Danny: "I'm changing my attitude. It's no longer going to be NOvember. Instead it's going to be YESvember!"
sounds good to me.
what a terrible month october's been, work-wise. i've been so busy that i haven't been able to go to practice. i've been staying up late to write ads at home. it got unhealthy.
it's the busiest month of the year though, which means november should - WILL - quiet down and i'll be able to think again.
by the way, that part time job i mentioned applying for a month or so ago? i got it! i'm now one of the new christmas sales associates at lush cosmetics! it'll be my third time working at lush, and i'm looking forward to it. it doesn't feel like work at all - it feels like i'm getting paid to tell people about stuff i love. i can get behind that!
10.29.2010
10.21.2010
we never meant to stay here, we were here for the gold, here for the gold...
I promise honey that when we get paid
We'll pack our things and we'll move away
A thousand miles from this frozen lake
We'll find a place where we both can stay
We'll find a city with a million people
Find an apartment where the rent is real low
We'll disappear and no one will notice
How about it darling?
We could both live downtown
We'll pack our things and we'll move away
A thousand miles from this frozen lake
We'll find a place where we both can stay
We'll find a city with a million people
Find an apartment where the rent is real low
We'll disappear and no one will notice
How about it darling?
We could both live downtown
9.20.2010
i'm wishing my legs away, cuz they're taking me to nowhere safe, nowhere safe...
my passport is in the mail, i'm making packing lists, and i'm willing this week to go by faster so i can start my dream vacation.
"where are you going?" you ask...
two hints:
followed by...
i'm going to vancouver, then flying out to san diego! in ONE week!
it's going to be such a wonderful week- we got tickets to see the flaming lips at malkin bowl, and floor seat tickets to calexico & arcade fire at pacific coliseum. after a few days of hanging out in the beautiful city, we'll head home, i'll pack up more stuff, then head back to vancouver to catch a plane to san diego... where we're going to kick some san diego hard corps ass. we were invited to bout with san diego on october 2nd and, by some miracle, i'm on the roster! it'll only be 3 days in total that we're out of the country [including plane trips] but tremendously worth it.
now to train train train...
...and write some ads so i can keep getting paid.
"where are you going?" you ask...
two hints:
followed by...
i'm going to vancouver, then flying out to san diego! in ONE week!
it's going to be such a wonderful week- we got tickets to see the flaming lips at malkin bowl, and floor seat tickets to calexico & arcade fire at pacific coliseum. after a few days of hanging out in the beautiful city, we'll head home, i'll pack up more stuff, then head back to vancouver to catch a plane to san diego... where we're going to kick some san diego hard corps ass. we were invited to bout with san diego on october 2nd and, by some miracle, i'm on the roster! it'll only be 3 days in total that we're out of the country [including plane trips] but tremendously worth it.
now to train train train...
...and write some ads so i can keep getting paid.
8.30.2010
my bank account is a shoebox in the ground and empty...
i went to the mall on the weekend! it's a bit too far away that i don't get out there very often, so it's kind of a treat when i do get to go. i loaded up on some lovely lush products, grabbed a new roll of skull tape for my skates, and found some wonderful new shoes!!
these ones:
and these ones to replace my current "well-loved" black ballet flats:
i bought paul an enormous peanut butter cup from rocky mountain chocolate factory called a "tiger butter cup". i think he really enjoyed it.
when i was at the mall, i was also offered a potential part-time position over the christmas holidays. i won't say where because i don't want to jinx it, but i am thinking of applying. they asked me to bring in my resume in early october, so i'll post more when there's more information :)
now that it's getting cooler, i want to try baking some more. i found a really delicious recipe for ginger molasses cookies that i would love to try here. they've become a staple of my morning walks to the coffee shop and i think it would be really nice to have my apartment smelling like spicy ginger molasses!
these ones:
and these ones to replace my current "well-loved" black ballet flats:
i bought paul an enormous peanut butter cup from rocky mountain chocolate factory called a "tiger butter cup". i think he really enjoyed it.
when i was at the mall, i was also offered a potential part-time position over the christmas holidays. i won't say where because i don't want to jinx it, but i am thinking of applying. they asked me to bring in my resume in early october, so i'll post more when there's more information :)
now that it's getting cooler, i want to try baking some more. i found a really delicious recipe for ginger molasses cookies that i would love to try here. they've become a staple of my morning walks to the coffee shop and i think it would be really nice to have my apartment smelling like spicy ginger molasses!
8.23.2010
i am a makeover queen, a swan out of duckling...
i did it!
i got my tattoo done on thursday and it turned out WONDERFULLY!! i had it done by erin burge at gas pedals tattoo here in kelowna and she did an amazing job. she had to revise it a little bit to work as a tattoo, but i think it actually looks better than the original picture.
more pics after the jump!
i got my tattoo done on thursday and it turned out WONDERFULLY!! i had it done by erin burge at gas pedals tattoo here in kelowna and she did an amazing job. she had to revise it a little bit to work as a tattoo, but i think it actually looks better than the original picture.
more pics after the jump!
8.16.2010
so take your parasites away, and keep them somewhere far from me...
i'm torn.
i've been reading an industry-specific forum recently, and noticed a professor that taught for a semester of my 2nd year at college is a regular poster. this guy was brought in to fill-in, as our usual professor was off to complete his dissertation, and wasn't necessarily a long-standing member of the staff.
in one thread [which was originally about the stewart centre fire here in kelowna. huh.] the members start a dialogue about rookie graduates working in industry, and good ol' prof chimes in... appallingly.
in a series of long posts, he summarizes his experience working at BCIT and a couple of schools out east through the 70s/80s to recently, with heavy emphasis on things "nowadays". i was a second-year student in 2008, so i surmise the majority of his reference was directed towards his time in vancouver, given the inferences in his little diatribe.
it was insulting, to say the least. apparently his experience was that the students were all uncooperative & egotistical- expecting a middays gig in vancouver upon completion of the program, approaching each project with little to no effort, and injecting the typical youth apathy & over-inflated self-awareness into all aspects of the learning process.
not exactly the impression i got when i ACTUALLY WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THESE PEOPLE.
unfortunately [fortunately?] i didn't get the opportunity to learn under the tutelage of this charmer, as i co-oped out of the program in 4th term [for a job in north alberta. HORRORS! it's not vancouver!!], and dealt with him mainly through handing in a documentary for assignment, which i recall getting an abysmal mark on. no worries. given that i was one of the only two people who were able to co-op out, and i produced it all remotely, with no assistance, while doing my other schoolwork through correspondence on top of my industry job & a second, supplementary-income job, i'll take it. i've somehow ended up with a nice position at one of the big companies in kelowna so apparently it all turned out ok :)
i'm insulted though that rather than concentrating effort into doing his job as an instructor & ensuring a positive learning outcome for each and every student, he instead took a position of superiority and saw my classmates and subsequent classes as basically a group of lazy no-goods. i'm also disgusted by the fact that he felt it fit to post negative generalizations about the students he was put in a position to mentor on a message board that's frequented by people with great insight into the industry.
this is where i'm torn. i want to reply to this. it's unfair that someone in his position is allowed to post this kind of rubbish without being held to task. i have a membership to the board and a carefully worded letter, but i'm worried that posting it would be the patented Career Limited Move. It's not like I'm calling him a raging butthole or anything, but I want to ensure that my position on the experience is noted as well as his. I feel he should be held in check given the fact he was hired as an instructor, not an internet critic. But would showing up my teacher on the forum be a good move?
I just don't want the industry elders to think the new generation of graduates are a bunch of entitled lazybones -who feel a major-market job better be waiting for them as soon as they receive the diploma- based on this man's lengthy and poorly punctuated "observations". however, they are already nodding in agreement, and thanking him for his insight. ARGH!!
i've included my letter below the jump, which i haven't sent off to forum-land just yet...
i've been reading an industry-specific forum recently, and noticed a professor that taught for a semester of my 2nd year at college is a regular poster. this guy was brought in to fill-in, as our usual professor was off to complete his dissertation, and wasn't necessarily a long-standing member of the staff.
in one thread [which was originally about the stewart centre fire here in kelowna. huh.] the members start a dialogue about rookie graduates working in industry, and good ol' prof chimes in... appallingly.
in a series of long posts, he summarizes his experience working at BCIT and a couple of schools out east through the 70s/80s to recently, with heavy emphasis on things "nowadays". i was a second-year student in 2008, so i surmise the majority of his reference was directed towards his time in vancouver, given the inferences in his little diatribe.
it was insulting, to say the least. apparently his experience was that the students were all uncooperative & egotistical- expecting a middays gig in vancouver upon completion of the program, approaching each project with little to no effort, and injecting the typical youth apathy & over-inflated self-awareness into all aspects of the learning process.
not exactly the impression i got when i ACTUALLY WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THESE PEOPLE.
unfortunately [fortunately?] i didn't get the opportunity to learn under the tutelage of this charmer, as i co-oped out of the program in 4th term [for a job in north alberta. HORRORS! it's not vancouver!!], and dealt with him mainly through handing in a documentary for assignment, which i recall getting an abysmal mark on. no worries. given that i was one of the only two people who were able to co-op out, and i produced it all remotely, with no assistance, while doing my other schoolwork through correspondence on top of my industry job & a second, supplementary-income job, i'll take it. i've somehow ended up with a nice position at one of the big companies in kelowna so apparently it all turned out ok :)
i'm insulted though that rather than concentrating effort into doing his job as an instructor & ensuring a positive learning outcome for each and every student, he instead took a position of superiority and saw my classmates and subsequent classes as basically a group of lazy no-goods. i'm also disgusted by the fact that he felt it fit to post negative generalizations about the students he was put in a position to mentor on a message board that's frequented by people with great insight into the industry.
this is where i'm torn. i want to reply to this. it's unfair that someone in his position is allowed to post this kind of rubbish without being held to task. i have a membership to the board and a carefully worded letter, but i'm worried that posting it would be the patented Career Limited Move. It's not like I'm calling him a raging butthole or anything, but I want to ensure that my position on the experience is noted as well as his. I feel he should be held in check given the fact he was hired as an instructor, not an internet critic. But would showing up my teacher on the forum be a good move?
I just don't want the industry elders to think the new generation of graduates are a bunch of entitled lazybones -who feel a major-market job better be waiting for them as soon as they receive the diploma- based on this man's lengthy and poorly punctuated "observations". however, they are already nodding in agreement, and thanking him for his insight. ARGH!!
i've included my letter below the jump, which i haven't sent off to forum-land just yet...
8.09.2010
i need a touch up (pt 2)...
my appointment has been set for august 19th at 3pm. gives me a little time to get used to the idea! i'll finally be able to get my little birdie!!
but now the guy i spoke with at the shop when i made the appointment scared into my brain that it could end up becoming a big blob later down the road due to the fine details. oh no! i don't want that!!
the girl who will be tattooing me had a look at it and hopefully she can come up with a solution. it shouldn't be too bad, right? right?
if all else fails, i have another little carson ellis birdie that i would love:
not the naked baby part, no. but the birdie on the right with the worm in his mouth. i'd want him, sans-worm, surrounded by some of the twigs & blossoms from the print just as a line drawing.
keeping the options open. keeping it real.
but now the guy i spoke with at the shop when i made the appointment scared into my brain that it could end up becoming a big blob later down the road due to the fine details. oh no! i don't want that!!
the girl who will be tattooing me had a look at it and hopefully she can come up with a solution. it shouldn't be too bad, right? right?
if all else fails, i have another little carson ellis birdie that i would love:
not the naked baby part, no. but the birdie on the right with the worm in his mouth. i'd want him, sans-worm, surrounded by some of the twigs & blossoms from the print just as a line drawing.
keeping the options open. keeping it real.
8.04.2010
i need a touch up...
getting nervous....
my sister made an appointment yesterday at a tattoo shop in the mission for both of us to get tattoos. she ended up going to a different place this morning but this evening's appointment still stands open. i really like the artists there, the rate's really good, and i've been researching places lately [including a trip up to vernon over the weekend] to get one done that i've wanted for ages. so why not take advantage, right?
BECAUSE I'M SO NERVOUS.
thinking about it, and actually doing it, are two different things. i've wanted this particular one for a while, and made myself sit on it to make sure it's exactly what i wanted. i'm still in love with it so i recently decided to latch on to other people who were actively looking into getting one done to give me the motivation to get in there. even after watching my sister get hers done this morning and realize that it's not THAT scary, i'm still on the fence about going tonight.
this is what i'm thinking of:
it's a painting by carson ellis, who's my favourite artist. i also love birds very much and think it's a perfect fit for me [minus the coloured background & cyrillic, obviously]. i'd like to get it on the front of my upper arm. highly visible, but i work in an industry that doesn't care. the fact that it's highly visible is probably what's making me extra cautious, but i couldn't stand not being able to see it!!
i have an hour & 4 minutes to decide now...
my sister made an appointment yesterday at a tattoo shop in the mission for both of us to get tattoos. she ended up going to a different place this morning but this evening's appointment still stands open. i really like the artists there, the rate's really good, and i've been researching places lately [including a trip up to vernon over the weekend] to get one done that i've wanted for ages. so why not take advantage, right?
BECAUSE I'M SO NERVOUS.
thinking about it, and actually doing it, are two different things. i've wanted this particular one for a while, and made myself sit on it to make sure it's exactly what i wanted. i'm still in love with it so i recently decided to latch on to other people who were actively looking into getting one done to give me the motivation to get in there. even after watching my sister get hers done this morning and realize that it's not THAT scary, i'm still on the fence about going tonight.
this is what i'm thinking of:
it's a painting by carson ellis, who's my favourite artist. i also love birds very much and think it's a perfect fit for me [minus the coloured background & cyrillic, obviously]. i'd like to get it on the front of my upper arm. highly visible, but i work in an industry that doesn't care. the fact that it's highly visible is probably what's making me extra cautious, but i couldn't stand not being able to see it!!
i have an hour & 4 minutes to decide now...
7.28.2010
i'm just a faithful wrecking ball...
this is what's been going on behind the radio station for the past month [click to make it bigger]. there used to be a large building aptly called "the warehouse", and two smaller buildings [a drycleaner, and a barber shop] that have been there since at least the 50s i'm sure.
kinda sad, i won't lie. i don't think i like change.
7.27.2010
ugly duckling you're drowning...
i feel so uninspired lately.
don't get me wrong, kelowna is nice, but i miss vancouver. i miss my vancouver friends, i miss feeling inspired to craft and put together interesting outfits. i miss going to shows every week. i miss record stores, i miss downtown, and i miss the ocean.
we've managed to find things to do here, i have made friends through derby and work, but every time i go back to vancouver, see my lovelies, and go do interesting things like poetry slams, late night house parties & vintage shopping, i know it's not the same.
it feels like there's endless opportunity in vancouver, whereas here we have to fight hard to keep from getting complacent.
we're all pretty grumpy lately too. i think it's the heat, really. it's been in the 30s every day and there's a perpetual haze of smoke in the air. it's a little discouraging after a while when it's so warm for so many days in a row. hopefully it breaks soon!
don't get me wrong, kelowna is nice, but i miss vancouver. i miss my vancouver friends, i miss feeling inspired to craft and put together interesting outfits. i miss going to shows every week. i miss record stores, i miss downtown, and i miss the ocean.
we've managed to find things to do here, i have made friends through derby and work, but every time i go back to vancouver, see my lovelies, and go do interesting things like poetry slams, late night house parties & vintage shopping, i know it's not the same.
it feels like there's endless opportunity in vancouver, whereas here we have to fight hard to keep from getting complacent.
we're all pretty grumpy lately too. i think it's the heat, really. it's been in the 30s every day and there's a perpetual haze of smoke in the air. it's a little discouraging after a while when it's so warm for so many days in a row. hopefully it breaks soon!
7.16.2010
blue skies + rain clouds
good news and bad...
i passed my WFTDA skills test. that was the last holdout too, so now that i've passed my skills test, endurance test, and written test, i am fully WFTDA certified!
also, i found out that my derby name, holly go-blightly, was approved. it is now my name for life! awesome. i was worried about it being rejected because it's similar to a few other girls' in the states but it all worked out.
the bad news though is that i didn't make the bout roster for the aug 14th home double header bout. i know my family was looking forward to seeing me, and i was really hoping now that i'm certified i could work my way on the list. there will be others. it just means another month of fielding "are you skating in it? why aren't you skating!??" type questions though.
can't win 'em all.
i passed my WFTDA skills test. that was the last holdout too, so now that i've passed my skills test, endurance test, and written test, i am fully WFTDA certified!
also, i found out that my derby name, holly go-blightly, was approved. it is now my name for life! awesome. i was worried about it being rejected because it's similar to a few other girls' in the states but it all worked out.
the bad news though is that i didn't make the bout roster for the aug 14th home double header bout. i know my family was looking forward to seeing me, and i was really hoping now that i'm certified i could work my way on the list. there will be others. it just means another month of fielding "are you skating in it? why aren't you skating!??" type questions though.
can't win 'em all.
7.13.2010
WFTDAs...
i have my WFTDA re-testing today. i was brutal sick last time we did them and failed by thiiiis much, which means i need to re-test tonight if i want to play in any upcoming bouts. no pressure.
i'm getting tested on my ability to:
skate in derby stance
skate at a good pace in derby stance
do crossovers in derby stance
fall properly [one knee, two knee, 4-point/porn star, and baseball slide]
stop properly [snowplow, t-stop, and toe stop. hopefully not mohawk...]
hit
take hits
do whips [arm and hip]
lean on someone else while skating
push properly [pull them in them in then push out for momentum!]
jump over lines
and potentially weave through cones if we have time.
normally i'd be all over it, as i've managed to hone my skills nicely in the 7 months i've owned my skates, but i'm kind of an injured party at the moment. i fell on thursday and the formed structure at the top of my kneepad slipped down in the fall & hit the top of my knee at an angle that has created a nice little bruise and rendered me a little incapacitated. so i basically can't bend my knee that well, and the idea of falling on it, on purpose, makes me cringe. bad timing.
i'm going to just go hard, do my testing, then take the bench for the rest of practice and work on healing. wish me luck...
smoky skies + red velvet cupcakes
we're in the midst of another fire here in kelowna, almost exactly a year after the one in glenrosa. luckily the fire crews seem to have it contained which is wonderful news! hopefully the wind stays at bay and the temperatures stay cool tomorrow so they can finish it off.
on a happier note, this is what i got up to this evening:
i made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing! it was my first time making them, but now that i have the oven in this place figured out, it's opened up a whole lot of cupcake opportunities!
i have my WFTDA skills re-testing tomorrow, and i'm currently nursing an injured knee. wish me luck...
on a happier note, this is what i got up to this evening:
i made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing! it was my first time making them, but now that i have the oven in this place figured out, it's opened up a whole lot of cupcake opportunities!
i have my WFTDA skills re-testing tomorrow, and i'm currently nursing an injured knee. wish me luck...
3.26.2010
o my heart is a fish out of water...
things i'd rather talk about than your kids:
1] roller derby
2] mother mother's latest album
3] the best music venues in vancouver
4] good homemade soup recipes
5] record store day
6] internet memes
7] last night's movies on TCM
8] blue demon wheels vs. radar shadows for indoor skating
9] upcoming shows at the habitat
10] sasquatch festival
i miss working with people my own age :(
1] roller derby
2] mother mother's latest album
3] the best music venues in vancouver
4] good homemade soup recipes
5] record store day
6] internet memes
7] last night's movies on TCM
8] blue demon wheels vs. radar shadows for indoor skating
9] upcoming shows at the habitat
10] sasquatch festival
i miss working with people my own age :(
2.15.2010
sasquatch 2010 lineup.
A-Trak, Avi Buffalo, Band of Horses, Booka Shade, Boys Noize, Broken Social Scene, Brother Ali, Camera Obscura, Caribou, City and Colour, Craig Robinson, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dam-Funk, Deadmau5, Dirty Projectors, DJ Z-Trip, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Fool’s Gold, Freelance Whales, Fresh Espresso, Fruit Bats, Garfunkel & Oates, Girls, Hudson Mohawke, Japandroids, Jets Overhead, Kid Cudi, Laura Marling, LCD Soundsystem, Local Natives, Luke Burbank, Massive Attack, Mayer Hawthorne, MGMT, Midlake, Miike Snow, Minus the Bear, Morning Teleportation, Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket, Nada Surf, Neon Indian, No Age, Nurses, OK Go, Passion Pit, Past Lives, Patrick Watson, Pavement, Phantogram, Portugal. The Man, Public Enemy, Quasi, Rob Riggle, Shabazz Palaces, She & Him, Simian Mobile Disco, Tegan & Sara, Telekinesis, The Hold Steady, The Lonely Forest, the long winters, The Low Anthem, The Middle East, The Mountain Goats, The National, The New Pornographers, The Tallest Man On Earth, The Temper Trap, The Very Best, The xx, tUnE-YaRdS, Vampire Weekend, Veviter, Wale, Ween, Why?, YACHT, Yes Giantess
[according to http://sasquatchmusicfesti
i can't believe how disappointed i am with this list. i'm really disappointed. we already bought our 3-day tickets too, and decided to forgo coachella for this. it's like paying almost $200 to watch 'the wedge'.
the only band i'm actually excited about is the new pornographers. the rest, for the most part, is all that jumbly electronic music that's really popular these days, which i sadly can't get into at all :(
no monsters of folk? decemberists? calexico? spoon?
this is more of a paul list than a melissa list. maybe next year will be my year? last year certainly was and now i'm more sad than ever that i missed it...
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