I'm Bored

Being bored is a choice...I realize that.
Because right now I should be studying, and I could be doing a few other things, one of which could be writing a sort-of interesting blog post. Unfortunately I'm not in the mood to climb out of this pit of boredom.
I'm too tired.
Did I just waste some of your time? Sorry.

The Saga Continues

Since there are no one-year anniversaries to celebrate today, its back to the good ol' reliable story of my burn. Its always there for me.
As you can see, its healing up very nicely, and actually is hardly noticeable anymore.
Amazing how our bodies repair themselves, isn't it??
Now besides the burn on my knuckle, my grated thumb, and other various work-related injuries, I'm pretty much a picture of health.

One Year Ago...

At about this time, I was sitting at my boarding gate in Vancouver Airport, SO excited about my flight into the unknown.
It seems like a lifetime ago!
I can't believe so much time has passed already. I still remember exactly what I was feeling then, and what my expectations were, all those weird preconceived ideas that you think up without any basis of experience.
I remember dealing with the crazy Irish customs lady that almost didn't let me into the country, and seeing my first Lefty car, and hearing Maggie's sweet Antrim accent, and staying in her beautiful house...it doesn't seem like it was a year ago. Its still so sharp in my mind.
Its been good being home, though. I do miss a lot of my friends in Ireland, but in many ways the trip settled me...at least for a while!
As a point of interest, I was hoping to stay in Ireland for a year, but as it worked out my visa, flights, finances, etc. all caused me to come home after 9 months. In the end, that was a good thing.
I came home July 23, and on August 28, Zoom Airlines (the company I flew with) went bankrupt.
So I'm pretty thankful that the timing all worked out!

Its That Time Again

It honestly does not seem like 365 days ago that I last wished dear PJ a happy birthday, the day before...well, that's tomorrow's post.
But, the fact is, today is PJ's 2nd Birthday. Kind of crazy, eh?
This blog has told you a lot about these first 2 post-highschool years: my first (hopefully last) car accident, a-day-in-the-life-of-a-Tim-Hortons-employeee, wedding dress shopping with Ange (the first of my friends to go :D), Christmas adventures, the passing of sweet Beebs, Homewood days, the Ireland saga, and lately my installment into the crazy world of cooking.
I still love blogging as much as ever, and I'm looking forward to finding out what will be written in the coming year....

Feel free to wish PJ a happy birthday, and drop a line telling which is your favorite/the most memorable PJ post you've read :)

I Crave Fiction

I've always loved good fiction.
Like really...if given the option, fiction or non-fiction...I always go fiction.
I don't know why.
Actually maybe that is a little bit of a lie. I like a good true story too.
Anyway, I'm kind of straying from the original point of this post.
I used to be a huge bookworm and I read sooo much. I would devour everything that came to our house from the library. Maybe it was during the stress of grade 11 and 12 that I fell out of that habit, and since then I read only textbooks, and only when I have to.
Lately I've been craving good books again. I miss that feeling of getting totally absorbed into a totally different world, with great characters that seem almost real, and scenarios I can imagine myself into. When I get into a book, I reallly get into a book.
The thing is, I find it so hard to find books I can get into!
I get so discouraged when I pick up a book and within the first chapter could tell you the basic plot of the story fairly accurately. I find this especially true of novels written about women for women. Don't even get me started on Christian Romance...
Sometimes I just go back to my old favorites because I don't have the time and energy to find new favorites.
Its starting to become obvious though, that I have never read a lot of classics. So I'm thinking maybe I should work on those. I read through a list and I picked out a few that I might find interesting. A lot (if not all) have been made into movies...but you know me. I haven't really seen many of those anyway!
Here are a few I'm hoping to get my hands on this year:

The Count of Monte Cristo
Gone with the Wind
Casino Royale
Love in the time of Cholera
Catcher in the Rye
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Children of Men (I started this one at some point last year, but I think I left for Ireland before I finished it)

On a side note, I just finished reading "The Hiding Place," by Corrie Ten Boom, for the first time. Now...I'm sure many of you have read "The Hiding Place," and probably love it the way I did...so I must insist you read,"Things We Couldn't Say" by Diet Eman. Its also a true story written by a Dutch woman during the exact same time period. In fact Diet Eman met Corrie Ten Boom. However, its a different perspective, a different personality, and a story with the good, the bad, and the ugly. I absolutely loved it.

Now I'm finished for tonight, but if you have any reading suggestions please leave a comment, and feel free to elaborate on why you like it!

The Picking Stage

There hasn't been too much excitement on the scabby-wound front these days.
Its slowly but surely healing up.
Today its been incredibly itchy! The flaking skin and scab are sooo pick-able.
So tempting...
My brother Hugo* used to eat scabs.
I think maybe he still does.
GROSS.




*Name has been changed to protect privacy

The Road to Recovery

I know you are all dying to hear the latest on my bloody wound.
Its a pretty exciting topic.
Today it looks sort of like a target with 3 rings.
The outer ring is a browny shade with a puckered inner edge, like a drawstring bag. Its starting to flake a little.
Then we have the exposed pink flesh of the middle ring.
And finally...
The Scab.
Its officially begun to form.
I am so proud. Its really come a long way in the past week.
Maybe tomorrow it will be completely scabbed over. Wouldn't that be something.

Evolution of a Scab

I've been putting vitamin E on my burn, hoping for improvement.
This morning it looked yellow and pussy and gross.
Then a scab began to form...
We'll check in tomorrow to see if I will recover, or if amputation is necessary.

ps. In actuality I have very slim, delicate wrists. They are not fat and pudgy, as this picture would have you think. Its the angle I tell you. A trick I say!

Occupational Hazard

I burn myself a lot at school and work, and I'm beginning to lose sensation in my fingertips from always picking up, touching, testing, and dealing with hot foods.
This past week I burnt my arm when it touched the rim of a stainless steel bowl that had been heated by a nearby element. I only touched it for a second, and I thought the burn was minor.
Yesterday I noticed it was very red and looked pretty scabby, so I thought to myself that I better moisturize it.
Well surprise, surprise-- I forgot!
And this morning at work suddenly it really started to hurt, and I noticed that the scab had fallen off! eewwww!!
Now its stinging like crazy, and wearing long sleeves really irritates it. Ooouch!

Burning Questions

First of all I'd like to announce an official name change.
My Instructor known as The BFG is now simply, "Sully".
I'm sure you all have seen the Pixar film, Monsters Inc. Hopefully you will remember the huge blue monster who made little girls scream, but was really just a big teddy bear at heart.
I'm back in Sully's station at school, and one thing he does a lot is ask us these burning, unanswerable questions. Maybe you can help me out.

-If 7-11's are open 24/7, why are there locks on the doors?
-Why does Donald Duck wear only a shirt, but when he comes out of the shower he has a towel wrapped around his waist?
-How do they get teflon (non-stick) to stay on the pan?

I'm a Fan

A couple years back I made a bad decision.
My mom invited me to a small concert at Valleyview Church to hear a new Christian artist play, and I didn't go. I don't really know why I decided to stay home instead...but I should have gone. I missed out BIG TIME!
Luckily my mom still went and bought the album, self titled, "Amanda Falk".
I've listened to that CD ever since, and I've never got sick of it! She has a pretty mellow style, with lots of piano and guitar and beautiful melodies.
I was so excited when I heard about her new release, "Beautiful". Since I downloaded it from iTunes, I've had the songs stuck in my head all day! At school and at work I have them floating through my head, and its nearly impossible not to sing along with it in the car!
I absolutely love her music, so check it out!!

Hee hee hee

My little civic, Peppy, (He broke down on Sunday) is back on the road! Hooray!

I just decided I don't want to blog, so I'm not going to. Ha!

I'm such a rebel.