Wednesday. 10am. 2500 word term paper due. Scary university business.
Here is my last second dash to make it amazing. The struggle? Staying focused.
Getting me through? Twitching lights in the residence lounge & some fellows named the Flight of the Conchords.
This is my life. Wish me luck.
I’m never in BC long enough. Here I go again on another flight out to Ontario.
During my daily check on what the Blog Squad is writing about, I noticed that a few fellow bloggers were talking about how to get enough rest with only 4.5 hours of sleep and and another blogger was talking about how we need as much sleep as we can get. Well, I won’t argue on the sleeping all day and night side. I love being able to sleep in and next semester will be so much better because of that. But, I felt like it was only appropriate that I contribute to the discussion and let you know that I never went to bed last night. I know what you are thinking, Patty Fowler and Maegan Cowan, “Why?” “What were you doing?”
Highlights:
11pm– I’m back at Totem Park after a closing shift at the Eagle.
12pm– I hear a creepy voice calling my name from the couches by the fireplace in the commons block.. of course it’s Megan.. “the girl that I don’t know.” We study. We study hardcore.
12:30am– J’habite a Vancouver. French Essay.
1:14am– I play the Stephen Harper song really loud from my MacBook to embarrass Megan and make her angry. 🙂
2:00am– Megan goes to bed. Not much else she can do for studying- It’s a Gateman midterm. ’nuff said.
2:10am– A good western is happening in Green Grass Running Water. Only 60 more pages of it.
3:42am– Only 30 more pages of it…
4:00am– I finished all of my Jones Soda candy, cold Wendy’s chili, and all of my bubble gum. Students are still up playing ping pong and others are studying on the eve of a Gateman midterm. Number of times asked if I was studying for Gateman? -don’t ask. The dude puts a cartoon of himself on the front of his textbooks.
5:00am– I leave the commons block and head back to my floor. Megan couldn’t sleep. We write on the white board in the bathroom.. excessively. Where would you rather be if you weren’t at UBC right now? Backpacking… Edwin jokes… the usual. We probably wrote worst things and I just can’t remember it right now.
5:30am– Pack for the flight that is currently boarding as I type.
6:00am– Walk to Starbucks. It’s still dark outside. The street lamps glow in the morning rain. I order a Soy Caramel Brule Latte.
6:30am– I start my grand trek down the Wreck Beach stairs complete with my mittens and drink. Heading down to Wreck Beach is so beautiful. I stopped to look at how large the trees are, the vegetation warming the forest floor, and the leaves falling down to the ground.
7:07am– I wake up with the world and the ocean in a misty rain on a Vancouver Friday. The sky is never ending, the mist is refreshing, the clash of the waves sound amazing and my Uggs sink into the wet beach sand.
7:45am– BIG Totem breakfast!
9:00am– English 100.
The answer? A lot of red eye flights back and forth from Toronto. From one conference to the next and trying to keep up with my classes. On Monday I present at a conference in Ontario about youth in politics. I’m really stoked because I’m taking my creative juices in with me to the presentation. I was presented with a challenge from the conference organizers- to save money there will be no screens or projectors. So what do you do when you don’t have a powerpoint but you don’t want to just stand there and lecture someone? You create your own story book that tells the story of who you are and what you want to talk about for the entire audience. I’m working on that this week and super excited about it.
Also, I’ve always had the issue of never having business cards to give out. I could never figure out what I wanted to put on a business card that I wouldn’t get tired of after paying all that money to have them printed. My solution? I headed down to Deserres, the incredibly big and incredibly awesome art supplies store by the Granville stop on the 99. I’m making my own business cards by hand from hard copy scrap booking paper, cutting it to business card size, decorating it with thin strips of paper and stamping it with a bird on a branch. I’ll add my name and contact info in really nice print and make each card an individual experience. I actually think it is a great idea. It adds value, time, effort and tells a lot about who I am. I still struggle with what I should write under my name that captures everything I do.
With all of these conferences though, I’m spending a lot of time away from Vancouver and the weeks are flying by. I’m missing a day or two of class from the whole experience but that I’ve been able to manage. Some professors are scary but some are pretty cool. My French 101 Prof, Professor Bodolec, was awesome and was even willing to move my Chapter 3 test to another day so I could present at this conference on Monday. I let him know as early as possible (September) and he was really understanding.
The one thing that scares me is that I realized my first term paper is due in 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS! 30% of my grade! No one in high school taught me about intense research or how to write 2500 words! It’s super scary. I’m worried with being gone this weekend and preparing for the conference that it’s going to make 2 weeks turn into 1 week and then only a few days. I never realized how soon November 18th was.. especially since my Prof never mentioned the term paper in the lecture and I just so happened to think about it the other day and check the syllabus. This is the hardest thing I’m dealing with right now.. and this is what I’ve figured out.
1) I’m scared. 2) I can’t do it all and school on top of that. 3) Holy crap.
Here’s what I’ve done about it.
1 ) I’ve taken a leave of absence from my job. Even though I work under 10 hours a week, the commute kills me and it takes up my entire day. Don’t work! Don’t get a job! I am a shop-a-holic and I spend like there is no tomorrow but it is just something that has to be done. November is my focusing month and December is exams. I have a life size painting of myself that I need to complete, 3 term papers and 4 exams. I need those two extra days in my week.
2 ) I met with Vanessa Kam, the wicked-awesome Art Librarian in Irving K. She told me about how to research in the UBC Library (because I felt like no one so far has taught me much about research) and pointed me in the direction of who I can ask about writing. She also gave me an idea about the process of writing a term paper and offered more help if needed. It’s a good idea to seek help from subject librarians.
3 ) I followed Vanessa’s advice and I went to the Chapman Learning Commons and found out that there is drop-in writing help from 4-8pm Monday to Thursday for stuff like grammar and writing styles. There is also research help from 12-2pm Monday to Friday and 4-6pm Monday to Thursday which is great to get you started when you have no idea what to look for or what to do. I was told it gets really busy within the next two weeks and will continue until the end of the semester but right now it’s not so bad! I should meet with them next week. Turns out that room is for something more than just looking pretty.
4 ) I’m reading on the bus. Usually I sit there and relax on my long rides down Broadway. Now I’m diving into Canada’s Judiciary and reading what Prime Minister Harper had to say back in 2001 about building Alberta’s “firewall.” I can get through so much on a bus ride and I didn’t realize it. I recommend that everyone tries this. The only hard thing is when people are talking and distracting. That’s when you start to read the same sentence 6 times or you get through a page and then you don’t even know what you just read.
5 ) I’m trying to limit what I do during the week to make more time for school work if I’m gone all the time to Ontario for conferences. I can’t do it all, right?
6 ) I’m finding quiet study spaces other than Irving K Barber because as much as I love the environment- it is often hard to concentrate there. On Friday I studied in the 1960’s study space located in the 2nd floor links in the Totem houses. So quiet. No one knows they exist. They are ugly. Why go there. Exactly. Get stuff done.
7 ) Sleep is helping me stay awake during lectures! I actually didn’t feel sleepy yesterday in Art History for the first time in a while. I’m retaining more from the lectures. I still need to work on this, for example, it is almost midnight as I write this and I still have to start my readings for tomorrow. Long story to why it is midnight and why I am just starting now but let’s just say let’s not smash our lamps at nine in the morning, kids.
8 ) “Be Awesome.”
9 ) Don’t even bother putting in contacts instead of glasses. Don’t even bother with a hair straightener… people liked big hair in the 80’s anyways. And my boyfriend is still sticking around me with my messy hair. It’s all cool.
10 ) Don’t sit next to people you like to pass notes with in lectures. If you do sit next to someone you talk to during lectures, tell me what your lecture was about afterwards. I’ve now started sitting on the other side of my Poli Sci lecture hall for the first time this semester just so I can retain information and learn. Every little bit helps.
Please send me positive vibes as I embark on the painting, those SCARY term papers (especially the one due in 2 weeks that we will nickname “the Beast”), and my final exams. I’ll send you positive vibes back and keep you updated on the Beast.
Blitzen Trapper: Furr
The Beatles: When I Saw Her Standing There
Kings of Leon: 17
Life update:
I wrote my first midterm today.. note to self: always double space and only write on one side of the paper. Another note to self: remember this before you write all of your answers down.
My floor in res started the legendary game of Sock Wars last week with our bro floor. I was killed only a few days in. I was tricked by a clever text inviting me to join them for a chocolate milk. Even though I never put effort into playing Sock Wars like carrying the safety item (which was a textbook, how easy is that) none the less, I was owned by strategy carried out by Sam.
My residence diet: I consume 5 whole honeydew melons a week, as pointed out by Katie, which replaced my grapes addiction. I have mistakenly bought the biggest container of crab soup you have ever seen when all I wanted was tomato. Chocolate milk is still a favorite even with my intolerance and I have drank way too many Vitamin Waters that I can’t even look at them anymore. Otherwise, I discovered peanut butter and bananas help to keep me awake after I start to fall asleep in my lectures. I felt like more food experimentation was necessary so I tried apples and churned honey…. no good, don’t try it. Who churns honey anyways? I just want regular honey.
When my RA writes on the weekly question board in the bathroom, “Who is your celebrity crush?” you can expect “EDWIN” and “DANIEL MAGDER” all over it. About four times. And then “EDWIN” a few more times on the mirror.
Last Saturday the fire alarm in Totem was pulled… again. Maegan was in the Commons Block when we had to exit our residence buildings. She went to a party and when she arrived they told her it was a mustache party. She excitedly agreed to let them draw a mustache on her face. Turns out, Maegan was the only one with a mustache at the mustache party. But obviously, she still had a good time. 🙂
Blog Squad pizza party! That’s Carman playing Taboo with us in Buchanan. She killed any competition.
IKBLC at night, UBC glowing with street lights, and all of the trees turning from vibrant green to raging red. These are a few of my favorite things.
It’s a good thing I always know where my Residence Advisor is…
Writing messages on your friends white board on their dorm room door is one of the best things about res.
Meet Harold, my freakin’ awesome venus fly trap. I didn’t even know you could own one of those as a house plant until I went to the Botanical Garden Indoor Plant Sale. He’s just chillin’ next to Marty, my other house plant and then Francis is a bunch of pink flowers that chill on my desk. I was told naming them will help them stay alive since my mother and I can’t even over water bamboo.
It was 1am. I was hungry. I convinced Sebastien to go to the village to grab some food with me. Turns out it it started to rain cats and dogs, so everyone from the frats decided it was a good idea to join us for food too. This is the only table that was free for us to eat at. Note the pickle on the wall. Straight up class.
Studying for one of my many French tests in IKBLC. I’ve been eating the grapes from the Totem Dining Hall for the last 3 weeks straight. It’s one of the only things I’ll go for. Now I’ve been adding honeydew melon into the mix. Not much else to eat when the pancakes are rock solid and I want to stay healthy.
Mr. Jason Mraz playing to me in a crowd of only 100 at GM Place the night before We Day 2009. Freaking awesome. He’s such a chill guy.
Totem food once again. It’s happy to be a shepherds pie.
Colour Wars is the one day where all of the houses in Totem come together to battle it out in tacky house colour themed outfits and face paint to determine which house wins the house cup. Nootka, ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhh, came in third and as you can tell from my photos, we’re really good at sporting our gold/yellow. I personally enjoyed waking up early on a Saturday to pots and pans banging in the hallway, my RA in a tight gold skirt, crushing other houses at tug-a-war and still not being able to throw a dodge ball. It’s all that upper body strength that I’m missing. All and all, it was a fun time showing my house spirit and I know that “at least I’m not Dene.”
There must be like a Hot Boy Society at UBC who has a table set up somewhere. Maybe hidden behind the Sauder clubs on Main Mall or the Chinese Society who owns the Chem Building lawn across from the bookstore. But why haven’t I found them yet? I’ve been really good about wearing my glasses…
All of that changed this morning. If the society does exist, I now know where they all come together to meet and discuss hot boy topics like… Flight of the Conchords? or.. Powerthirst YouTube videos? I’m not sure what hot boys would discuss, hopefully they can quote a few good lines from Powerthirst for me but, as long as they look outstanding I really don’t give a damn.
Here’s what you want to know: All the hot boys in Totem come out for 8am breakfast in the dining hall. As if they all own pagers from the 90s or something and they were all paged to go to the dining hall for free gym memberships- they all just flood the room out of no where. One second I’m grabbing my chocolate milk, the next second I’m noticing gorgeous boys all around me. If I knew how, I’d make a pie graph to show you the percentage of hot boys that were in the dining hall compared to average looking people like myself. There was so many of them, it was like they were walking in slow motion. I’m not kidding.
Girls- you now know. 8am breakfast- the dining hall is infested with hot first year men. I have done my duty as a blogger and the world now knows. I can now watch Glee with a clear conscience.
If you haven’t already met Mark, a fellow first year UBC Blog Squad Member, you probably should. Today I developed a really bad cold and was lucky enough to have classes from 9am-4pm today with a 2 hour reading break in the library. I haven’t even had classes for one week and I’m already sick- lucky me. So when I decided to take a nap this evening, Mark showed up at my door with Ikea ginger snap cookies and some cough syrup. After working on healing my short little body, he took me to his room to brew me some lovely tea to help my throat. What a sweetheart. See, use bloggers are the best souls in the world.
So here’s the fun part. Mark is half aware of this and half unaware. He gave me some blackhead strips to try out for fun and suggested I wait until I’m healed later this week. Little does he know that I am a huge fan of public embarrassment and I decided to take photos and blog about my experience of trying blackhead strips for the first time. He also doesn’t know that I’m advertising this on my blog either (surprise!) or that I have no respect for my ill little body and I went ahead and put them on my face during today’s Gossip Girl season premiere that everyone but me was watching. PS, Kevin our Residence Coordinator loves Gossip Girl and has a flat screen tv in his room to watch it on. Pure dedication.
Meet Maegan and Megan! Roommates and the photographers for the evening’s events.
Before shot of my face in our Totem bathroom.
I’m absolutely crazy about LUSH products and it’s all I use. Here’s my super weird looking facial scrub called Dark Angel.
Scrubbing up my face getting ready for the blackhead strips.
Applying the white strips to my forehead and nose.
Directions: Leave on face for 10-15 minutes until it hardens.
Step 2: Blue steal.
Harden quicker blackhead strips, I know I look hot and all in them but I’ve got readings to do.
Step 3: Texting Vanier friends while waiting for the time to pass is a must.
Step 4: Time’s up! Let’s get pulling!
Getting the most painful one done first: the nose strip.
Blackhead removal action that you cannot see which is great because that would be just awkward.
The forehead strip hurt more then I thought. Thanks Mark for providing me with entertainment.
Strips are all done! Thank goodness. Time to clean off the strip area again with my crazy black stuff that scares people.
Now some LUSH Tea Tree Toner.. ohhhh yeahh 🙂
Squeaky clean! Results: Some blackheads were removed from my nose area but, I should of left it on a little bit longer instead of getting inpatient around the 12 minute mark. I am now ready to go to class lookin’ gooood and to surprise Mark with this blog post. 🙂