Journey

I've got a few minutes now and I just wanted to share a little something. Below is map of the major moves in my life...from Quebec to different places in Illinois to BC back to Illinois to Boston, and then here to Sackville. We were talking about what 'place' means in our Human Environment class...and it got me to thinking again of all the different places that I'm "from". And well...here's the highlights:

View Larger Map

It seems appropriate to include a traveling songs...and Tom Petty's Time to Move On is one of the best I can find:

It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, it s time to get going

Broken skyline, movin' through the airport
Shes an honest defector
Conscientious objector
Now her own protector

Broken skyline, which way to love land
Which way to something better
Which way to forgiveness
Which way do I go

It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, its time to get going

Sometime later, getting the words wrong
Wasting the meaning, and losing the rhyme
Nauseous adrenaline
Like breakin' up a dog fight
Like a deer in the headlights
Frozen in real time
I'm losing my mind

It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, its time to get going

Scare Tactics

If they had only shown us these in high school instead of the dull, decade old safety videos...then more people may have paid attention.

Edit: I was told this was video was especially disturbing without any warning, so in order to prevent any further trauma I'll use this over-used and almost entirely ignored warning: "This video contains images that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised". Seriously...they're called "scare tactics" for a reason.

Back at Mount Allison

Before I begin writing about what it is like being back at Mount Allison I have a few last pictures to share of Boston in Winter:





That's right...that's Winter in Boston. Well...right after all the snow melted...and right before another big snow.

Traveling fifteen hours from Boston to Sackville wasn't the most enjoyable journey I've been on...but it was exciting at parts.... like getting pulled inside by Homeland Security while trying to leave the US (at the Calais/St. Stephen border), which, as I said before, is completly legal. I applied for my US passport while in Boston, so when I said that I was a dual Canadian-American traveling to Canada on a Canadian passport they decided that I needed to come inside. After looking things up I was allowed to leave the country...so no big problem...but it's not a great feeling to be told "you need to come with me" by someone with a gun.

I got back to Mount Allison late Sunday night, and I've only had a bit of time to hang out with all of my friends (exchanging a few great little gifts...and then of course being forced to watch a chick-flick...don't ask which one) before I had to go and sell my old books and buy new ones. I've had all my classes once so far, and I have them each once more before the weekend. They all seem pretty good so far...things that I'm at least moderately interested in:Human Geography, Canadian History, French, Macroeconomics, and American Government.

As far as last semester I earned all A's and B's, which I am happy pretty happy with. Adjusting to University involves getting past some of the distractions from studying, writing, and going to class. Just getting settled and finding your way around, not to mention figuring out how to use your time outside of class can have an impact on grades, and for a lot of people that means doing worse than you're used to doing in high school. So, when you get there...work hard and stay focused, but keep in mind that you're learning a lot outside of class, and you're adjusting to a lot of change.

I know that I'm very excited about the next semester, I've got an idea of what I need to do to earn the grades I want in my classes, how to study better, and how to really enjoy my free time. This semester there will be more time to get started on my assignments earlier, sleep enough, and enjoy my free time instead of rushing at the last minute.

This week is the first house party "Cancun Campbell"...I'm not really the partying type...but I might stop... by seeing as how I live there. Then Sunday is the start of season 7 of 24... I'm guessing Jack Bower will be in trouble for torturing people, have to save the world, torture some more people...and then somehow escape..and then do it again and again for a few more seasons. The 20th is Bararck Obama's Inauguration, and by the end of the month I'll be 19.

Ramble On: Going Back to Mount Allison

It's the night before my trip back to Mount Allison, but I've postdated this for 11:45 AM Eastern Standard Time on January 4th 2009 and by then will be sitting on a bus on my way back to Mount Allison. I thought I would take a second to recognize the importance of this trip back. These past couple weeks have been the longest time I've been away from Mount Allison and everybody there, and my first trip back to Mount Allison from my home in Boson. It's been good to be back home, and now it's time to return to University life.

By the end of today I'll have been traveling for 15 hours by car and bus. I'll be really tired and restless, but it will be great to see my friends again.

But for now, I'm in Bangor, Maine, and I'm just about to leave for the last eight and a half hours of my trip. I'll leave you with Led Zeppelin's Ramble On performed by the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. I wish I could have been there.