practically canadian

oh snap! who's a full blown canadian now? that's right, i got my library card today. i haven't tried yet, but i'm pretty sure it functions just like a work visa. in fact, i think it entitles me to free health care. here are some of the emotions i went through with my new card (by the way, sorry about the "snap". i got a bit excited):

CONFUSION


EXCITEMENT


MAGNIFIED EXCITEMENT


LUST


and finally HUNGER


and yes, the whole experience was emotionally exhasting.

x-games, here i come

the dreaded twisty-mcpan

sometimes no news is good news. i called the firm where i had my interview a couple days back and the good news is that they haven't filled the positions yet and they are still considering me. apparently i won't know till the first week on october. now i just need another interview to take the pressure off.

so, last night we went and saw bella, which is the ex-band of my roommate's (catherine's) boyfriend. the show was alright, but i had a good time, which was partially facilitated by a flask (don't judge me, i'm poor, not a drunk). today i was going to go to science world with catherine, but it was such a nice day we decided not to shell out the $10 and spend the day outside. so, we wandered along some boardwalks downtown and i taught her how to freestyle walk. it started poorly with a broken pair of sunglasses, but by the end of the day she had mastered the backside 330 twisty mcpan. maybe someday she'll perfect the 360.

tomorrow is vegetarian brunch with aya and the be good tanyas (seriously good music... thanks jess). then back to the tutoring. by the way, let me know if you have any good halloween costume ideas.

gin & tonic

gin and tonics, sunny day, new jeans, the 6ths... life is good

me and the viff

i decided to volunteer at the vancouver international film festival. apparently i'll be doing theater operations, which i'll know more about after my orientation next week. they gave me eight 4-hour shifts, so that should keep me out of trouble for a while.

don't let my students see my transcript

so, i'm now tutoring about 15 hours a week, which isn't quite enough to pay the bills, but i should be getting more hours soon. today i tutored a first year student at simon fraser university in physics and calculus, wow i have forgotten a lot! this is not to say that the session didn't go well. as a matter of fact it went quite well, but it was a bit stressful as i was trying to re-learn it all and teach it at the same time, while trying not to make it look like i was re-learning it. but seriously, who uses the "squeeze theorem" for determining limits!? i bet you can't tell me what the "squeeze theorem" says, or how to use it. i know i certainly didn't, at least not until i deftly asked the student some questions to keep her busy while i skimmed over the chapter. anyway, the tutoring is going well, although it is often a window into a strange world. most of my students are korean high school students who are only in canada to study. this means their whole lives are studying and doing school work. one student is actually teaching himself chemistry 2 in two months so he will be ready for the SATs. more accurately, i'm basically teaching him chemistry 2 in two months... don't tell him i got a c+ in freshman chem. so, besides deceiving students i have been busy making/trying to make new friends. last friday i went out with my roommate (catherine) to a couple of local bars. we had the worlds worst house wine. so, i know house wines are supposed to be bad, but this wine was seriously the worst wine i've ever had. there were no redeeming qualities... well, i guess the fact that there was some alcohol in it could be counted as a redeeming quality, but that was it. then on saturday i went out with my friend aya and on sunday i slept in and watched lots of episodes of lost that i had downloaded. i was going to go see medeski, martin and wood on thursday, but steph dropped out, so unless i find a jazz fan i won't go. there is another show i'm going to on friday, so maybe it's best to save the money.

good news!

i'll start from last wednesday and work from there. so, wednesday i posted my info on a "find-a-tutor" website for vancouver. i figured that would be a good way to make some money (under the table) and i'm more than qualified to do it. well, on thursday i got a call from a guy that has a tutoring agency. he says that he organizes tutoring sessions and would pay me under the table. that means i don't have to find people to tutor or work out the schedules and i make nearly as much money. not a bad deal. i'm going to start teaching this week. it's a good way to keep me busy, and i should make nearly enough money to pay for living expenses. that takes a lot of pressure off the job hunt. speaking of the job hunt, shortly after talking to steve (the guy at the tutoring agency) i got a call from a company called pathway design and they wanted to interview me on friday. so, friday i had my first interview and it went pretty well. this company redesigns products to ensure manufacturability. not super exciting, but i'm interested enough. i also went camping with steph, her brother, and some cousins and friends this weekend, but more on that later.

night picnic on jericho beach

i almost have a life

it's official... i almost have a life. alright, there is absolutley nothing "official" about it. in fact, i have no idea what would make a life "official". maybe i can apply for some sort of certification. such as a birth certificate. anyway, i had a really good weekend. saturday i just wandered around town, did some sketches, and talked to friends in colorado. sunday i met some people for coffee and in the process met some other people who i had lunch with afterward. then my roommate loree, who is moving to toronto, had a big party/picnic on the beach sunday night. there was so much food and a lot of fun people. i also found an oil painting class and a girl that can teach me how to do screen printing. today i tried to buy some colored pencils, but everything was closed. i also met the new roommate, Catherine, who seems really cool. good news.

so, i realize that my posts are insanely boring. certainly no one cares about my inability to buy colored pencils or my roommates picnic, but it's good for me just to write/type it out. maybe soon i will have more exciting news, such as a job or a pet turtle.

oh buffaloes...

after running a few errands and enjoying some coffee a book this morning i decided to listen to the buffs game on the internet. i was very excited to find that they actually broadcast a video version of the game on the buffs website... and that's about where the excitement ended. the buffs proceeded to lose to montana state... montana state!!! they're division 1-aa for the love of god! the only time that the buffs defense showed any signs of life was when msu was inside the 1 yard line. it is going to be a long season. at least i have the avalanche to look forward to... oh wait... they are going to be terrible as well.

sweet bus dude!