The Berkeley Church Boxing Day Bash

Last night, I got plastered in a church, which was interesting since I've now spent more time in church in the past few days then I currently total all year. And most of that logged time was spent drunk. The current state of my religiousity is probably in need of a major overhaul, but I can't seem to get it together. It just hasn't been the same since I started university. I would say pure laziness keeps me away from mass, otherwise, I feel that I have a satisfying relationship with my religious beliefs which often includes me making up my own interpretations of the Catholic faith. A big no-no in the minds of the big guys in Rome, but things just seem so contradictory. These days I kind of delight in seeing how much ritual of ancient religion was adopted into the rituals of the Catholic Church. It makes me feel that different aspects of my life are connecting and I have chosen correct paths for myself. However, one must be mindful that the religious experience of 2000 years ago was completely different from the monotheistic practices of the modern world.
I think I just impressed myself with that reflection since I have spent the majority of today feeling deathly from the drinking. I consumed far too much alcohol in too short a time span and it's fair to say that the night was very eventful for all who attended. Now here I am 24 hours later, still feeling kind of ill, because I don't think I fully recovered my wits today. I know that I was still drunk when I woke up which is always a great feeling and a fantastic way to face the day. Mind you today was Tuesday, always the worst day of the week in my books, so it's not entirely surprising.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas to the world! My family ushered in today with the usual ritual of midnight mass and the opening of presents afterwards. All of which means we were up until 4am and I didn't actually fall asleep until 6am.

Midnight mass was quite lovely this year albeit a bit minimalistic because there was no nativity scene at the front of the church. I suspect that was a decision made by the new priest whose personal style I dislike, but I won't get into that now.
A trumpeter as well as the usual choir and organist were present and I have to say that injecting Christmas hymns with a trumpet really does make it seem more festive. I definitely enjoyed the music and of course I always appreciate my Christmas bible reading/Roman history lesson (Emperor Augustus issuing the decree for a census in Judaea while Quirinius was governor, etc.). It always makes me smile.

Of course in my family the festivities usually start on Christmas Eve when my grandparents all come over for turkey dinner. Last night I had to have a nap between dinner and mass just to ensure that I would be able to make it through the gifts portion of the night/day.
I still feel quite tired because I made myself get up at noon so I wouldn't miss the pancake breakfast and suddenly fast forward a few hours during which time I watched Little Women and now it's time to get ready to go to my cousin's house for another dinner. I bet these past two days plus whatever family dinner I have on New Year's Day will be the sole culprits of my holiday weight gain. But... holiday food is so good. What other time of the year do you ever get fed so well?

The only slight down side this year is that it's not exactly a white Christmas, it's more of a gray and hazy Christmas. In the past few days, a lot of the snow we had accumulated has been diminished by mild temperatures and rain. However, with eleven more days of Christmas to get through, I have hope that we may see some more snow before we take down our decorations in the new year.

Anyways, on this lovely day I hope that everyone is having a happy and satisfying holiday no matter where you live and what you practice.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Madness ensues... I have just woken up (12:47pm) and I can hear the rest of my family racing around our house preparing Christmas Eve dinner (turkey) and cleaning like their lives depend on it. I suppose at some point I must join them.

The last few days have been a bit hectic. I actually had work training for three days this week which is alright since I got a better feel for what the job will actually be like and obviously it is better to get more work days on the next paycheque, since I missed most of that work period being unemployed. It should be interesting to see me adjust to this job on my own in January, but until that time, I won't worry. I just know it is going to be degrading. You can ask me about this later, but just trust me for now. I know that someone with an MA shouldn't be doing half the tasks that are involved in this job. But I'll suck it up because I need an income.

Michaela and I went downtown to MEC on Thursday to get a gift for our step-mom and we happened to see the actor Aaron Ashmore (with his girlfriend buying backpacks).
If you don't know who he is, he was last seen to my knowledge as the evil Troy Vandegraff on Veronica Mars (see photo at left).
His twin brother Shawn is better known as Iceman in X-Men 2 and the upcoming X3 movies, as well as Terry Fox for Canadian CBC movie watchers. My sister was quite amused at this run-in because for some reason she always runs into one of the Ashmore's every year. I'd call that luck.




Anyways, speaking of Veronica Mars again, it's my newest TV show obsession. The obsession started in the summer but it died down since I didn't watch TV consistently.
It's a very very well written show with a lot of witty writing and clever plotlines. There is a lot of parody and satire of the high school drama genre and even detective fiction from both books and TV.
Right now it doesn't air in Canada (Thanks to CTV loyally listening to the viewers on this) but in the States it's on UPN on Wednesdays at 9pm. And if you watch another certain show at that time on a different network (*cough, cough, Lost, cough* ) than you will understand why VM doesn't get very high ratings in its current time slot. The entire situation boggles my mind since last season it wasn't doing that well either, but UPN renewed it because VM fills a niche in the same way that Buffy the Vampire Slayer did. However, for this season, some genius at UPN changed its timeslot from Tuesday to Wednesday at 9pm. Which kind of leaves me to wonder, is the network just looking for a way to get this show cancelled?
I'd like to think that UPN is the network that gives a television show's last chance a decent shot at staying alive. UPN was the network that picked up BtVS after the WB dropped it from its roster, and it was carried for three more seasons. So I have some hope that VM could be around for a few more seasons because obviously the network knows what purpose/demographic it fulfills. It just needs a chance for fans to propagate its wonderfulness. But you shouldn't just take my word for it, you should watch it for yourself... what are you waiting for?
It bothers me that networks don't seem to give the decent shows a fighting chance to develop over more than one or two seasons (2 cases in point: My So-Called Life, Arrested Development). They're too impatient, always searching for the next INSTANT-MEGA-HIT. Anything remotely quirky or intelligent just doesn't seem to draw the masses right away. I'm convinced that if you give it time, a show that is genuinely great will draw in more viewers, or at least you will see a core audience that is devoted to the show. It's too bad only specialty networks like HBO cater to such audiences. So basically what I am saying is that, if VM is cancelled before it's time there is going to be one angry Denise!

P.S. If you can't watch Veronica Mars in Canada (like myself) than go for the gold and download it, while it's still legal of course.

Cats are taking over my house

I got called into the office this week and was hired for a job that was just recently vacated. I'll officially be an office lackey starting in January, which kind of sucks cuz it is a small office, but I'm not about to be turning down jobs that I barely had to do anything to get. All I know is that it's a lot of administrative duties with the occasional project. It sounds like I will also be learning more about lithics as well as getting cozy with Photoshop, Excel, and my dear friend Powerpoint. I am kind of nervous about it, but I think things will be ok in the end. On Monday I'm going in for the day to get some training from the girl who currently has the position I am about to fill, and then after that, I am on my own in January.
The good thing is that I have this job for the winter and as soon as spring comes, I'll be able to go back into the field with whatever crew I am placed on. The Historic crew is facing a bit of an upheaval at the moment, a bit of a re-arrangement in its membership if you will, so it should be interesting to see what arises out of that. I really really want to work with the historic sites again, but with my luck, I'll be washing more dirt at Teston.
Anyhow, the good is that I have a steady income, the bad is that I probably won't be going to the AIA conference in Montreal in January. It's alright I suppose because I hadn't registered for it or made any hotel arrangements, but at the same time, I really wanted to go and a lot of UBC people are apparently going, so it would be good to see them again. It may work out... it starts on a Thursday and ends on a Saturday. Maybe my first week at work won't be so hectic and I'll be able to pull something out of my sleeves. We shall see...
And to end this post, here are some cute pics of Stanley and Mika acting like they rule the roost. Stanley always chooses the most inappropriate places to sleep, like anywhere you might want to directly walk.


Mika heading for the Tub


Stanley sleeping on the stairs

"No Sleep for Dreaming" say the Architects of Life

Ever have one of those days when you Google your name? Well, dear readers, I found that as of Dec. 12th, 2005, I am damn near impossible to find on Google. I guess I should be thankful really. There are lots of Denise McGuire's out there and they have far more impressive CVs than I could ever hope to have. One is a district attorney in San Francisco, another is a well known psychologist from Denver. I don't see myself living up to these other Denise's.
In my search for myself, I came across this laughable, and truly pathetic summary of Classical Studies graduates in Canada. Oddly enough it was on some UBC related website.
So here goes the stunning newsflash:

Did You Know?

A 2002 survey of Canadian Classical Studies majors two years after their graduation found that:
*100% said they were satisfied with their program and 100% said the quality of instruction was good or very good
*83% said that the knowledge, skills and abilities they had acquired in their program were useful in their work
*100% of respondants were employed, and median income was $30,920

Those factoids just kind of caused me to break into hysterical laughter, panic, and sadness. I am sure you could not have missed that awesome median income there. Frankly, at this point I would take that income as I currently have none.

I also went to www.sloganizer.net and got this slogan for my name:
"You don't want Denise McGuire as your enemy!"
So there!

Everything Looks Perfect from Far Away

My last day of work was Wednesday and since then I have had a 9 hour day of shopping with Gosh where I bought stuff mostly for myself, then another day where we went swimming and then went to see Memoirs of a Geisha (still in limited release) and had some $10 martinis in Yorkville. Yeah I know $10 is a lot for one martini, but it was the yummiest martini I ever drank. And this little cafe is open 24 hours, so I can see myself going back there at some point.
And finally, last night I went and saw Rent with my cousins and sister. So, my conclusion is that unemployment causes you to want to blow a lot of cash that you will be needing in the long run and you go to see a lot of movies.
I cannot believe how much tv I have been watching lately either. I just watched the entire first season of Veronica Mars in 2.5 days. Of course, as I progressed into the series I realized that I had watched about 10 episodes of the total 22 in the summer, not knowing if I had viewed them in order since time seemed to warp this past summer. Days blended together and I couldn't really focus on much.
I'm also currently working on the fourth season of Buffy, which I appreciate even more so this time around than when I originally viewed the series, and I adored it then. You can really see how much continuity there is of the storylines and characters from episode to episode or even from season to season. It's like Joss Whedon is the ultimate reference editor. He could make a killing editing theses because he could probably really easily point out tiny mistakes of continuity and help re-establish clarity of argument and progression. Maybe when I have to write a thesis I'll ask Joss Whedon to be my editor. That would just be amusing.
Anyways if you want to see either of the movies that I just saw, they are both great, although Memoirs of a Geisha is still an amazing book, and the movie is still only just good. I was annoyed that the actresses wore their hair down a lot (not in the Geisha hairstyle) and didn't really mention the importance of hairstyles or movements or how to pour tea, etc. There was also a weird little plot twist about World War II which was changed to involve Americans being entertained by the Geisha while negotiating business deals rather than having the Japanese trying to rebuild their country with other Japanese dignitaries. It was quite random and I have no doubt that Rob Marshall needed to get in some sort of positive reference to America that didn't involve dropping atomic bombs on Japan. I'm not sure he entirely succeeded in that. I probably shouldn't even get going on the abundance of Chinese accents in a film about Japanese culture, but I guess that's what you get when you cast Chinese actors. I guess if Arthur Golden was satisfied with the turnout of the movie than the rest of us just have to take it too.

Ants Marching

This Onion-esque email came through to me today courtesy of Christie. In case you live under a rock or don't care about what is happening in other parts of the country, Vancouver's been getting a lot of snow... kind of like the rest of the country for once.
Here is one farcical point of view (but you still know that deep down, Vancouverites are kind of feeling this way).

Vancouver (Reuters)

Day 2 - Vancouver Blizzard 2005 - Revenge of the Commuters
Chilled Vancouver commuters faced their second day of winter hell today, as an additional 1 centimeter of the peculiar white stuff fell, bringing the lower mainland to its knees and causing millions of dollars worth of damage to the marijuana crops. Scientists suspect that the substance is some form of frozen water particles and experts from Saskatchewan are being flown in. With temperatures dipping to the almost but not quite near zero mark, Vancouverites were warned to double insulate their lattes before venturing out. Vancouver police recommended that people stay inside except for emergencies, such as running out of espresso or biscotti to see them through Vancouver's most terrible storm to date. The local Canadian Tire reported that they had completely sold out of fur-lined sandals. Drivers were cautioned to put their convertible tops up, and several have been shocked to learn that their SUVs actually have four wheel drive, although most have no idea how to use it.
Weary commuters faced soggy sushi and the threat of frozen breast implants.
Although, Dr. John Blatherwick of the Coastal Health Authority reassured everyone that most breast implants were perfectly safe to 25 below, down-filled bras are flying off the shelves at Mountain Equipment Co- op.
"The government has to do something," snarled an angry Trevor Warburton. "I didn't pay $540,000 for my one bedroom condo so I could sit around and be treated like someone from Toronto."


Anyways... lovely.
I had a good weekend. The parentals were out of town and I had a one woman Laurier tailgate party in front of the TV for the Vanier Cup showdown. I dressed in my Laurier gear from socks to sweatshirt and then I ordered pizza and watched a nail-biter of a game. Laurier, I am glad to say, came out on top. I also realized that this is the last year that I can say that there are still people at Laurier who attended school when I went there. Next year there will be no one and it will be all brand spanking new, kind of like the major refurb that's going to happen to the DAWB, where I had most of my classes. How quickly things change.

Last night Gosha and I attended the Dave Matthews Band concert (my 8th in total) and it was fucking great. Reporters aren't entirely wrong when they compare the cult of DMB to the followers of Phish or the Grateful Dead. I don't even care if the show is gonna suck, if I hear Dave Matthews is coming to town, I buy tickets. I think most fans have that mentality about Dave. I can't bear to think I will miss him in Toronto unless I am not physically present in the city. Year after year, Rolling Stone reports that DMB has one of the top ten grossing tours of the year in North America. Considering half their album catalogue consists of live albums, they make a lot of coin off of touring. Of course, suckers like me buy t-shirts and all their other propaganda. I think I have like 7 DMB t-shirts. Some work weeks in the field, I can wear a different Dave shirt everyday. It's sad and pathetic I know, but a concert with Dave is like being invited to a friend's jam session... with 15'000 other friends. It's just fun. And we got high and drunk. It was a good Sunday night, but I did feel like shit after only 5 hours of sleep tonight.

By the way, tomorrow's my last day of work for the season. I'm pretty psyched about not having to wake up at 6am in the dark anymore, but I am kind of depressed about the lack of funds that is going to come out of this. Anyway, I shouldn't talk of this now when I can post about the shittiness of it all tomorrow.

9 Years

I still miss you.


Mom & I - 1981