NS Power Can Bite Me.

Woke up today all ready to study for my physics exam tomorrow. All the class slides and practice problems are online.

Ten this morning: power goes out.

Freak out for a good ten minutes.

Regain calm.

Pour water into sinks/bathtub so that when the water runs out (we're on a well, it requires electricity) we can still flush the toilet.

Build a big f*cking fire. In the wood stove.

Call mom.

Call dad.

Dad gives run-through on first half of generator start up before phones go down. Including cell phones. (Random? It was like a bad horror movie)

Start generator.

Inhale huge amounts of diesel fumes. Die.

Revive self. Try to figure out how to switch house power over to geni power.

Fail.

Sit huddled in the dark by the wood stove with loud geni running but no power (because I was afraid I would hurt it if I turned it off wrong) until power returns at three thirty.

Seriously NS power? Seriously? I am like the most oblivious person in the world (see "thought the super bowl was televised bowling until I was 13") and even I knew this bad weather was coming two days in advance.

Also, not cool Eastlink. Having my cell phone operational in a state of emergency is kind of the whole point.

Book Worm.

I just finished a new book. Six hundred pages in two days. I should know by now to pace myself, since I always feel cut adrift and a little melancholy when I reach the end, especially when it's the last in a series, as this one was.

Reading has always fascinated me. When I was little, my parents used to have to take my books away so I would actually socialize with other children. If left to myself I would read every spare minute, anything I could get my hands on. I blew my allowance on books. I memorized my 14 digit library card pin before my home phone number.

I can re-read a good book a hundred times and still get something new out of it. My copies of Gail Carson Levine, Tamora Pierce, and Diana Wynn Jones have all been taped together from so many revisitings since childhood. Even my more recent favourites are obviously well loved.

And there's still something almost magical about opening a crisp new book and looking at the words typed on the page, knowing that they came from someone else's imagination, that they are code and I have to go about picking them apart to get to the heart of things. It's like the author takes me by the hand and says 'Hey, look here. I've made something wonderful and I want to share it.'. Whole cities, whole universes, just on paper and in your head. Even after five or ten years, the magic of that first reading lingers there, and that, maybe, is why I find it impossible to say goodbye.

See, finishing books makes me a little glum. But in a contented way, if that makes sense at all.

It also, clearly, makes me especially garrulous. :)

PS: Read bookfessions. They are the life of all true book-lovers.

Baby Face

I don't know what it is, but I'm getting this general vibe that people think I'm younger than I am.

The girls in rez call me 'sweetie' like I'm their little sister, even the ones younger than me. A woman last month thought I was twelve years old. My brother's history teacher thought I was YOUNGER THAN GEOFFREY.

I suppose it's only to be expected. When I say I'm 5 foot 2, I'm cheating (most twelve year olds are taller than me), and my aunt was ID'd until she was 30.

There are good things though. If I'm careful about my choice of clothes and company, I can get a child's ticket to the movie theatre. I was able to go trick-or-treating last year for Halloween as a junior high student with no one the wiser.

And when I'm 30 (please God let this be true) I'll still look 21. ;) 

The Only Time of Year Spiders are not Totally Disgusting.

Hello friends,

This is definitely the most wonderful time of the year. Windy, sunny days. Cool, crisp nights. Pumpkin pie.

Oh, and Halloween. Did I forget to mention Halloween?

I've almost finished making Geoff's costume for him (he's going to be a viking, blond wig and all). This year I'm a pirate! *rawr*

...Look, I know pirates don't say 'rawr'. But my "arrrrr"s and various other pirate jargon always come out sounding...sad. Hence 'rawr'.

Plans include Sunday shopping day/sleepover with MC and JY (alcohol provided by yours truly), then handing out treats to the young ones Monday night. I have heard of a thing they call "Underwater Pumpkin Carving", but I fear this will have to wait for next year.

Anyway, I hope to actually take pictures this year so you can share in the festivities.

Head Rush.

We got to the donor clinic! JY couldn't participate since she was out-of-country in the last three months, but she stayed to support me since I was rather nervous going in.

The actual needle didn't hurt. But then halfway through I started to feel dizzy. JY called the nurse just as I was about to pass out, and they did a bunch of stuff (I was not really conscious at this point).

Maybe short people shouldn't donate the whole amount?

So I have a bit of a headache now (this always happens after I faint. At least this time I was sitting down!) and they couldn't even tell me my blood type. They gave me juice and cookies though, so I forgive them haha.

On a much happier note, I have a date with an amusing young gentleman once midterms are passed. Which totally makes it all worthwhile. Now if only I can concentrate...

Anyway, if you're able, why not donate blood this weekend? It beats studying for midterms.

Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/18203860@N00/3418761629/

Zey Vant Your Blood.

JY and I have decided to donate blood tomorrow. I'm all new to the process, so I am slightly apprehensive.

Also I don't know my blood type, and they might be able to tell me. According to Asian pop culture, blood-type is essential in understanding one's personality and level of compatibility with others.

I have been living my life in ignorance of this. Sad, sad, soon to be remedied ignorance.

Here's a rundown of my new found knowledge, in case there are others out there who, like me, had no idea blood type was so important to their everyday happiness.

:A:

-deep-rooted strength that helps them stay calm in a crisis
-tend to avoid confrontation
-feel very uncomfortable around people
-shy and sometimes withdrawn
-seek harmony and are very polite, but feel that they never really fit in with others
-very responsible
-crave success and are perfectionists.
-also very creative, and the most artistic of all the blood types
-stressed and conscientious

:B:

- the most practical of the blood groups
-they spend extra time understanding and trying to follow directions than others might
-when they are doing something, all of their attention is focused on it
-stick to a goal and follow it through to the end
-tend to be less than cooperative, as they like to follow their own rules and their own ideas
-individualists
-pay attention to their thoughts a little more than their feelings, sometimes seem cold and serious
-often considered more relaxed, freewheeling, and unconventional than other types

:AB:

-hard to categorize, can have characteristics on both ends of the spectrum at the same time
-both shy and outgoing
-trustworthy and responsible, but can't handle it when too much is asked of them
-don't mind doing favors or helping out, as long as its on their own conditions
-interested in art and metaphysics
-loose cannons, like to set their own conditions drop out when things don't meet their expectations
-sensitive and considerate—at times

:O:

-outgoing, energetic and social
-most flexible of the blood types.
-easily start up projects but often have trouble following through because they give up easily
-flighty and not too dependable
-always say what's on their mind
-value the opinion of others and like to be the center of attention
-extremely self-confident
-the most "average" blood type

So now we are all enlightened. You're welcome!

Some cute comics about blood type:
http://corneliusllw.blogspot.com/2008/09/funny-blood-type-personality-part1.html

Conclusion: even if we have different letters pasted on our foreheads, we can all eat pasta together.



 



Family Updates.

Lots has been going on in my family over the last couple of months. Lots of good.

Frankie has starting walking and talking, although her vocabulary is rather limited. Mostly 'bubboes' (bubbles), 'guck' (duck), and 'ats' (hat, by which she means her bicycle helmet). Oh, and our personal favourite, 'Melmo' instead of 'Elmo', which she yells every time she sees a television.

The beautiful and bubbly Frances Moon.

Secondly, Cousin Amanda married her long-time girlfriend Kelly in September. The wedding was on Big Tancook Island (see previous posts about how much I love this place), and all of that side of my family was there. It was a beautiful sunny day, both brides were gorgeous, and I got to see all of my family who usually lives Ontario-and-west.

The perfect sea-side wedding.

And finally, Cousin Robin and husband Ian had their first baby only a few weeks later. A little girl named Berkley McKay (McKay is her middle name btw). If you are noticing a similarity between Amanda and Robin...no, I'm not pretending I have more cousins than I actually do. They're twins. Robin was so close to giving birth that she attended the wedding via web-cam, which was kind of awesome.

 The much-anticipated Miss Berkley.

Echolocation: Number 176 on the list of useless skills I want to master.

How did I not know this was possible? I will learn to do this and I will become the Batman. Er...woman.

Just imagine how useful it would be if...
The power went out!
At night! A cloudy night....
And your flashlight dies.
And you're in a strange place.
Playing pinata blindfolded.
And you're too klutzy for fire. Like me.


PS: Bet you just tried to do it. Bonus points awarded if you were in public. o-(^-^)-b

Classes.

Yay! I'm back! Did you miss me? I missed you.

Classes started last week. Here's the run-down as of now:

Evolution: Love it so far, the prof is fantastic, but our first lab (later today in fact) is working with flies. And I'm kind of grossed out by all bugs. Even butterflies sometimes. So we'll see how this goes.

Cell Bio: Class is super boring, but the labs are most enjoyable. And my partner actually does work, which is a plus!

Diversity of Life: Favourite class so far. Haven't had lab yet.

Chem: Soooo easy. Which is a good thing.

Physics: I am still slightly (okay very) wary of this class. The first two classes have been pretty straight forward, but I'm kind of afraid to let my guard down.

As some may have noticed, these are all science courses. Which means five labs and a very packed schedule. But I'm happy overall. :)

I'm still working on the Silva a minimum of three days per week. We go until the end of October (Halloween cruise!). The crew has become like my second family, and as the season comes to an end and some go back to school or find other jobs, I'm finding it very difficult to say goodbye. Many are planning to come back next year though!

Haha, only September and I'm thinking about spring. On another note I have a summer's worth of pictures to share with you, which I will hopefully get to later today or tomorrow. Which long-time readers know means "Next week if I remember, never if I do not". But I'll make a conscious effort!

Hopefully this rather long post makes up a little tiny bit for my prolonged absence!

Not Gone. Just. . .On Vacation.

Dear Reader(s),

A little FYI to anyone who might be wondering: I'm not quitting the whole blog-ish-ness. I'm just enjoying a long period of job-induced monotony at the moment. When you work 8 to 12 hour days 5 to 6 days a week, there's not a ton of time for interesting experiences. Or writing about said interesting experiences on the rare occasions that they actually happen.

To be honest, any free time I have is mostly spent sleeping. However, I will try to at least post pictures periodically, and I will get back to regular posting come September when classes start and I get a bit of a break.

Ha.

Thanks for being patient with me,

Livi

If You Could Box Warm Weather, This is What it Would Look Like.

Yes, I name my plants. Don't judge me.

When I spotted this pot of succulents (my favourite type of exotics, maybe tied with orchids) I knew I had to have them. They will live on my deck in the summer and move with me to rez in the fall.

1) Isabelle

2) Charlie (he's a jade plant, one of my favs!)

3) Thibeau

4) Igor

5) Sophie

6) Bjorn

I am slightly disappointed that it contained nary a barrel cactus or aloe plant, but such is life. Now if we could just get some sun more than once every two weeks. . .

Forget-Me-Nots :)

My favourite childhood flower. And clearly Winnie is fairly fond of them as well! ;)

This last one is her shaking off after wading in her water-filled fish bucket (aka "pool") which can be seen in the background.

Love It.

NOTE: Sorry this re-posted. I am a chronic editor, and APPARENTLY if you change a post title it gets moved to the top of your feed. So yes. This properly belongs in May.



Finally, my three years slaving away over a hot pizza oven at Sobeys have paid off. In a big way.

Are you curious? You should be.

I bought a sailboat this week. I'm only so excited I can barely tear myself away from it. It was $650 on Kijiji, and it's the best purchase I have ever made, hands down. I responded 11 hours after it was posted aha.

Here are some pictures of my precious. It's name is Ginger, for obvious reasons. I don't even mind that black flies and incessant rain have been holding it hostage ever since I brought it home! :)

The day before my boat and I found each other, I was out walking Winnie. At one point she stopped to sniff a post and when I looked down at my feet I happened to find a four leaf clover. At the time I thought it was kind of neat, and pressed it in one of my heavy sailing books.

I am now a believer. All hail the four leaf clover. You will find me this weekend scouring my lawn for more and sticking them in books where people win the lottery or find buried treasure. Wish me luck! ;)

P.S: Thanks to the old-ish army dude who sold it to me. Hope Hamilton works out for you.

Stay With The Hippo.

I know, I know. I'm late. But Thursday is almost like Wednesday...right?

MC and I have discovered a new species.

I am proud to present the Sand Hippo:

And again, devoid of camouflage:

The Sand Hippo is less shy than its better known cousin, the North American House Hippo. It is also amphibious, seemingly disappearing into the sea at high tide only to resurface days later elsewhere on land.

 It can be found on early spring afternoons on beaches in Nova Scotia like this one here: 

(That is, grey and drizzly. Not diagonal. In case there was some confusion.)

When approached by humans, Sand Hippos will play dead, even when poked with a stick. Predators include the Tiger Shark and the Sea Lion.

Clearly a fascinating species requiring further study. ;)

Please be Patient With Me...

I have been working very hard this last little while. So hard that I have wound up with a backlog of unpublished posts.

These will include sand hippos, insta-bands and tales from the tall ship. I hope you will understand as I finish some editing details before putting them up.

Hopefully we will be caught up by Wednesday...

Also quickly, NM passed the final threshold into adulthood last week! Congratulations my friend. You survived the IB program, first year university and the Rapture. Being legally allowed to drink beer is, in my opinion, the least the world can do. ;)

Bath Day.

Winnie and I were lying nose to nose on the deck earlier this week in the sun after her first outdoor bath of the year. On what felt like the first sunny day of the year haha. Odd then that I decided to make this picture black and white? Perhaps.

Good Things Come In Threes?

So, my cousin Erika (mother to baby Frankie) and her boyfriend Rob have just bought a sailboat as well!!! A Tanzer 22 for those of you who know your boats. Or those of you with Google.

They still have to learn how to sail, but are planning longer excursions in future leading up to an eventual trade-in for a bigger boat (!!!) and a two year sail around the world!

And guess who they've invited along as their third?

We're talking at least five years away here, but still. Best. Cousins. Ever.

If there was an award, they would get it. Maybe I will make them one. Out of macaroni. Because nothing says love and gratitude more than a gluey mass of uncooked pasta.

That's what moms worldwide would have us believe anyway. :)

p.s: Sorry for the sailor-ish trend of this blog lately. Normal content will resume when I come back down to Earth.

Sunfish.

My most recent painting, yay! It's not a great picture of it, but I'm pretty happy with the final outcome. I am, however, debating changing the red boarder to a celery green. Probably won't though.

This one only took me one whole year to finish! My chronic procrastination is improving, haha.

It's part of a series actually, the first installment of which is posted here.

Welcome to History.

This has been a fairly eventful week, and I wanted to capture some of the highlights for when I look back on this place years from now.

Ahem.

Dear future me,

First off was the royal wedding. If you don't recall, it was kind of a big deal.

You liked making fun of the hats. Among other things, of course.

Then they caught and killed Osama Bin Laden after 10 years of trying.

Although PM Harper usually makes your brain vomit whenever he speaks, you thought that his official statement regarding Canada's reaction to the news (i.e. "sober satisfaction") was appropriate.

Finally, you voted for the first time. Harper got a majority. Though I won't remind you how you voted, I will say you were less than pleased with the results.

Oh, and you worked on the Silva pretty much every day.

Hope all is well with you. As I'm sure you know, I'm doing alright.

I'll be seeing you,

Livi

Time To Brainstorm Snappy Titles Again. . .I'm Running Low.

My first week of summer vacation has been deliciously lazy. These are the highlights.

MC's 19th Birthday was last Thursday, and a group of us went out to celebrate it with her. It was a lot of fun, and I got to meet some of her new friends, as well as reconnect with old ones.

All but one of my away-for-school friends are home! I get to see them tonight and again on Sunday, and I'm honestly so excited. I even baked cookies ;)

And tours start on the Silva this Saturday! Note the hours I am working: 8am to 9pm. That is 13 hours of tourist-y goodness (which, if I'm being truthful, is more hours than I'm usually awake on any given summer day). I'm psyched.

Finally, I finished another painting. I will take a picture later. Because I have exhausted my daily allotment of productivity and now I'm going back to being lazy.

Pretend It's A Colour. Then You Can Blame It On Crayola.

If you don't find this funny. . .I guess my brother and I just have a weird sense of humour.

This Is Going To Be An Awesome Summer.

Hello all. Did I mention I got the job? THE job? As in my dream job? I didn't? Whoops.

I am now officially a deckhand on the tall ship Silva.

Here's a rundown of my first day:

I got stuck in a too large survival suit which made me look like a cross between a teletubby and the Michelin Tire Man.

The other new deckhand and I had to raise the anchor by hand. Twice.

I had to contort myself into weird shapes in order to get primer into each nook and cranny. I got said primer in my hair and on my hands.

Capt. D told my to use cooking oil to get it off, but I'm pretty sure he was just screwing with me because it didn't do much except make me greasy.

And today I felt like I was run over repeatedly by a steam-roller with anger management issues.

Conclusion: I LOVE MY JOB!!!! :)

Here's the Silva:

Treading Water.

Feeling a little melodramatic now. . .    :)

1) Studying pays off.

2) Grandma's out of the hospital and back in her own home.

3) The tall ship people left me a message today. I'm to call them back tomorrow. I might have a job!!! O.O

4) I have a place in rez next year.

5) The double exams went as smoothly as could be expected.

6) The virus has been dominated. Thank you Malwarebytes.

7) Found out the geology field trip was optional.

8) Still oh so secure in my choice of major.

This Road Is Now A Sudden Sea.

Most. Stressful. Week. Ever.

1) You must study like mad all week.

2) Your grandmother's in the hospital to get a tumor removed from her lung.

3) Oh, and you have an interview for your dream job.

4) Grandma has a set back in recovery (she's fine now).

5) There was a problem with the system and, unknown to you, your rez application didn't go through so you might have to live at home next year.

6) Two (that's right, TWO) exams on the same day.

7) Imma hack YOU!!!!! (Computer virus)

8) Surprise! Geology field trip on Saturday! You don't even get the weekend off!

9) Add to that a crises of faith surrounding your choice of major. Geology or Biology??? And your Geo professor is not helping, because he is very persuasive and obviously wants you to take Geology. In the end you stick to Bio anyway.

And people wonder why I have issues with anxiety.

How I Know I'm Not Rasputin.

I'll be the first to admit that I never paid enough attention in History class in high school. In fact only two things really stuck with me.

1) Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico with an icepick of all things. Hmmm, I wonder who was responsible for that...?

2) Rasputin was one tough bastard. Zoned out in that lecture? Read about his death here and learn.

As you now know, it would probably take a truckload of horse tranquilizers to phase that fellow. However, when I took two Non-Drowsy Buckley's Cough Cold & Flu tablets (that's the recommended dosage), I was out like a light. This was my first clue. Half a gravol does it to me as well.

I have a very low tolerance for cold medication, clearly. When I was twelve I took two cold pills and was high as a kite for the rest of the afternoon. I seem to remember believing I could predict the future. Apparently it was hilarious.

So yes. I am not Rasputin.

I could be Wile. E. Coyote though.

A Slinky, A Slinky, It's Fun For..Well, Pretty Much Everyone Right?

My dog Winnie discovers the magic of a Patrick Star slinky:

Their eyes meet for the first time.

OHMYGOD PATRICK, YOU CAN FLY! (Don't land on me please!)

Are you dead? You're not breathing...

Wheee! You're streeeaaaatchy!

My Patrick Star slinky. NOM.

Checking In.

What's new with me? Nothing much. Classes are wrapping up and labs are finished. I have my first exam this week. The situation is about as serious as an outbreak of small pox on Wall Street. Hence, why I have been AWOL for the better part of a week.

In other news, my father is doing his best to grow a moustache (I know you were wondering). It seems to me to be a case of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should". But he's happy.

I am, however, plotting to shave it off in his sleep if it isn't gone by summer. Beware, facial hair. I'm coming for you! >:)

Re: Your Brains.

Why I'd rather have to deal with zombies than any other horror movie monster:

1) Re-animated corpses are no scarier than most other critters, and WAY less scary than possessed children (viz "The Ring" girl)

2) They're supposedly not so hard to kill (haven't tried it myself). Werewolves, you need expensive silver. Vampires, you have to get in close and hope they hold still long enough to stake them through the heart. Ghosts you need to find a priest or find out why the ghost is killing people and fix the problem. With zombies, you just blow up their heads from very VERY far away.

3) Zombies are stupid. Ghosts are not stupid. Vampires are not stupid. Possessed children are SO not stupid. Werewolf intelligence is debatable, but they have super noses and ears which still lands them above zombies no matter how you look at it. Some zombies have neither noses nor ears.

4) Society would become less focused on looks. If you're not a zombie, you win. Plus zombies like people for their brains, not their appearances. Vampires and werewolves are way more shallow.

5) You can trick them into thinking cauliflowers are brains(see 3).

6) Number 5 would be hilarious to watch from the safety of your anti-zombie shelter.

7) This song about zombies is really catchy.


Disagree? Comment below. It's pretty futile, since zombies have clearly won. But please feel free anyway! :)

I Hear Spring is Nice in Canada.

Once a year, my family has a picnic. We don't just choose a random day each year though, willy-nilly. We're not that whimsical. Instead, we have it every year on the first day of spring. This is probably why we call it the "First Day of Spring Picnic", though if you don't believe me I can double check that. ;)

I'm not exactly sure how it started, but we always get really yummy food. Some years we eat outside, but usually it's too cold. Then we spread a blanket out on the family room floor and eat by the wood stove. It's really great!

This year we've been pretty lucky. While still chilly, the days are warmer than they have been in a long time, and if you look hard you can see green things starting to grow again.

No salamanders yet though. I'll leave you to chew on that.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Probably. Mostly Scottish and New Scottish. But there's likely some Irish in there. And seriously, who looks at a ginger on St Patrick's Day and thinks Scottish?

P.S: They're after me Lucky Charms! In case you were wondering why this post is so short. That's why. I should probably scoot now. Ta.

Where O Where has my Little House Gone?

Here's the deal with last weekend.

My parents are investing a lot of time into flipping Gram's house (the one who passed away a little less than a year ago). The people who rented it from her were a little. . .rough. As in tear out the carpets, patch the floor with a staple gun, stick tacks in and throw knives at the walls kind of rough.

It's hard to go back and see their house like this. It was never the height of fashion, don't get me wrong. But it was comfortable, and they were proud of it.

So we're fixing it up for two reasons. First and more practically, it'll make a hell of a lot more money even if we just make it less of a hazard to live in. Secondly, there's the emotional payout knowing we're getting it back to the way my grandparents would remember it or even better.

Mum and Dad have done all the work so far by themselves. But now it's painting time, and that's where I come in. Dad HATES to paint. I sometimes wonder if he hasn't been training me since birth so he would have to do less of it. ;)

Over the 7 or 8 hours we were there, I painted an entire room by myself. Twice. And it only took me so long due to the weird little crevices around the dormer windows which require painstaking cutting. As thanks my parents fed me. They know I will pretty much always work for food.

It's starting to look a lot better. I'll try to get some before and after pictures so you can fully comprehend the magnitude of the undertaking!

Happy Birthday To We.

Growing up, my younger brother and I were the only kids in our family under the age of 20 (with one exception), so we spent a lot of time together, especially at family gatherings. Add to that the fact that we basically have the same face, we both have red hair and he's taller but I look older and you get the whole "Hey look, ginger twins!" thing a lot.
Not to mention there's only one day between our birthdays. So we've always celebrated them together anyway.

Hence "Happy Birthday to We". I thought it was cute. Now I'm of drinking age and he's of driving age. What a team, haha! ;)

P.S: This post is really late by the way. It's been sitting in my drafts folder since the end of February. So if you could just pretend that's when I posted it, that would be great...Thanks. Sorry for any confusion! :)

Smile, You're Beautiful. It's Society That's Fucked Up.

Happy International Women's Day to all my sisters out there. May you always have the strength to be your own person, to do the right thing. May you always value yourself. You are precious. You have a place in this world, a right to succeed and be cherished. You are loved and supported.

Let no one take that knowledge away from you.

In the words of my eternally wise and feministicly minded aunt Annette, "Rock on sisters"!

♥.

Elmo is the Devil.

When I was growing up, I always thought it was strange how something can seem so charming from a parent's point of view, but mind numbingly horrifying to their kids. A good example of this is Santa Claus: To a mom or dad, he's a fat, jolly old man who gives away something for nothing. To a toddler, he's a stranger who smells like B.O. and who's probably a child molester. And from the way your parents keep shoving you at him, it seems like you're being abandoned. Merry Christmas little Timmy.

But I think the best instance of the true evil nature of a character being invisible to adults can be observed if we consider "Tickle-me-Elmo". The first time I saw the maniacal gleam in its beady little eyes, heard it cackle and watched it begin to convulse on the floor like something possessed, I knew. It was here to drag unsuspecting children like me down into Hell. And my mother was trying to persuade me that I wanted it for Christmas.

Eventually I managed to convince her that Elmo was not the toy for me. I think the words 'spawn of Satan' might have been thrown around. Okay, maybe not, but when my four-year-old self wailed "BADBADBADBAD!!!!!!!" at pitches that could crack glass, what I really meant to say was "Mom, that is the spawn of Satan and it is here to drag me into Hell. I thought you loved me."

Here is a little pictorial representation for those of you who may not yet be wise to his master plan:

What Parents See:

What Kids See:

I rest my case. Innocence can sense the proximity of the deepest, darkest, blackest EVIL known to mankind and reacts accordingly.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Snape.

Twinkle twinkle little Snape,

How I wonder why you gape,

At the teenage girl who asks

Sweetly for your autograph.

Is it you don't understand

That one so young is such a fan?

You say you do not have a pen.

I shall fix that, my Snape-y friend.

I hope I have not made you mad

By handing you my play program.

I see that Harry's on the cover

But know my dear I like you better. 

Thank you, thank you Alan Rickman!

Though you're scary, like a hit man.

Unlike Snape in normal garb

But still so Snape-like in my heart.

You rock.

The End.

I got Alan Rickman's autograph in NY. He is kind of like Snape personality-wise, although he looks very different without the distinctive wig/costume/makeup combo. I was so happy! :)

A little poem explanation: I had to run around asking strangers to borrow a pen since he wasn't carrying one (Tisk tisk, such unpreparedness!) and he signed my program from the musical we were both watching which starred Daniel Radcliffe. I.E. Harry Potter for those of you who've been living in a hole in the ground for the last eight years or so without television or internet. Congratulations on getting out by the way, as I assume you have since you are reading this. It must have been a boring eight years. You should write a book on your liberation from hole-dom and your return to modern society. Be sure to mention that I explained who that Radcliffe kid was.

Oh, and if you're wondering just how much I love Snape, click here. Otherwise you'll just have to trust me on this one!

Chocolate Makes Me Irrational.

When  I opened my door this morning, I was pleasantly surprised by a little baggie of Valentine's Day chocolate hanging from the nob. It had no tag on it, and I know you're not supposed to take candy from strangers, but I'm a sucker for free sweets.

At first I was pretty sure it was from the RAs. We do, after all, have very thoughtful RAs here.

Then I ate the first piece of chocolate:

Livi: Mmmmmm.... maybe it's from one of my friends!

Second piece of chocolate:

Livi: Mmmmmm.... maybe it's from that cute boy I met last week!

Third piece of chocolate:

Livi: Mmmmmm.... maybe it's from Brad Pitt!

Several chocolates later:

Livi: Oh yeah. It's so from Brad Pitt.

Happy Valentines Day! Oh and here's a life sized chocolate Brad Pitt. Because the only thing that could be more delicious is a chocolate Gerard Butler.

Is this Post Strange? Probably.

I love statistics. They make me feel powerful.

For instance:

Ten percent of all car theives are left handed. All polar bears are left handed. What's the probability that a polar bear just stole your car? Do you know? I know.

BAM. Unstoppable.


A total of 4000 cans are opened around the world every second. Ten babies are conceived around the world every second. When you open a can, what is the chance that you just became pregnant? Do you know? I know.

BAM. All knowing.

Last Question: What is the probability you just read this post? Do you know? I know.

BAM. I am the god of Statistics. Those who disagree have a high probability of getting struck by lightning in the next ten seconds. ;) 

My Feelings On Shakespeare.

First of all, I agree that the man had significant talent and wrote some decent material.

I like reading his plays and sonnets too. I just don't like writing essays on them. I mean, come on. His works have been around since the Elizabethan Era. I'm pretty sure any original material on his life and his writings has long since been used up. People have even considered the possibility that Elvis was abducted by aliens, entered a time warp, and wrote these plays under the pen name Shakespeare.

I hate rehashing the old theories, especially when the essay topic is "Discuss the importance of structure in Shakespeare's Sonnet 12". Seriously! How on earth am I supposed to make that even remotely interesting?!

I wouldn't have had this problem if Shakespeare had given up writing and decided to be a plumber. Sure it would have been a blow to Western culture and the English-speaking world as we know it, but I wouldn't have to write so many damn essays.

Of course, the fifteen hundreds weren't known for their love of indoor plumbing. If Shakespeare had been a plumber, he'd probably have been destitute.

Super What Now?

My family has never been much for televised sports. Oh sure, we watch the Olympics. And try to get me away from the TV when Paul Tingley or the Brazilian soccer players are on.

But in general, no. So it's not totally my fault that I got as far as grade eight not knowing exactly what the Superbowl was. My friend OB was appalled.

OB: So, you gonna watch the Superbowl?

Livi: Nah, I don't think so.

OB: What?! Why not?!

Livi: *dead serious* I'm not really one for televised bowling.

OB: You're joking, right?

Livi: Nope. Really doesn't interest me. I don't even like regular bowling all that much.

OB: We can't be friends anymore. *walks away*

Sad. But true. Thankfully I have since been enlightened. This year I cheered for the Packers, mostly because I have actually been to Green Bay Wisconsin. And their fans wear cheese on their heads. Enough said.

ps: They won! :D

Bullshit! Ten Points from Gryffindor!

Shall we talk Snape?

I love him. I would marry him in a heartbeat and bake him cookies
shaped like Harry Potter so he could act out many tiny deaths as he ate them. That is how I love him and his Snapey-ness. *sighs in a fan-girl fashion*

Snape and I:



This is my masterpiece.

Thanks to MC for inspiring this through our crazy e-mails! Which seem to happen when we are both supposed to be studying...

Snow-pocalypse!

That storm I mentioned finally hit, so Dal cancelled classes this afternoon. And what did I do with my free time? Learn a second language? Practice an instrument? Study for my bio midterm?

Hell no! By now you should know that I never do anything totally constructive if I can find an excuse to do something fun. Except baking. But then I get to eat the constructive results. Not so much with homework.

Anyway, I bundled up as though the world would end encased in ice and I hoped to be the last survivor. Then I made the long, arduous journey across the South end of Halifax to the SMU campus, where I met up with MC, YM and LL.

We were planning to build a snowman, but it wasn't packing snow, so we ended up with a snow-pile instead.





His name is Theodore.

YM: He's cute!

MC: He's amazing!

Livi: . . .He's . . .something.

*Everyone glares at Livi*

Livi: No no, I meant a good something, like "Hey, he's something alright. Something good."

Ahhh, so much fun! :)

Quit Denying This Disaster.

We have a HUGE snowstorm on the way today! On the scale of white Juan, if that means anything to you. If not... well, it's huge. As in oh, I don't know...30-40 cm of snow in 24 hours!

But the university decided to stay open today until the weather turns, so we will all be snowed in and they can make lots of money off the stranded students. It's clearly another conspiracy.

As always I blame aliens. Or spiders. Or peas. Or spider-aliens who love peas *shudder*. Could something so horrible exist?! Luckily, under the covers = invincible, so they won't get me while I sleep. I may suffocate, but I will be safe from monsters.

On the bright side though, there will be much snowing and perhaps tomorrow they will shut it down at last! *crosses fingers*

Here There Be Monsters.

I can't stop shivering I am so horrified. One hundred dogs brutally slaughtered, and they're not even certain yet if the perps will be charged. In my opinion, animal abusers should go to jail. If you can do something like that to an animal that loves you and depends on you for survival, than you can do it to a child. Abusers of any kind are the lowest dregs of society. There should be serious penalties and a criminal record attached at least.

I never, ever forgive animal abusers. Never.

Here's the article that sparked this, sorry I can't figure out how to link it:

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110131/bc_dog_slaughter_110131/20110131/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

JY and I in Math Class.

TO BE CONTINUED...maybe. Maybe it's better I end it now.

This is a true story. Me = King, JY = Jester, Beary = fictional. Okay, he was there, but in our heads.