The "Deadly" Norwalk

So, a little more than a week ago, StFX students received an email that said that due to an outbreak of the Norwalk Virus at Mount Allison University (an hour or so away from us), classes at Mount A are closing until all university buildings are sanitized. StFX officials just kept saying, "Be safe, wash your hands, it's fine, no one has it here." <--world's longest run-on. In the same day that one of these reassuring emails came out, another one came out shortly later saying that thirty students were displaying "symptoms consistent with the Norwalk Virus." The numbers of students with Norwalk kept rising, but alas!! Classes were not cancelled. :( Instead, hand sanitizer bottley things were put at every entrance to every building, students weren't allowed to enter a food place without fist using the sanitizer, and in meal hall, soups, straws, pizza, burgers, bagels, etc. were all brought back behind the counter so that you had to ask for them individually (this is one meal hall for 4,000 students, soooo slow even without this back-up!), plus the salad/sandwich bar was completely removed.

So, that was the Norwalk fiasco. I made fun of it, and then last Saturday, after everyone had recovered, I got sick. Really sick. Couldn't move my arms without feeling the need to puke rising up in my throat. I made it to my bed, laid down, but couldn't move enough to close the door, get into PJ's, turn off any lights or anything. I waited without moving for three hours, and lo and behold, at 3 am I was able to pop up perfectly fine, and go back to folding laundry and cleaning my dirty dishes! YES! Norwalk can't *touch* me! I would like to point out that Norwalk is a stomach flu. I like this image, entitled "Barf."

Dad's Christmas Present

I suggest that, for Dad's Christmas gift, at least several of us get him one or two niceish shirts (with a front pocket :-P) For those of you who haven't been hanging out with him much lately, his favorite shirts are doing that thing where they're actually slowly disappearing at the edges as they get more and more worn. They're so threadbare, and in places you can actually see his torso, but he still wears them to *work*!

So, here's a nice plaid flannel from L.L.Bean that I think looks rather "Dad." I'm going to hopefully get him one of these and an Oxford shirt in French blue. I think they both look like shirts that Dad would actually wear, and they fit his style. Despite his rather compact frame, he still wears a large, right?


And remember: No shirts without a front pocket!!! Otherwise, I'm not kidding, he won't actually *wear* it.

Tough Program

I got my first midterm back today, and it was Developmental Psychology. I've mentioned that grading tends to work differently here than it generally does back in the States. For instance, last year in my English class, I got an 84 on a paper towards the end of the year. After class, my professor stopped me in the hallway and said, "That was a great paper. I don't give out grades like that very often." In philosophy (also last year), I had the highest mark in my class with an 86. So, before Dr. Bigelow (he he) returned our midterms, she did that thing where she writes out the general categories of scores people got. 80s: 5, 70s: 9, 60s: 13, 50s: 11, below 50: 13. Why do professors do this???? It is *very* stress inducing. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a direct causal correlation between this method of grade presentation and ulcers in students. Anyways, these numbers got me very freaked out, until I got my midterm back, and saw that I got an 81.5. Yay!! But I just thought it was interesting how quickly attending StFX has changed the way I react to grades.

Let me Continue Knitting!!

Stitch 'N Bitch

Stitch 'N Bitch Nation

I recommend half.com for finding affordable books online, and I also wouldn't mind used books or anything. I just realllly want these books. I bought the first Stitch 'N Bitch, but it was, alas, in the BAG THAT US AIRWAYS LOST!!! So, I'd really like to get this book again, plus the second one with *even more patterns.*

Warning: A side-effect of getting me this book may be receiving only horrible, ugly, knitted presents for the next 5+ Christmases.

That's right. I'm linking Target.

sweater/shirt $17

sweater $28

skirt $23

skirt $18

flats $20

flats $12

heels $25

heels $30

Christmas Ideas...cont.

Okay, linked some stuff that I liked from Urban Outfitters. And...this is a Tiffany's ring. Just putting that out there. :-P Size 5.5

cute shirt $42

shirt $32

jacket $58

cute thermal top $44

shirt $15

loooove this skirt $40

awesome sweater $35

flats $32

From random online stores...

shirt $23

cute shirt $23

Funny/Not Funny

Funny: Almost every computer in every computer lab says, "This copy of Windows is not genuine. You may be a victim of software counterfeiting." It's been this way for days, and no one's done anything about it. (Amusingly, a guy is walking around *right now* apparently doing something about it. Apparently.

Not funny: Seemingly as a result of this weird software thing that's going on, I can't access *any* email *at all.* Not gmail, not my school mail, not hotmail. Unfortunately for me, I have an essay due today in art that I had emailed myself so that I could print it off at school since I don't have a printer. So what does this mean for me? No essay. That's okay, it was horrible anyways. So, lucky me, I have a break between my last class and art. I sit down to write a new essay. This one is actually like ten times better than the one I wrote last night, yay! Unfortunately, apparent other side effect of stupid softwareness: Can't print. AHHH!!! Also can't get to my email to email it to myself so that I can log on on a different computer and print it from there. And I don't want to log out of my account, 'cause then I would lose my much better essay ("no changes made while you are logged on in this session will be saved"). So, I find a computer that doesn't have this software glitch, log on under Tim's username while remaining logged in at the other computer, and print off my sucky essay. Not funny.

Music

Kale (roomie) watches a lot of TV. One of the channels he likes to watch is a music video channel thing. I'm sure that most of you know how much music video experience I have. While sitting on the futon that has just a few moments ago completely broken underneath me (I'm now sitting on the mattress on the floor), this music video channel was on. After watching a couple of music videos, I have decided that I don't like music.

Unfortunately, the "Spotlight" was on Jessica Simpson. I've decided the editor has a sense of humor. They had all these interviews of her saying that sexy was okay if it was classy (cue unclassy sexiness), and that she doesn't need to wear revealing clothes or use her body to get people to watch her (cue string bikini "car wash" with much sudsiness, thrusting, and boob jiggling). So, I liked the editor's sense of humor.

I share Ben I's dislike of phones. My first memory of phones also involves Mom, but isn't traumatizing. I was sitting on the floor of Mom's and Dad's bathroom, holding a cordless, while she told me not to dial just anyone, 'cause someone would be on the other end. That's not why I dislike phones, though. I just don't like that someone *is* on the other end, and that I have to say something. Can't I just maybe ignore them? No?

Popsicles ROCK.

Christmas Gift Ideas #6...I think

(#5 was perfume)

I like this American Apparel Henley Dress

I also like this turtleneck, though *I* would wear it with a bra, unlike modelgirl.

Long shorts. I love long shorts. I would actually *wear* shorts if they were long.

Skirt.

Cute, versatile tights?

I loooooove Anthropologie (not everything, just can't resist some key items), and some day, I will be able to afford their ridiculous prices.

Today, my roomie cleaned our bathtub. How crazy fun is that? The French Lab test went fine. It was just listening, so the prof read stuff, and we wrote it down. I'm very relieved.

*Edit*: For ease of sibling navigating any Christmas Ideas I put on here, I have succumbed to labels. You will find, to the right, my easily clickable ('cause other clicking takes so much effort, I know) Christmas Gift Ideas label. Only one. So you'll be able to find all references to gift ideas I've made. Terrrribly interesting, I know. For all of you who don't give a hoot about what I want for Christmas: Sorry. Too bad. It'll be over eventually.

Mayhaps Ben should begin benandjules.com Christmas List of olde?

Short One

Well, I just finished my French midterm. Yay! It went much better than all the other little quizzes he's given us so far. However, after my Developmental Psych class, I have another test in my French Lab. I don't know what to expect from a French Lab test. Hopefully it will just be writing. But maybe he'll ask us to come in one by one, stand in front of him, and translate stuff just standing there looking at him. --yikes-- Or, even worse, maybe we'll need to do it one by one in front of the entire lab. I would melt into the floor out of mortification.

Aanyways, this is the week of midterms for me. I have my other ones on the 18th, 19th, and 20th, and then I'll need to start working on some projects for next week. Sweet. :( This means, of course, that I shouldn't be blogging. But I will be.

Hmm...interesting Christmas gift idea: I need a new scent. One that doesn't smell like an old lady, but youthful, and maaaaybe (?) I can up the level to a sophisticated but still not grandma smell. 'Cause the only perfume I ever had was, alas, in the bag that US Airways lost. Along with my wonderfully hideous orange, pink, and yellow toiletry case.

Someone's eating tuna right next to me in the computer lab. WHEW!!!

Christmas Gift Idea #4

Who wouldn't want this clock? Pretty colors...oooh.... Or, you know, you could just splurge and get me the Nabaztag bunny, and *that* would tell me my time. You know, either one. They're coming out with a new model, aren't they? NabaaaaazTAG! Do I really need it, though? Probably not.

Also, if anyone is planning on getting me clothes for Christmas, please don't get like one ridiculously nice thing. Chances are that, in my current lifestyle, I would be hard-pressed to wear it admid all my other clothes that are falling apart and gross. And my dry-clean only, by the way, never gets dry-cleaned. I just choose not to wear it, 'cause who wants to go and spend money getting clothes dry-cleaned? So, if anyone *is* thinking of getting me some clothes, go to a couple of thrift stores, and pick out some fun stuff for a dollar. (Medium in tops, 6 in pants, 7/7.5 in shoes[pretty much exactly Julie's size in shoes]). Or American Apparel or something. Not too expensive, though, I beg you. Feel free to get numerous very inexpensive things, though. :-D

Anne, where's that Christmas Gift post you were talking about? I keep checking, but it never appears.

I'm thinking ninja for Halloween right now.

Who else needs to go out and buy pumpkins??? And door hanging accoutrements?? It's not too early, right? I'll make roasted pumpkin seeds!!! <--loooove them

Pie Adventure

A: I'm very ticked off. Halfway through the OSU vs. Mich State game, the coverage suddenly switched over to Texas A&M vs. Missouri. Who cares about Texas A&M vs. Missouri?! Pas moi.

B: A little while earlier (like last month), I made fun of the How To Use Ctrl Alt Del to log in to your computer screen that came up on school computers. I have noticed, though, that it only comes up on the computers that professors are supposed to be using. Also, after meeting my French professor, I see that there may actually be very good reason for having that How-To thing. I've never seen someone so completely clueless about computers. He spends most of class saying, "What's going on? What's going on? Ahhh." Reminds me of The End of the World flash, with the Canadians: "What's goin' on, eh?"

C: Does this happen everywhere, or just Canada? When someone wants to pluralize "you" they either say "yous" or "yas." As in, "I'll see yas later." "What are yous doing?" Irritates me, I will admit.

D: After the frustrating OSU game debacle, Kale and Tim were playing Halo, and I was twiddling my thumbs, thinking, what should I do? Well, I had cherries, I had apples, and I had pie crusts. What could I do but make Cherry Apple Pie?? However, I've never made a pie before. Surprising, I know. Cake master, cookie master, pie novice, bread flunkie. Also, did you guys know that some pre-made pie crusts come alreadys shaped in little aluminum cake thingies??? It was news to me. I'm used to those ones that are wrapped up in quarters, and you unfold them into your own pan thing, and then lay the top layer over the fruit filling. So, instead of having two pie things with which I could do what I wished, I had two aluminum pie things with crust already shaped to them. So instead of making one covered fruit pie, I made two one crust fruit pies. I know nothing about pies, had no corn starch or tapioca whatever, so just sort of did it. What I ended up with weretwoa hideous-looking pies (as seen here) that didn't taste that bad. I should have added more sugar.

Kangaroo Mother Care

Last night, there was a lecture given in the Millenium Center by Dr. Elise van Rooyen, from South Africa, on Kangaroo Mother Care. I've been pretty interested in this topic, so I dragged Tim with me (so I'd have someone to sit next to :-P) and went. What a lecture! Dr. Van Rooyen started up the first KMC center in her region of South Africa, and I guess the survival rates for premature babies have just shot up. Compared to many other areas where affluence is not an issue, KMC I think makes an especially big impact in this area where there is not enough technology, funding, or staffing to provide for premature infants without KMC. Here are two pictures of dads with their preterm babies. Intermittent KMC even has benefits while the babies are still being kept on oxygen in incubators, like this mom and baby are doing.


Aanyways, it was a really fun lecture.

Katie and Jessies (roomies) adopted two kittens from the animal society, and brought them home yesterday. Amusing thing is, they didn't ask if Kale (other roomie) is allergic to cats. He is. :-P Not very badly though, but he's already sneezing. The kittens are cute, and fight with each other nonstop. Jessie named hers Princess (????) and I think Tim, Kale, and I convinced Katie that hers is named Jibbles. Or Mr. Jibbles. If you think it sounds like a stupid name, just pause, say it in your head, and then shout it out loud, "Jibbllllllllles!!!" You will laugh at it, and this is why it's so great. It's a ridiculous, awesome name. JIBBLES!!!


To recap: If *you* have a baby, practice kangaroo care, even if it's full term (calms babies down a lot, increases weight gain and increased use of the parasympathetic nervous system rather than the sympathetic, which is just good allaround), and don't call it Jibbles.

Christmas Ideas

I know this is silly, but I always need long johns. Feel free to get me ridiculous childish florally ones if you like, or black or whatever, or the cheapest thing you can find. I just need an added layer. Legging long johns also appreciated. Floral long underwear reminds me of that time I got altitude sickness in Colorado....

This nightshirt is cute....

As always, I want the smallest authentic OSU jersey. However, it doesn't look like it's possible to find an authentic jersey that's in anything smaller than 3XL.

Time for Research Methods and Statistics for Psychology. Yuck.

Thanksgiving

Wow, I had an awesome time at the Grants'. The fall colors on the trees made for gorgeous driving in both directions, and the air was nice and crisp. When I went into Tim's house, there were cute little wreaths, a fire in the fireplace, and fresh-baked pies sitting out. Basically, everything got me totally in the mood for Thanksgiving/holidays, and the entire weekend was awesome. Since *today* is actually Thanksgiving, I supposed I should say happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!

I've also determined that, as much as I may be in denial, I am in fact allergic to *something* in Tim's area of residence. Don't know if it's the local foliage, his house, or what, but within about half a day after arriving, my eyes and nose start itching, the inner corners of my eyes start pricking (if you know what I mean), and I sneeze nonstop. Thus, I assume that I have some sort of mild allergy. Oh well.

Speaking of allergies. Tomorrow, Katie and Jessie (my roomies) should be bringing two eight week old kittens into the house that they're adopting. This is funny, 'cause Kale is allergic to cats. Haha. :-P Not badly allergic or anything, just when he actually pets them a lot, and even then I get hte impression that he only gets mild symptoms. So, too bad for Kale. :) Kittens!

This blog would be sooo much more fun if I had my digital camera with me....

Why do so many restaurants serve cole slaw with *everything?* Is it that well-loved? Does everyone think that cole slaw is awesome? I hate cole slaw. It is GROSS.

Well, now that Thanksgiving weekend is over, I'll go back to calorie counting, to lose all the weight (so much) that I gained these last few days, until US Thanksgiving. At which point I will work on losing that weight until Christmas. And the cycle goes on....

Gripe

Has anyone else ever experienced this frustration?

I need to find my glasses. Unforunately, chances of finding them are slim, because I don't have my glasses. They're brown, and even the rims are slightly transparent. Unless I'm within four feet of them, I'm not going to be able to see them. I've been wandering around the house, frustrated and slightly amused at the situation, but increasingly in need of them.

I took a look at studmuffin's profile, since he commented on a post, and may I say, I should have followed that link awhile ago--great blog. And what should I be reminded of while looking at his profile but....Patricia Wrede's dragon series! Classic, funny fantasy. It kiiiind of takes the Shrek view of fantasy characters that aren't quite as they should be, then adds lots of funny details. I read these in my fifth to sixth grade years.

Last night, I had a dream about infant coping mechanisms for overstimulation. Psychology, I think, is getting a little out of hand in my life. :-P

Oh, and prooobably no posts 'til Tuesday, when I get back from New Brunswick. Back to searching for glasses....

Happy Anniversary....to Tim and me!

Today, Tim and I have been dating officially for one year. Yay! I made him a kickass photobook on shutterfly.com of pictures of us chronologically throughout the last year, and he wrote me a sweet poem. It was a very nice poem. Much better than I could have ever done. And no, I'm not sharing it. :-P

Tonight, we're not going to a crazy nice restaurant. A) We can't afford to go to a crazy nice restaurant and B) We are going back to the pizza place we went to on our first date. It's nicer than the average pizza place that comes to mind. Anybody know Pizza Delight/ite/whatever? Maybe Faith does. It's a Canadian chain that's sort of like Boston Pizza, but I think Boston Pizza might be Canadian too, despite the "Boston" in its name. Aaaanyways. Take the sports bar out of Boston Pizza, and that's what Pizza Delight/ite/whatever is like. And that's where we're going. The end. And I *will* get a ridiculously bad for me chocolate concoction for dessert, thank you.

Awesome news: My one Friday class (Research Methods and Statistics for Psychology) was cancelled! WERD! Why, you ask? Because this is Thanksgiving weekend, and my professor is as slack as we are! WERD! Canadian Thanksgiving falls on Mondays, which is too bad, because the uni only gives us Monday off. As a result, everyone goes home for Thanksgiving, but doesn't actually spend Thanksgiving with their family, because they all have to drive back on Monday to be in class on Tuesday. How annoying is that? Very annoying. Answering your own rhetorical question = fun. So, Tim's family invited me over for Thanksgiving, and after last year's Thanksgivingless debacle, I'm very excited. I'll help out with cooking, and make cranberry relish, and thousands and thousands of PIES!!!! YES! Maybe an applesauce gingerbread thing too. Or is that too Christmas-y? Oh well. So, tomorrow, when Tim's finished with classes (about five o'clock), we'll head out and drive back to Rothesay, New Brunswick. Yay!

I've often wondered what *exactly* Canadian Thanksgiving celebrated, so I asked quite a few of my friends. "What is your Thanksgiving for?" I ask. "Uhhh,I dunno," is the response I got from many. I mean, of course there's Thanksgiving to give thanks, but I wanted nitty gritty details. Americans had that super-hard winter and almost died, so they were super-freaked out happy when they had their first successful harvest the next year. So I went online. Ahhhh, the internet. My muse. (My muse? I don't know.) I clicked on the first website that came up when I typed in "Canadian Thanksgiving." And what did the website say? "Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest." Because the only aspect of American Thanksgiving is remembering Pilgrims and Indians? It's not as though we were giving thanks for a successful harvest or anything. I just thought that website was really funny. Especially since the website goes on to say that Thanksgiving came to Canada with the British Colonial Loyalists who went North, so it's essentially the American Thanksgiving that Canada inherited, then subtracted the pilgrims and Native Americans. And it just sounded like that website was saying that as opposed to the Americans, we're celebrating a successful harvest.

I know, this is absolutely not a big deal, and the web site was probably just trying to make the distinction that they're aware that they don't have the whole Pilgrim and Indian thing going on. I just...started ranting.

Quick Post

Sweet. For my research methods and statistics class (technically a psych class), we're doing these group projects. I hate group projects. Anyways. We needed to design three possible studies to do, and we were going to meet today at five in the library. Ididn't want to meet at five. At five, I want to go home. So, last night, while watching Miami Ink (I know, I know), I threw together two of the three ideas in Word. Today, in lab for that class, we were given time to work on the assignment. At which point I quickly came up with another design for a study. So now the entire assignment is complete, I did it, and I can go home today at five! Ahhh, contentment.

Now, time to run to Developmental Psychology.

Fretless!

So, go OSU. I honestly didn't think that they were playing particularly wonderfully, it just seemed like Iowa was making mistakes, which OSU successfully took advantage of. I love actually being able to watch the OSU games.

Yesterday was also homecoming for StFX. Jessie, Katie, Tim, and I went over to the football field, but because we were too cheap to pay to get in (I forgot to bring my student ID, silly me), we sat on this absurdly steep hill that actually gave a great view of the field. StFX's football team is actually supposed to be pretty good, and we frequently win what I guess would be considered nationals. However, from what I saw on Saturday, we are *not* good this year. Despite the little mini fireworks, blow-up things for the kids to bounce around in, and much cheering, we were soundly beaten by Acadia.

As I've been looking into graduate school more and more, it's making me worry. Hundreds of students apply, and around three are accepted per university, in many cases (this is just hte psychology department). How is anyone supposed to compete with those kind of acceptance rates???? You know what's cool? At the University of Toronto, graduate school is only like $8,000 a year, which you can most likely defray with a research assistant job under your supervising professor, but then your PhD doesn't cost *anything*. Nada. I want this very much.

Has anyone taken the GRE? Have any thoughts or observations about it? It looks like a vile, evil thing to me, and I'll need to take the psychology subject test, too. When is it recommended to take the GRE? At the end of the junior year, or beginning of the senior year or so? And do people typically take it more than once, or just once?

I thought the Navaratri festival type thing that Ben, Jaime, Moira, and Evie went to looked awesome. I wish I had a sari. They're so beautiful.

New Christmas present idea: Beginning Electric Bass Technique Book. 'Cause I really am horrible at this electric bass thing with the crazy frets. Ahhh1!!! Frets!!!! I should just go fretless.