my frantic life

I felt like I had to follow up my last very pessimistic blog post with some happier words. Truth is, I am having the hardest time I've ever had stress-wise and financially, but there are so many little moments of happiness thrown in amongst the hardship that it makes it a little bit easier. I've come to terms with the fact that this is going to be a very poor semester for me. And that I am very rarely going to see my friends throughout it. But in the end, I feel like I am working towards something for the first time in my life AND IT MAKES ME FEEL SO GOOD.

So far, my PCA course is going great. I am learning a lot, and my instructor is hilarious, very straight forward, has awesome (frightening) stories and dispenses amazing advice. I've only had a week of class so far and I've already learned crazy amounts. My first test was this afternoon, and I've never had an easier time with a test in my life. I flew through it and there was only one question I even momentarily hesitated on. I guess being genuinely interested and excited helps with the studying. Also - my classmates? Love them. I have so many smoking buddies, and they're all so sweet and nice. You can just tell that we're all going to be a little family by the end of it. Makes me less nervous about the group work, for sure. 

As for my life outside school, I don't have much of one at present. Still volunteering at Planned Parenthood once a week. Still working roughly 26 hours or so a week. Work is oddly a nice rest from school, where I have to be all professional-like and watch my mouth - at work, I can curse up a blue streak and act as silly as I want. I had a fun adventure with friends before the havoc of school got into full swing which was nice - hiding in the park behind my house eating 2 pizzas and 2 garlic fingers in under 10 minutes? We be class acts. It was lovely. 

One great set of tips our instructor has given us so far was about time management - particularly, that saying "no" to people is hard but sometimes you just have to do it if you want to get anything done or have any time to yourself. This is truth. I am the worst person in the world at this, as I feel guilty saying "no" to anybody, but its something I have been trying to start doing already. That, and trying to go to bed early. Lifestyle makeover, much. 'tis a hard thing for a lazy procrastinating girl so set in her ways. 

Tonight: six hours of work, and then coming home to drink beers and watch The Muppets with the boyfriend before wonderful, wonderful sleep. Despite the fact that I will be working for almost 21 hours of it, I am going to try and enjoy this weekend as much as humanly possible.

XO

the adults are coming! the adults are coming!

Monday I am starting my PCA program, and I am nervous. My class is very small, maybe twenty people. Many of them are older than me. Many of them have kids. Many of them seem a bit snobby and uptight, and I don't know how I'll ever be able to relate to them. I'm a weird duck. I have the hardest time connecting to other people, and I wish I didn't. 

Its partly that I'm shy. And its partly that I just don't care about people. I'm too awkward to start a conversation with someone, but as soon as I muster up the courage to do so they start talking about their car payments or bitching about daycare and I regret opening my mouth. I just smile and nod. Just once I'd love to strike up a conversation with somebody random and have them tell me a good story, or something funny. Most people just like having somebody to complain to, complained Sierra Skinner to the digital world. 

Also: I am scared because these people are adults. I am barely an adult. I am very childlike in many ways, and I never realize how naive or inexperienced I am until I get put into a room full of adults. I don't have a car, or a house. I've never had a real job before. I don't have a husband or children. I just move from day to day - cannot relate to anything there. And I find a lot of adults just pity you because you're not "there" in life yet. My sister and her friends still talk to me like a baby sister, because they feel bad that I'm not "there".  And so I shut up like a clam because I feel like a big insignificant baby.

I'm sure it'll be alright though, in the end. I just want to do well in my program, get good placement reviews and rock my way down to Eastern Health. I'm hoping I'll be making the big bucks by this time next year. The thought of $18-20 an hour plus 60 hour weeks and having all kinds of time off makes me drool all over myself, really. If being an adult means having a comfortable wage and a good job, then fuck you Neverland, I'm out of here. Er, well...

Of course, I am terrified of the future. Is this the right path for me? Will I be happy? Will I regret not taking one of the other thousand roads before me, and will it be too late to turn back if I change my mind? Growing up is scary, really. Just gotta take it as it comes, I guess and not worry too much about the who and the how and why and the where of things. Thats what makes people stress out and go crazy. Life is good for now, very good. I shall worry about the bad stuff when it gets here.

For now, I leave you with The New Pornographers, because I cannot stop listening to them ever.

XO

nothing but the rain

Yesterday Sarah and I went on an adventure to look for pretty paper that ended in us giggling in a random parking lot at 10pm, smoking and drinking lemonade. It was a pretty beautiful time. Though we were unsuccessful in our pretty paper search (though there were some cuties, just nothing that was worth spending our last few pennies on), I did pick up a pack of oil pastels, which is a medium I've missed working with a lot. They're like crayons on crack, and are so fun and easy to use. I have watercolor wax pastels but they just aren't the same (though also very fun, and just as portable). I started drawing a self-portrait, and have come to the conclusion (yet again) that I fail at drawing facial features. This is why most of the things I draw don't have faces. NOTHING SHOULD HAVE A FACE.

Between monetary stress, all my friends slowly disappearing into the void and twiddling my thumbs waiting for next semester I feel like I'm pretty much going to go insane. Combine that with volunteering, working and being at the tail-end of my current (absolutely ridiculous) semester and you have a perfect recipe for one stressed out Sierra. Its a hard time to be alive, friends.

Things I want to do over my almost two month break to comfort myself:
- Read about anatomy.
- Get some more Philippa Gregory novels (she writes TERRIBLE historical romance novels about Tudor era England that I'm slightly addicted to, such a guilty pleasure).
- Draw and paint more.
- Write more poetry.
- Take a fuckton of epic, epic baths.
- Try to save up some money for schooltimes, possibly by depositing half of every pay cheque I get into the bank of David Stacey.
- Smoke a thousand cigarettes.
- Actually buy groceries and make myself something delicious to eat. I haven't bought "real" groceries in what feels like months. Can somebody please describe to me what an apple tastes like?
- Write letters to Lenore and Amki and make little things for them.


My boyfriend's 23rd birthday is tomorrow. I remember celebrating his 16th birthday with him over homemade pizza and root beer, so this is an odd thing really. I am trying to think of something I could possibly maybe make for him. Any suggestions, friends?


XO

ventricular diastole

Today is a good day so far. I woke up to little kisses and warm coffee, spent the morning studying and drawing weird little pictures, and then wrote my last anthropology exam of the semester, yay! The course doesn't have a final, thank god. It was two essay questions which I wrote very long, incoherent pieces for but like with most essays I'm hoping my good writing and ability to bullshit like a pro wins out. I was kind of rotted because he gave everybody a chance to look over their notes beforehand, which gave people that had notes (not I!) an unfair advantage. Silly summer semester. I shall not miss you. I have 1/3 of my final essays complete, another half done, and the first one has been contemplated. And as for finals - one take home essay assignment thing, and a political science final on August 11th. I guess I really can't complain.

I like biology and anatomy, I like it a lot. So I was pretty delighted when I found THIS website which is full of cute little pieces of anatomically correct jewelry! Like this pretty little heart necklace that I want around my neck immediately.

SO PRETTY! They also have earrings shape like neurons and lots of other fun math and science stuff. Oh, fun jewelry how I adore thee.

In other news, I've started writing and painting lots again and I'm loving every moment of it! I guess its because I've been so bored and thoughtful lately, but whatever the cause I'm glad to be at it again. Its been so very long!

Life is changing. But thats for another post.


XO

strange history

Oh, friends! Oh! It is so very lovely to be back in this wonderful seaside city. Don't get me wrong, I adored being in Stephenville, and I had a little cry after my dad dropped me off at the airport (made worse because I was clutching my newly acquired Fozzie Bear stuffy, so I probably did look like a big baby), but being back here makes me feel really, really HOME. 

I had some brief and wonderful visits with good friends yesterday, and spent the evening snuggling and giggling with Dave, and had the best sleep of my life. I woke up bright and early, without a stuffy nose or puppies crawling on my face, so I feel very happy indeed. Now its coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich before I start my Russian History class! Excitement! 

Also, this evening I have a job interview with Marie's Mini Mart. The lady there sounds incredibly sweet and awesome, and I can't believe she actually waited until I got back from a 5 day vacation to interview me. I hope this means she'll give me a job! My fingers are crossed. Tomorrow, I'll be getting my jazz finished up for my Eastern College application, so I am hoping by Thursday morning that I'll more or less have the rest of my year figured out. Its a comforting change.

I have this strange and terrible habit of going back in time when I'm in Stephenville. Mine and Dave's anniversary is coming up in a few days (7 years, what the fuck), and I was thinking back on our relationship and found myself perusing Gmail for hours and reading the 100+ emails (which, by the way, isn't even an exaggeration) we sent each during our hopefully last 6-7 month breakup. And you know what? It wasn't even depressing. It didn't make me angry. It just filled me with gratitude and hope and reminded me of how intensely loved I am. Some of them were hilarious, others were like tender lovesick poems. We are the strangest people. I feel very lucky, though.

Now, I am off to shower, friends! I wish you all a good day, and I hope I see all of you soon. And also, now that I am bathing suit equipped I'd really love a pool date soon if anybody would love it. Let me know!

XO

and i feel nothing, not brave.

Jenny Lewis, you are the absolute foxiest of all the ginger foxes to ever roam the Earth. Rilo Kiley make me smile. I can't get this song out of my head today, for some reason.

Its a strange time in life. I have exams coming up, and that inevitable sandstorm of due dates that I usually try to shrug off until the last minute. Well, not this semester. I've been studying as though my life depended on it, and I've already started on several of my essays. Its not all bad, I guess. Its all half-interesting stuff which saves my brain. I have to write an essay on the ethics of organ donation. An assignment for anthropology, in which I basically have to spend 5 days watching people go about their daily lives and take in the sights of city, record it in a journal, then write a 1000 page paper on my experiences (drawing on the rules of fieldwork and anthropological concepts, naturally). And an essay on "1984" and its use of propaganda and fear as political tools. All in all, definitely could be worse! Its all pretty fun, really.

Russian History is a looming cloud, I start June 26th. And my textbook is $114? Vomit. I want the postal strike to end so I can order a second-hand copy online.

In light of recent events, I feel pretty blessed for all my friends. They're pretty and fun and silly, and make me laugh ever so much. They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And at the end of the day, I get to come home and be safe and warm in a underground little blue cave with the dorkiest peanut butter gorging sweetheart a girl could ever want. I'm a lucky one. I wish people could take the little things in life and just feel grateful. I was reading a quote the other day that said something along the lines of, if you threw all your problems in a pile, then looked at the problem's of others, you'd be snatching yours back in an awful hurry. Which I think is true. Nothing is ever bad as it seems. You just have to look around you at all the beauty of life.

Well, its back to the grind for me. My apartment smells like bread and coffee, its pleasurable. What's your favorite smell, friends?

XO

make up your mind

So I passed my entrance exam for Eastern College, though calling it an "exam" makes it sound much more threatening than it really was... 30 multiple choice questions on basic English comprehension, and math stuff that included questions such as "What is 50% of 20?". Seriously? It was more fun than stressful. So after I get my criminal record check completed, I'm in! Hooray! Now to get on that.

Tonight I am having an epic study party of one. My second chemistry exam is tomorrow, so I be all like EEK because the thought of that frightens me deeply. I am comforted by the fact that afterwards I can just come home and sleep til Monday if I so wish it.

This weekend, I have epic plans - for doing NOTHING. Seriously, such a stressful week, I just want to sit on my couch in my pink plaid pajamas with movies I've watched 1000 times and catch up on work, and drink copious amounts of tea. So if you want my love, I'll be in my little blue underground haven! Come find me!


XO

broken banana

Last night I spent a lovely time with friends at Mullock 'til 2am. Boy, was it fun! We broke out the instruments very briefly and got out Lora's art supplies and made some pretty creations. It was a good time. And Joey is home, so how could times ever be bad?

I am pretty much walking on sunshine this week, if I may use such a lame term of phrase. I got 3 epic Chemistry marks back on Monday - 77% on my assignment, 92% on my last lab and 83% on my dreaded final! 20% higher than than the class average and 33% higher than when I wrote the exam for the same chapters my first time doing chemistry, so I am pretty pleased.

Also, last night I had an interview with the admissions advisor at Eastern College about their PCA (personal care attendant) program. As some of you may know, I got rejected from the Centre for Nursing Studies, so I've been hauling my brain like putty trying to find something to do with my life. I could reapply, or apply to the bachelor of nursing program, or a dozen other things - but most of these things would require me to wait a year to apply. I needed something to do NOW. So I went down and talked to admissions missus, who was the SWEETEST WOMAN EVER, and she pretty much said that if I get all kinds of immunization, a criminal record check, and pass a simple English/math comprehension test I can start the 24-week PCA program on September 26th. HUZZAH! I have direction again! I'll be 1/3 of a nurse! My heart, she explodes.

This and other reasons Sierra is the happiest little bee ever. Its been a good week. I can only imagine what horrors the weekend has in store for me, because what goes up must come down I suppose. But I'll enjoy being high on life while this lasts. Because it feels so fucking good.

YAY.

Tell me how you're all doing, my sweet darlings!


XO

young woman stranded on headache island

I've had the worst headache ever for what feels like weeks. Methinks I'm dehydrated, but somedays I drink about 7 glasses a water and my brain still ends up feeling like painful squish! What's a girl to do?

Its been an interesting weekend, I haven't been overly productive in the least, really. Fell behind on work for certain. Today I went for a sunshine-filled walk with my friend Allan down to the house of another friend. Six of us went and played in the park. Then I came home and made a grand supper of root vegetables and pork chops for my sweetheart & I, while listening to "Goo" by Sonic Youth and "Let It Die" by Feist. There was wine involved. It was lovely.

What's on the schedule for this week? Theres a Joey home. I have to start studying chemistry again as though my life depended on it. I need to study anthropology, catch up on my readings for all my classes. Sigh. The life of a student. Particularly one with a perpetual headache.

I need a new book to read. Any suggestions?

Thats all for now. Love, honeys. And more love.

hello, mister sunshine

Today I woke up, and actually gasped when I saw the sun glaring through the trees outside my door. Its the most beautiful day ever, and I am so grateful - its the weekend, I have no work to do this weekend (aside from a philosophy discussion post, but that'll take me all of 10 minutes, and obligatory studying) and I'm out of class at 1pm today! Could I be any happier? Doubtful. Sunshine always puts me in the grandest of moods. After my exam, Allan and I are going to get ice cream and sit in the sunshine. PERFECT.

I found this really neat little site, called The Burning House. People post pictures and lists of things they would take if their house were to catch on fire, and some of the pictures are beautiful and the objects so interesting. Makes you wonder why these things are so important to them, what's the story behind them.

What would you take in the event of a fire? I would probably grab:

- my favorite jewelry, namely my Swedish pearls, my mom's engagement ring, and my necklace from Tiffany's.

- all my notebooks from over the years, they're a part of me and I could never let them go.

- my leopard print hatbox and my beautiful vintage hat that my cousin Patrick gave me - it used to belong to a wife of a former mayor of St. John's back in the day.

- my dip pen that Dave gave me for my 20th birthday.

- my laptop.

- three of my favorite books. I don't even know what those would be right now, I guess I'd have to actually risk losing them to really find out! 

- and of course, Dave himself. I'd probably let everything else on the list burn if it meant saving him, because he's pretty and I like him.



Now its exam time, kids. Wish me luck!

XO

the boy who could explode

I'm having the most distracted, headachy, tired ol' time in the library today. I've been half-assedly studying chemistry (which is shameful, considering I have an exam TOMORROW) and reading words new and old by friends and strangers alike.

I actually posted things on my deviantART account for the first time in about 2 and 1/2 years, and I was surprised that people are still watching me and remember that I exist. Its nice to be remembered. That site is so weird - its like a time capsule of my entire attempt of being artistic since the age of 13 or so, and there are things both embarrassing and beautiful. I am sad I don't have all my old notes and journal entries, I should've kept them, though I would probably cringe at some of the things I've said and done in the past. I cringe at things I did a week ago, even.

What's everybody else doing today? Is anybody as bored and lazy as I am today? If I could be doing anything right now, I'd want to crawl under about 3 blankets on my couch and watch a movie, with snacks and tea.

How about you guys?


XO

the three c's: cookies, coffee, chemistry

I woke up this morning with a little bit of a headache, after a night of hilariously vivid dreams, the kind of dreams you want to paint cartoonishly because thats exactly what they feel like. Dave's sister was getting married, and I was freaking out trying to find a dress, and Dave was late for the wedding because he was playing basketball in what looked like Harlem or something with Lora Pope (who was like a million months pregnant). Combine that with my dad turning our house in Stephenville into a hotel of sorts, and there being a washer and dryer so large that I had to stand on stacks of things on my toes to reach them in my bedroom. My brain is a weird, weird contraption.

Today I had a mini-quiz in chemistry, which wasn't worth any marks, just a wee thing to see how well our naming compounds, etc was going (which is like, the heart of the course). I was the only person in the class  that got all of them right! Considering my grossness at chemistry before, you can imagine how pleased I was with this.

I am still thinking of ideas for this blog, and others. I'm thinking of actually starting a second blog strictly for poetry business. Taking submissions from people, posting my own poetry, doing features on famous poets old and new, and maybe posting stuff about poetry events, etc in Canada. Lots of guest articles and fun stuff, I think it might be pretty nice. I just have to do it! I will probably run it by my poetastic friends from days of old first, because I definitely want them on board.

Who else thinks MUNLife is ridunkulously slow? *raises hand*

I leave you with a merry little tune to brighten your day! Belle & Sebastian is such summer music for me, reminds of swimming and walking around in Stephenville, and the smell of lilac trees. The harmonica in this song is KILLER. And since the leaves are starting to wake up and summer is upon us, theres no earlier time to get into the mood.

Love you all!

XO

don't ever trust a survivor until you know what he did to survive

Its the weekend. Glorious, glorious weekend. My weekend can be summed up in:

-many slices of rye bread toast with butter and orange marmalade
-coffee, coffee, coffee
-8 pages of chemistry equations
-a brief trip to the mall to purchase baby clothes for my sister and have a luncheon with friends
-"Bluebeard" by Kurt Vonnegut
-American History X
-the familiar sound of pipes
-doodling

Not a terrible weekend, I feel. I have my first chemistry midterm this week, and since I failed the course the last time I figured it would be best if I made myself a recluse for the weekend to better my chemistry skills. I despised Chemistry before, but now that I know what I'm at its actually rather satisfying and oh-so-fun to do pages of pages of problems and get the right answers.

I am also having that wonderful student crisis of "where is my life going" that seems to be a familiar trend in the brains of my nearest and dearest of late. I got rejected from the Centre for Nursing Studies, the school where I was hoping I'd gain admission to and have a diploma by 2012. No such luck. So now I am faced with many choices. I am trying to get into the biology department at MUN. I am going to apply to both the medical radiography program at College of the North Atlantic, and the Personal Care Attendant program at Eastern College. All of these things will eventually lead me to a nursing degree, if I so choose, so one or the other will be wonderful I feel. They may even lead me on a different path. At least I have options, I guess. At least my tree still has apples on it, even though many have fallen. These are just on higher branches.

Its time to close off the 30 day movie challenge, pets. Its been a wild ride. Its prompted me to rewatch so many of my aforementioned favorites, and so many of my friends have told me that its inspired them to download and check out some of the movies on the list, which makes me the happiest. I love spreading good films, and hence good cheer, to people.

DAY 29: YOUR FAVORITE PLAY ADAPTATION

"Closer", 2004.

I didn't actually read this play until after I saw the movie, but it made me appreciate the movie even more. The play feels like a movie in itself. Its a story about relationships, and how you can never really know someone. Its very brutal and honest. The occupations of the characters focuses on this whole  idea of only knowing somebody superficially - a stripper, a dermatologist, a photographer, and a writer of obituaries. Its a story heavy with lies, deceit, and the acting is phenomenal. Under normal circumstances I'm not a fan of Julia Roberts, but she was exquisite in this movie. This is also the movie that first introduced me to the lovely music of Damien Rice, as the closing scene of the movie is Natalie Portman walking to the song "The Blower's Daughter" in slow motion. Amazing movie. Go watch it!


DAY 30: FAVORITE ROMANTIC MOVIE

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", 2004.

Sigh. Such a gorgeous movie. Very unconventional for a romance, but thats how Charlie Kaufman operates. Its directed by Michel Gondry, that wonderful visionary I mentioned who also directed "The Science of Sleep", another favorite. This movie is the story of a man and a woman who have a painful breakup, and centers around this medical practice that specializes in erasing painful memories of former loves. After their split, the man finds with great pain and anger that his ex-girlfriend has done just this, and decides to the same himself. However, while reliving his relationship in his mind through the erasing process, he realizes that he still loves her deeply and would rather have the memories of her, even if they are painful. After they have both had their memories erased, they meet again, as if they were meant to be together and now have something of a fresh start together. Its a beautiful movie, and Jim Carey and Kate Winslet were mesmerizingly awesome in it - they pretty much played the polar opposite of their usual characters, with Kate Winslet being the quirky one and Jim Carey being quiet and thoughtful. This is an absolute must-see.

And so ends my adventure into movieland, and what a trek it has been! Now I must think of something new and exciting to embark on with my blog. Any suggestions?

XO

1673

I am having a lazy day at school today. Myself & my honey did some grocery shopping last night, and I have a tasty lunched packed as a result - a turkey sandwich on rye bread, a banana, and a few chocolate chip oatmeal cookies made by yours truly! Its my mum's recipe, and man are they yummy.

I'll skip right on ahead to the 30 day movie challenge. I have lots to say, but sadly not enough time to say it! There will be another post soon, I promise.


DAY 26: LEAST FAVORITE BOOK ADAPTATION

"Running with Scissors", 2006.

I was so. Disappointed. With this movie. My mom randomly bought me the paperbook of this book for Christmas. Such a treasure - so hysterically funny, and tragic in an over-dramatic adolescent way thats totally aware that its being adolescent and over-dramatic.  A book has never made me laugh this much. But despite the awesomeness of the book, and the movie's phenomenal cast (Alec Baldwin, Annette Benning, Gwenyth Paltrow, Evan Rachel Wood, to name a few), they pretty much butchered the novel in translation to the screen. Mind you, the book is terribly crude and downright shocking in parts, so I can understand that they had to cut out certain parts. But the part that killed me the most was that it took the entire tone of the book, which had so much self-irony, and just made everything seem so sappy. Ruined it for me. Sigh.


DAY 27: FAVORITE DOCUMENTARY

"The Botany of Desire",  2009.

Daniel first introduced me to this not too long ago. Its a PBS documentary based on a book, and its all about PLANTS! More specifically, its about 4 different plants - tulips, marijuana, potatoes, and apples - and how they have evolved along with humans, and how our evolution has affected them, and focuses on 4 emotions or states or needs they've evoked or contributed to in human society - beauty, intoxication, power, and sweetness respectively. Its pretty interesting, and brought up a lot of points about all 4 I've never considered and had no idea about. Its definitely an interesting documentary, and I would recommend for sure if you're at all into stuff about nature and plants. It'll blow your mind, as it did with my own.



DAY 28: MOVIE WITH THE BEST ENDING

"Inglourious Basterds", 2009.

Oh, man. Not only is the ending of this movie awesome, its probably the most satisfying ending of any movie ever. Its by Quentin Tarantino, who I mentioned previously is basically the master of all action films. In this movie, he shies away from his double-crossing/kung-fu/serialized action roots and goes for something a bit different, and a bit more controversial - a retelling of history, more or less, in which the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler actually get what they deserve. The acting is superb, and Brad Pitt is so funny as Aldo Raine it makes me pee myself. Its a brilliantly pieced together movie, with a lot of humor, tension and violence. The scene where two parties separately conspire and succeed to burn down/blow up a theater filled with Nazis is probably one of the best executed and memorable scenes of any movie ever. If you haven't seen it, you probably should.

Now, kittens, I must do some chemistry problems before class resumes. I bid you all good day. And only one day of 30 day movie challenge left! Are you excited? I have so many ideas for future bloggins' but I really need a camera or a scanner someday. Sigh. Love!

XO

pure substances

Today I began my third semester of MUN, and so far it hasn't been too bad. My lab today didn't occur which I had my fingers crossed for. Just two hours of chemistry fun with the hilarious Mr. Reardon, who was my chemistry professor for the same course when I took it (and unfortunately failed it) my first semester. So not much getting used to there, which is nice. I like that my class is really small this time around, too. Its an intersession class, and instead of 200+ people theres only about 30, which means a lot more one on one learning times with ze prof. He's that kinda guy.

My other classes this semester are health ethics, intro to anthropology (the culture one, Sarah!~), intro to political science and in the second half of this semester after chemistry is finished - IMPERIAL RUSSIA (<3). Yes, I am a bit of a nerd. I used to have this thing for the Romanovs back in middle school (I even did a report on Anastasia once, because I'm just that cool... my English teacher loved it), so I get to go back to that and expand on it I suppose. The course covers everything up to the Russian Revolution, so it should be interesting.

Health ethics is my first online course, which has caused me lots of concern, but everyone in my class seems very nice and the content seems interesting, and actually a bit relevant to my hopeful someday nursing career! We're going to be looking at a whole slew of topics like abortion, euthanasia, cloning, female circumcision, and more. Sounds a bit more interesting than Plato, for sure. I excite.

Now it be time for some more 30 DAY MOVIE CHALLENGE! I can't wait to finish this so I can more on to more exciting and interesting blog ventures, but I'm making it one of my goals in life these days to finish what I start. So, lets go.


DAY 21: A MOVIE THAT BLEW YOUR MIND

"Black Swan", 2010. 

There was an intense amount of hype about this movie. Some people hated it, some people loved it, other people enjoyed it but were disappointed after all the hype. I fall into the middle category. As I've said before, Darren Aronofsky is probably my favorite director of life, and after seeing all his other movies I was filled with such anticipation and curiosity. He goes from a movie about a washed-out wrestler to a psychological thriller about ballet? The movie definitely met my expectations in every way. It was absolutely beautiful, the acting was superb, and the main character's slow mental deterioration over the course of the movie is done so, so well. You feel afraid and unsettled along with her for much of the movie, and it all builds up to a very intense conclusion. I was impressed. If Darren Aronofsky's next movie is about a lunchlady who decides to start doing porn, I will look forward to it with equal anticipation. He never fails to impress.


DAY 22: BEST MOVIE THAT IS BASED ON A BOOK

"Perfume: The Story of a Murderer", 2006.

Tom Tykwer is definitely one of my favorite foreign directors. He's responsible for such gems as "Run Lola Run" and "The Princess & the Warrior", both movies which he directed, wrote, and composed the scores for. He has awesome levels of involvement in his films. I was a bit nervous for this one, however. The novel was written by a German author in the '80s, but it reads like a gruesome old fairytale. You'd think it'd be difficult to adapt to the screen, since the main storytelling device throughout the novel is scent. But Tom Tykwer managed to do the book absolute justice. Its one of the most faithful adapations of a novel I've ever seen, and its done so very beautifully. Theres a part in both movie/novel where the main character tries to replicate a specific perfume for a master perfumer, in the hopes that if he succeeds he will take him as his apprentice. When the master smells the perfume for the first time, you can as well. And you're just as impressed as he is. Magnificent film.


DAY 23: THE BEST ACTION MOVIE

"Battle Royale", 2000.

As I mentioned previously when talking about "The Ring", I am a sucker for a good Japanese movie. This one I was especially curious to see, after learning that its one of Quentin Tarantino personal favorites, and who can argue with Quentin? He's the god of action himself. There were even rumors for years that he wanted to make a North American remake of this, but these are probably just rumors. Anyways. This is one of the most controversial movies ever made, because of its subject matter - a class of 15-year-old students are placed on an island and forced to slaughter each other within 3 days, or they all die. Its been compared to "Lord of the Flies", but its definitely more gruesome. At the movie's beginning, they're all a bunch of sweet, typical kids, but even by the time the game starts lines are drawn. Friends turn against friends, some couples kill themselves together to avoid what they might be forced to do, and others choose to hide out and try to find a way to get out of the game before the three days are up. Its fast-paced, its gory, its a nightmarish situation. All makes for a great film. Also, the novel the movie is based on is fantastic.


Thats all for today, kids. I'm off to read about some chemistry and try to find me some cheapy-cheapy books. Much love and kisses. Hope everybody's first day back is as fruitful and chillax as mine!

XO

biology.

I had both my biology 1002 and biology 2041 exams today, hooray! Biology 1002 was my biggest fear of life, since it was absolutely my lowest mark going in, and I had over 40 diagrams to learn. And the kidneys were giving me hell. But life is gorgeous sometimes, and there were no kidneys! I knew every single diagram without even having to think about it! And all the fill in the blanks! The only sketchy part was probably the multiple choice, but what can you do. She always make hard multiple choice, but other than that it was my ideal biology final. There's no way I got less than a 70. 2041 was a different story; I didn't study for it much, but it was 70% multiple choice that I remembered from past tests/quizzes and the rest were common sense questions like "What advice would you give to Canadians that think we need to expend more power because we have a colder climate and larger land mass?" Easy peasy.

And because this made me giggle hysterically and my facial muscles go through a maelstrom of emotions, my favorite quote of the day:

"I was walking through the path and I saw so many birds and little critters, I felt just like Snow White." -Dave.

Something along those lines, at least. Either way, I almost punched him out. Too fucking cute.

Time for some more 30 day movie challenge, I suppose.

DAY 15: A MOVIE THAT IS A GUILTY PLEASURE

"Clueless", 1995.

But seriously, how can you not love Clueless? Alicia Silverstone is so charming and funny, the script is hysterical, and Paul Rudd back in the '90s was like, seriously dreamy. Or as they would say in the movie, "a total Baldwin". Its also a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma", which is what prompted me to read the novel. Just funny, funny great times. Hate it if you want, its definitely one of the greatest chick flicks of all time. Dies. Also, I used to have the soundtrack, and it was one of my favorite albums to rock out to when I was a kid. Gotta love "Kids in America" and "Fake Plastic Trees". And I wanted and still sorta do still want 10,000 plaid skirts with matching blazers.




DAY 16: A MOVIE YOU HATE

"Contact", 1997.

I might be being a bit harsh on this movie. In its defense, I did fall asleep and miss a chunk of it, but hey, if it wasn't good enough to keep me awake. Dave made me watch this once, and I was pretty disappointed. The idea is sort of cool; they get an alien transmission from space and its a whole science versus faith sort of thing, but it was really cheesily executed. Plus, I can't stand Matthew McConaughey, or Jodie Foster (except in Silence of the Lambs, she totally suited that role). So having to look at their both of their faces for over an hour, on screen at the same time, and ESPECIALLY having to endure Matthew trying to act... I can't even. Haha. No.






DAY 17: A MOVIE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE

"Wristcutters: A Love Story", 2006.

Man, I've wanted to see this movie since I first heard it was coming out. Its about an afterlife just for people who have committed suicide where everything is just the slightest bit shittiest than it was in real life. I love Patrick Fugit, and Tom Waits is in it! Yummy, yummy Tom Waits. Its supposed to be really funny, and have an awesome soundtrack. Hopefully someday my dreams of seeing it will come true!











XO

suerte

No big surprise that today finds me oh-so-sleepy and tired again. I spent 3/4 of yesterday on my couch studying biology, and the other 1/4 at Allan's watching Battlestar Galactica with him. Nerdy, yes, but you should watch this show, its one of the most brilliant I've ever seen as far as storylines, acting, and making a fictional world come alive. If you like sci-fi at all, its definitely a treat.

I just finished writing my last English exam, possibly ever, which makes met terribly sad. Two essay questions, now my wrists shall ache for eternity. My prof gave me my research paper back too since I slept through his office hours yesterday, which I got an 85% on! Yay! He said a lot of really nice things about my writing too which put a smile on my face. If I didn't fear poverty and laughter, I'd probably do an English major so I could write all day. Maybe if I ever become a nurse I'll write some epic sweeping tale of my career and all the scary shit I've seen when I retire or something. I love how much English motivates me to write, its the only thing I've ever been good at really.

Now its onto day 12, 13, and 14 of the 30 day movie challenge. These questions were a bit of a struggle.

DAY 12: FAVORITE DIRECTOR

This one is probably one of the more challenging ones, as there are too many beautiful directors in life for me to pick just one. So, I am forcing myself to do so, and that director is... Darren Aronofsky! For his gorgeous, original movies that make me laugh and cry and my jaw hang open in wonderment and sometimes horror. Come on, he directed "Requiem for a Dream", "Black Swan", "The Fountain", and "The Wrestler". Can you get anymore diverse? Not to mention his black and white math thriller, "Pi", which is probably one of the best movies ever made on such a low budget. I find he's one of those directors that really enables you get inside a character's head and feel exactly what they feel, and see what they see. His movies are as beautiful as any poem or painting. Plus he's married to Rachel Weisz, what a hottie.

Honorable mentions, because this was so hard: Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Danny Boyle, Wes Anderson.

DAY 13: FAVORITE ANIMATED CHARACTER FROM A MOVIE

Ariel, from "The Little Mermaid", 1989.

I die for the Little Mermaid. Its definitely in my top 5 animated favs of all time, and after watching it on acid my life is just that much more delightful (I'm sure you've all heard that story 10,000 times, its my favorite). If I had to pick a favorite animated character, it would probably be her. She's fun, cute, loves to sing, and I love her collection of human objects, I think its beautiful. I'd probably do the same if I lived under the sea. Also, the Little Mermaid is probably my favorite Hans Christian Anderson story ever. If you've never read it, I say do so. Its far more depressing and tragic than the Disney movie, for sure.

 



DAY 14: FAVORITE BLACK & WHITE MOVIE

"All About Eve ", 1950.

Oh man, this movie. Another of the amazing classics the big sister turned me onto, and man is it ever good. It follows the story of a woman named Eve, as she worms herself into the inner circle of a famous Broadway actress named Margo Channing (the hotness that is Bette Davis) and more or less attempts to usurp her life & career. The movie is told entirely in flashback, as at the beginning Eve is seen receiving an award for her acting as a room full of very angry people stare at her, and the movie begins to explain everyone's apparent hatred for this woman. Its pretty brilliant, I must say. You have to love the classics.


 



Thats all for today! I am off for grocery shopping and cleaning with the boyfriend. Vegetarian chili and honey cake with friends tonight? Yes, please. Have a good one, y'all!


XO

your brains versus my tractorbeam

Today I am tired and sleepy. I had those weird sort of dreams that kind of ruin your entire day before you even open your eyes, so right from the get-go this day has not been fun. I had a plentiful breakfast and pretty much flew like a garbage bag to MUN. Its extremely windy out, and I am petite, what can I say? I arrived at the library windswept and contrary, as wind always makes me, only to realize that I forgot my cigarettes at home. No, today is not a very good day. Luckily, I have Psychology and English first up on the exam schedule, which are two of my easiest courses. Psychology requires minimal study, and English requires almost none except a quick review of notes and remembering the names of characters in novels. If wind and lack of smokes and easy exams are the worst things I have to complain about today, then I have a lucky girl indeed, really.

Today is another double feature on the 30 day movie challenge, but these two go together rather well, so no harm done.

DAY 10: YOUR FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER IN A MOVIE

Rhett Butler, "Gone With the Wind", 1939.

 
Come on, you know you love Gone with the Wind! Its one of the greatest, most epic movies of all time! And Clark Gable as Rhett in the movie especially warms my heart. His character is so laid back compared to the melodramatic southern belles and patriotic southern boys in the movie, he's probably the biggest relief the movie has to offer, as well as one of the only characters in the movie that really sees what's happening in a clear light, and sees the characters for what they truly are. When emotions are high, Rhett is the character that'll say,  straight up, exactly what's going through people's heads and exactly what needs to be done, whether people want to hear it or not. He's the only person that sees through Scarlett, and despite the fact that she's a raging selfish bitch, he loves her. He loves her because she's a raging selfish bitch. Its beautiful. Considering how old school this movie is, they're still one of the most realistic couples to ever grace the silver screen. I love them both. So yeah, Rhett Butler for the win!



DAY 11: YOUR FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER IN A MOVIE

Enid, "Ghost World", 2001.


Mmmm, Ghost World. This is still one the funniest movies I've ever seen, and the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes its based upon is golden. I love the attention to detail in the movie. Theres one movie where the two main character and walking down the street and one says to the other, in a bored tone, "Oh look, its the pants". The kinds of things you'd notice and say in real life. Its greatness. The movies main character Enid is especially great. She has to do summer school because she failed art, and is dealing with growing up and living on her own for the first time. She pretty much hates everyone, is self-conscious, and constantly changes her look. She's more or less the typical just out of high school girl, and I used to look up to her with beaming eyes when I was just such a girl. One of the most brilliant movie characters ever.


Now its back to the grind for me. I have my first exam tomorrow at 9am, and I have an unholy fear of sleeping in. Cross your fingers for me, and wish me luck!

XO

here we are again all by ourselves

Its time for day 3 of the 30 day movie challenge! w00t! Today's topic is a bit more straightforward than the first two, but equally awesome nonetheless.

DAY 3: LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN THEATRES

"True Grit", 2010.

This is also the first movie I've chosen thats come out in the last two decades, I've noticed. One cold Sunday night me and my boys, Joey and Dave, were sitting around in my cozy blue apartment bored as snails, when I decided to hound them with the idea of seeing a movie. Hounding wasn't needed. Dave and I had wanted to see this for awhile, and Joey was totally down. Fortunately, all three of us adored it. How could we not? The Coen Brothers are among the best directors, well, ever in my opinion. They have such a diverse catalogue of films ("Fargo", "The Big Lebowski", "Burn after Reading"). They have something for everybody. True Grit was no exception to their genius. Its based on a novel, and is the story of a young girl back in the day who vows revenge on the man who murdered her father. Its a western, lots of horses and gunfights. The acting is brilliant; Jeff Bridges is an absolute god, and the little girl who played Mattie was amazing - she was actually 14 when she starred in the movie, the same age as her character. I was really sad she didn't get the best supporting actress oscar. Its an epic movie with lots of great acting, action, and the story is oh so wonderfully told.

And now, continuing on.

Today I am planning on spending my whole day in the library studying biology. I am there now, munching on McBreakfast, and thought I'd treat myself to some leisurely blogging love firsthand. I am terrified for finals! Argh! I just want to skip them. Between that and my financial worries I pretty much want to bury my head in the ground like an ostrich. But as always, good times will come - just gotta keep a positive attitude. It makes all the difference.

I painted a picture last night, inspired by Sarah and Lenore's GROW prompt for the month of April. Their first prompt was to grow a picture from a quarter-sized circle in the centre of the page. My circle was a bit off centre, but I painted a watercolor picture of an orange cross-section. I was pretty impressed with it. So lucky I have so many artistic, inspiring friends. Yay.


Now its off to nerdland, to fill my brain up to the brim with confusing Latin words and fishparts.

XO

all along the watchtower.

hey, boys & girls.

I apologize for not posting in yeons, but what can you do! My wonderous Sarah lappie has more or less died an unpleasant death, or should I say is pretty badly crippled as of right now - its in denial that it has a hard drive. hopefully my darlingboy can do something about it and make it live again, but I don't really have my fingers crossed too tightly. I have the worst luck.

Today I had my biology lab final, and I was pretty saddened by it. I'm going miss giggling over dead rats and frogs and grasshoppers with my labmates, they were a delight this semester. It was the best of times. Hopefully someday in my studies I'll get to take another laboratory course, I really enjoy the hands on aspect of it. And, well, I just plain like looking inside stuff, I know thats kinda creepy and gross, but its so interesting seeing how everything works! The body is such a brittle, delicate thing when you get down to it. Frightens meee.

The last few weekends have been far too much fun, lots of drunken chats and love and being silly with the gang. A lot of it is pretty fuzzy, honestly, but I remember coming out of the blurriness with a big ol' smile on my face and thats good enough for me.

I don't really have too much to say right now (as you might've been able to discern from my inability to speak proper English and my vagueness towards all manners of life), so I shall stop here for now. Just wanted to let everyone know that I am still very much alive, and very much well. I can only hope that when I crawl from the dark, dank abyss that is threatening to consume my life for the next four or so weeks that I shall feel the sunshine on my face. Damn you, school. Damn you winter.

But the rest of you get my love.


XO