Behaving

I am resisting the urge to write my own post, and instead focusing on studying. So in place of my own thoughts please read this. It is funny.

Totally Weird

So I checked out this link that my friend had put up on FB.

I was just playing around, and I did the little questionnaire, guessing what I imagine most of the guys I know would say about me. And damned if I didn't get told to buy myself the perfume I ALREADY HAVE. Totally weird.

K. Back to work now.

Amphetamines would probably be cheaper

Two years ago, in November, it rained so much here in Vancouver that the water treatment facilities couldn’t get all the silt out of the public drinking water. As a result, there was a boil water advisory, because with all the silt in the water, the authorities couldn’t be sure that all the bacteria had been removed. As a result of the advisory, and the timing that it was made (late on a weekday evening, I believe) Starbucks, and numerous other coffee shops simply were not able to prepare coffee.
I remember a newspaper article that came out, from a paper out east, maybe the Globe and Mail, about the advisory and subsequent events. There was a line in the article, which went something like, “In Vancouver, where people carry around their Starbucks coffee cups like baby-bottles…”
This line has stayed in my mind ever since. Especially this time of year, with terrifying exams looming, and small joys few and far between, my coffee cup is my pacifier, my soother, my comfort object. I take the utmost pleasure from wrapping my hands around a steamy, aromatic cup. It's gotten a little extreme in the last little while, though. I've realized that, when I don't have a coffee with me, and I see someone who does, I am irrationally jealous. I want to beat them up and take their coffee.

Admittedly, I may have a problem.

I have no intention of doing anything about it until at least December 18. And probably not until 2009.

Good thing I'll have one to visit soon!

Last night I went to my friend Melania's birthday BBQ at her home. Melania is a friend from Law School who happens to be married with two adorable children. She also happens to have many friends who have adorable children and babies. I got to hold the two month old for about half an hour while his Mama had some dinner. It's so funny when the parents are all like, "Are you sure you don't mind???" and feel really guilty about making some poor girl hold the baby for ages, when I'm all like, "Hey, what's that over there?" and running out the door with the kid.

Seriously, the evening made me get baby fever.

And then someone I know posted this on Facebook:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

It did not help.

A retelling

I mentioned before that the reception desk at school is called the fishbowl, for it's semi-circular round glass window structure. There is also a room at school known as the Fish room. It is the Law Students Legal Advice Program office, where we can work on files, call clients and do research. I was working on some LSLAP stuff last week when I realized I had left my ring in the classroom.

So, I when I realized I had lost my FISH RING, I was in the FISH ROOM. And then somebody turned my FISH RING into the FISH BOWL.

Eh? EH? :)

Dolphin, fish, whatevs.

Us and Them

When I went to UofC the parking services guys drove around campus in Ford Explorers.

Here at UBC they drive SmartCars.

Lost and Found

I have a really bad habit of constantly playing with my jewelry. I am constantly pulling on my pendants, pulling my rings on and off and taking off my bracelets and watches and swinging them around on my finger.
The other day in class I was fiddling with the ring I wear on my left index finger, a silver dolphin that my brother sent to me from India for Christmas, and I wound up dropping it on the floor. It was too far away to just lean over and pick it up, so I thought "I must remember to pick that up when class is over."

I did not remember. Until 30 minutes after class. It was already gone. And believe me, I looked. On my hands and knees.

I was pretty sad, since I wear the same five rings every-day and none of them are really replaceable. And I was ticked off at myself for 1) playing with my jewelry so much that I end up throwing it on the floor and 2) forgetting to pick up the ring after class.

Today I checked with the receptionist at law school (we call it the fishbowl because of the glassed in design of the desk) and lo and behold, someone had turned it in to the lost and found.

Kind of a pointless story, eh? I mean, really, I lost my ring. But I got it back. Whoa. Epic.

Gimme a break. It's less than 3 weeks until exams start. At this point you're lucky to get anything.

Running may be hazardous to your health

Today was a really beautiful day, and when I got home at around dusk, I decided to go for a run, and enjoy the fact that although it was nearly dark at 5:15, it wasn't raining. I run after dark pretty often, but I think that I am smart about it. I stick to pretty main roads, stay out of parks and stuff, and I don't go out late. It was still rush hour when I went out today, so there were tons of cars around.
The route I took this evening had me running North along East Boulevard to get home. For those who don't know, East Boulevard is a residential street that runs parallel to the now defunct railway tracks that run parallel to busier Arbutus street. I really like running North on East Boulevard because it has a nice view of the mountains, and the railway tracks have a grassy area alongside them. When it's light out, I run on that part, but tonight, since it was dark I was running on the street, on the left side, facing what would be oncoming traffic, if the street were busier.
I'm running along, minding my own business, when I see, about 20 ft ahead of me, something moving beside the tracks.

A coyote.

Shit.

I started running away, over to the sidewalk on the other side of the street.

He followed me!

I was just about wetting my pants at this point. I was sure he was going lunge for my leg any second. But when I got into a brightly lit spot under a street lamp, he turned away and went back towards the tracks. My heart was just about exploding out of my chest. I warily watched the coyote trot off for a while, and then decided it was safe to continue my run.

A few blocks later a cat darted out in front of me and I wet my pants.

Kidding. But almost.

ENOUGH ALREADY

I cannot freaking believe this. It is just too weird.

Just got an email from PADI, the society that certifies SCUBA divers. I get about 2 emails from PADI per year. Just so happens that I get one this week. Is that too weird, or am I over-reacting?

Dear Universe, Please stop screwing with me. Sincerely yours, H.

Tonight, after a wretched night sleep last night, and about 6 hours of wading through my Corporations textbook, I decided to head to the pool for a nice swim. Swimming always tires me out and makes me feel relaxed. I love sticking my head underwater, and focusing on nothing except the mechanics of my strokes.

There was a SCUBA diving class taking place in the lane next to mine.

It, um, brought back a few memories. And I wasn't quite as focused on my strokes as I wanted to be.

Stupid Universe.

Um

I don’t think it gets weirder than this. I really don’t.

So, about three years ago I took my first SCUBA diving course. And for the very first time in a long time, I made a new friend. You know, other than at work, or through other friends. I met this really cool girl, and we started hanging out, and became great friends. We took our advanced diving class together. We went running. We went out to breakfast and stuff. It was really awesome. It’s an odd experience, making new friends as an adult, and I felt really lucky to meet a nice person that I connected with.

About a year went by. At a certain point, we hadn’t hung out in a while. I sent an email suggesting breakfast. Nothing. I called and left a voicemail. I apologized for not being in touch for so long. Nothing. I sent one more email. I’m pretty sure I apologized once more. Nothing.

I’ve never really shared this story, because it made me feel so sad and hurt. I was, like, dumped. How lame is that? I wasn’t devastated or anything, but I was sad that things hadn’t worked out. I figured maybe she thought I had neglected our friendship, and not been very available, and thought it wasn’t worth hanging out with anymore. There was also this guy, one of the instructors we had taken our courses with, that she had started dating. I thought maybe, maybe, she was one of THOSE girls. You know, who ditch their friends as soon as a guy comes on the scene. At any rate, I thought two emails and one voicemail unanswered was enough of a hint, and I moved on. I had a lot going on anyway; it was around the time of the BIG CHANGES. C’est la vie, right? Sometimes people just drift apart.

So last night a girl walks into the curling club and my jaw drops. “C_?” She turns around. “H_? Oh my god!”

It was a moment of amazing confusion, and more emotions than I thought was possible to feel simultaneously. We hugged. We chatted. We started catching up (She was there to fill in on a friends team). I told her all about the BIG CHANGES, mentioning, of course, that I wasn’t with Mark anymore. And then I asked about D_, the guy she had been seeing when last we talked.

And her face changed. A lot.

There had been an accident. Last November. Diving on a wreck near Nanaimo. D_ didn’t make it to the surface.

Um.

Again, more emotions than I thought could happen at once.

I don’t know how to feel about this. I feel horrible for her – what a horrific thing to experience. I cannot imagine the grief, the guilt, the loss. She must have been devastated.

I feel ashamed that I wasn’t there, that I didn’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have written off our friendship so easily. I now feel really silly, that I didn’t call one more time, at least let her know when my number changed when I moved. How could I just move on so callously? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe she never meant to dump me. Maybe I could have been there for her.

I feel devastated that D_ died. He was a really great person that I genuinely liked a lot. I feel horrified imagining what it could be like to be trapped underwater, and watch your air slowly disappear and know you couldn’t make it out. Or maybe he hit his head, and never knew what happened. I don’t know. I can only speculate. But it is terrifying to think about and it makes me feel very cold inside.

I also have no idea what happens next. We exchanged phone numbers. We agreed to see each other soon. I want to see her again. I think. But I feel so weird. So awkward. I feel like I owe an apology. But does she as well? I still feel a little hurt. But I feel like that’s really, really petty, given what happened to her and D_.

Does it even matter any more? Maybe it’s like, whatever, water under the bridge. Sometimes things happen, and you drift, but I think you can always give it another go. It’s always worth having another somebody you care about.

Um.

I could seriously stay up all night thinking about this. I hope I don’t.

This makes me want to cry. Or vomit. I can't decide.

The land of the free. (Unless you're gay!)

Forget for a moment about the civil right issues, although they are terribly relevant, and just think of it like this:

This is simply bullying, exclusion and school-yard meanness of the highest order. Everyone, everyone, has been subject to some kind of exclusion in their life, has been left out of an event or club. Everyone knows how much it hurts to be told "You don't belong. You can't play with us." I have felt it many times. But such slights as I have experienced cannot even begin to compare to the exclusion from a basic societal rite that the vast majority of the public participate in. I cannot imagine the sting of being told that you can't marry the one person in the world you want to recognize as your partner. To be told that your love is not as legitimate as others'. To be told that, although what you want to do harms no one, the community will not allow you do it. That the law will not afford to your partner the protections and privileges that it otherwise would, if your partner were not the same gender as you.

It really does make me want to weep, this injustice to thousands of kind, good people, this stratification of the human race. And to me, it has effectively destroyed any respect I gained for the American voting public as a result of Obama's being elected. Sure, great, they're all patting themselves on the back for making history and electing a black president, but they still hate queers.

I call bullshit.

It has already started

The album I recommended yesterday? They were playing it at the shop I bought my coffee at this morning.

I rule.

So far about 97 out of 150

For my birthday, my brother gave a humorous book called “Stuff White People Like”, which is based on the blog of the same name. The book is essentially a list of 150 things that white people are fans of. The book is both hilarious and accurate.

Number 41 on the list is “Indie Music” and within the description of this item is something I identify with very strongly. “To a white person, being a fan of a band before it gets popular is one of the most important things they can do with their life.” It is so true. I have never felt cooler than when I love something first, and then everyone else catches on.

I picked up a CD two weeks ago, and I think it is my big chance. I am hereby recommending the band Black Kids. I am not entirely sure that they are not already too cool, but I don’t think they have had a ton of commercial success yet. But I am certain that they will. They kind of remind me of the Killers, only they have even more energy, and sexier and catchier lyrics. It’s not a deep, life-changing album or anything, but it is damn fun to listen to, and I am certain it will be a big hit.

And then I can say, “Oh yeah, I was totally blogging about them last November.”