updates to the blog template!

many, many thanks to James for his assistance, without which I would not have been able to update my blog with links to other blogs and websites i frequent! check it out on the left sidebar, behind the updates/archives sections. if i am missing something or if you would prefer a link be taken down, please let me know.

A very Scrubbly Christmas

so, the cast of scrubs took the classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and re-dubbed it with new dialogue. i can't say that it's really all that funny, but fans of scrubs might find it amusing. check it out here.

Dodgeball Champions!!

It's a bit hard to believe, but my team won the Monday Night Dodgeball League Title!!!!

I didn't have huge expectations going into the season. i thought it would just be fun to throw the ball around...but the last month or so, after seeing how much we had improved, i started to think about what our chances might be to win the whole thing. and we did! we were down the entire evening (even spotting the other team a 3-0 lead and going down 8-7 near the end) but we came back to eventually win it 9-8. everyone on the team played great and had their own moments of glory. i closed out a couple of wins myself with catches and hits, including (i think) the tying game. it was a lot of fun!

at the beginning of the season, my opinion was that i really didn't like dodgeball all that much as a sport...but it's quite grown on me. one reason may be because i'm actually not that bad at it - i can dodge most everything (tonight being the exception, where i got hit at least 3-4 times), my catching skills are fairly good, and even though i'm not the best thrower, i do get lucky with at least 3 hits per night. i had the bad tendancy of trying to catch everything that came my way (since corrected) and i still throw it too high from time to time (giving the opportunity the other team to catch it and get me out) but on the whole, i'd say that i'm an asset to the team.

another reason i really enjoy it is that i can actually lead by example on this team, seeing as i'm a pretty decent player. that's something i really could not say at all about my ultimate game this year, as i sucked big time.

which sport do i like better? if i had a free night and i had to choose between playing for my dodgeball team (Freeballers) or my ultimate team (Gullwings), i honestly am not sure which i would choose. both sports are fun, and the people on both teams are great. ultimate is a bit more strategic in nature and is definitely more of a team sport, but i also like how one person on a dodgeball team can practically win the game by him/herself if necessary - it's a bit more dramatic like that. fortunately, i don't have to choose, but it's an interesting topic to mull over!

Go Freeballers!!

Random quotes

I also had an enjoyable time, save for the one situation where i was in the kitchen trying to have an innocent chat with pinar, when ferda throws out "Warren, stop trying to hit on my sister".

Awkward silence ensues. i'm totally speechless, mel tries to save it by throwing in something about a "menage a trois", pinar walks away, and i'm left standing there while ferda, no doubt feeling enormously proud of herself, continues to make her daiquiris as if nothing had happened. She later tells me that it was the highlight of her evening.

Ferda's a *mean* drunk!!!

- Warren recounting an incident at Ferda's bday party on her and her husband's blog.

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Mike and Warren are walking behind Scott and Adele en route to a dodgeball game. Warren tells Mike to hit the bigger one with a dodgeball, and he will hit the smaller one. Mike proceeds to hit Adele with the ball, to which Warren says:

When I said hit the bigger one, I meant the taller one, not the wider one.

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your wife looks good in that picture. good work with the photoshop.
- Warren to James, commenting on a photo of Ferda

that last pic was a very nice pic of you. did you have to use photoshop a lot?
- Warren to Jen, regarding one of her msn photos

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I am Jasmine. My brother likes Disney songs and Katherine McPhee. He is a little gay. Byotch.
- Warren's sister, in a monk e-mail sent to him.

Dreams

I've been having a lot of weird dreams lately. I will generally have one or two dreams every couple of weeks, but these last few weeks, i've been dreaming almost every night. and some of them have been shockingly coherent.

For example, during my mid-afternoon nap, I had a fairly complex dream, this one based around my french exams. The italic font is my dream - the normal font my commentary.

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I dreamt about this week, where one of the students goes to have the french oral examinations. I remember following him around school for a bit before the exam, helping him get ready. he does the exam, and after having finished it, he learns a few hours later that he passes. Everyone around the school is really happy.

So, there is a french student that is going to do the exam this week, and it was the same student in the dream. I think I dreamed about this situation because since he received his date for the exam (which was before mine) I've felt a bit more pressure to do my own exam as well. Perhaps this is on my own subconscious telling me to kick it into gear.

Jump ahead one week to my own examination. For some reason, my exam is held in the library and the examinator is relatively young (for an examinator) and beautiful as well. I see two students sitting at another table in the library, and while doing the exam, another student and professor comes and takes my picture using the same digital camera I gave my sister a couple months back.

The examinator asks me what my ice-breaker topics are. I tell her that it's volunteer work and my recreational activities, and she looks at me strangely, tells me that that combination doesn't work, and looks like the exam is already a lost cause. She tells me to proceed anyways, and I do, but my french is worse that it has ever been as I've already lost my confidence, and i'm missing a lot of my vocabulary.

Interestingly, parts of this dream were in french. maybe that's why my french was so bad. anyways, i think that this part is reflecting the subconscious worries I have about the exam. I actually haven't been too worried about not doing well, but after i woke up after this dream, i was a bit freaked out.

The examinater suggests to me that we leave the library and continue the exam while taking a walk...yes, she was hitting on me! I agree, and I find that my french got better as I talked. We flirted a lot, and eventually she told me that she worked at a Nissan garage here in ottawa. we went to the site and flirted some more, and at some point, she turned specifically into the quite attractive woman that leads the soccer practices for the Ottawa Special Olympics.

So, lots going on here. I've been playing in my mind recently what I would do if the examinator was young and pretty; I thought that i would probably hit on her and have some fun, and i think this part of the dream was a reflection of those thoughts. I've also been having trouble with the local Nissan dealership, which has been bothering me a lot, so the fact that she worked at Nissan kinda makes sense, as that has been on my mind. Why she eventually turned into the coach from the special olympics is a bit strange - certainly, the coach is an attractive person, and i did kinda ask her out when we first met way back at the beginning of the summer (she was taken) but i don't think of her now as anything more of a friend and wouldn't ask her out again even if she was single. i would have thought that i would have dreamt up someone on whom i currently have a thing for.

So, after flirting in the garage (and having a first kiss, albeit on two sides of the glass), we walked along the beach (which was way too beautiful to have been in ottawa...it looked like a tropical beach) and talked some more. My french was definitely improving, but not up to my usual standards. she was quite encouraging though. we reluctantly headed back to the school and the library, and even though she really liked me, she told me that i wouldn't be passing the exam. i then walked her out, and after she left, looking over her shoulder at me the whole time whilst smiling and waving, i shared the bad news with everyone that i had passed. and because we had walked around the beach and garage during the exam and had not recorded any of the interview, there was no way to review the exam and see where i went wrong.

So, i think this was kinda like a break-up - someone who likes me but found me lacking in some way or another. and this time, the success though was with the girl (who agreed to see me again) and the failure was with the academics (where i failed the exam). I wonder if my subconcious is telling me that I'd like to have more success in my personal life, and be willing to sacrifice my professional success for it? And does the kiss that occurred with a pane of glass between us signify the tendancy i have at times to be private and keep people away from me? Searching for intimacy yet being guardful at the same time?

Anyways, this was a relatively complex dream with a lot of things going into it. it wasn't particularly fun, but interesting, and a really strong reflection of perhaps what i am feeling. i'm looking forward to having more "popcorn" type dreams that aren't perhaps so deep!

New Artist found...

whose name is Regina Spektor. Check out this charming little ditty - the live version found on this youtube page is also really cool. she's also quite attractive!

Studio 60

is a great show! yes, from time to time, it's irritating how unfunny the sketches are, and it's ironic that the actors pretending to be actors on the show are the ones that are the least entertaining, but aaron sorkin can still work that magic that served him so well in crafting The West Wing. in particular, Sorkin has had some amazing musical performances on the show so far. Check out this holiday classic by a few New Orleans musicians; this awesome rendition of Fields of Gold by Sting; and Corinne Bailey Rae was featured twice in the same episode (unfortunately I couldn't find any videos online).

Hopefully they will keep Studio 60 on the air. the storylines are mostly interesting, the main characters, played by Matt Perry (Friends) and Bradley Whitford (West Wing) are really strong in their roles, and i just love watching the show.

What else am I enjoying?

Monday

Heroes. An interesting show, but I have to say that some of the storylines (the physicist's son, and ali larter's character in particular) are utterly boring and i often zone out whenever they are on. syler is interesting, but the two characters i love are the cheerleader (natch) played by the amazingly pretty 17 year old Hayden Panettiere, and my favorite, Masi Oka playing Hiro Nakamura. Hiro's the best! i think that hiro is probably the person who i am most alike (probably like a lot of the other geeks out there) so he's the one i connect with the most. He also has the best graphic novel that has been published so far; I dare you to read it and not like Hiro just that much more.

Prison Break. it's an ok show, but not as great as it used to be. back in the jail, it seems like there was a plan and direction. now, it seems like they're just doing things at random in order to stretch things out so they can make as much money as possible. there have been several moments where i've fast-forwarded, just because i was so bored. i think i would be happy with not watching the show, and just reading online what is happening. i think the story is somewhat interesting, but not so much that i feel entirely happy about sitting through a boring hour of it. this will probably be a show i will drop, if i've not enough time to watch everything i want.

Tuesday

Boston Public. It really has some really great moments, and James Spader delivers some great speeches. Stirring, would be a great word. i'd very much recommend giving this show a chance. it might take you a few episodes to get into it, but i promise that it's worth it.

Wednesday

Lost. What more can be said about this show? it's interesting and sharp, and still holds my attention. i think the original plan was to wrap up the series around 4-5 seasons. hopefully they stick to that and don't sell out.

Thursday

The Comedy Block on NBC

This is Must-See TV!!! All four of these shows - My Name is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock - are great. It says alot that Earl is the weakest of the three in my opinion. Office is the best, as Michael Scott is as crazy as ever, the new employees are gelling well (those that are sticking around) and Pam is pitch-perfect in the new love triangle with Jim and the new girl. 30 Rock is also one of the sharpest comedies around (and the hottest blond on thursday nights). If I could only watch one night of tv, it would be thursdays.

Syndication

Restaurant Makeover

It's fun watching new menu items be created, and the whole restaurant remade before my eyes. it's a slick and interesting show, and even somewhat educational.

The Colbert Report

Where i once watched Dave, I now watch Colbert. He is one of the funniest guys i've ever watched, and his over-the-top behaviour is the best act on tv right now.

Star Trek: DS9

City TV is playing old episodes of DS9 at 5am and at 11am! i leave my computer on and come home to fresh episodes every day. finally, my inner trekkie is being satisfied after my cable company so unceremoniously ripped Space TV away from me.

And what's coming?

two major shows on the horizon - January brings the season premieres of 24 and American Idol, both on Fox. I'm seriously jazzed! 2007 looks pretty busy for me with a new job, a resolution to get back into shape, and an existing heavy tv schedule, but i'm going to totally make room for two of the best shows from last season!

The End...for now

So, I've not blogged for a long while, and I have to say it's because I just haven't been interested in doing so. I've been incredibly tired lately, and doing some blogging after a hard day of french studying just isn't on my to-do list. so for the time being, I am putting the blog on hiatus, and hopefully sometime in the future, I will pick it up again. I will change my msn to reflect new posts - keep an eye out for me!

For the time being, I'd like to say thank you to all of you for reading! It's been great sharing my stories with you, and I hope that we will be seeing each other again here soon.

Fortune Favours the Bold.

wy