October 13, 2009

School barrels along. I'm using my white cane now... It's much more challenging but that much more interesting than at the beginning. So far, surviving! Not much time for sleep or fun ^_^ But I love my program and have been very lucky with assignments and group work and things.

Also cool: I am now a card-carrying member of AER (Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired). So stoked! It will be a bit before I am able to go to any of the conferences but I am so looking forward to them! *geeked out*

Our backyard trees are practically naked! And I wear my favourite red scarf all the time again. It was a lovely (though chilly!) Thanksgiving weekend! I hope everyone did something fun. Sunshine and I will probably carve a pumpkin this upcoming weekend if she visits :-)

Since I probably won't post again before the end of the month, have a Happy Halloween!

--------RECENT FILM VIEWS---------------

PILLOW TALK (1959) *****

Coraline (2008) ****

101 Dalamatians (1961) ****

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1991) ****

The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) ***

Send Me No Flowers (1964) ***

Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) ***

Daredevil - The Director's Cut (2003) **

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) **

Pokemon: The First Movie (1999) **

Blindness (2008) *

September 27, 2009

School is intense but exciting! I'm learning a lot, and learning it fast. I just got my white cane which I will be learning to walk with this upcoming week :-) I have basically NO free time! Sorry if I don't keep in good contact this year, sheesh. Got a couple of exams on Monday. Cramming.

Autumn's in full swing. Temperature's dropping, leaves are falling, we're putting away the coolers and bathing suits and pulling out the jackets and blankets! *sigh* But it was a pretty good summer :-)

Got to see a really awesome Beatles-tribute band called "The Caverners" in St. Catharines and they were AMAZING!! I really want to see them perform again.

Really sick at the moment (with a cold, don't worry, it's not swine flu) and lazy... Looking SO forward to some holidays in December! They can't get here fast enough, lol.

RECENT FILM VIEWS

Babe (1995) ****

Now, Voyager (1942) ***

Little Foxes (1941) ***

Madagascar (2005) ***

9 (2009) ***

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) ***

The Labour Day Blues

Nooooooo! Last day of summer!!! *cries*

A bit nervous about school starting tomorrow. I went to my program's orientation session, and found it REALLY intimidating, but at least it's only a year long. After that, I hope I can find a decent-paying job and start paying my parents back for everything. I hate being so indebted to people! I am a bit concerned, though, about possibly being placed (however temporarily) in a Catholic school *shudder*. Baaaaad memories. Plus not being able to be myself :-( ...And for my final 12-week placement, I could be just about ANYwhere. Even out of province. I'm *hoping* that the farthest I have to go is Guelph, or Toronto. And that I can find a super-cheap sublet for those 12 weeks. I've got to say, this program is REALLY bad for leaving students completely clueless about how it works. Almost all these things are news to me.

Things are changing FAST at home. Kris is starting to look seriously for a house now, and depending on where he lives in town, I might move in with him for the year (just to be closer to school). That would be so cool in some ways! I dunno what he would be like to live with on his own, but we've always gotten along and seen things eye-to-eye (more or less). I think we could make it work. Not that I *want* to leave the farm, but just having access to the city instead of always needing to borrow Mom's car would be FANTASTIC! Julie is also starting to look at houses.

Dad will be starting his "phased" retirement soon (going down to working 4 days a week, then 3, then 2... you get the idea). The poor guy deserves a REST, already!

RECENT FILM VIEWS

ALADDIN (1992) *****

The Land Before Time (1988) ***

September 2, 2009

Happy September, everyone!

To those going back to school, best of luck in the upcoming academic year! I know I am very nervous and excited about going to college... And I have a feeling that in a program so intense, it won't be long before I blog "Holy CRAP, it's already APRIL!" lol... ^_^

Let's see, news from August... Dad's 60th Birthday party was a big success. Over a hundred people came! The weather wasn't the greatest, and only a few people swam in the pool, but it wasn't so bad that we had to be indoors. There was lots of food! Dad got about 30 bottles of wine as gifts and he is thrilled. I think it meant a lot to him that so many people came.

The pool is *almost* finished. HOWEVER, the county has just charged my parents with violating the bylaw regarding fences around pools. They have to go to court and pay a fine (we don't know how much it will be yet) for having water in the pool before the fence is complete. *sigh* It's complicated, and I will not rant about it today. But it SUCKS!

We've been enjoying as much of the summer as we can before it's gone, since June-mid-August were so cool and rainy. I had a great week with my family at the cottages up north, I spent a fabulous day with Sunshine at the Toronto Zoo and at the CNE (where I had to resist buying up EVERYTHING in the International Pavilion!!!)... Been swimming in the pool a few times, which I ADORE! Visits with friends have always been a bonus ^_^

I have been teaching myself to sew and I have already repaired a bunch of clothes, and made a few pillowcases :-) I have MAD plans to be able to make clothes and quilts and purses and EVERYTHING in between! I can't wait to get my paws on some new fabric (so far I have been working with scraps and worn-out bedsheets, haha)!!

Ummm what else. I am transitioning back to being vegetarian. I have to be more flexible this time to keep health my top priority, and to not push my family too much (since they are all enthusiastic carnivores).

I think that's it for this rather lengthy update! Wish me luck as I start school! *hugs to all*

RECENT FILM VIEWS (from my faulty memory):

I HEART HUCKABEES (2004) *****

THE LION KING (1994) *****

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) ****

Ponyo (2008) ****

Bring It On (2000) ***

Bedazzled (2000) ***

Hot Shots! (1991) ***

Wild Hogs (2007) ***

The Warlords (2007) ***

The Proposal (2009) **

Sahara (2005) *

RANT: Kimmy-Only Yoga

ok. i have a peeve here. On SO SO SO many images of anything to do with Yoga (CDs, DVDs, books, or even totally unrelated things like cereal and yogourt...) are images of extremely skinny women in meditation.

why not men? why not people with black or brown skin? why no east-asians? why no HEALTHY people? why no muscular people, or curvy people, or (heaven forbid) physically or mentally disabled people? honestly. you'd think that yoga was being aimed only at Kimmies (sorry, that's a word to denote white, blonde, upper-middle-class, conformist bimbos)...

ARRRGHHH!!!