Unclean

Alright. I know the Bible is the word of God and that it is absolutely amazing. But one thing I always kind of like is when I come across a verse where sit with my jaw open just because the verse seems a bit obscure or random. Let's quickly put this into context. Leviticus is the book of the law and gives regulations to worship. There's a section starting at chapter 11 that deals with how you are clean or unclean. Fairly interesting. But then it goes into a section on becoming unclean due to skin diseases, which again, is fine. Actually, it's pretty interesting. But the last part in chapter 13 stuck out to me as kind of funny.

40 "When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. 41 If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. 42 But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. 43 The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, 44 the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.
45 "The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' 46 As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp."

First off, nobody in the rest of the chapter with a skin disease needed to look like a hobo and act schitzo screaming out "unclean!" Secondly, the guy is already bald, why rub it in by saying "let his hair be unkempt"? Lastly, because you're bald and have a red spot on your head the next step does seems to isolate the guy. I had a good chuckle at all this.

'Lance It 'Till It Bleeds

I had to auto-lance my finger to get it to bleed so I could do a blood smear. My blood is afraid to come out. It took a while to get the amount of blood needed. I had the lance on setting 5. The other students in the class bled all over the place. It makes me feel inadequate. That is all.

Feels Like "Orange"

There has been a considerable drought on the blog stage by the college students, so thus I must give props to good ol' Danny B for stepping up and giving 'er. Great guy that Danny B, great guy. His muscles are huge.

We had a small apple tree in our backyard when we were growing up. It was planted quite a bit later than our cherry trees, which were huge and pumping out cherries by the bucket-fulls which usually ended us going on a cherry binge, followed by a visit to the bathroom due to all the cellulose ingested. But this apple tree never really grew, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure that soon after it was planted it started to produce fruit. This was exciting for me. To be able to see fruit growing at eye level was great. But this tree was always a lot smaller than I thought apple trees should be, though it was producing an unholy amount of fruit. So much fruit that it weighed down the branches, stressing them in a way that probably wasn't good for the tree. We eventually dug up the tree, and now we plant flowers there.

Sometimes I wonder how far you can take the metaphors of the Bible. "Be rooted in love." Ok, so we're some sort of horticultural specimen. I can handle that. "Don't let your shoots outgrow you roots or you'll topple over." There's some deductive reasoning based on the derivative of plant growth. Take that derivative again, and you'll get "Trying to produce a lot of fruit when you're not ready for it isn't good for you." Can we say that? Does God want us to be able to produce a lot of fruit when we're unsure of our relationship with him, or we feel like we stumble and fall day in an day out, screaming out for one day where we feel like we got a "check +" on the ol' report card for the day?

We had a speaker at our monthly campus "church" service last night. Don't get me wrong, it's a good service and I enjoy it, it's just not a "church," that's all. Anyways, this speaker got up and preached a message I was used to hearing due to my years at Victory. There was even a pseudo-alter call at the end of it. I was a tad cynical, I'll admit, though not as much as I usually would have been with this type of message. One thing that stuck out about what he said was that missions can't be something you do for your ego, but rather somthing you do because you love Jesus. Check-mate.

Would you let me take a third derivative? x'''(f)?

Apparently "guilted" isn't a real word. I'm using it anyways. Sometimes we're guilted into this thing called missions. It happens easy. Sometimes there's a need in a ministry, and the pastor calls everyone to help serve, with a convincing message which leaves you feeling inadequate unless you do something about it. That falls under the equation of "faith = works" or something like that. Yes, faith is dead without works, but not vice versa. So, we're guilted into doing some sort of service, and we produce it, but we burn out. Burning out happens. Constantly burning out shouldn't, however. I find in the past when I've been burned out, it's because of a selfish reason in the first place; my ego, my hand giving my shoulder a pat on the back. It's like I've grafted a branch full of apples onto my tree of faith that can't handle it.

One could counter argue that when you get into this type of ministry/mission/ service, that you'll grow a lot as well as produce fruit. A possibility, and usually true. Is there a balance we can muster?

Generally Amazed

It's been two weeks. Two weeks is seven days, twice. Two weeks is closing your eyes only to find, upon opening, that three days have gone by with you unable to recall what happened in them. Two weeks is a great time.

I am a creature of routine. I like to have things laid out, looking pretty and smelling of fresh fruit. My bed time is flexible in and around 15 minutes; the aroma of peaches. My class time is concrete and consistent; pineapple that stings the nostrils. And my hangout time is mushed in between the other two, similar to small grapes, or, a mushed banana. Yes, a mushed banana.

I was stressed a few times this past week, and that scares me a little. Yes, it is true; third year is different that second. I would go so far to say that it is harder. I would also like to take one more blind step onto the stepping stone ahead (obviously surrounded by dark sludgy water where undoubtedly a few homely looking reptiles live) and say that it will be better. Better in the way that although the work load has increased, the focus is sharper. Living off campus is a less distracted life, one filled with casual drop in at opportune times, as well as quiet houses on nights that wait in anticipation for the forthcoming busy day. It is... how do you say... nice.

I bought a plant for my room. It's a large plant. It is a Majesty Palm from WalMart. It sits behind the couch that I got for free. Sorry, it goes behind the couch, Majesty Palms can't sit.

Amongst the hype of classes and the Fall Ball, I was able to do two things that I always wanted to do last year. First of all was write an article for the school newspaper. That was grand. Second was perform at coffee house.

I hope that you're all doing well. Drop me a line if you feel motivated to do so.

Peace and love.

The Trees Bend With Our Lies

As much as I would like to keep that picture of the life taking rodent, I feel that it should graduated into the category of previous posts.

So after about a few days of classes and almost a week of living in the new place I've discovered that off-campus life is pretty sweet. Yesterday Brian came up on his new bike and we had some tasty dinner. You can't buy cauliflower at the Redeemer market, but Brian and I (and Ree and Jordan) had cauliflower last night. It's because we're off campus you see.

Other things that are a plus is that my living space is organized and very livable. This makes me happy. I wish I was an interior decorator because I like it when rooms look pretty. There it is, another character flaw. One thing that comes with the neat and organized room is ear-tickling jazz music in low lighting while playing computer games. Mmmmm.

Our house got a 53 inch TV. It almost takes up the entire wall and hockey starts in a month. Oh man, that's pure gold. Tim and I shall be watching a lot of hockey.

My classes are going well, and I think that I have a pretty bitching schedule. Scratch that, I know I have a pretty bitching schedule. Really, I'm feeling pretty good about this year. I just hope that I can get everything organized in the next couple of weeks so the "settling in" process is finished and I don't have to eyeball 3/4 of a cup of rice. Looking forward to it.

Really, I believe that is all.

Who Is It?

It's About Time

So, enough with these static bunnies and their sitting side by side never altering a thing in their lives, content to sit on a cloud of love. What we're talking about is deeper than text images, more fulfilling than a few typed words on a screen... we're talking about actually living.

Sometimes, however, things of life that we're supposed to pursue and chase after cross paths with those things that hold onto you and choke you down. These are the times of spiritual lethargy, social inadequacy and personal catch-up time. The path is laid before you, but quite often you find yourself on the side of the road, laying down and taking a breather which is actually hindering you rather than giving you the rest that is needed. Possibly a lack of motivation, or a slight confusion of a situation.

There are a few things about myself that bug me. For instance, when it comes to driving to place I've never been before, I push out all the helpful voices that surround me to ask for a helping hand before or during the journey, and I try to find the way myself. Then a few things happen. Firstly I feel inadequate about my navigation skills. Secondly I get frustrated with those who ask me to get direction, which in an outsiders view of the situation, would proved to be the wisest and most prudent thing to do. Character flaws people - lack of patience and wisdom in one situation.

But alas, life isn't about the disappointments. If it were, we would be stuck in a depressing spiral and all end up like Nihilists. No, life does have successes, triumphs, battles won, wounded recovered and justice obtained. Yarr, if a pirate never found buried treasure on some island, he just wouldn't be a true pirate. If humankind didn't battle through the crap to see and take hold of the good, where would our humanity lay? Blargen.

Deep.

Enough.

Yarr

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The Old Man I Wish I Was

So, after thinking about getting older, I've decided to do a "hopeful" list of each decade in my life on.

Twenties: I hope to get some sort of musical career. Whether this is playing guitar, doing electronic mixes on my future Apple, or training a choir of cats to meow in harmony (and possibly do my bidding at night), I think it would be neat if one day I had a CD in stores. I'd also hopefully like to start my career, which could be a professional diver, high school teacher, dolphin trainer, medical doctor, professional squeegee guy, manicurist or possibly a elementary school cross walk guy...though that last one might be for the 60's.
Optionals: Marry my future wife and start my basketball team of children.

Thirties: If you've talked to me about the thirties, you'll realize that I think it's the weirdest age that you can be. I know very few people in their thirties, probably because most of them are "hold-me-closer-tiny-dancer"ing their families, making sure their kids get a good start in life seeing as they most likely would be potty trained and able to do chores. So I suppose, if the optional in the 20's happens, I'll be lost in the decade raising my kids trying the be the best and strongest dad there is. I want my kids to be able to say "my dad is stronger than your dad" and then set up a date where I can beat up all their friends fathers. Attached to this decade would be me trying to stay in shape.
Optionals: Get a very obscure pet for my kids to grow up with. This could include a skunk, porcupine, or some sort of air-breathing fish that they could walk on a leash in the park. They would have to bring a small tub of water along though, of course, so that the fish (Greg) doesn't dry up.

Forties: This, ladies and gentlemen, is the golden age. You've been working long enough hopefully to know the in's and out's of your job, including what you really enjoy, and what you don't enjoy and how to do as little of it as possible. By this time the children are getting to a point where they can take 2-3 hours of drills a night on the court without passing out, as well as getting to a point where they can start reasoning with you. Yes, maybe they'll get lippy, but it's kind of fun, I'm sure. If the wife and kids thing doesn't happen at all by the time I'm 40, I'll most likely be living in an underwater house in Cultus Lake where I can periodically put on scuba gear and scare children. Please note that this "scuba gear" is, in fact, suit that would look like either an aquatic creature, or Hagrid.
Optionals: Start a school for children on strategy for computer games. Realize that at this time, most computer games will be physical in some way, so it's basically a PE class with bitching graphics.

Fifties: Wow...let's see..., 2037. Most likely there will be a crazy cool flying car out there that I could snag second hand from the early 2020's; Vintage, you know. That will be my half century present to myself. I would probably start raising pets that could double as food, such as rabbits or pigs. I would only let one pig in the house at a time, and it would get to sleep at the foot of my bed. The next morning I would have bacon or sausage. Nonsense, I'd have both. I would probably plan on creating cold fusion at this point so I could retire by my 60's.
Optionals: Learn to crochet.

Sixties: As said before, I would be retired and now tonnes of time on my hands. This would be spent playing video games, visiting grandchildren and also being the crosswalk guy for before and after school at primary schools. I think I'd also do it at the local university and see what the response is. I could be "Old Man Harskamp" that gets invited to all the parties, but declines the offers because my wife would be making a mean stew that evening. "Sorry guys, it has three kinds of meat in it, been waiting for this one for a while" is what I'd say, and they would respond, "Say hi to the Mrs., she's one heck of a lady" to which I would respond, "Damn straight boys, damn straight."
Optionals: Pick up rock-climbing / live in a duplex with Stewart, his wife near his reptile refuge.

Seventies are too far away.

After this, I realize that I'm looking forward to the future.

I Needed To, Aye Need it Too, Eye Kneeded Two.

Weave it all around, you'll end up with the same pattern in the end with a few blotchy patches surrounded by a dark outline. Really though, why would you change it?

I've been eating cinnamon bread for the past week, allowing myself the pleasure of two toasted slices a day, maybe four, depending how hungry I am. I think for the first time this afternoon I started to look forward to having school start again. Granted, that won't last too long, but it was almost nice, seeing in 4 weeks I'll be back in the grind. It's odd that we toil in school, often not having any evenings so that we can work our way up the work ladder so that we can work more than we study now. I think that I'm going to make it a goal to have evenings off when I have my future job.

I believe I'm going to eat some beans tonight fresh out of The Garden of Science.

I'm streaming Norah right now because I don't have her on this computer and I just need to hear it.

Hope that you're all well.

Wards Off Natural Science

Science is a weird word. I just looked at it for 20 seconds and felt a headache coming on.

So, you want 7 things about me? Done, but I'm not tagging anyone or stating the rules again. What you get here is raw material, leave the mercantilism out of it.

1) I wore pink headbands in high school for sports. I had long hair that required something to hold it back, and that thing was pink. Big whoop.

2)I bike around 20km a day going to and from Brian's house because: a) I want to hang out with Brian and b) I get some exercise. It's a win-win situation, other than the fact that quite often biking home at 9 at night isn't the most appealing thing when you have to go up the mountain. 'Nuff said.

3) Swimming in clean freshwater is one of my favourite things to do in the summer. I absolutely love swimming, and the feeling that your surrounded. It's just glory.

4) When I was in grade 2 or 3, my right foot curled slightly inward, making me walk kind of funny. I grew out of it, but from time to time I walk slightly veering to the left just for kicks.

5) I love writing more than reading. Reading usually seems like a chore and I can probably count dozens of times when I started a book then got distracted from it within the first 25 pages never to read it again. I suppose I'm one for beginnings and still awaiting an end.

6) I'm a big fan of disc and there's something that makes me feel very content and relaxed when I throw a nice disc. I can't describe it, I'm sorry, just go out and do it. You'll see.

7) I like animals. I don't like doing tests on animals, but happy animals. I suppose.

Frost...something....poops.

My Favourite Chords

This past week wasn't exactly what I had imagined it to be. The day that I left for BC I felt that I had everything going very well at work, with an ionophore cocktail made and ready to selectively sense divalent cadmium ions with an appropriate Nernstian slope. Alas, the start of the week prove to be more like a Rubiks cube, a tangle of strings ready to be untied, until finally when the lock is off the box and the lid comes off a cute business card with a glossy finish lays at the bottom of the package which says "T. Ry Again, Problem Solving Expert, Business hours 2:15 AM-2:30 AM Sunday Morning." It's a puzzle that's constantly making me turn around back down the path I just took so that I can get through the maze of numbers and theoretical principles that I've never encountered before. Is it frustrating? Yeah it is, but it's sure rewarding... or so I'm told. I've always been one for the puzzles though. I love problem solving.

I was six years and we were at my Oma and Opa for Sinter Clause and I was very excited. The thought of being able to open one of those shiny packages under the tree got my motor going. I remember going right away to the tree after giving my Opa and Oma a hug so that I could see if my gift was there yet, and then proceed to shake and imagine what could be inside. I'm not even sure what I wanted that Christmas, but I know what I got wasn't what I expected. We were gathered around the tree with the extended family; adults on the couches and chairs while the grandchildren sprawled out on the orange shag carpet eagerly awaiting for our names to be called. Finally my name was called and I raced to grab my present, seeing as I knew exactly where it was and what I sounded, felt and smelt like. I ripped off the paper, discarding it as a penguin discards the scaly exterior of its food. And alas, staring back up at me were the faces of two painted children that I didn't know on the cover of a box. "150 piece jig-saw" the box read, and once seeing this, I dropped the box as tears filled my eyes, and went out of the room crying as I found safety on the stairs near the front door. It was there I cried because I got a puzzle for my present, and apparently I did not want one. I am a whiny little troll.

Cheers.

Did You Hear That, Ed? Bears.

It's lunch break and I just ate an everything bagel with roasted red pepper cream cheese. It seems to be my staple so far this summer for lunches, seeing as it is tasty and relatively inexpensive. Whatever the case, it makes me smile.

BC was such a glorious time, I have to force myself not to think about it else I get all sad because I'm not there. It was good to be back, but I suppose learning how to do two-stage microelectrode pulls has it's upsides too. You get to realize how beautiful the place where you live is when you are trying to show someone it. I had the pleasure of showing Rebecca all the sights we could squeeze in, and it was great to see how she was pointing things out I've never noticed before. Such a thing was the banana slugs we saw which I suppose I take for granted after a rain. Yeah, I've seen a banana slug before, but never in this light, and it was great.

We got back on Sunday and Ree's parent graciously picked us up, which I'm very thankful for. After we arrived in Hamilton, a phone call soon pursued us and swayed us to play some flying disc in the park in the rain with 'Lenksy and John. I took off my shirt and shorts.

Plans for this weekend is to head out with Brian to his friends cottage and giving 'er skidoo. I look forward to this.

That is all.

Silver Nettle as My Tenant

Time flows like the lush rivers of British Columbia, which makes sense because there were flood warnings in BC last month. If you followed that analogy, then you would see that it would be comparable to a mother cheetah chasing down a medium sized antelope in order for her cubs to have some lunchy.

I'm in BC, and I woke up this morning having a hard time walking and just standing without being dizzy. It's a good 20 minutes since then and I'm still having difficulty, which leads me to at least two conclusions.

Conclusion the First: The mattress that was taken out of our crawl space so thatI could have some place to lay my head was infused with some sort of noxious mycelium whose spores have enter into my respiratory system, and then progressed either to my right kidney or to my brain to set up base. I would assume right kidney because that's the sense of balance for your body. Yep, the kidney. No, really, Mrs. Chaing lied to you in BIO101. She doesn't do that often, but you know how British people can get. Cheers.

Conclusion the Second: Someone, in the middle of the night, injected my very being with some sort of sober drunkenness, in where only my limbs and a small portion of my face is affected. This enables me to function in a normal intellectual fashion while sitting, which is adequate for morning conversation at the breakfast table, however it does cause me to loose all credibility when I attempt to go through a door and whack it with my shoulder. Again, good sirs and misses, cheers.

Ree and I are out in glorious BC defying all the odds of weather seeing as the past two days were supposed to be filled with filtered water from the sky. Instead we have experienced very nice 20-25 degree sunshine which, when it decides to stop, leaves the mountains towering in an intimidating black. The mountains then try to snuff the sun out, while the sun puts up one last fight to radiate the reds, oranges and pinks that it knows the mountains hate. Needless to say, this battle is a pretty one to watch, and we've been 2/2 for spotting it so far this trip.

We're here till next Sunday, so I suppose there will be many things to be talked about when we get back. Part of me is just excited seeing that Katrina and Ryan are shipping themselves on a plane to Alberta, which in my opinion, is not as good as BC, but does have some pretty stellar people.

If this feeling continues I might be tempted to make a scene in a public place. Good day to you all.

Please Hold Your Silent Applause

Three more days until I'm glory bound, hitching a flight back to where you don't sweat at 7 in the morning. This is a time of transition I feel, as all the kiddies just got out of school and as the university students realize that the last time they wrote exams was two months ago and there's still two months until the first class.

I like Hamilton. It's a beautiful city if you know where to look. I find it soothing, deep in my loins. Ree and I went to a small music shop that was near Brian's house so I could pick up some strings for the old splapper-twang. This shop was pretty cool, mostly because the prices were great, and the guy had to write out my receipt by hand because his store is that small. So cool.

This past weekend I had the privilege of seeing Jordan unexpectedly. He was sleeping on my couch listening to Elvis when I came home, which initially freaked me out. After realizing it was Jordan by the Superman sticker on his iPod, I woke him up, and we had an enjoyable evening catching up. Glory.

Ryan got back from tree planting, and it seems like everyone is migrating back to Hamilton as a few more people started working at the school. It's nice to see familiar faces. I hope many faces will be seen in BC.

The job is also going well. After a very nice meeting at the local university of McMaster, my project seems well on its way. It's very exciting, and again, I quite enjoy wearing a lab coat. They fit quite well- snug against the hips and gently caressing the lats.

I am the Warchief.

Hello

After three weeks of living on my own, I've come to realize a few things.

First of all, it is a great feeling to get a deal on food at the store. Whether it be $0.99 chocolate milk, $1 off tasty cream cheese or the ever so sought after $1 off microwaveable lunches, getting a deal on the food you wouldn't normally eat spices up your week.

Secondly, I've realized that it is splendid to eat meals with people. Having had a few solo meals this past month, I would have to say that they don't even come close to the enjoyment of having tasty food with even tastier personalities. By far the highlight of each day would be dinners with Rob and Bri or with the Sikkemas.

Thirdly, I've realized that biking almost 20 km every day gives you more energy during the day, which means less sugary snacks consumed throughout the day to give you the jolt you need. Biking also gives you shapely legs which 70% of men desire for themselves.

Fourthly, I've come to grips with the face that "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman," which is to say, I am a man. The boy seems far behind, and despite what future comments might say, I feel like an adult.

Fifthly, I've realized that having sore glutes increases the difficulty of every day movements, including sitting and rising. But we all know that I would rather have sore glutes for an afternoon than have a live tiger pursue me everyday on my walk home from work. There is tall grass on my commute, very tall.

Another thought that struck me in the ear this past week is having to do with sin and salvation. Through Adam sin entered into the world. Through one man, the entire globes was tainted, off center from where it should be. But, just as sin came into the world through one man, so did salvation. Never really made the connection before, but I thought it kind of cool.

That is all.

Two Weeks Per, No Time Wasted

I've been saying it from day one, and you can quote me on this one, that for every two weeks per, the amount of time you waste is nil. Still preaching that in my old age.

Ask me about the time. I dare you.







Too scared eh? Well, no fear, because time doesn't scare me either. Actually, I scare time- that's why it's going so fast -it's trying to run away from me and my new shirt and tie. There was a time where I was scared of the time, and I could lay in bed just afraid that I wouldn't fall asleep. I was in tears if I was awake to see 10:00 PM. Just to let you know.

I've almost spent three weeks in Ontario. They've gone very quick and every time Friday comes around to show its misshapen body, I am amazed that he would come out so soon. I've spent all my weekends at the Sikkema's up to date, and I must say, it is fantastic. I work on their farm on Saturday mornings which gets me back into the physical labour I often crave while reading at my desk during the week. I also have successfully put together a prototype for an electrode, which made me feel very special.

I've started to read the Heidelberg Catechism, and boy, that stuff is good. It's really a pity that I didn't take more of an interest in it during my early CRC days. I think it could have helped with a lot. Very sound.

I suppose this is a start, so we'll end it here. Thank you.

Chemicals People, Chemicals

New car smell is the common term for the odor that comes from the combination of materials found in new automobiles. It is generally regarded as a pleasant and desirable smell, possibly because of its positive association with the feeling of owning a new vehicle. However, some of the chemicals that create it can pose a risk to human health. Scientists who have studied the chemicals released recommend keeping new cars well ventilated while driving, especially during the summer.

Don't believe me? Check it out here.

Oh Yes

So, it's sunny here, and so is my view of the world, that is to say, Hamilton. Yeah, I suppose I realized that the last blog was a little depressing, but suck it up. You guys are tougher than that. Whatever the case, my disposition has changed, and my week has improved. After talking with my father on the phone, hanging out with Brian a bit, and seeing my sweetie, the week proved to be full of fun, so that I was not bored OR lonely. What a blessing.

To tag off this little drop of joy, I'll spit out the fact that a lot of people in Genesis had babies when they were 160. Gross beans, all.

I Sometimes Just Don't Know

Sometimes you feel like you need to scream. Sometimes you feel like you need to just sit and get into the fetal possition. And yet again, there are times when all you need is someone...anyone, who can be a comfort, a strong pillar to hold up the shotty roof you slapped together that is supposed to protect you from the elements. 'The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."' What a contrast of the "it was good" from the first chapter of Genesis.

Is God saying that He is not enough? Well, I suppose in a way He is. God created us male and female, and although there is that connection between and man and a woman, I think what I'm trying to get at is that God made more than one person. God made it possible for there to be more than two people. God made us for community. Whatever the heck that means when you're living on your own, I'm still trying to figure out. Things are more difficult out of the cozy walls of the Redeemer community, but I'm still trying to see that although the water is colder, it might be more refreshing. No, scratch that, more situationally refreshing. I have no idea where this thought is going, so I'll backtrack and take the metephorical damp tunnel that will lead me to what I really want to talk about...tomorrow I suppose.

Blorb

2. 2 Cardinals.
Ha ha ha.

How Would You Like Your Ionophore?

Greetings to you all.

So, as of right now, I'm in Ontario where it is quite sunny and where the animals frolic free. I saw a squirrel and a bunny on my way to work this morning. Just prime.

And as for work, it's turning out to be pretty stellar. The first week and a bit I expect to be so-so, just because it's training, which consists of reading and more reading. But after that I have the privilege of taking on a project. Dr. Berkelaar will be overseeing it, but I believe for the most part, it's my "chunk" that I get to contribute to the research. Pretty fantastic. Over the next couple of months I will be trying to make thallium and cadmium ion selective electrodes using such chemicals as N,N,N',N'-tetradodecyl-3, 6-dioxaoctanedithioamide. You might be rolling your eyes, but I got pretty excited about that. So, after a few hours of delicious reading and some taping popsicle sticks for identification reasons, I sit here talking about my first day. Oh, and I get my own work area...so cool.

It was an uneventful flight over and the 40 year old man who was sitting next to me needed to have a lesson on how to sit still for more than 5 seconds. But still, seeing Ree at the airport made me forget about the flight. Penguins.

As a side note, The Postal Service song "Brand New Colony" was performed live by Ben Gibbsies on one of his solo tours. Great song, it's just fantastic.

Not sure what else is left to write, I suppose I'll keep an animal count for you tomorrow.

Peace y'all.

Glory Land Fading

So, is The Stinky "O" not that stinky? It's been so fast out here in BC, but really, the whole time, it seems like I'm just waiting to get back to Ontario. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that. It's like I'm falling for BC's much less attractive sister because she has a good personality, although BC has the looks and the brain. Doesn't make much sense. But alas, I have three more days in the Glory Land until I start looking at microscopes and using analytical methods to detect trace metals in the roots of wheat.

So, just so I don't get "no" disrespect, don't make fun of me because I signed up for Facebook. Just to set the record straight, my friend signed me up and somehow got all my contact information and password correct. I had no part it in. 'Nuff said.

Keep Nate Dawg in your prayers these next couple of weeks as he's with AIA in Nicaragua. He flies out today. Crazy stuff.

I have about a half day left at work until I'm done, and it's bitter sweet. I enjoy working here, but I'm moving on. Bitter sweet.

So to tag off, here's a picture of my dead dog. He had skin problems and his nose was often infected. He sneezed when he was happy to see us, and during the infected times, blood would spray out. Once he sneezed blood onto Josh Ng's pants. Crazy dog.

Etiquette Of Pick-Up...Y'all

So it seems that no matter where you are, if there is pick-up basketball to be had, there are some that come that take it way to seriously. I'm going to first lay out what pick-up basketball is:

1) A good way of physical activity to stay in shape.
2) A social outing in where you may learn skills in teamwork and co-operation.
3) A setting in where you may come at any skill level to have a good time.

Pick-up basketball is not:

1) A place for you to dominate and show everyone your mad skillz.
2) A place where you can expect everyone to be at the same level of skill or intensity.
3) A place where you can be a jerk.

I was going to do this post months ago and after a nice session of pick-up on Monday night, I thought it would be proper to inform the public on how you can have fun at pick-up.

First off, people are there to have fun, not to watch you take three pointers all night because you had the ball and you thought the shot was open. People come not just to run up and down the court, but rather, to touch the ball once in a while and to make a play. It seems that players with former hoop dreams are often there to prove themselves, while players that have fulfilled their dreams in basketball (I once played with a current Division 1 player in the states) tend to take a secondary role, often passing the ball right away. My philosophy is to be like Steve Nash: a nice mixture of passing and scoring. Don't always look to score, don't always look to pass, enjoy yourself in all aspects of the game.

Second thing to note is fouls. In pick-up if you foul someone, the ball goes back to the top. This can be overly abused to the extent of frustration of the players. It all depends how you play, but sometimes the defence calls the foul, and sometimes the offence. My philosophy if the offence calls it is to only call the foul if it hinders your ability to put the ball in the next, not your lack of ability to make a play under pressure. Pick-up is usually sloppy ball, and there's going to be contact, but if you go to the hoop weak and someone bumps your arm and thus you miss a lay-up, then don't call the foul, toughen up. If you're on defence, move your feet, don't reach or swat, try not to foul. Also, offensive fouls shouldn't be called in pick-up. This past Monday there was a guy who took the ball and tried to score every time he touched it...not much of a team player. So what I did is I got in the way and took a charge to piss him off (mostly because I called it) and proceeded to move the other way. This should not be done, but it sure felt sweet. Use wisdom when trying to get under the hardcore people's skin.

So to finish this off, you know you're too intense in pick-up when:

1) You know how many shots, points, rebounds and assists you've had for the past 5 games.
2) You loose sleep over that one lay-up you missed which could have given you a triple double.
3) You yell out loud when you miss a 3 pointer because you're angry with yourself that you missed it.

Etc.

The Mushrooms of Zangamarsh

Big things are happening people, and larger plans to harbour these plans are in the making. If you wish to make donations to these plans, please email me your credit card number. Thank you.

Despite the fact that I got a new hair cut and look better than Brad Pitt before he dated Jennifer Aniston, I feel I havn't let my new appearance increase my ego. Ha.

Again, working at the garden center has renewed and enforced my love for biology. In my "Survey of the Plant Kingdom" with Mrs. Chiang this past semester we studied a number of different plants. Whenever I come across a certain plant that we've studied at the greenhouse, I get quite excited, and I often cause people to stare at me in odd ways. I use to think it was because I looked homeless, but I still have had a few looks post-hair cut. The two plants that I've seen thus far are Marchantia and Seliginella. Very exciting. Unfortunately our store hasn't grown or orded in the mystical and medicinal mushrooms of Zangamarsh yet, but I'm sure when we get them in I'll get a few looks again.

I suppose I havn't done a recap of the Canucks since their loss. A summary: Luongo's a stud, 'nuff said. The Cup is in reach next year fo' sho'.

Highlights of this past week has been flying disk with Dan, hottub with Mark, killing elite giants with Brian, and most of all talking with Rebecca joy.

There are things I miss as well. I miss everything and everyone at Redeemer. I miss my Bitch'n playlist and Counting Crows. I miss being able to go to the gym and picking up a ball for shooting purposes. But alas, BC, if personified, would be described like Luongo. That is to say, BC is a stud. And, although it might be blasphemy to BC folk, there are other nice places in the world too, even if it is Ontario.

Peacing it out freestyln'.

For Ryan

Due to the fact that Ryan has access to the internet once a week and the weekend is fast approaching, I thought I'd sneak a blog in to sustain his curious ways.

After a week (almost) of work I've realized how wonderful it is to be out of school and to not have to worry about assignments, labs or being attacked by the soup server. But alas, the school community is missed, so don't feel neglected or rejected, but possibly infected. Where I work is beautiful as the halls of my workplace are lined with blooming flowers and sweet scents. Just yesterday I helped an elderly woman pick out a hanging basket for her lawn bowling club. You can only do that in the garden industry people, and possibly the lawn bowling industry as well.

The Canucks are studs, so they'll pull it off. 'Nuff said.

The weather here has been decent and right now it is sunny and blue. Quite nice. Tell me if this next sentance works...I've been thinking about it:

"You are our "R" Hero," in where the "R" stands for radical. I think it has a ring to it.

Stewie P Styles takes off today and I won't see him till Christmas. I met his girlfriend and she makes a mean cake. The secret is to put holes in the cake with a toothpick and then drizzle caramel over it. I'm sure chocolate pudding would work as well.

Babies.

Retrimentalism of Isomatrictical Eppigymes

Here we go, one more time, every body's feeling fine, here we go now (here here here we go! N'Sync has got the flow!).

I caught spring. Initially I though I would loose the season completely due to BC's early blooming and Stinky O's late blooming, but alas, it is spring here. Glory. I think the air just smells nicer.

Go Jeffry C-dub, you brabarian you. 'Nuff said.

I'm starting to read this book about a terrible school bus accident that kills about 20 kids in a small community. The start of the book describes the kids personalities, but more importantly, describes the parents as well and their relationships. So far, a lot of the community seems to be complacent. It makes me feel very yucky. Let me explain.

I have this life right now. I'm quite enjoying it and even though it has its bumps and potholes along the way, it's still very much worth living. Given the amount of people that are alive today, they also feel that is the truth. However, I would not love life if I became utterly disgusted by it. A bit of a redundant thought, I know, but work with me on this one. I don't want to be the guy with no ambitions, dreams and hopes come 20 years. I don't want to get into a routine that I follow in a mindless matter until Christmas and whenever I choose to take my two weeks vacation. I want to be on the move, always exploring, and never settling for sitting on a couch watching T.V. before I dread another day of work after my 6 or so hours of restless sleep. In summary, I don't want my life to suck. The people in this book have sucky lives (or so it seems thus far) and so help me, if my lives dives down into a rut like the described above, then hit me in the groin with a sledgehammer and send me on a plane somewhere. Just some thoughts.

Morgren. Last summer I blogged a total of 5 times from May-September... let's not let that happen again, shall we?

For Bron

A little something to commemorate more than a year since Joel Bron has last blogged. At least it was a good one though, eh guys?

"A year has passed and now we stand on the brink of returning to a world where we are surrounded by the paradox of everything, and yet nothing being the same. In one month we will reluctantly give our hugs and, fighting the tears, say goodbye to people who were once just names on a sheet of paper to return to people that we hugged and fought tears to say goodbye to before we ever left. We will leave our best friends to return to our best friends. We will go back to the places we came from and go back to the same things we did last summer and every summer before that. We will come into town on that same familiar road, and even though it has been months, it will seem like only yesterday. As you walk into your old bedroom, every emotion will pass through you as you reflect on the way your life has changed and the person you have become. You suddenly realize that the things that were most important to you a year ago don't seem to matter so much anymore, and the things you hold highest now, no one at home will completely understand. The memories and the stories from school won't mean anything to anyone at home and yet you resent them for that, that they can't share that happiness with you.Who will you call first? What will you do your first weekend home with your friends? How long before you actually start missing people barging in without calling or knocking? Who will get pizza at three in the morning with you now? How long until you adjust to sleeping alone in a room again? Then you start to realize how much things have changed, and you realize the hardest part of university is balancing the two completely different worlds you now live in, trying desperately to hold on to everything all the while trying to figure out what you have to leave behind.In the matter of one day's travelling time, we will leave our world of living next door to our friends, walking across campus to eat, instant messenger, 8:00am classes, and the perpetual procrastination to a world that will seem foreign to us despite the fact that we lived in it for eighteen years. But it is different now. We now know the meaning of true friendship. We know who we have kept in touch with over the past year and who we hold dearest in our hearts. We've left our high school world to deal with the real world. We've had our hearts broken, we've fallen in love, we've helped our friends overcome depression, stress and death, and we've stayed up all night on the phone just to talk to a friend in need. There have been times when we've felt so helpless being hours away from home when we know our families needed us, and there are times we know we have made a difference. One month from now we will leave. One month from now we take down our pictures, and pack up our clothes. No more going next door to do nothing for hours on end. We will leave our friends whose random email and phone calls will bring us to laughter and tears this summer. We will take our memories and dreams and put them away for now, saving them for our return to this world. One month from now we will arrive. We will unpack our bags and have dinner with our families. We will drive over to our best friend's house and do nothing for hours on end. We will return to the same friends whose random emails and phone calls have brought us to laughter and tears over the year. We will unpack old dreams and memories that have been put away for the past year. In one month we will dig deep inside to find the strength and conviction to adjust to change and still keep each other close. And somehow, in some way, we will find our place between these two completely different worlds. Are you ready?"

Silicon Carbide Rods Always Emit in the Infra Red

Welcome.

Canucks: Almost lost hope and thought the series was lost after a lackluster two periods in game two. However, I underestimated my boys, and now we're up 2-1. Judging by this series thus far, I think it is safe to conclude that the Canucks only need to play decent for 20% of the game for them to have a chance to win it. When I say "Canucks", I mean, of course, all forwards and defencemen, not Luongo. Luongo is what makes us only have to play for 20% of the time. What a treat that 6 million brought us. I have also updated that I wouldn't mind "Hansen" on a jersey if I get one. Stellar.

It's exam time and I have my studying schedule down to the hour. There's no messing around here folks, even if it means missing a Ben Folds concert to study on a Monday night. Wow, that's such a lame choice. It's been hard to get motivated, but alas, I am well on my way to being finished semester two and conclude my second year at Redeemer. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a Harry Potter novel because my years, like Harry's at Hogwarts, seem to go so quick. Great connection, I know.

Again, in reflection of the year I see God's faithfulness. I was never hungry, hospitalized, lonely or homeless. I've been surrounded by friends, given the opportunity to have an education and have a brother downtown as family so I don't get too homesick. God's also given me His word, at times which I embrace or ignore, unfortunately. And, to throw in something relevant to James, God also gave me science, and silicon carbide rods.

That's all for now, more studying to be done.

Brian Wilson

I love it when you forget about things that you once enjoyed. They might be rather small or large things, but once in a while, after an extended period of time separated from this thing, you encounter it again. A rush of old memories collides with the gremlins in your kidneys and you get a tingling feeling. I just had that with the BNL song "Brian Wilson" while listening too my iPod. This song brings me back to doing newspapers as a young high school chap after school on Wednesdays. It was on a marvelous CD in which I had made. This CD was the best of Crash Test Dummies and BNL and it might still be one of my favorite "mixes." Sweet glory.

Yeah, Game 2 was lacking in intensity, and every time Sopel touched the puck I yelled at the TV for him to get rid of it, but I'm still in good spirits. Despite his dirty dirty hair, I have no idea why we picked up that guy again. Game 3 will be ours; we're gold on the road. One thing that's a highlight is that Naslund is playing the best I've seen of him all season. He's hitting guys, doing spinnoramas and finally shooting the puck with confidence. He'll be our hero, with, of course, T. Lid. Timot and I were discussing what name we would get on our jersey if we were ever to purchase one. I think I would get a Linden (who wouldn't?) or a Cooke jersey. I still remember when Neil busted out his hockey helmet and ran hipchekcing people into the lockers while yelling "Matt Cooke!" in high school. Man, I love the playoffs.

Due to the fact that I just handed it my last three assignments, all I have to worry about now is 5 tests. Some people hate exam time, but I love it. There's no labs, no 8 AM classes, no assignments, just whole days given to you in which you can study at your leisure. It's glory, pure glory.

This past Friday I was given the opportunity to judge at a elementary school science fair for grade 7 and 8 kids. I hated being called a kid when I was in grade 7, but that's what they are. Science is the future people. Science rules.

Flying home on the 27th, looking forward to the Gloryland.

Peace.

Loooooooouuuuu

72 saves. 72. Incredible. This series is going to be scary. I'm just thankful all the games are on CBC. As much as I like the streamed radio of Shorty describing the action, seeing it is much better. As a side note, a fair amount of Canuck fans came to the Rec Center to watch the game last night. I think about 12. Two of them were 40+ year old men. Not too sure where they came from, but they were into it. Go 'Nucks.

Too Long

"Look at that cosine graph, I learned about it in Grade 12 Math. I've had a couple of kids since then, I named my smallest child Gwen."
- Nickleback's original first line for "Photograph"

There was a streak a month ago that one could detect my existence purely by monitoring the interweb site that I maintain. If one was to come to a conclusion about the status of my being based on recent interweb activity, the thought would be grim.

Hello.

The past two weeks have been going, but whether or not they have been going good or bad is another question. I believe I'll keep it as just "going" for the time being, because it's been a blur of unimportant events mixed by a metaphorical beater of assignments, then scraped out by the metaphorical spatula of due dates into a Christmas tree shaped pan. We use to have a Christmas tree mold used for jello when I was a child. I loved that thing, maybe more than the sweet gelatin that inhibited it. I was sick for the past two weeks, which probably made everything a bit hazy as well. I'm feeling better now, so I guess that's a plus.

This past Easter weekend was spent at Ryan's place. It was relaxing and fantastic. Pretty much what I needed, so that's good.

Lots of thoughts going around, especially some things that were briefly talked about with the guys over the weekend. We touched on things like worship, the Holy Spirit, infant baptism, terrible Nickleback songs, TMNT, Moulin Rouge soundtracks and hockey. Very interesting thoughts going on there.

Right now I feel like writing some of my thoughts, but I feel that I'm mentally unable to at the moment. It's frustrating. It's like a neural lethargy that spreads from my brain to my fingers, unable to write about what I really want to. Unfortunately my eyes still work, so the frustration of reading what I've written makes me want to hit a golf ball through a window. Scratch that, I want to throw a pie at someone who's really stuck-up and proper and then proceed to do a dance that will frustrate them because the fact that I am silly makes them angry. Yeah, the second option is far superior.

I'm going to end it here: dust is just old skin that hangs on everything you own. Oh, snap.

Morgren

I have a sore throat, but do not be concerned. I am alive and well.

That is all.

Chordle

Greetings.

I am well mentally, although physically I feel a bit off. I suppose the grogginess started sometime on Friday night, and since then it has not escalated, but instead persisted. Kind of dumb. I've had a headache since Saturday. That, my friends, is lame.

Enough about my infirmaries, however. I'm going to think a bit about mental wellness.

University is the students and the professors responsibility. Let me explain.

Class. It is the professors job and obligation to teach in the most stimulating way that the content of the class allows. It is the students responsibility to go to class, not only because you are paying for your education, but also because you are at school primarily to learn. Failure to have an enjoyable class can be disrupted if the above two things are not in balance.

Bad Prof <---------------------------------------------> Good Prof

No Desire to Learn<---------------------------------------------> Desire to Learn

The way to determine if a student will skip class is by the "Magic Four's" theory. On a scale of 1-4, you grade how good your prof is, along with your desire to learn that subject. If the total of those two values hovers around a total of 4, then there is a good chance you're skipping that class fairly often. An easy solution to not skipping class is to take subjects that you're interested in. If your prof sucks, you're still most likely going to attend the class. It's a magical system, we know.

Now for a side note. Profs that can't teach their subject in an interesting and stimulating manner should rethink being a prof. Last year there was a geography prof that was so excited to teach geography, a boring topic (for me at least.) He still had good attendance, even though the subject he taught isn't as amazing as microbiology. He left, and let's just say that geography doesn't have as great attendance anymore.

Profs, be excited about what you teach, please.

Grogglemaster: The Defeat of John the Tryant

Hello.

Three things.

1) John Hodgman is the bomb. You might want to open this one in a new tab/window.

2) Robyn (also known as Robo, or possibly Rubu) posted some pictures of the banquet from last weekend. Due to the fact that I am rebelling against facebook, you can find pictures here.

3) For the first time in my life, there is a majority of my friends (from BC) that have girlfriends. This, is very interesting.

Babes in Lab Coats

Sparked by the question of Ryan and upheld by the approval of Dan Brouwer, I shall further expand on the topic of lab coats and those who wear them. As it is often seen past the 1980's, more and more women have started to apply themselves to the world of science. Just a joke, settle down. I know that there have been female scientists before that. Shoot. Carrying on.

These women, just like the men that wear them, require coats to protect themselves and their clothes from corrosion and possible mutations. But what happens, you may ask, if that special female science student, or as I call them, FSS, catches your eye and you are determined to win her over. Yes, it is true that the female gender can often increase their attractiveness by sporting a white coat mainly because it demands authority, and thus making the FSS a truly powerful being.

The following is a way to get the FSS's attention, impress her, and eventually wed her, or at least get her to go with you for a coffee or a movie. Firstly I would like to lead you on how to get the FSS's attention. Being that the FSS has an aura of intelligence around her, some English or Psychology majors might feel intimidated and not up to par. This is a fair feeling, but with some effort on your side, you can put up a temporary "smart shield" to fool her and to impress her. The concept of the shield is simple, however is not readily apparent. Let me explain.

Due to the fact that science students, especially the FSS's, deal with glassware a lot, some silicon ions from the glass have the tendency to wear off onto the students fingers. This silicon, if not washed off, can react with the lipids (essentially the oil) that your fingers extract. This silicon-lipid compound, often called a silipid, can affect the perception centers of the brain if ingested. To get the FSS to lick her fingers and ingest the silipid however will prove difficult if you do not have a MSS as a friend. Organize with the MSS to place honey on the test tubes that the FSS will be using. When the FSS asks the MSS what the sticky substance on the test tubes is, he will simply reply "honey, I eat it as a snack in the lab." She will then agree that honey is tasty and proceed to ingest the silipid. After this has been accomplished, the only thing left for you to do is to impress her by stating a random fact that has to do with science, such as "A good blood pressure is 120/80," or "the speed of light is fast than I can sprint." This puts up a barrier of intelligence around you, known as the "smart shield" (4583 armor, +50 intelligence, chance on hit to say something smart.) She will be so enthralled with these factoids, that she will then recognize you in the hallways from that point on. You have got her attention and impressed her, simply by spreading honey strategically on some test tubes.

Proceed by acquiring money and buying a ring. Then once the ring has been purchased, explain to the FSS what type of metal it is along with the purity of it and the metals molar mass. The final step is to place the ring on her finger, and thus making her your fiance.

Confronting the FSS is the hardest part because their aura of intelligence is intimidating. However, if you can get past the point of feeling inferior to a smarter person, then you will be in the clear with a happy future ahead of you, including a wife that looks fantastic in a lab coat.

Tigers or Panthers

I love wearing my lab coat. It's very white, it goes down to my knees and has the potential to prevent my clothes from getting stained a dark blue or a "it almost looks like I'm bleeding" red. There are, however, some things to take into consideration when wearing your lab coat. The first is that, as cool as you look and feel, people are intimidated by you if you are caught wearing your lab coat outside the science wing of the academic building. It's like seeing a panther loose in the zoo, except scientists use chemicals and bacteria to kill while panthers have large claws and teeth and are usually more stealthy than scientists. There is an exception in the person of Dr. Brouwer however; he is so stealthy and would probably be more lethal than a wild panther if he had the will to use his chemicals for evil instead of good. But, nay, Dr. Brouwer uses his chemicals in the most benevolent ways, including finding out ways to clean up that dirty ol' Hamilton harbour. Three stars Dr. B, three stars.

Anywho, back to the lab coats. Although many people find it intimidating when science students wear their lab coats outside of the lab, many science students feel embarrassed (even though deep down there is a pride) to wear their lab coats past the doors of the lab. To compensate this, science students often travel in groups when needing to go outside of the lab with their coats. This makes them feel less awkward, while still maintaining the pride of knowing that the people they walk by don't know how to properly inoculate a nutrient broth tube with bacteria. These groups can cause a dilemma for the walking path of a normal student however, because people already feel intimidated by one science student with a lab coat, let alone four or five. People thus avoid these students in a fashion similar to the following.

Meanwhile, if the students were avoiding the lab coats, there is a good chance that Dr. Brouwer would sneak up on the campus panther. Needless to say, if this were to happen, Dr. B would win with his chemicals, though the panther probably would put up a good fight.

Jorben.

Groben

So. Soooooooooooooooooo. A brief summary of this post may be "fowne-ed" at the end of this post.

Good things are on the move. Let me provide an illustration. Imagine watching a slug crawl along on the ground, and then, before your very eyes, it sprouts three legs, all decked out with new Reebok "air pump" kicks. Then watch this slug run away from you. The good things I was talking about in the first sentence are better than the slug just described.

If some of you remember, I was reported to have said that I did not get the lab job I had hoped on getting. The feeling that I had that day would have similar characteristics as something indescribable. Scratch that. That day sucked.

Events unfolded after that in which I would have the opportunity to talk to the Professor who was doing the research. I talked to him indeed, and low and behold, he offered me the job apart from the government grant. That day did not suck. Carrying on.

This made me happy and/or sad. Happy in that I got the job, but sad because plans I was making for the summer in BC again had to be reworked, including working with the "oh so pretty" flowers at West Coast Gardens. The mood was again, not the greatest.

I talked with the Professor about this and at the end of this conversation we had worked out a way so that I would spend a month working in BC with my mommy (hi mom!) and then proceed to do my nerdy research in the lab for the remaining three months. Happiness spread into my being like motile bacteria in an agar deep test tube.

Summary:
Didn't get job - mood was bad
Talked to prof, got job - mood was good
Wasn't sure about summer plans - mood was bad
Professor cleared up the worries of summer - mood was good.

Conclusion: (Click to enlarge)

Kee Kee

CHARLESTON - An unnamed biology professor from Jacksonville University was recently imprisoned and put on bail for $25, 000. He was reportedly redirecting funds from the laboratories to fund his own recreation, including a subscription to "Masters of Sudoku," a magazine that covers the strategies, best times and tournament results of the Sudoku Circuit in Japan. The professor allegedly cut funds from essential function of the lab, including lowering the temperature of the lobster tank by seven degrees in order "save energy". Upon review of the energy bills, the amount saved was equal to the subscription of the magazine. This alone was not the cause of his imprisonment however. A similar case of redirecting funds for recreational magazines took place two years ago at UCLA in the history department resulting in the accused (a masters student) to stop teaching introductory courses, along with having to wear a shirt every Friday which said "I am a stealer that also lies!" printed across the chest. The biology professor was instead accused of animal cruelty as one of the lobsters, also the universities swim team mascot, was found to have a change in behavior, causing him to become more sluggish. It was later discovered that the lobster’s lack of activity was mostly due to the fact that it had died. The death of the lobster sparked a demonstration by the swim team the following week in where they all dressed as giant Atlantic lobsters and sat in miniature turtle pools filled with ice cubes in front of the biology wing. One student was diagnosed with pneumonia the following day.

Highlights

Remembering is good. What better way to remember than to read ones diary or journal, or possibly past blogs. The following is the "best of" from the blogs of first semester of first year.



"The rain and Sean's condition made us turn back, probably the way an alligator on the green of a Florida golf course would make some senior golfers go to the next hole and take a bogey."

"This past week, I've felt a bit like a cosine graph. Not the type of cosine graph that you translate up so that it initially seems more impressive, but more like a reciprocated sine graph, translated three to the right, flipped on the x-axis and then left to hang on the "y" to dry."

10) Lists of ten. Mmmmm, metric.

"Mmmm. Oh Nora, why couldn't you have been Canadian, five years younger and lived in the lower mainland? I bet, with 10 to 1 odds that I would be dating her. Whatever the case, she is none of those, so I'll just have to listen to her music in the mean time."

Youge (adv, n) (yoo-je) ("je" as in french for "I")
1)To describe to someone of a habitual interaction with ones environment
a) Little or no change in ones daily routine
"In the past week, I have been up to the youge."
b) To be stuck in a rut that is comfortable
"Seth, I've been worried about how much you have been playing Zelda. It seems to have become the youge for you."

Sunday was good. Church was good, including Josh Ng's picture of pirates and a jester saying "poo."

"I got my hair cut. I went from a rugged stallion with long flowing hair and a vicious beard that could make a girl faint from the pure sight of it, to a clean cut stereotypical guy who is between the ages of 13-30 in North America."

"Finals are next week, and I didn't really realize it. They "snuck up" on me metaphorically, which is funny, because finals are just going to be pieces of paper with ink on them in the form of questions. How can inky paper sneak up on you. I doubt that paper or ink has any will to say to itself, "I shall sneak up on this student. Oh, sweet glory, I shall sneak up indeed!" That is why I put "snuck up" in quotations and mentioned it as a metaphor. Ink and paper... no will. Oddly enough, a physical will for a person is usually written on paper with ink describing who gets what, so maybe ink and paper is a will in itself. Thus we can conclude that although ink and paper have no mindful will themselves, they can be a will for someone else, or more likely, another piece of paper with ink on it. So, maybe the finals that snuck up on me are not going on their own will, but instead on the will of other pieces of paper, possibly receipts or newspaper articles."

"I've discovered the glorious "world" which I left for four months this Christmas while trying to get Brian nice gear for his character. Since those two weeks I've been playing far too much, and it's been positively glorious and fulfilling. Would this account for the total lack of contact that I've had with my fellow human beings in my social circles (possibly and octagon)? I would like to think not."

When Life Throws You Pinapples

First, please note the fact that I honestly don't know when to use "affected" or "effected" in a sentence. Now observe Figure 1.

Please also note that "me" does not mean the reader, but instead the maker of the graph, that is to say, James. Back in middle school, ones decisions usually had little to no consequence for your future. In high school you start laying down the the flimsy foundation for what you will be doing after high school, but as long as you stay decently on top of your school work, your future is in no immediate danger. In grade 12 the pressure of answering the frequently asked annoying questions, "So what are you doing after high school/ what do you want to do next in life/ what will you be in the future" starts to build up, but usually once a school or job is chosen, the pressure subsides and dies down like the bubbles and foam of a boiling pot of spaghetti once the lid is removed. Oh, and for the future, instead of asking kids to map out the next 10+ years of their life by asking said above questions, ask them "what are your gifts, what do you enjoy doing." How many people, even in university, know what they're doing with their next two years even? Shoooot.

I had an opportunity to work in a lab this summer in Ontario. Turns out that I didn't get the job and now I'll be shipping my soft and luscious booty back to BC. Mixed feelings indeed, and possibly a kick in the junk to what I thought I had planned out for my future. After all, who always wants to be away from friends no matter where they go? Shoot indeed. Life decisions indeed.

To finish this off, check out this cover of the Outcast song "Hey Yeah." It's a good' un. Very soothing.

Snakes and Turbines

Quick quiz: What has four legs, two arms, and a head the size of a watermelon?
Answer: Florida.

As sure as y= x^2 is the shape of a parabola, I am writing this from Florida. The verdict thus far: pretty neato. The 22 hour drive down was less than interesting, including a fantastic 3 hours of traffic in Orlando just before we hit our resort. Shoot.

The weather upon arrival was sunny, but windy and probably about 10 degrees. This is warm if you came from the -20 of Ontario, but still not quite, "I'm going to bust out my shirt and shorts and still be warm" type of weather. Go figure eh? Shoot. Regardless of the wind, we're here and having a bitching time. The weather today was enough to burn us, and as many of our lobster friends (hahahahahahahaha) showed their faces (hahahaahhahaha) because their faces are red. See, that was funny because lobsters are red, and if you burn your skin it turns red. Clever, I know.

I dyed my hair here. It's very blonde. Why? I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure it doesn't look good. But it's blonde. Ryan and I dyed our hair very blonde. Ryan dyed his hair to day too. He dyed it blonde.

If you want to check out the live camera link of the pool that we're going to hang out at this week, click here.

Anyways, peace, and see you in a week. Or a few months. We'll figure it out.

Turkies.

*Note: I am neither proof reading or spell checking this entry. This internet costs money.

Gordo

We've had a lot of snow lately. Let me explain.

Oceans. There's oceans. In these oceans there is water. Water that is basic. This basic water evapourates. This evapourated water condencese in the atomesphere. This condesenced air in the atomesphere under cooler conditions will cause the condensed water to take a solid form when falling towards the earth. This solid form is white. This white condensed water lands on the earth and sticks. The earth becomes white with solid condensed water. Lots of solid water on the earth causes school to be closed.

I usually have three labs a week. Labs are good, but sometimes they can take up a lot of time, seeing that they are three hour blocks schedualed in, you guessed it, your schedual.

Look at this. Thanks Danielle.

So I have a lot of labs. It snowed, and school was cancelled. Out of my three labs this week, two have been cancelled. I feel like a real university student. I'm not in school all the time. Kind of like an english major. Oh, snap.

Freaking sweet snow storm though. I'm going to overexagerate by saying we had 5 feet of snow. Some of the snow drifts were that deep. It was cool. That is all.

Why?

Ever since my first math textbook in grade three, I've been hooked on the things of science and logic. I still remember reading through that text book, learning how to do square roots long before we were ever taught in class. Actually, now that I come to think of it, I don't think we ever got that far in that grade. It's truly amazing how even at a young age we have our likes and dislikes, quite often very well formed and developed.

So, thinking back to my childhood and looking at where I'm going now, it all aligns like a glorious y = mx +b format. Regardless of how old I am (x) or what I'm taking in school (y), it seems that "m" and "b" remain constant, that is to say, that the choices I have made in the past and the ones I'm still making today seem to line up. Yes, a certain pride wells up in me with this fact, but at the same time that pride must be put into a saline solution so that all it's watery substance can, by means of osmosis, leak out, causing my pride to shrink. This hypertonic solution I would like to think of as the realization of God's faithfulness, an ongoing force that at times seems invisible, yet has a significant influence on how I go about my life.

Controversy time: Predestination.
Was I predestined to be at Redeemer studying sciences, to make the friends I have made and to act the way I do? Ephesians 1:4-6 states, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

Now you might be saying, "Hey James, God predestined us for salvation, but he doesn't predestine the things we do or our careers." Alright, I hear you there, but I hope you still agree that the choices we make are quite often the gentle nudging of a caring father, as well as our own choice. Ah, the mysteries of free choice mixed with the disputed predestination.

Whatever the case, I pretty much just want to say that I'm a biology student and that I've been waist deep in the sciences ever since I was a kid. Just as a little tag-offer, look at these cool videos. Notice that one movie is just one cell, while the other is trillions. Simply fantastic.

Wise Investors

There's some things, as small and seemingly unimportant, that I feel I need to complete before I can even think about doing other work.

A few of these things might include beating two level 9 computers on Smash Bros. with DK, or possibly even writing a blog. I wonder the psychology behind this. It just might bug me.

I have been doing absolutely fantastic lately. The occasional volleyball practice, mixed in with being able to do Gram stains blindfolded and being able to fully appreciate the rising sun on the way to an 8 a.m. class in -20 weather sometimes just gets me in awe. Now, I don't want to sound like one of those people who thinks that everything is amazing and wonderful and that if you don't think kitties are the coolest and cutest things in the world then you don't love God. Rather I think I just want to sound like I'm doing well, because, well, I'm doing well.

The guitar has picked up a bit as of late. Playing Damien Rice songs along with some 'Round Here' by ye ol' Counting Crows has been the highlight of late. And for the record, 'Round Here' is meant to sound incredible high and whiney, as if you were whining about something. It is truly inspiring to hear a full grown man whine. Glory.

I have three midterms the week after reading break. Feel sorry for me, because I'm looking for sympathy.

As many of you know, I have fantastic lats. I don't try to hide this by any stretch, but please don't stare. That's just plain rude.

Heroes of Azeroth

I've always enjoyed Elton John's music. I once had his "Best Of" album on my iPod, and now that it's gone, I kind of miss it. It's interesting how the Elt-man himself was the method of how I met some people here at ‘Deems. 'Twas September, and low and behold, everyone and everything was new to me. How do you meet new people? Why, by singing EJ tunes into your microphone out of your computer speakers, that's how.

These upcoming weeks shall be brutal. Not only because it seems like I have less and less time, but also because Florida is coming up and the preparation for it will also tax into my limited reserve of minutes. Ah, the life of a student that wishes to do everything.

Side note: Words such as due and do, or sale and sail are fun to think about. Especially the phrase, "On sale." On sale? You've got to be kidding me.

Through discussion, I've realized that it's right for me to be a science major. When one thinks what a science major should look like and how they should act, I hope I fit the stereotype. Scratch that, I feel I do fit the stereotype. Also, I feel that I'm one RPG or card game away from being a computer science major.

Side note #2: Geeks are cool.
Above sentence rephrased based on this blog: James is cool.

Time is always on my mind. Sometimes my day feels like a recipe where I measure out the appropriate amount of time for each activity I have planned, always trying to start with a healthy base of 8 hours of sleep. From there I can add 30 minutes of video games, 2 hours of reading, and mix it in with 30 minutes of d’activity physique. Quite often I find I run out of certain ingredients, but on a whole I think my days quite tasty. Tasty indeed.

Earthshock.

Squeeze

Alright, let’s say that you made a fantastic milkshake. Oh, and for the record, my milkshakes bring the boys to the yard; my milkshakes are better than yours. Ok then, we have this milkshake. It has a bit of yoghurt in it, some tasty vanilla ice-cream (Stew, which one is your favorite?) and some fantabular strawberries. You've just mixed all the ingredients in your blender/ magic bullet and you're just getting ready to enjoy the glorious concoction you just made. So then you walk from the kitchen to the place where you hope to enjoy the milkshake and let’s say you trip. Anything can trip you, so I'm going to say there was a miniature Asian elephant in the living room that I tripped over. It doesn't really matter how you trip. The important and scary thing is that you spilt your milkshake, you big silly! Florple! But don't worry; you have an absorbent tea-towel that isn't two weeks used and soiled by continuous dryings from wet dishes. It's clean, so you let the tea-towel soak up the goodness. And then you squeeze every last drop of that creamy drink into your mouth until you find yourself wringing the tea-towel to the extent of damaging it, if that is even possible of course.

Explanation #1: Milkshakes are the good things in life. Sometimes they get away from you. You can get them back, and make sure you get as much back as you can.
Explanation #2: My milkshakes bring the boys to the yard.
Explanation #3: Miniature elephants are smaller than normal elephants and thus are hard to detect if they're sleeping on your living room floor. Step carefully.
Explanation #4: Soiled tea-towels are not ideal for absorbing tasty drinks which you plan to drink later.
Explanation #5: No poofters
Explanation #6: Stewart likes things that taste of vanilla and Ryan puts raw eggs in his milkshakes.

Someone asked me in the summer what I was going to be doing on January 30th. Being that he was a stranger, I smiled awkwardly and nodded to make him think I thought he said something different. I heard him people, don't worry, I'm just a jerk that way. But, now to answer his question, I was going to be purchasing (with the help of my friend Timot) the new Norah Jones CD. People, it is Norah, and it is fantastic. That is all.

For a greater explanation of the occurrences of this weekend, which involved about 5 or 6 hours of pond hockey, please refer to said Timot's blog. There are pics there, and soon I will upload a video of me trying to stop while going far to fast. Quite humorous.

Peaceables.

Techmology

So, techmology: Is it good, or is it whack?

I might just go on a rant here. Oh, and as a side note, 'rant' is kind of a weird word.

One of my largest pet peeves is when people try to use technology in a public setting when they quite obviously don't know how to use technology. This can branch out to quite a few groups, but the one particular group I will touch on today is Professors.

I started to write something very demoralizing to the profs, so I deleted it and I'll touch on some points that bug me.
1) To go back a slide on PowerPoint, press the <- button instead of right clicking, trying to find the previous slide button and accidentally pressing the forward slide button. One very quick '<-' can solve this. Thank you.
2) The projector does not need to be turned off and on every 10 minutes when you want to use the board. This will wear out the bulb. There's a handy dandy 'blackout button' on your projector remote that will enable you to quickly and easily work on the board.
3) 9 times out of 10 it's not the computers fault, but rather the users fault. For instance, the speakers might not work (even though the light may be on) because you have the sound muted on your computer. Troubleshooting people, troubleshooting.

I strongly believe that anyone who might use technology in their job should take a week long course to learn how to properly use a computer and all the fancy dancey benefits that go along with it. It will save them the embarrassment of students laughing at them as well and them being embarrassed.

Just a little bit of a vent. General navigation on common computer programs can go a long way especially if you use computer at your job.

One Hour Photofinishing

I can't stand when people talk about their own blogs. Ha, get it? Brilliant.

I'm always cautious when I try to post something serious, mostly because a few things happen to me. First, a small part of me is like, "Nobody wants to hear your thoughts." Now, having the large and polished ego that I do, I push this thought out of my head very quickly because I'm positive that pretty much everybody wants to hear what I have to say. I mean, why wouldn't you? I'm brilliant. I reference this fact to the first line of this blog. Secondly, part of me feels like I'm trying to be far more intellectual than I really am, almost like I'm an expert at raiding Naxx when I've really only seen Patchwerk. I go on one thought and almost exhaust it to the extent that it's like saying "umbrella" a thousand times - it just looses its meaning. And thirdly, I find that when I re-read my blogs (again, this is an action merely to feed the ego and realize how brilliant past posts have been. again, look at the first line of the blog) I far more enjoy the 'not-so-serious' ones that reflect upon the lighter side of life than the verbal diarrhea posts that try to make me sound smart.

So, to conclude, some cheeses are made by boiling milk at approximately 190 degrees Fahrenheit and then cooling and salting the curds.

Cheese!

The New Education

There are a few things in life that just make it more enjoyable. One of those things for me is my "Bitch'n Playlist" that I have in iTunes. Truly fantastic.

We had an ice storm on Sunday night which cancelled classes on Monday. Everything looks nice in ice.

I enjoy learning about History, and it appears that my History prof teaches Greek philosophy better than my Philosophy prof did last year. Maybe not, but I still enjoy it.

It's been snowing a bit here. It covers the ice, which makes things pretty. Pretty things are good.

Don't eat Splenda. It’s chlorinated glucose molecules. Chemicals people, chemicals.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Blorg. Flarg florple marken treble. Grapes.

There was this item in my fridge that was tucked away nicely on the bottom shelf. The tupperware container was very pretty; a nice blue body that hadn’t seen much wear and would most likely hold up very well in a microwave. This blue container was remotely transparent so that one could just make out what's on the inside, like a shadow on the wall. Its smells were mysterious, as were its texture and taste. Only the one who put it there knows what was inside, unless the food, cosmetic or mystical creature inside knew of its own existence. But to everyone who looked into the fridge, the containers contents remain unknown. Upon seeing this container, I was, at first, unimpressed. My mind was on the milk I needed for my cereal. However, upon another visit, the container caught my attention and sparked a curiosity. I found myself, from time to time, being completely obsessed with the container while the fridge door was closed, but as soon as I saw it again, it disinterested me. On and off this curiosity flamed and withered until finally, with caution place firmly in my back pocket, I went and examined the contents of the tupperware. With hands shaking, I reached in for the container, pausing only for a second before grasping it with my fingers. At first touch it felt as if the blue plastic would engulf me, covering me with its cool disposition. But alas! It was only the crisp air of the fridge that brought about this defiant tingling. I pulled it out, and as I did I quickly shut the fridge door, leaving no escape for the contents to leap out and hide back in the cold darkness. I wish the story could end in a way which would quench the thirst of your curiosity, but I cannot logically recall what happened the moment my thumb cracked the firm lid off to reveal what was inside.

Three hours later I awoke, sprawled out on the kitchen floor, numb to all feeling. Upon opening my eyes I saw a slick trail of what seemed to be green-brown gravy leaving the kitchen. I followed the trail with my eyes, astonished as to what I would have witnessed. Before me, not ten feet away, the trail ended. And then, with my eyes, I understood it all...

Finish the story yourself, I think there's no limit for text in the comments. Try to make it less than a page.

Defining the Ultimate

If words were like people and if they were forced to do high-jump for their Grade 8 Christian school track meet, I'm positive that "Sporadic" would dominate and win it all.

Whilst I sit here eating my oma's cookies, I am forced, nay, persuaded to think about some of my favorite things. It seems like I do one of these every six months, so for the sake of habitual activities, I'm going to give 'er skiddo.

1) Hiding under blankets - I'm not sure why this has clung to me so fast and strong, but I just love getting all giddy while I pull my cotton shield (+32 Stamina, 3258 armor)over my head and laugh about words like "turtle" or "umbrella".
2) As mentioned above, my oma's cookies - it's not so much that I'm a such a cookie lover, but rather the taste of homemade chocolate chippers from someone that loves you adds that extra 'umph' to the eating. These cookies are bloody expensive because their sentimental value is through the roof.
3) Editing video - shoot man, whenever I do this activity it's like someone takes a spiked paddle and smacks the creative pixies residing in my duodenum to release dopamine. That is to say, I feel good when I edit. It's weird how I can watch the same edited video over and over again without getting sick of it. Bizarre.
4) Forts - D37 made a fort out of their mattresses and blankets. Did you hear that mom? They're allowed to build a fort. I remember that back when I was a wee creative child, all I wanted to do was build a crappy two foot high fort out of our six earth coloured cushions we had in our living room. Unfortunately most of the time when I built this fort my mother asked me to tear it down. No hard feelings though, I suppose.
5) Norah - Norah Norah Norah Norah Norah. Oh, sweet glory, Norah.
6) Jazz Piano - Yarr, this might somewhat be connected to the above, but I'm just a big fan of soft background jazz filling the air while heartfelt conversation is had or when I crit an elite for over 1500. It's just magical. Stewart mentioned that whenever he sees me play basketball I'm smiling, and I'm sure that it's the same when I listen to jazz.
7) World of Warcraft - Oh the expansion, how you elude me.

So yeah, there you have it for another quarter. For the record, I ate about a dozen cookies during this writing session. So chocolaty.

Ashkandhi, Sword of the Brotherhood

Please notice these three things:
1) Adam's lame elbow to Neil's head and how it seemingly knocks him unconscious or kills him.
2) The expressions on John's face after Adam gives him a 'kick' which most likely tickled John rather than hurt him.
3) Dan's killer smile when the cigarette is taken from him.

Rollercoaster of Love

It’s very late, and I can’t sleep yet again. I hope this trend ends fairly soon. This post is merely to pass time until I feel tired. It is quite lengthy, so I guess I didn’t tire easily.

A wise man once said that wise men quote wise men.

We all know that the word love is cheapened in today’s world. So often we hear the verb and quite often it is used out of context, and quite often 'like' would gladly come off the vocabulary bench and hop onto the court so that it could use its skills. It's kind of like Roberto Luongo. If you over use him, he's going to disappoint you, but you have to realize it's not his fault. Maybe sometimes he's being played when he could take a seat on the pine and rest up. Actually, scratch that. We need Luongo in every night, but you get the point.

I would like to think that most of us know that our word 'love' comes from some sort of Greek background, but more importantly I would like to think that most of us know that there is more than one word for 'love' in Greek. If you didn't know that, well, sorry for the spoiler.

Back to the thought of a rollercoaster and its connection with love. We see the peaks and valleys of a rollercoaster, and hey, why don't we connect that with the highs and lows that we experience in our lives. As a side note, I have yet to meet one person who has not had a low or a high. At some point everybody gets sick, depressed, let down, disappointed, or exhausted. As well, everybody has experienced the highs, the joy of a beautiful day with Sunday morning pancakes, the satisfying completion of a job well done, or the realization or understanding that there are people out there that love (not like) you and love to be around you. We all experience these things because we are human beings with physical bodies tainted by sin that get beaten and bruised as well as fed and pampered. Highs and lows people, highs and lows.

When we think of the rollercoaster, we can dissect a few things that it has. It has tracks, wheels attached to the cars, and that handy dandy guardrail that doesn't let you go off flying to an exhilarating yet painful death. Why don't we call the cars our bodies, and the passenger our soul and spirit. If you don't believe in the soul and spirit, well, why don't you try and imagine if you will for a second. Let's call the track our life. Yarr, that's right, our life. So, we have our bodies that go along this track that we call life (shoot, I feel a corny country song coming on here) and this life takes us up as well as down, as is natural. Of course, every rollercoaster is different. Some of us may experience higher highs and lower lows, but just as the mysterious sine curve has ups and downs, so is our life. Naturally, the car travels on the track, and let’s say if it goes off the track, you're probably going to die. Makes sense. Likewise, if our passengers, soul and spirit, get out of the car the car has lost its purpose and one could argue that without passengers, the car is pointless. Now if the track was completely flat, there would be no fear of the passengers falling out, but we all know that rollercoasters are not so. So what keeps us in the car? Well, that handy dandy guard bar of course. Now, let us call this guard bar love. And, as you might have guessed, this love is not the love that can be substituted for like, such as in the phrase, "I really love those three-bean burritos." This is the love that is experienced through soul and spirit, that is to say, the passengers. So we have this love that the passengers can grasp on to if need be, or let go of and distance ourselves from by scurrying their bottoms to the back of their seats. Quite often we don't see this love when we're going up, that is to say, experiencing a high. However, on the downward curve descending to the valley, it's that bar that keeps you there. Some may choose to not grab onto the bar, but their legs can't squeeze out of its grip when their bottoms are off their seat. It needs to be there though. Without it, there wouldn't be very many people on the roller coaster.

Ryan seems to think I have insomnia. It's either that or the worst jet lag I've ever experienced. I have a class in four hours and yet I still can't sleep.

Farquad.