ARGH!!!! 

Crazy Evil woman.

So, one of my jobs on the A-team is to coordinate the mascots. As in, taking care of the costumes, managing any requests for mascot costumes and performers, hiring new mascots, arranging their schedules, and making sure the "mascotting" runs smoothly during the year. Maybe it sounds easy, but it's been pretty much a heck of a lot of work this week, so hopefully it'll slow down and steady out during the year.

Except... I've been trying to get a hold of this guy that applied for the position. Apparently he's super gung-ho about it. Which I like. Except his mother is possibly as Evil (yes, capital E) as Dr. Lois Brown, the lab coordinator for organic chemistry. If anyone knows our wonderful Dr. Lois, they would know that she eats undergraduate students for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the ones she really doesn't like, she spits them out, stomps on them to make them a little more tender, then goes back and finishes them off.

Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating (but only slightly). And I realize that I am the idiot that forgot my cell phone number when I called her and gave her the wrong number. Twice. And I apologized. Twice. But she is an Evil woman who has no need to chew me up and spit me out just because I was unfortunate enough that she's on the other end of the phone whenever I call. In fact, she chewed me up in the first five seconds of my phone call, before I even gave her the wrong number!! And no wonder I gave her the wrong number! If there is one personality type I KNOW I can't handle, it is the overly aggressive type. They scare me so bad. Turn me to jello so I can't think or resond. I HATE that. What is this anyways, and why am I being interrogated when I am the one trying to interview YOUR son who called us 9 times asking if he could be GUBA? I sure as hell hope that your son does NOT have any personality characteristics that are associated with yours, because if he does, there are lots of stairs with hard floors at the bottom of them in Van Vliet. I am joking, of course. Heh. Heh. Heh.

Crazy Evil woman.

I just needed to vent and I feel much better now.

Crazy Evil woman.

I think I need to go for a run.

Crazy Evil woman.

BUT I have hip-hop in half an hour! So all will be well about an hour from now. Until then, if you see me muttering under my breath and storming around like I want to squeeze someone's neck until their eyeballs bulge like in the cartoons, I would head the other direction.

Crazy Evil woman.

ARGH!!!

Ben Foster is actually pretty hot normally, but in this movie, he's friggin creepy.

Emily Rose

So, once again, I found myself at Sarah's last night. I can never say no when she asks if I want to come over. Just too much fun there. And her roomates rock my world. Whenever I forget what it's like to laugh until my sides want to split, all I have to do is stop by their place.
So, we watched Hostage. My advice is, it's an awesome show, but don't watch it if you're not a horror movie person. It's supposed to be action, but the one villain with the long hair is one of the creepiest movie characters of all time. I have never screamed so much in my entire life. It didn't help that Angela and I had an insane death grip on each other. So, we finished the movie at around midnight, and it took me about an hour before I pronounced myself ready to bike home by myself in the dark. And I thought I was fine. Except I had horrible nightmares.... I don't remember all of them, but the last one was of me getting into my parent's car, behind the DQ back in Dawson Creek, and a half a dozen men trying to attack me by getting into my vehicle, and me trying to lock them out and get away. Ugh, I am not a horror movie person. Who actually likes watching those things, anyways?

Anybody got a bic pen?

So, today I had a really really bad day.

All it really took was for my wonderful-kryptonite-super-tough-can't-be-hacksawed-and-can-only- be-cut-with-say-a-cutting-torch bike lock to get jammed and I was no longer able to open it and free my poor bike from the evil clutches of that horrible thing we call a bike rack.
So, I missed my Safewalk interview and was late for my first Peds 240 lab. Which stressed me out, but mostly I was worried about this wonderful lock of mine never unlocking again. Maybe I am shallow because I put so much care and worry into a small material thing, but this is ME BIKE. I was (and still am) terrified. Be free, my bike, be free!! *sniff sniff*. So, I went to dinner at my aunt's parent's place, which made me feel better because the only times I think I eat decently during the school year is when I go see them. And I was able to tell them about my bad day and explained my dilemma. So, Mike (complex to explain his relationship in our family, so we just call him our "adult friend") and my aunt's dad, Dan decided to take their tools and go see what they could do to unjam my bike when they dropped me off at home.

So, we proceeded to noisily try to steal my bike in front of the CIBC bank where it was locked up. I find it amusing that I knew most of the Safewalk people walking by so nobody ended up calling campus 5-0 on us, which helped, I think. Anyways, we tried many many things, but kryptonite really does make unbreakable locks. And unopenable ones. Damn them. Actually, this is the second one that jammed up on me, I was just lucky last time and it jammed up while I locked it on my handlebar, and I was able to just slide it off. They replaced it for no charge... I should have learned my lesson the first time. So, nothing we tried worked... except some random guy walking down the street shouted out some advice to us that apparently should work, without getting out the cutting torch. Also, some other random guy asked what we were doing, and Mike said, "We're stealing a bike. Can you stand guard for us?". That was awesome. Anyways, my point is, if all goes well, tomorrow we will take this secret advice and my bike will be free. And my next lock will be one that is easier to cut through.

But I'm still rather..... yes... I will say this... pissed off. I've had a bad day and I was not happy.

On the bright side, I am so glad I know some people in Edmonton that are always willing to come to the rescue and make me happy. No matter how independent you are, no matter how old you get, no matter where you go in life... when you feel overwhelmed and don't know what to do, and there's someone there who (in theory, anyways) can fix everything and make you feel secure and safe again, the second you walk in their front door. They are worth so much more than money could ever buy. I think everyone needs an everyday hero, and the Serbens have always been mine. All I can do is hope that someday I can repay someone else in kind.

Music: Hell Song- Sum 41
Picture: All the help I needed

My word of the day: Yukata. So cool. I want one.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

So....

Last night, we had our Mugs kickoff event. One of my favourite (I mean, oops, I have no favourites!) delegates, Blake, came too, which surprised me, because he said he didn't think he'd make it earlier that day when we had hung out. So we all had a good time, even though not as many people showed up as I would have liked. Afterwards, we went down to watch the sleeping bag drive in, which ended up at SUB stage due to weather. Me, Blake and his other friend ended up just hanging out sitting on the same couch and we watched Big Fish, participated in some bubble blowing contests (which ended up making me rather sick, copious amounts of double bubble is not so good for the stomach), and filled out maybe one or two ballots for the draw that was gonna take place before the second movie. We all made a pact that if one of us were to win the trip to Marmot Basin for four, we would share it with the other two and the person who won would get to pick the fourth friend. So, we enjoyed the movie, Blake won the bubble blowing contest, and we all had a good time. And then, in the intermission, Blake also won the trip for four to Jasper.

So, now, I am apparently going to Jasper. Which I am incredibly stoked about. (I don't think travel expenses are included, so we are still trying to figure out how to get there) .... except I feel that somehow, I don't really deserve this. I am good friends with most of my delegates, but does that give me the right or the reason to go on a trip like this? Part of me says yes, I have worked hard in my volunteer work and deserve this. Blake is a good friend now, and I know we would all have a good time together. But another part of me says that no, this is not right. I am responsible for the well-being of my delegates, but this may be taking it too far and I'm not sure if I have the right to go. That if I go, that is taking advantage of my position and of my delegate. I'm actually pretty torn and not sure where to go from here.

So, my question is...
Should I stay or should I go?

Orientation 2005!!!

So, Orientation 2005 is now over and finished.

It feels so strange. Last year, it didn’t seem like such a big deal. This year, I feel like I poured my heart and soul and every single thing I had into it. Although I feel a little bit nostalgic, a little sad that it’s finished, but mainly I have to say that I feel satisfied and relieved. That great feeling of having completed a difficult and important task, that feeling of pride and accomplishment. I never thought I would grow so much in such a short period of time, but it seemed so natural. To be seen as a leader and used as one, not only by delegates, but by other OL’s, MugL’s, and even some TF’s. Before this weekend, I would never have been able to get up in front of hundreds to thousands of people and perform without stuttering or screwing up. I would never have been able to start a cheer, but by the end, other MugL’s and OL’s would come up to me, or send word down to me, asking me to start one. I must have started nearly a hundred cheers this weekend by the end of the President’s address…. And there’s nothing like starting a cheer and then having thousands of people suddenly standing up and joining in. So amazing.

So, I’ve gone through four full days of training, and two days of working with some amazing first year university students. In total, six very long, very full days. I came home every day, exhausted to the bone from all the effort I put in, but each night I was only able to get a few hours of sleep, because I was too excited to actually stay asleep past 4 or 5 am. And once again, I am up at 4:30 am writing this. And I have to say, I regret not a single moment. My team of delegates was incredible. I was worried about remembering their names, but it was never a problem, because every single one of them is so memorable… I wish I could sit here and name each delegate and go on and on about how awesome each one was, but then I would be here until tomorrow morning, so I have to just stop there and say they were great. I can’t help but wonder, after how much I’ve changed in the last two years, what they will go through before they are finished at the U of A. I hope so much that they come out to the Mugs events because I really feel I didn’t get a chance to know them all as well as I wanted to.

Being a Mugs leader this year was one of the most rewarding things I think I’ve ever done. My team was absolutely phenomenal, and my partner, Bobby, could not have done a single thing more to be any better. I hope to hell that our delegates apply for Orientation next year, because I know every one of them is going to make a great leader. Chad, my TF, told me last night that my team had the record high for both my OL group and section for retaining the most Orientation students for the entire program. That is something I just can’t get over. It certainly wasn’t something that had to do with Bobby or me, because most of the OL’s out there were just as good as us. It basically just came down to the fact that my team was rockin’ awesome and stuck it through to the end, because they’re not the kind of students that give up.

Once again, I’m so glad that I’m part of the Mugs program and that I actually get to hang out with my students after orientation is done. Tomorrow is going to be so strange, with none of the orientation shirts hanging around everywhere… Nobody screaming out random cheers, no pirates yelling “ARRRRRR!” and no mug trains. But I think the fact that it isn’t really over for us MugL’s is going to be what gets me through. The idea that I was so close to not being chosen as a MugL scares me so much right now… I wouldn’t give up these 6 days I’ve experienced for anything. So right now, I am thanking Jenni, my delegates, Bobby, and my wonderful fellow MugL’s, because none of what I’ve experienced could have ever happened without you all.

- Jeanine

Psst….

Fresh and green, lean and mean… We are Team… BOBBY JEAN!!!

Tonight, I went through the CD I got a few days ago in the mail from camp, and got a bit choked up. As glad as I am to be here right now, doing what I'm doing, I will always miss all the people and places that I've known for so short a time, but have meant so much to me.... 

Just in case you were thirsty.... 

Stretchhhhh!!!! 

I think Ecos would hire them.... 

Near canmore.... 

Beep Beep!!! 

Captain Canada.... times TWO!!! 

heh heh heh..... 

Spongebob popsicles?? 

My all-time favourite camper, Emily Caves! ... I still have all six pieces of jewelery she made me! 

Patience is a virtue.. Which I don't have time for!!!! 

Weee!! Jag into the drink 

A picture is worth a thousand words. 

Captain Pollution!! 

Titanic..... 

My boss... after all I've put him through, and he still lets me hang out with him, whereas I would place a ten metre radius restriction.... 

This is a very very long story here... but such a good one... the everlasting night of the sock war, the final goodbye, and that long ride back to the stables.... 

a little mud... 

I couldn't help it. 

Thankfulness

You know, sometimes I feel so much in a day, that it would be impossible to explain exactly what I am thinking. But today, there seemed to be just one theme to my thoughts.....

I am so thankful. Thankful for everything I have, everything I've been, everything I will be. For everyone I have. What did I do to deserve all these special people in my life? Sometimes, I look around me and think, "There's nothing I could have that would make this any better right now." And I feel so overwhelmed with thankfulness. I feel like someone just rolled the dice, and I won the prize of happiness, for no particular reason; I just got lucky. Thousands, millions, billions even, of other people have nowhere near the satisfaction I have in my life right now. It's amazing, when you realize you're no longer searching.

I've just finished catching up with some of my friend's websites, and my friend Justin's site definitely set off a trigger for me. In MugL training, it really amazed me, how many of us have come from different backgrounds, often difficult and painful ones. It felt so good to know that I was not the only one who went through pain, and that there were so many around me who would understand the person I am, because of where I came from. That even though I've felt alone and hopeless, I now have a group of friends that don't care about your past. We've been through the same things, and it doesn't matter.

But I have Orientation tomorrow morning. I should get some sleep!!! And I also promise, I will start blogging more interestingly soon. I feel like I've lost my touch over the summer and I need to get back into practice.

Song: Strawberry Wine
Picture: I'd like to be lost with you