parents – Imaginary Sunshine

I am me (even if you can’t seem to comprehend that fact).

Michelle — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 06:09:17 +0000

I was going to write something about how I’d been off saving the world from fire-breathing dragons. Or very hungry, hungry hippos. Or something that would explain my lack of posting since the 12th (yeah, 13 days ago, go me). But really, I don’t have much of an excuse… At all. But I really don’t have much of an excuse for it.

I did write my last midterm though of the term (midterm 7 of 7 – last one was my third Oceanography midterm, yay!) on the Wednesday that just passed. I’m hoping I did relatively well on it (it’s best 2 of 3 midterms counted towards my final grade). I also got my second Ecology midterm back – I improved from my first Ecology midterm! Which wasn’t that difficult, because I kinda grasped most of the concepts after (heh) the first one.

This morning was kind of rough, I pretty much got torn to figurative shreds by my parents over my grades (they don’t know my GPA or any of my individual course grades) and how I’m not doing as well or better than one of my sisters did in university. It was just so difficult not to get upset about it. I know that I’m not my sister and I will never be her. A fact that my parents are clearly unable to understand as they don’t consider me not being my sister to be a valid reason not to be able to do better than she did in university (she had an A+ average for her entire time in university, I do not have an A+ average or anything close to it). We’re not the same person, something that my sister and I are both very much aware of.

Needless to say, I got upset over it. Mostly because you’d think by now my parents would realize that their daughters are their own person, not identical carbon copies, not something so easily compared to (for starters, she did a completely different degree program from what I’m doing and she has always done better in school than I have, it’s just a fact). I texted Clay about it and he ended up texting me an absurdly sweet text that made me tear up (not reposting, mostly because I’d have to then include the super long text that I had sent prior to that, and then I’d need to include more explanation – all you need to know is that he sent an incredibly sweet text that totally just made my day).

So… I think that nicely wraps up what has happened to me over the last two weeks or so. Hopefully it won’t be another two weeks before my next post (I hope!).

Saturday’s almost over… =)

Michelle — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:57:31 +0000

What’s a girl to do when she’s the only one in the house who doesn’t leave the house? (Because everyone seems to think that ‘psychology final on Monday’ is synonymous with ‘making sure Michelle realizes that she is under involuntary house arrest’. So I didn’t go to the crafts store today, despite a somewhat decent sale on beads, jewellery findings and yarn (argh). I didn’t go to the grocery store and get to pick up more coloured sugar for baking purposes (I have a full container of red but no more of green…). I didn’t change out of my pjs today (I swear, the only good thing about not leaving the house). But oh, I was still the “only one” who was available to cook dinner though (because one sister was out, the other was ‘busily crocheting’ – or rather, attempting to crochet, and my mom was watching television).

Anyways… Today I did more essay prepping (yay!) and then emailed back and forth with my friend who’s taking that class to see what we’re hopeless on. Unfortunately, my psychology prof is an idiot and cannot string together sentences that are easily understandable by university students. It’s one thing to translate part of the topic into everyday English, it’s another to be able to translate the entire topic into everyday English for easy understanding. Oh, I’ve also noticed that people in organic chemistry are still posting on the discussion boards. The final was on December 10th and there’s a thread going on about ‘exam weighting’ and ‘What did you think about the final?’ that each have over 200 posts, and counting. It’s a little odd. Do my fellow sufferers of organic chemistry have nothing better to do than to post and whine about the final exam and what they think would be a fair weight for the final in comparison to the two midterms? Obviously not.

On the other hand, someone posted on the discussion board for my invertebrates biology class that I’m taking next term (the one that I’m really looking forward to! Crustaceans, insects, worms, the whole nine yards!) about how they’re really looking forward to the class. I replied with a very enthusiastic “Me too!”. Have I mentioned lately how much of a dork I am? Then again, I’m the girl who used her organic chem model set to fashion a bracelet for a day or two before. Ugh. Note to self, stop making myself seem like a complete geek online. Not that it can be helped.

I finished a scarf for my mom’s Christmas present… In a colour that she likes, if you noticed some of my tweets tonight. I started one scarf but she noticed it and commented on how she wasn’t a fan of the colours (tear), so I started a new scarf in a more open pattern (so it was finished faster, but it was still nice looking!) and finished that tonight. I’ll finish the other one some other time, it went back into my closet for now. I even added a fringe to it. And now I know what my sister bitches whenever she decides that a fringe would look nice on something. Why? Because they’re a PITA to do, that’s why!

Anyways… Oodles of photos to be taken tomorrow, plus lots of studying and reviewing before my final on Monday (7pm, whoot… I hate evening finals. You have the entire day to go ‘zomg, what does _______ mean?! and hopefully find out what it means.). Hope everyone had a fabulous and stress-free Saturday!

Belated birthday gifts!

Michelle — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:51:57 +0000

(From my parents, whoot!)
Blythe notebook

New purse (which happens to fit Blythes…?) – it’s pretty roomy, I could fit my entire old purse into this one and still have a lot of room left over

My dad picked this one out. When you slide it open, there’s a surprise inside.

And last, but certainly not least, a new Blythe doll! Stock name is Simply Peppermint, I have no clue what I’m going to be naming this little beauty though.

Name suggestions would be awesome.

Getting scrutinized

Michelle — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:53:46 +0000

Ahh, gift suggestions, how I love thee. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), there’s already a few external hard drives kicking around in my house. And I heart the DVR (my dad can never seem to figure out how to use it, no matter how many times I write out instructions for him!). But my sisters (J and D) and I decided (and went shopping for) his Father’s Day gift today! It’s currently in a shopping bag in my room (since he hates coming in here – apparently he just can’t stand the mess!).

We went shopping with the idea of getting him some new shirts in mind. We ended up getting him a grey dress shirt, a light tan/brown shirt (two colours), one package of Ice Breakers mints (he loves those, but will never buy them for himself – he just steals them from one of us whenever we have them) and we will be going out for lunch tomorrow (and thus, another part of the Father’s Day gift). My mom told us his shirt sizes (because we’re crap at planning and didn’t check before leaving the house) but she was really happy with our choice in the dress shirt as she think it’s a lot nicer than the ones that he has right now.

So there was that… Then there was a little bit of grocery shopping, I also went to the library where I picked up the new smutty romance which did not have as much smut as I had originally anticipated! Very disappointed in that. However, I did pick up two jewellery books for inspirational photos. Which was awesome.

The family (and myself, obviously) went out for dinner tonight with my uncle and aunt. I saw one of my coworkers at the restaurant, and my mom also saw one of her old coworkers at the restaurant as well. So that was interesting. When my sister went to pay for the bill, my aunt was gushing about how ‘great’ it must be to have daughters (as she only had boys) and how wonderful we were and wasn’t my mom just proud of the fact that we were all so skinny and polite. I didn’t think much of the comment as my aunt’s always either saying that we all eat too little or that we don’t eat enough (most of the time it’s that we don’t eat enough). My mom’s answer to that pseudo-compliment? She gestured to my sisters and went ‘they’re skinny’ and then gestured to me and went ‘but she’s put on weight lately, she’s fat now’. Thanks mom… Love you too. At that, my mom and my aunt started discussing dieting tips… for me.

I’m not quite sure if I’m more bothered and upset at the fact that they were discussing me like I wasn’t even there (and when I tried to speak up, my father told me to stop interrupting my elders… He was talking to my uncle, so he wasn’t paying attention to the topic) or the fact that they were discussing plans on how to dictate and limit my food intake. And they started by asking the waiter to only bring six desserts instead of seven.

Anyways… So how was your Saturday?

There’s never a wish better than this

Michelle — Sat, 02 May 2009 03:37:46 +0000

@ Kristi – I probably won’t end up decorating it too much since it’s a) surrounded by random boxes of old computer parts, b) the walls [where I could pin things up] are partially covered with other documents and c) I spend a third of my time over at the other building, a third downstairs and a third in my cubicle.

And today is the end of my first work week for the year. I finished up all the paperwork for payroll today, got access to almost everything that I need access too. I also spent most of the day roaming around a building that I am not familiar with at all. And as a result, a lot of people were asking who I was and if I was supposed to be there. I texted Clay later saying that I really ought to make a shirt going “Yes, I work here and yes, I’m [my mom]’s daughter”. It really would make life a whole lot easier. Because I get a lot of “Do you work here?” and “Are you [my mom]’s daughter?” So even if my supervisor calls ahead to get the okay for me to roam around and observe, people still question my presence. Someone thought I was trespassing, until I saw someone that I knew and got them to vouch for me. At least they’re diligent? I also froze my computer by accident by having too many Word documents open. I have to remember that the computer I’m using is fairly ancient and can’t handle having more than five documents (without photos) open at a time. And then I get home and I’ve currently got… Thunderbird, Firefox, Windows Media Player, 7 MSN chat windows and Photoshop open. And it’s not even slow… But whatever… I get paid to wait for files to load, whoot?

My sister’s gone for the weekend, which leaves me with my parents… Yay? But Wolverine came out today, so I’m going to see if I can find anyone who’d like to see it with me. Marvel comics characters in another movie? Count me in! (I am such a dork.) My sister wanted to see it with me, but she’s off on a freaking mountain for two days. So I don’t really care all that much that she wanted to see it too. I have volunteering on Sunday for two hours, I have to find the person that I’m reporting to – too bad I have no clue what she looks like… So that should be interesting. Plus, I’ll actually get some exercise by walking the three blocks it takes to get there (since my bus pass officially ran out yesterday). And it’s supposed to rain on Sunday? … I think I have an umbrella somewhere, which will be super helpful in avoiding that ‘drowned’ look that is so not in season. No clue what I’m doing for the rest of the weekend though. I know tonight Dollhouse is on, so there is that. But that’s Friday. I might just head out to the library and chill for a while in those nice comfy (probably fake) leather seats. Ransack their crafts section again, perhaps. Not having a life on the weekend? … Not that much of a change.

Hope you all have a great weekend! At least better than mine is forecasted to be (well, besides the volunteering). And that you had an excellent Friday.

Today’s title comes for “100 Years” by Five For Fighting.

Last to know?

Michelle — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:07:17 +0000

How frequently are you the last to know about something in your family?

I’m constantly the last to know things because everyone else assumes that someone else will tell me. When I was younger, it was where we were going on vacation. Now that I’m older, it’s where we’re going for dinner and which family friends will be there. It’s what ugly colour of vinyl siding is going to cover up the sky blue paint of the house, who’s in the extended family just got diagnosed with cancer and “Oh, hey, let’s just have Michelle wake up to see that the silver birch tree in the front yard that she’s known all her life be chopped down!”

Am I amused? No. I rather liked that tree. And what everyone else (who already knew about the tree being chopped down – even my sister who’s living in the States right now!) doesn’t know is that my dad has also chopped up the plants that were planted in a ring around the base of the tree. Plants that were just sprouting and wouldn’t have been in their full colourful glory until mid to late summer.

When’s the last time that you were the last to know something in your family?

Fictional future of a fishy life

Michelle — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:31:17 +0000

My sister and I were sitting at the kitchen table. We were eating pistachios (so yum) and my parents walk in and ask us what we’re talking about. I just smile and look up at them and go “Talking about how when I get married, it’s going to be on this teeny tiny beach where only three people can stand.”

My dad just stared at me for a moment and I could just see his jaw moving a touch before he could say something and then he goes “You need witnesses.” That question was easy.

“Well, obviously you’re going to need to learn how to scuba dive. Or how to row a boat. See, after the ceremony is over on this teeny tiny island, we’ll go and live in this submarine for the rest of our natural born lives and have mermaid children. Who will eventually get caught in fishing nets and my husband and I will be really sad about it and then we’ll decide to retire from living in a submarine and end up living in an overly congested city. Like London, or something and we’ll sell our life stories to a major publishing company and live off the royalties from that until someone exhumes the mermaid children’s bodies and realize that we just superglued their scuba outfits to their bodies and attached a sparkly sequined tail to it and then we’ll get thrown in jail and you’ll read about us on the evening news while and wonder whatever happened to your daughter.”

I said this all in one breath and with a smile on my face.

By the end, my parents and sister could not stop laughing and (once he could talk again) my dad told me that I was going to be a lot of trouble to some guy one day.

Sending photos off to relatives

Michelle — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:11:20 +0000

My parents do this once a year. They’ll find the photos that they think are the ‘best’ and ‘well represent the family’ and then send them off to about two dozen uncles, aunts and cousins. Then there’s the ‘family friends’ (who are really just their friends and some of which are people that I have never met before since I’ve been out of diapers!) and the adult offspring of said family friends.

Some of the photos are fine. Like… family gathered around the table for someone’s birthday or a nice photo of us all in a public garden with a million flowers. Like in early 2008, they sent out a photo of me in my graduation cap and gown from when I graduated high school in 2007, that was fine. But every year they send out photos without asking us first and we (we being my sisters and I) aren’t informed about this ahead of time or given a chance to look through the photos until after the photos are emailed out!

So they did this tonight. I mean, it’s once a year, usually later in February so I wasn’t expecting it yet. I go through the photos and most of them are fine. The only issues I have with some of them is that I’m not smiling or have my head turned or something, but I can live with those. Random strangers and family members that I never see probably wouldn’t care either way.

However, my sister starts looking though the photos and then she sees one that she takes offense to and starts wanting to know why my parents didn’t take it out. The rest of the family looks great in the photo. Her? She’s wearing ratty old pjs in the background. You can tell that it’s her. Plus the pjs (top and bottom) are thinned and see-through in the photo. And there’s a light directly behind her in the photograph.

Yeah… Someone’s not pleased and my parents are not going to be hearing the end of this for a while!

Sick and tired

Michelle — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:35:10 +0000

I can’t stand my family (the people regularly in this house), my sister (the one who ‘surprised’ me by showing up for the week), some friends from high school, some friends from university and the boyfriend at the moment. The holidays are getting to me and it’s been just under two weeks now with a whole week left to go before I get back into a more routine atmosphere where I can focus on something and not have the most horrid sleeping schedule ever.

Also, I’d like to thank the person who operates the fucking snow plow at 3am in the fucking morning near my house because my room is closest to the area being plowed and therefore I hear it. Every single little scrap it does, I hear. At 3am.

And I’ve been baking a lot lately. I don’t particularly want to know how many cupcakes (with frosting!) I’ve consumed since Christmas day because chances are – I’m not going to like that number very much at all. I’ve also done a few dozen cookies (more sugar cookies, some oatmeal with raisin, chocolate chip – nothing too extravagant).

I’m tired. I’m emotional. I’m being yelled at on a daily basis and I’m really just sick and tired of this. I love my family – I do. But sometimes they’re just a little bit difficult to deal with. I have gotten very accustomed to not spending too much time with the people who live in the same house as me and now suddenly everyone’s always here because everyone has time off until the 5th (except for the one sister that doesn’t drive me insane, damn it). So now instead of sitting down at dinner with 2 other people, it’s 4 others. Instead of getting to wait up whenever the hell I want, like I normally do during my winter holidays, there’s 4 other people always wanting to know why I’m still in bed at 8am. I’m sorry, I thought I was supposed to be on holiday. Not on whatever sleep schedule you’re all on.

And they’re always wanting to know what I’m doing and who I’m talking to online and who I’m texting. Oh, and my sister? The one who came back for a week? She was going through the things in my room while I was there (goodness knows why). She started going through tampons (… thankfully in plastic wrapping or else I’d probably chuck them all up rather than use them) and my razors and she tried to open wrapped gifts that I haven’t given to people yet because she just “wanted to see what I got for them” since I hadn’t gotten her anything for Christmas (maybe should have given me a bit more warning next time, eh?). And everyone’s just bitching at me to do more ‘family’ things with them and lately if I’m not baking, I’m at a mall (I’m learning to hate shopping, thanks family) or I’m watching Planet Earth because I kind of want to finish watching the entire series before going back to school (for those who haven’t seen it: Planet Earth is amazing and I’m currently on disc 3 of 5 – I still love Blue Planet best though!). And really, baking, shopping and learning isn’t enough for them.

I think I’m going to go back into my room and just hide away until the 5th and I’ll emerge and head out to school and go back to ignoring everyone that I’m biologically related to. At least then I’ll get some peace and quiet and won’t have people pawing through things that are supposed to remain clean or going through my books or asking me why I’m always so damn busy that I can’t spend time with them.

In the gutter? Impossible!

Michelle — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:20:25 +0000

I headed out today to spend time with people (J, B, R, C, A, S and M – yeah, good luck keeping that sorted in your head) at the mall. A was initially not there as he thought we weren’t there (or something, I don’t know, I can’t follow his logic very well). So we wandered the mall. Checked out the usual stores that are full of toys. We went to another mall for lunch, but I forgot that all of the little food court stalls were cash only and I only had my debit and credit cards on me (go me) so R and I headed back to the other mall while the others roamed specialty shops. I got lunch and he watched me eat (which was kinda uncomfortable since he refused to take any fries and he was just watching me eat – thanks R, if you’re reading this). We headed to a comic book shop and I was looking through for copies of X-Men and he got a phone call from home, because something at his house collapsed due to the loving combination of snow and light rain. Not enough rain to wash it all away, just enough to make it heavier. So he went home and I met up with the rest of the party. M ran off to go to an arcade and play games and we headed back to the comic book store. Where we all bought nothing. But then we headed to a toy store and roamed through there. But this is unimportant, only to bring you all up to speed and to why R’s little disaster has huge relevance to me.

When I got home, I found out that the loving combination of light rain and snow on my roof was also a little… hard on the house. You know rain gutters? That run along the edge of the roof to collect the rain water and it goes all towards one side or the other of your house and then it drains somewhere? That thing? That metal thing that’s supposed to stay attached to your roof?

Well… With the wonderful combination of light rain and snow and how the light rain made the approximate 2 feet of snow on my roof even heavier than it is by itself, the gutter fell. The strip of gutter that fell is the part from outside my room to right off of the deck, where my father was unable to force the snow to fall this morning when he was clearing deck from the snow as he doesn’t particularly like the idea of a collapsing deck. Neither do I, as I remember the parental units bitching about the cost of the new deck when we had it rebuilt due to this great infestation of ants (and the bitching was rightfully theirs, considering how much it cost). So I’d say about half of the edge of the back side of my house is currently missing the gutter that’s supposed to be there. Which is kinda bad, as we won’t be able to get it up properly until after all the snow is gone. My dad’s currently hoping that it won’t be too difficult to do himself. My dad, the one with high blood pressure and with the bad back, wants to do it himself. I’d help if I didn’t have a fear of heights. But… I don’t know, it should go pretty okay. He’s checked out the part that’s currently on the ground and provided that it’s not bent (it’s kind of difficult to tell when it’s attached to a whole mass of icicles) it shouldn’t be too difficult to put back. He hopes.

But now that I’m missing a gutter, I can cheerfully claim that my mind is no longer in the gutter. Kind of impossible if it’s not there to be in.