Yep, it's friday. There is absolutely no one in my hallway. They're all at the OUF (or 'oeuf' as our Manager refers to it -- the humungous university fair for highschool kids). We never had such an event when we were choosing unis. Most of us in my highschool chose Ottawa U cause it was one of the only French places to study in Ontario, and we got money for doing it, too! I made it through one year of French Biology and then switched to the English Lit program. Go figure.
But man do I wish I could go back and talk to my guidance counselor who was more interested in finding me a date for the prom than in actually counseling me. No, he told me I'd be fine no matter what subject I chose, then proceeded to tell me about his job in a paper mill in his undergrad, and how he hoped his daughter would turn out like me. Thanks for the compliment, but what you should have said was, go into communication or journalism.
Then again, no one ever said life was easy. And I guess I appreciate things more now that I've had to work for them and figure things out on my own. I certainly don't think the last 12 years have been a waste of education. Anyways. Things have turned out just fine, and I'm happy with where I am now.
Oh yeah. I have to work the PIF tomorrow. Sit at a table and chat to pples. Fun stuff.
And btw: encourage is synonymous with suggest - anyone who disputes that is just trying to be difficult. You know who you are.
Toodles for now,
Friday, September 30, 2005
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Apparently, I am an idealist...
| Your Personality Is |
You are a passionate, caring, and unique person.You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals. You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily.Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings. You seek out other empathetic people to befriend.Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships. In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily. At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career. With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone. As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style. On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours. |
The'>http://www.blogthings.com/threequestionpersonalitytest/">The Three Question Personality Test
Why do we fall in autumn?
We're officially into my favorite season - fall, or autumn as so many people around here seem to be calling it these days. Not as hot as summer or as cold as winter, cleaner than spring, it's full of crisp smells, warm colors and fire...
As kids we made pile after pile of leaves to jump and roll around in, our hair tangled in bright colors...That fascination still holds me but I am an adult now, and people give me strange looks if I opt to run through a pile of leaves, kicking them to the sky.
This year, I've decided I'm throwing myself back into those leaves, no matter the strange looks. Spring may be a time of renewal, but autumn is the season when the phoenix dies and rises again... And it is my time to rise up again, fueled by the warmth of raining fire.
Christine
As kids we made pile after pile of leaves to jump and roll around in, our hair tangled in bright colors...That fascination still holds me but I am an adult now, and people give me strange looks if I opt to run through a pile of leaves, kicking them to the sky.
This year, I've decided I'm throwing myself back into those leaves, no matter the strange looks. Spring may be a time of renewal, but autumn is the season when the phoenix dies and rises again... And it is my time to rise up again, fueled by the warmth of raining fire.
Christine
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Book clubs are not just for old ladies
I had my first book club meeting tonight, can you believe it? Lit major and never been in a book club before. I found it through the North York Library and it was a lot of fun. We're all women, most of them are retired, and there are about four of us in our late twenties/early thirties. Like everything, there were people who could really discuss the book well, others who were too shy to talk and then some who didn't get it at all...But it was fun and I highly recommend it.
The book we read was Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress...Can't remember the author but basically it's about these two young boys during the Cultural Revolution in China in the late sixties. Their parents are academics, and Mao, threatened by people who can think, sends the children of these academics off to the country to be 're-educated' by the peasants. They soon meet four-eyes, another young boy who has hidden a suitcase full of European literature under his bed. Eventually, the two boys steal the suitcase from four-eyes and use the literature to re-educate the little seamstress (who really ends up re-educating them about love and life).
The story itself is written like a fable, but there are so many neat themes and motifs running through this book. Perhaps the most poignant for me was the power of literature to inspire change and how literature is not only a great tool to take us away from reality but also helps us understand it better. For a long time I'd sort of dismissed my studies in English Lit as something that was 'fluff' or not real...I'd forgotten how important literature is to culture, change and thought...
I had a few 'very good point' responses from the group, so I'm pleased to say I don't think my English Lit training has gone to waste!
We have two new books to read and I'm excited to get to them. I may not even turn on the tv tonight!
More later,
Ceebie
The book we read was Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress...Can't remember the author but basically it's about these two young boys during the Cultural Revolution in China in the late sixties. Their parents are academics, and Mao, threatened by people who can think, sends the children of these academics off to the country to be 're-educated' by the peasants. They soon meet four-eyes, another young boy who has hidden a suitcase full of European literature under his bed. Eventually, the two boys steal the suitcase from four-eyes and use the literature to re-educate the little seamstress (who really ends up re-educating them about love and life).
The story itself is written like a fable, but there are so many neat themes and motifs running through this book. Perhaps the most poignant for me was the power of literature to inspire change and how literature is not only a great tool to take us away from reality but also helps us understand it better. For a long time I'd sort of dismissed my studies in English Lit as something that was 'fluff' or not real...I'd forgotten how important literature is to culture, change and thought...
I had a few 'very good point' responses from the group, so I'm pleased to say I don't think my English Lit training has gone to waste!
We have two new books to read and I'm excited to get to them. I may not even turn on the tv tonight!
More later,
Ceebie
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Mid-September and I am busy!
Wow, has it already been three weeks since my last entry? I have my laptop back, thank goodness, and I am busy! Summer will be over tomorrow, and then begins one of my favorite seasons: fall!
Anyways, so much is going on but at the same time not much. I missed a weekend going up to see my bro and baby Sebastien because I am busy working on my article and fact-checking someone else's. And man, do magazines ever need a fact-checker! This dude is really sloppy and I'm finding all kinds of mistakes. This is great experience and I am so glad that I've taken on the internship, but at the same time I'm dreading going over his article with him!
I'm also starting to plan what I'm going to do next once the winter issue is done. I'm expecting that my editor won't let me stay on for ever, and in fact it's probably a good idea for me to move on to another magazine. At the same time I'm not so sure that another magazine will let me do this part-time, but maybe my editor can pull some strings for me! The best thing would be if she could actually give me a part-time job, but I won't cross that bridge until I get there.
Other than that, the first draft of the chapter for the tourism guide is in, and that editor seemed pleased with it. i can't wait to see the final product with my name in print! I've got tons of neat book launches and events I can go to, and I'm doing tons of work for the magazine too. So much fun! If I ever forget how much fun this is, please flick me.
I am also looking for another job... We'll see how that goes. All I can say is even though I'll be happy to move on, I'll still miss helping the students and feeling like I've made a difference in someone's life. I'll still continue doing that, but in a different, way, I guess.
Anyhoo, procrastination time is over. One more thing though: Delna's back from Africa after three years and has brought an Irish boy with her! Maybe I should go there and come back married or something too!
Ok, tty all later,
Ceebie
Anyways, so much is going on but at the same time not much. I missed a weekend going up to see my bro and baby Sebastien because I am busy working on my article and fact-checking someone else's. And man, do magazines ever need a fact-checker! This dude is really sloppy and I'm finding all kinds of mistakes. This is great experience and I am so glad that I've taken on the internship, but at the same time I'm dreading going over his article with him!
I'm also starting to plan what I'm going to do next once the winter issue is done. I'm expecting that my editor won't let me stay on for ever, and in fact it's probably a good idea for me to move on to another magazine. At the same time I'm not so sure that another magazine will let me do this part-time, but maybe my editor can pull some strings for me! The best thing would be if she could actually give me a part-time job, but I won't cross that bridge until I get there.
Other than that, the first draft of the chapter for the tourism guide is in, and that editor seemed pleased with it. i can't wait to see the final product with my name in print! I've got tons of neat book launches and events I can go to, and I'm doing tons of work for the magazine too. So much fun! If I ever forget how much fun this is, please flick me.
I am also looking for another job... We'll see how that goes. All I can say is even though I'll be happy to move on, I'll still miss helping the students and feeling like I've made a difference in someone's life. I'll still continue doing that, but in a different, way, I guess.
Anyhoo, procrastination time is over. One more thing though: Delna's back from Africa after three years and has brought an Irish boy with her! Maybe I should go there and come back married or something too!
Ok, tty all later,
Ceebie
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