Solid State Aircraft, and the State of my Butt

I was watching the Daily Planet show on July 26, 2006, and there was a segment about Solid State Aircraft.

Click here to see the segment.

Just wanted to share - it's one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile, and I can't stop thinking about it.

Also, I'm beginning the hunt for the perfect fitting pair of jeans. I've done some research, and it looks like in order to fit women with butts, most people are shelling out far too much $$$ for their jeans. I'm going to start the saga today, and I'll keep everyone posted on the brands and my opinions of each (since I've found it hard to find good info on the net about this, with regards to shopping in Canada).

I'll Tell You, It's Been a Week

Well, my family got news of a loss on Monday, and we've been trying to cope/deal/sort everything out since then. It was a bit of a shock, to say the least. My Birthday was on Tuesday, and my Family really spoiled me, which was so incredible of them at a time like this.

http://www.thecobalt.net/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=37

Law school related b-day presents: A Lululemon hoodie (a basic necessity, I assure you), a Starbucks gift card (for when I need to spoil myself with a latte), Aveda shampoo and conditioner (so that the aromatherapy calms me down when I'm stressed), a collage of pics of my family to take with me to Saskatoon, webcams, and a nice watch (so I'll never be late for class ... heh heh heh). Also, from my wonderful Hubby, I got some $$$ to buy some casual clothes (I'm currently running at 1 1/2 pairs of jeans, so I'll need to get a few more - and some of you may ask how someone has 1 1/2 pairs -- I have one pair of good jeans, and one pair of almost indecently holey jeans, so they only count as a half).

With my B-Day cashola I couldn't help but buy the bag pictured below, since I'll need a new school bag, and this one has a separate compartment that I can use for my laptop. I think I might be in love with this bag. It's the Motion Bag by Lululemon. The compartment for my laptop should also fit the powercords etc., and it has another compartment that would fit a text book and a lunch, more than comfortably, and in the side it has a bunch of pockets for cell phone etc, but also for cards, like debit/student ID etc. It comes with a shoulder strap that you can attach, too. It's supposed to be good for up to 50 lbs, hopefully that will do it for me.

Soccer Update: I played soccer again last night, and we ended our mercy streak by losing. I still came smokingly close to scoring, but couldn't quite get there to help out the team. It was all good in the end, though, since we went for beers to the Black Swan, and had CHILI FRIES - holy smokes - they were SOOOOOO GOOOD!

Also, I missed Big Brother, but it looks like Jase got his ass kicked off. Poor Jase, he just doesn't get it, does he? Funny.

What can you say, when it's over too fast?
You were older than me, but too young to pass.
I don't know how to get it straight in my mind,
It's so final, I struggle, this concept of time.

So much of my person was shaped early on
By you, like a brother, and all of our fun.
I never thanked you for this, the role that you played
In giving me the passion and strength that has stayed.

We haven't been close, as we've lived adult lives,
But I've seen how you've always been true to your drives
Music and adventure, friends and policy,
Living true to yourself; another lesson for me.

You'll be there in our thoughts, and in all that we do
We miss already, and we'll always love you.
Don't worry, you've left a strong legacy,
When we say to our children, "Wakey, Wakey".

You Win Some, You Lose Some

It was beautiful at the U of C campus this morning, and my visit to the bookstore did prove useful. While the "Synthesis: Legal Reading, Reasoning and Writing in Canada" book didn't show up anywhere that I could find, I did find the following textbook USED, for a $25.00 savings on what I would have paid NEW in SK. Thought I may as well buy it, and spread out the pain of handing over far too much money for my textbooks this fall.

Contracts: Cases and Commentaries by: Boyle and Percy

I did end up staying up and watching Billable Hours last night, and while it was a cute and quirky Scrubs-type of show, I don't think it makes it into my Trifecta of must watch shows. I'm still looking for that one show that will make it with America's Next Top Model and Big Brother. Scrubs is a show that makes me laugh out loud, and this episode of Billable Hours was only a Hans Solo half-smile kind of show. BUT ... it was good enough to give it another chance. We'll see how it is next week.

For lunch, my Husband took me to Sushi Kawa on 4th Street, where I got to indulge in my all-time favourite sushi roll - the Alaska roll. It has Salmon, Avocado, and Cream Cheese. Mmmmmm ...

They Like Me ... They Really Like Me!

I often cruise through the blogs that are listed in my blogs links section, just to see what's new and happening with everyone ... and when I hit the Greatest Blog Experiment, I saw this post - how flattering! My blog is the BLOG OF THE WEEK! It's so nice to receive that kind of acknowledgement from my blogging peers ... I'm going to refer to it from now on as "blog cred". That's right ... I'm building my blog cred! I LOVE IT!

The Glorious Son has Returned

My little brother Joe got back from his European adventures today. He had stories galore, and brought back tons of prezzies for all of us. He loved the Eiffel tower in Paris, and shark fishing in Portugal. He showed us pictures of the flat that he stayed in, and the crazy different streets of London. I'm sure that we'll see tons of pictures when he fully unpacks.

Our weekend company went back home, and now Jason and I return to our normal routine (yeah ... right). It's so much more quiet with just the two of us.

Luckily I don't work Monday or Tuesday, so tomorrow I'm planning on checking out the U of C's bookstore, to see what their legal textbook section looks like. That should be fun. I'm specifically going to see if I can find the following book:

Synthesis: Legal Reading, Reasoning and Writing in Canada by: Margaret McCallum, Deborah A. Schedemann & Christina L. Kunz

It seems to be reccommended reading, and the book that is used in the Legal Reading/Writing class that we take as first years. At the publisher's website, the book sells for $89, on the U of S bookstore website, the book retails for $89 as well ... I did e-mail the publisher to see if, as a student, I could get a discount or promo code, but they have failed to respond (how disappointing). I'd like to see if U of C carries the book, and if they do, if it is any cheaper. Even if it is still $89.00, I wouldn't have to pay shipping.

Also - I'm about to watch Big Brother (woo hoo), and it seems that Billable Hours is on at 10:25 my time ... I'll see if I can make it without falling asleep first. Should be able to - I just borrowed the following book from my sister Julie - the twelfth in a rockin' series that makes me laugh out loud:


Twelve Sharp by: Janet Evanovich

I am a Freakin' Genius ...

... and no, it is not related to my academic ability or my performance at work. What, then, could possibly have spurred such an outrageously pompous statement from yours truly? I invented the ultimate drinking game involving shooters checkers. I call it .... Shooters Checkers Squared.

So ... in order to play you need an odd number of people - last night we had 5, which worked out quite well, but the rules could be adapted, as I'm sure you'll see below.

With our 5 people, we decided that each play would be accomplished by a team of two. Since we had a Birthday girl in the house, her team started. Play continued to the next two people directly clockwise being responsible for the opposite checker teams move. I've done a diagram to illustrate below:


As can be seen, the next steps in the diagram would be 4) Player 2 and 3 combine to form a team and move the RED checkers, then 5) Player 4 and 5 combine to form a team and move the BLACK checkers and so on.

The beauty of such a set up is two fold; First, you end up playing YOURSELF! Since you have the opportunity to make moves for both sets of checkers, your strategy must always evolve. Second, since this is a drinking game, the longer you play, the more you drink, and the harder it is to keep turns straight!!!

It was ridiculous and fun. I highly recommend it, even if you aren't drinking. The playing against YOURSELF aspect is enough to win some followers, I'm sure.

Now ... I must go have a nap, since I did play this game last night, and consequently am starting to feel a tiny bit hung-over ... mmmm .... I feel like french fries and a burger.

Added @ 12:29 AM on Sunday July 23 ... I FORGOT THE BEST PART ... I was kindly reminded by my Brother-in-Law about the best part of this game! The way we played was that if you jumped someone, the previous team had to drink the shot of the jumped shot-glass. Since it was teams of 2 that were involved ... the drinking team had to play ... you guessed it ... ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS to decide who had to drink the shot.

MAN, that's a good game!

My GROIN!

Played soccer again and mercy'd the other team ... AGAIN! I ALMOST SCORED ... AGAIN. This time I was super close though. AND ... the fish was this big ... yeah.

But ... I truly do think I pulled my groin muscle ... and I do intend on being a big baby about it. I must admit, I seriously considered calling in sick, since getting in and out of the car hurt. BUT ... I suppose that I really shouldn't be such a big baby, right? RIGHT?

In the meantime, can someone pass me the remote?

I just found the National, a magazine put out by the Canadian Bar Association. They have a Law Students issue, which is available digitally online:

Link Here

AND ... YES, I am having problems focusing on work when I know that my last day is two weeks from tomorrow.

My Stealth Posts are Out of Control ...

Maybe it's because I know I'm leaving work soon, and I don't care if the security IT guys start breathing down my neck (I know them anyway, so I'm sure I could sweet talk them around to the dark side of the force).

Anyway, I was just reading a thread on lawstudents.ca, and found a mention of the show "Billable Hours" on Showcase ... described as Scrubs, but for lawyers??!?!?!? OMG - I LOVE SCRUBS, and I'm going to BE a Lawyer - was this show made for ME EXCLUSIVELY!?!?!? WILL it compare with Big Brother and America's Next Top Model as my favourites (now that Alias is done ... I need a new show to add to my TV trifecta).

I MUST check this out. Someone posted that it's on Sundays at 9:30, and again at 11:45, and sometimes on Wednesdays.

Here's the website: Billable Hours

Also - check this out - friends of the family - THANK GOODNESS!

Article from the Calgary Herald

Stealth Mode Post

Shhh ... don't tell anyone ... I'm at work, and a thought struck me on the drive in, that I just had to log before I forgot. Why is it that the best thinking time is in the car, when you can't write anything down?

Thought: Adjusting your side mirrors properly.

Now, I know that side mirrors are a personal choice, and that there are many different schools of thought on this issue, but I am TIRED of almost being lane-changed into by mini-vans. MINI-VANS of the world, it is possible to eliminate your blind spot. I know you don't believe me, but when I was 16 years old, my parents had a 12 passenger Chevy Beauville van, this is what I learned to drive on. After that, we had a GMC Safari van ... I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

The technique (I read this quite a few years back, and have adjusted my mirrors accordingly since then):

1. Sitting in the driver's seat, lean your forehead against the driver's side window (when it is closed PEOPLE, I know I'll get a question/comment otherwise).
2. Adjust your Left side mirror so that you can JUST see the side of your car/van/bus/mini (yes .. the mini get's it's own vehicle category) etc. from this position.
3. Move your head so that it sits somewhere between the driver's seat, and the passenger seat.
4. Adjust your Right side mirror so that you can JUST see the side of your car/van/bus/mini etc. from this position.

When you try this configuration out, you will notice that when a car drives up from behind you, in one lane over, you will see them in your rear-view mirror, and when you can no longer see them in your rear view - you WILL see them in one of your side mirrors. GOODBYE blind spot. No joke - tried, tested and true.

MINIVANS of the WORLD - EMPLOY THIS TACTIC and you will save poor little car drivers like myself the the mini-heart attacks that accompany us on our various commutes, as we think that we'll be squashed by one of your clan.


In addition to the thought, I have a few tid-bits.

Tid-Bit #1:

My sis' Kristin got a new job. Congrats to her! She'll be working for a local organization that works in the mental wellness of youth. She starts August 1, and is ever so excited.

Tid-Bit #2:

In celebration of K's new job, we hit the restaurant that came so highly recommended to me by my colleagues, that it borders on legend ... one of those places that you don't really want to tell people about because then far too many people will go, and you won't be able to get in.

It's Italian, it's on the fringe of Kensington, and it's fabulous. We made a reservation for 8:00 (on a Tuesday night), and thank goodness that we did - it was AWESOME!

I hesitate to identify it, since it is such a gem, but if you plead your case with me, if you make me believe that you're worthy of knowing, I may let you in on this little secret. But ... your case will have to be strong. We're talking - persuasive writing here people.

Ooops ... I think my stealth operation may have been compromised - better run.

So ... there's a Weasel at My JOB!

There's this one guy at work - you all know the guy. He was hired for one task, hasn't yet completed it, but has been there the shortest time and is already NAME DROPPING the higher management's names to us. He's wormed his way into various tasks for the management, and has picked the brains of many a co-worker (myself included), and passed the work off as his own.

Now ... I know that people like this exist everywhere - but I raise the point becuase two of my colleagues were reminded of two books by this guy.

The first, Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake. Apparently, also a movie series. Chapters.ca says the following:

"You love reading adventures that place you inside a medieval castle—alone. You thrive on stories set in stone-cold corridors, dark secret tunnels and lonely turrets. You long to discover what horrors lie beyond massive wooden doors with impenetrable iron hinges, bolts and latches. The fiction doctor says face it - your appetite is insatiable for a good gothic mystery! You`ll go wild for goth with The Gormenghast Novels, a sensational volume that features Mervyn Peake`s landmark classics Titus Groan, Titus Alone and Gormenghast."

I can't just remember the second book right now, but it has to do with Weasel's in the Workplace.

I MUST read these - and I challenge anyone with a weasel at their workplace to look into them as well!

Here's to eliminating all weasels ... perhaps this is good incentive for me to look more seriously into the Intellectual Property law that I've been thinking about. I am OUTRAGED when people pass off the ideas of other's as their own. GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE! I think that having the compsci background would help in this arena as well ... hmmm ... food for thought.

Only Two More Days and Two More Nights Ever!

Is it bad that I'm starting the countdown now? Only two more days and two more nights of on-call ... my last rotation before my last day of work.

Thinking about that, that little milestone, makes the reality of school seem closer than ever. It's getting a little scary ... and exciting.

We're setting down a budget now - it's all so official!

On another note - I hate to admit it, I can't deny ... I am ADDICTED to Big Brother. I have been a faithful follower from the beginning. While I didn't catch Season 6 (it was, after all, the summer that I got married ... I was a busy girl), I am ALL OVER Season 7. It's not summer until BB starts ... and with me having most of August off of work (besides my week vacation) ... I'm going to set up camp infront of the TV for that one hour, three times a week. I can't explain the siren of this show, but I just love it!

I LOVE that Allison was kicked out first - that girl needs to STOP competing on Reality TV shows! BUT ... I'm sure that she would have made for some good controversy.

I think I'm going to keep a running tally in my sidebar of all those cast away ... as they're voted off. I LOVE IT!

Relief and Rapture ...

I feel like I should title all of my posts with some type of alliteration - it makes for so much fun. I was RELIEVED yesterday of my on-call duty because a co-worker was kind enough to cover for me so that I could find RAPTURE in the Phantom of the Opera.

I've seen it twice before, but the music was entrancing, as always, and I was wowed yet again by the absolute magic of the set design. It's so incredible how this stage transforms in the middle of numbers seamlessly and flawlessly.

Spurned some googling on my part ... here are the results:
* There are 22 scene changes.
* The set was designed by Maria Bjornson, who seems to have an interesting biography.
* A company called Production Resource Group (PRG) was responsible for designing the motorized effects that change the scenes and operate the famous chandelier ... they created an entire system called "Stage Command System" which combos software with all the mechanics to exact actor cue timing and special effect timing. This system allows PRG staff to monitor and trouble-shoot remotely --- imagine being on-call for the Phantom and getting a call "There's trouble with the chandelier ... HELP!" ... "Stage Command System" is now used all over for various productions.
* There are 2230 m of fabric in the regal drapes that hide and shape the stage throughout the performance.

For more interesting tid-bits, click here.

I'm getting ready for a day of playing World of Warcraft (sigh ... perhaps I'm more of a nerdy/geek than I thought ... I've not come through my CompSci days unscathed ... but it's just so freakin' FUN)! But ... if the day stays this beautiful ... I may succumb to the siren of the slurpee and take my feet for a walk.

Kicks and Krisps

My favourite healthy snack ... fake hummus.

1 pack silken tofu.
1 can chickpeas.
garlic
lemon juice

A trick I learned AFTER the first few times I made it - BLEND THE TOFU FIRST, then add in the chickpeas bit by bit.

I just made my treat, but didn't have any lemon juice (cr@p), and didn't have real garlic - only garlic powder. Oh well ... it still satisfies the snack craving. I found Kashi crackers a few weeks ago, and can't get enough of those suckers ... I'm addicted. Check them out. Even my sis-in-law is addicted ... we came to our addictions separately too.

Anyway, no law school news today. BUT ... I did play soccer tonight ... my team won, and I believe the score was 4-11 (game ended b/c of a mercy rule). It was super fun.

I was no Beckham tonight though. No Beckham at all.

I hate cleaning floors.

The Joy of Working On-Call

Well ... it's late here in Calgary, and I'm up waiting for a call-back from a team of programmers in Montreal. Funny. At least ... it is at this time of the night.

One relief - there exists a kind of kinship between all of us that must work on-call, and specifically, between those of us that have had to wake up to deal with a problem. Nobody wants to be woken up to have to think our way around a problem, and knowing that we're sharing the misery definitely seems to help. People are more casual, and friendly, speaking to each other as we would with our best friends - the unspoken bond reaches out between phone lines.

The best part about dealing with a vendor from Montreal is that sometimes error messages come up in French ... makes me realize how long it has been since my high school foray into that language. Far too long for me to admit exactly how long in such a public space (shut up - I will NOT tell you how old I am). I had to e-mail the technician team, and got a generic response back in my in-box entirely in french.

The good news - I do get the gist of what it is saying. The bad news - do NOT ask me to read it out loud. It would be far too embarrassing - my English accent would get in the way (inside joke for anyone that shared my grade 10 french as a second language teacher - I was actually DOCKED MARKS for having my english accent interfere in my french - ridiculous, I know ... luckily I fought for my right to a fair grade).

Right now I'm so jealous of my Husband, upstairs sleeping. Sigh.

OMG - I just saw a commercial for the VW Rabbit - they're bringing it BACK! How awesome. I had a VW Fox for 4 or 5 years, and I loved it so much. In fact, I kind of miss it.

Just found an article about the rabbit coming back. Looks like they're replacing the Golf in North America with the rabbit name and a revamp to the car. Hmmm ... still not as hot as the Mini Cooper that will be mine when I finish law school.

Ahhh ... Mini Cooper. Can I order it in pink?

I Always Thought I'd Picked the Best Group ...

... for being the worst ... in social skills that is. I completed my Undergrad in Computer Science. Believe me when I say that those crazy computer nerd/geek characters that you see in comics/on tv - they're based on real people. I think Comic Book guy from the Simpson's was literally in some of my classes, but he didn't like cool things like Star Wars and Spiderman ... he liked talking about Linux and Assembly Level Programming. Whenever our Prof tried to tie our material into some kind of nerdy inside joke, he'd laugh the loudest ... and sometimes, he'd be the only one laughing. He'd challenge the prof on every comment, and I had to watch his ponytail get greasier every day, since he sat front and center.

That's not to say that being a nerd or geek is a bad thing - hey - I love Star Trek: TNG, and I read books about physics ... BUT ... I do have some social skills as well. I develop and maintain relationships with people, and I do so easily.

Computer Science students take lack of social skills to a level I never thought existed. Group work was a nightmare if you got paired with the wrong people. A NIGHTMARE! I had to spend a great deal of time in the computer lab at school, in order to program, and I hated every minute of it. While there were some cool people that I'd run into, they were few and far-between.

In the computer lab I had marriage proposals (plural ... proposalS), I had people sitting right next to me ignore me when I talked to them, I had someone explain how their ultimate fantasy was to become one with the machine (nope ... not get a girlfriend ... get even closer to the machine that he already spent ALL of his time with). I watched people try and outdo each other in technical lingo - and I watched people literally LIVE their lives in the lab - they'd be there when I get to school in the morning, and they'd be there when I left late at night ... and when they did go home? They'd be on their computers.

Now, the argument can be said that we need people like this - people who care so much about their machines that they become ultra-programmers and run all the computers in the world. This is true, but they'll all have to work with someone. There is a base level of social skill that should exist, for the sake of everyone's sanity.

I always thought that this phenomenon was reserved for compsci students, and somewhat for Engineers (although, that faculty looked like an absolute riot to be in). But ... I've been catching glimpses of the urban legend regarding the LAW STUDENT! I had a conversation today with a friend that just completed her first year of law school, and the stories she had to tell! On par with my compsci stories.

When discussing her rock climbing hobby with a fellow student, she was told that lead climbing just wasn't cost effective, in terms of billable hours, and that he'd rather just pay someone to do it for him. This was in the first month of his first year of law school. OUCH. What about living life, and maintaining the balance that is so necessary to development as an individual. What about relishing in the experiences that are so unique and precious to each one of us?

I can't wait to get to law school, and run down a straight off comparison of the CompSci student vs. the Law Student. I CAN'T FRIGGIN WAIT. I'm going to have to think to come up with the comparison criteria, and some kind of ranking system to yield accuracy.

Don't worry everyone ... I'll keep you posted on this train of thought. Don't worry.

So ... You Know I'd Have to Look it Up Sooner or Later ...

Banana - fruit or herb? Coconut - nut or fruit?

There has been some serious debate over these questions that I have been privy too, so I decided once and for all if I could find some actual references and definitions to lay these conundrums to rest.

Here are the dictionary definitions for fruit, vegetable, nut, and herb from dictionary.com:

Fruit:
1. a. The ripened ovary or ovaries of a seed-bearing plant, together with accessory parts, containing the seeds and occurring in a wide variety of forms. b. An edible, usually sweet and fleshy form of such structure. c. A part or an amount of such a plant product, served as food: fruit for dessert.
2. The fertile, often spore-bearing structure of a plant that does not bear seeds.

Vegetable:
1. a. A plant cultivated for an edible part, such as the root of the beet, the leaf of spinach, or the flower buds of broccoli or cauliflower. b. The edible part of such a plant. c. A member of the vegetable kingdom; a plant.

Nut:
1. a. An indehiscent, hard-shelled, one-loculated, one-seeded fruit, such as an acorn or hazelnut. b. A seed borne within a fruit having a hard shell, as in the peanut, almond, or walnut. c. The kernel of any of these.

Herb:
1. A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season.
2. Any of various often aromatic plants used especially in medicine or as seasoning.


What is the Banana?

The banana debate came up for the first time when I was reading That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles, by Dr. Joe Schwarcz, the director of McGill University's Office for Chemistry and Society. In this book, Dr. Schwarcz states that the banana is not a fruit, but a herb.

I stumbled across AskOxford.com, which may clear this question up. It states here that the banana is both a fruit and a herb. The banana is a fruit, because it contains the seeds ... classically. BUT ... since modern day bananas have been bred to be seedless (you'll recall that when you bite into a banana, you don't spit out seeds), and because there isn't true woody tissue in a banana "tree" ... it is considered a herb.

What About the Coconut?

As for the coconut question - there appears to be much more debate, but what I eventually found, is that it is considered a nut - and therefore a fruit as well, as all nuts are considered to be fruits.




So ... here's my summary.

Fruits = things with seeds.
Nuts = types of fruits that have hard shells and one seed (i.e. would spring forth only one new plant).

The rest seems a little too vague at this point for me to summarize, as I am too tired to read anything further on this subject!

Good Night!

The Craziest Hike Day Ever ...

Well, today started out grandly, with brunch at a Pub with my Parents and my Sister ... and then ... it got a little crazy.

We met friends of ours at the city's edge to trek out to K-Country for some hiking fun. We all piled into Blaine's jeep, and on the drive out to Kananaskis, drove through crazy rain and hail ... yup ... I could feel the hail pounding through the roof of the jeep when I put my hand against it.

When we arrived in K-Country, it was no longer hailing, but the clouds did still look rather ominous. We decided to go ahead and begin our hike, and traversed through rain, thunder and lightning, we were soaking wet, tired, and slipping and sliding on mud ... it was fabulous (check the picture of my feet - got a WEE bit muddy).

We hiked along the Barrier Dam, which is described here - kind of interesting.

We ended the day with dinner at a pub in Canmore, which was great until Blaine, Brie and I ALL found hair in our food (YUCK). The pub was pretty good about it and gave us a 20% discount off the entire bill. Otherwise (heh heh), the food was pretty good.

All in all, a pretty good day ... can't complain. Good food, good company, and an adventure in nature.

When I got home, I was skimming through www.lawstudents.ca, and came accross a post that hilighted another Canadian Law online forum - www.lawbuzz.ca (which I added to my links section). I'll have to go through that one when I have more time, should be interesting.

"Why Fight When You Can Negotiate?"

... in the illustrious words of Captain Jack Sparrow. Tonight I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Man's Chest. I think it far outshines the first Pirates movie, LOVED it ... damn that Johnny Depp is sexy as Captain Sparrow ... and, was it just me, or was this one movie where Orlando Bloom was most definitely super manly and not at all girly (besides, of course, the Lord of the Ring movies).

Found a fan site for Jack Sparrow (the character, not Johnny Depp)- a GREAT GALLERY!

When the line "Why fight when you can negotiate?" was delivered as nobody but Johnny Depp could, it got me to thinking. There are a few things that we all could learn from Captain Jack Sparrow:

1. Having a conscience makes you a hero.
2. Flying under the radar works.
3. Staying calm under pressure is the key.
4. When the time comes to step up, do it with style.
5. An excellent vocabulary is vital.
6. Make a grand entrance.
7. For the most part, tell people only what they need to know.
8. Rumours are rarely true.

Anyone else have any to add?

U of S LSA

Just visited the U of S Law Students Association website, and they have tons of new stuff on there - including activities and dates for Term One this fall!

http://www.uofslawstudents.com/index.php

Potential/Soon-to-Be Law Students - A Must Read

I just found a great blog that I had to share: The Canadian Law School Blog

I also added it to my links for future reference.

This blog is exactly what I'm trying to do ... for the University of Western Ontario! I can't wait to read through this and get a glimpse of Setu Purohit's experience.

It will be interesting to compare/contrast my experiences to that of this blogger!

I've Got Mail!

Not only is You've Got Mail one of my favourite chick flicks, but I was buzzing today when I opened my mailbox and realized how fun it is to think "You've Got Mail" when a letter is sitting pretty inside, especially when it's from U of S!

My letter from my future Law School contained a receipt for the $200 deposit that I paid to accept my spot, a few info leaflets about parking/housing etc, and the information from Admissions with my student ID # and password to logon to PAWS! WOO HOO - this is what I was waiting for.

I logged in and toured about, and even got my U of S e-mail address.

How fun - I feel like an official STUDENT now that I have my student ID etc.

There was an info leaflet included called "Computer System Information" which reminds me that I need to pick up a wireless card, and a USB memory stick for my laptop that I'm going to be taking out to Saskatoon.

I also just realized that I have no junk food in my house. Sigh. I'm having a sugar attack and I've got NOTHING!

How I Spent Canada Day ...




That's my cousin Nick, and for the rest of the pics click here.

My Husband and I drove out to my cousin's lake lot for a rockin' good Canada day. We went tubing, and wakeboarding (thanks to the excellent boat driving skills of Neil), we played and chatted, and we had our own private fireworks show (thanks to Ernie).

Happy Canada Day!

Happy July 1 to all Canadians out there. Any BBQ's planned ... mmmm ... BBQ. My Husband and I are heading out to the lake, where we'll sip some cool Molson Canadians, and eat a little Alberta beef ... just in honour of today!



Click here for the history of the Canadian Flag (as per Wikipedia).