WRIT 2900 comes to an end...

Dear Reader,
I am coming to the end of another writing course. WRIT 2900 is taught by James Dewar and Sue Reynolds. Now these two are not your average joe writers. They have knowledge that amounts to thousands of books and experience coming out the ying yang. I have had the pleasure of being a student of theirs once again. I have learned so much: poetry, point of view, narrative structure, are to name a few. A couple of friends took the course with me and each of us have blossomed into our own special writer known for a particular style and edge. Another asset we have developed from being in the course is ways to tone down or enhance that voice of ours that makes us so unique. So I urge you to take a course with these two wonderful writers. Knowledge exudes from their very pores.
Thanks so much James and Sue. You are mentors of mine and I am lucky to know you enough to call you such!

It Keeps Gettin' Better....

Dear Reader,

Things have been quite busy in the last little while. I thought that I would bring you up to date because today is MY BIRTHDAY. I have received a number of birthday wishes from family and friends, and I have made it my job to personally send them a message back and thank them.

WORK
That’s right I currently have a job. I’m working for a company that I used to work for, that specializes in Rapid Prototyping. Some of you may not know what that is but if you look it up you will find out that it’s a special world for techies and there’s some interesting stuff that comes out of this type of work. I would put my company’s website up but I don’t have permission and I don’t know how they would feel knowing I am writing a blog post while at work. All the pressing things that were for me to do I have completed though. It’s nice to be back working and have an income that is regular and coming in. Sometimes it gets stressful but I have stated that I haven’t worked in 2 years so I need things to be easy for the first little bit. I have actually been working here a month, I almost forgot that. I am thinking about re-negotiating in January, more hours and such.

MOO NEWS
This weekend just past we had to give the babies their second set of booster needles. MJ, Nibbs, Mini B and Starlett were fab. I walked them over to the special pen, which is away from their mum’s and they are champion leaders. Mini B and Starlett can still have days where their attitude is quite prominent but this weekend they shone brightly. The kids are also exposed to the bull, Junior, who is their dad. I think they know that he is their daddy because they are very fond of him and spend a lot of time with him. Unfortunately, Junior’s time at the farm will be coming to an end soon because he has to move on to the next herd of ladies. He looks great this year, a lot better then last year. I got some pictures to post so I will try to remember to post them here as well. I’m hoping that we can get Junior again next year because the kids won’t be able to be bred so it will just be their mum’s that need servicing. The year after is when we will need to get a brand new hubba hubba for everyone. Junior will always have a warm place in my heart though because he helped create the wonderful kids that I have now.

THE HILLS
The Hills is turning out to be one of the best seasons ever. I know at the start I was complaining how it was slow and blah blah blah but it’s great. I re-neg all my previous statements. Each character is coming into their own and learning what is necessary as goals and wants and desires. Whitney has been lucky to get a spin-off from the hit tv show to create her own tv show called the City. This follows Whitney as she moves up in the fashion world and out to New York. The Speidi drama is rich as always and with a surprise turn, Heidi lost her job last night because she was drinking on the job. I think it’s going to get steam-ier with everyone.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY
Just wanted to mention that my best friend, Rebecca celebrated her 26th birthday on October 29, 2008. I was silly and didn’t send her anything for that day but I made sure to make it up to her by posting some videos on YouTube and sending her something which arrived yesterday, Monday November 3, 2008. My other best friend, Meggy has her 26th birthday coming up which is November 9, 2008. Please be sure to drop by her blog http://www.aphoenixlament.blogspot.com/ and give her a happy birthday wish. Then on the 28th of November my friend Sher Bear has her 26th birthday coming up November 28. Happy Birthday Sher, not sure if you read my blog but a big shout out is going to you.

WRIT 2900
This is my writing course that I am currently enrolled in. I think we are in our 6th week of sessions… and I am in love with this course. It is making me push the envelope, experiment with point of view, look at narrative structure, write lyrical poetry and much more great stuff. The teachers are James Dewar and Sue Reynolds, who if you have read my blog taught the fabulous Erotic Writing workshops that I participated in. This course has nothing to do with erotic writing but it is well rounded and focusing on the rules of writing so that when we know them, then we can break them! I have learned so much and will continue to do so. This course is great and I am learning so much more then I thought I would. This course also brought some of my fellow colleagues from the WRIT 1900 to the forum and it is great to be in class with them again. They too are excelling in their own ways and developing a voice they can call their own.

RIDING LESSONS
My one student, a young girl the age of 9 completed her set of 6 (½) hour lessons, which was given to her as a birthday present from her Grandpa. She truly enjoyed the experience and got to test out both my small ponies, Stewart (on lease) and Casper. She was so smart as to want to switch riding them between lessons because she said that she liked them both and didn’t want one to get more attention then the other. This gave me warm tinglies because she really cared about the ponies, and that’s the first step. I have since been approached by a girl to give lessons and we had our first lesson on Sunday, November 2, 2008. The student really liked how I accommodated her and her horse and made exercises (on the spot) suitable for what her training needs are. She plans to be showing in the spring, and I hope I am her coach for that because I would really like that. If you are interested in lessons please leave me a message and I will get back to you asap.

Even though the posts have been sparse I am trying to bring you up to speed in each one. I know that I have to get back to doing it regularly. For my next post I think that I should do some fun facts or something. Give you faithfuls a laugh!!!

Mish Mosh Monday

Dear Reader,
I miss writing to you greatly so I decided this morn that I would post you a little ditty. My mum is on holidays in Edmonton, but is currently in Jasper. My dad was a complete dick last night...no surprise there I guess. Because of that happening I have changed the thingy under my name on msn to “to be or not to be an asshole”. Yes it's hamlet-esque but that's ok, Shakespeare wrote a ton of good stuff so why not remember him by a quote from one of his fab plays. As you can tell from the start of this post it is going to be a post with a bunch of mish mosh cause I am just going to pour my brain on to the computer screen for your pleasure. I'm not even going to put paragraphs or anything. Today is mish mosh monday.BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER is a documentary that I watched yesterday. It was a great movie because it brought light to how American's consistently depend on steriods to keep themselves big and muscle-y, like Arnold, Lou Ferrigno, Jose Conseco, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Ben Johnson, Sly Stallone, and many other celebs that you would know. It was very informative because as serious as steriods is, it doesn't kill as many as the FDA, and other organizations say. It kills 3 people every year, while alcohol, hard, drugs, car accidents and other things kill thousands upon thousands of people. Very interesting and I totally thought the documentary host CHRISTOPHER BELL was hot and he was 1000000 times better then Morgan Spurlock (SuperSize Me). The weather last night was completely crumby too. There were thunder bolts and lightening crashes a lot and then came the buckets of rain. What a crappy night, it should have been predicted though because yesterday was very cold and yucky all day. The book I am currently reading is THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES by Cecila Ahearn (wrote PS I LOVE YOU), it's a very interesting book. A woman ends up getting a blood transfusion when she loses her baby and the donor's blood has come with memories of his family and life and job. So not only is her mind filled with her own life's disasters, she has to deal with his too. She actually goes on a quest to find the donor that saved her life. Interesting concept. Haven't finished it yet but I'm more then ½ way through and it's good. In my downloading travels, I happened to come across an album that was all burlesque music. I have listened to some of it and surprisingly, it is quite good. It's sort of like electronica but not quite, but I find it very interesting. Let's say that i am considering getting a pole for my apartment so that i can work out and get hot! (I know that's not really burlesque but ....). FYI= It's monopoly days at mcyaks so to all you die-hards, try and participate the prizes are really good and I wish you well and I'm hoping I get some luck too so that I can fun during monopoly days! Yes, it's my most favourite time at McYaks ever!
Signing off,
10 / 4 Good buddies

NEXT.....

Dear Reader,

Sometimes when words escape you nothing says it better then song. My friend wrote a recent post where she only used song lyrics to describe what is going on in her life.

http://aphoenixlament.blogspot.com/

I find that song helps me through a lot. When I want to rant I listen to some hard ass stuff. When I want to find comfort and solace I listen to music that is mellow and makes me ponder about many things. When I am in a good mood and just want to boogie, then the dance hall and club stuff comes out.

Whether it be James Taylor, Nas, Nellie McKay, Sarah McLachlan or Hedley they all have a story to tell. Each story is different from the last and certainly the next. Although certain parts of the song may ring true with you and may instigate some wonderful ideas they are someone else's ideas. These ideas make you spark your own ideas to write, create, or be your own new enigma. The power of song is something that not one single person could describe and it be the same for everyone else.

NEXT....

I am trying to eat healthy. I was given the challenge of eating one live food a day. For the first 2 weeks it went really well. I was trying different foods: yogurt, stir frys, veggies, fruit. Then I had to do a week of healthy carbs. I found that when I was eating the live foods I was more energized, able to go longer without a nap, overall feeling better. When I went with my week of carbs I did slow down a little bit and felt I craved that nap more then the last 2 weeks. I fell off the wagon and haven't been eating the greatest but come Monday back on the healthy stuff I go. It did a lot for me and even helped me lose a bit of weight. Everyone is really proud of me and being supportive for me to continue on this kick. Thanks guys!

NEXT...

I have a job. I met an old boss on the golf course last week and he said to give him a call regarding work if I was looking. Well being jobless gets tiring, so I did give him a call. I wanted to start supporting myself more and have a better income. Needless to say I started work on October 2 and am doing well. It's part time for now but I hope to eventually graduate to full time.

NEXT...

I sit here watching my two cats, Abby and Zoe. With the weather change they have been acting a little fritzy and doing some odd things. The batting matches are more frequent and since it's been so cold the patio door has been closed, so no outside time. I think the kitties miss their outside time, but I am not willing to freeze myself out of my own apartment just to please two spoiled felines. Yes, they may be my babies and my company but it's not happening. If there are a few nice days left then ok, the patio door will be open and they can seek refuge on the furniture. My cats are funny. They never used to get along. Abby lived here first before Zoe, but when Zoe arrived she thought it was her palace and Abby was an intruder. Well the tables have turned an now they are great friends. They play, share meals, and even beds. I'm glad there isn't 2 pissy females aside from me in my house because that would make life all that much harder.

NEXT....

I must make a quick mention about the Hills. When it first started I was really thinking that this season was going to be the worst season to date. Man was I ever wrong. They just needed to get their engines rev'd so that they could let the drama fly. The last few shows have been totally fantastic and have been drama packed, therefore making it the bees knees. There's the usual Spencer and Heidi conflicts, Lo and Audrina are now getting along, Lauren thinks she wants to date someone she's already dated (hopefully it's Brody...fingers crossed), Stephanie has betrayed Lauren, Whitney is a star at People's Revolution and the new guy Doug, well lets just say he's trying to get his from Stephanie behind Lauren's back and has been CAUGHT! So let's go back to singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of bickering and yelling.....”

Thanks to You

Dear Reader,
I sit here listening to a variety of music, some death cab for cutie, maroon 5, and other mellow music. For some reason I am brought to the edge of tears. All the songs seem to be touching my heart and wrenching it slowly. A tear has not been shed but my eyes are warm, hot even and the tears are brimming my eye lids. I have to say that I did listen to my favourite song, or one of them, What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie. There's something about that song that I cannot explain. I think it might be at the end when it says, LOVE IS WATCHING SOMEONE DIE......WHO'S GOING TO WATCH YOU DIE. That sentence alone brings me to pondering and wondering what life has to bear for me. Then the next song in rotation is She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. Every night before I go to bed I look in the mirror and tell myself that I am a strong, confident woman and I am not going to take shit from anyone. I think tonight that I could say that a few extra times...try and bring myself up out of this hole that I have dug for myself. Writing to you helps. I get to put down the core ideas down and you may not make sense of it, I know sometimes it makes no sense to me. But there's that 'it' factor about it because you dear reader are true and constantly come back for more. I wonder what brings some of you readers here to check out my blog. Education...maybe. Mixture of ideas....maybe. Trivial pursuit...maybe. There are so many answers that I cannot name one specific one. One thing I will say though, Thank you dear reader for sticking by me through thick and thiné I appreciate everyone that looks at this blog, it is my baby and I am so happy to share it with you. I may not know who you are, or I may know who you are. We could pass each other on the street and not know. So many scenarios, and situations. You are still here though no matter what. Thank you so much.

New Beginnings and Quiet Endings

Dear Reader,

FIRST AIDER
During the weekend I took my first aid and cpr course. I am officially a trained first aider and cpr person. I knew the person that was teaching the course, which was nice to see a familiar face. A couple things I noticed that I thought you should know. Whenever you are dealing with someone, ALWAYS put gloves on, doesn't matter if it's a baby, adult or whatever. This is for protection of yourself so that you do not get any diseases and such that may be transferred by mouth on mouth or skin on skin contact. Another piece of information, if you want to have the donut bandage in your first aid kit, be pro-active and make a few ahead of time. I personally found it very time consuming to make this bandage. I found the procedures for a when a baby is choking very harsh, but that's just the way it is I guess. So now being a knowledgeable first aider, I can now give riding lessons and know the correct procedures for what to do in case of emergency. Crossing my fingers, I hope that I never have to use them but I am ready just in case.

FRIDAY – My Grandmother Passed Away
Unfortunately, for my dad his mother passed away on Friday. She passed in her sleep so there was hopefully, no suffering. Towards the end of things, she was unable to recognize who my dad was. I did not have any contact with her so I am wishing she rests in peace and leaving it at that.

HEALTH BINGE
Last week in one of my groups, I was told to try and eat a LIVE fruit or vegetable everyday for 7 days. I have been very good and keeping track of what I eat so that I can tell the group of my progress. I must say that I feel a lot better and not only that, but I find I am not aching for a nap as much as I was before. I have tried to eat something different everyday so that I am broadening my tastebuds, and trying new things. I have made a significant change, all I have to do is keep it up!

MINI RANT

I will admit that I use my email a lot and I do not have a problem with people who do. Since my parents are in the baby boomer age I have also learned that certain things are better done face to face. An incident occurred last night where I had two people tell me they were no longer riding at my barn. The sad part is that they both did it over the email. They had my home phone number so why not just call me.... These people are of my parents age so I don't understand why they don't use the face to face policy either. Mum said it could be because they are in the age of computers and that takes the job of having to tell someone something face to face away. I find it very sad that people find they can hide behind their computer screen and keyboard and just type a message and that be the end of it. Yes, I realize it would or will be harder to tell someone to their face or at least over the phone, but you took the high road, so KUDOS to you for doing so. Very rarely anymore do people take the high road, but for the few that do that makes us special. We are not apart of the faceless computer communication age.


At least these two fish are in a situation where if need be they can communicate face to face!

I'm Over You

Dear Reader,
I originally decided that I was not going to write this because I figured that I don't need to devote anymore time to writing about the guy I refer to as the One. Well there has been a breakthrough in the land of Sarah..... I am over the One. My best friend said that I should write to you dear reader so that you can feel refreshed to know that I am over him. It has taken quite a long time to get over him... years actually. The last time I spoke with him he rejected me and I have moved on from that. I used to think that there is one person in the world that will be your one and only true love. Well I haven't found the new guy yet but I am going to prove that theory wrong. The next guy I date, he will be spoiled with my love and feelings for him, something the One realized was not a good idea. To have someone care about you insistently for so long after the break up, that to me says there was something special...not to him though... he didn't want to remember anything of those times and such. Well that's fine I am done remembering them as well. I am currently focusing on myself before getting into a relationship. One needs to be at comfort and understanding with themselves before they throw another person into the mix. Getting over the One has been a major success for me, it took a lot of listening to the Aly and Aj cd, which is all about moving on and having a relationship end.

ALY & AJ LYRICS

"Flattery"

Please, don't flatter yourself
You're not the only one
This heart has ever felt
Please, don't exaggerate
Don't tell me you're okay, okay, okay..

I will admit, if you admit it
It's harder than we both thought
It's easier to fall apart
Look where we are (look where we are, look where we are)
I can forgive it, I can't forget it
You left me here with all these scars
and you can't deny the hardest part
I'm not in your arms

We're more hurt than we appear
The world will never know
We both have tasted tears, my dear
You're denying what I say
Don't act like it's okay
Cuz it's not okay

I will admit, if you admit it
It's harder than we both thought
It's easier to fall apart
Look where we are (look where we are, look where we are)
I can forgive it, I can't forget it
You left me here with all these scars
and you can't deny the hardest part
I'm not in your arms

It's not in the cards
It's not in the stars!
I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry
You're not sorry

I will admit, if you admit it
Just please, don't flatter yourself
Please, don't flatter yourself