Sometimes all you can do is laugh.
My brother is getting married tomorrow and on Saturday, Anthony and I have another wedding to go to in Michigan. Having a solid 2 days where I need to look good, I decided to get a manicure.
I ended up at one of those places with the thick stench of chemicals in the air, employed solely by immigrants (who I'm guessing have no sense of smell left). A quick look at the price board, MANICURE -- $17, and I was sold on the place immediately. I ended up having to get up mid-manicure and get money from an ATM as they told me they didn't take debit. As I was walking to the ATM next door, I noticed the rear passenger tire on my car was nearly flat.
Long story short, I got the rest of the manicure and left. As I reached into my purse to get my keys, I ended up smudging the polish on 2 fingers and chipped a third. Money down the drain. Ugh. I didn't know where to get air in this city so I called my grandpa, who told me to come over as he owns an air pump.
When I parked in the driveway, I inspected my tire and found something unusual. A bolt. Stuck in the tire. How could I have driven for 2 years in Iqaluit on the worst roads in Canada and not gotten a flat, but 4 months in Sarnia was all it took?
Another long story short, $25 later and it's fixed. I couldn't believe it was only $25 to plug it, I'm still accustomed to northern prices. I'm sure the same service in Iqaluit would have run closer to $100.
Anyway, I was thankful my grandpa was able to help me. When I was sitting in the parking lot at the salon, I didn't know what to do or where to go. Then I thought, "You idiot, you have family here. Just call them and ask!" In Iqaluit if I couldn't get a hold of my main go-to person (miss her dearly), I'd be SOL for ideas.
Tomorrow morning I'm getting my hair done before the wedding. Let's pray nothing else goes wrong in the middle of that! With my luck, anything is possible.
Day 04 - Your views on religion.
I think I answered this in the last meme so I'll keep it brief. Number 1, I don't subscribe to any religion. I believe in karma and follow the golden rule and to me, that's all I need. If there is a god or heaven, being a good person is the only way to get here. I don't think eating meat or working on Sunday is horrid enough to cast me to the ranks of the damned.
Number 2, I am respectful of all religions. I don't think any particular religion is bad or wrong. Spirituality and religion are personal matters and if it works for you, that's a good thing. As I mentioned in the first meme, I admire piety in others. Devoting your life to a single cause is admirable. I could never do it.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Half-Assed NaBloWriMo Day 3
Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Hmm, interesting question.
As far as alcohol goes, I don't see anything wrong with the current system. If anything, I think it should be more lenient, at least in Ontario. Going to the LCBO or Beer Store for your beer or liquor is annoying. I'd rather we moved to a system like the USA, where you can buy alcohol in grocery and corner stores. However, I don't really care all that much. There is rarely a time after 9pm that I want to purchase alcohol so it doesn't bother me.
When I was younger, I probably would have said the age limit should be reduced to 18 but now I think it should be 21. At 18 and 19, you're still a kid and probably a kid not equipped to make the same decisions while drunk that a 21 year old could. I think having a little more time to mature before you're legal to get drunk is a better idea. Not only that, but your brain is still developing in your late teens. Adding alcohol to a growing brain just doesn't sit well with me. However, most kids drink underage anyway and most turn out fine so I guess it doesn't really matter.
With drugs, I don't really care because I don't do any. I definitely believe hard drugs should stay illegal, though. Marijuana is such a regular part of our culture now, I don't really see the point in keeping it illegal. I think it should be controlled and taxed the way cigarette and alcohol are, and be worked into our laws regarding impaired driving and whatnot so that people who drive stoned can be more easily prosecuted. There are roadside tests now that can detect marijuana on your breath so the laws could at least be enforced with more regularity.
In my opinion, it's hard to be anti-marijuana without being anti-alcohol too. They seem to be equally harmful/harmless on your body and both cause similar intensities of intoxication. How can one say it's okay to want to get a little drunk after a bad day but it's not okay to want to smoke a joint for the same reason? Why should it be okay to make yourself intoxicated with one thing but not another? It doesn't really make sense to me.
In case you're wondering, no I do not smoke marijuana. The reason I have an opinion about it is I've spent considerable time thinking about it. The idea of breaking the law doesn't jive with me and knowing so many of my friends smoke weed and feeling lowered levels of respect for them, I started asking myself why it's okay that I want to get drunk sometimes but they can't get stoned?
In the end, I still don't really respect potheads but only because it is against the law and that's the final verdict at this point in time.
Hmm, interesting question.
As far as alcohol goes, I don't see anything wrong with the current system. If anything, I think it should be more lenient, at least in Ontario. Going to the LCBO or Beer Store for your beer or liquor is annoying. I'd rather we moved to a system like the USA, where you can buy alcohol in grocery and corner stores. However, I don't really care all that much. There is rarely a time after 9pm that I want to purchase alcohol so it doesn't bother me.
When I was younger, I probably would have said the age limit should be reduced to 18 but now I think it should be 21. At 18 and 19, you're still a kid and probably a kid not equipped to make the same decisions while drunk that a 21 year old could. I think having a little more time to mature before you're legal to get drunk is a better idea. Not only that, but your brain is still developing in your late teens. Adding alcohol to a growing brain just doesn't sit well with me. However, most kids drink underage anyway and most turn out fine so I guess it doesn't really matter.
With drugs, I don't really care because I don't do any. I definitely believe hard drugs should stay illegal, though. Marijuana is such a regular part of our culture now, I don't really see the point in keeping it illegal. I think it should be controlled and taxed the way cigarette and alcohol are, and be worked into our laws regarding impaired driving and whatnot so that people who drive stoned can be more easily prosecuted. There are roadside tests now that can detect marijuana on your breath so the laws could at least be enforced with more regularity.
In my opinion, it's hard to be anti-marijuana without being anti-alcohol too. They seem to be equally harmful/harmless on your body and both cause similar intensities of intoxication. How can one say it's okay to want to get a little drunk after a bad day but it's not okay to want to smoke a joint for the same reason? Why should it be okay to make yourself intoxicated with one thing but not another? It doesn't really make sense to me.
In case you're wondering, no I do not smoke marijuana. The reason I have an opinion about it is I've spent considerable time thinking about it. The idea of breaking the law doesn't jive with me and knowing so many of my friends smoke weed and feeling lowered levels of respect for them, I started asking myself why it's okay that I want to get drunk sometimes but they can't get stoned?
In the end, I still don't really respect potheads but only because it is against the law and that's the final verdict at this point in time.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Half-Assed NaBloWriMo Day 2
Well my knee is back to hurting more today so tomorrow I'm (probably) going to see a doctor. Thank you for the concern to the 2 commenters yesterday who said I should see a doctor.
As I mentioned yesterday, my snug piercing had been hurting. I decided to take out my barbell for a little bit to see if it would make it feel better. However, I don't like leaving any cartilage piercing out, even for 15 minutes, and I immediately got paranoid and went into the bathroom to put it back in. And wouldn't you know it, I dropped the earring down the sink drain. There is another opening in the drain pipe and it fell down there. Only I would do something this stupid, trust me. The only other curved barbells I had were of a bigger gauge, something I never realized when I bought the barbell I had been wearing up until yesterday. My stomach turned at the idea of trying to put in a bigger gauge when my ear was already in pain but somehow after a bit of blood, I got it in.
Now, if you're not feeling too queasy from that, here's the daily meme.
Day 02 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
In short, I have NO idea. I can barely predict what I'm going to be doing in 6 months, let alone 10 years. I just have no clue. I can hazard a guess that I'll probably be living in the USA but will it be Ann Arbor or even Michigan? Your guess is as good as mine.
What I can tell you is how I hope things will be in 10 years. I'll be 34 years old. I hate to sound anything but blindly romantic but I'm hoping Anthony and I are still married. I'm hoping we won't have any kids and I'm hoping we have a cat or some other pet (Anthony wants a pot-bellied pig).
I would like to have a nice car or small SUV. Or hell, maybe hover crafts will be around by 2020! I'd like to perhaps be in a different house, one that we bought together. I would like to have a diploma or a degree or something and I would like to be making good money (wouldn't we all?).
Other than that, I don't really care where I am or what I'm doing. My life has a way of working out opposite to how I think it will so I don't even like to guess where I'll be and what I'll be doing. There is no WAY that 10 years ago I could have ever predicted even one aspect of my current life.
With this, I leave you with a quote from Joseph Campbell: "You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you."
As I mentioned yesterday, my snug piercing had been hurting. I decided to take out my barbell for a little bit to see if it would make it feel better. However, I don't like leaving any cartilage piercing out, even for 15 minutes, and I immediately got paranoid and went into the bathroom to put it back in. And wouldn't you know it, I dropped the earring down the sink drain. There is another opening in the drain pipe and it fell down there. Only I would do something this stupid, trust me. The only other curved barbells I had were of a bigger gauge, something I never realized when I bought the barbell I had been wearing up until yesterday. My stomach turned at the idea of trying to put in a bigger gauge when my ear was already in pain but somehow after a bit of blood, I got it in.
Now, if you're not feeling too queasy from that, here's the daily meme.
Day 02 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
In short, I have NO idea. I can barely predict what I'm going to be doing in 6 months, let alone 10 years. I just have no clue. I can hazard a guess that I'll probably be living in the USA but will it be Ann Arbor or even Michigan? Your guess is as good as mine.
What I can tell you is how I hope things will be in 10 years. I'll be 34 years old. I hate to sound anything but blindly romantic but I'm hoping Anthony and I are still married. I'm hoping we won't have any kids and I'm hoping we have a cat or some other pet (Anthony wants a pot-bellied pig).
I would like to have a nice car or small SUV. Or hell, maybe hover crafts will be around by 2020! I'd like to perhaps be in a different house, one that we bought together. I would like to have a diploma or a degree or something and I would like to be making good money (wouldn't we all?).
Other than that, I don't really care where I am or what I'm doing. My life has a way of working out opposite to how I think it will so I don't even like to guess where I'll be and what I'll be doing. There is no WAY that 10 years ago I could have ever predicted even one aspect of my current life.
With this, I leave you with a quote from Joseph Campbell: "You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you."
Monday, November 1, 2010
Half-Assed NaBloWriMo Day 1
Okay so I've always wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) but I would never, ever be able to do it. I briefly considered doing NaBloWriMo (National Blog Writing Month) but I think this is going to be a busy month.
Then I stumbled upon another 30 day meme so it's going to be my half-assed attempt at NaBloWriMo. It's got different questions than the old one, I like it.
Here we go!
Day 01 - Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.
Well it should come as no surprise that my boyfriend is Anthony, as I've mentioned approximately 50 million times and even more if you ever talk to me in person (I talk about him a lot).
How we met is kind of interesting. Last summer he was bored and after a Google search, ended up on my Nunavut blog. He liked it, saw my link to my Twitter account, and started following me. He wrote to me a few times on Twitter, telling me he liked my blog and he wanted to say hello. I didn't really pay attention because I used to get a lot of comments, emails, and tweets about my blog and it was hard to keep up with. Every now and then Anthony would comment on something I'd tweeted about. Admittedly, I kind of thought he was weird and verging on annoying. I didn't follow his Twitter and wasn't interested in following him on Twitter.
In early December (2009), I mentioned on Twitter I was obsessed with the song "Go Let it Out" by Oasis. Anthony replied to me AGAIN, saying some nonsense about an unplugged concert bootleg he had and was willing to email me. I replied with my email address and after he wrote me a cute introduction to himself in his email, I realized he wasn't such a weirdo, he was actually interesting. We started emailing back and forth and then we agreed to play Settlers of Catan online. I should say that at this point, I was coming out of an extremely tumultuous, soap opera-esque relationship in which my heart and social life had been proverbially hit by a train, struck by lightning and then drowned in a river of fire (to put it nicely), and was in no way on the hunt for a new boyfriend.
After we had a chance to chat online on the Settlers website, we started chatting on Facebook and Gmail everyday for hours. I was just about to go home for Christmas vacation so we decided we should get together and meet for dinner. Before we met, I already knew I had a crush on him, but he always said he was glad to have a new friend in me so I assumed, sadly, he wasn't interested in me. Little did I know he thought the same thing about me. So we met for dinner and honestly, I don't even remember much of it. I know the waiter kept having to come back because we were so absorbed in conversation, we kept forgetting to pick out food. Then we talked so much I never got a chance to even eat my dinner and it got cold. After Anthony paid, I think we sat around for another half hour or more before I realized we should probably get going.
We've now been dating for 10 months. If it wasn't clear before, Anthony lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If it also wasn't clear, I left Iqaluit to be closer to him. Ann Arbor is about a 2 hour drive from Sarnia so we're able to see each other more often.
And now for some bigger news: I mentioned this briefly in my Nunavut blog before deleting it and deciding to announce it later but I will be moving to Ann Arbor next year. I'm currently waiting on a fiancée visa from the American government. Yes, you read that right. While we haven't gotten "formally" engaged yet, that should be forthcoming very soon. It's not exactly under the most romantic terms we're getting married (the visa process sucks and has a lot of regulations), I am excited nonetheless for the next stage of my life. So now that you know all my secrets, I'll conclude this entry.
The rest:
Day 02 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 04 - Your views on religion.
Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life.
Day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
Day 09 - How you hope your future will be like.
Day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.
Day 14 - Your earliest memory.
Day 15 - Your favorite tumblrs.
Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music.
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year.
Day 18 - Your beliefs.
Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents.
Day 20 - How important you think education is.
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows.
Day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous who you find attractive.
Day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it’s about.
Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why.
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you.
Day 27 - A problem that you have had.
Day 28 - Something that you miss.
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days.
Day 30 - Your highs and lows of this month.
Then I stumbled upon another 30 day meme so it's going to be my half-assed attempt at NaBloWriMo. It's got different questions than the old one, I like it.
Here we go!
Day 01 - Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.
Well it should come as no surprise that my boyfriend is Anthony, as I've mentioned approximately 50 million times and even more if you ever talk to me in person (I talk about him a lot).
How we met is kind of interesting. Last summer he was bored and after a Google search, ended up on my Nunavut blog. He liked it, saw my link to my Twitter account, and started following me. He wrote to me a few times on Twitter, telling me he liked my blog and he wanted to say hello. I didn't really pay attention because I used to get a lot of comments, emails, and tweets about my blog and it was hard to keep up with. Every now and then Anthony would comment on something I'd tweeted about. Admittedly, I kind of thought he was weird and verging on annoying. I didn't follow his Twitter and wasn't interested in following him on Twitter.
In early December (2009), I mentioned on Twitter I was obsessed with the song "Go Let it Out" by Oasis. Anthony replied to me AGAIN, saying some nonsense about an unplugged concert bootleg he had and was willing to email me. I replied with my email address and after he wrote me a cute introduction to himself in his email, I realized he wasn't such a weirdo, he was actually interesting. We started emailing back and forth and then we agreed to play Settlers of Catan online. I should say that at this point, I was coming out of an extremely tumultuous, soap opera-esque relationship in which my heart and social life had been proverbially hit by a train, struck by lightning and then drowned in a river of fire (to put it nicely), and was in no way on the hunt for a new boyfriend.
After we had a chance to chat online on the Settlers website, we started chatting on Facebook and Gmail everyday for hours. I was just about to go home for Christmas vacation so we decided we should get together and meet for dinner. Before we met, I already knew I had a crush on him, but he always said he was glad to have a new friend in me so I assumed, sadly, he wasn't interested in me. Little did I know he thought the same thing about me. So we met for dinner and honestly, I don't even remember much of it. I know the waiter kept having to come back because we were so absorbed in conversation, we kept forgetting to pick out food. Then we talked so much I never got a chance to even eat my dinner and it got cold. After Anthony paid, I think we sat around for another half hour or more before I realized we should probably get going.
We've now been dating for 10 months. If it wasn't clear before, Anthony lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If it also wasn't clear, I left Iqaluit to be closer to him. Ann Arbor is about a 2 hour drive from Sarnia so we're able to see each other more often.
And now for some bigger news: I mentioned this briefly in my Nunavut blog before deleting it and deciding to announce it later but I will be moving to Ann Arbor next year. I'm currently waiting on a fiancée visa from the American government. Yes, you read that right. While we haven't gotten "formally" engaged yet, that should be forthcoming very soon. It's not exactly under the most romantic terms we're getting married (the visa process sucks and has a lot of regulations), I am excited nonetheless for the next stage of my life. So now that you know all my secrets, I'll conclude this entry.
The rest:
Day 02 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 04 - Your views on religion.
Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life.
Day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
Day 09 - How you hope your future will be like.
Day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.
Day 14 - Your earliest memory.
Day 15 - Your favorite tumblrs.
Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music.
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year.
Day 18 - Your beliefs.
Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents.
Day 20 - How important you think education is.
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows.
Day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous who you find attractive.
Day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it’s about.
Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why.
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you.
Day 27 - A problem that you have had.
Day 28 - Something that you miss.
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days.
Day 30 - Your highs and lows of this month.
Falling Apart
Starting at the ripe old age of 20, I kid you not, my body already started to fall apart.
Shortly after I turned 20, I started getting muscle stiffness. It's all been downhill from there.
The one good thing about my being an elderly citizen now is that I never get colds. I have not have a head cold since I was 21. As someone who used to have 4-6 colds a year, this was a welcome surprise. Everything else, however, continues to deteriorate on a yearly basis.
Last Tuesday I went biking on the Howard Watson Trail in Sarnia to pick up some geocaches. In total I biked 30 kilometres (about 18 miles). Obviously, this is not something I have done in awhile due to the fact I was living in Iqaluit. I felt fine while I was biking, but the next day I woke up and my knees were sore. My left knee quickly got better but my right knee continued to get worse. It doesn't hurt to walk but I'm having a hard time bending it and walking up stairs. Yesterday (Sunday) it was the worst, it even hurt to drive. Today it seems a little better but I still don't feel like I should go to the gym. This is extremely irritating for numerous reasons:
#1) When I don't go to the gym for a day or two, I get very restless and thus, annoyed.
#2) I'm only 24, I should not be experiencing this much pain.
When I was at physiotherapy on Thursday, I asked the athletic doctor lady about it and all she said was to stretch my legs before I bike. Well that's all well and good for the next time, but it doesn't tell me if I need to see a doctor about the current pain I'm in. I was going to go to the drop-in clinic today but since it feels like it's improving, I guess I won't.
More proof I'm falling apart: the day after biking, I woke up with about 6 random bruises on myself in places I know I didn't injure (like my left tricep). This seems to happen a lot and I don't know why.
Anyway, I woke up this morning pleased my knee didn't hurt so much to bend but when I tried to roll over onto my right side, I was met with stabbing pain in my right ear. I have a snug piercing in my right ear. I got it back in September 2008 and although it was virtually painless to have pierced, it has been a constant source of pain since. Normally I can sleep on it fine although it usually does hurt a bit if I've been sleeping on it for awhile. I'm not sure what happened in my sleep this morning because it's all swollen and is very tender.
Other proof I'm falling apart:
-I've been getting physiotherapy lately for my left ankle, which I sprained in 2003! It hasn't been the same since and had been worse since I left Iqaluit. It seems to be better since I started doing physio again.
-My hip bone throbs if I've been sleeping on my side for awhile.
-If I try to walk anywhere not in proper shoes, you can bet my feet will be hating me for the next day or 2.
-I can't ingest nearly as much candy as I used to be able to. A few months ago I got this Jolly Rancher soda in Ann Arbor and it gave me a stomach ache for a solid 24 hours.
-I can't play Rock Band or Guitar Hero for very long as my fingers and wrists will totally fail by about the 8th song I play on "guitar." It's a temporary pain but bad enough where I can barely bend my wrists after I play.
I'm glad it's November...it's going to be a great month!!
Shortly after I turned 20, I started getting muscle stiffness. It's all been downhill from there.
The one good thing about my being an elderly citizen now is that I never get colds. I have not have a head cold since I was 21. As someone who used to have 4-6 colds a year, this was a welcome surprise. Everything else, however, continues to deteriorate on a yearly basis.
Last Tuesday I went biking on the Howard Watson Trail in Sarnia to pick up some geocaches. In total I biked 30 kilometres (about 18 miles). Obviously, this is not something I have done in awhile due to the fact I was living in Iqaluit. I felt fine while I was biking, but the next day I woke up and my knees were sore. My left knee quickly got better but my right knee continued to get worse. It doesn't hurt to walk but I'm having a hard time bending it and walking up stairs. Yesterday (Sunday) it was the worst, it even hurt to drive. Today it seems a little better but I still don't feel like I should go to the gym. This is extremely irritating for numerous reasons:
#1) When I don't go to the gym for a day or two, I get very restless and thus, annoyed.
#2) I'm only 24, I should not be experiencing this much pain.
When I was at physiotherapy on Thursday, I asked the athletic doctor lady about it and all she said was to stretch my legs before I bike. Well that's all well and good for the next time, but it doesn't tell me if I need to see a doctor about the current pain I'm in. I was going to go to the drop-in clinic today but since it feels like it's improving, I guess I won't.
More proof I'm falling apart: the day after biking, I woke up with about 6 random bruises on myself in places I know I didn't injure (like my left tricep). This seems to happen a lot and I don't know why.
Anyway, I woke up this morning pleased my knee didn't hurt so much to bend but when I tried to roll over onto my right side, I was met with stabbing pain in my right ear. I have a snug piercing in my right ear. I got it back in September 2008 and although it was virtually painless to have pierced, it has been a constant source of pain since. Normally I can sleep on it fine although it usually does hurt a bit if I've been sleeping on it for awhile. I'm not sure what happened in my sleep this morning because it's all swollen and is very tender.
Other proof I'm falling apart:
-I've been getting physiotherapy lately for my left ankle, which I sprained in 2003! It hasn't been the same since and had been worse since I left Iqaluit. It seems to be better since I started doing physio again.
-My hip bone throbs if I've been sleeping on my side for awhile.
-If I try to walk anywhere not in proper shoes, you can bet my feet will be hating me for the next day or 2.
-I can't ingest nearly as much candy as I used to be able to. A few months ago I got this Jolly Rancher soda in Ann Arbor and it gave me a stomach ache for a solid 24 hours.
-I can't play Rock Band or Guitar Hero for very long as my fingers and wrists will totally fail by about the 8th song I play on "guitar." It's a temporary pain but bad enough where I can barely bend my wrists after I play.
I'm glad it's November...it's going to be a great month!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Read, Writing, and 'Rithmetic
Since I moved down to Ontario, I've had ample time to get my read on. And read, I have been! I'm already on my 5th book since July. I can't remember a time where I read 5 books in a single year. I love to read but it takes me so long to get through a book. I'm ashamed to even try to calculate how long it took me to read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (probably 9 months or so). Starting a book is a big commitment because you need to set aside time for it most days of the week. Normally I don't feel like reading after a day at work or whatever else I have going on. Since I have next to nothing going on right now, I'm trying to plow through books.
Here's what I've been reading lately:
1. I finished The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas shortly after I moved back. The tagline of the book explains the story best: "At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own." The story details how the lives of the BBQ-goers all were affected by the slap. Every character is so different from the last and yet, Tsiolkas manages to grasp the inner psyche of every person perfectly. Great book, I highly recommend this one!
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I like to read classic books as often as I can, because they're classics for a reason and are referred to often in conversations and in different media. I thought this book was interesting but it wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be. I feel like it should be renamed How to Be a Charming Salesman. It focuses mostly on business rapports, which doesn't interest me very much. Overall, this book was worthwhile to read, despite much of it being common sense. I know to ask people questions about themselves, I know to try and compliment people, I know I shouldn't brag about myself, I know I should avoid arguing with people just so I can be right. If you are looking for a way to learn how to make good first impressions on people, by all means, read this book. And also, read How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less by Nicholas Boothman. I read it when I was 12 or 13 and I absorbed that book like a sponge. It's quite similar to HTWF&IP but focuses a lot on trying to figure out a person's personality quickly and using it to your advantage.
3. Towelhead by Alicia Erian. A friend lent this to me, oh, maybe a year ago, thinking I'd like it. It's about a young middle-eastern girl who moves to Texas to live with her dad and while there, is sexually exploited by her neighbour and one of her classmates. Meanwhile, her strict father imposes all sorts of rules on her and physically abuses her. While I do tend to be interested in reading about the corruption of young people, I thought this book was terrible. The voice of the narrator was silly, annoying, and unrealistic. I was glad this was a quick read because if I had to read another chapter, I probably would have built a fireplace in my apartment so I could throw this book into it.
4. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I heard the movie was terrible but being intrigued by the story (which as it turns out, is a memoir and all true) and knowing books are almost always better than the movie, I picked it up to read. If you're not familiar with the story, a recently-divorced woman leaves America for a year and travels to Italy to eat, India to pray, and Indonesia to love. I read it fairly quickly. While I enjoyed the book quite a bit, again, the narrator's voice was kind of annoying. Suffice it to say, I don't think Ms Gilbert and I would be friends if I knew her "in real life." I found her kind of tedious and neurotic, but the book contains a lot of facts about the places she visits and I enjoyed that aspect of it. The section of the book which takes place in Bali was probably my favourite as the information she provided about the culture in Bali was interesting.
5. Today I picked up 2 books from the library though I think I'm only going to end up reading one. It's called His Needs, Her Needs (Building an Affair-Proof Marriage) by Willard F. Harley, Jr. I like books about relationships and since Anthony and I have been having a lot of conversations about our needs and such lately, I thought this would be a timely read.
6. The next book I plan to read is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I actually went to the library today in search of it. My dad, seeing my search on the library's online catalogue, said something like, "Why do you want to read that garbage?!" I take it he is not a subscriber to the Ayn Rand fan club. As I mentioned at the beginning of the entry, I read The Fountainhead awhile ago and I loved it. It took me such a long time to read and while I read it, I just wanted to be done. However, I remember as soon as I closed the book after reading the last sentence, I wished it had been longer. Since then I've been planning to read Atlas Shrugged but I haven't gotten around to it.
Well, I'm off to Michigan for the weekend so you probably won't hear from me again until early next week.
Here's what I've been reading lately:
1. I finished The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas shortly after I moved back. The tagline of the book explains the story best: "At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own." The story details how the lives of the BBQ-goers all were affected by the slap. Every character is so different from the last and yet, Tsiolkas manages to grasp the inner psyche of every person perfectly. Great book, I highly recommend this one!
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I like to read classic books as often as I can, because they're classics for a reason and are referred to often in conversations and in different media. I thought this book was interesting but it wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be. I feel like it should be renamed How to Be a Charming Salesman. It focuses mostly on business rapports, which doesn't interest me very much. Overall, this book was worthwhile to read, despite much of it being common sense. I know to ask people questions about themselves, I know to try and compliment people, I know I shouldn't brag about myself, I know I should avoid arguing with people just so I can be right. If you are looking for a way to learn how to make good first impressions on people, by all means, read this book. And also, read How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less by Nicholas Boothman. I read it when I was 12 or 13 and I absorbed that book like a sponge. It's quite similar to HTWF&IP but focuses a lot on trying to figure out a person's personality quickly and using it to your advantage.
3. Towelhead by Alicia Erian. A friend lent this to me, oh, maybe a year ago, thinking I'd like it. It's about a young middle-eastern girl who moves to Texas to live with her dad and while there, is sexually exploited by her neighbour and one of her classmates. Meanwhile, her strict father imposes all sorts of rules on her and physically abuses her. While I do tend to be interested in reading about the corruption of young people, I thought this book was terrible. The voice of the narrator was silly, annoying, and unrealistic. I was glad this was a quick read because if I had to read another chapter, I probably would have built a fireplace in my apartment so I could throw this book into it.
4. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I heard the movie was terrible but being intrigued by the story (which as it turns out, is a memoir and all true) and knowing books are almost always better than the movie, I picked it up to read. If you're not familiar with the story, a recently-divorced woman leaves America for a year and travels to Italy to eat, India to pray, and Indonesia to love. I read it fairly quickly. While I enjoyed the book quite a bit, again, the narrator's voice was kind of annoying. Suffice it to say, I don't think Ms Gilbert and I would be friends if I knew her "in real life." I found her kind of tedious and neurotic, but the book contains a lot of facts about the places she visits and I enjoyed that aspect of it. The section of the book which takes place in Bali was probably my favourite as the information she provided about the culture in Bali was interesting.
5. Today I picked up 2 books from the library though I think I'm only going to end up reading one. It's called His Needs, Her Needs (Building an Affair-Proof Marriage) by Willard F. Harley, Jr. I like books about relationships and since Anthony and I have been having a lot of conversations about our needs and such lately, I thought this would be a timely read.
6. The next book I plan to read is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I actually went to the library today in search of it. My dad, seeing my search on the library's online catalogue, said something like, "Why do you want to read that garbage?!" I take it he is not a subscriber to the Ayn Rand fan club. As I mentioned at the beginning of the entry, I read The Fountainhead awhile ago and I loved it. It took me such a long time to read and while I read it, I just wanted to be done. However, I remember as soon as I closed the book after reading the last sentence, I wished it had been longer. Since then I've been planning to read Atlas Shrugged but I haven't gotten around to it.
Well, I'm off to Michigan for the weekend so you probably won't hear from me again until early next week.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Trip to Windsor and Geocaching
I took a trip to Windsor this weekend to visit a friend of mine who is going to school there. Normally she and I have lunch or dinner together on my way back from Ann Arbor so I decided to go for an overnight trip so we could spend more than a few hours hanging out.
For starters, I've never driven from Sarnia to Windsor, only Windsor to Sarnia. Of course, it is the exact same drive. I'm not sure why, but I hate the drive. I wish it was all on the 401, but I don't really know why, because I hate the 401, too.
Anyway, our first stop was Colasanti's in Kingsville. I'd been there once before back in 2007, though I had no idea at the time where I was. I'm not really sure how to describe Colasanti's other than a clusterfudge of things to do. There's a petting zoo, mini golf, a few gift shops, a restaurant and some kids' carnival-type rides. Colleen and I were more or less only interested in the petting zoo. We both bought some food for the goats and were basically attacked by said goats as soon as we got into the goat area. I felt bad for the little kids (human kids) there since the larger goats could easily push them right over. I was afraid my fingers would get bitten off so I threw the food at the goats and then chased around the kids (the goat type).
Me and my new pregnant friend.
Afterward, we went back to Windsor, had dinner and went to a few bars. At dinner, Colleen was debating about what type of cocktail to get. We both ended up getting White Freezies, which apparently is a Windsor thing (according to a bartender). It's raspberry Sourpuss and banana liquer topped with Sprite. Probably the best drink discovery I've made in years.
Awhile after dinner, we saw some drunk kids cause a car accident in the middle of the intersection of Wyandotte and Ouellette. That was a new one for me and we were both quite stunned. I saw almost the exact same thing happen here in Sarnia tonight, though in this case, the pedestrians almost got taken out by a truck. People, people! Running across an intersection is extremely dangerous. Sometimes you just have to shake your head at what passes for common sense these days.
While standing in line to get into The Honest Lawyer, I realized that I have not ever engaged in the "bar scene" at all in my 5 years of being legal drinking age, except for in Iqaluit, which is quite a bit different. Having been in a serious relationship when I turned 19 and not having a circle of friends in one single place, the whole bar thing is kind of alien to me. When I turned 19 and started going to bars, I was confused by how dressed up the other girls would be. I just didn't understand it. We're here to drink, why are you half-naked? Do you people get warm when you drink? Did you just come from a wedding? I understand it now but I don't think you'll ever find me in a tiny dress and heels, waiting to get into a club. Give me jeans, give me a t-shirt, give me Alexander Keith's on draught, let me be able to hear my own thoughts, and we have a good place to hang out on a Saturday night. Amen.
It's been unusually warm here the past week so I have been taking the opportunity to geocache like a mad woman. On Friday I went out to the Wawanosh Wetlands Conservation Area on the outskirts of Sarnia. I'd never been out there before and it was so beautiful!
Fall colours at Wawanosh.
I ended up finding 7 which is really not all that great for an experienced geocacher but for me it was a productive afternoon!
Me with a geocache.
That's about all for now. I know it wasn't very interesting but I swear I am hoarding the interesting stuff to write about soon!
For starters, I've never driven from Sarnia to Windsor, only Windsor to Sarnia. Of course, it is the exact same drive. I'm not sure why, but I hate the drive. I wish it was all on the 401, but I don't really know why, because I hate the 401, too.
Anyway, our first stop was Colasanti's in Kingsville. I'd been there once before back in 2007, though I had no idea at the time where I was. I'm not really sure how to describe Colasanti's other than a clusterfudge of things to do. There's a petting zoo, mini golf, a few gift shops, a restaurant and some kids' carnival-type rides. Colleen and I were more or less only interested in the petting zoo. We both bought some food for the goats and were basically attacked by said goats as soon as we got into the goat area. I felt bad for the little kids (human kids) there since the larger goats could easily push them right over. I was afraid my fingers would get bitten off so I threw the food at the goats and then chased around the kids (the goat type).
Me and my new pregnant friend.
Afterward, we went back to Windsor, had dinner and went to a few bars. At dinner, Colleen was debating about what type of cocktail to get. We both ended up getting White Freezies, which apparently is a Windsor thing (according to a bartender). It's raspberry Sourpuss and banana liquer topped with Sprite. Probably the best drink discovery I've made in years.
Awhile after dinner, we saw some drunk kids cause a car accident in the middle of the intersection of Wyandotte and Ouellette. That was a new one for me and we were both quite stunned. I saw almost the exact same thing happen here in Sarnia tonight, though in this case, the pedestrians almost got taken out by a truck. People, people! Running across an intersection is extremely dangerous. Sometimes you just have to shake your head at what passes for common sense these days.
While standing in line to get into The Honest Lawyer, I realized that I have not ever engaged in the "bar scene" at all in my 5 years of being legal drinking age, except for in Iqaluit, which is quite a bit different. Having been in a serious relationship when I turned 19 and not having a circle of friends in one single place, the whole bar thing is kind of alien to me. When I turned 19 and started going to bars, I was confused by how dressed up the other girls would be. I just didn't understand it. We're here to drink, why are you half-naked? Do you people get warm when you drink? Did you just come from a wedding? I understand it now but I don't think you'll ever find me in a tiny dress and heels, waiting to get into a club. Give me jeans, give me a t-shirt, give me Alexander Keith's on draught, let me be able to hear my own thoughts, and we have a good place to hang out on a Saturday night. Amen.
It's been unusually warm here the past week so I have been taking the opportunity to geocache like a mad woman. On Friday I went out to the Wawanosh Wetlands Conservation Area on the outskirts of Sarnia. I'd never been out there before and it was so beautiful!
Fall colours at Wawanosh.
I ended up finding 7 which is really not all that great for an experienced geocacher but for me it was a productive afternoon!
Me with a geocache.
That's about all for now. I know it wasn't very interesting but I swear I am hoarding the interesting stuff to write about soon!
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