It's beginning to feel a lot like December in my world! I hesitate to say its starting to feel like Christmas, when I associate Christmas with good eatting, lazy afternoons and wearing new fuzzy jammies, when all I've been doing this weekend is running around going to parades, getting ready for an ice show and studying for upcoming finals, the things I usually associate with the end of the school semester and fall skating season.
Friday night I joined my mom and sister for a little late night shopping at Zellers and Walmart. I know the states have this crazy thing called Black Friday, but we don't really have it in Canada. I know every year more American corporations try to push it on us by having really big sales here, and I know a lot of Canadians cross the border to go join the chaos, but to me it seemed that we Victorian's didn't really jump on board. My mom and sister decided to go out after dinner and honestly I didn't find much that I wanted/needed, but I did break my rule of "nothing Christmas till no earlier than Dec 1" rule by buying a 2$ box of warhead candy canes. Which yes are sour and after one my mouth is a wreck, but for 2$ you can't lose and I'll hand them out at school and all my upcoming study sessions.
Shopping with my sister Boozy B (no she's not a drunk/lush/alcoholic, but we have had many a conversation over how best to make child friendly drinks...erm not so child friendly...) is always enjoyable. She has a pretty good sense of ha-ha and knows not to take things too seriously. She's pretty laid back so when we decided to ditch Zellers, she was all game for Walmart. Good times had by all but really no deals to be had that were any different than anything we would usually see Black friday or not....but something to do to keep me busy.
It's been good keeping busy though. Last night my friend T and I threw on lots of layers, packed up the car along with my niece (her daughter) and headed downtown to catch the Victoria Santa Clause Day parade and festival of lights. Now to any parents that have a less than 2 adults to 1 kid ratio you have my new found respect and adoration. T and I just had the one kid to look after and she was really good at sitting still (bribery will get you everywhere) yet I know I never would have wanted to go downtown to such a huge crowd all on my own! Especially with all those other crazy parents running around loose.
We got downtown with LOTS of time to spare because I wanted to make sure we got a great seat curb side so that we would have an unobstructed view of all floats and the big red suited fat man that comes along at the end. So we got there when there weren't a lot of people yet situated and we got a great seat right on the curb, we set out blanket up and our snacks and we waited it out. YET some woman and her kid who came late decided it would be really awesome to just stand about a foot out from the curb and block the view of everything coming our way. Awesome huh? What a great tool to teach your kid...show up late and stand at the FRONT so you become a dark cloud in everyone's line of vision. The interesting coincidence is that someone after we sat down, two groups of deaf people sat on either side of us! Now granted I know I only know a teeny tiny subject of ASL, but I do know enough about facial expression and non manual signs to know when someones annoyed, or is showing dislike, and well these people didn't seem to be terribly thrilled about the dark cloud either. SO doing something that I have always wished I could do and be more assertive about, I got up and asked dark cloud to move!!! Now granted she only moved back about half a step, but at least I got my point across, and eventually as the floats and and bands and stuff went by she had to move back to not get trampled so that made it better, but at least I did something!
Still super annoyed by the whole thing. Why get there late and budge in front of everyone??? I just don't comprehend how some people think stuff like that is a good idea!
Ugh anyways. Tonight I have tickets for my mom BB and I to all go to this thing called "night before late night shopping" at Hillside mall. All the stores will be open till 9:30 and you buy tickets to get into the mall past the normal Sunday hours. All the stores inside will have deals, and there will be door prizes and a fashion show and that kind of stuff going on so I think it will be a hoot. Also there is a draw for a trip for 4 to Disneyland and I could really use a vacation so we've decided that if anyone in our collective goes and wins the trip we all get to go, plus my sister Klepto K (she is a spend a holic and loves to buy useless shit for no reason...i love her but she does..).
anyways! That's my weekend in a nut shell, I'm trying to find the energy to get off my ass and go to the anatomy lab for an hour to study but I've got a serious case of the Lazy Sundays...sigh. Anyways!
It's been a crappy couple of months, and I've gone through some stuff, and I'm putting myself together finally. But it took time for me to realize that I really was in the hole and that it was time to grow up and get on with it. But now that I am "getting the hell on with it" I'm realizing that holy mother of all that is holy that I have a TON of work to do. And of course when I have a lot of work to do what do I do? I crank on my old CD's and dance around my room.
The last couple days have been a total blur of me cleaning, dancing and getting papers/assignments and homework done. Tonight for the first time in a couple days I took time off of my crazy school load to go to the rink and de-stress by skating like a crazy person and bossing around some kids, telling them to move their asses. It's pretty bad when me and my 25-yr-old broken back-ed ass can out skate these teenagers and, its even worse when I had start getting on their case to move their buts because if I have to hear the Paso Doble music more than once in a session ever again I'm going to lose my mind! I hear it at least 7 TIMES A SESSION...and these little shits sit at the boards and ignore the music and continue chatting!!!!! ITS GETTING RETARDED. Test day is in a week and these kids are slacking and I'm more fustrated now than I have ever been with skaters before. So much so that I have started butting in on their slacking gab sessions to tell them to move their asses....sigh
Anyways! So that's what I've been up to. Nothing terribly exciting. School has been kicking my ass and so has my own procrastination, but that's definitely nothing new. The weather here has been absolutely miserable, with all kinds power outages and stuff like that, I can't even imagine what our rainfall total has been with it basically having been raining non stop for the last week. Then again we can't complain, its been snowing all over the rest of Canada and well at least I don't have to shovel rain!
I just really REALLY hope it lets up before Saturday! Saturday night is the Victoria Santa Clause parade and I get to take my niece!! We have skating lessons in the morning and then the parade at night! I can't wait! But it won't be as much fun if it's pissing rain and we're bundled up in blankets and garbage bags...sigh. Oh well there will be hot chocolate!
Hope your week is going well!
Here's what I'm listening to right now
...I love that they sound like a modern mash of the Cure. Sigh...
Also for all of you that have no idea what the Paso Doble (ice dance version) is...I've added it to quench your curiosity. (and no this isn't me skating). Hear how irritating that music is? I hear it AT LEAST 7 TIMES A SESSION AND ITS ONLY A 50 MINUTE SESSION!
I'm currently working on the Tango Romantica but its pretty freaking hard when I get shafted because the slacker kids have tests so they get their music on repeat but fail to actually ever skate to it. JERKS
We've all been here. Sitting at your computer in dire need to sit and do some work and actually be productive, but its the absolute last thing you want to do. So you sit, with your computer poised and .....you then start toodling around online because of course you just HAVE to know something, or find something....and well you get my drift.
So here is the list of the things I've googled instead of studying....this is only the last few from my last major paper due...I'm sure if it were a more comprehensive list of all the sites I've ever used to procrastinate I'm sure it would be way more shameful than it already is....here is my shame...for all to see .. I wrote most of this down when actually writing my lab hence the crazy rambling....
And yes I realize that this post starts of with all the crap I google to procrastinate but then turns into me telling what music you should be listening to...it just further proves that I have a procrastination AND focus problem...shouldn't shock you at all :P
1. The Magic School Bus
I wrote a blog a while back about making all the wrong
decisions (clearly I took my own advice to an extreme because I should be
writing this freaking lab but here I am googling all the wrong crap AND then
BLOGGING about it....ugh...anyway I digress) and it occurred to me (whilst I
should have been focusing on exercise science) that I didn’t really know the
story behind magic school bus that THAT was a CRIMINAL ACT. How DARE I quote
something I clearly know so little about. SO I took to google and came up to a
Wikipedia entry that cleared the whole mystery up for me. Turns out there are a
lot I haven’t read.....ok back to work (oh btw here's the link if you're interested in more info...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_School_Bus)
2. Why do some people show up on my facebook chat but they aren't online?
You know this crazy new facebook chat thing? Well I always have people that I never talk to come up on the list that are never online and I couldn't figure it out. Of course I was procrastinating on crack-book when I should have been studying...or at least writing that damn paper...and here is what I came up with...
Answer: apparently although it still isn’t clear, its
a lot do with who you interact with publicly. A lot of people think that it’s
who has been viewing you’re page the most (which would have been awesome
because the Asscountant has been showing up on mine like crazy) but it has more
to do with who you interact with publically. Which for mine I guess makes
sense. The majority of people on my list are people I have messaged and stuff
lately, but still doesn’t account for why the Asscountant is on that list. I
haven’t “interacted publicly” (or otherwise for the record) in months? But
none the less..thats Facebooks official stand point. Still think its a bit
rigged but I think all of Facebook is rigged.God damn crack-book
3. Concerts in Vancouver that Fido might enjoy (my friend not my dog)
Fido's going through a bad break up (yup he finally found a
girl who he was head over heels about, wanted to commit to, AND of course SHE can't
commit....go figure). Talked to him on the phone today and I don't think I've
ever heard him so defeated. He`s broken up with girls before, he`s been dumped
before, but usually he`s pretty lax about it. He`s never really cared before I
guess, cared but not really cared...does that make sense?) ANYWAYS! The last
time I can remember him happy (other than when he first started dating his lady
friend), was when we saw Finger 11 at the commodore SO thinking I could get him
feeling better by getting concert tix I went to the net...only to realize that
I had turned it off on my computer to force myself to do this damn lab report. So that will have to wait.
4. How to turn the E with the french accent off?
While typing the blurb about the concert tix I mashed the
keyboard in my haste and somehow magically changed my keyboard settings and
switched it to french and for the life of me couldn’t remember how to fix it.
Had to turn my Wi-fi back on to do so. Then had to restart my computer. Good
lord. Go freaking figure...For the record if you are in the same boat as me, just go in and change your languages then restart your computer...should fix it up real quick. Turn it on to US and it will fix all the annoying french canadian settings, unless that's what you want...then I say have at er :)
5. In general - actors/actresses on IMDB
I have certain TV shows I like to watch and I always start
to wonder where the actors were before they landed some of their roles, also I
like the trivia and the whole “7 degrees of Kevin Bacon” kinds stuff....My most
recent “MUST IMDB” moment was Beth Bhers from 2 Broke girls, I love that she’s
such a ditz and I wanted to find out just where the heck she came from..turns
out nowhere really. I already kind of knew about Kat Dennings, her role in
Charlie Bartlet was brilliant SO when I saw she was in this new show I was
eager to find out more about the cast, and enter Beth Behrs into my life...and
now yours check her out! Of course after IMDB I immediately had to watch various youtube clips on 2 broke girls, which led to me watching various clips of various artists singing my favorite songs (of course normal progression of procrastination) hence the following...after the clip that is
6. Amazing Artists on Youtube that even though they came from cheesy TV shows, deserve your TLC
I get a lot of music off of the many TV shows I watch. God how I managed to find time to get an undergrad when it's obvious I'm a TV-aholic I will never know. I hear it in a TV show and if I love it I have to have the MP3, and then I go on Youtube when I should clearly be studying and try and find amazing live versions or acoustic versions of them. And they don't just have to be from TV shows, if I find an amazing band, that's all I need as an excuse to youtube the crap out of them! Example A the Ron Pope - Drop in the Ocean. AMAZING right? If you haven't watched it, scroll down and please do so...or make it up to me by watching some of these (you so won't be sorry!!)
Shawn McDonald- Captivated (Originally from Drop Dead Diva)
Ryan Star- Losing Your Memory (Vampire Diaries...don't judge me for my love of man candy)
Sara Bareilles - Gravity
I've always been a huge fan of her music and I actually own ALL of her albums (as in I went to the store and actually purchased them or ordered them from Amazon) but she has had a bunch of her music featured in Vampire Dairies and a couple movies so at least its not SOO shameful...but what it misses in my secret shame it makes up for in pure awesomeness
Tegan and Sara - Where does the good go.
I've been a fan of these guys for awhile, but for a long time radio here only played the song "walking with a ghost" which I hated. I mean its an ok song, but it got so over played that I always switched it off and of course if you don't like the first taste of a band, you don't go seek out more right? Well enter watching Grey's anatomy. I think their entire album "So Jealous" was at some point or another featured in one episode or another, and of course I fell in love with it all so I youtubed them and found out, that Walking with a ghost doesn't fit the rest of the album. These two are super cute and seem to have actual personality, in that they actually really enjoy being social with others, where some rock stars don't even acknowledge others presence (ie the Chili Peppers..
AWOLNATION - Sail - If you don't know who this band is you need to buy (yes BUY) their album immediately, if not sooner. They are fantastic. I can't believe they have come to my town twice and I've never seen them live. Their music, is amazing, I cannot figure out a better way to describe them. If you listen to them and you then turn out to love them like I know you will...remember where you got it from (that'd be me) (and of course I got AWOLNATION from a guy I used to work with and without him life wouldn't be the same so thank you Cpl...and if you ever come across this...I am fully admitting, but not to your face the following "I was WRONG....YOU were RIGHT"...there happy?)
Barcelona - Come Back When You Can (Vampire Dairies). This song is so soulfull I love it. Regardless of where it came from I think its amazing. Throw in a stage orchestra and I'm pretty much sold regardless. And who hasn't been in this exact position? In an argument with someone you love, they bolt on you and you want nothing more for them to come back because no matter how bad things where, how much you pissed each other off....you just want them to come back to you because together you think you can figure it all out together. That regardless of the words said and the things done, that together you really can take on the world.... Now why this really isn't the reality, it sure is a nice notion isn't?
Serena Ryder - Little Bit of Red. Hated this song when I first heard it on the radio. With a ridiculous passion, it was just so horrible and over done. But then I heard it somewhere acoustically...and fell in love with it. I love the song even though I should hate it...but alas here I am. Maybe when its acoustic you can feel her pain, and I connect with that more than the pop-ed out crap version?
The Naked and Famous - Punching in a Dream. SO this is kind of a long one, but I found out about this band from watching the Secret Circle premiere after watching the season opener of Vampire Daireis. I loved the song "Young Blood" and after finally being able to get the name of the band that sung the damn song, I went out and BOUGHT the cd (shocking huh? I apparently actually buy music) and this has to be the best damn song I've ever randomly stumbled upon without knowing anything about the band at all. Other bands I usually know something about, or have a notion as to what their musical genre is but not this one. Total random purchase, and it really paid of!
Depeche Mode - Waiting for the night. This isn't really a find, but I do think it's worth mentioning as it is acoustic/live music at its absolute best. One night while procrastinating I found this. The live version of this song, from the actual concert I went to. I was there. I got to witness this life, and I was gobsmacked. Keep in mind, this is 100% them, live, on a crappy audience filmed camera, and the guy was getting over cancer. Suck it all you tweeny bopper "auto-tuned" bullshit artists. This is how you get shit done....This is how you last forever, because let's face it? What now famous band doesn't know and respect Depeche Mode? The ones that won't last past two albums of course...
7. Bands that do covers of other bands
I'm an addict for things like this. I love hearing bands that I love cover other bands I love. I also love it when a band I don't 100% care for makes me a fan because they themselves have good taste in music. It is my personal belief that EVERY band should have a cover song in their back pocket. Just one to whip out to keep fan on their toes. Being able to share something like that with a crowd? I think it connects with your audience more and its proof that you too listen to the greats and that you aren't stupid enough to think that you are the only band on the entire planet whose music is good enough to be heard. It humbles a band. But they are really hard to come by. I guess even though as a fan I love it when bands do this, I guess the bands don't really like to do it? I dunno it seems like they don't always do them and even when they do you can't find the physical proof to prove it. SO of course its a great way for me to procrastinate! So here are a few of my absolute favorite cover songs by bands. (and yes the Radio 1 Lounge in the UK does have artists come in and do covers all the time, and I LOVE it...but still they aren't easy to get the tracks from...)
Adam Gontier (Three Days Grace) - Wicked Games This makes me melt every time. I've actually had the privillage to see him sing this live a couple times, and its just breath taking. Chris Issac can suck it, Adam does it better. Then again, it could be the fact that hearing this live, being surrounded by his voice and hearing intensity live...and thinking the dudes man candy...don't help... but it does make your panties want to drop.....or mine at least
AFI - Just like Heaven. I am a huge fan of The Cure, and I think its really interesting to know that most big bands out there today and a lot of popular TV shows, still credit the Cure for a lot of things. AFI did this really awesome cover that didn't make me want to gauge my eyes out when I saw them at warped tour many many years ago, and I think that they pull it all well! (yes the lead singer of AFI creeps the hell out of me and I think they are a bit of a poser kind of band, but the guy sings it well without butchering it...can't really ask for more than that sometimes...its cute so just enjoy for Pete sakes).
Umbrella - Mandy Moore. I cannot bloody stand Rhianna. I DETEST her, and her horibble over produced dime a dozen voice. In my opinion she is 100% whats wrong with pop music today. As far as I'm concerned she is only making money because people feel peer pressure from their friends to listen to her because the media crams her down our throats whether we like her or not. I refuse to be a lemming. HOWEVER, Mandy Moore singing this? Actually makes me think that song holds meaning. She brings a whole other side of it to the table. I hate Rhianna, but this song with the vocal stylings of Mandy Moore? Not too shabby Miss Moore...not too shabby.
Green Day - We are the Champions. To me it seems like everyone has their own opinions on Green Day. You either like them, and have been a fan from the beginning and stuck out their shit albums between their brilliant albums pattern, or you just aren't a fan. Regardless I don't think anyone could ever deny that they put on one hell of a show. I've been lucky enough to see them live a few times and I always have a total blast. They are one of those bands that I feel just loves their fans, and they have a social consciousness about the BS going on in the world, and are brave enough to tell people to "sod the hell off". Hearing them sing this? Well there is no band that I can think of that has triumphed more over the music world than they have...Also. Any band that says "If someone goes down you pick them up. This isn't war this is rock and roll!" to me is AOK in my books.
Josh Groan - My December. Linkin Park? Aren't bad, but I think a bit too stereo typical of what they think isolated teenages who need to break things are. Josh Groban singing their stuff? Pure Brilliance.
The Killers - Shadow Play. Anyone that wants to cover classics like this to make them cool again (so we get to hear quality instead of mass produced crap on the radio) is good in my books. And their the killers! Come on! They rock! Joy Division? They also rock! How could this be bad?
Shiloh - Man in the Mirror After MJ died a whole host of his covers came out. Everyone jumped on the band wagon as if they had always been big fans of him, which to be honest most were. Any artist that says they were never in some way influenced by MJ are full of crap. Choreogrpahed dance moves, tight pants, pop beats all that, MJ did it first folks, and even if you are a hard core rock monger, rock and roll artists are too in debted to this amazing man. NOW granted I don't know where I stand on his lifestyle. I don't know what he did or didn't do, but musically he was a genius. So finding this talented Canadian Shiloh (who I'm sure you've never heard of...) sing one of his songs? Fabulous.
Foo Fighters - Bad Reputation (with the amazing Joan Jett) I just found this a few days ago but its still awesome. Having The Foo Fighters as your back up? Not too Shabby at all. Even if its not a true cover, it still gets a mention
Anberlin - Enjoy the Silence. Ok so I'm a pretty big Depeche Mode Fan. And sadly and so typically "Enjoy the Silence" is one of my favorites of theirs.. I'm also one to believe that unless you can do a song justice, cover or not, you shouldn't touch the greats. Depeche Mode has been around long enough to have the respect of those following them. In other words. Don't cover what you can't do justice. I've heard MANY a Depeche Mode cover thats made me want to slit my own wrists then take a bath with a toaster. This one? Not half bad. Its a nice little harder edge cover and its done fairly well...even if I did find it from a vampire dairies episode. No judgement please.
Darren Hayes - In Your Eyes. Anyone whose ever seen "say anything" watching the scene in the car...swooooon. The song itself is so iconic and to cover it, well its a pretty gusty move when you're livilyhood is females that listen to your music who inevitably have seen all the chickflicks and knows the originals of all these songs (stuff like thompson twins if you were here, or omd if you leave etc...think John Hughes movies), well to cover them is ballsy in my opinion. Well Darren Hayes, you made me a believe that it can be done because your version of this song makes me feel like its totally different than the original and that they stand apart. And of course the panty drop factor is still there...even though I'm sure you're gay. Of course no judgment, but I still melt from your voice.... My only regret is that for the life of me I can't find him singing this...its just the song...but still give it a shot!
My Darkest Days - Come undone Last one of the night. Not
because I'm running out of material but alas out of steam. Keep in mind
that all of these videos are ones that I just keep pulling from a big
pile of crap saved in my favorites. This band is one of those bands you
actually make an effort to see when they are the opening band. They are a
wee bit all over the place as is their CD, but this song? AWESOME. Who
doesn't live a good Duran Duran cover? Weenies...that's who.
Ok well as you can see I am the master of procrastination as now I'm even procrastinating going to sleep!
Hopefully you found out some good info or got a couple of song suggestions...I tried not to post anything too main stream or typical (but probably failed miserably!)
If anyone out there has a song they think I should know about I'm always dying to hear them! I love finding weirdo random amazing stuff and I find that unless someone shoves something in your face or its mainstream you never find it!
And if you really enjoyed this massive purge of musical awesomeness in your face....fear not I've already formulated a plan in my head to do a part two "covers, musicals and live events you should have seen yourself"...ie I may decide to dip into my own personal collection of live video footage! I've got WHACKS.
Ok so I'm frantically trying to pound through a lab report and of course I'm fighting my procrastination a bit......but I'm determined to share this.
Now I do have a fantastic blog post coming that is far more interesting (about my procrastination of course) I don't have time to finish it right now, and I'm dying to pass this amazing youtube video along.
Enjoy and I'll see you when I surface from my self imposed lab write-up hell!
So in this post I'm going to sound like I'm gloating, but stick with it because I'm not.
Growing up, I never wanted for anything. Every day I got up in the morning, put on clean clothes, put on good shoes, got driven to school by my mom, had a home made lunch, got picked up from school by my mom and then taken to skating lessons multiple times a week by my mom. Home cooked meals every night and a family dinner around the dinner table. Skating lessons, skating trips across the country, family vacations to Disneyland, Hawaii and across the country. Getting closer to my point, every year at Christmas there were always presents under the tree. I usually got everything I wanted on my list whether I needed it or not. There was always a big Christmas breakfast, and a huge Christmas dinner with the whole family. There was never any indication to me that there was any other way one might have a Christmas.
As I got older and started to become a little more aware of the world around me, I started to realize that I was really really naive, and extremely fortunate. I have always volunteered (for just about everything one could ever ask one to do). Teaching skating, volunteering at the hospital, events where extra crew were needed, if you ask I will most likely do, and for many years now I have been getting more and more involved with Santa's Anonymous.
For those of you who might not know, Santa's Anonymous (Santa's as we usually refer to it as) is a non-profit organization that gets together to provide family's that find themselves in need around the Holiday season with a Christmas hamper and presents for the kids. Families put in a request to Santa's, and the (amazing) volunteers get together and put the items that the children want for gifts on the back of paper bears. These bears go to the mall and people at the mall can pick a bear, go and get the gift, donate it to Santa's where the (extraordinary) volunteers then match the present with the family, wrap it, label it and get it to the family along with a food hamper.
This is a huge undertaking. These volunteers? They are just that, they are volunteers, they do not get paid and they do everything they do because they want to help. Most of them have other jobs that they do from 9-5, then they volunteer in the malls helping with the bears, or at the "workshop" wrapping presents and building hampers (ya not easy might I add). I have so much respect for these people that take this on because I think how selfless they are is truly amazing.
This is the time of year where things start to get busy and hectic. Time is tight, money is tight, everything comes down to the wire, and I get that. This is the time of year where everyone is busy, everyone has one event or another to run off to.
This year, I know for a great many people has not been an easy one. The economy is in the tank, and jobs are hard to come by. And that is why this year more than ever I am eager to give back just as much as I can.
I had dinner with my parents and their friends tonight (I'm a mooch and a geek and I love it..) and we got talking about all the scandals you keep hearing about people ripping off charities, thinking they can take advantage and make a quick buck, or how charities in general operate but not to the advantage of the local community. We also got talking about how now that the economy has been so rough that people are giving less, and fewer people are volunteering. After all this talk my stomach started to hurt.
There is so much bad in the world, and so many terrible things going on, yet so few people are willing to help out. So I put it to all of you (the very few who stumble upon my blog...) who have jobs, and food for proper meals, and time to spend with family and friends. Those that, like me have always been fortunate enough to have all they have ever needed, find the time to really give back this Holiday season. Donate some cans of food. Instead of your triple expresso caramel latte with extra sprinkles, skip the coffee and dump the change in the food bank donation bin (or if you really must, get the regular drip, its half the price). Take the time to enjoy the fact that you as a human being can show compassion to another human being.
If moneys tight (I know mine is) donate your time. And don't feed me that crap about "I have kids and we have no spare time"....because that's CRAP. Take them with you. Teach them the importance of what it is to be human, because lets face it. The more and more things turn to crap, the more we all need to lean on each other, and the more we learn that we can be there for each other and not want anything in return, is really what makes this the most wonderful time of the year.
Being able to appreciate what you have, and those you have around you, while helping out fellow man is the most amazing gift you can give to yourself. Its what I give myself every year, and what my parents have given to me my whole life. Giving really is the best gift, and I challenge any of you to prove me other wise :)
I'm currently on a mini reading break. And I know that technically you're supposed to get caught up on readings and school work, I just don't know how the hell those that actually read on reading break manage to do it! I have yet to do anything school related other than slack off. I know I should be the super student, but doing things like going out shopping and sorting out things for my skating clubs ice show have been so much more appealing. Oh and also going to the nail salon and getting a mani pedi, and shopping like crazy buying new make-up and skin care products just makes me feel so much better than studying school stuff that usually just makes me more depressed. My ASL class is not going super well....the prof is a bit of a hard ass in my humble opinion.
So ASL isn't going well and I'm not super motivated to deal with anything else school wise, and it doesn't help that my Granddad's funeral is tomorrow and I'm not 100% that my sperm donor won't show up. No one has told me. Ironically enough that was always my Granddad's job, to tell me when Bobo was coming to town. So I'm sitting a bit like a fish out of water, but with very nice pretty toes and nails, with smoother skin after having a nice warming mineral mask. See even my ranting is just as unmotivated as my work ethic right now. I'm so out of it that I can't be bothered to fold my laundry so I keep putting the dryer on again to make sure they don't wrinkle. Good lord I was supposed to be all "November Gung-Ho".......ooooo I fail.
Time to get to work. See you when I'm caught up (or when I feel like slacking some more)....(probably the later)....eff.
Last night I went to dinner, a movie, and then coffee with my friend whom for the purposes of this blog I shall call Clutch (I did not personally give her this nickname it comes from our previous place of work where she clutches all the answers...She's the best!). Clutch and I don't get to hang out all that often. When I met her we were working for the Provincial Government as casuals and we caught on like a house of fire. We ended up working side by side with each other on a computer-ish project and we've been great friends ever since, which also means we know how to have proper conversations...that last forever might I add. In a good way of course. We never lack for something to talk about! Hence why we had dinner, then a movie, THEN went for coffee because we were chatting so much.
So as we were having dinner and catching up we started to talk about the usual. Work (for both of us non-exsistent), family (her's is doing well, unfortunately had to tell her mine not so great), and life etc (she's been going through hell moving lately). We then got on to talking about future plans, and much like myself Clutch is feeling a wee bit confused about what to do next in life. How she feels (much like myself) that she needs a change, a big one, but that she's unsure of how to go about it or if it's the right decision, and to comfort her I passed along my newest and most exciting theory.
Making the right decisions gets you no further in life than making all the wrong decisions, so enough is enough, make all the wrong ones.
My reasoning? Let me tell you (much like I preached to Clutch last night). You know those people that fly by the seat of their pants? They go out drinking every weekend, show up to work hung over, spend all their pay cheques on things without thinking of the consequences, travel without plans, and literally do everything they shouldn't? Well they have more fun don't they? But the good people (such as myself and Clutch) who always do their homework, get a good nights sleep before work, never go out on weekends because we're too busy with extra curricular activities and volunteering, well guess what we're unemployed too. Just like the "wrong decision" people, we are absolutely no further ahead, except those people have more fun, meet more people, get more actual life experience.
So I think we should all start making more wrong decisions, because while they may not be the best choice, wisest idea or smartest notion, they probably won't set you back any further than making the best choice, wisest idea or smartest notion. We're all in the same boat right now, jobs are scarce, and money is tight. So why not have more fun while we can? Why not do the stupid stuff? Get more experience, go the things that we usually shy away from!
NOW this does not mean I am advocating doing something stupid. Don't be going out doing drugs, quitting work or drinking and driving or something as equally foolish. I'm saying that perhaps take another ponder at the things you usually say no to. Go for a drink after work with the gang. Stay out late on a work/school night. Buy the shirt that you would usually never buy because maybe its a bit pricey or its something you never imagined yourself wearing. Flirt with the cute barista, eat crazy food. Take chances, make mistakes, GET MESSY.
(bonus points if you know where that last quote is from. Turns out that she had it right all a long)
You know there are days I question just how the hell I function. In fact there are days where I question just how the hell I haven't been voted off the island by natural selection, as there is no way I can be considered 'the fittest' of our species.
As much as I have been trying lately, I've lost a bit of my school mojo, and seeing as that's all I have to keep me out of the house these days, its made getting up for school a bit difficult. I am no morning person, this I know, but apparently I'm also not a "morning getting dressed person" because today was the second time in probably a week that I managed to put my leggings on backwards. And both times it took HOURS to realize that's why they didn't feel comfortable. HOURS of wondering why my my leggings (that usually after November 1st I wear for extra warmth under my pants) are riding up my ass, and why they won't seem to stay down revealing over an inch of ankle. Keep in mind that the first time I did this I ripped my leggings (only the second time I'd ever worn them too damn it!), and in the same week ripped my absolute favourite pair of jeans across the knee (the jeans that survived England might I add....DAMN IT).
Ya, not a morning person, 25 and apparently cannot figure out how to dress myself still. Awesome.
Thank goodness it's reading break this week and I'll get a chance to recharge my batteries, or at least it's an excuse to get up everyday and do something other than school without guilt.
My sister and I are the queens of cheap. We love to go to concerts/festivals and we rarely let the fact that we live on an island get in our way. The only complicating factor about the island thing? Well it means that to go to the mainland we have to take the ferry...which runs about $75 a way. So it adds about $150 to the excursion. Now add the fact that the ferry schedule is a bit limited so by the time any concert gets out we are SOL for getting home the same night, you're also looking at a hotel. That's if you're not my sister and I who are the self proclaimed cheap concert queens. We decided a long time ago that if we were to go to all these concerts (a LOT...not so much recently but in past years yes) that we were going to have to find a way to cut corners on cost and well hotel was cut.
Let's do the math shall we?We decided that by the time the concert was over around 11:00/11:30, you would probably get to the hotel around 12:30 (gotta have post concert munchies and such) which means that you're not getting to bed till about 1. The ferry leaves at 7:00, which means we have to be there around 6, meaning we would have to leave the hotel at 5:30 or so, meaning we would get a grand total of 4.5 hours of sleep AT MOST for the price of about $100 give or take. Seems like a lot of money to spend on four hours of sleep....so we decided to screw that noise and sleep at the ferry terminal.
Last night was one of those such nights. Over a year ago the Asscountant and I decided we wanted to see the Michael Jackson Immortal Tour put on by Cirque Du Soleil. Other than Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson was the only other musical artist in 10 years of dating/friendship we could agree on. Me being as invested in music as I am, and him being such a huge stick in the mud, it was almost impossible to agree on musical outings so the idea we could both go and enjoy something, was a huge selling point to get the tickets. Well, a year later he and I don't talk and I was left with these tickets. Now I did have insurance on them so I could have returned them but that Asscountant be damned I was going to this show. So my sister offered to come along, and in return I told her if she paid for the whole ferry we would call the ticket price even.
Off we went to Vancouver, hopped on the ferry and made our way to the downtown core. My sister and I travel really well together, we usually just go with the flow and this trip was no exception. Upon arrival to downtown we knew we immediately needed to get a good meal in our bellies. So we grabbed burger and beers at the LampLighter pub in gastown and man was it an unexpected delight! Awesome beer selection (just wish it had a few more imports but it did have Magners on tap so I was THRILLED...until they told me they were out...so Kronenburg it was). Their menu was pub-fare-esque but not boring (Chicken and Waffle sandwich anyone???) and the fries tasty (yummo!).
After dinner we wandered into Rogers Arena for the show. I knew the show would be sold out so I was super excited to be a part of the experience. I don't know what it is about being at a concert when the house is full, the energy is just incredible and you almost get wrapped up in the ambience of the arena that you forget why you're there. You feed off everyone else energy.
The show started and it was ok. I've seen a couple Cirque shows in the past, including O in Vegas which in itself was an amazing acrobatic aquatic feat. So to go from O to the immortal tour was a bit of a let down (shockingly enough just like my ill-fated relationship with the Asscountant!!). Don't get me wrong it was an awesome show! But it was just that, a show, more of a dance performance than an acrobatic/circus show. I showed up expecting to see Cirque's take on MJ, and well it was mostly MJ's "This is it" movie done by Cirque's dancers, which was fine, enjoyable and entertaining even, but a bit of a downer (again...much like my relationship with the Asscountant....I'm starting to see a pattern...are you?).
I don't mean to be cynnical. If you are an MJ fan whose seen the show and really enjoyed it then I have no desire to wreck your high, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. It felt like a concert but with no lead singer. I kept feeling like MJ himself would at any random point come out and start singing, because I truly believed it would have been his vision. I saw the "This is it" movie, and the Cirque show was a lot like a tribute the to concert that would have been, and it made me with that much more that I could have seen it. But I wanted death defying stunts and crazy acrobatics to MJ music. Which sort of happened. Anyways.
So we saw the show (which for the record my sister thinks I'm crazy for not being awed by in case at this point you've kept reading but are super annoyed at me for hating...which usually I wouldn't give a rip about but I have a very strong belief that one should NEVER mock the dead). After the show we made the realization that it was Daylight Savings. Which means that we would gain an extra hour of sleep. In the car. In November. This perhaps was the monumental flaw in the plan on my part. I didn't realize how cold it would be in the car. And I only brought one sad pathetic blanket and thin yoga pants. My sister brought two blankets, Ugg boots, sweatsuit and a down coat to sleep in.
To say the very least it was a rather chilly night at about 4 degrees. With me and my sad excuse for warm clothes. I did have my skating clothes so I had an extra fleece layer and skating tights which I did throw on in the middle of the night but MAN ALIVE my cheapness froze my ass last night!!! Most annoying thing? I know for damn sure the Asscountant would have sprung for the hotel. Ass-hole.
Happy November 1st to all! I hope you had an amazing Halloween, celebrating the holiday in whatever way makes you happiest...or given the theme, whatever scares you shat-less. For me it meant coming home from my evening class having a quick drink with my family at our annual bonfire party before retreating inside to watch Scream (the original) why cramming my ass off for my anatomy lab quiz this afternoon. It was a rough October so I feel curling up on the couch eating Halloween candy was an appropriate way to end the month. Best thing was that I was supposed to have a midterm tomorrow but it was postponed to next week, proof that miracles exist!
With last night being a late night because I half studied while watching slasher movies till roughly 1 in the morning before playing angry birds till I finally was able to come down from my self imposed sugar rush to fall asleep, getting up this morning to haul my ass to school for an early class through the cold was the last thing I wanted to do.
Well turns out it was the tip of the ice berg. Literally. Upon my arrival home from class last night there were too many cars in my driveway to pull into my usual spot in the garage, so I parked outside thinking I would move the car in once the party was over. Well the party went pretty late and by the time everyone had moved I had totally forgotten about the car. So this morning when I finally hauled my sorry ass out of bed, hobbled around my house to pee change and brush my fangs, and went to the garage to drive to school, I realized like an idiot I had left the car outside. Figuring it was no problem (and of course cutting it really short on time) I walked out my front door to turn the corner to the car park to see my beautiful car (Alejandro) completely covered in a thick layer of ice. ICE. FREAKING ICE.
Now I know I shouldn't be complaining. I live in BC (best coast in my opinion) and not only that, I live on the most western part of BC where we relish in the fact that we rarely get snow, and it rarely dips into negative temperatures unlike the rest of the country. But that is EXACTLY why I live here. I don't tolerate cold well. I can't stand it (ya ya irony being that I spend all my spare time freezing my non-exsistent nuts off on an ice rink). I hate cold, and I hate snow, and I hate having to wear multiple layers. So having to scrape ice off my window this morning was NOT a happy experience. What was even more annoying was having to admit I needed the scrapper that my ex-boyfriend-then-best-friend-for-many-years-after-that-before -he-turned-into-a-total-jackwad (lets nickname him The Ass-Accountant Assccountant for short) made me keep in my car because that jackward knew damn well that just because he told me I would need it one day that I would need one because he was such an asshole like that. So I had to scrape ice off my window this morning. November you are a frigid beast.
I am determined that November will be better than October. Things have been rough and I know November will not be easy. With a funeral to go to and a bunch of things I will have to leave town for and school finals to deal with, but I am determined I can make it work if I just stay focused determined, and hopefully warm. You watch out November I'm coming for you!
