the week of the reading

so I guess I should let you all know what's going on...I guess you probably haven't been waiting on pins and needles but here it is anyways

friday - wrote an exam, in 30 minutes...worth 30% of my grade. I hope I didn't mess up to bad!

Finally got to see Susan!! She came in on thursday night, but I figured it would be more beneficial to study. So after the exam she picked me up (late I might add!) and we headed over for a schwatz at starbucks. I had a chai latte and died in my mouth from tastiness. Then we headed down to vineland to see the places that my grandparents are hoping to move into. They were Perfect! Then as we were leaving we saw a sign that said 'flowers-from $3.00' so we decided heck, why not? Pulled into the driveway as the procurer of said flowers was outside working. He came over and I asked the specific prices, he said everything was $3.00. My mother grabbed a dozen pink roses that weren't saleable but certainly weren't in horrible condition. She said they were for her mother, then he asked what I was getting my mother. I, in a little puppy dog voice said, I only have a dollar. He took it from my hand and in exchange gave me a dozen carnations. He then asked us if we wanted more potted plants and my mother exlcaimed she was from out of town. They however ended up in my hands and we left with 15 extra potted plants for free. Then I spent the evening volunteering which was nice.

saturday - got up early and introduced oma and opas diner to my mother along with becky. From there mother and I went back to grandma and grandpas. We met up with my aunt and headed over for a boot in niagara on the lake. What an amazing little town...SOOO gorgeous. Then some family came over to my grandparents and we had cake. Then we went to frescos where my cousin works and with her brother shared drinks and conversation. It was quite lovely.

sunday - got up early and went to church. My mother kept me up a little in the evening with her snoring. We even stayed at church for lunch but there was a super awkward situation. For those of you that don't know I had a sister that passed away. I know you may deem it a little insensitive to inform you in this way, however it is something that I am perfectly ok wth. I am comfortable with discussing it and I realize that it has been some time since her passing. She was 6 when it happened. I feel that I should allow for a little tangent to explain better. She was born with a hole in her heart and later developed viral encephalitis, leaving her unable to do anything on her own (like eat, or talk, etc.). Then after other complications...when she was six she developed pneumonia shortly after christmas and left us on the 30th of december. So anyways...my grandmother is not over it. Nearly eveytime I see her she brings up the fact that it was her job to hold Lindsay (my sister) in the hospital. In fact she called one weekend when I was at becky's and she had just finished watching my sisters funeral. That was this year! Now back to the story. We were at lunch and someone at the table asked if I was the only child, so my mother and I naturally say yes because it's to much to get back into the details as you have just seen. So when my mom says no my grandma seems to take offence and demands that we tell the whole story. I just got really peeved at that. So nothing exceptional happened in the afternoon. Mother and I went shopping, then she came back to my place where I prepared a lovely student meal of grilled cheese with tomato soup (chicken noodle for becky). And we watched a movie and hung out. Taffs friends came over whilst she was there so that was very interesting for her to see more so what my life was like on a semi-regular basis.

monday - got up early. Becky left for the airport :( Arriving at my grandparents my mother and I had nothing exceptional planned for the day. We wanted to go hear my cousin play guitar (because he's amazing!) So we headed over to my aunt and uncles. Turns out his guitar was at another house so we headed over there and ended up eating some chilli and visiting with my aunt and uncles friends. After dinner, with the kids, we played guesstures, which was surprisingly fun. Then in the evening I saw the kings speech, which was about what I was expecting. I knew that he would have a speech impediment and ultimately make a speech, but the way they tell the tale was quite well done. As far as oscars go, I will be disappointed if it beats out black swan although black swan was much more graphic.

tuesday - spa day. Headed over the the pillar and post (again woke up early). It was not a bad place at all. In fact quite lovely. So in the morning I had a pedicure, and the afternoon I had the second greatest massage of my life. The best was still 10 spa, which after my overall experience was much better. I found that the pillar and post was not very intimate, which was something I was looking for. When I'm vulnerable in a robe I don't really want to see people in shoes walking around. Their lounge also didn't have the greatest set up, and it didn't really have the most comfortable set up when it was super full. I would have also appreciated small snacks. They did however have a really neat outdoor hotspring. That night was my mothers last...so sad.

wednesday - got up Really Early, and headed to school to help out with the niagara fruit and vegetable conference. It was pretty busy, but not to stressful. Then I got a free lunch out of it. As I was sitting there, the guy that farms my grandpas land came over and sat with me. I love weird coincidences. The lady organizing the event, and that hired me also was my mothers cousin, also my mothers other cousin in law was there.

the rest of my time wasnt' too exciting, and I'm to bored to keep typing.

100 posts!!!

It's been a long way baby

arcade fire grammy reaction.

please view this tumblr

http://whoisarcadefire.tumblr.com/

So clearly 80% of america listens to no other music besides the radio. I myself am not a huge fan of arcade fire. It's really quite disappointing. I must say that lady gaga as far as music goes is not original. Her new long sounds like madonnas express yourself...in fact shortly after the song was released madonnas official youtube page posted that video. Lady gaga you are unique in your style and performance, but not in your music. One of the comments from the tumblr said that rock music isn't popular anymore, it's not the 80s. Are you kidding me. It just really sucks that people don't appreciate the musicality. There's a huge difference between what's popular and what's good. People that are singing the top 10 songs right now are not genuine musicians, for the most part. It's nice to see that real music beat auto-tune. I also liked seeing the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons...unreal! But you could tell that kind of crowd was not their main fans. It was weird that Jennifer Lopez was listening to my favourite band.

This arcade fire album also had a lot of hype and a lot of support behind it from websites like pitchfork and the like...it's really not undeserved.

Long live real music!

house

I enjoy watching seasons of shows...just finished gilmore girls. I used to watch it occasionally when it was on TV after school. This was while the show still aired, but I never actually watched the new episodes. I never watched season 7 either. It probably took me about 2 months to finish the whole 7 season...actually I cheated. I got so sick of everything that I just wanted to see the ending. For those of you that actually care...I am so upset rory and logan didn't end up together...just sayin..

so the new series to follow is house. I watched until about season 4 in second year and so I'm starting off with season five. Yesterday I had a little interruption by watching the show summer heights high...UnREAL!!!!!

But anyways...the whole point I'm trying to make is, 90% of people probably miss a huge part of this show due to all the medical terms. I do like how they write in explanations so the viewer actually knows what their talking about. I don't understand why house is a questioner. Like if he knows the answer why doesn't he just solve people's problems. It seems very metaphoric. In some strange way a good leader?

blogging down

So I will admit, I watch glee. I would not put myself into the realm of gleekdom in any capacity. In fact there are a couple things about the show that bother me. First, when they have their little glee club meetings, when someone has an idea why do they have to get up in front of the room to state their little statement. Like does that ever happen to anyone else is class. Even someone standing up to talk is a little weird. I consider it less of a town hall like situation I guess. I also hate the sound quality of the voices when they sing. It sounds very over produced, especially with the scene that they are in. Obviously I know that they aren't really singing, but at least make it sound a little rawer.

I think I mostly like it for the bright colours and occasional song I like.

When you were little id you ever play the game the Sims. I did. I always hated when to get a job promotion you had to have so many friends. Then every night after my Sim came home from work I'd try to get them to make friends with people. Then you'd get that pop up stating that you'd lost a friend. I found it so frustrating. The more I've thought about it though, the more it's true. There are obviously some relationships that truly go on without a hitch despite not talking in a few months. I have a couple of those. Like when I went to go visit Laura at the beginning of the year it's just like old times when we lived together in second year. There are some people that I think, man I haven't talked to them in forever, it would be great to catch up again. Some people I'm willing to let move on, but it's still nice to kind of see what's happening in life.

I will say that I did enjoy high school quite a lot, but it's weird how many dreams I've had about high school - type theme. A little while back I had one about going to my ten-year reunion and in this dream it scared the bejesus out of me. And being awake, I'm not really that jazzed on going anymore. I think that I'm at the point where I don't feel like I have to prove myself. I think a lot of times I feel that I get looked over more than my ego would like me to believe. I remember in high school thinking about moving away to come to university thinking, that's right I'll show them! But now, I guess I do still want to do and be the best that I can, but it's not to show other people wrong. It's a lot more for me, and because I want to strive for and achieve things and actually work and earn things.

I just want to be happy...

discerning

So I don't know what's wrong with Brock, but the fire alarms just keep going off!! Get your act together. It went off twice again today. I hope it doesn't happen again in the middle of this post...but it would be funny if it happened in my consumer behaviour class at 5. Our teacher would be soo mad.

Yesterday I was reading a short story by JD Salinger called a perfect day for bananafish. So it starts off with a mother phoning her daughter who is on vacation. Then it transitions to her beau hanging at the beach and a little girl comes and hangs out with him. He then says it's a perfect day for bananafish...I didn't believe these were real things and a search on google I believe confirms it. Then I thought this was going to turn into some weird childhood porn. It didn't thank goodness. So this guy is finished at the beach (you could tell he was a little odd), then goes back up to his room, and shoots himself in the head.

I have never been more confused by a story. I looked it up on wikipedia and that explained nothing better for me except that maybe this guy was an Absurdist...maybe JD salinger was just a little off his rocker.


So other than that I'm real real busy. The interupted quiz got rescheduled to next tuesday, then I have a paper due tuesday that I'm working on now (in between blogging) then a midterm friday and wednesday. I'm really nervous for my friday midterm because it's for strategic management, which is basically bullshit, but really smart bullshit, that I may not exactly be able to do with references to readings that I've done. I guess I'll be locking myself in my room this weekend.

I was reading the book tuesday which is super interesting. The one I was reading was about why rail tracks are that specific distance apart. Because that's how big the roads where in the middle ages, because that's how big roman chariots were and roman chariots were measured that way so that two horses asses could fit between the two. The conclusion is that our technology now is affected by the side of a horses behind. How does it relate to technology...because parts of rockets are transported by train and have to be made to specific standards to go through mountain tunnels. Pretty neat eh?

so the last one was to long

I've still got more to say while I'm on here.

Yesterday I had people's dreams become reality. You know how you are studying the night before an exam and you hypothetically pray that a fire alarm gets pulled...or something to that effect...it happened to me yesterday. About 10 minutes into my consumer behaviour midterm the fire alarm rang. We all kind of looked at each other in a what-do-we-do frame-of-mind. No one really got up right away, in the end we just left our papers (I grabbed my stuff) and headed outside to see what would happen. So we waited around until about 10 to six (50 minutes) - bell sill ringing, and some guy had gone in there to get his stuff and got escorted out! We said screw it and went to the library because becky and sylvia were planning to study and I got some readings done. Then I had class again at seven...bell finally went off and a girl in the class told me that the test was apparently cancelled for good. This is really great because I didn't know the answers for the two long answer questions, and neither did the rest of the class...we were all outside consulting our notes. Then while I was in class the bell went off in our library. Apparently there was a fire last week in the school too! Get your act together brock.

I just literally woke up from such an emotional dream

I wasn't really scared at any point in this dream because I was sure that I was dreaming but it was so emotional!

It's weird because I think I started at a waterpark!It was like an ultimate water park. There it was on the side of a cliff and there were just a whole bunch of infinity pools and it was just a neat place to be

So this section of dream seemed to start with me and there were a few people I went to high school with and others, including becky ll going to the most haunted house in the world. It was more like a museum and each room had a different ghost. I personally have never been a huge believer in my seeing ghosts but I could feel that people were in the room and there was a pressure and I was doing all I could to kind of get rid of them. I was praying swearing...everything, and nothing would work. To be honest I have no idea why I was here, in life I would most likely avoid these kinds of situations. So anyways...we were each supposed to rotate rooms throughout the night. We were also given pictures so that we could see what was happening and what the people looked like. The last room was were becky was sleeping and I was already terrified so I got into bed with her, and the ghosts in here room were biters. In fact the next morning you could see bite marks all along the base of the blanket. But after I got in I was holding on to her and she started to levitate. I was screaming and screaming and then I was still holding onto her and she came down. Then we got up and it was morning and this house was on my grandparents farm and they are picking cherries (it was not cherry season) and they all looked kind of dead. I also didn't recognize a couple vehicles that were there. So one guy pulls up and he needs me to come with him to come pickup something for my grandpa. I get in the car and we are headed to downtown winnipeg, which for some reason has holes. We have to drop off something first. So we drop off this barrel, but they way he does it and the normal conversation we have don't mix. He levitates! No one else there seems to be shocked by it. Turns out he's a ghost and I guess he's come to tell me I'm no longer alive. He then takes me to this party that's a celebration of my life. It's great because I get to eavesdrop on people and think...'you don't belong here, I didn't even lie you' Then I go over to my parents table and I have a total connection with my father. He is able to talk to me and knows that no one else can see me. He eats food and I'm able to taste it. Then I woke up.

Then I had a good cry. I guess sometimes we don't realize how big our love for someone is. Even as I write this I am getting teary eyed. Man no one better break my heart or I'll be a wreck!!

So I don't know what this means, it would however make a great film, with one of those endings like in titanic. One where you can't help but cry.

I wonder what my role in the dream was, or whether I'd stay with him forever...or maybe it was my turn to lead him after because he was going to die soon.

I also thought as I was writing this that maybe ghosts are still kicking around as normal people and not as scary things. Maybe they just want to get noticed and do so by playing small menial roles to strangers.

Dreams certainly are powerful things. Maybe I should just start a dream blog.

I love to read!

I was totally reminded in a comment from yesterdays blog that this is I love to read month! That spurred me on to a childhood memory from going to school and they would have these 'DEAR' moments aka Drop Everything And READ! The office would just place some nice calming music over the intercom and everyone would have to stop whatever they're doing and read. That means you'd have to keep a book with you wherever you went. People would sometimes get caught in the hallways and not have anything they could do but read. It would go on for about a halfhour and I was in bliss

ps remember when I used to critique SNL every new episode...maybe that means I have a life now! I'm watching the Old (as in two weeks ago) episode with Jessie eisenberg. I like him waaayyy better than every movie that he's ever been in.

nearly @ 100! yikes

So I was at church with my grandparents today and I was killing some time in the church library. It's a little sad at the lack of difference in books for the teenagers. That library has not been updated for a long time. They had some of the old school nancy drew books...Loved those once upon a time.

It's no secret that I love to read. I had a few favourite series back in the day

LOVED em...the secretary at my mothers school had all the little sister books...like that annoying little Karen character. Does anyone remember those giant super specials?

I also had a fond love for anything mary kate and ashley including the full house older sister books with stephanie (although she wasn't nearly as cool)

I almost want to go back and read all these cheesy books. When I was little I also had a deal with my parents that I would get paid for all my reading. This happened after keeping track of reading in grade 3 (I think)...and I smoked everyone...like real bad. So I wasn't really getting paid that much but it was a little incentive. I'm also a really fast reader. I told my friends about this later in life and they asked if I ever lied about reading...this never happened. It took away from the heart of the game. Besides I was already lying about how much piano I practiced.

My point is these books really helped me get my numbers up!

The church also had a wishbone poster and that got me real amped up. I will pay money for any DVD's of that show if they ever get released so that I will be able to show my children one day

dream vacation

I have never really thought about this much in the past...but within the past week I have though, something so awesome would be visiting a ghost town. I'd like to be able to just walk around and break things and destroy buildings.

I also heard this week in german class about these trips that little travel agencies do in german cities called (translated) 'into the blue' trips. Basically you just go to some unknown destination and travel around.

Here's the thing, my favourite thing is to get lost and have some random adventures. My least favourite thing is anticipation. I don't like the feeling of building something up and then it not being as good as you expect. It's kind of the opposite of how you remember something better than it actually was. One of my profs has made the point of never going back to a place that he enjoyed because it won't live up to the expectations.

Another thing that I wish there was...the opposite for a belated birthday wish. Like if you find out someone's birthday is coming up in a few days you want to wish them a happy birthday before it actually happens. I always feel kind of dumb for saying happy advance birthday...although I am awfully creative with words sometimes.

a short though

You know what's gonna be weird, and I'm going to look back on this and think wow...what a thinker...

when we have kids, we are going to be able to see how our parents treated us when we were children...

think about that