For Lack Of A Better Title ...

I thought I'd share this, it happened to me last year (during my first year) at Nip. I wrote it in a note on Facebook and figured it would be ok to post it here ...

I'm part of NUSA (Nipissing University Student Ambassadors) and as a member I do a lot of volunteer services for the school, one such event is being part of the Phone Campaign where we call students who have applied to Nipissing. We call them, make sure everything on their application is ok, and then answer any questions they have.

This one day (the last day of the campaign) I was extremely tired as I put in a 12 hour day of lectures/activities and forgot it was the last day. I called a house and my luck I got an answering machine. Not pretty. I hate answering machines. The beep goes off, I swallow and begin to talk. I guess I swallowed too hard 'cause I had that 'I need to cough feeling' which I ignore. I keep talking, but my voice became extremely strained. This was the conversation (not exactly word for word):

(answering machine beep)

Me: Hey, my name is (enter my 'real' name here) and I'm calling from Nipissing University (my voice becomes strained) and I'm calling for (insert name here).

Everything after that was distorted and not able to tell what I was saying as I was hacking/coughing/choking. I hung up. Nobody had to know, right? Somebody else would call. Wait, wasn't this the last day? I go and talk to Heather, the person in charge and she states that contact information has to be given.

Damn. I had to call back. I could ignore it though, put the file away and 'forget' to call back ... No. No, I can't.

(answering machine beep)

Me: Hey ... me again (laughs because of nerves) from Nipissing University. Yeah, sorry about the coughing, I had something in my throat, I'm not very good with answering machines, because I tend to ramble, which I'm doing now, so I guess I should stop and I will. Anyways, yeah, sorry. I was calling for (insert name here) and just wanted to say that we're calling to answer any questions, but your not home obviously, unless your screening, but I don't think you are 'cause why would you screen when its a University calling that you applied for, but I'm going to stop now. It's the last day so we won't be calling back. Bye.

NO! CONTACT INFORMATION! GIVE THE CONTACT INFORMATION.

(answering machine beep)

Me: Me again. Yeah, I lied. 'Cause I'm calling back. I forgot to give you our contact information if you did have any questions. I'm really embarassed. My e-mail is (insert school e-mail here) well, not MY e-mail 'cause that would just be awkward (I start to laugh because of my nerves again) and the phone number, the schools that is, is (insert number here) and call if you have any questions, and thanks for bearing with me, and sorry. Our English program is better than what I make it out to be by me ... talking? haha, ok, I have to stop talking now. Bye.

That was pretty much how it went. The better story went out to those who I told it to right away. But let it be known, I don't leave messages on answering machines.

While I'm finishing this up I should say something about NUSA. It's a great way to fill time! It's really fun, you get to meet a lot of people and it's mostly all volunteer activities, suchas the Christmas Parade ... sort of like a spirit committee (only not). If you sign up at club week you'll get e-mails often of when they could use your help and you only have to help out when you can, no pressure or obligation! Well ... unless you say you'll help out for a certain event, then your committed and it's not cool to back out after that.

Later!

Why Can't I Think Up A Name?!

Well, the summer of 2008 is almost over so I did what anybody in my situation would do - I took a week off from work to enjoy it! I've been working all summer with little to no time to do anything really worthwhile. I've been counting down the days to school but now that we only have two weeks left (give or take a day or two) I found myself in need to enjoy the summer. My plans until the 28th - calm down, relax and enjoy the weather! Granted it's not the most exciting week, but I plan to enjoy it anyways! Once the week is over I'll only have 4 shifts left!

Again, I have no direction with this blog. I sat down at my desk, started listening to a song I had stuck in my head (if anyone cares it was 'Everyday' by Bon Jovi) and thought to myself, 'I need to post in my blog before the week is up.' I'm trying to stay consistant by posting once a week but if I keep with that I'll probably run out of things to say by late September! I'm going to start sketching out an outline for my blogs ...

So! I went up the the University the other day and paid for some books! My list, however vanished. I discovered this as I was roaming the shelves, second guessing myself on what books where actually on the list. With a finacial burden on my shoulders at the moment, well at least until OSAP comes to the rescue, I only felt confident in one bundle which I picked up for British Literature. I arrived home and found the list on my desk. I don't know how that happened ...

Oh! I found out that Stuart McLean will be performing at the Capitol Centre on October 23rd! For those of you who don't know, Stuart McLean is the the author of the Vinyl Cafe, awesome stuff! Definitely a night well worth the pricy tickets. Here's a link if you want to check it out (you have to select 'Stuart McLean in the performance option):

http://www.capitolcentre.ca/Performances.aspx

That's all I've got. Enjoy the last bit of your summer!

6 / (1 - (3 / 4)) = amount of days left!

With only a little over three weeks left until lectures start I've found myself going through the annual devoted promises I usually make. The ones where I say I'm not going to procrastinate, make extra effort in areas where it lacks and even improve on certain aspects of my life. Will it happen? Probably not.

I did have a huge scare last year with procrastinating though, which has helped me. I was in first-year with two papers due during the same week, one for History of the Modern World and the second for Intro to English. I had only thought up a thesis for my history paper and had yet to finish the novel for English with only a week left until the due date. I was still fine though, seven days is a long time, right? Not when your trying to keep up a life. It was three days before the deadline when I started to panic. I had to finish 'Life of Pi,' the novel we were reading but to be honest, I wasn't that into it. It was a great book at the start but how long can you stay interested in a novel where the setting for the majority of the book is on a lifeboat and the two characters cannot carry a conversation 'cause one is a tiger? I was glad to finish it, nothing against Yann Martel but to me survival stories tend to lag in the middle.

With the novel finished I felt exhausted and I hadn't even started the paper! I was two days to the deadline and I was going through the 'I'm never going to do this to myself again' stage. Two days, two papers. I could do it!

I got sick. A full on flu hit me. At first I thought it was all in my head, trying to give me an excuse to not have to devote more time to my papers, until the fever took away what little time I had left. Monday arrived, the papers were due. I had finished my history paper but I wasn't confident about my thesis (a bad habit of mine) and my English paper only had an introduction.

I hate handing something in late, it makes me feel guilty. A day later I handed in my English paper, that agonizing feeling before the confrontation with the Professor as I had to admit that I didn't make the deadline. In all though I received good marks in the 70's for both papers but they could have been better if I had taken the time, obviously.

So I'm not going to procrastinate this year! Pinky promise, haha!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer breaks and the answer to the equation, for those of you who don't care to figure it out is 24!

Later!

An Introduction

So, I'm blogging! A warning now, this is just a quick introduction. I've been meaning to start this for the NU Blog competition but whenever I tried to start one I drifted to other things. I'm staying anonymous for the simple fact that if nobody knows who I am, I'll be honest. I need that. I rarely have an opportunity to express myself without filtering what I'm saying and when I do I get uncomfortable talking. I start to go through this awkward series of events which start with rubbing the back of my neck, avoiding glances and finishes off with a stutter. I prefer to be a friend than to have one, if that makes any sense. I'm here because I need this, to say what I need to without having to go through those stages. Also for the contest, of course!

I'm a 21 year old student going to university. I want to say that my major is English, but then my spelling and grammar will be judged by people who do that.

Blogger: I thought you were an English major.
Me: I am
Blogger: Your last entry had twenty-two spelling mistakes and you ended a sentence with a preposition.
Me: (editing blog) No, no I didn't. Go check for yourself.

That's just not cool. I'm blogging on the internet, not writing an article for the New York Times.

I have no idea what kind of style I'm going to do. I doubt I'll just be talking about my life in general, that would bore even me! I don't know yet. I don't even think that's proper etiquette to discuss. Forget it. I could delete it, but then the last ten minutes of me staring at this computer screen trying to make this entry a bit longer would have been in vain.

I'm off, later!