Small Accomplishments and Fun

I just reached my all time high score at online pyramids! 81, 000! That's 9 rounds without dying! Whee!

In other not so nerdy news, I went to Mackenzie King's estate in Gatineau park with Mum, Q, Emma and the exchange student we have living with us this summer.

Here's a picture of us toodling down the path to the waterfalls. Toodle, toodle, toodle.








Unfortunately, the walk also included this lovely tunnel. Well, not so unfortunate for me as for my wonderful mother, who is claustrophobic. We went through this thing at a pretty good clip.


But so totally worth it (right Mum?)! Look at the scenery!

Thoughts

Sitting on the deck, working on my geography assignment that is due tomorrow by midnight, watching the neighbours meander up and down the street, and two children play fight on the deck across the road, two things strike me:

1) What on earth are these small children still doing playing on their steps at a quarter to nine when they should be in baths or beds?

But more importantly...

2) This is an absolutely lovely street to live on. The neighbours walk up and down and stop to chat with others who are sitting on porches. They call across the road friendly greetings and joking comments. They casually watch each others children, ensuring the safety of all. This is the first time I've lived on a street like this. There are no homes inhabited by cranky teenagers living alone and blasting angry rap music until all hours of the morning. There are no cars racing down the street (and when the odd one does appear all of the neighbours yell at the driver to slow down). It's just so friendly. I can't help but hope that some day I settle on a street just as calm and delightful.

And now, back to the geography? Or time for light reading instead? What will win out: comments on the Canadian wheat industry, or The Da Vinci Code? Hmm...

Season my Vernacular

I'm currently working on my geography assignment. This particular lab is boring the poop out of me since it's something that I have had to do in one variation or another for virtually every single course I've taken in anthropology and sociology. Take an ordinary place in your society (ie: the mall) and analyze is for its use of signs. Don't get me wrong, this is something that I enjoy doing in day to day life, but having to write essays on one place or another four or five times a year for four years sucks the fun right out of it. The thing is, I honestly don't think that the professors have any idea how often we do this, because they always start of with, "and now we'll try something new and different!" I hate to disappoint them BUT...

So, to spice this one up I decided to challenge myself to use the extensive vocabulary I have and make the writing (and reading of it) that much more fun. Yes, I'm a dork, live with it. So far my mini essay is half done (250 words and counting) and I have used the following:

• semiotics
• pervasiveness
• exacerbate
• convoluted
• facilitates
• illusivity
• kindred
• calamity
• manifestation

I dare you to come up with some sentences about signs and symbols in a mall using these, or any other so called "big words". I know that I, for one, am enjoying this exercise to no end.

ps: ha! I had to add three words to the spell checker. Don't that make me feel good though!

Babysitting

Tonight I babysat for George and Nigel. Babysitting isn't something I normally do, but I made an exception for these two because a) they are just adorable, and b) their mother proctored all my midterms this summer. I was also fairly certain that they wouldn't be as horrid to look after as one little boy that I watched once who started screaming the second his parents left and didn't stop until they came home again, despite the 1001 tactics I tried. By the end of that night I was so frustrated that I felt like crying too. With George and Nigel, however, I felt confident that there would be no 8 hours of screaming.

I got there and was shown around and where all the important things were. Then I took George and Nigel to the park while their parents got ready to leave. I find that if I take kids out somewhere like this, and then they just come home to find their parents gone, it's much less drawn out and traumatic than when they have to do the bye-byes at the door. Bye-byes at the door are stressful with the parents worrying if I can handle their mites, and the kids throwing a stink that last exactly until the door closes and the car pulls away, just to worry their parents further. This way we came in from the park, Nigel asked, "Da-da, Ma-ma?" I answered, "They've gone to a wedding," and he trundled off to play. No stress, no trauma!

We played games inside, read books, and went outside to play hockey. George was being the goalie and I was taking some very slow shots on net aimed directly at his hockey stick. Nigel decided that he needed to play too, so he came over with a little plastic golf club, promptly tripped over the garden hose, fell face-first onto the pavement, scraped his forehead, and set to wailing. I picked him up and shu-shushed him, bouncing him on my hip, and he calmed right down again. George and I took him inside to clean the grit out of an otherwise minor wound. I got the washcloth wet, sat Nigel on the counter, and George asked if he could clean it. He then, with only minor assistance from me, carefully mopped off Nigel's brow, all the while saying things like, "It's okay Nigel," and "It's only a very little scrape," and "Am I doing a good job, Haley?" It was all very endearing.

Nigel went to sleep shortly after 7, and George was very excited at the prospect of having almost a full half hour before his bed time to spend with me. He asked if we could watch a Clifford movie, and I agreed. He found the tape for me and asked me to fastforward to a certain episode because, as he said, "I think you will find it quite humorous." I just about died right there from the cuteness. Humorous came out a bit more like hum-a-wus. I told his parents about that when they got home and they laughed and said, "that'll be our George." The boy has got quite the vocabulary all right.

Combine these two highlights with the rest of the evening full of hug-kisses from George and plans for the next time I come (we'll have chocolate pudding instead of vanilla and I will bring the Franklin Is Bossy book to read), and there is no question that this was one of the best babysitting jobs I've had. They've asked me if I might babysit for them another time this summer before I move back to University Town, and I said sure. They are just the sweetest little tykes, and I have no problems with them at all. If only all babysitting gigs could go so smoothly.

Mmm Snack

Mum was out this afternoon for a bit, so I got the kids up from their naps and fed them todays snack: watermelon. Watermelon is a messy snack, as we all know, so I stripped all their shirts off. This is simpler than bibs and saves the parents from cleaning watermelon juice out of their clothing. I hand each child their slice and go into the kitchen to cut up smaller pieces for the wee ones. While I'm out there Zach proclaims loudly, "Hey Haley, mesa reawy yike dis."
"Oh good, Zach," I call out, "I'm very glad."

4.2 seconds pass and Zach is once again announcing his thrill with snack today.
"dis wahyermeyon is reawy good!"
"Yes Zach, watermelon is a very yummy snack."

3.2 seconds later: "I yike dat mesa wahyermeyon is a big pease."
"Aren't you lucky!"

1.4 seconds later: "Mesa pease is amos a big as a jumbo jet!"
"Wow, Zach, that sure is big!"

Having finished chopping I head back out into the dining room to hand off the smaller bits to the wee ones who are eagerly anticipating their turn to enjoy the watermelon. I place some bits on the appropriate high chair trays and hear, "Hey Haley, I'm done!" I turn around and Zach certainly is done. He's chewed his watermelon slice right down to the green of the rind. That is not the thing that catches my attention, however. I look from the grinning smile dripping ear to ear in watermelon juice, follow the trail of juice down his bare stomach which are making his torso look like he's been dipped in oil, and to his pants, which are absolutely soaked along the waste line. "I fink," he says, "I'm needs somefing new pants."

Did he enjoy that watermelon? I'd say so!

Conversations

George: Hey Emma, I have a book of emergencies.
Zach: I'se me have mergencies too.
George: But I have a book.
Haley: What does your book tell you about emergencies, George?
George: Um, nothing.

-------------------------------

Zach: Can we-me rwead me a tory a me?
Haley: I think you mean "Can you read me a story?" Say that.
Zach: Can we-you-me rweach you a tory a me?
Haley: Try again Zach. Listen carefully, "Can you read me a story?"
Zach: rwead a tory a me can you-we-me?
Haley: Zach, say "Can You."
Zach: Can you.
Haley: Read Me.
Zach: rwead me.
Haley: A Story.
Zach: a tory.
Haley: Good. Now, "Can. You. Read. Me. A. Story?"
Zach: Can we-me rwead me a tory a me?

Poetry

I may not be a great poet, I may not be even a particularly good poet, but writing somehow calms my soul in ways that nothing else does. I keep another blog, filled with my poetry, written in highs and lows. I'm just so grateful that I was introduced to writing and using the blank page as a place to sort out my thoughts and feelings. For this I credit my Mother, who made me write in a journal every day throughout my homeschooled years. So thanks Mum, you've given me a great tool.

Changes

I'm sitting in a lounge chair in the attic of Mum's house, also my new home, with the fan blowing cool evening air throughout the room. Rumble and Malika are sitting in the window sill, watching the happenings in the street below them, having poked their noses into every nook and cranny of their new home: the attic. For simplicity's sake we're keeping them in the attic away from Patches, my somewhat manic, territorial cat who is used to having Mum's all to himself. They seem to like it, however. I think that the biggest problem is that Malika won't stop throwing cat litter all over the floor. It's a new litter box and she's obviously excited about it.

This is an absolutely lovely room. Sure, the drywall might be cracked in a few places, but the shape is nice (it has nice lines), it's a cozy comfortable size, and the flooring is that delightful old red wood that you often see in cottages and that I love. It's got a great view of the neighbourhood too. The nice quiet, peaceful, safe neighbourhood. I feel safe here, and that's nothing to be taken for granted or any small thing at all.

Today was disastrous, and I have never felt more misunderstood or wronged, but I'm putting it in the past, and I'm moving forward. I will enjoy spending time here with my family, and I soon have that trip to visit Fitzy, and then a short while after that I'll be moving back to University Town.

Grampa and I are leading a really interesting learning circle at church this coming Sunday, and I'm awfully excited about it. I was somewhat apprehensive at first, to be honest - being involved in church is not something I've really wanted in the past - but now I'm just thrilled that we're doing it. We'll be talking about the declining numbers of youth in church attendance, and the new-age view on God and the Church. It will be very interesting, I think.

Class Stuff

I wrote my geography midterm this morning. Was it easy! I was a little concerned about it just because it's the first geography course I'd taken and I wasn't completely confident of the types of things I should stress in my answers. My confidence infinately rose when I checked the web this morning and got my marks for the last three labs back (87%, 83% & 86%), and sure enough, the midterm was pretty easy.

I also cleared my movie choice with my prof for the psychology course I'm taking. We have to watch a movie based on adolescent themes and relate it to the material that we're learning. I chose to do it on 10 Things I Hate About You, which is one of the less dorky movies out there having to do with teenage angst.

Now to study for my psych midterm tomorrow!

Gah.

I need a vacation.

Haley Wants

This one was on Mum's page, and it looked pretty cool, so I stole it, mwa haha. You just google "Haley wants" and then copy in the first 10 results. So, what do I want?

Haley wants...

...to go to Stanford. (ooh ooh, Haley has high aspirations for her education)

...to be pregnant. (ha! No thanks. Haley is much to young for children)

...to be a PRO soccer player. (Haley would like to possess the coordination to kick a soccer ball, never mind to go pro)

...to know what happened in the park.

...to vastly improve communication between university departments in order to trim down the layers of bureaucracy that can confuse and infuriate students. (Well heck, that's something Haley actually does want)

...Lucas to explain what is up with his part time relationship with Brooke. (yeah, jeeze Lucas)

..10 more sit-ups. (Drop and give me ten!)

...to prove to herself as much as to her father that she's got it together. (So many things I could say here...)

...her crust off. (and open faced, cut in triangles - not squares)

...one million dollars by dawn, or "further action will be taken as demonstrated". (you heard it people, get working on that cash)

Memories Trapped in Crystal

Today I drove down to the south end of the city to pick up some photos I had printed at Future Shop and the garage sale kit that was provided to us by the local newspaper we're using to advertise. I sang to the music that was playing in the car as I drove, and cackled with glee at being now one step closer to finishing a fantastic birthday present I'm working on for a friend.

When I arrived back home I joined Dad and Grampa in setting up for the sale that will take place tomorrow and Sunday. This involved unpacking all kinds of crystal and glassware that had been collected over the years. Most of it, I should add, was collected by my Gramma. It used to sit in a display cabinet in the big dining room of their old house, and occasionally when I had been particularly good, Gramma would pull out the dusting supplies and let me help her clean it. Although this may sound like a tedious chore, to me it always felt more like an incredibly honour to be holding these extremely fragile treasures that my Gramma normally kept out of reach and behind panes of glass. Holding these pieces and helping her wipe off and polish them gave me a great sense of pride, knowing that my Gramma trusted me with them. It also speaks to her patience and the love of her grandkids, since I'm sure I got all kinds of tiny fingerprints on them such that she would have to clean after my cleaning.

Today, as each one was pulled from the box, unwrapped from its newspaper, and placed on the table for sale, I felt a mixture of happiness and contentment from the memories, but also a significant feeling of loss and melancholy. It's not that I'm sad to lose the crystal. In fact, the majority of it I find rather ugly, and, up until this point, I had forgotten it was even out in the storage shed. What made me feel such as I did was the recognition that eventually all the things that we collect, and share with others, and somehow mean something to us, are just things that end up taking up space in the periphery of other people's lives. And while most things are just things, and it's only the memories that make them valuable, some things house too many memories to make them just things to me.

That's why I kept the punch bowl. Maybe someday my grandkid will sit by my side, dusting the crystal cups, or feel a swell of pride when they are finally told they're old enough to use the cups at a family gathering, rather than the plastic ones (s)he had to use previously. Maybe it's strange to see so much family history in a bowl and 18 cups, but today I realized just how much they mean to me, and I couldn't let them go.

Chaos Before Bed

Last night Emma went out to see a late movie, and I staid up until she got home, somewhat at the request of Mum. She came in at about 11:30, and we chatted for a few minutes about the movie and then went down to her bedroom where I sleep on a mattress on the floor when I'm here. I flipped on the light and something scuttled across the floor. Something with a hundred legs. Something about the size of my pinky finger. Oh Gross!! A Centipede! Emma and I both shriek slightly and jump backwards, Emma entirely out of the room, and me only to the doorway where I can better survey the situation.

It's nestled into my bedding. Eugh.

I grit my teeth. This is no time to let my girly side come out. There is a bug, and bugs must be dealt with. "Emma," I say, "hand me that slipper."

The next fifteen minutes are spent with me chasing the bug around the room with a slipper, occasionally slapping near it, but darn, are those things fast! Emma watches my efforts from the safety of the bed, adding shrieks of mock-alarm whenever I uncover it from somewhere and giggles of laughter whenever I miss or move quickly away lest it crawl over my feet.

Finally when it scuttles under the mattress and I'm having to lift the corner of the mattress with one hand while swatting at it with the other Emma gasps out through choking giggles, "I have to pee" and runs back up the stairs. No sooner is she gone than smack I hit it. "Got it!", I holler at her disappearing feet. Wait, it's still moving!! How is this possible?? smack-smack! Two more hits and it is gone from this world. But wait, I have a problem. I can't put the mattress down without smearing bug-guts into it, and I can't get anything to clean the bug-guts up without putting the mattress down. I'm frozen in the middle of the floor, holding up on corner of a foam mattress and staring down in a pondering manner at the pile of bug guts on the floor when Emma comes back in. The sight sets her into giggles again, but she helps me clean it up.

When this is over neither one of us very much relishes the thought of sleeping on the floor that night so we decide to share her twin bed, much as we used to when we were somewhat younger and somewhat smaller. We set to organizing the bed, and as I lean over to place the pillows on the bed, which had been turfed off in the excitement, I place my hand on the foot of the bed for leverage and - it's wet. Really wet. My hand is now dripping in...Dripping in what? The window is open, but it hasn't been raining. There are no upended glasses in sight. With something like apprehensiveness floating through my mind, I lean down and sniff the sheets. Please, let this not be what I think it is - and it is! Cat urine. Eugh.

Emma once more dissolves into giggles, and this time I can't help but join her. We strip the bedding and get clean sheets on again, and finally lie down to sleep. As we lie there, surprisingly comfortable together in a twin bed, and staring at the ceiling, I say, "Emma, let's not make this a nightly ritual."

Emma agrees.

Meme Too!

Bold the ones you've done..

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (all two of them)
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne.
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken (just fell back out again, no heart break)
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback (Huh?)
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

Well gee. That's not so bad for only 20!

Frustrating Assignments

I slept! I did, however, resort to taking drugs. But still, sleep is so wonderful.

This geography course that I'm taking is just awful! It's interesting and all, but the workload is insane! Every week I have to read 2 chapters (about 120 pages) & learn the key terms, do between 4 and 6 lab activities, hand in 2 of those lab activities, and contribute to online discussion. Most weeks I can manage to do all of that (although barely, it's incredibly time consuming work), but this week he decided that in addition to doing a large lab on our own due Sunday (ie: today) and a smaller lab on our own due Friday, we would also do a large group lab also due Sunday! This means that we had to:
1) watch two videos about garbage disposal
2) find groups for ourselves based on 3 questions out of the textbook
3) arrange to meet in an online chat room
4) discuss the material & question
5) write a group report
6) submit the report to an online program
7) rank each group member based on his/her performance
8) submit an email to the professor suggesting marks for the other people in our group, based on our rankings

Bearing in mind that he didn't even bother to tell us about the group project until Wednesday, this gave us 4 days to complete all these things. It's hard enough to get a group project working when you're at school full time all in the same city, imagine how hard it is to get 10-15 people together when you're all working/volunteering at strange and unusual hours, have never met, and can only use a stupid message board to arrange all the details!! It was friggin impossible!!

Having said that, I did get a group of 6 people together, of whom only 4 really did any work, and we have a finished report. Am I impressed with this professor though? Oh no. Far from it.

Battle for Sleep

Dear Insomnia,

Oh most hated foe, why do you continue to torment me so? What have I done to deserve your most loyal friendship and constant attention? Please inform me so that I may right the wrongs committed to you, and thenceforth fall asleep.
Woe to me for having made such an enemy, such an acquaintance, such a fierce combatant to my nightly rituals. I ask you to leave me in piece and hitherto sink thine evil talons into a more worthy psyche.

Ruefully yours,
Haley

Insomnia

Recently I have been suffering from insomnia. Okay, maybe not just recently. More like, since about the beginning of June I have been suffering from insomnia. I can't fall asleep, nor do I stay asleep when I do. The pattern seems to be that I toss and turn, waking frequently from dream-filled sleep until about 3 or 4 am, and then am finally so exhausted that I sleep, and then have to struggle to get up in the morning.

Now, on doctor's orders, I am to lie down for 20 minutes and, if I have not fallen asleep, I am to get up and do something else: read, do a puzzle, watch tv, etc. After 10 or 15 minutes of this, or when I start to get tired again, I am to try to sleep again. If I still don't sleep after 20 minutes, I am to repeat, until I finally do sleep. She explained to me that if you can't fall asleep, but stay in bed fretting about how you can't fall asleep, the bed can actually become a trigger for restlessness and sleep problems. You get into bed thinking, "Oh God, here we go again" and actually trigger your insomnia. I'm also supposed to do some deep breathing exercises to help me fall asleep. For the past few nights, this has worked. Every night, in fact, since my appointment, this has worked. Every night until tonight.

Tonight I went to bed and lay there for 20 minutes, and then flipped on the light and read for 15. Then lights off again and I lay there for another 20 minutes. Lights back on, and I read for 15 minutes. Lights off again. Lights on again. Finally I decided I needed a change of scenery and went downstairs to get a glass of water (another tactic suggested). Now here I am, at 2:21 in the morning, writing this post. Maybe after this I'll be able to sleep again.

If this continues much longer I think I'm going to go with the second method we talked about: drugs 3 nights in a row to reset my sleep patterns. What I wouldn't give to just be able to lie down and fall asleep...

Etta James: Thug Luva.

OH MY GOD!

Tonight was just amazing. AMAZING.

To start with, the concert grounds were more packed than I have seen them so far. You could not move an inch without stepping on someone. Add to that fact that we were incredibly short staffed at our beer tent, so we were just flying to get orders out. At one point I was responsible for all four taps and I was moving faster than lightening.

When that rush was over R, our tent manager, comes over to me and he says, "I think you've earned something special", and hands me a pass to the gold circle. I just about flipped out with joy. I pushed and shoved my way through the crowds, all the whilst yelling excuse me's and sorry's, and finally made it to the gold circle. I got to watch Etta James for 20 minutes, only 2 feet away from her.

She is so talented! So passionate! So gifted! Her voice is spectacular, she has such an incredible stage presence, and only Etta James could get away with wearing a black tank top with the words "THUG LUVA" beadazeled on it.

I just about died and went to heaven right there. And then, when I got back to the tent it had calmed down some, and then last call came, and there was beer poured that hadn't been served, so one of the head managers came over and gave us each a beer. It was, of course, highly illegal, but that just made it that much more sweet.

What a perfect night.

More Concerts

Phew, in the last three days I have seen:

The Stills, Matt Mays & El Torpedo, and Sam Roberts Band with Adam
Blue Rodeo with Mum
Nelly Furtado with Becca

Tonight I get to see Jully Black and Etta James.

What an amazing week this has been.

Informality

This summer I am taking three courses by distance education, one of which I have already completed. In one, Human Geography, we are expected to complete labs every week and submit them online for marking. Generally they are pass/fail assignments, but sometimes they are graded. We are also expected to participate in group discussions on an online bulletin board as a part of our grade. They have a web ticket that counts not only how many posts we put up individually, but how many we are reading as well.

While going about my class participation for the week by reading posts put up by others and posting my answer to the most recent lab, I have come across some disturbing posts. They are as follows:

Post Number One
Dr. Prof,
i m not sure if our ass. is due on fri or sun as the directions are dif on 2 of ur posts. plz let me know asap.

Post Number Two
hey,
i wuz wondering wot sum good topics wud be 4 lab 2.3, cud u give us sum ideas?

I hope to the average reader of this blog, as well as any idiot with an IQ of over 50, the problem with these posts is self evident: their diabolical lack of basic grammatical structure. Most of the "words" in these posts are not accepted in any variety of English dictionary. I must ask, are people not aware that they are addressing a professor in these writings? Furthermore, do they honestly think, knowing that the professor is grading them for the content of these posts, that they are doing themselves any favors with this lackadaisical approach to class participation?

I realize that in this day and age people are constantly informalizing their writing through internet mediums. Of this, I do not approve. There are some people, professors included, that deserve - no, require - a certain degree of respect and formality in communication. You would not walk into your professor's office and say, "what up home-dog, I need you to drop an extention my way". It would get you no where! In fact, it may well be academic suicide to speak to them in such a manner! It is as if because you are not looking the person in the eye while communicating, you can drop any semblance of civilization and assume equal footing with everyone you meet in an online forum. It's driving me crazy!

Me, defined

Haley -- [noun]: A person with a sixth sense for detecting the presence of goblins 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

My Obituary

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Died in the arms of "their" lover?? What's this, I don't even deserve a gendered pronoun?? Still, I got a good chuckle out of this.

You will attain ultimate glory in ...

Spin the bottle - somehow you have mastered your spinning technique to always get the hottest person in the room

'In what rejected sport will you attain your greatest glory?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Bah haha.


Thanks to Angela for the links!

Concerts: Day Number Three/Four

Last night I had yet another night of pouring beer and listening to music. I was pretty excited too because Ani DiFranco was scheduled to play, and I've never heard her live. It was really painfully slow for a long time, and there were way too many people on shift, but a lot of them left and more people came for beer, so it was better by the end.

Ani DiFranco was okay. Technically she's very good and she can play a lot of complicated pieces, but she didn't seem to play with a whole lot of passion, and that disappointed me. It wasn't all that it was made out to be, or that I had hoped it would be.

The band that played after her though...wow. Just wow. Michael Franti & Spearhead. I'd never heard of them before, but they were amazing. They got the crowd really involved and the music was a mixture of blues and reggae that was just stunning. The lyrics were really well put together, and spoke to a lot of political, human rights, and environmental issues. Plus, they came on an hour early and still played until their end time (total of 2 hours playing) without so much as a pause. It was electrifying. I have never been so moved at a concert. By the time they had played for 15 minutes they had easily drawn in another 5000 people. The place was packed, and everyone was singing and dancing and holding up lighters or the new-age equivalent: cell phones (they do glow, but it's still kind of funny in my book). It was truly fantastic.

Today has been pretty low key. I stopped in to Mum's place to pick up some stuff and visited for a few minutes. Then I went to the laundry-mat for a while. The washer here has been on the fritz and occasionally leaving greasy black dots all over the clothes that come out, and it never comes out afterwards, effectively ruining the clothes. Darned if I'm going to risk my clothes on that, given how much I invest in my wardrobe.

Later tonight I'm meeting up with Adam to have some sibling bonding time. I'm pretty excited about that too. All in all, looks like a good couple of days!

Confession

I have a confession:

I like Kelly Clarkson's music.

Phew, I feel better now.

More Concerts!

Last night, while I had my first experience with pouring beer from a tap (not as easy as it looks!), I also got to listen to "Power Hour with Tony D" and "Cuban Dance Party featuring Maraca". The pour hour was just your usual blues, nothing spectacular, but the Cuban dance party was awesome! We got bead necklaces in flamboyant colours and the group that I was with were so cheerful. We were dancing all the time, while pouring and serving various alcoholic beverages. At the end of the night the area manager told us that we were the best crew he's worked with in a long time. Nice compliment, eh?

I can't wait to see where they put me tonight! Speaking of which, I need to do my geography assignment before I leave...

How Open Minded are You?

You Are 72% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

Concert

Last night I got to see Great Big Sea live. It was spectacular. I'd never seen them live before, and are they ever good! I mean, I like their music, but they perform really well with tones of interaction with the audience and they played all my favourites.

Are my hands ever sore from popping that many coolers open though! No, I'm not a drunk, I was volunteering at one of the many beer tents. They provided a bottle opener, but I can never work those things. Suffice it to say that after opening hundreds and hundreds of Vex coolers I've developed sore calluses in my thumbs and forefingers. I think that next time I volunteer I'll try pouring the beer instead... I think that the volunteering made the concert even more enjoyable, with all the interaction with the crowds, and just the general feeling among the volunteers. It was amazing.

Hogwarts

I know I'm a year behind on this, but still, I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Wow. Someone had already tipped me off as to who dies, but I was so hoping that they'd lied. And I can't believe that was who was the half-blood prince! Ah!

Matchbox Lyrics

You start to wonder if you're ever going to make it by
You start to think you were born blind
...
Do their best to change you
They still can't erase you.

I'm not sad, I just love Matchbox Twenty. Name that song?

Illusive Day

Today began when, after munching down my bagel for breakfast, I decided I was tired of having to stop every three paces to brush the combined cat and dog fur from my feet. Dirty floors are one of those things that I just cannot stand. After sweeping up enough fur to create another cat (it's amazing how much those furry beasts shed), I saw the pile of embroidery floss that I've been meaning to organize, so sat down to separate it into the DMC and Anchor color codes. Each skein wrapped around a small card with it's color number written on it, and safely stored in the plastic boxes labeled DMC and Anchor, respectively, I became thirsty.

I wandered into the kitchen and while pouring myself a glass of water noticed that there were clean dishes in the dish rack. I put them away, and after re-hanging the dish towel that had been underneath them to soak up the errant water droplets, I noticed that the counter was kind of sticky. After pulling out the Comet and wiping down the counter I couldn't help but notice that it would look a lot nicer if the counter was clear of the few dirty dishes that were sitting atop of the never-functioning dishwasher that serves as counter space. While I was doing those, Rumble jumped up on the counter, put his paws up on my shoulder and mewed demandingly in my face. I let the water out of the sink and followed him as he ran for his food dish which -gasp - was out of kibble. I filled the dish and pet him as he chowed down. Looking down at my now cat-hair covered self, I got out the cat brush and brushed him, then tracked down Malika and brushed her.

Back into the living room, I pick up the tiny curtains I've been working on for my doll house. They promptly fell apart. Amid swearing I set about gluing them back together, a long and painstaking task. While the glue was drying I packed - I'm spending some time at Mum's and need things like clothes and books. I worked on my Geography lessons for a while, but came up with nothing for my lab assignment: Apply the perspective of 'writing the world' to a landscape of your choice and discuss how the dominant collective beliefs of the local society are 'written into' or reflected in this landscape. ie: 'How does the Canadian landscape reflect the idea of Christianity?'

I have now given up for the moment on this assignment and am merely waiting to be picked up by Mum. Isn't it interesting, though, how an entire day can disappear before you even really notice that it's there?