Grey Cup 2005

My favourite day in November arrived with an actual party! Thanks to my new friend - Ash - I had a football extravaganza to go to this year to watch the Montreal Allouettes take on the Edmonton Eskimos. It was a rubber match this year as the teams have met in the big game twice before - each winning one. I, of course, had to cheer for the Als as the Eskimos are the sworn enemies of my Stampeders and to root for the green and gold is a crime. Sadly, Ash did not agree. He decided to stay true to his western allegiance (he's actually a Sask. fan) and take the dark side. The game was on. With the help of some Crown Royal, amazing nachos, BBQ sausages, an arsenal of smart remarks, and the rules of a drinking game sorted ... we were set for the game.

What began as the slowest and sloppiest first half of football (turnovers galore, Calvillo's inability to generate an offensive drive) the game took off after a mediocre half-time show by the Black Eyed Peas. By the end of the 3rd quarter, things were really heating up and touchdown drinks were being downed. For only the second time in history, the game went into overtime. What more do football fans want? Well, double-overtime would have be nice! But it was not to be. The Eskimos took the game by 3 and Montreal was forced to slink away through the flying green & white ribbon blizzard.

In other news? Sean Millington looked absolutely faboulous in solid black with a metallic pink tie. And Greg Frers is still my cutie pie commentator. I got the opportunity to school the odd football newbie and make my name as the most gridiron-loving loudmouth in the room. And then Ash did the touchdown dance. AHHHHH ... I'll blame it on the rye ... on the really good rye. Other moments from the evening below...

Bar in a Box!!!!!

Seriously, this is the greatest thing I have seen yet. On Friday night, I was at the NSLC with Nancy and we find the holiday up-sell package to end all up-sells ... The Bar in a Box. That's 6 full bottles of liquor for the single price of $133! That's like getting a full 2-6 for FREE!

Well, lo and behold, I find myself back at the liquor store the next day (yes, it is the end of the semester and yes, I do have many papers to write) to buy "supplies" for the Grey Cup event Ash was hosting Sunday. And there it was ... The Bar in a Box. We tried to resist it, but after some minimal discussion over who would recieve which bottle it was a done deal. Ash, Greg and myself had been upsold. So here we are with our divine purchase.
Welcome to the holiday season!

Dear Santa...

When I was a little girl living in the snow-drift farmland of northern Saskatchewan, the first hint of Christmas was the arrival of the Sears Wishbook. It was my inspirational tool for writing to Santa Claus and me and my brother would pour over the pages of toys and decide what we wanted each year. (We seldom got exactly what we wanted and I never did recieve that bedtime-lullaby teddy bear, but whatever.)

It was in the Wishbook that I circled my preferred choices of presents and sat down to write my letter to Santa. "Dear Santa, I would like "cherry" the pink My Little Pony on page 72, etc." Knowing what I know now about Santa, this tactic was probably the most helpful I could be but it also made me demanding as the pages inevitably inspired more interest in more toys than the saturday morning commercials provided. So, on this day, exactly one month before I will lay my head down and dream of dancing sugar plums, I offer my letter to Santa...

In no particular order, the following would be appreciated...
- a memory key (sooooo helpful)
- a replacement watch (not that MY watch can be replaced!)
- a cordless mouse (soooo convenient)
- a digital camera (ok - a tad rich but still dreaming)
- a mini-MP3 player (one like Cathy's that "fits in my cleavage")
- the 3rd Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants Book
- a Herb Ritts "Supermodels" poster print
- a ceramic hair straightener
- antivirus software for my laptop
- camera film (200 or 400 series)
- Toy Story on DVD
- the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on DVD
- the ORIGINAL Star Wars Trilogy on DVD
- movie passes
- subscriptions to "The Economist" & "Harvard Business Review"
- the Maroon 5 CD
- box(es) of After Eight chocolates
- a pair of black leather gloves (6.5/7)
- the complete Sex & the City DVD set
- original trilogy Star Wars Monopoly
- any book by John Ralston Saul
- a bottle of Crown Royal
- a cell phone package
- Old Navy gift certificates
- a massage
- The English Roses children's book by Madonna
- Hugs and Love
- Good health for my family and friends

Looking Ahead to Being Back

I don't know how it happens that babies become people so fast. Every time a new batch of nephew photos is released I am always in awe of how much he has grown. Does this aspect of human development ever stop being amazing?

Only two weeks and I will be back in Ontario. I remember feeling so relieved when I left, but recently I have been remembering all that I have back there and it will be nice to be with my family again. It will be Taggart's first Christmas so that is sure to bring some extra sparkle to the family. I just can't wait to see him - big eyes, new teeth, vertical movement and all!

Gridiron Gladness

Today was the Uteck Bowl. Yes, I know, nobody knows what that is. Well, maybe if you are an avid follower of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football you would know. But as for me? I didn't know what it was until I got here. That's also because this year is only the 3rd Uteck Bowl to be played. The name was changed (to honour Larry Uteck)from the Churchill Bowl in 2003. The game is played between the top Atlantic university team and the winner of the Ontario or Quebec conference on a rotating basis. This year it was Ontario's turn to fly out east and play.

There was not a cloud in a sky that was pristinely blue. The air was crisp with a breeze that was just sub-zero. It was the perfect day for football. The aura of autumn in the air. The scent of bbq smoke in the stands. The energy of 5000 people enjoying the event. It was just what I hoped it would be ... and for $28.50 a ticket I actually had some expectations.

This year saw the Acadia Axemen (Colin's team! and my only friend who made it to the game with me!) and the Laurier Golden Hawks battle it out for a slot in the Vanier Cup. The Axemen came in as 14-point underdogs and left in worse condition than that prediction. The game opened with a quick drive to a field goal for the Axemen that set the predominately maritime crowd in a positive mood. But the 3-points were quickly answered with a massive touchdown run by the Hawks and Acadia's weakness at stopping the Laurier rush was cemented. In truth, Laurier just out-played Acadia through and through. The Hawks took the game 31-10. Ouch!

But for me, it didn't really matter. I would have preferred a more intense match-up (check out the details of the Mitchell Bowl with Laval and Saskatchewan if you want intensity!!!) but I will not complain. It was freezing cold sitting in the stands but I still won't complain. My season of university football watching has come to a close and it was a blast. Can't wait for next year!

Good Bye Peter F. Drucker

Peter Drucker died on Friday, November 11. Being the self-absorbed and trivial person that I was on Friday, I didn't read the news so I am a little late in my comments. His passing is a sad moment for management everywhere as he was truly one of the great minds of modern business.

I began reading Drucker in earnest last year and his accessible style and reasonable arguments resonated with me. He made me think that there could be a place for me in management theory afterall. Drucker is known for always being ahead of his time, but to me, his greatest contribution is never letting us forget that business is essentially about people. He was a supporter of the non-profit sector and believed that many of the best lessons could be learned from this arena. He was the first to recognize the advent of the "knowledge worker" that we know take as a given.

A CBC article on his passing presented the following:
Drucker viewed management as an art. "It deals with people, their values, their growth and development, social structure, the community and even with spiritual concerns ... the nature of humankind, good and evil."
It is for these beliefs, those so close to mine in many ways, that he will be remembered.

Raindrops on Roses...

...and whiskers on kittens...
In light of my current affliction with the following:
the toncilitis/strepe/flu bug (blocked ears and white tongue included)
the procrastination bug
the "why doesn't he call?" bug
the blocked brain bug
the super-sore-muscles bug
the fear of the future bug
AND
the November blahs bug
I thought I would list some of the things that are my favourite at the moment.
... the Halifax Alehouse (its not called the "tale (tail) house" for nothing)
... 3am slices from Pizza Corner and the easy walk home
... shopping with Tanya (here we come "no tax" thursday!)
... $2 rye and gingers
... varsity football
... "Grey's Anatomy" on Sunday nights
... the fall leaves whipping in the air and crunching under my feet
... being captain of the MBA Games volleyball team (we rule!)
... living in residence (SO convenient)
... zip-front rayon cardigan sweaters (my new addiction)
... that cheesy (yet catchy) J.D. Fortune/INXS tune
... chai lattes from caffe ristretto
... cheap, yet succulent, pan-fried haddock
... knowing the answer more often than not
... being able to wear a belt again
... talking hot cars with Jman (he's getting good stuff now!)
... mini-videos of my nephew (he recently discovered helium balloons!)
... my sister-in-law (for keeping me sane)
... my duvet
... the bathtub - thank god my apt. has one or I would be worse off than I am!

Half- Full? ... Feeling Half-Empty

So I slept in today and missed two classes. I missed two classes that I was prepared for and had assignments to hand in - both of which were complete. But I missed them. Stuck in my REM and duvet-comfiness and not out of bed on time. I am hitting the November wall. That moment near the end of the semester when everything is painful, everything is a chore, everything is something from which to hide. Time to turtle.

In truth, school is the least of my concerns. I am actually doing quite well when I can channel my focus and produce. What I am most concerned with is myself. I appear to be floating in a realm of disconnectedness lately that is frustrating. Every day that goes by I feel less and less sure of my life direction. With each moment I find myself more unsure of what I should be doing, where I should go, how the hell I am going to get anywhere.

I feel that my life is coloured in shades of Ryerson all over again - and that makes me afraid. I don't want to lose myself in the sea of stimulation again so that I cannot find my identity or keep myself under control. I don't want to wait out my weeks until the weekend when I can use social oblivion to heal all wounds. I want to feel satisfied ... I want my contentedness back.

There is much going on these days. My cousin who is sick and has to face some major challenges and I feel far away and helpless to console her. My friends who recently announced that they are expecting their first child and I realize how far away I am from anything remotely that spectacular. My confusing interest in someone and the angst it brings despite my best attempts at clarity. My recent realizations that I don't have a lot of "real life" experience in SO many ways that I feel small and unprepared and, at the same time, tired of "hiding" in school.

I know navel-gazing and self-indulgent posts like this are a pain. It's really just that time of the month ... welcome to November.