Bill Gates and the Prime Minister in Waterloo...well isn't that just breaking news...oh and student from Western goes down in the 2006 Guinness Book of Records for having longest nipple hair.
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2005/10/13/1260038-sun.html.
see link for the story ...ewww..thank goodness it was a boy...but still...and in other headline news I passed my biology midterm...yay!

So, being the sometimes fashion forward girl that I am..it depends on who you are speaking to but whatever I went and got my hair highlighted at a salon not even a month ago...it being the autumn I decided to get red streaks..needless to say you can't tell that I got them done...and at $100 later that is a hefty mistake..so I called and told them how unimpressed I was and they are getting redone tomorrow! hah!..I'll let you all know how they turn out because I'm sure you care so much;)...Rachel

Today I was working at the grocery store, I went to take my 15 minute break..while I was in the staff room I sat down with a paper describing the devastation that was left behind from Hurricane Katrina...and the woman next to me began talking to me about the hurricane and the way that it would affect the lives of the people in New Orleans and the surrounding states...we began our conversation with the regular pleasentries...Hi..how are you? etc..and what struck me was that we never really expect to hear the truth..the expected answer is ..."oh I'm fine.."..or "I'm okay"...and when she actually went on to tell me how she felt about the hurricane..and her daughter moving to university tomorrow and how she was happy that her daughter was having a chance at something she had never had and such I was kind of surprised....but at the same time it was nice to be having this totally random conversation with an employee whom I had just met..and it was a totally honest conversation, sometimes it seems like the most honest conversations can occur between total strangers...it also made me realize how superficial we are..and how we can fake smiles and greeting so easily, all because people really don't have time or the energy to deal with reality..and the fact that sometimes life sucks...and that it doesn't have to be a bright, sunshiney day all the time....weird how things change when you look at the real issues and not the glossed over versions of life and people's life stories...

Well..it's weird the way that my moods can change depending on the people that I am talking to..and the situations..yesturday I helped Matt move..which was fun times for sure! I mean really..can you beat successfully driving in Toronto, moving 8 months worth of stuff! (and let me tell you Matt had did an awesome job of not keeping some stuff! yay!)..shopping at H&M and having dinner at Happy Seven!?..oh AND riding on a street car....all in less than 24 hours...it was a good use of time for sure:)..wow that description says little town girl..meh....plus my shopping mission was a success..mm and happy seven was soo yummy! whoa what a day!...then today began...the day dawned nice and sunny...I got up at 8am...went and walked the dog where I am house sitting...had a nice morning jog and enjoyed the beautiful weather..I went to the waterpark with my mom, and my little brother and sister..I went down the water slide...(once! the air was soo cold)..got a bit pink from the sun and I was having a wonderful time...I came home and was still in a great mood..UNTIL someone decided to not be nice...and to hang up on me...TWICE....not very impressed..so I was all upset..running on not enough sleep (my body just naturally wakes up at 8am..sigh)..so I go to leave for work at the neighbours dog had gotten into the garage....and ripped all of the bags of garbage open!!!!and had spread it ALL OVER THE LAWN and the driveway...and it was icky garbage..not like papers...but like real garbage!..needless to say by this point I am so worked up that I called my dad..almost in tears..and told him to come and take care of it..cause I was going to be late for work..and two of their cats had also gotten into the garage and I couldn't get them to leave!aghh..so I went to work (my second shift at the grocery store....it was okay)...and had a semi stress free rest of the night!!!!!..being an emotional girl sucks~...soooo lessons learned over the past two days...1.)morning jogs in the woods are great..thistle plants in contact with the legs..not so much...2.)DON'T EVER HANG UP ON ME..i become very grumpy...3.)if you are a dog..or anyone for that matter..stay out of the garbage..and DO not spread it all over the lawn 5 minutes before I have to leave home!!!!!....4.)thank goodness there are friends and family members who can deal with my state of emotions...it's like that song by relient k..mood rings..see lyrics at bottom of the page...and now I need sleep!!!!!!so....I'm heading to bed..and hoping that tomorrow goes as well as Thrusday and this morning did..but you have to have the bad moments to make you appreciate the good moments more I guess!:)Lyrics to the theme song of the day:

Relient K - Mood Ring Lyrics
We all know the girls that I am talking about.
Well they are time bombs and they are ticking
And the only question is when...they'll blow up!
And they'll blow up, we know that without a doubt.
Cause they're those girls, yeah, you know those girls
That let their emotions get the best of them.
GO!!!

And I've contrived some sort of a plan
To help my fellow man...

Let's get emotional girls to all wear mood rings
So we'll be tipped off to when they're ticked off
Cause we'll know just what they're thinking,
Just what they're thinking...

She's so pretty but she doesn't always act that way
Emotions swinging on the swingset almost everyday
She said to me that she's so happy it's depressing
And all I said was "Someone get that girl a mood ring!"

If it's drama you want, then look no further
They're like the Real World meets Boy Meets World
meets Days of Our Lives.
And it just kills me how they get away with murder
They'll anger you then bat their eyes
Those pretty eyes that watch you sympathize
GO!!!

And I've contrived some sort of a plan
To help my fellow man...

Let's get emotional girls to all wear mood rings
So we'll be tipped off to when they're ticked off
Cause we'll know just what they're thinking,
Just what they're thinking...

She's so pretty but she doesn't always act that way
Emotions swinging on the swingset almost everyday
She said to me that she's so stressed out that it's soothing
And all I said was "Someone get that girl a mood ring!"

Cause when it's black means "watch your back" because you're
probably
The last person in the world right now she wants to see
And when it's blue it means you should call her up immediatly
and ask her out because she'll most likely agree
And when it's green it simply means that she is really stressed
And when it's clear it means she's completely emotionless
And that's alright I must confess

We all know the girls that I am talking about
She likes you Wednesday, but now it's Friday
And she has to wash her hair
And it just figures that we'll never figure them out
Well, first she's Jekyll and then she's Hyde...
at least she makes a lovely pair.

Mood Ring, oh Mood Ring,
oh tell me will you bring the key
To unlock this mystery?
Of girls and their emotions
Play it back in slow motion
So I may understand
The complex infrastucture known as the female mind

So this weekend my friend Melanie from university got married and I got the privilege to stand up in her wedding party..it was awesome to be there and to know that this is the event that she has been looking forward to since she began dating her husband (whoa..crazy that she is married)..and it was a bit crazy to think that at our age people know with whom they want to spend the rest of their lives with..the wedding was beautiful, the ceremony went without a hitch and the reception was spent eating and dancing and having an awesome time! I even caught her bouquet!! it was lovely...although I really don't plan on being the next one to get married...well weeping...at the wedding and during the pictures Melanie's mom..and Mel..and the rest of us were all a bit teary eyed..and I must say that they were happy tears..but at the same time it was mixed emotions..it's hard to see people move from one stage of their lives to another stages sometimes..and to know that now this "other" person is the central person in their lives...the whole wedding was unique as it was the first time that I actually realized how permanent this whole idea of a marriage is..and how it binds the lives of two people together..anyways enough random thoughts about love and commitment and such..back to the valuable lessons of the day:
1.)don't sleep with the super hairsprayed updo in overnight..it is VERY painful to try and remove the bobby pins the next morning
2.)thanks goodness for Giant Tiger and the selection of undergarments..always pack with care before leaving home..enough said
3.)family is very important, as are friends..and it is okay to cry at weddings
4.)when buying a wedding dress make sure that it is easily liftable..ie)helping the bride go pee is not so pretty
5.)enjoy the day!!!!!!...it only happens once so have fun!
6.)ribbons will substitute as garter belts..how does a garter belt go MIA in the first place? ..weird!
7.)EAT BREAKFAST!! grumbly tummies do not sound good during the wedding ceremony!
8.)..that's all!..smile for the camera ladies and gents!

I really don't want to go into specifics..but right now I am a little sad to be leaving the summer behind..I met some really cool people this summer and it sucks to think that I might never see them again.....but at the same time it is a good feeling to know that you can have happiness in relationships momentarily and that even if you don't have contact again it was worth the time spent together in the past..I'm in such a state of confusion right now..I think that going back to school will be alright..but at the same time I feel like something will be missing that I found in my "freedom" from the university life this summer....but I guess sometimes relationships are like shooting stars...(reference to my favorite movie "The Notebook"....)..they are there and they are brilliant..and then when the time comes they end..but even when you move forward there is still the distant memory of the past....and sometimes that is enough to carry you forward into the future...anyways enough of my trying to be secretive for one evening!

Things have been really weird recently..just when I think I know where things in my life are going they suddenly change..last week was very stressful for me, I received an email from a guy that I had known in my first year at university saying that he had really messed up some things in his life and that he was going to commit suicide that day..so needless to say I called the police, I hadn't talked to the guy in over a year and it really scared me that someone could be so low and feel so worthless that they would do something like that...things turned out okay so far,he was found and is in the hospital..in the email he told be that he appreciated me being his friend..but really when I look back at it now I treated him just like I did all of the other people that I met..I was so focused on what was going on in my life that I never really went out of my way to get to know people, and it seemed strange that we can make such a big impression on people and not realize it at the time..or ever..in a way that kind of scares me..and it the whole circumstance also made me realize how lucky we are to have friends and family that we can turn to when we have problems..and that no one deserves to die without knowing that someone out there cares for them..I guess at the moment I am still a bit shaken up..but it's really made me think about how I look and act towards other people..especially when I have no idea that they are watching me..*creepy*..enough with the deep thoughts and onto some fun for the evening!

Today I realized that I am slowly growing up, but I didn’t really realize how much growing up has changed areas of my life until basically this moment. This past weekend seemed to be the epitome of everything that has changed in my life..here goes:
When I was in high school I always felt like I had to be accepted and that if you didn’t have a big group of friends you weren’t cool..this past weekend a bunch of people from high school went camping, I decided to decline the invitation as I opted for spending the time with other friends, it isn’t that I don’t like my high school friends, it’s just that we have all changed from who we were back then and basically I’m learning that the old adage “there is safety in numbers” isn’t always true…One of my good friends has shown me that sometimes it is better to have a few close friends, rather than to have a big group of friends who are people you can hang out with, but who you never really get to know personally..that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the high school friends any longer, it’s just that it comes to a point where you have to move on from the past..(we had good times don’t get me wrong, but you need to keep old memories along with making new ones) but sometimes you need to make new friends in order to be able to have people to enjoy the future with…. “make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.”
Also I have have begun to realize that with the aging process comes freedom..this past weekend I drove downtown Toronto..which is a big feat for a girl who comes from a town with dirt roads and the biggest obstacles facing you are random deer and maybe a stray cow or two…it was a ‘different’ experience..but it was actually exhilarating... for me, probably not for my passengers though… “Rachel, watch for streetcars, random pedestrians and bicyclists…!!!!!!” Thanks to my great cheerleading team we made it through Toronto alive…yay!..and it made me realize that things I would have never had the courage to do even a month ago I am able to do because a) I have friends who are good with maps..and b) it’s okay to be scared of new experiences, but the only way that you will know if you like them or not is if you try, you might miss out on something wonderful if you are too scared to take the chance…takes chances..make mistakes..and onto the chopsticks..
So when I was in Toronto I got to try real dim sum…which was actually quite tasty! As a child I was a very picky eater..well even now I can be very picky..so when I was faced with shrimp dumplings and battered squid I was a little leery about trying them…but it turned out that the shrimp was actually very enjoyable! And the squid..well not so much..I even ate onions and peppers..both of which I would not have eaten before…anyways back to the learning experiences..I tried eating with chopsticks, under the wonderful coaching of my two pro-chopsticks friends..and although I probably would have not managed to get a morsel of food in my mouth with the chopsticks it was great trying something different…and having people there that encourage you, even if it is something that small..so lesson learned..although things might look different and seem scary at the time..it is worth it to try because if you never try it you might end up missing out on something you could have enjoyed!