I am rather pleased to be writing again, although it does mean that I am finished my holidays and back at work. Sigh. I was glad to be home and see my lovely roommate, but work is always hard to adjust to after 10 days off.

"10 days off, Jenny? Pray tell, what did you do, where did you go, and what personage magically appeared while you were there?"

Well, boys and girls, I did a fair few things during my wonderful holidays. Firstly, I finally took the plunge and hightailed it to the centre of the Canadian universe: that wonderful metropolis of Toronto. I had been promised that this was a city not to be missed, and it did not disappoint. I flew in on Thursday, Apr. 2nd at 12:42 pm, and took a bus and the subway to my hotel. My hotel was a converted mansion which was built in the mid 19th century. Its claim to fame was that Hemingway lived there for a bout a year in the early 2oth century.I was staying right off Bloor Street, which is a busy and happening thoroughfare. Thursday evening I walked down Bloor and did a little sight seeing while trying not to look too much like a tourist. I miserably failed at this because I was constantly looking up and narrowly missing running into other pedestrians. I was reminded of my trip to New York City because there was just so much to see.

That evening I went to the Peter Katz / Rob Szabo concert which I enjoyed very much. The location, "Hugh's room" was big enough to fit a decent crowd, but small enough to be intimate. I was sitting down quite close to the stage, so I had a great view. The sound was really fantastic, and both guys sounded amazing. Rob Szabo had such a beautiful voice, and I became a fan of his the moment he began to sing. I bought a cd and spent a few minutes talking to him. Peter Katz played everything off his new album (he was actually in the studio last week), and I liked all of it. It was different seeing him in his home town, because all of his friends and fans were there. He was more relaxed and pretty crazy at times, but I had a mild feeling of being an outsider due to his numerous shout-outs and personal jokes. He was, however, as charming, generous, compassionate and talented as he always is, and I got the brief chance to shake his hand and say hi.

Friday I went to the Royal Ontario Museum which was infinitely more than I had been promised. It was enormous: five floors, each one like a maze where I got myself lost a couple of times. The highlights:
1. "The evolution of style" This display had Western european furniture and decorations from the Medieval period up to the Vicorian era. It was really quiet in this wing because it wasn't as exciting for the kids, but I was completely mesmerized.
2. The Canadian History exhibit. It was really neat to see the artifacts from the Hudson Bay period in the 17th century, furniture from Upper and Lower Canada, and the numerous paintings of the landscapes and the people.
3. The Asian exhibits. The furniture and the statues were breathtaking in their detail and craftmanship.
4. The restaurant. The food was delicious, the prices reasonable, and the recycling was so advanced that although all of my waste was disposable, I only threw away my napkin.
5. The mosaic on the ceiling of the original building. In the centre of the tiles it read: "That all men may know His works" I was really touched by this inscription, and the idea that the earth and all of its treasures are a reflection of God's wisdom and influence.

Saturday I went downtown and did some shopping a sightseeing. Eaton Centre was great, and there were so many fun little boutiques on Queen Street. I finished the day off with a trip to Indigo Books and Music, which was so big and beautiful - the stuff that Chapters dreams are made of.

I really enjoyed my trip! I loved walking and taking the subway, the ridiculous amount of culture there was, the friendliness of all the people I met, and the pace and energy of the city itself.

I came back to Edmonton on Sunday, and spent some time with Jess and Andrea. On Wednesday, Andrea had a baby girl, Rachel Lee! I have to say that I am still flummoxed by the idea of childbirth. You go to the hospital and you come home with a baby, like they are giving them away for free there. Maybe if our stomachs were transparent and I could see it growing it wouldn't be so strange (well, strange in a very different way!) Babies just seem to magically appear out of nowhere.

So, I am back in Lethbridge and in the midst of completely changing the set-up of my room. I finally have my dresser assembled (thanks, Dad!) and am going to do a second book-shelf next. Pretty soon it will be done and maybe I will have an Open House.

"Party on my bed and everyone's invited!!"

Wait a minute...

What I did on my sabbatical...

It didn't really feel like a holiday, but here are a few of the highlights:

1. I planned a trip to Toronto for April 2-5. This is going to be a very short vacation, but a needed one, nonetheless. I was sitting at home about a month ago wanting to do something really crazy (Spring Fever really gets to me, I guess!) and I saw that Peter Katz was having a concert on April 2nd in Toronto. I booked my plane ticket, got a hotel, and reserved a ticket for the concert. I am going to Toronto!! I am really excited to go by myself, and can't wait to venture east of our fair province. As it stands, in Canada,I have never been further east of Brooks (home town of our dear dear Denise, and site of the controversial Alberta Summer Games where I was forced to be on display in a manner both humiliating and [unintentionally] kind of slutty. If you don't know the story, too bad. It is something that Jess, Andrea and I try not to speak of.)

Some of the other things I will be doing in T.O. are the Royal Ontario Museum (which I will soon be calling the ROM), the Bata Shoe Museum (combines 2 great loves!!), shopping on Queen Street, ogling the high-end stores on Bloor Street (Holt Renfrew, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Co, just to name a few) and doing as much walking as possible!!

2. I planned an Open House for our program here at the College. If anyone wants to come and find out more about what I do during the days, you can come to the Sunflower Room from 4 pm - 7 pm tomorrow, talk to all of us and eat some great refreshments. (By the time I am posting this, it has already happened, and it went very well. So...sorry that y'all missed it!

3. I had a Lethbridge renaissance, of sorts. Last Saturday, I took Travis around the wonders of the downtown because he had never really explored our metropolis. Some of our highlights included Chinatown (all 2 stores of it!), Blueprint, Nicholai (the new furniture and design store), a new used book store (we cased the joint in the name of spying for Chapters), and best of all, Progress Clothing. I had not stepped foot in that store for 20 years, and I am pretty sure that the winter coats are the exact same ones I perused at that time. If you have not been to this store, please go. It is quite an experience.

4. I have started doing Aqua Fit: Deep Water Jogging. My boss, Jean and I are going to go at least twice a week, and so far, it has been an amazing workout. You get a chance to raise your heart rate, and work pretty much all of your muscles. My stomach is sore, but I hope there are going to be killer abs in my future...

Well, I am off to watch "The Office" and "30 Rock". I will be thinking of all of you when I am getting off of work 4 hours early tomorrow. Hooray for a slightly longer weekend!

So's Christmas.

You have probably forgotten about me...

I have tried to write for the last week. Really! It seems, however, that the longer I go without writing, the easier it is to procrastinate another post. Sometimes I can even pretend that my blog doesn't exist, but every time I log on to the computer, the guilt starts to eat at me and I realize that March has almost gone by with nary a word from me. I could probably come up with 100 excuses as to why this is, but let's not embarrass any of us with that nonsense.

This last Saturday I had the privilege of attending the Opera at the Met, all in the comfort of my local movie theatre. I have wanted to attend a live broadcast for about a year now, and so I give all credit and thanks to Amy Still who went with me. We saw "La Somnambula" (which means "the sleepwalker") by Bellini. I had never heard of the Opera before, but the music was beautiful, and the story suitably dramatic and romantic. Read about it here:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=268

I am really excited to see more operas, and the line-up for next season is pretty great. It includes Tosca, Aida, and Hamlet.

Hopefully this will be the first of many new posts!

Someone should tell Sophia Loren what decade it is...

O.k., so I am still learning about Blogger. This picture goes with the last paragraph of this post. I am not smart enough to even figure out how to delete it or put it in the right place.

So I have solved a little mystery - call me Sherlock. I had misplaced my gold circa 1986 prom dress that I love to pull out for special occasions. I was so sad because it really was very classy and timeless. I was at my wit's end all weekend until I tuned in to the Academy Awards on Sunday night. Thank the heavens and all of the angels, it turned up. Sophia Loren was wearing it.

I am not really sure who told her that the dress was a good idea. Her stylist probably thought that such a garish gown might possibly distract from the train wreck that was her face. It makes me so sad that because of plastic surgery, a woman who was probably one of the most beautiful in the world, now just looks like a burn victim. I am reminded of Catharine O'Hara's character in "For Your Consideration". After she is nominated for an award, she undergoes plastic surgery, and the result is terrifying. (If you have never seen this movie, watch it immediately!)

Besides Ms. Loren's fashion adventure (and thievery...hm!), the Academy Awards were pretty enjoyable. They showed their recession roots when it took about 30 seconds to open up the curtains for a video presentation, but the musical numbers were exciting (directed by Baz Luhrman!) and Hugh Jackman was "just as cute as [he] could be"! (if anyone can identify this slightly altered quote, you will be the winner of this post, and my undying admiration for your knowledge of 1960's live action Disney films.) The clothes were understated with hints of couture (see Kate Winslet's dress and Jessica Biel's), the politics were about as over-bearing as they could be (We get it already, California!), and the right movie won Best Picture. Seriously, if you haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, you really need to. Here is an interesting fact about the director: He also directed one of my favorite movies, "A Life Less Ordinary".

This past weekend was also the premiere of the "25-35 Lethbridge Midsingles" group with a fabulous pot-luck on Friday night. Leita and I have been planning to get a group started for awhile, and so we organized and advertised the pot-luck. At 7:00 pm on Friday, when there was only one person there, I was pretty worried. However, by 7:20, there were about 50 people there. It was such a tremendous success!! See the picture at the beginning of this post! There is so much excitement for another activity, and we are going to start planning right away!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

This post comes to you today from the desk of the sick and the lethargic

I was about to say that I hate being sick, but that would be implying that there are those who enjoy it, and I can’t imagine that there is anyone who likes feeling like garbage. “Yay! I have literally no energy, and my face is leaking.” No. These are words you will never hear from a sane individual. Of course, there are those hypochondriacs who, in the words of my father about his Aunt Edith, do enjoy their bad health. These people, however, probably also enjoy a good funeral and a really exciting car crash. I am suddenly reminded of a commercial on television for which Denise and I have an abject hatred. It is a face wash ad which begins with 2 girls saying “I hate pimples!”. It really bothers us for the following reasons:

1. The girls look like they have never seen a blemish in their lives
2. Doesn’t everyone hate pimples? I mean, the statement doesn’t even merit a worthwhile conversation due to its glaring obviousness.

Anyway, enough of my craziness for one day. Yes, I am sick with a cold and slight case of the flu, and I am very perturbed because I had held out for so long without getting ill. I have also been promised good stories from a certain friend, but I can’t go visit anyone right now without reigning down illness and possible irritability on them.

As for good news, however, I have just finished a poster for our Information Session that we are hosting next month, and I have emailed it out to many people.

I also had the opportunity to go to the new East Indian restaurant, Taj, yesterday. It was absolutely delicious. It was a lunch buffet, so there was homemade Nan (to die for!), rice, and these amazing fried potatoes. Then there were various sauces and meat dishes to have with them. The Butter Chicken was the stuff that dreams are made of… If you get the chance to go, head to the lunch buffet from 11-2. It will give you the chance to sample a variety of dishes. As for the room, the decorations were quite understated, but there was a plethora of hookahs about the place. My only complaint was that it was really small inside.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone, and here’s to hoping that you stay healthy…

Beauty and...the actress...

Oh, my sweet Ryan Adams. In the words of the immortal Jesse Mcartney, you do indeed have a "beautiful soul", even if your hair is extremely unfortunate


Now I know I am a bit behind on this news, but I just read that Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore are engaged. I have to admit that this seems like a weird couple to me. Does not the picture speak volumes? He looks like the eccentric and talented musician that he is (I may be a bit biased..."I love you Ryan, you should have picked me"!!) and she looks like a regular-type mediocre musician/actress. Once again, I may be a bit biased in this summation of her professional skills as I have only seen her in teen movies. I did just watch "A Walk to Remember" this weekend as our DVD machine was not working, and I had to resort to our VHS collection. (Really, just a terrible movie - could Shane West be a worse actor?) So, that was the image of her I had in my mind when I heard of the forth-coming nuptials: A sickly overly-Christian teenage girl who is dying of leukemia.

Mandy Moore's character: "I told you not to fall in love with me!"
Shane West's character: a confused silence followed by an extremely awkward grimace

Just chalk up my disdain of her to jealousy that she has dated both Zac Braff and Ryan Adams, I guess.

This week is Reading Week, and I only have students in quite sporadically. I am pleased to be able to catch up on paper work, but especially to spend quite a bit of time planning our Information Session / Gala that we are having on March 26th. Yay! Planning events is what I love to do.

So, if you are feeling like you want to know a bit more about what I do, then come to "The Sunflower Room" between the hours of 4pm and 7pm on the specified day to hear about our incredible program. There will be refreshments, so it will be worth your while.

New template!!

I am pretty excited for my new Template...especially since I downloaded it myself! Isn't it beautiful? I love the flowers, and it is really going well with the new floral theme that is beginning to pervade our house these days. We have decided to embrace our girlishness, and our decorations are following suit.

I am home today because it is "Family Day", and it is a good thing it is a holiday because I feel like garbage. I am nauseated and feverish, and just generally enjoying my bad health. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an absolute baby when I am sick, and I relish the role of martyr. Just ask Denise, who is much sicker than I am, but who is a trooper. I did go out to lunch with my parents and cousin Jeff, but I politely declined the opportunity to see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" with them. I have little to no desire to see that movie.

Enjoy your Family Day, everyone!

A quick update

My dear blog is like an old friend that I just can't seem to make time for. So, news:



1. Today is my last class with the Home Alone Course. Thank the heavens and all of the angels, I will be finished with Satan's little darlings.



2. I did my last shift at Chapters on Tuesday, and I no longer work there! It is extremely hard to believe, but I will now have the majority of my evenings and Saturdays free...well, at least until I can fill those up as well. The staff were so wonderful, they all pitched together to give me a $50 gift card. I am really going to miss a lot of the people there. Who will I deconstruct 30 Rock with without Rob? Who will let me know about all of the amazing Bargain cook books, if not Karen? Kathy did let me know that I could come back any time, and I am thinking about it for Christmas.



3. Things here at the College have gotten beyond crazy with students acting out, one of our team members quitting, and school work increasing every day. If we make it through the semester relatively unscathed, it will be a Spring miracle.



4. I really want to get healthy and active, but I am finding it harder than ever. If anyone has any ideas to get motivated, please let me know...

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Something you may not have known about me

Y'all should probably stop reading this post cause I am going to let you in on a little secret. I am boring. It is true. How do I know this, you may ask? It has been told quite vehemently to me every Thursday night for the last 3 weeks, and I have a sneaking suspicion I will continue to hear it for the next 2. It has been told to me by at least 10 people, and they were pretty serious about it. In fact, tonight, one person even showed me a piece of paper where he had written the word "boring" in tiny letters about 50 times. He told me that this was just how boring my class was. What I wanted to tell him was that with his ugly little smirky face, his incessant eye-rolling, the slumping in his seat, and the Napoleon-like sigh every time I suggested any new activity, he was not really my favorite person either.

So, for all of you who do not live in Lethbridge, and have thus heard my complaints, I am teaching the "Home Alone" class again. this time I am teaching it at Galbraith school every Thursday for 5 weeks at the unholy hour of 3:45-5:45. I just finished week 3, and it is still touch and go at this point whether I will make it through the next two. The classes have consisted of me trying to be heard over the yelling, laughing and fighting of 16 children. (There are 18 in the class, and two of them are absolutely delightful. The other 16 are the pure spawn of Satan, I swear) The first week they complained the entire time that they were bored, that they hated everything, and that they just wanted to go home. The second week, after I had spent hours creating activities and about 15 dollars on snacks for them, they complained because I tried to make them do things. This week they went back to saying they hated everything and that they wanted to go home, and that, of course, they were bored. A few of them kept goping on and on about how they just wanted to be at home watching video games.

I feel as though I am not teaching them anything, I am just trying to get them to STOP TALKING for 1 minute. I realized that I could never have the patience to be a public school teacher because it would just be behavior monitoring all the time, and I really don't like being told I am boring and that children hate everything I try to do for them.

Anyway. Sorry for the rant. It will be over in two weeks.

Otherwise, things are pretty good. Work is getting crazy, but at least they like me there.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!! I will be in Edmonton so I will be having a great time!

I really miss Communications class...

The following "poem" is an assignment that I was helping one of the students to do. It is for a communications class, and I thought I better do it as well.

For funsies.


I am

I am a thinker, a reader, a writer, a talker
I wonder when I will feel like I am successful in my own life
I listen to great music, friends when they need me, my own thoughts
I see goodness wherever I am able, the humor in many situations, too many faults in myself
I want to be loved wildly, a closet full of shoes, to be more generous, to try more new things
I am generally a happy person

I pretend to be more confident than I really am
I feel blessed for all that I have
I read books that I love over and over again – they are like old friends
I worry that I may never be financially stable, about my family and friends
I value my parents’ opinions, my religious and personal beliefs and commitments, the importance of education, knowing your family and personal history
I am a spiritual being having a human experience.

I understand that there is a plethora of things I will never understand
I say things that make people laugh, things I wish I could take back
I dream about being a singer
I try to help others, new recipes, to be brave
I hope to feel good about myself, to be more patient
I am interdependent

Cabbage rolls, anyone?

A happy Ukrainian Christmas to everyone and anyone who partakes in such festivities. I remember putting on a Ukrainian Christmas with my roommates for our friends my first year of University. It was a lot of work and a lot of money. Back then we weren’t really good at organizing things, so it was A LOT OF WORK. We did it at the West Institute Building (the only one in those days!), and we cooked for about 25 people. We did some traditional dishes and some regular-type ones as well. Looking back, we probably should have done a pot-luck…

Anyway, on to more current topics, there is a question that is plaguing me today. I am writing an ISA (Individual Service Agreement) for one of the students that I work with. How this document works is the students share some of the goals that they have for their college experience, and we put some objectives in place to help them achieve their goals. The student I am writing the ISA for has a goal of getting a boyfriend. So, my question is thus: How can I help her to do something I have been trying to do for the last 15 years, but failing miserably at? Hmm. It’s a puzzler, alright.

Things are finally getting a bit settled here at school: we almost have all text-books purchased, there has been only one near-tears experience (shockingly not me!), almost everybody has bus money to get to the College, we have had our free hot-dogs, and our first staff meeting of 2009 is tomorrow morning. I think it is going to be a great semester!

Until tomorrow, and poetry day!!

Cheers

...thy name is Karma

I have come to the conclusion that you should never say your beliefs/points of faith out loud, because you will be called on it later. I say this because I have had, excuse me, am having such an experience these days.

It all started on December 28th, when Andrea, Chris, and I were having a discussion about the scriptures that say that if you are making good decisions in your life, then all things will work together for your good. I mentioned that I believed this promise to be true, and that although we are faced with trials in our lives, we are still able to find happiness. Things will work out for us, although not always in a way that we anticipated. I also voiced my opinion that there are some realities that come our way that we just have to accept, because there is nothing we can do. Here are a few things that have happened since I said this:

1. My flight to Edmonton was cancelled because the flight attendant was sick, and all back-up crews were in Vancouver.

2. One of the student's classes changed times and days, which completely wreaked havoc with the rest of his schedule.

3. This morning I spent 30 minutes looking for my keys at my parents place, only to have Dad find them in my Mom's purse?

In all these cases I could have completely freaked out (well, I was pretty close this morning with my Dad) at someone else. I supposed I could have felt as though my life was ruined because I had to wait a few extra hours to fly, or find another class to fit into the student's time slot, or be 30 minutes late to work this morning. Instead I said a silent prayer (or three!) and went about my business. Not so shockingly, everything has turned out just fine. I got to Edmonton with lots of time to spend with Jess and Adam, we got the student into another class in the exact same time slot in a post-Christmas type miracle, and although I was late this morning, I got to drive in the light!

I saw a quote the other day, and if you will forgive me the cheesiness, I think it is great.

"We can not stop the wind, we an only adjust our sails"

Peace.

A look back

Happy New Year, everyone!

Since I already did my progression to being an adult post a few weeks ago, I kind of covered the changes I made this year. So, I will once again steal Denise's idea, and do a highlights of 2008 post.

1. Travel - I had such an amazing time in Ireland this spring. The best part was traveling over by myself, and realizing that I can do things on my own. Sure, it was scary at times, but it was such a rush to find out everything, and make it from Lethbridge to the apartment in Dublin successfully. I also traveled to Edmonton last week, and enjoyed flying as opposed to driving.

2. Concerts - Ashley and I made it to "The Slice" for some small but enjoyable shows, we saw Sarah Slean in Calgary, where I passed my love for her music on to my friends!, and we had the amazing opportunity to see Peter Katz twice.

3. New job - I work with some fantastic people, and it is still great to be able to tell people I have a real adult-type job.

4. Working as a key-holder/master at Chapters. I got to work with the phenomenal management team, and I really enjoyed the responsibility of being in charge. I didn't know it would be so hard to step down, but it really was. I will miss working closely with the managers, and I will miss being able to call the shots occasionally. Some of the staff have already tried to boss me around since my return to the floor, but I will not be letting that happen any time soon. I have still been there longer than most of them.

5. The Midnight Masquerade - From the planning meetings to the decorating to the Television interviews, it was undeniably a ridiculous amount of fun. I gladly worked many overtime hours to help make it a success, and everyone who was involved put their hearts into it as well.

6. Moving to the North Side - Denise and I have a lovely apartment, and I am in a great ward. I really enjoy living with one other person. We are slowly decorating and making the place really ours. We would like to make it feel like a less temporary place, but I do keep telling Denise that she needs to get married soon so I can turn her room into a library!

7. Getting a car - I love having the freedom to be able to drive to Magrath if I want, or go to Calgary for the weekend. I am so grateful to Jess and Adam for helping me out.

I have had a great year, and I am looking forward to 2009. I have some resolutions, and I look forward to more great concerts, traveling stories, and maybe even some dating type stories starring me, instead of everyone else. For one last look back, though, I am including my track listing from my 2008 Year in Review cd entitled "No Dress Rehearsal"

1. Drive - Bic Runga "make me feel alive when I ride with you"

2. Viva la Vida - Coldplay "I used to rule the world"

3. If I were your Woman - Gladys Knight and the Pips

4. Your Wish is my Wish - Sarah Slean

5. My Brilliant Feat - Colin Hay "The world, it won't wait for you"

6. Rise and Shine - The Cardigans

7. Come Around - Rhett Miller "Sometimes my heart tricks me in to thinking someone else will do."

8. Between the Bars - Elliot Smith (every year end cd needs at least one downer, and who else but Eliot Smith to provide?)

9. Love on the Rocks - Sara Bareilles "Dulls my senses, drives my pain...but I do it again"

10. O.k. - Peter Katz "Try as I may, you might still walk away"

11. Stolen - Dashboard Confessional (this song, which I heard on "Scrubs" is a homage to my obsession with said show this year)

12. I am Aglow - Sarah Harmer "Does it matter that what I remember might be just my own imagination painting scenes more pretty?"

13. Free Fallin' - John Mayer (What is a year end cd without him?)

14. This Winter I Retire - Said the Whale (one of the great bands from "The Slice")

15. White Flag - Dido

16. Change Your Mind - The Killers "If the answer is no, can I change your mind?"

17. Now that You're Gone - Ryan Adams (this one might actually make you want to kill yourself)

18. Let your Loss be your Lesson - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

19. Life is a Song - Patrick Park "Maybe life is a song, but you're scared to sing along"

20. Which Will - Nick Drake (a song full of pertinent questions)

Mostly a movie review

My promised post is a few days late, but it is the holidays after all. I would have written last night after work, but I went and saw "Australia" instead. I thought it was great, and I will say that Hugh Jackman really lived up to his "Sexiest Man of the Year" title. Yowsers! He was dirty, bossy, emotionally unavailable for the first 3/4, then teary-eyed and driven by a sense of justice for the last bit. The movie itself was big and had elements western, romance, comedy, and war-time action. At times it seemed to be trying to be too many things, but on the whole, the central themes tied it together. I think I loved it so much because it reminded me a lot of "The Man from Snowy River" with its sweeping shots of the landscape, and the afore-mentioned combination of romance, action, etc... It definitely had some of Baz Lurhman trademarks, especially some of the camera shots, and the story-telling elements. I will absolutely be seeing it again.

Well, Christmas is over, and it is time to start a new year. I have finished my "Year in Review" cd, and will be posting a track listing next week.

Here is the poem that I mentioned in conjunction with the e.e. cummings. On another reading, it isn't as much like his poem as I thought, but I still think it was weird that I had never read his before I wrote mine. Maybe I am being too fanciful, and they are not similar at all. Anyway, I wrote this poem in December 2005.


Trees for Sale

Standing in lines
taller and tallerest
kings of the motley lot.
Missing arms and fingers
lend a desperate air
to their straight shoulders and spines
limbs, some bent and sparse,
reach out to embrace
someone for Christmas-
my throat catches at their dignity
especially the ones
who were missed last year
praying these twelve months
will only have made them more-
these are the quietest and heart-achingly proudest.

But it is the little ones
I love the best
standing beside the kings
with unformed branches
truly green
in this cruel buy and sell world
knowing they will never measure up
but plucking up chins anyhow
hoping that somewhere
they will appeal to
the small ones of the world
People like me
who also ride this life
rooted close to the earth.

If I had a house
I would take them all,
line them up in every corner
let them take off their strained
"please love me" smiles
and give them something shiny to wear-
anything to erase the bright
searing memory of the saw,
the screaming realization
of what it means to be chosen
(things they never told you)
and the slow death
of fulfilling their destinies.

JKO, 2005

...a Good Night

So here I am on Christmas Eve...my absolute favorite day of the year. There is a feeling of anticipation, the presents are still gloriously mysterious and full of promises, there is much baking and making of caramels, an appetizer supper, and a general feeling of relaxation because all of my presents are wrapped, and I have two days off in a row. Heaven!

Yes, my presents are wrapped, and they look glorious. I splurged and bought wrapping paper and wired ribbon from my favorite new haunt, Costco. Because the paper was a bit more expensive, it wrapped up a treat and creased beautifully in all the right places. It also helped that I took about 1.5 hours to wrap about 8 gifts. Finished off with the ribbon, the gifts look absolutely elegant. The paper is a textured gold, and the ribbon is a striped green and gold (go Golden Bears!)

Here is something kind of weird. Because Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, I was looking to resurrect the old Poetry day with a seasonal poem. I found a Christmas poem by e.e. cummings the other day that I really liked. The weird part is that I wrote a poem about three years ago that is really similar. Both poems are about Christmas trees, and there are some themes and lines that are too close for comfort. I had never read the cumings poems before, and I wrote mine while travelling on a greyhound bus, looking out at a field that contained rows of spruce trees. I of course don't have the poem with me, but I will post it tomorrow so you can see how it compares to the one I am posting today. Am I just crazy? Please read tomorrow and weigh in if you so desire.

little tree

by E. E. Cummings

little tree

little silent Christmas tree

you are so little

you are more like a flower

who found you in the green forest

and were you very sorry to come away?

see i will comfort you

because you smell so sweetly

i will kiss your cool bark

and hug you safe and tight

just as your mother would,

only don't be afraid

look the spangles

that sleep all the year in a dark box

dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,

the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms

and i'll give them all to you to hold

every finger shall have its ring

and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you're quite dressed

you'll stand in the window for everyone to see

and how they'll stare!

oh but you'll be very proud

and my little sister and i will take hands

and looking up at our beautiful tree

we'll dance and sing

"Noel Noel"

So, I am off to bed.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all...

Just when you thought you knew me

I really am addicted to these quizzes/questionnaires. So, if you will indulge me, here is a pretty fun one:

A

- Available: I think the real question is: when am I not?
- Age: old enough to know better
- Annoyance: sound of my high heels on the dry snow
- Animal: cat
- Actor: Christian Bale
- Actress: Kate Winslet

B
- Birthplace: Cardston, Alberta
- Best Friend: That would be my lovely roommate...Denise
- Body Part on opposite sex: legs
- Best feeling in the world: the one I get when I am singing
- Best weather: light jacket weather...it is all about the layering!
- Been in Love: Yes
- Believe in God: Yes
- Believe in Ghosts: Yes
- Believe in Evolution: I believe that things are always changing and evolving

C
- Candy: Rockets...ah, Halloween delight
- Colour: all shades of blue
- Cried in school: Almost everyday in Junior High. It is all about the bathroom.
- Chocolate/Vanilla: Vanilla
- Chinese/Mexican: Mexican

D
- Day or Night: Day
- Dream vehicle: a BMW
- Dance: when I get the chance
- Dance in the rain?: Not as of yet, but there is always hope
- Do the splits?: Uh, no.

E
- Eggs: omelet
- Eyes: blue

F
- First crush: His name was Dade and it was in grade three
- First thoughts waking up: Do people actually think first thing in the morning?
- Food: Anything Jess and Adam make that doesn't have the blue cheese
- Fear: the dark
- Favourite channel: Food Network

G
- Greatest Fear: finding a dead body...pretty irrational, I know!
- Giver or taker: A little of both
- Get along with your parents?: Yes
- Good luck charm: as of late? My sparkly Le Chateau shoes

H
- Hair Colour: brown
- Height: about 5' 2'' (on a good day)
- Happy: Yes
- Holiday: Christmas
- How do you want to die: not in any way that would be embarrassing to tell for the rest of eternity.
- Health freak?: I aspire to be
- Hate: being patronized...especially when people tell me to calm down. Try it. I dare you.

I
- Ice Cream: anything cherry
- Instrument: piano

J
- Job: facilitator with Inclusive Post-Secondary Education at Lethbridge College and peddler of the books at Chapters
- Juggle?: No

K
- Kickboxing: No, but I have always wanted to learn
- Karate: no
- Keep a journal?: yes

L
- Longest Car Ride: Lethbridge to Bryce Canyon, Utah
- Laughed so hard you cried: No, but definitely laughed until I couldn't breathe
- Love at first sight: no way...it is all about personality
- Last person out for dinner with: Travis

M
- Milk flavor: chocolate
- Movie: Just one? "The Man from Snowy River"
- Mooned anyone?: No
- Marriage?: Depends on who's asking
- Motion sickness: Yes. Oh, my yes.

N
- Number of Siblings: 4
- Number of Piercings: just my ears
- Never: date someone just because you're lonely

O
- Overused Phrases: Snappers
- One wish: to travel all over Europe
- One phobia: spiders

P
- Place you'd like to live: England
- Perfect Pizza: my mom's cheeseburger pizza
- Pepsi/Coke: Neither

Q
-Quote: "Be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
"I don't understand the question, and I won't respond to it" - Lucille Bluth

R
- Reason to cry: broken heart
- Reality TV.: I. hate. it. so. much. I. could. punch. it. in. the. face.
- Radio Station: CBC 2

S
- Song: Seriously! Just one? "Looking for Someone" - Sarah Slean
- Shoe size: 8
- Salad Dressing: Dijon mustard vinaigrette
- Sushi: yes. Especially 7-11 sushi
- Scent: grapefruit
- Skipped school:yes
- Slept outside: is there anywhere else to sleep in the summer?
- Skinny dipped? Absolutely
- Sing well?: Sure
- In the shower? I always sing in the shower
- Swear?: only in my head
- Stuffed Animals?: a chicken and a Panda
- Strawberries/Blueberries/Raspberries: Yes/yes/yes
- Slept in a bed beside you? only Jessica

T
- Thunderstorms: both terrify me and make me happy
- Touch your tongue to your nose?: no

U
- Unpredictable: I don't think so. My friends and family seem to know what I will do at any given time

V
- Vegetable you hate: Brussel sprouts
- Vegetable you love: Everything but brussel sprouts
- Vacation spot: New York! Best trip ever!

W
- Weakness: men with a great sense of humour
- When you grow up: I will live in the city and have more shoes than I know what to do with
- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: I don't know if I would wish that on anyone
- Who makes you laugh the most: Jessica
- Worst feeling: waiting

X
- X-Rays: I have a vague memory of wearing a lead vest

Y
-Year it is now: 2008
-Yellow: love it

Z
- Zoo animal: giraffe
- Zodiac Sign: Taurus

- Zodiac sign: Taurus

"Hey, I can reach the tap now for the very first time today"

"I wonder if I'm growing, I wonder if I'm growing? My mom says yes, I'm growing, but its hard for me to see!" -Raffi

Not only do those lines from Raffi (including the title of today's post) make me tear up a little, but they equal truth. I have a hard time feeling like a grown-up most days, but as I started to write this post, I started to see some things about my life this year.

Last week I officially became an adult. How? you may ask. Well I will tell you. The answer is that I got a Costco membership. Yes! My very own!! No longer will I have to rely on the kindness of others (Thanks, Braden!) or wait until someone is going so that I can revel in the delightfulness that is Lethbridge Costco. Samples! Books! DVDs! Yam Fries! Occasionally, mini-doughnuts!! There are, of course good and bad points to this acquisition. The good points are all mentioned above. The bad aspect (o.k., there is only one!) is that I will spend way too much money there. I have a hard enough time controlling myself when I am not driving the cart. I will probably need some sort of supervision, so if you ever need to go, please let me know and we will go together. My only stipulation is that you have to at least attempt to discourage me from buying one or more of the following:

1. a Kitchen-aid (sp?)
2. the entire series of "Gilmore Girls"
3. a black-forest cake if there is no discernible gathering approaching
4. a life-size singing Santa
5. a trampoline
6. a box of chocolate bars
7. a Lobster roll

Getting the membership was part of my year long transition to adulthood. This year I got a new adult-type job, I bought a car, I travelled to Europe by myself, I moved to a Family Ward, and I am learning to wrap a present so it doesn't look like it was done by a blind man with only 3 fingers. Denise and I were talking about how the theme of 2008 was "Change the fate", and as I look back, I did just that. Pretty exciting. I often used to think that we have to become the person we aspire to all at once, that it would just happen. I am starting to realize that it is possibly an evolution instead of a transformation.

Thanks for all of the support in 2008, I really couldn't have gotten to where I was without your help. Here's hoping that we will all get the chance to grow a little more in 2009. If anyone has any suggestions for a title/theme for next year, let me know.

Here are some (pretty darn awesome) ideas:

2009

"The stars for me will shine"
"This year is mine"
"The journey is mine"
"This year will be fine"

Talk to you soon!

If you show it, they will come

I had a bit of an epiphany today...it all begins with a little story. I was watching a movie in the cave today with one of the students. There was not really any one else in there, but that was due, I am sure, to what movie it was. (I am too embarrassed to admit that I watched it, albeit, only the last half, so the title shall not be revealed) When it was finished, the (really tall and oddly attractive) guy from the Student Association came to put in the second movie of the day, and it turned out to be the brand-spanking-new release "The Dark Knight". As the movie got underway, I noticed an interesting phenomenon start to occur. Guys started appearing out of nowhere to watch. They just kept streaming in, and even bunched up on the couches together.

So, epiphany? If you want to find the men, go to the Superhero movies. The darker and grittier, the better. If you want them to come to you, you should probably buy the movie, and then casually let it be known you have it. If my calculations are correct, you will hopefully have the men-folk beating down your door within the hour. Try it out and let me know!

Once again it has been a disgracefully long amount of time since I wrote anything. (I do not count yesterday's post as it wasn't really original) Here is some of what I have been doing

1. taking the expression "mutton dressed as lamb" to heart. I attended Denise's Ward Christmas party, and semi-pretended that I was still young enough to be there. The food was great, but the entertainment was... interesting. I will not say more, but I will testify that there were many moments of unintentional comedy, which we all know is the best kind. There were at least 3 moments where Denise and I clasped hands in shared amusement/agony. I will say that I didn't know it was possible to sing the verses of "Leaving on a Jet plane" in 3 different keys, but the chorus always in tune.

2. working with a new student. She is a lot of fun, but pretty crazy as well.

3. eating at the Keg. Seriously, I have eaten there twice in the last 2 weeks. The first time was fraught with peril . We had to wait for an hour, I didn't get my salad, and my steak came well-done and then when I sent it back, rare. (I took it home and out it in the GF grill for about 4 minutes, and had the most beautifully cooked medium-rare steak for Sunday morning breakfast.) The second trip was with the Managers a couple of nights ago. This time my steak was delicious, and we were regaled with some quasi-risque stories from one of the ladies. Ah, it was enjoyable to watch Travis squirm upon hearing Jo's descriptions...

4. Going to Calgary to watch Cam in the "Messiah". She did a wonderful job on her solo, and Greg and I were treated to the delightfully disgusting sight of a boy throwing up in to his father's hands and the floor during the Hallelujah chorus.

5. Singing in the Telethon!! After Dad "lost his voice" on the morning of the blessed event, we had to completely re-work our program, and so it was a bit of a gong-show getting some numbers together. But, in true Olsen fashion, it came off with only minor hitches that we breezed right over. "Dignity. Always dignity."

6. Substituting one habit for another. I am giving "Scrubs" a break, and thoroughly enjoying "30 Rock", and "Sports Night" (for about the 4th time through)

Have a great week, everyone.

Kill me, another quiz...

Sorry for the "template" today, but work is really actually busy these days. Hopefully I will have some real live updates for you any day! But, in the meantime, here are a few things you might not have known. If you did, then too bad.

Where is your cell phone: On my desk beside me now… I just got 4 new messages in about an hour because my phone was on vibrate in my bag.

Your boyfriend/girlfriend: Is either dead or hasn’t got the memo yet.

Your hair: got a cut on Saturday and is looking particularly fantastic.

The room you're in: is my office. Bigger than Denise’s, but also windowless.

Your fears: the dark, finding a dead body in any natural body of water, spiders, needles, and the possibility of being under-dressed for any occasion.

Where did you hang out last night: At the “First Presidency Christmas Devotional” broadcast, playing Pres. Monson bingo with Denise (she won with “widows”, whereas my choice of “Canada” was completely overlooked), and then to “The Keg” for a manager’s dinner. Ah, Crème Brulee…they name is indeed delicious.

What are you not good at: wearing appropriate footwear, brushing the snow off my car (...although, that could have something to do with the fact that the brush cost 2.99, and was purchased at 7-11), turning off the t.v. when I am watching Scrubs, cleaning my room, giving up on a hopeless situation

What are you wearing: my uniform, as of late: a black cardigan, camisole, and jeans.

Your mood: cautiously optimistic

Missing: a few signatures from instructors for students’ audit forms

Your car: is a blessing in the winter. I do not miss the bus.

Your favourite colour :is pink…"Think pink!”

What is your salad dressing of choice: either Asian sesame, or a mustard vinaigrette I made myself

What food could you eat everyday and not get sick of it: Sandwiches

What are your pizza toppings of choice: cheese, cheese, cheese

Which of your five senses you think is keenest: Smell. I could really take this “talent” on the road and be a superhero by smelling things like chemical warfare or dirty villains

When was the last time you had a cavity: probably right now…I really need to go to the Dentist

What colour do you think looks best on you: either Royal blue or a very vivid fuchsia

Where to now: if I knew that, I would probably already be there…

"What more could there be..."

"...than people in a room, singing unafraid the same tune" (P.K. "Carried Away")

If you are a follower of Denise's blog, then I am sorry for the similar post today. But. But.

Peter Katz. (thank heavens he will never read this and know of his crazy stalker. It's true. I even watched him get out of his van from my car last night!) The show was incredibly intimate, funny, emotional, breathtaking, heart-breaking, friendly, basically everything you could want in an evening. We sat right up close, and there were not a lot of people there. I guess this was pretty sad for Peter Katz, but fantastic for us. We sang along with all of our favorites, and delighted in the new songs. He mentioned a few times how much he was enjoying the small show, and we cheered him to the end. After his set, and after we got the chance to meet him (and hug him!!), he did another 40 minutes of requests from the audience. We talked to him again before we finally got out around midnight. It was late, but the time went so quickly, and I could have stayed there all night listening to him.

His music was filled with every emotion, and he radiated with a love for what he was doing. He is such a kind and compassionate man, and it came through in everything he said and sang. He let us know how grateful he was that we were there to support him, and I am surprised that he was not more taken aback by our great excitement to talk with him. Did I mention that he hugged me?

Back to the real world today, I think I had some kind of music hang-over all morning. I was also still under the PK musical spell, and couldn't really focus on anything. So...not a great day for the work. Tomorrow I am attending a training session that will enable me to teach Abuse Protocol. It is aptly named..."Train the Trainer". It goes from 9:30am-4:00pm, and there will be lunch provided. I don't know whether I will be able to contain my excitement or not. However, it will be nice to get a break from the school for a day. I really do like my job, but it is pretty stressful right now.

I think I will end my post with a little segment I will have running until Christmas Day. It is entitled "Things I don't want for Christmas":

1. A blanket that has a picture of my family on it...or really any picture.
I have to see said blanket every time I venture out to the Walmart (I know, the best solution would be to stop going there) and it creeps me out every time.

More to come next post!!

Listen to Peter Katz...you will not be sorry. Find him at www.peterkatz.com, or of course, on Youtube.

Why I will never be an elementary teacher...

So, here is the news for the day. I have been writing here on the blogger for 2 years this month. I looked back to my first posts, and realized that 2 years ago this last weekend, I went on my first and only preference date. (If you were not a reader then, check out the story from November 2006...it's a gooder).

Last week was extremely busy, and here are a few of the things I was doing:

1. Working at Chapters on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Monday and Wednesday were pretty slow with not a lot of customers. In fact, on Wednesday, we were supposed to sell about $ 17, 000 (for those of you who do not have to attend Chapters meetings, that is a ridiculous amount to come up with on a Wednesday not in December!), and we made about 10, 000. I was actually a little afraid that I was going to be fired because that is the furthest from the budget we have probably ever been. Yeah! Friday and Saturday, however, were absolutely insane with Christmas shoppers out in spades. And, along with the Christmas shoppers comes some of our favorite things at Chapters Lethbridge: cranky people, line-ups, books that no one can find, messes around the store of gargantuan proportions, complaints about the U.S. / Canadian price differences (really? really?), and cranky people.

2. Work at the College is pretty insane right now with new students, old ones leaving, trying to pick out classes for students when they say no to every class you suggest (*$%@...), trying to compile schedules that don't conflict with everyone else's, tracking down instructors to sign audit forms, assignments to help finish, tests to study for... Come January, things will certainly settle down, but right now I am just counting the days until Christmas.

3. This past Saturday I taught the first session of a two part class through the Family and Life Studies here at the College. The class is called "Home Alone" and it is for children ages 8 - 12 who are going to be alone at home for whatever reason. It goes over safetly issues, leisure activities, nutrition, responsibilities and then first aid and the test are next week. I prepared for it all last week, and I was pretty nervous as I didn't really know what to expect. It went...o.k, but the kids were pretty crazy, and when they weren't crazy, they were really whiny. I found that 5 hours was a long time to have them for. Fortunately, next week there will be more activities, and I am going to make the test review as fun and as interactive as possible. It has been a good experience, and it is also great to get myself known here at the College in case I want to move to another department,

4. I attended Emily's baby shower and I got a chance to hold little Max, who is absolutely adorable. It was great to see Emily again, and spend a little time with her. I really do need to get together with her and tell her all the news.

This week I don't work as much, but I am going to see Peter Katz tonight at "The Slice" AWESOME!! He is so wonderful live. On Wednesday, I am going to Kade, Erinn, and Cam's Christmas concert at Southminister, and on Thursday we go out to Cardston for the Telethon. Telethon!!

Enjoy the week, everyone, and look for a PK review tomorrow!

Local spinster makes good

Before I explain what the title is referring to, I have a warning for all of you who are currently featured on the facebook. Don't do anything, ever, without at least considering the possibility that someone will be there with a camera to capture the moment, and then display it to the virtual world. I have had a few experiences lately with this, and I have just had to reconcile myself to the fact that my extremely non-photogenic face will probably be featured at any given time in someone's album. I mean, they weren't exactly beating down my door prior to Facebook, so it's not like it is hindering my dating chances. However, please consider the fact that whatever you do, and wherever you go, there will probably be someone wielding a camera close by. You may not even know it until 3 days later, when you are regretting saying the things you did, or wearing the shirt that you did.

So, if you are tired of being caught unawares, here are a few things that you can do to avoid future regret.

1. Take a page out of Denise's book, and never, ever, go into public without your face on. This includes late night visitors to your house, early morning pop-ins, (and now that I have a camera Denise, really any time you are not in your room. And that does include the possibility of me waiting out in the hallway for you to come out of the bathroom)

2. Don't say anything that could be taken out of context, misunderstood, make you sound boy-crazy, or really anything at all. Many cameras have video recorders on them now.

3. Un-tag yourself in any picture that comes up on your profile. This is time-consuming if you are a social person, or just friends with someone who loves to take and display pictures, or really, if you leave you house at all. So, quit your job, and stay in to be there the second a picture of you goes up.

4. This next one may seem drastic, but follow my example and just don't go out at all. If you are not where the cameras are, you should be safe.

5. Pull an Alec Baldwin or Russell Crowe, and just go beat the crap out of the paparazzi scum who tried to photograph you in a bad pose. Although, remember that you are not a celebrity, so you may not be treated with the kid gloves by the law.

6. Get off Facebook. It's just another popularity contest, High School nightmare, way to be rejected kind of place anyway. (O.k., yes, the hypocrite is coming out in me here as I will probably be ion Facebook for awhile to come!)

7. Just go with it.

O.k., onto the title. Last night I went back to the 2nd Ward to sing some War-tyme music for their Remembrance Day Fireside. It went very well, and people were quite pleased to see me back. I really enjoyed it because I got to sing my favorite songs from that time period, and as I looked out over the audience, I could see people singing along, or smiling as they remembered hearing that music back in the day. I, myself got a little choked up when I finished the set off with "The White Cliffs of Dover"

Have a great Saturday everyone, and if you want to see me, come in the Chapters. I will be there all day...

"We lived our lives in fear!"

November 12th, 2008.

Last night I had the opportunity to watch one of my all-time favorite movies: Strictly Ballroom. For those of you who do not know of this movie, contact me immediately and I will lend it to you, for you must see it. It focuses on the ball-room dancing community in Australia, and it is worth watching for the costumes, the delightful histrionics of the different women in the movie, some great dancing, and some really crazy characters. It is directed by Baz Luhrman, and it predates “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge”. If you didn’t like these movies, you should still watch it because it isn’t as drug-induced as R and J, or as obnoxiously loud as MR.

I was talking with my parents about movies you can find that are real gems. My mom and I discussed the argument that if you have never heard of a movie, it might be an indicator that it is not overly awesome. This point has been proved probably hundreds of times, specifically when my Dad goes to the library to pick movies. He will come back with titles you have never heard of, and they are usually the worst movies ever made. However, in favor of hidden gems, I thought of “Cold Comfort Farm”, and “Persuasion”. Both of these I discovered by accident, and both are absolutely wonderful. They are both British movies, and quite independently made, so that may explain why they were virtually unheard of here.

Any thoughts or examples for either point?

"A little bit softer now"

If anyone tells you that I am a prolific blog writer, it is a lie and you should not believe him or her. Push this person down and tell him/her to stop lying. I could say that there are good reasons that I have not written in a while, but that also would be a falsehood. We all know that lying is bad, and I really want to go to the picnic at Barry's farm, so I will tell the truth. Here are the reasons: I am lazy, I have not been to the computer lab with the students at work lately (which probably means I have actually been working), my life is extremely boring with the only drama being semi-real (really, more imagined); there were brunches to plan and wow people with, episodes of "Bones" to watch, First-Aid courses with kind of adorable instructors to take, Irewards contests to win, a nursery to get organized, a roommate to make time for, and let's not forget staff meetings, getting stood up, Haunted houses to go through, costumes to make, and flirting to do.

So, I apologize to people who read my humble entries, but I don't have any excuses at all.

I am taking advantage of the holiday today to update, and also to stay out in Magrath...in the fantastic bed!! Today is Remembrance Day, and as the College is closed, I am enjoying my first day off in a couple of weeks. This morning Denise and I prepared a brunch for our friend Amy's birthday, and if I do say so myself, it was quite a success. We had bagels and cream cheese, mini muffins, fresh fruit, and a frittata. It had been some time since we had hosted any kind of gathering, and I remembered my love of being a hostess. I am already thinking about doing a Christmas party, so if anyone has any ideas for one, let me know. I was just invited to a Christmas party on the facebook, but I declined due to it being named an "Adult-only" party. Now, I know it was only thusly named so that people won't bring their young children, but I just couldn't bring myself to attend. Plus it is being hosted by a married couple, and I get enough of that at church.

This last Sunday I was standing outside the Bishop's office, waiting to be set apart, and I was surrounded by a goodly number of ward members. The executive secretary, who is an older man, came up to me and asked/yelled "Do you have a husband here?" I replied "no, no" as quietly as I could while simultaneously trying to fade into the wall. Now I know that he was just seeing if I had some family to be there for my setting apart, he didn't really know who I was, and he could possibly be the new poster-child for low-grade voice immodulation, but I was not overly thrilled for the reminder.

Anyway, I am feeling a terrible desire to read some "Pride and Prejudice", and I think my laundry is about done.

Please, everyone enjoy the rest of your holiday.

I am terrible at picking titles

It has been way too long since I posted something of my own creation, but I just have not been able to write any poetry. Maybe my life is going too well, and as we all know, most poetry is fraught with misery and heartache.

About 3 weeks ago, I had an idea for writing poetry that involved looking up a word in the dictionary, and then writing a poem around it. The word I looked up at that time was maelstrom. I have tried to write for the last 3 weeks, but nothing would come. The word maelstrom has been jumping around my brain the whole time. Then, last night I was laying in bed when a phrase came into my mind. I immediately jumped up and wrote it down, knowing I would forget it if I didn’t. (It is the last 2 lines of the following poem) So, with both these preparations in place, I sat down today and wrote. To warn everyone, I have been reading some pretty flowery love poems as of late, and I am sorry, but it shows in the poem.

Anyway, as always, enjoy; or don’t.

Opus

There are a thousand songs
I have written about you
I sing them
I am singing them
I do sing them.

My favorite one is about your smile-
how it burns and breathes
and brings me back
from the maelstrom that is
Your indifference.

There is anther one in my repertoire
about the magic
that still pervades your voice.
When you say my name
I am drowning in your words.

These songs-
They are legion
But they all end like this:
“You finish sentences
I started with my eyes.”

-JKO

Apparently it is not a quiz

For any of you wanting to know me a bit better, here is a little questionnaire I borowed from my dear Denise.

Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater?: “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Boo. I am way too old for that movie…

What Book Are You Reading? “The Twisted Root” by Anne Perry (I just love me some Victorian Mystery) and “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein. Can never read just one book at once.

Favorite Board Game? Hello!! “Boggle” me baby! Even after the serious trouncing I received from Chris this Thanksgiving. I think I need to practice.

Favorite Magazine? Definitely either InStyle or Entertainment Weekly.

Favorite Smells? Mint and Lavender tea brewing, The laundry soap I’m using right now, Cinnamon buns in the oven, the smell of rain on the sidewalk, the cologne I helped Braden pick out

Favorite Sounds? Rain outside my window at night, my nephews laughing, Travis’s beat-box, music I love!!

Worst Feeling In The World: your heart breaking

First Thing You Think of When You Wake? How warm and comfortable my bed is, or a dream I just had

Fast Food Place? Lethbridge College Cafeteria…oh my gosh, that half-pasta combo is my nemesis of life…

Future Child’s Name? I only have girls names: Zoe and Charlotte

Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,” I would travel all over Europe.

Do You Drive Fast? I do on the highway…especially in my new red car! Yeah, Baby!

Favorite place you have visited? Definitely New York City, and especially Fifth Avenue at night.

Storms—cool or scary? Both…but anything worth experiencing should be cool and scary.

What Was Your First Car? Dodge Omni. What? You have never heard of those? Shocking. It was the oldest piece of garbage any human being could ever drive. It used to stall/die everywhere, my favorite place being the intersection of 4th Ave and 5th street (right by the Alec Arms) where a homeless guy pushed it on to the side of the road. The man who sold it to me warned my Dad not to buy it, buit I would not listen. Ah, memories.

Favorite Drink? Cranberry juice. Anyway I can get it.

Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…” learn Italian, hang out with my roommate more, actually prepare for Nursery, practice the guitar, sleep for a week in the awesome spare room bed.

Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli? Yes, and it you peel them, they are even better!

If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be? Red…no I am just kidding. Probably blue.

Favorite Sport to Watch? I don’t watch sports as a rule, but if I have to, then probably Hockey.

What’s Under Your Bed? Luggage and socks

Morning Person or Night Owl? I can barely stay up past 11:00 pm, so definitely Morning person.

Over Easy or Sunny Side Up? Scrambled or omelet. Always mix your yolks and whites!!

Favorite Place to Relax? Libraries. All libraries.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Anything with cherry

If I tried, it would probably just turn into an Irish one...

I am supposed to be cleaning up the office in preparation for a visit we are having on Friday, but the 15 minute "warm-up" I did about an hour ago has tuckered me out. I put the word warm-up in quotation marks because the instructions for said activity featured words like "suicides" and "lunges" (Usually the only deep-knee bends I do are the ones I perform to get my freshly laundered pants to fit). This was followed by a rowdy game of volley-ball which has left my arms pleasantly pink and speckled. So, I am sitting here in the office, and mentally planning where I am going to put everything so that when I actually do start, it will only take half the time. I know, I know. The logic is astounding!

The person whose visit we are preparing for is our very own MLA, Bridget Pastoor. (Every time I say her name, I voraciously r-r-r-oll the r. *I hope that I do not do it when she is here...I don't think I could keep a fake Scottish accent going for very long) She wants to know what Inclusive Post-Secondary Ed is all about, and we are going to dazzle her with our knowledge, and our (hopefully) organized office.

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!!

"I don't understand the question mark, and I will not type it."

Yesterday I took my life into my hands (well, at least my hair and eyebrows). I was participating with one of my students in her Therapeutic Rec class, and we were making "plaster-type" masks, using our own faces to do it. (I know Leita is remembering the good times right now!) I had originally planned on only doing my student's face-mask, as I wasn't really feeling the idea of letting someone else cover me in Gypsoma. So, I got C. down on the floor, slathered a ridiculous amount of Vaseline on her face, wetted the strips of Gypsoma, and went to town. We finished quite early, and somehow I was convinced by both C. and the instructor, Donna, to get one done too. So, I laid back, and prepared for the worst. Thankfully, Donna helped my student to "mask me up", and I emerged with all facial hair intact. I now have a mask to decorate next week!! Yay!

Sunday night, I had a great visit with friends, and after talking to them, I decided to be as positive as I could be. So, I woke up Monday morning, leaped right on to my knees, and said a prayer that I would be able to be positive, and spread positivity like a virus. So, although every little thing went wrong at Chapters, I somehow maintained a smile, and I kept all my Chapters peeps happy too. Seriously, though. One of the till printers broke, one wouldn't print receipts, a shelf broke, the fax machine wouldn't work, we were way under-staffed so I just ran around all night, I couldn't find books, and one of the new computers wouldn't type a question mark (?). But, we were somehow able to laugh about it all, albeit somewhat nervously. Anyway...the point of this little rant is that prayer is a powerful force in our lives. I felt sustained all day, just because I asked for it.

Try it.

This Friday I am going up to Edmonton to get my new car!! I paid for it last week, and I will be insuring it and registering it in the next couple of days. The only negative part of this happy scenario is that I have to go up either on the bus or with Erika on Friday night, and then drive back Saturday morning to be at Chapters for 4:30 to work. Fortunately, I do enjoy the highway driving, and I am thinking about buying an audio book. (It really is about time that I read "The Secret") So, when you see me next week, I will be driving a new red car. If I do have to take the Greyhound up, please say a prayer for my safety. It's pretty hard to drive your new car if you don't have a head.

Enjoy your Tuesday, everyone!

"I called you, but not on the phone...so you probably didn't hear me.

I am not sure if this blue is obnoxious or not...I will create a little test for all of us to determine if it is o.k. So, if after a few viewings you feel any or (heaven forbid) all of the following symptoms, please contact me immediately.

1. Do you feel "funny" inside?

2. Is everything you look at now blue?

3. Does it give you neuritis?

4. Are you now about 80% sure that you live in the ocean?

5. Are you uncontrollably shouting at people?

6. Are you lulled into a state of oblivion?

7. Are you constantly singing a certain song by Eiffel 65?


I guess only time will tell.

Have a great Monday!

This blog will remain titleless...

Well, today I am all alone here at the College, as the rest of my staff are presenting at a conference in Medicine Hat. I was supposed to go, but my presence, and more specifically, my key holding/mastering abilities are required at the Chapters this evening. Oh, to be dispensable again…

So, I am in the computer lab this morning with one of the students and I am trying my best to think of something to write today. There is a guy just down the way who is coughing up a lung, and all I want to do is yell at him to “have some compassion for my nerves!” I am sure if I did that, he would echo Kitty’s sentiment that he doesn’t cough for his own amusement. It seems as though everyone is getting sick these days. At least half of our students have caught the cold that is going around, and I count it as a miracle that I have not yet succumbed. It has been a pretty quiet week, as one of my students was sick almost every day, and the other one couldn’t get here because her “husband’s” van wouldn’t start. (I put the word husband in quotation marks because she is living with him, but they are not married. And he’s creepy.)

I am pretty excited because I am watching my new movie tonight – “Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie”! I used to watch it quite frequently about 10 years ago, and I just ordered it from Chapters. For those of who you who do not know of it, it is a guy and two robots watching an old really terrible sci-fi movie called “This Island Earth”, and giving a running commentary the whole time. Is it as nerdy as you can get? Heck Yes! Will I enjoy it as much I used to? Absolutely.

Have a great weekend, everybody! Here is a shout-out to all the ladies in the Victoria Park Ward who are attending the Relief Society Retreat this weekend. Eat many, many wine gums just for me. And, maybe tell a few questionable stories.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

The Distance - Cake

Sorry to everyone I am friends with on Facebook, but I wanted to post this note here as well. It was a lot of fun, didn't really make sense mostly, but was frighteningly accurate a few times.

Anyway, try it out if you get the chance!!

1. Put your iTunes/Ruckus/Napster/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it from. (I won't do this part, but I seriously enjoyed doing the rest...Thanks to Zach for the fun!)

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Last Year's War - Sarah Slean

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
She is - The Fray

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Sleep, Please Come to me - Matthew Barber

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Life On Mars - David Bowie

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
In the Bleak Mid-Winter - Sarah McLachlan

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
City Girl - Tegan and Sara

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Come Downstairs and Say Hello - Guster

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
The Smoking Guns - The New Amsterdams (I am not a murderer...I promise)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Even an Ugly Man - Hawksley Workman

WHAT IS 2+2?
House of Cards - Radiohead

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
While my Guitar Gently Weeps - Beatles

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Mamma Mia - ABBA (Yowsers!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Kill - Jimmy Eat World (I am sensing a theme...)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Wild Honey Pie - The Beatles

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
The Henny Buggy Band - Sufjan Stevens

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues - Ryan Adams (A killer and a prostitute!! Ha!!)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Cosmic Girl - Jamiroquai

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Medicine - Guster

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Brand New Pair of Roller-Skates - Melanie Safka

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?Rocky Raccoon - The Beatles (Don't tell Denise...)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Key - Devics

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
No Blue Sky - The Thorns

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Videotape - Radiohead

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
A Long December - Counting Crows

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Take a Chance on Me - ABBA

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Don't Pass me by - The Beatles

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Everyone's in Everyone - Patrick Park (Huh?)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Alone Here - Hawksley Workman (Now that is illuminating...)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Hear You Me - Jimmy Eat World

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
A Case of You - Joni Mitchell

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Step Back - Royal Wood

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
The Distance - Cake

poetry day!!

Here are some gems...enjoy!


Opal
by Amy Lowell

You are ice and fire,
The touch of you burns my hands like snow.
You are cold and flame.
You are the crimson of amaryllis,
The silver of moon-touched magnolias.
When I am with you,
My heart is a frozen pond
Gleaming with agitated torches.



Faults
by Sara Teasdale

They came to tell your faults to me,
They named them over one by one;
I laughed aloud when they were done,
I knew them all so well before,—
Oh, they were blind, too blind to see
Your faults had made me love you more.



Failing and Flying
by Jack Gilbert

Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.
It's the same when love comes to an end,
or the marriage fails and people say
they knew it was a mistake, that everybody
said it would never work. That she was
old enough to know better. But anything
worth doing is worth doing badly.
Like being there by that summer ocean
on the other side of the island while
love was fading out of her, the stars
burning so extravagantly those nights that
anyone could tell you they would never last.
Every morning she was asleep in my bed
like a visitation, the gentleness in her
like antelope standing in the dawn mist.
Each afternoon I watched her coming back
through the hot stony field after swimming,
the sea light behind her and the huge sky
on the other side of that. Listened to her
while we ate lunch. How can they say
the marriage failed? Like the people who
came back from Provence (when it was Provence)
and said it was pretty but the food was greasy.
I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of his triumph.

When did fire safety become uncool?

So here is my ridiculous story of the day. This morning I stopped to get some gas because I probably wouldn’t have made it to the College if I hadn’t. I got out, and as I tried to put the nozzle into my gas tank, it wouldn’t go in, and I couldn’t make the buttons work, and the whole thing just kept beeping at me. I was in a hurry, and was getting a bit frustrated when an old man appeared out of nowhere to tell me I was trying to put Diesel into my car. It was true. I was using the wrong nozzle. The old guy kept telling me that next time I should come through the Full Serve pumps because he loves to help out beautiful ladies. He said it about 5 times, inching closer to me with every plea. I thanked him, laughed nervously, and practically wrestled him for the correct nozzle. He finally left me alone, but when I went in to pay, he was skulking in the corner, leering at me. I could almost see him mouthing the phrases “full serve” and “beautiful lady” as he ogled me. So here is the lesson I have taken away from this experience. When you act like a helpless girl, creepy old men might do everything they can to take advantage of it. In my defense, I was really tired, and the reason for my lethargy is the second story of the day. This one, however, occurred at about 4:00 am, so the middle of the night may actually constitute story of yesterday.

Regardless… Denise and I were awakened at 3:45 by the fire alarm in our building going off. Now, I have lived in several apartment buildings in Edmonton, and the fire alarm went off in every single one of them for one reason or another. In those instances, I learned that you exit the building when it happens, no matter what the time. Andrea will testify to the fact that at Garneau Towers, it could be any time of the night!! I remember a few instances where the whole building congregated in the street until the Fire trucks came to give us the o.k. to go back in. So, like the good little conditioned girl that I am, and really, because I don’t really relish the idea of burning to a crisp in my bed (who let those orphans in?), I hopped up, grabbed Denise and we went outside. No one else was there. Well, there were a couple of ne’er do wells walking through our parking lot (At 4:00 am? Probably our favorite car thieves), but no other tenants came out of the building. Denise and I went to her car to stay warm, and to wait for the fire trucks. No fire trucks came!! Heaven forbid there really had been a fire! The alarm stopped, and we went back inside. Apparently all of the other residents were too tired to not be burned!! I laid awake for the next 30 minutes, as the alarm jangled my nerves quite a bit. I also made a pact with myself that no matter how uncool it is, I will always exit the building when the fire alarm sounds. If anything, it makes for a killer story on the blog.

I am on my way to the gym (I am trying!!), and going to try something other than the treadmill. I may have to ask someone for help (shock and horror!!), but I want to find a few things I like to do, so I am not just on the treadmill for 50 minutes. If anyone out there has tips or hints, please let me know.

I wish I could be Eurotrash..

I have come to the realization that I don't know how to wear a scarf. I bought myself a beautiful one in Ireland, and I have only worn it two ways: As a shawl, and around my neck, but not artfully. With the new North American obsession with scarves apparent at every turn (we are even selling some at Chapters, probably under the suitably literate moniker "reading shawl"), I am wondering how all these people know how to tie their scarves so they look good. Was there some sort of tutorial that I missed? Am I just not that bright?

Can someone please help me?

That's about it for today.

Silence is not always golden...

I had a mildly frightening experience at Walmart this weekend. (At Walmart? No!!) I went to try on a shirt at the fitting rooms, and as I walked up, there were two ladies there. One was sitting at the desk, and the other was hanging clothes. I said hello to the lady at the desk, and she just sat there silently for about 3 seconds, and then she ever-so-slowly raised her hand and pointed at the other girl. She didn't take her eyes off me, and she didn't say a word. Just pointed. I turned to the girl hanging clothes, but she had her back to me. The first lady continued to stare at me, and so it was (an extemely uncomfortable) 10 seconds before the girl realized Iwas there. She slowly turned around, and taking my clothes, opened up one of the doors, and pointed to the fitting room. She also did not say a word. I thanked her and hightailed it right in. It was seriously creepy...I can only hope that they were a mother and daughter who were both mute. I think it is a sign that I shouldn't be shopping at Walmart anymore.

This weekend was so relaxing, that I was almost excited to come back to work today. Almost...but not quite. General Conference was wonderful, and I came away with a desire to be better at a lot of things. I saw all of it except for the afternoon session on Saturday, when I fell asleep during the first talk. This was due to a turkey dinner between sessions, and the very comfortable chair I was sitting in. I spent Saturday with Denise and her family, as they were having their Thanksgiving this last weekend when her brother and sister-in-law could be there.

I hope you are all enjoying your Monday. I am trying my best to "be awesome", but I am not feeling overly well today. My stomach is kind of jittery, and I am feeling light headed. Almost like I have had too much caffeine. I haven't had any energy drinks...I promise.

Keep on dreaming!

"God is in the boring details"

This week has been a great one so far, and here are some of the reasons why:

I have started reading the new Maeve Binchy, “Heart and Soul”, and I am quite enjoying it. I just couldn’t get into her last one, but this one has the elements I love about her books. Great characters, intertwining lives and stories, and of course, the always awful cheating ex/husband are all present and accounted for. Ah…no one writes a despicable man like Maeve…

The weather has been absolutely glorious. It has been in the early to mid twenties all week, and with the leaves changing, it makes me want to just lay a blanket down under a tree and dream the day away.

I watched last week’s episode of “The Office”, and this week’s episode of “How I met your Mother” Both were delightful!

We had a wonderful Mexican Fiesta night with Ashley on Tuesday. Denise made her delicious chimichangas, which I have now coined “Mexican pouches which bring delight”. They truly are angels food, and Denise, I will never walk away from you now that I have tasted them! ( I made a corn and bean salad that was nowhere near the caliber of the pouches, but complimented them just the same.) We added some Dilly-dip, and topped off the whole dinner with some low-acid apple juice. Top Night!

That night, Denise and I also got to run lines with Braden for the play he is preparing for. I had way too much fun doing this. The play was really funny, and I completely relished reading my part. Sorry to Braden for making it all about me!! I hope I was some help…

I have set some goals for myself this week. It is really time to get myself on track, and to find ways to feel good about myself and my choices.

I got a letter from our favorite missionary, Elder Garner. I was so happy to hear that he is doing well. He is now out in the mission field and sharing the truth, and more importantly, he is spreading the gospel of “Story of the Day”. It is my goal to see this phenomenon spread around the world in the manner of a pandemic, or “The Secret”. I do have to give a bit of credit to my parents, for the original “What was the best thing of your day”, but I like to think that “Story of the Day” has a Jenny flavor all its own. While we’re on the subject, here is a s.o.t.d. from yesterday. I was at Chapters, and Doreen came up to me and asked our policy on “no shirts, no shoes, no service”, because there was a guy who apparently had no shirt. I said we didn’t really have such a policy, but I went to find him, nonetheless. Yes, he had no shirt, but he was wearing a back-pack. I had to go to the office to laugh, because it was really not a great look for anyone. It also couldn’t have been very comfortable…

I finally remembered my gym clothes, and I will be going right after work...in about 20 minutes. If you see me tonight or tomorrow, please ask me how the gym was, and chastize me if I didn't go.

So, yeah. This week has been good, and I have been happy. I am so blessed to have 2 great jobs, an amazing family, and friends who tolerate me.

As it is poetry day (Yay!!) I will post one a little lighter than last week's. Canadian author Jean Little has written some absolutely beautiful children's poetry, and here is a tiny taste.

RAIN by Jean Little

Rain is as mischief-making as a child.
She pokes the Thunder's ribs until he roars.
She sits on steepled roofs and thrums her heels
And tickles grass and taps at solemn doors.

She dampens dignitaries and their wives,
Paints saucy freckle-faces on the roads,
Makes mud puddles and rainbows; then gets down
To scrub the tiny blissful backs of toads.

Have a wonderful weekend, I am pretty sure mine will be great. If you want to go to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, let me know!!