Daydreams

I want to have a backyard, so we can make an ice rink in the winter and practice our skating.

I want to have enough space to hang a clothesline, so that six months of the year our washing can be dried by the sun and smell of growing grass.

I want to grow my own vegetable garden, and decorate my house with flowers plucked from the ground.

I want to learn how to can my own vegetables and fruits this summer so I can make homemade jam and spaghetti sauce (just to name a few).

I want to work because I enjoy it. I never want to work "because we need the money."

I want to be home most days when my children get home. I don't want them to come home to an empty house while they're in elementary school.

I want quiet nights of family more than I want to be a fulltime chauffeur; to strive towards a good balance between activities and rest.

I want my children to know they can achieve anything; that theres no difference whether they're gay or straight; that they can call, no questions asked, when they need to leave (or to prevent) an unsafe situation.

I want a car big enough to hold multiple bags of hockey gear and instrument cases.

I want to have a household where the computer is out in the family area, and cell phones are loaned out only when they're out on their own and returned when they come home.

I want them to know the joys of living in a small town, but have the benefits of a city close by.

I want to learn how to bake my own bread from scratch and kneaded by hand.

What do you want, when you think about your family?

Stressors

it seems that stress keeps me away. for fear of puking all over this little corner of cyberspace about the fears and fustrations i've been dealing with, i've just kept silent.

now that i no longer feel like i'm being choked to death, it's time to come back.
(twitter is easy to be glossy and breezy, you can't really get into deep stuff in 140 characters.)

I've been dealing with tons of stuff over the last month; my sister is moving down here to live with my father-in-law on Friday. This decision comes after she spent all of January spent dithering about and being difficult and stubborn and ARRRRRRRGH DRAMA.

I'm finding it extremely difficult to be motivated this semester for school. Two 8am classes (Mon&Thurs) and the 50 minute bus ride to/from does not help. Must just buckle down and push through, but it might be all for naught ANYWAY, since 57% of faculty across Ontario voted in favour of a strike if they can't come to an agreement by the 12th. OH EFFING JOY. Cue the stress gong.

We've been doing some lovely 'creative accounting' this past month getting money saved for Mexico and all the stuff necessary to live. Biggest stressor of all, but things are looking way, way up lately, so the noose around my neck has loosened and I feel so much better about it. Whew.

I quit my job last week; my last day is Feb 9th. Three hours on a bus (90 min each way) was just too much, especially when I was working until 11pm. Once I quit, it was such a huge relief. But now the 'crap I need a job and I don't have one' anxiety has set in, compounded by the fact that I can't start in a new job until the 23rd. Best case scenario is I have a job set up before I leave for Mexico, but I'll also accept the scenario of having a job by the Friday of getting back. Ha!

I turned 23 yesterday. Monday is the worst day to have a birthday, in my opinion. We're going out to celebrate this Saturday with drinks, followed by clubbing and more drinky.

And only 12 more days until Mexico! YAY! All I'm taking for electronics is my camera. No laptops, no cell phones, no mp3 players. Just unplug and kick back for 8 days. Also stocking up on sunscreen, because nothing ruins a vacation faster than a sunburn. And I sunburn while it's cloudy out. We'll be in Mexico for the first week of the Olympics and miss all the good hockey medal glory. Woops. Our PVR will be working overtime that week so we can watch it when we get home. Thank goodness for modern technology! I'm not sure Keith would agree to go to a different country during the Games otherwise!

Hopefully I'll start blogging more. Actually, one of my resolutions was to blog at least 2 times a week. That worked out well, didn't it? Which is exactly why I don't make resolutions. But. Seriously. Need to blog more.

Hair Drama

So, um. Last week I dyed my hair. It was supposed to be medium brown, except I screwed up. And left a whole chunk blonde across the back of my head.

Medium brown + random chunk of blonde = not pretty. (See? I can do math. Really.)

So. I bought another box. And this time I went to dark brown, instead of sticking with the same shade. Don't ask me why; I suspect we'll never know.

I guess you could describe my hair colour as pretty jet black right now, especially on the parts that were dyed properly. And the random chunk of blonde is dark brown. Except:

Jet black + dark brown = passable.

So yeah. It's not too bad, I can go out and not feel the heat of a thousand eyes staring at me. It's kosher, it's cool. I'm good.

Except my hair is (was?) in desperate need of a haircut. I am not one of those girls who goes out and gets a trim every 6 weeks, much as I'd like to. Last haircut was in April. Split ends and frizz.

Tonight, after my shower, I just grabbed the scissors - the cheap, 3$ scissors that probably should have been thrown out years ago - and, well, this hurts to say, but really, I just chopped.

(I shall now pause as all the girls in the world wince at such brutality and foolishness.)

(Pause.)

Anyway. It actually doesn't look too bad. I think. It's a little shorter than I wanted it to be, but at least it's even.

I just hope the damage caused by cheap blunt scissors is minimal.

And that my hair forgives me.

2000-2009: God I'm glad it's over.

Inspired by a little coffee, hope dies last, rainy saturday, just a titch & fiveblondes (x 2).


In 2000, I graduated from elementary school and went from Vancouver Island to Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan to attend a francophone Catholic boarding school. It was not a pretty year; I fell in love with my first boyfriend, only to be dumped a month later because I wasn't "cool enough." My room was vandalized and I was bullied. I started smoking to fit in and gained close to fifty pounds. I went home at Christmas to find my dad sleeping in the guest bedroom downstairs and was told my parents were in the process of separating. I haven't really enjoyed Christmas since.

In 2001, I spent the summer with my dad and sister while my mom did a summer semester at UVic for her Masters program. At the end of the summer we moved (Mom, my sister & I) to Clinton, Ontario (pop 3200). I went to a Catholic school and rocked a uniform - navy blue pants, white long-sleeved dress shirt and a navy blue short-sleeved polo layered on top. I'm proud to say that to this day I still have not worn a kilt. My mom taught Religion and English to my peers. I dated anyone who would look at me twice, got dragged out of the smoking pit more times than I care to remember and joined a competitive swim team (Huron Hurricanes). My mom and I fought. A lot. I got to know my extended family, especially my grandma. Sundays we would go to mass in St. Columban and hang out at Grandma's the rest of the day. I was a part of the Liturgy group, badminton and swim team at school. In all my yearbook photos, I'm unsmiling, legs crossed and arms folded in front of me. I'm still relatively skinny.

2002, I had short hair. I got involved in our schools ministry, reading at masses and the morning prayer every morning. I started studying Catholicism in order to be baptized. I was also involved in our schools pro-life group, along with the junior badminton team, the Huron Hurricanes (competitive swim team), and our school swim team. I met and dated my first long-term, long-distance boyfriend. We lasted for 7 months and lived 45 minutes away from each other, and one time only saw each other once in two and a half months due to my schedule. I failed my first class, grade 10 academic math.


Easter of 2003, I was baptized into the Catholic faith. I went to his prom even though we had broken up the night before. I made my own dress. I fought with my mom. A lot.

I spent the first month of 2004 in Ottawa with my aunt. I returned home to write my final exams, failing math again, and then moved to Ottawa on my 17th birthday, the day of Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction." I started skipping school and smoking a lot of weed, especially as the days got warmer. I lived with a raging coke-head who hated me, again dating anyone who would look at me twice. I tried E for the first time and loved it. Tired of being on welfare, I got a job working full-time at Wendy's up the street, often working 12 hour days. I've never been back to high school. I drank a lot with my new roommates, and slept in a sectioned off dining room. I lost my job in November and went back on welfare.

2005 saw me do much of nothing. My roommate got pregnant so I left and moved to Fitzroy Harbour for two months. It was not a pretty time. Drank a lot, had lots of DRAMA! concerning the people in my life. Moved back to Ottawa at the end of June and met Shawn while hanging out for Canada Day. We panned money for drugs and got some E. We spent the entire summer urban camping while panning for money and getting high. It was one of the best summers of my entire life. Just after Thanksgiving, I moved outside permanently and hooked up with a heroin/crack addict named Tom. He gave me my first hit of crack and I was instantly, instantly addicted. I tried to keep a job and failed after 2 months.

2006 I was a bonafide homeless crackhead. I lived for the next hit in my pipe and was turning into a really ugly human being. New Years Eve I became so ill I shat myself while puking, and that was the absolute final straw. When I could move again, I started living at the Young Woman's shelter and started the long process of breaking the crack addiction, although I did spend the spring getting high every night on E, often popping 8-12 pills throughout the night. Steven "Catcus" Beriault and Tim Wonja were murdered within two weeks of each other in June. I spent the entire summer under first bridge and drank a lot. I survived on 20$ a day made from panning - 5$ for a pack of cigarettes, 5$ for a shawarma and 10$ for enough booze to get me drunk. I enrolled in a school program aimed at homeless youth and completed an English credit and my GED. I applied for - and was accepted into - the Law Clerk program at Algonquin, OSAP, and residence. I started in the fall and promptly failed four out of five classes.

2007 In January, my Grandma passed away. I still miss her and think of her often. I restarted in my program and managed to pass three. I kept going into the summer, taking five and again, passing three. I HATED living in Residence; to me they were immature, drunkard twits. I moved out in August to a really nice apartment with a roommate. She lost her job and ultimately decided to move back home. I started chatting online to someone in England and we grew as close as our computer monitors would let us. I flew to England over Reading Break to meet him, a spur of the moment trip that saw me detained by customs for not booking a hotel before arriving. I passed a measly two out of 6 courses in the fall semester. I reconnected with an old co-worker from Wendy's and we started dating. At the very end of the year, I went for psychological testing and was diagnosed with adult ADD along with a non-verbal learning disability and was granted one more semester on a reduced course-load. Tammy Couture was murdered in November. I got my cat, Elvis in September and my dog, Molly, in December just before Christmas.

2008 saw me be evicted from the apartment I was living in. I spent the month of March living with Shawn in his tiny 1-bedroom. Our relationship ended with a brutal fight over keys when he wanted me to leave. Keith's parents, whom I had never met before, came and picked me & Molly up and let me live with them. Catcus' killer is found not-guilty and is set free. Tim Wojna's is not and is sentenced to to two years less a day plus 240 hours of community service. I failed my courses once again and this time OSAP would not give me any more funding. I went back on welfare after an agonizing month of having absolutely no income. I moved in with Keith in July. I found a temp job for a month and then worked full-time at another Wendy's. WORST JOB EVER. I spent Thanksgiving with my family and then actually enjoyed my first Christmas in eight years with Keith's family. I spent the better part of the year a dark redhead.

2009 saw me be re-accepted for funding by OSAP in the spring semester. I took 3 courses and posted a 3.13 GPA. Tammy Coutures' killer had her trial delayed. I quit my job at Wendy's because I was doing a weight-loss/management program with the Ottawa Hospital that required 12 weeks of only consuming 900 calories a day in the form of shakes. I lost 35 pounds, only to gain 15 back. In June, Keith proposed. I'm still not over how pretty my ring is. I started working in buttfuck nowhere Barrhaven at the Wal-Mart in July. In October, I lost one of the best people I've ever met - Keith's mom - quite suddenly. I took four courses in the fall semester and got a B-, 2 B's, and an A-. I worked hard, laughed often, loved much and grieved deeply.

Looking back, all I can say is that I am SO effing glad this decade is over.

Secrets

***I quit reading Pioneer Woman shortly after MIL died. I just couldn't take the banal fluff anymore. I couldn't take the spewing of trivial nothingness she comes up with almost daily. Now, don't get me wrong. She used to be good. She used to actually have content to read and stories to share. Now, and I kid you not, she has posts titled "Morning Cow" and "Afternoon Cow" and "Snowy Cow" and "Constipated Cow" and HOLY FUCK I DON'T LIKE COWS THAT MUCH THANKS. And if I see that flipping picture of her in 1987 one more time I will punch someone in the back of the head, ninja-style.

***I don't read dooce unless I am really, really bored. Tonight was one of those nights. I had to go back 8 pages. I want to steal Marlo's eyes and put them on my face. For serious.

***A coworker of Keith's that we hang out with all the time keeps shoving her tongue so far down my throat I'm sure she can taste what I had for breakfast. Keith's okay with it, I am (surprisingly) not. But I cant say anything because she'd get really offended, so I just let it happen. I thought getting engaged stopped this kind of nonsense? Heck, I thought having a boyfriend kind of conveyed the message I chose which side of the bread to butter?

***I really want to name my 2nd son Terrance. After Terry Sawchuk, the goalie for the Detriot Red Wings [starting] in the fifties. I'd name my third son after Jacques Plante (goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens also in the fifties, and the first goalie to wear a mask in the NHL in 1959) but hey, can't really rock a French name, being Anglo and all. Sorry dude.
(PS: 1st son would be Andrew, after Andrew Moog, goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers in the eighties. Keith actually chose this name because apparently Moog was his idol as he was growing up, and we are currently having a raging battle over the middle name. I suspect I will eventually win this battle, especially as I have to push the damn thing out my hooha.) I like the idea of naming our sons after NHL goaltenders. Does this make me totally nerdy? YOUBETCHA.

***This blog makes me want to pursue a career in advertising. Not because she makes it sound glamourous or anything, but just cause. Although I have no idea how the hell to go about doing a thing like that, and I doubt I'll even really try. (Bonus points for being Canadian, FTW.)

All I want for Christmas.....

SO BONUS.

A couple of really really late nights later, and I actually pulled off getting everything done. Such a great feeling! I had to stay up until 4:30 the day before the Corporate report was due, and the day before last I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning doing my self assessment memo and mediation settlement, and yesterday finished working on on my justification report before admitting I felt really sick - aches and chills and the whole bit.

Except this morning I woke up and other than having a stuffed head, everything else was gone. SO BONUS.

So I finished the powerpoint to go along with the justification report that I have to present later today, picked up the living room and did the dishes. Now I'm probably going to be late to school but eh. All I have to do is hand in the mediation settlement and listen to more presentations.

My work schedule is CRAZY the next two weeks. I work Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. BUT!!! I actually get Christmas Eve off! SO BONUS. I'll probably be working Boxing Day though, seeing as its a Saturday....it should be an okay shift - time and a half for working on a stat holiday and so busy it should go by really fast. (For all you Americans, Boxing Day in Canada is like Black Friday, except in recent years it's been extended for a week.)

We don't go back to school January 11th, which is SO LATE, holy crap. It means I won't get my OSAP until the end of January.

So its official, we are DEFINITELY going to Mexico in February over Reading Break - Feb 15th to 21st. My Grandmother came up with some REALLY nice digs in Mexcio for us, free of charge. We're staying here - Villa del Palmer.

SO BONUS. (I think it goes without saying that I'm so effing excited it takes a concentrated effort not to pee myself when I think about it).

Now, off to school!

Sprint to the finish

The month of December? Especially the next two weeks?

So busy. So, so busy.

Busy enough that I'm feeling the stress, especially today; I got home from work last night around 12:30, went to bed at 2, and got up at 6:30, unable to sleep another wink.

I have:
-Worked 3:30 to midnight this past Sunday & yesterday.
-Presentation later today; I just finished putting together the file that accompanies it.
-Report due on Thursday for Corporate Law which I haven't even started.
-Work 3:30 to midnight (I hate you, Christmas hours) on Wednesday.
-Presentation & assignment due for L&T on Friday.
-Keep the house clean, a never-ending, exhausting chore.
-Work 4 to midnight Saturday & Sunday.
-Self-assessment memo, oral presentation, report and powerpoint due on Tuesday for English.
-Work 3:30 to midnight on Thursday.
-Final exam for L&T on Saturday at 4:30pm (open book!), Christmas party afterwards.
-Work Sunday 3:30 to midnight.
-Final exam on the 15th for Corporate at 8am. Open book!
-Work 3:30-11 on Wednesday.
-Final exam on the 17th for Disputes. Must prepare study/cheat sheet (doublesided, WHOO!).
-December 19th is when my open availability starts for work. If the hours keep up the way they have been, I'll be working 21 to 30 (or more) hours a week - usually I only work 11-15, so it's a big jump.

Right now I'm giving myself an hour of "free" time before I do a load of dishes and pick up in the living room as well as getting myself ready to head out for the day.

I'm so tired already, just looking at that list. Now, off to play some World Adventures: Sims 3. Nothing beats flat out denial!

And it's snowing. Double yuck.

Crazy smart.

I had a FANtastic day today; we got our Corporate midterms back and my mark was 82.5%

Like, what? How did I pull THAT out of my ass? I suspect we'll never know - I didn't study at ALL or anything. I thought I would be getting 60%, at the most.

We also got our Phase I back from our Incorporation assignment, 90% so far. It was fairly easy though so it's not like I sweated over it.

After class we had a discussion with the professor about our boardroom assignment - basically our company wants to purchase another company in which we own 20% of the shares, (we also have an unsecured loan of 60k invested in the business), and we need to figure out ways of doing that.....and I have NO IDEA where the stuff that was coming out of my mouth came from.

Purchase of assets, purchase of shares, threatening to sue, giving the former shareholder options in order for them to let go of their shares, etc etc. I knew an unsecured loan would be as good as lost if the company goes under, because it goes to the back of the line in the face of all the other debts the company has and there won't be enough money - if there's any at all - by the time it gets to your loan, so you're screwed. (Guess where I learned that concept from? By reading Undomesticated Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. I shit you not.)

The professor kept agreeing with what I was saying, which is actually the amazing part. Especially about the options part; I think his mouth actually popped open at that suggestion. He said later that all my suggestions were fantastic, especially the options part, which was "real lawyering".

Hee.

Obviously I'm crazy...

I'm thinking of adding another part-time job to my plate. My plate currently being: I have 3 weeks until the end of this semester, I work about 15 hours a week at Wal-Mart and then I have open availability over Christmas for two weeks and next semester I'll be taking five courses (Criminal, Estates, Client Relations, English Gen Ed, & Creditor's Rights), and continuing to work at the grand old Wally-World, along with this job.

Yep, I know, I'm now certifiable.

BUT, in my defense, this is a pretty sweet job - a position as a part-time law clerk. In a firm that deals mostly with Landlord & Tenant issues. I KNOW. And he wants someone full(?)time for the summer as well as continuing back to part-time for next fall.

I was starting to panic about what to do about this summer. This will be the first summer in about 2 years I won't be attending school/relying on OSAP, and I just KNEW I would hate myself if I had to work full-time where I am now. Honestly, it's okay as a part-time job, 2-3 days a week, but every.single.day?

Oh hell no.

But now! It seems as though my problems are three steps closer to solving themselves. Cross your fingers for me - interview is Tuesday at 10!

conclusion

Finally got the entire situation with my English professor sorted out. I actually had to send her an e-mail describing in detail what happened. She was arguing that because there was no prior notice, I shouldn't be allowed to submit the assignment I missed. I pointed out that there was no prior notice because, um, hello, nobody pencils in "will die today" on their dayplanner.

I don't know if she thought I was lying about it or what but seriously? What a shitty thing to lie about.

Anyway. I agreed that one of the assignments could not be made up because it was actually due the week before (I was under the impression it was due Oct 20), but I can submit the one that was due Oct 20, and I can write the midterm.

So glad it's over, and I got what I wanted (deserved to get, really). And now onwards with the rest of the semester .....

click to enlarge

Opera

I'm off tomorrow for a quick whirl-wind trip to Toronto to see Madama Butterfly with my Mom. I'm so excited; I've wanted to see an opera for a really long time and finally I'm going to.

I wonder if leaving the menfolk alone for 48 hours is a smart idea?

On second thought, don't answer that.

Rant with me now

If you're my friend on Facebook, you probably know I've had some issues with one of my professors over the last week.

It basically goes like this: Oct 6, have dental work done. Miss class. Oct 13, have more dental work done. Miss class. Oct 19, MIL passes away. Oct 19, e-mail professor to inform them of the situation and state that I will be missing class on Oct 20. Oct 20 was the day of our midterm, so naturally, I asked if alternate arrangements can be made.

And this is where it gets pretty cold and disgusting: Oct 20, professor e-mails me back and says that because I have "not shown committment to the course" by missing classes, will ONLY offer me a make-up for the midterm IF my attendance improves, and then sends me another e-mail an hour later, futher stating that I will need a certificate of death IF I qualify to take the midterm.

Of course, I'm totally shattered (literally sobbing over this, I kid you not) and, in the spirit of full disclosure, pissed RIGHT the fuck off. I contact the Ombudsperson at the College, who says I should contact my co-ordinator first to see if we can resolve this on our own, which I do, only to be told that because it's an English course, I need to speak with the co-ordinator of the English department because she only runs the Legal department. This was on Friday.

Today, I receive this heartless, pretty fucking generic message from the co-ordinator, stating that, as she understands it from my professor, I was unable to sit the midterm due to a family issue and that I have not shown commitment to the course due to many classes and assignments, or handed work in late.

My blood is BOILING by now. You could probably make fondue out of it (although I really wouldn't recommend it, but you get my point).

First off, I'm sorry, but really? A family issue? That's more like your kid coming down with a cold, NOT watching your mother in law's heart stop fucking beating right in front of you while you hold her hand and then seeing her lips turn blue and her face ashen THE DAY BEFORE.

I fired back an e-mail stating, quite calmly and logically (with supporting documentation!), why each of these "reasons" could not/should not be used as a basis for withholding a fucking midterm that I only missed because my MIL FUCKING DIED, YOU CUNT. It kind of went exactly like this:

Dear Shithead1; Thank you for your response to this matter. I'd like to clarify some issues within the e-mail you sent on Wednesday, October 28, particularly in regards to missed classes, work handed in late, and missed assignments.

Missed classes: I have missed 3 classes total. One was this past Tuesday (the date of the midterm) because of the death of my mother-in-law on Monday and the other two (October 6 and October 13) were because of dental work performed earlier that day. I can also provide documentation to this effect if need be. I fail to see how this constitutes "many".

Work handed in late: I handed in one (1) assignment late by a day - it was due Tuesday, October 13 (class missed due to aforementioned dental work) and I was present on Wednesday, October 14 during Shithead2's office hours to hand it in. On Blackboard, under the "course document" tools, she clearly outlines the late assignment policy, which states: "Late Assignment Policy: Please make careful consideration of the late assignment policy. One point will be subtracted from your assignment EVERY day that it is late.....".
I was aware of this policy and fully expected to be docked one mark for turning it in late. Nowhere does this policy say (and neither did Shithead2 mention in class) that invoking this policy would be basis for withholding a midterm.

Missed assignments: I have missed two assignments, both due on Tuesday, October 20, which I missed due to the death of my mother-in-law on Monday, October 19. One was assigned to complete in-class, and one was to be handed in at the start of class. I completed the assignment due on Tuesday, October 20 at the beginning of class and was told I could not hand it in when I returned back to class on Tuesday, October 27. In light of this, I'd like to draw your attention to College Directive E3: "Special Allowances for Individual Students".
Within this directive, it outlines special arrangements which can be made for students who "are ill or who face major personal crises such as bereavement," as stated in section 2.1 under Policy. It futher states within sections 2 and 2.1, under Procedures, Roles and Responsibilities: "wherever reasonable .... faculty are expected to extend to such students some latitude with respect to the following: 2.1 deadlines for submissions of assignments, lab reports, and similar projects." This directive was clearly not followed in this case.

As for the matter of being denied a fair opportunity to write the midterm due to the issues presented (which I only missed because of the sudden bereavement of my mother-in-law), I hope that I have outlined how each of these issues should not be used as reasons to withhold the midterm. In closing, I trust the matter of the midterm and missed assignments will be resolved satisfactorily. I will be contacting the Ombudsperson as to what the next steps would be.

Signed, ONE PISSED OFF ANGRY STUDENT.

And now I wait.

Apparently, its the hardest thing in the world to show some fucking compassion. Newsflash: I had to arrange two other midterms. Guess what happened? I explained the situation and they said, here's your alternate midterm date, see you then, good luck and sorry about your MIL.

What is SO FUCKING DIFFICULT about that? No. Really. Does this sound intensely difficult to any of you? Because if it does, I seem to be missing it.

15/06/45-19/10/09: funeral today

I could...but I won't.

Keith's mom died yesterday at about 3:10pm. We held her hands and were with her as she passed on....most surreal experience of my life.

I could rage on about the stupidity of it all - gone way too quickly, way too young. She collapsed on Wednesday night unable to breathe and as a result suffered some brain damage. She survived five days in the ICU. She never woke up. She was only sixty-four.

I could rage on about the staggering expense of funerals (3,000$ for a burial plot? are you fucking serious?), the fact that my professors are being complete COWS about me missing my midterms, the fact that all the arrangments have seemingly fallen on the shoulders of Keith and I.

I could rage on about the stupid, inconsequential things, like the fact that Keith's dad is alone for the first time in forty-four years, the fact that she was the only one with a valid license to drive us around. Things like the fact that I only got to know her for a year and a half, or the fact that I was supposed to meet Keith's siblings at my wedding and have her hold her first biological grandchildren in the years to come, or that I thought I had a lifetime to get to know her.

But I won't. Instead, I'll remember her easy laughter at one of my many jokes, the lovely Thanksgiving dinner we enjoyed and the fact that she was overjoyed we spent the holiday together. I'll be thankful that I did get to enjoy a year and a half with her, and for everything she did for us. I'll take comfort in the fact that she loved me, as I loved her, and that she was the best mother-in-law a girl could have.


May she rest in peace.
Della June 15/06/45 - 19/10/09.

Just "Bee Cuz" giveaway post

If you're my friend on Facebook you know some shit is going down with Keith's family. I don't want to get into it because I never want to look back and read about this time. Also, putting it out there in cyberspace in a permanent way feels to me like reality is just that much closer, you know? So. Yeah. That's why I'm posting about this amazing giveaway instead:

Just "Bee Cuz" Giveaway!
given by The New Black.

She's pretty awesome, by the way, so feel free to check out her blog!

But don't enter the giveaway, I seriously want to win this one SO bad. Ha.

I mean it.

Flipping

Tonight I was watching Degrassi: TNG, and the storyline was about a girl who has a wonderful, supportive, long-term boyfriend - but she meets this new guy and sparks fly.

So she's agonizing over what to do with her girlfriend, when her girlfriend remarked, "yeah, but when's the last time Spin [boyfriend] made your stomach flip?"

My immediate thought was "You stupid girl, it's not about the stomach flip."

The thought following that one was - wow, how sad that my life doesn't include the stomach flip. Then I thought of Keith, watching Family Guy in the bedroom, and literally smiled from the inside out. (Although I totally maintain it's SO not about the stomach flip).

And that feeling, truly, is enough for me, but what do you think? Should relationships always include the stomach flip? Is it okay when it doesn't? Really, is it about the stomach flip?

Fight for your right...to get better marks!

Today we got back our Memo/Lease assignment worth 15 percent, and my grade was 20/25 (or 80%). I missed four marks for the lease portion and one mark for the memo portion.

So, in the instructions it simply said "Mr. XX - tenant and Mrs. XX - wife" so I interpreted that to mean the only tenant was Mr. XX, and NOT both Mr & Mrs. XX, since she didn't specify whether the wife was a co-tenant - and so made out the lease accordingly.

Apparently, I was wrong - and every mistake on the lease portion was worth two marks. I went up and explained to her how the ambivalence in the wording made me interpret it the way I did.

Amazingly, she agreed with me. Gave me the marks back. (And made a note in her book to change the wording for the next group of students! HA!)

22/25. 88%. On something worth 15%.

I am so, so stoked.

Report Card

Disputes: Feeling really guilty because I've missed the last two classes. Rocked my oral presentation on the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (80%), midterm is two weeks from now.

EnglishII: Lots of work so far; every class I've had to hand in something (we just finished covering the 6 types of informal reports). I have a formal report due Tuesday and I haven't started it yet. Not feeling it. I know I have to start it REALLY soon. Midterm is this Tuesday. Got 79% on my Information Report, waiting to hear back about the Group Recommendation/Justification report.

Corporate: Love-hate relationship. I maintain firmly that the prof is a bit of a tool; I love the individual assignment in this class, even if you do kill a small tree in the process. Bascially you set up a corporation minute book, divided into 3 phases. He FINALLY posted the info for Phase I, except for the actual client file that we are supposed to base all of our info on. Yup, like I said: a bit of a tool.

Landlord&Tenant: LOVING this class. The prof is one of my favourites. No-nonsense, easy teaching style, very informative classes and I just enjoy the work because it's so practical. Nearly everyone in their lifetime will at one point either be a renter or rentee, so it's incredibly informative to know the legislature behind it. There's alot of work but she has it all up weeks in advance, and so far it's been relatively easy work - just getting us used to how to fill out the forms required for, say, a Notice of Rental Increase. I'm already done all the assignments she has posted and am waiting to hear back for a mark on my Lease/Memo report, with the Notice to Rental Increase due tomorrow. I have a feeling the midterm (also in two weeks) is open-book. EFF ya.