another one under the belt

Well, I have just finished my fourth semester at the U of L. It was the most challenging semester for me academically, so far at any rate. I'm not sure if the classes have become more challenging, or if I have laid back a little bit now that I am pretty sure that I have made the cut into the Education faculty. (I should be hearing from them very soon, I expect to be starting my practical semesters this Fall!)

In other news, I leave for Virginia on Thursday. For those of you doing a double take (our office was slated for New Jersey), a sales district opened up in Virginia and our office manager felt that it was a better market, so that I where I will be heading out come Thursday. My blogging might be a little more sparse than usual until I get myself established, because I won't have my own computer, at least not at initially.

Hopefully I will be able to find a way to watch some Oilers games while I am down south, I am counting on them going all the way to the Cup!

offer accepted

Wesla and I put an offer on a house the other day and we just heard that it has been accepted. It is a small two-story half duplex. I think we got a really good deal, especially considering how hot the real estate market seems to be throughout all the Alberta cities these days. Now we need to get our financing finalized, then everything should be all set.

this is crazy

I as taking "study break" yesterday and the craziest thing happened. I was playing a computer game, then all the sudden I heard a loud "snap" from inside my computer followed by a rattling noise. I immediately shut my computer down and opened it up. I couldn't believe my eyes; my CD had exploded inside my disk drive!




I had never heard of anything like this happening before, but I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday and he confirmed that this is not outside the realm of possibility. I am so shocked, because CDs are not easy to break and I have no idea what could have caused this. Perhaps this is a sign that I need to stop playing video games and I need to get studying!

what is your plea? (the grammar nazi - part i)

There is nothing like studying another language to sharpen your awareness of the subtleties found in your own native tongue. The only problem with this increased awareness is the is the potentiality of finding elements within your own language or dialect that drives you nuts...

More and more I find myself cringing every time I hear the someone use "pleaded" as the past participle form of the verb "to plea." This word is used all the time, especially when you are listening to the news, and it makes absolutely no sense to me. I say this because the verbs "to plea" and "to lead" come from the same word family. No one would say, "he leaded the horse around the field yesterday." That would be absurd, rather "he led" is the appropriate form of the verb. In the same way if someone has made a plea, the past tense form of the verb should be - in my opinion - "he pled" not "he pleaded."

If you start listening for it, you will hear it everywhere. Call me a grammar-Nazi, but it drives me nuts.

morning yearning

My good friend Kevin recently introduced me to Ben Harper's music. Harper is a relatively little known recording artist with a loyal following, and I must say that I have been won over to the fold.

These are the lyrics from the title track off his latest album Both Side of the Gun.

Not only is his sound soulful, at times he is truly profound... at least in my humble opinion. The first two lines of his fourth verse, in particular, move me:

like a summer rose, i'm a victim of the fall
but am soon returning

Enough of my ramblings, here are the lyrics to his song in their entirety...

Morning Yearning
Written by: Ben Harper

a finger's touch upon my lips
it's a morning yearning
pull the curtains shut, try to keep it dark
but the sun is burning

the world awakens on the run
and will soon be earning
with hopes of better days to come
it's a morning yearning

another day, another chance to get it right
must i still be learning
baby crying kept us up all night
with her morning yearning

like a summer rose, i'm a victim of the fall
but am soon returning
your love's the warmest place the sun ever shines
my morning yearning