success

Well now.

Yesterday was my first day back at school after about a week and a half of Spring Break. Guess what? Rather than the painfully slow kind of day where every second feels like an hour, it zoomed by! I had a really great day.

Today was also pretty good. We had double block math, which was a but of a bummer, but nothing too bad. At lunch I gave two of my friends a beginner trumpet tutorial (why yes, I play the trumpet :3). It basically consisted of me trying to get them to sticking with mouthpiece practice rather than trying to play the whole trumpet, simply because it's impossible to unless you can buzz your lips!

It went alright, and I feel like a decent teacher. When I was little, I debated about being a teacher when I grow up, like gradeschool. After babysitting for over four hours last night, though, I was completely pooped, and way too frustrated with kids to imagine spending any more time with them. Sometimes it's nice being the youngest!

Later this week (Thursday, actually, is the dreaded day) I'm going to be looking for employment. Gasp! I'm going to ask around town a bit, though, and maybe print out my resumee in advance. I want to work at a small bookstore in town, or maybe volunteer at our local library or newspaper. I'm not sure--I've only had one real office job before, though. It didn't go so well.

I was a file clerk at an eye doctor's office for a month. In grade seven. Eek! I'm not sure if I really enjoyed it--it was tiring, repetitive work and I didn't get to spend any time with people which I've discovered I really enjoy.

I don't like the whole idea of working for money at this age. I know I must sound utterly ancient but I would much rather spent my time focusing on my school work and my writing. Money is a bit of an issue though--even at my age! I know, I'm a freak. I just want to be able to pay for my own stuff without my parents having to step in and spend their own money. Plus if I want to spend my grade eleven year abroad, I need to be able to afford it.

Well, I'm sick and this has been a rather serious, boring post at a time when I would much rather be sleeping! Wish me luck with my job hunting :)

Love,
Erika

mmm, yum, pi

A quick note for all you math nerds, or just plain old geeks like me who will find this super cool. Today (which you'd already know if you went on Google!) is Pi Day!

It's March 14, so it's 3.14. How cool is that!

Happy Pi Day!

the times they are a-changing

The time literally is changing--or it did--last night was day light savings time, and we all had to turn our clocks forward an hour.

I hate this time of year.

Hate it! I lose an entire hour of sleep, relaxation, and (in a perfect world) writing. Not only that but since I'm currently fasting and waiting patiently for the sunset, I have to wait until 7:39. Ugh.

On a happier note, we're photocopying our March issue of Arrow* tonight! I'm just waiting on my friends and co-zine crafters, K and Laura to pick me up. Not their actual names (well, not the first one. Sorry, K! I'm just a) too lazy to type out the whole thing and b) I hate those red squiggly lines. Which is why the word 'crafters' is bugging the hell out of me). Any moment from 7:30 to 8:00 they could come whirling down the street, banging down my door and in to my living room. We're all ready, and our issue is actually going to come out completely on time this month--can you say score?

I just need to do some minor edits in pen, making it look thoroughly unprofessional, and then it'll all be good ^.^ Another major plus: I cleaned my room! It took two days of intense manual labor, but it's just about perfect. Actually, there's a bin of stuff to sort through sitting on my bed, but I shall blog instead. Because blogging is love.

Love,
Erika

*Arrow is the magazine that Kennix, Laura and I started in September. Check out our rarely updated blog!

three cheers for sweet revenge

Breaking news!

I don't know if many of you know of/like the band My Chemical Romance (I was, for quite some time, madly obsessed with them, and remain deeply infatuated), but I was on their site this morning and discovered that the drummer, Bob Bryar, recently "parted ways" with the band.

:( :( :(

M.C.R. have always had a bit of an issue with drummers, though. Their drummer from their first album, Matt Pelissier, left in '04. I had to check Wikipedia for the spelling of his name, and Bob Bryar has already been listed as "past members". It's like the end of an era.

This is them--Bob Bryar is on the far left. Don't not listen to them because you think they look kind of funny. We all look kind of funny. Listen to some of their newer stuff if you aren't so into traditional punk music.

Can't wait for the new album come Spring.
Erika

cleanse ye your eyes

I'm hungry.

Pourquoi? Well, ahem, I have an incredibly high metabolism which means I can eat mounds of chocolate cake and still not feel full *smug smile* No, actually.

I'm hungry because I'm not eating. This is because the nineteen days (March 2-20) is the Bahá'í month of ‘Alá’, or loftiness, and it is spent fasting! You only eat before sunrise and after sunset (unless you're sick, pregnant, traveling--like I was--etc.). Because I turned fifteen in January and am thus officially "of age" in the Bahá'í faith, it's my first year of fasting. I'm not an official Bahá'í, but I could become one--and my mom is.

Thus, the diaries of a hungry girl. I spent the past few days out of town, meaning I was eating, which is making this morning even harder! I got up at around 6 AM (on a Saturday), made some nutella and banana crepes, and got to work on some French homework. Good times.

More on the religious front--oh! And the schooling front! Man, am I good--I'm seriously thinking about spending my grade eleven (or, in Europe, year II) year at the Bahá'í International Youth School in the Czech Republic, Townshend. I would be nervous; a whole year away from home, and I'd have to take Phys. Ed which I just finished! Ugh.

Exciting prospects, though. Happy Saturday, everyone. Go do something memorable.

Love,
Erika

PS: Aaaaaand a picture.

This is `Abdu'l-Bahá, eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith.
"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole world," -Bahá'u'lláh

we are marching

I just spent the past three hours or so freezing my butt off, playing with jazz band at our town's arena for the closing ceremonies of... some sports activity. It was fun, and according to my mother (who, bear in mind, has never played a musical instrument) we sounded good.

Picture time!

I'm on my mother's computer, and I have very few pictures, so... Tokyo street! (PS: ooooh, captions!)

What else, what else...? Oh yes! I have decided to make a slightly belated New Years resolution. I am going to try my best to become more DIY--Do It Yourself. I've always wanted to be able to sew my own clothes, and I got a sewing machine for Christmas (that hopefully works--my past experiences with sewing and sewing machines have been... short-lived), so why not start now? If anyone can think of any simple-ish but still nice sewing patterns, please share!

Love,
Erika

PS: My baby, six month old kitty Simone Amman (like the ski jumper!) is curled up on my lap as I type this :3 She likes playing with running water--so whenever you go into the bathroom she runs after you and leaps onto the counter--she drinks her own water from a glass (not a bowl). She has orange eyes that look very, very evil. I lub her, though. Oh! And Oscars, pay attention! It's pretty cool.

that's what SHE said

For the first time in the past five days, I am full.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Ever since Tuesday, though, I've been fasting! My mom is a Baha'i, and since I turned fifteen in January I am officially of age to do the fast for the first time--basically you spend 19 days (a month) only eating before sunrise and after sunset. I just completely gorged myself on my after sunset meal of weird-potato-thing-I-felt-like-making and french toast with whipped cream. The latter was pretty good, and deliciously fattening. Yum.

And that, my friends, is the intrepid transition to my next subject: weight. I do understand that body image and maintaining a healthy weight can be a major struggle for a lot of people. I don't mean to belittle the struggles that they can go through, or the pain they may have to feel. At the same time, however, I'm sick and tired of all of the girls being careful to avert their eyes when we need someone to be at the top of the pyramid in gymnastics, because, "You can't lift me, I'm too heavy!" Speaking as someone who has dealt with all those crappy feelings myself, the sooner you can move on and feel good about yourself, the better.

I think I'm going to cut things off rather quickly now, with a picture of course. I may or may not be blogging over the next few days because I have an incredibly busy, glamorous life and need to get over myself. Actually, I'm going to be taking the midnight bus on Sunday night to Prince George, a city about seven hours from here. It's nice to get out of town for a while (it's Spring Break, in case anyone didn't know! That means endless partying, you know the drill) and PG has the most amazing second hand stores :)

I heard they're putting the Cookie Monster on a vegetable diet--yeah, I'd be pissed, too. Oh! And Cindy, in response to your question, Chapters is a big chain bookstore--kind of like Barns and Noble, I suppose. And if I got the name wrong, sorry!

Have a great day,
Erika