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Today, at around 11:45ish, I was sitting alone at the second level of Eaton Centre, then all of a sudden, some student approached me asking if I wanted to be interviewed. I was bored, and irrational at that moment so I agreed to be interviewed by her. The hot topic: camera phones. This is how the conversation went, as far as I can remember:

(Denise is sitting alone, looking oh-so-vulnerable, so the Journalism student decided to take advantage of the situation)
Girl: Hi, I’m a student at Ryerson University and I was just wondering if you would like to be interviewed.
Denise: Um…sure, what is it about?
Girl: Camera phones.
Denise: All right.
Girl: Ok (smiles and sits down beside Denise). Do you have a phone?
Denise: No…(then the cell phone rang) Ahaha…that’s odd. I have a CELL phone, if that’s what you mean. Anyway, would you please hold on for a sec (answers the phone and talks to Daryl)?
Girl: Sure (still holding that freakish smile).
Denise: (chuckles nervously) Sorry about that, please continue.
Girl: Do you have a camera phone?
Denise: Yeah, but not because I wanted it. It was cheap. Besides, almost all the cell phones nowadays have a camera.
Girl: Do you use the camera?
Denise: No, it’s crap. The MP’s horrible.
Girl: Do you think that camera phones should be banned?
Denise: You mean, in general, like everywhere, or just specific places.
Girl: Well, generally first.
Denise: No, because not everyone thinks that camera phones are evil – when it really is. People are stupid, that’s why.
Girl: Why do you think it’s evil?
Denise: Everything is evil, but camera phones are just stupid. Especially when those sentimental bitches we call mothers think that they can capture sweet memories with this cheap piece of metal, when all it really does is make them feel better that they’ve captured something. At the end of the day, their babies look pixilated and they can’t even print the damn picture.
Girl: (still smiling) Which places do you think should ban camera phones?
Denise: Banks, schools…my house.
Girl: Banks?
Denise: Desperate fools who think they’re James Bond or something will sneak that cheap gadget in so that they can take a picture of your bank account number, or anything important. I don’t know…
Girl: How about the mall?
Denise: I don’t think it should be banned in the mall because there are tourists in here that have video cams. And if those are legal, I don’t see why camera phones shouldn’t be.
Girl: Right, what about people who take pictures of kids for no reason?
Denise: You mean pedophiles? Aha, they have their reasons. But anyway, I think it’s disgusting. Pedophiles find their way to child porn and camera phones aren’t really their main source of it (How do I know this? Please, don’t ask me). Besides, pedophiles are smarter people and they invest their money on cameras with better mega pixels.
Girl: Aha, well can you think of a solution to prevent this from happening (people taking random pictures of other people)?
Denise: Make camera phones way more expensive, so that only so many people can buy them. But, it's a bit too late for that now.
Girl: So why do you think people even thought of a camera phone?
Denise: First of all, the target market is stupid people and the world is composed of 85% of them. They're everywhere. 10% of the population is money-hungry business people who are confident enough that these 85% will bite on anything that look pretty. So they make camera phones and make millions of dough. The remaining 5% are aware individuals who know that not everything on the market is good.
Girl: Overall, what can you say about the invention of the camera phone?
Denise: I hate it. It degrades photography and photographers. Since cameras are so accessible, people with no sense of art or basic knowledge of aesthetics will mindlessly take a photograph and think it's art, when it really is not. First rule of art is quality. A camera phone does not provide that.
Girl: Can I quote you on that?
Denise: Sure (repeats the answer, the girl writes it down)…I sound so cynical.
Girl: AHA! Just a bit, variety is good.
Denise: I guess, anyway do you know Chantal?
Girl: I think so. How does she look like?
Denise: Lover of vintage, and very crafty.
Girl: Well, she was wearing this sweater and pearls –
Denise: Yeah, that’s her.
Girl: Um, please write your name down here.
Denise: Okay… (writes it down)
Girl: And your phone number too, just in case my professor wants to validate my source, he would give you a call.
(At this point, I was beginning to think that this girl was hitting on me. But then again, she didn’t look like a man. So…I guess an e-mail address wouldn’t hurt?)
Denise: Um, can I just give you my e-mail address?
Girl: Sure. (Writes down email) All right, thank you very much.
Denise: Nah, thank you for entertaining me. And please say “hi” to Chantal for me.
Girl: OK, bye.

Yup, and that was it. I didn't even get her name...

My mother has been gone for almost a month now. It's been really quiet and scary around here. A family is not a family without a woman nagging you every five seconds about the stupidest things, and I guess, that's why I miss my mom. My father has been way too lenient about everything. His leniency took away my sole purpose for being a “rebel”, thus, the excitement. There's almost no reason for me to be here anymore.

I want my mom!

I like myself.
Love my idiocyncracies.

Ryerson = A great combination of extremely stupid people and very talented individuals.