Summer Work

I have realized that being unemployed for the summer isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Yes, its nice to spend my time outside in the sun but not so much fun doing it by yourself and having absolutely no money to have any other variations of fun. I have been picking up a few shifts at the Autism Resource Center working one on one with an Autistic child in a group setting. I love this sort of work, and at times wonder if maybe I should have taken a Special Ed. course route rather than Speech Pathology. Although, I am sure I can combine my two passions of working with speech problems and disabled people.
So, today at the program we went to the a local gymnastics club, for lunch at the Rick Hansen park, and swimming. It was tons of fun and quite humorous, yet very wrong when an 11 or so year old child walked out of the bathroom completely nude. As if this was normal, along side picking your nose and rubbing it on another kids face.
I love working with ARC so much because each day is something different. And although the activities of the day are always planned in advance, the mishappenings, the things the children say, and the facial expressions and smiles that cross the childrens' faces always makes for a great day.
Until next time,
Reena

Cravin' Craven

So this weekend is Craven Country Music Festival and it is the first time in 7 years that I will not be going! I know this doesn't really seem like that many years, but when you're only 21, 7 years is a long time - - it is a third of my life! At first I didn't care that I wasn't going, but now that it is here I am actually really sad that I won't be there. I miss the whole atmosphere already! Today as I was driving downtown I was listening to 100.7, the city's country music station and they were reporting live from Craven. I began to recall all of the good fun I've had at Craven and then realized how much I miss being irresponsible and acting not so grown up. I realized that I have grown up far too much, and need to bring back some of my youth! I haven't seen over half of my friends that I used to hang out with in a reallllly long time and I miss them. I miss the stupidity that hovered in the air when we hung out, I miss the drinking we used to do, the parties we used to go to, and the hilarious moments that used to occur! I'm not saying that I don't still have fun, but my extent of fun seems to have dwindled in the past few years.
So, here's to all of you who are going to Craven! Have fun like the good ol' times, and for those who I've never been to Craven with, just imagine how much fun I would be if I were there! :) Maybe we can hit the Pump one night, and although it isn't the true Craven experience, at least there is the country music. Take care y'all! Reena

Picnic In The Park

A bunch of us have decided that we will do Summer Potlucks and last night was our 2nd potluck of the summer. It was the first potluck I was able to attend and it was a lot of fun of course! Although we were unable to get the briquettes to light, and therefore couldn't bbq hotdogs, we did have some delicious salads and watermelon.

There were only 4 of us present, but we had lots of fun. I don't think we declared a winner in Bocce, although we did discover that Kel likes to jump the gun, I like to eat blue balls, and Darla likes Glenna's balls.

For those of you who are reading this and like the idea of potluck, you are more than welcome to join in!! We still have two months of summer left!

And after my fun-filled weekend, I am off to get myself ready for the dreaded night class.

Reena

Slo-pitch and Sing-along

My FLICKR has been updated for those who care to check it out.

Saturday I was just outside of the city in a small town for a slo-pitch tournament. At first I was a little worried I wouldn't have much fun as I only knew two others who would be playing. Turns out I had an absolute blast. We lost our first game, but I made a few really good catches and considering I hadn't played in a few years, I did pretty damn good!

Between games some went out to one of the guys farms for drinks, but me and Bre just stayed in town, went for some food and chilled at the diamonds with some beer and clam! mmm.

We won our second game, and to my surprise I cracked a really good one out to left field. It is always a good feeling when all the fielders move in because the batter is 'just a girl' and then you crack it over their heads. Sometimes I'd like to crack it right at their heads with some of the comments made, but over their heads is less morbid so I'll go with that I guess.

The last game ended after the second inning because the other team was being far too competitive for a 'FUN' tournament where was was not even a cash prize. They didn't give the other team the benefit EVER, and they were being complete dickheads. Everything from calling balls fair when they were most definitely foul for their team, calling balls foul when they were fair for our team, taking the optional walk when they were up by 20 runs, and using a fastball ball in a slo-pitch game. Cheaters. Anyhow, somehow it came to the point of a possible fight between their pitcher and our batter, so we decided game is over when it looked as if the bat might miss the ball and hit somebody in the head instead.

This was best anyway, because we were all ready to go out to the farm for a BBQ and some drinks. We played Horseshoes, which is a game i've never played before. This was quite evident as I scored zero points in 2- 11 point games and only hit the pit 2 or 3 times. We also played some Frisbee and Bocce ball, and I proved to be a pro at this game! I'm addicted I think. If any of you are interested in a game of Bocce in the park, let me know! I'm totally down for it!

We ended the evening with some sing-along around the fire. 2 of the guys brought out their guitars and we sang well into the night. It reminded me of those days back at Brownie camp. And even the days of chillin' at the boys' house on Request nights! Overall, twas a superb day/evening. Probably one of the best I've had in a long time!

Andddd this is very long winded again, so I will end here! Until next time,

Reena

The Real Summer

For most university students summer begins the minute after their last exam in April. For me though, it was the beginning of the last semester ever. Granted it sucks being in school when the weather is beautiful and you've already plugged away at school for 8 months straight, it is definitely nice to look back and realize you have completed 3 whole classes in 2 months! What an amazing feeling. I pulled off some pretty kick butt marks in those 3 classes and now only have one class remaining, which happens to fall on a Monday and Wednesday night. This means I have a whole lot of summer to enjoy! It is going to be grand.

Last Thursday after my final I had a few friends from class over for drinks, then Friday I hit the local country bar. I hadn't been there in a long long time, and it was so much fun! Saturday I headed to the beach, as well as Sunday and Monday. It was an exciting long weekend, as I got to spend time with a good friend from highschool and her boyfriend proposed to her!! I got an awesome picture of it too, and if I ever get ahold of it I promise I will post it. It was taken on a private dock at the beach, with the beautiful Saskatchewan sunset and valley hills in the background.

And although I spent 3 full days laying on the beach, I was still ghostly white. I then decided to go against Dooce's suggestion to wear SPF 50. Not so much a ghost anymore, but rather the color my face turns when somebody shouts out that they can see my nipples through my bathing suit. Red. Beat red. The backs of my legs hurt so badly that sitting seems to be a chore. So, from now on I listen to Dooce.

Mae came over for a swim one day, and I could tell she was down about not having a job. But she found one! And I'm super excited for her. And Mae, just so you know I will come in for food and drinks one day, and ask for you specifically to be my server :) and tip you well!

This coming weekend I am playing in a slopitch tournament just outside of the city and it should be a great time. It is the typical small town drinking tournament, and if the weather stays the way it has been, we will not be let down!

Sunday night I am heading to the park for a potluck, and that should be entertaining. Hope to play some frisbee, some catch and some Bocce!!! Yayyy. Can't wait.

I can't say I have much more to report, except for that I am sad to say that I will not be attending the Craven Country Jamboree this year! I have gone for the past 6 years, but unfortunately I can't afford it this year. It is only a week away though, and I haven't got completely bummed out yet that I am not going. And luckily I have plans to be out of town that weekend, so I will make the best of it.

I haven't updated my Flickr pics in a very very long time, and maybe one day soon I will!! It seems the computer time is limited these days, with the summer days being much more fun filled spent AWAY from the computer!:)

Hope everyone is enjoying their summers, and talk to you all soon!

May 22nd Brain Teaser

Alright, fine! Since I have sooo many avid readers who were enthusiastic about coming up with an answer to the May 22nd brain teaser, I will give you the answer. Banana, Dresser, Grammar, Potato, Revive, Uneven, and Assess DO have something in common. If you take the first letter of each word and put it to the end, it spells the original word backwards! ananaB, resserD, etc etc... It's too bad nobody even attempted to guess, because you would have been awed with the super amazing prize.

Queen of Procrastion is going back to her case study now...

Small Town Farm Fun

Today is a hot, humid day and as much as I would love to be sitting by the poolside, I am in the house working on my case study. It has been an interesting assignment, and I've enjoyed spending time with my old highschool teachers kids, but dammit, right now the pool is much more enticing. Last weekend I spent both Friday and Saturday evenings at Mosaic - - a bunch of pavillions displaying different ethnic foods, dancing, and singing. Friday I took in the evening with Mae and H and a third friend as well. We commenced the evening with some Greek souvlaki pitas and some Ukrainian dancing, and H's little Roo was entertaining to say the least! We filled the little one with a ton of sugar, sent him off with his dad and went on our way to the Irish, Poltava Ukrainian, Carribean, and the Indian pavillions. We attempted the Scottish line, but after a drunken fight broke out in front of us and we got pushed around we chickened out and went on our way.
Saturday I spent the night with my sister and a few of our friends and hit many of the same pavillions and a few extra. I was the DD and ended up having to create the rule: 'If you find a friend passed out in his own puke on a dude's car, you must help him'. I had the privilege of literally dragging him to my car and finding a way to carry him to his house. And although he is a hell of a cute guy, seeing him this way made me see him in a little bit of a different light... Nonethe less, he's still pretty and now he owes me, BIG! :)
This past weekend I headed back home to go to the Graduation ceremonies, and even though I expected it to be somewhat of a flop because we normally have grad in October and this is a new thing to have it when normal people have it in June. Turned out it wasn't all that bad. New and improved I suppose. Went for a few drinks afterwards at a family friends house party, and then headed a few towns over for a buddies going away party. Night turned out pretty alright, and I realized how much I truly miss farm parties! A band in the basement, a bonfire in the backyard, and a bunch of drunk friends I haven't seen in years! You know you're at a farm party when somebody is too drunk to drive, has the option of stealing a horse to get home, and actually does it!

Sunday mornings

6 a.m, sun shining bright, birds chirping in the trees, a cat clawing and meowing in my face, and door buzzer going off. Well the first few sounded like a beautiful morning minus the fact that I went to bed at 2 am, planned to sleep until 10 and had no intention of waking up any earlier. It did however turn itself around. I managed to sleep for another hour and my mom and sister showed up a little later to take me out for brunch. It now seems to be a really nice day out there and I am going to go out and enjoy it, while studying.....

I'll leave you with a picture of the crazy cat, Ajax. His expression explains all aspects of CRAZY and exactly why I don't like waking up to him in my face.

Baby Food

I feel as if days have gone by and absolutely nothing exciting has happened in my life. NOTHING. Everything is so minute and boring. Eat. Sleep. Dream. Study. T.V. School. Study. etc...
I have left my house a few times, but for nothing of any significance or excitement. I did however spend 4 hours last night doing homework at Mae's workplace. aka visiting and checking out cute RC's. Oh ya, and watching little boys in close-to-vintage Riders sweaters attempting to skip down the hall. It was the highlight of my week I do believe. As it was a Friday night I did not attempt to sound intelligent or impressive. "Mae, what is that stuff that babies eat? The food for babies? What is it called?" Really difficult answer to come by....

Changin' It Up

I was somewhat sick of my old template and colors so I decided to switch it up. And now that I changed it, I am debating whether this is far too girly for my liking. Pink. Maybe TOO pink. But my old template was drab and the weather is drab, so I needed something livelier. You know, more alive. So, pink it is. For now.

And since I have nothing else to say today, I will leave you on this note - - an image to remind you of a much loved television show by most everybody my age! I can still picture Joey Gladstone with his half glazed over eyes saying it.

And of course, a video for every school girl of that time to realize they weren't completely on crack thinking Jesse Katsopolis was sexy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4dOxObAQqw

Joke

I always wondered what it was that intrigued my dad that keeps him at the computer reading all of these farm-based links. One of his favorite websites is ProFarmer Canada. He is ALWAYS on this site. Why? Well, I thought before that he just looked at farm charts which make no sense to me whatsoever, and read articles talking about the shitass price of canola, and all the other bull that comes along with farming. But today, he was here and I heard him snickering. So I ask him what it was that could possibly be funny on this site. Like, really, are the mites in the wheat field that hilarious? But here is what he was laughing at:

Pro Farmer Canada's Strategy Showcase for 5/22/07**
JOKE OF THE DAY

A blonde was driving home after a game and got caught in a really bad hailstorm. Her car was covered with dents, so the next day she took it to a repair shop. The shop owner saw that she was a blonde, so he decided to have some fun.

He told her just to go home and blow into the tail pipe really hard, and all the dents would pop out.

So, the blonde went home, got down on her hands and knees and started blowing into her tailpipe. Nothing happened. So she blew a little harder, and still nothing happened.

Her roommate, another blonde, came home and said, "What are you doing?"
The first blonde told her how the repairman had instructed her to blow into the tail pipe in order to get all the dents to pop out.

The roommate rolled her eyes and said, "Duh, like hello! You need to roll up the windows first.

Although I don't normally laugh at blond jokes, this was funny. Or perhaps it was how my father imitated the blond, "Duh, like hello!"

Sunny Saskatchewan

It's 9 a.m and I have just finished hitting the snooze bar about 6 times. That is 54 minutes of today that I wasted. Fifty-four minutes. FIFTY FOUR. That seems like a whole lot of minutes to waste in a day when it is summer time. But here in Saskatchewan, where it is as of right now, cold, wet, and dreary, I do not feel so bad. Those 54 minutes are best spent under the soft, valeur covers of my quilt. ahh, yes. That is the way to spend these kind of days. But now, I am wide awake, not so ready to start my day. But awake nonetheless. Why can't this province fullfil that great sounding alliteration... 'Sunny Saskatchewan?' Well folks, maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow.

Brain Teaser Contest

I know I'm taking Mike's ideas of contests, so here's recognition to him!! I'm not taking all the credit for such a great idea to waste time!! So, here's a brain teaser. Maybe a little prize for anybody who can figure this out. :) Look at the list below:

Banana
Dresser
Grammar
Potato
Revive
Uneven
Assess

Now, figure out what these words have in common. It's not a trick, there is some commonality. Now GO!!

Update

Wow... bet you were all thinking I gave up on the whole blog thing eh? Either that or thought I was dead. Maybe the latter of the 2 is more appealing to you? I hope not... Let's see, where do I start to update? I finished the dreaded finals on April 23rd and believe it or not, it took me until the 25th before I decided to get drunk. I was priveleged enough to get to spend time on the 24th with my friend Lucy, who is now gone to Ghana for the summer to observe Mona Monkies!! She's always been into primatology and so I think this is a great opportunity for her! Then, the 25th. 3 words for you. Shots. Tequila. Smashed. Oh so drunk. Drunk that I stayed up until 6am, and the last time I did that I was studying for Neuropsychology. I will tell you one thing. This night was far more fun. And included friends. You know, those things that talk. And socialize. And drink.

The next day I was up by 11 am, and proceeded with a girl day with my 2 best school buds. Shopping. Perfume. Cakemaking. Drinking. And to JD's we went... the dirtiest bar in town. And as much as I am not a fan of the place, I couldn't pass it up because it was a buddies birthday party/got into Grad school party!! And so we celebrated. Some. Okay, a lot.

Alright... to shorten things up a bit: I did a few more nights of drinking until I completely wore myself out. To the point of headcold, flu, headcold, flu. etc... It wasn't fun, but it was self-inflicted, so I cannot complain. It was worth it though, I am a small town girl and I just HAVE to make sure my alcohol tolerance stays high so I can continue to outdrink the citypunk boys.

Enjoyed some time out at the farm with my dad, and in town with the rest of the family. Wish I could get out there more often, and plan to soon!

Now I'm back to school, where the chaos of writing papers, studying for midterms, and finals is back. Soon enough though, end of this August, I will have my BA in Psychology, with a minor in Linguistics. And what will I do with that?? Enjoy a year in Regina, working at whatever job I can find - - hopefully something that can at least allow me to have a little bit of fun- - pay off loans, and enjoy the year NOT writing exams and papers. This will allow me recovery time so I can go back to school next fall, if and when I get into a Speech Pathology Program. Somewhere NOT in Regina :)

That's all for now.

Oh, by the way, I plan on trying to keep myself active on here! TRY being the key word...

Reena.