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Monday, June 29, 2009

The travels of the Grown Up Teenager

Wow, so I had more responses to the 100 things about me blog than I ever expected. I’ve had a few comments on the amount of places I’ve traveled, so I figured I’d elaborate a little bit. I’ve never been a shy traveler, and I have no problem going to places I’ve never been before and just flying by the seat of my pants. I’m not the vacationer that has to have a schedule. That type drives me up the wall. That said, here’s an explanation of why I’ve been where I’ve been, and sort of a general idea of how old I was. (I refuse to look up dates. There’s a lot of books I’d have to look through for that).

C, eh? N, eh? D, eh? (AKA Canada)
Ontario – Um, I’m from Ontario. I’ve been pretty much anywhere you can name, between sports, school, and random road trips. Hence it not being on the original list.
Quebec – Every Eastern Canadian kid goes to Quebec when they’re 18. Why? Because its legal to drink at 18 there, but in Ontario, we wait til 19 (so the law says). Americans that have to wait until 21? We mock you. Also been to Old Quebec City and Montreal, for sports and for fun.
British Columbia and Alberta – Awesome skiing to be had. That, plus dating an Albertan guy for two years meant me spending time out there whenever possible. Fernie BC is another place I’d move in a heartbeat.
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI – road trip (plus ferry trip) with the family. Drove up through Quebec, hit all the Maritime provinces, and stayed in PEI.

The USA:
California – Invitational only hockey tournament, grade 12 (senior year for you American folks) Christmas break. 4 days of hockey, 5 days of touristy stuff.
Hawaii – Basketball tournament. Grade 12 again. March break this time. A few days of sports, a few days of surfing.
Florida – Spring break during first year of university, with friends
New York and Michigan – both within driving distance of home. I’ve got for hockey games, to Six Flags at Darien Lake, down to the city for weekends, etc etc.
Arizona – (I forgot this on the first list) Another hockey tournament. Also, note to Americans: whats with hockey tournaments being held in the hot as hell states? Seriously here.

Australia and New Zealand
I spent almost a month between the two of these during Christmas break of first year university (its their summer in December/January). It was with friends. We went diving off the coast of AUS, bungee jumping in NZ, zip lining, surfing, and generally being daredevils down under. I loved it there.

Europe (Warning, this one gets confusing, even for me. Some countries get repeated)
Paris, London, Rome – School trip, March break of grade 11. We did the three major cities and all the cliché tourist attractions.
England, Ireland, Scotland – trip with friends in second year of university. 6 weeks total; 2 weeks in each country. We came home mimicking the most confusing accents ever.
France – school trip in grade 10, to practice our français. We actually went to a Parisian school for a day. (I’m fluent). They fell in love with Canadian accents.
Switzerland – skiing with my aunt and uncle, when I was in grade 9. Took off and explored by myself for a full day. Got in some major hot water for that. Ahem.
Holland – family trips. Multiple, over the span of my entire life. My dad was born there.
Sweden – a work trip from when I worked for the NHL. First class and five star, all expenses paid. It was beauty.
Italy – summer of third year of university, with a couple buddies. Split between Sicily and Tuscany.
Germany – flew there, spent a week or so being a tourist, and drove a rental car to my aunt’s in Holland. Sort of a dual purpose trip; family and tourist, all by my lonesome. I was...19?
Greece – That was my first trip by myself. I didn’t, and still don’t understand Greek, other than “Oopah!” I just told my parents I felt like going, and they said, “So go.” So I did. I was 17 at the time. That was right after high school graduation.

Asia (This part of the list is WAY too short. I’m working on that)
Japan – A trip with la familia. Nothing will make you feel quite as white as Tokyo and it was super cool. I’d go back in a heartbeat, especially since I love sushi now.
Korea – (Fudge. Forgot this one too) I don’t know if this counts. It was a short trip. It was for my cousin’s wedding. His wife is from there. Very pretty country.

The Hot Spots
Mexico – Who hasn’t been to Mexico? Seriously. Do I need to say more than the words “all inclusive”?
The Bahamas – I won a trip there. I forget what year of university it was...maybe 3rd? I should check that. It was pretty fun.
The Dominican – My friend’s parents own a resort in Punta Cana, and we got paid one year of university to be “mystery shoppers.” We had to stay as guests, take notes on everything. Hey, the stay was for free. Why not?

Holy youknowwhat, that took longer to write than I expected. Anyway, hope that explains how the heck my travel list is so extensive at a young age. It better be twice that size when I hit 40. That’s my goal anyway. I may live in the same area for my entire life and not hate on it a little, but I also love seeing the world. Up next? Who knows?!

Where have YOU been? Tell me your stories. :)

Old Creaker and His Wrath

I am a night owl by nature. Heck, sometimes I wonder if I am actually nocturnal. I focus as clear as anything at 2 AM but at 6? Dream on, buddy. Dream on. My parents, however, are my polar opposite. They're up before 6 AM every single day, because my mom likes to hit the gym before work, and my dad is just a sucker because he shares her bed and alarm clock (sorry, old man). My parents are regularly in bed by 9:30.

Thus, my nightly prowlings, which have occurred since I was old enough to determine my own bedtime, or lack thereof, are a constant source of strife in this household. When I was living away from home (8 months a year for the last 4 years) I got into the comfortable habit of sleeping when I wanted. University students sleep like rocks and most of us were night owls.

At home, its a different story. My mom wakes up if a mouse sneezes a mile down the road, so me walking around? Oh dear. The kicker? I have to walk by the door of their room to get from the kitchen, living room, den, or anywhere else in the house to my room. I can't go from my room to the kitchen to get juice and back without walking past their door TWICE.

This is where Old Creaker comes in. He's this pesky floorboard right in front of their door and he got his name for a reason. He creaks. Not quietly or gently. Its loud and obnoxious, I tell you. Now you're thinking, "This is to be expected in an old house." Well you would be wrong. The house we're in was built in 2001, dangit. Why are the floorboards out to GET ME?!

I don't know why Old Creaker has a personal vendetta against me. All I know is that he's at his loudest in the middle of the night, when all I'm trying to do is get a drink. So now a simple bit of thirst becomes a dilemma. Do I risk going to the kitchen for juice and waking the bear (also known as my mother) who will, in fact, come out unsuitably dressed, roaring at me for disturbing her intentionally, when all I was trying to do was get some gosh darn juice, or do I remain in my room, safe from noise control police but thirsty and thinking about juice?

I've tried walking around Old Creaker. It makes me look like a tool, since I'm taking a detour in the middle of an empty hallway, but I wouldn't care...if it worked. Which it didn't. Old Creaker saw me coming, and made me feel his wrath. My foot went NOWHERE NEAR THAT BOARD, and it groaned like I was killing it anyway. I've tried going faster than normal. I've tried going extremely slow. I've even tried shuffling in socks, and I hate wearing socks in the house, yo. Nothing works.

I need to find some kind of a sacrifice to the god of floorboards, because I must have done something very offensive to Old Creaker, because I swear to you, it is out to get me. It brings its wrath on me, which brings the motherly wrath on me and that is just. not. pretty. So much unnecessary drama over a floorboard. I tell ya.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

100 Things About Me

Wow, this took a long time to write. If you read it all, I will give you a cookie. Or maybe 2.

1. I’m a country girl. Always was, always will be.

2. I run the farm during the summer. My parents both work off the farm, so it’s been my baby for a long time. I have a shirt that says “My Barn, My Rules.” I live by that.

3. I can drive a tractor or combine better than a lot of males. This surprises people and makes me laugh.

4. I have more than 20 John Deere t-shirts. They all have different phrases, but they’re all John Deere. I also have jackets, sweatshirts, hats...I’m sure you can see where this is going.

5. My current truck is my lover. I bought it brand new, with all kinds of fun options, and I love it more than I ever should.

6. I’ve been in competition for years now. I enjoy jumping.

7. I can break a horse. I’ve done it many times. If you think it’s cruel, ride an unbroken one and let me know how that goes.

8. I’m actually allergic to horses. And dogs, cats, pollens and dust. I give allergies the middle finger every day. Constant exposure to environmental allergens makes it a lot easier to deal with.

9. My favourite colour has always been blue. There’s so many shades of it to love.

10. I’m an only child.

11. I like being an only child. When I was 5, I told my mom that she and my dad better not be having sex (yes, I got the birds and bees talk very early) because “I don’t want any babies in. this. house.” (This was following visiting a friend, who had a colic-y brother. Do you blame me?)

12. I’m a Daddy’s girl. We have ridiculously different interests and different personalities, but we get along famously. I can spend an entire day with him and enjoy every minute of it.

13. My mom and I are hot and cold. One minute, we’re getting along great, the next we’re screaming at each other. Its not because we don’t love each other. Its because we’re too similar in some way, polar opposite in others and both very stubborn. It makes for epic clash sometimes.

14. My parents’ 25th anniversary is this fall. I want to be them one day. Their marriage is rock solid.

15. I have a huge extended family. My mother has 13 siblings, and my father has 7. This means I have a lot of cousins, particularly since one aunt has 15 kids of her own. Yeah, that’s right. Fifteen.

16. I want to get married one day. My wedding is important to me.

17. I also want to have children, but two is my maximum. After that, I run out of hands and sanity.

18. I have never been shy. I don’t actually know how to play shy properly.

19. I can argue with anyone. About anything. I’ll even take a side that I don’t believe in and argue it, just to play devil’s advocate.

20. That led a lot of people to push me towards law as a career. I thought it was the right path, until I spent a day in a courthouse for school. I realized I could never live that life that day.

21. Instead, I’m becoming a teacher. I’ve taught intuitively since I was a kid. In grade 8, I taught kindergarten one afternoon a week, and helped out for the other 4 days. I’ve tutored just about any subject since elementary school. I’ve been a teacher’s assistant in university. Guess I should have seen it coming, huh?

22. I go back to my high school on every break from university, to say hi to my old teachers and I teach a week of English and history classes. (I really should have seen that teacher thing coming.)

23. I want to teach high school, preferably the senior years. I like little kids but I don’t have the patience of Job to handle 20 of them every day, all day. Props to the teachers that do.

24. I don’t think teenagers are even half as bad as the rep they’ve got. A lot of them are quite intelligent and insightful. Sure, every basket has its bad apples, but they’re the ones that need more care, not less.

25. I loved high school. I know it was considered hell for a lot of people, but I loved every second of it. I had my finger in everything, from sports to committees to clubs to the spring musical.

26. I was also a troublemaker. Nothing severe like drinking or drugs, but I’d bend the rules until they broke and then use a dazzling smile, and whatever extracurricular I was involved with at the time to get out of it. Worked like a charm, every time.

27. If there was an age I could be forever (out of the ones I’ve lived), it’d be 17.

28. I would never do the years from 18-21 over again if you paid me.

29. This is because university has been my personal hell. I felt lonely, alone, isolated, stupid, and unwanted more times than I could count. I had numerous people tell me they thought I was depressed.

30. I never thought it was depression. I think it was hate of circumstances, because now that I’m out of them, I’m back to feeling like me again.

31. I’ve considered writing a book, specifically aimed at people who feel like they don’t fit into the university life. I’ve started and deleted it more times than I’d care to admit.

32. I’m a fiercely loyal friend. You cross my friends, you cross me. This is probably because my best friends have been my friends since we were in diapers. We’re as close to siblings as friends will ever get.

33. When I take internet quizzes about what percentage male and female my brain is, I’m always 80% male or more. This is because I love sports, cars, trucks, tractors, and many very masculine things.

34. I still look like a girl though. I’m not tomboy in the traditional sense. I have long, curly dark brown hair; I wear makeup and dress like a girl.

35. I hate pink. I don’t wear pink, I don’t buy pink anything. If there’s pink on something, you wrecked it. I really hate it.

36. As a rule, I like guys better than girls. It’s half because of the tomboy thing and half because, seriously, girls can be bitches.

37. I have no patience for catty gossip behind people’s backs. Have the nerve to say something to their face if you’ve got a problem with them.

38. I can play quite a few instruments. Piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, guitar and drums. Most of them, I can play by ear by now.

39. I’ve sung and played piano at a few weddings, even though most of the time, wedding music makes me gag. It’s always so cliché.

40. Hockey is my all time favourite sport. If I’m watching it, you best not try to talk to me. I will either ignore you, swat at you, or both.

41. Every sport is better live than on TV. I dare you to tell me different.

42. I’ve spent the last two years working for the NHL during hockey season. I love the job, and the perks I get out of it.

43. My favourite player is Sidney Crosby. When people start ranting about how he hasn’t lived up to expectations, it sends me into a gigantic rant about how’s only TWENTY ONE, man. He’s got time.

44. I travel as much as I can. The long list of places I’ve been to includes: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, England, Switzerland, Holland, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, as well as standard tourist destinations like Mexico, the Bahamas, the Dominican, and a few states (NY, Michigan, Hawaii, California and Florida), as well as British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Whew. I think that’s everything.

45. I love rollercoasters. I could ride them over and over again. Amusement parks are amazing.

46. I’ve bungee jumped multiple times. I don’t scream when I go over the edge like most people do. I laugh.

47. I love to scuba dive. I have a license for it so I can do “real” dives instead of the 20 feet underwater tourist junk. It’s fun and it’s a spectacular view you won’t ever get from a picture.

48. I’m a member of a skydiving club. I started when I was 16, with tandem jumps (where you’re strapped to another person and they control the jump and the chute). Now I jump alone and tandem for other people.

49. I may be a wee bit of an adrenaline junkie. Maybe just a little.

50. I’m not crafty. I can’t knit, crochet, or do anything like that. I can paint, but I don’t enjoy it, so I never do it.

51. I do not, will not, and will never scrapbook. I don’t like kitchy things like that. I’d rather have a nice photo book done by a professional printer, which is what I get done with all my trip pictures.

52. I think Photoshop is the worst thing that ever happened to photography. Other than red eye touch up, or small thing like that, I refuse to edit pictures. I prefer pictures that look amazing straight from the camera. At least they’re real.

53. I love black and white pictures. They’re classic and timeless.

54. My aunt decided to gift me her Canon Rebel XTI when she realized she was never going to learn how to use it. The day after that, I took her grandson’s 2 year pictures. They’re already printed, framed and hung on the walls at both grandmas’ places, as well as my cousin’s.

55. I did a newborn shoot at a (different) cousin’s house with her daughter (born last week) and she likes the picture I took better than the professional ones she’s had done.

56. Photos are always best when they’re taken with love.

57. Babies always wrap me around their pinkies. Give me a baby, a blanket and a rocking chair and I’m happy for hours. My friend has a picture of me laying in a hammock with her son on my chest and my arms around him and both of us are asleep. I love it.

58. Speaking of hammocks, I love them. They’re amazingly comfortable, and great to read in.

59. I cannot pick a favourite book, but some of my favourites are classic literature like Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering Heights. I can read them over and over and never be bored.

60. That said, I also enjoy good courtroom drama novels, by authors like John Grisham or Jonathan Kellerman.

61. I enjoyed Twilight. Yes, I know its crap. I don’t pretend its not. But sometimes crap literature can still be an enjoyable read. So suck it.

62. I also own complete anthologies of Shakespeare. He’s my favourite playwright. I’ve been to the Stratford Festival so many times to see his plays, and I would go over and over again.

63. The best play I’ve ever seen on stage was a Stratford production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They used Cirque du Soleil acrobats for the fairies, and they came down from the lighting rigging on trapezes and bungees. It was nothing short of magical.

64. The best musical I’ve ever seen was, hands down, the Lion King. It was shockingly awesome, mostly because they went for the awe factor with a lot of the set and costumes.

65. I’m not a big fan of concerts. It may be that I’m a classically trained music snob but when someone is singing badly, warbling off key, despite how perfect their CD sounds, it annoys me. It’s also annoying when the person next to me sings so loudly that hearing the person on stage is hard.

66. I hate being touched by strangers. I don’t mind talking to them at all, but if they touch me intentionally, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My friends, however, invade my personal space on a regular basis and it doesn’t bother me.

67. I like cooking and baking, but hate cleaning up after myself.

68. Heck, I hate cleaning, period. It’s so repetitive. You’ll get all the cleaning done, and the laundry done, just to have to do it again next week. Drives me nuts. Someone needs to invent self cleaning houses and clothing.

69. On the flipside, I’m unhappy if things are messy.

70. I’ve been in two car accidents. One was a minor (3 car domino effect) fender bender that was nothing but an “Oops, gotta get that bumper straightened out.”

71. The other one was a bad roll over that totalled my vehicle. The truck flipped the back right corner over the front left twice, and then rolled over sideways three times, before finally landing on the wheels. We found pieces of the engine more than 50 feet from where it finally stopped.

72. I walked away from that with nothing more than one bruise on my knee, from where it bumped the steering wheel while the vehicle was upside down.

73. The police made me go to the hospital anyway, thinking I may have internal injuries. I didn’t. The doctors and nurses didn’t believe that I was the person that came from the bad accident. They prescribed me Tylenol 3 and offered to give me a Demerol shot because they said I’d be in major pain the next day.

74. I said no to all of it. I went home, had a hot bath, went to bed, and was on the tractor the next morning, thank you very much.

75. My friends and family tease me that I live hard. They’re probably right. I do dangerous things, have been all over the world, am rough on my body and push everything to the limit. I’d rather live like that now than regret not doing it when I’m old.

76. Because of this, i have a ridiculous amount of scars. I refuse to count them, because we’ll be here all day. I have one across the back of one hand from the top of a fence, one in my eyebrow from a baseball splitting my face open, LOTS from hockey, and all kinds from random cuts and splits from the farm. Life happens.

77. I have an unnaturally high pain tolerance. When I admit I’m in pain, its the type of pain where someone else would be in the fetal position, crying.

78. My favourite TV, currently, is House. I love that sadistic bastard. Its the one show I get mad about missing.

79. I also enjoy every single spin off of CSI. It’s so incorrect as far as how criminal investigations go, but even as someone who takes criminology classes, I don’t care. I don’t follow it religiously though.

80. I have never smoked anything, legal or illegal. I’ve never done any illegal drugs. I don’t see the allure. I just don’t.

81. I punched a guy in a bar once. He grabbed my ass and I told him to go away. He came back a few minutes later and went in for a boob grab. I told him that if he tried it once more, I would punch him square in the nose. He laughed and said I didn’t have the nerve. A few minutes later, he snuck up behind me, reached under my arms and grabbed from both sides. I whirled around and clocked in in the nose so hard that i broke it and knocked him to the floor.

82. Incidents like these are the reason i hate bars. I’d much rather have a few beers with friends at home.

83. I also hate public drunkenness. Heck, drunkenness of any type. Getting to the feel good point? Fine, go for it. Getting to the point of making a public ass of yourself or puking? You’re an idiot.

84. Speaking of puke, its the one thing I cannot handle. Seeing, smelling or hearing someone puke makes me come dangerously close to puking myself.

85. Blood, guts or broken bones, however? I don’t bat any eyelash. I have a ridiculous amount of first aid training. I’ve popped shoulders back into place, patched up big cuts, dealt with gushing blood, taped up broken bones until they can be set. No problem.

86. I have CPR training, and I’ve had to use it. I pulled a 3 year old girl, whose parents were nowhere to be found, out of the lake when I was 16, and had to perform CPR because she wasn’t breathing. Her mother didn’t show up until the ambulance was there, loading the little girl into it. That still makes me angry. The paramedics, however, told me that I saved the child’s life by doing CPR until they got there, because she still had a strong pulse when they arrived.

87. I hope I never have to give CPR ever again but gosh, was I ever glad I knew how.

88. I can be a pretty picky eater. I’m not a fan of very many vegetables at all. Its a very limited list.

89. I will not eat cooked carrots, if I have a choice. Raw, I eat for a snack. Cooked, disgusting. Ditto to peas.

90. On the flipside, mushrooms are gross raw, but if they’re fried, I’ll eat a ton. I don’t make sense. I know it.

91. I don’t like pieces of tomato, but ketchup and spaghetti sauce are quite welcome. Don’t ask. I don’t know.

92. Sweet corn season makes me unnaturally happy. I plant a few rows at my house every year, and go out, pick the corn, husk it, cook it and eat it. You won’t get it any fresher than that.

93. I love any type of seafood. People that are grossed out by it are missing out.

94. I am completely in love with Chinese dim sum. I could eat it every day for a week and still ask for more.

95. I also enjoy sushi. I tried it for the first time in university and was rather impressed.

96. I love getting mail, so I write letters. Its been a constant thing between my friends and I while we were away at university. Its nice getting mail that's not a bill, even if we talked to each other basically every day.

97. My cell phone (BlackBerry) is constantly with me. I’m lost without it. I have unlimited long distance to 10 numbers in my plan. They messed up one friend’s number and charged me for her calls one month. I had over 90 dollars in long distance to her alone. (It got removed when I called, don’t worry). Thats more than my bill is per month, and keep in mind I’ve got 9 other people on that list, plus texting, other long distance calls and regular calls. My cell company isn’t making money off me.

98. I always have polish on my toenails. Even in the dead of winter. However, I never do my fingernails. I chip it off way too fast and it looks like hell.

99. I love getting massages but I’m not a fan of pedicures. For some reason, I really don’t like people touching my feet.

100. The one cause I will campaign for is cancer. I’ve lost all 4 grandparents to it, as well as two friends, one at 19 and one at 20. I miss them every day, and hope one day, no one will have to go through that.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Hope

There are a lot of causes I think are worthwhile, but not many that I'll give up a night of sleep for. However, last night, I found the exception to that rule. I spent 12 hours (from 7 PM, starting with a survivors lap and everyone walking behind them to 7 AM, with a fight back lap of everyone again) with good friends walking a high school track in a nearby city, in the rain, doing the Relay for Life with the Canadian Cancer Society.

Cancer's a beast that affects us all. It doesn't discriminate between the young and the old, male or female, black or white, healthy or sickly. It doesn't care if you've got potential to life your life as a young person, or children you want to see grow up. It strikes out of nowhere. It strikes any part of the body. It strikes and so often, is deadly.

There are very few people who haven't been touched by cancer in this world, be it a relative, a friend, a colleague, or anyone they care about. Some of us are lucky enough to know a survivor; to be able to tell the story of someone who won the battle, but too many know and miss someone who lost their battle with cancer. The memorial luminaries that lined both sides of the 1600 metre track reminded of us that all night.

Its an emotional beatdown to see that many names with the label "In memory." Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, loved ones and friends all lost. My friends. One who was 19 when he died of lung cancer. My grandparents.

But despite acknowledging the past, the one thing that keeps us going, through the 12 hour walk, through the rain, through the sleeplessness was this:

Hope that we will one day find the cure, and hope that no one will have to suffer again. Hope to patients and their families and friends. Hope that one day, Relay for Life with be history, because cancer is no more. Hope for the future.

And so we fight back. With hope.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Spanking

I am apparently a fan of the controversial issues lately. So here I am, happily surfing my guilty pleasure, when I see this story about Kate Gosselin (yeah, go ahead and roll your eyes) spanking one of her kids.

All I have to say is: SO WHAT?!

There is nothing wrong with spanking, within a reasonable limit. No, I don't constitute beating your child, or hitting them for everything they do wrong, but sometimes, a kid needs the board of education on the seat of knowledge, if you know what I'm saying.

This is coming from someone who was spanked as a kid. I didn't turn out warped, and I don't have any mommy or daddy issues from it. Sometimes, a smack on the butt drives home the message when a time out or talking to fails.

It shouldn't be the first method tried but I don't see anything wrong with a spanking as a method of discipline. I could cite all types of cliches, like "spare the rod, spoil the child," etc but everyone knows what they are.

I just don't see spanking as abuse. What's your take on it?

Is there any better way to spend summer?

In a brilliant move, I gave myself yesterday off. (This is the magic of farm life. If there's no work to be done, you don't have to come in). So anyway, I appointed a holiday for myself, and some friends. We hitched my boat to my truck, filled my quad cab with people, as well as another one and took off to the lake for the day.

The awesome part about living where I do is that multiple Great Lakes are in driving distance. Not 10 minutes away, mind you, but very driveable. All we had to do was put the boat in the water, park the trucks at the marina and take off for the day.

Between fishing, tanning, swimming and hanging out with a few beers, it makes for a fantastic lazy day. I had quite a few rants waiting to go up on this blog, things people were doing that made me angry at humanity and etc. But after a day doing absolutely nothing productive on the water with good friends, my mellow is back (temporarily anyway).

And while pulling the boat out of the water, an ice cream truck came by, which just put a cherry on top of a good day, by making my inner 5 year old squee with joy. (You're damn right I bought some).

People still suck but my day was a little bit brighter.

Monday, June 8, 2009

How to make your boyfriend's friends like you

UPDATE: Oh there is justice in the world. There is justice. Le girlfriend is no more. Gone. Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.

I am decidedly tomboy in personality. I look very girly, but I can act like a total boy. Because of this, and because girls are too much drama, most of my best friends are guys. Because of this, I deal with a lot of the psycho girlfriends that come with it. This is my list of advice for females for making nice with your new boyfriend's friends.

- Recognize the importance of friend approval if you want to stick around. Flings don't require any approval, but if you don't fit in with the friends that are important to a guy, you don't fit into his everyday life. He won't like that. Its easier when a girl blends in with the friends, rather than creating drama with them.
- Remember that the friends were there first. Your relationship with him and ours are different, but chances are, we've got a lot more history, and if push comes to shove, he's going to pick all of us over one of you. Don't ever try to make him make that choice.
- Try to enjoy the things he does with his friends. This doesn't mean you have to do things you hate, or compromise ideals. But if they're doing something relatively harmless and you're invited, try to hang out. They'll appreciate the effort, even if you end up hating it.
- Don't accuse his female friends of sleeping with him, wanting to sleep with him, or anything else. It makes you look like a jealous, crazy broad who is absolutely paranoid. If they've been friends since they were young, and they were going to sleep together, trust me...it would have happened by now.
- Don't turn into a snoop. Don't check his calls, read his texts, go on his instant messaging, or go through anything else that isn't yours. Just because he's dating you does not mean he's not entitled to private conversations.
- We demand private time with him. This means time where you're not around, not texting, not calling, and not e-mailing him. Time where you do not exist. This is essential.
- Don't call him annoying ass pet names in front of us. "Babe" or the likes are acceptable, when not said in a baby tone, but "muffincake" or anything remotely like that makes us all want to gouge your eyes out. Him included, not gonna lie.

I'm currently dealing with a female who has entered my life, thanks to one of my best friends (thanks, Sean) who breaks every single one of the above rules. Our entire friend group hates her and has no problem undermining their relationship. We don't want her around, and we'll be openly happy when she bites the dust.

So girls, don't ever be that girl. Seriously. She sucks.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

On a lighter note

My last couple blog entries have been about the heavier topics, so this is going to be a complete switch. I'm in the mood for a meme, and this was stolen from Marla. Apparently, its some Thursday thing but this is my blog, so we are playing by my rules.

1. You are at the store when suddenly 2 men walk in with guns and rob the place. Are you the hero, quiet & follow the rules type, or try to make a run for it?
Have I got the tactical advantage? Cause if I think I can win, hell yeah, I'll take them down. If there's a gun pointed at my chest and I think the guy will fire, I may shut up.

2. Do you like Twizzlers?
Take em or leave em.

3. Are you a YouTube watcher?
Nah. I watch a funny video if someone sends it to me but I don't surf for them.

4. When a auto glass store calls you and asks if you have a chip or crack in your windshield, what do you tell them?
I tell them no, and not to call me again, dammit.

5. What is the age difference between you and your father?

A great deal of time. The man is old.

6. Have you ever tried to find the end of a rainbow?
Only in the Skittles bag. Taste the rainbow.

7. Camping - recreational vehicle or tent?
I don't mind either. If its a long time, I'd prefer an RV, but if its a couple nights, a tent doesn't bug me. Friends regularly camp out at each other's places out here in the sticks.

8. Have you ever had to call 9-1-1?
I sure have.

9. Who is your favorite blog in the Thursday Thunk bloggers to visit?

Aha, there's this Thursday thing again. Maybe I'll have to check it out some Thursday.

10. How long do you think you could live locked in your house on the food that you have on hand right now?

LOL We've just had a cow slaughtered (Hi PETA, look away now), so our freezer would last me a long, long time.

11. Pepper - shaker or grinder?
Grinder

12. What state (or country if you are not in the US) is 2 states west of you?

Saskatchewan. (Seriously yo, who named that?)

13. What color do you believe you look best in?
Bright colours. I wash out big time in pastels.




Interesting. I may have to check out this Thunkers business.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Maiden name vs married name

Recently, one of my childhood friends got married. That may or may not have spawned this rant. Anyway, the point is she became Mrs. Smith (yes, her actual married name is Smith) from Miss Jones (Not her real name. Fooled ya, didn't I?)

Every time I see her new name pop up on Facebook feed, its odd. Not bad, mind you, just odd. Its going to take some getting used to. I knew her as Jones for almost 22 years, and now she's Smith. This same topic was mentioned when a bunch of my friends were out together, which earned us a rant from a feminist about changing your name, losing your identity and basically bowing to Da Man. (Those are the type of feminists I hate, man. The ones that butt into your business when you're talking about someone they don't know).

I've never understood the anger over married names, or the dropping of a maiden name. Just because you change from Miss to Mrs doesn't mean you lose yourself. It doesn't mean you have to give up everything you made for yourself in your single days. It just means you got married, and now you and your husband (and potential future children) are a team. Your parents and siblings, while still your family, are not immediate anymore. Your husband is. And if we want to use a sports metaphor, you have to wear the same jersey to play on the same team.

I understand there are some exceptions to this rule, like famous personalities (who often change husbands as much as they change their thongs) and don't want to mess around with their name too much, but you'd be surprised to find that many of them legally have their husband's last name and only use their maiden name for stage. But I do understand that some career paths are easier to maintain without changing one's name.

In my case, I will be changing my last name to my (future) husband's name, should I get married. I want to be a very obvious family unit with myself, my husband and my kids all sharing a last name. I want to be proud to play on that "team" and wear my jersey, and I know that just because my last name changes, it doesn't mean that who I am as a person changes. Yes, my role will shift from daughter to wife, and one day mother, but that's natural progression of life.

One day, I'll wear my "Mrs" moniker with pride. How about you?

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The touchy topics - abortion

Last night, Catherine from Her Bad Mother made this post on BlogHer. (Rather than me sum it up, I'd suggest you read it and Catherine can do her own viewpoint justice.) A discussion between her, myself and others ensued on Twitter and the comments on that page. Now that I am semi-awake, I'd like to clarify my own view better on this page.

- I am firmly pro-life/anti-abortion/whatever word you choose. This may be because of a religious upbringing, although I don't associate myself with it. But the phrase 'abortion stops a beating heart' rings true to me. I'm not saying it has to for you, but for me, it does.

- Though I mentioned religion was in my life when I was a kid, I don't have any problems with people having sex before marriage. This is a personal choice, and I support it because it is not harmful to anyone but two consensual partners who have voices of their own.

- While I had said religious upbringing, I fully support birth control before the fact. Particularly in a world where there is ample choice, and doctors who will help you find what method works best for you, birth control is readily available. Hell, the local health unit here has condoms for free.

- Because birth control is so readily available to anyone who wants it, a lot of oops pregnancies could have been prevented. Yes, everyone knows the story of Susie who was on the Pill and got pregnant anyway, but when used correctly, birth control can be 99% effective. When used incorrectly (ie not taken at the same time every day), your chances aren't as good. This is all on the packaging.

- I've seen too many women in my own age group (early 20s, to clarify) that view abortion as their back up plan, and casually toss around, "Well if I get pregnant, I can always have an abortion." This type of thinking sickens me. I don't think that needs any further explanation.

- Another blogger mentioned cases of rape and incest, and Catherine herself mentioned cases where the mother is at risk. As far as rape and incest goes, I don't think its fair for me to weigh in. I've never had to face it, nor see anyone go through this. If the baby poses a risk to the mother, this should be determined by a doctor, and then he/she can decide what the best course of action is. That's why they have a medical degree.



Basically, it comes down to this: If you're adult enough to engage in sex, you're adult enough to find a birth control option. If you choose not to, accept the consequences, which can range from STDs/STIs to pregnancy. Terminating a life because you didn't bother to get a condom is unacceptable.

This topic is open for discussion, however, it must be kept civil. Please be sensitive to the fact that this is a personal issue, and isn't a black and white situation. Avoid being hateful. Also, as always, comments are moderated.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Love and marriage

I guess I'm at that age in life where people I know, and people I went to high school with, are going to start getting married and having babies. Excuse me while I freak out about that for a few minutes.

One girl I went to high school with married at 19 and already has a daughter, but that just made us all think she was crazy. But now, slowly, engagements are starting to pop up, and wedding dates are being set. A girl I've known since we were babies (our mothers were friends) just got married and moved cross country with her husband.

Things like this hit me like a train, and remind me we're all growing up and growing apart. Its weird, because I don't feel any more grown up than I did in high school. (See: Name of blog). Sometimes, engagement announcements make me feel a wee stab of jealousy, simply because I'm dating someone right now, while other people are committing to forever. (Don't remind me about divorce statistics, that's NOT THE POINT.)

But then I sit back for a minute and realize there's a reason I'm not seriously dating someone right now. Its one of two things: either I haven't found the right person yet, or I'm not ready to settle down with someone yet. Either way, its a good thing that I'm not engaged, because the idea of getting married reasonably soon freaks.me.out.yo!

This is probably a ramble-y blog entry, mostly because I'm still trying to wrap my head around the subject. On one hand, I'd love to be in a serious relationship and ready to marry someone, and on the other, that thought makes me want to head for the hills. Like I said on Twitter, its an odd mix of my desire to get married and have a family, and my desire to stay single and free for now.

Is this my bio clock ticking? Cause seriously, I am too young for this shit.