Today my brother got his glasses (looks sharp), and Mom got to choose the frames for the glasses she's going to get. Bro also did his OW employability interview. His only obligation is to graduate for now. I tagged along and asked about my job application sheets. She says she doesn't care, she trusts me, she knows I saw their employment specialist, and after our meeting in three months, if I still don't have work, then she might decide to employ that obligation.
We went to the food bank today, too. I know they just give what they get, and it's free food, so we should be thankful for whatever we get, but if I was going to complain, I'd complain about getting bottled water. First of all, that's not exactly a necessity, since we've got tap water, and secondly, it's not even any better than tap water, because it's Nestle. Guelph tap water is Nestle bottled water. And that's not just an opinion. Guelph produces Nestle water, and it flows from our taps.
Plus, we have so much cookies. It's kind of reassuring to know that I'll never be without Yogurt, Dill & Green Onion Naan Bites, but it's hard to attribute them to keeping the household afloat. Mom still gets cookie privileges. The lady asked Mom if she had children, and she said kind of, and told he that I was her child, and the woman still gave us an extra pack of cookies!
Mom decided that today was the day she could start pestering me about grandchildren. Fat chance, Mom! If you wanted that, you shouldn't have raised me to be such a loser. In fact, there was a client at the food bank who was flirting with anything that moved. The one exception was me, and it was kind of bad, because we wound up pushing our carts at the same time, and had a conversation, and she kept referring to me with maternal terms of endearment.
I'm not saying that was an opportunity I would have wanted to pursue, I'm just saying, the last thing any woman thinks about in my presence is pro-creation, even if that's usually all she thinks about.
At least we got another squash. We got a squash as a bonus last round at the food bank, and I considered it some kind of symbol of prosperity and good fortune. This squash isn't as nice, and it wasn't a bonus, but it's still a squash.
I think any time a family member funds a shopping trip, it lasts longer than the food bank donation.
At least I've got plans this Halloween. I don't know what I'm doing, but I know who I'm doing it with, at least.
I went to 2ndchance again, and I didn't get another free suit, but I have the chance to win a jar of candy! I had to guess how many were in a jar. I feel pretty confident about my guess. Everyone else was shooting way too low. I don't know what they were thinking.
I think I might sign up for another 2ndchance counselor. Just because, why not? I enjoy going there, it's where I do a lot of my job-searching, so I'll be there anyway, and it will keep me focused. I think my old official counselor is gone. I haven't seen her since I got back. Initially, when I asked where she was, they said she was on vacation, but she's still not back, and it's been recommended I sign up with a new person. Mysterious.
While I was gone, there was a guy marketed as "The new Gryphon" at Secondchance, and he actually worked for my former employers. I haven't met him, because he moved on to bigger and better things, but I imagine he was a real smooth customer. All style and no substance. Had the gimmicks, but not my depths!!!! I can't be replicated so easily!!!!
For instance, he moved on to bigger and better things. How is that like me at all?!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Convenience Store, Free Suit
So the other day, I went into a convenience store to buy my Mom cigarettes. The clerk asks me for ID. I start to take it out, but I'm intercepted by another person who runs the store. It went like this:
Man: I believe him! That beard is big! I believe in that beard! Put that ID away!
I start to take it back, but then...
Woman: Oh no! When I'm at the counter, I am in charge! Take it back out!
Man: Sir, if you are worrying that you are looking young, do not worry!
I hand over my ID. The woman looks at it.
Woman: 1989. Well, he is not that old.
Man: He is 21.
Woman: Yeah, but it's not unreasonable that I asked.
Man: He looks older than 19!!!!
The man takes out a pack of cigarettes, walks around the counter, and hands them to me personally.
Man: Sir, I am sorry that you had to put up with this SHIT from my wife!
Wow, that was dramatic! An interesting side-note is, this is only the second time I've purchased cigarettes in my life, and both times happened in the span of one week. Both times, I was purchasing for someone else.I've never even tried smoking.
What I'm taking from this is, I need to trim my beard again. When it starts to incite random, fanatical respect, that means it doesn't look as sophisticated.
Yikes! I forgot to say that, when talking to my grandfather about beard growth over Thanksgiving, he said it took awhile to grow one, and that, if he shaved, it would probably take him a couple weeks to grow a full one.
What! It took me seven weeks before I considered what I had to be a full beard! And I won a beard-growing competition and was considered to have the fastest facial hair in my Katimavik cluster!
And I know a guy in his sixties who has a beard that I go to Karate with. He shaved his beard once and had it grown back the next week! Because of him, I had a total misconception of how fast facial hair grows!
Maybe it's a gene that's weakening by generation. Another theory I've heard is that, as you get older, your facial hair speeds up. Another is that your facial hair tends to grow to the length it's used to. That would explain how I can have a 5:00 shadow, and speed to my three-day growth, then not seem to grow for six weeks, then hit a facial hair "breakthrough" and blast out to full beard, and defeat my competitor. He, who used to have a beard, grew consistently throughout the competition. I wonder if I shaved, if my body would try to revert to what it now considers it's norm.
Anyway, yesterday, I saw the OW job consultant. He doesn't know why I didn't get a job-searching sheet, and he gave me one. But it's only good for one month, and my employment counselor has scheduled to see me in three months. It didn't feel like part two of a normal process, like I thought it might, and he wasn't the guy I'd seen before, like I thought he'd be.
I got a free suit! I was at my youth employment centre, and they all randomly were like, "Hey, do you want a free suit?" It's a full suit, 100% pure virgin wool, from Moores. Apparently they got a bunch of suits donated.
Man: I believe him! That beard is big! I believe in that beard! Put that ID away!
I start to take it back, but then...
Woman: Oh no! When I'm at the counter, I am in charge! Take it back out!
Man: Sir, if you are worrying that you are looking young, do not worry!
I hand over my ID. The woman looks at it.
Woman: 1989. Well, he is not that old.
Man: He is 21.
Woman: Yeah, but it's not unreasonable that I asked.
Man: He looks older than 19!!!!
The man takes out a pack of cigarettes, walks around the counter, and hands them to me personally.
Man: Sir, I am sorry that you had to put up with this SHIT from my wife!
Wow, that was dramatic! An interesting side-note is, this is only the second time I've purchased cigarettes in my life, and both times happened in the span of one week. Both times, I was purchasing for someone else.I've never even tried smoking.
What I'm taking from this is, I need to trim my beard again. When it starts to incite random, fanatical respect, that means it doesn't look as sophisticated.
Yikes! I forgot to say that, when talking to my grandfather about beard growth over Thanksgiving, he said it took awhile to grow one, and that, if he shaved, it would probably take him a couple weeks to grow a full one.
What! It took me seven weeks before I considered what I had to be a full beard! And I won a beard-growing competition and was considered to have the fastest facial hair in my Katimavik cluster!
And I know a guy in his sixties who has a beard that I go to Karate with. He shaved his beard once and had it grown back the next week! Because of him, I had a total misconception of how fast facial hair grows!
Maybe it's a gene that's weakening by generation. Another theory I've heard is that, as you get older, your facial hair speeds up. Another is that your facial hair tends to grow to the length it's used to. That would explain how I can have a 5:00 shadow, and speed to my three-day growth, then not seem to grow for six weeks, then hit a facial hair "breakthrough" and blast out to full beard, and defeat my competitor. He, who used to have a beard, grew consistently throughout the competition. I wonder if I shaved, if my body would try to revert to what it now considers it's norm.
Anyway, yesterday, I saw the OW job consultant. He doesn't know why I didn't get a job-searching sheet, and he gave me one. But it's only good for one month, and my employment counselor has scheduled to see me in three months. It didn't feel like part two of a normal process, like I thought it might, and he wasn't the guy I'd seen before, like I thought he'd be.
I got a free suit! I was at my youth employment centre, and they all randomly were like, "Hey, do you want a free suit?" It's a full suit, 100% pure virgin wool, from Moores. Apparently they got a bunch of suits donated.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Seeing Old Friends, Nightmares
Yesterday, I saw someone from my old pre-employment program that I haven't seen since near the end of the program, which was about a year and a half ago. She was speeding by in a car, so it was just for a second, but I know it was her! and I don't know if she recognized me, but she saw me, and I saw her. She gave me a look like "8O" (that's the emoticon for a surprised face, if you don't know), but I don't know if that was because she recognized me, or because I was making the "8O" face at her.
CWY sent me another message, saying "Are you sure you don't want to join this month? There are still openings! Don't respond unless you're ready to leave RIGHT NOW!!!"
Dang, missed opportunity. Oh well, if I go next year, I'll have done Ways2Work in 2009, Katimavik 2010, and CWY 2011. That's like, a pattern. If I do three programs, that elevates me to "program junkie" level.
I saw an old friend from elementary and middle school, who I've stayed in touch with, today. He's the guy who was friends with one of my high school friends, which I was freaking out over. He won't let up with the scary coincidences! He moved while I was gone, as did my family, and both moved to the same general area. He's almost a neighbour! He's in easy walking distance, but my family and him have never seen each other in the area. Not only that, but he's neighbours with a guy who lived in the place where I lived when I left, who I used to talk to! This old neighbour was like, the first guy I ran into when I went over to my friend's place!
I feel like I know too many people, now. Maybe it's not coincidence. Maybe I keep running into people I know because I'm actually pretty familiarized with my city at this point in time....
I also spoke with a guy I knew from elementary school, today, who found me on Facebook while I was in Katimavik, but who I otherwise haven't had contact with in almost a decade.
I've had bad insomnia lately. Probably due to all my nightmares. It must be because Halloween is coming up. These are pretty Halloween-related dreams.
In one dream, I'm a skeleton, and I'm hanging out with these other two guys, who are bossing me around, which they can get away with, because I'm a skeleton. Then, this big shroud of smoke appears, and in it are ghouls and creepers of all kinds. They charge us, causing us indescribable terror. We run away,and manage to evade them for some time, but after awhile, Zombie Mr. T shows up, pulls a gun, and says, "Join the Monster Mash, Foo!" or something like that. So we surrender ourselves and become consumed and assimilated by the horde. We go around spooking people, then go back to the house and throw a party. I pine that "I'd like to think I'm doing this for the Monster Party privileges, but in my heart, I know I'm just too scared to defy Zombie Mr. T".
In another one, I'm playing with my pet rabbit, and he hops off the fifth floor balcony, where we lived before the last place we lived. I think he must be wounded or dead, and I'm terrified. I want to reach him, but I can't without the Superintendent's permission, since he fell into his backyard. After some searching, which causes me anxiety since I know that, if my rabbit is alive, but wounded, he could die or become incurable if I'm too slow. I find the superintendent,and he lets me get to my rabbit. Everything is alright, because instead or dying or becoming wounded, my rabbit... became a giant slug. I don't care, because he's still got the same soul.
I'm a bit or a dream analyst, but I don't think I'll be doing that in this environment. Go to town if you want, though.
I don't know why I felt so guilty in the first dream. I mean, it's not like spooking people is nice, but the guilt I feel for it is really disproportionate. I'm not murdering anyone! I'm basically just going, "Boo!"
CWY sent me another message, saying "Are you sure you don't want to join this month? There are still openings! Don't respond unless you're ready to leave RIGHT NOW!!!"
Dang, missed opportunity. Oh well, if I go next year, I'll have done Ways2Work in 2009, Katimavik 2010, and CWY 2011. That's like, a pattern. If I do three programs, that elevates me to "program junkie" level.
I saw an old friend from elementary and middle school, who I've stayed in touch with, today. He's the guy who was friends with one of my high school friends, which I was freaking out over. He won't let up with the scary coincidences! He moved while I was gone, as did my family, and both moved to the same general area. He's almost a neighbour! He's in easy walking distance, but my family and him have never seen each other in the area. Not only that, but he's neighbours with a guy who lived in the place where I lived when I left, who I used to talk to! This old neighbour was like, the first guy I ran into when I went over to my friend's place!
I feel like I know too many people, now. Maybe it's not coincidence. Maybe I keep running into people I know because I'm actually pretty familiarized with my city at this point in time....
I also spoke with a guy I knew from elementary school, today, who found me on Facebook while I was in Katimavik, but who I otherwise haven't had contact with in almost a decade.
I've had bad insomnia lately. Probably due to all my nightmares. It must be because Halloween is coming up. These are pretty Halloween-related dreams.
In one dream, I'm a skeleton, and I'm hanging out with these other two guys, who are bossing me around, which they can get away with, because I'm a skeleton. Then, this big shroud of smoke appears, and in it are ghouls and creepers of all kinds. They charge us, causing us indescribable terror. We run away,and manage to evade them for some time, but after awhile, Zombie Mr. T shows up, pulls a gun, and says, "Join the Monster Mash, Foo!" or something like that. So we surrender ourselves and become consumed and assimilated by the horde. We go around spooking people, then go back to the house and throw a party. I pine that "I'd like to think I'm doing this for the Monster Party privileges, but in my heart, I know I'm just too scared to defy Zombie Mr. T".
In another one, I'm playing with my pet rabbit, and he hops off the fifth floor balcony, where we lived before the last place we lived. I think he must be wounded or dead, and I'm terrified. I want to reach him, but I can't without the Superintendent's permission, since he fell into his backyard. After some searching, which causes me anxiety since I know that, if my rabbit is alive, but wounded, he could die or become incurable if I'm too slow. I find the superintendent,and he lets me get to my rabbit. Everything is alright, because instead or dying or becoming wounded, my rabbit... became a giant slug. I don't care, because he's still got the same soul.
I'm a bit or a dream analyst, but I don't think I'll be doing that in this environment. Go to town if you want, though.
I don't know why I felt so guilty in the first dream. I mean, it's not like spooking people is nice, but the guilt I feel for it is really disproportionate. I'm not murdering anyone! I'm basically just going, "Boo!"
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
OW Employability Interview, Technology Issues
Right now I'm using the library computer. It's the first time I've used it since I got back. I'm coming back from sending another thing via post. I like sending and receiving things by snail-mail. It feels like an ancient method that has managed to survive against all odds.
Just like before, this is going to be a rushed post, because of the library's time restriction.
Yesterday, I went in to do my OW employability interview. It seemed pretty standard, and was finished before the expected time. Probably in part because my brother had to reschedule, because he had something else going on that day, so his time didn't count in, but I also thought she was going to give me job sheets and go over the job-search requirements of being an OW recipient. Since she didn't, does that mean I have no requirement to look for work? Doesn't matter, because I will anyway... The requirements they put down aren't especially harsh, and I'm sure I'd meet their expectations regardless of whether or not I have to fill out some sheets, but still...
She gave me the card for the OW employment specialist. I think he's the guy who was selected to be our worker last time. The name is familiar, and our last guy mentioned he was a big-shot around their. I think what happened is, we got the employment specialist last time by coincidence, and he put me through the employment bit, just because I was already there, so why not.
I think I may also have agreed to contact this guy, but I'm not sure. Didn't feel like it, actually, but I'll give him a call nonetheless. I don't feel safe as-is.
I should get my resume worked over by a professional, anyway. I think I'm pretty good at it now, and I use the advice given to me by the 2ndchance counselors, but I haven't actually had my resume checked over by someone paid to give advice on it, since I started doing it myself.
I tried studying for my G2 driver's license yesterday. I know someone with a car, who is willing to teach me, but I'm also supposed to study on my own. Absolutely none of it is sticking. I couldn't study effectively in high school and I can't do it now.
You know how I said that it takes like, an hour to walk from where I lived now to where I used to live? Well, guess how long it takes to bus it? About the same time. If we were following the old bus schedule, which we do in evenings, where they came every half-hour instead of every 20 minutes like they do now, then it would take even longer.
I should really start using our bike. I was never a huge cyclist, but yeesh. I might start.
I hope none of you guys are calling and leaving messages on our machine. We got one used, and it's really bad. It switches between static and clarity, so that you can't always understand the message, but you usually get enough human voice that you can decipher who made the call. Recently, I checked the messages and it was full-on static. I thought it was just the phone, which is always kind of static, but then I realized there was a small, muted voice. I held it up to my ear, risking having the voice suddenly go full-throttle straight into my ear, but I couldn't make out any words. Just a fair certainty that someone was talking, and that I couldn't make it out.
I don't know if I said our desktop computer is broken, to. We've had it for a few years now, and in that time, it has spent more time broken than not. Apparently, it was working the whole of when I was gone. Me and it just don't get along, I guess. Mom and Bro keep trying to convince me that it's a good and reliable computer, and these are all stupid little things that should be easily fixed, but we just have bad luck with it, as well as being flukes, but I just don't like it's track record.
Also, while I was gone, the space bar on my laptop broke. That's one reason it's difficult to update this blog. You'll notice this update is substantially longer, despite my having less time to complete it. This is partly because it's so difficult to type without a space bar. There's a little circle in the centre of where the space bar used to be, that you can use to make a space, but you have to push harder, and it takes longer to make your finger travel across the keyboard for it. That sounds petty, but it adds up when you consider it's probably the most comonly used key, and I'm used to having a giant bar. Also, even with the added effort of hitting dead-on and pushing down, there always some commands it doesn't register. You have to develop a system where you look over the last paragraph, go back, and add all the space-commands that didn't take the first time.
YEAH!!! I'm enjoying the library atmosphere. Didn't realize I missed this place until I came back. I used to think that the computer setup was not cool. I guess I still do, but it doesn't bother me so much anymore.
It's been about two months since I returned from Katimavik. I wonder if I've gone from my status as "returning, conquering adventurer" to "unemployed loser" yet.
I kind of hope it has. There are a few people I'd prefer to see me as an unemployed loser, than as some kind of hero.
Just like before, this is going to be a rushed post, because of the library's time restriction.
Yesterday, I went in to do my OW employability interview. It seemed pretty standard, and was finished before the expected time. Probably in part because my brother had to reschedule, because he had something else going on that day, so his time didn't count in, but I also thought she was going to give me job sheets and go over the job-search requirements of being an OW recipient. Since she didn't, does that mean I have no requirement to look for work? Doesn't matter, because I will anyway... The requirements they put down aren't especially harsh, and I'm sure I'd meet their expectations regardless of whether or not I have to fill out some sheets, but still...
She gave me the card for the OW employment specialist. I think he's the guy who was selected to be our worker last time. The name is familiar, and our last guy mentioned he was a big-shot around their. I think what happened is, we got the employment specialist last time by coincidence, and he put me through the employment bit, just because I was already there, so why not.
I think I may also have agreed to contact this guy, but I'm not sure. Didn't feel like it, actually, but I'll give him a call nonetheless. I don't feel safe as-is.
I should get my resume worked over by a professional, anyway. I think I'm pretty good at it now, and I use the advice given to me by the 2ndchance counselors, but I haven't actually had my resume checked over by someone paid to give advice on it, since I started doing it myself.
I tried studying for my G2 driver's license yesterday. I know someone with a car, who is willing to teach me, but I'm also supposed to study on my own. Absolutely none of it is sticking. I couldn't study effectively in high school and I can't do it now.
You know how I said that it takes like, an hour to walk from where I lived now to where I used to live? Well, guess how long it takes to bus it? About the same time. If we were following the old bus schedule, which we do in evenings, where they came every half-hour instead of every 20 minutes like they do now, then it would take even longer.
I should really start using our bike. I was never a huge cyclist, but yeesh. I might start.
I hope none of you guys are calling and leaving messages on our machine. We got one used, and it's really bad. It switches between static and clarity, so that you can't always understand the message, but you usually get enough human voice that you can decipher who made the call. Recently, I checked the messages and it was full-on static. I thought it was just the phone, which is always kind of static, but then I realized there was a small, muted voice. I held it up to my ear, risking having the voice suddenly go full-throttle straight into my ear, but I couldn't make out any words. Just a fair certainty that someone was talking, and that I couldn't make it out.
I don't know if I said our desktop computer is broken, to. We've had it for a few years now, and in that time, it has spent more time broken than not. Apparently, it was working the whole of when I was gone. Me and it just don't get along, I guess. Mom and Bro keep trying to convince me that it's a good and reliable computer, and these are all stupid little things that should be easily fixed, but we just have bad luck with it, as well as being flukes, but I just don't like it's track record.
Also, while I was gone, the space bar on my laptop broke. That's one reason it's difficult to update this blog. You'll notice this update is substantially longer, despite my having less time to complete it. This is partly because it's so difficult to type without a space bar. There's a little circle in the centre of where the space bar used to be, that you can use to make a space, but you have to push harder, and it takes longer to make your finger travel across the keyboard for it. That sounds petty, but it adds up when you consider it's probably the most comonly used key, and I'm used to having a giant bar. Also, even with the added effort of hitting dead-on and pushing down, there always some commands it doesn't register. You have to develop a system where you look over the last paragraph, go back, and add all the space-commands that didn't take the first time.
YEAH!!! I'm enjoying the library atmosphere. Didn't realize I missed this place until I came back. I used to think that the computer setup was not cool. I guess I still do, but it doesn't bother me so much anymore.
It's been about two months since I returned from Katimavik. I wonder if I've gone from my status as "returning, conquering adventurer" to "unemployed loser" yet.
I kind of hope it has. There are a few people I'd prefer to see me as an unemployed loser, than as some kind of hero.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Eye Test
I got my eyesight checked today. First time I got it checked in over a decade, probably. I almost didn't go, because I was fine with my eyes, and if I was told I needed glasses, that would only make me feel bad, without aiding me in life in any discernible way. But the test was free, and I can't turn down free things...
But it turned out I have perfect vision. My brother's a little near-sighted. Strangely enough, she put some kind of sticky liquid in my eyes, and not him...
The appointment went a lot faster than they estimated for me. I guess that's because I never had to deal with a second line of letters, since I always got the bottom one right, and also, it turns out, I didn't have to go through a more extensive lens-testing segment, both of which my brother went through.
There was this one point where she stuck some light right up against my eyeball, to scan it for health reasons, I think. She asked me not to blink, but I couldn't help it. Eventually she had to pry my eyelid open while she examined. Apparently you get a better scan if the person can just keep their eye open. I'm sorry! My brother beat me in this category. He didn't have any trouble.
At one point, she asked me to tell her when the row of letters, "second from the bottom" got blurry. I remember I thought my chances for 20/20 were ruined, that I had been demoted from the bottom row (most difficult) to second-from-the-bottom. But it was a lens-test, and I guess somewhat different.
I also thought my ADD might cause them to think I had bad eyesight, when they asked me to focus on one point, while they waved lights and sticks in front of my eyes.
I made bread last night. This batch included a garlic-and-cheese loaf. I know that, in pizzeria terms, that's just garlic bread, but since we've had both cheese-only bread, and garlic-only bread, this is new for us! It was by far my Greatest Creation!
I think I already said my recipe makes five loaves, but we only have four pans. Thing is, I think even four is too much. Usually, by the time we finish, the last loaf is just beginning to harden and mould. I might tamper with the recipe.
So, the Chilean miners who were so cool made a contract with each other not to talk to anyone about what happened in the first 17 days they were trapped, when they didn't know if they would be rescued. Someone spilled the beans. Know who it was? #2. The guy I complimented so much, for his trendsetting and showmanship. With this new development, I'd say he went from "showman" to "attention whore". His reasoning? He needed to talk, because people were saying they had sex!
Well, if you're going to be baited out of your promise on a cheap goad like that, couldn't you simply make the denial that that specific thing ever happened? You don't have to tell everything!
Of course, it doesn't sound like there was much TOO tell. In fact, the fact that this was how they acted in their darkest moment, and something they considered too shameful to tell anyone about, is simply yet another testimony to their toughness!
But it turned out I have perfect vision. My brother's a little near-sighted. Strangely enough, she put some kind of sticky liquid in my eyes, and not him...
The appointment went a lot faster than they estimated for me. I guess that's because I never had to deal with a second line of letters, since I always got the bottom one right, and also, it turns out, I didn't have to go through a more extensive lens-testing segment, both of which my brother went through.
There was this one point where she stuck some light right up against my eyeball, to scan it for health reasons, I think. She asked me not to blink, but I couldn't help it. Eventually she had to pry my eyelid open while she examined. Apparently you get a better scan if the person can just keep their eye open. I'm sorry! My brother beat me in this category. He didn't have any trouble.
At one point, she asked me to tell her when the row of letters, "second from the bottom" got blurry. I remember I thought my chances for 20/20 were ruined, that I had been demoted from the bottom row (most difficult) to second-from-the-bottom. But it was a lens-test, and I guess somewhat different.
I also thought my ADD might cause them to think I had bad eyesight, when they asked me to focus on one point, while they waved lights and sticks in front of my eyes.
I made bread last night. This batch included a garlic-and-cheese loaf. I know that, in pizzeria terms, that's just garlic bread, but since we've had both cheese-only bread, and garlic-only bread, this is new for us! It was by far my Greatest Creation!
I think I already said my recipe makes five loaves, but we only have four pans. Thing is, I think even four is too much. Usually, by the time we finish, the last loaf is just beginning to harden and mould. I might tamper with the recipe.
So, the Chilean miners who were so cool made a contract with each other not to talk to anyone about what happened in the first 17 days they were trapped, when they didn't know if they would be rescued. Someone spilled the beans. Know who it was? #2. The guy I complimented so much, for his trendsetting and showmanship. With this new development, I'd say he went from "showman" to "attention whore". His reasoning? He needed to talk, because people were saying they had sex!
Well, if you're going to be baited out of your promise on a cheap goad like that, couldn't you simply make the denial that that specific thing ever happened? You don't have to tell everything!
Of course, it doesn't sound like there was much TOO tell. In fact, the fact that this was how they acted in their darkest moment, and something they considered too shameful to tell anyone about, is simply yet another testimony to their toughness!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Bloodwork, Post Office, Haircut
Today I had some blood taken for B12 testing, mailed some stuff, and got my hair cut.
I'm pretty confident in my bloodwork. I've been keeping up with my supplements perfectly, and if ever the results should show, they should show now.
It wasn't the roster of blood-takers I'm used to. Remember, my doctor has had me tested for so many things, I know all the lab people (I don't know if they're doctors or nurses or what, so I'm waffling around the title) and their varying levels of skill. This time, however, it was two new people! Person who took my blood was pretty good. I barely felt it, although there was some stinging for a short period afterward if I flexed my arm. She didn't ask me if I was doing alright, though. I think it's policy that they do, because they usually do, and when she didn't, her senior worker came over and asked me. She did, however, speak to me instead on a casual and informal level. Going there was so chill, it felt more like ordering a slice of pizza than getting a medical procedure done. She probably thought I seemed cool as a cucumber, so she didn't need to check up on me. I should seem that way, after I've taken so many.
She wasn't the legendary blood worker I used to get sometimes, where you wouldn't feel the shot, and there'd be no after effect... WHAT! When I say it like that, it makes it sound like I never had the shot taken! Maybe she just swapped in a fake vial of blood when I wasn't looking, and then put me down as Vitamin B12 deficient to prank me?!?!?!?!
Or, she was the real deal, and has now climbed the ladder to truly great heights...
Anyway, I went to the post office next. I met a guy I was acquainted with from high school, who works there. We were in the same year together and had some classes in common, but we never spoke. I've also spoken with him on a professional level, going to the post office in the past, but not on a personal one. I tried initiating conversation with him based on our common ground this time, with mixed results. He shot down the high school topic pretty quick, and initially I thought that meant he wasn't interested in speaking with me, but then he became much more casual and informal, and initiated some level of conversation himself.
I forgot the most important thing that I wanted to mail, though... That was a failure. I still mailed one thing, though.
I left the haircut for last, because I don't like changing my hair quantity. After my first haircut, after having it grown out for four years, which was quite the self-identity crisis, my fear of haircuts stayed with me for some time. I still feel like it will be a real challenge, but this time it wasn't. I don't think my dream self-image will alter based on this.
Anyway, my old haircut place is gone now, so I went to First Choice, because I was under the impression it's like the McDonald's for hair. They're the most common chain around here, and people complain about them... which is just fine by me! I don't want to give the impression that I'm too vain about my hair.
Well, a haircut there costs like, $20. The last place I got my hair cut was in Summerside, and there it cost $11. Almost half price. The place I used to go to around here was $14.
The lady who worked on my hair was pretty pro. She kept asking me how I wanted my hair cut. I never knew what to say. Nobody had ever asked me anything about how I wanted my hair, outside from length. One time, I got a pretty stylish cut sort of by accident, but I didn't ask for it.
She analyzed my previous haircut, asked who did it, gave recommendations... With the price and quality of service increase... I felt like this place was actually for people going there as their first choice.
Anyway, that was weird, but the cut came out nice.
I'm pretty confident in my bloodwork. I've been keeping up with my supplements perfectly, and if ever the results should show, they should show now.
It wasn't the roster of blood-takers I'm used to. Remember, my doctor has had me tested for so many things, I know all the lab people (I don't know if they're doctors or nurses or what, so I'm waffling around the title) and their varying levels of skill. This time, however, it was two new people! Person who took my blood was pretty good. I barely felt it, although there was some stinging for a short period afterward if I flexed my arm. She didn't ask me if I was doing alright, though. I think it's policy that they do, because they usually do, and when she didn't, her senior worker came over and asked me. She did, however, speak to me instead on a casual and informal level. Going there was so chill, it felt more like ordering a slice of pizza than getting a medical procedure done. She probably thought I seemed cool as a cucumber, so she didn't need to check up on me. I should seem that way, after I've taken so many.
She wasn't the legendary blood worker I used to get sometimes, where you wouldn't feel the shot, and there'd be no after effect... WHAT! When I say it like that, it makes it sound like I never had the shot taken! Maybe she just swapped in a fake vial of blood when I wasn't looking, and then put me down as Vitamin B12 deficient to prank me?!?!?!?!
Or, she was the real deal, and has now climbed the ladder to truly great heights...
Anyway, I went to the post office next. I met a guy I was acquainted with from high school, who works there. We were in the same year together and had some classes in common, but we never spoke. I've also spoken with him on a professional level, going to the post office in the past, but not on a personal one. I tried initiating conversation with him based on our common ground this time, with mixed results. He shot down the high school topic pretty quick, and initially I thought that meant he wasn't interested in speaking with me, but then he became much more casual and informal, and initiated some level of conversation himself.
I forgot the most important thing that I wanted to mail, though... That was a failure. I still mailed one thing, though.
I left the haircut for last, because I don't like changing my hair quantity. After my first haircut, after having it grown out for four years, which was quite the self-identity crisis, my fear of haircuts stayed with me for some time. I still feel like it will be a real challenge, but this time it wasn't. I don't think my dream self-image will alter based on this.
Anyway, my old haircut place is gone now, so I went to First Choice, because I was under the impression it's like the McDonald's for hair. They're the most common chain around here, and people complain about them... which is just fine by me! I don't want to give the impression that I'm too vain about my hair.
Well, a haircut there costs like, $20. The last place I got my hair cut was in Summerside, and there it cost $11. Almost half price. The place I used to go to around here was $14.
The lady who worked on my hair was pretty pro. She kept asking me how I wanted my hair cut. I never knew what to say. Nobody had ever asked me anything about how I wanted my hair, outside from length. One time, I got a pretty stylish cut sort of by accident, but I didn't ask for it.
She analyzed my previous haircut, asked who did it, gave recommendations... With the price and quality of service increase... I felt like this place was actually for people going there as their first choice.
Anyway, that was weird, but the cut came out nice.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Chilean Miners, Mostly
Aw, man, time's slipping through my hands. Like I suspected, my time perception since leaving Katima-life is out of whack. I feel like I post daily, but I really don't.
It's times like this that I fight over whether or not to have a good sleep schedule, or update the blog. If I sleep through my alarm tomorrow, I'm blaming you guys!!!
Today, on the street, I saw two guys speaking in French, and one of them had a pin in his hat that I also have and put in my hat, which I got at the Franco-festival.
I finally lost the pain in my ankle, apparently. I just noticed today. For awhile, it didn't hurt with use, but it would hurt if I wrenched it at an improbable ankle. That sounds logical, but my other ankle wouldn't hurt if I put it at the same ankle, and my right ankle is the measuring stick I use against my left. Maybe the forgetting to wrench my ankle around, and it's healing, is not just a coincidence? Hmmm....
I met the god of my dojo, and this time, I'm sure it's the guy. All those other guys I thought was the guy, weren't. He shared with us the source of his power: "In this room there are people who are faster then me, stronger then me, even smarter then me... There is no one sneakier." He asked me to perform a combo we'd learned that day in front of the class. That's really high praise, and my sensei was excited. Because he knows what I was like at the beginning, and now I've come far enough that I'm acknowledged by this guy, who doesn't know what I used to be like, so he's not saying that I'm good in comparison to my former self, but just that I'm good for my belt rank.
Unfortunately, I got nervous and wound up eating his roundhouse in front of the class... We tried again, and I got it...
Otherwise... Oh, hey, what about those Chilean miners? Hardcore, am I right? I was analyzing their personalities based on their profile images, and it was surprising how often they matched.
Watching them come up was watching 33 people, all of whom knew they were getting their 15 minutes of fame, and each one having enough time to prepare what they would do, in a row.
What about that Chilean pres? Not bad for a politician, eh? He was a bit of a ham, what with his, "Let the world watch!" attitude toward the rescue, and his little segment where he spoke in English to address, not just Chile, but to the whole world, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. He talked the talk, but he also walked the walk, staying up all day and all night, to welcome each and every miner.
And freakin' thorough with his speech! He said that changes had to be made, not just in the mining industry, but also in *names a bunch of other industries*, and he called out, not just the names of neighbouring countries, but also the names of their presidents, as for places that need to change!
He told the last guy that came out that, that if the country turned in a better direction, that he was the inspiration.
That rescue broke a lot of records. It would have broken them if they'd saved only one miner, but instead, they saved every single person! A complete success for random climactic moments like that, in real life, are really rare.
The second last guy to come out started a ton of traditions. After him, everyone would shout up the shaft once they neared the surface, and they would always shout "CHI-CHI-CHI-LE-LE-LE!" once they got up.
He brought up rocks and gave them to the rescuers, he told the president things in the mining industry needed to change, to his face, in front of the whole world... He was a real showman. Could not be contained.
So many of the loved ones waiting on the miners were so filled with joy to see them back... You don't see that in movies... You don't even really see it in real life, around here. I don't think anyone would spazz that hard for me if I came out of the centre of the Earth, after 70 days.
It's probably why they all lived. The last guy spoke of their unbreakable faith coming from their confidence in their president, in the Chile government, and in the ambition they had for seeing their families again.
If I was stuck in a mine, I'd probably be like, "Canada's probably forgotten about us... And everyone's probably already gotten over me..."
But seriously, they stretched two days of food rations over 14 days without knowing how long they'd have to conserve it... They were down their seventy days... Moses had fourty days. Not saying Moses couldn't have done seventy. Just saying he was supposed to be almost superhero-level, and that was supposed to be a real show of his awesome. So if a bunch of random miners who barely know each other can all pull through like that for seventy.... That's a huge show of strength.
Yeesh, they find them, not only having all of them survive with like, no resources, but they're playing FREAKING DOMINOES! And they fight over who's going to have the privilege of being the LAST to leave!
They looked like a cast of superheroes, too. Their donated sunglasses only helped. And the guy working the camera... I felt like I was watching a movie. Couldn't believe it was live. That cameraman should get an award.
I think, if there were strong-willed people around me, I could probably survive the 14 possibly hopeless days, or even if there were panicking people and they needed my strength, but if I was alone... If they found me, I'd probably be a writhing lump who'd ran down all his supplies, and had taken more than a few mental breakdowns.
So... I gotta give it to those miners, and to the rescue team, the cameraman, the president, and the miner's families. Everyone pulled through perfectly.
It's times like this that I fight over whether or not to have a good sleep schedule, or update the blog. If I sleep through my alarm tomorrow, I'm blaming you guys!!!
Today, on the street, I saw two guys speaking in French, and one of them had a pin in his hat that I also have and put in my hat, which I got at the Franco-festival.
I finally lost the pain in my ankle, apparently. I just noticed today. For awhile, it didn't hurt with use, but it would hurt if I wrenched it at an improbable ankle. That sounds logical, but my other ankle wouldn't hurt if I put it at the same ankle, and my right ankle is the measuring stick I use against my left. Maybe the forgetting to wrench my ankle around, and it's healing, is not just a coincidence? Hmmm....
I met the god of my dojo, and this time, I'm sure it's the guy. All those other guys I thought was the guy, weren't. He shared with us the source of his power: "In this room there are people who are faster then me, stronger then me, even smarter then me... There is no one sneakier." He asked me to perform a combo we'd learned that day in front of the class. That's really high praise, and my sensei was excited. Because he knows what I was like at the beginning, and now I've come far enough that I'm acknowledged by this guy, who doesn't know what I used to be like, so he's not saying that I'm good in comparison to my former self, but just that I'm good for my belt rank.
Unfortunately, I got nervous and wound up eating his roundhouse in front of the class... We tried again, and I got it...
Otherwise... Oh, hey, what about those Chilean miners? Hardcore, am I right? I was analyzing their personalities based on their profile images, and it was surprising how often they matched.
Watching them come up was watching 33 people, all of whom knew they were getting their 15 minutes of fame, and each one having enough time to prepare what they would do, in a row.
What about that Chilean pres? Not bad for a politician, eh? He was a bit of a ham, what with his, "Let the world watch!" attitude toward the rescue, and his little segment where he spoke in English to address, not just Chile, but to the whole world, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. He talked the talk, but he also walked the walk, staying up all day and all night, to welcome each and every miner.
And freakin' thorough with his speech! He said that changes had to be made, not just in the mining industry, but also in *names a bunch of other industries*, and he called out, not just the names of neighbouring countries, but also the names of their presidents, as for places that need to change!
He told the last guy that came out that, that if the country turned in a better direction, that he was the inspiration.
That rescue broke a lot of records. It would have broken them if they'd saved only one miner, but instead, they saved every single person! A complete success for random climactic moments like that, in real life, are really rare.
The second last guy to come out started a ton of traditions. After him, everyone would shout up the shaft once they neared the surface, and they would always shout "CHI-CHI-CHI-LE-LE-LE!" once they got up.
He brought up rocks and gave them to the rescuers, he told the president things in the mining industry needed to change, to his face, in front of the whole world... He was a real showman. Could not be contained.
So many of the loved ones waiting on the miners were so filled with joy to see them back... You don't see that in movies... You don't even really see it in real life, around here. I don't think anyone would spazz that hard for me if I came out of the centre of the Earth, after 70 days.
It's probably why they all lived. The last guy spoke of their unbreakable faith coming from their confidence in their president, in the Chile government, and in the ambition they had for seeing their families again.
If I was stuck in a mine, I'd probably be like, "Canada's probably forgotten about us... And everyone's probably already gotten over me..."
But seriously, they stretched two days of food rations over 14 days without knowing how long they'd have to conserve it... They were down their seventy days... Moses had fourty days. Not saying Moses couldn't have done seventy. Just saying he was supposed to be almost superhero-level, and that was supposed to be a real show of his awesome. So if a bunch of random miners who barely know each other can all pull through like that for seventy.... That's a huge show of strength.
Yeesh, they find them, not only having all of them survive with like, no resources, but they're playing FREAKING DOMINOES! And they fight over who's going to have the privilege of being the LAST to leave!
They looked like a cast of superheroes, too. Their donated sunglasses only helped. And the guy working the camera... I felt like I was watching a movie. Couldn't believe it was live. That cameraman should get an award.
I think, if there were strong-willed people around me, I could probably survive the 14 possibly hopeless days, or even if there were panicking people and they needed my strength, but if I was alone... If they found me, I'd probably be a writhing lump who'd ran down all his supplies, and had taken more than a few mental breakdowns.
So... I gotta give it to those miners, and to the rescue team, the cameraman, the president, and the miner's families. Everyone pulled through perfectly.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Beard Trim, Certificates
So I TRIMMED MY BEARD! the other day. It went alright. It certainly looks more intentional now. I feel like my face shrunk, though, and I'm surprised every time I look in the mirror. I'm going to have to reevaluate my self-image while I'm dreaming, too. I'll probably keep dreaming of myself with a big beard, and wake up all confused, like I did when I had a beard, but still dreamed with the clean shaven self-image.
It looks better this way when I'm in my Karate gii, but worse in my street clothes, I think. Because when you're in the martial arts, you want to look rough, but you want it to be a contained, controlled, intentional kind of rough. When you're on the street, you want to be thuggin'.
Haha, I know that's not how I used to talk. Remember, I used to feel guilty about gaining muscle tone because I felt I would intimidate people?
Well, that's not how I intimidate people. It turns out, I made a scary first impression on my Katimavik group, and a few friends from high school enthusiastically agreed with this perception, but it wasn't based on my size.
Apparently, when you first meet me, I'm really quiet, but my eyes are EVERYWHERE, and then I'll laugh, and it will be this coarse, serial killer's laugh, and people just wonder "WHAT IS HE THINKING"?!
Guh... That's too specific to be a universal opinion!
I also asked everyone in my Katima-house if I could be a supervillain. All the males said yes, and all the females said no. Isn't that a.... bad thing? Chicks dig supervillains!!! I asked if I could be a superhero and they said yes. So, that's something, I guess. Some girls swing that way.
Anyway, point is, if I'm intimidating, it's not because I'm a thug, so I can afford to joke a little about it, now.
I'm getting my Karate uniform embroidered to have the logo of my dojo put on it. It used to be a guy's silhouette doing a flying kick in front of a yin-yang, but they changed it so that the yang of the yin-yang is grey. I approve of this decision. I have my high school diploma and five certificates framed in my room, and I was rating each of them based on appearance. I thought my Katimavik one was best, because it had clarity, symbolism, and originality, without being crowded. My yellow belt got second place. It would have gotten first, but the symbol of the silhouette against the black of the yang created a merging effect. There was a bit of a white outline around the silhouette, but still.
Now yin, yang, and silhouette are all clearly defined and contrast each other. Very nice.
Third place went to my Safe Food Handling certificate. That's weird, because it's a kind of relatively unimportant certificate. It probably looks the most regal. It only lost points because it's overly-intricate, which makes it lose it's impact and clarity.
My high school diploma is too simple. I spent like, 14 years getting that diploma! Why is it so boring?!
It looks better this way when I'm in my Karate gii, but worse in my street clothes, I think. Because when you're in the martial arts, you want to look rough, but you want it to be a contained, controlled, intentional kind of rough. When you're on the street, you want to be thuggin'.
Haha, I know that's not how I used to talk. Remember, I used to feel guilty about gaining muscle tone because I felt I would intimidate people?
Well, that's not how I intimidate people. It turns out, I made a scary first impression on my Katimavik group, and a few friends from high school enthusiastically agreed with this perception, but it wasn't based on my size.
Apparently, when you first meet me, I'm really quiet, but my eyes are EVERYWHERE, and then I'll laugh, and it will be this coarse, serial killer's laugh, and people just wonder "WHAT IS HE THINKING"?!
Guh... That's too specific to be a universal opinion!
I also asked everyone in my Katima-house if I could be a supervillain. All the males said yes, and all the females said no. Isn't that a.... bad thing? Chicks dig supervillains!!! I asked if I could be a superhero and they said yes. So, that's something, I guess. Some girls swing that way.
Anyway, point is, if I'm intimidating, it's not because I'm a thug, so I can afford to joke a little about it, now.
I'm getting my Karate uniform embroidered to have the logo of my dojo put on it. It used to be a guy's silhouette doing a flying kick in front of a yin-yang, but they changed it so that the yang of the yin-yang is grey. I approve of this decision. I have my high school diploma and five certificates framed in my room, and I was rating each of them based on appearance. I thought my Katimavik one was best, because it had clarity, symbolism, and originality, without being crowded. My yellow belt got second place. It would have gotten first, but the symbol of the silhouette against the black of the yang created a merging effect. There was a bit of a white outline around the silhouette, but still.
Now yin, yang, and silhouette are all clearly defined and contrast each other. Very nice.
Third place went to my Safe Food Handling certificate. That's weird, because it's a kind of relatively unimportant certificate. It probably looks the most regal. It only lost points because it's overly-intricate, which makes it lose it's impact and clarity.
My high school diploma is too simple. I spent like, 14 years getting that diploma! Why is it so boring?!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thanksgiving, Work, Misc
Well, the visit is over, and we're still working our way through the leftovers. It was especially good to see my three-year-old cousin, who I haven't seen since before he could talk. He is my first experience of watching a child grow, as an adult. Another highlight was, I got some beard-grooming advice from my bearded grandfather. We'll see how that works out.
Yesterday I worked for four hours for the people I would most frequently do odd jobs for before Katimavik. I fixed a composting thing, which required hammering in six-foot metal pegs into the ground with a rock. I felt tough. To be fair, I just hammered three pegs, two feet deep apiece, and one four feet deep, but still! Overall, that's ten feet of hammering, and I had to dig one out, which required digging a three foot hole.
I was pretty wrecked after that day of work. I feel sick, and it doesn't feel like what I had before. It doesn't feel fair, if my illnesses are being stacked. I didn't even know that could happen. I thought that, after you were sick once, you went through a brief period of immunity before you were vulnerable to new illnesses again.
The new neighbours have moved in. They're not as talkative as our old ones.
I'm still working on the 43 reviews. I hate them!!!! It's not possible to do 43 reviews at any kind of fast pace.
I'm playing online Scrabble again. I think I may have said something offensive to my Scrabble partner, so I'm trying to warm her up by beating her at Scrabble. My plan is, she'll think "Such a competent Scrabble player can't be all bad" once I defeat her. Until then, we only know each other in the world of competitive Scrabble.
Yesterday I worked for four hours for the people I would most frequently do odd jobs for before Katimavik. I fixed a composting thing, which required hammering in six-foot metal pegs into the ground with a rock. I felt tough. To be fair, I just hammered three pegs, two feet deep apiece, and one four feet deep, but still! Overall, that's ten feet of hammering, and I had to dig one out, which required digging a three foot hole.
I was pretty wrecked after that day of work. I feel sick, and it doesn't feel like what I had before. It doesn't feel fair, if my illnesses are being stacked. I didn't even know that could happen. I thought that, after you were sick once, you went through a brief period of immunity before you were vulnerable to new illnesses again.
The new neighbours have moved in. They're not as talkative as our old ones.
I'm still working on the 43 reviews. I hate them!!!! It's not possible to do 43 reviews at any kind of fast pace.
I'm playing online Scrabble again. I think I may have said something offensive to my Scrabble partner, so I'm trying to warm her up by beating her at Scrabble. My plan is, she'll think "Such a competent Scrabble player can't be all bad" once I defeat her. Until then, we only know each other in the world of competitive Scrabble.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thanksgiving
Hi everyone. I don't have long to post.
Yesterday I started my long list of reviews. Turns out, even if I try to be quick, I won't be able to go very fast with it. When you have 42 reviews to do, if you spend only one minute on each, that's 42 minutes. And it generally takes me well over a minute to do a review.
My grandparents have come over to visit from up North for Thanksgiving. They brought up a free-range turkey and a bunch of other stuff. My aunt and cousin are also coming tomorrow.
In case you're wondering from my mention of turkey above, I don't think I can rightfully call myself a vegetarian anymore. I spent the final two months as a vegetarian. Me and the guy I was doing the beard competition with decided to do a vegetarian competition and we talked a bunch of other people into it.
I already posted on my other blog how difficult it is to be a vegetarian. Unless you get another person to do it with you, you feel completely alienated. Also, I'm not totally on-board with the ethics of vegetarianism.
I think that, to respect nature, which is what my main rationale behind changing into a vegetarian, you must respect the food chain, and I believe the human being is naturally omnivorous. On the more shallow side, foods like soy and tofu mess with your hormones, and give you more estrogen. 65% of vegetarians are female. If a woman is vegetarian and has a child, she's like, 20% more likely to have a female child. All these things indicate vegetarianism is un-macho.
On an even shallower side, I love meat, and people kept forgetting I was a vegetarian constantly, so I don't think it suited me.
As for pro-vegi points, I think factory farming is one of, if not the most, unethical practices mankind is currently guilty of. A guy named Jeremy Bentham said the quote,
"The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?" when talking about animal cruelty. He theorized that in the future we would create rights to stop cruelty to women, people of other races, homosexuals, and animals. He was very ahead of his time, and we've basically risen to his requirements, in the order he said we would. The only thing we haven't really crossed a milestone for is animal cruelty. I think factory farming satisfies a natural instinct through unnatural means. And I think the methods are more unnatural, then the product is natural. I'm not anti-killing, I'm anti-torture. Plus, being a vegetarian is like being in a club. Sometimes I'd find myself coincidentally conversing only with vegetarians, and you'd keep in contact with your fellow vegis, always know what number you were, and what was happening with each and every one of them.
When I came back, I had no obligation to stay vegi, and I stopped calling myself vegetarian, but I gravitated away from meat. I lasted a little while selecting only vegetarian stuff and removing meat if I had to, but without confident resolve, you slip. I've been gravitating a little bit further away from meat than I used to, but that's the best I can say.
I have nothing against free-range stuff. Tomorrow I'm going to chow down. If it were up to me, I'd be an "ethical meat eater" or a "flexitarian".
Yesterday I started my long list of reviews. Turns out, even if I try to be quick, I won't be able to go very fast with it. When you have 42 reviews to do, if you spend only one minute on each, that's 42 minutes. And it generally takes me well over a minute to do a review.
My grandparents have come over to visit from up North for Thanksgiving. They brought up a free-range turkey and a bunch of other stuff. My aunt and cousin are also coming tomorrow.
In case you're wondering from my mention of turkey above, I don't think I can rightfully call myself a vegetarian anymore. I spent the final two months as a vegetarian. Me and the guy I was doing the beard competition with decided to do a vegetarian competition and we talked a bunch of other people into it.
I already posted on my other blog how difficult it is to be a vegetarian. Unless you get another person to do it with you, you feel completely alienated. Also, I'm not totally on-board with the ethics of vegetarianism.
I think that, to respect nature, which is what my main rationale behind changing into a vegetarian, you must respect the food chain, and I believe the human being is naturally omnivorous. On the more shallow side, foods like soy and tofu mess with your hormones, and give you more estrogen. 65% of vegetarians are female. If a woman is vegetarian and has a child, she's like, 20% more likely to have a female child. All these things indicate vegetarianism is un-macho.
On an even shallower side, I love meat, and people kept forgetting I was a vegetarian constantly, so I don't think it suited me.
As for pro-vegi points, I think factory farming is one of, if not the most, unethical practices mankind is currently guilty of. A guy named Jeremy Bentham said the quote,
"The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?" when talking about animal cruelty. He theorized that in the future we would create rights to stop cruelty to women, people of other races, homosexuals, and animals. He was very ahead of his time, and we've basically risen to his requirements, in the order he said we would. The only thing we haven't really crossed a milestone for is animal cruelty. I think factory farming satisfies a natural instinct through unnatural means. And I think the methods are more unnatural, then the product is natural. I'm not anti-killing, I'm anti-torture. Plus, being a vegetarian is like being in a club. Sometimes I'd find myself coincidentally conversing only with vegetarians, and you'd keep in contact with your fellow vegis, always know what number you were, and what was happening with each and every one of them.
When I came back, I had no obligation to stay vegi, and I stopped calling myself vegetarian, but I gravitated away from meat. I lasted a little while selecting only vegetarian stuff and removing meat if I had to, but without confident resolve, you slip. I've been gravitating a little bit further away from meat than I used to, but that's the best I can say.
I have nothing against free-range stuff. Tomorrow I'm going to chow down. If it were up to me, I'd be an "ethical meat eater" or a "flexitarian".
Monday, October 4, 2010
Baggage Declaration
I finally filled out my baggage declaration form today. It's the third time I've had to fill one out, and it never gets any easier. They ask a lot of annoying questions, like, they want to know the location where each item was purchased, and they want a receipt. A lot of my stuff was donated to me, so I don't know where lots of things came from, and who keeps receipts for all their clothes?
Plus, they want to know if you were charged for excess baggage. See, the person told me my bag was "way over" when she checked it, but she never charged me. I guess Katimavik might have paid for it, but it comes out awkward on the form, because it looks like I'm just saying that so I can get reimbursed for more.
At least when I spoke to this woman in charge of finding it, she didn't sound like she expected me to have receipts for everything. She asked "Do you have any receipts?" and didn't seem surprised at my response.
I also sent in my resumes to be converted to .pdf format for if I ever need to apply via email.
I spoke to an old friend from high school today. Looks like we'll be seeing each other this Wednesday. I'm closing in on finishing my rounds for reestablishing my social network.
That old friend of mine friended an old friend of mine from highschool on Facebook. Now that's weird. It was weird when I learned that that random guy I met at my sensei's Stag & Doe was connected with an old friend from elementary school that moved out of the city years ago, and weirder to find out someone from my high school I knew a little was roommates with a friend from my old pre-employment program, but to think that two people I used to hang out with on a daily basis are friends... That's like worlds colliding. I guess I should get used to it... An elementary school friend turned out to be RELATED to a high school friend. That one probably tops this recent one.
Yikes, Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend?! It sure snuck up!
Plus, they want to know if you were charged for excess baggage. See, the person told me my bag was "way over" when she checked it, but she never charged me. I guess Katimavik might have paid for it, but it comes out awkward on the form, because it looks like I'm just saying that so I can get reimbursed for more.
At least when I spoke to this woman in charge of finding it, she didn't sound like she expected me to have receipts for everything. She asked "Do you have any receipts?" and didn't seem surprised at my response.
I also sent in my resumes to be converted to .pdf format for if I ever need to apply via email.
I spoke to an old friend from high school today. Looks like we'll be seeing each other this Wednesday. I'm closing in on finishing my rounds for reestablishing my social network.
That old friend of mine friended an old friend of mine from highschool on Facebook. Now that's weird. It was weird when I learned that that random guy I met at my sensei's Stag & Doe was connected with an old friend from elementary school that moved out of the city years ago, and weirder to find out someone from my high school I knew a little was roommates with a friend from my old pre-employment program, but to think that two people I used to hang out with on a daily basis are friends... That's like worlds colliding. I guess I should get used to it... An elementary school friend turned out to be RELATED to a high school friend. That one probably tops this recent one.
Yikes, Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend?! It sure snuck up!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Employment and Financial Stuff
Hey, so I got my final Katimavik reference letter. Apparently, she had no notion of the undertones of four of the other's in the group, either, because she says, "Gryphon was an asset in developing good relations with his host community, the other members of his group, and his project leader", "In many occasion, he opened himself to the group and shared sensitive personal reflections that favour a positive group feedback and dynamic", "Gryphon showed an irrepressible commitment to his group and the program. He maintained a spirit of teamwork and and cooperation and also always seemed preoccupied about everybody's well-being. He showed respect to all his peers at all times which was appreciated by everybody."
She also mentions my bread making, and how I didn't think I could do it at first, but developed confidence and ability at doing it. I'm never sure what to think when reference letters make a statement about you overcoming a challenge. I mean, it gives a better story, and challenges are how you illustrate effective character development, but this isn't a story, it's an advertisement. I'd almost rather it were like "Gryphon is a power-house of bread-making! He totally showed loads of confidence when he nominated himself as the group bread-maker, which was totally warranted!!!!!!"
A lot of reference letters like to make a statement about a challenge you overcame. Maybe it shows adaptability and quick-learning? I'd still kind of rather they imply I know everything, so I have no need to learn or adapt :P
I had to log into my Katimaroute account (that's where they put my data, travel information and stuff) because they accidentally deleted 17 of my questions from my post-Katimavik quiz. At first they were like "Greetings, Katimavik Alumni... Katimavik needs your help!!!" They were like, treating it like I was some superhero, and they were calling for me to rescue them, but then they were like, "We deleted 17 of your questions by mistake. Please, please rewrite them?" and then their dramatic eloquence became logical. Now that I'm on the outside, I don't have to help them, so they better be nice! I still helped them.
Anyway, what I wanted to say was, when I logged in, they had my age listed as 21. I didn't turn 21 until after I graduated. So they keep active, and still update my Katimaroute page, even after I graduate? Kind of weird.
Another thing I noticed was that, Charlottetown has photos of their group displayed on the front page of the gokatimavik website! Yowzers! That's a kind of significant accomplishment, and I almost feel famous by association. They were a fellow group from our first cluster.
I made a second resume. My first one has my temp work separated to individual sections, and my Katimavik work was smashed together in one, as was my professional writing. In my second resume, my Katimavik and professional writing are separated, and my temp work is fused. So one is for more industrial or entry-level positions, and the other is for jobs that specifically call for one of my other credentials. I guess my resume has reached the tailoring stage. It still all fits on one page.
I feel sick. I've got some kind of bad cold. Stuffed nose and throat, fever, coughing, and sneezing. That kind of thing. I didn't go to Karate much last week because of it, and I hope it doesn't impede me this week, but I still feel pretty bad. I'm pretty sure I've explained it on this blog, but I usually get sick once in Fall and once in Spring. It's like a tradition.
One thing that always freaks me out about gaining stellar attendance for Karate is that, because time perception is memory-based, the intensity of that hour and a half can feel like I spend the majority of my life in that dojo, when the rest of my life is uneventful and doesn't hold memories. And since the classes can have a bit of a militant feel, and I dodged the military... Well, I think it's healthy to have some aspect of your life be about physical exertion and taking instruction, but when you feel like it's the majority of your life... It's sort of like eating. Eating is a healthy thing to do, but it's not healthy to be eating for the majority of your life.
So, what I do on a weekly basis now with my old highschool friends every Tuesday is play Dungeons and Dragons. The geekiest thing you can possibly do. Haha, I'm cool with that, though. If you're going to do something, might as well do it right, right? My character is a Warforged Sorcerer, meaning a sentient suit of armor that was made from the soul of a humanoid, torn out and imbued in this mechanical body. He has no memory of his former life. His deal is that he was created as a slave, he's wandering around freeing slaves. That's how he got connected with these guys' story, since they're in a slaving country.
There was never a fight after my character got introduced. He was all chained up on a ship that sails on sand, which had offered to give the main party a ride. The captain thought my character was a construct(a robot that runs on magic instead of electricity, and has no soul) and so he thought his sentiency was some kind of glitch and decided to chain him up and sell him. My character got bought, he wanted to kill the captain because of his freedom thing, and the main party decided to get into it. But instead of starting a fight, they all calmed down long enough to think to intimidate the captain off of the ship when he was alone, leaving him our old cart, and then we had my character transform into the captain with magic, call the crew members, have my character hand ownership over to one of our group members, and then have the "captain" pretend to commit suicide.
So we wound up with a pirate crew and a ship full of riches. We loaded it up to be a moving fortress that glides across the desert, and we didn't get in a single fight.
Let me quickly tell you about Welfare. I applied, they said that we needed to apply as a family, and Mom needed to be the one to do that. Mom applied, they said I needed to apply separately. I applied, and they said I couldn't apply separately! So they finally took me on as a dependent adult. They guarantee to call back within 24 hours, but they never do. It took about two days wait by the phone for every application.
Plus, they grill you something mean.
"Have you ever lived away from home?"
"I was in a six-month program where I was living away from home."
"Is that the only time you've lived away from home?"
"...Yes."
"Are you employed?"
"No."
"Were you employed before you took this program?"
"...I had some temporary employment and was doing odd jobs."
"Is that all?"
"...Yes."
"Have you done any post-secondary?"
"...No."
"Are you married?"
"No."
"Have you ever been married?"
"...No."
"Do you have any children?"
"No." (Okay, maybe that one is kind of responsible)
"Are you single?"
"YES, OKAY!!!"
They totally make your life sound unrewarding and worthless.
I'd also like to point out that you get less money for applying as a family. So families make less money than adults. I don't know, but that sounds kind of backwards.
She also mentions my bread making, and how I didn't think I could do it at first, but developed confidence and ability at doing it. I'm never sure what to think when reference letters make a statement about you overcoming a challenge. I mean, it gives a better story, and challenges are how you illustrate effective character development, but this isn't a story, it's an advertisement. I'd almost rather it were like "Gryphon is a power-house of bread-making! He totally showed loads of confidence when he nominated himself as the group bread-maker, which was totally warranted!!!!!!"
A lot of reference letters like to make a statement about a challenge you overcame. Maybe it shows adaptability and quick-learning? I'd still kind of rather they imply I know everything, so I have no need to learn or adapt :P
I had to log into my Katimaroute account (that's where they put my data, travel information and stuff) because they accidentally deleted 17 of my questions from my post-Katimavik quiz. At first they were like "Greetings, Katimavik Alumni... Katimavik needs your help!!!" They were like, treating it like I was some superhero, and they were calling for me to rescue them, but then they were like, "We deleted 17 of your questions by mistake. Please, please rewrite them?" and then their dramatic eloquence became logical. Now that I'm on the outside, I don't have to help them, so they better be nice! I still helped them.
Anyway, what I wanted to say was, when I logged in, they had my age listed as 21. I didn't turn 21 until after I graduated. So they keep active, and still update my Katimaroute page, even after I graduate? Kind of weird.
Another thing I noticed was that, Charlottetown has photos of their group displayed on the front page of the gokatimavik website! Yowzers! That's a kind of significant accomplishment, and I almost feel famous by association. They were a fellow group from our first cluster.
I made a second resume. My first one has my temp work separated to individual sections, and my Katimavik work was smashed together in one, as was my professional writing. In my second resume, my Katimavik and professional writing are separated, and my temp work is fused. So one is for more industrial or entry-level positions, and the other is for jobs that specifically call for one of my other credentials. I guess my resume has reached the tailoring stage. It still all fits on one page.
I feel sick. I've got some kind of bad cold. Stuffed nose and throat, fever, coughing, and sneezing. That kind of thing. I didn't go to Karate much last week because of it, and I hope it doesn't impede me this week, but I still feel pretty bad. I'm pretty sure I've explained it on this blog, but I usually get sick once in Fall and once in Spring. It's like a tradition.
One thing that always freaks me out about gaining stellar attendance for Karate is that, because time perception is memory-based, the intensity of that hour and a half can feel like I spend the majority of my life in that dojo, when the rest of my life is uneventful and doesn't hold memories. And since the classes can have a bit of a militant feel, and I dodged the military... Well, I think it's healthy to have some aspect of your life be about physical exertion and taking instruction, but when you feel like it's the majority of your life... It's sort of like eating. Eating is a healthy thing to do, but it's not healthy to be eating for the majority of your life.
So, what I do on a weekly basis now with my old highschool friends every Tuesday is play Dungeons and Dragons. The geekiest thing you can possibly do. Haha, I'm cool with that, though. If you're going to do something, might as well do it right, right? My character is a Warforged Sorcerer, meaning a sentient suit of armor that was made from the soul of a humanoid, torn out and imbued in this mechanical body. He has no memory of his former life. His deal is that he was created as a slave, he's wandering around freeing slaves. That's how he got connected with these guys' story, since they're in a slaving country.
There was never a fight after my character got introduced. He was all chained up on a ship that sails on sand, which had offered to give the main party a ride. The captain thought my character was a construct(a robot that runs on magic instead of electricity, and has no soul) and so he thought his sentiency was some kind of glitch and decided to chain him up and sell him. My character got bought, he wanted to kill the captain because of his freedom thing, and the main party decided to get into it. But instead of starting a fight, they all calmed down long enough to think to intimidate the captain off of the ship when he was alone, leaving him our old cart, and then we had my character transform into the captain with magic, call the crew members, have my character hand ownership over to one of our group members, and then have the "captain" pretend to commit suicide.
So we wound up with a pirate crew and a ship full of riches. We loaded it up to be a moving fortress that glides across the desert, and we didn't get in a single fight.
Let me quickly tell you about Welfare. I applied, they said that we needed to apply as a family, and Mom needed to be the one to do that. Mom applied, they said I needed to apply separately. I applied, and they said I couldn't apply separately! So they finally took me on as a dependent adult. They guarantee to call back within 24 hours, but they never do. It took about two days wait by the phone for every application.
Plus, they grill you something mean.
"Have you ever lived away from home?"
"I was in a six-month program where I was living away from home."
"Is that the only time you've lived away from home?"
"...Yes."
"Are you employed?"
"No."
"Were you employed before you took this program?"
"...I had some temporary employment and was doing odd jobs."
"Is that all?"
"...Yes."
"Have you done any post-secondary?"
"...No."
"Are you married?"
"No."
"Have you ever been married?"
"...No."
"Do you have any children?"
"No." (Okay, maybe that one is kind of responsible)
"Are you single?"
"YES, OKAY!!!"
They totally make your life sound unrewarding and worthless.
I'd also like to point out that you get less money for applying as a family. So families make less money than adults. I don't know, but that sounds kind of backwards.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Short Update
Sorry I don't update as much as I should, guys. I know it kind of acts against the philosophy that I update this blog to begin with... It's supposed to inspire me to do something worth talking about every day...
...I have seen that teacher who funded Katimavik, and a couple old friends from high school. Turns out these friends meet up together on a weekly basis, and now I'm invited.
Look, I know it's a ripoff, but I just can't update right now. Maybe tomorrow. I'm sorry.
...I have seen that teacher who funded Katimavik, and a couple old friends from high school. Turns out these friends meet up together on a weekly basis, and now I'm invited.
Look, I know it's a ripoff, but I just can't update right now. Maybe tomorrow. I'm sorry.
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