trying out the new google widget for posting to blogger (what am I going to do when I have to give away my little white beast?)

I've really enjoyed the many different trailer mashups... here's one that I don't quite get the reference (having seen only one of the films), but it's still pretty funny since it's a combination of Toy Story and Requiem for a Dream. Check it out on YouTube or if that link isn't working, try this one on Break.com.

In other news, I'm still sick with a nasty bout of tonsilitis and fever. This has really been the winter of perpetual sickness for me.

I arrived home yesterday and I was starting to feel better (after having a sinus cold for a week) and then this morning I woke up and my glands are swollen and swallowing even the tiniest sips of water is painful.

I just don't get a break. I have to get up now and walk through the snow to get to the walk-in clinic and I'd really rather not go. But I have a big photo shoot this weekend that I don't want to cancel, but I may have to if I'm feeling miserable or if I have something besides the usual strep throat.

I'm not pleased.

this morning I walked into the living room and there were a bunch of children (two aged 5, the other three were all 3) singing "We Like to Move It, Move It" and really busting a move. It was hilarious. I started laughing and one little girl asked me, "Fella, don't you like 'move it, move it'?" It was just too much. You can really tell when their parents grew up.

anyhow, I'm off for my conference in Edmonton. I'm not looking forward to the plane ride as I have the flu again and I'd rather be in bed. But for the good of the country and my own professional development I'm going.

While driving down the road Morley noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Whizzing by in his diesel monstrosity (although Morley did not view it that way, his diesel truck was in fact his prized possession after his beloved collection of singing "Big Mouth Billy Bass", 19 total, that he had mounted to the wall of his gun room) he narrowly avoided hitting the thing, which upon glancing back in the sideview mirror Morley noticed was startled by the near collision and then resumed moving at a fairly regular pace, lumbering along the sidewalk less road with some sort of pack or bag strapped to it.

"What the Jimmy John Hell was that!" Morley exclaimed, waking up Carl, who was dozing in the front passenger seat. He (Morley that is) had never noticed anything like the thing he just passed on any of the backcountry roads that he usually traversed in his $75,000 diesel beauty.

"I think'er was one of them pedestrians," mumbled Carl, his voice still masked with drowsiness. "I hear they're pretty common round these parts."

"Pedes'trian?" responded Morley with more than a hint of uncertainty in his tone. "What the Francis May Baker heck is that?... You speaking French Carl?"

"I dunno," shrugged Carl and he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Morely drove on in silence, all the while thinking to himself that the next time he was in the city he had to go to the library or something and look up "them pedestrians" in the encyclopedia... Or, decided Morely brilliantly, he could call up his sister the school teacher and she could tell him what a pedestrian was.

My conference is in four days... I'm most excited and I hope that all the days in between pass quickly. The school musical is on this week, so I have to finish the playbill tonight as soon as I receive the complete cast list. It's also Art Week in the meantime, but I don't know what sessions I'll be helping out with. I do enjoy working at the Fine Arts school.

Anyhow, off to work with me.

in the midst of yet another professional development day at the school... it's been a good morning so far, I went to a Reading Stategies session this morning which was quite informative and moved very quickly. I hope that the afternoon moves just as quickly.

oh, and I think there is an unwritten rule that Pro-D Days mean that people must dress down. I didn't come in sweats and now I appear slightly overdressed.

During recess I watched a bit of the Olympics coverage with some of the students and staff at the school. We watched the finals in the Men and Women's Pursuit in Speed Skating. The men's team included a local skater from Fort St. John who was in my younger sister's elementary class. He skated with the team through to the semi-finals but he was replaced by another team mate for the finals (I'm thinking because he had the least amount of experience on the Olympic team). It was a little disappointing for some of the kids, because they came downstairs with their classes to see someone from Fort St. John competing in the Olympics. A couple of the kids were absolutely adorable and were telling me that they were going to compete in the Olympics one day... one in speed skating, another in swimming, and the other in gymnastic.

aahh, the beauty of youth. They were so excited to watch the events and started to spontaneously chant "Canada, Canada..." damn little patriots...

people are funny... when I do nothing to my hair except let it air dry they make a point to stop and tell me that my hair looks fantastic. I think that's a little odd, because although it looks moderately presentable with a just a hint of wildness... I would hardly say that it could be classified as fantastic.

My day is about to begin, the weather is cold but the sun is up. Tomorrow is another Pro-D Day and I get to attend a session on Guided Reading. I think it will be most beneficial.

I was naive and thought that winter might actually stay away. Unfortunately the snow is falling quickly outside and the weather has taken a turn for the worse. I will need to watch my step and walk even more carefully to and from work, since with every step I run the risk of slipping on some black ice that will be hiding underneath a fresh layer of snow, just waiting for my unsuspecting ankles to snap.

I gave myself a good laugh this morning and tallied up some of the lenses and basic camera equipment that I would like. The total was more than or (close to) thirteen thousand dollars. How absolutely ridiculous.

This morning the grade seven students started to use the Blended Style and Structure program that I was introduced to on Monday's Pro-D day. It's such a simple program and all of the students responded to it really well.

anyhow, lunchtime. My day is half over.

Today is a day of Professional Development. However, as exciting as that prospect is, I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that I woke up repeatedly during the "night", once at 3am and again at 5:30am.

the countdown is on again!

Today was a quiet day... I spent the majority of it alone doing various things around the house, cleaning, reading, and listening to the most excellent CBC Radio 3 Podcast. Being isolated in the Canadian wilds it is an excellent way to listen to music that I would otherwise not be exposed to. Start listening to this podcast if you haven't started already. It's top notch.

I have nothing else to report. My life is boring.

I just watched what could be the last four episodes of Arrested Development. The fate of this brilliant television show is unknown which saddens me, because there are few shows that I found so laugh out loud funny and highly quotable. Alas, some good things are taken for granted and are never appreciated properly.

I suppose I should go back to reading my book. It's quite a good one, "Swann" by Carol Shields... a writer that I stumbled upon when one of my sisters and I went bargain shopping at Coles a few summers ago and each bought a bagload of books for $5 or $10. I bought a hardcover edition of Shields' novel, "Larry's Party" and quite enjoyed it. And over time I have acquired the majority of her work... adding to my collection of Canadian literature... a description perhaps more loosely applied to Shields, because she was from the United States, but if I remember correctly adopted Canada as her home and has been adopted by the Canadian literati as one of their own. My goal is to finish the book this weekend and at a leisurely pace... something which I have not done in a long time, but for once I finally feel like I can take the time to read something slowly.

In other news... this morning I received flowers from my new beau (shock, horrors, this is public declaration of my distance relationship... someone light some incense and a candle to ward away bad spirits) who I met in 2005 (or last year as I sometimes tell people, neglecting to mention that we met only in the final hours of 2005) through my chum of all chums. We (beau and I) are now what can be called a distance relationship... something that I never thought I would do again, but for all purposes, shapes and sizes seems to be progressing/developing/advancing very nicely. It helps that our minds meet on a similar geeky and intellectual level. But back to my report on the flowers. When sending flowers through such things as the telefloral network, you run the risk of sending rather gawdy arrangements. Luckily my distant admirer had the foresight to specify what should not be included in the arrangement, so as to prevent abuse by baby's breath and general floral ugliness. The arrangement I did receive was nice, but I have to admit that it lacked a little something special and I'm going to rearrange the flowers myself. In a discussion prior to this blog post I did tell my faraway suitor as much... knowing full well that he would appreciate my critique of the arrangement that was translated from his simple instructions because the critique would not be of his gallant and romantic gesture but rather of whoever arranged the flowers in the first place. Receiving the flowers was a most wonderful surprise, because they came out of nowhere... arriving at just the right time that I could sit and eat my lunchfast with flowers on the table.

Also in other news... I missed the Northern Voice Blogging conference again this year. Last year I was registered but found myself in the wrong part of the province when the conference was being held. I'm hoping that next year I can go... It's on my list of things to attend. Oh well, in two weeks I have another conference to attend in Edmonton... and this one is much more closely related to my current position.

now back to my book.

Any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an apparently insoluble difficulty.

I can't exactly say that my problems are insoluble or that they are problems per se, but I would not mind some assistance to make my next few months a little more enjoyable.

It's been a good week at work lately. As of yesterday I now work an entire day at the school... and other than a few glaring issues relating to certain interpretations of pedagogy... I still really like my work. I've worked in the solitary office environment before... doing busy work... and if working on a project that I was really into I did not mind it so much. These days however although I am not always "busy" I get to observe learning (or on some days lack thereof). It's quite fascinating to observe all the little social interactions and intellectual development of the students. Maybe it's fascinating just because I am trying to make it so... but it helps me get through the day in an enjoyable fashion.

in other news... still sick since my immune system is like a screen door that is hardly effective in keeping the torrential rains out.

Just a quick post to report that I have had two more hours added to my schedule for the next few months... it might go to the end of the year but nothing is certain.

I'm very pleased with the change to my schedule.

Tonight I'll celebrate by ordering the equipment I need for my upcoming (read: paying) photoshoots.

anyone have any suggestions as to what photos I should include in a portfolio?

I'm thinking of organizing it by colour... but I'm not sure. I don't even know how many to include.

seeking suggestions through comments here or on my flickr photostream.

I read this last night in the new book I started.

"Our thoughts are all we have. I love my thoughts, even when they take me up and down sour-smelling byways where I'd rather not venture. Whatever flickers on in my head is mine and I want it, all the blinking impulses and inclinations and connections and weirdness, and especially those bright purple flares that come streaming out of nowhere, announcing that you're at some mystic juncture or turning point and that you'd better pay attention."

--Carol Shields, Swann

When I'm in Edmonton for Spring Break I'm going to the opera. Well, it's still a might at this point... but even with it only still being an idea at this point and it ebing more than a month away, I'm still excited about it. There are several "high culture" activities that I've always wanted to do... one being attending the Opera, others being attending ballet and symphony orchestra performances. I can't claim to be a connoisseuir of any of these activites... I think I would appreciate them all just for the talent involved... but a large reason for my wanting to partake in any and all of these activities is all the preparation and being able to see it as an event. There's just a certain formality involved - the dressing up, the official tickets... and the infrequency of it all in my life. I'm looking forward to it, a lot.

I really do wonder what people wear to the opera though. Not being part of the "opera crowd" I'm not familiar with the faux pas of dress and wouldn't want to appear gauche. I suppose it really doesn't matter all that much... I can use my imagination. Today I did find a lovely dress that I think I can wear though. My sister-in-law and I went down to check out the remnants of Zellers stock since sin-mart has forced it to close down... and not finding anything useful (we were looking at the industrial shelving...) we wandered through the mall and then checked out the sales rack in one of the stores. I was pleased with my find as I usually don't find things that fit me on the sales rack - and the price was about the same as a new book. I would tell you more about it, but that would spoil the surprise.

I'm deadly tired though. After work today I organized my next photoshoot, had my hair trimmed and colour touched up... and then I went shopping. So, I didn't end up eating until close to 5pm today. Probably not the best thing. And my feet are sore.

oh well, it was all in the name of the opera.

It seeems that I do not sleep anymore. Not at night anyways. Where did all my sleep go?

It's cold outside today, nearly minus 20 although supposedly sunny. Yesterday I endured the worst snow walking conditions of the winter, with cold winds, heavy snow and uncleared sidewalks (it was the weekend and I was out of the house before most people were up). I don't want weather like this... what happened to the predictions of an early spring? But I suppose that an early spring doesn't mean that we won't have a miserable winter for what time is remaining of the season.

Such boring talks about weather I know, but I'm trying to wean myself of first thing in the morning emails that include a lot of this... this being prattle.

so good morning world... I'm glad you were here to listen.

sometimes I wonder why I bother with email or phone... they mess up my concept of time... they create unreasonable expectations that I can somehow mimic face to face conversation.

such is not true... neither can replace seeing a person.

but all outlets have been exhausted... even this one... just random musings to a seemingly random audience.

Sometimes I am bad to my bones and I drink a lot of pop. It's a bad habit... but most of my immediate family has this flaw. I wouldn't quite say that any of us are caffeine addicts, but Coca-Cola does not last long in my house. But it's really one of those things that if it's not around us we don't miss it... we only drink it because it is there. So, when we are smart we don't buy it. I don't usually buy Coke at all... when I lived on my own I usually spent my money on cranberry juice which had just the right combination of sweetness and tartness. However, tonight... after more than a month of not having any type of cola product in the house... I came home to find a box of Coke opened and taunting me with it's shiny red cans and classic script lettering. And without realizing it I drank four cans (they weren't ice cold so I drank them rather quickly). It was ridiculous... I didn't even know what I was doing... maybe because I followed every can with a glass of water.. which eliminated the cola taste in my mouth.

I usually don't notice the effects of caffeine, usually because I consume it in moderation (somewhat)... but over a course of the two hours following my four can binge I found myself in a fury of thought... my mind was humming at top speed and I was fidgety and agitated about the state of the world and my lack of studio lighting equipment. I wondered why I was so worked up but then I realized that it must be the caffeine surging through my system. I'm staying away from that stuff... that liquid adrenaline... it's wreaking havoc on my melancholy.

I've decided that my life is much more exciting in photos that is in real life... mostly because you can only see tiny bits of here and there in my pictures and if you saw the rest you'd be mostly bored and then a little frightened that the same fate might await you.

there's a space between me and you.

you being the singular kind.

you being the royal kind.

I could step towards you but the space pushes you back.

we end up ten steps away from where we started

but no closer than where we left.

this is me happy.

yes, this is me happy.

happy, but about things that are intangible.

you see... the space between you and me.

it never goes away.

how's that for a melancholy blog post?

I had this beautiful plan tonight to go to bed early, but my mind and body seem to be in disagreement all of a sudden. Neither seem to agree what really should be done.

Tonight I realized how much time there is until June. I have many long weeks to pass with my few hours of work and my various vanity projects. But at least these things are keeping me relatively happy as I like my job and I'm passionate about photography. Not a bad mix.

and I've been in a poetic mood of late... having been introduced some poets that I was unaware of until very recently. Here's some verse to ponder.

Passion makes the old medicine new:
Passion lops off the bough of weariness.
Passion is the elixir that renews:
how can there be weariness
when passion is present?
Oh, don't sigh heavily from fatigue:
seek passion, seek passion, seek passion!

[Jalal Al-din Rumi]

bon nuit.