Epic

These last few days have been momentous!

Saturday, we had a party and my brother (who lives in Fort St. John) came down to see me which was really nice: I haven't seen him in ages!

We had a barbecue, and a fire and had some friends over, it was great.
That night we had one odd encounter and one act of anarchism. We realized early on that we didn't have enough wood for the fire. After searching the block, we decided to steal from corporate america by removing the palates being used as blockades for the drive-in at dirty bird (aka KFC) it was beautiful!

We were also digging gardens. The back garden went really well, and the dirt looks amazing, I can't wait to plant!!
We dug out oval-shaped gardens in the front for flowers, and were asked by a pair of inebriated adolescents whether we were digging a grave. We told them that, yes, we were, and that our cat had recently died, may he rest in peace. They told us they were very sorry for our loss, so we took two pieces of the broken dirty-bird palate and some candles and prayed in front of the flower garden. It was great. Certain unnamed members of our party then sang the american anthem in front of the "grave" ... may they now rest in peace ...
I also started working as a landscaper this Monday ... what a hard shift, from brainwork all day to body work all day ... I feel exhausted. On my first day, the hiring agency couldn't find my resume, or the wage we had agreed on, and I was told on the spot that I had to travel South, outside of the city limits (probably 20 km away). "Oh, you don't have wheels?" They asked, which had not been (like many things, I was to find out) discussed over the phone when I was hired. Thankfully my brother was in town, and was able to drive me there on my first day. It was a disorganized morning, one in which I wasn't really sure that I would get a ride back home or whether I would be able to commute with anyone to and from work until my brother had left. It's all good now, and I'll be making $15/hr and working about 10 hour days for the next four months. I was told today, that I might end up being a crew chief as I seem "responsible", life is good!

Ali still loves her job at the library too ... life is good!

School is Done!

I wrote my last exam yesterday ... and school is done.

It feels so nice to not HAVE to do anything right now! It's also hard to believe that it's done ... my first year of science ... it's just been a big blur of business, ration, memory, assignments and flashcards.

So today, I'm organizing the place ... probably read a little bit, learn some German verb conjugations, and get some books out of the library on web programming ...

It's going to be a good summer!

The worst is over!

Two 3 hour tests today!! I've been eating flash cards and mathematics all weekend ... and now it's done!
Only one more test on Thursday, then I'm done the semester!! I can't wait ... biking, reading, practicing, jamming, learning German ...

Ali had her first day on the job this week, and she's really enjoying it - a good paying office job in a field she loves - Library Administration! She's really excited.

I was turned down for the research gig that I was looking forward to because the researcher didn't get the grants she wanted, and couldn't afford to hire me, but I got a call back the other day on a landscaping job that pays $15 to start, and hopefully, I will be able to do some research this fall with a lady in the Nutrition department.

So it's been a really good day ... we went out for dinner and were happy, watching the sun move towards setting.

Couldn't ask for more.

Ironic

Cats

We took Lina out the other day while we were studying outside ... she seemed to like it, but the leash was a bit of a restraint. We tied her to the picnic table as we were a little afraid she might run away. Since our cats are from the SPCA they were probably strays for some period of time:


Also, as one graduate present for Ali, we got a new Orange cat, which Ali has named Rilke:

End of School

I haven't posted in a while, I know ... I've been studying studying studying like a good little science student.

I have a physics exam tomorrow, genetics and chemistry on Monday and then Biology next Thursday!! And then I'm done.

And this summer ... so many plans!

I can practice. Ali will teach me German while I teach her jazz theory. I will make a website, study Einstein's theory of relativity, study classical music theory (I found a ton of scores at the thrift shop for really cheap - $15 for a foot high stack) and just generally do whatever I want!! It will be fabulous.

Just a little worried about work ... I still haven't heard back about research so I'm applying to work industrially, or at a hotel or restaurant or something ...

Ok, so New Easter didn't work so well

No, not this time around. The banks were too steep on the North Saskatchewan, and, well, the feminine side in me just wasn't quite as extreme as I seemed to think it was.

But, I did find a neat Buddhist quote on rebirth:

(Paraphrased):

If a candle exists, is extinguished and is lit again, is it not true that the first flame is the same as the second, having the same basic constituents?

Is it not also true that it is different?