This is not an eloquent blog post. This is not a post about politics, about trivial details of everyday life, about school or the future.
This is a post that I am writing honestly and from my heart, and it won't be long or wordy.
Emily Stauffer was killed by an unknown attacker on Saturday, September 27th, at about 4:45 in the afternoon, as she was walking in her hometown of Edson, Alberta.
I knew Emily. I didn't know her intimately, and I won't pretend to be one of her best friends. She was a bright, unique, enthusiastic fourteen-year-old, who loved God and who is now with Him in heaven, where she is happier than any of us can be on earth. Since Saturday, I and my family and our church have cried a lot. They aren't tears for Emily. They're tears because we'll miss her, and tears for her family, and tears for her church. Someday, we'll see her again.
Please pray. Pray for the Stauffer family, for the church that they pastor, and for the community that they live in. Pray that through this, God will be glorified.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
30 September 2008
22 September 2008
I feel like Garfield
AND it's raining.
Is this some sort of reflection on it being Hobbit Day today? I certainly hope not. Bilbo and Frodo do not deserve rain and Monday-ness on their birthday.
"Well, it's not really foreshadowing. It's like obvious foreshadowing."
"So what do you call that?"
"...prophecy?"
19 September 2008
Productivity is overrated
I was sitting here staring aimlessly at my laptop screen anyway so I figured I might as well conjure up a post. Fridays invoke this strange lethargy in me and I have no urge to make progress on absolutely anything except the list of Top 25 Most Played in my iTunes library. Oh, I will, I know I will, because piano must be given its requisite hour and a half, and I cannot quote Luke 2:1-40 word-perfect yet, and I haven't studied music history in two days. However, I am almost finished my diagnostic essay, which is the first one due in my English course, and the course itself doesn't even start until October 1st, so I figure I'm decently ahead enough that I can take one day off.
[/justifying laziness]
This week was:
Music: Rebirthing by Skillet; Paper Rain (Remix) by Amanda Stott; For The Beauty of the Earth by BarlowGirl. I am discovering that I can tolerate almost every genre of music in existence, possibly excluding screamo.
Books: The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, since the beginning of August. I'm reaching the end. There are 10 more of like length after it, which makes me happy, because fantasy does not get much better than Wheel of Time. Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, just finished the chapter titled: "Significance of Deity: Lord, Liar or Lunatic?" and Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris.
Clothing: I know nobody is really very interested, but I love my brown hoody. I love it. And my skinny-ish-but-not-really jeans from Reitmans that will start to get holes if I wear them any more.
Other: My favorite blue pen, a Dead Man's Chest popcorn bucket, chemistry equations, two flotillas of mini card ships, chocolate chip cookies, the slightly insane Hector Berlioz, Mike Lake lawn signs, Luke 2:39, la voiture rouge, too-short headphones, inept party leaders, thesis statements, and Phantom Grey.
Monday I am attending a workshop thingy for student-teaching piano, and will hopefully have acquired some students...sometime. I am teaching piano. 'Tis a strange world.
Here's hoping that next week isn't as jam-packed as this one. Because hope springs eternal.
:)
Melda
"My bus comes at 7:30. So I get out of bed at 7:29 and hope it comes at 7:34."
[/justifying laziness]
This week was:
Music: Rebirthing by Skillet; Paper Rain (Remix) by Amanda Stott; For The Beauty of the Earth by BarlowGirl. I am discovering that I can tolerate almost every genre of music in existence, possibly excluding screamo.
Books: The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, since the beginning of August. I'm reaching the end. There are 10 more of like length after it, which makes me happy, because fantasy does not get much better than Wheel of Time. Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, just finished the chapter titled: "Significance of Deity: Lord, Liar or Lunatic?" and Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris.
Clothing: I know nobody is really very interested, but I love my brown hoody. I love it. And my skinny-ish-but-not-really jeans from Reitmans that will start to get holes if I wear them any more.
Other: My favorite blue pen, a Dead Man's Chest popcorn bucket, chemistry equations, two flotillas of mini card ships, chocolate chip cookies, the slightly insane Hector Berlioz, Mike Lake lawn signs, Luke 2:39, la voiture rouge, too-short headphones, inept party leaders, thesis statements, and Phantom Grey.
Monday I am attending a workshop thingy for student-teaching piano, and will hopefully have acquired some students...sometime. I am teaching piano. 'Tis a strange world.
Here's hoping that next week isn't as jam-packed as this one. Because hope springs eternal.
:)
Melda
"My bus comes at 7:30. So I get out of bed at 7:29 and hope it comes at 7:34."
11 September 2008
A Conglomeration
...is what today is. Yes, 'tis Thursday, and I am blogging.
First bit of the conglomeration: The election is coming right along. I've been out knocking on doors twice this week and am planning to do so again tonight. However, my observations of the news on said election have not been all positive. I find it pretty much unequivocally stupid that Elizabeth May has landed herself a spot in the leaders' debate. This is not about anti-feminism, or the rights of the environment - if the Green Party had SEATS, I would say let her in the debate, and happily. But guess what? They have no such thing. Oh, unless you count the pseudo-seat of Blair Wilson, a Vancouver MP elected as a Liberal in 2006, who was booted from his party and therefore approached the Greens to become one of theirs. That is no elected Member of Parliament.
Second bit of the conglomeration: I think this is what it feels like to be busy with school. I don't know how I like it. I really hope it doesn't get unmanageable once I've started into my English course in earnest, and begun piano again. Part of the busy-ness is because of the election, too, but if this is how busy I am with that, how will I ever manage a job?
Third and last bit of the conglomeration (I just like that word): I'm almost finished reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, and I'm a bit surprised by how I do agree with most of his points. All the uncertainties about dating and courtship and what-have-you that I've bandied about this year actually have some very decent answers in there. I really wonder how different society would be if we approached dating with serious thought to marriage, not just a selfish desire for romantic satisfaction. But that's another discussion for another time, and I'm aware that opinion is a bit radical, so that'll be it for now.
Oh, and one more thing - if any of you have been reading Okay, NOW Panic (by boz4pm) on fanfiction.net, the latest chapter was a huge YES FINALLY TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH! I was grinning maniacally by the end. (They're worse than M/K.)
"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." - Ronald Reagan
[snicker at Obama and his two memoirs]
First bit of the conglomeration: The election is coming right along. I've been out knocking on doors twice this week and am planning to do so again tonight. However, my observations of the news on said election have not been all positive. I find it pretty much unequivocally stupid that Elizabeth May has landed herself a spot in the leaders' debate. This is not about anti-feminism, or the rights of the environment - if the Green Party had SEATS, I would say let her in the debate, and happily. But guess what? They have no such thing. Oh, unless you count the pseudo-seat of Blair Wilson, a Vancouver MP elected as a Liberal in 2006, who was booted from his party and therefore approached the Greens to become one of theirs. That is no elected Member of Parliament.
Second bit of the conglomeration: I think this is what it feels like to be busy with school. I don't know how I like it. I really hope it doesn't get unmanageable once I've started into my English course in earnest, and begun piano again. Part of the busy-ness is because of the election, too, but if this is how busy I am with that, how will I ever manage a job?
Third and last bit of the conglomeration (I just like that word): I'm almost finished reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, and I'm a bit surprised by how I do agree with most of his points. All the uncertainties about dating and courtship and what-have-you that I've bandied about this year actually have some very decent answers in there. I really wonder how different society would be if we approached dating with serious thought to marriage, not just a selfish desire for romantic satisfaction. But that's another discussion for another time, and I'm aware that opinion is a bit radical, so that'll be it for now.
Oh, and one more thing - if any of you have been reading Okay, NOW Panic (by boz4pm) on fanfiction.net, the latest chapter was a huge YES FINALLY TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH! I was grinning maniacally by the end. (They're worse than M/K.)
"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." - Ronald Reagan
[snicker at Obama and his two memoirs]
08 September 2008
ELECTION!
I have made a resolution with myself to blog every Monday and Thursday if not more often. (Hold me to it.) So I was sitting here pondering what one might blog about, and as evidenced by the title, inspiration hath struck.
Yep, it's election time.
The Facts: This campaign will culminate with Election Day on October 14th, 2008. That means that there are exactly thirty-six days in which to door-knock, put up signs, stay up really late sticking labels on things, and generally go insane. The polls vary depending on source, but some have the Conservative Party of Canada as high as 43% of the popular vote and the Liberals trailing at 24% or 25%. (However, as I read in the National Post today, the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.)
And my personal opinion? I think we're headed for a Conservative majority government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Many projections (some I read in the paper today, even) predict another Conservative minority or even a Liberal minority. Conservative minority? Perhaps. After all, they've accomplished enough with this one that a minority is no cause for complaint. Liberal minority? Hah. They weren't even prepared enough to have their campaign plane painted red, even after TWO AND A HALF YEARS during which an election could have been called at any time.
If my voice holds out (which it may or may not, even with the mugs of tea I'm consuming to drown this stupid cold) I'm going door-knocking tonight. With my Member of Parliament.
I don't care what the skeptics say about democracy. I have a say in who leads my country and I'm sure not letting the opportunity slip by, even if I can't yet vote.
Yay HARPER.
Yep, it's election time.
The Facts: This campaign will culminate with Election Day on October 14th, 2008. That means that there are exactly thirty-six days in which to door-knock, put up signs, stay up really late sticking labels on things, and generally go insane. The polls vary depending on source, but some have the Conservative Party of Canada as high as 43% of the popular vote and the Liberals trailing at 24% or 25%. (However, as I read in the National Post today, the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.)
And my personal opinion? I think we're headed for a Conservative majority government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Many projections (some I read in the paper today, even) predict another Conservative minority or even a Liberal minority. Conservative minority? Perhaps. After all, they've accomplished enough with this one that a minority is no cause for complaint. Liberal minority? Hah. They weren't even prepared enough to have their campaign plane painted red, even after TWO AND A HALF YEARS during which an election could have been called at any time.
If my voice holds out (which it may or may not, even with the mugs of tea I'm consuming to drown this stupid cold) I'm going door-knocking tonight. With my Member of Parliament.
I don't care what the skeptics say about democracy. I have a say in who leads my country and I'm sure not letting the opportunity slip by, even if I can't yet vote.
Yay HARPER.
05 September 2008
First Week of School: An Update
Now you all get to learn about my fascinating school habits!!! Prepare to be amazed. They involve spending long periods of time sprawled on my bed with a book and my third-rate laptop speakers set to play Party Shuffle in my iTunes.
Yep. I have a pretty exciting life.
Anyway, I actually think this year is going to be a fun one. I'm taking:
Mathematics for Everyday Life, grades 11 and 12 (and it PWNS Algebra)
Exploring Creation With Chemistry, by Dr. J. Wile (good so far)
Reading Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, which is absolutely brilliant, as well as I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, which is actually better than I thought it would be. This year involved a lot of discussion about guys and dating so I decided I should really read the book already.
Will be taking English 155 from University of Athabasca
Rosetta Stone French
Social Studies is made up of various things, including a trip to Winnipeg in November to a convention for the Conservative Party of Canada, volunteering for an election (which is coming! Be excited!), reading various books (7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave, 100 Most Important Events in Christian History) and, of course, the newspaper. Social is fun.
RCM Grade 9 piano, with practical exam in January
RCM Music History 3, with written exam in December
As well as memorizing 792 verses of the Gospel of Luke. Power quizzer.
It looks busy, but it isn't. Yet. However, it probably will be, especially if you add in either student teaching piano, or a job. But that's okay.
I do actually still plan to blog about Noyan from the Quebec trip. Stay tuned.
"That sign says 'Thank you for visiting Rocky Mountain House.'"
"How did they know we were visiting?!"
"Ooo, spooky."
Yep. I have a pretty exciting life.
Anyway, I actually think this year is going to be a fun one. I'm taking:
Mathematics for Everyday Life, grades 11 and 12 (and it PWNS Algebra)
Exploring Creation With Chemistry, by Dr. J. Wile (good so far)
Reading Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, which is absolutely brilliant, as well as I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, which is actually better than I thought it would be. This year involved a lot of discussion about guys and dating so I decided I should really read the book already.
Will be taking English 155 from University of Athabasca
Rosetta Stone French
Social Studies is made up of various things, including a trip to Winnipeg in November to a convention for the Conservative Party of Canada, volunteering for an election (which is coming! Be excited!), reading various books (7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave, 100 Most Important Events in Christian History) and, of course, the newspaper. Social is fun.
RCM Grade 9 piano, with practical exam in January
RCM Music History 3, with written exam in December
As well as memorizing 792 verses of the Gospel of Luke. Power quizzer.
It looks busy, but it isn't. Yet. However, it probably will be, especially if you add in either student teaching piano, or a job. But that's okay.
I do actually still plan to blog about Noyan from the Quebec trip. Stay tuned.
"That sign says 'Thank you for visiting Rocky Mountain House.'"
"How did they know we were visiting?!"
"Ooo, spooky."
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