Nothing Special

So right now I'm sitting at Tim and Andee's computer. It's almost midnight. They are wandering around trying to pack and keep from going crazy, wondering whether they're forgetting half of the stuff they need. I am pretty much useless right now, so I figured I'd explain my past and future blog-negligence. Well, basically I've been super busy getting ready for stuff (wedding/germany) and seeing people one last time before I leave, plus I'm kind of sick with a cold right now, which will hopefully disappear BEFORE the wedding. Preferably. And I was definitely up puking last night. I'm pretty sure I ate something NOT cool yesterday cuz it's not the flu. But I'm sure you were all dying to read about my night of toilet-hugging. LOL. I'm totally fine today tho, other than the cold. Weird. Crazy. Plus this weekend I went to Gimli with Naomi for the weekend. We had planned it in February when we were both still stressed to the max at school. It was awesome. We had INCREDIBLE weather. It was the first nice weekend we've had out here in PSYCHO Manitoba, so that was awesome. I'll try to post some pics after the wedding craziness is over next weekend.
So anyways, tomorrow Tim, Andee, and I head out to the lake to start getting ready for the wedding. This means I will be unable to do anything Internet-related. I will more than make up for that, however, when we get back and I can blog about the wedding. PICTURES. YAY. Twil be amazing.
So today I got a response to my email that I sent to the school I'll be working at in Germany. The head of the languages department of that school (grades 5-12, 850 students) emailed me. She sounded super-nice and excited for my arrival. She also said they would help me out with the whole living accommodations and getting myself settled out there, which is a huge load off my mind. Getting that email got me so excited. This is all craziness.
Ok, now I'm just rambling and whenever I start using the words 'crazy' and 'excited' too often, it means I need to go to bed because my vocabulary is starting to fail horrendously due to exhaustion. I've been sitting here trying to think of better ways to express all of these thoughts and nothing is happening up there. So I'm not even going to do my usual font colour/size changes. I need sleep. But I just wanted to let you know why I've been so mysteriously absent...and why this absence will continue for just a little longer.

Also, I canceled my cell phone today, so if you need to reach me you can either call my house or facebook me. Sweet. Have a good week and get some sun. Peace out. (I hate that phrase.)

BOYS won't want to read this blog

**warning. boys will not be interested in this blog. in fact, you probably won't even LIKE this blog. feel free to skip it or continue at your own risk.**

so...

All I have to say is...WHY IS IT SO DANG HARD FOR A GAL TO FIND A STRAPLESS BRA THAT DOES ALL THE THINGS SHE WANTS IT TO??? I mean, the list isn't even that long. It basically boils down to: Hold "things" in place...for one whole evening.

I'm serious, folks. I already went on this rant in the lobby at work today! (It's a good thing no one was IN the lobby....I think...I hope.) I mean, all I want is something to keep everything UP... for longer than 2 seconds! Isn't that the whole point of a bra? Is it really too much to ask? I hate the constant and inevitable yanking when I wear one of those things. I actually consider that fact when buying my clothes. I always make sure that I am absolutely, positively CERTAIN that a strapless isn't necessary. It seems that all strapless bras do is create bulges where they shouldn't and fall down every time you move. THOSE SEEM TO BE THE EXACT OPPOSITE TRAITS THAT WE WOULD BE LOOKING FOR. I mean, really, why don't they just call them pieces-of-crap-that-will-annoy-you-all-evening-while-you're-trying-to-enjoy-yourself bras? That way at least it won't be false advertising. Heck yes, I am actually as annoyed as I sound. I mean, I've been trying them on at various stores for a few years and I have never once found one that I liked. What is the deal? Like, am I the only one? Do I have the weirdest body shape of all times?

I need to know if this is a universal female dilemma or if I should look into some kind of weird reconstructive surgery!

Oh...my...goodness. I'm going to stick to not wearing dresses unless I have to. I mean, I'm wearing a "groomswoman" dress in ... let me quickly calculate ... 9 days for my brother's wedding. Hopefully those weird adhesive things work...Grrrrr. Stupid stupid stupid. Please, Someone, on behalf of women everywhere I am PLEADING: Invent something that WORKS!!!

Maybe we should just go back to the dark ages and wear coconuts...

Good Delivery is an understatement

So last night I went to go see Matthew Good in concert at the Burt (I'm always so glad Matt doesn't perform at the MTS centre...he likes the small theatres, which is awesome for his audience...you can actually see his face!) ...for the second time in less than a year! That is the awesome thing about a REAL Canadian artist....he plays in his home-country more often than anywhere else. I could go to his show once a week and NEVER get sick of it. He is by far one of Canada's best musicians (in my unbelievably ASTUTE opinion. lol) and his music never fails to move me. I only have two of his solo albums right now (Avalanche and Hospital Music), but some of my favourite songs of all times are on these ones.

I don't know how he manages to capture the situations and emotions that he does in words and how one person can compose so many beautiful melodies and put so much passion into them.

In any case I hope to catch his concerts at every opportunity. Last September he performed an acoustic show in Winnipeg,

which totally got me hooked. I was at first a little disappointed that it was going to be a solo show (which I only found out after I bought the ticket), not because I didn't think he could pull it off or anything like that. I knew I would still be hearing the songs that I knew by heart and listened to over and over and over again; it's just that I loved the way they sounded on the CDs. With a full band. So I was a little worried that this show would be disappointing. Well, I walked out of that theatre just absolutely blown away. I had no idea an acoustic show could be that intense. He was incredible. It's his voice that really shakes you and when all you've got in the background is one guitar, you really get the "full vocal experience". Haha. Plus he interacted with the crowd really well. Fricking hilarious guy.


Even thought I absolutely LOVED that show, however, I was BEYOND excited when I found out he would be coming to Winnipeg 8 1/2 months later....and would be bringing a band!!!!!!!! This was what I had been waiting for. And again...Matt Good did not disappoint. They were really tight and played an incredible show. I even got to hear a lot of my favourites: "She's in it for the money", "Champions of Nothing", "Born Losers", "I'm a Window", "99% of Us is Failure", "Black Helicopter" (which is my FAVOURITE song on Hospital Music), and "Weapon", which is the very first Matthew Good song I remember and it got me hooked on his music. The only one I missed hearing was "Avalanche", but heck, the guy has written dozens of songs. He can't perform all of my favourites in one night. :)

So as you can tell, I'm quite a fan and if you like good music (that is not intended as a pun...I didn't even realize that until I read my post through for the third time - I just mean good music), you can check it out here (along with all his opinions on the world's political situation. He's pretty vocal about his anti-war position and he is a very intelligent, well-informed commentator. There are awesome message boards on this site). I just listed some of my personal favourites (those are all from his new album, with the exception of "Weapon").

Avalanche is an INCREDIBLE album, as well and if you want to go back to the Matthew Good Band days, check out Beautiful Midnight. My only sore point when it comes to Matthew Good is that no one introduced me to his music sooner!!!!

P.S. I couldn't help the pun in my title. I know EVERYONE turns Matthew Good's name into a pun, but I just couldn't help it.

Full House

"What ever happend to predictability?

The milk man, the paper boy, evening T.V.

You miss your old familar friends,

but waiting just around the bend.

Everywhere you look (everywhere)

There's a heart (there's a heart)

A hand to hold on to.

Everywhere you look (everywhere)

There's a face of somebody who needs you.

When you're lost out there and your all alone

A light is waiting to carry you home

Everywhere you look.

Extended Version:

Ahhh Ahh Ahh Ahhh Ahhhhhahhhh "

Remember the Full House theme song? Just humming that tune to myself still makes me smile. Oh man, that was one of two shows we were allowed to watch growing up. (The other was Family Matters. Awesome.) Did you know that John Stamos actually wrote that song?

Well, let's just say he's got more goin' on in the looks department than talent... I watched an episode of Full House a few years ago for the first time in about a decade and WOW was that a terrible show. CHEESY!
I was afraid slime was going to start oozing out of my tv. But it still brings back good memories.


Anyways, the reason I'm blathering on about Full House (I love the word "blathering". I so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence... Almost-quote from Kill Bill Vol. 2 anyone???) is because this weekend my house (ok ok, my PARENTS' house) is a full house, for the first time in a while. I had been noticing lately that our house is SO DANG QUIET. I mean, I've gotten used to it over the years. Ever so slowly, siblings have been moving out and taking a little bit of commotion with them. It happened so gradually that I hardly even noticed it. But last Sunday Jordan came by to pick me up on the way to James and Bria's and when he stepped in the door he asked me if it was always that quiet in my house. My first instinct was to say "no", but then I stopped (in my head :) ) and thought to myself that it really IS usually that quiet at our house. You know the kind of Sunday-afternoon-parents-taking-a-siesta-so-you'd-better-not-make-any-noise-or-you'll-pay kind of quiet. That made me really nostalgic for the "olden days" haha. Fighting with Tim, siblings practicing instruments, Adventures in Odyssey playing in someone's tape recorder, mom clanging around in the kitchen...all those good homey noises.

This picture is of noone in particular...just some random housewife...just in case you were wondering

So now Rebekah is at our house with Jaden for three weeks and Miriam brought the boys (John and Mason) over for the fair weekend. Folks...the ability to make and sustain commotion has been passed on to the next generation in abundance and I am proud to say they know exactly how to use it. :) Jaden runs around chasing the "BA-loon" and yelling "Poppa, watch!" (Poppa=Grandpa). **Oh MAN! You should have seen the look on Jaden's face when the balloon popped right in her hands. I had been waiting all evening for that to happen as I watched her fingernails dig into that thing. HILARIOUS, people!!!** John is like a never-failing battery pack...there is so much energy...and he LOVES being around people. Mason tends to go off and do his own thing somewhere in a corner...either removing the registers in the floor or just dragging poor Tigger around by his purple hat (yes, our Tigger has a purple nightcap...) with intermittent unintelligible screeches of protestation at nothing in particular. And don't let this cute little booger (did you notice I used a snotty colour on that word???) with the most beautiful almond-shaped brown eyes fool you...he's got lungs that rival my german uncle Roland...HAHAHA. Seriously! Anyways, the point is that the noise and the constant whirlwind-feeling that has invaded our house over the past few days is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. Plus last night Tim and Andee ......(my brother and his fiancee, for those who don't know them) came out for the fair but it started raining around 8:30pm (RIGHT WHEN I CAME HOME TO CATCH THE END OF THE FAIR) and so everyone was at our house. 10 people in our small living room...it was just like old times. Eventually kids were put to bed and "Gamma and Poppa" left to go watch the fireworks and help clean up Main St afterwards ...so it was just the siblings left. And let's just say that the 5 of us can hold our own...volume-wise. I'm not going to delve into the finer details of our "discussions" as the topics are as diverse, strange/gross, and sometimes even disturbing? as the people conversing. :) (Let's just say that "bodily functions" tended to be the conversation pieces of choice as the evening wore on.) That's what happens when parents leave their children to their own devices - children OR adults. But all I know is that I have missed evenings like this. Being the youngest I often felt left out when I was a kid. I never had anything to add to conversations because everything I said was old news to everyone else. But the older I get, the more I realize that siblings are a HUGE blessing and I am very thankful to have three of the most interesting individuals I know in my own family. And let me just say that Andee fits RIGHT in. :)

Case closed.

It's a little black ball! No, it's a beetle! No, it's ...

JADEN - my beautiful niece (this part has nothing to do with the title of my post....you'll hear about that a few paragraphs down...)

I could not get this girl to smile for the life of me at first!

But that quickly changed - what can I say...I'm HILARIOUS!

I had a mint on my tongue. She LOVES mints...only she calls them "Neos". Now she constantly points at my purse and asks for more neos.

_______________________________________

Hello again. Today was the day that I had been anticipating for approximately 128 days. (Wow, I used the word "day" a lot in that sentence...) It is June 12th and I woke up at 6am this morning to get ready to pick up my sister REBEKAH from the airport. She moved away almost exactly one year ago and I have missed her more than I can put into words...and if you know me, that must be a LOT! No one on this planet understands me the way she does. It is so weird. Like, we'll say the exact same sentence at the exact same time with the EXACT same inflections. And not just common, simple sentences like "I know!" or "No way", but weird, out of the blue sentences, like "If I jump off that cliff it will break approximately 193 of my bones"...ok, bad example. But you know what I mean. She's also the only person I've ever had a bum war with and the only person I'll workout with, ie. I don't care if I look like a fool in front of her. I have told her things I've been too scared to tell myself and I know that I can ask her any question about any subject...and I mean ANYTHING. Feelings that I can hardly describe because they're so intricate and inexplicable/ODD I'm sure that no one else has ever felt that way before, she understands completely. Like, I'll start trying to articulate how I feel about something but run out of words and she'll just take over and describe the very thing I'm trying to say. It's crazy. So now you know why I've been counting down the days since January. It was so awesome, cuz today when we got home we lay on the bed while Jaden played somewhere in the basement and just laughed so hard about the stupidest thing. Like, I can't even remember what it was - oh ya, stinky pillows...see, we can laugh about the STUPIDEST (for some reason it looks like I spelled 'stupidest' wrong...) things. And it was so strange because as we were lying there, gasping for air, pleading the other to stop laughing so we could refill on oxygen, but not being able to because we ALWAYS get worse the more we hear the other one laugh, I realized that I haven't laughed like that since Rebekah left. Literally. I mean, I've had plenty of good times since last June. I've laughed a ton. But I haven't laughed LIKE THAT. And there is no one in this world that can make me laugh so hard or so long or with such complete abandon. (But Naomi comes close! :)) And then again tonight as we were out in the yard all evening with Jaden, my parents working away on their various projects, Rebekah and I were just lying in the grass laughing so hard I could hardly handle it. Like, my abs HURT, people, and I work out 4 to 5 times a week! It feels like she has never been gone, in a way, yet somehow we're making up for lost time.

these two pics were taken while we were waiting for CAA at Canadian Tire because my dad locked the keys in the car...right after we picked Rebekah and Jaden up at the airport. HAHAHA.

...And then we went to Tim Hortons for Timbits...

They were THIS GOOD!

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

So that's my sentimental moment/tribute to my long-lost sister for today. Now comes the funny story.
So we're by the side of the house, near the playstructure my dad just built (VERY COOL by the way...I'll post a pic soon) and I was just kicking at the grass, talking to Rebekah, not really paying attention to anything, but then something caught my eye. There were two black ball-shaped shiny things in the grass. From up high they looked like some kind of weird beetle that I had never seen before, so I decided to squat down for a closer look. So, like I said, they were black and shiny and it looked like there was a little stripe down the middle. They weren't moving as far as I could tell, but there was grass growing all around them, so I picked a blade or two of thicker grass to poke at them a bit. Dad sauntered over, too, to find out exactly what it was that I was poking at. (My dad will definitely not be pleased that I ended that sentence with a preposition. Too bad. It sounds better than the grammatically correct way.) Then one of the black balls kind of jumped and I heard this weird hissing sound. I jumped up out of my squatting position and took a big step back. I mean, this freaking beetle just hissed at me! But then I was like, no way I'm gonna be scared of these tiny beetles. I mean, I already freaked out about one spider this week and I killed THREE, yes THREE, beetles in my bedroom today, so I was going to CONQUER THIS SUCKER! I squatted again and resumed my poking with grass blades, trying to turn the other "beetle" over. Finally Rebekah looks down from where she's standing and says, "Julia, that is rabbit poop."

Me with timbit.

The End.


PS. I still don't know why I heard a sound, but I swear that poop hissed at me.

Sometimes I wish I were a boy...

...Ok, not to sound creepy or like I'm going through some kind of twisted identity crisis or anything, but really, on very rare occasions I do wish that I were a boy. Today I went to go see the movie Stop Loss ...

Oh, the intensity!!!

... and it just reaffirmed my long-standing jealousy towards the male method of dealing with conflict. I mean, honestly. When guys have a beef with one another, they just duke it out by either yelling or punching the tar out of one another and it's done.

There's no silent treatment, cutting him out of the "group", spreading
vicious rumours about having been born a hermaphrodite, or creating catty internet myspace pages started to ensure he'll never EVER get a girlfriend.

It's just upfront and plain. If they STILL can't stand each other after the fight, they just stay away from one another altogether and start up competing businesses or whatever. Like today, in the movie, the two best friends played by Ryan Phillippe and Channing Tatum (what the HECK were his parents thinking???) had this massive disagreement. They screamed at each other about disrespecting their beloved US of A and letting their "loved ones" (without using those exact words...I mean, heaven forbid a strapping young Texan says "loved ones". haha.) down, followed by another 5 minutes of all-out fist fighting in a cemetary beside the fresh grave of a close friend and fellow soldier while the grave digger was actually still piling on the dirt. Then, at the very end of the movie, Ryan Phillippe sits down beside Channing Tatum, who just kind of turns his head away. Ryan then nudges Channing with his shoulder and Channing looks at him, a corner of his mouth turns up (hardly even perceptible...the viewer more assumes it than sees it), and they just keep looking straight ahead - not even AT each other - just ahead ... with the manly half-but-not-really-smiling-so-as-not-to-appear-sensitive-or-capable-of-emotion smile of satisfaction about having their best friend back! Like, what is that???

Two girls, after an argument, would need 24 hours of serious girl talk, 18
boxes of extra-soft Kleenex, 12 gallons of ben&jerry's (followed by a week
of keeping one another accountable with compulsive cleanses,
detox's, and all-asparagus diets), a weekend of high-end shopping
in Minneaoplis, an intensive day at the spa with manis/pedis, and a
pinkie-swear/cross my heart to never fight again.

Why can't we just duke it out and be done with it? Why do girls have to drag it out...forever...and then still bring up the old grudge when convenient? She doesn't even have to say anything, she just has to lift the all-telling eyebrow to remind the other girl that she is still silently paying for whatever happened 3 trillion years ago that neither of them actually remembers anyways!!!
Sometimes, I just wish I were a boy.

But then again, I don't think I could convincingly justify my regular compulsive need to buy shoes...with heels.

just pretty!

my favourite shoes from the "Sex and the City" movie

my absolute favourite Chanel gladiators. sigh.

and even some that are a little bit..."out there"...

P.S. I do realize that I have grossly overemphasized these gender stereotypes. It's for comic ranting effect, so please don't attempt to satisfy the urge you're feeling to set me straight. Plus I really do think that some of these stereotypes are often true, maybe just more toned-down. Otherwise, where would the stereotypes have come from? Answer me that!! :) LOL

just so you know...

....I'm still alive. I'm just logging on quick to let you know my day did not get worse yesterday. I did not get into a car accident, crash into a building's display window, and inexplicably burst into flames. Reb, Mel, and I had an awesome evening of greasy VJ's burgers and fries and lots and lots of talking. (Hopefully the creepy landlord couldn't hear our conversation through the ceiling.) I honestly think there are few things as fun as getting together with some girlfriends and just talking for hours - as lame as that sounds. Maybe it's a girl thing. I don't know. But it's awesome. That is by far one of my favourite things to do. Thanks girls. I'll miss you like CRAZY when I'm gone.

__________________________________

Sorry about the old pics, ladies. I didn't have my camera yesterday cuz it's still at the repair shop, but I found these pics from '06 when we went to the ballet to see Romeo and Juliet. LOL. Seriously funny. Just don't shoot me for posting them.

It's a good day??

I'm BACK! So soon, you ask. Well, I'm bored. So yes.

Anyway, I just wanted to relate to you the day I've had. Now, it's only 12:50pm and I'm already questioning the "purpose" of this particular day. It started off with a bang...well, more like a ring. A telephone ring, to be exact. Yep, I slept through my alarm. Now, you don't understand how frustrating this is for me unless you know that a) I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE being late for ANYTHING. I am always early!!! and b) I prided myself on having never been late for work in the just-under-2-years that I've been working at the Aquatic Centre. Heck, I've never even taken a sick day. So anyways, I am one of those persons who gets really nervous and paranoid about the strangest stuff. Well, I have slept through my alarm before. That was back when i worked at Tim Hortons. So I know that it CAN happen to me. Anyways, so ever since that experience I am really paranoid about not being on time for work. I get so paranoid about it that I often don't sleep really well the night before a 6:15am shift, just cuz I can't stop thinking about how I CANNOT sleep through my alarm. I know, I'm a whacko, but that should come as no surprise to anyone. So anywho, at 6:30 our telephone rang. I immediately sat up in bed, looked up at the clock and booked it out of my bedroom. I KNEW it was Charissa asking my dad whether I was at home or on my way to work, for which I was now already 15 minutes LATE. I threw on some random shorts and shirt off my floor and made a mad dash for the front door. Frick I was mad. Thankfully there was good music in my CD player on the way to work, but still. I was 45 minutes LATE. ME!!! Ah. And of course this had to happen 2 weeks before I'm done work. Apparently I'm not allowed to have a perfect record.

Ok, so that happened and "I got over it". Although it's still annoying me. And then I was at work, minding my own business at my desk when I looked at the phone beside my computer and came face-to-face with a spider. I'm just gonna put this out there...I HATE SPIDERS. Anything with 8 legs is capable of scuttling (isn't that a gross word?) waaaaaay too fast in my direction. Plus they are just ugly. Now, I kill bugs and spiders on, oh, I'd say...a bi-daily basis...in my basement. Where I live! Ew. But I should be used to it, right? For some reason this spider just GROSSED ME OUT. I think for two reasons. First of all it wasn't on my floor where I could just stomp on it approximately 177,539 times and then scrape it off the bottom of my sandal. No, it was invading an area far to close to my head...the phone. EW. And the second reason is that it...I know you're going to think I'm crazy...but it looked like a teenage spider. Like, it was all plump and juicy and had long gangly legs that looked too long even for a spider. It just looked really young. And that just made it seem like it could run at me that much faster and made me picture what it might look like if it was an adult. HUGE. So there I was, just saying

"ew ew ew ew ew. there's a spider on my phone. ew ew ew ew ew. there's a spider on my phone"

while my boss and the lady who had just come in for aquacise class were standing there laughing at me. I just kept waving my hands in the air, continuously expressing my disgust, quite vocally I might add, when all of a sudden the nice aquacise lady came over with a tissue and squished it for me. I felt pretty lame, but it was just gross. So the aqaucise lady saved the day and I went on making my posters for work. That's the story.

So as you can tell, I haven't had the most fabulous start to my day, but I'm going out for dinner with Rebekah Hiebert and Melodie Armbruster, which I'm sure will make everything better. Unless I get into a car accident, crash through a building's display window, and inexplicably burst into flames on the way there.

I hope you have a better day than me, folks!

I did what I said I'd never do...AGAIN

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I did what I swore never to do...and that is to get a blog. I just never had a reason to acquire one before, seeing as how my life consisted of university and work, with intermittent periods of sleep and plenty of eating. Not all that interesting. Now, I can write for a long time about very uninteresting stuff, but I really didn't think anyone would read it. But I have had several inquiries as to whether I would start one with my year in Germany so quickly approaching and I have decided that it might not be a bad idea to keep anyone who happens to care updated in this fashion instead of boring old emails. And I'm still not sure if anyone will read it. :P So here we go.
I'm basically starting to blog a month before I leave just so I can figure out how this is SUPPOSED to work while I'm still in the comforts of my own home with my own computer and my own father who knows how to fix everything that won't work properly. For example, I just spent the last two hours trying to GET A GOOGLE ACCOUNT. That's right folks. Now you must be wondering "is she a moron"?? I assure you, although it has been insinuated on several occasions by several people, I can safely proclaim myself relatively sane and coherent, possibly even slightly intelligent on a good day. But after those two hours of simply being brought back to the sign in screen every time I tried to log on, after deleting and making a brand new account over and over, I finally realized that it was something about my laptop. Some of the settings are super screwy (ya, my dad is still in the process of GETTING AROUND to fixing all that...preferrably within the next 28 days) so it just WAS NOT WORKING. Fed up, I decided to try it on the computer in my dad's office...and VOILA. First try I was in! Great story, hey?
Anyways, as you can already see, I have never experienced writer's block. Well, except when I had to write that paper for my really cute Religion prof who was so ridiculously smart that I knew even I couldn't BS my way through that class and he kept asking for these crazy long papers with insane topics. Don't ask me how I pulled an A. Maybe he thought I was cute too. Haha. Just kidding, folks. So back to my point about not have a problem with writer's block...I am an English major and I'm good at it. So I just want to give you fair warning:

Now that I have been given unlimited space on the Internet, I fully intend to abuse my power. My posts will most likely be frequent and lengthy, so if that's not your cup of tea, then you can write me off right now.

If, on the other hand, you care about my life drama while I am in Germany (and I am VERY good at making drama for myself), then keep on reading. :) I will try to keep everything PG...well, PG-14. :P But that is not a promise.