Wow, Tae Kwon Do is hard!

I just got back from my first Tae Kwon Do class. It was a lot more difficult than I expected! I think I need to practice quite a bit before my next class. I especially need to work on kicking with my left leg, not so good at hitting the target with my left leg. I hope I will improve. I am hoping to be able to get my yellow belt at some point. That would be a nice accomplishment.

Dinner with the Russians turned out to be dinner with the Russian. Only one of the two guys could come. He was a very interesting guy with a good sense of humour as well. And his accent was awesome! It was so nice just to listen to him. I was surprised at how good his english was as well. I think my brother wants to be his new best friend because he has two BMW's. Why is it that foreign students always drive the nicest cars? How can they afford it? Especially since they have to pay triple the tuition? I guess most of them come from well-off familites. The Russian's dad works for the Russian government in the space organization. I'm sure he is quite wealthy. Anyways, dinner with the Russian was fun, I think we're going to try to have him over again sometime when his friend can come too. He was very appreciative of a home-cooked meal because he never cooks for himself. He says he's too busy saving the world to cook. He started a global organization to save the world from global catastrope through science. He's quite passionate about it actually. Interesting...

Tae Kwon Do and dinner with Russians.

As my title would suggest, I have decided that I will take that Tae Kwon Do class I was talking about a little while ago. I have registered for it and the first class is on Monday. I am taking it with two girls at work. I think it will be a good opportunity for me to do something I've always wanted to do (martial arts) and I will be able to make some friends as well. And it never hurts to know a little self defense, especially in this violent world.

Also, my family is having dinner with two Russian gentlemen tomorrow night. However, I have never met or spoken to either one of them. They are two of my mom's former students (she teaches at Trent University). I guess they really enjoyed her course and have been keeping in touch with her since it ended. So, she invited them over for dinner tomorrow. Apparently one of them is really into global issues like global warming, etc. and has started a student organization about it. It should be an interesting evening anyway. And, I think listening to guys with accents is always good. Especially if they are cute! I am looking forward to it! Break out the vodka!!! Oh, well, better not get too carried away because after all, my parents will be there too. And this other girl who is going on a mission trip to Russia in a few weeks. She wanted to learn a little about Russia from people who are from there. I hope it goes well! I am really looking forward to meeting them.

I just got back from a screamo/death metal concert!

Yes, that's right, I attended a screamo/death metal concert this evening. The main band playing was Forty Day Frenzy and the first opening band was Moments Fail and the second opening band was The Kidney Stones. It was realllllly good. But, of course I'm biased since I am related to one of the band members and two of the members of the second opening band. My brother, Thomas, is the bass player for Forty Day Frenzy and he also played bass for The Kidney Stones (their main bass player couldn't make it tonight). My other brother, Alex, is the lead singer/guitarist for The Kidney Stones. It was one of those concerts where you can't understand what they're screaming, but it was really well done. I was afraid that they may not get a good turnout (because the weather wasn't the greatest), but there were probably about a hundred people there. Not bad for their debut concert! I bought my ticket at least a month ago. I even bought a poster at he concert and the band members signed it. It may be worth big bucks someday!

Anyways, I had an awesome time. Who knew my brothers were so talented?!?! Why did they get all the music talent genes? Why didn't I get any of those?

Mortgage Talk...

I just got back from the bank. I wanted to meet with the mortgage specialist to see how much of a mortgage I would qualify for. It all started with me thinking about what I am going to do with Zeke (my car) when his lease is up in May. Since I would like to buy a house in about a year or so, I wanted to find out how much of a mortgage I would qualify for with 2 different scenarios: buying Zeke in may or getting a new car. Well, as I imagined, I qualify for a higher morgage if I buy Zeke and have him completely paid for when I buy a house. So, that makes my decision a whole lot easier. I will buy Zeke in May and have him completely paid off (I'm hoping it will only take me a year to pay him off), then I will buy a house. Exciting stuff! Of course it would be a lot easier if I were married and had two incomes to go towards a mortgage, but I think I should be able to get something quite nice on my own.

The plan is to buy a starter home that is either a duplex or can be made into one (because my Dad is a carpenter, he can do that for me). Then, I can rent out half my house, and have the rental income pay the mortgage! That's my plan anyways!

I got a raise, baby!

Woohoo! As of midnight tonight, my raise willbe official (that's when my paycheck is deposited into my account). I'm not sure how much it will be for, but I will find out tomorrow. I have a number in my head that I am hoping for, so I would be totally psyched if my raise pushes me to that level. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Two girls at work that are around my age (one is 22 and the other is 26) have asked me if I would be interested in taking a TaeKwonDo class with them. I am seriously considering it. I think it would be fun. I have always wanted to try a martial art and I think it would be even more fun if I had two people that I know in the class. And it would give me the opportunity to get to know them better. Since I don't really have many friends in town, it's about time I made some!

Today, it was on of my co-worker's birthday. One of the girls at work came in early and covered every square inch of his desk, computer, wall, shelf, etc. with post-it notes! It was funny! Then, he took most of them down and when he was out for lunch, she put them all back again. The only problem is that her birthday is next month, so I can't wait to see what kind of revenge he will get with her office.

Other than that, not too much new here. Just working hard, still loving my job. I can't believe I've been there for 8 months already. It's gone by so fast! I really enjoy it there. But, I could talk about how much I love my job all day. I'm sure that would just bore you though, so I won't.

I'm off to Newfoundland! Woohoo!

My mom is going to a conference for one week at the end of May in St. John's, Newfoundland. My dad and I are going to go with her since we will have a free hotel room (her employer is paying for that). All I have to pay for is my flight, meals, and sightseeing/souveniers. And, JetsGo has a seat sale on, so I was able to get my return trip flight for a total cost of $280. Not too shabby! I'm quite pleased! I thought it might be hard to get the time off, but my boss was in a super great mood today. I was able to get the time off with no problem. Sweet! I am totally excited now! I just booked my plane tickets, so it's official now. I'm off to St. John's at the end of May. I had no idea just how far it actually is; Halifax is only two thirds of the way there! I have been to the east coast before (New Brunswick), but that was 9 years ago. So, it's about time I go again! And, I've never been to Newfoundland.

As soon as we get there, mom has two days free (this is because the cheap flights were only on certain days). So, we are going to head up to Terra Nova National Park for the first 2 days. Then, it's back to St. John's because that's where my mom's conference is. So, for the next three days, mom will be off doing her conference stuff and Dad and I will be in some pub drinking or off on some boat doing some whale watching or whatever. I think I will have to try lobster as well. I've never had it. Anyways, I'm sure I will have a great time. I'm excited :)

In other news, I got my Oakleys back. They have new frames and look very nice. I wish I had sent them in earlier to be fixed. Whole new frames for $29 and I got them back less than a week after I sent them. I am impressed! Finally, a company that is competent! Yay!

Off to visit lj!

woohoo! I'm excited about going to lj's place for a visit. I think that the exaggerator and mm are coming too, so it should be awesome!

Hey, I have some good news. About a year ago, the frames for my Oakley sunglasses broke. After a year of the broken glasses sitting in my desk, I dug them out, dusted them off and phoned Oakley to see if they could repair them. Turns out I can get new frames for only $29! Score! I am going to send them off tomorrow and hopefully soon I will get them back - in one piece instead of two!

Other than that, nothing new to report at this time.

Still just hanging out.

I am on my holidays still. I had to work between Christmas and New Years, so I took a few vacation days now so that I would get a bit of a break. I go back to work on Thursday. I haven't really been doing too much. Just cleaning up, excercising etc.

My mom started The South Beach Diet and I decided to start as well. I figured I needed to try something else because I have been keeping track of my weight watchers points for about 6 months and haven't lost a ounce. So, it was time to try something new. I have only been on the South Beach Diet for 4 days and I have lost 2.5 pounds. Only 12.5 more to go! I am one of the most skeptical people in the world when it comes to diets, so I really did my research before I started this one. It is really healthy and it's working so far. It works in three phases. I am in Phase 1 right now and it is the hardest one, thank goodness it only lasts 2 weeks! You basically cut out all carbs and sugars for the first two weeks and then slowly introduce them back into your diet (but only the good, healthy carbs). The trick with the first phase is it gets rid of your hunger and cravings. It is amazing! I usually have a massive appetite, but I have been eating a lot less by just eating the right things. The whole basis for the SB Diet is to eat foods that have a low Glycemic Index, thereby keeping your blood sugar level low and reducing cravings. Anyways, that's enough about that. I will have to keep you posted on whether it works or not because, who knows, it may not work out. But, so far so good. And the best part is: you don't have to keep track of what you eat! That's one of the things I didn't like about Weight Watchers. Who has time for that? And the SB Diet is completey free, which is another big bonus!

As for my New Year's resolutions, I have been pretty good at keeping my resolutions the last few years, so I hope I will do alright keeping up with mine this year.

1) Lose 15 pounds (hence the South Beach Diet)
2) Keep up with exercising (I have been going to the gym on average 3-4 times a week, so I just need to keep that up).
3) Keep up with my daily devotions. (In 2004, I read the entire Bible, it was hard, but I did it! So, this year, to keep it a bit lighter, I borrowed a daily devotional book from my mom so I could get deeper into the Word and try to learn more. That is one part of my life I have kind of let slide in the last few years. I want to get back into it because at the end of the day, it's all that matters.)

Well, I'm off to get a haircut and high-lites. I hope it looks good! I'm sure it will, I totally trust my hairdresser.