Saturday Night's All Right

Hello all! Apologies for my absence from blogland but I have been very busy doing I am not quite sure what. Another relatively uneventful week in Me-land...

Monday I went to the Rideau Centre after class (public affairs; social science research theory; kind of tedious but I'll live). There I haggled for Mum's birthday present with a middle-aged Indian dude. It was kind of fun. And I know I got a better price than I would have gotten on something similar at the Bay, because I went to check before I bought it. So I saved, oh, $10 or so. Whee! Then it was off to choir practice, where I was delighted to see that we are singing Goin' Home from the New World Symphony, which is one of my absolute favourites. We're also singing Gate Gate, the Chichester Psalms, J'entends le moulin, and Soon Ah Will Be Done Wi' De Troubles Of Dis World. Not sure how we're going to handle the patois in that last one, as we are the Whitest Choir Ever. J'entends le moulin is a real blast from the past for me, because I remember singing it with my elementary school choir. Good days, good days.

Thursday there was a CUSE Coalition (Carleton University Students for the Environment) meeting at which there were some very good people interested in waste disposal, climate change, biodiversity and other worthy causes. There was also pizza, so plus several hundred points for that. I would like to issue a memo: Fida's Pizza makes a fine slice.

After the meeting I repaired to the library for a couple of hours and read about massacres and the Lebanese civil war. Charming stuff. It's surprising to me, though, how well I am holding up. I expected to be working toward a minor in Hysterical Weeping this semester, what with my two courses on Africa and the Middle East. Instead, though, I'm finding it's very easy to be sympathetic to all sides and to understand that motivations are complicated. We are all afraid, sometimes, and when large numbers of people are very afraid, for their lives, their livelihoods, their family, or their country for a long time, strange and terrible things happen. This doesn't make it desirable or okay, it's just what happens.

Post-library I went to Rosina's on-campus pad, and from there out to Sin, which happens also to be the capital of the People's Republic of Lame. It was the Journalists for Human Rights fundraiser and turnout was okay, but that didn't change the fact that the music kind of sucked. Oh well. Ian, Rosina and Adam and I went across the street to a bar and grill for nachos, which was much more satisfactory. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful in locating any cider -- apparently Elgin Street is a cider-free zone.

My Friday classes rule. For reals. And then Katherine made cookies, hurrah, and I went out for a run with Jacob in minus several thousand degree weather. Most of our conversation during the run consisted of saying, "My eyes are freezing shut. We are so hardcore." "God, I know. I can't feel my legs, but they are still moving!" It was pretty cool, and we did 9.5km, and we are awesome. That is all. And then I got home and ate a lot of cookies, because I deserve them. Jordan came over last night to hang out with Katherine, and it struck me once again what a very intelligent and nice guy he is. Three cheers!

Tonight the lovely Steph is having a very small group over to her place for her birthday festivities. It is most excellent that she is having a party, because last week she was going, "naaaah, I don't think I will, I don't even like birthdays." So much for that! I will be celebrating not only for her but also for Dad, because his birthday was yesterday. It wasn't very exciting for him, but there is talk of going for brunch at La Ronde, where there is deliciously delicious bread pudding. Or so I hear.

Anyway. After Steph's I'm going out to Pier 21 with some people -- not sure exactly who, but Em and Katherine are in. Wulfric's brother Axel (fabulous names in that family!) is in town, so hopefully the guys come. We all want to meet him, partly because then we will have met someone called Axel. Which would be awesome.

Tallyhooooooe!