But yes. It was a good time, and the weather was at least better than forecasted! I've been pretty busy this week with working on Zohreh's CD, working, and generally running amok. Heather and Hailey are back: Hurrah hurrah!
Yup. Thass pretty much all. Except for this: The people that I work with? They rock. Oh yes.

pizzaria hostage

Wednesday, June 2, 2004 10:39 p.m.
I got the job! I've been working for two days now at Profiles Public Gallery, so if you're in the neighbourhood, drop by -- the exibition right now is excellent, and the opening is tomorrow night from 6-9pm!
My comic collab with Jordyn should be going up soon, though I've started to be crazy busy recently, and on the weekend I'm going on a camping trip to Jasper. Life is very good.

The election is coming up soon, and I'm pretty excited to vote for the first time. I wish the public in general were less apathetic about voting -- it really counts, guys. ...speaking of political events, the americans once again commit grotesque atrocities that the world looks over. Who knows if even Kerry will be much better when he gets in -- wars are profitable, after all. Disgusting.

horace hostage

Thursday, May 27, 2004 12:57 p.m.
My job interview went really well...let's hope I get it and they allow me to work around my AMA job in July....it sounds like a really excellent position, too -- basically free rein to create summer youth art programs....WEXX!

also, hem.....HAPPY 19TH JORDYNYLA!

I shall update this layout soon....also May will be up soon. I have spent wonderful times with friends in the past week....Crankpots with Tia, lunch with Seven, sleepover and crazy Rasputin Movie with Lar, green-onion-cake making with Dorian....ah, good times. Not much else to say now, as I am painting our bathroom red, and really should get back to that.

Cheers!

LISTENING-- pascal comelade
READING-- charles de lint book of short stories

pizzaria hostage

Thursday, May 20, 2004 10:06 a.m.
I've discovered that I really dislike being home all alone for days at a time. Not that I'm really alone all the time, as I get to see people in the evenings, but I feel so unmotivated when really this is the time that I should be working the hardest! Still no job, not for lack of trying....sigh.....Keep your fingers crossed for me for the art gallery one, guys!
...yeah, that's pretty much it in my life right now. Saw No Man's Land the other day-- that was a very impactful film. Hard hitting. If you haven't seen it you probably should.
Well...I have to go search for scholarships now. And jobs. ...heh, speaking of scholarships (sort of) ...it's funny--everyone in my family is currently pursuing a different level of formal education-- My sister is in elementary school, Keith is in junior high, Andrew in high school, I'm pursuing my Bachelor's Degree, mom her Masters, and dad his doctorate. Hunh!

READING--EP STILL, as well as the Charles de Lint book. Ah, short stories....you always make me stay up far, far too late.
LISTENING--Sparklehorse

pizzaria handbook

Monday, May 17, 2004 04:39 p.m.
Yo yo yo!
Yes.
Wel, first off-- I'm home! And it's been pretty great, though I miss people like a hot iron in my side. Jordyyyyynnnnnn! So far I am regretfully unemployed (not for lack of trying, however. bah!), happily seeing friends and family, and generally being a lazy bum.
News that is good, however: i got in to animation! My secret ritual blood sacrifice paid off! ...uh, i mean....yes. And the chaps down at teletoon made it ineligible for me to apply for that scholarship this year, so I have to look elsewhere to try and grasp free money.
It's .....oh man. I don't have to talk about the weather in this thing anymore, because the majority of readers (of the five point six) of this blog live where i do now! Except for Jordyn who glows like the sea and Jon whose might cannot be rivalled. But for Jordyn, who might care about weather: It's stopped snowing, and is now almost as nice out as it was in Vancouver the day we applied for animation and then walked to your house and then for tea. But less windy. Just so's ya know.
My birthday was wonderful, Dorian went all out and got me a toaster, then after a treasure hunt he revealed 19 FABULOUS LPs, from Sparklehorse and Belle and Sebastean to Contemporary Norwegian Music and the Monty Python and the Holy Grail soundtrack. And Disco Fever. WEXX! I also got a ton of Prismacolours, and have proceeded to marker the heck out of character designs for May, a character in the comic project Jordyn and I are working on.
Well....yup, that's pretty much it. Things are great, I need work, and you should check out my site, because I'm updating pretty regularly now!

LISTENING--to my family talking
READING--a Charles de Lint Book, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The English Patient still.

gorilla handbook

Thursday, April 29, 2004 10:35 a.m.
Life is good.
Yesterday I packed and packed and cleaned and cleaned and then we went to Stanley Park for a picnic. We took many pictures and waded in the ocean a lot....how beautiful. I'm really going to miss the scenery and friends here in Vancouver....though Jordyn and I have an exciting project in the works...elusively titled 'August and May'....more on that later.....
My interview....went really really good. Even if I don't get in, at least I know that I've done the best job that I could have done.
My dad's coming here later today, which will be quite exciting...he's a pretty rocking guy. I'm going to show him the foundation show and some neat restauraunts, then we're going to try to fit everything into the van...then leaving for home tomorrow morning. Time has really gone by quickly this year....but it's been a great year, all told. Now I just have to find a summer job...yeeep....
happy trails, everyone.

READING--English Patient, Ondaatje
LISTENING--to the creaking of floorboards as my landpeople walk around upstairs

gorilla teeth

Monday, April 26, 2004 10:51 p.m.
....at 9:40 am tomorrow morning, in room 260 NB at ECI, I will have twenty minutes to convince two people that I would be great in the animation program at Emily Carr.
I hope like hell that I get in.
this past week has been pretty awesome....great times with great people. And too much food. Yum yum yum!
In any case, I have to get to work now, tying together loose ends and making my portfolio spotless.

....keep your fingers crossed for me guys. And Jordyn too -- her interview is right before mine.

please.

dinosaur teeth

Thursday, April 22, 2004 02:18 p.m.
I have cardboard boxes in a pile in the corner of my room.
I made a pizza for brunch. Jordyn and i drew pictures with pencil crayons the other day. The foundation show is tonight. I need to start getting up earlier. I don't feel like writing things with now but I am waiting for my pizza to cool off because it burned my mouth last time. I should check it now. It is probably ok.

LISTENING--Consequence, The Notwist
READING--The English Patient, Ondaatje

dinosaur bagel aroma

Sunday, April 18, 2004 01:04 p.m.
it's scary how quickly time passes. yesterday it was 30 days until i went home. now it is 13. i cannot wait to see all my friends and family that i've missed so much....yet at the same time, it's strange how these once-strange routines will now be gone. so, in these last two weeks of relative relaxation, i'm cherishing and taking full advantage of my remaining time here this school year. watching trigun with laura. helping maria decide on her outfits to wear to go out. social drawing and goofing off with jordyn f. going to galleries with rose. hanging out, learning from, and having fun with all my other friends here....
yeah.
last night was pretty amazing--we went to ross' house to lie on the roof of his downtown apartment and listen to ambient music while staring at the sky slowly turning, the lights flickering on and off in the highrises next to us, the spaceships and clouds moving across the sky, the cigarette snipers, and the canucks fans. when the canucks scored against the flames in overtime, the city exploded around us. as much as i am certainly not one to advocate professional sports or the cults that follow them, it was kind of beautiful to have so many people sharing a joyful experience together like that. we wrapped ourselves in blankets and made like manta rays to go get some subway, being mistaken for hockey fans along the way. it was a good night, even though Vancouver's night bus system is a far, far cry from the quality of their daytime one.

also,i'm working on revamping my site this week -- two sections done so far, so keep checking in!
have a good sunday, all.

READING--The Birthday Party, Pinter
LISTENING--Pilot, the Notwist

dinosaur bagel ATTACK!

Sunday, April 11, 2004 08:17 p.m.
The day: Easter 2004.
The goal: 100 frames before I sleep.

Though I certainly have missed the traditional qualities of easters past (ie, my parents doing wonderful egg hunts and hanging out with the relatives), i must say that today (and this weekend, really) was pretty fantastic, Easter-wise (if not productivity-wise, ohdeargod). Today Jordyn came over to the house of plenty (that's my house, for those of you not in the know.) ...Maryanna and Steve (landpeople) were into the gardening stuff today, and now the pond with the fake frogs is fountaining beautifully! That, plus the fact that it's like summer temperature-wise as well as the smell whenever i step outseid (like flowers, growing, and generally all things good), would add up to a wonderful time in it (them) self (ves). (if you're looking for good sentence structure, ye shall not find it here.) ...BUT! I totally took it to the MAXX today, my friends. I am so proud, really. Har har.... ...yeah! I made my aunt jen's brown sugar sweet potatoes, plus salad, artichoke, smoothies, hot cross buns...all set out for a beautiful patio easter dinner for my pal jordyn and meself! She brought wonderful soup, and homemade coka-cola! WEXX!

Also, Meaghan P.'s parents treated ua on friday to a fantabulous egg dying/hunt and beautiful dinner, plus goodie bags....it was so nice of them..MAN! How lucky am I?

School's over in a week, and it totally blows my mind. In three weeks (less!), I'll be home for the summer....and half a month later I'll know whether or not I'm good enough for the Animation program at ECI. As of now I don't want to worry about that, as I have too much to think on already...EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN is due this week....I can't get to sleep at night because my brain keeps compiling little "to do" lists....so what the heck am I doing writing in this? I've got work to do!

Happy Easter, guys...I hope you can spend as much time outside as i want to be spending outside!

READING--ART HISTORY COURSEPACK GAAAAHHHHH
LISTENING -- green tambourine, baby!

dinosaur bubble ATTACK!

Monday, April 5, 2004 12:21 p.m.
Oh, D**g T*n*p*l....how do you make me so sad? You have a brilliant imagination that I admire very highly...but how can you make me weep so with your personal writings (scroll down to the 'ding dong the witch is dead' entry) ....*sigh*
In other news...yesterday it was gorgeous and I didn't leave the house at all. Stayed inside to work on my animation. I only got about 30 frames done, even though I worked on it all day....i need to increase my productivity by double....60 frames a day for the next 12 days and I'll be okay...only I don't even have 12 days left. We will see. The ones I have done look pretty good though, I'm quite happy with them.
On Saturday I made up for my staying-inside on sunday by hanging out on the beach for 4 or 5 hours....good times with good friends! ...and speaking of good friends, Maria is back from her trip home, which is quite exciting....our household unit is once again complete...for another 25 days or so, that is.
Hm hm hm, nothing really more to say....been failing at a lot of things recently, so I hope it's just the karma saving up for when I try to get into animation later this month. Spend all the goodness in one go and actually get me in! ...or so I hope.

LISTENING--Serge Gainsbourg, Elisa
READING--colours in the dark, blah blah blah.

dinosaur bubble in my mind

Wednesday, March 31, 2004 11:30 p.m.
today:
draw picture in rain, taunted by tourists. got wet. got an A. 4 veggie gyozas for $2. jordyn spends money on me too much. will get her back. bursary cheque = tomorrow is the Day of Package-Sending, all around pretty much. was caught in a herd of yellow and red and pink Monks with shorn hair while walking my bike up hill.

yesterday:
being pathetic. climbing trees. concurrently. fishing for umbrellas with kittens on in the muck. kittens on umbrellas that is. painting outside, then in. smelled like burning lungs outside the school in the morning. again.

listening--tom waits, tabletop joe
reading--picture of dorian grey, wilde

a thoughtful bubble in my mind

Sunday, March 28, 2004 12:53 p.m.
This weekend = good and productive. Went to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Rose last night. Very good, highly reccomend it. We were so full from the spanish rice supper goodness that we did not get popcorn, but instead gained the amusing and interesting experience of listening and smelling people eating all around us. In stereo!
I've gotten a lot of (well, a bit of) animation done, some Book read, talked to some great people, (not talked to some other great people, sadly.), and my comic for girlamatic submission is almost ready. I baked a chocolate cake, and am tye-dying a skirt as I type. I finished part of my Stencil project for Printmaking, a la grad-legs. It is gorgeous out.
Jordyn left a message last night that I found incredibly amusing. It was like I had duped her into thinking she was coming to the event of the century. She said something like, "hey girls, i'm suprised the three of you aren't home...what time is everyone coming to your house tomorrow?" ...I had to phone her right then and tell her that I was the only one here for the weekend, and that she was the only person that I had gotten around to inviting. But we shall have beautiful times!
I think I'll do some dishes, then work on my comic some more. Seventeen is the number of the day, and how I love it.

READING--the story of philosophy, will durant
LISTENING--tori amos, not the red baron

a thoughtfull seagull in my mind

Saturday, March 20, 2004 10:22 p.m.
let the craziness begin!
I cannot believe that school is almost over...everything is due the first week of april even though we really don't have exams and will just be sitting around after that (who am I kidding, it'll be portfolio crunch and I know it!). I have much to do this weekend, and most of it will be tomorrow, apparently, as I didn't really do any of it today.

I went to the March 20th Day of Action Against War and Occupation today (edmonton pals--how did the Carnival go?), which was wonderful...Noam Chompsky's speech was very insightful. I really enjoyed how he seemed intent on informing the audience and giving an indication to both the history that has brought us here, as well as the significance of the gathering itself (as well as how his wife thinks he mumbles too much)...his soft-spoken, informational speech-style was a refreshing change from the slogan-shouting and simplification that usually dominates such protests. Not that the latter is necessarily a bad thing, but in definate moderation, otherwise the actual cause can quickly be enveloped by the enthusiasm of being part of something bigger than oneself, chanting in a crowd and waving signs.

In other news, I've been to some wonderful events and places this week. Last night we went to a video screening by an artist in a funeral parlour (David Yonge), then to the Naam for supper, which I'd not been to before and is a MUST if you come to vancouver and don't mind not eating meat. Thursday was the Our Town Cafe open mike night....an amazing event that I am so glad Jordyn brought me to...it had a really folksy feel and tons of eclectic musicians and poets (even though Jordyn says that we came on a bad night, so I can't wait until next week!). What a treasure! The week before, we went to this great installation by Rita McCough at the grunt, then to Foundation restauraunt, which is another tasty and groovy Vancouver restaurant that Rose has introduced us to. that gal has style!

I'm really tired today, not only due to late nights, but also because I realized that yesterday i walked almost 200 blocks in total in shoes that hurt my heels.

Happy first day of spring! Here, the magnolia and cherry trees (as well as a myriad of other flora and fauna) are in bloom, and it is so amazing to be awash in scent and falling petals as you walk under a blockfull of them. I miss everyone at home so much, but I have to say that it is going to be hard to leave vancouver behind this summer. I love this city.

reading--cartoon capers: the history of canadian animation, karen mazerkewich
listening--to the swing station eminating from laura's room
drinking--lemon honey tea

a thoughtfull seagull in madrid

Sunday, March 7, 2004 09:11 p.m.
the laziest weekend ever. i had a wonderful time at home and with dorian here....it seems like so long ago, though it's only been a week.

on friday jordyn and i took 72 slides for photodoc for scholarships. in between that and passing out, we bought and ate rolo ice cream, a pizza, and $3 worth of candy candy candy. and watched harry potter. the second one. where daniel radcliffe is a bit less of a dip. and the emperor's new groove. for good laughs and good times.

people are sad, and it makes me sad. i hope that there is hope and they can get motivated. lara's birthday is tomorrow though! after such agonizingly painful waiting, she's finally legal in BC! whoohoo! and beautiful TO-GA that i did miss.

i drew these pictures from a lotte jacobi book last night...beautiful clown, dance, and theatre photos from berlin in the early 30s. i'll probably post them on my sketchblog sometime.

best of luck to you all.

listening--ani d., as is
reading--jostein gaardersomething, sophie's world

a purple seagull in madrid

Friday, February 13, 2004 05:45 p.m.
Hugs to those who need and deserve them. And not ice cream, but rather this really really really good raspberry non-dairy stuff from the Market. Though it might melt from distance, if nothing else.

Reasons for loving life and those in it:
In two hours from this time, Dorian will be in a much more acceptable proximity to me than the usual 11-hour drive kind of distance. Shauna and Shaylyn will be with my dear friend Drew a little after that. Laura's sister is with her right now. They are shopping. Maria is amazing and making a beautiful dinner for us because she is fantastic. My parents, as well as the parents of Dorian, are incredibly generous and kind. Friends at home are apparently going to gather and have a ball. There is a roller skating rink that I will get to go to with some wonderificus people next week. People keep giving me free food. My mom sent me a valentine's day card. Tori gave me some rocket brand candy hearts today. My photo crit went well. Good conversations have been had, even if the initial stimuli for them was not a happy one. I've managed to find a way to fit my drawing board and portfolio into my locker sort of. There was a little man clipping the hedges as I came home today. my room--and our house--is clean. The dino-watch Heather gave to me is also a good holder for strange plant forms. I talked to my parents and sister yesterday. I love my classes. My Visual Culture essay is nearly done. the plans for tomorrow are exciting and joyous. Our heater is working again. There are kiwis in our fridge. Dorian is coming.

READING--What Is Literature?, Sartre
LISTENING--La Chatte de la Voisine, Chocolats

a thousand seagulls in madrid

Sunday, February 8, 2004 02:36 p.m.
Brr. Brr. Brr. Brr.
The heat in our apartment is, once again, not working. At first we thought it was the vent in the kitchen (basically a foot-square hole in the wall with some metal doohickeys that makes it freezing in there--we've taped over it with bubblewrap, and are just hoping that in doing that we are not damaging any sort of system), but ....it's so cold, everywhere. I know it's a lot warmer here than in Edmonton, but it's a lot colder in our house here than in any house in Edmonton. I even brought in the portable heater again, even though it short-circuited things last time. But I think that was because Maria had too many things plugged in then, so it should be safe now.

Last night Lara had a girlie party, which consisted of cookie dough, ice cream, face masks, and movies. I like mint chocolate chip ice cream. Just because, i feel like linking my sketchjournal here...yeah. Trying to study for art history exam. Some highl;ights of my memorization skills: Watteau, 1717, Pilgramige to Cythera....Goya, 1815, May 3, 1808.....Fragonard, 1766, The Swing.....David, 1795, The Death of Marat.

Dorian will be here on Friday, which is quite exciting...Shauna and Shay are coming out too, staying at Drew & Jordyn's. I wish I had meaningful and exciting things to say, but I am cold. And this heater is making scary noises. And heather, if you're reading this, your present is being shipped off tomorrow, fashionably late as usual.

READING--Colours in the Dark, James Reaney; Good Omens, T. Pratchett, N. Gaiman
LISTENING--Sum and Kali, Ray Speigel

a thousand thoughts in madrid

Monday, February 2, 2004 08:40 p.m.
parties with friends and good times...cleaning the house with roommates....scholarship information.....riding the bike again....new budget.....trying to watch/listen/read cbc and other news every day....excited about reading week....midterms coming up....time going by very very fast....our door was broken but now it's fixed....there is a rat in a cage named sebastian living upstairs...amusing and horrible truths...clamato juice...letters upon letters...yup.

READING--Colours in the Dark, James Reaney
LISTENING--Space Dog, Tori Amos

a thousand thoughts in turqouise and orange

Wednesday, January 28, 2004 08:56 p.m.
Ah, life is good.
We're having a potluck shebang at our house this weekend, my classes are so totally excellent, I love all of my teachers, I've finally caught up with everything I needed to do, my drawing teacher liked my gesture drawings this morning, it's almost february, Maria keeps sharing her wonderful cooking with me, it's not -35 out like it is in certain other places(wink wink) ...good times all around!
Also, Republic of Playdough is back on-air, with a new timeslot starting this week: Thursdays from 10-11:45 Pacific time (that's 11-12-45 Mountain time, fer all my albertan cohorts). So if you have a chance, come on over for some grand and crazy times!
Not too much else is new...finishing up on paperwork for things, getting materials et all...went to Chinatown on Sunday with J and D, and we happened to run into a beautiful New Year's parade which was so fantastic that I got a wonderful roll of film from it!
And to top it all off, I made chocolate chocolate chip cookies! :)

READING--Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
LISTENING--CKUA, live online

a thousand dreams in turqouise and orange

Sunday, January 18, 2004 02:04 a.m.
Wow. Today was a really good day.
First off, I kinda cleaned my room a bit, after
a) sleeping in, and
b) talking to dorian on the phone.
then Jordyn-o came over for grapefruit sorbetto and good times. After this, I worked and got a few good things done. I tried to phone all my friends back in E-town, but no one was home. I hope they wereout having good days too! This was followed by an excursion with Laura, Drew, Jordyn, Meghan, and Maria to the Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown, where I have never really been, and which was beautiful and terrible with drug addicts and steaming clocks. After a delicious meal, we took some photographs and split ways. Laura, Jordyn and I stopped in to see if Lara was in her hotal, as it was really near to where we were...she was, as she was sick and had come back early, so as any good friend would do, I barged in on her with a group of people to bug her for an hour or so. Eventually some of her Gang of Delegates came in, including the Tory Mike guy who thinks I am a communist/nazi cross thanks to my mao bag (and probably my dreads), so we departed.

THEN, we went to the House of ThompBochonson to watch the SPICE GIRLS MOVIE! After this, we watched 200 Cigarettes, which was moderately good...the thing is, BOTH OF THEM HAD ELVIS COSTELLO in. He was our patron saint of the day, i tell you! Then we watched part of this awesome Bollywood film that was on tv and had weird stock music tracks for certain emotions and would randomly burst into musical interludes with large groups of women and men dancing in the mountains. And they had subtitles like, "Shall I bring my waist to your hands?" and the like. Good stuff. Jordyn even lent me an umbrella for the trip home. And then, the spirit of Elvis Costello came into the air around us and allowed the bus to come right away. Huzzah!

By the way, does anyone else have streetlights turn off as they walk towards/under them, and then turn on when they are past? Cos it happens to me a lot, and it creeps me out.

READING--Chocolat
LISTENING--Sing You a Love You Song, Of Montreal

a thousand dreams

Tuesday, January 13, 2004 10:13pm
Shizoww!
Happy Tuesday, all! ....this has been quite the happy while for me, all things considered. On the weekend, the fantabulous Stencil Potluck Party, over at the ThompBochson's place...made a few good shirts, yes yes! I managed to get into all the courses I wanted, so the lineup now is Painting, Printmaking, Interdisciplinary Media, Photography, Art History, and Drawing! WEXX! ...also, I did my audition for Brave New Play Rites at UBC...I think it went Quite well, and Jordyn put on an amazing show for hers...and we saw a fish-shaped puddle! It was awesome! Then we went to Death By Chocolate to celebrate. Mmmmm.

Lara's coming on Thursday, and I am quite excited....yes yes!
This is going to be a really really busy term, especially if I get into a play (though that would give me smiles) (at least now. april 14th, maybe not so much.) Not too much else to say. Many letters to send.

READING--The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov
LISTENING--I would walk 500 miles, the Proclaimers

a thousand penchants

Thursday, January 8, 2004 10:10 p.m.
Wonderful was today! used books pull me in, I can't help it. At the Salvation Army with Jordyn today, and new aquisitions = Voltaire's Candide, Chaucer's Canterbary Tales, What is Literature by Sartre, a book of greek drama, a book of plays by Brecht, Sense and Sensibility, a book of plays by G. B. Shaw, as well as ones by Ibsen and Wilde, Les Belles Soeurs by Michael Tremblay, Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and a play by James Reaney (of Sticks adn Stones) that I have not heard of. Oh, and Pinter's The Birthday Party. And all this--FOR TWELVE BUCKS! Oh, I am a happy happy girl.
Jordyn and I also went to a SECRET (not dirty, but i bought a present for someone there) store, as well as this nifty Mexican (or Chilean?) restauraunt. Then, I found out that my Interdisciplinary Media class can basically be Animation with a Bit Of Video. I am so excited!
AND, to complete the theatre theme throughout this thursday (ah, alliteration), I'll be auditioning for some plays by UBC students on Monday! WEXX! Could things be better? Well, if transporters were invented, or if Vancouver and Edmonton were 20 KM awa, perhaps. But next to that, this!

READING--Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
LISTENING--I've Seen It All, Bjork

noteworthy penchants

Wednesday, January 7, 2004 11:28 p.m.
Here in snowy vancouver am I, once again.
Many things have happened...I got into my Printmaking class today, and it looks like it'll be a blast! The teacher is crazy and obsessed with Marxism, it would seem. Drawing looks like it'll be good too. The teacher compared me to a car that would get towed, in a roundabout sorta way. It was fun.

I want to sleep in tomorrow, but Jordyn and I are going to do some super mega thrift store shopping goodness for the Stencil Potluck on Saturday (stenciling t-shirts and such, that is. designs onto t-shirts and stuff. yeah.), so that'll be fun. Then I have Interdisciplinary Media.

In Art History yesterday we were gonna get to see The Atomic Cafe (rock!), but they sent everyone home due to the snow. I cannot believe that this city only has one snow plow. Yeah.
...not much else. Rose and I considered doing caricatures for this All About Sex Trade Show (i could use the money), but I think I would be too embarassed to do something like that. Guess I'll stick with the elementary kids. And you have no idea how many requests there are on the job board for people to draw their dogs. It's kind of scary.
And I don't think I said here--Neil and Gay's Christmas present to me and Dorian was round-trip plane tickets for him to come here for his spring break, then me to come home for my spring break the week after! I am the luckiest clam in the world!
not much else to say, I suppose. Dino Watch.

READING--Icefields, Thomas Wharton
LISTENING--Honey, Moby

noteworthy nihilism

Friday, December 26, 2003 10:58 a.m.
This has been one of my best holiday seasons ever, I must say. Caroling, sleepovers, pineapple, grandparents, siblings, parents, friends, chocolate, not having to pay for food (and everything else), baking, singing, reading, skiing, skating, tobogganing, chatting, playing games, watching old home movies, coffeeshops, rituals, giving gifts, just being with everyone that I've missed so much, and being with them for a much more substantial amount of time than last time I was home. I love it.

The whole gift-giving thing this year turned out quite wonderful--I had some certain presents of which I was very proud, which was me recording myself reading books out loud for Dorian and my siblings, to replace the actual storytimes that they have missed since I've been gone. My necklaces for people turned out well too, I hope, Dorian seemed to like his camera by the way he took so many pictures of my relatives....and I got my mom a sweater that she really wanted and did not expect....

As for presents to me, I am once again overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of those that I love. Some particular highlights are the Mao bag, an amber and silver ring, a handmade Larascarf, HEATHER FACE-brand chocolate bar, bodyshop goodies, a blender (!!), Keith saving up a lot of his hard-earned money to buy me the Tolkien Encyclopedia, and Claire's delight in giving me six presents (individually wrapped candles for the most part, but also a beautiful handmade-by her-calender that she's been 'secretly' working on for weeks).

I delight in connections, through people and literature, and I've been trying to figure out why this is. Does it make the world's knowledge seem more contained and thus surmountable to me? Or is it more pure delight in the idea that life and learning are not individual and self-contained things, that the world is an interwoven web of connections and coincidences? ....who knows. Tom King, maybe.

I'm leaving tomorrow, for a wonderful week of skiing and old friends, family and wilderness (relative, that one). I'll be back on the 2nd, and then leave the 4th. I'd like to get together with some people on the 3rd if anyone can manage it.....can you?

Happy New Years, all!

READING--The Truth About Stories, Thomas King
LISTENING--to my dad arranging papers in our filebox

neutered nihilism

Friday, December 12, 2003 11:01 p.m.
It seems I am definately allergic to the cloth-type kind of bandaid. Blast!

In other news, first term is OVER! And I am completely ready to go back to home, family, dorian, unit, and friends for a good three weeks. I am quite excited, in fact. Vancouver is a fabulous, beautiful city, but it does not feel seasonal at all. As in Christmas/Solstice season, that is. No snow at all....I am quite ready to go back to the cold and the snow, crazy as that sounds to all of my Edmonton-bound friends. To go back to friends who I haven't seen in months, family who I have missed, and a certain flench who is crazy. For me this year, the Christmas season (not that that's necessarily what the season is about for me, either commercial or christ-wise, but that's what my family has traditionally celebrated, so that's how I choose to name this season for myself. At this moment, at least.) has taken on a whole different meaning -- whatever else it may be, it is a time when we can, if we are very, very lucky, be with family friends and those that you love and spend time together celebrating those bonds. But enough of the cheesy colleen-talk.

I always have a fear in my stomach about airplanes. What if there is a problem and we plummet to our deaths? Well, I suppose these would be my last words then (oh great, now I've jinxed it by saying it.)....it would be sad if I died, for then my last words to Laura would have been "Okay, complete nerd moment here -- have you seen my magic cards? I can't find them."

So let's not die then. Not just yet.

I'd better get off to bed or I'll miss my plane because I will sleep in.....have a good night, all.

LISTENING--Breakfast at Tiffany's, acapella cover by Moxy Fruvous
READING--Life of Pi, Yann Martel (out loud onto a tape, that is)

nihilism

Tuesday, December 9, 2003 11:03 p.m.
Projects and sketchbooks ended up being a lot swampier this week than I expected. But it's okay, being busy is good. Good luck to all my University pals with exam exam exams!

Yeah....not too much to say, I'm really drained right now. Guh. So I'll just say that Republic of Plato is putting one one final broadcast this semester from 2-4 tomorrow, pacific time. you know you love it.

Saturday, December 6, 2003 11:10 a.m.
Ah...the wondrous luxury of sleeping in....combined with the joyous feeling of knowing that I have no more essays or exams due, this is a very happy morning.

Yesterday was Extending the Skin, and I think it went quite well. I went out for supper with Jordyn and Drew after, which was quite an extravaganza. Mmmmm.

Yes, so all of my leftover projects and sketchbooks are due next week, which I can deal with. On Sunday, Laura and I are to make COOKIES of the holiday variety, which is quite exciting. ...do do do, I thought I had something insightful to say here, but apparently I don't, so I'll stop rambling.

aristotle astonishes an acidic amphibian

Tuesday, December 2, 2003 05:56 p.m.
My English essay is going in circles. Circles around my throat, growing smaller with each rotation, that is. Procrastinationation!

it was pretty beautiful today, the rain started only tentatively when I was almost home, and I made it inside by the time it had developed a sense of brash confidence and decided to just let loose. Finally got my printer cable hooked up too, though the black isn't working for some reason....grr.

It was the most wonderful feeling to be able to flip the calendar page over to December and see visually what mentally I know is only a short time until I return home. not even 11 days left!

I've recieved fabulous letters from people this week--thanks Mike, mom, Dorian, and Lar....heh, the little confetti things Lara always puts in never fail to comfuse my roommates when I accidentally track them all over the apartment--Laura once said.."Colleen....what are these....clovers?" ...it took me a minute to realize what she was talking about, but then I laughed. good times.

Okay, okay, I'll get back to work.

aristotle ascends to an acidic amphibian

Sunday, November 30, 2003 08:57 p.m.
Tmy mood has improved significantly, even though I have gotten next to zilch work done. Somehow I ended up cruising around Vancouver with fourth year students from my English class and going to UBC, a yummy chocolate cafe place, and a gallery! It was pretty crazy, but I had a really good time, they're nice people. Now I am (hee hee) attempting to work on my essay but really hoping that Laura will stop working on her essay and bring up the topic of The Ice Cream That Her Mom And Sister Brought And That She Might Share With Me If I Am Good.

I think you'd like my topic though, Lar, it's on the hesitancy and fragility surrounding the issue of Aboriginal works (of art, literature, theatre, et all) when they are being discussed by non-Aboriginal society and how that affects how we view them. I'm going to talk about political correctness and such. I think. So I'd really better start talking about it and stop procrastinating!

By the way, there will be no Republic of Playdough this week due to my having of two exams and an essay this Wednesday.

Hm, my hands are cold. Observations of physical actualities and how my senses respond to them. ...damn this chair is uncomfortable.

thoreau ascends to an acidic amphibian

Saturday, November 29, 2003 11:44 p.m.
I feel emotionally drained right now and all I want to do is have the next two weeks (!!) over with and be Home. I have been managing to post every day in my sketchblog, which is good as it keeps me on my toes i think. Forces me to update, just for myself.

Today a lady kept threatening to call the cops on me while I was trying to do some creative processes homework so I had to leave and now I don't know what to do, to go back and finish it and risk getting fined/arrested/in trouble generally, or to just stop. But then walking back on the bridge I met two nice Taiwanese ladies who got me to take a picture of them and then I helped them get to the Student Art Show and Sale over at ECIAD, so that was okay. I cleaned my room really well and thoroughly today rather than study/work on essays. I did get some studying done though I guess.

Does anyone know what the bloody hell Pit Fighting is?

I miss my friends so much....I can't wait to be back with them.

Laura's mom and sister came up today and brought her some scarves for her CP project...I wish I didn't have that test on Wednesday so that I could go down and get one from her! Man! So soft and fuzzy! I wonder if she has any green ones....

I don't even know. I want to go home.

Leah, big hugs to you.

READING--A History of Western Art, Adams
LISTENING--We can Have It, The Dears

thoreau ascends to an acidic teacosy

Wednesday, November 26, 2003 12:46 p.m.
REMINDER REMINDER REMINDER!!!!

Republic of Playdough is on today from 1-3 Pacific Time! Check it out, wizowwwww!!!

Monday, November 24, 2003 05:10 p.m.
Today is one of those days where, if there were snow outside, I would feel very...hm, seasonal. Not Christmassey, per se, but something of the sort. Solstice-y. Coloured light-y. In the mood for lots of good baking with crushed candy canes and gingerbread-y. But it's not snowing out, in fact there is green grass on our lawn, so I'm not.

WEnt to see The Laramie Project with Jordyn on Saturday. We took a magical train that travels through the sky, and ate so much candy that we had a Harry-Potter-and-Ron-on-the-way-to-Hogwarts moment. The play was very well done...it was neat to see the differences from the performance we did. I'd like to see the Citadel/Vic version too, just for more comparisons, but that ends before I get home.

Last night I went over to celibrate Drew's birthday, but as it turns out it ended up being without Drew! His plane didn't get in until late, so I had supper and watched a movie and engaged in some great communal art drawing with Jordyn instead. They brought me a piece of the cake today though. Heh! :)

Today Megan gave me a tour of UBC and we went to Second Cup on campus. Her bike just got stolen, which must really really feel awful. U-locks all the way, people! Get one if you don't have one! Even if you don't have a bike! Get one for your cat!

Oh, and I might as well say that yes, I have started a sketch-a-day journal on livejournal, but just for sketches. Here will still be the source of all ramblings and such. Yup!

READING--Waiting for Godot, S. Beckett
LISTENING--Soft Shoulder, Ani diFranco

thoreau likes a acidic teacosy

Thursday, November 20, 2003 10:16 p.m.
today...was a good day. this morning, i make a landscape look like it had grass. i'm helping out this guy called jason with his 4th year animation grad film, and he is doing a puppet stopmotion sequence involving the biggest set that has ever been built at eciad. he's really nice and bought me tea. i made a miniature paper bag, too. i'm proud of that bag.

I got pretty bossy in my creative processes class today....I'm one of the only people not in a "pod", so I'm not with the people all the time for a group project that is inter-class. So i made my opinions known, as it's probably the only input I'll be able to have. Sounds like we've got a good start though. yeah.

This evening I went to a gallery opening with Rose, and to follow our usual tradition of outings together, we got lost on the way to the gallery and then went to death by chocolate afterwards. Yum yum! Then I discovered that my sketchbook that has to have 80 drawings in it by 9am tomorrow morning was no longer with me. I frantically went back to the school, grabbed a cookie from the show opening there, and got security to look through the lost and found. no luck. I figured I was pretty screwed. Then I went to my mailbox, on an off-chance. Inside was a note:
Colleen: your sketchbook
is up above the mailboxes.
love from...the tooth fairy.

And so it was.

thoreau likes a fine teacosy

Tuesday, November 18, 2003 09:50 p.m.
rainy days in november. who would have thought.
My trip to the states was good, even though I had a very forgetful day on Friday, having to miss a class to go back home and get my birth certificate, then having forgot my ticket confirmation....fortunately they let me on still. whew! ...the crucible at Laura's high school was quite excellent, fabulous acting. I was draing sketches of the actors during the performance, and Laura's friend Heather was excited by them and showed me and them around to all the people I had drawn after the show. one leprecaun guy hugged me. crazy times! Laura's faminly and friends were all really nice and hospitable and provided excellent food (yummy)

speaking of food, today I was trying to go for a day without any sugar. I was doing very well until I got home and Maria had chocolates made at her school. I justified it in that i had realized that my ricola this morning also contained sugar. nd besides, how many times does one get the chance to have chocolates from chef school? Well, maybe i get that opportuity more than the generalised "one", but still. They were good. mua ha.

yesterday I had SUPER MAIL DAY. Leslie from Second Cup sent me a card and goodies, which was so nice! For no reason at all! And I got my SPOOKIES! check, which is good...and Dorian sent me this huge get-better package, as I've had a cold for the past little while. What a flencher!

there are more things to say, but I have stuff to do. OH! Listen to ze radio tomorrow, from 11am-2pm Mountain time (jord-o), and 2-4 (moi!), for super show power! I've decided on a name for my show too, the ultra-cheesy REPUBLIC OF PLAYDOUGH, which has probably been used billions of other times. Ah, well, I do what I can. Next semester when I have to switch it I'll change the name. Yup.

READING--Story of Philosophy...still.
LISTENING--serpentine, a. difranco

thoreau likes a fine hat

Wednesday, November 12, 2003 10:41 p.m.
chinatown here has many beautiful things and smelly markets with dead dried fish for sale. i have finished my big essay crunch day, which is really relieving. dorian the flench sent me some tea, which is making my throat feel better and temporarily keeping me from coughing out my spleen. granville island now has lights in all the trees at night, and it is beautiful. i am so incredibly lucky to be going to school there. today i wore my hat like holden's and my jacket, so i could have been a lumberjack. jordyn wore her new sherlock holmes hat, so she could have been a detective and i the main suspect.

this weekend it's off to amerika with me--i hope my paycheck from SPOOKEES comes soon. my job at the school was fabulous though. the teacher was incredibly nice and drove me to and from the skytrain (ooh! it was exciting, that!), paid for lunch, and gave me lots of money! the kids were good too, it was pretty fun to draw for them. I think that next term i will take photography, printmaking, and painting, with self-directed project as my fourth one if english space is good good for that. speaking of english, it was really good today, we were working in groups and mine is quite exciting...this one guy who is really smart and probably the most vocal and hardworking in the class was happy that he got to work with me because he said i was "smart"...it was funny...later i found out that he is in his 4th year and has always had a really hard time with english so was afraid to take the course until now...you totally would not know it at all, he seems more like an english major than anyone else in the class! ...more and more I think that I will get my masters in philosoph, maybe minor in english, i dunno how that all works....the debt is scary. i've been out for supper several days this week, and it's scary...i do not want to squander my money on foolish things! i've been pretty good though..and i have been working...still, must try harder. and must stop borrowing money from friends....

we have two new vehicles, and i have named the red car (Mazda Protege) Orwell, after George. my dad thinks it's a depressing name, but i contest that. the chipsticks i bought that are beautiful are next to a small yellow light bulb that has a wire that is twitching up a storm. it's funny...the more internal conflicts I have, the less it shows, and the more my friends say that i only have one emotion: happiness. well, positivity is a good thing. but things are all good and resolved now. i shall write in a book of creative processes, then to bed.

READING--Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth, Drew Hayden Taylor
LISTENING--Evolve, ani difranco

triceratops likes a fine hat

Sunday, November 9, 2003 02:15 p.m.
One essay down, one to go!

Today is mostly a stay at home, be vaguely (or in Maria's case, violently--I think she's throwing up right now) sick, and work on essays kind of day for me and my roommates. For some reason it makes me think of Roald Dahl's 'Danny the Champion of the World', and I wish to read it again. What I have been reading, though, is The Story of Philosophy, which I finally found. Ah, Plato. What a pal. Really.

Right now I have some asparagus in the oven. Mmm mmm. yesterday there was a lunar eclipse but we missed it because we were in Chinatown and the buildings were close together. We ended up by Hastings after looking for the moon, and there were all these drug deals going on around us, so Meaghan and her boyfriend convinced us to go downtown to get something to eat. We went to this place called DV8, which had a nice ambience, slow service, and great food. And a huge Richard Simmons video projected on this large askew piece of white fabric overlooking the bottom part of the restauraunt. Groove.

William S. Burroughs has been following me around this school year. Seriously. It's quite creepy. He's EVERYwhere. It started when Dorian and I went to 'This Room is Moving' back in August, and there was this whole thing based on three Beat writers, Burroughs being one of them. Then there's his connection to Laurie Anderson, the signed photo of him at the grunt gallery, the guy who came to take some movies by my foot at the library who had been studying him...and billions upon billions of other random yet not-so-random occurences. I think after I'm done all of my crazy finals stuff I shall look into this deeper, and figure out more about him and his life. Quite fascinating.

Today I woke up at 6:15 am for some reason, which is weird as i couldn't make myself fall aspeep until 2 (not for lack of trying, i actually lay in be for three hours with the lights off prior to that trying to fall asleep. Grr. But it is good, as tomorrow I have to get up at 5 to go to Surrey and draw pictures of medieval characters for kids. Should be fun! WEXX!

Looks like the asparagus are almost ready. Better go flip 'em.

READING--The Story of Philosophy was under a pile of crap in my room!
LISTENING--de cara a la pared, Lhasa. good stuff. find. listen!

triceratops likes a fine hat

Wednesday, November 5, 2003 11:43 p.m.
Today i did not wear a shirt with dinosaurs on it. But I did have cinnamon apples, be jointly broke with Leah, and get a good midterm mark in art history!

I am a subtle taste, like Pine. I am a quiet, fresh taste, almost more of a scent than a flavour. You will be aware of me, but not quite remember me without being reminded. Not that I'm boring; on the contrary, I'm just a little outside the ordinary. What Flavour Are You?

I rarely bother to take those quiz things anymore, but I'll post this one because I like pine. And because ever since I brought Lar and Allison's Strawberry Kiwi air fresheners with me in my backpack and the package was a bit open, they permeate my backpack's breathing room. And I wish it smalled like pine, real pine, instead. So that's why I told this story. And my wood sculpture was made out of pine.

I have been really, really craving sugar but I think I'm going to try and lessen my intake instead. Yup.

LISTENING--the Chocolat soundtrack
READING--WHERE IISSS IITTTTT???? (preciousssss)

(EDIT) Does anyone, ANYONE know an email address for Kira that will work? I want to hook up with her sometime, and none of the variations on the one that Megan has given me work!

triceratops is a nice hat

Tuesday, November 4, 2003 07:46 p.m.
Making pasta with garbanzo beans and spinach was invigorating, as it looked so good when it was done. Yum yum.

my finger is swollen and this morning it was a bit green. If it fell off, I could do the Frieda Kahlow thing and draw tortured, surrealiztic pictures. But maybe it won't fall off. That'd be nice.

I love this drawn-out autumn....allows for me to revel longer in my favourite season. In a little under two weeks, I am travelling to deepest, darkest Amerika.....with my roommate Laura, we are to explore such amazing features as...Local Italian Restauraunts! The Suburbs of Seattle! High-School Productions of 'The Crucible'! And Much, Much More! ...it should be fun, I am quite excited of it, yes!

Today I wore a shirt with dinosaurs on it. Grr.

Not much else to say. I got a one-day job drawing pictures of medieval characters for an elementary class. should be fun! Farewell, all, and remember: reduce, reuse, AND recycle!

LISTENING--hobbits, Johan de Mejji
READING--Sabriel (I am completely and utterly unable to find my history of philosophy book and it is upsetting! did I leave it at Ross' house? In my seminar? WHERE?)

triceratops is blue blue blue blue

Monday, November 3, 2003 06:48 p.m.
Pretty slow weekend. I cannot believe that there are no huge baskets of halloween candy on sale at Safeway as I had expected...i feel let down. Today i watched Nightmare Before Christmas and drank chocolate soy milk and had my leftover lentil soup from yesterday.

I realize that my idea of fun is vastly different from that of mainstream society, and that almost all my coherts in this particular area lie in a cluster of population that is far away, over many mountains and plains. The change in temperature here is rendering my sticktack basically useless, and my wall is slowly crumbling in front of me, like i live in some decaying crypt that i continually and fruitlessly keep trying to piece together again.

Today I almost auditioned for a student film, then was informed that I would have to go topless. So instead I went to the library and read about the history of Blue. The colour.

I want to go home.

READING--Sabriel, Garth Nix
LISTENING--Le Lettre D'Explication, Yann Tiersen

everything's blue blue blue blue

Saturday, November 1, 2003 03:02 p.m.
Neat little packaged tight shrinkwrapped with appealing deacorations Modern Life.

Today seems to be filling the blogvoid, if you will. I went down on a bikeride to get a present for Tori's birthday. On Oak street there are two coffee shops within a block of each other. One is a Starbucks. I passed this and went on to "the cornershop" or whatever the independent business was called, as I try to support independent business over huge franchises--hard to do in Vancouver, with a Starbucks (pretty much literally) on every corner.
I entered the store. There was one other customer, who finished ordering his coffee and left, as I looked on the shelves to see if there was any loose tea or some such thing that I could purchase for Tori. There didn't appear to be any, so I asked the lady behind the counter. She apparently didn't speak much English, and didn't quite understand what I was asking, so I just ordered a (fairly cheap) chai latte. There didn't appear to be anything here. I decided to drink my chai on the way to Starbucks, where I would get the gift. I was dissapointed that I had to go to "the big guy" to get what I needed, when I had tried for the underdog and it didn't have what I was looking for. The woman served me my drink and asked me how I liked it, to which I truthfully responded that it was very good. On my way out she saw that I was having trouble with change dropping out of my wallet/holding the door open with my drink in hadn, and she immediately rushed over to help me. I thanked her, and headed off to the competitor's.

After finishing my drink, I entered the Starbucks, and immediatly found what I needed (or was told that I needed) at incredibly ridiculous prices. I went to the counter, where a brisk, black-turtlenecked young lady was on cashier duty. My card failed the first time, so I payed for half with cash. By this time there was a lineup, and the lady was getting to be quite snippish at me. The coffee shop was full of people sipping their expensive drinks, and the line just kept getting longer. Finally my card was approved and I left with my Muppet paraphenalia and chocolate-covered cherries.

I finally reached the place where my bike was parked, right in front of the independent coffee shop. It was still empty but for the lady behind the counter, who, upon seeing me, smiled and waved. I waved back. As I rode home, I couldn't help but think--contrary to my initial reaction, I think that the woman and her empty store had everything that I needed.; I'll be going back there again. Next time I think I'll skip the Starbucks.

everything's said in a smile.

Saturday, November 1, 2003 11:04 a.m.
Well.

That was the worst halloween I've ever had, not necessarily due to the specifics, but to the cumulative. My friends, my friends I miss you.

Belated: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TREVOR-STAR HAILEY COTE COTE COTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Five Huzzahs for you!
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
Plus, Heather is officially the most wonderifical person in the world, she and her Bill Hilly Band Concert Recreation Kit, sure to brighten anyone's day! I miss you, Sam!

Megan DW came over the other night and we carved pumpkins which was really fun...I'm glad that she was able to do that. We also ate way too many green onion cakes. It was bliss. Also, my tombstone costume was The Rocking, as Jon would say. Even though there may not have been All (or any) Things Bright and Beautiful in my Hallowe'en, at least I was a great tombstone. Robespierre's, to be precise. Oh yes. He looked like a frog, it's so great!

Tori's birthday party is tonight...I hope it will be good and not depressing. Tori's cool, so I'ma thinking good. Plus, I get to dress up again. And maybe there'll be candy.

ADDENDUM: in my oh-so-productive day today, i cam across this site...someone using my old old old old art for rpg characters! It's quite funny. Heh heh.

READING--Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
LISTENING--Theme, Mansfield Park

everything's written in anger.

Saturday, October 25, 2003 12:36 p.m.
Since it seems that the whole Pitas craziness may be over, I think it might be considered safe for me to update my series of online digressions once again. Paramount happenings for me in the past week or so include my job at "Spooky's", where I get the pleasure of witnessing all that is vile and repelling about humanity. It seems to be the kind of job where I am vaguely excited about it every time I come into work, then after every 6-hour shift I say to myself, "I am never, ever doing this again." My co-workers and amployers are really, really nice, which makes for a huge contrast compared to the customers. What kind of people pay $15 a pop to come into a place with a few amusement-park rides and haunted houses to stand for an hour in line, harrassing the people working Front, then go through the house with a flashlight, shouting "YOU DON'T SCARE ME, HA HA!" in the faces of all of the actors after screaming with initial fright, and then coming out of the house saying, "That was lame, man." ...do these people not have more important things to do? We had 6,000 people come through last night. That's 1000 people an hour. On the way home at midnight it's like we're in a worker's bus coming back from coal mining: everyone's on the bus, tired, talking either shop or what they're going to do when they get home. I only work three more times, and I'm glad. But it was a pretty good job for the first few hours of each shift.

For Hallowe'en I will be a tombstone, an anthropomorphic personification thereof, if you will. Which means that I will not be a big rectangular cardboard box, but rather a ghostly presence with half-discernable writing and faint fissures. Or so the plan goes. Oh, and Lara--I agree with your Halloween theorising....just thought i'd mention, though, that Halloween is the biggest commercial holiday in terms of sales (not cash made, just numbers bought)--why? because, unlike Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, et all, it is pretty much non-denominational by this point--everyone joins in with the SPEND SPEND SPEND! However, I completely agree with and endorse your views on the holiday. I'm afraid that trick-or-treating might soon be a thing of a less-paranoid past, though. I hope I'm wrong.

Little noises.

Does anyone else remember a cartoon from childhood that may or may not be based on a Ray Bradbury book called 'The Hallowe'en Tree'? About kids giving up certain amount of years from their own lives to save a dead friend, and travelling around the world seeing various Halloween/Death rituals?

Last night on the bus there was a blond dreadlocked girl (ps Hailey--LOCHS OF DREAD! WEXX!) reading In the Skin of a Lion, almost finished, and as I had just turned the last page at 1:32 am the night before, I wanted to ask her what she thought of it, but it was late and I didn't. I wonder what she was thinking as she read it.

Made coffee today in our coffee machine for the first time. I added lots of milk and cocoa and sugar.

Caribo/Cariboo/Caribou = dear god i love life.

READING-The Story of Philosophy, Will Durant
LISTENING-Freakshow, ani

everything's written in blood.

Saturday, October 4, 2003 11:41 p.m.
The first time writing this from my own computer. Connected, oh yes. Jordyn and Laura are in Laura's room watching Finding Nemo, and considering Pirates of the Carribean if they can get it to work. I am currently listening to some Beethoven that came free with my computer as sample audio tracks. I have been feeling totally better for quite a while now, and tonight I had a "sketchbook party", which was pretty swank. Leah, Tori and Jordyn came over, and we sat around my room and ate Maria's eclairs that she made at school and the ice cream that i splurged on (and regretted) yesterday.
I went to the Vancouver Public Library downtown today, and it was really amazing. HUUUGE, so to speak. However, the amount of actual produictivity that went on today amounted to about nil, as I didn't actually get any sketchbook work done, I probably won't be getting stuff worked on tonight, and I didn't have the right id with me to get a library card, so I couldn't get out the books that I needed. Or visit my territory for Creative Processes. But I did get some TOOOONY done this morning, so I guess that was a good thing. Also, the internet being connected is a very nice luxury to have right now. Aaaah. I think Jordyn's gonna be sleeping over, so I'd better go make her up a bed. Yes. I'll be home so soooon!

nothing's written in limestone..

Tuesday, September 30, 2003 05:28 p.m.
Before I forget: Happy belated birthday to Nik! And to Vikki, who i didn't even send anything at all, cos I don't know her address and didn't find out until several weeks after the fact! But yeah!

Also: my apologies to Seven. I know The Fear.

Minutes aside...well, i felt really crappy today in class, but i'm pretty excited about my next project for Materials, Form, and Space (what a name for a class, eh?)...i'm making a scale, with hanging balances, out of wood....it'll be pretty cool if I can pull it off.
I have to go pick up some groceries tonight, but i really feel like curling up on my bed...all I can say is, thank goodness that this isn't a heavy homework week at all. It's let me catch up with a bunch of sketchbook stuff and long-term assignments.
Damn you Lara for having a blog again! Your eloquence makes me feel inferior! Why do you have to write so well? Why? (btw, i have to phone you to ask about summat....remind me when i talk to you next. if you read this, that is. i never know if people read this. my parents do. hi mom! hi dad! (waves)

Hm, not much else to say at the moment. I added Leah's blog to my links list....please tell me if i'm missing anyone on that! And Mt. Heatherest, could you send me your blog address again? I wish to seeeeeeee!

Yup.

nothing's written in soap..

Monday, September 29, 2003 11:35 a.m.
Hey, all!
Well, this is the first time that I've been on the internet from my own apartment, but it's not yet from my own computer. We finally got internet last afternoon, after some confusion from Telus, but we need a router before we'll be able to have it on my computer, too. (btw: did I mention, I GOT MY COMPUTER! on wednesday night....it's so beautiful, glistening on my desk...my first big purchase that isn't intangible like school fees or housing....hopefully my printer will be coming soon, as well. wheee!)

this weekend was full of Picnics and Not Much Homework. We had people over to the park by our house on Saturday night, then on Sunday Laura and I went over to Jordyn, Drew, and Tracey's for a picnic down at Jericho Beach...it got cold, but the food was tasty and gourmet as is usual for them (yum yum) and the company was excellent. And Drew kept trying to throw people in the ocean. Not random people, but just us. And then we covered poor Laura in sand and made her into a mermaid, and these people on the log next to us took a picture of her. heh.

We stayed over at their house, which was fun, except that this morning the first thing I did was to purge the contents of my stomach into our empty juice jug. Yes, I have the flu now, even though I was expecting to get the head cold that Laura has. I was throwing up as we were walking from bus to bus to get home, and I felt really bad for the people around us....good thing it didn't happen on the bus, though. Also good thing that we brought the juice so I would have a bucket. Also good thing that I only have a lecture class today that I can easily miss as they don't take attendance and I can get the notes from someone else. Yeah. I really really hate the flu.

On a lighter note...i found a green jacket on the sidewalk yesterday. And I walked all the way from downtown after walking to the school, so I was completely exhausted. It was quite warm out though. Eerily warm. I appreciate the less-rain-than-anticipated thing from a biking-to-school perspective, but so much heat....man. Like the height of summer. I was actually downtown at the protest against U.S. occupation of certain middle eastern countries (you know the ones)...I've joined the Students for Peace group at Emily Carr, where there is a girl who is also named Colleen (hate it when that happens!) so I may have to change my name to Bill or something.

Oh, and my computer's name is Maximillian. Because there's nothing that says Rock like Robespierre!

LISTENING - Springtime for Vodoo, Tori Amos
READING - The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde.

nothing's written in stone..

Wednesday, September 24, 2003 11:57 a.m.
Wow. So! Recently, I've been up to....lots. Well, and not-lots at the same time. I really want to get involved with some theatre or other such projects here, or to do SOMEthing along those lines. School is great, but I'd love to get involved in some not-necessarily-visual projects outside of it.

Along that thread, the most inspiring performance I've seen recently (aside from the "This Room Is Moving" masterpiece over at Video In) is JOB: The Hip-Hop Musical, which I have now seen twice, bought the soundtrack, half-memorized, and am now aniously awaiting for the FDLT theam to come back in February as promised, hopefully with JOB II ready to perform. Man....who knew a class project would be so great?

In other news...hm...been working hard, getting lots done...made my 20 pounds of wire into a human heart, hopefully I'll have pictures up sometime soon....It's been nice getting together with Megan and others.....(hopefully I will see Kira soon!) ...but yeah! Spending less on food now, as I realized that I have to quick curtail the tempation of getting food from the Market and start just bringing from home....I am going to be so. in debt. Ah, well, it is worth it....Only 16 days until I come home, huzzah huzzah!

Seriously, that show is really good. Man. We were just discussing it in class this morning, and...yeah! I love it, what can I say. I want to marry them and have their babies, as Lar would put it.

I think Drew might be done with the email sending and ready to go for lunch now, so I'd best be off. Vancouver is crazy! You should all come here! It'll be a party, totally.;)

leave your mark...

Friday, September 19, 2003 11:50 a.m.
hey all!
So...yeah! School is crazy busy and stressful....even though it's only the third week! It seems like people keep breaking down crying or getting sick or getting totally stressed out...i hope all will be well soon! My courses are going okay thus far....not much of huge interest to say....i dunno if i said it here, bu i found 20 pounds of used computer cables in the dumpster outside the cafeteria for my sculpture project, and I'm going to make a giant human heart out of it. The sketchbook work here is crazy, i've got so much to work on.

I might go see "JOB: the Hip-Hop Musical" again this weekend as it totally rocked, and Megan DW might be coming for supper, which would be cool.

My roommate Maria finally(thank god) decided to take charge of everything at home, (if she didn't do it yesterday, i'd be doing it today) to address the issue of: no one is doing their dishes, we've had to throw out a lot of rotten food, and our house was getting pretty disusting. It'll be nice now that we've got things all straightened out.

Rose and Laura are both going home for the weekend...I want to crawl in Rose's suitcase and fly back to Edmonton tonight. It's great here, but i miss you guys so much. And why do you all have to leave for Thanksgiving, anyway? Crazy nutters! ;)

leave your mark...

Monday, September 15, 2003 02:14 p.m.
Hey yall.

Things have been pretty good, but oh man is art school ever exhausting. Perhaps the biking uphill helps as well.

Right now my room is really clean....yesterday i did that, cooked, and had some people over for supper which was nice. We're all so lucky to have nice roommates. Though I'm really worried about Jordyn, who is doing the whole staying-up-way-too-late thing again...after Andrew having the whole sleep-deprivation thing, that kind of thing worries me a lot, and I know she hates it when I do the 'wounded-swan' look at her, but it's hard not to when it seems like she'll fall into the same pattern as high school and then be unhappy. JORDYN, PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!!!!!

My andlady is really really suspicious of us and comes into our apartment alot when we are not there, which makes me twitch a bit. She is really great, but she asked Maria the other day if i had had people stay overnight, cos she heard strange voices in my room (i had been playing a record of Laurie Anderson -- who i had a presentation on-- with William S. Burroughs and this other guy, and there was a track with a guy just talkin, so that was what she heard)...why didn't she ask me about it? Grr! Does she think we are all big sneaks and liars? She did that to me with Maria the other day, asking me if the other girls had done things that weren't allowed....that bugs me.

Hem. Anyway...I'm getting a computer soon, as my Superdad ordered one....it's pretty pricey, but I will definately need one, so it's worth it, even if i have to get a job during the schoolyear. I've got some scholarships coming in pretty soon, too, so that'll be good....

I keep dreaming about it being October and me going home.... also though about science fiction dreams with monkeys that live on the sun and Data and Princess Leia really old writing novels together and shopping at a free Value Villiage, so maybe it doesn't mean anything....i do miss everyone a lot though. It makes me really sad that Lar (and who knows who else) won't be there for the weekend when I am coming back....sigh.....

My dreads can look like Sideshow Bob sometimes, it is so fun! Wheeoo!

better go....got lots of homework and trying-to-get-my-schedule-worked-out-ness to do....!

feel the vibe...

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 01:45 p.m.
Raining today. All of me that was not covered by a rainjacket while I was biking got extremely soaked, and now i am not wearing my pants. (fortunanately, i had a dress on overtop!) As they are too wet. And so are drying.

Bah. Stupid red tape. I was trying to get into these classes that I needed, and last week i did, and the teachers signed the forms and everything, and i started doing the homework and buying all the supplies. Only to find out that now i might not be in either of them, but instead in a tuesday night class (7-10pm, when i have to bike home and have a 9am class the next morning) and...well, i wouldn't be in my fabulous English 101 class that I've already spent about $90 for. And the other class was an expensive one as well. DAMN IT ALL! I just hope that I can end up getting into those classes....bah! bah i say!

(deep breath)

but other than that things have been okay. I want more candy from the Student Services booth, but they can recognize me now as I've been back twice.....i have a weakness for tootsie rolls, i guess. mmmmm. candy. I should have brought more for supper, i'm going to be so hungry later.....(i have a class at 5 today and have to wait until then at school, then we're going to a movie at...hm, i think it was 9:50, so i won't get home till really late and since i have to go to the movie (for a class.....the one that i might not BE in anymore (GAHHHH!)), i'm spending too much money already to justify buying supper for myself.

So i'm going to wo work on homework.

and there better be a free couch, or heads are gonna roll!

you know you want to...

Monday, September 8, 2003 01:37 p.m.
Hey everyone!
Things have been fun and crazy around here! I'm beginning to realize that I have to have a LOT of motivation to do things that I want to, as biking up hills takes effort.

I've been having some great times though, in between panicking about how much homework I already have to catch up on (20 POUNDS!!!! WHERE AM I GOING TO FIND 20 POUNDS OF SOMETHING CHEAP BY TOMORROW AT 1:30?????)....um, anyways....last night I went for a dinner party at Jordyn and Drew's place with some friends....my awesome new friend Leah took pictures of it, and i hope she doens't mind if i link to it here....DINNAH!

the weather is still pretty good, we had an awesome storm a little while ago, but it's cleared up again with only a touch more chill in the air. Biking is good. I might go to a Charles de Lint book signing today, as he writes really good literature.

...yeah! i'd better go, but...yes! yes!

you know you want to...

Tuesday, September 2, 2003 05:57 p.m.
Wheeoo!

So....here's me in Vancouver. Been to the art gallery, swam in the ocean with all my clothes on, met my (very nice) roommates, Laura and Maria (both are American), had my first class today (1st project: 20 pounds of....something. and make a 3-d piece. I'm thinking either hair or pictures of Friedha Kahlow's head.), got my ugly id card, went on a picnic with Jordyn and Drew, wrote a whole shwack of letters, battled with a spider, got stuck with Jordyn, Drew, and a large couch in the entrance to their house, met some really neat people, watched "Queer as Folk" and Monty Python, drank some mango juice.....all the things you'd expect, and some you wouldn't.

Adam, I think the unswoosher shoe is...hm. Well, I like that they're offering an alternative to Nike (etc), but I think it's ironic that it's basically an ad on the back of adbusters, and that it is still something that is being sold...though not for a profit? Hm. I dunno. What do you think?

We might be going to a kareoke thing tonight. I still have to ride my bike home, uphill. Bleeeeh! It's really cool living here though.....the people are awesome and it's just a really different experience....I miss my friends and family, but the art college is so exciting, and I applied for a job as an usher, but I don't think that I'll get it.

I'd better get off this computer now, but I'll hopefully be on more from now on!

READING--Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance

LISTNING--to the guy next to me typing and the whirr of the public printer

Commento?

Monday, August 25, 2003 07:56 p.m.
Wow...I've got access sooner than I thought! I'm in Vancouver right now, in an RV park right downtown, having seen today for the first time my future lodgings, school, and bike route. It's kind of overload today, I really don't know what I feel about anything right now. Aaa. That's what.

I think all of the stuff I had to take care of is all settled now, although I can't get the bank account of the type that I wanted here because I am no longer officially an adult in this crazy province.

On the way here we went to a wedding, which was quite nice, and visited with a bunch of my mom's relatives, which was cool....now we've got a few days here before I move in and have orientation....it was Andrew's birthday today, so we went out for dinner. My fruit salad kind of sucked, but ah well. I really miss everyone already. Heather, I was singing "oh, francis" all this morning. Hailey, we went to the market on Granville (which I keep misreading as 'Grannyville') Island and I saw some cheese that perhaps I shall send you...mua ha ha! Lar, we saw a car full of people today with a sign that said "HONK IF YOU'RE WEARING UNDERPANTS" hanging out of their car in downtown Vancouver, and then when people honked, they flipped over the sign, and it said, "COS WE'RE NOT!" and they then dangled a pair of orange panties out of the back. Dorian and I were both reminded of you. All the rest, I miss you tons! Aaaah!

I still am in denial. However, it seems that the end of time with these people that I love is drawing nearer and nearer, and it makes me really scared. I shall be phoning Jordyn nonstop. Nonstop. Seriously.

Best be off now! Crazy Vancouver Vancouverness!

Friday, August 22, 2003 12:07 a.m.
Okay, much better mood now. This lady, Rani, who works at Elegance Hair Design in Spruce Grove, was so, SO incredibly nice. She got off her other work at like 6, saw my message and called me. Then she drove out to Spruce Grove and did dreads for me for a really, really good deal, stayed past the mall's closing to finish them, and threw in the bee wax for free! I'm all dreaded up now, in any case! Huzzah!

I' m sorry I didn't phone people before I left....I meant to call a bunch of people tonight to say goodbye again, but the dreads thing kind of got in the way of that, and now it's too late. Sorry! I love you all, though, and will contact you as soon as I can!

CONGRATS, JON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....if you're not in the loop, my friend Jon is going to be taught Mike Doughty (of Soul Coughing)'s songs BY MIKE DOUGHTY! HOW HOT IS THAT????? I ASK YOU?????? Jon, you rock.

Also, Dorian rocks. As he bought me a huge, HUGE bag of chocolate rocks. And a deck of magic cards that are really good! (Seriously, it's insane how hooked on these things I now am! Adam! Steve! Dorian! You'd better watch it when I come back for christmas break, cos there's gonna be some Magic goodness going on!) Also in the Rocking: Lar and Seven. For the "friends" picture and the cd thing, also just for being wonderful.

Welp, off to finish up some odds and ends! I will hopefully upload a bunch more pictures to my pathetic excuse for a site tonight, just to kind of take care of that. See you all later!

READING--Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
LISTENING--to Andrew washing his face in the next room

Comment

Thursday, August 21, 2003 04:01 p.m.
This will probably be the last entry for a while. I am moving to Vancouver, and I still don't actually believe it. I've been packing/shifting things for the past week, as well as trying desperately to see as many of my friends as I can so that I can cling to them before i go.

As well as packing, I've been having to move everything from my room into the basement room, as my dear darling brother is taking over my space. growl. For him, this was easy. one back of stuff, then his furniature. For me, however, who likes to save lots and lots of random things that I find, it is a huge huge task that really requires several weeks. But i've had to do a lot of it today. I am very grumpy. I hate not knowing how much stuff to take with me....too much? but i want so much to have it there? will i use this? will they have a cheese grater? do i really need my _______ along? (record player, bass, down-filled quilt, belt that i was wearing inside out, curry, rubber cement, groucho marx glasses, et all.) Oh well. I've decided to overpack and then when i see that there is no room, I will send it home with my parents.

There are 4 boxes of CRAP of mine outside my room that i have to sort through, a huge pile on my bed, and many piles on my floor. i really really don't have the energy. There are still a bunch of courses (all full, of course), that I am trying to get into and need to have switched around. I need to get my IB transcripts sent in. Claire and Keith keep fighting and driving me crazy and then i yell at them and then feel guilty cos i'm leaving but they're being so infuriating! I tried to get dreads yesterday but the stupid, STUPID people at Ebony & Ivory said it would be $100 more expensive than the price they quoted to us three times on the phone....this girl said she'd do it for the original price, but she hasn't phoned back and now it's too late and so i'm stuck with stupid ugly straight boring hair for a zillion more years and i'd try to do it naturally again, but i'm not sure and i'm just in a really, really bad mood. BLAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've had some good times recently, though.....party at Hailey's was vazoom spinach dip goodness--Heather made me this awesome address book, and it was great to see people again.....then yesterday Lar and Kailey and I did this fabulous treasure hunt for Leigh, Dorian and Michael which was quite fun, even if Dorian didn't like it. They even proved their worthiness by secretly putting an old mattress into the back of Lara's truck and then not even saying it was them when we started telling them about it, but very classily just directing us down the alley to it's twin on the way back to Leigh's. Good times.

Later that night we ended up at Mr. Howe's house waiting for him to get back from an art class, which was totally crazy. Dorian drank water and we talked to Mr. Howe's wife and looked at his cds. Whoo.

Well, if you are my friend and want my mailing address, just email me:
foible(at)compusmart.ab.ca will still be my email address. Hopefully I'll have computer access eventually. Wish me luck, and I'll hope to see some of you down there. If not, i do love sending and receiving letters! Bye!

Comment

Thursday, August 14, 2003 12:26 p.m.
Friends are great. That is what.

It's really funny....at the beginning of the summer, we had several large-ish get togethers (at Lar's and Dorian's cabiny places), then nothing all summer, then in the last few weeks before school. I think everyone is suddenly going "I'm not going to see these people for a long time! Aaaah!" and many parties have been arranged. Though really folk fest was like a party too, with so many people I knew being there.....what was I saying? oh, yeah.

So Kim of wonderful Kim arranged this gathering at Dom's family's hidden treasure of bistro goodness....lots of people came, and it was really fun. I was so happy to see Christine, I had just been thinking how much I missed her...also good to see Steve before his operation....I really, really hope he's doing okay....and just...to see everyone, all together, it was really great. The music was groove too, especially when Steve and Adam joined in on the jamming goodness. Adam's swank violin totally added a new level to it, i think. And dancing with the Fraser/Bochon/Lang set was pretty awesome. It was nice, too...Kailey's birthday was the day before and so we bought her a cake and sang to her and kinda got the band to half-play Happy Birthday to her as we sang.

We played chess, too....the worse game of chess that i've ever played, actually. But it was great. T'was funny, Drew and Shay and Shauna came (huzzah!), but the first thing Drew and I said to each other as we saw each other (almost in unison, too), was "when are you moving???" ...wow, it's really scary and exciting....Jordyn's going tomorrow, I send her happy brave vibes for living on her own a week before the rest of us.

I actually just realized the other day how little time I have left, and it's extremely frightening. Before, it was all, "ooh, yes, i will be moving to Vancouver. Hm. Yeah." Now, it's like..."ah. 8 days left to be with my family and friends in Edmonton. Aheheh. I swear, I am going to be like a barnacle to Jordyn on orientation day....gaah! so frightening! But good, too. yeah.

Last night, after a day of turning my room inside-out, I went to Dorian's cabin and hung out there with him and his relatives...played risk and SO won in a huge, crushing, and YARR kind of way. His 7-year-old cousin Allison got us there, though. She quit before the end, but man did she ever have luck with the dice.

Yeah! off to clean and make stuff for the High Tea tomorrow!

Comment

Tuesday, August 12, 2003 10:55 a.m.
Nothing's happened today really....just got a commenting tool thingie whatsit, so yes! trying 'er out!

Comment

Monday, August 11, 2003 09:26 a.m.
What a week...what a week.

Besides not actually believing that I leave in....11 days. oh my god. 11 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah. Anyways...sooo...this past week. Canmore Folk Fest was first, and man was it ever great. Steve, Megan, Megan, Lara, Heather and I hung out a lot, and my friends Fayrell, Lee, and Hilary were also there with their families. I also met some groovy people who I must contact. Yeah!
we listened to a lot of great music and danced until (literally) we created dust clouds and got our feet a beautiful grey colour from the dirt. The Bill Hilly Band, the Wailin' Jennies, Fruit, and the Duhks were some of my favourite acts, though of course there were so many more wonderful ones, like Martin Joseph, Ruthie Foster (wow!) and Willie and Lobo. I never actually saw Le Bucherons, though, which made me sad. But yeah. There were a lot of great instruments....some banjo/mandolin/accordian/fiddle partying goodness, especially with the Billy Hillys on the last night.
Also, to try and work on my fading drawing "skills", I got into the habit of drawing the performers during their workshop sessions and then getting them to sign the pictures....i'll put them up later, yes yes. I was in the front row or nearabouts almost all the time as it's a pretty small fest (even though it was sold out this year), and I am also a keener-finding-close-spot kind of person....one morning in line to get in i met with Cory, Glen, and Janine, these three twenty-somethings who asked me to play crib with them, that was groove. Megan tried to teach us the card game Mao later, too, which was hella fun.

The river by our campground where Heather and I were staying close to each other had this cool little stream by it....we were painting landscapes and mine got out of control and was invaded by dinosaurs and pirates...i'll scan it later. We also got a treat in that the Arrogant Worms showed up to sing a new song right before the finale.

I wanted to buy Dorian a dijiree doo thing there, but when i was about to make the purchase, Megan (G), who has been to Australia, informed me that they were crappy, so i was sad. But i bought him a hat. And me a hat too, but only cos lar made me.

On the way back, I was coming home with Heather's family as mine had left to go to Penticton for a week. They were so crazy, it was great! They play this horse game in their car...weird. yeah. But we went to Smitty's for lunch and bought Lara this funny cheap perfume from a dispenser in the bathroom ('Obsession'..."great for gifts!")....good times. I ordered a veggie burger, but it didn't look or taste veggie, so I didn't eat the patty and felt guilty as Heather's parents paid. They were really nice, wow. It was really hot in the car, and heather kept pouring water all over herself. I bought these "ice cream sundae" smarties at a gas station, they were scary but suprisingly did actually have different flavours. Heather's parents dropped me off right at my grandparents' house, cos they are super stars.

After I got dropped off I went over to Dorian's house, which apparently started a trend as that's what I did all week, too. In the evenings at least....cos on Wednesday I biked (WEXXX!) over to Hailey's and we went to Whyte Ave and bought cheese (Wensleydale w' Cranberries!), after talking about cheese addictions. Then we walked to the ledge and talked about how good the cheese was. We tried to visit Allison, but she was not at work but we bought gelato anyway....Noelle was there, though! And we saw Josh, Brynn, and Clayton in Chapters. After we got back to her house I biked to Dorian's and hepled make supper....then we watched the original Star Wars, which i had not seen in a while, and then he tried to teach me this Star Wars card game, but i got bored and grumpy, so I played Mao with them to get back at them. Yar har.

This rest added at 7:30 pm, same day.

On Thursday, I biked over to Seven's house (btw, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KAILEY! YAAAAY!), and as she had recently had her wisdom teeth out, we played some board games and stuff, which was fun fun...t'was good to see her again.

Friday, Dorian had the day off, so we went to the Odyssium, which I hadn't been to since before it was renovated, so that was like treat treat. Then we went back to his house and made supper, then he re-showed me how to play Magic, which I am now sadly hooked on. Oh dear. ;)

Saturday, Hailey's wonderful father gave me his ticket to the Folk Fest for the day, so Hailey, Heather and I partied it up with the Bill Hillies and the Worms... as well as Ben Sures, Dan Bern, No Guff, and the rest.....the day was awesome, even though it was so hot out....Hailey borrowed my hat and Heather hung out in the shade, and it all worked out nicely. And I kept buying food, because it was tasty. I mean, green onion cakes! totally! I bumped into a lot of people there....Marya, Brynn, Sam, Keegan, Emily and Anna and Rosa, Nora, Mrs. Harrigan, Megan, Shawn from teching....yeah. lots o'folks. Good times. The evening acts were great too, though Nora Jones was a bit too understated for me, and Solomon Burke kind of bugged me with his throne and ladies in sparkly red spandex. We all got giddy with tired on the way home and kept singing, and then at Hailey's house I couldn't stop laughing....Hailey was getting violent towards Heather's Bill Hilly obsession, but it was fun, and we planned out our band....The Three Trevors! Rock! heh, heh....

Sunday I hung out with my grandparents, then they took Dorian and I to Sorrentino's for supper which was tasty and crazy....I also bumped into Jessica on the way over, which was great...she is so amazing...she's taken the experience of being stabbed and turned it into a positive one. holy cow, is all i can say. man oh man. When we got home, we watched some Indiana Jones and played some Magic until my family came to pick me up on their way back from holiday. It was good to see them all again.

Today was pretty great, too. I went to Dorian's and we made some homemade paper and played Magic with Jana, then i drove him to his Drop meeting with Nicole and picked up Andrew....then when i got home i found out that i made the semi-finalists for the teletoon scholarship, which is extremely exciting. WEXX!

I have so much to do. 11 days! Sorry for the long and boring this-is-what-i-did entry...heh. :)

Listening --Song of Peace, Harmonious Combustion

Reading--Three Plays for Puritans, George Bernard Shaw

Friday, August 1, 2003 10:34 p.m.
Kim, are you okay? I worry, but send you happy thoughts of marmalade and other things.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (belated and otherwise) to Krystina, Julie, and Koyar! Roxxxor!

Jessica got stabbed whilst riding her bike a while ago. I really hope that she's doing okay. I wish i had saved some of our homemade gummybears that we could bring to her....oh, man.....

the fires all over are scary. fires are scary. i can't imagine what it would be like even to be evacuated, never mind losing your home. no deaths have been reported, which is good, though.

I thought I had happy things to say here. hm.

Leaving on holiday to the Folk Fest for the weekend, then i'm coming back home and my parents are staying on...i won't have computer access tho. The Geo broke down (possibly for good! :( ), so i'm staying in the city for the week. Huzzah for folk fest goodness, and getting to see pals of pal! :)

READING--Ceaser and Cleopatra, George Bernard Shaw.....also Adbusters
LISTENING--to my dad's cbc3 radio report of the fire in Kamloops and area

Friday, August 1, 2003 12:29 a.m.
I have the BEST. FRIENDS. in the WORLD. !!!!

okay, so backing up. first, the usual report. Today Dorian had a day off so we biked around the city, ending up at the Ledge, where we ate sandwiches, planned secret blueprints, and I read Harry Potter to him.

then, tonight I headed off for my last day of work at second cup. it was pretty mundane, not too busy at all so Daphne got to read a lot of Harry Potter and I got to sneak off to the back to put together a little basket for my co-workers to say thanks.

THEN.....

at around 10:15, just as we're dealing with the drinks of Jordan, this guy I know who is going into the design program at Grant Mac, and his friends, someone entirely encased, head to toe, in a large sleeping bag, comes into the store. At first I thought it was one of Jordan's friends or something, but he seemed confused too. Then, as it emits a letter bearing my full name on it from a hole at the very top of the bag, as well as a thing of dental floss, i realize that this is something stranger than a simple prank by some weirdo. Well, at first i was too flustered to quite realize what was going on. I did recognize Dorian's writing on the letter, though, and I thought I saw Jana (his sister) with her head under a tea towel of some sort outside, but I was still like..."what????"

....so, I read the letter (from the planet of Giant Worm Things or summat, about how I can join the FLENCH CLUB and thanks for the tooth floss), and after making sure that Daphne has the drinks covered, I go outside to see if he's still there.

Much to my extreme and continued surprise, Lara and Allison are sitting on the curb outside, Dorian nowhere in sight. "What? You ruined our plan!", they cried. "We've only been here two minutes and you just walk out here!"

"Wha.....", I say smartly..."Are you with....uh....Dorian? Whaaaa...???"
"What? No!" they say. "You ruined our plans!"
"I'll pretend I didn't see anything," I say, and go inside, fairly reeling with shock.
After laughing and explaining to Daphne what was going on (she had been in the back when Dorian had actually come in), I stumbled outside again, this time going the other way around the building, to see that yes, Dorian is still there, as well as his whole family! Jana, I think, gives me a boquet of sweetpeas, and as I numbly blurt out random syllables, they all come in for coffee, whilst I explain to them about the Allison and Lara thing (who are staying outside to try and finish up their plans).

Eventually Allison and Lar come in as well, bearing gifts:

-A baguette that says "Never Baguette Where you Came From", with their signatures
-a notebook with a letter from Lara the coffee addict and a representation of what she thinks a vanagon would look like if Dorian and I were inside it, a note from Allison, and many beautiful illustrations of me, Dorian, a sleeping bag, and Daniel Jackson.
-A large tub of old MARZIPAN, with little chocolates with messages on them. Apparently Dorian tried the marzipan, and it was disgusting, as usual.

The rest of the bag of chocolate
-the box of crayons that they used to colour the notebook
several classy Starwberry Kiwi air fresheners

I was so overwhelmed by all these treasures that I gave them free drinks, and also threw in a few freebies for Dorian & co, tho I don't think he realized that. Then I got to put on the "Environmental Sounds" cable station whilst cleaning and listening to their merry conversation about underwire bras and other fun things.

I think Daphne was quite scared.

Then, see, well the original idea that Lara and Allison had, I guess, was to get complete strangers to give me the items they had brought whilst also saying lines that they had typed on bits of paper. However, this part of the plan was foiled not only by my untimely arrival outside, but also by the fact that noone else came in that night aside from my friends. So instead, they all went outside (Neil, Dorian's dad, excluded) and took turns coming in and saying the lines:

-"How's the Door-meister?" (dorian said this one, heh heh)
-"See that Geometro out there? My other car's a Vanagon."
-I had this great dream the other night, but dreams don't count, right?"
-"Heeey, Jupiter!" (Gay, Dorian's mom, added a wonderful dramatic flair to this one)

And various other things playing off injokes and Tori Amos Lyrics. It was good times. The best part is, that Lar and Allison then his the slips of paper all over the store. Megan's going to have a fun time opening tomorrow.

Basically, I have the best friends in the world. And did that Hailey's dad is giving up his Folk Fest ticket so that I can go with Hailey to see the Arrogant Worms? Because he is.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so happy that my grin is hurting my face. How are you all so wonderful? How, I say!?

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 08:15 p.m.
just a note: i think i'll be getting dreads. whoo! no brushing of hair!

also, just finally finished up this doodad. bloo.

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 07:02 p.m.
i'm in a mood of some sort right now, but i don't know what. i could teeter into brooding, which i always hate but often end up in....i'm not quite at peace, though that's there as well. i still love andrew bird, however. aaah. music makes me happy. also the feeling of water of skin and the laziness of summer before a brink.

i want to get back in touch with email people. i want to finally get my site up. i want to finish reading ceaser and cleopatra. i want to make art.

Saturday, July 26, 2003 01:56 p.m.
only 3 more shifts of work! yesss! And i actually qualified for some sum of student loan money, so it won't all have to be bank bank of bank!

going to sandy beach tonight to hang out with jana and friends and dorian (i think) to watch/help/getintheway/giveoutfood whilst they make a movie! it makes me shed tears for zombie movie.

some things, i hate.

i am going to get a commenter thingy for this, and soon.

but not now.

because i have to work.

READING--Three Plays for Puritans, George Bernard Shaw

LISTENING--Cornflake Girl, Tori Amos

Friday, July 25, 2003 10:47 a.m.
I've been really whoosh and whoosh recently. Made another crap blog blog as you can see.

the other day i wanted to spend all my gift certificates and buy vegetarian cookbooks and things, but i ended up buying myself stuff at the frog kisser's den and a cd and some huuuuuuuge incense and this great paper handmade in nepal. i will send things to people. I am glad I have paper to send to people, as i used all of the stationary that i bought at animethon that had lere and a tounge on it. i used it all, and sent it away. to people.

i am listening to the tori amos cd that I bought. hm hm hm. today I will go with my dad to see PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN which I thought would suck but which has had some mighty good word-o-mouth going for it, plus it got a good rating on IMDB, which is all my dad cares about when it comes to movie reccomendations. i've been staying up late and sleeping in, but i worry for people who cannot sleep in. they will fall over and sleep.

last weekend we went to dorian's to have his party thing. dorian's cabin, that is. it was a grand time.....nik and jessica and keegan and vikki and leah and leeta and heather and i went.....compared to the amount of invitations sent out, i want to punch a lot of people, but it was a good time (of course i could never really punch anyone just for that. but they could at least have called, the bastards!). dorian woke up at 5:30 am because the tent he and nik were in didn't really have a door that worked so they duct taped it, but it didn't work, and there were mosquitoes abounding. nik slept late. maybe he had super powers to defend against mosquitoes. he is lucky if that is the case. but yeah. so on the way back jessica was looking out of the window, as she said she used to do whilst listening to DARK SIDE of the MOON with her dad and eating things and driving in the country. I was going to look out of the window too, as there had just been a huge thunderstorm, but it was funner watching dorian sleeping with his mouth hanging open beside me, and hear gay telling (shu-juen???) about david suzuki. about the thunderstorm...it was so amazing. we were eating supper outside under the roof thing on the porch, about a google different types of salad as it was potluck and we all brought salad, and it started going right above us and hailing and lightning and ZOOM. it was so great that i had to go down and see it by the lake, and then dorian came too...no one else came, which was sad, as it was amazing...you could see the sky all across the lake, and the heavier wall of water where it was approaching us across the water of the lake.....they thought we were making out though, which is really sad when you think of it, that they missed that. oh well. it was still really cool. I was really glad to see keegan again, he is a great CRALF flag. And Jessica...man oh man! she kept giving us toffees whilst we were playing CRALF so she could watch us chew! Yess!

this week has been sections of time....home, work, dorian (usually).....on wednesday it was really great....seven and i went over to lara's work during her lunch break, and even though we were a bit late, we still all went to the pasta pantry and then ate our pasta and tiramisu under some trees in a park. it was really great to see them...man ....i wish my friends lived closer and that we all had less hectic shedules. after the pasta, we said farewell to lara and then kailey went back to her house and chat, as well as lie on her bed clutching our stomachs and saying "paaaaaasssssta" in really full voices. after seven went to k-days with kristi, i did my shopping thing, then went to dorian's to help make supper and listen to him and his mom argue, thenwe went to the bicycle commuter's society to get the gear clusters off our back tires (which, contrary to my dream of last week, unfortunately did not consist of a bunch of people in bike helmets hanging out in a lushly carpeted building in the middle of a huge garden)....then we went to block 1912 and were astounded by the beauty of allison and her apron, so we had to buy some gelato stuff (again) from there. then we walked around, and looked at things, before returing to his house. the night before, we watched PADDINGTON BEAR which was incredibly amazing. holy man.

yeah. lots of rambling from me. if i cannot bear to be away for a day, how will i handle it for six weeks at a time?

lots of good discussions lately. i love.

jenna got fired from second cup, after a record number of shifts (about 5). lawrence was mad that she tailored her shirt to be tight-fitting when she had to return it. i've been working a lot, which is good, only i don't want to close tonight. i've gotten to like the 4-hour daytime shifts. lots easier.

yeah. too much talk from me.

READING -- The Metamorphisis, Kafka

LISTENING -- Past the Mission, Tori Amos

Thursday, July 24, 2003 12:53 p.m.
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