Tanenbaum

Word of the day...Baum...it means tree. Speaking of tree today is the very festive annual tradition in our house of yelling, crying, insulting and storming around aka decorating the tree. Last year was our first successful tree adornment ritual after which we were all still speaking to each other. There must be something about Raffi blasting out "old Toy Trains", munching on festive cookings and hanging decade old ornaments on an even older tree that just gets my family all riled up! The three by the way looks rather fluffy this year as my mom is intent on winning the Guinness World Record for longest kept fake tree. She will still be fluffing out those branches for her grandchildren. I think my parents first invested in the plastic conifer when they realized my fondness for pine needles, oh way back in '86. Ever since ol'faithful has been there gradually getting hidden more each eyar by horribly mismatched but sentimental ornaments. That has been part of my master plan, cover the thing until no one really knows what is under there anyway. I forgot to mention why I loathe this tree...its a little...sparse. Well that is putting it nicely. The tree consists of about 5 layers of branches with increasing diameters piled on top of one another. How do I know there are 5 layers? I cna see write through the tree between each layer. We have made a few improvements over the year, one being the hour of fluffing the branches before the lights go on and two being the lovely angel that now tops the tree as opposed to one tacky, gold garland with multicoloured-lights star that flashed in all its 80s glory.
Still most of me still looks forward to tonight with great anticipation thinking maybe, just maybe this year will be different.

On another note I had to run out to the grocery store for milk today and to feel more grown up I grabbed a Toronto Star (obviously not very original, taking its name from the critically acclaimed Sault Star). In the front cover there is a rousing (sp?) christmas (hannukah, kwanzaa...whatever it is these days, I by the way am not much for political correctness) article about the archaicness of marriage! I am almost tempted to agree with her. Don't get me wrong, I want to get married someday and stay married to the same person for the rest of my life, and I do believe sex is meant for the confines of marriage as a union under God. However, with the divorce rates as high as they are I wonder why people are taking the plunge if they do not follow the Bible or other religious teachings that define marriage. Maybe there should start being public service announcements about how much work really does go into a marriage and how much it costs (financially and emotionally) end one. I'm not saying that I want to scare people out of marriage but I think there needs to be a greater awareness of just what exactly 'forever' means. Props (tops) to anyone who does follow through with the vows they said on their wedding day.

Quiz thingy

Sorry if this is torture. I started off as fun to write but then gradually became a test of will. Ok I lied, I am a geek and I love filling out these pointless surveys. I always learn something about myself. For example, according to one survey I am 96% related to michael jackson. I guess by Maury's standards that makes him my dad. Scary. Anyway, enjoy, or don't.

Series 1-8
Created by andy and taken 11938 times on bzoink!
[ series 1 ]
Name	Katie
Birthday	march 23
Birthplace	wawa (Land o' the big goose)
Current Location	home...in the great white north
Eye Color	hazel-y bluey green
Hair Color	brown
Righty or Lefty	righty (are we talking politics or hands?...doesn't really matter i guess
Zodiac Sign	who cares
Font	um...veranda...ooo those square letters
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
[ series 2 - your favorite ]
Music	christian....oh who am I kidding...90s pop
Cartoon	Pepper Ann
Color	PINK!
Car	volkswagon jetta, well favorite car in the "i have the potential to own that someday" category
Slushy Flavor	lemonade
Magazine	the economist or national geographic...such a tough choice!
TV Show	ameria's next top model...i'm ashamed
Song at the Moment	(get out of my head Ashlee Simpson!) ok, I love You, by Sanctus Real
Language	MANDARIN! xiexie shelly
Spice Girl	posh...she's so cool
Food & Beverage	if we're talking as a combo...chips dipped in pop
Subject in School	economics
Weekend Activity	hanging out with the roomies! (shelly you are an honourary roomie)
Frozen Yogurt	cappucino
Roller Coaster	top gun...cliche i know, i know
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
[ series 3 - what is ]
Your most overused phrase	no, YOU're really [insert word here]
First thing you thought when you woke up	yay, i didn't sleep through church
Last image/thought you go to sleep with	i have no idea...i can't remember what i was doing 5 minutes ago...or where i put my scarf!
First feature you notice of opposite sex	smile....no ash that isn't sap!
Best name for a Butler	Gordie? what?
Wussiest Sport	hop scotch...well i dunno they can be pretty hardcore...baseball?
Your best feature	my wonderfully clear skin ;)
Your greatest fear	getting in a car accident...or rejection....oh crap why am I being so honest?
Your greatest accomplishment	getting dean's list at uni so far...geek! there i said it for you
Your most missed memory	wildwood Bible Camp...sharing the upstairs with hogan and nat!
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
[ series 4 - you prefer ]
Pepsi or Coke	pepsi...although coke is better for chip-dippin'
McDonald's or Burger King	um, well...ew....mcdonald's...
Single or Group Dates	meh...single I suppose
Adidas or Nike	whichever pays their workers more...this could be hard
Chicken nuggets or Chicken fingers	fingers...buffalo style, without the bones!
Dogs or Cats	doggies
Rugrats or Doug	neither
Single or Taken	single
Monica or Brandy	brandy
Tupac or Jay-Z	I dislike rap with a passion and I haven't met either of them personally
Shania Twain or LeAnn Rhymes	sorry leeAnn, me and shania go way back
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea	nestea
One pillow or Two	my blankie rolled up in a ball
Chocolate or Vanilla	chocolate
Hot chocolate or Hot cocoa	I um, the one that tastes good...what? they are different?
Cappucino or Coffee	cappucino...but I can't have caffiene
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
[ series 5 - do you ]
Shower everyday	no
Have a crush	no
Think you've been in love	long pathetic crushes, etc. no love
Want to go to college	maybe someday, if I would hard enough
Like high school	oh yeah its great, I mean everyone always said the 6th year is the best
Want to get married	----yes
Type correctly	no, I don't use my pinkies
Believe in yourself	I believe I'm here
Have any tattoos? Where	nope
Have any piercings? Where	nope
Get motion sickness	nope
Think you're a health freak	I eat falafel...does that count?
Get along with your parents	sure
Like thunderstorms	I'll go with yes......ok no...lightning scares me like nothing else
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
[ series 6 - the future ]
Age your plan to be married	24
Number and names of children	oh boy...6, Judah, Noah, Jaeden, Brielle, Aubrey/Aubrianna, Mica
Where will you be at age 20	20, oh no, i'm gonna be 20, i'm so old...my life is going nowhere....spiralling...down......
Dream wedding	on turtle Island at long beach
How do you want to die	scary...nope I don't want to plan this one
Dream job	paint chip namer or resort reviewer
Country you'd like to visit	Italy or greece
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
[ series 7 - opposite sex ]
Best eye color	green
Best hair color	light brown
Short or long hair	medium
Best height	5'11 +
Best weight	meh...not obese
Best clothes	preppy with some colour
Best first date location	walking along the river
Best first kiss location	the boardwalk
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
[ series 8 - other ]
Last time you slept with a stuffed animal	3 days ago
Rings before you answer the phone	atleast 2...ALWAYS...ask the housemates
What's on your mousepad	dell
How many houses you've lived in	5, 6 if rez counts
How many schools you've gone to	4
Bedroom carpet color	brown...or more accurately sienna
Shave your head for $5,000?	no
Stranded on a desert island. Take three things. No people	Bible, knife, clean underwear
Best time of your life so far	uni!!!!!!
Create a Survey Search Surveys Go to bzoink!

I Forgot what I was going to Title This

I know most people joke about having a bad memory or losing things easily but I actually based my choice of a desktop over a laptop because it is more than possible for me to put something that valuable on a table beside me and minutes later walk away, leaving it behind. Have you ever considered that maybe having children isn't such a great idea due to the high chance you might one day do the same thing to them? Well due to my innate ability to lose absolutely anything and everything this thought has crossed my mind. Riding on the bus for nine hours this morning/afternoon/evening I had plenty of time to watch Home Alone 2 (even better than I remember) and list everything I have absentmindedly left behind or forgotten over the last semester...a scarf, a jean jacket, a present and numerous other items not to mention for some reason my inability to recall even simple nouns resorting to 'you know, that thing' and the very intelligent 'the thingy, over there, with the tallness...nevermind'.
So in keeping with the learning theme yet again we have a new word for today HYPOCHONDRIAC: say it with me now. That's right, people who make up illnesses and assume one cough must mean pneumonia.
I can't tell you exactly how this particular neurosis started but maybe it's due to my mother being a nurse or my love for e.r. but the first thing that came to mind when thinking about all of my lost items was "Wow, sounds like alzheimers". Early onset alzheimers????? Who gets that at 19 years old? I haven't been ingesting any large quanities of lead that I am aware of. Now I'm not trying to bash alzheimer's, it is serious...but sometimes i think my imagination gets away with me.
As for life at home, so far so good. I feel like i'm the big stabilizer of the family though. We'll see how that one goes since maybe i'm not all that stable myself ;). Christmas, 7 days...Winter Conference 9. God has provided in ways I couldn't have imagined. The cost of both WC and bus fare are almost covered but the best part is the letters and support I have gotten from my family that I otherwise don't get to talk about my faith with. Woot!
Alright holidays, here I come.

MMM Cake

Dear Bloggy,
Today was so-so. I woke up just waiting to stick it to my exam--or have it get stuck to me? Anyway, I'm not sure which way the sticking went to be perfectly honest. There was an answer for all questions written down and i had 10 minutes left after the exam.
Today let's all learn something: Mangiacake. Italian for 'cake eater'? Well whatever, don't take offence to this word if you are one cuz its just a great word to throw in at parties. Just be careful not to call your uncle Gino one. It basically means white-dude of non-italian descent...I learned something new today though; it is meant to be extremely derogatory. The way we use it at home it gets thrown around by teachers, friends, Good ol'Folgo the principal used it (well I don't have proof) to mean "white man who wishes he ate proscuitto and owned a jewelry store".
Most of my italian has been through osmosis (my pale skin allowing for easy absorption of other cultures)...It wasn't weird for a guy in my school to own and wear large white gold and 18k yellow gold rings on multiple fingers and the saying "A Gino" didn't go very far since most girls either dated one or their fathers were one. I would say this makes it an interesting place to live but it doesn't really. Although I will never be happy with pizza anywhere else and can I get a Ginetti???? ai, mangiacakes.....

Examies

The only creative juices that will be flowing today is if I drool when I nap. My brain is so fried, thank you accounting. And bitter apparently...this last is exam is really kicking me in the teeth. Of course the thought of not studying crossed my mind but of course i'll regret it, blah blah blah. On a lighter note I'm taking a break. The massive laundry pile that managed to eat even my clean clothes is now safely near the washing machine, there are candy wrappers nicely strewn all over my desk (they are silver so I think i'll call them 'festive') and I can barely walked through my room without discovering something hidden under a pile of notes. Yep, that sounds about right. There is no food left in the house that would prevent me from coming down with a case of scurvy or osteoporosis. I am rationing the last of my milk for a bowl of cereal tomorrow and maybe a class of it on friday. I went with Shell-eh to Pizza Hut for their lunch buffet yesterday. Overall a good choice since I had been dreaming about it since first semester of first year. How I managed to continue to eat 3 pieces of dessert pizza after I was two slices of regular pizza over my full line already I may never know. Props to shelly for being able to pack it in. I didn't realize one could still feel full 8 hours after eating....yes my friends it's possible.

Back to the dreaded Accounting...so far going faster than I thought, but not easier...rr...

Keeping with the Brain Theme

Exams are almost done and in keeping with the the human being's primal urge to avoid studying (if you believe in primal urges) I have been inspired to write today. You have all heard 'a mind is a terrible thing to waste' and in my quest to be more knowledgeable and more interesting i suppose I will begin compiling a list of things I want to learn/do before I die.
1) Learn to speak Mandarin
This was inspired by a jaunt to the Pacific Mall in Toronto where for the first time in my life I was a minority. I'd like to say this was a profound experience but truthfully I just liked shopping. Anyway, my two lovely tourguides (shelly and rebecca!) were kind enough to take me to dimsum (sp) and bear through my butchering of mandarin to show me a few phrases..so far I know thankyou, goodbye, you're fat and i'm full...all very useful.
2) Learn Sign Language
This is such a beautiful language, I mean no words...no talking over each other, no yelling, (hmmm...i kinda like yelling). And for anyone that sounds like Fran Drescher this could be a good alternative, for everyone.
3) Learn to Sew a Dress
This is a by myself, I would wear it out of the house afterward, actually follow the pattern, fits nicely kinda dress.
Alright that is it for today. Really I need to study economics, oligopolies here I come!

Artsy ramblings of the unartsy: some nostalgia

Basically I have no life and I am waiting around for the fun to start tonight by writing the second blog of the day. My fascinations come on strong and die quick so much like all the other diaries and journals I have started as a child the novelty of this may wear off soon. I thought I would try to do a reminisce piece reflecting what I’ve learned growing up in the middle of nowhere Northern Ontario.

So I begin in the middle of nowhere. A cliché at first glance but I think this place has rightful claims to the name. You see it is situated right in the bush (northern for ‘forest’) about 2 and a half hours north of anything with a Tim Horton’s or substantial shopping arena, basically any place with a population of great than 5000. The place is the great metropolis of Wawa, or the GWA (greater Wawa area). Within an hour radius there is nothing larger than this town, children are bussed in from places that don’t even have a high school to attend the old faithful Michipicoten High. The state of the art hospital serves all of the ‘bush-dwellers’ with emergency care, assuming you can get there in time.

Being isolated from the rest of the world (Toronto), you could call the existence of the town almost feral. I have picked up words that I still get regularly mocked for and customs that could have only originated in the type of conditions that allowed for the genetic diversity of Australia. I proudly say packsack without batting an eye and at one time had a Canadian goose foot as a toy.

Now its just getting pathetic and I am losing my flair...a little Flowers for Algernon style if you will. But I did whip these babies up for my housemates this afternoon after we were inspired by my favorite passtimes of reading personal ads in the National Post...good times.

Like a 12 year old Child!
SWCF, 19, Slim build and perfect bone structure. Nutrition student, loves to eat eggplants and other vegetables. Very sentimental, likes to laugh, romantic walks through the organic foods section, and artistic endeavors. Seeking a slim, SWCM 29-69, with large, prominent nose who is involved in the church and who cuts trans-fat from his diet. Seeking long term relationship, serious replies only.

I say Tom-ah-to!
SWCF, 19, looks Argentinean, likes rice pudding, reading the Bible, traveling, and talking on the phone. Seeking SWCM, 38-66, madly in love with Christ, willing to go through rigorous testing in areas such as behaviour while serving, with children, the elderly and speaking in public. Must own a copy of the Amplified Bible and willing to learn Greek and Hebrew. Call for a good chats, prayer time and maybe more!

Don’t be Intimidated
SWCPF. 19, engineering student with curly brown hair and intense blue eyes. Loves to play the 12 string guitar, build devices that transport eggs, curling and long walks on the beach. Seeking a SCM, 19 ½-39, 6’+, 198-225 lbs. Must have athletic build, blue/green eyes, N/S, N/drugs. If you are marriage-minded, have great strumming patterns, a sexy deep voice and a set of real drums call me up!

I hope that was enjoyable...but then laundry is enjoyable when you are studying for exams. I bought fabric softener for the first time yesterday. It took me 15 minutes but I got Downey Ultra Spring Rain scent...the joys of living away from home!

Retitle

I guess I didn't have much time to consider the name of my blog...since to actually show you the inside of my brain would mean I have to have something in there. Don't get me wrong, its not totally empty but the fact that the Tenant Protection Act in Ontario does not allow for termination of a tenancy based solely on the ownership of pets is not what people come here for I guess. Maybe once my exams are over I'll have something of merit...or i'll just change the name of my blog thing. As for life and real thoughts, i'll get around to that. Right now I am in the library at school quietly stealing computer time from more deserving students who do work so there is guilt involved. I think i'll go check my email...