19 days

As I was posting my entries for today I noticed that there are only 19 days left until Chris and I leave for London. I am so freaking excited I can't express it. I have so much to do when I get back to Ottawa. I have pretty much everything bought and received everything I didn't buy as Christmas gifts so all I have left to do outside of my house is getting some money exchanged which I need to talk to Chris about because she said something about it a month or so ago and I totally forget what it was. I have to photocopy my documents and send a copy to my parents along with an itinerary (which I will also be posting on here more likely) and I still have two more pounds to lose to reach my first weight loss goal. I have starting working on the playlist for my MP3 player as I will be needing it pretty badly for the plane and bus rides as well as falling asleep at night in what it likely to be a loud and well-lit hostel room. If you think of any good songs that would be suitable for the trip let me know - I of course have a London/British theme going but am putting another set of songs on my USB key as I know I will get sick of that a couple days into the trip.

June 2009

In about a year and a half my brother will be getting married to his girlffriend of now 3 years. While she was here for Christmas she asked me to be one of her bridesmaid alongside her two sisters. I am so honoured that she would think of me and of course I said yes. Thanks Lynn.

Christmas Presents II

I just finished Christmas breakfast with my parents after opening Christmas presents. Thisyear was a little different as Tyler wasn't here Christmas morning. He and Lynn, his fiance, will be coming downlater today. They spent Chirstmas Eve at her place and are coming her for dinner and more presents later. I openned up all the presents from "santa" and comet and my parents. I got the normal things like socks and batteries, choclates and my Gund toy (a little lamby one since I collect both those things). My big gift was a set of luggage - 6 pieces! It is really awesome. I am going to be taking at least two of the piece with me to London perhaps even three. Inside each bag was a little stocking with 50 or 100 dollars in it! I got a grand total of $500! I am not sure what I want to use it for just yet - probably a combination of London and the camera I want. There are still two more gifts from Tyler yet and I should be getting them later on. My parents liked their gifts from me and the ones from Dave which makes me really happy. My dad went and opened up his hockey cards right away - as he usually does Christmas morning. Comet seems to really like the little doll I got him which is good because I didn't know if he would as I bought it before ever meeting him.
It has been a really great Christmas so far - Hope everyone else's has been good too. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Comet Huggy Beach

This is my partent's new dog - Comet Huggy Beach (he came with that name). They got him about a month ago and he is now part of our family. He is so little and cute and adorable. He's so freaking little - only 5lbs!

He was a 'rehome' from a breeder as the 17 year old who got him initially bought him, moved to Vancouver for school and her parents decided they couldn't keep him. When Mom and Dad decided they were ready for a new dog, after Eddy's passing, they thought is was a perfect match - they needed a dog and he needed a home.

I do like Comet a lot, he is cute and adorable and really clingy actually. He has separation anxiety and gets really worked up when you return home. He staty right by your side when you start to leave although he apparently doesn't do well on trips as he gets car-sick easily. Seeing him hurts a little though as there are times when I think he is Eddy - my parents and I still call him Ed everyonce in a while. I loved Eddy and no dog could ever replace him, but Comet is a really good dog too and different which is very good.

Snow

There have been two major snow falls in Ottawa, both of which left a substantial amount of snow in our backyard. The patio table was conpletely covered with a big mound on top of it and the charis which are piled in the corner were also completely covered. So much snow!

Baking Fun

I baked for 9 hours last Sunday and in that time I made this little dinosaur/lizard out of sugar cookie dough - isn't it cute!

Hope everyone who received cookies from me enjoyed them!

Carleton

It's official. I checked my marks this morning and I got two A's in my last two courses at Carleton University -Water Resources and Urban Planning. I just have to wait for the papers to come through now. I have my B.Eng in Environmental Engineering. :)

Christmas Presents I

I got my Christmas present from Dave's parents last night (as he returned from Peterborough then). I got my heavy duty, intense, super cool umbrella! YAY! It is from the weather channel and is royal blue and has a gel-filled handle for comfort (which I thought was really neat). It has a auto open and close button with is super fun to play with (although Dave told me I couldn't play with it because I would break it - which is probably true because I tend to do things like that). It also has a vented frame which is good because that helps with the wind not blowing it crazy inside out and stuff. I am really excited to see how it handles London. :) Thanks!

London

The ticker coutning down to my and Chri's trip to London it officially down to counting in days rather than months! Oh I am so freaking excited! I have just about everything I need to get - except for a travel wallet, which my mom said she has at the house in Prescott, and my heavy duty umbrella, which I believe someone in Dave's family is getting me for Christmas if not I will pick one up in the beginning of January. I still need to make copies of all my documents and give one set to my parents and leave one here with Dave, just in case something happens to me or I lose something and need versions sent to me or something - I don't know I just read it in a book and on the net and people have told me several times. I have been trying really hard not to think about the trip too much and have totally stopped talking about it almost all together (in an attempt to not piss people off too much - haha!) I am just so excited I can't wait! Oh my!

The Future

Dave has an interview tomorrow with a company in Mississauga. His friend from his frouth year project is currently employed by them got him the opportunity. It is really good for him - it is in his field and a really good idea. It is just that it is so far away. Chris brought up a good point the other day about it all: Everyone moves around once they graduate and eventually all our friends will be doing it, the only reason this is so hard for us is because we are the first people to do it. It made me think about everything and realize that it isn't a terrible idea for us to relocate. It has a good job market for both my and Dave's working fields and possibility for growth as well. The thing that is making it really hard is being so far from our friends and particularly my family. I know this is going to hurt my mom, me being so far away and it will hurt me just as much. I have gotten used to having them about an hour away. It is close enough that they can come and see me, I can go home whenever I want. It is far enough that I don't feel smothered or anything like that, not that I really have ever felt that way.
I don't want to jinx Dave, I want him to do his best at the interview and if it happens that they want to hire him, we will have to figure out living arrangments and everything since I have a contract with the City here until the end of February. I know everything will work out in the end, I just don't know how it it going to be. I wish I could get a preview of my life a few years from now so I would know what to do - what the best thing to do is. I am confused - and to be honest, a little scared.

Time to Study Part II

I have been studying as hard as I can for the past three days. I am however, having a hard time focusing. I have watched almost every episode of Beverly Hills 90210 Season 2 and am currenlty watching crap tv as I print out more stuff to study from. I did the math last night and I need to get 14 and 15 per cen ton my two exams to pass them. Now I don't want to just pass, but the fact that I need to do so little to pass makes me want to study even less than I already do. Well, the prints are almost done - so I should go struggle through them some more. Just two more and then I will be done forever!

New Site

I have decided to start a new blog. Don’t worry I will still post here on a regular basis (well at least as often as I do now) but I want to start one that is completely dedicated to my weight loss. I have been thinking about it for quite some time and through the use of another site, I have come to terms with it and realized that it is good to have all the info out there – although I don’t know if I will be posting my actual weight as of yet, just my actual loss for now. So you can access it from my blog links on the left or from right here: http://www.roadtoabetterme.blogspot.com/

Time to Study

Exams are in less than a week and I have decided to start studying for them – haha. I should have started writing up study notes for my Urban Planning class today at work (on my lunch half hour). I have the ones I made for the midterm still so I only have half the course to write up. Not much really since the instructor took a large part of it off – which was awesome – and then spent another week teaching stuff that apparently isn’t on our midterm (he let it slip in the middle of the last class). I should have done this but I completely forgot.

I am going to start studying for my water resource class tonight – while watching the guys play video games, some would say that this can’t be done and I would be distracted but if you know me at all you would know that I always study with background noise whether it’s TV or music or games (played by other people of course). I have to do well on these last two midterms seeing as how they are the last of my undergraduate degree. As long as I pass them I will have a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering – I can’t wait

Iron Ring

Hallowe'en 2007

Ok sorry this is so late (for those of you who have been waiting for it) but I just got around to uploading the Hallowe'en pictures now. This is me and my friend Chris as a warlock and succubus respectively. And no we do not have WoW problems I swear!

13 Tiny Chrises

This weekend Chris came over again - we went to Mountain Equipment Coop where I bought a crapload of stuff including adapters for electrical outlets, a travel pillow (so soft) and other such travel thingies for London. I also bought myself a nalgene which I love and will drink from all the time now. We then went to the Rideau centre where Chris bought a bandeau dress from American Apparel which can be worn 15 different ways. This picture is thirteen of those ways as two of them were skirts and we didn't have a matching top to the dress and so we left them out (Dave helped us put them together into this collage this morning). We had pizza and talked all night long until I was worn out so I went to bed. Today we have been playing with the pictures uploading them everywhere! We also sent in some pictures to the american apparel and this amateur photography thing they have up there - which I thought was really neat and everyone should check it out. So much fun.

Working Out

So my parents loaned me the money to buy an elliptical machine for myself last year (which they later told me I didn't have to pay back) and I have been using it SO much lately. I go on it every day after work for at least 20 minutes and then more so on the weekends. I am so proud of myself for being so good about it (particularly lately). I also just bought a bunch of new DVDs from Amazon.ca because I found that I do them more when they are new and interesting and since you can get them pretty cheap it doesn't really cost that much to get new ones like once a year or so. They won't be coming until next week though and I want them now to be able to do them on the weekend when I have the time and energy to do so.
My pedometer stopped counting recently and I therefore had to buy new batteries for it and so I am waiting for those too which sucks because I got so used to having it on me all the time and now I don't know how many steps I have taken - I am lost!!! Oh whatever will I do.

Tucker's Marketplace

Last night a group of us went to Tucker's Marketplace in the ByWard market. the food there is so good - Canadian buffet style. The price isn't bad either. It cost a total of 22 bucks for dinner, a drink and tip - pretty decent for all you can eat food. I highly suggest giving a try if you haven't already. :)

London's Calling.

"London calling to the faraway towns" - The Clash.
So it's official - Chris and I are going to London from January 15-25. 10 glory filled days in London (plus some time on a plane). I am so excited. We are staying at Central hostel for the majority of the trip (we plan on staying in Salisbury for a night to visit Stonehenge and Avebury) and it looks pretty good, not to mention the fact that it is super cheap! We are going to see all the major attractions, the Tower of London, the many Palaces and Museums, Abbey Road, the London Zoo and of course take in the gorgeous surroundings as well.
I have started to purchase items for the trip like extra memory cards and travel items though I am trying to not splurge too much since it is supposed to be a relatively cheap trip.
The trip is a graduation present to myself and was Chris' brilliant idea. I have always wanted to go (and I am almost being literal here) and Chris definitely knows that. I have done so many presentations, projects and reports on the things in London, I have posters and postcards from there but have never been there myself. In fact, I have never been outside of Canada (with the exception of USA which doesn't really count since I lived right on the border for almost 20 years of my life). Don't get me wrong, I love Canada, but I can't wait to start seeing the world and getting to cross items of my list of things to see and do before I die.
Thanks for bringing up the idea Chris - I am so Freaking Excited!!!!

a look in the future?

I have recently noticed that I am graduating in December. I have less than about a month of classes left and still haven't really truly acknowledged it yet. I say it all the time but don't really take it to heart. I will soon have to look for a real job in my field and then decide whether or not this is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have no clue where I am going to find this employment - whether it be here in Ottawa, or in Ontario, or even in Canada. The thought of not being here is scary for many reasons. The first of which is that I am not really good with change - I like things to stay the same, comfortable. The second is that there is the possibility of moving far from home, my family and friends (specifically Chris). I don't know what I would do without my loved ones nearby. But I just may have to deal with that - and I am sure things will take a turn for the best ... right?

100!

So this is apparently my 100th post. Weird - I came on thinking wow I haven't posted in ages what have my loyal readers been doing without me and now I am posting this pointless blog entry...sorry guys.

Angus Reid Forum

A few weeks ago I signed up for Angus Reid Forum. It is a National Survey Centre connected with IPSOS (of which there is a branch here in Ottawa) so I felt safe registering with them. You also don't give any information other than your email. You can earn $1-$5 with every survey you complete and then when your account balance reaches $50 or more you can get a cheque sent to you (or money put on your PayPal account but I am going to opt for the Cheque). The only catch is that you have to complete at least 3 surveys a year to be able to receive your money. I tried to do a survey last week but it was only open for 1000 people to complete it. The one I did today was only open for 800 but I was able to do it in time. It was all about the upcoming provincial elections - so it was kinda interesting.
I am going to keep doing it and I guess I will find out if it is really legit -- but everything I have read and heard so far says that it is.

Vacation Prospects

So lately I have been discussing the possibility of going to London, England with Chris in January. Her parents aren't really pleased with the idea and though my Dad seemed excited my mom seemed to be really passe about it. I am not really sure why. I mean, there is no realy reason for her to feel this way. Yes it is expensive compared to staying at home and doing nothing. But I have gone through 4 and a half years of hard work and constant studying. During the summers I either worked or worked while attending school. I have had little to no fun time when most others my age have been doing things like travelling. I feel I have deserved this. Not to mention the fact that I have wanted to go to England since I was about 12. I have been obsessed with everything about the place -- Stonehenge, Tower, Bridge, London itself, etc. It is the perfect place to go for my first overseas vacation and to be honest Chris is the perfect person to go with. From her I will be able to learn how to travel - what to buy and what not to buy, how to book tickets and other such items and generally gain the courage to guide myself around an unknown place. And of course I am guaranteed to have an amazing time since I will be with one of my best friends.
I will be going to Travel Cuts on Wednesday to pick up some information to make sure that we have the best deal we can get. I am also going to get my ISIC card and my passport photo taken. I really hope nothing happens to spoil our trip. I am so excited about it.

End of Summer 2007

Summer 2007 is over now.
I have started classes and therefore can't ignore the fact that it is now longer summer.
Fall, my favourite seasion, is starting -- I noticed the leaves on the tree outside the house were starting to turn red. This makes a vast majority of people sad since it means it will be getting colder, but I personally like the cold weather over the warm. In my opinion you can always put more clothing on -- but there is a limit to how much you can take off particularly when you are in public.

More Shopping...

Mom and I went out shopping again while I was back in Prescott yesterday. I ended up spending about 80 bucks at Cotton Ginny on 3 skirts a pair of pants and a shirt. I also got a new pair of sandals from Limestone and Ivy. I then purchased another jacket at Danier (white leather this time) -- mind you it was significantly cheaper than the red one I purchased the other day.
I don't think I should be allowed to go shopping with my mom anymore haha!

Saltimbanco

Dave and I saw Cirque de Soleil's Saltimbanco last night and let me say -- it was amazing.

I would love to compare it to the show we saw last summer -- Quidam -- but really can't since that was a bigtop show and this was an arena show and the two really are quite different.

According to the program and Cirque's website:

"Saltimbanco -from the Italian "saltare in banco", which literally means "to jump on a bench"-explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, Saltimbanco takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart of the city."

Now, I have seen two shows in person and several more taped versions and I rarely ever see the connection between what is supposed to be the plot/story line and what is actually going on. I did however see it in a couple of the costumes of this show -- but that was really it. It is still an amazing show and the performers have such talent. They fly through the air with such grace and twirl around the stage with amazing speed -- it's truly remarkable. For anyone who has ever thought of going but has thought that it is too costly, let me tell you it's so worth the money (this coming from one of the cheapest people ever!). If you ever here of a show in your time I strongly advise you to get tickets -- you won't be let down.

Eventually I will see all the shows -- which means I will need to make several trips to Vegas to see the 5 permanent shows there.

Update

well let's see...where to begin.

I went to Chris' cottage last weekend -- it was so much fun. Her, Dave and I rented a car and drove there (it's seven hours away in Long Point right on Lake Eerie). Then we left her there after spending three days there ourselves and drove oruselves home. She is staying there until the end of this weekend. It cost us all about 100 dollars with the rental and gas (mind you there was 100 dollars pitched in by her parents) but it was SOOOO worth it. I had an amazing time -- so relaxing and peaceful and pretty -- I just loved it.

My mom came up today and we went Downtown as she has never really been (well she went once in the winter but it's the winter for goodness sakes). We went to Cora's for brunch and then we went around the Rideau Centre. We were looking at lululemon stuff because she was interested in the store...I showed her those really awesome bags they have there and said that I have wanted one for a long time but couldn't really rationalize the cost of them since I was on such a tight budget this summer. She then asked me when I was intending to pay my Dad back for the elliptical machine he bought me last summer and I told her with my next paycheque (I was supposed to pay him with this one but had to pay for the trip to the cottage instead). She told me they were giving me a grace and I was instantly up $1000! WAHOO! so she told me to buy the bag for myself -- so I did. Then we went to Danier -- to smell the smell like we like to do. And just like the last time her and I stepped into a Danier there was a coat just sitting there waiting for me -- it was red and gorgeous! On sale a little too (only a little -- it was still pretty pricey). So my mom (who has always wanted to find a red leather jacket that would fit her -- this one did not -- told me to get it). I would never have been able to spend so much money on my own -- not when it is still slightly my parents money. I mean I pay for all of my stuff now (tuition included) but they are still there just in case I need them so it's not really all my money.

After our big purchases we ate lunch at the Richtree Market in the Rideau Centre which was really nice -- took our time with it like we like to. We then went into the market and bought some vegetables and fruit after walking around a bit and then bussed back home. She didn't want to drive downtown (which I completely understand) so we took the bus everywhere -- not a big thrill for me but she had never really taken public transit despite the fact that she lived in Ottawa for a couple years while she got her nursing license -- so I enjoyed seeing her figure it out. But yeah it was a really great time and I am so glad she thought of doing this. And just to note -- I would have loved it just as much even if I hadn't gotten any money or big purchases. The day by itself was just fabulous -- I really, really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow Dave and I are going to see Cirque's Saltimbanco at Scotia Bank place. We are borrowing yan's car to make it easier to get there eventhough there are technically buses which could get us there -- it is just so much of an incovenience to get out there by bus. We bought the tickets way back in May and I thought it would take forever for the day to come -- but it really didn't take long at all -- the summer just flew by as it always does. We have tickets for the Phantom too but they aren't until September...the second I think.

I had an amazing day and by the end of this weekend I will have had an amazing weekend too. The month of August is turning out to be a fabulous one. Hope it continues this way :)

One More Try

Okay so for the past couple of months I haven't been paying attention to what I have been eating or my activity level or anything like that. I did invest in a pedometer which has helped a lot with realizing my daily activity that I didn't normally count before -- but other than that I have really been doing nothing. Last summer (and the fall term) I managed to lose 20 pounds but unfortunately in the last several months I have managed to gain a bunch of it back -- but not all which is good. I am giving this whole proper eating and exercising one more shot on my own and have decided that I can't manage to do it this time and stick to it that I will get some outside help of some sort in the future -- nothing drastic it will be along the same lines as what I do now just more help from public resources which means more money spent and whatnot. I think I can do it though, I did succeed a fair bit last time I tried I just have to figure out a way to keep interested in it a couple of months from now when I want to give up. I am writing this not to get sympathy or anything like that but just because I am more likely to stick to it when I have written in down, told my friends and family and published it for the world to see.

Update

So in the last couple of weeks a few things have happened -- mostly around the house but whatever. Dave and I went to his parents house last weekend and it was pretty fun. I spent most of the time playing with his Dad's really awesome Camera. I took so many pictures with it. We went around to some really great picture taking places like Jasper Park and I also went around their house taking pictures of their flowers and whatnot. The pictures will eventually be uploaded to my deviant art site so check it out I guess (there is a link in the links section of the sidebar over there <--)
Dave's parents also redid our bathroom on the top floor. It looks amazing. I think it is the best room in the house now - mostly because it is one of the few rooms that is no longer blue! Oh how I hate the colour blue since moving into this house. They also plan on redoing the little bathroom on the main floor, removing the disgusting carpets throughout the house, redoing our kitchen and painting all the walls in the house eventually. This place is going to look really nice -- you know when we go to move out of it and the Konings go to sell it.
Ok so I can only think of the two right now -- I am sure there was more I wanted to write about when I started this post but Friends is on right now and it is the one just after Monica and Chandler get married and they find out that Rachel is having Ross' baby -- it's pretty funny. Well really they are all funny and this is far from my favourite episode of Friends but whatever I got distracted and now I don't remember what I was initially going to write about.

Polls

Sp three people voted in my poll. Now I am going to be honest and say that two of them were me -- one here at home and one at work (before the site got blocked). But that means that one person voted and Chris says it wasn't her so whoever voted -- thank you for participating. The poll is gone now though I think I might try thinking of some more things like that and putting them up in the future -- I found it entertaining.

Ads - Part IV

So I logged into my AdSense account today and I have made 38 cents! WAHOO! Now all I need is $99.62 more on my AdSense account and I will get a cheque for $100. Hmm...darn it that is going to take forever. Oh well, somewhere out there 38 cents is waiting for me. Yay money!

Devious

I love this site. People are already reading my page and viewing my pictures and adding them to their favourite lists -- yay! What makes matters even better -- people leave comments (unlike some sites I have...) I am so glad I chose this way of displaying my photography -- though I do hope to keep this blog up and going too...perhaps I will get more readers here because of the art site who knows :) Now all I need is a new and better camera -- I really want a dSLR (digital SLR) but they cost about 1 to 2 thousand dollars. I am hoping to ask my parents if instead of getting me a school ring or something along those lines (like they did for my brother) when I graduate, if maybe they can give me some money towards a camera. But that won't happen until atleast December so I guess I will just deal with the equipment I have now.

figured it out...

Though according to Justin I could turn my computer into my own server and create a website that way - I decided on using DeviantART.com to display my photography. I am using a free account for now (I am not sure what the benefits of a paid account is just yet) and don't really have much posted there (since I am currently at work and all of my work is at home on my computer not here). Feel free to visit it: http://stephaniebeach.deviantart.com/

oh also...

I have also been looking for s tore or business or something that will make greeting cards and whatnot out of personal photos. I know places like Wal-Mart and whatnot do it but they ahve tacky borders and other things that I do not want. I want just a white border (or no border at all) around the photo and haven't been able to find a site that will do that. I suppose I could get a program that would do it...but then I would need a decent printer which would mean I would need some decent ink cartridges all of which would cost money and I am not really fond of spending lots of money...so yeah any ideas for that would be appreciated as well...thanks.

Photo Posting Ideas

OK so I have looked up website options and determined that the free sites don't have large enough data transfer rates available to be able to have a photography site. I have thought that I could create a new blog in which I only post pictures...but that isn't exactly what I want. I could also fork up the 5 to 20 bucks a month to have a decent sized website of my own or I could use one of those kind of tacky photo album sites which is also not exactly what I want.
So I have put up a poll (a new feature on the blogger site) so that everyone can vote anonymously - so please vote :)

Creative Release

For my birthday (a few months ago) Chris gave me a gift certificate to the Mud Oven - a place where you can finish ceramic pieces, paint them and then get them glazed and fired in a kiln. I have made three pieces so far. The first piece was a vase that was painted with basic red and blue shapes on it, the second was a sugar bowl (which I am adapting into just a storage container for small items) which I painted blue-grey and walnut brown with pussy-willow like flowers on it and the third piece was a bowl I painted with a Davinci style background and brown designs of helicopters on it (obviously for Dave). The third piece is my personal favourite because it came out exactly like I wanted.

A Place to Post

I have been thinking recently that I want/need a place to showcase my pictures. I really love photography and have so many pictures but they just sit on my walls, computer or inside albums where no one can view them and love them like I do. So I want to show them on the net - preferably on a website but the problem is I can't seem to find a free one with enough bandwidth available to be able to actually have people be able to view them. So I am asking everyone who reads my blog (I am told it is more than just Chris - though she is the only one who comments) if they know of any such sites, or of any other alternatives that would be good.

Time to Relax

Dave and I went to Prescott for the weekend - it was such a nice relaxing time. Dad came and got us Friday and we sat around watching tv Friday night. Saturday we tried to find something to do in town seeing as how it was Harbour Days - unfortunately that wasn't any good. Brockville was pretty boring too. It was a nice drive around the two towns though. We ended up just sitting around the pool all day - during which time I got a nice burn on my shoulders. When it got dark we sat in the hot tub and watched the lightning bugs - it was really cool.
My brother Tyler and his girlfriend Lynn came on Sunday and showed us all the pictures they took when they went to Florida a couple weeks ago. Then Tyler and I went shopping around the house basically placing dibs on the different pieces of furniture that are up for grabs from Mom and Dad. I really enjoy going home - just long enough that you get to relax and whatnot but not long enough that you really get bored.

Searching on the Net

I wanted to see how long it would take me to find my blog ont he net so I searched my name. When I did it just normally it took a while and several pages to find anything relating to me. Then when I went selected pages from Canada I instantly found something about me http://www.now.carleton.ca/2007-3/1569.htm - it's an article about a project I did this past school year on the City of Ottawa's Green Waste Program. Also on the first page of sites was this: http://www.prescottjournal.com/2001_archives/11-14-01.html a list of honour students from my high school (grade 11) which was printed in the Prescott Journal. Another article from the paper shows up on the second page of results, its about the double cohort year I was a part of: http://www.prescottjournal.com/2003_archives/06-18-03.html.
The only way to get to this actual blog (or my blogger profile) is to search all the net and to actually add +blog to the end of my name. Eventually you can get to my profile and my blog - but not as easily as I had hoped. You would think that this being a Google owned operation that when searching Google.ca you would be able to find their blogs easier - silly program.

Tuition

I called Carleton just a little while ago and verified the cost of my part-time tuition and it is $1000 cheaper than what I had thought (and budgeted) so bonus. Tuition for the two courses is only $1090.32 instead of the $2100 I thought it was. So now - what am I going to do with that money...knowing me probably put it in my high interest savings account which gets and extra 0.75% interest for the rest of the summer - go ING Direct.

The West Side

Today we had a meeting at work and I got moved to the West Side of the building whcih is so the better side. I have my own little cubicle and have just finished setting it up just how I like it. YAY go West Side!

Ads - Part III

So I like seeing what AdSense seems to think are relevant ads for my blog. Lately they have been about memorializing lost loved ones or grief counselling and whatnot - because I was writing about Eddy so much (I still miss him). Today they are about gaming and virtual reality and whatnot as well as making money from your blog. I still haven't made any money from them and probably never will but I think it is neat that it puts ads that match what I have been writing about lately - it would be good for a blog devoted to one subject like literature or science or a trip or something.

Sick Day

When I woke up yesterday I had a massive headache and even after taking some pills and eating breakfast I was still feeling really gross - so I decided to call in sick. Best decision of the day really. I went back to bed and after watching some tv I fell right asleep and when I woke up several hours later I felt much much better. I then put on my pretty dress for a little bit(see previous post) to make myself feel really good and then I got to spend the rest fo the day gaming since it was too late to go into work. I am paying for it now though since I am thinking about staying late tonight to catch up on some work I should have done yesterday - don't know if I will but I probably should seeing as how we have a meeting tomorrow at 10. Oh well - it was a nice partial-day off. Yay to sick days and using banked time!
(What makes it even better is not only do I know have a 4-day work-week but I get paid soon too - Yay money!)

Fabulous Weekend

Friday night Chris came over (as previosuly mentioned), despite the crappy-stormy weather, and as planned we played Settlers with the guys and generally hung out all night. We then went to Cora's the next morning for brunch (though it took us a while to get there because we missed some buses because we were chatting at the house) - it was the best meal I have had there the fruit was so fresh and yummy. We then spent the rest of the day at St. Laurent Shopping Centre at which I spent way too much money but bought a new skirt, sweater and a pair of pants (for work), I also got two new movies: Lucky Number Slevin and The Notebook. After that we decided that we wanted chinese for dinner so we went to the Buffet on Merivale (just the two of us since none of the guys were really interested - at least none of the ones who were home when we called). Then we headed back to the house and ended up playing yet another game of Settlers. Sunday morning Dave and I drove Chris home so taht she could go to work for 11. It was a really great weekend.
It made me realize how much I miss living with Chris. We used to chat all night or randomly go shopping fairly often when we lived together. I enjoyed spending time with her then too but didn't really appreciate it fully until now since she's not in the room next to mine.
After Dave and I dropped Chris off on Sunday we eventually went to the Real Canadian Superstore on Innes. We bought some clothes there (the Joe Fresh Style line - really good prices for basic items) I got some tank tops and Dave got some polo style shirts. We also bought some groceries there and on the way out we went to a store for me and I ended up buying a dress that I had been looking at the day before - it was a little pricey (for me at least) but it looked so good - like it was made for me. Chris had seen it the day before and said it looked like a greek goddess dress and when I showed Dave he really liked it too. I had to get it - a special gift for myself I guess. But that dress pretty much ends my spending for this month and probably next month too, but I don't care because it is so pretty. :)

Something to look forward to

Chris is coming over tonight and I am reallye xcited. I haven't hung out with her in quite some time. We are playing Settlers with the guys and then going to Cora's for brunch tomorrow. Cora's is really yummy - kind of pricey but yummy nonetheless.
It is supposed to storm here in Ottawa tonight and I hope it holds out long enough that Chris can get to my house safely and as dry as possible.

Eddy is home now.

My mom called the night before last to tell me that Eddy came home. We had him cremated so that if mom and dad move, Eddy can move with them. It takes about 2 weeks after you put him to sleep to get his ashes back and I had asekd them to call me when he returned. At first I thought it was Chris and she was upset since all I intially heard was mom crying - then I realized what was going on. She says that his urn is the size of a mustard jar - which is fitting because he was a little dog. I was okay while we were talking but then later when I was trying to fall asleep I got really sad thinking that he really is gone and when I go home next weekend he won't be there to greet me. I am dealing with it and eventually I will stop blogging about him - but not yet.

A Geek

Yep so I was surfing the net again at klunch today and once again spent most of my time on www.pointlesswasteoftime.com. I was reading a couple articles there and came across this:
"...because the whole world knows a sci-fi geek is about six steps up the social ladder from a fantasy geek and studies show they have more sex."
Now that got me thinkning - is this really true. Personally I believe I am more of a fantasy geek than a sci-fi geek as I collect Myth and Magic figures and play Warcraft (and other such games) from time to time and of course - I generally enjoy dragons and anything having to do with dragons. So obviously I am a little baised when judging this comment as I would like to think that fantasy geeks were above sci-fi geeks wheni t comes to the social ladder. Now the guys I live with they are a sort of hybrid of sci-fi and fantasy geeks. They play Magic the Gathering and Warcraft and enjoy dragons but they also play Starcraft and enjoy Star Wars. So does that mean that they are above both sci-fi and fantasy geeks? Or are they rejected by both communities since they 'won't chose a side' and 'sit on the fence'?
When you think about it should we really be further dividing ourselves? I mean, society already identifies us as social outcasts unable to partake in a simple dinner conversation, should we really be further encouraging this by fighting amongst ourselves and creating a ranking order? Will there come a time when a sci-fi geek wants to date a fantasy geek and his friends turn on him and he is tossed aside? Come on now, a geek is a geek, right?
I know this isn't the most intellectual or enlightening topic but it gave me a way to pass the time until 3 0'clock rolls around and I get to go home and play RPGs like the geek I am.

An Interesting Article

While surfing the net at work, during my designated break time of course, I came across this article about MMORPG - specifically WoW...it was actually really insightful and interesting.
This is one of my favourite lines of the article:
"But it's not just the physical image that changes. In that world, I am a dragon slayer. There, my reptutation and history are just as awe-inspiring as my look. Even now, much of the satisfaction for WoW gamers is in the very real sense of accomplishment they get, a person glowing with a burst of golden light when they gain a level in experience and strength. How can the real world compete with that? Wouldn't those long Calculus lectures have been easier to sit through if, every time you learned something important, gold light shot out from your body?"
Check it out: http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/games/wowworld.html

Bubbles

On the way into work I noticed there weer bubbles all over the grass behind my work - along the path between the baseline station and the neighbourhood beside the City of Ottawa building. They look like bath bubbles - it's weird. Probably the result of some kids or something since there is a skate park nearby - or maybe due to the Sens losing the hockey game last night (which should have been foreseen as though the Sens aren't a bad team they always end up choking in the playoffs). But yeah so there are weird bubbles all over the grass by my work and its weird.

Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End

I went to see Pirates of the caribbean: At World's End yesterday with my roommates. It was a good movie but I still feel like they should have stopped after the first one. The second and third movies, though good, were unnecessary as the frist was the best one. It really was just greedy of them to make more - though I did fall for it as I went to see both movies in theatres and therefore paid the $9.95 it costs to go see them at South Keys.

Another thing I noticed is that Orlando Bloom (picture from imdb.com) was actually good looking in this movie. I have never really been a fan of his, never really a part of that school-girl following he has, mostly just because he was always made to look so young in all of his movies. But in this movie they actually made him look closer to his age (which I couldn't tell you). And once they got rid of the silly pony-tail thing (at the END of the movie) he looked quite nice.

Mondays

I hate Mondays. You have to get up early after getting to sleep in on the weekends, you have to be alert while at work and nice to people you don't want to be nice to or even just at times you don't want to be nice. The worst thing about Mondays is that the leak into Sundays and contaminate them too. Halfway through Sunday you realize that you need to go to bed early so that you get enough sleep for Monday morning...stupid Mondays.

I have noticed however, that I have been tired all the time. Even when I get a full 8 hours (or more) of sleep I am still tired. I think I am going to ask my doctor about it when I go to see her later in the summer...just in case.

One Week Later...

A week had passed since Eddy left this world and I still miss him so much. He was so much more than just a dog or a pet. I called my parents at 9:30 this morning - the same time that we made the decision last Saturday. It still hurts to think that they are all alone there or that if I go home he won't be at the top of the stairs twirling. I love you so much Eddy.

TGIF?

I was thinking about this yesterday and I came tot he realization that I like every other Thursday a whole lot better than Fridays, since I get paid every other Thursday. So would the anagram be TGIEOT no I suppose it would be TGIPD for payday. Oh I wish it was two weeks from yesterday and therefore pay day again...I love payday.

Summer?

May is gone and June has come and still it doesn't really feel like summer. There have been a couple warm/hot days so far but lately it has just been raining. Isn't it supposed to rain in April? I bought a new dress for work when I was home last weekend and haven't been able to wear it due to the weather - I hate it when that happens. Mind you the lightning and thunder last night was really nice to fall asleep to, though I did have to get up unplug computers and set backup alarms in case the power went off. Perhaps the weather will get warmer next week and it will start to feel like summer although when that happens I will probably end up complaining that it is too hot and humid or something along those lines...

May Birthdays

Today marks the end of the May birthdays.

• May 24 - Christine


• May 26 - Dave


• May 30 - Dan


• May 31 - Victoria

So Happy (Belated) Birthday to all of you.

And since I wasn't here for most of your birthdays (due to unforeseen sadness) I made you a digital cake rather than the real one I usually make. Enjoy!

Employment - Part III

I have been working at the City now for a whole month. I decided that I am not going to get a part-time job to go with this one. When I was talking to my parents about it before the summer I realized that I want to have some sort of fun this summer since this is really the first summer I have had in which I didn't have to do summer school (either my choice or not-so-much my choice) and getting a second job would pretty much take away any free time I would have. I also did the math and I don't NEED the money - although more money is always nice.
I am going to ask my boss later on in the summer about working here during the fall term when I am taking my last two courses for my degree from Carleton. If I can work here for 3 days a week then I won't have to get a part-time job then either. I don't know if I am going to be able to get a job here during the fall since it depends on the budget that this department gets and whether or not there is a spot/need for me. I am working extra hard this year to try to impress my boss more than I already have.
I always end up making all these really big goals/plans and then falling just short of them, so it will be interesting to see what happens with this one.

Ads - Part II

So I signed up for the Adsense program which is actually a long process, although easy to do. The way it works is whenever someone clicks on the Ad on my page it registers in my account and once I have accumulated $100US I get a cheque sent to me - well once my account is reviewed and accepted which will take another week or so. However, within the process I have to agree that I will not:

• click the Ads myself
• use graphics (such as arrows, etc) to direct people to the Ads
• promote people from clicking the Ads
• pay people to click the Ads
• use any third-party automatic clicking program
• and other such things

So I guess I can't do any of those things if I want this to work. All that means is that it is going to take forever to get any money from this (as expected) since no one reads my blog, I have the Ad in a non-invasive spot (for my own reasons) and I guess the Ad has to be somewhat interesting to the one person who does read this. Yep, I am so not going to make any money from this whatsoever. Oh well, I wanted to see what would happen and I guess now I know.

Ads - Part I

Blogger (and Google by association) have a feature you can put on your blog called AdSense, supposedly you can make money when people click on the ad link on your blog. Considering how many people actually read my blog (see previous post) I don't think I would make any money from it at all, perhaps pennies. Too bad my blog isn't more popular but I suppose I would have to update it regularly and actually be interesting for that to happen.
Oh well, I am going to try it anyway and see what happens.

Readers

I don't know how many people actually read my blog, I know Chris does but that's all I know of. There are probably a few random people who get here from Chris' blog and read it once in a while (or atleast I want to think so). I guess I am not really writing blogs to have them read but more for me to be able to write something and pretend that there is more than one person out there who wants to read them. In recent days it has helped me figure stuff out, at least somewhat. It has also given me something creative to do on my breaks at work which keeps me from going crazy with all this digitizing.

A Place After Death...

I've never been a very religious person, in fact, for a large portion of my life I claimed I was an atheist (though I am not sure if I ever really was). Over the past couple of years I have been thinking about greater powers and whatnot and despite my science mind frame, I have come to a realization that there are just so many things out there that cant' be explained. When my parents and I decided to put Eddy to sleep, I didn't really now what was going to happen. The vet put the needle in his little arm and when it kicked in he went completely limp and became so much lighter. I told mom that the weight difference must have been the weight of the world coming off of the little guy because he didn't' have to carry us anymore. I believe that. But I have been having a hard time with where he is - I mean, he can't just be gone he has to be somewhere. Mom says he is in heaven with Grandma, Wendy and Becky (Wendy's puppy). I want to believe this but I don't understand it - maybe it is just something you have to take to be true and not try to make sense of it. I know Eddy can't just be gone and I am going to believe that he is in a better place with people who will take care of him while we are all alive.

Permanent Spot For My Puppy

Eddy no whas a permanent spot in my sidebar - a blog monument if you will. I put it there since I didn't want to write any new blogs since it would eventually move Eddy off the page, not anymore. I think I might change the picture every once in a while since I have so many pictures of him. I loved that puppy dearly. I miss him so much.

New Look

I updated my blog in multiple ways this time...not only are there new blogs but also a slightly new look. I really don't want to work today and blogger.com is not blocked on the City computers ... yet. I am not sure how I feel about the new look just yet. I think I will continue working on it, perhaps even give it some features which might make me update it more regularly (I think pictures will do that - I love pictures).

Guilt

I am dealing with a great deal of guilt right now. The greatest of which has to do with leaving Prescott and coming here to Ottawa after Eddy died. I know that I had to come back to be able to go to work and continue with my life, but it is easier to deal with the loss of my puppy here since there are less things to remind me of him.
I feel guilty for leaving mom and dad with an "Eddy-less" house.

Man's Best Friend

Eddy Oliver Beach

November 2, 1998 - May 26, 2007

Coping with Loss

Eddy passed away this weekend. He was really sick as he had kidney failure along with a few other things. He was given a year to live and died two weeks after diagnosis. Not pulling that needle out of the vets hand was so hard. Agreeing about putting him to sleep was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, though I know it was right. He was so much more than just a pet as he carried our entire family through so much especially in the last few years. I will miss him forever.

Mish Mash Update

I have been back at work now for almost two weeks and am alraedy incerdibly bored with it. I want paycheques but don't want to do any work for them - but doesn't everyone. For now I will just have to force myself to keep doing my work and attempting to stay at the head of the pack which for some reason I quite enjoy. I am already ahead of where I was last year at this time, which makes me feel good about my work and I haven't really been slacking off that much excluding right now of course. Unfortunately my first decent sized paycheque doesn't come until the end of the month and I have pertty much already spent it which isn't like me at all.

I got an international call this morning from Chris, which was a really fantastic way to start the day. I ended up forgetting my umbrella because I was talking to her and not really paying attention to what I was doing, but I more than likely would have forgotten it if I wasn't on the phone so it doesn't really matter. She seems to be having a really great time in Paris, which makes me happy, though also a little jealous in a healthy 'wish I could have gone too' sort of way.

My flowers are growing well. Soon I will plant everything outside and get started on my carrots (which I couldn't start inside due to the depth of soil they require). Dave said it is possible to get some tulip bulbs for next year (free) which would be nice, I like tulips, though I know others do not. I like growing things, it is nice to see something succeed like that. Though my first batch of green onions are not doing so well since I attempted to transplant them and I have not yet mastered that art - the second batch is coming up nicely though.

Facebook

I joined the addiction...

Employment - Part II

So I did get the job with the City, the same one as the past two years. I am supposed to make 12.50 but instead my boss bumped me up to $13/hr which is great. Obviously there are higher paying jobs out there but this one is easy and well...13 sure ain't bad pay!
Now all I have to do is find a second part-time job for the weekends and into the school year - like at shoppers or blockbuster or subway or something...I dunno exactly.

Employment - Part I

I had an itnerview today for a peer helper position with Carleton for the next school year. I had the interview at 1:30pm and got a call from the, at 3:30ish saying that I had received the job. I will be assisting the Career Services Department 5 hours a week during the school terms. It isn't really great pay - as a matter of fact it is crap pay - I get $250 at the end each term. BUT I should get really good networking contacts as I will be assisting with co-ordinating the job fairs on campus - the engineering ones too. It will also look good on my resume as it will be good references and show another side of my capabilities as an employee.

I also got an email from my boss at the City of Ottawa, where I have worked for the past two summers. As some of you know, I screwed up my applications to the City this year as they closed earlier than I was expecting and therefore didn't end up applying for any of the jobs I wanted including my old job. After some work on his part, my boss got me my job which is great. I will admit that I didn't really want to work there again this summer - I wanted one of the enviro jobs in the City, but was going to apply to my old job as a backup since it is good pay and engineering work. I am really appreciative though that my boss would go to so much trouble to get my job back after I screwed up the application.

My summer employment plan is to work at the City for $12.50/hour from 7:30am to 3:00pm everyday and then hopefully get another job at a Shoppers or Blockbuster or Subway or something around where I live and work there on the weekends and then keep that job as I go into the next school year. I will have to wait and see what happens with that part though as I don't really have time to go out and search for that job just yet - maybe during the exam period I will start that. :)

Wee Update

Just a wee update on life in Stephville if you will.
I have been really busy with school - so many assignment and reports due real soon. Like my fourth year project presentation is in two weeks and the design isnt even done - so scary.
I have also screwed up big time in terms of work as I forgot to apply to the City of Ottawa for the summer - I didn't really want to work at the same job again - I just wanted a guaranteed job. I have applied at school for some on campus jobs and am thinking of applying at some stores in South Keys and around the area I live. I have also considered getting a job of a subway or some other fast food restaurant - but never a McDonalds or something greasy and gross like that. Who knows what will happen in the end. I hope I can make enough money for school next year and for doing what I want to do in the summer. I really hate not knowing what I am doing for money...

MOUSE!!!

Ok so the above schematic gives you the scene that was this morning. I went to make mybreakfast - a lettuce and cheese sandwiched, toasted, no butter - and I was picking through the last bits of lettuce getting the best ones. I made a little pile of lettuce to use and went to throw the bad stuff out when I found amouse on top of the garbage can!! Without screaming I went upstairs and got dave and when we came down, it was gone. As was some of my lettuce!

So my thoughts are this: the mice have been watching me, studying my routine until today. The mouse in the garbage can was a decoy to make me leave my lettuce unattended. While I got Dave, another mouse, possibly two mice, stole my lettuce and took off to enjoy it with their mouse buddies. Clever mice - but they must go.

Traps are being set. Or a cat is being rented - though all the guys are allergic to cats so that won't work - but traps are being set! There will be no mice in house.

Back to Work.

So lately I have been able to do only a couple of hours of homework during the weekend, since I have been more or less, keeping up to date with it. I am still caught up, but the courseload is starting tog et heavier. This weekend I have an 'essay' to write about whistleblowing in the field of Professional Engineering, notes to write up (as usual) and a bunch of research to do for my design project. It doesn't sound like much, but the design project is turning out to be a lot of work, although that was expected fromt he get go.

Yesterday I went and spoke to the Environmental Engineer at Keller Engineering since they are designing the Anaerobic Digestor (he called it AD) in real life for the same farm we are designing for in schoo life. He was from Sweden and was really quite interesting, even though he didn't seem to completely understand what our project was about or really what environmental engineering student meant. But yeah, the firm is not even a minutes walk fro my house. I have applied there before but I was only in second year and didn't have any real knowledge at all about environmental engineering. I am hoping to apply there again this summer, although I am not expecting much, it is a small firm and they only have one environmental engineer on staff, although they all seemed so nice when I was there.

Its been a while...

Yep so it has been a while since I last updated my blog and the many many people who read thison a regular basis must be so upset...haha...oh my.
School seems to be going well so far this term, I have my 4th year project started, we are looking at waste management techniques for a large scale Dairy farm...interesting really. It has been going really well so far, well that is once the group decided on a topic. The hardest class I am going to have to deal with this term is definitely hydrogeology. I am currently working on the first assignment and it is taking a while - doable, but long. Yep, isn't that how all my blogs go - talking about some assignment or project in school - oh its an exciting life I live isn't it.

7 Wonders

There is a website on which you can vote for the new 7 wonders of the world. http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php I think it is neat. It doesn't replace the ancient wonders of the world just kind of a democratic way of deciding on the 7 wonders...the 7 winners will receive funding to preserve them so in my opinion they should be wonders which could use the preservation since things like the Statue of Liberty is exactly going to be allowed to crumble into ruins or anything like that whereas things like stonehenge or easter island are already starting to fade from their previous states of glory. That's just my opinion.

New tv link

This is a new and supposedly better tv link site. Dave heard about it from someone, I forget who. so yeah, check it out I guess, or not and save yourself from the evils of free tv shows. http://www.alluc.org/

Update

Ok so I have been pretty bad with the blog updating (as usual) so this is my Christmas break update all in one blog posting.

Before we all left the guys and I decided to have a little Christmas here compelte with a little Christmas tree that I made of garland and coat hangers and a string of lights. It was the kind that you learn to make in grade 3 or 4.

When I did go home, I got to see my puppy whom I missed and love so much. He is so cute. My mom got him groomed right before I got home so he was all pretty.

Our family Christmas consisted of my brother and parents and of course me. You may notice the small Christmas tree. My mom hadn't put up the tree by the time I got home and when I went to get the large one, it was discovered that is was behind all the new doors my mom got for the house and pretty much non-retrieveable - so we decided just to use this little table top one. The angel for it was made by me in '95 I think. It was my moms Christmas present that year, aren't I cute. I got a crapload of presents including an awesome frying pan and roasting pan (I love kitchen stuff) and personalized license plates - BEACHY 4! I also got a bunch of chocolates with which I made a little Ferero Rocher tower, hehe gotta love it.

The only downside to Christmas was the weather. This was the first Christmas that was green. There was one year when I was younger that was almost green but it snowed Christmas eve after I had gone to bed. It was like Santa had brought the snow for us that year. It did snow on boxing day when I was driving around with my mom shopping - thanks. I got a bunch of stuff then too including shoes and a hoodie and a new winter jacket - everything was on sale and I love sales.


When I got back to Ottawa I had been informed by Dave that Costco had an elliptical machine at a low cost that sounded like everything I wanted. The elliptical machines I had been looking at before (see previous post) were just under $3000 after tax, this one was just under $1000 after tax. My dad gave me a loan to be able to buy it and I will be paying him back late June or early July, when I start getting and income again.

For New Year's Eve Dave and I didn't really do anything. We were the only one of our friends who was in Ottawa that we knew about and so we just hung around the house like we like to do. We played video games and spent some quality time together. It was actually really nice to be able to do that and not feel guilty about not studying and stuff like that. My dad had given me a bunch of money to be able to go out and eat and after I took Dave and his mom out for brunch after we worked on putting the elliptical machine together I still had a bunch left so Dave and I ate out for like 2 days including New Year's Eve. It was great.

Well that is pretty much all that happened during the Christmas break. I am back in school now attending classes and the work will be piling up soon as usual - I can't wait *sarcasm*.