Congratulations Kelly!

Congrats goes out to Kelly McCoy - the next one of my dancing friends to get engaged! Wonder who it'll be next?! :)

Car shopping

This weekend I experienced a new feeling for the first time in my life: the excitement of test-driving and shopping for a car. Yes... after over 5 long years of "semi-independence" and "pre-adulthood", I am starting a journey into a brand new world. This new world will bring a new sense of independence. No more mooching rides from others and no more having to run all over the city on my bike!

Although I began my car shopping Saturday afternoon with little direction and knowledge of what I wanted, I feel I am a more educated person in the car purchasing area (after several hours of entertainment for my sister and Mike). I've even learned about the benefits of leasing and have discovered that it may be the best option for my financial situation at this time.

I still have more research to do and some more budget tweaking to determine what I can and can't afford. However, I hope to soon be prepared for the arrival of our first snow-fall and the end of my daily bike ride to and from work.

Almost Famous!

Congrats to Andrew for making the University edition of the Maclean's magazine this year. Check out page 52 for his full page pic or visit http://www.macleans.ca/universities/index.jsp to catch a glimpse. Andrew was even successful at getting his trademark items into the picture: his bike helmet and his Nalgene.

Wedding Showers

This past weekend Kristy and I planned a wedding shower for Andrea. It is soooo crazy to think that this is just the first in many more to come over the next many years of our lives. It was a fun afternoon with "Crazy Hats", the "advice" game, and "Andrea & Graham" trvia. A totally girlie day! We are so excited for Andrea and Graham and wish them the best. They are eloping to Antigua on December 24th to wed. It will be such a beautiful day! I have posted pictures from Andrea's shower here.

I have also posted my pictures from Halloween weekend. Here you can see the makeshift costumes that Andrew and I pulled together from my costume box for handing out candy to the kiddies, Andrew's parents new Honda S2000 (red leather interior!) and the haircut that I gave Andrew before he left!

Mixed Blessings

I woke up this morning to the sound of someone scraping the ice off their car windows outside my bedroom window. It's funny how much my excitement for the winter season has changed this year. Any other year I would have jumped out of my bed to scramble to the window in hopes of finding a good 3 feet of snow before me. Today I groaned and dragged myself out of bed keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best (ie. minimal snow cover). It's amazing how much depending on my bike to get me to work these days has changed my hopes for the white stuff. I lucked out today as it was only a small ice covering on the cars and a thin snow cover on the roofs (rooves?). I think I'm gonna have to start looking into cars ASAP! Any suggestions? :)

In my excitement/anxiety about today's weather, I forgot one essential item when packing my bag for work. It's amazing how much forgetting one's bra can have an effect. Luckily I happened to pack a cardigan along with the t-shirt I planned to wear today and combined with my serious lack of chest, I was able to get away without the otherwise essential piece of clothing. It certainly is a strange feeling to go all day at work like that!

Big question...

What on earth am I doing!?...

Christmas is coming!

I just saw my first tv commercial for the year that reminds us that Christmas is coming! The ad was for a cell phone company advertising their package deal for two picture phones. The couple was trying to pick out their Christmas tree and the husband was out in the forest taking a picture of the tree he picked while the wife was sitting at home criticizing the dwarfy tree. Now, ignoring the fact that that is NOT how one gets into the Christmas spirit (sitting at home while you send your hubby off to fetch the tree), it still makes me VERY excited! The countdown is already on and I can't WAIT! I love Christmas!!

MarryAnAmerican.ca

Hahaha... so I heard about this website today on CanadaAM (my favourite news broadcast of choice in the morning). It is called marryanamerican.ca. I forwarded the link to my cousin and her fiance (living in Florida these days) in an attempt to cheer them up after the US election. This was her response:

Thanks for the sympathy. It is still hard to believe that he was re-elected. We are so depressed. We both know people that voted for Bush and none of them can tell us why they did it. They have nothing to back up there vote. It is almost like they have been brain washed and put into a cult. It doesn't help our frustration either that most of them are uneducated, red neck, racists who care more about banning gay marriage than having a job or health care.
Time to move North, in either country towards educated people.

So true... and as I will repeat from yesterday, so scary!

Four more years!!??

So I don't usually use this space to share opinions, but I guess I have to start sometime...

I am completely awe-stricken by the results of the recent US presidential election. I honestly thought that the results would go the other way. Apparently the votes have proven otherwise. I am floored at the fact that close to 60 million Americans still think that George Bush is the best man to represent their country! I feel so sorry for the remaining other (close to) 60 million that have to endure the next four years of his continued leadership. Maybe I'm uneducated, or maybe I've just been biased by the Canadian version of US politics that I watch on TV and read in the papers, or maybe it's just that I've been watching too much of Michael Moore's stuff, but how do people of the United States think that George Bush can be a good thing for their county?! This is a scary scary time...

On a different note. Here's my offbeat oddity for the day:
Snake's fangs fold inward when they close their mouth so they don't bite themselves.

My daily planner

I absolutely love my daily planner. It is what keeps me organized. If I was to name the single most important thing I have learned to keep me on track, it would be to carry my daily planner with me every day and use it on a regular basis. It works!

I managed to score myself a free planner from my dad who sweet-talked the principal at his highschool into giving me one (hey! I saved myself close to $20). The best part is, it comes complete with motivational stuff and really hokey sayings and stuff. I think I will start to share my favourites!

Offbeat oddity #1: The average life span of a major league baseball is seven pitches.

Business cards

I received my business cards today for work. It feels funny getting them. Mainly because it just feels like a grown-up thing to own "business cards". Secondly because who the heck am I going to give my business cards to???

My weird sleep story

I don't think many are aware but I have been having some issues for the past year of my life with regards to my sleep. The fact is that I can't seem to get enough of it. When my condition reached a point where it really started to impact my every day life (napping for 2-3 hours during the day, not being able to stay awake at the library, falling asleep in every movie I watched, falling asleep at the bar, and barely being able to stay awake past 8 or 9pm), I decided to discuss it with my doctor. After an overnight stay at the Sleep Clinic lab and then a few more months of keeping a sleep log, I was diagnosed with "Idiomatic hypersomnia" which basically means "unknown cause of excessive sleepiness." From my diagnosis came an offer for the chance to participate in a clinical drug trial for my condition. Basically its for a medication that they use to treat narcoleptics, but also for people with a milder condition, like me. I accepted and here I am.

Today I spent the day in the Sleep Lab going through a series of tests where every 2 hours they sit me up in bed and have me sit in a dark room staring at a nightlight for 20 minutes trying to stay awake. Since I am all hooked up to monitors via electrodes on my head, they are able to measure my behaviour and identify when I start to fall asleep. The tests today were pretty much a torture test because as much as you start to feel sleepy and want to fall asleep, they won't let you and instead wake you up via an intercom stating "please open your eyes and remain awake'. Last week I was in for another study which was equal in torture nature where I was given the opportunity to lay in bed for 20 minute intervals again and this time with the intention of trying to fall asleep. As soon as they identified dream patterns from my brain, I was woken up and that was it for the next 2 hours until the next cycle began again.

Today I met a guy who is a true narcoleptic and has been for 25 years of his life. Over dinner I learned about his fascinating stories while we sat in our pjs with funny looking wires all hooked up to our heads. He told me about how he can fall asleep on the job while drilling holes in the mine and waking up just in time to reverse the drill due to a change in the vibration patterns. He also told me some interesting stories about driving while half asleep, getting kicked out of bars on numerous occasions from bouncers who thought he was drunk, and falling asleep in bed with a woman! Although his stories were entertaining, it was also really sad to see how his condition affected his life so much. He believes it is the reason for him never ever marrying. He tried medication years ago but due to its infancy, it was too severe of a dose and he decided he’d rather go without. He is now regretting his decision since he feels as if he has wasted so many years of his life.
This whole experience certainly has been an interesting one and I look forward to learning more as I go. I start my study drug tomorrow and am interested in seeing the effects. I just hope I don’t get stuck with the placebo… :(

Goodbye Dr. Corday

I can't believe how much the cast of ER has changed in the past while. Yet another great character has found a way to be written off the show. Tonight was what looked to be Dr. Corday's last episode on the show. I cried enough when Dr. Green left that I got most of my tears out of my system then (let me tell you... it was not a pretty picture! ...even after my 3rd time watching that episode!), but tonight I even shed a small tear when I realized what they were doing to Corday.

Alas, the show will continue and I'm certain another new favourite character will arise. We'll miss you Elizabeth... Thanks for all your hard work!

(footnote: yes, I realize that I am WAY too into this show!)

I love my digi-cam!

I just have to say that I absolutely love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me and am able to capture some great things on film. Not being restricted by the cost of film is the best bonus EVER! I have posted my pictures from Thanksgiving and Oktoberfest which are amusing to say the least. www.imageevent.com/hledwards/fall04

Hope everyone else had fun celebrating Oktoberfest wherever they may be. I certainly did. Maybe too much fun. I think I experienced the second hangover of my life. But for the record, it only lasted an hour ;)

US Politics

In honour of the upcoming election and the Bush-bashing fest that took place this weekend (I have a cousin living in the US who shared her own opinion of American politics these days), I am posting one of the many video clips that we managed to come across while googling for some fun.

Enjoy...!
http://www.netlaughter.com/funpages/view.cfm/5031

Family

There is something so awesome, yet so indescribeable about the sound of family chatter throughout our warm house on Thanksgiving weekend. While in the computer room seeking solitude from all the craziness for just a brief while, I am listening to the random conversations throughout the different rooms in the house crescendo and decrescendo, and often erupt with laughter. These are the sounds of my cousins and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters and in-laws and parents share stories and fun and truly enjoy and appreciate the chance to be together at this time of year. Family is one of the greatest things in life and I'm so thankful for the wonderful one that I have. Happy Thanksgiving all!

There’s someone else like me? :)

I have been told by many that my habit of highlighting text onscreen to help me follow along while reading is one that is particularly annoying for others to watch. Self-admittedly, it’s a rather obsessive compulsive behaviour that I honestly can not ditch. Depending on the intensity of what I’m reading, sometimes my mouse and cursor can dance wildly across the screen in a clicking frenzy!

I have recently discovered that I’m not the only out there with this freakish habit. Matter-of-factly, my co-worker, Jason, does the exact same thing! You can’t imagine the joy I experienced when I first saw his similar behaviour while he was reading me something off of his computer. Given that we sit side-by-side in our office, maybe we can start making clicking harmony as we read along together throughout the day!...

Am I getting younger??

I have been noticing a definite trend lately in the number of people who have been estimating my age to be WAAAY younger than I actually am.

While in Italy, people were always asking Dana and I how old we were everywhere we went. And every time I responded with "how old do you think we are?" we were usually told about 18 or 19. One guy even went as young as 16!! Just tonight, while at my first session of Reading Buddies at the Kitchener library, the co-ordinator was talking to me afterwards and couldn't believe my age. She thought I had just graduated highschool!

Now I'm not sure why this phenomenon may be happening, but I theorize that it could be for one of the following reasons:

1. For some reason, this phase in life is causing me to encounter more situations that require others to question my age.
2. I'm hanging out with people that are simply too old and can't properly judge my age group.
3. I have a freak condition that actually reverses my aging process and I'm actually losing years off my face by the second -- 24, going on 6!
4. I need to start wearing make-up.
5. I need to re-think my wardrobe.
6. Who knows...

Oh well. I guess I can only be thankful because eventually I will hit a point in my life where I would give anything to look like a teenager again :)

Shattered Glass

Wow! I just finished watching a movie that my sister and Mike rented from the library this weekend, and man was it ever good. Based on a true story, Shattered Glass tells the tale of a young journalist who triumphs in his career at The New Republican magazine by fabricating his stories one after another, meanwhile developing the mind of a pathological liar. In the end it comes crashing down in a an exciting showdown where his career is totally burned as a result. No joke! It's true! And it was a fantastic movie. Highly recommend this one.

Conclusion: I think I watch too many crime-filled tv shows as I nearly peed my pants in the end waiting for a totally twisted and evil turn of events only not to happen.

My first week on the job

So I have successfully completed my first week of work at Maplesoft and the verdict is good so far. It’s funny, though, how different it is getting used to a new environment – this company is quite small (not more than 150 people) and the culture is different from other coop jobs. But once the adjustment is made, I’m sure I will like it there.

My first day was definitely interesting. I got the full tour of the building and found out about all of the sweet perks. Once I made it to my desk I had the very quick realization that I am no longer in a marketing department and socialization will be a bit more difficult. However, it doesn’t have to stay that way! I think the guy I sit beside will be fun once we get to know one another. He’s a bit strange in that he likes to sing heavy metal songs (or rather scream them in a soft whisper) while at his desk. It’s not uncommon to hear “mother fucker” followed by the sound of him doing air guitar noises with his mouth at random times of the day. Very strange indeed!

I am also discovering what it’s like to be in an organization that receives spam on a daily basis. When I got to work each day I have about 30 spam emails from the night. My junkmail inbox is now over 500 at the end of my first week. I would have thought that the company could have better control over that?

The company size is definitely the most noticeable thing. It is so bizarre when I meet some random in the cafeteria while we are getting coffee and they ask “oh… you must be Heather, right?” I look at them with a blank stare and think “how the heck does this person know my name”. It kind of feels good though :)

Here are just a few of the fantastic perks I get:

• Onsite gym with all the equipment I could need. If there is need for another piece of equipment, they buy it for us. The company just recently bought another elliptical cause there were lineups for the 2 that were already there, and they bought 4 new bikes to include in the “spinning circle” so more people could join at the lunch time spinning classes.
• Towel service is included so no need worrying about my own dirty stinky towels. This is especially good for me since I will be showering every day after my ride to work in the morning.
• Indoor bike racks for commuters. Sweet deal! No need to drag my lock with me each day (yes… the little things make me very happy!).
• Free juice, coffee, tea, etc. We even have a cappuccino maker for brewing espresso and frothing milk. I have yet to figure out how the thing works (yes! I DID work in a coffee shop all summer) but once I do, I think I will make it part of my daily routine :)
• A health-bar filled with free snacks throughout the day – including basically unlimited granola bars of all sorts and baskets of fresh fruit. (I love this one!)