Sweet Augustine

I'm having a hermit night.

I just turned down the lights, ignored my phone and curled up in bed to listen to CBC. It was part one of a documentary on Ideas that I've heard mostly before, about the Cathars, and I'm always intrigued when the adds for this episode come on -- I guess it's popular because it keeps on coming back. Though I've flicked it on several times, lending a half-listening ear to the radio, this time I was more prepared. In FYP, we're into our medieval section. Pause here while I try to think of an appropriate analogy to moving through the sections of FYP. We started the Ancient World, the Classical period of Ancient Greece and I freaked out, because I had such a thing for Ancient Greece around age 10. I was sad to see that section go, but that's only because I didn't understand how cool the medieval ages really were. We're hardcore into Neo-Platonism right now, and studying how the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths interacted and traded bits and danced around one another; Moses Maimonides's The Guide of the Perplexed was the reading for Monday.

Okay, my nerdy school moment is over, but this is all to say that I had more context for the Cathars thing this time and I lay in the dim light, cozy under the covers, and wondered how this Cathars business fits in with everything else I've been learning. I smell a post-tutorial smoking conversation with the Nodder.

The Nodder is my tutor right now; this means he is the person who spends one hour with 14 of my peers and I, guiding us through a discussion and answering our questions. His nickname comes from the fact that his head could keep time. It's a metronome for his oration. Sometimes, he'll take a two or three beat pause and collect his thoughts. He's in training to be an Anglican priest, which apparently means that he gets more and more vague every year. But not only is he somewhat hilarious, he is awesome. He revealed this to me on Friday when he mentioned D&D and I made a quiet "love D&D!" comment and he heard me. "I have a kindred spirit!" he said.

After tutorial we chatted about that and quickly moved on to Star Trek and philosophy. Every day after tutorial, Nodder heads outside for a smoke, and you can catch him there for a good chat. He suggested to me the pilot of Deep Space Nine, which I watched later that day, and it blew my mind -- Holy ek-static temporality, Batman! I'm looking forward to chatting with him about it tomorrow.

I go to the best school ever. Ever ever ever ever. A woman came on a tour the other day and asked "You can come to King's and not do FYP, right?" and I was like "Why would you?" only, clearly not, since I was working and had to make nice.


Jian Ghomeshi countdown: 2 days. OH YES. I'm psyched. I will, however, have to go half an hour late (WOE) because of tour guide work. Boo.


For Stella, some (literally) gory details: Writing this post was a little painful, as my hands are all cut up. Why is that, LC? Well, you see, when you're drunk, escaping down a fire escape sounds like a good idea, and when you come to the end of the fire escape and realize there's a drop, it seems like dropping down is easy peasy. Apparently not. I had fun with the polysporin this morning, as well as with scarves to cover up the ahem, evidence, from earlier in the night. But my full opinion on hickeys is a whole other post of its own. Suffice it to say that running into my boss in the Wardroom ten minutes after the fire escape escapade was like, the worst idea ever. "HEY!" she said excitedly, "How are you?"

"I fell down."

"What?"

"Nevermind."