Sunday, October 31, 2004

Happy Halloween

written by angela at 9:44 PM [+] |

What a GONG SHOW!

Last night we went to the oh so famous cult classic, Rocky Horror Picture Show. I saw this film in theater last Halloween so the craziness that goes on wasn't new to me this year. It was, however, just as fun and I may just have to do it all over again next year. I debated putting this picture on my website considering my costume. But, then I realized that I just wore this costume to a sold out theater, so I guess a few hundred more viewers won't hurt. Well, I don't think I have a hundred viewers at my website, but here is being optimistic. My costume was the easiest and so comfortable. But, as you can see, next year I will either have to go as Columbia or Marc will have to go as Brad. I think a Brad costume would be much easier to make then a Columbia costume. What d'ya think Marc?

written by angela at 11:45 AM [+] |

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Happy Anniversary

Today is the one year anniversary for my website. It started out called My Common Place Book and has slowly evolved to what you see know. For those of you that have been with me the whole year, thanks and here is a little recap on what I have been through this last year.

October 2003: When I started my website, I had just got back from my trip to Belgium and the completion of the only marathon I have and ever will finish.
Here are some of my thoughts about marriage that I posted back then. Interesting now considering I am about to be married.

Having never been married myself, I feel I can learn a lot from talking to people who have been married. I have a lot of opinions about marriage, as I am sure most people do , married or not. I think of marriage as a responsibility. I know that sounds utterly lame, but it is true. I actually feel sad just writing that. One hopes to fall madly in love and live happily ever after, but I think if you fall madly in love, you might just as well fall madly out of love and then where is your marriage? There has to be something more stable and consistent behind the love. Whether it be friendship or responsibility makes little difference, as long as there is something there to keep the relationship strong until the love and passion returns. I think love is fickle. Don't get me wrong, I believe in love. And I myself have been in love. It is the most wonderful thing in the world.

November 2003: An unsuccessful trip to the Advanced Photon Source in Chicago. How discouraging?
I bought my new car, that was a lot of fun. I still have that car and it sure is great (that reminds me, I think it is time for another oil change).
I also bought my laptop last November, man I was rolling in the dough that month.
Someone broke the side mirror on my new car in the middle of the night. That was disheartening.
Here are some interesting thoughts I posted about reincarnation:

Reincarnation.....What an interesting concept....I like it. The body is something that grows and shrinks, lives and dies, and yet it is not who I am. What I really am doesn't change, no matter my age or condition the voice in my head is always the same. I could imagine myself living different lives in different times and different circumstances in different bodies.....Yet I am always the same.

December 2003: Merry Christmas. I spent the holidays with my family. Not much happened last December I guess.

I love the farm. I think it is my favorite place in the whole world.

January 2004: I coloured my hair red.
The temperature was -50 and I stayed home and saw a lot of movies and read some good books.
We went to Edmonton for a grrrls weekend. That was a blast.
I had a dream that I had a baby named Michael. I loved him and he was a great baby.

February 2004: I had a successful trip to the Advanced Photon Source in Chicago, finally.
February was, however, a heart breaker month for me. Me and my boyfriend of three and a half years broke up. I guess it was long over due, but it was still a very difficult time for me.

"Losing him does not matter, it is you who will be found...And cherished." -The Joy Luck Club

March 2004: A very sweet month. This is the month I met Marc, my soon-to-be husband. Here is something I wrote while thinking of him:

Just the thought of him brings a smile to [my] face and [I] find that [I] can't get any work done with the constant distraction. But the distraction is welcome and [I] wouldn't trade it for the world.

March is also the month that Mike and Sarah asked me to be their wedding photographer and I took their engagement photos. What a good thing that turned out to be.

April 2004: I acquired the BEST chocolate recipe ever, thanks F.
Hawksley Workman came to Saskatoon and I saw him play at Louis.
I met Marc's family for the first time and he also met mine. Here is what I thought of meeting his family:

Meeting the parents. Well..Turns out Marc's family is...Wait for it...Wait for it...Pretty normal, yep, no big surprises to report. At least that is what I think now, wait until I get to spend a whole weekend with them in May. I found the whole evening to be quite pleasant, not at all awkward or uncomfortable.

April is also the first month Marc started posting, before that is was unheard of to read about hockey on my website.

May 2004: Marc's 25th birthday!
I went to visit Marc's family for the May long weekend.
I bought my newest digital camera.
Yearly physical time, that was definitely an interesting post.
Marc went to Bermuda for a Job interview and officially accepted a job there.

Well...Today it is official. Marc is going to Bermuda. He leaves in October and will work there for 24 months....*pout*....24 months. I am filled with mixed emotions over this decision. It is a great opportunity for him and he has wanted to do this for a lot longer then he has known me. I am very excited for him, and excited for me too because I get to go visit him..yay...that means I am going to Bermuda too. That is so cool. But, on the other hand, that means he is leaving.....and leaving me behind. I am worried things will get weird between us, I mean, this is the ultimate of long distance. The only way it could get any more long distance is if he was an astronaut [...] The decision is made and I am not breaking up with him because he is leaving. The decision is made, the commitment is there....Marc is worth the wait (and I am too), that is my conclusion.

June 2004: I saw Dogville, what a great movie.
Spent another weekend with Marc's parents and then one more with is grandparents up north for a weekend of fishing and fun.

July 2004: Mike and Sarah's wedding and my biggest photography assignment ever.
My daily photo website made it to Canada's top blogs for the month of July.
We saw Hawksley again right before my family reunion.
Marc finally comes to his senses and decides he is not going to Bermuda:

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!

August 2004: I had a bad experience at Future shop.
Grrrls weekend at the lake.
Marc, Becky and I all moved into a house by the University. Not to mention all the painting and work we did to the house before the actually moving began.
And I saw some great shows at the Fringe Festival.

He buys coffee. She steams milk. A moment occurs... What if you could step inside that moment? What if you could walk around in it, talk, laugh? What if you could make love in that moment? - Liminal (Saskatoon Fringe Festival 2004)

September 2004: My research proves to continue to be ever elusive as my crystal explodes.

I may just be an expert on exploding crystals by the time I graduate... If I ever graduate. It is so depressing that all I can do is laugh. I think I am going crazy.

I started my Art class full force, I am still enjoying this class. I have learnt so much.
me and some other grad students decide to take an impromptu visit to see the crop circles in Humbolt.
Marc had laser surgery on his eyes and now he can see me in the morning. He hasn't left yet, he must really love me.

October 2004: Marc proposed... I am getting married. Perhaps the biggest news all year.

Marc had a whole picnic set out at the park by our house. I was so unsuspecting as he casually suggested we go for a walk. Thanks to Becky and Todd everything was set up so romantically in the middle of the dark city park. Actually, it was a little spooky until I realized what was going on. All I could see were some lights in the park, I didn't really know what they were until we got quite close. I guess I was a little slow, but it was a beautiful surprise. Especially when Marc got on his knee. How romantic.

What a great year, hopefully the next one is just as exciting.

written by angela at 1:11 PM [+] |

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

written by angela at 11:15 AM [+] |

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

What a nice song, sung by Ron Sexsmith last night.

GOD LOVES EVERYONE

God loves everyone
Like a mother loves her son
No strings at all
Unconditional
Never one to judge
Would never hold a grudge
Bout what's been done
God loves everyone

There are no gates in heaven
Everyone gets in
Queer or straight
Souls of every faith
Hell is in our minds
Hell is in this life
But when it's gone
God takes everyone

Its love is like a womb
It's like the air from room to room
It surrounds us all
The living and the dead
May we never lose the thread
That bound us all

The killer in his cell
The atheist as well
The pure of heart
And the wild at heart
Are all worthy of its grace
Its written in the face
Of everyone
God loves everyone

There's no need to be saved
No need to be afraid
Cause when it's done
God takes everyone

God loves everyone

written by angela at 2:33 PM [+] |

Meet our new fish



written by angela at 1:30 PM [+] |

Monday, October 25, 2004

Wow, what a great show. Tonight Marc, Becky and myself went to see Sarah Slean and Ron Sexsmith. It was such a great show. Becky's favorite of the two was Ron Sexsmith, Marc and I both really loved Sarah Slean. She was amazing IMHO. If you ever get a chance to see her, I would recommend it. Ron Sexsmith was very good too, but I would go see Sarah again before Ron.

written by angela at 11:38 PM [+] |

I have been so nervous and anxious the last few days because I had to give a presentation today. I usually don't do very well when presenting someone else's research. I am comfortable and confident presenting my own research, but I seem to lose all the comfort at the front of the room when the research is not my own. In fact, this morning, I almost puked. This is the worst it has ever been for me. Not nice, but after all that it went well and I am happy. I am even going to toot my horn a little bit here and post the resulting comments from the faculty.

Overall a very good presentation. Your speaking pace is superb, which I don't say to students very often. Its very relaxed as well, nicely conversational yet professional. The slides were nicely prepared, and standing off to the side really benefited us on left side of the room.

You were bit brief (15 min) and could have spent more time on the protein-only hypothesis, more background aspects. Also, there were a few experimental protocols that could have used a bit more explaining.

But overall, you have all the makings of a great public speaker.

That makes my day go little smoother, although just the fact the presentation is over makes me happy.

written by angela at 11:26 PM [+] |

Friday, October 22, 2004

We are having a house warming/engagement party tomorrow (Saturday) night. Anyone wanna come?

I have been making homemad buns non-stop since wednesday.

written by angela at 3:20 PM [+] |

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Minor catastrophe yesterday. My computer broke. I may have gotten a virus, I don't exactly know what happened. All I know is that now, whenever I download windows updates my computer will not boot. It just continues to crash over and over. The computer guy at Marc's office managed to restore it to a previously saved version, but I can no longer get windows updates. How can the updates all of a suddenly be not compatible with my computer. It doesn't make any sense. Oh well, at least I have my computer back. I had all the wedding invitation files on this baby and without her I would of had to make all of them again.

written by angela at 3:11 PM [+] |

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

I made this in art class today... just wanted to show it off. It is completely my own creation made from two photos I scanned from a magazine.

written by angela at 8:44 PM [+] |

I won... I won... I few months ago I entered a photo contest in Prairies North Magazine. I had almost forgotten about the entries until I got a phone call today. I won the grand prize for a photo I entered of Saskatchewan skies. The grand prize is a Nikon Coolpix 3200 digital camera (retail price: 399.85). Pretty exciting, isn't it.

written by angela at 8:27 PM [+] |

Monday, October 18, 2004

CNN.com - 'Daily Show' viewers ace political quiz - Sep 29, 2004

So, it turns out that late-night comedy viewing actually increases your knowledge of the political issues.
Average score of those who don't watch late night comedy shows - 2.62/6
Average score of Daily Show with Jon Stewart viewers - 3.59/6
(Leno and Letterman viewers both averaged just under 3/6)

My score 6/6!

Too bad the test didn't ask whether or not you've got an extremely concerned US expatriate as a roommate, although I'm sure she's had no influence at all...

written by Marc at 1:33 PM [+] |

Sunday, October 17, 2004

I have been such a horrible blogger lately...Sorry. I have been so busy with wedding stuff. It probably won't get any better until after the wedding.

written by angela at 10:07 PM [+] |

Another plug...

Please note my new, lower price to sell my Cougar -- $11,900! See cougar4sale.blogspot.com for more info.

Any referrals to the website to help sell the car would be appreciated.

written by Marc at 5:12 PM [+] |

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Wow, I have two months to plan a wedding (I am not pregnant, just to clear that up). This is going to be pretty crazy. Some said it could not be done, but I am breaking all the rules. The reception locations and photographers are already booked. Now I have to get the gift registry and send out the invitations. I don't think I will have time to breath for the next couple months. I know it will all be worth it and a Christmas wedding will be beautiful.

written by angela at 1:33 PM [+] |

Did anybody catch Scrubs last night? Much to my delight, the credits featured a Hawksley Workman tune!


written by Marc at 8:49 AM [+] |

Friday, October 08, 2004

written by angela at 3:14 PM [+] |

I will be going to spend thanksgiving weekend with Marc's family so he can show off this wonderful ring. I hope you all have a great weekend and you get to spend it with your families. I know there are some of you that have families too far away to go see this weekend. To you I wish a great thanksgiving and I hope you find wonderful friends to drag you to their entertaining families.

written by angela at 2:57 PM [+] |

Thursday, October 07, 2004

I've got a woman's ability to stick to a job and get on with it when everyone else walks off and leaves it. - Margaret Thatcher

I didn't know this was a woman's quality, but I think I have it. Or... at least I like to think I do.

written by angela at 10:53 PM [+] |

Mmmm... Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Thanks goes out to Marc V for the Zucchini and thanks to Shaun for the recipe.

written by angela at 4:20 PM [+] |

Isn't he so sweet. Last night was such a wonderful surprise. Marc had a whole picnic set out at the park by our house. I was so unsuspecting as he casually suggested we go for a walk. Thanks to Becky and Todd everything was set up so romantically in the middle of the dark city park. Actually, it was a little spooky until I realized what was going on. All I could see were some lights in the park, I didn't really know what they were until we got quite close. I guess I was a little slow, but it was a beautiful surprise. Especially when Marc got on his knee. How romantic. All I wanted to do today was show off the beautiful ring he bought, but I had to take it to the goldsmith to get it sized. I guess I will have to show it off all day tomorrow and this weekend. I spent the rest of last night phoning my family to let them know the news before posting it on my website. It took me a while to fall asleep last night, but when I did, I slept like a baby. Sweet dreams for me.


written by angela at 2:36 PM [+] |

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

It's official

Marc and I are engaged!!

written by angela at 11:13 PM [+] |

Well, so much has happened in the last week that there is no way I can write enough to catch y'all up. Okay, not that much has happened, but I like to sound important. One thing that happened, or rather didn't happen, is my paycheck. I did not get a paycheck this month so I phoned the payroll office and was told that according to their files I was terminated as of September 1st. Whaaaat, that would've been nice to know about a month ago I said. I immediately went to my department office to get this all figured out. Turns out that my supervisors forgot to complete a bunch of paper work, hence me not getting paid. I am not afterall, terminated, but I was pretty worried there for a few minutes. Paperwork sucks.

I just realized that an assignment for the digital imaging class I am taking is due soon, so I spent some of today trying to get that started. The assignment is to write a four page essay on a Digital Artist. The only problem is, I don't know any famous digital artists. Can anyone make any suggestions? You know as much about the assignment as I do. There are no guidelines or anything.

I spent the rest of today trying to pick out a scientific journal article to present in journal club three weeks from now. I am definitely NOT looking forward to that.

written by angela at 6:03 PM [+] |

Sunday, October 03, 2004

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. I just haven't been in the mood. Hopefully I will return to my senses soon.

written by angela at 5:32 PM [+] |