When I was in elementary school we had a guest speaker come in to talk to the assembly. I can't remember who he was, or what the purpose of the talk was, but there was one part that has stuck with me. He said that when a person is walking down the street they do something predictable. When a person is approaching another person who is walking towards them, at 17 feet from the other person, they will look up and make eye contact. 17 feet. It's just something we're programmed to do. He told us to try it the next time we were approaching someone on the street. Well, I did. I became hyper sensitive to it, bordering on OCD. Since that day I have not been able to properly make eye contact on the street. Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Tidbit
When I was in elementary school we had a guest speaker come in to talk to the assembly. I can't remember who he was, or what the purpose of the talk was, but there was one part that has stuck with me. He said that when a person is walking down the street they do something predictable. When a person is approaching another person who is walking towards them, at 17 feet from the other person, they will look up and make eye contact. 17 feet. It's just something we're programmed to do. He told us to try it the next time we were approaching someone on the street. Well, I did. I became hyper sensitive to it, bordering on OCD. Since that day I have not been able to properly make eye contact on the street. Frontier Days and Canada Day
The weekend was absolutely beautiful, sunny, hot and wonderful. Brad and I went to Nick and Kim's to watch the parade. Darlene and her friend showed up, and Kim's family was there as well to take in the fun. It was great to just sit on the lawn and watch all of the floats go by. I'm such a sucker for parades! Afterwards we went for breakfast and then Brad, Kim, Brett and I headed down to the fair. We got bracelets for the rides ($37!!!) and I was determined to get my money's worth out of it!
We went on the Swings
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Brad fed the goats in the petting zoo
~ We went on the bumper cars (which I am officially too tall to ride, judging from the way my knees stuck out)
~Kim and I went on the Ferris Wheel
~It wouldn't be a fair without a ride on the merry go round
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And then it was off to the saloon where we had a couple of drinks and Vanessa and I danced in the dirt with no shoes on.
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Back to work on Monday and, since it was the night before a day off I wasn't worried about staying up way too late (who needs a regular sleep pattern anyway?), and so we went off to Clearwater Drive-In to see Ironman. I've gotta say, I love the drive in! The seats in the Escape were not terribly comfortable, it was really hot and humid in the truck and we had to open the windows which let in the hoards of mosquitoes which devoured my legs, so I covered them with a blanket and was way too hot. I was really really sleepy and had to force myself to stay awake. But despite all that, it was a lot of fun! Plus the popcorn kicked ass!
Yesterday was Canada Day and I was determined to do something fun, so Brad, Brett and I went for lunch and then headed off to the Saskatchewan Landing to play in the water and relax by the river. It was exactly what I felt like doing! I may have gotten an ever-so-slight-sunburn on my stomach and knees (of all places), but my legs actually look like they have a little color now, and I didn't burn too bad, so I'm happy!
The other great thing about a stat holiday is the short work week that's left. So glad it's Wednesday!
Friday, June 27, 2008
To the Fair, to the Fair, to the Fair We Go!
It is the long awaited Frontier Days weekend in Swifty. (Pronounced Frawn-teer, not frun-teer, just so we're all clear). The weekend when Kinetic Exhibition Park is full of rides, games, cowboys, girls scantily dressed calling themselves ''Cowgirls", and families of screaming children all hopped-up on the biggest sugar rush of their little lives!The midway is probably my favorite part of any fair. I love getting on rides that were built in the early 1970s and maintained by people with a 3rd grade education. Though in all fairness, the trend for carnies has shifted from the Slack-Jawed Yokel variety to something more along the lines of the "Does your Corrections Officer know you're here?" There's nothing I love more than throwing caution to the wind and getting onto a giant piece of metal that will hurl me around (upside down at times) at ludicris speeds, testing the grit of my gastrointestinal prowess (or lack thereof).
Then there are the games! Oh the games! "Hey there pretty lady, why doncha give this a try? It's easy, just knock down these milk bottles that are cemented to each other with a strangely irregular softball for $16 a ball!" They draw you in with the promise of winning a cute stuffed toy that's been sitting under the booth for the past 6 years gradually becoming the comfortable condominium to a family of fleas! Sure Mr. Carnie-guy, I don't need a retirement savings fund, my future kids don't need to go to college. What I NEED is a $90 stuffed toy that I could otherwise buy at the dollarstore fo 50 cents! I think what I love more than being harassed by the carnies into playing their fixed games is when they heckle Brad and call his masculinity into question. No, he can't win that game beacuse the rings that are supposed to fit over the pop-bottlenecks are actually a fraction of an inch too small, not because he's not "man enough". But good try.
And we can't forget the food. The cottoncandy, the mini-donuts, the pizza, the snowcones, the gallons of pop, the elephant ears (or beaver tails as we call them in Smithers), the hotdogs, the corndogs...OMG...I think the indigestion grows as my bank account depleats!
Ok, but seriously? I'm totally stoked! I LOVE the fair!!! And I will go, cowboy hat perched on my head (because at Frontier Days everyone can be a cowboy!) to wander the midway with my friends, ride the rides until I'm so dizzy I have to sit down, and totally pig out on fair food! Sha-na-na!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
$6.05
Happy Birthday Frankie!
It's a special day today! My big bro, Frank, turns another year older today (despite what anyone says, I think that might just be weirder for me than it is for him). He's absolutely the best big brother a girl could have, and has been a good friend to me all my life, despite the torture I put him through growing up. 
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Addition:
The Breafast Boys (Chance and Jon) on the Eagle, Trent on CKSW, and Chris and I decided to all wish Frank a Happy Birthday. He's famous in Swifty now. Haha!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
8 Years
June is always one of those months of reflection for me. The grade 12 students at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School are having their Grad Ceremony this morning. 210 students who have been waiting for this day for 13 years. 210 teens who believe their lives are about to really start. 210 kids who believe they have it all figured out.
Shawn and I tortured each other during the year, broke up twice, got engaged, called it off, and suffered through the torment we inflicted on each other.
Mum came to visit me in school which was a riot. I'll never forget sponaneously breaking into song in the living room while watching TV and Kieran staring in shock ("no one would believe me, even if I told them").
I went to PG for my practicum where I lived with Angela in a sweet little room and board house. I also met Mare. I don't know how it happened, but we bonded faster than I've ever experienced before, and that brief month (filled with Boston Pizza...on the patio, at lunch, in the media room at the court house, etc) was all we needed to cement our friendship.
I got my own apartment and kept climbing the ladder in News while Brad and I did the long distance thing. I moved back in February when all of the cards fell into place. Now I'm here, living in a house that we've bought together, I'm the News Director and morning show co-host on Magic 97.
In the past 8 years I've fallen in love three times, fallen out of love twice, packed and unpacked my life 15 times, gotten onto dozens of planes, travelled thousands and thousands of kilometers in this country and overseas, learned to stand up for myself and learned that I'm the one who has to take charge of my life. My happiness is my own responsibility. I've learned that the things I say I will "never" do are the things I usually end up jumping into full-bore. Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Funniest thing I've seen in a long time
This is Pinky...
Mmmm, Hot dogs!
Friday was Golden West Radio's Hot Dog Day at the station. It took a ton of organizing from everyone involved, but their hard work paid off and the steaming hot dogs were served up to hundreds of people. (I had two).
It was a glorious sunny day (I think I actually got some sun on my legs!) and everyone gathered in front of the station to socialize, visit, meet, greet, and generally gorge ourselves on free food. The dogs (from Treen Packers) were the best I've ever had, and the buns (from the Husky) were awsome too. Makes me anxious for next year's Hot Dog Day!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A Whole New Level of Cool!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Hooped!
Ashley let me try her hoop (it's the Mustang Sally Model) yesterday afternoon. I've now decided that the only thing that will make me even cooler than I am right now is to take up hooping! My next purchase is going to be a new hoop. Besides the obvious physical benefits of hooping (awsome cardio, great for the abs and back muscles, apparently really good for organ health as well), taking up the hoop is the first step towards my new career goals. I plan to take over this girl's job:Friday, June 13, 2008
Popcorn
Chris and I decided to play Mythbusters yesterday morning and see if the myth that four cellphones ringing at once can make popcorn pop.Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Good Things to Come!
It's happening again! Under 2 months until another Jess and Mare reunion! Yay! Penticton won't know what hit it over the August long weekend as we celebrate Mare's 25th Birthday (with a toast to my 26th perhaps?), drink muchos tasty beverages, relax on the beach, and catch up on hugs and girl time! Soooo stoked! Tuesday, June 10, 2008
20 Years in the Making
November 19th, 2008. It's a little long for a countdown, but no less exciting! Vassy and I are going to be making a trip to Calgary to see New Kids on the Block at the Saddledome! She snagged tickets to the show last week and I'm so beyond stoked! The downside is that it's not until NOVEMBER. Boooo. 5 months away! But, our tickets are pretty good, considering all that's available now is upper level.
We're on the lower level, section 116, row 6! I've put a dot on the map to show the approximate place. I'm good with it! YAY! CAN'T Wait! Hahaha! I've been waiting to go see them since I was a diehard fan at 6 years old!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Giving the Slip
Since the start of the Facebook craze, everyone with a profile has encountered this situation: someone less than savory from your past adds you as a friend. From then on, every time you see their picture or an update from them you wonder to yourself Why, oh WHY, did I add you to my friend list?!Now what? How do you give someone the slip? Especially after they've sent you a message saying how good it is to see/hear from you. The guilt of the situation sets in and suddenly you're stuck. Sure, you accepted their friend invitation in the first place, but let's be honest, it was just to see what kind of a loser they've turned into; how many times they've been divorsed, how many kids with how many fathers they have, and the collective number of pounds gained since you last saw them (secretly hoping that it's in the ballpark of 300). But now, NOW you're trapped. They believe things are fine. It would be fine if they just sat there quietly in their profile and left you alone, but no, they have to be pleasantly chatty, just making the guilt even worse.
By guaging how bad you feel right now for adding someone just to see how big of a failure they are now, you know that if you were to "accidentally" delete them from your friend list you'd feel exponentially worse! The other option is a thoughtful rejection message, but that's not a good choice either since they will see it as totally unprovoked and suddenly the tables will turn. Next thing you know, a couple of months down the road the guilt will be eating away at you so strongly that you'll want to look at their profile "just to see how they're doing", suddenly feeling caring and considerate. So you send them a friend request, but they don't accept because, let's face it, you were kind of a dick. Now you feel hurt but can't help but believe you got what was coming. Lose-lose.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Defensive Driving
When studying up for my motorcycle drivers license, it seemed to me there was a general theme to the book "always watch out for other vehicles on the road because they won't see you and you'll die". Ok, I get it; defensive driving. Check. In a national survey of more than 900 teens with driver’s licenses from 26 high schools, teens rated the following behaviors or activities as “extremely” or “very” distracting:
Instant or text messaging while driving - 37 percent
[The teen driver’s] emotional state - 20 percent
Having several friends in the car - 19 percent
Talking on a cell phone 14 percent
Eating or drinking - 7 percent
Having a friend in the car - 5 percent
Listening to music - 4 percent
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Me and My Mummy
We bought hats at Empire and wanted a picture, but the pictures kept turning out ridiculous...this was the best one we got. haha!
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After helping me decide what to plant and helping with the planting of the new flowerbed!
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Relay for Life
Scooter Rides Again!
Have a listen!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Yay Mum!
She had travelled all day from Smithers to come see me! We talked the whole way home and then chatted for a bit over some tea in the house. I took Tuesday off from work and we relaxed in the morning before going on a tour of Swift Current. After the tour, we had lunch and strolled around the mall.
I made supper and we talked all evening until Brad came home from his ball game. I'm so glad she's here and am looking forward the rest of the week (even though I have to work)! I predict many gallons of tea will be consumed!
It Has a Horn!
I am officially the proud new owner of a 2007 Honda Jazz scooter in Saphire! Hahaha! I saw it in the dealership and knew it was the one. It's shiny, brand new (3km on the odometer) and exactly what I wanted! Woot!Friday, May 23, 2008
Always in Threes.
Bad things happen in threes. So do good things, but the bad are more noticable and traceable. Yesterday, my number was up.Tis the Season...
Garage Sale season that is. I know there are many people out there who will disagree with me, but I stand firm:Owner of Box of Junk: "Well, you can take that away with you for 5 dollars!"
Garage Saler: "I'll give you 4"
Owner of Box of Junk: "Well, you sure do drive a hard bargain...but you've got a deal. You can take my box of junk away from my house, leaving me with clean empty space for the low price of 4 dollars. Have fun letting it clutter up your home!"
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Please knock first
A momentous day yesterday! After roughly 10 months, the doorway to our bathroom is now filled with a door! That's right, an honest-to-goodness big white door with a shiny brass handle and everything! No more must we hum loudly when company is over, no more must we draw the curtain across the opening and yell when someone comes down the hall, no more must we sacrifice our dignity and privacy...ok, fine, it wasn't that big of a deal really, but it is nice to have a door now.Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Under the Lights
Here are the best pictures:


