Visions of Lollyblogs Danced in Their Heads

Ahoy again. I am enjoying a pretty laidback post-Christmas week. Today, as you may have noticed, is New Year's Eve. I have decided to celebrate by coming down with a crashing cold/fever/aches'n'pains. However, I have just slept for a few hours and feel much better than this morning, so I suspect I will be able to stay awake until midnight at Katie F's party. Dad is the prime suspect as the source of infection (what a good post-Christmas present), as he was quite sick himself before I came home, and in a similar way.

So, what have I been up to since the 25th? Weeell, it has been razzer quiet because Boopsie took herself away to fencing camp on Tuesday, returning Thursday with a very delightful Team Alberta jacket (!!!) and many happy stories of pot-smoking housekeeping ladies, hall parties, and epeeists' bruises. Wednesday had a lovely day with Becca. Laura was going to come, but instead had to brave the lion's den of meeting her boyfriend's extended family and receiving a scarf of questionable sartorial value -- though I think she is warming to it. So Becca and I were left to our own devices and had a running-themed day: a quick run in the afternoon, followed by dinner and a showing of Chariots of Fire (highly recommended).

Thursday was busy: lunch with the delightful Mackeys, who are in fine form. Terry seems to be recovering pretty well from his nasty tropical disease. No, really, he had Dengue fever, which is not a good time. Anyway, it was great to catch up with them a bit and hear some stories. After lunch, I ran over to Laura's to hang out for a bit. I had a really good chat on the phone with her the other day, too, which was nice. Sometimes I forget we can use the phone for such things. Then it was back home to pop in on dinner with the Pratts. However, I scuttled away to go see Narnia with Katie. Both the movie and the company were a pleasure, though I think C.S. Lewis should really have thought about putting in a positive female character over the age of six. However good Lucy may be, Susan is sort of lame. The White Witch freaks me out no end, so well done there, Tilda Swinton.

Friday (yesterday! How time flies) we went on a Greenwood's expedition with our Christmas money from Grannie. I met Jeanne-Marie there, and we had our usual squeals-and-hugs followed by a brief catchup. She leaves town just before I do, to go back to her dance troupe for a few more weeks. Lori and Colleen came over for dinner-and-a-movie after that, and it was very, very nice to see them again. They are charming, charming girls (and isn't it lucky for them that they know me?). We compared semesters and Christmas presents and holiday plans and watched The Interpreter, which wasn't half bad.

I am anxiously awaiting my exam marks, as the only one I have back right now is geography, an 88% on the exam, so not bad. I have thank-you letters to write, though, so that will take my mind off it.

Tropical Yule

Hello, all! I'm back home and hanging out in my good old room. I am listening to Corb Lund (thanks, parents!) and looking out at a distressingly cloudy sky. It was gorgeous out yesterday. Actually, I'm not really impressed with the weather, because this makes two brown Christmases in a row now. Minus ten points, Mother Nature! Anyway, the past few days have been lovely. The Prattesses came over and watched a few fine films with us Friday night, and then Saturday we just hung out en famille, then went to church at the University. It was not only a very nice service, with excellent music provided by a few of our dear friends, but also a very speedy one. Well done, Father Tim. Today we've had pancakes and present-opening, and it has all been very satisfactory indeed.

Happy Christmas to all! Soon you will be able to call me on my new cellular tellular phone and tell me all about your xciting Xmases. I hope everyone is having a lovely, lovely day.

Sprint to the Finish

This is it, the last lap before home. Much though I do not want to study, I must. I feel that a dash to Mooney's Bay again for a last-hurrah sledding run was justified, although Katherine did break the tray-sled. Boo!

OK, just seventeen hours until freedom. I have a day to get my Stuff In Order and then I'm shipping out on the seven-thirty plane. The Birda awaits.

The Law Is An Ass

Have just returned semitriumphantly from my law exam. I have never written so much on an exam in my life. I met Ian (yes, Hobo Ian) on the bus and he said he started studying at 10 a.m. today and still wrote four bookletsful. Either he was making things up or he is an extremely quick study. Katherine and Emily disturbed me by leaving after two hours instead of three. I was busy getting my hands all ink-stained.

I'm going to go search for the scattered remnants of ma bane now, so that I can study for political science.

The Prophets of Tesco

Law studying going comparatively well, I suppose. Test is tomorrow and I'm thinking of just writing "the return to naturalistic principles in the 20th century!" on the paper, surrounding this brilliant clause with doodles of Blind Justice, billiard balls, and other delights, and walking out. But that's the worst-case scenario, for if I have a little nutty. If no, it should be fine. Only two more exams and then sweet freedom!

Franz Ferdinand is singing to me and I have to go sort out war crimes, crimes of aggression, crimes against the peace, and crimes against humanity. The last should not be confused with crimes against hunanity, which consist of violations of the rights of spicy chicken. A-thank you.

Hello, Internets!

Following Boopsie's accusations of fresh lollybloggery, I am taking a minute out of the salt mines of international law to refresh you all on my momentous life. Here goes.

Yesterday (i.e. Friday) there was much joy and also much sadness. Joy occurred because not only did I not egregiously bomb my research methods exam (hooray!) I also went snowboarding on the hill in the park across the river, and some enterprising souls had built jumps! I went off a few of the wee ones, yes, even though it was dark. It's OK, Mum, I'm fine. So are Jacob, Mike, Metro Justin II (distinct from last year's Metro Justin I), Danielle, and Brittany, and we sat about and had a hot chocolate afterwards. Notl and Katherine got to see me in my snowboarding finery before I left, too. They should feel privileged.

But then I got back and checked my e-mail quickly before bed, to discover that John Spencer, the beloved Leo of The West Wing fame, just passed away of a heart attack. This is the end of an era for me, because that show's humour, intelligence, and high ideals played a role in putting me on the path I'm on now. Now I need to sustain the interests on my own, but the creation of those interests was partly due to The West Wing. Richard Schiff, a.k.a. Toby, said Mr. Spencer was "one of those rare combinations of divinely gifted and incredibly generous. There are very few personal treasures that you put in your knapsack to carry with you for the rest of your life, and he's one of those."

Back to cheery now, OK? Notl slept over, which was excellent fun, and the little squadron of us sat around in the morning eating egg-o-muffins and drinking coffee. It was very civilized and nice. Notl brings the class, see?

Law is looking marginally less terrifying after a good evening of studying, and it helps that after a big excursion to the St. Laurent mall today my Christmas shopping is more or less under control. However, I still have work to do, so I'm going to toddle off now and, uh, do it. Anybody want to flesh out my definition of amicus curiae? "Um, friend of the court" just isn't cutting it for me. Bonsoir, tout le monde!

Fa-la-la-la, la fi-nals season

Today while I was in the bathroom there was something making breathing noises in the bathroom. I knew it had been a while since we cleaned the tub, but I didn't realize it was long enough for anything to have evolved lungs. Upon closer investigation the noise proved to be mechanical and stoppable. The fridge is fast approaching the Condiment-Food Horizon, which can be expressed as (f : k), where f is food in the fridge, and k is volume of hummus, ketchup, jam, and so forth. When the ratio is 1:1, it is clearly exams season.

Very productive studying for geography today in the library. Hooray!

Weekend Update

My public affairs studying gets a big thumbs down so far. Feh. There are so many, many theorists' names to remember.

Fleetwood Mac is excellent. It is snowing in the city. Yesterday I ate a butter tart that disagreed with me (not that it matters) and then spent about an hour with Katherine learning to speak Gaelic on the BBC website. There are separate sections for North Welsh, South Welsh, Irish, and Scots Gaelic. Memorably, the phrase "I make the tea" is included in the "Hobbies" section of the phrasebook. What a strange people they are, those Celts.

Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Who's In Charge Here, Anyway?

I keep wandering over to this site to check on it. Some of this is just comment-hoarding behaviour, but I am also hoping that it has magically updated itself, for I am too lazy to do it myself much of the time.

Exam craziness is about to begin. Katherine and I have gone pre-emptively insane, spending at least an hour in the past three days leaping through the little curtain of tinsel hanging from the arch between the main room and the landing. It is the best thing ever. We then made a circuit out of it: start in Katherine's room, run-up and leap through tinsel, land and turn sharply right to skid across the kitchen floor. It is perfection itself.

Also did myself proud last night by making eggplant parm. It was edible! All bow before the culinary goddess. This is a big deal to me because eggplant parm is one of those dinners that Mum makes only when it is a slightly special occasion or when she has a little extra time. It's not a full-on Thanksiving-or-Christmas food, but works for the end of classes. Anyway, I have now done another one of those things that the adults in my life do. Weird.

Finally, "Exams: terror or scourge?" Discuss. I'm a little scared of them, and I feel like my study habits have really gone downhill. I guess we'll find out whether or not this is true.

Snow!

Big, fluffy, glorious flakes of snow are drifting past my window! To celebrate, I intend to stay in my pajamas for the remainder of the day. Perhaps, if I am feeling fancy, I will put on sweatpants as I work on my final public affairs assignment. A mere five pages, and yet it is taking me forever. As usual.

There is also talk of tobogganing later. How is this possible when my apartment surely doesn't have space for both a snowboard and a toboggan? Well, I submit that the definition of "toboggan" can be stretched to include any stiff, flat surface of appropriate size. To whit: a cafeteria tray. I have made it high-tech through the clever use of duct tape for handles.

Winter is icumen in

Lhude sing "goddamn". Yesterday winter finally arrived, with the howling, eyeball-fluid-congealing type of wind I remember so fondly from last year. The only catch is that we hardly have any snow. If I am going to get up on a Saturday morning and run with the wind in my face the entire route (have yet to understand the meteorology at work there) then at least let there be picturesque snowdrifts, eh?

Choir concert tonight! Mixed feelings on this, since the dress rehearsal really did not rock in any way, shape, or form. But hopefully the one first tenor who really knows our part will actually show up to the concert; he wasn't there last night. It was harsh. And you know what they say: bad rehearsal, good concert. Right? Right?

Paul Martin...

... is emo. This has just made my afternoon.

John, Paul, George, and Ringo are very excited for the fruitcake.

Here is the aforepromised photo of Figgy, all decked out for the hols. We alternated hanging the ornaments on his left branches and then his right to prevent him overbalancing.

Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis

Mi madre has accused me of lollybloggery, and I suppose she is right. She is experimenting with snowbirdship at a conference in Miami. As for me, I've been rather busy for the past few days. Here is an update on My Fantastic Life:

Wednesday I had five hours of choir practice, which was madness itself. Our concert is Saturday, and we are reasonably ready except for the Rutter Gloria, which is fine except for when the tenors have an "Amen" with eighth notes anywhere near it. We just sort of give up at those bits and it doesn't sound anything like as cool as it could. The rest of it sounds decent. Wednesday's practice was with the brass, percussion, and organ, too, so we got a good preview of what all that will sound like. I think it will be fantastico.

Yesterday I went for a lovely run with the cross-country folk after an afternoon walking about the in Glebe and a little schoolwork in Loeb (how I love thee, Loeb) after our second-to-last public affairs lecture. Katherine was disappearing on mysterious errands throughout our stroll and refusing to explain herself. All I knew was that Thursday night there was to be some kind of Christmas-related activity going down at our place, and when I arrived home around 5:30 I was expecting great things. After a few hours of further mystery preparations (I was not allowed to look) Emily arrived and all was revealed to us: a full-on, 0-to-60 Christmas kickoff. We stuck cloves in oranges and made gingerbread and drank eggnog, and decorated the ficus, Figgy, until we thought Figgy simply couldn't take any more without falling over. Actually, we didn't really drink eggnog, just the ceremonial sip-and-grimace before we abandoned it. And then we watched Love Actually because that is the best Christmas movie ever. Emily has all the pictures of the festivities on her camera, but I promise to post some soon because it will bowl you over. "Surely that is not a student pad!" you will gasp. "Surely not! There are no empties on the floor, and they have cranberries on strings! What manner of students are these?" These students, gentle reader, are B.PAPMers. This is what they do.

And this morning we have snow. Perfection!