The World in a Nutshell

The Canadian Dollar

2007-09-23T10:39:00.000-06:00

Here's my little rant for the month: if our Canadian dollar is now worth the same as the American dollar, why are we still paying $1.39 for our value menu at McDonald's? The Americans pay $1 for the same items! Some people could say that it is due to importing fees, transporting fees, etc but I happen to know that McDonald's sources it's food locally, so as to keep costs down.

We should start a group on Facebook protesting inflated prices for Canadians!

The Bathroom is Finished!

2007-06-12T17:06:00.000-06:00

I've been mostly finished for a while now, but just finished the small touches and can now post pics. I'm still searching for a few decorations, but this is pretty much the final product (see older
post below for before photos)

Getting There

2007-04-12T15:38:00.000-06:00

I'm getting really tired of doing the bathroom. There have been a few setbacks, nothing too major, but between cankles and grout, I really could use a vacation - from my alien body and renovations.

Thankfully I have a great group of supporters out there who have stepped up and volunteered to help me with the last few things that need to be done. I'll then have enough time before the baby comes to get thoroughly addicted to both the Sims and whichever soap opera I choose.

Out With the Old

2007-04-05T11:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics of our bathroom pre-demolition. The previous owners did some really creative stuff with the tub surround, as you will see. I'm still tiling, etc. on the new bathroom, but things are coming along really nicely.

Thank goodness we ripped this out!

The Tub is in!

2007-03-26T14:52:00.001-06:00

After much effort and selflessness, my family has demolished my old bathroom and put in my new tub! The plumbing was tweaked this morning and I had my first bath this afternoon. There is still much to do, but at least I don't have to bathe out of my sink anymore, or bug my neighbours to use their shower (like we did yesterday).

Bathroom Woes

2007-03-23T12:27:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday was to be bathroom demolition day, a day I have been looking forward to with ever increasing excitement, especially since my new bathtub has been sitting in my living room for almost a month now.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.

For some reason, the knob that shuts the water off in our house would not budge! Despite Jason's best efforts, that thing was not moving, and eventually ripped right off! Stupid knob! Since this is the knob that's on the water line before the water company's meter, I thought it was theirs. But according to them, anything in my house is mine. (Does that mean I can throw the meter out?)

Next plan of attack: condo board. No luck there either. It seems that we are really going to have to pay for this thing. Now, replacing a valve is a simple procedure that Jason and/or my dad could do in no time, but since we live in a townhouse, if the water were to be shut off at the street, we would cut off water to the whole complex, and that doesn't seem very possible. So....pay a plumber to come in and freeze the pipes, replace the valve. We now owe about $250 for one $20 valve to be installed. BAH!

Now that it's done, it's time to really start on the bathroom, tomorrow. For today, I'm going to finish prepping and build the cabinet that we bought for it. I'm crossing my fingers, though!

Offense

2007-02-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about freedom. Some people say that we should be free to do whatever we want, and if other people are offended, then it is their problem. Some feel so strongly the need to please others that they can't ever do anything they want. Is there a happy medium?

It seems that this is one of those eternally unanswered questions because it is so subjective. There is no one way that we can tell people to live that will apply to every situation that will please everyone. Since that isn't possible, what should our true goal be? To be ourselves unashamedly? To be considerate of those around us?

The brilliance of life is that we can choose. We can choose to value ourselves or others, or to mix the two. Either way, I don't think that we have the right to tell others not to be offended, just as we don't have the right to tell others what to do. We have the right to control our own emotions, and to desire change, accepting that change is something we must agree upon, not dictate.

This is where conversation comes in. The more I talk with people, my husband, and friends openly about how I feel and see things, and about how they feel and see things, the easier it is to get along and not be offended. And that is SO worth the effort!

Happy New Year!

2006-12-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

I finished exams on the 19th, and we took off for Vancouver Island that Friday. We're still relaxing, eating Jason's mom's food, preparing our bodies for the next inevitable freezer blast in January. Did you know that they coldest it's ever gotten here in Port Alberni (the last 3 years) is -6??!!!

Will be having Christmas this coming weekend with the rest of the family, a New Yearmas or something like that.

I hope you are all still enjoying the holidays!

Exams, Exams...when will they be over???

2006-12-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am currently procrastinating studying for my third exam...a big one in Accounting. It's worth 50% of my final grade, and I haven't been keeping up with the studying throughout the term. This is probably the first course I've had where it really would have been necessary to do so.

I wrote my first two on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Peanut decided to wake up and begin his/her gymnastics routine about partway through each exam, making me have to move my pants around and squirm in my chair. The people around me must have wondered what was wrong with me!

Feeling Peanut move around is pretty cool, although still kinda creepy.

Just a Thought...

2006-11-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering about this for a while...

When it's cold outside, you can see your breath. What happens if you fart?

New Site

2006-10-26T18:33:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!

We have a new site and a surprise for all of you...

www.lifeinmillerville.blogspot.com

Please visit us there and perhaps check back here every few months...not sure which one I'll be posting to more often.

My Blog Died...should it?

2006-10-19T10:03:00.000-06:00

It has been so long since I posted anything of substance, I finally got a 'is your blog dead?' note from Michelle. It's not that things have not been happening, it's just that I don't think they're that interesting to outsiders. Perhaps I should let you all decide instead.

I'm in my third year U of A business school, taking a pretty heavy courseload considering that I'm also working.

However, we JUST BOUGHT A NEW CAR! If I remember, I'll post a photo of it...a 2006 Ford Focus Hatchback, full sport package with heated seats, royal blue. And...it's an automoatic! I am so excited...standards just aren't any fun for me lately, it's just been an annoyance. Now, I just get in, shift and go, I love it!

Let's see...anything else interesting...oh, yeah, we almost played 8 hours of paintball on Saturday, but it ended up being postponed until June.

Organized my closets on the weekend, pulled everything out, installed new racks and shelves, it looks good! Not very exciting to the general public, I know, but I was so very excited...it's so organized!

That's all for now...and maybe you now know why I don't blog a lot?

Happy New Year!

2006-04-20T18:48:00.000-06:00

Well...I have yet to blog in the new year. Let me say that so far 2006 has proven to be a doozy.

I have some photos that I would like to share, please check back soon. I'm really just blogging to procrastinate my studying, and it would be too much of a procrastination to upload my pictures from my camera. I'll settle for words this time.

My nails are perfect typing length today, and I really have nothing to say but just want to keep on punching keys. Again, avoiding studying for Accounting and Finance finals, and that horridly boring management theory class I was forced to take. It's not management's fault; I hate memorizing theories.

Oh well...back to the grind

The Truth About My Marriage

2005-12-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the things that are true about my marriage:

6. I have to be much more creative to get out of doing the dishes
5. One car is SO not fun
4. Mill Woods is really far from the University
3. Jason is so nice about me stealing all the blankets at night
2. We have a lot of crap in our house

and the number one thing that is true about marriage:

1. Farting is WAY funnier now than it used to be!

An overheard comment

2005-12-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

As I was leaving a restaurant yesterday I overheard someone on their way in say that people's sense of entitlement is staggering.

I agree with her.

I take the bus to the University and inevitably somewhere along the way the bus becomes so full that people are crammed into the aisles. Although we could all complain about the Edmonton Transit and how they never send enough buses, my complaint is with those who stand in the aisle (and often times I stand too) and don't move back.

What is it about those three extra meters (sometimes less) of bus aisle walking that give people such complete memory loss? Not even 30 seconds ago they were outside the bus in the cold waiting to get on, hoping there was room for them, wishing people would move all the way to the back so that they could catch this bus.

But as soon as they are on the bus, those thoughts and memories and any consideration for the people still stuck outside vanish. They pick a spot on the bus in the middle, effectively blocking the movement of people to the still empty spots in the back. Even if the driver instructs them to keep moving, they stand there, pull themselves closer to the pole they are holding on to and you can see the "don't look at me, I'm not in the way" look.

I feel like telling them, "Well, I'm sorry honey but your fifty pound backpack IS wacking people in the face and you ARE blocking the aisle!"

That's all...I promise the next one will be more upbeat.

Numa Numa Man

2005-11-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all have seen the "Numa Numa" song, I've put a link to his website in the column on the right...it's worth checking out.

They redid the song with a frog...it's hilarious, as well as some other really good stuff.

There is also a link on the Numa Numa site to some Chinese guys who lipsync to Back Street Boys, it's worth checking out too.

Happy Surfing!

Wedding Pics

2005-11-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Check out our wedding photos!

Wedding Pics!

Job Flop

2005-10-27T09:17:00.000-06:00

Well, I felt restless, and like I wanted some money, so I applied for a job at the local Joey's Only Seafood...I'm addicted, I know.

Needless to say, waitressing is totally the wrong fit for me now. Or, should I say, I am not fit enough for waitressing anymore. Maybe that's more accurate. Either way, it was completely the wrong thing for me to do...I didn't like it, it was disorganized, and all the little things drove me crazy!

So, two shifts later, and I am once again an ex-Joey's Only employee. And I think this time I'll stay this way.

My Man

2005-10-08T23:47:00.000-06:00

Thought it time to show him off to the world...

My lame-o webpage

2005-09-29T08:51:00.000-06:00

For the last month I have been immersed in Business school...yay!!! No more waitressing!!!

As part of my projects I had to do this webpage, but was left to choose what to put on it. For some reason my mind completely blanked except for this really odd business idea my prof had, so I just did up a site for that.

Copy and paste:
http://students.bus.ualberta.ca/millerjm/bus201/Dirt4Sale.htm

Hope you enjoy it!

So much to look forward to!

2005-08-25T13:19:00.000-06:00

The past two weeks have been much more intense and much more of an insight into my character than I anticipated. I realize now how much I value tears, how much I love my man-to-be, and what incredible friends and family we have. I really could not be any more fortunate.

As for the future, we have a new townhouse that I may decorate (pending finances of course) and I have a new career to plan (2 and a half years of Business studies to do).

In the next couple days, I am looking forward to transforming the Canopy, having great pizza, getting a manicure and my first pedicure ever, and visiting with so many people that I rarely get to see.

As I run around my house like a headless chicken today preparing, I feel truly blessed.

Jayden

2005-08-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

This is my most recent photo of Jayden, about a year and a half after the last one.

We treat our elderly so much better than this (I hope!)

2005-08-12T08:49:00.000-06:00

New Links

2005-08-11T10:02:00.000-06:00

I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I have placed some new websites on my list o' Links on the right there. First of all, there is a link to the Ellen Degeneres website. Check out her videos of her shows and especially some of her vintage Ellen stuff (ie. Ellen on airplane travel)

Next is "Engrish", which I am stealing from Michelle, but had been previously introduced to me by Yuya, a very fun Japanese College friend of mine.

And finally, "Despair," which is an excellent version of all those inspirational posters you see everywhere. You know the ones...they have those really nice pictures with black backgrounds and some little comment on the bottom. My favourite picture is for "Change" (under pessimistic visions), but my favourite poster altogether is for "Achievement" (under positive negations). What is your favourite?

17 Days Left!

2005-08-10T09:04:00.000-06:00

J placed an offer on our first townhouse today! It's in Millwoods, three bedrooms, three levels, very typical townhouse. Apparently everything is original but in excellent condition (meaning that it's ugly but not gross enough to replace yet), so I'll be starting with a clean slate and can decorate how I want!

Everything is happening in time for everything else...and the wedding is only 17 days away! We really should start writing our vows, eh?

Diving In

2005-08-05T08:30:00.000-06:00

As of tomorrow, I have three weeks left as a single person. I have committed to committing my life to another person, changing my name, moving in with him, and spending a lifetime trying to hide my most private bodily functions from him, while he does not attempt to hide his from me.

However, I will be getting a really good party out of the deal complete with a German buttercream icing cake. The bottom layer is white cake with vanilla filling, the second is chocolate cake with mocha filling, and the third is chocolate cake with hazelnut filling.

After gorging myself on cake and trying to keep it off my dress, I will dance and visit and then go to MEXICO!

At this point, everything is so exciting, yet exhausting. It's all a paradox. I am really looking forward to the wedding, but I am also really looking forward to having it over with. To be honest, all I want to really do today is decorate my own house, yet I don't want to give up anything we have planned at all!

Soooo busy!

2005-07-28T11:39:00.000-06:00

I was on Vancouver Island last week and now have the brownest patch of skin on my feet that I think I ever have!

When I got back this week, I decided not to work and instead maybe get some wedding stuff done. Well so much for a week off! I haven't had one useless morning in which to play the Sims or any other game. Last summer was truly the last time that I was able to do nothing, oh for those glory days again...

In all actuality, though, I prefer this. Think about it. In the fall I will be Mrs. Jason Miller, which may sound oppressionistic to all you feminists out there, but which I don't mind for the simple reason that he will be paying for everything. Not a bad deal, eh? All I have to do is make Mac & cheese every now and then, and look studious with my books, and he buys me dinner. Every day!

J, I know you'll read this, and I want you to be publicly acknowledged for your ever-patient nature and committment to my leeching this coming up fall and probably year. Love you!

Wedding!

2005-07-04T14:53:00.000-06:00

Well, it's officially going to be Jenn MIller on August 27th this summer! I am so excited to get married, go to Mexico, start Business at the U of A and decorate a new house...oh, yeah, did I mention Mexico?

The wedding will be all peaches and apples and buttercream cake, so really, I need a dress that will be able to accommodate eating, and I hope that my guests will too. There will only be 100 people, but we're not being stingy on the cake, which if you haven't noticed, will be my favourite part of the food!

What's a wedding without cake?!

Filing is Fun!

2005-06-21T15:11:00.000-06:00

I have been relegated to filing in the Suncor Fort McMurray office for a while. 11 hours a day doesn't go by fast enough, and that is all I will say about that!

Aaaaaaaahhh!!!!! H2S!

2005-05-12T18:59:00.000-06:00

I just returned from my very first trip ever to Fort McMurray... the nicest city that is just too far away. Honestly, I was quite impressed with the city in general, they are doing an amazing job considering how quickly they are growing and how quickly it could become a shanty town (except for the cold winters of course). This is the modern day equivalent of the gold rush.

After 6 days of training in Calgary and another full day of training in Fort McMurray, we were finally allowed to start our jobs. Painting pipes. Wahoo! All that build up and tension for such a menial task, or so it seemed...

Day One on the job: the hydrogen sulphide gas alarm goes off on the site next to ours (quick info: H2S is extremely deadly even in low doses and sinks, going downwind) and you guessed it...we are downwind from that next site. So what do Cathy and I do? We look at each other blankly, both of us thinking "we should be running, but to where?" In order to get out of the site we were on, we would have to drive right past the building where the alarm is going off. Not only this, but we were alone and had no idea who to call to find out what to do, etc etc. So like idiots in a duck pond, we just stood there, holding our personal H2S monitors in front of us waiting for them to go off. They never did.

A couple of variations of the above scenario have happened again, but these involved fire alarms which we just ignored, figuring that we would see flames if they came to close. (H2S is invisible)

Such is the life of two expendible summer students in the Oil Sands.

Oil and Gas Rock!

2005-05-04T14:25:00.000-06:00

I am currently down at SAIT in Calgary getting some training for my summer job. We are staying in residence, which is pretty sweet actually, we have our own bedrooms and I share a cable TV with two other girls. Our breakfast and supper each day are catered, with white tablecloths, heavy cutlery, and people who clean up after us, and for lunch we get a $12 voucher for the local food court.

On top of all of this, I am being paid to be here! This training, although a little boring and the fact that it doesn't end until Saturday at 5 (work starts Monday morning at 7am), is good for a few years, which will help with future jobs too!

So, really, I could complain about the time and how boring it is, but I won't. This is the best fringe benefit job I've ever had, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts (meaning I'm going to keep buying extra gum and junk food to expend my $12 voucher and console myself)

Why I Changed My Blog Title

2005-04-12T23:07:00.000-06:00

Really, it was because I didn't like the first one. When I created my blog, I had a very inspiration-less moment and yet had to choose something. Hope you like this one better, and if you have any great suggestions...I'm all ears!

Why I Hate Minivans

2005-04-07T11:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I don't hate minivans, just the women that drive them.

Yesterday morning I was driving from my home to downtown. The first minivan I encountered was a woman driver who tailgated me so close that I couldn't see the majority of her hood in my rear view mirror. We were going through a playground zone! Since it was a minivan, the chances of that woman having children are pretty high in my estimation, and she still tailgated me. Whose children would she like me to run over? Probably not hers, but it seems she has no problem speeding through when it's anyone else's kids.

Second: not even five minutes later I was on the commuter road into Edmonton, where the speed limit is 70 and people are jam packed for 3 lanes. Another woman in a minivan decided to go at least 10 UNDER the speed limit here, slowing down the entire lane.

I must ask...what is it with women in minivans? Is it like the female equivalent of old men in trucks? They are higher than everyone else on the road, so they'll do what they like? Maybe this is a sexist, chauvanistic rant, but I am not proud of this. But lately, every time someone cuts me off, tailgates, or drives like they can't see, I look over and it's a minivan with a woman driver.

Lord help me if I ever get a minivan...I'll probably leave my driving brain at home too.

2005-03-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Alissa Krueger, Michelle Ritzema, and I are munching at a cafe in Germany. Of course, throughout all the pictures I seem to always be the one still holding food...go figure. Don't the other two look like sisters?

Jobs Falling from the Sky!

2005-03-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

So I walk in the door this morning after school and the phone is for me...it's Cathy, telling me that her old boss at Suncor needs two more people...her and does she know anybody? Well, wonderful friend that she is, she says, "yeah" and immediately calls me up. Done! Just like that I have a job working on the pipeline this summer that will more than pay for my tuition at school next year! Hallelujah! Isn't God wonderful?

On the Road Again....

2005-03-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

I went to Grande Prairie this weekend to visit friends and "adopted" family that I have been missing lately. It was wonderful to see pictures and hear stories about the mission trips from last summer...I wish I could have heard it all sooner!

The only thing I would change is my mode of transportation...don't get me wrong, I love my car! But it doesn't have cruise control, we'll be fixing that soon enough, I think.

Other than that, loved the weekend, glad I did it, and I only exceeded my weekly Tim Horton's Iced Cappuccino allowance by 2! (one per day) I felt that I controlled myself quite nicely.

Can't wait for this summer's Vancouver Island trip!

2005-02-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

If I had waited only 5 seconds more, I would have had the entirety of Russian juxtaposition in one photo. Just to the left, hair coming into view, were a couple of women in perfect hair, makeup, and stiletto heels who had just walked out of the no electicity, no plumbing shack house that those goats live beside. And notice that next to that little naked kid is another kid playing Gameboy.

2005-02-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

This photo created a lot of hilarity and confusion for me when I first saw it. My niece had just been born, and my mom said that she would send me a bunch of pictures as soon as she could, seeing that I was up at PRBI at the time. So when I got this picture in the mail, I immediately took it around the dorm and the cafeteria, bragging about my niece. Turns out it wasn't my niece. Mom never did label the picture or anything, how was I supposed to know? Anyways, the doll in the picture is my doll from when I was a baby...it has a rubber bum with many, many teethmarks in it...don't the two look alike? This baby is my friend Christine's daughter (incidentally, Christine's teeth are on that doll's bum too).

work, work, work

2005-02-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have been working for years at low-paying, go nowhere jobs, trying to finish some schooling so that I no longer need to do these low-paying, go nowhere jobs. And instead of picking something and sticking with it, I have decided to go back to school, again. Really, it is all my own fault. I have hemmed and hawed and travelled a bit, gaining much knowledge going nowhere except to provide some excellent round the dinner table chit chat.

This week has been a great reminder of where I am in life...depending on who I meet. To those who just meet me and do not know that I am a file girl/waitress/student, I can come across as very accomplished, full of purpose and an inner drive that will take me far. To the self-involved barbie girl who cut my hair the other day and called me 'hon' (even though I was obviously not impressed that she left me in my chair with soaking wet, half-cut hair to talk to her boyfriend on the phone for almost 10 minutes), I was not very impressive at all, apparently.

There's really not much point to this here blog, I really just wanted to publicly complain about my hairstylist.

Minimizing

2005-02-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I developed a new life strategy for myself. I like to think that it was due to an epiphany or some inspiring message to simplify life, but really, I was too cramped in my dorm room and was going mad.

It all began one weekend when the homework and library books had spilled from my desk onto my bed and beyond. The room was too warm, a consequence of being in the centre of the dorm and our thermostat not working (I think it was just there to make us feel as if we had SOME control over our lives), the neighbor's music too loud, and too cold outside to go anywhere. Needless to say, I lost it. Until it struck me...minimize!

In other words, get rid of everything you haven't used in a while, keep only what you need (the first thing to go was that dried soup packet I'd carried around for 3 years in all my moving). As they can attest, every girl that came to visit my roommate that day (I was going too nutty for visitors) got an earful of the wonders of minimizing. When asked what I was doing, I threw up my hands and yelled (remember these rooms are small), "Minimize! It's all about minimizing!" (Picture George Costanza doing this)

Reading this story now, it seems a little ridiculous, but the other girls got ahold of the idea. Even though they didn't actually minimize their own rooms, I could hear them spreading the word down the hall, and it made me proud.

My Family

2005-02-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some snapshots of my family...mostly my niece, who recently turned two, even though is younger here. She is so much fun! (I know, I know, all aunts think their own relatives are the cutest ever).

2005-02-06T16:57:00.001-07:00

Jayden on her first birthday

2005-02-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

Colin and Jayden, he's blowing on a piece of grass for her.

2005-02-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Jayden at 5 months, in her disarming "attitude" pose

Naptime

2005-02-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than a midday nap and a cup of java to wake a person up...it feels like you have a whole new day...two days in one!

The Four Month Rule

2005-02-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I heard a speaker with a leopard print vest say that they only date someone once they have been friends for a year, and then if after 4 months they can't see it going any further, they end the relationship. Point being that you should know whether this person is compatible for you after only four months!

Another friend of mine said it should be three years, and a dear aunt of mine says you need to be sure you've seen them in every season.

As for me, I go with my gut. I mean, it's amazing how I can just know after only two minutes with some guys that it will never work! And some guys, it takes about 10 minutes. Either way, am I too focused on figuring out why it will not work?

The problem here, and with everyone, is that we are just really much too inexperienced with the feeling that it will work. It's the sort of thing that only really happens once for most people, if at all, and more than once for those who are truly lucky (if they are unfortunate enough to have had the first one not work or last for whatever reason).

I am becoming more convinced that knowing it will work is only a matter of choice. Love is a choice. We eventually, by figuring out what we like, what we don't like, meet someone who is tolerable and even fun to be with, and give it a shot.

Some say that it is a matter of the heart, not a choice, but I disagree. Our hearts are prejudiced with the decisions and values we have chosen over the years. When we meet someone that violates and offends these values (like those who chew with their mouths open or picks their nose in public), we do not love them. Or at least not enough to wish to have a relationship with them.

On the other hand, when we meet someone who shares these values, or does not offend our prejudice, we can choose to love them forever. And I believe you can find out these basics, like the chewing thing, within four months, so go for it!

My first blog!

2005-01-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

I only have two minutes and this computer sucks, but yay! I have my own website!!!