too much money, too much everything

allright, this is really going to be brief.

I just want to explain myself - I have been going way too hard for too long. this is why I have in fact decided to not go to tonight's "Fitchin' Friday" (yes, it's Thursday, I know.) I talked with my mom, and we just talked about all the money I've been spending, how if I want to go home in November or save up for any portfolios, I have to stop socializing so much (drinking, clubbing, eating out) if I really want to progress... I have homework due, essays coming up, I am even missing class tomorrow just to visit Nam again... (that's a totally different story.)

yeah, and I got offered a contract with Sutherland Models yesterday. I have NOT decided on whether or not I'm going to sign with them... but it is an extremely exciting opportunity. and I am very thrilled, don't get me wrong, but I'm not jumping on that bandwagon THAT quickly... simply because it'll cost me up to $850, which is an awful lot to invest. apparantly I have "lots of potential," but we'll see! I still want to visit other agencies next week, namely Ford. (yes, I'm bringing out the big guns... Despite the fact Sutherland is effing ridonculously good.)

I am quite exhausted... and I need to better think where I am investing my money, my energy, my time. regardless of all the excitement, I am still a university student, and I want to finish my degree before I go off and do anything else. (though modelling could be a lucrative part-time and summer endeavour.)

ANYWAY! I'm done, I'm done. I'm either doing homework, or going to bed, to taking things easy and not spend money, because I physically cannot go out tonight. sorry, guys!

going places,
Joel

18 years old and living for the right now

yooooooo!
it's Monday - and you know what that means - ahhh wait, no you don't really, and neither do I.

TIME FOR AN UPDATE!

k, so, it's Monday. I just had six hours of class... soooo foolish. 8-10AM, 10-12PM, 1-3PM. I am done for the day, however! HOT.

please enjoy this link I have provided, as it gives me much happiness and joy. it's CBC's page for New Brunswick, with a webcam, a link to listen to CBC Radio One 91.3FM, local news stories, AND weather! beauuuuuutiful.

also - SUCH EXCITING NEWS! (if you're from Saint John.) the much beloved ferry, linking Saint John, New Brunswick, to Digby, Nova Scotia, is SAVED!!!!!! (they were planning to discontinue the important service due to financial issues or something like that.) but they DIDN'T!!! I mean, it's a crucial part of the city, and so I'm really glad. read it right here.

P.S. I kind of totally forgot Shawn Graham was the new premier of New Brunswick! (The Liberals overtook the Tories in the provincial elections last month. Hooray, no Conservatives in power!)

OK, enough New Brunswick talk - back to TO. I have not eaten chocolate in a week, in hopes of clearing up my skin a bit (successfully) for the two agencies I am seeing this week! Tomorrow is Elmer Olsen, oh baby, wish me luck.

here's my belated Friday Five :

1. How do you deal with stress?

I deal with whatever is stressing me out as soon as possible - usually, anyway. It could be a variety of things "stressing me out" really.

2. Do you have a favorite "comfort food" and what is it?

Ahhhh... I don't like to take refuge in food for emotional stability, it's an unhealthy habit. I comfort myself with friends as opposed to food. But I guess the closest thing to a comfort food I have is cereal, haha, (my life story.)

3. Do you have a "comfort activity" and what is it?

Talking it out. That always helps me the most, verbalizing what's bothering me - it's great. As opposed to violence, anyway.

4. What days depress you and why?

Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays are my least favorite days of the week. Especially if it's rainy or crappy on any of these days - it's truly not fun times at all.

5. What days excite you and why?

Wednesdays aren't as thrilling as Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays - simply because these days are when things happen, people drink and party and have a blast. By the time Thursday comes around, the week is kind of winding up, and by Friday the weekend has arrived!

allright, sweet. done that!

now to finish things off, here are a few pics courtesy of both NatalieDee.com and MarriedtotheSea.com as well - you will adore. Adios, and enjoy!!!



(Try your best to look closely at the tree in the background.)

reaching higher

hey,

so I have class in a bit, I won't write for long. (don't I just say that every time now?)

well, I can safely say this is one of the (if not the most) foolish week I have had thus far here at Ryerson. extremely ridonuclous... check my previous post to see what I had planned - I basically did all of it.

here are the highlights :

-Monday & Tuesday were academically ridonculous. Monday was my oral Spanish presentation, and then Tuesday was our project, "Everything You Always Wanted To Know," for our Information & Research class. Ash and I did post-traumstic stress disorder as a result of the war, specifically the second World War in the case of my grandfather, Paul Sisk, who served in this war. VERY interesting project, but lots of time and effort of course. Tuesday sucked ass, I was stuck in my room studying for my Communications Theory midterm while the weather outside was fog and rain. shitty day... I hated it.

-Wednesday I did a film shoot, did class, had my usual Wednesday date with Krystin, then went to work 4-9PM, which was pretty sweet, I always get put at the front of the store! obviously because I am sexy.

-Thursday ... FOOLISH. Studio meeting @ 11AM, which was disorganized as all hell. Then my audition for this RTA music show at noon - then studio 1-6PM, which was dramatic, because we just have group drama. Then Ash called, we went to dinner at the Green Onion, had some pretty weird Pad Thai, I didn't like that too much. But the vegetable rolls were good, and I stuffed my face with a macaroon from Timothy's after, SO DAMN GOOD.
then was the fashion show - the Spring/Summer 2007 Collection of "Hibebe," the new line by Salem Moussallam. pretty ridonculous show @ Maro last night! lots of Abercrombie homies & models, SO much fun - though my beautiful date left at a certain point, and she eventually got lost on the way (driving) home. :( but I did have so much fun - can't wait to get back into modelling, (knock on wood. that's next week.) I had to walk back from sketchy ghetto Chinatown, unfortunately. yiiikes.

-Today, well I got up at 8:15 and went off to High Park with Dean and Jenee for a huge run/walk, it was phenomeonal. well, soaking wet and tough at times, BUT SO WORTH IT. Jenee just walked, so Dean and I ran around all over the place, he's actually an ideal running buddy cause we have the exact same pace, which is pretty sweet and convenient. It was a great run, I am ready to take on the world!!!!!!!!!! YEAH... I have Spanish class in 5 minutes basically, and then tonight I work 4-9PM. WUUUTTT!!!

Tomorrow morning I am going to St. Lawrence Market & Value Village with Ash, and then I work 3-8. As for tonight/tomorrow night, not a clue.

OH. AND TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY- MINK NIGHTCLUB - MY 19TH BIRTHDAY BASH!!!!!!! (November 3rd.) BE THERE OR BE SO DAMN SQUARE. YEAH. (put yourself on the guestlist. I am so damn excited.)

Allright, here is a pic or two from a trip to High Park exactly a year ago, followed by the Friday Five.

Eh, I don't have time for the Friday Five. Sorry.

Leave comments! Happy fall! Enjoy october, best month of life!

The cereal fiend

Joel

P.S. Every time I work, I get bombarded with the store fragrance, 'Fierce.' I wanted to buy a bottle about 2 weeks ago, but now it haunts me in my sleep.

P.P.S. At the fashion show last night, Danielle and I were pretty lost. So, we called my friend who already at the show. Her, alongside the rest of the Abercrombie gang, tried their best to help me out. Here's what the conversation went like. (I am not using real names.)

Joel: 'Hey, Crystal! Danielle and I are driving on King Street, do you know how to get from there to the fashion show?'

Crystal: 'Yeah! It's on135 Liberty Street.'

Joel: 'No, we know that. But... How do you get there from King Street?'

Crystal: 'Oh, I don't know, we took a cab. Hold on, I'll get someone else.' (Momentary pause.)

Suzie: 'JOOOELLLL!! HEY!!!!'

Joel: 'Hey Suzie! What's up? We were just wondering if you knew how to get to the fashion show --'

Suzie: 'It's 135 Liberty Street.'

Joel: 'I know that! Haha, but how do you get there?'

(This process went on for 3 more people until I said, 'Thanks!' and hung up. Ohhhhh, Abercrombie.)

P.P.P.S. On Wednesday night, my friend Alyssa Luckhurst invited me down to her senior suite to do a fashion shoot with a giant fan. It was hot. If you have facebook, you should check it out. (I am drunk as I add this detail. Totally for you, Alyssa.)

RI * DONC * ULOUS

well, the title sums up my life pretty nicely right about now!!! hot.

P.S., If you're here to read the 'thank-you note' entry for the Jane family, click here and check it out.

anyway, I have zero time to write anything basically, so this time I really will keep it brief! I just wanted to say that I had 3 midterms this past week (Wednesday= English, Thursday = Studio, Friday= Spanish.) English and Studio were decent (knock on wood,) but I have a strong feeling Spanish may have been a bomb. Nottt a fail, but nottt great at all. I am so overwhelmed! I definitely took on too many hours this week @ work.

ummm I have a meeting with Sutherland Models next week, on the 25th, I am nervous!! let's hope it goes well - I may also be going to an open call @ Elmer Olsen this week, we'll see. (my main motivation for jumping on this bandwagon right now is not only my personal desire to be a model, but the fact many people at my job are actual models as well. I just hope I am not too tall - but hey, Kate Moss is 5"5, I can be 6"3, fuckaz.)

I have a bajillion things coming up this week, including :
-an oral spanish presenation (monday)
-a communcations theory midterm (tuesday)
-an information & research project due (tuesday)
-acting in a film shoot (wednesday)
-working (wednesday, friday, saturday)
-a fashion show to attend (thursday)
-probably going out and getting smashed for once (friday)
-probably going out for dinner or dessert or both (saturday)

yeahhh and there you go! so I am slacking like a mofo, off I go to do some actual work.

oh, and danielle robichaud, thank you so much for reading and leaving comments, you rock my LIFE.

yours
Joel

for the Jane family

Dearest readers,

Today's blog post is a very special edition of "Jump Into My Life." This would so happen to be the blog post which will serve as a thank you note to my favorite Ontarian family, the Janes from Burlington. I will tell you all about my thrilling weekend, which indeed includes my trip to Burlington, Ontario, and the Thanksgiving fun we all had.

Saturday
I woke up at 9ish to get ready (pack my bags, clean my room) and go off to Burlington! I was kind of late leaving my room, soooo I sprinted to the subway station and probably looked like someone with a significant mental disorder, but it was worth it, as I did indeed make the 10:43AM train. I ended up sitting with a girl I know, Kathleen, and that was awesome - I've always heard of other people randomly meeting/bonding with people on the GO Train, so I finally have had that experience.

After being greeted with a "holla holla" by Ash @ the GO Station, the Thanksgiving fun had begun!!! After lunch (with some uninvited hornets,) the family and I (Ashley and Danielle, twin sisters, Mike and Maryanne, parents) went to our first stop: The Balls Falls Thanksgiving Festival. We took approximately 346596 pictures - here are a couple to give you an idea as to what it was like. We had apple fritters, saw ladies spinning yarn, and participated in other such hick activities.

After this, it was time for Stop #2: Niagara Vinelands in Jordan. So beautiful! Hope we didn't crash the wedding that was happening at the time, nor the promotional video. Anyway, here are some images from that stop - please note the amazing scenery, and ridonculous dessert.

Does the fun stop? No. Stop #3 you ask... NIAGARA FALLS. Yes, they took me to NIAGARA FALLS. When I was 10, my parents and my brother and I went to Arizona, and we attempted to drive to the Grand Canyon, when we realized it was too far/too cold, so we had to turn back. I was really hoping the Janes would not pull a "Grand Canyon," which they did not. Holla!

So THAT was phenomeonal. And so after this, we were all pretty tired. We were going to visit some Greek restaurant, but that was apparantly closed for the season, so we visited a Lebanese restaurant (yum!) close to Downtown Burlington. And then we watched "I <3>

Sunday

It was a fun time going to church again! I never go to church when I am in Toronto, which is awful, I know. So it was nice to go again with the Janes to church, quite lovely.

For the afternoon, Ash and I grabbed lunch in downtown Burly, (yes, I am well-acquainted enough with Burlington to call it "Burly" at this point in my life.) We then had a lovely country drive, which was awesome, just because I got to see all the lovely scenery of the Niagara Escarpment. We stopped by an apple orchard (with a parking lot designed by a 3-year-old,) of which I definitely have pictures, once again. (You love it.)

This event was followed by a RIDONCULOUS Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Maryanne- aka Martha Stewart - so that was just lovely. (As my friend Justine and I would say, I definitely "obesed myself. And it was sooooo gooddddd.)

Sooo.... Midterms? Yes, I have one today, then one on Friday. So, this is all I can type for now. But this is for you, Jane family!!! Enjoy. Hope everyone's having a sweet week and lots of exciting things on the horizon - I know I do !!!

Yours,

Joel

(P.S. Was your Thanksgiving as cool as this??? Didn't think so!)

T-Giving in the T-Dot

hey dawgs,

I just wanted to say hey really briefly. like, briefly briefly.

tomorrow morning I am hopping aboard a GO Train en route to Burlington, Ontario! (I make it sound so far away, but truly, it's only an hour or so outside of Toronto.) I will be having Thanksgiving dinner at the Jane household, with my one and only Ashley Jane. but then their family has to go to Windsor on Sunday morning.

as for Sunday? I have nowhere to gooo. :( anyone want to take orphan joelie in??? I feel like Oliver Twist.

P.S. I cannot believe it is October 7th... How foolish!!! Time goes so fast- but I really want it to. Whenever I'm here in Toronto, it just feels like a big countdown until I go home again - even though I truly enjoy being here - most of the time. but the times when I do not like it here... it gets bad. for example, today I was walking back from the gym and some guy with a leafblower was getting rid of ALL the leaves! like... what is this, a nazi camp??? it's called FALL because leaves FALL onto the ground, creating lovely scenery and a nice crunch under your feet as you walk to class! but not at Ryerson, apparantly.

Ryerson: "Sieg heil, BRICKS ON THE GROUND AND NOTHING ELSE."

well! OK, and also, today (as part of Adventure Fridays with Dean and Jenee) we walked all the way to the Bata Shoe Museum on Bloor and saw the most ridonculous things of life! I saw many famous people's shoes, i.e. the shoes Pierce Broasnan wore in 'Die Another Day' as James Bond, Marilyn Monroe's red stilettoes, Elvis Presley's blue suede shoes, a pair of shoes belonging to a former pope of the early 20th century, Winston Churchill's boots, Tiger Woods' golf shoes, Pierre Elliot Trudeau's sandals, Pablo Picasso's zebra boot - and most moving and intriguing of all - one of Terry Fox's running shoes. I basically teared up - that guy is my true idol.

want more? check out some of these ridonculous shoes! and if you're truly enthralled, just visit the entire website yourself: www.allaboutshoes.ca

ah, yes, and no Friday (it's been Saturday for an hour now actually) update would be complete without the much-revered Friday Five.

1. If you could have a super power, which one would you have?

It would be to save the environment. As in, reverse negative human effects on our environment.
2. What would be your supername?

ENVIRO-LAD!

3. Who would be your arch-nemesis and what would be their superpower?

I already have one... It's called Irving.

4. Who would be your sidekick and would they have a superpower?

My sidekick would called "Fuck This I Can Do Everything Woman," sooo just in case I messed up, or was lazy, she could step in. Or fool around with me! Hoorayyyyyy, being a super hero is fun!!!

5. What would be your motto?

"No tree too big, no shrub too small, air, water, forests... I SAVE THEM ALL! (Bitches.)"

Oh my God, it's Friday night and this is what I am doing. I am the most massive and loserish moron in the world - I turned down so many cool invites tonight to be doing this!!!!!! shoot ME.

yours,
Joel

P.S. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, I hope you get to see your family. :)

P.P.S. that was not brief at all.

P.P.P.S. Holy fuckaroo do I ever want to get back into modelling!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BLOGDAY TO JOEL!

YES! THAT'S RIGHT! THE DAY YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR IS HERE!!!

It is my 4th BlogDay!!! What is BlogDay, you ask??? Why, it's the day you began documenting your life for all to see on the internet!

Please click here to read my very first post, made at the tender age of 14 years old, on my first blog, bizarrely titled "Skanky J's Blog." (My BlogDay is therefore October 5, 2002.) Am I ashamed of this? Terribly, IT IS PAINFUL TO READ, I WARN YOU, but it was based on some uncool inside joke at the time, and I was 14 years old... What can you do.

I also wanted to wish a happy day to ALL the teachers in the world!!! (It's World Teacher's Day today.) My mom is now a guidance counsellor, but she was previously a teacher for 15 years, so I KNOW WHAT YOU TEACHERS OUT THERE IS GOIN THROUGH! HOLLA ATCHYA!

anyway, it is late late late at night, and I have a big big big studio production tomorrow, so Joel's going to bed.

thanks for reading for the past 4 years... here's to at least 75 more.
Joel, who loves work, and thinks it's the best/most hilarious thing since sliced bread

"think of it as shoulderpads for your briefcase"

well look who it is!

grrrand. it is Monday night, and it was a really good Monday for once. except for the fact I got like 5 hours of sleep, and I will indeed be going to bed quite early tonight. I know, I sound like a grandpa, but I really do need sleep.

well, I am avoiding work right now, so I guess I will be keeping this "brief" as usual. I never have any spare time anymore, so I only update this when I'm avoiding work - how exciting for you, muthafuckaz! and speaking of wasting time - though I refuse to admit it, I am a slight slight slight slight bit dorky, regardless of my enormous coolness. and as a result, I do hope you have seen this video, known as the "Numa Numa" video.

now, please click here should you wish to see the completely cheesy sequel, "New Numa." no, not as catchy as the first time around, but yes, all the mindless retardation you can handle.

and now! working at Abercrombie & Fitch, it's only a matter of time before you want to buy everything in the store. and, no, I know I cannot buy everything in the store, but I can buy some things. here goes, with a brief list :

-the brown belt.
-small bottle of Fierce.
-sweet-ass denim jacket.
-hoodie, in green.
-this shirt, in both white and blue.

ahhhhh yes. anyway - sorry. I'm done now, I promise. working there does this to you. (I also have a theory it gradually reduces your intelligence due to the strong fumes of perfume. but I stil typpe reel good, so it iz a.O,.K!!)

so, who's up for a late Friday Five to finish things off? (yes, I realize this is dorky as well.)

go.

1) What TV show(s) do you find yourself watching the most?

I don't really watch T.V. on a regular basis - regardless of my program - kind of ironic, no?

2) What if any TV shows do you own on DVD?

Ummm... None.

3) Can you name your favorite TV show theme song?

CARE BEAR COUNTDOWN, 5...4...3...2...1!!! And anyone who answered 'Full House' to this question deserves to be shot.

4) Have you ever been on TV and if so for what?

Yep! I was on MuchOnDemand last year, MuchVotes 2006, and the local news 3-4 times. Pretty soon my television appearances will be completely countless.

5) What is your favorite YouTube video?

Numa Numa... What else?

done.

oh, and quickly:
1) got my care package today from home... speakers, chocolate, clothes, a card from Ben, the latest Here magazine, and yes... DESIGNER SOCKS!
2) Burlington for Friday night and all Saturday for Thanksgiving this coming weekend! can't wait.
3) big-ass studio production debut of "Priscilla" this Thursday... extremely nervewracking!!!
4) I've had lunch with Danielle twice in the past week... how lucky am I???????

cheers!!!!!
Joel