Too Funny Not to Share

The story is here is that my mom got married the day this video was taken.  My whole family was in Calgary to celebrate and Tony had DD'd for us when we went to the bar two nights previous.  He had endured a lot from my family that night, but that's a story for another day.  So, when the wedding day came, we all resolved to get Tony tanked, and clearly we succeeded.  We all had an awesome time, especially Tony, and I hope he forgives me for plastering this video all over the net.

4 Years Today

Today is the day that I miss Dave the most.  Today is our 4th anniversary and the first one we have spent apart. (And hopefully the last!) I don't know how it went by so quickly, but thanks Dave for 4 fantastic years, and here's to many more!

#2 - Wide Sargasso Sea

'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys is book number two in  my quest to read 100 classic books before I die. (Clarification so that I don't look like an ignoramus: I've read lots and lots of classic books but I've made a formal commitment to myself to read 100 more.) 

Laura Fish said it best:

"Wide Sargasso Sea speaks of the history of cruelty and suffering that lies behind some of the West's accumulated wealth, a history which in Jane Eyre is secret and mysterious, and only appears in brief glimpses. This is a book that gives voice to neglected, silenced and unacknowledged stories, exploring different inflections of marginality – gender, class, race and madness. Where historical events, recorded in written discourse, have shaped the opinions of many of the people of the former British colonies and education is exclusively from a Eurocentric perspective, the recovery of "lost" histories has a crucial role to play in allowing access to events and experiences which have not previously been recorded. This idea of "writing back" by breaking down explanations for events and favouring more localised narratives and perspectives has informed my own work, especially in the voices of the former slaves in my latest novel. Wide Sargasso Sea is an inspiration. Certainly, before the phrase was coined, Jean Rhys was a post-colonial writer whose work reminds us that "there is always another side, always"."

For sage advice

I am a college student, and have been for 4 years. What's that you say? It doesn't take four years to get through a two-year program? Allow me to explain. I have a job, I own a house, I have a spouse who is also a student. So things have taken a little longer for me. I have been working part-time on two completely separate programs, both of which I will be finishing in the next year, after which I will move on to university in pursuit of a BA. Majoring in? Don't ask, I don't know.

For those of you who are or have been students, you know as well as I do that it takes a great deal of work, time, and savvy to navigate the complex inner workings of the educational system. Majors, minors, which school, how much money, electives, funding, scholarships, GPA, transferring, and eventually The Job Market. It's downright exhausting.

I have done my best to work out some of these questions, often learning the hard way. Read: Taken advice from college career counsellors only to find it's about as useful as asking a garden gnome. (With the notable exception of Holly at NWCC - thanks for all your help!)

Over my years of digging for clues about my educational path, I stumbled upon an e-book-made blog called Give Me Scholarships . Don't be fooled by the title, he delves into all subject academic and responds to the questions posed to him by actual students. The downside: it's an American guy writing a blog about the American post-secondary world, so occasionally the answers don't apply to us Canucks. Anyway, if you read this blog, and you go to school, or have a kid in school, you should check out the site.

Josh, I would say you're welcome, but the thing is, no one reads this blog, so don't expect a flood of traffic. :)

Purple and Pink and Yellow

Pretty!!!

Homesick

2010 thus far has been a year mostly consumed with planning, waiting, and tediously biding our time with one notable exception:

Dave is currently in China.

Yes, it is a rather large exception, but it does require some patience of its own, mainly the fact that I am currently in Canada.

A student of NWCC in the business administration program, Dave, along with his fellow students, were given the opportunity to take part in a 6 week cultural exchange in the city of Qingdao, on the Eastern coast of China. Several grants were made available which would cover the majority of the cost, and the exchange would provide him with 6 additional credits toward his diploma. Although we had a few hiccups along the way, it was really a no-brainer from the start.

After the initial few days of jet lag, activities and classes, I finally heard from Dave via skype, and have been keeping in touch with him that way very regularly. It hasn't been unusual for us to speak as often as twice a day, even with the 15 hour time change and his busy schedule. About a week after his arrival Dave divulged that he is rather homesick. Having visited India with a group of relative strangers, I have also felt the periodic ache for the familiarity of my homeland, and so I sagely told him that it would pass in a few days.

We are now at the halfway point, and not a day goes by that Dave doesn't fantasize about airplane seats and in-flight magazines.

This isn't to say that he isn't enjoying China. Much to the contrary. He loves his fellow Chinese students, and has been exploring as much as he can. Again, this is much the way I felt about India - it was a feast for the senses, a playground of history and cultural texture, and the people were kind, curious, and endlessly fun. But even so, I had a constant feeling almost like being trapped underwater and not being able to find the surface. Not of drowning, but just adrift where there is nothing to latch onto, anchor yourself with.

I know that once he is back, China will melt into a swirl of distant memory faster than he may realize. I also know that it will be a good memory.







Miss you too Sweetie. See you soon.

One Spring Morning

I'm in a play! Again! It's called 'One Spring Morning' by Cherie Thiessen.

See if you can figure out what happens.

























All photos by Nancy Stone-Archer.

Sittin' in the Garden Eatin' Worms...

It's SPRING people! Even up here in the blizzardy Northern tundra, spring has arrived. And to celebrate its arrival, I have decided to end my regular evening rendezvous with the couch and a bag of chips try something completely new - GARDENING.

That's right. For the first time since purchasing a home of my own, I'm getting to know the dirt in which it sits. And what have I discovered you ask? Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words:



Thrilling, isn't it. Rocks. Represented in the above photo is a miniscule portion of the rocks I have pulled out of my back garden bed in the last week. I am about three quarters of the way through pulling rocks, (and some weeds, but mostly rocks), and I'm honestly tired of it. That being said, marvel in my lemonaid making skills:



Isn't it cute? The evil, hateful rocks in the back turned into sweet, happy rocks in the front!

MORE TO COME!

Cute or Cutest?

This was on Cute Overload - who on earth comes up with this awesomeness!!??!

THERAPY

Until this morning, I had been baby-deficient. While I experience no shortage of toddlers, as many of our friends now have little ones, for one reason or another I have not had the opportunity to hold a newborn in YEARS. I don't know why this is. The friends we made in Terrace either don't have kids, or have kids that are walking and talking and mostly out of diapers. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE toddlers. They are so much fun and I always feel so lucky when it turns out they remember my name or want me to colour with them.

But holding a baby is a different. A friend of mine gave birth to a 5.1 pound baby boy last week. He is adorable. I don't think I have ever seen a baby quite so small - his fingernails were only about two millimetres across, like the tiniest little bit-size nubbins you've ever seen. He was either staring around with his brand new eyes, stretching, yawning, or sneezing the entire time. It was the head-exploding kind of cute that you don't recover from immediately.

Now, I'd just like to point out at this juncture to any family or personal friends that happen to be reading this: DAVE AND I ARE NOT HAVING BABIES YET NOR ARE WE PLANNING TO START HAVING BABIES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. I just need to throw that out so as not to mislead. Sorry peeps!

That being said, holding someone else's baby for a while is the best kind of therapy. And it's FREE!

Donation Opportunities

As many probably already know, the Canadian government has offered to match donations from Canadians towards the relief effort in Haiti. They will match up to 50 million. Donations need to go through registered charities such as the Humanitarion Coalition, Red Cross, World Vision or Salvation Army.

Go Team Canada!

Retrotainment - This time even older.

Terrace may not have a lot of shopping, but I have yet to visit a town that has a shop that compares to 'Gold Diggers'. (Except maybe the Free Store on Hornby, but only because everything is free). It's a thrift/flea market store and besides having lots of video game equipment and games that works with our original Nintendo, we go there quite often because they have buckets and buckets of old computer cords. Dave is always looking for some cord or another, so while he rifled through the stash, I perused the vintage awesomeness.

I had been satisfied with picking out a few old pins (which are kept in a wicker basket that weighs a hundred pounds, I shit you not), when I found THIS:











Attached was a little note that said they were from 1967, and they are in nearly perfect condition. Now I just have to learn how to play Rummy!

Character Building?

Last weekend Dave and I went ice fishing with a few friends. Don't ask me why I agreed to this fiasco because I couldn't give you one good reason, especially given the temperature outside lately.

As it turned out, it was a gorgeous day on the lake and it was well worth the scenery, but it was FREEZING. I spent most of the time running in circles and trying to convince my dog to stop stalking the nearby children and huddle with me for warmth. Of course, no amount of cold temperature or hurricane-force winds could have taken away Sierra's joy at making sure the children remained under her tight fist of control.

Stalking her prey.

Sizing up her opponent.

Ooooh, now I see why they say this is so much fun. (No.)

Don't worry mum, I'm looking after the shovel.