"It's funny how you talk about motivation...

...and then don't post for a long time."

Thanks Josh. No, I kid, it's been a while, primarily due to this process:

[Sees blog in bookmarks]
[Checks the sidebar for other blog updates]
[Contemplates header and thinks, 'I'll need a new header soon']
[Contemplates posting and decides there's not much of interest to say]
[Doesn't]

See, I'm not a fan of just rambling on about me all the time, because I have this preoccupation with being even vaguely original, and there are gazillions of bloggers all over cyberspace who are all like, "Yeah, so today I went to English class and then to the mall after" or something like that. Therefore, I try to find things to blog about that are a bit more relevant to people other than me. But as I think the reason most of you are reading this (all the multitudes of four of you, following on the side) is to find out about me...that doesn't make sense.

So! Begin the rambling!

First up: I made the Great Western Canadian Bible Quizzing Invitational Tournament (commonly known as Great West, despite the grandiosity of GWCBQIT), for the second (and last) time. This means I get to study my butt off for the next six weeks minus a few days, and probably go through the ritual of having grand plans before the meet and having reality smack me over the head the moment they say "Question number one." You'd think, that after almost six years of this quizzing thing, I'd be over that. But no. I always think that this meet is going to be the meet where something magical happens and I'm BAM one of those uber amazing quizzers who quizzes out flawlessly in the first three and a half questions of the quiz. (...and for those of you not familiar with quizzing, you need four.) However, I am not. But I have other good qualities.

Like having my work called 'publishable' by my university-level English tutor, for one. (Sorry. [/bragging])

Also, I have officially acquired my mark from the Royal Conservatory for my Grade 9 piano exam. It is a 75, solid Honours and very respectable for this level of piano. I'm glad it's over. My transcript is very nearly illegible or I'd try to reproduce some of the examiner's more complimentary observations of my playing. Now I'm into some fun stuff, currently working on The Entertainer (Scott Joplin), Moonlight Sonata (all three movements, Beethoven), the first of the Deux Arabesques (Debussy), the Star Wars theme and The Incredits (credits music from The Incredibles.) It feels really good to not have an exam hanging over my head.

I always talk about upcoming events and never blog about them, which is perverse. Oh well. My English exam from the University of Athabasca is looming, so if you think of it, prayer for that would be appreciated. Otherwise, I just need to keep on slogging through it all.


"Don't feel bad about crying. I think that if you didn't, you'd short-circuit something somewhere."

Conquering Heroes

Okay, not quite. But in the spirit of that grand sentiment, Southgate 1 made it to the finals at this latest quiz meet in Innisfail, Alberta. After the three preliminary quizzes, we were in third place overall, and during the course of the afternoon we worked our way through the elimination rounds and into the final quiz. Us [left to right: Josh, Ben, Everett, Sarah (both coaches), Amy, Carissa]:


And here we have a question-by-question record of the final quiz, up against our longtime rival Sturgeon, and Edmonton Chinese. (Thanks Dad.)

SG = Southgate Alliance team 1 (us)
St = Sturgeon Alliance team 1: Breanna, Kyle, Rachel
EC = Edmonton Chinese Alliance team 1: Carolyn, Carisse, Levin

1. Chapter Reference; Breanna jumped on 'who was?' [Correct]
EC: 20 SG: 20 St: 40
2. Josh [Correct]
EC: 20 SG: 40 St: 40
3. Ben [Correct]
EC: 20 SG: 60 St: 40
4. Chapter Verse Reference/Multiple Answer; Carolyn, called incorrect, challenges the ruling and is overruled. [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 60 St: 40
5. Breanna on the toss-up question [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 60 St: 40
6. Bonus question for Ben "Take their places where?" [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 60 St: 40
7. Josh [Correct]
EC: 20 SG: 80 St: 40
8. Chapter Verse Reference; Amy [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 80 St: 40
9. Levin on the toss-up question [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 80 St: 40
10. Bonus for Kyle, "Quote Luke 16:13." [Correct]
EC: 20 SG: 80 St: 60
11. Situation question, who said it?; Breanna [Correct]
EC: 20 SG: 80 St: 80
12. Amy; "Treasure where?" [Correct] *3rd quizzer in (bonus of +10)
EC: 20 SG: 110 St: 80
13. Chapter Reference; Ben, right information but gives the wrong question. Amy challenges; Carolyn opposes; challenge overruled. [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 110 St: 80
14. Rachel on the toss-up [Correct]
EC: 20 SG: 110 St: 100
15. Carissa [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 100 St: 100
16. Finish the Verse; Kyle on the toss-up [Incorrect]
EC: 20 SG: 100 St: 100
16A. Bonus for Levin [Correct]
EC: 40 SG: 100 St: 100
17. Ben [Correct]
EC: 40 SG: 120 St: 100
18. "Quote Luke 11:1," Ben again! [Correct]
EC: 40 SG: 140 St: 100
19. Breanna [Correct]
EC: 40 SG: 140 St: 120
20. Finish the Verse; Kyle [Incorrect]
EC: 40 SG: 140 St: 110
20A. Quote 2 verses; no one jumps on the question. SG wins!

Out of a sense of duty -

- I am posting. Generally, when this happens, you all (all, what, five of you?) get to hear about my interesting life because I don't have much else to post about. I mean, I'm sure I could come up with something abstract and philosophical if I were required, but as I've filled my quota of that type of writing for today (essay on Batman and Spiderman and their heroic contrasts) - alas, it is not to be.

So. Life. What have I been doing lately?

Well, working. Working is excellent because it means cash. The possibilities that open up when one has cash are just endless. It's definitely a bonus when one enjoys working, which I do. With the exception of clean-up, generally. The perfectionist in me starts to wail when it's time to do clean-up, because especially if one is cleaning the non-fiction, there just isn't time to make it look more than sort-of-halfway-presentable-if-you-don't-look-too-closely. The first time I cleaned up non-fiction, I got woefully behind and it was not a good thing. However, I am improving.

What else? School. Definitely school. Piano and quizzing included. Grade 9 RCM will come to a glorious close with my exam on the 27th, after which I will never be touching those pieces ever again in my entire life. I'm also in the middle of learning That's How You Know from Enchanted. It's got crazy syncopation, but it's a lot of fun. I discovered that the library has music books, so I also got one with love/romance songs, and started on If I Never Knew You from Pocahontas. It always reminds me of M/K. Quizzing is a whopping 43 verses from Acts 18, which I finished today. Well, 'finished'. It needs fine-tuning. The rest of school is chemistry (molecular structure), math, english (Batman/Spiderman essay!), French, reading Evidence That Demands A Verdict and 7 Men Who Rule The World From The Grave. I recommend both.

Working, school...oh, I'm rewriting my NaNoWriMo novel, and by rewriting I mean almost completely reworking so that you might not even recognize it. That's coming along more slowly, but the working and the school sort of get in the way. I'm also finally reading #3 of the Soldier Son trilogy by Robin Hobb. Those books are definitely not for kids, but I really like her style and the way she doesn't tell you what you're supposed to think about the characters. One I'm done that I'll start Pendragon, #4 of the Pendragon Cycle (Stephen Lawhead).

And in the category of miscellany...I made this recently, for one of the A-U contests. I really like the images and I would rather not have put text in, but I still think it looks nice.

Upcoming events: Inkheart, January 23rd! Very exciting. Also quiz meet, February 6th and 7th in Innisfail.

And now I will get back to work.