God, speed your love to me...

Wedding ~ September 8, 2007

2008-03-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

2007-12-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

(written on Dec. 3, 2007)

They say the pathway to hell is paved with good intentions; I imagine there are a few larger-than-cobble stones marked “write more in my journal”…

I’m married now. I’m married now! It’s been a long road to get to that point, and yet we’re already reaching our third “monthiversary.” I’ve looked through our wedding album more than a dozen times already since we got it, reliving the memories of the day. But I’ll do justice to that in another post, with pictures.

It’s December now, which means I’m officially (read: according to my husband) allowed to listen to Christmas music. We’ve had our decorations up for a week now already, mostly because I insisted that a snowy Monday night was better than actually waiting until December. What could be more appropriate? Putting up the tree together, listening to Handel’s Messiah playing from the laptop, me smearing those dreaded sparkles all over Chris, to his dismay… the stuff memories are made of.

I also started a new job, just after we returned from our honeymoon in Mexico. I’m a marketing assistant for the largest Christian book distributor in Canada. For the past 2 months I’ve been training under the woman I was going to replace, and she left a week ago on maternity leave, so I’ve been filling her shoes since then. It’s a challenge, but I’m still in the “gimme all you got” mode, so I’m enjoying the variety of projects I have to work on. And the people I work with are amazing. This is the second workplace I’ve been in where I’m surrounded by other Christians, and it’s such a great experience for me to learn about these people and how they live their faith in their work. We all truly believe in our work and our company because of the common bond we have. It sounds trite when I put it down in words; I can’t seem to find the right way to say it.

We attended the Living Worship: Christmas Edition on Saturday night. I have to admit that my motivation was divided; I love Christmas music, but I was also pretty gleeful at the thought of holding my “nephew”, Jakob. Kev and Sar had a beautiful baby boy about 6 weeks ago, and since they’re both in the worship team, I was asked to take care of J for the evening. I can’t think of many things more amazing than holding a little baby in your arms, watching him sleep. I’m 22, almost 23 now, so that’s 22 Christmases I’ve had. I think this year I will look at it with new eyes – listening to the story of God coming to earth as a little baby seems so much more real when you’re holding one in your arms. That a child as small as little Jakob became my Saviour and grew up and died for me… more than once that evening I found myself unable to sing as I held back tears of awe and thankfulness.

2007-08-30T12:50:00.000-04:00

I'm getting married in 8 days!

2007-05-21T11:57:00.000-04:00

Wow, sorry for the dropping-off-the-earth thing there. Suffice it to say I have a very dull life, wedding notwithstanding.

110 days to go.... I don't think I'm the first bride-to-be who wishes all the details were done so we could just get married already.

I'm having some sort of allergic reaction, I think; I woke up this morning and my eyes were all itchy and puffy. I'm hoping it goes away before I have to go out tonight.

I neeeeed a job, and an apartment in Kitchener.

thank you...

2007-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

... to Sar, who gave me an awesome support quote on Monday night.

"What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! ... If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God." (C.H. Spurgeon)

2007-01-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

Getting back with God has got to be the most cleansing and uplifting feeling in the world.

Artistik Expressions

2006-12-06T09:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally got a chance to show you the pictures of some of the projects I've had in the past months. I'll put them all over on my other blog as well, but here are some of my favourites:

Reversible bag - quilted
T'other side
My very first quilt.... I think this one took about a month to make, working every evening.
A baby spitdoekje... I don't know what you call it in English :)CUSTOM: A monogrammed throw for my sister's birthday -- jean on one side, fleece on the other.
Giant pillows for my sister for Christmas (I made matching throws for my soon-to-be SILs)
CUSTOM: Wedding throw for P&C
CUSTOM: Birthday throw for L -- she picked the colours a while back
CUSTOM: Birthday throw for my sister's friend

I have a few more, but Blogger isn't letting me show them to you. I'll keep trying...

Shuffle Survey

2006-12-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

1. Put your music player on shuffle
2. Press forward for each question
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense :)

How are you feeling today?
Standing in the Rain (Billy Talent)

How do your friends see you?
Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)

Will you get married?
Beyond the Sea (Bobby Darin)

What is your best friend's theme song?
Bennie and the Jets (Elton John)

What is the story of your life?
I Only Want to Be with You (Me First & the Gimmee Gimmees)

What was highschool like?
Brown-Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)

How can you get ahead in life?
You May be Right (Billy Joel)

What is the best thing about your friends?
San Francisco (Me First & the Gimmee Gimmees)

What is tonight going to be like?
Miami 2017 (Billy Joel)

What is in store for the remainder of this weekend?
Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand)

2006-12-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a little lonely this afternoon, tucked away in my quiet corner of the office, so I tuned my mp3 player to Christmas music and I'm working away. This song came on, and I had to share it because I love how melacholy it is:

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve

She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged

We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how

She said she'd married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn't like to lie

I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw
Doubt or gratitude

She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly
But the traveling was hell

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another auld lang syne...

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out
And I watched her drive away

Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain..

~ Dan Fogelberg, Same Old Lang Syne

Duh duh-duh DAAAAAAAAH!

2006-11-24T09:57:00.000-05:00

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Night Squid
Your Superpower is Paranormal
Your Weakness is Itching
Your Weapon is Your Celestial Saw
Your Mode of Transportation is Hot Air Balloon

What's your Superhero Name?

Things

2006-11-23T16:32:00.000-05:00

"Things" for today:

There's a movie shoot going on in Jackson Square, with lights and cameras and cables and people galore. A few weeks ago there was a movie shoot in my building -- MY building -- all the way up at the top. This is cool. I feel... sophisticated, as I casually walk through the muckety-mucks on my way to the super-important things I need to do.
I'm making a skirt for myself, for Sundays. It's corduroy in an autumn-themed plaid, and I heart it.
There was a birthday in the office today, and we had cake. And cheese and fruit, but mostly cake. That was my lunch.
I went shopping last night with Marsh, and found a cute black dress to wear to the Christmas party next week. Add to that new shoes, a clutch (I own a clutch! whodathunkit), and a trip to La Senza, and I am a happy woman. Poor, but oh so stylin'.
9 months, 14 days until our wedding day.
I love babies. I got to hold a baby this weekend, and he was sleeping in my arms, and I felt very maternal.
I have jury selection next week, so I'm off work for the unforseeable future. I don't know if I want to be selected or not, but a CEO here says I should dye my hair pink so they won't pick me. :)

...to you!

2006-11-23T09:25:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH!

I'll never forget the first time I met you. I was so nervous on the way over to your place, and Chris kept telling me to chill out and that you were going to like me because he liked me. And then we were there, and I didn't have time to fret anymore, and you were there! By the end of an evening of pizza and soccer, a friendship had started, and now three years later you're such an important part of our lives.

Have a wonderful day, and make sure your husband spoils you! We love you.

I love this song...

2006-11-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

It's very catchy. I have it on my mp3 player, and it's one of the few songs that I can repeat and not get sick of it:

I want a girl with a mind like a diamond
I want a girl who knows what's best
I want a girl with shoes that cut
And eyes that burn like cigarettes

I want a girl with the right allocations
Who's fast and thorough
And sharp as a tack
She's playing with her jewelry
She's putting up her hair
She's touring the facility
And picking up slack

I want a girl with a short skirt and a lonnnng jacket......

I want a girl who gets up early
I want a girl who stays up late
I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity
Who used a machete to cut through red tape
With fingernails that shine like justice
And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

She is fast and thorough
And sharp as a tack
She's touring the facility
And picking up slack

I want a girl with a short skirt and a lonnnnng.... lonnng jacket

I want a girl with a smooth liquidation
I want a girl with good dividends
At city bank we will meet accidentally
We'll start to talk when she borrows my pen

She wants a car with a cupholder arm rest
She wants a car that will get her there
She's changing her name from Kitty to Karen
She's trading her MG for a white Chrysler Le Baron

I want a girl with a short skirt and a lonnnnggggggggg jacket

~ Cake, "Short Skirt, Long Jacket"

Jumping on the Bandwagon

2006-11-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

TEN EMOTIONS.
1. Are you missing someone right now? Um, not really. I talked to Chris this morning... I kinda miss my Oma, though.
2. Are you happy? Content, not particularly exuberant.
3. Are you mad? Nope... I'd be happier if I could remember where I put my timecard.
4. Are you bored? Nope. I've got piles of work here to do.
5. Are you German? Nein.
6. Are you Irish? No.
7. Are you French? Somewhere way, waaaay back I am.
8. Are you Italian? Assolutamente no.
9. Are your parents still married? They are.
10. Do you like someone right now? Well, I guess you could put it that way... :D

TEN FAVORITES.
1. Store: Any kind of craft store, especially quilting stores.
3. Color: Blue, all different shades.
4. Sport: To play, or to watch? Play - yech. Watch - Soccer.
5. Mall: I would like to go to West-Ed some day.
6. Music: Take me back to the days of Sinatra and Martin...
7. Food: I like all kinds of food, from all kinds of ethnicities -- Greek, Chinese, Italian, French...
8. Season: Autumn
9. Animal(s): At the moment, our fish, Spike, because he's quiet.
10. Place(s): Bed, behind my sewing machine, with my someone.

TEN FACTS
1. Hometown: Born in North York, raised in Richmond Hill and Millgrove.
2. Hair color: Reddish-brown.
3. Freckles: Freckles are cute, as long as they're not mine.
4. Hair style: Anything that doesn't take long... i'm a low-maintenance kinda girl.
5. Eye color: Green-grey.
6. Best friend(s): Karen, my GBSers
7. Mood: Meh. Content.
8. Height: 5' 8.5" (juuuuust shorter than Chris)
9. Innie/outie: Innie! Outies look strange...
10. Lefty/righty: Everyone is born right-handed. Only the gifted overcome it.

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE.
1. Have you ever been in love? I have.
2. Do you believe in love? I do.
3. Why did your last failed relationship fail? We were too young.
4. Have you ever been heartbroken? Unfortunately, I have.
5. Have you ever broken someone’s heart? Don't think so, but I sincerely hope not.
6. Have you ever fallen for one of your best friends? Nope. Best friend's brother, yes.
7. Have you ever liked someone but never told them? A few of them.
8. Are you afraid of commitment? No.
9. Has someone ever kissed your hand? Yes, Kevin! It was so sweet... :P
10. Have you ever had a secret admirer? He was for a bit... now I'm gonna marry him.

TEN THINGS: THIS OR THAT.
1. Love or lust: Love, definitely. Lust fades.
2. Hard liquor or beer: Depends.. I like Baileys, but I also like Corona.
3. Night or day: Night... I'm a night hawk.
4. One night stands or relationships: Relationship... I'm all for longevity.
5. Television or internet: Both... I'd go without TV before I'd go without internet, though.
6. Pepsi or coke: Ew, neither. Sprite please!
7. Wild night out or romantic night in: Night in, I think.
8. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla.
9. Phone or in person: Face to face is so much better.
10. Msn or Myspace: Ech, neither -- Gtalk!

TEN HAVE YOU EVER.
1. Have you ever been caught sneaking out? Nope... it's hard to sneak out of a tiny basement window.
2. Have you ever skinny dipped? Ah! Ages ago, when we were camping.
3. Have you ever done something you regret? Sadly yes.
4. Have you ever bungee jumped? No... the whole great heights factor is a big problem for me.
5. Have you ever been on a house boat? I haven't... I think I'd like to.
6. Have you ever finished an entire jaw breaker? Jawbreakers are gross.
7. Have you ever liked someone so badly it hurt? Mm-hm.
9. Have you ever danced in the rain? Yep, with Chris looking on in patient amusement.
10. Have you ever had a hangover? No. I know where my line is, and I don't cross it.

Th-th-th-that's all, folks!

Friday Musings

2006-11-03T16:53:00.000-05:00

I finished another stack of papers this afternoon. Data entry is slow work, and daunting if you know that there's months of work in those waiting boxes. Good thing I only have to look at one box at a time.
As quiet as it can get sitting in the very farthest corner of the office, I do like having my little nook all to myself. I can listen to my music and just type away. I really need a new playlist, though. I've been listening to this one for the last few months, and I think that since I started this job (2 weeks ago) I've listed to the whole list a few times in a row.
Finally a quiet weekend! I've got nothing planned for this one, except cleaning and groceries. No road trips, no Bible studies, no outings at all. Just sitting at home with my fiance and watching a movie.
310 days to go until the wedding! Chris and I did some work on our invitations this week, and we're pleased with the results. It still needs to be tweaked a little bit, but then I think it will be ready for printing! I'm making all our invitations by hand, minus the printing, so I'm hoping to have them ready to assemble early in the new year. We have a minister, and a church, a dress, a reception site, and a car! A friend of Chris' parents offered to let us use their vintage car for the wedding, so it seems my dream is coming true! (Besides Chris, the other thing I really wanted for our wedding day was a classic car.)
I had another flat tire this week. I spent two hours yesterday morning waiting in the shop for them to fix it, so I was late for work. Why is it when I have absolutely no money that my car decides to make me spend money on it? Shame on you, Frank...
I'm out of sewing projects! Mom wants me to make her curtains, but I have to wait until she has time to go with me to get the fabric. I got positive reviews on my cushion cover for the nest chair, though, and hopefully one of these days I'll actually get a chance to post all of the pictures I've been taking of my completed projects.

That's all for now, I think. 4:58 PM and time to call it a week! Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Do not read this at the office

2006-11-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, I was bloghopping, and I came across this post. By the time I got to the end I was laughing so hard I was almost crying. But silently laughing, because I'm at work right now.

*****
Last Thursday i went to the dentist.
I am TERRIFIED of dentists.

I know a lot of people are but I actually have a really good reason! Two years ago I went to the Philippines for a mission trip. While I was there I needed an emergency root canal. Root canals and third world countries do NOT go together well. My bottom tooth was infected, so the medication they were using to numb the pain wasn’t working, and they started drilling on my tooth anyways. It hurt so bad that I bit the dentist hand and the drill went up through my top tooth as well. So now I hate the dentist. HATE them.

But I needed to go so I sucked it up and went to J& D dental. They are fabulous, and made sure I was very very very numb before they did anything. After they were finished I felt a little queasy and decided to ride the bus home.

(This is the good part)
I am on the bus but all the seats are taken so I stand up and hold on the railing. My whole mouth is numb, I don’t feel good, and I shut my eyes. When I open them again I realized that I am drooling. Worse yet, I realize that I am DROOLING on the MAN seated below me. Seriously. Drool running down his cheek. But I can’t really help it because I cant feel my mouth.
So I try to apologize but I can’t really talk yet and it comes out as “swary i dwool on you head.”

The bus stops and the man gets off.

Hee. Great! He totally thought I was one of the “special” people on the “shirt bus.” I might as well have been wearing a helmet and mismatched shoes.
*****

2006-10-26T16:38:00.000-04:00

::GASP!::

Yes, I know. It's been a while. :P Sorry about that, Reubs.

Well, I do finally have a job again, albeit a temp job. I'm doing data entry for a law firm in downtown Hamilton. The work isn't thrilling, but it is interesting.

I did a search with Google today, using the search term "Jolene needs". Here are some of the better phrases it came up with:

Jolene needs to be present somewhere on the page - oookay...
Jolene needs to be saved... from something - from spiders! and the dark!
Jolene needs a mother, and she makes sure her father knows that - mothers are important
Jolene needs to be put on the very good girl list - that's right! most people get either "naughty" or "nice", but for special people, they get the "very good" list
Jolene needs to take control of her poor spending habits - oy. apparently Google knows me better than I thought
Jolene needs obedience school in the worst way - yeah, um, I got nothing
Jolene needs a job she is well mannered - someone got a hold of my updated resume, it seems
Jolene needs to balance her criticism with a little more diplomacy - because, you know, I'm anything but diplomatic
Jolene needs to rest and recuperate - see? that's what I've been saying all along!!
Jolene needs a fan club - any volunteers? anyone? not all at once, please? ... anyone? [echo]
Jolene needs an interview!!!!! - well, this was true up until last week, but I'm still hoping that my dream job calls me and asks me to come in
Jolene needs a vacation - and how
Jolene needs at least 10 hours of beauty sleep in order to replenish her energy level - this one is surprisingly accurate!

Those are the PG ones. Apparently Jolene is a great name if you're looking to start a side business as an exotic dancer...

Now, I should make other people do this too. I'm gonna tag... Reuben, Joel, Dax, Marsha, and Justine.

Wedding Countdown: 318 days! And I have a dress!

2006-09-07T20:17:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while; Internet access has been hard to come by at home. I hope once I get a job I'll be able to change that!

Jo

Wedding Status: 366 days to go

Title Change

2006-07-20T13:44:00.000-04:00

No, not the blog. My title! I'm no longer a girlfriend, I'm a fiancee! It still feels strange to say those words, even though they've been true for 4 days now.

Sunday was spent as any other Sunday is for us, twice to church with lunch and a nap in between. After second service we went to Chris' Oma's house for supper and a swim. Everything was normal, and I of course didn't suspect a thing. On the way home, he mentioned that we had to stop at my house briefly to "get something" -- I was immersed in a magazine (bridal, ironically), and so he ran in and was back in a few minutes and I didn't really notice much. On to his house.

Later that evening, as i was watching a movie downstairs with his parents, he came up behind me and whispered in my ear that he had a surprise for me out back. I followed him to the patio and found two chairs beside each other. Chris held up a 3-pack of Ferrero Rocher chocolates that we had bought a few days earlier, and suggested that we eat them now so that we wouldn't have to share them with the family. We each had one, and he offered me the last one (and who am I to pass up chocolate?). Imagine how disappointed I was when I peeled back the wrapping, only to find that someone had already scarfed my hazelnut delight and replaced it with a balled up napkin! "Oh no!" I said to Chris, "one of the kids ate the last one already!" On his knees now in front of my chair, he motioned for me to open the napkin. As I felt the ring in my hand, I looked over at him to find him on one knee! I couldn't believe it! This wasn't for real, was it?

Well, it was, and he asked, with tears in his eyes, and of course I accepted. Actually, I'm pretty sure I squealed my "Yes!" and choked him with a hug. Then Chris looked over his shoulder and said into the darkness, "Ok Nolan, you can go now!" and I saw a shadow of Chris' little brother (who was supposed to be in bed, as it was just about 10 PM by then) running across the back yard. After a minute or two we heard him say, "Chris, I can't do it!", so Chris went to help him. A small flame flickered, and then the sky lit up as fireworks shot off from the sandbox, and then the monkey bars, the slide, and the clothesline support! It was spectacular! I was so excited that I just laughed -- I didn't cry until later that night when it really sunk in that Chris had proposed to me.

We had so much fun telling our family and friends that we were engaged! As we looked over the list of people that we needed to call or email, we realized how blessed we are to have so many people that care about us! Thank you to each and every one. We love you all dearly.

Keep September 8, 2007 open on your calendars, so you can celebrate with us as we become husband and wife!

A lady of leisure? Why yes...

2006-07-14T15:17:00.000-04:00

That's me these days, a lady of leisure. Not to say that I sit on my tush all day watching TV and eating sweets, but I'm definitely enjoying this change of pace. In addition to using this time off to search for a new job and recharge from the last one, I'm also getting some cleaning done around the house and working on another quilt (a baby one this time -- I'll try to post pictures if I can get my hands on a camera!).

I do miss my regular internet access, though. It's strange for me to not check my email for a few days in a row, especially after a year of being able to respond instantly to most messages. But, I adapt.

This is going to be a short post, because it's just too hot upstairs for me to sit here for long. We don't have A/C, a fact that normally doesn't bother me, but the 30+ temps this week have even me ready for the icy air.

By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beloved Chris, who turns 21 today and joins the ranks of the "old" people (according to his younger siblings). God's blessings to you, luv.

Ta for now! Back to the sewing machine...

Soccermania

2006-06-30T10:21:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: Now, I love soccer. Not playing it, no! But being there, watching from the sidelines, cheering on my team. At least once a week I'm sitting beside the pitch in my camp chair, with a blanket over my legs for warmth (or a sleeping bag once the nights get colder), and while I might not be cheering loudly, my position beside the bench has become a tradition. I am a soccer "widow", since in spring my man's thoughts turn to soccer. I'll never play, but I love to watch.

And with that being said, I'm sure that even the most soccer-crazed among us will appreciate this article. Thanks to Irene for posting this on her blog.

Nil, Nil
The nihilism of soccer: The more you look, the less there is to see.
by Frank Cannon & Richard Lessner
06/23/2006 12:00:00 AM

IN ITS RECENT WORLD CUP CONTEST WITH ITALY, the U.S. team played what was widely regarded by the sport's connoisseurs as one of the best games ever played by an American soccer squad on foreign soil.

The historic game with Italy ended in an epic 1-1 tie. But in what was ballyhooed as one of the greatest games ever played by an American team, the United States failed to score. The goal credited to the Americans was scored by an opposing player who--oops!--accidentally kicked the ball into his own goal.

Think about this about this for a moment. It just about sums up everything you need to know about soccer, or football, as it is known elsewhere.

Soccer is the perfect game for the post-modern world. It's the quintessential expression of the nihilism that prevails in many cultures, which doubtlessly accounts for its wild popularity in Europe. Soccer is truly Seinfeldesque, a game about nothing, sport as sensation.

Most soccer matches end in scoreless ties (or nil, nil in soccer parlance), 1-1 deadlocks or 1-0 victories. A final score of 2-1 is regarded as a veritable outburst of offense, an avalanche of goal scoring that leaves exhausted fans shaking their heads and pining for the old days when teams knew how to play strong defense. A score of 2-0 is said to be a crushing victory (or defeat) of Carthaginian proportions rendering national shame and humiliation and potentially resulting in coup d'etat, or even war.

In truth, soccer could be played without using a ball at all, and few would notice the difference. The game consists of 22 men running up and down a grassy field for 90 minutes with little happening as fans scream wildly. When the ball actually approaches one of the goals, the fans reach fever pitch and the cheering becomes a deafening roar.

Of course, these infrequent occurrences in which the soccer ball approaches the end zone--where goaltenders wile away their time perusing magazines, trimming their fingernails or inspecting blades of grass--rarely result in a shot on goal. Most often the ball ends up high over the goal, missing everything by 20 or 30 feet. These "near misses" typically send the fans into paroxysms; TV announcers scream themselves hoarse. Then the players mill about the field for another 20 or 30 minutes or so and the goaltenders return to their musings before the ball returns, like Halley's comet in its far-flung orbit, for another pass in the general vicinity of the goal.

Mostly soccer is just guys in shorts running around aimlessly, a metaphor for the meaninglessness of life. Whole blocks of game time transpire during which absolutely nothing happens. Fortunately, this permits fans to slip out for a bratwurst and a beer without missing anything important. It's little wonder fans at times resort to brawling amongst themselves in the grandstands, as there is so little transpiring on the field of play to occupy their wandering attention. Watching men in shorts scampering around has its limitations. It's like gazing too long at a painting by de Kooning or Jackson Pollock. The more you look, the less there is to see.

DESPITE HEROIC EFFORTS of soccer moms, suburban liberals, and World Cup hype, soccer will never catch on as a big time sport in America. No game in which actually scoring goals is of such little importance could possibly occupy the attention of average Americans. Our country has yet to succumb to the nihilism, existentialism, and anomie that have overtaken Europe. A game about nothing, in which scoring is purely incidental, holds scant interest for Americans who still believe the world makes sense, that life has a larger meaning and structure, that being is not an end in itself, being qua being.

Another reason why soccer will never enthrall Americans is that the game is contrary to nature. What is it that is unique to the physical makeup of human beings that sets us apart from the animal world? Two things: Our large brains and our grasping hands with opposable thumbs. Our big brain is why we're called homo sapiens, thinking man. And our ability to use our hands to grasp and manipulate objects is why one of our early ancestors was designated homo habilis, handy man. Human beings are thinking toolmakers. We're able to imagine the arrowhead in the stone and use our hands to carve it out of the rock. These two uniquely human traits have allowed us to become the dominant species on the planet.

Yet soccer flies in the face of nature. In almost all other sports, the head is protected against injury. Players wear helmets and try to avoid contact with sticks, bats, balls, elbows, fists, roadways, goalposts and other things that might inflict injury on that big brain that gives humans the ability to plan ahead, calculate, strategize, coordinate eye and hand movements, anticipate the consequence of actions--in other words, to play the game.

But soccer players use their heads, deliberately, to contact the ball. This is contrary to all human instinct, which is to keep the head out of the way of danger. Duck, you idiot! Protecting the head against injury is deeply rooted in our nature. It's an evolutionary survival response. Sacrifice a limb if you must, give up an arm or leg, but protect your head at all costs. Yet in soccer the player is encouraged, no, expected to hit the ball with his head. This is as stupid an action as a human being can undertake.

Secondly, any game which prohibits the use of the hands is contrary to nature. Opposable thumbs allow humans to grasp things (thumbs on other primate hands such as chimps and orangutans are splayed out the side and are not truly opposable.) This is why the games human beings play involve holding things such as baseball bats, golf clubs and hockey sticks, or to grip and throw objects like a ball or a Frisbee.

Soccer denies its players this most basic human ability. Players cannot catch or throw the ball. But they can hit it with their heads. If one were to set out to invent a game fundamentally at odds with human nature, soccer would be it. Place the head with its big brain in constant danger, and prohibit the use of the hands. Soccer denies to its players the very attributes that make human beings, the thinking toolmaker, human.

Actually, the donkey would have a significant advantage over humans in soccer. It has four legs rather than two. The donkey has no hands or opposable thumbs, nor any need of them in order to play soccer. And smashing its head into a soccer ball probably would not cause any diminution of equine IQ. Soccer, then, would appear to be a game better suited to dim-witted quadrupeds than to human beings.

Frank Cannon and Richard Lessner, consultants with Capital City Partners, have spent most of the World Cup watching ESPN re-runs of the world's strongest man contest.

The danger of busy

2006-06-20T14:13:00.000-04:00

A coworker gave this to me as food for thought:

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ.

"This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" shouted his angels.

"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumberable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10 or 12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!

"Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CDs, DVDs and PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. Fill the coffee table with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogues, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Ha! That will fragment those families quickly!

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion. Go ahead, let them be involved in soul winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!"

It was quite a convention.

And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments, causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and to rush here and there... I guess the question is: has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge.

BUSY = Being Under Satan's Yoke

I QUIT!

2006-06-14T12:31:00.000-04:00

That's right, I did. But not just - I quit last Wednesday. I just couldn't take it any more, and the job wasn't worth coming home angry and crying every night. It's only been a week, and already I feel more relaxed and in control. I'm staying until the end of the month, which is longer than my legal two weeks' notice, but I think this will placate him a little.

So, there you have it! Thanks to everyone who encouraged me, and I'll need prayers if I'm to find a job before I hit the bottom of the savings barrel.

(And no, this isn't my car, but for about a minute I did consider doing this!)

Happy Half-Birthday!

2006-06-13T17:48:00.000-04:00

As of today I am officially 21-1/2 years old! :D I think I'm the only person who remembers that sort of thing... but hey, any excuse for cake is a good one!

10-day Recap

2006-06-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

It's only been [quick counting] 10 days since I last posted, but so much has happened!

Weekend, May 26-28
Friday night we stayed home. Typically the boys go out somewhere, so Sis and I had the TV to ourselves. Chris had nothing to do either, so we sat and watched Batman, I think. Can't really remember, but I'm sure we watched a movie.
Saturday morning Chris was over at 7:30 and woke me up to go garage saleing! We took the page from the paper that had all the garage sale ads in it and crossed them off as we went. Lots of fun, nice warm weather, and we bought a whole bunch of stuff: 2 whisks (me), a lace shawl (me), some playing cards (Chris), basketballs (Chris), an old Bible and two really old "devo" books - 1 from 1917, and the other from 1889! - (me), a stack of plastic Tupperware cups (me), and a bookcase (me). After the sales we popped into Burlington for a minute to drop off some CDs Chris had borrowed from K&S, and then on the way home we stopped at the Liquidation Outlet in Waterdown and I bought a rocking chair! I don't really need one (yet), but it was exactly like the one I pictured owning someday, and I couldn't pass it up. The bookcase is already in my room and filled with stuff, but the chair is sitting in the hall downstairs until I find some place to put it. Chris dropped me off at home to do some work for my mum, and then in the evening Teresa came over to pick up her duvet - I finally finished it - and we went with Trees, Sis and I to Angel's Diner for supper. Excellent food! Then we came home and watched... a movie. Don't remember which one. It was a chick flick, cuz Chris was complaining the whole time. :P

Week, May 29 - June 2
This week was insanely busy. Monday night was the only free night, but it was so hot we didn't want to do anything anyways. We ate fruit and icecream and sat in the basement. Chris was supposed to have a soccer game in Cambridge but it got cancelled.
Tuesday was Sharlene's play in Waterdown, and it was fantastic! She did such a good job. Another hot date, and the theatre wasn't A/C'd, so I think with all the people sitting in there the temperature got up near 40 C.
Wednesday was soccer again, in Hamilton. Mel was there, so we got to sit and chat while we watched our men lose their game. :P
Thursday was our 2nd anniversary! Hard to believe it's been 2 years already, it's gone fast. Chris totally surprised me, took me out to a New Orleans bistro in Burlington for dinner. We had a typical N.O. dinner of hot jambalaya, crab cakes, cornbread, ribs, and catfish. I had a martini too, but Chris didn't like the taste of it so much. After dinner we went for a walk in Spencer Smith Park, all the way down to the end with the cool compass, and we checked out the new tourist information centre, which looks so much better than the old one.
Friday and Saturday we were up in Markdale at Campfire! for the CYA Retreat. We had an excellent time and heard some very thought-provoking speeches, played games, and went on a scavenger hunt all over the camp. The hand game at our table was fun (and noisy), and the water-pistol wars were hilarious (Joel! Sara!).

And that's about it, I think. This is going to be another busy week, if I'm not careful, so I think I'm going to make sure I have time to relax and maybe do some sewing, since I haven't touched my machine in over a week. There's some mending to be done, so I think that will be first.

Congrats to Jocelyn and Harold, who went and got engaged two Thursdays ago! I love you guys!

Hope y'all are having a good week!

Artistik Expressions

2006-05-26T10:42:00.000-04:00

I've made another blog, Artistik Expressions, this one solely for displaying my projects. You'll find the link under the Links heading (how profound).

Take a look! I'm alway eager for new ideas, and if you see something you like and you want one for yourself, let me know!

The Old and the New

2006-05-24T13:35:00.000-04:00

What a weekend. I yearn for one that is not packed with activities, and yet with every busy weekend that passes I do not regret the events that filled my time. The weekend past was so fun, a time to get together with new friends and old... though mostly new.

It's hard to join new circles. I've done it before, to be sure, and yet each time brings new challenges. It's taken me just over two years to join the circle that is Chris' family, and still sometimes I feel so much on the outside. I still hold back. They don't know the whole me, and I don't know whether to be content with that, or saddened.

The same goes for friendship circles. My "hubby" being the social butterfly that he is (two of us in one couple... how scary is that), I find myself being introduced to friends whenever we go out. I'm blessed with a better-than-average knack for pairing up names and faces, and remembering where they work, who they're related to, and occasionally even siblings, so adding another name to the mental database is not hard. What is hard, for me, is making the connection. Will they remember me? Do they know where I work? My siblings? That I don't like chips or orange pop or coconut, that I'd love to break out of the tiny glass universe that is office work and be spontaneous and creative? That I ache to be married, but have left that decision in his hands, His hands, and struggle every day with my impatience? The words are stuck behind my hesitance.

At times I feel so... involved, accepted even; then I'm struck again by the unspoken warning that I'm not really a part, and that my presence is resented. Or maybe not even resented, just... new. And unfamiliar. Uncomfortable, like a new pair of shoes that you have to break in, and once they're just right you don't remember how they were when they were new.

I want to be an old sneaker friend, so I'll take it one step at a time. New shoes are supposed to pinch, I guess.

Te amo, Arnoldo!

2006-05-18T15:39:00.000-04:00

This one is for my brother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE69LQEtPFY

I [heart] Mom

2006-05-16T13:06:00.000-04:00

To mother's everywhere... how do you put up with this?

http://www.zippyvideos.com/1819460215152606/mothersday/

To viewers: Bust a gut.

Rainy days...

2006-05-11T14:04:00.000-04:00

In honour of a rainy day, I did a Google search for poems about rain, and this is one that I found. This one is dedicated to Laurs, who loves thunderstorms as much as I do. :D

Rain
When it rains
The soft grey sky
Drifts to the ground
Brown rivulets
Trickle away
Trickle away
Washing sadness down
Weather vanes
Weep and turn
Weep and turn
Forgetting in the damp and grey
That by and by
The sun will shine
Sun will shine
By and by
The sun will shine.

Some days...

2006-05-04T13:07:00.000-04:00

As I was leaving Tim Horton's today after getting my lunch, not one, not two, but three men held the door for me.

Some days I love being a woman.

Back to the real world

2006-05-02T19:56:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm back after my whirlwind trip to Holland. It was great to see Oma (who is doing much better, and may be able to go home soon) and other relatives. I think one of the highlights of my week was getting to meet my 5 nieces and nephews, one of whom is named after me, and another who is a dead ringer for me at age 2. Once I have time to upload some pictures I'll introduce them to you!

It's very strange living in another culture for a week. I'd never realized how much I take everyday conversation for granted until I had to struggle to understand people in another language. I'm proud to say that, although I lost whatever Dutch conversation skills I had when I was younger, I did manage to hold my own in a conversation by the end of my week there. I couldn't speak Dutch, but I could for the most part understand what they were talking about. The relatives all had a great laugh at me when I got so excited about being able to read a road sign, though! And I think I convinced a few of them to come to Canada next fall for a certain momentous event... ;)

But yeah, glad to be back in the true North strong and free. Now I have to catch up on the week's worth of paperwork I missed... my desk looks like a mountain range with all the piles! :S Hopefully one of these days I'll be up to date on all that stuff, but for now I just keep plugging away.

Spring is here! I love seeing the buds on the trees and the brilliant forsythias everywhere! Makes me feel like singin'... if only I could, eh?

AOC this weekend. I'm not a leader, but I will be stopping by in the evenings to volunteer my services with cleanup or cooking. If I time it right I can check out the Coffee House productions too, which should be interesting.

Tha's all fer now! I have a ton of work to do tonight, finishing a transcript, making some cards, and sewing if I get the chance, but I'm not counting on that one.

G'night!

Post from the Netherlands

2006-04-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I only have a few minutes here as I'm writing from my cousin's computer between evening church and a sing-in (something like Living Worship), but I wanted to let you all know that my Oma is doing much better and may be able to go home in the near(ish) future, I'm having a great time catching up with relatives and seeing my nephews and nieces, and missing talking to you all. Thank you to those who sent me their best wishes -- you've put many smiles in my heart!

I'll write again once I'm back over the big pond. I leave Schipol Airport at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, and I should be back at work on Thursday morning. Take care, and I'll try to post a little bit about my week in the Netherlands then!

Ciao

Progress!

2006-04-12T17:32:00.000-04:00

I finally have time to give you an update on the flight situation. My mom has her passport now, so we went ahead and booked a flight leaving the 18th and returning the 25th. I have to go tomorrow morning to Hamilton to get my passport. We had a bit of anxiety this afternoon because it looked like we wouldn't be able to get an affordable flight until late next week, but at the last minute our travel agent found one. It seems that things are falling into place, and Lord willing in a week I will see my Oma. She's still stable, and doing well under the circumstances. Thank you all for your prayers and support; it means so much to me.

Shake-up

2006-04-11T11:45:00.000-04:00

Hello y'all. This is Chris...

Jo is in a tight spot right now. Her Oma (Grandmother for all you non-Dutchies!) is not doing very well at all after some surgery, and Jo and her Mom are scrambling around trying to get passports and such so that they can go to The Netherlands ASAP. They were trying for tomorrow night, but that might not happen...we'll see.

Please pray for Jo and her Mom and her Oma and all the rest of her family as they rally behind their Oma ... she is a really wonderful woman (she was in the habit of visiting her grandchildren in Canada every other summer, so I had the pleasure of meeting her).

And if you have good luggage or anything else that might assist them, let Jo know :)

Thank you for your prayers and other help!
CT

*Update: We're having problems with getting our passports, although we've been assured that because of the emergency status we should be able to get at least mine within 24 hours. Mom's is another matter, because she's not a Canadian citizen, so we have to plead with the Dutch embassy to speed through the process. As it looks right now, we'll be leaving on Tuesday and staying for a week. Mom talked to the doctors this afternoon and Oma is stable, so for that we give thanks. Thank you all for your prayers and support; we'll continue to need them. Please pray that I will get to see my Oma alive. Jo

5-10 Daily Servings of Fruits & Vegetables

2006-04-07T09:59:00.000-04:00

mmm...

2006-04-07T09:54:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of Nick Hamstra.

My new toy

2006-04-05T11:57:00.000-04:00

A package was waiting for me by the front door when I got home on Monday -- my MP3 player arrived! I ordered it last week from Tiger Direct, and got it in 3 business days! And it's lovely.

In the package I also got a few cards for free downloads, so I used one of them yesterday and got two books by Christopher Paolini, Eragon and Eldest. My sister is reading them right now and she says they're fantastic; I'd love to read them too, but I don't have time anymore to sit down with a book. So now I can "read" them while I go for a walk. I always have a book on tape playing in the car on the way to and from work, and now I've got one for walks as well... look at all the books I'm reading without actually opening them! I am going to try, however, to make myself some time to relax and actually read a novel.

I bought the player so that I have something to do with my mind while I'm walking at lunch. With the onset of spring I decided it was high time that I get outside more often and get myself (moderately) in shape again. Thus the daily walks, and also the not eating a donut every day. :S That one's a bit harder to stick to, but I've been doing well for the last few days. I'm also developing a love for yummy salads, especially the Mandarin Chicken Salad from Wendy's! Now, as a general rule I don't eat Wendy's food, but this salad is divine. We're talking angels-biking-over-your-tongue delicious here, people! Go and try one!

And all this talk of food is making me hungry. Time to get some food. TTFN! J.

Hump Day Chuckle

2006-04-05T11:13:00.000-04:00

Chris emailed this to me, so I'm posting it here for your enjoyment. It's called "Survival of the Fittest".

McMath
Recently when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets. "We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the teenager at the counter. "You don't?" I replied. "We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the reply. "So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?" "That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets.

Maybe they should update the price list...
I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those "dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the divider and looked all over it for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me,"Do you know how much this is?" I said to her, "I've changed my mind, I don't think I'll buy that today." She said "OK," and I paid her for my items and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

And here I was still putting in the numbers by hand!
A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM "thingy."

OnStar for Dummies
I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. "Do you need some help?" I asked. She replied, "I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?" "Hmmm, I dunno. Do you have an alarm, too?" I asked. "No, just this remote thingy," she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, "Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk."

Ink-Saver
Several years ago, we had an intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, "I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?" "Just use copier machine paper," the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier, and proceeded to make five "blank" copies.

Uh...
I was in a car dealership a while ago, when a large motor home was towed into the garage. The front of the vehicle was in dire need of repair and the whole thing generally looked like an extra in "Twister." I asked the manager what had happened. He told me that the driver had set the cruise control and then went in the back to make a sandwich.

Hi-Speed smoke detector
My neighbour works in the operations department in the central office of a large bank. Employees in the field call him when they have problems with their computers. One night he got a call from a woman in one of the branch banks who had this question: "I've got smoke coming from the back of my terminal. Do you guys have a fire downtown?"

A guilty conscience
Police in Radnor, PA, interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth. Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.

Warning: Do not operate heavy machinery
A mother calls 911 very worried, asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room -- the kid was eating ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and should be fine. The mother says, "I just gave him some ant killer....." Dispatcher: "Rush him into emergency!"

Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid!

Prayer Request

2006-04-05T11:04:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure how many people actually check this blog, but for those who do, I have a prayer request for you. My friend's sister Amy and her husband Kevin are pregnant, and expecting triplets. Late last week they had to have emergency surgery and lost one of the babies, and they have to be really careful for the next few weeks to make sure that the other two develop properly. Please keep Kevin & Amy and their families in your prayers.

Jo

Oh, in case you want updates on the pregnancy, you can visit their blog at kahoogstad.blogspot.com.

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

2006-04-03T17:38:00.000-04:00

So, what happens when it's a rainy Monday? You get the blues, like me today.

For some reason I'm really down today. I think it's a combination of emotional stress, work stress, lack of time to keep up with commitments, not having seen friends in ages, and lack of sleep.

I don't like having the blues.

Projects - Part 2

2006-03-28T15:08:00.000-05:00

This one is for Laurs. :)

Two winters ago (this would be 2004) I made this duvet cover. Ambitious girl that I am, I decided that king size was the only way to go. :S I emptied all the closets in our house for old jeans, cleaned them, and cut them all into 12 cm x 12 cm squares. Then I sewed them all together to make this:

I love it! It was a huge job, but totally worth it. All the jeans are from my family and Chris', so even when we're on our own there's a bit of our families in our new home. I'm making a smaller version right now for a friend, but I have tons of jeans sitting in a pile by the sewing machine that aren't being used yet, so if anyone out there is interested, email me for more details. (Little plug for me there!) They do take a while to make, because I do them in the evenings after work, so it takes me a few months.

Enough pictures for today, I think. Time to get some work done!

Projects - Part 1

2006-03-28T14:47:00.000-05:00

I promised a while back to post some pictures of my recent sewing projects here, and I'm finally getting around to it.

The first two pictures are of the throw I made for K&S. It's blue fleece accented with patterned blue/grey fleece, and the pattern is repeated on the reverse side. The second picture shows a little bit more detail. To make the body of the design, I cut out 2" x 5" rectangles (I think a few hundred) and pieced them together into squares. I sewed the squares into rows, rotating each new square a quarter turn to get the design you see. Then I just sewed the rows together, added an accent border and a finished border. I did this twice to get the two sides, sewed the sides together inside out, flipped them, and piped the edges.

The third picture shows the blankets I made for the girls for Christmas. Also fleece, this time cream and waffle-patterned blue. I checkered the fronts, and then cut backs for them out of a single piece (one back was blue, the other cream). I finished the edges by cutting through both front and back layers to the first seam in 1" slices, then tying the slices together all the way around in double knots. This is an easy blanket to simplify; just make the front and back out of single pieces, cut the edges and tie them. No sewing required! And of course, I had two wonderful models to help me display the finished projects.

I'm always looking for new ideas for blankets, so if you've got any, let me know! :)

Pictures!

2006-03-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

I was cleaning up my room this weekend (an annual event, Chris will tell you, and I think he despairs of me ever being organized at home!), and I found pictures from last year's trip to the Toronto Zoo. So now, for your viewing pleasure, I present a sampling:

Phew.

2006-03-25T22:38:00.000-05:00

Montreal destroyed the hated Laffers again tonight - that's great news! I was forced to listen to the game, because I wasn't near a tv...I listened to the game over www.nhl.com and its links through to local radio stations (read: I listened to the game broadcasted from the Molson Centre in Montreal in English!).

Why wasn't I at home watching? Because I was at my second home...the "Lever" computer lab at Waterloo (the University of). Today/tonight I finished all sorts of stuff for a huge group project, as well as putting in my contributions into two labs (a geological lab and a flocculation/sedimentation lab :-)

The huge project is a 30-pager about how different types of technology (both existing and proposed) can greatly reduce the dependence that blind people have on society (gathering information, communicating effectively, travelling about, and the like...). I am really proud of the paper, and if you would like to read it, send me an email and I'll send it over!

I'm also proud that my wonderful woman restrained herself today by not nagging me to go home, instead allowing me to make up my own mind that I had to finish all that work before I was permitted to go home.

Hey - home!

It's 10:45pm on a Saturday night and I am in a computer lab. I've been here since 1130 or so this morning .... time to go home, eh??

I would love 1-liner emails this week reminding me to keep my nose at the grindstone for just a little longer ... before this school term is done I need to re-do a report and finish two small assignments. I think it will be much easier if you send me a quick reminder to do the work, so right now! email me! Thank you!!

Good night, all.

your favourite Civil Engineering student at the University of Waterloo,
christy.

Randomness is the spice of life

2006-03-20T14:43:00.000-05:00

Oh wait... that's variety. Oh, whatever.

Yeah, this is going to be a random Monday post, written as I sit at my desk at work, enjoying a lunch of cinnamon-raisin bagel, toasted with butter, an apple cheese danish, and a honey-lemon tea. Timmie's has been my lunch-provider of choice since I started working here in June, and despite repeated warnings from my mother that buying lunch every day will send me straight to the poor house, I just can't make myself get up early in the mornings to make myself a homemade lunch. I kind of enjoy being a regular at a local coffee shop, enjoy greeting the ladies there by name and having them know how I'm feeling based on what I order (cappuccino normally, tea if I'm sick or tired). And the contest doesn't hurt either, although I think at the moment I'm 1/23 or so. I'm still trying to figure out where I have space to put the barbecue I'm going to win...

So, Chris and I went to another wedding this weekend, Reuben and Irene Helder. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that one of my high school buddies is married; not that he's the first one, but he's the first guy of all my high school friends. That's going to change in the next year or two, as more and more of us get hitched. But anyways. So Chris wore his suit and I my fancy dress, and we had a ball, notwithstanding the fact that I was so overdressed. But, it was too late to worry about that -- we were late for the wedding because, at 10 minutes before, I was still at home running around trying to find something else to wear! Good thing the church is close. :) Between the ceremony and the reception we had a few hours, so we ended up going to the mall to get Chris some jeans and stuff. Imagine us, all dressed up to the nines, strolling through the hordes of people in the mall! It was fun! And the reception was beautiful. Reubs, Irene; all the best to you two in Ottawa. We're going to miss you!

The only downer of Saturday was (and you'd think I would be used to this by now, and able to shrug it off) the oft-repeated question: "So, Jo, are you engaged yet? No? When?" ARGH! I wish that I was more patient about this, but I'm not. We know that we want to get married, our families know it, but I still have to wait. And I hate waiting. (Sorry, hun. But you know all of this already, right?)

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K, happy things now. Sorry for the rant.
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Some more random stuff:

Prison Break is on tonight! Only the greatest show I've seen in a long time... I've been so missing it since last year. I'll have to try to tape episodes this time around, so that I can enjoy them again later.
Does anyone else think that the new Kelly Clarkson song sounds a little like FeFe Dobson, or is it just me? Not that I particularly like either of them, mind you...
I was a total girl on Saturday and picked up 2 new CDs: Michael Buble and James Blunt. Argh :). I also admit to owning the first Clay Aiken CD. So shoot me. At the moment I'm trying to find Tchaikovsky CDs, The Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake. I found other discs that have some songs from those pieces, but I'm really hoping to find the complete works, one on each CD. I hope that made sense... it did to me, but that's not always a good indicator. If you see one of those CDs, let me know? Thanks!

What else? I'm really hoping that spring weather gets here fast (on that note, happy first day of spring!), so that I can start walking at lunch. I'm close enough to the lake that I could probably make it down there and back in an hour, and I'm really wanting to get back in shape this year.

I think perhaps that I should go and get some work done now, before the whole day is gone. Less than two hours to go and then it's home time, and Prison Break!

I hate shopping.

2006-03-15T14:14:00.000-05:00

Well, ok, let me clarify that. I hate shopping when I have to find something and I can't. I'm officially 0 for 2 on Burlington shopping mall successes. Little Sis and I went on Monday night after supper to Mapleview, our goal being a dress that I can wear to Reuben & Irene's wedding on Saturday. I didn't find anything... Marsh got slippers. So I went yesterday again after work. After some rearranging of schedules, I ended up leaving and coming back with Wucka, who also needed something. And do you think we were at all successful, even at a different mall? Uh, no. However, we did have a fun 2 hours of complaining about shopping. Some great quotes:

"Did you know that I hate shopping?" "Have I mentioned how much I hate shopping?" "I really hate shopping." (uttered by both of us ad nauseum)
"Ugg boots... the vomit of the shoe world."
"I saw this, and I thought of you." (about UG-LY blouse)
"Wow... that's kind of... urban chic meets ghetto trash."

Yeah, it's always nicer to go to the mall with someone you can laugh with. Thanks Wucka! Too bad we didn't find anything. I think I'm just going to [gasp] wear the same dress I wore for Kev & Sarah's wedding (that's the one I'm wearing in the picture from last post).

I haven't yet had a chance to take a picture of myself with the new 'do, so my apologies to all the fans who have been breathlessly waiting for it. You're gonna hafta breath, darlings, cuz otherwise you'll be pretty dead by the time the picture makes it here. Sorry about that. ;)

Tonight is Girlz Night! I'm meeting my college girls for coffee tonight before soccer. We're only 3 out of 4 right now, as Marlies is still in Holland, but it's fun.

I'm going to try to post some pictures of my sewing projects on here from time to time. Reason being, I bought myself a new sewing machine recently, and I've been sewing up a storm of throws and receiving blankets and even a quilt! Yeah, that's right... I made my own quilt. From scratch, no pattern to follow. The best part about that one is that my dad is telling everyone how cool it is. My dad, people. That's, like, unheard of. I love it. :)

More to follow, but for now, back to work!

2006-02-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

Us at Chris' company Christmas party

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....

2006-02-28T11:43:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I do my blogposts the same way I used to write stories; write first, and figure out the title later. As a note to anyone who reads this, I must warn you: I am not a writer, by any means. I confess to a tiny bit of awe (just a skootch!) at those friends and acquaintances of mine that can so eloquently put their thoughts out for others to read.

I made the drastic change last night -- I dyed my hair! Well, I didn't do it on my own; E, my wonderful friend from back in high school, has become a hairdresser, and she had time yesterday for me to see her. We chose a lovely rich brown, and after 2 hours of waiting and washing and chatting, it was done! Goodbye blonde highlights, hello brunette! And they say blondes have all the fun... :) . E cut 3-4 inches off too, so it's shoulder-length again. The family has seen it, and more or less unanimously given their approval (well, except for A, but what can you expect from a little brother), so now I need to get reactions from Chris and friends. Chris is excited to see it... he'll be shocked, just like he was when I pierced my ears last year without telling him first! I love surprises, both giving and getting; the anticipation is totally worth it. When I manage to get a picture of the new 'do, I'll try to post it.

2006-02-24T11:04:00.000-05:00

I'm here, as well.
@ school this Friday morning, even though yesterday and today are my "reading week".
Gotta get back to writing this paper .... it's about technology that translates a digital picture of a sign and uses some fancy software to translate the writing on the sign into English.

well, ciao.
Chris.

The second time around...

2006-02-24T10:35:00.000-05:00

Here we are. Even though I said I would never blog again, the need to put thoughts down in a public forum was awakened once more. Perhaps this time I'll be more dedicated in posting.