Finished!

I am all done the cleanse now, Wednesday was my last day. I was just...done. I ran out of supplements too, so it just made sense. I'm going to be careful with what I eat, try to keep it down to two cheat days a week and remain on the regular eating pattern the rest of the week. Hopefully I can keep it up.
School is done! I'm looking forward to this summer, lots of fun stuff coming up. Janice and I are going to try and go for a run tonight...I'm not really holding out hope that will materialize. We are excited because in two weeks we will be in Vancouver for a girls weekend with Meg! We decided last night that we would both take a half work day on the Friday so we can catch the 2pm ferry and start the fun early! I'm really excited! I get to meet Sean's girlfriend that weekend too, which will be nice.
I am in Vernon for the May long weekend again this year. I think I spend every May Long there. I hope its hot, I could really use a tan and I'd love to lie out in the sun.
It's my parents 30th anniversary this year...wow. It feels like I just threw them their surprise 25th wedding anniversary party, hard to believe its been 30 years! Wait, that makes me...never mind. My birthday will be celebrated this year, just not sure how yet. Maybe some ziplining with friends?
I have friends coming down this weekend from Nanaimo. I'm excited because i've known them for over 10years and we only see each other twice a year at the most. Her girls are amazing and beautiful and I love spending time with them. Its hard to see them as teenagers when I used to baby-sit them when they were toddlers! Again I'm aging myself.
Jyo's wedding will be the big event this summer and I'm currently planning her stagette. I've never been to one before, let alone plan one, but I'm going to make sure she has a great time!
The weather here in Vic needs to warm up. The sun is great but the breeze is still really cool and I really want some hot weather that warrants drinking mararitas on a patio somewhere. Here's hoping it warms up soon.

And so it continues...

Hello, yes I am still on the Candida Cleanse-day 33. I figured...why not? I made it this far, surely I can go a little longer. Yes and no. It's a struggle as I am starting to tire of eating the same, plain diet day after day. I would love to have two slices of toast in the morning, yet I'm full with only one. I'd love to have a slice of cake at work, but then when I run in the evening I'm really glad I didn't. It's so up and down right now. I was going to end tomorrow, seeing as it is Jan's birthday...but now I'm thinking another week wouldn't kill me. I keep reading testimonials of other cleansers to motivate me. Some people have been on this cleanse for 3 months! I couldn't imagine. I don't want it to take that long for me. I do want to pass the spit test with flying colours and I didn't last week...there was some cloudiness and that concerns me. I watn to be 100% sure because I never want to do this again.
Thankfully Riley helps keep me distracted. He came limping home Saturday morning and his poor leg was swollen to 4x its size. I immediately took him to the vet hospital (9am Sat morning...) but they couldn't find any wound and figured that his shoulder received trauma of some kind. They gave him a shot of antibiotics and sent us home with antibiotics as well. Riley pretty much slept for 96 hours straight! He could get on the couch, but he couldnt get off, so I was picking him up (gently) and putting him down. He was in so much pain. The first day he didnt even want me to sit next to him. By Sunday afternoon he came and sat on me and on Monday he was running around and only limping a little bit. I let him out last night as his leg was back to normal size. I am still going to pump antibiotics into him for the next couple of days. I have lots of pills but I am going to save some for the next owie he gets, maybe save myself a vet bill. Randi told me to look into pet insurance and with Riley...it's not a bad idea!

Last Day!

Today is the last 'official' day of my cleanse. I put that in brackets because I am going to continue taking the supplements for another 4 weeks. I am also going to try and maintain 4-5 sugar free days/week. I can't believe that it's over. I remember starting it and feeling skeptical and unsure of whether or not I would last 4 weeks. I also thought the first week would be the hardest but actually the third week was the hardest. Surprisingly, most people were supportive of me. I've had a few people look at me like I'm trying to starve myself but that isn't it at all. It's NOT a diet, its a cleanse and I certainly didn't starve. I didn't do this cleanse to lose weight, as that is not the point of it. I just cleaned out all the toxins in my system and what a difference! Here are a few of the changes I have noticed:
-no more troubles sleeping
-improved energy
-I'm always happy/positive
-no more headaches
-no more numb hands/feet
-good skin
-things taste different (better)
-clear thoughts (no more 'fuzzy' confusion)
-my concentration has improved (no more ADD ;) )
Thanks to my mom for recommending this cleanse to me (and for being so supportive) and thanks to dad for trying to torture me by emailing me whenever he was making cookies! lol

Week #4-day 24

4 days left! I'm excited but I also feel really great! I just realized I don't have troubles sleeping anymore and I've only gotten one headache in the past month (probably because I am sleeping). I feel energized, I lost 5lbs and I'm really happy I did this cleanse. I was considering extending it but I think Friday will be the last day. I do plan on watching what I eat and taking it easy for the first week off this cleanse. I do not plan to overindulge, but I won't be extreme with my restrictions anymore either. I'm considerably more aware of the foods I consume, more importantly what is in them. It's amazing how much processed sugar is slipped into our food and I've learned to make wise choices at restaurants. I think the best thing I've learned is how to NOT be lazy when it comes to food. If I come home later, there is not stopping at Wendy's!! Instead, I come home and make a salad or burger but I do not eat fast food! It's very important to stay away from that poison. Also, I've learned healthy alternatives to starchy/snack foods. Yams are way better than potatoes, almonds are better than chips and stay away from pop and juice! Fruit is also loaded with sugar, so everything in moderation.

My grandmother sent me a care package (she rocks) and included was a bag of pancake mix...love her to pieces! That will be my first breakfast off the cleanse! yummy, I've craved pancakes this entire time. I would rather eat them than cake!
I'm really glad I did this cleanse and I would recommend it to anyone.

Day 20

The end is in sight! I have to say that week 3 is the hardest but I'm past it now. I'm fine at home and at work but when I'm at someone's house it's hard to watch them eat whatever. Easter weekend was tough but I feel really good now. I might stay on it for 6 weeks, its my debate right now...

Janice's birthday is coming up at the end of this month and she wants me to drink some wine with her, which I would love to do but...I could do without. It's funny, I don't miss wine, tea or pasta-staples I lived off before this cleanse (except for the wine). I do miss cake and today I wanted mini-wheats but I still want pancakes more than anything! Anyway, we are thinking of going kayaking for Janice's birthday. I think we need to stop NOT wanting our birthdays and start celebrating them again but doing different, fun things together. So we are working on it.

I had my last day of classes today-thank GOD. I am so done with school right now, I really need summer to begin. April bring us some heat please!

Week #3/Easter

Okay, I'm done now. Seriously, I am so tired of eating the same things over and over again. I am also tired of watching people eat cake and cookies, I really want to eat cake and cookies too! I will admit that I sleep really well these days but its not enough for me to stay on this. I am more conscious about what I eat and what ingredients are in stuff, but I really miss eating 'normal' food. Two more weeks and counting.

Sean just left an hour ago. He came over to have Easter dinner with GG and myself, which was really nice. What I wasn't counting on was the power outage. We had a terrible storm Thursday night and around noon on Friday I lost power. A lot of people all over the island lost power. It was terrible. Whatever do you do without power? no internet, no lights, no nothing. Within 3 hours I was freezing cold and my laptop battery was running low. So I went down to my cousin's place because they still had power. They are out of town but I have a key and she knew I was going there. I ran into my GG and ended up taking him to his hair appointment and then he took me out for dinner. I got home around 7 and there still wasn't any power. So I called the radio station (how else was I to get information?) and they said no power until Sunday. So I packed up food and clothes as quickly as I could (it was getting dark) and headed back to Jan's house to spend the night. Thank goodness they had power.

Sean arrived on Sat and it was a gorgeous day. I had power again just after 1pm, but by that time I had moved all the food for the dinner to Jan's house and so we just stayed there for the night. The dinner was very nice. On Sunday GG took us out for breakfast at A&W (I watched them eat) and then Sean helped me move everything back to my place. We chilled for a bit and then went to the movie "How to Train your Dragon 3D" and it was INCREDIBLE. I really want to go again, it was a great movie. We watched "The Hurt Locker" the night before and it was pretty good too. Now I'm cleaning sheets at Jan's house and trying to get motivated enough to write an essay. I also have to create an outline for a test I have on Thursday. I cannot wait until school is over. But it was a pretty good Easter weekend, I'm really glad Sean came down because we had so much fun.

Day 12

Okay, so almost at the 3 week mark and I'm feeling great. I have been sleeping well, my skin is nice and I've lost 3.5lbs. I'm really into the routine of it all now and I'm starting to change things up. Yes, I can only eat certain things, but I'm learning how to make them interesting, thanks to my friends on the Food Network (Michael Smith). Last night I made a burger and wrapped it in lettuce, it was so delicious! I'm allowed 5oz of cheese, so I melted it on top with mushrooms, divine. I have another one for lunch today, I'm a little bored with the salads but I have to eat them everyday, so dinner will be a salad with salmon on top. I love all the veggies though, no problems consuming them.

There were 2 cakes at work yesterday and I didnt even want them. I pretty much never eat cake anymore at work, we have them so often and its unecessary calories. Even before this cleanse I refused cake. I don't know what I'm going to do about my birthday, especially if I try to stick to the 5 sugar free days a week...

Week #1-Complete

Well, I survived. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The evenings are definitely the worst, when I'm used to snacking on whatever I want. I lost 2.5lbs and I feel pretty good. I did crash Wednesday night, for 3 hours I was very moody and I hated the diet and all the food and I just ended up going to bed early and renting a movie off iTunes. But I was fine the next day. I've learned how cheap and delicious things like yams, sweet potatoes (yes, two different things) and squash are. They don't even need anything except cinnamon for flavour, but I'd sure love it if I could have margarine. I'm allowed butter, but I don't have any because I dont like it. I was raised on margarine and its margarine I want. I have been tracking my calories on an application on my iTouch and I'm allowed up to 1,600 calories a day but I'm lucky if I get 1,000 and I only hit that because I eat pure almond butter everyday. I'm only allowed 2tblsp but its so delicious. I never have to eat peanut butter again, this is so much better tasting and better for you. It's my dessert every night now. Today is the first day of week 2 and I'm allowed one portion of grains or one portion of fruit a day. I already had mine, a piece of whole wheat rye bread with almond butter on it. Tomorrow I can have a cup of strawberries or raspberries or half an apple. It's Georgia's birthday, so when everyone is eating cake, I will have some fruit and plain yogurt. And I don't think I will even mind.

I didn't run at all (except for the short run on Sunday) but I did do some exercises and I'm hoping to run today or else start fresh again tomorrow. Next weekend is the long Easter weekend and I'm cooking dinner for my brother and our 92 year old Great Grandfather. It should be really fun and the only hard part will be dessert. I will have my almond butter and maybe raspberries and I think I will serve them chocolate cake. 3 more weeks and counting!

Day 4

Well, I'm on day 4 of the cleanse and I'm doing pretty good. I decided to start on Saturday, that way I will finish the program on a Friday and celebrate on a weekend (I won't binge). I had a splitting headache for the first day and a half (die-off) but since then I've been just fine. Now that I know I am ok with everything, I put in a second order for the rest of the supplies, which will arrive tomorrow.

I have never seen my fridge so full of food! Yogurt (plain), pellegrino and every veggie you can think of. It's crazy. I find my food very plain but then I discovered I can eat salsa. I eat it with my eggs (way better than ketchup) and with the meatballs I had last night. I love yams, they beat potatos any day! They are like a hidden treasure. Unfortunately, I get full a lot faster on this stuff and last night I couldnt even eat my yam and it was only 1/4 portion. Lunch is my favourite meal of the day because I make a gigantic salad of romain, spinach, and lots of different veggies including avocado and for a dressing I use freshly squeezed lemon juice. I usually put canned chicken, salmon or tuna on the salad-heaps! I bought 5oz cans of V8 (reduced sodium) and I usually hate V8 but at this size it was easy to chug. I eat almonds, pickles or celery with peanut butter on them as a snack and things are good. Dinner is usually chicken or pork chops with a portion of yam and lots of steamed veggies (broccoli, beans, mushrooms, carrots, etc).

I had cravings for cheese buns and cookies the first 3 days but none today. I drink so much water, 8-10 glasses a day and the biggest pain so far is that I have to pee every 10mins, its ridiculous! But oh well, it will be worth it in the end.

A different kind of run

Yesterday was a gorgeous spring day, so I decided to go for a run. I always run the same route, Galloping Goose in Colwood. It's a great path and there is even a place for me to park my car. Anway, I decided to go in a different direction than normal, since I'm not runing for time I didnt think it would matter to hit the lights that come with the other direction. So I took off down the hill and up ahead of me was a cop car, two cops and plenty of yellow tape. Uh-oh, I assumed some kids had gone joyriding and had crashed their car into the ditch. Not even close. The cop stopped me and said that they were doing an investigation in light of the recent event. I didn't know what he was talking about and when he asked "didn't you hear about it on the news?" I shook my head. I never watch the news, I always read it online and never on the weekends. Anyway, he told me they had found a body in the creek by the bridge and they didnt know if it was a suicide, natural causes or murder and wouldn't classify it until they got the coroner's results. At this, I stopped the clock on my NikePlus. He then asked me a bunch of questions such as "how often do you run here, when was the last time you ran across this bridge, have you noticed anything suspicious lately, etc." Of course the day I decide to run the bridge route! I told him I hadn't as I just started running again recently and always in the opposite direction of the bridge. He was really nice and took my information and then told me I could proceed across the bridge ( I saw on the other side there was another cop car and cops). I told him I would rather not and he smiled and said it was 'perfectly fine,' but it was anything but. I told him I would stick to my normal route (and find a new one ASAP). Anyway, needless to say I had a shitty run.

When I got home later that night, I called Jan to tell her and she freaked out because Colin said it was a 20 year old female (BS as the age has not been identified as anything but 'young'). She told me that from now on when I run, I should text them before and after. It sounds rather extreme to me and uneccessary as I always run in the day and there are plenty of people around. However, for the next little bit I will run closer to home.

I looked up the news online late last night and the papers are eager to call it a 'homicide.' I dont know if that is truth and the policeman didn't want to freak me out or if they are just assuming it. It was a young women's body but nothing more has been said.

This afternoon I went on facebook and noticed a Victoria friend of mine had joined a club about a missing girl. The date caught my eye because it was within the time period. I clicked on the link for more information and an 18 year old girl from Colwood has been missing since the 18th. I feel completely sick about it and I really, truly hope the body is not this girl. I guess in the end its someone's daughter or friend or sister. I hope they find whoever did it so the family can have some closure. I know a few girls through friends who are missing right now, it's so very sad.

*Update: The missing girl has been identified as the one I mentioned above. I removed her name so that I would not offend anyone. My deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Eliminating the sugar bug

For the past few months I have been working up the courage and mentality to attempt a ‘sugar cleanse.’ I eat (and enjoy) sugar as much as everyone, but it’s not the treats I am worried about. It’s the everyday processed sugars found in the food we eat, such as bread, pasta and condiments. Even fruit is loaded with sugar and I love fruit! However, I love my body more and it’s not happy with me. I’ve struggled with many personal health problems over the past year and I have confidence that this cleanse will cure a lot of these issues. So, starting Sunday, I will be killing the sugar bug. It’s called Candida and you can research it if you haven’t heard of it before. I’m not going to go into great detail on what it is, but to give you an overview; it’s going cold-turkey without sugar. Eventually the program works sugar back into your diet, but naturally (eg. a piece of fruit) and with the assistance of herbal supplements to help rid the body of the ‘sugar bug’ that lives inside of you. I am not an organic freak; I do not think sugar is bad, I just think my body is riddled with too much of it. For the next 4-6 weeks, I am going to use this blog to chronicle my journey/challenge in killing off my sugar bug. I think the first week will be the hardest but I am determined and I just feel like this will be really good for me. Wish me luck!

Vancouver Weekend #2

Another fun weekend in Vancouver! I took the 1pm ferry on Saturday and my nice brother came and picked me up. The weather wasn't great-it rained all weekend, but that's ok. Sean lives in Gastown, not far from the Olympic Torch and so I made him take my picture in front of it. The fence is really tacky but Sean said it used to be on the street but after complains they moved it closer to the flame.
Sean and I met up with Jyo and Harj in Surrey and some of Harj's cousins had dinner with us. It was fun and the Canucks won the hockey game-bonus. Afterwards Sean, Jyo, Harj and I went to a hotel beside Jyo's apartment and visited with Harj's best friend whose fiance works for the Paralympics. They had a nice room and we chatted until about 3am. Of course the boys were hungry so we took them to McDonalds. I absolutely hate that we lost an hour with the time change, so we didn't get to bed until after 4am.
On Sunday I went with Jyo to her hair and makeup consultation, as she is getting married at the end of July. She liked her hair but didn't like the makeup so she will go back for another consultation with a much more natural look. I think she looked gorgeous but she hardly wears any makeup and wanted to keep it norm. Jyo's parents arrived in town and us ladies went fabric shopping and we looked at Saris for me (for the reception). We didn't find one but we did find material for the bridesmaid saris. It's a really pretty gold. Jyo's wedding dress is amazing, she is going to look fantastic. We went to her aunt's house for yummy Indian food and I got to visit with her aunts, cousins and grandma. I have known her grandma as long as I have known Jyo, she is so sweet and 92 years old although she looks 70. We had a good time and Jyo's youngest brother Rajeev came back with me on the 9pm ferry. I dropped him off and got home around midnight. Another late night (I feel old) but totally worth it.
I'm glad we got so much wedding stuff done and Jyo answered my bazillion questions so I feel like I know what is going on now. I also got to meet the majority of the wedding party. There are 300 people coming from as far away as India and Australia, so I'm really excited.

Vancouver Weekend #1

I went to Vancouver this weekend to spend time with my cousin Megan. She lives in Kitsilano, one block from the beach and maybe 3 blocks from some incredible shopping. She has a Safeway just up the road, along with a Cobbs and a Shoppers Drug Mart. If I lived in that area, I would never have money. Sean was supposed to hang out with us, but when I was boarding the ferry Saturday morning, he sent me a text stating that he was at the airport going away for a job and that he hoped we would have fun. I replied asking him where he was going and what he was doing but I never heard back from him. It is now four days later and I still have not heard back from him. This is not unusual for Sean, but I can’t help but worry about my brother. I assume he is in an area with no cell reception, probably in a remote oil field in Alberta. What a stinker.

But Meg and I had a great time. We did so much shopping (I’m scared to get my VISA bill) but I finally got some new jeans and a coat. The weather on Saturday was gorgeous, so we walked from her house to Granville Island and wandered around. Then we took a ferry (see pic) to Yaletown and shopped around and then had drinks on the roof of the Keg. We went out for dinner later that night and we did more shopping on Sunday. It was a lot of fun and so nice to get out of Victoria for a weekend and I got to see the remains of all the Olympic celebration sites. Meg is now on her way to Portugal for a friend’s wedding, so I’m trying not to be jealous. Meg’s husband Mike (a pilot for Air Canada) was out of town all weekend, so we had the house to ourselves. They haven’t lived in it very long and they are renovating it bit by bit but it’s a very nice condo and they’ve done a great job with it so far. I absolutely loved my room, it was bright and the bed was super comfy.

It sucked to come home, but I plan on going back to Vancouver next weekend to see Jyo, so there will be another fun weekend. I went for a run yesterday afternoon and about halfway through it started to hail. It was very cold, so I’m not surprised. By the time I got back to my car, my hands were blocks of ice. By the time I got back to my house, the hail had turned into giant snowflakes! They didn’t stay but it was very odd weather. I can’t help but remember that it snowed on Jamie’s birthday last year (as I was leading groups of girls on a scavenger hunt outside for her birthday party), but it was much worse then, as the snow actually stayed. I remember I had to put 2 dozen 9 year-old girls’ socks in the dryer once we went back inside for cake. Of course no one thought to dress for snow! Anyway, it was a fun weekend and I hope to visit her again soon. In fact, Janice and I are planning to go to Vancouver to visit Meg one weekend in May, so that will be a crazy fun time.

Starting over yet again

Okay, it really sucks to start running again. Everytime I stop, I kick myself because I know how hard it will be to start again. It doesnt matter how good of a runner you were before, starting after 4 months off really kills a person.

I had my first run in a long time on Sunday. I only ran 3k and I was breathing heavy. Pretty disappointing. I ran again on Wednesday, which was a horrible run filled with cramps. I figured that I was starting off too fast. My pace was 5'30 and that is ridiculous for a beginner! So I slowed down to 6'00 and that was difficult too. I couldn't find a steady pace. One second I was running 6'40, the next 5'30, but finally I managed to get into a good 6'00 pace. And it was a good run. I'm almost up to running 5k, hopefully this weekend I can manage it. By the end of next week, I should be fine running 5k. I'm not too worried about my pace right now, I just need to get comfortable running again. The pace will improve eventually.

This weekend I am going to Vancouver to spend the weekend with my cousin and great friend Megan. She's been running her whole life and can hold a conversation with you while she runs a marathon-she's that good! Anyway, she's promised to do a short run with me this weekend and we will probably meet up with Sean at some point. I really need to get out of Victoria for the weekend, it is so boring in this city, no one ever wants to do anything but stay at home. I'll try to remember to take pictures and then maybe post a blog about our weekend. Her husband is out of town, so we may get a little crazy!

Calvin & Hobbes

Some of my favourites...

Thanks Bill Watterson!

This be the verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepends like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

Philip Larkin (1971)

When did Universities start acting like high schools?

I returned to new classes at UVic on Monday to discover that professors have a new way of treating students…like children. I am taking two English 400 level classes and both of my profs feel it is their responsibility to monitor class attendance like high school. I find this very disappointing. First of all, being an adult and attending classes at a University, it is taken for granted that we are all responsible for our own attendance. After all, we pay the money so we can make the choice whether or not we attend class right? Wrong. Both profs stated that they were trying to encourage students to come to class by making attendance worth marks. How ridiculous. So someone gets 10% just for showing up? What a bunch of crap. I work hard to get good grades and it pisses me off that they would just give away 10% like that to some students. Who cares if someone shows up or not? Everyone learns differently and some people learn better from a book than a prof. I am not one of those people, I actually like showing up for lectures, but I’m just saying. There are days when I feel it is not necessary to come to class (eg. movie days bcs I always fall asleep), so I feel it is my right to NOT attend on those days if I so wish. I’m a good, dedicated student, so why should I be punished for not attending a class in which I wouldn’t learn anything anyway? I’m majorly pissed at this. Especially for a 400 level class, Uvic I am so disappointed in you.

You know its going to be a bad day when...

-when you wake up and it's minus 8 and you're congested
-when you get to work, your computer refuses to let you sign in, so you reboot
-when you sign into your computer, it refuses to let you open any programs, so you reboot
-when you finally get into your programs, IE8 refuses to open, so you reboot
-when everything FINALLY works and you’re in the middle of invoices, the power goes off on your side of the office
-when your computer shuts down because it has no battery life, so you reboot
-when you flip the breaker to put the power back on, you hit the wrong button and the other side of the office loses power…and they have to reboot
-when you call your building manager to get some help with the breaker, his maintenance guy is going to take 30 mins, and your headache gets worse
-when you finally get set up in a different room, the maintenance guy fixes the power, you have to move back to your desk and your computer dies in the transfer, so you have to reboot
-when, after all this, it starts to snow...

Dear Mr. President

David H. Turpin, President
Office of the President
University of Victoria
Administrative Services Building

Room A220
3800 Finnerty Road (Ring Road)
Victoria BC V8P 5C2

Dear Mr. Turpin,

This letter is to express my concern about the health risk present at the University of Victoria (Uvic) through the harmful inhalation of second hand smoke. A current Uvic student myself, I believe the University of Victoria should consider becoming a smoke-free campus.

Students, employees and employers present at Uvic should not be exposed to cancer-causing substances. According to Canadian Cancer Statistics, “an estimated 171, 000 new cases of cancer and 75, 300 deaths from cancer will occur in Canada in 2009.” It is my belief that students have the right to pursue their education in a smoke-free environment and employees and employers have the right to attend to their jobs without having to worry about the health risks of second-hand smoke.

If Uvic took the initiative to become a smoke-free campus, it would also support those students’ who want to quit and have always struggled with it. I would suggest that Uvic first initiate a smoking cessation program on campus. This program could assist those who do smoke with quitting and help them, and others, warm up to the idea that Uvic will no longer support their habit.

I believe a lot more people would choose to enroll at the University of Victoria if it were a smoke-free campus. I know I would prefer it if the remainder of my educational experience at Uvic was without the disturbance of cigarette smoke. For my health, yours and the health of others, please take my suggestion into consideration.

Sincerely,




Samantha Wood, BA

Where are all the Canadians?

I am very blessed to live in the country of Canada. We have running water, paved streets, crime is relatively low and we are not ruled by a dictatorship. I can appreciate these aspects because I have travelled quite a bit and I’ve seen how it is in other countries.

At the Central Train Station in Paris, the guards walk around with guns. I was a wide-eyed nineteen year-old at the time I witnessed that. What country needed guards with guns? Only a month later I was confronted by an angry guard on a train, demanding to see my passport and as he leaned past me to check the other passengers, his gun was within inches of my face. I was terrified. However, I had no reason to be. Although he spoke little English (I was in Hungary), the guard smiled nicely at me and said, “Canadian.” It was a statement, not a question. More than a statement, it was a respected recognition. Yes, many, many times I have been thankful that I am Canadian (especially since they threw a guy in the next car off the train and we were in the middle of nowhere).

Being recognized as a Canadian comes with certain expectations and assumptions…one being that we are very polite, laid-back people. I wish I could say this was true. More and more these days I am seeing anger, indifference and just plain rudeness. People no longer pause to consider anyone but themselves.

In rush hour I have to be very aware, as people are not afraid to cut you off, cut in line or run red lights. Everyone is in such a hurry these days that speed limits are never obeyed and pedestrians are cut-off at the cross-walk. I am not a perfect driver, yes I have been guilty of speeding, but in the past year I haven’t. I realized that I am not in a hurry to get through a day in this life, nor do I wish to end it for anyone else.

Rudeness transcends into sanitary issues. I have trained myself to automatically hold my breath when I walk by people. Yes, people. Not just smokers. I’m terribly afraid someone will cough, sneeze, spit or blow smoke in my general direction. This never used to be a problem, but nowadays people never cover their mouths or turn away from the general public. It’s disgusting. And we blame pigs for the swine flu? Who are the real pigs?

When I was a kid, people said hi to one another on the streets-whether they knew that person or not. Doors were held open as you went in and out of stores. People actually acknowledged one another by making eye contact, instead of looking down at their phone or iPod. As a human race, we are being consumed by another race-technology. We are no longer the dominant species. But I don’t blame technology for our lack of manners. I’m not sure what to blame, maybe we just have to blame ourselves. Is it just me who notices this change, am I too expectant for us to live up to our reputation?

Canada is a country that has built up this identity of being polite. But as I live each day among the general public, I can’t help but wonder, where are all the Canadians?