Website!

So my super cool s-in-law has put together my website! It looks so pretty!

Check it out! Perizada Designs

Please give me any feedback, how it looks on your monitors, spelling errors, etc. (I've already been told about a few)

I'm still wondering where else I should go with it... I'm thinking about adding that I can teach classes and do repairs and restringing.

Thanks Hanna!

Joel Update

Oh yea! How could I have forgotten about Joel! He has a job interview!!! It's working in Victoria for BC Oil and Gas doing GIS stuff. The work term is for 8 months, not just the typical 4, which would be super sweet! The job is exactly what he's looking for, and it would be amazing for us to actually save money, instead of just scraping by off minimum wage.

I'm still looking, and lots more will be popping up in the next month.

Fun times of Reading Break!

I am a terrible blogger... It's been a week. But I have been busy having fun!!

On Saturday of last week our house had a Fondue Party! It was soooo pretty! We had a cheese and crab one, with meats, crackers, sourdough bread and broccoli for dipping! MMMM!!! The best was the desert one though! Dark chocolate Toblerone, with coffee liqueur, and for dipping we had strawberries, pineapple, apples, cookie wafers, and bananas.

Joel gave us the Thumbs-Up!


Clockwise: Kelly (Girl with Blonde Hair), Kevin, Meg, Amy, Me & Joel


But a night is not complete with just food and wine (although some may disagree!) We also played Trivial Pursuit-Millennium Edition! Kelly and I won, well actually, Kelly won and I happened to be on her team. It was a great night, I really couldn't have asked for anything more.

Until Surfing.

Our friends (Jesse, Gord, Craig and Amy) along with Joel and I went out to Uclulet and Tofino for three days. We rented a cabin and surf boards for a fun-filled and rowdy time!

Our cabin was a two room place, looking out onto Little Beach (not far from Wild Pacifica Trail!) The first night we hung out playing cards, went on a walk to the beach, and went to bed pretty early.

Jesse, Me & Joel at the Beach


Me!


Everyone Chillin at the Cabin
Clockwise From Left: Amy, Gord, Me, Jesse, Craig and Kim


Amy's Poker Face (isn't she so cute!)


This is Chesterman's Beach, where we surfed. Check out those wave! They're around 6 feet high!


Another Pretty Picture


So unfortunately there was only a few pictures taken of us surfing, and they're all on Gord's camera. I'll upload them when he sends them to me.

Surfing was one of the hardest things I've ever done! But I loved it, and I seriously want to buy a board and wet suit. Not once did I stand up on my board, but I wasn't expecting to, so no disappointment there. I stayed (mostly) were I could still touch the ground, but because the shore is so shallow that was a few hundred meters from shore.

We all got taken out hard by waves. I paddled out past were the waves were breaking, which was a stupid idea, but I had to see what it was like. Once I got past the breaking point for the wave (hundreds of meters from shore), the water is just up-and-down, with a 10 feet difference crest and trough. Then the only way into shore is to catch a wave, but the waves were HUGE! Too big for a Jen. I got taken out, I felt like I was in a washing machine, mouth full of water, not knowing which way was up. It was only a few short seconds, but very terrifying. After I crawled back onto my board I looked to shore, which was still so far away, and to make it in I needed to catch more waves. My heart was pounding, my chest was heaving, and I was having a hard time catching my breath. But I made it back into shore, alive, thankfully.

Everyone had an experience similar to mine, Amy got taken out by 3 waves, one after another. Joel said he felt himself bend in half, backwards. Somehow though, we all had an amazing time, and we all love-and fear-the ocean.

The greatest part of surfing was the weather. The first day it was sunny, raining, and hailing. The second day it was raining, hailing, and then SNOWING! When we got out the beach was covered in snow, and we had to change out of our wetsuits in a muddy, snowing parking lot. (There were no change facilities.) So there were all of us, just gotten out of the ocean, trying to strip out of a wetsuit that has suctioned onto our wet bodies, which I thought was harder and more frustrating than the surfing part! The boys all got soaked trying to get all the surfboards onto the car racks, Joel's Gortex hiking boots were even soaked.

Then we all pilled into the car, grabbed some yummy food and coffee from Breakers and headed back to Victoria.

Reading Break Rules. This really does help students regain sanity.

Ahh! It's the Start of Real Life!

I am very happy right now. Very excited. Wanna know why? Well...it's reading break!!! Which means in two weeks I wrote 5 midterms, did 2 labs, 1 presentation, and went on a field trip. There were a few days of tears...many cups of coffee...and not enough sleep. But yet somehow I still love school. Now we get a break to put our heads back in place, and gosh, I do need it!

Joel and I are heading out to Tofino for a few days with our friends Gord, Jesse, Craig and Amy. I'm super stoked, it's the first trip Joel and I have done since last summer. We've rented a cabin (the perks of off-season!) so we'll be warm! The boys all want to go surfing, but I'm scared of surfing... the whole deep dark water thing. There's some scary things in the ocean... I don't know if I'm prepared for it.

So Joel and I are trying to get involved with activities outside of classes, things to get us involved with our community and make connections. In our GIS class on Wednesday our Prof mentioned that there was a Community Mapping Workshop on Friday (today), and we went to it. So that was this afternoon, and we got to see what this group was up to, where they're wanting to go with it, and meeting the people who were involved. The afternoon was great, just being able to see where GIS is applicable in a fun way, and to see who's involved in it. Not only did we get in our Prof's good books, but I think we're going to pursue this further!

This has been a weird semester; it's the beginning of our lives, this is where we're developing our skills for our careers, making connections and seeing where we want to go with this Geography thing. It's overwhelming sometimes, just thinking that I really want to make a difference and seeing that I'm developing the skills and tools for activating change.

It's rad.

Go Jen, Go!

Things I'm Thankful For...

So I woke up this morning (at 11:00am again), looked outside and its BLUE! Bright blue skies today, and it's warm outside too. Which I am very thankful for. It was really nice out last week, and then it got cloudy and rainy again, which has a bad effect on me. I don't quite know what it is, but my moods coincide with the weather. So I'm happy today, which is great, because I have TONS to do.

This got me thinking, what else am I thankful for? I have lots!
* A husband who loves me (even when I'm grumpy)
* An amazing family - first of all, my family, who supports me in everything I do, my mom who is one of my best friends, and my dad who will do anything to help me. And I love my other family, because I don't know where I'd be without them.
* I'm thankful for being a Canadian. I'm not so proud right now (read previous blogs), but I'm grateful that God had me born in Canada
* School. I have an opportunity that others only dream of, and I only hope that I can make the best of it
* My basic necessities met. I can complain all I want about student debt, and how hard done by students are, but I have everything I need.
* But most of all, I'm thankful for my faith. Faith in God, faith in Jesus as my saviour.

So anyways, just thought I'd share that bit with you guys. It's amazing what waking up to blue skies will do to someone.

Heart to you all!

2 Down, 3 to Go!

I wrote 2 midterms today, one for GIS for the Natural Science and the other for Urbanization in the Pacific Rim. Feels good to have those two out of the way, the next ones on Friday.

Guess what tomorrow is? National Student Day of Action! It's going to be great, thousands of students across the country demanding that education needs to be more accessible for everyone, that tuition needs to be lowered, and the government needs to provide grants, not just loans to students. Joel and I will be over $100,000 in debt by the time we graduate, and our tuition is $5000 a year. How are students expected to make it through school while living in poverty, and what are we suppose to do after when we're over our head in debt! On the other hand, without the government providing student loans, we wouldn't be able to go to school. So, I'm grateful to be able to have an education, but I think it could be made better.

Want a taste of what tomorrow has to bring? Check this out: Video Clip

I don't like the Government

I woke up this morning (at 11:00), made some coffee and turned on the news to CBC. The Question Period was on, so it was all about the legislature, and they were debating the new Climate Change bill.

I am SO sick of the government pointing fingers at each-other. All Harper (Conservative Prime Minister) had to say was why didn't Dion (Leader of Liberal Party) do anything when he was in, and Dion fires back that it's about now, not what didn't happen in the past. And then Jack Layton (NDP leader) blames both of them. AHHH!! Why is it all finger pointing and no action. Is this the way that our government has always worked - I mean, NOT worked!

The Conservatives reasoning behind not setting immediate targets is that it will hurt the economy, but the fact is that our world has changed. We cannot just focus on an economy based around fossil fuels, and I agree with Dion that the new industrial revolution will be in renewable energy. If Canada does not act now, we may be left behind.

What I just don't get is that the Conservatives have given the oil and gas industry huge subsidies, in fact- they receive 8 times more funding than the environment does! AHHH!!

I wonder if I'll ever end up in politics... I complain about it enough... (I feel bad for the people in my house, they get to hear me rant all day.) I want changes to happen, but I hope they'll change by the time I'm able to be there. But if they don't - then watch out Canada!!

Oh yea, and remember my rant about our new environment minister, John Baird? Remember how I questioned his competency? I still am... I think he's useless. Why? Because he supports Harpers (non-existent) targets. What Harper has purposed doesn't set Greenhouse Gas reductions until 2050, and that's too little, too late. Whereas the Kyoto Protocol calls for a 6% reduction of 1990 levels by 2008-2012.

Serious changes need to be made, and the government isn't doing enough.

I love my family

Okay, quick update... but it must be quick because I NEED to study... I have two midterms on Tuesday and haven't studied at all... AHHH!!

So, I love my family! Both sides!

First of all I was in Burnaby for Sat & Sun, my dad and brother did a surprise visit to the Lower Mainland. (It nearly gave my Bubba a heart-attack!) So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them, even if it means not studying. We had a great time, ate yummy food (I like pickled eggs), hung out and chatted. And my dad flew me back on a helicopter! A half hour ride, compared to the 4 hours it takes on the ferry! The whole ride was cloudy and I couldn't see anything, but it was still SUPER COOL!

And I love my s-in-l, Hanna! Check this out! She's making me a webpage to show off my jewelry, and I she knew what I wanted more than I did myself! It's sooooo perfect! And the girl is so pretty, and the TREE! Oh the TREE! It has roots! YEA!

And now I must go... 36 hours until two midterms... why....

Things are getting crazy....

So I'm not sure how I'll make it out of these next two weeks. In that time I have to write 5 midterms, do a project & two labs. Oh yea, and not go crazy. I swear the purpose of university sometimes is to try and kill you, and the ones who make it out get the jobs. I also am going over to the mainland (ahh! I have to leave my island!) because my dad and brother are down visiting. It should be an fun trip, I just hope I can get some studying done on the ferry!

So I'm applying for 4 co-op jobs, so far. One's up on the Queen Charolotte Islands, which would be SO cool! It's organizing a work experience for high school students, and pays $21/hr! Yes- a student (hopefully ME!) for work experience organizing work experience for other students. Don't ask me- it's the government, I didn't vote them in. None of the other jobs are quite as cool, nor pay quite as much.

Oh, and would you like a taste of an essay I wrote?? Yes, you say? Here:

There is little debate left to the issue that anthropogenic forces have cause changes to our climate. The massive amounts of greenhouse gases that have been emitted to our atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels have disrupted the fragile balance that provides life on Earth. This global problem has united countries, political groups, and average citizens to conquer the greatest problem that humankind has faced – our ability to exist on Planet Earth. The most well known treaty to combat climate change has been the Kyoto Protocol. This is a legally binding agreement committing industrialized nations to reduce six of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the most well known of these is carbon dioxide (CO2), and also includes methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs and PFCs (Faure, 2003, p.25). The Kyoto Protocol sets an individuals countries reduction target at 5% below their 1990 levels by 2008-2012. To date 168 countries have ratified the protocol, and of these, there are 35 industrialized nations are required to reduce their greenhouse gases (Faure, 2003, p.25).
Within Canada, the Kyoto Protocol has been one of great controversy, first during the negotiation of the treaty, and now with the admission that Canada will not reach their goals. Why is it that Canada cannot fulfill the targets set at reducing greenhouse gas emissions 5% below the 1990 levels by the years 2008-2021? There has been numerous other Annex I (industrialized) countries that have taken the steps in reduction and succeeded (see figure 1). The purpose of this paper is to explore what actions Canada has taken in reducing the greenhouse gases emitted, what steps are needed, and where we may be headed.
... ... ...
After briefly examining some steps which Canada has taken on a domestic and international level, this raises the question: have the hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars, and hundreds of people involved in the actions against climate change been worth it? Seeing from figure 2, Canada stands 30% above the Kyoto target one year before the goal (Kyoto Protocol), leads one conclude that no, addressing climate change not been successful. With the newly elected Conservative governments non-commitment to Kyoto, this leaves little hope for change - except climate change - to happen. After a year in government the Conservatives have yet to release a climate change action plan, except to say that it is up to the people of Canada to all do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They have tried, but failed, to introduce a Clean Air Act, which aims to start reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, with a target of halving emissions by 2050 from 2003 levels (CTV News Staff, Oct. 20, 2006). The opposition says targets like that will be too little – too late (CTV News Staff, Oct.20, 2006).
Perhaps the fight against global climate change has been too focused on strategy groups, and developing frameworks for success, but not enough about action and actually achieving the set goals. Hopefully with the newly elected leader of the Liberal Party, Stephane Dion, Canada will again be a leader in reversing anthropogenic climate change. In a press release dated January 16th 2007, he says, “countries that embrace the environment as a core priority will lead the global economy in the 21st century. I want Canada to be one of those countries.”

So that's what paying $5000 a year in tuition gets you.

Watch out for the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes report tomorrow! It's going to be great, and hopefully we'll see more of a global movement in protecting the only home we have.