Hello world;
This is me determinedly glossing over the fact that I haven't posted since the middle of May, because to do so would result in a wall of text examining and frantically justifying my failing. Instead, I will say this: I was out in the world doing stuff. I come back a changed woman, with stories and a tan that contradicts my hermit nature. Yes, I come to you now with the weight of three months experience and wisdom on my shoulders. Yes, I know: you are amazed.
Right then. Furgle, today's word, isn't, in a way, a word at all. It comes from a list of words deemed "unsuitable" for use in the OED. It may be accepted at a later date. Words like "furgle" are kept in a little known about vault. The words and vault have hit the news lately because an arts student decided to research the vault and use several such "unsuitable" words in his final project. It's a really neat idea, and quite a delightful list. Additionally, it gets me thinking of "The Meaning of Liff", which is always a welcome consequence.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7926646/Secret-vault-of-words-rejected-by-the-Oxford-English-Dictionary-uncovered.html
Alright, let's see if we can do a practical update here, without prattling on overmuch (relatively speaking, of course; verbosity is my major, or may as well be). I'd like to remind you that this blog is as much a personal memoir to remind myself what I've been up to as it is a place to set goals for myself. And by that I mean, a lot of boring details are about to follow, but the stories mean something to me, so I expand upon them anyhow.
MAY
May was full of many a wonderful adventure. My last post discusses some of it, and reminds me just how much I've changed my hair over the last few months (like, whoa). My cousin, Monique, married Daryl and at the same celebration, their daughter, Liah, was baptised. And yet, it wasn't a shotgun wedding, just... the right time. I wish them well; they certainly deserve it. It was a grand celebration, as weddings tend to be, all full of family and liquor and photo opportunities. My dad had fun putting his camera gear to use, and got a lot of nice, inconspicuous shots of various guests. My parents, separated for ~7 years and recently (finally) divorced shared space most efficiently. Fun times all around.
A highlight of the wedding was driving up to Kapuskasing with my cousin Liz and her daughter Brittany. I do not see them nearly often enough, and the 10 hr drive gave us plenty time to catch up and trade stories. Never has a 10 hr trip proven so enjoyable.
Oh! And before heading up to the Kap, my friend Graham came to visit. We engaged in drunken revelry and it was just so refreshing and fulfilling to see him again. He's one of my favourite people ever and I am tickled pink every time he is in town.
I spent the week following the wedding in the GTA visiting my family, first my mom, then brother, then my dad and his Eriko. Not much to say there. I was fed well and loved all the better. Spent a day shopping with one of my brother's friends, and she was an absolute treat. Adorable and friendly girl. Always a pleasure to bond so easily with someone like that.
The week was followed by the weekend, that being Anime North (AN) weekend. I spent a lot of money and saw a lot of old friends, and made some new ones. This year's AN, in many ways, blurs together with all the other ones I've attended: as much as it had many a story particular to itself, mostly what I remember is chaos and Japanese food and friends. It's a happy blur, very happy.
In summary? May reminded me how social I can be, and that I don't need to be scared or intimidated by crowds. It still happens, but I am getting better at handling myself in crowds and with new people.
JUNE
For June, I had to look back at my calendar. Luckily, my calendar is, this year, fairly well tended (a minor achievement, but one worth noting). The most interesting thing I did (had done, really) in June was to have my wisdom teeth extracted. The dentist removed three of them,and was expected much more fuss than what actually happened. I was conscious for the procedure, and I tell you what, it is a right trip to see a doctor heave and press against one's teeth like that. Science is still so tied to its primitive habits. Thank the Goddess for pain killer. Additional useful lesson? T3's seriously mess me up. Considering how medicated I feel on a daily basis, it is refreshing to be reminded how light, comparatively speaking, my intake of drugs really is. I may not achieve "clean living" or whatever you want to call it, but I do have some healthy habits and good intuition on how to take care of myself.
What did I learn this month? The body is an amazing thing. And dentistry is one hella' crazy kind of science.
JULY
The month was kicked off with Canada Day. My other sister takes Canada Day very seriously, and this year was no exception from that fact. We barbecued by the river and watched the fireworks. Much like AN, this year's BBQ blurs together with former years where we celebrated in a similar fashion. This year's highlight was singing camp songs with Ange and Alex, all while knitting in the grass.
July was full of weekend trips and adventures. My friend Jamie visited from Toronto the second weekend of July. We spent most of our time making delicious meals (sushi made with avocado and spicy mayo, to die for, really) and watching Evo on a live stream. I'm not really in the know when it comes to fighting games, e.g. Street Fighter, Tekken, Marvel vs Capcom, but Jamie was able to explain the tactics and skills required quite efficiently, so I was soon able to recognize well executed moves and combos. He often compared it to chess, which works here because I understand fighting games about as well as I understand chess: that is to say, "very little, but I have a respect and admiration for them anyhow". Jamie's visit also featured a trip with my friend Matt to go bouldering. True story: I lack upper body strength, and have enough of a fear of heights to not be all that bold in my bouldering. Still, it was fun to see the feats others could manage. Jamie took to it really quickly, and even had injuries to show for his efforts. Matt is part monkey. Fun times.
The following weekend, I visited dad and Eriko for a canoe trip. It was supposed to be a three hour trip, but turned into a four hour trip due to being stuck in a lightning storm for an hour or so. It was a great time! It was so great to get back out into nature, and really challenge myself to something new. It got me reminiscing about summer camps and Girl Guides. I suddenly wanted to tie knots and really study all the different shades of green there are. When not canoeing, we ate delicious food. On Friday, we got together with my sister, Michelle (Miche), at this lovely Italian restaurant. Is there anything better than wine and pasta? Probably, but it is a winning combination. Miche got us all up to speed on her life and business aspirations. It sounded a bit like an interview, but it was great to hear about all the career goals she is working towards. She's an impressive one, my sister. I have a lot of reasons to be wickedly jealous of her, and yet I'm not, because I know how much she deserves the good in her life and how hard she works. Not to mention, she's just so loving, and been such a positive role in my life for so long; makes it hard to be negative towards her at all. On Sunday, when my dad went to soccer, Eriko and I had the chance to sit together over lunch and get to know each other better as we are, rather than how we are with dad around (not that there's much difference). I struggled to eat strips of nori dipped in soy sauce and scooped up with rice. The results were messy, but delicious and definitely worth it.
The weekend after that, my mother came to visit. My dad had already bought me a few cycling accessories, and my mom bought me a helmet. Makes it hard to justify any longer the fact that my bike goes unused *sweatdrop* A goal for a week in the near future. My mom and I had a fairly relaxed weekend. We shopped, ate, watched movies - simple stuff. The highlight of that weekend was visiting my aunt Dot and uncle Denis' cottage. I have been there once, ages ago, of which my only memory is going fishing with Miche and my cousin Phil. There was a lot of family there; 10+ family members. It was practically an impromptu reunion. I got caught up with family members, and got a nasty burn. Also saw my little cousins Liah and Arianne brave the cold lake water. They have very different opinions on the experience.
July was a great month: I reminded myself that I may not be all that tough, but I am tougher than I give myself credit for. I should get out more, and not just out, but "back to nature" kind of out. Also: I wish to buy chopsticks, and use them more often.
AUGUST
The story so far: I went camping. That was actually started the last day of July, but July's entry was just getting so.... hefty. Camping was great! More reminiscing about Girl Guides, except this camping trip had a lot more cider involved (though "more than none" isn't much of a feat). The weekend went well despite:
-my head cold - Dorothy's headaches from her meds - Shaun not really liking camping (he was there for Dorothy, and for their 1 yr anniversary) - the fail tent - Ryan fighting with the fail tent - getting overcharged for wood - the couple who decided to argue loudly enough for the whole campsite to hear them, while their intoxicated friends played the same 4 chords while beating a drum poorly -and, the punchline, Ange getting electrocuted. By a shower. Yeah.
And yet, we all had a great time! There were sandcastles and sisterly conversations and cider and music and fire. Y'know, camping stuff. I apparently have a knack for bedrolls and rolling tents up such that they can be repacked. That's right world: I have a skill of practical applications. Like replacing a light bulb or resetting a blown fuse, Girl Guides has proven effective, and I am not completely dependent on others to maintain my household.
Just this past weekend was Pretend Weekend, where I visited Jamie in Toronto for no real reason beyond "just cuz" and "Jamie is super cool". He lives close enough to Black Creek Pioneer Village that I was able to travel back in time with his roomie Jon in order to purchase beer. It was delicious beer, and comes highly recommended. It is made using the methods of the 19th C, and as a consequence, has no preservatives or carbonation. It is also super effective, and got me right tipsy after two glasses. Consider yourself warned and informed. Also? Jon wore his top hat. Yeah, that.
The rest of pretend weekend was pretty chill, as Jamie and I are both frugal.cheap people. It was really cool to explore different areas of Toronto and learn how people manage to actually *live* in Toronto, which is a fact that has always amazed me. The area around the Lawrence subway stop, which of course I forget the name of (something something Village), is pretty awesome. It had this great kid's store where there are Dora stationary sets and Batman themed raincoats. This super nerdy awesome comic book store was there too, and the owner/clerk was super nice. Nice enough to convince me to read Kill Shakespeare, which I heard of on the interwebz ages ago, and is, happily enough, made by Torontotonians. So far, it is awesome. I'll keep you posted, seriously. Hm, what else? More food stories, really. I made pretty pasta meals, and some slightly fail stir fry. And goddess' grace, there were pancakes that took 2 hrs. Worth it, I guess, but also really not. It was an ordeal, I tell you what.
August is off to a good start: Avocado makes everything better. I can manage my vices in small doses, as long s I stay aware of what I'm doing. I am more emotional than I give myself credit for, and this is a good thing, even when it makes me all high school and doesn't make things easier.
THE FUTURE
Well, the foreseeable future, at least, what with the goals and ambition and all. My boyfriend moves in soon. We're staying in my apartment, but taking over the living room so as to have more space. I have a lot of stuff to get sorted for him showing up, and for us to get bills and whatever sorted for September. It's some big deal stuff. The end of August is FanExpo, and then September brings schooling.
Oh, throughout all these adventures, there was the additional adventure where my computer died. Then revived, ish, only to die completely. There was a fizzy drink involved, it was tragic. Ry has offered that he might be able to put Toad (my dead laptop) together in a new tablet form. I have a new computer, my Asus netbook Alegna. So now I can blog more! Theoretically. it will also be super convenient for class.
That was me being concise. I swear. Next week? New stuff! Maybe a better, shorter entry later this week. For now? I go back to writing and editing poetry. Today is a good day.
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