City Middle

Do I have to write a New Years post?

2007-12-31T22:52:00.000-05:00

Probably not, but I will anyways.

Remaining true to my style, I have absolutely no recollection of my resolutions last year. I definitely didn't write about it.

I have a love/hate relationship with resolutions. Being the constant dreamer, they are quite enchanting. I simply make a decision to change and, because a new page has been turned on the calendar, it simply cannot possibly go wrong. I used to go for the gold. Why limit myself to petty goals when I could reinvent who I am?

Then I realized that I pretty much always forgot about them by the time the month of January was done. That seems to be true of lots of people, not just me. Regardless, I've been thinking of a few changes that I'd like to make in my life (I always am), but I've also been thinking of how best to implement them. It's hardly an original idea, but it's taken me quite some time to actually understand and believe that small steps are the key to success. That means that I'm not about to announce my plan to go to the gym twice daily and write to my grandparents every month. I do want to put a few things down in writing, and January 1st is a convenient way to give a concrete start to these goals.

Without further ado, I present to you my top five resolutions for the New Year. As of now, I have only thought of one, the rest will be spontaneous.

1. Spend less money - I wrote about it recently and it remains true, I need to slow down. How? Well, I definitely don't need any more clothes. I will readily admit that I'm vain and the whole point is NOT to take drastic measures, so I won't swear off buying clothes. I would like to go back to my thrift store roots a little more and will try to avoid putting myself in situations where I get that urge to splurge (Trust me, I did not see that rhyme coming. Honest). I also want to stop eating out just because I'm too lazy to prepare food for myself. I pretty much never packed a lunch for the days that I spent on campus this past term. Not only did it cost more, I also didn't eat much of a lunch and I ended up losing a few pounds. I only weigh 130lbs. I can't afford to lose any weight.

2. Eat better - I suppose that makes this resolution a logical one. I came into the term with grand plans of mastering the culinary arts. How foolish of me. I just need to eat more and have a little more variety. The grocery store is one place where I will allow myself to spend more, not less. But not frivolously.

3. Be active - I think this is possibly the most generic resolution possible. Who hasn't wanted to be healthier? This last term I signed up for a bunch of intramural sports and only went to one or two games for each (with the exception of curling). My plan? Sign up for just one (probably dodgeball) in addition to curling. Also, go snowboarding as much as possible with Dave, go longboarding as much as the weather will permit (I think this one's a given), go climbing once or twice and do pushups and sit ups a few times a week. I don't know if running is going to work anymore.

Dang, I'm grasping at straws already and I still have two to go.

4. Listen to music from my youth - I often forget how I've come to the place where I am right now. I'm not always sure that I like the person I've become but I can't remember who I used to be. Listening to MxPx is a surprisingly good way to get in touch with my roots and takes me back to happy days.

5. Go camping - This is necessary, but it seems increasingly difficult to find time and energy to do this. I guess that's why it's so important to do it in the first place. Plus, my parents gave me a sweet camping stove and cook set and I really want to use them.

There you go. 2008 will be different, not because I made these goals, but because it is a given. I just want to give some direction to the differences. And now I will leave you with something that I apparently said on my old blog two years ago:

"Remember, every day is new, the whole year long."

Damn, I'm good. Love you all!

Who the fuck cares?

2007-12-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

The idea of writing an essay on swearing has been sitting in the back of my mind for over a year now and this will probably turn out to be less sensational and spectacular than I had envisioned. Such is life.

I was a good kid growing up. And by good I mean really well behaved. You could even say I was a "goody two shoes". That's changed quite a bit now (This was mostly my idea). Anyways, the thought of getting in trouble was always terrifying for me and I knew that swearing was a big no no. I can still remember the first time I dropped a proverbial "f bomb". I had to play goalie for soccer at recess, which was something that I never did, and I let in a goal. I was heartbroken (I don't know what I was expecting, I wasn't very good) and my friend Joel was laughing at me. He was trying to cheer me up but it wasn't working, so I told him, "I don't play fucking goalie". And that was it. My pure little mouth was tarnished forever.

Fast forward to now and it's quite a different story. I mean, I watch my language pretty well, but sometimes "gosh darn-it" just doesn't cut it. But the number one factor in my word choice is the people that I'm with. Some might call this dishonest and tell me that I'm somehow "lying" if I'm intentionally being a different person, but I don't think so. I'm just being courteous. I would hardly say that swearing is a vital part of who I am, so to put that aside is not really a big deal.

What's wrong with swearing? I don't know and it's something that I've been wondering about for awhile. Obviously certain words have vulgar meanings, but that holds true of many words that people use on a day to day basis. Shit means the same thing as poop or feces, so why is it that I'll never hear that word coming from certain mouths? One topic that has captured my attention in school in the last year or so is language theory. Basically, how words develop their meanings, etc. It's pretty lofty, abstract stuff, but I enjoy it. Essentially, in my opinion, word meaning are totally subjective. From the moment you are born, you start associating the sounds that you hear with whatever is going on around you at that time. This leads people to have more or less the same understandings of words, but allows for some discrepancy. If my parents told me to go take a shit every time they wanted me to go to the bathroom it's not likely that I would have any negative connotations associated with that word. It's not like swear words are inherently bad.

This leads me to thinking that for some people, swearing actually does feel violent because it just IS. It's the way that they've grown up. For others, it's not a big deal. So I don't scorn people who get all uptight and uncomfortable when choice words are being dropped, just as I don't think people who do swear are children of the devil. Everyone's different and I'm cool with that. Peace out, bitches!

BTW, If you're in the crowd that hasn't ever heard me swear, don't come away from this thinking that I cuss a blue streak anytime you're not around. I don't.

New feed

2007-12-15T22:34:00.000-05:00

Now that it's the holidays and I have my own domain, I have been geeking out HARD. Pretty much all day. Anyways, if you subscribe (I don't imagine there are many that do), you should update your feed URL to http://feeds.hey-just.us/justusz

Just so you know. Have a nice day!

JZ

PS: I've got a few new posts in the works, stay tuned.

Mo money, mo problems

2007-11-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

I do realize that I said I would be writing about either girls or swearing next, but something else has been on my mind lately. Actually, girls are always on my mind but I need to get this out of brain and onto the page before females reclaim that brain space. I've been a little bit stressed about my spending habits lately.

I used to be really good at saving my allowance when I was a kid. To go a few months without spending a penny just so that I could buy a discman in grade 7 was no big deal. Something would catch my eye, I would sit on the decision for awhile, do my research and then start saving until I could afford it. I still have the same stereo system that I bought in grade 8 and it continues to serve me well.

These days, my taste for quality products has not changed but my self restraint has diminished. A lot. It becomes a problem when you buy nice things and you buy lots of things. It doesn't help that the Saskatchewan Student Loan program deposits a large lump sum in my account at the beginning of every year. I think student loans are the biggest factor in my shift in spending patterns. I never had large sums of money at my disposal before and I couldn't resist making use of them. It may seem surprising then, that I haven't landed myself in financial trouble yet, but when the money runs out, I just stop spending. When I have, I spend and when I don't, I don't. Maybe I just don't value money as much as others, but it doesn't exactly bother me when I can't spend money, I just get a little more creative. And that's a good thing.

One of my classmates in my course on French film did a presentation on a film about gleaners in France the other day. They're essentially people whose lifestyle revolves around the fact that they survive on the excesses of society, scavenging the leftover fruits of harvest and reducing the amount of product that goes directly to waste without ever being used. It really was inspirational to me and not a day goes by that I don't see something awesome that someone fashioned out of trash.

I've spent enough. It stresses me out sometimes, all the transactions that take place in my life and I'm not sure why. It just seems a little unnatural at times.

Moving from Saskatchewan to Ontario, I couldn't exactly bring any furniture with me. Because of that, my room has been a little cluttered and I figured a trip to Ikea for some semi-cheap, semi-stylish furniture was in order. Instead, I've been stealing empty milk crates from behind Dairy Queen on a regular basis as well as some scrap lumber and a display rack that I found outside a local retail store. It's not much, but it's a start.

Things To Do

2007-11-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

It's time to move this off of the main page.

About

Build up a tolerance for Sweet & Sour Rice for the next camping trip

Buy the new Stars album - Incomplete

Cheer on Joel at soccer... or something - Complete

Create everyday

Do 43 jumping jacks

Don't work as much - Complete

Figure out how to make Disco Lemonade

Film a short documentary about each of the Zimmerlys

Find a way to get to Vancouver to visit August - Complete

Frolick or stroll in a field - Complete

Give Jordon a hug - Complete

Go barefoot - Complete

Go longboarding - Complete

Go on a long and contemplative walk - Complete

Go see Feist - Complete

Go to the East coast with Brent and drink beer with some Newfies

Graffiti

Have a talent show

In every activity, remember to do things Rick Page-style

Jump over something - Complete

Kidnap Joel and go camping

Make a longboard - Complete

Make a movie - Complete

Make a Rick Page video

Make art

Make faces in the mirror

Make S'mores - Complete

Make/get a good ice cream float - Complete

Map out an adventure and then see it through

People watch (but not as a first date)

Plant and water a flower - Complete

Play soccer - Complete

Pound it with someone at least 3x a week - Complete

Read a good book - Complete

Remind your family you love them - Complete

Rock out to the Shady J's - Complete

Scream like a ninny

Send Kathleen and Sarah sweet mixtapes/CDs to rock out to while arts and crafting/guarding lives at Merrywood

Send Kathleen, Sarah and August some lovin' in the form of email, letter, postcard, phone, visit or all of the above - Complete

Sing in the rain - Complete

Solo dance party

Spend time outside - Complete

Start a zine

Take a nap outside - Complete

Take pictures - Complete

Think hard about the question "how can one man silence 1000 grapefruits within moments of opening his mouth?"

Try to grow a full beard - Incomplete

My name is Justus and I have a problem

2007-11-04T23:43:00.000-05:00

Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve been a little bit obsessive. Or maybe more than just a little bit. Passion was just something that coursed through my veins and I am no different now. What the hell am I talking about? My lack of ability to sustain interest in one activity or issue for a prolonged period of time.

Some people know from a very young age what they want to be when they grow up. I changed my mind every 4 or 5 months. Now you’re probably thinking that sounds fairly normal. But you didn’t know me. For example, I went through an “Ancient Roman” phase. During those months, I proceeded to sign out every book in the library on the topic as well as order books from other libraries in the area. I probably read each one twice. I also made plans to become a historian and specialize in the field. At recess time, I made all of my friends play Greeks vs. Romans (not sure how I managed that as I wasn’t a very commanding child). I still have plans for a scale model of the ancient city of Rome. Guess what I was for Halloween? Yes, I was a Roman centurion. And then overnight I lost interest. I would pour so much time and energy into this one thing and be devoted to it so whole-heartedly that I wound up running it into the ground. I still do the same thing.

Since taking up longboarding, I have logged a ridiculous number of hours on Internet forums, learning about the nuances of the equipment and mastering the terminology. I haven’t killed this one for myself yet. At the end of every term I contemplate switching programs or starting over altogether. A pretty girl waltzes past and suddenly I can’t seem to think of anything else for the next month until I finally just forget about her. It’s just the way I function. Take a look at my blogs! I started The Not-So-Daily Herald on a whim and then got hooked. A few months later it was beginning to really live up to it’s name and it eventually began collecting dust. Fast forward a few more months and I decide to start again with this blog. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

If I’ve learned one thing from the Existential authors in my French literature class (which I haven’t, I’ve actually learned quite a few things), it’s that you are completely and entirely free. Free to do what you want and therefore totally responsible for your actions. I can’t say or do something because “that’s just the way I am” or “that’s how I’ve always been”. My identity is not static; I am transforming who I am with every action I take. I guess what I’m trying to say is “no more bullshit excuses”. I’m also trying to say that I’m not giving up on this blog. Not yet. I have plenty to say and no reason to keep my mouth shut.

If this feels like a “re-inventing myself, watch out world” kind of post, it kind of is. But only kind of. Because every time I find a new passion I try to reinvent myself. We’re trying to break the cycle here, not perpetuate it. Which is why I won’t make some ridiculous, “I’m going to post everyday” promise. Instead, I’m going to say something when I feel I have something to say. I have my tumblog for all that other stuff.

What should I write about next, girls or swearing?

Tumbling through (cyber)space

2007-10-09T18:03:00.000-04:00

I'm not giving up on this blog just yet, but I usually feel like I don't have much to say. Right now I'm playing around with Tumblr and it seems to be more suited to my style of blogging (ie: posting videos, photos, links and quick notes) so check it out here: Z!MMERLY

Buddies and Pals

2007-09-23T23:31:00.001-04:00

Buddies and Pals from Justus on Vimeo.

Sunday's Sandwich #2

2007-09-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

This Sunday's sandwich will be coming tomorrow because I went to a pasta potluck today. However, I had already planned my next foray into the world of sandwiches, so this week's sandwich update will come on Monday (because I know that everyone is DYING to know what I eat. I'm so conceited!) Life goes on.

Sunday's Sandwich #1

2007-09-16T20:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I love sandwiches, so I may as well blog about them. Now that I'm finally preparing food for myself on a regular basis I hope to become proficient in the kitchen. I know that sandwiches are not difficult to make, but a delicious sandwich is something worthy of praise and there is so much room for creativity that talent definitely shines through in a sandwich of quality. With a small amount of luck and lots of perseverance, I hope to become a sandwich master by the end of the year.

For my first sandwich, I tried something quite simple. Using my roommate's "Snackster", I grilled two slices of whole wheat with tandoori chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheddar and a delicious beer and chipotle barbecue sauce. The result: A decently tasty meal for very little effort. Almost everything was bought prepared, so I just sliced it all and through it together. I have a feeling this is how most of my sandwiches will be for the first while, but trust me, they will get more and more intense as the year goes on.

The sandwich:

Accompanied by a simple tossed salad:

I also promise to work on my food photography skills.

Happy New Year!!!

2007-09-15T13:32:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm back in Waterloo for another year and that means that it's time to start procrastinating again. In other words, this blog will once again be graced with the breath of life. Maybe I'll even get a regular post schedule going on. Wouldn't that be nice?

I've moved into my new place of residence and, after two weeks of living with my luggage emptied haphazardly all over the floor, I have started to make it my own. It's a little house, but it's nice and I'm living with some good friends. I believe a video tour or photo essay of the house is in order soon.

Another thing that you may be reading about throughout the year is my culinary adventures as I hopefully learn not only to feed myself, but feed myself well. Speaking of which, I must go and buy some groceries. On this weeks menu: Spinach and Feta Rice Salad along with Beer and Chipotle Oven Roasted Chicken. Hopefully there are no major disasters.

Ciao.

I'm still alive!

2007-08-23T01:10:00.000-04:00

But I'm really tired. In the meantime, go outside and lie down in the grass. It's a wonderful feeling.

Harry Potter

2007-07-22T00:14:00.000-04:00

Given the special place that the series occupies in my heart and the fantastic way it transports me back to my childhood, there was no way that the last book was going to be anything less than perfect. I am wholly satisfied.

Harry Potter

2007-07-21T02:48:00.000-04:00

It's 12:45, I have it. It's going to be long night.

I'm going running!

2007-07-18T23:32:00.000-04:00

Lisa convinced me to run a half marathon with her in Toronto at the end of September and she had the idea of blogging the training process. So, as of now, my blogging energies will be split between this blog and Pheidippides Didn't Make It. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Don't work as much

2007-07-16T21:41:00.001-04:00

I was about to start this post of with the phrase "As many of you know" and then thought better of it. I really hate that phrase. People use it way to much, you know? If most of the people know already, then why point it out? Are you just trying to make everyone that didn't already know feel inferior? Seriously. End maniacal babbling.

Last summer I worked a lot. Up to 65 hours a week between two jobs. I was paid minimum wage and still ended up making a lot of money (relatively speaking). And I hated it. Serving ice cream at the Milky Way was OK because the people were cool but Tim Hortons was an entirely different matter. Neither job challenged me mentally or physically and I sure wasn't breathing much else besides stale air. Keeping a smile on your face while serving bitchy middle aged women blows. What is their deal anyways? I fail to understand how an entire age group can be so unanimous in their detestable attitude towards anyone who isn't one of their coffee-chugging, Walmart shopping, gossip-loving pals. Aagh. These are painful memories to be hauling out of the dregs of my subconscious. This post is going to be all over the map, baby.

I was actually somewhat depressed and quite unhealthy at the end of last summer. Not emo depressed or anything crazy, I just didn't like the way my life was unfolding. Not one little bit. So I vowed not to work as much the next summer and make more time for fun stuff. This brings us to the here and now.

I served ice cream for the month of May. Nostalgia has a way of making the present slightly unsatisfying and this was the case with the Milky Way. Some of my good friends had left and a few of the new kids were slightly irritating. Working there without working with my "little" brother Jordon was especially less fun. Oh well. A few of my friends were still there and I usually worked with them anyways. It was fun. I had plenty of energy. The only downfalls were that my shifts spanned the middle of the day and I wasn't making much money. I wasn't getting up early enough in the mornings to make use of them and there's not much to do in the evening when you don't have many close friends.

The plan all along had been to build grain bins with my dad this summer, but that didn't get off the ground until my birthday. On the day I turned twenty, I got up at 3AM, drove until 7AM, worked until 4PM and got home at shortly before 9PM. It was kind of lousy. We started going out every day to build (usually around 9-10 hours) shortly after that and we've been going strong ever since. Some days I hate it, but it's getting better. I'm working with my brothers and my friend Alex (I think we've been friends since we were about 5). I'm still working somewhat ridiculous hours, but it's way better than last summer. I can take time off when I want and, unlike working at Tim Hortons, this is making me into a better person. I'm building muscle and learning all those valuable life lessons that can only be taught by hard physical labour.

One thing I especially relish about the job is that it gives me complete license to be a redneck. The back of my neck actually is ridiculously dark. We drive around in huge pickup trucks, talk shop with farmers and ogle the beautiful farmer's daughters. There's something very satisfying about the little things like that. It's great. We even LIKE listening to country music every once in a while. It's weird, but I think everyone has a little hick in them. Embrace it!

Well, this has probably been the longest, most tangential post this blog has ever seen and you probably didn't even read it all.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

A problem with the Church

2007-07-08T23:45:00.000-04:00

The contemporary institutional Church is more enamoured with a vision of its present righteousness than it is with encouraging people to be transformed AND then live truly transformational lives.

From this guy.

Fireworks

2007-07-08T23:28:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of Canada Day, I present another video. Despite lots of fireworks, this video was shot on the May Long weekend, not Canada Day. I'm behind.

Fireworks from Justus and Vimeo.

Plant and water a flower

2007-06-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

Sarah told me that I should plant a flower. So I did. I hope it doesn't die.

Recent Viewing

2007-06-23T11:13:00.000-04:00

I watch my fair share of music videos. Not MTV crap, but "real" music videos that are more than just advertisements for the song behind them. I find most of them through Cliptip and I thought I'd share these recent beauties with you.

M.I.A. - Boyz

This isn't one of M.I.A.s better songs, but the video is pretty cool (in my opinion). I honestly wish I was black after seeing this video so that I could dress like the "boyz" featured. Mad style. You might think I'm joking, but I'm not. Not even a little.

The Bees - Listening Man

This video speaks volumes to me. It's really funny and cute and I love it. I guess that's just how cheesy I am. Watch it and fall in love.

Enjoy, I know I did.

As Of Late

2007-06-20T23:35:00.000-04:00

(This is a visual version of "As Of Late")

As of late, my eyeballs are burning, my back is aching, my shins are bruised and I feel much happier than I did twelve months ago. Grain bins can be frustrating, red necks can be irritating and weather can be aggravating. I cried a few days ago for the first time in three years. I was tired. I have spent more time on the phone this summer already than I ever have previously. My to do list doesn't seem to be getting much shorter. Funny how the excitement dies down when I have no one to share it with. I have a problem with spending money. I like being at home, but it's lonely. I don't have many friends. Still, I'm content. My photographic urge is growing stronger once again. The prospect of the Rocky Mountains is exciting. I think that this paragraph is making me out to be less happy than I actually am. Do not be fooled. I am tired and this post is done.

Make a longboard

2007-06-20T21:10:00.000-04:00

Check THAT bad boy out. Pretty sweet huh? I made it from some wood that was rotting in our garage and some busted trucks and spare bearings and wheels. If I could get the trucks to stay on, it might not even ride all that badly.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been pretty busy with work. I know that is contradictory to one of the items on the list, but I'll explain that pretty soon, too.

THIS IS (INSERT CHOICEST EXPLETIVES) AWESOME!!!

2007-06-12T21:50:00.000-04:00

Honestly one of the sickest videos I have seen in a LONG time. Watch it twice

(My favourite part is: When Animal Crackers Attack)

My First Beer

2007-06-11T01:46:00.000-04:00

Well, Lisa has started a whole round of bean spilling where people share the story of their first beer, so I might as well join in. Like Dave, I used to be strongly opposed to drinking. Somewhere in high school I stopped judging people for it but still didn't do it. In first year I finally dove in head long. I made some mistakes and now I think I've come to a reasonably comfortable place with alcohol.

Anyhow, I digress. I don't remember what the circumstances were, but it must have been first term because Matt Thomson was around. He had just come back from somewhere and (I think) jokingly threw around the idea of trying to see if I could get into a bar without being IDed. He said they had live music at the Voodoo Lounge and I was kind of bored so he didn't have to try very hard to convince me. Paul (also underage) came along and we headed out to the bar.

We walked in and sat down. I had no experience with drinking establishments and expected to be IDed at the door even though it was really a pub-type place, so I thought I had made it. Then the waitress came and asked to see our ID.

"Damn it," I thought, "We are so busted." Not knowing what to do, I pulled out my Saskatchewan drivers license and handed it over to her. She looked at it for a while and I began to wonder what was taking so long.

"Now just let me do my math here," she said, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Wait for it, any second now," I thought, anticipating the moment that she figured it out and called two burly guys out to punt me onto the street. That moment never came. She handed me back my license and, to my complete and utter shock, asked us what we wanted to drink. Matt coolly ordered a pint of Keith's (I believe it was on special). Not knowing at all what I was doing, I muttered something under my breath. They probably didn't even have it. As she began to question my choice, I realized that I had probably just blown my cover and given away the fact that I was underage. I quickly recovered and blurted out, "I'll have what he's having."

The waitress left and I turned to my friends in disbelief. I mean really, my ID has a little sticker on it that specifically states the date of my 19th birthday. There is NO MATH INVOLVED!!!

The rest of the evening was downright anticlimactic. I drank my pint at a reasonable pace and walked out with a clear head and a very slight warm sensation in my belly. Some people detest beer the first time they try, but I think I warmed up to it quite quickly.

Well, that turned out to be a lot more involved than I expected. There were other times that I had tried a little more than a sip (my friend's cabin in grade 6, etc), but this was my first "real" drink. Drinking is just not that common in my family. Personally, I think the first beer story of someone very close to me is a whole lot more hilarious, but you'll have to ask me about that some other time.

Pröst!

I'm a nerd

2007-06-06T22:42:00.000-04:00

Beta Crash - Bug fixes
from Justus

So I found out yesterday that I get to be a beta tester for Vimeo version 5 and I'm pretty pumped. Vimeo has a great online community going on and I'm glad to be a part of the development process. Anyways, the above video is one that I posted using the beta. It's pretty bad, but you can see what I've been up to lately (besides work). The title is a reference to a previous video I uploaded and one which I will not bother posting.