City bus anger, sexual innuendos and exams.

 I had my 8th out of 10 driving hours today. Which means that I'm two or three weeks from being able to get my license.

I can almost taste freedom from the suburbs, especially since the city made the decision that people only need to leave this suburb via bus on weekdays at seven inconvenient times. I hate the suburbs and they just had to take away my getaway vehicle this year. Stupid city council and their inability to spend money efficiently, resulting in cut bus routes and my anger.

I'm thinking of what I will do when I get my license. I'm pondering a small road trip over March break, possibly to Fredericton, because I have nothing planned. But honestly, I'm looking forward to being able to go to the library more often and getting to musical practices more easily. My life offers so much excitement.

Oh, and speaking of musical, apparently the choreography for 'Miss Saigon' is thoroughly scarring the innocent minds of the leads. My former (crazy) English teacher, known for thrusting in front of my class while discussing Shakespeare's sexual innuendos in Romeo and Juliet, has gone a bit over the top with the dancing for the bar girls' (aka prostitutes) scenes. I'm a little scared for being thrown into musical stuff in a week, as choreography and provocative situations aren't really my area. It will contrast with last year's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Exams starting Monday. My schedule of writing one two hour exam from Monday to Thursday is going to screw me up. I'll keep a counter of some things this week, starting yesterday because it was kicking off exam week:


Insanity level (current): 2/10 
Tiredness level (current): 6/10 
Determination to procrastinate (current): 9/10 
Exams completed: 0/4
Days until last exam: 5
Days without makeup: 2
Hours studying (collective): 1/2
Hours procrastinating on Tumblr (collective): 3
Cups of tea/coffee consumed (collective): 5

I will keep you updated.
Love,
-J-

Formerly 'That Africa Girl.'

I was laying in bed a few nights ago, thinking and unable to fall asleep. I was in a really weird mood, a big mix of stress (history essay) and emotion (Sherlock). Out of the blue, I had a moment where I realized something sort of strange.

A few years ago, being 'that Africa girl' was something that defined me. Now, it's something that I tell people occasionally because it's relevant to something. The strange thing last night was that I realized that I say,"I lived in Kenya for a few years," the same way I say,"I have naturally blonde hair." It's just a part of me but I don't really think about it. I realized that I haven't thought about my time spent living in Kenya in ages. I laid in bed, thinking of all these memories that I haven't thought of in a really long time. It was somewhat akin to opening a box of things that I tossed into the basement years ago.

I have definite conflicting feelings and ideas about Africa.

I began thinking of the sound of rain on a metal roof, looking from my backyard at the Great Rift Valley (true story), mind-blowingly beautiful places, the tiny/adorable/run down shops and the laid back chaos of Africa. In Kenya, there are interesting places, people and things.

There is also extreme poverty, corruption, AIDS, famine and so many other things.

Yet I still manage to love that place.

Then I think of my experience going to school there. I was there for 5th and 6th grade. These are the memories I've avoided. There were good things, and good things that now cause me a twinge of pain.

Good things, such as a great little community that offered me freedom, a close class, amazing teachers and having amazing experiences I wouldn't trade for anything.

I avoid thinking of a lot of these good things for several reasons: (1) I felt completely alienated when I went back to visit a few summers ago, and (2) out of my two close friends I had while I was there, I've failed at keeping contact with one and the other died in a car crash in Michigan after two and half years of our email correspondence.

I've since moved on from being 'That Africa Girl.' I've since found places were I fit in, where I'm not the odd one out but one in a variety of people (middle school was hell for me). Also, I've grown up a lot since me time spent there. It's a part of me, but it no longer defines me. I like it like that.

Just needed to write that down. What things have you guys ever let things define you? I'm curious.
Love,
-J-

TV shows that make me happy:

Making lists brings me comfort in my world of over-analyzing subjective topics for marks ("I make lists in my sleep, baby...")

• Arrested Development 
• From the name, I always thought it was a crime show. Nope, sitcom. Crazy characters, ridiculous situations: that's how I like it. 
• Bones
• One of the reasons I like Bones is because the characters approach death in a completely unemotional, intellectual way while still being interesting (I sound like a psychopath.) 
• Castle
• Characters amuse me. It's nice that there aren't too many characters to keep up with, unlike a lot of crime shows. 
• Community
• I'm pretty sure I watched two and a half seasons in two weeks. I like the concept of taking place in a stereotypical community college and having a bunch of crazy thrown in. A brilliant use of the sitcom format, turning something seemingly mundane into something hilarious. 
• Doctor Who
• You either love it or don't watch it. Doctor Who is science-fiction at its very best. BBC just does things right.
• Gilmore Girls
• It's kind of my vice show. If I have a crappy day, I'll watch an episode. This summer, out of the four summer students, three of us were fans. We had great discussions. Now I want to live in a ridiculous small town with ridiculous people. 
• How I Met Your Mother
• Through a chain, I've got a bunch of my friends to watch HIMYM. I like the format and that the characters have been able to be developed over seven seasons. However, I feel uncomfortable that I'm sort of the embodiment of Robin's independence and Ted's obnoxious tendency of correcting people (which makes me think of my future as a cat lady.)
• M*A*S*H
• A drama/comedy that takes place at an army hospital during the Korean War shouldn't work, but it somehow does. It has a tendency of switching from serious to comedy quickly but you get used to it. My family spent years working our way through all eleven seasons.
• Modern Family
• The dynamic of an extended family is interesting to explore in a sitcom, as most families do have a unique dynamic (I know mine does.) I like that it's almost believable, most of the time.
• New Girl
• Socially awkward Zoey Deschanel makes me happy. It's not particularly mindblowing, but it's still amusing and worth watching. 
• Sherlock
• Modern day Sherlock Holmes, resulting in brilliance. Again, BBC does things right. I find it much more enjoyable than the Robert Downey Jr. version. Words cannot express how fantastic it is. I think I have a thing for (mostly British) men who play brilliant, eccentric characters.
• The Big Bang Theory
• A favorite among my social groups and most of my teachers consider everything from this show common knowledge. I like that the embodiment of nerd culture has become pretty mainstream. And Tech Crew Alpha reminds me an awful lot of Sheldon, comically enough (more so last year because lately he's grown more emotions and social skills). It's enjoyably ridiculous.
• The Office
• I haven't kept up with it lately and I enjoy when I get around to watching it. Dwight is my favorite, but it's become scary since I've met people like him (awkward kid who's liked me for a year and a half and actually thinks he's going to take over the world)

Yeah. Writing lists is a bit of a vice for me. 
Love,
-J-

Songs that make me happy:

• Awake My Soul- Mumford&Sons
• I've Just Seen A Face- Across the Universe (Beatles cover)
• Northern Wind- City and Colour
• Seasons of Love- Rent
• Sherlock theme
• If I had a Million Dollars- Barenaked Ladies
• Here Comes the Sun- The Beatles
• Candlelight- Relient K
• Life In Technicolor- Coldplay
• Love Addict- Family Force 5
• I Won't Say I'm In Love- Hercules
• I'll Make a Man Out of You- Mulan
• I Just Can't Wait to be King- The Lion King