It’s been a long time since my last post and lots has happened.

First of all I joined Toastmasters and as I always do, I didn’t just jump in, I cannonballed in by joining the Executive as VP Education after only being a member for 3 months. It has been an exhausting but wonderful learning experience.

Shorty after that I applied for and succeeded in becoming a Regional Representative with Random Acts (therandomact.org). This organization is dedicated to conquering the world one random act of kindness at a time which is a cause I have been passionate about for more than a decade when I was involved with a group on Onelist (a precursor to Yahoo Groups) which encouraged participating in acts of kindness and sharing stories with each other.

In the summer I started a small home business by becoming a design consultant with Elanne & Ivy which is a jewellery design business that focuses on selling glass lockets and charms. So far I have only been developing my business by word of mouth until I have more time to dedicate to it.

Also keeping me busy is Air Cadets which I have become more involved with by taking on more responsibilities and more of a leadership or mentorship role with the Level 4 cadets.

Meetup has been a source of new activities and groups too where I have joined some fascinating groups involved in bushcrafting, meditation, adventure travel, and socializing. I even started two groups, one focused on random acts of kindness in my area and the other on geocaching. I am planning the first meetings for these groups in the new year.

School has returned to my life and I have missed it. Now I am taking online learning courses to get my Records and Information Management certificate from a community college.

Yesterday I interviewed to become a Social Media Officer with Random Acts in addition to my current role. If I pass that stage then there is a second level interview and tasks to perform before I will find out if I get the position. It will take a couple of months all in all for that.

So that is what has been keeping me busy and I have more stuff in my head to unleash on the Internet so I will continue to keep myself occupied for a long time to come.

Have a peaceful Winter Solstice and a new year full of kindness and love!

Hola!

D and I went to our first Spanish class in preparation for our trip to Peru in June. We are going with a group of students from the university I attended and will be doing community development work there with the local population. I am really, really looking forward to it and think it will be a great experience for D who is currently in grade six.

I have a terrible memory so hopefully I will remember or learn enough Spanish to be able to communicate in a basic fashion and not accidentally tell someone they are the bastard offspring of a three legged, demented goat with tertiary syphillis.

Well, unless they are of course… but what are the odds?

Ug, I am feeling craptacular today. I am in my Personality and Individual Differences class and am not hearing a word the professor is saying. It all sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher speaking…mwah mwah mwaaah mwah mwah mwah mwah.

‘Do I want fries with that? Is that what you are asking? Oh you were talking about traits not necessarily predicting behaviour in any given situation. You must see how I might get the two easily confused.’

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

This is from my school newspaper and obviously authored by a male reporter…

101 reasons I didn’t commit suicide in 2005

1. Oh, that’s just what the man wants, isn’t it!
2. The escalating price of rope is ridiculous.
3. Must take responsibility for fathering Gwen Stefani’s baby.
4. It’s almost my turn with the magical pair of pants that fit each of me and my three best friends perfectly, despite our various body sizes.
5. Unaccomplished Life Goal #1: Watch a goat eat a tin can.
6. There are still songs left to write.
7. All I had in medicine cabinet were mother’s old estrogen shots and Flintstone chewables.
8. The much-heralded return of NBC’s Must-See-TV Thursday night comedy line-up.
9. Jumped, but living in a bungalow, I only fell about 10 feet from ledge.
10. Lindsay Lohan is finally on the mend and I want to be there for her.
11. Unaccomplished Life Goal #2: Kill a hobo for the contents of his bindle.
12. Waiting for digitally re-mastered version of Death Race 2000 to be released.
13. Eagerly hoping for a Golden Girls reunion movie.
14. Just recently developed a passion for playing Donkey Kong and eating Cheetos in my underwear.
15. I have a cake in the oven.
16. Would like to see a world where all racial and social groups can live together in perfect harmony.
17. Where Salma Hayek and Lucy Liu make-out all the time.
18. Suicide note was riddled with typos.
19. And written in a ridiculous novelty font.
20. Man-crush on Justin Timberlake oddly satisfying.
21. Have to think about ‘the fans.’
22. Whoever will care for my beloved pony Buttercup?
23. Two pages of The Brock Press would be empty every week, and though most would not object to this change, Editor-In-Chief is legally obligated to present actual content in paper.
24. Simply had to find out who the
Carver was on Nip/Tuck.
25. Have to see how the Killers/
Bravery feud turns out.
26. Unaccomplished Life Goal #3: Learn to play a musical instrument; smash instrument across Rob Thomas’ stupid horse face.
27. Waiting for Dick Clark to die first.
28. I value my autographed headshot of Dave Coulier and the rest of the Full House gang far too much to leave them unattended.
29. Arsenal! Go, Arsenal!
30. Had money for a tank of gas, or garden hose, but not both.
31. With my blood pressure and regular fits of Hulk-like rage, nature is bound to take finish me off soon enough.
32. Taunted by bad memories every time I close my eyes. And I dig that.
33. Still searching for that perfect pair of slacks that provide both comfort and support for the fuller-figured gentleman.
34. In chartreuse.
35. Need to hear what Cake’s next album is going to sound like. I suspect horns!
36. Unaccomplished Life Goal #4: Soar through the sky while standing on the backs of two majestic eagles.
37. I forgot to add the fabric softener.
38. Anne Rice’s Jesus book was a real eye-opener.
39. The world needs laughter now more than ever.
40. Witnessed birth of puppy, inspired by miracle of life.
41. Irrational fear that Hell is entirely populated by dogs eating placenta.
42. Basic Instinct 2 in 2006: Now with 33% more vagina!
43. Must rationally and systematically prove that resistance is most certainly NOT futile.
44. I haven’t finished eating my sub sandwich yet.
45. Vending machine at work owes me either 50¢ or a Coke.
46. No one else to lead the national anti-Phil Collins march.
47. Been hired to assassinate the Bailiff of Guernsey and I really ought to follow through on that.
48. First draft of my erotic tele-play, Mother, May I Sleep With Father (with Tori Spelling attached!) nearly complete.
49. Unaccomplished Life Goal #5: Must discover the Caramilk secret.
50. Unaccomplished Life Goal #6: Also, how Yes, Dear has lasted six freaking years and Arrested Development gets the boot after two and a half.
51. Music is my aeroplane.
52. Promised auntie I would help her decoupage paper roses on all her hardwood floors and finishings.
53. No legitimate heir to the Lowry fortune exists.
54. I had too much fun doing your mom.
55. The return of the Jack Bauer Power Hour!
56. I need to see the role that Dakota Fanning eventually takes as a drug addict/whore/murderer to prove that she’s more than just a child actress.
57. Recent viewing of Monster-In-Law by choice left me feeling that death was too good an option for me.
58. Unable to ever part with my one true love, bacon.
59. No way heaven would take me, looking like the Nick Nolte mug shot, as I do.
60. Must find a replacement for me at the meth lab first or Terry my boss will freak.
61. What the heck is down that hatch!? Oh right … nothing of interest.
62. Had too much fun laughing at all the jerks who got tickets for Lord of the Rings: The Musical.
63. Been hearing a lot of good things about that gay cowboy movie and should probably check it out.
64. Most recent Harry Potter book left a lot of pressing questions unanswered, like “How will Harry ultimately defeat the evil Lord Voldemort?” and “What exactly is in Hagrid’s beard?”
65. I have discovered the secret to inner peace. It is called Glenlivet and Soduku.
66. Unaccomplished Life Goal #7: Make a dog and cat kiss for like 15 minutes straight.
67. Still trying to understand NASCAR’s baffling level of appeal to Southern Americans and the mentally impaired.
68. Those Christie Swiss Cheese crackers alone are worth living for.
69. Dying to finally see a star-studded big screen adaptation of Mamma’s Family.
70. I could spend forever lost in Rex Goudie’s soulful eyes.
71. Fumbled with trigger of pistol after giggle attack when remembering that Smurfs in French is “Schtroumps.”
72. Unaccomplished Life Goal #8: ‘Accidentally’ spill a great big plate of extra saucy pasta all over the new Pope’s garb; point; laugh.
73. Christopher Guest and Rickey Gervais in the same movie. You better believe I’m gonna stay alive for that. DOING!
74. Clouds that look like stuff are ever-so-dreamy.
75. Refuse to deny myself the satisfaction of witnessing members of Creed die first.
76. My new faith as a devout Musicologist and the uplifting sermons of Brother Prince.
77. After a night of animal-like passion, Cheryl Hickey would be extremely pissed if I abandoned her now.
78. I can’t be destroyed by conventional means.
79. I got to make the doughnuts.
80. Discovering the joys of the Bedazzler has given me a new lease on life.
81. Restraining order Rachel McAdams has against me reduced to only 50 km.
82. Unaccomplished Life Goal #9: Build a robot penguin.
83. Must prove myself to peers by becoming a respectable and accomplished journalist.
84. But not before cleaning up at the national chili eating championships!
85. So many regrets to take care of … so much lost time I need to make up … plus, I have, like, $30 in outstanding fines at the library.
86. Must exterminate all Puggles.
87. Unaccomplished Life Goal #10: Put a Hamster in a little R/C car and drive him around like people. Then drive it off cliff.
88. If those amazing little Empire penguins can persevere through such harsh conditions, I should at least try and eat one before I die.
89. I’ve been looking totally makey-outy lately.
90. Got memo back from my stone mason: apparently chosen epitaph has “too many swears.”
91. New found faith in the monarchy after recent knighting of Sir Tom Jones.
92. I don’t believe in much, but I believe in the power of crunk.
93. Suicide is played out, yo. Self-mutilation is where it’s at.
94. Unaccomplished Life Goal #11: Dangle chicken wing in front of Nicole Ritchie and lead her head right into wall with it.
95. Promised my band, Blunt Force Trauma, we’d make it to CBGBs by next Christmas.
96. Somebody’s gotta pay the cable bill!
97. I got to see my new Dill Pickle milkshake through to market.
98. All I got is disposable razors, and as practical as they are for actually shaving, they leave much to be desired as implements of death.
99. The triumphant return of the McRib!
100. Concerned those dudes on Prison Break won’t make it out.
101. Whiskers on kittens, packages tied up with string, yadda yadda yadda.

…And 5 that nearly pushed me over the edge:

1. What Kim and Alec are doing to little Ireland is just criminal.
2. Only two System of a Down albums last year? What the heck is that about?
3. My crippling joylessness, depression and loss of hope for the future.
4. I totally hate it when people are mean to kitties!
5. Couldn’t bear it if Bill Cosby went before me.

It has been awhile since I have made an update or changes to my web site but things with school have been pretty hectic. I have an exam tonight, one next week and two essys due. At least the topics are interesting, “The Psychology of Dieting”, which I am very familiar with…lol..and “Phonics promotes better litereacy skills than whole word learning”.

I can’t wait until school is done for the semester though so I can actually read a book for enjoyment and not a text book or journal articles.

I went to see the Blue Man Group the other day, it was friggin’ hilarious. At one point the whole audience was buried to their necks in streamers (I am not exagerrating). I also liked their artistic commentary on the human condition in the information age which was the sort of theme of the show. I highly recommend seeing them, especially if you are into abstract art and theatre.

I took a break from the diet I was on since the very limited foods choices was making me depressed (and starving). It’s not that they don’t allow a lot of different foods, they do, its just that I am a very picky eater and most of the foods you are allowed to have, I dislike. So, I pretty much eat the same thing day after day which can get depressing but at least I have lost a lot of weight (I got very very heavy when I was pregnant with my son). If you want to lose weight fast, it is the best diet to do in my opinion (Dr. Bernstein diet), just damned expensive. The needles in the stomach (vitamin injections) were getting on my nerves too. I am back on it though and have about 35 lbs left to go.

My trip is on for Brazil next August and my passport is in the mail. Of course I am still terrified of flying so I will have to take vast amounts of gravol or something to make me sleep through the flight and my demise should that be the case. I really should stop watching ‘Lost’ since has heightened my paranoia about flying to the nth degree.

On a positive note however I have raised $130 is sponsorship so far with 8 months left to go. Woohoo!

Work has been an endless parade of meetings but I like it because I get mileage for travelling and it makes the day go much faster.

Tonight I am taking my mother to an illusionist/majick show, should be fun!

I participated in a trivia competition at Rochester University this weekend and had a good time. While our team didn’t place well, individually I finished around the middle of all of the competitors which makes me quite ecstatic. I don’t do so well at the academic questions, I am more of a pop culture and random useless facts kind of person. Being a Canadian team we were at a bit of a disadvantage as the mojority of the bonus questions we got were about American politics, geography, and literature. I simply do not know what river flows through what state and ends in what lake. Yikes!

In some very interesting news, I am looking into a program called ‘Solidarity Experiences Abroad’ where I might be going to Brazil for two weeks next August. In the program you do a lot of volunteer work in the health sector for the underprivledged. It fits in well with what I am taking at University (Community Health). I just need to check on some safety issues before I decide whether to go or not.

School is going well so far, I am just getting burnt out already since I work full time and then go to school three nights a week on top of having two kids and a few clubs/volunteer organizations I am involved with.

I gave up the Improv club since I didn’t like the direction the new president was taking it. She is a nice girl and very talented, she is just inexperienced at what it means to be on an executive. I ended up feeling like it was becoming a dictatorship rather than a democratic process. Oh well, as long as the membership is happy with the changes, then that is what matters. I will also have to give up on the gaming club and anime club as I just don’t have time.

Well, that about sums up my little life for the week. Next week it is off to Ottawa and Montreal!!!!!!!!!!

I have to stop reading sad books when I know how much they affect me when I am in a low curve. Last night I read “Suzanne’s Diary to Nicholas” by James Patterson, which is a huge departure from most of his other books like “Kiss the Girls” and “Along Came a Spider”. Anyway, after finishing it I had to go to the grocery store to pick up some things and I cried all the way there and all the way back because of this story. Thankfully I was able to maintain some composure while in the store at least. It had me depressed all night and even thinking about it chokes me up a tad.

Not to worry though friends, I am feeling quite better today and it was a really good book if anyone is interested in reading it.

Another book that I read a short while ago that was REALLY good was “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold. She writes the story from a very unique and interesting perspective.

Next on my list is “Lost” by Joy Fielding. The fictional story takes place during the Toronto Film Festival which is what piqued my interest being a Canuck and all.

The diet is going very well, I have lost 37 pounds in less than two months…hurray!!

Well, my Psychology of Learning class is starting soon so I have to be off. Last week the classroom was infested with ants, which is odd since we are on the third floor.

Another old entry that is probably amusing only to myself…lol. As a note about it, it turned out to be gallstones and I had my gallbladder removed. Now if only I could have a good portion of my a** removed…hmmm….

Date: 2002-03-15 12:10
Subject: Captain Montezuma and the Puke Brigade
Security: Public
Mood: sick
Music: Office radio music..sounds like The Beach Boys

Well I managed to get my essay done and it is actually one of the best essays I have ever written. Grace under pressure.

I am still quite ill and I have warned my co-workers to stay away from my desk if they know what is good for themselves as my stomach problem seems to have some interesting side effects. They seem quite compliant. Perhaps I will settle it with a nice infusion of chocolate. That ought to make me feel muuuuuuch better.

Let’s see what unprofound thoughts can I muster up today (mainly to entertain myself). How about the format of my postings here. No, I don?t’ expect that some large audience is going to find my silly writings very prolific or even an audience of more than three but I have chosen the format of writing to an unseen unknown yet adoring public. So, my few friends here reading this gibberish, please bear with me, I am suffering from delusions of grandeur. Possibly another side effect of my upset tummy. Ya, ya, that’s it! Captain Montezuma and the Puke Brigade made me do it.

Well, my non-existent hoards of fangirls and fanboys I must bid you adieu and the lavatory a fond familiar hello. The chocolate theory did not work so well.

Just a few updates today:

On the 20th is my five year anniversary and I will be heading to visit friends up north. One of them I haven’t seen in twelve years as she has just recently returned from British Columbia and we just got back into contact with each other recently. The funny thing is she has been looking at going back to University and decided on one. It turns out it is the same one I am going to and she is even applying for the same program. We may end up having some classes together. How crazy!

The next day I fly out to Quebec City for my cousins’ wedding. I am pretty nervous about flying as I watch too much tv and let it affect me (Lost is my favourite show) due to the moderate paranoia I tend to have. Thus the anxiety level is pretty high so I will have to take a half dozen Gravol to knock me out. Of course I will probably sleep through and end up in Bangladesh.

I am taking a spring course at school about the Psychology of Learning. It is quite fascinating and has tons of reading but I can’t wait to finish as it is taking up a lot of time and I don’t get to see my family two days a week.

I have a friend redesigning my web site and I can’t wait to have it up. He has done an amazing job!!!

The Dr. Bernstein diet is working amazingly. I had put on a lot of weight when I was pregnant with my son (and before) and couldn’t get it off but now it is coming off quickly. I feel very energized and more like how I used to be. I have been very selfconscious and have had poor self-esteem but it is starting to get better.

Well that’s anough for now, Seacrest out…I mean Crimson out.