An Early Chrismakkah Present

Life is so busy and hectic and crazy, but I merely wanted to mention, before it slips my mind, that I have the bestest, cutest, most adorable flatmates ever. They decorated the flat in spirit of the holidays, and Sophie and Jo made me a menorah out of pipe cleaners, and even put a Jewish star on top of the Christmas tree, which is so sweet!! mwaa! I've been so terrible at staying on track with studying, which I really should do considering I won't be home for a while starting a week from Saturday, plus I'm now addicted to pilates and semi-addicted to yoga, and very addicted to running, and of course, if you know me, very much attached to my coffee, but there are certainly worse things. Ok, I must go back to work.....

5 Canadians, 4 Brazilians and 1 American in Edinburgh

Wow, it's definitely been a great and memorable weekend. On Friday afternoon, myself and 9 others headed off to Edinburgh, Scotland (pronounced Edinbrugh- thanks Anna). After the 10 of us rented 2 cars, we had quite the journey trying to get there- we spend an hour circling around Leeds trying to find the highway, and another hour in Edinburgh trying to find the hostel, making a normally 3.5-4 hour journey into something more like 8 hours. But alas, we did arrive after a long car ride, with me the navigator, and Francois the driver, as the passings of time were marked by sleepiness, David and Steph's philosophical conversation in the background, and a dinner stop at a gas station mmm.

Upon arriving, we were surprised, but intrigued to find that our hostel is actually a church, with a bunch of walls put up for dorms, with doors that do not lock from the outside, and insulation for roofing. Very interesting, a little cold, but decent nonetheless (to be expected for 10 pounds a night). That night we headed to a cute festive Mexican restaurant for some food and drink, and then to a local bar for some dancing and drinking with the locals. I tired quickly, and we headed back to the hostel sometime after 1.

The first thing we did Saturday, after eating our own specially bought/ prepared breakfasts, was see Edinburgh castle, and take a few snapshots along the way. THe castle, of course, is up a HUGE hill, which we had to ascend, a great morning workout. At the top we tried to take a group photo with the castle, but the guy taking the picture managed to completely cut out the castle.... We took a guided tour through the castle, saw the memorial, the royal jewels that were so well protected through the ages, as well as some Scottish history, all highlighted by David losing his bag beside a cannon. Thankfully, someone turned it in...

We then went for a stroll through the city, saw an awfully nice lad playing the bagpipes- Steph and David bought him a coffee (it must have been cold wearing a kilt), stopped at some Scottish touristy stores, walked around a bit, visited the Writers Museum and the Children's Museum (an arrayed display of old toys). Steph, David, Nicole and I had a nice candlelit dinner at an Italian restaurant. We then headed out to the carnival, in of course, what else, the pouring rain. In fact the power on the ferris wheel and carousel momentarily went out, and we smartly opted not to take a ride on it... NEvertheless it was absolutely stunning- we had seen the spectacular display of lights Friday night while driving lost around the city- which looked like a winter fairy tale wonderland to me with the castle and all. There were plenty of rides, an ice rink, and little booths of European culture. I absolutely loved them- the most memorable include: a German chocolate booth (gave us free delicious samples. mmm), a Belgian waffle and crepe booth, Fried Punch Wine- I think it was, red wine with fried sugar- I didn't try any of these :( sadly I was too full from dinner. There were also booths selling nut crackers, custom German Christmas wreaths, and sooo much more. I felt like I got a taste of Europe- a prelude to my winter travels soon to come!!!

After spending an hour or 2 in the rain, we headed to a bar, Brodie's Tavern, or something of the sort, named after an ordinary man who gambled excessively in the evenings and accumulated a huge debt and resorted to all sorts of extreme measures to pay them. It was a very decorated bar with locals and tourists alike, and many men in kilts and rugby shirts, as there was a huge game between Scotland and Australia that day (saw many Australians too). We were soon joined by the rest of the gang minus Anninha and Renata who went to bed. THe entire night we were bothered by this drunk married man who wouldn't leave us alone, and his friends had to keep him away from us- must have been really really drunk! We called it an early night and got back to the hostel by 1-130 (though that's not really early- it was the intention) for by this point we were compltetely and utterly exhausted!!!

THe next morning we woke up to climb a mountain! (Anna, what's it called again?) Very spontaneous and fun, though it was planned the night before that gave us stunning views from the top. Though we didn't have the proper gear, we managed to climb all the way to the top and enjoyed a panoramic view of the city, all before noon. All this climbing had made us hungry so all of us went out to TGI Friday's (yes, in Scotland) for lunch- just talking about it makes me hungry. We then drove to the Roslin Chapel in Rosslyn, Scotland- built in the 14th century (or so, I think), and is also discussed in the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I must say that it was an utmost beautiful church- with it's gothic, precisely crafted stone walls, I have never seen anything like it. Although the church, by neglect, had been previously left in a rather bad state, it is nevertheless a sight to see. There is so much detail, crafstmanship on every wall, every pillar, every cealing, every archway, that it is just amazing and stunning.

We drove home Sunday night, arrived back before midnight. I had a test in my cognition, emotion, motivation class this morning - completely unassessed. I studied only for a bit, but I am relieved to find that I am on the right track! wheeeeew. Also, I found out I have 5 exams and an essay in the span of the 2nd week or so in Dec, after all the travelling, so I'm going to get cracking on that now. Poor steph has 4 exams and an essay in 3 days.

Today's hockey game was a true North American event. It was the funnest game I've ever played- 6 on 6. Unfortunately, we have never lost by such a miserable margin, which i won't even mention, but the fun is all that matters. We did play pretty well, despite the fact that I am a terrible goalie. The other team was just so rediculosly hardcore that it was just funny. Belly dance tonight was also a cause for a smile- it was a fun class, although 2 hours is a little too long for me.

Steph and I are in the process of booking our vacation- Go to London for a day, fly to Frankfurt for 10 pounds, take the train to Berlin for a couple days (which surprise, surprise, is when Matty will coincidently be there), take a train to Brussels to stay with Anna for a few days with Nicole- perhaps take day trips to Brugges, Antwerp or some other city, then head to Geneva to visit my cousin Robyn for a couple days or so, then head to some other Swiss spot, perhaps Interlaken. Then we are flying back to spend Christmas perhaps in Manchester, and studying hardcore then after (with an interruption for New Years of course). Wow..... I'm excited!

All I want to do right now is sleep, so good night!

An Absolutely Fabulous (Extended) Weekend!

After that last posting, I should announce that the McMaster special considerations committee has decided to give me some money for notetaking! whew, so I should be ok!

Bugger, I've been so bad at keeping these posts, because the longer back I must recall, the more I seem to forget what happened! Thursday night was fun! Steph, Brianna, and I, and the belly dancing society for that matter, took Amy and Amy to the belly dancing bar! I do love that place, even though it was only a short night out!

Amy's friend John was here for the weekend so on FridaY we went to a very interesting bar, called Birdcage which put on a drag queen show every hour. Although we only did stay long enough to see one show I must say it was a very unique and unparalleled spectacle, and I am surprised to say that it seemed to be otherwise a very normal bar/club. But, nonetheless, I probably won't go back there any time soon.

I started off Saturday with a glorious sleep in, FINALLY, which was so nice, and then headed to Morrison's for some groceries, with Steph and Anna, and we cooked dinner together that night (Anna did most of the work)!! mmmm, t'was very good, so thank you! Saturday night, Steph and I went out with a bunch of international students at Montague to Burboun, one of my favourite bars.

Now, Sunday should have also been a much needed sleep in day, but sometime between the time of 12-1230 in the afternoon (which felt like morning to me), I was woken up by Anna, who told me that Steph was here, and of course, I told her to bugger off so I could go back to bed. A minute later I am being woken up by Steph, Anna, Anninha, Renata and Ola, all of which who were demanding that I make them pancakes like I had said I would. I am not a morning person, so only after did they open the blinds so that the blinding daylight could light my room up like a 10000000000 Watt light bulb and ripped off the covers and stole my pillows, only then did I get up. It was quite a messy feat, but I did make my chocolate banana pancakes!! mmmmmmmmmmmmm. A few of us also went out into the park right behind the residence afterwards and enjoyed the remaining hour of daylight with the tossing of the frisbee and the soccer ball. Yes, we have sunset at 3:30 here... :(

Now Sunday night was very interesting. The company that Anninha and Renata work for, GILDS, had a Christmas party in at The Walkabout in Manchester so they bused them and their 'guests' to the party for the sole purpose of having a jolly good time. I had to convince Renata to let me be her guest (because she never told them she was bringing someone) and prayed that they'd let me on the bus, which very thankfully, they did! So thank you Renata! Although the only sightseeing we did of Manchester was our walk from the bar to Subway, I liked it very much as it reminded me of Toronto, and it was sooo very windy and rainy, which made a leisurely stroll around the city impossible, but I do plan to go back there at some point. THe party was fun, they left us there for about 5 hours or so (hence our meandering) and kept people happy with a card for 5 free drinks, one per hour I guess lol, but not too many so that I was able to roll out of bed and walk to my 9 AM class in the sunny rain (I know, what is that?) this morning. Mom, it's not as bad as it sounds, I promise! Even the weekends at McMaster start on Thursdays, sometimes Wednesdays even hehe.

Because that wasn't enough, on Monday night, I was really intent on going out with the flat, so after belly dancing Anna, Sophie and Jo managed to convince Amy and I to come out, (we couldn't get to the other Amy) :( . Matty was nice enough to squish the 5 of us in his car with Sophie's leg sticking out from the back and give us a lift! I thought it was just going to be a nice casual, relaxing night out, but after having our traditional first drink at the Walkabout, we headed to a club called Rehab for 80's night! Although I spent much of the 80's learning how to walk and talk etc, we all absolutely enjoyed the classic tunes of Summer of 69, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and of course, It's Raining Men (I know my aunt loves that song)! And of course, it was Gustavo's birthday so I saw quite a bit of people from Montague there as well! It is a very good thing I have Tuesdays off... 4 nights is quite the run! sooo very fun!

I have become recently attached to this old BBC series, Absolutely Fabulous, so be warned if I start quoting and becoming obsessive about it!! (Thanks Matty!)

~ rach. xoxo

A Rant

Well, I've just received some disturbing news.

I presently use the notetaking service here at Leeds to supplement my own class notes due to difficulty hearing the lecturer speaking with a British accent. I've only requested aid in my modern literature class considering the scope and depth of information presented at any given lecture. While the notetaking service at McMaster is provided on a voluntary basis in that notetakers receive no financial compensation for their efforts, notetaking is supplied on a paid basis here at Leeds. So far, as the situation has presented itself, McMaster claims that it lacks the funds to pay for my notetaking overseas (since it's not done on a paid basis to begin with), whereas here at Leeds, funding is provided through private donations on behalf of UK students. Thus, the situation has left me in a compromising, untethered, and suspensive position in which both sides are proving to be ineffectual. Leeds has been generous enough to provide me with a temporary fund in order to provide me with 2 hours of notetaking a week, but the remaining funds are not substantial. Thus, McMaster financial aid has instructed me to submit an OSAP application in which I have marked these notetaking services as a liability, only to receive an email today notifying me that I still do not qualify for a bursary for disabled students (which you can apply for only if you qualify for OSAP). Thus this money is hidden from my access behind a veil technicality that refuses to substantiate the fact that I cannot fund these services myself. Although I can certainly do without these services as I have done in the past (they are rather helpful in this accent issue), I am absolutely ashamed of McMaster's refusal to take responsibility in this situation. I do not believe the responsibility should fall on Leeds University to divert their own funds when my tuition is being paid directly to McMaster University as an exchange student. Although from a practical standpoint, this issue does not affect me too much (like I said, I can still get along fine), I am absolutely infuriated by McMaster's following statement: "You must be prepared that we may not be able to cover all of your notetaking costs through bursary. You may be responsible to pay all or a portion of these costs yourself. Students must demonstrate financial need in order to receive McMaster bursary funding."

In the UK, a hearing impaired flatmate of a friend of mine was given a laptop computer, several hours of notetaking a week, and other such benefits. Perhaps McMaster should come to its senses and realize that the responsibility involved is not purely a legal one, but rather, a moral one.

I smell B.S.

Kiss Me, I'm Oirish; Da Leprechaun Mayd Mey Dou It!

Ahoy Mates!

We have just returned from the Irish capital of the world! And here the story goes...

So after a day of classes, and very last minute packing, Anna, Steph, Anninha, Renata, Marcos, and I hopped into a cab to the Leeds Bradford airport. Our little Leeds international group certainly monopolized the waiting area in the airport. Although our flight was delayed by 45 minutes, thank you Ryanair, we arrived in Dublin just before midnight and cabbed to the Kinley hostel. Though almost everyone passed out immediately, David, Laura and I decided to take a picturesque walk through the city before bed.

We awoke early the next morning, before 8 am, ate a light breakfast downstairs in the hostel, and headed out into the city! Our first day, we didn't really have much of an itinerary. We wandered around through Trinity College, caught Anninha and Marcos on the grass in front of a "do not walk on the playing field" sign, saw the National Museum of Dublin, some historic monuments, a good deal of the city, ate a nice lunch at a local bar, and of course, after a long trek, we made it to the Guinness factory. The tour itself was quite nice, very touristy of course, and we received our complementary pint on top of a tower in the Guinness bar overlooking the panoramic city of Dublin. Needless to say, that was my first and only pint of Guinness. It is a very strong, dark, quality beer, and just not for me! Oh, I almost forgot, we saw Paris Hilton and her mom and dad launch her new perfume in some store. There was a HUGE crowd of people, and Steph managed to get a couple snaps, but wow, celebrity culture is insaaaane! I took a nap before heading out onto the town- we went to the most famous bar in Dublin(unintentionally because it looked so nice), The Temple Bar, which was extremely crowded and met 2 young Irish guys, probably the only young ones in the bar. One was named Sean and I couldn't even begin to pronounce the other one's name, I think it was Gaelic of some sort. Anyways they were very nice guys, worked in the army and were going to take us to another good bar. Unfortunately, it was 2am at that point and no one would let us in. The guys were so nice they offered to walk us back to the hostel- on the way we stopped for a 'toilet (no one understands the term restroom over here) break'. After returning 5 minutes later, the guys had disappeared, so we headed back to the hostel and left the night hanging in an unsolved mystery... hmm...

Now, Sunday in Dublin was a different story. I had decided I did not want to wander aimlessly through Dublin, so Anninha, Marcos, Anna, Steph and I opted for the 12 euro bus pass/guided tour through the city. It was definitely well worth it as we got a nice tour, a little seranading from the bus driver over the speaker, and transportation everywhere! Before getting on the bus, we explored Dublin castle which was near the hostel with David and Laura. We never actually went inside but we had fun taking candid shots in the courtyard! On the bus, after taking our initial tour, we stopped off in the middle of the city where there are monuments everywhere! Additionally, in 2003, someone decided to put a HUGE spike in the middle of the city, which I don't quite understand. Anyways, Steph and I saw the Writer's Museum, which I loved- very informative and helpful considering many of the writers we are studying in my Modern Literature class are Irish. We also managed to stroll through Stephen's Green, which remains my absolute favourite spot in the entire city (and one of Joyce's as well). It had a central garden, a bridge, and a pondful of ducks, and it was just so relaxing and beautiful. I am already nostalgic for it. We also went souveneir shopping, and watched a bit of football/soccer, whichever you prefer, at a local bar. THat's about all we accomplished before our late afternoon nap, other than Steph and I falling asleep on the bus on the way back. NOw we decided to go out EARLY that night, after some guy got really drunk and started fighting with some other guy in our hostel room, so we headed to a reallly nice bar, one of the most famous ones, although I forget the name. We got in even though it was 21 and over, had a drink or two before leaving, but it was an absolutely gorgeous, decked out bar! We met up with the other 15 people in Dublin from Leeds at another, less traditional (and disappointing) bar before we all went our separate ways. It didn't take long before we were utmostly exhausted and went to bed.

Our landing on the plane ride back home was soooo scary, but fun, I must admit, although I don't quite think it was a normal landing! But on my trip, no I did not encounter any leprechauns, and yes, the Irish do like their pubs, and I found them surprisingly easier to understand than British people. Oh, and it seems to rain more in Ireland than England!!!!! And to silence those rumours about whether or not the Irish actually celebrate St. Patty's Day- no, they celebrate St. Patricks FOUR Days... yep! I shall definitely have to go back to Cork, Galway, and Limrick, and St. Stephen's Green another day. Oh, and if you're ever in Cork, don't kiss the Blarney Stone, apparently locals take a whizz on it as if it's a big national prank... not so pretty, I know. It was definitely a very fun experience but ultimately, I think it only left me wanting more!

Spontaneity: The Spice of Life

Ah, yesterday was such a GORGEOUS day here at Leeds, I love blue skies. Steph and I had coffee by the cafe outside Parkinson's Building, joined by Anninha- my favourite coffee place, with the strongest, best coffee ever! soo nice!! So far the weather has been very kind- not too rainy, not too cold (I AM from Canada..) but apparenly, according to Sophie, it will get much worse! I've got to find a warmer coat! In comparison to Canada, I am thrilled to be in a milder climate (although British people would hardly call it mild hehe). Last night for a change, we went to a belly dancing bar called Spice...something... (can't remember!) with the belly dancing society- very fun!!!! We will definitely go back to the nice music, good dancers, good company! On the way, we got to see all the pretty Christmas lights that were just turned on in the city (see photo above). Afterwords, we went to Creation, which is starting to grow on me, and met this whole group of people. I'm starting to develop an appreciation for Sophie's philosophy on going out- let everything be completely unplanned and spontaneous, because that is all yesterday was! Anyways, we are leaving shortly to Dublin, and hopefully all things unplanned for and spontaneous will only be good!! I reckon there's somewhere between 20-30 international students coming along on this trip, and I'm not everexaggerating! It's going to be quite interesting and I wouldn't have it any other way!

An Ordinary Mind on an Ordinary Day...

It's 11:17 AM and I have just returned from my Modern Literature lecture, which by a vast margin, is proving to be my favourite course. It is not only wonderfully challenging and immensely thought provoking, but I love that it is taught in such a subtle, subdued manner. I've found lately that the secret to understanding vague, abstract and encompassing lectures is to actually read the material beforehand. The lectures seem to briefly touch upon all the relevant issues, and give you a sort of boost in synthesizing the material into a coherent whole. But of course, you do have to do the work.

I must say that I really do like this British/European teaching system in some ways. For one, I seem to have a lot less work, but on the other hand, without sheer personal motivation, I don't think most learn their course material as extensively and as in depth as we do back home. For example, for my cognition, emotion, motivation class, I just found out that the exam is in short form, essay questions (which definitely will work to my advantage) and so you don't really need to know every little detail in great depth. Anyone who's done a decent amount of studying can probably figure out what some of the questions will be. But the fact that all my exams are worth somewhere in the avenue of 75-100% of my total mark is quite scary and intimidating!

Another feature I love about the school system here is that you finish high school when you are 16. As little Amy was explaining to me yesterday, you can basically get a job at that point if you want, or go on to two years of what is called 'sixth form', which is an extension or continuation of high school. You pick 4 subjects to study, and drop one (if you want) by second year. What I really like (and envy- because I never got the benefit of this), is that you get to experiment with different subjects BEFORE coming to university. Although, once you get here, the courses of study are much more concentrated- programs are quite a bit more specific, and course selections are almost entirely through your own department. Meaning, without arts and science over here, I'd be quite lost.

I'm currently undergoing my own sort of 'sixth form' experimentation here at university and I seem to be getting more confused by the day. My literature class had inspired me to seriously consider becoming a literature or philosophy professor of some sort, but my trip to the hospital yesterday to get my hearing aid fixed got me thinking about being a doctor and made me waver on my career choice. Tough stuff!

Anyways, I seem to be a good influence on the flat, as I've gotten both Amy's into going to the gym! It's always fun and more motivating when you have people to go with so hopefully we will keep eachother on our toes about getting in shape!

This past week has been quite hectic. I've just handed in a couple of essays, one for literature, 1700 words, which doesn't officially count for anything, but I was probably a perfectionist about it anyway, and one for my environment and society class about 'food miles' and the sustainability of the current global food supply. Although it sounds pretty technical, it's a first year course, and still seems like a joke/ bird course, however much I should probably be thankful...

We are going to Dublin this weekend, and of course, I am soo excited. We are flying on Ryanair and there must be around 20 of us, so we'll probably monopolize the plane for ourselves hehe. What's really great about going there is that modern literature is mostly centred in Ireland/England (at least the stuff that we're reading), so there is a James Joyce (one of the writers we are studying) museum there, etc. How cool! Not to mention the Guinness beer factory.... I'd still like to go to Cork and see the Blarney Stone but that may have to wait until another trip... Oh, and I LOVE MY FLATMATES!!! (and extended flatmates too!!! and yes, that is my room in the photo, see if you can spot yourself in one of the photos on the wall!!) xoxo.

Cultural Learnings of Mine for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of the World

This week we celebrate Guy Fawkes week here in England with a nightly displays of lively fireworks in celebration of his foiled attempt to blow up parliament many years before (blowing up things in order to celebrate the fact that some guy failed to do it successfully...how interesting...). Anyways, everynight this week, everyone in Leeds has heard the booming fireworks in the background (I can even see them from my bedroom window).

Also, however embarrased/ashamed I may be to admit it, I did see the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and witnessed a grand display of fireworks over the central Parkinson Building from afar. Although it made me nostalgic for the magical fanfare of Disney World, the general sound of destruction continued to ring through my ears, and did not cease during the movie.

The movie itself is about a rather uneducated fictious character from Kazakhstan who comes to America for the purpose of filming a documentary. On the way he becomes infatuated with Baywatch and Pamela Anderson and gets himself into all sorts of trouble and obscenities. My personal opinions on the film are quite mixed. At some points I did find it vulgar, profane and racist, however, the movie challenges the definition of what we consider to be offensive. It is hard to criticize Sasha Baron Cohen for showing Jews in a racist light, when he himself, is in fact, Jewish. Although I appreciate this parody-like 'intellectual jackass' from a slap-stick comedy point of view, the film at points does have an ensemble of intellectual undertones. My only concern is that some of the audience is too young, too ignorant to see beyond the racial, cultural, and ethnic stereotypes that are being purported in the film and trully understand the film.

So here the problem is one of people acting without thinking. Some times, when it comes down to it, people haven't the slightest clue as to why they are doing something. Although I do believe that it is wonderful to propagate the British heritage and celebrate Guy Fawkes week, too many people are overdoing it with their incessant, compulsive lighting of fireworks (and believe me, I am NOT the only one that feels this way). It just makes me feel like I'm in the middle of a war zone! Not to mention I've had two essays to do this week.

And one of my absolute favourite songs from one of my absolute favourite groups:
a little part from Colplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head:

"He said Im gonna buy this place and burn it down
Im gonna put it six feet underground
He said Im gonna buy this place and watch it fall
Stand here beside me baby in the crumbling walls
Oh Im gonna buy this place and start a fire
Stand here until I fill all your hearts desires
Because Im gonna buy this place and see it burn
Do back the things it did to you in return
He said oh Im gonna buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for
Oh and Im gonna buy this place, thats what I said
Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head"


* So what do Borat, Coldplays and fireworks have in common? Both are lessons of why we should sometimes perhap probe deeper into things- to question cultural assumptions, to question habits, not to always do things just because... and then hope that the audience is wise enough to get the message!


P.S. though our hockey team has suffered yet another defeat, I owe Amy a big thanks for coming out and also for being my gym buddy and making the butteriest flapjacks I have ever tasted!! mmmmmmm. Back to work! (as the fireworks continue, even after a WHOLE week!)

ANd.......... while we're on the topic of making the world a glorious better place, they have decided to hang Saddam as punishment for his violent war crimes... hmm this is a little much too ironic, I won't even get started, I will save this for another post!

*Peace and Love* xoxo

Once Upon a Climb...

Alas I have returned to my post!

I do apologize for my leave of absence, but I shall nevertheless catch you up on all the adventures! As I said in my previous post, the toga party was one of the funnest nights I have ever had. So fun, that I spent Saturday sleeping, relaxing, and watched About A Boy with some flatmates and an honourary flatmate.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning I arose from my slumber + 1 (daylight savings) and hopped on to a bus to the Lake District. Although we only saw Grasmere (a small section of the area), my first impression of the Lake District was that it was an exact replica of the Canadian wilderness- plentiful in water, only with more mountains and less trees. Being an adventurous one, I, along with my friend Laura, opted for a 13-14km medium hike with the abundant sheep up the hills and valleys of Grasmere. It was only about halfway through the hike when we took a break for lunch near a pit of rocks on a peak that I felt absolutely exhausted and drained! Nonetheless, like a trooper I marched on, getting my foot caught in a mud-like quicksand one too many times while Laura and the group laughed on. I certainly didn't mind. The wilderness, after all, is all about becoming one with nature, and in the process, get dirty (Sunlight detergant anyone?).

Although the ride there took about 2 and a quarter hours, the ride home was significantly longer (with no daylight savings to make up for it). Although I had a good nap, I did not arrive back home till after 8 or so, and me, being the adventurous gal that I am, decided to head out for a night on the town along with my fellow Jews in an event that all university campuses seem to call "Booze for Jews". Now I don't mean to offend anyone for any exclusive tone, but perhaps it was intended to be a "Kosher Meet/Meat Market?". Anyways, it was just a little event courtesy of the JSoc, and though I had to pay more than usual to get in, they did, of course, like good Jews, supply the free booze. But, of course, like good Jews, also did not let the bartender give you any double shots, or any tequila for that matter, so many people spent much of their night, or at least the early part of it, crowded around the bar. All in all, it was a fun night, and I was glad I went, that is, at least until the next morning....

You see, the lesson from all this, is, 14 km of hiking, and an all you can drink night out don't exactly mix too well. Although any idiot can surely tell you that, and before you say I told you so, I did exercise restraint at the bar and cut myself off at a certain point. What I should have realized, however, is that perhaps the body is not accustomed to such high levels of exertion to the point of apparent exhaustion. I spent all of Monday in bed with what I originally assumed was a hangover, which was strange considering that I did not drink more than the bit I usually do, (which for you family members reading, is certainly not a lot- no really). In fact, by nightfall I was beginning to accept the fact that I had completely, utterly and ubberly exhausted myself. My muscles were so sore and stiff from the hiking, as my digestive system was recovering from the night before. Let's just say, that I am now at one with nature, that I now understand the mechanics of hiking and partying and their volatile chemistry, namely that they do not mix well together at all!! Consider it a lesson learned.

On the bright side, because their is always a sunny upside to every story, is that I did accomplish a fair amount of work in bed, despite how uncomfortable and painful it was, and that I am currently on schedule towards completing the seminar presentation I have due tomorrow for my tutorial, as well as for my essay due Friday, which somehow is a form of evaluation, yet just not for marks... From someone who does somewhat enjoy writing essays, let's just say that I am back to my old self, sanity, health, sobriety and all.

The End!


p.s. we had ANOTHER fire alarm last night at 4 AM with all the Halloween drunkards moshing and yelling about ... bloody floor 2... sheesh.

p.p.s. it seems that i am STILL unable to post pictures for some reason, and I promise you, it this is NOT a subversive excuse for laziness

p.p.p.s. It's WONDERFUL to hear how many of you are reading this blog, but it would be even MORE wonderful to receive comments (OR perhaps I just don't believe some of you...)

p.p.p.p.s. just kidding