tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27295090503992172292024-03-04T20:41:27.743-08:00The Plainest NerdAre you tired of saying,
“AW JEEZE I always hear about the awesome things after they are done!”?
Well have no fear. The Plainest Nerd is here. I'm doing the heavy lifting of experiencing life to help you out. Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-67395342336691290042017-09-24T18:17:00.000-07:002017-09-24T18:17:52.742-07:00Pretty hilarious Most of our lives we are told that we have to look a certain way. Men are supposed to be stoic and show little emotion. Women (at least from my experience) are told that a smile is their daily required mask. As a child anything less than simple grins and you'll have men and women yelling at you from their backyards about how a smile doesn't cost anything or how you're going to look so much prettier if you smile. I find it so odd having complete strangers insisting that they get a smile out of me. I have no emotional connection to them and yet they feel they are personally put out that I'm not giving them the comfort of a smile. I'm not a very confrontational person (for the most part), so I tend to give in and smile. I've had people come out of their yards and talk to me about how I need to smile because "it isn't as bad as it seems"... as if they know how a stranger's life can go from day to day. Let's keep in mind this is when I was a kid walking to and from school so I had to be in front of a lot of monitoring busybodies the whole way.<br />
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The only expression should be of a pleasant disposition without being overly emotional. To this day I find my default emotion is a smile. This has been a problem at times when a grin isn't really appropriate but it is my go to facial expression. The only time that I would feel free would be making funny faces. I would stand in front of the mirror and make funny faces at myself. I would crack myself up laughing for as long as I could. So let me tell you how excited I was to find a group of women exactly like me.<br />
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https://www.reddit.com/r/PrettyGirlsUglyFaces<br />
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These women understand how fun manipulating your face can be. The standards of beauty are tossed aside for a while to make something of pure joy. It reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously and we get to see the spectacularly different ways our facial muscles can move.<br />
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I highly recommend this to anyone that is feeling down about themselves or how they look. You can always make yourself look like you're happy. Or you can make a funny face and be happy. Good luck finding a new way to move your face today.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-42494651609803750332017-09-21T09:40:00.000-07:002017-09-21T09:40:13.603-07:00Closing tabs<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
My main source of mess in my life is paper clutter. My main source of online clutter is open tabs. I have a to do list a mile long (if not longer). I use Chrome and they don't even tell you how many tabs you have when you push over 100. They just give you a smile :)</div>
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Which frankly I love. But I'm giving up my smiley face in favour of a streamlined life. Most of my tabs come from a place of distraction. I'm looking around for interesting things in life and find out about 13 new ones. So rather than loose track of any of these new experiences I start delving into the minutia. Today I was doing 'A' which reminded me of 'B', so I had to make a note of 'C' because it is directly related to 'A'.... and so on until you find yourself at 'F' and feeling really pleased to have finished 'D' and 'E' today because you were going to need to do that before doing 'C' to change your 'A'. </div>
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Right now I'm pleased to say I'm down to 79 tabs from my 81 earlier today. Everyday a little more by having a little less. </div>
Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-34155652485604458612017-09-20T07:19:00.001-07:002017-09-20T07:23:23.696-07:00Reunited roommates <span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">I'm so glad to have everyone home. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Yesterday, after spending a month visiting family, my roommate Maddy returned home to Nova Scotia. During her absence the house has felt a bit out of whack, awaiting the reemergence of her bombastic shouts. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">We started out as 5 strangers</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;"> thrown together by fate to rent a house, and </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">have become a family. A great place to find all sorts of wonderful people visiting, supporting and encouraging each other through life, and chatting about a variety of topics. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>You know it is a good day when</b></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b> laughter and music increases in the house 10 fold.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My living arrangement sounds terrible to some people but works for me. I love the noise, shared ideas, and all the new and exciting distractions that come with this many roommates. And yet there is still time to find a quiet moment alone with your thoughts. Somehow our schedules just work out to give us enough time apart that we don't get sick of each other. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We all have a common goal of making every dollar count so we join forces when buying food and house supplies. The house doesn't need much restocking because we will buy most things in bulk to last. Often we set aside money at the beginning of a month and then see how long we can go without collecting again. Longest run so far was 8 months, February-September. By pooling money everything is equal. We have a similar approach to food. We discuss some possible meal ideas and pool money every week-2weeks to pick up supplies. We not only save by sharing expenses, we also ensure we have </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">no waste of spoiled food. When buying fresh fruits and vegetables we can buy a variety and quantity that would go bad if left to one person. Humans tend to get tired of the same thing (or thrive on routine so who knows) so by getting a wide range we ensure that everyone is getting an assortment of nutrients and manageable proportions. A lot of us have tight work schedules, so when we have a bunch of left overs we make up ready to grab lunches for the morning rush (whenever our "morning" happens to be).</span></div>
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Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-35038835060020828592017-09-19T19:14:00.000-07:002017-09-20T07:36:51.938-07:00Ocean drives for inspiration **Updated** Photo of paintings added<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Today I went for a drive with my friend Adrien and my roommate Maddy to the ocean. We saw some spectacular waves coming in from the North Atlantic that made me so happy. </span><br />
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We basked in the wonder and majesty that is our beautiful world's powerful wind and waves.... then scampered back to my place to have a paint night. We gave ourselves an hour to come up with and finish a painting. We had such different works in the end that it was fascinating and wonderfully gorgeous. </div>
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Adrien's painting was inspired by futuristic military with a dynamic background. Mine was a reflection on the various shades of blue we saw and the extreme white of mist and white caps. </div>
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Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-27973100192507861442017-09-17T22:14:00.004-07:002017-09-17T22:19:50.400-07:00Getting serious about saving money on water billsI may be wrong but most of the population spends a great deal of time bathing. I know I'm no stranger to spending hours basking in warm water, #BathsAreLife, but let's face a harsh reality, we do a lot of stuff in the shower that does not require the water running. While some people might not feel clean enough being under the water for a short amount of time, it might just be the chemical bases in your soap or shampoo that are clogging up your pores.<br />
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<b>Try shutting off the shower for a minute or two while you let your hair conditioner sink in.</b> <b>Brush your teeth during the water off time and rinse when you wash your whole body. </b><br />
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As part of a promotion for water conservation in Saskatchewan I was given a small sand hour glass (looks like an egg timer) for my shower that times out at <b>four minutes</b>. It is stipulated as enough time to have your pores open up from warmth and steam, wash your hair and step out. If you take a long time in the shower stop the water for intervals that you are not actively using the water. You'll be amazed at how your water bill shrinks.<br />
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For those with a green thumb that find themselves wishing for a rain barrel to keep up their watering schedule without the water bill, invest in a large basin that is manageable to stand in and then tote around. Use products that are safe for the environment so your plants don't get a shock and die on you. <br />
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So lets say you're about to start your shower. You don't have a timer. What do you do??<br />
Close your drain. Use the water level to gauge how much you have used. Stop before the water makes it to your ankle. When you get into the habit you'll figure out for yourself exactly where on your foot is your <b>four minute mark</b>. You'll probably eventually be done before you even get to it.<br />
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Couples are lucky to be able to halve their water bill right away by having an instant shower buddy. Be sure to work on developing communication so one of you isn't always freezing and never wanting to experience it again. Kind of hard to save water/money if someone resents the experience.<br />
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Baths are a bit tricky. Begin by sitting in the tub as it fills up. Your body will displace the water and fill up the tub with just enough to your desired level. No more water splashing out as you get in. There isn't really any way to avoid being wasteful except to limit the number of them that you have. <br />
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If you have control over the temperature of your water heater you can turn down the maximum temperature. A few degrees (or a lot) need to be tested over a few days to allow temperatures to drop. By having a lower temperature you will be using less energy to warm the ever ready tank. Setting a lower maximum temperature will also help to prevent scalding yourself in the future.<br />
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Good luck and have fun, be it for the better conservation of the planet's resources we use or your pocket book.<br />
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PS If you don't have low flush toilets then open up the lid on your tank. Grab a brick or a sand filled one liter plastic jug (trust me when I say that a water filled one will not be heavy enough to stand up against moving water), and put it in any open area in the tank. This will disperse the water and you will save with every flush. Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-52011524694982221482017-09-14T06:09:00.002-07:002017-09-14T06:38:27.709-07:00Clean up for cashI've been noticing around the city lately that garbage has been collecting all over the place. I'm a huge fan of this planet and usually look at the larger impact of things. I've embraced that classic of <b>"Think globally. Act locally."</b><br />
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Thankfully I'm living on the edge of the Atlantic ocean so in many ways I feel like my actions have an immediate impact globally. Mainly that at least the trash I pick up will not get into the storm drains and then into our ocean. Also there is something satisfying about pulling garbage away from a wave that is about to sweep it out to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch" target="_blank">garbage island</a>.<br />
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It amazes me how trash ends up in some areas, humans really are ingenious for getting their trash everywhere. I've found old TVs in all manner of places from forests to sea sides. Among the garbage strewn along the highways I have found larger bits of trash, like oh I don't know... a pile of bumpers! These were presumably from some massive pile up that never got cleaned up. <br />
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I got some plastic gloves and started picking up more manageable trash, focusing on debris that will be tossed about by the wind and picking up the little bits that are breaking down but will never really disappear, such as plastic cups that shred into strips. I will stop everything if I find Styrofoam that is compressed balls. That stuff is the worst for breaking apart but never really going away. The goal is of course for everyone everywhere to take on the responsibility and hopefully sort their trash into recyclables and not throw it out their car windows for it to become a heap of junk.<br />
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<b>Try asking for drinks without straws or lids. Straws make up one of the largest contributors of plastic waste.</b><br />
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I got distracted by my own life and stopped picking up garbage for a while. At the beginning of this month (Sept 2017) I went to the beach and started picking up trash. Some lady made a comment that I must work for the city and I replied <i>"I just couldn't take it any more"</i> and we talked a bit about their own garbage picking ways up the beach! Fantastic!<br />
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I've been picking up garbage ever since. I'll find myself out for a walk and thinking "Oh nuts I forgot a bag for garbage" and one just floats towards me... because there is that much garbage!<br />
I've incorporated it into my day. I'll drive to work and see a particularly bad street and walk over after my shift is done and spend half an hour picking up stuff and have a full garbage bag. I have to limit how much I clean with large bags because we don't have that much room in our house garbage containers for it all. So I'll usually go with any number of individual grocery bags to gather garbage that is around larger garbage bins around the city. <br />
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<b>Try it for yourself. Find a garbage can and figure out a 10 foot circle around it and just pick up the garbage that is sitting around the can and actually put it in the can.</b><br />
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I have already started to see benefits in my life. At almost zero cost to me (if I don't drive out to visit the ocean) I walk around the city and find that people don't just throw out garbage, they throw out money. Sure there are bottles that are a lot easier to spot from a distance, but actual coins at times. It has become a fun challenge to see how much I can pick up depending on how much time I have. It has encouraged me to walk a lot more places, cutting down on my gas use and almost always find a few bottles to return. The best parts have been meeting people along the way and getting to see more of the city. I have found that if I walk anywhere for long enough I will find something interesting. Sometimes I even have an amazing walk and don't find garbage for a while.<br />
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For large items I'm sort of at a loss for what to do. If anyone has any suggestions for what government department I should be alerting, that would be appreciated. At the end of the month I'm going to put up how much money I've found along the way.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-74593534997126871072017-09-12T14:08:00.000-07:002017-09-12T15:04:38.325-07:00When unrealistic dreams come trueWhen we were asked in elementary school what sort of job we wanted I always thought that being paid to sleep would be the best job. I think I feared that my answer would be seen as a joke or unrealistic. As I like animals I would instead say the generic kid answer of veterinarian (I knew even as a child that surgery and blood was not for me, but they wanted an answer). As far as career development went, I could never really get past the back of my mind where the truth would be and the little voice of doubt that such a job could even exist.<br />
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Jump forward +20 years later, I have a BA in psychology, and I have my dream job. I now work for an organization that transitions individuals who have been institutionalized for a variety of mental illnesses into group homes and independent living. I love my job. I work mainly alone but occasionally with great coworkers who care about and for the well-being of our clients on numerous levels. I get to see my clients develop new skills and confidence, at the end of my shift I get up in the morning, go on random adventures for the day, and go back to work at night.<br />
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I have always seen that life becomes a question of money vs time. The rich (like doctors and lawyers) who have no time to enjoy the money they have, or the jobless who have ample time but no money to do things... and then the millions who are working 3 jobs to make ends meet so have no time and have no money. This seems wrong to me.<br />
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I have seen some depressing/unsettling graphs that show our lives broken down into dots, either day to day or month to month. It really showed me what was lost when we dedicated our daily lives to work. While it might not be the most lucrative job I gain 8-9 hours in my daytime life that would normally be devoted to work. <b>1/3 of my life has been given back to me.</b> I'm aware that my job is not for everyone, and frankly I'm glad or I might have missed out. I have the luxury of not having kids at home to tuck in (so there isn't any guilt on that side of things) and I still have a body that doesn't care about sleeping on a cot.<br />
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Now it is just a matter of how to make the most of each day to the best of my ability.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-75781791776492485282014-01-25T17:00:00.000-08:002016-04-17T12:03:16.135-07:00Yukon part 2<br />
The Yukon has a way of making you feel like you can
do anything. I climbed my first mountain there under the midnight
sun. We laughed the whole way. We started our trek around 8pm laughing about how the warnings always say you should head back from mountain climbing before dark. When we did head back down
at about 11pm the sun was still shinning on us.<br />
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The
constant daylight became one of my favourite things. I got so
accustomed to taking naps in the full sun like a cat. Everyone told me it was going to be a struggle to adjust to the light but I had the opposit problem. We went down to Skagway, Alaska for a couple of days and found the town surrounded on all sides by mountains. I experienced full darkness at night again and became so disoriented that I had
to fall asleep with a light on or I felt like I was falling out of bed.<br />
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Back on the farm, after about 4 days, the woman we were
working for asked me to stay on as the farm intern and help her run
things for the rest of the summer. The pay would just about cover my flight home! I accepted. I fixed eavestroughs and a few other things around the house, I did some weeding and harvesting of the gardens and helping out wherever I was needed, but mostly it was tending animals (lots of chickens and 2 small pigs).<br />
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We went to weekly farmers markets where I met more organic farmers from the area and was invited to see some
of their operations. I went out a couple of days to a goat farm that made their own cheese. Learned to milk some goats which was a lot of fun after I
got over my initial feelings of unease at having those alien goat
eyes watching me. Went to another farm that focused on turkeys and some 400 pound pigs. Everyone really cared about their animals and shared stories of how they protect their farms from the grizzly bears in the area.<br />
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I took some time to go to Dawson
City during the Dawson City Music Festival. By this time Estelle was
wwoofing elsewhere but we met up with all the thousands of people who
had come for the big party. With my first impression of the place being
so packed with people it was intriguing to watch the numbers trickle
away back to the regular population. After the crowds had left I went
on several tours of the famous town and for one I happened to be in the
same tour group as <span class="st"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_McLaughlin" target="_blank">Audrey McLaughlin</a>. It was a huge
thrill to meet her. She was humble and charming. At one point our
guide left us in Mrs McLaughlin's care who promised to not let the power go to her head.</span><br />
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<span class="st">On
that same tour I met a gold prospector and inventor, from Northern Ontario. We chatted a good while and it felt like I had met a kindred spirit. </span><span class="st">I felt like he would have been my uncle had my family been from Ontario. </span><span class="st"> </span><span class="st">It worked out that after getting back from my run to Chicken, Alaska (on the Top of the World Highway) I met up with him again. </span><span class="st">We went panning for gold together. </span>I now have a small speck of gold to call my own. <span class="st">The Saskatchewan northern lakes trained me well for wadding into the icey creek water to dig up dirt to pan. I gave him a ride back to
Whitehorse, we talked about his inventions and swapped crazy stories the
whole way. </span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">He gave me some of the best advice for how to deal with the little black flies! Skin so soft lotion from Avon. Use it. Love it. Flies will avoid you and you'll have soft skin, best of both worlds.</span><br />
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<span class="st">I
went back to work on the farm. When I got back there was a new addition to the farm. Another wwoofer, this time from Germany. The hay was harvested, the chickens
were slaughtered and I watched as the Fireweeds slowly opened all the
way, signaling the end of summer. I loved my time there. I got to meet
so many wonderful people, learned so much, and really left feeling like my 12
year old self could very happily put a check mark next to that dream. </span><br />
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<span class="st">I am really looking forward to going North again. Next time I am definitely going to make it all the way to Inuvik!</span>Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-24165469043433231272014-01-24T17:00:00.000-08:002014-01-24T17:00:00.451-08:00Yukon part 1: The start of the journeySo I talked about in my last post how I looked after some pigs. That could have done with some explanation but I felt it needed to have a lot more space. I'm going to write a series of experiences I had around looking after those delightful pigs. I'll be writing in chunks every day for the next few days. <br />
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In the summer of 2012 I went to the Yukon with my friend Estelle and volunteered on an organic farm with the wwoofing program (<a href="http://www.wwoof.ca/" target="_blank">The World Wide Opportunity on Organic Farms</a>) Essentially you work in exchange for a place to live and food to eat. It is a really good deal for the people volunteering. As I learned from my host if the volunteers actually do some work then it's great for the farmers involved as well. I had wanted to try out the wwoofing program for several years. What I had heard was it was a great chance to learn and see new places, but I had been hesitant about going alone (As a side note I've also been really interested in the Yukon since I was about 12 and read White Fang by Jack London for the first time). So when Estelle sent me a text asking if I wanted to join her on a trip to do both I jumped at the chance. It really did feel like a dream combination.<br />
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The Yukon for me up to that point was nothing but vague ideas. Books by Jack London, the song <i>Long Gone to the Yukon</i> by Stompin' Tom and Google Maps street view of the <i>Top of the World Highway</i>. That's all I really knew but I with each new tidbit I also knew I wanted to go there badly.<br />
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I had experienced some bad luck the summer before when trying to get to England so I was owed a fair bit of money through an airline. My reward was getting a $40 ticket to Whitehorse - unheard of!<br />
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Suddenly I found myself boarding a plane to a wonderful place where people of such diverse backgrounds come to make it their home that it is hard to find someone who is originally from there. First day there I my cab driver was originally from my province and the first person I met had driven there from Ontario with his cat. The Yukon seems to have a way of catching the people who visit. Everyone I talked to about going North demanded that I promised to come back.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-72623940000189238722014-01-17T17:00:00.002-08:002014-01-17T17:00:05.414-08:00Animal StoriesI have a few stories that I like to tell over and over again because the telling takes me back to that wonderful moment and I get to relive it.<br />
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The stories that give me the most joy are the ones where I have some significant interaction with an animal. Meeting an animal and becoming fast friends... or whatever the animal equivalent is. I've had a horse follow me around. Met a dog in farmer's field off the road and went for a walk together. I've had a couple herds of cows run up to their fences, just really curious about why I was walking by. A swallow fly along side me for several blocks. A tapir trying to nose my face. A pelican that clamped down on my arm. Looked after some pigs last summer and got to know their personalities very well. <br />
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The most resent comes from this past summer. I went out to my friend's family farm with a bunch of other friends. We had a great time and one night we played sardines. It is reverse hide-and-seek. One person hides and everyone searches. As each person finds the hidden person they hide with them. Last one searching hides next. Fun game but I was having a terrible time finding everyone in one round. I knew it was down to just me and one other guy. Then I spotted the farm cat. I said hello and said I was looking for his master. The cat meowed at me a few times and walked a straight line to where the rest of the group were hiding. I just followed along. I definitely didn't have to hide first the next round.<br />
<br />
But my favourite was my butterfly. I had been working at a green house when I saw a butterfly caught up in an old spider web. I got the notion in my head that this wasn't going to serve anything to have the dead bug just get caught up in it. Also there wasn't much going on in the way of customers so I took my time. I got a small bit of plant and used it to give the butterfly some purchase rather than whip around. I used a bit of twig to free his wings from the webbing. I never touched the butterfly itself, I was too worried that its wings might be as sensitive as a dragonfly. I merely got the web caught on the twig and gently pulled it off the wing. I got most of it off and I knew his feet weren't stuck because he hoped off the bit of plant and climbed onto my hand and set up shop on my finger. I left him there to get over his trauma and went back to work. A lot of customers were confused and thought it was a fake. Eventually my manager just told me to go for lunch as my new little guy was distracting to everyone. I sat and ate, I kept a sharp eye on his wings because he hadn't opened them yet and I was worried they might be stuck together. But over the course of the lunch he tested his wings out and flapped them a bit. He went back to sitting and I went back to my lunch. I ended my break and headed back into work. Again the customers were incredibly confused and couldn't seem to function with him sitting on my finger. I eventually just had to shoo him away and really force him out the door to try flying again. He took off and seemed to have no troubles.<br />
<br />
What is your best animal/insect interaction story? Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-40616803479052614962014-01-10T17:00:00.001-08:002014-01-10T17:00:02.152-08:00The best new years resolution I could come up withNot paying for any of my resolutions. <br />
<br />
I don't really go in for New Years change because I find that my time of transition and setting solid goals for myself usually comes in the spring. This year is a bit different, with having the decision of change taken out of my hands I have taken charge and am running with it. I was a bit worried about making very hasty revisions to my life. I figured I could benefit from planning to not spend any more money than I needed to.<br />
<br />
For instance I've said I want to get fit and see more of my friends. I'm not going to join a gym but I am going to start pushing myself in running more. I will have people over for dinner and chats at my place rather than going out for dinner or coffee. And if my semi thought of a wardrobe update comes to fruition I will work on modifying what I already have and looking for some nice things on sale.<br />
<br />
This gives me a much needed boost when it comes to the things that I want to do that require some serious cash. A few nights ago I sat down with my friend Alyssa and we got talking about the sense of liberation I had from being relieved of my
obligations to my apartment. I have finally understood the sentiment
that things you own start owning you. So riding on this wave of feeling free I started talking and writing down what I wanted from this year... it was packed!<br />
<br />
Places I want
to go and the people I want to visit when I get there. This list of dreams for 2014 will probably spill over into the next few years too. A great weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I look forward to the coming months.<br />
<br />
What were your resolutions?Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-59155689044509835352014-01-03T17:00:00.001-08:002014-01-03T17:00:03.026-08:00My life in boxesSo I have taken to spending all of my spare time in just putting things in boxes and self reflectively thinking. Inevitably I came to the question:<br />
Why am I packing to put things in storage rather than just sell or give everything away?<br />
<br />
The best answer I could come up with was:<br />
Because I have a sense that I will someday own a home that will require pots and pans <br />
<br />
This vague idea of what my life will look like in say three or five years is in a constant state of flux. I'm torn in too many directions career wise and travel. Advice from a gold prospector/inventor is ringing in my ears. FOCUS<br />
<br />
1) The world of stability- buying a home, becoming an apprentice electrician and slowly making my way to being a journey-woman. So say 5 years down the line I will be working, volunteering in the community, saving for retirement, and making enough to have a few fun trips here and there in the world. I think the double income no kids lifestyle would work best for me.<br />
<br />
2) Moving - Take my Sign Language Translation course and spend a few years intensively training for that. I could then either keep living out there in the community I would know and build there, or I would head back to the city I live in now to reconnect with my friends and family... basically just be gone for a few years doing something I will love and ultimately have to make the same decisions about what to do and where...<br />
<br />
3) Try for a life in the arts - singing and painting - what I want to do is sing with a group of musicians and finally make my CD that has been in the works for these past few years. I've got to have a few more solid songs and a recording studio. As far as art goes I want to work on larger projects and take my sketches and work from my note books and put them on canvas or frame them. I want to get to a point where I have to start selling some or I'll not have any room left. Both of these have me longing to take some time to really hone my craft to make the most out of my enjoyment and take my current skill to the next level.<br />
<br />
4) and then there is chaos. The life that I would love to have but requires lots of money to do. Basically run around the globe picking up stories as I go. For now this goal will be satisfied by writing down my random experiences in my blog.<br />
<br />
Which ever I should chose to go with it will be an adventure. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Are you finding yourself at a crossroads?<br />
What options are you looking at?<br />
What sort of life interests you?Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-72010886650530202942013-12-27T17:00:00.000-08:002013-12-29T20:35:40.905-08:00Decluttering and movingAs of Christmas Eve I have come to the end of my month of decluttering. In an attempt to get things to a more reasonable level in my apartment, I gave myself the goal of getting rid of one thing for 30 days starting on November 25. The results were very pleasing. It became a pretty big pile of stuff rather quickly which was not what I had expected at all. It even helped a lot with Christmas shopping in a way. People would come over and occasionally find something they would like in the box. Definitely the most surprising one for me was my friend revealing a great love for Anne of Green Gables. So Canadian! I gifted her the full box set. It worked out even better than expected because she had forgotten about expressing an interest in them. Double success!<br />
<br />
With having been told I have a limited time to move out I have stopped going through my books as vigorously as I would like but I did manage to clear out about half a shelf. Now the remaining are all packed up and ready to move. With most of my things going into storage (minus that which can not freeze) I'll be able to go through my boxes one by one and eliminate all of the books that I'm not <i>really</i> interested in reading or re-reading in the future. My standards are pretty high for which books I'll be allowing myself to keep because I've limited myself for a more simplistic lifestyle. I've filled half a large plastic bin with my favourite and in some cases rare books that I have. When I've gone through my sizable collection I will eventually fill up the rest of the box. Past that I will not allow myself to have anymore books. Supporting local libraries has always been important to me so this will really force me to be a more consistent patron.<br />
<br />
...ok odds are that I will have another bin by the end but the hope is there.<br />
<br />
I feel like I'm on the cusp of some great change because of this move.
In theory I think this will force me to make some pretty big decisions
about where I'm going in life and who I want to be. Most days I'm ok with this change but then I'll find myself waking up from a nightmare (dreamt that I was actually supposed to move out a few weeks earlier than expected... as in that day!). My mind is trying to work through some pretty intense anxiety over it all - will I be able to pack up everything in time? The move has put me into a bit of free fall state of stress. My only real comfort comes from packing. The simple act of putting my shit into boxes has become a type of meditation that has managed to make me feel like this move might actually be an attainable goal. Slowly my life is becoming a sea of cardboard on every chair and patch of rug in my place but that just means that I'm actually getting closer to my goal.<br />
<br />
Here is hoping that I'll be able to actually get it all done. Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-49769674829847623642013-12-20T17:00:00.000-08:002013-12-20T17:00:05.707-08:00Spiders<div>
</div>
<div>
As fair warning this one is probably not
going to be something that everyone will want to read (this next section
particularly). Odds are that the people most afraid of spiders skipped
this week based on the title alone but if you were just brave enough to
get this far and want a cute story about a spider then I suggest you
skip the italicized paragraph. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have very limited experience with spiders but I
like them. They keep bugs under control and I love seeing the detail
and variety in their webs. I'm fine when I don't need to be near them
but if there is even the slightest possibility that they could bite me I
get away as quick as possible.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>When I was in elementary school I was sitting in
class and noticed that my hand was feeling like it was burning in one
section and up my arm. I looked down to find that my skin on the back
of my hand was bubbling. Yes it was as terrifying as it sounds. I got
checked over at the doctor's and they found two bite marks on the same
arm as my hand. They diagnosed me as having an allergic reaction to
spider bites that I would just have to wait till it went away.
Eventually it did fade but even with being more than 15 years ago the
scars are still there.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The happiest story I have about a spider is from
when I was working as a school photographer. I was driving all around
the province going for a day or a week to different towns and putting a
lot of time in on the road. I began to notice a spider web that was
always in pristine condition on the passenger side rear view mirror of
my car. It was in the perfect position that the wind was broken by the
mirror causing the web to sway just slightly in the draft rather than
being ripped up. I assumed that it was catching the odd bug but it
never seemed dirty so I left it in the interest of seeing what it would
do over time. I didn't really think about it all that much for the
next couple of trips.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One day I was sitting in my parked car having my
lunch and rather large spider came out from behind the side mirror and
inspected the webbing. It wandered about eating what it had caught on
the drive down. I was amused to have a lunch companion. That evening
on the way back to the city I could only assume it was back behind the
mirror. I was hopeful that it hadn't wandered away. Nothing like
stepping out for a walk and your home having driven off. The next day a
fresh new web was ready for the drive out of town.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
This continued on for the whole summer. I would come
out to find a new web or the spider sitting somewhere on the webbing.
As soon as I turned on my car that little arachnid was behind my mirror
and ready to travel. It was great having a little car companion for all those months and hours on the road. I
find that I actually miss him from time to time when I am driving
around.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-1838749741486929672013-12-13T17:00:00.002-08:002013-12-13T17:00:02.955-08:00Locked doorsNothing catches hold of my attention like a distinctive locked door. There is a good reason for this. In my experience locked doors usually lead to the most interesting rooms filled with odd equipment, roof access points, and offices with great views of the city. While I usually like to let my discoveries and invitations to these places unfold purely by chance, I often long to be able to pick up the phone and get through any door at a moment's notice. <br />
<br />
While a locked door adds a certain flare for the dramatic reveal I have noticed that just being introduced to something new in the city is where the real excitement comes from. Several of my friends have been great for showing me lots of interesting places. Either to explore together or because they have special access that they want to share. I love being invited somewhere that has been around for years but I've never had a reason to see inside before. Riding up old fashioned service elevators and finding surprisingly elegant places. Even just being in a store after hours energizes me. I always jump at the chance to see the restricted areas; even when the ceiling looks like it is going to come crashing down at any second.<br />
<br />
The more I can learn new and interesting things about my city the longer I find I can fight off the travel bug that is constantly pulling at me to explore other parts of the world.
Some recent ones have been:<br />
<br />
1) finding the giant koi fish unexpectedly swimming in a classic restaurant here in the city, a couple of them having been here for 20 years now.<br />
2) wandering around in the various tunnels that connect the buildings down town trying to see how long we could stay inside and warm.<br />
3) going shopping in a giant warehouses that is by invitation only.<br />
<br />
It all comes from being with the right people at the right time.<br />
<br />
However one door in particular was made all the more fascinating because I couldn't get in. For years. It became my favourite locked door to the point that I would bring it up in conversation from time to time to see if anyone I knew could get me in. It has a combination lock with a red sign, almost the length of the door, pointing at the door reading "Archery". I was instantly hooked. I walked past there once a week for a while, knocking to see if anyone was there by chance. I talked with the people that owned the building above and they said to just keep trying. I enlisted the help of other people to walk by and knock each time they did too. People laughed about it but I would get the periodic text saying "no luck with the door". Eventually it paid off and I did manage to make contact, joined and now have access to an archery range 24/7.<br />
<br />
Each door seems to open onto a different world in the city that I was not aware was a part of this small section of prairie life. I want to be the person to appreciate what is behind all these closed doors, package them up in a blog, and share the experience with others. <br />
<br />
What is your favourite hidden gem in your city?<br />
What is the most interesting place you have found either away or at home?Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-39064528095679262692013-12-06T17:00:00.000-08:002013-12-29T20:37:34.038-08:00Watching Hoarders and moving, power combo for motivationBack in November I was watching a marathon of Hoarders online. I started thinking about some of the random little things I had kicking around that I didn't really need or want any more. I thought I would set myself a goal like my friend Estelle had done a few years ago. She was going through her things and getting rid of one thing everyday. I loved the idea. As of November 25th I started with the plan of having 30 days of giving things away. I hadn't even really thought about the Christmas aspect. I told myself that if I filled a bag with enough nice things for kids in good condition then I would make a donation.<br />
<br />
Eliminating clutter from my life stemmed from a vague notion that if I was going to move countries or even cities I
was going need to have a more manageable set of possessions. Generally,
I like the feeling and look of having a more sparse lifestyle, so it
was going to be a double win. But life has a way of speeding up time
tables on me. Since starting my project I was told that by January 31st I need to be
out of my place... well crap. Looks like it is going to be a lot more than one thing a day to get rid of.<br />
<br />
When I had started brainstorming things to give away I had only really thought of about 10 things. I thought that by this point in my declutter process that I would be finding it hard to find something everyday. But now that I'm actually through the things I was originally thinking about giving away I have gone full blown in really thinking about what it means to have less. I had filled a box with things to give away by December 1st. It was actually incredibly helpful to have the list because it got me into action of actually giving things away. <br />
<br />
I decided to keep going with the declutter plan.<br />
<br />
For me, the biggest source of mess always seems to be paper related. Papers are constantly coming into my life. After a short while they start to add up. Before I had a weekly pile that started slowly growing on Monday and would expand to a few different surfaces by the end of the week. With constantly working and running out the door, I always used to think I didn't have time so it could wait till the weekend. Then there would be the mountain to go through. It always got done but it did take way more time than it needed to.<br />
<br />
I've been taking care of this with filing as soon as it comes through the door. Each time I grab the mail I stand by my recycling box and my accordion file. I leave all junk and envelopes in the box and file the bills. With my wonderful hand crank shredder sensitive information can be recycled with peace of mind. I've put the three in a more readily accessible spot by the door where most of the papers got caught coming in in the first place.
I love the concept of putting things where they will be used not where you want them to be. It takes a lot less time and stress to just get to work on something rather than having to make a big production of gathering what you need. Keeping all my important documents in one place is also going to be essential when I move.<br />
<br />
In the case of my books (another form of paper clutter) I've been reading more of the ones that I was on the fence about. While I read I actively think about if I really am going to read it again. Do I need it on my shelf or will getting it from the library work for me in the future? There are a lot of "<a href="http://littlefreelibrary.org/">take a book, leave a book</a>" homes popping up on front lawns around the city, I try to make it a point of leaving one in each whenever I can. Additionally If I'm reading a book and think my friend would really love it I put their name with a sticky note inside it and either loan it or give it to them. (I have pretty different tastes in books compared to my friends so that doesn't happen very often).<br />
<br />
This is where moving is streamlining my decision making. I will be moving back in with my parents for a few months to make some solid choices about where I want to go in life. I'm putting into a storage unit all the things that I will definitely want in my future home but for sure wont fit in a bedroom. Couches, table and chairs, book shelves and all the other little house things that add up (pots and pans, vacuum, ironing board, towels, dishes, etc). The first thing I did when packing up was take all of my favourite books and put them in a container for storage. I don't need them with me at my parents' place but they will be essential for making any future place I live a home. I filled half a box. The rest of my books will come with me to be read over time and given away. At the end of the reading and sorting I think I'm going to limit myself to just being able to keep enough books to fill the rest of the box.<br />
<br />
My goal now is to have my place ready to move by December 31st. This way it will keep me hugely motivated to keep thinking in terms of "This needs to get done now!" rather than letting myself get complacent and procrastinating.<br />
<br />
What do you do to eliminate clutter? What is your biggest challenge?
Want to join me in giving away stuff? Let me know in the comments what donations you are making.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-55850161976857934252013-11-29T17:00:00.001-08:002013-11-29T17:00:02.687-08:00Home discoveriesI look after homes around the city. From time to time people give me a call and I go and look after their animals or plants while they are away. Over the years I’ve realized a few things that are pretty essential when it comes to going into a new place.<br />
<br />
Find out where the can opener, scissors and cleaning supplies are kept. This includes garbage bags.<br />
<br />
Everything else you can kind of figure out on your own but if you don’t have a clue where to start looking for those 3 things it can be rather frustrating (especially looking for the cleaning supplies which are usually time sensitive). You might be asking why the can opener is first in my list? It took me an extra half hour one time to make a simple can of soup because I didn’t know that they had their can opener mounted on the underside of their cabinet.<br />
<br />
Stepping into someone’s life is always interesting for me because I get to see what people take for granted as normal. I always ask what people can think of as a little quirk to their home, which has had some pretty interesting results. My favourite one has got to be the phones that didn’t work when it rained. Unfortunately I happen to be staying during a particularly wet summer.<br />
<br />
On occasion I get to really enjoy something unique to the area. Most recently I was looking after a home and discovered the best idea for a residential area: loading zones.<br />
<br />
The more time I spent there the more I wanted them on every street. I’m all about efficiency of use. Having the ability to run back into the house to retrieve something I had forgotten saved me a lot of hassle in terms of needing to find a parking spot. Additionally my pet peeve, people disrupting the flow of traffic by double parking to pick someone up, was eliminated.<br />
<br />
For a while there looking after homes had become a fairly consistent thing. People going away for weeks leaving me to look after their place had friends of mine asking if I will ever give up my apartment to do house hopping full time. But that way there wouldn’t be any transitions. The feeling of a job well done comes from handing their home back to them in as close to the original state as possible with very happy animals. But it is actually by going home after that I get enjoy more fully the life I have and my own brand of quirks. And of course my own bed! You always appreciate your own bed over others… and if that is not the case for you I suggest you invest in a mattress better suited to you.<br />
<br />
What is something unique to your home that you love?<br />
What is a unique trait that you would warn people about?
Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-23478105497745448882013-11-22T17:00:00.000-08:002013-11-22T17:00:00.845-08:00The best winter<div>
</div>
<div>
I've
made a pact with myself this year to not let the dislike of the cold
and winter from years past drag me down. I had to make this agreement
with myself in order to keep my sanity for the next few months. After
almost 7 months of winter and then minimal amounts of free time to
actually be out in the heat of summer I spontaneously started cursing
when I woke up to the first snow fall. I could not accept that winter
had come again. The warning shot of winter melted, and I realized that I
had to change my attitude or I would not make it through this year.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
An important aspect of this pact was realizing
that I just can't talk to people about the weather <i>ever </i>this winter.
When I'm around someone who hates the cold as much as me I join in on
the cold smack talk and feel worse. If I'm around someone who loves the
cold it becomes a conversation stalemate with nothing more to say until
the topic changes. All this week I've been using a lot of humour about the weather to shift the topic and it has been working nicely.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is all thanks to last week helping to wean me off of my desire for a longer Autumn season. I spent the majority of my time on the road. I
drove up to Saskatoon with their noticeably higher levels of snow. With
the bright sunshine and warm wind it was a perfect couple of days to
get used to the snow again. Driving then further on to Price Albert I
found where winter has been hanging out for much longer. With Semis
Jack-knifed on the highway and an army troop carrier truck on its side
in the ditch we were pretty careful on the roads. It was this gradient
of progressively more white as we went up that helped ease me into it
rather than the shock of a sudden dump. On the way back it was just
solid snow the whole way. Winter had snuck back to Regina and set up
camp. But thankfully I had my game plan ready this year for how to
cope.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I found my car encrusted by the ice rain and then about 2-3 inches of snow on top. </div>
<div>
I
set to work with the first part of my plans. I now keep my ice scraper
in the back seat on the floor. It seems so simple now. When I go to
get it, the avalanche of snow will land in the back-seat and not the
driver's. I've only had a chance to store my car in garage for winter
approximately 3 times in my life so I'm pretty used to having snow on my
car but this year I'm purposefully not going to be lazy about removing
all of it. I've got a few other little things planned like lifting the
wind shield wipers off the glass at night so they don't cement
themselves down. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've always been one of those people who doesn't
layer enough for the cold, or if I do have enough layers for heat then
there is the wind chill factor that sneaks in through every seam. This
year I will not skimp on preparation and layering clothing. Even if I
don't think it is going to be so cold I'm going to always have my big
coat, small gloves and mittens, extra layer of either outer shell pants
or having some tights on under my clothes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm also think about getting one of <a href="http://store.dieselsweeties.com/products/fuck-this-ice-scraper" target="_blank">these little jaunty ice scrappers</a> but
it might not help me stay positive. Maybe I'll go with an ice scraper
that is also something to <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ec0a/" target="_blank">keep my hand warm</a>. Keeping my mind off the cold with
creative projects and having an emergency stash of scarves (my socially
acceptable blankets) will hopefully be enough to make this my best
winter.<br />
<br />
Please share any ways that you make winter barable, and if you love winter then what aspects do you love? </div>
Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-44321632896866236932013-11-15T19:53:00.001-08:002013-11-15T19:53:48.615-08:00Spy or crazySo today at work it came to my attention that everyone I have just started working with were of the opinion that I was a mole, a plant, or a spy. There are three major reasons for this. <br />
<br />
1) The people I work with (by their own admission) are a paranoid lot<br />
2) My dad works for them as a private investigator<br />
3) I'm always writing<br />
<br />
This last one is the big one. I always have something to write on. For the most part I use my phone's note sections or send myself emails. But that constant use of a phone doesn't really go over well with people in a work setting. So I got a notebook to keep my thoughts in order. I collect up all my ideas and just keep my mind from being overwhelmed by keeping track of all this new information coming in. But it freaked people out. A lot.<br />
<br />
I was asked around my 3rd day not to write any more during lunch. They didn't like that I was making a list of ideas for what to bring for lunch or writing down my plans for the weekend. They got rather creeped out by it. I was a bit embarrassed but kept writing because that's just how I think.<br />
<br />
Today last day of my second week my office mate somehow got to telling me that she thought she was going to loose her job from all the stuff I was writing down. I was completely thrown off. I had been making a list of pros and cons for traveling next year and told her so. <br />
<br />
Pro: Adventure Con: No stability <br />
Pro: Having a hot winter Con: Not being able to afford a house <br />
<br />
She just started laughing.<br />
<br />
I tried to let people know through the day that I wasn't a spy and just this is how I think... which means that people now think I'm crazy. I prefer people thinking I'm a spy.<br />
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One good thing that came out of this is that my office mate has declared that she thinks I'm cool rather than crazy (which is always nice to hear). She asked why I didn't blog, and it got me thinking about this blog that I just stopped working on. So I found a list of writing prompts to get me back into the swing of things and have started pulling together some thoughts for the next few months.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-13155653976780132822012-06-23T22:05:00.000-07:002012-06-23T22:05:24.075-07:00Essential life adviceI've lived a pretty quiet life. I sometimes wonder if I've missed out on the sage advice that is supposed to come from elders to keep you from screwing up or to guide you. I think our generation gets most of its words of wisdom from television, movies and books. Nothing wrong with that, I just feel that I can be thankful that I have one poignant moment in my real life of advice. And I have some nameless guy to thank.<br />
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It does make for a striking image. The three of us sitting around a camp fire in the pine wood forest, the light from the stars barely illuminating the dark water of the lake through the trees. Just me and my childhood friend sitting with a guy who must have been in his mid to late twenties. The light from the flames not big enough to see clearly inside the rim of his hood and under his baseball cap. I think he knew my friend but I can't remember if his name was ever said. There he sits in my mind hunched over actually saying the words "I want you to know something important, something I wish I had known" The advice was to my friend, this young boy. I think we were fifteen at the time... maybe a bit younger. My friend was staring blankly into the fire and I was right next to him trying to stay as still as possible. It felt like I'd stowed away along on some ritual right of passage for boys and if I moved at all the guy would stop talking. I don't even think my friend was listening to him. The guy said for my friend to find a woman who kept surprising him. Someone who would say lets go horseback riding rather than go to a movie. <br />
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I can't remember if he added anything to it passed that but I remembered walking away thinking that in order to find someone who surprises you, you have to be a person who is just as surprising. To be a person worth that person's time.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-16717067789774311002012-05-19T18:06:00.001-07:002012-05-19T18:06:20.201-07:00Inspiration and mountainsSarah and I have been swapping links online for a while now to give each other a taste of what has been capturing our interest. Each of us looking at a little project to do, videos that make us happy and so on. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?feature=watch" target="_blank">vlogbrothers</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/zefrank1?feature=watch" target="_blank">zefrank</a> making up a big chunk of what we share on youtube.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/42372767" target="_blank">Neil Gaiman Addresses the University of the Arts class of 2012</a> is the most recent thing we've been watching. In his speech Mr Gaiman talked about his mountain or goal in life. Choosing to do things that get him closer to his mountain. It made for an interesting talk yesterday. On a long ramble around the lake we got talking about what our mountains were. Both of us are sitting in a time of flux trying to find what we want to strive for... so the mountain is pretty hazy.<br />
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Sarah has a much clearer view of what her mountain is not. I thought about looking at a mountain at night with stars shinning on either side. You can see the mountain because it blocks out other things. While the stars are beautiful they are not your mountain.<br />
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I was thinking more along the lines of building my own mountain... but now I'm wondering if that was a misdirected answer. I'm still doing it but I'm not sure where it is going... like finding a few boulders that have bounced down the mountain towards me and I'm thinking that putting a few together would make a pretty good hill to climb. And being from a prairie province a hill is pretty impressive.<br />
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But for now I'm writing down all the little things that I love to do and I'm putting them up on my wall in a hope that eventually I'll look up and see what direction these boulders have been coming from.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-31472649935378002662012-05-16T16:14:00.000-07:002012-05-16T16:14:17.050-07:00Badass step oneSo I've quit my job to focus on becoming a more rounded and interesting person. Not someone who just has dreams but might actually be able to go about accomplishing a goal. I've had this plan for a while, this mythical time when in the future I would have all the inclination to read, practice and learn new skills. To basically, <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TookALevelInBadass" target="_blank">take a level in Badass</a>.<br />
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That time is now and yesterday I felt like I really started down that path. <br />
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Two classes that have me already looking forward to next week: Yoga and fencing. I've done yoga before and thankfully this instructor follows the same idea that my last one did, don't take yourself too seriously. It was a great class of seeing how far you could push your muscles and reminding them that the day in day out work they do is not a tenth of their potential. Later that night I went to my first fencing lesson. We're working with rapiers and everyone seems like really great people who are enthused to share their knowledge and have new members join. <br />
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So I walked away from my evening feeling energetic and ready to take on the next stage, information. Today I went to the library and picked up a few book "Arte of Defence: An introduction to the use of the rapier" "Fencer's start-up: A beginner's guide" and "By the Sword: A history of gladiators, musjeteers, samurai, swashbucklers, and Olympic champions" They seem like really interesting reads and should give me a better understanding of what I'm doing with my blade. <br />
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Best part of the yoga/fencing combo? my muscles don't feel sore at all today.<br />
I hope to keep a consistent log of what I get up to over the next few months... it might even become part of my attempts to improve my writing.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-58845657336956875512011-12-07T20:48:00.000-08:002011-12-07T21:03:57.953-08:00#MakesWinterGreatI don't do winter well. I have an aversion to extreme temperatures, and yet I live in an extreme climate that can drop down to -35C in the middle of the winter and stay there for a week or get colder just for fun. Nothing like the weather saying -40C with a wind chill to make it feel like -52C. I've been outside walking home from the university in temperatures where your skin freezes in under 30 seconds... only getting home and hearing the weather warning about staying inside... great, I hear about it <span style="font-style: italic;">now</span>? <br /><br />I honestly don't think my family in Australia can even believe that the planet has places that get this cold. I dealt with my ever growing testiness with winter and ranted about it from time to time... but then I went to Mexico in February of 2009 and I realized that we didn't need to live this way. In the time it takes me to drive to my grandmothers I could be flying and landing in a place with palm trees.<br /><br />Apparently I have become more vocal in my despising of winter... probably a bit unbearable at times.<br /><br />So this year I've decided to do something different. I'm going to try and focus on all the good things that come about from the season and try to bundle up enough that the wind doesn't get me an make me into a grumpy gusset. I'm using twitter to keep track of them. I have a standby list of things that I thought up a few days ago but I'm mostly going to try and take ideas from my every day life. It is making me feel like I'm a little bit more ready for winter.<br /><br />Wish me luckRandenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-48559959943544649732011-11-09T17:15:00.000-08:002012-01-02T14:43:41.318-08:00ArtI've always wondered where I draw the line on calling something art. When I go into a gallery I look and think about what someone was trying to do, the effort, the ideas. Some titles really make the work better, they give some context to a story that I'm unaware of. And sometimes it just explains to me what I'm looking at in the first place. "Oh, that's a girl in a tree playing with shoes... wait, what?" (don't bother trying to figure out what painting I'm thinking of, if it does exist I haven't seen it)<br /><br />I like art in a lot of forms. Slam poetry, graffiti, paintings, murals, music, pottery and ceramics, stain glass, welded sculptures, classic marble carvings... I have a very broad definition of what I like.<br /><br />In the past few years I've had the great chance to see a lot of really great art all around the world. But I think the things that have had the most impact on me where full room art installations.<br /><br />The first was an installation by the artist Yayoi Kusama. There were a lot of her works on display at the time (2009, Wellington New Zealand) twisting red columns were really striking and I got to see some of her famous mirror balls. But there was one room they were only let a few people into at a time. It was completely black with tinny lights hanging from the ceiling. You stand on a platform in the middle of a room made of mirrors with the floor around you holding an inch or two of water. Light reflects off everywhere around you but not enough to see. It was amazing. A room that made me feel like I was suspended in space. I wanted to some how make my own room like that to live there. How can I make my whole house like this?!<br /><br />The second time was a twisting maze of doors and rooms in the British Tate museum. This maze was so fantastic because of the detail that went into replicating a room. I got to feel like I had actually experienced something magical. Physical shock at finding myself in a place I had not expected to be. You enter through a room from the museum and wander through doors and corridors, backtracking and loosing yourself. And you find yourself back at the start. So you open the door... only instead of walking out into the gallery again you're in work room. The two rooms at opposite ends of the maze were almost identical. The only things that were different were the order of burned out light bulbs in the large scale christmas lights<br /><br />In both of these works I got to loose myself in their idea, in one case literally. I think I can really appreciate the hours that go into a room installation. While a phrase or a brush stroke can be just as agonizingly long I can more tangibly understand the effort and mechanics of a large scale art work that has obviously taken days to dream and put together.<br /><br />So I don't really know what is and isn't art to me. But I think a bit of what art is comes from stepping outside yourself and getting a fresh look at things. Disorienting yourself from your everyday. I spend so much of my life knowing exactly where I am that any chance to stop that for a moment is refreshingly new.<br /><br />Edit: Found a link that has pictures of the first room installment<br />http://gatsbylives.tumblr.com/post/13473547992Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729509050399217229.post-88574656045414578902011-10-27T15:19:00.001-07:002011-10-27T16:02:03.735-07:00How you should not convert peopleSo because of one of my tags from yesterday it made me think of another story.<br /><br />I was walking to a friend's party a few years ago. My friend's apartment was situated in amongst a lot of apartment blocks so very little parking in the area so I had to park pretty far away. This wouldn't have bothered me normally, except the road was having light problems so there were no streetlamps on, and I was startled to suddenly catching sight of two men walking on the other side of what I had previously thought was a deserted road... who obviously spotted me at the same moment and made a bee line across the road towards me. I couldn't make them out at all in the dark and got kind of freaked out. I kept walking and one of the guys went to get ahead of me. They were cutting me off from getting to my friend's place a block and a half away. There was a van in between us (why they had to split up) so I stepped further off the sidewalk onto the grass towards one of the apartment blocks thinking about running behind the buildings. Wondering if that would place me in more or less danger, get a head start? Or isolate myself?<br /><br />But before I could head that way they spoke to me. It took a moment for my brain to process what they were saying. Mormons. I felt like yelling at them. I wouldn't allow myself to drop out of my fight or flight mode. I kept distance between us and edged away.<br /><br />I was only half listening to the conversation (thankfully I can make small talk in my sleep). I was mad, thinking: Which of theses idiots thought it was a good idea to come up to a woman on her own at night? And then I got analyzing why I was mad. I had been scared. Scared that these unknown guys were going to attack me. I calmed down some as I talked with them a bit, slowly walking around them. Putting me closer to my friend's building. I finished with them and walked away thinking: Wouldn't it be a perfect way to rob someone by saying "don't worry we're Mormons"<br /><br />I always like going for walks on my own and I like talking to Mormons... but that night really made me question going out at night on my own.<br />Could I have defended myself? probably not<br />Would anyone have been able to help me? ...no<br />Did it stop me from going for walks on my own? No.<br /><br />As I'm reminded of this I think it is time for me to look into taking a level in bad ass.Randenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635903111043772664noreply@blogger.com0