NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I got a letter from MTS saying that I illegally downloaded files from the internet.
I've already had two strikes.
I'm stopping now because they've threatened to cut off my service.
This blows.
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Saturday 21 November 2009
V'z fnq
Gbqnl V jrag bhg jvgu n sevraq jub V yvxr naq qvfpvirerq gung ur unf n oblsevraq. V'z fnq.
A|B |C|D|E|F|G|H| I| J|K| L|M
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N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
A|B |C|D|E|F|G|H| I| J|K| L|M
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Saturday 14 November 2009
Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum
Washington Post
Same-sex marriage bill, as written, called a threat to social service contracts.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.
Under the bill, headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings. But they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
Fearful that they could be forced, among other things, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.
"If the city requires this, we can't do it," Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. "The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that's really a problem."
Several D.C. Council members said the Catholic Church is trying to erode the city's long-standing laws protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination.
The clash escalates the dispute over the same-sex marriage proposal between the council and the archdiocese, which has generally stayed out of city politics.
Catholic Charities, the church's social services arm, is one of dozens of nonprofit organizations that partner with the District. It serves 68,000 people in the city, including the one-third of Washington's homeless people who go to city-owned shelters managed by the church. City leaders said the church is not the dominant provider of any particular social service, but the church pointed out that it supplements funding for city programs with $10 million from its own coffers.
"All of those services will be adversely impacted if the exemption language remains so narrow," Jane G. Belford, chancellor of the Washington Archdiocese, wrote to the council this week.
The church's influence seems limited. In separate interviews Wednesday, council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) referred to the church as "somewhat childish." Another council member, David A. Catania (I-At Large), said he would rather end the city's relationship with the church than give in to its demands.
"They don't represent, in my mind, an indispensable component of our social services infrastructure," said Catania, the sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill and the chairman of the Health Committee.
The standoff appears to be among the harshest between a government and a faith-based group over the rights of same-sex couples. Advocates for same-sex couples said they could not immediately think of other places where a same-sex marriage law had set off a break with a major faith-based provider of social services.
The council is expected to pass the same-sex marriage bill next month, but the measure continues to face strong opposition from a number of groups that are pushing for a referendum on the issue.
Washington Post
Same-sex marriage bill, as written, called a threat to social service contracts.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.
Under the bill, headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings. But they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
Fearful that they could be forced, among other things, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.
"If the city requires this, we can't do it," Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. "The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that's really a problem."
Several D.C. Council members said the Catholic Church is trying to erode the city's long-standing laws protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination.
The clash escalates the dispute over the same-sex marriage proposal between the council and the archdiocese, which has generally stayed out of city politics.
Catholic Charities, the church's social services arm, is one of dozens of nonprofit organizations that partner with the District. It serves 68,000 people in the city, including the one-third of Washington's homeless people who go to city-owned shelters managed by the church. City leaders said the church is not the dominant provider of any particular social service, but the church pointed out that it supplements funding for city programs with $10 million from its own coffers.
"All of those services will be adversely impacted if the exemption language remains so narrow," Jane G. Belford, chancellor of the Washington Archdiocese, wrote to the council this week.
The church's influence seems limited. In separate interviews Wednesday, council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) referred to the church as "somewhat childish." Another council member, David A. Catania (I-At Large), said he would rather end the city's relationship with the church than give in to its demands.
"They don't represent, in my mind, an indispensable component of our social services infrastructure," said Catania, the sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill and the chairman of the Health Committee.
The standoff appears to be among the harshest between a government and a faith-based group over the rights of same-sex couples. Advocates for same-sex couples said they could not immediately think of other places where a same-sex marriage law had set off a break with a major faith-based provider of social services.
The council is expected to pass the same-sex marriage bill next month, but the measure continues to face strong opposition from a number of groups that are pushing for a referendum on the issue.
On my mind
Hastiness and superficiality are the psychic diseases of the twentieth century, and more than anywhere else this disease is reflected in the press.
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
This quote on superficiality is speaking to me today. Like most people on this planet, I'm fairly superficial. I hate this fact and I want to change. Let's go take down Hollywood!!!!!
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
This quote on superficiality is speaking to me today. Like most people on this planet, I'm fairly superficial. I hate this fact and I want to change. Let's go take down Hollywood!!!!!
Thursday 29 October 2009
Intro to nursing
I had my first test in intro to nursing yesterday and it was a joke! The last question of the the exam is just an example of how silly it was.
How many tablets would you give a patient if each tablet had 250 mg of "some drug" for a total dosage of 1 gram per day?
a) 0.5 tablets
b) 1 tablet
c) 2 tablets
d) 4 tablets
Every week I spend 3 hours napping at the back of the classroom while the prof compares concepts on caring, health promotion and disease prevention. It's interesting stuff but it's not rocket science.
How many tablets would you give a patient if each tablet had 250 mg of "some drug" for a total dosage of 1 gram per day?
a) 0.5 tablets
b) 1 tablet
c) 2 tablets
d) 4 tablets
Every week I spend 3 hours napping at the back of the classroom while the prof compares concepts on caring, health promotion and disease prevention. It's interesting stuff but it's not rocket science.
Tuesday 27 October 2009
In the midst of mid-term week
I've had one exam so far, only two and a half more to go. So far my first exam went really well. The average was shockingly low, 64%! I was very surprised considering that the exam was fairly easy.
Here's hoping that the rest of my exams go just as well...
It's been almost two months since I returned from Korea. So far I'm really enjoying being back in Canada. Before I left Korea I had mixed feelings about leaving. I thought that I would have difficulty getting back into the swing of things once I retunred to Canada. After living on my own for a year and experiencing the independent life I thought that I would never be able to move back in with mom and dad. But in spite of this, we all seem to be getting along fairly well. We all take turns making meals, vacuuming, mowing the lawn, loading and unloading the dishwasher, and cleaning the litter boxes. But the best part about living at home is that as long as I'm going to school I don't have to pay for rent or food!!!
In the end, the transition back to Canada wasn't as bad as I thought and I now feel like I'm settled. Living with the family has been a treat.
Thanks mom and dad :) I'll take good care of you during your retirement.
Here's hoping that the rest of my exams go just as well...
It's been almost two months since I returned from Korea. So far I'm really enjoying being back in Canada. Before I left Korea I had mixed feelings about leaving. I thought that I would have difficulty getting back into the swing of things once I retunred to Canada. After living on my own for a year and experiencing the independent life I thought that I would never be able to move back in with mom and dad. But in spite of this, we all seem to be getting along fairly well. We all take turns making meals, vacuuming, mowing the lawn, loading and unloading the dishwasher, and cleaning the litter boxes. But the best part about living at home is that as long as I'm going to school I don't have to pay for rent or food!!!
In the end, the transition back to Canada wasn't as bad as I thought and I now feel like I'm settled. Living with the family has been a treat.
Thanks mom and dad :) I'll take good care of you during your retirement.
Sunday 25 October 2009
Wireless!
Let me just take the time to say that, I LOVE WIRELESS!!!!! My house is officially running on wireless internet and it's great!
On another note, check this out...
Sweden church allows gay weddings
BBC NEWS
The Lutheran Church of Sweden - the country's largest - is to conduct same-sex marriages from next month.
Around 70% of the church's 250-strong synod, or church board, voted to back the move, making it one of few global churches to allow gay marriage.
Sweden's government introduced a new law in May allowing gay couples the same marriage rights as heterosexuals.
Three-quarters of Swedes are members of the Lutheran church, though church attendance is low.
The Lutheran Church says gay couples can now get married by any of its priests from the beginning of November.
Individual priests will not be "forced" to perform same sex ceremonies, though substitutes will have to be found if they refuse.
The church - which split from state control in 2000 - backed the government's decision to legalise gay marriage in May.
But some clergy had questioned whether church ceremonies - and the term matrimony - should be reserved for heterosexual unions. Others opposed the move on the grounds it contravened the scriptures.
Limited opposition
In response, the Archbishop of Sweden, Anders Wejryd, told reporters: "For my part, the right decision was taken, but I can empathise with the many who believe this has gone too fast."
Sweden's largest gay rights group, the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), welcomed the move.
"[We] congratulate the Church of Sweden for its decision. [The church's] homosexual and bisexual members will finally be able to feel a little more welcome within society," the group said in a statement.
Sweden was one of the first countries to give gay couples legal "partnership" rights, in the mid-1990s, and to allow gay couples to adopt children from 2002.
It become the fifth European country, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Norway, to recognise same-sex marriage.
On another note, check this out...
Sweden church allows gay weddings
BBC NEWS
The Lutheran Church of Sweden - the country's largest - is to conduct same-sex marriages from next month.
Around 70% of the church's 250-strong synod, or church board, voted to back the move, making it one of few global churches to allow gay marriage.
Sweden's government introduced a new law in May allowing gay couples the same marriage rights as heterosexuals.
Three-quarters of Swedes are members of the Lutheran church, though church attendance is low.
The Lutheran Church says gay couples can now get married by any of its priests from the beginning of November.
Individual priests will not be "forced" to perform same sex ceremonies, though substitutes will have to be found if they refuse.
The church - which split from state control in 2000 - backed the government's decision to legalise gay marriage in May.
But some clergy had questioned whether church ceremonies - and the term matrimony - should be reserved for heterosexual unions. Others opposed the move on the grounds it contravened the scriptures.
Limited opposition
In response, the Archbishop of Sweden, Anders Wejryd, told reporters: "For my part, the right decision was taken, but I can empathise with the many who believe this has gone too fast."
Sweden's largest gay rights group, the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), welcomed the move.
"[We] congratulate the Church of Sweden for its decision. [The church's] homosexual and bisexual members will finally be able to feel a little more welcome within society," the group said in a statement.
Sweden was one of the first countries to give gay couples legal "partnership" rights, in the mid-1990s, and to allow gay couples to adopt children from 2002.
It become the fifth European country, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Norway, to recognise same-sex marriage.
Saturday 24 October 2009
Rant
Some of you may already know this and others may not, but I suffer from an undiagnosed skin disorder that causes my skin to flare up, mainly on my face, in the form of a sebaceous cyst.
I've been fighting these things since I started university 6 years ago. They come and go every 3 months, usually 1 or 2 at a time. Currently, the skin below my mouth has been very active. I have one right now in fact. I've been putting hot compresses on it to bring it to a head. Usually it takes about 2 weeks for the cyst to complete a full cycle (flare up, come to a head, pop, then deflate).
I sometimes get them beside my nose, between my eyes, behind my ear, on my forehead, on my back, and even on the side of my neck. The worst ones usually occur on my neck, beside mouth and beside my nose. Thankfully I haven't been getting them anywhere on my face, neck or back except for the lower cheek area beside my mouth. They usually swell up to about an inch in diameter, projecting almost a centimeter from the skin. They can be extremely painful.
A few years ago (a week before sister's wedding), I got one between my eyes. I went to a walk in clinic to get it checked out. The doctor at the clinic injected some kind of "steroid" into the cyst which helped to bring the swelling down. Of course it didn't happen over night, it took about 4 days for it to go down. But the best part is, is that I haven't had one in that area for over a year and a half now!
The best treatment for cysts is a hot compress because it is non-invasive. Although, it takes longer, it is very effective. An alternative to this is surgery. I usually steer away from it because I prefer not to have massive scars on my face. I already have permanent acne scars (red spots) on my face from previous cases, so I guess it doesn't really matter anyway.
I used to suffer from major depression as result of my cysts. When one would flare up, I would have major anxiety attacks knowing that I would have to show my face in public (ie: at school, in front of my friends). To avoid embarrassment I would stay home from school. If I had no other choice I would wear cover-up to hide my blemish. Knowing full well that it probably wasn't enough to conceal it, I remember acting very awkward in front of my peers, hiding the worse half of my face. For example, if I had a cyst beside my nose, I would pretend to scratch my eye so that I could hide the blemish. Or if some friends were hanging in a hallway, I would take an alternative route, avoiding social contact all together. My friends thought that I was absent-minded or something but the truth is, is that I was pre-occupied with something else (my skin!).
My focus has always been on my appearance. As a child I was made fun of a lot because I had a big forehead. Since then I've covered my face with my hair. I now regret that decision. Just look at my picture on facebook from 2003-2007. I had the worst hair back then. I still have really bad hair, but it's at least shorter now.
Anyway, I'm sorry about my rant. I just needed to get this off my chest.
I'm treating a cyst on my lower right cheek right now, so I will be house bound for a few days. Hope to see you when my face clears up.
I've been fighting these things since I started university 6 years ago. They come and go every 3 months, usually 1 or 2 at a time. Currently, the skin below my mouth has been very active. I have one right now in fact. I've been putting hot compresses on it to bring it to a head. Usually it takes about 2 weeks for the cyst to complete a full cycle (flare up, come to a head, pop, then deflate).
I sometimes get them beside my nose, between my eyes, behind my ear, on my forehead, on my back, and even on the side of my neck. The worst ones usually occur on my neck, beside mouth and beside my nose. Thankfully I haven't been getting them anywhere on my face, neck or back except for the lower cheek area beside my mouth. They usually swell up to about an inch in diameter, projecting almost a centimeter from the skin. They can be extremely painful.
A few years ago (a week before sister's wedding), I got one between my eyes. I went to a walk in clinic to get it checked out. The doctor at the clinic injected some kind of "steroid" into the cyst which helped to bring the swelling down. Of course it didn't happen over night, it took about 4 days for it to go down. But the best part is, is that I haven't had one in that area for over a year and a half now!
The best treatment for cysts is a hot compress because it is non-invasive. Although, it takes longer, it is very effective. An alternative to this is surgery. I usually steer away from it because I prefer not to have massive scars on my face. I already have permanent acne scars (red spots) on my face from previous cases, so I guess it doesn't really matter anyway.
I used to suffer from major depression as result of my cysts. When one would flare up, I would have major anxiety attacks knowing that I would have to show my face in public (ie: at school, in front of my friends). To avoid embarrassment I would stay home from school. If I had no other choice I would wear cover-up to hide my blemish. Knowing full well that it probably wasn't enough to conceal it, I remember acting very awkward in front of my peers, hiding the worse half of my face. For example, if I had a cyst beside my nose, I would pretend to scratch my eye so that I could hide the blemish. Or if some friends were hanging in a hallway, I would take an alternative route, avoiding social contact all together. My friends thought that I was absent-minded or something but the truth is, is that I was pre-occupied with something else (my skin!).
My focus has always been on my appearance. As a child I was made fun of a lot because I had a big forehead. Since then I've covered my face with my hair. I now regret that decision. Just look at my picture on facebook from 2003-2007. I had the worst hair back then. I still have really bad hair, but it's at least shorter now.
Anyway, I'm sorry about my rant. I just needed to get this off my chest.
I'm treating a cyst on my lower right cheek right now, so I will be house bound for a few days. Hope to see you when my face clears up.
Monday 19 October 2009
Monday 12 October 2009
Back from Ottawa
What a wonderful weekend. Good company, good friends, and great food!!!
This past weekend, my sister Mary Ann and I flew out to Ottawa to visit Rob and Sheila. While we were there we drove out to the St. Laurence river and took a boat tour of the Thousand Islands area. It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect as well, adding to a wonderful day.
On Sunday we spent most of the day preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner. Sheila and Rob, being the amazing hosts that they are, invited a total of 13 people to their tiny apartment for dinner! It was a little squishy, but we all managed and had a great time.
After dinner we played some games (Acquire) and a few rounds of Dutch Blitz. I managed to beat out R and S! Haha. Sweet, sweet victory :)
The entire weekend was a blast. It was so good that I'll have to mark it as one of, or possibly THE best thanksgiving ever!
One interesting thing that I observed on the way home from Ottawa today, was a well-dressed gay couple (in their mid-thirties) and I'm assuming their son (4 years old). When seeing them (in the flesh) I had mixed feelings about it, but after a while it seemed totally fine. You may think that I should naturally approve to such a scene given who I am, but like you, my upbringing and lack of exposure to such things triggered my initial reaction. Although, many people would not qualify them as a "normal" couple suitable to raise a family, from what I could see they seemed to be just as loving and caring as any other parent in the room.
I've always wanted to have kids. Could this be me in the future?
This past weekend, my sister Mary Ann and I flew out to Ottawa to visit Rob and Sheila. While we were there we drove out to the St. Laurence river and took a boat tour of the Thousand Islands area. It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect as well, adding to a wonderful day.
On Sunday we spent most of the day preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner. Sheila and Rob, being the amazing hosts that they are, invited a total of 13 people to their tiny apartment for dinner! It was a little squishy, but we all managed and had a great time.
After dinner we played some games (Acquire) and a few rounds of Dutch Blitz. I managed to beat out R and S! Haha. Sweet, sweet victory :)
The entire weekend was a blast. It was so good that I'll have to mark it as one of, or possibly THE best thanksgiving ever!
One interesting thing that I observed on the way home from Ottawa today, was a well-dressed gay couple (in their mid-thirties) and I'm assuming their son (4 years old). When seeing them (in the flesh) I had mixed feelings about it, but after a while it seemed totally fine. You may think that I should naturally approve to such a scene given who I am, but like you, my upbringing and lack of exposure to such things triggered my initial reaction. Although, many people would not qualify them as a "normal" couple suitable to raise a family, from what I could see they seemed to be just as loving and caring as any other parent in the room.
I've always wanted to have kids. Could this be me in the future?
Sunday 11 October 2009
Gratitude
What: Thanksgiving
When: October, 11, 2009
Where: Ottawa, ON
Why: To eat lots of foodx
Who: Me, my sister, brother, his wife and friends.
How: By sticking a fork in it
I'm tired and sleepy.
Thanks for Thanksgiving everyone!!!
When: October, 11, 2009
Where: Ottawa, ON
Why: To eat lots of foodx
Who: Me, my sister, brother, his wife and friends.
How: By sticking a fork in it
I'm tired and sleepy.
Thanks for Thanksgiving everyone!!!
Thursday 8 October 2009
One exam down, 4 more years to go
I just finished writing my first exam in my BIO 1000 class. Although there were a few questions that stumped me, the exam was fairly easy. I only have about 3 years and 10 months left before I can become a nurse. Here's hoping all goes well.
I'm off to Ottawa this weekend to visit my brother Robert (Balto) and his wife Sheila. They're 20 weeks pregnant and are expecting a boy. I'm so excited to be an uncle.
Godspeed.
I'm off to Ottawa this weekend to visit my brother Robert (Balto) and his wife Sheila. They're 20 weeks pregnant and are expecting a boy. I'm so excited to be an uncle.
Godspeed.
Tuesday 6 October 2009
Crippled Kids Walk With Jesus, Lefty Journos With Satan
- by Marian Wang, Oct 6, 2009
For as little as $130, fellow Americans, you can take home a canvas reproduction of this beauty of a painting depicting your country's noble roots. "One Nation Under God" is a new piece by artist Jon McNaughton of Utah, who says he got his inspiration from a vision he received during the 2008 elections.
Front and center, the painting features Jesus Christ, creator of the heavens and earth and bearer of the American Constitution. On his right you have the good guys—the farmer, the Christian minister, the US Marine, the handicapped child, the black college student, and the schoolteacher who vaguely resembles Sarah Palin. You also have the young white man who represents the rising generation.
On the other side—Jesus' left side—is another set of characters, including a professor holding a copy of Darwin's Origin of the Species, a politician, a lawyer counting his money, a liberal news reporter, and a Supreme Court Justice weeping over Roe v. Wade. Oh, and who could forget Satan lurking in the shadows.
No matter what your political or religious leanings, you have to admit the details and symbolism here are impressive and painstaking. My favorite part is that the website lets you explore the painting with your mouse and get detailed explanations of each element. If you're wondering why, for instance, the immigrant has his hand in the air, McNaughton explains: "I wanted him to have a look of shock when he realizes where the source of America's greatness comes from as he sees Christ holding the Constitution."
It is also worth noting that if you look very closely, there are minorities in the background! Yes, in the upper left, you have Sequoyah, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Black Union Soldier. American Soldier is also black, as is College Student, and then of course there is Immigrant, who appears to be of Asian descent. Enjoy.
Tip of my colonial-styled hat to Andrew Sullivan for this excellent find. And if you've just figured out what you're going to get your entire family for Christmas (not the holidays, you heard me—CHRISTMAS), well then, you're very welcome.
Original article
Thursday 1 October 2009
Gay penguins book is most banned
BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8284509.stm
And Tango Makes Three is the top most controversial book.
Authors, artists and musicians are due to gather at a library in San Francisco to protest against the banning of books in schools and libraries in the US.
The event, part of the 27th annual Banned Books Week, has been organised by the American Library Association.
Since 2001 bans on 3,736 books and other materials have been requested.
In recent years, And Tango Makes Three - based on a true story and centring on gay penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo - has had the most ban requests.
The book's authors are Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.
Reasons given by organisations and individuals for their requests to get it removed from public shelves, include "anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group".
Other works featuring in the most-challenged books list for 2008 include Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner.
Parents' concern
Pullman told Britain's Guardian newspaper that he was glad to be on the list.
However he added: "Of course it's a worry when anybody takes it upon themselves to dictate what people should or should not read."
The association said the aim of the annual awareness week, which ends on Saturday, is to remind US citizens not to take their freedom for granted.
Among those at the San Francisco Public Library event will be authors and musicians Ben Fong-Torres, Richie Unterberger and Roy Zimmerman.
They plan to stage a number of performances and defend controversial books.
In 2008 the American Library Association recorded 517 ban requests. Seventy-four were successful.
The organisation recorded that the most common reason given was that contents were too "sexually explicit".
Other classic literature subjected to complaints include JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling also feature on the list.
Earlier this week, it was claimed that Harry Potter author JK Rowling missed out on the Presidential Medal of Freedom because some US politicians believed she "encouraged witchcraft".
Original BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8284509.stm
And Tango Makes Three is the top most controversial book.Authors, artists and musicians are due to gather at a library in San Francisco to protest against the banning of books in schools and libraries in the US.
The event, part of the 27th annual Banned Books Week, has been organised by the American Library Association.
Since 2001 bans on 3,736 books and other materials have been requested.
In recent years, And Tango Makes Three - based on a true story and centring on gay penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo - has had the most ban requests.
The book's authors are Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.
Reasons given by organisations and individuals for their requests to get it removed from public shelves, include "anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group".
Other works featuring in the most-challenged books list for 2008 include Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner.
Parents' concern
Pullman told Britain's Guardian newspaper that he was glad to be on the list.
However he added: "Of course it's a worry when anybody takes it upon themselves to dictate what people should or should not read."
The association said the aim of the annual awareness week, which ends on Saturday, is to remind US citizens not to take their freedom for granted.
Among those at the San Francisco Public Library event will be authors and musicians Ben Fong-Torres, Richie Unterberger and Roy Zimmerman.
They plan to stage a number of performances and defend controversial books.
In 2008 the American Library Association recorded 517 ban requests. Seventy-four were successful.
The organisation recorded that the most common reason given was that contents were too "sexually explicit".
Other classic literature subjected to complaints include JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling also feature on the list.
Earlier this week, it was claimed that Harry Potter author JK Rowling missed out on the Presidential Medal of Freedom because some US politicians believed she "encouraged witchcraft".
Original BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8284509.stm
Wednesday 30 September 2009
A series of e-mails
Here are a couple of e-mails that I got from my old private student in Korea. Her name is Narye and she is 14 years old. She's the sweetest girl ever. In a few months she will be moving to Texas with her older cousin (he's 30 and is fluent in English).
Narye's mom, Narye, Me, and her brother
September 3, 2009
hello I'm na-rye
How are you?and Where are you?
I'm curious.
so i did class with chris
He's good and funny
today did game! take away block game!
It's fun
good bye! I miss you
Narye
September 4, 2009
Hey Ellen!!! (That's her English name)
I'm glad you had fun at your lesson with Chris. He's a great guy. Say hi to him for me. (Say it in an Irish accent if you can)
Haha.
Anyway, have a great time with Chris. Keep studying hard. I don't want to scare you, but America is a very big country and you need to be able to speak English to get by. Good luck with everything.
Keep in touch.
Jon
September 27, 2009
hi Jon~!
um maybe I change my english name
Ellen means a lesbian...
Ah,class finish with chris
so chris introduce new teacher
will you remember? before you saw picture
she's name kiara..???
I think you know her!
um...where are you now!?
Tuesday's I do test..
good bye!!~
September 29, 2009
Hi Narye,
It is good to hear from you. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying your english classes with Chris and Kiara. I hope that you are studying hard. Keep up the good work.
Have you picked a new English name?
What do you think of Stella? It means 'star' in Italian.
Anyway, I hope that you are doing well. Good luck!
Jon
Narye's mom, Narye, Me, and her brother
September 3, 2009
hello I'm na-rye
How are you?and Where are you?
I'm curious.
so i did class with chris
He's good and funny
today did game! take away block game!
It's fun
good bye! I miss you
Narye
September 4, 2009
Hey Ellen!!! (That's her English name)
I'm glad you had fun at your lesson with Chris. He's a great guy. Say hi to him for me. (Say it in an Irish accent if you can)
Haha.
Anyway, have a great time with Chris. Keep studying hard. I don't want to scare you, but America is a very big country and you need to be able to speak English to get by. Good luck with everything.
Keep in touch.
Jon
September 27, 2009
hi Jon~!
um maybe I change my english name
Ellen means a lesbian...
Ah,class finish with chris
so chris introduce new teacher
will you remember? before you saw picture
she's name kiara..???
I think you know her!
um...where are you now!?
Tuesday's I do test..
good bye!!~
September 29, 2009
Hi Narye,
It is good to hear from you. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying your english classes with Chris and Kiara. I hope that you are studying hard. Keep up the good work.
Have you picked a new English name?
What do you think of Stella? It means 'star' in Italian.
Anyway, I hope that you are doing well. Good luck!
Jon
Friday 25 September 2009
Ok, ok
I managed to get my Ipod fixed. But it was a pain indeed.
After searching for hours on the internet looking through forums and ipod support sites, I finally found a site that made sense. The problem was actually a lot simpler than I thought. You see, when I tried to sync or restore my Ipod, a window would pop up saying that an error had occurred or that my Ipod was missing a file. I immediately thought that it was a software issue, or perhaps the new version of Itunes was conflicting with my old 5th generation Ipod.
I proceeded to download an older version of Itunes to see if that would fix the problem. Nope. I was able to sync about half of my music, but not all of it.
I then continued looking online for a solution until I found the most obvious answer to my problem. The forum told me to remove the song that is causing the error! It was so obvious. So all I had to do was delete the file that appeared in Itunes just before the error window popped up.
Simple!
Maybe Ipods aren't that bad after all. Anyway, I'm glad that it's working; especially now that I just got the audio jack repaired.
Let the playlists being.
After searching for hours on the internet looking through forums and ipod support sites, I finally found a site that made sense. The problem was actually a lot simpler than I thought. You see, when I tried to sync or restore my Ipod, a window would pop up saying that an error had occurred or that my Ipod was missing a file. I immediately thought that it was a software issue, or perhaps the new version of Itunes was conflicting with my old 5th generation Ipod.
I proceeded to download an older version of Itunes to see if that would fix the problem. Nope. I was able to sync about half of my music, but not all of it.
I then continued looking online for a solution until I found the most obvious answer to my problem. The forum told me to remove the song that is causing the error! It was so obvious. So all I had to do was delete the file that appeared in Itunes just before the error window popped up.
Simple!
Maybe Ipods aren't that bad after all. Anyway, I'm glad that it's working; especially now that I just got the audio jack repaired.
Let the playlists being.
Thursday 24 September 2009
Monday 21 September 2009
Good weekend
This weekend was one of the best weekends ever! It was hot, sunny and beautiful. What makes it even better is that it's the middle of September. Although I was in Korea last year, I've been told that this is the hottest weather Winnipeg's had all 'summer'!
Friday was a lazy day. Didn't really do a whole lot. I went for sushi with dad, mowed the lawn, and watched a movie.
Saturday, I went out with Z and her son T. Our original plan was to go to the MTC costume sale, but the line-up was way too long. So instead we decided to wander around the exchange for an hour, or at least until T started getting restless. After a brief parking nuisance(the meter ate my toonie), we stopped at a baby shop. I observed two things: the new mothers in the store seemed to be surrounded by an aura of maternal beauty, while the fathers (unsurprisingly) emitted an energy of fearful anxiety. This is to be expected for new fathers. I on the other hand didn't know how to feel or act, so I assumed the role of the father, for only a moment. It was a strange, surreal feeling. I asked myself: Could this be me some day? Or will I remain a third wheel, living vicariously through other couples. The possibility is there, but for my kind it is definitely an up hill battle. That moment at the baby store seemed insignificant at the time, but I think that it will stand out in my memory.
On our way home from the store, Z put T's new sunglasses on her son, which I bought. Expecting to see a picture perfect moment, he immediately ripped them off his face and proceeded to chew on them. Oh well, at least he'll be using them in some way, shape or form. After returning to Z's place, we decided to stop at the nearby BDI for some ice cream. On the way I knocked on my cousins door. She and her new husband R only live about a block away. R greeted me with a smile and said that L was out shopping. R was resting for his final performance of a Winter's Tale that evening. I saw the show the previous weekend and I have to say that it was one of the best Shakespeare productions I've seen. No lie. Anyway, after saying our goodbyes we headed down the street, picked up Z's sister at her place and got some dessert.
That evening was my friend C's 30th birthday party! It was great visiting with friends I haven't seen for a while.
Such a great weekend :)
Friday was a lazy day. Didn't really do a whole lot. I went for sushi with dad, mowed the lawn, and watched a movie.
Saturday, I went out with Z and her son T. Our original plan was to go to the MTC costume sale, but the line-up was way too long. So instead we decided to wander around the exchange for an hour, or at least until T started getting restless. After a brief parking nuisance(the meter ate my toonie), we stopped at a baby shop. I observed two things: the new mothers in the store seemed to be surrounded by an aura of maternal beauty, while the fathers (unsurprisingly) emitted an energy of fearful anxiety. This is to be expected for new fathers. I on the other hand didn't know how to feel or act, so I assumed the role of the father, for only a moment. It was a strange, surreal feeling. I asked myself: Could this be me some day? Or will I remain a third wheel, living vicariously through other couples. The possibility is there, but for my kind it is definitely an up hill battle. That moment at the baby store seemed insignificant at the time, but I think that it will stand out in my memory.
On our way home from the store, Z put T's new sunglasses on her son, which I bought. Expecting to see a picture perfect moment, he immediately ripped them off his face and proceeded to chew on them. Oh well, at least he'll be using them in some way, shape or form. After returning to Z's place, we decided to stop at the nearby BDI for some ice cream. On the way I knocked on my cousins door. She and her new husband R only live about a block away. R greeted me with a smile and said that L was out shopping. R was resting for his final performance of a Winter's Tale that evening. I saw the show the previous weekend and I have to say that it was one of the best Shakespeare productions I've seen. No lie. Anyway, after saying our goodbyes we headed down the street, picked up Z's sister at her place and got some dessert.
That evening was my friend C's 30th birthday party! It was great visiting with friends I haven't seen for a while.
Such a great weekend :)
Thursday 17 September 2009
Gaaaahhhh!
I locked my keys in the van again!!!
(Oh the life of an absent minded individual.)
This time, however, I did not have to run all the way home to fetch my keys. And by my good fortune, I happened to have left the window open an inch; just enough so that I could slide a clothes hanger in there and jimmy the lock free. Of course I can't take all the credit. My friend A.M. helped me out. Apparently he has experience ;)
So there you have it. Twice in one week. I think I should start storing a key underneath the car. You know, just in case.
(Oh the life of an absent minded individual.)
This time, however, I did not have to run all the way home to fetch my keys. And by my good fortune, I happened to have left the window open an inch; just enough so that I could slide a clothes hanger in there and jimmy the lock free. Of course I can't take all the credit. My friend A.M. helped me out. Apparently he has experience ;)
So there you have it. Twice in one week. I think I should start storing a key underneath the car. You know, just in case.
Tuesday 15 September 2009
Good time with good friends
Tonight I spent the evening with good company. I went out with two great friends to the spicy noodle house followed by some gelati and good conversation.
Now I finally feel at home.
Thanks J and S.
Love you guys.
Now I finally feel at home.
Thanks J and S.
Love you guys.
Monday 14 September 2009
Warming up to Winter-peg
Noah Richler
Special to the Star
Source: www.thestar.com
Behind city's genuine sense of modesty lies a vibrant cultural
WINNIPEG–It's Canada in winter, the season when – outside, perhaps, of Québec City with its Carnival and mad Red Bull skaters – many of us wish our home and native land was shut down and moved to Mexico.
Only my wife and I are headed in the other direction. Our neighbour on the plane from Toronto greets the idea that we are travelling to Winnipeg for our anniversary for fun (we can't even claim the recession made us do it), with incredulity. So does the famous television director and the celebrated economist and the unassuming newspaper book editor, all of whom were born and raised there.
But it is exactly because of such interesting and cultured types, and because of the pleasure I had on a previous visit to the Fort Garry Hotel, perhaps the best large hotel in the country, that we have booked our four-day trip.
Auguring well for our bit of Canadian winter madness, for 10 days preceding our departure the 'Peg appears to stalk us: Stuart Maclean's CBC Radio show, The Vinyl Café, plays music from The Weakerthans and the Be Good Tanyas. My daughter discovers and likes my old Crash Test Dummies CD.
An excited Canadian friend working at the BBC World Service telephones to say that Winnipeg's Miriam Toews, author of A Complicated Kindness and now The Flying Troutmans, is headed to London.
A Toronto producer friend drops off a DVD of My Winnipeg, an extraordinary documentary portrait of the city by one of its most celebrated sons, the director Guy Maddin. Its style is Northern and wintry and it is filmed in black and white, a sideways homage to the decade of the 1930s that killed the economy and the aspirations of this city in "the heart of the heart" of the continent.
Perhaps the Depression and the Dust Bowl's rude halting of the city's destiny is why a touching modesty is integral to the character of the Winnipeggers we meet and all the others who were stunned that we were making the journey at all.
The effect of that sudden economic crash was that the heart of the city, the Exchange District – with its stately and handsome turn-of-the-century office blocks, their lavish cornices, sculpted bronze gates and four-storey painted advertisements fading into their exposed brick walls – was stuck in a magnificent, glorious, moment in time.
The Exchange District is the Prairie's Titanic beached in a Manitoba graveyard, the city that had it all and was never meant to sink, but did.
It is Canada's old soul (the Fort Garry Hotel has a ghost) – a used city as reassuring, in its peculiar way, as that slightly uncomfortable armchair from grandfather's study. It's unwieldy, it doesn't match, but you'd never, ever, let go of it because it means too much.
That modesty: You realize, after a while, that it has less to do with Winnipeggers underestimating just how fascinating their city is than their knowing, in some quiet part of their being, that if they do the modern thing and share it too much, then they may well lose the conditions that make it such a singular and ultimately liveable city.
One of the striking aspects of our visit was realizing how important affordability is.
Winnipeg has a very rich and substantial cultural life – plenty of clubs, theatre, the rejuvenated Forks district, museums, and the beautiful Centennial Concert Hall, home to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
We were lucky enough to catch the last night of the New Music Festival there, and what was remarkable was just how many young people were in attendance – something I rarely see in Toronto, where tickets are three or four times the price.
Thrift is a part of the culture, which is not to say that you can't spend money here, but that the city's used aspect is also an invitation for fun and discovery.
At Antiques & Funk, on the same block as the dance studio where Richard Gere and J-Lo filmed Shall We Dance? my wife and I bought three vintage Hudson's Bay coats.
And Aqua Books, on Garry St., is one of the craziest, most amusing and well-ordered second-hand bookstores I have ever frequented.
Upstairs, in what had been a Chinese restaurant (the panelling and the décor and the kitchen still there) the owner, Kelly Hughes, maintains three studios for writers-in-residence, and the old dining room, complete with stage and fainting couches, is reserved for readings. Walking tours are popular (and a good idea) in the city, and readers can pick up a brochure here for Hughes `Book Walk' too.
Affordability, of course, is also about space, and the restaurants and hotels and occasional shops of the Exchange District have plenty of it. At Mirlycourtois, on the second floor of a Princess St. warehouse, I ate one of the best French meals I have had in Canada, and I needed to put up neither with pretentious waiters nor bad-tempered chefs working their shtick nor a rude emptying of my wallet to have it.
Sarah ordered coq au vin, a dish I am generally afraid to taste (or even make) as it reminds me of a cherished moment I had, when I was but eight, at Chez Allard, one of the most celebrated restaurants of Paris's Left Bank, with my late father Mordecai who had started writing in that city.
So fragile, some memories are, but I tasted my wife's rooster, and it was moist and savoury (the eponymous chef, Bernard Mirlycourtois, acquires his birds from Manitoba or, in a pinch, from Québec), its sauce dark and delicious. Perfectly cooked, just as my Northern pike in a beurre blanc with capers was.
Mirlycourtois, it turns out, moved to Winnipeg from France in his early 20s.
When I asked him why he stayed, he said "for the fishing." Manitoba, he went on, had everything he could possibly want – good produce, great hunting and, in a couple of months, morels.
Mirlycourtois is right. At Scot McTaggart's Fusion Grill on the Academy Rd. – near St Mary's Academy and the architecturally striking synagogue opposite (a lot of the city's rich cultural legacy has to do with its having had such an important Jewish population) and the many splendid mansions of Wellington Crescent on this, the Saint Boniface side of the river – we had a similarly pleasing experience also depending on locally acquired produce.
True to its name, the Grill's menu was an inventive fusion of new Canadian, but also Manitoban, recipes.
The white truffle perogies with duck sausage in a walnut cream sauce were particularly good. Of course, reliable providers of imported foods are as important as suppliers of local ones and the Canadian East Coast oysters here, as at Mirlycourtois, were also excellent.
The other outstanding meal, of course was a lot of the reason we came: the Sunday brunch at the Fort Garry – a munificent spread of breads, meats, smoked fishes, egg dishes, fruits and desserts stretching out of the hotel's beautiful Palm Room bar and into the lobby (a jazz duo playing from the first floor balcony) that was so lavish and generous it is best described as marvelously preposterous.
On the top floor of this independently owned railway hotel (explaining why it has such an appealing and familiar, rather than dull corporate feel) is an extraordinary hammam, a Turkish water spa, that my wife has previously tried – she insists it is one of the most remarkable spas in Canada and the United States and knows about these things – was unfortunately closed for refurbishment until March 26, when the full three-hour experience of the Ten Spa will once again be available.
Instead, I tried the Indigenous Hot Stone Massage at the Riverstone Spa, a short walk away at the Forks – so named because these rehabilitated railway lands that now include a covered market, a Children's Museum, the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, bars, restaurants and the Inn – lie at the junction of the Rouge and Assiniboine rivers. (The Museum of Human Rights will be built close to here.)
It is also possible to rent skates, as we did, at the Mini Donuts Factory and skate along the dozen kilometres of the River Trail – less tended and popular, but arguably, now, the longest river skate in the country.
If authentic discovery, rather than easy conversation about some proven trendy destination is what you want, then here is a city that absolutely must be visited.
Check this out!
This is so cool!
Special to the Star
Source: www.thestar.com
Behind city's genuine sense of modesty lies a vibrant cultural
WINNIPEG–It's Canada in winter, the season when – outside, perhaps, of Québec City with its Carnival and mad Red Bull skaters – many of us wish our home and native land was shut down and moved to Mexico.
Only my wife and I are headed in the other direction. Our neighbour on the plane from Toronto greets the idea that we are travelling to Winnipeg for our anniversary for fun (we can't even claim the recession made us do it), with incredulity. So does the famous television director and the celebrated economist and the unassuming newspaper book editor, all of whom were born and raised there.
But it is exactly because of such interesting and cultured types, and because of the pleasure I had on a previous visit to the Fort Garry Hotel, perhaps the best large hotel in the country, that we have booked our four-day trip.
Auguring well for our bit of Canadian winter madness, for 10 days preceding our departure the 'Peg appears to stalk us: Stuart Maclean's CBC Radio show, The Vinyl Café, plays music from The Weakerthans and the Be Good Tanyas. My daughter discovers and likes my old Crash Test Dummies CD.
An excited Canadian friend working at the BBC World Service telephones to say that Winnipeg's Miriam Toews, author of A Complicated Kindness and now The Flying Troutmans, is headed to London.
A Toronto producer friend drops off a DVD of My Winnipeg, an extraordinary documentary portrait of the city by one of its most celebrated sons, the director Guy Maddin. Its style is Northern and wintry and it is filmed in black and white, a sideways homage to the decade of the 1930s that killed the economy and the aspirations of this city in "the heart of the heart" of the continent.
Perhaps the Depression and the Dust Bowl's rude halting of the city's destiny is why a touching modesty is integral to the character of the Winnipeggers we meet and all the others who were stunned that we were making the journey at all.
The effect of that sudden economic crash was that the heart of the city, the Exchange District – with its stately and handsome turn-of-the-century office blocks, their lavish cornices, sculpted bronze gates and four-storey painted advertisements fading into their exposed brick walls – was stuck in a magnificent, glorious, moment in time.
The Exchange District is the Prairie's Titanic beached in a Manitoba graveyard, the city that had it all and was never meant to sink, but did.
It is Canada's old soul (the Fort Garry Hotel has a ghost) – a used city as reassuring, in its peculiar way, as that slightly uncomfortable armchair from grandfather's study. It's unwieldy, it doesn't match, but you'd never, ever, let go of it because it means too much.
That modesty: You realize, after a while, that it has less to do with Winnipeggers underestimating just how fascinating their city is than their knowing, in some quiet part of their being, that if they do the modern thing and share it too much, then they may well lose the conditions that make it such a singular and ultimately liveable city.
One of the striking aspects of our visit was realizing how important affordability is.
Winnipeg has a very rich and substantial cultural life – plenty of clubs, theatre, the rejuvenated Forks district, museums, and the beautiful Centennial Concert Hall, home to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
We were lucky enough to catch the last night of the New Music Festival there, and what was remarkable was just how many young people were in attendance – something I rarely see in Toronto, where tickets are three or four times the price.
Thrift is a part of the culture, which is not to say that you can't spend money here, but that the city's used aspect is also an invitation for fun and discovery.
At Antiques & Funk, on the same block as the dance studio where Richard Gere and J-Lo filmed Shall We Dance? my wife and I bought three vintage Hudson's Bay coats.
And Aqua Books, on Garry St., is one of the craziest, most amusing and well-ordered second-hand bookstores I have ever frequented.
Upstairs, in what had been a Chinese restaurant (the panelling and the décor and the kitchen still there) the owner, Kelly Hughes, maintains three studios for writers-in-residence, and the old dining room, complete with stage and fainting couches, is reserved for readings. Walking tours are popular (and a good idea) in the city, and readers can pick up a brochure here for Hughes `Book Walk' too.
Affordability, of course, is also about space, and the restaurants and hotels and occasional shops of the Exchange District have plenty of it. At Mirlycourtois, on the second floor of a Princess St. warehouse, I ate one of the best French meals I have had in Canada, and I needed to put up neither with pretentious waiters nor bad-tempered chefs working their shtick nor a rude emptying of my wallet to have it.
Sarah ordered coq au vin, a dish I am generally afraid to taste (or even make) as it reminds me of a cherished moment I had, when I was but eight, at Chez Allard, one of the most celebrated restaurants of Paris's Left Bank, with my late father Mordecai who had started writing in that city.
So fragile, some memories are, but I tasted my wife's rooster, and it was moist and savoury (the eponymous chef, Bernard Mirlycourtois, acquires his birds from Manitoba or, in a pinch, from Québec), its sauce dark and delicious. Perfectly cooked, just as my Northern pike in a beurre blanc with capers was.
Mirlycourtois, it turns out, moved to Winnipeg from France in his early 20s.
When I asked him why he stayed, he said "for the fishing." Manitoba, he went on, had everything he could possibly want – good produce, great hunting and, in a couple of months, morels.
Mirlycourtois is right. At Scot McTaggart's Fusion Grill on the Academy Rd. – near St Mary's Academy and the architecturally striking synagogue opposite (a lot of the city's rich cultural legacy has to do with its having had such an important Jewish population) and the many splendid mansions of Wellington Crescent on this, the Saint Boniface side of the river – we had a similarly pleasing experience also depending on locally acquired produce.
True to its name, the Grill's menu was an inventive fusion of new Canadian, but also Manitoban, recipes.
The white truffle perogies with duck sausage in a walnut cream sauce were particularly good. Of course, reliable providers of imported foods are as important as suppliers of local ones and the Canadian East Coast oysters here, as at Mirlycourtois, were also excellent.
The other outstanding meal, of course was a lot of the reason we came: the Sunday brunch at the Fort Garry – a munificent spread of breads, meats, smoked fishes, egg dishes, fruits and desserts stretching out of the hotel's beautiful Palm Room bar and into the lobby (a jazz duo playing from the first floor balcony) that was so lavish and generous it is best described as marvelously preposterous.
On the top floor of this independently owned railway hotel (explaining why it has such an appealing and familiar, rather than dull corporate feel) is an extraordinary hammam, a Turkish water spa, that my wife has previously tried – she insists it is one of the most remarkable spas in Canada and the United States and knows about these things – was unfortunately closed for refurbishment until March 26, when the full three-hour experience of the Ten Spa will once again be available.
Instead, I tried the Indigenous Hot Stone Massage at the Riverstone Spa, a short walk away at the Forks – so named because these rehabilitated railway lands that now include a covered market, a Children's Museum, the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, bars, restaurants and the Inn – lie at the junction of the Rouge and Assiniboine rivers. (The Museum of Human Rights will be built close to here.)
It is also possible to rent skates, as we did, at the Mini Donuts Factory and skate along the dozen kilometres of the River Trail – less tended and popular, but arguably, now, the longest river skate in the country.
If authentic discovery, rather than easy conversation about some proven trendy destination is what you want, then here is a city that absolutely must be visited.
Check this out!
This is so cool!
Sunday 13 September 2009
One week
I've been in Winnipeg for just over week and I need some lovin' from my friends. If anyone feels like hanging out, catching up or going for a walk, give me a shout.
Number is 831-9724.
Love you guys.
xxx
Number is 831-9724.
Love you guys.
xxx
Thursday 10 September 2009
Where are my keys???
When a person returns to their home country after a lengthy trip it takes time for them to reacquaint themselves with their once familiar surroundings. During this process, as we are trying to adapt, unexpected blunders may occur. One such blunder occurred to me when I was picking up bus tickets at 7-11. Too lazy to bike to the store, I decided to take the gas guzzling van. Upon my arrival, I pulled into a free parking space, put the van in park, turned off the ignition and opened the door. I did not have a lot of time because I had to be at the University within the hour. In my haste, I locked the door and closed it behind me. A few seconds later, I instinctively felt my pockets to make sure everything was 'there'. Low and behold the keys were missing. I turned around and there they were, laughing at me from the ignition, swinging from side to side.
I entered the store and relayed my story to the Indian clerk. He sympathized with me and my situation, and said that he would have to tow the vehicle if it remained in the lot for more than an hour. Not sure what to do, I ran out to the nearest pay phone (I'm behind the times), inserted a quarter and attempted to dial my mom's work number. Expecting to hear that wonderful ring tone, I heard nothing. I figured that the machine did not accept my quarter so I looked down and found that it wasn't there. Next thing I knew, a voice on the phone was telling me that I still owed another 25 cents! What's this nonsense all about?
Anyway, I fumbled around in my pocket for change only to find that I was 5 cents short. I ran back into the store and asked the clerk if I could use his phone. The nice man let me use it. The familiar ringing tone in my ear brought chills down my spine. The wonderful sound was interrupted by a gritty voice on the other line, the voice mail! I left a quick message relaying my current situation then hung up the phone. Now what???
I decided that I had but one choice; I had to run home, pick up another set of keys, get a bike out of the garage and bike back to the 7-11 within 15 minutes so that I could make it to the University in time for my first class.
Fortune blessed me upon my arrival. I entered the house and immediately found a rusty old pair of van keys sitting on the bench at the front door. I grabbed the keys and headed to the garage, picked up my sister's bike (my bike was missing) and was on my way to 7-11.
In the end, everything worked out. I got in the van, returned the bike to the garage and arrived at the University on time. All was well, but the only thing that remained was a bitter reminder that my bike had been stolen a year ago in downtown Winnipeg.
I entered the store and relayed my story to the Indian clerk. He sympathized with me and my situation, and said that he would have to tow the vehicle if it remained in the lot for more than an hour. Not sure what to do, I ran out to the nearest pay phone (I'm behind the times), inserted a quarter and attempted to dial my mom's work number. Expecting to hear that wonderful ring tone, I heard nothing. I figured that the machine did not accept my quarter so I looked down and found that it wasn't there. Next thing I knew, a voice on the phone was telling me that I still owed another 25 cents! What's this nonsense all about?
Anyway, I fumbled around in my pocket for change only to find that I was 5 cents short. I ran back into the store and asked the clerk if I could use his phone. The nice man let me use it. The familiar ringing tone in my ear brought chills down my spine. The wonderful sound was interrupted by a gritty voice on the other line, the voice mail! I left a quick message relaying my current situation then hung up the phone. Now what???
I decided that I had but one choice; I had to run home, pick up another set of keys, get a bike out of the garage and bike back to the 7-11 within 15 minutes so that I could make it to the University in time for my first class.
Fortune blessed me upon my arrival. I entered the house and immediately found a rusty old pair of van keys sitting on the bench at the front door. I grabbed the keys and headed to the garage, picked up my sister's bike (my bike was missing) and was on my way to 7-11.
In the end, everything worked out. I got in the van, returned the bike to the garage and arrived at the University on time. All was well, but the only thing that remained was a bitter reminder that my bike had been stolen a year ago in downtown Winnipeg.
Wednesday 9 September 2009
New chapter
Hi everyone,
It's official, I finished my contract in Korea and am now back in Winnipeg. As for what I'm doing back in the Peg, I'm going to be taking a few classes, working here and there, and trying to figure out what the heck I want to do in 2010-2011.
Since my last post almost three months ago, I've done a lot of travelling. I visited the people's country of China, the land of the rising sun (Japan), and in July I stopped over in Canada for a few weeks. All of my pictures, including captions, are posted on facebook.
My experience in Korea was definitely a life changing one. As for how I've changed, I'm not quite sure, but I definitely look at things differently now. Hopefully the change will be for the better.
It's official, I finished my contract in Korea and am now back in Winnipeg. As for what I'm doing back in the Peg, I'm going to be taking a few classes, working here and there, and trying to figure out what the heck I want to do in 2010-2011.
Since my last post almost three months ago, I've done a lot of travelling. I visited the people's country of China, the land of the rising sun (Japan), and in July I stopped over in Canada for a few weeks. All of my pictures, including captions, are posted on facebook.
My experience in Korea was definitely a life changing one. As for how I've changed, I'm not quite sure, but I definitely look at things differently now. Hopefully the change will be for the better.
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