So classes are done for the year. I am now in practicum mode so I am in a Kindergarten classroom every day until winter break.
I'm enjoying practicum so far but it's been a difficult couple of days because of a plethora of stuff unrelated.
Yesterday morning just as I was about to leave to go to school the phone rang and one of the packages that I had ordered was being delivered by DHL. My mom was less than impressed and started to scream and yell at me.
She was the one to answer the phone and then proceeded to not listen to the message so I had no idea which package it was (because I was expecting 2).
She also heavily implied that I was an idiot for not knowing that the package would be delivered by DHL and blah blah blah even though this was a company that I had ordered from before and they had previously delivered just through regular mail. How was I to know that this particular time would be different? The order never lead me to believe it would be different.
Oh well.
Today I started to feel a little sick and by mid day my jaw was in severe pain which caused me to have a mind splitting headache. All I wanted to do for the afternoon of Kindergarten was curl up in a ball and put my hands over my head.
I got home and started to cry because I was in so much pain. After a quick nap, magic bag, and advil I'm starting to cope but I'm still in a fair amount of pain.
Time to finish up my lesson plan for tomorrow.
Tuesday 17 November 2015
Thursday 29 October 2015
An Eventful Saturday
So this post is a little late but oh well.
On Saturday my friend and I went to see a live performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Park theatre. It was quite wonderful and the actors did a great job bringing this iconic movie to life.
Not all the actors were spectacular, and the guy who was playing Eddie was fairly meh but it was overall enjoyable.
The audience was really fun and a lot of people had dressed up, which was awesome.
I really wanted to dress up but I didn't have a chance to assemble a costume because of how busy school has me.
I went to get a drink at the bar during the intermission and the bar tender accidentally spilled it all over the counter and my wallet. There was no harm, but she was so upset about it that she remade my drink and told me it was on the house.
After the show was done and we engaged in one last dance of the time warp, my friend and I headed home and as we were driving we passed by someone appeared to be smashing the front windows of a little boutique with a broom handle and then sweeping the glass and putting it in to a large garbage can.
It was very strange and we didn't trust it for one minute, so we called the police to report the suspicious activity. I really don't like dealing with the police because I always feel guilty even when I'm doing a good deed. When you talk to the police they always require you to give your contact information in case they need to get a hold of you for further details, but I always panic and think I'm in trouble. It's kind of like when you're walking through airport security and you're so worried you're going to get in trouble even though you have nothing to hide, but just the circumstances of being put through this system makes you anxious.
The entire encounter left both of us rather spooked, but then we started to complain about Derrida and everything was fine.
On Saturday my friend and I went to see a live performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Park theatre. It was quite wonderful and the actors did a great job bringing this iconic movie to life.
Not all the actors were spectacular, and the guy who was playing Eddie was fairly meh but it was overall enjoyable.
The audience was really fun and a lot of people had dressed up, which was awesome.
I really wanted to dress up but I didn't have a chance to assemble a costume because of how busy school has me.
I went to get a drink at the bar during the intermission and the bar tender accidentally spilled it all over the counter and my wallet. There was no harm, but she was so upset about it that she remade my drink and told me it was on the house.
After the show was done and we engaged in one last dance of the time warp, my friend and I headed home and as we were driving we passed by someone appeared to be smashing the front windows of a little boutique with a broom handle and then sweeping the glass and putting it in to a large garbage can.
It was very strange and we didn't trust it for one minute, so we called the police to report the suspicious activity. I really don't like dealing with the police because I always feel guilty even when I'm doing a good deed. When you talk to the police they always require you to give your contact information in case they need to get a hold of you for further details, but I always panic and think I'm in trouble. It's kind of like when you're walking through airport security and you're so worried you're going to get in trouble even though you have nothing to hide, but just the circumstances of being put through this system makes you anxious.
The entire encounter left both of us rather spooked, but then we started to complain about Derrida and everything was fine.
Wednesday 23 September 2015
Homesick
I am homesick, but not for a place. I am homesick for an idea, for a "what if".
I am mourning the loss of a path I did not take, despite the fact that I think I took the correct path.
I have spent the past four years of my life working towards attaining an English degree with the intention of pursuing education.
Throughout that four years I questioned my decision to go in to Education after I graduated. I wondered if that was the correct decision.
I contemplated other pursuits. A master's degree? Going in to publishing? Journalism?
I ended up choosing Education like I originally planned, but since classes have started up I feel homesick for my old degree.
I miss the buildings that I had my classes in.
I miss the locker I had for 3 years.
I miss getting starbucks every Friday morning before my 8:30 class.
These are weird things to miss.
I'm finding Education less stressful that English was, at least so far.
I have fewer assignments that I did before.
I haven't had to pull any all nighters yet.
I miss writing papers.
I miss MLA format.
I miss sitting on the floor of the library at lunch.
Did I make the wrong decision by choosing Education?
Did I choose Education because it was what seemed easy and safe and logical?
Or is this just a case of viewing the past with rose coloured glasses?
That your memory erases the frustration and annoyance when you reminisce.
The power of nostalgia overwhelming me.
I don't even know anymore.
I ate my lunch on the floor of the library today.
I am mourning the loss of a path I did not take, despite the fact that I think I took the correct path.
I have spent the past four years of my life working towards attaining an English degree with the intention of pursuing education.
Throughout that four years I questioned my decision to go in to Education after I graduated. I wondered if that was the correct decision.
I contemplated other pursuits. A master's degree? Going in to publishing? Journalism?
I ended up choosing Education like I originally planned, but since classes have started up I feel homesick for my old degree.
I miss the buildings that I had my classes in.
I miss the locker I had for 3 years.
I miss getting starbucks every Friday morning before my 8:30 class.
These are weird things to miss.
I'm finding Education less stressful that English was, at least so far.
I have fewer assignments that I did before.
I haven't had to pull any all nighters yet.
I miss writing papers.
I miss MLA format.
I miss sitting on the floor of the library at lunch.
Did I make the wrong decision by choosing Education?
Did I choose Education because it was what seemed easy and safe and logical?
Or is this just a case of viewing the past with rose coloured glasses?
That your memory erases the frustration and annoyance when you reminisce.
The power of nostalgia overwhelming me.
I don't even know anymore.
I ate my lunch on the floor of the library today.
Thursday 20 August 2015
Crappy Day
I went through my blog last night after posting about my day planner dilemma and was surprised by the shear number of negative and primarily stress induced posts.
I suppose it makes sense because I feel compelled to blog when I'm upset and need to vent rather than when I'm happy because I want to enjoy being happy, you know?
Anyway, today is another negative post because today sucks.
My family has been dog sitting since Saturday for some family friends. The dog, Jane, is old and has a plethora of health issues associated with that, but she seemed to be stable. She was eating, drinking, taking her medication, and even going for very brief walks. That was until today when she stopped doing all of these things.
We contacted the family asking what was up, and they told us to take her to the vet. She then proceeded to pass away on route.
It stings because I still am very sensitive about my two dogs passing away over a year ago, but also I feel so bad for owners because they're across the world right now and know that when they come home they won't have a dog anymore. My heart goes out to them and I can't imagine what it is like.
I know that it was not my fault and that it was just her time (she was nearly 14 years old) but I feel that I failed them and that I failed Jane.
I then had to go to work after coming home from the vet. The place that I work at is currently dealing with a pest issue because of a vacant store in the same mall.
This has led to a rather unpleasant smell and overall just the work place being a little disgusting.
I sent an email complaining to the General Manager so hopefully things will be resolved soon because seriously this is gross and potentially dangerous.
I felt dizzy for a lot of my shift because of the smell...
Unrelated, the day planner dilemma has resolved itself when the Color Crush became no longer available pretty much anywhere, so I just finished buying the Kikki K planner.
I suppose it makes sense because I feel compelled to blog when I'm upset and need to vent rather than when I'm happy because I want to enjoy being happy, you know?
Anyway, today is another negative post because today sucks.
My family has been dog sitting since Saturday for some family friends. The dog, Jane, is old and has a plethora of health issues associated with that, but she seemed to be stable. She was eating, drinking, taking her medication, and even going for very brief walks. That was until today when she stopped doing all of these things.
We contacted the family asking what was up, and they told us to take her to the vet. She then proceeded to pass away on route.
It stings because I still am very sensitive about my two dogs passing away over a year ago, but also I feel so bad for owners because they're across the world right now and know that when they come home they won't have a dog anymore. My heart goes out to them and I can't imagine what it is like.
I know that it was not my fault and that it was just her time (she was nearly 14 years old) but I feel that I failed them and that I failed Jane.
I then had to go to work after coming home from the vet. The place that I work at is currently dealing with a pest issue because of a vacant store in the same mall.
This has led to a rather unpleasant smell and overall just the work place being a little disgusting.
I sent an email complaining to the General Manager so hopefully things will be resolved soon because seriously this is gross and potentially dangerous.
I felt dizzy for a lot of my shift because of the smell...
Unrelated, the day planner dilemma has resolved itself when the Color Crush became no longer available pretty much anywhere, so I just finished buying the Kikki K planner.
Wednesday 19 August 2015
The Day Planner Dilemma
I am the type of person who is highly reliant on a day planner to stay organized and am unable to use digital agendas to fulfill this need.
As a result I've become a bit day planner obsessed over the years.
For the past 4 years I have been using the Moleskin lined week on two pages agenda in red.
It has served me well but I feel that I need to step up my day planner game, which has lead me to my dilemma.
All summer I have been extensively researching day planners and hemming and hawing over which day planner I should invest in. I discovered the 6-ring planner system and fallen in love because it allows you move pages around just like a binder.
There are multiple companies that offer a product like this, but the most well known is Filofax.
In addition to the different brands that are available there are also multiple sizes.
The two sizes I have been debating over is the Personal size (3.7" x 6.7") and the A5 (5.8" x 8.3").
That brings me to my second option. It's from an Australia company called Kikki K and they too put out cute 6 ring planners.
As a result I've become a bit day planner obsessed over the years.
For the past 4 years I have been using the Moleskin lined week on two pages agenda in red.
It has served me well but I feel that I need to step up my day planner game, which has lead me to my dilemma.
All summer I have been extensively researching day planners and hemming and hawing over which day planner I should invest in. I discovered the 6-ring planner system and fallen in love because it allows you move pages around just like a binder.
There are multiple companies that offer a product like this, but the most well known is Filofax.
In addition to the different brands that are available there are also multiple sizes.
The two sizes I have been debating over is the Personal size (3.7" x 6.7") and the A5 (5.8" x 8.3").
I have for the most part settled on the Personal but am still slightly unsure.
The solution seemed to fall into my lap when I discovered a company called Color Crush that makes 6 ring planners that are quite cheap in comparison to Filofax! I could buy the personal Color Crush planner and try it out for a semester. If the pages were too small or if I just hated the 6 ring binder system in general I wouldn't have to feel guilty about spending $100+ on something I disliked.
A few days ago I had purchased the sky blue Color Crush, however I was emailed today by the company I was ordering through that their stock is damaged and they have sent me a refund. While I'm glad I didn't receive a damaged product, I am now back to square one.
On another website that sells Color Crush planners I can buy a slightly flawed planner for a discounted rate. Unfortunately the discount is somewhat negligible when you factor in shipping, but I would still be able to try out the 6 ring binder system for relatively inexpensively and get a feel for the size.
One thing I am slightly worried about is just how flawed this planner will be. The site says that it is slightly dented and there are pictures that show a rather minimal imprint on the strap that closes the planner however it does note that there are multiple damaged planners and that the damages could vary. So I could get a planner that is far more damaged that I anticipated based on the photos. However if the intention of the planner is just to test it out and with the intention of upgrading in the near future, does it really matter that much?
That brings me to my second option. It's from an Australia company called Kikki K and they too put out cute 6 ring planners.
I personally like the simplicity of the black planner and they are high quality planners made of leather, so they in theory should last awhile.
The Kikki is more expensive and therefore would be more of a permanent purchase rather than a test run. I like the layout more than anything currently available from Filofax and it is cheaper than the leather planners from Filofax.
If I buy the Kikki planner I am committing to the Personal size as well as the 6 ring binder system in general. I don't believe that is problematic but like any major purchase, I wish that I could see the product in person before hand, which is the cause of such hesitation.
So that's the dilemma, and I was hoping that you would perhaps weigh in on the situation.
Should I buy the flawed Color Crush to test out the planner and the flaws are irrelevant because I already intend to upgrade anyway.
OR
Should I buy the Kikki K planner because I will likely buy it eventually and the Color Crush is simply an unnecessary and potentially bothersome purchase because of the flawed strap.
OR
Should I forget about the 6 ring system entirely and continue to use the moleskin agendas because they've gotten me this far.
Please let me know in the comments, I would really appreciate a second (and third) opinion.
Friday 8 May 2015
The End of an Era
A lot has changed since my last post... I'm done my English degree. I've written my last essay. Cited my last source in MLA format. Packed up my old textbooks. I got my grades back for this past semester and despite the fact that I felt I was going to possibly die and any moment, it was actually my best semester (grade wise) in my entire degree.
I wrote a few papers that I'm actually quite proud of, and I'm going to dearly miss some of my classes and professors.
I wrote a few papers that I'm actually quite proud of, and I'm going to dearly miss some of my classes and professors.
I still get emails from the English Honours department about registering for classes for the fall and updates about the new courses being offered, and it's sad because after four whole years of being a part of the Faculty of English, I'm graduating.
In other news, I got in to the Faculty of Education, so I'm on my way to become a teacher, which is exciting and also a little scary.
Classes are done. Dance is done. Sunday school is done. The only time commitments I have now are work and Quidditch.
In other news I have a beautiful new laptop that has replaced my poor purple HP. She served me well throughout my degree and will forever be loved even if she would overheat in minutes and occasionally cause burns on my legs...
If you feel like checking out one of my final University projects, you can do that here. (Note: it won't work on mobile devices because it's an interactive YouTube video that uses annotations -so make sure those are enabled as well) Let me know what you think!
Thursday 5 March 2015
Spontaneous Combustion
So it's been awhile... School and work have me running around like a chicken with it's head cut off (as per usual it seems).
Apparently taking a full course load, graduating, applying to after degree programs, working an average of 20 hours a week, dancing, and volunteering at my church is a recipe for disaster.
When I write all those out I cringe just at the thought of it. It's kind of insane!
As it currently stands I have 15 assignments left before the end of term, and only a little over a month to do them all. (panics) Like, no joke I have 2 assignments (minimum) due each week until I'm done. And the last week I have FOUR. In fact I have an assignment due tomorrow that I'm currently panicking that the only way to cope is to vent on here, so HI!
To top it off we are currently short staffed at work because a co-worker left at the end of December and now another co-worker is leaving for an operation. So we'll be super short staffed and there is all sorts of pressure to take on extra shifts. I (politely) told my manager no effing way because there was no way I could take on extra shifts. I felt bad because I know things will be crazy and this means that there will be more pressure put on other people who are also students, although they aren't taking as many classes as me so I feel like I should get priority (is that super selfish? probably)
Because I'm about to explode at any moment I am unable to go to the Quidditch nationals tournament in Vancouver in a few weeks which sucks because it would be so much fun, but I can't lose 4 days (and miss 2 days of classes) that close to the end of my degree.
Also I'm not sure if I told you all about my laptop woes. My beautiful purple laptop is no more, well pretty much no more. It overheats like no ones business. Seriously you could cook bacon and eggs on the bottom of it -it would be messy as hell but it was reaching temperatures of almost 40 degrees. So because of this it now turns off within about 10 minutes of me turning it on. I got one of those fancy cooling pads, but it doesn't seem to help much (or at all). So why I look into buying a new laptop I am currently limited to desktop computers and stealing my sister's laptop in the middle of the night.
I apparently have grown accustomed to being able to write papers in my bed with all my textbooks open around me and being able to take periodical naps so I can stay up all night and finish before they're due the next morning. I can't do this with the desktop computers because apparently every elevated flat surface in my house means PLACE TO STORE CRAP AND NEVER MOVE IT. Seriously, there is so much junk on the desks and tables that they are unusable. My family has turned into the family from Matilda because I don't remember the last time we ate a meal not in front of the TV (because sitting at the kitchen table would mean unearthing whatever monster is currently living on top of it). It's stupid. I've complained about it when I'm trying to do homework (at can't steal Steph's computer) but my parents are just meh about it, until I threaten to clean it up *cough* throw everything out because it's often literal garbage (like candy wrappers and old flyers)*cough* and then they freak and tell me they'll deal with it soon...
In other news I have activated my obligatory gym membership at the university and have started to use the elliptical machines. The university's new Active Living Centre is so fancy!
Anyway, back to my presentation.... *sobs*
I'll post again soon (if I'm still alive)
Apparently taking a full course load, graduating, applying to after degree programs, working an average of 20 hours a week, dancing, and volunteering at my church is a recipe for disaster.
When I write all those out I cringe just at the thought of it. It's kind of insane!
As it currently stands I have 15 assignments left before the end of term, and only a little over a month to do them all. (panics) Like, no joke I have 2 assignments (minimum) due each week until I'm done. And the last week I have FOUR. In fact I have an assignment due tomorrow that I'm currently panicking that the only way to cope is to vent on here, so HI!
To top it off we are currently short staffed at work because a co-worker left at the end of December and now another co-worker is leaving for an operation. So we'll be super short staffed and there is all sorts of pressure to take on extra shifts. I (politely) told my manager no effing way because there was no way I could take on extra shifts. I felt bad because I know things will be crazy and this means that there will be more pressure put on other people who are also students, although they aren't taking as many classes as me so I feel like I should get priority (is that super selfish? probably)
Because I'm about to explode at any moment I am unable to go to the Quidditch nationals tournament in Vancouver in a few weeks which sucks because it would be so much fun, but I can't lose 4 days (and miss 2 days of classes) that close to the end of my degree.
Also I'm not sure if I told you all about my laptop woes. My beautiful purple laptop is no more, well pretty much no more. It overheats like no ones business. Seriously you could cook bacon and eggs on the bottom of it -it would be messy as hell but it was reaching temperatures of almost 40 degrees. So because of this it now turns off within about 10 minutes of me turning it on. I got one of those fancy cooling pads, but it doesn't seem to help much (or at all). So why I look into buying a new laptop I am currently limited to desktop computers and stealing my sister's laptop in the middle of the night.
I apparently have grown accustomed to being able to write papers in my bed with all my textbooks open around me and being able to take periodical naps so I can stay up all night and finish before they're due the next morning. I can't do this with the desktop computers because apparently every elevated flat surface in my house means PLACE TO STORE CRAP AND NEVER MOVE IT. Seriously, there is so much junk on the desks and tables that they are unusable. My family has turned into the family from Matilda because I don't remember the last time we ate a meal not in front of the TV (because sitting at the kitchen table would mean unearthing whatever monster is currently living on top of it). It's stupid. I've complained about it when I'm trying to do homework (at can't steal Steph's computer) but my parents are just meh about it, until I threaten to clean it up *cough* throw everything out because it's often literal garbage (like candy wrappers and old flyers)*cough* and then they freak and tell me they'll deal with it soon...
In other news I have activated my obligatory gym membership at the university and have started to use the elliptical machines. The university's new Active Living Centre is so fancy!
Anyway, back to my presentation.... *sobs*
I'll post again soon (if I'm still alive)
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