Testing my skating skills

As I posted in January I've been working toward taking a couple of skating tests and Wednesday was the day. I took my preliminary skills test first--I was the only one taking this level. From the look of the other girls taking the tests it seemed like mostly older skaters take skills tests (as opposed to the 8 year olds I was on the ice with for the freeskate test). I'm not sure why this is, possibly because the patterns are supposed to be skated to a specific time signature (i.e. waltz-time), which might be too tricky for young kids. Skate Canada introduced the skills tests to replace the compulsory figures, which were last skated at senior level competition in 1990 (at the world championships in Halifax). In terms of comparing this to a piano exam (of which I took several as a child) this is sort of the like the scales and arpeggios part of the exam. I only received 'satisfactory' ratings on the 3-turn and mohawk  patterns, but I received and 'excellent' grade on my circle (or held edge). It's about as good as I could hope for, since I'm not exactly an undiscovered talent or something.

The second test I took was my junior bronze freeskate test (I took my preliminary test in this when I was young). There are two parts to this test. The first part is preforming the skating elements one at a time (i.e. jumps, spins, stroking). I was a bit (or very?) nervous so some of my elements were shaky. I fell on one jump I don't normally (my lutz), and I had trouble with my spins. My spins have always been weaker than my jumps, but I completed enough of my elements (12 out of 14) to receive a pass. I even received a mark of 'good' on several of my elements including my stroking, spiral and salchow-toe-loop combination.

Me in motion, probably about to preform one of my elements.

Preforming my backward spiral. See? Not bad, although I wish my knee was a bit straighter.

The second part of my freeskate test was a 2 minute program. My program started off really well, unfortunately I had a fall on my second last jump--the same jump I had trouble with earlier in the test. I'm not sure why I had so much difficulty with this jump on Wednesday, as lately it's been really strong, but unfortunately that mistake lead to a really bad fall on my very last jump. I was trying to catch up with my music so I rushed through the set up. To make matters worse I fell on my left knee the day before and I'm now still quite stiff and sore. Ultimately I passed, and I even received marks of excellent on the use of music and program composition parts of my program.

Showing off the skating dress my mom made for me. If you look closely you'll notice the pattern is steampunk-style!

This now means that I'm qualified to take the first coaching level course offered by Skate Canada--if I feel I have time (which I'm not sure I do), but I think in the future it would be fun to teach little kids. This also means that if I want to take the next freeskate test I'll have to start landing doubles (in two different types of jumps) and continue to improve my spinning.

Ciao,

Andrea

My life and figure skating: two worlds that don't exactly collide

I debated for some time over what I would write for my first blog post of the new year. I considered writing a look back over the year, or to layout a couple of my new year resolutions (yes I make them, not that they're any different from most people's), I even considered not writing at all (after all, I'd have more time to dedicate to my manuscripts if I didn't take the time to write a blog post once a week). I've kind of become attached to my blog; however, and for my three followers, and maybe half a dozen more random readers out in the vast space that is the Internet, I'm not ready to stop yet. Therefore, from the way things are looking after the near completion of my first week of 2011, it looks like figure skating is going to take a major role in my life for the next couple of months. And so I'm going to take a few (many) minutes to write about it.

If memory serves I started figure skating when I was eight. Just group lessons, nothing fancy, I probably had a pair of Canadian Tire skates and that was just fine for the time. I progressed reasonably well through the first couple of levels. Within maybe two years I was doing all the jumps except for axel. I would have loved to take private lessons or to compete, but sports weren't a priority in my household, and as noted in a previous post, I was a chubby child (i.e. I didn't exactly have a figure skater's physique). I dreamed that someone might 'discover' me and I would finally get the lessons, and do spring and summer skating school, but of course that never happened. I took a few tests here and there as my minimal coaching would allow and eventually did land an axel (something I'm struggling with now), but stopped around aged fifteen as even I had to admit I was never going to be a world champion.

Skating became a sometime (or more like rare) activity until a few years ago when I decided to look around and see if there were any adult programs, which I discovered to my delight, there were. I joined the Ice Palace F.S.C. in Edmonton, for no particular reason except that it was the first one I found. After that I started working with a really great coach who is always enthusiastic and encouraging of what I do. After getting a good quality pair of skates (the first new ones I bought were not sufficient for the level I was skating at) I started to see a noticeable improvement in my spinning, which has always been weak. I'm working towards landing axels again (actually, I've been pretty much trying to do this since I started back) and my loop jump, which used to be my least favourite jumps is now one of my best.

Okay, so there's the recap of what I've been doing, so now what? Now I'm planning to take two tests in March, the preliminary skills test (Skate Canada's replacement for compulsory figures) and my junior bronze freeskate test (both the skills and program components). I want to pass, and in order to pass I have to be able to land an axel or a wally, and do a flying spin. My flying camel is surprisingly good. I would never have suspected I could do one without falling when my coach had me first try last winter. Then there's my axel. See, here's the problem with having skated in a small club coached primarily by kids only a couple of years older than myself: bad technique for my axel has set in because no one corrected me and now it's causing me problems. I have a tendency to kick my leg out wide when I take off, which makes it hard to get the rest of my body around and complete the one and a half rotations necessary.

In order to pass my tests I need to skate more. Competitive figure skaters practice upwards of twenty-five hours a week, it's how they develop consistency and improve their skills. Obviously I'm not going to skate that much. I don't have the time, and I don't have the money to pay for that amount of ice time (and oh yeah, I'm still not going to be a world champion), so I'm going to try to squeeze in as much practice as I can from now until my test day. That means running over to the U of A arena on Tuesdays at lunch to use the figure skating club ice time, then again on Friday days during the rec skate ice time. It means skating on Wednesday nights on the Ice Palace adult time, and it means long runs on Saturday has been replaced with long skates in the afternoon on an open session at a nearby arena.

Hopefully at the end of all this I will pass my tests in March. I'd be disappointed to fail--I mean who wouldn't be? If I pass I'll be qualified to take the first level of Skate Canada coaches training. I'm not sure if I actually have time to coach little kids right now (the rest of my spare time is spent on writing, of course), but I might find I have time in the future. We'll see how things ban out over the next few weeks.

Ciao,

Andrea

Lightening round

A variety of events have taken place recently that I have thought I should blog about, but haven't due to time. Since I see this blog as something of a online journal I don't mind other people reading, it seemed appropriate to take a few minutes to record these occurrences. I will try to keep my comments on each one to a few sentences, hence lightening round.

Friday, February 5th, 2010: FIP (Forum for Information Professionals)
I presented my research project at FIP (a conference run by the U of A Library School) last Friday. I was a bit nervous, but I managed my way through without too many trips or bobbles. I am strangely blessed with the ability to not say "um." I would guess around 16 to 20 people attended and I had a number of questions throughout my talk, which seemed to suggest that people were interested in my topic. I may give this presentation again, if I am accepted to CAIS (Canadian Association of Information Systems) in June.

Saturday, February 6th, 2010: Sherlock Holmes
Andrew and I went to see Sherlock Holmes on Saturday. I wasn't sure what the movie would be like from the trailer--it looked souped up with explosions and fights, and I wasn't sure if I would like it. As it turned out, I loved the movie. I thought the plot was interesting, and it was helped along with good actors. What I liked most of all about Sherlock Holmes was the music, composed by Hans Zimmerman. I think I need to get the soundtrack.

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010: Figure Skating
I learned how to do a flying camel spin on Wednesday, and actually managed a few half decent ones (although today's practice was less successful). That means there's only one element (axel) I can't actually do for my next test. I will probably be talking my junior bronze free skate in March, anyway. I'm also having a program choreographed so I can finish off my preliminary free skate test from last year. It's challenging (for me), but it should be fun.

Thursday, February 11th, 2010: Pirates of Penzance
Andrew and I, along with a couple of friends, attended a performance of Pirates of Penzance by the Edmonton Opera Company last night. I've seen it a couple of times before (Stratford Festival, a community theatre group in Calgary), and I played Ruth when I was in grade 7. I enjoyed the show immensely, especially the "faux ballet" with Major General Stanley, which occurred in the second act. Also, the copper ensemble was excellent. I find that in community theatre, the coppers tend to be the weakest part of the show, so it was nice to see them well done.

Friday, February 12th, 2010: Olympic Opening Ceremonies
Andrew and I, and a couple of friends, are going to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies (on television) tonight. I've prepared a main course for us to maow down on while we take in the spectacle. Some Wii-playing may also be a part of the evening.

Go Canada, Go!

Ciao,

Andrea

The time of the year I love best of all: Canadian nationals

If I had more time or energy to blog I would devote this space to one of two things: figure skating or writing. Figure skating I have loved since a young age and could write (and talk) about it ad nauseum. I could write reviews for up coming Grand Prix competitions, make my predictions, report on the actual outcomes, and scour the Internet for news in the off season, but I find even with the folks I skate with on Wednesdays, no one has quite the same level of enthusiasm for such details as I do. In my blurry memory of childhood, I would guess that my love for writing started up around the same time as figure skating (no coincidence, as I very rarely, if ever wrote about skating). I'm sure I could come up with things to say about the weekly progress of my manuscripts, etc. but I suspect until I actually see any success in the publishing world that few people would be interested.

Since the Canadian national figure skating championship are this week (novice/juniors are currently underway, and happily footage can be viewed at skatebuzz.com) I thought I might make some comments/predictions for who I think might secure themselves Olympic berths amongst the senior competitors. I don't think there will be much surprise in who I expect to win each division, but I'm going to put my two cents out all the same. How handily (or not) each competitor will win the national titles will be of greater interest.

Ladies
Joannie Rochette is anticipated to capture her sixth Canadian title this year. I don't think any Canadian figure skating fan would doubt this conclusion; however, Joannie has had a rough season so far. Her short program performance at the Cup of China landed her in 6th (or was it 7th) place and she had to fight back in the long for a bronze medal. Skate Canada saw something of the reverse. Joannie was rewarded for her skate in the short with a whopping 70.00 score. Only one other female figure skater has reached that level and that's Yu-Na Kim. Then she struggled during the long. The Grand Prix final was tough all over, finishing 4th in the short and dropping to 5th (out of 6) in the long. The big question is who will earn the 2nd trip to the Olympics. I'm hesitant to bet on Cynthia Phaneuf. Although she was the silver medalist at Canadian's last year (and champion in 2004), she often struggles with consistency. There's also Amalie Lacost, Marianne Samson and Diane Szmiett, all talented skaters who have seen international competition. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that Diane Szmiett might nab the spot. Why? She has the best international result of the Canadian ladies (other than Joannie) and finished 4th at the Cup of China.


Men
Patrick Chan should have no difficulty retaining his Canadian title, and from the reports I've been reading, it sounds as though he is completely recovered from his earlier calf muscle injury. He sat out of his first Grand Prix assignment (Cup of Russia) due to this injury and only placed 6th at Skate Canada. Just as Joannie, Patrick is in the enviable position that even if he doesn't skate his best, there are currently no other male skater's in Canada that can really challenge him. Off the top of my head I can name 4 skaters who will be vying for the second spot on the Olympic team (there may be others I don't know of): Vaughn Chipier, who's probably got the biggest triple axel in the world, but did not skate well at either of his Grand Prix assignments; Jeremy Ten, third place at nationals last year, who also did not skate well on the Grand Prix; Kevin Reynolds, who can land both a quadruple toe-loop and a quadruple shalchow, but also had poor showings this season; and finally my bet, Shawn Sawyer. Shawn went to the Olympics in 2006 and has completed on the Grand Prix circuit for the last 4 years. He's crazy flexible and is a fairly consistent jumper, for the exception of his triple axel. He's also the only Canadian man to medalled on the Grand Prix in 2009, a silver at Skate America.


Pairs
The pairs competition will be the closest. Jessica Dube and Bryce Davidson are 2-time champions (and world bronze medalists); however returning after a year off due to injury are Angela Langois and Cody Haye who have a Canadian title to their names as well, AND Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin, the latter who is also a Canadian champion. Despite their somewhat mediocre Grand Prix season, I would still give this title to Jessica and Bryce. They have the best overall package (and from what I've seen in the past tend to get the best marks at home of all the pairs). Second place...that's a tough one. I might go with Angela and Cody. They finished just behind Jessica and Bryce at Skate Canada (in 4th). Ultimately, I think it will be whomever of these teams skates the cleanest programs, it could go to anyone one of them.


Ice Dance
There's no questions here. The winners without a doubt will be Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. I had to double check the stat earlier to make sure this was correct, but they will only be going for their third senior title. They've been so good since the moment the arrived on the senior ranks that I thought they'd won more...but then again they are only in 20 and 22 years in age, so they've got time to rack up the championships. Second place will be a fight between two couples: Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, and Venessa Crone and Paul Poirier. They both had similar results on the Grand Prix so it will be close. I have to might go with Venessa and Paul here. They are the younger of the teams, but I think they've seen greater success in the past, and I rather like their Bohemian Rhapsody free dance.



I'm looking forward to this weekend of skating. It will be broadcast on both the CBC Website, and on television.

Ciao,

Andrea

Musical mayhem

I wrote a quickie blog entery a few days ago to say I would update my blog "soon". Several days have passed since I made that promise, so I figured I'd better get typing before I found myself a week behind, which could easily slide into two or three or four weeks behind. Then I might lapse into complete neglect of my blog and that would be sad. Not that I think there are many readers of this tiny space on the vast Web of blinking lights and cables, but I actually kind of enjoy saying my little piece once a week and I'd hate to give it up. Unfortunately there isn't much time for writing of any kind these days, but that's a different matter.

The Drowsy Chaparone

I've wanted to see the Drowsy Chaparone since I first heard it discussed a few years ago on the CBC (before the format change). It intrigued me because the show began as a gift at a stag party, then was redeveloped and preformed at the Toronto Fringe Festival where it was picked up by Mirvish Productions and developed into a full-out musical.

What makes the The Drowsy Chaparone different is that it's meta-fiction, narrated by a contemporary "Man in Chair" as he leads the audience through a record recording of the 1920's musical: The Drowsy Chaparone. The forth wall is completely demolished (even though he begins the show by espousing about how much he hates it when shows brake the fourth wall) as Man in Chair gives the audience he opinions about various musical numbers, the actors, general comments on musicals etc. The shtick of the musical being a recording is incorporated effectively into the show, including amusing "re-enactments" of certain scenes as if they were being replayed on the record, and beginning the second half of the show with "the wrong record" on the player.

I thought the Citadel production was well done. The Man in the Chair, was especially good (important since he carries the show) and it was interesting to watch his reactions to the musical, even when he wasn't apart of the main action. The singers all had strong voices, particularly Trix, the Aviatrix (whose part was quite small) and there were a couple of tap-dancing numbers (which I always enjoy). The costumes were very colourful--as would be expected for a musical set in the roaring 1920's. And the small musical ensemble (which was on stage, positioned under a gazebo) were also quite good. As we walked home Andrew and I sung and re-quoted bits of the show. Although I found The Drowsy Chaparone thoroughly entertaining (it's quite funny, too) it's not quite as engaging as some of the other shows I've seen such as Wicked. Both times I've seen Wicked I've walked away with a wispy, longing sort of feeling, but that didn't occur with this show. I would hazard to guess that has to do with the fact that it's more "realistic" and a bit silly, really.

Pro Coro and the Pre-Tenors

On Sunday afternoon my friend Mandy and I attended the Pro Coro concert (she had scored free tickets through her supervisor). This was my first time attending a Pro Coro event and was surprised to find that it's a small ensemble--only 4 singers per part. They're a professional choir, that requires audition every year (even from singers who have been in the choir in previous years) so as you might be able to imagine, they're quite good. Much of what they sang was a cappella. I was particularly interested in the last piece they performed in the first half. It was by Leonard Bernstein titled, The Lark, which is incidental music for a play by the same name about Jeanne d'Arc. It included a solo for countertenor. I've heard this particular countertenor sing before, but it's always a little disconcerting to hear a man sing that high.

The second half of the show was a tribute/spoof of the Three Tenors, by a trio known as the Pre-Tenors. First of all, the singers were excellent--in both their singing and their comedic acting abilities. The pianist came out first and was shortly after joined by "Placido Domingo" and "Jose Carreras." "Luciano Pavarotti" appeared shortly there after (carrying his trademark handkerchief), but paused at the stairs to the stage. After a couple of attempts to mount the stairs on his own, the other tenors came over to help him (one pushing, one pulling) and the show continued. The Pre-Tenors sang many of the operatic pieces for which the Three Tenors are famous for, accentuated with much clowning around. Pavarotti was constantly eating throughout the show. I'm not sure where the first french loaf materialized from, but it was followed by celery, liquorish (which was passed out to the audience), gum and a can of Pringles (also sent to the audience). Poor Carreras (the tenor nobody ever remembers) was often the butt of Pavarotti's jokes, while Domingo was frequently busying himself with combing his hair or flossing.

One of my favourite quotations from the afternoon went something like this: "We're going to sing from the well known American musical written by Andrew Lloyd Weber, Oklahoma." Then the pianist broke into music from West Side Story.

In other news: Skating

I had my first skating lesson of the season (adult ice with Ice Palace F.S.C. only started this week). I got new skates in April with money I received for my birthday. I've been struggling with them all spring and summer, not feeling completely comfortable in them and wondering whether or not the expense was worth it. After watching me do some basic one-foot spins my coach told me that there was definite improvement in my spinning--it made me feel much better about buying the new skates. Also, the plan for the year is to work towards my Junior Bronze Freeskate. The elements are: flip, lutz, axel or wally, loop/loop combination, backspin and flying spin. The big challenges are going to be axel (I have landed some in the past, but a) not since getting back into skating, and b) my technique needs serious work) and my spins. Hopefully starting to work on them now will be enough to get me ready by March. I'll be finishing off my Preliminary Freeskate too, which requires a program. I'm happy to be having lessons again.

Here endth the blog post.

Ciao,

Andrea

For the love of skate

I had a terrible fall on the ice this morning. Embarrassingly, I wasn't even doing anything difficult. I was just skating forward, not even doing crosscuts. I caught my toe pick and *wham*. I went down hard. I banged both elbows, my right knee and my left hip. I even managed to cut the skin over my hip--probably due to the friction between the ice and the seam of my yoga pants. Ouch.

The fall by itself was pretty jarring, but what followed was even worse. I get head rushes. Not everyday, but they're not uncommon either. I usually just stop what I'm doing, lean against something and wait for the sensation to go away. A couple of years ago I ended up in the emerg because I'd fainted after getting up out of bed after a really bad leg cramp. I went to the bathroom to get a glass of water, but wound up on the floor, my head resting against the door frame. It's the only time I've ever fainted and I was worried because I thought I'd hit my head. I also experienced cloudy hearing, sweats and nausea. The phenomenon is called vasovagal syncope.

I'm pretty sure that that's what happened this morning. Vasovagal syncope can be trigger by an event such as severe pain (my fall) then a rapid change in position (I got up immediately afterward to go sit on the bench). What happened was this rapid change in position caused my blood pressure to drop (this is also what causes head rushes). I'm lucky I made it do the bench and didn't pass out on the ice. Once I sat down I kept my head bent over my knees as I waited for my body to return to normal. In the meantime I felt like I was hearing the music in the arena through earplugs and I got really sweaty. The skating monitor came over and made sure I was okay. I lied to her a little bit and just told her I was a shaken up from the fall, then I waited for Andrew to show up before I got back on the ice.

Aside from being really sore on the points of impact I was (and am) all right. After several rounds around the ice I cautiously tried some spins to make sure I wasn't going to get overly dizzy. I was fine and even got in some good sit and camel spins. I can't wait for lessons to start, I want to really work on my spins this year...and my axel. I even got in a couple of great lutzes(sp?), which I've been having a lot of trouble with since I got my new skates.

Anyways, that's all for now. If any fantastic bruises form I might take pictures--as a demonstration of my love for this sport.

Ciao,

Andrea

A showy weekend

Andrew and I attend two shows this weekend.

1) ESO Friday Night Masters Concert

The turn out for this concert was excellent. Usually the Winspear is only half to three quarter full for the Friday shows, but this weekend it was nearly full. This may be due to the second half of the concert, which was devoted to Gustaf Holst's The Planets, which is fairly well known. Most people are probably familiar with the Mars and Jupiter movements, even if they don't know who wrote them, etc.

One of the things I loved about this performance was the humongous orchestra. It included: 1 tuba, 1 tenor tuba, 3 trombones, 3 trumpets, 5 french horns (yes 5), 2 bassoons, I think there was a bass clarinet, a bunch of flutes, 5 percussionists, 2 harps, an organ and another console (I'm not sure what instrument) and the regular ESO compliment of string instruments. Huge, big sound, especially during Mars. And when the organ joined in--oh man. It could knock someone's socks off, literally. Or at the very least give someone heart palpitations. And I love the romantic bit in Jupiter, where the music swells. I feel like I should be running through a grassy field toward my long desired love.

The first half was less exciting, but it's hard to be compared to The Planets. The first piece was a Canadian composition, unfortunately I've forgotten the composer's name, but it was titled The Wings Beneath the Earth. It was based on a Chilean poem, I believe. It was all right. The music was nothing too unusual and reminded me a little of generic movie soundtrack-type music. Andrew thought it lacked a distinct theme. The other first half piece was Haydn's Mercury Symphony (Symphony 43). Again, very nice, lots of crisp playing from the strings.

One last note. This is just a pet peeve of mine, but, if you're going to go to the orchestra take off your ball cap and leave your blue jeans and sneakers at home. The musicians are in black tie, the least you can do is put on a pair of slacks.

2) Stars on Ice

If you couldn't guess from the previous post Andrew and I attended the Stars on Ice performance at Rexall Place in Edmonton on Saturday night. I may have mentioned, I love figure skating. So, it might not surprise you, dear reader, that we had ice level seats. I love it there. You can see the skaters' facial expressions, hear them talking to one another and sometimes you get to interact with them. You can also see how fast they're skating. The whole show is a great deal of fun, sort of a rock n' roll show on ice. Or maybe it's better described as a musical on ice, I'm not sure.

The cast was mostly Canadian, this year, just two skaters who were not. I was pleased to discover that Stephane Lambiel was a special guest, which wasn't advertised on the Stars on Ice website. He's my new figure skater crush. Not only is he incredibly cute, but he's a talented skater. His spins were amazingly fast with great positions and he has intricate footwork with deep edges. A number of ladies in the audience seemed appreciated his skating as well.

I've already covered my love for Kurt Browning, but I'll said it again briefly: he's awesome. I loved his skating as a kid and I still do now. Ack! Who else to talk about? I could go through each skater individually and describe their numbers, but that wouldn't be terrible interesting and I don't think I have the patience to go through them all. Let's just say everyone was pretty great. In particular I enjoyed numbers by Joannie Rochette, Jeffrey Buttle, and Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon (some of my favourite skaters). I probably spent most of the show grinning stupidly and bouncing to the music selections. We've already put in our request for ice level seats again next year. Thank heavens Andrew is willing to indulge me in this silly passion of mine.

I think I will end this post here. I could spend paragraphs discussing both events, but my purpose for blogging is not to write in-depth reviews, just to record the occasional events in my life.

Ciao,

Andrea

Weekend accomplishments

I passed my skating test.


We visited with family (this is my nephew, Alexander, who is as cute as the proverbial button).


Caroline and Giancarlo were successfully married.



And we made it home again.

That's all I've got time for now.

Ciao,

Andrea

A quick note before heading off for Ontario for the weekend

This afternoon Andrew and I have a flight to catch that will take us first to Calgary and then on to Hamilton. My friend Caroline is getting married on Saturday afternoon. I suspect this will be one of the bigger and fancier weddings I'll ever attend, as I've heard the expected guest list is around 200 people. That and last Christmas (i.e. 2007) Caroline was already receiving fine crystal as wedding/engagement gifts.

Before that; however, I need to get done as much homework as possible and then I have to skate my preliminary freeskate test--as long as the judge stays on time. If I wasn't already a little nervous about completing a test in front of a judge it's compounded by the time crunch issue. Originally the test was set for Wednesday afternoon and was switched to today. From what I understand, there were too many skaters for the amount of time that was available on Wednesday.

I'm sure I'll be okay. I have actually passed this test once before, when I was twelve or so. And I'm inclined to think I've improved since then. I'm not worried about my jumps, but I'm a little concerned about my spins. They can be dicey. My upright spin will be fine, but all the others...my camel will be okay too, as long as I get up into the position. The sit, well, I can't get it onto the right edge (which hopefully new blades will fix) and the back spin...it make me a little nervous just thinking about it.

Right. That homework I'm suppose to be doing. Better go.

Ciao,

Andrea

Where the *blog* are you? Lazy blogger habits of yours truly

Question: Where the *blog* are you? You haven't given up on blogging the scintillating details of your life yet, have you?

Answer: Well no, I haven't forgotten. I keep thinking, man I should write something for my blog. Then I think, crap I have a lot of assignments this semester. All my free time spent on homework = nothing interesting happening in my life. I had hoped to blog about the competition at the recent Canadian figure skating championships (since I attended them), but you dear reader, can see how well that went.

*le sigh*

At least I making slow progress on my MS.

Ciao,

Andrea