Random Channel Surfing

Today was the last day that Amnesty International was going to call the shortlisted people. As my blog title suggests, I didn't get a call, email or letter in the mail. It sucks. Not gonna lie. Edmonton living for a writer is not the easiest thing. I was online today trying to find an internship job posting anywhere in Canada and sadly, there were none (well, there were a few UNPAID ones, but DWL's description clearly states: PAID internship). I am so frustrated. I mean, I love my job. In fact, my job was the first job to which I applied that I actually looked forward to working at. Selling movie tickets and popcorn is fun. It has seriously taught me a lot about myself and human nature. For instance, there is more than one way to make an irate customer even angrier, and there is more than one way to calm him down. I've also learned a lot about me... like the fact that I sometimes like to egg them on if they've been rude to one of my coworkers... hahaha! Anywhoodle, am I...

So I was at the Volunteer orientation at Edmonton's Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS) tonight. It was so inspiring to see all of their new and current volunteers come together. The room was super-packed! I am pretty stoked to be volunteering. I used to do a lot of it back in my high school days, but since I started college, I've always had two jobs so a volunteer position just wouldn't be a good idea... This is the first year that I only have one job, so volunteering seemed like the best thing to do with my spare time. You're probably wondering why I'm writing this, and the reason is simple: YESS is a society that every Edmontonian should back up. We have all seen YESS' clients: young teens, sitting by themselves in the summertime (and even in our harsh winters) along Whyte Ave or Downtown. This to me is not right. These kids have their whole lives ahead of them and are at their most vulnerable state. I mean, did you have perfect self-esteem during your tee...

Being a creative writing student, in a creative writing program, I have to submit a short story every once in a while. Some of my stories are nonsensical or irrelevant--in other words, random--but I enjoy writing them and enjoy sharing them with people... Okay, the last part's a lie, but I have to work on sharing my stories. There. That's why I'm "self-publishing" one of my stories on the blog. Hope you enjoy it! Buried              As you lie motionless… still… your breath catching in your heaving chest; you have trouble sucking in more air. Breathe . Out. Breathe . Out. Breathe . Out. That’s when you realize it’s happened. You’re buried alive.             How and why you’re in this particular dilemma is unclear, but at least you know you’re alive. You’re breathing right? Your heart’s beating so loud its sound is reverberating through your body. There’s no way you’re dead. No way at all.             You think back and the last thing you remember is the re...

Every once in a while I'll have a really bizarre dream. It's not weird because of its content or whatever, but because it'll have absolutely NOTHING to do with me. It's sort of like watching a movie, except that none of the actors are famous or well-known. I know I'm not the only person on earth who has these types of dreams because a guy in one of my workshopping classes, Kurt, wrote a story based on a dream he had that had nothing to do with him. He wasn't even mentioned in the dream. It's a weird predicament. You know? Well the story he wrote for the workshop was pretty awesome but everyone in class had a problem with his main character having a dream that didn't involve him. Not surprisingly, I was the only person in class who identified with him and his character. All I could do was turn to him and say "I got it." In his story, the main character's dream was prophetic. I know Kurt doesn't think his dreams are of particular signific...

I watched the movie Juno last night. Ummmm, Ellen Page is by far the most talented actor there is among young Hollywood right now. She's too hilarious for words... and when her character hurts, the audience hurts. Can the same be said of Lindsay Lohan? Maybe once upon a time... definitely not now.   Then there's Michael Cera... CUTEST. KID. EVER. Honestly, I watched Superbad about fifty times and every time it was the same thing! Kid's a comedic genius! He's so awkward and cute... oh and Canadian. On a side note, playing the "that celeb's Canadian" game is very fun. Especially when your brother-in-law is American and loves to talk American history, and as we all know, Americans have kinda sorta dominated the earth throughout the ages... Love you, Brad! If you've got non-Canadian friends or family who aren't aware of our awesome Canadian artists, go to this link and show 'em how cool our celebs are!   Anyhow, if you haven'...

2008 is the Year of Concerts! HUZZA! That means that every month in 2008, I will go to a concert. And not just any concert. I'm going to go to good shows. I'm so pumped!  I do go to concerts, but not on a regular basis... With this new "concert a month" promise, I'll probably end up going to two or more shows every 30 days. Yay!  So this month, it's Ill Scarlet , next month it's Matt Costa and in March it's Foo Fighters ! HELL YES! Too bad I didn't get tickets for the Three Days Grace show. If I had... man oh man! January would be the BEST month EVER!  Wow. 2008 is going to ROCK! 

AURGH! So frustrating. I think my early twenties will be the time of wondering and second-guessing. I'm just so tired of everything. Most of it's due to the fact that I have a terrible cold and I haven't left my house in days. Kagrrrrr. Anywhoodle, I've heard that the cold virus that's goin' around town is persistent. I just had to go and catch that cold... grumble. Isn't that sick? Ugh. I hate colds as much as the next person, but when you're saving for the perfect summer break, it's annoying to have to call in sick this many days in a row because your doctor says you need rest. Gone are the days that I could work two or more jobs AND go to school full-time. Damn, I was supergirl!

It's really hard to know what we want from life. I was so sure I wanted to be a singer (yeah, well the majority of us had rock'n'roll dreams, so shut it!) that my parents enrolled me in some singing lessons. I went. I learned how to breathe properly, all that junk. I like to think I wasn't bad... good, even. My best friend wanted to be an actor. Yep. Her mom registered her in every acting program offered in Edmonton. She was good, too. We used to talk on the phone every Thursday and dream out loud. We dreamed that we would move to a big ass city with our three best friends (one of whom would grow up to be a model, the other a pro basketball star and the last one a plastic surgeon... haha!! We thought out our entire posse), and we'd rule that city. We covered every angle. Now, whenever either one of us brings it up, it's embarrassing. What ever made us dream such cheesy dreams? We talked about our future today. Not in a scary "oh my gosh what am I gonna do?...

So tomorrow I am going to submit my application to the Amnesty International Canada Youth Internship. This is literally the opportunity of a lifetime for me. It's a bit scary, a bit exciting but all fantastic. I've been deliberating and rewriting and editing my application for close to three weeks now. Go figure. I'm normally so impulsive and instinctive (unless I'm shopping. I'm so indecisive when it comes to exchanging money for service or product. Go figure.) I guess I'm afraid of both outcomes: if I don't get it, I'll be crushed! If I do get it, I'll have to decide once and for all what I'm going to do next year. Very scary thought. In other news, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I can't believe how 2007 just whizzed by. It's so strange to think of years and how fleeting they are. It's both a blessing and a curse, really. I was sick, though, so you can imagine how NOT fun new year's eve was. My momma  made gooooOoood food, though. She...