♪There is a house in New Orleans...they call the rising sun...♪

Ummm....hi!

Matt told me that people NEED this blog to be updated, o therwise, they have nothing to do at work. So, for all 5 of you that read this, I will attempt my bestest...

One month minus one day till I finish work. Already. And I only got the project that my work report's going to be on yesterday. And I have to learn some Advanced Process Control for it. Eek! Now I'm a little stressed. Stupid work reports.

Other than that, what's been going on? I'll write bigger posts someday about St Patty's & Montreal. Gotten back into guitaring - I was on a break for awhile, but now getting back into it. Still working on chords, but I also decided to try learning a song (since that just makes it more fun!) So I started learning my first song last night - House of the Rising Sun :) Also been going to the gym, but it's not quite as exciting as it was at the beginning - I've decided I don't like routine (or poutine, for that matter!) But now that the weather's getting nicer, I may start to do some outdoor cardio (walking, jogging, may bring my rollerblades) then go to the gym for weights.

Well, I guess I should get back to reading the Daily Operating Reports, before my morning meeting. But I'll try to write more for y'all! ♥

Public Service Announcement...

We now interrupt this regularly scheduled program (ie Jill's lack of blogging lately) for this special announcement:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!!! :D

Hope you have a fantastic day!! ♥

./`All you need is just a little patience./`

So, I figured I should give a real update. This is going to be in point-form, b/c I have a lot of things in my head to write, but no motivation to write full paragraphs (although I'm sure some of the points will be long!)

- weekend was alright - Friday night, went to the gym, made dinner, watched tv & chatted online. Went to bed around 2:30am.

- Saturday, Ally, Warren, Wing Yan & I went across the border to Port Huron, Michigan, as they have some apparently good shopping there. According to YahooMaps, the mall is approximately 6.2miles from my place, and it took about an hour to get there! Damn lineups at the border!

- When we got to the bridge, it told us which lanes were for cars, and which were for transport trucks. Obviously, the car one was a lot more packed, but like a good citizen I am, I got into line. Of course though, then you get the idiots who think they can do what they please, who go into the truck lane until it separates from the car lane, and try to squeeze in. Then when I don't let them in, they honk & give me the finger, and race ahead to get into our lane up ahead. Assholes.

- Crossing the border was interesting - the other 3 are Chinese, so the guy didn't believe me when I said we were all Canadian. And asked Warren, in the back, to put down his window, and said very bluntly to him (almost rude) "You speak English?" and Warren's like "yea" So the guy asked him citizenship and Warren said (again!) Canadian, and flashed his passport. It just seemed rude, and he didn't ask me, whereas I still could have been a terrorist :P Oh well.

- the mall was alright - except I'm used to everyone in Canada taking debit card, and a lot of places there don't. The coffee shop in the mall (when I wanted coffee) only took American cash (which I forgot to bring) - no Canadian cash, no debit, no credit. Boo. One of the store names in the mall was "Bling Bling & Thingz." Ghetto.

- my purchases of the day. When only in the States for a day, we were only allowed to bring back $50-70 worth of stuff, without paying duty (and no alcohol *sniff*) However, since it was a pretty warm day (warm = 12^oC) I only wore a hoodie, since I knew I wanted to buy a jacket. So I did buy a jacket, cut tags off & wore it back (so got more back to Canada...although it would have been easy anyway, but we didn't realize how easy) I also bought 2 t-shirts, and a rainbow handbag.

- we went for dinner at this Thai restaurant. It was on "Beers St" so I had to get a picture with the sign ;) Hehehe...I'm such a geek! We went for a walk beforehand by the river (and could see downtown Sarnia! Heh...this is what I'm looking at when I walk by the river in Sarnia!) It was nice out, although getting a bit cooler. So we went for dinner - YUMMY! I've had Thai a number of times before, but had never tried Pad Thai, so I went with that. So. Good. :D

- I swear, everyone in Port Huron was celebrating St Patrick's Day early on Saturday. I was jealous, and wanted to join in. But I guess I can wait till Friday...IN TORONTO! *excited*

- Drove back - no problems crossing the border. The guy asked if we were bringing anything back, checked my trunk, let us through. So could have easily brought more back - I'll know for next time. Dropped Warren & Wing Yan off, then Ally & I hung out for awhile, chatting. Went home, chatted online for a bit.

- Also, that night, finally picked up Gus (the guitar) for the first time in a few weeks - I haven't really felt like it, but thanks to Lou's encouragement, I did. I just wish I could jump right in & play songs though. It's weird - when I'm not home, I think about playing & want to play, but then the motivation just leaves me when I get home. But I hope to stick to it & keep practicing.

- Sunday, Ally & I played squash, then I ran some errands, did laundry - it was a nice, relaxing day.

- Does anyone know anything about External Hard Drives? I'm looking at buying one by Western Digital (the Western Digital 250GB Dual Option External Hard Drive) which is on sale until Thursday for $200 (regularly $300) I don't trust my laptop fully, and have been looking at getting an external for awhile, but I need to research it a bit. So any input would be muchly appreciated. Preferably soon, since I'm leaving for Toronto on Thursday evening, so I'd likely order by tomorrow night if I buy.

- My moods have been up & down a lot lately. I was in a good mood for most of Sunday, till I got home, and heard about a few things, then I was down. Was crabby for a lot of Monday (perhaps lack of sleep Sunday night, and it was raining & dreary in the morning) Then I got off work, and it was sunny, and warm (about 18^oC) and since Josh took the day off, I drove home by myself, and the weather was nice enough to put my window down & play the music loud! The real nice thing about driving myself is that I also get to choose the music :) And there's the lack of smell, and annoying personality :P But then, later that evening, my mood dropped again, when we were trying to figure out van rental for Montreal next weekend.

- Today, I was ok this morning, but now, this afternoon, I'm tired & headachey. Really glad I'm taking Friday off, and it's a 4-day week :)

- I talked to my supervisor this morning, since I only have 6 1/2 weeks left, and I need to write a work report for school. He says he's going to find me something to do for it by early next week. So that's good -one less thing for me to worry about. Also, he has some more work for me to do, but he's trying to figure out what, so I should get that later today or tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be more exciting.

- it's Mom's birthday today. The big 6-0. Oy! It's scary. Dad'll be 62 this coming December. I don't think of them as that old, but it's scary now when I hear about people having heart attacks in their early 60s. And that's the age of my parents!

- Thanks to Geoff & Matt, I now have two songs in my head lately: "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, and "You Jerk" by Kim Stockwell. Actually, I also heard Kelly Clarkson in the music store the other day - even though it's not really my type of music, she's actually good and I don't mind some of her songs (yes, I do actually occasionally listen to stuff from the present :P)

- I finally remembered gum today. I ran out of my stuff that was in my bag last Thursday, so I was gumless Friday & yesterday, which was HELL. Whenever I'm working/studying/homeworking, etc, I always have gum or something in my mouth. Otherwise, I tend to clench my teeth a lot. One time, back in first or second year, I was working on something on the computer, and concentrating pretty hard, when I suddenly had pain through my jaw, just from clenching. Ow! So gum or snacking keeps my jaw moving so I don't do that.

- I'm really excited about this weekend! Headin to Toronto Thursday night, probably wander downtown a bit Friday while everyone else is working. A bunch of us (possibly 15-25 of us?) are headed out for St Paddy's then that night! Saturday is sushi lunch with a few people, then head back to Waterloo, for Alyssa & Jesse's housewarming party that night! Probably meet up with some friends on Sunday...I've mentioned things to a few, but have yet to hear back. Gonna be a fun weekend! :)

Well, that's it for now, I think this was a long enough update! :P Back to work I go, for just over an hour & a half!

You Live, You Learn

Happy Friday everyone! I, for one, am glad that this week's over. It's been dark & rainy most of the week, so it's been one of the longer weeks. Yet, at the same time, I actually went to bed earlier most nights...it's amazing what just an extra half an hour of sleep does! Strange, but I've been awake at work for the past few days, then tired when I get home - most of the time, it's opposite! It's also weird how much more sleep I need when I'm on a work term, then in school.

This weekend looks to be promising. Tomorrow, Ally, Wing Yan, Warren & I are going over the border (since it's so damn close!) to shop in Port Huron, Michigan. Apparently they're usually cheaper than Canada. There's also apparently a really good Thai restaurant in Port Huron, so we're going there for dinner. I'm excited about that - I LOVE Thai! Sunday, Ally & I are playing squash. I'll also go to the gym this evening. Not sure what else is going on, but it'll be alright. I can get a few other things done. I've got the house to myself - Katie left today for training camp in Florida, and Rob's coaching his team in Nationals in BC. So I'm alone till Tuesday night!

The next two weekends are going to ROCK even more! The way my work is set up is that I work 40 hours/week, but only get paid for 37.5 hours. So in my 4 months of being here, I get 4 flex days - days I can take off, whenever I want. So, next Friday, which is St Patrick's Day, I'm taking off & going to Toronto Thursday night. Then there are quite a few of us who are going out for St Paddy's! I'm excited :D Then I'm returning to Waterloo on Saturday - it's Mom's birthday during the week, and I'm also going to Alyssa & Jesse's housewarming party. So should be a fabulous weekend! Then the following weekend, a bunch of us are going to Montreal :D :D :D

So, I was reminded of something this morning. I was actually reading Lou's blog, and someone (I think her mother) commented & said that she shouldn't be blogging at work, and she should be learning things, even if her job is boring (*cough*sounds familiar*cough*) But she should be out learning things that she doesn't know. Yes, I'm blogging at work, but I'm going to make it a point to work harder, b/c while I work better when I have more to do, if I don't have much to do, but get it done, I will hopefully get new work, and the more stuff I do, the more I'll learn.

I was in a slump for awhile, but I've recently re-realized my love of learning. Hence I read a lot of blogs (you can always learn things from other people/their experiences/their opinions) and Wikipedia, and starting to read articles online. I'm especially trying to expand my horizons b/c I don't know what I want to do. I've come to the conclusion that everything that one does in life should allow them to learn something - not always does one realize it, but it does. Some things learned are more relevant than others, but I hope to keep learning. My parents used to tell me that "you learn something new every day" but I think it's practically every hour (well, except maybe during slumber) If not, well that sucks then.

Let's give'em something to talk about...

I was reading my friend Mau's blog this morning. She's on exchange in Hong Kong right now, but didn't have a big update to give, however, she did mention that last night, she had a big 4-hour conversation with her friend Peggy. On several topics.

It made me realize how much I miss real conversations with people. Stuff more than just talking about our days & such. Real conversations on real topics, like debates or just conversation on opinions. On work terms, I don't seem to have the people to talk to like I do in school, hence I'm looking forward to May. Yes I talk to people at work, but the topics at lunch are always about sports, politics, stuff going on at work, or (since they're all young parents) what their kids are now doing/now eating/etc. Which is fine, I don't mind listening, but I don't really have anything to contribute.

I guess that's why I tend to post a lot more when I'm on a work term, and read blogs...for that human interaction.

I know I've probably complained before about the stupidity of people - and they are stupid. Half the time, I can't understand what's going on in a guy's head, and girls are just bitchy a lot. I know also that if I'm in a group of people, I'm more shy & don't talk much (unless I know the people pretty well) Even when it's a small group, I suck at starting conversation. Give me a topic & I can usually talk, but I can't come up with a topic. However, I'm definitely more of a people-person, and hate being alone most of the time. And I definitely miss talking face-to-face with people.

Another One Bites the Dust

I've complained about my job here before, b/c I don't find I have much of a challenge, or very much interesting work to do. And that's still true. Yes, it's a co-op job, so I'm here moreso to learn, but I wish I was doing some better work to learn from.

However, I am learning. I work with a lot of engineers, so while it's a laid-back environment (ie no dress code, other than the PPE (personal protective equipment) required out in the plant), it's still a professional workplace. So maybe the lessons I'm learning are more important - the ones they don't teach you in school.

I've been seeing a lot on how to interact with others in a work environment. To get things done, to help each other out. I'm in Operations, with all the engineers who basically run the plant, but they all specialize in one area (ie heaters, compressors, etc) since the plant is so big. And they run their area to optimize the plant, but if they change things in their area, it might affect other areas. So I see how they have to be, that the engineers have to be able to communicate & work with not only each other, but the operators, foremen, etc.

As well, I've noticed that these engineers are always super-busy with meetings & so many projects on the go. As well, Gerry, who I worked with last term, always seemed to have a few meetings every day - I had no idea how anyone got any work done! So I asked Amy last week when we had a meeting, how they get everything done, and she's just like "We can't do everything, so you prioritize and figure out what's most important, or what will help the most." It's an interesting lesson, and I would think it'd be overwhelming, but everyone seems to deal with it.

I guess what makes me bring this up today is that one of the engineers on our floor got fired today. Mainly for attitude problems, and he didn't get along with everyone. Also he never seemed to give a shit, and didn't get any work done. I guess they did a performance evaluation on him back in July or August, which should have given him a warning to get his act together, but it clearly didn't. We went out for lunch after he left (lunch was planned...not as a result of celebration :P) and the other guys were talking that he just seemed to want to test the company to see how far they'd go. It takes a lot for a company to fire a full-timer, as they have to get a whole lot of documentation & reason behind it, so it was a real eye-opener to see it happen.

What is Love? Oh Baby Don't Hurt Me, Don't Hurt Me No More

Many of you know that I've been very frustrated in the love department lately - I do & don't want a boyfriend at the same. I feel lonely, yet I don't want one to hold me back when I graduate next year, especially since I want to go away for awhile to teach english overseas...I don't want reason to not follow through with that. Yet at the same time, I want someone to share experiences with.

However, I've seen so many problems in relationships occur, mainly since I started uni 3 1/2 years ago when they've been more prominent (a lot of my friends & I didn't really have serious partners in high school):

- starting with my ex-boyfriend. He said the L-word SIX DAYS INTO THE RELATIONSHIP, and then proceeded to cheat on me with his ex-gf a month later. That hurt at the time, and now I'm just like WTF?

- two of my best friends who were engaged, then had relationship problems for awhile, then one of them cheated on the other. This just recently happened, and they considered getting back together, but they ended up not. Now they're going to be friends, which is good b/c they have to live together for 6 months more.

- my uncle. He & my (former) aunt were married for 25 years, but he (& the rest of us) found out in 2004 that she'd been having an affair FOR SIX F**KIN YEARS!!

- one of my other really good friends. She really liked this guy, and he liked her, but he wasn't ready to break up with his girlfriend yet for her. So they fooled around, and even ended up sleeping together once, but he still wouldn't dump his girlfriend for her. We told her that he wasn't worth it, and he was a jackass, and she's given up on him (thankfully!) but still hurting a bit from it.

- an online friend whose boyfriend apparently decided that he just stopped loving her.

- A friend of a friend died this past weekend, walking home at night with her boyfriend, when a van didn't see them and took her out. It was the boyfriend who had suggested they walk, then he sees this happen.

- A guy in my grade in high school committed suicide, and I had known/been friends with his girlfriend for years. I couldn't imagine the pain she went through either, similar to the boyfriend above.

All these experiences make getting a boyfriend very discouraging. And yet, at the same time, I see my parents who have been together for over 35 years, and don't go through *too* many problems (yes, they have ups & downs, but what marriage doesn't?) I see my sister & brother-in-law, who just had a baby - a product of their love. I see that old couple, down the street, who just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. And those make me think that it is worth it. But so many marriages nowadays end in divorce, or I have friends whose parents *should* be separated but aren't. Are the chances of pain, and suffering, and loss worth the risk?

I guess the question still stands: "is it better to have love and lost, then never to have loved at all?"

Hmm...maybe I should just become a nun........