So You Think You Can Dance?

I love So You Think You Can Dance. I'm addicted. It is my favorite show, ever. I love the contestants, oh my word. Like Ivan and Allison? I can't wait for them to get married, they are obviously in love. That contempory dance they did to Annie Lennox was astounding, I was moved. And Donyelle and Benji, so cute, they just adore each other. I must say I also love to watch Travis dance - its very natural for him to move the way he does. And his hair is stellar. I am really rooting for these guys, I feel like I truely care for them. I laugh with them, cheer with them, cry with them, and feel genuinely like a proud mother when they succeed.

I need to get a life.

Au Revoir, Kevin

It is with great sadness that I report the latest BSB news - Kevin Richardson has quit the band. I think its best to hear it in his own words:

"After 13 years of what can only be described as a dream come true, I have decided that it is time to leave the Backstreet Boys. It was a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life. Howard, Brian, Alex and Nick will always be my little brothers and have my utmost love and support. I would like to thank the Backstreet fans for all the beautiful memories we have shared together and look forward to including you in the next phase of my life. I wish my brothers continued success and look forward to their new album.”

Well I think that stinks. Why are they even continuing? I can totally see why he quit though, I mean the man is 34 and probably doesn't want to be called a 'boy' anymore, but still. Oh well, Brian was always my favorite one anyway. Apparently lots of fans are angry about it - I must say I'm glad I got the BSB obsession out of the way in grade 8. Otherwise I would be traumatized.

I So Hate Consequences

And I'm good, good, good to go - and I'm good, good, good to go! I got to get away, get away from all of my mistakes. So here I sit looking at the traffic lights. The red extinguishes the hope that the green ignites. I want to run away, I want to ditch my life cause all of my mistakes keep me awake at night. And after all of my alibis desert me I just want to get by I don’t want nothing to hurt me. I had no idea where my head was at but if my heart says I’m sorry can we leave it at that? Because I just want for all of this to end. And I so hate consequences - running from You is what my best defense is. Consequences...God, don’t make me face up to this. And I so hate consequences - running from You is what my best defense is cause I know that I let you down, and I don’t want to deal with that. It just now hit me this is more than just a set back and when You spelled it out, well, I guess I didn’t get that. And every trace of momentum is gone and this isn’t turning out the way I want. And after all of my alibis desert me, I just want to get by I don’t want nothing to hurt me. I had no idea where my head was at but if my heart says I’m sorry can we leave it at that? Because I just want for all of this to end. And I spent all last night tearing down every stoplight and stop sign in this town. Now I think there might be no way to stop me now, I'll get away despite the fact I’m so weighed down. All of my escapes have been exhausted. I thought I had a way but then I lost it, and my resistance was once much stronger. I know I can't go on like this much longer. When I got tired of running from You I stopped right there to catch my breath. There Your words they caught my ears You said, “I miss you son. Come home.” And my sins, they watched me leave and in my heart I so believed the love You felt for me was mine - the love I’d wished for all this time. And when the doors were closed I heard no 'I told you so’s'. I said the words I knew You knew; Oh God, Oh God I needed You. God all this time I needed You, I needed You. And I so hate consequences, running from you is what my best defense is. I hate these consequences cause I know that I let You down, and I don't wanna deal with that. Relient K.

The Gummy Hotdog

Behold.

Is this even food? I mean what does this do to a person's body? Thats so wrong! I'm only a little concerned that children all over North America are consuming these as we speak. But really which is worse for them? These or actual hotdogs?

Summer Saturdays

I love Saturdays in Strathclair in the summer. You can hear the buzzing of a lawn mower steadily from about 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. The air smells like freshly cut grass and BBQ. The temperature is so warm, but there is a nice breeze so it is bearable to sit outside. People are watering their gardens, their grass, their flowers. Wearing fun woven sun hats. Kids are everywhere on their bikes, all over the road, on the side walk, racing down to Hal's (or J & P's) to buy popsicles or buy a coke. Main Street is busy with people taking advantage of the day and buying the week's groceries, filling the car with gas and getting their mail. Old ladies are getting their hair done. People everywhere are stopped on the side walk, catching up and seeing how everyone's week went. They start in twos, but soon end up in clusters of four or five. People are walking everywhere, just enjoying the day. And there are always two trucks parked in the middle of the road, the drivers lost in conversation about how their fields are doing, gas prices, and whether we need more rain or not. There are puddles on the road from sprinklers, and birds and squirrels sassing each other in the trees. Children haul eachother around in red wagons, and there is a general sense of relaxation and peace in the air. And whether you are heading out to the lake for a swim, or driving home on the ride on lawn mower, you will be sure to get a huge smile and a wave from all you meet, because this is summer in Strathclair.

Will I? by Ill Harmonics

Will I truly make for myself a name? Will I ever excel in this game? Will I ever really be who I be? A person, a Christian, musician, emcee? Will I ever truly be set apart from the world that controls all the sounds of my heart? Will I ever really make it without going pop? Am I truly sold out to God or hip-hop? Will I ever find the balance of the two in between? Am I whack cause I dig Rage Against the Machine? Will I make it to the point where I can be me? Will heads like me if I'm dissed by a dope emcee? Will I love, will I fly, will I rapture, will I die? Am I dumb, am I numb, cause the apple of my eye is the sound of the found, do I search for a pound? Am I down if dat ain't found when turned around? Will I grow, learning to do better in my sessions? Am I whack if I break down and take guitar lessons? If I don't use metaphors, will rhymes be silly? Will they really? Will I truly make for myself a name? Will I ever excel in this game? Will I ever really be who I be? A person, a Christian, musician, emcee? Here I am askin' all the questions of life. Do I love her enough to really make her my wife? Will I ever fall just one too many times that I lose all my skill, thus affecting my rhymes? Will my actions ever match up to my rap? Will I make one hit and then fall off the map? Am I not a good enough emcee for my God? Cause my rhymes ain't the best but I still try hard. Will I be looked on as the opposite of good? Cause a middle class white-kid don't come from the hood. And the ghetto, I ain't really that familiar with. Should I throw in my mic and towel just to quit? If I changed one decision with one human being would I still be practicing this art of emcee'n'? Am I a musician if I play the MPC? Not really. Will I truly make for myself a name? Will I ever excel in this game? Will I ever really be who I be? A person, a Christian, musician, emcee? Will I reach the full potential of my plan? If I turn around is there two prints in the sand? If I lost a battle rap would I still have fans left? To sing and play guitar, do I gotta be Clef? Am I doubtin' His word if I stop to think? Will my pen one day just stop producin' ink? Will I think of rhymes just to one day stop? Is a head a head if he likes more than hip-hop? Will I?

This song is by Ill Harmonics, this white rapper I saw at Sunshine Fest in 2001. He was awesome! Download this song, its sweet and funny.

My Feet

My feet are so nasty. Calloused, hard, blistered and gross. Dry and peeling. Tired, sore, sometimes ticklish. Deformed by a horse’s hoof. My toes are so messed up, some of them turn in, some of them turn out. They are too long, like fingers that got misplaced and ended up on my feet. And my feet are so stinkin’ huge I trip on them all the time! They are constantly cold and sometimes blue-ish as a result.

But my feet have danced. In jazz shoes, in socks, sneakers. Barefoot in the rain. Onstage. In my kitchen. They’ve walked on beaches, on gravel, on broken glass. On and off airplanes. Hiked mountains in hardcore hiking boots. My feet have saved lives. Seriously, whether they were running for help or being grabbed while the rest of me swam towards rocks at Mdumbi, they’ve assisted. They’ve supported me when I really needed them to. They’ve walked through Kliptown, being stepped on by little children. Been coated in paint. They’ve been washed by loving hands. They’ve been penetrated with sand and kissed by the ocean. They’ve run, free and swift. They were trampled during small group challenge; they’ve climbed trees. Jumped the leap of faith and rappelled down a waterfall. They’ve taken me to seven different countries in one year.

I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Disgusted

Ok, so yesterday I went to Brandon with Brynne and Henk. We saw "Over the Hedge" which was somehow funnier the second time. Man I love that movie! It was a fun day, hanging out and not being scared by Henk driving. Then we went to Wal-Mart and I got the new Billy Talent CD (totally good!). It was only $12 too, so that was sweet. And I got this killer t-shirt - this part is the part that offends me.

Definitely picked it out of the plus-size section. Now I'm not really upset that I bought something 'plus' sized, I'm mostly irritated that a shirt that size would be considered 'extra' large. Its not even large at all! What is up with society? No wonder girls feel fat and hideous most of the time, if a normal sized shirt is considered extra large!

And on ET they were counting down the favorite 'all-American' in celebrities, and number one was definitely Jennifer Aniston. I am SICK of her! Sick of reading about her, hearing about her, seeing her stupid face in magazines, just SICK of HER. What has she done, with all her money and fame? Complained, played a victim. What about helping real victims, Jen? What about all those kids dying of AIDS and starving b/c they have no parents? Those kids without shoes, living on gang-ridden streets? What about those kids in Kliptown, the ones who have nothing yet possess everything? Look around you, North America, there is more to life than what Jennifer Aniston said about Angelina Jolie or what she wore yesterday. That sickens me more than anything.

Past, Present, Future?

Past

Present

Future?

The Good Life

I have an awesome life. Why is my life so freaking awesome? Seriously? What did I do to deserve it more than other people?
Today Brynne came to visit me at lunch after a crazy and excitingly busy morning at work. We played Frisbee in the park across the street, it was hilarious and embarrassing. I haven’t played since Africa, and it was windy, and the Frisbee was super crappy and cheap…but enough excuses. We sucked. I think the most we got in a row was maybe 5? It was hilarious and cruddy, I actually could hardly breathe the whole time cause I was laughing so hard. And Brynne was leaping everywhere, and there were people walking by watching us…man. That was hilarious!
Then we went for ice cream, what a gorgeous day. We drove there in the GREMLIN! That’s right, people, the Gremlin LIVES! I almost wept, and I remembered the trick to opening the passenger door. I missed a car with such personality. Know where the Gremlin would not fit in at all? In Leamington, the land of beautiful cars. Road trip, Brynne? Ha ha!
I also had a fun and productive afternoon at work, too. Just what I needed!
Now I am off to the grad supper and then to the grad ceremonies. Can you believe I graduated a year ago today? I can’t at all. I can’t believe I looked like that a year ago today either. My, how things change! I’m pretty much happy with the past year of my life, how things went and how I turned out. I wonder where I’ll be a year from now?

Dani California

Firstly, I love this song!



All I can say is, how much fun would this video be to film? And how many different people do they imitate in it? So funny! Its pretty much the sweetest idea ever.
Oh, Chili Peppers.

Stratford!!!

So, I'm at Terrell's, which is too exciting to even explain. I arrived around 1:30 and when I got here it was POURING rain, like super hardcore and it rained all night, with thunder and lightening to boot. We went out for lunch at Jack Aster's and then drove home. His house is so nice, and pretty, and I feel very welcome here, which is sweet. Then I got the tour, then I got to meet Ben and he's totally awesome, I enjoyed him very much. We went to Walmart (they have a Walmart! And a Shoppers! Brynne we'd be so set!) and got soaked running back to the car. Then we went to Ryan's, and his house is AMAZING and huge and gorgeous and his family is so unbelieveably nice and his mom hugged me! Anyhoo, Ryan is also awesome, although I may have lost points when he found out I don't play baseball (don't worry, I think I gained them back by playing pool and got some extra ones for a joke during a Subway ad...). Then we watched So You Think You Can Dance with his sister, Kelly, and that was fun, and then came home at a late hour. The rai was INSANE! And there were frogs all over the road! Then this morning we went to Stratford, had a beautiful picnic lunch by the river(? lake?), and walked around for a bit. Terrell and I mostly went to like, toy and game stores, book stores, and chocolate stores. We bought nothing. Then we went to the theatre to see "London Assurance" which was very funny, and well acted. The costume and sets were AMAZING. I was quite blown away by them, man! That was fun, excpet I fell up the stairs and hurt my toe...but all is well. Then we walked around a bit more, had chinese and came home. Now I'm going to go tear Terrell away from whatever sports he's watching. Man is it ever good to see him again! Tomorrow is very open, I don't know what we'll do but I guarentee it will be fun! :)

Hope you're all having fun at work, suckers! Ha ha!

I Dyed Again!

So I was bored with my natural color and decided to dye my hair again. It was called "chocolate cherry" and is pretty...I think this pic captures it pretty well. Its a nice emo pic, eh? Ha ha! Well enjoy. :)

Philippians 4:8-9

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Hear No Evil

Ok, so on the way home from Ashley's there was absolutely nothing on the radio. Nothing! All crappy weird songs, so I was flipping through different stations trying to find something worth-while to listen to. All of a sudden the dial stops.
And it stops on 101.1 THE FARM.
At first, I gasp. I hold in a scream. Since Hot 101 became "Slop 1o1", a country station, I have refused to listen to it. And there it was, playing in my car.
Thank God no song was on, but what I heard was almost worse. The DJ, taking a call from a listener. A young girl complaining that her dad still thinks of her as a baby, even though she's in grade six. The DJ responds.
With a forced southern accent.
I am not fibbing, this is complete truth. She says, "Well you have a good night there, li'l darlin'" and continues to introduce the song with one of the worst accents I've ever heard.
This is why I hate country music. See what it does to people's minds? This poor woman thought she was from a southern state, not Western Manitoba! Its sick what it does to people, really. In my opinion that is just another reason for it to be outlawed.
Goodness, now I sound like a cowgirl. Its already poisening my mind...

Beautiful

So Caryn made me this lovely CD, all with songs about being beautiful, and I really like this one. Its by Bethany Dillon, and I love the words. Its totally just the cry of her heart, and I share it. Enjoy!

I was so unique, now I feel skin deep
I count on the make-up to cover it all
Crying myself to sleep cause I cannot keep their attention
I thought I could be strong
But it's killing me

Does someone hear my cry?
I'm dying for new life

[Chorus]
I want to be beautiful
Make you stand in awe
Look inside my heart, and be amazed
I want to hear you say
Who I am is quite enough
Just want to be worthy of love
And beautiful

Sometimes I wish I was someone other than me
Fighting to make the mirror happy
Trying to find whatever is missing
Won't you help me back to glory

[Chorus]

You make me beautiful
You make me stand in awe
You step inside my heart, and I am amazed
I love to hear You say
Who I am is quite enough
You make me worthy of love and beautiful

8 days until I fly to London, ON, and then onward to Leamington!!!!

I HATE My Boobs!

Sometimes I hate being a girl.
Okay, so today I had the most irritable and frustrating experience, also known as bra shopping. Seriously, complete annoyment! I must seriously have the oddest breasts in the whole world, because not a single one will fit me properly. Its like I'm between sizes - C is too small, and cuts into me, and D is definitely too big. I mean I can't be a D, if I am there really isn't much to show from it. And the numbers...those are band sizes, correct? Well I'm not big around up there I don't think, but a 36 is most assuredly too small...I must've tried on 12 bras without any success. And I am officially retarded (for lack of a better word) when it comes to how exactly they should fit. I seriously need to go see a bra specialist fitting person. I know they exist, I saw them on What Not to Wear once. They will probably tell me that I have abnormal breasteses and need to buy a $200 bra from them.
Or maybe I'll just give up and live in sports bras for the rest of my life.

Funny Video

Turn up the volume and press play...its just not funny without the sound and believe me, you don't wanna miss it!!!

The Dixie Chicks

Okay, so I just watched the video for "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks, and I just had to comment that Natalie Maines is definitly, to me, one of the most beautiful women on this earth. She's so unique, and incredibly stunning. She really knocks me out. Man I love the DC! They are amazing and seriously, one of the best looking bands out there. I think I want their new CD...

Love, Actually.

Did you ever think about being in love? Or even just love for that matter? I mean, what it really means and what its like? I'm sure everyone has, but today after watching a video my friend Al made me, I was thinking about what love actually means to me.

1. As someone quite self-critical, especially about looks, its quite the thing to look at yourself and be like, 'I don't love this, but someone else does." And then you have to think, 'well why don't I love me if someone else does?' and it just gets quite silly and you basically have to just get over yourself.

2. I love people VERY easily. Its just my nature, to love people. So when I love someone, I'm hardcore about it. I want to be with people I love all the time, I want to tell them how much and why I love them (I think everyone deserves that, no?). I love things like their smile, or their laugh. Their forearms. Their little quirks. I love just being surrounded by people I love. Now turn all that around. What? Someone out there also feels the same way about me? All those feelings and emotions that are so real and deeply rooted within me are felt by someone else, towards me? Whatever! It blows my mind. I can hardly believe that.

3. Now this is the real kicker. Take how you feel about the one you love and times it by 10 billion. Thats how God feels about you. No matter what you do, or don't do, how you look, or how much or how little you love Him, He loves you more than you could ever imagine - and thats the real mind blowing thing about love.

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. "
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.