My family (including my mom, despite the fact that the same thing happens to her) cannot seem to grasp this concept.

Most of the summer, it wasn’t a big deal, since I started work at 8 and had to leave the house at 7, and my mother doesn’t work during the summers, so she was not loudly getting ready in the morning. The one week that I had off (last week), she was back at work, which I figured would cause some problems, but as long as I wasn’t directly woken up, I should be okay.

Unfortunately, my brother had to work a series of early morning shifts. I did not know this until one morning at 6, when he loudly stomped across the hallway, opened my door, and started sternly telling Spice (the dog) to go into my room. Cue Spice loudly clomping down the hallway, and then sitting on the floor next to my bed, staring at me, as Matt loudly closes the door behind him and proceeds to stomp down the stairs. Urg. Then doggy adds to it, by not being capable of jumping up on my bed without several invitations. By my 4th “jump up” command, I’m wide awake.

I decided to be proactive. That night, I demanded Spice be able to sleep in my room from the get go, and we happily went off to bed. Unfortunately, after a few hours, Spice was breathing so loudly it was waking me up. I put ear plugs in, and tried to fall back asleep. Another hour passed and I noticed my bed was moving. Unplugging my ears, I found Spice wide awake, panting hard enough to shake the bed. I got her some water, turned on the fan, and we were fine… for the moment at least.

Although I had taken the necessary precautions and held a doggy slumber party and asked nobody to wake me up, my mom swiftly woke me up at 6:15 the next morning to request that I print photos from my cousin’s wedding that day. I was promptly enraged beyond all belief since she does not even leave for work until 7:20, so whyyyy was she waking me up an hour before that to tell me something she could write in a note (and had also told me the evening before.)

The week continued in a similar way, coming to a head on Monday night, when after being very soundly asleep for an hour, my brother started moving bags of cans and bottles and garbage and pieces of furniture around in the hallway (hitting my door with the bag of cans, repeatedly), at midnight. This continued for a half hour or so before I absolutely lost my mind and shouted a lot about how I had to be on a bus to school at 6:30 and he didn’t need to work until 3.

You would think that after such a display of anger and rage someone would learn their lesson. But, no. My brother starts some sort of English class today, and Shannon (his girlfriend) was picking him up on the way to her 7am clinical (she’s a nursing student), so once again, I acquired the doggy (see: paragraph 4), at 6am, who then proceeded to shiver until I found her a blanket. And I’ve been awake ever since, despite not having classes until 10.

So now I am tired and cranky, and this blog entry is the result.

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Oh, wait. That’s jealousy. Alright then, I’ll just continue.

One of my biggest pet peeves of all time are people who get their education for free and do not appreciate it. I’m not saying that Canadian post secondary tuition is in any way comparable to, say, the States, where they definitely pay through the nose. I’m also not going to sit here and pretend that I am working 45 hours a week in addition to going to school in order to afford to live on my own and pay for school. But, some of my friends are. And some of them actually find themselves faced with the reality that they may not be able to continue their studies because they cannot afford it. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

There are, of course, plenty of people who get free post secondary education and deserve it, whether it be because their parents can afford it, or their parents can’t afford it, enough for them to acquire assistance or their government provides it. My issue lies with people who receive such privileges and then proceed to piss it away because it means nothing to them.

I don’t have the option of any of the above things. In fact, I had to save my first year tuition by cutting off my social life for 8 months so that I could save the tiny amount of money left over from working 20 hours a week at a grocery store, plus paying rent and bus fare (and no, I did not have a fancy phone at the time). I don’t have a problem with that. My parents told me it would make me appreciate my education, and possibly that I wouldn’t slack off, and here I am incredibly appreciative with (generally) killer grades to show for it. Sweet. But it irks me to sit around and watch several acquaintances (since I find myself unable to be friendly with, or in one case, to date, someone who is like this, since our personalities generally do not mesh well) who honestly don’t care where the money has gone and don’t take their education seriously. For example, with previously mentioned potential date, who promptly lost my interest when they told me they were simply enrolled in their 4 year university degree because they couldn’t think of anything else to do, didn’t really enjoy the course, and were planning on choosing something else since their parents would pay anyway.

Um wut? I’m sorry to be a bitch (except that I am not sorry), but that is a deal breaker (I will not let you pass that mentality onto our non-existent children!).

Most of you (who comment) work hard for your education, so I’m sure I won’t receive very many complaints about this entry. A few of you who may see yourselves as the sort of person I don’t want to involve myself with (although I’m sure you have redeeming traits, I just can’t often see past that sort of thing, sorry, I’m human and by nature a judgmental hypocrite at times) will claim that I am jealous, and you are partially correct.

Yes, I would say it would be nice to be able to study whatever I wanted without needing to worry about the cost (it would be a dream, really. Probably the 4th thing on my list of things to do after I win the lottery), but no, I wouldn’t want to give up the lessons I have learned from working hard.

I don’t know, student-types like me, all I ask this September is that you think about all the people who aren’t as fortunate to be doing what you are and consider working hard and doing well, instead of spending the next 8 months drunk, or dropping all of your academic classes because they’re “too hard”, or deciding in your final semester of med school to become a stripper (unless you are that bad at practicing medicine, then, by all means…).

This has been another episode of: Ling whines about stuff, then judges people potentially too harshly because she is stubborn, but usually she is a pushover who loves everyone, so let her have this moment. And also a public service announcement.

Good night, and good luck.

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I cannot write with a layout that I hate.

Historically, any time I’ve taken a break from writing aisling-b.net/dreamling.ca the main reason has been that I’ve grown to dislike the design, and it unmotivated me to write. This site has always been first and foremost my blog, and so keeping myself in a state where I am able to update it regularly is kind of important.

This layout and the last layout is/were not meant to be beautiful masterpieces, but rather stand-in designs until I have the time/inspiration to make something I like. Unfortunately, when I’m spending 8 hours a day coding, at work alone, and then working on various projects, I don’t really feel like coming home and continuing on. That’s being extremely optimistic in assuming that I would even have time once I got home.

So, I know you guys are attached to the disgusting layout with the pastels and the sketchy things, but it makes me feel ill to look at it. On the bright side, you’ve been attached to other designs before, and then you got over it. Each of my major relaunch designs since I got Dreamling have been featured in various places, the last layout was not some sort of one-hit-wonder, so everyone just chill. :P

Thnx, Mmgt.

For those of you who couldn’t possibly care less about what this place looks like, please continue on to my ode to Lilian Tula: designer, inspiration, rock star.

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Sorry.

OKAY, so, on Saturday’s edition of Adventures with Ling, I tagged along with my parents as they did what they usually do on Saturdays– shop! See, I’ve recently freed myself from the eternal Hellish bonds of Stupidstore, and I’m having some issues adjusting to the freedom. Namely, I am having issues with the idea that I am available for social interaction. So, I tagged along with my parents. This usually involves me getting presents (I got new Converse shoes, yay). This weekend was one of the more lame shopping weekends, however.

My mother decided that she wanted a bike. She has a bike. It is a mountain bike. I’m sure it is quite nice, I don’t know, I haven’t seen it recently since, you know, winter happened. But, she decided she wanted a new bike. Something called a road bike. I, personally, thought bikes sort of worked wherever you pedaled them.

Obviously, I was misinformed, and I was absolutely shocked and flabbergasted beyond all everything when I wandered around the first bike shop we visited and checked out the prices of those bad boys. One cost nearly $10K. My entire post secondary education costs around $8K. If the bike wanted to, it could sell itself, go to school AND buy itself a Macbook. :|

I know my parents, and I always believed them to be practical people, so, understandably, I nearly had a heart attack when I found them looking at bikes that were $1300! Who needs that? My bike cost less than $200. Granted, it is a one-speed, but what more do I really need? I’m not entering the tour de France, I’m just cycling to the store and back, like normal people!

It made me think about the people on bikes that I see when I am on my way home from school. There are tonnes. And they all look like they’re off to meet up with Lance Armstrong.

Whatever happened to the good old days when you just jumped on your bike, while still in your pyjamas and rode up to the store to get emergency 6:30am chocolate? Or when you saw a guy on a bike with the 5ft Yogi Bear he stole from your front porch, so you ran home and your roommates all jumped on their bikes that they got from some thrift store, and rode off to find the thieving bastard?

I’m bringing it back! We haven’t seen the end of casual biking! I can bring it back into the limelight, but only with your help! This summer, grab your bike, don’t pay attention to the fact that you’re not wearing tight pants or a reflective jacket, and just casually cycle places. And then casually cycle back. It’s not a race. There’s no reason to have a faster bike (especially if it costs more than a semester worth of education). Take it easy, be casual, and show everyone you know what bikes are REALLY about. After all, if I wanted to race, I’d have a car. :P

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Let’s examine these three subjects, shall we?

Okay, so, in diagram A we have a photo of me stuffing my face with a cupcake, Kaitlin just being there, and Asian striking an Asian pose. Pretty typical. As you can see, we are all different people with different interests and personalities. If you were to be in a room with us, the differences would become even more apparent. We’re all quite loud, yes, but I am often the one not doing work, Kaitlin is often the one doodling and I have no clue what Asian does because I can’t see her desk from mine. She’s probably making origami. ANYWAY.

I get called Kaitlin at least twice a week. I understand that we have similarly coloured hair, but I’m not kidding when I say that Kaitlin is nearly a foot taller than me. And we have voices in different ranges. And I can be found bursting into song roughly 83.4% more often than her. So, yes, I don’t get it, but you know, I suppose there are a few unobservant people out there who could somehow get us mixed up even though they spend 6 hours a day with us, every day, since September. :P

The REAL baffling part is when Asian gets called Ling. We do not look alike. I mean, she is Asian. I am an incredibly pale white girl with red hair and emo glasses. But she seems to be called Ling more often than I am called Kaitlin! She usually replies with something along the lines of “you guys are a bunch of racists.” Everyone laughs. But it still keeps happening!

So, handy guide:

Ling:

• Red hair, glasses, short (5ft3).
• Loud, in a constantly singing sort of way.
• Obsessed with cupcakes.

Kaitlin:

• Red hair, glasses, tall (she’s what? 5ft10? 5ft11?)
• Loud, but most often off in her own doodling world.
• Plays DnD and knits.

Asian:

• ASIAN.
• Loud, but in a snarky way.
• Obsessed with cats and adorable things.

Yeah. So. I hope that clears a few things up. It’s hard enough having a weird name like “Aisling” and trying to listen for all the variations in pronunciation that come with that, let alone trying to figure out if the person shouting across for “Kaitlin” actually means “Ling.” :P

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

On today’s TLS, you get to follow me around for a whole day! See me when I wake up, take the bus, while I’m in class, while I’m with friends, and more! Special past guests of The Ling Show also make reappearances, including Ryley and Shawn (the bros), Carrie (the singer/ my girl chat buddy) and Dudley (my formerly scary web dev instructor who prefers to be at the beach at Xmas!).

And so much more, such as:

• Pokemon.
• Bugs.
• Computers.
• An A+ on an assignment!
• A Dudley Rant™ on Genetic Engineering.
• 3D Love
• Lunch time.
• An ATTACK!
• Lots of singing.
• Loud music!!!!!!!!!!
• Sheep.

So, it should be pretty cool.

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I am serious when I say that I would rather have the flu than a cold. Because a cold isn’t a valid reason to stay home from school and work. A cold is seen as something silly that everyone gets. But it’s much worse than the flu. You can’t breathe, for one. It is VERY hard to sleep when you can’t breathe. With the flu, you can throw up and feel a bit better. Colds are relentless. My mom has had this cold for weeks. She has the immune system of an ox. With my lowered immune system (I’m the kid that somehow got whooping cough in grade 5, I’ll probably get polio and diphtheria next…), I’ll probably have it for the next 6 months.

And I feel bad. Because I don’t want to infect people, like, for example, one of my instructors who just so happened to be away sick yesterday (sorry!) or my classmates, but at the same time I need to go to school and work. I’ve missed tonnes at my one job. Luckily, I’ve been neglecting to pick up my cheques from my webmaster job at The Weal, so I picked them up yesterday and now have $300 to get me through this and whatever illness comes next (maybe pneumonia!).

Oh, and on my way home from work, I was almost hit by an SUV. As in I could feel the heat from the front of the car.

So, if anyone out there has a voodoo doll of some sort, it works. NOW STOP IT.

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I went around lunch time, and after a few minutes of sitting there, they turned off the lights, saying I could see a nurse, but that they were all going to go for lunch soon since the doctor was away and they rarely get a chance to go out. Uh, okayyyy but I am in pain, so?! The nurse looked at my ear for about 10 seconds and then told me to use mineral oil drops for 3 days and come back on Friday afternoon (which is actually two days, but who’s keeping track?).

After school yesterday, I went to my work to find this mineral oil stuff. I work in the department next to the pharmacy, so the pharmacists probably have a rough idea of who I am. I asked one of them where I could find this stuff, and they told me the next aisle on my left. I was confused for a moment, since that aisle is generally filled with condoms and Pepto-Bismol. I look, expecting some sort of small bottle that oils often come in. Failing at that, I look to the bottom shelf and find a giant bottle of mineral oil. I pick it up, and on the front of it is says, in large letters tasteless, odorless LAXATIVE. Suddenly, I am completely mortified. Ugh.

So, I’ve had anti-constipation oil dripping out of my ears since last night, which is pretty gross, and isn’t helping much. In fact, I nearly blacked out and I cried twice today, from the pain. Once while buying juice, I had to bend over and cry while waiting in line. Then, at lunch, I went to the washroom and as I was washing my hands I had to put my head down on the counter and cry, after my ear popped.

To just make myself that little extra bit annoying and pathetic, I am extremely worried about… oh, everything. I’m worried about family and friends and the fact that no matter how hard I try right now I fall short of what I would expect for myself. I should be doing better in school (not that I’ve had anything but an A- or higher apart from one quiz before Reading Week, the day my Dad was having a procedure done). I’ve missed a lot of work due to sickness, so I am poor, and I’m not sure if I will be able to keep my job if this keeps up. But I HAVE to, because I need to pay for stuff. The nightmares still continue and I feel extra attached to everyone around me, as if they’re all about to go away.

It’s probably becoming a recurring theme in this blog, and I’m sorry for being so whiney, but I just need things to stop for a little while.

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I’ve never been one for alcohol, cigarettes made me gag that one time I tried them, and I don’t have money for gambling so it’s never really been an issue. I have, however, fallen into the typical young adult trap of energy drinks. I admit, when I become tired, the first thing I crave is a Red Bull. Between classes I can often be found drinking a Monster (there’s no Red Bull on campus– CONSPIRACY!).

After work today (ugh, by the way, UGH!), I grabbed a Red Bull, as per usual. Not as per usual, my parents picked me up (usually they are much too busy~ to do this). The first thing my mom says to me is “Don’t bring that into the car. Drugs are not allowed in this car or in my house.”

I stood there for a second, hurt. How dare she insult Red Bully that way! He was my friend! He was helping me be a better person and achieve my dreams! What had she done for my dreams lately? Nothing. Had she sat up with me through the night before my Flash project was due? No. Who did? Red Bull. I considered turning around and storming off in the opposite direction. I hoped that I could stand at the bus stop and it would rain and then they’d feel bad for being mean to me and Red Bull. Instead, I looked her straight in the eye, threw back my head and chugged the Red Bull. Then we both got into the car and Dad gave me some socks.

Ho hum.

Uhhh… where was I? Oh!

So, am I addicted to Red Bull? Well, you tell me. If “addiction” means loving something so much you’re willing to give up your family and friends and other hobbies for it, then colour me “addicted.” SEE IF I CARE.

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I agree that the majority of the books lack no plot until the very end, and then it shows up under developed. I agree that Breaking Dawn was a waste of a book because… I can’t actually recall anything happening apart from the gruesome bit where Edward eats the mutant baby out of Bella’s stomach.

I think I am in the small percentage of the world that probably prefers the movies to the books, as well. I’m not a KStew fan, although she is growing on me. I am, admittedly, an RPattz fan, mainly left over from his Harry Potter days. I do love how he plays Edward as this manic depressive guy who hates himself. I love how KStew seems like she couldn’t give a damn about Twilight half the time. And I love how Taylor Lautner just loves every minute he spends around his fans, to provide contrast.

Obviously, there’s a dark side to my Guilty Pleasure, which leaves me torn. Since Twilight author Stephenie Meyer is Mormon, she in all likeliness pays 10% of her income to the LDS Church. In 2009, she was ranked as the 26th most powerful celebrity, earning over $50 million. That is a lot of money going right to the people who very much supported Proposition 8. That’s the part that makes me feel sick and uneasy. I can remember when I found out that Prop 8 had passed and bursting into tears, although I live in a completely different country, so it doesn’t really affect me. The thought of me contributing to that, although I am well aware that my donation is minuscule, kind of makes me hate myself.

So! Feel free to judge me, go go go! Also, share your guilty pleasures! (And then give them up for the next 40 days if you are Catholic!)

© Aisling for Dreamling.ca, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh