Post 55: Interviews and Nerves

While my résumé certainly isn't blank, I have not had many interviews. In fact, I've only had two. Wow. When I write that out I am truly aware of how shocking that is. I mean, two. That is so few. (Haha, that rhymed.)

Right now, I am waiting for more my third interview to start and I am very nervous. I mean, I've only had two interviews. And one was more a formality than anything else, I technically already had the job. So, the butterflies are aflutter. 

My first interview, I was really nervous as well. But it was really easy. It was to be a cashier at Wild Rivers over the summer. It was a mass interview process. Basically, hundreds of people who wanted to interview were given a time. They check-in in a massive group and then that group slowly is moved from place to place. I think three hours passed between the time arrived and the time I actually interviewed. Lots of time to build up stress,  but quite a bit of time to just reign it back in as well.

The interview itself went well, I am blessed with a natural talent in getting people to talk about themselves. So, I think he said just as much about himself as I said. We even had a chance to talk about his kids and how he moved to California. 

But this is a group interview, so I don't even know how this will work. My step-sister went to a group interview but I suspect this will be different.

~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~___~~~

So, my interview is over now! 

I didn't get to finish this beforehand because I had to finish filling some things out and then I got to talking to this really nice girl who was also there for the interview. Her name is Natasha, she seems really cool. She is going to be Psych major with a Phil minor. 

So, hope I got the job. Hope she got the job as well, it would be cool to work with her. There was another girl who sat on my right, whose name I wish I could remember (I should have written it down) who it would be interesting to work with her. She started a club called the "Sushine club" because there is a rumour that my Univ. has a high number of student suicides and she and the friend she started it with want to help make people happy to try and dispel the rumour.

It isn't true, by the way. There aren't more suicides or anything. It is okay. It is just an urban legend. There are quite a few floating around about my University.

Anyway, the interview...I think it went well. I think I answered the questions well, I feel like I connected with the interviewer, I got some laughs, and I think I came off as smart, capable, and interested in the opportunity.

Time will tell, but I really hope I got it, 

Fingers crossed! 

What are your interview experiences?

Post 54: Everts and Kirby

This post I am going to dedicate to two past teachers of mine. Like a combined RateMyTeacher review, except longer and more detailed- and I haven't been in their classes in a while. Oh! And as for my RateMyTeacher and RateMyProf, they both might come up but I will do a whole post about them at a later date.

(I don't remember either of their marital statuses, so Ms. for both.)

So first, I want to take a moment to talk about Ms. Everts. (Patti Everts - Ensign Intermediate). I had Ms. Everts in 8th grade for English. At this time I was just starting to get into the real writing kick. I mean, I had dabbled in it before, but it wasn't such a big deal. When I brought her a story, she was so enthusiastic and encouraged me to continue writing, and so I did. I loved getting positive feedback and just hearing that someone had enjoyed something I'd worked to make. I don't think I really would have gotten to writing as much as I have if it weren't for her.

I liked English beforehand, I liked writing but I never really thought about it as something to do more actively. She gave me the courage to pursue creative writing and stories.

Now to talk about Ms. Kirby. I loved Ms. Kirby (Sue Kirby - Heritage Woods Secondary School), she was my English teacher in both grade 11 and grade 12. She was funny and she really tried hard to make the class fun and entertaining for everyone.

I've always been seen as a little strange, for a variety of reasons, but one reason was that I always loved English. Loved it like bees love flowers, ants like sugar, and cats love yarn. I mean, it has always been my favorite class, and before it was an individual class it was my favorite subject. The point is that I am one of those people who naturally enjoys English.

But not everyone does, and Ms. Kirby tried to make it enjoyable for everyone and a lot of the time she did. There is always those stick in the mud types that refuse to get with the program because being cynical and unimpressed is more "cool", but there was a lot of laughter in her classroom.

While Ms. Everts inspired me to write more stories, when I had gotten to 11th grade I had started branching out more into poetry. Poetry for me ranges from fun and light, to very personal. And Ms. Kirby encouraged me to write more and I got the same enjoyment out of writing poetry as I had with writing stories. Except in poetry, I could express more of my self if I choose to.

I mean, no matter what you write, your own personality is bound to rub off some, but poetry really lets you speak from your heart and soul (metaphorically speaking).

Anyway, if I had not had the privilege of studying under these two teachers I don't know where I would be. Stories and poetry have given me a release, an outlet to vent and express joys and frustrations. I honestly cannot imagine what kind of person I would be without writing, and without these great teachers.

 Have you had any teachers that left a lasting impression?
(Either good or bad.)

Post 53: Get off your laptop!

Guess what! This is going to be a rant post. A rant post specifically and whole-heartedly for those people who sit in class and play games or go on Faecbook. Yes, I see you. I see that you are playing a video game, not taking notes. I know you are commenting on that person's status, not paying attention to the lecture, and you know what? That isn't cool. It is a distraction to the people around you and it is rude to the professor.

You might think, oh, they don't know! But, you know what, I'm pretty sure they can guess. It isn't hard to tell when someone isn't paying attention if your eyes are locked on your screen or you are writing when he is going between slides.

Now, I wouldn't have found this so annoying if I hadn't been in class when someone sitting infront of me opened up their laptop and started watching porn. Yes, in class and in front of me (as well as several people around me). I was shocked. One of the people next to me, recovered quicker and said something to them, but really?! There is a time and place for that. There is a time and place for playing video games and there is a time and place for checking Facebook. The classroom is not this place, class time is not this time.

Even before this...event happened, I've always found it kind of distracting. I have always had some issues with my mind wandering, when I should be focusing and when people are around me are not paying attention either I find I am more likely to lose the classroom mindset.

But, mostly, I just don't understand. Why even go to class if you are not going to pay attention? Why not just stay in your dorm room? Most University lectures don't take attendance, it is just assumed you are responsible enough to make your own decisions about your education. However, if they are in class playing games, maybe they aren't.

It is like they don't realize that people can see their screens. It is like when people talk, they don't realize people around them can hear them. It doesn't matter that they aren't actually involved in the conversation, they are in a close proximity so they can hear them.

This came up when I was on the bus the other day, I was sitting in the back and two girls got on and even though they were sitting like four rows ahead of me they were talking so loud I could hear them. They were really rude. They were on their way to school (at 3pm) and they were complaining about how annoying one of their mom's was because she insisted on picking them up. They were saying things like "it is a violation of my privacy", "she doesn't trust me", "she is such a control freak", and "she is just so nosey". I wasn't either of their mothers, but I felt pretty offended having to hear. And it was funny talking about trust when they were on their way back to the school, desperately trying to get back by the time school ends so it wouldn't seem like they had ditched.

Anyway, it comes up other times as well, but this annoyed me the most.

So, that is the end of the rant. At least, for now.

Anyone been in a class or a meeting when someone was on their computer slacking off?

The Butterfly Project (Idea)

This is not the type of thing I normally have reviewed, not that I have done many, but it is something that I want to talk about and it is something that means alot to me. 

The Butterfly Project is something that was created and thought up by somene online. I don't know who, but whoever they are I thank them. 

The Butterfly Project is kind of a social idea for people who cut themselves. 

I do not, but I do know who people who do. In fact, I know more that one person who does, or has in the past. It is surpising. I mean, even people who do not feel that depressed but did it for one reason or another. 

The idea behind the Butterfly Project was that if someone felt like cutting, they draw a butterfly on themself in the area instead. They give the butterfly a name, and  then if they still cut it 'kills' the butterflly. It is basically meant to be a preventive thing. 

Here are the specific rules from the site: 

1. When you feel like cutting, take a marker or pen and draw a butterfly wherever the self-harm occurs.
2. Name the butterfly after a loved one, or someone that really wants you to get better. (Doesn't have to be a person you know, I think it just needs a name.)
3. No scrubbing or washing the butterfly off.
4. If you cut before the butterfly is fades away, it dies. If you don't cut, it lives.

5*. Someone else may draw them on you. These butterflies are extra special. Take good care of them.

6**. Even if you don’t cut, feel free to draw a yourself a butterfly to show your support.

I found this after I found one of my closest friends was involved in self-harm. I sent her the link and talked her into trying it as best I could. She has talked about it since, and I think she has stayed with it too. 

I think this is a good idea. It may not actually stop people from cutting, but it does seem like it would help lessen the chance that they would. Not just because they have to draw and name a butterfly, but because it gives them time where they are focused on something aside from what is upseting them. 

This is not the most widely known thing, but I do hope that it becomes more well-known and more utilized. 

Here is the link to a site that explains more about it and has real people telling their stories and showing their support: 

(So if you cut or know someone who cuts, you should check it out.)

butterfly-project.tumblr.com

Post 52: Inspiration, thy name is Sleep.

I know that all-nighters are not something uncommonly associated with University students. But, they are not as common as people think. Why? They are unpleasant! Not in the moment, usually. It usually doesn't hit you until the next day. The last all-nighter I pulled was to re-do and finish some assignments for class.

Of course, it is not unheard for people to stay without an academic reason. A few years ago I not only pulled an all-night, but a 74-hour stint without sleep. Of course, it ended in laughter. By that I mean, a long bout of hysteria leading to hyperventilation and ending with falling asleep on the floor under a conference table. It actually wasn't unpleasant at all then. I had enough caffeine and sugar to feel totally normal, or at least the facsimile of normal. However, when I woke about two hours later, without the caffeine, sugar, or adrenaline coursing through my veins and the sourness resulting from my sleeping location, I felt like death-warmed over, then dragged behind a car and flung onto my doorstep. It was bad.

Anyway, my more recent one nighter did not go on as long. It only went on for about 40 hours, and then I began to experience auditory hallucinations and decided that meant bedtime. It wasn't like I started to hear voices. I just heard a beeping, a very distinct beeping every few minutes. It started shortly before I got home, continued as I ate dinner, and then followed me as I went down to my room. It sounded like the beep of our dryer. Except, when I first heard it I was outside and the last few times I heard it before going to bed I was in my room and I can't hear the dryer from there.

It was a little unnerving. At first, I thought it might be my phone, but it wasn't.

So, this post is a warning to people that no sleep is no good. I can understand why on occasion it might be considered neccesary. However, it is not something that should be done without a good reason, and sleep should be sought ASAP.

On a side note, I felt so much better the next day, like 200% better. It was probably the deepest sleep I have experienced in a long time. (I actually fell asleep on my iPad and used it like a pillow.)

This sleep after such exhaustion, led me to come up with several potential story ideas. No, I will not share them all. But I will share one.

Someone who loses the ability to sleep and doesn't seem to need it is taken by a government medical group to discover why this person hoping that it can be used to create soldiers that don't need sleep, as well as thinking of potential commercial possibilities. Members of the group start to lose the ability to sleep as well after having contact with the person. It is deemed a disease/illness and the facility is shut down for quartine as they try and figure out the possible side-effects.

I won't say what the side-effects are, but they are not pleasant. It will be interesting to see where this could go further, as well.

Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

How long have you gone without sleep?

Post 51: Cafeteria Food Pt. 3

So, I didn't want to wait as long as I did to do part 3, as I did part 2 because I am forgetful and also it is still fresh in my head. So, let's get started!

Highschool cafeteria food has been a mixed but pleasant experience for me. I have attended three different high schools, each had a very different cafeteria environment. The first high school I attended didn't have an official kitchen, so all the food it served was from local eateries, like Pick-up Stix and Pizza Hut. So, the food was good, not very healthy and not a lot of choices.

The second high school I was enrolled in had pretty amazing food, because it was my kitchen. The second high school I attended was online, so the food was what ever I prepared.

The third high school I attended had awesome food, and wasn't my kitchen. They had wraps, salads, burgers, sandwhichs, grilled cheese, specials, fries, and other assorted stuff. And unlike junior high, they had some really great specials. They did sausage and perogies, chow mein, pasta with Caesar salad, and turkey with steamed vegetables. They really did a good job. The chow mein was my favourite. I don't know how they did it, but I have yet to find chow mein as good and as fresh. I find when I get elsewhere it is slimy from the sauce or too salty. The perogies were frozen, but it would be hard to make perogies for everyone that bought lunch.

Anyway, this was the best official cafeteria that I have experienced.

The first University I attended had a pretty good cafeteria, but it was always busy and not really worth the chaos. It did have a restaurant that had a make-your-own pasta bar, make-your-own sandwhich or wrap bar, and really good pizza. It also sold salads and pre-made sandwhiches, but it was good for when you just want a slice a pizza and a salad or if you want a sandwhich and some fruit. Though, as it was kind of like an on-campus cafe, like Starbucks would be, I don't think it really counts as being part of the school cafeteria. So, my third high school still wins.

I probably could have combined part three and two, now that I look at it. However, it does work to space them out and I might add more later as I remember  more.

What was your favourite cafeteria food?

Did you ever eat from the cafeteria?

Post 50: Cafeteria Food Pt. 2

So, I was just looking over old posts to get some idea about what I should blog about today and realized I had a cafeteria food part 1, but no part 2. I realize Part 1 ended up being more of a rant than anything else, so I will try and keep the ranting to a minimum in this post.

In the first post about cafeteria food, I talked specifically about the food at the University I currently attend and didn't end up branching out much more than that. So, in this post I will try and talk about the other cafeteria's that I have had the privellege or misfortune to eat at.

Going back as far as I remember, I can remember the pizza at my elementary school (where I attended in first grade). Pizza day was Thursday and it was one of the most exciting and most dreaded days of the week. Why? Because pizza day entailed two different types of pizza. Those who got to the cafeteria first got two slices of the yummy pizza ordered from Pizza Hut, or someother pizzeria that delivers, while those who did not get there on time got the Chuck E. Cheese monstrosity, frozen personal pizzas. It was gross and, usually, it was burnt. The cheese tasted like plastic and the whole thing was kind of bland.

That is all I remember about that school.

The next elementary school cafeteria had better food, even though I almost died there. They had these teriyaki bites and while waiting for the kid infront of me to count out the food price in dimes and nickels I took a bite. I was rather abruptly addressed by the person behind the register causing me to swallow without fully chewing. Now, luckily I knew the international sign for choking. Unfortuanetly, it went entirely ignored. By everyone. I made it to lunch lady, nothing. I handed her my milk so I could drink it (I didn't know at the time that you shouldn't do that). She just took it and set it down on the table, assuming I didn't want it. Even though, I clearly could have set it down my self if I weren't DYING. Anyway, I managed to give myself the heimlich on a nearby table just as I was turning purple.

Anyway, back to the food. They had a daily special, the only thing you got to choose was juice or milk and apple or banana. But, there was usually pretty good. I mean, it still seemed like something that was frozen and had been cooked up, but it was better than the Chuck E. Cheese nightmare.

Next, we come to Junior High, the first school that gave students a choice in what they eat. They still had a daily special, but they also had sandwhiches, burgers, wraps, salads and nachos. Nachos that the highschoolers a few blocks away would walk to get.

Though, my favourite were the burgers. The period right before lunch they pulled out a grill and made about freshly grilled burgers. It smelled so good! And they tasted good too.

Since this post is already pretty long, and I haven't hit high school yet, I am going to cut it off here and talk about high school cafeterias and my first University cafeteria in Part 3.

What are your first memories of school cafeterias? Are they good or bad?

Did you ever almost die on campus?

Post 49: Public Singing and Radio Troubles

So, I have been looking for a song that I heard on the radio for over a month now. Over a month! And I finally found it. Actually, I didn't find it. I posted a Yahoo! Answers question with some of the lyrics and just got a response. I am pretty excited. I like it alot, and as I've said I am always looking for new music.

However, I am a little frustrated about how long it took. Usually when I find a song I like on the radio I can use SoundHoud or Google the lyrics and find it. However, it didn't work in this case. Why? Because sometimes radio stations play songs that have yet to be released. It makes sense. It gets people interested even before the song is out. And it might also allow artists to measure how much the song is liked so they have a better idea for pricing and release. For example, the more requests and feedback the price is the normal iTunes price and they can release it on a CD  or do pre-orders. If it doesn't get much or any feedback, they can lower the price or hold the release entirely and cut their losses. At least, that is what I assume it is for. Maybe it is just to mess with people.

Anyway, the song was only just released recently so, it took awhile for it to play on the radio again and awhile longer for it to be released for the person who told me what it was called to find the link and send it to me so I could confirm it.

That is one that can be troublesome when listening to the radio. I order got an app to identify songs that I like when they come on, but it cannot identify songs that haven't been released. So, when radio stations play unreleased songs that are catchy and awesome, I am stuck with a melody and some random lyrics in my head driving me crazy.

Still, it worked out in the end. And now, I have it.

However, it has been so long since I heard it so it has been stuck in my head so long that the first time I played it, I caught myself mouthing along. Which would have been fine, if it hadn't escalated.

Mouthing along to a new song started my mouthing along to the next song, and when my favourite song came on I ended up singing along. It was quietly, but it was also in the middle of the computer lab in the campus library. The people next to me looked at me like I was crazy. And a library staff person walked by and she looked a little bit horrified.

My singing isn't great, but it isn't horrible. But, I guess, the library isn't really the place for singing. There aren't very many places that really accept public singing, unless you are good at singing really. I mean, really good like contestant on The Voice good.

Maybe, deep down we are afraid of the obscurity  that results in musicals and so singing in public is like a gateway activity to a more musical-like life. Or maybe singing is just not a public activity now that people have iPods and other music players to keep the songs to themselves.

What do you think?

Ever catch yourself singing out loud in public?

Post 48: Glasses and Classes

Glasses are not something that I was happy to find out I needed. Though, I say needed loosely. I do not need them. I can function perfectly well without them. For the most part, that is. In fact, I will go days, weeks even, without wearing them. However, I probably should.

My vision isn't all that bad. But, it is no longer perfect. I used to have 20/10 vision, which as I understand it is "superior" to the standard 20/20 which is just a baseline. But, now, not so much. I can see perfectly clear until about ten feet, then details start to blur together. I can read a street sign that someone with 20/20 vision can read, if I about five feet closer. So, it is only problamatic in class when the board is not very clear.

But even then, for the most part I can figure it out or squint until I see it. Or just listen.

I must confess, I am self-conscious about wearing glasses. It is not that I think they look bad really, but...no, it kind of is. I feel like glasses just look weird on me.

So, when I do wear them I don't put them until class starts and I take them off as soon as it ends. I don't even really like just wearing them around the house.

It is weird when I put them on though, and everything becomes really clear and I suddenly can read something that I previously couldn't. It is in this moment that I realize how bad my vision has gotten. I didn't even notice it happening. It isn't like it happened over night, it must have been getting progressively worse for awhile.

It is frigthening too, in some ways, because I wonder if it will continue to get worse until I am as blind as my mom. Who isn't actually blind, but isn't all that far from it. She is very, very near-sighted.

Anyway, I should probably bring my glasses with me to class, whether I think I will wear them or not. I find when I am sick or tired, my vision is blurrier or foggier than usual. So, it might be a good idea to keep them around just in case.

And as far as contacts go, they are too expensive for something I don't think I really need. And even if I did want them, which I kind of do because I think would make things easier, I just cannot afford them right now.

So, do you wear glasses?

Do you wear them in public?

Post 47: Text Talk and Shortcuts

LOL. TTYL. C U L8R. FML. OMG. O RLY. HMU. IDK. WBU. HRU. KK. IDC. WDYMBT? WWxD. JK. UOK. TBH. WTF. IMHO. BRB. G2G. JTLYK. FTW. NVM. BFF. BTW. NP. OTOH. PLZ. TTYS. N2S.

These are just SOME examples of things that come up in text conversations. They are also all things that kind of annoy me. You see, I don't really like these texting slang words. I understand where they came from and why at one time they were useful. Back when texting first became a feature, phones didn't have keyboards. They had number keys, number keys that you had to press sometime three or four times to get to the letter you want and if you messed up and went to far you had to start over again. So it makes sense shortcuts would come about to speed up the process. 

And I used these shortcuts up until the time that I got a phone with a keyboard. 

I no longer use any of them in conversations. Not even lol. Which seems pointless anyway because 90% of the time people use it. They don't actually laugh out loud. Sometimes they don't even crack a smile. 

Anyway, there are a lot of people who do still use them and there seem to be more and more each year. Which seems silly. We have keyboards now people. Why do we still need to talk in pointless abbreviations?

Another thing that I think that makes it silly is because, there are ways to still use shortcuts without having conversations look like they are in some weird code. I still type ttyl, but in settings I set it up so that if I do that on my phone it wil automatically correct to the full phrase. I also did it with names of places with long names. So it takes less time to type but doesn't look silly. 

I currently have 34 shortcuts set up. BHS and SG are two of my most used ones. (BHS- be home soon. SG - sounds good.) 

Anyway I just find I silly when texting people with shortcuts like that. Part of the reason is because it can become a habit and it shows up a lot in other places. People posting on Facebook from their computer use it, and I have heard professors complain and give examples of students using them in messages about their grades or class work.

What do you think? 

Do you think text talk should be as prevalent as it is?

Post 46: Prezi and Group Presentations

Let me start off by saying that I freaking love Prezi. Prezi is amazing. For those who don't know, Prezi is an online presentation creating site, where you can be make something like a powerpoint. But so much cooler, interesting and artistic looking. Seriously, I love Prezi.

I am almost look forward to presentations just as an excuse to use Prezi.

However, as much as I like Prezi, I am still not a presentation fan. I don't really like talking in front of people. Actually, I am not so bad at talking in front of people in general, but if I am not comfortable with the subject than it makes it hard. 

However, I still prefer presentations to group presentations. While it is nice not having to talking in front of people alone, the project itself is made easier when alone. 

When you are in a group with people then you have to work with them. And if they are not particularly good hard working, they are not very fluent in English, or don't like listening to other people's points of view then it can be a relatively frustrating experience. 

My partner for one of my classes is really nice. And she really does want to contribute a fair amount, but she is from Russia and her English isn't that great so it is hard. She didn't really understand the assignment description or the reading. And it is hard to explain what it is about to her as well. 

So, I might be doing a lot more of the work, but also trying to explain it to her and put it in a way she understands as well. Still, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Explaining it will mean that I know it well, arguably. 

So, this is a brief post, since my battery is starting to run low and I still have another two hours before class. I'm going to go work on the presentation for this class, because it is due in a few days and it seems like I will have a lot to do for it. 

What do you think about group presentations?

Have you ever used Prezi?