He's Just Not That Into You

If you ask any of my friends what something is that I speak passionately about they will jokingly answer, "He's Just Not That Into You"; however, it's not quite a joke. You've probably seen the trailers for the movie that has just been released but I wouldn't recommend seeing it. It was nothing compared to the book. Oh, that book.

I will preach to every girl - single or taken - to go out and buy this book. It completely changed my perspective on guys and relationships and myself. It really opened up my eyes and made me analyze my past relationships. That book transformed me into an independent woman in three days. I actually bought four copies of it to loan out to my girlfriends who then loan it out to their girlfriends. The majority of straight females will agree that men are one of our top major annoyances (retract your claws, boys... I know it works both ways).

Have you ever stayed up all night, staring at your phone or computer.. anxiously waiting for a text, or message from your guy? Are you sick and tired of the games? I used to be one of those girls (inevitably) until I read the book. "If a guy is treating you like he doesn't give a shit, it's probably because he doesn't give a shit." Realize it, embrace it, move on! Read the book. Read the book. Read the book.



A little taste:


Dear Greg, This is dumb. I know you're not supposed to call guys, but I call guys all the time because I don't care! I don't want to play games. I do whatever I want! I've called guys tons of times. You're such a square, Greg. Why do you think we can't call guys and ask them out? Nikki

Dear Nikki,

Because we don't like it. Okay, some guys might like it, but they're just lazy. And who wants to go out with Lazy Guy? It's that simple. I didn't make the rules and I might not even agree with them. Please don't be mad at me, Nikki. I'm not advocating that women go back to the Stone Age. I just think you might want to be realistic in how capable you are of changing the primordial impulses that drive all of human nature.

Or maybe you're the chosen one.

Men, for the most part, like to pursue women. We like not knowing if we can catch you. We feel rewarded when we do. Especially when the chase is a long one. We know there was a sexual revolution. (We loved it.) We know women are capable of running governments, heading multinational corporations, and raising loving children — sometimes all at the same time. That, however, doesn't make men different.

IT'S SO SIMPLE

Imagine right now that I'm leaping up and down and shaking my fist at the sky. I'm on my knees pleading with you. I'm saying this in a loud voice: "Please, if you can trust one thing I say in this book, let it be this: When it comes to men, deal with us as we are, not how you'd like us to be." I know it's an infuriating concept — that men like to chase and you have to let us chase you. I know. It's insulting. It's frustrating. It's unfortunately the truth. My belief is that if you have to be the aggressor, if you have to pursue, if you have to do the asking out, nine times out of ten, he's just not that into you. (And we want you to believe you're one of the nine, ladies!) I can't say it loud enough: You, the superfox reading this book, are worth asking out.

***

Now go buy the book:)

shuffle shuffle shuffle

I was thankful this morning when I walked outside and my eyeballs didn't freeze. I breathed a breath of fresh air and smiled. I stepped one foot off my step and onto my paved driveway, which was no longer covered in snow. I took another step. One more. BOOM! I fell. I cringed and picked myself back up. The walk to the end of the driveway was completely treacherous as I shuffled my feet along what seemed to be continuous black ice. When I finally made it to the road, I thought perhaps they may have been salted but the rest of the journey to class was continuous shuffling and slipping along the way.

I was thankful I wasn't the only one catching a breath with each step, as I peered around at cautious students around me shuffling their feet slowly but surely in front of them.

Now, I sit in the library cafe peering out the window, having a clear view of shuffling feet around campus. My heart stops and my gaze locks as ever so often as a student will jog in a hurry to their next class. I have an hour and a half until my next class but there's no way I'm journeying home. I find it easier to stay on campus in between classes anyway. There are many places to go including the library, meal hall, and the student center cafe. If I go home, it's more tedious and harder to make myself go to the rest of the day's classes. It's easier to stay motivated and in work-mode if I stay in a working environment until my day of classes ends.

I have one more week of classes left before I go home for spring break. Well, it's not actually "spring" break because it's not spring. I have one more week of classes left before I go home for reading week. Well, it's not actually "reading" week because I won't be doing much reading. I have one more week of classes left before I go home for a week of relaxation. Much better. I plan on drilling myself this weekend and all of next week so I don't have to worry about any projects or work while I'm home. I don't have any set plans for the break. I hate making plans. I find if make plans, the break will inevitably fly by and I won't do much relaxing. I need relaxing; that's for sure.

I cannot believe it will be March when I get back to Sackville. MARCH. Do you know what that means? Basically, there will be only one full month left of classes. April will fly by because there are less than two weeks of classes before exams start. I only have one exam because I'm in Fine Arts. Don't get me wrong. Portfolio works are just as tedious and hard work as studying for exams, but I'm certainly not complaining. I have two portfolios - one for Open Media and one for Painting. I also have a take home exam for Art History. THEN IT'LL BE SUMMER! Oh summer, how I love thee.

I plan on traveling to San Francisco this summer. I have a friend that lives there so it's the perfect opportunity to go. The easy part is planning it out. The hardest part is finding someone who will commit to go with me. It's easy to mutter the words, "Yes, I'll go to California!" but it's very difficult for me to believe those words. I get excited, talking to friends about potential trips but the difference between me saying I'll commit and the majority of my friends saying they'll commit, is that I'm actually driven to follow through with the plan. I'm hoping my boyfriend will follow through on going with me, as I know we'd have a blast if we both went. So, I'm beginning to plan out the trip as if it were a definite decision; hopefully he'll get excited about it and not back out!

Anyway, I'm going to go do some reading before I set out to shuffle to my next class.

Take care!

Blame it on the lack of an umbrella.

Me (bitter about the Groundhog Day results): Damn groundhog.
Dad: Blaming it on the animal, eh?
Me: Well, yes.
Dad: If it had an umbrella, it wouldn't have been scared by its shadow. So don't blame it on the animal, blame it on the lack of an umbrella.

It's safe to say I'm fed up with it being winter. Words cannot describe the hatred I have for snow and I'm really hungering for summer to get here... or at least warmer weather.

There is nothing good about snow or winter.

• It is wet, cold, and slippery.
• You have to shovel it.
• It can lead to frostbite.
• It makes the bottom of your jeans all wet.
• It makes your socks wet.
• It makes your lips chapped and hands dry.
• If you're planning to travel, excessive snow can ruin your plans.

So, what are the advantages of snow? Snow is nice to look at for most people, and you can ski or snowboard. THE CONS OUTWEIGH THE PROS, PEOPLE!

There is way more to look forward to thinking about the summer, than the winter. Can you argue that? No. You know I'm right.

I guess I look forward to summer most because of the summer camp I work at, Mira Pines Camp. I was a camper at this particular camp for seven years and when I was too old to go there, I volunteered. I've worked there my past two summers and I absolutely love it. If you've never worked at a summer camp, it's an experience worth living.

Even if you've never done the whole camp thing before, you should do it! There's a camp in Pennsylvania I applied for last year online. It's called Tyler Hill Camp. I got a call back two days after I applied and they ended up hiring me. I didn't have the heart to leave Mira Pines so I turned it down. But if you're interested in working at a summer camp, you should look into Tyler Hill or its companion camps. They cover your cost of everything (fight, food, etc.) and if you watch the video clips you'll be blown away.

I definitely suggest seriously thinking about it and applying! There's no better feeling than knowing you've helps kids have the best summer of their lives. A lot of people don't want to "sacrifice" their summers because you "work" everyday.

This was the issue with my best friend, Dan. He was interested in Mira Pines because he'd heard me talk a lot about it and he was thinking about applying; however, he was worried most about giving up his whole summer. I promised him that if he worked there, it would be the most memorable summer of his life. He was also worried because he had never gone to a camp before, nor had he worked at one. I told him that he'd catch on quickly and learn to love it instantly.

Dan, in the middle of a waterfight at camp.

It was also his first time in a canoe!

I was right. Dan will tell everyone that the summer of '08 was the best summer of his life, because he was introduced to camp. At the camp that we work at, you go home Friday, have Saturday off, and go back on Sunday. It's like this for the whole summer. Last summer was the most memorable summer for me because it was the year the camp staff was the closest. We became best friends and when we weren't at camp, we were hanging out with each other on our days off. We couldn't get enough of each other and it was terribly sad when we had to part at the end of August. But even today, we're still all extremely close and call each other best friends.

My boyfriend and I met at Mira Pines. Here's us and our campers.

Half of the staff hanging out on our Saturday off. We couldn't get enough of each other!

So, I've decided that next groundhog day I will be waiting outside the groundhog's little hut with an umbrella to shield the sun...

The Thoughts of a Turtle are Turtle.

OK! So, I told you I was going to show you the painting I'm submitting for "The Sweetest Little Thing". Here it is. Its title is, "The Thoughts of a Turtle are Turtle."

I have grown a somewhat obsession with turtles lately and I decided that I want to paint them. So, I started here.

If you check on The Sweetest Little Thing website that I posted two entries back, it's there and currently stands at a bid of $10!

scarves, scarves, and more scarves

Let's say you're that kind of person who gets excited when the lights flicker at night while the throbbing wind beats against your window, mid-storm. It howls while blankets of snow fall from the sky, decreasing the visibility to zero. You peak outside your window and shiver, inevitably envisioning yourself in this blizzard. The weatherman casts warnings all over the television, internet and radio... and you can't help but to get your hopes up that perhaps the following day will be a snow day. You can't help but to think that maybe, just maybe, classes will be canceled and you'll be able to sleep a few more precious hours.

If you are that kind of person, I suggest you change. Classes will never, ever, ever be canceled as long as you're in university. Ok, I won't say never. SELDOM! Throughout my three years here at MtA, classes may have been canceled twice.

So, before you head off to university you should probably buy some snowshoes or ridiculously high snow boots to assist while you truck through the snow. While you're at it, perhaps you can also buy a shovel so you can shovel your path on the walk to class. Oh! Don't forget salt. You don't want to trip and fall, so you should definitely have salt to sprinkle in front of you before each step.

You think I'm being hilarious and for the most part, I am. But there is some merit to what I'm saying.

Classes will "never" be canceled - this is true. Also, the walkways will never be shoveled and the ice will never be salted. OK, I won't say never. SELDOM! (at least not before 8am, anyway). If you're one of the not-so-lucky ones like me, you'll be cursed with 8:30am classes every morning. I can easily say that campus is NEVER shoveled or salted when the early birds have to fly to their early classes. So, if you happen to be one of the early birds, make sure you take extra precaution.

If you do happen to come to Sackville for school, you can never have too many scarves. Sometimes the temperature drops to minus forty with the windchill. It gets so cold that your eyes inevitably tear up, causing them to freeze. I've walked to class with my eyelids freezing together. It gets so cold that the moisture in your nose freezes. Scarves come in handy to wrap around your face, neck, head, etc. I repeat, you can never have too many scarves!

I'm an overall bitter person when it comes to the cold and especially winter. I was never a child who was really into sledding, snowmen, and snowball fights. I've always hated the cold. In fact, that's a number one reason why I always thought Halloween should've been in the spring or summer. I don't remember one year where I enjoyed trick or treating. I absolutely hated having to walk from house to house while the freezing cold October breeze stung my face. I'd wince in pain while I begged my older sister to take me home.

So, while people get excited about the first snowfall of the year I desperately want to cry. While people pray and beg for a snowstorm, I cringe because all I can think about is walking to classes the next day in two feet of snow. While people happily trot through the snow, playfully throwing snow balls at each other, I concentrate very hard on teleporting into my warm house.

Let's go over essentials for university:

1. drop the 'when it snows, school is canceled' mentality
2. buy snowshoes, or tall winter boots
3. get a snow shovel and ice salt
4. scarves, scarves, and more scarves

The Sweetest Little Thing

Well it's almost that time of the year again, folks!
The day that is equally loved and hated. Valentine's Day. Some people may argue that it is a day that is too forced and over commercialized. I agree that the idea behind Valentine's Day is overall nice, but its hype has inevitably led to a loss of romance. I, for one, would better appreciate a flower or card from my boyfriend on a random day, rather than on a set day. A random thoughtful act, in my opinion, is much more appreciated and far more romantic.

However, Valentine's Day has a love-love relationship with people here in Sackville. Every February 14th there's an event held at the Owen's Art Gallery called The Sweetest Little Thing, hosted by Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre. It's open for everyone: faculty, staff and the community. Making it a priority for me to attend the last two years, I can promise you it is a lot of fun!

As soon as you walk into the gallery doors, your eyes are bombarded with reds and pinks that people dress themselves in. Some people get really creative with the Valentine's Day spirit and dress vividly. It's a silent art auction with little art pieces, donated by artists, hung along the walls; You simply jot your name and bid price down next to the artwork that you'd like to buy! Artworks can be donated by the third year Fine Arts students at MtA so that means this is my year to submit a piece. I've started working on one, so once I finish I'll be sure to post a picture to show you.

You can read all about it here.

You can also view the submitted artworks online and even bid online! So be sure to drop by the website and check back for my piece or any other artworks that might catch your eye.

At the event, there is also a cake walk with some of the most creative and fun cakes you'll ever see that can be won! There's music, candy, drinks, and lots of fun to be had. So if you ever find yourself in Sackville for Valentine's Day, be sure to come by the Owen's and check it out.

Despite the pros and cons tied to Valentine's Day, I'm a ridiculously sappy person; therefore, this is the kind of holiday I inevitably get soaked up into. You can show appreciation and love for your Valentine without spending a dime. It's so easy to browse the shelves at stores and pick out a teddy bear or box of chocolates. In fact, it's too easy. Don't get me wrong - I, as well as most girls, will easily be swooned by a cute stuffed animal or Hallmark card stating how beautiful our eyes are; however, it can take less effort to make me feel smitten. I'm
going to lead you back to the website, www.lovingyou.com because it has so many creative ideas without having to spend a dime.

So, remember to check out The Sweetest Little Thing if you find yourself in Sackville this year or any other year. Also, remember to check back for my submitted artwork.

Also, remember that Valentine's Day is just another day. So, don't feel down if you don't happen to be spending it with someone else. The idea behind it is to share it with someone you love, so who better to spend it with than some of your closest friends? Get some friends together and go out for a night on the town!

Walk a mile...

The transition from high school to university was, in many ways, refreshing. It was like the slate was wiped clean and I could be whomever I wanted to be. I didn't have to worry about any more drama erupting which so often happened in high school. I didn't have to worry about cliques, or bullying because none of that exists anymore. That's what I hated most about high school - the constant "grouping" of people and how people thought they were superior to others. To me, popularity doesn't exist and never has... but it wasn't always that I saw life in this perspective.

***

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

She stood in the cafeteria line, conscious of her surroundings, yet wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. She kept her head down and continuously coughed to rationalize her silence. I watched as she tried to make conversation with a group of girls in front of her. I could tell she worked up a lot of courage to get words out, only to get shut down. They rejected her, thinking they were superior and this girl didn't live up to the privilege to be talked to. I watched this girl and my heart ached for her.

I had seen her in the hallway, alone. I had seen her eating lunch a few times, alone. So here she was again, in the lunch line, alone. I tapped her on the shoulder and smiled, "I really like your sweater! Where'd you get it?" She looked down and stuttered over her words. I could tell in her voice she was emotionally damaged. I continued to make conversation with her and she left the lunchline with a smile on her face.

I was glowing inside, knowing that I shon a little light on her day.

So what is popularity? Why do people feel superior than others? Why do people look down upon others? So, some people wear hand-me-downs, and maybe don't wear makeup. Is that any reason to snub them in the hallway or bully them?

I think I just realized this recently. I mean, everyone realizes it but never does anything to make it better. So, how about not being one of those people who look down at others? Why not partner up with that person in Biology class who sits in the corner? That person who always gets picked last for teams... why not pick that person first? Why not go out of your way to smile and say hi to a person who looks like they need it. It could make their day a whole lot better, maybe even their life.

So before you make fun of that person who doesn't quite seem to fit in, put yourself in their shoes... and maybe you should talk to them, instead of talking about them. Let them know you care.

I care. Do you?