Beach Writings

So I have this job interview for a job that is in a land-locked area, and lately it has set me thinking. I'm really excited about the job and totally hope I get it, but at the same time I can't imagine not living within driving distance of the ocean...

***

I'm not entirely certain as to why this is so, but I think it has something to do with the rhythms of the ocean and its ever-varying nature; it is the place I find myself constantly returning to, regardless of the weather. When I'm down or depressed, I take a trip out to the waterfront to calm down and find strength and support (when I don't feel like talking it out with my mama); when I'm calm and serene the ocean is a natural place that I turn to in order to discover new things or just be at peace. I think it's the natural, tumultuous nature of the place that appeals to me.

In winds and storms the waves swell and crash, beating against the shore relentlessly. This beating when you're upset can be sobering and soothing; it's as if nature is sympathizing with you and is beating back your problems, making them seem less dire. The wild nature of the waves ans stir emotions and calm them back down. If that doesn't work, you can picture yourself as the rocks along the coast.

The ocean is like the world surrounding you, and you are the shore. Ever so slowly the world beats you down, but it never succeeds in totally obliterating you. You hold strong and persevere, pushing through adversity and differences, each time emerging as something new. The world may beat away at you, but more than that it reshapes you just as the ocean reshapes the rocks along the shore.

On the flip side, the ocean is a place of peace and discovery when you are calm or light-hearted. There's always something changing or something new occurring. Whether is be the waves lapping against the shore or the critters hiding on the beach, there is always something new; something changes, something moves, and the entire picture is changed.

These two outlooks are only from the shores of the beach though; imagine what it's like out on the water itself. Not on some magnificent cruise liner where you can barely tell you're on the water, but on a calm day in the average vessel. Imagine getting far enough out to sea that all you can see is water. Water and sky are the only things surrounding you and you stop, turning off the motor and the stereo.

As the boat drifts in the tide you notice more than you ever thought possible in what some people have described as a "bland view". The rhythm of the water as it sloshes around your boat lulls you into serenity, and as you gaze at the water you notice not only the life forms below the surface, going about their daily routines, but the liveliness of the water itself. The fluidity captures your interest and soon you are lost in the colours, watching to see the water shift from one hue of blue to the next and noticing the amount of green in the water. You notice how the light reflects off the water, giving it more of a shining appearance, and curious you set your hand or feet into the water.

The cold temperature at first shocks you and you are tempted to pull out, but you don't. You persevere, noticing the ripples around your appendage and how they slowly meld with the waves until it looks like both the ripples and your appendage were always there. Slowly you realize that the water doesn't feel as cold anymore, and that it is instead rather soothing. You begin to drift off into thought now, slowly trailing your appendage in the water, and when you return to the marina at the end of the day you feel peaceful and calm. You feel as if you have left all of your problems out on the ocean and have carried the serenity and strength of the ocean home with you in their place.

***

This, I think, is why I'm having a hard time imagining living without the ocean; it's a place to think and be free, but it's also a hub of activity free from too much human influence. Some people will argue that a lake is just as good, but I disagree (I'm lucky.. I live within driving distance, or walking if I have hours, of both a lake and the ocean). Lakes are too contained; they are surrounded by homes and parks quite often, and can become over-populated with boats and swimmers. The magnitude of the ocean prevents it from feeling as cluttered as a lake, and its beaches seem to be more wild. Lakes aren't as tumultuous as the ocean in storms, and they will never hold that distinct ocean smell. No, I can't imagine living years without the ocean, but I'm definitely willing to give it a try for the summer!

[Also, sorry this is so long but I was sitting by the water writing in the sunshine earlier today and really liked this so I thought I'd share :)]

Zippers

I was thinking about what to write today and I could have gone with something like Zelda (which I actually played at a friend's place when I was little on what N64 because we didn't have a game console at home), but I don't know much about the game and I'm not feeling particularly interested in gaming tonight. Instead, I think I'm going to talk about two things: The zipper and the creation that is the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz (and its amazing creator).

So, zippers.. We use them everyday, don't we? I know for a fact I've worn 4 different zippering articles of clothing today: two pairs of pants (work pants and jeans), a jacket, and a hoodie. These awesome little toothed devices pull sides of fabric together, and I've always heard that they were invented by a Canadian. However, I've had a hard time finding evidence for this online, so I'm going to leave it as a question for anyone who may care to answer: Who actually invented the zipper as we now know it, and where are you finding this information? As an English person I feel like I should be able to find this stuff, but I just caaaaan't tonight. It may be the 8.5 hours of work and then hockey I just watched (Canucks lost. Again.), or I may just be dumb tonight, but I'm unable to find this stuff. Anyways, zippers...

They're wonderful! and we use them in a lot of different ways, including that stereotypical nerdy joke that we all hear in highschool Biology that helps us remember something from the course (if you don't know this joke, really? How've you not heard it). It was originally presented to me in 12th grade as a reallly horrible pick-up line, but I've heard a multitude of variations. Basically though, it's "Hi, I'm DNA helicase and I'd like to unzip your genes". But zippers aren't used only in these ways. Did you know that the first airtight zippers were created by NASA for pressure-suits, and were later adapted and used for space suits and (now) wet/dry suits in swimming?

Zippers are produced in the vast majority by the Japanese company YKK now, and with the 'double zip' (you know, the zipper that opens from the top and bottom that is often included in newer jackets and stuff) they're appearing all over the place. Disappearing are buckles and buttons, emerging are zippers. Actually, the zipper is probably the most widely used fastening device in the world today. Scary.

Anyways, I promised to talk about the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz today too, and basically what I wanted to do was leave you with something fun. Being the English-y person that I am, I thought I'd leave you with a 'Z' that was fun and meant a bit to me, and because the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz is a Seuss creation, it's always going to mean something to me. I was brought up on Seuss's books; some of the first books I ever read on my own were his, and Are You My Mother will always be a super cute favourite. I'd also, however, like to point out that though his books were fun and cute and educational, they weren't always over-the-top educational; they were a good way to teach children to read and write (remember, things that rhyme will stick in our minds for far more time, and a rhythm is always helpful too!), but they were definitely filled with impractical things, such as the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz. He's not going to appear on a spelling test any day soon, but he sure is a good way to teach children to say and write out their 'z's. Education and fun-always a good thing to put hand-in-hand!

So yeah, this has been my month (minus Sundays) in blogs. I may do something like this again, we shall see. However, if I do maybe next time I'll do it with more of a theme in mind. I'm off to watch some Doctor Who and go to bed though now.. I've got to be up at 6:30 tomorrow morning to go to work *gags*. I won't say goodbye forever though, as I can pretty much guarantee that I'll be back at some point in time. Ciao, it has been a slice!

Yeti

Yupp, I decided to go there. You know, the abominable snowman or the Meh-Teh? Yeah, they're all kinda the same thing. Big, white, monstery things. Specifically they're said to inhabit the Himalayas but I've seen one, and I've never been off the continent. What about you? Have you seen a Yeti? I can share my story about seeing the Yeti if you'd like.

(If you don't care, disregard the next little bit. Otherwise, carry on)

So, I went with my family and we took this sort of slow pace up to the top of the mountain, seeing some stalactites and stalagmites on the way up, and ice and stuff. Then we started heading down, and it was dark. We're rushing down the inside of a mountain by this point, in the dark and cold, and then we see eyes. We get separated from the people slightly ahead of us, and then it comes. There's this Yeti looming over us screeching, and we whiz past it and it's gone. That's my only encounter with a Yeti, and if you haven't guess, it was on an attraction. A specific attraction, actually: The Matterhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland Park.

I honestly don't remember much about the first time I went on this ride (I was 12, okay?) but I do remember that it was darn cold. And the Yeti scared the beegezus out of me; it was big and lit with strobe lights and it was terribly loud and sprung upon you. It was terrifying to my 12 year old self for a few seconds, until we were whipped around a corner and I was laughing again. The second time I was on that ride it was just funny (I was nearly 17 by this point, and was on a trip with my school. Everything is much more awesome when you go with your friends!) and enjoyable, although the person I was riding in the sled with was slightly uncomfortable about the situation.. He wasn't thrilled about sitting behind me in the sled. Oh well, not my fault! The third time I went on the ride I was 18 and with my family and the sled was a little squishy, but otherwise the ride was still fun. This time we went on it at like, 11:30pm and the park was nearly empty. It was so much fun, and the Yeti was probably the highlight of that trip. With the complete darkness brought on by the absence of the sun the strobes surrounding the Yeti were just that much more epic, and the glowing lights were even more penetrating. The general feeling of surreal surroundings was increased by the strobes hitting the white walls and 'ice' and creating a glimmering, beautiful effect set off totally by this hulking ape-like cryptid.

I would compare and contrast Yeti sightings to further this blog post, but to be honest I'm only really interested in the Yeti I've seen. The myth is always fun to hear and it something to listen to and all, but I've never been faced with anything to prove the existence of a Yeti, and so I will continue to believe that they only exist in things such as Disney rides, stories, and as people spotting Spirit Bears and being totally off track in thinking that they appear ape-like. Giant white apes are on the list of things I would believe in, but abominable snowmen are not.

** Oh my gosh guys, I can`t believe after I finish this post off (very shortly) There`s only one left to write! This month has flown by, and this summer is just getting ready to pick up. I realize these blogs haven't been the most amazing things ever, but I'm enjoying myself. If you want quality writing, check out my papers or turn to someone else's blog; this one's for fun, freedom, and venting. However, it's not over yet! So, while I leave you to mull over my random musings (I've just realized I could have done this whole blog and referred only to things Disney, which would have been SO much fun!... Maybe next time), I'm off to enjoy my new Summertime Rooibos tea (which is essentially strawberry-rhubarb tea and tastes like warm ice cream, or pie. I call it 'magic tea' or 'crack tea' because of its addictiveness) and enjoy my evening. Lots of love! <3

'X'

So I could be stereotypically nerdy and write about X-Men or something, but to be honest my knowledge of the X-Men is highly limited. I also can't be bothered to look more into it at this moment, as I'm playing lazy and just don't feel like it. I have, however, finally come across a topic to write about today for X: The lack of dictionary entries starting with 'X' in my dictionary.

There are actually only 9 definitions in my dictionary for words starting with the letter 'X'. 9. I don't have like, a new dictionary or the most super awesome dictionary out there, but I've got a Collins Pocket Reference English Dictionary published in Canada in 1998. I'm assuming therefore that it has all the entries in it that could be considered imperative or pertinent. However, only 9 entries? That's slightly sad. And you know what the entries are? Obviously not if you're there and don't have a copy of the dictionary in front of you, so I'll tell you: 'X', 'Xe', 'Xenon', 'xenophobia', 'Xerox', 'Xmas', 'x-ray', 'xylem', and 'xylophone'.

The biggest disappointment for me was that I went into this whole "let's check the dictionary and see if there's a cool word I can talk about" thing totally stoked to learn a new word, and I didn't learn anything new. It may sound pathetic, but with only 9 words, there wasn't really much to learn. And honestly, after studying Biology and English Literature as I have, the only words that could have been questionable ("Xe", "xenophobia", and "xylem") have cropped up in lectures on more than one occasion. 'Xe' is the chemical abbreviation of xenon, 'xenophobia' is the fear or hatred of people from other countries (which my Lit prof for 18th century novels liked to point out occurred quite a bit in some of our assigned readings), and xylem is the plant tissue that conducts water and minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant.

Wow, looking over that it makes me sound extremely boring and nerdy, but I suppose one of the two is at least slightly correct. I'm a bit of a nerd, I'll admit it. However, that doesn't mean I wasn't disappointed. I may have to go out and buy a better dictionary for myself soon. You know, one of those ones that looks like a gigantic tome, and when you pull it out people kind of gape? Yeah, I definitely want one of those! It'd be like when the guy in my Archaeology class pulled out a quill to take notes, but even more awkward. Yupp, it'd be great.

I feel like I haven't done a great job of talking about anything to do with 'X' today, but with only 9 entries in my dictionary how can I? It's not like I need to learn anything new... Xenon is bad to play with in large quantities, Xerox is a brand of copy machine, I can play the xylophone (though not amazingly, it's a skill I was taught in elementary school - ukulele, marimba, xylophone, recorder), 'X' is used in multiple ways (wrong, unknown, etc), x-rays are something I've had far too many of, and the others have already been explained. Oh well, I guess there's not really much more I can discuss.. I'm off to nerd out, I guess. Or watch hockey. And I'm going to eat some salmon dinner soon too, then have a glass of tea. And tomorrow I'm going with Ray-Ray to her last day of classes! :)

Words!!

Look, it's Wednesday night and it's 'W'! I'm excited! Lol, but really today I've decided that I'm going to talk about words. They're wonderful and they help us to communicate. We all use different words and we all use them in different ways, but we can all communicate in some manner; even if you don't go into a place knowing a language you'll know at least a few words by the time you leave (even if they're cusses or things like 'washroom', they're words!).

And there are so many great words. I'm going for a short post tonight because I've put basically no thought into what I'm going to write as I relaxed this morning, looked up some skating stuff, went to work, hung out with some friends, and ended up here. However, I can share some of my favourite words with you today it you'd like. (hears no replies).. I'll take that as a yes!

So, I love the word 'awesome'. I know it's over used and fully girly sounding, but it's a nice sounding word; it rolls off the tongue nicely. I'm also a fan of the word 'skookum'. If you've never heard it you're obviously not from the West Coast of Canada, but basically it's another word for great. The word 'whisper' is also pretty great; it's one of those words that sort of comes out sounding like what it means.. If you have ever said it in the right tone you'll understand what I'm talking about.

But really, I think that's all I'm going to get up to tonight; my brain has stopped functioning fully so I'm going to go catch up on watching the vlogbrothers, then it's off to bed. G'night!!

Voices

So, I had a difficult time choosing a topic to write about again; 'V' is such a difficult letter for me. I could write about my personal victories, but that just gets far to personal and emotional and all that (plus, what I consider a victory is way different from what some others may consider a victory); I could write about old friendships etc, which this letter of the alphabet bring to mind, but that could get messy and possibly vindictive; I was considering writing about VISI (Vancouver Island Skate International) which used to be one of my favourite competitions, but that's just going to bring up skating memories and such, and I don't feel like doing that tonight. No, tonight I'm going to talk about voices.

Not the voices in my head (although I will acknowledge their existence; they get upset when I don't), but the variety of voices I actually use. You see, I have my collection of work voices, school voices, speaking with children voices, and acting adult voices. Then I have my 'normal' voice and my singing voices; it would appear that I use a large variety of voices. Oops.

So I thought up this topic at work when I realized that in the last 5 customers my voice/tone had changed 5 times.. It started rather sweet with a really sweet elderly couple that came through my till; they're regulars, and they always have nice things to say and encouragement to offer, so I like them. I used my sweet voice for them, and chatted. Then things began to pick up and my half harried, but still pleasant voice came out. With this voice, you can tell I'm slightly distracted and am talking to you and listening/responding, but it's also clear that I'm paying a great deal of attention to my work as well. The third voice that I used with the third customer was a pleasant voice, and then I noticed the small child she had with her, and my talking to children voice came out, which is a bit higher than normal, and I use the words "buddy" and "sweetie" more. My fourth voice is the one that takes the cake.

I have this voice that I reserve for "problem customers"; you know, the ones that argue with you about prices, are never satisfied with what you've done, and say that they'll never come back, but 3 days later they come through your till again and are all smiles. Oh yeah, they get their own voice (and smile). Because of performance I've got this smile that I can basically pull out of my pocket that makes it appear that I'm genuinely having the best time. With a few tweaks this smile can be tailored to make it look like I really care what is being said or that I'm sympathetic. Also with this tweaked smile comes my 'compassionate' voice when really I may want to smack the person I'm talking to. Those of you who've seen this will know what I'm talking about; it's not until my eyes look like they're turning black and my smile takes of a slightly vicious appearance that you've got to be careful. Anyways, got rid of my "problem customer" and then had a "young gallant" and his friend through my till.


 He was nice and pleasant, and it was weird.. He asked how I was, made small talk, and when he went to give me his money he like, made a small bow over my hand. And then when I gave his change back he bowed in acceptance.. But I'm talking about voices, and by this time things had calmed down a little bit so I was using my relieved/happy/work voice. You know, the one where it sounds like I'm happy about everything and if I'm not careful I can be accused to flirting. However, I'm pretty careful with this voice at work because a). most of our customers are far too old for me, b). if they're not too old they're either friends of mine, people I went to school with, friends of my sister, or are decidedly unsuitable, and c). I'm not interested in meeting someone while pushing their groceries at this moment. Finally I got rid of them, competed my night, and ended up here (again).

And now I'm munching slowly on a piece of home-made (by myself even) citrus cheesecake, talking to Ray-Ray and another friend, listening to the hockey game (Go Canucks!), and debating making tea. But really, that's all I've got to say tonight; Talk atcha tomorrow (hopefully)! :)

University

So, this topic was actually suggested to me; the first thing to my mind was umbrellas, and I have had bad experiences and luck with those, so I decided that that topic wasn't appropriate. When I asked my mother what to write about she suggested 'underwear' and I decided that could get a little too risqué; Ray-Ray suggested unicorns, and I was very sorely tempted. But you know, it's sad. I didn't even think to talk about Universities, and I'm AT University. Well, was. I've just finished off another term, and now I'm (as you really should know by now) on SUMMER VACATION! (which means I'm picking up as many hours as possible at work and applying for additional jobs). 

But hey, University - I love it. You know, it's actually not all that different from my high school as I expected it to be (probably because I went to a "self-directed high school" which is a nice way of saying that I could get away with skipping so long as I did my work. Basically. Not that I ever actually did this; check my attendance record :P *sweet smile*); I go to class, go do some work, hang out, and hand stuff in. Oh, and I have awesome, random discussions and meet incredible people!

Not that my high school friends aren't awesome, but the people I've met at University are awesome as well; I think it's a novelty thing, and the fact that I see them more than I see my friends from high school. However, my besties are high school friends :). I'm off track again though, aren't I? Yup. So, University and conversations, etc. Well, because of the upcoming election (Yay! I get to participate in democratic activities again.. Boo! We had to have ANOTHER election this quickly) I've had political debates at school, and have actually participated in political discussions and understood what was going on. This has never happened before, but it may have something to do with the fact that the first discussion I participated was prompted by this video. However, it's not just that; I've met people with similar interests to mine, spoken many words with other English majors, and have thoroughly enjoyed all of it. 

Now, as many of you know (or not), I started as a Biology major. BIG MISTAKE. I know some people really love it, but it turns out it just wasn't for me. Now, I'm nearly done my English major and I'm regretting those lost 2 years; I could have taken so many amazing classes! My University offers Latin and ASL and Greek and Roman Studies and Germanic Studies and.. I could go on, but you get the ideas: I didn't take the courses that now sound to absolutely thrilling, and I'm sad. Maybe I'll come back to University as a senior, I hear it's free... 

I know there are a lot of people out there who think that University is all about the social life, but with a schedule like mine, it can't be. I had the Breakfast Club (no, not the movie) and a few others that I hung out with, or members of the Breakfast Club at different times of day, and I had my friends from home and that was about it; that's all there was time for with 6 courses and a part-time job (not to mention commuting/napping, sleeping, eating, the gym, and occasionally cooking dinner and going to skating 2 times a week... holy carp, I sound like a drone >.<). 

However, I thoroughly love my University life. It's liberating and educational and honestly, even though I feel like I spend 90% of my time studying/working and 100% of my time sleep deprived, I love it. I love the people I know, I love my campus, I love my studies, and I even find myself loving some of the work. Heck, I picked up a couple late Victorian novels to read over the summer because I want to, not because I have to. That's how much I'm enjoying this stuff!

And so, before I go do something else (alright, I'll admit it: it has taken me almost an hour to write this much because of youtube, convos on MSN and bubbles, so really this has been the 'something else') I'd just like to encourage everyone to find something that they love to study, sign up for University, and meet amazing people. Because I have, and I certainly love them all (also, I'm going to miss them this summer and the years coming, for those that are leaving)! Tons of love all, I'm off to find some tea, think about what courses I want to take next September (Germanic Studies courses, English, maybe some Greek Mythology...), talk with Ray-Ray, and blow more bubbles in mah bedroom! :)

Ta!