adventures of cornpuff, mr. storkbat & alfonzo (2)

since blogger is being a huge PITA, I am not sure if i can be uploading any pictures. personally i like to blame it on dial-up internet, although realistically i might be a factor. i am already at 4 cups of coffee for the day and have soaked up enough vitamin D for the entire summer, as i spend most of the day gardening. i was able to teach mr. storkbat and the cornpuff the essentials to gardening. i think they got lesson #1 quite well: dispose of the fallen, rotten leafs that seem to be lying around everywhere being pretty much useless.

this weekend was pretty much boring and exciting at the same time. having a vehicle around and time to not study, i got a chance to go out with the sibs for a couple of drinks and the hockey game. we did not last very long, maybe until the end of the second period and opted to grab a couple of movies instead. good thing was that when we came home i just caught the tying goal of the third period, which put the game into overtime. still decided to watch bon cop bad cop instead, for some pretty good laughs. i mean canadian film making .... there is always something to laugh about.

on sunday it was really nice to see everyone again at church. we organized a breakfast type dinner and played a game of soccer before bible study. i am officially out of shape, but had a couple of interesting falls (and dives) and got myself a good headache with a head ball on the top of my head. not good. not good at all. anything for the team though -> woop woop!

am still jobhunting, and pretty much praying to get hired. i guess the worst thing really is having to wait. off to distract myself until 7pm.

summer tune: DJ Tiesto - Close to You

adventures of cornpuff, mr. storkbat & alfonzo

i have decided to document the experiences of cornpuff (or crosby), mr. storkbat and alfonzo (more commonly referred to as alfie jr. and diehard fan of his nick-name-sake) in owen sound this summer. somewhat inspired by sherry's work with the penguins, I have documented their first few hours of official summer holidays. picture -> them boys sitting inside because it is raining :-(

i was only home for about 15 minutes, after which i left to watch some highschool soccer action. although it was cold and raining the amount of scoring action was great. i think the final score was 12-0 for good guys. all i could think of was that it would be nice if tonight's hockey game would resemble the same one-sided effort for the good guys.

after each hockey game, i am even more convinced of the #19 factor. seeing that spezza (#19) scored the first goal of game 1 for ottawa and zajac (#19) scored the first goal of game 1 for the devils .... hmmm i am started to believe some economic (or psychological) analysis is in order 1st intermission right now. about 20 minutes later i realize that ottawa players in the number 20's are not having such luck judging from NHL.com Report Viewer seeing that I can't watch anymore. it's all in the numbers. current score: 4-3 (OTT).

yee-hah! that's the way ... i like it (and redden scores to give us a little boost). UPDATE: final score is 5-4. i have some great pictures of cornpuff and mr. storkbat watching hockey night in canada ... but unless i figure out what beef this computer has with my plan, i am going to have to put off posting those.

as for hockey (i waited a whole week for it, so bear with me on the excessive hockey talk):

[dancing]

[still dancing ... while holding breath]

and logging off to do some real work. summer kick-off tune: dance4life - DJ Tiesto

done'r and goner

je suis fini!

now i can no longer hide behind textbooks and have to face the real world for some 4 months. i have free time, and already don't know what to do with it. why is it so much easier to waste time when you dont have it? no fair.

status: really trying to be nice

only two more days in the hammer ... and two more days of highspeed internet and bickering with jax. then i will be going home for the summer! until then i have one more exam that i have no desire to study for whatsoever: business history. now as i am quote, unquote studying hard, and not wasting time looking for the newest espisode of supernatural on youtube, or posting messages on facebook ...
in light of all this studying cornpuff, mr. storkbat and myself have resorted to youtube for some comic relief. and the following (familiar) three have come out as winners:

Raj Binder with NHL Playoff Predictions - love the hamilton and ottawa comments
Raj Binder and the Ottawa Senators - "the stanley cup ... or the protective cup"
Raj Binder at the NBA All Star Game - "do you wish you had gone to college?"

FYI:
april 24: today i have been in Canada for exactly 7 years. usually this is cause for celebration with the family ... but i am still writing exams. i can't help but wonder though, where have those years gone? eek! one thing is for sure: it has been sufficient to "canadianize" me to some extent. that being evident in my love for cereal and hockey
april 24: elaine's birthday! i would teach the penguins a little dance for her. such as the golddigger (G-style), but i think they are still hungover.
april 24: also the birthday of William I of Orange, Alan Eagleson (punch him ... please), Barbra Streisand, and Kelly Clarkson.
april 24: the day the Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse (1184 BC)

after 3 cups of coffee, and a million bathroom breaks i really must be stuyding. plus really likes it when people buy me donuts.

ik wil alleen maar zwemmen

seriously. is it thursday yet?

listening to: westlife - butterfly kisses, and some "thrashy euro music" by armin van buuren.

whoop-di-doo ...

... some people might say: but after a pretty horrible exam last night i was uberly glad to come home and see this:

4 wins down ... 12 wins to go! thanks to them boys for making me and alfie jr. ve-e-ery happy.

and especially after a pretty good exam today, and gorgeous weather i am ready for some more studying and then SUMMERRRRRRR!

"that's the way (i like it)"

i was getting a little nervous about the first round of hockey for the ottawa senators and i should not care so much ... but i do! anyways, after today i can breathe a little easier until tuesday, and enjoy my dinner. series at 2-1.


song: it's not over - chris daughtry

practice to win

... thinking of roses and the upcoming playoff series ...

just had a ball of fun at home this past weekend, and brushed up on my soccer and basketball skills, and even got some time to practice my street hockey ball control skills with the dog ... all that during a white easter. i also got a haircut, watched some hockey night in canada, played poker and had some interested and less than mature conversations.

the best comment i heard though, "this snow is completely useless, just like the toronto maple leafs." now that's the spirit!

btw this is the font that i fell in love with, and now i am going to type up some more studynotes, listen to some more boyband tunes, and daydream a little more.
studytune: brian mcfadden and delta goodrem - almost here (this falls in line with my preference for male/female duets ;-) )

good friday reflections

"Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering

Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,

But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me.

Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men

Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem."

Although we can realize the truth and comfort of this every day, there is always emotions of great joy and shame on Good Friday. especially shame for not taking the opportunity to share this joy with others every day, in that light i just wanted to share the following passage from Luke 23:

"As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then " 'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" 'For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last."

flying high

i have diagnosed myself with an extreme case of spring fever, because despite all the unsure-eties and frustrations i have to say i am a happy gal. too restless and excited to sit still and actually study ...
for the more frustrating part: all i can say about my current status is that it is a large, juicy, sweet and sour pickle. i have no idea what i will be doing in a month, and am not really getting anywhere in the decision-making process. but i wont be taking a history seminar in the summer, as the random-like allotment system did not work in my favour, so now i am trying to put my economics skills to the test in a cost-benefit analysis of the situation. plus i am trying my hardest to find a job, either here or in owen sound, which is turning out to be harder than it should be. i think altogether that leaves me praying for a solution, and wishing i could go home to consult the parent-unit. almost easter!

in the meantime i am making a sincere effort to study for exams, while also wasting my time on facebook and other internet venues that have little or no value to my education or general well-being. oh well. i did end up listening to the westlife rendition of "total eclipse of the heart" which gives me a whole new appreciation for the 80's. i mean that was a great decade. and also in the spirit of boybands i have to share that mark (for those who followed the above link: the third one from the left, with the shirt/sweater combination) is very handsome! he has very nice features ;-)


oh! must mention about the weekend! frouke, my (maybe not so) lil' sis came to visit me, which was a perfect excuse for the b-clayans of this world to go out. even though we were surrrounded by a much too large number of leafs fans who were ready to eat their plates or something ... it was bunches of fun! anyways toronto won (so no plates were eaten), ottawa won, it's all good. and i will be practicing my pool skills so next time my team can turn out as winners as well. i try.

anyways, i should be getting the laundry out of the dryer, before it burns. because i think that is possible. and i cant risk losing the vanilla smell from my clean laundry ...

i shall study. and listen to more of the same song. and update this blog more often, with hopefully some substance of thought ... or thoughts of substance? and in the spirit of the near end of the hockey season: Go Sens Go.

tuesday tune: james morrison - the pieces don't fit anymore

when the sun comes through

as i was reading through my courseware for business history i came across a line that i had written on the top corner of a page "you tiny brained wipers of other peoples' bottoms" -> i am sure that i had a reason for wanting that documented, but even if it never serves the purpose i had intended for it (the one that i can't remember) it brought me a really good laugh amidst all this essaying. plus a page on economies of scale and scope, and organizational capabilities deserves some extra flavour. btw anyone remember what it is from (b/c i had to google it)

back to work and then maybe treat myself to TCBY? probably.

essaying tune on a not so lonely day: the great lake swimmers - to leave it behind

call me crazy ... call me what you will: just call me

the nice thing about being home alone is being able to blast music and sing along and not having to worry about anyone reminding you about it in a future wedding speech ... hypothetically anyways. at the same time though ... it is ve-ery quiet.

i did realize this weekend i am going to have to work on my comebacks so i can win the next insult-off from jax she pretty much silenced me last night. and then she thinks i will miss her ... pffff ... sheesh. crazy girl that one. well maybe i dont do canadian beer very well, that could be it. blame canada: always blame canada.

must do work. must ... and she collapses on her computer, only to wake up right in time for church the next morning. actually my room is small enough that if i fall backwards i end up on my bed: so backwards it is!

sing-a-long song for a-lone-some-ness like times: kt tunstall - other side of the world
"over the sea and far away
whe is waiting like an iceberg
waiting to change,
but she's cold inside
he wants to be like
the water,
all the muscles tighten in her face
buries her soul in one embrace
they're one and the same
just like water"

sweet, popsicle sweet, dreams!

progress

one week later and the mountain is not any smaller but there is some progress!

in the meantime (bear with me here) i am intrigued by the new playoff campaign:

i can't help but feel that i have some advantage (and authenticity) in this department ;-)

i realize we are a biological mistake ... but one day we will take over the world. trust me.

essaying tune: landing in london - 3 doors down

blog up the bog down

official signal from the smokey mountain of schoolwork i am currently sitting on:

four papers and two midterms in less than two weeks

talk to you after that :D

in hockey news - alfonzo will officially take over chanting duties for the time being: GO SENS GO!

update: i was thinking for all those wondering about alfonzo, sherry over on her blog (i wanted to put a link to the direct post, but because i can't have everyone reminded of the first part of the particular post .. it is just the main link) posted some pictures of him, and using my saving tools, with all disregard for copyright laws decided to steal it and post 'er here:

ps. no worries, he is in a much larger bowl now

new companion

last night i had the chance to attend a Girls' Night Out organized by some of my fellow christians and wonderful friends at C4C. i had such a great time, and came out with daringly purple/red nails! but most excitingly and importantly i won the door price of a betafish - he has been named alfonzo, which coincidently does make me think of alfie in an italian style -> see everything does relate to hockey! he is going to be living in my room for now, until i buy him a nice home to put him where all the fun happens: in the living room.

on a slanted sidenote: after a 5-1 victory over the leafs last night ... it dawned upon me how much i enjoy the extreme happiness after smoking leafs. i just hope that i, and they (our boys), can keep their heads clear after the joyous occassion.
does that count as an addiction? am i addicted?

i better get some coffee now, pack my bags and get ready for a weekend in the OS
as for my weekend tunes: carlos - silmarillia 2007

GO SENS GO!

replay in slow motion?

i tried to skip class today, because i was so busy and needed to study a bit more for a mid-term today, but at 9.25 rejecting my opportunity cost calculations decided to throw on some jeans, throw my stuff in a bag and run out the door. i was there in 8 minutes. i realized i can probably count the number of classes i have missed over the past three years on one hand, and the number of days missed in highschool on the other hand. i have no idea why i do that to myself.

this past weekend i had a chance to listen to a presentation by paul henderson, whom you could call a canadian hockey legend. i gathered so anyways after hearing a lot about him in highschool. i think people thought that if i was going to be living in Canada i should at least know his name. and of course he is hockey related, so i was not at all interested: but now i am. interestingly however is the fact that he came to speak to us about his experiences as a christian, and impart some advice to us youngsters. and i got a chance to take a picture with him:
anyways, i just came back from a midterm and handed in a paper, which in simpler terms means i am very tired. as such i can justify a nap very easily.

happy birthday andrea!

song: nelly furtado - say it right

sleepwalking through the rain

I am a such a sucker for what we (mostly Sherry ... but it catches on easily) commonly call "our boys" especially when they are about to play their first game as one of them. So I thought this would be a nice picture to share. Plus it is black and white. we don't get that too often, unless we do it ourselves with microsoft picture it! or something. Plus I am pretty excited about hockey coming off a great home-and-home sweep against Carolina, which was not nearly as exciting as the home-and-home game against Buffalo, with lots of fireworks coming out of that one. But, as to not bore my audience with hockey talk, that will probably end with some off-topic comments on eyes and smiles or necessary haircuts, I won't.

I do remember that I promised a more detailed version of the Ottawa trip: well, Frouke met me in Hamilton at 9 am on Saturday, after which we left so we could get through toronto while half the city was still sleeping (kind of). It was a very relaxing drive, with lots of sun, coffee and little reading. Because we were not actually staying in the city, we drove right into what seemed like the boonies (wow, i dont even know if that is how it is spelled) to go to see Vanessa, Becky, Sam and their family. they were busy cooking up a storm for a charity dinner that we would be attending later that night. It was busy, but fun! Plus we got to meet a ton of new people, while constantly being reminded of which guys were single (thanks guys ;-)). After the dinner, around 11pm, we headed out to a birthday party, where interestingly most of the guys were wearing senators apparrel -> nice choice! Funny thing was someone's boyfriend (who shall remain nameless for reasons that will soon be apparent) was wearing his boxers a little too high for our taste. Well, actually, thats a lie the real problem was: they were Leafs boxers. And any sober-minded person should not be wearing those in public. I think he realized that pretty soon when we told him that he was asking for it. We had some people on our side that were not shy to pull a much feared wedgie. I know, pretty childish: but still pretty funny. It reminds me of this one time, when I just started highschool that one of my friends took me to the bathroom to explain to me what a wedgie was. That was back when I did not know a lot of words ... even though that is still a regular occurrence.

Anyways, on Sunday we went to church, which was slightly different than what i am used to, but really nice. On Monday, we got a tour of Kemptville College, went out for dinner, picked up some groceries and had a movie night! always good. On Tuesday we got up pretty early to go skating on the Rideau Canal. It was absolutely gorgeous, and brought back some fond memories of growing up on the canals in Holland. I really wish I had some pictures .. but alas, I don't. I can guarantee though that it was a rather interesting sight, because I can't skate very well. That was Tuesday already, which flew by with a large chinese buffet lunch, and a lot, and i mean a lot of Dutch Blitz. Then of course on wednesday it was, sadly enough, time to head home to Owen Sound. Now, since I had planned to move to Ottawa already the first year we lived in Canada, I realized that plan is not dead yet.

I was supposed to do a lot of studying at home, but that did not really happen. I did work on my poker skills a lot. And had lots of fun times with the family. And the dog. We made an interesting pair running up and down the mountains of snow on our yard. Sometimes I just miss those long coffee breaks with discussion about cows and the like, or going to town with mom, or having a meal together, or ... But I am kind of enjoying the freedom, and the girls, although I did wish we had a tractor to shovel that snow a little faster.

For the next three weeks, I know what I will be doing: 3 midterms and 3 research papers. not the most exciting prospect, but it could be worse as well, plus i have all my topics figured out:
paper 1: the establishment of the Bell Telephone Company and the divesture of the bell system.
paper 2: Personal Income Taxation of non-residence professional athletes: the NHL Player's Tax
paper 3: Influx of Silver and the Seventeenth Century Crisis in Europe

That should keep be me pretty busy for the next little while. I thinkI am hoping for a feezing rain day tomorrow, if not then I am hoping to get some tickets to see Paul Krugman speak tomorrow. Now, back to reading transcripts from some policy issues in the Canadian-American information sector conference from the 80's: it is quite interesting to read the jokes the Canadian presenters make of the Americans, and vice versa.

For a song selection i am going to have to go with Matchbox Twenty - Downfall. For some reason i always associate things and people with songs or smells. Well, this song makes me think of hockey, and my favourite player (who is apparently is a Matchbox Twenty fan) and thus I have declared it my 2006-2007 season song. It is not because of the lyrics, but now that I listen to it I guess it works a little bit: "I want you to be uneased, I want you to remember, I want you to believe in me, I want you on my side"

well then ... there was a little taste of my thought process.
so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night (anyone else still remember what that is from?)

terug van weggeweest

Reading week is already over and we are on the homestretch. The next pitstop is the summer, and I am not quite ready for that one yet.
Spend a few days in Ottawa and a few days in Owen Sound this past week. And experienced almost every type of weather on the way back to Hamilton this past Sunday. I was wow-ed by the amount of snow there was back home, and had a super fantastic time in Ottawa. the last part just makes me anxious to finish school … and move. maybe? It was also the first time I tried skating in a while, on the Rideau Canal, and even if I was not very good, it was the ultimate Canadian experience for a Dutch(wo)man. + think beaver tails. Talking about Canadian – Dutch experiences: I thought this article was pretty cool:
across the pond
with the current exam schedule for this semester: it looks like I will be here until the bitter end; the 25th. a more detailed update to come later

week theme song: nowhere with you - joel plaskett (as a tribute to my sisters :-) )

looking from the outside in: or inside out?

at least north america could do two things right: milk & cereal (the real thing) and ice hockey. even though the latter never fails to drive me crazy on some front.

counting down to reading week and done midterms for a (short) while: in the meantime hoping for some creative energy to get this paper done ... ok go, here it goes again ;-)

learning to run up the stairs with a full glass of water without spilling. it is a learning process, and i apologize to the housemates for wet socks ... right now i am simply intrigued by the sounds of icecubes in a glass of water, while enjoying a lifehouse marathon, and wondering how i can become more productive, why google hates me, and how many calories i lose from running up and down the stairs when answering the phone ... so many thoughts, yet so few apply to this paper i should be working on. love it. for now.

song: chris daughtry - it's not over (i think the only reason he is good because he did not win american idol ... he is so much better off now)

necessity and sufficiency?

"Hij maakt zoet wat bitter is" (He makes sweet that which is bitter) - a.f. troost. alluding to the story of the isrealites in the desert who complained about their thirst, not asking (nor even thinking about asking) God for help. but the gracious God that He is, made the water at Mara sweet. so also He provides us, despite our complaints, with even more than we c(w)ould ask for: the living water [Exodus 15] how can we ever be thankful enough for such grace, or even the 'simplest' daily blessings?

by Thor! from a Photoblog

it was absolutely gorgeous outside today. i was also pretty restless - something that was easily attacked by vigoursly cleaning the kitchen this afternoon. then i 'rewarded' myself with a new episode of supernatural, and got some study time in. now i am pondering religious intolerance in europe and the ottoman empire and thinking of running for some strange reason. pretty sad situation for a friday night. no excuses.

"and where the answers won't come around i blame myself for being me again"
song: di-rect ft. wibi soejardi - blind for you (if only for the piano play)

not my kind of pie

==wishing for a snow day ... if only to gain some perspective, and focus==

what is a crusting sleeve? whatever happened to putting stuff in the mircowave and pressing start?

i ought not to be worried. i think i am not worried. but i am fooling myself thinking that. because in actuality i am. it makes me think of this disney computer game we got for free with some sort of cereal: it is with these lion king character timon and pumba? i am not sure what they are called (and i am too lazy to google it) but anyways, there is this point in the game where you have to get across the river by jumping logs, and the character goes "decisions, decisions ..." now i wish i could say that i can't really identify with disney characters, but i can. i can't decide. i mean, from buying shoes, to ordering dinner, to guessing on M/C tests, to what to do this summer, to what to do with my life. ugh. and then i'd like to think it would be nice to have all the answers ... but then i am sure that would not make me much happier either. and then it comes down to trust and faith, which is never easy. interestingly i am probably the 6 billionth person to think this today, and many more billionth in history. i guess sometimes it just helps to articulate stuff. interesting trend is that this thought only comes up after i want to kick myself ... after writing some sort of test or midterm. talk about confidence eh?

i was looking for a picture to break up all this text for a bit: and came across this pic that i "stole" -> it is from the war museum ... and speaks to me like this: "toughen up, G, toughen up"
in the meantime there are many little things that make life so good. like wearing a clean sweater washed with my new laundry soap. i am smelling gorgeous ... even if i am the only person thinking so. hey, there is something about vanilla that just soothes the soul: think here coffee with french vanilla cream as well. i am also feeling a little lost, as i signed up to clean the kictchen rather than the bathroom for this week ... interesting how that throws me off eh? in the meantime i will try not to worry about the playoff status of my favourite hockey team. i realize that i may have made some enemies in the house with my obsessive cheering and loud bashing of this "other team," but i just want the world (or small blog audience) to know that i feel privileged to cheer for the greatest team in the league and that no matter how big the suck/rock factor is in the season: i am still loving it! [wow] ... so mushy ... maybe i really did fall in love or am thinking slightly incoherent because of the amount of coffee i have consumed in a short span of time. [wow] i better stop rambling before i regret something ... thankfully there is always the edit function .. if only everything in life had an edit function. except for maybe not.

so indecisive!
(note: descision trees are not an option, and never the solution)

song: DJ Tiesto - Just Be AND Just Keep Dreaming