Things learned on April 28, 2011

I have possibly the most legit friends and family in the world.

How I managed to meet my fundraising goals for Ghana in two weeks while not tapping into any of my Ecuador donors, I will NEVER know.

I am blessed.

Something you should do today.

go here.
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2956715&Lang=en-CA

and donate $10, $20, $200...

no pressure, but I'm pretty desperate.

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WHY I NEED MONEY:

I'm heading to Ghana this summer for a three-month internship. I'm gonna be interning for Journalists for Human Rights and CIDA. I will be working at Kapital Radio in Kumasi, Ghana, as a human rights reporter. This is a sweet opportunity.

That being said, I'm completely screwed on the fundraising portion right now... need to somehow raise $2910 in the next seven days, or I can't go.

While I've got enough saved up to cover some of the required funds, I can't do it on my own. That's why I'm asking for support. No pressure whatsoever. Really, anything is appreciated.

If this sounds like something you'd like to help with, click the link above and sponsor me on my trip to Ghana! Tax receipts are automatically given for donations of $20 or over.

Thanks for considering, even. I really appreciate it.

Bless,
-Chris

Things learned on April 18, 2011

People who make good conversation are good walking partners. Conversely, people who do not make good conversation are not good walking partners.

so great

#j4finished

Hi friends. Just wanted to let you know that I am done university. Ok, that's all.

Another joke

Two vampires walk into a bar. Bartender asks, "What ya having?"

First vampire says, "I'll have a cup of blood." Second vampire says, "Gimme a cup of plasma."

Bartender says, "Ok, so one blood and one blood light, coming right up."

Joke

A baby seal walks into a bar. Bartender asks, "What ya having?"

Baby seal says, "Gimme anything but a Canadian Club."

#j4family

So this is what it all came down to; four years of blood, sweat, beer, and tears, missed deadlines, misspelled source names, failed news quizzes, unrecorded interviews, dropped phone calls, malfunctioning TV equipment, and so, SO many good times. It was a beautiful sight on Tuesday when my classmates, colleagues, and friends of four years rolled into Lago dressed to the nines to celebrate the culmination of our time here at Carleton j-school.

There is a camaraderie here that cannot be found in any other faculty at our school. We made it.

We survived the cut, and the cutthroat, and Kozolanka. We are the last j4k class to call St. Pat's home. We are the elite of Canada's next generation of journalists (I see you, Ryerson,) and one day our bylines will be spread far and wide across the globe, whether we're covering the newest war or the newest celebrity couple. We will succeed, because j-school taught us how to.

We are perhaps as eclectic a graduating class as Carleton journalism has ever seen. Our (smaller than average) group contains within it restaurant-owners, folk musicians, failed mayoral candidates, play-by-play announcers, NGO-starters, mountain-climbers, bakers, shit disturbers, slam poets, vagina warriors, alcoholics, and yes, a few journalists. Yet for all the different countries, jobs, or street corners that we'll run off to, for all the tears and fears that the next few years will bring, the one thing I truly believe is this: there are not 83 more competent people who will be unleashed on the world within the next few months than the ones getting down on that dance floor Tuesday night, and I am so, SO stoked to see where we'll all go from here.

So here's to you, j-school grads of 2011. It's truly been a pleasure. Good luck in everything you do, and don't go breaking too many hearts along the way. It's bad business etiquette.

I'll leave you with some words of wisdom from the immortal Dave Tait: "The whole point of this is to have fun. To have a life that you enjoy and are proud of... so that's the thing. Have fun."

-30-

Things learned on April 7, 2011

Water is life. And I flush water down the toilet. So essentially, I flush life down the toilet. And I brush my teeth with life. And I pour out life on the sidewalk when it has grown warm and gross in my bottle. And I wash myself with SO much life everyday. And I make ice-cubes with life, just so the life I drink can be more satisfying. Meanwhile, the folks in Santo Domingo de Onzole need to wait for it to rain before they can have life. And the folks in Baja California don't even get rain and need to buy their life from the store, which costs them about three days' pay. Three days' pay for the right to a little life. Meanwhile, I am flushing life down the toilet.

#wtf

#j4k

Canada's next generation of great journalists.

Last day of class... so that was university, hey?

Things learned on April 4, 2011

My old hotmail account contains some hidden gems.

This discovery is symbolic of the importance of revisiting childhood memories, because you'll always find something worthwhile.

Poured my heart into these kids and all I got was bullied.

Things learned on April 3, 2011

The people's champ is allowed to be tired sometimes. I am not offended.

"greet a brother with hugs, laughs, and daps..."

Life Updates: Entry 4

1. Today was the third last day of my undergrad classes.
2. I have stopped referring to things as "the last ___ of my UNIVERSITY days" and started referring to things as "the last ___ of my UNDERGRAD days" so as to cover my bases*.
3. *this means I am considering one day going to grad school**.
4. **and this is not an April Fool's joke***.
5. ***on that note, if you saw on Facebook that I'm engaged... I'm not. For those who congratulated me... haha.
6. I recently spent more money on Lego than I've spent on groceries so far this year*.
7. *I am cool.
8. The possibility of my poetry success translating into hip-hop has become far more visible to me these days. Shoutouts to Pruf for instilling such belief, or at least consideration, in me.
9. I am not trying to be the next D-Pryde, don't worry*.
10. *on that note, his shit is ON REPEAT of late. Too catchy**.
11. **on the topic of D-Pryde, who was the subject of a quick pointless banter today between Peter and I, makes me realize that I miss that fay jai a lot.
12. Rebekah should come to Carleton.
13. Ghana and its $5000 fundraising deadline looms. I am now accepting donations.

pz pz yall