Movin' on up

So.

1. Get a haircut. Done. I like it.
2. Shave off beard. Done. My chin is exposed.
3. Buy new clothes. Student loan is racing to my house.
4. Get laptop. Will be ordered this week. G4 iBook, with Airport Card. I intend to upgrade the video card.

Tonight I will make veggie pot pie, and possibly a green salad. Maybe beer. That is all.

Also,

Oh, the day after my last post I received my tax refund (its late because I filed it late) and my loan was approved. So after getting some beer I picked up Hellboy: The Right Hand of Doom, We3 #1, Daredevil #62-63 (I've been turned on to Bendis' superb writing for this series. I am not a huge superhero fan per se, but I have been interested in reading Daredevil again. Just as I was beginning to read the series, I gave up on comics), Top Ten Volume 2 (the story got very dark in the end) and some other stuff. I have crushed my money troubles under my foot, all who oppose me shall suffer!

@ttack @ d@wn

Wow. There are a ton of typos in the last post.

As school approaches fast I'm now in a position to reflect upon my summer. It was good. I only wish I could have gotten some climbing in, but the week has just started. I do, however, have a deadline to meet and books to return, so that does limit my time outside. I am getting a haircut this week. Wish me luck.

blah!

Well I'll be! Summer has become a huge tear in the fabric of space-time, 'cause I have not updated this sucker in awhile! There has been some minor developments since we last chatted. My friend C. has arrived, safe and sound, from Calgary and is doing well. We hung out briefly at the pub a few nights ago and has disappeared since. It's understandable, he's waiting for his sublet to become available and is couch surfing, so I don't mind if I don't hear from him.

There is a small battle being waged in my house regarding chores. From my perspective, I do most of the work and everyone else slacks off. I proposed an observation period that will determine who does exactly what around here. I will make an calendar and record who makes a mess and who cleans it up, being as objective as possible. I know this sounds a little extreme, but sometimes the icy stare of scientific inquiry is the only method to solve domestic problems.

I am currently sipping yummy coffee and wating for my hashbrowns to cook. I've been into food from Provence lately, although the last few nights I have been trying out some Italian antipastos, simple stuff like crostini. The problem with some of the French dishes is the inclusion of fish and fish stock, and I'm a strict veggie. What's really weird is that these recipies are in the Moosewood cookbook, which is a mostly vegetarian restaurant. You would think they would create subsitutes for the non-fish eating crowd.

Oh, and about the best buck-a-slice in town contest. Pizza Garden has gotten less greasy, so I will make a trip to Unc's to see how they handle the grease issue. Unc's has currently won the in "most generous toppings" category.

I am broke. Need student loan. Need comics.

the race

I have a tentative list of goals to complete before school starts again:

1. Get a haircut. Maybe.
2. Trim my beard. I see too many guys with the same beard. It has to go.
3. Get some new clothes.
4. Purchase a laptop.

Doing some major work at the moment. I should be very proud of myself. C. should be in town by now, where the hell is he?

The first words I see on my desk: RFC - office

I woke up late again. I'm not too worried about it though, 'cause I got some writing in and I will definetly make the deadline with some time to spare.

I find it really hard to sleep in this house. It took me almost three years to be comfortable in my old place at night, the creaks and groans our house made spooked me good. My adopted neighhbourhood is noisy at night -- last night someone was making the sound L. and I use to call our cat, a kind of half-whisper, half-whistle sound. This person was right below my bedroom window, presumably calling their own cat or dog. The situation was very creepy. I hope I can get some shuteye tonight, I'm expecting a friend moving here from out of town tomorrow. I'm laying off the horror movies and weird comics for awhile.

Hands on fire

I've just completed my first batch of homemade hot sauce. I found the recipe online and with a few modifications I concocted a simple garlic-chili sauce. The working title is "Volcano Juice" but I'm open to suggestions. I wish I had a digital camera to show the world, so the world is stuck with a written description: the sauce is a warm orange colour, has a thin consistency and has a strong vinegar smell. The recipe called for white vinegar, but I only stock apple cider vinegar in the house. I figured, what the heck? I don't think it would alter the flavour too much, rather the sauce would have a fruity finish or lend some depth to the chilies.

Oh sweet Buddha, my hands are burnin' up over here. I can't even type anymore. . .

Home now

I got home at around 9:30 last night. The air was so cool and sweet, I didn't want to go back into my house.

So there was five of us, and we made our way up Mt. Seymour. There are three peaks to check out before you reach Seymour's summit, which is about 1451 metres. The weather was incredible, a little hot but you can find shady spots along the trail. We had the fortune of seeing a black bear (about 2 years old), two huge ravens and a male buck chewing on some grass near the trail. And a Jack Russell terrier - he was hanging out at Mystery Lake. There's a smaller trail that that bends away from the main trail as you leave/return from the parking lot that takes you to the lake, the coolest alpine lake I've seen in awhile. Lots of alpine bluberries to nibble on.

Because I'm a little sore and tired, I'll encapsulate my weekend in point form:

1. Went to the birthday party and it was a blast. Made lots of noise and drank too much.
2. The party began to wind down at one in the morning, so we went bike riding in the industrial area along the harbour. Keep in mind, I'm not a strong cyclist and I've only just started riding a few years ago. We biked for about three hours, we cruised the city streets past the clubbers and madness.
3. Crashed at my friend's place, slept for two hours then headed home to clean up and get ready for the hike.
4. Hiked, came home, slept alot, now I'm here.

Gotta Go!

Hi.

Lost track of time there, leisure/writing/reading sprees can do that to a man.

So, I'm gonna help a friend tidy up his house in a few moments (luckily he lives around the corner) 'cause some friends are going over there for his belated birthday party. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'm not coming home sober. or unbruised.

I couldn't sleep at all last night, and as I sipped my chamomile tea I banged out a few lines for the script and took some notes for the short story. I gave myself a deadline for the story -- I have until September 1st to have a completed draft, plus notes for the next two stories. If I don't hike this weekend (and bore everyone with a subsequent travelogue) then I will isolate myself from the world and work.

salt water

So the weekend was a little hectic.

I set out for some kayaking on Monday, and it was dope. We started out a little early, but the dang bus was late, so we decided to take another route to get up to Deep Cove. That put us behind a little bit but because it turned out to be such a nice day the situation was not at all terrible. After an embarassing attempt at trying to get my feet onto the pedals (when I first kayaked we had no pedals! This was a new development for me.) we set out. We rented the boats for only a couple of hours, though that was enough time to enjoy the water. I love to pour on some muscle and let the kayak soar, L. and I were silent as ninjas as we glided across the smooth water. We paddled near the first bend of Indian Arm, checked out a massive rock that seemed to have been shot out of the water, then we made our way back to the dock. I was crusted with salt water, and I tasted it on my lips for the rest of the day. I met up with R. for some chess and food, and came to the realization that chess is actually quite theraputic - my method of play reflects some aspects of my personality. Interesting.

School was a big hassle. I applied on Monday online, but was denied all my classes. I called the registars ofice and found that my program only allowed me access to certain classes. I rode the train to school this morning and had them change my program to Arts, so now I can take archeaology! Which I am. Well, introduction to archeaology. I applied for my courses in the library and now I'm good to go.

I did some writing and research today, and I plan to definitely do more later. I hear dinner being made. I'm going out for gelato after dinner and watch the sun go down. Maybe at the park. Now I'm tired.

That's a Wrap People

I'm about to hit the hay (so to speak, I don't live in a barn. Or a manger.) so to sum up the week:

1. Summer semester is finished. A very successful venture, to be sure.
2. Picked up research material for the short stories. I will be hunting for material related to the comic ASAP. I am brimming with new ideas, as a result of getting as much history in me as possible. One small revelation: the world does indeed make sense, but it's very complicated and sometimes, it gets really strange.
3. I am enjoying the rest of the summer. Besides reading and writing, I am going sea kayaking on Monday and I plan to get some hiking done before September hits me like a hurricane! Reward yourself if you get my reference. I have no idea where I'm going this year, though. Definitely not Squamish.

Books I am reading:

Still on Shadows over Baker Street, Science: A History 1543-2001, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity from Antiquity to the Present, returning to Quicksilver, still giving Living My Life a casual read, and Up Above the World by Paul Bowles (thanks K.). I just picked up a new comic called Singularity 7. It's OK.

I can't get up right now my lower ego is bruised

Ugh. Got up at 2 this afternoon. That will never, ever happen again. I'm going to watch anime and read and eat and then go back to bed.

It is currently raining out. That's what I love about this time of year: the rain is a sweet repose from the flesh-melting heat of August. Take that UV rays! You're not searing me today!

the play people games

I just lost two games at Age of Mythology, and lost a game of chess with my friend R., who was very kind and hung out at my pad and drank tea and made a chessboard with me using masking tape, a Sharpie, and canvas paper.

I have come to the conclusion that I suck at games. All games. I continually lose to other (mostly male) players all the time. Board games, video games, and especially sports. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I was never a competitive person growing up. I never played sports, and I never joined any kind of gaming club. I was content to hide in my room and draw, write stories (or make up stories using toys) and practice magic tricks. The drive to crush my opponent was never installed into my personality. I guess 'cause I never showed any interest in competitive activities my folks never bothered signing me up. My parents are cool like that.

I do believe, however, that the competitive drive is unhealthy and very destructive, especially in men. I spent most of my early school days not even bothering to try in gym class, I simply went limp or walked in circles or did a half-ass job at the activities. Whenever I did try and was kinda successful, the gym teachers just shrugged their shoulders and muttered a "meh" and then cheered on the gym keeners. So I responded with a "f*ck it." What's funny though, is that if a male doesn't live up to the expectations set out by the curriculum (which is so freakin' gendered), then there must be something terribly, terribly wrong with that male. And the kicker? All the stupid keeners start picking on you, and use your performance (or lack thereof) in the gym as some demented yardstick to measure your worth as a human being.

F*ck that.

So a message to all the kids out there who hate gym: it is a waste of time. Do everything possible to avoid it - call in sick, tell them your religion forbids you to take part, whatever it takes. You can even protest, questioning the value of "physical education" by pointing out that most North Americans are obese, so obviously no one is getting "educated".

Are You Ready for the Awesome Power of Preparo?

The last day of school. A little anti-climatic if you ask me. I have over three hours until my last exam and I'm not prepared. . .well, I'm a little prepared. If I had a superpower, it would be the ability to imitate a prepared person. Behold the enigma that is, Preparo!

Fight!

Fight Club!


What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
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Bring it on, Ikea-boy.

Orange lights in a circle

I had an awesome time last night: some old friends from the Island were around and we had a rooftop barbeque. There was beer, and a liitle of everything for the grill - fish, veggies of all sorts. Please keep in mind that I'm a wee bit hung-over as I write this, so just bear with me, ok?

The rooftop (courtesy of W., thanks dude!) that gave us a 360 degree of the city, provided a brilliant backdrop to a reunion of sorts. We chatted over some of the highlights of living on the Island and all the crazy cats we knew and loved. I've alsways said that going back there and bumping into people I haven't seen in a while begin to look like ghosts, or the experience is like stumbling upon a ghost.

It seems like everyone there last night is doing well with their lives. One is teacher, another one is gonna be an editor. Writers, revolutionaries, programmers, painters, adventurers. . .yeah, I'm very proud of the old crew. More later.