Comfort Foods! :)

You know the feeling. You've had an awful day, possibly including traffic jams, failed exams, getting dumped or maybe fired, and that's not to mention the whole host of other things that can effectively ruin a day. You know the drill, you come home feeling awful, like you want to curl up in a ball and crawl right into bed before things get any worse than they already are.

But then, you get home, and surprise! There is your favorite food, just sitting invitingly on the countertop. Almost like a consolation prize. Sure, you didn't win the new Cadillac, but here's a delicious bowl of wonderful to cheer you up. You crawl into some comfy clothes, wrap yourself in a blanket, and eat up.

Suddenly, the world doesn't seem like such a terrible place after all. And how could it, while you're scarfing down your favorite food?

Like a delicious little superhero, it has swooped in to save the day! Because it was there for you to eat, and recharge your faith in humanity, the day can be salvaged! You carry on, a million times better then ten minutes ago.
So let's hear it for comfort food. Be it ketchup chips, chocolate cake, or good old Kraft dinner, it's always around to save the day, and that makes it worth celebrating. :)

Back to Basics

When I started this blog, my sole purpose was simply to keep track of my own college experience and in essence create a sort of "scrapbook" of my first year. Since then, I've taken some major liberties with my theme, not that I regret them, but today I've decided would be a perfect day to get back to a good old college post. I'm talking exam stress.
Yup, for those of us on "the inside", it's stressing season. While some are already diligently toiling away trying to memorize names, dates, formulas and other lovely things, most of us (myself included) are still in the procrastination stage. But the reality is: they are looming, they are coming, and soon they'll Be HEEEEERRRREEE....
Naturally, this puts stress levels for me at an all time high. Even though I'm pretty sure I'm in no danger of failing any courses, the pressure is still being felt. Strongly. I'm still somewhat behind in my coursework and there's a stupid amount of studying to be had.
Hopefully my head won't explode in the next three weeks...at any rate, if I suddenly stop posting new blog posts, you'll definitely know what happened to me...

Gettin' In the Spirit

So, we here in Edmonton have officially made it through the season I (less than affectionately) like to call "Winter Sucks, Part 1". If you want to know my reasoning for doing so, I would advise you to consult this article. Anyway, we're pretty much through the guarenteed not-funness of the first week of actual winter conditions (temperatures, road conditions, not being prepared for the weather, etc) and on to what I more affectionately refer to as "the Month or so for Which Winter Does Not Suck". Basically, for me, all of the things those lucky few who enjoy Winter love about it tend to be most noticable about now while the things that make me hate it are at their most tolerable.
For instance, the snow. At its worst, it causes car accidents, blows in your face, piles itself annoyingly over your windsheild, only to replenish itself after you brush it off, and hurts when you get a ball of it in the face at point-blank range. However, when the Christmas decorations are just starting to come out, and the Christmas hymns are just starting to be played in church, there is not a more welcome sight. Snow covers everything in this tranquil white blanket, making Christmas lights look less out of place and making everything look like it could be featured on a Christmas card. It sets the mood. :)
And maybe it's just my imagination, but it actually easier to get along with people in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I don't think I've fought with either of my brothers at all this week (which normally is quite a feat, believe me). One of them even gave me a piggyback so I wouldn't have to wade through a snowbank and chose a CD to play in my car specifically because he thought I would like it. Even my dad, who generally hates putting out Christmas ornaments spent over an hour trying to fix burnt out lights on our pre-lit Christmas tree. Ultimately, the endeavour was not a success because the problem wasn't actually the lights themselves and we had to go out and buy a new one, but not only did he put a significant amount of time into trying to fix it with minimal complaining, he hardly complained about buying a new tree.
And I think that's what I love most about this time of year. It seems like people are just closer to one another. I love the comraderie everyone seems to share. I guess I'd better enjoy it while it lasts, though, because pretty soon we'll be into "Winter Sucks, part 2".

Craziness

So I'm running out of time in my first semester. Which is good because I'm also running out of energy and willpower. It seems like all the essays, assignements, and required reading just pile up around now, and with finals starting to loom, I'm officially starting to freak out.

And on top of that is the fact that I'm still of two minds about what I want to do with my life. On one hand being a forensic psychologist would be Really. Flippin'. Epic. I mean, I'd have a job that's challenging, fufilling, and above all, interesting. The one catch? I'm afraid of becoming jaded by what I'll see. I don't want to wind up some crazy old lady who lives alone save for her 18 cats and hates everybody on two legs. On the other hand, I could pursue sociology (which happens to come a lot easier to me, anyhow), but I really don't know what kind of job I could end up with by doing that. It's stressful. :(

There IS a bit of good news, though: If I make it through the next three weeks I get a full three weeks of nothing. Sweet, sweet nothing. I can facebook and watch TV reruns to my heart's content. I can finally finish reading Hound of the Baskervilles (although, admittedly, I might just slack a little this weekend to make time for that). I can spend as much time as I like practicing guitar or pondering life. Suffice to say, I'm super looking forward to Christmas break. If this pace keeps up, I'm going to need it.

Christian side-hugs

Anyone who's ever been part of a church is likely to have heard of (or maybe even witnessed) the legendary Christian Side-hug. As far as my understanding of it goes, some church-goer somewhere decided that there's something icky about giving your brother/sister in Christ a good old fashioned front-on hug.

Cue the invention of what may be the most awkward means of social interaction ever concieved. Yup. It's SIDE HUG TIME!!!!
Now people don't have to face the impurity associated with an old fashioned and borderline making out way to display friendly affection. Instead, you can awkwardly stand beside the person, grab their shoulder, and smile as they turn to look at you. You'll be physically and emotionally uncomfortable, but comfortable in the knowledge that the huggee won't misconstrue your behavior as a sexual advance.

It seems to me that there is something wrong with this concept though:
Christian side-hugs tend to side-step the intimacy that a hug is meant to convey. Some would argue that this is a good thing as regular hugs are altogether too intimate and should be reserved for married couples. But really, anybody who lives around people should know that being in love is not the only reason that people give one another hugs. Hugs can express sympathy, congratulations, joy, friendship and of course, love, both in the romantic and nonromantic sense. A friend of mine gives me a hug each time she sees me. I don't misconstrue it as attraction. We just rarely get to see one another, so when we do, a hug seems to her to be the appropriate response. If this friend (who is also a Christian, I might add) walked up to me and layed a big ol' side hug on me, I'd be nothing short of confused. As polite as the Christian side hug is, it just wouldn't convey the same emotion that a slightly crushing bear hug does. Basically, a side hug is for people who barely know each other, in which case, there seem to be other possibilities to communicate what you intend (hallmark cards, handshakes, and just plain speaking, to name just a few).

In essence, the side hug allows us to wear a mask around the very people with whom we should be most honest. It makes it okay not to get to know a brother or sister well enough to actually want to hug them when the situation warrants it. It's causing distance in churches which will inevitably prevent unity.
I'm sure it was a well intentioned idea, but I think that we should start to forgo the Christian side-hug and the mask that it allows us to hide behind in favour of being ourselves around other people who share our love of Jesus.

Why so Gleeful?

Glee: why is it so popular? This is a question I've been pondering for a while. Mainly because I harbour a strong distaste for the show. I guess there are probably several reasons. There's the music. There's the dancing. There's the way that it seems to be able to uncannily predict the behavior of at least one person we know (for instance, one guidance counsellor at my old high school was thought by the majority of the school's population to be the embodiment of Sue Sylvestor).

These are also all reasons I don't like the show. First, the music. Although I must admit their song choices are decent, their cheesy renditions of all these lovely, classic songs make me want to cry. Not to mention the mash-ups. There's really no better way to wreck a song then to utterly destroy the meaning of the lyrics by smushing and mixing it up with another generally decent song that is only tangentally related to the first. Actually, earlier statement retracted. The dancing doesn't really bother me all that much. Genius choreography it is certainly not, but it's not particularly awful, as far as I can see. Then there's the whole "art imitating life" argument. This, although slightly funny when applied to the aforementioned guidance counsellor is actually doubtful to me. I instead contend that it's a case of high school life imitating art.

This hypothesis is based on what I observed while in my senior year of high school. The impact this show had on my old high school was slightly disturbing. Over the course of one year, a glee club was started, only played music from the show, and ultimately failed because most of the people who joined it hoped to be the next Rachel or Finn (uhhh, hate to break it to everyone but this IS fiction...), even our grad song ended up being the Glee rendition of Journey's don't stop believing. That's not even to mention all the people who would express their fandom simply by obsessing over what happened on last week's episode (or the normal people, if you will).

The danger in this is that the high school on Glee is certainly the most hellish depiction of a high school I've ever seen. The students are downright hostile to anyone who doesn't fit perfectly neatly into their home clique. Of couse, the glee club is trying to break this habbit. But it is getting them "slushie-d" (yes, they actually throw slushies at one another). What's more, the adult characters act even more immature then the kids in most cases. If schools are trying to mold themselves in that image, then it's going to make high school even more painful then it already is for a lot of kids. It's sad, really.

All I can hope is that this obsession fades before people start thinking it's socially acceptable to throw slush drinks at people they don't like. Because that would wreck anybody's day.

Some Cool Stuff

Hey, all, just thought I'd indulge in some shameless linkbaiting. So without further ado, here's some interesting internet stuff.

First up, we have a rather hilarious cat. The first half isn't much, but the second is totally worth the (short) wait: http://www.youtube.com/themeankitty#p/u/27/DUFaRPomFj0

Is it the ever so slight lack of oxygen at 33, 000 feet, the sleep deprivation, or the extreme boredom of the passengers that motivates them to buy this stuff? Either way, the result is pretty hilarious from the ground! http://www.skymall.com/shopping/subdept.htm?c=10510&cm_sp=Header-_-TopNav-_-OutdoorLiving

Here's an online store that sells the prettiest clothing ever! I spend WAAAY too much time pining over
some of the stuff on this webite. It's too bad I don't shop online. :'( : http://www.modcloth.com/

This video almost inspired me to have a post-it-note shopping spree at staples! http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2947980/deadline_post_it_stop_motion/

And look! Some guy drew a floorplan for Sherlock Holme's appartment! I guess it could be that I'm mildly obsessed with these books, but I was really impressed by how closely he followed the descriptions Arthur Conan Doyle wrote of the place: http://www.stutler.cc/other/misc/images/bakerstreet_new_notes_1520.jpg

Finally, does this make anyone else want to hum the Iron Man theme song? http://news.discovery.com/tech/rocketman-jet-wingsuit.html

Remember, Remember the 5th of November...but do we Really?

For those who don't know, November the fifth (today) is Guy Fawkes day. It basically marks the anniversary of some guy (haha, get it?!?! sorry, I couldn't resist.) getting caught trying to blow up the British Parliament building.  Basically, they found him in the basement surrounded by barrels of gunpowder (not just a large amount, but a buttload of the stuff, enough to easily blow up the parliament building if his plan had succeeded). At least, that's what I've heard about it...

Anyway, I don't really find the fact that many Canadians celebrate it (or at least post a facebook status commemorating it) despite the fact that it is a British holiday strange. I can imagine people keeping track of November the fifth because they have British ancestry, or even because our country has historically been tied to Britain . Not only that, the event is significant in that it represents to many people the spirit of rebellion occasionally necessary to spark social change (although, the sane of us will invariably choose better ways to do it then blowing up all the local politicians and causing our countries to spin into anarchy...).

What strikes me as strange is that a lot of people seem to remember it solely because of a certain sci-fi movie. Remember V for Vendetta? Basically some dude runs around blowing up cathedrals and kidnapping young women, all while donning a Guy Fawkes mask. Of course, the girl he kidnaps (then later imprisons for no apparent reason, except if memory serves, to crush her spirit and remove her innocence) develops what appears to be a pretty bad case of Stolkholm Syndrome, so we get to see V's (aka, the Guy Fawkes look-a-like) better side. Basically his tendency to cause chaos and misery stems from a cruel medical expirament once performed on him that went wrong. What's more, his crimes are all politically motivated. Nothing personal. The movie sounds like it could be a graphic novel because it was based on one, by the way.

Anyway, I think that most people who celebrate Guy Fawkes day do it because of this movie. In it, there's a little rhyme that goes like this:
Remember, Remember the fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot
I know of know reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be Forgot.
While I think it's kind of cool that this little rhyme has made the offbeat (at least in Canada) holiday stand out, it seems odd to me that people would celebrate it because it was in that movie and not because of it's historical significance. I mean, who knows what would have happened had Guy Fawkes succeeded...

Maybe I just place too much significance on the historical significance of such a date and not enough on it's potential to inspire graphic novels and movies...as always, feel free to let me know what you think!

"I'm a Mac"...No, you're an Idiot.

So there's this apparent issue that has been sweeping the nation (all the while making people like myself VERY, VERY angry). Of course, I speak of the question "Are you a Mac or a PC?". Now, don't get me wrong, I think that both operating systems have thier own pros and cons. I personally opt to use a PC because I think they're a better value for the pricepoint, but I can understand why some people would prefer to pay more for a Mac, with it's beautiful, sleek design, all of it's fun bells and whistles, and the relative lack of viruses. Despite the fact that my title pokes fun at "Mac people", you could easily substitute Mac for PC if you so prefer without changing the meaning of this post. Because to me, the stupidity isn't in whether a person chooses one operating system or the other, it's in the question.

Asking some one if they are a "Mac or a PC" is essentially requesting that a person place their whole identity in what type of computer they use. It's like asking some one if they are a "Toyota or a Ford". It degrades a person to just a pile of materialistic choices. Even more offensive are the commercials on both sides that condone this mode of thinking. According to Mac, on one side, you have the hip, young, professional (of course he's a Mac), and on the other a nerdy, overweight, bumbling older beaurocrat (a PC). According to PC, you have the deluded people who think they're cool because they spent way to much money on a computer (the Macs), or the intelligent, inquisitive people of all ages and walks of life (all PC's).

In allowing ourselves to be labeled in this way, we basically become walking bilboards for our computer of choice. What's worse is that we sometimes let dissagreements over something so trivial jeopardize our relationships by getting into "PC's are cheaper, yeah, well Mac's are cooler" style debates that somehow manage to get heated. Why? It's like two opposing tribes, each member changing their personality a little to "fit in" with the brands Windows and Apple have constructed for themselves.

It's inevitable that product placement will creep into our identities at least a little bit, but to allow something as ridiculous as competing computer companies to hijack our identities in the name of advertising? Therein lies the stupidity