End of the Lazy Week

My week-long vacation of lazy is, sadly, coming to an end.

I did pretty much nothing all week, which is why you haven't heard from me. I slept until 11 most days. I wore sweatpants. I watched bad TV (the top pic of the week: TLC's wedding dress show Say Yes To The Dress. Bad, I know. Worse: anything on MTV was a close second. Sometimes I even disgust myself). I didn't really see many people or go many places.

I did stop by my favourite neighbourhood consignment clothing store to pick up a few new things for work (and some for fun too!). Before leaving Nova Scotia and upon arriving, I cleared out some old things from my closet. It's still full to bursting, but that's a headache for another time.

My top find is a stunning, classic trenchcoat, the real deal. It makes me feel like Lauren Bacall. When I get my act together (and my camera battery cha

rged... where did I pack that charger?), I'll post a picture. For now, here's my cute new jean jacket! I've been eyeing them all spring, and I knew I'd find a good one either in my own closet, or at a consignment shop. My old one was a little lame, but this one is so cute! It's a Gap Kids XXL, which makes it cute and shrunken. Win.

Terminal Disease

The students in the fourth year advanced Investigative Reporting class worked away for ages, in secrecy, hiding behind the Twitter hashtag #funkytown. They worked so hard, and here is the result, a story on Video Lottery Terminals and Gambling addiction in Nova Scotia. It was published in The Coast!

http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/terminal-disease/Content?oid=1624452

Back in Ottawa

After many hours of driving, I am back in Ottawa! (Beautiful bike in tow). It's nice weather, so I guess I can't complain, and I think I will take advantage of it by going out for an inaugural ride on my bike (which I've decided to name Flo). I also don't start work until next Monday, so this week will be my week of sleep sleep sleeping.

On a completely separate note, I have a question for you, Ottawa. In Halifax, I follow the goings on at city hall by following two Twitters that livetweet from the council meetings, one from a writer for the Metro Halifax and recent King's grad, and one by The Coast. The Chronicle Herald has also just jumped on the bandwagon with a dedicated Twitter account for council livetweeting.

Is there anything like this in Ottawa? I would love to keep on top of Ottawa City Hall as well.

Summer

Well, I am all done my year. I finished and handed in my last assignment today (three days late, natch). It was fairly anticlimactic since I've been acting like I'm done ever since my last exam on Tuesday.

Yesterday I arrived at my friends' house, Davis and Sarah's, for laundry. They have free laundry and we combine loads and hang out to make laundry more fun. I arrived around 11, and we spent the rest of the day and night hanging out. I think we're all feeling the coming summer separation from our friends (many have left already) and are taking every chance we get to hang out.

We did laundry, we chatted, we laughed, we drank copious amounts of leftover wine from about 4 until 11pm. Sarah and I started out homework at midnight, slept at 3:30. We lay next to each other and whispered in bed, before grabbing precious few hours of sleep.

Luckily, I will see Sarah and Davis in Ottawa this summer, but our other friends live out of town. So do all three of our significant others. I predict many nights of wine and bitching on the couch. And bad TV.

I arrive home in Ottawa Sunday night! And I don't start work for a week after! I can't wait to sleep for a whole week straight! Especially can't wait right now. I'm so sleepy I'm jittery. Whee.

More from my trip to New Brunswick

There is something about the air and the smell and the light in New Brunswick. And also the company, I guess.

Bike! Bike! Bike!

I have the best boyfriend ever!

Phil has been working on restoring this bike for me since August, when it looked like this:

We came across it last summer while exploring an old outbuilding on his property. Apparently, I said something to the effect of "This is the coolest bike I've ever seen" and that's when Phil made up his mind to fix it for me. It was meant as a birthday gift (my birthday is in November) but that didn't work out.

Originally, this bike is from the late 1940s, and used to belong to Phil's aunt.

He gave it to me today, and I love, love, love it.

Best part is that Phil and my mom have been scheming, and my mom is borrowing a bike rack to bring it home with us to Ottawa when I leave next week. I'm so excited to cruise in style this summer!

PS: This reminds me of when Jennifer's Man of Science gave her a sexy bike.

New Job

I heard back about my job interview for junior don - and I got a position! I'm excited. It means I'll be living in residence and helping run events and do fun things. For payment I get a bunch of money off my living fees, which is excellent.

In addition to the residence leadership program, I'm the President of my academic program's society, I'm hoping to write for the school paper and the Dal paper, and I'm auditioning for the chapel choir next weekend. I'm pretty nervous for that last one. The choir is a big time commitment and it's pretty professional, but I would love to do it. I hope my sight reading is good enough...

Tailbone

I went sledding way back in December when I went to visit Phil in New Brunswick and we both went over a big bump and bruised our tailbones. We both had some difficulty sitting down for a few days, but then it passed... sort of...

However, months later, my tailbone still hurts when I sit for a long time, which I do a lot, as a student. Especially when I semi recline as I do on my bed watching movies or tv or writing. This is a problem. It's very uncomfortable. I wish it would just go away.

Friday Night

Today was the last day of classes for my second year of university.

I don't feel like this is particularly momentous, or worthy of note, for me. But, I looked at the fourth years who have become fixtures and sadly tried to imagine next year without them. But then I think about being a third year, which leads to fourth year and finishing and leaving and then my chest gets all tight and I need to calm down. (On a side note, I keep stressing about various things while I lie in bed reading and then getting heart burn. So I really do need to calm down).

I went to the last lecture of the Foundation Year today. Traditionally, it's a more informal lecture, given for fun by a prominent or leaving professor. This year was just the same, so I went and sat in, next to a fourth year, a fixture, and it was sad. I watched him write his notes. We did our usual insulting banter back and forth. I wonder what it will be like without him. Another friend, a tutor in the programme, is leaving to do his PhD in Scotland. It's going to be fantastic, because he is a truly gifted teacher, and he so deserves it. But we'll miss him a lot. I will miss his enthusiasm, and his flattering complements about my outfits, and his gins with tonic.

It's sad to say goodbye to great people, even when you know they're going on to big things. You just hope that someday, your paths will converge again.

Thinking About Food

Along with other bloggers I read, I've been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I've been watching Jamie Oliver since his Naked Chef days, and this show doesn't disappoint. It's the town named the most unhealthy in America, so Jamie has gone down there to try to get them to change the way they think about good. It's very sad to watch, sometimes, - when the kids in the schools can't identify vegetables on sight, or a depressed Jamie has to add french fries to make his veggie stir-fry acceptable to serve in school - but he cares very deeply, which is lovely to watch. (In Canada, we can watch it on www.ctv.ca).

Also on the topic of food, I've gotten into reading the food blog of Jennifer, one of my very favourite bloggers. Everything looks so delicious and easy - but I'm sure she just makes it look easy. Her post on meal planning was also great. She just posted on Sew Green blog, about her efforts as a backyard gardiner. It's enough to make me pick up a trowel.

All of this food talk makes me want to cook! Sort of. I mean, I am not a cook. I barely cook. I can make scrambled eggs and a casserole, if I have an easy recipe. But I should actually work on that. Living in residence means my kitchen access is highly limited, but this summer I will give it a try. I have inspiration!

Twitterquake

I love the webcomic xkcd. Lately, I've felt it's been not as good as usual, but this one was excellent, and made me chuckle.

"New look, new spirit for North End housing co-op"

I have been busily working away on a story for journalism class, and here is the result! As usual, that is my real name, but I keep it over there.

It's a great story of the ways that investing in community improves the world. Hear that, government?

Easter Weekend

I love Easter weekend. It always ends up being spring-time-y, even when it rains. This weekend was absolutely gorgeous in Halifax, with the warmest weather yet this spring. I wore shorts today! It was fantastic!

Phil came down on Wednesday night and stayed until this afternoon. We had a lot of fun, dyeing eggs, having picnics, and attending some excellent parties.

The fantastic Easter Vigil service happened last night. It's two hours of the Solemn Vigil, which happens in darkness, with all sorts of readings, fun things from the Old Testament, like Genesis, and pagan throw-backs, like the lighting the new fire. Next comes the joyous Easter mass, with bell-ringing and the lights. The whole thing starts at 11pm, so by the time the church bells ring, it's 1:00 am. Probably some people were confused.

I went to the service last year, and it was just as good this year. The two services flow together, connected by a creepy and epic piece of music written by Paul Halley, the choir director at King's.

The Resurrection Party followed, with its usual dancing, drinking, and calls of "Christos Anesti!" I went to bed as the sky started to light up. I slept until noon.