As I sit here, drinking coffee and putting off essays...

... I am brought to thinking about various points in movies that have emotional impact towards me, be it chills, smiles or choked up feelings.
Yes... this is an awful distraction, and in part I blame my old friend Jordan Kologe (http://akropolisnow.blogspot.com/) for inspiring me. However, his post was much deeper, and had to do with deep emotional takeover and the individuality vs universality of emotions...

...and I am just going to give a brief list of some favorite movie moments that are in my immediate memory (seeing as deeper thought would require more focus that I am obviously willing to shell out tonight.... yikes work ethic).

None the less, here are some moments in movies that make Mr. Jonathan Arkle happy that such an art form (yes art form) exists.

When Andy watches his fellow inmates enjoy cold beers on the roof after a long day of work - The Shawshank Redemption

The opening title card and subsequent introduction to the 'boat' "Serenity, specifically it's correlation with the soundtrack - Serenity

Frodo confides his fears to Gandalf in Moria, Gandalf speaks of "the time that is given to you" - The Fellowship of the Ring

"I'd buy the quick-stop and re open it myself!" Randals "moment". - Clerks II

"There is no one watching out for us, we are all alone" Miracles and signs speech - Signs

"My Gift is my song" introduction - Moulin Rouge (shut it...)

Maximus enters Elysium, now we are free - Gladiator

When Mel Gibson rides down a line of people, with a flag or with face paint and rallies a war cry - Every Gibson movie.. ever

and I am writing this on my "blogger dashboard widget", so unfortunately, I have a limited amount of space before I must finish off, and that limit ends roughly he

Talk to me Goose

So I watched Top Gun tonight for the first time in my life, and realise that I've been in the dark for years.
Amazing movie.

In other news, caught a pack rat in the barn the other night, it was epic.

Also, the new Star Trek makes me feel like I should have been a trekkie rather than liking star wars.... the way I see it, Star Wars now seems like "sci-fi for dummies" as those fans are the ones who cheer at sasquatches being handed crossbows (let the wookie win).
Whereas Star Trek is all quasi-science, with physics (sounding) statements and filled with "logic". Anyhow, I can understand why those people look down on star wars fans... at least at the moment, and especially in light of all the new Star wars movies.

But enough nerdery... 2 weeks left of school, 2 final papers left, and a few final exams. Bring it on. I'm ready for a break.

"Blog Entry Title"

I slacked.

So, I don't know if I mentioned this in the last blog, but recently I've become addicted to this new TV show "Supernatural". It's not exactly new, but it's new to me. It's like the xfiles meets buffy. Awesome, dark AND filmed in Vancouver! So win win win.

In other news, midterms have begun and those are going well. I've had two of my philosophies now, which I hope went well, I feel confident about them, but obviously I'll have to wait a few weeks for the results.

This blog is a bit of a cop-out as I don't have anything particularly newsworthy to write about, but I figured I might as well write something.
And to keep up with my "recent" revelations, blogs need pictures. Hold on, let me find something worthy...



This is appropriate for my "midterm" season I guess. I'm also teaching a lifeguarding course at the moment (Bronze star specifically). So, that, plus Gorman Bros., plus school equals coffee coffee coffee. On that note! Starbucks brought out this new instant coffee which is good, but not really worth the price. I think I'll still prefer a bulk Nescafe.

Haven't seen Ricky Gervais' "Invention of Lying" yet... hopefully sometime this weekend. Oh! And on the note of theatre/movies etc. We are one step closer to getting this 'home theatre" system. Yay

Have a good Thanksgiving to folk as well

Pictures make blogs more appealing.

Pictures make blogs more appealing. This is the conclusion I have come to.
Not because of any particular feedback, or even personal opinion, but just becuase I know that I find bright colours distracting and easily grab my attention. This I have in common with young children, and crows.
(Poisonous Crows).

My dear friend Jordan, who moseys his way onto this blog every once and a while, wrote an entry in his own a few days ago mentioning that he was sitting on his porch, smoking his pipe. Now I wouldn't expect any less from him, and then the very next day (becuase it was still fresh in my mind) I saw a man smoking from a wooden pipe while driving through town. My grandfather used to smoke a pipe... gave it up for the sole reason that he kept misplacing the pipe itself, which irritated him. He is British and fantastic, so again, the pipe has a strong case going for it. (They also smell great).
I think this is just great... what doesn't seem to suit the "deep thinker" more than smoking tobacco in a pipe? Now... I think at my age it would look peculiar, so I will have to wait, but I look forward to the day when I seem wise enough to the layman to be able to pull off this fantastic pastime. I will appear to be a great philosopher, or a wise knowledgeable man.

Or a Hobbit... But lets assume not.

Arkham Asylum

Ahh!!

I've fallen out of the video game world, in such a sense that the last "console" that I owned was a Nintendo Gamecube back in 2003... in regards to video games, I would play the Nintendo legacy games such as Mario, and of course my favorite, Zelda.

As previously mentioned, I bought a PS3. Now granted, I bought it for the Bluray player, but I figured might as well get a game for it as well, so obviously I got the new Batman Game.

It is a freaking love letter to obsessive Batman fans like me, with so many little throw outs to the comics and obscure characters. But what really makes it complete for me, is that my favorite villain since I was little, Dr. Jonathan Crane, A.K.A. "Scarecrow' is done amazingly. A review on the internet said something along the lines of "The Scarecrow sequences don't scare you... they terrify you". An accurate statement, and as my dear friend Torrey said in a voice mail he left me earlier today "I got to the scarecrow part... scared the crap out of me".
Best part is.... there are more than just one nightmarish encounters with the dear doctor.

I am so happy about this reintroduction to video games, that I felt obliged to write a blog on it.

First day of school was officially today. I showed up yesterday to classes like a fool, and there were none. Oh well, both classes today were with the same prof, which hopefully will be good. He has a thick Italian accent and a sense of humour, so here's hoping for the best.
Also, 9 comes out today, AND "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria (a favorite of mine) is indeed on the soundtrack (this is the song featured in the trailer).
So hopefully it has an iconic and key location in the movie.

Labour Day weekend

I got a ps3, it had a blu ray player, and it dropped $100 in the last 2 weeks, and I had a $100 gift certificate for the mall... $200 off what it was last month? not bad. That's my justification for those of you who may have been torturing yourself by wondering.

So, on Monday (Labour day) I'm hoping to wake up early and head back up to Whatshan Lake to do some more waterskiing. Long drive for a day of skiing but it will be worth it... I know it.
Unless this -4 weather comes... I don't believe it personally, but crazy to hear it predicted.

A good old friend of mine (a good friend who is not necessarily old, but he is an old friend who happens to be good as well, good in both senses, as a good friend and a good person, not to be confused with an old good friend, anyways)
This friend is a fantastic musician, and happens to be in a swell band! Which I just learned has brought out an EP available on iTunes, even in Canada.
The City Walls
I think they are just fantastic, so you should check them out as well. At least click the link so their Myspace page looks a bit busier?

School starts Tuesday, Philosophy again finally! Please be engaging professors.... please?

Hokay!

So! This is entirely going to music related

I'm lying!

Okay! So I bought the new Imogen Heap, and I really like it! If anyone reading this is an Imogen Heap fan, then get the cd so we can talk about it! I like the song "Aha!" alotttt. (so much in fact, that it deserves three t's).
Also, I bought the delux version off iTunes, so I got every track doubled with Instrumental only tracks!! Cool. Especially since I'm big on the whole "Songs minus lyrics" thing when I study. So double win ($12.99 too! 26 songs)

Also! I really like the new Weezer single! It's catchy, happy, and dancy. Double win!
http://www.weezer.com/
Stream it free HERE! For real.

Also, since I joined the Twitter cult... *Shudder*, I've been recieving the odd "tweet" *shudder* from Andrew W.K.
Of course, I think this guy is a legend, SO you can imagine my excitement when he wrote that this had surfaced...

http://www.coveringthemouse.com/2007/12/mickey-mouse-club-march-andrew-wk.html#links

ha!

And in final un music related news.....
Wait... I think that's it...

hmm... oh! My struggle and debate about whether or not to get a ps3/360/wii goes on... should I get one? if so which one? I really want to play that new Batman: Arkham Asylum game.... if you havn't seen trailers for it, go watch now, and I guarantee you will agree it's the best batman thing since dark knight. Which isn't hard, granted... BUT, still amazing.

There, I took it off music topic, so I am certified liar.

...to rule them all

http://theradiocitylotrconcert.com/

Does this make me very nerdy? A little nerdy? or 110% sane for really wanting to go to this??

I've never been to New York, but I really want to go someday. Everyone I know who has ever been says it is just an amazing city. It really is the center of the world, and I would love to go see it in person. Also to see a Broadway show! Broadway, Lord of the Rings orchestra... yikes, I think my new york "tastes" are likely a bit expensive...

Sick at the moment, it's pretty lame. Stomach bug, hit me hard over the weekend and stopped me from being able to do the Apple Triathlon.... grr!!! BUT, nothing I can do about it now, I'll just train harder and do better next year than I could have this year! Yes. Thats the plan.

Also New York City... that's a "plan" as well.

"Precious..."

The Shocking Alternative

Spent last week up at a my uncles cabin on the perfect waterskiing lake, up near nakusp. It was fantastic, Waterskiied everyday, read, had amazing alone time. It was so relaxing and refreshing... the first real "break" I've had in... I don't know how long. Despite it raining at least once every day, pouring on some, it was the an amazing week.
Check out this water...



Started re-reading Mere-Christianity the other day, and when I got to this passage I remembered it immediately, and decided I needed to post it. Then, surprise surprise, I procrastinated. But at long last, here it is. I know it's long, but I think it's hilarious, poignant, and relevant. C.S. Lewis' style and Philosophical wit makes this book one of my favorites, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Philisophical or Christian based reading.


"Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sings. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time. Now let us get this clear. Among Panthiests, like the Indians, anyone might say that he was a part of God, or one with God: There would be nothing very odd about it. But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that kind of God. God, in their language, meant the Being outside the world, who had made it and was infinitely different from anything else. And when you have grasped that, you will see that what this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.
One part of the claim tends to slip past us unnoticed because we have heard it so often that we no longer see what it amounts to. I mean the claim to forgive sins: any sins. Now unless the speaker is God, this is really so preposterous as to be comic. We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You treat on my toes and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. But what should we make of a man, himself unrobbed and untrodden on, who announces that he forgave you for treating on other men's toes and stealing other men's money? Asinine fatuity is the kindest description we should give of his conduct. Yet this is what Jesus did. He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people who their sins had undoubtedly injured. He unhesitatingly behaved as if He was the party chiefly concerned, the person chiefly offended in all offences. This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin. In the mouth of any speaker who is not God, these words would imply what I can only regard as a silliness and conceit unrivalled by any other character in history.
Yet (and this is the strange, significant thing) even His enemies, when they read the Gospels, do not usually get the impression of silliness and conceit. Still less do unprejudiced readers. Christ sahys that He is 'humble and meek' and we believe Him; not noticing that, if He were merely a man, humility and meekness are the very last characteristics we would attribute to some of His sayings.
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

C.S. Lewis
Mere-Christianity, pg 51-52


Good eh?

Current Events

So this has been my neighborhood in this past week

Those who read the blog are more than likely aware of the timeline of events, but as for description, a picture speaks a thousand words.



Saturday July 18th, 2009

Gorman's home going up in flames.... Don't get me started about the engine parked at the bottom of the straight driveway.....
Press photo of me Sat. afternoon at Gorman Bros. - Morning. Across the lake swim, Afternoon "The Producers", later that afternoon fire fighting?, later that evening "The Producers", even later that evening, back at Gorman's fighting fire.
Loads burning in the upper log yard on Saturday night

Monday afternoon, spot fires and fire mopping up. Also, really cool helicopters flying everywhere, including this one! Kmax Helicopter. Exciting

Goodbye Champ

Champ "Chewbacca" Arkle
March 29th 1997- July 13th 2009

Chariots of Fire

While I sit here listening to miscellaneous movie theme songs, I feel as if I should be writing something of worth... unfortunately I cannot think of anything especially poignant to write about. This is unfortunate to me.

Shows have now started for The Producers, and they are off to an amazing start, big standing ovations (as opposed to the awkward one person stands, then others follow hesitantly), howls of laughter, dancing geriatrics in the audience and of course complaints and people walking out! Fantastic. I am quite happy to be able to say that I was in a show that some people found so offensive that they actually walked out! Ecstatic!


Another show tonight, and unlike last year I am not fresh on my Philosophical banter SO the backstage talk has been lacking the same luster. However, at the request of my fellow cast, I will be thinking of philosophical brain teasers and new thoughts to keep people entertained. Just need to pull out my old text books...

But until then, I leave you, dear reader, with this which made us laugh and laugh backstage last night.

I Hate Nature from Olde English Comedy on Vimeo.

Woah

Holy lack of updating batman...

This is short and sweet, but in yet another (likely ill fated) attempt to update the blog more frequently, I will write a few sentences.


For those who may not have known, I am in "The Producers" in the role of Carmen Ghia.   This play is my dream play, my favorite musical of all time and I was lucky enough to be cast as one of my favorite characters.  Definitely one of those "dream come true" situations that came alot quicker than I ever expected it to.  Huzzah!

Rehearsals for that are going really well, heading into "Hell Week" as it's called which is the last week of rehearsals before opening (July 9th).  Busy Busy Busy.

Also, Transformers 2 met my expectations, but at least the actions sequences were entertaining.  Biggest let down?  Scorpion Robot exists for 5 seconds before being taken out... dissapointing.

(Oh, also!  New Alexisonfire CD is the most pleasant suprise of the year for me so far, I am impressed, I really like it... Also, new August Burns Red CD comes out in a week so that's exciting as well, something to look forward to besides the play)

WHICH IF YOU CAN READ THIS AND LIVE WITHIN A 1-3 HOUR DRIVE FROM KELOWNA YOU SHOULD COME SEE THE SHOW!!

It's a musical about Nazi's...... does it get much better than that??

Still Cool

For those of you who didn't see it on facebook... I couldn't resist showing this off, I'm pretty excited about it.

http://www.appletriathlon.com/


haha I was suprised, noone got ahold of me to ask or anything, but I don't mind,

 pretty cool though eh??

I dreamed a dream.

I think these are some of my favorite things. The fact that there are people out there, like this, with dreams coming true. I don't know, just makes me feel good. I'm glad Paul Potts isn't a lone example from this show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY


Amazing choice of song as well, couldn't have chosen a more perfect selection for her. Amazing. Powerful.

The way she delivers the final lines of the song gives me chills.

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.

As I Lay Dying

So last night was the second time I got the honour to see As I Lay Dying live.

That band is absolutely amazing, I bought this DVD of them at the end, new 3 disk set with live shows, documentary etc. I promised Danny I'd wait to watch the documentary with him, but I couldn't resist the live shows. That was a mistake, now I want nothing more than to see them again! Oh well, hopefully I'll see them again.

Other than that, classes are done now, which is pretty sweet, except I still have some essays and term paper to be done, and the exam period is now, so it's not quite relaxation time. Problem is, the setting of having "no classes" doesn't make for very productive working attitudes. At least not for me. I'll have to get that bad habit under control.

Work today, 1-6, Good friday which means stat pay! Not bad for working on a day that you would have worked anyways except now it has a "holiday" pasted onto it. Not to say that this holiday isn't anything especially important.

(pun intended... but not meaning to make light of it...)
Have a good friday everyone.

Oh, quick PS. I got accepted into UBC-O, which is pretty sweet. Scholarship too! Lets just hope it leads somewhere.

The Bear and the Scorpion

Triceratuffts of hair

Today the BBC had an article saying that it has been recent evidence to indicate that Dinosaurs may have, in fact, been fuzzy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7950871.stm

If this is indeed the case... I'm trying to figure out whether this makes them more intimidating or kind of lame... Giant lizards was one thing.. but then a massive bear with a beak and horns? Not bad.

This imagery intrigued me, and a quick google search led me to this, for your enjoyment.

http://www.postersforhumans.com/images/products/large_96_JTIU01full.jpg

But I do wonder what would be the case if scientists were to find that Dinosaurs were not in fact scaley, but rather colourful and furry, we've already had the "Feathers" discovery ruin the Velociraptors of my childhood, whats next? I can't wait for new findings to show that T-rex had a tuft of hair on it's tail, like a lion... or poodle.

Ridiculous, they are ruining dinosaurs haha, Jurrasic Park 4 will just end up looking like Grizzly Man.
(ooh... not cool)

The Essence of Being Human

"Part of the reason why so many come out in this particular kind of way that we have found so astonishing is that in our African worldview, there is a thing called ubuntu. A person is called ubuntu, and ubuntu is the essence of being human.  Ubuntu is compassion, ubuntu is hospitality, ubuntu is warmth, ubuntu is sharing, ubuntu is caring.
  And because of our sense that I am because you are, because we say a person is a person through other persons, my humanity is caught up in your humanity.  If I want to enhance my humanity, it is by the process of enhancing yours.  If I de-humanize you, whether I like it or not, inexorably my humanity is diminished.
  And so, in part, it is a form of self-interest, this thing of not wanting to revenge, because revenge, anger, bitterness - all of these are corrosive of ubuntu, of the harmony that is for the summum bonum, the great good. And so, in a sense, I am not paying back to you, I do not settle scores with you, because the anger is dissipated, and you become a better person, and in that process, I become a better person too."
-Desmond Tutu.



Ubuntu.

Playing Operation

I think it's funny observing this particular phenomenon. Lets say there are three, (or more) people in a room, and one asks another a question. This second person does not know the answer the question, or at least they don't know specifically, so they will ask the third person. The third person will know the answer, and will, quite audibly, answer to person number two. Number two will then continue on to give number three's answer to the original person asking. Thus, in a sense, receiving the credit for the original answer. But what I find funny is that the original person would have heard number three's answer, thus making number two's repeating, comical to me.

I find the floor of the change-room at the pool to be disgusting. Even if it's been mopped... there is still some OCD reasoning or SOMETHING to me that makes it seem gross. So, what makes matters worse, is when I have to get changed in bare feet. I feel like putting on my pants is like a game of "Operation" where I can't touch the sides or else the insides of my pants will be gross with whatever collection was on the wet change-room floor.
(Of course, when my foot does inevitably touch the back of my jeans or something, I subsequently feel like my whole leg is now dirty, and will be dirty even going to bed. Obviously I think the wet hairy change-room floor is gross.)

My Ipod went through the washing machine yesterday, which was a bummer for sure. I'm currently waiting a few days while it is in a ziplock bag with dry rice, and some silicone packets from my new work boots box. Hoping that this might dry it out enough to perhaps give it a shot of electricity later, maybe bringing it back to life...
we'll see...

Reading break just finished today, and it was much too short unfortunately... and I am pining for summertime becuase this winter has has an inadequate amount of snow to gain my love. Also in current events, the Oscars are today, and I'm sure Heath will win the award for best supporting, not becuase of his performance so much as the fact that the other nominees are jokes. Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder? Really? For anyone who saw Tropic Thunder... although funny, a movie with a fat suit Tom Cruise dirty dancing is not "Oscar Worthy" and it feels like pity nominations to fill in the other nomination spaces.

I havn't blogged in a while, I'm rusty. It will get better.

Urinal

Who was this person? The guy who thought...

"Man... I really need to go pee, but woah woah woah, not on that thing"
"Why not? it's a toilet?"
"No, too low down, I refuse to sit, I must stand when I pee"
"okay... well why don't you stand in front of the bowl here and pee then?"
"Absolutely not! What am I, an Animal? No, I must invent a way so that I may pee into a specially designed contraption that I may hang on a wall"
"Brilliant Idea! But, what will you call it? Twoilet?"
"A 'Urinal', I will encompass it's nature of both collecting Urine, and 'all' of it."
"Inspired, but I still don't understand whats wrong with using the toilet..."
"Thats becuase you are not as great a thinker as I"



And that, I am sure, is how it must have happened.

Cynical? Perhaps.

Wow! I'm still a failure at keeping up on the blog. I need to stop wasting my pondering on "Real Conversation" and start translating it into zeros and ones for the enjoyment of those wishing to read a blog! Well, it wouldn't so much be me who is translating it into zeros and ones, but rather the computer. I'm just translating it from mind-waves to movements of my fingers. Whereas then YOU, the reader, will translate these marks on the computer screen into mindwaves, and perhaps even sounds (if you read it out loud) and then! Furthermore! Anybody in the vicinity would translate those sounds into meaningful words which they could in turn use. The chain will go on forever, and you are a pivitol point in it's succession. Makes you feel important no?

However, speaking of importance, that is the subject that is on my mind at the moment. It's in regards to importance in the world, importance in the eyes of others and importance in you own mind. In another blog, maybe the next one, I'll explain in greater detail what I'm referring to, but my sister did this little test on me the other day called the "Cube in the desert" test. Now, i won't give away what it is, but it started to raise the question of importance to me, more specifically how important am I to myself, and where to other people stand on the same topic. Which then in turn (much like the chain of events above, see how I brought it full circle), made me think about peoples view of what makes them important in the world, like in regards to success or impact.

Now, there are so many questions in my mind that arise from that, and I realise that I want to keep this particular blog fairly short as I am (yet again) applying for citizenship in the procrasti-nation, (Lab exams). But in short, my somewhat sobering thought today is the question of is my generation (or maybe more specifically me) on the right track? I mean... maybe it's just the circles I run in... but.. hmm, how to I word it.
I have many dear friends who are like me. They have aspirations of success in particular fields, they have dreams, they have interests. These interests, dreams, aspirations I'm referring to are more specifically in the area of entertainment. (And this is where the doubts begin). I wonder if my generation, and myself entirely included, are deluded by success stories? I mean, Recently I bought "Cannibal! The Musical" which immidiatly became a favorite. This is an indipenantly made student film that began the careers of two men who rose to great "success". These men are Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park. Now in many regards, they are a perfect success story, they did something they loved, they worked hard at it and it payed off. This is an inspiration! "Just do it", do what you love, thats how those people succeeded! Then a little bit closer to home, well... quite a bit closer to home, we have "Secret and Whisper", a very successful band that has a very similar story, a bunch of guys doing something they love, doing it well, and their hard work paid off (as they just got back from playing in front of thousands in Japan). But... are stories such as this raising false hopes of success in my mind? In the minds of my friends? I have friends who are aspiring film makers... I also have friends who are aspiring musicians, all examples who are remarkably talented in my mind. But... there are thousands out there like them... are we deluded into thinking that we might somehow achieve our dreams? And if thats the case... (heres the kicker, controversial statement alert!) is it worth it even to have them?

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not grounded into ANY of these opinions. I write my blog in a free flowing train of thought manner... there was no outline beforehand haha, so those final few sentences were written as they came to my mind in the "logical progression" of what i'm thinking at this moment, but I just thought I'd write something that was on my mind. As I said, the "Cube" test brought MANY thoughts into my head, and they could never be fit into one blog (I would overload the blogger memory banks, the site would crash likely).
I will finish with one thought though... Whether or not I have motivation towards following my own dreams, or even have any sort of hope (depending on the day) of breaking past doubt and cynicism, I guess it comes down to enjoying life for what it is. Not worrying about the future, because that's not here yet, I'll worry about it when it's the present. I will of course, look forward to the future, but in my mind that is much different from worrying.

I'll leave you all with something that always makes my day

Flies

Flies piss me off, and I think I know why...  What it is, is the fact that they don't just fly around and buzz everywhere, but they never fly in a specific direction.  I watched a fly go around in circles, figure eights, up, down and around an area of 1/2 a foot before landing.  Why?? Whats so hard to figure out Fly?  Why do you have to buzz around everywhere in this maniac frenzy, and be so uncertain about something so simple as "Where you are going"

I don't know... I'm just in a ruined mood to be honest, and I'm taking it out on you fly... I apologise.  On a positive note, I do wish I could see through your eyes.. just for a second though, I wonder if it would just be the "TV screens" type view that cartoons will depict... or maybe it's this entirely new perception of the world on an entirely new metaphysical level that we couldn't even begin to understand.

A friend and I once heard a man say that flies were pure evil and a result of a fallen world becuase they fed off death which wouldn't have existed in Eden.  I disagree sir. Flies also eat poop.

On another note, they are everywhere, and can also be sort of pretty.  I've seen flies with a really nice green and purple shine on their surface that could put a peacock to shame.  Diamonds in the rough?


I think I'm just jealous of you fly.  You can slip away from it all... as a matter of fact, there is no "all" about it.  A Fly on the wall has no worries I guess.

Hakuna Matata Fly, 
Hakuna Matata.

Overdue

Well I suck.   Obviously this blog has been neglected, and thats no good...  I'm not quite sure the reasoning, it's not lack of inspiration thats for sure, as a matter of fact I'm constantly thinking "oh man, this (or that) would is totally what I'm going to write about in my next blog"...  But it doesn't seem to happen that way unfortunatly.  Believe me, i've had some awesome ideas, but unfortunatly they havn't taken shape yet in my mind well enough to pass for a decent blog post (not that this one is above par either...).
So, this one won't be thoughtful, or funny, or based on any specific topic, I just figured I'd give a quick update on my comings and goings.  For one, the biggest news in the past little while I guess is that I got a second Job, lifeguarding, and thats going well.... the only downside is my most regular shift is lessons on saturday mornings, after my graveyard shift (which is sometimes after my guarding shift).   This go go go schedule is sort of taking it's toll on me... I can feel it wearing me thin, BUT maybe thats just from these past 2 weeks of it, midterms and stuff too, just alot of stress in a short period of time.   Load aside, the job is good, the people are great and I'm sure most can agree... thats what makses a job worthwhile.
In other news...
Well, I dont' know if there is any other news.  For anyone who might glance at this blog who knows me from Perth, a friend of mine has gone down for oct dts which is kind of cool, worth mentioning for sure.   I don't know... maybe I'll just throw some "headlines" down to give this a bit more of a varied feeling... but overall I just wanted to write a new blog tonight, but didn't know what to write.
-Iron Man is the best Marvel superhero movie, followed quickly by the newest Hulk
- I'm becoming increasingly paranoid, probably as a result of worn-out'ness
- Heroes Season 3 has been tragically dissapointing so far
- I wish Mike was in town
- I really want to see "Role-Models", and I think it has potential to be funnier than "Superbad" thanks to the amazing Paul Rudd.

Oh! last night on my way home some idiot came just ripping around a relatively blind corner (just before Gates rd) in the oncoming (my) lane.  If I had been going a bit faster?  Yikes... I might not have been sitting here writing this post.  

Anyways, time for sleep.

Not for them to decide

The other day I had this scene pop into my head, and just the memory of it really moved me. I wouldn't be surprised if it came down to this speech as the deciding factor that makes "The Fellowship of the Ring" my favorite of the 'Rings' movies.
But that aside, Isn't it a really poignant speech? Touching on the the issue of mercy and pity, it really hits me in regards to when Gandalf says "Do not be be eager to deal out death and judgment, even the very wise cannot see all ends". How many times can we all testify to catching ourselves being exactly that... too eager to deal out judgment on others... the moral check in this speech is a powerful one I think... even when it comes from a wizard.

But the really hard hitting line is the one that defined the first film... and quickly became one of my favorite quotes of all time

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide, all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"

Gandalf then goes on to say that there are other forces in this world besides the will of evil... and continues on about destiny to a certain extent.
"And that is an encouraging thought"

I don't know, I'm not going to dissect the whole dialogue because I'm sure it means different things to different people.... But I just wanted to share that movie moment with everyone again, because the theme and message behind it hits me pretty hard.

Cony Genocide?

For those of you who live in Kelowna, I'm sure you are well aware of this (apparently) life altering situation, in which threats are being made to authorities over the resolution.... It is a situation that so dearly struck chords and pulled the hearts of the public that any sort of related news continues to make the front page, and every development of the story keeps the people of Kelowna riveted to the news, constantly raising controversy due to, what some people see as, the sickest most brutal event that could ever be conceived...

I'm talking, of course, about rabbits.

Now for any readers unaware of the situation, it's quite simple. Kelowna's downtown area is full of Rabbits, and they run around everywhere, they eat plans, burrow in city lawns, and run around on the street. Cute, no? Nonetheless, they are considered a pest, and the City of Kelowna has decided to pay a particular business to cull the rabbits. This raised such an uproar from the public that more money was then spent to try to find particular humane ways to deal with them, such as relocations and such (with some people ridiculously suggested neutering the population so that they couldn't expand anymore... obviously not realizing the ridiculous cost and absurd difficulty of such an operation...) etc etc.

So thats the situation.... "why write about this Jon? What's struck a chord and/or irritated you enough you enough to bring this current event to our attention?". Well, dear reader, todays front page of the Daily Courier is why. Headline "Alert Security Guard halts attack on Rabbits". Now, the subject matter isn't what irritates me, stopping punk teens beating on animals is a good thing, no doubt about that. It's what is said by those interviewed.... and I believe it's the biggest problem with the whole culling controversy as well.

People keep referring to those things as "Bunnies". Thats it, and thats what gets me... you see, since this whole thing has come to attention, even facebook groups have started up "Save the Bunnies", not "save the rabbits" but "save the Bunnies". It's this immediate "cutesifying" (My word, feel free to use it) of these animals that all of a sudden makes it seem like a state sanctioned genocide to deal with their overpopulation problem. Whats worse, is that people have even begun to personify each "Bunny", giving everyone the impression that we are killing Peter Rabbit.... In the (entirely justifiable, don't get me wrong) article in todays paper, this was said...

"One of them threw [a spear like stick] and hit one of the bunnies. The Bunnies were all running - they didn't know which way to go"

... Now again, I don't want anyone to get the impression that I'm criticizing the article's subject matter.... But
"...they didn't know which way to go".... well of course..... I mean, someone was chasing them, so they ran, I'm sure we've all chased a wild animal before, be it a quail or a chipmunk.... and they run, out of instinct.... this quote shows the personification of these animals in the same sense as if we could interview the rabbit "Yes chuck.... I was so scared... I looked left and right, but they were all around me! My life flashed before my eyes, but boy am I glad that I'm safe"..

Now, I know this post makes it sound like I'm saying "Why do people care about the 'bunnies'" But I'm not, hurting animals malicously is obviously wrong, but what I notice in regards to these events is the term "bunny" makes them sympathetic creatures! I mean, we'll hire exterminators in a second to get rid of a rat infestation.... heck, we'll set mouse traps ourselves to kill off some mice... but when it comes to bunnies! oh no! not the Bunnies! Save the Bunnies... the Bunnies will be scared! The Bunnies deserve their homes....
Notice the sympathy you feel reading that? Bet you think I'm a jerk...

"Farmer Smith has finally saved his crops from this years infestation of Mice, Crows, Rabbits and Weasels"

"Farmer Jack has finally saved his crops from this years infestation of Mousies, Birds, Bunnies and other furry friends"

Wow....Farmer Jack is a cold hearted meanie... So does anyone see where I'm coming from?? This post wasn't very well structured, so I don't know if my point got across.... or if I have a bunch of angry readers thinking I condone rabbit beating.... bunny beating? But I just wanted to vent a little about my irritation with the personification and "Cutesifying" of the "scared bunnies"... just because of the term Bunny....
If there was a rat problem in Kelowna, and an exterminator came with poison gas to paralyze and kill all of them.... there still wouldn't be nearly as much commotion over it as there is now with the quick shooting (by high powered air rifles) of some of the "bunnies".
What's in a name?

A Milestone

It's been a while,
it's been too long


But finally I feel like I'm in the right mindset to write a blog. You see, I was waiting until I felt it was a right time.... this is a milestone after all. So I waited... and thats not to say that I didn't feel like I had some things to write about... I'm always filled with little things I could rant about... for example I could go on about something ridiculous like a movie on Pirates or Transforming robots... or I could write praise over particular movies about Jokers and Bats... but number 100 being entirely dedicated to that seemed.... well empty still.

However, I feel now I've reached the right point. Perhaps it's because my mind is in a place where I'm torn between happy and sad, or perhaps it's because there have been a few events in this past little while that to me are huge... or perhaps it's the music I'm listening to making me feel nostalgic or just ponderous... who knows... none the less, here's an update!

Well in the past few months I've been involved with Kelowna Actors Studio in their production of "Singin' in the Rain" which has been a blast, the shows ran all last month with closing night being just last night. Standing ovations almost every night, and the cast was amazing. It was a really funny experience... I don't know what it is but I wish I could watch myself and my own transformation when meeting new people. I remember when I first went to the rehearsals I was sheepish and shy for the most part, I didn't know who these people were, and I didn't know how to act. Now with the show done, I've realized that these people became some of my core friends for the most part as I spent most of my time this summer with them working towards this show. Now it's over, and I realize I probably won't see many of these people again for a year or more... and I'll miss that, I'll miss the familiarity that comes with memorized lines... haha, really I think I've ust become unfamiliar with living through a full week without my actions scripted out... yikes!
That being said, the bittersweet ending of the show does have the advantage of giving my some time back.... what I'll do with this time well who knows.... likely I'll do my best to spend time with those who I haven't been able to spend much time with this summer. (That being said, I'd like to publically thank Michelle for her patience and encouragement during the duration of the show, rehearsals through to "Hell week", through to closing night, thank you!).
But back to how I'll spend the free time? Well.... I'll no doubt be seeing The Dark Knight a few more times.... heh.

This past year.... what with school, plays, work, and all sorts of comings and goings.... boy, I must say I didn't expect the way it's all turned out. I feel while writing this blog, that 50 ago I would not have been able to predict the mindset, experience and emotions that this current incarnation of myself encompasses. That being said, would I consider myself a new person? haha the last few weeks have been filled with these sorts of questions for me... I mean, my physical make up is entirely different down to the molecular level, my experiences and memories have expanded and are different, what remains constant about "me"? My hair is even short now! haha Who could have predicted that. Boy, even my reflection through me off for a while there.

Enough Philosophy for this blog though, wasn't Heath Ledger remarkable in the Dark Knight? Wow, Iconic, and chilling. It really hits me with how much of a loss it is to lose such a talented actor. My favorite scene with the Joker is a tough one to pinpoint... I kind of wander back and forth between the entire collection of one liners which are just fantastically delivered... to moments that truly frightened me such as that execution video...

"he shows us we don't have to be afraid of scum like you"
"oh yes you do Bryan... yes you do. Look at me.... LOOK AT ME!"

Creepy.

In other news... The future is still uncertain, and boy oh boy do I let myself stress about it still. The shows were amazing to take my mind off of them, with those, plus WSI courses, plus work (oh glorious graveyard), plus volunteering hours and then my odd leisure pastimes haha such as swimming across the lake... well, my body reached an exhaustion point. I am well aware that there are many of you out there that are even busier than I was, and I do not envy you... I reached a point where waking up in the morning I wasn't sure my legs wouldn't buckle underneath me haha pfft, I'm a wimp.

I feel I should make a reference to my time in Australia in this blog... seeing as the majority of this milestone achievement was compiled during my time there. Well.... to speak to that "Jon" back then.... haha I don't know what to say... I think one of these days I'm going to read back through my blogs, and then perhaps my hard journal (which I haven't picked up in months... a year perhaps? woah) and try to put myself back in that place... what a trip will that be! To clearly remember the things that were current events for me back then, and then try to look forward towards todays current events. It'd be interesting I think, and so, I shall do it.

What do I look forward to from now though? Who knows... maybe if I get busy I can be writing my 200th come this time next year.... what will I be "looking back on"? hmm... well, I know I can look forward to this upcoming semester of required courses I want nothing more than to NOT take, bio, stats, geo? Fantastic... Also, I can look forward to my upcoming roles with the Studio... That will be fun, and hopefully a nice reunion with many of my Singin' in the Rain friends. I'm also looking forward to the fall at the moment.... not because I want summer to end, but earlier today (and at the moment for that matter) I was listening to a CD that I fell in love with last fall, and drinking tea, again, a fall thing for the most part. It took me back, and just filled me with an.... anticipation that this fall could be similar to that of this past one... all my hopes are that thats a good thing! (for those who may wonder, the CD is "The Shepard's Dog" by 'Iron and Wine').

So far this summer has been amazing.
So far this Year has been amazing.

But to end this Milestone blog, although the update itself wasn't anything too amazing, I would like to thank you. The reader. Many of you, or both of you, or just you singular haha have been following it for a while, some even since it's "debut" and for that I thank you so much. You've been a part of my life in that sense, as I narrate you through my comings and goings, and you deserve a pat on the back for having the patience to keep coming back. (Especially those with the patience to wait for, come back and read this 100 post haha). Although they won't read it, I'd also like to thank those who came to my blog during my time in Perth, some just once, some leaving comments, and some passing it on to my family that they had been following it. Hahah I hope someday I can once again lead a life that is exciting enough to draw such readers, but until that day I thank you for sticking with me.
Thank you.

Now I need to do something worthy of post 101.

- Jonathan Arkle

There could be something wrong with me

Why is it that if I ever buy Super Mario I can't for the life of me resist hitting every single little question mark block....
It's not that I want to.... and I can miss any coin my little mario runs by... but those blocks... what sort of hidden wonders could be inside? I'm not very good at the game so I'm almost always "little mario"... so naturally my hopes are constantly something like "Maybe it's a mushroom....or better a flower!! oh cruel fates! a coin! ONE coin" Sometimes I end up losing the flower or mushroom I DID have in my efforts to get to the block... why?
None the less... whether it's obsession, some sort of OCD, or just plain nerdiness.... I cannot resist the yellow question marked blocks.... I'll leave no block unchecked.

In other related news for things that If I were to do differently, people would view me as being normal.... Mike perhaps is the only person reading the blog aware that I've been doing this since I was much younger. I'm still strongly dedicated to always leaving Johnson Bentley pool by walking out the "in" door. This includes the process of me using my strong little fingers to obtain a "pressure grip" on the 1cm wide ridge of the doors window, then pull the "push one way only" foor towards me so that I can leave the same way I came in. This was a horrible little habit of mine when I was younger... it would torture me (when I was conscious of it) if I could not leave a building through the same doorway or window or whatever that I entered. It was a sense of completeness that I obtained from it. Perhaps not too dissimilar from the Mario Blocks.

No, scratch that, its' different, definitely weirder.

Last night Mike, Danny and I went to Kelly O's for some drinks and pacho's, and we got onto a conversation about riddles. Some were good, some were bad... some weren't even riddles (And almost all could be answered with "It was the smoke monster from Lost" so THAT'S the Dharma initiative....)... Now, as I started to write this I had intentions of asking YOU READER on of the riddles we couldn't figure out... But I can't remember the wording.. so I'm afraid I've led you to disappointment I'm sure... Then we moved onto Disney movies where it was agreed upon unanimously that any Disney cartoon pre-Tarzan was "classic", and Tarzan's saving grace was the Phil Collins soundtrack... anything after that? Pixar animation.... how disappointing.


This is my 99th Blog post.... Not my best... But my next one HAS to be good.... yikes Pressure

Snakes, I hate snakes

So, Indiana Jones you are back for another adventure.... and what do you have in store for us this time? We've seen you fight those Raiding Nazi's for the Lost Ark of the Covenant and it's unknowable majesty and power, we've seen you travel to Temples of doom, and even drink from the Holy Grail, wielding the power of immortality. What Henry Jones Jr. will you face in your new great adventure?

-- If you have not seen the movie, then for your sake I have written the following in black, just so you may be spared the spoilers.

So reader has been warned



ALIENS???? ARE YOU JOKING???

I mean... I understand, I'm a critique on movies, and lately it's been a rare occurrence for me to give a blockbuster a chance, (or any movie for that matter) But really.... Aliens????? At least it wasn't the ending itself... the "Alien" secret was pretty obvious right from the get-go despite a few of the characters saying at the end "Wait... space men!?". None the less.... not 10 minutes into the movie... the key factor is introduced.

The beginning seemed promising, the groundhog hill bit was a funny little homage to the old Indy flicks, and the soviets immediately storming the scene was true to the Indiana Jones movies we know and love. Then we saw "The Warehouse".

'YES! an homage to Raiders, thats awesome, I wonder if we'll see the Ark.. i hope so, that would be cool, wait maybe not, maybe it would be corny... Jon, Pay attention to the movie...'

Then I see it...
'Whats that? A giant 51 on the door? hmm... Area-51 I guess... thats appropriate, take away from that absurd alien reputation for Area-51 and give it a good solid "Government secret storage" thing.
Appropriate, good call...anyways, I wonder what they are looking for....

Magnetic... interesting.....in a crate... interesting... wait... whats that.... R...osw...ell... oh no... please no.... please don't do this Lucas.... Spielberg! STOP HIM!'

And that was it.... when that crate was opened, the movie had ventured into a new place that Indy writing had never dared to touch on before. No more religious relics, no more power of God, no more bull whip and Nazi's. Now we have Cate Blanchette as "Comrade Scully", looking for the crystal skully of space aliens as the movie continues to take Indy to locations and legends with SO MUCH POTENTIAL.... but such little satisfaction. But I guess what can we expect from this modern age of scientology... makes sense that Xenu is behind it all naturally.
You see.... Indiana Jones is an archaeologist, and now he's running after supernatural skulls that hold alien powers... He is no longer in the same sort of field that he was in previously, instead he is now playing the type of people that were "Predator Fodder" in the AVP movies as they looked for ancient Alien temples under ice and stuff. Except now it's in South America. Surely there could have been some other sort of legends they could have gone off of... especially when dealing with topics such as El Dorado, and Mayans.... but no... instead it's Indiana Jones and the psychic trans-dimensional crystal aliens. (Oh, I almost forgot the multitudes of scenes of cute furry animals... that didn't really add anything to the plot.... whats with the groundhogs and the soviet hating monkeys? anyways)


Even me... who has become infamous to some for being critical over the movies they love, making fun of little writing errors and silly concepts, am in awe of this movie. I mean, as a movie, I loved it. Indiana Jones himself is a legend no matter how old he is. As I said before, the homages to the old movies are great, you even get a glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant which was pretty cool. However my exasperation towards this movie can literally be summed up in the one word below


Aliens?

Pink Flowers

Yesterday during my long sit at the college studying... studying... studying... I took a short moment to peer out the window.

Where my study carole was situated right next to a window overlooking a row of flowers below me. It was then when I saw the most precious thing... I think it genuinely was the high point of my entire day. A little girl, skipping alongside her mom, with excited about the whole world around her, actually stopped to stick her nose deep inside this larger pink flower to take a good long smell. She then continued on.

Now, although I understand that there is a natural sense of cynicism and boring demeanor does seem to take on us as we grow up, I wish that I could see people my age doing that sort of thing. I think it's a loss of wonder over the world that we start to pick up... I know I have, for example I used to find a pile of logs in our yard fascinating as I grew up... my sister and I affectionately referred to it as "Grasshopper" because we conceived it to look like a massive grasshopper in our vibrant imaginations. I used to spend hours playing outside, and one of my favorite spots was a rock that I appropriately dubbed "Big Rock". One of my favorite sites to set up camp in my romps through the world. Nowadays, I know I've definitely become more consumed with matters of entertainment that other people have prepared for me, or worrying myself with the current events of friends or with preoccupying myself in front of a screen. I wish I could tap back into a sense of wonder, a sense of appreciation for the simple things. I used to, I do sometimes... but not as often as I need to.

Yesterday I walked past those flowers without thinking about smelling them... even in those few hours I had forgotten.

Today, someone had smashed them to bits.


Listening to: Joshua Radin

Proud citizen of the Procrasti Nation

Yikes.... Although this is the worst possible thing I could decide to do right now... I've been meaning to sign on and write a blog for weeks now and kept... well, not.

SO! Procrastination commencing, I'm currently "studying" for one of my upcoming exams, Philosophy fun fun, however the topics aren't particularly fascinating to write one, fun to discuss... but essays are never the top of my list for pastimes.

Thats boring... onto more exciting topics, yesterday after work I stopped the car at the top of my driveway to watch the neighbor dog hunt gophers.

Not very exciting either... I feel as if I am running out of things to talk about...that hardly seems possible though, maybe just exciting things to talk about, instead I'm wasting YOUR time talking about gopher hunting jack sparriers.

Actually... on the note of gophers however, my house has recently been surrounded by all sorts of animals, deer on the lawn, gophers in the ground, pheasants cruising about, robins hitting windows. Spring is here, despite the crazy weather we've been having in the last few days, it snowed on Saturday, and hailed on friday! Something isn't right there...
In other musings....
I don't think it's fair to clump finals into this big slot of time AFTER classes are finished. I mean.... there was this horrible false sense of cheer the other day when I walked out of my final class for the semester.... only to realize that I now have two weeks of "false" break time, where I can't ask prof's for clarification, and I have entire days to study left wholly to my own discipline (very weak discipline at times as you can see...). Then there is this looming sense of dread for each approaching exam... sure I can be calmed by some sort of procrastination or distraction, but that hardly helps. Oh well, I'm not the only one in this situation I know that.

What will be nice, is the reward following my final exam on the 29th, FOR on the 30th is a concert that I have been anticipating for the longest time. For the past.... maybe 4 years now I've been wanting to see this one band live, As I Lay Dying. Even before the days of facebook and even before Myspace, (in the age when everyones "personalized internet outreach to the world" was their MSN messenger profile), my profile showed my "personal website" to be a music video of this very band playing live. (The song "Forever" to be exact, much to some friends dismay who hated that style of music and were horrified to find that I somehow found it appealing).
Anyways, I have been waiting for that long to see this band play live, sure they had come to BC before, but I hadn't been able to make it to those shows, work or school or whatever the reason had been. Anyways... finally, the one BC tour that I would be able to make it to, they are not only coming at a VERY convenient time, BUT they are also coming to Kelowna. Huz. Zah.

Now granted... we jumped the gun a bit on this one and bought tickets for the Vancouver show before realizing they were coming to a venue 15 min drive away.... BUT that's all been solved now, and on the 30th I will indulge myself with a very late night, not worrying about any school the next day.. and definitely not worrying about any final exams....

On that note... back to worrying about final exams.

**PS. Oh! Vanessa... Apparently I need to ask permission to view your blog now... this is me, asking.

Leaping Years

I can't tell if a year is in fact a long time....

I mean, I feel so tempted to say "only a year" becuase it seems like that doesn't it? It was only a year ago that _________, insert whatever you were up to this time last year.

Now when talking about it, it doesn't feel like that long, however when I try to remember it, it seems like so much longer than that.    Tricky.

I mean, a year is only really a few months, and we count down months like no tommorow, this many till birthday, this many till christmas, this many till summer or this many until that new CD comes out, nothing right?  only 4 weeks in a month, only 12 months in a year... 56 weeks really isn't that much...

And then at the same time... I mean... a whole year!! one year.  I only have about 20 of them in my entire life experience... less!! So really... one year is a large chunk of my life! One year can't be a trivial thing like "12 months" seems, 365 days? we breeze through those 7 at a time!!  But it is... it's a whole year, and we only have had so many.... remember how they used to seem so much longer? 

And to think.... For example, I'm looking forward to 'The Dark Knight' coming out... that is 107 days away from now, thats a few months... 4ish to be exact... thats about 1/3rd of a year.... a year, which I've only ever had 19.5 of...  WHY am I counting down the days for this!??! Why am I not stressing out about every second lost.... every day passing until yet another year has passed.... What was I doing that time last year?  What will I be doing one year this time!  How much happens in a year?  We'd like to think alot.. but in the grand scheme of things not as much.

I don't know, a year?  Really? wow.

Most terrifying moment ever

So, driving home from school today there was this one straight stretch of road...

And coming towards me in the opposite lane was a silver van. Now, this van was going a moderate speed, as was I, when all of a sudden a little squirrel runs out onto the road! He runs across my lane into the oncoming lane, and then freezes, on no! there is a big silver something coming towards him! So with his horrified legs spread, tail up, stance, he freezes, then decides to run back across my lane to the ditch he had been in.
However, this was right when I was beside him, this little guy runs right in front of me... and dissapears due to the hood of my car...

I listen for the bump and look in my rear view window for the little guy, distraught.
No body, he lived. That was no doubt one of the most terrifying moments for that squirrel. I was fine personally, but poor squirrel!

Anyways, to answer the mysterious anonymous, after about 30 min past my position in the blog, two friends from college came into the store, and after making small talk I asked them if they could watch my stuff,

all was well. but it was still an excruciating extra 30 min on top of my original panic.

Written at 12:45, Friday Afternoon

I just told mike this dilemma...


I'm sitting in blenz writing an essay.

Now, I can't leave my laptop for obvious reasons, i'm in a public place
If i close my laptop i'll lose the internet which i need for my essay (Or worse yet, i'll lose my chair!)

I am DYING to go the washroom

Help... me....

Belltower.

Perspective amazes me.

F

I R Jon

I wear torn clothes becuase I feel strange getting new articles.

I like driving when the sun is low in the sky, even though it is hard to see. (It makes me feel like I'm driving Into nirvana, or Away from an nuclear explosion or something)

I like quoting movies and shows, and enjoy it when other people can quote them with me.

I love my Dog, and assume he loves me back when he makes eye contact

I'm not particularily funny or charming, but I might appear to be at first glance.

I recently started enjoying "Trailer Park Boys" quite a bit.

I also enjoy talking like the toy does in "Arby "N" The Chief" You can watch it on youtube if you so please.

I bought a new snowboard, and I like it alot, there is a semi interesting story behind my antics getting it. Ask me sometime.

I like Coffee, especially with dark chocolate on the side.

I like listening to movie soundtracks, instrumental. Particularly Jurassic Park and the Lord of the Rings.

I like Batman Begins

I am not who I expected I would be when I was little. If I were to talk to a young me, I would be asked why I'm not being a paleontologist.

I am irrationally concerned with health, at irrational times, and inconsistently.

I do not play video games often at all, however I do enjoy zelda and tetris.

I keep a Blog sometimes, and a written journal less frequently.

A Moose!

There is a Moose loose in my front yard!


It chased down the neighbors dog and trampled it! The thing ran away quick as can be after that.


Awesome.  Fun "After Graveyard" entertainment.

In General

This semester is going well.   Classes are fine, Philosophy is great, metaphysics is a stretch, macro economics is the academic "Suck", and the commute is fine if traffic isn't bad.

Speaking of, today on the drive home the sun was setting in everyone's eyes just low enough so that the sun blocker didn't do anything, so everyone was utilizing their hands, which made it look like a highway full of people "Zieg Heiling" in their cars.  Bathed in golden sunlight.


I'm doing alot less nowadays... I feel like a hermit, I kind of stay at home for the most part, and havn't been arranging to do anything with friends... even if i did, I have no decent ideas for "what to do".   I need regular distraction I think.

 I've already seen Cloverfield, that was my highlight of the month.  If anyone reads this who wasn't there with me haha, and you havn't seen it yet? Go, it's like Godzilla meets Blair witch, I loved it personally. So enjoy!

Any other exciting news I'll get back to blog later... figured it's been long enough, and people who only read the "first blog" (if anyone actually makes a habit of that...) has had their chance to see Paul Potts.

ps. I bought his CD, great!  Opera huzza!

Wow...

This makes me want to cry!

This is a feel good video for sure
What's great is the COMPLETE change of reaction in the judges, from when he first comes on, especially Simon.


haha it's incredible... absolutely beautiful

wow

Semi-what I'm up to?

Missing you all!



Today I skimboarded, and in previous days I've been surfing. Unfortunately, the surfing has made the front of my body raw, especially the nips, it's horrible, but it was worth it, Surfing wasn't great, not the most fun I've had doign it before, rainy and cold as well, BUT! IT WAS STILL FUN. Huzzah.

Been diving, and such, I don't think i'm tanned... but that'll be realized when I get home.

Tommorow I'm going to Kona to the YWAM base there, to visit some folk, that will be great.

I wish I had some photo's to show you all... not at the moment, there are a few on facebook.


I really do wish I could be with everyone right now, I'll see you soon.

Much Love and all that such


-Jon !

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone, that means YOU!


Although the actual day of Christmas is almost over, it's still nice to hear evening "Merry Christmas" wishes.


*Sigh.... and now the wolse season ends, the lights come down, and people stop anticipating and loving each other.   Focus goes on new years, and then when thats over.... it's a whole year until the best time of the year.

and in completly unrelated news

I still stand by the solid fact that "The Fellowship of the Ring" is my favorite of the Lord of the Rings movies.


 

Chances are...

Edit: Whatever path I do take in the future... I want to reach a level of enough experience, whether it be in a career or just "life in general", where I can give good, honest advice to others. Maybe be a jerk while I'm at it, but still be respected, a "Dr. Cox" if you will (Mike).
Huzzah!
Anyways... I think thats more important to me than purpose I think... having people to help, not only practically, but through wisdom. THATS the word I was looking for, wisdom.

------


Chances are that this is just a result of panic and stress over exams... perhaps it's a mixture of many things, but none the less, the feeling is here and it sucks....

Not knowing direction. The other night I lay awake in bed not able to sleep while my mind raced, unfortunatly sleep didn't exactly make it all go away. I honestly have no idea where i'm going. Sure i'm going to school... but for what? An arts degree? I don't know what I want to do with that... I could be a teacher sure, that'd be swell haha, but thats not the satisfying "dream come true" for me. I want to know what is right in life for me, I want to know my "calling" as it were.

Whatever, i'll stress about this on my own later on, I'm not depressed or anything haha far from it, I'm just confused. I try reminding myself that i'm still young, and quite a bit younger than people i might be comparing myself to who are "on the right path" but still... the worlds competitive, I just feel if i don't get a grip soon, then I'm going to fall.

In other much happier news, Cry of the Afflicted show last night, awesome, amazing, they are the best. Too bad you wern't there mike, missed you bud, next time. Next time.
Also, for those who may not know but possibly take a gander at this blog from time to time, This christmas/newyears/ ("Politically correct/irritating "holiday season?) I am going to Hawaii with the entire extended family and such. I'm really looking forward to it for obvious reasons, spending time with cousins who I havn't seen in years now due to my travels and such.

Well.... Final at 6.pm tonight, I have no doubt in my mind that this blog was me trying to get away from it.... but back I go "cadre parties and single member pluralities" (it's as exciting as it sounds!!)

Oh wow, and socks

hahaha, So last night I worked a 12 hour shift, (Today?) and got home at 12 noon.
Had my shower etc, and had a realy good idea of something to write a blog about... however i sat down on the couch with my computer and....



It is now 6:13pm

Lame, I hate sleeping, it made me forget my awesome blog subject. It was good enough to actually motivate me TO write another blog, I'm a few weeks behind.



New edit*

So, my socks are different sizes... they look exactly the same... except one is longer. Irritating, but what is worse!

...Is that i know that this same occurrence is due to happen again at least once more in the future....


I love my job

The snow is kind of trying to come back today.... not interesting. It's had it's chance, then it melted... I don't think so snow.

Also... I sprained my wrist at work the other day during my 12 hour shift.... and now it kills. Very Very Lame.

Thats more like it

Last nights snow was exactly what I was waiting for!

huzZAH!

(I was being told about BLT...on a Bagel?? Weird)

Yay

Snowfall

heh

Finally

:)

Midnight shift activities

Today during graveyard was basically "dish out" Transformers fest, thankfully some people on the crew had seen it, for the first time AFTER they had heard my.... unique review? (well.. unique to kelowna at least... everyone seemed to love it)

None the less, hahah they said all they could think about was "Jon said he hates this part" and thus started oppertunity to laugh at ridiculousness of the movie.  Yes, i know it's about giant robots, I'm not talking about ridiculous in that sense, I mean just parts where... I don't know WHAT possessed the writers to put it in there.

I wish I had written a review blog on taht movie after it cameo ut, similar to my pirates3 one.  I guess i'll have to wait until the next big blockbuster.


ALSO, another thing that I have been discussing recently during graveyard shifts, (where all the best conversation happens, sleep deprived awesomeness)  has been the fact that I dislike it how so many songs nowadays (mostly hip hop, but not excluding britney spears) seem to have this retarded trend where someone, not even always the artist themself, will talk, and then do a retarded little laugh, it's always like a "heh heh" just those two.  Everyone from JT, to Britney spears, to Fiddy is guilty of this irritating addition to the songs.  I could go on more about it, but it's more fun to discuss in person.


-------------------------- 

In other news.... I sincerly, sincerly hope that the name "Smore's" did NOT come from this...

"they are so good, i want s'more"

*shudder*

Everyone Everwhere

Boy was today wierd, I was running into everyone everwhere, family, friends, randoms here and there, nuts.

My cousin in law in tim hortons
My uncle at airport
Friend who coincidentally I had been talking about earlier at tim hortons (different time, yes twice in one day)
Uncle at blockbuster

In other news, I saw my dad off at the airport earlier tonight, and this security lady walked up to a very nice young man with his little puppy (aw) and said "Your dog has to leave now" incredibly rudely, it made my blood boil, she continued to be rude and while the guy was doing what she asked he was calmy trying to reason with her that he cannot take his dog outside RIGHT then for whatever reason, she continues to be unbelievably rude, and he asks her if she could just be a bit more polite, she then walky talkies for backup!!! "resistant male, backup needed"

It made me so mad I actually stood up and challenged her "P's an Q's lady, Ma'am I understand you have authority, but c'mon"  She turns away and continues to ask for backup.  Unbelievable, i was so mad ahah I couldn't believe her, unfortuantly I left before I saw the end of the situation.


School is going well, and it's either the weather or something i don't know, but i've been in a wierd mood lately.  A bit of a loner and sometimes downer mood i think, but we'll see what happens.  It usually comes around now at the change of the seasons, season changes usually stress me out, mostly just late fall, and early spring.  These things happen.

Robots... like, totally

I was thinking on my evening drive, whilst being distracted by the bright streetlights and water raining down onto my windshield,
 Imagine... if every body and everything around you... the entire world and everyone in it, we entirely a creation of your mind.  This is age old, cliche, and e veryone has had some kind of "what if everyone else is a robot" type though I KNOW, but entertain me

So, further imagine that if everyone who was a "figment of your imagination" had a conciousness, and as a result, a desire to live/exist.  The only reason you would have any friends, is becuase these particular characters your mind has dubbed "friends" or "close" would only maintain this assigned status with you because they WANT to live,  if that was to faulter, or you were to go your seperate way, then their "role" in the story of your life would be over, and as a result, they would eventually cease to exist.  Yep, 

As, this hardly deep, and ridiculous concept has probably cued any reader on to, I'm tired, exhausted even.  Not just physically, actually, possibly least of all physically.  Just over all i feel drained, possibly the weather? Possibly even just today, who knows, none the less, it's a weird mellow that i'm not sure wether or not i like it, or hate it.

In other news, I find that gossipy girls in college who need to grow up past their grade 10 bickerings are irritating, especially when their gossip fills the halls around you so you can't study your philosphy text and are forced to hear about "OMG, did you HEAR what happened at this partty?  omg I know! I was sooo omg like totally drunk omg I was like 'haha i'm sooo drunk kiss me' then i was like &*%@ and @#&* to her &@@% face, that &#@%"

Hardly charming.

Graveyard Antics

I'm panicing.... I don't know what to do about life...

WHAT


WHAT!!



I need to focus on the present, then maybe I'll notice something exciting to write  a blog about...

At the moment nothing, but I figured I'd throw something out there, something new for those reading my blog.


Huzzah.



Anyways, graveyard shift this morning was great, laughed so much, man.... best crew.

The new Coheed grows on you, I wasn't too impressed at first, the only good songs were the ones on the myspace, but it's good enough.

It's coheed.

Stay true.


ALSO, well, I don't know what else to say.

I want to accomplish something with life someday... but how.
I will not be a nobody.


I also wish the Kelowna Scene was back haha.
I've had a few discussions about this with people in the past few days... *sigh


Anyways, new Coheed, giver a listen, don't bother with the album art.... it sucks.  Worst Album art ever, looks like anime or something,I'm very dissapointed Coheed (or Cambria) 

Graveyard antics

She threw away my lunch again today...

Kind of,

This time, she took my lunch bag, emptied it so that the individual items were now seperated throughout the fridge, and threw away the bag. She also moved the Nalgene bottle that was resting beside/ontop of the bag in the fridge.


Que!?!?!

Two things that have interested me.

I just (literally 3 min ago) witnessed about 30 little birds in a flock flying like WWI planes diving in two groups at a bigger bird who had obviously ... heh... ruffled their feathers. It was like watching a Snowbirds show.... except with little birds, perfectly flying together in big swooping arial combat with this bigger one. Really impressive


I was in Tim Hortons yesterday, one in Kelowna, and before getting something to eat (a bagel) I went to the washroom. In the washroom was a garbage can, with your classic brown paper towel, crumpled up as it had been used, half hanging out of the can. Why is this interesting? There was no paper towel dispenser in the washroom...


There we go, short and sweet, but at least it's something INTERESTING! hah!

Stealing my attention

So, this English Writing blog of mine seems to be stealing my attention. I blame the fact that my prof makes it mandatory and gives us topics to write about. I think thats what makes it interesting to write though, the fact that i'm given a free playing field on whatever topic she throws at us.

But into other news! So yesterday I fell asleep in my car. Not while driving mind you, but it was still unexpected, at lunchish time I went to my car to switch up texts and low and behold, i sat down with my music playing and fell asleep! I panicked when I woke up for that horrible split second thinking i had missed class... not that it would have been a big deal? it just would have been annoying.

What else is new....in point form?

I just attained... and in the same week satisfied a fierce addiction to The Office. Now i'm waiting for season 4, on Thursday.

okay, thats that, AND! Heroes on Monday was awesome... for all of you who do not watch heroes, you need to start now.

Yikes, what a horribly boring blog...... check out my School one for some other interesting musings i guess.... I think I did a better job at that one today, but thats with the help of Youtube and Streblo.

Throwing things away

So, at my work there is a cleaning lady, she cleans the lunchrooms and the washrooms etc and does a very good job at it indeed. She comes in on graveyard, (which is my shift) and is working away very busily in the lunchroom where my shift leaves our bags and lunches etc, sometimes we'll come in to the room at lunchtime to find that while we were out she has come and gone.

Sometimes I find this out in ways less than desirable, for example, last weekend, she cleaned out the fridge... including my lunch, and there was no retrieving it in the garbage because she had replaced the bags.

Honest mistake, it happens I'm sure.

Yesterday however, (or last night... this morning? Whenever, the shift I just had)
I forgot one of my work gloves at my car, and before I went back to grab it, I got a nice new pair, sounds good, the old pair were getting old anyways. Well... I place the lone glove with my high vis. vest, which is on top of a cupboard where we all leave our bags etc, and go to work.
I come back, and the lunchroom has been cleaned, and my glove had been thrown out!!! Ridiculous, and again, no retrieving it because the garbage bags had been replaced.
No mercy, I can't leave my lunch in the fridge, nor my stuff on the cupboard.
I can't bring myself to an assumption that iIm being picked on.... however, that is irritating.

Next week it'll be my car keys or something of that nature.

Another Blog??

*Gasp, check this out, another blog!?

For English, (or more specifically "University Writing"), my prof has assigned quite an interesting.... assignment. Blog within 24 hours of each class, based on a topic given in class (usually a reflection of the day).

Anyways, as a result of it being school, that blog will be updated 3 times a week, and will more be focused on what I'm up to in class, BUT if it so tickles your fancy, then you can check it out.

jarkle.blogspot.com

(or if you don't want to type that out, you can go to my "profile" by clicking on my picture over there to your right, that'll take you to my "profile" where you can then see my 2 blogs, the school on is "This is what I think....")

Enjoy!

(And I'll try to keep this one exciting with better comings and goings of life outside school... starting now?)

avoid eye contact

Have you ever noticed the great lengths that strangers will go through, just to avoid making eye contact with someone walking towards them on the sidewalk?

Here's the scene.... a lonely sidewalk, two pedestrians (both human beings, both presumably able to speak) walking in opposite directions, towards each other. As the space between shortens, the awkwardness sets in.... neither speaks, and both frantically try to figure out how to pass the other... now if one is wearing sunglasses, this makes it much easier becuase you can do the "look past", otherwise some opt to do the "look away" some do the "quick eye contact, then look forward" and the little gem that I got the other day was someone who turned their head in the complete opposite direction.. towards a wall! Is someone walking towards you THAT intimidating?

None the less, I'm in College now, and it's school. There is too much, but not enough time in between my classes, so I'm trying to figure out how I should pass the time tomorrow. Philosophy is going to be an amazing class from first impressions, and I hope I'm right.... but I'm afraid the Prof might not like my arguments if I come to a topic such as "the existence of God" (term one). We'll see.

Macbook pro coming in the mail.... soon! ooh boy

I guess this week was the week that Steve Irwin passed away last year, so the discovery channel has been doing Croc. hunter specials. It's making me miss Australia a surprising amount.

I don't know what else to write about. Life is fun, confusing and sometimes I don't do it right, BUT it's fun.

The Unveiling

It's out, it's here, hello!

This band.....
This band hahah
Order it now! Get it now! You can too! No matter what country you are in, you can order this CD! INTERNATIONAL RELEASE! wow, it's so good.
Go get it,

Now
That means you.



excerpt from CD cover
"Cota Thanks: '..., Jon, Mike and Danny who have been with us from the start, ...."

Aw.... thats so awesome.

ANYWAYS! GET THIS CD NOW! I DON"T CARE IF IT'S NOT YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC, IT WILL BE.


http://www.solidstaterecords.com/cota/ecard/



In other news, after 3-4 years of faithful, everyday use, it seems my ipod has finally gone kaput. (More so than it did in Australia, this seems to be the final Kaput). SO I guess this means I need to get a new one... whcih is a horrible thought for me for 2 reasons.

1) I have a weird faithfulness to my old ipod, so i'd rather try to get it working (I'm the only person i know who still has an old school black and white screen Ipod)

2) I hate spending money. Not becuase I'm greedy and want to hold on to it, i just value the importance of saving. I need that money for my kids college education! (Mabye i can get a new Ipod)

BUT FIRST I will try to fix it.... or at least try to get ONE certain CD onto it.....
Only one CD is important right now. (And I can't even put it on...)