2006: simply ridonculous

2006: Simply ridonculous, a year-end compilation of 2006 by yours truly.

2006 was a pretty crazy year. I became legal, travelled back and forth from the T-Dot, partied hard, and learned some lessons. Each month has my take on it, followed by the top news stories, top songs, and finally the pics of the month. Check it out, this is the year that was.

JANUARY 06/
janvier 06/enero 06

In my life: So, allright. I rang in the new year at my good friend JF's house. It was great - the day after was the memorable "Fat Kids" party on Jan. 2nd at Meghan's in Hampton. I worked as a counsellor in YMCA Day Camps on the 4th, 5th, and 6th - that wasn't too bad. On the 7th, I went back to Toronto - and the day after I was interviewed on T.V. about Jane Creba, the girl shot to death on Boxing Day '05. There were fun weekend events, i.e. RTA vs. Journalism Kareoke Night, Dan DeMaria's birthday party, and chilling in the ice lounge at Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto City Hall.

On January 23rd, the country decided to elect Stephen Harper as it's new Prime Minister. I was in the crowd on the show 'MuchVotes 2006,' where I got interviewed LIVE with Hannah Sung!!! That was a moment of glory right there. I did my much-belated Spanish exam on the 26th, one I delayed from December '05. On the 31st I was offered a modeling/television contract with Stylus Canada, that was pretty foolish.

Relevant news stories: As previously mentioned, Stephen Harper became the country's new Prime Minister on the 23rd.. Coretta Scott King, wife of slain rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., died at the age of 78 due to a respiratory problem on the 31st.

Top songs of the month:
"Do You Wanna?" by Franz Ferdinand
"Jesus of Suburbia" by Green Day

Facebook picture(s) of the month: RTA vs. Journalism Karoke at Pogue Mahone.
Also, me and Hannah Sung at MuchVotes 2006.

FEBRUARY 06/
fevrier 06/febrero 06

At the beginning of this month, I was struggling with the decision to sign or not with Stylus. I did end up signing, but on the 8th I cancelled the contract, because I could not afford a portfolio at the time. On the 3rd, there was a ridonculous party called "That's Entertainment" where I met a certain Danielle Rose, who now works at Hollister, she is so so so cool. I spent Valentine's Day single, but I was at a classy party so it was allright. Oh - and speaking of Hollister, I had a job interview at Hollister, and didn't get it. WHATTT. that was ridonculously bad. OH and I finally received my fake ID (Lee Chitiz) on the 24th, now THAT was fantastic.

And did I forget to mention my reading week? It was great - thanks to Vicky Tam, that is. It was honestly just awesome, we went to various bars, Ikea, to see a movie, Fran's, etc. etc. - Thanks, Vicky!

Relevant news stories: Britney Spears decided to drive around with her baby on her lap while driving an SUV - good idea. U2 and Kelly Clarkson eat the Grammys for breakfast, meaning they got lots of awards. On the 11th, Vice-Presidenct Dick Cheney accidentally shoots one of his hunting companions - oops!!! The 2006 Turino Olympics in Italy proved to be quite successful for Canadian Olympic atheletes. Overall, Canada placed 3rd, winning 7 gold, 10 silver, and 7 bronze, a total of 24 medals, right after U.S.A.'s 25 medals, and Germany's 29.

Top songs of the month:
"Real Love" by Massari, unfortunately.

Facebook picture of the month: Carling's 18th birthday party - in the elevator, yikes.

MARCH 06/
mars 06/marzo 06

Unfortunately, this month started out with a SHITTY-ASS weekend. I failed to model for Mass Exodus, the Ryerson fashion show, or to get the Hollister job, or even to get to be a presenter for the TARA Awards... It was a really bad time. On the 5th, my youngest brother turned 8! Later in the month, I went to Burlington with Ash, attended "Schmoozefest" where I schmoozed with the likes of Hannah Sung and other industry fun people, greattt. And of course the end of March was for some reason nazi-time for Ryerson, as there were at least three deadlines in the final week. GROSS. Oh- and the last week of March was also unseasonably warm... Ridonculously so.

Relevant news stories: Paul McCartney denounces the Canadian seal hunt in a very public statement urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to put an end to it, calling it "a stain on the character of the Canadian people." On March 5th, Crash won for the Best Picture at the Oscars. On March 12th, Stephen Harper visits Afghanistan to see first-hand the work of Canadian troops. Later on in the march, Tim Hortons debuted on the stock market, a British Columbian ferry sinks and loses two passengers, and Harper and Bush agree to discuss the softwood lumber dispute.

Top songs of the month:
"Dance Dance" by Fall Out Boy
"Temperature" by Sean Paul

Facebook picture of the month: Lounging in the grass in March with Anne and Shasha

APRIL 06/
avril 06/abril 06

April started off with a bang, my friend Flora Matheson's 19th birthday bash at the renowned MOD Club. It was awesome. On April 7th, I had my first tragic "overly-drunk" experience, including me puking eeeverywhere and making a general ass of myself. The day after, I volunteered as a Production Assistant for "The Conventioneers," a very nauseous day... Oops. April the 11th was the TARA Awards, where my radio group won "Best Radio Show," YES. From the 17th-21st, I had a crazy-ass exam schedule, with an exam EVERY SINGLE DAY. shooooooot me in the face s-v-p. Right after this, I auditioned for Canadian Idol, came home, and started my summer vaca.

Relevant news stories: Pamela Anderson hosts the Juno awards, where her animal rights jokes do not sit well with the Halifax audience. On the same day, a bizarre explosion occurs in the downtown Toronto Tim Hortons, killing one man. On April 8, eight bodies are found in a rural Southwestern Ontario town. They were all found to be members of the "Bandidos" motorcycle club.

Later in the month, the lovechild of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is born, baby girl Suri. Also, the Canadian dollar hits an all-time 14-year high, and Queen Elizabeth turns 80 years old.

Top songs of the month:
"Pump It" by The Black Eyed Peas
"The Grace" by Neverending White Lights ft. Dallas Green
"Stupid Girls" by Pink
"Save Your Scissors" by City & Color

Facebook picture(s) of the month: TARA Awards.
Me and Carling at the TARA Awards.
And, of course, me and Ash at the TARA Awards.

(TARA Awards = Television and Radio Arts Achievement Awards.)

MAY 06/
mai 06/mayo 06

Holla, the start of the best summer ever. Had my job interview @ Cendant, got the job on the 3rd. Also on this day my new cousin Riley was born. (Awww.) On the 13th, there was goodbye party for my friend Lexy, who was going off to Mexico for 6 weeks during the summer. The 19th marked the end of my Cendant training, and the official beginning of my exclusive Cendant career. I also had dinner at my favorite restaurant with my favorite person, (Lemongrass and Justine, in that order.) The 20th was my teacher's retirement party, Kate Vihvelin, it was truly beautiful. The 24th I saw "The Crucible" with Justine, to celebrate her 19th birthday, which was the day after. And on the last day of the month, I saw "Purple Rain," featuring the The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, at Annika's house. It was pretty sweet.

Relevant news stories: Heather Mills and Paul McCartney announce their plans to seperate, and basketball star Steve Nash is named MVP of the NBA for the second time. Heather Crowe, the "waitress who never smoked," dies at the age of 61 - she helped launch Health Canada's campaign against second-hand smoke. On May 24, Taylor Hicks is crowned the newest American Idol, and the heads of Enron are found guilty of their convicted crimes on the 25th.

Top songs of the month:
"Savin' Me" by Nickelback
"SOS" by Rihanna
"Out of my Head" by Mobile

Facebook picture of the month: Me being a moose, with huge antlers. I fucking rock.

JUNE 06/
juin 06/junio 06

Wow, cool, it's June already. I had my first date with Katie on the 2nd, and THEN June the 6th was a very big deal... 6th day of the 6th month of the 6th year. EVIL. Lots of random fun things during the month of June, i.e. raping Rockwood Park, going to an old person's buffet with McVicar, AND the week of June 19-23. That week had EVERYTHING, lunch @ Cora's with Kelsey on Monday the 19th, the St. Mach's prom party on Tuesday (AMAZING,) Ben's 2nd-grade school play followed by Fat Kids in Hampton on Wednesday, Maria's Grad Party on Thursday, and apparantly Friday sucked, but who cares. And I made it through the first round of Saint John Idol on the 28th.

Relevant news stories: Canadian Finola Hackett finishes 2nd in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and Canada did very well in this competition. On June 2nd, RCMP foil a plan by 17 men to bomb various Toronto landmarks, including the C.N. Tower. And on June 19, the Carolina Hurricanes capture their very first Stanley Cup, against the Edmonton Oilers. HOLLA TO CANADA.

Top songs of the month:
"I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" by Panic at the Disco
"321" by Hedley
"Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira
"Devil In a Midnight Mass" by Billy Talent

Facebook picture of the month: Fat Kids v. 03, June 22, 2006.

JULY 06/
juillet 06/julio 06

Won a gold medal for my age group on Canada Day! And also had a drunken party on Canada Day, that was pretty hot - especially since I got home early - GOOD TIMES! I smashed my face in milk, went official with Katie, and had a lunch date with my mom, all in the first week. July 9th marked the 13th anniversary that my family's lived in our house, and that week Lexy came back from Mexico, and I accidentally drank in front of my priest. Soooo smooth. Many dinners and lunches during this month, it was pretty grand. NOT TO MENTION my performance in Idol which landed me in the Wildcard show, and the amazing Drive-In Movie in Sussex, that was phenomeonal... Straight out of a movie.

Relevant news stories: American space shuttle Discovery launches into space on July 4, and on July 9 Italy wins the FIFA World Cup in Germany, winning against France. (Eff you, Zidane.) On July 11th seven bombs ripped through suburban trains in Mumbai, India, and later Pakistan's spy agency is blamed. Also, Floyd Landis, winner of the Tour de France, tests positive for high levels testosterone, and finally Mel Gibson is infamously pulled over for drunk driving, with plenty of anti-Semetic comments.

Top songs of the month:
"Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace
"Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland

Facebook picture(s) of the month: My famed boardwalk pic from July '06.
Me and Ben at the beach in Grand Bay.

AUGUST 06/
aout 06/agosto 06

A veryyy occupied month, hooooly SMOKES. I kicked off the month with a beach day with Meghan, it was amazing. The first weekend of August was the Landry family reunion in Collette, New Brunswick! (Which is as small as Nicole Ritchie's waistline. Ba-dum-chh.) It's actually in the OUTSKIRTS OF ROGERSVILLE - and if you know Acadian regions of N.B., that is ridonculously small. It was fun though, my brother and I performed and we ate like people on crack. New Brunswick Day in Chipman on the 7th was also great, running the 5K.

The 15th was Acadian Day, which I basically did nothing for - went to Magic Mountain on the 16th though, it was SO AWESOME. The 18th was my last day @ work, and I went to the Kingston farmer's market on the 19th, very cute, as well as attended Kelsey's grand goodbye fiesta. I had a final GCC meeting with Chill and Robin on the 20th, a dinner party with my closest homies on the 21st at Lemongrass and the Ale House, went to New River Beach with the fam on the 22nd, annnd on the 24th I was back in Toronto. (SO EARLY.) Why? To be a Residence Orientation Crew member, the most retarded reason to ever be back early ever, but oh well. Lots of fun frosh activities, such as going to Yuk Yuk's comedy club, seeing sex columnist Josey Voegels, and a Hypnotist Night. Frosh week continued into September, baby.

Relevant news stories: Fidel Castro undergoes surgery at the beginning of the month for his stomach due to intestinal bleeding, and recovers. Two days after, four Canadian soldiers are killed by grenades and bombs in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and two more Canadian soldiers die as of August 9, 2006. Soccer star David Beckham is dropped from his English soccer team, the AIDS conference opens in Toronto, and "Snakes On A Plane" is released on August 20th. On August 24, Pluto is stripped of its planetary status, leaving only 8 planets in our solar system.

Top songs of the month:
"Buttons" by Pussycat Dolls
"Ain't No Other Man" by Christina Aguilera

Facebook picture(s) of the month: Meghan and the mermaid.
In the back of Katie's convertible on the way to Magic Mountain.

SEPTEMBER 06/
septembre 06/septiembre 06

The beginning of September = a time in which I FINALLY WENT TO CANADA'S WONDERLAND!!! HOLLA! It was (swear word here)-ing amazing, I assure you, especially Drop Zone - 3 times in a row - holla. Visited Little Italy with my ethnic friends on the 3rd, and had an interview for Abercrombie on my first day of class. The day after I got the job, it was pretty great - take that, Hollister. That weekend I got another dramatic hangover, oops - but it was worth it. September got quite dull after that, just letting the new semester sink in and starting my new job. The end of September (the final weekend rather) was phenomeonal, with the very first installment of "Adventure Friday" with Dean and Jenee (after seeing the smallest book in the world at the Toronto Library on Spadina & College!) And the 30th I went to the chic Drake Hotel, we were definitely the youngest there... We didn't even get ID'd! YES.

Relevant news stories: On September 4, acclaimed crocodile hunter and animal enthusiast Steve Irwin is stung in the heart by a string off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces his plans to retire within one year, and the incredibly popular film "Borat" stirs up racial controversy on the same day, Sep. 7. On September 13, A school shooting takes place at Montreal's Dawson College, killing one 18-year-old student. Four days later, Eva Avila takes the title of 2006's Canadian Idol... Good for you, Eva. You beat me. On September 30, a highway overpass collapses in Laval, Quebec, killing five people and injuring six others severely.

Top songs of the month:
"Hate Me" by Blue October
"Miss Murder" by AFI
"Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake
"London Bridge" by Fergie

Facebook picture(s) of the month: Glamour bingo on Sep. 1st = very sexy.
From the 1960's photobooth at the chic hotel The Drake.

OCTOBER 06/
octobre 06/octubre 06

I received an excellent care package on the 2nd, a GREAT way to start off this month. And then - THANKSGIVING. Like, you don't understand, the best Thanksgiving ever - I visited the Jane household in Burlington, we went to this farmer's festival, Niagara vinelands, NIAGARA FALLS, and it was justtt BEAUTIFUL. I am so grateful! I began work on my second studio production, (Studio was fun but a bitch.) I went to my first fashion show - it was so cool to be in the audience for that! I did a film shoot with Ash, and after my midterms I started doing open calls at various open calls. I visited Elmer Olsen, and they told me to work out. So, the day after, I started my still-existant weight-training program! On that same day, I visited Nam and I got my contract offer with Sutherland on the 25th, and on the 28th my friend Krystin Hunter had her 19th birthday at MOD Club, that was also phenomeonal. An awesome month apart from the midterms really! Oh, and Halloween on Church, a crazy time as always.

Relevant news stories: A crazed gunman kills 5 girls and injures 7 more before killing himself upon entering an Amish schoolhouse in rural Pennsylvania. Sunday shopping is OK'd in Nova Scotia on October 4th, and YouTube is purchased by Google on October 9th, for a hefty sum of $1.65 billion. On October 11, a small plane crashes into an apartment building in New York City, the pilot being Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. Madonna adopts a child from Malawi the day after, and the week after that Hawaii is declared a disaster zone after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hits the island state.

Top songs of the month:
"Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence
"This Could Be Anywhere In the World" by Alexisonfire
"Red Flag" by Billy Talent
"Talk To Me" by George

Facebook picture(s) of the month: Ash and I at Niagara Falls.
Danielle, myself, Ash and her dad with the Niagara escarpment in the background; taken in Niagara wine country!
My friends Dawn and Amanda with some strawberry people - Halloween 06.

NOVEMBER 06/
novembre 06/noviembre 06

My good homie Anne Jones' 19th birthday debuted the month on November 1st, but hey - let's face it - I was more excited for my own birthday on November 3rd - 19 years old, baby! It was on a Friday - That day was EXCELLENT, hit the gym, Jenee and I went shopping, started drinking at 4PM - then went out to Mink that night, and it ended with Fran's. Best birthday ever. The next week, on the 9th, my group and I executed our final studio genre production of death, "The Shannon Derby Show/Christmas With the Cooks," and it went extremely well. It was hell though, not gonna lie. Up until the 17th, I just worked and went to other agencies for open calls, and on the 17th I needed to come home for a weekend, which I did, it was excellent times. The end of November was basically projects and essays, and final studio productions - not the funnest of times to be honest. But still AOK!

Relevant news stories: November 5th marked the day on which Saddam Hussein to death, and he was later executed on December 30. U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld steps down from his position on the 8th. '60 Minutes' CBS news veteran Ed Bradley dies at the age of 65 of lukemia, and Tomkat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) get married in Italy on the 18th. Finally, on November 24, former KGB Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko dies from nuclear poisoning in a London hospital.

Top songs of the month:
"When We Were Young" by The Killers
"Lips of An Angel" by Hinder

Facebook picture of the month: Jade and I pre-drinking in 'Club 19,' before going out to Mink for my birthday.

DECEMBER 06/
decembre 06/diciembre 06

Hooray for exams! My first exam was on the 5th, Communications Theory, followed by two exams the week after. It was a very difficult period for me, very long and stressful... I just wanted to get it over with. Especially the morning of the 12th, when I was supposed to wake up in time to meet with my friends at 7AM - except I woke up at 7:05AM instead. Exhaustion much? And my flight left on the night of the 16th, and I arrived early on the 17th. We celebrated my mom's birthday that day, then the 20th was Nicole's 20th birthday bash at her house, then my bro's birthday on the 22nd, and finally my dad's on the 23rd. This was of course followed by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and it was a green Christmas. I have since been chilling with friends, working out/running, and LAZING. Which is glooorious. And now it's almost 2007!

Relevant news stories: Felipe Calderon is sworn in as the president of Mexico on December 1st. Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet dies at the age of 91 years old 9 days later. Princess Diana's death in 2007 is found to be an accident by British investigators, and Time magazine names "You" as person of the year - i.e. YouTube and MySpace, where community is extremely important. Miss USA Tara Conner gets a second chance at keeping her title after indulging in alcohol and drugs, and on December 30th Suddam Hussein was hung as a death punishment after his lengthly trial.

Top songs of the month:
"Gunnin'" by Hedley
"Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance

Facebook picture of the month: Chilling with the doorman at Holt Renfrew with Poitevin on my last day in Toronto.

SUMMARY & CREDITS

Top news stories of the year: CTV. You can see all this year's top news stories by clicking on this link.
Top songs of the year: MuchMusic. See them all right here.

Furthermore, these were the top 5 news stories according to CTV:
#5: Dawson College Shooting - September
#4: B.C. Ferry Sinking - March
#3: Mass evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon - July
#2: Canada's mission in Afghanistan - All of 2006
#1: Stephen Harper becomes Prime Minister - January

Thank you so much for reading - it means a lot to me. Take care, and ALL THE BEST FOR 2007! One can only hope it will be as ridonculous as 2006.

Yours, a year older,
Joel

P.S. This entry marks this blog's one-year anniversary! "Joel's Grand Life" is indeed grand!!!

holiday update numéro quatre: thank you Santa!

allright, let's get this bitch done.

december 24th, (Christmas Eve): went for a run at the Irving Nature Park, it was REALLY GREAT. warm and sunny, and at one point during my run I stopped because there was a tree full of birds - but not just any kind of bird - New Brunswick's OFFICIAL bird, the black-capped chickadee!!! YEAH. and they went in my hand!!! it was just... one of those moments.

in the afternoon my dad, Ben and I all went and walked around upper pond, though we could clearly not go skating - it was just really nice, SO QUIET... much unlike T-Dot. and that night all the Vautours came over, (well most of them,) and it was a lovely holiday party.

december 25th, (Christmas Day): woke up way too early due to Ben's waking me up. but it was worth it. I got some pretty great gifts, I am very lucky. like what, you ask?? ahhhh, well a new silver watch, Nautica Voyage, $100 from memere which I spent on a new coat today and still have $65 left to spend, holla. on Christmas Day we visited around, went to church in the morning, and ate to the death. and chilled. and ate. and chilled. um... did i mention I ate??? oh, and of course, family is the most important thing of all, undoubtedly, don't ever forget this!!

december 26th, (Boxing Day.): in New Brunswick, Boxing Day isn't really Boxing Day, as it's illegal for stores to be open on the 26th. so, it's more like "Chill Day" or "Slack Day" or something like that. my friends from abercrombie apparantly had a hard time understanding this, such as katie irvine, who thought I had a mental disorder. but anyway, since I have been eating so much and I plan to debut my modelling career in about 2-3 weeks, I started my nazi fitness program by going out in the freezing cold rain (it wasn't actually freezing rain, who cares) and ran the INP. YEAH. and then I chilled alllllllllll day long, opting to not participate in my parents' trip with Ben to the local bowling alley - I am definitely too cool for this. and then Katie came to visit me, we ended up talking for three hours, very informative, and fun, and excellent. I am happy this happened!

december 27th, (New Brunswick's real shopping day): woke up at 7AM, that's right. and was out the door by 8AM to rape some bargains. basically my bro and my mom and I looked around a bunch of places, and weren't done until 12:30PM, but I didn't find my much-wanted coat. so, later in the afternoon, mom and I went back out east and I got a really nice coat from Old Navy, $35! shit son! sooo I have $65 left, possibly for another coat maybe? I mean... my coat is from Banana Republic, and cost at least $150, right?? right. then I met up with my classic summer-of-05 tradition of tim's dates with Nicole and JF, it was great. last year, JF got me a plush "TB" doll, aka a plush version of the Tuberculosis Virus. I believe this is in my room in TO. Annnd then he gave me another such plush doll, except now it's "Ebola." Toooooo cute eh?

allright, so here I am now. tomorrow is gonna be another run, and some WEIGHT TRAINING, and REASONABLE EATING. back on track!!! gotta be fit! annnd hopefully, if all goes my way, I will be going to dinner with Justine. and maybe even a movie. she is after all my platonic girlfriend, and has been for a very long time. rawr.

finally, a shoutout to all my RTA homies who I have not seen in a while. I love you all, let's get academic in 2007!!! YEAHHH. (let's get academic? ...I should probably be shot)

AND also a shoutout to my Aberfriends. I apologize for a) being off since december 6th, and b) going home for Christmas in New Brunswick, making me c) legally dead in the eyes of Abercrombie. special props go out to Anna, Rena, Allison, Irene, Tyler, Jenny, Elaine, Andrea, Ashley, Katherine, Adam, and many others who I miss the most. (sorry if I didn't write your name, I am so tired, don't shoot me. I miss you too!!!!!)

AAAND a final shoutout to Kelsey, whooo I saw twice today (the 27th) since not seeing herrr in August. Ridonculous, eh???? Sorry Kelsey, I was (and still am) sooo tired upon writing this to begin with. I shall now go and sleep forrrever.

Happy Holidays - P.S. Joel's RIDONCULOUS YEAR-END COMPILATION IS COMING UP SOON. STAY TUNED - IT'S BIG. HUGE. we're talking... Kanye West ego here. very big. click here to see the 2005 compilation, try not to die.

peace,
Joel

not really a holiday update

why, hello.

this is not a holiday update, I'll do that soon or something. but this is MORE IMPORTANT!!!

so, the world actually cares about AIDS/HIV if you haven't noticed. regardless of where you live, what your sexual orientation is, and who your partner(s) is/are, it's important to protect yourself against this disease. MTV has somewhat recently released a series of short features called "Sex Drive," in which various youth from all over the world discuss sex, AIDS, faithfulness, and more.

click on the following countries to view each episode. (don't worry, there are subtitles... even for the African version, though they speak english, they have heavy accents.)

France (notice the baguettes in the backseat - very necessary)

Mexico

Brazil

China

Russia

Africa (a continent, not a country, but oh well)

India

Italy

and there you have it. Merry Christmas, I'm totally going to bed, hope you enjoyed, leave me comments! and thanks to all who have helped me out with my Empty Laptop Fund (facebook my latest note for further details on that one.)

ALMOST 2007!
Joel

holiday update numéro trois: CHRISTMAS EVE!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE, HOLLA!!!

let's recap the past two days :

friday: went for an exciting run! holla. that was nice - school ended halfway for my siblings and my mom, so we all chilled. and my mom and I went out randomly shopping places for the afternoon, it was chill. and then I stayed home last night, wrote a new song, enjoying time with my family. I also did some weights, it was good. oh, and it was Thomas' 17th birthday, though we celebrated on thursday night.

saturday: did some weights while watching Much's very entertaining "2006 Holiday Wrap." the specific show I was watching was "Video On Trial: Totally 80's." SO DAMN AWESOME. especially when they reviewed Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and they reminisced (spelling?) about when M.J. used to be black... and male. And pretended to be interested in women. good times.

I chilled about the house all afternoon. my mom and I got into a huge fight... basically because my laptop got a virus, so she brought it into Staples for me. she then unknowingly signed a consent form so they could "format" my laptop, a.k.a. wipe it clean ... goodbye, all of my pictures, songs, and academic files! and this is where my "Joel's Empty Laptop Fund" comes into play. if you have Facebook, click on this link to find out more. basically if you have any cool songs / pictures / things you know I'd like (and even if you're not sure,) send it over to my hotmail account, y_me10@hotmail.com. that would be a MUCH APPRECIATED Christmas gift!!!

right, and then I went out for a walk around the neighbourhood at about 4:30 in the pouring rain - partly because my dad got mad at me and told me to take a walk for lashing out at my mother - partly because I was on a TOP-SECRET MISSION for my parents' 20th wedding anniversary on January 9th, 2007. it's soooo top-secret I will not even ELABORATE. YEAH.

annnd soooo then was time to eat a ton of food for my Dad's 49th birthday. (we called 97.3 the Wave this morning to announce it on the air,) and it was really great. he had a REALLY good birthday apparantly, as did Thomas, so I am really happy for them both. my house is birthday/food/good times CENTRAL during the holiday season!

and finally, this past evening I met up with the G.C.C., aka my friends hilary and robin. it's kind of a huge inside joke, we lounged, played "Balderdash" and "Mad Gab," ate, and watched some pedophiles on "NBC: Dateline." VERY interesting, though very unfortunate.

and that's it for now! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope you and yours have a fantastic Christmas, filled with family, joy, food, and LIQUOR. Ho Ho Hollaaa!!!

yours,
Joel

P.S. - a special thank you to the following people who have already donated to the "Empty Laptop Fund."

-Shasha Nakhai
-Irene Phan
-Jenn Taylor
-Nathalie Perreault

THANK YOU!

holiday update numéro deux: out every night!

hollaaa! It's December 21st, 2006. and I will continue my holiday updates and such until January 7/8/9, whenever I leave Saint John.

so I last updated on sunday night, right after I saw "Casino Royale," which was fucking awesome. let me recount what has happened since then.

monday: slept in harrrdcore, still recovering from mild jetlag. it was cool. I had a very chill day, and I met up with Justine that night. we drove everywhere before finally deciding to go to Jungle Jim's, and then we picked up katie after and chilled at the playground. it was a snowy/festive hangout.

tuesday: much of the same slacking, very exciting during the day. I did dishes and went for a run, but not in that order. and that night I went with J.F. to visit danielle's apartment, including her two cats 'Rambo' and 'Mo.' (cats grow SO FAST.) it was sooo nice to catch up with two of my closest friends. however = cats = NEVER AGAIN.

not only was I sneezing like a mofo at her apartment, but TERROR STRUCK in the middle of the night. I woke up shortly after falling asleep, only to feel my lips feel REALLY weird. and so I looked in the mirror, and I looked like a BLOWFISH. or an African-American woman, because my lips were HUGE. like... I looked... deformed. It was horrible. it took 12 hours to go away, had it gotten any worse I would be going to the hospital. but luckily it subsided... what a foolish allergic reaction eh?? anyway, moving on from this traumatising incident.

wednedsay: chilled around the house, hid from anything public before my lips looked normal again. and did dishes, as per usual. annnd then my mom came home, and we went out to McAllister Place to do some various shopping-related activities, such as browsing, conversing, walking, and purchasing.

then it was time to go to Nicole's CRUNK 20th birthday party! it was GREAT. I had a bunch of Coronas (WHICH INVOLVED ME BUYING FROM THE N.B. LIQUOR STORE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!) and I had a cruuunk time. lots of random shit - sorry, stuff - and I ended up sleeping over there. and when I woke up, it was

thursday: not even hungover (surprisingly enough) I chatted with nicole and some remaining guests, as a few of the guests cleaned, (not me.) Nicole eventually drove me home, I was back by noon. I decorated the kitchen for Tom's and Dad's birthday celebration. Tom's birthday is the 22nd, but we celebrated it tonight because he's doing something cooler than family on his actual birthday.

so I chilled all day, worked out, and then celebrated my brother's birthday... except he got KFC, which is cruel as fuck, and I wouldn't eat that if I was paid to. and then I went to the SJHS cabaret tonight, it was nice!!! Robin Hebb was my date, it was fun times - except I'm much too old for high school, it was still cool.

and so now I am chilling - my weekend plans are zippo basically, the way I want it, I will do what I want when I want it. YEAH. and so before I leave, enjoy these holiday goodies.

first, do you like Manatees? as in, the marine animals? oh baby, you sure will now, rawwrrr.

an oldie, but a goodie - the Foo Fighter's "Learn To Fly," one of the funniest music videos OF ALL TIME. and such a good song as well.

and finally, if you've not yet seen this festive holiday idea from Justin Timberlake and Andy What's-His-Face from SNL ... YOU ARE MISSING OUT.

yours,
Joel

holiday update numéro un: HOME AT LAST

yesssssss, it's true, I am home! holla!!! let's resume the past couple of days :

thursday : a full day of review of Español 301, a.k.a. Spanish... joy joy joy. fun day that was. I don't know if I did anything interesting that day... oh well! it's over now.

friday : woke up at 6:30, just to study, what a good boy I am. made it through my oral and written exam - my written exam I kind of didn't care about, I just wanted to be DONE. YEAH. and now I am! friday afternoon was the gym, and then chilling until I went to dinner with my friend Sana. lovely. I then purchased some wine, and in a bit I was down on Queen's Quay right in downtown Toronto, in front of Lake Ontario at my friend Ashley Michaud's condo. good tiiimes... except for when I dropped my wine bottle like a tool - oh well!!! then we went to "Privelege" for Fitchin' Friday, it was very fun. this girl from my work got really sick, so I took care of her, she looked like she was going to the Oscars, sooo beautiful. but right you are, then I chilled at the club afterwards, it was fun. went to bed laaaaaaate.

saturday: woke up and packed my bags in time for noon, just as I had planned. took a taxi to Ashley Poitevin's charming apartment, and met her friend Laura. so nice, we went to Yorkville for the day, going on a photographic adventure as we went. it was really a fun time; got an amazing sandwich from "Boulangerie de Montréal," this classy bakery place, saw the burnt-down Sassafraz, went to american apparel and H&M, saw some cracked-up shit from "The Bay," so on and so forth. GREAT afternoon. then at 6:30 took the taxi, to the shuttle, to the airport, which then let to home. kind of a long flight, but the people behind me were from Korea and had been flying/transferring for 22 hours. but yeah, I landed at 12:30AM... which brings us to

sunday: today I : -was woken up early by a very excited little brother
-went to St. Rose church, as per Sunday morning tradition
-picked out the family tree @ the Slave Patch, and talked to my awesome ex-manager Neil, such a good guy
-wrapped a ton of presents all afternoon
-celebrated my mom's (belated-by-one-day) 48th birthday with my mémère, who made the best beef stew of my life, SO ACADIAN! THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE! and my mom made meat pie as well - think the Acadian version of Québec's "tourtière," enjoyed by my family with molasses... it's holiday tradish.
-decorated the tree with Ben
-went out to see "Casino Royale" with mare, leesh and jim - GOOD MOVIE, GOOD TIMES. aka, HOT TIMES.

and now I am exhausted, and going to bed, and sleeping in forever. and re-starting my nazi workout regime in the morning. HOLLA.

yours,
Joel

P.S. Eva Green = Hollywood's new hottie.

T-Minus 2 days to go

Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooly smokes

This is ridonculous

It seems everyone is leaving today, or left yesterday, or are leaving tomorrow. Annnd I still have exam to do, tomorrow morning. Well really, it's two exams in one = hooray. 10:30AM = oral exam. 11:30 = written exam. aaaaaah shat.

however, when I'm done that, I am DONE. YES. and then I will chill all afternoon, possibly pack, and then probably end up going to Fitchin' Friday. (confused? many people seem to be about this concept - let's review. Fitchin' Friday = contains the word "Fitch," the second half of "Abercrombie & Fitch" = I work at A&F = voila.

and then saturday I must be out of my building by noon, I'm going to Ashley Poitevin's house for the day, until 6:30 rolls around, then I hop on the shuttle to the airport, wait around, board, fly, and LAND. and then it's ridonculousness from there on in.

sigh - I wish I had a fast-forward button on my life, I am dreading tomorrow. almost there.

yours,
Joel

T-Minus 5 days until New Brunswick

Happy Holidays to all,

Two weeks from today is Christmas Day! Aren't you so excited? I know I am. I am starting with the Christmas music, though I have to listen online to the dreadful EZ Rock 97.3 to get it.

So, I'm assuming all of you have already written and sent your letter to Santa!!! HOWEVER - if you have not, because you were too busy with exams or for whatever reason - THERE IS STILL TIME. I know I actually neglected to send in my list for this year, but NOT TO WORRY!!! Click right here on this link to send off your list, it's quite fun really.

Anyway - 8AM English Exam tomorrow morning at the MTCC (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, down by Front Street) ... GROSS. NOT LOOKING FORWARD. this week is going to SUCK quite a lot, not gonna lie.

ALMOST THERE...
Joel

I am a professional foodie

yes, it's so true... and I am kind of intoxicated as I write this, so grammatical and syntax errors may be excused.

so, at 2:46AM, what's better than the friday five?

/./././

1. If you could, would you be a movie star or a rock star? Which one, and why?

Both, there is simply no dispute.

2. Have you ever been in the media (TV, radio, papers)?

UMMMM double-check my university program, then get back to me, Friday Five. Do you know nothing about me??? I AM THE MEDIA.

3. Do you know anyone who's been on a reality TV show?

No, no I don't. I know people who have been in music videos, models, singers with record deals, people with their Master's Degrees, PhD's, so on and so on... But no reality TV apperances. I auditioned for Canadian Idol, does that count??? I'm beginning to think your expectations of me are too high, Friday Five, I don't know how to feel around you anymore.

4. Have you ever met anyone famous?

Physically met : Colin Mocherie and Hannah Sung!!! And I've seen in person some of the following people in person :

-Bono;

-Zach Braff;

-Liam Neeson;

-Lloyd Robertson;

-Rachel Bilson;

-Eva Longoria;

-Ben Mulroney (I sat beside him.)

5. Who would play you in a movie?

Well, adult me = Jude Law.

Late teen me = Daniel Radcliffe, (is that the Harry Potter actor?)

Early teen me = Someone awkward and chunky

Child me = McCauley Culkin, about 10 years ago.

/./././

also, please watch out for THESE PIGEONS. this is what it's like to walk in King's Square in uptown Saint John.

then, please chuckle at the following newscasters' misfortunes with grilling misunderstandings.

annnnnnd finally, this weatherman needs to be a tad more manly... you know. just a tad.

/././././

allright, and now before I go to bed, here are a few shots off of the "you know you're a maritimer when..." group off of facebook. the maritimes produce some pretty ridonculously good photographers, folks... (not just me.)

Maritime pavillion, unspecified location.
Peggy's Cove, N.S.Downtown Halifax, N.S.

Sunset in Nova Scotia.

Downtown Fredericton, capital of New Brunswick.

Cabot Trail, in what I believe is Cape Breton, N.S.

Some random sunset in N.B. or N.S., or maybe even P.E.I., I forget. SO pretty though eh?

NEEDING TO GO TO BED DESPERATELY and somewhat screwed for exams except not really and really eager to clear up his face through the magic of medications,

Joel who loves Pad Thai

P.S. One last thing = let us pray for the new twin boys of Diana Krall and Elvis Costello. Just pray hard... Their names??? Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James. Good luck in life, boys, good luck in life.

GO WWF!

http://wwf.ca/HowYouCanHelp/SaveOurClimate/

at least sign the petition, you muthafucka.

secondly, do you idolize pop stars? you won't after this, brotha.
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/2006/11/create-a-pop-star.html

annnnd thirdly -

check out the Freemasons' latest single, "Love Rain Down." SO DAMN GOOD. these are real popstars.
http://contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/webpages/freemasonsx23x11x06

back to studying for tomorrow's first exam!

0/3 exams,
Joel

exam studying procrastination fun

ummm studying for Communications Theory orrrr posting on my blog...umm...

OK! so here's the late version of this week's Friday Five.

1. What are you most thankful for?

My family, my education and my friends.

2. Think back one year, have the things you are thankful for changed?

Not especially - though I have gained some friends, and lost a few.

3. What did you feast on yesterday?

What the hell? Feast on??? Do I look like a fatpants to you? ...Because at heart, I truly am a fatpants, you're right. Last night I had Veggie Rolls @ Spring Rolls with my Aberfriends, and then I had Pad Thai later on (AND mango sticky rice) from The One with ash! So I actually did feast - on Pad Thai - fave food of my LIFEEEEEEEE.

4. This time of year is filled with parties, gifts, friends, and family, what are you looking forward to the most?

Everything. I miss home so much!!

5. Christmas is coming up, what if anything do you want for it?

Chill with my family, and do all of our regular traditions together. Also, classy (or not so classy) parties with friends are completely necessary.

/ / /

yeah, and so that's all for now. I feel badly if I write anything more, I should STUDY like a good boy.

yours
Joooel

only 2 weeks: work it out, work it out!!

so, allright. I've switched to blogger beta, if that means anything to you.

I also have been given a virus via MSN yesterday - my friend sent me a message saying "check :P," followed by some link pertaining to modelling, I thought it would be an article or something... MOTHERFUCKING SURPRISE. aaaaaaaah, fuck.

I am just posting that to warn you.

I need to study for my first exam, Communication theory on Tuesday. ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

spazzing
Joel