Persistent Illumination

Only two more finals, an EWB meeting and an Imprint staff lunch, and I get to call it a week... well, and ISO tutoring, getting keys to the coggy labs, preparing for EAUW next term...oh, and classes, though I barely remember those anymore...

I would really just like to sit down, play Halo and chill out for a night.

The EWB meeting tonight was fun. Beer and faux-nachos at the board room in the Grad House. Those kids are great. Perhaps we will finally get to look at long-term visions for the chapter. Retreat at my house, January 3!

Seriously, I could have sworn that tomorrow was Wednesday and I had to write my Training and Development test. My head is in a blur. So much has happened, other than today's hours of massive cramming for my Culture and Psych test.

My column submission was approved for the Winter 2005 term at Imprint. It looks like I will be famous! Or infamous? Either way, watch out for "The Professional Student," premiering in your campus newspaper in January. 'Business and student issues,' it's nice to have a relatively loose mandate...it sounds like I was voted in unanimously?

Also, I had discussions today with the Entrepreneurs Association of UW. It looks like I will be an 'advisor to the co-chair' during the Winter 2005 term. There is supposedly going to be some executive title for me, but that remains to be seen.

Also, I booked my flight to the Engineers Withour Borders National Conference in January. Should be fun!

... is going to be gruelling. What to do?

- one final exam in Cognitive Neuroscience
- another in Training and Development (HR course)
- a third in Cultural Psychology
- meetings with or for the Entrepreneurs Association of UW, EWB, Imprint, the HRM club and the Arts Faculty Council Executive
- a final paper due for Organizational Design and Technology
- my column submission is up for approval at Imprint
- loose ends to tie up for EWB, Imprint, Feds, OCD ...
- work at the Student Access Van (3x) and hopefully the coggy labs
- clean my room

Aaaaaarrrrrrggghhhhhhh!!!!

Last night's Brinkman Christmas party was not worth the hype. The e-vite noted that the locale - the Rhino - would be a great "place to drink yourself shitty, play a little pinball, and shoot some stick ... Ambience? Not really..."

Showing up dressed in none but the most casual of gear for this planting party, I was sad to find that the event was clearly not as advertised. The Rhino oozed ambience, with classily-dressed patrons crowding around in the dimly lit atmosphere while pursiung overpriced drinks, a shot at the quite-nice pool tables or a shot at the not-so-nice waitresses. The damn place was carpeted, for goodness sake. Nothing screams "we don't expect you to spill drinks, so don't get rowdy" like carpets. Not the ideal place for a planting reunion.

Plus, only about a dozen or so of the potential 200 attendees actually made an appearance. November is too early for a planting party. And *shudder* some of the planters dressed up nicely. Not powder-blue-tux-from-the-Timmins-Goodwill nicely, but actual you-look-attractive nicely. Shudder

Still, me and the Dilworth had a good time, quaffed our fair share of beer and cut out early. Not the worst of nights, but a definite bust.

As I have grown up, I have learned that each season has its theme. Spring for visioning and planning ahead for the year. Summer for building and carrying out the vision. Fall for reaping and enjoying the benefits of the harvest. Winter, then, is for internal reflection, a time for looking at where you've gone and what you've done, and start looking at where you want to go next.

Fall might have been more about working really hard and stretching a tight budget, but as for winter I have had a few new things to reflect on recently. UW's Dean of Arts has also agreed to write me a letter of reference - open-ended, unlike the UW President's target-specific offer. The jury is still out on my request for a reference from the Student Life Office, but hey, I'm more than grateful for the offers from Dean Kerton and President Johnston.

Now I have to decide what to do with them. The UW chapter of Engineers Without Borders wants me back for next term. No doubt my having helped to well surpass the target for the upcoming conference travel has something to do about it! $3000 target, but we've just hit $4000 and are still counting ... free flight for me and 11 others to Vancouver in January for their upcoming national conference!

The Entrepreneurs' Association of UW also may see me as an executive next semester. I had a lunch meeting with their current co-chair - I'd be glad to help out there.

All this, plus research assistantship at the cognitive psychology labs at UW. Where should I go for grad school, I wonder? About time to decide, I think.

My family has also been up to much recently. Philip is about to graduate (before me, aargh) and leave Waterloo, perhaps forever. Lost to suburbia of Toronto, I will miss his presence more than anything else from my time here at UW.

Simon, the photographer extraordinaire, has been showing off his talents recently through an entrance to an on-line photo contest.

Joanna and her partner are going to let me crash on their couch at Christmas. Still warm enough for the swimming pool that you have in your backyard, girls? My big brother and his family will also be in Nashville for Christmas, I am told - first time in a few years that we'll all be together for Christmas!

University of Waterloo President David Johnston has agreed to provide me with a letter of reference, largely for my years of volunteerism on his campus. This is good (and somewhat unexpected) news. Asking for what you want is not the worst strategy, it seems. Thanks for appreciating me, President Johnston.

Our prayers are with you, Shelly.

As of 4:00pm today, my (questionably tasteful) girlfriend had (barely) received (only one) more votes for her (crappy) drawing of "nothing." The results were three votes for Heidi to two for me, with more spoiled ballots and bribe requests than there were actual votes throughout the competition.

So, Heidi, you win. Your pictionary skills are better than mine.

Phil, you will suffer for spoiling your ballot against your brother. Oh, yes, mark my words...

Yesterday on her blog, my girlfriend insulted my Pictionary skills. Thus, the gloves are off, a match to be settled in a duel of doodles. Who is the better artist? You be the judge!

We dueled at 3:00pm today, with suggestions from her 'friends.' But oh, no, wait, she has no friends! ... so we went with a recycled idea. We each had to draw "nothing."

To vote, post a response below. You don't have to sign in - note the 'post anonymously'- feature, but you do have to vote and give some sort of identifying signature (so I know you're not also voting on Heidi's blog). Voting will end at 4:00pm tomorrow (Monday).

Andrew	Click here
Heidi	Click here

Carolyn Parrish got the boot from the Liberal caucus a few days ago. Not very surprising, as she not only publicly attacked our country's largest trade partner but then also the leader of her own political party as well. 'Paul Martin, nya nya nya, you can't get me!' Oh, yes he can.

There is still something I wonder about. Though keeping Parrish inside the Liberal caucus may not have been the best of moves, was giving her power as an independent any good either? The House is currently in a minority government, in which the holder of one crucial independent seat is given far more power than many other single MPs. My question is this: did Martin, by giving Parrish the boot from the Liberal Party, not give Parrish considerably more power, rather than less? Perhaps, even, this is what Parrish wanted?

Not sure I can answer that question. Anybody else have any real insight?

It has been a week of poor predictions. After ripping through three essays on Tuesday, I was not able to get the other two done. My corporate leadership development essay was a little more problematic than I had hoped - it had to be more academically focused than real-world, the latter of which I prefer. Sigh. The cultural psych research proposal was put on the back burner as I worked a combined 12 hours on Thur and Fri.

The rest of my predictions came true, though. They culminated in a night at the Arts Formal at Fed Hall - which itself fell short of the attendance I might have predicted. Maybe only 70 people there? Still, all in all it was a good night. I had to work from 9:30-11:30 and when I got to the formal I was surprised at how quickly the Imprinters had managed to get completely blitzed. No naming names, but I got plenty of the "I love you, man!" and "Hey, I just can't stand up right now"s. Cheers to the non-imbibing Arda Ocal for winning the bar set, and to Tex Houston for declaring "Wednesday night is fondue night!" after winning his prize.

Oh, and one final disappointment: last night I wat notified by mail that I once again have been turned down for UW's President's Circle Awards for Volunteerism. That's all I have to say about that.

I am going to make a psychic prediction. By the end of the week, I will be able to make the following statement:

In the past week I have:
* written five papers for school: three major and two minor
* worked at four different jobs: the cognitive neuroscience research labs (psychology), the Student Access Van, Humanities Theatre and taught yoga at the True Natures Centre
* volunteered as the president of Imprint Publications, Waterloo and the co-VP Fundraiser for Engineers Without Borders, including writing a formal fundraising proposal for external organizations
* attended an entrepreneurship conference, Impact 2004, as a distinguished guest
* wrote an article for Imprint, plus took two photos to be published
* placed third with my team in the SJU Trivia Challenge
* started and maintained this blog (now you can see why)
* had enough spare time to play and beat Halo 2
* I even called in sick for part of the week because, well, I wasn't feeling well

Really, I'm just proud that I ripped through three essays in one sitting tonight. Still, that begs the question - with all this energy, why is my room still messy?

I think the work at Humanities Theatre this week involves a magic show. That should be engaging. That, and after all this work I'm really looking forward to the Arts Formal on Friday night.

Since I want more people to read my blog, I'm going to post more silly stuff here. People like silly things. Here are two videos from the Web. Anybody got better ones?

Singing Hippo
Jackie Chan does Street Fighter

Since posting, I've realized that Neal's suggestion of the Singing Hippo came from a great source of stupid videos. My favourite has to be "DUI," followed by "Maestro," "Exploding Watermelon" and "Dumbest Kid Alive." And, on the topic of new additions to this post, who can forget:
Matrix Ping Pong?

Open Office: why would anybody pay for MS Office if you can download the freeware for ... well ... free? (Hopefully, I will not be finding an answer to this question, ever.) Hooray for my laptop finally having compatible programs.

Spyware: tonight I had my first really bad encounter with it. After trying four separate programs, Webroot's Spy Sweeper actually got the job done.

So, tonight I taught my first yoga class in almost a year. Well, not counting my experiences teaching yoga to some dirty treeplanters at Brinkman this summer - later in life, I think I will look back at that experience as one of the best things I've ever done.

I teach in the Ashtanga style, a vigorous style of yoga that has come to be known in the mainstream as "power yoga." The community class lasted only an hour and I cut it down to 45 minutes. It can be quite difficult to do ashtanga, but that's why I like it - it cuts down on all the bull.

I can also teach in the Kripalu style of yoga, but that has tended to be far too gentle for my tastes. Likley as I grow older and start slowing down, I will tend to appreciate this style more.

I am a bit afraid of teaching yoga again, though. There are many things that people strive to achieve through yoga. Some of them I have achieved and avoid now as they have been all-consuming.

I may start to have yoga dreams again. That would be good for the soul. Many thanks to Meaghan Johnson and Amanda Ingall for starting up the True Natures Centre in Waterloo.

What really pushed me over the top to get a blog: Doodle Duels

They're really quite funny, I think.

What do you think of my blog? Any suggestions?

Can you believe it's only been two weeks since the heartland voted red? I can't. I'm still mulling over the results of the US Presidential election.

One interesting link comes at www.betavote.com. Apparently, the 'whole world' wanted Bush to lose. Including the USA, by a 51% margin.

I spent much of today at the student-run entrepreneurship conference, Impact 2004. Though I can not say that I really learned much in the way of new material, the conference did exceed my expectations. There was a balanced perspective of entrepreneurship, with as many warnings and stereotype challenges of the field as there were praises.

I liked the 'female entrepreneur' much more than I thought I would. Her presentation was far from the token "PC" speech, and was quite inspirational. It's good to know that the glass ceiling stereotype has largely faded and that a successful woman in the workplace is no longer seen as the "b#tch with a chip on her shoulder." Frank O'Dea, founder of The Second Cup and member of the Order of Canada, was also quite moving as the night's keynote speaker. Lord knows I started out like he did, I can only hope to end as well.

The event was fun for me, personally, since I seemed to have many positions and as many nametags. Waterloo delegate, media delegate and 'distinguished guest.' Hey, the VIP access got me free drinks at the break, kudos to you Kunal Gupta! John Andersen and Hanna were also there, those were good breaks.

All in all, the Impact 2004 team did a great job. Kunal, Guarav and all the rest - I wish you well in your future endeavours! Also, Geoff Malleck now owes me a coffee date. It's about time. He taught one of my favourite classes at UW and I would certainly enjoy getting to talk with him again.

Last night - November 12, 2004 - my usual table took third place at the annual SJU Trivia Challenge. This was unprecedented and certainly unexpected. The Trivia Challenge is really, really hard - especially if you're at a student-only table. Questions such as "Who played Frank Burns in the M*A*S*H movie?" (Robert Duvall) or "Who was the destructive vagrant on The Andy Griffith Show?" ( I still don't know) put us young'uns at a certain disadvantage.

Psychotic Wayne (Phil was wearing a shirt that said "Wayne" and James's hoodie read "Psychotic") started out in the top three after the first round of trivia, much to our own surprise, and clung to that set throughout the game. Even the final, 10-part bonus question didn't phase us, as we kept strong. Can you name the CBC's top 10 Canadians of all time, in order of their birth? We got 8 out of 10 right. Best of luck to those who try.

Anyways, it was an exciting night. We scored 620 out of a possible 790 points, with the leading team squeaking in at a mere 645. Props go out my fantastic cross-section of team members: Phil and his friend Katharine, the scientists; Rob "the Serbs" Dieghan for his knowledge of all things politics and Seinfeld; Michelle (Danube), James (St. Lunatics) and Tara (He's dead!) all had some stellar showings.Of course, who can forget our team MVP, Wayland, master of all trivia? Next year, we'll take second! Second! Second!

I could have done a bit better on the contributions side, though. Still, do you know who is not on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Buster Keaton or Mae West? I do. :)

This will be my blog. An uncharismatic start to what is sure to be a charismatic blog. There are never a shortage of interesting moments in my life, yet many fade away for want of a decent chronicle. This shall be my public, private attempt to document my doings.

Judi Tetro, motivational speaker, sent me an e-vite. It's official. The Brinkman Christmas party will be held on November 27 in Toronto, with a follow-up party later in Kingston. The Dilworth and I will be sure not to miss this low-budget, high-excitement gathering ... though we still need a place to crash that night in Toronto.

I sincerely hope that Heather and Claire will be there. And G-ram, Lance, Quincy and the boys. And Shar. And Ron. And John Roden. Especially John Roden - my season would not have been the same without him. He made life worth living.

I find that, of all the people I have met, treeplanters most embody the essence of creativity. That, plus they are some of the most deeply good and honest people I have ever met. I often strive to carry that spirit into the rest of my life.

Meagan Dilworth and I celebrated our birthdays at the Bombshelter last night. Sure, my birthday was on Monday but the Bomber did not care. Cheers to the Bomber for their birthday deal - backdoor access until 11pm for eight guests each, free nachos and gifts (Bomber birthday beer mug). Drinking, dancing and good times - sure to be a somewhat tame preview of the upcoming Brinkman Christmas party for Dilworth and I.

The best part about the night was learning that the beautiful Bomber servers knew my name. I did not know that they did. Thanks to them for many nights of wonderful service and to Tim "Sarge" Sargent for running a tight ship. I sincerely wish all pubs could be student-run.