Wedding Bliss-ters

What a wonderful wedding weekend this turned out to be. Plus-zero weather, beautiful sunlight streaming in the church through the colourful stained glass windows, and a night of plenty of good eats and treats and Dancing the night away.

I should have taken off my shoes but otherwise no complaints. Everyone was beautiful.

The only mar on the day was our hotel experience. We came in at 1 a.m., careful not to be too loud in the hall in deference to our... obnoxiously loud neighbours? They were partying it up for a lot of the night, some even chatting directly outside our door.

In the morning, we found out they were parents because they let their kids out at 7:30 am to go running up and down the hall, screaming until all their friends had been found. As a Canadian, I heartily disapprove but didn't actually make a complaint.

Next time we have a plan: Ask for security to bring up earplugs. They bring us appropriate gear AND stop the problem, all at the same time.

Jogger Blogger

Went for a 5 km jog this morning, up to the gym and back.

It's been an incredible feeling, getting more into an exercising rhythm this year. The weather's been so unseasonably WARM lately it's silly not to take advantage of it. True, tomorrow's a little chilly at -1 degrees Celsius, but Tuesday is looking positively hot at +7!

About a month ago, I joined "the largest running club in the world", or so Nike boasts. Haven't regretted it -- I even made an online running buddy because we were trash talking each other... Now I HAVE to go out regularly so I don't fall too far behind! It makes me want to catch up and keep it up.

Friends can be such great motivators.

Getting on the Wagon

Tonight I'm finishing up the draft of my second eBook, a work of selected poems I wrote several years ago. My task now is to search for the right title... Maybe a look through my photos will help trigger a memory of something relevant. It's tougher than you think, getting the right name.

So why this sudden movement to write? I wouldn't say it's sudden so much as "surfacing". (OH-HO! Great title!?!) I was reading "101 Secrets of Highly Effective Speakers" recently and it got me thinking: how can I become more effective at my job? Then I read "Outliers: The Story of Success" (Gladwell) and tried to think smarter: how can I become effective efficiently so that I can get on with all those other projects that I want to finish before I turn 60...?

I was astounded by the examples Gladwell provides in "Outliers", essentially that all these phenomenal people have simply turned out to be regular people living through extraordinary circumstances.

Are we not in extraordinary times now? I can be that regular person -- I can search for those extraordinary circumstances. That's part of what life's all about!

I think everybody has at least one good book inside, waiting to be written. I'm starting to think that I'm getting closer to writing mine...

Musical Motivation

This morning I watched an amazing documentary about the culture of art in media. You can watch it here: PressPausePlay

It's inspiring and cautionary all at once. That is, I want to produce MORE (books and music and inventions and more), but there are more talented people that are doing exactly that and not getting noticed because of the grey goo of everybody else, so I actually also want to produce LESS.

So of course I had a good idea while watching the end: What if I composed music that WAS the training program for getting off the couch and out jogging?


There are plenty of Couch-to-5K programs out there, but you choose your own music. And there are plenty of music playlists out there available for different BPM training -- that's along the same lines of what I'm talking about. RunningMusicMix.com is a good example of that. Running to music according to BPM makes sense to me, it's motivational and gets results.

But what about actually creating a varying musical rhythm that is in itself a song? A song for running? A song created specifically for your training program?

Run2Rhythm is more like what I'm talking about but not exactly -- they just produce fun beats and drums and instruments to jog to -- it's quite repetitive and boring. I want dynamic music. When I'm jogging, I want variation in my music but I don't have time sort it out myself. I want a package I can download quickly and know that it is the right program for my level of exercise.

I wonder what I should call it? Jog Pulse? Musical Motivation? Rhythm Racing? Any other ideas?

Happeeee New Year!

This week I published my first eBook!

You may have noticed a lot of people posting recently about getting in on the next big thing: eBooks. Within 24 hours of reading one of these articles, I found myself uploading the files and designing the cover of my first eBook.

"Unsolicited Advice" is exactly that: just a simple, concise collection of advice on 'correcting' a variety of poor habits, as well as suggesting several good habits to start. Not a great literary work but I think it's a good start.

If you're evenly mildly interested, please consider reading the content preview. Maybe you're thinking of gifting it to someone whose poor habits are currently driving you crazy. Be bold: give it to your neighbour or coworker or friend. The book is ultimately a great resolution-maker for everyone.

In fact, my goal was to encourage everyone to strive to become better people -- including myself.

So of course now I'm already planning another book... The next one will be about beer and craftbrewing, I think. I'll keep you posted.

Automathical

Now starting Week 3 of the Automotive Math class at the college. They are so eager and bright learners, they make my job easy... Sort of.

Last week we got into a bit of a discussion about class times and suddenly an explosion of male testosterone filled the air! It was horrible. At least no one left.

I just need to remember my roles: Direct, Try not to preach, Avoid giving too many choices.

Lessons learned:
1) Teachers who give too many choices will eventually lose respect from the students.
2) Teachers who don't give enough choices will eventually lose interest from the students.

BBB: Big Birthday Bash

Why is it called your "Dirty Thirties" anyway? Isn't this nomenclature just another way of pretending that you're young again with a touch of reckless mischievousness and a splash of carefree disengagement?

Maybe it's because 30 in Roman numerals is XXX?

The rhyming scheme is just not that funny when paired with our keyboard layout.

Anyhow, it's scary, whatever is looming my way this Wednesday morning.

So, in the spirit of reducing stress and mayhem, let us recall the presence of dancing hedgehogs to help reduce our worries:

Scared Skately

Since the Olympics, I've had an urge to pick up skateboarding. Lucky enough to be gifted one through Freecycle two months ago, it sat in our closet and mocked me in my dreams. I was envisioning being able to do cool tricks with snowboards and practice in the summer sun with a skateboard.

Well today I tried it out. I bit the bullet and took it outside, a nice sunny day with neighbours moving furniture, walkers and strollers going by, taking their children and pets out for a turn...

Honestly, why can't people stay inside so they are unable to watch me make a fool of myself, hm? That's all I ask. Go away, eyeballs. ("Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a q-tip!")

So yes, I was completely self-conscious -- me, easily 20 years older than when I first tried one out as a child, and paddling about on the little board like I could barely swim. Not embarrassing exactly, but I feel like I should be more adept at it from the get-go. Those boys make it look so easy! They're like, what, five years old? C'mon feet, do your thing! Keep your balance!

Sigh. There's only one thing to do to get this out of my system... Practice.

I'm a Space Cadet!

Not really. But I feel like one with all the crazy choices and changes going on.

My practicum finished with a little "poof!" as I handed back their tests and report cards and they chatted about university for the rest of class. They're so naive about the amount of work coming their way.

And suddenly I found myself back in classes myself this week, at OISE, on a very different schedule. Wah wah wah, I know, I get Wednesdays off. But not today, there's a day-long conference on Building Futures and apparently you have to stay all 6 hours to get the resource package at the end.

I've been wanting to volunteer somewhere for years. Last week I spoke to another teacher about becoming a civilian instructor for the cadets. This Monday I found a nearby squadron, and Tuesday night I found myself walking to their training night at a local school. Eventually I was introduced to the officers and we all chatted about what the cadet program is about.

Sadly it's in the bag, if I decide I want it: this particular group is desperate for a female supervisor.

Sometimes I feel like I get jobs not just because of my adequate abilities but because I'm a girl. I wish it wasn't that way... but not enough to turn down the jobs.

Let's face it, everyone needs something up their sleeve if they want to do what they want to do.

Now comes some decisions to make.

A Bongo Christmas!

School is out, holidays are in! Bring on the snow and figgy pudding!

Just one more week until the big 2-5 and this year is shaping up to be a little different than most others: we're playing the my-house/your-house dance routine this year. And then it's off to the East Coast for some fun in the... snowstorm.

I like Christmas, it's my favourite holiday. People come home from afar, you don't have to go to school or work (sans doctors and journalists, that is) because it's all closed up, and you can cosy up in your big warm blanket and fall asleep to happy Christmas Carols. It's all about presence.

Plus you get presents. Yaaaay! Presents!!

Halloween Snot Monsters

Big day tomorrow: Practicum Orientation. We start our mini-teaching assignments in high schools starting next week for the month of November.

Seems fair: given eight weeks of 5-day training, they're letting us go out and pick up some practical experience. Then do it all over again (8 weeks + 4 weeks), and finish up with a month of some type of internship.

Tomorrow's when we dress up and try to give a good first impression.

Too bad I feel like I have several cotton wads permanently embedded in my sinus cavities. And a vice crushing my temples. And a massive knot of muscles running up my back and neck. And my nose...

I'll spare you the details.

But hey, Halloween's almost here, maybe I'll feel better by then. I'm certainly thinking of a few dress-up costume candidates for that...

Posting Problems

No, it's not just my lack of interest these days in finding things to write about. No, it's not because I've replaced my blog with an on-going project about my journey to become a teacher.

Well, maybe a little.

My apathy instead lies directly in the path of an oncoming technology train filled with Generation D, my displacements. I've felt it rattling for years and, while I'm slowly rolling about on the tracks, sometimes I stick my head up to gauge how far away the train looks.

It's funny: the train is neither coming closer nor travelling further away. It's just a looming threat. Couldn't I just jump on at the next station? How can I not deem that union as an engagement of minds, bodies and gadgets? Is this not an exciting time to be living -- truly Living?

It's days like these where I neither want to meet the train nor lose sight of it. So I am perpetually stuck in the middle.

Hmmm... Scratch that. I often feel like I'm left behind so maybe being stuck in the middle isn't all that bad. What are our real perceptions compared to our virtual ones anyway?

Harr-assed

Sacked today. Financial difficulty for the company expected, not based on performance. Still a bit of a blow. Didn't even get to say thank you to my boss -- he was gone before noon too.

On a plus note, I have the rest of the summer to work out, plan for the wedding, and catch up on stuff before going back to school in September.

It really couldn't have happened at a better time.

Poepic

I decided to publish a book by the end of the summer.

I stated this on my Facebook page today, so it must be true.

There isn't an actual publisher who is doing this for me; it's just me doing the design, layout and editting. I'm using Blurb.com to print it up and distribute it.

It's getting a 'poepic' status (coined by me of course) because it's book that crosses poetry with photography. Working title? "Banterlodes" or maybe just "Banter" I haven't decided...

Bingo Blitz

I've had the opinion lately that I can fool the lottery.

Disregarding my, you know, engineering background, I feel that one day I'm going to find a pattern and choose a set of numbers that are 'bound' to win and then I'll prove everyone wrong.

My theory is based on the fact that it cannot be completely random: the machine was built by humans. Even random number generators are not completely random, as they're based on a random-esque formula.

OK, it might take me 18 years, but I might as well start playing it now.

The Last Frontier

We came back from an Alaskan cruise on Monday! We spent one week sailing up the inside passage and making port calls in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, plus sea days in Glacier Bay and College Fjord.

Our friends got married at sea the first formal night. Short, sweet, and surprisingly moving, I didn't realize how choked up I get at these things -- especially in such an intimate setting with a dozen of your friends and family.

Best memories? The wedding photo of everyone on the staircase. ("Put your hand on her other cheek, please.") The gorgeous views of glaciers and mountains and whales and seals. Snorkeling in Ketchikan. Hottubbing at the back of the boat on frosty evenings. The White Pass railway trip up from Skagway to Fraser, BC. The brewpubs! (Sooo many new ratings!) Seeing Mount McKinley, the highest point in North America, on a clear day -- from Anchorage, more than 300km away! Panning for gold!!

Oddly enough, after watching a couple of Princess PopStar live performances, I have a strange urge to go and sing karaoke somewhere with my sister...

s'Cool Dreamin'

I had a dream last night that I went back to university.

It was September and I moved into a new residence room. Except we snuck in my fiancee and he stayed there the whole term without security knowing it.

Not sure what classes I was taking but seeing as I've been thinking about this lately, I'm pretty sure it had something to do with getting a degree to further my education in education. Am I eligible for a Masters in Education? Not sure yet...

... but I'm checking...

Brave New Book

I've decided to embark on a book journey: one of my own. Haven't done this in five years but now is a good time to start. I was inspired to after starting to read "The Mapmaker's Dream" -- a lovely book with an interesting plot and wonderful writing...

Words can be so magical sometimes, and so extraneous other times. I hope this is not too vain... or in vain.

Sage Advice

We were sitting in a McDonald's this morning, starting the day off healthily with an egg, bacon and cheese bagel and a cheese biscuit when I happened to start eavesdropping in on a nearby conversation.

Two elderly couples were sitting at the back of the restaurant, not eating so much as discussing various life notables they have found in their due courses. One of the women happened upon the topic of child-rearing:

"When you're raising children, it's not what you give them that's important: it's what you Choose *not* to give them that makes the difference."

Sigh. If only we can learn these things early in life...

Plastic Charms

Oddly enough, I've recently become engaged.

Such a strange and new world, the realm of potential bridezilla. Cycling through modes of glee, frustration, anger, ponderment and wonderment and all throughout just the first week of elation.

Sigh. Already helpful suggestions have started trickling in. Am I to become a cynical bride-to-be? Will I be labelled as a "tried"-to-be?
(groan)

All this and more after receiving a silly green plastic ring from our Christmas cracker last year -- it was certainly charming, if not engaging... I liked the part where he had to convince me he was being serious. :) I also liked the part where he chose me. That was c-o-o-l.