never again

so, hiking. good times. camping with a bunch of 17-year olds. again, good times. Let me just tell you about my weekend. I have made some interesting discoveries.

discovery #1: the outdoor pursuits teacher is a dink. he's the one who put this whole trip together, and I swear to God, if I had not had another teacher friend with me on this trip, I would have left in the middle of the night without a second thought. I don't want to bore you with the details, but suffice to say it turned into my friend and I chaperoning the whole gd trip, including *leading* the pack of kids up the mountain, while the teacher enjoyed a leisurely stroll up the mountain with his girlfriend and another couple friend of theirs. We sat with the kids, played games with them and stuff, yelled at them to shut the hell up when it got to be about 2am and we had to drive for 5 hours today to get back here. The teacher...was either in the cooking cabin or the tent with his friends for the whole weekend. Good times. Most oft' heard comment in the tent with my friend, "I fucking hate camping." and / or "I fucking hate *insert teacher's name here*."

discovery #2: excercising does not help cramps, as I had previously read / been told. Not even a little bit. I'll also spare you details on this one, but as you can well imagine, this discovery went along with some other unpleasantness.

discovery #3: apparently, I have exercise-induced asthma. I was not aware of this, but I have also not ever tried to climb a mountain. I've been out of breath lots of times, I'm not exactly in peak physical condition, but this was completely different and really frightening; my throat closed up so I was all wheezy, at one point I could barely get any air in, so naturally I freaked out a bit and started crying, which was very helpful to my calming down and being able to breathe normally. I felt like a complete tit, especially for having been crying in front of Mr. Dink, and didn't get to go up to the top of the mountain. I made it just over halfway up, and I wasn't tired at all, and I was just generally pissed off to have to go back to the bottom, but I never would have made it.

discovery #4: kids, when left unattended, will throw just about anything in the campfire, including, but not limited to, giant plastic bags which held wood, water bottles full of water, and styrofoam cups. I'm sure they would have thrown more in, but we had limited ammunition for them, being at a camp site. Along with this, kids are really sort of stupid. They can all hear each other in their tents, but they were remarkably, and repeatedly, surprised when my friend or I would yell at them from our tent to shut up and go to sleep. I got "I thought they were asleep!" and "how did they hear us??" and my friend got one "oh, fuck off" when the kid didn't realize it was a teacher telling him to quiet down. That was pretty funny. She was like, "Pardon me?" The kid was like, "oh, shit, ah....sorry Madame.."

discovery #5: camping in the rain and cold is really, really unpleasant. I didn't have a sleeping bag, so the outdoor pursuits teacher lent me one of his. It was the size of a very small pillow, when in the bag. I was assured it was good, but it really wasn't. It was Thinsulate, but I'm sure designed only for summer camping. It was easily 0 both nights, and damper than damp since it literally didn't stop raining for more than 10 minutes the whole time we were there, and I froze my ass off. I was sleeping in flannel pj bottoms, sweat pants, 2 pairs of socks, a t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt, and winter hat. I was still cold. I was warm for like 20 minutes, and sooooo blissfully happy for those 20 minutes, but then it got damp and cold and I was like, "I fucking hate camping." again. I think I will go though, this summer, when it's not raining and freezing, and there are no people I don't like, and no students, and I can drink. Those things will all make the experience much more enjoyable, I think. Anyway, I'm home now, and clean and dry and relatively warm, but in dire need of some sleep. I was supposed to go on a weekend canoe trip with the same bunch, but without my friend, and there is just no way in hell I'm going. I've given my notice, so I don't feel bad at all.

I hate camping.

whee, find out about me!

Brought to me by D

1. Your name spelled backwards - Haras
   
2. Where were your parents born - Halifax and Saint John
   
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer - porn. just kidding. mp3s.
   
4. What's your favorite restaurant - East Side Marios
   
5. Last time you swam in a pool - wow, a long time ago
   
6. Have you ever been in a school play - yep, I was the narrator in grade one for Sleeping Beauty, then had a bit of a dry spell until grade 11, I had a solo in the musical
   
7. How many kids do you want - 2 or 3
   
8. Type of music you dislike most - gangsta rap
   
9. Are you registered to vote - yes
   
10. Do you have a car - yes, a blue Dodge sx 2.0
    
11. Have you ever ridden on a moped - no
    
12. Ever prank call anybody - before the days of caller ID
    
13. Ever get a parking ticket - nope, no tickets, ever. 2 warnings.
    
14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving - yes, sky diving
    
15. Furthest place you ever traveled - Florida. Coolest - NY.
    
16. Do you have a garden - no, I have some plants I'm trying not to kill
    
17. What's the size of your bed - double
    
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem - yes, in French aussi
    
19. Bath or Shower, morning or night - morning, I can't wake up otherwise
    
20. Best movie you've seen in the past 4 months - Love Actually
    
21. What's the next movie you want to see - Shrek 2
    
22. Chips or popcorn - popcorn
    
23. Have you ever broken any hearts - yep, and I don't regret it at all
    
24. Premarital sex - yes please. I hope my mom's reading this!
    
25. Are you a good cook - getting there
    
26. Orange or Apple juice - orange, definitely
    
27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where did you go - the boy and his family, to ESM last night
    
28. Favorite type of drink - non alcoholic = chocolate milk, alcoholic = daquiris, coladas, kahlua and milk
    
29. Best thing in the world - feeling loved
    
30. Have you ever broken a bone - yes, my arm, my first time on the rollerblades I got for my 12th birthday.
    
31. Have you ever won a trophy - trophy, no, but I got plaques for poetry and highest mark in grade 9 shop, and medals for highest score on math competitions in my school in grade 10 and 11. I'm multi talented.
    
32. What is your favorite board game - tie, Taboo or Cranium
    
33. What is your dream car - I don't really have one.
    
34. Ever order an article from an infomercial - no, but I was very tempted by the Ronco Food Dehydrator, Yogurt Maker and Jerky Machine. It makes jerky AND yogurt. very intriguing.
    
35. Coke or Pepsi - Coke, if only for the fact that they have orginal ads
    
36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work - yep, McDonald's and VIA
    
37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy - nothing for a while
    
38. Who are you going to marry - hopefully the boy...
    
39. Who would you like to meet - I don't think I'd like to meet anybody famous, what would I say?
    
40. Do you believe in love at first sight - sure
    
41. What features do you find most attractive in the opposite sex - a nice smile and the ability to make me laugh
    
42. Where would you go for a romantic evening - I have no idea
    
43. How many pairs of shoes do you own - many
    
44. Last song stuck in your head - 'I Feel Pretty', I saw Anger Management recently
    
45. Any pets - 2 cats and a bunch of fish
    
46. What's your all time favorite Saturday Night Live Character - Land Shark right now
    
47. What is one thing you would like to learn to do - horseback ride
    
48. What do you do when you are bored - write to you fools
    
49. What is one thing you would want someone to appreciate about you - the little things
    
50. What is one thing you are grateful for today - acing the interview

phewf

as usual, just when I had convinced myself that I would either be a) jobless b) stuck teaching art or c) teaching small engine repair at a school in the boonies, I get a call from the school I really wanted to work at, that I had an interview at on Tuesday but didn't tell anyone about, telling me I have the job.

I nearly wet myself.

The combination of relief and just sheer excitement at getting to teach at this school, which is an excellent school, and getting to teach exactly what I'm *supposed* to be teaching just had me giddy for about half an hour. I called my mom, of course. I was to the point today with my worrying that I was actually feeling nauseaus. I worry, I can't help it.

So, I'm secure, I'll probably get my permanent contract there next year and be set and be there as long as I want, unless I get bumped (go unions!), I can not worry this summer, and I don't have to go to that ridiculous job fair next week. Which is good, because Mort has a vet appointment.

Grant is in Fredericton, or hopefully on hs way home by now, his graduation was today. I'm worn right out, I think I need to have a nap. My only remaining worry is that the boy won't get a job here, and then what do we do. If he gets a job reasonably close by, we can commute, but that won't work in like, Halifax. So, if you don't mind, keep the happy thoughts flowing for a bit to get things going for him too.

trying new things

so I've got some form mail happening over at McSeagull's, so as to minimize the spam action that's been happening. No, I don't want animated logos or millions of hits per day, nor do I want to enlarge my anything, thank you very much. I'll see how it goes over there, go give it a shot..then perhaps do it here as well. I had to do some searching though, I'm generally pretty happy with the way Dreamhost handles things and explains them, but I couldn't figure out how to get the form mail thing going. I think I've got it though, but there were a couple of things I couldn't quite get...the redirect error page if you don't fill in your stuff kept popping up whenever you hit submit, regardless of your having filled in all the fields, so I just took that option off.

Went to see Troy last night, and though there are plenty of eye candy shots, the movie just wasn't great. You all know I'm a big fan of Brad, but I just don't know. He did a good job, but he kept throwing in the odd word with an accent, where 95% of his dialogue had no discernable accent. A little odd. Eric Bana played Hector, and did a fantastic job; his was definitely the strongest character, and he looked mighty good. There was one part in the movie (sorry to spoil it if you haven't seen it, but you really should know the basic story anyway), where Paris (who's a bit of a tit, btw) tells Hector that he's smuggled Helen aboard the boat to Troy. Hector is understandably pissed, as this is going to start a war, and I was just waiting for him to go all Hulk on the guy. Didn't happen. Probably a wise directorial choice. Now I'm just excited to see Shrek 2, which started today. I'm just checking out the website, it's got games and stuff. Sweet.

Still waiting on my job prospects. I'll hear something by Friday...I'm really hoping to not have to go to the D job fair, which is basically just all the first year (D contract) teachers being herded around like a bunch of cattle, to pimp ourselves to principals in an effort to secure a position for next year. Hey, what about just having a normal application and interview process? Treating us like professional human beings, perhaps. I'm a little bitter. The more I think about my current situation, the more angry I become. I have no idea if I'm being told the whole truth, who this mystery person is that might be coming back, but I do know that my position was never her position, so I don't really understand why it's even an issue. It does make my decision to leave easier, but it also makes the whole deal a bit more shaky. 10 more class days. I thought I would be able to give my tests during classes, not exam period, but apparently the students have to come during exam period, so I may as well do it then. *sigh* I need to have everything marked and bubbled by that Friday, because I'm going on a freaking canoe trip with the outdoor pursuits class. Those of you who know me will find this a bit funny...I'm not particularly adept at canoeing, and I don't camp much. Which is why, obviously, I'm also going camping next weekend, with the class. They needed female chaperones, so one of my teacher buddies and I agreed to go, but only because we're both going. Should be interesting.

stress

so I've applied for 3 jobs, but I really only want one. Now the waiting begins. They have to get things going before Friday, as far as interviews go, so it shouldn't take too long. Cross your fingers, folks. I hate it though, this waiting. I'll keep you posted whenever I find stuff out.

I think we're going to see Troy tonight, I'm pretty excited. It's quite long, so we're hitting the early show.

More later, supper beckons.

ooh ooh

go and add McSeagull's to your favourites, I made a favourites / address bar icon, it's super cute.

fancy

I like change, this new blogger layout is pretty swank.

Job postings came out today, there are only a couple I think I want to apply for, because I know a lot of them don't actually exist. Very complicated, and I'm not going to explain it, it's all political and I don't really understand it at all myself. Things are not going extremely well with our houseguest and with the boy working 12 hour shifts every day, but I don't really feel like going into that either. I just vented at Tiresa, so I feel marginally better, but not really. Working at the group home, taking care of people who were dependent on me for literally everything, was not this stressful or aggrivating.

I'm going to go re-blonde my hair and watch a movie, by myself. Good times.

ticket line etiquette

I was waiting in line for Bryan Adams tickets this morning (go ahead, laugh, the show is going to be great). It's a good idea to strike up some smalltalk with the person or people around you in line. This is good for 2 reasons. Reason one, waiting in line is freaking boring, so it helps to chat a bit. Reason 2, if you have to pee, the person behind you is much more likely to save your place happily if you've been friendly to them. Now, as I write this, I wonder if anyone would say no, when asked to save your spot in line. That would be pretty mean. I can't see it happening here, but maybe in bigger cities or something. People are pretty friendly here. The other day, I was at WalMart, and any of you who have ever shopped at WalMart know that the parking lot is a very scary place. I've never seen such a collection of frightening drivers as I find regularly in that place. That said, I'm driving up and down the rows to find a spot, and I see one, but as I'm pulling in, another woman is doing a drive-through job from the other side. She paused, and then smiled and backed up so we could both have spots. We chatted a bit on the way to the door, and decided that not everyone would have backed up. My faith in WM shoppers/drivers has been somewhat restored, but I'm still always really nervous driving there and pulling out of spots. I always go for the drive through spots if possible.

I have absolutely no plans for this weekend, except to give Jenn a call and see what's going on. Maybe catch a movie or something. I also have to try out my giant daquiri glass. mmm. Strawberries are on sale for $1.97 at Superstore, so I can have some real berry action in my drink, which is bound to help. A friend of mine made some with a bit of lime juice concentrate and a banana, and they were delish. I may try that.

how about you just don't have sex with strangers

more on spermicides. seriously, stay away from that stuff, and just have sex with people whose sexual history you know. seems like a wise choice anyway.

Like having sex with a Ziploc bag

I love the Shopping Bags, on W network (formally WTN). Today they're doing a Valentine's Day special, a re-run of course. Anyhoo, they tested condoms, and I just had to share the results with you. Two things I found particularly interesting. One was the fact that the amount of spermicide on spermicidally lubricated isn't really enough to do any good, so you might as well skip that kind. Many women are allergic too, and you don't really want to find that out if you don't have to. The other thing I thought was crazy was the price difference. We have the old stand-bys, Trojan (regular) and Lifestyles (ribbed), which run about $0.50 each. But then they tested Avanti brand polyurethane, which are $3.20 each, and Ramseys (thin) which were $0.92 each. The Avanti ones got the votes, so I guess you get what you pay for, but the couples agreed that $3 was a bit much for one condom, if you're going to use them regularly at all. They tested a female condom, but it's like $6 a pop, and that's where the subject line came from, so I can't say as I'd recommend those either. It looks like Ramseys Thin is the best bet; the regular Trojans were just 'ok', and the ribbed Lifestyles didn't do anything fantastic.

almost 40% of pregnancies around the world are unplanned. Take your folic acid, just in case!

and now you know.

also, you get what you pay for with chocolate. The brand they tested, Valrona, costs around $6 for 100g, and it beat out Lindt chocolate by a long shot, so I'll have to find myself some to try. Also, better quality chocolate has more cocoa and cocoa butter, which is better for you.

A little while back, my cheap, plastic garlic press broke. This is what happens when you buy your kitchen utensils at Dollarama, I guess. Anyway, I bought a new one, and it's just fantastic. Works like a charm. It's almost medieval looking. I love it. On the topic of giant kitchen things...Grant went to a restaurant called Medieval Times while he was in Florida, and brought me back This bad boy, posed with a normal sized martini glass for comparison. The obvious question here is, who's going to help me break it in? I'm thinking it could hold pretty much a blender-full of daquiri itself. mmmmm.

dilemma

ok, folks, public opinion time. I've been growing my hair for quite some time now. I did cave a few months back and cut it a la Julia Stiles. That was the idea, anyway. It came relatively close. I have some relatively unflattering pictures of myself to show you now. Here is what my hair looks like long-ish. I don't really have a lot of hair, it's pretty fine, so I'm not sure I can even really get it to where I want it. Generally, I end up just putting my hair back mid-morning, because it's annoying. That said, I've had short hair lots of times, and am thinking of just kiboshing the growing thing and going back to that. Example 1, and example 2. Opinions? Pretend you care, I need input.