Sweet Deal

My little cousins who live in the east end of Ottawa made a very enticing offer to me. They said if I went trick-or-treating with them this Tuesday that they would share their candy with me! What a score, and I did not ask them to include me on this venture and share the spoils, it was a spontaneous offer on their part. My elder cousin used to live in Ottawa and go with them, so I was assured that I am simply carrying on the annual tradition.

Also, the costume is optional, so I’m going to opt not to dress up. I don’t think I was ever huge on the costuming; I didn’t like putting the effort into it. Also I only like to move things hundreds of miles if I’m going to have actually a use for them throughout the year. This means I don’t have stuff laying around ready to be costume material, and I also am not crazy about spending money on it.

Maybe as a child I was way more into it, which would make sense especially in the normal sociological perspective. I remember dressing up as a fairy princess – I was super creative. Although in grade 7 (yes, I went trick-or-treating with my friends in grade 7) I went as a bunch of grapes. I tied a whole bunch of purple balloons to a purple knit sweater, it was the best costume I ever had.

Apparently the Chinese Embassy is THE place to go on Halloween here. My roommate was told by his roommate (really reliable information, you see) that they give out techno toys there. One year they allegedly gave out Discmans and other years mp3 players and digital cameras. I’m sure we’re not talking quality here, but still, free electronics is cool. So my roommate will test out this information this year and then I’ll decide whether or not I believe this urban legend.

There, a non-melty non-nostalgic post. Better?

It’s like a bluish purple colour

Going to Chapters is like going home. I walk in and I feel comfortable, consoled, happy. Once inside the door I hear the milk steamer and smell the espresso beans at the in house Starbucks, a little farther in I can smell the Chapters smell. It’s pretty consistent across branches, a kind of new book smell mixed in with the high ceiling/escalator ambience.

Considering the many times I go to Chapters (more so in the past year since Indigo was across the street) I rarely buy anything. It’s the experience of wandering around and browsing that I love. It’s the perfect store, containing thousands of books as well as decent CD and DVD sections. Even though I hate shopping I love getting new books and CDs, they are a semi-exception.

This summer when the T dot was making an attempt at the boiling point of lead I would go to Indigo and sit in the corner reading a comic-strip collection book and indulge in the commercial air conditioning. A/C is guilt free if there’s really nothing you can do to turn it off, so when you’re in the store you might as well embrace it fully.

One time my roommate and I actually got ‘dressed-up’ to go on a roommate date to the bookstore one night. We are wild, I tell you. The self-help section is particularly entertaining if you can get Pyweon to read a book or two out loud in her obnoxious narrator’s voice. It’s the place to go when you don’t know what else to do – everybody loves Chapters.

I remember in high school when getting to a Chapters was a major event since my little bity home town did not have one (I think Starbucks was also a factor in this excitement). It’s like the time we had an international quiz team practice in London – all day we wanted to go to Chapters but never had a chance and it was late when we were heading back so Dr and Mrs A didn’t let us go. However, we did have to stop for gas, which was across the highway from a Chapters. A few/all (can’t remember) of the boys (notice how I was the sensible/boring girl) decided to make a run for it while Dr A was at the pump. That initially didn’t go over very well, although running across the highway might have been exhilarating for them. But when Dr A drove over to collect the delinquents he himself got caught up in the awe of Chapters and began browsing through the books. I think Mrs A was the least impressed out of the group.

Perhaps part of the magic of Chapters, at least for girls my age, is that it reminds us of Belle’s library in Beauty and the Beast. We all want that library, don’t deny that it’s only one of the best movies of your lifetime, you know that it is. But yes, it feels like going home in a wonderful mind expanding way, although the Chapters here hasn’t had a copy of Orwell’s 1984 for a few months.

I miss Toronto

So very, very much. I miss my friends. I miss living downtown, wandering through Yorkville and down Yonge street. I miss using my extensive knowledge of the city core. I miss Springrolls and the incredibly addictive shanghai noodles. I miss ‘Not Just Noodles’ with their reasonably priced and excelelnt bubble tea. I miss ‘Sushi Club’ -- *tear* -- so many, many good times at Sushi Club. I miss 3 am coffee dates at the Timmy Ho-Ho’s around the corner (and desperately trying to win ANYTHING at roll up the rim). I miss convincing Annesley girls that I live there too. I missed the film festival and seeing random stars around. I miss Freedomize, finding a new church really sucks. I miss ice cream runs, and equivalently cookie-dough ice cream. I miss buying clothes on sale from Jacob Conexxion, so many clothes. I miss easily locating south by looking for the CN tower. In fact, I miss the whole exact North-South East-West grid of streets. And I really, really miss the subway, seriously, what kind of city has an entire transit system based on buses?


I don’t miss the construction, and in general I don’t miss the actual U of T. Its not a perfect city, but its my city.

Ottawa is kinda boring maybe b/c of the current friend situation. Living in a residential area is really weird for me, I have never done it before in my life. I grew up in the country, lived in Rez for 2 years then co-op housing at Bay and Bloor for 2 more. There’s nothing really to do on a weeknight, I’m just at home, hating CTV for their crappy programming this fall. Anyway....

Babies Everywhere!

Old, but good.

BABY! I know you're asking me to stay, Say please, please, please, don't go away

I decided to transfer some pictures of Finnan from my brother's online photo account for your viewing ease.

This is a baby in a baby chair.

This is Baby-Momma and baby.

This is my favourite of my brother holding his little son.

I guess he's not even a week old yet so he doesn't have that wide eyed baby look yet. Its funny watching video of him and recognizing the complete lack of sensory-motor skills. All in time. I think at this point he looks more like my sister-in-law's side of family but baby faces change so much so we'll just have to see.

With any luck he'll be a Coldplay fan.

No Mofo Way!!!

Guess who just got mentioned on tonight’s “The Colbert Report”!!!! You’re never going to believe it…..

OWEN FREAKING SOUND!

I am in such a shock at this moment, that Stephen Colbert spent like an entire minute talking about dinky little Owen Sound. It was in relation to his new favourite hockey team, the Saginaw Spirit who named their mascot after him. They play in the OHL and are up against Sarnia, Brampton and OWEN SOUND (the Owen Sound Attack, formerly the Playters) in their next three games.

While readily bashing Sarnia and Brampton he said about Owen Sound, “It actually seems like a nice community,” which takes me by surprise. He’s obviously not familiar with the west side.

Anyway, baby news is much more important, but this is big, this is improbability put down.

And the new era begins

So I’m an aunt, although I really hate the sound of ‘Aunt/Auntie Bethany/Beth’. I have to think of something better for the kid to call me when he learns how to talk. Finnan James was born yesterday at 3:20pm Atlantic Time and is a very healthy 8 pounds 3 ounces.

Momma had to have a c-section, but as far as I can decipher she’s ok. I have yet to actually talk to my brother on the phone, I’m just getting secondary messages at this point. I figure the two new parents are pretty busy and still at the hospital, so I won’t take it personally.

But hooray! My poor sister-in-law was so not enthused to be overdue, but its over. Kinda. More like it just started, but shhhhh, don’t tell her yet. Let her sleep just a little bit more.

If you want to see a picture of my nephew click on the ‘Big Brudder’ link on the sidebar.

Cheers.

I hate shopping

And shoes, I think I can finally admit that I really hate shoes. Every other girl in the world has a fetish with them, I do not. I own sandals, running shoes and only recently did I have to get black leather work shoes. This was not really out of my own volition, but out of “business casual” dominance in my summer-time workplace. That brings the total up to 3 pairs of shoes, if you’re the liberal type who considers sandals shoes.

I was going to say that I hate shopping for clothes and that I like doing it for books and CDs, but really it’s all the same. It takes forever to find what I want at a price I can afford and you have to wander aimlessly around forever to do that. I just hate it. Maybe this is why I’m decent at living thrifty…. and why I don’t really have that many clothes.

And don’t think its because I’m from the boonies, most of my friends were much more into the shopping thing there. And the shoes. Man I hate shoes. Feet should be free.

Is it a privative or binary feature?

So now I have to start thinking about what all my presentations and papers are going to be for the semester. I feel like perhaps I've been slacking off up till now, but I'm all caught up on my readings and I haven't actually forgotten to do anything, I guess this is just how it feels. I really shouldn't get freaked out with the papers and stuff. I think my mind is confused, being so used to have a billion things due for 5 classes, this only 3 classes thing hasn't fully registered yet.

I read another article discussing the PCC (person-case constraint) and a large chunk was talking about why dude used [Author] and [Participant] to define person features rather than including [Hearer]. So he goes on the analyze why [Hearer] doesn't work using the exact system he himself developed to account for the phenomena using [Author] and [Participant]. I mean, what is he thinking? You have to see if AN analysis will work (i.e. doing it from the beginning) with the different features to correctly argue against them. You can't plug them into something that was clearly developed for not it. Whatever, it helps me practice my critical review skills.

I've starting thinking about thesis topics, but its definitely going to take a while before I nail down exactly what I want to research. I'm mostly sure that I'm going to work on Algonquian languages (since I've become very familiar with them anyways) but I now have to pick which syntactic phenomena or class of phenomena I'm going to do. Its hard, because you have to choose something that will give you enough material for a 50 page paper (which I haven't found out if its double spaced or not yet, so potentially 100 pages).

I'm getting a little nervous about the papers I have to start working on, but I really shouldn't. I usually like my papers and am proud of them once they're finished. Its a ride getting to that point but its always worth it. And I need some grad papers so I have more current things to talk about and everything isn't, "What I did in undergrad," which sounds less than impressive.

If you know anyone that speaks an Algonquian language, I'm ready to become their best friend. I make really good orange cookies and crepes if that's enticing enough.

The world’s academic economy runs on grad students

I like Dinah’s post about her soundtrack to life. I could do the same, but then I’d have to go through all the songs I know and remember what type of life moment it reminds me of. But I will instead make an overview of albums and how they relate to my life. I’m not trying to be mushy, work with me. Ok, I’ll do them in the order that I think of them.


Coldplay – X & Y













This album is all about India and Scotland. I bought the album (for 395 rupees) in Calcutta and listened to it also when I was in Edinburgh in the summer of 2005. When I listen to the songs they remind me of my travels. I always think of bonnie ol’ Scotland when I hear “Swallowed in the Sea” and I guess its fitting that Coldplay is from the UK (but don’t call a Scottish person English, big mistake). Sort of an intertwining (….don’t remember what I said….) travels…. India….Scotland… I love Coldplay. (That was for Dinah, and Justin, but I don’t think he knows I have a blog).


Coldplay – Parachutes













Parachutes was all about the summer I worked at camp. I listened to the album all the time. Now when I hear the song “Sparks” I remember my one camper who insisted there were sparks between me and another counselor. She was wrong, of course.


Lifehouse – No Name Face













Don’t make fun, this was in high school. I don’t really want to say any specifics of this album, but I was totally on it for the quiet, emotional ride it provides. You know when you make songs about your life, despite what they’re actually talking about? That’s what I did.


U2 – Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby!, Zooropa










These three albums are first year university and slightly before. I got them in that order as well. Its just good music for good times.


The Killers – Hot Fuss













This album is 4th year all over. “Mr. Brightside” was our song of the year (and me and Amina would scream it in a horrible out of tune fashion at Pyweon), its just music that you can play when anyone comes over and no one ever has a problem with it. I can’t say I’m as excited about Sam’s Town, but maybe I just need to get used to that album.


Newsboys – Take Me To Your Leader













What was that, like grade 6? Jr High? I love the Newsboys, I used to say they were my favourite, but now that’s mostly shifted to U2. The Newsboys are great for when you’re a kid – non-threatening music with sunshine satire blended in. Reminds me of being 12.


Radiohead – Kid A













That’s also a recent one, like last year. This is by far my favourite Radiohead album (and I do own all of them now, except Pablo Honey which I’m not crazy about). It is sometimes very quiet and cool and other times raw.


Ok, so I didn’t really write about what I said I would, but Lila told me to post more, so this is me trying to again post more.

Put a little love in your heart

So its been a while since I actually posted. Now that I have things to do that I usually want to do the blog posting suffers, but I think that is a normal outcome of blogging for many people. So I haven’t contrived anything to sound witty today, nor have I remembered some hidden pop culture phenomenon to share with you while demanding you check it out. I will just tell you about my weekend.

So Friday way my birthday (the big 2 – 2) and it was largely uneventful. Me and my friend Laura had a road trip through Algonquin park b/c she drove me form Ottawa to my family’s cottage in Muskoka, but then she left me and went home. L And oh yeah, I got in trouble for setting off a security alarm in the department, that wasn’t fun, I felt like a huge idiot.

My mom gave a big box full of candy and toys and stuff, she’s always the best at stuff like that. I ate pizza and such with my family and on Sunday we did the Thanksgiving dinner thing, and everyone always wants to know what I eat for some reason. No, I do not eat turkey, and I don’t like stuffing. The staple of my meal is usually mashed potatoes, which I am fully satisfied with.

I got back to Ottawa yesterday only to find many emails and phone messages wishing me a happy birthday. My friends are the best. Especially since I’m one of the worst people for forgetting birthdays. Seriously.

Yes, now I’m in my office at school, class will begin soon and later I get to go fight with the financial aid office. Giving me trouble, they are. And at some point in the next few days I am for sure buying the new Killers album. I’ve only heard one song once from it, but I trust the boys won’t let me down.

Happy Tuesday everyone (and that’s Tunesday to you, Dinah).

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Hansel, so hot right now.



Isn't Magnum beautiful?