Airport

I am sitting in the airport listening to the Barenaked Ladies and thinking about my life choices...

I want to thank my family and friends for sticking by me and helping me through my own personal gong show.

I love you all.

Head Shave Update

Blogging Glaore! I only have one exam left, and it really isn't going to be particularly challenging... So I am taking some time to update my blog (or as my mom affectionately calls it, my blag). Below are a couple of photos, one is from the day of the head shave (Sept 12, 2010) and the second one is one from a pub crawl in November and the bottom one is to show how long my hair was before I cut it. My hair is finally coming in and I kind of have two styles for it, not counting the fluffy 'leave it be' after showering. Thanks again to everyone for your support. I was able to raise over $1200.

I just wanted to give a 'shout' to the late Samantha M. Although I didn't know you personally, you inspired me. Wherever you are now is cancer free xoxo.

engagement

HAHA, not me, you silly blog readers!

So recently one of my best friends growing up got engaged. Now, this wasn't a surprise or anything, she had been talking about it for a while. However, it really brought to mind that this was the real deal. Sara has found someone that she wants to have as her partner for the rest of her life, and she's cool with making that a public commitment to her friends, family, and the government (they are big and scary!).

Congratulations Sara, I love you and always will.

breeze

I hear the gentle chime

through my window, the soft breeze

a gentle palm

sways

even when

the chimes are still

I feel your song

ants

My yoga teacher today was explaining something that I found to be really cool.

Sometimes, when we aren't immediately good at something we get automatic negative thoughts, or as her dad used to call them, a.n.t.s...

You know what else he said?

Don't let the a.n.t.s. spoil your picnic.

Engineering Sucks

Ok... engineering doesn't actually suck. It and I just have a love hate relationship and right now we are in a hate part. School is really busy and it is tough to get my stuff together when deadlines aren't clear.

On another note, my friends do not suck. I have amazing friends.

Aaaannd I am coming home on December 20th. Sick. I get to go to the beach, have Christmas with my family and have a bit of time off of school. It is also my parents 25th wedding anniversary on December 28th, so I am really excited for that.

I love my parents.

I love Derek.

xo

Jealousy

A very good friend of mine, who I am always learning from recently posted this into her favorite quotations on facebook:

Jealousy is simply and clearly the fear that you do not have value. Jealousy scans for evidence to prove the point - that others will be preferred and rewarded more than you. There is only one alternative - self-value. If you cannot love yourself, you will not believe that you are loved. You will always think it's a mistake or luck. Take your eyes off others and turn the scanner within. Find the seeds of your jealousy, clear the old voices and experiences. Put all the energy into building your personal and emotional security. Then you will be the one others envy, and you can remember the pain and reach out to them. ~Jennifer James

Upon reading and reflection I decided that I am going to spend some time getting to know my self; after all one of the best ways to learn to love someone is to get to know them; to accept them as they are; to cherish them and show them how lovely they are. So, why not do this for myself?

Oh, but Jessica, isn't that selfish of you? Yes, that's the idea.

Head Shave

Hey Everyone

I have been quite neglectful lately, and for that I apologize. Things have been busy with the start of school, volunteering with frosh week and general life and consistently trying to do too much.

Anyway, the head shave went really really well. When I first cut my hair I had a purple mohawk. One night when I had a shower before bed I had this curly mop of purple hair, and when looking at myself in the mirror I really didn't see me anymore. I did not have any idea that my identity would be so caught up in my hair.

Once I cut the mohawk off (pics) I started to feel a lot more like myself. I have had a ton of support from all of my family and friends. It is overwhelming how much people say that I am brave or congratulate me for what I did. I raised about $1200, which I am really stoked for. However, to me the brave ones are the people, the kids, men and women who are living their lives with cancer and their families who are coping. I am a healthy person who cut my hair.

In honesty, yes, I do miss it sometimes. But, I have learned a lot about my self through this whole process, and for me that is exciting. My showers are much shorter, and my time to get ready for school has decreased too. So far, I have had no bad hair days.

Having no hair has made me seriously consider the value and importance that our current society puts on superficial things, and how much of a women's femininity and sexuality is locked into her hair. The same thing goes for men, how much of their masculinity and youth is in their hair?

Upon walking to the bar one night I had someone shout at me from behind, asking whether I was a boy or a girl. I didn't bother to turn around, because really, where is that going to get me? Anyway, I had heels and a purse as visual cues from the back, but they still felt that it was a good idea to ask. Perhaps it was the combo of being tall and bald... What would my response have been?

Why do you care if I am a boy or a girl? It is absolutely necessary to put people into groups that we are comfortable and familiar with? Perhaps we can just love people as they are and have it not matter who everyone else finds attractive or what people are packing in their pants. Have a great night :)

Ok, so I probably would never say that in real life. Realistically both myself and the party in question had been drinking and I probably made the right choice to just walk on with my friends to go dance. What happened at the bar is a whole other story that isn't that important, except for one point. A woman walked up to me in the bathroom, and told me that she was really proud of what I did. She said that it must have been hard to shave all of my hair off but that she had a lot of respect for me.

Although this blog only has a small number of responses to my shaved head, it goes to show that there are lots ways that people will react, and the important thing is to be encouraged by the good ones and let the bad ones go. In reality, their judgement is going to cause them to miss out on a lot of cool things in life.

Head Shave Fundraiser

Hey there all you lovely readers,

I would like to ask for your support in a head shave I am participating in during the month of September. All proceeds will go to the Canadian Cancer Society.

If you would like to donate please go to this link.

Cheers and many thanks!

xo

1/4 life Crisis?

So after posted my grad photos I realize that I am going to graduate soon... and that after that I am going to need to do something with my life. Yea. About that.

So right now the plan is to:

• Finish school
• Stick around 'Loo/Ontario until convocation
• Convocate, mom cries, I get my degree etc.
• Fly home
• Start @ Kwantlen in September 2011 to get credits I need for teachers college
• Go to teachers college, possibly in Australia

Hopefully during yoga tonight I can clear my head a bit and think this out - or at least tire my body so I can sleep on it.

xo

Jessica

Grad Photos

So here they are folks, please comment or email me to let me know which shots you like and which shots you don't like. I also have a few more, so let me know if none of these really do it for you.

Love,

Jessica

General Update

Hey Everyone!

So not too too much has been going on lately. Work is going really well, I really like my job and my co-workers are pretty awesome. I am still doing yoga and going to the barn, both of which have had really positive impacts on my life.

In my garden the scarlet runner beans aren't doing so hot. I think I am going to re-plant after letting them germinate in my kitchen first to give them a bit of a head start. I put some morning glory in as ground cover, and so far it is having no issues. At least I will have that rather than dead grass.

Here is one of my favorite photos from the barn: Randy. One day I hope to get a nice camera and do actual photography as a hobby, but for now my point and shoot will have to do. Isn't Randy a beautiful horse? I also want to get a horse, but the dream of a camera is more short term for now than the dream of having my own horse.

There are some more photos from the barn up on Redbubble, they are mixed in with my other photos, so you may have to scroll through some older ones.

Much love to you,

-Jessica

Rain

I have found that the way I view the rain has changed since I started to garden. The rain nourishes my flowers and beans, which nourish my body and my well being.

The Barn

I have recently started volunteering at Conestogo River Horseback Adventures. I had my first shift and ended up at the barn from 7:30 am until about 6:10 pm. Let me tell you, by 8:30 pm I was fast asleep in bed, and slept until around 8:00 am the next morning. Barn work is hard work! I was doing chores such as mucking stalls, grooming, tacking, untacking, giving the chickens water and catching the horses and ponies. I also was helping out with birthday parties and giving pony rides (as in leading the ponies).

One of the really cool things about volunteering at this barn is you can earn 'bucks' for how much time you volunteer for (4 bucks/hour). After earning 50 bucks I can exchange them for a 1/2 hour lesson or an hour trail ride. I am pretty pumped for the whole experience. I get to spend a ton of time outside and the weather was beautiful. I am also learning a lot about horses, their behavior and their personalities. Learning their names can be a bit difficult but I am getting there.

I don't think I am going to be able to keep up with volunteering at both the yoga studio and the barn over the school term, so I am going to have to choose. However, right now I am really enjoying both and I hope to learn a lot about myself over the summer.

Cottage

I went to Ryan's cottage for the May long weekend. From what I remember it was such a good time. We tasted the rainbow (shots of skittles vodka) and had an awesome time hanging out by the fire. Between yoga on the dock and having wayyyy too much, it was an awesome weekend. I would love to write more, but in order to write more I would have to remember more... :)

Tomapple?

I bought these really cute yellow tomatoes at Sobeys.

Did you know that there is an art to eating a tomato as if it was an apple? As it turns out, there really is. If you have never tried it, I suggest trying it over the sink your first time. It's fun!

Control

Yesterday while in Warrior I my yoga instructor said something interesting. He said "Don't ask to be strong, just be strong". Sometimes I think I lose sight over who or what is in control of my body. In the same light, I lose sight of who or what is in control of my thoughts. I choose to hold onto or to let go of toxic thoughts. I also chose where my edge is and how far I am going to push my own body. Frankly, it feels good.

In writing it may seem as if I have thrown my personal relationships out the door and I am 100% me focused. While sometimes this may seem the case I am taking some time to get to know my self better so I can contribute more to my working relationships and back off of my poisonous ones.

This reminds me of something else someone said to me, while I was FOC. I was wondering what to do about something, and the person looked at me and said "You make the choice, you are in charge". While I may not be in charge of everything this thought and mindset brings me back to myself, my thoughts and my body.

Next time I am in a predicament where I am dealing with something difficult, be it a person, something physical or a mental block I am going to think to myself:

"I am making this choice, because I am in charge; I choose that no one has stronger power over me than I do".

Yoga Struggle

Yoga last night was really hard. I had to come out of a pose, and just sit in child's pose with my face next to the floor and breathe. I probably could have had a breakdown. My body hurt. I couldn't focus. The practice room was really hot and crowded.

Last night was probably my best class. I struggled. I really really really wanted to throw in the towel.

Scrap that, last night was my best class so far. I stuck it out and had an extra long savasana. In my struggle I had personal growth and learning, and really, what more can I ask for form my practice?

Earth 390 Field Trip

I spend 10 days on a field trip, mainly in White Fish Falls, ON, mapping. While the map was cool, for me the best part was forming and strengthening relationships with my class mates. My mapping partner was super cool and the four days in the field really gave us a chance to get to know each other. It is amazing what you can learn and what comes out after 25+ hours of alone time in the woods, looking for outcrops and navigating copious amounts of juniper.

As I get older and live life more I really engage in and appreciate my relationships more and more. People are really amazing and there's something you can learn from every person you meet.

However, on the flip side, I have also learned that some people are toxic in your life. As important as it is to nurture your loving relationships it is also important to sometimes prune your life of toxicity and negativity.

Kerry Patterson Pt. 3

I love to dance: Dancing is an awesome expression of feelings, of the soul, of your heart, of whatever you need it to be. Plus, DDR kicks butt.

I give the benefit of the doubt: I do this, because frankly I believe in people.

I believe in humanity, and I believe in peace: If you don't believe in these things it is impossible for them to ever come to light.

I don't hold grudges: I have always thought that anger, jealousy and grudges only affect those that hold them. Learn your lesson and even change your behaviour so that you are more cautious, but don't bother to hold a grudge. It will just eat up your positive energy.

I believe success is measured by how happy you are, not by your bank account: "Money can't buy me love" - The Beatles

I think vegan cupcakes are just better: Have you ever had them? They're SO MOIST and DELICIOUS.

I am always up for a laugh: Laughing is good for you - and contagious. There's really no loss.

I like adventures: You know what sucks? Mundaness (I make up words, it's ok).

Be kind to me and I will return the favour: I have always heard of the golden rule, treat others as you would want to be treated. I have recently learned the platinum rule, treat others as they want to be treated. It's a good start to assume that others may want to be treated as you do, but as you learn about people how they want to be treated may be different from you, and that's totally ok.

Overall, I just love the whole quote by Kerry, but also that she is comfortable enough to spell things out. Kerry is wonderful and fabulous and I hope to continue learning from her and enjoying our friendship for a very long time.

Kerry Patterson Pt. 2

Generally speaking, my hair does whatever it wants: I can totally sympathize with this comment. You can have the nicest flat iron or the most expensive curling product, but if it's not a good hair day it just isn't.

I am political: Although I myself and not particularly political I just love how Kerry spells it out exactly how it is. She will probably take you on in debate - and do a good job at it.

My laugh is inappropriately loud: It's the best when everyone in a gathered area stops their conversations and looks. I am not trying to get attention, I am just really enjoying myself.

My favourite colour is green: I love it too, especially lime green.

I am a feminist, an anti- racist, pro-GLBT, pro-union, pro choice and I make no apologies for my beliefs: I love love love this statement. There is no fence sitting for this girl and she's not interested in being sorry if her beliefs offend you. I definitely agree with what she has said here - I think unions are great and I have NO jurisdiction to tell people who they can or cannot be in love with or be married to as far as gender/sex goes. I think racism is just a way for people to put hate on other people for internal dissatisfaction. In short, while I think that "killing babies" is not ok, I think women need to have choice and control over their bodies and no person can make that decision for any other person. I think people that are pregnant need to be supported for whatever choice they make.

More to come later...

Kerry Patterson

I volunteer. I recycle. I vote. I read. A lot. I pay it forward. I really enjoy school. Generally speaking, my hair does whatever it wants. I enjoy chai lattes basically anything with espresso in it. I like languages and Saturdays. I am political. I love scarves. My laugh is inappropriately loud. I actually enjoy watching Baseball. I enjoy discussing philosophy. I like burnt popcorn. I love acoustic guitar. Chipped nail polish irritates me. I love flowers. I don't like jam. I enjoy concerts and Jon Stewart. My favourite colour is green. I am a music enthusiast. I love brunch. I am a feminist, an anti- racist, pro-GLBT, pro-union, pro choice and I make no apologies for my beliefs. I love to dance. I give the benefit of the doubt. I believe in humanity, and I believe in peace. I don't hold grudges. I believe success is measured by how happy you are, not by your bank account. I think vegan cupcakes are just better. I am always up for a laugh. I like adventures. Be kind to me and I will return the favour.

-Kerry Patterson

I am going to be strait up and say that I directly copied this quote/paragraph from my friends facebook profile. I no way do I claim to have authorship of it's values or ideas.

However, that being said, I find this description to be very inspiring and something I would (read: did) print out and put on my bedroom wall at home. Here are some parts I particularly like and what they mean to me/ how I would like to apply them to my own life.

I volunteer: Hey world, I may not have a lot of cash but I will dedicate my time to a cause I believe in

I recycle: The earth is beautiful and this is a way I can contribute to keeping it that way. It's worth the extra three steps to put something in the blue bin rather than the garbage.

I vote: I have a voice and I will use it.

I pay it forward: Karma is amazing. Kindness doesn't spread itself on it's own.

I really enjoy school: Learning is awesome. Love what you do.

More to come on my next study break (rock mechanics is not going to learn itself).

Photos

You can check out some of my favourite photos here :)

Dear, My Body

The past few weeks have been pretty great. We've been doing a lot of hot yoga together and it has had nothing but positive effects. You're more flexible, and becoming stronger with each class. It has been so nice to connect with you and get to know you better.

I know things have been going well, and this is the main reason to apologize to you for last night. I wasn't expecting the prof to be so generous. 8+ shots in I realized that doing this wasn't really fair to all of the hard work I have been putting into you, but 8+ shots in is not a good place to be making choices about when to stop drinking.

On that note, I hope you enjoyed the walk home from geo pub night. It was a beautiful, warm night and we made it safe and sound. Also, because I didn't have to spend any money on drinks (Thanks Civil Department and Prof. D!) I can spoil you with lovely fresh fruits and veggies.

I would like to take this time to thank you for your loveliness and your hard work. You carry me around and get me to where I need to go. Your internal systems are absolutely astounding and incredible. I often marvel at your ability to heal. Thank you for putting up with my abuse. For putting up with not enough sleep. For putting up with being fed KD instead of a real meal. Thank you for giving me signals to let me know that I am not treating you properly.

You, body, are incredible. I would never trade you for another body, nor would I have reason to. You are wonderful and perfect just as you are.

Thank you for being my body.

Butternut Squash

I tossed this together, thought it was pretty tasty, and super easy. The recipe started with some help from a house mate (thanks Robyn!) then I worked on it from her inspiration.

Ingredients:

• One medium to large butternut squash
• Two cloves of garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1 tbs of cream cheese
• 1 tbs of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbs asiago cheese (or extra mozzarella)
• Parmesan to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
• Peel the squash and cut length ways, cutting a little bit off of the ends so there are no stem bits left
• Scoop out the seeds and throw out
• Brush both halves with olive oil (front and back)
• Place on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil or on a cooling rack on a baking sheet with the scooped out end facing up
• In the divot on the end of each half of the squash place a squished garlic clove and brush the clove with olive oil
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes
• Put the squash and (now) roasted garlic into a pot on low heat and mash (like mashed potatoes) with the cheeses (except the Parmesan)
• Sprinkle with Parmesan

If needed this dish can be tossed into a casserole dish with a lid and kept warm in the oven.

Alternatives:

• Add a tsp to a tbs of pesto
• Add a bit of tomato sauce
• Add some salsa and don't use Parmesan
• Instead of cheeses use roasted red pepper and chili paste with sesame seeds
• ... let me know if you come up with other cool stuff to add =D

Here is why it's good for you

Hot Yoga

So lately I have been trying out hot yoga (moksha yoga) and I love it. People told me that I would sweat, but I really had no idea until I got there. However, that's part of what makes the experience so incredible. So far I have been doing the 60 minute sessions, but eventually I would like to move up to 75 and 90 minutes.

The experience is challenging both mentally and physically. When the body is under stress we go into fight or flight and sometimes stop breathing. Part of hot yoga is focusing on the breath - sometimes that means just making sure you have air going in and out of your lungs.

This is the studio I have been going to http://www.mokshayogawaterloo.com/

Class starts soon, so I am going to leave this here.

Caio!

My Grandad Alfred

I just wanted to dedicate a post to my grandad Alfred. He's 89 years old and is training for his second Vancouver Sun run. He also carried the Olympic torch this year.

On another note, he was super awesome growing up. He taught me to play poker and always made sure I knew how lovely and wonderful I was. Grandad Alfred never is too busy to enjoy the natural beauty of simple things, like a sunset over the beach or the laughter of his loved ones.

Here is his Vancouver Sun article.

I love my grandad Alfred

Yoga

Yoga today was absolutely amazing. Just incredible.

I did an INVERTED pose today! Well, sort of. I did an assisted hand stand. However, it made me feel very empowered and like I am really making progress. We did some partner work too that was really really cool. My balance is really coming along, and I am really building my relationships with the friends I take yoga with.

So I am hooked on yoga. I love the breathing. I love the meditation. I love pushing my bodies "limits".

I love getting my zen on.

Buffalo & other

I went to Buffalo on the weekend with a really good friend as a mini road trip to the airport to pick up his girlfriend. It was the best mini road trip ever - we got to hang out, chat and really catch up. It was to nice to not have to ignore him (again) because of all of the school work I have.

Not too much other than that really... the usual going on at home. If you're looking for drama-rama you will have to wait a few more days. Then we'll really see what's what.

The Sun Will Rise

The Sun Will Rise - Vern Friesen


These are words my father has said to me many times, and just now do I feel like I am learning to live them. It may be cloudy, there could be fog, you may be on the side of a wall and not able to see anything. You could be on a beach, in the air, on a mountain or in a valley - but the sun will rise. When you're feeling good the sun will rise. When you're in rough waters the sun will rise.

The Sun Will Rise.

The Sun Will Rise.

Trinidad Journal Part 2

I feel like I should finish off the trip. The last day (Monday) was really chill; we spend the day studying and packing. Tuesday, however, was pretty high stress for parts of the day. Our first flight was delayed so we had 40 minutes to go through three American security checkpoints. Paul and I were the only ones that made the flight - and we ran. Nothing says sketchy like running through an airport with an out of country passport.

All in all it was a really memorable trip; Trinidad and Tobago were amazing.

Trinidad Journal Part 1

Monday/Tuesday

I am getting ready to go to bed for my second night in Trinidad. The first day was absolutely phenomenal. When we descended into the airport we watch the temperature go from -50 degrees Celsius (this was at 35,000 feet) to 25 degrees Celsius on the ground. We landed at 7:00 AM and had to wait for a while to go through customs, but even the long lines couldn’t get us down – we’re in TRINIDAD! We flew in to Port of Spain, and we are staying in Chaguanas.

Shane was there to greet us at the airport, it was so nice to have a familiar face on the other end. When we walked out of the air conditioned airport that’s when it really hit. It was a full ~30 degrees once you count in the humidity. There were palm trees, and we could see the northern mountains. The whole package of landing and arriving was surreal.

On our way home we stopped for doubles, which is this breakfast dish that has awesome spices and chickpeas in this bready stuff. Shane’s dad was super nice and bought them for us. Once we got home we sat down and had our first authentic Trinidad meal – it was absolutely amazing. After breakfast we all went down for naps – there was not much sleep to be had on the plane ride here.

Later on we took the maxi taxi to the beach – with stops at the side road stands for sweets and we stopped at two places for beers. Here you can drink on the street, in the cab, at the beach... it is a very different culture from Canada. Also, if you pick up a beer it’s $10 Trinidad and Tobago Dollars (TTD), which is about $2 US. I am not a big beer drinker, so I usually pick up a Smirnoff for $15 TTD (~$3). Yes, I know what you may be thinking, but this is almost LCBO prices, but at a small bar on the side of the street and you can take it to go. That’s right.... welcome to Trinidad. I got some really cool stuff called sugar cake at the sweet shop – it’s sugar and coconut and who knows what else, I don’t because it was awesome.

The beach was better than any photo can make you visualize. The sand and the water were white and blue, and we were surrounded by the northern mountains. All of us went out in to the water and played in the waves; we either body surfed or jumped up and down in motion with the little waves while we waited for a big wave. The whole experience was so care free.

For dinner Shane’s mom made us Roti, which was incredible. Shane’s mom is very hospitable and is always making sure we are happy and fed. After dinner we just hung out on the balcony sipping rum until it was time for bed.

Our second day (Tuesday) Shane made us a wonderful breakfast of sausage and scrambled eggs that had cool stuff in them. His mom bought us some sweet bread which was also tasty. We went to Carnival, which is the two days before ask Wednesday where essentially everyone parties. There is a parade with people in beautiful masquerade clothing that had feathers, sequins and tons of body glitter. There were men and women in the parade. It was so hot out, I can understand why most of the costumes were pretty much elaborate and beautifully decorated bikinis.

Shane’s mom cooked us dinner again, I will have to get the name of the dish, but it was beef, rice, peas and some more awesome spices. I am showered and ready for bed, but everyone else is still downstairs playing cards and drinking rum. Normally I would be too but we have to be up at 4:00 AM for Tobago tomorrow, I am super pumped.

Tobago! (Wednesday)

Tobago was phenomenal – I could easily describe it as a vacation away from our vacation. We took a ferry (The T&T Spirit) there; the ride was about three hours. I missed them but some of the people I was travelling with saw dolphins from the back of the ship. There was only one small deck in the back, unlike the ferries that go from the mainland to the island in Vancouver. On our way to Tobago from the back of the ship we could see Venezuela. Once we got to the island the ‘whities’ had to hide while Shane haggled with a maxi driver to get a good deal to take us to our accommodation. If locals see that you’re tourists they will always take advantage of the idea that you have plenty of money with you.

We stayed at a place called Arthurs By The Sea, which was about a block away from the beach. It was a modest little motel but it met our needs perfectly. On the day we arrived we went out a glass bottom boat tour where we got to see different fish and coral species and we even got to snorkel. It was amazing to experience how laid back the entire island is.

The evening in Tobago was really something else. I am going to say that it involved a lot of Puncheon and leave it at that.

The next morning (Thursday) we packed our things and left for a hike up to Argyle Falls. The falls were spectacular and one the way in we got to try eating the fruit of the coco tree. When we sat in the falls the falling water felt like a gentle massage. The natural beauty if the island was truly astonishing.

Just before we left for Trinidad to have some of the “Best KFC in the world”... It did the same things as normal KFC...

The ferry ride home was really chill, everyone was pretty tired.

Friday

Today was a pretty chills day, we did school work at Shane’s place in the morning and afternoon. This consisted of mainly rock mechanics, but some open channel hydraulics got in there too. In the evening we went to Shane’s friend’s place for chicken burgers and some adventure. We stopped at a side street stand for raw oysters. They are served in a cup with a concoction of sauces. I wasn’t a huge fan but they were really cool to try. We went to what we would consider to be a sketchy bar for a few drinks then headed home for more rum and cards. We played all fours and president.

Saturday

We went to a pitch lake, which was really cool to see. A sketchy tour guild totally tried to hustle Shane when he saw that the maxi was full of tourists. We ended up getting this other guy that was pretty cool. We walked out onto the lake and apparently the water that sits on top has sulphur and iron in it and is good for your skin ailments (bug bites etc).

After the pitch lake we went out to San Fernando hill which had some really cool geology.

On Saturday we visited two Hindu temples. The temples had exquisite carvings all of which were done by hand. The temples were very peaceful.

Sunday

Today we went for a boat ride and it was completely off the hook. The culture here is just so different. Not only can you drink on the streets, in cabs and on beaches, but apparently you can get loaded on boats too – including the boat driver. We drove the boat to a small island and essentially dropped anchor and partied all day. We were the loud obnoxious party boat with music and beer/whisky/rum flowing freely. There was one guy from Columbia that was by far partying the hardest. To put it bluntly he put on my dress/beach cover up and danced around in it. He also felt it was appropriate to give one of the people on the boat a full on strip show, save for pulling down the part of his underwear that covered his front intimate areas.

On a geology note, we saw some really cool iron staining, boudinage and quartz veins. There were tons of mica rich rocks too.

Trinidad Soon

I leave for Trinidad on Sunday and I will be in Port of Spain on Monday Morning at 7:00 am. Pina Coladas count as breakfast.... right? I mean, they have fruit, (coconut) milk and (ice) water. It's pretty much the breakfast of champions. I have almost everything I need before I go.

Today I have a midterm exam, but I am kind of at a zen with it. I know the exam is going to be super detailed and not cover most of what we learned so it's pretty much a crapshoot. YAY.

Save Your Scissors.

In the past two weeks I have been lied to, yelled at and have had my privacy violated. I have been blamed for things I had zero control over, and then pseudo punished for it. It really makes me wonder about thinking and thought.

I am going to resolve to be more conscious of thinking before I speak and act. No, it wasn't my lack of doing this that caused my situation, however, it is always good to learn from the actions of others. I suppose you need to take everything with a grain of salt and remember that everything is a learning experience. Sometimes you will learn that you can let your guard down, and sometimes you will learn that it needs to come up a little bit. Or a lotta bit.

That being said, it's difficult for me to scale back. I love people and I love to love them. I have found out that part of loving people is loving yourself and sometimes that means looking out for number one. Sometimes that means standing up and not letting people treat you like crap. It means calling people out on their sh!t.

The Saga...

So the saga continues. There is more drama than my life has room for. I have decided that most of the time, as an adult, people only treat you as your allow yourself to be treated. If someone invades your privacy/violates your trust you need to stand up for yourself. Sometimes what you say to do isn't "nice", but that's how it is.

Another Quote

This morning I got told to "STUFF IT" by someone. I don't think I have ever been told that before. It is going to be a very interesting and involved next couple of days/weeks/months. I find lack of communication as a form of communication very interesting, however, it very easily lends itself to miscommunication. So, I guess we will have to wait and see how things go.

On another note I have yoga today, which is always an awesome destresser as well as a strength and balance builder. Aquafit was awesome yesterday, although we did a lot of leg work so I might have to tunnel vision my way through some yoga poses today.

<3

Quote

In high school one of my teachers always had on the white board in big block letters..

SELF ESTEEM IS EARNED

I don't know if I have ever fully understood or grasped this concept, however, I feel now I understand it more than I have in the past. Feeling good about yourself, I feed, has connections to many parts of your life. Right now I am feeling more in control and balanced, even though I am busy and my schedule is sometimes hectic. This term I am putting more effort into being organized, eating properly and being active. Even though it has only been two weeks of fitness classes, I am already feel the positive benefits of having activity be a part of my schedule. I am using google calendars and a day timer to keep track of my time, due dates and dates with people. Being organized has really freed up time for critical parts of my life that in the past have been cut out.

Never let your education get in the way of your learning.

This is a quote from a prof. I have this term, and I feel that it helps to sum up the importance of life outside of school and knowing that learning is more important than education. I hope that in my life I am always learning.

Long time no blog..

Hello there friends, loved ones and strangers...

I have been so busy with school since I got back. My rock mechanics course has pretty much overtaken my life, and engineering geology and open channel hydraulics aren't far behind. However, my sedimentology course, my English course and my psych course aren't so bad. I am working part time this term and taking two fitness classes, so things have been really hectic.

Speaking of fitness classes, I am loving them! Power Yoga on the ball is really a challenge for me, but I am getting a lot out of it. It is a very non traditional yoga class focused on strength and balance. We talk and laugh through it, so that makes it pretty informal. The class also teaches breathing and really cool yoga postures. I find on my yoga days I am generally happier. Aqua fit has been really awesome too. It is one of those classes where you really work as hard as you want and you get out of it what you put in. This class has a lot of cardio work and strength training.

In other good news I found the charger for my camera battery, which is awesome because I want to take lots of pictures while I am in TRINIDAD! I am so pumped, we leave in ~16 days (Feb 14th) and we have a ton of fun stuff ahead of us! Shane (the friend of mine who lives there and who's parents own the house we're staying at) has a whole itinerary set out for us including scuba diving and swimming in coral reefs. Also, apparently there's student $20 all you can drink nights. And there's beaches. And it's 32 degrees during the day without humidex. I think it's going to be a good trip. A great trip.

Back Home

So I made it back to Waterloo, not without struggle with the god forsaken vehicle we drove here but we made it. Plus white out conditions after getting up at three thirty am/the crack of stupid, but here I am.

I am so excited for school. I really feel like now that I know I want to be a teacher I have a lot more direction and motivation. I am working really hard to stay organized. I have lots of fish to eat (supposedly brain food).

I kind of feel that in some ways Paul and I are getting to know each other again. We spent about a month and a half apart and during that time we each did some personal growing. It is neat, lovely and interesting how much you can learn about your partner and your relationship when you are alone.