New Beginnings???

 

Recently many Facebook statuses have been about post-secondary education! I am planning to apply over Christmas break but I wish I felt as together as other people seem. They seem so confident in their decisions and I feel so not prepared. I am a type of person who needs to be in control and I always need to have a plan. However, this big decision is not as easy as it seems. It's not that I am not ready but rather that I am afraid of making the wrong choice regarding my University education.

There is no program in Ontario that is perfect for me. I have looked at Laurier, Brock, Queens, Western, Laurention, and Windsor. They all have great programs but it is the combining of two degrees that is putting up barriers. The schools that have a great activities package of Phys ed, like Queens, will not allow me to have a minor in English without taking Intersession. Other schools, like Brock, allow a full minor in English but the activity package focuses on the dance and movement aspects of Phys ed and it is very likely that I will never have to teach either of those topics. I would like to get my undergraduate degree in four years and then I want to to to teachers college for my fifth year.

I know what my career goal is but I have no idea which University to attend to help my aspirations come true. I am applying in the next few weeks and I hope it all works out for the best!! Good luck in your post-secondary decision making class!!!

Rachel

You Sneaky Mom!!!

 I was introduced to Jimmy Kimmel when my brother, Erich, showed me a video of little kids freaking out because their parents "ate" their Halloween candy. The video was of about 8 sets of kids (mostly crying) as their parents told them that they ate all the candy the collected on October 31. All the videos were filmed because of a suggestion by Jimmy Kimmel that the parents try it. There have been over 20 million hits on Youtube of the video and basically some of the kids have been made iconic. Most of the children are under the age of 8 and it may seem mean but it is freaking hilarious! Majority of the kids cry, two have complete tantrums, one kid looks crushed, one calls her Dad "ugly" because he ate her candy and a little boy starts throwing stuff. The best part is when two brothers by the names of Jake and C.J find out their Mom ate the candy. The older brother tells his Mom that she's "going to get a bellyache" and the little brother promptly calls her a "sneaky Mom". Keep in mind that the children are probably three and five years old. For me, the best part is the parents who are laughing as they tell their kids that their candy is gone. In a nutshell, WATCH THE VIDEO!!! You will laugh so hard! Oh the wonders of Youtube, will you ever cease? 
Watch the video at home!!
I Told My Kids I Ate Their Halloween Candy

The End of the World?

If the world ends in 2012 I will die laughing. In history, the world has been predicted to end at least 242 times in the bible (www.bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm). Even Isaac Newton predicted that the world would end in 2060 (www.religioustolerance.org), which is still yet to come, and a man named Harold Camping has predicted “Doomsday” more than three times (www.ranker.com/list/the-12-greatest-end-of-the-world.).  I feel that the idea of the end of the world is to just scare people and frankly make them make bad choices. The idea that you have one last night on Earth sounds great but it can end horribly if the world does not come crashing down the next morning.

I feel the idea behind the end of the world is just to remind humans to live their lives to the fullest and make every moment last in life because it’s the only one we’ve got. However I think that message can be achieved without scaring the *** out of every public school student around the world. Personally, I think a motivational speaker is much better than a so called “curse” on humanity.

I try to live my life to the fullest everyday and I suggest that you do to. Don’t wait until your “last day” on Earth but make every second count. Love deeply, laugh louder, share all you have, and make a change that will help someone else. There is a limited time for all people on Earth and tomorrow could be the end of the world for you. Sounds depressing but you know it’s true. Life and all it holds is up to you and you must keep living it until your “doomsday” comes.

The Who From Who-Ville!!

I think of myself as a Who definitely!! My house is smack dab in the Christmas spirit on the 20th of November. Why that date?? My parents created an unofficial rule that we cannot start Christmas or even mention it before November 19th because that is my birthday. Growing up we always got our tree on the first P.D day in December but since that P.D day no longer exists we had to change our date to the closest available date to December 6th. We got our tree on Sunday. Yes, that was the day it was raining cats and dogs but none the less my family donned our Santa hats and drove to Benjamin Tree Farm where we have been going since I was born. We hiked into the field of trees and cut down our tree. Strangely enough, the trees were not as tall as I remembered. Weird.... We then got hot apple cider and cookies in their "shop" at the edge of the property.
Speaking of cookies, that's another reason why I love Christmas. I am a Woolley so I much love cookies right?? Wrong, I love making cookies!! We make sugar cookies, whipped shortbread, chocolate chip, snowballs, rum balls, chocolate thumbprints, candy cane, vanilla iced, jam filled and many more. My Dad has a huge sweet tooth so we do a lot of baking around the Christmas season. It is also one of the only times during the school year that I have time to bake and cook!  
Christmas season is also very special because we go to my parent's friends house for Christmas dinner. It is a tradition and is so important. The people who host the dinner are almost like my honourary  aunt and uncle because they have watched Erich and I grow up. They now have a grandson who is amazing and we get to be like how their children were to us. I love them so much.
I also love Christmas because I get to sing and play my flute in Christmas choir at church. It is always beautiful and so fun. I am playing Pachelbel's Cannon, The First Noel, Angel We Have Heard On High, Joy To The World, and Helpless And Hungry at the service this year along with singing the rest of the classic Christmas songs. I love Christmas choir.
Overall, I am a huge Who. Oh, and when I was little I actually looked like Cindy Lou Who. No joke!!!

Tata class!!

Scars, Bruises, and Cuts

           These three things make great stories and they become part of who you are. I currently have three scars and too many bruises to count. My scars come from a bee sting, a baking accident and a nasty shaving incident. The bee sting scar is between my eyes and happened when I was six years old. There was a wasps nest in my tree fort and when I climbed into it, the wasps went nuts! Since there is very little blood flow between the eyes, the scar of the bee sting will always be with me. It reminds me to check before I go into a tree house. The scar on my forearm is from baking cookies. I'm a Woolley so that's no surprise but it really hurt when a hot cookie pan hit my arm and I have a scar to prove it. My final scar is the largest and is placed on my ankle bone. Let's just say shaving is difficult and many girls will agree with me.
           My bruises currently come from the sport that I enjoy playing. Volleyball that is!! I have massive blue bruises on my knees, a slightly smaller black and green one on my hip and best of all I have a huge yellow and purple one on my elbow! Just for the reference I do not bruise easily so I do have to hit the floor pretty hard to make such lovely shades. I love the game but I am hating the after effects that it has induced upon me.

           I wish my stories were cooler than these but they're not. I have yet to meet someone who has a scar from being shot or from fighting a bear. I have not discovered a person who got their bruise from saving a small child from being run over or from rescuing a cat from up a tree. If you have a scar or bruise from that please comment!! :P

Have a great week!!!~ Rachel

Voting for the Dead??

The weird news I found is from Montague, Michigan where more votes were cast in a mayoral election for a dead candidate than a live one. Henry Roesler Jr died before the election and he received more votes than his competitor. The courts ruled that votes for Roesler didn't count and his challenger Kevin Erb will serve the two year term instead. All I have to say is "Poor Kevin. People chose a dead guy over you. That must sting." I chose this article because it show that a person can still make a difference even after they are gone. For more info

http://www.chron.com/news/article/More-votes-cast-for-deceased-mayor-in-Michigan-2260056.php

Poetry is a Part of Life

Poetry. Some hate it but I have a slight weakness for it. I am a bit of a closet romantic so of course I love poetry. When I was younger my Mom always read poetry to my brother and I so I have grown up with an appreciation for words on a page. My Mom read us Robert Frost's The Road Less Travelled. You know "two roads diverged in a yellow and I, I took the road less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"? I love this poem and many others like The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe and The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll and anything by the classic Dr Seuss. In addition to loving traditional poetry I also love how poems can easily be converted into songs. Many of Taylor Swift's award winning tunes are love and heartbreak poems put to music. The emotions poured out into poems are the same as the emotions used to write a song. I think the reason I like poetry so much is because of my love of music. I also enjoy nature poetry. I like the way a writer can capture a fall day in to a few sentences. After they write it, the magic moment is captured forever and there is something wonderful about that. So overall I do enjoy poetry of all kinds :)

After reading these poems I noticed that the writer does a great job of using out of the ordinary describing words. In stead of saying "a serpent splitting the air" she adds the idea of a large amount of effort by writing "a serpent muscling air apart". She plays on the idea of the bats being a sheer force and fighting the sky for entry. I really liked her use of descriptive words in the poems.

A question I would ask is "how long does it take you to write a typical poem?" Some people think that you can slap something down on paper and that is your final product but I firmly believe in editing and re-editing work before it can be complete. I just want to her her opinion on the topic.

I am very excited for this unit to begin and I can't wait to start writing poetry!

Ta ta class!!! Off to edit my short story :P

~Rachel

Those who can’t do teach, and those who can’t teach, teach gym?

             I want to teach gym. Yes, it’s true. I want to stand in a stinky gym for the rest of my life! People say it’s stupid and that I should do something else with my life. “You’re smart,” they say, “you could do anything”.

That’s the thing. I don’t want to do anything else. I love the smell of the gym, the sound of a ball bounding on a hardwood floor, and the fact that it is the only subject that allows kinaesthetic learners, like me, to be full immersed in a school activity. I love the interactions in the “classroom”, the outlet for a bad day, and the unique relationship that forms between a teen and a Phys. Ed teacher.

When I graduate from university I want to head right back to school. I will get the opportunity to interact with the adults of tomorrow everyday, I will get to share my love for sports and fitness with others and above all, I love that I could wear sweats to work and no one would care.

In addition to teaching, I also plan on coaching as many seasons as I can. I hope to coach volleyball, track, and maybe soccer and field hockey. These sports are the ones that really interest me. I love the smack of the volleyball as it sails over the net and crashes into the floor, I love the arc of the javelin as it soars into the sky after hurtling down the runway, I love the throw-in that releases a player for a break away and the goalie that sacrifices their body to save the game, and I love the crack of the field hockey stick as it contacts the ball and drives it far down into the opposing circle.

Sports are my passion. They are a huge part of what make me tick and I am so thankful for the coaches who shared their passions with me to make me the person I am. I want the opportunity to share my love of athletics with a student and maybe shape them into the person they will become in the future. So yes, I want to teach and yes, I want to teach gym!

A Horrible Entrance

Sarah's palms grew slippery as Jack started walking towards her. Her pulse started pounding like a herd of wild water buffalo and her underarms were dripping like leaky faucets. He leaned close and wetly whispered in her ear with flecks of spittle hitting her in the neck. His hot, cheese scented breath said those three life changing, earth shattering words that a girl just begs to hear: "Check your fly".

Just Say No!

Calvin has schoolaphobia

           

What scares me the most is just about anything horror related. I can’t watch a scary movie to save my life and I can’t go through a haunted house without almost crying. I haven’t gone to anything “haunted” since I was about seven years old. That was enough for me.

            The last time I was at a Halloween Haunt Attraction was many years ago. There was a Haunted Barn and a Hayride. Before you ask, it was not KimGlo or Snyder’s Family Farm as it is now called. It was in Newmarket and I was there with my family and my aunt and cousins. We went through the Haunted Barn and I hid in my Dad’s arm the entire time except for when a man popped out of a coffin. My Mom screamed so loudly that the “actor” came out of role and asked her if she was okay. He thought she was having a heart attack. So I guess that I get my semi-phobia from my Mom.
            Even when I was younger and was out Trick-or-Treating, I refused to go to the houses that were really dark or had spooky music. My Dad remembers that when I was almost three and my brother was four we wouldn’t go out because the man across the street was playing creepy music. My Dad got us out the door and over to the neighbor's house but that was enough for us. We went home before the crying started. I have had a fear of horror since I was very young.
            I am fine with historical ghosts and so called “encounters” but I can’t stand anything fake that has people jumping out at me. I hate it when I when I am in the basement of my house and I have to turn off the lights to go upstairs. I run as fast as I can to escape the darkness. I hate it when I’m walking alone at night and I feel someone’s eyes on the back of my neck but there’s no one there. I went through Haunted Hall in grade nine and I was freaking out the entire time. Weirdly enough, I am now a part of Haunted Hall so I guess I’m okay with scaring other people. Some people get their thrills through scares but I much prefer a good rollercoaster. That’s enough of an adrenaline rush for me! As a last note, I have learned one important coping mechanism over the past few years: just say no!! I wish you the best of luck dealing with your own phobias. ~Rachel

A Food Fetish

Christmas 1996

   
 The love of my life is food. Sounds depressing, right? It’s not. Food has always been a part of my life. I learned how to cook in the kitchen of my house around thirteen years ago. Yes, that would have made me three years old. I don’t only love to eat but I love the smell, the texture, the look and the history surrounding food. Food at my house is not only about eating. It is a way to connect as a family. When I get home from a hard practice, I smell spices and flavours as soon as I walk through the door. When we sit down to eat, we talk about our days and don’t rush through the food. We savour it.
            Coming from my cookie- making family, people assume that I love deserts but they couldn’t be more wrong. I love the main course of a meal. I appreciate all the spices and the processes to make the food. Nothing is better than cutting up vegetables and putting them in the wok with some olive oil and seasoning.

 The part of my brain that food stimulates is different. Sports activate adrenaline and passion, music promotes tranquility and harmony, and cooking accesses culture and global differences. When I cook, I think about where the foods or spice palates originated from. I consider how each ingredient is made and the process by which it is grown. I think about organic versus non-organic, the 100 mile diet, low-fat versus high-fat and I think about how fortunate I am to be able to cook in my kitchen with all my ingredients readily at my fingertips.

In addition to cooking, I also enjoy reading about food and different recipes that other chefs use. My favourite chef is Sam Stern. You have probably never heard of him. He is a teen chef from Britain and he is a complete genius. He published his first book when he was fourteen years old and he has written four more since. I highly recommend his cookbooks!

I find that when I’m stressed, I like to cook. It is very satisfying to throw some ingredients into a pot and to take out a fully fused meal. I like to cook whenever I have the chance which at the moment is rare because of my busy schedule but I try to cook at least once a week. You should try it. It relieves stress, lets you explore alternate passions and lets you appreciate how fortunate you are to live in Canada. Cooking is an amazing past-time.

Adieu for now class. ~Rachel

Gossip, Rudeness, and Bad Phrases: These Are What Peeve Me Off!

          

  I do not have a pet peeve that drives me completely up the wall but I consider some peoples habits as annoying and not needed. First off, I hate it when people feel the need to gossip behind your back. Why? I just don’t get it. If you nave something to say, say it to the person’s face. Not the person who sits next to their best friend in math class. And if the thing you are feeling is so horrible, just don’t say it! Keep the comments to yourself and everyone will be much happier. Secondly, I strongly dislike it when you’re trying to pay attention say during class or in a movie and there is someone who is infernally talking behind you! In class, there are other people trying to learn so please be quite. I a movie theatre, you paid $10 to watch the movie and you’re talking?? What is the point of you being here?? It may sound harsh but for me proper respect and common courtesy is a necessary part of life and when they are not given it can make me slightly peeved. Lastly, a comment I don’t like at all is the phrase “that was so blonde”. I’m blonde and I don’t consider my self to be a slouch in the academics department. I may have blonde hair but I can continue a conversation and add valuable information to a discussion. The colour of ones hair should not dictate their potential brain capacity. I wish that comments like that would just disappear and no one would be judged by the way they look. These are my pet peeves! And one more thing, where on earth did the phrase pet peeve come from??

A Reading Life

November 1996 

            A thing in this world that really interests me is reading. Reading is a way to become someone else without leaving your couch or chair. It allows me to escape into the world of another to explore new circumstances without worrying about being shot by the South or captured by pirates. It allows me to delve into history and explore the world of pure fantasy. Where else can you cry and laugh all in the same sentence? The answer: a book.

Books are a huge part of my life and not only because my Mom was an English teacher and my Dad is a huge reader. Books have always been a way for my family to connect. When I was younger, we always read aloud at the dinner table as a family. I remember reading The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Parks, many Richard Peck books, and best of all the seven Harry Potter books. My family has always made time to read from when I was really little. There is a very cute photo of me sitting on the couch “reading” when I was only two years old. I can honestly say that I enjoy reading now as much as I did when I was little and when I was growing up. Reading has always been a huge part of my life!

Just recently I finished the book Juliet by Anne Fortier. As the title suggests, it is based on the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, but it contains an element of mystery regarding how the story actually ended and if the remains of the star-crossed lovers are still out there to be discovered. It also explores the idea that there are reincarnations of Romeo and Juliet that appear all over history and in our daily lives. Think about it. Do you know a couple who aren't supposed to be together but keep their relationship alive because it feels right to them? This couple is in the same situation in which the historic lovers found themselves. It was a wonderful book and I encourage you all to read it! The next books on my shelf are The Help by Kathryn Stockett and This Dark Endeavour: The Apprentice of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel. I am excited to delve into these adventures.

Tah tah Class, I’m off to read a book! ~Rach

Hallowe'en!



Tinkerbell-2006



For me, it's not going back to one moment but to one day every year. I am a lover of Hallowe’en, not the spooky, scary aspect but the dressing up and trick-or-treating part. From as far back as I can remember, Hallowe’en has always been fun and exciting. There was always something about that night that holds the child in all of us. My favourite part was not the candy; I'd always save it and never end up eating it, but I loved finding and carving pumpkins, roasting the seeds, decorating the house and, most of all, making and wearing the costumes. My Dad has made my Hallowe’en costumes for years. My Dad learned to sew from his father and, while I was growing up, he taught me how to use the same sewing machine he was taught on. The first time my Dad made a costume for me was when I was pre-school. He made me a Maid Marion costume and Erich had a matching Robin Hood outfit. My Mom says we were cute! In my past 16 years, I have had home-made costumes of a unicorn, a princess, a mystery princess, a witch, the goddess Athena, Tinkerbell and one of the Three Musketeers (Dartagnan, to be exact). My parents have had a part in all of my Hallowe’en costumes even if they have not made them directly. They help with makeup, hair and good accessories to complement the costume. Hallowe’en costumes and the entire season are so amazing to me. Hallowe’en is the best time of year because you can be whoever you want to be, you can accept strangers’ candy without risk of kidnapping, you can watch fall leaves change colour, you can carve pumpkins and eat the seeds, and, most of all, you get to be the child that's inside all of us but, like ghosts and goblins, only comes out once a year. ~Rach



Unicorn-2000



Just Saying...

Do you ever just have those days when you see something that stops your heart? One of these moments happened to me on Sunday when I was driving down a country road (go figure...it is Wilmot). Anyway, I was in my car and a red leaf from a tree flew in front of my windshield. It caught my attention as it hovered and then was swept away by the wind. I looked up and saw a tree that embodied the entire idea of fall. It had red, brown, orange, yellow and still some green leaves. It was stretched over the road like a tunnel and I was right under its shadow. The moment took my breath away so I did what any person would do. I got out of my car and grabbed my camera from my purse. It was around four in the afternoon as I stared up at the tree. It reminded me of when I was younger and my Mom would tell me about the colours of the trees around the time I was born. I turned on my camera and I started to take pictures of the boughs of fall above me. Then I stopped and realized that these are the moments that are best shared with someone else. I climbed back in my car and drive home to get another who would appreciate the moment. My Mom and I drove back to the road together to enjoy the perfect scenery. The tree was still there in its colourful splendour and we took pictures of the fall day that we were sharing. When we were driving home, the song Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldene came on the radio. "Chillin' on a dirt road, laid back swerving..." these lyrics were a perfect verbalization of the feeling of seeing that fall tree. The moments of true wonderment are rare and I feel truly blessed to have experienced the breathtaking scene of the fall tree.

~ Woolley

The Forgotten Garden: Read It and Weep

Hey Classmates!!

My all time favourite book is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. This book has historical significance, mystery, tragedy, and romance. The book goes between three generations and three storylines, chapter by chapter. Three strong women, drive all the storylines to a conclusion that is both satisfying and heart warming. The main character is a woman named Cassandra who recently has gone though the horrific loss of her family. She is left an inheritance of a cottage by her grandmother Nell. The cottage was once the home of a storybook author and illustrator Eliza Makepeace. These three women take us on a journey through time and show us the lives of three people in different time periods that are ultimately connected by a book of Victorian fairy tales. The story is set in and around Cliff Cottage in Cornwall and I cannot imagine a better place for such a beautiful story to take place. The cottage has an overgrown but wonderfully wild garden surrounding it and each of the characters live in the cottage as their stories progress. The book The Forgotten Garden has many lasting images and true emotions that will make you laugh but mostly cry for the very real characters. Kate Morton did an amazing job combining all the elements in a great book. Mystery, history, love, sadness, family, and acceptance are all included in this rewarding and wonderful book. Read it and weep!!!

~ Woolley