Girls, girls, girls (of the awosting variety).

This is one of my favorite photos of the summer. All it's missing is some Sara D action, and a certain Miss Nicole B...Otherwise, it's such a nice photo. Ah...Memories.

Got my contract today...

Consider it signed and sent back.

Someone has been trying to get into my e-mail account, and that makes me sad. I've changed the password and security question so that maybe it will be untouchable for a while. Still, I'm sad.

Copying the ultimate mix-cd is more stressful than you'd expect.

I've finally gotten my sister into photography! Okay, so it's digital photography (and we all know how I feel about that), but it's still cool that she's finally picking up my camera sometimes. She took this photo while I was extra-absorbed in making copies of the most ultimate mix-cd I've ever made. It was hard work, as I take my mix-cds very seriously.
Night!

Contract Anxiety.

I heard through the grapevine that Tom Degnan got his contract in the mail the other day. I had forgotten that it was that time of year. Now, I'm all worried that I won't get one....I mean, I'm pretty sure that Buzz likes me, so I shouldn't be so worried, but it sure would be horrible if I didn't get one. I would be so upset. So, for the next couple of weeks, I'll be waiting nervously by the mailbox.

Allison and I are happy girls, even though it's getting colder outside.

A lazy saturday night.

Our night pretty much consisted of doing nothing. We went over to Amy and Ray's for a bit, and went out to Wal-Mart to get some CDs for making ultimate mix-cds (I know I shouldn't go there, but the deals....I can't escape the great bargains.)

Wow. Allison's car is pretty hot.

Yesterday.....

...Was "Buy Nothing Day". Learn more about it here. I'm glad to say that I resisted all urges and kept my wallet full (of the entire contents of $14.32). Be sure to participate next year!

Although it's been taken down, someone posted some really horrible things on Ron's Awosting message board. It's safe to say that this person, whoever they are, sucks at life pretty badly. Not cool at all.

To all of my american friends...Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This photo is funny. My sister took it today when she was fooling around with my camera... I was talking to the dog about eating turkey...Even though Canada's Thanksgiving is in October.

Had a dream last night...

...A great dream about camp. Sometimes, memories get pushed into the back of my head, and I forget about them for a while. Last night, one of these memories came to me while I was dreaming.

This summer, on the 4th of July, Awosting had a social. I think most counselors look forward to socials, as it's pretty much one huge meat-market for the kids and adults. However, if you are an Awosting girl, then socials are a bit boring. We see the guys all day, so it's not really anything exciting for us. I totally understand how the Chinqueka girls must get excited, they don't see the guys much at all. Anyway, it's interesting to watch....For a while. Then it gets pretty dull.
It was starting to get dark outside, so we snuck a few kids out of the social (including the amazing Mr. Banfield) and sat on the benches at the waterfront and watched the fireworks instead of staying for the end, where the big kids all try to "get some". The fireworks were going off, I had the awesome members of the CLC with me (plus a few other counselors), some great kids were sitting quietly with us, and it was one of the warmest nights of the summer. I remember sitting there and thinking that the moment couldn't have been any more perfect.

Wow. Nice memory.

Just a quick note, Nicole informed me that people couldn't post comments on the site, but I unlocked it, and now everyone can comment until they're blue in the face!

You can't make this stuff up.

Some good stuff happened today.

First of all: goodbye to my old, horrible job...Hello to my liquor store dream-job!

Today, I saw Lanny McDonald. If you were a child in the 80's in Calgary, then you definitely know about Lanny McDonald. If you don't know who he is, then learn about him here. Seriously, I didn't like hockey at all as a child, but Lanny was still my hero for one reason: he had the hugest moustache I'd ever seen. Wow. Anyway, I was happy to see that he was still rocking the massive 'stache....He was also drinking a very small coffee.

For the second day in a row, I walked past the HMV (music store), and everyone inside was rocking out to Neil Young. Not even joking, people were fully rocking out in the middle of a store....Two days in a row! It was a nice thing to see.

There is definitely a lack of photos on the page right now. My blog archives my posts after a certain number of days (if you want to see the older photos, check out the November and October archives). I'll be sure to take some more photos soon...Allison and I are bound to have some photo-worthy adventures, she's coming over tonight, so maybe we'll have a mini-adventure, and I'll take some photos...The page looks pretty dull right now.

Just a reminder...

Be sure to check out my November and October archives on the right-hand side of the page for more
Sarah-tastic photos and stories.

Mad props to my family.

Just wanted to say that I love my family very much. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and think "Wow! I have a great family."

My dad left for Ireland on sunday. I got an e-mail today saying how he already missed us. It was pretty nice.

Almost every day, someone stops me on the street and says "Are you Nowel's daughter? She's a great lady." Keep in mind, Calgary is a big city. My mom knows everyone.
Today, my mom gave me a $100 gift certificate to Safeway. Maybe normal people wouldn't get excited about grocery gift certificates, but I was pretty sure that it was the greatest thing ever. This evening, my mom, sister, and I went to get some groceries. I think I'll make my mom some cookies...She's a super gal.

This brings me to my sister...In 24 hours, she has done two awesome things:
I was feeling a bit camp-sick, so I asked her to have a grape-eating contest with me. I hadn't been food-challenged since August (butterscotch pudding challenge against Billy Litner), and my sister was an awesome opponent (we can't decide who won...things got a bit blurry).
Then, tonight she came home at about 11PM and made me a great snack...For no reason! Before he left, my dad told us to take care of each other...She's doing an awfully good job. I hope I'm doing a good job too.

I should hop into bed, tomorrow is my last day at work (then I begin my awesome new job at the liquor store).
I'm going to try to be as professional and nice as I can tomorrow. I will pretend that I actually liked the job. Even if I feel like being a jerk, and telling my boss all of the things that are wrong with the job, I will keep my cool and be as pleasant as possible....It is the right thing to do.

Night!

This photo makes me happy.

This is my resident tough-guy, Jacob....Notice the drool spot under his chin.
I'll try to get some shots of my kitties soon.

A scary story.

Okay, so before I begin, you should turn off your lights in your house. Oh, and you should pretend that I am at your house with you, and I am holding a flashlight up to my face. Plus, I am speaking in a scary voice.

The story I am about to tell you is 100% true.

It all began when I moved into my new house, a couple of months ago. This is an old house, and creepy things are bound to happen, but check this out:

The third day that I was living here, I picked up the phone to make a call. I looked down at the numbers on the phone, only they had all disappeared! There was not any special keypad cover or anything...The numbers were painted on the keys. The phone used to be my mom's, and she remembers that the numbers were painted on as well, so I'm not kidding myself at all. One day they were on the phone, and then the next day they were all gone. Even my dad, who is the most level-headed person I know, said "Wow, That's spooky".

The next scary thing happened about a month later. I had the Kill Bill soundtrack for a few months, and I had listened to it a million times. I knew each track off by heart. One day I go to listen to it, but something is strange...Track #1, Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang", begins to play, but there are no vocals on the track. Days earlier, I had listened to the cd and it was fine. I searched on the internet to see if I could find an explanation, but I learned that, unlike records, cds are recorded with the vocals on the track every time. I found this strange, but is gets stranger...About a week later, I went to play another cd. This one was a mix I had made, and I listened to it quite often. Like my Kill Bill Soundtrack, I knew each track off by heart. I get to the song "I Put a Spell on You" , bu Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and the vocals have disappeared off of that track too!!! Just to make sure it was not my stereo, I played the cds on my computer and discman. Still no vocals. So strange.

This last one is the scariest...Last night, while I was sleeping, I was punched in the back...Hard. Here's the thing: I was alone in the house. Of course, after I was woken up, I got up and turned all the lights on in the house. My cats and dog were sleeping in the living room. I checked all over the house, but couldn't find anything abnormal (seriously, my house is like Fort Knox, I don't think anyone could ever get in, especially with my dog, Jake, watching over me). I went back to bed, as I figured it was all a dream. However, when I got up this morning to take a shower, I was shocked...I have a huge bruise on my back where I felt the punch. Creepy!!!



In nicer news, I only have two days left at my horrible job, and then I begin full-time at the liquor store. Pretty happy about that, although I hate to leave Wenda all alone. She has been my comrade for a couple of months now, and I'm really going to miss being around her.

It snowed today in Calgary. This is about the fourth time that it has snowed, but it just keeps melting. I'm sure, pretty soon, that it will get quite cold.....I just hope it doesn't happen too soon.

The big secret....

Maybe it's not the hugest secret in the world....

Okay, so a couple of months ago, I got an e-mail from Jon Williams...It really got me thinking. The following is part of the e-mail that he sent to me:

"Yeah! As usual, everything I want\need just falls into my lap without any effort on my part.
I had a job interview in Kingston. It didn't seem to go very well but the trip to the office took me past Toys R Us on the way home and I applied there instead. Now I'm going to live in Kingston and work at a toy store. I hope I get a discount. Also, I met some Mormons on the way home from Toys R Us and they gave me my very own Book of Mormon. Score!"

I have really been hating my job these past couple of months. It is not a fun job at all. About a month ago, they cut my hours back, so I decided to run out and get a job that I'd like.

After a bit of searching, I find myself at a liquor store. I had my first day today, and it went so well! The job is fun and easy, and my co-workers are awesome.

Some might consider this a demotion, I don't seem like the type you'd see working at a liquor store. Seriously though, at this time it's the right thing to do. Plus, after months of intensive training, I like to think I know my sauce.

A funny tidbit: my mom has starting using the word "sauced". Good for you, mom.

Tonight, my mom made dinner for my sister, my uncle dale, and I. We made a good sunday dinner like my grandma would, and talked about all of our favorite grandma memories. At the end of the meal, my mom opened up her china cabinet, which is full of china that my grandma gave us, and brought out a cup for each of us. She poured us each a tiny bit of diet pepsi, my grandma's favorite drink, and we toasted to grandma's life. I'm so glad we did it...I think it all helped us feel so much better.

A crappy day.

So, I'm writing this at about 8PM....The previous Nov. 20th posts were written last night after midnight before I got to bed. This morning I woke up because my phone was ringing. My mom called and said that my great-grandma had passed away, 6 days after we had flown across country to see her. This was not a shock, but still it was sad news. She will be buried in Arkona, Ontario, right next to my great-grandpa. Like my great-grandpa, she has asked to be buried with a picture of my sister and I in her pocket.

A little later on in the day, my sister and I drove my dad to the airport. I know that my dad leaves town a lot, but it never gets easier to say goodbye to him...My sister and I love him a lot.

As my sister and I got in the car, both emotionally exhausted, she turned to me and said: "You know what? Today has been a pretty crappy day."

Usually, Allison and I always go out on Saturdays, but I'm staying in tonight to reflect a bit (and do some laundry).

...Just wanted to thank Allison a ton for bringing me flowers today. I know it sounds stupid, but it really did help me feel a bit better. She is one super gal.

Tomorrow, assuming it's a better day, I'll reveal my secret, but I'll give you a hint tonight.....You know how I hate my job? Things may get a bit better.

Whoa.

Found this site that lists all of the samples from one of the greatest albums ever: Paul's Boutique.
Anyway, check out the glory of the Beastie Boys' masterpiece here.

Dad's leaving.

...It's actually a good thing! Let me start by saying that my dad is the type of person I hope to become. My family consists of my sister, my mom, my dad, and I. My parents are separated but remain very good friends. Here's the kicker: my sister looks a lot like my dad, but has the argumentative and strong personality of my mom (I'm not saying this in a bad way, they're both not afraid to stick up for what they believe in). I look like my mom, but have the amiable and easy-going personality of my dad (meaning that we're both huge push-overs).
I feel very fortunate to have the personality of my father...He's a great guy.
Today, at 6pm, my dad leaves for Ireland. My dad has lived on and off in Europe for the past few years. He believes in following your heart....He doesn't feel like he should be in Canada. He loves us, but needs to be in another country. However, this time, his job-situation is a bit different. Normally, he works under contract. This time, he's found a permanent job. Although I'll miss him, I'm super proud of him (and, you know, the whole "visiting dad in a foreign country" factor is not too shabby either). I've seen lots of Great Britain, but have never traveled over to Ireland...Could be a good adventure.

Been listening to a band called "Stars" lately...Really good stuff. Check out a few samples here.

I'm excited to tell everyone my awesome secret....However, not quite yet. I just need to set a few things in stone, and then I'll reveal it to everyone....It's going to be good.

The Bow River is very chilly in November.

I was on my way home from work today on the bus, and we passed over the 10th Street bridge. I looked down at the river, and got off at the next stop. I crossed the street and walked to the bank of the river. I rolled up my pants and waded in until the water was above my knees. The water was freezing, and my feet were numb in a minute, and I had to get out. Still, I'm glad I waded in. I don't really know why I did it, I guess I just miss the fresh water of Bantam Lake. Going to the pool is not the same....I know that Bantam Lake is full of weeds and dead fish, but some of my best memories are in and around it.

My sister said to me the other day: " How does it feel to spend most of your year waiting for two measly months?"
I'm sure she meant it as a bit of a negative thing, but it got me thinking....It feels pretty fantastic.

I may have just made one of the best CDs I've ever made, let me know if you want a copy...Initially, I made it for a package that I'm constructing for Matt D, but it's so good that I want to share it with the world.

I have some really great news...Strange and awesome news. However, I can't tell anyone just yet. Let's just say that I took a page from the book of Jon Williams...

BTW, Nicole B. sent me a package that blew my mind. It was so good, it hurts me a little. Thank-you Nicole!!!!

Camp-sick.

I was stuck at home today, as I was a pretty sick girl. Between gravol ( that's dramamine for the americans) -induced periods of sleep, I spent a lot of my time thinking about camp. Every time I think about it, I get this little empty feeling in the pit of my stomach....It's been about three months since I left, and I miss it so, so much. Can't wait until I'm back...Seriously, I would crawl to Connecticut if I had to.

A new life-lesson.

Last night, when I got home from the movies, I went and ate some ramen noodles in my sun room, trying to re-live some of my awesome camp memories. This morning, I was violently ill. I learned an important lesson: Ramen is not as good when you're not at camp.

Two good things.

Two good things happened today.

1. I was downtown, on my way to work, and this guy was on his cell phone. Only it wasn't a normal cell phone, it was one of those gigantic 80's ones that were the size of a brick. He was this older guy, and he wasn't even trying to be ironic. I stopped and thought about it for a second: in order to keep a phone around for that long, and resist all of the urges to constantly update his technology, he must be a really great guy.

2. I went to see the movie "Ray" with my dad and sister. When I went to the washroom, there was a chinese finger-trap on the floor. It was the most random thing ever. Where do you even get a chinese finger-trap?

Overall, it was a mighty fine day.

Better times in Ontario.

A strip club next to a lube shop? If you don't find that funny, then you must have a heart of stone. Priceless.

While in London, we went out for breakfast with my dad's side of the family. My sister, my Uncle Howie, My little cousins, Jesse and Melissa, and my Grandma Harvey (a very healthy woman, so I don't have to worry about her just yet). How did I get such beautiful little cousins? It may be something I'll never figure out....

We spent our last night in Toronto. My sister took these photos of me shortly after our arrival. Our hotel had a pool, which made me so happy, as I haven't been swimming nearly enough since the summer. We got in, and my mom and sister began to make some plans. I didn't care to hear these plans, and it took me maybe 32 seconds after arrival to get in my swimsuit and head downstairs....I was like "Screw you guys.....

....I'm going swimming."

A sad weekend.

Like I said in a previous post, my great-grandmother is close to passing away. We flew to Ontario this weekend to say our final good-byes. She really isn't coherent anymore, and I'm sure she didn't understand why a bunch of strange people were hugging her and crying. Grandma is to the point where she doesn't know anyone anymore, not even her own children. She had one moment where she actually knew what was going on (which, we were informed, hasn't happened in a very long time). My mom walked up to her in the hospital and said "Hi, do you know who I am?" and grandma replied "No."
My mom said "I'm Nowel...Do you know who Nowel is?"
My grandma said "You're my grand-daughter".
Of course, the whole family was bawling by this point, as she hadn't said anything remotley coherent in months. She forgot who my mom was about 2 minutes later, but we still had that one moment.
Grandma is 86, and lived a very good life. She raised my mom as her daughter, and has been about the best grandma in the world. Although it was a sad ocassion, she would not want us to be upset. She says it is time for her to pass away, and my family is trusting her instinct.
We spent the weekend taking care of her, and we know she won't be able to remember it now, but when she finally passes away, I hope she's somewhere where she can realize how much she was loved.

To be fair, the weekend was not all sad....The whole thing was a bit stressful, so we had to have a bit of fun. I'll post photos and tell stories tomorrow.

Wednesday Night!

So, I had a pretty gosh-darned good night at Cherry Lounge on Wednesday. I had forgotten how much fun I could have there. DJ Pump played a good set, and DJ Rice was in his finest form (as always). However, they let this other guy spin as well between sets. This other guy, well...He wasn't the greatest. He gets on the decks, and automatically starts spinning these obscure 80's tunes. Not just one or two, but a whole bunch. Usually, DJs will throw on a song or two that makes you say "Wow! This guy is a huge crate-digger....Where the hell did he find this song?" Any more than a few, and you're just going "For the love of everything holy, put on a new song!" Keep in mind, these songs were played between two full-on house sets. Here's a little guideline to spinning obscure 80's songs in the middle of a house set:

One obscure 80's song = Perfect, makes the next "new" song sound 100 times better.
Two obscure 80's songs = Still okay.
Three obscure 80's songs = You're pushing it.
More than three obscure 80's songs = Shouldn't be allowed.

One good thing came out of this: the unknown DJ had a huge mohawk....Mohawks make me a little tingly, as they bring back some of the best memories of the summer.

There is one thing that obscure 80's songs are good for: making the next new song sound like heaven. After about 10 songs, Rice got back on the decks and started spinning a house mix of a Lucy Pearl song, and it sounded like the best song I had ever heard in my life (although the vodka and Red Bull may have also had something to do with that).

It was a great night, although I didn't feel to great in the morning when I got on the plane (will write about my weekend tomorrow).

Night!

The Cherry Lounge has gotten a lot quieter since 2001...Allison and I actually got a table!

Not joking, this was the scariest photo I've ever taken. If you can't tell, it's a photo of Allison that I took without the flash, using only the ambient light from the candle in the club. Technically, I understand why the photo turned out like it did, but it doesn't make it any less scary.

Wow, we sure had fun, but what was up with the dude in the stairwell that looked like Dave Chapelle? He was all like "Hey! Hey! That's right, I know you." Still trying to figure out if I actually know him, or if he was a huge liar.

Gone til Sunday.

Last night was full of adventures, and I have a bunch of good stories and photos (including the scariest photo I've ever taken). However, I must go to Ontario for the weekend, as my great-grandma is in the middle of passing away. Be back on sunday.

Super excited!

It's midnight and I can't get to sleep...I'm way too excited! Tomorrow night, Allison and I are heading back to one of our old haunts. The Cherry Lounge is celebrating it's 5th anniversary. The legal drinking age in Alberta is 18, and as soon as I was old enough, Allison and I were at the Cherry every Saturday (and at the Night Gallery every Sunday). Why did we spend so much time at the bar? Two words: DJ Rice (check out the link for a sweet-ass download).

DJ Rice is my second favorite DJ (my first, of course, being one Mr. Paul Whitehouse, just because he's great). It's been so long since I've seen him spin, especially at the Cherry Lounge...Photos will follow.

Night.

Generic trouble.

Since I've been back in Calgary, I've been losing weight...A lot of weight. My family is full of vegans, and being around them has kept me eating shockingly healthy. However, I'm at a point in my life where I don't want to lose any weight, as I don't want to have to buy new clothes, and I've finally gotten comfortable with myself. I've been desperately trying to curb this weight-loss (it's not working at all right now, but I need to give it some time). My plan includes a trip to the bakery once in a while, and tons of cheese.

Here in Canada, the best way to up your cheese intake is by eating KD. I went to the grocery store to get a decent supply, and found some generic KD that was half the cost. I figured that it couldn't be that different (I'd had some good experiences with generic products in the past) , so I bought a few boxes. I learned a hard lesson that day:

Generic Honey= Really good.
Generic Ramen= Can't tell the difference.
Generic Dish Soap= Reasonable facsimile.
Generic Diet Coke=Will drink it if I'm poor.
Generic deodorant=Probably not a good idea.
Generic KD= Hell in a box.

From now on, I'll spend the extra 30 cents.
Night!

Name-Tag Fun!

Normal people spend their Saturday nights at the movies, or at a club. What did Allison and I do last night? We made up some name-tags, and went to the mall. As you can see, mine said "Hello, my name is AWESOME", Allison's said "Hello, my hame is Corky" (except the 'K' was backwards). We bought some pants, and surprisingly, nobody thought the nametags were funny but us! I wanted someone to ask my name, so I could say "I'm awesome!"

The reason why we had to go to the mall in the first place is because I broke the zipper on my favorite pair of pants. I bought these pants on "The best day-off ever" in Connecticut with Chris and Matt D. I still wanted to wear the pants to the mall, so I secured them in place with a christmas spiderman pin, as it was the only pin I had. After we were done at the mall, we went to Ray & Amy's house, and then went halfway across town trying to find a Taco Bell that was open late....We didn't ever find that Taco Bell, and had to settle for Wendy's fries. Pretty fun night.

Amazingly warm.

So, last night I'm walking home at about 10PM. Everyone has their windows and doors open, people are sitting on every other street corner, and you can hear people in their backyards, relishing the last night of warmth in Calgary before the temperature begins to hit -30C. We've already had snow, so this warmth was a big surprise. Who says global warming is a bad thing? It was 12 degrees Celsius at 10pm on November 5th in Calgary, and all I could think about was going for a swim outside...Too bad Calgary is a very dry city.


I've been on the Ministry of Sound site a lot lately.... Great site if you like that kind of music (which I do!), tons of downloads and stuff. Check out the "Sexiest Videos of All Time" section on the site (not exactly "clean viewing", so maybe not good for work), featuring two of my all-time favorite songs, Stupid Disco - Junior Jack & My My My - Armand Van Helden....Pretty hot stuff.

A quick note: on Wednesday, DJ Rice is spinning at Cherry Lounge for their 5th anniversary. He hasn't spun at Cherry for a while, so I'm sure it will be a pretty huge deal. Allison and I wouldn't miss it for the world, it's going to be crazy hot. If you're in the city, you should probably go.

Awkward Compliments.

I get on the bus this morning, on the way to work, and there's this young guy talking loudly on his cell-phone about how he's probably going to jail soon. He keeps staring at me, and I'm starting to feel a bit strange. Finally, he gets up to get off the bus. I can tell that he's going to say something to me, and I'm prepared for the worst. Did he make a suggestive comment? Did he insult me? No. He says "You have a nice face", and gets off the bus....Interesting.

So then I get to work, and someone calls me "minxy". They said it in the kind of tone where I couldn't tell if they were saying it in a negative or a positive way, which leaves me with a creepy "neutral" feeling. What does "minxy" mean, anyway? I'm pretty sure it's not a good thing, but it seemed to be delivered to me as a compliment. So strange.


...Still having dreams that my teeth are falling out. I've been reading up on this, and can't get a definitive answer. Maybe it means that I'm just concerned about my dental hygiene (which is true!). My dentist says that I'm one of his best patients, and that I have "immaculate dental hygiene". Maybe I need to stop brushing my teeth so much, and go out and get a life.

Some bands I've been listening to lately:

-The High Water Marks
-Iron & Wine
-Fierey Furnaces
-The Thrills (my fav at the moment)
-Arto Lindsay
-Rilo Kiley
-Jem
-Kings of Convenience
-The Postal Service
-Metric
-State Shirt

After months and months of hard work, my LaunchCast station is pretty much perfect. Originally, it was very complacent, and would only play songs that I forced it to....Now, it's gotten to the point where it keeps playing me new songs that I haven't requested, and the songs are so great that I keep shaking my head and going "Bravo, LaunchCast, Bravo". If my LaunchCast was a person, it would be the guy that has a million crates of records in his basement that you are high-fiving non-stop for giving you awesome music suggestions.
Make your own at www.launch.com .

Night.

My idea first!

People keep stealing my ideas, and making money off of them.

For example, in ninth grade, I was in the school cafeteria. I was enjoying some Cup 'O Noodles , and I said to Allison "This is good, but you know what would be better? Cup 'O Wonton". Probably 5 years later, I was at the grocery store, and there it was: Cup 'O Wonton.

Recently, another idea of mine was stolen. A few years ago, I was at work, and I said to a friend "You know what I'd like to do on my lunch break? Take an awesome nap." However, being in the middle of downtown, there was nowhere to sleep. I thought that it would be a good idea to have a place downtown where you could lay down and take a quick nap for a small fee. While I was still struggling with the hobo-factor, Japan starting making these napping kiosks, and they are becoming quite popular.

Serioulsy, I need to get my act together and market these ideas before other people steal them, or I'm going to be stuck eating Top Ramen for the rest of my life.

Canadian elections are never this wacky...

Not even joking, our elections are so much easier!
To learn more on Canadian politics, check out www.canadahistory.com/sections/politics/politics.htm

I find it quite amusing that we, as Canadians, get full coverage of the American elections, while most Americans would have a hard time naming our current prime minister (no offence to all of my awesome American pals, I love you guys).
Check out http://home.comcast.net/~wwwstephen/americans/ for some Canadian-American humor.

I can't say that I'm 100% pleased with the outcome of the election, but because I'm a Canadian, I should shut my piehole right now.

Here are some reasons why I wish that Kerry would have won:
-Kerry is much more relaxed than Bush, and is more likely to get into some hilarious Clinton-esque mischief.
-Kerry seems like the kind of guy that would go onto late-night talk shows and make fun of himself.

Here are some reasons why I'm willing to accept Bush as president:
-I won $5 at work by betting that Bush would win by 51%.
-His last name is 'Bush', and that's funny no matter how you look at it.

Who would I have voted for? Well, that's a pretty personal thing, so I'll just say that his name almost rhymes with "A.C. Slater" (note: if you know who A.C. Slater is, then you are a bigger nerd than I).

BTW: my entire city smells like laundry detergent tonight....Possible fire at the Tide factory?

To all my american pals....

If you're old enough, please vote today. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, please just vote....It's your country, make sure you have a say in what goes on. Good luck, it will certainly be interesting.

As a canadian, I find the american voting statistics pretty poor...Most Canuks don't even think about it, they just drag themselves to the polls.

BTW, I put my money into a pool today for the election, I'll let you know if I win any cash.

If you don't like the outcome of the election, you can always move up here....Check out "An American's Guide to Canada" @ www.icomm.ca/emily .

I believe the proper term is "gypped".

So, I go into work today, and the manager wants to have a quick talk with me...It turns out that they "accidentally" hired too many people, so my hours will have to be cut back (by 20 hours a week!).
At first, I was a bit pissed...20 hours is a lot! However, I realized that maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

First of all, while still working at this job , I can look for a better job, as I can still survive quite easily on the 25 hours that they will be giving me each week....I'm always complaining about work (let's face it: I'm not a big fan of this position), so it's time to find something that is at least semi-enjoyable (even if it isn't photography-related...I can always wait for camp to get my photo-teacher inclinations out of my system).

Second of all, I have a small project on the horizon: I have begun to help Ron spread toccer around the world. For those of you that don't know, Ron Bronson, an american friend of mine, invented the world's greatest game....Toccer! Even though I am the world's least athletic person, I believe in this game, and I believe in the inventor. Ron and I have been exchanging some ideas, and have agreed that it's time to get some canadian kids in on the action. Kids love toccer!

For more toccer info, check out www.toccer.com

For more info on Ron, check out his site @ www.ishouldstudymore.net (includes an awesome awosting message board).

Well, must get to bed (last night I had a dream that my teeth were falling out, but I woke up in the middle of it....I'm hoping to continue it tonight, to see how it pans out....A possible trip to the dreamland dentist?). Night!