I decided to search for my name in google. Apparently, my name is also connected to the University of Denver's Poli-Sci program, Science Fiction/Fantasy art, and a baseball-playing Amanda, who apparently is very good at the sport.

A farmer walked into an attorney's office wanting to file for a divorce. The attorney asked, "May I help you?" The farmer said, "Yea, I want to get one of those dayvorce's." The attorney said, "well do you have any grounds?" The farmer said, "Yea, I got about 140 acres." The attorney said, " No, you don't understand, do you have a case?"
The farmer said, "No, I don't have a Case, but I have a John Deere." The attorney said, "No you don't understand, I mean do you have a grudge?" The farmer said, "Yea I got a grudge, that's where I park my John Deere." The attorney said, "No sir, I mean do you have a suit?" The farmer said, "Yes sir, I got a suit. I wear it to church on
Sundays." The exasperated attorney said, "Well sir, does your wife beat you up or
anything?"The farmer said, "No sir, we both get up about 4:30." Finally, the attorney says, "Okay, let me put it this way. "WHY DO YOU WANT A DIVORCE?" And the farmer says, "Well, I can never have a meaningful conversation with her."

Apologies for the stupid joke, but it was on an Amanda's joke page, and it was about farmers. I felt that it worked in well with the general theme thus far.

As of June 1, the dress code at work will not only include what colour/kinds of shirts, pants, skirts and shoes we are allowed to wear, but also how many earrings we are allowed to have in each ear. While I understand the need for uniformity at a workplace, I don't understand the need to limit one's earrings, especially if someone was HIRED with more than two earrings. So, worse comes to worse, I will be forced to take out the 4 earrings in my earlobes, as I refuse to take out my cartilage rings (I know from experience that it wouldn't be a good idea to have the holes open to the air and my hair for 8 hour shifts, due to infection as well as the risk of the holes closing). However, if my managers refuse to budge on the subject, I plan to go a step higher and write an email to the person ahead of them. I mean, what's next? They’re going to limit our hair colours to "natural hues"? The new dress code is already explicit in that we are not allowed to have "extreme hairstyles", like a mohawk. I think this entire situation is insane. When one takes out his/her earrings, there are horrible, gross-looking red holes, and it's completely obvious to anyone that the individual has earrings. Having had earrings for most of my life, the holes in my ears are quite large and unattractive. Therefore, not only are the holes going to be evidence enough for customers to see that I do have earrings, but it will be so much more unattractive than having two studs in my ears. This is just one more reason for me to complain and dislike work…

I received an email today from Russell Brown, the head of English at UTSC. The email was regarding my questions that I had about the creative writing course. Russell's email was identical to what Barry had sent me earlier... word for word. Apparently, he forgot that he had told me to ask someone else. Oh well, at least I have some answers.

My assessment at work went very well. I'm, apparently, liked by Randall. Shocked? Me too. In a strange way, this makes work a little more bearable...

First off, I must say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, fluffy... erm... Alex. Even though I may bug you, and you may pester me, you are still a great little (bigger) brother. :)

A girl came into the store today and said she was looking for a pink book, that's square-ish, and is about a girl who is facing some problems. It's times like these that makes me want to both laugh and cry for the future. She also asked for a job application.

Apparently, I also look Romanian. Go figure.

Last night I had a dream where I went to Russia with Alex. I couldn’t figure out their currency, and was obsessed in catching one of them trying to overcharge me. What could this mean? Where’s Jung when you need him…

This week on The Onion : "U.S. to Fight Terror With Terror".. If only it wasn't a joke...

I had a good day today. Terrence invited himself over (again, he always manages to do it), and we watched the Hannibal Lector series (Red Dragon/Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal). I'm starting to think like a cannibal... Rifat came over too. She's deathly afraid of Jessie. It's weird to think that someone could possibly be afraid of Jess, as she is probably more afraid of Rifat than she is of the dog...

Lazy, lazy, lazy

Nothing much to report. Sold 6 IRewards cards in 4 hrs - crazyness. I emailed the Head of English at UTSC (Russell Brown, whom I met during Frosh week) about the Creative Writing courses that are offered next year. It says in the catalogue that we need to submit a portfolio and to contact the Secretary in charge of English, but nothing more. Unfortunately, there was no name attached, and I couldn't find out who the Secretary was. So, I emailed Russell. The response: Ask Barry Freeman (apparently, he is the secretary). So I emailed Barry. His response?: "I've quoted below a note from English Professor Russell Brown about admission to the course". So. Russell knew all along what I was to do. Why didn't he just tell me?! Gaw. Madness.
On the bright side, I now know what to do about the portfolio. Now I just have to compile my "best works"...?!
On an even brighter side, I've been reformatting my website. I've only finished the poetry section so far. I've come to realize that a lot of the poems that I have written in the past do not accurately reflect myself, nor do they portray what I think of today as "good writing". Therefore, only about 1/4 of what I've written remains on my website. There is an archives list, though, but it comes with a warning... duh duh duuuh

"I'm cracking eggs"... "I'm cracking you."
Well, the second concert was quite entertaining. It was interesting seeing the similarities and differences in how they performed the acoustic/rock shows. I was saddened by the fact that a lot of the seemingly "spontaneous" changes of lyrics were really rehearsed. But the banter in the second concert was quite... entertaining, for lack of a better word. The topics ranged from squirrels eating tulips, to ice skating, to insulating roofs. Trust me, there are connections (I think?). It was terribly warm though. But that's what happens.
I have added 2 more books to my "to read" list. I don't know how I'm going to be able to read all of them this summer. On a positive note, I finished Pilgrim yesterday. It was very good, I quite enjoyed it. Recommended highly. Almost 1 minute after finishing it, though, I started "Anil's Ghost". No time to rest. *grand sigh*.

one down, one to go...

Hawksley's first concert was excellent. Let me explain what it was about. It was the only one of its kind, that is, it was the only show on the tour that was acoustic and in which slower/less popular (concert-wise) songs were played. Highlights? Too many to count. His constant rants about who-knows-what are always funny if not touching. His sudden break from "Papershoes" to "Oh Holy Night" was interesting, I have no idea why he did it, though. 4 encores. In the second last, he brought his father onstage, and they played "Safe and Sound" while his father played the drums. There were many people dancing in the aisles, as well, which was cool. But I suspect it was because they were drunk.
I can't wait for tonight's concert!

To learn more about hawksley, click here.

It works like a dream...
We took in this old, crappy computer to get fixed today. Not too sure what the guy did, but the computer actually WORKS now. No error messages to speak of. Not much else to speak of either. Tonight is the first of the two Hawksley Workman concerts. I am SO excited. I can't wait. Since the title of his latest cd is Lover/Fighter, these shows will be completely different: tonight's is an acoustic type of show, with only a piano, and tomorrow's is the "fighter" side, being the rock concert. Fun stuff!

Working at 1030 am after a concert and a party should be illegal. In fact, I think it just may be.

Blah Blah Blah...
I don't like Tuesdays, I've decided. They're boring. There's nothing to do. Then again, there's not much to do any day, is there? Or there's too much to do and a serious lack of motivation. Maybe the onus is on me to get the ball rolling.
I've received all of my first year university marks. My GPA for the year is... *drum roll please* 3.6 . Not bad, I say. If it wasn't for that crappy History mark first session *shakes fist*. Oh well. I'm proud. I did my best, that's all that matters. I am, though, extremely shocked about my Short Story mark, considering I was killed on the major essay. Boughn, I still claim, is an idiot.
I'm getting tired of Chapters. I don't mind the people, or working in general, I just don't like the customers. They're so repetitive. The next time someone asks if I work there, I'm going to say "No, I just picked up this vest from Goodwill. Isn't it great?" Sigh. They probably wouldn't even get it.
Chris' final comment about our trip almost brought me to tears. He's such a great boyfriend. I, too, felt that our conversation that night was far better than the view and the food combined. I don't even remember all that we talked about (too much wine, perhaps?), but I do remember that we talked about everything. And that Chris had this really weird deja vu thing (hehe). All in all, that night was definitely the best part of the trip. I wish I could have videotaped Chris' eyes, and to remember all of the fish that were swimming in them. Sigh. Some things are better remembered, I guess.

No YOU'RE a Beamsville

We got home from our trip this afternoon, with almost 2 hours of very stressful driving, in the rain, with very slow drivers. The trip was excellent. I must say, nothing went wrong at all. The weather (except for this morning, but we missed most of it) was great - sun shining, warm with a breeze. On Thursday, we went for a long walk around Niagra Falls. It is such a tourist trap. Tourists = stupid people. I need not say any more. (They still continue to find me even outside of Toronto... I must be a magnet). Thursday night, we went to see Pygmalion. I decided not to go with my fur, but rather my black dress that I've only worn like, three times. Almost brand new! And my shoes that nearly killed me. I can't stand heels that are over 2 inches high - they're unnatural. The play was excellent. The acting was amazing, as well. However, people should be taught the proper etiquette for plays and operas (etc). Since there is no such course, I will mention a few key details.

Do NOT clap until the end of the entire scene. Even though you may be tempted to applaud a certain performer's handling of a specific line/phrase/popular quote, do NOT do this.

Do NOT laugh excessively. Yes, there are funny parts in Pygmalion, but this does not mean that you can laugh for 30 seconds after the quote has been said. This is just rude to the actors and the other audience members

Do NOT hoot and holler at the end of the play. It is ok to say "bravo" for a specific actor, however. But remember that you're at a PLAY and not at a(enter random sports team)'s game/match.

Lastly, if you are slow on the stairs, simply wait for a few minutes until most of the theatre has been emptied. Sure, it will mean that you will be a few minutes later in getting to your car, but it also means that other audience members will be saved from the insanity of having to wait for 10 minutes while you attempt to reach the next stair.

Ok, so that was Thursday. On the way back from the play, we watched as lightening flashed over Niagra Falls (the play was in Niagra-on-the-Lake). It was a beautiful sight. And behind us, as we drove away, someone was setting off firecrackers (we assumed because it was the opening of the Shaw festival).

Friday, we started off the day in Niagra-on-the-Lake, eating lunch at a small restaurant. It was good food. All of the food we ate was good. However, it always seemed that we would be seated right next to a family with small children. I don't mind this of course, I like kids, but every single meal was consumed next to some kid who was screaming, running around the table, or just generally misbehaving. I commented to Chris that it seems to me that they seat us near the kids because, in their eyes, we are kids ourselves. We aren't of course, but that's what older-aged host/hostesses would see us as - kids. Oh well.

We visited the Butterfly Conservatory yesterday, as well. The many varieties of butterflies were all pretty in their own ways. There was one, called the Morpho Butterfly was amazing. The most beautiful colours of green and blue combined. However, it was a traumatizing experience. I know I'm emotional. I realize that. But there was this lady, taking a picture of her two children next to a butterfly, and therefore not looking where she was stepping. She stepped right onto what I think was a Cabbage Butterfly . I watched her to this. I could see it happening before it happened. I felt so horrible. This perfect little life, holding so much beauty and innocence, was destroyed by one stupid movement of a stupid tourist. I understand that these things happen, but it was so amazing to me that a woman who seemed to be interested in these little lives could easily and foolishly take one of them herself. Upon stepping on it, she looked down, saw it on her shoe, and scraped the little butterfly off on the side of a rock. People can be so cruel.

I wanted to stay forever with Chris forever in that garden outside of the Conservatory. It was so perfect, warm. No one was around (minus the tourists, who came and went, and the woman who watched us from a window inside of the building right there). We just basked in the sunlight. Happy.

A 60+ year old woman was the first to go over the falls - in a wooden barrel, no less - and survive.

We went on the Maid of the Mist this morning, before leaving. Very cold, wet, and windy, but a most beautiful sight. I can now imagine what it would be like to look up from under the falls after falling over them. It would be like looking into heaven, literally. The mists that rise from the falls' base look like clouds from underneath. It would be a great first look in a new life that had been touched by a miracle.

But, above all else, I just enjoyed being with Chris. It was nice to be away from school, and work. The moments that I enjoyed the most were the times in which I would look over at Chris at any random moment and see him looking back at me, smiling. I know I'm a sap, but I bet he would say that those moments were his favourites as well.

Chris and I watched "The Saddest Music in the World" last night. On the whole, I liked the movie. The cinematography was great- it was shot in grainy, jumpy black and white, which emphasizes the time when the movie was set (during the Depression). It did, on the other hand, have a lot of very cliche moments, and moments of revelation that I saw coming LONG in advance. Maybe this was the point? Who knows.

On a brighter note, Gramma gave me 2 dwarf hamsters. We picked them up yesterday from the pet store. Click here to see some pictures of them. They still don't have names, but I'm trying to change that. We're thinking "Sweetie Pea" for the darker one, because she's ... so... sweet. The other one is insane. Like the rest of the family...?

Tomorrow, Chris and I are going away for a mini-vacation. We're going to Niagra Falls and Niagra on the Lake. It'll be nice to get away from school and work... We're attending the opening performance of Shaw's "Pygmalion" at the Shaw Festival tomorrow night - we have been advised to wear ultra-fancy clothes. I considered bringing my fur, but I don't think there's enough room in the car... sigh.

Raskel (2000-2004)
It is time to say goodbye to a beloved hamster. He was so kind, playful and loving (despite his occasional finger bites). He will live forever in my memory as being the most lazy hamster in the world, as he managed to be able to both eat and drink without moving from his bed. A life too short, and yet so full.

I've finished my latest story, A lesson in how not to drown. A few changes still need to be done, but for the most part, it is finished.

Although I will not go on about annoying customers, rest assured that they still exist, and that they always seem to find me.

Despite the insane exam, I still managed to get an A in Anthro. I'm shocked. I need to celebrate, San style...

Isn't it sad that I have truly nothing to say? I'm trying to think what has happened recently, but my mind has gone numb... not enough sleep, but too much sleep. I saw Ashley and Mels on Friday, which was nice. I watched Kill Bill Vol. I again on Saturday. Great movie, and it makes more sense now that I've seen the second one. I hear there may be a third - I'm interested in where Tarantino will take it.

I've started to read my first book for the summer - Timothy Findley's Pilgrim. It's good so far, but then again I'm only 8 chapters into the book. Connie, a manager at Chapters, was quite disappointed that I am enjoying the book, as she doesn't like Findley. But then again, this is the women who spent an entire summer reading all of the V.C. Andrews books. *shudder* For the longest time, I didn't know that V.C. Andrews was a woman. From the content in the books, I would naturally assumed it was a man. No, according to her "official website", she was born Cleo Virginia Andrews... so why the switching of initials? I'm confused.

I'm going to take note again about stupid customers. You can bet that there will be another huge blog here tomorrow... unfortunately.