4 posts tagged “friends”
Is that how you write that? For all of you who don't like to comment, just send me an e-mail so I can fix it and look a little less neanderthalesque.
Tomorrow I am hosting for my book club's meeting. Generally, I am one to stress about these things. However, I'm not putting the pressure on myself to be perfect. I think we will have nachos and cupcakes. A little salty, a little sweet. (I find out tonight if I can go back to sugar.) And some wine, that I will not be consuming. (I'm driving to the ecological centre of the province immediately after. Please note, I am not with child.)
The living room is clean, the kitchen will be without a problem. No worries.
Except that my house isn't really designed for a fight.
You know how women are. Someone says something and then someone is offended and then there is tension and then things just aren't fun anymore? That's the gist of the situation.
Thank goodness my post book-club plans are good. If it's bad, I'll pack my back, throw them the keys and leave!
The title is adapted from a song.
Airports would sure be more fun if Wi-Fi was free. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just google my way around cyber space while waiting for my flight to leave? Since it’s a 4-hour layover, I’m still waiting for my gate to be announced, let alone see any sign that a flight will leave with me on it. In fact, there is a flight leaving for Saskatoon now, which would almost get me home sooner than the Regina flight.
I went to Montréal for another crazy weekend of fun and excitement! I was in Montréal for 72 hours. I visited with 17 people. I met 9 people. I saw 0 good looking males. That’s because I’m a smitten kitten, and when I’m a smitten kitten, good-looking male specimen cease to exist.
Upon arrival, it took about 30 minutes for my French to snap back into shape. The School Board should be coughing up professional development funds for me because little trips like this do so much for my French. It felt like a metamorphosis took place in my head. I started to think in French, words were creeping out of dusty unused corners of my brain. The rhythm changed as I listened to two bus drivers lament (loudly) about piddly discontments in life. Oh, how I love you, Montréal, and your exaggerations. It reminded me of whom I used to be. Not that I don’t complain now, it’s just a different kind of complaining. A whiny sort of complaining, to be precise. Back in 2006 when I was fully integrated into Montréal culture, my discontent was exaggerated and expressed just as loudly as everyone else. It’s not just about speaking; it’s about sighing and shrugging, moving eyebrows and moving your lips. English people just don’t get their lips out of joint the way that French people can do it. Eh ben.
Saturday, I brought friends together. They are from different cultures, have different backgrounds and different ways of knowing me. I was the connector, bringing these people together, strictly for my own fun and enjoyment. And salvation. An early and long flight, preceded by a fairly sleepless night, followed by little to no nourishment, meant that I was in no shape to be entertaining. Thank the Lord that I am not a regular coffee drinker, so it has a strong and helpful effect on me. We met at a bring your own wine restaurant, where nobody seriously indulged. I didn’t even touch the wine until the food arrived. You see, I will soon be 30 so I have to practice being smart. Still, a little wine was necessary since we were going to being doing some karaoke! I was nervous. I do not fancy myself to be a talented singer. I knew that we were renting a private room, but I still imagined that I would have to stand in front of my friends and perform. But guess what! Céline Dion is not one of my friends. None of my friends try out for Canadian Idol. Nobody has a miraculously beautiful voice. We all chose songs and took turns holding the mike, but everyone sang along for most of the songs. It was so much fun!
Sunday I traveled. Across to the South Shore for brunch, up to Laval for supper. I didn’t treat the metro like a bullet train. That’s how I often think of it. As though, because it’s its own little entity of transportation, laws of physics don’t apply and it can transport me in a matter of seconds. Not true. I did calculate this factor into my plans, so at least when I was late, I knew it from the get go. Not that it was helpful to know. I don’t own a cell phone and I left my address book in my living room. Some numbers I was able to get, by some numbers I could not. So instead of calling the people I had plans with for brunch on Sunday, I just showed up late. I got to see the cutest baby in the world. I would post a photo, but his maman doesn’t allow for such nonsense. You will have to trust me that he is really, truly just the cutest! It’s really quite something that he is only 10 months old, but I have seen him 3 times in his short little life. His parents commented on how they see me more often than some of their friends that live in their area code! I think that I see them more often than some of my friends in my own area code as well.
Late Sunday afternoon, I took the metro under two rivers to meet friends in Laval for supper. So fun! I wish I could see them more often. As they have family here, they really should come and visit.
Meanwhile, I forgot that plans had been tentatively made for me to meet a friend in Montréal. Oops. So she called a mutual friend, who knew that I had gone to the South Shore. Mutual friend called the Parents, who knew that I had left. So for my friends, I had disappeared without a cell phone! I feel awful for causing the stress.
Monday I saw my school friends and we chatted like we had seen one another the day before, except of course, we had a lot to say. We ate supper in Little Italy, which for me is a reason to go to Montréal all in itself.
Tuesday I met one last friend for breakfast and power shopped to buy a new coat, squeaky cheese, stuff from Yves Rocher, a post card (that will be sent to my special someone’s school!! Heh heh heh) and apples. I’m officially a snob. I think that apples from the market in Montréal are better than our apples. Because they are. Then I prayed to God that I would find a taxi because I was already 10 minutes late. I was lucky. I was even at the airport early.
Now I’m back to real life. Lots of work. It’s a little scary. However, the fact that I erased 72 hours from the report card deadline relaxes me. It will come and I will be done because I will have to be. So the sooner it comes, the sooner the awfulness of report cards is done.
Jason and I were talking about which date was which, and he said that since I blog, I would have them all documented anyway. Oops! I really haven't been doing that much documenting. But this blog isn't for documenting, it's for talking about how tired I feel and how busy I am. I really should do some more documenting, but I am concerned that you, my readers, would want to puke. You see, every date is like Valentine's Day! I told Jason that and he said I'm pretty easy to please. Well to me it feels like Valentine's Day because we do something special each time we see each other. That is what makes it great that we live a little bit far apart; we make the best of the time that we do have.
I was super spoiled for a while. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I saw him AND met his family! I was a little nervous, but they are very nice. His sister made the most delicious salmon I have ever tasted. As I blogged about earlier, he stopped in on Thanksgiving Monday. And then again on Thursday, as he had a meeting in the city, and then on Saturday! It was great!
He even came on the Thursday with presents! A car freshener for my new car a lululemon toque that I had been coveting. It's spandex with a hole for my ponytail - perfect for skating. Or if I wanted to run in the winter. Heh.
Saturday we went to two parties, because I am just that cool. The first was in celebration of my friend Dawn's convocation. She and I both graduated with our BA in Arts on Saturday. Maybe that should be a post on it's own. Except the content of the post would be the following: l worked really hard and I got my degree. I saw her brand new baby boys, who are so, so cute! Then I went to a friend's housewarming. This party was a little less baby friendly. There were tons of people that I knew, and didn't know that they knew each other! Lots of fun.
Until the incident. A crazy man (at the party) approached me and asked me who I voted for. Well, if I don't tell the internet, I'm certainly not telling him. Did you know that this makes me smug, uneducated and uninformed? I had no idea! And these thoughts were projected onto me in a rather disturbing and aggressive manner. I didn't like it, so I left the room. Did you know that leaving the room makes ma a bitch? It sure does! And that's what he loudly called me. Jason heard at that point, and was not overly impressed. I am happy to report that I am dating a lover, not a fighter, although he wanted to clock him. Especially after crazy man added some other colourful language to his description of me. I mentioned it to the hostess, and she felt really bad. Totally not her fault, she has absolutely nothing to feel bad for. All she did was host a great party!
I've never, ever been called such names before and it's a little unnerving, but it is not deeply affecting my perception of myself :) I'm a tough cookie, well, no, I'm really not, but I can handle that a crazy man saying crazy things.
The other day I was chatting in French to my friend Banana, because sometimes we do that. Just for fun. I was telling her that I would be going up to Saskatoon for Willy's Stagette and Shower. Stagette in French translates to Burial of a young girl, you know, one last kick at the can, one last night to live it up before becoming a lonely and desperate housewife. What a bright outlook on marriage. Anyway, Banana had never heard this expression and wondered why I was so casually mentioning the burial of Willy's little girl.
At 28, I am becoming a Wedding Shower Champion. I am very good at the games, I'm starting to learn the tricks. One game included creating a veil. This was a team event. We wisely chose to dress the 5-year old and were rewarded with points for the cuteness factor.
The shower was followed by dinner at a Mexican restaurant, not Las Palapas but Amigos, which was also very good. I don't know exactly where it was, but just East of Broadway because we walked to the Hose and Hydrant. There was some sort of Ultimate Frisbee tournament wind-up going on, so there were quite a few people when we arrived. Willy danced her heart out all night. The alchohol was super cheap ! $3.75 for Paralyzers ! It was great !
There must be something about stagettes that attract the younger male.
I hope you all enjoyed this attempt at photos. I don't know how much Peru I will post, it's not very easy and I'm not very good at it. We'll see how much free time I feel that I have !
