Friday, November 1
Also, Sears repair people are delivering our TV this aft, supposedly any minute, but I'm not holding my breath. They are delivering it because yes, apparently we could have picked it up yesterday, but they failed to mention WHERE, as in, not at Sears. Of course. Eff. And I can't get it by myself, it's too big for me to carry down the stairs. It took Grant and I both calling, visiting Sears, threatening to just get our money back, and yelling at the imbecilic repairmem to get this stupid thing back. I did finally get to talk to the manager at Sears, and she was very nice, but offered no explanation. Grant talked to somebody at the repair place, who was a dink, and then somebody better called him back. The dinky guy was upset at Grant cause he couldn't leave a message for him at work. Hi, it's my tv anyway, or it's in my name at least, leave ME a message on my convenient VOICE MAIL. Asses. Anyway, I'll let you know how this saga ends, if we actually get our tv back or what.
Wednesday, October 30
I want to rearrange the room, and have figured out a good way to arrange it, but it will involve putting the computer and tv on the other side of the room, which will in turn involve running the cable and phone wires to the other side, which might not look great. I think I could do it fairly discreetly though, and it would I think make the room more feng shui (sp?) with the couches facing the door rather than facing away from it. I'm also wondering if I could remove the door that closes off the coat room/entry way from the rest of the apartment, since we don't really need to close it, nor do we ever, cause then it gets stuffy in there. Decisions decisions. If I don't work again tomorrow I'll end up doing it out of sheer boredom.
I just wrote such a good email to Sears. I mean, they won't think it's great I'm sure, but that's not the point. The bastards have had our tv for 3 weeks, and it's been over 2 months we've been trying to get it fixed. We've been calling every other day for about a week now, and they always told us it was being fixed "tomorrow". Grant got mad and called the store and told them he was going to get his money back because this is retarded. Anyway, the guy said something about there being a user fee, and then, magically, I get a phone call, our tv is fixed, and we can pick it up tomorrow. What a load of shit. I'm never buying from Sears again, if at all possible, and I'd like to suggest you all do the same. Customer service is so important. I haven't gotten ANY explanation as to why it took so long, or even an apology. That sure would have helped, honestly. I'm not hard to annoy, I'll admit, but I'm really easy to please too. An apology, a voucher for like, 20% off my next purchase or something, that would have been great. Now...I really just want to return the TV and start over with somebody else.
George just fell in the toilet. BA HAHahahahaha....
He's taken to playing with / attacking the toilet paper. I flipped it so that he can't unroll the whole thing, but he still bites it etc. So he must have been attacking it, there are big gouges in it, and I heard this splash, and then George comes bootin' out of there, all wet. hehehe..
He's taken to playing with / attacking the toilet paper. I flipped it so that he can't unroll the whole thing, but he still bites it etc. So he must have been attacking it, there are big gouges in it, and I heard this splash, and then George comes bootin' out of there, all wet. hehehe..
Tuesday, October 29
My Mom is here. She made me go to the gym with her. She's so mean. hehe. It was not bad, I haven't been going at all lately with work, Grant working, and Rob having bought a house. Gym buddies my ass! Anyway, so I feel good now, and will probably go out to supper to celebrate. The cats are in the window trying frantically to chase the leaves outside, but them being inside is hampering their efforts. Silly cats.
Monday, October 28
This, is my Dad. He's awesome. Hopefully those of you seeing this picture will have seen the movie Slap Shot, or know who the Hanson Brothers are. But even if you don't, it's still funny. I have to go watch CSI: Miami now. I'm not a fan of spinoffs as a rule, but this one is good. EXCEPT for whatsername's hair, it's like evil 80's perm strikes back. Odd. She's an attractive lady in real life.
Ok. So I know it happened on Thursday, but I'm just so happy that Robbbb got voted off the island. He brought a SKATEBOARD as his luxury item. Perhaps he missed the memo that this year's Survivor was ON THE BEACH. Jenn said someone should have thrown it in the fire. I said good thinking, but then he probably would have CHOKED them. That there is kind of a long write up, but it makes fun of Robb plenty, because as the author correctly points out, "It's so easy to make fun of Robb. And what makes it so easy is that I don't have to do anything except print what he says."
That's all I guess.
That's all I guess.
Working 2 jobs is not easy. I admire Jenn, she does it every day. Well, more 'think she's insane' than 'admire', but let's not get technical. My mom's coming today, I'm very excited. I have to work this evening, but not today, and not tomorrow evening, so it should be good. I think I'll go to Halifax this weekend, she'll be there, as will my sister, my Grannie (she lives there) and possibly my uncle Fred. Family reunion time again! Thanksgiving was all my Dad's side, so this'll be all my mom's side. Significantly smaller, just the people I mentioned. Fred doesn't have any kids, and he and mom are the only kids in their family. Anyway, I should probably get dressed and straighten up my place a bit before Mom arrives. The kitties are resting up in anticipation of her visit. or because they were up all night being arseholes. meh.
Thursday, October 24
I did take the bells off the boys' collars, it was just too much. They have their rabies tags though, so they have a nice kind of tinkly noise rather than overt jingling. The tags are cool, they have a webpage on them, www.getmehome.ca that you go and register your pet, put the info up there and your contact info. That way, when somebody finds your lost kitty or whatever, they can find you and you can have a happy reunion. Pretty good idea. That's all. I'm down to 9 minutes. Crap. hehe
So My arm feels better, although I must say I didn't feel too starry this morning when I woke up. That may just have to do with the fact that I really haven't gotten back into the 'getting up in the morning' routine, because every now and then I get to sleep in til...whenever the hell I feel like getting up. Tricky. Grant says I should just get up early every morning, but where's the fun in that? And what the heck would I do for those extra 4 hours?
My sweet little kindergarteners were not so sweet today. Different school, so I wasn't expecting the same class, but was unpleasantly surprised at the difference in the 2 levels. It wasn't just me though, even their regular teacher says that she just isn't enjoying herself as much this year, she's exhausted every day. Alas, such is life. I'd still like to teach the little'uns though, but I now better appreciate the advantages of teaching the older crowd. It's just odd though...I would think, and have been told, that there would be more need for high school supplies, but I've only had 2 days so far, and that was because I knew both of the teachers personally and they requested me. All my other ones have been elementary and middle school. It's all good, it all pays the same and it all goes to experience. Let's not get started on how silly that is. Oh, let's, just for a minute. I'm not doing any lesson planning, I'm not doing marking or evaluation, I'm not getting to know my students and teach to their different needs...but I guess I'm learning classroom control, if nothing else. There, done.
Anywho, I've just been silly tired lately, so I'm making an effort to be IN bed by 11. I have 13 minutes. I think I can do it.
My sweet little kindergarteners were not so sweet today. Different school, so I wasn't expecting the same class, but was unpleasantly surprised at the difference in the 2 levels. It wasn't just me though, even their regular teacher says that she just isn't enjoying herself as much this year, she's exhausted every day. Alas, such is life. I'd still like to teach the little'uns though, but I now better appreciate the advantages of teaching the older crowd. It's just odd though...I would think, and have been told, that there would be more need for high school supplies, but I've only had 2 days so far, and that was because I knew both of the teachers personally and they requested me. All my other ones have been elementary and middle school. It's all good, it all pays the same and it all goes to experience. Let's not get started on how silly that is. Oh, let's, just for a minute. I'm not doing any lesson planning, I'm not doing marking or evaluation, I'm not getting to know my students and teach to their different needs...but I guess I'm learning classroom control, if nothing else. There, done.
Anywho, I've just been silly tired lately, so I'm making an effort to be IN bed by 11. I have 13 minutes. I think I can do it.
Wednesday, October 23
Flu shots are fun! Not really. The nurse did have to hang out with me for 20 minutes though to make sure I wasn't going to die, since I've never had one before. I didn't, obviously. My arm is getting a wee bit sore though. Poor me. I figured though, working where I am, in close contact with lots of people and with little people who get sick all the time, it was a good plan. I need to figure out how to become an elementary teacher now, cause man, it is fun. I'm sure the novelty would wear off after a while, but it would still be cool. What to do? I guess it's better that I like everything I do rather than nothing....right?
Tuesday, October 22
Ok. So.....in mid-August, I called Sears about our TV. It buzzes. It sounds like when you're watching a really old VHS tape, but it's just the tv. So that's good, still under warantee, all good. It takes them roughly a month to get back to us, during which I call them again to see what the hold up is, a girl working there says that the part we need is in, and that she'll get the repair guy to call us. Super. So then they call and say they will pick up the tv on the 27th of September. But really, they call that morning and tell me that the 'loaner' tv has been loaned to someone else, and at this point my computer was broken, and I can't do with no tv and no computer, I'm sorry. So they will call when the loaner tv comes back. October 7th, they call and come get our tv, and drop off the loaner, which isn't bad, but it's not our nice 27". He says, probably by the end of the week our tv will be better. So, as of today, the 22nd, no word. That's 2 weeks plus a day, for those of us keeping track. So I call, and the girl there says that they must be waiting for a part. I say, no, actually, that's why we had to wait so long in the first place, they wanted to order the part so that it would be speedy to be fixed. HA. She says, oh, ok, looks like they're going to install the part tomorrow. Ok. But what have they been doing with my TV for the past 2 weeks? I'm not impressed. Poor customer service I must say. And I miss my tv. grr.
Just a note...the similarity rating on that test is for friendship, and the complementary rating is for "relationships". So although Tiresa and I probably shouldn't date, we make very good friends. Grant scored a 94% complementary with me, which was kind of a funny surprise. So I guess he can date me, or Tiresa, since we are apparently, basically the same person. hehe.
Sunday, October 20
| SimilarMinds.com Compatibility Test |
Your match with Tiresa you are 98% similar you are 71% complementary |
How Compatible are You with me?
People I love (in the "guys on tv" kind of love):
Ty from Trading Spaces, for obvious reasons.
Vern from Trading Spaces, because last night he bought little betta fish to suspend from the ceiling, and he brought them in in the ridiculously small glass bowls that they sell them in. I was disappointed, cause although we could each probably live in a cardboard box, we're much happier, healthier, and just better off, in a house, or at least an apartment. Know what I mean? Anyway, but then Vern goes on to comment on how the little bowls are so small and dingy, and then proceeded to have big vase type things in which he put one fish and the type of plant they eat, so it was like a self sustaining ecosystem type thing, with more room for the little fishes. Also, it looked cool.
Andrew Anthony, from Matchmaker on Life Network. He's just funny. Last night they had a "dirty dating" special, and there are some dirty, dirty people in the world, who like show their "cookies" to their dates in restaurants etc. Also just plain crazy people who would make me run screaming for my life, but who Andrew gladly spends time with in the Matchmaker limo, commentating on the date. He's very entertaining. Plus he has 2 first names, which is fun.
Ty from Trading Spaces, for obvious reasons.
Vern from Trading Spaces, because last night he bought little betta fish to suspend from the ceiling, and he brought them in in the ridiculously small glass bowls that they sell them in. I was disappointed, cause although we could each probably live in a cardboard box, we're much happier, healthier, and just better off, in a house, or at least an apartment. Know what I mean? Anyway, but then Vern goes on to comment on how the little bowls are so small and dingy, and then proceeded to have big vase type things in which he put one fish and the type of plant they eat, so it was like a self sustaining ecosystem type thing, with more room for the little fishes. Also, it looked cool.
Andrew Anthony, from Matchmaker on Life Network. He's just funny. Last night they had a "dirty dating" special, and there are some dirty, dirty people in the world, who like show their "cookies" to their dates in restaurants etc. Also just plain crazy people who would make me run screaming for my life, but who Andrew gladly spends time with in the Matchmaker limo, commentating on the date. He's very entertaining. Plus he has 2 first names, which is fun.
Saturday, October 19
ok. Got my picture disk, am going out for Chinese and a movie with Jenn. Tiresa found me a really funny site here. I think we should all have sites like this! It kind of restores my faith in humanity a bit, which is always nice.
Ok. So I had to leave my pictures an extra 2 days to get a picture disk made. Let's be clear now...the pictures were already printed, they just had to hang onto them to make the cd. I go today, a day late even so they would have had lots of time. They hand me the envelope, I pay, then look inside the envelope to find pictures, no disk. I am perplexed and annoyed, having waited in line for a bit. I ask the guy how it is possible that the only thing that had to be done, was not done. He says he's not sure, but he can tell me it wasn't his fault. OH. WELL then, let's just forget the whole thing. He obviously doesn't yet understand that if you work for the company, it IS your fault. He claims they'll have the disk ready for me in 20 minutes, which makes me question why exactly I have to wait 2 days normally. Interesting. Anyway, I'm going to try to spend my 'mall money' today, but I'm kind of dreading the mall, it'll probably be busy because there's nothing else to do here!
a bientot.
a bientot.
Thursday, October 17
Well now. Upon closer investigation and a visit to the m&m website, I have discovered a few things. Thing one, and obviously the most upsetting, is that on the opening page you have to choose your country, and Canada is not an option. I can see if like, US and England were the only options, but several other countries are listed. Like Algeria. But not Canada. I had to choose "other". No good. Thing two is that you can get m&ms in a whopping 21 colours. That's pretty fun! You can special order pre-selected mixes of colours for special occasions like Christmas or Thanksgiving, or you can pick your own colours for your company, team colours, or whateve. That's pretty neat. Anyway, 20 minutes later, it is still bedtime.
Did I miss something? I thought the new m&m colour was purple, cause they want to be smarties, even though they had a snazzy teal colour as an option that WOULDN'T be a direct rip off. But here I sit, eating my peanut butter m&m's, and there are pink ones. No purple. Not a bright pink even, a kind of dusty rose colour. Interesting.
In other news, I got collars for the boys, cause they escape, and I want people to know they're owned, in case they ever escape beyond the driveway. The collars have bells on them, which is cute, but I think may get annoying. I'll give it a shot.
It's bedtime, cause I watched ER at 8. I did NOT however catch most of Will & Grace, cause I have to watch CSI at 10, so if anyone wants to fill me in on what happened, that'd be super. Babies? I love how my life is ruled by TV...at least on Thursdays.
In other news, I got collars for the boys, cause they escape, and I want people to know they're owned, in case they ever escape beyond the driveway. The collars have bells on them, which is cute, but I think may get annoying. I'll give it a shot.
It's bedtime, cause I watched ER at 8. I did NOT however catch most of Will & Grace, cause I have to watch CSI at 10, so if anyone wants to fill me in on what happened, that'd be super. Babies? I love how my life is ruled by TV...at least on Thursdays.
some more pictures...I'll put up better quality ones tomorrow when I get my picture disk, these are just pictures of pictures, but they'll do for now.
Erin and Jamie
Erin
Colin
Kelly
(not from the weekend but a funny picture regardless) Mort
Erin and Jamie
Erin
Colin
Kelly
(not from the weekend but a funny picture regardless) Mort
There is an ad on the radio station here, 94.5. It's a clip from a movie, and it goes like this:
guy 1 ------ "Yeah, I read it in a book one time."
guy 2 ------ "Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't...nothing?"
guy 1 ------ "Oh...yeah..."
What movie is this? The 2nd guy has a really deep voice, like the guy from Seinfeld (Elaine's boyfriend who was a car salesman) and Big Trouble. I can't figure it out.
guy 1 ------ "Yeah, I read it in a book one time."
guy 2 ------ "Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't...nothing?"
guy 1 ------ "Oh...yeah..."
What movie is this? The 2nd guy has a really deep voice, like the guy from Seinfeld (Elaine's boyfriend who was a car salesman) and Big Trouble. I can't figure it out.
Price is Right is an endless source of entertainment.
The other day, this older lady got in the showcase showdown, and honestly, I can't remember what her showcase was, I think a car and a trip, and probably something else. She started with a bid of $50, 000 to which the audience obviously made a lot of noise, it being a bit high. So, she misunderstood their boos I guess, and changed her bid to $100, 000. Now, I'm fairly sure that as an older lady, shouldn't she err on the cheap side, like 'back in the old days'? The audience kicks up a HUGE fuss at this bid, so she drops it down to $90, 000. Which is good, because the little display thing can't handle 6 numbers, so $100K wouldn't have fit anyway. As you may have guessed, she overbid. It was really funny, but also kind of sad. My friend Jenn laughed when I told her this story and said it was like Dr Evil asking for "One MILLION dollars!".
Today on the show, a contestant was playing a game, and Bob stopped it for some reason. He couldn't hear the buzz or something. So anyway, they can't turn the clock back, so they just restart. There are 4 numbers, and the guy has to put a giant bingo dabber type thing above or below each number, for what he thinks the price is of his prize. After each guess, he has to push this button and it buzzes or dings to let him know if he's right. So he moves 2 and hits the button, and the thing starts dinging and lights up the correct placement of the bingo dabbers. The thing is, that it wasn't where he had them. He had 3 out of 4, but then so it stopped dinging and buzzed, but he had already seen where the things were lit up, so he moved his 4th thing to the right spot and wins.
Bob is losing his hearing and his mind, the games are malfunctioning...I'm afraid.
The other day, this older lady got in the showcase showdown, and honestly, I can't remember what her showcase was, I think a car and a trip, and probably something else. She started with a bid of $50, 000 to which the audience obviously made a lot of noise, it being a bit high. So, she misunderstood their boos I guess, and changed her bid to $100, 000. Now, I'm fairly sure that as an older lady, shouldn't she err on the cheap side, like 'back in the old days'? The audience kicks up a HUGE fuss at this bid, so she drops it down to $90, 000. Which is good, because the little display thing can't handle 6 numbers, so $100K wouldn't have fit anyway. As you may have guessed, she overbid. It was really funny, but also kind of sad. My friend Jenn laughed when I told her this story and said it was like Dr Evil asking for "One MILLION dollars!".
Today on the show, a contestant was playing a game, and Bob stopped it for some reason. He couldn't hear the buzz or something. So anyway, they can't turn the clock back, so they just restart. There are 4 numbers, and the guy has to put a giant bingo dabber type thing above or below each number, for what he thinks the price is of his prize. After each guess, he has to push this button and it buzzes or dings to let him know if he's right. So he moves 2 and hits the button, and the thing starts dinging and lights up the correct placement of the bingo dabbers. The thing is, that it wasn't where he had them. He had 3 out of 4, but then so it stopped dinging and buzzed, but he had already seen where the things were lit up, so he moved his 4th thing to the right spot and wins.
Bob is losing his hearing and his mind, the games are malfunctioning...I'm afraid.
Tuesday, October 15
I took some pictures with my mc3. They're not great, but they're fun enough until I get the real pictures developed. So...(Erin will love this one) Erin, random scenery, a rather unflattering picture of my cousin Kelly, and, in honour of the season, some pumpkins!
Hope everyone ate lots of turkey, or whatever, and had a good weekend overall!
Hope everyone ate lots of turkey, or whatever, and had a good weekend overall!
Saturday, October 12
Thursday, October 10
In other news...Mort had to go to the vet today, just for shots and stuff. So since we're there I ask the vet about this special expensive food he's on, if he has to keep eating it, but this vet is not the regular vet, and doesn't really seem to know what he's talking about, which is unfortunate. He says we should try to get a urine sample to check for crystals, and commences to squeezing the bejebus out of poor Mort's bladder, claiming that sometimes this will encourage the cat to pee. On the table? I can't see it, but this can't be fun for Mort. So, Mort doesn't pee, then we're done, so we go out into the waiting room to pay, and Mort wanders over into the corner by the plant and pees. On the floor. He did try to climb into the plant, but I wouldn't let him, so he went on the floor. I blame the vet, obviously, since Mort has never peed on the floor here. I think he was embarassed though, he let out this pitiful wail and then went to another corner and hid until it was time to go home. Poor guy. It was kind of funny though. All is well now. Good for another year.
oh, yeah, and he's gained a pound since our last visit, which was probably...2 months ago. He's up to 15.5lbs now. Fatass! So cuddly though...
oh, yeah, and he's gained a pound since our last visit, which was probably...2 months ago. He's up to 15.5lbs now. Fatass! So cuddly though...
Wednesday, October 9
Monday, October 7
Ok, this is just interesting and horribly frustrating all at the same time, so I thought I'd share it with you folks. I've highlighted my favourite parts.
NB Telegraph-Journal | E-Brief As published on page A1 on October 7, 2002
Supply teachers blast province
EDUCATION: Group members told they earn half of counterparts' pay
ROGER LEBLANC
Telegraph-Journal
There was frustration in the air at the annual meeting of substitute teachers this weekend.
About a dozen members attended a meeting of the Substitute Teachers' Association of New Brunswick meeting Saturday. It didn't take long for the part-time teachers to start talking about opportunities outside this province. During a break, one new supply teacher was floored to learn he could nearly double his pay and gain benefits unavailable here if he moved to the West Coast to do the same job.
Substitute teachers can go to any other province and be treated like government employees, one teacher said, or stay here and be viewed as a casual worker without benefits and paid half of what their full-time colleagues earn doing the same job.
The chair of the meeting, Diane Reid, led off with a morale-crushing report that had an obvious impact on many of the young teachers. With poor pay, no benefits, and no government movement on initiatives that would help them do their jobs better, substitute teachers are turning away from New Brunswick and that's harming our children's education, Ms. Reid said.
The association, which has 1,500 members, made huge gains in pay in the recent past, she noted, but that progress has stalled with this current government.
"Right now the attention seems to be on building roads and creating infrastructure that creates jobs," she said. "What we need to do is make our province an attractive place so the professionals will come here . . . What's more important? Kids or highways?"
Substitute April Churchill would like to see the province invest more funding into hiring teachers. She's been working out of the St. George area as a supply teacher since 1991, and since getting her degree in 1996, Ms. Churchill has been applying for jobs with no luck. The sporadic work and heavy pressure to keep quiet means the situation has started to deteriorate.
"You're just not in the class long enough to make a difference," Ms. Churchill said.
Ms. Reid said school administrators either can't find teachers or are choosing to hire casual employees in order to save much-needed funds.
Statistics collected by the STANB show by hiring a substitute teacher instead of someone permanently, the school can save at least $20,000. That, Ms. Reid noted, doesn't take into account the savings of not paying benefits to supply teachers.
Taken a step further, a school can hire what's called a "local permit" supply teacher who doesn't have an education degree and earns even less than a substitute teacher with a BA. So in an effort to save money, she hinted, people with only a high school diploma are teaching and are expected to do so at the same level as someone who graduated from an education program.
A few years ago, she said, there were fewer than a half-dozen local permits working in District 17-18. Today, that's grown to 25 per cent of the substitute list and in the Saint John area that's grown to 50 per cent, she noted. That's having an impact on the quality of our education, she said.
"Kids are coming into the classroom wanting to talk about their sexuality. They want to talk about the environment and world issues. We need good people there to handle it," Ms. Reid told the group. "Once again after the latest settlements, your supply teachers are making less than bus drivers . . . For a system that's starving, what choice do they have?"
But pay and benefits aren't the only thorns in the sides of the teachers.
After more than a year of lobbying, supply teachers haven't even been able to get guidebooks into the classroom. These would be available for every class a supply teacher entered, giving them a detailed profile of students and school policy. It would list everything from emergency plans to which students can be a handful and who can be counted on for help.
Simply having a seating plan could eliminate the trouble substitutes find, said behavioural specialist Nick Plimmer. The guest speaker said children act out when confronted with change. But that can be stopped immediately when the teacher shows they know who's who.
Not having a classroom manual that clearly spells out the school's policies is counterproductive when fighting bullying, hinted fellow speaker Marilyn Noble. We constantly tell kids if they're being bullied to go tell an adult.
"The problem is, most of us then are just like deer in headlights. We don't know what to do," she said.
Children need well-trained teachers who can not only help with academics, but deal with emotional and medical issues, too, Ms. Noble said. Despite this, Ms. Reid said, it's been the STANB that's pushed to develop a guidebook, not the Department of Education which is charged with ensuring students get a quality education.
NB Telegraph-Journal | E-Brief As published on page A1 on October 7, 2002
Supply teachers blast province
EDUCATION: Group members told they earn half of counterparts' pay
ROGER LEBLANC
Telegraph-Journal
There was frustration in the air at the annual meeting of substitute teachers this weekend.
About a dozen members attended a meeting of the Substitute Teachers' Association of New Brunswick meeting Saturday. It didn't take long for the part-time teachers to start talking about opportunities outside this province. During a break, one new supply teacher was floored to learn he could nearly double his pay and gain benefits unavailable here if he moved to the West Coast to do the same job.
Substitute teachers can go to any other province and be treated like government employees, one teacher said, or stay here and be viewed as a casual worker without benefits and paid half of what their full-time colleagues earn doing the same job.
The chair of the meeting, Diane Reid, led off with a morale-crushing report that had an obvious impact on many of the young teachers. With poor pay, no benefits, and no government movement on initiatives that would help them do their jobs better, substitute teachers are turning away from New Brunswick and that's harming our children's education, Ms. Reid said.
The association, which has 1,500 members, made huge gains in pay in the recent past, she noted, but that progress has stalled with this current government.
"Right now the attention seems to be on building roads and creating infrastructure that creates jobs," she said. "What we need to do is make our province an attractive place so the professionals will come here . . . What's more important? Kids or highways?"
Substitute April Churchill would like to see the province invest more funding into hiring teachers. She's been working out of the St. George area as a supply teacher since 1991, and since getting her degree in 1996, Ms. Churchill has been applying for jobs with no luck. The sporadic work and heavy pressure to keep quiet means the situation has started to deteriorate.
"You're just not in the class long enough to make a difference," Ms. Churchill said.
Ms. Reid said school administrators either can't find teachers or are choosing to hire casual employees in order to save much-needed funds.
Statistics collected by the STANB show by hiring a substitute teacher instead of someone permanently, the school can save at least $20,000. That, Ms. Reid noted, doesn't take into account the savings of not paying benefits to supply teachers.
Taken a step further, a school can hire what's called a "local permit" supply teacher who doesn't have an education degree and earns even less than a substitute teacher with a BA. So in an effort to save money, she hinted, people with only a high school diploma are teaching and are expected to do so at the same level as someone who graduated from an education program.
A few years ago, she said, there were fewer than a half-dozen local permits working in District 17-18. Today, that's grown to 25 per cent of the substitute list and in the Saint John area that's grown to 50 per cent, she noted. That's having an impact on the quality of our education, she said.
"Kids are coming into the classroom wanting to talk about their sexuality. They want to talk about the environment and world issues. We need good people there to handle it," Ms. Reid told the group. "Once again after the latest settlements, your supply teachers are making less than bus drivers . . . For a system that's starving, what choice do they have?"
But pay and benefits aren't the only thorns in the sides of the teachers.
After more than a year of lobbying, supply teachers haven't even been able to get guidebooks into the classroom. These would be available for every class a supply teacher entered, giving them a detailed profile of students and school policy. It would list everything from emergency plans to which students can be a handful and who can be counted on for help.
Simply having a seating plan could eliminate the trouble substitutes find, said behavioural specialist Nick Plimmer. The guest speaker said children act out when confronted with change. But that can be stopped immediately when the teacher shows they know who's who.
Not having a classroom manual that clearly spells out the school's policies is counterproductive when fighting bullying, hinted fellow speaker Marilyn Noble. We constantly tell kids if they're being bullied to go tell an adult.
"The problem is, most of us then are just like deer in headlights. We don't know what to do," she said.
Children need well-trained teachers who can not only help with academics, but deal with emotional and medical issues, too, Ms. Noble said. Despite this, Ms. Reid said, it's been the STANB that's pushed to develop a guidebook, not the Department of Education which is charged with ensuring students get a quality education.
Sunday, October 6
So I'm off to see Red Dragon. I liked Silence of the Lambs, I didn't hate Hannibal, as many did, but it was awfully gory. I'm a little worried about this one, only for that reason. Grant read a review that said that for everyone who liked Silence, but hated Hannibal, this movie was for them, so I'm hoping for the best here.
In other news, that birthday list paid off, I got the Memento Special Edition dvd from Calleen, and I'm still trying to figure out how to work the effing thing, so many pages of stuff! I did find a handy site that tells me how to do things like watch the movie in chronological order, but it's a bit of a process, I don't know how you would ever come across it accidentally. I also got the Naked Chef cookbook from Erin, and Monsters Inc from Grant. I'm still waiting on the laptop, I'm getting *something* from my parents, Dad said it would "arrive" there soon, and they'll bring it up to Tremblant next weekend. Ok, so probably NOT a laptop, but I'm excited to know what it is.
I'll report back on the movie.
In other news, that birthday list paid off, I got the Memento Special Edition dvd from Calleen, and I'm still trying to figure out how to work the effing thing, so many pages of stuff! I did find a handy site that tells me how to do things like watch the movie in chronological order, but it's a bit of a process, I don't know how you would ever come across it accidentally. I also got the Naked Chef cookbook from Erin, and Monsters Inc from Grant. I'm still waiting on the laptop, I'm getting *something* from my parents, Dad said it would "arrive" there soon, and they'll bring it up to Tremblant next weekend. Ok, so probably NOT a laptop, but I'm excited to know what it is.
I'll report back on the movie.
Friday, October 4
I had my first day of supply teaching today. It was too easy, and now I fear I'm ruined for when I get called in to teach like, grade 8 math or something. I had 2 advanced English classes, one regular English, and a Theatre Arts class. Not too shabby. But the fun parts of the day weren't teaching. One student came into class a little early to ask to be excused to work on a project for another class. I said sure, and when I asked him his name I realized that he's the little brother of a good friend of mine from high school. Pretty neat. I haven't talked to her really since high school, which is pretty crappy I'll admit, but her brother tells me that she's back in town now, for next week anyway, so I think I'll give her a shout. How exactly does one go about re-initiating contact with someone after a break of 5 years? Especially when I know she's leaving in like a week for Toronto. Interesting. The other fun part of the day was that my HS art teacher is now the art teacher where I was supplying, and he recognized me. I would have recognized him too, he looks just the same, but I wasn't really expecting to see anyone I knew there, and wasn't paying attention. Anyway, so that was pretty cool; all in all a good day. Plus, they pay me. hehe.
Also, in other good news, my summer job has offered me a position for 6 months or so, and they'll work around my school schedule, and if something comes up teaching wise, they'll let me go to it. Pretty awesome, I think. They had offered me a position at the end of the summer, but I wouldn't have been able to supply, because it was all day shifts. This one is evenings and weekends, and has a higher pay rate to boot, so I'm pretty stoked. It'll start sometime in the next couple of weeks. I haven't told Grant, but I'm sure he'll be relieved, he worries more than I do about my silly line of credit. My feeling is, I don't have loans to pay off, and that's what lines of credit are FOR! lol...but it will be nice to not have to worry about everything financial. Plus, I LOVED my summer job, so it's a win win win situation. I love good news. Now, I'm just waiting to win the lottery, and that'll pretty much fulfil my expectations for now!
Also, in other good news, my summer job has offered me a position for 6 months or so, and they'll work around my school schedule, and if something comes up teaching wise, they'll let me go to it. Pretty awesome, I think. They had offered me a position at the end of the summer, but I wouldn't have been able to supply, because it was all day shifts. This one is evenings and weekends, and has a higher pay rate to boot, so I'm pretty stoked. It'll start sometime in the next couple of weeks. I haven't told Grant, but I'm sure he'll be relieved, he worries more than I do about my silly line of credit. My feeling is, I don't have loans to pay off, and that's what lines of credit are FOR! lol...but it will be nice to not have to worry about everything financial. Plus, I LOVED my summer job, so it's a win win win situation. I love good news. Now, I'm just waiting to win the lottery, and that'll pretty much fulfil my expectations for now!
Thursday, October 3
I went with my friend Jenn to see The Good Girl last night, and it was really good! I'm impressed, first that being in Moncton we get movies like this, since Fredericton just doesn't, and second because Jennifer Aniston continutes to prove herself as a legitimate actor. The movie is full of people who will make you think, hmm, that guy looks familiar. It's well thought out, with lots of details that make it seem real, such as, as Jenn pointed out, the fur seat covers in Justine's car, and the day to day mundanities of working at the "Retail Rodeo". It has a good musical score, and while I usually walk out of movies thinking 'that was really funny' or 'sure, worth $6' (only the cheap nights folks), I walked out of this one thinking 'that was a really good movie', which is kind of rare.
Sunday, September 29
OMG. My harddrive DIED, for the 2nd time. Well, first time really, but 2nd harddrive, so NO GOOD. I REALLY have to start backing up my stuff. Live and learn. Anyway, so excuse the absence. The good news is that it only took the company a day and a half to send me a new hard drive, and I got a 20G to replace my 10G, because apparently "nobody makes 10G harddrives anymore". I feel so out of date. *sob* Haha, no! So all is well, it took some doing to get it up and running, but I managed with very little help, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm going to try WinXP on here as soon as I'm confident that it's like, up and running well. Maybe I'll back everything up first...
Monday, September 23
Season Premieres
Because I know I've been wondering. I only put on the shows I'm interested in, since that alone is a substantial list. For a full list, go here.
9/23 The King of Queens CBS
9/23 Yes, Dear CBS
9/23 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS
9/23 CSI: Miami CBS
9/23 Crossing Jordan NBC
9/24 NYPD Blue ABC
9/24 In Laws NBC
9/24 Hidden Hills NBC
9/24 Smallville WB
9/24 Gilmore Girls WB
9/25 My Wife & Kids ABC
9/25 ED NBC / CTV
9/26 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS
9/26 Friends NBC / Global
9/26 Will & Grace NBC
9/26 Scrubs NBC
9/26 Good Morning Miami NBC
9/26 ER NBC / CTV
9/27 Law & Order: SVU NBC
9/29 Alias ABC
9/29 The Practice ABC
9/29 Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC
9/30 Third Watch NBC
10/1 According to Jim ABC
10/1 Judging Amy CBS
10/2 Law & Order NBC
10/4 Providence NBC
10/21 Boston Public FOX (why must it be so late??)
11/3 Simpsons FOX (again...November now? come on.)
11/3 King of the Hill FOX
11/3 Malcolm in the Middle FOX
Because I know I've been wondering. I only put on the shows I'm interested in, since that alone is a substantial list. For a full list, go here.
9/23 The King of Queens CBS
9/23 Yes, Dear CBS
9/23 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS
9/23 CSI: Miami CBS
9/23 Crossing Jordan NBC
9/24 NYPD Blue ABC
9/24 In Laws NBC
9/24 Hidden Hills NBC
9/24 Smallville WB
9/24 Gilmore Girls WB
9/25 My Wife & Kids ABC
9/25 ED NBC / CTV
9/26 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS
9/26 Friends NBC / Global
9/26 Will & Grace NBC
9/26 Scrubs NBC
9/26 Good Morning Miami NBC
9/26 ER NBC / CTV
9/27 Law & Order: SVU NBC
9/29 Alias ABC
9/29 The Practice ABC
9/29 Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC
9/30 Third Watch NBC
10/1 According to Jim ABC
10/1 Judging Amy CBS
10/2 Law & Order NBC
10/4 Providence NBC
10/21 Boston Public FOX (why must it be so late??)
11/3 Simpsons FOX (again...November now? come on.)
11/3 King of the Hill FOX
11/3 Malcolm in the Middle FOX
Well. I finally got to go to the famed information session for district 2. It wan't a total waste of time, as I had feared, but I still have doubts as to whether it should be required. All I have to get now are my reference checks, and the nice lady, Jean Barry, tells me that I can go around to the schools anytime now and pimp myself for work. I plan to.
Thursday, September 19
Ok. So as usually happens, right after I have a complete meltdown about whatever life dilemma I am facing, things start to look up. I've already mentioned the long term supply interview for District 16, and today District 2 called and said that they are FINALLY having an info session for new supply teachers, on Monday no less. Wonderful. But just so we don't think things are quite normal at the district office, I'd like to fill you in on one more detail. They have these reference sheets that you can have filled out by basically anyone who knows you. Boss, co-worker, friend, whoever. Bearing that in mind, it asks questions like, "if you had the opportunity to hire/re-hire this candidate would you do so?". Why would you give the reference check to someone who you know doesn't like you enough to hire you? But that's not even my favourite question. Here it is.
"Do you believe that this person would be suitable to work in a school system in direct contact with children?"
Ok. Now there are a couple of things wrong with this question, especially pertaining to me. thing 1 = if you have references that would say 'no' to that question, you should just become a hermit or something, you will be better off. thing 2 = I'M A TEACHER. My JOB is to work in the schools in direct contact with children. I've already passed that test, thank you - had criminal record checks and interviews and a practicum blah blah blah. Simply foolish. I think that's enough for now, the questions are all about that intelligent and useful. I think that's all.
"Do you believe that this person would be suitable to work in a school system in direct contact with children?"
Ok. Now there are a couple of things wrong with this question, especially pertaining to me. thing 1 = if you have references that would say 'no' to that question, you should just become a hermit or something, you will be better off. thing 2 = I'M A TEACHER. My JOB is to work in the schools in direct contact with children. I've already passed that test, thank you - had criminal record checks and interviews and a practicum blah blah blah. Simply foolish. I think that's enough for now, the questions are all about that intelligent and useful. I think that's all.
Wednesday, September 18
Alright. So I have an interview for a list to long-term supply teach in District 16, which is about an hour plus away from here. The bonus being that for long term supply, at least I would know ahead of time, and could plan for having to drive, or stay over in Rexton. So that's good news. I'm also going to be babysitting Ethan until I get a "real" job, or whatever. I've decided, for now, not to go back to school, for fear or being exactly where I am, but more in debt, a year from now. That's about all for now, it's all a waiting game. I'm going to call District 2 tomorrow and keep pestering them until I get some kind of answer. I could go down and bring Ethan and be like, "I have to feed my baybay, you have to let me work!" haha...no...
Tuesday, September 17
Warning: venting to follow
Ok. So here are my options. I can sign up for supply teaching in District 16, and teach at schools that are an hour or more away, or I can sit around and wait for District 2 to call me about this stupid information session that I don't even see the point of, but that I need before I can supply here. Adding to this option is that I could go back to school in January, do my MEd in Special Education, and graduate the next January with Grant. But which is better, sitting around and perhaps getting some experience, or doing my Masters, thus having extra education, but still no real experience? I know that I do want to work in resource, that's my ultimate goal, and I will need a masters to do that, and I kind of feel like I may as well do it sooner as later. I'd have to get a student loan, but am now a "mature" (ha) student, and thus would qualify for a full loan, so that would be fine, but then I'd have a loan to pay off. I'd also have to like, move back to Fredericton. I love Fredericton, but I'd have to live by myself and leave Grant here for 8 months, which isn't very fun. I'm just really frustrated, and needed to vent, even though most people reading this won't be able to help in any way. So, if you did read, thanks. If you have any advice, please, pass it on. I haven't figured out how to get a comment form on this thing, so email will have to do.
Ok. So here are my options. I can sign up for supply teaching in District 16, and teach at schools that are an hour or more away, or I can sit around and wait for District 2 to call me about this stupid information session that I don't even see the point of, but that I need before I can supply here. Adding to this option is that I could go back to school in January, do my MEd in Special Education, and graduate the next January with Grant. But which is better, sitting around and perhaps getting some experience, or doing my Masters, thus having extra education, but still no real experience? I know that I do want to work in resource, that's my ultimate goal, and I will need a masters to do that, and I kind of feel like I may as well do it sooner as later. I'd have to get a student loan, but am now a "mature" (ha) student, and thus would qualify for a full loan, so that would be fine, but then I'd have a loan to pay off. I'd also have to like, move back to Fredericton. I love Fredericton, but I'd have to live by myself and leave Grant here for 8 months, which isn't very fun. I'm just really frustrated, and needed to vent, even though most people reading this won't be able to help in any way. So, if you did read, thanks. If you have any advice, please, pass it on. I haven't figured out how to get a comment form on this thing, so email will have to do.
Sunday, September 15
I DID KARAOKE last night. It was really fun. And I didn't even feel really embarassed or anything, because most of the people who were singing, weren't singing very well. We did a bunch of songs, and a good time was had by us anyway. We did much more fun songs than most of the other people. Anyway, more later, I have to go shower so we can go get Big Stop Breakfast. mmmmmm.....Trucker's Special....
Saturday, September 14
Friday, September 13
Ok, for lack of anything better to do, here is a small collection of quizzes for you to waste your time on! Enjoy!

Find your inner Smurf!
I'm Velma, which ambiguous dyke are you? Quiz by Turi.
I'm spiritual Madonna, who are you? Madonna Quiz by Turi.

Take the What Kind of Chinese Food Are You? test!
I'm Velma, which ambiguous dyke are you? Quiz by Turi.
I'm spiritual Madonna, who are you? Madonna Quiz by Turi.
All the great heroes can fly. And thats what I am, a great hero. I am well rounded. I have a good sense of right and wrong. I seek to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, but my friends always come first, especially if it's a romantic interest. Despite my amazing gifts, I prefer a quiet position away from the limelight, maybe among the clouds. |
Take the What Kind of Chinese Food Are You? test!
What stupid online quiz are you? |
Thursday, September 12
| You are 10% geek | |
| OK, so maybe you ain't a geek. You do, at least, show a bit of interest in the world around you. Either that, or you have enough of a sense of humor to pick some of the sillier answers on the test. Regardless, you're probably a pretty nifty, well-rounded person who gets along fine with people and can chat with just about anyone without fear of looking stupid or foolish or overly concerned with minutiae. God, I hate you. | |
Tuesday, September 10
Useless trivia for today:
Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal.
(not house hippos though, I bet!)
Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal.
(not house hippos though, I bet!)
Ok, so I just watched MTV's Diary on Incubus. Now, I've never really been a fan, I know some songs, but I've never really made an effort to take a good listen. These guys are seriously cool people. I'm gonna have to check them out a bit more. I laughed my butt off during the show, they're totally not the hardcore rock band type guys that I would have expected, and for some reason I felt the need to share this with all of you. So there you go.
Monday, September 9
OH, I had the best time this weekend. I went to Fredericton, to see Tiresa and Calleen. Snag #1, Calleen's phone number is not hooked up. Her parents are not home, and I have no idea where she lives ("on the North Side" being a bit vague), so it looks like I won't get to see her new place this weekend. But all is not lost, I still had my date with Tiresa to go to the Frex. We stop in at Superstore on the way over to get lottery tickets so we don't have to worry about real jobs, and run into Calleen. Good luck I guess! Anyway, she declined going to the fair with us, but took my sister's number. So Tiresa and I went off to get spiral potatoes, mini doughnuts, and fudge. We did that, and also got to pet hairy donkeys, goats, baby cows, llamas, sheep, and really feathery chickens. We also saw but didn't pet horses and a huge pig. It was really fun. They had gumball machines set up with apparently multi-purpose animal food that all the aforementioned animals ate, so we fed them a bit too. The rides were pretty fun, I think Tiresa was disappointed in me that I wouldn't go on the crazy swinging pirate ship with her, but honestly, the tilt-a-whirl makes me feel like vomiting, so I thought I'd play it safe. Getting old is NO FUN! But good times were had by all, and I even ran into a couple of my students from LHHS, which was neat.
Either Erin's roommate or one of her noisy friends came into her room and turned the light on for a minute for some reason when I was sleeping there Saturday night, it was weird.
Sunday I went to Calleenie's place, it's very cool. We set up the living room about 4 different ways, but I think we got it pretty good in the end. I didn't actually help with the unpacking much, but oh well! Good thing I'm cute I guess. We went for a little tour of the NorthSide, and to Rotten Ronnie's for lunch. Calleen won a free fruit 'n' yogurt parfait, which was not bad, but I think I'd get ice cream next time. I'm on my way to winning a car, you'll be happy to know. We stopped in LBR, and it was kind of strange being back there, not just cause I don't live there, but because I hardly know anyone else who does either.
Either Erin's roommate or one of her noisy friends came into her room and turned the light on for a minute for some reason when I was sleeping there Saturday night, it was weird.
Sunday I went to Calleenie's place, it's very cool. We set up the living room about 4 different ways, but I think we got it pretty good in the end. I didn't actually help with the unpacking much, but oh well! Good thing I'm cute I guess. We went for a little tour of the NorthSide, and to Rotten Ronnie's for lunch. Calleen won a free fruit 'n' yogurt parfait, which was not bad, but I think I'd get ice cream next time. I'm on my way to winning a car, you'll be happy to know. We stopped in LBR, and it was kind of strange being back there, not just cause I don't live there, but because I hardly know anyone else who does either.
I cleaned the fish tank today, and euthanized a bunch of snails. I have one seriously unhealthy looking fish, but he doesn't really seem to notice he's gross looking, and the other fish are fine, so I guess it's alright. I think they're happy now. I took out some of the plant, so that if there are any more damn babies, they'll maybe get eaten and stop overpopulating the tank. Does this make me evil? I don't think so...
Friday, September 6
ok, another addictive game for you all...small file, no worries, but lots of mindless frustrating fun. SUPPOSEBLY there are like, 49 levels. Good luck. I get to about...level 6 or 7. Hopefully this link thing works, it's my first time putting a file on here. Click.
HOW TO TELL WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE READY TO HAVE CHILDREN:
THE MESS TEST: Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flower bed and rub on the walls. Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.
THE TOY TEST: Obtain a 55-gallon box of Legos. (If Legos are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles.) Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream. (This could wake a sleeping child.)
THE GROCERY STORE TEST: Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.
THE DRESSING TEST: Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag, making sure that all arms stay inside.
THE FEEDING TEST: Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill Halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Start The jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. When finished, dump the contents of the jug on the floor.
THE NIGHT TEST: Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 8 PM begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9 PM. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10pm. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these until 4 am. Set alarm for 5 am. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.
THE PHYSICAL TEST (WOMEN): Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to your front under your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans.
THE PHYSICAL TEST (MEN): Go to the nearest drugstore. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.
THE FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and child's manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run rampant. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you have all the answers.
THE MESS TEST: Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flower bed and rub on the walls. Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.
THE TOY TEST: Obtain a 55-gallon box of Legos. (If Legos are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles.) Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream. (This could wake a sleeping child.)
THE GROCERY STORE TEST: Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.
THE DRESSING TEST: Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag, making sure that all arms stay inside.
THE FEEDING TEST: Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill Halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Start The jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. When finished, dump the contents of the jug on the floor.
THE NIGHT TEST: Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 8 PM begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9 PM. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10pm. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these until 4 am. Set alarm for 5 am. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.
THE PHYSICAL TEST (WOMEN): Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to your front under your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans.
THE PHYSICAL TEST (MEN): Go to the nearest drugstore. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.
THE FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and child's manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run rampant. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you have all the answers.
Thursday, September 5
Wednesday, September 4
ooh, new appliances! My life is so exciting! I do get to work tonight though, that's something I guess. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, September 3
Sunday, September 1
oh. my. god. it's early. Ok, so it's not THAT early, but it is for a Sunday. Erin and I are going to look at cottages and land for my parents, in ... Pugwash. Northport, actually, so says Rick the Real Estate Man. Hopefully Erin arrives soon-ish though, we should be leaving in about 10 minutes. I'm bringing my little mc3 to take pictures. I'd reccommend to everyone that you get one of these....they've been discontinued and so will either be hard to find or really cheap. Either way, it's a sweet toy. I've made movies of such useful things as the cats licking eachother. Priceless, I tell you.
Thursday, August 29
More from Globeandmail.com.
Plastic surgery, once limited mostly to the middle-aged, is now in great demand among people over 65, The Associated Press reports. The number of cosmetic surgeries for U.S. senior citizens jumped from 121,000 in 1997 to 425,000 last year. A Boston plastic surgeon says many of his patients are over 70 -- including an 82-year-old woman who just had her breasts enlarged.
Last week, a woman in Hamburg, Germany, told police she saw a bare-chested man with two big white dots on his forehead staring through her window, Reuters reports. Officers think it was a bird escaped from a zoo, but are taking no chances. "We're looking for a naked man with big eyes or an emu," officials said.
(how can you confuse those two things?)
(and thanks to Erin for introducing me to this wonderful column...)
Plastic surgery, once limited mostly to the middle-aged, is now in great demand among people over 65, The Associated Press reports. The number of cosmetic surgeries for U.S. senior citizens jumped from 121,000 in 1997 to 425,000 last year. A Boston plastic surgeon says many of his patients are over 70 -- including an 82-year-old woman who just had her breasts enlarged.
Last week, a woman in Hamburg, Germany, told police she saw a bare-chested man with two big white dots on his forehead staring through her window, Reuters reports. Officers think it was a bird escaped from a zoo, but are taking no chances. "We're looking for a naked man with big eyes or an emu," officials said.
(how can you confuse those two things?)
(and thanks to Erin for introducing me to this wonderful column...)
I've been babysitting all week, which is pretty fun, surprisingly. So today we went to Centennial Beach, but for some reason it was closed. Rip off, it was nice, and it should at least be open until September. Anyway, so we went to see Lilo and Stitch instead, which is really a good movie. I've seen it before, and so had Miranda, but it was still funny. But with about 2 minutes left in the movie, the screen went all white. It took them about 10 minutes to get it fixed, so we all got free movie passes for next time. Pretty cool!
Wednesday, August 28
ok, scary...
In 1939, Lina Medina of Peru became a mother at the record age of five years, seven months and 21 days. No one has ever established who was the father of her son, who died in 1979. She married and had a second son in 1972. Ms. Medina lives in a poor, crime-ridden suburb of Lima, called Little Chicago, with her husband. In 1939, Reuters adds, Peru promised Ms. Medina armfuls of aid. So far, she has seen none.
and now just odd...
The northern snakehead fish, a native of China, worries Americans because it has been discovered in a Maryland pond and may spread across the region. The metre-long species, a voracious predator of other fish, can slither across land and breathe air for days at a time. It's also on the menu at the Yin Yankee Cafe in Annapolis, Md., writes Rona Kobell of The Baltimore Sun: "Roasted in banana leaves, slathered in spicy Indonesian curry and garnished with organic St. Mary's tomatoes, the northern snakehead fish is a tasty surprise. It has the texture of halibut and the sweetness of eel. . . . And what wine goes with roasted invasive predator? [Cafe chef Jerry] Trice recommends a lush, tropical pinot blanc."
gotta love Globe and mail.com. Check the "Social Studies" section.
In 1939, Lina Medina of Peru became a mother at the record age of five years, seven months and 21 days. No one has ever established who was the father of her son, who died in 1979. She married and had a second son in 1972. Ms. Medina lives in a poor, crime-ridden suburb of Lima, called Little Chicago, with her husband. In 1939, Reuters adds, Peru promised Ms. Medina armfuls of aid. So far, she has seen none.
and now just odd...
The northern snakehead fish, a native of China, worries Americans because it has been discovered in a Maryland pond and may spread across the region. The metre-long species, a voracious predator of other fish, can slither across land and breathe air for days at a time. It's also on the menu at the Yin Yankee Cafe in Annapolis, Md., writes Rona Kobell of The Baltimore Sun: "Roasted in banana leaves, slathered in spicy Indonesian curry and garnished with organic St. Mary's tomatoes, the northern snakehead fish is a tasty surprise. It has the texture of halibut and the sweetness of eel. . . . And what wine goes with roasted invasive predator? [Cafe chef Jerry] Trice recommends a lush, tropical pinot blanc."
gotta love Globe and mail.com. Check the "Social Studies" section.
I have to take a moment to express my admiration for Bill Bryson. He writes travel novels, which are thus true, yet still amazingly funny. He just has a way of putting things that it's not like he's trying to be funny, and that makes it even better. I just finished reading In a Sunburned Country, which is about Australia. It all started when Erin got A Walk in the Woods for Christmas from my Aunt Beth. It's also really funny. Giving quotes I don't think would do it justice, so you'll just have to read it and be satisfied with that. Now I'm about to start Notes From a Big Country, which is a collection of his newspaper articles. I'm pretty excited.
Also, my birthday is coming up, if anybody was wondering...check out my wishlist!
Also, my birthday is coming up, if anybody was wondering...check out my wishlist!
Tuesday, August 27
Things I learned about my car today:
it was made in November of 1995
it has the wrong size tires on it, but that's actually a good thing, because I thought I was going to have to buy R14s, but now I can buy R13s, which are cheaper.
the reccommended passenger load is 2 for the front and 3 for the back. My GOD, people are stupid. They have to tell me that?
reccommended tire pressure is 32 psi. I knew that already, but I thought I'd add it anyway.
That's all.
it was made in November of 1995
it has the wrong size tires on it, but that's actually a good thing, because I thought I was going to have to buy R14s, but now I can buy R13s, which are cheaper.
the reccommended passenger load is 2 for the front and 3 for the back. My GOD, people are stupid. They have to tell me that?
reccommended tire pressure is 32 psi. I knew that already, but I thought I'd add it anyway.
That's all.
Check this out. At first, it's creepy, then kind of neat, but I think it's back to kind of creepy for me. Better than being stuck underground I think, but I had this horrible thought of "ok, let's add Grandma to the bracelet now kids!", or of celebrity diamonds being stolen and auctioned off on eBay or something horrible that SO WOULD happen. People are weird.
yeah, I just wanted to get a new Word or WordPerfect or something. I'm gettting mom and dad to see if they can find eMachines laptops for cheap too, cause I want one. Here's hoping! I updated the pictures page, if anyone's interested.
Friday, August 23
More questions....
why do they shrink wrap cds and dvds, and then also have security stickers on all 3 openable sides? overkill, no? I've got parts 2 3 and 4 of the Blue Planet series, which is really cool and I don't care if it makes me a dork. hehe. Maybe I care a little, but not a lot. But I'm trying to watch part 2, and it's just a hassle to open.
why do they shrink wrap cds and dvds, and then also have security stickers on all 3 openable sides? overkill, no? I've got parts 2 3 and 4 of the Blue Planet series, which is really cool and I don't care if it makes me a dork. hehe. Maybe I care a little, but not a lot. But I'm trying to watch part 2, and it's just a hassle to open.
Thursday, August 22
I love having days where I feel like I actually accomplished something. For instance, today I bought kitty litter, got propane for our little porta-b-b-q, washed the car in super fun coloured and yummy smelling soap, ordered cable (ha HA, Grant is still a student and thus gets $10 installation and 1/2 price 2 months....) and gave the government my new address so they can send me my gst cheques. Wonderful wonderful. Oh, and I planted a sunflower plant that mom got me at the Fredericton market, and ordered a picture disk of 3 sets of negatives. Haha, you thought I had a lot of cat pictures before! Now I have more, as well as an abundance of flower pictures. It's only $5 to have them put on a cd for you, which is pretty good, and they can even do it in black and white. My feeling is that I can make them black and white once I get them home, if I want to, so I'll stick with colour. I'm just about to upload the pictures from my little mc3 and see if anything there is worth putting up here.
ah, I'm back. I had a lovely week of doing nothing, culminating in my getting to set up my Grannie's new computer, which was really more exciting for me than it should have been. I was hoping to be able to steal the new Windows cd or something, maybe get a new MSOffice out of the whole thing, but no luck, the eMachines bastards have preinstalled everything on the computer, and only given you a rescue disk. Anyway, off to buy kitty litter and picture disks.
Friday, August 16
Ok, so on Erin's reccommendation, I go check out the new Survivor site. There are many intersting things which must be addressed. For one, there is an unhealthy balance of old people to young. Lots of old folks. For two, I'd like to list some of my favourite and seemingly most useful 'luxury items': Erin (ha ha) brought body paint. Yes, many a time have I thought...if only I had my body paint..... other helpful items include a skateboard, fuzzy slippers, a shaving kit (granted, somewhat helpful, but, come on...), a brush (same comment applies), a Chrisitan flag (what the...?), and a "lucky travelling bag".
Erin has already called dibs on Jed, for reasons which will become clear once you click the link. Unfortunately named, but cute nonetheless. I think that's about it for now.
Erin has already called dibs on Jed, for reasons which will become clear once you click the link. Unfortunately named, but cute nonetheless. I think that's about it for now.
Thursday, August 15
YOU are so weird. Dumpster diving Norwegian rats? Where do you find these things?
I just worked my last shift at work, pretty exciting. But I think they'll probably call me anyway, cause they love me so much. I'm handing in my supply teaching application tomorrow, which says I'm willing to teach basically, everything, from kindergarten to grade 12, with "imagine the fun I'll have with this class" possibilities like physics and chemistry. Both of which I took, yes, however... but alas Tirésa has brought to my attention that we do not actually need to teach or lesson plan, simply to babysit basically. I'm going to go pimp myself out the week before school starts and see if anyone will take pity on me and give me a long term supply position. That's what Erin's friend Stacey did, and she's had one for the past couple of years now.
Anyway, I'm hot and sticky and disgusting, and need to shower before I go to bed. ick.
I just worked my last shift at work, pretty exciting. But I think they'll probably call me anyway, cause they love me so much. I'm handing in my supply teaching application tomorrow, which says I'm willing to teach basically, everything, from kindergarten to grade 12, with "imagine the fun I'll have with this class" possibilities like physics and chemistry. Both of which I took, yes, however... but alas Tirésa has brought to my attention that we do not actually need to teach or lesson plan, simply to babysit basically. I'm going to go pimp myself out the week before school starts and see if anyone will take pity on me and give me a long term supply position. That's what Erin's friend Stacey did, and she's had one for the past couple of years now.
Anyway, I'm hot and sticky and disgusting, and need to shower before I go to bed. ick.
Sunday, August 11
Funny Thing #2
I took this picture at work, you have to look closely to see what it says. It's on a molasses carton.
I took this picture at work, you have to look closely to see what it says. It's on a molasses carton.
Funny Thing #1
I was cleaning up my computer, and came across this gem. It made me laugh out loud, even though I've obviously read it before. Enjoy.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days...
Day 1
Meet him at a party
Have sex
Do the helicopter move (use your imagination)
Ask him if you look fat
Name his penis
Day 2
At dinner, sit on the same side as him
Ask him if the waitress is prettier than you
Don't order anything
Ask him if he thinks your fatter since Day 1
If you feel it's time, tell him you love him
Day 3
Call your ugliest friend for a girls' night out...
...then show up where he is with his buds
Tell them you're his girlfriend and ask for their advice
Drive by his house - more than once
Cry after sex
Day 4
Get up early and clean his house, then stay until you're forced to leave
Leave a copy of "Brides" magazine at his house
Call him and ask what he's doing that night. If he's going out, refer to it as a 'boy's night out'
When he gets home, get dressed and drive to his house FAST, before he passes out
Bring a pillow and an overnight bag
Cry after sex
Day 5
Call his mom and introduce yourself
Talk in your cutest baby voice - all the time
Day 6
Refer back to Day 1 and say "Remember when...?"
Make him a mix tape with all your favourite songs on it
Brag about how much you didn't eat that day
Day 7
Tell him you love him and immediately 'shhh!' him and say he doesn't have to say anything because you know in your heart how he feels
Tell him you've stopped taking the pill because you thought it was making you fat...
...Ask him if he agrees
Day 8
Tell him this is the longest you've ever dated someone...
...And that you met your last boyfriend on the net
Day 9
Move into his neighbourhood
Invite your parents to meet him
Day 10
Tell him he's changed and you don't even know him anymore
Hide in the bushes (he may be cheating on you!), then confront him - yell, cry, throw your shoe at him
If nothing works say, "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it was meant to be."
Go to a party
Meet someone else
I was cleaning up my computer, and came across this gem. It made me laugh out loud, even though I've obviously read it before. Enjoy.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days...
Day 1
Meet him at a party
Have sex
Do the helicopter move (use your imagination)
Ask him if you look fat
Name his penis
Day 2
At dinner, sit on the same side as him
Ask him if the waitress is prettier than you
Don't order anything
Ask him if he thinks your fatter since Day 1
If you feel it's time, tell him you love him
Day 3
Call your ugliest friend for a girls' night out...
...then show up where he is with his buds
Tell them you're his girlfriend and ask for their advice
Drive by his house - more than once
Cry after sex
Day 4
Get up early and clean his house, then stay until you're forced to leave
Leave a copy of "Brides" magazine at his house
Call him and ask what he's doing that night. If he's going out, refer to it as a 'boy's night out'
When he gets home, get dressed and drive to his house FAST, before he passes out
Bring a pillow and an overnight bag
Cry after sex
Day 5
Call his mom and introduce yourself
Talk in your cutest baby voice - all the time
Day 6
Refer back to Day 1 and say "Remember when...?"
Make him a mix tape with all your favourite songs on it
Brag about how much you didn't eat that day
Day 7
Tell him you love him and immediately 'shhh!' him and say he doesn't have to say anything because you know in your heart how he feels
Tell him you've stopped taking the pill because you thought it was making you fat...
...Ask him if he agrees
Day 8
Tell him this is the longest you've ever dated someone...
...And that you met your last boyfriend on the net
Day 9
Move into his neighbourhood
Invite your parents to meet him
Day 10
Tell him he's changed and you don't even know him anymore
Hide in the bushes (he may be cheating on you!), then confront him - yell, cry, throw your shoe at him
If nothing works say, "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it was meant to be."
Go to a party
Meet someone else
Your fairy is called Feather Goblinwand
She is a bringer of riches and wealth
She lives in high places where the clouds meet the earth
She is only seen when the seer holds a four-leafed clover
My mom is so weird, she found this site. Check it out.
She is a bringer of riches and wealth
She lives in high places where the clouds meet the earth
She is only seen when the seer holds a four-leafed clover
My mom is so weird, she found this site. Check it out.
Saturday, August 10
I picked up 2 hitchhikers today. It was very exciting. We only drove from Shediac to Sackville, but still, it was a new thing for me. They looked about 18 and had just gotten back from a Dave concert in Boston. Pretty sweet. So that's about all my news, really. Erin's off to PEI, she left Hank here for me to babysit. Mortimer is trying to nonchalantly swipe some chicken off my plate. It's not working cat, I see you! Silly boy.
Friday, August 9
Poor Erin is bored. I'm having such an exciting day, now I get to go do laundry at work! This "housekeeping" shift is bullshit, pardon the french. The woman who usually works it takes the full 8 hours, with MANY smoke breaks. I take roughly 3 hours. I took 2 hours off for an appointment yesterday, and still had everything done by 3:30. Ridiculous. But I must get back so I don't have to stay long!
Tuesday, August 6
Heavens. I have just come upon a quite disturbing site. And yet...I had to go ahead and start dissecting the frog! Go ahead and click, you'll see what I mean.
(note: not disturbing like kiddie porn, just kind of a bizarre experience!)
(note: not disturbing like kiddie porn, just kind of a bizarre experience!)
Friday, August 2
I'm not STEALING him, I'm just expressing my newfound enjoyment of him. I also really like that John Mayer song. I like all of them so far, so it's fun. We'll have to have a chat about making links. I fixed yours for you, hehe.
Funny thing happened at work today. At my job, I get to see certain things that I wouldn't in every day life. Like, for instance, Attends. (for those of you NOT familiar, they're grown-up diapers). So...in this multinational era, we have multilingual packaging. Attends briefs in Spanish are called "calzones". I may be mistaken, but I'm fairly sure that a calzone is like a panzerotti type thing. If so...why is it the same name? I'm mystefied.
Funny thing happened at work today. At my job, I get to see certain things that I wouldn't in every day life. Like, for instance, Attends. (for those of you NOT familiar, they're grown-up diapers). So...in this multinational era, we have multilingual packaging. Attends briefs in Spanish are called "calzones". I may be mistaken, but I'm fairly sure that a calzone is like a panzerotti type thing. If so...why is it the same name? I'm mystefied.
Thursday, August 1
The quote is from Mallrats, which is a REALLY funny movie. Jason Lee is awesome. I have no idea what emo music is...I wonder if they're like emus...hmmmm. Yeah, about that Care Bear test...you, me, Tirésa, and the girl who I got the link from all got Cheer Bear. Weird eh? I'll have to try putting all different answers ( ie Emu Music) and see what happens!
Must go to bed...work at 7:30AM (!) tomorrow.
Must go to bed...work at 7:30AM (!) tomorrow.
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