oh, boy! Toronto!

siiiighhhh
well!

things are getting better!
a) got my front tooth repaired today
b) got all my stuff from Fran yesterday, i.e. towels and pillows... you know, somewhat important things.
c) my roommates are COOL. no one with big problemos! it's awesome, so lucky me there.

so, things are looking up - somewhat. I kind of feel everyday as "wow, I could still be home right now," but I'm trying not to do that, because I am having fun after all.

there was a Diversity Quiz we took on Saturday as part of ROC (Residence Orientation Crew) training, it was quite eye-opening. all the words in bold are words that were blank spaces needing to be filled in, they are the answers.

/ / /

Diversity Quiz

1. Austism/any mental illness is an invisible disability.

2. A kirpan is used as a Sikh Dagger.

3. Kwanzaa celebrates African-American heritage.

4. Ramadan is a holy month of fasting.

5. Among aboriginal peoples in Canada there are 633 bands, composing 52 nations and speaking 50 languages.

6. In 2001, members of visible minorities represented 13% of the population, and 17% said their first language was neither French nor English.

7. The stonewall riots happened in June 1969 in New York's Greenwich Village. (The stonewall riots pertained the gay community in New York versus the New York Police Force.)

8. March 21 is the International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

9. In 1998, women in Canada had average earnings of about 72% of that of men.

10. April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, unleashing violence in more than 100 cities and Seattle stood out as one of the worst locations for this violence.

11. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person and move to the back of the bus in 1955, initiating a major civil rights shift in the United States.

12. In Canada, there is legal recognition of the "gay panic" defense which makes it less of a crime for a man to beat a man to death in repsonse to unwanted sexual adavances.

13. On December 6, 1989, Marc Lépine went into a classroom at L'école polytechnique in Montreal, forced the men from the room and shot the women. In total, 14 women were killed and another 13 victims were injured.

14. Hate crimes have longer-term impact on victims than do similar actions that are not motivated by bias, and have more far-reaching implications at the community level.

/ / /


allright, I'm out to the mall I think. peace outtt, enjoy!

write me whenever.

newly single (oh baby)
joel

nosedive

it is Saturday, August 26, 2006, and this is where I am :

I am sitting in my residence room in Pitman Hall. my light is flickering on and off, and I am unable to stop it from flickering, as there are no maintenance forms yet at the Front Desk.

I bit into a peach this evening, only to discover the pit was extremely close to the skin, causing me to chip my front tooth, just in time to meet everyone on move-in day.

I have called Fran many, many, many times, to no avail. she has my bedsheets, my pillows, my towels, my room decorations, not to mention all of my books. I could not be more unhappy - not to mention I cannot even check my messages yet!

and finally, Katie and I decided to move on and see other people tuesday, a.k.a. an amicable breakup. I am crushed of course, but I understand. on the plane, she gave me the sweetest letter, I am forever greatful.

I must be downstairs at 8AM tomorrow morning to help all the first-years move onto their respective floors, so off I go. take care, and I really hope things get better soon!!! for me, and for you, especially if you're having a very very rough time like I am right now.

with a chipped front tooth, borrowing others' bedsheets, pillows, and towels, and single,
joel

the final sprint

hey.

it's a charming sunny morning here in Saint John, New Brunswick, at precisely 10AM.

ever since I finished work on Friday, I have indeed been enjoying the good life. let me give you a brief rundown of what I've been up to since getting off work :

samedi.
-waking up at 7:15 in the morning to run before katie came and picked me up, we went to the Farmer's Market in the Kingston Peninsula. it was absolutely beautiful... once again, we ended up looking like a couple straight out of a commercial, but this time it wasn't a Gap ad - more like American Eagle. it was quite romantic.
-we drove back, Katie eventually walked me to Rockwood Park to meet up with Tanya. I kissed katie goodbye, and Tanya and I went to our company picnic, where I actually ate a sausage, cause it looked kind of good. how wrong I was, sick sick sick.
-upon walking Tanya to work, my mom literally popped out of some bushes (or so it appeared, she was going for a run on one of the trails.) I walked Tanya to work, and my mom drove me home.
-next came Tom's "Rock It!" Summer Rock N' Roll Camp Showcase at the Imperial. I could have cared less about many of the performers, but Tom was simply amazing. He played the guitar BEHIND HIS HEAD, like shit son!!! I was up on the balcony filming it all. thank God I'm a student in Radio and Television Arts, and obviously deserve mad propz with my camera skillz.
-and finally, Kelsey threw a fiesta (yes, Spanish-themed party) at her house, featuring Paco the Pinata Pony! and yes, we kicked the shit out of him. Meghan and Andrew drove me home afterwards, with her water gun... I was soaked getting home, it was ridonculous.

dimanche.
-woke up and rushed to get ready for church. I had to go, I won't be there for quite a while... :(. it was pretty dull, I gotta say, but it's not for entertainment purposes. it's for spirituality.
-booked my flight online through Air Canada. my flight leaves this Thursday at 8:30PM. I hope the new security measures aren't too nazi-ish!!!
-went to Hilary's house, and Robin came as well. we played "Balderdash" and discovered new words like "horbgorble" (to wander aimlessly,) "fumart," (it meant something dumb, but we decided it was the Asian version of Wal-Mart, and "lilipoop," (the tassle found on graduation caps. ) we also played Mad Gab, which was hilarious. it was just good quality time, I enjoyed it, I'm trying to see everyone before I leave.... ahhhh wow, weird eh.

lundi.
-went for a big 5-miler, ohhhh yeahhh, the brutal Gault Road route and everything! hardcore!
-went to the mall with Mom and Ben (yes, I'm lame as HELL.) paid all my Ryerson tuition, and got my hair cut as well, which was much-needed... and no, I do not look like a dyke now! haha, ohhhh unflattering.
-went to dinner with my homies (at LemonGrass, my fave restaurant nontheless!) I was there by myself for the first 20 minutes at a table of 6, kind of really embarassing. but hey, at least it wasn't busy!!! no one saw me. finally, Nicole, Renee, JF, and Justine all showed, and it was an awesome night. I had a Signapore Sling, really good - and then shared some spring rolls with justine, and finally had PAD THAI! OHHH YESSSS, SOOO GOODDDD. after dinner, we convinced Katie to come, even though apparantly she was dead and had to consume a "pint" of children's medicine, haha. we then went off to the Ale House, and yes, I did have a pina colada, cause it's my favorite for life. and then JF drove katie and I home, because evidently I'm a lose and cannot yet drive myself. fack.

aujourd'hui.
-New River Beach, here we come!
-meeting Katie after work for another extremely romantic (and final) date.

I have to start packing soon... ah, screw you Ryerson for starting so damn early. and forcing those who live in residence to come back so early as well.

yours
Joel

spilling my guts

Well here I sit. It's 5:26PM Atlantic Time, here in Wyndham Worldwide Canada, my workplace. I sit here and take calls from all over the world for hotel reservations, not too exciting, but a job (and a high-paying one at that) nontheless.

There are 18 minutes left until my first break, it's eternal! But soon enough I will be sitting with Tanya, and time always passes quickly when I am sitting with Tanya, we have fun. I forgot my novel, John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" in my car today, I am never going to finish that book.

A week from today, I will en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Yes, I know, that's early. Why? Well, according to my parents, living off-campus in an apartment can only mean one of two things:

1) It will cost an arm and a leg, (not necessarily.)
2) It will be a hellhole of doom with rapists and murderers lurking behind every corner, (depends on the apartment.)

However, since I was unable to disspell these stereotypes with my parents, I am living in residence (Pitman Hall) as a ROC (Ryerson Orientation Counsellor) this year. I will live in a ROC suite on Floor 13 of Pitman Hall. I begin my training on August 24th for this position, which sounds as exciting as watching dust collect on old photographs in an archive in some basement somewhere... Yes, that's the extent of the appeal of "training" for me as a ROC.

But who am I to be so sulky? Who am I to say it won't be fun? I'll probably have a blast, most likely, and very much enjoy being "in charge" of the teeny weeny first-years, not to mention being back in the huge city of Toronto! It really is a very fun place to be!!!

It's just that I guess I didn't really see or appreciate any of the time going by this summer... I was just so excited for it to begin, it's all I could think about when I was writing my second-semester exams! And my God, it sure did live up to all the hype, holy! Beaches, parties, movies, dinners, romance, swimming, running, pictures, hangouts, picnics, joy rides, fun - all of that and more!!! It was truly a phenomeonal summer, I am such a lucky guy, oh man.

And that is why at this point, one week prior to departure, it is so hard to "snap back to reality" if you will. I mean of course the past 3 and a half months have not been all ponies and rainbows, as I've had to work so much, and had some "romantic turbulence" for the entire month of June, I didn't make it nearly as far as I wanted to in Saint John Idol, some very important friendships went down the toilet... etc. etc.

I know Saint John is very likely not where I will live for the rest of my life. I am well aware I am extremely fortunate - my parents fund my education (as do I,) I am in a very exclusive program in the huge city of Toronto, and I am a very bright young man with potential to spare. (Or so I hope.) I know full well the number of people who wish they were in my position - those who would kill to get out of their hometown, whether it be Saint John or New York City.

I just... I love this city, and I love my family, my friends, and yes, I am also strongly attached to my lovely girlfriend as well, all of these things. I had a beautiful summer.

So when I have a frown, even for the slightest moment, whether you're in Toronto or Saint John, now you'll understand why. I'm trying my best to make the best of this situation, as this is the crazy life of Joel Vautour, shit son!

And my weekend that just passed, on Acadian Day (August 15th) I went to the museum to sing the National Acadian Anthem with J.F., and I checked out all the galleries with Ben, followed by a visit to the library. That night Katie wanted to see "Step Up," so we did, and it was pretty hot.

Yesterday, we went to Magic Mountain! At first, it looked as if it might not happen - Meghan's SUV busted a tire, and Katie's mom wasn't home yet to perhaps lend the Stang, and since I'm unfortunate, well, I won't elaborate.

However, Magic Mountain did pan out in the end with the help of Katie's mom, and it was amazing. We were there from 4:30-6:30, after which we went to Boston Pizza, which left me feeling pretty sick, I ate foolish amounts (and drank as well). Oh well, the point is that the very little time I have left here in Saint John will be very, very well spent, oh yes... I just hope I get enough time in for my family and those are important to me before I leave.

How funny... When you have lots of time, people will perhaps make plans with you if they have the time themselves. When your time is limited, people clamour to see you.

And those are my guts right now.

my summer is still well and alive and going strong

what have I been up to lately? well, after this shift, I only have 4 more shifts left to work here at Slavedent - er, no, now it's Slavedham Worldwide, they've changed the name. (it's actually Wyndham Worldwide, but you know what I mean!)

but right, 4 more shifts, then I am DONE. so I've been working alot lately.

ever since Wednesday night, when I went out with JF & Nicole, I've been chillin'. as us.

(us. = not "us," or "United States." it's an abbreviation for "usual."
example: "Back to business as us.!")

Thursday = picnic with Kelsey at Rockwood Park, followed by ice cream and a photoshoot for the letter "P" uptown. (yes, we're straight off of Sesame Street, as we take pictures of everything that starts with the letter P.)

Friday/yesterday = date with Katie, we had lunch in King's Square, picked up my packet for Marathon by the Sea, (which is tomorrow!) spun the magic wheel at the Running Room, went for a walk on Harbour Passage and talked at Fort Latour.

Today = woke up to the sunshine, blasted my music and chilled about the house, wishing I was famous, which will happen soon. I brought Ben to Jim Bob's, he used his bike, I walked/ran. Along the way, I was able to teach him traffic knowledge, i.e. looking for cars BOTH WAYS before crossing the street, and excusing yourself before passing someone on the sidewalk, (as Ben almost took out an old man.) and then we went to pick up mom, and when I walked back out of the CGAC it was torrential downpour to the death, and that was frightening.

so, now that you're up-to-date, I will indeed be coming back to Toronto in about 3 weeks or so! or maybe sooner? hm, I don't want to think about it, though I know I'll have to very soon.

more importantly: my friday five, now.

start, the friday five.

1) What was the bravest thing you have ever done?

Believe it or not, I've actually done some pretty brave things before. But things sometimes don't seem brave if you come out of the situation unscathed, which is kind of what happens to me I suppose.

I think the bravest thing I did was changing schools in Grade 5. That was really hard and scary, and I had a lot to lose. I did it though! And graduated from the same school.

2) Describe the meanest thing you have ever done.

I talk about people behind their backs sometimes, which I definitely shouldn't, because I know exactly how that feels. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there!

As to my knowledge, I've not done anything terribly purposely mean before... The only reason I ever would would be out of revenge. (Bom bom bom.)

3) Tell us about the nicest thing anything anyone has done for you.

My parents, they threw me a surprise party for my 17th birthday. That was the nicest thing, it really was.

However, lots of people have done many many nice things for me, so I am extremely fortunate, I have such lovely people in my life.

4) What was the most insane thing you have ever witnessed or done?

Haha! Well, I've done quite a few ridonculous things... The "roller coaster" incident in Grade 8 was pretty dramatic, having my security bar lift up on JF and I as we rode a roller coaster in Quebec City.

But more importantly,
I do crazy things every day. My life is simply too nuts to recall all the nutty things I have seen or done.

5) Describe the most "out of character" thing you secretly want to do.

Out of character for me? What the hell IS out of character for Joel!??!
...Well I guess I've always wanted to be an Olympic runner, but that's hardly unusual. Oh! Well secretly, if ever I was offered a recording contract but the record company said I would have to be country, I would TOTALLY do it. Yes, it's true. Does that count?

end, the friday five.

and that's all for now, kids!! thanks so much for reading.

oh, and Danielle, I know/hope you're reading this, you are such a fantastic (emotional) writer.

joel

listening to: Ben Lee, "Catch My Disease"

DAY OFF BABY! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHH

I don't really have anything I want to write about, apart from the fact the weekend in Collette/Rogersville/Chipman was fantastic. the family reunion was lovely, I ran the New Brunswick Day Chipman 5K in 21:03, which won me a silver medal for my age group!! holla!

and then Monday I got home early and went to Emma's party with katie. and then last night I had an 8-hour date (5PM-1AM) with Katie as well! yes, I know, dayamnnn, I'm a very lucky guy.

this summer is hot.

yours,
Joel, who's going to be famous, someday.

HAPPY NEW BRUNSWICK DAY

Q: when do the thrills stop?
A: they don't.

aiiiiiiiiiiiight babies, here's the dilly, er, dealeo? I'm so cool I can't even bother to correct myself.

I just thought I'd say holla, as I'm at work, and it's a boring-ass shift. BUT IT'S NEW BRUNSWICK DAY!!! and I won a silver medal today in Chipman, SO proud! (except my name isn't on the Run NB website... ahhhhhhh bitch please... that's insulting)

the point is that I beat my cousin AND my uncle!! GOOD FOR ME!!!! I love beating people!!
especially those who tell me I will surely fail and that they will beat me (my cousin Nigel)
in your FACE Nigel! haha!

anyway, I'm busy with important things... Like the Hobbit Name Generator. Check it out.

Yours,
Olo Burrows.

Rogersville and Chipman ahoy!

hey homes,

I can't write for long, because I am at work.

I just wanted to say I will be out of town until Monday, because I have a family reunion to attend in Rogersville and then I'm doing a race in Chipman Monday for New Brunswick Day! Holla!

SJ Idol went really well, though I didn't make the top 15... :(. At least I made the Wildcard / top 32! It was great times.

so, leave me love, and I'll leave you a Friday Five.

1. How much time do you spend on the Internet daily?

that is a horrifying, unanswerable question.

2. What are your favorite 3 websites?

grouphug.us;
ebaumsworld.com;
joelsgrandlife.blogspot.com.
no, seriously, my third favorite website is
liquidgeneration.com. BEST SITE EVER. (after this site.)

3. Do you eat at your computer?

yes

4. Pick one and why - Reading the news online or in a newspaper?

newspaper!!

5. How many people are on your instant messenger buddy list?

well, obviously I'm awesomely popular, so a frightening amount of people.

the end!
see you soon.