Blog Status: Ella is amazed at Mother Nature’s fury
Hello Hello! Happy Thursday everyone
Yesterday was perhaps the strangest weather day ever in my area. As the title says, we had an earthquake, tornado and rain storm all in the span of 12 hours. I should note that I don’t live in an area that is prone to ANY of those things, so for us to even have them is something let alone all in the same day.
The earthquake was probably the most unexpected and the scariest. That being said, I didn’t feel it. The only reason I knew it happened because ShyBoy text messaged me asking if I felt the earthquake. I believe “…there was an earthquake..? what?” was my exact response. No sooner did I log onto Facebook to find hundreds of status updates from friends commenting on the earthquake. The news later confirmed that a 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook the Ontario-Quebec border yesterday at 1.41PM and lasted about 30 seconds. People as far away as New York, Vermont, Michigan and Illinois reported feeling the tremors. I think a co-worker and I were coming back from lunch around this time and were probably driving and that’s why we didn’t feel it.
I’m curious, if you live in any of those areas, did you feel it??
About 5 hours after the earthquake a tornado touched down in a town 2 hours north of here. Officials have declared a state of emergency for the area, a trailer park consisting of about 40 trailers was completely destroyed and 1 person was taken to hospital as well as roofs and windows of nearby houses and businesses were torn off. Thousands of people are still without power and Environment Canada is surveying the extent of the damage.
On a much smaller scale, we had a torrential rain storm in the early morning hours of the day today. I woke up around 4:40 to loud noises outside that sounded a bit like an air conditioner on overload. I got up to check it out and could only see rain outside. The area was gray-ish white because of all the rain. I’ve only seen that much rain a handful of times in my life so it was a tad unnerving – especially with the earthquake and tornado yesterday.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The future is (finally) revealed
Blog Status: Ella is having a lazy saturday after an interesting night out with the girls
I finally have a decision about the future. Finally.
I've been waiting for this for weeks now, getting increasingly anxious because time seemed to be speeding up. I finally finished all my applications the beginning of May and blogged about it here but until now there was no end result.
I haven't gone into specific detail about my future plans on this blog, partially because until a few days ago i didn't have future plans, and partly because I wanted to keep it to myself. Even some of my closest friends were surprised by my decision.
I sort of know what inspired my decision, but when I explain that to all of you, I guarantee you will all think I'm a moron.
I've been saying for years that I want to be a teacher. More specifically, a professor. Meaning, I want to teach at the University level. This can be achieved one of two ways, a masters degree or teachers college.
People that know me know I'm not a kid person. I've never been crazy about babies, and the idea of a room full of little kids scares me. In the past I always wrote off the idea of Teachers College because I had no desire to actually teach "kids".
Here's where my moronic inspiration comes in:
At the beginning of May I flew to Washington D.C for a few days. Because the flight was only an hour and a bit, there was little point in starting a movie, so I flipped to the T.V Shows. I found Glee. I'd heard a lot about the show, and people seemed to be pretty crazy about it, but I'd never seen it.
About half way through the first episode, I was hooked! Better than that, I was intrigued. High School Teacher. The idea had never crossed my mind before hand, but all of a sudden the wheels in my head began turning.
Being a High School Teacher would allow me to only teach certain subjects (in this case History and Social Science) and it would be an ideal stepping-stone to one day advance to teaching at the post-secondary level.
I came back from Washington with the idea firmly planted in my mind. Problem was, I was already way past the application deadline for most schools. In the end I found *one* school that was still accepting applications for this coming september. I applied and began the waiting game.
As of last week, the wait is over - I got in! I can't even begin to tell you how happy and relieved I am.
As of September 2010, Miss Ella will officially be on her way to becoming a teacher.
Wow that's a sentence I never thought I'd say out loud.
I finally have a decision about the future. Finally.
I've been waiting for this for weeks now, getting increasingly anxious because time seemed to be speeding up. I finally finished all my applications the beginning of May and blogged about it here but until now there was no end result.
I haven't gone into specific detail about my future plans on this blog, partially because until a few days ago i didn't have future plans, and partly because I wanted to keep it to myself. Even some of my closest friends were surprised by my decision.
I sort of know what inspired my decision, but when I explain that to all of you, I guarantee you will all think I'm a moron.
I've been saying for years that I want to be a teacher. More specifically, a professor. Meaning, I want to teach at the University level. This can be achieved one of two ways, a masters degree or teachers college.
People that know me know I'm not a kid person. I've never been crazy about babies, and the idea of a room full of little kids scares me. In the past I always wrote off the idea of Teachers College because I had no desire to actually teach "kids".
Here's where my moronic inspiration comes in:
At the beginning of May I flew to Washington D.C for a few days. Because the flight was only an hour and a bit, there was little point in starting a movie, so I flipped to the T.V Shows. I found Glee. I'd heard a lot about the show, and people seemed to be pretty crazy about it, but I'd never seen it.
About half way through the first episode, I was hooked! Better than that, I was intrigued. High School Teacher. The idea had never crossed my mind before hand, but all of a sudden the wheels in my head began turning.
Being a High School Teacher would allow me to only teach certain subjects (in this case History and Social Science) and it would be an ideal stepping-stone to one day advance to teaching at the post-secondary level.
I came back from Washington with the idea firmly planted in my mind. Problem was, I was already way past the application deadline for most schools. In the end I found *one* school that was still accepting applications for this coming september. I applied and began the waiting game.
As of last week, the wait is over - I got in! I can't even begin to tell you how happy and relieved I am.
As of September 2010, Miss Ella will officially be on her way to becoming a teacher.
Wow that's a sentence I never thought I'd say out loud.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
For-the-time-being-unnamed Weekly Feature
Blog status: Ella is feeling inspired
I’d like to start a weekly feature on my blog, but I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to call it. The premise of this feature will be inspiration but “Inspirational Wednesdays” just doesn’t have the effect I’m looking for.
One thing that most people don’t know about me is that I love inspirational quotes and sayings. So much so that I have an entire notebook filled with everything from song lyrics to famous quotes to biblical scriptures. I hear something I find inspiring and, presuming I can remember it, I write it down somewhere. Over the years this book has become a sort of safety blanket for me because all I have to do is flip through the pages and without fail I end up feeling different. In a perfect world the quotes would be organized by category or at least chronologically, but nope. In fact I actually started it by writing quotes down on the back pages of a notebook I used to use for school.
About 20 minutes ago I was busy working on a project here at work, when my iPod chose to play one of the most inspirational songs I know. This song is also the only music video I have downloaded onto my iPod, which I promptly also had to watch. This is where the idea for this post popped into my head.
Everyone, go Google the official music video for Nickelback’s “If Everyone Cared” .. I promise you, you will be inspired! If it catches me at the right moment, I’ve even been known to have tears in my eyes by the end.
Every week I’m going to post an inspirational quote to share with all of you. There may be a story or explanation behind it, or there may not be.
I leave you all with the first inspirational quote:
I’d like to start a weekly feature on my blog, but I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to call it. The premise of this feature will be inspiration but “Inspirational Wednesdays” just doesn’t have the effect I’m looking for.
One thing that most people don’t know about me is that I love inspirational quotes and sayings. So much so that I have an entire notebook filled with everything from song lyrics to famous quotes to biblical scriptures. I hear something I find inspiring and, presuming I can remember it, I write it down somewhere. Over the years this book has become a sort of safety blanket for me because all I have to do is flip through the pages and without fail I end up feeling different. In a perfect world the quotes would be organized by category or at least chronologically, but nope. In fact I actually started it by writing quotes down on the back pages of a notebook I used to use for school.
About 20 minutes ago I was busy working on a project here at work, when my iPod chose to play one of the most inspirational songs I know. This song is also the only music video I have downloaded onto my iPod, which I promptly also had to watch. This is where the idea for this post popped into my head.
Everyone, go Google the official music video for Nickelback’s “If Everyone Cared” .. I promise you, you will be inspired! If it catches me at the right moment, I’ve even been known to have tears in my eyes by the end.
Every week I’m going to post an inspirational quote to share with all of you. There may be a story or explanation behind it, or there may not be.
I leave you all with the first inspirational quote:
“If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we’d see the day when nobody died”
- Nickelback, “If Everyone Cared”
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we’d see the day when nobody died”
- Nickelback, “If Everyone Cared”
Saturday, June 12, 2010
When you look around my place..
Blog Status: Ella is feeling a little...worried
I've seen features like this on other blogs, and it's something I always do for myself anyway, so I figured I would post it for the world.
Wow that was cryptic wasn't it? I'll back-track a little. My mom has guests over that arrived on wednesday. So tuesday night I was cleaning my room to prepare for company. Whenver there are guests around, I clean my room and always think "okay so if someone who doesn't know me where to see my room, what would they know about me" Maybe that's very wierd - but I've always done it. If I had my own place, I would probably do the same thing - but to the max.
So I've decided to give you all a peak into what my domain is really like.
When you look around my place..
..you see someone who loves her friends insanely, there are picture frames e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e
..you see someone who is very proud of her German heritage, with Germany signs and a beany baby sitting on a shelf (not to mention the German Soccer jersey I just bought for the World Cup that has yet to be put away)
..you see someone who likes fashion, make-up and all things girlie due to the stack of Marie Claire and Glamour magazines she has beside her bed
..you see someone who has way too much stuff because there's stuff everywhere
..you see someone who loves Paris and all things French
..you see someone who once had a severe obesssion with Tigger from Winnie the Pooh
..you see someone who has a closet over-stuffed with clothes - too many clothes
..you see someone who likes nice candles, especially lavender and clean cotton scents
What does your place say about you?
I've seen features like this on other blogs, and it's something I always do for myself anyway, so I figured I would post it for the world.
Wow that was cryptic wasn't it? I'll back-track a little. My mom has guests over that arrived on wednesday. So tuesday night I was cleaning my room to prepare for company. Whenver there are guests around, I clean my room and always think "okay so if someone who doesn't know me where to see my room, what would they know about me" Maybe that's very wierd - but I've always done it. If I had my own place, I would probably do the same thing - but to the max.
So I've decided to give you all a peak into what my domain is really like.
When you look around my place..
..you see someone who loves her friends insanely, there are picture frames e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e
..you see someone who is very proud of her German heritage, with Germany signs and a beany baby sitting on a shelf (not to mention the German Soccer jersey I just bought for the World Cup that has yet to be put away)
..you see someone who likes fashion, make-up and all things girlie due to the stack of Marie Claire and Glamour magazines she has beside her bed
..you see someone who has way too much stuff because there's stuff everywhere
..you see someone who loves Paris and all things French
..you see someone who once had a severe obesssion with Tigger from Winnie the Pooh
..you see someone who has a closet over-stuffed with clothes - too many clothes
..you see someone who likes nice candles, especially lavender and clean cotton scents
What does your place say about you?
Friday, June 11, 2010
Favorite Fridays - Movie Soundtrack!
Blog Status: Ella is itching for it to be 2:30 so she can begin her weekend
Hello everyone! Happy Friday to all of you.
Jen over at A girl in Pearls & A boy with Toys has a wonderful weekly feature called Favorite Fridays. I'm new to Jen's blog, but my bestest has been following her for a while, and each week the Favorite Fridays post catches my eye.
Hello everyone! Happy Friday to all of you.
Jen over at A girl in Pearls & A boy with Toys has a wonderful weekly feature called Favorite Fridays. I'm new to Jen's blog, but my bestest has been following her for a while, and each week the Favorite Fridays post catches my eye.
It's actually very coincidental, but when I saw this week's topic, I was actually listening to a song off of my favorite movie soundtrack at the same time - it's like it was meant to be!
It may sound cheesy, but my favorite movie soundtrack hands down is The Lion King.
It actually isn't my favorite Disney movie (The Little mermaid takes that one) but I've always loved the songs. I still to this day think "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is one of the best love songs of all time. "Circle of Life" always fills me with a feeling of power and inspiration and c'mon, no one can forget "Hakuna Matata"!
Have a great weekend everyone! I'll be playing catch-up on the World Cup, my laundry, my girlfriends and squeezing in a movie date
Monday, June 7, 2010
Office Dress Codes – The Legging “Issue”
Now that the weather is getting warmer and summer is around the corner, my lovely HR department has sent out a general memo about “Summer Office Attire”. I realize that there are numerous levels of business dress-styles, everything from “Formal Business” to “Casual”. My particular workplace abides by “Business Casual/Casual”.
Most of the people around here (execs included) seem to lean more toward “casual” as the typical outfit seems to be Jeans, running shoes and a polo shirt/T-shirt/Hoodie. Yes hoodie. Imagine meeting the Disney or Paramount Reps in running shoes and a hoodie – not my cup of tea, but luckily I don’t actually work with any important people.
Anyway, I consider myself to be fairly well dressed. Even when I do succumb to the Jeans-Runners-Hoodie uniform (which is quite often in the winter) I make sure I look nice and well put-together. I enjoy dressing up occasionally, but also want to be comfortable.
This coincides with the new “Summer Office Attire” memo. According to the policy, skirts and dresses must be no shorter than an inch and a half above the knee.
Alright fine.
My issue is this:
I’m between 5’10 and 5’11. The same skirt would be a lot longer on someone who is say 5’5 or 5’6, so it is virtually impossible for me to find dresses and skirts that are the right length without actually being floor length. I’m not going to argue with HR about this technicality (even though I think it’s perfectly valid) because I believe I might have found a solution. Leggings. I figure with leggings I can wear shorter dresses in the summer and top them off with Capri-length leggings.
The sweater-dress I have on today is definitely nowhere near an inch and a half above my knees, it sits probably about 5 inches north of my knees. I figured this was acceptable because I’m wearing dark stretchy leggings that are actually slightly looser than some jeans I’ve worn in the past. I walked into the office this morning and my boss gave me a slightly disapproving once-over, but didn’t say anything. This has lead to paranoia on my part.
I practically live in dresses and skirts throughout the summer months, and the thought of having to resort to jeans or capris all summer long is depressing.
Do leggings count as pants? Or as panty-hose? What are your workplaces like? What do you think? Can I get away with a shorter dress and leggings?
Most of the people around here (execs included) seem to lean more toward “casual” as the typical outfit seems to be Jeans, running shoes and a polo shirt/T-shirt/Hoodie. Yes hoodie. Imagine meeting the Disney or Paramount Reps in running shoes and a hoodie – not my cup of tea, but luckily I don’t actually work with any important people.
Anyway, I consider myself to be fairly well dressed. Even when I do succumb to the Jeans-Runners-Hoodie uniform (which is quite often in the winter) I make sure I look nice and well put-together. I enjoy dressing up occasionally, but also want to be comfortable.
This coincides with the new “Summer Office Attire” memo. According to the policy, skirts and dresses must be no shorter than an inch and a half above the knee.
Alright fine.
My issue is this:
I’m between 5’10 and 5’11. The same skirt would be a lot longer on someone who is say 5’5 or 5’6, so it is virtually impossible for me to find dresses and skirts that are the right length without actually being floor length. I’m not going to argue with HR about this technicality (even though I think it’s perfectly valid) because I believe I might have found a solution. Leggings. I figure with leggings I can wear shorter dresses in the summer and top them off with Capri-length leggings.
The sweater-dress I have on today is definitely nowhere near an inch and a half above my knees, it sits probably about 5 inches north of my knees. I figured this was acceptable because I’m wearing dark stretchy leggings that are actually slightly looser than some jeans I’ve worn in the past. I walked into the office this morning and my boss gave me a slightly disapproving once-over, but didn’t say anything. This has lead to paranoia on my part.
I practically live in dresses and skirts throughout the summer months, and the thought of having to resort to jeans or capris all summer long is depressing.
Do leggings count as pants? Or as panty-hose? What are your workplaces like? What do you think? Can I get away with a shorter dress and leggings?
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
World Cup Fever
Blog Status: Ella is once again lacking productivity at work and is thinking about Germany
I heard on the radio this morning that the World Cup is exactly 9 days away from today – and I can’t tell you how much that excites me. I’m really not a team sports kind of girl – I danced all my life, but I’ve never been very good at much else. Moreover, I have little patience for religiously following team sports of any kind, but World Cup Soccer I love.
Growing up in Germany, soccer was a big part of my life. All the boys in my class played soccer both at recess and after school in leagues. Us girls used to go to the soccer field after school and watch the boys play. Soccer was also a HUGE deal in 1990 when (west)Germany won the cup. I might have been in Kindergarten at the time, but even I remember the celebrations. There is something very powerful about an entire nation cheering for a team and celebrating the subsequent win.
World Cup Fever returned to Germany once again in full swing in 2006 because Germany was the host country. I was lucky enough to be in Germany during the World Cup that year, and it was amazing. For those few weeks everyone bonded together. It didn’t matter what race or religion you were, everyone sat glued to the television supporting their team. It was also an added bonus that Germany made it all the way to 3rd place that year, only to lose out to France and then Italy.
I have high hopes for my team this year, and I’m really hoping they can follow through accordingly
I heard on the radio this morning that the World Cup is exactly 9 days away from today – and I can’t tell you how much that excites me. I’m really not a team sports kind of girl – I danced all my life, but I’ve never been very good at much else. Moreover, I have little patience for religiously following team sports of any kind, but World Cup Soccer I love.
Growing up in Germany, soccer was a big part of my life. All the boys in my class played soccer both at recess and after school in leagues. Us girls used to go to the soccer field after school and watch the boys play. Soccer was also a HUGE deal in 1990 when (west)Germany won the cup. I might have been in Kindergarten at the time, but even I remember the celebrations. There is something very powerful about an entire nation cheering for a team and celebrating the subsequent win.
World Cup Fever returned to Germany once again in full swing in 2006 because Germany was the host country. I was lucky enough to be in Germany during the World Cup that year, and it was amazing. For those few weeks everyone bonded together. It didn’t matter what race or religion you were, everyone sat glued to the television supporting their team. It was also an added bonus that Germany made it all the way to 3rd place that year, only to lose out to France and then Italy.
I have high hopes for my team this year, and I’m really hoping they can follow through accordingly
Who are you cheering for in the World Cup?
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