two dead rockers and one hillbilly, yehaw! 

Dave, Super Pajama man!!! 

I think we just got hotter... 

now that's a costume! 

approx. four and a half hours...

just returned from a marathon of movie viewing at the Roxy. "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Closer". Having never seen the play/musical of the first film, I'm not sure how it stacks up. I enjoyed the singing (for the most part) and the Phantom was rather dashing (at least the undeformed half), but it was rather cheesy (although I'll admit to a teary eye when she has to choose the phantom or her lover's death (Ah, drama). I quite enjoyed "Closer" great acting and a quite intense, startling, humourous film. But my ass is still a sleep and my guts are unhappy with the combination of "food" half-consciously consumed throughout the two films. And I am very ready for sleep. I've got a short story due next thursday, and man do I need to get on it. My character's name is Mart(h)a - the h, is silent... we'll see how it goes. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention my incredible flop of a presentation this afternoon. About half way through I did a mental hiccup and lost myself. It was mortifying. utterly. I hope the prof takes pity on me. at least it's over... ugh.

why I love Victoria 

poem of the month

PARABLE OF FLIGHT

A flock of birds leaving the side of the mountain.
Black against the spring evening, bronze in early summer,
rising over blank lake water.

Why is the young man disturbed suddenly,
his attention slipping from his companion?
His heart is no longer wholly divided; he's trying to think
how to say this compassionately.

Now we hear the voices of others, moving thought the library
toward the veranda, the summer porch; we see them
taking their usual places on the various hammocks and chairs,
the white wood chairs of the old house, rearranging
the striped cushions.

Does it matter where the birds go? Does it even matter
what species they are?
They leave here, that's the point,
first their bodies, then their sad cries.
And from that moment, cease to exist for us.

You must learn to think of our passion that way.
Each kiss was real, then
each kiss left the face of the earth.

-Louise Gluck

well, it's tuesday morning, just before 8am, and here I am. The past couple of weeks have been full with homework(of course), work, bowling (10 pin this time, and man do I suck!), a week in Kelowna (for spring break, hanging out with the lovely Emily, and Leo, relaxing and having a grand ole' time!), read a plethora of short stories and poems and Briget Jones' Diary (and I'm working on the sequel - what fun it is!), some tastey dinners: The Nam with Mika mmmmmmm, Ferris's with Crystal for her birthday (There were at least 10 pounds of potatoes and yams between the 7 of us!), and a delicious mocha cake. I am loving all this sunshine! lovely lovely lovely. Just bought some new runners, which my feet were getting a kick out of at Boxersize last night (get it, a kick out of! yeah, I'm that funny) :) But, oh my arms and butt are sore this morning! I'm already looking forward to this weekend: we've got emanuel's Februween party on friday (it's dress-up of course), and work (joy as always), and maybe some frisbee. yay.

January in Victoria

Next to the snowdrops
and crocuses, the snowman
holds on for dear life.


Sometimes, I feel like the snowman.
Sometimes, I just want to melt.

another friday night...

Tara was out with Shawn, Crystal was at her friends, and I was here all alone with no plans and nothing to do (not to mention a rental car until the morning). The video store held nothing of interest, homework was out of the question, and the tv was bleh. I couldn't even be bothered to make supper. I'd flopped myself down on my bed for a quiet evening of reading... and then. I heard a knocking at the door, and a voice... and there was Emanuel and Allen come to save me from my lonely night! And what a night we had. There was a little dance session in the kitchen (if only I could post the video I took on my camera of their dancing!), a long meandering drive (where we got a little lost and did a very strange loop, but managed to find our way eventually), 2 exciting games of laser bowling (5 pin, which included a couple of strikes but some pretty lousey scores, and some great names: Pookey, Kinky, Spuznik, and then Pennywhistle, Jackrabbit Slim, and Toad Girl), a drive up to Mt. Tolmie for a chilly but great view, and a little karaoke to Shout, then finally I dropped them off and made my way home, and too be bed. All in all, a much better night than anticipated. Thank boys!

I've probably been having a little too much fun with my camera these past few weeks, but then again, why not?
I realize that my posting has become rather more sporadic and less verbal these past few weeks, but what can I say. I've been writing short stories (well, only one so far), poems and been reading long tracts of greek mythology amid movies with mes amies (stage Beauty was great), work, brunches, baking, and last night a painful but good evening of boxersize. I probably wont be able to move tomorrow, but that's okay, because at least I did something active. I also bent my glasses this weekend. (what bloody rotten luck I've had with glasses these last few months! - you'll recall my broken blue glasses) and will probably have to replace the frames... sigh. Such is life sometimes. forlorn.

In just a few days, the weather went...

from this... 

to this 

and this 

and this 

two wrongs don't make a right.
but three lefts do!
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Where is Friday when you need it? I will make it through tomorrow, I will make it through!

Yay, I slept last night! I don't have to change my room again!
Here's hoping I sleep again tonight, because tomorrow is all work and homework. ah saturday night, so exciting... (although, I blush slightly to admit it, I'm looking forward to the men's freestyle skate tomorrow night - figure skating that is.)
Anyway, just got back from a groovin evening at Steamers Pub. It was a benefit concert which our friend Noah helped put on, and our friend Hayden was in the first band to play - Army of Sheep - they were great, a little regge, rock, funk, and blues all mixed in. The other too bands, not so good, but it was fun. I need to go out dancing more. And then it was a slice of pizza and a latenight walk home with some enlightening conversation...

Oh yeah, yesterday, me and the roomies got to be extras in a film! Well, it was a student film (that the ever talented Ben was doing)and we got to stand in a line with purses, waiting for a movie, and pretending to be creeped out by this guy. It was fun, but strange at the same time. I liked it. It would be weird to see on film... yeah, we're famous, I know it. ;)

well, having rearranged my room (completely), I'm now not sure if I can keep it this way. After three nights of crappy sleeps, I'm beginning to wonder if it has to do with the positioning of my bed. I hope not because there aren't too many ways I can actually place it if I want to have any floor space at all. Here's hoping tonight breaks the bad cycle...

deciding to rearrange your room at 10pm is a bad idea. take it from me... sorry to the guys down stairs who now have real reason to complain about us moving furniture around late at night. It's not finished, but it'll have to do until tomorrow... so much for writing two poems...

I know I haven't written much lately, but well I've been having a little too much fun with the new camera (can you have too much fun with it?) and also getting back into the groove of school has kept me busy.
Today was beautiful! It was freezing, but beautiful. It started with me and Crystal catching the bus downtown to do her student loan stuff and to pick up a rental car so that me and Emanuel could deliver the Cinecenta movie schedules (a bi-weekly job...) Me and Crystal had coffee and I drove her up to the school and picked up emanuel. (did I mention that I got to drive a Chevy Impala? here I was hoping for a nice small new car, something fun. but no, I get stuck with the biggest beast of a car with a driver's seat that won't move forward because somehow that part is missing even though I can raise or lower the seat...) BUt anyway. We did the re-distribution (in pretty good time I must say) and then I dropped him off and went home for a bit of lunch. Crystal got home and we decided that we had to go for a walk on such a beautiful day, regardless of the chill factor. So we decided to walk up Mt. Douglas and brought our friend Noah along too. It was a good hike up (well strenous for me as I have done next to no exercising in the last few weeks...) but definately worth the view. I hope you all enjoy the pictures. :) Then we headed back down (I swear my legs were going numb by the end! and we passed a guy wearing shorts!!!). After a bit of grocery shopping, and me finally getting a larger memory stick for the digital, we headed back home. and no sooner had I got back then me and Tara were driving to the theater to try and catch In Good Company which started today. Not a chance. long lines everywhere, and it was sold out in Tillicum. Defeated, we decided to rent a movie, and I let Tara pick The Day After Tomorrow... well, it wasn't boring... but i mean really, no plot, no reality, and some cool special effects. all it made me want to do is curl up in my warm cosy bed and sleep. which is what I'm going to do right now...

brrrrr... but aren't we all cute in those great knitted toques? 

what glorious sunshine! (even if it was freezing up there!) 

do you see what I see? 

what a day! 

"Everyone's afraid of their own lives.
If you could be anything you'd be dissapointed am I right? am I right?
It's our lives.
It's hard to remember... we're alive for the first time.
It's hard to remember... we're alive for the last time.
It's hard to remember... to live before you die.
It's hard to remember... that our lives are such a short time.
It's hare to remember... when it takes such a long time.
It's hard to remember..."
- modest mouse

mmmmm... great people, fun games, and tastey milkshakes or rootbeer floats, what more could you ask for on a monday night? (not to mention new sheets and a lightbulb for my new starlight!)

mon ami 

okay, apparently I haven't completely figured out the picture thing yet (notice the one sideways one), and they're in reverse order (so if you start from the bottom and work up it will make more sense), but at least I got them on right???

okay, so here are a few pictures from back home. they're from New Year's on because the one's from christmas I had put onto my mom's computer and then I forgot to burn them on to a cd. So hopefully she'll send them to me when she gets back. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these!

Lunch break in Princeton. Crystal, Christina (my mom's friend), momma, and moi.  

one of the many beautiful views on the way home. (I forget which pass we were heading over, but it was gorgeous) 

the roomy Crystal on the trip home. what a cutie. 

me and the mom, relaxing at grandma's (waiting to be stuffed again with delicious food) 

The view from my house.  

New Year's Day. Not to shabby. 

watching the fireworks (which weren't that impressive, but fun nonetheless) 

me being a dork in the snow... 

me making a snow angel. :) 

aunty Deborah enjoying the food and conversation. 

New Year's Eve Feast. A Fondue Fiesta! yum yum yum. 

I'm Back! and as soon as I figure out how to load my pictures on to my computer for my (yes gloriously new) digital camera, I shall post them with details. Yay for being back in my bed!

Merry Christmas everyone!

home for the holidays

Well, i'm on my parent's dial-up, so I can't take long, but so far my vacation has been pretty great. It started a little rough with me finishing my exam at 9:48pm thursday night, packing until 1am and then getting up at 5am to catch the first ferry so that I could meet Mika for breakfast before i caught the 2:45pm bus to kelowna. I was SOOOOO tired I could barely function. But I made it, me and Mika had a deliscious breakfast at The Nam (I'm recommending it again!) and I finally got to see her pictures of Japan - which was really cool. The bus was full so I got to take the overflow bus which was much less crowded, even if the busdriver wasn't 100% sure where he was going, and had no idea how to check the tickets. We made it in one piece. It was So great to see my cousin Emily and her boyfriend Leo. I had a lot of fun hanging out with them, even though both me and emily were a little sick on saturday (well her much more than me) and all we did, after shopping for presents in the morning, was watch movies and knitt. it was grand. i was sad to leave them. :( And, the bus depot on sunday was crazy busy! I had to wait in line for over half an hour to buy my ticket, and then the bus was sooo full that me and several other passengers had to wait even longer for them to get another overflow bus ready. But it worked out just fine because there was only eight people on teh bus, so it was a nice roomy ride again. I can't complain. And now I'm here, at home in the snow (although I have to admit, there's a little less snow that I'd hoped for and anticipated... but I'm sure that it will snow again soon) I look forward to sledding, and sipping coffee while watching snow drift gently down beyond the window. It's great to see my family, adn my little second cousin katie whom I fall in love with every time I see her, she is way to cute! Today I had coffee with my good friends Norann and Dave, and it felt like no tim ehad passed at all. I love that about good friends, you can just pick up where you left off, without a hitch (well, maybe a few) ;) Now, I'm getting ready to sleep (after I put the extra foamy on my slightly too hard futon) and tomorrow I'm meeting my roomates for tea and then hangingout with my cousin cayley. Life is good when there's nothing to do but visit and chill out.

there's not too much better than reading a sweet card from a great friend after a hard day.

...writing english exams is even worse... I was actually hitting myself in the head, going "think! THINK!" to no avail. I think I've written better essays in highschool... BUT, at least it's finished, and I don't have to think about it again.
and tomorrow morning I get to have brunch with my friend Ben who I haven't seen in a while and miss, so that is definately a plus to my day!

...studying for english exams is hard, and not too fun...

An Evening of Christmas Cheer

Ah, there's nothing like a gathering of friends sipping egg nog (some with rum), and enjoying homemade treats before a crackling fire. So it took a few tries to start the fire and we breathed in a bit of smoke, we got the job done and when the air cleared there was a merry little fire all aglow (well, it tried to go out a couple of times, but we nursed it back to health).The egg nog was tasty, and so were the desserts (if I may say so myself, I made a pretty delicious - and rich - batch of cranberry and pecan chocolate truffles). We listened to christmas music and played Balderdash, if you've never heard of it, look it up, it's a great and amusing game where you pick a word (frmo the card if you have the game, or you can use a dictionary and scraps of paper) and everyone has to write a defination for it (you generally try to find obscure or strange words). Then the judge reads them aloud, including the real one, and you have to guess which one you think is right. We had some good answers... good times. We did however, have to pause in the middle of our evening to watch the "amazing race" because the boys downstairs and Crystal are addicted to it (not like I should talk). It was pretty cool, definately one of the better reality contest shows.
But now the guests have gone home, or downstairs, and all is quiet. well not quite, the wind is exercising outside rather vocally, maybe it will bring in some snow! (probably not, but I can dream right?)

one down, two to go!

The poetry portfolio has been handed in. YAY! While I'm not completely happy with every poem, it was a relief to hand it in. Now all I have to do is wait...
and since I said that I'd post the revision of the Hinges poem, here it is:


Hinges

Sarah is interested in the sharp
separateness of things: the dog with one blue
eye and one brown, the spilt salt
on the kitchen table, the stone dislocated
from her ring. How a tear, when fallen,
can bruise the tough red of her cotton shirt.

This morning Sarah discovers the way
a throat, soft like brushed leather,
thick in the belief of lips, becomes a rock
at the surprise of a callused hand;
the way a heart lurches,
like a socked foot meeting the slick
of linoleum; the silence just before he swings
and just after; the sound a door makes–
wail of hinges, thunk of wood;
a strand of her black hair
splayed against the white floor.

a great way to spend the night after a tiring day: a girl's night in with pizza, movies, and of course knitting. (oh, and our dowstairs neighbour, Brent)
We rented "Mean Girls" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", both which are great. But now i must sleep because tomorrow brings much work (school and otherwise) for which I must have my wits about me. (well, at least while I'm attempting poetry revisions) ;)