this is not my beautiful house

This will be quick because this is one of the infamous 'no laptop' classes. Things are still tripping along on this end; this is my last week of class before February's round of placement. (And then there are only three more weeks of class.) February placement is in a grade seven classroom; I will be teaching Math, Computers, Gym, Sex Ed, Geography, and Language Arts. I am simultaneously terrified and thrilled about this.

Life is good right now. For once, I truly can't complain.

electioneering

I won't post much about the election here...snipes and gripes is the place for that...but I did want to post this: Voter Turn Out Up (via the CBC): Voter turn out is up 4% nationally, but up 13% in the 18-24 demographic. Granted, this still means that only 38% of all 18-24 year olds are voting, but I will take what I can get.

Especially when faced with the prospect of a Conservative minority.

what do you do with a drunken sailor (pretentious English major?)

I have a three hour gap between classes Monday afternoons, so I have taken to spending time in one of the newer student lounges on campus, which is fun because a) there are glass walls on two sides, b) lots of comfy couches, c) lots of places to plug in a laptop, d) great for people watching, and e) it's generally pretty quiet and devoid of undergrads. The last few times I've been in here, however, there have been two (who I suspect are English or History majors, as we can smell our own) who truly bring new meaning to pretentious. Sample quote, "but, my god, an AK47 is SUCH an outdated weapon. Like, as if people still use those." They've also been waxing poetic about the wonderous artistic integrity of Hunter S. Thompson, patron saint of posers everywhere.

Kris, we were never that bad, were we?

Not too much to report on this end. I've spent some time gallavanting around Northern Ontario, visiting boys and such. This past weekend was also the tremendously fun Winter Classic, a three day casual sports event at the university. The section put in a team; we played hard; we came in second out of thirty teams. None too shabby--and only a few injuries were sustained. I came out with some minor bumps and bruises on my knees (and a nice one of my wrist from getting hit on the wrist in broomball); mostly I'm just sore from a day of physical exertion followed by a night of drinking and dancing. Gotta get myself in shape for formal this weekend.

All the couches in here have me wanting to build a fort to hide out in.

I'm it!

Mz. T tagged me last week, and I promised I'd do it, filled it out offline and then promptly forgot about it until now. I do get around to things, I swear.

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Through the Looking Glass – small giftshop owned by one of my neighbours
2. Recruitment Assistant – basically, glorified tour guide for the University.
3. Historical Interpretor: This past summer was my sixth at this job. Easily the best job I’ve had; easily the job I’ve been the best at. Here I have really come into my own, and made some of the best friends I will ever have. This job has taught me the most about people.
4. Student Technology Assistant – my current job, helping people with their laptops and teaching workshops.

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Life is Beautiful
2. White Christmas
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Star Wars

Four places you have lived:
1. St. Zacharie, Provence, France – for three months on exchange when I was fifteen. I say lived because I went to school there.
2. St. Boniface, MB – the French quarter of Winnipeg, my favourite city in Canada.
3. Guelph, ON – city of poetry, great food, and my MA
4. North Bay ON – my erstwhile home for five of the last six years

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. CSI
2. Darcy’s Wild Life
3. Radio Free Roscoe
4. okay…I have to confess that I really don’t watch a lot of TV

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Scotland
2. Canada’s east coast (PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia)
3. Carcassonne, Perpignan, France
4. Lake Lanier, Georgia

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Perez Hilton – my dark secret
2. TelevisionWithoutPity – where I steal all my jokes
3. Tomato Nation
4. CBC.ca

Four of my favourite foods:
1. Tacos
2. Cheese
3. Pizza
4. Pasta

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In Westeros
2. In Scotland
3. At home in bed
4. In Sudbury in someone else’s bed

According to Career Cruising...

These are my top 40 career choices:
1. Anthropologist
2. Archivist
3. Criminologist
4. Activist
5. Political Aide
6. Writer
7. Communications Specialist
8. Market Research Analyst
9. Print Journalist
10. Critic
11. Public Policy Analyst
13. Translator
14. Lobbyist
15. Public Relations Specialist
16. Director of Photography
17. Paralegal
18. Legal Secretary
19. Desktop Publisher
20. Editor
21. Civil Litigator
22. Criminal Lawyer
23. Lawyer
24. Judge
25. Special Effects Technician
26. Animator
27. Cartoonist / Comic Illustrator
28. Actor
29. Costume Designer
30. Mediator
31. Set Designer
32. Sign Maker
33. Nurse
34. Autobody Repairer
35. Fashion Designer
36. Practical Nurse
37. Medical Secretary
38. Massage Therapist
39. Casting Director
40. Midwife

*insert round up music here*

It is time, folks, for the amazing and incredible year end round up!!1! And surely there is no better time to round stuff up than in class! On Monday morning! I'm tired of all these extreme exclamation points!

(Amendment: this list is inclsuive of all the things that I discovered this year, rather than things that were actually new.)

Movies:
I think I watched more movies this year than I ever have before. The highlight of my movie year was probably Cube, which is easily the best sci-fi offering I've seen in years. Shaun of the Dead and Land of the Dead were also good times. Attack of the Clones wasn't what I wanted it to be, but I'd be lying if I said that the scene in which all the Jedi are slaughtered didn't give me goosebumps every time.

Narnia and Potter get special nods, as does the BBC production of Narnia--though it is dreadful, it is still a piece of my childhood.

Big losers this year were Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Skeleton Key, and the Matrix movies. I didn't actually watch the Matrices, I just caught bits and pieces that reminded me of my hate.

Books: I read roughly 60 books last year. Actually, I'm pretty sure I read more than that, but I only wrote down 60 titles in my log, so that's the final number you're getting. (One of my resolutions is to keep a better log.) De Lindt, Gaiman, Martin, and various other bits of fantasy were my reading candy this year; Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels are the standout this year. Set in England at the turn of the century, the plot is well-paced and the details are marvelous.

Music: a solid year for Canadian music. My two big discoveries for the year are the Postal Service (though they are not Canadian) and Stars. I'm a sucker for a smooth lyric and a killer harmony, what can I say?