As I was walking down the street to work today, the most random thought just popped into my head: wouldn't it be cool to have a Game Genie for life? I mean, that would be so amazing. I was thinking about it, because you know how sometimes men just stare, and you want to be like: what????? what are you looking at???, and I just thought, if only I could randomly turn invisible for moments like these. This obviously led to the Game Genie thought. How great was game genie?? And how wicked would it be to be able to randomly apply these codes to life? I had the Super Nintendo Game Genie, and I used it pretty much exclusively for Super Mario World. And really, so many of those cheats could help in day to day situations:
Super high jump: I mean, this would just be cool for a variety of reasons really! You could jump up into trees and on top of buildings, and generally just see the world from a completely different perspective. It would *almost* be like flying. If you had to make a super quick getaway, this cheat would be extremely useful, provided you had something high up to land on. Then you could just wave to whoever or whatever down there on the ground, all see ya lata sucka, and then jump off on your way.
Extra lives: I wouldn't necessarily want to apply the "infinite lives" code to my actual life, because the thought of never, ever dying while the people I care about drop away is just something that is not appealing to me. However, I think the extra lives code would be useful, because say there was something you wanted to do, but it was super dangerous, like climbing Mount Everest, or bungee jumping...right now, with my one life, I wouldn't necessarily be apt to try to climb Mount Everest because that is not how I want to perish. But if I had a couple of spare lives? I would totally be up for that, because if I were to a) freeze to death or b) become deprived of oxygen, I could use up one of my extra lives, slid down the mountain, and continue on my way.
Start on whatever level you want: this would be great, provided it was okay to go backwards, as well as forwards. How neat would it be to be able to visit yourself at say, age 50, you could be all, yeah, everything is going well there, then zap yourself back to age 6 when you got your first puppy dog and give him a squeeze, then fly on back to the present, age 26, where you can then be pretty happy about not only where your life is going, but where it has been.
Anything with Yoshi: basically it would just be cool to have a pet dragon. Was Yoshi a dragon? Or a dinosaur? Irregardless, it would be cool to have a pet dragon/dinosaur to ride around on and eat enemies for you, but probably also play fetch if you wanted.
Anyway, this has given me an extreme desire to buy a Super Nintendo, because I so want to play Super Mario Land now. Ahhhh what a great game. Am going immediately to check Ebay.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Furry Friday
Isn't Beau handsome? I love older dogs, but they also make me extremely sad sometimes because it often takes a while for them to get adopted. I know Beau came from a family that loved him a lot though, because they left a two page essay with pictures for whoever adopts him. That's so sad, because you know that this was probably a family that didn't want to give up their dog that they obviously loved, but had to for whatever reasons. Anyway, I am happy (so very very very happy) to report that Beau has already found a new family! I just wanted to post his picture because he's so handsome.
Duke. I love this dog. He's the biggest goof, and he cracks me right up. He runs around the yard, going completely insane, and I'll call out "Duke, sit!", and he'll stop and sit all pretty like this. It's hilarious. He's so gangly and deer like, and is always tripping over himself. Whoever ends up adopting this dog is going to have an endless source of amusement.
We have two runs side by side, and they are separated by a fence. Sometimes if you get two of the right dogs out there, they'll run up and down and play with each other. Which is so great to watch. I mean, sometimes they try to kill each other through the fence, so the playing is obviously much more preferable. I *wish* we were allowed the let the dogs play together, because some of them would love it so much, but it's just not safe. They are not even supposed to touch nose to nose. But it makes me so happy when they play like this.
Sam is a super soccer player. I could not make out what breed he was, shepherd cross of some kind...? He's adorable though.
Ahhh Carleigh, this dog is so sweet. She's from Louisiana, and is terrified of men, which makes me angry because you just know that somewhere along the line, some man did something horrible to make her have that fear. But she's perfectly fine around women, and is so adorable. She is extremely well trained, and I found out last night that she can roll over, which is like my favourite dog trick ever. I find it so cute. I randomly said it to see what commands she knew (sit, stay, lay down, shake a paw and roll over). The right family needs to get this dog.
There are so many dogs at the shelter right now, and I'm not too sure why. We got a lot of dogs from Louisiana (14 of them), but many of them have been adopted. The kennels were almost full last night (there are 20+) kennels, and the stray kennels were also full last time I went in. It takes an extremely long time to get all those dogs out and loved, so it's great that the shelter has such a dedicated group of volunteers. I can see that my fellow volunteers love those dogs as much as I do, and I'm grateful for that.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
On Boards and Meetings aka, Why does that one person like their voice SO much?
I recently got chosen to be one of 12 people to write opinion pieces for our local paper, which is pretty cool. I mean, I need to pretty up my portfolio. Part of this deal though is you need to attend meetings of the Community Editorial Board, a board which discusses, umm, community editorial related things.
The first meeting was last night.
My experience with committees in the past has been that they are pointless. A bunch of people get in a room, talk, talk, talk, then you leave, and nothing ever happens. There are always one or two people who like to hear themselves talk for the sake of talking, and they do nothing but that for the entire meeting. You know, the people that have an opinion on everything. ON EVERYTHING.
The first thing we did last night was go around in a circle and introduce ourselves. Personally, I think it would have been more fun to play two truths and a lie, because then people actually listen to what you are saying, but instead they opted for the "Hi, I'm Megan, and I'm an alcoholic, errr I mean, I'm a writer" bio type of stuff. Which is fine, whatever, I know nobody is really listening to me anyway. I've never been around so many people that I have absolutely nothing in common with. Like, never in a million years will they get me, I just know this. Just like I don't get them. There are approximately 5 people that I think are pretty cool, but I dunno, I can see this getting tedious. This has a lot more to do with me, then it does with them, cause you see, while I am very easily amused, I also get bored extremely quickly if you are talking about towers or hospitals or zzzzzzzzz.
I'm not a big fan of debating for debatings sake. People talk, talk, talk about issues, but then don't do anything about it. I get in a very why are we still discussing this mood. I mean, I understand the need for debate and conversation, but sometimes it just gets to the point of silliness. We can sit here and argue with each other when we are essentially agreeing with each other, but what are we going to do about the actual issue? Anyway, there are a couple of people on this thing that irritate me...I will perhaps be able to better articulate why after I spend more time with them.
That being said, I think this board thing might be really cool in that I'll get to learn how a newspaper works, and pretend I'm an extra in His Girl Friday.
At one point an older lady was mocking how "kids these days" talk, and went on a rambling sentence inserting the word "like" after every word. I don't know about you, but I say "like" all the time. Not nearly as much as I used to, but it definitely still peppers my speech, along with "um" and "err" and all other kinds of non words, but I don't think that indicates I'm dumb by any means. Like is the verbal equivalent of a comma. Anyway, I was afraid to speak after that for fear that I would use the word "like" too much and be silently judged by a board room full of people. Bah, I say to that.
One lady was also talking about how she despises blogs, and basically how she thinks they are crap. Which fine, whatever, she's entitled to that opinion. However, I don't see how she can on one hand be all "opinion pieces from the community published in the paper are great" and all "blogs suck" on the other, because aren't they essentially the same thing? Aren't blogs just several opinion pieces from one large community? Does an opinion suddenly become more valuable and trust worthy if it is written in print? I tend to think not, but I suppose some people, mainly older people, would disagree with that.
ANYWAY! I think this community board will be a good thing/bad thing, which I suppose most opportunities in life are anyway.
The first meeting was last night.
My experience with committees in the past has been that they are pointless. A bunch of people get in a room, talk, talk, talk, then you leave, and nothing ever happens. There are always one or two people who like to hear themselves talk for the sake of talking, and they do nothing but that for the entire meeting. You know, the people that have an opinion on everything. ON EVERYTHING.
The first thing we did last night was go around in a circle and introduce ourselves. Personally, I think it would have been more fun to play two truths and a lie, because then people actually listen to what you are saying, but instead they opted for the "Hi, I'm Megan, and I'm an alcoholic, errr I mean, I'm a writer" bio type of stuff. Which is fine, whatever, I know nobody is really listening to me anyway. I've never been around so many people that I have absolutely nothing in common with. Like, never in a million years will they get me, I just know this. Just like I don't get them. There are approximately 5 people that I think are pretty cool, but I dunno, I can see this getting tedious. This has a lot more to do with me, then it does with them, cause you see, while I am very easily amused, I also get bored extremely quickly if you are talking about towers or hospitals or zzzzzzzzz.
I'm not a big fan of debating for debatings sake. People talk, talk, talk about issues, but then don't do anything about it. I get in a very why are we still discussing this mood. I mean, I understand the need for debate and conversation, but sometimes it just gets to the point of silliness. We can sit here and argue with each other when we are essentially agreeing with each other, but what are we going to do about the actual issue? Anyway, there are a couple of people on this thing that irritate me...I will perhaps be able to better articulate why after I spend more time with them.
That being said, I think this board thing might be really cool in that I'll get to learn how a newspaper works, and pretend I'm an extra in His Girl Friday.
At one point an older lady was mocking how "kids these days" talk, and went on a rambling sentence inserting the word "like" after every word. I don't know about you, but I say "like" all the time. Not nearly as much as I used to, but it definitely still peppers my speech, along with "um" and "err" and all other kinds of non words, but I don't think that indicates I'm dumb by any means. Like is the verbal equivalent of a comma. Anyway, I was afraid to speak after that for fear that I would use the word "like" too much and be silently judged by a board room full of people. Bah, I say to that.
One lady was also talking about how she despises blogs, and basically how she thinks they are crap. Which fine, whatever, she's entitled to that opinion. However, I don't see how she can on one hand be all "opinion pieces from the community published in the paper are great" and all "blogs suck" on the other, because aren't they essentially the same thing? Aren't blogs just several opinion pieces from one large community? Does an opinion suddenly become more valuable and trust worthy if it is written in print? I tend to think not, but I suppose some people, mainly older people, would disagree with that.
ANYWAY! I think this community board will be a good thing/bad thing, which I suppose most opportunities in life are anyway.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Updates
My poor little neglected blog...I haven't posted in a while! At least it feels like it's been quite some time.
The month of September has been a leeeetle insane. Like, stuff going on every night insane. Which, on the one hand, I don't mind, because it's usually all fun stuff, but on the other hand, some nights I would rather just sit home and watch My So Called Life.
These are the things that have been taking over my life:
I'm helping organize this, and who knew organizing such an event would be so time consuming? I like doing it, I like organizing, and lord knows I love my shelter friends, but it is very time consuming. I think it's going to end up being great though! So much fun.
It makes me really sad that hardly anyone knows who Regina Spektor is. She's so good! I love her voice, I love her songs. I went to see her show last week. I seriously asked so many people to come to this concert with me, and they were all like "who???". I dragged my friend S with me, and I'm pretty sure she is a R.S. fan now! I was really not crazy about the venue (The Sound Academy), but the concert itself was good.
Ziplining! I came across this new Eco Adventure place that is about an hour and a half away from St. Catharines...it's in Turkey Point area. So I basically signed myself and my parents up for a ziplining tour, and also convinced my aunt to go with us. My aunt was looking rather ill beforehand, but it ended up being so entirely fun! Even my mother who is afraid of heights enjoyed herself. She only had one moment, okay two, moments of sheer terror, one being when we were on the tallest platform in the forest, which wasn't very wide, and there was 8 of us of huddled on it. She was actually hugging the tree for dear life. There was also a point at the end of the tour where you have to rappel down from the platform, which was very cool, but a little frightening to start off. The first thing you have to do is step off the platform and swing your right foot around so you can steady yourself, then you can begin lowering yourself to the ground. I tell ya, that initial step off the platform almost made me shriek in terror. It's all good once you are actually rappelling, but that first bit...gah.
Last night we went to a Blue Jays game, which even though they lose all the time, is still fun. Except last night they friggin won! But we didn't get to see it because we left early to catch the train. We thought all hope was lost, but when I got home I found out they had actually managed to pull out the win. In extra innings too! As if! Baseball is pretty much the only sport I enjoy watching. This could be because I actually know what is going on.
And coming up this weekend in St. Kitties, is an event my friends and I hold very dear to our hearts. GRAPE AND WINE. Regardless of what the organizers of this event want you to think, this entire thing is a big drunk fest. It's like St. Catharines version of Oktoberfest. Let's call a spade a spade here...Grape and Wine is usually a shit show for everybody involved, and we wouldn't have it any other way. It is SO FUN. You start drinking at the parade at approx. 11am, then you continue doing so for the rest of the day. The whole day is spent drinking and dancing, and really, there's not much better than that!! Also, you can wear ridiculous necklaces and tams, and nobody says anything because it's Grape and Wine time ya'll! Bring on the steel drum bands. Grape and Wine could totally be St. Catharines' biggest tourist attraction if they just marketed it for what it actually is-an excuse to get drunk and dance and have a ton of fun. For serious. Also, the mascot for this event is a giant grape, and his name is MR. GRAPE. 3 points for originality! My Grape and Wine goal this year will be to get a picture of myself with Mr. Grape.
Needless to say, September has been quite the busy month, and it is flying right on by. I'm having a great time though!
The weather has been perfect and the other day I saw a hummingbird. It hovered one foot in front of my face for like 30 seconds. That moment has been making me happy for a week now. Over'n'out.
The month of September has been a leeeetle insane. Like, stuff going on every night insane. Which, on the one hand, I don't mind, because it's usually all fun stuff, but on the other hand, some nights I would rather just sit home and watch My So Called Life.
These are the things that have been taking over my life:
I'm helping organize this, and who knew organizing such an event would be so time consuming? I like doing it, I like organizing, and lord knows I love my shelter friends, but it is very time consuming. I think it's going to end up being great though! So much fun.
It makes me really sad that hardly anyone knows who Regina Spektor is. She's so good! I love her voice, I love her songs. I went to see her show last week. I seriously asked so many people to come to this concert with me, and they were all like "who???". I dragged my friend S with me, and I'm pretty sure she is a R.S. fan now! I was really not crazy about the venue (The Sound Academy), but the concert itself was good.
Ziplining! I came across this new Eco Adventure place that is about an hour and a half away from St. Catharines...it's in Turkey Point area. So I basically signed myself and my parents up for a ziplining tour, and also convinced my aunt to go with us. My aunt was looking rather ill beforehand, but it ended up being so entirely fun! Even my mother who is afraid of heights enjoyed herself. She only had one moment, okay two, moments of sheer terror, one being when we were on the tallest platform in the forest, which wasn't very wide, and there was 8 of us of huddled on it. She was actually hugging the tree for dear life. There was also a point at the end of the tour where you have to rappel down from the platform, which was very cool, but a little frightening to start off. The first thing you have to do is step off the platform and swing your right foot around so you can steady yourself, then you can begin lowering yourself to the ground. I tell ya, that initial step off the platform almost made me shriek in terror. It's all good once you are actually rappelling, but that first bit...gah.
Last night we went to a Blue Jays game, which even though they lose all the time, is still fun. Except last night they friggin won! But we didn't get to see it because we left early to catch the train. We thought all hope was lost, but when I got home I found out they had actually managed to pull out the win. In extra innings too! As if! Baseball is pretty much the only sport I enjoy watching. This could be because I actually know what is going on.
And coming up this weekend in St. Kitties, is an event my friends and I hold very dear to our hearts. GRAPE AND WINE. Regardless of what the organizers of this event want you to think, this entire thing is a big drunk fest. It's like St. Catharines version of Oktoberfest. Let's call a spade a spade here...Grape and Wine is usually a shit show for everybody involved, and we wouldn't have it any other way. It is SO FUN. You start drinking at the parade at approx. 11am, then you continue doing so for the rest of the day. The whole day is spent drinking and dancing, and really, there's not much better than that!! Also, you can wear ridiculous necklaces and tams, and nobody says anything because it's Grape and Wine time ya'll! Bring on the steel drum bands. Grape and Wine could totally be St. Catharines' biggest tourist attraction if they just marketed it for what it actually is-an excuse to get drunk and dance and have a ton of fun. For serious. Also, the mascot for this event is a giant grape, and his name is MR. GRAPE. 3 points for originality! My Grape and Wine goal this year will be to get a picture of myself with Mr. Grape.
Needless to say, September has been quite the busy month, and it is flying right on by. I'm having a great time though!
The weather has been perfect and the other day I saw a hummingbird. It hovered one foot in front of my face for like 30 seconds. That moment has been making me happy for a week now. Over'n'out.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Furry Friday
Okay, I wish I had gotten more pictures last night, because it was effin hilarious. The dogs all needed a bath, so we got a swipe card to the "dog wash" that is conveniently located across the parking lot from the shelter. I volunteered to bath some of the dogs, because well, wet dogs are cute. I started off doing it by myself, which was extremely difficult, because none of these dogs are used to getting bathed. They were all basically like, what. the. eff. is. happening? I started with a tiny beagle, because I could lift her, then I did a skinny german shepherd puppy who I could also lift. By the time I was done those two, an hour and a half had passed, and a lady showed up to help me. This lady was a professional groomer, so I was therefore demoted to the role of bringing the dogs back and forth. Which, I guess is fine because the dogs needed a bath like anything, and it was probably best that they get it done by a professional. They got their nails clipped and their ears cleaned, and they all came out smelling nicely.
I stopped taking pictures once I was joined by the groomer lady, because ummm, I don't think she would have taken to it too kindly. She was very, let's get errr done, and me snapping pictures of dripping dogs probably would have been a hindrance to her agenda.
At one point she was giving me some tips about dog grooming, and was like, "I expressed this ones anal glands", to which I said, "oh, that's nice"...but what I was really thinking was, oh shit, that was something I never needed to hear about, because a) ewwwww, and b) what the hell?. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it. And as if I said, "oh, that's nice"...but what even is an appropriate response to somebody telling you that they just expressed a dogs anal glands? I realize this is an important part of the grooming process, and is healthy for the dog, but the whole thing makes me a little gaggy.
Anyway, sorry. Beyond that bit, it was an amusing evening. All the dogs kept trying to jump out of the tub. The dogs from Louisiana especially did not know what the hell was going on, because I doubt they ever had quite a thorough bath before.
By the end of the night, my shirt was soaked, my bra was soaked, and the front of my jeans were soaked. Loved it.
Here at the pictures I managed to get:
I like to think this look on Elly's face is a nice mixture of fear and contempt.
Cute!
I am going to eat you. Oh Lewis, also cute!
I could never step too far away from the tub because they would keep trying to jump out and I did not want them to choke themselves. It's like, can you not feel the collar tightening around your neck, why do you keep trying to get further out of the tub? Crazies.
Anyway, the dog wash is a great little invention! When I get a dog, I'm installing a sweet set up like this in my basement or something.
I stopped taking pictures once I was joined by the groomer lady, because ummm, I don't think she would have taken to it too kindly. She was very, let's get errr done, and me snapping pictures of dripping dogs probably would have been a hindrance to her agenda.
At one point she was giving me some tips about dog grooming, and was like, "I expressed this ones anal glands", to which I said, "oh, that's nice"...but what I was really thinking was, oh shit, that was something I never needed to hear about, because a) ewwwww, and b) what the hell?. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it. And as if I said, "oh, that's nice"...but what even is an appropriate response to somebody telling you that they just expressed a dogs anal glands? I realize this is an important part of the grooming process, and is healthy for the dog, but the whole thing makes me a little gaggy.
Anyway, sorry. Beyond that bit, it was an amusing evening. All the dogs kept trying to jump out of the tub. The dogs from Louisiana especially did not know what the hell was going on, because I doubt they ever had quite a thorough bath before.
By the end of the night, my shirt was soaked, my bra was soaked, and the front of my jeans were soaked. Loved it.
Here at the pictures I managed to get:
I like to think this look on Elly's face is a nice mixture of fear and contempt.
Cute!
I am going to eat you. Oh Lewis, also cute!
I could never step too far away from the tub because they would keep trying to jump out and I did not want them to choke themselves. It's like, can you not feel the collar tightening around your neck, why do you keep trying to get further out of the tub? Crazies.
Anyway, the dog wash is a great little invention! When I get a dog, I'm installing a sweet set up like this in my basement or something.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A Look Into My Mind
I spend an awful lot of my time at work walking around, counting various things, stopping in places, dropping stuff off, that kind of thing. Today as I returned from wandering, I started to think how funny it would be if I could see someone else's stream of consciousness as they walked by. If my thoughts are any indication, this could be an entirely hilarious situation. I'm not sure how the thoughts would appear, but a thought bubble with words seems to be the most logical way.
See, if my thoughts during my 30 minute walk today were used as an example, this is what people would see (picture a scrolling thought bubble):
Ahhhh, it is so nice out today! Hmmm why is that car parked that way, god people are so dumb. I hope nobody jumps out of that dumpster and scares me. Oh my lord, bathing the dogs tonight is going to be hilarious! I'm going to get soaked. Good thing it is September and it is so very niiiiicccceee out (sing songy voice). Why would they not make this street two way? Now it is just confusing for people. It smells like vinegar here. Why, why would it smell like that? I wonder how many minutes a day people save by walking against the light? It's just dumb to stand there like a knob when there are clearly no cars coming from either direction. Wow, that is a whole lot of people on the sidewalk. That is SOME shirt lady. Why are they selling elephant ears and funnel cakes at the farmer's market? Is that really necessary? Oh, I totally gave that lady the wrong directions yesterday. Oops! Five minute thought break while I go inside a building to drop some things off. We have the loveliest courtyard at the library, to bad it is always filled with crazies. Like that one guy who talks to himself, constantly and walks towards you like he is going to engage you, then veers off at the last minute. That guy looks like a normal size oompa loompa. I would totally sit in this courtyard all the time, if I wasn't worried about getting stabbed. Ohhh man, remember that time S was sitting in the park and the random homeless guy asked her out? Classic. Go into library and pick up movie that was on hold. Hmmm do I want a coffee? Nah. Oh my god, St. Catharines is totally a place where I just look at random people and think, yeah, they could totally beat me up, and they might do so unprovoked. Don't look at her in the eye. HEY! There is the saxophone busker, but he is wearing a suit today and doesn't have his saxophone! So cute. I like how I always think sunglasses make me look incognito, but it's clearly me! Ewwww I hate when people hack in public places. Why, why are you doing that you nasty old man? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit he just spit on the sidewalk too, I am so unbelievably disgusted. Why does he not know how gross that is? Holy crap, it smells like vinegar here too! What is happening? A squirrel! I never see squirrels downtown, that's so random!! Does that guy ever sit anywhere else but this patio? Seriously, what is your job? I cannot wait to watch this movie! ooohhh, they put new planters in!
Then I'm back at the office, thoroughly exhausted from the non stop thinking, and it just occurred to me, that it would be hilarious for someone else to see! Maybe not even hilarious, maybe just interesting, because the thoughts that pop into your head sometimes are just so random. It would be like Facebooks, "what's on your mind" section, but way better, because I hate that stupid section of Facebook.
See, if my thoughts during my 30 minute walk today were used as an example, this is what people would see (picture a scrolling thought bubble):
Ahhhh, it is so nice out today! Hmmm why is that car parked that way, god people are so dumb. I hope nobody jumps out of that dumpster and scares me. Oh my lord, bathing the dogs tonight is going to be hilarious! I'm going to get soaked. Good thing it is September and it is so very niiiiicccceee out (sing songy voice). Why would they not make this street two way? Now it is just confusing for people. It smells like vinegar here. Why, why would it smell like that? I wonder how many minutes a day people save by walking against the light? It's just dumb to stand there like a knob when there are clearly no cars coming from either direction. Wow, that is a whole lot of people on the sidewalk. That is SOME shirt lady. Why are they selling elephant ears and funnel cakes at the farmer's market? Is that really necessary? Oh, I totally gave that lady the wrong directions yesterday. Oops! Five minute thought break while I go inside a building to drop some things off. We have the loveliest courtyard at the library, to bad it is always filled with crazies. Like that one guy who talks to himself, constantly and walks towards you like he is going to engage you, then veers off at the last minute. That guy looks like a normal size oompa loompa. I would totally sit in this courtyard all the time, if I wasn't worried about getting stabbed. Ohhh man, remember that time S was sitting in the park and the random homeless guy asked her out? Classic. Go into library and pick up movie that was on hold. Hmmm do I want a coffee? Nah. Oh my god, St. Catharines is totally a place where I just look at random people and think, yeah, they could totally beat me up, and they might do so unprovoked. Don't look at her in the eye. HEY! There is the saxophone busker, but he is wearing a suit today and doesn't have his saxophone! So cute. I like how I always think sunglasses make me look incognito, but it's clearly me! Ewwww I hate when people hack in public places. Why, why are you doing that you nasty old man? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit he just spit on the sidewalk too, I am so unbelievably disgusted. Why does he not know how gross that is? Holy crap, it smells like vinegar here too! What is happening? A squirrel! I never see squirrels downtown, that's so random!! Does that guy ever sit anywhere else but this patio? Seriously, what is your job? I cannot wait to watch this movie! ooohhh, they put new planters in!
Then I'm back at the office, thoroughly exhausted from the non stop thinking, and it just occurred to me, that it would be hilarious for someone else to see! Maybe not even hilarious, maybe just interesting, because the thoughts that pop into your head sometimes are just so random. It would be like Facebooks, "what's on your mind" section, but way better, because I hate that stupid section of Facebook.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
On Movies
I have been waiting for this movie to be in stock at the video store for sometime now. It was finally in the other day, so I finally watched it. It has been a long time since I've been so disturbed by a movie. It ended, and I literally sat there staring at the screen for like ten minutes. It's a good movie, really good, but oh so disturbing.
I think it is hard to approach the Holocaust in a way that hasn't been done before, but this movie did a great job of that. Now I don't know how plausible the scenario actually is, but I thought the movie did an amazing job of showing the experience through a child's eyes. The kid in the movie Asa Butterfield, is an amazing little actor. When I was watching it I was trying to think back to my 8 year old self and was wondering whether I would have understood the situation. I'm not sure. To Bruno, the main character in the movie, the whole idea of the concentration camp is that it is like a big game. He's jealous of his friend Schmoll (on the other side of the fence), because he gets to play with other kids on the "farm". Bruno never quite comprehends. The whole thing is so innocent, and I guess it really shouldn't be any other way.
God...it is so hard to comprehend what was done to these people: I mean, they were not seen as human! I just, I can't fully get it. The mother in the movie, she eventually finds out what is going on and while it is clear she doesn't believe in it, she never does anything to stop it. She worries and frets over her own children's safety, yet in her own backyard is a place where other people's children, other people, are suffering, are dying, and somehow she draws a line.
The end of the movie is so tragic, so disturbing, yet there is a little part of me that was kind of like, see, that's what you get Nazi father! Brunos father is the soldier in charge of the concentration camp, and he backs his country fully; he thinks nothing of gassing rooms full of Jewish people on a daily basis if that is what the Fuhrer wants. Yet when it hits home, when someone close to him is affected, it suddenly becomes clear. I just don't know why it took such a horrible occurrence for him to realize that what he is doing, what his country is doing, isn't right.
Anyway, it was a good movie. I'm going to keep flashing back to it for a while now though, especially the last scene in the gas chamber. When I went to Poland a couple months ago, I stood in one of those very gas chambers. I honestly cannot even put into words how that makes me feel.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Furry Friday
It has been quite a week, quite a week in my mind. Today, I got heckled by children riding on the short bus. The. short. bus. And my life has come to this. Yesterday we were walking back from lunch and we had to pass this man in a wheelchair with no shirt and no shoes (he had shoes, they just weren't on)...the man said "Hello", and I was the only one that said "hello" back. I don't effin care what he looks like, he's being perfectly polite and nobody needs to look at him like he is a leper. Just say hello. Anyways, it's been one of those weeks where everything annoys me, and life in general is just blah. The bright spot, as always, were my furry friends, because they never heckle me (they do occasionally bite though), and they don't judge. Ever. They love everybody.
Anyways. Happy times.
Ahem.
Elly is a jack russel terrier/beagle. Scruffy with a capital S. She could jump ridiculously high. At one point I was doing that side to side movement, then pretending I was going to chase her like I always do with the dogs. She then ran straight towards me, jumped, and literally launched herself off my chest. I am not a short person. I tried to get her to do it again so I could try and catch her like they always do in the Superdogs show, but she wasn't having it.
Duke. No dog at the shelter has ever cracked me up quite as much as Duke. He is hilarious looking. He has wonky eyes and the longest tongue, and is just so peculiar looking that he's cute. I literally just look at him and crack up. He's also a huge spazz that constantly runs into things and is just generally awkward. Much like myself. He is the real life version of Marmaduke.
This dog. This dog with no name. He made me soooo proud last night. Remember the dog last week that was scared of life? This is him, and I am happy to report he is doing so much better. He was much more well adjusted, and he came and sat with me on numerous occasions. He still had moments of fear, like when the dog in the next pen kept barking at him, and you could tell his face was just like, ummmm what exactly is it you want?? Anyway, it was good to see that he is doing so well.
Beautiful blue eyed dog got adopted, as did several others, and that makes me happy.
Anyways. Happy times.
Ahem.
Elly is a jack russel terrier/beagle. Scruffy with a capital S. She could jump ridiculously high. At one point I was doing that side to side movement, then pretending I was going to chase her like I always do with the dogs. She then ran straight towards me, jumped, and literally launched herself off my chest. I am not a short person. I tried to get her to do it again so I could try and catch her like they always do in the Superdogs show, but she wasn't having it.
Duke. No dog at the shelter has ever cracked me up quite as much as Duke. He is hilarious looking. He has wonky eyes and the longest tongue, and is just so peculiar looking that he's cute. I literally just look at him and crack up. He's also a huge spazz that constantly runs into things and is just generally awkward. Much like myself. He is the real life version of Marmaduke.
This dog. This dog with no name. He made me soooo proud last night. Remember the dog last week that was scared of life? This is him, and I am happy to report he is doing so much better. He was much more well adjusted, and he came and sat with me on numerous occasions. He still had moments of fear, like when the dog in the next pen kept barking at him, and you could tell his face was just like, ummmm what exactly is it you want?? Anyway, it was good to see that he is doing so well.
Beautiful blue eyed dog got adopted, as did several others, and that makes me happy.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
On Bucket Lists
I was feeling very Bitter with a capital B this morning, for a variety of reasons really, one being that people in this city drive so very horribly, but anyway when I got to work there was a funny email from a funny friend, and just like that the bitterness dissipated.
These last two days I've discovered that two things invariably cheer me up all the time: listening to old school Hanson and talking to funny people. Firstly, can anyone really remain bitter while listening to "Where's the Love"? I think not. Secondly, I'm mostly referring to people that I know, but as I am finding more and more, random encounters with often crazy people can go a long way in boosting ones mood. To an extent, I mean, there is a line of crazy that can be crossed and if you cross it, I really don't want to talk to you.
Where the hell am I going with this?
Right. It is time to start shifting my priorities again...getting off my ass, and gettin er done. I often go to my bucket list, or "life goal list", when I feel I need a swift kick to get me moving again. Some of my goals are ridiculously lofty, and some of them are just ridiculous. However, every time I get to cross one off the list, I get way too excited about life.
So here I present to you my bucket list...with some edits. I made up some of these things when I was like 12, and really have no desire to do them anymore. It should be noted that these are in no particular order, I just add things randomly when I think of them.
1) Swim with the dolphins I still really want to do this, but I have misgivings, because I really do not want to support a lot of the facilities that offer swimming with the dolphins. I don't want to swim with captive dolphins, I want to swim with free dolphins. I want to swim with dolphins that want to swim with me. Dolphins choice. If the dolphin wants to swim off to dive with his friends in the ocean, I don't want to hinder that desire. I'm thinking this one will never get crossed off.
2) Live in New York City I have big love for New York City, and I really want to live there one day. Not long enough that I'll end up hating it, but long enough that I can really get in there.
3) Write a book. This will happen. I don't know when, but I friggin know it will.
4) Backpack Across Europe This one is a little redundant now, because I've been to Europe three times, and none of those trips involved carrying a backpack. I've concluded that perhaps I'm just not the backpacking type.
5) Make one of those English guard guys laugh This one is going to drive me insane until the day I die. Those guys crack for nothing! One time in Ottawa, my friend S and I were doing everything but stripping for one of them, and we got NOTHING. We took pictures with him, we danced, we told loud jokes two inches from his face. I can tell you one thing, I would SUCK at that job.
6) Milk a cow Why can't I find a place around here where I can just go randomly milk a cow? Seriously. This one should be so easy to cross off.
7) Ride in a hot air balloon
8) Go ziplining in Costa Rica
9) Have my own library with a moving ladder I'm thinking the Beast's library in Beauty and the Beast is totally what I need to have.
10) Own all the Sweet Valley Twin books And I am thisclose I tell ya.
11) Go to Thailand
12) Go to Australia
13) Travel around Canada
14) Go to Graceland I went to Graceland a couple of years ago and it was amazing in all it's tacky, tacky glory.
15) Be a travel writer
16) Volunteer at the humane societyI've taken crossing off this goal to a whole new level.
17) Go Sky Diving
18) Stay overnight in a castle
19) Go horseback riding on a beach Although I have had recent experience that tells me this may not be such a great idea.
20) Help build a house
21) Go to Argentina Really, I could just sum all this up in one goal: go to every country in the world. Minus some in the Middle East because I am a huge chicken.
22) Write a book about the history of St. Catharines I ummm, really have no desire to do this anymore. At all.
23) Go in one of those giant plastic balls from the Amazing RaceDoes anybody else on the planet know what I'm talking about?
24) Write for the Standard Done and done.
25) Be in New York in Strawberry Fields on Dec 8th. This could potentially happen this year and I am SO excited.
26) Ride a camel
27) Hold a monkey
28) Go on an African Safari
29) Have a photo published
30) See Idina Menzel in a broadway place Gah, how I love Idina Menzel.
31) Learn to play the guitar My serious lack of an attention span and my tiny tiny hands tell me this is never gonna happen.
32) Go to Baja to see the grey whales migrate
33) Learn another language Thanks for nothing French classes grades one through 11!
34) Fly a plane No, nooo 12 year old Megan, why would you write this?
35) Swim across a lake Again little Megan, why???
36) Learn to juggle
37) See Polar Bears in Churchill, Manitoba
38) Have a ball room in my house I said it when I was 12, and I'll say it again now, this would be amazing. I'm not talking let's do a waltz, I'm talking giant room filled with those multicoloured balls that you can jump in. I want to have an entire room filled and be able to run down a long hall and take a running leap into some plastic balls. Like at McDonalds, but minus the...McDonalds.
39) Visit Auschwitz And the memory of the horribleness will last a lifetime.
40) Do the polar bear swim No one will agree to do this with me!!
41) Go to Mardi Gras
42) Be in NYC for New Years
43) Ride on a motorcycle
44) Be in a parade
45) Work at a bookstore
46) Learn to spin a pen in my hand Hey, they can't all be big dreams! Also...I hated in high school when people around me would spin their pens, and I just couldn't feckin do it.
47) Do the trapeze
48) Watch the Silence of the Lambs I am a huge chicken, and I want to watch this so badly, but I"m scurrrred.
49) Be at the Olympic Games
50) See the Northern Lights
51) Try Surfing
Anyways! These are just some of them, as in less than half. Some are ridiculous and some are just cheesy and for the sake of not having the longest blog post known to man, I didn't put them all here. But seriously...I need to get going on these, and pronto.
These last two days I've discovered that two things invariably cheer me up all the time: listening to old school Hanson and talking to funny people. Firstly, can anyone really remain bitter while listening to "Where's the Love"? I think not. Secondly, I'm mostly referring to people that I know, but as I am finding more and more, random encounters with often crazy people can go a long way in boosting ones mood. To an extent, I mean, there is a line of crazy that can be crossed and if you cross it, I really don't want to talk to you.
Where the hell am I going with this?
Right. It is time to start shifting my priorities again...getting off my ass, and gettin er done. I often go to my bucket list, or "life goal list", when I feel I need a swift kick to get me moving again. Some of my goals are ridiculously lofty, and some of them are just ridiculous. However, every time I get to cross one off the list, I get way too excited about life.
So here I present to you my bucket list...with some edits. I made up some of these things when I was like 12, and really have no desire to do them anymore. It should be noted that these are in no particular order, I just add things randomly when I think of them.
1) Swim with the dolphins I still really want to do this, but I have misgivings, because I really do not want to support a lot of the facilities that offer swimming with the dolphins. I don't want to swim with captive dolphins, I want to swim with free dolphins. I want to swim with dolphins that want to swim with me. Dolphins choice. If the dolphin wants to swim off to dive with his friends in the ocean, I don't want to hinder that desire. I'm thinking this one will never get crossed off.
2) Live in New York City I have big love for New York City, and I really want to live there one day. Not long enough that I'll end up hating it, but long enough that I can really get in there.
3) Write a book. This will happen. I don't know when, but I friggin know it will.
4) Backpack Across Europe This one is a little redundant now, because I've been to Europe three times, and none of those trips involved carrying a backpack. I've concluded that perhaps I'm just not the backpacking type.
5) Make one of those English guard guys laugh This one is going to drive me insane until the day I die. Those guys crack for nothing! One time in Ottawa, my friend S and I were doing everything but stripping for one of them, and we got NOTHING. We took pictures with him, we danced, we told loud jokes two inches from his face. I can tell you one thing, I would SUCK at that job.
6) Milk a cow Why can't I find a place around here where I can just go randomly milk a cow? Seriously. This one should be so easy to cross off.
7) Ride in a hot air balloon
8) Go ziplining in Costa Rica
9) Have my own library with a moving ladder I'm thinking the Beast's library in Beauty and the Beast is totally what I need to have.
10) Own all the Sweet Valley Twin books And I am thisclose I tell ya.
11) Go to Thailand
12) Go to Australia
13) Travel around Canada
15) Be a travel writer
17) Go Sky Diving
18) Stay overnight in a castle
19) Go horseback riding on a beach Although I have had recent experience that tells me this may not be such a great idea.
20) Help build a house
21) Go to Argentina Really, I could just sum all this up in one goal: go to every country in the world. Minus some in the Middle East because I am a huge chicken.
22) Write a book about the history of St. Catharines I ummm, really have no desire to do this anymore. At all.
23) Go in one of those giant plastic balls from the Amazing RaceDoes anybody else on the planet know what I'm talking about?
25) Be in New York in Strawberry Fields on Dec 8th. This could potentially happen this year and I am SO excited.
26) Ride a camel
27) Hold a monkey
28) Go on an African Safari
29) Have a photo published
30) See Idina Menzel in a broadway place Gah, how I love Idina Menzel.
31) Learn to play the guitar My serious lack of an attention span and my tiny tiny hands tell me this is never gonna happen.
32) Go to Baja to see the grey whales migrate
33) Learn another language Thanks for nothing French classes grades one through 11!
34) Fly a plane No, nooo 12 year old Megan, why would you write this?
35) Swim across a lake Again little Megan, why???
36) Learn to juggle
37) See Polar Bears in Churchill, Manitoba
38) Have a ball room in my house I said it when I was 12, and I'll say it again now, this would be amazing. I'm not talking let's do a waltz, I'm talking giant room filled with those multicoloured balls that you can jump in. I want to have an entire room filled and be able to run down a long hall and take a running leap into some plastic balls. Like at McDonalds, but minus the...McDonalds.
40) Do the polar bear swim No one will agree to do this with me!!
41) Go to Mardi Gras
42) Be in NYC for New Years
43) Ride on a motorcycle
44) Be in a parade
45) Work at a bookstore
46) Learn to spin a pen in my hand Hey, they can't all be big dreams! Also...I hated in high school when people around me would spin their pens, and I just couldn't feckin do it.
47) Do the trapeze
48) Watch the Silence of the Lambs I am a huge chicken, and I want to watch this so badly, but I"m scurrrred.
49) Be at the Olympic Games
50) See the Northern Lights
51) Try Surfing
Anyways! These are just some of them, as in less than half. Some are ridiculous and some are just cheesy and for the sake of not having the longest blog post known to man, I didn't put them all here. But seriously...I need to get going on these, and pronto.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
On Hindsight
I hate how everything always looks so clear and obvious in hindsight; it makes me feel like such a dumb ass. Then I get mad at myself for being such a dumbass, like...why didn't I just see it then and save myself the aggravation?
I go over every situation and conversation, and there is suddenly a large, neon sign flashing everywhere saying "wake the eff up!"
It boggles my mind that people can be so thoughtless. Deliberately. It is something I just can't wrap my head around.
Anyway, I'm being cryptic, but it is for my sanity. It is good to know that I am done though. So long, farewell, nice knowing ya, I can't do this any longer, d.o.n.e.
Wow. I am Angela Chase dancing to Blister in the Sun. Good day.
I go over every situation and conversation, and there is suddenly a large, neon sign flashing everywhere saying "wake the eff up!"
It boggles my mind that people can be so thoughtless. Deliberately. It is something I just can't wrap my head around.
Anyway, I'm being cryptic, but it is for my sanity. It is good to know that I am done though. So long, farewell, nice knowing ya, I can't do this any longer, d.o.n.e.
Wow. I am Angela Chase dancing to Blister in the Sun. Good day.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Time Warp Tuesday
Okay, so I mentioned last week about all the photos I have to scan into my computer---copious amounts! I also mentioned my fear of looking at a photo and not remembering. Forgetting who is in the picture with me, what I was doing on that day and who I was with. It's clearly not realistic to remember everything about one's life, because there are certainly photos I look at and have no memory of whatsoever. But there are some that I have vivid memories of, memories that I don't ever want to forget or to fade, so I am going to start posting some pictures/stories on here. They are not going to go in any particular order, just a pick of whatever I managed to scan in this week.
My love of dogs started at a very early age: Shadow was the first dog that was in my family and I adored him. This clearly was in the late 80s early 90s because, hello haircut and random neon clothes. And I am pretty sure my big wheel is in the back of that picture.
Shadow the cockapoo. He was my first dog; my best dog. I got him for a birthday present when I was six. My whole family sat outside on the deck in a circle and watched me open my gifts. Saving the best for last, my uncle carried in this huge cardboard box from his car, and I stood there staring at it for a good five minutes before I opened it. I finally peeked inside, and as you can probably tell from the "WTF" look on my face, Shadow was a big surprise for me. I lifted him carefully out of the box and just carried him around, showing him off to everyone. Then we ran around on the grass, up and down the hill; we became fast friends.
I am an only child so Shadow was quite the playmate. My whole family loved him, cause, well, he was a great dog. He got his name because he followed us everywhere, even into the washroom. We were buddies; he was like my little dog brother. He wasn't perfect by any means, every damn year he would run through one of the screen doors, every year. Eventually we started taking pictures of him with the broken screen, and a sign that said "Screen of insert year". He was such a cute dog; scruffy and friendly, my favourite kind. He walked horribly on a leash, barked like crazy at the smallest things, and jumped in the air like a kangaroo. He loved to swim, and he would float around the pool all the time on a raft. He played a mean game of fetch, and he just loved to be wherever we were.
One year we were on vacation, about two hours away from home. My aunt and grandma were watching the dog. We were about halfway through our vacation when we got a frantic call from my grandma saying, Shadow is sick, he's at the vets, you have to come home now if you want to see him. It broke my heart, and it actually still makes me tear up when I think about it. God, I loved that dog. We drove back home, the only sound being me sobbing quietly in the backseat.
We arrived at the vets where Shadow was being kept: it turned out he had a liver condition, and he was going to die. We had to have him put down the day after we got home. I can honestly say that part of the reason I don't have a dog right now is because I know first hand (it happened to me twice) how horrible it is when they are gone. Shadow was such a huge part of my life, then he just wasn't there. I was a little bit broken.
Shadow was my first experience with death and loss. I was 13 when he died, and I hadn't at that point had to go to any funerals of anyone close to me. I was hurting. My mom decided we were going to have a wake for Shadow, which crazy as it sounds, helped immensely. Everybody, family and friends, came over to our house, and shared their favourite memories of my dog. Most were funny stories, and it made me feel a whole lot better. I couldn't tell my own story, because I was just too sad, but hearing everybody else's...well, it was extremely nice of them to do that for me. For my family. Anybody who thinks, it's just a dog, has never had a dog.
The day I got Shadow is a favourite memory of mine because it was the beginning of a great relationship. He's the reason I love dogs so much now, and I will never, ever forget what a great little guy he was.
My love of dogs started at a very early age: Shadow was the first dog that was in my family and I adored him. This clearly was in the late 80s early 90s because, hello haircut and random neon clothes. And I am pretty sure my big wheel is in the back of that picture.
Shadow the cockapoo. He was my first dog; my best dog. I got him for a birthday present when I was six. My whole family sat outside on the deck in a circle and watched me open my gifts. Saving the best for last, my uncle carried in this huge cardboard box from his car, and I stood there staring at it for a good five minutes before I opened it. I finally peeked inside, and as you can probably tell from the "WTF" look on my face, Shadow was a big surprise for me. I lifted him carefully out of the box and just carried him around, showing him off to everyone. Then we ran around on the grass, up and down the hill; we became fast friends.
I am an only child so Shadow was quite the playmate. My whole family loved him, cause, well, he was a great dog. He got his name because he followed us everywhere, even into the washroom. We were buddies; he was like my little dog brother. He wasn't perfect by any means, every damn year he would run through one of the screen doors, every year. Eventually we started taking pictures of him with the broken screen, and a sign that said "Screen of insert year". He was such a cute dog; scruffy and friendly, my favourite kind. He walked horribly on a leash, barked like crazy at the smallest things, and jumped in the air like a kangaroo. He loved to swim, and he would float around the pool all the time on a raft. He played a mean game of fetch, and he just loved to be wherever we were.
One year we were on vacation, about two hours away from home. My aunt and grandma were watching the dog. We were about halfway through our vacation when we got a frantic call from my grandma saying, Shadow is sick, he's at the vets, you have to come home now if you want to see him. It broke my heart, and it actually still makes me tear up when I think about it. God, I loved that dog. We drove back home, the only sound being me sobbing quietly in the backseat.
We arrived at the vets where Shadow was being kept: it turned out he had a liver condition, and he was going to die. We had to have him put down the day after we got home. I can honestly say that part of the reason I don't have a dog right now is because I know first hand (it happened to me twice) how horrible it is when they are gone. Shadow was such a huge part of my life, then he just wasn't there. I was a little bit broken.
Shadow was my first experience with death and loss. I was 13 when he died, and I hadn't at that point had to go to any funerals of anyone close to me. I was hurting. My mom decided we were going to have a wake for Shadow, which crazy as it sounds, helped immensely. Everybody, family and friends, came over to our house, and shared their favourite memories of my dog. Most were funny stories, and it made me feel a whole lot better. I couldn't tell my own story, because I was just too sad, but hearing everybody else's...well, it was extremely nice of them to do that for me. For my family. Anybody who thinks, it's just a dog, has never had a dog.
The day I got Shadow is a favourite memory of mine because it was the beginning of a great relationship. He's the reason I love dogs so much now, and I will never, ever forget what a great little guy he was.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Canadian National Exhibition
Every single summer, my friend N and I have a tradition of going to the CNE. It's weird, we both have a love/hate relationship with the CNE, but we just can't quit it. Even though we spend most of the day wanting to yell at people to stop walking so slowly, there is just something so summery and fun about it. Since N lives in T.O, he is very good at maneuvering around crowds of people, he just weaves in and out, but I constantly get stuck. Part of the fun is the people dodging.
I drag N to this every year, which is hilarious because the show is the exact same thing every year. It's basically like dogs racing against each other and jumping over high posts. The Superdog announcer is kind of like Bob Barker, but way less cool. But the Ex just wouldn't be the Ex without going to see the Superdogs.
Sand sculptures! I definitely admire people who have the patience for stuff like this! I can just imagine it collapsing randomly and having to start over...arggg.
Butter sculptures! Star Wars ones! When you watch the people make these sculptures, they are all decked out in winter gear because they are basically inside a fridge with windows. The sheer volume of butter was a little gross, but impressive none the less!
I'm always very careful about the rides I go on at carnival type events. Rides that can be disassembled in a day make me slightly uneasy, so I tend to avoid them. The Zipper is a ride I would never in my life go on, and it wasn't helped by the fact that this particular ride had a huge sign posted on it that said "this ride has been shut down for your safety". Okay then!
As we found out last night...deep fried mars bars are basically one of the greatest inventions ever. They were so unbelievably good. We were dubious at first, and were a little frightened that we might instantly have heart attacks,because the whole idea of a deep fried candy bar is a bit much, but hey, it's the Ex! Also, just a note...the booth across from this one was selling chocolate covered bacon. For reals yo. EW! I'm so going to try it next year.
We always, always ride the ferris wheel. Once during the day, and once at night. The midway looks amazing all lit up, and you can see pretty far. During the day when we went on, the Air Show was also happening so we got to watch some of that. The air show was 4 hours long. Never could I sit for so long in one spot just to watch some airplanes do tricks in the air, no matter how cool that may be. The air show is kinda freaky to watch too because the planes fly so close together (or at least it appears that they do from the ground), and I spend the entire time worrying about what to do if they crash. They always look like they are about to crash too, because one of the tricks involves the plane spiraling straight down. You watch in amazement, just kind of wondering, is that supposed to be happening?? and then even if it is NOT supposed to be happening, there is nothing you can do to stop it anyway. Air shows freak me out.
One of my favourite parts of the day involved waiting for the train. I was by myself, so I guess I looked approachable. This lady came up to me and asked me what time the train came. The conversation then evolved into life stories. Which really, I didn't mind, she wasn't crazy and we had a while to wait for the train anyway. But then she started telling me this story that she thought was hilarious, like so hilarious she couldn't speak anymore and tears were streaming down her face. The story wasn't funny....at least not to me. I was trying to get out a laugh because what else could I do besides stare at her? She laughed for the longest time ever, but then just abruptly stopped the story with "so, yeahhhh". It was kind of great. Then the train came and we almost got trampled getting on, so I didn't get to sit with my new found friend on the train. Anyways.
All in all, it was a great day. I didn't win any giant stuffed animals, but I guess there is always next year! Goodbye summer!
I drag N to this every year, which is hilarious because the show is the exact same thing every year. It's basically like dogs racing against each other and jumping over high posts. The Superdog announcer is kind of like Bob Barker, but way less cool. But the Ex just wouldn't be the Ex without going to see the Superdogs.
Sand sculptures! I definitely admire people who have the patience for stuff like this! I can just imagine it collapsing randomly and having to start over...arggg.
Butter sculptures! Star Wars ones! When you watch the people make these sculptures, they are all decked out in winter gear because they are basically inside a fridge with windows. The sheer volume of butter was a little gross, but impressive none the less!
I'm always very careful about the rides I go on at carnival type events. Rides that can be disassembled in a day make me slightly uneasy, so I tend to avoid them. The Zipper is a ride I would never in my life go on, and it wasn't helped by the fact that this particular ride had a huge sign posted on it that said "this ride has been shut down for your safety". Okay then!
As we found out last night...deep fried mars bars are basically one of the greatest inventions ever. They were so unbelievably good. We were dubious at first, and were a little frightened that we might instantly have heart attacks,because the whole idea of a deep fried candy bar is a bit much, but hey, it's the Ex! Also, just a note...the booth across from this one was selling chocolate covered bacon. For reals yo. EW! I'm so going to try it next year.
We always, always ride the ferris wheel. Once during the day, and once at night. The midway looks amazing all lit up, and you can see pretty far. During the day when we went on, the Air Show was also happening so we got to watch some of that. The air show was 4 hours long. Never could I sit for so long in one spot just to watch some airplanes do tricks in the air, no matter how cool that may be. The air show is kinda freaky to watch too because the planes fly so close together (or at least it appears that they do from the ground), and I spend the entire time worrying about what to do if they crash. They always look like they are about to crash too, because one of the tricks involves the plane spiraling straight down. You watch in amazement, just kind of wondering, is that supposed to be happening?? and then even if it is NOT supposed to be happening, there is nothing you can do to stop it anyway. Air shows freak me out.
One of my favourite parts of the day involved waiting for the train. I was by myself, so I guess I looked approachable. This lady came up to me and asked me what time the train came. The conversation then evolved into life stories. Which really, I didn't mind, she wasn't crazy and we had a while to wait for the train anyway. But then she started telling me this story that she thought was hilarious, like so hilarious she couldn't speak anymore and tears were streaming down her face. The story wasn't funny....at least not to me. I was trying to get out a laugh because what else could I do besides stare at her? She laughed for the longest time ever, but then just abruptly stopped the story with "so, yeahhhh". It was kind of great. Then the train came and we almost got trampled getting on, so I didn't get to sit with my new found friend on the train. Anyways.
All in all, it was a great day. I didn't win any giant stuffed animals, but I guess there is always next year! Goodbye summer!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Furry Friday
I've waited so many weeks to capture Brooklyn's Pitbull smile. 100 pictures later, I finally did it. What. a. face.
Marty. This dog went insane and clawed my face when I was trying to get him out of the kennel, but he was totally cool outside. I was a little bitter about the face scratching, but he won me over quickly with his superior soccer skills!
Does this dog not look like a muppet? SO CUTE. Especially that second photo...it looks like, 'heyyyyyooooo". Total photobomb.
This dog has the most amazing blue eyes. I have never seen eyes on a dog like this before. He looks slightly crazed in the second picture, and he is playing with something that is clearly not a toy, but oh the eyes.
Last week I was talking about all the dogs from B.A.R.K in Louisiana...they ended up adopting out close to 90 of them in two days, which is awesome. The dogs that didn't get adopted went to various shelter around the region, and our shelter got 14. Muppet dog and Blue Eyes are both from Louisiana. The very first dog I took out who I don't have a picture of because he was scared of life was so adorable, but extremely skittish. Bird squawking? Scared him. Moving to quickly? Scared him. Clapping? Scared him. The sound of the door opening? Scared him. You get the idea. You gotta wonder what the hell happened to that dog to make him act like that. Poor puppy. A couple of the other ones from Louisiana were like that as well, not nearly as bad though. The one dog took forever to come up to me, so I was just sitting on the grass waiting for him to come over, which he did eventually, and he let me pet him for a while. Then he would go away, then come back, and repeat. The one time he was wandering back as usual at his normal speed, then all of a sudden broke into a full out run and tackled me. Not aggressively or anything, but it was so random and out of nowhere. Silly dogs. Anyway, I'm thinking most of the Louisiana dogs will be gone by next week because they are just so darn cute! Blue Eyes will be adopted in a flash.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
On Traumatic Childhood Experiences
So I log into Facebook today, and I see one of those random group invitations, the groups which I very rarely join because they are always SO dumb. No, I don’t want to join a group that’s called “I love cookies!” thanks. Anyway, this particular group was “Memories of Name of Old Teacher”. Apparently this teacher is dying of cancer, which is horrible, obviously. The group was set up by this teacher’s kid with the purpose of having a spot where former students and colleagues could write down their favourite memories of this person and the ways in which this person changed them. When all is said and compiled, the stories and memories and pictures will be printed out for this person to see, so this person can see how many lives they have changed. Okay, I was trying to keep this gender neutral in case someone connected with this person found this, but whatever. It’s messing up my tenses and sounding dumb. So we’ll just call this teacher Mr. X. I think the whole concept is a lovely idea, but I didn’t join. Why? Mr. X was one of the worst teachers I ever had. He did not have any positive impact on my life and always made me feel kind of bad about myself.
I had him for two straight years, at a very formative time in my life. I mean, it wasn’t like he was this horrible beast of a guy; he was just kind of an asshole. I can see that now looking back, but when Mr. X was my teacher, he scared me a bit. He was a bit of a bully, and when you are 11, 12 years old, you just don’t stand up to person like that, especially when he is your teacher. At least I didn’t. He had a mocking sense of humour that kids don’t really need when they are in grades 5 and 6. I always tried to lay low so I wouldn’t be the direct target of his wit.
I remember one time I was doing a speech in front of the entire class, which holy hell I hated doing, and as I stood up there I was shuffling back and forth on my feet. And he mocked me, in front of the entire class. “Why are you shuffling? You look crazy!!” I’m shuffling, SIR, because I am extremely nervous about public speaking in front of my peers. You’re mocking me does not help matters, because now I’m overly conscious of my feet and I’m forgetting the words to my speech.
We also had this part of English class where we had to read aloud. We were reading this book…I don’t even remember what it was; I only remember that one of the characters was named “Cynthia”. I could not for the life of me pronounce “Cynthia”, I would start reading, get to a line with that name, and just start sputtering, “Ththia”, “Cytia”. I did not have any kind of speech impediment when I talked normally, but for whatever reason, I had issues with reading in front of the class. Of course, the first time it happened, everyone in the class found it hilarious. Which looking back, it kind of is, but I was mortified. BUT THEN, everytime Mr.X would see the name “Cynthia” coming up in a paragraph, he would stop whoever was reading, and be like “Megan, your turn”. So then I would be forced to lisp my way through the word “Cynthia” and everybody would laugh. Everytime. Eventually I caught on and just skipped right over that name, but god, I hated him for doing that.
He also had days where he would pick on the shy kids. They would actually be called “pick on __” day. We’d be getting ready to go for the day, and he would be like “don’t forget guys, tomorrow is pick on ___ day!” I don’t even remember what the pick on ___ days actually involved because I’ve completely blocked them from my mind.
One time it was the dead of winter, and he made one of my shy friends go stand outside the portable door with no coat or anything. He locked the door, telling her, “when I can hear you yell ‘let me in’ from the front of the classroom, somebody will unlock the door”. She was out there forever screaming “LET ME IN!” She was so freaking embarrassed. Like, I don’t know if that was his way of combating shyness, but what the hell teacher college did you go to Mr. X?
One time he also made us all stand up on our chairs and say three things we didn’t like about ourselves. Only when we did that could we sit down. I always thought that whole exercise would work better in reverse, because when I think back to that day, I remember standing up there on my chair just thinking, why is Mr.X making us bring up all our issues and making us feel bad about ourselves? Most of the girls answered with things like “I hate my hair” “I hate my nose” “I’m too fat”, and I still feel so sad for those little girls.
Anyway, those are just some of the lovely memories I have of those years. We did fun stuff in that class too, like annual dinners, and I’ll admit Mr. X was a funny guy when his humour wasn’t aimed at an innocent kid, but for me, the bad outweighed the good. I could not wait to get out of his class.
So I get this group invitation and just immediately think- I’m not joining that group. I will not make up some good memory just because this guy is dying. Does the fact that he is dying make up for the fact that he basically gave me issues for life? I don’t know…I think in death people always tend to make others out to be saintlier than they actually were in life. People want to remember the good, and rightly so, but that doesn’t erase the bad things. He’s not a bad guy, he’s really not, and he’s clearly loved by a lot of people. The fact that he is dying doesn’t really change the way I feel about Mr.X though. Yes, I’m sorry for his family, I really, truly am, but I don’t think I can contribute to his memory book. I think he was an awful teacher. Anyway, I’m feeling guilt over this. It’s not like he scarred me that badly, and it’s not like I really ever think about him, but when I look back, the way he treated me and the other kids in my class, definitely still irks. I remember it all very vividly.
Should I just let it go and make up some sappy memory, so that when he is sick and looking through this compiled book, my entry can contribute to making him feel just that much better? Maybe. The past is the past right? Or do I just hit “ignore” and move on with my life. I just…I just don’t know.
I had him for two straight years, at a very formative time in my life. I mean, it wasn’t like he was this horrible beast of a guy; he was just kind of an asshole. I can see that now looking back, but when Mr. X was my teacher, he scared me a bit. He was a bit of a bully, and when you are 11, 12 years old, you just don’t stand up to person like that, especially when he is your teacher. At least I didn’t. He had a mocking sense of humour that kids don’t really need when they are in grades 5 and 6. I always tried to lay low so I wouldn’t be the direct target of his wit.
I remember one time I was doing a speech in front of the entire class, which holy hell I hated doing, and as I stood up there I was shuffling back and forth on my feet. And he mocked me, in front of the entire class. “Why are you shuffling? You look crazy!!” I’m shuffling, SIR, because I am extremely nervous about public speaking in front of my peers. You’re mocking me does not help matters, because now I’m overly conscious of my feet and I’m forgetting the words to my speech.
We also had this part of English class where we had to read aloud. We were reading this book…I don’t even remember what it was; I only remember that one of the characters was named “Cynthia”. I could not for the life of me pronounce “Cynthia”, I would start reading, get to a line with that name, and just start sputtering, “Ththia”, “Cytia”. I did not have any kind of speech impediment when I talked normally, but for whatever reason, I had issues with reading in front of the class. Of course, the first time it happened, everyone in the class found it hilarious. Which looking back, it kind of is, but I was mortified. BUT THEN, everytime Mr.X would see the name “Cynthia” coming up in a paragraph, he would stop whoever was reading, and be like “Megan, your turn”. So then I would be forced to lisp my way through the word “Cynthia” and everybody would laugh. Everytime. Eventually I caught on and just skipped right over that name, but god, I hated him for doing that.
He also had days where he would pick on the shy kids. They would actually be called “pick on __” day. We’d be getting ready to go for the day, and he would be like “don’t forget guys, tomorrow is pick on ___ day!” I don’t even remember what the pick on ___ days actually involved because I’ve completely blocked them from my mind.
One time it was the dead of winter, and he made one of my shy friends go stand outside the portable door with no coat or anything. He locked the door, telling her, “when I can hear you yell ‘let me in’ from the front of the classroom, somebody will unlock the door”. She was out there forever screaming “LET ME IN!” She was so freaking embarrassed. Like, I don’t know if that was his way of combating shyness, but what the hell teacher college did you go to Mr. X?
One time he also made us all stand up on our chairs and say three things we didn’t like about ourselves. Only when we did that could we sit down. I always thought that whole exercise would work better in reverse, because when I think back to that day, I remember standing up there on my chair just thinking, why is Mr.X making us bring up all our issues and making us feel bad about ourselves? Most of the girls answered with things like “I hate my hair” “I hate my nose” “I’m too fat”, and I still feel so sad for those little girls.
Anyway, those are just some of the lovely memories I have of those years. We did fun stuff in that class too, like annual dinners, and I’ll admit Mr. X was a funny guy when his humour wasn’t aimed at an innocent kid, but for me, the bad outweighed the good. I could not wait to get out of his class.
So I get this group invitation and just immediately think- I’m not joining that group. I will not make up some good memory just because this guy is dying. Does the fact that he is dying make up for the fact that he basically gave me issues for life? I don’t know…I think in death people always tend to make others out to be saintlier than they actually were in life. People want to remember the good, and rightly so, but that doesn’t erase the bad things. He’s not a bad guy, he’s really not, and he’s clearly loved by a lot of people. The fact that he is dying doesn’t really change the way I feel about Mr.X though. Yes, I’m sorry for his family, I really, truly am, but I don’t think I can contribute to his memory book. I think he was an awful teacher. Anyway, I’m feeling guilt over this. It’s not like he scarred me that badly, and it’s not like I really ever think about him, but when I look back, the way he treated me and the other kids in my class, definitely still irks. I remember it all very vividly.
Should I just let it go and make up some sappy memory, so that when he is sick and looking through this compiled book, my entry can contribute to making him feel just that much better? Maybe. The past is the past right? Or do I just hit “ignore” and move on with my life. I just…I just don’t know.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
On Concerts
So my little cousins recently went to go see the Jonas Brothers, OH MY GOD THE JONAS BROTHERS!!!! Cue screaming!!! I know I'm getting old when I look at those boys and I just think, "why?". First concerts are always so amazing. Mine was.
My first concert was...dum dum dum...Hanson. And aren't the Jonas Brothers just like a less good version of Hanson? Seriously now. Anyway, it was me and four of my friends at the concert. We waited in line at Ticketmaster, strategically getting our wristbands to ensure that we got closest to the front. We bought an extra ticket for my cousin so she could drive us there (and I didn't even ask her until later...and the conversation went like this: me- "soooo I hope you are free on this day because you are driving me and my friends to go see Hanson! We bought you a ticket! her-"Oh god. Well, okay I guess.". She was thrilled people, thrilled. My friends and I made a huge sign, like so huge, I'm talking a good twenty feet long, and I believe it said something like, "We love you Hanson" and it had all of our names on it. It was ridiculous, not only because of it's length, but who the shit wants to hold that up during a concert? We needed like an entire row of people to be holding it at all times. It quickly went in the garbage.
Anyway, we were in the very last row before the lawn seats began and holy lord we were excited. We loved Hanson so much. All of our rooms were covered with Hanson pullouts from Big Bop and Bopper or whatever the hell those magazines were called. You know the ones. There was no need for wallpaper, or paint really, because we had Taylor Hanson's face covering ENTIRE walls of our bedrooms.
Anyway, we drove up to the venue and as soon as we all saw it we started shrieking. My cousin was like, "ummm girls, could you not do that while I'm driving?". So we quietly shrieked until we parked. It was madness I tell you, madness. Screaming teenage girls everywhere! As soon as the first song started, me and one of my friends booted it down as close to the stage as we could get. We rocked out to "Where's the Love" in the 100 section before we were chased away by security guards. Back in our seats, my cousin had a look on her face that suggested this would never be happening again. Ever.
We stayed in our seats for the remainder of the concert, screaming like banshees whenever Taylor's face came up on the screen. At one point the mom in front us turned around and was like, "Ummm, can you not scream so loud, you are hurting my daughter's ears!". Being the considerate teenagers that we were, we continued to scream. It was Hanson ya'll.
At one point, a girl passed out from too much excitement or something, and my cousin, who is a nurse had to rush to her aid. It was exciting times, let me tell ya.
Oh our walk back to the car, Hanson came out on their balcony, and started waving to the fans. We were on top of a bridge at the time, and I'm honestly surprised one of us didn't jump off the bridge and swim towards the hotel room. It wouldn't have been shocking. We drove away from the venue blaring Hanson's christmas album, and I swear to God that was one of the best days of my life. I still break out the Hanson album every now and them, because you know, memories. That and their later music is kind of catchy. Seriously.
Ummm how cute were they? Ermm, I mean, how cute were two of them? Mmmmmmbop.
My first concert was...dum dum dum...Hanson. And aren't the Jonas Brothers just like a less good version of Hanson? Seriously now. Anyway, it was me and four of my friends at the concert. We waited in line at Ticketmaster, strategically getting our wristbands to ensure that we got closest to the front. We bought an extra ticket for my cousin so she could drive us there (and I didn't even ask her until later...and the conversation went like this: me- "soooo I hope you are free on this day because you are driving me and my friends to go see Hanson! We bought you a ticket! her-"Oh god. Well, okay I guess.". She was thrilled people, thrilled. My friends and I made a huge sign, like so huge, I'm talking a good twenty feet long, and I believe it said something like, "We love you Hanson" and it had all of our names on it. It was ridiculous, not only because of it's length, but who the shit wants to hold that up during a concert? We needed like an entire row of people to be holding it at all times. It quickly went in the garbage.
Anyway, we were in the very last row before the lawn seats began and holy lord we were excited. We loved Hanson so much. All of our rooms were covered with Hanson pullouts from Big Bop and Bopper or whatever the hell those magazines were called. You know the ones. There was no need for wallpaper, or paint really, because we had Taylor Hanson's face covering ENTIRE walls of our bedrooms.
Anyway, we drove up to the venue and as soon as we all saw it we started shrieking. My cousin was like, "ummm girls, could you not do that while I'm driving?". So we quietly shrieked until we parked. It was madness I tell you, madness. Screaming teenage girls everywhere! As soon as the first song started, me and one of my friends booted it down as close to the stage as we could get. We rocked out to "Where's the Love" in the 100 section before we were chased away by security guards. Back in our seats, my cousin had a look on her face that suggested this would never be happening again. Ever.
We stayed in our seats for the remainder of the concert, screaming like banshees whenever Taylor's face came up on the screen. At one point the mom in front us turned around and was like, "Ummm, can you not scream so loud, you are hurting my daughter's ears!". Being the considerate teenagers that we were, we continued to scream. It was Hanson ya'll.
At one point, a girl passed out from too much excitement or something, and my cousin, who is a nurse had to rush to her aid. It was exciting times, let me tell ya.
Oh our walk back to the car, Hanson came out on their balcony, and started waving to the fans. We were on top of a bridge at the time, and I'm honestly surprised one of us didn't jump off the bridge and swim towards the hotel room. It wouldn't have been shocking. We drove away from the venue blaring Hanson's christmas album, and I swear to God that was one of the best days of my life. I still break out the Hanson album every now and them, because you know, memories. That and their later music is kind of catchy. Seriously.
Ummm how cute were they? Ermm, I mean, how cute were two of them? Mmmmmmbop.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
On Summer
Where the shit shack did my summer go? I'm pretty sure wherever it went it took my sanity and my internet connection with it. This is actually driving me insane, one "no wireless signal detected" message at a time. I don't want you to diagnose the connection problem, I want you to just WORK.
I seriously don't even know what I did this summer, I just know that it is now September. I mean...I was away in May and for a bit of June, but for the majority of the summer, I was right freaking here.
Anyway,summer!
My two favourite summeresque things are:
Okay, so you can get slurpees in the winter, but really, what fun is that? It's cold here in the winter. Last time I got a slurpee, they had a new banana flavour which was delicious. It was reminiscent of penicillin, and whether or not you think that is a good thing probably depends on whether you got to take chewable penicillin pills as a child all the damn time (goooo random heart condition!). Anyways, what I am saying is penicillin is delicious and banana slurpees are effin fantastic.
mmmm corn on the cob. I love corn on the cob way too much, and I'm sad it only happens in August (the good stuff). I'm pretty sure there should be a date written on the calender that says "you can buy corn on the cob now!", or maybe something shorter, like it could just say "cob!". Anyway, COTC season is coming to a close and I am in mourning.
That pretty much sums up my summer! I tried to go through all my pictures to see if I could remember what exactly I did, but all I have are 8000 pictures of dogs, a picture of a pie I baked and pictures from a baseball game that I went too. Take from that what you will. Speaking of that pie...it was pecan, and it was delicious!
I didn't even know I liked pecan pie, but one day I was suddenly craving it. I'm blaming it on Rebecca Wells and her great descriptions of southern life. Anyway,I looked up a recipe and it was pretty much the best pie ever.
I'm done now.
I seriously don't even know what I did this summer, I just know that it is now September. I mean...I was away in May and for a bit of June, but for the majority of the summer, I was right freaking here.
Anyway,summer!
My two favourite summeresque things are:
Okay, so you can get slurpees in the winter, but really, what fun is that? It's cold here in the winter. Last time I got a slurpee, they had a new banana flavour which was delicious. It was reminiscent of penicillin, and whether or not you think that is a good thing probably depends on whether you got to take chewable penicillin pills as a child all the damn time (goooo random heart condition!). Anyways, what I am saying is penicillin is delicious and banana slurpees are effin fantastic.
mmmm corn on the cob. I love corn on the cob way too much, and I'm sad it only happens in August (the good stuff). I'm pretty sure there should be a date written on the calender that says "you can buy corn on the cob now!", or maybe something shorter, like it could just say "cob!". Anyway, COTC season is coming to a close and I am in mourning.
That pretty much sums up my summer! I tried to go through all my pictures to see if I could remember what exactly I did, but all I have are 8000 pictures of dogs, a picture of a pie I baked and pictures from a baseball game that I went too. Take from that what you will. Speaking of that pie...it was pecan, and it was delicious!
I didn't even know I liked pecan pie, but one day I was suddenly craving it. I'm blaming it on Rebecca Wells and her great descriptions of southern life. Anyway,I looked up a recipe and it was pretty much the best pie ever.
I'm done now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
