The Chelsea Chamber

An entertaining weekend

2006-10-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been, in truth, a very entertaining one. Reading Canadian literature and studying for my French exam aside, there has been no shortage of things to do.

My weekend begins at 10am on Fridays, when I leave my French class. I usually begin the weekend with an enthusiastic round of napping, and that was again the case this Friday. Upon waking a few hours later, I went with Amanda and Steeves on a extensive shopping trip through the Rideau Centre, down to Bank Street and finally to Loblaws. That was a great deal of fun, but Mandi and I returned home tired and hungry and in the mood for a lazy evening. That, thankfully, was not in the cards. Our night would turn out to be a lot more eventful.

Mandi's cousin Clay and his friend Andrew came over to chill for a while, before Natalia joined the pack and the five of us went off to Minglewood's to meet more people (Clay's beautiful friends Vicky and Kristen, Andrew, and François and Mathieu). This would be the first time Amanda and I graced the bar, and it was most entertaining. Natalia and I spent a great deal of time dancing together upstairs, and the fact that we invited no guys (except François and Mat, briefly) to join us seemed to vex our little "audience" greatly. So that was fun. Here are a few pictures from that night:

The Giant Beer Pitcher Thing

Clay (Mandi's cousin) and I

Me striking a pose

My two beauties: Mandi and Natalia

More pictures can be found on my MSN Space. I'll not go on any more about that night, but I must say that the most entertaining part of the evening was when our fiesty little Russian attempted to claw off a guy's face on my behalf. Natalia, you are hilarious and I love you! After that, we went back to Nelson street and woke up the boys, and chilled there for a while. Andrew and I watched 'Thank You for Smoking,' which is hilarious, and stayed up way too late. And thusly my Friday came to an end.

A great deal of Saturday was taken up by sleeping, thanks largely to the events of the preceding evening spilling over into the wee hours of the morning, but I've rarely been known to take issue with sleeping in. I got a great deal of reading done that afternoon, so I could justify keeping my plans with people to go on another dirty Hull adventure. Originally, we were complying with a request from Meg that we go to Cosmo to meet her and some friends, but when she bailed we decided to go to Le Bop instead. Seriously speaking, I might have liked to stay in this province, seeing as Ottawa was hosting the Ultimate frisbee Nationals this weekend and there were, of course, parties to attend. However, because our last adventure was so fun, we decided to repeat it, and off we went to grab the bus to go to Le Bop. The crew eventually ended up consisting of myself, Mandi, Josh, Natalia, Irish, Andrew, Kerry, Karen, Danielle, Anthony, Eric, and Jacquie. So that was good fun. We did a lot of dancing, met some people, and had a nice adventure. We walked home old-school style, and ate pizza on Nelson street and chilled until it was time to call it a night (or a morning?).

It is now Sunday and I am busily studying for my upcoming French exam, but not so busily that I was above taking a break to do a bit of blogging. Tonight, pending completion of today's alotted French work, Unit 66 will have a movie night and watch "V for Vendetta". The boys are staying up all nght so they can go to the Rideau Centre ultra-early to get a Nintendo Wii!! How exciting! For those of you not familiar with the Wii, please refer to the following videos, but please excuse the poor video quality (WARNING: EXTENSIVE GEEK CONTENT; VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED):

The system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO7FCkxFqts
The games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQiJLokuUSQ&mode=related&search=
Super Smash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNpUFEm4Zbc

Well, that was my weekend. I've wasted enough time now, I think, so I'll leave you here.

Chelsea out.

The Chamber Reopens

2006-10-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

"And should I then presume?
And how should I begin?

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?"

-from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot

How difficult it is to begin again after such a long period of inactivity in the blogging world. I'll not go on at length about why I stopped blogging (preoccupation with other matters?) or what I have been doing since my last post so very long ago (living), for I seriously doubt anyone cares much about that... besides which I truly can't be bothered.

I won't claim that the decision to resume my writing (if I can be permitted to call it such) was a particularly heavy one. I attribute the decision neither to the haranguing of former readers nor to the sudden appearance of matters that require blogging about; rather this post is mostly the result of simple impulse. I must admit, that I hesitated before reopening my blog (as Jenn called it, "alone and crying in a corner"). I wasn't sure if I wanted to resume this activity of what can be called little else if not an act of self-indulgence and vanity, especially since most people who cared to read my ramblings in The Chelsea Chamber have forsaken it on account of its long and unexplained hibernation. Then it occurred to me that this fear of sparse readership can be eliminated (or at least assuaged) by the satisfaction resulting from self-indulgence, and that self-indulgence, shamed and disreputed as it may be, it not really that terrible a thing.

So, in short, I have decided to resume my little chronicle, remount my cozy little soapbox, and spew my overflowing words (with which I find myself so often burdened) upon cyberspace once again... for little reason apart from the fact that I want to.

Now that I've justified my actions in what is probably an excessively wordy fashion, let's get down to airing out this musty Chamber with a post or two!

...Beginning with a random picture, because I like pictures:

Curious? Confused? Fear not, the answers will come. For now, though, I shall take my leave of you. My blogging muscles are all out of shape from disuse, and the effort required to produce this post has all but exhausted me.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Farzana and Jessica Rabbit

2006-01-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

So Farzana is unable to come up to see Mandi and I this weekend, which I have to say is rather disappointing. I've pretty much decided to do homework and sleep the day away. :(

On the bright side, Mandi, Andrew, Spo, and I are going to the Bedouin Soundclash concert this Friday as planned. That will be so fun! Probably going out with floor people on Saturday night. More Markham people will be in town this weekend (Dave, Kaitlyn, Gokdag... etc?), but I don't know if we shall be seeing them, as our plans might not overlap well and Lowe has first dibs, I think, this time around, on Dave.

Last night Mandi and I watched 'The Incredibles.' Edna the fashion designer is easily the best character in the film, though obnoxious Cory the babysitter runs a close second for pure snicker-value. Mandi and I have been watching cartooned movies lately (it began with 'Madagascar,' Ali G as the voice of King Julian just slays me). Though I was appalled to discover that Mandi has not seen 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit.' That movie is a classic, and has one of my fav animated characters ever: Jessica Rabbit. Her greatest catchphrase: "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." So here are some pictures of one of the greatest classic cartoon chicks ever.

That's Jessica Rabbit for you! She's awesome and that brings back memories. I could go for some schnazzy opera gloves like her's, I'll be honest. It's funny though, that they would put so provocative a character in a kid's movie. Actually, scratch that. Sexual content in cartoons is such old news, so I won't get into it.

We're likely going to watch 'Closer' tonight, Mandi and I. Clive Owen, Jude Law, Natalie Portman... (and Julia Roberts, but whatever) ought to be at least interesting.

Anyways, I have now been struck by the desire to talk about sock-rocking cartoons, but I won't at present because I am tired (English was so long today; that definitely felt like longer than an hour and a half) and I want to take a nap.

("Then fire the missiles!") Ha.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Pictures from Saturday Night @ Le Bop

2006-01-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of our trip to Le Bop on Saturday Night. For more, see my Space and Mandi's Space.

Election Day/ The Weekend/ Househunting

2006-01-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

Ottawa, recently hit by many varied forms of precipitation and temperatures, is now both snowy and icy. Though the slushy streets are presently devoid of tension and excitement, this chilly capital will, as of tonight, have a new government residing within it.Hope you've all voted, because if you haven't you have no right to complain about the government from now until the next election! So go out (now!) and do your civic duty, exercise your democratic rights, and give your opinion. Today is one day that the government has to listen to us.

So here I am, indulging in some undeserved procrastination and updating The Chamber. Considering how relatively unproductive I've been, my life has been fairly busy of late.

Tyler and Mike came up to Ottawa this past weekend. Amanda and I made a cake for Tyler, which we ate on Friday night. The cake was cherry chip with cream cheese icing, dusted in chocolate, and it was ever so yummy. A guy in my poetry class totally didn't believe me when my answer to the question "What are you doing after class?" was "Baking a cake." If the cake had not been for Tyler I might have considered bringing him a slice, but then why should such doubt merit confectionary reward? In any case, we baked the cake using the 90U kitchens (we have a stove in our kitchen here but not an oven), which was fun. Funnier, though, was Mandi dropping three raw eggs on our floor; thankfully only two broke. I wish that this demonstration of utter grace on her part was an isolated incident, but less than 24 hours later she managed to empty an entire box of powdered laundry detergent onto our carpet and into Tyler's shoe. Oh Mandi, how I love you. You are a great roommate and an endless source of entertainment.

Anyways, friday night was uneventful. We ate dinner in the common room with floor people and later on went to Andrew's to watch some Family Guy. Saturday we all slept in and managed to be a full half hour late meeting Mike and Cassie at the Rideau Centre. That wasn't my fault. Anyways, so the six of us (Ian, Mike, Tyler, Cassie, Mandi, and myself) ran around the Rideau Centre for a while, then we all came back to Thompson to chill for a while before a whole herd of us went to Don Cherry's to watch the game. I won't claim to be any kind of an expert on hockey, but I can say with utmost certainty that the Leafs got owned by the Sens that night. Our large group was mostly comprised of very vocal leafs fans; poor Curtis was certainly a minority as a Sens fan. Waseem was hilarious in his too-snug jersey, and more hilarious still while he was hitting on the scantily-clad sorority girls sporting Leafs apparel at the next table. Waseem, you're a true ladies' man. Most of us left before the game was officially over, because it was obvious that there was little argument as to who had won.

An hour or so later we left Thompson to catch the bus and meet up with Amanda's cousin Clay (who is super-cool, by the way) and head off to Le Bop. Clay's method of going to Hull, however, consisted of walking from where we met him at the war museum through the bitter cold and the icy wind. I no longer held it against him after I regained feeling in my face, but Andrew was lucky to have taken a cab and met us there later. Needless to say we took a cab home at the night's end. Le Bop was crowded that night but I think we all had a quality time. Mandi, Tyler, Cassie, Mike, and Ian left a little bit ahead of Clay, Andrew, Curtis, and I, so we cabbed back to Rideau Street where Clay could catch a bus back to Kanata. Rideau is fairly lively after 2am. The wait for his bus involved our first experience with shawarmas (I'm an official resident of Ottawa now that I've appreciated the Heaven that is a shawarma, I'm told) and running into Andrew's English prof in McDonald's around 2:30. We all agreed that that was pretty random and rather awkward. After we saw Mandi's cousin off and ran into a few more random people, the three of us walked back to campus. Both Andrew and I were still pretty awake, though, so we watched The Negotiator. Kevin Spacey is awesome, however I don't think I'll ever get over The Life of David Gale.

Needless to say, I was pretty tired at our delicious floor breakfast ('Ante Meridiem Chaw & Glutch'- we love you Ahmed and Veronica) that started at 11am. It was worth getting out of bed for though. It was as yummy as the caf's new (chocolate, banana, and coconut) cream pies, which are positively sock-rocking! Tyler came to the breakfast but Ian did not, for which we are very dissappointed in him, after being declared an honorary floor member too! Tyler left shortly thereafter, and we napped and read the afternoon away, until the time came to go see another house.

Now, I could write an endlessly long post about Househunting alone. The deliberations and discussions are still in progress, but I'll just satisfy myself with telling of a few of the valuable lessons we have learned so far:

Mission to DiscountRez: never put Ian in charge of finding directions to a place. You'll find yourself standing beside the Transitway while he looks around blankly and laughs as if he had expected the house to fall from the sky. Thankfully we ran into a nice guy who actually lived at the place we were looking at; turns out it wasn't complicated or very far away at all, but the bottom line is never delegate. The rez itself was pretty cool.

489 Maclaren: if you like Mandi, Ian, Justin, Curtis, Nabeela, or myself, say a prayer of thanks that we got out of this place alive. Ok, I exaggerate, but to any uOttawa kids who are reading this: 489 Maclaren is the crappiest place in the history of housing, and we decided that the landlady probably routinely eats her tenants. She could make more money if she rented the place out as a horror movie set... she could even star in the movie, she's a natural talent.

475 Catherine Street: this was easily the best place we've seen so far. The interesting experience here did not actually involve going to see the house or the house at all, it happened afterwards. Amanda had to call the cops on some crazy (likely homeless) guy who was violently screaming at and threatening a lady in a bus shelter outside a Harvey's. That was a weird and unnerving experience, but hearing Mandi recount how the Emergency Services operator asked her, "Do you need fire, ambulance, or po?" is pretty funny. "Po"?! Well, it all worked out in the end.

I have a lot to do and it is getting later than I had intended. Mandi and Ian are leaving in a few hours to go to the Leafs vs. Sens game... hopefully the Leafs don't get bent over a desk (pardon the metaphor) like on Saturday, because Mandi and Ian will both very dissappointed. However, no matter what the outcome, my spiderplant is still flowering and that makes me happy. It almost makes me less bitter at my poetry prof for assigning a two page 'essay' that is worth 15% of my mark. Two pages!? I could write twenty on this topic! Anyways, that is due on Wednesday, so I've got to get cracking and finish that up.

Farzana and Bedouin Soundclash on Friday!

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

And to think it all started with a simple couch theft...

2006-01-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

Floor antics reached the level of ridiculous last night: Due to the obscene amount of work I had to do (and of course a nice mid-afternoon nap), I did not leave my room until the evening, some time around 5:30 pm. Upon entering the common room I was met with the news that, sometime during the previous night, someone had made off with our couch. Yes, because someone must have left the common room door unlocked, the 20th floor was hit by couch thieves. This strikes me as a rather inconvenient heist to pull off, as there are cameras in the elevators and who wants to drag a couch down twenty flights of stairs? But the fact remains that someone took the couch. Speculation was widespread that in fact someone on the floor had taken the couch, but given the limited space in our rooms this seems a rather silly thing to do. In any case, our C.A. (Josh) was notified, and all I really cared about was not having to pay for its replacement, cause I sure as Hell didn't steal the couch. Add this to the fact that our cable was out and our common room became an even less accomodating place to chill.

Then it happened: the floor was thrown into uproar because apparently some time within the 5 minutes that the common room was just left unoccupied, someone stole the other couch (the smaller one). The stairwells were vacant and the bottom floor was occupied by all the C.A.s who were having a meeting, so no one could have pulled a couch out of the elevators past them. In my opinion, that pointed to one conclusion: that someone on the floor had taken the second couch as a prank; and the prime suspects, Amanda and I concluded, were Waseem and Ian, just because that is something they would do, and they appeared too scandalized when we put the notion forth. So, unsurprisingly, Ian, Waseem, and Justin were found sitting on the couch in the guys' washroom shortly thereafter. The floor all shared in the humour of this joke... then it got funnier, because the three thieves were stuck on the couch. Yes, that couch was only designed to hold two people, and let's just say that neither Ian nor Waseem are skinny guys. So this is the sight with which we were met upon entering the guys washroom:

To make matters worse, in his efforts to "dislodge himself," Waseem managed to pull the papertowel/ trash receptacle right off the wall. So there are some floor damages for him to think about now.

This morning, when I entered the common room, both couches had returned and the cable was fixed for the TV. This has yet to be explained. Hahaha. So that is the tale of the couch thieves of the 20th floor... now I must go eat something because Ian, Mandi, Justin and I have an appointment to view a possible house for next year. Figuring out where we are living next year is irritatingly complicated. Wish us luck.

I am voting tomorrow. Hope you all plan to do the same. Have a nice week, everyone.

Chelsea Out.

The Energy and Eccentricity of Fridays

2006-01-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

Vive les weekends! I am done classes for the day and for the next few days to come. Having had Fridays off last semester, the fact that I have class from 10 straight through to 2:30 this semester is a little irksome, but I do have Mondays off so I suppose I can't complain. Classes were nice today; I really do simply adore my French class. I have missed taking French so much. I won't, however, give an account of today's classes, because (first of all) none of you really want to read about that, I'm sure, (second of all) I don't especially feel like writing about class at present, and (thirdly) I am far too energetic right now to recount such matters.

I will, however, say that my psych professor makes me so happy. His vocabulary and manner of speaking are contagiously invigorating. The way he phrases things and the words he chooses to use fill me with pure, geeky, English-major delight. For example:

"Lions, my friends, are titanically boring."
"...And by 'natural,' I don't mean biotic, organic -like tofu!- kinds of research."
In describing various patterns on scatterplots: "You can have all your points nicely lined up like this [demonstrates]... or you can have all your points nicely lined up like this [demonstrates]... or you can have a BIG, AMORPHOUS CLOUD OF POINTS [demonstrates, this time involving the flailing of limbs]... like this."
"Women who are smarter tend to have higher social status, so they don't have to dress like hos to get respect."

Teeheehee. So that is my psych prof. I think that class will be entertaining. If he says anything else worth noting I may well convey it at some point. We'll see.

It has been unseasonably warm here in Ottawa for the past few days... consistently above zero, I believe. This would not be so bad in itself if it did not cause the Rideau Canal to be closed. I want to go skating! The necessity of bundling like an Antarctic explorer just to go to class doesn't really bother me anyways, provided I can skate. Grr. How am I supposed to hone my (very limited) skills if there is no ice for me to fall on? Haha- actually I have yet to fall skating this year, despite the fact that I haven't skated in ages... but that was another post, so I won't go on about that. I just want the ice back.

Mandi is rather sick and I have a touch of a cold, but since tidying my room, for some reason, I feel infinitely better. Funny how that works; perhaps I really am the clean freak Amanda accuses me of being. Oh well, it's better than the alternative, I say. Anyways, I think both Mandi and I felt good about going for yummy breakfast together. Hash browns rock my socks.

Emma and Ryan are arriving in Ottawa today to visit Ian, so it will be nice to see them. I have nothing extraordinary planned as of yet, apart from some serious Alexander Pope reading and other school-related obligations, but I am certain something will materialize. The weekend has scarce begun, and I am filled with energy and optimism at the prospects before me.

Here's a question: why is my surname not as interesting as 'de la Rochefoucauld'?

In any case, though I am sure I had something else to say, I'm going to finish here lest I get to rambling terribly, as I am ever so wont to do. It is time, I think, to put on some loud music and to give someone a hug. It's Friday and I hope we're all feelin' good. If you need added incentive, perhaps consider the random antics of The Happy Poster Project: (http://www.bloggerheads.com/happy/)

Forgive me if I've been overly eccentric. I'm in that sort of mood.

Happy Friday the 13th everybody! Put on your lucky underwear and have a great day!

Flourish. Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Divide and Conquer; Update and Entertain.

2006-01-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

"Always do right.
This will surprise some people
and astonish the rest."
-Mark Twain

That is what my "Inspirational" 365-day calendar (a present from my Daddy, I believe in hopes to keep me motivated or something to that extent) tells me today. Not as good as some, but it will have to do. I do not presume to be so lofty as to be in a position to scorn the words of Mr. Twain. Anyways, I used that as a sort of introduction because it was upon my calendar that my eyes fell when I was looking around for some kind of idea. I decided to post even though I have relatively little to write about... which is proving somewhat difficult. I really do hate to ramble needlessly. I am presently eating Voortman cookies with milk, in case you care to know.

Next weekend Tyler and Mike are coming up here to Ottawa to see their respective girlfriends (and me [!] but I think I'm more an added bonus than a motivation for visiting, hahaha). So that will be fun. Hopefully Tyler will be kind enough to bring me my two sweaters that I forgot at home over the holidays; if not, I shall have to coerce Ian into bringing them back from when he goes home to visit the following weekend.

The following weekend, that of the 27th, will be so fun!! An entourage will be heading up here from Markham, likely to include Dave (who will be picked up at Kingston), Gokdag, Kaitlyn... and other people of whom I am not specifically aware but I will nonetheless be delighted to see should I be lucky enough to do so. Sadly, it is not chiefly Amanda and I that they come to see, this time around. Dave, for example, is centering his operations around Carleton U with Lowe and Kaelan, as far as I know. Stupid Carleton, hahaha. I'm joking... I'm just envious. I will likely see people at some point during the weekend, perhaps we shall all meet up at Le Bop. Failing that, I have promised that there will be a more uOttawa-focussed Dave visit at some point during the semester. However, this group's diversion to other friends has actually worked out very well for me: FARZANA is coming to see Mandi and I that weekend!! So since Dave (etc.) are visiting other people, Mandi and I will be free to spend time with our Fuzzer! Chemanza will be united once more, hooray hooray. I am so excited to see her... and, to make that weekend still better: Bedouin Soundclash is performing at uOttawa on the Friday night. Wooohooo! Hopefully Farzy wants to go, because Amanda and I surely do. I shall have to talk to her about that, because we need to get tickets soon. Thank you to Andrew for alerting me of the imminent performance... and no, 'When the Night Feels my Song' is not their only good song. Bedouin Soundclash = so fun. I am listening to their Sounding a Mosaic CD right now in sweet anticipation.

So, that weekend looks like it will be most entertaining.

I suppose that is all I really have to say. Later I hope to go skating, read some psychology, and vegetate a bit. Perhaps I will do some of my French homework.

Here is my randomly entertaining thing of the day, courtesy of Andrew: http://www.smalltime.com/dictator.html
Check this out. Read the instructions and have a go. This thing's uncanny ability to guess sitcom characters (or dictators) is rather impressive. Here are a few names with which Andrew, Mandi, or I tried and failed to stump it. This silly thing successfully guessed the following:
Estelle Costanza from Seinfeld
Xena (yes, the warrior princess... that doesn't even count as a sitcom and it still got it)
Lloyd Braun from Seinfeld (I didn't even know this character, but Andrew did)
House, from House
Daphne from Frasier
Eddie (the dog!) from Frasier
Santa's Little Helper (Bart's dog) from The Simpsons
Pam (Donna's mom) from That 70s Show
The Professor (the squid-faced dude) from Futurama

... and many others. I don't claim that it's infallible, but it's pretty darn impressive. I wonder what lifeless creep designed it? So, if you're bored, feel free to give it a try.

To finish off, here is a thought for you all, courtesy of the poet Langston Hughes:

Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Not the greatest of poems, but something I was thinking about. Hope you all have a nice day.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

The First Post-Holiday Post

2006-01-08T21:26:00.000-08:00

I am now back in Ottawa and posting again. Many thanks to Miss Jenny for the much-needed prompt to update my blog; I don't know if I either forgot or I was too busy or I just never felt like it. The last time I posted, I was still going on about fire alarms. I suppose the reason that seems so long ago is the fact that it was so long ago. Gosh what a lazy little thing I am.

In any case, a great deal of time and life has passed since I last posted, so I don't think I can really recall/cover all that has happened to me since, at least not in any sort of detail, but whatever, I have never claimed to be a terribly effective chronicler.

Finals went very well, I should think. I do not yet have all of my final grades for my first semester classes, but the ones I do have are satisfying, and I do not have any real reason to expect otherwise for the rest. Most of my last semester's courses are, in effect, simply being continued this semester (for example, my Lit Pre 1700 is now Lit Post 1700), with a few exceptions: Workshop in Essay Writing is gone forever, hallelujah. I cannot like a course simply because it was easy. Relatively easily attained high marks may help make a class more endearing, but sometimes that help is not enough. The prof did have a PhD in Shakespearian Studies, though, and we did get to read Pico Iyer's article In Praise of the Humble Comma, but other than that the class was a little dull. The fact that the lectures took place for three hour stretches on Wednesday nights didn't help either. I have no night classes this semester, but more early classes... so we shall see which arrangement I prefer.

So, this semester I am taking the following:
Literature and Composition II: Poetry and Drama [will be either fantastic or disappointing]
Literature and Composition IV: English Literature Post 1700 [yay!]
Grammaire Français (Langue Secondaire) Intermédiare [hooray for me; I haven't taken French since grade 11 and yet I was placed in a second year course]
Fundamental Philosophical Questions [continuation of last semester's philo course]
Introduction to Experimental Psychology [probably won't be as fun as the Intro to Applied Psych, but oh well, should be interesting]

I bought all my textbooks yesterday, after we went to Cora's for brunch (?). It was a nice floor trip (plus Ian, but he counts as a floor person anyways) to our favourite breakfast establishment after the previous night's trip to Le Bop. Le Bop was crowded but we had fun, with a few people coming that wouldn't usually. Thanks to Mandi, Ahmed, Frin, Veronica, Amber, Bri, Eric, Jacquie, Spo, Andrew... and to everyone else we ran into that night. To those who couldn't come/we didn't see (Ian, Nataliya, Cory, Francois, etc.): we missed you, but you might have a chance to redeem yourselves in a few weeks (hahaha). Anyways, here are some pictures... for more, check out Mandi's Space or talk to Mandi.

Good times.

Oh goodness... Eric just got back from Costco... wow I'm envious of his massive stockpile of food.

Anyways... so Ottawa is all snowy and ever so cold, regardless of your gender (it can no longer be said that "it's just 'cause you're a girl"). Cold or not, however, the Rideau Canal has frozen over so that means... skating! We went for our first skate yesterday evening. Despite the fact that I have not skated in years, I did not fall! That was fun; I got to use my brand-shiny-new skates that my mommy bought for me over the holidays.

Speaking of the holidays... I don't think I shall be posting in any extended manner about what I did. I saw family: there were about 20 people at my house for Christmas, so that was fun. I saw friends: just chilling with everyone again was great; sleepovers and Starbucks dates need repeating; Narnia was entertaining; New Year's Eve was interesting but fun nonetheless. I love all my friends, especially the ones I either did not see enough or did not see at all... there are too many who fit into those two categories, and that saddens me. However, some of those friends have promised to come see me some time this semester!! Hooray! I'll post on those if/when they actually happen. I also worked full time at the Old Curiosity Tea Company (wheee!) again over the break. Anyways, I'll not ramble on any further about the holidays: they were too short but I savoured (almost) every moment of them.

This summer is going to be four monthes in duration... wow that sounds exciting and yet a little sad... I am not looking forward to leaving the good ol' 20th floor of Thompson, but the investigation into next year's living arrangements has begun.

In other news: three cheers for procreation! My cousin Andrew and his lovely wife Wendy just had a baby boy! Yay! Congratulations Andrew and Wendy; welcome to the family, Evan!

I suppose I will end this post here, just because I have now grown very hungry and must go fill the seemingly very large cavity in my middle. I realize that this post has not actually covered the last month or so of my life, or done it any semblance of justice, but oh well. I have a life that needs living more than it needs detailed documentation.

Hope all is well with everyone... Have a great semester and a happy new year! I promise I will try to update more regularly.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Playing with Fire

2005-12-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

3pm: the fire alarm goes off, waking Amanda up from her nap and catching me in the middle of brushing my teeth. So, with mild cursing and griping about bad timing, we make our way down all 20 flights of stairs to go chill in the UC for a while. We come back shortly thereafter and go back up to our room, where we just have the time to turn our computers back on and get resettled when... the fire alarm goes off again. With slightly less mild cursing and griping this time, we again make our way down, this time heading to the lounge area on the top floor of Montpetit. After conferencing via cellphone with our other 20th floor compatriots, we decided to head back. Trooping back up the stairs, we get only about halfway when, surprise surprise, the fire alarm goes off again. This time the cursing and griping is anything but mild. It is now 5:30 pm and I am back in my room, but for who knows how long? If it goes off again I am taking my Psych textbook and spending the night in Morisset Library next door.

It is not the huge inconvenience of it all that really bothers me. It is not the costs that will no doubt be incurred by continually summoning the Fire Department for false alarms, nor is it the extraordinarily bad timing (we are, after all, in the middle of finals here). I don't really even mind walking up and down 20 flights of stairs, because I do that anyways. Heck, my butt is probably better off for it.

There is a larger problem here. I seriously do hope that this was caused by some kind of malfunction, because if it was in fact some kind of prank, I have to question the thought processes of the person(s) responsible. Inconvenience and discourtesy aside, repeatedly pulling the fire alarms was a wholly bad idea. I know for a fact that many people didn't bother leaving the building for the third alarm. What if there was a real fire now? How many people would be hurt (or worse) because of some idiot's continuing insistence on crying wolf? Such actions are inexcusable, because fire safety (I'll risk sounding corny here) is crucially important and must be taken seriously. Also, could it not occur to the person(s) responsible for this that the Fire Department has more important things to do than investigate juvenile pranks? One thing springs immediately to mind: maybe they could be off fighting real fires. People in serious danger could be losing their homes or their lives because the Fire Department was delayed, thanks to childish students at the U of O. How do you explain to a child that Mommy died in a fire because the Fire Fighters were too busy running back and forth to a University residence that wasn't even on fire?

Speculation is widespread that the alarms are an attempt by a desperate student(s) to get their exams deferred. Call me crazy, but I'd rather just study, write the exams as scheduled, and go home for the holidays.

The children in this rez need to stop "playing with fire" before someone gets burned- literally. I am now sincerely hoping that my rant has been unjustified, that the whole fiasco was the result of a mere malfunction, and that certain Thompson residents are not as juvenile and selfish as they've appeared today.

Seeing as I've lost several hours of study time, I've lost my right to procrastinate any further. I'll now turn my slightly irritated self to the books.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Study Habits and Shivaree

2005-12-11T19:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a little while, due first to homework/studying and then due to simple lack of motivation. I've been living an ever so slightly sedentary life for the past few days, since I wrote my English Lit pre 1700 exam on Wednesday. So my existence has been leisurely, filled mostly with sleeping, chilling with friends, and idle, half-hearted studying... which will intensify begininning today because I have two exams on Thursday (Psych and Religion- oh hooray). My Lit exam went very well, I'd say, and I am pleased that I will have the same prof again next semester for English Lit post 1700. The prof seems to like my writing style, and I like her teaching style... so I am well contented with this turn of events. I am also taking a poetry analysis course, which ought to be interesting. Hopefully we look at mostly good stuff.

In other school-related news, I finally took my French placement test. Now I have to register for a second-year course on French grammar. Grammar... I can barely contain my excitement.

It seems that there is something going on in rez that if you put something white on your door at 11:30pm tonight, you will be given a "present to help you study." I believe it has something to do with Red Bull. I think Amanda and I shall participate... though we may well have left for our little movie night with Andrew over in Stanton by that point. I suppose we shall have to see.

It just occurred to me that all the doors have something white on them: a whiteboard.

Well, I'm officially envious of all the people who get to go home before I do. Why must I have an exam on the 22nd? Not fair! It's Philosophy 1101 too... compulsory for all first year Arts students... which means that like half of the first year students have to stay. Bollocks- why do freshmen have to get the shaft?

On a nicer note: my mommy sent me another package full of useful things. She is the greatest Mom a girl could ask for. I feel so loved. I will arrive home to a fully decorated, festive house, and I am eager.

I suppose I should really go... I need to study while Amanda is writing her Poli Sci exam so when she gets back I can be ready to go watch a movie. She will be looking to kick back and relax... especially since she has been studying her pretty little head off for the past while. She gets to go home in less than a week though- so lucky. And I will be roommateless, except maybe for Ian- haha.

I've decided to declare that Ambrosia Parsley (I have no idea what is up with a name like that, I'll be honest), who sings for Shivaree, is now Girl of the Day. Her music is funky-fresh and very chill... good for having on in the background when studying when I want something relaxed but with some subtance- puts me in mind of a speakeasy, I guess. Anyways, Shivaree is on the extraordinarily long and equally varied list of music I enjoy. Variety is the spice of life, they say.

They also say that intelligent people are more likely to have very eclectic music tastes. Hahaha.

Anyways, Ambrosia Parsley of Shivaree is my Girl of the Day. Plus she's a cutie... see?

I guess that's all for now. It's time for me to glance in the general direction of my Psych textbook.

Chelsea Out.

"Nice Guys" Finish Last

2005-12-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

So true. So sadly true. It also, it is important to remember, works in the reverse.

Anyways, I laughed. Thought you might like it.

The View from atop the Soapbox: Vote or Die?

2005-12-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

On January 23rd I will get to vote for the first time. I'm not sure how I feel about that, really, so I have been attempting to educate myself more thoroughly about the politics of our country. I have never considered myself downright uninformed, but I think that the democratic process is most effective with an educated and participating voter population. Therefore some investigation into pertinent issues is certainly due, I believe.

In my opinion, too many people base their political opinions on stereotypes, gossip, mudslinging, and assumptions. They judge a party based on what they think they know, and on media impressions, rather than actually investigating party policies and practices. I see this as irresponsible. If it is worth your time to stay up-to-date on your favourite sports team or TV show, is it not also worth your time to keep on top of the running of your country?

Anyways, I'll cut the preamble, get down from my soapbox, and get down to business. As someone who absolutely loves taking quizzes and such, I wanted to recommend you take this quiz:

http://www.votebyissue.org/cbc/

You just might learn something!

So sorry if I got a little preachy. Hope all is well.

Chelsea Out.

Welding Stinks

2005-11-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

My door is finally fixed (it wasn't closing properly), however my room now smells of welding. Blah.

Contemplation on a Rainy Day

2005-11-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

"In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever"

-from Les Misérables (the musical), Eponine's "On My Own"

I love rainy days in the city. Seeing as it is presently pouring outside, I thought I'd mention that.

This past weekend Cassie and I visited Ashlee at Bishop's University in Lennoxville. We had a jolly good time, I must say. We met loads of people, partied hard, and ate poutine- a perfect sojourn into la belle province. Happy Birthday to Ashlee!! Funny: the bar we went to on Saturday night, called The Lion, is one with which my father is familiar. He said it's been the Bishop's bar of choice since forever. So that was cool to talk about.

My mommy sent me another package- this one full of chocolate and my favourite snowman-shaped mug. I love my mommy!

I am presently feeling very energetic. The rain, the fact that I handed in one of my last essays this afternoon, an entertaining English Lit lecture, watching Friends with friends, the prospect of Starbucks... all these things have combined to replace my earlier dismal mood with one of elation. I think I shall put up Christmas lights. It is, really, the little things that make life worthwhile, cliché as that may sound.

Semicolons are little.

Nerve cells are little.

That reminds me: a little while ago I began making a list of things I like and things I dislike, partially inspired by the introductions of characters in Amélie.

"Raphaël Poulain n’aime pas : pisser à côté de quelqu’un , il n’aime pas surprendre sur ses sandales un regard de dédain ; sortir de l’eau et sentir coller son maillot de bain .
Raphaël Poulain aime : arracher de grands morceaux de papier peint ; aligner toutes ses chaussures et les cirer avec soin ; vider sa boîte à outils , bien la nettoyer et tout ranger , enfin .
Amandine Poulain n’aime pas : avoir les doigts plissés par l’eau chaude du bain ; être , par quelqu’un qu’elle n’aime pas , effleurée de la main ; avoir les plis des draps imprimés sur la joue le matin. Amandine Poulain aime : les costumes des patineurs artistiques sur TF1 ; faire briller le parquet avec des patins ; vider son sac à main , bien le nettoyer et tout ranger , enfin ."

And so on and so forth, characters are introduced with little summaries of what they like and dislike, culminating finally in the description of how someone's housecat likes to listen to children's stories. Trivial but oh-so-delightful. I love that movie. Anyways, what I am getting at here is that I garnered a lot of pleasure out of listing things I like- the smaller and more insignificant the better. I highly recommend it.

I like water chestnuts.

I like the sound of stiletto heels on marble flooring.

Gosh... I am now feeling like such an oddball. Oh well, I suppose I am at that.

Now that I am reminded of movies... I discovered today that Johnny Depp was in a film entitled "The Libertine," based on the life of the Earl of Rochester (a poet, for those who didn't know). John Malkovich is also in it, playing Charles II. I think I shall have to see it.

Anyways, I will now end this post lest I blather on any further. Tata to you all, and good luck in all your pursuits (finals are approaching- AAH!)

Exit Chelsea (finally, I'm sure you're thinking), Stage Left.

Cold

2005-11-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

The weather is lovely, don't get me wrong... but I wore two pairs of pants to my religion lecture this morning.

I've decided that making snow angels in the sports field over yonder is certainly in order.

*continues humming bits of The Nutcracker Suite* Jenn I am still envious of you!

I think I need to get my hair cut sometime soon. I despise haircuts, I really do. It's always so depressing to see bits of my dark golden locks hit the floor, especially since my hair grows so slowly. *sigh*

Anyways, much to do, and little time to do it in.

Chelsea Out.

Good morning, snow...

2005-11-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Winter, if you'll pardon my language, has taken an unholy shit on my city.

Catch-22 and Deja Vu

2005-11-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for, so I have decided to live forever or die in the attempt.

Thank you, Mr. Yossarian.

For those of you who haven't read Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (and therefore did not catch my first statement as an almost direction quotation from said book), please do so the moment you have the chance. It is a favourite of mine. It simulataneously hilarious, tragic, and horrifying... a lovely cocktail of laughter, tears, and screams.

It has just occurred to me that this is the second book recommendation I have made here in the Chamber (see the post of October 10th, 2005 if you missed the first one). This presents a problem. I really ought not to recommend books, for then I'd be doing an injustice all the other incredible books I think you ought to read, and thereby doing an even greater injustice to the incredible books I ought to read but have yet to. Gosh!

In any case... my thoughts turned to Catch-22 for a reason. In the novel, the Chaplain is continually discussing the threefold phenomena of deja vu, jamais vu, and presque vu. All day I have been plagued by deja vu. It has been truly an uncanny experience. It seems that every other moment I am muttering suspiciously to myself, "Deja vu is a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something..." Hahaha. Seriously though, it has been very weird.

I just finished an essay (the shorter, less interesting but more pertinent of the two presently on my plate) on Political Criticism and Public Responsibility in Canada. It's very opinionated, with my own personal biases thinly veiled with objectivity, so I think I will be making some alterrations before I hand it in Wednesday night.

I've really very little of note to say... I have yet to see the newest Harry Potter film, but with all the other (likely better, sadly) movies I have also yet to see, that fact doesn't really bother me much at present. I am scheduled to see The Chronicles of Narnia film with Dave on December 23rd- so excited!

Speaking of excited: I leave for Bishop's on Friday with Cassie, as if I haven't told everyone enough already. :P

In any case, as I buckle down and get back to work (sigh), the question remains:

"Was it the same cat?"

Hehehe...

Row, row,
Row your boat
Gently down the stream;
Merrily, merrily,
Merrily, merrily...

Life is but a Dream.

Marilyn Monroe, the Internet, etc.

2005-11-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

I've recently become taken with how gorgeous Marilyn Monroe was. Just look at this angel!

Well, several hours on the phone with Res-O-Net and a new ethernet cable later, my Internet lives again. Hopefully it will stay that way, because I don't think I have the patience for another resuscitation. With my Internet connection restored, however, I now feel connected to the world again. Honestly, signing into MSN after having been denied it for many days, I was like a smack addict getting a much-needed fix. Wow- that was a perfectly awful simile. How embarassing. I find it interesting, though, how much it bothered me to be without an Internet connection, when I can happily go weeks without it during the summer. I suppose it is just because now, away from home, it is my only real way staying in touch with everyone. It is also my favourite method of procrastination. Hahaha.

Speaking of procrastination, I really need to get going on those essays if I am to leave Ottawa in good standing this Friday. Cassie and I are going to party it up at Bishop's University to help Ashlee celebrate her birthday. I am so excited to see my Asher again!

Last night there was a mass exodus from the 20th floor of Thompson to Le Bop to celebrate Nabeela's finally being legal. Happy Birthday Nabeela! (Again.) We all had a great time hanging out and "shakin' our thangs" (hahaha I cannot believe I just said that) on the dance floor. We are definitely going to have to do that again, only next time Mandi has to come! Thanks to all participating Thompsonites... does anyone have pictures??

My mommy sent me a little package of fun stuff (including a picture of my kitty- I miss him so much), so now I am feeling especially loved. Three cheers for mothers. I can't decide if Christmas break is very far away or practically upon us. I suppose I just don't want to have to think about the fact that I will have to write finals before I get to go home and... work. *sigh* Money makes the world go 'round, they say.

Wednesday night I had a nice long phone conversation with Dave. That was SO great.

Tuesday night ( I realize that in this post none of my recollections have been in chronological order, but oh well) Amanda and I had a great time. We spent the evening and early morning being absolutely ridiculous. I won't even get into what we did for fear of ruining the reputation of the Ladies of 2014. Let's just say we had a silly girl's night, and were asked several times if we were drunk/on drugs... of which were neither, just for clarification. We went a little nuts with Mandi's digital camera, and took lots of pictures of us goofing around in our pjs. Most of the pictures are up on Mandi's MSN Space if you'd like to see them, but here are just a few:

This has been a really long post... My sincere apologies for taking up your time (that is if you happened to make it this far) with my rambling. If I get as much written down on my essay as I have on my Blog tonight, I shall consider it a very productive evening.

As always, I hope everyone is well. I shall talk to you soon, I expect.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Internet-less and Feeling the Lack

2005-11-15T01:58:00.000-08:00

My Internet has not been functioning for the past two days, and I just figured out why. It turns out there is something wrong with the outlet in my wall, so when I plug my ethernet cable in it still thinks it is unplugged. Bollocks. Now I need to file a work order or something with the residence. Who knows how long that will take? Hopefully Amanda will permit me to use her outlet (as I am doing now) every once in a while and she can use the unreliable wireless network. That would be sweet of her. I feel so cut off from the world without my Internet; MSN and email are important methods of communication to me.

It is officially winter. The snow is on the ground and the slush is on the roads and I am wearing two pairs of pants. I bundled ridiculously to go to my religion lecture this morning, because it is the farthest away of my classes (over in the engineering complex, which is only an 8 minute walk away, but STILL).

I have my second psychology midterm tomorrow. I am not exactly nervous for it, but I am not yet as well prepared as I need to be, so there will certainly be a lot of studying done today. I also have two essays to write for next week, one of which I am still not entirely sure what to write about. Uh-oh.

On the weekend we had a surprise birthday party in the common room for Nabeela. She is 18 years old and is now an adult (legally, I like to say, if not mentally :P ). We set off the smoke detector due to candles and sparklers. Good times.

It seems that I have acquired a reputation as a merciless but terribly effective editor. I now get to indulge my neurosis on a regular basis by gutting people's work for punctuation, grammar, and structural weaknesses. Cruel as I often feel, I am told that my suggestions (though I maintain that not all need be heeded, as they are suggestions only) do improve marks, and as a result I now have people claiming to be "forever in my debt." I do accept bribery and incentives, in case anyone was wondering (thanks Waseem, I love you). Hahaha. No seriously though, I cannot stress enough the importance of having your work edited and proofread by as many people as possible. Jenn has always been a favourite of mine to go to, just because she can be just as splendidly picky as I. Leaving your work for a day and then going back to it is also wise. I am forever disgusted by the stylistic and structural weaknesses I find in my writing after going back to it later... Another reason why writing at the last minute isn't wise, though everybody does it (myself unfortunately included). *sigh* Given all the time in the world, the things we could accomplish...

Anyways, I suppose I ought to get down to work now. Hope you all have a nice day.

Chelsea Out.

Tummy aches

2005-11-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

This evening I learned an important lesson:

Contrary to what one might be inclined to think, there is indeed a such thing as too many perogies.

Snowballs

2005-11-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

Thompson Rez just had it's first indoor snowball fight of the season. It involved the 20th floor, some very rowdy boys, and the serious violation of an elevator.

Great fun.

The Family Guy Movie...

2005-11-07T23:40:00.000-08:00

I just got back from watching an hour of family guy with floor people. It is so odd to watch television, seeing as I rarely have in the past year or so. However, chilling in the common room and watching TV is fun. I finished off my essay proposal and preliminary bibliography for my Religion and Culture in Canada class, and now I am munching on Kellogg's Just Right cereal and posting on my Blog while I wait for Mandi to polish off the essay she wants me to edit for her. Hooray for editing. *cackles maniacally as she readies her red pen* Hahaha.

This weekend was, as promised, pretty insane. Friday the boys arrived far faster than is probably safe (I guess Jaymie has a heavy foot), so uOttawa was graced by Jaymie, Kyle, Loney, and Tyler... Throw Mandi and Cassie into the mix (with three other girls I never had the chance to meet) and I am told their night at the hotel in Hull was very fun. Ian and I opted to be responsible and attempt to do homework so we could justify going out with them on Saturday. Believe me, the effort was herculean.

Saturday night I went and chilled over at Ian's for a while, so his floormates had another ally in teasing him mercilessly. After that we came back to the good ol' 20th floor of Thompson to collect Ahmed and Nataliya and head off to Le Bop. The wait in the line was short, and we met up with more people once we got there, including the Markham boys with Mandi and Cassie. That was such a fun night: good music, good company, good fun. Le Bop rocks! Pictures are up on Mandi's space if you want to check that out.

Needless to say everyone was rather worn out when the weekend came to a close. The boys left early Sunday.

This Wednesday I have a psych evaluation and an in-class writing evaluation in my Workshop in Essay Writing class. Yee-haw.

I'll be having a movie night with Mandi and Andrew sometime this week. We'll probably watch American Beauty and Snatch, but who knows?

Anyways, time for me to go edit an essay then take a shower. Hope all is well.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Eng Lit Pre 1700 exam = done!

2005-11-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

I just got back from writing my English Literature Before 1700 exam, and so my weekend can begin. I am so relieved. That is not to say that I haven't still a gross amount of work to do (the reading never stops, the essays, another psychology evaluation... you know), but now that my exams are basically done for the time being, I can relax and get back to some semblance of a normal functioning life. I never thought I'd be excited to do laundry.

I haven't posted in quite some time, so I am not sure exactly what to talk about. Pretty much I've been studying and sleeping the time away, with the occassional social thing thrown in (let's get serious, how much do I want to study on Saturday nights?). So rather than tell you about my eventful but rather uninteresting existence, I suppose I'll just pick up again.

This weekend Tyler, Jaymie, Cory, Kyle, and Mike are coming up, so Friday night and Saturday are going to be a little crazy, but lots of fun.

Now that exams are done I get to start working on essays. The fall edition of YAWP, our literary publication, is due out soon. I am a reviewer, which means I help pick what goes in and what doesn't. As a result, I had to spend a few nights reading and rating the submissions, which altogether encompassed well over a hundred pages. So that was mostly fun. If you care at all about renaissance/17th century poety, I have a story for you. Talk to me.

So, either I have nothing of relevance to say or I've forgotten how to blog. I think I'll end here. Hope everyone is well.

Exit Chelsea, Stage left.

My Space

2005-10-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Psychology Midterm 1: done
Religion, Culture, and Identity Midterm: done

I still have a lot of studying, a lot of work, left to do, so this will not be a significant interruption of my Blog's haitus. I just wanted to let everybody know that I created a "Space" on MSN, so I can now have a photo album. There are lots of pictures to look at. :)

http://spaces.msn.com/members/chelsea-chamber/

By the way, if your picture appears on my Space or my Blog and you would like it removed, just let me know.

Back to studying. It is raining today.

Chelsea Out.

Midterms

2005-10-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Blog posting will be experiencing a temporary hiatus due to midterms. Wish me luck.

2005-10-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

What do you have to be thankful for?

2005-10-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

It seems it has been quite some time since I last posted. I have been exceedingly busy... and will remain so for the next few monthes. My Midterms do not really finish until the third week of November (they start this week).

I went home this past weekend for Thanksgiving. My mother came up to Ottawa and drove Amanda, Ian, and myself home to Markham. We arrived at about 2 pm, just in time to drop off our baggage and get to the school for the little "grad reception" in the cold caf. The event consisted mostly of squealing and hugging and yearbooks signing.

After that I went home and my mother and I ate Chinese food. It is funny how I've left home and yet I still missed takeout food... I suppose that is a testament to the decent food offered here at the university.

That night was our commencement or graduation ceremony. Yes, it happens in October. Don't ask. The night was basically boring (though it was nice to see everyone all snazzy, one last time), with random officials delivering speeches about how they are so proud of us, students whom they never have and likely never will meet. Oh so fake. The speeches by the teachers were nice, though, because not only were they more interesting but they also meant something. I got an MDHS Staff Award... I'm still not entirely sure what that means, but the flattery and the cash are both appreciated. I miss teachers.

After the ceremony we all went and partied at Kemper's. That was fun. I got in at 3 am.

The next day I slept in until after 12 pm: oh the decadence. I spent the afternoon with Ashlee. We went on a Starbucks date :) , had a mishap involving pumpkin spice lattes, went to Loblaws and to the Village Grocer. It was so nice to see her again and to just chat like we used to. That night was Markham Bowl... MDHS lost to B.A. for the first time in my memory. Disappointing. It is a good thing I attended for the social atmosphere and not for the football. The rest of the night was spent either at Kemper's or Mathers', depending upon who you were with. I was at Kemper's house for the evening, and got home at approximately 1 am. My brother Stephen got home shortly thereafter and we ate leftover Chinese and talked. I miss my brothers.

Saturday was fun. I went to see Tim Burton's Corpse Bride with my mother and younger brother Jeremy. The movie was a little twisted and a little ridiculous (or maybe more than just a little), but as long as you don't try to take it too seriously it was most enjoyable. Basically, it was a Tim Burton Film. That night we had our Edgell/Chao Thanksgiving dinner. Gosh I miss those Edgell/Chao dinners. In addition, Dave, Kemper, and Arlene (Stephen's lady love) also attended. The company was fantastic and the food was even better. Turkey, Mommy's Crustless Pumpkin Pie... I won't go on. It was so yummy! After dinner Melissa, Kemper, Dave and I slept/watched a movie. Then we went out for a little while with Lowe, ran into some people. Everyone was very tired, so I was home by midnight.

Sunday was basically a day for packing and running errands, in preparation for my 2:30 departure back here to Ottawa. Amanda's family drove us... the ride was uneventful. We arrived at about 9 pm. Doing homework was a lost cause, so I put up my newest poster and cleaned my room. Then I chilled with floor people and talked on MSN.

Midterms begin this week. Oh Hell. I shall not say anything more on the subject.

For those of you that read my Thursday, September 22nd post regarding the upcoming film adaptation of the epic poem Beowulf, new information has reached my ears.

Some more interesting names on the cast: Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich.

More importantly, I have discovered that the screenplay was co-written by a certain Mr. Neil Gaiman. I have read (and enjoyed) several of Gaiman's novels. He is a showy contemporary author and I always thought he would be well-suited to writing screenplays... now I shall get to see. After having read Gaiman's American Gods, it does not surprise me at all that he would like to write a film adaptation of Beowulf. Very much up his alley. He also writes graphic novels (comics books that take themselves seriously), and Lord knows what else.

Another book worth reading if you have a slightly twisted or quirky sense of humour would be Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It is nothing literary, but the novel is a hysterical tale of the Apocalypse. Yes, the end of the world. You may think me sick to find a story of Armageddon really funny, but it is.

The description on the back of the book goes something like this:

"According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter -the world's only totally reliable guide to the future - the world will end on a Saturday.

Next Saturday, in fact, just after tea."

So now I must get back to work. Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

Queen's Homecoming

2005-09-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

I've just arrived home, drawing my mad weekend in Kingston to a close- and mad it was, predominantly due to the fact that Queen's students are out of their minds...But more on that to follow. Let's start at the begininng.

Ian walked me to the bus station Friday morning to catch my 10:30 bus to Kingston. The bus ride was uneventful, and I arrived on time and in good order. From there I took a cab to see my relatives. I got to have a second birthday cake with my little cousins. They are so cute, but growing older faster than my mind can really keep pace with.

From there I got a lift to the Queen's campus, and met Dave at the corner of Union and University streets. How delighted I was to see him I cannot explain. He then escorted me back to McNeill House (his residence), at which point I had to endure being introduced to all the people on his floor. Ordinarily there are 53 people on the floor, but with all the guests in the building for homecoming, it was ridiculous. All this considered, I think I did very well at remembering names. I met a great deal of wonderful people: some fun, talented, friendly, utterly insane people. Dave's roommate Alessandro is a hilarious little jackass (I mean that in the nicest possible way), and the two of them seem to get along swimmingly. I am glad to have met all those nutjobs of McNeill 2. Friday night I just partied in Rez with them, and we had a jolly good time.

Saturday morning there was a Pancake Kegger but I did not attend. I chose to sleep in a bit instead. We went for lunch (the lineups were just as crazy as the students all weekend) and then went to the Homecoming football game: the Ottawa Gee-Gees vs. the Queen's Golden Gaels. Of course the Gee-Gees won, and I wore my uOttawa sweater with all the gloating pride I could muster, despite one suggestion that I be lynched.

However, the victory was not the defining aspect of the football game. Honestly, I think any anthropologist or sociologist would have a field day attending that game. Occult madness. When the Gaels scored a touchdown, the entire stadium stood in triumphant applause and commenced the distrubing ritual they call the "oil-thigh": some strange variation of the can-can to bagpipe music and gaelic singing. Then the pipe band played and marched around and the highland dancers danced and the cheerleaders went ballistic... the whole ordeal lasted for over 5 minutes. My inquiry: "If this is what happens for a touchdown, what on Earth happens when the Gaels win?" The answer (as provided by Will, Dave's floormate): "I don't know... that doesn't happen much." Ha. Ha. Ha. And they are so proud of themselves.

The most interesting/frightening part of the game was half time. All the engineering students, who had dyed themselves purple for the occasion (the Queen's colours are red, yellow, and blue), rushed onto the field and began jumping up and down in a mad frenzy. Dave taped this ordeal. It was scary. Then they all took off their leather jackets and began beating the ground with them and shouting madly. This beating of the ground with their clothing continued for a long time, right through the marching of the pipe band through the fray... it did not change until the Alumni began their little march around the track surrounding the field. Then the engineers all lined the track and beat the ground in time with one another at the feet of the Alumni in some strange tribal gesture of respect. I basically watched the whole procedure openmouthed, not sure whether I should laugh or scream. I had a blast.

From there we left and got something to eat before returning to Rez. We chilled there and partied until we decided to go and watch the latter half of the Homecoming concert. Metric was great, though pretty much the same as they were at our Fedstock concert. Billy Talent was also really good, although they played too many new songs and not enough of their hits, in my opinion. So we had fun at the concert.

Walking back to Rez from the concert we went through the student ghetto, past the party on Aberdeen. My God, I am so glad we do not have parties of that scale here at Ottawa. That was truly frightening... and not in the same disconcerting sense as the engineering antics were. The street was a mob of drunken students. People were sitting on rooves and balconies, drinking and shouting at the people below. There was an overturned car on which people were partying in the middle of the street, which rumour says was lit on fire later that night. There were cops left right and centre, most looking helpless to do anything at all, but there were also mounted police and I'm told there were cops breaking out the teargas. I am so glad we did not stick around. As much as that makes for good bragging rights in terms of tales of huge university parties, I am so glad nothing on that scale happens here at the U of O.

So we made it back to Rez by like 2 am, where we chilled for the rest of the night.

This morning, Sunday, Dave had a chemistry tutorial so I stayed in Rez and chipped away at my religion reading until his return. Then we went to lunch with a few people. After that I chilled with Rachael for a while, which was so great because we had not really spoken since before she left for Turkey this summer. We had a great deal of catching up to do.

So at 5:00 a cab arrived to whisk me away from Dave to the bus station. I arrived home just after 8pm with many a story to tell. If you wish to hear more of my weekend (yes, despite the enormity of this post, I could go on), talk to me. I doubt the majority of you have made it to this point anyways. Sorry to be excessive, but this past weekend was full of excess. I had a phenomenal time. Thanks to everyone at Queen's for having me. You all need mental help, and I love you for it.

Now I must reassume my regular existence. Thanks for reading. Thanks for being.

Chelsea out.

Beowulf

2005-09-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

It seems that there is going to be another film adaptation of the epic poem Beowulf, this time around starring Ray Winstone as the title warrior and Crispin Glover as the monster Grendel. The film is expected to hit theatres in 2007... that gives all those out there who have yet to read the Old English epic a chance to do so... and please do. Even if you are unfamiliar with Anglo-Saxon literature, even if you do not plan on seeing the film, read Beowulf. It is one of those things that ought to be read.

I just wrapped up studying Beowulf in my English Literature before 1700 class. Now we move on to Chaucer!

Anyone interested in learning more about the upcoming film (or any other film for that matter) would be well advised to click on The Internet Movie Database, in my Links section. It's a great website for movie buffs and other film-oriented people (and they aren't even paying me to say that).

Lots to do. I leave for Kingston in the morning.

The Dresden Dolls

2005-09-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

My older brother is going to see the Dresden Dolls at the Mod Club on October 25th. Ought to be an interesting experience. I'm so envious. This crazy gothic duo market themselves as "brechtian punk cabaret," and I'm sorry but I must say that I think the drummer, Brian, is rather attractive, especially in his bowler hat. Not my favourite band, but fun when you are in the mood.

www.dresdendolls.com

The Blogging Birthday Girl

2005-09-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am now posting as an adult: legally, if not quite otherwise. Yesterday was my 18th birthday. The day began with Corn Pops, then philosophy class and more discussion of Plato's Euthyphro. Seriously interesting, however the professor has a tendency to make random remarks that I would consider idiotic if the man was not a philosophy professor, and I do not want to think you can be both a philosophy prof and an idiot simultaneously. Such thoughts offend my sensibilites, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, even if he did butcher the story of Oedipus.

After that I met my Aunt Barb and Uncle Chris and they took me out for lunch. We went to Mexicali Rosa's by Dow Lake, and it was positively delightful and much appreciated. It is very nice to know that I will be seeing more of them now that I live closer to them.

After that I did some reading, because birthday or no these things must be done.

Then Ian accompanied me down to the bus station so I could purchase the ticket that will send me to Kingston this weekend. I wil be going to Queen's University for their homecoming. The Ottawa Gee-Gees are playing the Queen's Golden Gaels, and I am looking forward to seeing the Gaels thrashed... though I ought not to count my proverbial chickens before they have hatched. It will be fun nonetheless. I am eager to see some of the legendary Queen's spirit in action, so Dave can dance and make an ass of himself while I cheer for the Gee-Gees. Good times. I leave Friday morning, will be spending the afternoon with my relatives (if all goes according to plan) and the rest of the weekend with Dave and his new friends, I suppose. I hope to see Catherine at some point as well.

After arriving home from the bus station, there was a nice little group of people waiting not-so-patiently for me so we could go out to dinner. Thanks to Cory, Andrew, Ian, Amanda, and Cassie for taking me on that little adventure! Damn, that was some good Tiramisu. Thanks for spoiling me to death in your various ways, guys. I appreciate it. Thanks to all the people who called or sent me an email or talked to me on MSN (or more than one of the three), it was so nice to hear from you. Remember, we don't need a special occasion to have a chat! I'm always here for you if you need me.

My family sent me a fantastic bag of stuff with Tyler when he came to visit this past weekend. I feel so loved! Also, thanks for the cake!

To round off my birthday I had to attend a meeting of all the CASPAR (like our rez association for academic support and social stuff and all that) representatives. I represent our floor at meetings and am in charge of making everyone on the 20th floor knows what services and fun stuff is available to them.

I am also heading up Halloween activities. We are going trick-or-treating to the Prime Mininster's and the Governor General's houses. What else? We shall soon see... but I do know that now I need a good idea for a costume. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear from you!

So now I'd better get back to taking Psychology notes. I have a lot to do if I am to leave Ottawa in good standing this weekend.

Exit Chelsea, stage left.

Not-so-late-breaking News

2005-09-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Tyler is on his way!

He arrives tonight, we are going to go on an adventure to pick him up from the bus station. It ought to be fun.. the only problem is that now it is raining. So perhaps we will be taking a cab? I don't know. We'll see.

We also need to go to Loblaws at some point, for we need to restock our fridge. Right now it only has some fruit and a nice big chocolate cake. My family sent me a cake because my birthday is on Monday. So either tonight or tomorrow we are having a cake-eating pre-birthday party.

Today I did not put as large a dent in my list of Things To Do as I would have liked, but I was out very late last night and felt I deserved a bit of a slack day. I watched Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Having Fridays off is great.

I am considering the possibility of joining the ranks of the writers and editors of Yawp, the English department's "literary" publication. I read the first issue, and there was some good stuff in it. So I'll have to stop by the UESA (Undergraduate English Students' Association) office and investigate.

It seems that I will be going to the Queen's University Homecoming next weekend. More on this to follow.

Tomorrow we are going to Cora's for breakfast, then likely meeting up with Cassie and Mike for a fun-filled afternoon. Perhaps we will go to the football game. This weekend is going to be most enjoyable, I expect.

Well, I think I'll try to get some reading done now. Tata.

Blogging as a Break from Reading

2005-09-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Good Evening.

I am just taking a break from reading. I am nearly done Beowulf and am thusfar enjoying my English Literature course immensely. Good books, good times.

Today, being Wednesday, is one of my busier days: more classes than is typical and the list of 'Things To Do' seems to be filling up already. I am, nonetheless, having a grand time. I like being pleasantly busy, and in my present situation I still have time for a social life. I am feeling very organized and capable and so far only one girl on our floor has had an emotional breakdown. So we are in pretty good standing, I'd say.

Tonight was the first meeting of the uOttawa English Debating Society: the university's oldest student association (The Student Fed and all the campus publications were all derived from the EDS) and current reigning World champions for international debating. These are my people. They are eloquent and persuasive and confidant and creative and oh-so-interestingly well-informed. These are my people. The EDS meets Wednesdays and Fridays for about an hour and a half in Simard Hall, then we all go to The Royal Oak (a nearby pub) and have more heated (and more lubricated, if you happen to be legal) arguments. Hip Hip Hooray, good times are in store. I feel very cultured.

As a further point of interest, it seems I am going to be judging in the uOttawa tournament that the MDHS Debate Team nearly attended last year. So that will be entertaining.

I went to my first Workshop in Essay Writing class. Good Lord. The teacher is nice but I cannot believe I am in that class. I have a feeling it is going to be child's play, but we'll have to see. I'm sure I will learn something: that is why I am here. However, I was dissappointed to learn that the longest essay we will be turning in this year will be a scant 3-5 pages (double spaced). Not that I necessarily want to do more work, but I was hoping to get to turn in something of at least satisfactory substance and legnth. *sigh

I am having a cup of Genmaicha Japanese green tea. This was the first kind of tea I tried on my very first shift at the Tea Company. I think I miss work.

Now I must go: busy busy busy!

Religion, Culture and Identity in Canada

2005-09-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I whined about how much reading I had to do for my religion class. I take it back. If all the classes are as interesting as the one I attended today, I will gladly plow through the assigned articles. Today and next class we are honoured to be joined by Mr. Allen Deleary, who is speaking to us about aboriginal religions in Canada and their place in society, both historically and in the present day. It is delightfully interesting. I have to remind myself to write something down occasionally, not just sit listening with my mouth hanging open.

At least I don't need to worry about paying attention in that class!

Off to read Beowulf for English.

No horses for Chelsea

2005-09-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

I was all excited when I found out about the U of O Equestrian Team... Then I found out how damned expensive it was to join. Considering I'd only compete in two shows per semester, the cost is positively ridiculous.

I will attend the information session tomorrow as I had planned, but my primary concern is no longer whether I will make the team. My primary concern is now that the cost is entirely disproportionate to the amount of horse-time I'll be getting in. I really don't think I can afford it.

So I suppose I'll attend this meeting and see what they have to say for themselves, then I may well have to call home and tell Mom that she doesn't have to send up my riding gear with Tyler after all.

Bother!

I have reading to do. Talk to you all soon.

Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments.

2005-09-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

I got my Trainspotting Poster!

Second Day of Classes

2005-09-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, and my second day of classes (I have Fridays off). I just got back from Philosophy. The class is huge but I think I'm really going to like my prof. I know several people in the class and it ought to be entertaining. Prof. Hunter is a little quirky but at least he has a sense of humour.

Valid argument: All dogs are animals. Fido is a dog. Therefore, Fido is an animal.
Invalid argument: All dogs are animals. Fido is a dog. Therefore, Fido is made of Zinc.

The man also wears socks and sandals.

The past weekend was great fun... apart from having to spend obscene amounts of money on books. However, the Norton Anthology of English Literature was worth every penny. It's huge and full of brilliance. I also got my course pack for my Religion and Culture course. The amount of reading I already have to do for that class is ridiculous!

Saturday night there was a party that went until 2am. Then another party started at 5am, for the 101 guides to celebrate getting off duty. Needless to say I was pretty exhausted when I dragged myself back to my dorm room for 9:30 ish. I am glad it is only annual... I don't think I would go to such a thing more than once a year. Anyways, I won't talk much more about that party.

Josh from down the hall just skateboarded past my room.

I have to go to my first psychology class soon, so I will go grab something to eat now. Lots of work to do!

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

First day of Classes

2005-09-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Classes began today, and it is raining- hard. It was raining so hard at one point that it even forced to Engineers to stop breaking small appliances with baseball bats in the courtyard. I had Religion, Culture, and Identity in Canada this morning at 8:30. I'm still a little confused as to why such a course is given in the basement of the Engineering complex. Ought to be an interesting class nonetheless.

I have English Literature Before 1700 today at 2:30 pm, NOT in the Engineering Complex. Then later tonight I will be going to Rock n' Bowl (like Disco Bowling I guess) with the rest of the English 101 kids.

I've investigated the Debate Team, the Ultimate Team, and the Equestrian Team... but I'm not yet sure which I'll actually be getting involved in. My prospects for making the Equestrian Team aren't that great seeing as I haven't been in the saddle in a year, but I'd try out just for the opportunity to ride again. So we'll see how that goes I suppose. Tyler is coming up next weekend and will be bringing my gear, if all goes according to plan.

I went on an adventure the other day with a new friend of mine. We went on a 3 hour walk across half the damn city and I know the city fairly well now as a result. That day was a bit ridiculous but at least now I know my way around.

People have now dropped into my room to hang out for a bit, so I'm going to finish this post here. Hope to talk to you all soon.

Frosh continues...

2005-09-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm here in my room with Amanda and Ian instead of going to the Icebreakers session. The huge cottage party I went to last night didn't get out until 2 am, then they expect me to get up and go to Icebreakers at 10am? Not happening, said I. So I will be going to the Opening Ceremonies and Fedstock concert at 2:30 instead. We will be seeing Metric, The Stills, and two French bands: Les Cowboys Fringantes (whom I am familiar with) and some other band. So it ought to be entertaining.

The party last night was insane; close to a a thousand people, I would say. Dance inside and live bands outside: The Cheap Suits and The Constantines and a few other bands. I met loads of people and had a grand old time.

Well I'd better go. I shall post on the Fedstock concert sometime in the future!

2005-09-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Go Ottawa!

Thompson 2014

2005-09-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Penthouse Suite of Thompson Residence! Amanda and I are living on the very top floor of the tallest building on campus... floor 20. The view is great although waiting for elevators is not fun. I took the stairs twice today because I got impatient. Yes, all 20 flights of them. If I keep this up I'll never have to worry about my butt again.

My room, apart from being rather warm, is nice. The place is bigger than I had thought it would be, blessedly. I now have a lovely Frosh T-shirt with ENGLISH spraypainted on the back... this is my passport to all the coming Week's acitivites, which I will summarize in some future post for those of you that care. However, I will note with displeasure that there are a few of the Frosh activities in which I cannot participate because I am not 18 until September 19th. BOTHER.

Chris, Dave, Kaelan, and Lowe just left us. They came to visit and it was the last time I'll be seeing Dave and Chris before Thanksgiving. That was a kind of hard. Lowe and Kaelan are both at Carleton, so I would not be at all surprised if we got together from time to time. In any case, Amanda and I have made many an acquaintance and are settling in very nicely.

Tomorrow is the Tailgate Party and the Football game: Ottawa vs. Guelph. Then off from the football game to some crazy cottage party. Ought to be entertaining.

So I will try to get some pictures of the room up at some point, though not tonight. I'm going to get into my pj's and gaze at the beautiful view of downtown Ottawa.

Exit Chelsea, Stage Left.

My Last Night in Markham

2005-09-01T02:15:00.000-07:00

I am leaving tommorrow (or rather today, it is morning now) for Ottawa.

But that is not what I am going to speak of this evening. Tonight I will be telling the tale of my last night in town, which I spent at a concert. The Mars Volta and System of a Down performed at the Air Canada Centre and I was there (in addition to my two brothers and Dave and a few other people I knew).

At approximately 7:20 the opening band came on. They were enthusiastic. They were also a terrible waste of biological material, to be frank. No further mention shall be made of this band in my account.

The Mars Volta was excellent. If System of a Down had not come to the stage at all and The Mars Volta's 45 minute performance had been the whole show, I still would have considered the night worth the cost of the ticket. They played wonderfully, then they got warmed up and played fantastically. The group was, this evening, comprised of eight guys. I was impressed when one of the auxilliary percussionists pulled out a tenor sax and began wailing on it... I was more impressed when he began playing a bass clarinet... and I was thrilled to stupification when he pulled out a flute and gave a performance that was almost (almost!) worthy of Jethro Tull. Blessedly extravagant in attire and energetic in manner, The Mars Volta played many a quality song. Three Cheers for The Mars Volta: Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray!

Now here I feel a touch guilty: System of a Down was the headliner band and I'm afraid I won't have as much to say about them as I did for The Mars Volta... though in my defense The Mars Volta was the reason I went at all. System of a Down was very tight- they were rhythmically complex and upbeat. If you like System of a Down you will love them live, because they perform their songs with gusto and brash enthusiasm. Harmony work: excellent. Tempo changes: flawless. My biggest problem with System of a Down was that they just carried on too long. I would have been happier with a set that was, say, at least 30 minutes shorter. All the pounding just gets monotonous... and things that are an aggressive assault on your auditory and visual perception should never be taken in such an excess as to make it monotonous.

All in all, the evening was worth both the money and the marginal hearing loss. Thanks for coming with me, Dave. I had a blast.

Farewell

2005-08-30T00:20:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone! I just got home from a little party at Mike's... it was the last time I will be seeing several of the attendees, so I am feeling a little nostalgic. Goodbye to you all, hope to see you at Thanksgiving. For those who will not be at Commencement, try to get to Markham Bowl.

Welcome to The Chamber

2005-08-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

It seems I have finally yielded to temptation and created a Blog. It is not (I tell myself) an act of hopeless self indulgence, rather it has behind it some noble purpose: as I will be heading off to university at the end of the week, I decided a Blog would be a good way to stay in touch with my friends and relatives. Despite my desires and intentions, I won't be able to keep up relations with you all as much as I would like. Therefore, if ever you are interested to see how I am faring at the good old University of Ottawa, just pop into The Chelsea Chamber and see for yourself.
The Chamber will by no means be a diary. I tried keeping a diary once and the poor book failed miserably (this was in the fourth grade and I made a grand total of two entries). Besides, as much as I'm sure you all love me I don't think you care to hear: "Nothing happened today. I went to my Philosophy lecture. That was fun. Had pasta for dinner." So rather than a dull narrative The Chelsea Chamber will contain Late Breaking News Items (!), objects of personal interest... and posts where I just feel I have something to say.
I don't fancy myself much of a writer (yet), but on occasion some of my scribblings are likely to make it through the iron-strapped door of my self-consciousness and into the The Chamber itself. I suppose we'll have to see, now won't we?
So! Feel free to comment, tell me how you're doing, let me know you've been reading up on me! Not only will it be flattering to know that you've graced The Chelsea Chamber, but it will help with the mission of my little Blog to stay in touch. Thanks for reading.
(Exit Chelsea, Stage Left. )