Airport

Well, it has been two weeks already and I am back at YVR waiting to board the plane. My mom got us some rootbeer and onion rings before the flight; it was really tasty.

My time in BC was really busy and I didn't get to visit everyone I wanted. However, I had some awesome bonding and conversations with those I did get to see.

<3

Christmas Morning Brunch

Christmas brunch at the Booth's was awesome. I hope when I buy my own house we get close enough with our neighbors where we can all get together on Christmas morning, have champagne, orange juice and wifesaver. There's always good conversation and everyone just chills out. I usually tell people that we visit family Christmas morning without really realizing it.

Christmas Eve Eve

Work today was odd - people coming in and wondering why our size stocks are low.... it's two days before Christmas. Get a toque and consider yourself lucky.

I have most of my shopping done which is good. However, I am really tired. I also have to be at work for 7:30 am tomorrow. Boo earns.

Thoughts from BC

My flight here was horrendous. I had all of the flights I was on delayed and one of them was cancelled. On my first flight (Kitchener --> Calgary) There was someone kicking the back of my seat for the first 15 minutes after takeoff. I turn around to ask the parent of the obnoxious child to please ask them to stop kicking my seat. Turns out that's difficult to do when it's a 90 year old woman complaining about my seat back hitting her knees. I didn't even have the think tilted - it was in it's full upright position.

I finally get to Vancouver after a delay in Calgary and there is an issue with the baggage carousel. It's one in the morning when I land and I didn't get out of the airport until just after two. I finally got home, had something to eat and went to bed - it was late and I was super tired.

My job at West 49 is working out really well, I am meeting some great people. The staff I have worked with so far have been really awesome! We also have some great new products.

So apparently my family thinks is customary to turn the furnace off at night. The thermostat gets turned down to ten at night.... I suppose after living in Ontario (where it's normal to heat your home at night) I am spoiled and not used to depending on a blanket alone to keep me warm.

I got to go for dinner with Sara last night and that was lovely. We got some sushi in White Rock and had a really nice chance to catch up.

Anyway, I need to get to bed soonish - working tomorrow at 8.

Night! <3

Rudolph - Jack Johnson Style

Check out this song!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UE9Y9pSf-c

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer

had a very shiny nose

and if you ever saw it

you would even say it glows

all of the other reindeer

used to laugh and call him names

they never let poor Rudolph

join in any reindeer games

then one foggy Christmas eve

Santa came to say:

"Rudolph with your nose so bright

won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

then how the reindeer loved him

as they shouted out with glee (yippee)

"Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer

you'll go down in history."

Well Rudolph he didn't go for that

he said "I see through your silly games"

How could you look me in the face

when only yesterday you called me names?

Well all of the other reindeers man,

well they sure did feel ashamed,

"Rudolph you know we're sorry,

we're truly gonna try to change"

I love this version of the song. Rudolph doesn't take any of the reindeer sh!t. You go Rudolph.

Mama I'm comin' home

Done Work

So it has been called to my attention that I do not blog enough... I will take this into account and try to write more often :)

The last week has been an absolute blur - but I managed to get everything I needed to done for work. I had my last day on Thursday/Friday (I had to go turn in my keys). I spent most of Friday hanging out with my housemates... instead of packing. I packed my whole life up on Friday night/Saturday morning. Paul's dad came to Guelph to collect me and my things and drove me to Waterloo. After getting all of my stuff into the basement of my place in 'Loo I got a lift to Ryan's house with all of the things I need to fly home on Monday.

Speaking of which, I fly home MONDAY! I am really stoked to see my friends and family. The flight itself is not great - but my layover in Calgary includes free wi-fi so I can grin and deal with it. I am so stoked to be starting my job in West 49* for the two weeks I am home. I am looking forward to that job; the work is tons of fun and I get to meet at work with great people.

So about this whole teaching career thing... I really thing I want to teach once I am done university. Having this goal has brought a lot more direction in my life, which I am stoked about. However, I now need to worry about which teachers college to go to and what I want my 'teachables' to be. When you go to teachers college you have a main and secondary teachable. The cool, and weird thing about Ontario Senior High School teachers is they don't have to teach in a subject that is their teachable. So, I could go to teachers college with Math and Chemistry as my teachables but end up getting a job as a Biology teacher.

Moving all of my things made me really tired... I am thinking nap.... mmmm.... nappp...

All work and no friends makes Jessica something something...

Oh Hai

Yesterday I went out for greasy Chinese food with my housemate and it was pretty awesome. We have quite a bit more in common than I think we do and there's always good conversation.

On another note, I have more work to do this weekend than I am quite sure I know what to do with. I have a TON of data entry to get caught up on. I am also sort of avoiding that work - I have been up for about an hour and even though I am really hungry for breakfast I am avoiding going downstairs because I will have to see the stacks of surveys that I have to enter today. Due to all of this work I had to miss the engineering EOT (end of term) party and I will be missing BOAT racing. Boo earns.

I fly home on the 14th and I am really excited to see my brother. He usually picks me up from the airport and we have the best conversations on the drive home. I miss him - a LOT. Maybe he will bring me a Christmas orange when he comes to pick me up.

Speaking of Christmas oranges, I manages to sneak downstairs to get an orange and a banana without looking directly at the piles. This seems to have worked out for me. However, I will soon go downstairs to make myself a cup of tea and then I will have to start in on the stacks.

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Some good stuff!

I went to a school yesterday (http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/senatoroconnor.asp) and it was absolutely lovely. I was doing my presentation for grade 11 and 12 chemistry and physics students. They were super attentive and had a ton of good questions. I was speaking with some of the Science teachers, and it was so cool to hear about their teaching experiences. The teacher that booked me to come in started my day by making me a nice cup of green tea. The presentations went really well.

Here is an issue I am having - I have been presenting in quite a few Catholic schools. In order to be a teacher at one of these schools you have to be Catholic. From what I have seen so far in my travels, the Catholic schools have better resources and newer buildings. Now, this could simply be the trend in the schools I have seen and may not go forward across Ontario. However, I still find it frustrating that where I teach is limited by what I believe. I also find it frustrating that I can not send my (future) children to these (publicly funded) schools. Thankfully I won't have to deal with either of those situations for a while.

Well, I really need to start working on the stacks of paper down stairs - maybe I will post again later.

Ciao.

Teaching

So I went to a school this week and after I was done I was presented with a toque, lanyard, pocket calculator and a bottle of wine. When the teacher handed me the bottle of wine she said "If you go into teaching you're going to need more of this".

During this co-op job I have seen some very different classroom dynamics. Some classes are so into it - I have had students take note during my presentation. I have also had students lay their heads down onto the desk and pretty much ignore my existence. When I come home though, I always love working with students and love what I am learning from them. Every student and every class is different. Some classed need hard rules and deadlines during the hands on activity to get what they need to done. Some classes I just tell them when testing is going to happen and they have everything ready to go.

Side note: The hands on activity is building a space station with the maximum possible total area of solar panels that still fits into a cargo bay (cardboard - brought in a built by me). Students use paper, pipe cleaners, scissors, tape, rulers and toilet paper tubes to make their space station.

I also found somewhere where I can have Chemistry and Earth and Environmental Science as my teachables (http://www.edsw.usyd.edu.au/future_students/postgraduate/mteach/secondary_prerequisites.shtml). This is really exciting for me. All I have to do is find a term to fit in a biology course. Hopefully I will get in there - could be a really cool adventure.

Love and Peace.

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Breathing and Chirstmas Baking

Over the past few weeks and especially the past few days I haven't really been able to breathe all that well. My bronchitis essentially causes me to be constantly coughing up stuff, be it liquid or otherwise. This situation has really left me longing to be able to simply breathe. Breathing is so essential to life - we don't even need to think to do it.

My pseudo breathing lead me to get a prescription for my bronchitis - which as a side effect makes me have no appetite. So now I am not really breathing all that well and not really eating. Oh the things I take for granted when I am healthy.

--

On another note I am really excited for the winter holidays. I am going home for almost three weeks and I have a part time job all set up so I can make some cash and meet some cool new people. I am also excited to do Christmas baking with my mom (mmmm holiday almost crescents). I am also hoping to get some recipes of things I made with her as a kid (ie shortbread, holiday almond crescents, panned butter tarts...) and make then with Paul when I come back to Ontario.

Love love love to anyone reading this!

Battle Within

I feel like my body is a war zone. Thanks a lot Clarithromycin.

Pros: Used to treat bacterial respiratory tract infections (ie Bronchitis)

Cons: Nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, change in taste, headache.

I am sorry if you thought this post was going to be about some epic mental or emotional battle that I or other people face.

Lest We Forget

Remembrance Day was last week and it, as it always does, brings many feelings.

I had given my poppy to a student I was presenting to and was out on the 11th of November seeking another. It took me over an hour to find an establishment that still had some left - if you has asked me 59 minutes into my search how it was going I would have told you that the entire city of Windsor was out of poppies.

As I searched I walked past many veterans - dressed in their uniforms and adorned by war medals. Never have I felt more like an ingrate.

I got to thinking about how thankful I really was. Not just for veterans of WWI and WWII, but also those of wars still going on today. There is and was so much bloodshed so that we and others can have lives of peace and freedom.

Lest We Forget

November already

So it's November already and I am more than half way through my work term. I have been to both high school and elementary schools to give my presentation - and I love it. There is something about teaching that just thrills me and I can't wait to get into the class and teach/learn with them. On another November note the team I was on won BOAT racing again (surprise...) with a time of 10.57s. It was so much fun; I was racing with a fabulous team. Although it wasn't my best day personally the team still managed to pull it off. Love to my team mates <3

Yesterday was Paul and I's three year anniversary. I am so happy and fortunate to have such a wonderful partner. Paul and I have seen both rough and awesome times together. We work things out, grow, and learn more and more every day. I have recently started listening to Owl City, and they have two songs that really remind me of Paul. One of them is Saltwater Room, and the other is Fireflies. Saltwater room simply because it's about love. Fireflies, however, has one line "A disco ball is just hanging by a thread". This line reminds me of when Paul made it so our living room was a total black out and he bought a tiny disco ball and hung it from the light fixture. He shined a flashlight on it and made the room into a lovely dance floor for just the two of us.

Well, I need to finish getting ready for work, hope your day goes well (yes, that means you!)

<3

Simple Pleasures

Right now I am enjoying the simple pleasure of a cup of Starbucks coffee. Just sitting, enjoying a lovely brew and blogging is totally worth the $2 for a cup. Even just the smell of a good cup of coffee brings a certain sense of relaxation.

I would like to dedicate this post to Heidi, who taught me to love coffee as I love the air I breathe <3

We Are The City

Please vote for We Are The City in the 100.5 The Peak Performance Project <3

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We Are The City is a really awesome band out of Kelowna, BC introduced to me by a really good friend. I had the privilege of seeing them live, and let me tell you it was an absolutely incredible experience. Hearing "April" live had me in tearing up it was so beautiful. Cyan, David and Andy are truly talented gentlemen and it comes out in their emotional lyrics, melodies and baselines. I want to encourage anyone reading this to check out their website www.wearethecity.ca and have a listen to their music. I got to have a short chat at the end of the show with David, and he was really sweet, kind, and at the end of the conversation he remembered my name. That may not seem like a big deal, but I noticed that they all had a lot of people approaching them, but they were still very personal with each and every person they spoke with. The music produced by this band is truly remarkable and I hope you take the time to listen and vote, it would mean a lot to me <3

Muskoka

Over the weekend I went up to lake Muskoka with a few really good friends and all we did all weekend was relax. I am sure I have had the best sleep since I moved to Guelph; it was absolutely incredible. The weekend really got me thinking to all of the things that improve our lives; television, cell phones, computers, the interwebs... and then I thought about which of those things I had with me. I sent a couple of text messages. Other than that there wasn't really all that much electronic equipment being used. And it was glorious.

I also had another thought - why on earth do we let ourselves get into such a stressed out and overworked state that we need total weekends away? We bust our butts at jobs and work hard to get promotions to make more money to be able to afford cottages and vacations to get away from our life where we work hard, bust our butts and become overworked and stressed. Something about this doesn't seem quite right. Having things like vacations and cottages is fantastic; to me it's when it becomes a necessity based on an overstressed lifestyle that one has to wonder.

Hitchens

"That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence."

— Christopher Hitchens

Don't just do something

A very wise woman once said to me "Don't just do something; sit there."

It is often said that we need to take time to do things for ourselves. Sometimes this means walking the dog, taking a bath, painting our nails, playing video games, working out or whatever it is that you do for you. Taking time to do something for yourself is a great way to relax. The 'problem' with doing something for yourself is that you're still doing something. People get so busy being busy that we don't spend time where we simply aren't occupied.

So how about this, how about we take time to simply exist. To be. Just be. Go outside, or to your living room, or to your bathroom or wherever you need to go. Don't journal, don't draw a bath, don't turn on the radio, just sit there and exist. I find one of the most lovely things is to just feel my body exist. The way the air moves through my lungs; feeling my heart gently beat the oxygenated blood through my ever complex circulatory system, delivering the necessary elements for life to each and every cell in my body.

If you are outside, the sun will gently warm your skin or you may feel the rain. You might get caught up in yourself, and that's ok. Getting to know yourself is a really awesome and wonderful process. When you get to know other people you have to take them exactly as they are. When you are getting to know yourself if there is something you don't like you have the power to grow into the person you want to be.

Nautical Athletics

Last Saturday I participated in a glorious nautical sport with 4 other very talented ladies. Our team, "Right Meow", was given stiff competition, but we managed to pull through for the win (although in the end everyone is a winner when it comes to BOAT racing).

I would like to give a shout out to my Nana and Grandad for their continual support in my athletic endeavors.

Soup and the gym?

So I just got home from the gym and had some hearty spiced lentil soup. Both of those things are reflections of a few goals I have for the term (September to December).

Goal 1: Follow the Mediterranean food pyramid, which means eating very little meat, especially red meat. I plan to cut out pork and beef all together, eat chicken rarely and fish occasionally.

As a side note, the Mediterranean food pyramid has an entire layer for olive oil; this fact jives with the way I cook very well. By following this eating style I hope to be consuming lots of fruits, veggies and plant proteins.

Goal 2: Work out three times a week for strength training and four times a week for cardio training.

This goal essentially gives me something weekly to achieve, and in the long term will improve my body composition and overall health.

Goal 3: Learn very basic Japanese and French through reading, listening to music and in the case of Japanese writing the basic alphabet. I want to learn these languages to increase my travel opportunities. By the end of the term I would like to be able to ask basic tourist questions in each language.

Ok, so the soup and gym do not really reflect on the languages. I suppose next time I will have itchiban soup or french onion to lead into my goals. However, there they are and now that I have 'published' them not only am I accountable to anyone who reads this, but I also know that I have support.

All of that being said, if you have any cool vegetarian recipes, work out tips or language learning secrets I would love to hear them!

Cheers <3

First!

So my mom thought it would be a cool idea to start a blog. Sometimes my mom is right about stuff (taking a sweater, wearing sunblock, not eating yellow snow etc.) so I think I will give this a shot.

I am in my third week of work for this term at the University of Guelph. My position is Youth Outreach Officer. This position includes going to high schools and elementary schools and giving talks about science, engineering and technology, as well as doing a hands on demo. I am really excited for this position because it will give me classroom and teachingexperience. Right now I want to get my B.Ed. after I finish my engineering degree so I have the option of teaching high school (gr 10-12) or doing something in the field of engineering. As much as I love engineering I really have a passion for teaching.

Well, it is about time for me to start walking home from work (For the record Dad, when you walk somewhere it is only uphill one way, and it does not snow in the middle of summer, and I wear jeans, not pajamas. Just saying.), the 3km each way is doing wonders for my legs :)

Caio <3