2005: The Year According To Joel

So, welcome to my new blog. I've been planning to do this for the longest time, so don't take it as a shock. BCJ's been going downhill progressively anyway, and here I am. This is my year-end compilation, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK OVER IT, AS IT TOOK ME 2 DAYS! Haha, thank you.

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Yesss boys and girls, it is indeed that time of year once again. The time where I, Joel Vautour, reviews the entire year! Oh, and what a year it was. Let's begin, shall we?

Yes, we shall.

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January 2005

Joel's spin

Ah, yes, January. Not usually my favorite month, but this year was somewhat different. There were quite a few good memories, as a matter of fact. On January 6th, I was saddened by he death of an Acadian hero, Louis J. Robichaud. In my opinion, he was a true advocate for Acadians in the province of New Brunswick, and he allowed an English boy such as myself to become fully bilingual. Thanks, Louis.

It was also a month to meet and help some friends! I met a friend of mine from Nova Scotia, Amy, on the 8th of January. On the 22nd, Mariel moved into her new apartment, and I helped! That was really fun. The 30th marked the evening on which I met the charming (and yes, occasionally adorably pessimistic) Annika Beatteay! And on the 31st, I had the funnest day of the month!

It was the day myself and many of my classmates went to Cora's for lunch. A lovely time. Afterwards, Corinne and I walked to the very top of the Brunswick Square parking garage, and it was the most beautiful day ever. And the view was amazing. Eventually, we met up with Kelsey, and it was grand! Stealing Corinne's cheesecake, having the best time of my life in a dentist waiting room, gift-wrapping a $2 pear, going to the mall, and just pimping it up in general. Sigh, that was a truly amazing day.

Oh, and can't forget those fun-filled exams. What a joy.

In the news

In January, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston called it quits! Oh my, how this shocked and affected us all. Also, obviously, Louis J. Robichaud died, which devastated me greatly. His funeral was effing extremely massive. Mad Cow Disease paranoia was on the rise in Alberta, and American President George W. Bush begun his secon term in office.

Most interesting story of January 2005

The death toll from the December 26, 2004, tsunami of the Indian Ocean hit 150,000 victims on January 8th. Pure devastation and tragedy, so pointless. Not to mention extremely sad.

February 2005

Joel's Spin

Well, unfortunately, February didn't get off to the best start. On February 1st, I had my license test. Oh, how horribly wrong that went. I was traumatised, still kind of am actually. But oh well, I had a good day after that. It was just kind of traumatising for that to happen.
Apart from that however, February wasn't all that memorable this year.

I saw "Million Dollar Baby" with Hilary Swank and Harrison Ford, that was a very good flick indeed. I went to go see a comedian at the Imperial Theatre, he was ridiculous! February was also a huge month of preparation for me, for Ryerson, that is. Writing my essay, doing all my research, etc. etc., but it was so worth it in the end. And yet I was so worried all my time and effort would go to waste, much like when I received my response for the T.D. Canada Trust Scholarship. Augh, that was devastating.

Oh, and can't forget going to see "Aida" at Saint Mach's and Keystone Kelly's before that! Such memorable quotes as "Bony Bernard," "anorexia benches," and "material scarves" arose from this marvelous occasion.

In the news

Remember the delightful Gomery sponsorship scandal? Well, on February 6th, Jean Chrétien decided to go hella crazy on Judge Gomery, who didn't exactly appreciate the antics. Then on the 10th, Prime Minister Paul Martin said he had "no role" in the affair. Right you are, Paul. Right you are.

On February 24th, Paul Martin said "no" to the United States' controversial ballistic missile defence program. And on the 27th, the Oscars were held in Los Angeles, CA. Canadian animator Chris Landreth of Montréal won an Oscar for his short film, Ryan.

Most interesting story of February 2005

On February 16, the possibility that horrified Canadians nationwide became a reality. NHL Hockey was cancelled. 2005 marked the first year the Stanley Cup was not won since 1919, when a final game between Montréal and Seattle was cancelled because of the Spanish Flu. Holé!

March 2005

Joel's Spin

Oh, March! What a thrilling month! Where to begin? Well, March 1st was the deadline to submit all of my documents for Ryerson, so I sent that off, MUCH to my relief. Thank God I got that over with, that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. The day after, I packed my bags and went off to France. Kind of.

We were scheduled to go from Moncton to Montréal to Paris, but due to horrid weather, our flight was cancelled in Moncton. So we slept overnight in the airport, which was a dreadful affair indeed. The next day, we flew from Moncton to Toronto to Paris. Oh, wow, Paris, I know. Upon arrival at the Charles de Gaulle airport, we noticed how popular smoking was. Oh, gross.

Anyway, directly from the airport we drove to Châtellerault, the town in which we stayed for a full week with our correspondants. We met our families au Lycée Édouard Branly, (a French polytechnic highschool.) Fortunately, I had a lovely family to stay with.

The week following was full of exciting activities! From visiting le Futuroscope to wine caves to the French countryside to Laser Tag, (not to mention very innapropriate English techno,) it was just charming. Straight out of a movie, really. The French have their charm, and I simply enjoyed every second of it. Really, I did.

On the 11th, in an emotional goodbye, we bid farewell to our much beloved families, and went off to see Louis XIV's castle, "Versailles." Gorgeous, simply gorgeous, though we were only there in March. I would have loved to have seen the lovely gardens in full bloom!

Then off we were to Paris, France! Holy, holy Lord. If you only you could have seen my facial features upon seeing the very top of the Eiffel Tower. And how I reacted when we finally came right in front of it, oh my God, simply fabulous. That weekend was one of the most amazing weekends of my life... L'Arc de Triomphe, climbing the Eiffer Tower (holy fuck, yes I know, and I even left my name on it! hehe,) Notre Dame, Sacré Dame, Moulin Rouge, not to mention the LOUVRE! And the GORGEOUS ARTWORK WHICH I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE such as Venus de Milo, Picasso, Pierre Degas, Munsch, Monet, Manet, and OH MY LORD Leonardo da Vinci. The Monna Lisa. (No, that's not a typo, apparantly it's supposed to be "The Monna Lisa.") And in Italian, Leonardo's native language, the painting is known as "La Giocanda," or "the jolly woman." Ironic, don't you think? Oh - and of course, I saw 12 girls in two straight lines coming from a house with big green vines! Haha, (Madelaine, anyone? "We love our bread, we love our butter, but most of all, we love each ozeur." Yeah, right, girls. Nice try. We know you're all spoiled bitches.)

Right, so coming home was a lengthly process indeed. And the rest of the month just paled in comparison, basically nothing else to say. Except for The Ring Two! That was pretty scary. "I'm not your fucking Mommy!" But... Good Lord, what an amazing month, oh my good Lord.

In the news

On March first, Ontario passed a law banning any future breeding or purchasing of Pit Bulls in the province. The day after, Do-It-Yourself Diva Martha Stewart was finally released from prison. On March 8, Mount St. Helens emits clouds of steam and ash, but with no actual erruption. The day after, Newscaster Dan Rather (CBS News) finished his final newscast with "courage," a word he dedicated to the victims of 9/11. On March 11, travellers with JetsGo were stranded at airports due to the bankruptcy of the airline. Oh, shat.

Sixteen-year-old Madelaine Gierc of B.C. is released after two nights in prison after taking a piece of the historic Acropolis in Athens. Way to go, Madelaine.

Most interesting story of March 2005

On March 31st, Florida woman Terri Schiavo dies. Her death sparked the debate on who should have the right to remove or affect the life of others, and many "Right To Life" organizations were appalled and shocked.

April 2005

Joel's Spin

April was the month the teachers all fucked us over with their fucking work-to-rule strike. What a piss-off that was, especially in my last year of high school. They threatened to not have our graduation ceremony! Thank God that ended, however.

On April 8th, I got my new glasses, I was overjoyed. On the weekend of April 15-17, I went off to Fredericton to participate in my final Vague-par-Vague (English: Making Waves) CAFÉ meeting instead of trying out for Canadian Idol. Remember that dilemma? Yeah, I sure do. Thank God this coming year I've promised myself to actually try out for C.I. this year, else I'll like kill myself.

Anyway, the week after V-p-V was a week of preparation for the French to arrive! Hooray! On the 21st, they arrived at our school after their exciting 3 days in Montréal. Many exciting activities ensued, such as a big dinner, a visit to a maple sugar cabin (oh my God, so hard to find, middle of NOWHERE,) and some other casually fun parties. Such as when JF had to buy like hundreds of dollars worth of Chinese food, but oh well.

March 26th was the day of my Ryerson phone interview. I was nervous as fuck. They were supposed to call at 11:45 in the morning, and they only called at about 3:50 in the afternoon. SUCH a pee-your-pants day! If you missed the call, you didn't get into the university. Oh, good, no pressure there! :) Hooray.

The day after, we bit adieu to the French, and many tears were shed. And by "many" I mean about ten thousand billion. SO sad.
Later that week, on the 29th, I discovered I'd got the job to be a camp counsellor. How hilarious to think I was actually happy to learn that.

In the news

April 2nd marked a crucial day for the Catholic Church - Pope John Paul II passed away in Vatican City, with thousands of mourners outside of his window. Later that month, on April 19, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected Pope Benedict XVI. (In French, it was 'Pape Benoît XVI,' which was like the biggest deal ever.)

Avril Lavigne, K-os, and Billy Talent all did very well at the Juno Awards on April 3rd, and on April 9th Prince Charles and his girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles finally tie the night, after 30 years of off-and-on dating. (I'm sure poor Lady Di turned over in her grave over that one.)

Most interesting story of April 2005

On the 27th, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise came forth about their relationship. Perhaps this should be called "the most cradle-robbing story," don't you think? Not to mention Tom Cruise had a year of going NUCKING FUTS, but you know. Thought you might be interested in knowing.

May 2005

Joel's Spin

May 2005 certainly was an interesting month! From May 7-10, I served as the Prop Manager for the Interaction Theatre Company production of "Alice In Wonderland," which was truly a wonderful time indeed. "Free sample!," "Slave/Filth," and "Posie Remix" were all highlights of this production.

Other highlights of the month include my operation, the continued teacher's strike, and MY ACCEPTANCE INTO THE RADIO AND TELEVISION ARTS PROGRAM AT RYERSON EFFING UNIVERSITY! Thank GOD. What a marvellous discovery that was! Haha, I was so excited.

Oh, and I met Mishelle this month too! Thrilling, what a fun date that was!

In the news

On May 2nd, Greenpeace co-founder Bob Hunter passed away. My hero. :(

Popular Canadian beer ad "I Am Canadian" makes the list of one of the best advertisements to hit the airwaves since the 1960's. May was also the month of a Royal Visit from Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip in the Western parts of Canada.

Political shock from Belinda Stronach as she crosses from the Tories to the Liberal party. Certain members of the Conservatives call her a "traitor."Also, Washington Post confirms the identity of the star of porn film "Deep Throat."

Most interesting story of May 2005

At Michael Jackson's (let's call him Wacko Jacko) molestation trial, former child star Macaulay Culkin stated he was "never molested" by the pop star.
Macaulay, I say the same thing to you as I did to Paul Martin for the sponsorship scandal: Right you are.

June 2005

Joel's Spin

Hey, Jude! I mean, Hey June! Fun times. Let's go over the thrills and chills of this month, shall we? Because God knows, what a month it was.
On June 5th, the now-defunct "Ones Club" went off to Vito's uptown for a lovely dinner. I assigned roles for the "Club," but that all went downhill, unfortunately.

The 9th was a lovely dinner party at Kate [Vihvelin's] home. She has her own private beach! It was magical. The day after I went to Boston Pizza to celebrate the birthday of my good friend, Amanda Henry. Can you say "free brownies?" And the day after that marked the birthday of Danielle!

The week of June 19-25 was a massive emotional roller coaster. On Sunday the 19th there was a "Grad Party," though I don't remember where the fuck that was, possibly at JF's house? Anyway, my exams were that week, as well as my camp counsellor job training. Oh, and you know, just my prom as well.

Well, my final leadership project "took place" on the 21st, but it really wasn't my fault that is sucked (because of the teacher's strike.) Fortunately, instead of attending my own leadership event, I was able to attend the Saint Mach's Prom with my good friend Justine Galbraith, valedictorian of Saint Mach's! So proud! We went to Lemon Grass with some of her friends beforehand, and then the prom itself was equally lovely. Shocking to see everyone I knew graduating, but lovely nontheless.

The night after was my prom. Oh, wow. We all went to Lemon Grass once again, I love that place forever and ever. And ever. Though it was kind of dumb, because people didn't seem to realize it was a restaurant, and kept running outside to take pictures. Thank God we went there instead of Vito's or something generic like that.

But right, then we all made our way to the Glenn Carpenter Centre, it was charming. I remember sitting by the lake with my date Sare, her telling me "to remember this moment forever." And I still do! I also remember walking down the stairs, Gaétane saying, "Joël est un grand homme, dans les deux senses du mot." Aw! I also remember dancing with my Mom, that was cute. And I remember slow-dancing at the very end as one big group to the song "Time Of Your Life" by Green Day. Oh, wow, sad times.

And the after-party. HAHA. Wow. Hottt. And then the 25th, our grad ceremony. I brought my Donald Duck to get blessed at the grad mass, it was beautiful. And walking from the church to the school, some poor lady passed out from like, heat stroke. That sucks. Anyway - then we all went into the dressing room and saw each other in our blue grad robes and grad hats, it was truly shocking. We all looked so adult all of a sudden.

We then waited in the theatre lobby, waiting for our turn to walk down the stairs, as our faces flashed upon the screen. How tearful, truly. Then one by one, going up and receiving our diplomas, just amazing. I guess it truly sucked to go through the scholarship phase of the ceremony without winning anything, just because I was planning on attending an anglophone university. Fuckers. When I'm famous, well, you'll feel retarded.

But then my chance for redemption came - singing my grad song, that is. In front of the entire crowd, my grad class of 2005, and all of the teachers, I sang my song, with the refrain, "Il faut finir ce qu'on commence, J'ai si tant rêvé et ma vie qui s'annonce, Je m'excuse d'avoir partir, Mais je dois aller, je dois ouvrir mes ailes." I turned around to tears and an upstanding ovation.

The week after, I began my job as a camp counsellor. Oh, what a horrible contrast from good to bad. Yay, June!

In the news

A woman from Toronto, Urszula Tokarska ascends Mount Everest on June 1st, 2005. On the same day, Parti Québécois leader Bernard Landry shocks the nation as he resigns from his position as Leader of the party.

On June 13th, entertainer Michael Jackson is found not guilty on all charges of molestation. Quite the Thriller. On June 16, the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Concil - I think, lol) approves Satellite Radio in Canada. Also, Tom Cruise sued 4 people after getting squirted in the face by a prank journalist, saying, "you're a jerk." Tom... Have you had your Cookoo Puffs this morning?

Most interesting story of June 2005

Members of Parliament pass a bill that could make Canada the third country in the world to support same-sex marriage. After years of debate, the bill passed, with 158 in favor and 133 opposed.

July 2005

Joel's Spin

Though July was a month of full-time work as a Camp Counsellor at the Millidgeville Community Centre from 8:30-4:30 every weekday, there was still lots of excitement abound! Apart from being a counsellor, which just about controlled my life, here are some of the exciting activities that took place during this month:

-Canada Day in Grand Bay: After successfully completing my very first 10-k race with a great time, I hung out at Tiffany Fraser's house, which was the best time ever. It was fantastic. Afterwards, I went to Mishelle's Canada Day party, and we went up on Fort Howe to watch the fireworks, though it was rainy as hell.

-On July 4th, I discovered something rather disturbing. And it took me like a month to recover.

-Saint John Idol Nights!

-July 8th was the Joel/Mishelle picnic on Fort Howe! What a lovely picnic it was! Wow, yeah, that's totally becoming a tradition.

-The night after I went to D'Amico with my "clone" Emily Skov-Nielsen, it was pretty amazing. Good food, a bit expensive, but that was the weekend of the Harvest Jazz & Blues festival, HAHAHA! There was a live jazz band, so we just casually laid back and enjoyed!

-That monday (the 11th,) Nicole, Jean-François, and I had our very first Tim Hortons evening. This was a tradition we held all the up until August the 22nd, it was the nicest thing ever. I felt so connected with them! We went to a new location every Monday, it truly was amazing.

-July the 17th was when I went to "The Rez" beach with Kelsey and her Ottawa friend and many other people for a fun-filled day of picnicing on the beach! And watching couples have sex on the beach, now THAT was hottt.

-Hanging out with a certain Jenna Morais. She's a goddess of written prose, truly. We finally met and went on a fantastic adventure of playgrounds, Rambo Dykes, and her even convincing me to go into the fucking Pumpkin Patch, for God sakes! (If that's how you spell "God Sakes," God forbid I use bad grammar whilst describing Jenna. Or offend God. Same amount of fury!) One of the reasons I enjoy summer so much, for sure.

-The evening of July 22nd marked the playground hunt Justine and I had! We gave ourselves two full hours to get to as many Saint John-area playgrounds, and we could only stay at these playgrounds for 5 minutes each. Pedophile's paradise or what! Haha, but it was amazing, something I shall not soon forget.

Right, and the 27th was when Vanessa Furlong sang on Saint John Idol, she almost made it to the very end as a matter of fact! And that weekend I went camping at Harding's Point!

So, amidst being a total slave at work, I still managed to have several very good times.

In the news

On July 2nd, the Live 8 concert was held simonteanously all over the world to promote peace... Or something admirable like that. On July 4th, famed Canadian psychopath Karla Homolka is released from prison, and two hours later on camera says, "I still haven't forgiven myself."

July 7th marked a horrifying day for London, England, as four bombs went off (almost) simultaneously in the Underground subway system, killing 37 people, injuring over 700 people. Two weeks later, on July 21, more smaller explosions take place, but kill no one.

July 14 was a good day for the Canadian meat industry as the U.S. Agriculture Secretary allows meat to pass from Canada to U.S. once again as the Mad Cow Disease scare subsides. The Canadian Senate passes at same-sex marriage bill 47-21, and Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France for the 7th time in a row, ending his very successful career.

Most interesting story of July 2005:

London beats out Paris in the bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. "Sacré bleu!," said French president Jacques Chirac.

August 2005

Joel's Spin

Oh, August. Such an anticipated month, because of my departure. But you truly were still fun.

August 2005 started off with a blast, as I ran the 5k in the Chipman Road Race, and that was a fun day to begin with. That Saturday, the 6th, Kelsey and I had our "Denial! It's still July!" date and participated in such activities as jokes, eating ju-jubes, and saying Jewish things. (Oy vey!) However, it turned out to be more of a "let's eat at every possible restaurant!" date. Good times.

The 7th was a day of thrills and entertainment: Marathon by the Sea! Hooray! This involved racing to fill race packs, as well as participating in the actual 5-miler, which was amazing. I did SO well! Afterwards, I directed traffic on the Lower West Side for 4 fucking long hours... By myself... Oh man. That was dreadful.

Anyway, it was a fun time. On the 12th I hung out with Amanda, as we made Jell-O shooters at her boyfriend's house, had fun with chocolate whipped cream (not like that, you pervert,) and vacuumed her vehicle with glee. The night after was a production by the "Second Stage" of the Saint John Theatre Company, a night of bizarre theatre, dessert at Jungle Jim's, and my ex-catechism teacher hitting on me. Whoa, man.

The next week marked another week of intense excitement. On the 18th, I hosted my very own "Multicultural Day" at my camp, the kids absolutely loved it. Not to mention it got me the highest possible rating in my job evaluation! I also went to Lemon Grass with Emily, and had a party for me at my aunt's house the night after, such a grand time!
And speaking of grand times, the night after was Meghan's big fat kids party extravaganza! A night of burying Ouija boards, throwing cake at people's faces, watching "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Sleepy Hollow," and playing Balderdash! at 5 in the morning. Oh, such good times.

The week after this, (I'm sure you're still highly interested by this point!) I finished off my "Mondays With JF & Nicole" with a visit to the Opéra Bistro on the 22nd, a lovely place that is! The night after was a grand party at JF's.

On the 23rd I went to my very last Saint John Idol of the year, quite the sad time. And at 4:30 in the morning on August 25, I left my dear hometown of Saint John to persue fame, stardom, and education in Toronto, Ontario. Good Lord. 15 hours of driving [almost] non-stop later, we stopped in an irrelevant town called "Ganonoque," the "entry point to the thousand islands." Fascinating. The morning after, we drove into Toronto, and stayed the night at Fran's on the 27th, as her decided to casually sleep on my face.

The morning after was a blur... I moved into residence. Such a major event for me! My parents were simply floored, as was I. A 14-story building. My new home. Moving in was nice enough though, my RA and CSA were both really nice, and I have lovely neighbours, so life is good there.

The next week was a week of transition and fun. Did I mention transition? Because there was plenty. High school to university, Saint John to Toronto, home to residence, parental intervention to none at all, etc. - But right, on the 31st, all of the RTA students gathered in a lecture hall, and were told how amazing we were, how far we'd go, yadda yadda. It was charming.

Oh, look! Why, now we're into September! Oops!

In the news

On August 1st, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd passes away from an "illness" that has yet to be released by officials. (Kind of suspicious.) All 309 passengers on an Air France flight are unharmed after the airplane skids off runway and bursts into flames on August 2nd.

CBS news broadcaster Peter Jennings dies at the age of 67 of lung cancer. (He was a smoker.) On September 15, CBC locked out 5,500 employees due to financial conflicts.

Most interesting story of August 2005

Late August marked a time of devastation and tragedy for the city of New Orleans. On August 30, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city, and mayor Ray Nagin estimates 50,000 to 100,000 people have yet to be rescued from the disaster.

September 2005

Joel's Spin

Well, as usual, this month got off to a great start, as I sat in the audience of MOD (Much On Demand) on September 1st. Such an amazing time! Yesss, RTA! The day after I got a tour of the Much Studios, where I got to read from a fucking teleprompter! Such an amazing time!!! Wow.

Then, the fun subsided, kind of. September 6th was the first day of classes! Hoorayyy... Right. But I have cool classes for the most part, with hella cool professors, so I don't mind too much.

The International Toronto Film Festival took place from Sep. 9th-13th, so you bet your ass I took advantage of it and checked out all the celebrities on the red carpet on Ryerson Campus! I saw Eva Longoria, Elijah Wood, Bono (recently named one of TIME's persons of the year in the US,) Liam Neeson, Jake Gyllenhall, Freddy Rodriguez, and Alan Cumming!
Amazing!

On the 24th, I checked out the very mod Kensington Market (Ashlee Simpson and Nick Lachey both shop there,) and was quite bemused! I bought a tie, it's hella hot. And the ice cream was really good as well.

In the news

September 2nd marked the day on which troops were finally able to reach the devastated city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, much to the relief (and anger) of citizens and authorities. On September 13th, researchers found Vancouver Island moves about 5mm closer to Japan every 14 years. Experts say this will eventually cause a 'catastrophic earthquake.' Whoa, slow down, Vancouver Island.

On the 14th, Melissa O'Neill becomes the first female Canadian Idol at the age of 17 years old. September 24 marked the day when Hurricane Rita pummelled the Louisiana-Texas coastline, causing billions of dollars in damage.

Most interesting story of September 2005

September 21st marked the 25th anniversary of a Canadian milestone: Degrassi. Creators attribute the success of the show to the fact that the show features "kids playing kids," wheras other teen shows are full of 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds. Yay, Degrassi! ...But eff you J.T. for getting Liberty pregnant and becoming a drug dealer, you whore.

October 2005

Joel's Spin

October, my favorite month of the year! Except this year was kind of an exception, because in Toronto's there's not all too much nature to enjoy. It was still a grand month, however.

On October 3rd, my show "The Ryerson Buffet" made it's debut on spiritlive.net, the nation's first Internet radio station. That weekend was Thanksgiving, and fortunately my friend Catherine was gracious enough to invite me to her house. Such fun times as consuming cherry pie while drinking, being shocked at the seemingly endless suburbia, visits to the Pacific Mall in Markham, dinner with Catherine's family, etc. - a lovely occasion indeed.

On the 12th, I had an interview with MuchMusic for a "MuchTalks" show, it was amazing! I love MuchMusic with all of my heart.

On the 15th, I went for a jolly good run with Ashley in High Park, an amazing park in the middle of Toronto, believe it or not. That night I went on the Danforth (aka Greektown,) to have dinner and dessert at my now-favorite dessert spot in Toronto, Cafe Demetre. Drool. Such a nice discovery.

The 17th was Mishelle's birthday, I called her several times. 17 on the 17th! On the 20th my Mom graduated from her Master's Program, I'm so sorry I missed it, but I'm SO proud of her. On the 21st I went to a creepy amusement park, "Magic Hill." So fucking scary, I can't wait to go back next year, I almost peed my pants!

On the 23rd, my Tri-Mentor, Laura, gave me a full tour of Toronto! It was fantastic! I saw Bridle Path, which is where all the fancy-pants people of Toronto live, it was grand. On the 31st was Halloween, and it was surprisingly a great time! We all decorated our common lounges, and we visited all of the residences to trick-or-treat, it was marvelous. My costume was "emo," lol.

Like I said, pretty fantastic month despite the fact I now live part-time in Toronto. (Isn't that weird?)

In the news

On October 1st, a bizarre virus killed 21 seniors the Seven Oaks Home in Toronto. It was discovered legionnaires, an airborne virus, was the cause for the deaths. A $600-million class action lawsuit has been filed. Two days later, an agreement was reached between the CBC and its employees. The day after, the 4th, British magazine "The Economist" ranked Vancouver as the best city in the world for the fourth year in a row.

The day after, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes announced Katie was pregnant with their first child. Gross. October the 8th marked the day a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the region of Pakistan, leaving 3 million homeless and 73,331 dead. On October 14, Daniel Craig is announced as the new James Bond.

Most interesting story of October 2005

On October 24, the world lost a civil rights icon, Rosa Parks. On December 1st, 1955, Rosa gained fame (and perhaps notoriety) when she refused to give up her seat to a white man in Montgomery, Atlanta. Her act lead to a boycott of the Montgomery Bus System which lasted 381 days. After the incident, she said "had a right to be treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long." You tell 'em, Rosa.

November 2005

Joel's Spin

On November 3rd, porn producers everywhere were frantically on the phonelines trying to reach me as I celebrated my 18th birthday. My friends gave me many lovely gifts, I felt so fortunate! The weekend after I was able to fly home for the weekend, which was lovely, as I had been away from home for so long. It was emotional, to say the least.

The weekend I was home was beautiful, and I had a lovely time. Upon my return to Toronto, I had a really great week. On the 17th, I was in the audience for the Royal Canadian Air Farce, and I saw so many exciting pictures of former children's shows, such as Sesame Park, Under the Umbrella Tree, Mr. Dressup, Owl TV, and my ultimate favorite forever and ever and ever, SHARON, LOIS & BRAHAM! Forget fucking celebrities, they ARE the celebrities!

Speaking of celebrities, on the 19th I was a seat filler for the Gemini Awards, which was amazingly fantastic beyond belief. I sat beside Ben Mulroney and his girlfriend, Luba Goy, Mary Walsh, shook Colin Mochrie's hand, and saw the effing Degrassi kids! AHHH such amazing fun!!!

The 20th marked the day of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade, which was CORPORATE AS HELL. Augh. And that night I got my highlights, that was extremely exciting. On the 26th I had a charming evening, dinner at Spring Roll, then some Hot Chocolate from Timothy's, then an outdoor concert featuring my future wife, Esthero. Oh, wow, and then movies and wine until 3 in the morning! Great night that was!

On the 30th I had my personal radio show (Final Audio Exam,) and I got 90%! Sweet.

In the news

On November the 1st, Justice John Gomery revealed his verdict: Jean Chrétien and his closest advisors must take the responsibility for mishandling the country's finances. The week after, countless riots arose in France as the country declared a state of emergency. The riots arose in immigrant and impovershed neighbourhoods of Paris, due to people tired of their limited employment prospects and being discriminated against.

On November 18, Canadians such as Shania Twain, Catriona LeMay-Doan, David Ganong receive the Order of Canada, and three days after, General Motors announces it will lay off 3,900 jobs in Ontario. On the 24, Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield was killed in action in Iraq, and on November 30th, doctors in Northern France performed the world's first face transplant.

Most interesting story of November 2005

On November 28, Paul Martin's Liberal minority government is defeated in a non-confidence vote, one of the shortest times a government has ever stayed in Parliament. The next federal election will take place on January 24, 2006.

December 2005

Joel's Spin

The last week of November and the first week of December (the same week) were very difficult, as we didn't really any exams in RTA, just final projects. So that week was basically my version of exam week.

On December 2nd, I went to a restaurant with my 'Team Awesome,' my group in Media Writing, we all worked so hard together that we decided to reward ourselves for our hard work at a restaurant called "The Pickle Barrel Grand," quite the nice joint indeed. The day after I boarded my plane to Saint John, New Brunswick, and bid adieu to Toronto.

Temporarily.

Many exciting activities ensued upon my return to Saint John. I was the prop manager for the Interaction Theatre Company's rendition of "Charlotte's Web," that was rather delightful. I went on shopping expeditions with Jen McVicar, (who looks really good by the way,) Justine, (which included much more than just shopping,) and Kelsey, ("I hate my life.") On the 12th I did my online exam, that was difficult, as I did it by myself - but I got 85%, so not bad at all.

The night before celebrating my mom's 47th birthday on the 16th, I spent the evening at the local Timmy Ho's with Annika, hot times as usual. On the 17th, I went to a charming fancy-pants holiday party at a neighbour's house, that was lovely.

The week from the 18-24 was obviously hella crunk. Getting drunk with Mariel in her residence, going to Lemon Grass with Danielle, going to the Saint Mach's Cabaret, celebrating Tom's birthday, celebrating Dad's birthday (for which I made the entire dinner,) and then Christmas Eve!

And what a nice Christmas it was! As a matter of fact, I've relaxed just so much. Christmas Day was just a relaxing day to see family, and this past week I've gone on this huge shopping trip, went to a party at Kate's house, had a cast party, and this evening I'll be attending Jean-François' New Year's Eve party.

In the news

December 3rd marked the day Allan Waters, founder of CHUM, passed away. December 10th marked another loss when comedian Richard Pryor dies of a heart attack. On December 13th, Stan "Tookie" Williams was killed by lethal injection in a California State Prison, despite 'turning his life around in jail' and being nominated several times for a Nobel prize and Literature Prize.

On the 19th, Wayne Gretzky's mother, Phyllis, dies at the age of 64 after a long battle with lung cancer and pnemonia. December 21st marked the day of which Elton John "tied the knot" with his long-time partner David Furnish in England, as England marked its first day of same-sex unions.

Most interesting story of December 2005

On December 5, 2005, fans worldwide remembered John Lennon 25 years after his death on Dec. 5, 1980. Lennon was assasinated outside of his New York apartment.

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Allright, YOU'D BETTER HAVE ENJOYED EVERY LETTER OF THAT, FUCKAZ! I'm off to party, but thank you all for the amazing year, and stay safe.

Yours in 2006,

Joel

P.S. More exciting 2005 news can be found by visiting http://www.ctv.ca/mini/yearInReview2005/