THE UNIVERSAL SNOOZE

Snooze
–verb (used without object)
1. to sleep; slumber; doze; nap

Nothing in that definition confines the snooze to 9 minutes.. so why do our alarm clocks?
The Answer: Nobody knows for sure.. but here are some ideas. Click here
And now I would like to say that in all seriousness, the snooze button is entirely useless. I will admit that I use it from time to time...
Actually, If I'm completely honest, I use it on a daily basis.
Fact is, however, that we are losing sleep by using the snooze button.. especially if we use it every day!
If you know you don't have to get up at the time your alarm is set to.. then set it to a later time.. simple.. or is it?
Not really.
Everyone knows that getting out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off the first time, will probably leave you in a bad mood for the remainder of the day. Nobody likes to be rudely awakened from a deep sleep. Hitting the snooze button a few times allows us to relax... and snooze!
on www.43things.com (43 Things is a place where you can write down your goals, get inspired by others, and share your own progress) 283 people would like to "stop hitting the snooze button" .... ???
Are you serious?!
If this is your primary goal in life, maybe you should just STAY in bed...
On the other hand, The snooze button could also be called life's physical procrastination button. And if your goal is to stop procrastinating, then I congratulate you on getting so far as to make a goal and I wish you the best of luck.

-Emily

PETER PAN, TREES & THE COMFORT OF BOXES

The more I think about it, the more I fall in love with Peter Pan..
Not so much Peter Pan himself, but just the whole idea of Neverland.
I think it's absolutely brilliant and this is why.
Not because I'm condoning immaturity,
And I have no problem with death,
And it's really not because of responsibility either... I can handle responsibility (and sometimes I even like it!)
But I think that there is something about kids that we all lose. Our creativity, our imagination, our love for life, our lack of concern for what other people think.
For the most part, it's trained out of us by teachers, parents, society, classmates, older siblings...
I once asked a group of my friends to draw pictures of trees.
I noticed that the first thing they did after they started drawing, was to comment on eachother's work and criticize their own work. Then they'd adjust their trees to look as similar to the best tree as they possibly could.
(My friends are getting used to my social experiments so it's ok....) :P
Quite a bit longer ago (is that grammatically correct??) I asked a group of 5 & 6 year olds at my church to draw pictures of trees. They all looked entirely different.. Not only that, but they prided themselves on their uniqueness!

The Most Beautiful Christmas Tree I've Ever Seen!

What a strange concept...
Okay, so as teenagers, we'd all like to think that we're "individuals" , that we're "unique" and that we don't "submit to peer pressure"
I'll believe it when I see it.
It seems that it's right around highschool when people start trying to "find themselves" and discover who "they really are", so what I don't understand is, why would they join a stereotype?
Let's face it, we all feel more comfortable in boxes.
We put everything in boxes. It keeps things organized.
Music is boxed by genres (so are movies), Clothes are boxed by "styles", Books are boxed by literary types, and so on and so forth.
That being said,
We all want to fit in a box because, let's face it, standing alone isn't much fun.
So, I dare you to get out of your box. Be who you were when you were 5 years old.
When you comment on this note, I want to hear about stereotypes.. but not just any stereotypes. Tell me where you fit in. What's your box?? Do you like it?
And remember, we're not all the same. If we were, half of us would be useless.

-Emily

WILL IT BLEND? & CRAZY THINGS THAT YOU'VE PUT IN THE MICROWAVE

Well, I'm back... after a break yesterday. It seems that note-writing drains my energy.
Yesterday, my dear friend Alex Bruce, introduced me to something that has greatly impressed me!

www.willitblend.com
Will it blend?
I have to say, I have no idea what would posess someone to create such a blender.
Who would ever really find this useful?
I guess there are probably people out there who really like to destroy their posessions. It's barbaric, really.
Also really funny...
Ya, I'll be honest, I would probably get enjoyment out of putting a Sony handycam in a blender... hmm
But what about microwaves?
No that I think about it, the kitchen has some pretty destructive tools. In all honesty, it's probably the most dangerous room in your house X100.
Okay, so really what I want to know is.. WHAT KINDS OF CRAZY THINGS HAVE YOU MICROWAVED?? I want to hear your stories.
Or other kitchen stories.. please keep them clean.. wait.. nah, don't bother.
Have Fun!

P.S. GO CANUCKS GO!

HIDDEN WASHROOMS & PEOPLE WHO SUCK AT GIVING DIRECTIONS

RESTAURANTS WITH HIDDEN WASHROOMS & PEOPLE WHO SUCK AT GIVING DIRECTIONS

The more I think about it, the more it seems strange to me.
If this next paragraph confuses you, maybe you should get out more.
I wish that I was in such a situation recently so that I would have a clearer example. Normally I wouldn't wish for this, though.
Anyway, I'm sure we've all been there... those dreaded restaurants with hidden washrooms! (or "restrooms".. but who rests in there??)

The pre-meal conversation generally goes something like this:
"I think I'll go wash my hands"
"Ya, me too"
"Where's the washroom?"
"I don't know"
"Do you see any signs?"
"no"
"Maybe we should ask"
"No, let's just look for it."
"Ok"
And the adventure begins!
The search for the hidden restaurant washroom.
I don't know why, but for some reason, some restaurants don't seem to think it's necessary to display proper signage to their washrooms!
Then there are those wonderful basement washrooms.
You know the ones where you feel like you're entering a dungeon and risking your life for the sake of urination.

But then there are those wonderful friends. The friend who went first.
They already found the washroom. They know where it is.
Generally their directions sound something like this.
"I dunno. Just look for it"
or
"Just go around the corner"
Or something similar
These directions are, of course, useless and they'd be better off to say,
"fly in the direction of the moon and take a write at the 43rd star."
"Thank you. That is much clearer. I'll be back after dinner"

Well that's all. I have no more to say. (What a relief, eh?)
Goodnight & Good luck!
-Emily

STRATEGIES IN GAMES, LIFE, & THE SUBLIMINALITY OF BROKEN DISHES

STRATEGIES IN GAMES, LIFE, & THE SUBLIMINALITY OF BROKEN DISHES

Recently, I noticed an interesting cultural habit.
If you've ever played a board game, card game, or possibly some other game, you may know what I'm talking about.
It's also quite possible that you will have no idea what I'm talking about.
So I'd like to say, I ever play a game with you and you win,
I quite honestly don't want to know how you won.
Why do people explain their strategies?
Clearly we have already been impressed with your winnings.
Must you also impress us with your strategies?
Even in non-strategic games?
On top of that, what good is the strategy to anyone once everyone knows it?

I once played Go Fish with a collection of idiots.. I mean, a group of friends..??

If there is honestly any strategy to this game, I haven't yet discovered it.
And yet the winner felt the need to inform us all of how they managed to skillfully defeat each and every one of us with their intelligence, artistry and obvious experience in the game of Go Fish.
I suppose that it was important for me to know how they knew that I had 2 aces, 3 kings, etc.
With that in mind, I'm pretty good at that game. I've developed about as much skill at it as I have in life.
People should explain their life strategies more often.
Only if they're winning, of course.
If they're losing, they shouldn't speak, but it always seems to be the losing ones who are dropping strategies like a swiss chalet waitress drops dishes.
So here is my one and only piece of advice.
Never try to use broken dishes.

Sincerely,
Emily

GIFT WRAP, FEMINISM, NINJA TURTLES & DUTCH BLITZ!

Gift Wrap...
Good Idea or no?
I figure it's pretty useless, seeing as how gifts can't stay hidden forever...
Why do we hide them anyway?
"I'm going to give you something... but I don't want you to see it!"
Good concept!
But I'm not here to bash gift wrap. I'm sure that whoever came up with the idea is making millions.
However, I would like to say that I believe that Gift wrap is one area in which Feminism has failed misserably.
Men and women are NOT equal in the wrapping paper department!
Sure, you can go anywhere else in wal-mart and the men and women are treated as equivalent sexes until you start shopping for wrapping paper.
If you've tried this, you'll probably agree with me. There is a serious lack in male gift wrap! We could do something about this... then again, why bother?
They've been saying that since the beginning.. who cares? It's wrapping paper... it's useless and you rip it anyway.
Get over it.
But let's continue our discussion on feminism.
So yesterday, I found myself in McDonald's... gross, but hey, My intent was only to buy Ice Tea (which I love very much).
I walk in, and see the Happy Meal toy display and I am confronted with a glorious sea of Ninja Turtles and... The Wizard of Oz...??
Right..
So all thoughts of Ice tea set aside, my thoughts turn to Ninja Turtles (for obvious reasons).
I come to the realization that I must buy a Happy Meal. It would be silly not to.
Have no fear, this story has a point.

So I order the happy meal and I ask if I get to choose the toy (obviously I would prefer Mikey over Raph, Don, or Leo.. personal preference) and she asks me what Wizard of Oz toy I want...
??
Clearly this is another situation where feminism has not done it's job. I don't want Toto.. I want Mikey and no, I don't think Dorothy has a nice dress and the ruby slippers are ugly. (Not to suggest that I don't love the movie.. one of my personal favourites.. Mostly due to the fact that it was the first movie ever to be filmed in colour. That is an impressive feat, I must say.)

To end on a more positive note..
I received a flyer in the mail today from the Christian Book store in town. I was reminded that they sell the truly amazing game... Dutch Blitz! Why? I have no idea... it seems random.. Tell me your thoughts on that..

Ok that's all.
Later DayZ! (you have to spell "Dayz" with a "Z".. I don't know why.. ask Zellers. They probably started that.... Marketing... pfft)
-Emily

Tylenol, Gravol, & Thoughts from the ceiling

When you have been lying in bed for the past 62 hours, you find that the ceiling becomes one of your closest friends.
There has never been a more important time for you to have a good looking ceiling.
Unfortunately, mine could use some help. Perhaps a make-over would serve it well. If it could talk, I'm sure it would agree.
I've never realized before how much it bothered me that that stupid Failure to Launch poster is upside-down. Maybe it really didn't bother me before. That's quite possible.
I've been tempted to get up a few hundred times to straighten out the Superman poster and re-stick the corner of the Lord of the Rings poster...
Like that'll happen.
How can people live with such disorganization?
The answer: we'll never know.
But I've also come to find, that along with the ceiling to keep me company, I've become fairly good friends with Tylenol and Gravol.

Tylenol really doesn't do much, but it's comforting to know that it's trying to help. And how can you possibly be mad at it for that?
Gravol, on the other hand, can be your best friend in the world if you're lacking sleep!
It's no good before a final exam
And it's best to avoid it an hour before your wedding...
That's an entertaining thought.

If nothing, I must keep myself entertained, because although I can't die of boredom, I still don't find it to be much fun. I think I'll get up tomorrow.

-Emily

INFLATO SUITS, GHANDI & SNOW IN APRIL?!?

I guess I wrote those topics backwards.. I'm gonna start by talking about snow in April.
I think it's ridiculous. What more is there to say??
Green Christmases and white easters... what a strange oddity.
I was talking to someone yesterday who tried to tell me that we have snow in April every year...
I'm kinda thinking that umm.. no we don't.
However, if it continues to snow like this for much longer,
I'll have a good excuse to not get my film project done..
Although, after the lovely scene I made on Thursday, I don't think Mr. Baughman is really liking me all that much.
Harping on things of the past is rather pointless, though. So... moving on.
I was looking at the Wal-mart website yesterday because I was told that they have army helmets in their toy department. (I never found them, by the way)
What I did find was a Superman inflato suit and it seriously blew my mind..
If you've ever owned an inflato suit of any kind, consider yourself cool.
Because you are.

Then again, I have wondered... what's the point of an inflato suit? Like obviously it looks amazing and the attraction factor is off the radar..
I guess that's enough reason to wear anything.
That's probably why Ghandi dressed the way he did.
I was asked to write about him... I'll be honest, my Ghandi knowledge data-base is lacking!
I guess he loved peace. I also love peace.
I think peace is a beautiful thing. It goes hand in hand with Love and there is nothing in the world that is greater than Love.
I read once that he almost became a Christian. This makes me wonder... is Ghandi in heaven? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe he was a Christian, but not so much in the religious aspect. I mean, maybe he didn't "practice" Christianity. What a strange term.. practice.
I don't blame him for not joining the "Christian" church. They kicked him out because of his race.
Ah yes... Feel the love!
I could make a lot of criticisms about the early church because of that. But I won't because I know our churches today aren't much better. Ya, they try and there are a lot of people in them who could call themselves better than that.
That being said... never forget to Love, and if you need to use Ghandi as a role-model... go for it.

Peace (and Love)!
-Emily

DO-OVER BUTTONS & THOUGHTS ON PRAYER

Today I was reminded once again of how great it would be if we had a do-over button for life.
You know when you go through a day and everything goes wrong and you don't do anything right and at the end of it all, you just want to redo the day.
It reminds me of when you're little and any problem can be fixed by yelling,
"DO OVER!"
And everybody just assumes that the first time didn't count.
I once heard somebody say that they had never had a day like this.
I like to refer to that as memory blocking.
Sometimes I wonder if the redo would be any better than the first time. Perhaps not.
Sometimes I find that these days are actually easy to forget.
Probably because these kinds of days are generally lived in a completely different mindset.
Otherwise they wouldn't be quite so bad.
It's days like this that prayer seems to be the most useful.
Is prayer meant to be useful?
Well, perhaps.
Prayer is partially for the purpose of developing a relationship with God, assuming that you are praying to God. Otherwise, I really have no idea what you're trying to do or why you're doing it. Whatever it is.. good luck with that.
Nevertheless, I'm curious to hear responses so I'm going to ask an open ended question here, and that is:
Do you pray? and Why?
Well, that is all
Prayerfully yours,
-Emily

P.S. I apologize for the lack of visuals. I had a good picture for this one too! Unfortunately, the photo uploader thinger isn't working :(

ODDLY SHAPED 3D CHAT CHARACTERS & CHEQUES UNDER $10

ODDLY SHAPED 3D CHAT CHARACTERS, CHEQUES UNDER $10, & SWEATER VESTS

I'm starting to love Ad boxes.
I think they are probably one of the best advertising methods. It's this whole idea of hammering something into someone's head. You know, the repetative training method.
Internet ads... they are awesome if you are an advertiser
they suck for everyone else
but who cares. We get to see the website... they get to pay for it.. I'm not gonna argue.
I was looking at a page on facebook a few minutes ago and discovered a note-worthy topic... 3D online chats...
wait.. not only that.. but the chat characters..
they have oddly shaped legs. They're skinny at the top.. and wide at the bottom...
I don't know what posessed the artist of these cartoon people to draw them in such a strange way.
Perhaps they have legs like this and don't know any different.. is that even possible? They're so messed up. I appologize if you have legs like this... but can I just say that you should never wear shorts or skirts. thank you.
And since we're on the topic of strange people doing strange things... (that was our topic wasn't it?)
Upon looking at my bank account today, I noticed that I had written a cheque for $5... why? I don't know... Apparently that's not normal behaviour. Should cheques have a minimum?
I'm not paying for cheques.. so really, I could write a cheque for $0.10... but who would deposit it? Probably no one.. unless you needed $50 and realized your bank account had $49.90, but then maybe just look for a dime and get over it.
But then again.. who would use a credit card for $1... *cough*facebook gifts*cough* anyone else find this strange?
There should be contests where we get points that can be spent on gifts.. or perhaps points should be awarded for account activity....
In closing... St. Mary's AM is sporting sweater vests tomorrow. We feel that the sweater vest does not get enough publicity.

Peace!
-Emily

THUNDERSTORMS, BEING BUSY, & BUS CANCELLATIONS

I was sitting in English class today, racking my brain for ideas for note topics. I thought of a few, but then realized that I was much too busy to really write about any of those topics thoroughly enough to do them justice.
I got home, opened my laptop, realized that I have to go to work in half an hour so I thought, what better topic to write about than being busy?
I've heard a lot of thoughts on this. Some people say it is a good thing. Others say it is a bad thing. I think it's both. Lately I've had more work to do than I really have time for.
In this situation, I'd say it's not a good thing. I see a lot of people struggling with this in the same sort of way. Other highschool students know that we live every day hoping that tomorrow's schedule includes a bus cancellation.

Which makes me think.. why don't we have bus cancellations when it's raining?
I checked out the weather network to see what the weather was looking like for tonight and it's calling for thunderstorms.. quite possibly for the 3rd time already this week.
I have yet to see any lightning.
I'm beginning to think that busyness leads to insanity.
Thunderstorms quite possibly also lead to insanity.
Therefore Busyness = Thunderstorms and if they cancelled school due to rain, Busyness = Bus Cancellations... I like where this is going.
I've often thought that high schools should allow students to take at least one day off every month just for the sake of homework. I thought they wanted us to do well...
At any rate, this note could also be affectionately dubbed "Procrastination" which means that I must depart!

Here's to hoping for bus cancellations!
-Emily

THE DRUNK EXCUSE, RELIGION VS. GOD, AND...

THE DRUNK EXCUSE, RELIGION VS. GOD, AND THE ACT OF JUDGING OTHER PEOPLE BASED ON THEIR JEANS (sorry, that wouldn't all fit in the Title bar)

Recently I've heard a lot of peope use this wonderful excuse for stupidity. I call it... "The Drunk Excuse"! Why? well.. mostly because that's what it is. People do stupid things and when you comment on those things at a later time accordingly the reply with responses such as,
"It's not my fault. I was drunk" or
"I don't even remember doing that, I was drunk" or
"Oh I did not do that!" (clearly implying that they were drunk)
This leaves me to wonder... why would anyone say that?
Must you relocate the stupidity to a previous time and make it worse than it already is?
There is no need.
We've already established that you are stupid.
Enough said!
But this brings me to something else and it seems to be a common topic in today's society. Religion vs. God.
Can you seperate them? The answer: Yes..
I don't even need to go into that, but I will.
God never expressed much interest in religion.
Yes, he had his laws, but that's it.
Religion generally includes human laws, but God believed in Love.
Love God.
Love Your Neighbour as yourself.
Are you doing that? Good. You shouldn't have a problem.
Some people will read that and say,
"Emily.. what if I want to judge other people based on their jeans?"
And I will say,
"Yes.. that is a problem... So, allow me to help you."

Jeans have been around for a long time. Allow me to introduce you to the history of Jeans: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeans <--- look there.. I don't feel like telling you.
Back to the task at hand.
Jeans. They come in many sizes, shapes, colours, and styles. I like jeans. You like jeans. We all like jeans. Let's keep wearing them.
That said, feel free to judge me based on my jeans.
Seeing as how there are so many options associated with jeans, it shouldn't be hard to find ones suited to each individuals personality. Allow judgement.. or get new jeans.

Emily, OUT!

The French Canadian National Anthem, Nose-Pickers, and OCD

Recently it was brought to my attention that the french version of our wonderful national anthem is nothing like the english version. We all know the english.. if you don't know it, check out my last note.. but here's the french version translated into english:

O Canada! Land of our forefathers
Your brow is wreathed with glorious garlands!
Though your arm knows how to bear the sword,
It knows how to bear the cross!
Your history is an epic
Of the most brilliant feats.
And your valour, in faith steeped,
Will protect our homes and our rights;
Will protect our homes and our rights.

That being said.. I like it better. It makes more sense, and it's much more.. I don't know. Anyway, that is that and I haven't much else to say about it... now onto the next thing.

I was at work yesterday and was reminded quite openly of a habit we've come to known as nose picking (or the picking of one's nose). A man, upon ordering a coffee and then coming to get a refill, took a seat in a booth. Nothing too unusual about this event.. except maybe that two hours later, he was still occupying the same booth.. fast asleep with his finger up his nose. I watched for a few minutes as he moved his finger, clearly digging for gold. If you were there, you would've laughed too. At any rate, he left a short while later, and left us a tip which nobody wanted to touch which brings me to this: We touch money and we truly do not know where it's been. This is gross. All you OCD folk out there, this one's for you.. don't touch the money.. the guy handing it to you probably got it from the guy picking his nose.. or somewhere else best left unknown.