2013 Goals

Hopefully I do a better job this year with these goals; keeping them within reach & realistic.

1. Stick with the gym schedule. Make an extra effort during exams.
2. Tell people when I have an issue with them. I tend to internalize things which ends up eating at me.
3. Medal at provincials. Ideally make nationals but I don't want to set the bar too high and pressure myself too much.
4. Find a summer job early; stop putting it off.
5. Keep up on my studies all through the year; not just 2 weeks prior to exams

I feel like those are some decent goals; all attainable as well. Most will just depends on my laziness levels as well.. maybe I'll make that no. 6: Stop being so lazy haha

A Year in Review

It's almost that time of year again, where we set unrealistic goals and even possibly give up on them within the first week. But before I start thinking about what I would like to accomplish in 2013, here's a reflexion on my goals I had set for 2012.

1. Continue healthy habits
2. Find a legit job for the summer
3. Nothing less than a B+
4. Worry less!!
5. Go to the gym regularly
6. Spend less time alone
7. Make plans to travel

I'm finding it hard to keep track, because I keep tabs on the year in terms of the school year. So I barely remember what happened Jan - April. So I'll do my best commenting on these goals.

1. For the most part I did do a good job. Up to the last few months maybe, especially during exam times I tend to stray from healthy habits.
2. I kind of did, after awhile. I ended up at Safeway for June (not legit) but ended up with a soccer camp counselor job for July - Aug, which was a lot more responsibility than I was used to, so I think that counts. 
3. FAIL. I don't even know why I set that as a goal. That was just dumb. I shouldn't be setting goals numerically, only by qualitative measures. 
4. Pass. This last semester especially was the least stressed I'd been in a long time, and as a result didn't get sick! (Well until I came home and caught a cold from a friend)
5. I can't remember about last semester, but this fall I did great in September, but once exams hit I was off my schedule and never got back to it. I was terrible, really.
6. Well this past semester this was definitely accomplished, being that my roommates are always around and we enjoy doing things together!
7. Uhh why was this on the list..? I guess my "plan" ended up for Toronto for Team Canada Trials? I'm not going to be able to do any real traveling until years after I graduate (unless I get a trip as a grad gift..?)

I'm not even sure why I set goals for the year, because I don't even check back to them throughout the year.. I guess it's just nice to set a bar for yourself, for where you're at in your life, and then to come back a year later and see how you've progressed. If you've met some goals, great! Then I take those to be really meaningful goals that still hold strong for you a year later. If you didn't meet them, maybe priorities have changed and you're at a different point in your life. In all, it's just interesting for self reflexion I think.

Highlights of 2012

• Acceptance into the faculty of Physical Education
• Going to Toronto for the first time (for Team Trials)
• Won my first cash tournament ($150)
• Had my first 290 game
• My best friend moved in with me
• Won the advanced women's division of futsal intramural championship

Lowlights of 2012

• Being sick nearly all summer (mono, pink eye, virus; all within 2 months)
• Not getting into kines
• Poor performance at Team Trials
• Roommate trouble (but it resulted in a highlight)

So 2012 wasn't overly eventful; and really the worst parts came April - Sept; oddly enough (not school related). Here's looking to 2013 and above all, hoping for HEALTH :P

MIA

I've definitely been MIA from most aspects of life since it's exam time. This usually happens, but even more so this year due to the fact that I have 4 exams in 2 days. Thankfully I was prepared for it (somewhat) and I've felt quite confident up to now.

2 exams are done and I feel okay about them. One more this afternoon that I'm trying to go over, but I'm just done with studying and everything I go over I seem to know 99% of.. So I'd rather try and relax before the exam; hence this post.

Tomorrow are the last two. The first one is a history based class, and half the exam is based on writing a paper. I'm nervous for it. I haven't really understood maybe half the questions the prof gave us to prepare with, so I'm really hoping those ones don't show up on the exam. The rest is a few definitions, xchoice and fill in the blank, so I feel like covering the most important stuff is good enough; which I have done pretty solid already. So just left is to plan out my essay plans for 4 of the 6 questions (3 will be on the exam), and to memorize what I plan for. With just one day left and it being first thing in the morning makes me really nervous.. I do have all night (ie. 3 or 4 till whenever I feel like I can/need to stop) but still. That will mostly mean relying on my short term memory which is not always so reliable.

I know I should be looking at that stuff now, since there's still 40 minutes until I should head to the gym for my exam AND my computer is going to die soo (wah) but I just can't muster it.. But I suppose if I get bored enough I'll have to. Ugh exams!!

On the bright side, in about 26 hours or so I'll be free!!! Then commences the cleanup of the house (which is WAAAY over due) and various errands to do before I jump on the greyhound Wednesday to head back home to Calgary for the break.

So. Close.

Updates

I just came off a blogging spree on wordpress. I want people to read it and to spread it to more people, and I think twitter is the way to go. But at the same time, I talk about bowling a lot, and about certain people involved in the sport, and I have them on twitter. If they were to check out the blog, I think it would be weird, and would they have a problem with it? I also talk about things like I know 100% what's going on, but it's usually just my opinion and in reality they could read it and be like, uh you're totally wrong about this; and frankly that would be embarrassing, I don't need to bring up how much I may not know about the sport.

The idea of it is it to share with other people who know next to nothing, and at least I can give them a little glimpse of what my world is about, and the info I have is sufficient. Maybe bloggers would say that if I didn't want to be embarrassed, I shouldn't have written it, or write it in a more protective space..? Oh well. I'll stick to labels helping me get my blog out there.. I actually have 4 followers and I have NO idea who they are!!

And really, at the end of the day, it's just me wanting to write about my sport that no one will listen to/I don't want to seem like I'm being repetitive or bragging.

Well at any rate, there's a little rant for you, while I try to tire my brain out; I have to be up in 7 hours.. not bad I guess.. I honestly thought it was later..!!

Anywho feel free to check my out at wordpress (link provided above). It's not all about bowling, but the last 2 months or so seem to have been pretty heavy in that area, aka that's all I wanted to talk about!

TV

I'm half embarrassed and half impressed with the amount of TV I watch and thought I would share... Don't judge too much :p

Mondays

• How I Met Your Mother*
• Bones*
• Partners (it's new and a MUST WATCH!!)
• Gossip Girl* (end it already please)
• 2 Broke Girls
• Revolution

Tuesdays

• Don't Trust the B-- in apt 23
• Go On
• New Girl

Wednesdays

• Modern Family
• Chicago Fire
• Nashvill

Thursdays

• The Big Bang Theory*
• Vampire Diaries
• Grey's Anatomy
• Glee
• Scandal
• Flash Point

Fridays

• Fringe

Saturdays

• N/A

Sundays

• Once Upon A Time
• Family Guy
• The Simpsons

*I almost wish these shows would end already, I kind of just watch them because I want to see how they end and I'm just used to watching them.

Nashville, Chicago Fire, Go On, Revolution and Partners are this year's new editions. I LOVE Partners, Nashville and Chicago Fire are pretty good and Revolution is kind of interesting, but nothing to call home about I don't think.

Starting in the new year will be Community, Smash (SO STOKED), Hot in Cleveland & Cougar Town.

So see what  I mean..? LOL at 22 shows CURRENTLY. Oh boy. How do I manage? It's odd because I am usually always caught up within a few days. When I'm studying I watch an episode for a break, and a few after studying, before bed. I also end up with 3 hr breaks at school everyday, so that helps too :p

November Goals

Well the last two months have been ok, but I need to get myself back on track, once again. I spent WAAAYYY too much money.. I'm supposed to be saving for a new bowling ball! So you can bet what #1 on the list will be...

1. SPEND LESS MONEY
2. Give myself more time to do prepare for exams/assignments
3. Take my iron everyday (I struggled greatly with this)
4. Have fun - go out!
5. Clean every week (A thick layer of dust is growing in my room.. :S)
6. Get the gym routine back

Basically, I just need to get back to what I was doing before I had midterm weeks of hell; aka stop being lazy!!

ios 6

While I know many people have been having troubles since downloading the the new os for iPhone, I on the other hand love the new system and what it brings to the phone.

My faves:
1) Panoramic pictures
2) Alarm can set for multiple days
3) Siri can now read you directions of off map
4) Screen "warms up" aka actually adjusts to ambient lighting
5) Facebook events get put on iCal
6) New look for iTunes, app store and music

Dislikes:
1) No bus routing/directions/the bus option SUCKS

I probably have yet to discover half of the improvements/new parts of ios 6, but so far I'm a fan and just wish I had the new phone to go along with it. It just really blows about the map thing, I used it every single day to plan my routes to campus, bowling, soccer, you name it!! At least ETS came out with a great app, finally, but the route scheduling is a bit confusing (or actually just doesn't tell you what time busses come). And I'll forever be thankful for the U of A app that shows LRT arrivals and bus times for all stops around campus.

Oh technology you rule my life...

Any opinions out there? Tragic tales of losing music, #s, etc?

Health

I bought new clothes for workout yesterday and now I'm excited to go work out tomorrow.. is that odd?? Oh well.

Now that school is fully underway and I have a feeling for my course load and stuff, I can plan my workout days! Even though I have kickboxing Mondays at 4:30, I feel like it's not enough so I'm going to go to the gym those days as well. So Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays at 11am, right after class & before lunch.

So far I've only done Wednesdays and have focused solely on lower body and some core. Mondays, because of kickboxing, I think I'll stick to just cardio (bike and/or running) so I'm not sore for later. Fridays I'll incorporate some upper body, but there's only so much to do, and I hate having really sore arms. Legs I can deal with, but not arms, for whatever reason.

On the meals front, I'm always hungry!!! Why?? I'm always hungry after my first class, so only like 2 hrs max after breakfast. I suppose maybe I need to snack more or something? Not that it's a big deal, but it's annoying because I never have enough food around and, of course I come back to this, but I hate spending more money than I think is necessary. Clearly what's necessary is more, so I'll have to suck it up though haha.

I have been doing a fairly good job now the last 2 weeks staying away from sweets (besides my biweekly timmies coffee/hot chocolate) but slipped up and got a mcflurry yesterday (hey I went to the gym!!) and I've even been making veggies with my meals! Woo! Gotta keep it going though. Sometimes I'm really not in the mood for a healthy snack though, that sucks.

At any rate, I'm on the right track! I'm not necessarily looking for specific results, I mostly just want to be healthy. But  if I happen to lose a few pounds I certainly won't mind!

Just... Wow...

I found this incredible website of this photographer (presumably from Calgary) from him following me on wordpress. I was scrolling through his pics (all are amazing!) and found one dated September 4, 2012. These pics are from the West Coast trail and gives little descriptions of some of the pics.

This adventure looks amazing!! Definitely something I'll have to add to my bucket list!!

Goals

Now that school and everything has gotten on a roll, it's time to think about some goals for the school year. I know that I'll be busy this year, so there will be challenges for sure, but I really do look forward to each and every one of them

Grades:
I'm not sure wether or not it will be worth still trying to get into kines (I'll have to ask a councilor) but you can bet I'll still be aiming for a high GPA. Last year, for the second year in a row, I managed a 3.3. Pretty good, and if I hadn't been aiming for a 3.4 or higher for kines, I would have been pretty happy with that. But now that I don't have extra pressure to do well, anything 3.3 or up will be quite fine with me. Yes, it's getting close to where marks are really going to matter for potential grad school (not that I've decided I want to do that, but it's good to plan for at any rate) so the higher the better. I think to aim for 3.5 would be attainable. I've yet to get an idea at how I might do in my classes though, so that may be realistic or not, but if I change up the ways I study I think I can do it.

Studying:
My entire university career there has not been anything wrong with the way I study. I do well. But I want to get to the next level. I want more As. So I want to actually try and study/at least look at school stuff, like read text books, every day. It may be daunting task, but I have 3 hr breaks every day that could come in handy with that.

Social Life:
Now this may get tricky... This semester I am taking 5 courses (finally!), working 2 jobs, playing soccer and bowling. And not to forget going to the gym twice a week and cardio kick boxing once a week. That's a lot going on. So I think most of my socializing will be going on in a study group format, at work, or at home with the roomies. It's going to be tough when I have such a full plate, and when others are equally as busy, so we shall see how it goes! I just need to keep in mind that I need this just as much as I need to eat well, workout and study!

Bowling:
I'd actually like to add a practice day once a week this year. It's my last year of youth and I want the strongest showing I can muster. And that means I need to practice. Hopefully I'll get to spare quite frequently in the adult league which would help a lot. I also plan on entering more cash tournaments. And at the end of it all, I hope to be participating in another national tournament (not including CNCs which of course I'll hope to qualify for once again).

Work:
Last year I worked 3-4 days a week, but now that I have 5 classes and want to do more with bowling, I may cut it down. I can always pick up more shifts if need be. So event staff will be 2 max/week for now (there's the possibility of 3/week at the moment) and then once hockey starts up, I'll be doing one evening a week there. And I hope to use that time more efficiently this year as well, not just watching TV and movies all night. I need to budget though and make sure I get enough hours so I can pay for all my bowling this year and save up for CNCs. Until recently I was still kind of in debt from the trip that I really didn't have the money to go on.. Whoops... (Life lesson)

BE HEALTHY:
Last year and even this summer was not good on the immune system. I was sick way too much. My body is also starting to deteriorate, there's always something wrong with a muscle or joint now. So fitness: intramural soccer, women's soccer, gym 2/week & cardio kickboxing. Maybe some yoga on the side once in a while. SLEEP. Eat my veggies & don't worry about the grocery bill - this gets kind of tough sometimes.. If I need a break, TAKE A BREAK, AKA go home if I need to. Balance everything, and hopefully avoid major stressors.

I think that's it. Busy, busy, busy but like I said, I look forward to it. It should be an interesting year to say the least!

New School Year

Orientation is officially done. My second go around was even better than the first! I honestly love starting the semester this way - with a bang! It's a fresh reminder every September of what our great campus has to offer, and even more so what my faculty offers.

I just recently transfered over to the faculty of Physical Education and it's nice to hear again what they have going on (I did orientation for them last year as well) and the various opportunities. It's unfortunate that I only just transfered over in my 4th year, because I can't go to rookie camp and easily make friends (well I could, but it would be weird since I may have told a white lie last year that I was already in the faculty - shhh!), so I have to work at it - hard. Which is something I'm not good at, especially when all the older students already have their group of friends.

So my plan? I might think about running for PERCS, our student council. Maybe be a representative for BPE or be VP communications. Who knows, but I think it's at least worth checking out. It's a great way to get involved and also to meet some great people. I'm also thinking of signing up to be a peer tutor through the faculty. Another good way to meet people.

I feel like that is what I was missing last year. It was alright because I had a few people in a few classes I could sit with but other than that, there was really no budding friendship - not that I even tried though.

I am really looking forward to this year though, finally some exciting classes! So tomorrow first class at 10 then a three hour break. Another class, then hit the beer gardens with some physed kids from orientation (OLs/delegates) and then dinner at Walkabout on Whyte for Wings Wednesday!

Plan for the week:
-Beer garden
-Wings
-Wayne Lee (hypnotist)
-Sign up for yoga (fingers crossed there's still a few open classes)
-Rent a gym locker
-Maybe hit up clubs fair again and try to find something interesting instead of trying to find free swag...
-Soccer
-Bowling
-Groceries! I'm literally down to ichiban, pasta, chicken, cream of wheat and a few carrots..
-And of course cleaning up my room and house since the last 4 days all 3 of us have been busy with orientation stuff

Also, if you hadn't noticed I changed my blog title. Not sure if I like it so I'm definitely going to be thinking hard about it. Leave a comment if you like it or have a suggestion!

Now off to bed and finally sleeping in!!!

Ps. More to come on orientation

To Do

1. Change blog title!!! It no longer applies and will never again apply! AH!
2. Put up posters. They've been collecting dust on my floor because I was too lazy to do it when I first changed rooms/I wanted help but never asked... lol
3. Clean up desk so I can get the school mood going
4. Print of class schedule and put of fridge
5. Get ink refilled so I can print said schedule..
6. Go to the doctor for ridiculous reasons
7. Get groceries - 10% Tuesday at Safeway anyone??
8. Get hair cut. Just a trim and add back in some layers I'm thinking. Also getting bangs I think and hopefully once they get long I will for once go get them trimmed!
9. Get texts books. Gotta wait for Tues & Wednesday though to see if they are actually needed, then talk to Sam, the counter attendant at bowling who was in physed so she has most of the books
10. Go see eye doctor. More likely than not, I won't be able to last long with this blurry vision
11. SHOP
• Backpack (I've had mine for 6 years now, 'nuff said)
• Fall jacket
• More tight & bright for Tuesday
• Whistle for cheering on Tuesday
• Snow leopard OS so I can possibly update to Mountain Lion
• Computer charger (takes a special touch for it to work..)
• Body pillow (Not necessary but I feel like it would be super comfy!)

Summer Rules or Summer Blues?

Summer is quickly coming to an end and I'm having difficult time rating it against past summers. I feel like overall with experiences and stuff it's been one of the better ones, but adding in the crap that has happened, it's been one of the worst.

Why it's been good:

1. A new relationship
2. New roommates
3. Sweet job
4. Awesome bar nights
5. Awesome tan

Why it's been bad:

1. Mono
2. Pulled quad
3. Sprained ankle
4. Low enrollement = not enough work = no money
5. No money

1-3 have resulted in maaaybe 4 weeks total of soccer, or half of the amount of weeks I could have been playing. Which is the top reason that summer has sucked. I've gotten lazy and out of shape. But on the plus side I save money that I don't have because I've only worked 3.5 weeks out of 7 so far? I may or may not get work next week and almost for sure won't be working the last week.

So I don't know what the verdict is.. it's been ok overall I suppose. It just bums me out because it could have been soo awesome!! Now to look forward to the school year and hope that goes by well.

Camp Life

Since starting this camp job I actually pretty much love my life. I've never been so busy before and I wouldn't really want it any other way - I hate being bored and just laying around. This week I've always been doing something immediately following work, then being crazy tired and passing out around 10pm. Tonight for instance, I got home, changed and then headed out for bowling. I just got home (9:30) and I still have to shower and then get to bed soon, but I have to catch on on facebook and stuff... oh social media..

This week has been rough because the kids are no way near as good as last week's and my throat is proof of that - it's getting pretty sore. But I still enjoy being out there with them. The good kids, aka the cute little ones, totally make up for it.

But next week I'll have the week off because our site will only have 11 kids.... soo pissed. I NEED that money. And then what will I do with myself?? Ugh. I'm almost thinking I should head back to Calgary... Not sure what to do about that....

But at any rate, things are better than usual; this for sure will be the best summer yet.

Rainy Day

Only the 2nd day of camp and we have yet to teach them anything soccer related. Yesterday was because we were too unorganized and today because we were stuck inside with rain and wind outside. So far it's been pretty great. We have a lot of younger kids which is interesting, the older kids have been great with them - we have a solid group of kids. Today we had a few discipline problems, aka not listening to us, but we couldn't really blame them,; being cooped up for 5 hours when all they want to do is run around and play soccer. And swim. Every 5 minutes by 11 we were being asked how long until swimming. We swim at 2 everyday, so you know their patience was being tried.

I almost already want to take half these kids home or be their babysitter, they are so adorable! I got three pictures drawn for me today, one hanging off of me every chance she gets and always wants me to sit by her, kid after kid jumping on my back in the pool wanting to play with me, etc etc. It's crazy how they can just cling to you after 1 day. There are already so many good stories to pass along, I'm going to have soo many this summer. I'm hoping I'll get to spend the majority of my time at this location, I work with two other great people and the kids are awesome, it would be cool to have them come back for a second week, which some will at some point.

I feel like I'm going to be broken by the end of the summer though, my knees and lower back are already going haha.

Tomorrow is supposed to get to 21 so we'll have a good day of soccer. Then Friday is supposed to get really hot, but hopefully not too much so we can end the week with some games and prizes. It's really too bad we didn't have a session on Monday because of Canada Day, 4 days is not enough, especially when you throw a rain day in there.

I'm sore and tired by the end of the day but I wouldn't trade it for much else.

Happiness Comes in the Form of a Contract

And just like that I've never been happier. Things have just fallen perfectly into place. The only complaints I have right now is that I still have shifts at Safeway and that my soccer game got rained out tonight.

You may have surmised already what has happened. Indeed; I GOT THE JOB!!!!!! I'm SO freaking stoked, I don't think ever been so excited either! I was shaking for a good hour and a half after I found out - though it may have been due to nerves of having to tell my manager I quit (with only 1 week's notice).

What else has gone right? Plenty! Most thanks to landing the councilor job; thanks to it being Monday-Friday, 8-5:30, every week!
1) I can play summer league on Sunday afternoons
2) I can go down to Calgary for the beginning of Stampede (and any weekend I want)
3) I'm enrolled in all but one class I wanted for next year
4) I have Canada Day off, bring on the celebrations!!
5) I CAN DO SO MUCH WITH WEEKENDS OFF
I'm sure there's something else I'm excited about but I've forgotten.

Gah I'm so stoked to get the real summer started now!!!

Job Update

I've finally spoken with all three of my references, and they have all made contact with my potential employer; and all have said good luck. So now I guess it's just a waiting game, well it really already was.. but now I don't have to be nervous about it being because someone let me down. Now if I don't get a contract it'll be because they don't like me for some reason.. which wouldn't really make sense since I went to their training session.... sigh.. This seems poorly organized, for myself at least. I really should have applied the first day I thought of it. But instead I waited, not sure if I could be capable of this kind of job.

When I finally did apply, I think it's because I already had a bad feeling growing towards working fr Safeway, and I finally said screw it, what's the worse that could happen? I was honestly really surprised that they thought I would be a good fit. But now going through that training, reading the staff manual, etc; I can imagine myself doing this job for 9 weeks of summer. The first week would probably be a challenge, something new always is, but once I get comfortable, I know it will be a friggen blast!!

So I just want to know!!! I also need as much time as possible to tell Safeway. I'll feel bad if I have shifts that I won't be able to make because of camp starting the 3rd.. And I know I'm already scheduled at Safeway for that week, I just don't know what times & days yet.

Urrrggghhhh! Hopefully there will be no more stringing me along and they can give me definitive answer tomorrow..!!

Otherwise it'll be full tilt search for a new job, and I'd also be screwed for soccer, our Sunday rec league games are now going to be Sunday afternoons, and I HAVE to be available to work Sundays. Before it was ok to say nothing after 5, because I can still work a full shift before that.

Sooo many, many fingers and toes are being crossed right now. I just want an awesome (or even just fun) summer for once; is that so hard to get??

Ideal Summer

As the training day for summer soccer camp approaches, I can't help but get more excited about possibly getting the job. The last time I spoke to the coordinator, I think he made it pretty clear that as long as my references get back to him, I have the job! And the more excited about this I get, the more excited I can be about making some solid plans for the summer.

Friends in Calgary are waiting for me to confirm some plans, aka Crave Cake party and catching up. But also I would love to plan a weekend to hang out at the Stampede, McKenzie lake & hit up a country bar Stampede style for some good 'ol two stepping.

There could even be a possibly of planning a camping trip or two since with this job I wouldn't be working weekends!! I would also try and get a volunteering gig, maybe 2 or 3 times during the week. Some other friends also want to head to Regina for their Folk Fest (might be tough though, it's kind of in the middle of the week). But can anyone say ROAD TRIP???

But seriously, this job would be the best! It wouldn't really be soccer ALL day long, I think it's more so reserved for the mornings, then swimming and other activities in the afternoon. Then I would also be playing soccer twice a week! And think of the tan I could get! Yes it'll be farmers/soccer tan but who cares?? I'll have dark skin again, and from doing something I love. All. Day. Long.

Ideally I would also be biking to and from work every day, I wanna get fit!! So I'd also sign up for boot camp!

Ugh, this summer just has so much potential for once and I can't wait!!

(so please let this job work out! I need something in my favor!)

Book List

I was on stumbleupon and found an article containing 30 books that the writer was glad to have read before turning 30. Here are 5 that piqued my interest, so I want to try and read them this summer.

• The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
• The Power of Full Engagement
• Quitter
• Predictably Irrational
• Stumbling on Happiness

Basically most of them are non fiction, kind of helpful insights to life I suppose.. They don't sound too dry and it would be interesting to read some views on life from people who have lived a good chunk of it already.

Read any of these already? How were they? Any suggestions of books that are a must read?

Let's Get Fit!

I have made a fitness goal for the summer: get back to my fitness level I had when I was playing premier soccer in high school. In "those days" it was easy. Because we were a premier team, there was mandatory fitness once a week at NSD (what better place to train?), and man did we get worked hard! Plus we had practice once a week and then a game once a week. So when you have mandatory times to work out, and other people to push you, it's really easy to be in shape. But I don't have any of that now, which is why I kind of let my fitness get away from me. I'm still healthy, eating right and playing soccer, but I could be much healthier and in much better shape.

No better example than from being injured and now getting back to physical activity. It's rough! I didn't realize how quickly the body could de-condition, especially since it wasn't in that great of condition to begin with, I suppose.

So now, along with all my exercises from physio I've decided to start running every day (or close to it) and to also throw in my own exercises: mostly abdominals, upper body & endurance things like suicides.

Today before I left for my run, I went to download a pedometer but came upon RunKeeper. It is AMAZING! I just did the easy 20 minute run, since I'm still trying to get back into it and don't want to put too much strain right away. In this mode, it does it in intervals. So the "coach" gives you a 5 minute warmup, then switches from 1 minute intervals of a steady pace to 1.5 minutes of a slow pace. This made it a lot easier for me to get through a 20 minute run; hence the "easy mode".

Now while the program is tracking everything, and I mean everything - but I'll get to that-, you can play your music and also take pictures. The "everything" of this program includes: tracking elevation, pace, route (it give you a map of your run after), heart beat (if you have a monitor for it) and of course distance. I don't think the actual ap itself shows everything, but you can connect it to facebook and it also posts your results on it's own website where you can see absolutely everything. I included the link to my run today so you can see everything it does. It even shows where on the route the pictures were taken! So cool. You can even add people to your "street team", like your personal support group, you can track everyone's progress. So I will definitely be using this from now on.

I've also started back on the herbalife shakes. One, because I am/was broke and two, it's a great post-workout meal. Lots of protein and one of the powders I put in is meant for a post-workout shake. I just toss in some frozen strawberries and blueberries and I have a delicious lunch ready in minutes, and it also cools me down from my run.

Hopefully I won't have too many excuses to not get running. For sure on days off, but I hope that when I work early mornings I can motivate myself to do it after work & if I work a late morning hopefully I can drag myself out of bed and do it before work. If I work afternoons it won't be a problem. This also partly solves my problem of what on earth to do when I'm not working; but only slightly so. I need to head to the library and take out some books!!

So, as a last note, if you aren't currently using anything to track your running I highly suggest getting this, it'll be the most useful ap on your phone! And if you aren't a runner/don't normally run, the coach could probably help you out with that, I have yet to discover all the goodies of this FREE ap!

Happy running!

Entering the Realm of an Actual Full Time Student

It's true! After two years of barely being a full time student I will once again be a full fledged full time student as I have been accepted into the faculty of physical education, majoring in physical activity and sport performance.

Truthfully, when I found this out I wasn't as excited as I should have been. Maybe because of the disappointment in knowing that being accepted into kinesiology probably wasn't going to happen. But now that I have received my official letter and have been going through more of the classes, I definitely am getting a bit eager, and realize this is still the right path for me: all the classes sound so me & and so interesting!!

As far as how messed up classes and things will be.. Answer: very. I'll have 100, 200 & 300 level courses throughout the same semester; it's kind of ridiculous. Also that it might take me an extra year or two to graduate.. But if I play my cards right, I can take my activity classes so that I can have 6 classes/semester for a bit and then maybe take some summer courses. No spring courses unless I happen to not qualify for CNCs next year, but chances are fairly low for that to happen.

So things are definitely starting to look up, and once the money starts rolling in and I get a clean bill of health (or at least near) from the physio, I'll be feeling real good!

TORONTO

Hello from Toronto; well Missisauga technically. For any one who might not know, I'm out here for Team Canada trials for 10 pin bowling - the biggest national tournament in the country. It's the selection process for Team Canada, who gets set to various international tournaments throughout the globe.

By no means do I expect to make the team. I don't even expect to make the cut to the last day (top 12 for women). If I had to pick a # I'd say top 20, since last year I was 25th. After today's start, that might be a stretch, but anything can happen in the next two days.

So far we've done a lot of driving and eating, it seems. Last night we hit up the Rogers Center for a Blue Jays game. Jays won over the Yankees 4-1. Today was the first shift; women in the morning, men in the afternoon. It was BP's for lunch and then for dinner we went over to Square One shopping center for Johnny Rockets and walked around a bit. It's very reminiscent of West Ed back in Edmonton. We got back to the hotel, hung around for a bit then a few of us went for a walk. Now me & Carla are just chilling in the hotel room. We don't start until 2 tomorrow so we don't have to worry about getting to bed early - but I'm pooped. I think I might have to watch Grey's though.

Not sure what's up for tomorrow. The only thing I want - FRESH FOOD. I've had it with all the grease. My stomach is not happy with me.

Day 1 total: 925 (not good) sitting 48 out of 54. Hopefully I can make up some ground tomorrow on the medium oil, today was short. Everyone back home must be wondering what went on with me today, the were all expecting me to destroy on the short. Oh well. Just gotta get over it and move on. It's only 6 of 18 games. And at the end of the game, as long as I know I did the best I could/I was throwing the ball well, that's all I can ask for.

One Step At A Time

Well things are slowly starting to come together. I've finally gotten another interview for tomorrow. Second Cup by the bowling alley, which would actually be really nice. I could go bowling after/before work whenever I wanted to and wouldn't have to make a long trip. This type of job is still not what I would ideally like to be doing for the summer, but at least it's something! And who knows, it may end up being awesome.

Secondly, I pretty much have an idea of what school for next year is going to be now. I finally got my last mark in. I had a great semester, not too many people would find fault with the marks I had, unless they were trying to get into a professional program, but unfortunately it's not good enough for kines (unless the entrance average drops for some reason - highly unlikely). So it's looking like a BPE for me. I'm still not 100% sure on the entrance average, but what the undergrad office had told me, I should be good to go. Still, fingers crossed.

Thirdly, just a week until team trials! For some reason I don't think summer can really start until I get back from that. The last two years I didn't start working until I returned from the tournament so I guess that can explain why I feel so odd about wether it should be summer or not right now.

I'm really excited to get out of this city for a few days, explore another, make some new friends and plain just bowl! Actually, plain just HAVE FUN. I've been working hard for too long now, even if I've been sitting on my butt a whole bunch. I can't wait to just throw the ball, see results and have some fun with friends - have some adventures.

Things are also coming together for living arrangements for next fall. There have been some difficulties figuring everything out, since plans/life can change and get a little crazy but it's looking up now.

Now if the weather would decide to stay at a certain temperature...

Note: I have already finished book #1 of the summer. Deception Point by Dan Brown. Love this book, I read it last summer I think too. I have other books hanging around, half started months ago but they are just soo boring. So I'm going to have to head to the library one day.. maybe I'll do that tomorrow on the way back from my interview... Thankfully, being a U of A student we can use our onecard as a library card! Any suggestions for good reads?

Summer Lovin'

As promised, here's my summer bucket list!

• Go camping
• Go on a road trip
• Go swimming! Preferably at a lake, but I suppose a community outdoor pool could suffice
• Hang out at Rundle/Hawrelack park. In particular:
• Mini golf
• BBQ
• Sun tan
• Take a day and bike around the city
• Explore the ravine/bike trails
• Capital Ex in July
• Volunteer at CBCs Play On ball hockey tournament in June
• Check out the Edmonton FC/volunteer at their games
• Heritage Festival at Hawrelack
• River Day on the North Saskatchewan River
• Go skydiving
• Read 8 books minimum
• Go bowling (of course)
• Wings @ Walkabout when Victoria is back in town
• Margaritas @ Julio's on a gorgeous day
• Patio drinks in the sun
• Do something for my birthday
• See Gabi in August
• Take part in the birthday celebration for my uncle in Saskatchewan next month

That's all I have for now, but I will add some more as I think of them. Anyone else have interesting summer plans/wishes? I'm super jealous of the ones who will be gallivanting around Europe...

Ps. I got a taste of summer today! Played some ball with Matt & Meagan then read in the sun for a good hour or so. The sun is still out and shinning brightly and I have a soccer game coming up in a few hours, so that'll be nice too. Yay! Now just to get a job and my summer would be starting to come together quite nicely : )

Summer Time

For most university students, this time is now summer; as summer proceeds school, as we all know. Now I don't quite remember last year, but I think this year is a bit different - it doesn't feel like summer at all yet. It could very well be due to the fact that I have spent almost every hour since finals finished at home, out of the reach of sunlight.. But it's also MAY, so the weather doesn't give a very good summer vibe. Though to be fair, I was down on Whyte ave the other with the sun shinning and it was getting there - it was fabulous!

So. Summer should always have some kind of adventure; should it not? I don't want to waste this one like I did all the others. I want to be busy, or at least not bored at my computer day after day. I also want to explore the city a bit more. After 3 years of living here now, I can alllllmost say I'm an Edmontonian (though I never will say it because it makes my stomach turn :p) but I actually don't know the city that well/have not been around it much.

Through applying for jobs though, I've discovered what exactly this city has to offer during the summer, and I'm excited to discover it. There's the ravine down by the river, good for jogging or walks, there's Hawrelack of Rundle park, with paddle boats & minigolf. There's the expo; right after the Stampede (it won't be nearly as good, but it should still be worth checking out). I'm sure there are other things as well, so I think that I'm going to take some time (as I have bucket loads of that right now) and plan out what I would like to accomplish this summer: a to do list/summer bucket list.

I always seem to manage my life better/enjoy life more when I actually write down what I want to do/what needs to be done. So I think that's what needs to be done! I really want to have an EXTRAordinary summer, and seeing as how I actually have friends in the city this summer, this shouldn't be TOO hard.. But alas, at the end of the day it is still me ;) Gotta work on that haha.

Look forward to a post listing all the things that I would enjoy getting up to this summer!

It's Playoffs Time!!

Hockey hockey hockey! If you didn't know, that it's that time of year, then you live under a rock.

Showing my support on game day. Go Pens Go!!

My first round picks:

VAN vs LA: VAN in 7

STL vs SJ: STL in 7 

PHX vs CHI: CHI in 7

NSH vs DET: NSH in 7

NYR vs OTT: NYR in 6

BOS vs WSH: BOS in 7

FLA vs NJD: NJD in 7

PIT vs PHI: PIT in 7

In other news, I went to shoppers to buy some cheap easter chocolate. BAD IDEA. I may have already eaten half of it.. It was also kind of a bad day for productiveness.. I slept til 10:30, went to class, got groceries, "studied" for a few hours then watched hockey and now here I am. As long as I can get all my readings done tomorrow, today's slackoff is alright by me.

Wow, it's been nearly a month since I last posted - whoopsies! Some days I'm just not sure what kind of stuff I want to share on here. Most of the time I just want to complain about life which I don't want on here, hence the limited posts! But oddly enough, after coming home from Calgary I don't have anything to complain about! Didn't see that coming!

Since it was easter long, and with exams looming, I headed to Calgary Thursday evening right after school. There really isn't much to tell about it though. I managed to catch a movie with my only 2 friends left in Calgary (Hunger Games! Finally!), went to the casino with the parents and their buddy (I am THAT cool) and met up with my dad at the mall. Easter dinner on Sunday consisted of us, minus Steph (she was working), Joe's parents and a friend of theirs, a friend of Joe's and my aunt & uncle. We had some snacks leading up to dinner, crackers and dip, crackers and cheese and sausage, so by the time it was dinner time, I was almost full.

Dinner consisted of stracciatella (italian soup that is made up of ground up turkey & egg, in turkey broth with some little pasta beads and a bit of grated carrot), seafood linguini (recipe from Joe's uncle's restaurant) and salad. Desert was my uncle's own New York style cheesecake. 2 lbs of cheese in ONE cake!! It was sooooo good. *Note that most cheesecakes consist of mostly custard and not cheese, says my uncle. Upon tasting his cake, I believe him! I wish I had remembered to ask to take a leftover piece home, though I probably would have had to fight someone for it. We also had cherry and blueberry pie filling as toppings if one so desired. I took cherry... yuuummm my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I then proceeded to have a food baby.

Today I was on the bus at 12pm heading back north. I'm so glad I got away and recharged. I literally feel recharge, pretty much like I'm a new person. Well not entirely, but I'm in a better place than I was before - we'll see how long that lasts though, exams are just 9 days away for me!

It's also nice to be back, to get back to the "real" world and structure. 4 days home was a perfect amount this time.

Ps. Disappointed I didn't get chocolate. I'm going to safeway tomorrow - I might have to buy some there..

Looking to May - CNCs

Well I gave studying a good go tonight but booking flights for Toronto ultimately won out. It took an hour and many, many, many texts back and forth but it's done and it's all booked. I head out with Max (we figured traveling with someone else would be a looooot easier than on our own) 8am on the 17th (direct flight) to arrive at 1:38, early enough to get to the lanes and practice. Then Max is planning on catching a Blue Jays game, we'll try and round up a group to go at 7. That would be pretty cool. Heading back we'd leave at 9am and connect in Calgary for 45mins then back home for 12:47. Pretty decent flights.

But I can't believe how expensive it is!! There is now $70 left over from the money that we earned from the Alberta Ten Pin Association (we started with $1000, $300 goes to entry fee).. Suffice it to say I will be even stingier with my money now (is that even possible??) and will be begging my Dad to help out. Hopefully I can pick up a few extra shifts at work before the intramural season ends and that I can get a good paying job. I'm also going to try and get my $1000 scholarship reimbursed to me from when I won provincials 2 years ago. Yeah.. it's ben sitting there for 2 years... too bad we don't gain any kind of interest on it!!

I'm not a fan of having to book already though, it gets me too excited but I have SO much to focus on right now before that even gets to the back burner.. Think "3.7  3.7  3.7  3.7"... You have NO idea how stoked on life I'll be if this all works out...

So on that note, back to studying... or at least looking over some notes..

Back To The Grind

Reading Week was a nice break, I decided to relax, and put school mostly out of mind. That probably greatly contributed to my great weekend of bowling - I don't bowl well stressed. But now school is back and exams are once again on the horizon and I still need to catch up on school stuff; mostly reading.

My biomechanics prof finally put our marks up on eclass. The way he does it is he ranks us and a certain % gets a certain grade. I'm currently sitting 17th out of 98, which means I'm sitting at an A-. Which is awesome, because I was worried that after that first midterm of 73% that I would have a LOT of ground to make up, but I'm doing all right. And thankfully for iClicker questions, which he's counting as quizes, I'm at 85%, top 11 even though I forgot my iClicker one day - fist pump! So I guess things are going well enough for that class, but I should push it a bit more, if I can, to try and get that A+ incase something else fails. Top 5% get an A+...

I'm still waiting on my PA for special populations grade. I'm worried for that one. Computing is next week but I have no idea what to expect, and I should really get on that right away.

Check Me Out

I've decided to change up my other blog a bit, turn it into a year-round bowling blog. If you want to check it out, and read up on my experiences, go here. I just had a heck of a weekend bowling and I want to be able to look back next year and see how I compare.

Soccer

Just a random thought:

I think I would have really enjoyed playing University soccer. I never would have made it because of my conditioning. But it would have been a blast. When I was first thinking about varsity sports, I thought it would suck, always being busy with it, can't really have a social life. But at this moment, right now, being on a team like that would be more of a social life then I have now, and I'd have more friends than I do right now. No I'm not trying to say I'm upset with my social life, but rather saying that that point is no longer valid for not wanting to be a varsity athlete.

When I would work Panda hockey games, the girls would be warming up where we were setting up, just having a blast, yelling, screaming & laughing. Immense team spirit. I really miss that camaraderie. I had it in high school; playing div 2/3 does that. And I miss the team workouts. And practice. Really, I miss all of competitive soccer.

I play div 3 women's competitive soccer right now, but it's not nearly the same, there's no accountability, people don't give their best night in, night out. They want to win, but not if it takes too much sacrifice. They don't understand anything about sacrifice. I do. That was my life 4 years ago, it had been for 3 years. Now people look at me play, look at my bruised & scabbed up knees and go "holy moly!". But just a few years ago, that was kind of expected.

So I guess this turned out more to be a rant about missing that really high level of soccer. What's sad is that I'm just not at that level anymore, I've gotten away from it because I went to the lower levels, thinking I couldn't handle the commitment. But I still can't commit to practices and workouts like I used to. Or maybe I've convinced myself I can't - I probably can. But it all just seems impossible while I'm trying to get into a super competitive program and while trying to be a top ranked bowler in Alberta/Canada. 

Just when I thought life was finally settling down for a bit, I find myself unsure of my future with a game I've been playing for more than 15 years.. Which is actually kind of scary.

It Feels Good

Acknowledgment from your peers. It's a good feeling. And I really (finally) got it tonight.

Ya, I get the usual "good job!" and "way to go!" but this a step up and a bit overdue in my mind - because I work this hard every night. I guess it's the goals that really count..?

The last 3 games I got moved up to forward. In the first two I couldn't burry any goals, despite having at least 4 chances a game. I ran my ass off, got into open spaces, worked my way into open spaces and set up some nice plays that in the end went wide and barely counted as a scoring chance.

This game, funnily enough I felt like it was my worst game of the 3, but yet I ended up with a goal and an assist - I was in on all our goals.

My goal was not pretty. I was running 45 degrees to the goal with the defender right there. I shot the ball while falling (trying to get more power on it), it deflected off of her, went wide and I managed a second shot with my left foot while I was basically still laying on the floor. It squeaked passed the goalie into the left corner. Lying on the ground, I hit the ground with my hand almost out of exasperation because why couldn't have been a pretty goal? Also because I couldn't believe it went in like that. OH. By the way, the lead up to me racing to the ball was off a defenders clear, it looked like it was going out, so I ran hard about perpendicular to the boards with my head on the ball. At the last second I look in front of me just as I hit the boards. Whoops. But I quickly regained sight on the ball and burst off after it to set up that hard working, greasy goal.

The whole bench was cheering for me. Everyone grinning ear to ear. Carly, one of my closer friends on the team actually gave me a hug as I came onto the bench and everyone gave me high fives. THAT's the kind of recognition that feels the best. You put in all this effort, come up with a result and get some love.

I also ripped up my knee on the goal and then made it worse in the last second of play when I couldn't get the shot off in time; my line was rolling (when we were together) and we almost came within one in the last 45 seconds of the game.

Then! This is my favorite part.
One of the girls was talking to another and was saying "If only we put in the effort she did in the last 45 seconds of the game.." I replied laughing, "Ya, and for a whole 50 minutes!". But IF ONLY. If you realize, why don't you? But anyways. It was still a decent team game which I'm glad for.

Possible Future

Last night the roomies and I were discussing our futures; our "dream" jobs and what we would do if that simply didn't work out. For the last little while I have been thinking about doing lab work, experimenting/discovering different ways to.. I'm actually not sure for what/on what. But I know that I want to be on the math side (I guess that's what I would call it). You know, like physically seeing what happens when a runner runs, for example.

So I just finished a reading for my PERLS 207 class (physical activity for special populations), and it was a study on electrical stimulation to increase muscle activity. This case specifically was for people who had trouble with their gait/walking (from drop foot) because of suffering a stroke.

Now I was kind of in and out while reading because I was up at 6:30 and it's 10 now and there was a lot of statistical jargon going on, but when I really focused on it, I found it really interesting, and could see myself working in a lab/with patients doing something like that.

This class is next at 11 and we have a guest lecture on this exact topic, so I hope to get more insight on it. So now I definitely want to find a research position for the summer. I have to stop being lazy and just send out a few emails! Why do I find that so hard to do..?

Anyway, I wanted to share my "lightbulb" moment, as Victoria would call it. And it's just funny how it coincides with what I was just talking about last night.


I LOVED the lecture. Super cool stuff. I think that's an avenue I'd like to explore, that would be perfect in a lab setting! I know who else to email about research positions then! 
On the list: Profs from..
-Skill acquisition & performance
-Biomechanics
(both of whom I know for sure have done research in the past)
-PA for special populations (or really the guest lecturer)


Also, I might look into the Steadward center here at the U of A, where they also do FES rowing/cycling (what the lecture was about). 

Good Food

I just had the most delicious meal that I've had in a looong time! Funny enough, it probably doesn't get much simpler than this: spaghetti!! Yep. Take a can of Primo thick tomato sauce, and in some ground beef and you're good to go! As soon as I opened the can of sauce I was already salivating. I don't know why it's been so long since I've had the simple pasta, but it's been even longer since I've had a beef sauce. SO GOOD. Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese, toast some bread and sprinkle on garlic salt, and there's the garlic bread. SO GOOD!! Suffice it to say I devoured it.

Taken with instagram

I had been so set on finding new recipes to try, that I had forgotten about the awesome old standards! Man! Well now I have 3 containers of sauce in the freezer so I won't soon be forgetting about it! I also love how quick it is to cook. Especially now that I have the sauce made up, it'll be like, 10 mins, max? Great for nights when time is sparse!

On another side of food, after talking with my mom and exercising and nutrition, I've realized I really need to stock up on the carbs before soccer games. By the last 15 mins or so and especially after the game, I'm incredibly shaky - not a good feeling. I quickly restore myself with protein, but I still want to avoid the shakes - who knows, I may end up passing out some day! So. Here is my query to you; what would be some carb heavy foods that would be great for supper? A pasta meal like the above?

Another Month

Taking a page out of Gabi's book, I want to put out some monthly goals to strive for. You know, to keep me in line with what's important, and then at the end of the month to look back and see my accomplishments, see what worked or didn't work for me.

So January was basically following my New Year's resolutions, you know, do well in school, be healthy, blah blah.

So here are some specific things I want to stick to:

1. Don't get ahead on readings (in particular for psych because then I get bored in class), but don't fall so much behind that it takes 3 days to catch up.
2. Hit the gym 1-3 days/week. It's okay to sacrifice a few days if I'm particularly busy or sore from soccer, but I need at least one day in there to get the blood pumping.
3. Don't skip class. I only did that once (today) in January, but it felt so good that I feel like if I let myself do it again, it could turn into a bad habit.
4. No eating out or spending money on things that aren't necessary. Yes, while I've been working a lot, I still have a load of expenses that need to be paid for. Aka bowling. I spent nearly $300 on it just in January..
5. Get to bed at a reasonable hour, even if I don't have class til 1 the next day (so I should be asleep by now!)
6. Create schedules the night before for the next day and follow through. This is probably the most important point, because it keeps me in check with all my classes.

Some of these I was doing in January but I need to do better. I can't really measure too much success yet, since school wise, there have been no exams or assignments due yet. In a few days I'll have a good read on where I'm at though, and if I need to change things up.

It should be a busy month, but we've got reading week in there to lessen the load a little bit so it should be a good month!

Giving It Your All

I'm competitive. We ALL know that. I've always thought that that's a good thing. It makes me work harder for things that I want. It means I deserve the things I get (and most times the things I don't get). Now apply this to sport. Soccer specifically. I have that drive, that urge to win. I can push myself that extra mile so that I stagger off the field, but knowing that I gave it my all.

I've always thought that was a good thing. Everyone loved me for that. Maybe that's why still to this day, even when it's maybe not appropriate or I go a little over the top, that I keep doing it. But if anything, it may have gotten worse.

I'm at the point where I'm not too sure it's a good thing anymore. Physically. Mentally. Not sure which one is worse, or which one I'm more afraid of.

The physical is probably the more threatening. What happens if I break my leg again? I lose everything. Fitness. Bowling. Soccer - obviously. The ability to sleep in (this seems silly but it could make a huge difference). A physical disability is a major concern. And I realized tonight that I'm on the edge. I basically flung myself into the boards (trying to keep the ball in play), ribs, knee and hip - hard. I was fine, just shook off the pang in my knee and kept fighting for the ball. I did it again (not as bad) right at the end of the game, mad that we/I couldn't get the winning goal. That's what I do. But what if it had been my leg straight into it? Or my head/neck? I've become a bit reckless.

And then the mental. I just assume that my level is level that everyone should be aiming for. Egotistical much? Or am I right? Obviously I'm not right to the extent it's gotten to. Some people just can't do it, plus we're talking div 3. I also don't want to be asking players to endanger themselves. I've got the action to my thoughts only somewhat under control, which I guess is kind of the problem here. I expect more effort from my teammates and I sort of let them know that, but I don't say aloud what my brain really thinks - fucking play hard or get off the field. But I also show a lot of exasperation with my body language. In our REC futsal league I was getting pissed and Amber could see it. IT'S REC. But I want to WIN.

Is the solution playing a level higher? Maybe. At least there I could play with more skilled players that know what to do. But that's not so much of an issue, it's the level of commitment and work ethic that I see going on on field. It gets to me when someone doesn't want to give it their best. What are you doing here then? It's competitive. Show some fight. Use your head a bit more - I know you're capable of it. And don't shell out $180 to just show up for 3 games and leave us high and dry with only one or two subs for each line. You made a commitment, now stick to it.

Or maybe this all really doesn't mean that much, and I'm just tired and frustrated. All of a sudden it's a Thursday night where I had to get up at 6:30 and spend 9hrs on campus, and in the past 7 days I've had next to no down time; working about 26 hours (where one day I was up 18 hours straight) and have been pretty physically active 3 out of the 4 school days so far this week. We haven't won an indoor soccer game in I don't know how long, and we have gotten default wins in futsal 2 out of 3 times already. I must be stressing too, because I kind of find myself behind on notes now, and an exam in 7 days time. I don't like to make excuses but I have to face it, it has been a pretty busy week. And it doesn't end. The next three days I work 16 hours.

I just need to get to bed, hit reboot, and maybe hopefully feel better off in the morning..

News Paper

Random Post!

Every morning on my way to school I always grab a metro. I try to keep up with what's happening in the city and it's a good read while waiting for class to begin or if I'm just bored. Don't forget that sudoku puzzle!! That's probably my main reason for collecting the paper each day.

Right now I have three newspapers sitting next to me (though one is the Gateway, our school paper), yet to be read or really even touched, besides for being brought home. Why are they untouched? Well I've actually been pretty busy the past few days I guess or when I do have a few spare moments I've totally forgotten about it.

Shame on me I know. But I've done worse. I swear, last semester I went an entire week during finals, collecting papers and not doing them, but holding onto them because I want to do the sudoku. I had a humongous pile. I'm on way to that again.. whoops. I should really just throw them out. But I don't want to.

It's just something about me - obviously my stubbornness. Oh well!

Back On The Wagon

After Sunday's devastation I was feeling a little lost and majorly off track from life. I knew it was just the bitter disappointment of facing adversity and losing, when I've never had to deal with that at this stage of qualifying for bowling, that had me feeling this way. So I was pro-active, and although feeling quite negatively about myself, made a plan to carry out the next day to rectify my course.

Besides not making it to the gym, I followed through and felt so much better than the day before. I didn't feel the need to plan out today, and I still got a lot done. Because my Tuesdays/Thursday have so much in them, it just feels so much easier to get many things done. It's funny how it's not the other way around, and wanting to do get stuff done on the days with 1 class.. I've got to figure out how to spend that time now.

Overall (minus the 4th place finish still fresh in my mind) I've been feeling great! Better than usual. Confident. Organized. My room has been tidy for a whole 2 days in a row!! Just that seems to energize me. I've only to rearrange work schedules that conflict with soccer and bowling tournaments and then it should all be good. I'm sort of glad to have 3-4 shifts a week now, I really need the money now that I've actually though ahead to all I want to do for bowling:

28th/29th of Jan Scholarship Tournament: Upwards of $100 if I want to enter a few times which I might very well do
Possibly world cup tournament in Feb: Unknown price
YBC Zones tournament in Feb: Possibly free, or at most.. $20?
New ball: Upwards of $200, including a deal from the pro shop. I'm sure I'd get something closer to $300 worth at a discount
Thumb slugs for 4 balls minimum: Upwards of $80

That's a lot of money to be throwing into a sport when I still have groceries to buy and my Safeway gift card is out. But at least it can be spread out a tiny bit, and like I said, I have quite a few shifts this month so I'm sure I'll be fine. But, it's me. I'm such a stickler for money. What happens if I want to go out drinking one night? Hmm might just wait for reading week.. :p

I've also been making some delicious meals lately! Motivated for being creative? Where did that come from? Anyways, I love the cookbook and so far I've made

-Mexican Lasagna
-Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes
-Artichoke Dip

And I'm planning on trying out recipes for

-Chicken with artichokes
-Fruity-o smoothy
-Powered up crispy treats

I'd also like to try my hand at chili sometime as well. I'm sure there's a good recipe in there for that. I'd still like to incorporate some more veggies, but at least I've been somewhat consistent for taking my vitamins; although only 1/3 of what I'm supposed to.. :p Oh well..!

Anyways that's my rant to get all caught up with what I've been up to. Thankfully major school stress hasn't hit yet! I should prepare for that..

The Next Level

I know I've already said this, but I just want to reiterate the fact that I need to work harder this semester. Do a better job at being involved in my studies. Ya I did an alright job last semester, doing my readings and taking notes as I go, but I obviously need to push it a bit farther. I NEED A/A- in every class this semester. Looking at that GPA wise (3.7-4.0) is pretty daunting but when you look at the raw scores, I only need 85%+ for those marks. Easily attainable. Especially since, historically, Psych 105 marks go up from 104 (I had a B+), so check, CMPUT 101 is supposed to be pretty easy, plus I have that math/logical based brain (I'm already ahead in the course by trying one exercise by myself..), so check, PEDS 206 (Biomechanics) is basically physics, but it's a qualitative approach, so a brain like mine.. I'm assuming check, and lastly PERLS 207 (Physical Activity & Leisure for Special Populations) where we learn about disorders - cool & interesting, should be easy enough to memorize, so another check. And I actually have "friends" in PERLS and PEDS so we can group study! Yes!

Now all that being said, I'm by no means saying I'm going to have an easy semester. It's only going to be easy if I actually put in the effort. So once again, reading and taking notes (if it applies to exams), doing practice question after practice question (FINALLY I have 2 classes like this again, this is my bread and butter), looking over notes from the day before, etc. My plan is, after each class, either that day or the next, I get ahead on my study notes and do it lecture by lecture. That way I save myself time when it comes to exams, the material is already right there for me, I don't have to waste time compiling it all. And this way I go over for the 2nd time what we saw in class. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. 

Another thing I did was print out and take note of when all exams and assignments are, so as to be expecting them and on the ball. I also printed out the marking schemes, to be able to see every day what it takes to get that A/A-, and to remind myself that I CAN do it. One exam/assignment at a time!

I'm hoping small adjustments will go a long way and get me into that program. I haven't felt this good about a semester since first year. Sticking with it might be a challenge at times, but as long as I don't fall off track for long it shouldn't be too bad. Plus that's what reading break is for, no?


This also allows for me to be busier. Win/win!! I should just be able to make sure to get in an extra day of bowling every other week or so. And this all being said, I'm not going to be able to do MTWRF gym days, which was really ambitious of me to say anyways, since I have soccer Thursdays that I can't be tired for. If I can do 2/3 a week I'll be happy. And I'm still debating doing Yoga/Bootcamp... Yoga would probably do wonders for relaxing though.. At $55 and numerous bowling tourneys to pay for this year, is it worth it? I'll take another few days to mull it over but I think I'll end up sucking it up and doing spending the money.$55 for a well rounded/balanced me? I can't really pass that up.


I'm finally feeling good about where I am again, I'm loving this plan I have set out. I just have to be cautious about how often I'm by myself, it's already too often. 


So here's to a successful me this semester!


Good luck to the rest of you as well!

Job Shadow Week

My fingers, toes, etc are crossed that I get placed with the Glen Sather Clinic here at the U of A during reading week!! Firstly, it's in the field that I might want to pursue (physical therapy/rehab), secondly I think I would learn a lot. Not just about physio but also about real life work. You know that thing called a career? It's a great chance to get a peek at what that's all about, and I'm hoping that I can make connections and have a summer job with them or maybe somewhere else. It would definitely be great to put on a cover letter at any rate. And then it also gives me something to do during that week.

I only applied for the one, because every other relevant position would be hell to get to using transit. And I really don't want to have a position with anywhere else. But now that I think about it, it wouldn't have hurt to apply and just have that experience of the work place in general. Oh well. Hopefully it works out.

I'm also refraining from telling the world on facebook just incase my physed 'friends' get the same idea and apply to to same place :p

Registration is until the 25th and I missed the info days so I'm not too sure if it's one person per placement (though I assume it is), if it's first come, first served, or if it's whose better 'qualified' (ie. is in the actual faculty at the u that the job relates to) or if it's how well your shpeal about why you want to do this comes across. I think I sounded fairly intelligent, convincing and excited to get the position so hopefully that's all I need.

Luck be on my side!!

Keeping With Goals

First a little spiel about bowling..

All of a sudden there is a slur of bowling activity. Jan 15 - CTF zones, step before provincials. Jan 28 & 29 - Edmonton Youth Scholarship. Feb 12 - World Cup. YBC zones will probably turn up soon. There's also ATPA sometime to qualify (AKA win $1000 for CNCs), and then provincials would start up in March. Basically 2 events a month. Which I am glad for but also I realized that means I'll be spending a lot of money soon. Today was $94 for 2 tourneys and league, eek! At least I got some moolah from the government (tax rebate or something of the sort) which should cover all that good stuff. I'm also thinking of re-hauling all of my balls, get what we call "switch grip", where you have one thumb insert that locks into place in all my balls. Which means exact same thumb hole for each ball. Which equals better.

Even though this was my plan for the year - as much bowling as possible, I still don't like the idea of throwing out that much cash. I still have other things I *need* to buy or spend money on. So in light of that, I'm going to try to keep better track of my money, and see if I can cut down in some places. Something that will help though: mom gave me her "old" espresso machine so that means less Starbucks/Timmies for me! And in turn that will help my diet too!!

Here's a sort of wish list of things I want to acquire, mostly just to better organize myself..
-Book ends (I don't have room for a bookcase)
-Closet organizer/hanging shelves or something similar
-Shoe organizer, my collection is finally growing! :p

I've also decided I want to get a bit more creative with meals, so I went through our cookbook for college students and found some really interesting recipes and bought ingredients for them today. I might post about them when I get around to making them!

So.. money, food and diet goals are well on their way. Now I need to look into an exercise class (kickboxing?), go rent a gym locker and get my uPass and I'll be pretty much set for the semester to begin!

Ps. I really need to find a way to deal with stress better so if you have any ideas or sites to refer me to, I'd love the help. I'm hopping going to the gym more often will help. Also some kind of relaxing technique would be muchly appreciated for my tournament next Sunday.. I care way too much, I think it's going to mess with my bowling..

I Was There

My time home in Calgary comes to a close tomorrow, and I'm glad to be going home. I remember last year I was super anxious to leave, I hadn't enjoyed being home at all, but this year was much better.

It seemed like an extremely long break and I spent most of it sitting at home all day watching TV. What else to do when you only have a few people in the city to hang out with, who are working? Plus I wouldn't want to spend ALL my time with them.

When I did get together with people it was great. Zoo lights, beer gardens, Mission Impossible, New Years & skating.

It was also World Juniors in Calgary & Edmonton the last 2 weeks and I was fortunate enough to get to go to a game and also get to see the fan zone, write on the Canadian Camaro, got a picture with the Stanley Cup, and cheer on Canada vs the Russians with about 50 other people. It really blew that we had to play for bronze but at least they got it. They showed true character, they played like Canadians play - they never gave up.

All I have left to do now is pack up: I have about 4 boxes of stuff to bring back and extra clothes that I picked up here. Thank goodness my mom is generous enough to drive me back to Edmonton.

I'm definitely ready to get back to real life, to feeling somewhat like an adult again, and to get back in the swing of things: AKA not more sitting around!!!

I've had a good time back in Calgary but it's time to get outta here! I hope everyone else had a nice and refreshing break as well!