So Stoked!

One of my favourite authors, Charles Cumming sent me a friends request on my space today. How cool is that??? A very nice gesture to a fan!


If you haven't read him - you gotta get him. He's brilliant.



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The NEWest Blogssssssssssssss

OH MY WORD!

Seriously.

I think I am addicted to blogging.

I just have this compelling need to have one for everything. last week I started a myspace for connecting with past peeps, and I just got a weight loss one. I may be out of control.

But I am happy and 'vented' ;)

However, I will concede that I may be on my arse in front of the computer too much. I need to do this a bit less, and excercise and paint a lot more.

It's all about balance compadres!



http://www.extrapounds.com/blog/fattypants/

http://www.myspace.com/arocat_


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A New Nephew..

Welcome Aurin Leduc-Towner!

I haven't met him yet - but I love him to death all ready.

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A Very Cool Illusion...

I found this while browsing the net to find Cubbie a 'myspace' layout. It's pretty neat. At first you look at it and think... i don't get it. Someone drew on a picture and it's an illusion? Then you see the other pics and realize that the yellow lines are painted all over this structure to look like, from this spot, they are just drawn. It would be very cool to see in person!

Check it out here there are more pics on the site showing how it was done. Amazing! I would never have the attention span. I'd need a team on minions to 'Make it Happen'. ;)

Amazing Sliding Rocks.....and The Teacher that Failed my A$$

I had FOUR revelations today!!!
New Nephew and two others that were tied to each other.

I'm on holidays for two weeks, but worked Easter Sunday in the middle of it cuz I am the only one who refuses to celebrate. Not that I'm religious or rather anti-religion. It's because my Grampa died at Easter time. To honour him properly - I prefer not to celebrate at this time. It's a time for a more...solemn.

Anyway - I don't want to go there. I want to get to the exciting stuff.


Revelation #2:
My staff are talking about me....and it's because they noticed I lost weight!!!!
You can't know how warm and fuzzy I felt hearing "You've lost weight haven't you!?".
--^-v-^--@ To a girl on a diet - those would be the kindest, most supportive words in the english language! @--^-v-^--

Revelation # 3:
The one teacher that failed me from his class - is no longer a teacher. And...now he's more human. Bonus.

When I was at Crescent Heights, I had an intense mutual hate-on for my Social 20 teacher. I just hated Mr. Ron Jeffery with a passion. He was arrogant, a braggart and was pretty mean to anyone who didn't hang on his every word. Every class was brutal for me. I was home with a house that was constantly in a state of high disfunction, crying myself to sleep at night, drinking my face off and just generally trying not to consider the plethora of suicidal thoughts going through my head. Because of the stress and depression that comes from living in a alcoholic household - I often could not sleep at night. I would be late for school. Was sick a fair amount. And lacked the ability to stay attentive while he bragged about whatever amazing foreign place he had jetted off to.

I think, looking back I was also highly jealous. I thought I would never be able to see all the things he would see (The first person I ever knew who went to Egypt, and passionately spoke of their travels there. Showed us slides of the pyramids too.) and he took rich kids with caring parent to these places. Bragged about his kids (who were also lucky sods) and took up the class time rambling on and on about things that weren't part of the monumental stressful reality I was in. So I had a real chip on my shoulder. And he hated me. He very snottily told me that I would never make it anywhere in life.

Now...this is reminding me of an email I got yesterday. About a teacher with a student that she loved to hate. Until she found out why he was acting out and negative. Not that I was that way...but I was definately doing my best to look bored or uninterested as he went through the tales of his exceptionally fascinating life. (He really is interesting - but I couldn't appreciate it then). It was so frustrating because you all ready have a great deal of homework in highschool. His talking meant hours of extra work piled into my non-school time to get us back on the lesson plan. I felt resentment.

Never did he try to make a connection. And I am thinking now about times I have done that as a manager. Just got tired of someone giving the attitude instead of investigation. It happens. It's sad when it happens to kids though.

I cried when he failed me. I was depressed. Thought briefly about dropping out of school...Because what is the point is someone can be biased against you and attack you personally (which I felt and still feel was the case...not that I was helping my case). My Mom, although she is all talk and not the action part took me to task and told me passionately that there is no way someone like that was going to hold her daughter down. I was going to take it again next semester and show him. So I did. And I got 80%. Passed with flying colours. The teacher I had spoke little, stayed on task and stared endlessly at my boobs. Having learned my lesson...I sat at the front of the class and indulged him. ;) Survivor Lesson!

I was proud of my accomplishement...but never sure if it was me or my C cups. In Social 30 I got Mr. Fretz (FAVOURITE TEACHER EVER!). He was tough. Everyone hated how tough he was. But I loved him. He was firm. But he was FAIR. Stayed on track, and pushed you to stay on track. And if you got a bad mark - he made you stay and explained why. If you had really put an effort in he would help. If you didn't - he would give you shit. I got 70% in that class but it was tough. And I was trying harder to please him than any other teacher.

When I graduated, he was the one helping students down the stairs as they came off stage from accepting their diploma (girls in high heals at the jube, on an adreline rush = possible serious injury). As he took my hand and guided me down the stairs - he made me cry. He said he was really proud of me and I was going to go places. (I'm tearing up now just writing that!). Seriously. I felt like a bride that just was given away by her father. My Dad never came to my grad...so it was nice to have someone there that represented that.

So what do I do when Mr. Jeffery comes to do a return....I have thought...no fantacized about being in a position to cause him grief before. Heeheehee...here was my chance. But you know....he seemed changed. Pleasant. Positive. Just not that person that he was. And I am DEFINATELY not the person I was at 17.

I joked around with him, talked about the teachers and some that passed away too early. Teased him about failing me. And he couldn't remember me. Didn't beleive he had. Even as he left he said "I didn't really fail you, did I?!". You sure did. But I overcame it. And more importantly learned some very valuable lessons on how to get by in life. And to have some ambition to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

He retired now and is working for a travel company. I Googled him when I got home and found *this* . It's so amazing! I mean the pictures are so interesting. and whimsical. Now that I am and adult it's funny to look back at this larger-than-life character from my youth and just see him as a man. I am so happy I ran into him. I feel so much more at peace about the whole thing now. And...it was a nice little measure of my growth as a humane. Grace under preassure and all that.


Revelation # 4:

So as I am going through his site, I see some other people he is linked to..members of his page. One has the same last name. I click on it and find some amazing pictures. Here's the link - honestly check it out. Beautiful work. I see this picture about sliding rocks...and I gotta Google it. In Death Valley, California there are these rocks that myseteriously slide around on the clay playa and nobody is 100% on how it happens. this site has a couple possible theories but it's pretty damn neat anyway you look at it. I just love science. Don't you wanna just know the answer?! Too neat.

Anyway...If you google sliding rock you will also find a natural waterslide which also seems pretty damn cool.

Doesn't have nothin on my WILD WADI though!!!!
Sigh....I bet Mr. Jeffery has been there too! :)


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Who's an Auntie Again? MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED. T had the baby today - over a month early. I am so excited for their family. Nice new start. I just love that little baby all ready - cuz it got them back to being a family again.

I'll get to see my new little nephew soon - and here I was today just fretting about how I long I was going to have to wait. Coming to here wasn't the plan but required because of the early birth. All came through it safe and sound. It was pretty rough in it's brevity so I'm glad T didn't have to suffer through a long haul.

I'm gleeful.

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It takes a Global Minded Community to Raise the World's Children

Not that I would say I am 'cultured', cuz that would be a stretch....but I have been listening to BBC World Service latley on the radio. I thought I should get more news in and I can't stand what we allow to pass for news in American media. BBC is pretty balanced and not sensationalistic in it's delivery. Works well for me.

I am surprised every day to get a glimpse in to the lives of people and their views on a global basis. If there is one reason I would implore people to get a satellite radio -it's so you can get this balance in your life. We drive to work, in our cushy cars, sipping our latte's and think bitterly how nice it would be to be back in bed. What about the people that don't have beds, or had to share them with their parents and siblings. A bed? A mat on the floor is more likely.

The BBC had a series on slavery and it focused on how the majority of the victims are children. I really thought about this aspect. We can't have children. There are millions of people who can't feed their children. What would it take to enable them to not sell a child into slavery? You would be surprised - it seemed that the children were sold for $50 or less in some cases. Can you believe that? That's a trip to Walmart for some stupid needless item or another.

Often the parents are selling one child, the one they think has the best odds of surviving to feed the rest of the family. What a gut wrenching decision that must be to make. Tear your family apart - or starve. If you click on the link above, you will see some of the stories. If it inspires you - you can go to savethechildren.org and become a sponsor. No, you would be more than a sponsor. You would finally be the international hero you dreamed about as a youngster. You can choose the child to sponsor, and the amount you give monthly.

I am sponsoring a boy from Bangladesh. I wanted to choose a boy because of the stories of Ali and Mawulehawe. Both boys sold to slavery. Their stories, voices and ability to face the lot they were forced into broke my heart. I wish there was a way I could have given to them directly.


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Found this on a blog. Someone should tag on that over-confidence also makes a girl very ugly.