March: A Month of Vitality

I know, I know it's April, but I've been so bogged down with work and lots of exciting things happening that I haven't really had the time to sit down and type. I currently am at my parent's place for the Easter long weekend, and just got in from a brisk morning bike ride. We're having our big traditional dinner/ lunch today...Pumpkin pie here I come!

I can't believe it's April already. 4 months into the year of 2012 and it's gone by like a blur...at least to me. Only 1/3 into the year and I already have so much stuff to look forward to.
Firstly...just a week ago, I found out that I was accepted into Queen's University to pursue my Bachelor of Education this fall! I have wanted to be a teacher since I was 12 years old, so the fact that this is becoming very real is hitting me very hard. Now I'm on the apartment hunt closer to the university campus.

Life is keeping me busy as usual...with work, badminton, trivia, yoga classes, chess club, working in the french classroom, and tutoring to boot. Now I've added volleyball to that list. I played when I was in Grade 8 on both the girls and co-ed teams and was a pretty decent player. To get back on the court is pretty nostalgic for me, and I don't think I'm doing too bad. I'm definitely not the worst one out there that's for sure. I have no idea why, but all the extra-curriculars I join are ALWAYS male dominated. I'm one of maybe 4-5 girls in any of the above activities. Now don't get me wrong, I love men haha, it's just difficult when you're one of the only estrogen-filled bodies in the entire gym.

I am headed back to the all-girls summer camp I worked at last summer, starting in late June. I will no doubt be wishing for some of that testosterone while I am there.

Back in February I made a list of things that I wanted to try and accomplish. Let's revisit that list shall we?

1) learn HMTL (I'm pretty horrible with technology and need to fix that) Totally didn't get around to doing this lol. It's not practical for me, so I'm going to change this to: work on my Spanish

2) write fan mail to a tennis player (I'm thinking Canadian Peter Polansky, his mailing address is on his facebook page) Haven't gotten around to doing this either haha, but it will be easy enough. I just have alot on my plate.

3) start collecting French postcards (I have seen some gorgeous ones of Paris, and just in general I love anything French) Again, I have the best of intentions, I really do...but it's kind of been put on the back burner.

4) write reviews about Racquet Science (tennis/ badminton store) and Le Chien Noir (French restaurant) I will be visiting Racquet Science at some point, likely this week to buy grip tape for my racquet/ a possible restringing. I have been to (and blogged about) Le Chien Noir...I was VERY impressed with the restaurant

5) Ask out the guy I have had a crush on since Grade 11 I did shockingly do this. When you have a crush on someone for that long, your brain kinda fills in how you want them to be, rather than how they actually are. This was very disappointing and I wasted alot of time thinking about this individual lol.

6) Work on my Renoir 1000 piece puzzle (I need something quiet to do that doesn't involve the television) It's still sitting in it's box, unopened. Oops. I shall get on this.

7) Start blogging en Français (since moving to Kingston I don't use my French enough, and writing is definitely my weakest area) I've been reading more in French, but still have to work on the writing area.

8) Read at least 3 novels (I have definitely put off reading to watch more TV) DONE. and done. I have been reading much more recently. Currently I am in the midst of Beloved by Toni Morrison.

February - A Month of Balance

February is the month of balance according to my “Calendar of Tranquility”.

Balance by definition implies having a healthy mental equilibrium and enjoying equal amounts of work and play. It means having healthy relationships with family and friends, as well as balancing what you’re eating. Too much of anything is not a good thing. When balance is disrupted and tipped to either extreme it can be hard to correct.

This has become all too important for me. I know that I tend to do too much. I’m happiest when I’m busy and it’s hard for me to relax and take a day off. I’m up every morning at 6am, work my morning shift, come back home and watch whatever happens to be on A&E (usually CSI: Miami, or The First 48), I head back to work, and follow up with an evening of badminton, trivia practice, yoga or some combination of the above. I’m not home most nights until at least 9:30pm.

A couple of weeks ago, my body was clearly angry with me. I was fine in the morning, but as the day progressed, I started to get a fever and it was eventually too painful to even stand as all my joints and muscles ached. I managed to drag myself to yoga class, but had to opt out of going to badminton afterwards. I walked all the way home (about 30 min), made myself a cup of Neocitran, and passed out until I had to get up for work the following morning. The fever had broke thankfully, but it was kind of a wake-up call from my immune system.

Because I am currently not in school, my brain has this active desire to constantly take on new projects to fill that void. New things to try over the next couple months:

1) learn HMTL (I'm pretty horrible with technology and need to fix that)

2) write fan mail to a tennis player (I'm thinking Canadian Peter Polansky, his mailing address is on his facebook page)

3) start collecting French postcards (I have seen some gorgeous ones of Paris, and just in general I love anything French)

4) write reviews about Racquet Science (tennis/ badminton store) and Le Chien Noir (French restaurant)

5) Ask out the guy I have had a crush on since Grade 11

6) Work on my Renoir 1000 piece puzzle (I need something quiet to do that doesn't involve the television)

7) Start blogging en Français (since moving to Kingston I don't use my French enough, and writing is definitely my weakest area)

8) Read at least 3 novels (I have definitely put off reading to watch more TV)

January - A Month of Reflection

For Christmas, I got a 2012 calendar from my mom, titled "A Year of Tranquility". Each month has a different flower with a different thought. I figured, as it is nearing the end of the month, to reflect about the new year so far.

I have been happier over the last few weeks than I have been in many many months. Life is great. Work is fabulous as usual and all the volunteer hours I'm doing are keeping me more than busy. As of right now, I'm assistant coaching a badminton team, teaching badminton, teaching/ running a chess club, working in the french classroom, along with all the trivia related stuff I do.

There are a few badminton tournaments coming up in the next few months so I am getting back into competitive shape. I haven't played in a tournament since 1st year of university and am very anxious about getting back out onto the courts to compete.

I went back to Ottawa last weekend to visit. You don't realize how much you love something until it's gone. Ottawa is my home away from home. I love the city, the people, the location and the comfort I feel when I'm there. Ideally after teachers' college I would get a job there. Ottawa is like a comfy worn-in pair of jeans - it fits me well and is comfortable. I miss the transit system, and the bustle of downtown. I got inked again, got my alumni card from the university, hit up the Lululemon Warehouse sale and saw a handful of friends. I miss it already.

I patched things up with the ex, and now we are civil. I realized that staying pissed at him will accomplish nothing but make me bitter and resentful. Clearly he has moved on, so must I. I'll be seeing him in two weeks at the sectional tournament (him as a player and me as a moderator)...we'll see how that goes. I'm still happily single and actually loving it. It's still kind of a weird scenario for me - with Valentine's Day coming up, this will be the first one in the last 4 years that I'll be single. I haven't gone on POF in over a month and refuse to actively search for anything because things are going awesome and I don't want to screw things up by throwing testosterone into the mix.

I've been keeping up with my photo-blogging without so much as a hitch. You don't realize how much you do in a given day until you're motivated to document it. The only issue I'm having is remembering to keep the batteries charged so that my camera is always ready.

I've been trying to avoid using cosmetics and body products that contain SLS (Sodium Laurel Sulfate) and parabens. Damn those chemicals are in everything! I did manage to find a great smelling brand of shampoo called Bee Natural - the berry one is divine. I also picked up some Organic Orange Blossom toner from P'lovers downtown. My skin looks great! Kiss My Face has a great Vitamin A&E body lotion that I have been using, as well as a Citrus and Wild Mint shower wash that is a great "wake-me-up" in the morning. I also have been using aluminum-free deodorant. Everything I've read leads me to believe that aluminum based deodorants cause breast cancer and I'd like to avoid that at all costs. All these products smell incredible and aren't full of nasty chemicals.

Doing what makes me feel good and not having to factor anyone else into that equation is awesome. It's very liberating. I have always been an independent person, and am only now realizing I don't need a guy in my life to make me happy. I'm quite self-sufficient and resourceful as it turns out :P All of this must seem very cliché to those of you reading. It's very difficult for me to explain how much more aware I am of life in general and trying to live it to the fullest. I have seen the light I suppose haha. There are just so many things to look forward to on a daily basis and am staying motivated to continue on the path I'm on.

I have a to-do list that is constantly evolving and I never have enough time to get everything done. Currently I'm reading 3 books (La bête humaine par Émile Zola, Gerald's Game by Stephen King and House Rules by Jodi Picoult), keeping up with the photo blog, sorting out the remainder of the details regarding the two trivia tournaments next month and trying to finish the second crocheted fingerless glove in the pair. Sigh. And this is on top of everything else. Thank goodness I was blessed with great time management skills.