The Prov Cafeteria: The Experience

There is no such thing as silence. Over the sound of the workers behind the counters and the noises of the the beverage machines, there is a roar of voices. Students, professors, faculty and visitors congregate in the cafeteria over the lunch period, perhaps grabbing a quick bite to eat before running off to class, or socializing with their colleagues and friends.

I'm seated at one of the tables furthest away from the windows. Why? Because latecomers to lunch like myself go to where their friends already are. Today, it was at a far table. Tonight at dinner, it could be at the stools beside the window. Who knows?

I have to squeeze my tray onto the table through the other dishes. This is normal for regular visitors at this cafeteria, and something we are all well-versed in adjusting too. There is an animated conversation about Aslan's Child and Once Lost already underway, and I sit down just as my friend Mark starts singing a line from a Petra song he wants to play with Aslan's Child. Since he only repeats one line of the song over and over again, the rest of the table is soon doubled over laughing- a happily frequent occurance at the Prov cafeteria.

People leave and join the table frequently as they begin or finish their meals. Kevin, a commuter with a meal card, joins us a moment after I sit down, just as Mark leaves for a class. This eventually leads to a discussion on "Christian rock" and how most so-called Christian bands are now merely labelling themselves as rock bands with Christian members, such as Switchfoot and RED. Gales of laughter are heard when Kevin mentions that the lead singer for RED is a nurse in his spare time- which lead to jokes concerning the song lyrics "Breathe into me" if he were ever doing CPR and "It's already over..." in regards to a patient asking about a surgery. Rob, another commuter who brought his own lunch, joins the conversation within a moment of sitting down as well.

Eventually, there are three separate conversations going on. Kevin and Evan are discussing how many Christian bands end up touring with secular groups, Nadene and Hayley are talking about Hayley's cell phone, which has mysteriously disappeared since lunch started (and which Nadene may or may not have had something to do with), and Lane, Rob and I are comparing RED's three albums, as well as various other bands in concert including Kutless and Hawk Nelson. The conversations eventually merge again around the topic of Hayley's cell phone, when the guys start discussing how to get the information about said missing phone from others. This conversation went from "fingers and toes" to "Chinese water torture" to "tying them down and making them listen to Justin Bieber" to "we have much to learn from athiests!". This spawned a whole new conversation about world religions.

Such is a meal in the college cafeteria. Between bites, people will be discussing topics of the day including, but not limited to, music, classes, papers, movies, weekend trips to Winnipeg, members of the opposite gender, the latest Bombers or Jets game, the latest in world events, and civil arguments- Calgary Flames vs Edmonton Oilers, Skillet vs Justin Bieber, The Silmarillion vs Twilight, Pepsi vs Coke. Often, there is no difference if the argument takes place with another student, the school president, or the guy who serves us our French fries- it is all in the name of a friendly discussion (Unless it concerns the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. More than that, I am not at liberty to say.).

It's noisy. It's chaotic. Sometimes, depending on how immature the dorm guys are feeling, it's disgusting. But the majority of the regulars at the Prov Cafeteria wouldn't have it any other way.

(By the way, I don't cheer for either the Bombers or the Riders. On the rare occasion that I watch CFL, I'm cheering for the Calgary Stamps. So ha!)

Grow up already!

It's no little secret that kids are leaving home later and later, quite content to mooch off their parents' paycheques. As a 19-year-old student who spends eight months of the year living in a dormitory, I can sympathize with the young adults my age who struggle to survive on their own with minimal-wage jobs. Yet I fully expect to be fully moved-out and on my own by the time I've got my BA- MA at the latest.

Someone might want to drop a hint to a 41-year-old Italian man who, despite his parents' pleas, is still living at home, despite having a good job of his own. He has even stooped to the level of making his parents do his laundry and cook his meals. The parents, having failed to kick their son out on their own, have now called in the aid of lawyers from the consumer group Adico. Their son has been given an ultimatium to be out of the house in six days or face a restraining order from his parents.

Now, as a student struggling to make her own way in the world, I know that the economy is bad for poor students. Jobs are hard to come by. Houses are nigh impossible to buy, and even rent can cost an arm and a leg. And that's before worrying about tuition or paying off student loans.

But for a 41-year-old man who has a decent job and is still living with his parents? Give me a break. Most people his age have children, or in some cases are grandparents!

My parents have told me that I'm not allowed to permanently move back home once I graduate university. I love my parents, but I agree with them- I can't wait until I can be fully independent. I don't understand why fully-grown adults as old as my parents refuse to move out on their own and assert their independence.

To the university-or-older-aged adults who are fully capable of living on their own, but choose to stay in their parents' basements: You are disgraces to mature adults everywhere. Grow up and get a life.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14995588

Online Dating

Pardon last night's Game of Thrones-induced insomnia for the lack of a brilliant, witty title today.

My school's Sociology department does lunchtime discussions in the back corner of the cafeteria over Friday's noon meal. As I've recently switched majors to a Social Science degree, and today's topic of choice interested me, I felt it would be informative to go to this lunchtime discussion.

Three guesses as to what the topic was today. And the first two don't count.

I can see where both supporters and condemners of online dating draw their facts from. Having seen several people (including my grandmother. I jest not.) find happy, meaningful relationships with significant others whom they've met online, I can see how this trend has become very popular recently. Sites such as eHarmony, match.com and plentyoffish.com exist for the purpose of bringing people together, who otherwise would never have met. Even for non-dating purposes, online relationships can have their value. Quite a few of my best friends, I've only ever met online through fanfiction and roleplaying forums.

Yet everything has a dark side, and online relationships are no exception. In fact, their dark side may be more prominent than others.

Stalkers creep on these websites frequently, looking for unsuspecting women (or men) to prey on. Honesty in conversations (which are usually limited to instant messaging or emailing) can rarely be trusted. Not to mention the pressure of being in that relationship for purely dating or marriage purposes, instead of having a friendship base. I'll not go into the websites or phone lines intended purely for hooking people up for sex, as that will keep me going for hours.

My personal views on online dating are mixed. As a nerd who spends more time than she will admit in cyberspace (Admittedly, making artistic forum posts and writing fanfiction, not scoping out men), I believe that online relationships, whether romantic or platonic, can be good and happy as long as both parties are careful with what they say.

Yet I don't put very much weight in online relationships designed for romance. To my thinking, that's reserved for the desperate or the semi-anti-social.

... Maybe that is for me, then. I will admit that I have made an eHarmony account- although that was a spoof, done with my dormmates from last year to see what kinds of matches we'd come up with, and then laugh at the site before deleting our accounts. I think I had five or so matches, most of whom lived in the States, and none of whom I bothered to glance at beyond their profile pictures and names. If I do get lucky and start dating, I would much rather have that come about with a boy I already know in real life, instead of being connected through the admins behind a dating site.

What are your thoughts on online dating?

"So you think justice has a voice, and we all have a choice..."

So, the rumour is that America is a place of justice and freedom, where the good guys always win and the courts aren't near as corrupt as they are elsewhere.

Tell that to Troy Davis' family and supporters.

Davis, who was convicted of the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in 1991, was executed by the State of Georgia last night at 11:08 PM local time, despite the heated protests of Davis' supporters across the world.

The tale of Davis' fight for innocence has gained worldwide attention for 22 years. His execution has been pushed back three times since 2007, based on challenges to the "evidence" condemning him in the case. Why is "evidence" in quotation marks, you ask?

Because seven of the nine "witnesses" brought forward in the case have come forward since the initial trial to retract their former statements, claiming that they were pushed by police into saying untruths. Forensics evidence did not definitively link Davis to the shooting death of MacPhail, and another man who was at the scene has even come forward to say that he was the real shooter.

Yet for all of this, all the Supreme Court did in this case was to push back his execution by three hours before giving the order for the lethal injection, despite faulty evidence on the prosecuters' side, worldwide support of Davis by countless numbers, including Pope Benedict XVI and former US president Jimmy Carter, and condemnation of the execution by Amnesty International.

Justice is dead in this world.

Rest in peace, Mr. Davis.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/21/troy-davis-deathrow.html

Day of Prayer

As those in the Providence University College or Seminary know, today is the annual Day of Prayer. Like the title suggests, this is a day devoted to prayer, Scripture readings and meditation in various forms- including bodily expression of prayer, fasting, worship, or walking around the school.

As a Christian inter-denominational school, this is perfectly acceptable for Prov to organize and host a Day of Prayer for its students. How they do it is, of course, up to the Spiritual Life committee, working with faculty- yet generally, they tend to gravitate toward meditative contemplation and prayer. A discussion over lunch with Liam the seminary student brought up this point. Liam also mentioned that many other schools of this variety tend to do their Days of Prayer as loud worship sessions, where people can sing and dance in prayer to God.

Understandably, people have their own ways of praying. I happen to prefer the quiet contemplations, when I'm alone (preferably outside on a nice day) with only a notebook, my Bible and perhaps the worship music on my iPod to keep me company with God. I don't think I'd be able to focus nearly as well if I were in a loud, energetic dance. However, people who've grown up praying in noisy situations might not be able to concentrate or sit still for long periods of time in prayer.

Should Prov cater more to those who are used to loud, worshiping prayers? Or should everyone be used to praying and meditating in peace and quiet? Is there a single correct way to pray?

Regressing To Childhood?

I spent today unintentionally returning to childhood joys.

It started this afternoon, when in the commuter lounge, my good friend Rob and I confirmed that college-age kids can, in fact, be entertained with LEGO bricks for a substantial length of time. With time on our hands until dinner, no afternoon classes and a heavy rainstorm preventing any outdoor-type activities, we re-discovered the simple joy of building with LEGO- me, a small brick house, he a green lightsabre hilt.

Okay, so the lightsabre wasn't proper LEGO. It was more K'nex. But it was building pieces designed for the amusement of small children and bored post-secondary students.

When we went to Winnipeg later in the afternoon with our mutual friend Dan, our plans involved going to the cheap theatre to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4. Long story short, that turned into joining the crowd of families going to see the Lion King 3D re-release.

I strongly doubt that we were the only college-age people in the theatre to re-visit this movie, a favourite of mine from the time I first saw it, beyond waking memory. Although I am still amused that Dan and I were the only ones in the entire mostly-full theatre who were singing "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?".

What is it about childhood hobbies and entertainment that draw us adults back to them? Is it a memory of happier, easier times in our past, when our biggest worries were not academic papers and student loans, but that the last person to watch our favourite Disney movie didn't rewind the VHS tape (Yes, I still remember what a VHS tape was.), and if Mommy was going to make us eat spinach again at dinner? Is it a mindless enjoyment that requires no thought and is an effective time-killer? Is it fun in that sense of "I feel so lame for watching this movie right now- this is hilarious!"?

Is this why respectable, successful grown-ups can happily devote hours of their time to building LEGO replicas of the Millenium Falcon or constructing entire cities made of small bricks? Or why a classroom of high school science students can be enthralled by a video of Bill Nye the Science Guy? Or why VeggieTales still holds a special place in the hearts of teenage youth-group attendees?

Of course, smart-aleck college kids will still be smart-aleck college kids, even when re-watching a favourite Disney movie...

Simba: You knew my father?
Rafiki: Correction- I know your father.
Me, under breath: No, Simba, I am your father.
Dan: *nearly chokes on popcorn trying to not burst out laughing*

I don't remember quite so many chances for wisecracks when I last watched this movie in elementary school. But who's complaining?

Hakuna Matata.

Theology's all well and good, but...

I'm sore. I'm tired. My back and legs feel like they're on fire. Two showers later, and I think I've finally ceased to smell like a mosh pit. How I don't have a black eye or a mass of bruises on my person, I'm not sure.

But the dangers of the mosh pit were worth it to watch Thousand Foot Krutch during the Rock the River tour (sponsered by the Billy Graham Association and Ransom.TV) in Winnipeg on Saturday night.

Like many of the teens and young adults in the crowd, I'd initially been drawn in by the free concerts (And to listen to TFK and another one of my favourite bands, The Letter Black, both of whom I still would have paid money to see. To hear them both for free was a bonus.). Franklin Graham (the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham) and his altar calls were... for lack of a better word, a bonus that the un-churched in the crowd may not have been expecting.

During one of the many counselling sessions over the evening, when people would be able to pray for salvation, a recorded video from Skillet (which happens to be my favourite band of all time. Just a side note.) was played on the screens for everyone to watch. In it, frontman John Cooper spoke of how the church has done a bad job of relating to real-life issues that the kids in the church are going through- such as relationship issues, depression, problem 'friends', drugs and suicide. Skillet's popular song "The Last Night" is one such example- 'normal' churches have evidently classed that song, which tells of a girl who wants to kill herself and is told by God that she doesn't ever have to spend another night alone, as too "out-there" or too negative for a Christian band. Despite that, countless teens have mailed, emailed, Facebooked or otherwise told Skillet that that song has saved their lives and kept them from following the girl in the song to suicide.

How many churches talk about suicide? How many churches talk about real teen issues, such as premarital sex, drugs, depression, or even 'simple' things such as friend issues or relationship woes, to the people who need to hear it? How many instead sweep everything under the rug and assume that parents will talk to their kids about that, or instead just say that it's wrong to be involved with any of that and will jeopardize one's relationship with God? Why does the church not want to dirty their clean hands with real-world dirt and grime that the rest of us have to trudge through?

For that manner, how many churches actually preach the salvation message in their sermons, instead of just assuming that everyone in the service is a Christian already? Why do churches like to speak of grand, deep mysteries hidden in Paul's letters or preaching about the Books of the Law, instead of reiterating the simple Gospel messages that the unsaved need to hear?

The teenager who got dragged to church against his will by his parents doesn't need to hear about the deep, theological messages in Ephesians. The alcoholic present on the invitation of his neighbour doesn't need to hear one of the Pslams picked away to its theological bones. That theology's fine for some, but those people need to hear what Jesus did for them, and how much God loves them, more than they need to hear theology that makes no sense to them. Because motivational Christian speakers like Franklin Graham or Reggie Dabbs can't be everywhere to tell the unsaved what was done for them two thousand years ago, or that the real-life issues they're dealing with, but are too afraid to tell the church about for fear of judgement, are forgivable and fixable.

Where did we, as the church, go wrong?

"You are the light of the world... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)

Lucas was right!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are now officially one step closer to finding the famous galaxy from far, far away that houses the Jedi Order, the Sith Lords, the Republic Senate that makes our Earth governments look efficient and scruffy nerf-herder smugglers.

And there was much rejoicing from the nerds, the geeks, and the fanboys/fangirls.

NASA has just announced their discovery of Tatooine, the famous home planet of Anakin Skywalker (and later, his son Luke) that was known for orbiting two suns.

.... Okay, so it's not a desert planet governed by Hutt gangsters and populated with slaves and exiled Jedi Masters. The planet, named Kepler-16b, is actually a cold, gaseous planet that isn't fit to sustain life, about the size of Saturn. The two suns that the planet orbits are both significantly smaller than our own Sun- one with a mass of 69% of what our Sun has to offer, the other with a 20% mass. Given that the planet is too cold, even with two suns to orbit, to have liquid water on its rocky surface, it's incapable of sustaining life.

However, NASA scientists are pleased with this discovery. As scientist William Borucki said, "Given that most stars in our galaxy are part of a binary system, this means the opportunities for life are much broader than if planets form only around single stars."

Which means that somewhere, out in the vast cosmos of space, the real Tatooine that we all know and love may well exist. Ditto with the Jedi Masters, protocol droids and walking carpets.

Now, if you'll excuse me, this news is cause to celebrate with Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope, and a certain scruffy nerf-herder and his farm kid sidekick. I'll emerge from the lair sometime next week, when my inner fangirl finishes happy-dancing.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393115,00.asp

Of Sociological Debates and Trash Cans

What shall I say today on this blog post, good readers?

Happy One Week Old Day to the blog!

... Anyway...

The highlight of today has been an argument inspired by the Self and Society course this morning. My buddy Rob and I got into a heated debate over lunch about a topic discussed around 8:30 AM, while the caffeine from my coffee mug was still slowly seeping into my bloodstream. Today's lecture involved the theory that we value objects based on what we interpret their use to us is- for instance, what one person sees as a garbage can, someone else sees and values as a drum or a hat or a stool.

Fascinating enough. Then, on the way out of the lecture theatre to our respective next classes, Rob says, "So, does that apply to people as well?"

He said yes, our value of a person changes with how we perceive them to be 'useful'. I said no, everyone has their own intrinsic value, regardless of how we could be using them.

This resulted in a debate over lunch that involved two tables of people and a napkin dispenser.

Long story short, I lost. *grumble*

Long story slightly less shortened, we came to the conclusion that while everyone is valuable in their own way, and valuable as part of the whole population, our value of each individual differs, as though from a stranger on the street to the friend that we rant to.

Fair enough, I suppose. Although I'm questioning why I always let myself get dragged into these arguments. One would think I'd have learned by now...


By the way, does anyone else hear Neil Patrick Harris' voice in their head when they read this, or is that just a result of my Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog addiction? Maybe that's just me.

Randomness aside, I think I'll head back to the lair of my dorm room and try to quit procrastinating on some homework. Such is the life of a university student, I suppose...

Interview of a Classmate

Today, in the Writing For The Media class that created the need for this blog, we students were given the opportunity to interview our classmates for the purpose of discovering something new about each other. I was seated next to my friend Kevin, and so we ended up interviewing each other. (Kevin's interview of me, by the way, is available on his blog. No, he did not use my real name- so those blinking in confusion at "Patricia" can rest easy. Just me and my WPP ident- Whoops, was that out loud? *innocent expression*)

I did, indeed, learn something new about Kevin. I knew he had lived in Alberta for a chunk of his childhood, but I did not know that he was born in the Far North of the province, and spent quite a bit of his childhood moving between Northern Alberta and Edmonton until he moved out to Manitoba for college.

No, he doesn't cheer for the Edmonton Oilers. We can still be friends, despite the fact that I cheer for the Calgary Flames.

Anyway. Kevin is a self-professed communications and media junkie, with hobbies in photography, painting and radio broadcasting. One of his former jobs, in fact, involved interviewing hundreds of people for radio programs- including famed Christian author and speaker Frank Peretti. I am envious.

Evidently Frank Peretti is a really nice guy in interviews, though his higher, 'squeaky' voice is not what one would expect from the person who wrote "This Present Darkness" and co-authoured "House" with Ted Dekker. Those who have watched Hangman's Curse know what I'm talking about.

Going on in the interview, I- out of ideas for other questions- asked Kevin his opinion of Twilight, Justin Bieber and text speak. Those who know me know these are three of my biggest irritants with the modern world. Kevin shares my opinion on at least some of those subjects:

"Twilight was a brilliant idea to suck billions of dollars out of teenage girls. Other than that, it has no use."

My hope for humanity has been restored.

Also, we are of a similar mind that text speak should never be used outside of texting- although I'm all in favour of abolishing it altogether, while Kevin does see use in its existence. His views on Justin Bieber surprised me, though- as someone who is very anti-Bieber Fever (Not that I have a thing against the kid himself. I have a thing against how popular he is from a YouTube video and I really have a thing against the cult of teenage "Mrs. Biebers".), it was interesting to hear someone say he's not a bad singer- the bad rep that he has gained is due to the record company over-publizing.

I still don't like any of Justin Bieber's music, but I was impressed to hear that he's actually stood up for his beliefs against abortion in the face of a disagreeing interviewer. Kudos to you, Mr. Bieber.

The results of a ten-minute interview were more informative than one may have thought. From this, I have learned some interesting things about Kevin, and I believe he's learned something new about me as well.

Fascinating.

Miracles DO Happen

Just ask the family of three-year-old Kienan Hebert, who was abucted from his Sparwood, BC home on Tuesday, September 6th.

Because as of 3:00 AM on Sunday, September 11th, little Kienan was back home, asleep on his couch, with nary a scratch to show for his ordeal.

No one is quite sure how the child's abductor, who is suspected of being convicted sex offender Randall Hopley, managed to break into the family home a second time and leave the little boy on the couch without being caught by police in the area. However, no one is ungrateful that the suspect evidently heard the family's desperate plea for Kienan's safe return, issued only the day before, and deposited the toddler on his couch before calling 911 to let police know where they could find Kienan.

The tale doesn't end here, though. Because this morning, Hopley was found and arrested in Alberta, three kilometres from the border. He is now in police custody in Sparwood, much to the relief of his mother, Kienan's family, and everyone who was involved in this case or knew the family.

Police are not giving many details about the case to the media, saying that revealing too much could jeopardize their investigation into the case.

But for now, the drama is over and Kienan's family can finally begin to relax.

Happy endings don't only happen in books or movies. They can happen in real life as well.

News of Kienan's return: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Missing+returned+home/5384761/story.html
News of Hopley's arrest: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Suspect+toddler+abduction+arrested/5395267/story.html

Say what now?

Yesterday morn I accompanied a few other Provians to Southland Church in Steinbach, Manitoba. I'd been to this church once (albeit a year ago, on the advice of the hairdresser who put blue streaks in my hair last fall), and for the most part, I liked it. So I had good hopes for this week's service.

The worship service was better than I remembered, although I also was reminded of why I don't like electric drum kits. But that's a rant for another day.

It appeared that we had arrived in the middle of a long series on the church's core values. Today was the beginning of a four-week or so series on Value #10, "Marriage". Now, I was rather intrigued- being a nerd of the feminine persuasion who has watched most of her friends her age get hitched and preggers, it's understandably a thought that is rarely far from my mind (Never minding that I'm hopelessly single. This blog will not be discussing my consistently lacking love life.). So I wanted to hear what this pastor had to say about it.

The pastor began with explaining how God created marriage when He created mankind and womankind. I rather liked his points on how men and women were created very differently from each other and from the animals they commanded. And I appreciated the points mentioned on how marriage is lifelong and mutually beneficial, especially when the pastor began to bring up statistics done by various groups over the last however-long.

Did you know married men are more successful than unmarried men, even the ones living with someone? And did you know that the mortality rates for singles are higher than for the people married?

Some of you "forever single" types might want to Google the actual stats before deciding to pursue everlasting bachelorhood.

That was all well and good, and the pastor continued by explaining why exactly this is. Using the example of his own life, he said this was because the wife would focus her attention on the household management, leaving the man to focus solely on his career, which would result in a bigger pay cheque, which would make both the man and the woman happy.

That's when my fellow Provians and I did a double-take. Say whaaaa?

Now, I get that perhaps that is the sole goal of some women- to become happy, successful homemakers, raise a bunch of kids and cash in on their husband's earnings. And I think the pastor was trying to get the point across that married people can trust their spouses enough to step down from their careers and boost the other person in reaching their goals. That's cool enough.

However, that came across to some of us as more than just a little bit chauvinistic. Why? Because, believe it or not, that is not enough for some women, to be able to put aside their own successful careers, step into the background as the stereotypical housewife and watch their husbands leave every day for some profitable job.

This is the 21st Century. Women can be the money-makers in a family more than the men, in some cases. It's not uncommon for both the husband and wife in a family to be working- and, with today's economy, it's become more normal for both spouses to be working full-time.

Not to mention that, even if this pastor's ideas were good and sound and applicable to everyone, no woman would want their husband to come home at the end of the day and be unable or unwilling to help her in the house, as the pastor seemed to indicate men were wont to do in successful marriages.

I can more easily see a scenario such as this: Instead of the man working for money and the woman working for free to keep a happy home, both spouses work for money and work equally in the home. I, personally, don't care if the guy I eventually marry is the CEO of an international company, a world-class pilot, or a guy with an average job (I draw the line at "flipping burgers at McDonald's". I do have standards.). Money is not the most important factor in a marriage- equality and mutual love and trust are better.

Thoughts?

Colour Me Unimpressed

When debris rained from the sky in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001, the first responders to the terrorist attack did not turn away. They rushed to the World Trade Center buildings while the world around them crumbled.

Yet now, after all the wreckage has been cleared and the rebuilding has begun, their path is again blocked -- not by flying chunks of smoldering rubble, but by space constraints.

The first responders are not invited to this year's September 11 memorial ceremony at ground zero, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office confirmed Monday.

       - Jeff Stein, CNN- August 30, 2011

So, let me get this straight.  These men and women, who were the first ones to run to the aid of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, to save those who had survived the initial collapse of the towers and to help identify and mourn for the ones lost in the attack, are not even going to be publicly thanked for their sacrifice and be allowed to remember their comrades who didn't make it out of the wreckage?

Oh, no. Thank the seat-warming politicians who owe their lives to those same rescue workers, and have decided to reward them by deciding that there is no room at the memorial service for those selfless men and women, and instead is going to be filling their places with the families of the casualties and a couple of other politicians.

Now, I do understand that the families of the victims want to be able to publicly mourn and remember their loved ones. God only knows they've been through enough grief in the last ten years since the attacks. And I do see that there are evidently security issues that need to be addressed- given that it's the ten-year anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on the States in many, many years.

But Mr. Bloomberg, I have to ask you this. As the mayor of a permanently-scarred New York City, do you fully appreciate what these people went through to save the innocents in the towers? Do you even CARE that those same rescuers are suffering through permanent, debilitating illness and injury due to the hazardous conditions in the days and weeks following 9/11, or are they just a strain on American coffers in your eyes? Are you one of the ones who refuses to acknowledge the cancers and illnesses that those first responders are suffering through ten years later were quite possibly the results of injuries, hazardous chemicals, dust and other assorted toxins endured while they were trying to pull out survivors and bodies. What do you feel about the rescuers who had to become rescuees themselves- or joined the other dead within the rubble? Do those people not deserve the chance to be able to mourn beside those who lost their spouses, parents, siblings, children or friends in the attack?

First responders will be given a separate ceremony at a later date.

Glenn Schuck, CBS New York- August 13, 2011

No. 9/11 did not happen on a later date, and neither should a seperate ceremony. The first responders who ran to the wreckage without any thought for their own safety deserve to pay their respects beside the families who lost their loved ones and the politicians who, more than likely, weren't even present.

Those first responders didn't wait 'til the next day, or even the next week, to go help. And they certainly didn't wait for an invitation. Why regulate them to the back of the line, then? It's only thanks to them that more people beside the 3000 didn't die.



Linked from CNN's website. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/16/new.york.911.memorial/
Linked from CBS New York's website. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/08/13/report-911-first-responders-not-invited-to-10th-anniversary-ceremony-at-ground-zero/

Of Caffeine Highs and Not Enough Sleep

This results in me nearly falling asleep during one of the three back-to-back morning class of today. Apologies to the profs- I was trying to listen, honest!

On a related note, when will Prov learn to make a high-octane cup of coffee? Seriously, had to go to Niverville for a decent shot of caffeine.

By the way, the little coffee/jewellery/whatever else shop in Niverville, which I believe was called "Where U Bean?", makes a mean caramel-vanilla iced latte. Almost as good as their chai lattes.

Which means I'd better avoid that coffee shop in the future, or I'm going to be even more broke than I already am, and a good deal chubbier. Then again, Tim Horton is already becoming my new dark master...

Anyway. I suppose I'd better talk about something other than coffee to fill my word quota for this post.

First day of classes-that-are-not-double-blocks went rather well. Even though it's going to be at 8:30 on Monday and Thursday morning (I can see you wincing from here. The sympathy's appreciated.) I think I'm rather excited for the Social Psychology course. It sounds like one of the future careers that I'm considering in the back of my mind (right with criminal psychology and trauma/suicide counselling), so I'm excited to learn about how society thinks. (Or doesn't think, as the case may be. I mean, society DID make Twilight and Justin Bieber famous. I blame the teenage girls of modern-day society for that.)

Intro to Psych sounds fascinating as well. And it's kinda required. But hey- psychology! And once I finish Intro to Psych, I get to take Abnormal Psychology and figure out what's wrong with me! And Judaic Studies just sounds interesting.

Not so excited to be handwriting all the notes for two classes, however. But what can one do, I s'ppose?

In other news, the heat wave is evidently reaching all the way from Otterburne to Alberta, with 30+ C temperatures predicted for the weekend. Which means another few days of Upper Kindred being ridiculously hot to the point that all the residents are making friends in the basement that we can go chill with. (Pun completely intended.) And if the profs wonder why we Upper K girls are staggering around in an exhausted manner, it's because our dorm is too hot to comfortably sleep in.

Could be worse, though. At least we only have to climb one short set of stairs- unlike my friend at Red Deer College, who's got four floors in a heat wave to climb. My sympathies to her.

And just think, in a couple of months, the temperatures are going to be at the opposite end of the spectrum and we're going to be complaining about the cold. Oh, joy. *ducks the boos*

And now I'm going to go crawl back into the lair with a cold Pepsi (Along with teaching the caf to make a strong cup o' java, we should also point out the errors of their ways and replace the Coke with Pepsi. Can I get an amen?), my possessed laptop and some textbooks. Come bang on my door if you want me to be sociable again... or if you just want to stare at the Aragorn or Will Turner posters on my wall. Whichever.

And lo! A blog was born.

Cue hallelujah chorus.

I suppose this is the mandatory introductory post that is expected in the beginning of every blog, where the (imaginary?) readers of this blog will want to know something about me.

Fiiiine.

As may be hinted at by the title of this blog (inspired by one of the visitors to my dorm room, who said with great delight that my room is like a little nerd haven. Not sure if it was the lightsabre chopsticks or the massive Aragorn poster that earned that title...), I am one of the biggest nerds that I know. Proof? I own a betta fish named Darth Revan, I can recite obscure Tolkien writings, I am the only person I know who actually read and finished The Silmarillion when I was twelve (after reading the Lord of the Rings in six days. Yes, six.), I admit to writing Star Wars fanfiction, I also admit to fangirl-crushing on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Atton Rand, I've played through and successfully beaten Battle for Middle-earth II and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on PC, have named my laptop Darth Byte, and have a little Frodo plushie on my desk. Also, I am one of only two people I've met who dressed like an Elf and actually wore prosthetic pointy ears to her high school graduation. The other person was my best friend.

Outside of this blog, Facebook and Google+, I'm known on the Internet under the alias of Xaja Silversheen. A Google search will bring up my fanfiction page, my deviantART account, a fanfiction forum (where we take the BAD fanfics and riff the snot out of them, MST3K style, at the risk of our sanity and brain cells) and my much-neglected YouTube account. Are ye satisfied, lurkers?

I didn't think so either.

I'm a Social Science/Psychology major at Providence University College, with a minor in Communications and Media. This blog was actually born out of necessity, for a Writing for the Media course that requires a blog post every day.

That's right. This blog will actually be updated more frequently than my deviantART or fanfiction accounts. Feel special, readers.

On a related note, my apologies to the dA and FFN followers. The muse hates me. Enough said.

What else shall I say? This blog also starts the same day as the Fall 2011 Semester at Prov, so this will follow my adventures or what I see/hear/smell/whatever during the coming semester. And possibly even after the end of this semester, too. And there was much rejoicing. (Yay!)

On that note, 'tis lovely to meet all you lurkers, most of whom I probably know IRL from Dr. Greco's class.

'Til the next time I drag myself from the lair...