And The Witty Died

I'm Not Late, Just Delayed

You know if anyone else was writing this blog questionable titles like that would seem a lot more titillating. Alas, it is only me and I'm just trying for some excitement. Well readers I'm not apologizing but I am explaining the internet in the staff accommodations has been down for the past week and half hence the late blog update. But today is the Sabbath and also the day of reflection, musing, and according to my agreement with my mother updating.

In the Last Week...

Going stir-crazy is the new fun thing to do here. If anyone who reads this lives in the Southern Albertan hemisphere, or you are my mother who just loves to read the weather report for Waterton we have been under a cloud of rain for the past week and half. Seriously we are going out of our minds here and it has not been pretty. I literally spent three hours at Pearls playing cards. My doppelganger (privacy watch mother readers) and I have begun a competition. That will eventually leave me as victor but for now has left me a little tiny bit wanting. But only for now. It's a beautiful game called Rummy 500 and just like solitaire it has consumed my life.

Speaking of the solitaire I have officially beaten the game more than a dozen times, and suddenly my work life has no meaning. So I read, and bang my head against the wall figuratively and literally.

Freaking Bear's Hump

Well readers those of you familiar with Waterton are most likely familiar with the world's worst hike, the most killer, the most likely to be the inspiration for Dante's inferno, Bear's Hump. It's the worst 0.5 km hike of anyone's life, most especially mine. But they have started a staff challenge to hike it thirty times this summer and so far I've been twice. And hated it each time.

But despite the crappiness of my physical prowess I've still managed to have some good times. The first time up it was extremely windy and the second time up it was even more windy. That's pretty much the appeal of Bear's Hump, the view and the challenge of staying on the top in the wind.

Is it Just Me or Is My Witty-ness Lacking?

Well folks I'm just not really feeling the writing today. The blog is going to updated further on in the week I promise, even if the internet is down because I've really grown to love the Pearl's internet cafe. So stay tuned and on top of something more exciting than Waterton in the rain.

P.S. Did ya catch the doppelganger hint? It's not a joke I've seriously made a friend who likes the same stuff as me. It's weird we talk about the same things.

The Dorked Life

My Work Life Consists of Copious Amounts of Solitaire

I'll admit it, dear readers. I've never been much of a solitaire player but for some reason this year, this mindless, frustrating, and mind numbing game has seemingly taken over my professional life. Now, before my readers (namely my mother) get up in my face for wasting time I promise you I'm not. I'm passing time. That's right, my skills as a front desk attendant have increased so exponentially that I have found myself this summer an hour into a shift with little else to do but twiddle my thumbs...hence the Solitaire.

I've never really liked video games or computer games. I can play them for a bit, but honestly I'm not a guy. I don't have a nothing box (ten dollars if someone can find that reference) to reside in while I waste hours and hours beating a game but I've realized that solitaire is not a game. Without intending to my solitaire obsession has suddenly become my goal of the summer. My co-worker got a high score of 655 decimating my high score of 458 so my new goal of the summer has been to beat that score. Here's hoping that the phones stay silent and my skills continue to leave me plenty of time to practice!!!

The Injury Clause

As my most devoted readers know last summer I had many adventures, and they each left their mark, especially my moped adventure. So this summer when I determined that I was heading back here I decided to hold myself to a no-injury clause. This meant that I would try and take extra precautions to ensure that I didn't mangle, dismember, or further disfigure myself. It's been three weeks and I've already broken it...slightly.

Do not panic readers it was not super serious. What happened was two of friends were moving into my hallway so we all banded together to move their stuff. I took it upon myself to hook their television up (because we still don't have one so I needed somewhere to watch bones) and preceded to bang my head against the sloping roof not once, but five times. I'm not going to lie the rest of the night is a little foggy. I do remember laughing way too much and far too loudly. I'm guessing it was about the nearest example I'll ever experience of drunk Maddy. Needless to say the next two nights I slept extremely well, but an Advil a day and I was just fine!

The Dorked Out Life

Well folks I know you read this to live vicariously through my (supposed) adventures while I live in Waterton, and thank you for that but as a proud dork I have a bit to say about my little obsessions. First, Smallville.

If you're reading this you know how much this show means to me. I have devoted nine years of my life to it and by the end I will have spent a glorious ten years worshipping at the altar of Smallville (no sac religion intended) so it would be foolish of me not to put out in the web-sphere my two cents about the season finale.

It was amazing and I'm not just saying that because I'm a die hard fan. Objectively it was extremely well done. The cliffhangers, character development, and even the shoots were extremely well done. For all my Smallville love I really haven't truly loved a season finale since the 4th season finale (when he built the Fortress of Solitude). This finale however was awesome. I loved the original creators and writers of the show Al Gough and Miles Millar but since they left in the seventh season the show has just got this brand new energy. The characters are more engaging, the plots thicker, and they are using way more comic book references, and characters. Plus they finally got rid of Lana and put Lois upfront and centre. Finally Superman has a character who actually questions and tests him!

Ok, I'll stop. I know I'll lose half my readers if I continue praising Smallville. Just know that in one year from know I'll be devoting an entire blog entry to Smallville so that I can achieve some sort of closure when it ends. And I'll probably break out all my seasons again. I love being a dork.

Bones on the other hand...

Bones is supposed to be the replacement Smallville. It's the show that is supposed to make the transition easier when Smallville does end next year. And I do love Bones, and as you know I met the creator Hart Hanson earlier this year. After I met him I had complete faith that he would finally deliver on his promise to get Booth and Brennan together. Complete faith. Even after the 100th episode when she told him that they couldn't be together I still believed. But after this craptastic season finale I've decided I may hate Hart Hanson.

Why you may ask? Because they didn't get together. Instead they each took of for opposite sides of the globe and the show is intending to pick up a year from now "with big changes" ie. keeping playing them apart or possibly bring the characters back with significant others. This is complete crap. The reason I was so forgiving of Hart Hanson was because as a writer I believed the character's story arcs. Brennan wasn't ready to be with Booth in the 100th episode and so her reaction was completely organic. But if she can admit that she loves Hodgins (as a friend) and recognizes that love because he gave her a codebook for poisonous spiders while she is in Indonesia then she can dang well recognize that she loves Booth!! I yelled at the television.

Hart Hanson I take back my giddy, girly, embarrassing reaction when I shook your hand.

Well that was a rant...

Well readers (I'm really pushing the addressing the readers bit today, perhaps it will make my readers feel more loved or perhaps even increase my readership [which by the way is an awesome word]), it's time for me to go make myself some dinner. I know I didn't focus too much on my Waterton exploits but not too much has happened and my slave driver has requested weekly blog postings in exchange for a hair cut when she visits in July so there will be plenty of time to update you. Plus I have to mentally prepare myself for the finale of Lost. Yes, I am also one of those dorks but only recently.

As always...

Check out the new She and Him album. It's like the mish mash of a 60's love child, and norah jones. Fantastic, and soothing. A weird little combination that is getting constant play on my ipod!

As Per The Instructions of My Mother

Well, well it was mother's day

My mother requested that I update this blog for her mother's day present and since it costs only a little of my time I deemed that a suitable compromise and a pretty furgal gift at that!!

Let It Snow, Let it Snow

So those who live in my home city of Edmonton had to deal with a one day freak spring blizzard. I have zero sympathy for you because your blizzard was simply the remants of the three, yes three spring blizzards we have had so far. I'm not kidding, in total I think we've probably gotten about five feet of snow but it melted and then snowed and melted again. Today is a melt day but I'm sure by mid afternoon things will change. Welcome to Waterton!!!

The storms were so bad that the surrounding areas such as Cardston and Mountain View were out of power for two days. Luckily here we were only out of power for about 4 hours but it was enough time for me to realize that I am helpless without a stove. Seriously I freeze my bread and I had to dethaw a piece of bread in the one little crack of sunlight that was streaming through the window. It only took about half an hour of my life that I'll never get back.

Cabin Fever

Needless to say with the constant snow and the lack of anything being open in Waterton we were all getting extremely bored. Even the satelitte was out!! So one night when it was again snowing quite hard we all bundled up and rounded up as many people as we could. We had a small snowfight and then built three massive snowmen just in front of the hotel entrance. It was the most fun I've had in the snow in years. It wasn't cold so I was just in a hoodie and jeans but by the end of the night after rolling around in the snow for hours we were all frozen. So we headed to the pool and hot tub (after hours because we be Staff and we get sweet privileges!!) and stayed there till about 12. It was probably the funniest night I've had here so far.

I've Got The Crew

This year has turned out to be so much fun here in Waterton, and that because we have a really good staff crew this year. There is a big group of us that aren't hardcore party people so we get together for stuff like herbal tea!! It's been really cool because we all just gather in someone's apartment or just stop by whenever we're bored. Last night I had the whole crew essentailly in my apartment until 11:45, just chatting away. It's been really cool and I've really happy that I choose to come back this year.

The Pimp Suite

Yep that's right this year I've totally scored on the staff accomdation front! My apartment is directly across the hall from my old apartment but it's so much nicer. It's really big and has beautiful, big windows that directly face Vimy. My room has a nice big window that faces the mountain and no blind so the sun wakes me up every morning. It's great and we have a massive huge shower which is good because there will be four girls living in this apartment. For now there is three of us and it's working out great!

My Partner In Crime Has Arrived

Due to internet privacy and whatnot I can't officially name my best buddy online who has now shown up but the majority of the people reading this now who he/she is so fill in the blanks. Anyway he/she showed up this week and so now the summer has officially started even if the weather is not co-operating. Expect the great and grand tales of last summer soon, hopefully, weather willing.

Anywho,

Well folks I guess I should return to getting some work done. But before I go everyone should be listening to my new favourite Mumford and Sons and watching Smallville because this week is the finale and it's going to be amazing!! Even for the naysayers who read this and think Smallville sucks, watch it will rock your world and if not Superman will trump you down! Or at least I will in his stead.

Till next time...

The Return

Return To My Mountain Home

Yes that's right folks I have returned to Waterton once again. It was a bit of a struggle to decide and after a hundred pros/cons list (you know I love them) I finally made my decision and I'm here once again. So far, it has been amazing just being back in the mountains. Of course, Waterton is still Waterton. My first day here I was welcomed with three feet of snow and a three hour power outage, but a chinook came through the next day and the storm and snow has now passed. I was all game for an epic snowball fight but my friends were not up for it, but I still managed to get a few shots in.

Right now I'm in an apartment across the hall from my old apartment. It's bigger and it has a super nice shower but there will probably be four of us, or even five stuffed in here. For now it's just two and so there's lots of space. I'm super lucky on the roommate front this year. Most of my roommates are members so I wouldn't be worrying about any major partying. My current roommate is from Ontario, loves show tunes, and youtube blogging. She's been a lot of fun so far and Megan is especially excited to meet her and sing some show tunes.

So that's about it for Waterton now. I'm back to front desk and I'll even be back at the Aspen Village so nothing has really changed there. The first couple days here I've just been adjusting. Nothing too major because of all the trails are still closed so I've just been hitting the gym, working, or cleaning the apartment. Last year this apartment was party central so bleach has definitely been used on almost every surface, and one major nasty, huge, hairball was pulled out of the shower drain, and I almost vomited.

The Rest of The Semester...

Well I survived the end of school. It was dicey there for a couple of weeks especially when my dell computer finally gave up the ghost in the last two weeks of school. Luckily I rescued almost everything (except the assignment I had spent six hours on) off it. Eventually this lend to my newest pride and joy, my Macbook Pro. Yes that's right people this blog is coming to you off the slim, the shiny, the sexy, and all mine MacBook Pro. And not the old one, the brand, spanking, new, fast processor one!

This semester was probably my favourite so far. I loved my classes and I did really well. I got two A-, two A's, and one B-. It was really enjoyable and I'm really looking forward to next year after my summer break.

Oh yeah, the cliffhanger

So I forgot about the last epic event of the semester my Muse concert. It was completely amazing and so deafening! I had a super bad cold a couple of days before and my throat was just starting to heal up and needless to say it did not fare well in the days after the concert. Even if you didn't enjoy their music you would have loved this show. The effects, the sounds, and the passion of the band was so incredible. I was just in awe the entire night of the whole spectacle. I think it will be a long time before I see another concert as incredible as that.

Well...

Well folks it's time for me to head back to preparing my dinner because I have to do it all myself. At the moment I'm living off of asparagus which is good but I'm looking forward to heading into town to get a little more variety going.

As always...

I've been jamming to the new Norah Jones cd, and it's quite good for my older readers. But for the young at heart I have recently rediscovered my love for the Violent Femmes. It's all I've been listening to and I swear even though I've heard it a million times I could put Blister In the Sun on a rotation and listen to it over and over and never get bored. It's that good.

Until next time...

P.S. As I am now back in Waterton and trying to avoid the daily houndings of my mother for my well-being this blog will most likely be updated more currently, so stay tuned, tell your friends, and comment!!!

Appeasing the Masses

Well gang I'm back to appeasing those who have still continued to read this blog, namely my mother. I promise no matter how long it takes me to blog again I will not open another blog with an apology, after I'm done writing this one of course.

Lived a Greatest Day

As I mentioned in my last post this semester features three amazing events and two of the them have already happened. The first was the future of story conference at my school. This was an amazing day. It was a two day conference (though I only went to one day because of work) that featured a bunch of prominent authors, screenwriters, comic book authors, producers, editors, etc. from the Albertan and Canadian community talking about the future of the story. Of course for me the main attraction was Hart Hanson, the creator and executive producer of Bones! Yes, that's right I met him! It was absolutely amazing. My friend and I were volunteers for the event and we got to go back stage at the school and help out there. It was a great experience. We got to play seek and find in our school and found so many sweet new hallways, rooms, and workshops. I love my school it's a crazy little funky maze and it's always fueling creativity. Anyway back to Hart Hanson. We thought that we weren't going to get to meet him but because we had been helping back stage we ended up getting to talk to him there. This was the first time that I really met someone I truly admire and I have to admit I did not hold it together as well as I thought it would. I can completely hold my cool like an icicle around a boy I like, but man around anybody remotely famous apparently I lose it. I told him in a much more girly voice that we were huge fans, after I shoved my hand in his face to shake his hand. It was a little embarrassing but it didn't even matter because I got to meet him!!

His talk was amazing and the rest of the night was great because we worked coat check. Coat check turned out to be the place to be, and everyone talked to us, offered advice, or listened to the ideas that we had. It was amazing and the whole night was just an incredible high.

The Best Week

Well I also had the chance this semester to expand my horizons. Yes, on Feb. 16 I boarded a plane and made my way all by myself to California. I spent a marvelous week there with my Aunt Jenny and my Uncle Ken. They showed me all the sights of Fresno, and Clovis and then we packed up the car and made our way to San Francisco for the week. San Francisco was amazing. The buildings, the bridges, the overpasses it was all so incredible. It actual looks like it does in the movies, it is literally up and down. It was freaky and so weird especially driving up a hill that steep it just doesn't seem right.

In San Francisco we went to Fisherman's Warf which is one of the big tourist attractions. It's mostly a collection of tourist shops, spots, attractions, and whatnot located along the pier. It was amazing and really cool to see everything. There was a crazy sour dough bread factory that made bread in the shape of animals like crocodiles, a crazy jungle restaurant with a fish tank arch, crazy hippies trying to score money for dope, and of course creepy magicians. My next post I'll try and upload pictures for you to see what I'm talking about because most it I can't describe.

Of course we drove across both the Golden gate and the Bay bridge. Halfway across the Bay bridge (it's a twenty minute drive across) my aunt mentioned that it collapsed a couple of years ago. Yeah that really calmed me down. I almost passed out in sheer terror. It's really weird there because for a region that is plagued by earthquakes they have all these crazy high overpasses and bridges that seriously look like they will just collapse like toothpicks if an earthquake hit. I don't get it but it was cool to see them.

The rest of the week was spent chilling out with my Aunt and Uncle. I had a ton of fun with them and I did a lot of shopping. I'm officially poor for the next two weeks. Holy man.

School....

Well, school is beginning to get intense again. Honestly this next month I have three or four assignments due every week so don't expect an update for awhile. My project lead class is going really well. I really lucked out my first project I had an amazing group and we got 93% and then 95% on the assignments. Now I'm a leader of a new group so wish me luck! Hopefully it will all work out.

My other crazy classes are screenwriting and writing for the ear. Screenwriting is not that bad, it's just a lot of writing. This semester we have to write a 24 page screenplay. We've already finished all the outlines for it, and this week I'll be starting on the first draft of my screenplay. Next post I'll try and provide a quick synopsis for you, so far it's kind of a boy meets girl/ corporate espionage kind of thing.

Writing for the ear is my speech writing class which seems to be going well. Most of my classmates tell me that I'm really good, but I'm just talking it up to all of my experience talking in church and my crazy maniac personality. Today actually we had to do a debate in class. I was against the best girl in the class and my topic was opposing the withdrawal of the Canadian forces in Afghanistan. It was a brutal topic but I think I did really well on it. It was just tough because I'm pretty for the soldiers getting out of there. Anyway...another time for that.

Life is getting a little stressful lately but I'm just going to keep on trying. I'll try and update this blog and let you in on the decisions that will come in the coming weeks. Spoiler alert: I'll eventually decide whether or not I'm heading back to Waterton this summer.

You Know I Can't Resist:

First off everyone reading this is obliged to let a congratulatory cheer Smallville was renewed for a tenth season!! It has been amazing this year and I'm not just saying that because I'm a mega fan. They've really found the groove of the season this year and they've been writing some amazing television. I love this show, and I love that it seems to get better every year and I don't have to ever let go it because it keeps getting renewed. It's been my favourite since I was 11 and I absolutely love that!!

Also Jamie Cullum, you might remember him as the groovy, jazzy, funky, beast of my laundry folding listening in Waterton last year has come out with an amazing new album. Check it out, it will blow your mind, as it is blowing mine now!! I absolutely love it! The vocals, arrangements, horns, piano everything is louder and faster. The best tracks for me so far are: Wheels (an amazing epic little ditty about the wheels of life), Mixtape (epic horn and string arrangements), and Don't Stop the Music (Done tens times better than Rhianna ever imagined) Check it out I promise you will love it!!

I'll see you on the other side of a dozen essays, two drafts of a screenplay, project leadership, and speeches!!

I Want To Go Down in Celluloid History

Well, Well, Well

To make this official it has been more than a month since my last blog update. I'm pretty sure that the few readers I had, I have now lost. So I must reclaim them. Life is getting crazy again and I'm starting to believe that it may just always stay that way. Which, if it stayed as happy and awesome as it is, would be just fine.

The updates (short version):

Christmas/New Years was spent with family and friends. There isn't much more to that, because that is the absolute best gift I always seem lucky enough to get. It was enjoyable, there was plenty of food, and far too much laughing. This year was the first year that I felt confident enough to make my own separate New Year's plans from my family. I spent my evening in the company of good friends, in satin, drinking fake bubbly. If New's Year's Eve defines how you spend the rest of your year then I'm feeling pretty confident that this year will be a great one.

School: Well, I got a B in my grammar class! And I don't have to take another grammar class for the rest of my degree! Life is absolutely grand, and I did far better this semester than I thought I would. This new semester is shaping up to be very exciting. I'm taking project lead (which focuses on group work and taking a project from start to finish), writing for the ear (essentially a speech writing/delivering class), professional prose (just the 2nd half of the course I started in sept.), Applied Rhetoric (the 2nd level of a course I took last year about the ancient method of arguing. It's weird, it's intersecting, it gives me mad skills), and screenwriting two (essentially the same as screenwriting one except I have to write a 25 page script this time), and that's it!

Life: Well, probably the biggest change is that I turned twenty and now must reconcile myself to the fact that I no longer can use the excuse of technically still being a teenager. It's a really weird age, and I'm not going to lie I did have a one day freak out about it but it's been two weeks and I think I'm cool with it. My birthday was really awesome and fun, again surrounded by family and friends. I think the weirdest thing about this birthday is remembering what I used to think turning twenty would feel like. I thought I was going to be a scientist (no lie) and have my own car, live someplace warm, and spend all my time with my friends from elementary school. Well, you guys know the truth. I'm not there, but I don't think I could have imagined how great my life is now. There still is some grey days but the sun is always shining if I want it to!

Anyway that's the update. I'll try and keep it up.

On the other note, my personal ramblings need to take a back seat because I believe my pop culture leanings have not been discussed in some time. There are three things everyone needs to know (in my opinion): one, Smallville keeps getting better and better and I'm seriously considering starting a pray group to ensure a tenth season (is that sacrilegious, oh well the Lord knows how much I need it), two: I discovered Phoenix over the holidays and everyone should check them out as well as buy the new Vampire Weekend album!!, and last but not least: I have come to the realization that my psychological well being is severely bettered when I consistently play brick breaker on my phone, and I will always love blackberry for that!

This week I'm having a Smith's reunion so you should check out: There is a Light that Never Goes Out, and Cemetery Gates!

The Coup

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

Well, I lied. I was not able to keep up with the blogging. Honestly I did have the time on Sundays like I said but my brain was so fired from all the writing I had to do for school that the last thing I wanted to do was write about myself. But it's almost the new year and I'm starting early on my resolutions.

Since the last time...

Well, a lot has happened since my last post, and before that I didn't mention. So, I'll just give you a quick highlights reel of my first semester this year.

The Top 10 of this semester:

10. Getting Home from Waterton and paying my full tuition!

9. Getting my credit card (not that I'm wildly spending its just a milestone of adulthood)

8. Dances, and Dances (I've been dancing like crazy this semester with the busyness of ysa but its been a ton of fun.)

7. Discovering Glee/Glee Finale (we discovered it this year as I mentioned in earlier posts and every week we became more and more obsessed, resulting in our glee finale party at my house, which was was really just us but still awesome!)

6. Scoring a 71% on my grammar midterm (still waiting for the final mark), an A- in short fiction forms, B- in editing (which is higher than I thought), and that's all I have so far.

5. Jason Mraz concert (it was amazing and like a tween I was so nervous to see my idol but it was the best concert I've been to yet!)

4. Return of rockband (well it was only one night but we all played some rock band and though I'm sure it wouldn't be as often, it was super fun! Even though I sucked!)

3. Stagette/Bridal Shower: My good friend got married at the end of november, so we had some parties to send her off right. It was a real fun time and so exciting for her!

2. Preference: My friend and I went together and were brave enough to ask some boys out on date! I asked a good friend from school and we had a lot of fun.

1. Wedding: it was one of the coolest things to see two of my really good friends get married. It was wonderful to see them so happy and it was so much fun!

Some of the downer/stupidly dumb moments:

- shutting my finger in the car door. I don't even know how it happened but the next thing I know my hand is caught and I was screaming. My finger grew to the size of a Bratwurst sausage and was weirdly twisted but has since healed. It was definitely one of the more embarrassing of my many injuries so far.

- it was -40 for a week and half. We have gotten so luck this semester with the weather until the end of november/beginning of dec. It got so cold and the worst part was I kept thinking of my friend JT at school in Hawaii. He made it so much harder to accept the cold this year. In other news, I have set a goal to move to a warmer climate.

Coming Soon:

Well this next semester is really shaping up to be really awesome. I have some exciting classes this next semester, which I am really looking forward to. I also have some exciting events coming up this semester. First off I will be turning twenty which is a big milestone birthday and weirdly old for me. Don't shoot me, older readers it just seems very adult. And I definitely do not feel like an adult. In February I will be volunteering for a writing conference. One of my teachers is organizing it and a bunch of Canadian authors, and industry leaders are speaking and manning panels including one of my personal heroes Hart Hanson, creator and producer of Bones! That is pretty much the reason I joined!

Also in February I will be flying to California to visit my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ken in Fresno. Hopeful we will be able to work everything out and go visit San Fransico! I'm so excited, because even if its cold there it will still be warmer than Edmonton! I cannot wait for reading week!

Then in March my friends from school and I will be heading to the Muse concert! It will be epic to say the least, and I'm more excited than I thought I could be.

Final Note:

I can't guarantee that I will keep up with this because the evidence against me is overwhelming but I'll try and give it a shot. It's fun to share what's going on in my life with everyone who reads this and get psyched up for what's coming next. Till next time then!