Hold Me Closer Tiny Dancer...

This weekend I had the rich pleasure of spending time with some England Capernwray girls - affectionatly titled: the CP's. And these women deserve the title, because they are so cool it is hard to believe sometimes. The weekend was filled with moments of art, beauty and life. Honestly, I am shocked they even keep me around. It is amazing to be apart for so long, and to fall back in, like you never left. So for them I am truly blessed. Blessed to have gone to Capernwray, to have met such truly unique women, and to still know them now....well I couldnt ask for more.

The whole team, in a cheesy Starbucks photo.

But who is that on the end?

It's Marcy! We walk into Chapters Langley,

and we run into a fellow Capernwrayer from England.

What are the chances?

************************************************************

the.cps.

Me - either cool or creepy, you decide.

Jamie Spiro - the superstar.

Kristina Janzen - the beautiful

Bonnie Dowling - bringing sexy back.

how emo are we?

it's good to laugh this hard.

These photos are not mine, they are theirs. They know how to work that camera. There needs to be credit where credit is due. Thanks guys.

Shoot!

Remember that Matt & Nat purse money given to me by Brandon and Lindsay? Well I got the purse, and I am excited. But today, I was so excited to win the auction that I rushed to the computer and waited until the last second. I "won" the auction this afternoon.

Okay, now, 5 hours later, I am on ebay, and the exact same purse is listed for 30 dollars cheaper. Oh no, not 10, not even 20, but 30. I just about want to die. Not even on a bid, but on a "buy it now". The guy is just giving that away. I am just telling myself "oh well you would have paid that in a store". But c'mon how brutal is that. Oh well, I guess we win some and loose some, but MAN do I feel ripped off. At least it was birthday money.

Herein lies the love/hate relationship with ebay.

Snow and Scrabble...

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but no school is so delightul, so since I have no place to go, Let it snow...."

Yes, I should have spent the evening writing one of my three papers. But scrabble with my mom, and Love Actually on TV were just too tempting. Hey - it was snowing outside.


It's snowing. Like crazy. My family woke up and braved it to church. I just loved that. The solidarity expierenced by those actually at church was astounding. I just love that feeling. It was like we all a part of somehing.

Sadly though, the snow can also be awful. I left my car at Matt's last night and he drove me home. Then today, when Matt and my dad went to retrieve it, it took them like 2 hours shovelling it out. It didn't go anywhere and had zero traction. Too bad for a brand new car eh?

But despite all of this, the snow is magical. Matt and I took a long walk in the snow last night, just enjoying it. Something about it makes everything look romantic, even boring suburban streets. That and everywhere children are laughing. Matt said he saw one little girl come outside and twirl yelling "snow, snow!". I think I can symathize with this small girl, tommorow morning, when I don't have to drive to school. Oh yes.

If Ang Can Do It....

....so can I.

Here I am, a little red haired sleeping child. It's grad yearbook time, so the parents were uploading pictures. Sometimes, its hard to imagine that we were that little. But we were. How do parents even deal with kids growing up? Thats what what I would like to know.

Traveling is the schoolmaster of understanding...

.....so Brenda and I are heading to school....

August 19th - September 27th.
Europe.
I hear they are still accepting applications.
Want to come?

**Above title quoation was written by Wes Drewlo. He wrote that today. So eloquent....

Reasons Why I Love my Starbucks...

1. Sometimes we break things, like this snow man's nose for example. And since we are not a big fan of "the man", we think its pretty funny. Oh, and apparently we need some clarification. WRI is White Rock One. That is the code name for Peninsula Village Starbucks. I think its because we were the first Sbux in White Rock. That would make sense huh? And the Roman numerals, ya I don't really know why that is.

2. I like these people a whole lot - to the point, that I even like hanging out with them in my spare time! Case in point, staff crew at the WAG. Good times Martini night.

3. The Power team - Katie, Sharelle and Ashlee. Picture this, a weirdo comes in. (about every 3rd person) They leave. Then we all look at each other going "what the heck just happened there?". Without them, it would just be weirdos, but with them its funny funny times.

4. Trevor Conkey - come in sometime, and ask him to sing "Me and the Tree are One". I don't know why, but he reallly likes it.

5. Ridicolousness - I don't think thats a word, but it's what goes on. Toilet Paper. Check. Empty roll. Check. "Happy Birthday" Princess Tiara. Check. Good times had by all.

No but seriously, I really do love my Starbucks. I mean, at times its ridicolous, and busy, and customers are crazy. But I couldn't ask for a better minimum wage workplace. Its like people watching all the time, but with funny co-workers who enjoy it. There is nothing worse than a truly random moment, with no one to enjoy it. Okay, maybe there are some things worse, but c'mon that's not fun at all. So there you go, a little snapshot into White Rock I.

Christ as the Artist...

I don’t know if any of you will find this as interesting as I did. It seems like a funny transition to go from dirty water to this, but here is the passage my proffessor read. Oscar Wilde described Jesus as an artist, connecting him closely with the romantic movement. So, if you find that vaguely interesting, or if you like Oscar Wilde at all, read this passage on this fine rainy afternoon. Its just beautiful.

From Oscar Wilde's De Profundis:

I see a far more intimate and immediate connection between the true life of Christ and the true life of the artist. He who would lead a Christ-like life must be entirely and absolutely himself, and had taken as my types not merely the shepherd on the hillside and the prisoner in his cell, but also the painter to whom the world is a pageant and the poet for whom the world is a song

Nor is it merely that we can discern in Christ that close union of personality with perfection which forms the real distinction between the classical and romantic movement in life, but the very basis of his nature was the same as that of the nature of the artist - an intense and flamelike imagination. He realised in the entire sphere of human relations that imaginative sympathy which in the sphere of Art is the sole secret of creation. He understood the leprosy of the leper, the darkness of the blind, the fierce misery of those who live for pleasure, the strange poverty of the rich. Some one wrote to me in trouble, 'When you are not on your pedestal you are not interesting.' How remote was the writer from what Matthew Arnold calls 'the Secret of Jesus.' Either would have taught him that whatever happens to another happens to oneself, and if you want an inscription to read at dawn and at night-time, and for pleasure or for pain, write up on the walls of your house in letters for the sun to gild and the moon to silver, 'Whatever happens to oneself happens to another.'

Christ's place indeed is with the poets. His whole conception of Humanity sprang right out of the imagination and can only be realised by it....

***If you want to read the whole thing, it's here. Slightly controversial at points, but I really like the ideas. What do you think?

Don't Drink the Water...

So yesterday they announced a "water alert". The above picture is not my water, but actual tap water from Vancouver. Gotta say though - tap water in Richmond is looking pretty bad too. I am not about to take back all the things I like about storms, but I must say, this is going to make for a NO FUN day at Starbucks. Everyone that is writing about it seems to be commenting on how "Starbucks has no water". Yes, because that is the biggest concern here...Oh boy...

So Novacom is next door to "Canadian Springs Water". So I go next door to get some clean water. They are absolutley going crazy! There were two news stations there, cameramen, the whole thing. People were all lined up...to buy water! A bad day for Vancovuerites, a GOOD day for Canadian Springs.

Update: The whole thing's off, unless you live in Vancouver proper, or North Van. As of 1.00 pm. I'm trying for most informative post here, who wants to nominate me? C'mon, a pressing issue, so relevant...haha.

The Power's Out....

And the power's out in the heart of man,

take it from your heart

put in your hand.

Name that song title. I just kept thinking of it today, as the words "power out" were everywhere. There are some things about power outages that really suck, like driving for one. There you are, on the streets, and no one seems to know how to function without little lights directing them. There were tree branches everywhere, accidents. Yet the thing is, there is this aspect of power outages that I just love. This afternoon was sort of magical in a way. No power at all at TWU. So we had Nineteenth Century Novel in the dark. It was amazing. It felt like we were all in on something. Then I walked out of class talking to my prof about Oscar Wilde, and how he considered Jesus to be an artist. As I walked through the English department, they were all smiling. Leave it to us literature keeners to romanticize the storm. We just can't help ourselves.

I think power outages are supposed to remind us, that sometimes we just need the dark. We need to sit in a house in the dark, and realize all the things we fill our lives with. I did this for about ten minutes. I would like to tell you that I did all night, with my night off (classes were cancelled!). But the thing is, I didn't. I convinced Matt and Kira to try and drive to a movie with me. The theatre was all black, closed. That'll teach me.

It does make you wonder though.
A world without power, a world without light.
Maybe thats all we needed.
To be reminded, that life is more than

computers,

plug ins,

lights

movies.

So, you think you are busy...

I don't know if you are a student.
I am, and I feel pretty damn busy most of the time.
But my prof pointed something out today...

"You will never have more time than you do now"

I don't know if this thought should be beautiful or depressing.
I am living in the most glorious state, being able to study and think with great minds everyday.
But I feel like I don't even have time for life (in paper season and most of the school season)
So, if this is most time I will ever have, something is going to have to be sorted out better.
Or is he just refering to those that are students without volunteer work and two jobs?
I don't know,
But at least in one way the man is right

This is a golden time.

Let's remember that as we stay up all night writing this paper on medieval history, or whatever your subject matter of choice might be.

So People Love the Cons...

So my friend gave me a pair of brand new converse. Never before, did I have a desire for these shoes, and there is no way I would have gone out and bought them myself. But now that I own them, it seems like converse is a way of being. haha. Honestly, every time I wear them, someone comments or gives me some sort of affirming nod. Its like the people that drive buses, motorbikes, or VW bugs, they wave at each other. Like they are in this special little club. I can't even believe I got free membership into this club....

A club that I didnt even know existed.

You think I am kidding. I am not.

Today in class, the guy next to me (super cool masters student) points at my shoes..."sweet shoes" he says. I look down at his shoes. Buddy has got cons on. Through the course of the lecture he nudges me and points to the guy down our row. Yup...cons. "Love it"...was all he said. Its like I made a new friend.

Who even knew?

Today I feel asleep in my library carell.
I missed a meeting

I had a big mark on my face from the books I was sleeping on.
But I ran into my two favourite on campus girls in the process.
Who both bought me food.
Sometimes things happen for a reason....

It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas....

The first one of the year.

"Tall Half Sweet Gingerbread Reduced Fat Eggnog Latte".

Did that make you want to punch yourself?

Well think again, because this will be one of the best lattes

you will ever have in your life.

Both Gingerbread AND Eggnog. It doesnt get much better than that.

Christmas too early? Hey its the first day of November, and I love this latte, so I'm fine with it.