Round-Up

Here is a list of things I have either meant to post about or that are really stressing me out:

1. Halloween a

2. Building a portfolioa

3. Buying a new watcha

4. Olympic clothing a

5. Where the Wild Things Are a

6. Going on an exchange

7. Black ankle boots

8. Being more confident

9. Dwindling group of friends

10. Camp

My goal is to blog about all these things in the next couple of days... weeks

Milestones & Other Stuff

Seeing as it is The Whiteboard's one year anniversary tomorrow, I decided to reread some old posts. I headed back to my first post ever which describes my addiction to camp and my belief that starting a blog would help me prepare for daily writing as a journalist. It is funny to see how little has changed since my first post ever: a) I am still addicted to camp and just returned home from summer #12 and b) I still feel totally unprepared for journalism school. I don't want to get all sappy but it is hard to believe that soon I will be starting my second year of university, my second year of The Whiteboard AND that I will be turning twenty in a little over a month. They may not seem like the biggest milestones but I find them pretty major.

Anyways... There is still 3 weeks left of summer and I plan to make the most of it before school starts. Which is why today I went to Super Aqua Club and tomorrow I will think of something else that is awesome to do.
On a completely separate note I have to admit how much I am loving the 200 picture limit in facebook albums. I mean now everyone has one album maybe two unlike last year when my entire facebook was engulfed by peoples numerous westcoast or europe albums.

My only complaint of right now is that I feel like a social reject in my group of friends because I don't have a blackberry. I think I am losing friends over the fact I don't BBM.... but the good news is that earlier this month I dropped my phone in the toilette and it died but yesterday I turned it on and it worked! So exciting!

I hope that this post is a start to another year of blogging and I don't get lazy and infrequent about my postings like I did last year...

Purim Positivity

So I think... rather I know that I live my life too structured and too worried about everything. Which is one of the main reasons why I update so infrequently. Every blog post has to be written, edited and formatted to match all my other ones. This obsession with only using purple and arial font size large is just one of my neurotic behaviours that I think is preventing me from freedom. Well that and the fact that I am way too comfortable living at home. Anyways my goal is to live life a little less seriously and take myself a little less seriously too.

So in an un-whiteboard fashion I will fill you in on my last few adventures in a list form that doesn't involve and FML worthy moments (ok, just one).

1. Went to a foam party - had lots of fun... I even danced
2. Bought a pinata and filled it with candy for lisa's birthday - it was amaaazing
3. Barely studied for one of my poli sci tests - YET the teacher wants to use my essay as an example of a good essay
4. Packed up and went to Florida for my first time in years (I know, totally NOT stereotypical)
5. Enjoyed Florida and the sun but accidentally left my necklace on and got stuck with an untanned heart on my neck that still shows
6. Ate a lot in Florida and ate a little more
7. Came home to lots of unfinished homework that is still mostly unfinished and for some reason I barely care
8. Enjoyed vacation for the most part minus the awkward tan lines
9. Ran on the treadmill for like the first time ever but it was fun because of my super upbeat playlist I made.
10. TCBY with Stalkers Katie and Stacy in honor of their birthdy to happen sometime soon
11. Planning to attend a party tomorrow night in celebration of Jewish Halloween and come home later than I should *gasp*

There are some funny stories from these last few weeks that deserve blog post themselves but I am not sure when I will get around to writing them.

Happy Purim everyone!ps. this post only took fifteen minutes compared to my average hour

2009 is Divine

I feel that a new years post is almost mandatory for bloggers considering all 3 people I follow posted one. This new years post should also probably include some major epiphanies and resolutions I have for the coming year...

Pretty much as I mentioned earlier I realized that I am too negative of a person so my first attempt at a resolution was being more optimistic aka being excited for this party I was planning on attending. And guess what? I had a great new year's eve and hope that is a sign of good things to come (this thought too is an attempt at more optimism). Keeping with this theme of happy thinking, I also want to be less nervous about life. For anyone who knows me, they know EVERYTHING makes me nervous, even breathing.
So as to not disappoint myself I will refrain from any more resolutions like working out and eating healthy because I know it is only a matter of seconds before I break those.

Thought it might be fun to share how I spent the first day of 2009:
Well for starters, I didn't leave my house. I woke up earlier than I wanted in a desperate thirst. Probably the result of one too many drinks last night. Barely had an appetite but was made waffles and ate one anyways. Watched the Rose Bowl Parade - super exciting. Watched a bunch of TV I taped all semester. The next part of my day had to be the most exciting... I painted. See for chanukah my mother bought me a scarf. As you already know from my previous blog, I wasn't exactly thrilled. So I explained to her I wanted something more creative. And what does she do? Buys me a paint-by-numbers sort of activity. So here on new years day I began my acrylic painting of a fence and flowers. Monet better watch out. Then I had family dinner where we played scattergories and whoonu. Then I watched more TV and finally ended the night with this post. Not the most exciting day, but not so bad either.

The one thing I just cannot muster up the happiness for is school.... 4 ish days. left of vacation But then it will be study break soon enough and will hopefully get to travel out to visit a friend in Santa Barbara though she isn't aware of this plan yet (another optimisitc thought generated by my new years resolution for more positive thinking)!

Happy New Year's Day
I greatly enjoyed Google's very artistic festivity

I am Back...

I guess it is no secret that I have been absent from Blogger for most of this month. The truth is that I have spent a lot of time working and I don't really have much material. I was hoping that working as a wrapper the week before christmas would leave me with some much needed entertainment but nothing out of the ordinary boredom has happened at work. boo.
I haven't even had the chance to break out my snowboard yet this season which is a whole other load of disappointment.
But seeing as it is Christmas, I am going to move on and think of things I am looking forward to....
- Doroshenko Christmas Dinner (which is in like 5 minutes)
- Shopping trip to Burlington
- Hitting the slopes (hopefully)
- Sleeping in past 9

So ya, hopefully some new material will come out of all these exciting upcoming events

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY CHANUKAH!

Alive

The Whiteboard has been lacking posts lately due to the fact that exam studying is killing me.
All I have done in the last week is sit, eat, type, read, eat, eat, and eat. I am actually embarrassed of the amount I have consumed or the amount of Diet Cokes I have drank. One of my favorite treats of the week are Hershey Kisses - Cherry that my mother brought home. Despite the fact I prefer dark chocolate to milk these little delicacies taste like the good old fashion cherry blossoms (minus the cherry). While searching for a picture online, I learned that they are Limited Edition (I love the Holidays!)... a good way to justify the dozen I have already eaten.
Oh and I forgot to mention I also voted in the election and walked my dog. Sorry for this post's lack of 'substance'....
With vacation soon, I am sure that there will be lots more to come - not that I am going anywhere exciting butt I work at a toy store and it is almost Christmas so I am hoping for lots of blog worthy stories.

Jesus Week

It seems that Sundays are a good day to write a blog post. To be honest though, nothing exciting has really happened to me lately. Except maybe for the fact I think Jesus is following me.

The whole ordeal started when I attended a lecture at Concordia. It was a presentation to be given by Kim Phuc known as The Girl in the Picture. Anyways it was being hosted by Campus for Christ a ministry that acts as a spiritual resources on university campuses across Canada... whatever that means. Kim was an amazing speaker and shared her incredible story but clearly I should have expected that for an hour and a half I would listen to how becoming a Christian changed Kim's life and how accepting Jesus into her heart allowed her to blah blah blah. The best part though, had to be when she started crying and saying God is the essence (or something like that). Pretty much confessions of a love for Jesus was a little to much for Moses loving me. Though, maybe I am just acting like a naive Jew.

My Jesus week is still not over. For anyone who watches and obsesses with TLC reality specials, you would be familiar with the show about the Duggar family "17 Kids and counting". This uber religious family has seventeen children and one on the way. All whose first name starts with the letter J. How cute, kinda like Sesame Street. All the children have been brought up with strict beliefs about religion and popular culture. The fifteen year old J-whatever was sharing his belief that internet in the home is a terrible influence because of the access to pornographic content. (Ironically, the family has its own website) How could I forget the only music they listen to is gospels. According to the eight year old girl J-whocares rock music is a terrible influence, Jesus music is better. I was thankful when Jon and Kate Plus Eight came on.

LadyAwkz (Alex) and I went digging at the salvation army on Friday. We were looking for inspirations for a bag line we hope to launch on etsy. I got sidetracked in the picture frame/other random junk department. I was scavenging around looking for interesting frames when I found one that was almost perfect...minus the words inscribed at the bottom "Confirmed in Christianity" with a nice little cross in the little side corner. Um never mind then.

Lastly, my grandmother's care-taker, Lynette, was eating dinner with us on Friday. My grandmother was excited to tell us that Lynette sings in the choir and has a mini concert for us. Not exactly mosh pit... So she gets up to sing the famous Christmas carol "Silent Night". The lyrics go something like this:

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born.

Every year I hear it and never notice the lyrics. I guess my sensitivity to Jesus these days made me aware. After the solo performance my mother thought it would be a great idea for the WHOLE family to go see her sing at the church.

Maybe I am over thinking the whole thing, but I don't know it seems that a higher power is trying to tell me something...

Hired & Home

All in all, it has been a very awesome weekend.
Camp FINALLY hired me for the position I wanted which is very exciting because karen and I now run all of junior side girls. Oh boy so much responsibility.

Moving on, BOSTON was this weekend and it was amazing. The weather was pretty decent and so was the shopping. While there, I thought of so many things to write about in my blog but now that I am home I obviously cannot. So frustrating. Hopefully though some stuff will come back to me.

This was just a quick update before bed because it has been almost a week since I have written anything and even longer since I have written anything good. Also, not sure who the anonymous commenter is but I am really glad you liked the blog title but please for the sake of my sanity who are you? (note: you can notify me via facebook or text if it is more convenient)

Summing it Up

A friend pointed out that my blog has lacked substance lately. I agreed, so decided to share a few of the things that made my week oh so pleasant.

Tuesdays there is always a conference for first year Journalism students. This week we had the lucky treat of having recent journalism graduates from 06/07 who are currently "working journalists". I was so impressed one worked at the Gazette, another at Global, CTV, Chom, and CJAD. After they introduced themselves and spoke about their careers, I was so inspired. They then spoke about how they haven't had a weekend or summer in two years and shared embarrassing moments and career costing mistakes they have made. Hearing their first hand accounts and their honesty of bad experiences freaked me so much that after the conference I was ready to switch into psychology.

Signing onto facebook and seeing a friend request is something I used to look forward to. However, recently there has been an epidemic of campers adding me. I mean this is expected in August and September but by October I thought I was free from 10-12 year old girls requesting my facebook friendship. Clearly I was wrong. Not only do they add me 100X a day, but they flood my newsfeed, and my photo albums so that I can no longer do any discreet/effortless stalkage.

Public transport was my worst enemy wednesday. I had my first university midterm at 1015 downtown. I left at 915 more than enough time to get there and get a little studying in before the exam. But instead the bus arrived at 925 so full that standing on top of someone was the only option. Of course, a crowded bus is expected at rush hour but not when you live on the route's second stop. Hoping to do a little refresher on the bus was clearly no longer an option. I dealt with my frustration by realizing I still had the metro portion where I could do a little studying. So I get to the metro and hop on the cart just in time to hear that the orange line is down for an undetermined amount of time. Cool. It is now 9:40 and my class and midterm are so soon that I begin to freak out and contemplate heading out to find a cab. I decide to wait it out but I'm so nervous that I will miss my exam, that studying while waiting is no longer an option. I decide I will wait two more minutes. It is now 9:47 and I can no longer wait. As I am about to get up and go, the doors thankfully shut. But by then I am so nervous I stare at my watch the entire rest of the ride. With no studying done, I get to my exam just in time. This seems like a happy ending unless you know anything about me which means emily + nerves = death. I will be surprised if i get more than 25% on my midterm. Fun times.

So I don't really think this vent session counts as substance but it is a little more personal than my Top 3s. I am just thankful that tomorrow is Friday. Hopefully the weekend will bring me and this blog some more excitement...

Self-Bullying

I procrastinate homework until the last possible second. Friday was no exception and I wasted my whole day doing nothing. I opened Microsoft Word to a blank document in attempt to start my political science homework. However, hours later I had nothing done and I was going out for dinner. I was mad at myself so I typed the following message into the blankness: "Fuck emily way to get nothing done, Loser".

Anyways, when I returned hours later I had forgotten about the message. I was in such shock when I opened my screen and saw the hurtful words. I almost cried. The whole thing (including this post) was pretty lame but I wanted to show that self-bullying exists and sucks so don't do it.

The new header on this blog is a result of Friday's procrastination.

WOW

Today, well actually tonight at 8:22 I became an aunt!!! Auntie Em to be exact.
Weighing in at 7.4 lbs Noa is the cutest little girl I have ever seen.

picture to be replaced by one of Noa asap

Pre hospital visitation I did something I haven't done in ever. I went into HMV and bought a CD. As an iTunes enthusiast, this purchase was totally out of character but it was also very satisfying:

Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger
.
LOVE

I promise that tomorrow amidst my typical Friday procrastinations, I will update this blog a little more.

One Week Later

One week and no post later, I am no closer to my goal of writing everyday then I was last Wednesday. Cool.

I promise myself I will try harder...

Summer of '98

In June of 1998, I spent two weeks at YCC, a sleep-away camp up north. I was unaware then that these two weeks would determine where I spent the rest of my childhood summers. This past Saturday I returned home from my 11th straight summer at the Y Country Camp.

One would think that after over a decade at camp, I would be ready to move on in life. This is not the case...
In truth: I am addicted to camp.

This addiction seems a little childish considering I begin university in a little over a week. I am going into Journalism totally unprepared because I rarely write. Friend #1 Jamie thought a blog would be a good way to get me into the habit of writing daily. This seemed liked the perfect solution and with the help of friend #2 Bram, I created The Whiteboard - in hopes of becoming an avid writer.

Problem: it took me three days before I finally wrote something...