I know there's been a lot of posts lately, but here's one more - My good pal Shaun has started his own blog at http://gracefulclutz.blogspot.com So check it out...OR I'LL KILL YOU!!!!

Just kidding, I just put that last threat in there for Mike's sake. After all, I'm not in Kamloops anymore and nobody down in Langley gets any of my stupid comments.

Mike found this quiz online someplace so I decided to take it too. I'd rather be a cooler colour than pink, but I'll take what I can get - at least the description of pink makes sense.

You are pink. You are in limbo. Not pure and manipulated like white, not impure and noble like red. You are unsure of your real identity, but whatever you chose it to be, you can be it. That is your power. You change everyone you touch, and everyone remembers you. In literature, pink represents the place between heaven and hell. You are the one we will never forget.

What inner color are you?

"a rubber chicken connected with my testicle at a high velocity." - Lorne

And so I'm home again.

I don't know how long I'll be here though - I'm waiting to hear on the UCC PR job still, so (hopefully) I could end up back in the 'loops in a matter of days. The only shitty part of getting that job would be having to re-pack all the stuff I just unpacked and put in my room.

On one hand, Its nice to have the luxuries of home - enough food to eat that, if I were so inclined, I could actually eat 3 meals a day; laundry done for me, and no groceries to buy/bills to pay etc... And it's always nice to have my family around too. But I would still love that UCC job because the last few days of just me, mike and shaun made me realize how wicked a summer up there would be. Even with an empty apartment we had a wicked weekend - and I definately wouldn't mind doing that for 4 whole sunny months. But I guess I'll just have to wait and see...

"And now we play the waiting game (pause)....the waiting game sucks, lets play hungry hungry hippos!" - Homer Simpson.

Also, Mike, Silv, Shaun and I have come up with some rituals to help the Canucks win games - And they seem to be working! (exception: Game 2 vs. Wild) Ever since the Canucks were down 3-1 to St. Louis I've watched every game on my TV, and for the last 2 or 3 games, Mike and a plethora of other people - Al, Shaun, Silv - have watched there too.

So rule #1: Games must be watched on my TV. Now I'm back in Langley so Mike, Shaun and Silv will have to watch on other TV's. But tomorrow I'm going to watch with Chris, Ian, Sean and possibly Jerm. So there will be enough viewers to keep the magic alive. We're also getting a Bubba-Keg, so that might be whats needed to push the Canucks over the top.

Rule #2 On the night before a game, Shaun has to stay the night at Mike's place. Don't ask me why this works, it's just a coincedence, but it happened for every canucks victory. The one time it didn't happen? A game 2 loss versus the Wild. As my mom said on the phone after the game: "Dammit Shaun! Tell him it's all his fault."

Also, we're also growing (terribly ugly) playoff beards.

"I was high on coke - I mean cold medicine." - Meghan.

"I want to send in a letter to the editor with lyrics to a song I'll write about hanging Jesus, feasting on his organs, and desecrating his corpse." - Lorne, responding to an article in a Greyhound bus terminal religious magazine stating that heavy metal music is the tool of the devil.

Another day, another disappearance.

Meghan left today. Now only Mike and I are left from our original group. Soon i'll be gone too, which I'm half looking forward to, and half-not. But at least Mike and I are making good use of my last few days in town. We've been watching hockey, hanging out, and today we made some wicked shirts - one of them has a picture of a Sifton Ave. street sign on it, with the word mischief printed underneath. Nobody understands it except for me, mike and shaun (oh and also Mike's friends the L'heureux's, courtesy of Shaun's drunken rambling) We got another one with DELETED!! printed on it, and a third one with Ungrateful Fern on it. I wore that one tonight, it rocks.

Like I said, we aren't wasting this weekend.

Until next time, remember, ain't nobody dope as me!

You know it's been a long, stressful week when the following conversation takes place, while we were driving around Kamloops.

Nick: Mike, red light coming up.
Mike: What?
Nick: Red light!
Mike: What did you say?
Nick: I said you just ran a red light.
Mike: Oh crap..

Melissa left today.

Our little journalism brigade has officially started to fold up our tents and leave camp.

Melissa said it's like the fellowship of the ring breaking up, and I guess she's partly right. Except in the Lord of the Rings they head for Mt. Doom. I hope we're not headed down the same path. Things have been strange/tense lately in our little fellowship, but I'd like to just chalk it up to moving/packing/cleaning stress. I hope that's all it is. But maybe I'm being overly optimistic.

Mike and I took Melissa to the bus depot tonight. It was sad to know that we won't see each other for 4 months, probably longer. But it was a surprisingly emotionless parting-of-ways. Melissa warned us she'd more than likely cry, and I figured I'd be holding back some emotions of my own. But it wasn't like that at all. No tears, no real sadness, just a quick hug and a "have a good summer."

I don't quite know what to think about that--lack of feeling is not something I usually suffer from. It's very odd, although I have declared myself to officially be in my new "Fuck it" mode, so maybe this lack of sadness is just part of that.

I didn't even really say much to Melissa before she left. I might've mumbled something about "have a good trip" but I don't really remember. It would've been nice to at least have been able to squeeze out an "I'll miss you" but oh well, I probably don't need to tell her that. I'm sure she already knows.

I know I should be at least a little bit sad, after all, It'll be many moons before I see one of my best friends again, but I don't really feel anything. Maybe once all this crazy moving-day business is over with it'll hit me. Or maybe it won't.

Who really knows.

Fuck it.

Nick: What we need now is a fluke goal or something.
Mike: Or for Osgood to die!!!

4-1 Canucks. I bet Osgood wishes he was dead right now. Take that St. Louis!

"When the sign says 'Dont feed the bears,' then don't feed the fuckin' bears. They don't eat pie in the wild." - Melissa.

"I smoke, I drink like a fish, jesus christ what more do you want from me?" - Melissa.

Que packing.

Meghan, Melissa and Shaun's house is in currently in a "transition" state - meaning that there is stuff everywhere and boxes piled miles high full of stuff. I really should start packing up my own shit soon i suppose - I'll get to that on tuesday I think.

I went to Meghan and Melissa's tonight for Easter dinner, it was really nice. Despite the house being in various states of dissarray, it was fun. Lots of people there - Both Melissa and Meghan's families, me, Mike, Al, and Melissa Jameson.

The last few days I've really been excited about going home just because I'm getting tired of cooking and doing all that other stuff you have to do when you live on your own. It'll be nice to, at least for awhile, move back in with my family. Although I did get a little nostalgic earlier tonight when Mike (well i think it was Mike) looked around the living room as it was being packed into boxes and said something like "lots of good times in this place." And he's right. There were many a good time in that townhouse. Many good times indeed. Ah well, there will be many other good times next year too once everyone re-convenes after their summers, even if i have to miss out on a few of them because I'll be in Langley or wherever.

Que Summer.

Mike has posted some hockey photos we took. Check 'em out http://deco.cooltrap.com/pictures/hockey2

The Year as I see it

*****WARNING: DEEP THOUGHTS AHEAD********
(I know, rare for me, but i'm graduating and have been doing a lot of thinking lately, so gimme a break would ya?)

"Truly good friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget." - G. Randolf

I found that quote on the Internet and it just seemed to make a lot of sense. I'm leaving Kamloops now, graduating. And, barring a miracle job appearing in Kamloops, I won't get to come back next year to be with my friends, who are all a year behind me. Also, to those same people - good luck to everyone who's coming back for another year of this, or in Al's case, 2 years. You guys all rock. I'm sure you'll do great.

Graduating though- it's sort of bittersweet. I thought I'd be happier than hell to be finished my education, but I'm not. Yes, I'm thrilled to be done with school, and excited and a little nervous about moving into the "real world." but it's bittersweet because, I managed to make some very good friends while I was here and it will be hard to leave them.

When I first came to Kamloops I didn't really want to be here, and a lot of the time, I wasn't. I went back to Langley nearly every weekend, and I really didn't like it here. But that changed this year because I met people who I really loved being around. I've been lucky enough to have met some of my very best friends here. In my life, as some people already know, I went through a lot of different groups of friends. But the people I've met here - and Mike, Meghan and Melissa especially; I know I will be friends with for a very long time, and for that I am extremely grateful and happy for. I can honestly say this has probably been the best year of my life. I know Melissa likes to say how this year was the best year and the worst year all at once, and its true, it certainly had its ups and downs. But for me, low points included, as far as great years go, this one is right at the top.

I was thinking, and I realized that this year I think I grew a lot as a person. I'm not so guarded or so introverted anymore and I tend to trust people more with a lot of things. Not that I didnt trust people before, but I think I've opened up more to certain people. Now, some of these same people may argue that I'm still sort of a closed book - but I'm more open than I was so I give myself some credit. I guess I'm a work in progress. I also did some things, well one thing really, that in the past I'd usually been too much of a chickenshit to do. Well, unfortunately, I guess in the end I really didn't have to do anything, but that's just a minor detail. I chalk it up to shyness, not my finest quality. Without getting into any detail - even though things didnt necessarily go my way, I'm still glad I went down swinging instead of standing in the on-deck circle waiting for something to happen. In the past I probably never would have done that.

The thing I learned from all that is that sometimes you just gotta stop waiting for the perfect pitch and get the bat off your shoulder. If you go down swinging, then so be it. Sure it hurts like hell, and there are moments where you wish it never happened, but life doesn't always go your way all the time. But as long as you give it a shot that's all that matters.

I credit a lot of this growth not just to myself but to my closest friends (you know who you are). I've learned a lot from every one of you, and I'm a better person because of it. So thank-you. With the amount of people who have come in and out of my life over the years I don't get attached to people easily, but there some people here I've grown sort of attached to. Well, maybe 'attached' isn't the right word - but in a relatively short 8 months it feels like I've known them my whole life. That's never really happened to me before, and its sort of cool.

Yep, it's been quite a year for me personally, and it's probably not the last things that will change about me either, but it's a good start.

As a side note, I can also drink a lot more than I could when I came here. Again, I give partial credit to my friends. As far as drinking skills go, I think Lorne summed it up best when, a few weekends ago he said "We're professionals at this point." Yes, pros indeed.

Now I don't want to sound completely bummed, because I'm not. This isn't supposed to sound like a eulogy. I'm very excited to be going back home to see friends and family, and the future, whatever it is, I'm sure will be great. But still, I've sort of grown attached to this place, despite its pulp-mill stench and stupid one-way streets.

In a way I don't want the year to really end because there will be a lot of people I won't see for awhile, in some cases forever.

There are some people I'll miss more than others, and one person I'll miss most of all. But hey, that's just the way it goes.

C'est la vie.

Well our brief trip to Langley is almost over. We leave tomorrow, although with the school year over I'll more than likely be right back here in a matter of weeks. Which, despite not having a job, is fine by me. It was a good couple days home though - aside from boring stuff like getting my grad pictures taken, Melissa and I managed to fit in some fun stuff. Yesterday we went to the Greater Vancouver Zoo, and unlike the time Melissa, Mike, Meghan and Shaun went there, we saw more of the elephant than just his ass. Then today we went into White Rock and checked out some million dollar show homes just for the hell of it - they were SO nice, but they cost millions of dollars that I just don't have - maybe I'll win them in the hospital lottery, granted I buy a ticket. Then we wandered around White Rock beach for awhile before coming back. On Monday night I got a wicked digital camera for my birthday from my family and I took a few pictures with it, so maybe if Mike's nice enough to help me make a website where I can post 'em, I'll let ya see em.

Al: What kind of party ends at 1 AM?
Me: The kind that starts at noon.

So that was the end of the year party. It was good, bad and ugly, all wrapped into one 13 hour span. I was drunk by noon, wandered off by myself for an hour and a half. Got in an argument with some latin guys at heroes who are lucky they didnt get hurt, and puked off the balcony (just like Meghan predicted I would) It was an interesting way to end off the year - i'll just say that much.

Well it was my birthday today. Well, technically yesterday, because its 2:30 in the morning now, but oh well. And I realized that I have some very cool friends - not that I didn't realize that before - but I spend so much time being sarcastic and making fun of them, that I just thought I should point out that they rock. It was very cool to spend my birthday with them.

This was the first birthday I've spent away from Langley and the rest of my family, so that was kind of different, but the day was very cool. It started off with a wicked game of road hockey where I scored 3 goals. Then Me, Melissa, Mike and Meghan went to Earls for dinner, which was fun, and the food was pretty good too, at least mine was. I got some very nice gifts from everyone (thank-you) and we also drank a little bit tonight, perhaps to prepare/warn our livers for what's to come tomorrow. So it was a very good day.

It would have been even better if the Canucks had put up some kind of fight against the Blues in the first playoff game. 6-0 loss. It's just disgusting. Probably the worst display of playoff hockey I've ever seen my beloved Canucks play. They'd better win on Saturday, or I just might change allegiances to the Oilers....on second thought, no. I'll stick with the 'nucks - so they'd better play better. So besides the weak excuse for a playoff game, my birthday rocked. Just thought y'all should know.

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end.

-The Doors

Yes amigos, the end is near. Only 2 more classes left for me and then its game over for college. It's a pretty wicked feeling actually. Just to know that, even though I'll obviously have to work for like the next 40 years, I will never have anymore homework, essays or exams to write.

Ever.

How fuckin' sweet is that?

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT

"When I put my clothes on I'll have more clothes on." - Melissa [12:15 PM]

"Nick, you suck." - Melissa [about 10 seconds after posting first quote]

"It's friday, I'm naked and I'm drinking. It's a good day." - Meghan [1:10]

"I'm going to go up to random people and go 'Word to your mother!'...see how many time I get punched out." - Meghan [1:16]

"Don't you love how every Saturday morning our house smells like a brewery?" - Meghan [4:33]

"Can you imagine drinking beer out of a moose's head? Not even a skull, just a freshly decapitated moose." - Lorne, while drinking Moosehead Beer. [4:34]

"Ah! Ass spears! Your boney ass is digging into my leg." - Lorne [7:37]

"If I cared I'd be wearing pants." - Meghan [7:58]

"If I was gay I'd be all over myself like spots on a leopard." - Lorne [time unknown]

"I'm a worthless piece of skin!" - Al [sometime after 2:00]

"......" - No one remembers this quote, or even who said it or when, but god damn was it funny at the time.

"I'm with him, we're writing a book together." - Melissa, rejecting the guys trying to pick her up [many times]

Meghan: I wonder why nobody puked or passed out last night?
Lorne: Because we're professionals at this point.
[11:20 AM Saturday morning]

I was going through some old files of mine and I found a funny, not-quite-completed list called Things I've learned in the last two years: and other observations about college. I think I started it back around Christmas vacation but I've finished it off now. Seeing as the end of my university 'career' is coming up quick, I figure now is a good a time as any to post the list. So without further adieu....


- An eleven o’clock class is too early, but you have no problem being up at 6 AM, as long as you’re still awake from the night before.

- “Sign it's been a fun weekend? Tonight's the first night in three nights I'm sleeping in my own bed.” (courtesy of Mike Eng's Blog.)

- Getting a good night’s rest is four hours of sleep. (Mike again)

- University bookstores suck. At the end of every semester you can sell your used books back to the store for about 2% of their original cost. My question is, how can you call a textbook ‘used’ if it’s still in its original cellophane wrapping?

- This past year I’ve heard the same thing said many times, “After this weekend, I’m not going to drink for awhile.” I’ve also learned that “awhile” means until Wednesday

- Nobody ever turns down free beer. It just doesn’t happen. You could be sick, drunk, on prescription medication, or allergic to barley. But you know what else you are? Poor.

- Ways to tell if a party was good: 1) The morning paper is on the steps when you get home. 2) Instead of picking up a burger from McDonald’s on the way home you get an egg mcmuffin. 3) You see a young kid, in full hockey gear, leaving for early morning hockey practice with his dad as you drive up the street on your way to going to bed. (Originally from an email sent home Dec. 7,2002 5:49 AM)

- Eating an actual meal becomes a luxury (Mike)

- In college, people spend a lot of their time on MSN Messenger. Actually, we probably spend more time talking on MSN than we do on the phone, or talking to people in person. But don’t you wish that the way you talked to people on MSN could transfer over to other conversations? I mean, if I’m talking to someone on the street and they tell a story that is supposed to be funny but isn’t, I would love to just look at them and say “lol”, stick an “AWAY” tag on my forehead and walk away. Or maybe, when I’m on the phone, I could just put the phone down in mid conversation, walk away for 2 hours, then come back and say “gotta go” and hang up.

- If journalism professors are supposedly “rich with real-life journalistic experience” why do they always tell the same stories?

- As winter break approaches, all you can think about is leaving school and having a whole month off to party with your old friends. But after you’ve been home for a few days you wonder what all your college friends are doing, and you start thinking about how much fun you could be having if you had a whole month off to party with them.

- A lot of people complain that they gain weight while they’re away at college. I don’t understand why though. I mean, most people only eat one or two meals a day during the week, binge drink all weekend and puke it all up, then feel so sick they don’t eat again for three days. You’d think you’d lose weight this way. It’s baffling.

- Just an observation: This probably only applies to Mike and me but it seems very odd that we spend more time wasting our time than we do actually concentrating on school. Examples: Daily Deco, Space Ghost, and Strong Bad.

- Jello Shooters rule.

- Just when you think beer can’t get any better, they put Don Cherry on the can.

- It is much easier to steal new plates, cups and cutlery from restaurants than it is to actually wash the dirty dishes piling up in the sink. For the record, Boston Pizza and Tim Horton’s both have excellent dishes. (Don’t they Meghan?)

- You can still pass a Fine Arts class even if you’ve never managed to stay for the full three hours.

- Boredom and/or alcohol leads to garden gnome theft.

- Hope is quite possibly the greatest town in the country.

- To quote Homer: “Alcohol is the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”

- You meet some of the best people you’ll ever meet while you’re in college.

"Everything's coming up Milhouse! - Milhouse, when things go his way.

So just when it seems like I have exhausted any and all options for staying and working in Kamloops next year, Alan sends an email out with a local job opening. And not just local, but actually at UCC. It's a PR job, and has nothing to do with sports, as most of the jobs I've looked at do, but if I did get it, it lets me stay in town with everyone a little while longer. Also, it pays $19/hour, which will help me pay off some of the many debts I've collected over the last two years. Plus I could still hopefully do my own sports stuff on the side (Omega and BC Hockey)

Now I know that Alan send this job out to everyone on the j-students email list but let me just say this to all of you: Do not apply for this job. Just don't do it. Under any circumstance. I want this job, chances are I'm better than you, so just don't apply. It's easier for both of us if you don't. This way, I won't have to crush you like a bug under my shoe. And you won't have to deal with the agony and humiliation of defeat. Just don't do it.

Now, if one of you does apply for this job, and gets it instead of me, there will be consequences and repercussions. Mob-style repercussions.

Consider yourself warned.

Mike has just sent me a link to what is quite possibly the best university-level essay on the subject of the spotted owl. It's got everything you want in a piece of academic writing - an strong thesis, strong evidence to back up the thesis, opinion, and humour. The only thing missing is, well, information. Check it out fo' yourself by clicking here.