ten songs on the current playlist...

it's been a while since i made a playlist and i had a hard time too. i used jody as inspiration for some of the songs. she will probably know which ones i am talking about, and the ones that she doesn't, she will like anyway.

jody, congrats on the new job!

the ramones - havana affair
the beatles - run for your life
the sensations - let me in
the arcade fire - neighborhood #1 (tunnels)
outkast - ghettomusik
sly and the family stone - if you want me to stay
the ramones - i don't want to go down to the basement
the wipers - image of man
the beatles - taxman
red hot chili peppers - havana affair

i'm complaining...be forewarned

well i remember now, what it is to work at a restaurant.
jimmy put it well: "same stupid food. same stupid faces."

how's that for negativity?

now let's bring it back to the positive. it was raining a lot today so it wasn't very busy at the store. this meant that i got to finish my religious studies reading, which is a good thing because my exam is in four days. this means that i have ninety-two hours to review five-thousand years of eastern religious tradition.

another good thing is that our phone is fixed so if anyone wants to call, feel free. of course, i am still housesitting so i won't be there to pick up, but the answering machine has probably been lonely.

counting down the hours...

so tonight is my first dinner shift back at the restaurant (let alone friday night dinner shift) and i am just as nervous as i was last year when i was starting out for the first time.

we are also house/dog sitting for ryan's uncle who has a brittney spaniel. i have never seen such a small dog with so much energy. i thought our dogs were energetic, but this one can really pull you down the street.

anyway, i will save all my ranting about the restaurant until i actually see how everything goes. i am supposed to stay optimistic about these things, you know. but for now, the phone still doesn't work, so it is convenient that we are staying somewhere else.

i would chat longer, but i can't really think about anything but work right now. and i have to get charlie (the spaniel) off my dogs.

don't try calling

just in case you've tried to call...our line has been crossed with some doctor's office. the guy answers the phone in a really creepy way and just says, "the dooooctor's ooooooffice". we are trying to fix the problem and we just found out so no...i haven't been snubbing anyone.

so long science

i just wrote my final exam for natural science. it was supposed to start at 2:30, but apparently there have been "disruptions" during the exam period (which means that someone pulled the fire alarm or called in a bomb threat) and we were held hostage for thirty minutes in order to "close off contact from the outside world".

they wanted to make sure that if someone had a plan up their sleeve (which would probably follow through in the first half-hour) it wouldn't disrupt the exam because we could easily relocate to another room. but isn't delaying the exam by a half hour and not letting us leave (even to use the bathroom) and make us wait when all we want to do is finish the exam and go home a disruption in itself? i feel bad for all those who had that extra cup of coffee and were probably rushing through the last half of their exam because they had to pee so badly. i also feel bad for those who had people coming to pick them up and they weren't even allowed to make a phonecall to let them know what the deal was.

but it makes me angry that they can treat me with suspicion because someone else did something wrong. but apparently this is common practise in university. just like when they assume you are plagarising and you have to send your essay through a website that scans it for stolen sentences. this feels like high school...that, or prison.

exams

Grey_Squirrel
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

so it looks as though i have lost track of my blog again. i just wanted to write a quick post to stay on top of things.

it's been hectic lately because exams are almost over. i have my environmental studies exam tomorrow and i still have lots of notes to make.

at least i got out in the yard yesterday and ryan and i got a lot of work done. we cleaned the whole side of the house and set up the new stone bird bath (which no one has visited yet).

we started a little yard cleaning business and so far it looks like we have four "clients". it would be nice to make some extra money for our trip that we are just starting to plan for, but can't decide where we want to go.

ryan just started talking about machu picchu because apparently in a few years they are closing it off to the public. that would be about double what we can spend on a trip, but it is so long from now...i could win the lottary.

canada's kyoto plan

pollution
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

an assessment of canada's kyoto plan has been released and is available online here.

this assessment is a joint effort by canadian environmental law association, david suzuki foundation, environmental
defence, great lakes united, greenpeace, pembina institute for appropriate development, pollution probe, sierra legal defence fund, toronto environmental alliance, toxics watch society of alberta, and yukon conservation society.

the bottom line is that the plan is vague and there are no timelines or actual details as to how it will be implimented. for example, the plan requires 74% reduction from individual actions or through the use of their tax dollars, eventhough individuals are only responsible for 23% of emissions.

it's great that the government has actually released a plan, but it is totally inadequate and will not achieve the desired results.

lost

malcolmdavidkelley
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

ok...there was no new episode last night, but they did show michael's back story again. i wouldn't normally have posted anything, but ryan noticed something that we hadn't before (which might have very well been obvious to you, but i will post it anyway).

the polar bear that was attacking walt was in his comic book that michael threw in the fire, just like when the red bird appeared when he was looking at the birds of australia book.

this leads me to wonder whether the island is actually some kind of dream...or a coma that they are all sharing in some kind of superunconscious...then again, maybe not.

like i said, you have probably noticed this one before because they zoomed in on the picture of the polar bear more than once, but this was news to me.

oh and i wanted to talk about the preview for the next new episode because i thought it looked like locke was shot, but ryan said it just looked like he was falling. if he dies, i don't think i could watch anymore.

wow...can't you tell i'm excited?

the greenpeace cyberactivist community

kyoto_cp_7136298
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

the greenpeace cyberactivist community has members from more than 200 countries and territories and is growing quickly. members receive email campaign updates, and can send letters to key corporate and political decision makers, download action kits, send e-cards to friends and colleagues, participate in on-line discussions, and play a significant role in helping to win environmental campaigns.

they really only send you one update a month by email, unless there is an urgent action alert, so it won't fill up your inbox.

if you are interested in registering, you can do so here.

twenty-five years

terryfox_cp_2773869
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

"...i was rudely awakened by the feelings that surrounded and coursed through the cancer clinic. there were the faces with brave smiles, and the ones who had given up smiling. there were the feelings of hopeful denial, and the feelings of despair. my quest would not be a selfish one. i could not leave knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though i would be set free from mine. somewhere the hurting must stop ... and i was determined to take myself to the limit for this cause."

wild about gardening

it's that time of year, so here is a great website to coax you back into the garden. wild about gardening has lots of great ideas and information for anyone who wants to use their garden as a haven for wildlife (you can attract specific birds, friendly bugs, amphibians or bats) or a breeding ground (pollinating ground?) for native wildlife.

there are plant encyclopaedias, zone maps and projects which are easy to follow, fun and good for the environment, of course.

best of sonic youth

3F21SonicYouth
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

i really had a hard time picking my top twenty-five sonic youth songs (i started at ten), but i have narrowed them down on one (surely incomplete) list. i also tried putting them in order from best to less best, but i don't think it worked.

feel free to note any glaring omissions.

song (album):

teenage riot (daydream nation)
schizophrenia (sister)
wish fulfillment (dirty)
candle (daydream nation)
theresa's sound world (dirty)
hey joni (daydream nation)
silver rocket (daydream nation)
rain king (daydream nation)
winner's blues (experimental jet set, trash and no star)
mote (goo)
screaming skull (experimental jet set, trash and no star)
bull in the heather (experimental jet set, trash and no star)
wildflower soul (a thousand leaves)
diamond sea (washing machine)
no queen blues (washing machine)
death valley '69 (bad moon rising)
stereo sanctity (sister)
mary-christ (goo)
dirty boots (goo)
youth against fascism (dirty)
tom violence (evol)
star power (evol)
disappearer (goo)
titanium expose (goo)
beat on the brat (master=dik)

skipped town

maxgate
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

well, i am up at my mom's who just had surgery. i am supposed to be helping her do things that her doctor told her she can't do, but she is doing them anyway. now she is passed out on the couch for her second nap of the day. she doesn't think the medication is making her drowsy, but she is never awake long enough to make that judgement proper.

i got the call of duty from the cafe, so i am on for my summer busboy jobby. already, the owner of the restaurant told me that i need to cut my hair. "it's...too flippy. it will flip here and flip there" apparently.

it is normal, straight hair (and clean, mind you...damn clean) that is always tied back. he's just jealous that his mane isn't as wonderful and flowing as mine. ok, ok. maybe i am being a little sensitive.

now i just have to get used to balancing plates again, but i have been up on my yoga lately so hopefully that will suffice. (hey, don't laugh. yoga is hard!)

red-shoulder hawk

Red-shoulder Hawk 1
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

this is a picture of the bird that ryan and i saw in our backyard yesterday. obviously this is not the exact bird, but this is the species.

apparently they are breeding right now so it was looking for some territory and a mate. it flew from our yard and then started soaring sixty feet in the air circling our block.

we have amazing trees in our neighbourhood that are over forty feet tall and there are no branches until about twenty-five feet up. these are ideal conditions for nesting.

i am definitely keeping my eyes out for the next little while because red-shoulder hawks are rarely sighted and very threatened.


here is a map of their range.

UPDATE: i figured since i have seen so many, i would start a hawk count.

in toronto: one red-shoulder hawk and one (i think) red-tailed hawk (dark morph)

in king city: one cooper hawk and two inidentified hawks

in new market: three unidentified hawks soaring in a group (one looked more orange), one cooper hawk and two more unidentified hawks.

TOTAL: 11

lost

iansomerhalder
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

so jody, you were right on the ball. boone died last night on lost. it was horrible and long and torturous. boone was a cool guy. not my favorite character, but at least he knew who the cool people were on the island. the weird thing is that he will probably be on the show in his sister's flashbacks. well, i guess he is off to hollywood to make more movies.

did jack really think that the rusty old door would be sharp enough to amputate his leg? i thought - i really did - that he was going to do it. i swear i stop breathing when this show comes on.

claire's baby didn't turn out to be the spawn of satan. well, at least he doesn't look like it. and of course, kate was the hero again.

and jack is now on his way to kill locke who is still out in the jungle with that strange hatch and we didn't get to see any of it! but i was surprised that they had the baby and a death in one episode! you can't expect them to fit more action into an episode like that (considering that it is really only 35 or 40 minutes long with all of the commercials, not to mention that they end the show 5 minutes early).

so i heard that locke isn't going to be on the show next season. i would love it if someone would tell me this isn't true.

howdy

xfiles2
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

i just wanted to post something - anything - before i chain myself to my desk and finish my assignments for the year.

tomorrow is the last day to hand anything in and there are a few things kicking around that remain neglected.

after that, only three exams and i am free (that is, free to work at the restaurant this summer).

thanks, jody for the pictures that you sent. they are awesome.

tension on ice

sealer_fight_cp_7381812
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

from CBC news - and thanks to jody from come on pilgrim for this great scoop...

FREDERICTON - Rifle shots were fired into the air Friday during a confrontation between sealers and protesters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the north coast of Prince Edward Island.

The incident occurred after three helicopters carrying protesters and photographers landed near a sealing vessel, according to Canadian Press photographer Jonathan Hayward, who witnessed the clash.

"At one point a sealer who was just walking past with his catch, he just let his catch go, turned around with a small gaff , and he came after a small group of the people in the party," Hayward told CBC News.

The shots were fired by someone aboard the vessel after abuse shouted by about a half-dozen sealers escalated into a shoving match with protesters. The activists then retreated to their helicopters.

"It was scary," Hayward said.

Dwight Spence, a Newfoundlander whose sealing boat was at the centre of Friday's incident, said no shots were fired at the protesters, as the International Fund for Animal Welfare has claimed.

"There were shots sent over the ice," he acknowledged in an interview from his boat. "We were killing seals."

Spence said the hunt protesters have been especially numerous and aggressive this year.

"I've never seen 'em so bad before," he said. "This crowd now... they're starving for publicity. They have to earn their money but it's a hard way to earn it."

Friday's incident was the second violent one within two days on the ice floes.

On Thursday, officers with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans arrested three protesters for allegedly getting too close to the sealers, a department spokesman said.

Paul Watson, captain of the protest ship Farley Mowat, confirmed that 19 members of his crew approached the sealing vessel. But he insisted they kept the distance away required by regulations.

Watson said he saw a sealer attack a crew member, while the sealer involved in the scuffle claims he was only defending himself.

toronto student choice policy

from: melissa tkachyk (wspa)
subject: we won the first round!! motion for a student choice policy passed committee

Hi everyone,

We did it! Trustee Josh Matlow's motion for a Student Choice Policy on animal dissection was passed through committee today. The next step is passing this motion through the full board and we need your support to do this!

Ministry of Education guidelines currently allow students to opt out of dissection however there is nothing that says students need to be informed of this choice. Josh Matlow's motion takes it a critical step further by ensuring that students are fully aware of their rights and options.

Formalizing the current guidelines as a board policy will make it more meaningful to students. If approved, teachers will be required to advise students of their options and, if requested, provide an alternative learning tool, without hassle or jeopardizing their grade.

The following Members of the TDSB Program and School Services Committee
voted in favor of passing this motion:

Trustee Sheine Mankovsky (sheine.mankovsky@tdsb.on.ca)
Trustee StanNemiroff (Stan.Nemiroff@tdsb.on.ca)
Trustee Chris Bolton (chris.bolton@tdsb.on.ca)

A thank you is also in order for Committee Vice Chair, Trustee Mari Rutka
(mari.rutka@tdsb.on.ca) for steering a great meeting.

The motion will now go to the full board on April 13th. If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, please try to come out to this meeting at 5050 Yonge Street (on the west side, north of Sheppard Avenue, North York Centre Subway Station). The meeting starts at 4:00 pm and may go on for several hours. Please call Trustee Matlow's office (416-397-3094) on
Monday April 11th to find out where on the agenda this motion is, so we can determine an approximate time. It is very important that we show a strong presence at this meeting. Spread the word!!

Regardless of where you live, please send letters in support of this
motion to:

All Toronto District School Board Trustees c/o David Tomczak :
david.tomczak@tdsb.on.ca

and the..

Minister of Education, Gerrard Kennedy who reportedly scoffed at the need for a student choice policy and was quoted in the Toronto Star saying "This is not one of the issues that should be taking the time of politicians":

The Honourable Gerard Kennedy,
Minister of Education,
Mowat Block,
900 Bay Street,
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1L2
Tel : 416-325-2600, Fax : 416-325-2608
email: gkennedy.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Please send a copy of your letter(s) to Trustee Josh Matlow for his
records (josh@joshmatlow.ca)

Thanks to all of you who have written letters already. A great deal of thanks goes out to PETA. Many of the letters that were submitted to the Committee's Members tonight came from PETA's street team. You guys rock!!!

As well, thank you to all of the students, parents and teachers from
Toronto, across Canada and the U.S. for lending your support.

For more information about the Student Choice Policy, please visit:
http://www.joshmatlow.ca/issues/studentchoicepolicy.htm and
www.frogsarecool.com

Melissa

get well soon!

neyo01
Originally uploaded by jessalauren.

neil young is currently in a new york hospital recuperating from his tuesday surgery. the surgery was successful in treating his discovered brain aneurysm and it is thought that he will make a complete recovery.

neil young, now 59 was expected to play at the juno awards on sunday, but he has been warned not to travel for several days.

well, i guess i won't be watching the juno's after all. rest up, neil.