I was away this weekend at Camp Nakamun for a school retreat. We were planning the orientation day for all the new grade 10s and so a group of us went out to have an intense planning session and just hang out, but I must admit I was rather apprehensive. I didn't know a bunch of people in the group going out... I've posted before about some of my awkwardness with friends and the fact that I don't exactly know a ton of people at school, and so I brought my iPod and a couple books just in case no one talked to me and I didn't have the guts to talk to anybody, which I figured would be a likely situation.
BUT as soon as I got in the school on Friday, I saw a guy from my former English class who I'd chatted with a bunch, and so I said hello, and he introduced me to another guy and girl, and so the four of us hung out for a lot of the weekend. It was actually really cool, to find these people that I wound up getting along with so well, instead of all the other people who were there, most of whom I know a bit and I know are realllly not the type of people I'd be friends with. Just not compatible personalities, but I was so happy I really did make friends, and I'm getting slightly excited for the new school year now.
So it became a rather enjoyable weekend, though I really hadn't expected it to be. It was also so diffierent from any of my other Nakamun trips - I've been out there 8 times, I calculated - 4 quiz meets, 2 quiz retreats, 1 youth retreat, and my grandma's 80th birthday. But each of those was in the winter, with the exception of the quiz meets, which are obviously very scheduled, and so we didn't use the climbing wall, human fooseball, campfire or go canoeing - all of which we did this weekend, and had a great time. So that was definitely a new experience, as was the fact that with my church group or family, there's a huge measure of comfort and security. I know everybody in my group, and I'm really comfortable with them all, while this time, I didn't know anyone very well and didn't exactly start out super comfortable with them - another different thing.
Food though, that was exactly the same, and before every meal, I would tell everyone what we were going to have, and I was always right. Bahaha.
But yes, that was my weekend. It is now exactly 8 days until school starts again, and because I'm sort of not looking forward to it, and sort of excited, they cancel each other out and I have no feelings on the matter.
~~~
"He looks like he's giving birth!"
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
4 letters
Just 4 letters. 4 certain letters which, when arranged in a certain order, form one certain word, and that word totally defines me. It's my name, and I find it incredible how this simple arrangement of 4 letters - that I didn't even choose - defines so much of me.
If I meet someone with my name, I feel an instant connection to them. If I end up disliking that person, however, I really dislike them all the more - I feel like they're disgracing the name, MY name. I judge people so much more highly if they're an ambassader of my name, my 4 letters.
I recently read an article about a woman with my name who stopped a man who had stolen someone's purse. I was filled with a fierce sense of pride - look what MY NAME can do! And then last night on the evening news, a young girl with my name was killed in a car crash. Though I don't know the girl at all and she didn't even live in my city, I felt so awful hearing that. No one deserves to die like that, but in my mind, she especially didn't. She holds my name, and so her pain was, briefly, my pain.
It's only 4 letters, but it's so important. It's the way I'm introduced to people, the way I'm initially different from everybody else, and it really is my identity. Those 4 letters carry my entire life, and I'm so attached to them. Without those letters, without that one small word... I would just be a nameless human being in a sea of faces, but at least my name, my 4 letters, are something to hold on to. In my life, in my world, to all my friends and family, they define me.
There have been times when I've met people, given them my name, and they've said "Oh! I know a girl with your name! She [liked this, disliked that, had this hobby, etc.] Are you the same way?" After just 4 letters, they formed an automatic idea of me. If they didn't have my name, they'd have to formulate their conclusions from who I am rather than the 4 letters that sum it all up.
So maybe it's not as important as I've thought. I've felt connected to people without ever knowing their name, or them knowing mine. I guess it's another handle to hold on to someone by.
But that's my deep musings for the day.
~~~
"Wow, that was a big word! I'm impressed!"
"Thanks! Yeah, I like to think I have a broad... uh... mm..."
"Vocabulary?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
If I meet someone with my name, I feel an instant connection to them. If I end up disliking that person, however, I really dislike them all the more - I feel like they're disgracing the name, MY name. I judge people so much more highly if they're an ambassader of my name, my 4 letters.
I recently read an article about a woman with my name who stopped a man who had stolen someone's purse. I was filled with a fierce sense of pride - look what MY NAME can do! And then last night on the evening news, a young girl with my name was killed in a car crash. Though I don't know the girl at all and she didn't even live in my city, I felt so awful hearing that. No one deserves to die like that, but in my mind, she especially didn't. She holds my name, and so her pain was, briefly, my pain.
It's only 4 letters, but it's so important. It's the way I'm introduced to people, the way I'm initially different from everybody else, and it really is my identity. Those 4 letters carry my entire life, and I'm so attached to them. Without those letters, without that one small word... I would just be a nameless human being in a sea of faces, but at least my name, my 4 letters, are something to hold on to. In my life, in my world, to all my friends and family, they define me.
There have been times when I've met people, given them my name, and they've said "Oh! I know a girl with your name! She [liked this, disliked that, had this hobby, etc.] Are you the same way?" After just 4 letters, they formed an automatic idea of me. If they didn't have my name, they'd have to formulate their conclusions from who I am rather than the 4 letters that sum it all up.
So maybe it's not as important as I've thought. I've felt connected to people without ever knowing their name, or them knowing mine. I guess it's another handle to hold on to someone by.
But that's my deep musings for the day.
~~~
"Wow, that was a big word! I'm impressed!"
"Thanks! Yeah, I like to think I have a broad... uh... mm..."
"Vocabulary?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Your friendly neighbourhood spider-saver
That's what I turned into over the past two weeks in Idaho. It's a darn good thing I'm not afraid of spiders, or else we would have had a major problem, since pretty much every time I went into my bathroom, there was a lovely spider right beside the toilet. However, I'm a good person, and I like spiders, so rather than killing it, I would scoop it into my wastebasket and toss it into the garage. Unless it was late at night, at which time I would just flush it down the toilet - but that only happened a couple times.
My brother, on the other hand, is terrified of spiders and refused to use the downstairs bathroom for the entire holiday. Not that you'd see me complaining - it meant I had the bathroom to myself.
And on a slightly related topic - I saw the Simpsons movie and laughed myself stupid at the Spiderpig scene:
Marge looks up, says "How did the pig tracks get on the ceiling?"
Homer is holding pig up to ceiling, singing:
"Spiderpig, Spiderpig
Does whatever a Spiderpig does.
Can he swing from a web?
No he can't, he's a pig.
Look out, SpiderPig."
Thought of Jessica and died laughing. Drove my brother nuts. :P And laughed even harder when Homer later put a scar and a pair of glasses on the pig and declared, "He's not SpiderPig anymore. Now he's Harry Plopper."
I found it hilarious.
Speaking of Harry Plopper, I loved the last Potter book. I think the romantic pairings definitely ended up right, and overall it was a satisfactory ending. Maybe around Christmas I'll read all seven books in a row. That should be fun.
Not much else to say though. Later days.
~~~
"You've gone mad with power!"
"Of course I've gone mad with power! Have you ever tried going mad without power? It's boring and no one listens to you!"
My brother, on the other hand, is terrified of spiders and refused to use the downstairs bathroom for the entire holiday. Not that you'd see me complaining - it meant I had the bathroom to myself.
And on a slightly related topic - I saw the Simpsons movie and laughed myself stupid at the Spiderpig scene:
Marge looks up, says "How did the pig tracks get on the ceiling?"
Homer is holding pig up to ceiling, singing:
"Spiderpig, Spiderpig
Does whatever a Spiderpig does.
Can he swing from a web?
No he can't, he's a pig.
Look out, SpiderPig."
Thought of Jessica and died laughing. Drove my brother nuts. :P And laughed even harder when Homer later put a scar and a pair of glasses on the pig and declared, "He's not SpiderPig anymore. Now he's Harry Plopper."
I found it hilarious.
Speaking of Harry Plopper, I loved the last Potter book. I think the romantic pairings definitely ended up right, and overall it was a satisfactory ending. Maybe around Christmas I'll read all seven books in a row. That should be fun.
Not much else to say though. Later days.
~~~
"You've gone mad with power!"
"Of course I've gone mad with power! Have you ever tried going mad without power? It's boring and no one listens to you!"
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