Saturday, July 31, 2004

Marc here again, on behalf of myself and Ang, we're out of town, down in Southern Sask. (Estevan). There will be no posts until Tuesday. Tonight, we're heading down to the Minot State Fair to see Keith Urban in concert. It should be good. I've seen him perform on the tele and it was quite good.

written by Marc at 11:25 AM [+] |

Thursday, July 29, 2004

I came to school today just after 8AM and have been working ever since. The thing is, I have been working on the wedding photos in photoshop. I have done absolutely nothing as far as school goes. I might as well have stayed home and done my work there. Oh well, at least I can walk around the hall ways periodically and everyone can see that I am here. No one has to know that I am working on other things. I hope you all like this photo as much as I do, let me know what you think.

written by angela at 3:08 PM [+] |

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Last night Marc and I went to The Bourne Supremacy. What a great movie. Generally I don't really go for action films, but I definetely enjoyed this one. I was constantly on the edge of my seat. I give it four out of five stars. Tonight we are going to see Harold and Kumar go to White Castle because Marc won free tickets to a premier showing.


written by angela at 3:06 PM [+] |

Here's a good website for sports fans and non-sports fans alike: ESPN's top 100 sports moments in the past 25 years. They're counting down, releasing one moment a day. They've currently posted 100 through 43. It's nice to be able to go down the list and see how many I remember.

written by Marc at 9:48 AM [+] |

Marc here, again. I haven't really announced it to everybody yet, but I decided a few weeks ago that I am not going to Bermuda anymore. I'm way too much of a romantic to leave my grrrl for two years. Ang, thanks for a great 4 1/2 months, and here's to many, many more!

written by Marc at 9:33 AM [+] |

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Not that I'm a republican, or even American, but if anybody's looking for a little balance to the anti-Bush literature being circulated everywhere, check out this article.

written by Marc at 2:01 PM [+] |

Yep, it's prize-winning Marc back again. This time, I've won two tickets to Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle tomorrow night. I was surprised to see that it had a 'fresh' rating of 83%. But here's the catch -- on the back of the pass states the following disclaimer "THEATRE IS OVERBOOKED TO ENSURE CAPACITY PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY. PASSES DO NOT GUARANTEE ADMISSION". So, it sounds like we'll have to be at least half an hour early, but at hopefully the movie will be worth it.

Tonight, if my stars are aligned (ie: if I can convince Ang), I'd like to see The Bourne Supremacy. I remember seeing the first movie, The Bourne Identity. I was so transfixed on the movie -- I don't remember a movie since that one where I was so enthralled with the story.


written by Marc at 1:20 PM [+] |

What a wonderful boyfriend I have. Anyone that knows me really well, knows that if there is one thing I am not, it is a morning person. I hate mornings and I am so bitter when I have to wake up when the hour is still in the single digits. When I sleep at Marc's house (yes, I sleep at Marc's house... I am a baaaddd grrrrl, but you still love me) he has to be at work around 8AM... Yuck, I hate the sound of that and the way it looks on the computer screen.

When I stay at Marc's house, I have to wake up with him and leave his house when he does. This means I am getting up way earlier then I would if I was at home. I hope Marc realizes what a sacrifice this is for me. Yet, it is sooo worth it. The way Marc wakes me up with coffee and sometimes breakfast is so sweet. Marc, I am sorry I am always so grumpy and refuse to say 'good' morning, but I am afraid I can not (or will not) change any time soon.

At the end of August Becky, Marc and myself will be moving in together. Then I will no longer have to get up and leave the house at the same time as Marc. I can't decide whether I am looking forward to this. I mean, I am definitely looking forward to not getting up before 8AM (grrr), but I will kind of miss that time with Marc. I will miss the 20 minutes of interaction before we go our separate ways. It most likely be replaced with a quick peck on the cheek that lasts only a second or two before I fall back asleep only to forget the encounter all together. Ahhh, but I will be asleep. I am so torn.

[/sentiment]

written by angela at 8:58 AM [+] |

Monday, July 26, 2004

I am currently reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. It is a very interesting book and has encouraged me to make some changes in my life. Not necessarily with my diet (generally I don't eat a lot of fast food), more with regards to my shopping habits and the kinds of business I choose to support.

The following includes some of the quotes I have deemed mentionable so far.

"In 1978, the typical teenage boy in the United States drank about seven ounces of soda everyday; today he drinks nearly three times that amount, deriving 9 percent of his daily caloric intake from soft drinks... A significant number of teenager boys are now drinking five or more cans of soda every day. Each can contains the equivalent of about ten teaspoons of sugar." page 54

This one is scary; "Roughly four or five fast food workers are now murdered on the job every month, usually during the course of a robbery... In 1998, more restaurant workers were murdered on the job in the United States than police officers." page 83

"During the late 1960s, McDonald's began to tear down the restaurants originally designed by Richard McDonald, the buildings with golden arches atop their slanted roofs[...] Worried about how costumers might react to the switch, the McDonald's Corporation hired Louis Cheskin - a prominent design consultant and psychologist - to help ease the transition. He argued against completely eliminating the golden arches, claiming they had great Freudian importance in the subconscious mind of costumers. According to Cheskin, the golden arches resembled a pair of large breasts;"mother McDonald's breasts." It made little sense to lose the appeal of that universal, and yet somehow all-American, symbolism." page 97-98.

Hmmm... Interesting. The next quote got my attention because I used to work at Subway. I worked at Subway for over a year about seven years ago (now I feel old). Mostly I enjoyed the work, but the employers treated the employees very poorly and it has left a bad taste in my mouth.

"During the 1990s, Subway was involved in more legal disputes with franchisees than any other chain - more than Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Wendy's combined. Dean Sager, a former staff economist for the U.S. House of Representatives'' Small Business Committee, has called Subway the 'worst' franchise in America. 'Subway is the biggest problem in franchising,' Sager told Fortune magazine in 1998, 'and emerges as one of the key examples of every [franchise] abuse you can think of." page 100

Just some food for thought.

written by angela at 4:23 PM [+] |

This weekend Marc, Becky and I went to Lower Fishing Lake in the Narrow Hills provincial park. It was so much fun and the weather was perfect. We had a schedule packed with lots of beaching and eating. The perfect weekend. To the left is a picture of Marc and I enjoying our campsite. Below is a picture of the wild strawberries Becky and I picked and put in our pancakes. Mmmmm... Wild strawberry pancakes. It was so good and I can't wait for my next chance to escape the city.



written by angela at 11:49 AM [+] |

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Here are some of the photos from the wedding day. This is only the beginning of many more photos. Just role the mouse over the thumbnail to see larger images or go to my online photo album. I am afraid the resolution of the images here aren't as good as I would like. However, the resolution is better in the online photo album so please feel free to view them there.

written by angela at 2:58 PM [+] |

I know you have all been dying to see the wedding photos. Well, I have spent the last three days in photoshop and I still have a lot more to do. I promise to post more soon, but in the mean time, here is another of my favorites. Please feel free to comment, I would like suggestions and constructive criticism.

written by angela at 8:46 AM [+] |

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Thanks to B. it is now cool in our house. Ahh... The feeling of Air conditioning. I love it. I can actually fall asleep and not wake up covered in sweat. This weekend Marc and Becky and myself are planning a camping trip. The weather network is forecasting a hot and sunny weekend, too hot to stay in the city. It will be perfect for laying around on the beach and getting a sun burn. I will have to make sure I do not forget the sun block.

written by angela at 12:02 PM [+] |

Monday, July 19, 2004

The wedding went very well, considering the circumstances. It turned out to be any photographers nightmare... Wedding by candle light. The power was out at the church and the whole service was performed with the only lighting being the windows and candle light. It was quite the challenge, especially for my first wedding. The formals went very well even though it was 35 degrees Celsius outside and the matron of honour was 7 months pregnant Last but not least, is the reception which was very nice, there are definitely some keepers from that set of photos.

Sarah and Mike are a very attractive couple and making them look great on their wedding day was not too difficult. It was, however, a LOT of work and I do not envy wedding photographers. I don't think I could of done it without Marc and Becky assisting me. They were a great help, thanks guys.

I will definitely be posting some of the pictures soon, but I won't post all of them. I took more then 850 photographs all day on Saturday. Thank goodness the bride and groom are going on a month long honeymoon, that gives me a lot of time to sort and photoshop the best pictures. I am sure my daily photo website will have a lot of wedding photos popping up in the next little while.

written by angela at 5:26 PM [+] |

This is the temperature INSIDE my house... This sucks.



written by angela at 1:47 PM [+] |

Friday, July 16, 2004

Tomorrow is Sarah and Mike's wedding (for any of you that don't remember, I am their photographer).  Am I nervous?  I don't think so, but I can't stop thinking about it.  I can't stop composing photos in my head.  All night last night and all morning today I have spent going over all the photos I want to take along with different poses and locations.  I have made up a list of things to bring and I have revised it over and over again.  I want to do nothing today other then go through the last library book I saved about wedding photography, it is more than a month over due now. But I am afraid there is so much more then that on today's agenda.  This morning I am at school doing some work in the lab, this afternoon my supervisor is having a pool party that I must at least drop in on, and then this evening is the rehearsal and rehearsal BBQ.  Maybe I will hurry the lab work and make the visit to the pool party short, I am sure people will understand.  Any last minute advise would be great.  Wish me luck!

written by angela at 8:53 AM [+] |

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Last night was Laura's Surprise Birthday Party. We got her good. To see more pictures, click here.

written by angela at 9:27 AM [+] |

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

"If a few minutes of suffering could make me so angry, what would years do? Even stone can be worn down with enough rain." page 94

"Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterwards we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be." page 348

"[...] I understoon the dange of focusing only on what isn't there. What if I came to the end of my life and realized that I'd spent every day watching for a man who would never come to me? What an unbearable sorrow it would be, to realize I'l never really tasted the things I'd eaten, or seen the places I'd been, because I thought of nothing but [him] even while my life was drifting away from me. And yet if I drew my thoughts back from him, what life would I have? I would be like a dancer who had practiced since childhood for a performance she would never give." page 349

"Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper." page 428

written by angela at 8:41 AM [+] |

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

written by angela at 6:17 PM [+] |

So tired today. I went to school this morning at 8:30 and I didn't take my laptop with me. I find it is more of a distraction then useful. I got so much work done today, I may have to start leaving my laptop at home more often. I was even able to come home quite early and take a nap. Which ended up being way too long and now I just feel groggy. ZZZzzzzz... I can't even look forward to seeing Marc tonight, that really makes me even more groggy. What is wrong with me. Marc is like a drug I can't get enough of. If I can scrounge up enough motivation I may try to vacuum today. The carpet is way overdue for some attention.

written by angela at 3:26 PM [+] |

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Thanks to Becky for nominating my daily photo for BlogsCanada's TopBlog. I have made the cut and am included in July's TopBlogs. WooHoo. Thanks again.

Nominator becky (grrrlmeetsworld): "Angela's photos are phenomenal -- every day she puts up a picture that is either breathtaking, hilarious, or just plain funky. I think she's in denial about her abilities as a photographer -- and while she's currently a student in Biochemistry, I think her true calling is in photography. After looking at her page, I know you'll think so too."

written by angela at 2:03 PM [+] |

Here is a picture I took of Marc playing at the Park this weekend.

written by angela at 11:51 AM [+] |

Monday, July 12, 2004

The following is a writing excersize inspired by Becky, who was inspired by Beyond Magazine, who was in turn inspired by Sun Magazine.



written by angela at 2:15 PM [+] |

Last night I went to see the film Super Size Me at the Broadway Theater. It is documentary about fast food restaurants and their influence on the health of America. Morgan Spurlock decides to go on a McDiet and document the effects to his health and well being. The results are quite drastic, in fact, they are more drastic then any of the health professionals in the documentary predicted. I recommend this documentary to anyone, especially those of you that eat fast food on a regular or semi-regular basis. Children should be watching films like this in school and I think parents should see it as well.


written by angela at 12:59 PM [+] |

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Marc here once again. The family reunion was nice. I suffered a terrible bought with my hayfever/allergies, though. Hopefully now that I'm back in the city and away from most things resembling nature, I will start feeling better soon.

On to more fun thoughts... Ie: reflections on Thursday's concert in Rock'n the Valley. Hawksley was good, but I've seen better performances. He seemed a little disappointed that he was the opener of the headliners and that the crowd was still far too sober. 54-40 put on a good set. They're a great live band and I never realized that I knew so many of their songs. To close out the night, Default got on the stage and lit it up. I honestly don't think they're that talented of a band (the least talented of the three headliners, IMHO), but since they're such a mainstream pop-rock band, they put on a good show and the crowd ate them up.

written by Marc at 2:50 PM [+] |

Thursday, July 08, 2004

Family reunions... Does anyone out their actually look forward to them? That is my question for the day. Maybe it is just me, I am not very close with my extended family and never know who anyone is. I will undoubtedly have to answer the same questions repeatedly, like; what are you taking in school? What will you do when you are finished? etc, etc. I hate answering these questions because rarely does my answer mean anything to them. X-ray crystallography of DNA-metal complexes just isn't universally understood... Imagine that? I feel like I start talking in another language when I have to talk about my work, usually the conversation dies pretty quickly. Then what? Do I ask them what they do? I would feel rude asking someone older then me what they do or how work is going. When you are a child, the adult asks you what grade you are in and how old you are. You never ask those same questions back. I feel like I am still a child during these conversations.

Well, this time I am determined to have a good time and get to know these people that are bound to me through some distant relationship. Wish me luck!

written by angela at 11:02 AM [+] |

Yesterday was not such a good day. I spent a lot of time at school preparing some crystals for diffraction, only to drop one of my two mounted crystals at the end of the day. How frustrating. Then I found out that I may not get into the digital imaging class I am trying to take next semester at the University because it is an upper level Arts class with limited space and I am not an Arts major... Yet again, how frustrating. It took me four years to get into the photography class I wanted. I will not be around another four to try and get into this class too. Then in the evening I spent an hour or so discussing Bermuda with Marc. That was the most emotionally draining hour I have had in a long time.

Today it is nearly 11AM and I have already done most of my laundry and vacuumed the inside of my car. I have been quite productive, hopefully today turns out better then yesterday. I still feel emotionally drained from last night. The rest of the day should prove to be pretty exciting, by late tonight I will be in a hotel with Marc after seeing his favorite musician. For the rest of the weekend, I will be at a family reunion so I won't be posting anything until Monday. Hopefully the reunion is more exciting then I anticipate.

written by angela at 10:50 AM [+] |

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Marc here, once again. Ang posted earlier about how we're going to Craven on Thursday night. I can't wait to see Hawksley again. This will be the third time in a year. What a treat! I remember the doldrums of last year, when I was waiting for a new tour, a new CD, or anything to remind me that he was still making music. It was a sad couple of years, as I had discovered a few favourite artists/bands that have since done nothing (see Philosopher Kings or j. englishman), so it was encouraging to hear of his new album being released last year. Hawksley's also begun writing for his next album already. It'll probably only be another year away. Let the anticipation begin!

Speaking of music... This weekend, I found time to burn myself a new CD. I'm not overly proud of this selection, but here it is anyways:
George Michael - Amazing
Modest Mouse - Float On
Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get Retarded
Nelly Furtado f. Esthero - I Feel You
Usher - Burn
Beyonce Knowles - Naughty Girl
Default - Taking My Life Away
Queens of the Stone Age - Go With the Flow
Seether f. Amy Lee - Broken
Counting Crows - Accidentally in Love
Hoobastank - The Reason
Vertical Horizon - One of You
Usher - Yeah
Sarah Harmer - Almost
Eamon - F*ck It
Jet - Cold Hard B*tch

So there it is. I wanted to put Big & Rich - Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy), but was unable to find it. What does everybody think? Did I miss any good songs? Any I should add to the list for the next disc?

written by Marc at 10:19 PM [+] |

Monday, July 05, 2004

"Slow down you crazy child
Take the phone off the hook
And disappeaar for a while
It's alright you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you."

- Billy Joel "Vienna"

written by angela at 9:47 PM [+] |

Probably nobody is wondering, but just in case you are I would like to confirm that I have not dropped of the face of the planet. I have spent the last few days enjoying the long long weekend. It was so nice. We just stayed in the city and relaxed. We checked out the jazz festival a few times and hung out with some friends once or twice. Mostly, Marc and I just spent time together. It was so nice and I can't wait for the next long weekend where we don't have to go anywhere. Next weekend is my family reunion and the weekend after that is Mike and Sarah's wedding. Wish me luck with that and if any of you have any last minute advice, I would love to hear it. This coming Thursday will also be exciting because Marc and I (and maybe Becky) will be going to see Hawksley Workman (as well as 5440 and Default) at the Rock in the Valley concert in Craven. It should be a lot of fun, but enough dreaming of next weekend. I should try and get some work done at school this week...cough...cough...

written by angela at 12:49 PM [+] |