And the award for the worst blogger ever goes to...

Me!

There have been far too many things happening over the past several months. Finding time to devote to posting here just hasn't been realistic. And to be perfectly honest, I've never been a fan of publishing the personal details of my life on the internet... this was a place for me to share thoughts, experiences and stories that were amusing or interesting. For anyone who is still bothering to check back here every now and then, I'm sorry for being so intermittent in my posting.

So, today I have a brief life lesson to share:

Good idea - getting reading done while sitting in the bath. Productive and relaxing. Think about it.
Bad idea - falling down the stairs to the basement in spectacular fashion. Not recommended.

Huh?

Do you ever look back, and wonder, "How on earth did I do that?"
Looking back on things today, I can't believe that I managed to:

• commute across the city multiple times a week via TTC. How did I have that much time?
• do full-time school, work 2 part-time jobs, and volunteer at youth group multiple times a week... even with a car!
• live in Belarus for 3 weeks as a 16 year old. The government wanted to deport us, flushing toilets were few and far between, the skinheads wanted to kill me, and the mosquitos were the size of helicopters
• work at camp (not city camp!!) for entire summers at a time, where I was constantly tired and getting "paid" with an honorarium
• get through life without a cell phone. Sounds sad, but really.
• write major papers/assignments on the family computer out in the living room, in front of the TV all through high school and university

It's so funny how things change.

I know it's been a while. For anyone who's still reading this, I apologize for the unintentional silent treatment! I haven't felt much like writing recently... there IS a life outside of the internet, believe it or not. I highly recommend checking it out.

March Break is over, which meant that I was back at work today. It amazes me every single time just how difficult it is to get back into the swing of things. I've only been away for a week, and I just did NOT want to be anything close to awake and alert this morning. One huge blueberry muffin and large Starbucks coffee later, I was still conscious but nothing close to chipper. Then I went away to teach a class of grade 1s about energy. Let me tell you, there's nothing quite like a bunch of kids sitting on a carpet, listening interestedly while picking their noses. It's funny every single time.

I'm anxious for spring. Lots to look forward to - John Mayer, a wedding, a recital and even a formal! Stay tuned...

Me vs. Winter: Round 25

This morning, Toronto woke up to its first real wintery day this year.

Steadily falling freezing rain (or maybe wet snow... what's the difference, anyway?) left the city covered in a layer of ice. This included my car, which was encased in about 3mm of solid ice that took more than 20 minutes of vigorous scraping to get off. At 7:45 on a Monday morning, this meant that I was less than pleased, and cursing in my head the entire time. Once I made it out on the road, it was, as AM 680 News put it, "like driving on ball bearings". Combine that with me forgetting my passcard at home, and getting harassed at work by a rent-a-cop because of that, it was shaping up to be a brilliant day.

I tried to be rational in thinking about it. After all, the weather has been so mild that I've had very little to complain about all year. I told myself that many parts of the country deal with weather that is much colder and icier than this all the time. I even went as far as to remind myself that global warming is a huge problem that could leave us all underwater, turning the places I know and love into fabled, wet wastelands like Atlantis. I told myself that I should be thankful that Toronto is even seeing any winter precipitation, because it means that we're not totally doomed to die from our sins against the environment just yet.

But here's what I came to realize: I don't care.

I've never loved winter. I hate being cold. I hate having to wake up a half hour earlier than usual just to be able to see out my car windows. I hate that people forget how to drive as soon as any snow hits the ground. I've never supported -35 as an acceptable temperature for anything to stay alive. I enjoy super hot weather. I don't support destroying the environment. I don't drive a huge gas guzzling car, I don't usually use aerosol products, and I don't think it's awesome that warmer climates are experiencing violent weather patterns. I have no problems with trees, and the saving of trees. But how am I supposed to help if I'm forced to idle my car for 20 minutes as I scrape my windshields, without using a blowtorch or a chainsaw? Does anyone really want to complain when it's a comfortable 7 degrees in the middle of January? I certainly don't.

Everyone chooses their battles. Today, I choose to side with El Nino.

2006 In Review

We're already 2 days into the new year! Things have been so wonderfully hectic lately that I haven't had a chance to think much about the past year...

Which is why I'm proud to present a special edition of "life lessons learned" :

• I have great friends. I feel extremely lucky.
• I have a family that butts heads a lot, but we usually act in each other's best interests. That also makes me feel extremely lucky.
• Emotional confusion is no fun. But I am able to come out of situations with my head still screwed on properly, thank you very much.
• Bad things happen when I'm exhausted and pretend that I'm not. Vacations are absolutely mandatory.
• Some people are extremely bad at listening.
• When I say that I'm way too full and will never want to eat again, I'm probably lying.
• Being a relatively approachable looking woman apparently means garnering unwanted attention from all sorts of weirdos.
• Sometimes, good and unexpected things come to those who wait.
• You can never have too many pajamas.
• You never know what someone else is going through... there's always a story.

That's some of what I've (re)learned.

My resolution? To love and be loved. Sounds horribly cheesy, but hopefully everything else will just come out of that if I can get it right.

Happy new year, everyone!

What I'm looking forward to in the next few weeks...

• time off from work
• not setting my alarm before I go to bed
• eating, eating, eating
• snuggling with my boyfriend
• hanging out with my family
• seeing friends who are here and coming from far away
• Boxing Day shopping
• World Junior Hockey!
• giving gifts
• opening gifts
• drinking lots of Joy tea from Starbucks before it goes away for another year
• not hearing anymore ridiculous Christmas music coming from the radio
• New Year's Eve festivities

I'm so excited!

Sneak Peek

Harry Potter fans, this one's for you!