A mini cooking adventure

I got inspired while watching Julie & Julia tonight, and decided to make Hollandaise Sauce for my salmon for dinner.

It was awesome!

I'm so proud that I managed to separate the yolks from three eggs and whisk the butter until it was creamy enough! I didn't use real butter, but it tasted pretty darn good regardless! The only downside of my meal was the sticky rice...

I took pictures but they mysteriously didn't end up on my camera. I'm too lazy to move to take more pictures.

I've been googling Julie Powell, the writer who famously blogged about cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It seems like Powell's career exploded after her cooking blog. She has another one she is currently writing entitled ""What Could Happen? Musings from a Libidinous Shrew."http://juliepowell.blogspot.com/

Her writing career is one that I envy and admire. She gets to write a blog and a book about something she is passionate about and people in turn respect and love her back. I one day hope to write something worthy enough to publish and be put on screen!

I also love Nora Ephron, the director for Julie & Julia who has done many other favourite flicks of mine including: You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and When Harry Met Sally. I love that she loves Meg Ryan as much as I do!

Speaking of movies, everybody should go check out Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr., Rachel McAdams, and Jude Law. Sooo good! Like my roommate said, it's the kind of movie that makes you love movies. It had tons of action, a witty script and great film score. Did I mention Downey is shirtless? Yum!

Christmas Eve!

I guess technically it's just the beginning of Christmas day, but I'm lounging around nibbling on chocolates and mandarin oranges at my dad's relaxing after an easy day. I love being home this time of year.

Last night was the PCI-AMHS Christmas Cheer Alumni Social at Canad Inns in Portage. It's the one time of year where everyone who ever went to either high school (when there was still two of them) gets together during the holidays for some alcohol-induced reminiscent good times! I buy a new dress for this every year, it's always a blast. And this year did not disappoint.

I went with a couple of my best friends from home. We got ready together at my place before getting my dad to drive us to the social. I wore these amazing new shoes that I had to take off midway through the night. Luckily my dad came prepared with my winter boots when he picked us up and drove us to the bar (for the last half hour until last call). Gotta love Portage!

I had so much fun seeing people I rarely see anymore. The night was a whirlwind of many drinks and  conversations with old friends. I hope they had as much fun as I did!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

My Christmas List '09

I guess I like Christmas more than I thought. Well, maybe I just like the fact that I get presents for no real reason. I'm not religious at all. Anyway, here's my list for '09.

- Julie & Julia DVD

-Webcam

-New (bigger) bed

-Vanity table/mirror for my room

-Real art for my walls

-Macbook Pro (not gonna happen)

-A boyfriend (also probably not gonna happen)

The list is pretty short. I just can't really think of much more right now.

Happy almost holidays everyone!

Book Review: My Life In France by Julia Child

If you've ever wanted to experience France but can't afford to travel, pick up Julia Child's memoir “My Life in France”.

Famous for introducing French cuisine into American culture, Child's memoir documents her time in France where she lived with husband Paul Child after the Second World War. Written with Alex Prud'homme, her husband's great- nephew who also wrote the foreword about his experience helping create “the France book”.

“Memory is selective and we have not attempted to be encyclopedic here, but have focused on some of the large and small moments that stuck with me for over 50 years,” Child says in the introduction.

These moments make the reader want to learn French, jet off to Paris and eat, eat, eat!

Child focuses on her days in France where she lived from 1948 until 1954, where her love of French cooking started. It quickly grew into the passion that would ignite her career. The path she leads is a heartfelt adventure from beginning to end.

Child's transition into French culture was made easier by her husband, who spent time in France before they married in 1946. They met in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) while working for the Office of Strategic Services. After a short time living in Washington, where her attempts at cooking began, they were off to France where Paul was assigned to run the exhibits office of the United States Information Service at the American Embassy in Paris.

From her first days in quaint Le Havre, then to the city that sparkles, Paris, through dirty Marseille, to the end in Provence, she falls more in love with the country. Members of her new home, like Marie des Quatre Saisons, the vegetable lady in the local market and Max Bugnard, chef at the Ecole du Cordon Bleu (where she graduated in 1951) inspired her love affair with France, with their simplistic ways and “joie de vivre”.

Though she never grew up cooking at home in Pasadena, California, Child's love of food was palpable as she tried her first French dish of sole meuniere, of which Child says was the “most exciting meal of my life.”

Child met her co-authors Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle during one of many dinner parties. They started their own cooking classes for Americans in Paris and would eventually start writing “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” published in 1961. The “cook-bookery” as Child called it, led to her television show The French Chef in 1963 filmed in Boston, Massachusetts.

During her last days in her “spiritual homeland” in 1992, Child moved from Provence back to Massachusetts. She left behind a “lovely place” where she says “the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite- tourjours bon apetit!”

Child's zest for life shines on each page, once one gets past the overwhelming culinary details. “My Life in France” is definitely a life worth experiencing.

***This book was an awesome read! It made me want to go to my kitchen and experiment. And actually, yesterday morning, I was looking up The French Chef video clips on Youtube, and I definitely tried to make an omlette the way Julia does, but with no success. It was still yummie though it had too much butter and didn't flip properly. Oh well, c'est la vie!

To buy or not to buy

Has anyone ever bought a bus pass because it was cheaper than the one you're supposed to use? I know I have. I hate buying a weekly pass for $20, and as I've discovered this week, why should I bother? The bus drivers rarely notice if you have the right one!

My roommate decided to try an experiement using her week-old buss pass. She would use it every day to see how many bus drivers actually caught her and said anything. So far she's been using her pass since about Tuesday, and she's only gotten caught once so far. It's already friday! She did buy the right one just incase, but still, she really doesn't need it at this point.

I really don't understand why bus drivers don't actually check your pass. Maybe it's because there's always a lot of people getting on the bus and he doesn't have time to check each one, or maybe they genuinely don't care. It seems like they just look for the motion of showing them something and then they glance away. Well, if that's the case, maybe I shouldn't buy buss passes anymore. Maybe we should all just use expired passes for as long as we can, maybe then they won't realize it's actually expired!

I really find it annoying though, when you're running for a bus, but you didn't have time to dig out your pass, but then once you're on the bus and you waste 5 minutes at the front while you do go find it, the driver doesn't even look at you! It's sooo frustrating! Like seriously, tell me why they do this? It really baffles me some days. Because I know if I just went to sit down, they'd be hauling my ass back to the front for questioning. All I have to say is that they should CHECK THE PASS!

CreComms go Twitter crazy!

Twitter became mandatory for PR students this morning!

In PR, Melanie assigned Class 2 to sign up for a Twitter account if we haven't already.

The Twitter-newbies learned how to tweet, follow, reply, and direct message people in the Twitterverse. Let's just say, I've never tweeted collectively for 2 hours straight before. What a rush! We are epic Crecomms! I'm thinking Twitter just got a lot more interesting for me...

The initial reason why I joined Twitter was simple- because everyone else was doing it. At first I'll admit I didn't get the appeal. I thought it was just status updates, but then I learned that it's much more! I looove finding out what people are up to! Especially celebrities! My favourite people to follow are Strombo (my love), Kim Kardashian, CosmoOnline, and JLo. It's really cool to feel like you're a step closer to them in real life.

Tweet is no longer just an R&B singer!

It seems Twitter has taken over the world! And it's not surprising that us CreComms were told to jump on the "twitterwagon". It was a little funny that with all of us ceating new accounts and tweeting for the first time simultaneously that we slowed down the entire system! Maybe we'll learn to take it easy, though tweeting for two hours was really fun! I wish we could start every Tuesday that way.

What I find really useful about Twitter is the abundance of information available. From other people's links and hash tags, there's always something new to learn about, and even news sources have twitter accounts where you can follow and get your news regularly.

One thing that I'm not sure Melanie mentioned in class was that you can receive people's tweets on your mobile phone. Simply go to the follower and beside their name is a little white circle with a cell phone picture in it. If you click on it, it will turn green and tell you that you now receive that person's updates on your phone. Voila! You will always be up to date on who ever you want. Today I definitely received an overabundance of text messages from CreComm status updates!

Since we are all now officially on Twitter, I think we should have a competition to see who will have the most followers and tweets by the end of the semester. I'm sure there will be an advantage for those who have twittered much longer than just this morning, but it's still an idea!

Happy Tweeting all!

Movie Premieres: Are they worth the wait?

Lastnight I went to the New Moon premiere at Silver City Polo Park. The movie's start time was 10 pm. I've never been to a movie premiere, and I don't think I'll ever go to one again.

 My roommate (who got me a ticket), her friend and I got to Silver City at just after 6 pm.  That's a whole four hours until the big show. When my roommate (and self-professed Twi-hard) told me we were going early, I figured we'd get there around 8:30-9 pm. No, it appears when we got there, a line for the line up had just begun to form. We weren't allowed to line up in front of the ticket taker, or anywhere in the carpeted area. So two separate lines started to form around 6:30 pm right before the entrance to the theatre area. As we stood there, a lady from the other line asked us if were waiting for New Moon. No lady, we're just standing here because we can. She said the line was starting on her side. Sorry, we were not going to stand behind her, so we just formed our own line. I hate lines. And waiting. And waiting in line!

Right before 7 pm finally rolled around, a manager told us we could line up single file, no running, to hand in our tickets and get in the "real" line right in front of the theatre. Silver City was only using two theatres, one on either side for the screening. While I was rushing to get my ticket ripped, I ended up dropping it among all of the frenzied people. I was freaking out! No way was I going to let my ticket get trampled by all these crazies. As if anyone wasn't running. Someone actually pushed me out of the way while I tried to hand it to the ticket taker, after she saw me finally grab my ticket off the floor between all the madness. We still managed to get ahead of her in line. Second among everyone else, might I add. Hey, If I was gonna do it, I'm doing it right.

So there we were, standing in the real line waiting to get into our seats. Zombieland was playing during our waiting game, where we could hear explosions and a Nickelback song playing. Another rule about the line was that we weren't allowed to sit down. Not at all, unless you were pregnant like the girl in front of us. I think last night was the only time I wished I was with child. I thought to myself, Taylor Lautner with out his shirt had better be worth this ridiculousness. For the record, he was. Much better than Rob Pattinson!

Standing there for about 3 hours was pain enough, but then right before they let us in at 8:30 pm, my rommates friend wiped out in front of the theatre doors where someone spilled a drink. Everybody would've just trampled her to get to their seats, but luckily a big beefy guy was right behind us and he stopped the line while she got back up. You will not find very many civilized people doing a movie premiere. Thank goodness for that guy.

At the beginning, I felt like such a loser being one of the 500-ish people waiting to see this movie. But by the time I got to my seat, I was starting to get excited. There was about another hour of sitting and waiting. Luckily, I brought a book a long, and they were handing out Famous magazine while we stood so devotedly in line. After getting drinks and popcorn, and taking our last bathroom break, we all settled in before the trailers began. Everyone cheered as soon as the lights went down. I guess a cool part of the whole thing was being able to witness the hysteria. It wasn't actually as bad as I had imagined. And I didn't notice as many young screaming teenage girls as I would've thought.

In my opinion, I would've been fine waiting until a later date to watch this movie. It was not worth an entire evening standing in line, ovehearing stupid conversations, dealing with smelly people, and rude attitudes. Compared to Twilight, I felt it was better in terms of more action, but the special effects were kind of phony, though  the cast did look a lot better than before- better hair, wardrobe, set. I found out my roommate and I have the same Ikea lamp as Bella has in her bedroom. That was kind of neat. I also wouldn't have spent so much money on food had I been there for a shorter period of time. Pizza and a drink from Pizzahut cost $8.35. Then a small popcorn cost $5. Plus the box of whoppers ($1.66) from Shoppers I grabbed on the way, and a grande toffee nut white mocha ($3.49) from Starbucks for the walk over from Polo. About $20 in food and snacks, then another $10 for the ticket. To me, that's kind of expensive, considering I'm used to paying $5 on cheap night for a movie then about $4 for popcorn and drink at the Cinema Centre in Portage. The experience to me, was not worth the inflated prices.

Over all, the main reasons for me to waste an evening standing in line was to:
-Ogle hot guys with out shirts
-See if New Moon was better than Twilight
-Witness an unrealistic love story, with an awesome ending!

Cyclists vs. Bus Drivers

On my way to work the other day, I was sitting on the 20, the bus was in front of Polo Park, and out of nowhere came a cyclist, who the driver almost ran down. The driver ranted about how he knew the cyclist would do 'something like that', the something I'm not sure of because I barely noticed the cyclist until the driver was honking like crazy at him. This all happened the same day that the diamond lanes were just put in.

I've always felt really bad for cyclists in this city. The buses sometimes think they own the road, and I've seen them drive like they don't care about anyone else around them. I've read stories about people getting run over and being seriously injured, but yet it doesn't seem like the problem is being fixed. I really wish the city would get on the whole separate bike bath idea, we really need it. It'd be nice if I didn't have to witness another cyclist flipping off the bus driver when he honks at him for being in the way.

During my Environmental Ethics class last year, we had to do a research project on a sustainable city plan, and one group did the bike path idea, and they used examples from other cities like Copenhagen as inspiration for our city. Everybody seemed to ride a bike in the city, the streets seemed more peaceful and at ease than everywhere else.

That's all we're asking for right? A little peace and understanding? Respect your fellow cyclists, bus drivers. After all, you are both a form of sustainable transportation in your own right.

I Love Class 2!

I've been thinking lately about my classmates, and how by the beginning of next term all of us will be separated into new sections. I'm not sure how class 2 will handle this, it seems like we're all attached at the hip, I don't see how we'll survive a mass break up. The few of us that do get put into new sections together will most likely huddle in the corner of each classroom, and for those of us who get separated I imagine there will be many crappy cafe catch-up sessions and King's Head mini reunions every week.

Here's a few reasons why I think Class 2 is amazing:

1) We laugh at least once during every class, everyday. Someone is always making a joke, or laughing at someone's expense- Ie. Jasmine's dancing stint on CTV.

2) Everybody has each other's back. No matter what the situation, we seem to always side with one another.

3) We bake every week! What other class does this? I'm guessing it's just ours. We are awesome for satisfying each others' sweet tooth on a regular basis. 

4) We get along unusually well. I'm not sure if there are any two people in our class who honestly dislike one another. We are all peas in a perfect Class 2 pod.

5) Instructors love us. I mean c'mon, we all know that we have to be at least the favourite for a couple of teachers.

6) We are friends beyond the classroom. I've been to Jasmine's house a few times now, and I've grown to love it so much that I can't help but gush about her beautiful bathroom and kitchen.

7) So far, we don't seem to compete seriously with each other. We are all in the same boat together, no one is out to push us into the water.

8) We are each our own person. I love how distinct every one of us is, yet we have a lot in common and it makes for a peaceful environment.

9) We love to party! We need to come up with more excuses to drink together, we can be one rowdy bunch! I suggest we do a New Year's Eve celebration.

10) We respect one another. It's as simple as that, we all realize that with out respect we have nothing. We know how serious being in CreComm is, yet we know how to balance our workload with having fun, and so far we've done a good job.

I will truly miss being in class with you guys everyday. I hope we stay close no matter where we end up.
Love you! xoxo

Blogging Pros and Cons

I've just started my blogging adventure this year, first with my own attempts at creating a fitness motivator, and then I entered the lovely world of Creative Communications (CreComm) and I was fascinated to discover that blogging is mandatory in the program. As a new blogger, I've come up with some pros and cons of the blogging craft.

Pros – Reasons to love blogging

The first reason why I love the blog is because no matter who you are or what you do, you can still create your own voice and share your opinions with the world, at least the online world.

If you are an aspiring writer like me, blogging is a great way to practice your skills. The fact that I have to write a post every week for school keeps my blog up to date, and I also benefit from reading my classmates’ and instructors’ blogs by learning different techniques or finding out what interests everyone.

Blogging allows you to be creative. Aside from being in CreComm, I’ve always been a creative person, always writing something, no matter how menial and I’ve always admired the artistic world. You can write about whatever your heart desires (this can be a con in some cases) and hopefully you’ll have followers who will appreciate or agree with your point of view. You can create your own profile and layout on your blog site, and there are many blog sites to choose from. You can also add pictures and links to spice up your posts.

Blogs are the way of the future. I’ve been told in CreComm (so it must be true) that if you are looking for a job in a creative field, your employer will expect you to have an online portfolio. A blog is a good way for a potential employer to see what kind of person you are by reading about the things you’re interested in. It sure beats looking at your Facebook page, which can sometimes be a deal breaker.

Reading other people’s blogs is a good way to learn about things you might not have known, especially about local events. One of my classmates writes about cheap, entertaining activities to do within Winnipeg. Blogging is a never-ending source of information.

Cons- Reasons to hate blogging

You want to have a blog, but what should you write about? Sure, you’re interested in things but will anybody read it? It’s hard to decide what is significant enough to post about. Sometimes I feel like no one will care about my transit adventures.

Keeping up with a blog can be demanding for some people. I know when I first starting blogging in the summer, I didn’t have a fixed schedule of when I would blog. I just figured I’d try to write something every day, but that did not work out. A once or twice weekly post seems to be sufficient, and it allows time to come up with a good idea.

The fact that you can write about whatever you want, doesn’t mean you should. I’ve heard stories where people trash others in their blog posts, and that is just not classy. Treat the blogging world like the real world. There are real people online with feelings, and even though you might want to write about how much you hate one of your coworkers or classmates, please think twice. Remember the golden rule? Treat others the way you want to be treated. Same goes for blogging. Blog only the way you want others to blog. Nobody wants to read an offensive or distasteful post, unless it’s sarcastic and meant to be funny.

Once you have an idea, it can be difficult to determine how long each post can be. I know personally I have some that are only one paragraph and then longer ones like this that are meant to be assignment posts. I guess if you’re not blogging for class and you don’t have a mandatory word count, I would say write what is necessary for the topic. If you are blogging about the state of the environment and the threat of global warming vs. your favourite song of the day, melting icecaps might need more explanation than a Britney tune.

Is my idea original? Well, no, probably not, but that doesn’t mean you can’t blog about it. It’s true that you’ll have the same interests as someone else, like music for instance. But you can always write about a different aspect of music, like a top 5 list of the best local musicians. Your idea could be the only one being written about in your area, making you stand out amongst other music bloggers that pass by.

A Birthday Bus Ride

Today (actually yesterday) was my Birthday! I turned 21 at approximately 12:35 a.m. I still feel the same. Everything is relatively normal. No exciting changes, except that I am "legal" everywhere! Except maybe New Zealand? I roughly remember someone telling me that on the weekend... Anywho...

This morning I had to get on the bus a bit (actually a lot) earlier than any other day because of Broadcast Production's ungodly hour. It was still dark when I left. I do not approve! Anyway, So I was on the bus, I had to pay cash today because I was way too hung over and lazy to go out and buy a bus pass yesterday. So I paid, and then some random guy was sitting directly in the seat behind the one I sit in everyday...which is the second row on the left in the left seat. So, I sat on the right side instead. This is not normal. I almost felt I had to move to the other side, but I didn't want this guy breathing down my neck. I guess I like my space in public places. I thought this change in routine would throw me off for the whole day, but considering it was my birthday, I suppose it wasn't a "normal" day to begin with. Either way, I got to school unscathed and the day progressed pleasantly. Wooh, I'm 21!

Until next time,
Renee

Buyer Beware!

Yesterday, Class 2 CreComm presented the Buyer Beware projects in Ad class. Let me just say, I am glad to be done!

Personally, I felt my group was lacking on the entertainment side of things during presentation, but after all, it was a more serious topic. Kudos to all the other groups for your awesome presentations and interesting topics!

My group chose to research the pandemic preparedness plans of the 5 major post-secondary institutions in Manitoba. Since H1N1 is a reality we face, we thought this was a topical issue, and we hope to get covered by local news.

The main idea behind our project was to find out what kind of plan they had in place to deal with H1N1 in their institution. We found that 4 of the 5 had a plan in place, but we also discovered that a larger crisis communication plan exists in most institutions and other organizations to deal with potential crisis situations.

We consulted with two public relations professionals, Melanie Lee Lockhart, and Therese Mickelson, both of whom provided us with a wealth of knowlege on the issue, that we were unaware of until our interview. To check it out, click below.


I'm glad to have researched this issue, as it is very important to know about how organizations go about protecting their staff/customers/students. I've learned that it is a never-ending process, where the communications people in charge are always adding and editing the plan, even carrying it around on jump drive attached to a lanyard around their neck! Now that's what I call preparedness!

I hope that everyone learned a lot from our research, as we have learned a lot from you! H1N1 updates are constantly in the news. Yesterday before our presentation, I read in the Winnipeg Free Press that according to a St. Boniface doctor who conducted research, the average age for H1N1 victims is 15-55, and it is more common in women than men.

Unique Bus Stops

A friend of mine posted this link on Facebook, and I thought how fitting it would be for my blog! If only Winnipeg could adopt some of these creative 'places of wait' for us! Then maybe when winter finally shows up we won't dread standing at the bus stop...


The World's Coolest Bus Stops

Oh, Number 11, How I Hate Thee

I hate the eleven. That bus is so friggin' crowded after school it's disgusting. Literally. There are so many bodies on the bus squishing against each other, bumping into one another, and sometimes people just plain stink. There should be a law against this. Gross!

I can't stand being stuck by someone who doesn't understand what personal hygiene is. And what is it with people who don't seem to look in a mirror in the morning? Don't they know first impressions are important? I guess it doesn't matter to them what the rest of the public thinks of their appearance- that you're an eyesore and should go back inside! Sorry, I am just kind of in the ranting mood right now. But on the other hand, I'm SO excited and nervous...and EXCITED! But I don't want to say too much yet, you can all hear me freak out at school tomorrow!

Today going to work, there was a guy on the bus, maybe around 17 or 18 who was wearing a hoodie that said GIRL in purple and pink font on the front. Maybe he was feeling a bit confused when he got dressed this morning? I'm not sure, maybe there was something else on the back of the sweater, I couldn't see it. Anyway, it was kind of cool I guess...

Ugh, I am a bundle of nerves! Butterflies are going crazy! I am overreacting but I have sound reason! Okay I'm just gonna say it... So, I had the crazy idea of interviewing my BOYFRIEND for the personality profile...yes that's right George Stroumboulopoulos! And yes, I had to look up how to spell my last name, ahem, I mean his last name correctly... Anyway, I e-mailed The Hour and I got a response!!!
They said that they get these kinds of requests all the time but they are sending my e-mail to George and his publicist and will contact if an interview can be scheduled and/or they need more information from me. HOLY CRAP! HOLY HOLY CRAP!
My life would be set. I mean, I would just die happy. If I got hit by the eleven tomorrow, I wouldn't care. It would be a dream! Love him. Like so much. I think you guys might already be aware, but if you weren't, well now you know. I <3 George! Those puppy dog brown eyes, his super smooth and perfectly muscled forearms, and the Greek factor. Nothing short of awe-mazing! Let's just hope luck is with me. I wonder if Vogelsang would still expect the two other references if I actually got an interview with him. That'd be the only tricky part, but I'd pull something off. I know it... fingers crossed! Anyway, I think that's all I need to say for now. I'm just too excited to keep blogging. :D Here's a link of George interviewing Lily Allen. I've been listening to her for the last couple days. Awesome gal!

Piercings, Sex-slave trade, and the Nazis?

So, I was taking an eleven down to Polo Park today to meet my mom, and I'm sitting at the front of the bus, across from this woman sitting next to an old lady. Immediately I hear her talking to the old woman, and she says "That's how you know people aren't doctors, they have piercings." What? And the thing is, there was a lady with her nose pierced standing right in front of her with her baby in a stroller. I thought this was the weirdest conversation, and yes it gets worse. She continued on about the piercings saying something about how doctors can't have piercings because its their "protective layer" and blah blah. Then the old woman asked her if she herself were a doctor, and she repeated her question back to her, then said something about being a medical professional or researcher. I wasn't too sure, the bus was very crowded and noisy. But I could still hear them.

Then the woman continues her conversation except it turns into something about Nazis and the Jews and "the bible says Jesus was the only one who died for our sins." Either way, I had no idea WHY this conversation was taking place, all I know is that it was, and I thought it was very strange, because the two women did not know each other whatsoever. Before the medical lady strangely disappeared, she was muttering something about relationships and how she doesn't want to marry anyone with secrets. What kind of secrets I wonder? Like, I have a gigantic criminal record and was in jail 7 times? Or, you're actually my 3rd wife? What a day, what a bus ride.

Other than this odd conversation, the baby sitting in front of the chatterbox was holding an Itunes Pick of the Week for Starbucks. I thought to myself, "Way to start 'em off young!" She seemed like a very hip, hippy-ish mother. I envied her a little. Way to represent, baby! By the way, the Pick of the Week was I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers


Pretty good tune.

Au Revoir!

Driving a Bus, Blue Cross, Glasses and Week Four

I was the first one on the bus on Friday morning, as usual. Also like usual the bus driver takes a break and gets off the bus to get coffee from somewhere inside Misercordia Hospital. Today he got down from his seat and grumbled something seemingly uncomfortable then said "Wanna drive today?" I laughed and told him that wouldn't be such a good idea, then he said "Well, I wouldn't stay on the bus." I can't imagine driving one of those things. They are truly beastly in size- I can barely drive a car in the city! Nevermind a bus full of people, I would probably end up letting everyone on for free if they asked. And if anything ever happened, like a fight or something, I would probably freak out and bail...but call 911 of course.

My mom called while I was on the bus. She was explaining about her Blue Cross coverage, and how I am still on her plan until age 25 as long as I'm in school. Of course I knew this, but I went out the night before trying to get new glasses and the optician tried to tell me that when she called Blue Cross they said I wasn't on the plan. In the end, I wasted almost 3 hours at two different stores picking out potential frames, only to find out I couldn't get any. I was just a little disappointed. I can't wait to get new specs! In class, I've noticed I'm one of only 5 four-eyed lovelies. I'm surprised there aren't more students with glasses. I love how they're an accessory and also a state of mind. Also in my case, they're like a second skin. I don't know where I'd be without mine, I haven't had contacts in so long. The other night at work I was talking to a fellow barista, and I took off my glasses during the conversation to clean them, and he stops talking mid-sentence, and said, "WOW! You look SOOO different without glasses!" Then he started laughing.

I'm excited about this week in school. It's officially the fourth week and I have a feeling this is when things start to overwhelm. I know we have the Bomber game to cover on Saturday night, but there's also been hearsay about the infamous 'streeter' assignment in J class...everyone seems tense but ultimately ready for it. The idea of finding random people in the street to inteverview is kind of intimidating, and without a topic it could be hard to pull off. Though the thought of creating a potentially great story out of nowhere is exciting...we shall see what the future brings!

See you guys in class! Happy 4th week! 

Going to School

The bus wasn't sitting at the stop when I left my apartment. I guess he was running late today. He's supposed to leave at 9:07 but at 9:10 he finally pulled away.

Only three people on the bus so far. I'd rather be in bed sleeping...

I think I saw my friend Andrew riding his bike past my stop. He looked like he was in a hurry.

Starbucks just called. Zen was going to ask me to work today, but found out I had school. I guess my manager thought I didn't. I wish I had Tuesdays off, but we all know cre-comm is not like university! Classes everyday all day my friends!

There's a sign on Broadway and Sherbrook about the Sherbrook Street Festival on Saturday. I'm hoping it's on at night too, but I'm not sure. I love street festivals, there's just something about them. The idea of a community coming together for a good time, it reminds me of You've Got Mail when Tom Hanks' character took his young aunt and even younger brother to a festival in the fall.

Our creative writing prof said writing in the morning would wake you up. It's not exactly a cup of coffee today.

9:20 am

I love Graham Avenue. The cobblestone street, all the tiny little shops, and one of my favourite Starbucks locations. It's just a really pleasant street to be on. There's also this cool looking ad agency or design company that would be cool to work at. Who knows, maybe someday I could work there! For now it's just Starbucks and school keeping me afloat.

Baby on a Bus- #17 September 5th, 3:30pm

I know I'm writing about past bus rides but they were interesting so I'm recapping...

I went downtown to get a few things on Saturday. I'm still in love with my bus route from Wolesely and Maryland to Graham Avenue. The bus is always sitting there early and Saturday it stopped while the bus drivers switched off. They were both very friendly with an enthusiastic hello as they chatted outside the bus.

The bus had a/c! So great considering how hot it was this weekend. There was a young mother and her baby sitting in front of me. The baby was staring at me while she ate a snack. The mom tried to fix what little hair her daughter had, but she was fidgeting so it was a failed attempt. I wondered if they lived in the neighbourhood and where they were headed.

There was only a couple other people on the bus behind me. Another reason I love this bus route is that it's never crowded. All week, each bus driver has been really friendly. It's refreshing, especially in the mornings. The baby noticed the bus drivers get on, and she craned her neck to peer at them. My heart warms when I look at children. She was chattering away and it couldn't be cuter.

I know I've said in the past that I'm iffy about wanting kids, but when the time comes and I find the right guy, I think it could be an amazing experience. Pregnancy is a wonder in itself. The dreams I keep having about pregnancy, either myself being pregnant or someone else I know, are said to mean that something new and creative is happening in my life. This is very true considering I'm just starting Cre-comm. I was apprehensive about the program, but I've met some really cool people so far, I think it's going to be great.

The baby caught me looking at her while she sucked her thumb and she smiled as if she's guilty about something. I hope my kids turn out that cute!

I love the 17 -September 3rd 7:19am

Today my bus ride to school was very pleasant. The bus driver was a very cheery, smiley middle-aged woman who greeted me very sweetly as I entered the bus. The other 3 or so passengers teased that I better not let any mosquitoes on board unless I'm willing to kill them.

There was a young guy who was asleep on the bus near the back doors. The friendly driver was worried about him. Luckily there was a security lady on board. She attempted to wake him but figured with another go around he'd wake up.

I was a little worried about getting to school on time. I had to hobble my way from Notre Dame to campus because I have a bad blister on the bottom of my foot. Luckily I made it on time today!