Failing to Fail

I just got my final marks for the term back and, pending my poli-sci mark, I didn't fail anything! Not straight A's, but that just gives me a goal for next semester, eh? I don't really care, but it is nice to know that I am not going to have to drop out and start looking for a job... not right away, anyhow. I think this semester will be most wonderful for everyone, particularly given the switching into anthropology by several of the Edmonton crew, who will likely be much happier there.

So 2004 ends on a positive note. I guess in a lot of ways it's been a decent year, and when it was awful, it at least taught us that we're stronger than we thought. And tonight I'm going out to a party to celebrate having survived another year and having done so with sanity nearly intact. Happy New Year, all!

Feliz Noel

It is retardedly late, and yet here I am a-typing. I got to feeling somewhat guilty about being (as Bev says) a "Holiday Lollyblogger". My apologies, Beverina. My excuse is that I have been... busy. Yes, that's the one. Anyway, a brief and boring recap of the past few days goes as follows: 22nd I wrote my last, horrible exam. 23rd I flew home and hung around the house, then decorated the tree with the Fambly, who are all as delightful as ever. 24th I hung out at home again, and Katie F. came over for the Exchanging of the Presents (she got me a very delightful and useful set of wicker bin thingies and a nifty yoga book -- yay!). We went to Christmas Eve mass at Saint Jo's, and so I missed seeing Katie J. at the OLPH mass I had told her I was attending. Oops. But it was a lovely mass, despite the lack of Katie. 25th was, of course, Christmas day, and we opened our gifts and went to the Lockaus' for Christmas dinner, which was large and sumptuous, and met her aunt Lena, who seems very nice. Today I went to a movie with Jeanne and her new Boy, Rob. Jeanne: I approve. Since I have been reading too much Jane Austen, I deem Rob "a well-mannered young man, with good spirits and a pleasant countenance". Besides that, he was not too freaked out by our weirdness (and has excellent taste in girls. Hee.). After arriving home from the movie, I went to Laura's for dinner and more movies. I have seen five movies in the past 36 hours: Eurotrip, Lemony Snicket, Napoleon Dynamite, Fight Club, and Clockwork Orange. I say respectively: "Hee!" "Good show!" "HAHAHA!" "Whoa... cool" and "Kubrick and Burgess, I bow before thee. How's about a bit of the old... ultra-violence?" And now, against Laura's vehement concerns for my security (her concern does her credit, but I wanted to sleep at home anyway) I am back home and looking forward to a good sleep and another wonderful day. On the agenda: Lunch with Kim and either Mrs. Dear or Mrs. Penner (help! I don't remember which!) and a visit with Tawnie. The infinite promise of such a day is only matched by the joy of not doing any work.

ADD

I want to go hooome. I don't waaaant to write another exaaaam.

Daddeeeee, I wanna poneee.

Please disregard my inner child. She is petulant today, and is preventing the last-minute studying I so desperately need. Exam in T -3 hours.

WestJet

WestJet is the most fabulous airline ever. They don't feed you, but that way you're not guessing about it (Air Canada, I am looking at you). The staff are not only efficient, but so nice. I just called to confirm my flight and the lady was very polite and advised me that "if you want to bring, say, a large pepperoni pizza on board, you should bring a slice for the flight attendant because then she'll act as a bodyguard against the other passengers and you can eat your pizza in peace." Point taken, madame.

I'm going home!!!

Yay!

Katherine and Robyn are back! Yaaay! And I just went swimming with Natalie! Yaaay! I love Christmas.

I Had A Dream, Pt. 2

Drifting off to sleep last night, I had one of those dream snippets that can be so disturbing. I don't know if it's the stress of exams or what, but something made me dream three seconds of an evangelical Christian baking show. It went as follows:

Christmassy backdrop of dark green, a kitchen counter in front of it. Cut to:

Nice Christian baking lady: And remember, there's got to be Christ in the buns!

Me [waking up]: Whaaa?

Suspicious Cafeteria Items

"Pork Pies With Pork"

Reasons my roomie is acceptably awesome

1. She sleeps a lot.

2. When she sleeps, she sleeps deeply.

3. She creates an acceptable level of mess.

4. Three words: Mongolian house music. Insanity! It's cool.

5. She is neither pushy nor controlling. Hooray!

6. We can explain stuff to each other because we are in the same program.

7. Indra likes the Monty Python sketches she has seen. There is hope.

Economics, Schmeconomics

Ah, whatcha gonna do. Exams are in full swing. I've written two (French and public affairs) and have three to go. Economics is tomorrow; I am terrified. Trala.

Had cross-country practice today, our first one with the wrist-mounted odometer/speedometer that Jacob bought this week. It was exciting to discover that the little "6km" loop we have been running along the canal up to Pretoria Bridge and back is actually almost 11km. So, the 10km run we supposedly did was actually more like 15. This explains much.

Ice, Ice, Baby

A few days ago we had freezing rain. This is turning out brilliantly. The roads and sidewalks have been cleared and everywhere else is a skating rink. So today I went with Laura, Katherine, and Robyn, and we amused ourselves by going across the canal to the Arboretum and sliding down the hill. Katherine and I succeeded in getting back up the hill, and made a human chain to pull up Laura, whose shoes were slippery and who was having a little trouble. It was like the evolution of man... just Laura and Robyn struggling up the hill, all hunched-over.

And then it was back to the Fishbowl for another round of brick hockey. After that, to Glengarry to watch Carolyn Parrish take on Tucker Carlson, who continues to be a disgrace to the name of "human being". And then, to continue the audiovisual movable feast, it was my room for some Monty Python sketches. "My hovercraft is full of eels!" indeed. And now here I am, sitting quietly in my room again. What a delightful day.

Somehow, I got an A on the PAPM mini-essay that I made up the night before it was due. Hmm. This is not a good precedent to set, methinks. It was funny picking it up, though: my TA has mysteriously acquired a fan club. There were about ten girls sitting in a cluster around Denis and furiously taking notes. Apparently his other tutorial group (Katherine's) made him a card, which he says is on his fridge.

Tea? New Worlds?

Jacob is mocking me on MSN. Witness:

Jessica's subconscious says: "It is taking me over. I am now dependent on it! mmmm [Daily Show], you are like relieving morphine, sweet at the time, and addictive later...would anyone like some tea?"

I just really, really like The Daily Show. Is that such a crime?

Today I had my paradigm deconstructed in public affairs class. As I said during the break, "Hmm. I do believe my brain has ruptured and will shortly start leaking from my nose. Can I have a tis-sue?" It is difficult when you go into the contemporary stuff, which basically highlights how unsolvably messed-up the world is, and then you are told that nihilism is kind of pointless as well. At least my French oral exam went alright as well, I think, though it was a ridiculous amount of work for five per cent of the year's mark.

Jessica needs no sleep. Jessica needs only coffee and pretzels, and Jon Stewart and Thomas Hobbes and her essay.

Crunch Time 2: Electric Boogaloo

Well, it is exam time once again. You can tell by the blood on the walls and the panic in our eyes. The worst things about exam time are, in order:

1. Public affairs twelve-page essay of MADNESS.

2. The stupid French movie we have to watch to prepare for our oral exam. Only three people can watch it at a time in the language lab thing. There is one copy on campus. There are forty-four people in my French class. You do the math.

3. Positive reinforcement from previous good marks is making me feel that I have to study hardcore and do just as well as I did on my midterms. I don't actually want to do this.

That's about it. Last night was fun -- a bunch of the Girls From the Floor went out to see the Parliament lights and then out for dessert at Oh So Good. Brandy pumpkin cheesecake is yummy, in case y'all are wondering. There are photos below. The Daily Show was, as usual, brilliant, covering Bush's visit to Canada.

And I'm up reasonably early this morning because my group tried to watch the stupid movie (see number 2 in the List of Bad). I understand that the movie is certifiably francophone in that it is totally insane. Apparently it is a documentary, and the narrator goes nuts and starts screaming at a skull or some such... this is just what I've heard, mind you.

A group of urchins keeps warm in the Chateau Laurier. From left: Shweta, Maria, Bev, me, Amanda, Nicole, Kaija, and (crouching) Amanda and Allison.

Having delicious dessert at Oh So Good

Friendship can turn ugly in the blink of an eye, particularly when one of the friends has aikido mojo.

Alphabeticizing

My all-time favourite thing said in poli-sci this semester:

"You can come down to the front and collect your essays. Now, I've put them all in order, so please do not disrupt the alphabeticity."

Good Vibrations

I'm actually feeling pretty good today. I thought I was coming down with another cold (bleah!) earlier, but it seems to be better now. Mallory and I went swimming, my French class was non-crazy-making for once, and things seem to be going swimmingly. See what just ignoring your work can do for you? I'm getting a bit behind, I think, but it's not too bad yet. I mostly have a backlog of notes to type up.

The Glen Gang is here to watch The Daily Show, as is the ritual of Monday to Thursday nights. They are quite the amusing bunch. It strikes me that I seem to be making the same kind of friends here as I have at home: mostly a bit preppy, mostly female, mostly kvetchingly ironic.(Kvetchingly may not be a word, but it oughta!)

Christmas preparations are in full swing. Indra and I have lights for our room now, and looking out across the Fishbowl I can see that a lot of other rooms have them, too. Katherine has flashing icicle lights for her room -- amusing to look at, but if she and Robyn suddenly have seizures, we will know why. Some folks have gone all-out and bought actual Christmas trees for their rooms. I don't know how they manage to live in among the branches (our rooms are not that big, and some of these trees are considerable), but I salute their superior levels of holiday cheer.

The cross-country club starts practice Monday. Whee!