Miryam’s Blog

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