Waldon, and tonight's title comes from an older song which many of you might know called "Headstrong" by Trapt. I absolutely love the sound of it. I think it's the constant repetition of that incredible hard rock riff in the chorus.

I just got the chance just now to read Bre's post for the first time today. I'm so sorry it took me so long Bre! >.<

I've been trying for a VERY long time to get Bre to go swimming with me :P In fact, I invited her to my birthday party in grade 8 at the swimming pool and she never even came! Bitter? Me? Nah. Of course not, where did you get THAT idea? xD

See, if I'd known all I needed was a horde of french children to get Bre to go swimming, then I'd practically be a francophone by now. ;)

I actually love swimming lol. And anybody who's my size will probably understand why. It's so amazing to just drift in the water feeling weightless. When I stand, I can actually feel my weight pushing me down. xD I'm about 230 pounds right now and about 5'11" to 6' tall. I think I'm 60 pounds or so overweight?

As Bre said, I was working yesterday and today. I work on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Although I'm scheduled as On Call for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, there's a shortage of available jobs for us right now for a couple federal related reasons. :P

At work right now I'm mostly washing dishes. No joke. I'm working at a greenhouse and I'm washing dishes. Oh well. I've done about 14 hours of washing dishes (not including sitting down and rinsing the dirt off before washing - which is another 12 hours or so) because only two other people in our entire work are willing to help with it. It sucks. One of them is only part time and the other has more important jobs to finish first. But this needs to be done, and if nobody else will do it, that means I do it. I always end up doing what needs to be done. :P

I've been really "off" feeling the past few days. :S Everything feels like it's skewed... Not physically, but mentally. Everything I do just seems weird! Like I'm doing it all WRONG, and I know it but everybody else thinks it's right... does that make sense? xD And everybody ELSE seem like they're mad at me or something. :P

So, I'm kind of running out of things to talk about... so... Good night all!
-Waldon

Waldon here and I've had this horrible ringing noise playing in my head for the last almost 6 hours and I'm going crazy. Something got jammed in the greenhouse fan at work and it was making this really high pitched ringing noise. The thing wasn't big enough to actually JAM it, just to alter the noise. ARGH.

Enough of that. Hopefully it'll be gone tomorrow morning.

Obviously I was working today. :P I started my shift at 12 PM and worked right until 8 PM. I took my supper break at around 4 30 sometime? Bre was off somewhere when I text her lol, so I spent the break talking with Adam and Steph. :P They're cool people xD Steph is a crazy-eyed little person, but her neurotic side is mostly held back :P And Adam is a classmate of Bre and I's, so he's good people.

Somebody during work today started comparing me to their dad and grandfather. Let me mention now that I detest that. I mean, if you're going to compare me to them, why aren't you with them instead?! It's the same as telling me about how amazing and perfect all your relatives are or bragging about what they've done or own. I mean. Come on. Do you really have to brag about things that you don't even do or own!? ARGH. It just aggravates me. xD

Then, after I got off work Bre and I went for a walk around the bunkers uptown, it was great! :D We went a little while through the bushes and came back to the truck early. There were too many flies around to really enjoy it though. Mosquitoes are evil. I swear to god.

I think they're learning. They avoid my line of site now when they're biting me lol. They go just underneath my arm where I can't twist to see easily. xD

So, I guess I'm done for now lol. The only other thing I've done today is listen to B.B King and play Oblivion. But I like both of those things so much that I think if I started talking about them, I wouldn't be able to stop before I broke some sort of blogging law. Good night everybody!

-Waldon

Waldon here, and before I finish writing this I want to say that this will NOT be as long as my attempted posts. As Bre mentioned, my computer isn't posting the blogs for some reason. I've lost over 3000 written words that I spent hours in total jotting down for this page.

I'm sick of doing things without an discernible outcome (as many of you can relate to xD). So, I guess I'll spend a little bit talking about random stuff, then I'll be done. :P

I'm listening to a bunch of internet radio things right now, and I've been shifting from one program to the other trying to find one that actually amuses me long enough to make it worth keeping.

Whilst listening to one of the earlier ones I was trying out I heard a girl come on the air during that seemingly endless talk show segment between songs that I hate so much. Like, why is that segment THERE? Why can't we just get music all the time!? :P

She was complaining about how she thought that her boyfriend was going to hate her, or get sick of her, or start disliking her and all that jazz because of how she acts and what she does. To my horrified fascination, she managed to keep up that tirade for almost 10 minutes.

But she wasn't done. She then proceeded to talk about how she's unwilling to change... becauseshe's too proud.

Listen, I understand that people don't want to change. In fact, that's something that I always advise people to stay away from. Sure, change is good for people! But making yourself into a different person because somebody can't deal with you is disgusting.

BUT. If you're worried so much about what your boyfriend/girlfriend dislikes about you, because you don't want them to leave you/hate you/pester you...

Then change it.

Talk about it with them, figure out what bothers them precisely, work out a solution. Relationships are work, and you have to make sure you try hard to keep the most important person in your life. Do not complain about how you're afraid they're going to leave you if you're unwilling to do what it takes to KEEP them because of pride.

You decide the cutoff point.

Compromise is the lifeblood of all relationships, people. You have to learn what you're willing to give up or change for your loved ones. Thankfully, the people I love are all smart, thoughtful and reasonable. :)

Remember, acting inconsiderately (even unintentionally) or asking your loved one to choose between you and something/somebody else to see if he/she wants you... really just means that your other doesn't NEED you.

Just... stay smart guys. Be considerate, draw your own personal boundaries but be willing to bend them. Sometimes, things are much more, or less, important than you think they are.

To me, pride is something I'd be willing to give up in a heartbeat for my friends or my family, as well as what and who I love.

    With an almost discernible amount computer related             frustration, and many a magical manly and now                 mellifluous curb stomp to all those who defy me,
                                                                             
                                            -Waldon :D

Hey all, it's me Waldon. I actually posted a blog here last night, but for some reason it didn't show up. That's exasperating. So, I'm writing another blog tonight to hopefully make up for it!

As anybody who reads this blog regularly will have noticed by now, (If you haven't, you're lacking something vital. :P) we're not updating regularly. There have just been too many things on the go for us to keep on top of the blog like we should. And for that, I offer my most sincere apologies and hopefully you can all find it in your heart to forgive us. Please, I hope nobody has been disappointed in us, and at myself in particular. I know I alone have sorely slipped in my responsibility to the blog.

And now, onto the actual meat of the blog!

Today has been a fairly normal day, I suppose. I drove down shortly after 8 to pick of Bre, and so by about 8 40 we were waiting in the school parking lot for the bell to ring.

First period today I had english. I love english class. :P I spent all period writing out my interpretation of the irony involved in a short story's title. I think I wrote about 300 words or so?

Next was Nutrition class, where we watched a video on... ummm... something about the worlds most famous foods brands and similar? :S We watched a segment on BBQ and Chocolate, and by the end of that I was very, very hungry. xD

Then it was Recess. Nothing happened really. :P

After that it was the start of my double math period. We're pretty much done all of our material, so we're reviewing for the next few weeks. Suffice to say, I was reading for about 2 hours. :P

In the middle of those two periods, I had lunch. Where I had to go to a dance rehearsal that nobody told me about. I wasn't even needed. I shouldn't even have to point out that making me give up my lunch for something that I wasn't needed for is an easy way to rally my chagrin.

Last period I had art class. Thank god for Art Class. Ms Edmunds didn't get any primer for me to paint over the log I'm going to be painting on, so I had a free period to sit back and do what I liked. So Sandra and I battled and traded Pokemon for about an hour. We're cool kids, you know it. :P

Then, after school I stayed in for an hour to wait for Bre to finish tutoring so that I could give her a ride home. I enjoyed it, actually. :) I got to relax in the nice quiet library for a little while. If I had my music, it would have been perfect.

Then I drove Bre to her Nan and Pops, and then commenced with my night of tooling around and doing nothing. :P

So, without further adieu. Goodnight!
-Waldon

Waldon here, and tomorrow is the big day. :P

But first, the title. The title is from a well loved band of mine called "Rise Against" (not to be confused with "Rage Against The Machine"). The song is "Prayer of the Refugee". Wonderful song, open your ears to it sometime.

So, at 5 PM tomorrow, our Eurotrip group will be boarding the plane towards our Hub flight, where we'll start on our transatlantic flight to Europe! Now, I know a couple people involved who aren't excited for it, now me, that's the exact opposite of what I'm feeling. :P I can't wait to be on my way and see what Europe has to offer. I want to see what types of trees there are, and what kind of life there is over there!

I want to see what kind of birds I can see on the way overland, I want to see the species of trees I can spot, or what kind of small mammals or lizards or whatever I can spot once we land. :P, I REALLY hope I'm awake when our plane reaches the coast. I want to see that. The shoreline of Europe in the early morning. Picturesque, I'm sure. :)

Now, before I get too sidetracked talking about how much I'm looking forward to the Old World beauty I'll soon see, I'll talk about my day. :P

Today it was Shakespeare's Birthday (According to School xD) and a bunch of people dressed up as Shakespearean persona's and went the day as that. I dressed up as Horatio. Which isn't actually that difficult. I mean, he doesn't really HAVE a set costume. I looked like a peasant. :P I wore tights, and a tunic with a rope belt. Barefoot too. The tights were a sight to see, I assure you. xD

At fourth period, our theatre troupe was asked to put on a performance for the school. The energy was really high, it was great! :D I love it when the audience is responsive. :) The actors react to that, we feed off the audience, if they're having a good time, we're doing better. It went off almost completely without a hitch, which almost NEVER happens in a performance. :P

Then, after that, I spent the remainder of the day in the school library.

After school, I went down to Bre's house for a little bit, and we worked on her new iPhone ( I think that's what it was? :S) and got it all configured and such. :P

Then I ate supper and tooled around all night. Now. Here I am I suppose. :P Since I don't really have much to say, I'll say good night, and I'll be hoping for all the happy travels I can get! Send Bre and I some good wishes!
-Waldon

Waldon here, and tonight's wonderful title comes from a band I mentioned in one of my previous posts, Manowar. It's from one song called "Brothers of Metal". As anybody who's familiar with the band will know, they brought the real epic to metal. I personally think that they're some of the greatest pioneers of the sound of metal and actual storytelling in metal and hard rock. Now, I could be missing bands completely, but that's just my opinion. Anybody who reads this and knows of bands that have a similar sound or dynamic, I'd love to hear about them. Leave a comment or something, I'll make sure to get back to you. :P

Now, for today.

Today was Grad Skip Off day at our school. So I stayed home all day. It was great. :P I spent almost all day reading comic books. (Yeah, I'm a nerd.) I went out around 3 o clock with Bre to go to the Hospital so I could get my medications that I needed checked up on. My GP is out of town apparently, so I can't get every medication that's recommended for my trip to Europe, but I've got everything else, and the likelihood that I'm going to leave my pancreas in another country is very low. :P I think I'm safe. xD

After our visit to the hospital, Bre and I went around town looking for a good pair of walking shoes for her while we're over there. We ended up seeing Mandy at her work, and picking out a pair of shoes for somebody else. :P

Then, we went to the pharmacy near the store and looked for some of those Dr Scholl's-esque shoe soles instead of buying a brand new pair of shoes. While we were there, we saw a couple people we knew, actually. It was great, I saw my Troupe's Director, Bre saw a friend of hers, and we both met up with Sandra who was out for a walk. :D Sandra is great. xD She makes me laugh all the time. Then, I bought a few books that I eyed on the shelves and Bre bought her soles, and off we went.

I drove Bre to my home then, she got in HER vehicle and off SHE went. :P  And then I ate some delicious burgers. My god. Those burgers were great.

Bre came over again after supper, and we ended up just hanging out and listening to music all night. Talking is one of my favorite things to do, you know? Or more specifically, listening. I love just listening to people. Fuel for my creative fire usually comes from fragments of other people's conversations. xD

Now, I think I'm done. I'm REALLY tired now. Good night Everybody!
-Waldon

Waldon here, and I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies, I forgot the blog last night, and there was no good reason why. I'm so, so sorry.

First things first, the title. The epic title above was performed by Manowar, it's a song called "Heart of Steel". Their music is absolutely astounding, very inspiring. All about strength of character and your own convictions. What good is a belief if you're unwilling to stand up for it? If you're not convinced that what you believe in is right, why do it? They preach companionship and bonds between people. I've never met such a close knit group of people as metalheads. Sure, they all have tastes and likes, but I've noticed that where most raves and dance halls play techno and hiphop, that it lets people get lost in anonymity in the crowds and lights. But at rock performances, metal halls, thrash and mosh pits, the crowds love each other. Mostly.

In a mosh pit, it seems like it's mindless violence, but as soon as the thrash is over, the wall of death is broken on itself, the very people that knocked you over and broke your nose will be the people to help you up, give you a towel and hold you up to rock out some more to the sound.

If that isn't camaraderie, I don't know what is. :P

On the topic of music, today I listened to "Personal Jesus" as done by Johnny Cash. Great song, in all of its incarnations. But it got me thinking about what people think of God. So many people are too eager to say outright that God is fake. There is no God. There's too much suffering for God to exist if he really loved us.

Why can't you see God? To me, God isn't some all powerful figure, but an idea.

In my own eyes there's proof of God all around us. God is in everything. God is the sun shining bright every morning, God is the dew that falls off the cool willow leaves after dawn, God is the bright flowers that open in the noon luminescence, God is the cool shade beneath the trees in the sweltering afternoon, God is the sound of frogsong at dusk, and God is even the lazy sounds of a summer evening after a long day.

"How is that? Where is God, exactly? Everything is made of atom's deep down. We'd know if he was there, we've seen it all. You're wrong."

But to me, that isn't God. God is our faith. God is our belief in a higher entity than ourselves. We all, if I may use this without undue complications, have our own personal Jesus. Maybe you don't believe in Christianity, but you're a follower of Buddhism, or you're a Taoist or Voudoun, even Unitarian or Sikh. Heck, even if you don't believe in any particular entity at all, but in the souls of mankind or in reincarnation, you have your own God.

Now, let me clarify something. I am not per se, a Christian of faith. I'm of no particular religious affiliation. I just believe in what makes sense to me. My God, is everything.

God doesn't have to be some all powerful, omniscient being, despite how the term is classified.

God is faith. God is us. We give the term power by believing in it. So many of us want some guidance in life that we go to various religions looking for direction. This belief in something, anything, is all we want.

What is God? God is what we believe in, what our faith defines. Scientology completely abuses any religious interference in our lives at all, stating that it's ignorant or unimportant to the world as a whole, that we could do away with religion and the problems it causes by adhering to science instead. What does that leave us to believe in? Humanity as a whole needs something to believe in, to live for. Anybody who believes in a God, any God or Gods at all... These people would be completely redundant for a Scientologist to preach to. Why? Because they have conviction. They have faith in their belief. If you believe something you're not going to change your mind because somebody else says that it's stupid. That isn't faith. And God, my friends, is faith.

Your own personal Jesus can be anything. It's something you have faith in. Whether that be a friend on the other side of the phone line, or a symbol in a sacred church that you pray to when your troubles are weighing you down. It's what listens to you, and you know it listens to you completely and understands you.

I know, I still haven't answered the question of why there's suffering in the world if there is God, but I'll do that now.

Because if God solved our problems for us, where would we be as Humanity? Would we have evolved to the point we have today if we didn't have to try to better ourselves? I know what it's like to experience loss, but I can't bring myself to resent God for that loss. I believe that God is everything. God is an idea of perfection that is in everything that we need to try to reach. Something similar to Heaven or Nirvana, if I may say so.

We develop as a species by depending on one another. If we stopped and appreciated what's around us more often, looked and saw God, if I may say so, maybe we wouldn't be so quick to jeer or attack beliefs and individuals.

Now, back to Manowar, they preach about standing strong with your ideals. That is what anybody who believes in something should do. They should stand strong with their ideals in the face of public ridicule, but... Don't be ignorant.

So many people assume that it's okay to make fun or humiliate other groups for what they believe in when it differs from what they believe. I'm not saying that. I'm saying that we should all be respectful of the beliefs in the world. We're all looking for guidance. I've found my inner peace and I hope you all can too. Please people, think about what I've said here. Everybody has their own Personal Jesus, their own Buddha or Ganeesh, or any other God or personal figure they rely on when they're feeling vulnerable or sad, faith is the cornerstone of existence.

So let the world believe what they want to believe, and appreciate the world around us while we have it. The end of our lives could be in 90 years, or a few hours, let your own inner peace find you without fear before you go. God is real my friends, and although you may not believe in God the all mighty, God is everywhere, and hopefully you all appreciate that. Let peace follow your footsteps in life, and let your fellow man and woman appreciate your own God and existence with you.

Come see me sometime, I'll try to show you how I See.

Good night all, hopefully I've given you something to think about. :)
-Waldon

Waldon here, and if you don't know the title, hang your head in pop culture shame. :P I've got a headache tonight, so I'll see how far I can get with this, sorry if it's not very long.

This morning was a Delayed Opening, so I got to go down to Bre's house for a little while. That was fun. :) After that we went on to classes. I had Art Class first thing in the morning and I think that's my favorite way to start the day. I worked on a sketch I started last night of a fairy/pixie thing, and I think it's come out rather well.

After Art, I had World History where we discussed 0ur research papers that are due at the end of May and watched a little bit more of the movie about the life of Gandhi. He was an amazing man, but I've already talked about him in one of my previous posts, so I won't delve into that again, as much as I'd like to. :P

Then, because it was a Delayed Opening day, we went straight on into third period, which just so happened to be Music. Music is another of my good courses this year. I play Tenor Sax in the band segment and my own Harmonica when I get the chance. We were playing Band all class, but near the end I was losing air out of the Sax from somewhere and I wasn't getting much noise. I think it may be an air flow problem from my mouthing maybe? :S I hope I haven't broken a valve or something. That would suck.

Next was lunch. Lunch is great, Bre and I always go to the Math Help Centre. Today I was debating the equal importance of English as a course as Math with Sam. Sure, Math is the "Universal Language", but you really can't SAY anything with it. It's important, yes. I'm not denying that. Losing your mathematical skills is stupid, they're the fundamentals for everything involving science and engineering. But the course itself and having an understanding of the language we speak is just as important. The course inspires critical thinking and improves your grammar and eloquence. Which are things that can easily help you in communication with everybody else and in the workplace. Don't undervalue that. You can understand as much theory as you want. But if you're a jerk because you talk like your opinion is better than somebody's without trying, nobody cares if you can find 'x' a billion different ways. :P

After lunch I had English class, oddly enough, and I spent the period doodling while listening to our reading of "Catcher In The Rye". That was over soon enough. xD

Last it was Nutrition class. Where all the jerks in school go to get an easy credit and some food. I really dislike my class. My old Nutrition class was GREAT. I loved it. But this class makes me want to punch people. Let's not talk about that class overmuch.

After school I had to go to a meeting with two of the young girls that are going to be in the children's dance show with myself and a member of my troupe as entertainment between the dances. Because admit it, if it's not your kid on stage, those dances are... mediocre. Now, if that's YOUR kid on stage, that show was better than anything you've ever seen before. No. You're not biased. ;)

Bre decided not to get a ride home with me today, so it was a lonely ride home. I HATE driving home alone. There's really no rational reasoning behind it, but there you go. It depresses me. I don't mind going home alone if I've dropped somebody off, or if I'm leaving somebody's house or whatever. But if I've just gone from point A to point B without seeing anybody? Like, going to the gym or driving to the store? Nah. That makes me sad. I don't like that at all. xD

Now, oddly, I don't mind it at all if I'm walking or biking. But if I'm driving a truck or a car? After I get to my destination, I'm ready to just curl up in a corner somewhere. :P

So, after my drive home I ate supper and sat down. There I remained for the rest of the night. I've been playing games all night and haven't done much else, sadly. Gunner didn't even want to go for a walk, and I can't blame him: His legs are hurting him. :(

And so I'm done. I suppose I did okay with this blog?
Good night everybody!
-Waldon

Waldon here, I'm filling in for Bre tonight because she asked me to. Tonight's title is from one of my favorite songs, and from a very popular band in the Hard Rock and Metal crowd. Anybody know who it is?

I've been really weird these past few days. I'm not sure what's changed, but I've been on the go all day today at least. Not energy-wise, but wit-wise. I've been cracking jokes and going on rants as easily as breathing. I've made so many little tirades that it's ridiculous.

I think it's my blood sugar. It's been really high for the past while, and over the past few days it's been excellent. I suppose I'm just feeling normal. :P I'm just not USED to normal. xD

So, this morning I picked Bre and Ryan up before school. Ryan missed the bus, so I got him on the way down to Bre's. We all squeezed in and got on our way. :P

First two periods this morning I had math. Which sucked. But I read Lord of The Rings during the time I had left after doing all my work. Which was almost the full two hours, admittedly, but I did do all my work. :P

After that I had art class, where I goofed off for an hour. Then it was lunch, and Bre and Sandra and I chilled out in the Math Help Center.

Then Sandra and I had a History test. I had to BS most of it. But that's okay. History tends to repeat itself anyway. If I got the start right, I got the end right. :P

After history I had music. But my throat was too sore to play my instrument, so I didn't actually play. I just fingered the holes and followed the beat. A lot of people are sick, lately. :S

After school I drove down to the Source and bought myself a nice diatonic D Blues Harmonica. It has a beautiful sound. Then I drove to Tims, bought a bunch of food, and a chai tea for Bre and I and picked Bre up after her tutoring. She liked the tea, I heard. :P

So. Nothing interesting really happened after that. So I guess I'll end this here. My head is hurting, so I really don't want to drag this on. It's pretty sporadic looking anyway, so this is cool. xD

Good night all!
-Waldon

Waldon here. Has anybody else ever noticed that if you say the name of any classical music you sound like a prick? xD I love classical. Especially the slow stuff like the Moonlight Sonata, Gymnopedieas,  Air on the G String, Canon in D, as well as my title song above.

So, today has been an odd day. I woke up late, to start it off. I usually have trouble STAYING asleep, not waking up. After that, as I was getting ready for school, mom told me she needed me to deliver something for her on the way to pick up Bre. Which actually sucked, since I was already running short on time. She ALSO decided that I had to call my sister RIGHT NOW to wish her happy birthday. It's not like I can't call in the afternoon. That would just be easy. >.<

Anyways, I picked up Bre and drove to school in time for classes. But wait!

I didn't have classes today. I spent today with my theatre troupe doing workshops. We went to a church in town that was lent to us for use today, and I spent the morning learning about musical theatre and how to do stage makeup.

I actually LOVED the stage makeup course. The instructor was talking to us about how different colors are used for showing up on different faces, about greasepaint and witch hazel. Which I need to get some of, actually. Then he told us about how to apply layers and cover over skin defects with grafts and stuff. Next he let us have free reign on one another for about half an hour. But nobody wanted to paint my face. :(

Then we went to our local college campus' cafeteria for dinner. It was hot dogs, french fries and mashed potatoes. Good enough for me. :P

Then it was back to the church for the afternoon, where we were practicing conveying messages with our bodies instead of just verbally. We were all pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. xD

Our next workshop would have been theatre games, but 3 of the 4 groups weren't there for that, and our director would have been the teacher anyway, so we already knew it all. So instead we spent the next hour and a half or so just being idiots and talking about what we were doing for the talent show tomorrow night. Maybe Bre will tell you tomorrow, maybe not. Who knows? But I'm not telling you what it is until after it's done. ;)

Then, Bre and I spent the afternoon driving around and I bought some truffles and gum. It was a very productive afternoon, if I do say so myself.

After supper, Bre came over and we watched The Return of the King. Bre is absolutely amazing. She knew the whole movie off by heart, and she's the only girl I've ever met that knows the books as well as, or better than, I do. :)

Now, I've been feeling like crap all day because of some very odd sensation in my head. For lack of a better description... It felt like there was a trout in my skull. Yes. A trout. In my skull.

I cannot explain it any more than that. It just simply was.

A few minutes ago, I felt a huge pressure behind my nose... I bent my head, waited for the pressure to go, and then suddenly... It was. :S I looked down and saw, to my amazement, a small, rubber, squeaky trout. I have one awesome headtrout. :P

Now, after being sodomized by a trout for the past 36 hours or so I feel understandably tired. Soo.... Good night all! :D :P
-Waldon