Oh Monday

Mondays are not generally the most exciting of days at least for me.  I usually have to drag my butt out of bed, throw on some clothes, head downstairs to eat breakfast, and wonder off to class.  This morning was no different.  I went to my first class only to be reminded that I have a part of a project due on Wednesday.  In my second class I was informed that I have a paper due in two weeks and in my last class I was told I had a paper due next week.  Needless to say it was a rather frusterating Monday.  However when I came back for lunch after my last class what to my surprise I had a letter in my mail box!!  It was a card from my mummy and it made my day. 

I am now drowning in more homework than I thought possible.  On a brighter note it snowed this weekend and is snowing some more right now.  We're also suppose to have a snow storm on Tuesday night but we will see if that actually happens. Have a fantastic day!

It was Inevitable

I know it was just a matter of time but I really hoped that it wouldn't happen at all.  However the fact of the matter is I am sick.  It started on Tuesday and has continued to be an annoying presence ever since. They symptoms are these: runny nose, sore throat, and watery eyes.  The prognosis... a cold.  It came out of no where and has been trying to keep me down.  Up until today I was not going to let it get me but I have come to the conclusion that what I need to do is stay in my room and get better.  Before I do that though I might need to take a trip to Walmart because my lack of good quality tissues has taken its toll.  Wish me a speedy recovery and I hope you have a great day!

Snow Day!

Yesterday I woke up, put my contacts in, and brushed my teeth.  I then walked to my window and what to my surprise there was no ground to be seen.  The snowploughs were still hard at work with no visible progress because the snow kept falling. I could also barely see out my window because of how fast the snow was falling and the snow stuck to my window. 

View out my window (the light is a snowplough)

Upon seeing this I decided to check if I even had the class that I so faithfully got up for.  My luck was, of course, that I did not have my first class but there was still a possibility that I had my second class.  So what's a girl to do when faced with news like this?  Go back to bed of course!   That is exactly what I did for the next hour before I went downstairs for breakfast and a lovely morning of game play (bananagrams and phase 10).  Needless to say yesterday was a beautiful snowy day with much fun had by all. Have a lovely day!

P.S. My second class was canceled too.

Canadian, Please!

I am considering making it a habit of posting one Canadian related video every Wednesday. So here is the first of those weekly posts. With out further ado I give you Canadian, Please!

Target!

This is some very exciting news, at least for me!  The US company Target is coming to Canada!  I'm sure many of my Canadian friends are wondering at my excitement but I must explain.  Target is one of my favorite stores EVER!!  It is the perfect combination of clothing, electronics, home goods, food, and other items.  In the States whenever I need anything, from toothpaste to a DVD, I go to Target.  It is something that I have really missed in my time here (Walmart just doesn't cut it). It is incredible unlikely that a Target will be in Sydney anytime soon but that does not mean you can be prepared.  You can read all about it in the Cape Breton Post.

The Wind was Howling!

All last night while I slept the wind was howling outside my window.  I woke up this morning and it was still blowing.  When I opened my window to my surprise there was a beautiful blanket of fluffy snow covering everything in sight and beyond... so basically the island.  This was the source of many people having classes canceled and students not showing up for class.  I unlike many showed up for class and did not have any of them canceled.  Here is a view out of my window this afternoon.

View of a snowy parking lot from my room

As you can see there actually was snow but that is not even the half of it.  Though the thermometer read -12 C (10 F) with the wind chill it was said to feel like -24 C (-11 F).  Because of these factors the local public schools did not have school today, much to the joy of parents (which included my history prof).  If you want to read all about it you can look here.  With all that lovely information on the weather and how freezing it is here I leave you with:

Sunset from My Room

Children's Literature

One of the five classes that I have this semester is Children's Literature and thus far it has been very informative. I have learned all about the idea of childhood and how that idea has changed in the last hundred years. We have already powered through two and a half books. The first was Alice in Wonderland, followed by Five Children and It, and currently I am reading The Jungle Books. I have never read any of these books and I have found them very fascinating.

The book list for the rest of the semester includes The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, Peter Pan, The Wind in the Willows, Anne of Green Gables, and a few others. Of the books that we are to read I have only read Peter Pan and Anne of Green Gables. I think this is a very good thing as I will not be bored all semester by books that I have already read. So wish me happy reading!

A Girl, a Bar, and a New Experience

This weekend was filled with firsts. My first dorm party, my first time to a bar, and my first full beer, along with other things. Let me start at the beginning. Friday night my friend Maggie and I went to a pre-gaming party which is where you drink alcohol in preparation of going to a bar or a different party (a bar in our case). The party was in our friends room upstairs and it was pretty chill. After spending about an hour there we finally went out to the bar. The bar in question is actually located on campus and is called The Pit. It was Sunglasses at Night theme so we were obliged to wear the neon sunglasses that were provided to us when we walked through the door. What followed was a slew of average bar related activites. We played pool, a guy bought us drinks, we danced, and we went home. For Maggie's view of the evening just look here.

Saturday night there was a get together of sorts in our friends room where we went and had a few drinks. This was the scene for my first full bottle of beer followed by a second one. I must note that it took me well over 4 hours to drink 2 beers. Apparently this is not "normal" but it is also not a practice I plan on continuing because I found beer disgusting. A few funny videos and some music later I called it a night and crawled into bed. So ends my exciting weekend of firsts. I hope everyone else had as exciting of a weekend! Have a great day!

Yesterday was Winds-day!

Yesterday much to my delight and horror was an Oregon rainy day. For those that do not know what that means let me inform you. It means that the rain is coming down in a nice steady drizzle, the sky is as dark as can be with no sign of letting up. It reminded me of home (to my horror) but gave me a chance to wear my raincoat (to my delight). However, I would have preferred snow to the rain. Today compared to yesterday has been a peculiar day indeed. The sky has been a grayish color all day. It appears like it could open at any moment and pour down on us but as of yet it has taken pity on us poor people.

Also, thank you Gopher for my lovely title. It describes the weather here on the island to perfection!

Oh... Canada

This is a video by the artist Classified. He is from Halifax, NS which is the capital of the lovely province where I am. I was shown this by my friend Amanda's roommate and now I thought I would share it with you.

One Week Down

I have now been here in the land to the north for over a week. This may not seem like such a long time but for me it has seemed much longer. In this time I have started classes, made friends, and been on some wonderful adventures. This weekends adventure was my first Canadian mall filled with all sorts of goodness!

The lovely Mayflower Mall in Sydney, NS

Yesterday I had my first experience at a Canadian mall and it was about the same as an American mall. There were stores that had different names but in essence they were the same as the stores back home. There was your electronic store similar to Best Buy (Future Shope), the department store like JcPenny's (Hudson's Bay Company or The Bay), and the coffee shop similar to Starbucks (Tim Horton's).

The Bay where I bought my mittens

My first Tim Horton's

My favorite purchase of the day would have to be the mittens that I bought at The Bay. They are red with a white maple leaf on them. They are also lined and extremely warm. Well why don't I just show you what they look like on me and my lovely friend Maggie.
So ends this weekends adventure! I haven't planned next weekends excitement yet but if anyone has an idea be sure to tell me. I'm always looking for a new adventure. Happy travels!

Made it!!

If you didn't know it I made it to the northern land of Nova Scotia, more specifically to Cape Breton University. The 13+ hour journey was not as bad as I was expecting and could have been worse. My luggage showed up for customs in Toronto and it made it through Halifax to arrive at the Sydney Airport on the same plane as me. I got to campus and got checked into my room with very little problems. This was the view from my room that first morning when I awoke:

Isn't it beautiful? I have now had all of my classes and I think I will survive through all of them. I hope everyone is having a lovely week and enjoying whatever type of weather they are privileged to have.

All my bags are packed

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go"

This is one of my favorite songs and with getting ready to go I think about the meaning behind it. So I leave it here for you to ponder.




All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
The taxi's waiting, he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry.

Chorus:
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
(oh, baby, don't let me go!)
I'm leavin' on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go.

There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
Every place I go, I think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring.

(Chorus)

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, and I'll be on my way.
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the times, I won't have to say,

(Chorus)