{ lazy evening in }

well, my tummy is stuffed with the glorious roast beef dinner that we had at my parents' tonight ... and now i am home for a relaxing evening "in". i want to write something, but i don't know what to write; i don't know what to say.

on saturday one of my closest friend's dad was killed in a tragic workplace accident. he was only fifty years old. i've been in somewhat of a stupor these past few days because of it ... i suppose going back to school today helped to distract from it a bit, but it's still there in the back of my mind. it was just so tragic , so surreal.

today i finally go in to the swing of teaching. i taught 3 full classes (that's 90 grade 9 students!) ... i felt somewhat in my prime up there. it was so fun.

and i suppose that's it. i'm not in much of a writing mood. i'll just update some more of this site instead ...

{ home sweet home }

i have a new home on the web ... although it is still "under construction", it's in the preliminary stages of being up and running ... visit me at:

http://daintee.bellechanson.org

(courtesy of the lovely karel at www.bellechanson.org)

{ time to say "yippee" }

Well, I am officially done University classes "forever". I wrote my final exam yesterday ... it is honestly too surreal to believe. I am still doing homework, though, ironically--I am working on a unit plan (on creative writing), which is due tomorrow (and then I will be able to use it in the field as well).

So far I've put in 8 hours on it, and I estimate I'm about a quarter of the way done. Whew! Plus my job applications are due tomorrow so I've gotta do all that today! AAH! Today is more stressful than any other day this term, even though I'm officially supposed to be *done*.

Anyways ... one more day of hard work and then I have 4 days off!!! And then I start teaching on Tuesday! It's an exciting week ahead for me :)

{ PL8SPK }

I discovered an awesomely hilarious book: Pl8Spk: California Vanity Plates Retell the Classics by Daniel Nussbaum. Says amazon.com: ""Platespeak" is a unique retelling of classic and familiar stories using only the vocabulary of vanity license plates."

And here is a sampling of what exactly that means:

ROMYOH ANNDE JULYET
by Daniel Nussbaum

SUMTIME AGO YN VERONA...

LAYTE SATRDAY: III JUST MET AMOST TOTALLY CHILLIN RADBOY. ADREEEM NO1STUD 4ME2LUV. BUT OHOH: HEES 1OFTHEM, AAA MONTAGU. MI HOTHEAD COUSIN TYBALT WENTMAD BECUZ ROMIO KRASHED OURRR XKLUSV PHAMLEE BASH. OSOWHAT. THIS BORING OLDE FEUDO BITES.

OHWAIT! GESSWAT! BE4 HEE SPLIT, ROMEO KISTME! HESSOQT! BYGTME! I SWEAR!

SUNDAYE MORN: L8 LASTNT THERIAM ONTHE BALCONY TOTALIE TALKING 2 MYSELF OUTLOUD LIKA NOBRAIN BIMBET AIRHED.

IMGOING, "IH8THIS LTL MONTEGU DTALE. ROMEOH, ROMYO, WHERFOR ARTTHOU ROMIEO?"

THEN OUT UV THEDARK AAAA VOYCE: "YO JULYET, IMEZ. I CAN LOSE THENAME. ITZ NOBIGGY."

OROMYO! ICDLITE!

WERNLVE. SOINLUV. VRINLUV. MELUV, HELVZ, WELUVV. LUVIZUS. XLNTLUV. BIGLOVE. CRZYLUV. LOVLOV. LVLVL. LOVE. LUVVVV. LLUV. WEE OWN THE FRNCHIZ.

MEEEE: "SSO MARRIME."

MRROMEO: "IMN2IT."

2MORRO WELSEE APRIEST. YIII! IMSOHPY!

MONDAYE EVENING: AT 1ST DA FATHA WASNOT GUNGHO. HEZ GOING, "WHOA, KIDSSS. PUPYLUV. GETAGRP."

ANDDE ROMEOO IZZ LYKE, "JSTDOIT, PADRE."

ANDNOW WEARE1. M8D4LIF. L8RON HUNKOLA WIL CUMINN THRU MIII WINDO. ANON IWILLE ABANDON MESELF TOHIM BODYNSL. COOOOL!

EARLYAM 2SDAY: BE4 MYROMEO DUZ ARRIVE, IIIII LEARNN SICK NNEWS. TY, MYCOZ, IS DONEINN BY ROMEOZ HAND! NOWAAAY! BYYY PRINCES ORDER MYROMIO MUSTGO. 1NITE OFMAGIC ANDNOW ADDIO AMORE. NOWAYYY!

WENZDAY PM: IZZEE TOTALEE CLUELSS? POPSEZ IPH IDO NOT GTMARYD 2MOROW 2SUM RICHE FOOLE, IGOTTA PACKUP AND LIVEON DSTREET INRAGE. LIKMSURE, MRDAD.

IHAVONE DESPER8 HOPE: IWILL FAKE MII SUICIDE. NOREALY. THS HERBAL DRINK DOSS SUPRESS EVERY VITLSGN FOR2 DDAYZ. IIL PASS4 DDED ANDTHEN MYBRAVE RO WILLLLL RESQME FROMMI TOMBE. NEATHUH? IDRNK2U MYANGEL.

FRIIDAY: PHEWW. WTADUMP! ROMEOS ASWEET CORPSE BSIDE MEEEE INNN THZZZZZ GLOOMY PIT. THINKNG IWOOD RIZAGAN NOMORE, MILOV DOWND DEDLY POIZN. GREEDY FRIENND! NOTADRP LEFT 4ME. IC HIS DAGGA NNOW IDIEE! UGGH!

{ davidandgoliathtees.com }

my new desktop background is surprisingly accurate. I know Derek and my mom would wholeheartedly agree.

{ it feels so nice ... }

... to buy a new book! My current favorite book, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (see here) was finally on the shelves at Chapters! Yay! Something intruiging to settle down to read on the bus and before bed and while Derek rehearses with the worship team ... what a fun feeling.

Today I am as light as a feather. My big project is done. All I have left is my Creative Writing Unit Plan which I am very excited about. I have lots of good ideas. Now all I have to do is tie them all together somehow ... but I know with time it will all connect and transist nicely.

I am done school tomorrow at 12:00, which is another nice treat. But since everyone else I know is busy with work and school and since the bus to my house doesn't run until 3:30, I'm going to go shopping--for teacher clothes! Yay! I'm going to try to hit up Goodwill and Army and Navy for cheap blazers ... I will keep you posted on my successes.

Speaking of books and reading, I have just begun to realize how much I now enjoy reading nonfiction texts. I never used to be that kind of person, but somewhere along the line I made the switch from novels to true life stories (and some expository stuff, too). I was in Chapters today and came across a section I have never seen before: "Literary Travel". TRAVEL STORIES?! I am so excited. I have several new items for my distant birthday wish list. Why do I love reading about travel and cultures so much when I'm so afraid to actually travel and see other cultures? Hmm. While I ponder that I suppose I'll continue to live vicariously through the courage of others ...

{ i found a poem }

A Sunrise on the Veld
a found poem
He woke and stretched his limbs, feeling the muscles tighten,
touching the wall with his hands, the bed foot with his toes—
        and it was cold. cold.

He stepped over the lintel, legs aching with cold,
numbed fingers slipped on icy gun steel—
        it was night, black and still.

He looked for signs of day: the graying of the edge of a stone,
a lightening in the sky—
        but there was nothing, yet.

                  Under a tall, brilliant sky, a tint of green stood
                  in the hollow of a leaf and the air smelled of morning.

                 Soon, in a wild strange light, the bush stood trembling and—
                  on the verge of color—waiting for the sun to paint earth and grass afresh.

                  In front a long vlei—acres of long pale grass—sent
                  a hollowing gleam of light back to a satiny sky.

                                           Day had come!

                  The bush woke into song.

He forgot he had come to shoot.

[SOURCE: “A Sunrise on the Veld”; a short story by Doris Lessing]

{ find your muse }

Check out www.creativewritingprompts.com. So fun!

{ pee-yew }

I'm glad I don't have to keep this schedule book in my purse!

{ "The List A-Z of Getting to Know Me" }

I didn't make up that title, btw (just saying so because I think it's pretty stupid) ... but I got this in an email and thought it would be fun to do this 'cause I haven't done one in a while ...

A- Accent: Canadian, EH? And not only Canadian, but WESTERN Canadian ... we actually front our "a's" differently than the people out east. True!
B - Breakfast: Actually, I still can hardly stand eating breakfast. So far this year I have eaten breakfast on Thanksgiving and Christmas! Haha! Usually I end up eating mid-morning when I can't stand it anymore ... but I'm not sure if I'd consider it breakfast since it's usually something like pizza pops or cookies (or whatever else is sitting on the counter). This morning it was carrots. Haha.
C - Chore You Hate: Hmm ... dusting is not so fun. Actually, cleaning the bathtub is the worst 'cause it KILLS your back!
D - Dad's name: Terry
E - Essential make-up: Mascara ... I've found that it alone can help me look 2-3 years older (which is a trick I really need to employ because I regularily get mistaken for a high school student)
F - Favorite Fast Food Restaurant: Quizno's!
G - Gold or Silver: White gold or else silver
H - Hometown: The city with the craziest weather patterns ON EARTH!
I - Insomnia: Not as frequent as it used to be ... my schoolwork ensures that I almost always conk out before midnight now (it used to be 2:30am on average)
J - Job title: Student teacher! Or else: Yogen Fruz maker, Starbucks barista, Mrs. Sub, burger flipper (I do all these tasks at my hospital job)
K - Kids: The "plan" is in 2.5 years.
L - Living arrangements: My lovely condo home with Derek!
M - Mom's birthplace: Edmonton
N - Number of apples you've eaten: It must be near 1000 ... I LOVE apples! (except for Red Delicious ... they have too starchy a texture)
O - Overnight hospital stays: 3 days (of strict quarantine!) following my mysterious honeymoon illness
P - Phobia: BEARS.
Q - Question you'd like answered: I'm just going to skip this one because I don't want to be shallow and I'm too tired to be deep.
R - Religious affiliation: Christian ... and at the moment, KOREAN Christian (although I'm not Korean, lol)
S - Siblings: Amy, 19 and Trevor, 17
T - Time you wake up: These days around 7:15
U - Unnatural hair colors you've worn: Actually, I've never colored my hair ... but I am thinking about doing it sometime soon ...
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Not a single one! I LOVE vegetables! I'd rather eat vegetables than fruit, anytime!
W - Worst habit: Craving strange foods to an unbearable, insatiable extreme
X - X-rays you've had: A few on my spine (scoliosis), and several ultrasounds (does that count?) on my heart for my irregular heart beat
Y - Yummy foods you make: My banana bread is popular! I made enough for my whole class this morning (60+ slices), and they ate it all! Yay!
Z -Zodiac sign: Cancer

{ worthy of post since it made me laugh }

i really had to laugh at this today. i'm not sure if his sentiments are true or if this is good satire, but at any rate, i still have enough of a sense of humor to laugh at this (even out loud in the lobby while people stare at me) even though i completely disagree with the proposal to nix first year english for non-english majors.

anyways, check out the article that appeared in the latest issue of "The Gateway" here