Paraguay, here i come!

i'm starting to get more and more excited for my trip to Paraguay. granted, i make it through the insane amount i have to work before we go (basically a full time job covering for a lady while she's gone for a month, and then doing part time on top of that...) but at least it'll actually FEEL like a well-deserved break. i've been talking to my cousin who lives in Asuncion (the capital city) and i was telling her that i'd really like to explore the city with her for a bit and maybe go out dancing with some of my cousins. i'm really excited because usually we just go to the small town of Loma Plata to spend time with family. not that i dont love doing that, but it's just that i've been to Paraguay at least 5 times now and have never actually experienced anything but Loma Plata and i haven't explored at all. i mean, living in Loma Plata is completely different than what i'm used to at home: it's a tight knit mennonite community, all dirt roads, the best fruit i've ever had, snakes, everyones farms are only about a half hour to 45 minute drive away... and i always have fun there, but i'd like to see more of Paraguay. hopefully it works out that a few cousins and i make a trip out there and explore. i think it would be awesome to see the city my dad grew up in!

*sings* iiii hate winnipeg!

Oh Winnipeg, you never cease to amaze me.

It's April 25th and it's snowing like a freaking blizzard outisde. I'm not kidding. Not like a tiny bit of snow, it's actually like a mid-winter snowstorm without the heaps of snow already on the ground.

No more!! I demand summer!

*shakes fist at the heavens*

News from the Observation Deck

I was just noticing in the past little while that when you look at couples, a lot of the time they two people in the relationship look very similar. Facial features, hair color.... they both have prominent noses, blue eyes, whatever it may be. I think it's funny to see, but at the same time it makes me wonder if it's a subconscious narcissism. Like an "I think I look good and I see a guy who looks similar to me so I think he looks good" kinda thing. The funny thing is, I don't think people really realize it. When you look at couples like that, you just think, "wow, they look really good together!" but that's probably because they look alike. It makes sense though obviously not every couple is like that. I've been noticing a lot of them more and more lately. Maybe I've just finally started to pay attention.

It's like how in high school, kids get super pissed off if you tell them they look like their mom or their dad. Then Parent-Teacher Day comes around and you sit in the hallway watching them all walk by with their parents and you can't help but laugh because they are a splitting image of their parents. Parents think their kids look good because they are mini versions of them. (well, that and if even your mother thinks your ugly, then shitson you got the short end of the stick).

Relationships and childbearing all just seems narcissistic and self-centered when you look at them from an outside point of view. Emotions aside, everyone just wants to be with someone who is like them. Everyone wants to be with themselves. They want to bring up little miniature versions of themselves. They want their kids to be the things that they wanted to be growing up but never ended up becoming. I just think it's interesting and curious that no matter what, everyone's world revolves around themselves. As much as we (well, some of us) try to be selfless, ultimately everyone wants to take care of "number one".

oh baby oh baby!!

so, finally, i have found someone who will go to California with me! i am le stoked. le fucking stoked. so, i haven't actually talked to my partner in crime about the details yet, but i told him it was going to be a sick road trip, and i had the perfect one planned out. BASICALLY if all goes according to plan, i want to drive to San Fran, hang out there la-di-da then take the coast down to LA, and then down to San Diego and on the way back up we'll go through Vegas and Salt Lake City. most of the places i've looked into already and kinda know what i wanna do there, but i haven't gotten to SLC yet, so if you have any good ideas of what to do out there, let me know. actually, if you have any good ideas about ANY of the places, let me know. Alcatraz is definitely on my to do list. and the San Diego Zoo... i forget what else there was but i had a good list going. so yeah, suggestions - feel free to comment or to email me or whatever. woot!

much love,
Karis

happy birthday to me, i'm a hundred and three!

ok, not quite. but i am legal all over now. woot!
i'm so stoked today, not because i'm older - i dont really care about that, age is just a number - but i'm stoked because my friends are awesome! i haven't even left the house yet and it's been a great day. so many birthday wishes and i got flowers for the first time in my life from someone other than my parents. i'm planning a trip to california, i'm biking over to bring Holly (my birthday cake buddy... we both like birthday cake at random times) a piece of birthday cake. jodi's coming over. i'm shaking with excitement. i wish every day could be as good as today. :D
today is a day that i absolutely love people! yay!

For the Love of Yourself, Please!!

I am constantly amazed at the amount of sexual predators there are out there, in this small city alone. I have come across my fair share, and I’m not even overly attractive (not to say I’m belittling myself, but I’m just not really the type of person you would think would come across such people). I often hear about girls who’ve been in situations with men, either a guy their age or a bit older, just being inappropriate and just trying to get into their pants, or someone older – who should know better – with some kind of authority over the girl. It’s no wonder I’ve lost so much respect for men, why I think every man is a jerk and an asshole until he proves otherwise. It is honestly insane, how many girls have been sexually harassed or abused!

I think it’s a problem and something needs to be done. Men need to learn the difference between what is and what isn’t appropriate and where the lines are. men should not be taking advantage of girls and we girls and women need to learn to stand up for ourselves! It may be embarrassing, but keeping in something that is so important cannot only be very damaging to your own self-image, but also doesn’t teach the person doing the harassing a lesson. Now, I don’t know if all men who do this quite realize how serious of an offence this is, and that even just saying little comments can lead to a bigger problem. I’ve learnt so much about myself these past few years, and I know now that standing up for yourself in this kind of situation is something that needs to be done. It is not something that will just go away. Ignoring it will not make it better. Whether there was physical contact or not, it is serious. I wish every woman on this planet knew her importance and that she should not feel bad or embarrassed to talk about this to someone who can do something about it. When put in this situation, you have to let the person know that it is NOT ok, you do NOT like what they are doing or saying. They have to be told that it is inappropriate. Please girls. PLEASE if you know me or not, do me this one favor - do YOURSELF this favor - that you will stand up for yourself if you are ever put in this situation.

I understand that shock and fear come into play and sometimes your brain freezes. But knowing how to “snap out of it” and knowing the boundries and telling yourself that it needs to be stopped is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Writing this, I am shaking in disgust at these men, and I’m crying because I don’t want any woman on this earth to think they are not important enough to be heard in this kind of situation, that they are not important enough to stand up for themselves. It really truly hurts me when girls don’t think they are worth the fuss.

I sincerely apologize to those few men out there who are respectful, sweet and fantastic. Be strong and teach others to be like you! Although I have, for the most part, lost my faith in men, I realize there are some great men out there, and I’m sorry that you have to work so much harder at getting great women, because of the crap that these swines have taught women about men and how men are. But I promise you, once you get that girl, she will be the luckiest girl alive, to have found someone that treats her with respect and loves her. And she will appreciate you for it. I know when it comes to me, any man that wants to be with me is going to have to work hard and prove to me that they are a good person. I have finally learnt that I deserve to be treated with love and respect, and it is my sincere hope that I can pass this on to other girls who maybe don’t realize that about themselves yet.

HE'S BAAAAACKK!!!!!!

when i started working at Second Cup, i was introduced to Jerry, the creepiest, yet most hilarious guy you could ever come across. he's a guy of average build, about 30-35 years old, short black hair with a perv-stace/goatee goin on, super tanned and kinda looks like he wishes he was a porn star. basically, he's the kinda guy that hits on anything that moves. a grown man version of a 13 year old girl.

he always came into Second Cup, probably because it was an all girl staff, and basically flirted with every single one of us on a daily basis. usually, it'd just be the "you should wear your hair up sometime, so i can see your pretty face. promise me you'll do that? wear your hair up for me, k, as a favor." but every now and then you'd get the "wanna go for nachos?" which would hastily get a "i dont like nachos." reply.
One time, he came in when it was dead. three of us girls, myself, Julie and Miranda, were milling around talking, when he came in, looking ready to talk. the three of us groaned as he made his way toward our little circle, and Julie said "what can i do for you Jerry." in a very "tell me what you want so you can get the fuck out of here" kinda tone.
"well," he said, "i have this picture on my phone, i want to blow it up and get it printed. how do i do that?"
all of us looked at him like he was nuts and i said, "who knows, go ask at Telus, (which was right across the hall) they're a phone company, they'll know."
apparently that didnt mean anything to him, so he stayed and kept talking about how he wanted to blow up his picture. he turned his phone around to show us, and Miranda looked, just out of instinct. and Julie and i just rolled our eyes at him. finally after a while, we convinced him to go as Telus and he left. the second he walked out the door, Miranda said, with a horrified look on her face, "OH DEAR GOD, WHY DID I LOOK AT THAT!!!!!"
Julie and i turned around instantly, "WHAT WAS IT!!!"
apparently, he had taken a nude picture of himself on his phone, posing like the porn star that he hoped to be. laughing, and horribly disgusted, the three of us spied on him showing the picture to the poor workers over at Telus and asking them how to print the picture.

He always hit on Mel a lot too, who was engaged at the time. questions like, "so are you still engaged?" would come up frequently. one day, after a rush, Mel turned to me, looking shocked and told me a story:

The line had been out the door with customers waiting to get coffee, when Jerry came in and beckoned for Mel to come speak to him.
"what do you want Jerry." she asked.
"You have to help me," was his reply, "you're the only one who can help me!" he proceeded to tell her about this rash that he had on his back, and about some lotion that he bought for it.
"i need you to rub this lotion all over my body," he told her.
the lady in front of him in line turned around in disbelief at what she had just heard.
finally, Jerry left, after Mel told him she wouldn't help him, and the lady followed him out into the parking lot where she proceeded to yell at him and tell him how inappropriate he was. She then took him inside to the security guards, told them what had happened, and got him banished from the mall for two years.

so today i was at the mall, la-di-da, minding my own business, when i saw a guy standing at the doors. "no! it couldn't be!" i thought to myself. although it made sense, two years had probably been up since we had last seen Jerry, and it would be very like him to go back to his old routine of creeping on all the female mall employees. he looked different though... bigger, less pervy, less tannned. i thought i'd go in to Second Cup and see if i was just imagining things. but alas, i was right, it was Jerry, good ol' Jerry, and he is back. So watch out, female employees of Kildonan Place Mall, and learn how to reject boys in a mean way IMMEDIATELY because that is something you will be doing with him every day.

oh, how i sometimes miss working at that mall and all the weirdos that came through! almost every day was an adventure.

NUFAN muthafuckas!!

after about 7 years or so of being a big No Use For a Name fan, i've finally downloaded their entire discography. (i know, i know... i should buy their cds, but i only ever find them for near $30 a piece, and do not have that kinda money to spend on the 5 or 6 albums that i dont already have). i'm pretty stoked, listening to them, and feeling really nostalgic, thinking back on when this was all i listened to.
I remember back when they came to Winnipeg for the first time since i'd started listening to them, they just happened to be playing an 18+ show, and i was 17, so i couldn't go. My buddy Ryan was also underage, and his brother Ray and his friend Mike made sure to let us know at every opportunity they got, how great of a show it was going to be and how we'd be missing out, taunting us by saying things like, "it's NO USE being sad guys, you can't get in anyways" and whatever else they could think of. Needless to say, we wanted to punch them, if only they weren't 8 years older than us.
I finally got my chance to see NUFAN when i was 18 or 19, i'm not quite sure, but i was the most excited person in the world for that show! Before the show, Ryan, Ray and I walked out back behind the venue to where the tour bus was and saw Rory Koff (drummer) walking out of the bus, toward the door of the venue. Ray yelled, "hey! it's Rory!" and he replied with a "hey! it is!" which we found somewhat comical.
so time for the show: i stood at the front at the stage, right underneath Tony Sly (the singer/guitarist)'s mic and bellowed out the words to every single song, not missing a word. I saw Ryan getting up to stage dive a few times. I rocked out harder than i'd ever rocked out at a show before and had the time of my life.
After the show, we stuck around inside to chat with the band a bit. Tony was surrounded by a bunch of girls, so we only got a few minutes with him and time enough to get a picture. Dave had to miss the tour due to him becoming a father recently, so we didnt' get to meet him. Matt Riddle was hanging out kinda by himself at the side of the stage, so we snuck over to say hi. We told him that we were all members on their message board (RIP haha) and he recognized us right away. we chatted for about half an hour before he suggested we take some fun pictures.
The venue we were at (the Garrick) used to be a movie theater, and there were still a ton of seats still in place, though they'd cleared the middle section for concerts. we sat down in the seats on the side and Matt said "hey! let's pretend we're in a scary movie!" so we all put on our terrified faces and someone snapped a picture. looking back at the pictures, Ryan laughed and said it looked like Matt and I were on a date since we were huddled close together. we took a bunch of pictures and then headed out to the car, but were so excited about the night, that we forgot where we were going and just aimlessly walked for about 5 minutes in the freezing Winnipeg winter until we realized we were walking in the opposite direction of where we had parked.
i've been to quite a few shows in the past few years, and this one has definitely got to be one of my most memorable. i'm so stoked to see them again, and i'm sure i'll have just as great a time! so stoked, can't wait! review to come after.

super powers eh

This morning, i was laying on the couch (i sleep on the couch every now and then) stretching and as i reached my arm up in to the air, i thought how crazy would that be if spiderwebs shot out of my wrist. like if one day you woke up and you had super powers. i remember watching the Secret World of Alex Mac as a kid, a show about a teenage girl who got some kinda toxic waste spilled on her one day as she was on her way home. as a result of the spillage, she could turn into goo at will, allowing her to make sneaky getaways without being noticed, and she could also move things with her mind. of course, as a kid, the show inspired me to try moving things with my mind too; the remote when it was too far away and i wanted to change the channel... a snack that was just out of reach... my brother when he was being annoying.
so, a little tidbit about me before my next story - i'm terrified of ladybugs. if they're not on me, whatever, not inside the house, it's fine, not flying, ok. but as soon as they open their wings or are in a secluded area with me, i get a little nervous. so one day, i was sitting in the front pew at church, bored out of my face when i saw a ladybug crawling on the floor about 2 feet away from me - keep in mind this was like a year ago - when i decided i would be goofy and try to make the lady bug come closer to me. so in my head i whispered to the lady bug to come closer come closer (i wanted to squish it) and then soon, the lady bug started to come closer. i was like ha that's funny. then it started to come really close, and i was like GO AWAY GO AWAY GO AWAY!!! yeah. i dont know what the point of that story was, but Alex Mac made me think of it.
i'm sure you've done something similar in your time. feel free to share a story...

skulls = death = BAAAAAAAADDD!!!!!!

i dont understand that concept actually. why do people fear skulls? i have a tattoo of a skull and i love the shit out of it, i'm just always baffled at the reactions i get from people when they see that it is a skull. i've had a lot of comments like "wow, that's a beautiful tattoo!" and then 5 seconds later... "oh, it's a skull...." and they kinda shy away.
i understand that to most of the world, skulls represent death. ultimately though, i dont think death should be something that we fear that much, that a picture of a skull makes us uncomfortable.
what i dont understand though, is people say that one should not fear death, especially if "you know where you're going" (which i find obsurd, no one knows where they're going). but if someone fears a skull, does that mean they fear death? and if they fear a skull does that mean they fear themselves? because everyone has a skull.
i just dont understand. without our skulls, we would be nothing. our brains would flop around, we would have no shape to our faces, we would look like blobs with bodies.
the only thing i'm afraid of, is when i go to paraguay to see my family. they live in a very tight-knit, very mennonite (reserved and conservative) community and i know i will get a lot of comments like "why do you have the sign of the devil on your foot?" and "you need to repent, that's evil!!" and dumb shit like that. ultimately, i dont give a shit, it's my foot, i'm the one that has to have it on my body for the rest of my life. and i would have it no other way! (hopefully no one tries to scrape it off though!)
people dont even bother to ask what the meaning is behind it, they just say "ew skull. bad. begone satan!"
granted, i knew that there would be some controversy in it when i got my tattoo, so i'm not really complaining so much as just trying to wrap my head around the narrow closed-mindedness of this world.
i'm not gonna get a jesus tattoo or a bible verse tattoo, just because i know that if someone says "you have a tattoo. that's bad." i can be like "yeah but it's a cross. or yeah but it's this and this bible verse, so how can that be bad?"
ultimately, having a skull on my body does not change who i am. it does not make me a bad person. it actually inspires me every day to be a better person. and if anyone tries to tell me that that's wrong, i believe i have full rights to tell them to fuck right the hell off. am i right?

all i wanna do man

i wish sleep wasn't necessary. cos i can't seem to do that. i'm tired as fuck, but i just can't fall asleep. not just tonight, but basically every night. i dont know about you, but when i dream, i sleep worth shit. i wake up feeling exhausted, whether it was a good dream or a nightmare, and it seems like getting my brain to shut up is impossible. all i want in the world is to be able to hit an off switch for my brain at night so i can sleep. how sweet would that be man, how perfect.
i think i want to invent something: a jar that you can keep your brain in overnight (without dying of course) so you can have a peaceful sleep and fall unconscious instantly. no hassle. but have no fear, you will still wake up when your alarm goes off in the morning, and you won't feel like you need to sleep longer because you've just had the best sleep of your life. seriously. i think i would make millions. word.