Stolen: One "meme" / survey

I stole this from Mama Dukes, who stole it from AmyD, who stole it from someone else. Here goes nothing;

ARE YOU:
1. A Cuddler? Yes
2. A morning person? Yes, Yes I am and proud to admit it!
3. Are you a perfectionist? All the time, and it gets me into so much fricking trouble!
4. An only child? Nope, Younger sister and older sister (middle child syndrome and all!)
5. Catholic? Um, I dunno
6. In your pajamas? I wish
7. Currently suffering from a broken heart? Um, not broken. Bruised maybe ;)
8. Okay styling other people's hair? Definite no...but I let other people style mine if the want
9. Left handed? Nope, left brained
10. Addicted to MySpace? Definite no again
11. Shy around the opposite gender? Only if I think they are dating potential, otherwise I am much more comforatable around men
12. Loud? Nope

DO YOU:
13. Bite your nails? No
14. Get paranoid at times? I'm always paranoid, about everything
15. Currently regret something that you have said/done? Regrets….not usually. I think too much and sometimes regret not doing things (even if I know it's better that I didn't)
16. Curse frequently when you get mad? I don't get mad
17. Enjoy country music? Not really
18. Enjoy jazz music? Once in a while for studying
19. Enjoy smoothies? My favorite.
20. Enjoy talking on the phone? Hate the phone
21. Have a lot to learn? I will literally learn at least a few new things every day until I die. And that's a promise.
22. Have a pet? Two dogs, Pitbull and Yorkie
23. Have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person? Um, not the "wrong" person, but not the right one either
24. Have all your grandparents died? Nope, alive and wonderful
25. Have at least one sibling? Didn't we already discuss this?
26. Have been told that you are smart? It’s been known to happen on occasion!
27. Have had a broken bone? Nope, not that I know of at least
28. Have Caller I.D. on your phone? Of course. Allows me to pick and choose who I want to talk to!!

HAVE YOU:
29. Changed a diaper? Um, yes, Brainnes when she was little
30. Changed a lot over the past year? I don't think I've changed (essentailly) in a few years. Maybe my attitude is a bit better now...and I'm single...and I've put on a few pounds (thank you university)
31. Had friends who have never seen your natural hair color? yes
32. Had surgery? Not serious surgery no
33. Killed anyone? Do animals count? It's part of my work ok, don't be a hater
34. Had your haircut within the last week? nope

LAST PERSON WHO:
35. Slept in the bed beside you? If Hunny (my dog) counts then her, and if not I suppose Greg. But I'll be working on that (TeeHee)
36. Saw you cry? Definitly my dog again if she counts, but otherwise my mama dukes
37. Went to the movies with you? Anita
38. You went to the mall with? I hate the mall!
39. You went to dinner with? Mama Dukes
40. You talked to on the phone? Um...mama dukes
41. Said 'I love you' to you and meant it? My family this morning when they dropped me off to take the train.
42. Broke your heart? Bruised....
43. Made you laugh? My family makes me laugh every day :)

WOULD YOU RATHER?
44. Pierce your nose or tongue? tongue
45. Be serious or be funny? Generally serious, but I enjoy when other people are funny, does that count?
46. Drink whole or skim milk? Skim, if I have to drink it!
47. Die in a fire or drown? I'd prefer neither, but if I had to choose, a fire I think. I would pass out from smoke before being burnt alive. Drowning would be more of a panicked thing, cause your body can't help fighting for breath
48. Spend time with your parents or enemies? Um, see all the questions above for which I've answered "Mama Dukes". Does this give you a clue?

ABOUT YOU!
49. What time is it? 2:38 pm
50. Name? Aimee
51. Nickname(s)? Aims, Aimu (any suggestions?)
52. Where were you born? Timmins, Ontario
53. What is your birthdate? May 9th
54. What do you want? Good health and happiness for my family and friends
55. Where do you want to live? Close to home
56. How many kids do you want? Um, not so much (unless daddy wants to stay at home with them, then max 2)

Wow! I feel exposed.

Commuting

Many of the things I have learned this summer include a long list of personal facts, stories, and histories of commuters. I'm not sure why people choose the morning train to chat about their life and everyone elses but it's a fact. I am just awaiting the day when I hear something about someone I know, cause it's bound to happen really.

People call their mom, their girlfriend, or their sick aunt that's laying in a hospital bed on the train. Cell phones and blackberries are in the hands of at least 2/3 of the people around you, and for the others they have them flashing in their handbag or strapped to their belt. It's so funny how fast life is happening for people. I don't even know if they'd realize if their heads weren't attached they are functioning so absent-mindedly.

Take for example the express train. Now it's express so it doesn't make all of the usual stops from the city but skips over them to get people home faster. But everyone still finds it necessary to pile on top of one another at the door of the train for the last 10 minutes of the ride so they can be the first one to run to their car and screetch out of the parking lot to get home (or wherever). I find this amusing. It's like a temporary drug for them, the commuter rush. And same thing goes in the morning, like people are in a hurry to get to the office. Seriouosly...?

People push down escalators to get to the subway, and force doors open when they are already closing. I've seen people cling to the side of the train and scream obsenities at the train driver like he gives a sh*t.

I have a few words of advice for commuters. Stop and smell the roses (or the guy next to you that forgot to shower for the past week). You are spending 27 years of your life sleeping, about 8 or 9 years commuting, and the rest working! so get used to it and enjoy the time you have. Grab a good book, or write in a journal. Knit a scarf to save yourself buying a Christmas present, or meditate. Who cares! But use your time wisely. Catch a few more minutes of sleep if you need it. You're stuck there and there is no point trying to fight it.

I'm learning to like the commute. I use the time to think, to read, to people watch, to journal, and sometimes to catch an extra Zzzz or two. I take the long train on purpose in the morning. Call me crazy, but I'm not waisting my life being in a crazy hurry to get anywhere but where I am.

Amazing!!

Hey everyone!

Can you beleive how beautiful my new blog skin is?
Thanks to se7en at Blogs gone wild!

A quick update for everyone. I am getting off to a good start with graduate school. I am still loving my research every bit as much as I did when I first started, but I have to decide on a masters project. For the next few months I will be finishing up the work I started for my supervisor in the summer on sleep restriction and metabolism.

I am thinking that after christmas I will start a comparison of the effects of sleep restriction on disease. The most interesting prospects right now are hypertension or possibly diabetes. There are so many people affected by these diseases that should be aware if a healthy 7.5 hours of sleep are more important for them then the normal healthy person. Maybe I can save lives...?

Speaking of which, I was at pool with mama dukes on tuesday when a man I've seen there before but never formally met said something that has been replayed in my mind hundreds of times since he said it. He was talking about attending the breast cancer "walk for the cure" last weekend and he said: "As long as I am physically able, I will participate in that walk every year. It was amazing, and it changed my life"

So, I'm thinking about doing the walk in the summer of 2007. It's a 60km walk over two days, but the commitment to raise enough money to walk is a rather large one. Each person that participates is required to raise a minimum of $2000 to donate to breast cancer research. I have a few months to think about it, and about how I would raise that much money. But I've requested a brochure, so I can keep reminding myself to think about it until next summer hits.

As some of you know, Greg's mom died of cancer (what started as breast cancer) 3 years ago, and it honestly affected me. Though Greg's being an ass right now, I still cared a lot about his family and I saw first hand how many people it affected, including myself. It's scary when someone your age loses someone close to them, especially a parent. With all the research going on, millions of women have been saved from breast cancer, so it's a worthwhile cause.

Anyways, my blog is beautiful :)

It's Time

I have avoided writing this blog for weeks now because I wasn't ready to announce to the world that...I'm a single woman

Yes folks, you heard me right. Greg and I broke up at the end of August. And just to let you know there was no determining event. No fun story about cheeting or fighting. It just happened one day just like that. He called from up north (where he has been for the summer) and said he couldn't deal with the long distance any more, and he didn't think it would work.

Now that it's a little less recent, I can confidently say that he has made the biggest mistake of his life, and he'll regret it just as soon as he starts dating again and realises that I am about the best girl he'll ever find. Silly guy thinks he might be able to do better, but we all know that isn't true, don't we?

So, I'm single. Not dating yet, but eventually. I'll have to bring new people home and see if they can pass the ultimate test...my family :) I'm a little scared of dating to be honest. I haven't really dated before (since I've been with greg since age 15) so it should be good. I no longer have to live vicariously through my friends. I'll have my own drama. Y&R look out!

I also started school officially this week. Nothing much has changed from the summer, but I now attend a class and have to pay tutition (boo!). I am a teachers assistant for a third year sleep physiology class of 400 students (eek!). I am well on my way to getting some research done, and so far I pretty much love it. I'm warily looking forward to the next 2 (or 6?) years at U of T.

So watch out world!