Night Owl

After I came home, all I wanted to do was spend some quality time with my puppy dog, especially since I'm leaving her in a couple of days with nary an explanation. Or at least, not one that she can understand. Unfortunately 'university' and 'residence' and 'no pets allowed' are not in her admittedly formidable vocabulary.

Anyway, it was so blistering hot in the house (today broke records in the heat department) and so much cooler outside since the sun was down, that we went outside and lay on the lawn and stargazed.

Okay, I stargazed. She sniffed for rabbits and other nasty critters, then came over by me.

And as I was lying there in the grass, exhausted from my day at work, all I could think was 'It's like I'm napping in a big bowl of salad!'

I hope you take some time for yourself every once in a while to lie in the salad bowl that is our planet. It's surprisingly peaceful to just be a condiment for a while.

And now I think I should go to bed before my insights get any stranger. . .

Stalked by Sobeys.

Went to a seminar for my old high school today with N.M and M.C. We were there along with several other kids from our graduating class to talk to the grade eleven students about the I.B. Program.

I hate public speaking. So why exactly did I sign up for this? It's a mystery. All I know is that when it was time to walk through those double doors and into that room full of teenagers I wanted to run away. Far away. Oh well. It turns out the others did most of the speaking, since there were a lot of questions about HL Math and HL Physics, neither of which I took. I was more focused on the bio-chem-english department.

Also, ironically, the seminar took place in the Sobeys building at SMU. And who called this morning, begging me to work?

I'm thinking you guessed right. I'm hoping you guessed right anyway. I mean, with that excellent lead-up and the title...if you didn't get it, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Now.

Kidding! Always with the jokes I am.

So, after screaming home and pulling a superman-esque wardrobe change, I ended up spending the rest of my day making salads and waiting on thousands upon thousands of customers. And no Lois Lane to cheer me up. ;)

By the time my shift ended, I was so tired I got all the way downstairs before realizing that my lunchbag (which was in my hand) was still attached to the coat hanger! BAH!

Should be my last shift until Christmas though. So no more boring/whiny Sobeys stories!

Happy Heart

First day at my new job as an after school monitor was great. Some of it was rug rat roundup (not so fun), but mostly it was just playing with the kids.

And Sunday I move into residence. And then university. Overall, much to look forward to.

It's Not 'Goodbye', It's 'See You Soon'

Yesterday evening a group of my closest friends and I all went bowling. It was a kind of last hurrah before C.C and A.C leave for university.

Despite bowling not being my greatest skill (okay, I suck) I still had a really great time. C and I invented bolf, and M.C invented monkey-bowling. Take that last bit as you please.

All through the evening members of our group kept sneaking away, ostensibly to the washroom. C and A noticed that we were gone for a rather long time, but were completely surprised when at the end of the evening we presented them each with goodbye cards! (Yes, which we had signed in the washroom. Slight lack of organization, I know. But bonus points for sneakiness!)

Saying goodbye was hard at the end, but I know we'll see them again at Christmas. And by then we'll all have lot's of great university stories to share!

If we were vegetables, this would be us:



i.e: Awesome. And hilarious.

That's Absurd. I Love It.

Phone Rings, Plans Change

I think I would have liked my great grandmother, if I'd ever had the opportunity to meet her. She did things like juggle eggs well into her eighties, supposedly to keep her mind sharp. And she baked awesome lemon squares (one of my favourite treats).

According to my mother, she also had a great attitude towards life. No matter what happened, she did her best to stay upbeat. Being very involved in the comunity, she rarely had a day all to herself. Whenever the phone would ring, she would announce cheerfully "Oops, my life has changed!" and drop what she was working on at the moment without resentment.

I guess what I'm saying is I want to be more like her someday. So when Sobeys called this morning, asking if I could work the hours I planned to go costume shopping, I agreed and tried not to let my disappointment show.

Oops. My life has changed.

Only a Day Away

The count down has begun! 62 days, 2 hours, and 58 minutes until Halloween.

For those who haven't yet come to this conclusion, Halloween is a big deal in my life. You might even say it's a bit of unhealthy obsession. But hey, costumes, candy and horror movies? Who wouldn't love it?!?

That, by the way, is a rhetorical question. My own mother is less than enthusiastic about this particular holiday. She puts up with it because she loves me, and because I tolerate her preoccupation with all things Christmas, haha. Runs in the family perhaps? Although my father and brother seem to have escaped this characteristic...hmmmm...

Anyway, I do have a reason for bringing up Halloween when it's only the end of August. All true aficionados of this great day know that if you want to get the components of a truly wicked costume, you have to start shopping early. Which is why tomorrow afternoon Geoffrey and I are hitting every Value Village and Frenchys in a 100km radius.

I'm planning on going as Little Orphan Annie. Maybe. I tried to convince Geoff to shave his head and dress as Daddy Warbucks, but he didn't go for it. Can't imagine why... ;) I guess the days of our brother-sister costume combinations have come and gone. Drat.

Oh well, at least he's wearing a costume this year. Last year he didn't. He's going to be Igor Gouzenko. But with a flowered pillowcase so he doesn't get mistaken for a KKK member. That would be bad.

Last Boat Out of Here

I went to Tancook for a couple days. It'll probably be the last time I get down there this year. My grandparents leave for Arizona in November. Maybe I'll be able to visit at Thanksgiving or something.

Best part? Hmmm...It's always so relaxing there. I feel like a little kid again. I brought my brother's kite and me and a couple other girls got it up and flying after much effort: running and screaming and falling and laughing.

And Your Real Life Starts...NOW!

Or in twelve days. That's when I move out of the house I have lived in my whole life and into residence at university. I'm really excited of course, but a little anxious. Especially when I realize that I'm going to have to remember to carry band-aids with me at all times, and buy stuff like shampoo, and Q-tips, and pads for heavens sake!

Those of you who have experienced my scatterbrained-ness firsthand understand why this is funny. For those of you who haven't...in order to remember anything, I have to use a white board marker to write a checklist on my mirror. And then refer to it throughout the day. Several times. And that was when I was living at home!

Oh well. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually. Or die. That's a definite possibility. ;)

Wave Over Wave, Sea Over Bow

I never thought I could change this much in only two weeks. At the beginning I was so homesick for my friends and family. By the end, the crew of the STV Unicorn had become my friends and family, as corny as it sounds. I cried so much when the time came to leave. I even hope to go again next year!

And believe me when I say this. If ever I come into a substantial amount of money, whether through my own hard work or by luck alone, a large chunk of it is so going to Sisters Under Sail so that other girls can have the same experience for years to come. In the words of Dawn Santamaria, our boat-mom, "This ain't no cruise sister, it's the experience of a lifetime."







p.s.: It must be said, however, that I never thought I'd be so happy to see a real bathroom as I was when I got home! Who knew being able to shower everyday, or even every other day, would feel like a luxury reserved for royalty!