Friday, December 24, 2010

Finally in Denmark!

So after over 24 hours (not factoring in the time difference) of being either on a plane or train, at an airport, or on a bus, and 6 hours of delays, I finally arrived safe and sound in Copenhagen at Steph's home!

I slept until 12:30 noon today lol.  I guess that's what happens when you don't get a decent sleep for over a day of travelling.  It was like heaven getting into a bed and lying out nice and warm, and comfy.

It's beautiful here.  There is a lot of snow, but that doesn't stop people from walking and biking everywhere.  I love it!  We saw a few bikes today that were super frozen and iced though... poor bikes.

We walked through a very beautiful cemetery today as well where we visited the grave of Hans Christensen Anderson.

We are going to make a nice goose dinner for Christmas eve and drink some glogg which is tradition here in Denmark.

Merry Christmas everybody!

P.S.  Danish sounds very strange

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

silly London, delays are for amateurs

So after checking the Air Transat website, and feeling pretty good about flights all being on time, we arrive at the airport to find out that my flight is delayed by 3 hours!  Joy....  Thank goodness my flight into Copenhagen doesn't depart until 5pm tomorrow...  All should be ok.  I was pretty stressed there for a bit, trying to figure out if I'd miss the bus or need to re-schedule it (from Gatwick to Heathrow)... Ooooo panic attacks.  Good times I tell you.

Now I'm just looking forward to taking a gravol and having a nice sleep before waking up in London.

Here's hoping all other flights go nice and smooth :)

I know it's kind of crappy quality, but that's ok... it's still classic.



Monday, December 20, 2010

fall term is officially over!

I had my very last final today from 3:30-5:30pm.  It was in Anthropology, and I finished it in 45 minutes. Let's hope the marks all get posted super fast so I can see how I did, and what my GPA is :)

Who's idea was it to have finals going into the week of Christmas though?  Bad idea I tell you!

Anyways...

I am sad that ANTH 201 is over.  I will treasure that class forever.  If anyone is thinking of taking a class about evolution and primates, I whole heartedly recommend this class, and I will jump up and down in enthusiasm.  That's how much I loved it.

Or if you want to take an awesome adventurous trip, check out civilized adventures because Brian Keating (the teacher for the primate half of my ANTH 201 class) is involved with many of these trips.  He works at the Calgary Zoo also.  Amazing teacher!

So what awesome things did I learn this term, you might wonder... well:

-Hammurabi is, and I quote, "the big dick of Babylon".  He has a stele/column, which happens to be a phallic symbol, and is a code of law that is very specific and wide ranging.

-Vervet monkeys have blue balls, they are literally sky blue to turquoise, and they also have a cherry red penis.

-Bonobos motto would be "make love, not war" as they are very sexually active, way more than needed for simple reproduction.  Even males will rub up on other males, and same with females.  They also have sex in the missionary position which is very unique

-Spider monkeys' clitoris is long and pendulous, and simulates a penis.  It is difficult to sex them

-A mother gorilla will eat the umbilical cord and placenta for a few reasons:  to get a little burst of protein and therefore energy after birth, and to clean up so that predators are less likely to detect a baby is around

-A sad fact:  Male Orangutans will rape females

-Bush babies urine-wash themselves

-Male Proboscis monkeys' noses grow as they get older, and females choose males with bigger noses.  Hmmm

-Another sad fact:  There are only 600-750 Mountain Gorillas left in the world.  These are the ones that Dian Fossey studied

-Chimpanzees share 98% of our DNA!

-Pan Troglodytes (common chimps) are male-bonded rather than female bonded.  Most females avoid each other.  They are also very aggressive when frustrated and if they come upon another community of chimps.  They also hunt, and will exchange meat for sex with females.  Gotta get laid somehow!  And they make and use tools (to catch termites for example)

-Chimps' testicles weigh 1/4 pound!  McDonald's quarter pounder anyone? lol

-Marmosets and Tamarines almost always give birth to twins.  Therefore they have a uni-female/multi-male social organization.  Daddies are very hands on so that mom can get enough food to support the twins.  They are also the only other primate besides us to use assisted midwifery.

-Less than 5% of monkeys have prehensile tails (grasping)

-Orangutans are very cautious brachiators.  They often fall out of trees.  In fact, 70% of their skeletons have long bone fractures

-Abstract art is not devoid of images.  It is based on math and geometric drafting

-The only difference between reality and virtual reality are the consequences

-Egyptians and most hard-core Christians are death-oriented.  Greeks were very life-oriented in contrast

-Much of the "do nots" from Christianity came from the Early Christian persecution in Rome

-The cone is very vulnerable and dramatic ("he's a prick") whereas the cube is dowdy and logical ("he's a square").  The cone is easily broken, and "how would you like to go around without a pricker? Unable to poke anything?" (in the teacher's own words)

-Spiritual ecstasy is the religious equivalent of sexual orgasm

-Persians had the first multi-cultural policy, and used drapery (from the Greeks) to seem more polite and gentile

-The Amarna revolution preferred the endo-ecto typecasting of human figures (very odd body type)

There's more of course, but those are the highlights... As you can tell, I think monkeys are fascinating...  Poor Gavin gets to learn monkey facts daily lol.

So now I get a break from studying, huzzah!  And I get to see my Stephanie, double huzzahs!  And see Rome!  *jumps up and down*

And it's almost my birthday and Christmas!  I love December!

Merry Christmas everybody, and a Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Change

I saw her sing this song on her Christmas special, and absolutely loved it.  It took me a little searching to figure out what song it was, but well worth the effort.

This song literally gives me chills.  Enjoy!



This is one of my biggest issues with the world today.  There is absolutely no reason for there to be anyone starving or living in abject poverty.  Why is it that the "American Dream" involves owning 10 houses in different countries, 20 cars, a private jet, a yacht, an island... and nothing to do with seeing the whole world at least being able to eat and have a roof over their heads?  Does not America claim to be a "Christian" nation?  A lot of difference that seems to make...  The American Dream is the most selfish, pig-headed idea ever to be conceived.  It is the work of corrupt politicians who realize that the only way for them to keep their precious riches is for everyone else to think that they could get there too one day.  It's held just out of reach for the masses, which is just what the rich want.

Think about this:  something like 99% of the worlds wealth is owned by 1% of the world's population.  Now how on earth does that even remotely seem rational? How on earth do we think this is acceptable?

I realize that many people of means do try to make a difference, and I applaud that.  However, it's just not enough.  If a dime a day can feed, clothe and put a child to school, what could millions of dollars do?

Recently I saw Celine Dion's home in a magazine and literally felt sick to my stomach.  That's not a house, it's as big as a Ritz Carlton hotel!  And there's only 5 of them!  I understand wanting a nice house, car, clothes, and going on vacations, etc.  But who on earth needs that much stuff?  Who on earth needs more than 1 million per year?  That's more than $83,000 per month (before taxes)!  $100,000 per year is a pretty good income for goodness sakes!

I don't think people should be allowed to make more than 1 million per year.  After that, it has to go to charity.  Let's put all this money that people don't actually need into countries like Malawi or Nicaragua, and really make a difference in the world.  Our grandchildren should be able to enter this world and never see a World Vision commercial.

If everyone could just stop and realize that we all deserve the basics of life.  We all deserve the chance to live in a clean, warm home with food in our bellies.  But everyone is so busy, rushing around and letting life pass them by.  We've become so disconnected from life.  And this results in such a selfish society as a whole.

Movie stars that need 10 million for one movie, and hockey players making millions to play hockey!  Why?  I know these are major money making enterprises, but what's wrong with letting the less fortunate benefit from our surplus?  When did it become normal for someone playing a sport to make more than a doctor saving lives?  When did we decide that it was acceptable for people to own 10 houses and have personal chefs, while there are millions of children starving to death in the mud with no roof over their heads?

Many who like to say that they they 'follow Jesus' example' in fact do not even seem to grasp the basic principles of the book they so love.  They put their hope in some invisible being that will one day make it all better, instead of wondering what they could do right now to help.

Everyone seems to think that the worlds problems are just too big and awful to solve.  That there's just no way anyone could make a difference, so why even bother?  "I can't end poverty, so I'm just going to ignore it and wait for God/Allah/Vishnu... to fix it one day" seems to the attitude of many.

But here's the thing, we can each make a difference.  It may be small, and it may seem insignificant, but to someone, somewhere it could mean the world.

Something else to think about:  We all came from Africa originally.  That is where mankind came to be.  Why is it one of the most neglected continents in the world?

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr:

"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.


And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

it's almost over!

Art History 201 will be over tomorrow at 10am.

*huge sigh of relief*

The amount of information for the final is absolutely ridiculous...  I'll be lucy if I get 4 hours sleep tonight :(

Here's hoping that the majority of the class does terribly so that I will get an A+... Go curve!

Back to studying now... *slams head against desk*

Shout out!

Everyone should check out this fabulous local jewelry designer:


She makes some really beautiful and unique pieces which is exactly what I love.  No one else will be wearing the same piece :)

Perfect for Christmas pressies ;)  Or Valentines... Any occasion really :)