Waldon here, and you've read and figured correctly. Yes, the blog is starting again! Thank you all who've stuck with us through our unofficial hiatus. I realize that many of you (Probably not) have been disappointed that we had that long gap between posts. I'll try my best to keep to our schedule regardless of what's happening! My most sincere apologies to all of you, and I hope you'll all forgive me for not fulfilling my first and foremost reason for this site. If you've still got the patience to stay, Please, stay with us. We'll try our best to keep you interested!

I started my job, of three years now, several weeks ago and I've finally got a solid schedule! I work at a garden market, with a huge turnover for employees. I spend most of my day lifting the heavier bales of dirt and soil and moss to restock the store. Although, I get to validate my existence every now and again when I get to work with the flowers. I love the flowers, they're all so nice smelling. :) Does anybody else feel good when they know that they're helping something grow to it's full health and potential? It makes me feel like I've achieved something after I see a plant or basket I've worked on bloom and grow. :)

Just after I started on my new old job, Bre and I finished exams. I only had three this year thank god. I had English, Math and History. I worked during exams again. >.<

Not even three days ago now, I was On Call instead of at work for once, and so my father had me help with the loading and breaking of concrete for a man who needed it loaded into a trailer. I broke over or near two tonnes of rock that afternoon. Some of it fought back. :P

I had swung the maul too hard and the head went straight through the concrete slab I hit and carried my arms with the momentum. I ended up "punching" the edge of the newly-cracked-now-smaller concrete slab with my right hand. I took a good portion of the skin and flesh off my right knuckles. xD Thank god I was wearing gloves, I probably would have broken something if I wasn't. :P

Now, I haven't done anything that I can note off the top of my head over the past few days, but I haven't been thinking about the blog for the past while so I KNOW I'm missing a bunch of stuff. I'll get all of you caught up within the next few days, I'm sure. Bre will help too! :)

So, I think I'm done for the night. Good night everybody! God bless you all, and happy Canada Day tomorrow for the rest of you who are in Canada!
-Waldon
 
As many of you know I do, I keep track of very odd things involved in conversations. But out of those odd things, I’ve lately started finding things pertaining to what annoys or bothers people. And I’ve started to see a rather small correlation between all of the various views and opinions I’ve mentally sifted through.

Now- I’ve done this all in my head mind you, So It’s not really ‘official’.

For most people what annoys or bothers them isn’t something that people will say in some sort of romanticized Bollywood movie, or in some great dramatic soliloquy from Shakespeare or in an essay in the writings of Yeats. It’s not the great follies found in the hearts of all men, or the horrible meanderings of the human mind’s more gruesome aspects… It’s something that we all know, and most definitely understand, in our everyday lives.

It’s the little things.

“Like what?” you may ask. Why, it might be something like how I’ve written this piece of ‘study’, or how I use air quotes without actual quotes. Maybe even how I switch back and forth between using apostrophes and quotation marks.

But there are many annoying things that I’ve found most people can find common ground; things like wasting resources or money. Things like taking gifts or possessions for granted. Most importantly, when somebody is disrespectful.

Let’s just stop and think about “Disrespectful” for a moment, shall we?

I’m sure we’ve all been in a restaurant or supermarket somewhere while some bawling infantile child (who really should know better for his/her age!) complains about not getting what he or she wanted. Of course, being what the kid knows always works, the child starts crying very obnoxiously when his or her very embarrassed parent’s say very weak-willed things. Like, “Please be quiet… you’re making a scene… okay, if you’ll stop crying, we’ll get you that double-decker chocolate cake and Wendy’s for supper…”

We can all agree. Both the parents and the child were both equally aggravating in that situation. And my rather noncommittal example is null. We’ve all seen it. I don’t really need a good example.

Another, hmmm… How about when you’re trying to say goodbye like you mean it and the most you get from your [insert loved one's title here] is a quick peck? Man, my grandma gives me a peck on the cheek when I bring her the turkey from the freezer downstairs. If I just wanted some token affection I’d tell Nan that I did good on a math test. Actually show it! Kiss that [other] like you mean it! Believe me, it means a lot more to them than you’d think. Guys in particular, an addendum. So take note. Using the girls name is the equivalent of this. Calling her “Babe” ten thousand times daily is not a good substitute for showing that you care.

Then there’s another form of disrespect that always puts me, and most others, up the wall. Littering. Oh, many people out there just say “I’m the only one that does it, it’s not a big deal.” Or exactly the opposite, “Everybody does it. It can’t be that bad.” Am I the only one that wants to force feed these litterers their own Starbucks coffee cup and foil chip bag? “But Waldon! How is that disrespect?” I hear many asking in the silence of their minds. That’s disrespect in one of its most blatant forms. In fact, it’s so disrespectful that many people don’t even realize it because it’s so obvious.

Who lives on this planet? I ask you. That’s right! We do! Who else lives on this planet? I ask you (With a slight emphasis on ‘else’). Why yes, the animals, plants and things we need to survive and not die a horrible death. That’s quite a good answer there. I’m surprised you hadn’t thought of it before.

I’ll put it rather bluntly. If people don’t stop littering, then soon we’ll have to stop eating.

And on a side note. I personally really like eating. In fact, I do it multiple times a day- every day, if I’m going to be honest. Maybe that’s a bad habit. The litterers seem to think so. Breathing too, really. What with those pesky trees giving us all that oxygen. Who needs it?

But the worst kind of disrespect in my own and most others opinion, even beyond the littering and the abhorrent screaming children in public places, is the belittlement you get from a friend.

There is nothing worse than somebody telling you that they’re going to be somewhere… and they take another hour than they told you because they made a detour. Seriously, just say so when you do it, it’s not like we’re going to get angry with you for doing something on the way. Or how about when somebody starts taking for granted that you’re always there, and they forget that you want recognition for what you do, no matter how many times you’ve done it? There’s nothing worse than belittling your loved ones. How else can I show this…?

Ah, yes. Msn! Texting! Somebody is talking to you on your phone or on Msn and they say "Hello!" So you’re excited! Gleeful! So you respond right away! And you wait for their response.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Then after the good portion of time they take to do whatever it is they do, they come back and say “Hey! What’s up?” As if no time passed whatsoever. Let me tell you, for myself at least, that makes me feel like I’m some sort of dirt. What, you couldn’t take an extra ten seconds to type that you were going to eat or watch TV? You couldn’t pull off the road for a few moments and call to say you’re going to take a little bit longer?

You feel that a hundred times more, especially when that person is important to you.

It’s not much, people. It’s only the little things that make a difference. Hold on to your trash for another twenty odd seconds, there’s more than enough garbage cans around to keep the hassle to a minimum. Try and stand up for your parenthood (To all applicable)! Without that, your child is about as wanted in public as an embarrassing crotch stain. And most importantly... don’t take your friends, your family for granted, especially if they’re always there. That just means that they’re always hoping for at least some sort of respect back.

Remember people. It may not seem like much, but that little bit of respect goes a long way.