Charlene's Copious Ceaseless Tangents

Bad Timing

2007-10-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It has been a very long time since I updated this last but I have a subject in which I feel the need to vent on. Earlier this year I went to the Bon Jovi concert at Rexall Place thanks to the Damgaard clan which I'm sure I will never be able to repay for their unbelievable gift. Anyway, Sara got me the tickets because of a pre-sale thing through CISN. So when I heard that Bon Jovi would possibly be making a return to Edmonton I joined every radio station's website club I could so I would have the opportunity to go see them again. So wouldn't you know it, 3 radio stations had pre-sale seats available, but you won't believe my timing. The presale was on Friday Oct 12 and I left for Calgary to work on that Tuesday. All the e-mails came after I had left and the next time I checked my e-mail was today. Bad timing or what? Anyway, to make my already long story short I am very lucky tickets to the concert were still available and I am going to see Bon Jovi again on December 12, 2007!!! I'm pretty excited about it. I know it can never be as good as the first time but I know it will be great. Just look at the grin in that picture, one of the best days of my life. Anyway, I know I always say this but I will try to blog again sooner than later, but you never really know when I will need to vent. Till next time ...

Meeting the Oilers!!!

2007-03-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I got to meet four of the Oilers and get their autographs!!! This was definitely one of the best days of my life, so far anyway. It was so awesome. We got to skate on the same ice the Oilers skate on, take pictures with them and get their autographs. I don't know how else to describe how cool it was to meet them but for those of you who know me know how much an experience like this means to me.

Note how tall Moreau and Staios are compared to me. I know most of you would not be surprised by this but I am also on my skates in this picture.

I managed to get all four of the autographs because I got Stoll and Reasoner to sign my jersey when I went up to get my picture taken with them since I missed them when they were at the autograph table.

School Trip to "The Hat"

2007-03-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Medicine Hat is home of the world's tallest tepee? Neither did I until we went down there to climb some trees for school. Now I'm sure you are wondering what exactly I'm doing in that first picture. No I am not exemplifying the literacy of a tree hugger. That is a little something I like to call the "arborist struggle". In lots of occasions one cannot make a graceful entrance into the tree and this is one of those times. I had to be swung to this branch where I attempted to somehow muscle my way onto the top side of the limb. It wasn't pretty but I made it and sometimes that's just what your stuck with.

In the second picture I am installing some foot slings on the tree so I can stand in them because the stem was treacherously slippery due to the snow conditions. I like the perspective of this picture because you can see the people on the ground and how small they look in comparison to me. That is because I am at about 60 feet in the tree at that spot. These were some big trees as you can tell by the diameter of the branch I am standing on at such a height. The tree was probably about 90-100ft from the ground at the very top.

Well since I started this blog several weeks ago and have been too lazy to finish it up until now, that is my brief description of my trip to Medicine Hat. Maybe the long version will follow someday when I get ambitious, and hopefully I will also post a Tri-Ice-A-Thon post in the near to distant future.

Awards Night!

2007-03-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the awards ceremony and I got to receive the Club of the Year plaque. It was very exciting. Now I am done obsessing about the award, this is the last post on the subject I promise. :)

Happy Happy Days!!

2007-03-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

I got great news yesterday and since then I have been bubbling over with joy and happiness. I found out yesterday that the Arboriculture Club I have been president of for the last year has won the honors of Club of the Year!!! I realize that I'm tooting my own horn here a bit but I was ecstatic when I heard the news and good news is only great news when you get to share it with others. Leading the club was fun but a lot of work so I'm glad we have been recognized for our efforts. I'm very excited about it as you can tell. Plus other things have been falling into place. School is almost over and all we are doing in class is climbing, no homework practically zero responsibility, it's great. I got a job lined up for after I graduate, not to mention South Boundary (that one was for you Jana), a new season of street hockey approaching ... There is just so many things to be excited about ... "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it, no, no, no, no ..." Anyway, I just felt the need to share my happiness with you all. The one major sour note that I will just barely touch on because it is very disappointing and frustrating is how the Oilers continue to lose. It's going to suck not watching them play in the playoffs, but I am looking forward to the future years when our young team really comes into it's own, well at least that's what I'm hoping for. For this year as long as Toronto doesn't make it I'll be happy, and I look forward to watching whoever Buffalo ends up playing. No matter who it is that should be great playoff hockey.

Banff in the Winter

2007-03-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

Recently I joined the Damgaard clan in Banff for a few days. Let me tell you, the mountains are nice in the winter time. We finally had a real Canadian winter, well in my opinion anyway, and it made hiking in the snow in Banff that much more fun. We went to Johnston's Canyon, Lake Minewanka (don't think that's spelled right), and Lake Louise. My favorite part of the weekend was on the Lake Louise trail we were on. As you can tell by the pictures the snow was super deep and I felt the need to venture off the trail to try and knock snow off the branches that over hung the trail. I was wet when we were done but it was worth it. So for those of you who have never been to Banff in the winter time to do some hiking around, I definetly recommend it. I also recommend the wings at the Rose and Crown Pub, very good if you like your wings crispy.

P.S. As you can see by this sequence of photos I was very determined to shake the snow from the branch, hence why in the top picture there is snow stuck to my sweat pants up to my waist.

Ultimate Climbing Showdown!!!

2007-02-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

The first annual Olds College Climbing Showdown happened today and it was a great day!!! The Arboriculture Club, of which I am the president of, raised over $1200 !!! for the Dave Herbert Memorial Fund. Dave Herbert was a former teacher at the college who recently passed away from cancer and he was respected and loved by many. I did not know him that well, only having had him for one class, but I was more than happy to organize this event in his honor.

If your wondering yes that is the sky in the picture. The competition consisted of participants racing up a rope 4o feet to ring a bell that was at the top of the building tied into the rafters. It was not an easy climb but it is competition height for the womens tree climbing competition which I hope to be in this year. I raced against a fellow student and managed to cut my time in half from when I first started climbing last year. Other students also faced off against each other but the main event was Spiderman!! One of our club members dressed in a Spiderman costume to face off against one of our teachers who is one of the fastest climbers in Alberta. (I would post a picture but I don't have his permission to so I'm not going to.)

It was a huge success, with a big turnout and I feel honored/proud to have been a part of raising the money and getting people excited about arboriculture, plus it was just plain fun.

The Grocery Bagger Experience

2007-01-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

For the second time since I've been in Olds I had the grocery store bagger at Sobey's escort me out to my vehicle. It is not because I choose to have them follow me to my car with my groceries, it is exactly the opposite. When asked I refuse and stubbornly carry my handfuls of bags, smushing my bread as I go but I prefer it this way. I would rather carry my own groceries to my car and avoid the awkward silence of having a bagger try and make small talk with me as they trot along behind me with their cart and my bags. The trip isn't that far, no matter how many bags I have I'm sure I can strategically juggle them and make it to the car with dropping any bags or breaking any eggs. But on occasion they don't ask me if I want help out they just assume and start to pack up their cart. Sometimes I will politely, or as politely as I can be, say "I don't need help out thank you" but twice now I have given in and just not felt it appropriate to refuse. So in silence we walk to the car and I'll admit full well that I am the reason for the silence, I am just not a small talker with strangers from the grocery store, but this awkward silence is avoidable if baggers didn't exist. The concept of baggers is really a small town way of life and it may sound the opposite of ordinary to say I would prefer the cold shoulder of the big city grocery staff but it's true. There are a lot of things about small towns I can live with and have actually come to enjoy but the grocery store bagger is not one of those things.

Entomology is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-12-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

I was officially done Entomology, for which I hope is forever, today at 2pm. My final is written and I am soooooo very happy. You will all be very happy too to not have to listen to me complain about Ento any longer, now that it is over. I know I for sure I passed the course and that's all that really matters to me right now. Means I won't have to come back to repeat it because I don't think I could endure that torture a second time. The only thing that hangs in the balance is a letter grade which at the end of all this like every other grade will mean nothing once I have my diploma in my hand. So I just felt the need to share with you all how happy it makes me feel to have that weight lifted from my shoulders and I would get up on a roof top and let out a "thank god it's over scream" but not everyone appreciates such loud obnoxious expressions of behaviour, so this post will suffice. Have a great day!!!!!

My Halloween Entry, Finally!!!

2006-12-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

Well I figured since I will soon not have access to my computer for a couple of weeks I better post my Halloween story now or it will probably never get done. I am a very good procrastinator, which is evident by the fact that I should really be studying right now instead of updating this but this is much more fun. Anyway, back to the point …

At Halloween a friend of mine from school was going to our Halloween party as a tree and I still didn’t have a good costume idea as I am pretty uncreative and she came up with an idea that I just had to do. For those of you who know me well and know me as Cheeks will understand why I just had to go with her suggestion as it was a perfect opportunity for more ass shot pictures. I went as a bottle butt!! Now this may require a bit of explaining as it is a bit of an industry related pun/joke. In Tree Biology we learnt many tree defects one of which was called bottle butt because the shape it takes on is similar to that of a coca-cola bottle at the base of the tree. Therefore, since my friend was going as a tree I went as her bottle butt by, as you can see, stringing bottles together and wearing them around my belt. I got some strange looks at the party but all the Arb students got the joke so it was all good. The pictures a bit fuzzy but it gets the point across.

Also as part of the party our club was in charge of the mystery meats table. Basically we got cow organs donated from the butcher department at the school and put them in boxes and people had to guess which part of the cow they were touching. Have you ever seen a whole cow liver??? It's absolutely huge, it makes sense but I didn't really think how big it would actually be. Anyway, there was some kidney's, a heart and a liver. I had a very hard time convincing people to touch the meat. Oh, there was also bobbing for turds. It was a pretty funny idea but again people were weary of trying that one. Basically you fill a bucket with water and yellow food coloring, put a toilet seat over the bucket and put Oh Henry bars in the water for people to bob for but the unwrapped chocolate bars sunk to the bottom rendering them useless so we had to put some wrapped bars in the water and eventually a weird film was created in the bucket. Doesn't that look yummy? exactly why not many people tried it.

Well there you have it my Halloween, only almost two months after the fact but done nonetheless. Expect my Christmas update in 6-8 weeks, LOL.

If I don't see you over the holidays or don't know you so won't be visiting you over the holidays MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Wielding a chainsaw up in a tree ...

2006-12-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

I know I promised you all a Halloween blog but I did something today that was just too cool to pass up writing about. I used the chainsaw up in the tree for the first time!!! I have to admit to you I was a little nervous at first. Your basically up in a tree supported by ropes and someone puts a chainsaw in your hands and says here use this which could very easily cut through your rope and cause you to fall out of the tree. For everyone's peace of mind I am tied into the tree in two ways; climbing line and landyard so it isn't all that easy to cut yourself out of the tree but it is possible. For those of you have every climbed anything such as a tree or rock or ice, just imagine that same experience with a 10 pound weight hanging off of your harness. It makes climbing in the tree much more challenging. But there is the added bonus of power and therefore less energy exerted trying to cut large diameter limbs out of the tree with just a handsaw, trust me. Anyway it was very fun and a good workout, I'll get those rippling biceps yet, but I'm going to feel it in the morning. Plus I have the backpackers bruises on my hips but at least 10 times worse, my hiking buddies know what that feels like, lets just say I will not be sleeping on my side tonight. Till next time ...

Insect Collection Finally Over!!!!!

2006-12-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

I only have a few minutes before I have to be at a meeting but I wanted to post some pictures of my completed insect collection. It looks much nicer in person but a few pictures will have to do. If you look really close you can see the blood, sweat and tears I poured into this project and I am so happy it's over. My favorite insects are the butterflies they really add color to the whole thing. I hope I never have to ID or pin another insect ever. You'd have to pay me big money to do it all over again and even still I might not do it. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Stay tuned for a Halloween blog. I know what your thinking, "It's almost Christmas ... Halloween what's that, wasn't that over a month ago ..." and you are right but the picture is worth the wait. The arborist in me thinks it's hilarious, so other people may not get it but I'll try to explain as best I can. For now though you have to hang off the edge of your seat in anticipation ... I'll make a feable attempt to do it before Christmas but I make no guarantees. Got to go.

How long has it been since I updated?

2006-10-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

Well seeing as it has been almost a month since I have updated my blog, I figure what better time than now. I have recently had a bit of school pressure released as the first term is over, one set of finals is done and a new term has just started. So today was "blue sheet" day so I feel I can take a few minutes out of my still fairly busy schedule to make an attempt to entertain you all. If your wondering what blue sheet day is, it is at the start of the new term we basically go to class to receive our course outline and class schedule which is printed on a blue sheet. You can make the connection from there. It's pretty much a slack day then you go drop some major coin on books and go home pseudo relaxed for a change.

Since I didn't update much lately I have some catching up to do. Here is a picture of one of my typical meals last term. There was no time for sanity just nourishment and this brings me to the wonderful life of a bachelor/bachelorette. Who else would eat pizza, chicken wings, a pork chop and some liptons sidekick blob all in the same meal. Mmmm doesn't that look appetizing. I guess on the bright side thanks to my job I can afford to eat.

Keeping with the randomness that is this blog did I mention I get to go watch the Oilers play Dallas on Friday night!! Live at Rexall Place!!! I just hope I can get my jersey by then. For all of you who are jealous of this, which I'm sure many of you are, take solace in knowing that I have to be back in Olds for 8am Saturday morning so the great reward of going to the Oilers game does come with some sacrifice.

Well that's all I have time for right now but hopefully this term I can add more.

Don't worry I'm still alive, school hasn't quite beaten all the life out of me yet

2006-09-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hello again, I know it has been a long time since I have updated my blog but school has been keeping me way too busy. But for those of you who check my blog I figured I'd give you something new to look at so you don't have to look at the same thing everytime you click on my link. Here are some pictures from my most recent climbing practice. Enjoy. (Note the self portrait, I'm getting better at it). Hopefully my schedule will slow down so I can breath and update more often.

I'm not asking for much, just a little heads up

2006-09-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

You would think that if your landlord was having someone come to work on the plumbing system in the whole building resulting in the water having to be shut off, a tenant could at least get a warning. But no, my 'warning' was trying to turn on the taps or flush the toilet and nothing. I can't have a shower, wash the dishes or even have a glass of water. Plus my apartment is hot water heated so I have no heat. Seeing as it's a basement suite and it's trying to be winter outside with this cold wet weather I'm a little chilled. And now to top it all off it is 11 o'clock at night and the pipes are squealing bloody murder because the new boiler is 'purging' itself. It's a very unpleasant noise, it sounds like a pig is dying over and over again and just won't give in and accept it's fate. Unrelated to the plumbing situation my windows are leaking inundating me with the oh so pleasant dripping sound that we all know and love. But I guess on the positive side the loud squealing is drowning that out temporarily. Most days I like my apartment, today is not one of those days.

Ever attended a gopher wedding?

2006-09-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

If you've never attended a gopher's wedding never fear there is still hope for you yet. All you have to do is drive out to Torrington, AB. Torrington is East of Olds by about 27 kms and I have to warn you that the big attraction of the town is the Gopher Hole museum so I wouldn't plan to spend much time in town, maybe a half an hour. Basically, for those of you who don't know, the museum houses taxidermed gophers dressed up in various outfits. The theme's range from a cave 'man' gopher scene, to hockey, to a gopher wedding. I'll admit it's a little disturbing to observe dead gophers dressed in costumes but for two dollars and half an hour of your time you can boast to your friends that you've visited the only stuffed gopher museum in the world (as far as I know it's the only one, good old Alberta). So after your done perusing the country side looking for giant sausages and UFO's be sure to stop in Torrington. You can even drive around town and check out all the painted fire hydrants that are also suppose to be gophers but to me looked more like dogs in overalls. Don't worry they have them all mapped out for your convenience because the town is much too big to drive around aimlessly yourself. But not to be too hard on the town, it is an attraction and it does get people to visit. Look at me, I went and now I have told numerous others who may venture to the town themselves. Note they are only open June 1 - Sept 30th so if you want to go this year you'll have to hurry and don't hesitate to stop by to visit me in Olds (for those of you I know of course, this is not an invite to have strangers come to my home).

Bug Pictures

2006-09-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures I wanted to post with my previous post on my bug collection. The first picture is of the dragonfly minus 1 leg and the wonky beetles. The second picture is how I have to pin butterflies/moths in order to display them with their wings out. They call it a relaxation board but as far as I'm concerened it looks more like a torture board. Note the Oilers lamp on the table, not only does it provide me with the extra light I need but also some peace of mind because I know hockey will be starting soon and since I will have cable I will be able to watch the games. Yahoo!!! I predict a serious decline in my grades once the season starts but it will definetly be worth it.

Have I mentioned lately how bitter I am about my bug collection?

2006-09-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

*WARNING* INSECTS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS POST. IF YOU HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR INSECTS AND WON'T EVEN BRING YOURSELF TO KILL A MOSQUITO DO NOT PROCEED.(IF YOU SUFFER FROM THIS AILMENT I HAVE THE CURE, HIKE THE NORTH BOUNDARY TRAIL AND NEVER AGAIN WILL YOU HESITATE TO KILL A MOSQUITO. TRUST ME)

Allow me to paint you a picture if you will. I'm sitting in my bachelor suite apartment, in Olds, at my kitchen/bedroom/living room table, which also doubles as my desk, wielding a very sharp pin in one hand and an insect that has been "humanely" preserved in my freezer for over 3 months in my other hand, thinking to myself "how the hell am I going to pin this thing without stabbing it in the wrong spot, breaking off any valuable appendages, not making myself part of some insect shish kebob and still manage to keep a shred of my sanity when I know this is only one of a hundred insects I have to pin?" Don't even get me started on identifying them. I know this is not a very optimistic view but I have to admit at this point I am not very optimistic about this whole thing. Since the day we were told we would have to do this to graduate I've been cursing the project with every bug I've caught and mercilessly murdered from tossing it in my freezer or drowning it in alcohol. I've already managed to pin 3 ladybugs at wonky angles, pierced/broke off the leg of my dragonfly and stabbed a bug in the stomach to which it reacted by oozing some stomach contents. And to do all those things, in the poor way that I just did, took me several hours. To say the very least I am not happy about the whole thing and I can think of better ways to spend my Friday evenings than pinning bugs.
(Carol I don't know how you do it, people should bow down and kiss your feet for having the patience to be in your profession. For those of you who don't know, Carol has a degree in Entomology. Do you do house calls Carol? I'm sure we could get you here from Montreal somehow.)

So as you can tell by my rant, I'm just a little bitter about the whole bug collection thing. But now that I have bombarded you all once with my complaining about it, that will be all, until I do actually get pushed over the edge and go insane but then you won't hear from me anyways because I don't think they allow computers in those white padded rooms over at the Ponoka institute. I guess we'll find out.

P.S. I do have pictures of some of the bugs I pinned and tried to post them but it wasn't working. So I will try to post them next time for your viewing pleasure.

I'm Back!!!

2006-09-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm officially back in Olds so let the ceasless ramblings begin or shall I say continue. I know you have all missed the banter and well I just miss hockey but that's another topic all together. But never fear hockey is almost here. I can almost taste it in the air ... or is that my stale apartment I taste, either way I'm excited.

Since today was an atypical first day back to school (if you consider mechanical bull riding atypical and the sad thing is in Olds that is typical) I have not all that much interesting to report so I will save my rambling steam when I have something pseudo interesting to say. Check ya later, Slacker

Me in "The Dress"

2006-08-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who wouldn't believe unless you saw it, here is picture evidence of me in "the dress". After grad I hoped it would never happen again that I made an appearance in a dress but my sister so kindly asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, of course with the condition that I wear a dress. I agreed as long as it wasn't too revealing and I think we landed on a good choice. I could have done without the farmers tan though, but let's face it this is me were talking about and it is to be assumed that I'm not going to be perfectly suited to wear a dress especially in the middle of summer when I'm working outdoors. Anyway, in the long run the wedding was a lot of fun and I survived the night in the dress even though it gouged into my skin in certain places and left marks but I won't delve to deep into the details of my dress bruises. There was even some dancing on the table and since the pictures are bound to come out eventually I will beat others to it and post the blackmailing photos myself hence making them no longer blackmailing material. So ha, I have out bested you!!! Mawh ha ha (or something along those lines). Cheers.

Maybe I am psychic!

2006-07-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't posted a blog in a long time, partly because I've been too busy, I have dial up internet right now and to be honest I'm still paining from the Oilers loss in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. But I won't dwell too much on that. I just wanted to point out that maybe I really am psychic. The blog I posted on April 21 included my dream and correct prediction of the Stanley Cup final match up between the Oilers and the Canes. I can't believe it actually came true. I could have made some money off of that. So the next time I have a dream that seems impossible but has the possibility of making me some money I'm going to jump on it. One more month of summer vacation then I'll be back in Olds and I can catch everyone (okay anyone who cares) up on the happenings of my summer.

I Made It!!!

2006-04-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I managed to survive a year in Olds. Okay so it was only 8 months but believe me it was long enough. I'm headed back home for the summer and I'm pretty happy about it. But have I mentioned lately that I hate packing. As I pack up my belongings for my return voyage, I've come to realize how much stuff I really have. Way too much. They don't call it a "Charlene amount of copious crap" for nothing. How many t-shirts does one person need, seriously now? I have enough t-shirts that I could probably wear a new one everyday for a month and still not have to do laundry. Now that's a lot of t-shirts but I'm one of those people who is reluctant to throw clothes away unless they are severely stained or have holes in them. And even then if the t-shirt has sentimental value I still have problems parting with it. I know there are others out there like me. There's another help group I could start.

Another new challenge I have discovered in my packing is attempting to eat all the contents of your fridge. I'm down to frozen hot dogs, a plethora of sauces, tomatoes, milk, cheese, one egg and don't forget the bugs in my freezer. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to the omelet for breakfast. And for those of you who don't already think I'm crazy or know for a fact I'm crazy the bugs are for a bug collection I have to do for school, although I've heard chocolate coated they can be quite tasty. Mmm protein. Beats mosquitoes in your oatmeal.

Now that I am moving back and dismantling my computer I will be posting less blogs so don't except too much out of me over the summer, especially since I will be back to dial up and everyone knows how painfully slow that can be. So until September, when I will be back in school and more likely to post out of boredom, have a good one. In fact have a great one, on me.

All I Want To Do Is Watch The Game

2006-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Oilers are in the playoffs, which most everyone should know and if you didn't already I informed everyone in my last blog, and all I want to do is watch the game. But will my T.V. let me? No, of course not. I have tried everything. I've moved it all around the apartment, put tinfoil on the ends of the antennae but nothing gets me CBC. I swear the T.V. gods are torturing me because no matter where I put it in the room or how I adjust the antennae I can never get CBC but I can always get Global. What kinda crap is that. Who needs Global? Do they have any good shows? No. Plus they don't have hockey so clearly that channel is useless.

Because of my T.V. woes I am forced to go elsewhere in search of the game because it would be a crime not to watch Oilers playoff hockey. So tonight when the game comes on I will wander over to the bowling alley to watch it. I will most likely be the only one in the bowling alley bar because it's exactly that and no one's first choice of a bar is the bowling alley, but that's okay I like to watch the game either alone or with people I know not a bunch of strangers at a bar. I choose the bowling alley because I simply want to watch hockey, plus it's close and smoke free. It's hard to go into a smoky bar now that I'm used to the no smoking laws in Edmonton. So for now I will suck it up and go to the bowling alley to watch hockey but I can't wait until I'm home and can watch the games in the comfort of my own living room that gets all the peasant vision channels. (I never thought I would praise peasant vision.) My advice for the day is watch the Oilers play and cheer them on, their going to need it.

On a side note I had a dream last night that the Oilers were playing Carolina in the playoffs and in order for that to happen that would mean it was the Stanley Cup playoff matchup. So I predict the Oilers are going to make it all the way and play in the finals against Carolina. But let's face it, it was just a dream and the likelihood of it happening is miniscule. Let's just say I'm not going to put any money on it. But wouldn't it be weird if it happened... that would mean I was psychic. Creepy.

The Oilers Made It!!!!!

2006-04-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Oilers are in, the Oilers are in!! I'm very happy. It may only be 8th but at least we're not Toronto or Vancouver sitting out of the playoffs. Bring on the playoff hockey and bring on the President's Trophy winners we can take them. Even if we can't, I'm just happy we made it and Toronto didn't. Hallelujah, because it definitely took an act of God for the Oilers to make it and of course some incredibly good dumb luck that Vancouver lost, alot. Thank you Vancouver for sucking and dropping the ball, we literally couldn't have done it without you.

That's it, that's all I've got. Just felt the need to spread my excitement and joy. Yeah for hockey and Go Oilers!!!

Hockey : My Infatuation

2006-04-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

Obsession just doesn't cut it, I'm infatuated with hockey. I love to watch it, play it, follow it, buy any piece of merchandise with a team logo on it (as long as it's not Toronto or Calgary, of course) from hats/shirts to mini cups/figurines. I am very happy I grew up in Canada. Only in Canada could Don Cherry be a national icon and Hockey Night in Canada be a Saturday tradition.

And as usual it is that time of the year again for us Oilers fans to watch our team struggle to make that final playoff berth. I check the standings several times a day, calculating who has to loss and how many we have to win just to get in. It seems it's almost become tradition for the Oilers fate to come down to the final games of the season while all the fans watch intensely praying the team will make the playoffs only to face the top seeded team or Dallas and loose out in the first round. But despite their hardships I am still a die hard Oilers fan like many Oilers fans are. Dedicated to the team, even when our best player leans to hard on his stick, snapping it in half, taking a nose dive on a breakaway with a chance to score the winning goal. Yes I am talking about Smitty, but I should probably lay off the guy because he is a major component of our team and if the pucks didn't bounce of his head or knee and into the net I don't know what we'd do.

So here's to hoping the Oilers manage to scramble their way into the playoffs so I can at least watch 4 games of Oilers playoff hockey. If all else fails several other Canadian teams will be in the playoffs and I would love to see a Canadian team bring home the cup (except Toronto of course, I don't know if I could swallow my pride and be happy for the Maple Leafs but I'm not going to have to any time soon because they aren't going to make the playoffs anyway.)

What If Everyone Was A Bobble Head?

2006-04-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me well have already heard me talk on this subject but each time I meet someone with the right personality the topic comes up again. Everyone can think of a person they know that would just make a hilarious bobble head. It's really quite a good trick, whenever you need a good laugh picture the person your talking to or whomever as a bobble head. Or if you need to make someone else laugh that works too.

For example, there is a particular person from my previous place of employment (and I won't mention any names but some of you might know who he is, Chantal I know you know who I'm talking about) that I could just picture as a bobble head holding a cup of coffee in one hand a doughnut in the other chatting away, bobbling along.

It's one of those things that came to me at work one day whilst weeding when I had lots of time to think about things. It was kinda like the time I felt the need to announce to everyone that I chew my mashed potatoes. But that's a whole other story. I know what your thinking, "She's crazy". And you know what that's probably true but I sure have had some good times as a result of my craziness. So the next time you have a strange random thought in your head, blurt it out. Some people may find you weird but like some guy I met once said,

"If your not weird, your not human."

A Little "Big" Piece of Alberta History

2006-04-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure to be in Lethbridge on the weekend to prune some elm trees at the site of this years tree climbing competition. I'm pretty sure I've been to Lethbridge before at some point but I certainly don't remember it. The part of it I did see while we drove through it I liked. It has a beautiful river valley and lots of spectacular trees. It's funny how you start to notice things once you start to learn about them because prior to going to school for arboriculture I don't think I ever drove through a city and admired the trees but now I do it all the time.

Anyway, on to the main topic. While I was in Lethbridge I got to see a piece of Alberta history, one of the largest trees and oldest trees in southern Alberta. A 100 year old cottonwood poplar. This tree is huge!!!! The tree is approximately 15 feet in diameter and 90 feet tall. In the picture of the base of the tree, the orange thing you see is my hard hat which is about a foot across and the tree looks like it's ready to consume it. It's one thing to see the pictures but it's an entirely different experience to see it up close. You may not be all that interested in trees but if your ever in Lethbridge I highly recommend checking out this tree. And for all the tree huggers out there, this is one tree you won't be able to bear hug but I'm sure it would appreciate the attempt.

Word of the Day: Copacetic

2006-04-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

Copacetic. It's one of those words I've used before but can't quite figure out where I heard it and I don't know if I'm using it right but I definitely like the way it sounds. I looked it up today and it turns out I'm using it right. It means "acceptable or fine".

It sums up my current state quite well. Everything seems to be falling nicely into place for me lately. I got a job for the summer, I found out I can go to Vegas, school's going good, and school is almost over for the year which means summer break (and going back home). So yes, I am feeling very copacetic. ("I'm feeling very Canadian today", that one's for you Carol) And sufficiently suffoncified (that one I don't actually know what it means or if it's even a real word but it also sounds cool).

It is very much a complacent state but by the end of April I will be shoved into a new state of ecstatic, or at least that's what I'm hoping for. But for now I can deal with copacetic. Yes, I think I am done now. I know it's odd for me to run out of rambling power but that's what a copacetic state will do to a person. I guess it now becomes obvious how much I like the word, but to not overuse it so it loses all meaning, I will stop now. Cheers.

You Know You Live In A Small Alberta Hick Town When ...

2006-03-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

1. Instead of the traffic report on the radio you hear the cattle auction report.
2. There are more old folk's homes than grocery stores.
3. There's only one radio station and you guessed it ... it's country.
4. You get honked at by a guy in a pickup truck holding a rubber honking Canada Goose out the window.
5. You can buy John Deere baseball hats at the drug store.
6. The only stores open 7 days a week are the liquor stores.
7. The pickup truck to car ratio is 30:1.
8. The best bar in town is called "The Blue Yak" (and the building is painted a bright blue so you can't miss it)
9. The biggest concern about walking around town by yourself is little old men in big beastly cars almost running you over in the crosswalk.
10. Wendy's is closed at 8:00 !!!! (you knew that one was coming)

Crossword puzzles make me feel stupid ... But I'm hooked

2006-03-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

As my free time continues to grow, I continue to discover ways to waste these extra hours away. The activities have to be time consuming but also free because as I mentioned before I'm a broke student with no job. My latest thing is doing the crossword puzzle from the Edmonton Journal and actually finishing it. This may sound impressive at first but don't jump to quickly to the conclusion that I'm brillant because I am not. I completed my first entire crossword today and it was offically 12 days since I started it. Wait it gets better, I used multiple resources to do it. The internet, books, other people, you name it and I tried to use it to finish this crossword thus the many hours that it took me to do it and therefore a great waste of time. I also learnt many, fairly useless pieces of trivia. For example, "muy" in Spanish means very, and for whatever reason I were to be in Turkey I would need Liras to catch a cab out of there. Or that "stoles" are fur wraps, so if I ever need to buy some fur I'll know what to ask for. That's a funny image, me wearing fur. Anyway, in the end I only had one clue wrong and I succeded at consuming some of my free time.

Overall I was pretty happy with myself for having completed it despite all the extra help I needed. So today I start a new one in hopes to beat my 12 day record and get them all right. My goal is to someday do the entire crossword without any help. It is a very long term goal as you can tell. But I know it can be done. If my grandma can do it by the time I'm her age I know I will be able to too.

Don't Honk At Me!!!!

2006-03-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Everyone has their own personal pet peeves about other drivers. I don't claim to be the best driver myself, so I'm sure some people are annoyed by my driving too. But my biggest pet peeve, hands down, is people honking at me when I am waiting to make a left hand turn. They can sit behind me in their fancy car, that has the power to streak into traffic and make that turn, and honk at me all they want but I'm here to tell you I'm not moving till I'm ready. I don't have a new fancy powerful car, not even close. I have an old clunker like the majority of us middle class citizens. And anyone who owns their own car will tell you that you start to learn your vehicles limitations. If I don't think I can make it, I wait and that's just too bad for all those people who have to wait for me. If you want to cause an accident and piss me off, honk your horn. But that's just going to make me mad and make me sit there longer just despite you.

I realize that probably the target audience I want to yell at and change their ways are more than likely not reading this, so my message may be lost. But it enrages me enough to rant about it.

So to all you people who get impatient because I refuse to risk my life by cutting in front of a vehicle I know I can't beat, I say "Don't honk at me!!!" along with several other choice words and hand gestures that just don't come across as well in text.

What Do I Have To Do Around Here To Get A Frosty?

2006-03-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

We've all seen the commercials. Wendy's is suppose to be open late. Well apparently Olds didn't get the memo because their store is closed at the whopping extremely late hour of 8:00. Can you believe it??? The whole place is closed, the drive thru isn't even open. So if I want a frosty I have to have it before 8:00. That's not late, not even close. It's like your parents telling you your not allowed to have a snack before bed. That's just not right. Meanwhile Tim Hortons is still open but do they have frosty's ... no. All they have to offer me is coffee that will keep me up all night and doughnuts that weren't even cooked fresh but rather warmed up after they have been shipped frozen from half way across the country. I was forced to go to the nearly as cheap but not even close to being as good McDonald's for a sundae to get my ice cream fix. This does not shed a good light on Olds. It does make me appreciate the big city that much more because in Edmonton the Wendy's is open until at least midnight at most locations. Clearly the person responsible for this atrocity needs to be hunted down and beaten with a stick. Because lets face it a beating is always a good solution unless of course your on the other end of the beating, but I won't go there.

So there you have it my brief but very enraged rant, how dare they deny me my frosty. "Shakes fist in the air angrily".

"Friends"; The Obsession

2006-03-19T00:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who already know me, you know that I am obsessed with "Friends". Since I moved to Olds, seven months ago, I have watched every season of "Friends" at least two times and some of the seasons even three times. It is not uncommon to hear me quip "You know what that reminds me of ... that episode of "Friends" where Chandler ..." It was when I started to annoy my real life friends with all of my "Friends" references that I decided to take a "Friends" break. I have successfully gone two whole weeks without watching an episode. I feel like I should be at a meeting where I stand up and say, "Hi, my name is Charlene and I have been "Friends" free for two weeks now". Then everyone would clap. I'm sure there are other people out there like me, maybe I should start the "Friends Addiction Anonymous" meetings or FAA as it will become known.

The hardest thing about not watching "Friends", man how many times am I going to have to use that word "Friends" in this post, "Winnebago" all you Arrogant Worms fans will get that one, anyway back to my topic. Right the hardest thing is filling up the time that I generally spend watching "Friends" with something else to watch. I started out with "That's 70's Show" but I only have so much of that. Some documentaries from the library, I even broke down and watched Dirty Harry. But I think the one that takes home the prize is I've started watching American Idol, religiously. I wouldn't say it's an obsession but it is a good time waster and I must admit it has some entertainment value, mostly anticipating what Simon is going to say after a ghastly performance.

Only time will tell how long I can hold off watching "Friends" but I think the break is a good thing. I may just spend more time with the three dimensional people and annoy those around me just a little less. But just a little. I wouldn't want them to get too comfortable, I'll make sure to continue to be an annoyance in other ways , you got to keep 'em on their toes.

Tree Climbing Is Very Cool Bananas!!!!

2006-03-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

In the above picture I'm the one in the yellow just hanging out, in a tree. If you would have asked me even a year ago if I would every climb trees for a living I probably would have said "that's an actual job?" The cool thing is that it is an actual job and I'm going to be doing it. Maybe not climbing a lot of trees right away because you have to work your way up from groundworker (basically a glorified word for laborer who hauls branches around and throws them in the chipper, all the grunt work and of course as the name suggests the work is on the ground which is not nearly as cool as being up in the tree but you got to start somewhere). Of the very little tree climbing I've done so far, I've only been up in two trees, I love it.

If your wondering if it's dangerous, it most definitely is. The arborist industry has one of the highest death rates of any occupation. Doesn't that sound super. It's also very physically demanding. For those of you who have backpacked and have experience the hip "bruises" and you'll know what I mean if you've had them. Hanging in a tree climbing harness, at least 10 times worse on the hip bruises. It hurts to sleep on my side. But did I mention it was fun. But like any job most accidents are preventable if the job is done properly and safely. Does that sound convincing? I'm partly trying to convince myself. But seriously to me enjoying my job is high on my priority list so I'm willing to take the risk of a dangerous career if I enjoy what I'm doing.

So my advice for today is not to necessarily climb trees or choose a dangerous career but pursue the career you will actually enjoy because if you think about it most people spend about half of the time they are awake working. I'm sure you've probably heard this piece of advice from someone else that's because it's great advice so I feel the need to repeat it. I'm definitely glad I choose to quit something that I hated and made my life miserable and instead pursue a career I actually want to do and will enjoy for many years to come (or at least until my body can't take the abuse anymore, which ever comes first)

Climb Everest? Not In This Lifetime

2006-03-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching a documentary on "Surviving Everest". It was by National Geographic and I borrowed it from the local library. Not a usual choice of video I'll admit but I'm a broke student, a library card is free, and I have a lot of time on my hands. Their selection may not be great but hey I learned something. I now know I will never climb Mount Everest. There is a reason the movie was so aptly named. There is a high probability of death, but even if you don't die there are a long list of other unpleasant things that can and probably will happen to you that you would live through but you would probably wish you were dead. I think you have to be a very specific breed of crazy to attempt to climb that mountain.

The other thing that I really don't like about the idea is that it seems like cheating. If you climb to the top of the mountain you would be able to boast proudly that you climbed the highest peak in the world but you won't have done it on your own. For the majority of the trip you would have been carrying nothing while a dozen sherpa's cart all the teams food and gear on their backs while balancing precariously on a ladder over a 500 ft crevasse. It just doesn't seem to add up to me. If I were to truly want to claim I climbed Everest I would want to be able to have carted in my own gear on my back. And since I know I am physically not capable of doing that, I don't think I have the right to climb the mountain. I'll admit you can't climb entirely alone (in most cases) and you need some help, like a climbing partner, but to basically use people as your slaves who risk there lives for you to climb a mountain does not seem fair to me. I think I will set my sites on a much smaller more attainable mountain to someday hopefully climb. "Attempting to climb".

There have been talks of base camp 2010 (I think that was the projected date. Gasmaster, help me out here) and I will definitely consider making that trip because Nepal does look like an amazing place to be. I thought the Rockies were breathtaking but they are nothing compared to the Himalayas and I've only seen them in pictures so I can just imagine what they would look like in person.

So climbing Mt. Everest, that's one thing I can scratch off my list of "the craziest things I would never consider actually doing but admit would be awesome to accomplish."

Winter Roads Aren't Exactly a Super Happy Fun Place

2006-03-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure to drive from Olds to Stony Plain and back on Thursday. You may wonder why I call it a pleasure because the roads were definetly not in good shape (from Bowden to Red Deer was practically white out conditions), I was going there for an interview for a job it turns out I don't even want and there/back is a lot of driving in one day. But I did however enjoy the trip, because since my aquisition of an awesome Christmas present, my MP3 player and a car in which to utilize said player I have more than enough of my favorite music to sing all the way there and back. Now that I finally have it in full working order, (don't even get me started on that; I only have my lack of computer skills to blame for it's poor performance) I could go for hours on end in the car without running out of music to listen to. I like driving my car and being in ultimate control of my destination and the music I use to get there. Even during those moments of terror when I feel my car start to careen out of control on a slippery slope and I'm thinking "oh, s**t I'm going to die" Bon Jovi is there to calm my nerves. For those of you yet to own your own car don't give up on the car fund. Aspire to get your own car even if it is a hunk of junk on wheels (just make sure the radio or tape player works) because the freedom is definetly worth wating for.

You can tell I know very little about cars since my major deciding factor of whether a car is any good is whether or not the radio works. It running and not falling apart is always good too. And as long as it doesn't collect water on the floor in the back seat, causing what is probably a toxic mold, I'm happy. The most luxurious thing about my car is it has power steering. I know what your thinking, some car if that's it's best feature, no air conditioning or heated seats just power steering. Then you've obviously never driven a car without power steering. You want a workout for your arms, get a car without power steering and try parking it. Better yet try parallel parking it, then you will fully realize the beauty of power steering. A genius whoever came up with the concept. And the way I parallel park, it takes several tries and can be quite lengthy, I'd need to pump some iron and work on my rippling biceps just to get through it. So when you go to buy your first car, an old rusted out beautifully oiled machine, let your first question be "am I ripped enough to drive this boat?" and make sure to flex those rippling biceps so the salesman can make an informed decision.

Randomly Breaking into Song

2006-03-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

My mission, bequeathed to me by none other than Shaggy, is to randomly break into song whenever a song pops into my head. I think it is a mission worthy of my time and effort. The ultimate goal is to get other people to start doing the same and joining in. For those skeptics out there, it's a lot of fun. If you think you suck at singing your probably right but that doesn't matter. That's the beauty of it. I know I can't sing and that makes it that much more fun. You know those "American Idol" bloopers you see on T.V. That would definitely be me. Simon would look at me and say in his snotty British accent, "You may be the worst singer I've ever heard". But hey if William Hung (no idea how to spell his name) can make it big, I think we should all be allowed to humiliate ourselves in front of our peers and have a good time doing it. Plus if everyone else around you does it too you'll no longer be the freak, you'll be the cool one for having started the craze. If the craze does catch on though I can't take the credit. That title would definitely go to Shaggy because she's the one who converted me in the first place and I'm glad she did. She may have to rock, paper, scissors me for it though and she is freakishly good at that.

Anyway, I chalk today up as a successful day for my mission. Twice today I randomly started singing while others were in attendance, including a very riveting rendition of "It's not unusual to be loved by anyone, ...." I even got one guy to join in snapping his fingers. You know the move, come on you know you want to, "... it's not unusual to have fun with anyone". Can't you just picture Tom Jones rocking out. I must admit I'm still not at the stage where I start dancing in the street, or in the halls. And when I say dancing I mean flailing because I'm that good, "oh yeah". But I definitely break out in song and I think it should be a continent wide goal to try and get others to join in.

For those of you who do not feel the urge to sing and dance randomly I guess myself, Shaggy and Gasmaster have our work cut out for us (because if your reading this Gasmaster I expect you to be taking on this mission as well on the island, you may have a larger geographical area than me but I think your up to the task).

So my advice for today is sing out loud whenever you feel the urge, and not just when your in the shower or driving by yourself in your car, you can sing there too if you want but I'm talking about when there are other people around to witness it. And if you can work some dancing in during the day that's even better.

Time Waster

2006-03-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm starting this blog because my friends (you know who you are) have blogs of their own and suggested I give it a try, because I'm in search of things to do in order to waste some time and not go completely insane in the small town of Olds. After some thought, I agree with the idea and I'm going to try it out.

First, I feel I need to warn anyone who wants to read this that the main purpose of this blog is to waste time. I have a lot of time on my hands right now and I am very good at ceaseless ramblings. So ye' be warned. If you don't have time to read my ramblings don't because they can be pretty useless. For instance, today I was cooking supper, a delicious supper if I do say so myself when I smoked my head on the open microwave door. Now your either asking yourself how does one achieve such a stupid feat or your saying who cares. You may even be laughing at the fact that someone would actually do that and that's okay to, I would laugh to if it wasn't me smoking my head on the microwave. For those who are interested in knowing how such a feat is accomplished, you need a microwave at head height, which I convienently have because it sits on top of the fridge, then you need to leave the door open and really who does that. Then with your mind clearly somewhere else all there's left to do is walk right into without knowing its there. It's pretty simple really but the end result is it hurts and a headache soon follows. So instead of trying it yourself I just suggest you take my word for it. So you see I just rambled on for a long paragraph about running into the door on the microwave. I consider it a talent, I'll admit not a great talent and one that's not always appreciated but it's a talent none the less and I'll take what I can get. So my advice for the day, watch out for microwave doors popping out from nowhere.