Disclaimer: This journal is written strictly for entertainment purposes only. It details the experiences and opinions of a spoiled-brat-city-slicker new to the lifestyle of the "Great Northwest". So, if you are offended by any of the content, please, please, do yourself a favour and find a sense of humour. Thank you.

June 29, 2002
Tbay, Day 53
So many firsts for me today.
1. Made soup from scratch and ate it with pho noodles. Yum.
2. Washed and hung up bedsheets to dry. When you're small like me, it's really tricky to hang them up to dry without them touching the dirty ground!
3. Went up on Mount McKay.
4. Saw a Native pow wow.
5. Got my first picture taken in Tbay in Chippewa Park:

June 28, 2002
Tbay, Day 52
Woo hoo! Long weekend coming up! And what will I be doing? Yeah, cooking and cleaning. *) The cooking part i don't mind, since i'm planning on making soup from scratch for the first time. I also noticed that the planning for a Skule get together in TO is not really going anywhere. The secret is having EVERYTHING figured out BEFORE you present the activity plan. If you don't, the response is likely to be, uh, less than enthusiastic with a good dose of skepticism. Heheh. Yes, indeed. Arrival times and methods, carpooling routes, meal times and places, costs, departure times and methods and contingency plans alpha, beta, gamma... well you get the picture. Anyone who manages to plan one of these outings should be highly praised and showered with adulation, for they have accomplished a nearly impossible task. (I gave myself a few pats on the back. heheheh.) Oh and any of you who might think that modelling emissions or reactions or whatever is cooler than what we learned in Skule, forget it. It's all trial and error. That's it. There's even less thinking involved cuz the software does all the calculations for you. Meaning you get bored and sleepy waaaaaaaay faster. 8)

June 27, 2002
Tbay, Day 51
Ok, I learned something today. Do NOT drop eggs on carpet. They break. And cleaning that up is a major pain. I'm still waiting for the wet patch on the rug to dry so i can see if i got all of the egg out. I guess that's one bad side of having carpet in your kitchen, eh?

June 24, 2002
Tbay, Day 48
Well, well, quite the morning i had today. First, I missed my bus that comes every FORTY-FIVE minutes. I was all set to walk for another 45 minutes to get to work when the bus driver from the bus i was transferring from honked at me as she was radioing the driver of the bus i JUST missed. I couldn't believe it when the other driver said he'd come back to get me! So i made it to work on time, after all. This is one good thing about a small town, people are nicer, especially public transit workers. hehe. Anyways, the second bus driver asked me if i was getting off at the mill, and i told him so. He then asked me, "Where are you from? You're not from around here, are ya?" I said i was from toronto. Now what the heck is that sposed to mean? My first reaction, as a minority, was 'ugh, it's probably cuz i'm chinese.' Then i thought, no, even the hicks in tbay can't be that ignorant. So maybe he meant that EVERYONE in tbay has generally bad english. LOL. Of course, the ignorance wouldn't surprise me, cuz i've met a couple ppl here who say that chicken balls and that (hazardous waste) red sauce are the height of chinese cuisine. Ppl have even gone to chinatown in TO and their kids have said, "where are the chicken balls, daddy?" Sigh... *)

June 23, 2002
Tbay, Day 47
The highlight of this weekend was cutting up an old pair of jeans to make funky lowriders. My goal is to exercise enough so that they'll fit me properly. haha.

Memorable Quotes
~Ew! Why would you need flavoured condoms?!
~He stepped on my shoe and it broke!
~Oh oh! Let's put this jersey in a lingerie box!
~Hey guys, ya know what? >>expectant pause<< Oh, um, nevermind...
~Ugh! He wanted to come over and help me write the summary!
~Sigh...I guess i'll take it for the team.
~What? It's never to early to start drinking!
~What do you mean you don't know how to interpolate?
~This lab is worth 5% of the 30% lab mark.
~Hey guys, you gotta look at me up here! UP HERE!
~I'm gonna have four wives on different continents and call them all "baby".
~It's now or never!

June 22, 2002
Tbay, Day 46
I'm scared. I think i'm starting to LIKE cooking. This week, i made fried potatoes (kinda like hash browns but bigger chunks) and stir-fry with rice noodles for the first time in my life. Sometimes i catch myself thinking about what i can cook for dinner instead of just reaching for that can of Chef Boyardee and a can opener. It's just very satisfying to know that when you cook from scratch, YOU have control over what you put into the food as opposed to wondering what disodium guanylate is doing in your Campbell soup. Oh, and for everyone's info, that Yahoo weather info is crap cuz it seriously underpredicts the temperatures here. Heheh. Yesterday it got up to about 25 degrees here with very little humidity. That means tank top weather for everyone, not just me. 8)

June 20, 2002
Tbay, Day 44
The army worms are coming! Saw some tent caterpillars today and some trees that are already naked. I'll take some more pix when it gets REAL bad as i am told it will. It's sooo groovy here, 10 pm and the streetlights aren't even on yet cuz the sun's still setting. It's so wierd to be getting ready for bed when the sky isn't dark. Oh, and one more thing. I've noticed that i update this page WAAAAAAAY more often than certain others who also have web-journals. Come on, people! You're lives can't possibly be as boring as mine so i wanna read about the interesting stuff. And if you really have no life, then you'll have plenty of time to update. Entertain me! It's not too much to ask considering what i've gone thru for the various teams that i'm a member of. LOL. =D

June 19, 2002
Tbay, Day 43
It amazes me what one can learn in a day. For instance, yesterday, i was reading the Environmental Affairs Dept's work plan and found out that i'm gonna be looking into sources of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) at the mill. So, i searched for "NORM" on the internet to see what background info there was. And i discovered that NORM also stands for the National Organization for Restoring Men. Well what the hell does that mean, i wondered. Reading the site description, i realized that it's a group of men who, uh, no longer wish to be circumsized. THAT threw off my focus for the rest of the day, that's for sure. Mind you, i wasn't curious enough to actually click on the link to see how this un-circumcision is performed. Some things i just don't need to know. 8)

June 17, 2002
Tbay, Day 41
Boring day today. But i do have another observation for ya. If you leave a glass with liquid in it on your computer desk for long enough, you're eventually gonna knock it over. Then you scramble to mop the mess up cuz you can't have chocolate milk ruin your most important link to the outside world...precious computer... Oh, and also, i think i'm starting to wake up before my alarm clock goes off. Not like a minute or 2, but like 20 minutes. Then i just barely begin to snooze again when - BEEP BEEP BEEP. My life is so rough, isn't it? Haha.

June 16, 2002
Tbay, Day 40
Weekends are too short. Even the boring weekends i spend up here in Tbay. Well, i went to see Sum of All Fears on saturday. Thought Ben Affleck looked a bit young for the part. The rest of it was typical America-Russia cold war paranoia with a canadian actor and nazis thrown in. But it was a good way to waste 2 hours. heheh. Also noticed as i was vacuuming that i shed a lot of hair. I'm surprised i'm not bald. but anyways, guys, if you need a hair piece or chest toupee or whatever, let me know and i'll save u some hair. The hair is good quality and never been dyed or permed. LOL. That oughta save u time in the mornings cuz you won't have to make your combovers look natural or perfectly glued to your scalp like a certain thermo prof... hahahahahaha!

June 14, 2002
Tbay, Day 38
Had a wicked day today. Decorated my co-worker's office for his 50th anniversary with paper stars. Then ppl in the office wanted to learn how to make them. So i held two sessions of origami class at the mill today, one at 8:30am and another at 3:45pm. Also held an impromptu Cantonese lesson. Learned that an old clunker of a car can run a long way with hardly any engine oil in it, too. Well, i guess you had to be here. 8)

June 13, 2002
Tbay, Day 37
ARGH! Why can't ANYTHING be simple here in this hick town?!?! My phone bill came in today. It was, oh, only about SIXTY dollars above what they told me it would be. Hicks can't do nuthin right.

June 9, 2002
Tbay, Day 33
My schedule for today:
7:50 am - 1st alarm clock goes off. I go back to sleep.
7:58 am - 2nd alarm clocks goes off. I lie in bed trying to figure out what European language is being spoken on the mandatory community programming that is played on the hit music station. Then I try to understand why these ppl listen to accordion music.
9 am - Eat egg omlette and play computer game at the same time.
11:30 am - Decide to vacuum apartment. Then decide to clean washroom. Nothing like scrubbing a toilet before lunch.
1:45 pm - Lunch is a perfectly nuked salisbury steak tv dinner. Yum. *)
2:05 pm - Find batteries for digicam and go out in the rain to take pictures. Try to not appear to be taking pictures of all the boonie scenery as pickup trucks drive past.
2:15 pm - Forgot what happened.
5 pm - Chat on icq and work out at the same time.
6 pm - Shower then defrost my pre-made dinner (thanks mom, hehe).
7 pm - Eat and play game at the same time.
8 pm - Wash icky dishes. Try to see which ones i can re-use without washing.
9 pm - Online again.
10:34 pm - Write this entry.
10:40 pm - Make lunch for tomorrow. Try to get the perfect amount of plastic wrap so sandwich is totally enclosed.
10:50 pm - Brush teeth, etc.
11:00 pm - Back online.
11:30 pm or so - Bedtime. Nitey nite! 8)

June 8, 2002
Tbay, Day 32
Yo yo yo! Wassup in da T-dot? Um, ok... Now that i'm done practicing my ebonics, i'll tell you all about my day. My shop-aholic friends will be proud of me today cuz i went and bought a digicam. Yeah, baby! Now i'm gonna be taking pix of EVERYTHING.
Now it's time to respond to some of the comments about my life that i've been getting from others.
JEN - I actually put the raisin bran in a clear plastic bag, it's easier to hunt down the raisins that way.
ALICE - Ain't nuthin wrong with eating raisin bran. It only means that you'll be seeing a proctologist/gastroenterologist looooooong before i need to.
AUDREY - The thinnest fish prize goes to the girl who's made the most progress in getting in shape! 8)

June 7, 2002
Tbay, Day 31
Wow, I can't believe i've been here for a month already. It's surreal. Time apparently STILL flies when you're out in the boonies. Anyway, I actually participated in the community today. I rode the Big Bike for Stroke for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It's a giant bike for THIRTY riders and a bunch of mill employees (all middle aged, of course, except me) rode it around the main mall area in the city. It was...ok yeah, i guess it was fun. The wierd thing was that my feet didn't totally touch the pedals, as in i couldn't push down very hard, so i wasn't very tired after the ride, but everyone else was. Hmm... u think that's cuz they're all middle-aged? And also, when your feet don't touch the pedals, all your weight is on the narrow bike seat. OW! OW! OW! So for everyone who sponsored me, THANKS! And for those who didn't, I'll get u next year. *) Ok, so after the ride, the group went to Kelsey's for a drink. There was no one near my age except for a niner, of all people. The first question she asked me after the intial small talk was, "So, like, do you have a boyfriend?" Good god. She went on to tell me that she's had three boyfriends this year. She also bullies guys with her bunch of female friends, they apparently duct tape boys to trees and things. Um, yeah. I think i still thought boys had cooties when i was 15. Hahahah...

June 6, 2002
Tbay, Day 30
Today i'm gonna complain about food.
1. Spinach is a pain in the ass to clean. There's too much sand in it! Solution: Don't buy it.
2. A head of lettuce is too friggin big to eat before it starts going brown and floppy. Solution: Buy smaller heads of lettuce or become a rabbit.
3. Raisin Bran never has an even distribution ratio of raisins to flakes. Solution: Separate out raisins and re-distribute as needed.
4. Food in general takes too long to prepare. But constantly eating canned food will probably lead to scurvy. Solution: Cook more at one time and eat leftovers or take massive doses of vitamin C, yum.

June 4, 2002
Tbay, Day 28
Sooo, I went into the 'woodroom' at the mill today. The room is actually a giant building where big logs are rolled in huge cylinders to remove the bark. Anyhow, there were a lot of transformers with PCB residues and other nasty carcinogenic compounds in them. I'm sure I lost some brain cells during that tour. Duh... Oh and also learned that those fluorescent safety things that people wear in industrial yards (you know, the yellow and orange X things) are actually called thongs. I was complimented today that my thong actually fit nicely. Uh, yes, we'll end off this entry on that note. =D

June 3, 2002
Tbay, Day 27
Ok, get ready. Guys, prepare to squirm and girls, prepare to LAUGH and cringe a bit. The following is a conversation i heard between my boss and some other guy who works at the mill:

Boss - Yeah, so I was working up at my cabin this weekend and at the end of the day, I found a tick on my leg but it hadn't gotten in yet. Then I found another one starting to dig into my ankle, so I flicked that thing out.
Guy - Ticks are nasty, man.
Boss - So I know this other guy who after a weekend of working outside was in the shower and was, washing his, uh, genital area when he found a bump. So he checks it out and it turns out to be a fully engorged tick attached to his scrotum [em's note - if you guys don't know what that is, you didn't pay enuf attention in sex-ed class].
Guy - Damn, that musta hurt, eh?
Boss - So he decides to go to the hospital emergency room because it hurt to much to remove by himself. When the nurse asks him what the problem is, he's like, "Well there's this tick...and...uh, it's on my...um, scrotum."
Guy - Hehe.
Boss - The nurse starts to giggle and tells him to go into this examination room to wait for a doctor. After she shuts the door all he can hear is giggling. All the staff are having a fit laughing about this poor bastard with a tick on his dick!
Guy - Did they get it off?
Boss - Well the doctor came in and said it was the funniest thing he had ever seen, but they managed to remove the tick and he was ok. Ugh, I hate ticks.

Click here for a picture of a tick. They are blood feeding external parasites. Ew. Don't say you don't learn anything from my ramblings. 8)

June 1, 2002
Tbay, Day 25
Let's see... I picked up my perscription safety glasses yesterday and they are absolutely hideous. You see, cuz so few women work in industry, they don't make ladies saftey glasses (or at least opticals in Tbay don't get the ladies ones). But anyways, the lenses are super thick cuz it's "safety plastic" and they are really big and round. So today was another beautiful day in Tbay and what did I do? Two loads of laundry and grocery shopping. Woo hoo. And of course, shopping was another adventure because i missed the bus (by 30 seconds!) that comes every 1/2 an hour going back home. I decided to walk home. It only took 1/2 an hour. And I probably got the start of a good tan while walking on other people's lawns (some streets don't have sidewalks). All in a day's living in Tbay. 8)

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