The Countdown Begins

This is it. There are now forty-four more days until I leave this country. Forty-four more days until I fly internationally for the first time every. Forty-four more days before I head off to New Zealand. Putting this into numbers really starts putting things into perspective about this whole thing.

For those of you who are wondering, I’ve decided to use this blog to keep you updated with all of my New Zealand related shenanigans and whatnot. I can’t say for sure how regularly I’ll actually update it but it’s definitely something I want to be doing on a semi-regular basis. I’ve had this blog for a little over a year now and now is the first time I’m choosing to share it with you, my real life friends. It’s not like I have a secret identity or anything but it was nice to have a place where I could vent about anything and everything. I have however cleared this blog of all embarrassing items, so don’t even bother looking.

I seem to be a little rusty when it comes to writing but if I do this regularly I’ll be in top form in no time at all, I just ask that you bear with me here.

Back to the subject at hand. The fact is that this has now become about 37% more realistic to me and I’m actually starting to get excited about it instead of terrified. There are still things I’m worried about but they’re out of my control so I will just choose not to think about them as much as I am capable of doing so. I’ve also got a few last minute things I need to take care of, but the deadline for those is miles away and being the procrastinator that I am, I’m not in the least bit worried about them yet.

As a final note, I would like to add that I am spending a lot of money on this and so I expect to get a lot out of it. I’m going to New Zealand to learn, and if I come back not having learned anything of value I am going to be very upset indeed. What I learn doesn’t matter too much as long is it’s useful and helpful.

All in all, I have high expectations for this adventure.

Occupy What?

The Occupy Movement has been going on for some time now and has been making global headlines. When I first heard about it, I was naturally curious as to what it was about so I decided to look into it a bit more. I still don’t really understand what it’s all for, the protestors all seem to have their own agenda, whether it be corruption, money or just general protesting. There is no unified cause. I hear about occupy movements happening everywhere but what are they trying to achieve?

What I’m trying to say is, you can’t just go marching out in the streets shouting that the world you live in is unfair and expect it all to change. That’s not the way it works. The change has to start with you, you can yell and shout all you like but if you’re not willing to make a few sacrifices for a better world then nothing’s going to come of it.

This is how I feel about it anyways, based on what I’ve seen. Did I get it right? Is there something I’m missing here? I would be happy if somebody would give me an answer.

On another note, I realize that it’s been awhile but I’ve been wanting to say something about this for some time now.

Starfield

I don’t go to a lot of concerts but last night I went to see Starfield with my Bible study group. If you’ve never heard of them, they’re a Christian band from Manitoba and they all have Mennonite last names (not much of a surprise really). Anyways, I’d heard of them before but never listened to any of their music so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

When we got there, I could hear music so I assumed that they had already started, what surprised me when we got inside was that it was three men a lady singing. I had not expected this at all, my friend had told me earlier that it was three brothers, but I shrugged it off and figured she must not have mentioned something. Of course, I found out after they got off stage that this was just one of their opening bands, I’ll admit that I was relieved.

The actual band was really good and I’d like to go see them again if the opportunity comes up. They got the crowd involved and at one point the lead singer even joined the dancing crowd at the front. I didn’t get any good pictures, which is slightly disappointing but I now have a new band to listen to. Exciting, isn’t it?

So that was my Starfield experience. I apologize for the choppy writing but my excuse is that it’s first thing in the morning. Now for the grand finale, I will post a Starfield song here.

Let it Snow Baby, Let it Reindeer!

I’m sure you all remember my various complaints and observations about the snow not melting this spring. Well, it hasn’t snowed yet and I must tell you I am grievously disappointed. My anticipation for Christmas is growing at a very unhealthy rate and anyone you ask that knows me will confirm it. I have just started listening to and purchasing Christmas music on itunes. I have (for this evening) deluded myself into thinking that it’s December and there’s snow and Christmas lights outside. In order to preserve this delusion, I’m staying in the basement.

I know it’s not even Halloween yet but I no longer care for Halloween. I want Christmas and I want it now!

We had a fairly cold summer and the prospect of warm weather wasn’t looking to good so I began predicting snowfall for late September or October. I hate being wrong. It does help that nobody remembers these predictions and if they do, they don’t seem to care at all.

Christmas.

The Final Farewell

I’m not going anywhere and nobody’s died recently but a lot of my friends have moved away over the summer. The last of them left two days ago and it was the hardest of them all. Maybe because it was the last one, or because I’d grown very close with her in the last few months, or because she was going further than the others. All I know was that I was sad and depressed.

I went out for lunch with her the day she left and  basically said my goodbyes. As a gift, I gave her the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (what could be more appropriate, I thought). I’ve seen people leave for B.C. Saskatchewan, and other towns not too far from here. Kirsten went to Ontario. I’ve never been to Ontario and so it feels like it’s on the other end of the universe.

It isn’t though and the one good thing that comes from her moving is that I now have a legitimate excuse to go and visit her and Ontario. While I’m going to do this at some point in the future I don’t know when and it probably won’t happen for at least a year so there’s still a long time in which I won’t see Kirsten.

I hate goodbyes.

Possible Gibberish From Me to You

Hello all. I’ve had a long month and yet  it’s all a blur to me. I remember bits and pieces of it and there’s still one more day to go but it’s almost midnight now and I’m exhausted and ready to spew some nonsense at the computer screen. I’m going to try and give a basic summary of everything that’s happened in the last month but I have no clue how much I remember right now. It’s also a lot less exciting than I’m making it sound.

Excuses first. Again that I’ve been busy with various things and just pushing this to the back of my mind. I’ve been feeling guilty about it lately however, because I do need to keep up with writing on a somewhat daily basis. I’m also always worried that I’ll have nothing to say and won’t be able to fill up the space with enough words, if what I’m saying makes any sense. I’d also like to apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes I’ve managed to overlook right now. I really am tired. But I really need to write something.

It started with Deb’s last day. I’ve probably already told you about this but I’m going to repeat it for the sake of repetition. I had decided that I was going to wear a dress for her last day on the job and nothing was going to keep me from this. So when I woke up on Friday morning to grey skies and chilly winds I was not in any way dissuaded. Instead I put on a jacket and hood and stormed off to beat this foul weather. I wasn’t going to let a little wind stop me and it was worth it for the look on Deb’s face when she saw me. It was a morning full of crying and hugging, let me tell you.

That wasn’t the only thing going on that Friday though, oh no. I had also promised some friends that I would again house sit for them over the weekend. They left in the afternoon, stopping by the library to drop off a key for me. I, being the responsible woman that I am, didn’t go to the bathroom all day and when I finally got off work I practically ran over there only to find that I couldn’t figure out how to unlock the door. That took another ten minutes of effort and I finally remembered what I was supposed to do, ran in and did my business. After that it settled down nicely and the weekend was pretty relaxed.

I had a paragraph in my head here where I was going to talk about the next week but I’ve completely run out of energy so I’ll just quickly summarize and go to bed.

-Went to visit Deb at her new library

-got a new boss from Nova Scotia

-Kirsten leaves tomorrow. I’m going to feed her lunch and say goodbye and basically be sad.

There’s more but those are the highlights and the rest can be left up to your imagination. Please, feel free to fill in the blanks, I’m going to sleep. Goodnight everyone.

How I Feel About Clothes Shopping

I hate it. With a deep seated passion. Every now and then my mother will attempt to drag me out of the house on a shopping spree for new clothes. It generally ends up a disaster. Let me explain further.

I’m really fussy about what I wear, above all else, I like to be comfortable. This is difficult to do when dressing up for places like work, church or even just everyday life and as a result I have very few clothes that I actually wear. Most of the places my mom would take me have nothing I would wear that would make me look good and feel comfortable at the same time and as a result our shopping trips are nearly always for naught.

Recently, however, I have discovered that thrift or consignment stores usually have something to offer for me. Last Monday we stopped in at a consignment store on the way home from dropping my sister off at camp. I found quite a few things that I liked and bought them all. Insanity, I thought. It must just be some sort of freak chance that I actually felt like shopping and found things I liked on the same day.

I wore one of the skirts I found there (even weirder because I hate skirts) to church and a lady I know asked if I’d like to go to the city with her on Monday and go to Value Village which was having a storewide 50% off sale. I said, “sure” and then realized that a sale would mean a lot of people. If there’s one thing I hate more than shopping, it’s shopping in a crowded place. I figured it would be worth it though if I came out alive with some clothes that I would actually wear. Turns out I was right.

I have decided that I may take to wearing skirts and dresses after all but we’ll just have to wait and see. It may just be a phase, I do go through a lot of those.

Weekly Gratitude (?)

I’m getting kind of lazy and it scares me so write I must and write I shall. As today is Sunday my brother, mother and I decided to just relax since we haven’t really done that in a while. This means that I had free time today and I still seriously contemplated not writing. Terrifying. So I must try to write every day again or I slip up.

Anyways, aside from relaxing all day today I babysat all day yesterday. They’re two young kids, aged five and three and I love them dearly. I generally don’t like children but I’ll make exceptions if I see fit. I spent the day galavanting after these two with my sister and had a grand old time doing it. Of course we refused money when the parents tried to pay and now they’ve decided that they’re going to be a little more creative in their payment. We’ve accepted their offer and so next Saturday is booked as well although I have no idea what it is that I’ll be doing.

A certain other couple announced that they’re expecting not only a child but for Hilary and I to babysit. We declared that we’d have their kid in university by the age of five but I’m not entirely sure how we’re going to achieve this feat yet. I’m very excited for them though, and I really look forward to the baby’s arrival.

Now not only are all my friends leaving me but there are babies practically falling from the sky and while that doesn’t exactly make up for it, it’s still pretty great.

I’ve Been “Away”

I’ve been busy this last week and this week as well. So many things are happening right now and I’m basically spending all my time running around trying to get everything done. Yes, this is a slight exaggeration but I have been doing a lot of stuff. I’m not sure when my schedule will return to it’s more relaxed pace or if it will but I will keep writing.

Let me tell you a bit about what I’ve been up to. What happened was this, last Monday, a long long time ago, I told you that I wouldn’t have much time to write and found this to be true. Tuesday and Wednesday I worked all day and just wanted to go to sleep when I got home. Thursday I didn’t work all day but it was another friend’s farewell and so I helped bake a cake for the occasion after which we had bible study which always gets pretty late. Friday I worked all day again and then got together with Kirsten to watch some movies and just generally hang out, Saturday was a friends birthday so I was at Emma’s place and Sunday we got together with a family that we haven’t seen since January to catch up.

There you have it. My week. This week while slightly better is still pretty busy. I’ll keep updating this blog whenever I find the time or the inspiration and I’ll do my best to keep up with my blogging buddies. Thanks for bearing with me.

RIP Jack Layton

While Jack Layton saw the NDP to their greatest victory to date, he did not live to see them through their time as official opposition. It was announced today at eight a.m. that he had passed away early this morning. I was crushed to hear the news and people all over the country are responding in sympathy and shock. He was, in my opinion, the greatest politician that Canada had today. He was open, honest and down to earth and will be greatly missed by Canadians everywhere. Whether we loved or hated his politics everyone has to admit that he was good at what he did.

Here I have his final letter to Canadians, a little something for everyone.

August 20, 2011

Toronto, Ontario

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.

I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton

I realize that most of you who read this aren’t interested in Canadian politics but this man was a great politician and one of my heroes and so I wanted to share.