Look! A Blog!

Hello again...
So it has been 3 months since my last blog....
I had figured no one was reading, and really, I was much to busy to update until Amanda sent me frusturated messages compelling me to update.
So, what has happened? well, my roomie and I moved into a house with 2 turks (yep, the same 2 from the summer) and my friend kim. Also, in addition, I convinced my mom to send my dog over. she has been a good time. I am pretty sure that she has gotten more walks in these last couple of weeks than in the past two months!
Other than that, well, school is still school. I am dreaming of the summer now as it has been a full year of being in school. What I am going to do in the summer? no clue...any ideas? job offers?
This past reading break has been a bit of a tough one. My original plan was to lay low, get some reading caught up on, and perhaps go up island for a couple of days. however, it has turned into a whirlwind of going back and forth between vancouver and victoria as my grandmother just passed away.
But, with that said, the family is doing well. Each day gets easier. We know that she is at peace now.
Anyways, hope everyone that reads this is doing well....I am not sure how soon I will update again.

Hersh Quote

This made me want to laugh and cry at the same time...
Seymour Hersh says, “In Washington, you can’t expect any rationality. I don’t know if Bush is in Iraq because God told him to, because his father didn’t do it, or because it’s the next step in his 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program”.

Apparently there have been reports that Bush has lost it. Even pro-war Americans are beginning to claim that the man has either senile dementia or some sort of mental illness. I personally wouldn't doubt it, although it sounds like a last resort excuse to me. Anyone for putting our leaders throught mental fitness checks? maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. His unwavering support of the two thugs: Cheney and Rumsfeld would certainly seem to confirm it.

Hanging Hussein....
Are we returning to the days of the Wild West? Who the heck hangs people anymore? I am pretty sure even places like North Korea don't engage in this crap. Seems convenient that this verdict comes down 5 days before a midterm election. I mean, the man probably deserves to die, he was definitely a brutal dictator, however, less people died under him in Iraq than under the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld death squad. So does that mean we get to have a mockery of a trial to hang them? I am no advocate of death, that lets them off too easy. I was thinking maybe life imprisonment in Guantanamo Bay may be more appropriate.

Gay Pastors?
....Who throw out meth. Another thing wrong with the modern establishment of the church. I know the majority of you who read this attend church, but I can't help but think this is just another example of what a joke the church has become. Perhaps a more inclusive recognition of homosexuality as just another sexuality and not a sin would be progressive and maybe bring the church to what it was originally intended for, a community of believers who wish to promote goodwill and love, instead of hiding behind the condemnation of those who go against what the holy book says. Maybe then this pastor's hypocrisy would be more excusable. Of course, he will just be exiled from the church, his family, his job, rather than cared for like he needs. Anyone that is paying for sex (whether hetero or homosexual) and using meth needs help and the support of a community. Isn't that what the church was originally intended for?

A New Friend!

So my roomate discovered the presence of a 'furry friend' in our suite today. He's big, lives under the kitchen sink and has a tail.
Yes friends, our 'friend' is a rat.
I don't know how you feel about rats, but I personally am terrified to even step foot in my kitchen.
Mice, I can deal with. but big, yucky rats? I just don't know if I can handle this.
(HUGE shudder)

Oh boy,
If anything deserves a post...it is this past weekend. What a Gong Show. Yes, a capitalized one. First, it began with the random samba party across the street from my house. K and I were planning a nice quiet hang out night when my ears caught the rhythm of samba. So, after peaking my head out the door we were off for a night of samba, great costumes, dj's and soiree'ing with my neighbours. Turns out I have amazingly cool neighbours. After Samba party, we ended up at another party not too far up the street which was just as cool. My campfire costume, as well as K's IPod costume were hits. We rocked the party with Rick James and the Care Bears.
Saturday night...
My first ever (and probably only ever) Halloween pub crawl. We are talking 200 students all dressed up, 90% of them blitzed by 6 on a school bus. I will have you know that drinking did not start for me until much later that evening, however, the singing of school bus songs was accomplished. By the first club, everyone knew who K and I were. Hilarious. Everytime I needed her, I could just yell IPOD!!! and people would point. She yelled for campfire all night. too funny. To add to the good times, we had our very own Borat. And, this guy was good. He even had the hair. To add to it, he kept in character all night and by far was the best costume (even though Santa Claus won the trip to Mexico). After dashing in and out of almost every night spot in Victoria, the time came to head to a few house parties. Not near the same calibre as the Samba party, these ones were still good.
In other news....
I have been asked to belly dance at an old folks home (kind of odd...) and in a dinner theatre at the beginning of december. Should be fun!
Further news...I managed to land perhaps the easiest job on campus. I get paid to sit in the ticket booth at the movie theatre and sell tickets. Between movies, I get paid to read and wait for the next movie to start. And, to add to this...all the free coffee I could hope for. It's good coffee too! I love the student life.

Civil Liberties? Say what?

One of my daily activities is checking the blog of Global Americana Institute President Juan Cole. www.juancole.com/ Normally his blog centres on Iraq and American domestic politics. Most of the time I prefer to read the parts on Iraq. Today though, the domestic is what caught my eye and made me want to throw things and come up with a Bush assassination plan.
Get this...
Bush and a supine, cowardly Congress shredded the US Constitution on Tuesday, abolishing the right of a court review (habeas corpus) for some classes of suspect. Suspect, mind you, not proven criminal.

In other words, we have to be confident that George W. Bush is so competent, all-knowing, and inherently just that we can just trust him. If he says someone is an enemy combatant, then he or she is. No need to check with a judge about why he or she is being held. And then Bush can have the suspect tortured to make him confess, and can convict him on the basis of the coerced confession, all in secret.

This law creates two classes of persons inside the United States, citizens with rights and non-citizens (12 million persons? Equivalent to the entire state of Michigan!) without rights.

And I thought that this war was supposed to be about liberty and freedom for the American people...right? Right.
Seems like another Bush administration lie to me. The sad thing about this one is that it is not being reported at all. The media are way more interested in various scandals occurring than the idea that habeas corpus is being obliterated. Looks like long-standing traditions of law are not good enough for Bush & Co.

I'm happy I'm Canadian at this moment.
But hey...we need to be careful too....

Don't Complicate My Peace of Mind

Interesting couple of weeks.
I have been relearning grammar, visiting long lost friends, losing a dear pet, and almost having my laptop stolen!
To start with, writing for my honours seminar prof is a huge challenge. The man is making me re-learn grammar. Or, perhaps, learn it in the first place. Should be a good challenge. Apparently I am not the only one, half the class faces this problem.
Onto to other more exciting things. Last weekend was an unofficial ex-band girlfriend day, which Heather did a fine job covering. Even managed to talk about post-modernism with Texan Matt. Good times. Seeing Kristin, Janelle and Heather made me realize how much I, myself, have changed even since leaving vancouver. Perhaps I am finally learning to like Victoria? or, at least accept where I am. After a few whirlwind days, spending quality time with the parents and brother over birthday/thanksgiving dinner, i returned home (if it can be called that!)Wednesday Dave showed up from Portland for a few days. Thursday morning. 7:30. I wake up to the gate crashing shut and assume my roomate left for school. Not so, I heard her voice a couple minutes later and thought she had returned home for something. Something made me get out of bed, and I found a note saying that someone was trying to get the window open to reach in and steal my laptop. My heroine, Julia, saved the day with her early wake-up skills.
Today, after having a long day at school, I returned home to find that Dave had done the dishes..and attempted to clean my fish bowl...something I did not ask him to do, but he was trying to be a good houseguest i suppose. I asked him how his day was, and his reply was "uuh...I killed your fish". Sure enough, floating at the bottom of the bowl, was my lovely, lively, exuberant 6-month-old betta fish. I immediately started to cry and made Dave flush him down the toilet.
I loved that fish. He would dance to music and follow your finger. I think it may be a long time before I can replace him, if ever.
Rest in Peace Zissou. I'm sorry.

Love and Marriage...

Hooray for Amanda and Jason!!!
Congrats to the newest happy couple to join the married roster.
Such a fun wedding. Good times were had by all, and I am very glad that I came out for the weekend despite the plethora of things I have to do for school at the moment. Seeing familiar faces from 2 years ago (or more for some!) was amazing. It is really cool to watch your friends grow up (or not at all in the case of some). I am now excited to run into people when I am fifty that I know now. That will be fun.
I also discovered the goodness and difference between Wedding dancing and Normal dancing. Wedding dancing is much more fun. You can just totally be nuts,cause hey, you're hot, everyone else is hot, and let's boogie.
Anyways, I am now moved into my lovely new pad, its pretty suite (as in basement). hahah. i crack myself up. Next on the list, finish my essay and get going on my road trip to accomplish said goal of learning to surf.
Yippeee!