I have a beef with Facebook. Well, I guess my beef isn't so much with Facebook as it is with some of the people that are on it. Admittedly, these problem people are on my Facebook by my own choice, and actually on occasion they are even actually my friends, not just those Facebook acquaintances that get labelled as "Friends" by default. My problem, you see, is those people on my newsfeed that use the old "FML" statement. Some people may use it in jest from time to time, some may be serious, and 100% of the time it drives me crazy.
Here's the thing: Those of you on my Facebook do not have a completely terrible life. Yes, maybe you have had a terrible day, maybe even a terrible week. Some of you are going through some tough times. Some of you may feel pretty down and alone. Some of you are even struggling through health issues that make getting out of bed in the morning a physical challenge. Yes, some of you may not have the "perfect" life, or the life you have dreamed of, but really, your life is not one to throw away. I can promise you, no matter how crappy things may feel at that given time, you have things in your life that you're taking for granted. Things that other people are hoping or wishing for.
First off, you're on Facebook, therefore I am going to assume that you don't live in a third-world country. As a result I am going to assume that you likely live somewhere where you have access to modern things like electricity, running water, and shelter. If you can afford Internet access, I am going to assume that you have enough cash in your bank account to pay for basic necessities like food, heat and personal hygiene products (if you're struggling with these things, and have home Internet access, your priorities may be wrong). Chances are you have access to medical care when you need it, a basic education if you want it, and there's likely some sort of police force who is working every day to protect you.
Now, there are so many people in the world who do not have these things. We all know there ARE people who live in third-world countries. People whose stomachs may never feel full, people who are dying of diseases from unclean drinking water, people who live where "home" is a tiny mud structure and their bed is a pile of straw. The crazy thing? Some of these people are smiling more than those of us who, in their eyes, have it all. These people know the importance of family, know how very thankful they should be for every tiny blessing that comes their way in life.
Maybe we, the people of modern societies, are just too used to the "simple" luxuries we have. We forget how lucky we are just to be born into a more wealthy country. We get caught up in the image we have in our heads about what the ideal life would be. We get caught up in the dream to be wealthy, or famous, or to have everything we could ever want. We want to travel everywhere, see everything, do everything, have everything. We feel entitled to these things. We are disappointed if they don't come our way. We feel like everything that occurs in life should be good.
So what happens when something bad happens? When our girlfriend breaks up with us? When we get a speeding ticket? When we get fired from a job? We focus in on the fact that it does not fit into the image we have of our "perfect" life. We forget about all of the positive things we actually do have going on in our lives. Most of us will want to vent to our family and friends. That's normal! Those of us on Facebook will probably post a woeful status update in regards to the crappy day we've had. But I just can't stand the "FML" update.
When you post that "FML", to me you are writing off everything that exists in your life. Your family, your friends, everything in your life that is positive. You are making the statement that everything you have does not matter, is completely negated by the negative event you are focusing on. The problem is, those things you are writing off? Someone else would love to have them. Someone else is wishing, or praying, or dreaming for them. When I see you write "FML" I feel like, if you don't appreciate them, then maybe you don't deserve them. Yes, when I see that status, I get a little insulted, because clearly you don't appreciate me being part of your life either.
They say that people who dwell on the negative only attract more negativity. I do feel that this may be true. The thing is, I don't think it's some great big "secret" effect of the universe, but the fact that, when you dwell on the negative, those around you start to see you as a negative too. I mean, if you're not going to appreciate the people you have in your life, why should they appreciate you being a part of theirs? I know personally that I have been trying to eliminate the more negative people in my life. Those people who only dwell on the negative. And you know what? I have never felt happier. This is not to say that I never vent about negative experiences. They happen. But I'm making an attempt to balance out those complaining status updates with ones in which I am thankful for the good things in my life. Maybe we all need to start posting things like "Ugh, got a speeding ticket on my way home. At least I have a car. And a license. And someone who cares if I speed, get into an accident, and injure myself". Maybe we all just need to slow down and be a little more thankful. Maybe we all just need to say "F-FML".
Happy Thanksgiving Canada!
Sunday 7 October 2012
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Liebster Award - AKA An Excuse to Post About Some Random Things
Ok, so here's the thing. I have apparently been nominated for something called the Liebster award, which is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. As the rumour goes, "Liebster" in German is defined as sweetheart, darling and beloved. (aw, thanks Melissa)
I am not sure that this is an actual award, and a quick internet search has led me to believe this is kind of like the chain-letter of the blogging world, but I am honoured that my good friend Melissa thought of me and is encouraging me to keep blogging. You can read Melissa's own blog here. Also, it actually gives me a chance to lay out some thoughts that I had been trying to give in other blog entries that never made it to post. Yes, that's right, I have been writing this whole time and you just haven't been given the chance to read it. I'll try to make up for that today.
So, the rules for receiving this award are simple and are as follows:
1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you.
2. Share 11 things about yourself.
3 Pass the award to other small blogs (the interwebs tell me I should choose 11).
4. Ask them 11 questions.
Here goes nothing. This post is going to be long. First, the 11 questions I need to answer:
#1: What do you love to learn about? This really varies from day-to-day. Can I say current events? I really like to follow the news and then research more once I find an article or story that catches my interest. Actually, if I need to give a more specific area I would say law and crime investigations. I thought about going into forensics at one point, and if I didn't do what I do for a living now, I could see myself doing something along those lines.
#2: Why did you start blogging? I've kept a journal from the time I was really young, and it's always been a good way to get my thoughts out on paper. The problem is that I always wanted to also share my thoughts, so I would give my journal to my sister or friend Leanne to read. The internet is a nice way to get the thoughts out there but also allow some other people to see into my head and give some input.
#3: What was your greatest accomplishment? It may sound kind of lame, but moving out West was the biggest thing I feel I have conquered in my life thus far. It was a big risk for me, and I was scared to do it, but I went for it and thrived. I wasn't at a very good place in my life before I made the change, and I was able to pick myself up and survive. I guess that's the real accomplishment, surviving even when I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of bed in the morning.
#4: What excites you most about life? The fact that there is so much to discover. Even in my own neighborhood there are little things that I've never noticed before. There's a lot of beauty in the world when you actually stop and look at it.
#5: What country do you want to visit before you die? Egypt. I really want to see the pyramids and the Sphinx. I also want to go an African safari, so possibly make a little side swing down to Kenya?
#6: If the average life span was 40 years, how would you live your life? I don't really think I would live it a whole lot differently. I kind of already live my life knowing that you never really know how long you've got. I probably wouldn't have dedicated 16 years of it to school. That's my answer, less school and more living.
#7: Do you like puzzles? What kind of puzzles? Jigsaw? I had a jigsaw puzzle addiction a couple of years ago, I had to scale it back when I started getting a sore back all the time. Sadly, that's a true story. I've also been known to enjoy a good brain teaser or crossword puzzle, so yeah, I like puzzles.
#8: Name a book or movie that you've read or watched at least 3 times and explain why you did. I'm trying to think of a book I've read over that many times so I can seem smarter, but the first thing that popped into my head was the movie Castaway. Why I've seen it so many times? It's kind of a good story about how the human spirit can persevere. And I love that damn Wilson. I cry every time.
#9: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? If we're lucky, we'll have a couple of kids, my husband and I will still be healthy and in love, and I'll still be working at my awesome job. Unless of course we strike it rich and I'm retired by then, which is even better.
#10: What is your favorite music genre? I don't have a specific genre, my musical tastes are all over the map. I like something with lyrics I can connect with. I also like mindless pop-songs. There's no real rhyme or reason.
#11: What is your favorite meal to make that you learned from an older family member? What I call "Lazy Shepherd's Pie". I like it because it takes practically no time at all to put it together, only 30 minutes to cook, and it's a good hearty tasty dinner. And the leftovers heat up really well the next day.
Now, 11 things about myself, of my random choosing:
#1: Remember how I said my musical tastes are all over the place? Well, my favorite band for a good long time now has been Matchbox Twenty. I'll admit, I am kind of disappointed that their new stuff is pretty pop-ish, but their old stuff is golden and the lyrics are genius. Don't believe me? Listen to this. It's a popular song but once you hear the meaning behind it and the expression in his voice, I dare you not to fall in love. Anyway, as cheesy as it is, their music has helped me through some tough times. Also, I love the song Bright Lights because it makes me remember my move to the big city. It was like it was written about me. Except I didn't move to New York. Whatever.
#2: My favorite flower is the daisy, because it reminds me of growing up and picking them with my grandmother. I think maybe she used to plant them in the ditch just for me. When we showed up to get the keys for our current house, the yard was completely filled with daisies. I knew then that I was home. Sunflowers are close behind, mostly because they remind me of my wedding to my awesome husband.
#3: Marriage has actually made me a better independent person than I ever was before. Back when I was actually single I was needy and always looking for someone to help define me. Being in a long-term relationship/marriage has given me a chance to grow in a supportive environment. I'm a lot less insecure about myself and I feel like if I were put in a situation where I HAD to be on my own, I love myself enough that I'd be fine. (I'm very thankful that this theory hasn't had to be tested.)
#4: Around the house, I typically turn everything into a song. I sing to the pets. I sing to my husband. Sometimes he sings along. Those are the times I love him the most.
#5: Dirty dishes make me gag. Sometimes just thinking about really dirty dishes makes me gag. Sometimes I just gag without even thinking about the dishes.
#6: I have almost crossed everything off of my bucket list already. I am actually kind of freaking out about what else I should add to it. Most of the stuff that's left is traveling, and I'm not even sure I feel that driven to travel to all of those places.
#7: I want to learn the bagpipes and the fiddle. I'm torn between which one I want to learn more. I'm leaning towards the fiddle, mostly because I think it would be really hard to practice the bagpipes without driving everyone in the house/neighborhood crazy. The problem is I don't want to take formal lessons. I'd rather teach myself, except realistically I know that it would be a lot harder. I just shudder at the thought of an adult recital where everyone is playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
#8: I have this one weird reoccurring dream I have had since childhood. It circles around me entering a room at night and trying to turn on the light but the switch won't turn it on. I can't see what's in the room but I know something's there. I usually wake up in a cold sweat. A few weeks ago I had the dream again and it terrified me so badly I didn't want to go to sleep the next night. I'd be interested in hearing from one of those dream people what it's all supposed to mean.
#9: I'm obviously heterosexual, but I feel a lot of empathy towards the gay-rights movement. I can't imagine someone else telling me that the emotions I have or the way I want to live my life is wrong. I don't understand why it's even still an issue, and I hope I live to see the day where it's not.
#10: If I call you, and you don't pick up the phone, there's a good chance that in my head I am imagining all of the horrible things that may have happened to you. This is extra true if I get home from work before my husband does, or if I am supposed to meet you somewhere and you're running late without calling. In my head you're in a ditch dying somewhere. I have a bit of an over-active imagination.
#11: I really love cats. If I lived on my own I would probably have 20 of them. It's a good thing I don;t live on my own.
Phew, that was exhausting. So the last part of this is to tag another blog (I can't do 11!) to follow suit with the nomination, so I choose my sister's blog, which is really only getting started and could use the boost. Sooooo....
#1: What's the one thing you would really like to do, if you could only sum up the courage to do it?
#2: What one life event has most made you the person that you are today?
#3: If you had to describe yourself with a song, which song would you be?
#4: Where is your favorite place you've been/seen so far?
#5: What's your biggest ambition in life?
#6: Who is the most inspirational person you know?
#7: What's the one thing you hope people remember about you?
#8: If you could only eat and drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would they be?
#9: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
#10: What are the three objects (excluding people and pets), you would save from your burning house?
#11: What's your favorite childhood memory?
This concludes this long-ass blog entry.
I am not sure that this is an actual award, and a quick internet search has led me to believe this is kind of like the chain-letter of the blogging world, but I am honoured that my good friend Melissa thought of me and is encouraging me to keep blogging. You can read Melissa's own blog here. Also, it actually gives me a chance to lay out some thoughts that I had been trying to give in other blog entries that never made it to post. Yes, that's right, I have been writing this whole time and you just haven't been given the chance to read it. I'll try to make up for that today.
So, the rules for receiving this award are simple and are as follows:
1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you.
2. Share 11 things about yourself.
3 Pass the award to other small blogs (the interwebs tell me I should choose 11).
4. Ask them 11 questions.
Here goes nothing. This post is going to be long. First, the 11 questions I need to answer:
#1: What do you love to learn about? This really varies from day-to-day. Can I say current events? I really like to follow the news and then research more once I find an article or story that catches my interest. Actually, if I need to give a more specific area I would say law and crime investigations. I thought about going into forensics at one point, and if I didn't do what I do for a living now, I could see myself doing something along those lines.
#2: Why did you start blogging? I've kept a journal from the time I was really young, and it's always been a good way to get my thoughts out on paper. The problem is that I always wanted to also share my thoughts, so I would give my journal to my sister or friend Leanne to read. The internet is a nice way to get the thoughts out there but also allow some other people to see into my head and give some input.
#3: What was your greatest accomplishment? It may sound kind of lame, but moving out West was the biggest thing I feel I have conquered in my life thus far. It was a big risk for me, and I was scared to do it, but I went for it and thrived. I wasn't at a very good place in my life before I made the change, and I was able to pick myself up and survive. I guess that's the real accomplishment, surviving even when I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of bed in the morning.
#4: What excites you most about life? The fact that there is so much to discover. Even in my own neighborhood there are little things that I've never noticed before. There's a lot of beauty in the world when you actually stop and look at it.
#5: What country do you want to visit before you die? Egypt. I really want to see the pyramids and the Sphinx. I also want to go an African safari, so possibly make a little side swing down to Kenya?
#6: If the average life span was 40 years, how would you live your life? I don't really think I would live it a whole lot differently. I kind of already live my life knowing that you never really know how long you've got. I probably wouldn't have dedicated 16 years of it to school. That's my answer, less school and more living.
#7: Do you like puzzles? What kind of puzzles? Jigsaw? I had a jigsaw puzzle addiction a couple of years ago, I had to scale it back when I started getting a sore back all the time. Sadly, that's a true story. I've also been known to enjoy a good brain teaser or crossword puzzle, so yeah, I like puzzles.
#8: Name a book or movie that you've read or watched at least 3 times and explain why you did. I'm trying to think of a book I've read over that many times so I can seem smarter, but the first thing that popped into my head was the movie Castaway. Why I've seen it so many times? It's kind of a good story about how the human spirit can persevere. And I love that damn Wilson. I cry every time.
#9: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? If we're lucky, we'll have a couple of kids, my husband and I will still be healthy and in love, and I'll still be working at my awesome job. Unless of course we strike it rich and I'm retired by then, which is even better.
#10: What is your favorite music genre? I don't have a specific genre, my musical tastes are all over the map. I like something with lyrics I can connect with. I also like mindless pop-songs. There's no real rhyme or reason.
#11: What is your favorite meal to make that you learned from an older family member? What I call "Lazy Shepherd's Pie". I like it because it takes practically no time at all to put it together, only 30 minutes to cook, and it's a good hearty tasty dinner. And the leftovers heat up really well the next day.
Now, 11 things about myself, of my random choosing:
#1: Remember how I said my musical tastes are all over the place? Well, my favorite band for a good long time now has been Matchbox Twenty. I'll admit, I am kind of disappointed that their new stuff is pretty pop-ish, but their old stuff is golden and the lyrics are genius. Don't believe me? Listen to this. It's a popular song but once you hear the meaning behind it and the expression in his voice, I dare you not to fall in love. Anyway, as cheesy as it is, their music has helped me through some tough times. Also, I love the song Bright Lights because it makes me remember my move to the big city. It was like it was written about me. Except I didn't move to New York. Whatever.
#2: My favorite flower is the daisy, because it reminds me of growing up and picking them with my grandmother. I think maybe she used to plant them in the ditch just for me. When we showed up to get the keys for our current house, the yard was completely filled with daisies. I knew then that I was home. Sunflowers are close behind, mostly because they remind me of my wedding to my awesome husband.
#3: Marriage has actually made me a better independent person than I ever was before. Back when I was actually single I was needy and always looking for someone to help define me. Being in a long-term relationship/marriage has given me a chance to grow in a supportive environment. I'm a lot less insecure about myself and I feel like if I were put in a situation where I HAD to be on my own, I love myself enough that I'd be fine. (I'm very thankful that this theory hasn't had to be tested.)
#4: Around the house, I typically turn everything into a song. I sing to the pets. I sing to my husband. Sometimes he sings along. Those are the times I love him the most.
#5: Dirty dishes make me gag. Sometimes just thinking about really dirty dishes makes me gag. Sometimes I just gag without even thinking about the dishes.
#6: I have almost crossed everything off of my bucket list already. I am actually kind of freaking out about what else I should add to it. Most of the stuff that's left is traveling, and I'm not even sure I feel that driven to travel to all of those places.
#7: I want to learn the bagpipes and the fiddle. I'm torn between which one I want to learn more. I'm leaning towards the fiddle, mostly because I think it would be really hard to practice the bagpipes without driving everyone in the house/neighborhood crazy. The problem is I don't want to take formal lessons. I'd rather teach myself, except realistically I know that it would be a lot harder. I just shudder at the thought of an adult recital where everyone is playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
#8: I have this one weird reoccurring dream I have had since childhood. It circles around me entering a room at night and trying to turn on the light but the switch won't turn it on. I can't see what's in the room but I know something's there. I usually wake up in a cold sweat. A few weeks ago I had the dream again and it terrified me so badly I didn't want to go to sleep the next night. I'd be interested in hearing from one of those dream people what it's all supposed to mean.
#9: I'm obviously heterosexual, but I feel a lot of empathy towards the gay-rights movement. I can't imagine someone else telling me that the emotions I have or the way I want to live my life is wrong. I don't understand why it's even still an issue, and I hope I live to see the day where it's not.
#10: If I call you, and you don't pick up the phone, there's a good chance that in my head I am imagining all of the horrible things that may have happened to you. This is extra true if I get home from work before my husband does, or if I am supposed to meet you somewhere and you're running late without calling. In my head you're in a ditch dying somewhere. I have a bit of an over-active imagination.
#11: I really love cats. If I lived on my own I would probably have 20 of them. It's a good thing I don;t live on my own.
Phew, that was exhausting. So the last part of this is to tag another blog (I can't do 11!) to follow suit with the nomination, so I choose my sister's blog, which is really only getting started and could use the boost. Sooooo....
#1: What's the one thing you would really like to do, if you could only sum up the courage to do it?
#2: What one life event has most made you the person that you are today?
#3: If you had to describe yourself with a song, which song would you be?
#4: Where is your favorite place you've been/seen so far?
#5: What's your biggest ambition in life?
#6: Who is the most inspirational person you know?
#7: What's the one thing you hope people remember about you?
#8: If you could only eat and drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would they be?
#9: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
#10: What are the three objects (excluding people and pets), you would save from your burning house?
#11: What's your favorite childhood memory?
This concludes this long-ass blog entry.
Monday 4 June 2012
My Summer Plan of Attack
Well, here it is June and pretty much the kick-off to summer. I find most years I have so many plans for the summer and then inevitably don't end up pulling off even half of the things I had wanted to do. I thought maybe this year I would actually form them into a list in order to (hopefully!) better motivate myself to actually achieve them. So here's what I've got so far...
1) Go camping a minimum of three times (Realistically this likely translates into 3 weekends of camping, but the minimum for each trip should be 2 nights)
2) Hike Cape Split again when I am in Nova Scotia this summer
3) Reconnect with some people I haven't seen in a long time (I intend to pull this off at my high-school reunion later this month)
4) Go on a hot-air balloon ride
5) Create my own signature cocktail (Since I enjoy blended drinks this will likely be a nice summery affair)
6) Travel somewhere I have never been/can't remember ever having been
7) Host a summer cookout/fire/BBQ in the back yard
8) Go to an outdoor water park
9) Shoot a game of 9 holes of golf in under 45
10) Go on a "spontaneous" roadtrip, with no known destination or plan
11) Go whale watching
12) Lose 5 pounds. Not die at the bootcamp my friend is making me start going to.
That's all I've got so far. I intend to keep adding at some point. I'll keep you posted with my progress (incidentally I came close to finishing #5 this evening, I feel I'll have it checked off in no time! You can tell where my priorities with this list lie...)
1) Go camping a minimum of three times (Realistically this likely translates into 3 weekends of camping, but the minimum for each trip should be 2 nights)
2) Hike Cape Split again when I am in Nova Scotia this summer
3) Reconnect with some people I haven't seen in a long time (I intend to pull this off at my high-school reunion later this month)
4) Go on a hot-air balloon ride
5) Create my own signature cocktail (Since I enjoy blended drinks this will likely be a nice summery affair)
6) Travel somewhere I have never been/can't remember ever having been
7) Host a summer cookout/fire/BBQ in the back yard
8) Go to an outdoor water park
9) Shoot a game of 9 holes of golf in under 45
10) Go on a "spontaneous" roadtrip, with no known destination or plan
11) Go whale watching
12) Lose 5 pounds. Not die at the bootcamp my friend is making me start going to.
That's all I've got so far. I intend to keep adding at some point. I'll keep you posted with my progress (incidentally I came close to finishing #5 this evening, I feel I'll have it checked off in no time! You can tell where my priorities with this list lie...)
Friday 1 June 2012
Looking Back
I'm finding it hard to believe, but this June marks the 10 year anniversary of my graduation from high school. I'm finding it hard to believe mostly because for the most part high school seems so long ago. I have changed a lot. I am sure most of us have (and I am looking forward to our reunion party to test that theory!). Because of this upcoming milestone, I've been thinking a lot lately of the old "glory days" of high-school. I was lucky in that the experience for me, as a whole, was a positive one. I know that not everyone is that lucky. Also aiding to my nostalgia is that a friend of mine recently posted on her blog a mock letter to herself in Junior high, with the current knowledge that she's gained over the years. It made me think: What would I tell myself? This is what I came up with...
Dear Teenage Self:
Let me start out by telling you that you're doing just fine without my meddling advice. I used my instincts to get me to where I am today and you could do the same and be very satisfied with where you end up. My goal here is not to interrupt your current course or even to fully prevent the trips that you will inevitably make. My goal is just to, shall we say, make things a little bit easier? You're going to occasionally fall flat on your face: that's life. And I am sure even if you heed my advice there will still be some number of small things you will look back on when you're older and wish you could go back and change a bit. Remember that's a part of life too.
My first piece of advice: Give up on your hair. It's always going to be that limp and straight. Trust me, it will never look like the hair the girls have in the shampoo ads and you're completely wasting your time. Also, stop trying to grow it really long. It doesn't do that. Cut it just below the shoulders and be done with it. Stop trying to dye it a lighter shade. There will be instances where you will turn it green and, although this will result in the short-term novelty of being a red-head, it too is not worth the effort. You'll get more compliments when you start keeping it the natural color anyway.
You're right, I didn't come back in time to warn you about your hair. I should probably tell you a little bit about your relationships. Let me warn you of one major thing about yourself: you need quality time in your relationship to keep it healthy. This means the long distance thing you will try so hard at will never work out. Move on while everyone's feelings are still intact. If you don't heed my advice and try it the first time, don't attempt it the second time around. Although you'll eventually figure it out on your own, you'll suffer through a few months of complete heartbreak first. I know, I know, the second time you're pretty darn sure you're in love. When you're my age you won't even dispute that fact. But trust me, it will not work out and you're better off to leave the friendship untarnished. Another bit of relationship advice? Trust what your one friend is saying. You know who I'm talking about, the one who is telling you everything you don't want to hear. They're right about your insecurity. Don't worry, I promise that you will eventually find the person who will love you forever. In the meantime enjoy some opportunities to be single. I'm not saying you can't date, just when the relationship has reached its natural end, let it go.
On the subject of boys, you'll know when you're ready. You know what I'm talking about. Avoid that awkward make-out session when you're in grade 11, it won't end well. I know that you know that it's not going to end up like that, but just trust me that it ends in embarrassment. I know that society puts some pressures on teenage girls and that it's sometimes hard to trust your instincts, but when you are older you are going to be really glad that you did. It'll be worth it to wait a while. Sometime in your late teens/early twenties someone close to you is going to make the comment about the cow and the milk. They don't think you hear it. Instead of pretending you didn't and allowing it to bother you for years to come, confront them about it. Let them know that first off, you are not a cow. Secondly, you're worth more than the milk.
Let me take a minute to let you know how proud I am that you never caved to peer pressure when it comes to smoking or drugs. The opportunity will continue to present itself over the years. Continue to just say no. Eventually they will stop asking and respect you for it. You will, however, eventually want to try alcohol. I'm OK with it, just make wise decisions when you do so. I know you will. Oh, but put the bottle away when you're done, it'll save your sister from getting in trouble.
I know that you feel a lot of pressure to be the "smart one". Relax a little bit on this front. When you're older nobody really cares how smart you were in highschool. I'm not saying that you have to let your marks slide, just don't judge your self worth off of whether or not you have the highest mark in the class. Take some time to focus a little bit more on the other parts of school - your friendships, the experiences, and the little moments. You'll miss those memories the most. Your academic medals and trophies will be collecting dust somewhere in a corner of your office when you're older. Also, take a minute to consider if you really want to go right into university. Consider the option of taking time off to travel while you still have the nerve. Consider that what you really want to do may not involve wasting money and time learning about plants and fruit-flies.
You're going to start working out and getting fit. Stay with it, even when you get bored of it and discover that your metabolism keeps you thin anyway. Trust me, the metabolism slows down eventually and it's a lot harder to get back into shape when you've already let your fitness slide.
Embrace the small opportunities to expand your knowledge of the world. Go to Newfoundland with your dad. Visit your friend in Europe. Not seizing these opportunities will end up being the closest thing to regrets that you will have when you are older.
Take more pictures and allow yourself to be in more of them. Write in your journal when you're happy, not just when you are sad. Don't worry about your boobs, they'll grow in eventually. Stop chewing your nails. Accept that you're going to turn out much like your parents (it's not a bad thing!).
I guess that's about it. Go out there and take on the world. You know what to do.
Love Always,
Your Future Self
PS: The winning numbers for the first Lotto-649 draw after you turn 19 will be 5-12-26-32-43-57. You're welcome.
Dear Teenage Self:
Let me start out by telling you that you're doing just fine without my meddling advice. I used my instincts to get me to where I am today and you could do the same and be very satisfied with where you end up. My goal here is not to interrupt your current course or even to fully prevent the trips that you will inevitably make. My goal is just to, shall we say, make things a little bit easier? You're going to occasionally fall flat on your face: that's life. And I am sure even if you heed my advice there will still be some number of small things you will look back on when you're older and wish you could go back and change a bit. Remember that's a part of life too.
My first piece of advice: Give up on your hair. It's always going to be that limp and straight. Trust me, it will never look like the hair the girls have in the shampoo ads and you're completely wasting your time. Also, stop trying to grow it really long. It doesn't do that. Cut it just below the shoulders and be done with it. Stop trying to dye it a lighter shade. There will be instances where you will turn it green and, although this will result in the short-term novelty of being a red-head, it too is not worth the effort. You'll get more compliments when you start keeping it the natural color anyway.
You're right, I didn't come back in time to warn you about your hair. I should probably tell you a little bit about your relationships. Let me warn you of one major thing about yourself: you need quality time in your relationship to keep it healthy. This means the long distance thing you will try so hard at will never work out. Move on while everyone's feelings are still intact. If you don't heed my advice and try it the first time, don't attempt it the second time around. Although you'll eventually figure it out on your own, you'll suffer through a few months of complete heartbreak first. I know, I know, the second time you're pretty darn sure you're in love. When you're my age you won't even dispute that fact. But trust me, it will not work out and you're better off to leave the friendship untarnished. Another bit of relationship advice? Trust what your one friend is saying. You know who I'm talking about, the one who is telling you everything you don't want to hear. They're right about your insecurity. Don't worry, I promise that you will eventually find the person who will love you forever. In the meantime enjoy some opportunities to be single. I'm not saying you can't date, just when the relationship has reached its natural end, let it go.
On the subject of boys, you'll know when you're ready. You know what I'm talking about. Avoid that awkward make-out session when you're in grade 11, it won't end well. I know that you know that it's not going to end up like that, but just trust me that it ends in embarrassment. I know that society puts some pressures on teenage girls and that it's sometimes hard to trust your instincts, but when you are older you are going to be really glad that you did. It'll be worth it to wait a while. Sometime in your late teens/early twenties someone close to you is going to make the comment about the cow and the milk. They don't think you hear it. Instead of pretending you didn't and allowing it to bother you for years to come, confront them about it. Let them know that first off, you are not a cow. Secondly, you're worth more than the milk.
Let me take a minute to let you know how proud I am that you never caved to peer pressure when it comes to smoking or drugs. The opportunity will continue to present itself over the years. Continue to just say no. Eventually they will stop asking and respect you for it. You will, however, eventually want to try alcohol. I'm OK with it, just make wise decisions when you do so. I know you will. Oh, but put the bottle away when you're done, it'll save your sister from getting in trouble.
I know that you feel a lot of pressure to be the "smart one". Relax a little bit on this front. When you're older nobody really cares how smart you were in highschool. I'm not saying that you have to let your marks slide, just don't judge your self worth off of whether or not you have the highest mark in the class. Take some time to focus a little bit more on the other parts of school - your friendships, the experiences, and the little moments. You'll miss those memories the most. Your academic medals and trophies will be collecting dust somewhere in a corner of your office when you're older. Also, take a minute to consider if you really want to go right into university. Consider the option of taking time off to travel while you still have the nerve. Consider that what you really want to do may not involve wasting money and time learning about plants and fruit-flies.
You're going to start working out and getting fit. Stay with it, even when you get bored of it and discover that your metabolism keeps you thin anyway. Trust me, the metabolism slows down eventually and it's a lot harder to get back into shape when you've already let your fitness slide.
Embrace the small opportunities to expand your knowledge of the world. Go to Newfoundland with your dad. Visit your friend in Europe. Not seizing these opportunities will end up being the closest thing to regrets that you will have when you are older.
Take more pictures and allow yourself to be in more of them. Write in your journal when you're happy, not just when you are sad. Don't worry about your boobs, they'll grow in eventually. Stop chewing your nails. Accept that you're going to turn out much like your parents (it's not a bad thing!).
I guess that's about it. Go out there and take on the world. You know what to do.
Love Always,
Your Future Self
PS: The winning numbers for the first Lotto-649 draw after you turn 19 will be 5-12-26-32-43-57. You're welcome.
Sunday 15 April 2012
Fighting Indifference
Attention Albertans: The provincial election is coming up on April 23rd. I know many of you don't care. I know many of you are not from Alberta anyway and therefore have even less reason to care. Please keep reading! Although this is going to be a bit of a political post I am going to try to keep it unbiased and applicable to any election, not just to ours coming up.
Deciding to write a more political post was a bit of a tough decision, because I know that the level of interest in politics among the general public is fairly low. When you look at voter turnout for any election in Canada, it's usually only about 50-60% of all eligible voters. Also, those of you that know me well know that any time there's an election I start harping at everyone to go vote. It's the same old tune. But come on people, 50-60%?!? That's pathetic. I just can't fathom why anyone in their right mind would not want to exercise their right to vote. It's there so that we can be a fair and equal society. People have fought hard for you to have the right to vote an continue to fight so that you can have it. And you can't take the time, which is literally less than 5 minutes, to put an X on a piece of paper and stuff it in a box?
OK, so I'm used to the arguments. Some of you feel like nothing ever seems to change regardless of who wins, so why bother? Some of you don't really know enough about the parties to make an actual decision. Some of you just say you hate politics and therefore don't pay attention to elections. My rebuttal:
1) You don't know enough about the parties: Come on. You know as well as I do that this is kind of a half-assed excuse. The media puts out lots of news stories any election time in an attempt to educate the public about the political platforms. Usually the parties themselves will drop info fliers into your postbox. If you're not informed it's because you have been too lazy to inform yourself. It's the same as anything else in life, you're not going to learn about it unless you actually put in a little bit of effort. Watch a leader's debate, read a paper, use Google... Just inform yourself!
2) You hate politics and find it boring: I can promise you, there is at least one reason why you should care, and that reason will be a personal one. Maybe you should care because you have or are going to have children, and you want to make sure that there are going to be enough schools for them to get a quality education. Or you don't want to have to pay school fees for basic classes at what is supposed to be a public school. Maybe you care about your taxes potentially going up (there is one party that is actually campaigning that they will raise the provincial tax). Maybe you care about having quality, free healthcare and don't want to have to start paying for private healthcare. Maybe you care about the environment and protecting it while still being able to utilize the resources Alberta has access to. Maybe you don't want your tax dollars to pay someone to sit on a committee that has never met a single time (research the "No-meet" committee - it happened!). Maybe you just want things to stay the way they're currently chugging along. No matter which side of the argument you sit on, chances are you have an opinion on at least one of these issues. This is your one opportunity for the next four years to make your voice heard. After this one day, you can go back to ignoring what is going on if you wish, but, in some way or another, regardless of who you are, you will be affected by the decisions these people make.
3) Nothing ever seems to change regardless of who wins: To be fair, the Alberta Conservatives have been in power for something like the last 45 years, so you can't really expect there to have been any major changes in that time span. But, here's the thing: This election is projected to be one of the closest in Alberta's history. We have more of an opportunity this time around to tell the politicians what we really want and to have them listen than ever before. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't vote Conservative, and in fact if you have researched the parties and you agree most with their values, then I think you should do just that. What I am saying is that this time around in particular, but still in any election, your individual vote really matters. You may say it's just one vote, but remember how I said the typical election turnout is typically somewhere around 50-60%? What if the other 50% actually voted? How would that change our political landscape? Minority governments have been formed on less than 50%. You could almost argue that the opinions of that percentage that don't typically vote may actually count more as they are perhaps more likely to want to vote for the smaller parties but feel like their vote is just going to get lost amung those for the more popular parties.
What I am trying to stress is this: I don't really care who you vote for. Well, I do in a way because obviously there's a party I would like to see win, but it's more important to me that you just vote. If the party I like best loses, but I can see that a true majority of Albertans chose the winning party, I can live with that. If my party loses (or really, even if it wins), and it comes back that only half of Albertans actually took the time to vote, then really we have all lost.
Democracy only really works if everyone utilizes their individual voice.
Deciding to write a more political post was a bit of a tough decision, because I know that the level of interest in politics among the general public is fairly low. When you look at voter turnout for any election in Canada, it's usually only about 50-60% of all eligible voters. Also, those of you that know me well know that any time there's an election I start harping at everyone to go vote. It's the same old tune. But come on people, 50-60%?!? That's pathetic. I just can't fathom why anyone in their right mind would not want to exercise their right to vote. It's there so that we can be a fair and equal society. People have fought hard for you to have the right to vote an continue to fight so that you can have it. And you can't take the time, which is literally less than 5 minutes, to put an X on a piece of paper and stuff it in a box?
OK, so I'm used to the arguments. Some of you feel like nothing ever seems to change regardless of who wins, so why bother? Some of you don't really know enough about the parties to make an actual decision. Some of you just say you hate politics and therefore don't pay attention to elections. My rebuttal:
1) You don't know enough about the parties: Come on. You know as well as I do that this is kind of a half-assed excuse. The media puts out lots of news stories any election time in an attempt to educate the public about the political platforms. Usually the parties themselves will drop info fliers into your postbox. If you're not informed it's because you have been too lazy to inform yourself. It's the same as anything else in life, you're not going to learn about it unless you actually put in a little bit of effort. Watch a leader's debate, read a paper, use Google... Just inform yourself!
2) You hate politics and find it boring: I can promise you, there is at least one reason why you should care, and that reason will be a personal one. Maybe you should care because you have or are going to have children, and you want to make sure that there are going to be enough schools for them to get a quality education. Or you don't want to have to pay school fees for basic classes at what is supposed to be a public school. Maybe you care about your taxes potentially going up (there is one party that is actually campaigning that they will raise the provincial tax). Maybe you care about having quality, free healthcare and don't want to have to start paying for private healthcare. Maybe you care about the environment and protecting it while still being able to utilize the resources Alberta has access to. Maybe you don't want your tax dollars to pay someone to sit on a committee that has never met a single time (research the "No-meet" committee - it happened!). Maybe you just want things to stay the way they're currently chugging along. No matter which side of the argument you sit on, chances are you have an opinion on at least one of these issues. This is your one opportunity for the next four years to make your voice heard. After this one day, you can go back to ignoring what is going on if you wish, but, in some way or another, regardless of who you are, you will be affected by the decisions these people make.
3) Nothing ever seems to change regardless of who wins: To be fair, the Alberta Conservatives have been in power for something like the last 45 years, so you can't really expect there to have been any major changes in that time span. But, here's the thing: This election is projected to be one of the closest in Alberta's history. We have more of an opportunity this time around to tell the politicians what we really want and to have them listen than ever before. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't vote Conservative, and in fact if you have researched the parties and you agree most with their values, then I think you should do just that. What I am saying is that this time around in particular, but still in any election, your individual vote really matters. You may say it's just one vote, but remember how I said the typical election turnout is typically somewhere around 50-60%? What if the other 50% actually voted? How would that change our political landscape? Minority governments have been formed on less than 50%. You could almost argue that the opinions of that percentage that don't typically vote may actually count more as they are perhaps more likely to want to vote for the smaller parties but feel like their vote is just going to get lost amung those for the more popular parties.
What I am trying to stress is this: I don't really care who you vote for. Well, I do in a way because obviously there's a party I would like to see win, but it's more important to me that you just vote. If the party I like best loses, but I can see that a true majority of Albertans chose the winning party, I can live with that. If my party loses (or really, even if it wins), and it comes back that only half of Albertans actually took the time to vote, then really we have all lost.
Democracy only really works if everyone utilizes their individual voice.
Friday 6 April 2012
A Seinfield Kind of Post
May I present you a post about nothing. Well, I guess it's something really, just nothing of real importance. Really just a post to say I posted.
My car currently stinks. Last week I got into it on my way home from work and noticed that there was a very foul odour. If I had to liken it to something, I would say it is similar to the smell of a body decomposing. (I know some of you are now questioning why I know what a body decomposing actually smells like, in which case I urge you to remember what I do in my line of work and to use your imagination a bit. Keep in mind that sometimes in life things are too large to fit into a freezer. Anywho...) Strangely, I did not notice the odour in question during my drive in to work that morning. Admittedly, my car is not very clean inside at the moment, but I dug around a bit and I did not find any sort of known source of the odour. I found a bunch of empty popcans, some receipts and a half-full can of Coke that was a couple days old, but certainly no body or anything that made me go "ahhhh, THAT's why it stinks...". I had bathed the dog earlier in the week and his blanket was sitting in the backseat, so maybe it's a terrible wet dog stink? So I took the blanket out but the smell still seems to linger. It seems it comes and goes from time to time, one day it was so bad I actually gagged when I got in. So anyway, I have been meaning to clean it out for about a week and a half now, but I just haven't seemed to have the time. Basically I did what any lazy person would do and I just went out and bought an air freshener, which has helped but I still get a whiff of stank every now and then. Then I remembered that the smell started the day of a rather large snowstorm we got, and I remembered also that I've always been told that sometimes critters like to crawl up under your hood to take advantage of the heat from the cooling engine. I've been meaning to check under the hood of my car to see if there's something dead under there, but at the same time I am too fearful to look in case there actually is. Tomorrow I plan to actually clean the whole thing out, so I'll keep you posted as to what I find. I know you'll be on the edge of your seat until then.
So now you all know the extent of my laziness, I am content to drive around in a stanky car for almost 2 weeks rather than take the time to clean it. Also, for those of you who see me in my day-to-day life, if I have been particularly stinky in the last 2 weeks you will know why.
Also, a while ago I knocked over the half-can of Coke into my cup holder. I am not looking forward to cleaning up that sticky mess. Luckily the large wad of receipts that was in there seems to have absorbed much of it. You thought I was a slob but really it turns out I'm just quite resourceful.
Oh yeah, I failed at quitting drinking Coke. It's just too damn tasty.
Anyone need me to drive them anywhere?
My car currently stinks. Last week I got into it on my way home from work and noticed that there was a very foul odour. If I had to liken it to something, I would say it is similar to the smell of a body decomposing. (I know some of you are now questioning why I know what a body decomposing actually smells like, in which case I urge you to remember what I do in my line of work and to use your imagination a bit. Keep in mind that sometimes in life things are too large to fit into a freezer. Anywho...) Strangely, I did not notice the odour in question during my drive in to work that morning. Admittedly, my car is not very clean inside at the moment, but I dug around a bit and I did not find any sort of known source of the odour. I found a bunch of empty popcans, some receipts and a half-full can of Coke that was a couple days old, but certainly no body or anything that made me go "ahhhh, THAT's why it stinks...". I had bathed the dog earlier in the week and his blanket was sitting in the backseat, so maybe it's a terrible wet dog stink? So I took the blanket out but the smell still seems to linger. It seems it comes and goes from time to time, one day it was so bad I actually gagged when I got in. So anyway, I have been meaning to clean it out for about a week and a half now, but I just haven't seemed to have the time. Basically I did what any lazy person would do and I just went out and bought an air freshener, which has helped but I still get a whiff of stank every now and then. Then I remembered that the smell started the day of a rather large snowstorm we got, and I remembered also that I've always been told that sometimes critters like to crawl up under your hood to take advantage of the heat from the cooling engine. I've been meaning to check under the hood of my car to see if there's something dead under there, but at the same time I am too fearful to look in case there actually is. Tomorrow I plan to actually clean the whole thing out, so I'll keep you posted as to what I find. I know you'll be on the edge of your seat until then.
So now you all know the extent of my laziness, I am content to drive around in a stanky car for almost 2 weeks rather than take the time to clean it. Also, for those of you who see me in my day-to-day life, if I have been particularly stinky in the last 2 weeks you will know why.
Also, a while ago I knocked over the half-can of Coke into my cup holder. I am not looking forward to cleaning up that sticky mess. Luckily the large wad of receipts that was in there seems to have absorbed much of it. You thought I was a slob but really it turns out I'm just quite resourceful.
Oh yeah, I failed at quitting drinking Coke. It's just too damn tasty.
Anyone need me to drive them anywhere?
Tuesday 28 February 2012
The 'Skinny Girl's' Lament
Look at that, two posts in one day. I guess that's a tribute both to how dedicated to restarting this blog I am, and also to how little I have to do at the moment.
Ok, so let me give you some back story for those of you that didn't know me back in my somewhat awkward teenage years. I was always a pretty skinny girl. We're talking size double zero, no curves, people accusing me of anorexia kind of skinny. I didn't get boobs until university, and I was under 110 pounds until around-about that time as well. This was by no choice of mine, for I could scarf down a bigmac and fries along with the best of them. At first I hated my scrawniness, then just learned to accept it.
When I started getting hips and my jeans stopped fitting properly (in my early 20's), I may have cried a bit but then just accepted that this is what happens when you turn into a women. For the most part I was still considered "skinny" and most people rolled their eyes when I complained about my pants not fitting. I had a number in my head of the weight I needed to start "worrying" at, and I still had lots of wiggle room before I would ever get there. No big deal.
Well, here lies the issue. Lately I have been noticing I've been putting on some pounds in the uh, spare tire region? So, I did what any woman has been trained to do: I stepped on the scale. Uh-oh, remember that magical "worry" weight I just mentioned? I've crossed it. Now this itself is not really the major issue, the issue I have is how people react when I tell them that I am concerned about gaining more weight. In society today, I am probably still smaller than a large portion of the general population. I am actually still in the "healthy" body fat ratio and I would certainly not consider myself obese. BUT I have reached a point where I am concerned that I am at the tip of a very slippery slope and if I don't make a point of changing the route I am going I will skid all the way to the bottom. Essentially, I am aware that I need to start making healthier choices.
You're probably still wondering where my problem is. I expected this from the beginning, you're probably thinking "aw, the girl that has been skinny all her life has put on some pounds and now she's sad. Boo hoo hoo". This is my big fear. Our society is preoccupied with discussing weight and body image, and then when I try to join the conversation I get eye rolls and "oh come on"s. My point is, don't hate the skinny girl. Just because naturally our ideal body weight may be at a lower range than yours (I would say my ideal weight is probably somewhere around 125 pounds, based on observation. I know there are a lot of women out there who would be skin and bones at this weight), doesn't mean that you should ridicule us when we mention how we wish we could get in better shape or make healthier choices. We're all fighting the same battle here!
Now, with all of that in mind, let me tell you of the big personal battle I am currently undertaking. The one that is keeping me up at night, gives me headaches and makes me sweat (literally!). I have a major coke addiction. Not cocaine you fool, Coca-cola. I love it. As soon as I crack open a can a wave of euphoria comes over me. I wish I was exaggerating. I also love food. Cheesy food. Fattening food. But it is time (as my body has started telling me) that I start making healthier choices. So I have cut Coke (mostly) out of my diet. I am limiting myself to one or two a week. Primarily I will be drinking lemon water. I may also begin cutting out the cheesy, fattening foods I love. This will make me cranky. The lack of Coke makes me antsy. I will be a twitching, over-reacting lunatic until my body adjusts. Please don't hold it against me. Please don't roll your eyes at me when I tell you that I am trying to be healthier/skinnier. I am on the same quest for a happy body image that we all are. I am still finding it really hard.
Please don't hate me for wanting to be the skinny girl. Or if I succeed and my ass starts looking good in a bikini again.
Ok, so let me give you some back story for those of you that didn't know me back in my somewhat awkward teenage years. I was always a pretty skinny girl. We're talking size double zero, no curves, people accusing me of anorexia kind of skinny. I didn't get boobs until university, and I was under 110 pounds until around-about that time as well. This was by no choice of mine, for I could scarf down a bigmac and fries along with the best of them. At first I hated my scrawniness, then just learned to accept it.
When I started getting hips and my jeans stopped fitting properly (in my early 20's), I may have cried a bit but then just accepted that this is what happens when you turn into a women. For the most part I was still considered "skinny" and most people rolled their eyes when I complained about my pants not fitting. I had a number in my head of the weight I needed to start "worrying" at, and I still had lots of wiggle room before I would ever get there. No big deal.
Well, here lies the issue. Lately I have been noticing I've been putting on some pounds in the uh, spare tire region? So, I did what any woman has been trained to do: I stepped on the scale. Uh-oh, remember that magical "worry" weight I just mentioned? I've crossed it. Now this itself is not really the major issue, the issue I have is how people react when I tell them that I am concerned about gaining more weight. In society today, I am probably still smaller than a large portion of the general population. I am actually still in the "healthy" body fat ratio and I would certainly not consider myself obese. BUT I have reached a point where I am concerned that I am at the tip of a very slippery slope and if I don't make a point of changing the route I am going I will skid all the way to the bottom. Essentially, I am aware that I need to start making healthier choices.
You're probably still wondering where my problem is. I expected this from the beginning, you're probably thinking "aw, the girl that has been skinny all her life has put on some pounds and now she's sad. Boo hoo hoo". This is my big fear. Our society is preoccupied with discussing weight and body image, and then when I try to join the conversation I get eye rolls and "oh come on"s. My point is, don't hate the skinny girl. Just because naturally our ideal body weight may be at a lower range than yours (I would say my ideal weight is probably somewhere around 125 pounds, based on observation. I know there are a lot of women out there who would be skin and bones at this weight), doesn't mean that you should ridicule us when we mention how we wish we could get in better shape or make healthier choices. We're all fighting the same battle here!
Now, with all of that in mind, let me tell you of the big personal battle I am currently undertaking. The one that is keeping me up at night, gives me headaches and makes me sweat (literally!). I have a major coke addiction. Not cocaine you fool, Coca-cola. I love it. As soon as I crack open a can a wave of euphoria comes over me. I wish I was exaggerating. I also love food. Cheesy food. Fattening food. But it is time (as my body has started telling me) that I start making healthier choices. So I have cut Coke (mostly) out of my diet. I am limiting myself to one or two a week. Primarily I will be drinking lemon water. I may also begin cutting out the cheesy, fattening foods I love. This will make me cranky. The lack of Coke makes me antsy. I will be a twitching, over-reacting lunatic until my body adjusts. Please don't hold it against me. Please don't roll your eyes at me when I tell you that I am trying to be healthier/skinnier. I am on the same quest for a happy body image that we all are. I am still finding it really hard.
Please don't hate me for wanting to be the skinny girl. Or if I succeed and my ass starts looking good in a bikini again.
Well, hello again...
Ok, so I know it has been a LONG time since I have blogged. In fact, if you look back my last post was on Remembrance Day. Now, a few people (most notably my dad) have asked me while I have been on this hiatus why it is that I haven't been blogging as of late. So I offer you an explanation of sorts:
Reason #1: I have been unemployed.
Ok, so not really unemployed. I left my old job at the animal shelter in order to go work back in private practice. The practice is owned by a friend of mine and the possibility to move on and work for him came along right about the time I needed it. Although for the most part I loved (and still love) the shelter, I found that constantly seeing the uncared for and suffering animals being brought in was making me lose my faith in society a little. I read somewhere a while back that every tech should "work in a private practice, but leave before they get soft. Work in a shelter, but leave before they get hard" (or something along those lines). I'm looking forward to softening myself back up a bit. Anyway, I haven't really been employed but I took some time off between the two jobs to relax and refresh my brain a bit before starting into my new job. Now, I know you are probably thinking that this should have left me MORE time to be updating my blog, but in doing so you are completely underestimating my capacity to do nothing. Unless, of course, you consider sitting on the couch watching TV or working on jigsaw puzzles something, in which case I have simply been too terribly busy to write.
Reason #2: I'm not a know-it-all.
I worried a bit while reading some previous posts that I sounded a little... pompous? I assure you, I am no expert on how to live your life. Admittedly, the way I have chosen to live mine thus far has worked out pretty damn well for me, but I am sure that someone could make the complete opposite choices and be just as happy with their own life. I assure you, dear reader, that I don't think myself any better than you and I am sorry if it came across in any other way. I credit this realization partly to a recent viral video that was making its way around the internet. At one small part in the video it made reference to the author's belief that a marriage could not be successful unless it was built around a certain religious figure. My own marriage not being built around that certain religious figure, I was SO INSULTED. How dare he?!? How dare he discredit not only my own marriage but the thousands of thousands of other marriages worldwide that do not choose to worship that religious figure? How dare he assume that we will all fail for this one particular reason? Then I realized that this was only his own particular view, and because it works for him (although I am not even sure that the young man in the video is, in fact, married) he assumes it to be the ultimate truth. I kind of do the same thing, so I can't really judge him. Truth be told, I am still a little insulted, but to each his own. Anyway, I will point out again that this blog is based only on my own personal opinions, if you choose not to agree then I'm not really going to hold it against you.
Reason #3: A little thing called censorship.
I don't know if any of you have dealt with this personally, but censorship is a horrible horrible thing. Without going into it in a whole lot of detail, a while back I got myself in a bit of trouble for something that I said on Facebook. Now, this thing in particular was very clearly the opinion of myself and not anyone else but someone in a position close to me got offended and reacted as if I had slapped them in the face. The result was that I was told to no longer post any opinions on Facebook or suffer the (major) consequences. The part I really didn't get was that I was told I could share these opinions publicly in any other way, just not on Facebook. So really, the blog wasn't specifically named as being somewhere that I couldn't post the same opinions, but I chose to stop writing here as well until I felt I could write a sane entry without ranting about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and how I had been violated. Anyway, I have figured out a way to no longer live my life in fear of prosecution, so blog is back on.
Reason #4: I haven't really had that much of interest to talk about.
When I started this blog, I told my husband that I think "professional blogger" has become my dream job (my old dream job was to be the taste tester at an ice cream factory. I am not even sure that position actually exists). My husband pointed out that it would not be so easy to come up with a daily topic to write about, and I laughed at him (those of you who went to junior high with me might remember the 'Amanda's Story of the Day'). Well, in reality, it turns out that he was quite right. Although there are multiple things that occur in my daily life that interest me, it seems that the average blog reader may not find it interesting at all. In fact, the most exciting piece of news I had lately was that my friend Alex (star of this blog entry) was going to move out west and in with us. Alas, he decided en-route out west to stay in Toronto and therefore destroying my only bit of excitement. Did I mention what a shitty friend he is? (I am joking of course, but he feels kind of shitty about it and thus I have to make a jab at him a little. I'm a good friend like that). Anyway, what I am trying to say is I don't have a whole lot going on, however it occurs to me that if you're reading this, you probably don't either!
So, there you have it. I promise there will be more posts in regards to my mundane life coming soon.
Reason #1: I have been unemployed.
Ok, so not really unemployed. I left my old job at the animal shelter in order to go work back in private practice. The practice is owned by a friend of mine and the possibility to move on and work for him came along right about the time I needed it. Although for the most part I loved (and still love) the shelter, I found that constantly seeing the uncared for and suffering animals being brought in was making me lose my faith in society a little. I read somewhere a while back that every tech should "work in a private practice, but leave before they get soft. Work in a shelter, but leave before they get hard" (or something along those lines). I'm looking forward to softening myself back up a bit. Anyway, I haven't really been employed but I took some time off between the two jobs to relax and refresh my brain a bit before starting into my new job. Now, I know you are probably thinking that this should have left me MORE time to be updating my blog, but in doing so you are completely underestimating my capacity to do nothing. Unless, of course, you consider sitting on the couch watching TV or working on jigsaw puzzles something, in which case I have simply been too terribly busy to write.
Reason #2: I'm not a know-it-all.
I worried a bit while reading some previous posts that I sounded a little... pompous? I assure you, I am no expert on how to live your life. Admittedly, the way I have chosen to live mine thus far has worked out pretty damn well for me, but I am sure that someone could make the complete opposite choices and be just as happy with their own life. I assure you, dear reader, that I don't think myself any better than you and I am sorry if it came across in any other way. I credit this realization partly to a recent viral video that was making its way around the internet. At one small part in the video it made reference to the author's belief that a marriage could not be successful unless it was built around a certain religious figure. My own marriage not being built around that certain religious figure, I was SO INSULTED. How dare he?!? How dare he discredit not only my own marriage but the thousands of thousands of other marriages worldwide that do not choose to worship that religious figure? How dare he assume that we will all fail for this one particular reason? Then I realized that this was only his own particular view, and because it works for him (although I am not even sure that the young man in the video is, in fact, married) he assumes it to be the ultimate truth. I kind of do the same thing, so I can't really judge him. Truth be told, I am still a little insulted, but to each his own. Anyway, I will point out again that this blog is based only on my own personal opinions, if you choose not to agree then I'm not really going to hold it against you.
Reason #3: A little thing called censorship.
I don't know if any of you have dealt with this personally, but censorship is a horrible horrible thing. Without going into it in a whole lot of detail, a while back I got myself in a bit of trouble for something that I said on Facebook. Now, this thing in particular was very clearly the opinion of myself and not anyone else but someone in a position close to me got offended and reacted as if I had slapped them in the face. The result was that I was told to no longer post any opinions on Facebook or suffer the (major) consequences. The part I really didn't get was that I was told I could share these opinions publicly in any other way, just not on Facebook. So really, the blog wasn't specifically named as being somewhere that I couldn't post the same opinions, but I chose to stop writing here as well until I felt I could write a sane entry without ranting about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and how I had been violated. Anyway, I have figured out a way to no longer live my life in fear of prosecution, so blog is back on.
Reason #4: I haven't really had that much of interest to talk about.
When I started this blog, I told my husband that I think "professional blogger" has become my dream job (my old dream job was to be the taste tester at an ice cream factory. I am not even sure that position actually exists). My husband pointed out that it would not be so easy to come up with a daily topic to write about, and I laughed at him (those of you who went to junior high with me might remember the 'Amanda's Story of the Day'). Well, in reality, it turns out that he was quite right. Although there are multiple things that occur in my daily life that interest me, it seems that the average blog reader may not find it interesting at all. In fact, the most exciting piece of news I had lately was that my friend Alex (star of this blog entry) was going to move out west and in with us. Alas, he decided en-route out west to stay in Toronto and therefore destroying my only bit of excitement. Did I mention what a shitty friend he is? (I am joking of course, but he feels kind of shitty about it and thus I have to make a jab at him a little. I'm a good friend like that). Anyway, what I am trying to say is I don't have a whole lot going on, however it occurs to me that if you're reading this, you probably don't either!
So, there you have it. I promise there will be more posts in regards to my mundane life coming soon.
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