BEDone!

So to take us out of BEDA with a bang, I am going to do something I have never really done before. I am going to tell you all about my amazingly awesome day!

I woke up today feeling awesome - last day of exams, by noon it would be over and I would be free. It was a wonderful thought and feeling and I was so energetic going into my exam. Exam happened, it was my hardest and longest (time-wise) exam. Now its done, and that is wonderful. But only the begining of the awesomeness that is today!

Last night I got this email to my university account advertising a "Vote Mob" which is essentially a rally getting people, specifically the "youth vote" to encourage "youth" to vote and even more so to give a big F-you to the politicians who seem to think that the youth dont count and the youth don't vote. This peeked my interest a little, but not normally the kind of thing I go to. I dont know why, I've just never gotten involved in rallys or protests or anything. There was more however, because Rick Mercer, who has been one of my idols growing up (I've been watching him since I was too young to understand his jokes. I remember watching his rants back in the 22 Minutes days), was going to be leading this Vote Mob. There was no chance I wasn't going!

So the first thing I did was talk to/text a bunch of my friends. "Are you busy tomorrow" "Do you like Rick Mercer?!" And of course, every one was busy. Or not a Rick Mercer fan - which kills me. How could yuo NOT be a Rick Mercer fan?!! You know something, a couple years ago this would have thrown me off. I'd have shyed out and not gone and that would have been the end of it. If there is something I have learned its this - screw other people. If there is something you want to do, even if its by yuorself - do it! Trust me, you can have just as much fun :D.

So I did. After my exam I came home, tided myself a bit, ate some lunch and went. And I am SOOOO glad I did. I had an absolutely BLAST! From the moment I got on the bus there was a story. There was a group of other people all "Canada-ed" up with the words "VOTE" written all over themselves, so I had a good idea what they were doing. At the same guy there was a... bus crazy? I dont know if thats the most suitable phrase for him. He wasnt "crazy" but he was.... slow? And he wanted to talk. So he decided to talk to me. He was nice and I didnt want to be mean and not talk to him. At the same time - ackward! And the "Vote" people kept looking at me with facial expressions saything "I am SO sorry." Which was funny.

Anyway, I made it do the Mob without being stabbed, so no worries. Waundered around awkwardly by myself for a bit when a guy came up to me (because I am so hot :P) and we started talking. He had planned to come with friends as well, but they all bailed on him. So we ended up spending the rest of the mob together, which was super awesome. At one point before the rally started, they put on loud music and a bunch of people urged us to dance - so we did! But not normal, clubbing dancing. More... swing dancing? It was awesome, he kept swirling me aruond and stuff. I didnt know what I was doing, but we had fun doing it! Oh, and we might have out picture in the paper. A photographer apparently got a pciture of us dancing and then came up to us and asked for our names and stuff like that. So THATS kind of a cool.

Then the rally started. Chris (the guy) and I were right up front, super close to the stage. There were representatives from both Fanshawe and Westerns student counsell giving speechs (one guy was really funny and was kinda like Rick Mercers opening act) and sang Oh Canada (both in english and french, tho the french confused me cause the rest of the rally was in english :P). Everyone got really pumped up (my voice is LITERALLY still cracking from all the screaming). The local mayor gave a speech (it went something like "VOTE! MAY 2ND! VOTE! MAY 2ND! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?! VOTE! MAY 2ND!" ) and then the man of the hour - Rick FRICKEN Mercer came on stage!

He was really funny. Of course he was, he is Rick FRICKEN Mercer afterall :P. His speech was brilliant, saying all the right stuff. Ancedotes of politicians who are afraid of the youth vote, who put no effort into trying to obtain the youth vote, who dont know how to connect with the youth vote. Talking about how youth DO vote, they just dont get polled (I mean, think about it, polling is done through landlines and telephone books. If you live off yuor cellphone, not exactly going to reach you!). Politicians dont like that - can't predict what they are going to do. Then at the end of it all He got us doing silly dances and whatnot because some of the many film people where doing youtube videos.

Oh yeah, did I mention the new crews? It may be to late now, but if yuo watch the news tonight yuo may catch glimpses of me. They kept filming the crowd and I was definitely in many of teh shots :D.

Then it was all over. But not for me, I wanted to get a picture. So I hoped up on stage hoping to get a quick on and avoid the mob. But Rick went over to the mob and got pictures and autographs with them first. Then the news crew wanted to interview hiim. Than another news crew - and Chris was awesome. He stayed the whole time and was my camera man. I probably waited more than 20 minutes for it, but I got it damnit!

Thats right, me looking increadibly awkward with the one and only Rick Mercer! :D

Unfortuately because he was so busy and everyone wanted a peice of him, the most I got to say to him was "I'm a big fan, have watched yuo since I was a kid" but it was still really cool. Also yes, I did say it all very ackwardly. Do we expect anything less from me!?

After that I stayed chatting with Chris and we ran into some of his friends and chatted with them for a while. They were really fun and really nice and I hope I stay in touch with them because a) I liked them a lot and b) it'd be nice to get to know more people living in London. Actually get to know the place Im spending the next few years.

Then I went home. Chris drove me, so no more bus crazies to report. I was hope for MAYBE 20 minutes when I heard someone outside my room. I assumed one of my roomates was home so I ran out to brag about my day so far, but it wasnt one of my roomates. Sort of. It was my new incoming roomate. I've talked to her a bit, but never really gotten a chance to know her yet. Her and her parents had stopped by to collect a few of the things she had left here but needed at home. So we chatted and eventually I got invited out to dinner with them. Which was super SUPER nice of them. I mean, I couldnt eat anything and just had tea - but I appreciated it all the same :D. It was great getting to know her, i have a good feeling her and I will be good friends. We have a lot of different interests but get along really easily. Im really excited for her to move in.

Then they had to leave, so they dropped me off back home. I chatted with my roomate for a while and then started writing this blog. But my day isnt over - my friends are having a party/get-together-type-thingy to celebrate the end of exams so I'm going to head over there. And my roomate is having a big party and a bonfire tonight, so I may entice my friends to head that way and even if I cant I probably will hang out there for a while after everyone goes home from my friends place.

So yes, that is me going out of BEDA with a bang :D. I really enjoyed blogging every day in April and am going to try to keep up with this blog. Maybe not everyday, but yuo know, often enough. We will see how it goes and all.

So until next time, stay awesome Internets!

Heverly Bill Hillies

Im trying to think what I can update you about thats not school related, because honestly there is only so many times I can complain about school in a blog in a week.

Im a little disapointed (ok a lot disapointed) because the Montreal Canadiens are out of the playoffs. They're my team and they played well and fought hard and damn overtime killed them! Out in the first round to - well, at least they were able to make it all the way to game 7 and werent out in four or anything wimpy like that. Its been different watchign the playoffs this time around because normally hockey is my dad and I (and possibly mom and sister) sitting in the basement at my parentals house, often times eating nachos. Most of the games I watched on my own this time but one I watched with my roomate (who is a big hockey fan, but not of the Canadiens so rivalries are always fun) and then one with my friend Van, which was hilarious because I think she thinks Im a violent mofo now "Get up! GET UP! Ohhhh, did his little sholder hit you in the face?! Does hitting your face make yuor legs stop working? No? Then GET UP! Skate over to that damned bench - you're not even bleeding!" Yeah.... I get a little into hockey games. For game 7 my roomate walked into my room and just started laughing at me because I kept screaming at my computer screen. Man, I need to watch hockey more often.

For the last couple years I havent really been paying as much attention to hockey. Not because I lost interest, but because I didnt have cable/TV-with-channels-that-worked-properly and now that I do Im often to busy with school work or other life-type-activities to watch. And now that its coming to summer, hockey will soon be over so now that I actually may have time to watch it, I wont. I'd watch it while studying or doing homework or something, but lets be honest - like I'd actually be paying attentiont to my school work.

It kills me a little that I havent been paying attention to it. I was never the super hardcore fan that could quote stats at you and can tell you the backstory of every major player on every team. But I was into it enough to know what was going on, carry along a proper hockey conversation with someone, have my own opinions and be able to argue to defend my teams honour. This year I barely knew who was in the playoffs - how far I have fallen. I dont really know the players on my own team any more or the other major players on the major teams floating around. A lot changes in... 3? 4? years of not playing attention. Maybe I should try to get back into it come the Fall.

As mentioned above, my team is Montreal Canadiens. My second team is the Ottawa Senators. My opinion is that as long as you are not a Maple Leafs fan, we can be friends. I'm a Habs fav first because I was raised to be one. My dad was a huge, hard-core Habs fan and that got passed along to me. It makes me a little sad that they were one of the top teams in the NHL, having won a Stanley Cup every decade until I came along - I was too young to know what was going on the last tiem they won one and this past decade they won nothing. I still have faith in them though!

My second team is the Ottawa Senators. To be honest I knew more about  them growing up than the Habs, just because I grew up in Ottawa. We used to go to games every year and caught their games on TV more often than the Habs. My sister turned Sens fan first because of this (betraying the Canadiens legacy. But its cool, not like it bothers me or nothin' :P). The friends of mine who were hockey fans (for living in Canada I always seem to manage to befriend people who could care less about hockey) were all either Sens fans or *shudders* Leafs fans (this is where I use the term "friend" lightly :P) so i had to spend more time defending the Sens position than the Habs. Luckily this was in their high time, rather than the last few years when they've apparently been crashing and burning. *lesigh*.

Also, if you are a beginners hockey fan and want some help understanding the rules yuo should follow the blog of my friend Colleen. Essentially its a documentation of herself as a beginners hockey fan while she starts to learn about our Nations glorious game! :D
http://beginnersluck2233.wordpress.com/

Anyway that's all for me today Internets. Tomorrow's my last BEDA day - any bets on if I manage to continue with my blog after that?  Chow Bella!

Feminine Whiles

Today has been a fun filled day. Wrote the 2nd of my crazy-exam-week exams (the first being last night) first this this morning and then spent 5 hours studying for Physiology. I was hoping to spend 2 hours studying for physiology, go to the gym and then spend the rest of the day doing psych (and maybe a bit more phys at the end of it all) but apparently that was not to be. So I spent 5 hours doing phys, came home - taking a bit of a break right now (prolly going to eat at some point) and then going to do psych. Psych is first, but phys is scarier - so its hard to figure out which to concentrate on.

My body likes to do random things to me. That sounds a lot dirtier than it is. What I mean is, my body likes to fuck with me-ok thats not helping. My upper back muscles (At least, I think its my back muscles) on my left side have decided to go really tense today, do that my entire arm and a bit of my neck hurt. And my arm keeps going randomly numb. Its really starting to piss me off and really distracting study-wise. But Im not worried, cause my body likes to do shit like this all the time. Its pretty normal for me really - like I've had my feet decide to swell for no reason before or random red spots (that weren't rashes and weren't itchy, just on big, bright, circular dot on the palm of each hand) appear on my hands or stupid things like that. And of course the big things, like a stomach that doesnt like digesting and a head that was continuously sore for my entire gr. 10 year of school. (I still get chronic migraines, but no where near as bad or often. More of a once a month thing now). So yuo know, it'll go away eventually.

What I was orginally planning on talking about in this blog is my study notes. Sounds exciting doesnt it? No, no - bear with me. It gets better - I want to talk about spelling mistakes in my study notes! Wooo!... wait! No! Come back!

I always findi t amusing reading over my study notes, because Im writing so fast that not only is there an abundance of spelling mistakes (I apparently can't figure out if its cappiliary, capilliary, cappilliary or capilary) and grammar faux pas (ok, its study notes - grammar isnt exactly a focus here!) but there are also a lot of incorrect word insertions. My favourites are ones like "Into the filtrate, therefor filtrating the blood" or, yuo know, filtering the blood. Also one of my definitions was "Vena Cava: Where the blood comes from the Vena Cava" because I do love redundancy.

My other constantly amusing although also quite helpful mistake is my editing mistakes. When I made some sort of mistake (wrong word, REALLY badly misspelt word) I would white them out (I write my notes in pen). White takes a while to dry and it a) wastes time and b) I dont have that kind of patience. So I'll leave a large enough black spot for teh rest of the word or phrase I need to write, and continue on with the paragraph. Its amazing how many times I forgot to go back and fill in the correction. Probably half a dozen times per unit - more often than I remembered thats for sure. But it ends up working out because then I get to play fill-in-the-blanks, forcing me to actually focus on what Im studying.

I do apologise that my BEDA days are probably going to end with more of a wimper than a bang (aka, me bitching about studying) but unfortuantely my last 4 days of April end up being my last 4 days of studying, so I doubt I'll have all that much exciting to talk about.

So have a good evening Internets! I'll catch you on the flip side! (cause I am that cool :D)

Regina Felangi

So this is going to be the longest post ever. My hell week of exams starts today, but my first exam isnt until this evening so Im going to spent a lot of time studying today.

It sounds like there is a thunderstorm outside. Unfortuately thats a little disapointing. Normally there is nothing I love more than sitting and watching a good thunderstorm. This isnt a good thunderstorm however - its just rain and a few rumbles of thunder. No lightening and the rain isnt even that hard. Disapointment.

Also disapointing because it ruined my morning plans. I was going to get up, go for a jog and then head into school to start my studying. Instead I get to get up, and stare sadly out my window - ok, not too sadly. I dont know about sadly, the rains really starting to get crazy now so maybe a real thunderstorm will start. However, it definitely means no jog and avoiding go into school for a bit longer. Maybe it'll clear up later when there is still jogging time for me

Oooooh, lightning! Ok, less disapointed now. I love thunderstorms!

Ok, Im going to go pretend to study whilst really staring out my window waiting for something exciting to happen. Ttyl Internets!

Gillyweed

I wasnt going to write this post until later tonight. Im sitting at school tonight, supposed to be studying - not supposed to have internet access (I have found the perfect internet spot with a spotty internet connection so it frusterates me to much to ever be a real study destraction). However I'm in a bit of a pissy mood right now and needed a destraction (studying is NEVER a destraction from piss mood-ness lol) so I decided to write a blog instead.

Pissy mood btw is at frusteration of lack of getting a job. I havent heard back from my interview earlier this month I thought went well - and it would start May 2nd, so while I still techincally have time to hear from them, I have a strong supsicion I didnt get it. I have literally NEVER in my life had this much trouble getting a job - but never mind that, not what I want to be talking about right now.

I love studying - ok, no, thats a outright lie. What I mean is that I enjoy studying for certain subjects because I amuse myself greatly whilst doing it. In fact, I kind of act like a stoner when I study. I spent a good five or ten minutes today staring at my hand going "No, really, think about it - think about everything thats going on in there. Like we see the solid skin, but if yuo zoom in you notice its all like porous and stuff. And if you zoom in more? Its made up of layers of cells and if you zoom in more each of those cells are doing so much. And thats just like on the surface man, think about beneath that - yuo've got yuor veins and arterioles and capilliaries carrying nutrients and protiens and oxygen and like, man, without that you wouldnt be able to survive. And your muscle - and like I dont even have to thing about moving my fingers, it just happens. Like BAM and then move. Its just deep man" I wish I could say I was exagerating that (well, possibly the "its just deep man" part lol)

On top of that is my tendancy to remember things via complex pictures. After I wrote that blog on how the phrasing of physiology texts make me thing of engineers and other personifications, I started to notice more and more how I create this vast senarios in my head when Im learning or reviewing concepts. To remember the pathway of how blood flows, where it gets thinner and thicker, where it slows and speeds up, I think of a log-fume ride. You know, slowly it moves up and up would be like the left ventricle filling up, and then as the heart muscles squeezed would be when the log fume got to the cruxt of the hill/coster/ride thing and then rushed down into the arteries. Arterioles are much more narrow, but flexible so they are like where the splash of water is kept in as the ride slows down in a hurry and the capillaries are much more narrow so it slows even more, like the ride coming into station (I actually think there is more to this senario, but I havent reviewed the heart stuff in a while, so the memory is a little spotty. I will have to reread this later with my notes and see how accurate I was)

Another example of this would be cellular respiration. It actually makes you feel bad for poor Glucose, because he goes through so much crap. Accidently he steals some phosphorus from a couple ATPS and the guilt of it just tears him in two (2 G3P), he feels so bad in fact that when he meets a few ADPs he gives them all phosophrus as well as H+ to some NAD's.  Thats just for the glycolisis stage, the whole senario ends up getting way out of hand as he is repeatedly tricket, robbed and mugged for his phosphoruses and hydrogen molecules. He ends up living on the street, waiting for the next poor soul to come along so he can try to teach him from his mistakes (it never works).

I think I've been using these kind of memory tricks for years, without realising it. I used to help coach a friend of mine in math, and would often use visual or relatable pictures like this to help her learn. Oddly enough tho, in math I was always horrible at the word problems. Using other peoples pictures does not work as well as learning my own. Still, I wonder in subject I struggle with like calculus and *shudders* chemisty, if I conscioulsy put an effort into these senarios - would  I get better marks? Well, with any luck, I wont ever have to find out anyway (unlikely, but I can dream)

Alright Internets, I should peace out now and pretend to study for a bit again. My hell exam week starts tomorrow afterall!

VisaVe

Good morrow to you Internets, I hope you have been enjoying your E-aster! or just your weekend if you dont/can't celebreat E-aster.

So yesturday I said I wouldnt talk about the Doctor Who premier - well, I said I wouldnt review it. Im still not going to, but there's been something bothering me about it. Well about the last couple of season of Doctor Who actually.

WARNING: May contain spoilers

Ok - so there's this character River Song (she's not what bugs me. I, unlike a lot of people I see on the internets, quite enjoy her character and Im kinda excited to see where they are going to take her) and for anyone who doesnt know, she first showed up in the Tennant years claiming to know everything about the Doctor. I havent seen that episode in a while, so I cant remember off the top of my head, but she may or may not have said outright that her and the Doctor where married - if she didnt then it was very heavily implied. The thing is, we know nothing about River. Her timeline is completely backwards from the Doctors, so last seaon (first of the Smith years) we saw her a few times and started to get to know her. Looks like this season we will be seeing a hell of a lot of her.

Oh, and in that first episode we saw her in? Yeah, that was the day she died - like I said, backwards timelines. Wibbly Wobbly stuff - confused yet? haha.

So here's my problem - the first time she met the Doctor, he was Tennant. Everytime after that, he's Smith. So how HOW does she know that Tennant is the Doctor? I know she's aware of the regeneration thing, but I dunno, its an unexplained plot hole. If you believe the begining of priemer the other night, the Doctor dies. So River saw once, only once, Doctor in Tennant form. AND she knows that he dies before he can regenerate into a new form, so she has to know thats an older regneration. However she isnt shocked or confused seeing teh Doctor in that form UNTIL she finds out it's their first meeting.

Now I realise at that point in time the writers of the show weren't aware that Tennant was leaving the show, but it really bugs me that this should have been explained somehow. Maybe they'll clear it up later - "Next time you see me, I may be in a different regeneration cycle. Just so you arent shocked. You're going to be meeting me earlier than we ever met." Because unless the Doctor doesnt actually die and they save him somehow (always a possibility) there would be no assumption on Rivers part that they are meeting a future regeneration.

Also, can I say - they are getting kinda whismical with their names. River Song. Amelia Pond. Very pretty lol.

Also, what happened to the Doctors Daughter. I really like Matt Smith, but it bothers me that he looks so young - next time he meets his daughter (and he should meet his daughter again, because there is another Time Lord floating around out there and that whole "Im all alone" thing isnt true anymore and they could probably make a kick-ass team and... yeah) they'll look like they are practically the same age! Maybe they'll do a good job make-uping them so he seems older, but honestly (at least in terms of looks) Matt Smith does NOT look the right age to be a father of a grown up woman. Now I know this is just me picking hairs, I mean he is (depending on the time of the premier) between 900 and 1100, and when he regenerates he can't really pick how old he looks and whatnot. But still... actually, that could be quite funny if they had a dialogue in there of him being like "Actually, she's my daughter!" and then whoever they are telling giving them a look-over and being like "Yeaah... riiigghhtt..." - you know, or something a bit more creative given to you by perffesional script writers. One of the two.

Alright, Im done poking holes in my favourite show. I know there is probably about 6 million other plot holes in a show known more for its campyness than anything else.

So Internets, I will leave you're brains a ticking away with thinking about Doctor Who (or possibly how much of a nerd I am. Im ok with that to!) Have a fantastical day! :D

Jumping Jackalopes Batman!

First- O. M. G. Doctor Who, season 6, started last night! It was CRAZY. So much happened in so little time and I am just ITCHING for next week. But Im not going to say anything more on the matter really and Im not going to review it. There's prolly a thousand million reviews online already so, you know, if you want a review - go run and watch one of them. All the same - OH MY GAWD!

So today is E-aster. The days where the eggs and bunnies come out to play and Zombie Jesus rises from the dead. Haha, you know what would be a little too ironic? If they day the zombie apocolypse started was on Easter? If that happened, I would happily admit that there is without a doubt a God. (Another thing Im not going to talk about, however, is my religious views - too controversial and I've always been of the opinion of believe what you like and I'll be over here in the corner spinning in an office chair)

So normally Easter is a pretty fun weekend. My extended family lives on the other side of the country from my immediate family, so its isnt the HUGE family get-together day that it is for a lot of my friends. However when my parents moved to Ontario from their respected locations they aquired almost an extended family via family friends, so these are the people we NORMALLY get together with. Doesnt always work out, but thats ok.


As kids (and teenagers. I doubt my parents would still do it now... not that I woudl complain if they did :P) my sister and I would always get up relatively early and start the Easter Egg Hunt. We did ours with hard-boiled eggs that my parents secretly dyed (or, as we got older, we dyed for them lol. Making the, uh, Easter Bunnies job easier. Yeah thats it) and I remember being just scandalised when I found out that difference families did it differently, like with chocolate or plastic eggs! Essepcially plastic eggs, I mean really - wheres the fun in that?! :P. My dad was pretty awesome at hiding them too, my sister and I had a jolly good time at some of the places he put them (the classic was on top of a beer bottle in the middle of the table. Subtle lol). I think my sister won the Easter Egg hunt like... every time. Not that it was a compition.

After all the eggs were found we would search for our Easter Baskets. I tell yuo, my parents where masters at getting rid of us on holiday mornings so they could sleep longer (I'll tell you about Christmas mornings another time). When we were really little, they hid them in the house and did a really good job of it. As we got older, they made it trickier. Our house is in the middle of a forest (some may debate this term, its a "bush" or a "woodlot" "its too small to be a forest". We always called it The Forest, so the Forest it is!), so as we got older my parents started hiding the Easter baskets outside. But of course, you dont want the wild animals to find it - so they would hide them in brown paper shopping bags (which are kind of an extinct species now eh? I guess they wouldnt be doing that anymore). There is nothing more difficult that finding a brown paper bag hidden amound the trees when the leaves havent grown back yet. And ALWAYS it would end up that my sister would find my basket and I would find hers. Without fail.

And then Easter dinner - between the families we would always kind of switch up who did what holiday and which house we would go to. Tho I think fairly recently its been at out place, tho I could be wrong about that. There would always been a huge meal made, my family personally would make turkey and potatoes and stuffing and carrots... regular big holiday meal stuff. It was the baking/desert that was always more fun. Mom had her special buns she made which are my favourite buns in the world, and we would make these cookies called "curlers" which are essentially deep fried dough covered in icing sugar. What could be better than that? Our friends would always bring their own deserts or helpings for teh food as well - giant feast. It was wonderful.

Of course, this year I don't get any of that. This year I'm stuck in London studying for my crazy exam schedule I have coming up. Im not depressed or saddened or anything, honestly I keep forgetting that it IS Easter. Not to mention that there is a lot of stuff I am now unable to eat that is tradition at Easter (like, say, uh, chocolate) that its almost less depressing to be here than there :P. Of course I shall call my parents and send out Easter cards and the like. Im thinking I might do something fun for dinner to treat myself - just have to think of something that wont kill my stomach haha.

So Hoppy Bunny, Egg and Zombie Jesus day Internets! Hop you have a good one! (Lame puns make me smile!)