YES! I'm officially a citizen of this country since yesterday at roughly 2 PM Central time. The ceremony wasn't that long, and it mainly included taking the oath, picking up the certificates for citizenship, and taking some pics with the judge afterwards. Was fun.

After that, I got to spend time with my family, because they are awesome. Went grocery shopping with mom, and then we went to Olive Garden to eat some yummy food. ^^ I had the "Tour of Italy", with chicken parmesan, pasta alfredo, and some lasagna. Was great.

Afterwards, I got the group of housemates together for the Manitoba Moose game afterwards. For those that never heard of AHL hockey before, the Moose are the local American Hockey League team, affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. And so we were able to go, as I got the tickets a week before, just to make sure we could sit together.
The game was great. A bunch of shoving and punching on the ice, and a great dose of goals, making it a 5-3 victory for the Moose. Woot!!

Overall, it was an awesome day. Too bad it wasn't perfect, because I found out one of my good friends suddenly got appendicitis and had to rush to the hospital. I'll go visit him on Saturday. :3

So...you're probably wondering why the hell I'm saying that. Well lemme tell you something:

On November 20th, not only will I watch another Moose game, I'll also be sworn in...as in becoming, Canadian! Yes, my family got the call about 3 weeks ago, and we're pumped that that day has finally come. I'm just happy to be able to cross the border once I get my new passport, so that I have no problems going to AC. ^^

Oh, and also, my Birthday on the 25th! Eeee!!! Gonna be 19, man! Compared to most people, I don't feel old, but rather maturing. I know that, because I have become much more independent over last year, and it's awesome. Don't you love it, when you are more dependent on yourself than your parents? Well, they still care, and help out with food, so that's nice too. ^^

In between, I gotta write a term paper. lol haven't started yet, and it's due the day after my B-Day. Gosh, I don't wanna write a paper on my BIRTHDAY! xD

Hello people! Happy Wall Day (stolen from my friend Blau xD)! TODAY marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. A memorable event in the history of Germany. :3 *Fact* My parents weren't there live, but they took a trip to the west the very next day. So yeah, next year, same anniversary for Reunification Day. ^^

In other news, I'm doing quite alright. My midterms were all a success, because I passed all of them (yay!), but man, I gotta work on not cramming myself next time, because I ended up studying the day before, and since this isn't high school anymore, I can't afford to do that next time. x_x I really have to work on my study skills.
I also had kind of a cold the last week, but it seems to be gone now. I had to deal with it, while working too. ugh.....

Otherwise, I'm doing fine, and so is my love life. ^^

If you have 00-10 ... write [I'm a goody-goody]
If you have 11-20 ... write [I'm still a goody-goody]
If you have 21-30 ... write [I'm average]
If you have 31-40 ... write [I'm a bad kid]
If you have 41-50 ... write [I'm a very bad influence]
If you have 51-60 ... write [I'm a horrible person]
If you have 61-70 ... write [I should be in jail]
If you have 71-80 ... write [I should be dead]
If you have 81-90 ... write [I got a ticket to Hell]


HAVE YOU...

[] smoked
[x] consumed alcohol
[] slept in the same bed with someone of the opposite sex (not yet)
[] slept in the same bed with someone of the same sex
[x] kissed someone of the same sex
[] had sex
[x] had someone in your room other than family
[] watched porn
[] bought porn
[x] tried drugs (do meds count? lol)

TOTAL SO FAR: 4

[x] taken painkillers
[] taken someone else's prescription medicine
[x] lied to your parents
[x] lied to a friend
[] snuck out of the house
[x] done something illegal
[x] felt hurt
[x] hurt someone
[x] wished someone to die
[ ] seen someone die

TOTAL SO FAR: 11

[x] missed curfew
[x] stayed out all night
[] eaten a carton of ice cream by yourself
[x] been to a therapist
[] received a ticket
[] been to rehab
[x] dyed your hair
[x] been in an accident
[] been to a club
[x] been to a bar

TOTAL SO FAR: 17

[x] been to a wild party
[] been to a Mardi Gras parade
[x] drank more than three alcoholic beverages in a night
[] had a spring break in Florida
[x] sniffed anything
[] wore black nail polish
[] wore arm bands
[x] wore t-shirts with band names
[x] listened to rap
[ ] owned a 50 Cent CD (rather Eminem than 50 cent, those SOBs)

TOTAL SO FAR: 22

[] dressed gothic
[] dressed girly
[x] dressed punk
[x] dressed grunge
[x] stole something
[] been too drunk to remember anything
[] blacked out
[] fainted
[] had a crush on a neighbour

TOTAL SO FAR: 25

[x] had a crush on a friend
[x] been to a concert
[] dry-humped someone; been dry humped
[] been called a slut
[x] called someone a slut
[] installed speakers in a car
[] broken a mirror
[] showered at someone of the opposites sex's house
[x] brushed your teeth with someone else's toothbrush

TOTAL SO FAR: 29

[ ] considered Ludacris your favorite rapper
[x] seen an R-rated movie
[x] cruised the mall
[] skipped school (rather skipped free period...lol)
[] had surgery
[x] had an injury
[] gone to court
[] walked out of a restaurant without paying/tipping
[x] caught something on fire
[] lied about your age

TOTAL SO FAR: 33

[] owned/rented an apartment/house
[] broke the law in the police's presence
[] made out with someone who had a GF/BF
[] got in trouble with the police
[x] talked to a stranger
[x] hugged a stranger
[] kissed a stranger
[] rode in the car with a stranger
[] been harassed
[x] been verbally harassed

TOTAL SO FAR: 37

[x] met face-to-face with someone you met online
[x] stayed online for 5+ hours straight
[] talked on the phone for more than 4 hours straight
[x] watched TV for 5 hours straight
[x] been to a fair
[] been called a bad influence
[] drank and drove
[] prank-called someone
[x] laid on a couch with someone of the opposite sex
[x] cheated on a test

TOTAL OVERALL: 43

Pfff, very bad influence. Riiiiiight....lol

Saw the Toy Story double feature today. It was awesome! ^^ 

I'm happy from attending the Thanksgiving social, and meeting furry friends again. Thank you for hosting, Tom, and thank you to everyone who was there. I had a great time as always. We ate some great food, playing funny games, and basically hung out. Yeah, that's what we did. xD

Now, I took a bit of a break from studying just now, and I decided to visit Chewfox 's FA page again, and reading through the shouts, I saw that everything seems to be normal, even a few said sorry for their drama. That was nice. :3
Then I read her newest journal, and I even dared myself to watch the clip of when she was on the Tyra Banks show. I felt bad for joining the bashing wagon and I wanted to be confirmed of why I was actually bashing her. Turns out I had absolutely NO reason for it.
 
(Clip)

So I watched the whole thing, and Chewfox and TomCat actually did a great job of representing us. They put the purpose of the fandom to the point (drawing anthro animals, fursuiting and attending social events) and they said that things like beastiality and the whole getting-turned-on-from-Mickey topic is bad. Basically, Tyra Banks was being the bitch she is all along. So, I'm relieved to say that I still hate Tyra Banks, and that she should work on her show. But after all, Chewfox and TomCat both handled their appearance maturely. They actually looked like the most normal couple on the show, saying that it's just the two of them, and not more mates, and explaining furry thoroughly and simple.

I really felt like posting this, because all the abuse and harassment they both got was really unnecessary, and everyone who hates them now should be ashamed of themselves. WATCH AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. I was wrong about them.

☞ Anyone who looks at this entry has to post this meme and their current wallpaper.
☞ Explain in no more than five sentences why you're using that wallpaper!
☞ Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on!



K, so this is a marker commission from one of my good friends, Roch aka digitalblood. She is an awesome artist, you should commission her sometime. Just basically me and my kitty smooching at the beach. I love her so much. ^^ 

Hey guys, I'm so overdue with an update on my life.

It's all going well actually. My courses are slowly starting up and going into the full load of things. I know what I'm going to major in (Kinesiology) and what occupation I want later in life, but it's been kind hard to declare it recently. I had to add courses to my schedule to bring me to my requirement of 30 credit hours to declare my major, instead of the previous 21 hours I had before I started here. But I managed to get everything done and in place, so no worries for me.

My housemates are pretty cool, and I was surprised how my French friend Florian found out I was a furry. The good thing is, he has nothing against that, since he's a nerd himself xD (plays a better version of WoW), but yeah, I'm glad that I don't have to hide myself due to my furryness. I even posted a pick of Paul above my desk. (made by Rarakie. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2777923 if you want to know). And I'm getting a package from my kitty soon, which include a few surprises and my collar I've been waiting to get for a long time. :3 Can't wait to get it.

It's going good moneywise as well, but still not enough for a fursuit. Crap, but at least I can save up well in the summer to at LEAST go to AC with the 'Toba furs. AC 2010 in its planning stages, and it'd be my first f

BTW: One of my good friends, Wolever Wuff, is leaving the province to work at a big ass job in Edmonton. I wish him best of luck and a bright future with Amy. I hope I can see you two before you go. ^^

Hello peoples and furries! Today I shall tell you about a good day in the city.

First off, waking up at 7 was a pain in the ass, but I was used to wake up at that time for school, but oh well. We arrived in Winnipeg quite early at 9:20 am, and we had to wait a while before the doors for the citizenship and immigration office (well, actually it was like a hall, state of the art!) opened. The ceremony hall was very neat, with a wooden podium for the judges, and flags of the provinces in order around the room. Neat!

So I waited in line with my family to get approved and start my test. I also noticed other people in a variety of heritages, even the African man sitting next to me (from Somalia, I believe), and he pointed at my passport. He wanted to know where I was from, and I said Germany, and he smiled back. It's a good feeling that some people don't care about nationality, and have a world view on things. Makes me happy as a person. ^^

So I took the test, and what the hell? Just 20 questions, and you need 60% to pass. All I could think of is: Is this a joke? I was done within 3 minutes with that piece of cake, going over it twice included! I know I passed when I handed my paper back. I mean, I practiced hard for the last couple of weeks, and I was just happy that becoming Canadian is almost easy. :3 Just remember the history, geography, and how the government works. ^^

After the test, we went driving around, handed some papers in, looked for my future residence (found it, and it's a neat house ^^), bought the remainder of my books that I need for my classes, and went shopping. lol I'm not a girl, but sometimes, I think a guy's gotta shop for certain needs. :3

So yeah, picked up some jeans, and snatched a shirt that I REALLY liked. It's one of those barber shop pole colored polo shirts, but in red, white and black, which the theme totally reminds me of the 20's and 30's Ottawa Senators jerseys (my absolute favourite ice hockey team), the 10-time champion franchise, the golden days, the Silver Seven. ^^ (fellow fans would know what I'm talking about...lol), and I also picked up a sweat shirt I'd need for the winter.

Overall, a very satisfying day. Tomorrow, I gotta pack.

Hehe, I didn't tell you guys about my Saturday yet. But it was actually very cool! ^^

Well, first thing in the morning, woke up a bit late, and took over my parents' SUV to actually get to Winnipeg safely. Plus I had the CD player, which meant, RUSH TO THE MAX! So yeah, arrived there a bit late, but apparently there wasn't anybody there yet. But oh well, had to wait, until Furgeta and Vincer got here, and then we hit the slides. Fun fun fun, people.
Then we went to play minigolf...and I lost. After ruling throughout the bowling party, now this. lol I guess I haven't played in a long time.

But then we went to Corey's (Wolever) place, and chatted for a good time, and drank some...rather unusual soda. We also watched the Megaplex charity auction that was on ustream, and Kage hosted it. hehe, he sure makes a good auctionist. We also chatted about fursuit in between. That's always my favourite topic: fursuits. Man, I gotta get in the money fast, because I can't wait much longer. But Wolever was very nice (like he always is) and gave me a little taste of it. I got to try out Quiznos (or Q) Coyote's head!!! ^__^
It actually was great. Putting the head on was rather difficult, because I didn't want to wreck the poor thing, and I didn't want to be careless. But after a while, I got it on, nice and safely. And boy, did I feel goooooood. I was into fursuits before I even saw a real one, and this experience is worth remembering. My field of vision was good at my eye level, but I only could see straight ahead, so I now understand why some suiters require a spotter. And Gabriel (Vincer) gave me a hug. ^_^ I felt really nice and fuzzy.
If you want to know who I was wearing, here's a photo of this sweet coyote. ^^ :

(mmmh, Quiznos. Good eats)

After that we checked out an anime convention that was held on the weekend (Ai-Kon), so me, Jason (Furgeta) and Tyler (Slade) checked it out. Tyler was already there, so I was just catching up. And oh boy oh boy, so many costumes. Schoolgirls, Sailor Moon, Naruto, Dragonball, you name it. Plus a few pokemon costumes were there too. (One or two Pikachus included ^^), but I didn't stay for the dance at night, because I felt tired and went home. But it was a good day. ^^.

And more good news!!! On September 1st, I'm going for my Canadian citizenship test! Woot!

Well, as you all might have noticed, I posted my first real video on Youtube, with crappy quality on top of it! Yaay! *Sarcasm*


Yeah, no song, just showing off. ;)

In other news, my job is doing great, but weird things are occuring. My laptop can't go for an hour without being plugged in anymore, which sucks, and I had to fix a hole on the side of my bed. Gee, WTF!!!

Yes, I'm starting to rant now, since work gives me oxygen to think about free time after. lol

But yes, I'm here to bitch about furry drama. Why? Because I think I have seen a big problem with this fandom, and what might be one reason for the bad reputation with society.
We let trolls come onto our feelings and let them play with our minds. Why? Because we are busy, trying to tell them why this fandom is good and why it should be respected.
Ladies and gentlemen, there's one big truth about trolls: They don't care about us, and just want to have fun with our lives. They want to laugh, that's all. And here is what you REALLY should do: I-G-N-O-R-E. Ignore them, and enjoy the company of your friends within the fandom. That's what you really should be doing. Be happy with who you are, and don't let any basher get to you. I'm doing that and I'm happy ever since, and I'm free of concerns about the fandom.

You might have heard this before from others, but some people just don't listen.

6 magic letters, guys. That's what you need to remember.

Well, it's the day after I picked up my diploma (YAYS!) and a couple of scholarships on top it. Oh yeah, I iz a smart doggie! ^^ Anyway, I had a blast at the dinner and dance, dancing my tail off, and enjoying all the meatballs in the world... lol. Good times, my friend.

I also started my new job at Canadian Tire, which is great too. Not only do I get a few benefits, but also the colleagues seem to be very friendly. It's great, that's all I can say. Good to be working....

But on the other hand, it hurts to see a couple of locals to Anthrocon, and I sadly can't. Don't have the money, or the needed papers to pass the border. I'm still waiting for my Canadian citizenship application to be approved, so I can take the test. Dammit, why does it take so long to be a citizen of the beautiful country?? It's a pain in the ass! I wanna go to the States!

It sucks to be an immigrant sometimes, and it took me long enough to get the job. But yeah, I'm happy with having a job, but sad about not being able to go to AC....

Screw the thing. I don't look like ANYONE famous...

Holy mother of frigging Christ. Was that ever a final! And congrats to the Penguins winning it, and taking revenge for last year. Isn't that sweet? :3

Game 7s are always that sort of deal that makes you go "OMG! This is it! Do or Die!" and indeed it showed. The first period was very fast paced, and it went from end to end in a good way. Great saves by Osgood and Fleury sure made it fun to watch. But I found Detroit really getting the hang of it in their own arena, but they couldn't score.
The second period started with a bang IMO. Talbot scoring almost 2 minutes into the period made it 1-0 Pens. Yay! Great start! Detroit really needs a break from winning the Cup once. And yeah, so it went on and on with the chances and such, and I was wondering, the Pens didn't get a penalty the first 40 minutes, which is pretty surprising. I guess fair play does pay off. ;)
The third period was a no-brainer, as the Red Wings HAD to get back into this one. And they just showed their desperation. But Talbot really stabbed them again with a shot putting it into the top shelf, making it 2-0. Oh boy! Now Detroit really had to step up, and they just did. A power play and with about 5 minutes left, Bang! 2-1. Crud, this is gonna be tight. And hell was it ever tight! Detroit basically had them pinned in their zone for the last part of the game. Shot after shot after shot, and twice it went off the iron. Fleury was one lucky bastard.
The last 30 seconds are memorable too. It was intense to the bone. Then..the last 3 seconds, open side on Fleury! And whoever that Red Wing was with the puck had an open shot, but Fleury, ho man, jumped to make the save and then the horn blew, and I dropped back into my seat. The team that I wanted to win...did it! Congrats Pittsburgh Penguins!

My Manitoba Moose on the other hand lost their Game 6 4-1 at home, and so the Hershey Bears are AHL Champs once again. Ah well, too bad. :( But thanks for the memories!

On Saturday Night it was a big day for the city of Winnipeg. The local AHL team, the Manitoba Moose, are in the Calder Cup final for the first time in franchise history. And the fans showed it. It was called sold out 4 hours before puck drop, and  so 15000 folks filled the MTS Centre and it was a thrill.
I should've taken a few photos from the buzz outside the arena, but I forgot. I was quite busy checking out the Power 97 booth (local rock station), and helping my dad get our tickets. We were sitting in the highest level above the home goal, in the 8th row, but the view was not too shabby.


Yeah, we were a couple of rows away from the roof, but they were the best tickets we could get. But we were still able to see the puck XD. I borrowed my dad my Moose jersey, and I just wore my t-shirt to the game. Too bad it wasn't entirely a white-out, because the radio wanted it so, and just called out in desperation to make it a big game. Man, why can't the city repeat its own creation? Who knows....
The anthems were well respected, unlike in Montreal in Round 1 in the SC playoffs this year (and look what happened to them..haha!) and the game started soon after with the Moose making a lot of steam in the first few minutes. The Moose made the first goal of the game with a great passing around and finishing with a sharp angle shot. But the Hershey Bears (opponent) made it 1-1 after like a minute. Then it was all pretty much even, until Grabner (for me one of the best Moose of the game) was on a breakaway and put it away to make it 2-1 after the first period.
The second was even all the way for most of the time, as the Bears raised the bar a little and started hitting more. But Grabner was on ANOTHER breakaway, and boy did he ever pick the corner! 3-1 Moose! 
(someone's excited XD) - oh, that's me btw....

but yeah, the game was getting loud around it, and soon Matt Pope was on a breakaway until he was tripped and slid into the goal, and...penalty shot! ^^ I just had to film the intensity when Pope took the shot. (planning on uploading the vid on youtube), but too bad he didn't get that one in. And so a comfortable lead was taken into the second intermission. I just looked at my empty beer cup, as I finished it like even before the game started, so I won't spill it all over when they scored. XD .
   
(a few pics from the second period)

Heading into the third, the Bears got stronger and showed it. A good goal made it 3-2. I was hoping they won't come back but they did. :/ a very unlucky bounce off Baumgartner (my fave player x_x) made it the unfortunate tie for our side. And to be honest, the Bears had too much luck that night. The puck trickled in behind Schneider and so the game was 4-3 Bears. Crap! Now the Moose had to step up, but they really didn't. Bad passes and losing the puck too often was just bad enough to watch. But the last 3 minutes of regulation were loud. A power play just had to help, as the rest of the way was almost 5-3, as the Bears took a couple of bad penalties (slashing, delay of game), and so the crowd just had to push the team. Fortunus blasted the puck into the net and the long-wanted 4-4 tie was finally there. But the nervous and tired Moose bench wasn't capable of putting the game away on the PP. I was going insane: "Shoot! Shoot!!!!!", but why didn't they, why??? 

Looking at the clock, it was almost time to go, as my mom and my sister were already out of the IMAX after they watched Mosnsters vs. Aliens 3D (4.5/5 they said :)) and so we only had a few minutes to watch OT, and the Moose haven't won a playoff game in OT this season, so it was a bad omen coming at us. 10 minutes into OT, it was all on both sides, as both teams made a final push and in the next TV break, we had to go, sadly.
It was a night to remember, and too bad the Moose lost in OT, like I thought they would. My first beer in a public place, and I was finally able to watch a hockey playoff game. hehe, so yeah, got home at like midnight, and a black bear was on our road. That was exciting...

Have a good rest of the weekend!
PaulShep

Hello and welcome to my May update on my easy-going life, that has yet to be getting better financially. Hope I get hired soon...

First up, I'm doing great at school. Exams are coming up next month, and I'm not really prepping up yet, but will soon. I only have to write one, and do a project for the other subject, so I'm good.

Second up, just this May long weekend, I went to an awesome retreat with the church youth. We did all sorts of fun stuff, and even had a guest speaker. His name is Robb Nash, a musician, and messenger. His message was truly inspiring and I just hope that it's worth it, because his company was just a blessing to all of us. Go ahead and check out his website: http://www.robbnash.com/. You'll see what he had to go through, and what I've seen.

And last, but not least, I officially got accepted from the University! It has been one hell of a month so far, and I hope my needs are filled very soon, because I can't live without them.

Keep on barking, guys!

Helloooo Planet Earth!

This is my first post EVA on LJ! lol I have not a lot to say, so meh, I'll think of something to write about.

About me: My name is Paul Shepherd, a German Shepherd, and indeed originally from Germany. Yes! Awesome, eh? We got all the sweet beer, bratwurst and soccer in the world! XD, but now I don't get so much of it since I live in Canada now, but oh well. Life is better over here.

So, to those that want to know more about me, I can mention it in my next journal, if you guys want. So shout out and I'll see what I can do.

Cheerio guys!
Paul