Me...In The Stars

I came across this today: 

Aquarians can completely freak out at having to attend something as innocuous as a wedding invitation but put a note in their planner to overthrow the pharmaceutical industry complex next Tuesday.

THIS IS ME.

Batshit Crazy

This morning the weather was apparently -1, and felt like...-3 or something. I was tempted to wear flip flops, but unfortunately resisted. I still however did not wear anything overly warm and walked outside with nothing much.

I was secretly and delightfully hoping that people would look at me and think "She is batshit crazy".

FAMILY!

Here is the newest member of the De Vries family!!!

 

She's AWESOME!!!

Revelations

The greatest revelations of life come during mundane conversations about nothing particularly significant.

Current revelation: Alicia and I have had our paths cross before, when we went to the same church as kids, but were never friends there. My parents remember her and her family, which makes everything a little more real. How amazing is this world? And how weird is it? Obviously, we were always supposed to be friends, but since the whole church friend thing didn't happen, we had to go on a detour and become friends through Social Work. 

Best revelation in awhile. So cool. So crazy.

Gorg

Favourites

It has been quite long, hasn't it? This is why: 

My trip theme, thanks to James.

Grand Palace, Bangkok.

Death Railway, Kanchanaburi

 A fierce monkey at Erawan Falls, Kanchanaburi

Elephant trek, Kanchanaburi

At Angkor Wat, Cambodia

At Angkor Thom, Cambodia

At Ta Prohm, Cambodia

At Ta Prohm, Cambodia

At Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya

Wat Phanan Choeng, Ayutthaya

Sri Nakakharin Park, Ayutthaya

Thong Nai Pan Yai, Koh Phangan

Longtail Beach Resort, Koh Phangan

Bangsar, Kuala Lumpuer, Malaysia

BAM

There it is!

Not going to lie - this is pretty f'ing amazing.

All I'm Taking

This is it. Carry-on bag. No checked baggage. Love it.

Text Of The Day

This award goes to Tari Wilson for sending me the most random text of the day. It reads: 

"Peter Mansbridge totally has a crush on Claire the weather girls :)"

Peter Mansbridge...you filthy dog.

RAINER MARIA RILKE IS MY NEW LOVE. 

This probably should have happened a LONG time ago.

Long Hair, Horns, Boats...Yeah

I am so into Vikings right now. 

When I think about Vikings, I literally have to stop what I'm doing because I get so distracted by my thoughts about them. I'm so enamored by them. It's unreal. (Like, I'm not actually joking)

I'm honestly not surprised that I'm in love with Vikings. They have long hair, wear sweet hats with horns on them, and have totally awesome boats. They are fierce and know how to get shit done. They also love nature and grass, since they're all about Greenland.

A new goal I have is to now meet a Viking. A friend of mine has a Norse background, so I practically have met one. Now I know why I was so attracted to having a friendship with him. HE'S A VIKING. Fine, he's not quite a Viking, since he doesn't have a sweet boat or even long hair...but you know, his uncle was like, Leif Ericcson or something. It counts.

So yeah, if you see a Viking somewhere, please tell me immediately and I will run to you, as you stall the Viking so that I can meet him. Thanks!

It Took Awhile...

Us future Social Workers at Lot 332 for Chanel's birthday...

Why is it that my picture is always being snapped at clubs when I'm out with my Social Work crew?

Fierce

One day, I hope to be able to do this out of the confines of Motown.

Leaders Are Real People Too

So I just emailed my City Councillor about the ridiculousness of the East Mountain Pan-Am Stadium site, and he emailed me back quick! He said that he had been answering a lot of these emails and asked if he could cut and paste some answers he's given other people, and would love to hear my comments afterwards. I of course said that he could do that, and that it was no problem. Then emailed me back to thank me for my "courtesy" and said that it was his bedtime, and called himself "Bonzo". I kind of feel like I've just shattered some glass ceiling...or become best friends with an older upper-middle class white man who is an apparent leader in the city. Or...maybe that's just how Hamilton people role. Probably the latter.

Rage

I've been very angry lately, for a variety of reasons. I thought I'd name some just to vent a little. 

• I hate when I miss the fucking bus and have to wait for the next one - which happens to be late -  meaning I have to wait even longer.
• I hate it when people are ignorant and closed-minded. I will fight with you. Don't piss me off.
• I hate when there isn't fucking cell reception everywhere I go.
• I hate it when random people start following me on Twitter, even though they have 0 tweets and are following 532 other people - what the fuck? 
• I hate doing school and placement at the same time.
• I hate taking buses and cabs everywhere.  I'm so over other people being in charge of my transportation. 
• I fucking hate it when cab drivers don't drive the route you want them to, AND go below the speed limit. What the fuck? 
• I hate it when you call people for information and you leave a message, but they don't get back to you.
• I hate it when bus drivers decide to go 7km/hour up the Mountain.
• I hate it that I can't find a fucking sarong anywhere.
• I hate the bank. 

There are many more things that have been making me engorged with rage lately, but I thought I'd let those off my chest.

Rocket Man

Oh Elton...

He is most likely the cutest man ever. If you ever get the chance, SEE HIM IN CONCERT! It was AMAZING!!!

A Day In The Life of A Social Work Student

1. Pack up room and find fecal matter on the floor. How pleasant. 

2. Read daily horoscope.

3. Pick up babies.

4. Think of every male baby name that I possibly can and give the list to the expecting mother.

5. Colour and laugh with an awesome resident who is developmentally delayed. I can't count how many times the phrase "You're fired" was said.

6. Walk to the kitchen several times and get cookies for myself. 

7. Read entire newspaper.

8. Complain about how tired I am, but can't have coffee because of the heat.

9. Count down the hours, minutes, seconds until the day the done.

10. Celebrate as our advocating for one woman's situation has turned out just how we wanted it.

Boogie Style

There was a man on the bus today. It was obvious from the start that he was quite suave. We got off at the same spot, and I just happened to be walking behind him, which ultimately meant that I was able to analyze his clothing selection a little more. He was wearing a 70s chic pattern button down, tan pants, and vintage white loafers. For some reason, he reminded of a 70s type Burt Reynolds. It was a truly beautiful experience.

I think the world would be a little bit of a better place if we could all dress a little more like Burt Reynolds. But of course, we could all never rock the moustache like Mr. Reynolds himself. Or chest hair.

People, Places And Things

This is long...but worth it.

On a weekly basis, someone around me complains about how Hamilton sucks, or how there is nothing to do here. If you don't like Hamilton, that's cool. I respect your opinion, but of course, I grew up here and love the city that has had a part of making me who I am today. I also went to high school in a little, nothing hick town in Northern Ontario, where the only thing to do there was to drive around and go to Tim Horton's. I still have a soft spot for Blind River, even though I kind of hate the place for different reasons, but I acknowledge that it also had a part in making me who I am today. 

Not too long ago, I was one of those people that I think most people would relate to. The person that bases their life on the "things" they can or can't do. This is why people dislike Hamilton so much. They say there is nothing to do.  I also believed at a time that there wasn't much to do in Hamilton, but over time, I realized that there was much more to do than people think. But that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter anymore, because I'm now not one of those people that bases the value of their lives on the things that they can or can't do. I would much prefer to measure my life by friends and family, the many experiences in between, and the random shit that gets done when friends are together, having a good time. 

Do you think living in Blind River was boring? In fact, the town was boring, but I didn't have a boring high school life. My group of friends weren't the party-ers or drinkers (in fact, the only time I really drank in high school was during Band trips - FUN, or on the Reserve with two friends in a basement, smoking half a pack of cigarettes), we were the Christian group who did really random shit. The great things I remember about Blind River are my friends and the experiences I had. The long drives around town. Something bad happening to the Wiebemobile everytime I was in it, and then praying over the situation (in a semi-sarcastic fashion) and everything being OK. The Galilean Bible Camp bashing. Going to such a small school, and having such tight relationships with the teachers that we could get them gifts such as a "Boyfriends of the Month" calendar. The many times spent in Tim Horton's, with my country bun, just chilling, talking, laughing and looking at all the Greyhound people that came in. Putting random shit, such as a van seat, in between the angels (someone's house had these angels in front of it) in Iron Bridge. The random car washes that looked like they came from a scene in Zoolander. The skinny dipping at Four Sands after Bible Study. The 2 hour road trips to Sudbury, just to get to a decent mall. There are so many more things I could list...but the point is, my life experience in Blind River (the place where there is ACTUALLY nothing to do) was extremely rich. I made lifetime friends, had so many firsts, and did tons of random shit that made life awesome, hilarious, and fulfilling. Everything we did, we made the most of it. None of it was spectacular. It wasn't extravagant. We just made everything fun. We made everything an adventure. It was our mindset, and we had so much damn fun. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Is it because we had to be creative in a small town that I realize that places don't really matter? In cities, you definitely don't need the same creativity, because the city has everything figured out for you. I say, stop letting the city have everything figured out for you!

So, to all Hamilton haters, stop living your life based on the things that you do and the places you live. Don't let that be your focus. Stop and look around with who you're with. It doesn't matter where you are, you can always have a good and fulfilling life wherever you are. It's the people around you that makes your life rich, as well as the experiences that you choose to create. If you keep on saying that a certain place sucks, your life will most likely suck there. That's no fun, is it? So, I encourage everyone to start doing random shit and making the most of it. Oh, and laughing. A lot. You don't have to like the place you're in, but you'll notice it less if you're in the right mindset. 

It is true that I love Hamilton. I love that it's a little rough around the edges, and that it's still trying to figure itself out. I will be a forever defender of Hamilton, despite the hate. 

I heart you, Hamilton!

Maybe It's Just The Hair

Or maybe it's just how I kind of feel cool in this dirty way.

I'm not going to lie. I'm totally into 80's hair metal right now. It's all I want to listen to. I think it's because I've all of a sudden been listening to more rock radio, and all these awesome hair metal songs come on. I'm just pissed that I rarely know the name of the songs, and so I can't download them. What a dilemma.

My Chickpea Is Home!

TARA IS BACK FROM CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Tara, you better be freaking ecstatic that you got an entire, huge, long blog post dedicated to YOU)

Crazy Summer

Tomorrow is the official start of SUMMER. The plan is to have a crazy shenanigans happening all summer...so, I say a toast to the next days, weeks and months. Bring it on.

The Days Blur, What Can I Say?

Last night, I had an encounter with a drunk girl (I will call her Persephone). We were both heading for the elevator in my building, and she offered my a cigarette, because she said that she didn't smoke and that her friend just randomly gave it to her. I accepted this cigarette on behalf of my friend who was waiting in the car for me while I ran up to my apartment to get my laptop. 

Persephone and I continued to talk. She was stating how drunk she was and how she was probably going to get more drunk later that night. I also declared that I would most likely get more drunk later on as well. She stated that she was so tired, because she woke up at 6am, because she thought it was Saturday and she works on Saturday. I looked at her, with a puzzled look on my face, and said "Persephone, it IS Saturday." And she was like, "No, it's Sunday. Do you have a phone? You can check the date on there." I got my phone, and sure enough, it was Saturday, just like I had told her. She said, "Oh shit...I was supposed to go to work today, but instead I got drunk!"

I wished her good luck as I got off the elevator. I truly hope that she will still have a job after not showing up, and getting drunk instead.

Phone Booth Theft

Today at my placement, someone came back to the house and told me that she saw a man steal a phone booth on Barton St. today. A PHONE BOOTH. I was like "What in the world would someone do with a stolen phone booth?!" She replied, "Smash it up for drug money". 

First,  there was something lost in translation there. Second, I obviously have a lot of street cred to earn before I can become a successful social worker.

Things Happen

I have realized that I haven't posted in a looooong time. I apologize to the 3-5 people who possibly read this blog for that. Some recent, interesting and exciting updates in my life are as follows: 

• About a week and a half ago, my Nana accidentally thought that her dish soap was pop, and so she proceeded to drink it. Thank goodness she realized it wasn't pop after she had one sip.

• Today, I ran into the one and only Katie Mervart on the street (she was working on my corner, if you know what I mean) and we went for a lovely walk around Hamilton's most awesome neighbourhood (ours) and looked at all the way too awesome homes that we will one day live in. Ravenscliffe Ave. is my dream street, and if I stay in Hamilton, I will one day own a home on that street. There is no question about it. I don't really care if the homes cost over a million. Seriously. 

•  I baked cookies last night, and they are almost gone. I seriously need to stop baking cookies.

• Very recently, I have realized that some people are major douchebags, and I really hate when they mess with my people. Just get the fuck out, and leave my people alone. Man, I feel like a modern-day Moses...expect the Pharaoh is a whole bunch of people who are just douchebags.

I will try to blog more...life has just been unfortunately hectic and sad lately.

Advice For Broke People

Today I have discovered the greatest method of accumulating enough money to get that coffee at Tim Horton's.

You know how people will sometimes just ask you for spare change and you don't want to give them anything? Yes, admit it. You don't want to, and you don't. Well, I think we have an issue with it because it's so ambiguous. However, on the bus today, a man (who looked pretty broke - but had beautiful, unwashed long hair and a nice beard) asked "Does anyone have a dime?" and VOILA, he gets a dime. What a clever, clever man. See, who really cares about a dime? Not too many people - unless you're broke of course. So, I can just picture this man going around town, asking people in different social settings for dimes. Just a dime. People are cool with giving dimes. Because people are cool with giving away a dime, one person could be quite successful at accumulating the perfect amount for a coffee at Timmy's or something like that. I know it may sound like it would take forever, but I doubt it. Just walk around downtown for awhile, or get on a bus and get off a stop later and get on another bus (HELLO transfer!) and so and on and so forth. This is what all broke people should be doing. All the time. Genius, no?

So Proud...

My uncle's name is Ed. If you put in Google, "ed de" - "ed devries" and "ed devries nunavut" are the 3rd and 4th suggested searches that come up. While "ed devries" can get a little bit of everything, my uncle still enjoys a number of hits under there. For "ed devries nunavut", that's obviously all him, since he lives there. He's definitely a celebrity up there. The CBC love writing news about him and his weed.

Feel free to check him out. Maybe I should start a fan page.

So...I Went To Jail...

I have officially recovered from this past weekend. Now, I can actually sit down and speak of the epic-ness/lack of epic-ness.

1. Prison. Yeah, who would have thought I would end up in prison this weekend? Pretty sweet, eh? NOT. OK, it's not REAL prison, but it was Bond Place Hotel. First off, the check in took about 2 million hours. Second of all, we reserved a room that had a queen bed and a double bed; however, they first gave us ONE double bed. Yeah, that wasn't going to work for 4 people. Third, we complained and asked for two beds...which ended up being two SINGLE beds. Thanks, prison. Fourth, (here's the kicker), you had to swipe your card in the elevator to get UP AND DOWN. Are you kidding? Prison, prison and more prison. Message to Bond Place Hotel: You suck and can go to hell. 

2. This should really be number 1...but I just felt the need to talk about prison first. So yeah, me and Derek were OF COURSE on time for everything, since we are just so put together, but of course, everyone else (I shouldn't say everyone...but you know) was a wee late and we had to change our reservation for dinner from 6 to 6:30, and I think some were still late for that reservation. Noteworthy: Erica was on time for dinner for the first time in her life.

3. So, me and Derek ended up not staying at the hotel. This meant running back and forth between the hotel, dinner, hotel, and Matt's. It's was f'ing insane. The subway was necessary...even if it was only two stops away.

 

4. Two McDonald's runs. After the club, Derek and I wanted fries, so that's what we went out to get. Ten minutes later, we wanted more. And pop. And a McFlurry. Sooo...we went BACK out and got more. The staff probably thought we were crazy, not to mention that I looked like a crackwhore.

5. All I will finally say, is that I don't exactly remember much of the night. Apparently I fell and did not want to get back up (I love floors), and I was apparently stumbling all over and into people. I was also undressing Tara. THAT is something that I remember. The pictures from the club are awful...well, I look awful. Like, there was seriously something going on with my hair and I was all gross and sweaty. I seriously need to stop being crazy at clubs. 

Overall, hilarious and historic weekend. Thank you, Nat, for being born.

Could Life Get Any Better?

Text received on Friday night, from none other than the text Queen herself, Jess:

On the subway. To my right, a guy who looks like a pimp. To my left, a guy covered in tattoos w/ a sausage and a HATCHET. 

Now this is what constitutes quite an interesting night. 

HAPPY CONCEPTION DAY TO ME!!!

You may remember that I brought up the notion of having a Conception Day. Well, TODAY IS MY CONCEPTION DAY!!!!!! LET'S PARTY!!!

This is my message to the world: Your welcome. I know that your lives would be completely empty and miserable without me. I know I bring richness and joy to your lives which you would not have if it were not for me. Here's to another year of bring richness and joy into your lives, because of me.

You Gotta Take What You Can Get!

Once upon a time, there was a very drunk young man at Hess Village. We'll call him Tom Johnson. Tom Johnson was kind of acting crazy, and he even looked a little crazy too. He started asking people for money. No one was really sure as to why, and he wasn't really successful at gathering any amount of money at first. However, at one point, someone threw some money at him. The person that threw money at him was probably drunk as well, hence the throwing. Well, Tom Johnson, in quite a huff, picked up the money and threw it back. He was apparently not impressed or not happy or something. I just didn't understand him. Why in the world would Tom Johnson throw back money? He was asking for money the whole time. Here was his chance in life. Maybe he was asking for money to start a small business or go into organic farming, and was obviously looking for investors. He finally got some investors and then just rejected their money. Tom, buddy, why? 

Moral of the story: Do not always believe people when they ask for money.

Laaaaaaaaace

While today's shopping trip was strictly supposed to be all about business casual, I noticed this beautiful lace jacket/cardigan/whatever you want to call it, and just had to have it. It is officially my new favourite piece of clothing! Thank you H&M! I plan on showing it off this weekend :) 

Nana Post

My Nana is kind of closeted poet, and she wrote this for my parents because they came down to help her with a lot of stuff these past few days. Here is the poem: 

Thank You

When you know you need help,
Just let out a great big yelp.
Loud enough to be heard in the Sault

And Patti and Jack will know what to do
They'll jump into their nice big car,

And be willing to drive very far,
All the way to Ancaster,
So that they could help her.

Her, of course, is good old Mom
When she needs help they always come,
Didn't know what they were getting into
'Cause the job really needed more than two,

That didn't stop them one little bit
They worked so hard to finish it.

My thanks and love I give to you
And I wish blessings in all you do.

Isn't she the cutest thing ever?

Official Mid-Century Modern Virginity TAKEN

My newly acquired 1963 stereo is my new love, and thought I should share this beautiful piece of furniture with all of you. It's a little more breathtaking when you see it in person!

Voila! Open it up and the stereo system appears! (For the record, it doesn't work)

Needs a bit of a cleaning...

Looooove the design and texture.

I hope you enjoyed my photo essay! I'm giving a shout out to my Grandpa for having good taste in furniture...

I feel like this is a scene out of a Hannibal Lecter movie.

via My Parents Were Awesome

Sight Of The Day

While on the bus, I looked out the window and saw something quite spectacular. At the corner of Main and Locke, there was a man who was doing karate all by himself while walking down the street.

I wish I had the courage of that man.

It's Alive

Apart from the whole running into a TV set yesterday, Tara and I also went to the Art Gallery of Hamilton. This is something that we saw:

This is by artist David Merritt, and quite frankly, it was freaky. It looks like an innocent work of art; however, it is not. This work of art has a soul. It has an energy. It totally has an aura surrounding it, which I unfortunately couldn't see because I haven't honed those skills yet. While circling this, ah, "tree", I felt like it could swoop down, swallow me, and take me into it's inner world. Because of that, I felt that I should keep my distance. 

My advice to all: Go see this at the AGH, but BEWARE! It may swallow you whole.

I Need An Automated Title Generator

Ah, yesterday. Yesterday was interesting. But then again, walking onto a TV set is going to be interesting, since it's not the average everyday thing that you do. Tara and I were walking to My Thai (Thai Memory was CLOSED for some reason - weird) and BAM! Some sort of filming is happening. Of course, we were quietly told that we had to wait until they were done shooting, so we stood there...waiting...wanting Thai food. It was quite grand to be able to watch the actor come out of My Thai and pick this huge wedgie several times. Yes, they were shooting out of My Thai...although it wasn't My Thai...it was this donut shop. I hope My Thai got good money for letting their restaurant be used. Anyway, through eavesdropping, I eventually found out that they were shooting a new TV series called She's The Mayor for VisionTV (I know, right?) 

So I guess at the end of the day, I can say "I was there", or "I saw some not too famous people shooting a new TV series". Exciting stuff, right? Of course, I didn't even think to take a picture of the filming...I was obviously entranced in the whole experience, why would I even think to take a picture? 

The most unfortunate part was that they obviously didn't need any extras at that time. If they did, they obviously would have asked Tara and I. I have no doubt about this, since Tara and I exude radiance around us. Enough said.

Definitely Famous

There is no doubt here! We (Emma, Mary, Chanel, Christina and I) officially made it onto Zu Bar's website. TWICE. Niiiiiiiiiice.

You Gotta Thrill My Soul

I have just acquired arguably my most favourite Doors album. Morrison Hotel. I'm in heaven. It's playing right now.

 

Sure, the money I spent on this record could have gone to some much needed food. But you see my friends, this feeds my soul, which is infinitely much more important than anything physical.

"...Marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is a flower. God put it here…"

 

photo by Alyssa Noches

 

This is what I envision my life to be, and I think I'm halfway there. Bad ass bright pink eye shadow, idolization of weed...and an obsession with peanut butter and jam. Yup, I'm halfway there. At least.

This Is NO April Fools Joke!

Can I just say that the synchronization of "The Monthly" (new term I discovered for it - it's actually an old term, but I kind of love it - it's like a monthly newspaper!) among female friends is the ultimate measure of friendship?

This Is Like When I Got My Barbie Mansion...

THE CLINICS ARE HERE. In fact, I am wearing them as I type. I plan on sleeping in them tonight.

Yeah, I went a little camera happy. Wouldn't you?