Learning to Blog

“Oh I could totally write a blog post about this!” is a phrase I uttered silently to myself a multitude of times over the past few days.  Monday and Tuesday were pretty full days for me so I was unable to convert the imaginary blog posts I had composed in my head into real blog posts.  But by Wednesday the above phrase was alternating with the questions, “Do I really want to write about that?” or “Do I really want the whole world to know about __fill in the blank__?”

Blogging requires much more thinking-through than I originally thought.  I can’t and shouldn’t post about any topic that seems like a good idea when I first conceive of it.  For example, who really wants to know that I made homemade veggie soup and did laundry on Monday?  Or that when I went swimming on Tuesday in the brand new swimsuit I bought over the Christmas Break it felt like I was effortlessly gliding through the water.  I guess some of you might want to read about those things but most of you probably wouldn’t.

Another blog post I was considering writing was about my final semester abroad.  I am currently in the process of choosing my top 5 country/school choices and thought about writing about my decision making process.  I ruled out that topic though.  If I were to post the pros and cons of each choice it would become very clear to everyone that I’ve fallen in love with one school in particular and two of schools made the list only because I have to pick 5.  If I then didn’t get my top pick or worse my 4^th or 5^th choice you all would know how badly I wanted the other school and consequently be less excited for me.  In March, when the official country selections are unveiled you can count on me blogging about the destination of my future exchange!  In the meantime for those interested, here are my Top 5 in alphabetical order:

• Amsterdam, Holland       (Hogeschool von Amsterdam)
• Bergen, Norway                 (NHH – Norwegian School of Economics)
• Brighton, England            (University of Brighton)
• Dublin, Ireland                  (University College Dublin)
• Glasgow, Scotland            (Strathclyde Business School)

Random side note: I just realized that four of the five countries have the word “land” in their name. How funny!

My friend, Mark started a blog today – Mark’s Musings.  His title is a-musing-ly similar to my brother, Will’s blog – Melodramatic Musings.  Coincidence?  Probably.   As far as I know he had no previous knowledge of my brother’s blog when he created his title.  In his first post, he dedicated his first few posts to profiles of family and friends so that when he mentions people everyone will know to whom he is referring.  It is a nice idea.  For him.  Personally I wouldn’t touch that topic with a ten foot pole.  I would be too worried about accidentally offending someone.  Or posting about one sibling and then finding I had nothing to say about one of the others.  Not saying I wouldn’t have something to say about all seven of my lovely brothers and sisters.  Plus, Will has written so many stories and blog posts about our family that I fear I would have nothing original to say.

So what do I blog about?  I’m still figuring that out.

I’m off to Quebec City this weekend for Carnaval d’Hiver (Winter Carnival) with the uOttawa French Immersion Club.  It will be my first trip to anywhere in Quebec besides Montreal and Hull (Gatineau).  I’m sure that will make for an adequate blog topic.  I don’t doubt that I will have plenty to say about the trip and lots of pictures too.  Expect a post about that early next week.

Last but not least, for your viewing pleasure I have included a few pictures I took today while I was walking around downtown Ottawa.  It was a surprisingly nice day and with my lovely iPhone it is so easy to snap a few shots.

View of Parliament, le Chateau Laurier, and the Rideau Canal

The newly built Convention Centre

Demarais - uOttawa Business & Social Sciences Building
I spend way too much time there!

Frozen Hair

Would you want to go outside with wet hair if this was the view from your front door?

Last semester I developed a fitness plan to help me get in shape. I did a 14-week running program that built toward being able to run 10km. Each week I completed 3 runs, which I supplemented with swimming 3km/week by going for swims 2 or 3 times.

When the program finished over Christmas Break I was a little lost. Where to next? Right before I left BC I did a boot camp training session with my older sister, Kathryn. It was very challenging and showed me that I still had a long way to go in my quest to get fit. It also left me with very sore muscles so I decided to give myself a week off to recover and develop a new fitness plan.

Somehow that "week off" stretched itself to two weeks. Besides playing intramural volleyball twice I haven't worked out since returning to Ottawa. Why is that? Well while I was home over the holidays the temperature in Ottawa took a severe drop. The weather I hate has returned, that is the weather that causes my hair to freeze if I go outside with wet or damp hair.

This is a problem because after I work out I need to shower. I'm not one of those people who can have a good work out and still look, or smell, good afterwards. A shower means wet hair which equals frozen hair if I go outside. This factor has sucked away any motivation I would have otherwise had to go to the gym or go swimming.

How do I overcome this obstacle?  Well the answer is probably much more simple than I seem to make it in my head. I just need to suck it up, grit my teeth and bear it. Or use a hair dryer. (But I don’t like hairdryers because they make my hair go straight-ish and frizzy.) Or hang out on campus until my hair dries. That is the least appealing option since last semester my schedule made me spend more time on campus than I would've liked and my hair also takes a ridiculously long time to dry.  Regardless I need to pick one of the above options and get my butt to the gym.

Growing up in BC frozen hair was never an issue so I got accustomed to going outside with wet hair year round. That is not possible in Ottawa, especially not for the next couple months. It may be trivial but I like wet hair - frozen hair not so much.

Keeping Track

When I was younger I thought I had an excellent memory and I probably did.  I can’t say the same about my memory now – it is terrible.  Sometimes I can even forget what I did the previous day.

I guess it is easier when you are 10 or 12 years old to remember things.  First, there are fewer things you have to remember, and second, anything that strayed from the routine of school, family, friends, and (for me) swim club was remarkable and I would take note of it.

Nowadays I would definitely not use the word routine to describe my life.  In the last few years alone I have moved 7 times going between Tsawwassen, Ottawa and Sweden.  With each place comes a different group of friends, daily tasks and activities.

While change can be a good thing, constant change can make it difficult to keep track of things.  I’m starting this blog because when my memory fails me, which it often does, I can look back and be like ‘Oh right that’s what I was doing this time last year.’

I invite you to follow along and share in my experiences as I record the ever-changing happenings of my life.