...tuesday, may fourth, two thousand four... Everything is moved in. However, we are lacking phone/internet right now. Therefore, I'm sitting in the UCC, with the coffee I bought with pennies and nickels (the coffee lady laughed at me), checking email, chatting, etc. We were supposed to have phone/internet today, but alas, Bell screwed up. Moving was fun. *laughs* I was so happy to see my daddy. And Andrew was in such a lovely big-brother mood. He attached his business cards to my bulletin board and informed me that I could call any number, any time. Aw sweet brother. And free lunch is a bonus. I'm getting more and more excited to go home this weekend. Excited, yet nervous. Went out with Amanda on Friday night, spent a whopping $3.50. That's all. Yet, I was feeling the pre-drinking pretty nicely. I have become weak. Some suave black boy was following me around, and grabbed me inappropriately several times. I was not impressed. I was just out to have a good time, not to get molested. I was going home in a huff when I was approached by Simon. Ah dear Simon. He called me "girl" repeatedly. As in, "hey girl, why aren't you at the bar anymore, I had my eye on you..." and so I vented about the other guy, and he was like "well girl, I understand your predicament, and I'll protect you, don't you worry... but damn girl, you can't blame a boy for wanting your fine self..." *laughs* Then another boy handed me flowers. I felt pretty special. Then, I went home to finish packing, to be awaked at seven in the morning to a Keston at my door. The Keston informed me that the Fan-Yee had gotten him to help move, but there was no Fan-Yee in the premises. So we had a chat and a nap until my sweet sweet Daddy/Brother arrived around nine-thirty. Holly is engaged now. Everyone is getting engaged/married. It's scary. I don't like to think that we are becoming that grown up. *laughs* I know it's true... but it's incredibly scary. J thinks all my friends are crazy for getting married so young, quite frankly, so do I. But I am merely happy to see them all happy. I love you guys. It's just hard to think of my little "Anita" getting married. I remember that when Chrissy and Sean got engaged last summer, Hol claimed that she didn't think she could say yes if Andrew asked her. But, she did. And now they are getting married the end of next August, and Chrissy and Sean the August after that. I have weddings for the next three Augusts. Anyway, I did have a whole bunch to say, but now can't remember much of it at all. So I guess that means that this is it. Just be happy you heard from me... as so many people have not. Love yous. *kiss kiss* |
...monday, may tenth, two thousand four... ...coffee shop diaries... Ozzy crooning on the radio, �Mama, I�m coming home��, the windows down, the warm air flowing through the car� gorgeous. I have never before imagined spending an entire Thursday night through Sunday morning weekend with someone, and not wanting to punch them once; I told him I should have been sick of him a long time ago. He says, maybe you�ll be sick of me tomorrow, and wraps his arms around me. This weekend it was Jacquie and Jon�s Stag and Doe, so went home for that. Once again, I was the only one to give Momma anything for Mother�s Day� well, Jenna gave her flowers too, which really makes my siblings look bad. This weekend we were like a real family. A family with teasing and jokes, but without the harsh words and tears. Apparently my daddy is scary. *laughs* My daddy is the least scary person in the world, but I guess he does look real tough. Saturday night, upon arriving back to London, we hit up the Beer Store moments before close and went out with Jill and Mike, Godby and Steph, and Chris. It was a good time, a good time which ended with my back being rubbed and kind words whispered in my ear while the night�s fine poison came charging back through my throat. Sunday morning it was breakfast at Christina�s, not Hooks, as buffets are only fun when it�s the gang of us and Mike had to go home for Momma Brunch. So, instead breakfast was lunch, after which I had a long, much needed nap. Anyone interested in hardcore partying it up in Caledonia?? I have lots more I wish to say, but unfortunately, tomorrow is a long day... I work from seven until three, then have class from seven until ten, then possibly visiting with Laila. I need my sleep. However, we do have telephone and internet now... hoorah! Work makes me so sad somedays. It's hard to believe how much you can see through some people. Seeing the pain in the bloodshot eyes behind the "black triple sugar". Seeing the faint outlines of a bruised lower lip and black eye as she hands her screaming child a sparkly donut to ease the pain. The tear she wipes from her cheek as she turns to the garbage can, not knowing that her movements were being observed. Some people I just want to run up to and give them a great big hug. The homeless man tells the story of his friend beaten to death by the "young punks". How he ran for his life instead of attempting to save him, showing off the large welt on his forehead where the stick connected. He thanks me for listening as "those older ladies all hate me". He turns away to sit and weep over his mug. |
...saturday, may fifteen, two thousand four... ...everything... I can be a nightmare of the grandest kind I can withhold like it's going out of style I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen And you've never met anyone who's as positive as I am sometimes You see everything, you see every part You see all my light and you love my dark You dig everything of which I'm ashamed There's not anything to which you can't relate And you're still here I blame everyone else, not my own partaking My passive-aggressiveness can be devastating I'm the most gorgeous woman that you've ever known And you've never met anyone who's as everything as I am sometimes You see everything, you see every part You see all my light and you love my dark You dig everything of which I'm ashamed There's not anything to which you can't relate And you're still here What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go You see everything, you see every part You see all my light and you love my dark You dig everything of which I'm ashamed There's not anything to which you can't relate And you're still here And you're still here And you're still here... (Alanis Morissette) |
| ...monday, may seventeen, two thousand four... ...summertime... I absolutely love this weather. I love seeing the sunrise over the Thames as I walk to work. I love passing by chirpy little cardinals. I love the adorable little old man who tips his hat as me as the scent of his cigar lingers behind. I love the fragrant lilac tree I pass each day. |
| ...friday, may twenty-one, two thousand four... Technically it's Saturday, but I haven't gone to bed yet, so I'm pretending it's still Friday night. I'm covered in cuts and bruises and burns, but I'm happier than yesterday. It just seems like I've been so overwhelmed with working full-time and class... it just got a hold on me. I watched About Schmidt tonight. I was a little skeptical at first, but it's a beautiful movie. Jack Nicholson has yet to disappoint me. There's no May 2-4 weekend for me... well, technically there is... but I don't get to do anything special for it. Surprise! I have worked this long weekend since I was 14. I do hope that Jordy and Steph and Godby come up tomorrow night though... company is always welcomed. *smiles* It was Jordy's birthday on Tuesday. He claims it was the best birthday to date, even with the fact that he had to go in and work all night. I think he's merely saying this to make me happy. *laughs* But it works. It was everyone's birthday this week... Erica, Jordy, Mike, Steve and Keston. So, happy group birthday. *smiles* I know my posts have been rather sparse and of little content when they do manage to pop-up, and for that, I apologize. Just know that I am alive, and... relatively happy. Busy more than anything, but y'all are always welcome here. And because I am getting perturbed by the lack of planning around here... For MY Birthday: "Hawk Rocks the Park" July 22nd - 24th at Harris Park, London! Alice Cooper, The Edgar Winter Band, Foghat, John Kay and Steppenwolf, David Clayton Thomas and Blood Sweat and Tears, Randy Bachman, April Wine, Honeymoon Suite, Lighthouse, Helix, Goddo and more... Tickets: a whopping forty-five dollars. I have class til 9:30 on my birthday, a night class that I simply cannot miss as we get the question that counts for fifty percent of our exam mark... but after that, we're hitting up the park. Drinking all night, crashing at Jordy's house all day... how convenient that he lives only a short walk away from Harris Park. *sigh* But yes... I have to be up in, oh, four hours to do this whole blasted cycle again. Goodnight folks, hope your respective Victoria Day weekends are fabulous... and unspoiled by this shitty weather. As read on highschool t-shirts: May 2-4 Forever! *laughs* 'Night. |
...tuesday, may twenty-five, two thousand four... The crappy May Two-Four weather satisfied my little working-girl self to no end. Ah the sinister giggles while my beach-seeking roomates were off shivering and drenched in Grand Bend and I was all warm and making money. Even better... last night we went to see fireworks. Jordy's genius idea. I remember fireworks as a kid, my family would pack into the car with blankets galore and head out as the sun slowly hid from view under the horizon. Fireworks are like the drive-in, they will always contain happy memories. I always feel at home lost amidst the bounteous bliss that is this. Anyway, I really must go and finish up the assignment that's due in class tonight. The boy headed out to run some errands, and my Meghan phone call was cut blastedly short... and therefore, my procrastinating ends here. "Before Benjamin Franklin began to think about lightning, the received wisdom had it identified as a supernatural phenomenon. For that reason, gunpowder was often stored in churches, to give it divine protection. Church bells were rung during thunderstorms to ward off the bad spirits. Between 1750 and 1784, lightning struck 386 German churches, killing 103 bell-ringers. In 1767 lightning struck a Venetian church whose vaults were filled with gunpowder. The explosion killed 3,000 people." -- John Ralson Saul, from The Unconscious Civilization, demonstrating the problem with blindly following ideology |
...monday, may thirtieth, two thousand four... Ah, my days have been filled with work and reading for class... and the occassional "mystic walk" such as those late at night down to the park across from Keston, Lynds and Steve's building or to Harris Park to feed the baby geese. Oh so cute. We went to visit Marcus at the fishy store as well; seeing all of the Nemo fishes. *smiles* Very fun. But yes, the John Ralston Saul book has finally been read to completion. I left an interesting bit last day that I wrote, but this one more so shares his actual views: "We are already suffering from the effects of university graduates who have little or no basic education because the requirements of the job market were so directly quantified in the courses required for their degrees. Now that same phenomenon is reading down into pre-university education. Yet our real problem is not one of time. It will be increasingly one of finance. Over the long term, no society will be able to finance 25 to 35 years of retirement. It would be far more sensible -- and far more liveable for the individual -- to re-examine our outdated patterns. Why not take five to ten years from the end of a life and transfer it to the beginning? In other words, why not actually make some use of the time won through longer life expectancy? And I don�t mean mere utilitarian use. If a 50% increase in longevity is a victory for civilization, then it is a civilization which should gain some advantage from it. For example, there is absolutely no need to narrow the spectrum of pre-university education in order to focus on structural elements such as management and technology. And there is no need for universities to turn out 21-year-old specialists equipped with no memory of their civilization�s experience, no ethical context, no sense of the larger shape of their society. At both levels there is ample time for a general education before turning to specialization. There is also ample time for serious periods of experience in public service before entering into 30 or 35 years of a career. The technocrat will say that we can�t afford more education and more public service. The truth is that neither, from a humane or a financial point of view, can we afford to dump our selves as individuals into limbo at age 55 or 60. As I have already pointed out, education is an asset not a liability. We see it as an unfinanceable cost only because of our narrow, outdated definition of growth. We have everything to gain, even financially, by shrinking the size of public education classes -- which means more teachers. And we need to take the time to give a solid undergraduate humanist education to future business students, medical students and economists, just to name a few categories, before allowing them to narrow their minds through specialization. This would have an important impact on their approach once they were unleashed on society. For one thing, it would strengthen their sense of existing, outside of their professions, as individual, responsible citizens. For another, it would feed their ability to think instead of clinging onto process. As for the question of public service, we can see around us the gradual suffocation of citizen-based democracy. Why would we expect individuals who have been pushed at high speed into the corporatist process to change course abruptly, at the height of their careers in order to become non-conforming, outspoken, disinterested citizens? We are getting precisely what we are creating. There is no longer any reason to blame this utilitarian or mechanistic approach on a lack of time. We now have long periods of free time at the end of our lives which if transferred to the early stages could be devoted to public service." -- John Ralston Saul, The Unconscious Civilization |