Another One Bites The Dust

I survived the most pain-in-the-ass class in the history of university. DONE! This class pushed my buttons on so many levels and I'm quite certain that all of my friends will be very pleased that I will no longer be complaining about Psych 222B. This class was held for once a week for 3 hours with a total of 11 classes. It consisted of us having to read 14 chapters of one textbook, 32 short-medium length articles out of another textbook and 9 full length novels. We had a quiz at the beginning of every class and three 10 page assignments due throughout the semester. Yep. This was one class. Are you beginning to understand my pain and horror?

I think the problem I had with this class was not only the large reading assigned but the fact that this class was very loose and did not have a lot of strict rules, structure or outlines. I like schedules, structure and outlines so that I have something to follow and commit to. I don't enjoy the feeling of not knowing what a prof wants in terms of writing assignments! She would basically say, "Here's a book. Read it then write a paper." WHAT???

Twice I did blogs which I called "Book Reviews" which were my opinion of some of the books I read over the summer. Here is a quick and dirty version of that for the books I had to read for this class.

1) A Death in the Family (1955) by James Agee. It was kind of sad and somewhat confusing at some times since the author started writing it in 1948 and it wasn't completed in 1955 when he died so they decided to just throw what he had into a book and sell it...it seemed there were some unfinished thoughts. I give this book a 5/10.

2) Tuesdays with Morrie (1997) by Mitch Albom. A very touching and sad book about a man dying of ALS and the dear friendship between him and a former student. It was an easy read and makes you want to be a better person which I think is a good thing. I think that everyone should read this one. 9/10.

3) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959) by Erving Goffman. Don't read this book. Please. Here's the gist of this very boring book; we are all performers on a stage and the world is our audience. We put on a "front" which is what we portray to our audience but we have other versions of this front for different people in our lives. THE END! 2/10 because it was so boring and I actually didn't read it all.

4) My Sisters Keeper (2004) by Jodi Picoult. A good read but unfortunately most people saw the movie without reading the book and they are very different (completely opposite endings!). I say read it anyway. I got a little teary eyed by the end of it. 9/10...I would give it a 10 but as I read it I kept visualizing Cameron Diaz as the mother and I didn't think that was a good casting call for the part. I guess that isn't the book's fault though.

5) Mother Night (1961) by Kurt Vonnegut. I've read a few of this man's books and I love his writing. A very twisted tale of an undercover agent in WWII who has every kind of misfortune, but luck as well in come cases. It was humourous but I got lost sometimes while reading it...but that's inevitable when reading Vonnegut's books. It wasn't his best novel but still entertaining. 8/10.




6) Gracefully Insane (2001) by Alex Beam. This was written by a journalist who explored the history of the most expensive and elite mental hospital in the USA. Meh. It was ok. The history of the barbaric and strange procedures they did on patients was the most interesting part. Plus there were some neat stories of some of the famous patients (like Ray Charles, Syliva Plath, James Taylor and Susanna Kaysen). I give it...uh...6/10.

7) The Four Agreements (1997) by Don Miguel Ruiz. Honestly, a really good book to read. It's quite short and very simplistic but full of amazing quotes, ideas and statements which really make you think about your own life and the terms by which you live. He has four agreements which everyone should live by and as long as you follow those 4 things then you will find personal freedom. Easier said than done though. 9/10.

8) Man's Search for Meaning (1946) by Viktor Frankl. Another really great book. It's his story of surviving 4 years in concentration camps in WWII. It was difficult to read at some points because the horror was just too much to imagine. Very inspiring though. 8/10.

9) From Brokenness to Community (1992) by Jean Vanier. This is about a man who created homes/communities where people with mental and/or physical disabilities, or anyone who felt rejected, hurt or isolated from society, could come to be loved and find a place where they belonged. It was a short book (50ish pages) but had a lot of wisdom and great teachings within in. He talks a lot about religion in some spots which could turn some people away from the book, but I suggest reading it anyway. 7/10.

New Addiction

Today is day 3 of my newest addiction. Hot yoga. Most of us have heard about this practice but I have never been a big yoga person and the thought of doing it in a super hot room was not appealing to me in the least. Two summers ago when Kaylynne came back to PEI from Ontario she raved about hot yoga and how amazing hot yoga was and as she described it to me I just thought how uncomfortable it sounded. Since I have this 15 day trial at Dynamic Fitness and they offer a hot yoga class nearly every day, I thought I should look into taking a class. So on Thursday I decided to give it a try...and then I went again on Friday evening...and then again on Saturday morning.

You basically do regular yoga for either 45, 60 or 90 minutes in a room which gets heated to 105-107 degrees F with 40% humidity. You sweat unlike you have ever sweated before and your brain keeps telling you how disgusting you are for sweating all over the place, but then you look up and see everyone else sweating just as much and you begin to accept the whole experience for what it is. The actual moves are fairly basic but doing them in such a warm room just kicks up the intensity of it because you have to breathe so deeply in the humidity that lingers in the air.

Needless to say, I'm hooked.

But how will I keep feeding this addiction when my 15 days are over? How is a poor student supposed to pay the fees that Dynamic asks of it's customers? How will I live?!?!?! Ok, this is me being dramatic, but I will be sad on Tuesday when my trial at this place is over and my budget stares me down with it's arms crossed over it's chest denying me access to funds to pay for a membership. My budget can be an asshole sometimes.

Elves in October?

I've been meaning to write on this topic for exactly 25 days now and I just kept either forgetting or found something else more pressing at the moment to write about. But the day, today, has come for me to talk about Christmas. That one time of year in which we celebrate the act of giving and the love and warmth towards our family and friends. Oh wait. Did I say one time of year? I meant a good two months, at least! I walked into the Superstore here in Charlottetown on the evening of October 31st (Halloween!) and stopped dead in my tracks when seeing the vast array of Christmas decorations already hanging around the store. Halloween wasn't even done yet and there were giant cardboard elves all around me! Did I enter into the twilight zone or something??

My heart sunk. Not because Christmas was coming but because Christmas commercialization had started and would not end for at least another 55 days. Plus everyone is always saying things like, "Only 47 more shopping days until Christmas," or, "Only 3 more paychecks until Christmas!" as though this will send me into a mass shopping frenzy.

Now I love Christmas. I really do. It is so warm and comforting and I just love the feeling that the time of year brings to myself and to everyone else who is a fan of it. I love the holiday baking and the spices which generally are used in abundance during the season (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves...YUM!) I love the memories of us girls all decorating the tree together while listening to the same 1975 John Denver Christmas record every year. My favourite part would be Christmas Eve when we'd put out the plate of cookies for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer. There's also the movies which I generally watch only during this time of year, such as my two favourites, White Christmas and The Santa Clause. And even though they are now being sold all year round, Christmas is the one time of year that I don't feel guilty for consuming obscene amounts of Toblerone bars.

It just makes me sad that by the time Christmas comes we're already sick of hearing the songs playing in the stores and we're so stressed out about finding "that perfect gift" for everyone on our Christmas list that we can't enjoy the time of year. They have also taken away some specialness of some of the candies which used to be only sold during the holidays but are now sold all year round. Knowing you can get these foods any time takes away the novelty of waiting for them to hit the shelves in December. Plus everyone keeps asking me what I want for Christmas when I honestly don't want anything and I end up feeling guilty for not having an answer to the question. I just want a flight home that doesn't get delayed or cancelled due to the weather, some snow to play in with my niece and the dogs when I get to BC, a lot of good food, drink and family times, and another safe flight back to PEI when it's all over.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining too much because Christmas is great. I just wish they would pass some law so that the decorations and music couldn't hit the stores until December 1st so that we're not bombarded by it all for such an extended amount of time. We're all so stressed out as it is already...do we really need another constant reminder that there are still more things to add to our "to do" lists?

And yeah, you've guessed right. I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet. How can you tell?

What Have I Become?

I think that it is safe to say that I have officially become a snob. Yep. I'm not denying it anymore. The realization of becoming a snob is not easy to accept in the beginning and I have been denying myself of the truth for a total of 7 days now. Now you might be thinking that it's strange that I know the exact date in which I became an honourary snob and yes, it was an abrupt moment in my life when this happened and the date was marked accordingly.

It all happened on November 15th when I was walking to school and saw the big banner outside McDonalds advertising that they would be giving away free coffee for two weeks straight. So I thought to myself, "Great! Free coffee for two whole weeks! Can't complain about that." But still, I went to campus that day and paid $1.50 for a hot cup of Starbucks coffee and have done so nearly every day since. I would rather pay for one brand of coffee then get free coffee of another brand. To fully explain just how deep this Starbucks snobbery goes, I can't even drink the coffee at work (which I also get for free) because it just doesn't match the deliciousness of Starbucks. How did I become such a coffee yuppie?? Sure I've wanted to own a Volvo for a long long time, but this whole adoration of a name brand coffee just creeped up on me and has taken over my caffeinated beverage life. Having to admit to my good friend Jo that I am now a Starbucks snob was difficult for me to say out loud because she is so highly against coffee chains and I hate to look bad in her eyes. But what am I to do at this point? I'm in too deep to look back now.

Now I keep thinking about what I'm going to do when I go home for Christmas for 2 weeks and the nearest Starbucks coffee is a 20 minute drive away. Am I seriously going to go that far out of my way for my comfort drink? I think I might have to get my car keys taken away when I get there or give them my picture and refuse my business.

On a sad note, I just learned that the fantastic Food Network show Ace of Cakes has been canceled. I have been living without cable for a couple years now and even when I did have cable in 1st and 2nd year here, the Food Network was never given to us students. But when I go home I basically live and breathe the Food Network, with one of my favourite shows being Ace of Cakes. Everyone who reads this blog knows that I am a die hard Cake Wrecks fan and this show is all about amazing cakes (so basically the complete opposite of Cake Wrecks). I am sad to learn that they are finishing up their last season. Those people are amazing artists and I know they'll be hugely successful for as long as people want to spend large amounts of money on astounding pastry designs.

Let it Snow!

Today is the first day of snow! Yay for snow! It began when I was at work and hasn't let up yet. We're supposed to get about 5-10cm I think and some more tomorrow. I love snow. Snow makes me happy. Snow makes the world beautiful by covering up all of the ugly hiding beneath it. I hope it snows all night and all day tomorrow!

The past few days have gone by so quickly! I didn't even realize that I hadn't written a blog since Tuesday until someone mentioned it. Geez Louise I had better get on it!

School is almost over and it's blowing my mind. I have to complete just one more assignment before I am done all assignments for the semester. ONE MORE! Then it's just a few little quizzes, three final exams then Christmas break! I am looking forward to going home and seeing the family for the holidays. I will very much miss everybody here though. It's hard to have two families on complete opposite sides of the country. I decided to come back to the island on the 30th so that I can spend New Years with my people here since I have never spent a New Years on the island and my friends have been giving me flack for that for 3 years now. Plus prices for flights are super insanely high from the 31st until about the 6th and school starts during that highly inflated time period.

So for some time now I've been wanting to get some photos done of Chris and I, just to have. His sister Kim is an amazing photographer and I am always ohhing and ahhing at all of her pictures that she places on Facebook of her clients so I thought it was time to set up a time and get some photos done. All I have to say is that I am thankful that she is so great at what she does because I suck as getting my picture taken and feel like a fool when trying to pose for a camera. I'm sure that most people feel the same as I do. It's hard to smile on demand AND not blink at the camera's flash. Although she seemed to yell more at Chris for the blinking think. I just remember my friend Gill getting angry at me for blinking in most of her bridal pictures. That's not cool.

But Kim posted some pictures today and here's a few examples of her supreme talent:







If you like what you see and think, "Man! I would sure like some gorgeous pictures of my wedding/kids/partner/family..etc..", here's a link to Kim's website and feel free to give her a call.

http://www.kimberlyrashedphoto.com/main.html

Oh There You Are!

You know that fantastic movie "Hook" with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman? It was made back in 1991 and it's based on the story of Peter Pan. Peter Pan, played by Williams, leaves Never Neverland and forgets who he is as he grows older. Many decades later, Hook steals his kids and Peter is forced to go back to Never Neverland to save his kids. It takes a few days for him to realize who he truly is, and then the moment arrives when this adorable little Lost Boy says, "Oh there you are Peter!" in realization that this is indeed Peter Pan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0jVCDHE6pI



With this quote in mind, I found my lower abdominal muscles today. For far too long I forgot that those poor underused muscles existed on my body and today I welcomed them back into my life. And by 'welcomed' I mean I noticed their existence when I was in agony trying not smack the guy who kept making me lift my arms and legs higher in the air while I focused on not keeling over in pain. Let me explain. Kaylynne and I went down to Dynamic Fitness today to tag-team this Core Dynamic class offered down there. Neither of us had ever attended their classes and we went down to use one of her 2for1 coupons for a class. We ended up both purchasing unlimited class use for 15 days for $15 (considering a single class is $15, we're both suckers for a good deal and couldn't turn down the opportunity). So within the first 10 minutes of the 45 minute long class, I didn't think I was going to make it through. There was more than one time when we just looked at each other and laughed because it got pretty intense during certain moves.

Needless to explain, during one particularly difficult move, my lower abs were on fire and it surprised me to feel them. I said to myself, "oh there you are lower abs" in the same tone of voice the boy used in the movie. Then I realized how strange that was. But I was happy knowing that they do exist and that I now know how to do it! The one problem is that the move was so evil that I would probably never do it while on my own. I'd need someone pressing me on and encouraging me while in class to go through with it. This is how they suck you into these classes! You get results but are too lazy to do the work without going to the class so you sign up for more classes and part with more money. It's a vicious cycle.

Tip of the Day: If you haven't seen Hook before, go out and rent it now. It's a great great feel good kind of movie.

What You're Actually Worth

A few days ago I wrote about how we tend to not stand up for our achievements and downplay the things we excel at because we don't want to brag and were told growing up to be modest. The problem with this is that there is a huge flip-side of this discussion and that's the part in which we make ourselves feel worthless. When we do something which is less-than-great, we beat ourselves down so hard that it takes far too long to build up that confidence again.

I was reading a chapter of a very boring textbook today and I came across this interesting part about personal assets and how we can use them to enhance our lives. The part I really liked was about an anatomy professor who once said that the average human body is worth only about $7.28, which is the value of the amount of minerals and trace elements within our body. Ok, given that he probably said that many years ago and inflation has no doubt been a factor since then, we may be worth a little bit more, but still that is a depressing way to look at our self worth. I'm sure that we have all had days where we don't feel to be much more than 8 bucks worth of minerals and trace elements. You fail your driver's test and suddenly you feel stupid and useless.

On the other hand, another anatomy professor calculated that any given living human is actually worth about $6 million in terms of our DNA, organs, hormones...etc. Now if you take that into consideration when you're feeling down on yourself then you might start to feel a little bit better. Just think, you could get more than you realize for your kidney on the black market if you go bankrupt after losing your life savings in a pyramid scheme.

My point to this is that we should always try to remember that we're closer to the 6 million dollar worth than the $7.28. Sure we have our limitations but we also have great potentials as well. We are capable of such high achievements and have countless chances to experience amazing things. Just going out there and giving it a try is all you can do.

Tip of the Day: You can actually get up to $85,000 for your kidney if you know where to sell it. Just saying!