loves to go retro

i'm awesome.

2008-11-30T00:28:00.002-08:00

a day in the life

2008-03-25T18:17:00.004-07:00

Last Thursday night I got my first-ever ride in the back of a police car. That's how awesome I am.

Meghan and I went to see the Daniel Wesley Band downtown. They were awesome. We left the club and the rest is history.

Seriously--for the whole story, read her blog. The quick and dirty, is that we left her nice white car prettily parked one street up. We returned to find police tape and broken glass everywhere, and her now-trashed white car half-crushed on the sidewalk, 8 feet ahead of where it was originally parked. A guy (thought to be impaired) ran a red light, hit a minivan, nailed the car parked behind us and then starting rolling onto Meghan's car. The truck hit Meghan's car so hard there were skid marks on the sidewalk from her wheels.

It blew my mind.

Anyways, the police ended up driving us home. So no, I am not a criminal. I just chose to ride in the back seat.

Because I'm a dork that way.

~Currently playing: The Beatles-Paperback Writer~

anything worth doing once is worth doing twice

2008-03-15T14:37:00.003-07:00

So who wants to try this with me?

Tijuana Jailbreak
3 parts Tequila
1 part Triple sec
Salt
Take a standard bullet, empty out the gunpowder. Fill the empty bullet casing with
salt. Prepare a short glass full of ice then add the Tequila, next add a dash
Triple sec. Slam the glass back, imbibing all liquor. Take the bullet casing and
slam the salt. Light the gunpowder and blow the doors off of any confines you
find yourself in. Run to freedom. Repeat as necessary.

they don't assign me to the world. they just let me loose.

2008-03-12T22:17:00.002-07:00

I have found something better and cheaper than Starbucks.
They call it...GELATO.
Starbucks, I renounce thee.

total eclipse

2008-02-20T20:50:00.003-08:00

So there was a total lunar eclipse this evening. This is a picture I took right at the beginning, not too long after I got home from work. You can see the bottom left is just starting to go. It was too dark for the later pictures to really turn out. This was the one I liked the best anyways.

Our boss gave us an eclipse lesson at work today. We were discussing the differences between solar and lunar eclipses. It was pretty funny with the coffee cups and staplers lined up for our astronomy lesson.

Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.

2008-02-19T19:01:00.004-08:00

Strolling oh-so-casually down Third Avenue this morning on my way to work, I was enmeshed in the present. What would I do at work? Would there be any argyle in the workplace this lovely day? Would more snow melt?

And then, all of a sudden, I was taken back.

To the future.

I glanced to my left, and there, in all its glory, was Marty McFly's De Lorean. It was grey. Not so shiny. There was a fire extinguisher in the back window. I did a major double take and nearly danced a jig on the sidewalk. I am sure the people in the insurance office next to me were probably laughing. But who cares? It was the De Lorean!

I nearly expected Doc Brown to dash out of the insurance office and spirit me away to 1955.

Of course, in the end, it was missing a few essential components. Such as the flux capacitor. And Marty McFly himself. But it made my day.

And now that I think of it...a certain upper-level poli-sci prof I had at TRU bore a very strong resemblance to said Marty McFly, give or take 25 years.
Doc Brown: The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?
~Currently playing: Canucks vs Wild~

jiminy cricket!

2008-02-18T19:58:00.002-08:00

So my friends at Rolling Stone have turned me on to the best website ever. Or maybe just the best website this week. It's called musicovery.com and it's fabulous. The kind of website you could get lost for hours on. Go on and try it, I dare you.

In other news, apparently I may become Meghan's conscience. That's what she said, I'm not going to be so vain as to proclaim it. But I'm just tellin' ya, the potential is there. In the course of this discussion, it led me to think of Pinocchio. Yes, the wooden boy. And his little conscience dude. Jiminy Cricket. Yep, just call me Jiminy Cricket. I even have an umbrella. But mine is pink. And I'm not a cricket. But whatever. You see the connection.

That's all.

tag

2008-01-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Well, Meghan has tagged me to share my top 5 websites. I think it's just a cheap ploy to force me to make a post. I protested that if I didn't read HER post, I didn't have to do it. But since she tied me to my desk chair and told me about it, apparently that means I have to post. Without further ado:

1. Snopes
-Urban Legends Reference Pages. I am addicted to this site. I literally visit it every day. When I have time, I am on it for longer than an hour at a stretch.

2. MSN
-The real MSN. Not that pansy-ass msn.ca, the real deal. I want news! I want to know what is going on in the American election primaries! I want to know what celebrity has fallen into a hole lined with sharpened toothbrushes the day it happened, not two days later! I want headlines, headlines, headlines!

3. Weather Network
-Yes, I'm a huge dork. I compulsively check the weather, especially at work as I don't have a window to check it out with my own eyes. Which is why I don't find out until the end of the day that the weather people lied to me yet again.

4. BSC Headquarters blog
-Okay. I may be a dork, but not so much of a dork that I still read BSC books as a serious endeavour. Which is why I read this blog that is so awesome. She's about my age. She read a BSC book, then posts about how much less cool it is now that she's not like ten years old. It is vastly entertaining.

5. The Synchronicity of Indeterminacy
-So I don't read this one every day, but it's definitely in my top 5 because it is so unique and cool. He finds a photo online and writes a short story about it. He actually did one of my pictures a couple of years ago. Anyways, it's a very creative and funky vibe that I get from his blog and I love it.

that great philosophical question...

2007-12-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Tara: How can you ignore a lime?

2007-10-31T21:13:00.001-07:00

So, it's that time again. I failed miserably last year. I haven't really figure out why, my only explanation is sheer laziness.
I'm more ambitions this year.
It will be done.
One way or another.
I know it's a little late, but on the eve of National Novel Writing Month, the question I'm struggling with is simply this:

Shall I write something easy and meaningless, and in doing so ratchet up my word count quickly and painlessly?
or
Shall I write something hard, yet potentially meaningful, and in doing so muddle along slowly and painfully, and hope for the best?

I've tried it both ways: in 2005, I wrote a piece of horror fiction that sent me sky-rocketing past 50, 000 words with time to spare; in 2006, I wrote (or started to write) a piece that I am still unable to classify and didn't finish. The latter piece has been languishing at 15, 000 words for the past year. But it haunts me.

And so the question is, do I go for the glory of a fast, painless finish, or do I muddle along and hopefully triumph over something more difficult? Considering the even starts in mere hours, I don't have long to decide. Both ends have their temptations.

All I can say is, I'm glad I have a couple of bottles of wine handy. You may not see me until December. And when you do, the wine will likely be gone. Hopefully by then I will have made up my mind over which road to take.

Every writer I know has trouble writing. ~Joseph Heller

2007-10-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. It has been awhile.
There's really not that much new.
I do, however, want the world to know that Guitar Hero rocks my socks off.
My brother just got it and I played it at my parents' house on Thanksgiving for the first time. And it is truly the greatest thing ever. It's almost as good as Super Mario, in its various incarnations. And we all know I love Mario.
So I'm currently trying to justify purchasing an XBox 360 to myself. Followed by Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero III. And whatever other Guitar Hero games there are.
NaNoWriMo is coming up. I think I actually have an idea for it. Which is good. Hopefully I can get further than I got last year. Go NaNoWriMo!
And that's about all I've got.

times when i should have said 'yes'

2007-07-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Phone: *rings*
Me: Hello, thank you for calling....Jessica speaking, how may I help you?
Caller: Are you an answering machine?
Me: . . . No . . . ?

Yes, this actually happened.

I was going to blog about the almight duotang and its seeming disappearance off the face of the earth, as well as the bizarreness of its name, but it turns out Duotang is brand name and really has no history whatsoever aside from being a folder for schoolchildren.

white wedding

2007-07-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I'm a slacker, I know. I haven't posted anything about the shower, bachelorettes or wedding. So I guess this is it.

Let's see...a bridal shower was held for me a few weeks before the wedding. It was a surprise. Josh told me we were driving out to Lumby for some made up reason and we got there and there was a big sign that said "Congratulations Jess" in hot pink spray paint on the front of the house. So it was cool. We played silly games and ate food. It was cool to see everyone pre-wedding like that. That was on a Sunday.

On the Friday of the same weekend, the Kamloops ladies took me out for a bachelorette. I was "kidnapped" by Tara after work and we proceeded to Hoodoos for a nice dinner with Lisa, Jenny and Meghan. It was...interesting. Our dinner conversation is not the norm apparently. From there we took off to Central for the bachelorette version of rock trivia. Between getting my shirt signed (and being hit on by one of the signers...what part of 'bride to be' are you not able to read there?), drinking Smirnoff ice out of a giant red plastic penis, wearing a tiara with tiny silver penises (penii?) and a toilet paper veil, it was an interesting night. All I know was I was rather drunk by the end...I think some tequila was mixed in there somewhere, courtesy of Lorne, and a blowjob shot courtesy of Kyle and friend...it was a fabulous time even though I kept complaining the girls were being mean with their task list...by the end it just no longer mattered.

The second bachelorette was, I believe, the next Friday, with a bunch of the old gang in Kelowna. Dinner at Boston Pizza wearing yet another penis tiara was interesting...the male waiter and I had a bit of a hard time looking each other in the eye. I was decked out in some other interesting bachelorette couture and taken to Flashbacks from there. I had always wanted to go to Flashbacks and it was a cool bar, but they played crappy music, whereas they used to play rock. There are some interesting pictures on the dancefloor there, I am quite sure.

So that was all the pre-wedding hoopla.

Now, the wedding. Friday was spent picking up last minute food, etc with my mom, then meeting everyone at the hall to decorate and have a rehearsal and dinner. That was an exhausting day. I recall one moment of escape, sitting in the sandbox filling the paper-bag lights with sand. It was crazy. My Auntie Val had come up and was there hanging out with everyone, which was really cool as I haven't seen her for ages and she is the self-proclaimed 'favourite aunt' even though we are no blood relation at all.

Then came the big day. Up early to have hair done, met the girls at the hair place. The hair was fabulous, Amanda did an amazing job. Then it was back to my mom's for makeup and a bite to eat. I think we all managed to eat something. And of course we drank champagne and orange juice. Everyone finished getting ready, the photographer arrived and it was a whirlwind from then on. He took photos of us finishing up, getting in the car to the tune of 'White Wedding' while all of the neighbours watched. We took a cruise through town, but not many people were out and about, then headed out to the hall. A white car was just in front of us, and I saw a young lady looking at a piece of paper. It was Sarah! We passed her and she knew exactly where to turn when she figured out who was in front of her. We arrived at the hall, had the ceremony outside, it was hot--super, amazingly July-like hot. There were some funny moments during the ceremony which Josh and I both got a kick out of. Then it was done! Josh and I were married. From there it was a few hours of picture taking, then dinner, speeches, cake (the almighty Led Zeppelin cake!), dancing and talking to people.

My brother got amazingly drunk, Moore's told Josh that Evan's suit was the dirtiest one they'd ever had returned. There were some other pretty drunk people there too. Between Evan the drunk groomsmen, Jeeps, photos, Brian's 'Save a Horse' experience and the million other things I haven't mentioned, it was a pretty good time.

I may elaborate in future posts, but I make no guarantees. I think it'll be more likely that I post a picture or two. I just figured I should summarize the event for all who don't know about it, since it has been just over a month now. I've been working full-time for the past three weeks, and have been fairly busy. Hopefully I will start posting again more regularly now that the grand summary is finished.

~Currently playing: Traveling Wilburies-Handle With Care~

don't panic

2007-05-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

It has recently (like in the past ten minutes or so) come to my attention that today is... Towel Day!

If you are a fan of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you will have already understood Towel Day. And the title of my post. In which case, you should be carrying a towel around with you today in homage. Or contemplating the greatness that is the Guide. Or whatever.

If you have not read The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, do it. Now.

When hitch-hiking across the galaxy, a towel is perhaps your most essential item to have.

Just ask Douglas Adams.

"There's a frood who really knows where his towel is."--The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

~Currently playing: 98.3 CIFM~

can't you just see it?

2007-04-23T21:15:00.001-07:00

a hint of...obsession

2007-04-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

I think I am developing an unholy obsession with iced mochas (sans whipping cream) from Starbucks. Which is disturbing, because I used to abhor Starbucks. But now I have an iced mocha, well, practically every day. Just now I caught myself thinking of that cold chocolate-y coffee goodness, wishing I had one. My last one was yesterday. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), the nearest Starbucks is too far away for a night-time tryst and I neither own, nor want to own, a coffee maker. Nor do I have any milk. So I will have to live without.

In other news, I hate can openers. Violently. Unashamedly. Delightedly.
Spiteful buggers, they are.

~Currently playing: 98.3 CIFM~

i'll be watching you

2007-04-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, this post is about something that happened to me at the end of work yesterday. At work, I answer the phone until 5:15.

At 5:10, the phone rang. So I answered it. I said my little thing I say when I answer the phone. Nobody said anything. All I could hear was TV news about some murder or rape in the background. It was really loud.

Then there was this heavy breathing in my ear. I looked down at the call display. There was no name, just a phone number. Then the breathing turned into very low whispering. Which was very creepy sounding. I couldn't really make out the words. All I really heard was "I...". It could have been anything, sounded similar to "I can see you" or something. Totally creepy.

Anyways, right after the creepy whispery words the call was cut off. All I saw of the phone number was the first three numbers. Then about two seconds later Meghan came through the door. Thinking she'd played a trick on me, I asked her about it. But she hadn't. Then we were both freaked out.

Then I had to go around the mostly empty building by myself and make sure it was all locked up.

So that was my first heavy-breathing stalker phone call ever. I just thought I'd share that with everyone.

~Currently playing: Trapper's Delight Canucks vid~

ohhhh ryan smyth, i hope you are as good as i think you are...

2007-04-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

So. Meghan says I should post. I don't really have that much to say.

The other day we heard a rumour that Ryan Smyth could be back playing in Alberta next year, but not for the Edmonton Oilers. Rather, he would play for the Calgary Flames (or Phlegm, as Josh so fondly calls them).

My immediate response to that was "Never in a million years".
In fact, I am so confident that Ryan Smyth, the quintessential Edmonton Oiler, will never play for his career-long arch-rivals the Calgary Flames that I told Josh I would eat an entire bottle of ketchup if he signed with the Flames.

We now have a document, signed by me, stating this fact.

For the record, I can't stand ketchup. For which reason, I am really hoping Ryan Smyth backs me up on this.

In other news, last Friday was the best rock trivia ever. It involved table dancing (hello, Miss Meghan), a dance off (Meghan again), Monty's crazy dancing (accompanied by Jenny) and tequila. I have to say the dance off was the best thing ever, it reminded me of the walk-off in Zoolander, except no underwear was removed. All I can say is that it's a good thing none of us really cared whether we lost that jug of beer in the great dance off of 2007. Otherwise Meghan might have been in trouble.

~Currently playing: Vancouver Canucks vs Dallas Stars, Game 1 ~

wheee

2007-03-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

So, at first I thought the highlight of my Friday night, aside from the Blazers game, was going to be walking into Central with a huge orange foam finger on my hand.

And it was rather bizarre and entertaining.

But then we went to the Blue Grotto after rock trivia to catch the end of the Young 'Uns set.

And that was when Meghan and Kate played air guitar for like an entire AC/DC song in the middle of the dance floor.

Best. Thing. Ever.

Saturday was cool--had a bit of a shopping spree, went to the Blazers game again (too bad they lost Friday and Saturday). My parents, brother and the pseudo-billet (I say pseudo-billet because A. he's not Trevor and B. the season is done) came out for the game and dinner at East Side Mario's. My mom, for some unknown reason, although probably cider-related, told some people from Alberta (who were rather inebriated) that my brother and the pseudo-billet were drafted by Florida.

What. The. F***?

When asked
A. Why?
She said "Because I'll never see them again and they were saying stuff like that to me also."
B. Why Florida?
She said "I couldn't think of any other teams."

My mom loves the Canucks. This conversation was definitely cider-related.

In other news, I am addicted to both Ricki's and Archie Comics.

~Currently playing: Tom Petty DVD ~

random

2007-03-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

So New West won both of this past weekend's games. More info can be had from the Osoyoos Spurs blog, since that's where I found the update. Nothing concrete yet about all-star selections.

In other hockey news, bras are the new white. White towels, that is. Watching the Canucks game last night was bizarre, to say the least. Jeff Cowan scored the first goal. His fourth in three games. And Jeff Cowan scored the fifth goal. And people started throwing things on the ice. Including...a bra. And now, it's bra fever, apparently. They were even talking about it on Pratt&Taylor today. Will the team that started the white towel craze be starting a bra craze? You just gotta laugh at that.

I also discovered today that one of my favourite TV shows, Bones, stems from a series of books by Kathy Reichs. Set in Canada, no less. And so, since I now own and have read every Michael Slade novel, I guess I'll be moving on to that. Working a block away from my favourite bookstore is doing no favours to my bank account.

weekend

2007-03-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well then.

I forgot how much fun cheesy karaoke night was. Especially when the DJ is wearing a Calgary Flames jersey. Meghan, your rendition of 'We're Here For a Good Time' will go down in infamy.

Friday night was rock trivia. We suffered. Badly. But it was still fun.

And last night, of course, was Canucks PPV. They pulled it out in the end, I was rooting for Cowan to get the hat-trick, cos that would have been just hilarious. Every time I watch a PPV game it seems to go to a shoot-out.

Currently awaiting the latest WHA updates re: scores and all-star selections. As far as I am told by players, it is supposed to be the all-star team going to Ontario. Apparently the team they are to play over in Ontario is an all-star-like team itself. Anyways, I really have nothing new right now as far as that goes, will post when I do.

saints saga continued.

2007-03-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not really ready to go into the rest of the Saints/WHA thing right now, which I alluded to below, because there's still so much uncertainty surrounding it all. I've been told one thing by some people "in the know", but one of the main league blogs is saying something completely different, updated yesterday.

Anyways, here's a link to a Globe and Mail article I found today, which explains a bit and is just the tip of the iceberg, it seems.

bad blood

2007-02-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

This is what happened.

As some of you may know, my brother has been playing hockey this season for the Lumby Fighting Saints of the new WHA junior league. The league is basically the equivalent of the KIJHL. Earlier, I was going to post about the awesome playoff run these boys are having. But I'll save that for later.

On Friday when I got off work (yes, I have a new job--part time and temporary, as a receptionist) Josh and I drove out to Lumby for the second game in the Saints' series against the New Westminster Whalers. The series is for the western league championship.

These two teams have hated each other pretty much from day one. In their first game of the season against each other, the Saints won 10-2. This game was a lot closer. 4-3 to be exact. In the Whalers' favour. There was a bit of rough stuff on the ice during the game. But it was what happened after that this is really about.

The Whalers left the ice at the far gate to go to their dressing room, while the Lumby players left the ice on the side where most of the crowd sits to go to their own dressing room. The Whalers basically had to run the gauntlet of a lot of young fans to get to their room. The fans were all kids--ranging from about age 6 to high schoolers. And all of them were shouting various taunts at the players, who responded with taunting and cheering of their own. One kid, standing almost right next to us (we were at that end of the ice), was about six years old. He was yelling some things and squirted some water in their direction. A New West player broke from the line and took a swing at him. As I was stepping toward him, yelling "You can't do that!", one of the last Lumby players leaving the ice came flying in, having seen the incident, and went after the New West player. Then Josh jumped between them, trying to separate them, and a bunch of fans and New West players jumped into the fray. Josh's mom followed, trying to separate people, while both Lumby and New West's coaches jumped in, and more people started coming from other parts of the arena, either to watch or join in. I was watching the Lumby dressing room, making sure no more players were about to come out and join, since there were already a lot of New West players out there. One girl, about fifteen, was standing behind me, still yelling and taunting the New West players. I told her to shut up and she had a bit of a hissy fit. Another guy we know came down and was pulling the Lumby coach away, and the cops got there (they were already at the game somewhere) and eventually the whole thing got broken up. I was pissed off at the whole display and stomped off to wait in the stands. Josh's mom gave a statement to the police about what happened and they told her nothing was going to come of it. It was over.

So we went home and had pizza and rehashed the entire thing for the rest of the night.
Those kids should not have been there when the New West players were leaving the ice. They should have been cleared out. It was clear to me before the entire thing happened, having seen what can happen on previous occasions in other places. The New West player should have known better than to take a swing at a little kid. Neither coach should have been involved, and there should have been better security present.

And I nearly forgot, Josh and I went to pick up the pizza. A woman from out of town who came to watch her kids play for Lumby that weekend was there also. We'd been there a few minutes when the WHA bus pulled up and New West's coach came in, expecting them to have instant pizza ready to go on the bus. He got all pissed off because it was going to take twenty minutes, and they left.

So that's what happened that night. I was standing right there. Saw it all with my own eyes. In retrospect, the coaches actually jumped in for a slightly different reason that I'll have to go into later because I don't have all the details, but it didn't have much to do with the original brouhaha at all. Suffice to say, there is more WHA news which is an entirely different rant altogether.

~Currently playing: Traveling Wilburies-Handle With Care; U2&Greenday-The Saints Are Coming; Tone Loc-Funky Cold Medina~

2007-02-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

So, the Tragically Hip show was cool. The opener was the Sadies. They were kinda bizarre, some of their stuff was weird, some was okay. Every song made me think of something different, although I can't remember what any of it was now. Suffice to say it was stuff that you normally wouldn't identify all with a single entity.
Our seats were on the floor which was kinda cool...except I couldn't see half the time, the security was retarded and during the encore the woman in front of me kept jumping on her chair. Unfortunately, the Hip did not play either Fireworks or Grace, Too, so I was slightly disappointed. However, they did play 50 Mission Cap, which was my favourite of the night.
Here's the setlist:
1. The Lonely End of the Rink --pretty good, hadn't heard it much
2. New Orleans Is Sinking --awesome, of course
3. Summer's Killing Us
4. It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken
5. The Drop-Off
6. Boots Or Hearts --fabulous, I love this song
7. In View --good, new single
8. Poets --super awesome cool
9. Long Time Running --if you know me, you know I don't love slow songs, but I actually really enjoyed this one
10. World Container
11. Springtime in Vienna
12. At the Hundredth Meridian --kickass
13. Ahead By a Century --mmm droooool
14. The Kids Don't Get It
15. Fully Completely
16. Wheat Kings --another fabulous slow hit
17. Family Band
18. Fifty-Mission Cap --I already said this was awesome and I stand by my statement. I love this song. Probably one of my Hip top 3.
19. Fire In the Hole
Encore:
1. On a Night Like This
2. Yer Not the Ocean
3. Blow At High Dough --Of course they ended with this, it's what they ended with last time I saw them too. And of course it was cool.

So, yeah...what else is new? Looking for a new job, but don't know what said job should be. Have been doing wedding planning. Been to some of Evan's hockey games. I think I need a wedding planner. Hah. Anyways. That's all for now. Maybe when I'm bored again later I'll do more...

no dress rehearsal, this is our life

2007-01-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

So...happy new year.

I think my blog was going through an existential crisis. It's over now. It exists.

So, according to Brian, the best place to start is the beginning. That would be, according to my last post, the day after Halloween. But not much happened that day.

So, I will move forward. I don't remember much between then and my birthday. I probably worked a lot and went to rock trivia a couple of times.
The day before my birthday, we went to rock trivia and it was cool. Except for when Drew told the bar in general that I would give any single guys rides home. But I must admit, it was funny. Mostly cos I was kinda drunk at that point. Tequila and amaretto were ingested. Likewise with bartenders' rootbeers. Those were quite magical. For the actual birthday, I went to Tony Roma's for dinner with my parents and Josh. I drank a lot of Baileys. Josh discovered he liked amaretto. All in all, a good day.

Christmas was cool, we went to Armstrong and Mabel Lake, I made an appearance in a church for Christmas Eve mass. I can see some people going "whaaaat?" here. You know who you are.
Moving into New Year's Eve. We watched a couple of movies--The Breakup (meh) and Almost Famous (always love that one)--and the Seattle fireworks.

Moving forward again, I found out last Thursday that my store is closing. Which sucks. I wanted to find a new job anyways, but now I am forced in circumstances beyond my control. And I don't even know what I want to do for a job now. Or anything. So instead of the blog going through the existential crisis, I guess now it's me. Well, I know I exist. I just don't know what I'm doing I guess. Or what I want to do. Blah.

And, fast-forwarding to today: Tonight is the Tragically Hip show and I am excited for that. Usually when I'm going to a concert I go crazy waiting for it and I'm like ready to explode with excitement a week in advance. But I actually forgot we were going to the Hip and when it was. Unreal. And I'm not quite ready to explode, although I imagine I will be by later on. And hopefully tomorrow I will be here to give a rave review.

Now, I have to tell you, I have seen the Hip before, with Miss Laura in 2002. And I was hyper-excited for that and couldn't wait to hear allll the hits. But this time, the one song I am more excited to hear than any other is Grace, Too. When they did that one live before, it was awesome. I would also love to hear Fireworks live, as they didn't do that one when I saw them before and it is one of my favourite songs of all time.

~Currently playing: Tom Petty-Learning To Fly; Tragically Hip-Grace, Too; Travelling Wilburies-Handle With Care~

what ever happened to velma dinkley?

2006-11-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Velma Dinkley was last seen on Friday night with Marilyn Monroe, Zorro and the Bride of Frankenstein next to a kissing booth at Central Station Pub. Dinkley, co-star of Scooby Doo, The New Scooby Doo Movies, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, What's New Scooby Doo?, Scooby Doo Where Are You!, the Scooby Doo movie and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, seemed to have fallen off the radar in recent years. The sighting was confirmed by many present at the pub.

In related news, Jennifer Popoff, Leanne Corrigan, Jessica Macaulay, Lisa Batstone and an entity known as 'Val', were not noticeably present at Friday's rock trivia event, leaving people wondering: where were they?
Velma Dinkley, on the case as usual, unmasked Lisa Batstone posing as Zorro. Batstone and Dinkley then noted that Marilyn Monroe's cleavage had a clear resemblance to none other than Leanne Corrigan, while the kissing booth looked remarkably like Jennifer Popoff in a silver cardboard box. Aided by Popoff, Dinkley established the true identity of the Bride of Frankenstein to be 'Val'.
Velma Dinkley vanished soon after the final round of rock trivia, having never discovered the whereabouts of Macaulay, in spite of the song "American Girl" being dedicated to 'Jessica' by an unidentified personage wearing a cardboard box.
Rumour has it that Macaulay awoke the next morning amid a pile of orange and red clothing and a brown wig, saying "Jinkies!" to herself.

Rock trivia DJ: What are you doing over there Jay?
Rock trivia announcer guy (Jay): I'm getting to know Velma better. We're gonna go solve a mystery.

2006-10-31T22:21:00.000-08:00

Well I was just watching stuff on YouTube when I found a video I thought I'd share. This is from the Tom Petty concert I was at in July when Eddie Vedder sang 'The Waiting' with Tom Petty.

sometimes you just gotta have your baileys

2006-10-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

2006-10-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost time for National Novel Writing Month again. I just finished signing up. I'm preparing in advance this year, which should help, considering I knew about it for about two days beforehand last year. Of course, in spite of the dilly-dallying last year, I still managed to finish the fifty thousand words. So this year I should do even better. I hope.

Did some rock trivia last night. Kinda kicked ass, we came in second. Very bizarre evening in some ways. Cleavage Row shall go down in infamy.

We're heading down to Osoyoos tonight for Evan's hockey game. That should be interesting. We saw them thwomp New Westminster last week.

Anyways, join NaNoWriMo.

I dare you.

~Currently playing: Black Crowes-Hard To Handle~

the haunting

2006-09-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

So this is a work related post. But it's not the boring part of work. Herein, The Haunting will be discussed. Intriguing, n'est-ce pas?

I firmly believe that my store is haunted. At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But now I don't. This goes pretty far back, I think February is the earliest I can remember anything strange happening. This would be the Case of the Shorts. We had some orange and grey shorts folded lengthwise on shelves to the right of the cash desk, orange side up. There were days when, about once an hour, I would look over and see the top pair of shorts folded exactly right, but with the grey side up. This would happen all day long. This is the kind of thing one would attribute to a customer looking at the shorts. But February is a horrible, dull, boring month where very few customers enter the store on a given day. There are long stretches where nobody enters the store. And the shorts would be flipped just the same.

Then there's the Back Room. Our back room is always cold. Sometimes freezing. Perhaps this indicates...a presence.

Let's not forget the fact that I, and others, frequently see movement out of the corners of our eyes, but nothing is there. This happens most frequently in two sections of the store. One is the front girls section, which is by the window, so it wouldn't be unusual to think you saw something when it was just someone outside the window. But it also happens in the very back section, near where we had those infamous shorts folded.

Now, let us move on to the Case of the Disappearing Shirts. About a month and a half ago, we were doing a pretty big layout. Tanya and I were working on Girls Shop 2, which is the middle of the wall, basically. We took everything out of that shop and either hung it on the adjacent rack, or threw it on the counter. One of the things we put on the counter was a set of shirts. There were pink ones, white ones, and blue ones. When we went to put everything back in the shop, we could not find the blue shirts. I thought someone had taken them and hidden them as a joke, and went and asked. As in, the jig's up guys, give the shirts back. Nobody knew what I was talking about. We searched the entire store, top to bottom for those blue shirts. We never found them. We have not since found them. The blue shirts vanished. Tanya and I have since wondered if we were delusional--did we really have any of those blue shirts left? But we both distinctly remember putting three colours--pink, blue and white--of that shirt on the counter.

This brings me to last night, when I was happily playing with numbers at the far end of the counter (incidentally, the end near the infamous rack and where the infamous blue shirts were put). Playing with numbers entails putting the daily budgets for the next month on a tracking sheet and adding them all up. For this, I was using the calculator. I was happily punching in numbers and getting answers and writing them on the sheet, when all of a sudden the calculator reset itself to zero. Well that was weird, I thought to myself. Maybe I accidentally hit the zero button. So I started happily punching numbers in again. And a minute later, the calculator reset itself again. And I knew my finger was nowhere near the zero button. Well fine then, I thought. It's the ghost. Leave me alone ghost, there are no customers and I'm having a good time here playing with my numbers. And that was the end of it.

Rumor has it that other stores in the mall experience weird occurrences from time to time, so you see I am not entirely crazy. It's just that logical explanations only stretch so far, and the thing that really did it for me, without a doubt, was those shirts disappearing. I know there is something. I just know it. And that, my friends, is The Haunting.

~Currently playing: Derek and the Dominoes-Layla; Eagle Eye Cherry-Save Tonight; Lynyrd Skynyrd-Sweet Home Alabama~

2006-09-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

The Kamloops Blazers are off and running. We went to their home opener tonight, they beat Portland 6-3. It was an awesome game. The Blazers scored some beautiful goals and had a lot of good chances--a welcome change from last year. Even their powerplay had already improved. I'm hoping they can keep this up, at least for awhile. They also had the coolest first intermission ever--they had a band out on the ice! Kickass. I do have some questions for the Blazers though. I thought of a lot of these during the pre-season, but they still apply.

11 Burning Questions for the Kamloops Blazers:
1. When are you going to get rid of the 18+ minute intermissions? Even when they have a band playing, it's too long!
2. When are you going to get a real coach and put Dean Clark back in his place as GM?
3. Do we really need a Devan Dubnyk lookalike goalie?
4. Can we tie the goalie to the net?
5. Will I ever win the 50/50 jackpot?
6. Can we please improve the powerplay? (Tonight was a start...but we want more!)
7. Can't the camera guy at least pretend to want to put me on the big screen?
8. Can the bizarre Russian instrumental be lost...permanently?
9. Will you please make the playoffs?
10. Will you please make it past the first round of playoffs?
11. Will you chain the fans to their seats so they can't start leaving with six minutes left in the game?

And one request:
Keep 'Takin Care of Business'. It's your song. Don't change it. You need it.

2006-09-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

Today was Josh's birthday. I let him get a new TV the other day, that was his present. We went for dinner at the pub in Armstrong, then we checked out the first game of the new WHA junior hockey league. My brother was playing for the Lumby team, which was kinda cool. The Lumby Fighting Saints beat the Armstrong Sharks 6-4. Take note of that folks, it was a moment in history. I guess I should also make note of the fact that the referee looked like a candy cane--his jersey was red and white stripes, instead of the traditional black and white stripes with red armband.

So, happy birthday to Josh.
Oh, and happy birthday to Stephen King, it was his today also.

never a dull moment in Mid-World...

2006-09-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

If you are a Stephen King fan, you'll understand why I found this bumper sticker so funny when I saw it available online...
Hehe.

damn yankees

2006-09-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Johnny Damon used to be hot, but now he's just a Yankee.
I mean, seriously. He played for the coolest team in baseball, he had that long, shaggy hair and he had that scruffy beard. Then he decided that breaking the curse and winning the world series wasn't good enough, and that he needed more money, so he had to go and start playing for the Yankees. And they made him cut his hair and be all clean-shaven and boring. Just another Yankee. Bah. The conclusions I come to when I watch SportsNet News, I tell you.

I googled my name the other day and my own blog didn't come up. That's kind of sad. It used to come up. Al's blog came up. That's almost sadder. But I guess it's because he has a link titled Jessica Macaulay. Maybe by shamelessly plugging my own name just now, my blog will now come up when I google said name.

Anyways, the fall of Johnny Damon and googling my name are about all that I can think of to write about today. NaNoWriMo is coming up again and I'm working on developing a story idea before the actual start of the contest. I thought that might be a good idea. Considering I wasted a week last year on coming up with the story idea. Feel free to make suggestions.

~Currently playing: The Beatles-Eleanor Rigby~

turn off the radio

2006-09-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, as many may know, I have this bizarre love/hate relationship with the city of Kamloops. I'm not exactly sure where my love of it comes from, but I've pinpointed at least one source of the hate. That would be when one of CIFM's DJs says:
"And kicking off the next rock block, Def Leppard."
I hate Def Leppard. With a fiery passion.
And the bloody radio sees fit to play it on a constant basis.
So, for me, Def Leppard sums up all that I hate about Kamloops.
Like, when I'm at the bar, and they play "Pour Some Sugar On Me", and I'm sober so it just makes me angry instead of drunk angry. And I make Lisa dance to it for no particular reason. Which makes absolutely no sense because...I hate Def Leppard. Or when they play it at rock trivia and I know the band because I know that hated voice, but I don't know the name of the bloody song because...I hate Def Leppard. It seems like everyone in this city loves Def Leppard, except me. And sometimes I think they play Def Leppard on purpose, just to piss me off. Def Leppard is the soundtrack to the bad parts of Kamloops. That's what I think.

In other news, I just finished reading a book of Shirley Jackson's short stories. Of approximately thirty stories, I understood about two. One of them was 'The Lottery', and the only reason I understood that one is because I've heard and read so much about it. All of the other ones just didn't make sense to me. It was like they were stories about nothing--random snippets of everyday life. And then they just ended. Imagine Forrest Gump ending when he was drinking Dr. Pepper at the White House. Just BAM, done. The writing was good, but the stories seemed pointless to me.

If this sounds paranoid or anything, it's likely because this is my fourth straight day off and I'm getting cabin fever. Not to mention I've had a cold for like a week and a hal

~Currently playing: 98.3 CIFM~

2006-08-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

I thought this thing someone sent to me was kinda cool, so I did it for my blog. It's like a movie soundtrack.
1. Open your music player (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, etc).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question press the next button.
6. Some songs fit perfectly and some really don't!

Here is mine:
OPENING CREDITS: Stereophonics-Mr. Writer
WAKING UP: Matt Mays and El Torpedo-On the Hood
FALLING IN LOVE: Bruce Springsteen-The Rising
FIGHT SCENE: Led Zeppelin-Ramble On
BREAKING UP: Alice Cooper-No More Mr. Nice Guy
GETTING BACK TOGETHER: Linkin Park-The End
SECRET LOVE: The White Stripes-Hardest Button to Button
LIFE'S OKAY: Colin James-Voodoo Thing
MENTAL BREAKDOWN: NOFX-Please Play This Song on the Radio
DRIVING FLASHBACK: Buffalo Springfield-For What It's Worth
PARTYING: Red Hot Chili Peppers-Dani California
HAPPY DANCE: Huey Lewis and the News-Hip To Be Square
REGRETTING: Hawksley Workman-We Still Need a Song
LONG NIGHT ALONE: The Travelling Wilburies-Handle With Care
THE NEXT MORNING: Divinyls-I Touch Myself
FINAL BATTLE: INXS-Devil Inside
DEATH SCENE: Audioslave-Doesn't Remind Me
END CREDITS: CCR-Fortunate Son

2006-08-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is Leanne, Jenny and I with some guy and the Stanley Cup. Oh wait, I think the guy is Mark Recchi. Yeah, that's it. And the Stanley Cup. In Interior Savings Centre. We decided to be nice and let Mark be in our picture. Since he won it and all.
We were in line at 10:30 this morning and the showing didn't start until 11. There were probably 400 people ahead of us in the line. When we left, the lineup stretched from the inside of one end of the arena to the other, out the door, to the corner, and down the block. That was at 12:40. The showing was supposed to end around 1. I have a feeling it will go longer. Considering there were still like a thousand people waiting. Good thing we went early.

I saw Jimi Hendrix...

2006-08-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

...at the Pike Street Market. He walked right by me. Almost touched me. But that was nothing compared to later that night when I was breathing the same air as Tom.

And now...without further ado...Tom Petty. I'll just give y'all a rundown of the concert itself, the actual trip will come at a later date. The songs are mostly in order. I think.

1. Listen To Her Heart
What a great first song. He dove right in there.

2. You Don't Know How It Feels
The only thing better than a great first song is a great second song.

3. I Won't Back Down.

4. Refugee

5. Saving Grace (from new album)

6. Free Fallin'

7. Square One (from new album)

8. Learning To Fly
Acoustic and truly fabulous. That was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I might have drooled. Beautiful.

9. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
This would be the duet he did some years back with Miss Stevie Nicks. He introduced the band right before the song, and continued with "...and we have an honourary Heartbreaker, she's a very good friend of ours...here's Miss Stevie Nicks", and out walked Stevie. I nearly fell over. She looked the same as she ever did and it was a fantastic performance.

10. I Need To Know
Sung by Stevie Nicks, with Tom Petty as backup. Stevie stuck around after that, singing backup on songs and doing the tambourine. Fabulous.

11. The Waiting
Wait for it...wait for it...there's more. Sayeth Tom: "Lots of people have done covers of our songs over the years, but I like this one best when...Eddie Vedder sings it!" And out walks Eddie Vedder. GAH!!! There was something surreal about seeing Eddie Vedder onstage with Tom Petty, singing "Well yeah I might have chased a couple women around..."

12. Handle With Care (by the Travelling Wilburies)
I think Stevie sang backup on that one. It was awesome.

13. and 14. A couple of Yardbirds covers, knew the songs but couldn't tell you the names at this point. They were great--Tom wanted to demonstrate the roots of the band.

15. Hard Promises song...not sure of the exact title.

16. You Wreck Me

17. Last Dance With Mary Jane
You have not lived until you've seen Tom Petty do that one live...she grew up tall and she grew up right on them Indi-a-na nights....

18. Runnin' Down A Dream
Flat out wow, another one you just have to see live...so cool.

Encore...
Don't Come Around Here No More
Of course...

Mystic Eyes song...again, not sure of exact name.

American Girl
There was no way he could leave without doing American Girl. Yowzaa!

So I got a Tshirt there, it's blue and very cool. The venue was awesome--amphitheatre with covered seating, and an uncovered lawn behind the seats. We were in the covered seating, which was awesome. Probably seats about 12 000 we figured.

Tom looked a little different than I expected--I was expecting more of a southern look I guess, and he looked very rock star. Black velvet pants, loose emerald green button up shirt, loosened crazy tie, vest, black sparkly velvety jacket. Seeing Tom in real life was just unreal, the reason I have not written about the show yet is because I really just have no words to describe how truly awesome it was to me. I know I'm not doing it justice here, but the easiest way was to just lay out the setlist. When he stepped onstage I just had this feeling of reverential awe. I think Tom Petty is my version of God. And I'm OK with that.

pre-Tom Petty babble

2006-07-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've discovered that margaritas are a wonderful popsicle substitute. Heh. But I'm still hooked on popsicles. That day when I had five was a record high tho. I also had two margaritas that day. Also a record high. For this summer anyways.

So what I'm actually doing here, is saying...we're leaving for Washington State and Tom Petty tomorrow night! NYAHHHHHHH!!!! I'm trying not to get too excited though, because then I might be disappointed. Must keep expectations low.

I was waiting for the bus yesterday and contemplating the world of writing. I've been doing that a lot lately--I look over at my laptop, sitting sad and neglected under the coffee table, a few times a day. And yet I never open it. Why? It's not that there's nothing I could write. There's tons I could write. After all, here I am right now, writing on my blog. Anyways I was contemplating this sad state of things and my thoughts turned to writer's block. I don't believe in writer's block, thus I don't believe writer's block is why I haven't written anything substantial since NaNoWriMo last November. What I do believe in, however, is lazy writers. And I have come to the conclusion that I have become a lazy writer. It's gotten to the point where I'm making stupid grammatical mistakes because I'm so out of practice. And that just irritates me. I want to write stuff. I'm just too damn lazy. I need a laziness cure.

Which brings me back to Tom Petty. Could that be my lazy writing cure? Or am I expecting too much from dear old Tom? Or do I keep talking about Tom because I just can't stop and I want to say to the world...I'm going to see Tom Petty and you aren't! Muahaha. But that's just mean. Because if you had known beforehand he was going to be there, you would be going, wouldn't you? I know it's true. I mean, you may not love Tom the way I do, but how could you resist?

I don't even know what song I want to hear him play the most. Maybe 'Yer So Bad'. Maybe "Mary Jane's Last Dance'. Maybe 'Learning to Fly'.

PS. The Purolator guy at work knows my name. It kinda freaks me out.

~Currently playing: Rolling Stones-Miss You~

this is my version of a pizza.

2006-07-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

I'm on my fourth popsicle of the day, sitting here listening to Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns" and John Cougar Mellencamp's "Cherry Bomb", wishing I was jumping off the end of our dock at Mabel Lake.
I think Don Henley and "Boys of Summer" will be next.
At least popsicles give me the illusion of the coolness of the lake air and water.

2006-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

I just saw a mailman riding a harley.

That's all.

~Currently playing: Queen-Killer Queen~

it's only rock n roll...but i like it

2006-07-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Megan: What do sasquatches use for transportation?
Evan: They ride dolphins. Obviously.

I think I have a popsicle dependency. Other people have drugs and alcohol, I have popsicles. I guess it could be worse. But when you go through at least three popsicles a day, it adds up. Not to mention your lips get pretty numb.

Let's see here...what have I done since I posted last?

1. Went to Edmonton. We went for Josh's friend's wedding. It was small, but nice. It was at six in the morning. That's five our time. Future reference for any and all who want me to come to their wedding: if it's at six in the morning, I will not be there. Especially if it's five my own time and I have to get up at three after staying up til midnight. Anyways, moving on. I got to visit the fabulous West Edmonton Mall for the first time. It was pretty cool. I wasn't there long, but I saw all the sights, had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory on Bourbon Street and picked up a fabulous pair of shoes and bag at the Nine West store. My mission was completed.

2. Went to the Sunshine Coast--Nelson Island. We went up there to spread my grandpa's ashes where we put my grandma's last year. This was on the July long weekend. It was a mini-vacation also. My great aunt and uncle have a fabulous place there--it's more like a house than a cabin, plus you get fresh seafood all the time and they have a cool ocean boat. And my cousin Josh has a nice ski boat, which he and Evan spent almost the entire weekend riding around in and wakeboarding behind. I had few rides in it myself, it was super cool cruising around the islands listening to their (mostly) shitty music. And here's a great story, classic feeling like idiots moment.
On Sunday of the long weekend, I was sitting on the back lawn reading or something and cousin Josh came up and was like "Hmm, maybe I should go get some gas for the boat today." And I was like "Ok, I'll come," cos Evan and my other cousin Amanda and her friend Megan were going also. So we took off to get gas--you have to get it at this marina in Pender Harbour or whatever, which is a good boat ride away. So we got out in the open water, cruised along, then turned into the harbour. We had just gotten past the little islands at the harbour mouth when the boat stopped. Josh got up and checked the gas tank. Sure enough, we had run out of gas--straight across the harbour from the marina. If you've ever tried paddling a large ski boat across a salt water harbour, you'll know it doesn't work overly well. Josh and Evan broke out the paddles and we're bobbing along toward the marina when this big boat came up to us and offered a tow. Josh took it because they offered (he wasn't going to ask) and they towed us to the marina dock. We felt like total idiots, but it was kinda fun. Anyways, we get to the marina dock and the kid who pumps the gas was standing there watching us with a 'you guys are such idiots' smirk on his face as the tow of shame brought us closer. We got to the dock and he said..."So, I guess you guys need some fuel eh?" Well no kidding Sherlock! Anyways it was hilarious, we got gas and ice cream, and went back to the island. We also had a very interesting discussion about sasquatches the last night we were there. I'll try to post some Nelson Island pictures later on, as well as some lacrosse ones and whatever else I have on my camera.

3. Josh and I are going to see Tom Petty outside of Seattle on July 30!! I am so excited, it's gonna be totally kickass. I can't wait. I can't believe it. This is going to be his last major tour. Tom, Tom, Tom!!

4. I had my interview with our DSM today and it looks like I will be MIT for Northern Getaway, which is pretty cool.

So that's about it. I'll try to post about the Tom Petty concert for sure, and maybe something in between there.

~Currently playing: Panic! At the Disco-Lying is the Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off; Tom Petty-American Girl; Northern Pikes-She Ain't Pretty; Nirvana-Smells Like Teen Spirit~

it's mario time!

2006-06-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, this is not an update to tell you about the Edmonton trip.
What it actually is, is me being dorkily excited because...
MY SUPER NINTENDO IS HERE!!!
Finally, I will get to play Super Mario AllStars. And Donkey Kong. And Super Mario World. But mostly Super Mario AllStars.
God, I'm so excited.
I had a brief moment of insanity where I nearly called in sick to work so I could play it all day.
But I guess I shouldn't do that, since a) it's unproductive and b) I'm a manager-in-training now, so it would be unseemly. Or something. Anyways. That's all. I have to go to work.

same as it ever was

2006-06-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it's time for a blog post. As Tara has so eloquently pointed out, no one has been blogging much lately. So I guess I better get with the program here.

Let's see, what's new here...
~I'm going to Edmonton next week, my first foray to that adventuresome place. I'm looking forward to hitting the Nine West store in the fabled West Edmonton Mall, as well as taking a ride on the roller coaster there.
~Josh and I are engaged (for any who didn't already know, just thought I'd throw that in there).
~We went back to Lumby this past weekend for Lumby Days and rocked out to the Young'Uns as they played the Lumby bar.

And what's not new here...
~I've been working and lack the energy to write fabulous blog posts. I also lack the fabulous lifestyle to put into said blog posts.

I really don't have that much else to say at this point, I guess this is more of a token post than anything. The other night I went to Cactus Jack's with a bunch of the girls and made Jenny dance to "Save a Horse", that was good fun. Oh, and last week we thought the cat was sick, but in fact he got beat up by some other cat. There's a lacrosse game (Shamrocks vs Kelowna Raiders) in Rutland this Friday night for any in that area. And that's about it for now. I recall having other things to post during the month since my last post, but can't remember any of them now...so I'll try to post more frequently, if only to appease certain parties.

~Currently playing: Aerosmith-Big Ten Inch Record; Kiss-I Was Made For Loving You~

That 70s Tribute

2006-05-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

Dear That 70s Show,
I will miss you. How much, you may never know. All those good times we had, sitting in my uncle’s basement in my first year in Kamloops, me with remote clutched in my hand giggling madly, you with your retro insanity and Kelso stupidity bringing it all on. You helped shape my life, That 70s Show, and while I’m not sure that’s an altogether good thing, I love you for it all the more.
That 70s Show, I loved every part of you—Eric, Donna, Fez, Hyde, Jackie, Red, Kitty, Midge, Bob, Leo, Kelso, Laurie, Randy, 360 circles, basement, Vista Cruiser, Kelso’s van, Hyde’s El Camino, Red’s Corvette, The Hub, Hyde’s Zeppelin shirts, the water tower, dream sequences, music, dance numbers…. Ahhh, I will miss you.

And let’s not forget my everlasting attempts to tape my favourite episode, which often culminated in me missing it altogether.
Favourite episode being, of course, the one I like to call Fez’s Retro Dance Party. The music, the dancing, the weirdness. That episode was always a good time. Then there’s the second favourite episode—when they go to Jackie’s parents’ ski cabin and Fez gets into the amaretto—mmm liquid candy—and proceeds to run around in his underwear. I think I almost died laughing at that one—and every subsequent viewing of it.
I identify with you well, That 70s Show, because I think I was born in the wrong era. Vive la 70s! Admittedly though, the decade had its low points. Case in point: disco music. I watched with glee whenever you slammed disco music. Of particular ecstasy for me was a more recent episode, wherein a mass burning of disco records occurred. That was absolutely prime.
Another capital moment was the dream sequence where Steven Tyler rocks it out with Donna. I’m sure you know why I loved that part! And let’s not forget the episode where Eric and Donna found the keg of beer in the middle of the road.
Oh, That 70s Show, there were too many good times to name. I think I will cry during your last episode tomorrow night. I did, after all, almost cry during last week’s episode. You will be sadly missed, my friend. Thank god for re-runs and box-set DVDs.
And so, good night.
Love, your dedicated fan,
Jess
PS. I just remembered Eric’s dream sequence where Hyde and Donna get married. Why didn’t they ever hook up? Why?! J.

Hanging out, down the street
The same old thing we did last week
Not a thing to do, but talk to you...

~Currently playing: The Cars-My Best Friend's Girlfriend; The Cars-Shake It Up ~

2006-04-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm going to do a post VERY SOON. Maybe.
In the meantime, for amusement, from Jenny:

This is amusing. Google the phrase "(Your name) looks like" and find the best one from the first page of results. Don't forget to put it in quotes, otherwise it won't work. Add yours to the bottom of the list and repost this.

Four interesting ones:

Jess looks like she's about to burst because I'm sitting on her and I'm sure the couple next to us is just waiting to get it on after we leave, ...

Jess looks like she has corn sprouting from her head.

Jess looks like she likes to drink alot. I won't say I blame her. Whores need to get their freak on also. Just kidding

Jess looks like she REALLY enjoys that straw.

~Currently playing: Jet-Cold Hard Bitch ~

this and that.

2006-04-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

Well I guess it's time for a lengthier blog post.
Let's see. I'd better start from a couple of weeks ago, back when I promised Meg N that she would be included in my blog. We went out to Players and the Thirsty Dog the weekend it opened. That was kinda cool. We stood in line for awhile, but they were playing good music that we could hear, so we survived. The night before I was at rock trivia on one of my rare Friday evenings off. That was also cool. And earlier in the day (this was a Saturday), I made chocolate chip cookies because I was bored. A slight fiasco ensued, wherein I had an altercation that involved brown sugar and the microwave. It goes like this: the brown sugar was hard, so I put it in the microwave to soften it. I put too much time on the timer, and the bag melted and the sugar started cooking in with the plastic on the microwave plate. I was frantically looking in the oven and around the house to figure out where this awful smell was coming from. Finally, I turned around and looked at the microwave. Billows of smoke were coming out of it. Oops. I managed to save most of the sugar, but that was some kind of mess, let me tell you!
Oh--and another funny thing that happened, with a person who shall remain nameless. What happened was, I was driving downtown with this person and we were looking for a parking spot. It being a weekend evening downtown, parking was hard to come by and we finally found a decent spot on a side road. So we pulled in and got out of the car, locked it all up, then looked at where we were parked. Which was on the wrong side of the street. Then a cop drove by. We got back in the car and found a better spot. Heh.

Last night I went out to the Thirsty Dog (the Dawg, as I like to call it), with some ladies. It was an alright time, some decent music was played, a drink was dumped over my head, I saw some people I knew. And today, I figured out all the attachments on my Kirby vaccuum cleaner and cleaned the house.

Lately, I've been obsessed with Johnny Cash and Tom Petty. I bought The Legend of Johnny Cash, which is a bloody fantastic album. I'm stoked about the Cars getting back together, deeply saddened by the cancellation of the Aerosmith tour. Ah, rock and roll, why must you be so delightful and yet so cruel?

I guess it's almost time for a new list. I'll have to think of a topic and get back to y'all on that.

~Currently playing: Green Day Bullet In A Bible~

life's the same, we're moving in stereo

2006-03-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

Talk about kick ass.
The Cars will ride again.
But now...they're the New Cars!
I love the Cars. As we all know.

And when I have a moment tomorrow after work, perhaps I'll do a new, long post.

2006-03-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

Aerosmith cancelled the rest of their North American tour.
Excuse me while I hurl myself upon my sharpened editing pencil.

~Currently playing: Johnny Cash-Cry Cry Cry~

i love rock and roll

2006-03-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

Me: I never noticed that the walk light talked before. That's kinda weird.
Josh: Obviously it's for the hearing impaired.
Me: Or maybe it's for the blind.

Big news. Big, big news.
I got Aerosmith tickets. Yeah!!! I put in a bid on Ebay for this pair before I left for work yesterday. And Josh called me later at work and told me that I won the auction for them!!! And they were pretty cheap too. So I am beyond excited for that. I'm finally going to see Aerosmith. It hardly seems real. I will be in the same building as Steven Tyler. Oh, and Cheap Trick is the opener, which is pretty cool also.

In other news, I made it to rock trivia last night--at both Heroes and Central. Heroes was cool, we were so incredibly close to winning and we got all of these triple scores and stuff. But alas, it was not meant to be. We came in third, fifteen points behind second and thirty points behind first. Unreal.
Central was also good, but we didn't place. I don't think I'll ever forget that Paul Rogers was the lead singer of Bad Company. The above quote was when Josh and I were walking back into Central after getting my stuff from Lisa's car.

Other than that, not much else has occurred, but Aerosmith is enough for me. And I got some awesome new shoes. I've discovered that I was spending an obscene amount on lunch at the mall, so I've quit doing that to save some money for more important things, like shoes, and the cat, and life. Not necessarily in that order. Or maybe it is?
Oh, and we watched that movie about Johnny Cash the other night--Walk the Line. That was an awesome movie. And I never realized how many good songs Johnny Cash had before, I thought he was all country before. And we all know how I feel about country music.

And now, time for the almighty list.

Reasons I Dislike Country Music:
1. The music sounds good until the guy starts singing. It goes downhill from there. You actually get your hopes up with the cool intro to the song, then BAM. The voice undoes it all.
2. I grew up in a country music town.
3. It's twangy.
4. The country round at Central rock trivia is my undoing, because I don't know any country songs. It just enrages me more.
5. Garth Brooks.
6. I've never been too keen on cowboys.
7. When they cover good songs (read: rock songs), they usually wreck them.

That being said, there's an exception to every rule. Hence...
Country Songs I Like/Tolerate
1. Brooks and Dunn-Rock My World (Little Country Girl) ...if you listen to it, you will note it sounds more like rock than country. Probably why I like it.
2. Big and Rich-Save A Horse ...okay okay, I used to hate this song with a holy passion. The only reason it's on the tolerance list now is because I had a good, drunken time dancing to it once.
3. Dixie Chicks-Goodbye Earl ...it's just so delightfully nasty. Dirty, perhaps. Not dirty as in raunchy, but dirty as in that dirty sound. Or whatever.

And I've come to the conclusion that my life seems to revolve around rock and roll.

~Currently playing: The Tubes-Talk To Ya Later; Rolling Stones-Paint It Black~

i heart aerosmith

2006-02-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

So I made it to rock trivia last Friday--hurrah! Unfortunately we lost. And I missed my two best rounds. But at least I got to be at rock trivia for the first time in forever! And I helped get a triple score. Yeah. I'm awesome. Haha. After rock trivia we ended up at Marcel's drinking. Always a good time.
I also had visits from both Brian and Laura last week. Laura came in spite of her car breaking down, and we watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose as well as a few episodes of Sex and the City. Brian and I had lunch downtown and visited the bookstore.
Other than that, the only thing new lately is that I have become obsessed with getting tickets to one of three Aerosmith concerts--the one in Vancouver on April 9, the one in Edmonton on April 7 or the one in Saskatoon on April 5. You're kidding yourself if you think I wouldn't go to Saskatoon to see my favourite band ever. The only tickets left in Vancouver are behind the stage and the Edmonton one is sold out, so I have been trying to get some off of Ebay (yes, Leah, I have resorted to Ebay). Here's hoping I can do it.
In other news, I spent an hour of my shift trying on clothes yesterday. Heh.
And now, a list:

Favourite Aerosmith Tunes
1. Dream On...classic Aerosmith, the first single
2. Mama Kin...just plain drool
3. Janie's Got a Gun...the radio doesn't play the real version anymore...that is just sick.
4. Falling In Love (Is Hard on the Knees)...this came out when I was in grade eight. Fabulous.
5. Walk This Way...original is great, the music video with RunDMC is just hilarious.
6. Remember (Walking In the Sand)...it's a cover, but it's great.
7. Baby, Please Don't Go...another cover, but...again...great. Fabulous, even.
8. Sweet Emotion...classic.
9. Sunshine...the best song on an album better known for "Jaded" and the title track "Just Push Play".
10. Seasons of Wither....droooooool....another classic. Almost haunting.
11. Big Ten Inch Record...heh. I love it. Classic.

PS. I wish my name was Tre Cool. What a sweet name.

~Currently playing: Steppenwolf-The Pusher; Bryan Adams-Run To You~

2006-02-12T00:48:00.000-08:00

This is a message to all and sundry to let you know that...
I only work until 6pm this coming Friday. That would be February 17.
And you know what that means.
ROCK TRIVIA!!!!
Be ready to be there, or face the wrath. This is the first time in the past three months that I will have been able to go.

hello friday

2006-02-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

I wrote this last Friday.

2:15 on an overcast afternoon at the beginning of February. Soon, I have to go to work. But first, I am making an effort at writing something. Anything. Anything at all. It’s supposed to be my real work, and yet it’s not working. Nothing is coming. It’s 2:15 on an overcast afternoon at the beginning of February, and I’ve got nothing. The cat is sitting at attention, staring out the window. Tom Petty is playing on the stereo.
She’d never look different, but something would change.
The funny thing is that when I’m on my way to or from work, sitting on the bus, or walking down McGill, or the long, narrow staircase between McGill and Sahali Centre, I can think of oodles of things to write. The bus lends a sense of profundity that I just don’t get sitting on the couch, even while listening to Tom Petty. And that long narrow staircase? Given that I am usually descending it after dark, it just plain old gives me the heebie jeebies, which has always led to good writing ideas. It’s like the thing where if I start thinking about creepy things and my foot is hanging over the edge of the bed, I have to pull it back. Lest something reach out and grab it at the darkest hour of the night.

Reasons I Like The Cars:
1.They’re one of the few good things to come out of the 80s.
2.They rock.
3.They remind me of cruising down the lake at 4am on hot August nights.
4.Is there a cooler phrase in the world than “let the good times roll” a la The Cars? Didn’t think so.
5.The quintessential fabulousness of the song “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend”. Drooool.
6.The album cover of The Cars The Cars. Very cool.
7.Their name. Awesome. Simple.

Since I gave you reasons I like Tom Petty, I might as well give you Good Tom Petty Songs:
1.Learning to Fly
2.Into the Great Wide Open
3.Zombie Zoo
4.A Mind With A Heart of Its Own
5.Yer So Bad
6.Last Dance With Mary Jane
7.Runnin’ Down a Dream

And, Good Songs by The Cars:
1. My Best Friend’s Girlfriend
2. Let’s Go
3. Let the Good Times Roll4. Moving in Stereo
5. Hello Again
6. Candy-O
7. Bye Bye Love
8. Shake It Up

wouldn't it be nice...

2006-02-04T01:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I wrote a thing earlier today, but it's on my laptop. So I will post it tomorrow, cos I don't feel like turning the laptop on right now. But...I'm here, so I'll just write a bit here.
The Beach Boys are coming to Kamloops.
I am not kidding.
This is a very surreal concept to me. It's The Beach Boys. They were like...huge. They still are, in a way. And they're coming here. It's like...Surfin' USA, in Kamloops. Doesn't quite fit. Y'know? I thought it was a joke when I read it in the paper. So I just went to ticketmaster, and yup, they are really coming. AND there are still tickets left. I kinda wanna go. I mean, they're LEGEND, right? Well maybe not quite legend, but...how many opportunities will I ever have to see the freakin' BEACH BOYS? It boggles the mind. Honestly. Anyways, less babble, more lists.

Reasons for the Beach Boys to make a tour stop in Kamloops:
1.__________________

Beach Boys songs I like:
1. Little Old Lady From Pasadena
2. Little Deuce Coupe
3. Surfin' USA
4. Wouldn't It Be Nice
5. Fun, Fun, Fun
6. Kokomo
7. I Get Around
...etc

2006-02-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hey, here's a cool thing I found--Wordcloud.

Here's mine:

go diddy

2006-01-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am a slacker. I've only had one post in January. That is just sad. So this is my second January post, before I run out of time. I've been working. But on Thursday I had a day off and Jenny and I went to Value Village and had some fun times there. Then we went back to her place and played Donkey Kong Country 2 on her Super Nintendo that I made her bring back on Christmas break. It was good times haha. Nothing like getting pissed off and yelling and swearing at video game monkeys. I can't even imagine what that would have been like if we had been drinking. Next time I go home, I'm going to swipe some of my brother's games and then we'll have a real marathon. Heh.
Leah also visited me when she was in town last weekend, it was cool to see her again, even if it was only for fifteen minutes! And I got my damn shirt back finally!
I was watching the Canucks game last night and the Canucks were winning 3-2 with just over five minutes left. Then, Hockey Night In Canada went blank. What?!?!! Freak-out! Snap! CBC got some other channel's feed going and there was like 30 seconds left in the game, and it was tied 3-3! That wasn't too cool. But then Ruutu won it in a shoot-out for them and all was well again.
And now, to wrap things up, here's a list.

Times When I'm REALLY Glad I Have an MP3 Player:
1. When I get stuck cleaning the entire back room at work.
2. When I'm waiting for the bus and it's late.
3. When I'm riding the bus and there are creepy people around.
4. When I feel like listening to Tom Petty at random times and a stereo is not available.
5. When I feel like listening to The Cars at random times and a stereo is not available.
6. When I have to finish cleaning the entire back room at work, two days later.
7. When I am waiting for a bus that is late and full of creepy people on my way to meet Jenny at Value Village.

Here's another list, just for kicks.

Reasons I Love Tom Petty:
1. He is a God.
2. He plays guitar like a God.
3. His songs are God-like.
4. He sings in a cool way. It almost sounds the way a God would sound.
5. He has cool hair.
6. He's awesome.
7. I can listen to him any time, any place and NOT BE BORED OF HIM.

Stay tuned for...Reasons I Love The Cars.
I think I like this list thing.

PS. Here's a PostSecret I could have written myself.

~Currently playing: Tommy Tutone-867-5309 (Jenny); Fall Out Boy-Sugar, We're Going Down~

guess who's back, back again

2006-01-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Well...I guess it's time for my Happy New Year post, two weeks late. Timing is everything, I tell you. So, happy new year to all, and I hope it's going well for you so far.

First of all, I guess I'll let you in on what has occurred in the past two weeks. Hmm...not much. On New Year's Eve, Josh and I rented movies and ate pizza. Then on New Year's Day, we went out and saw the Wildlights and went on the little train and stuff at the Wildlife Park. It was pretty cool, I thoroughly enjoyed the little train ride and all the lights. Then I worked a whole bunch. Made it to Fox n Hounds a few times--for Canucks pay-per-views and once with Lisa after work, just for kicks. I've done a bit of shopping--some of the new spring-y stuff has been coming into the store, and of course lots of places have sales. Sooo yeah, I had other stuff I was going to write but I forgot because well, that's what happens when I keep putting off my blog post. Anyways. Last night I was looking at pictures on MyCatHatesYou.com and I laughed until I cried. It was good times.
And last night, we went to Rota's to watch the Canucks pay-per-view, then we went to the Blazers game. They were playing PG. They lost 3-0. It was an awful game. But I have to say, it was one of the few times I have seen Blazers fans really cheer hard. What happened was, the referee pissed them off so much, they were cheering in defiance. It was rather funny.
Anyways. Since everyone else is doing it, I might as well also:

2005: Year in Review
January: The beginning of the end--final semester at J-school. Pond hockey in -20 weather; being on TV looking like a dork-ass.
February: Hunter S. Thompson dies; contemplations of post-university life.
March: Pretty days, photo shoots, bonfires at the beach, skipping classes for Blazers playoffs.
April: The end of university. Parties.
May: Lacrosse season kicks off. General nothing-ness.
June: The real end; the beginning--graduation ceremony. Lumby Days randomness.
July: Visit to Sunshine Coast post-ferry crash. Mabel Lake shenanigans.
August: More Mabel Lake, attempted breaking of foot. Going to Kristyl's wedding in Josh's new car.
September: The great move back to Kamloops, the Vancouver trip with Laura.
October: The great job search. My grandpa died. Rock trivia. Lions game.
November: A job is found. National Novel Writing Month commences, ends, and I live to tell the tale.
December: The great turning 22, World Junior game, kitty.

So in summary, this was sort of a year of change and random normalcy.

and...

2006: Goals and Resolutions (yeah right, because I'm going to keep them)
I guess I will have to do this later, because I can't think of any goals or resolutions for myself.

In other news, check this out, I found it entertaining:
Least Essential Albums of 2005

~Currently playing: Rolling Stones-Sympathy For the Devil; Jet-Are You Gonna Be My Girl; Moneyshot-Blades of Steel; Eminem-Without Me~

the world

2005-12-29T18:27:00.000-08:00

So last night Josh and I went to the Czech vs Sweden World Junior game. It was pretty cool. We were on the jumbotron briefly. I took a bunch of pictures, but I didn't want to post them all here. So I created a photobucket account and if you want to see World Junior pictures, you can check them out. And let me know if that link doesn't work, cos I'm not totally clear on the whole photobucket thing yet. And for those who don't want to look at the album, here's a couple.

Participating countries' flags.

Sweden's goalie.

Anthem at the end of the game.

In other news, Christmas was good. I've been working quite a bit still. I had a good time on my birthday at Players and Rivers with people. And I had dinner at Tony Roma's, that was good.
Anyways, I can't really think of anything else right now, I will try to post again before it becomes next year. I will leave this post mostly dedicated to the world juniors. Almost forgot--Josh bought a program at the game. I kid you not, it was ten dollars. That is just obscene. But it's kinda cool. And the entire Latvian team was sitting a few rows down from us. And that's about it!

~Currently playing: The Killers-Somebody Told Me; The Doors-Love Her Madly; Green Day-Basket Case~

meow

2005-12-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

huh

2005-12-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

Uhhh...wow. Two weeks into December and I haven't written a post. How lame. Well here's one. Also, here's a lame excuse, which I hate...but...I have been working a lot. Like full time. I know it doesn't cover it, but working kinda makes it hard to have exciting, or even moderately bizarre, things to post.
Here are some things that I have mused over in the past couple of weeks:
-Christmas music. Working in a children's clothing store over the holidays has brought home the true horrific-ness of some Christmas music to me. For instance, we have this truly awful rendition of "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town", which I hear a few times a day. Because we have an endless loop of THE SAME CHRISTMAS MUSIC that plays OVER AND OVER, EVERY day. Most of the songs I don't mind. That one just makes me shudder. Then there's this one that I can't for the life of me remember, but it seems a little suggestive for Christmas in a children's store.
-Christmas gifts. I'm early for work like every day just about, so I walk around the mall looking at things to buy people for Christmas. Not only have I not purchased a single Christmas gift, I still basically no idea what I am getting for ANYONE. That's pretty bad.
-Cats. Josh and I got a cat on Sunday. A friend of one of his friends found this abandoned cat, and we took it because it didn't get along with her cats. The cat is pretty cool, he doesn't have a real name yet. I will post a picture of him when I reload my camera software.
-On Sunday we went to the Future Shop Christmas party. It was at AllStars--a pub in Brock. It wasn't too bad. Josh didn't win any of the cool prizes they had. Too bad.
-A couple of weeks ago, I meant to post about Jenny's creative writing thingy at Players. It was their year-end reading thing. Jenny and I had a good time. We talked to some interesting people, mocked a few other people--and a few amarettos later found ourselves at the Max. Go figure. Haha.
Anyways, I think that's about all I've got for now. I'll try to post a kitty picture soon, and maybe other stuff...if anything happens. Heh.

~Currently playing: The Cars-You're All I've Got Tonight; Romantics-What I Like About You; American Hi-Fi-Flavour of the Week; Rolling Stones-Start Me Up~

paperback writer

2005-11-30T23:42:00.000-08:00

Paperback writer
Paper back writer (writer, writer)
Dear Sir or Madam, did you read my book?
It took me (a month) to write, will you take a look?
It's based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.
It's the dirty story of a dirty man
And (the detective) doesn't understand.
His (dream girl) is working for the Daily Mail,
It's a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.
Paperback writer (writer, writer)
It's (74) pages, give or take a few,
I'll be writing more in a week or two.
I can make it longer if you like the style,
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.
If you really like it you can have the rights,
It could make a million for you overnight.
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.
Paperback writer (writer, writer)
Paperback writer - paperback writer
Paperback writer - paperback writer
~~The Beatles ...you may have noted that I took some liberties with the lyrics. Heh.

eight days a week.

2005-11-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

Yeesh.
I cannot believe it is November 22nd already. Time flies when you're battling against a word count. But for the first time in these 22 days, I feel like I'm finally starting to WIN. That's right. It's a struggle, that's for sure, but instead of being dragged along by time, I'm starting to keep pace.
Eight days left of NaNoWriMo. Eight days to finish off the 50,000 words. Last night I forced out just over 3,000. To finish this literary masterpiece, I will need to do the same amount every day for the next eight days, plus a teeny bit extra. And it is possible. I know it is. For this reason, I am fairly certain I will be able to finish. And if I don't, I will be so close, it will be ridiculous. So I HAVE to do it. Something I've realized though, is that when that 50k word does finally roll around, the story won't be done. Only 50,000 words of it will be. So, of course, I will finish the story. But for now, I'm concentrating on 50,000 words. There was a time when I thought this story would never reach 50,000 words. But now I know it will go further. Which is kinda cool.
Eight days of 3k a day and I'm working 32 hours this week from today until Saturday.
Eight days. Slightly over 24k to go. I still don't know what induced me to do this, other than that I am insane. Oh, and I like this little quote that came in our weekly NaNoWriMo email:

To write is to sit down and open a vein. --Red Smith

I think that is what I have to do for the next eight days. It is a serial killer story after all. Haha.
But I have to say, last week I had some extreme doubts. I nearly gave up--I thought there was no way I could still possibly finish in time. I thought about starting a completely new story. Then, after I had wavered, I did some calculations. And figured out that I still could do it, and it wasn't that hard after all. So I turned on my laptop. Clicked on the file, which I was keeping on my desktop. And my heart nearly stopped. It wouldn't open. After all that struggle to get thousands of words into the story, after wavering and coming out with a new resolve to finish--the computer was telling me it couldn't find the file. I took a deep breath. I tried again. It opened. I exhaled. And made a backup copy of the story. Then continued on my merry way. So if that doesn't reinforce the belief that I am meant to reach 50k, I don't know what does.
Anyways, that's where I'm at right now.

~Currently playing: Tom Petty-Yer So Bad; Tragically Hip-38 Years Old; Donovan-Mellow Yellow~

she loves to go retro

2005-11-19T15:03:00.000-08:00

Well, this may be a cop out, because instead of posting a real post, I am just going to send you to a link. But it is relevant!
You see the title up in the little blue bar up there at the top of the window? It says "loves to go retro". Which, as some may know, used to be the actual header of my blog, which has since been replaced by that lovely graphic I made in photoshop. ANYWAYS, "loves to go retro" is a line from a song I love--'Superhoney' by Edwin and the Pressure. Plus, I just like retro stuff in general. Sometimes I swear I was born in the wrong decade. My friend Brian knows these things. Which is why he brought this lovely article, courtesy of The Onion, to my attention. I was quite delighted by it. Perhaps y'all will be too. So go, read:
U.S. Dept. Of Retro Warns: 'We May Be Running Out Of Past'

In other news, the novel is still coming along slooowly. I really should be working on it right now, because it is Saturday and quite gloomy out, a perfect environmental surrounding for a person writing a novel involving a serial killer. Maybe later.

I think that's about all I've got for now. But read the article! It's cool!

~Currently playing: Sloan-The Other Man; Edwin and the Pressure-Superhoney ~

2005-11-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

Well, the tag board is gone to the great tag board lounge in the sky. I had to save it from a fate worse than death. Otherwise known as spam. Hopefully, it's in a better place now.
In other news, I think I am starting to finally make some serious headway on the almighty novel. Whoo.
In still further news, I went to rock trivia on Friday night at Central with Chris and Auren. It was cooooool. We came in second, not bad for a team of three. AND I got to ride in Auren's GIGANTIC car. It was pretty sweet. Hehe.
And that's all for now.

2005-11-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well, as you might be able to tell, that is Josh and I outside BC Place Stadium, from when we went to the Lions game a few weeks ago.

And yeah, that's about all I have to post. I officially start work tomorrow. Not much has happened this week, so I dunno what else to write for the time being. The almighty novel is coming along slowly but surely, I think I've got the beast mostly figured out finally. I'm behind on the word count, but I'm hoping to make up some of it by Monday. I think I'll be drinking a lot of Coke.

And let us not forget, today is Remembrance Day. I watched the Ottawa ceremony on TV this morning. I don't think I ever have before, because I'm always somewhere else. It made me start thinking about who in my family was involved in the wars. Which was interesting. And now I leave you with this.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
~from Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae "In Flanders
Fields"

~Currently playing: 3 Doors Down-Kryptonite; The Doors-LA Woman~

yeah.

2005-11-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

So it looks like...I got a job. Can you believe it? Me neither. So the word is, I will be working at Northern Reflections in the mall. I had an interview at 4pm today and they called me at 5:30. So that is pretty cool. I had an interview somewhere else this week, but I haven't heard back yet. It figures everything all happens in the same week. Whatever. It's nice to finally get some results. Next thing you know, the Hockey News will be calling me. Ya right--I wish. Anyways.
In other news, I finally have come up with a concrete idea for the almighty novel and I've actually begun it, althought I am severely behind on the word count already. But the important thing is, I have some direction with it. Muahaha.
Soooo yeah. I haven't been feeling too good today. It sucks. But meh. That is about it for now.

~Currently playing: The Cars-Let's Go; Driver-She Laughed At Me ~

a challenge.

2005-11-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

Dear friends and writers,
I feel the need to let you in on this--in case anyone else feels like giving it a try. What I refer to is National Novel Writing Month. Here's the lowdown: you go to this website--www.nanowrimo.org--and read about it and sign up. I'd recommend checking out the FAQ, they cover everything pretty well. What you do with this, is you have from November 1 to November 30 to write 50,000 words of a novel, entirely your own creation. I discovered this yesterday, thought about it for awhile, and signed up. I figure it's worth a try and could be kinda fun. There are actually other people from Kamloops doing this, I discovered, after checking out the message board. I calculated it out and you'd have to write about 1700 words a day to make it to 50,000 by the end of the month. Not bad, but you don't want to get behind. If it sounds interesting to you, I suggest you try it. Cos it sounds pretty sweet to me. And that's about all I have to say.
Thirty days to write fifty thousand words--will I be able to do it? Will you?

firsts.

2005-10-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well today is a slightly momentous occasion. I've been applying for lots of jobs lately, but today was the first day I applied for a job in journalism. That's right, for anyone who was pestering me--today I filled out my application and sent my resume to the Hockey News for a copy editing position they have open. I don't think I'll actually even get a phone call, but I did it and that's the important thing. Breaking the ice. So that's kinda cool.
In other firsts, on Wednesday afternoon I bought my first Lotto 6/49 ticket. I couldn't resist the allure of the $40 million prize. I only matched one number, oh well.
Tonight we went to the pay-per-view of the Canucks vs Colorado at Fox 'n Hounds. I don't want to talk about that too much. It was horrendous. I hope they do better on Saturday. Ugh.
Tonight the song and dance episode of That 70s Show is on. It's my favourite episode in the world and I taped it. I am very excited to watch. So I'm doing that now. Hah. Short post, but at least it hasn't been two weeks like before.

~Currently playing: Northern Pikes-She Ain't Pretty ~

photos

2005-10-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is the radiator in the corner of our hostel room. It captured my attention.
Cos it's cool. And old.

Lynn Valley suspension bridge.

Yours truly at the Lynn Valley suspension bridge.

Laura outside the Old Spaghetti Factory...mmm.

Steam clock in Gastown...you can see stuff from the video shoot to the right.

~Currently playing: 98.3 CIFM~

here we go again

2005-10-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

Bus ride and ticket to Lions game: $20
Pizza on Robson Street: $1.35 per slice
50/50 tickets at Lions game: 3 for $5
Watching people make fools of themselves to get on the big screen: Priceless

So yesterday Josh and his friend Norm and I went on the bus trip to Vancouver to watch the BC Lions slaughter the Winnipeg Bluebombers. The Lions won 41-1, so the end of the game was a little dull. We were trying to see the Canucks game that people had on in their luxury suites. At one point the Canucks scored at the same moment the Lions got a touchdown. It was kinda weird, but cool. We actually were thinking about ditching our Lions tickets and going to the Canucks game instead. That would have been awesome. But we didn't. Obviously. It was pretty fun still though. It was really cool when we were down there before the game looking for food because downtown was just full of people gonig to the Lions game and the Canucks game.
So yeah, other than that I have been babysitting during the teachers strike, hence I have not really been around much. And I've had to go home for the past couple of weekends also cos my grandpa in Enderby died. And yeah. That's about it, not much is really going on. I'm really ready to be done babysitting...I hope the teachers go back to class soon. I support them and all, but I can only take so much time spent with elementary school boys.
Oh and last week I watched the Canucks pay-per-view with Marcel, Lisa and Robyn at Fox n Hounds. That was cool. I think we'll have to do that again. Like this week maybe. Yeah. On martini night. Mmm.
I'll post some pictures from the Lions game and my Vancouver trip with Laura this week hopefully. And I apologize profoundly for being so long between posts, but you see how circumstances were.

~Currently playing: Driver-She Laughed at Me; The Rolling Stones-Jumpin' Jack Flash; Kansas-Carry On My Wayward Son ~

2005-10-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...the sweet, sweet sound of NHL play-by-play. It is music to my ears.
HURRAH!
The season has only just begun.
The hours are few until the Canucks take the ice.

the essentials.

2005-10-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a few weeks ago Jimi Hendrix was on the cover of Rolling Stone for the tenth time. There was a fairly extensive article about him as well. It was mostly about his early days, when he first went to London. There's a piece of it that I thought was really amazing and have been telling people about, but I thought I might as well post it because I really don't tell it properly.

In January 1967, the band had been in the studio in London. It was the session that produced "Purple Haze," which incidentally was originally about a thousand words long. Then...

"After that long studio session, the band had two shows at the Bag o' Nails. The Bag was a legendary dank basement nightclub that looked like something out of a Charles Dickens novel. The crowd gathered that night was a who's who of London's rock elite: According to most accounts, it included Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Beatles manager Brian Epstein, John Entwhistle, Donovan, Georgie Fame, Denny Laine, Terry Reid, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Lulu, the Hollies, the Small Faces and the Animals.

Singer Terry Reid, the British teen prodigy, had not yet seen the Experience and recalled that at the show, "it was as if all the guitar players in the world had shown up." When Reid sat down, he was surprised to find McCartney sitting next to him. "Have you seen this guy yet? He's amazing," McCartney said.

Jimi started by announcing he was going to cover a song that was Number One on the charts. "We were thinking," said Reid, "if it's Number One on the charts, it's not close to our hearts, because if it was over Number Ten, we hated it." Jimi then introduced "Wild Thing." "'Wild Thing' was a pop throwaway, and it was what everybody stood against!" Reid observed. "And Jimi played it, and banged the shit out of this bloody thing, and takes off into outerspace." Reid went to the bathroom at one point, and coming back, bumped into Brian Jones. "It's all wet down in the front," Jones warned. Reid replied, "What are you talking about? I can't see any water." To which Jones said, "It's wet from all the guitar players crying."" -from Rolling Stone 980/excerpt of "Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix," by Charles R. Cross.

And that is what is so amazing about Hendrix. He grabbed the guitar and turned it into something almost entirely different from what guitar players at the time were used to. And they knew it. And it changed everything. And he became a star. And three years later, he died.
But I just wanted to share that little piece, I love the idea of the guitar players crying. For more of the article (although not the whole thing), click here.

~Currently playing: The Doors-Love Her Madly; Prism-Spaceship Superstar; Robbie Robertson-Showdown at Big Sky; Led Zeppelin-Ramble On~

if the house is a'rockin, don't bother knockin

2005-10-01T01:02:00.002-07:00

Me: It's That 70s Show!! It's That 70s Show!!!!
Everyone else: Uhhh no Jess, it's the Drew Carey Show.
Me: [[slides under the table in abject humiliation]]

So tonight we won the beer round at Heroes rock trivia in a tiebreaker that turned out to be the Beastie Boys. Then we won the game for the bar tab and missed the lightning round by one song. It was pretty awesome. Then we went down to Central Station for still more rock trivia. We proceeded to win the beer round with I don't even know what song, then to our somewhat surprise, won the game with over 2000 points, in spite of a not so great knowledge of the 90s round and TV theme song round. The last song of the TV show theme round was a song I knew. However, after helping drink our free jug of beer and downing 2 half liter paralyzers and a cuba libra, I somehow was dumb enough to mistake the theme of That 70s Show for the Drew Carey Show. Ugh. I did literally slide under the table. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!? Not to mention the Brad Whitford/Tom Hamilton mixup. Hah. But all in all it was pretty sweet cos of the double header win. Hopefully we can pull that off again sometime soon. And I'm done now.

you need coolin'

2005-09-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well now. Josh and I saw a kickass show last night--King Size Suzi and The Trews. King Size Suzi was pretty good. They did a mix of covers and originals, including some of the songs Suzi did on Canadian Idol. Let's see...songs from their set included "Somebody Told Me" by the Killers, "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin, "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix, "Whole Lotta Love" by Zeppelin, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana and more that I can't remember right now. The Joplin cover was definitely one of my favourites. The Trews kicked it off with their latest single and mixed up the old and new songs. It was awesome. "Not Ready To Go" was kickass. So was "Every Inambition". A couple of the guys from the band were standing behind Josh and I during King Size Suzi's set. That was kinda cool. Their encore was...one of their songs I didn't know followed by..."Whole Lotta Love" by Zeppelin...they were "showing the kids how it's done". And since they've been opening for Robert Plant...they know how it's done. Do they ever. That was supposed to be the last song, but they did one more--Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll". It was fabulous. I need a Trews album now.

In other eventful news, I was in Vancouver on the weekend. Laura and I drove down on Friday and stayed in a hostel on Cambie Street in Gastown on Friday night. That was pretty sweet. The place was ancient and had a super busy pub/bar underneath. On Saturday morning we checked out Gastown and saw a film crew doing some filming. We think it was a scene from Smallville, but never found out for sure. That was kinda cool. We had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which I thought was really cool. Then we went to Stanley Park cos Laura wanted to walk on the seawall. So we hung out there for a bit, then went to Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge. I couldn't look down the first time we went across. But coming back I got some pictures and stuff. I'll post them later, when I feel like downloading them. After the bridge, we went to Metrotown and did some real shopping. Laura got a pretty cool shirt and some stuff at Old Navy. We got out of there around five and started driving back to Kamloops, stopped in Hope for dinner, and got back here pretty late. All in all, it was a good time. I'd like to go again when I have more money, haha. Laura stayed the night here and we checked out the used book store on Victoria street. I picked up Stephen King's Christine, which oddly enough I had never read. I just finished it. It was pretty good.
I think that's about everything for now.

~Currently playing: Tenacious D-Tribute; Driver-She Laughed at Me; K-Os-Crabbuckit; Michael Jackson-Billie Jean~

2005-09-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well the KIJHL season has only just begun and my brother is already third in penalty minutes. There was a line brawl in Osoyoos' second game of the season, against Princeton. Apparently, he was involved. Just a little. Haha. Dork.

I'll post about Vancouver, with pics, in a couple of days.

who knew salad was violent?

2005-09-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

I just had an altercation with a bowl of salad.
The bowl of salad won.

I know what you're saying: how can you have an altercation with food, which is essentially an inanimate object, and LOSE? Well it happened. This type of thing happens to me quite often. When I was at Kristyl's wedding I had an altercation with a shower curtain and rod and lost as well. Not to mention the altercation with the stairs at my cabin in the summer. I'm telling you, one of these days, an inanimate object is going to maim me. Well the stairs already did. So did the curtain and rod. The salad, not being as violent in nature, didn't have as much opportunity. Fortunately I was alert to the dangers of the bowl. But anyways.

Very soon, I am leaving for Vancouver. This will occur when Laura arrives. She is on her way. We are going shopping and sightseeing. It should be quite grand. Now I should go pack some stuff for the trip and find something else to eat, since the bowl of salad had other ideas. Now I have no salad and one less bowl. Sad.

~Currently playing: Greg Kihn Band-The Breakup Song; The Cars-My Best Friend's Girlfriend ~

autographs will be signed after the show

2005-09-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

Behold, an informative, entertaining post with dancing elephants. Well, it has dancing elephants anyways. Scratch the informative and entertaining.

That's right. Dancing elephants. Do I know how to deliver or what? I think the only thing better might be dancing donkeys.

Okay, so I haven't posted for a bit and there is actually quite a valid reason for that. Reason being that I didn't have internet until Friday. And I was out for most of Friday, so I couldn't post or anything.

So I'm in Kamloops now. It feels very strange to not be in school. And today is the fourth anniversary of 9/11. It happened after I had been in college for exactly a week. And now college has been in for a week, and I am not there. These are strange times.

Anyways, on Friday I met with Jenny at TRU and we hung out there for awhile at Heroes and stuff, then we went to the mall where we bought nothing. Then we went back to the school, but nobody was there. So we went to the Thompson Park Mall liquor store, then her place. We hung out there drinking our mickeys til Lisa picked us up and we went to Fox n Hounds, then to Central Station. Wanda came with us. It was quite fun. Then we went back to Jenny's and met her kickass neighbours and hung out with them drinking for awhile. Then the four of us sat in Jenny's place discussing the supernatural. Then we left. And that was that. All in all, a fun evening.

In other news, my brother is staying in Osoyoos, it sounds like he made the team. They're looking for a billet for him, so that's kinda cool. Looks like I may be going on a road trip or two this year to watch him play.
I can't wait for hockey season--Blazers games, Osoyoos games and Canucks games. Yeah!
On the 21st the Trews are playing in Kamloops and guess what--King Size Suzi is opening for them!!!!! I'm looking forward to that. A lot. Apparently it's their first performance since Suzi went on Canadian Idol.
I think I'm gonig to be done for now. Still working on the mysterious post I promised previously.

i really can't think of good titles lately.

2005-09-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go. I've actually been working on a post, but I'm not posting it yet because I'm not done. So you get this pseudo-token-post instead. Deal with it.

I'm heading back to Kamloops in a couple/few days--either Saturday or Sunday. My brother left today to go to hockey practice in Osoyoos. He tried out for the Merritt Centennials and didn't make it, but their affiliate team (Osoyoos) really wanted him to come down. He decided he should go to school instead, but they called the other day wondering why he wasn't at training camp and he told them he'd decided to go to school. They told him if he changed his mind to let them know, and after some discussion later on, he did change his mind, so they told him to report to practice today, and that's where he is now. The reason this applies to my going to Kamloops is that he will be playing in some exhibition games, one of which is in Grand Forks on Saturday night. If we go down to that game, I obviously wouldn't be able to get to Kamloops on Saturday. See, that all had a point. Hah. Oh and if he plays for Osoyoos it would be cool because they won the whole shebang last year, so it's a good team and all.

In other news, Suzi is now gone from Canadian Idol, which sucks, but I guess I will still watch it. And if her band is playing a show in Kamloops, I will try to go to it. Anyways, I think my new Idol favourite is Rex. He's pretty cool. I like how the judges mock his dancing attempts.
Ooooooooooooh and Laura is back from Switzerland! Yeah! I am excited. We talked on the phone for awhile last night and she was telling me about it. It sounds fabulous.
Anyways. That's all for now. I will work further on the post I was working on.

~Currently playing: The Cars-You're All I've Got Tonight; Billy Idol-Hot In the City; CCR-Bad Moon Rising ~

pretend this title ties marshmallows, Pink Floyd and randomness together.

2005-08-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

The moon is a marshmallow.
That's my new theory. I discovered it on the weekend, when we were at the cabin. My brother was telling me about when his physics teacher brought a vacuum (a space simulation vacuum, not a cleaner) to class and put a marshmallow in it. Because of the lack of air pressure or whatever, the marshmallow started to get really big before the teacher took it out. So, I figure, if you throw a marshmallow out into space and don't take it out, it would get to be huge. So instead of being made of cheese, it is more likely that the moon is a marshmallow. If you want to get technical about things. Of course, the actual conversation was much giddier and I don't remember much of it, but it was a delightful discovery. Let's just hope the moon doesn't get too close to a flaming meteor or something, otherwise we'll all wind up covered in a hot, gooey, marshmallow-ey mess à la Ghostbusters and the StayPuft marshmallow man. On the plus side, if we broke out the chocolate and graham crackers, we could live on s'mores for awhile.

Enough ridiculous theories and rambling.

I bought Pink Floyd's The Wall in Kamloops the other day for fifteen bucks. What a steal--I've been checking that out for a long time, but couldn't bring myself to spend $30 on it. Josh and I went to Kamloops on Tuesday to sell our textbooks and some lunatic let me in the CD store while we were there. I tore myself away with only Pink Floyd. Had I not been rational, the damage would have been much worse.

In other news...
-When I was at the cabin I went on a tube ride. It was pretty sweet. I fell off twice. It was so hot out that day that I was dry throughout almost the entire ride.
-I went to the Italian Kitchen with my mom for dinner the other night. It was pretty good. And I had tiramisu for the first time. Would you believe I used to think it was Japanese? Talk about dumb.
-I thought Suzi was gone off of Idol last night. It was close. I thought Aaron was the best one this week, his performance of "These Eyes" was incredible.
-I can feel fall coming on. There's a coolness that wasn't there before a week ago. I can actually stand on the sundeck without burning my feet. We don't have to keep all the doors, windows and blinds closed all day to keep out the heat. It's creeping up. I can't wait for those fall fashions, oh boy!

~Currently playing: Aerosmith-Baby Please Don't Go; Sam Roberts-Don't Walk Away Eileen; Tom Petty-American Girl; CCR-Proud Mary; Don Henley-Boys of Summer~

not if you were the last junkie on earth...

2005-08-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have a terrible, terrible secret. I'm about to share it with you. Which would make it no longer a secret, but a confession.
I am a Canadian Idol junkie. So in actuality, these are the confessions of a Canadian Idol junkie.
Until the beginning of this Canadian Idol season, I scorned all such shows. I used to watch the beginnings of them, just to mock them. I started doing that with this Canadian Idol. Then Suzi Rawn made the cut. She's from Kamloops, for all who don't know, and has a band called King Size Suzi.
In essence I suppose you could say it's all her fault I like Canadian Idol. She's a real rock chick, which I like. She even has pink hair. I can't stand most of the singers on shows like that. But Suzi is awesome and rocks out all the time. So I like her, and watch the show because of it. Oy. I feel like some pop culture weirdo for watching it. It almost feels sinful. But whatever.
And I couldn't believe it tonight when Suzi and that other guy were the only two that weren't safe. All of the rock n rollers were on the edge. But she's still in it! And it was nuts cos she did that Joplin song and it was great.
And I'm done.

......Did I mention before that Josh got a nice new car? Cos he did. It's pretty cool.
~Currently playing: The Cars-Let's Go; Prism-Spaceship Superstar; Sloan-Money City Maniacs~

a nice day for a white wedding

2005-08-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

So. I was in Langley this weekend for Kristyl and Jason's wedding, which was quite fabulous. It was at the Barkley Brook, a bed and breakfast. The ceremony was in the afternoon and Kristyl looked like a fairytale bride. The reception was later on and it was really fun. And, knowing Kristyl, I was not at all surprised that they had karaoke at it! So it was all awesome and Josh and I had a good time there. We met all of Kristyl's aunts who were quite an entertaining bunch also--now we know where she gets it from, hehe.

We drove down to Chilliwack on Friday night and stayed with Josh's mom's friend. We stopped in Kamloops for dinner at the good old Fox n Hounds with Tim, Lisa and Tara. It was nice to see them again. Saturday morning we drove to Langley and picked up the rest of the wedding gift stuff, met up with Randy and Shauna and waited at the Barkley Brook for the wedding to start. Having forgotten scissors, I ended up cutting the wrapping paper with a knife in the parking lot, which was pretty funny. Kristyl and Jason let us stay in a room at the B&B which came with their rental, which was awesome.

On Sunday, we helped them clean up a bit, then headed up to Kamloops to look at a basement suite. And we took it. It's pretty nice, just off of McGill, which is good (better than the North Shore ghetto-style, that's for sure!). So it's official: I am moving back to Kamloops in September. I'm gonna find a job there and work for the year while Josh goes to school.

In other news...
-I think Auren should move back to Kamloops as well.
-Our new landlady is a hockey fan--Blazers AND Canucks!
-It's really hot outside.
-Manny appears to have dropped off the face of the earth (aka moved to Manitoba and I haven't heard from him for a loooong time).
-I'm gonna have to read The Stand again cos I can't stop thinking about it since I told Alain to read it.
-I had more things I was going to write here, but I can't remember what they were.

~Currently playing: The Killers-Somebody Told Me; The Darkness-I Believe In a Thing Called Love; Steve Miller Band-Take the Money and Run; Muse-Time Is Running Out; Jimi Hendrix-Purple Haze; Bryan Adams-Summer of '69; Fleetwood Mac-You Make Lovin Fun~

2005-08-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, that was a bizarre experience...blogger wouldn't let me log in because it claimed something-or-other wasn't enabled, but it was, then it suddenly let me on. So here I am, and the point of coming on here at this time was to let you all know that I have nothing to say.
Josh and I are going down to Langley on Friday. I got my hair cut today. Last night I watched Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, which is a freakin hilarious movie. I recommend it to those who haven't seen it...it's reminiscent of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
Ohhhh and this week I was reading this book that I like (Call of Madness by Julie Dean Smith), and I decided to find out if there were any other books the lady had written. It turns out that book was the first in a series of four. And they're all out of print now. Talk about going from being excited to very sad. I found the second one (Mission of Magic) in a used bookstore the other day, but am still looking for the third and fourth ones (Sage of Sare and The Wizard King). If anyone's heard of the woman and knows where I can find the books...pleeeease let me know. This is like the Dark Tower series on a smaller scale to me. Anyways, that's all. I'll try to come up with something random and better in future days....

2005-08-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I got a letter from TRU in the mail today. Thinking it was yet another "come join our MBA program" letter, I almost didn't even open it.
But I did.
And lo and behold, it was a letter telling me I made the Dean's List for last semester.
Talk about your shocks. I think my exact words were "Oh my god, I made the Dean's List. How the hell did that happen?"
But I thought that was pretty darn cool. I might even post a picture of the letter. Hehe. Other than that, today I went for a walk and had a slurpee, getting a mind-bending brain-freeze along the way. This is what happens when you drink a slurpee once every six months. I also determined that I need to go down and offer my services to the Lumby Valley Times, cos I may not be good at layout, but...I know I can do better than what they've got! Not to mention copy-editing, etc. Anyways. That's about it. Just wanted to note my letter and put in a token post for Brian, who informed me I need to update my blog IN SPITE OF THE FACT that I wrote not one but TWO posts yesterday.

Oh and one other thing.
You've heard it said that everyone and their dog has a blog now, the blogosphere is exploding and maybe you've seen the statistics from the link that Scott has posted on his blog?
Let me tell you, when you discover that God has a blog, you realize how true those statements are.

2005-08-03T12:59:00.001-07:00

Almost forgot....
In the June 30-July 14 double issue of Rolling Stone (Jessica Alba is on the cover) there was an article called "Deadly Immunity". It blew me away. Written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., it shows a link between the use of thimerosal (a type of mercury) in vaccines and autism. Salon.com also published the article and there's been a lot of feedback about it. You can read it online here.

Maybe I should explain a bit why I found this so mind-blowing. Let's see...mercury is deadly. There are people who won't even have a mercury thermometer in their homes. That it's being used as a preservative in vaccines is downright scary. According to the article, Russia banned the use of thimerosal in vaccines 20 years ago because it was found to be harmful. And now it's being linked to autism. Well, you've just gotta read this thing. Really. Read it.

I wonder if thimerosal is used in Canadian vaccines as well....

je suis retournee

2005-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I have returned from my 2 week sojourn at the lake--with a tan and an injured foot. The tan was a direct result of the foot--I couldn't water ski or anything, so I was stuck sitting on the dock and beach most of the time...it was a hard life. I am disappointed though, because I really did want to ski and such, but my foot still hurts so it probably wouldn't have been wise. I hurt it going down the stairs at the cabin--a step broke, my foot rolled over and I heard a cracking noise. Seems to be some kind of sprain. Whatever. I'll post some pictures from the lake when I get around to downloading them onto the computer, which will be after I recharge the camera batteries....
While I was out at the lake, I made it back into town for game three of the Shaw Cup--sorry, Okanagan Cup--finals (We had an issue with trophies this season. Is there ever a season where we don't have some kind of issue? Yeesh). Vernon was leading the series 2-0 and ended up winning game 3 to take the cup in a sweep, which was kinda cool. They were playing Kelowna. Game details are here.
I didn't do a whole lot other than hang out and get tanned at the lake--read lots of Archie comics and a few books, listened to music, and assisted as much as I could while Josh put a new roof on the cabin for us.
I'm contemplating going back to Kamloops this fall, but haven't fully decided yet. I've also resolved to update my blog more, like every other day or so. We'll see how that works out. Anyways, that's all for now. I thought I had more to say, but it appears that I actually don't.

New links on the side, to Scott and Tara's blogs.

YARK!!!!!!! I've just discovered that the Canucks have traded Brent Sopel! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! But they re-signed Naslund and that is good....and if Forsberg followed through on his desire to play with Naslund, whoo boy. I don't like Forsberg, but I will admit he is a pretty good player. And what will Niedermayer do?

~Currently playing: Rock 101~

2005-07-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Josh scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday night's game against the Kelowna Raiders. The Shamrocks ended up winning 7-6 to push the series to game 3, which is tonight. Here is the Morning Star's decription: "The Shamrocks scored two goals in the second period, with Josh Harrison benefiting from some great ball recovery to score his first...". So that is pretty cool.

I'm going out to the game in Kelowna tonight, then we're heading out to the cabin for a week or so. So you won't see me around on MSN, nor will you see any new blog posts for a bit. I'm hoping to get in some skiing, make some effort in wakeboarding and get a better tan.

See y'all on the flip side.

~Currently playing: Rock 101~

lacrosse fights, Mexican cash and photos

2005-07-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

I went to game one of the semi-finals on Monday night, between Armstrong and Kelowna. The Shamrocks had a tough go of it and lost 11-3. There were some altercations toward the end of the game. And with just under two minutes left in the game, Josh got in a fight. I was kinda shocked at first, but it was kinda cool. Haha.

So I was just cleaning the boat cos we're going out to the lake next week. This involves cleaning out the glove compartment as well. So I opened the glove compartment and found a massive jumble of tapes (tapes? TAPES?! Yes...people still listen to tapes...). Anyways, I organized those--B52s, Dire Straits, Streetheart, Aerosmith, Metallica, Tom Petty and TWO, yes TWO copies of The Cars The Cars. Don't ask me. So I delve further into this mysterious compartment and discover the car kit for a discman, a screwdriver, a pencil, some bandaids, tube patches, a bunch of small change and a 100 peso coin. You know, just in case we cross into Mexican waters or something. While we're at Mabel Lake. Yeah. I dunno what that's about.

And HURRAH for the tentative hockey deal!!!!!!

Anyways, here's some pics of when I was at the Sunshine Coast on July 1.

The "cabin"

Where the ferry crashed--it was pretty much all cleaned up 12 hours later...

This boat reminded me of Forrest Gump's shrimp boat, at the dock at Pender Harbour.

Starfish at Nelson Island.

Evan and I on the boat

for kicks...

2005-07-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Rock 101 radio guy: "Disco did die, and it was a good thing."

Amen to that.

Here's an old quote I found in one of my notebooks today:
Dale: We're just like Mexico--only hotter.

And one from a couple of weeks ago:
Josh: I don't like them hard, I like them crunchy.

Another from a couple of weeks ago:
Lacrosse fan (to the referee): Take off your socks, you two-fingered dork!

ferries, coasts and a lot of water.

2005-07-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I've returned in one piece after taking the ferry. That seems like a good thing.
I was at my great aunt and uncle's cabin on Nelson Island, along the Sunshine Coast, for the weekend. We left Thursday evening, the day of the infamous ferry disaster, and got to the ferry terminal at 2am, and waited in line until they started moving people at 5am, finally got on the ferry around 7am, and were off to Langdale. I took some pictures of where the ferry crashed, but there wasn't much left to be seen. They did a pretty quick cleanup job. I had the most disgusting muffin I have ever eaten on that ferry. And that's saying something after being up all night. The ferry arrived in Langdale 40 minutes later and we hit McDonald's, then took off for Pender Harbour. When we got there, we had to wait over an hour for the water taxi, since the ocean was too rough for my uncle to pick us up. I almost got seasick on the taxi, it was kinda funny. The driver was really cool, lives in Honduras part time. By the time he dropped us off at my great aunt and uncle's place on Nelson Island, it felt like dinner time, but it wasn't even noon.
My uncle took us on a bay tour later in the day, and we did the lunch and dinner thing. Their "cabin" is what the vast majority would call a house, and is run on solar power. It's pretty cool. They took us over to this other guy's place, they call it the stone house, and it looks like a freakin' castle. He's been building this place for 25 years and is about half done. It's covered in stone and absolutely gorgeous. By the time he's done, it'll be worth well over a million. I think it'd probably be worth that right now. It's crazy.
The next day, we spread my grandma's ashes and had our little ceremony. After that we went out in the boat to check the prawn traps that had been set the night before, then returned to the cabin for lunch--which involved fresh prawns. We stayed for awhile longer, then were taken back to Pender Harbour and drove back to catch the ferry. We got into Vancouver around 9 and had dinner at Las Margaritas, an awesome Mexican place on West 4th. After that we finally headed home, and got here at 3:15 Sunday morning.
So that was my weekend at the Sunshine Coast and my ferry adventure, which was less of an adventure after the ferry crash than you might think.
I've got some pictures which I will post when I get them on the computer. I can't really think of anything else at the moment, so if I do, that will be a later post.

observe

2005-06-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

Black velvet--if you please.
'Black Velvet' is such a delightfully sultry song.
It's so slooooooow and sexy.
The song just sounds hot in every way.
Has anyone else noticed this?
I love it. It just feels like I'm there.

Alannah Myles-Black Velvet
Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rogers on the victrola up high
Mama's dancing with baby on her shoulder
The sun is setting like molasses in the sky.
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything.
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for...

Black velvet and that little boy smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees
Black velvet if you please.

Up in Memphis the music's like a heat wave
White lightning, bound to drive you wild.
Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl
"Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true.
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for...

Black velvet and that little boy smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees
Black velvet if you please.

Every word of every song that he sang was for you.
In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon,
What could you do?

Black velvet and that little boy smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees
Black velvet if you please...
If you please...
If you please....

my cat is a mutant.

2005-06-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

This, friends, is a tiger bunny, part of the mythical species of the "cabbit". I laughed my ass off when I saw this picture. I found it quite delightful. The other one, of course is my cat Lucy.
You see, I came across this site about hybrid cats when I was reading about ligers. Being a) a lover of cats and b) curious like our feline friends, I decided to check it out.
It turns out that not only are ligers real, so are tigons, ti-ligers, ti-tigons, li-ligers, etc. While these do not exist in the wild, there are many in captivity and are the results of the breeding of lions and tigers and their subsequent offspring. You can find pictures of the various hybrids on the hybrid cat website. Some of them are really quite bizarre.
Cabbits, however, are not real, and are genetic impossibilities. The closest thing to a cabbit, apparently, is a manx cat, which was once thought to be the result of a rabbit being bred into a cat line. It turns out that manx cats are actually some sort of hybrid because of their unusual hind legs. Which leads me to point out that I have a manx cat, a very large one. I think this hybridization explains her quite well, haha. My cat, I say, is a mutant.

In other news, I went to Kelowna on Wednesday night to watch the Shamrocks play the Raiders. The Mary Kay lady came today (I won some kind of free makeup thing in a draw apparently) and she wants me to be her makeup model. I'm going down to the Sunshine Coast next weekend, perhaps I will post pictures of it. I enjoy receiving post cards from far off places. Contact me if you would like to join the CFDCOA (Coalition for Further Donkey Content in Opposition of Auren).
~Currently playing: Rock 101~

1 win, 2 games, 3 newspapers, 4 ties

2005-06-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well. I have three newspapers seeking lacrosse info from me. Not too shabby eh, haha. Morning Star, Kelowna Daily Courier, and as I have just discovered this morning, the Daily Courier Vernon edition. The Morning Star is the main one though--they want quotes and the whole bit. Of course, they're the only ones who know I actually have my degree.

I went to the Royals vs Shamrocks game in Enderby on Friday night. It was a great game until it was called with 16 mins left because of moisture on the floor. The players were falling everywhere. So it ended in a tie--fourth tie in four games, brutal. I went out with Josh and the Shamrocks afterward, and the Shamrocks' coach said there have been more ties this year than in his entire career. I believe it. Honestly, who ties in lacrosse? At least we know there can't be a tie in playoffs. On Saturday we had dinner at KT's and went to see Batman Begins. That was a cool movie. I know some people out there haven't seen it yet, so I won't say anything about it. Just know that it's good.

Sunday was Father's Day, and the Royals played Kelowna, but I didn't go. This resulted in a little bit of stress and annoyance on my part, because I ended up having to track down information for the papers anyway. And just when I thought I was done (this morning, after the Star told me they had everything they needed), someone else phoned looking for info. Note to self: don't miss any more games. The Royals ended up winning that game 14-13 though, so at least the tie streak was snapped. Barely.

And that's all for now.

~Currently playing: Tragically Hip-Courage; Billy Idol-White Wedding~

by popular demand...

2005-06-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, here are a few pics from convocation. It's kinda hard for me to size them and stuff cos I have to make them fit on this page, yadda yadda, and I don't have sophisticated programs for such things. Anyone who wants more photos, or the good, full versions of these, let me know and I will email them to you or something.

This would be Al, Meghan, Danielle, Manny and I.

Onstage...

With Lisa.

With Josh.

~Currently playing: U2-Desire; Exies-My Goddess; Alannah Myles-Black Velvet; Gary Newman-Cars~

lumby days, a great band, some lacrosse

2005-06-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an eventful few days, so I am going to do my best here. This was Lumby Days weekend. Saturday noon was the parade. I watched it with Josh and my mom. From there we moved over to the fair grounds. Josh and I checked out the midway. He won me a prize--plush flowers--at the dart game. We bugged my brother at the lemonade stand. Went to the beer garden for a bit, then went to look at some exhibits and ran into Laura and her mom, so we hung out with them for a bit. Saw a llama and a cool cow. Went back to the beer gardens. We were hanging out with my parents and some hockey parents and some people I knew that we ran into, including Murray, who I have not seen forever; Bob from Williams Lake; and Steph. So that was cool. Josh left after awhile and I walked to the car with him, then went back to the beer gardens. It was raining, but most people were past the point of caring. I had a few drinks, don't really know how many. We were there until about 9pm, when we went over to the bar (us and everyone else). The reason we went was because....well.
Hmm.
Do y'all really wanna know?
I'm not sure.
Okay, I'll tell you.
The best cover band ever was playing there. THE BEST. I kid you not. These guys kick serious ass. They are the Young'Uns. Pure awesome. They play everything--The White stripes, U2, Tragically Hip, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, The Cars--they can do it all and do it all awesomely well. They even did that save a horse ride a cowboy song that I hate, but danced to anyways. In fact, I danced to every song except one, and that was a slow one. I was right up front next to the stage, rockin' out, dancing with the hockey parents and people I haven't seen for a long time. It was fun. We were there until closing and walked home in the rain. My dad somehow left ahead of us and had somehow acquired a beer glass, which we found broken outside our front door this morning. I had some really awesome quotes from the evening, but I appear to have forgotten them. That was the best partying at the bar ever, I have to say. And I am so there next time the Young'Uns play.
Hmm I almost forgot about the creepy man who hit on me multiple times at the beer garden. I was wearing my sticky buns shirt and he seemed to be entranced by it. Ugh. Note to self: never wear that shirt to a drinking establishment again.
***
Friday night was the Royal Challenge Cup between Vernon and Armstrong. It ended up in a tie--third tie in two weeks in the league. It would have been nice to have an informal shoot-out because it ended up being a split cup, which sucks. Josh played well, and the game was broadcast on the radio. I was sitting next to the radio guys in the press box and it was really cool because I could hear the play by play as I watched the game going on. After the game, I went out with Josh and the Shamrocks to Checkers again, where I had a couple of chocolate martinis.

Convocation was on Thursday, but I will save that for a separate post since I have a bunch of pictures for it. Anyone who wants some pics, just let me know and I will put them in an email for you.

~Currently playing: U2-Desire; Neil Young-Rockin' in the Free World; The Dandy Warhols-Bohemian Like You~

they said i'm tragically hip

2005-06-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

That's what I'm talkin' about.
This is inescapably awesome.
I love it.
This, in case you're wondering, is what I'm talking about:

The top signature is Sam Roberts, the bottom is Gord Downie (you know, Trag Hip).

"Jess, we are in awe."

Gordie baby, I know exactly what you mean.

There's a story behind this. It goes something like this. Once upon a time, I had an internet friend named Chris. He lives in the state of Georgia in the good old USofA. We have been friends for probably around 5 years now, the friendship stemming from a mutual love of Aerosmith and both being journalism students.

It so happens that one fine day after I had gone to see the Tragically Hip and Sam Roberts, I turned him on to them. Awhile later he got his girlfriend into them as well (she is also an Aerosmith fan). So it turns out that they both end up loving our good Canadian bands. So much so, that they went to see them twice in the past year down in the southern states. The first time Chris went to see them play, he met them all after the show and told them how I, his Canadian buddy, had turned him and his girlfriend onto them and how they now love them. Well apparently this was pretty cool. The rest, as they say, is history. He got the autographs for me and sent them just recently, and I picked it up from the post office today.

PS. Lots of love to you, too, Sam my good buddy.

~Currently playing: Rock 101; Tragically Hip-Ahead By a Century~

random reportage

2005-06-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well I went to Creative Chaos in Vernon yesterday. They had lots of yummy food samples--like chocolate sauce and fudge. Gazillions of flavours. Among many other creative things. I got a necklace with hematite squares on it. It matches a pair of earrings I have. It's pretty cool.
On Saturday we went to Kelowna for awhile to get stuff. Had lunch at Montana's, not bad. I prefer their dessert, haha.
Friday saw me getting angry at the computer as I tried to get the Internet feed of the lacrosse game to work. It never did. I am not sure exactly why, other than I HATE WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER. But other than that, you know, it's all good.
I watched Cold Mountain and the Garfield Movie on the weekend. Cold Mountain was really good. Garfield...well, I love Garfield. But it didn't live up to expectations. Jon wasn't quite the loser he should have been, Liz wasn't quite as aloof as she should have been, Odie wasn't as dumb, Nermal wasn't a ridiculously idiotic kitten...you get the picture. Garfield himself was cool though. He was like Lucy, except male, orange and had a tail.

Oh, and is anyone else slightly creeped out by the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes thing? I can't figure out if it's a) normal b) Tom having a mid-life crisis or c) Katie having father figure issues. She's even rumoured to be converting to Scientology.

~Currently playing: Rock 101~

2005-05-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton is engaged.
She wants to have children.

In other news, I have been shamefully neglecting my blog. The truth is, nothing overly exciting has been happening and I haven't run across any interesting new websites or anything.

My brother's grad was on Friday and I went to that. It was so hot, hottest day of the weekend I think, and we were trapped in the high school gym for the ceremony after being outside for about two hours taking pictures, then moved on to the curling rink for the banquet. But all in all it wasn't too bad, just hot. He even got some scholarships, which was good. I will try to post pictures at some point soon.

Josh came over on Saturday and we watched some movies (Office Space, Good Morning Vietnam and There's Something About Mary) as well as the Memorial Cup game on Sunday. Laura also came over on Sunday and she showed us her Italy pictures and told us about her trip. She is going to Switzerland at the end of June to teach some rich guy's kids how to ride Western style. It sounds beyond cool.

I can't believe convocation is in 9 days. Ugh.

~Currently playing: Don Henley-Dirty Laundry~

it is the tale, not he who tells it

2005-05-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished the last book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I read the first one little more than a year ago, yet I feel like I have been on the journey forever, and it has now been yanked away from me. I have to say, I really liked the whole thing, even the end. Since I know Brian will likely be reading this, I will not divulge the ending or other parts from the final two books. Know this, however: I found that the sixth book was the least enjoyable of the series. I'm not sure exactly why. It was still good though. The whole thing is great. The final book--The Dark Tower--is pretty good, but it still needs some time to sink in, so at this point I would have to say the best ones are the first one (The Gunslinger), the fourth one (Wizard and Glass) and the fifth one (Wolves of the Calla).
In the author's note at the end of The Dark Tower, Stephen King says something along the lines that with the conclusion of the Dark Tower series, his life's work is done, because all of his previous books have led up to this one--many of them relate to the Dark Tower, perhaps even all of them do on entirely different levels. Can he retire now? Yes, he could retire, and quite safely with the series done. But CAN he? I doubt it. He's a storyteller, and there's always another story. If he was meant to never tell another story, I think he would have died by the side of the road that day in Maine, without finishing the Dark Tower. I think he has a few stories in him yet.

In other news, I'm sick. I woke up this morning and could barely talk. So grrr. It started on Sunday night when I was watching Any Given Sunday--see, I knew football was the devil!
We went out to the cabin on the weekend. The weather wasn't so hot, so at least I didn't get sunburned this time. The Royals beat Kelowna 10-4 on Friday night. It was kind of a dull game....

Okay, if you don't want to know a teeny piece from the last two Dark Tower books, I advise you not to read this, but it doesn't affect the ending, I promise. The thing is, I can't understand how Flagg died so easily. Flagg, the most quintessential villain in many of SK's novels, died in agony, surely, but far too easily for my taste. The man who always got away at the last minute after turning towns and even countries upside down was completely helpless in the end. I think that bothers me.

And now the Dark Tower journey is over, until I start reading it again, but then it won't be the same, because I don't think I can ever forget the ending completely enough to read it like that again. I can do it with many others, even The Stand, but I know I won't be able to do it with this.
And so... Go then. There are other worlds than these.

~Currently playing: Rock 101~

not much.

2005-05-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Since I have nothing new to post about and have very little on my mind, here are some things I was reading today that I found interesting.

Ever wonder where the word "hoser" actually comes from? I wondered. And found out.

Don't forget--PostSecret updates on Sundays. There are some new secrets for you to read....

Here's a list of Canadian slang, courtesy of Wikipedia. I found it when I was checking out the Canadian English section.

I also read Anne of Green Gables today, but I doubt many are interested in that so I will refrain from searching out and posting interesting links to her. For now. Hehe.

consorting with the enemy, a movie and randomness

2005-05-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

After the Royals lost the season opener to Armstrong 9-7 on Friday night, I found myself at Checkers with Josh and the Shamrocks. Consorting with the enemy. I thought I was safely undercover until the goalie asked me if I was still writing Vernon Royals propaganda. Anyways they all seem pretty cool, however I'm not sure if I like giving a face to the enemy. Apparently Josh and I are invited to the wedding of 'Rocks captain Chad Pounder. I guess that means I shouldn't let Rob yell at him from the press box any more.

On Saturday, Josh and I went to watch the team he helps coach play lacrosse at Hassen, and on Saturday night we went to see Kingdom of Heaven which wasn't a bad movie. LOTS of blood because of the huge amount of fighting in the movie. The leper king wasn't too pretty either. Orlando Bloom was, of course, lovely. The chick in the movie wasn't that hot though, I thought she had a strong resemblance to a skeleton.

It looks like I will be doing a little more than I originally thought for the Royals this year, due to some season opener glitches. One of my first assignments was to rewrite a program article about the Royal Challenge Cup, which I did today. I have to say, I think it sounds pretty cool now haha. The Royals' major sponsor has also asked me to write a piece for his business to use for something. So it should all be pretty cool. Oh--and I might get to be a carnie at Lumby Days, working at one of the concessions. That will be bizarre.

Last week, I ordered a few books from the library, including two Dark Tower books. The last Dark Tower book arrived first, then the three other books I ordered arrived. The second to last Dark Tower book has yet to arrive and I can't read the one I have until I read the one I don't. Talk about annoying.

~Currently playing: Matt Mays-Cocaine Cowgirl; Alannah Myles-Black Velvet; Aerosmith-Sunshine; Streetheart-Snow White~