Things To Be Thankful For

My wonderful Mother-in-Law threw me a beautiful bridal shower a few weekends ago. She prepared quotes and speeches and this was one of my favorite:

Don't complain about having to pay taxes,
It means you have a job.
Don't complain about being overweight,
It means you have food on the table.
Don't complain about cleaning your home,
It means you have a roof over your head.
Don't complain about heating costs,
It means you have a home with heat.
Don't complain about having to go to the Doctor,
It means you have health care.
Don't complain about having to vote,
It means you have freedom of speech.
Don't complain about having to buy groceries,
It means you don't have to hunt for them.
Don't complain about your kids,
It means you have the ability to conceive them, care for them and love them.

... Some people aren't so lucky.

Re-evaluate your life and be thankful for living in Canada, be thankful you have fat on your bones to keep you warm and if not - that you have a house with heating in the winter. Don't complain about your job, because 9,000 people in London alone are still looking for one.
Look out your window and be glad you can see the sun, feel the wind and smell the air.

I've noticed way too many people are focusing on the wrong things in life. Facebook is crawling with negativity. Suck it up, buttercup - it's really not that bad.

New Car (and other crap)

Okay, okay, okay...

When I was 16 and got my G1 I had already seen people get their license, buy a car and then lose their car and be in debt for something they didn't have at such a young age. I witnessed my parents struggle for money to pay for the alternator to be fixed when I was 10 years old and always said to myself "not me".

From the age of 8 months to 13 years, I lived in good'ol Point Clark; a.k.a. the Pits of Hell. I call it this because this place really is what Satan would create for moderately offensive people to spend eternity in. The bottom of a hill, along a lake so scummy you can't swim in it on streets called "Adawandran", "Menomini" and the best of all "Kick-A-Poo". Guess what street name I grew up on?? Anyway, another reason for this hell-ish residential living situation - you had to drive 15 minutes to get to a store, work, school, play. So... my parents needed a car in order to provide for their family. Basically anyone living in Kincardine, Point Clark or Ripley need a car for survival.

Watching my parents struggle with car payments, car insurance and fixings made me realize that having a car is not necessary, especially when you live in a city with buses. So I made the choice that as long as it's my responsibility to care, pay, and maintain a car - it wouldn't be mine.

So I've lived a life thus far without a vehicle. Sure when I was 18 I drove around Kincardine like a maniac in the J-to the etta for a few years, listening to 50 Cent and creeping on my tattooo artist, but it was never MINE. I never wanted to take the plunge and pay for a car, I didn't think they were that important.

Since I've been in London, I haven't necessarily had the need to buy one. I either A) Take the bus (this is a whole other story) or B) Darrin drives me around in his sweet automobile. But all of a sudden I realized that I have no independence! Non! If I want to go somewhere I either have to wait around for 15 minutes to get on the bus and be molested (yes, a guy humped me on the bus and a lady also told me to keep my legs closed because she got pregnant and got fat - true stories) or ask Darrin for his permission to use his car. At a certain age - both these become rather saddening that I am 24 years old and cannot make these decisions on my own.

I felt as though I was a kid living with their parents again and asking permission to leave the house. It all made the difference for me when I was offered a full-time permanent position at Western (three weeks ago). All of a sudden I was aware of so many things: A) I'm 24. B) I'm getting married. C) I have job security and a career. D) I have a house. E) I can drink. F) I can be in porno movies if I wanted to. G) I can smoke cigarettes. and H) I can get pregnant and no one's reactions would be "you know you can do something about that", but I don't have a car! I sat and pondered about my situation... when Darrin leaves for his hockey I stay at home... when I want to go visit my family - Darrin has to either A) Give me permission or B) come with me.

It's a hassle for EVERYONE. Not just myself.

So I took the plunge and started looking for a car.

Lessons learned from this experience:

1) You cannot, no matter how hard you try, find a car for $2000 that has been saftied, e-tested and has good kilometres. It just won't happen.

2) A good car that'll get you from A-B without blowing up, costs more than you thought you could handle.

3) The car salesman guy will ask you 13 times in a period of 45 minutes if you want to sign the contract before you've even test-driven the car.

4) The bathrooms in the dealership are strictly for men and they do not consider that women have to sit on the pee-infested toilet seat (have you not been using that thing since you were 3? Learn to aime!)

5) Buying a car takes a minimum of 3 hours for paperwork, filing, questionaires and scenerio talk.

6) Earl, the guy I bought my car from has no front teeth.

7) To never bring your dog with you... he'll think the dealership is his and bark at everyone who walks in the door... for 3 hours... straight...

I feel like such a grown-up now. I walked onto the lot, asked to test-drive a car, was given the keys and went for a spin. And then I got to make the executive decision without consulting anyone. It was amazing! I have wheels now! Wheels of my own that is going to let me have independence!!! Yipee!!!

Peception

PERCEPTION

. . . Something To Think About . . .


THE SITUATION

In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the DC Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Chernobyl and Other Crap

Yesterday as I stood at my desk waiting for the IT dude to finish his magic on my computer - the graduate chair of the department and myself were discussing where Darrin and I should go for our honeymoon.

I've had this discussion before with students in Civil Engineering, when I worked there. Why not? 90% of my students were International and have done more travelling that I ever will, why not ask!

First mistake: Don't say to an Egyptian student that you want to go to Egypt for your honeymoon. At first you'll think the world ended, but then realize that your comment is just so retarded that people forgot how to react, other than having their jaws hit the ground.

I get it, maybe Egypt isn't the most romantic place on Earth - but we're leaving that all for the night of the wedding, right? Haha... Anyone who's been married is on the same page as me "you'll be too tired".

Okay, anyway - we won't get into the nitty-gritty details of our wedding night just yet. I'm sure I'll have a blog posting about that too. Just kidding. Or am I?

So apparently Egypt is really not the place I want to go. I guess I imagined a not-so-romantic-get-away for my honeymoon. I just always imagined it being an adventure. I know couples who worked in foreign countries for months for their honeymoon - just for the experience.

Personally, sitting on a beach, drinking pina colada's all day, baking in the sun, listening to the ocean bubble on the coral just doesn't sound... well actually... F*ck... now I want to go!

That's besides the point... I want to go somewhere where I'm not bored on the first day. I get antsy when I can't do anything. I want to be able to go somewhere different every day, meet new people, see different cultures, experience other lifestyles. You're only on this planet once and you want to spend the entire time in one country? Eating the same food? Listening to the same laugage? I sure as hell don't!

I'm no longer considering Egypt because, quite frankly, I'm afraid of people's reactions when I tell them that I'm going there. So to avoid awkwardness (that sadly surrounds my life no matter what I do; if you read my facebook I'm sure you're aware that I've been in meetings with my shirt undone, gone to work with pee-soaked shirts and randomly run into walls)... I'm not going.

Yesterday I was having a discussion with a few people regarding my honeymoon. In my new position - people are trying to learn new things about me as the new person and my wedding always seems to be that topic of conversation. So honeymoon talk it is.

Guess where I want to go!!! I finally figured it out, I'm all gung-hoe about it, excited to tell the world. And when I say the name... people are stunned.

"What? Why would you ever go there?"

I get it, okay? I get that it's random, weird and quiet honestly - retarded.

Chernobyl.

UMM HELLO!!! You don't want to go to an ENTIRE city abandoned for 25 years?! How eerie would that be?

I'm sorry, but that's something insanely interesting for me. I go to run-down houses and take pictures and get a high off the eerieness. If those walls could talk, I'd listen for hours. I love that type of stuff. I love that it allows your mind to wander, the possibilities of the last person who stood in the same room, what they were thinking (and in this case) what they were going thru! I love untouched things, considering we live on a planet that is touched by everything, including people, buildings, farms, roads, parking lots, houses and radiation.

It's rare that you get the opportunity to see something that hasn't had the opportunity to be taken over by man (again, in this case). It's amazing.

Anyway, I watched some Youtube videos on this place and I almost died. I want to go so badly! I want to walk around the city and imagine what it was like when it was alive, busy and happy.

Now that my decision has been made. Now that I have said it outloud. Now that EVERYONE things I'm either insane, or retarded... my next mission is: to get Darrin to agree to this.

....Wish me luck!!!