka Chris Hutton) and Campus Crusade (b/c I've heard good things about the UW chapter). So I see most of this sign which says Campus Crusade 4 Christ hanging down in front of the table. I quickly approach the table and the guy behind it says 'Are you interested in the Jesus club on campus?' Thinking it was a little odd for him to say such a thing but also a fan of his being bold for the Lord, I responded with a conviction-filled 'yes'. He goes on about the first event where anyone from the uni can come, hang out, eat different cheeses and discuss them. He kept talking, and I was waiting for him to reveal the connection that would soon bring the cheese discussion around to Jesus. I was pumped, b/c that would have to be a pretty impressive and creative link to the big J.C. Cheeses of Nazareth by Five Iron Frenzy crossed my mind and I'm thinking, hey, cool. After quite awhile of talking to this guy (yeah, I'm a bit slow), I realize that it isn't Campus Crusade for Christ at all. It's Campus Crusade 4 Cheese! The guy behind the table didn't ask me if I was interested in the Jesus club. He asked me if I was interested in the cheese club. (The room was pretty loud, and I would have understood his not wantingto scream the word Jesus.) All I could see on the sign was Campus Crusade for Ch. I had assumed the -rist. I signed up anyway (who doesn't want to hang out and eat cheese?!), but I never found the booth for the real Crusade.

And scene. Hasta Luego!

April, Don't Delete Me!! (Although I have lost control of my own blog...)

2005-09-16T20:55:00.000-04:00

Hello Again

Contrary to what my long absence suggests, I am not dead. As a matter of fact, just today I was thinking that I needed to get back on the blog train (drop it like it's hot). Much to my dismay, when I went back to my latest blog to check out the comments, there was a comment from someone I do not know. Now, the fact that the comment was from someone I don't know wasn't what dismayed(?) me. It was that that comment was just MOONLIGHTING to be a comment. It was actually (dun dun duh)(chromatic scale descending {which my music theory prof says equals [the sound of] death [in (bad) horror movies]}) an ADVERTISEMENT. [Whoa that sentence got all up in my grill with all its crazy brackets and whatnot. But I could feel {understand} it.] Now, I've come to the realization that I am somewhat of a control freak. I suppose the real thing that bothered me was not that there was advertising on my blog. I mean, that is kind of weird . . . I would never suggest advertising on my blog. But if the truth be told, I would probably be kind of honoured if someone felt my blog worthy of being advertised upon. The thing that bugged me was that I couldn't control the fact that there was (is!) advertising on my blog. As soon as I saw the unwanted ad on my blog (as a COMMENT! no less) I heard the BWA-HA-HA laugh of power in my head, felt the possessive MINE! mentality of a two-year old take over my actions, smiled menacingly to myself and promptly went to delete it. Now that was where the real (control) problem began. I added a comment of my own underneath the ad, and then deleted the ad, then went back to the post to make sure I was rid of it. Oddly, it was still there. Thinking I deleted my comment instead of the ad comment, I went back and deleted it again. Checked again . . . still there. Deleted it yet again and commented again. And it was then that I realized that not only could I NOT delete it from the post, but that I couldn't post a comment underneath it, either. Suddenly, it hit me: my post had been HI-JACKED! Now, I don't mean it in some fancy, technological way. I mean it in the same way myself and fellow Hermosa-ites mean it when a dinning lodge song gets hi-jacked: the thing (ie song/blog) being taken over by someone other than it's original owner (ie original song -starter/me) and being used for purposes other than those originally intended (ie to send a specific person(s) around the lodge/my own pointless ramblings). Don't worry: I have a plan. Although I do feel a certain sense of failure at my inability to control that which I created (with help). Wonder of the post: is that how parents feel on a regular basis? Re-thinking the whole parenthood thing . . .

Waterloo here I come.

2005-08-04T00:35:00.000-04:00

Decision (mostly) made. Waterloo. Partly b/c U of G doesn't want me. Partly because I want to go anyway. I will be making less money than if I went to Guelph (less time to work) and spending more (transpotation), which isn't a good situation to be in at all. But it's still (I hope) my best option. I won't be able to be involved in as much as extracurricular stuff as I'd like, which I think is the biggest downer of this whole thing. Anyway. We'll see how it all goes down.

The Thing About Blogs Is . . .

2005-07-26T23:47:00.000-04:00

Hello

I realize now that perhaps the grammar in my title is a bit shoddy. And I've considered fixing it but I kind of like it. Because it's really just one thing I want to say about blogs, and the thing is . . . what will follow. (Perhaps a daquiri at 10pm on a Tuesday evening wasn't my best plan ever. . . anyway. But it sure was good.) The thing about blogs is that . . . they are WAY COOLER when people respond to them! Yes I do believe this is my first rant at something connected to actual blogging and not just OSAP (and that, btw, is yet again another story by now . . . *sigh* ). Anyway, point is this: I don't blog so that I can read my own comments every few days (although I am amusing, if I do say so myself). You ppl are letting me down! Even if all you have to say is 'sweet' or 'dude', or 'rock on', I'd be ok with that. At least I wouldn't be talking to myself. And now, since I seem to be talking to myself more than necessary as we . . . no, I . . .speak. . . I'ma go now.

I am HARDCORE . . . and I will windmill kick you in the FACE!

2005-07-05T00:30:00.000-04:00

Don't be offended by the title . . . I won't actually windmill kick you in the face. Nor am I actually hardcore. But that was a line from a poem-ish thing by Brad Hathaway whom I was introduced to this past week at Cornerstone in Bushnell, Illinois. I'll go back to Cornerstone in a minute, but for now I'ma head back to Brad Hathaway. He's some Christian poet/rapper-esque artist guy whom I've never actually heard live but I have heard his CD. It's not really the kind of stuff I usually listen to but this one poem that I've quoted I found kind of amusing. Basically this guy is telling a poem through the eyes of some hardcore kid, talking about his life, activities, pastimes, etc. It goes through the way this kid likes to dance at hardcore concerts and the way he wants to take out his frustration on the emo punk in the mosh pit, about how he will windmill kick him in the face and give his little T-shirt to his little sister, about how he's mad because his X-box is broken. Goes through the whole thing about wearing tight girl pants and eating emo pansies for breakfast and that actually under the facade he's actually insecure about lots of things. And at the end he realizes that, actually - he's an emo kid. Which was funny to me because all week I'd been thinking that all the hardcore scene kids were pretty much just another brand of emo (but you can never EVER tell them that). It was amusing to me that some outside source would come to the same conclusion. Perhaps this isn't funny to you but it cracked me right up. Maybe you had to be there. As soon as I get a recording of this poem I'll let you know. You should all hear it, even if it's just to hear the dude say I am HARDCORE!!

Anyway. Cornerstone. This was my second time at this event which is basically a Christian festival mostly to do with music but with some movies, seminars, artwork and other such things thrown in the mix. Deathly hot (we're talking like 40-ish degrees in Canadian plus humidity) but super fun. It is held in the small town of Bushnell on what is rumoured to be a very large old pig farm but I suspect it was just a field (don't pig feces, even those mixed in with the soil for many years, smell horrid?). People basically come in varied groups and camp in this big hot field with port-a-potties (puke) and loud music for a few days. Someone once described it as 'Woodstock for Jesus Freaks'. I've never been at Woodstock so I can't really say for sure but it sounds like an alright comparison. Apparently hardcore music (and kids) is the ticket right now so it was largely hardcore bands like Haste the Day (whom, surprising to even me, I really liked), As I Lay Dying, mewithoutYou, As Cities Burn, Dead Poetic, Bloodlined Calligraphy, Blood of the Martyr, and Underoath (btw, not all these bands were at Cornerstone, and not all of them would be considered 100% hardcore, but you get the gist). By the way, it is impossible to have a hardcore band with a pleasant, uplifting name. Besides the screamers with heavy drums, I also got to see Relient K, Switchfoot, Anberlin, and some others. Props to Chris and his crew for the ever-popular Meltingpoint Stage - it was very well planned and organized and it went pretty smoothly. Most of the bands that played there were very good and I especially loved rocking out to Pretty Big Plunger, 100 Year Storm and of course Skylight Drama. Good times were had by all, met some awesome people who were camping in the group I was with, and it all went pretty much without a hitch (besides some reported . . . shall we say, minor hold ups at the border, haha the band). I spent a bit too much money but not more than I could afford, got down with my hardcore self and grew a little as a person and a child of God. Plus picked up some wicked sweet merch. What more can a girl want? Except maybe one of those attractively intense scr/emo lead singers, maybe even clad in some 'girl-pants' and a pink T-shirt . . . haha.

I FREAKING HATE YOU OSAP!

2005-06-15T14:52:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone

The saga in the journey to my further education continues. So, as some of you know, I finally made my decision to attend the Univesity of Waterloo in September for Honours General Arts with a possible co-op. It was sort of a tough call but I am excited and think that I made the right choice. So after you accept an offer of admission, the next bit is figuring out classes, funding, etc etc. So right now (as you guessed by the title of this blog (drop it like it's hot)) I am at the funding part. I think it sort of goes without saying that working at Zellers part time does not make you much in the way of money. Head office controls the number of hours you can work - and to make a long story short, one week I only had 8 hours of work. Besides that I've had some expenses, and when you don't have any school to attend you kind of go out for coffee with friends and go on vacations and visits and such and . . . well, basically I didn't save much money. I'll admit I didn't do too well with that and I should kept more money for school. But the past is past and I can't change it. So here I start at square one again. I applied for OSAP, which was long and tedious and annoying. You all probably know that. Anyway. Took like half an hour or more and had to bug my dad about his taxes and shit. Whatever. So I get to the end, and my estimate comes out at a whopping . . . $800. Which is fantastic . . . IF I can afford the other 2/3 of my education. Which, by the way, I can't. At least not entirely. I don't know why my estimate it so low and it's very distressing. I do NOT want to work for another year and have been looking so forward to university and all that good stuff and I pretty much want to cry. Or just not go if I can't afford it and stay in the Zellers stockroom forever and be a lifer. PLEASE GOD NO. Don't get me wrong, if working at Zellers is what you want for yourself there is nothing wrong with that. I am not trying to belittle or downplay those people. I work with them and love them and they are fantastic people who have families and lives and dreams like the rest of us. But it's not what I want for myself. Not forever. On top of regular tuition/books/etc fees, I will also need a way to get to and from Waterloo everyday. Which means a car, public transit, carpooling, or perhaps learning how to fly. So I call up the financial aid at UW, and they tell me to make a note on my signature pages if I haven't sent them in yet (which I haven't) and they will reasses me. Fine. Good. But then I begin to realize that maybe I should keep Guelph open as an option if I can't afford to get to and from UW. Of course I would not get any more OSAP but I would save on other costs. BUT - here's the kicker - Guelph STILL has not told me if I'm in or out. I even e-mailed them to see what was up with that. So I call admissions at Guelph, and I'm like, what's going on? They're all like, oh, well we are still waiting for documents from you. I'm like . . . ok . . . what documents? He's like, oh, well haven't you been checking your e-mails and web advisor for that information? I'm thinking yeah actually I do check my e-mail, but web advisor, WTF? He's all yeah well you should have been sent . . . you should have looked into . . . blah blah blah whatever. And it isn't so much what he's saying but that he's being a TOTAL ASSHOLE while saying it. (I'm sorry but there is no other thing to call him). Giving me attitude and being a jerk and just generally not being at all helpful. So it turns out this whole time they have been waiting for a letter from me about what I have been doing since finishing at EBC. Did they ever tell me this? MAIS . . . NON. I mean this letter really is no big deal but #1 why do they care when no other school does #2 why would they expect this letter without letting me know #3 would they not wonder when this document didn't arrive when I went to the effort of applying and #4 how did they expect me to figure this out when I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT WEB ADVISOR IS?? These ppl are paid to help out the people who want to learn at their institution but they don't do DICK ALL to help. So I'll write you your freaking letter U of G. But I hate you right now. A lot. And you don't have to treat me like dog poop just because you are retarded. Next step was to call U of G student awards to figure out what else could be done. So I get YET ANOTHER complete ASS, actually even worse than the U of G guy, he doesn't lay off with the attitude and sassyness and made me feel stupid. Here is an overview of our convo.
Him:"Well, did you apply for an undergrad bursary?"
Me:"No . . . they told me I couldn't apply for those because I have already been to one year of college."
H:"No, that's just for scholarships. Fill out the form it's due today."
M:"Will the form get in in time?"
H:"Well, yeah, if you date it for today."
So I go to the site he tells me to, and it turns out that to fill out the form you need to have already recieved your OSAP (and we already know that I haven't even sent in the forms). Besides that, the form is 4 pages long and asks about what I'm doing in university. Again, WTF? Turns out that Jerk McJerkison is dead wrong and it's only due today if you're taking SPRING SEMESTER. Did I say I was at school right this minute? NOOO. I have till October 30th for the damn form, thank you very much. GEEZ. Firstly, get your facts straight, secondly QUIT BEING SUCH AN ASS. YOU ARE PAID TO HELP ME. SO DO IT. NICELY. WITHOUT making me feel like a total brainless idiot. I'm apologize for the anger and rage and curses in this entry but I am SO ANNOYED. All I want to do is get some education and NO ONE wants to make it easy for me AT ALL, by any stretch. Here's hoping I can still make it to university in the fall . . . or that by then I will still even WANT TO.

Question of the Week #2

2005-06-07T19:15:00.000-04:00

I decided that it was high time I added another question for all y'all to answer. I will attempt to do so every week or so from now on. Although it occurrs to me that Graham has yet to answer. Silly Graham. Anyway. Alright so here I go. What is your ideal job? This includes what the atmosphere of your workplace is, earnings, resposibilities, hours, holidays and anything else you can think of. Go nuts.

Treeplanting . . . not so much

2005-05-24T17:44:00.000-04:00

Hey All

Well. Here I am. At an internet cafe in Chapleau. Which is a small town in the middle of nowhere. It is treeplanters day off. I will not be returning to camp with everyone else tonight. I am staying here in a hotel and catching a train towards home tomorrow. Let's just say that my adventures in treeplanting-dom did not go as planned. I am going to be a pussy and I am not going to stick it out. While I feel bad that I couldn't tough it out I am glad for my experiences here and the people I have met. But I will not be at all sorry to walk into my home in Guelph. God I love home. I want to bake and sleep in a bed and not wake up at the crack of dawn and use a flush toilet. Call me crazy. I will tell of my crazy times in the bush later. And let me tell you . . . it gets crazy. Just watch out when you hang out with a bunch of drunk treeplanters. Things get retarded. More to come.

Songs I Love

2005-05-05T13:58:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!!

Since I will soon be gone to the boons to live in a tent, commune with bears and eat tree bark, I want to get your fave songs so I can download them and put them on my new (PINK!) MuVo mp3 player (which, btw I LOVE!!). And I want to share with you my current loves - song wise.

Jimmy Eat World - For Me This Is Heaven
-absolutely gorgeous, awesome lyrics, I can't stop listening to it. Especially the chorus "when the time we have now ends, when the big hand goes 'round, again. Can you still feel the butterflies? Can you still hear the last goodbyes?" And then when he goes "If I don't let myself be happy now, then when? If not now, when?" I think it's about the demise of a relationship. Lovely. Beautiful piano and instrumentation. Just trust me.

Something Corporate - Konstantine
-checked for the lyrics online, and there are 50 (50!!) pages of people talking about the meaning of the song and talking about how it made them pull over and cry for hours (btw it didn't make me cry, maybe I'm heartless). Again with the gorgeous piano (I am such a sucker for piano). Some ppl recomend a live version, which is good but I like the recorded one too. I say, get them both. Again I think this is about a relationship that might be ending. And I generally love SoCo, ever since they opened for Good Charlotte. Check out Fall, Forget December, I Woke Up In A Car, etc.

Postal Service - Nothing Better
-my cousin Nathan has introduced me to this fantastic band. They have their own sound and I love how they have some songs (like this one) which is a kind of conversation. This is a really sweet song about a guy who doesn't want to give up on being with his ex-girlfriend. The demise of a relationship. . .again. Is this a theme for me or something?? Anyway, it's really simple and really awesome. It's kind of trippy-rave-techno-ish which I generally don't like but I dig it in this song. In this band really. Check it out check it out check it out . . .

MxPx - Quit Your Life
-don't know if it actually is MxPx, but that is who I found it under in Kazaa. It's just a cute song with a catchy chorus. Makes me smile. Not much else to say. Except - who doesn't love MxPx? Even though I thought they sold out I sort of changed my mind. Maybe they just grew up. And they are FANTASTIC live.

Eve 6 - Promise
-kind of cute, although with an odd message. Sort of about the things that can go wrong in a relationship and how to know what to do about them. Like "I promise not to mind if you go your way and I go mine". Warning, does have a swear word, but it is almost always censored. Love Eve 6. Here's To The Night, anyone?

Dashboard Confessional - Plain Morning
-love love LOVE it!! Sad but cute, most of us already know this one. I love the harmony and simplicity and general sadness in this song. Just listen.

I could go on for hours, music is huge for me. Oh, one last plug for Low by Kelly Clarkson. So good. Anyhow. Let me know what I should hook myself up with all! Thanks.

Grrr . . . anger at technical support!!

2005-05-05T13:26:00.000-04:00

Hey

So I am going to rant here for a bit. I have this computer that I adore (yeah that's right, I said I adore my computer, and it's hot too, what with it's blue-y purple-ish lights and all, the lights are when made me attracted to it) and I lucked out because when I bought it new I got this really awesome deal where if I paid like $75 I could get this hp all in one printer/scanner/fax thing, plus I got a rebate for it. So you know sweet deal, rock on. And I had no problems with it up until last week. For a long time we had no black ink (millions of papers at college have a way of doing that to your ink), so we went to this island ink place and got it refilled for like $17 which I was quite happy about b/c as you know a new cartridge is like $50. Then I needed to print something for my dad. But it would work. So today I thought I'd try the troubleshooting bs to see if that would work. And after like 3 times through that, uninstalling and re-installing my printer, still no go. So I was like AHA! I'll call hp customer service. Of course it was like $34.99 or $60 something for any kind of help. Great. Thanks a lot. So the lady on the phone was like, well, go to the website and someone will help you over a messenger service. So that's great, but I make the mistake of telling this guy that I had my ink cartridge refilled. And he goes on to tell me that HP does not support the refilling of ink cartridges b/c different formulations might mess up the printer blah blah blah. And I'm like ok but it's too late for that, I don't think that that's the problem. And then he asks if the problems started since I refilled the ink, and I say yeah it was at the same time. And then he goes YET AGAIN into the friggin "HP doesn't support having cartridges refilled, and it isn't under warranty, blah blah blah". As if I can change that now. And as if they don't pay him to say that because he works for HP and they want to rape me with their excessive cartridge fees. Grrrr. And guess what? My printer still isn't fixed. BAH!! Good for nothing support people . . . you pay like $2000 for their products and what do the give you? Bullshit and no help. GAH!

Funny Commercial - From the Radio This Time

2005-04-28T17:49:00.000-04:00

Hey There!

So I decided that I want to write about yet another funny (and also dumb and disturbing) commercial, but this time from the radio. This one is from McDonald's, one from their series of commercials about mornings being tough. So it starts out with this girl being all like "When I woke up this morning, I had nothing to wear." Then this CREEPY little girly ghost-ish voice goes "NUH-thing to WEA-ar." Then the woman decides to call in to work sick - of her wardrobe. To which the voice replies "That's a good IDE-a." And it goes on and both people say a couple more things and then the McDonald's people talk about mornings being easier with McDonalds or something. The thing I don't get is, what does this girl ghost chick have to do with a lady who doesn't know what to wear to work? Odd.

Let's Talk About Universities For A Sec

2005-04-19T18:33:00.000-04:00

Hey All

As most of you know, I have applied to universities for this coming fall. And since I am now on the blog train (drop it like it's hot), I have decided that this would be a good venue to hear your advice, comments, and whatever. Most of you all have done this before and I am really confused as to what I'm gonna do. So I've applied to Guelph, Waterloo and Ottawa. Here's a bit more about what programs I've applied to at each place and such.

U of Guelph

Naturally, this one would be the easiest since I happen to live in Guelph. I would likely live at home, at least for one year, but there is also the possibility of living in an apartment with Stephy and possibly others, perhaps the one that my cousin Lee-Ann has in her basement near the south end (fyi closer to the school, walking distance, if you're up for a long-ish walk). I do love Guelph, and one big bonus to staying here is that I'd be close to some of my friends, family and extended family. And I could maybe borrow a car every now and again, which would be cool. I could also keep my job, but it is transferable, so that's not my biggest concern. I know the campus somewhat and some ppl that go there. On the downside, I don't desperately want to go there, and I feel like I might never get out of this town if I go there. As much as I love Guelph, I don't know that I want to be stuck here for four more years. The program I've applied to is called Child, Youth and Family. It's an applied science degree, which is kinda cool, and by some coincidence or twist of fate or God thing, the only science requirement is OAC biology which by some miracle I happen to have (I only got a 63%, but hey, it's still a credit). It seems to be to be a sort of family studies/social science/counselling kind of bent to it, which is cool. There are definitely jobs in this field I can see myself doing, so thumbs up on that. Oh, and I haven't been accepted to Guelph yet. That's a minor detail however (haha).

U of Waterloo

This is the one and only school that I have been accepted to thus far. I think I may have got early acceptance but I'm not too sure on that. I would not likely live in Waterloo but either buy a car or find someone to commute with. I like the buying a car option best because it would mean. . .well, that I would have a car. Which I would use to come visit all of you, as well as get myself to school. I would live at home likely. Maybe in an apartment with some friends. The sucky part with that is that I wouldn't be as much a part of campus life as I would like to be, but rez is way too expensive. Sorry but $6000+ is not a good deal, even if food is included. I would just have to try my best to be involved and meet people and do social things with school mates. I think it would be ok. The commute would be a drag at times I'm sure, but I actually like driving and it's not too long. Here I have been accepted(yay!) to an Honours Bachelor of Arts. It's a lot of fun because there aren't many requirements, so I get to take courses that interest me. I am totally an artsy fartsy so it's a good fit. I am having a hard time picking classes because there are like 30 I want to take! Hopefully that will work itself out. I have some friends who go here as well, and it seems to be pretty highly regarded, plus I'd be able to chill with some old EBC friends, so that's groovy. I'd also not be far from home. Not much else to say about U-dub.

U of Ottawa

I must say, at first I just applied to this school to humour April and Emily, but now it seems like a pretty good deal. I have a few friends who already live in the Wa (half of the fab four know where it's at), plus a few friends who are planning on moving (and already have moved to, stupid dumbass Michelle) there in the near future. Once again, I likely wouldn't live in rez but in an apartment with friends. That would be super fun, although I'm not sure how much homework I'd get done. This would be the most expensive choice, which is why I have considered only staying one year and then getting a transfer to Guelph or something. That would be dependant on the financial situation as it were. This would be the farthest from home, which wouldn't be horrible, just a little more difficult in some ways. Here I have also applied to general arts, although I don't know if it was honours arts or not. Similar to Waterloo as far as the program goes, although I haven't been accepted here yet either. That's it for the Wa.

So let me have it. Show me what you've got. I'm open to suggestions, criticisms, ideas, whatever. Hope to hear from you soon.

A New Idea I Had

2005-04-16T18:59:00.000-04:00

Hey All

Guess what? Since I am now on this funky blog train (drop it like it's hot), I have this idea. When I come on to post, I will ask one or maybe three question that I expect each and every one of you who view my blogs to answer. Ok? So here I go.

Who makes your desert island list? As in, what 11 people will you have on your desert (but yet comfortable and safe, with all your necessities provided) and what 5 material possesions are there with you?

I will answer this question myself once a sufficient number of people have answered.

Funny Commercials

2005-04-12T20:01:00.000-04:00

I feel like writing about a series of commercials that have been amusing me as of late. I don't even know what they're advertising, but I like them still. The first one shows some people working out, some sort of exercise class, and someone talks about getting great abs, and suddenly the dude who is teaching the class goes 'You don't have time to work out! Your taxes are due!'. The other one at first looks to be a cooking show, and the shef is talking about the best knives, and then he goes ' Why are you watching TV? You have to do your taxes!'. They amuse me. Is anyone else with me on that?

What is with British hats???

2005-04-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

Hello Again.

Just a little while ago I was watching the Royal Wedding (which actually wasn't a wedding at all . . . so let's call it the royal ceremony then) . . . watching the Royal Ceremony with my mother. That kind of stuff floats her boat. And almost the first thing I noticed was the HORRIBLE hats that ppl kept wearing. They were UGLY . . . FUGLY, even. If they weren't wearing a tree branch on their head, it was a tea cozy, or something that belonged in the 1940's version of Cabaret. Seriously, what is up with that? I have never been much of a hat girl myself, but why do ppl thingk these hats are stylish? They make me want to cringe. Please, someone tell me what is up with this

-Ames

This One's For You April

2005-04-07T00:37:00.000-04:00

Hey all (or just April, who is likely the only one who will ever even look at this)!!

April handed me all the necessary details for getting back on the blog train (drop it like it's hot yo), so here I am. I am pleased to see that April gave Rent a little nod in her blog. I saw the same touring cast she did and it was AMAZING. If you have not seen RENT yet, you truly have not lived fully enough. Especially Roger in that cast. All I can say is this - who else can make horrible purple plaid pants and a baggy green shirt look that HOTT?? I'm not normally one for boys in nail polish but DAMN! So good. Plus he had a fantastic voice and coveyed just the right amount of anger and gentleness to play his part very convincingly. If any of y'all are keeping up with American Idol, you'll know Constantine, who just so happened to play Roger when I saw RENT with my awesome cousin Nate-o. Nate didn't like him so much, I dug, but this year's guy was way better. Too bad his band Sugardust supremely blow. Meh well that boy was made for Broadway anyway. Besides the fact that Roger was jump-worthy, I also completely and totally love the story contained in RENT. It has such a wide variety of characters and situations and the writing is absolutely genius. I think if I could have dinner with 10 people dead or living, Jonathan Larson would be right there with Jesus. RENT definitely has a place in my heart, and with good reason. SEE IT. Just trust me on that one. Oh, and for those of you who think you could 'never be a theatre person' a la Joannne, you'll be happy to know that a movie version is in the works with many of the original cast members. I only hope it doesn't royally suck and that they do this creative masterpiece justice. Ine question April . . . what's wrong with the trecaly ending (or whatever it is you said)? What does trecaly even mean??

Whoo-hoo! I got a blog!

2004-12-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

Check me out - I'm on the blog train. Drop it like it's hot.