Back on the Wagon

Against my better judgment, I have hopped aboard the Canuck's playoff bandwagon.  However, still jaded after after they broke my 12-year-old heart in 1994 when they lost the cup in game 7, leaving me inconsolable.  Each year they try to convince me they have changed and this time will be different.  Every year I fall for it.  It's our thing.

Red Pepper Ruse

Hey, bell Red pepper...why you gotta be so expensive?!  I mean your delicious and awfully pretty but get off your high horse.  And that goes for you too Orange and Yellow pepper.  There's really not a whole lot too you...you're hollow, and I mean that in the politest way possible.  Just take a lesson from your outcast pal, Green.  I guess it goes to show one more time it's not easy being green...but it is cheaper.

(this message brought to you after my shopping trip last night where I bought to exorbitantly priced bell red peppers, not realizing the price until it was through the til)

Done like dinner...

Well, if that's first year photojournalism...I guess I've done it.

If anyone knows of a killer job for the summer let me know.  And by "killer" I don't mean that literally...I know I live in Belleville but come on...I have limits.

I've been patiently and not so patiently waiting for word to see if I have a job with Canada Customs this summer...an application process I started in December.

Today life is in limbo.  Tomorrow? Let's hope for clarification.  I mean I love to limbo but it hurts my back.  I'd rather hula.

Hakuna Matata

Don't be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble. 

Finished in a Fortnight

The end of my first year draws to a close in two weeks while summer plans lie in a delicate balance of the unknown.  I need a lot of money and quick.  If no job I'll probably just hang out at the horse track.  That makes the most sense.  Preferably one next to a casino.

Hydration...

I'm trying to drink more water.  I'm not sure it is worth it.  The constant need to use the loo is becoming tiresome.  Water is probably overrated anyway.

Pitter Patter let's get at...procrastination

Not much exciting to report from Belleville other than I am in the midst of trying to bring multiple assignments to fruition. 

I am currently procrastinating as I type.  I just opened up a blank word document to begin a paper on a international photojournalism and a proposed photo project in a country outside of North America.  Then I got to thinking about procrastination...so I thought I'd open up a new post and write about it before I got to my paper.

Other projects I am currently working on is a photo story on a woman from Kitchener who is transitioning from homelessness back into the Kitchener-Waterloo community.

Our first mulitmedia project is due shortly.  This involves mostly video and working with a complex editing software.  The assignment was to profile someone working in the Quinte area (the broader area  surrounding Belleville).  I am doing a piece on a woman named Phyllis who teaches Asian cooking classes and it quite the character.  My favourite quote so far, when talking about how her brothers view her, "They say bossy woman, slave driver!  I say, 'whatever...WHATEVER!"  She's a gem!

Under a month to go.  Back to work.  Maybe.

Back on track...

With the ides of March behind us the weather has shown some kindness with sun and mild temperatures. 

Over the winter months I was driven to run inside on a treadmill in our school gym.  The temperatures in said gym dictate it must have been some kind of kiln in it's previous life as one could break a sweat stretching in this place.  That or the cooking program is seeking some kind of revenge.

But alas, with a taste of spring in the air I've been able to return to my faithful red, rubber, running track in the great outdoors.  Running in circles outside is way more enjoyable than running in place inside while staring at yourself in the mirror in a hot, sweaty mess.

Running for pleasure has been added to a list of broken vows of things I said I'd never do.  In high school I dropped out of P.E. in grade 11 because all we did for the first month was road runs.  I hardly saw the fun in that.  I signed up for a spare instead.  But now it's one of my favourite things...along with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, obviously.

Other things I said I would NEVER do: go back to school after finishing University, live in Ontario.

Alive and Kicking...

For a blog about everyday life the "everyday" aspect seems to  have fallen by the wayside.  But fear not, I will make a New March resolution to get back at it again.

I thought I should post in case you thought I was dead.  You may have heard about several murders in the Belleville area in the last couple months.  Two of which happened just yesterday.  I'm still here.  Luckily, I grew up in Abbotsford, the murder capital of Canada, so you shouldn't be too concerned.  This makes Belleville feel more "homey".

February was a no-good-month.  Hence, I lost all motivation to post here.  I came out with the motto "What the February?! (WTF).  But March is here and things are looking up...with the help of daily free McDonald's coffee for the past two weeks.

I'm gonna post some video on the other blog done by a friend at school of a fruity photo shoot.

Back in Blogness...

After two internet-less weeks we are finally reconnected to the world wide web!!  Sorry, for the lack of updates recently.  Unfortunately, I am too exhausted to really compose anything worth while right now...team Canada has me as an understudy for the bobsled, decathlon, speed skating, and pairs ice dance teams...so I'm pretty tired from all that training.

World Wide Web Woes

The internet is down at my house...henceforth the lack of communication.  God speed the new modem.

Dogs and Bulls

Yesterday I shot a dog sled race and then a Belleville Bulls hockey game in the evening (I'll try a post some photos on the other blog soon).  I am officially a Canadian photographer.  I then headed home for some poutine and maple syrup.

Just Beat It...

I just posted this on my main blog but thought I'd post it here too...a day in the life.

An exclusive look into the bowels of the photojournalism program.  In the background our writing guru, Scott, goes over beat proposals while Shannon waits for the hurricane of ideas to hit her brain.  The brain hurricane was then downgraded to a tropical brain storm and turned up to be nothing but a brain drizzle.

Beat proposals were the topic of the day...meaning what type of stories will we be covering this semester.  Information that would have been useful to me before I got down on one knee before a red vegetable.  And then proposed a beat in 6/8 time signature.  Wrong beet...or beat.

Awkward Referees

This weekend I was shooting a Hoops for Hope charity basketball fund-raiser and I witness a comical exchange between two middle aged referees. 

It was right before the game was a about to begin and one referee stuck out his fist to the other for a congenial "pound it" (somewhat like a high-five but with closed fists).  The other ref just looked at it, clearly uncomfortable, shook his head and extended his hand for a more traditional hand shake.  Such a brilliant awkward moment.  If only I had my camera up.

Also, since when do high school boys have full beards??  There must be something in this Belleville chicken.

No More Boring Tuna, No More Boring Life

A wise man once said, "Stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life!"  Well, I took that wise man's advice and used my new Slap Chop for the first time combining all sorts of wonderful vegetables into my once plain jane tuna.  And let me tell you, it was life changing.  Perhaps I will do a whole blog about my new Slap Chop!

I think Vince, the wise man I speak of, could have been a fourth wise man in the birth of Jesus bringing the gift of Slap Chop to augment the gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Well, maybe not.

Sleep, Strikes, and TV

My nocturnal and morning loathing sleeping habits I formed while in BC over the break have not served me well in this eastern time zone.  Sleep eludes me when it is appropriate to do so and then rears it's lethargic and sluggish head at the sound of the waking alarm.  But this too shall pass.  I hope tonight.

A strike looms over colleges in Ontario as teachers are voting today whether or not to do so.  It most likely will happen and that most definitely seems like it's not the best use of my tuition dollar...unless they do a choreographed song and dance on the picket line...then that would be a good use of my money.  Life is a cabaret. 

And finally...a Christmas miracle has occurred.  I arrived back to my apartment to find that I now get twice as many channels on the television as I did before Christmas!

Back to school

After a splendid three weeks at home in BC I've arrived back in the bowels of Belleville!  I arrived to find my apartment sweltering hot as it's an old house and the heating seems to funnel into my place.  Papers were starting to curl and wood warping and cracking.  I was slightly concerned about my guitar which seems dry but in good spirits.  I now put it in the bathroom while I shower (not in the shower) which was recommended to me to help hydrate the wood.  But that's neither here nor there.

Today was back to school for my second of four semesters of the photojournalism program.  This semester  I will be learning many fascinating things in classes such as:
  
    Writing for Photojournalists
    Location Lighting
    News Photography
    Multiple Pictures
    Portfolio Development
    Software for Photojournalists
    Global Photojournalism/Ethics
    Multimedia for Photojournalists
    Civic Literacy

Well, now that I look at it it seems like I will be busy.  We'll see how long this blogging resolution lasts.  I think I shall be more successful with the other three.
  

Resolutions

I'm not in the habit of making New Years resolutions but this year I thought I would give it a shot.  Here they are:

1. Eat more
2. Read less
3. Spend more time aimlessly surfing the internet and social networking sites

This way if I break them it's actually a good thing and I needn't feel bad about it.


And at some hinting from family and friends I've decided to give updating the blog more for people who care what I do day to day besides wear Christmas sweaters.  I've tended to neglect this because I don't really feel like my day to day life is that interesting and feel pressure to be creative and entertaining...so I've created this stark white blog for the ordinary and dedicated to those who care to read it.  Here goes.