Miryam’s Blog

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Hello all!

With more pressure on me than at any other time of the year, I am happier than a pig in mud. Except when I wake up. Good cheer is too much to ask before a shower.

Before I get started, I have to mention that on the Wednesday before going dancing with Steve, Andrew, Sara, Jen, Joyce, Joelle, and I went to an International Women’s Day event in the evening. There was a rally during the day, but I was in classes all day. So we went down to the Jamaican Jerkhouse and enjoyed a rant, some bellydancing, some poetry, and a lot of singing (all by women, of course). I felt so at home; I spent quite a bit of my younger days in the Women’s Centre in Nelson, so being around all those feminists (a lot of them hippies, too) made me happy. And I recognized half of the background music they played; the only time when I recognize more music than Andrew. I absolutely loved it, and the others mostly enjoyed it too.

I don’t remember what I did the weekend after I went dancing with Steve, so moving right along, Dad arrived in Victoria on Monday night. He was too tired to come visit, so Andrew and I went dancing as usual. On Tuesday we visited the head of his department (he’s doing his Master’s now) and she chatted with us for an hour and a half. Dad says she’s compulsively nice. Then we went to Olive Olio’s and Dad introduced me to the London Fog (it’s a hot drink). Yum! On Wednesday Dad went up island, but Daisy, who was visiting her grandparents, came to visit. We spent the afternoon together and had a lot of fun.

On Thursday I had dinner with Dad at Martin’s Place, and then we joined Sara and Andrew for a performance by Ivan E. Coyote. It was amazing! Ivan is a storyteller/poet/author and I was captivated the entire time. The rest of the audience was too, and the room rocked with laughter more than once. We saw Christel and Alan there, and Phil also came, at my suggestion. It was kind of awkward, afterwards, trying to talk to all those people at once, since they all come from different circles, but Dad picked up the slack. He’s good like that. He’s also good for buying books, apparently, because I am now the proud owner of a signed copy of Ivan’s first novel. After that Dad went home and Andrew and I did homework together, which of course quickly degenerated into us just hanging out.
On Friday Dad and I had lunch at Pag’s (mmm!), and then I had a meeting I had to go to. After that, we took off for Nanaimo. It was a lovely drive and we had a wonderful talk. We were there before we knew it, and still not hungry. We checked into our hotel, then had a light dinner and went to spend an hour and a half with Grandma, which was very pleasant.

We met Aunty Kate and Aunty June for breakfast at the same place we had dinner the night before and chatted for a good while before we headed to Grandma’s, minus Aunty June. We had a long, intense conversation that morning, which lasted until two. By then we were all starving, so we headed to Aunty Kate and Aunty June’s, and ate there. Then we chatted the whole afternoon. We had a late dinner of take-out Chinese food (traditional Burns family food). After dinner, Aunty Kate pulled out her beautiful Zen Tarot cards, and gave Dad, Grandma, and I all readings. I didn’t know that Dad or Grandma were into that sort of thing. Just goes to show I have the coolest family in the world. That night, we took Grandma home, and she made us wave from the end of the hall as we left.
On Sunday we had breakfast at Aunty Kate and Aunty June’s, and then we spent about an hour with Grandma before we had to hit the road. As always, it was hard to say goodbye. The drive back was equally pleasant, and Dad and I had another intense and enlightening conversation. I hated to say goodbye to Dad at the university, but it was nice to be home, and I spent all afternoon doing homework, so I didn’t have a lot of time to miss him.

On Tuesday Mat, a friend of Andrew’s, came over from the Mainland with his dad, brother, and his brother’s girlfriend. His dad is planning to buy a house for Mat to live in while he goes to UVic and sublet it, then develop it once he has graduated. The reason Andrew and I went with them is that we’re hoping to be the ones to rent from him. It was fun, and we saw some excellent possibilities. Mat is really nice, and fun. It was funny to see him next to Andrew, though. He’s so much taller and looks so much older than Andrew that Andrew looks like he’s been digitally altered to look smaller than he ought to be. It was very disconcerting.
On Thursday there was a potluck for the Christian Intervarsity Fellowship and Pride. Yes, that’s right. It was a little awkward at first, but once we started eating, everyone got comfortable. We all sat in mixed groups and nobody was rude or too out-there. The food was great (real food, hooray!), and afterwards there were Theatre Sports. I chatted with my friend Kayla through them, but we watched from time to time. Kayla is in my writing class, and in the course of our conversation one day, we realized that we had both been at the Drama Fest last year! We have a lot of fun together, and tomorrow we’re going to see a movie. And just in case you were wondering, she’s Catholic.

After the potluck, I went walking with Andrew and Chris, and then Andrew came back to my room to take my book away so I could study, but ended up staying until one or so. I got a little studying done, and I got 100% on my test, so I guess I was doing something right. Andrew decided to read my Spanish textbook, which was fun and entertaining. His pronunciation isn’t bad at all, as it turns out, and he understands quite a bit too. So then he read me the poem I had to read for Spanish Lit, and we deciphered it together. Translating a poem for someone is a great way to learn it.

On Friday I went to the Black Stilt cafe with Phil. We ended up chatting for over two hours and hardly noticed the time go by. That evening I hung out with Joyce and Sara for a while, and then Sara and Jen and I watched the third Indiana Jones. It was fun! I spent the entire weekend doing homework. Literally. I went walking with Andrew at twelve on Saturday night, which was beautiful. By Sunday night I realized I couldn’t work anymore, so Andrew and I went for another walk. That was the extent of my socializing that weekend.
On Monday we went dancing for the first time in two weeks, and it felt sooo good. Well, to me it did. Andrew was exhausted and my energy almost drove him mad. I get hyper when I dance, and if he’s tired I can be evil. We went for a short walk afterwards to cool down (we usually do), and on the way home, we saw the most darling baby bunny! It was grey and white, and fuzzy, and I could hardly breathe it was so cute! It wasn’t frightened of us either. It came right up and nibbled on my finger. It was very tempting to take it home.

So here’s our theory: The bunnies make UVic students more friendly, relaxed, and humble. After all, how can you be stressed or grumpy if there are bunnies all over the place, and it’s hard to keep your pride when you chase bunnies. We think someone should do a study on how the bunnies affect the students here.

It’s so beautiful here these days! I laugh at all you Interior-bound people. There is green grass here, and the plants are blossoming and blooming. There are daffodils everywhere, and cherry blossoms! It’s like something out of a manga! The baby bunnies actually remind me of something out of a manga or anime too. They’re like fluff balls with two wee ears. You know, something like what you would see in Totoro.

Oh! On Monday evening I had dinner with Phil. We just ate at Centre Caf, but we chatted for another two hours or so. It’s official: I kind of like him. I’m in that silly, giggly stage of a crush, and I’m enjoying it soooo much! I kind of wish I had a girlfriend here to giggle about it with, but what can you do? Anyways, between the sunshine, the cherry blossoms, the baby bunnies, and Phil, I am a very happy camper!

I love you all, and hope you’re enjoying life as much as I am!

Mim

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Okay, so I realized I haven’t written a real post in over a month. How on Earth did that happen? It’s going to be interesting trying to remember everything that happened… I doubt I’ll be able to cover all that time in one post, but I have to start somewhere, so here goes.

My Reading Break was mostly fairly quiet. Sunday I don’t think I talked to anyone, and then on Monday I left campus very early to catch the train up to Nanaimo. I absolutely love that train ride! It’s so beautiful, and I can do whatever I want and relax, and there’s lots of leg room. I really think it’s the only way to travel. Anyways, this time I read most of the way because I was half way through Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay’s newest book. It was very satisfying, and quite different from his usual style. It was weird to see the word “iPod” written by him. It wasn’t quite up to the standards of his earlier books, but I appreciate that he’s experimenting with new styles and subjects.

Aunty Kate met me at the train station again and we ran some errands before going to pick up Cameron and Katie (my cousins). Then we all went and hung out at her and Aunty June’s. We had a lovely relaxed afternoon full of talk and food and tea. We picked up Grandma late in the afternoon and all had dinner together, then we got ready for the other guests. In honour of Katie’s birthday, Aunty Kate and Aunty June had arranged for a bunch of their friends to come over and share poetry. How cool is that? So a whole bunch of women came over (poor Cameron was the only male in a room of feminists, but when they found out he was taking a Woman Studies course he was readily accepted.  Some women had brought their favourite poems or poets, some read poetry by friends or partners, and some read their own. It was very pleasant to sit their and listen to all that poetry. Most of it was really good, and some of it was very funny. Some was very thought-provoking. I read one of my own poems, which was nerve-wracking, but highly satisfying. Katie also read one of her own poems, which was excellent.

Most of the women left immediately after we finished, because it was a Monday night, after all. Once they were all gone, we ended up sharing more of our own poetry with each other. Aunty Kate, Katie and I all read, and Cameron sang and played the guitar for us. It was a lovely! Eventually Aunty Kate and Aunty June went to bed and we set up camp in the livingroom. We talked for a bit, then went to sleep.

The next morning Aunty June had to go to work, but we had a leisurely morning with Aunty Kate. We visited Aunty June at work to take pictures and say goodbye, then we took Cameron and Katie to the ferry. I had lunch with Aunty Kate and then we talked for a while longer before she took me to the train station.

We always talk about such interesting things with Aunty Kate and Aunty June! We talked a lot about family this time, and what characteristics we share, and our heritage. We also, obviously, talked about poetry and literature and all sorts of other interesting things which are somewhat vague now in my mind, but that I know gave me tons to think about!

I had a lovely train ride back, of course. There was a girl on the train with a toddler. I say girl because she looked to me to be no older than twelve or thirteen, but I hope I was mistaken, because over the course of the train ride it became apparent she was the toddler’s mother. I was shocked, but she seemed so happy and capable. I like to think that she has a loving, supportive family taking care of her and her little girl, but who knows?

Anyways, the rest of reading break was quiet. I spent a few hours on Wednesday with Chris, and I know I hung out with a few other people, but I don’t remember very clearly. I spent a fair bit of time trying to convince myself to do homework, and significantly less doing homework. Sigh. Most of my friends returned on Saturday and I spent that night in Sara and Joelle’s room with them and Joyce, Devin, and a variety of other people who came in and out. We watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which I loved. I think I was alone in that sentiment, though. It was a fun night, but a little heavy on the hormones on my part.

Andrew actually made it back in time for dance on Saturday and I was very happy to see him. He had cut his hair and it took me about three days to get used to it. He looked so much younger!

The following Tuesday Andrew and Sara and I went to a talk on abortion. It was interesting, but not as informative as I was hoping. It was mostly just one woman talking about her own experiences with abortion and as a nurse in an abortion clinic. Granted, that gives her a fair bit of authority on the subject, but I was expecting more of a discussion. Oh well. I enjoyed it, and we were still back in time to see the Gilmore Girls! As I recall, after that we ended up watching Y tu mama tambien, so I didn’t get to bed until very late. It’s a good movie, but full of sex (literally full!), so I give you fair warning.

On Thursday I went to see a couple of plays at the Pheonix (UVic’s theatre) written, directed, and acted in by students. The first wasn’t bad, but the second one was unbelievable! It was soooo good! Sara and Joyce and I were in shock afterwards - it had a very intense ending. On Friday, Andrew and I went to the Pride office and didn’t get around to leaving, so we were still there for the meeting. It was fun, actually, except for Andrew and Chris ganging up on me! That evening we were going to dancing at Swing City (there was a live band), but Andrew was tired, so we ended up going to the plays at the Pheonix again. We watched all of them this time (there were nine or eight), and I really enjoyed them. They were all very different, and most of them were very thoughtful and well-done. And it was worth watching the mediocre one twice to get to see the amazing one again. Not to mention being back in a theatre for a while (home sweet home!). Afterwards, Andrew walked me back to my building, but we were still talking, so we walked around for a bit, and then we went to bed.

On Saturday Sara and Andrew and I went into the city to do some errands. Sara was going to sign up for a first-aid course, but, unfortunately, she wasn’t entirely sure where we were going and we missed our stop. We ended up above the Gorge and went walking along the water and found a beautiful little picnic spot before ending up in Esquimalt. We turned around then and caught the bus back to the first-aid place, which was closed. So then we finally made it downtown to the Times Colonist Booksale. Book lovers, you may want to skip this, because you will be jealous. It’s a huge furniture store full of thousands of books that have been donated throughout the year. They all cost under three dollars. It’s a reader’s paradise! I restrained myself and only bought six books, but, then, we only had an hour. I got some nice old books, including a 150 year old copy of the New Testament in Spanish. No, I’m not Christian, but I picked it up and just couldn’t put it down.

We ran into my friend Phil at the book sale and went out for ice cream with him afterwards, which was fun. He reminds me disturbingly of Montana… Weird.

Oh, oops! I skipped all the drama of the weekend! I’m sorry folks, I’m about to get depressing. So, my baby cousin died. My mom phoned me on Tuesday before classes to tell me. He was still a month from being born. Needless to say, it was a rough week for me, when I wasn’t keeping myself busy. Then, on Saturday morning, Andrew phoned me with that scary sound in his voice, so I ran down to his room to provide what support I could. His grandma was in the hospital. You’ll all be glad to know that she is doing well now. Some of my girlfriends were also having some drama among them, which added to the stress, so all in all, it was an intense time.

On Sunday I went to my aunt and uncle’s who lost the baby. My other aunt and my mom came down to support them and so we had a family evening. It was nice to see everyone, but it was not what you’d call a gay old time. On Monday, Mom and I had dinner together at Pag’s, which was nice. On Tuesday, I skipped class to attend the funeral. It was very Catholic, and very tragic. What do you even say to that? How do you make it alright? They had him cremated, wrapped in a shawl my other uncle had brought them back from Vietnam with a teddy bear my uncle’s mom had made for him. They wrapped the box of his ashes in the baby blanket she had made, and someone was holding it like you would a baby, and it broke my heart. That, and my other aunt’s speech of remebrance, when she said that they wouldn’t have to worry about not knowing who he was when they got to heaven, because he’d be the one running towards them crying “Mom! Dad!”

So… Now that we’re all crying, I’ll move onto something more cheerful. The reception afterwards was as pleasant as something like that can be, and I got to meet my uncle’s family, which was neat. Then I went home and let Andrew take care of me.

On Friday Andrew and I went to another Pride meeting. While they can be a little dry, the people there are such fun it’s definitely worth it. Rene is from Mexico and he’s really fun, and I like speaking to him in Spanish. Especially because then Andrew can’t understand us! That night there was a fundraiser at the Salsa Palace so I went with Steve. We had a lot of fun! Steve is so sweet and enthusiastic I always enjoy time spent with him, and there were lots of other people I knew there. I danced with Spencer a few times and it was so fun! He’s a really good salsa dancer, so I just have to follow him and enjoy myself! I loved being there, too, because it felt so much like being back in Ecuador. They even played a song I recognised from my year there. It made me very happy! Even the skanky women on the huge screen made me happy because it was so Ecuador.

I think I’ll leave it there, and finish up last week later. I have to keep trying to catch up on homework! Take care, and send me and email or at least a post and let me know how it’s going!

I love you!

Mim

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Hello all!

 Sorry I haven’t posted in so long! As the term draws towards its end, the pressure is building on campus and I’ve been trying to keep up on my homework, so that I don’t die at the end of March. Sounds like a good idea, no?

Anyways, I can’t write long right now, because I have to go eat, and then I have to do, guess what? If you guessed homework, you were right! I’m not actually as stressed as I sound, just overtired. Another joy of being a university student. There was a point to this paragraph. Oh yeah! I’m writing this completely pointless post so that you all know I’m still alive and kicking and love you all, I’m just busy.

As a completly random side note, in my Spanish Lit class we’re watching a movie of a play we’re reading, and I swear it’s the Spanish version of Pride and Prejudice only depressing and with everyone wearing black (they’re in mourning). But seriously. Have you ever heard this one before; Five daughters, all un-wed, with little to inherit, wanting to get husbands. And the mother’s insane. I don’t know how it ends, but I suspect it won’t be with a double wedding (unless it’s that that Pepe character ends up wedding both the sisters…). Just to make it confusing, two of the sisters’ names start with M, and the other three with A. Anyways, it’s called La casa de Bernarda Alba, if anyone’s interested. I have no opinion yet, as I have neither read nor seen the ending. I’ll keep you posted.

 Love you all!

 Mim

PS: It sounds like Evan wrote this post… Scary.

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I made it! I managed to get through the week before reading break mostly intact, and it only took me one day to recover! I really was beginning to doubt I would make it.

Why was the week before reading break suicidal, you ask? Well, I don’t know what made suicidal for other people, but for me it was four midterm exams, a visit from one of my best friend, my other best friend’s birthday, the visit of my favourite author, and the ballroom dance formal.  

Monday was fairly average. I went to my classes, studied in the afternoon/evening, then went dancing with Andrew at nine. The class this week took over the floor and the music, so we participated to make numbers more even. It was kind of boring, but at the end I danced the a fellow named Camisa (I have no idea how you actually spell it). He was fun to dance with, and we chatted a bit. He asked me if I was from the Middle East. I was extremely pleased. It was because of my name, of course, but it still made me happy (don’t ask me why, it just did). Unfortunately, I had a lot of energy after holding back to dance with beginners, so I was rather out of time. After exasperating each other, Andrew and I left a little early so we could get snacks from Caps before it closed. We ate outside and I calmed down and enjoyed myself.

On Tuesday I wrote my first midterm, which went quite well (I got it back the next day, and my mark was extremely satisfactory). I studied for a while after lunch, and then went downtown with Sara to meet Olivia, who was in Victoria visiting. We went shopping for Andrew’s birthday, until he and Devin joined us and they bought second-hand suit jackets for singing Valentines the next day (which I explained in my last post). We went back to campus for dinner, then Olivia and I walked down to Hillside to see Guy Gavriel Kay. We were a little later, so heard the last bit of the reading, and then he spoke for a bit.  Then we chatted happily about very English geek subjects while we waited to get our books signed. At last we left the bookstore and went to a little cafe and chatted some more. Then we walked back to campus and shortly after we got back Olivia had to go. It was hard to say good bye (I won’t see her for ten months because she’s on her way to Europe), but we had a wonderful visit, so I refused to be too sad. I had forgotten how interesting the conversations we have are.

Wednesday I went to class and studied as much as I could. I had dinner with Andrew, Sara, and Joelle which was fun. Then I went home and studied some more.

Thursday I wrote my Creative Non-Fiction final and my English midterm, which went respectively alright and quite well. After Latin, I went with Sara to her room and we worked on Andrew’s apron, which I will describe later. Then a bunch of went to dinner, and after that Andrew and I got ready and left for the formal. It was amazing! I had sooo much fun! I mean, really, what’s better than dancing in a pretty dress? There were lots of people we knew there, and a nuber we didn’t. Andrew and I mostly danced together, but I danced with a handful of other guys, and Gwen. She and I have a lot of fun dancing Salsa together. Since Andrew isn’t much of a Salsa person, it works out nicely. Andrew and I mostly danced Swing, and when the music wasn’t swing but we wanted to dance, we made up our own dances. We’re actually getting pretty good at improvising. I was very sorry to have to leave.

On Friday I wrote my final midterm, and then I was done! I went back to DT (where all my friends live), because Diane (Andrew’s mom) had come over and was cooking waffles for us for Andrew’s birthday. We all hung out in the second floor common room and ate the excellent waffles. It was fun, and Diane and Brandon (Andrew’s youngest brother) hung out with us too. We played a game where you had to say what you would do if you were given ten thousand dollars every day, and you had to spend it that day. It was definitly interesting to hear what everybody said. I think Brandon’s was the best: he was going to buy expensive balsamic vinegar and cooking books, and then he was going to buy and island and build a cooking school on it, and then a pyramid. On the other hand, I also was rather entertained by Joyce’s decision: she wanted to buy Nelson and build a huge castle above it, and turn the Orange Bridge into a giant piano. To get in or out of Nelson, you would have to play the song of the day, and if she didn’t like someone she was going to throw them into her dungeons and make them play on out of tune pianos. Yes, we were getting very silly by this point. Something to do with too much whipped cream and lots of friends around, I think.

Eventually, we cleaned up and dispersed. Ironically, Andrew was left on his own, because his oh-so-prepared friends all had to buy/finish making his presents. We reconvened that evening around six and went to Martin’s Place (a restaurant in Cadboro Bay, just down from the university). Fortuitously, a jazz trio from the university was playing there that night, so we had live music and amazing food at the same time. We didn’t talk much.

After dinner, we went to a concert in which Joyce was playing. Joyce is an amazing pianist, and we were all blown completely away by her performance. I honestly didn’t know it was possible to move your hands that fast. She looked beautiful up on stage, and she was played soooo well. The other pianist were good too.

Afer the concert, we went back to DT and ate cheese cake with berries. Diane and Brandon sat with us for a while, then they returned to their hotel room (literally in the next building over). We hung out until midnight, then we gave Andrew his presents. Oh yeah, Andrew’s birthday is actually the seventeenth, but we were celebrating on the sixteenth. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more random gifts. He got a stuffed animal sheep (with no explanation), a bunch of knick-knacks from Chinatown (including a feng-shui compass), socks and a joke magnet. And, the apron, which was the crowning glory, if I do say so myself. We had bought an apron with a bear standing on its hind legs with the word “hungry” written above it. We sewed on pockets and an apron on the bear of crazy fabrics,  and wrote “Mandrew” above “hungry” (Mandrew being one of Andrew’s nick names).

A while later, all twelve or so of us went down to Hollydene beach, and a few people went swimming. And yes, it was one thirty in the morning on February 17, so it was cold! We made it back up to campus by about two thirty, in two different groups. I was in a different group than Andrew, and I wanted to say good bye to him before I went to bed (he was leaving the next morning and there was no way I was getting up to see him off). Since he was having a shower, I chatted with Devein, which I thouroughly enjoyed, as we don’t often get a chance to talk. Then Andrew returned and we chatted for a while longer, because he didn’t want to pack, and me being there gave him an excuse not too. At last I was going to go, but Devin started telling a long story from drama class, so it wasn’t until about twenty after four that I actually left.

Needless to say, I slept in very late that day. In the afternoon, Jen and Andrea and I went to Beacon Hill Park and lazed about above the ocean because we were all too tired to do anything else. We watched French Kiss that evening, and we all went to bed early-ish.

And if that wasn’t an insane week, I don’t know what is! I also think that February 16th is an interesting day for me. I wonder if it has any astrological significance to me? Last year I was kissed by the boy I loved on the 16, and this year, well, I had a very long and interesting day… I wonder what will happen next year?

Love you all!

Mim

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I’ve changed my mind about Heart of Darkness. I reread it for my midterm tomorrow, and I actually rather enjoyed it. It helps to know that even though the physical book I have is over 500 pages long, the actual novel is only seventy-seven. Also, it makes rather more sense the second time, after having discussed it in class. And then, tonight, I had an epiphany. I’m not going to make you suffer through my triumphant explanation. I was just so pleased with myself. I had all this information floating around about symbols and characters and themes and historical background, but it wasn’t tying together. There was no continuity between all the facts. And then suddenly there was. All the little bits and pieces alligned and actually made sense as a whole, and I wrote a spontaneous one page essay. Yes, I’m that much of a dork.

Speaking of being a dork, I got to see Guy Gavriel Kay last night!!! He was very friendly, and a fairly good speaker, though he has an odd voice. He’s younger than I expected, and he looks like he might have walked right out of the Fionavar Tapestry (I can’t explain why, that’s just the impression I got). The Fionavar Tapestry being one of his books, for those of you who have not yet enjoyed his brilliance. When Olivia asked which character he connected to the most, he told us that there’s a certain bearded mosaicist who swears a lot, and that’s him. If you’ve read Sailing to Sarantium and/or Lord of Emperors, you’ll get it, and if you haven’t, you should! Now I have a SIGNED copy of Ysabel (his newest novel) sitting on my bedside table burning a hole in the back of my head. I don’t know how I’m going to make it to Saturday without reading it!

I got a flower today! I’m rather happy about that, even though I’m not much into the whole Valentines thing. It’s a funny story as to why I got it, which is why I’m telling you (I’m not just gloating, really!). As a fundraiser for the choir Andrew and Devin are in, they formed two barbershop quartets (not quintets or sextets - Music Man!), and they sang Valentines all day. They’re really good, and I think it’s a lovely idea (head disappearing in the clouds…). Anyways, at the end of their song, they’re supposed to present a flower and a box of chocolates to whoever they’re singing to. But somehow they forgot to give the flower to someone. So Andrew brought it home and gave it to me. Not being particularly picky, I find the story increases the value of the flower, rather than decreasing it.

I need to go do some work now, I just felt like sharing these thoughts. Take care, my beloved ones!

Mim

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Just so you all know, I’m treating this as a bit of a journal, as I don’t write in one regularly otherwise. So when it seems like I’m putting in a ridiculous amount of detail, it’s as much for my sake as for yours. So I apologise for the endless posts, but I’m just going to keep writing them!

Mim

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Hello!

I feel like it’s been a really long time since I’ve posted, but it hasn’t been that long. Long enough, I suppose. Hopefully I’ll remember everything (I can hear you all thinking “Oh please! Don’t let her remember everything!”). That’s what you get for having a writer as a friend/family member.

On Friday the second Andrew and I went to Swing City. This time we took the bus and actually found the Edelweiss Club. It turned out to be a German community centre, so it’s really cute and very German, which was odd for swing dancing, but whatever. The Edelweiss club was just a little hall, very cozy and friendly. There were quite a few people there, but not so many that there wasn’t lots of room to dance. We stayed for about two hours and danced most of the time (I don’t give Andrew much of a break, poor boy!). It was really fun!

On Saturday Andrew went home and I went out with a fellow named Warren. We had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. I had never eaten Vietnamese food, and it was really good! Then we wandered around downtown and James Bay for a while before going to see Children of Men. It was really good. For those of you who have seen V for Vendetta, it’s a similar concept, but more real and dirty. I very much enjoyed it, but it was rather violent and depressing (it is political commentary, after all).

On Sunday, I didn’t go to dance because I was feeling sick and hoped to nip it in the bud by having a relaxing day at home. I did homework and wrote and read.

Monday night Andrew and I were going to go to Swing, but there was a Pride party that night as well. It started an hour before dancing, so we thought we’d stop in for a bit, then head out to Swing. We got there right on time, so of course they weren’t ready yet, and there was hardly anyone there. Gwen had come with us, and there were a few other people there we knew, so we chatted and started dancing. More and more people showed up, including the person with the dance music. Andrew and I were both having a lot of fun by then, dancing and talking, so we decided stick around a little longer. In the end, we never got to swing. The music wasn’t great, but the company was, and it was fun just to let loose and dance. Apparently dancing salsa and the tango has destroyed all shame I have when it comes to dancing, because I was much more relaxed than I normally am dancing at parties.

The party ended around eleven, and we helped clean up. Then we went to hang out with Chris, Rene, and Felipe (who we met at the party) because they had to wait for their buses. Somehow, we started singing show tunes. It’s so rare that I get to sing with people who know and like the same music as I do, it was a real treat. Then Felipe had to go, and Rene came back from chatting with some other girl and started telling the most awful jokes. For the next half an hour or so, he entertained us with a constant stream of jokes and stories. He’s a lot of fun. Then the bus arrived and he and Chris left. Andrew and I went back to my room and ate some chocolate I had there, because we were both starving by then. We cuddled for a bit. He began to fall asleep, so he tried to leave (very half-heartedly) and I tried to stop him (also rather half-heartedly) and eventually he did leave.

Tuesday I was going to be a good girl and go to bed early, because I was still feeling sick, but I ended up going for a walk with Andrew instead. The next morning I was exhausted out of my mind. I made it through my Spanish classes alright, and then I went down to the Legislative Buildings with Andrew, Joyce, and Joelle for the rally. It was a National Day of Action for students, and we were protesting the high tuition fees. It was a good rally. They had signs that they handed out, and a bunch of speakers. It was kind of fun, but then I started getting hungry, so then I was hungry, tired and sick, which is never a good combination. We went to the Noodle Box for lunch, which was good, but by then exhaustion was really setting in and I was out of sorts. I went back up to campus and studied for my Latin test. I made it through the test, then went home and slept. I have a really hard time sleeping during the day, so I knew I needed it when I fell asleep within fifteen minutes.

That night I went to The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy with Steve. It was very funny. Charles Ross is an excellent mimic, and even though I hadn’t seen the movies in years, I could imagine most of it from his actions. Afterwards, he gave a talk about how he ended up doing the show, which was rather interesting. Then I went down to say hello to him, because he’s an ex-student of my Dad’s, and baby-sat me when I was little. When I told him who I was, he gave me a hug (I felt very cool) and we chatted for a while.

Thursday was quiet, I think. Friday afternoon I hung out with Chris for a while, and he fell asleep on my bed. Again. Sigh. I had dinner with Andrew, and then we decided to go for a walk. I wanted to get off campus, so we decided to try and find Pam and Alan’s house (friend’s of my Dad’s who we stayed with last spring). I knew which street it was on, but I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to recognize their house, so I tried to call Dad. Unfortunately, he was in Vancouver, so I talked with Robin for a bit, and then we continued down the street. A few minutes later, I looked over and saw a house that looked like theirs. Then I noticed the van in the yard, that looked like their van. And then I realized that the man getting out of the van looked like Alan. Sure enough, it was him, so stopped to chat for a bit. After that, we continued all the way down to the end of the street, then came back up to campus. We hung out with Devin and Esme for a while, then we went up to the common room and watched the fourth (original) Star Wars (I had a hankering to see them again since watching the show on Wednesday).

Saturday I spent all morning studying, and a bit of the afternoon. Then I ran out of steam and wrote until dinner. After dinner, I hung out with Sara, Joyce, and Jen, and then we went to the concert that Andrew, Devin, Gwen, and Rene were in. It had a bunch of different university vocal groups in it, and it was really good. We enjoyed ourselves a great deal, especially watching Andrew and Devin sing, and admiring Rene’s costume. Andrew’s parents, grandparents, and youngest brother were also there, and we talked to them a bit, and Diane (his mom) took a couple of pictures of all of us together. Then we went home (the performers remained for the after-party) and I went to bed around eleven.

Much to my surprise, I didn’t wake up until almost ten this morning.  I spent an hour working on my writing assignment, then had brunch and went to dance. Andrew was supposed to come with me, but he was still asleep. Dance was a lot of fun (duh!) and I bought tickets to the formal this week! This afternoon I did some homework, and now I’m procrastinating.

Oh, and as for the title of this post, one of the choirs last night (the UVic Exchange - groan!) sang that song (from the musical Oliver) and did a really good job. It also reminded me of Valentines. Like I could forget! For a festival that doesn’t even merit a day off, there sure is a lot of hype around it! Every store downtown has filled its front window with red and pink, and all the bookstores are advertising self-help relationship and sex books. Not to mention that every group on campus is either using it as a fundraiser or excuse for a party, or both. I think it’s rather cruel to all those of us who have no Valentines. Especially people who have just broken up with their significant other. I’m not complaining on my own behalf, you understand, I just think it’s cruel and unusual punishment.

Oh, and speaking of musicals (I mentioned one about a paragraph ago, remember?), I wore my Music Man t-shirt today to dance, and every other guy I danced with asked me who the music man is. It’s a play! Naturally, I ended up getting Gary Indianna stuck in my head. Sigh.

Take care all, and don’t let Valentines depress you!

Mounds of not-red-or-pink love,

Mim

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Hello!

I’m very cheerful right now, because I had dance this afternoon! I’ve realized that my life basically revolves around dance. All week I look forward to Sunday and Monday, because those are the days I get to dance. If I’m having a particularly bad day, I remind myself of dance. I love it!

This weekend I did a LOT of homework. I spent Sunday morning and most of Saturday working. It was intense. I was planning on doing some more this afternoon, and I did, but not as much as I had originally intended. I just reach my saturation point and I can’t work anymore. So I’m trying to do some of the other things I need to get done, but that don’t have to do with my classes. Like updating you all on my doings!

So, let’s see… Last weekend was fun. On Friday night I hung out with Andrew for while, and then he went off with Jen, Joyce, Sara, Joelle, and Kyla (who was visiting Jen and Joyce) to a party and I ended up chatting with Steve. We talked for almost an hour, sitting in the hall in a building neither of us lives in. Eventually, we decided it was time for bed, and he walked me home before saying goodnight (he’s so sweet!).

On Saturday I went to Pagliacci’s for cheesecake with Andrew, and then we ended up wandering around Beacon Hill Park for the rest of the afternoon. We found a wonderful tree across from the petting zoo, and a monument to Robbie Burns (hooray!). We finally made it back to campus and I don’t remember what we did that evening. The next day we had dance (blissful smile), and that evening we went to see Pan’s Labyrinth with Devin and Esme. It was a great movie, and I loved that it was in Spanish and had fantasy elements, but I spent a third of the movie with my head buried in Andrew’s shoulder. It’s a brutal movie. In the ads, it looks like a fantasy movie, but really, the fantasy is secondary to the civil war story. And no, I’m not talking about the American Civil War, I’m talking about the Spanish one.

So, it’s definitely Wednesday now. I don’t remember what interrupted me, but in any case, it’s three days later now. I’m really confused about the order of events in the last few weeks, so I’m just going to skip ahead to this past weekend because I don’t think anything of note happened that I haven’t already discussed.

On Friday it was absolutely gorgeous out, so I simply couldn’t convince myself to do any homework. Instead I went for a walk. The sun was shining, and I went to visit one of my favourite trees and was extremely content. Shortly after I got back from my walk Chris called, so I went for another walk with him. He went home around five thirty and I went to dinner, where I ran into Sara and Joelle. Sara was desperate to get off campus, so we went to Block Buster to return the videos they had rented. Then we went to Starbucks because Sara wanted something to drink. While we were there, we remembered that Devin’s birthday was on Sunday. So we decided to go get him a cake from Dairy Queen (I apologise to those of you who are cringing at all these big corporations). Then we tried to find him some gifts, but almost everything was closed by then, so we just ended up walking from the edge of Oak Bay to the Parliament Buildings. We did get him some beer from the Nelson Brewing Company (it was his nineteenth birthday, and Joelle is already nineteen, so it’s okay) Then we went home and watched Monsters Inc. It was soooo cute! All three of us were completely enamored of Boo (the little girl). It made me laugh to hear Sara say “I want one!” I couldn’t help agreeing with her.

Saturday I spent most of the day doing homework. I went out for a while in the afternoon with Sara and Joelle to finish shopping for Devin (with no luck whatsoever). After we got back, I did more homework. On Sunday I did some homework in the morning, then I went to dance. Much to my surprise, Andrew was back in time for the classes, and was even early   (he went home for the weekend). Dance was, of course, fun. After dance I started writing this entry.

After I was interrupted in my blog writing, I went to dinner with Sara and Joelle, and then we went back to their room to make cards for Devin. Then we went down to pick up his cake, which took about an hour. We were all ready for him by eight o’clock, but he wasn’t back yet from dinner with his mom. So Jen and Joyce ended up doing Joelle’s hair and makeup. By the time Devin got home, they were in full swing, so then we had to wait until they were finished. Finally, we all paraded downstairs with the cake and presents and cards. Much to our surprise, there were three other guys in the room with Devin and Andrew. We were a little thrown off, but we recovered quickly. Devin seemed rather pleased with the whole affair. After cake, the others started drinking, and Andrew and I went to wash the dishes. Joelle interrupted us because they were lighting sparklers outside. So out we ran and everyone danced about with the sparklers. Literally: Devin taught them all a line dance. I was the photographer. Then we went back inside (thank goodness; I was barefoot!). I left shortly after that, because it was late and they were all drinking anyways.

I made it through Monday. I had a hard time concentrating after dinner because I couldn’t wait for dance to begin. At last it was nine and Andrew and I went to the SUB. We had a lot of fun. Our favourite part of the evening was when the title song from Footloose came on. It’s not really a swing song, so we improvised and sang along, and had a blast. Afterwards I had too much energy to go to bed and we were both hungry so we went back to Andrew’s room and ate popcorn (it was the only thing either of us had to eat). Then we went for a walk. At last, we headed to bed.

Tuesday was mostly uneventful, except for walking in the evening with Gwen and then Andrew. Today I was going to go and donate blood, but I developed a sore throat, so I decided it wouldn’t be a good idea. Instead, I bought orange juice and chocolate and pampered myself. Now I’m relaxing and catching up on the little things I haven’t had time to do because of homework and friends.

I love you all!

Mim

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Hello!

How are you all? I’m quite well! It appears that five hours of dance will keep me going for at least three days. I’ll get to that in a moment, though.

The rest of the week was equally uneventful. I was supposed to give a presentation on Desdemona (from Othello) in my English class on Thursday, but we ran out of time, so it ended up hanging over my head all weekend. I didn’t let it bother me too much, though. Oh, I don’t remember exactly when this happened, but I don’t think I’ve written about it yet, so I’m going to now. In my Writing class (we’re doing Creative Non-Fiction right now) we got into pairs and interviewed each other, then wrote short articles on the person we interviewed. When we brought them to class to be handed in, we swapped them and got to read what the other person had written about us. It was soooo weird to read what this complete stranger had written about me! It was very nice, but it was just so strange! If I ever wanted to be a celebrity, I certainly don’t now. It’s just too disconcerting to read stuff about you.

Andrew went home for the weekend, which made me sad, but the time went by way too quickly. I had lunch on Friday with Steve, which was very nice. I so enjoy him, and I hadn’t seem him in ages. On Friday night I spent some time with Chris, and then I just hung out alone in my room. It was very nice. I just relaxed, did some homework, wrote, and watched the Gilmore Girls. I had forgotten how much I like being a homebody. Saturday I went shopping with Jen and Joyce. We all needed various articles of clothing, and it was fun to hang out off campus. We went for lunch at the really good deli at the end of Government St. Then we went to see the china shop that Jen’s great-grandpa built. It’s a lovely old building, and the china is gorgeous. We finally made it back to campus and did some homework before dinner. After dinner, we got together to read Lord of the Rings. Yes, that’s right; we’re reading Lord of the Rings aloud. It’s so much fun!!!!!!! I got designated as the reader, and I really enjoy it. It satisfies some of my desire to be acting. We all love the story and the characters, so it’s really fun! It’s right up there on my list of favourite things to do, along with dancing.

 Dancing! That’s what I got to do on Sunday! I did homework in the morning, then I went to class. Andrew was going to try to be back for dance, but I didn’t expect him to be, so I wasn’t disappointed when he wasn’t. A lot of people I recognized were at the class, and there were also a lot of new people. I stayed for three classes: Intermediate Swing, Intermediate Ballroom, and Beginner Latin Ballroom. I absolutely loved it!!!!! It felt so good to be moving again! And it was fun to talk to the people I only ever see when I dance. And to meet new people. And mostly just to be dancing! 

Afterwards, I went home and did some more homework before dinner. I ate dinner with Jen and Joyce, and then we read some more of Lord of the Rings (from now on, I’m going to abbreviate that to LOTR). Then we hung out doing not much of anything for a while. Eventually, Jen and I started looking at housing options in Victoria (it’s fun to look at the pictures). Andrew finally got home, and joined us. Finally, we went to bed shortly before midnight.

Monday I finally did my presentation, and it went quite well indeed. I was nervous just before I went up, but once I started talking, I was fine. And my teacher seemed to approve, so I’m pleased. Nothing else of note happened that day until nine thirty.  Then Andrew and I went to the new Swing club’s first meeting. It was in the SUB, which is about two minutes walk from where we live, so very convenient. The room’s got a passable dance floor and a good sound system, so it’s ideal. There was no class this week, so they just put on the music and let us dance. It was wonderful! Andrew and I danced together the whole time (we were feeling exclusive, or excessively affectionate, or something like that). It was good to practice some of the things we hadn’t done in a while. Andrew decided it was a perfect oppurtunity to experiment, so some of our steps were rather unconventional, and some were disasters, but we had a lot of fun. Even when Andrew decided to see how far we could move while dancing (swing is supposed to stay in more or less the same place), or when he wanted to see how many times he could get me to spin. Who said Andrew was allowed to have control?

I slept very well that night, and then had an easy day on Tuesday (I only have two classes). I spent some time with Michael, and then with Chris. I had dinner with Andrew and Joyce, then begged Andrew to come and study in my room, so I would stay focused. I studied at my desk while he read on my bed. I thought we were doing remarkably good job at staying focused, until I turned around and realized that Andrew was fast asleep! He woke up a little later, and I gave up on studying. We chatted for a bit, and then he showed me how to download Firefox and use iTunes. Then, of course, we got to listening to music. We listened to the Arrogant Worms, who I’ve decided I like a great deal. Then I played him some of my music, and then he played me a podcast he likes to listen to. It’s by an emphatically gay man from the States who has a PhD in communications. It’s a baffling mix of insightful political and social commentary, and shameless humour. I don’t know if I could listen to all 200 episodes, but I did enjoy it. Then it was late and Andrew went home and we both went to bed.

Today I had my Spanish classes in the morning. My grammar teacher was especially entertaining this morning (the title is a quote from her). In my Spanish Lit class, we read an unbelievably depressing story. And of course, because it’s a lit class, we had to discuss it, so the full weight of its horror sunk in. Bleh! I knew there must be happy lit out there somewhere! I had lunch with Steve and Andrew, then started reading Heart of Darkness for English. Oh my gosh! Talk about dense! I mean, I read all five volumes of Les Miserables, and enjoyed them. I love Shakespeare, and Jane Austen rates in my top five authors, but this is ridiculous! On the rare occasions something actually happens, it takes so long to wend your way through the excessive verbiage, that it loses all its impact by the time you actually get to it! I apologise to anyone who likes the book, I’m just horrified at the thought of having to make it through this book in two or three weeks. Sigh.

I had a Latin test, which was fairly easy, except for there were a lot of little words (prepositions and conjunctions, etc), and I have such a very hard time remembering what each one of them means. Then I met Andrew at the library and found Tigana so he could read it before Guy Gavriel Kay comes to Victoria. Let me repeat that: Guy Gavriel Kay is COMING TO VICTORIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t even think about it without getting worked up! For those of you who now think I’m crazy, Guy Gavriel Kay is my FAVOURITE author, and, because I’m a writer, therefore my hero. So I’m just a little excited. Anyways, it was fun trying to find the book in the huge library we have here. It’s kind of like a puzzle, involving books and walking, which are two of my favourite things.

I’ll leave you there, because I should really go do some homework (Heart of Darkness is breathing down my neck!). Take care!

I love you all!!

Mim

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