...out...

Former University of Toronto professor Ramin Jahanbegloo has been released from Tehran's Evin prison after a 4 month ordeal, the Toronto Star reports.

...she has a special plan in mind...

I wore my heart on my cybersleeve for a little less than 3 hours. Later I made jewellery. Now I'm wearing it?

Hmm.

I had a great day, in retrospect. A Jewish princess, an occasionally blonde Maggiething and my sundress self traipsed through Queen Street. Coffee and overpriced desserts, craft supplies, beads, books, Books!, and lots of Burts Bees. Also, three buttons, and a stationary set. Check out alliteration me.

Tomorrow I'm going to try my darnedest to wake up in time to clean my disaster of an apartment before leaving for the coffee haunts of Cabbagetown for a day of writing, chatting and craft making. Have you ever taken up residence in a coffeehouse (this corner is Mine!) and spent the day creating? It's lovely. If anyone has the day off tomorrow, Javaville is where I will be.

Hint, hint.

...promise made/promise kept...

As I was finishing up painting for the night, hand cramping, I turned to CP24 for a final news briefing before bed. Instead of the current news, they were showing a Rewind from this night in 1982. The global/national stories of that night?
- strengthening Canadian loonie rising above 84 cents to the US dollar
- rising oil prices
- excessive rain warnings
- a ridiculous American president in power
- multinational peacekeeping force leaving Cyprus for Lebanon
- the impending withdrawal of Israeli troops from Beirut, and
- the disarmament of the PLO

If it wasn't for the fact that the Israeli press statement came from then-defense minister Ariel Sharon, the yellow felt weather board, and the truly horrible hair of everyone appearing, I swear it sounded like tonight's news might conceivably sound. Clearly, we have learned nothing, due to repeat.

...i would settle for santa fe...

I think I need to watch Amelie tonight. Despite how tired I am. Maybe I should make coffee?

...sometimes in saigon...

i) From St. Clair to Finch I thought about tenuous moralities and what they mean for me and what I was thinking about doing, saying. Halfway there I decided it had nothing to do with morality. I know the extent of my morality, and it isn't always pure. But this isn't about personal ethics anymore, not even a little bit. It's about respect, and because of that I'm not going anywhere near there, am not going to even think about going for it. Grey's Anatomy missed the point, really. There was Love and they took it away. Well there's Love here too, you know? Even if it isn't mine. There are some things you just don't mess with.

ii) I finished the painting last night, but woke up with a new perspective. There's something I need to take away, and another thing I need to expand. So tonight I go to it again.

iii) This morning on the bus, I had the most unsetlling experience. There was a little girl on the bus as I got on, maybe 7 or 8, and she immediately ordered me to sit on the "girls" side of the bus. I did, to humour her. She spun around and went straight to an older lady a little further in, trying to talk to her, loud pitched voice, endless questions. At first I was surprised at how adamantly the woman was ignoring this child, pretending to do her crossword and listen to music. How do you that to a little girl instead of playing along? A moment later, she was onto the next passenger, not even bothered by the first lady's refusal to acknowledge her. This went on and on, around the bus, 10 different passengers, different stories, different questions, again, again, again. It became obvious from her comments that she had been on the bus awhile and had been acting this way throughout. Meanwhile, her mother just sat and stared straight ahead, not doing anythying. It became clear that this child was troubled, and she was making the other passengers increasingly uncomfortable. Her mother was immune to it, not surprisingly, because she probably experiences the same situation every day. This was the first time I saw mental illness so clearly manifested in a child so young. It was sad and frustrating, and honestly, very disturbing.

iv) Eluard again tonight, this time in French. The emotion isn't strong enough in English, it doesn't hurt as much.

...you'll be working with a Mountie who's got a wolf that's a florist...

A small bit of Monday humour, in honour of the RCMP's¹ newest initiate²:

"A senior citizen drove his brand new Corvette convertible out of the dealership and past the Tim Horton's.

Taking off down the Trans Canada, he floored it to 120 kph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left. "Amazing!" he thought as he flew down the 401, pushing the pedal to the metal even more. Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw the RCMP behind him, red and blue lights flashing and siren blaring.

"I can get away from him - no problem!" thought the elderly nut case as he floored it to 130 kph, then 140, then 150 kph. Suddenly, he thought, "What on earth am I doing? I'm too old for this nonsense!", pulled over to the side of the road and waited for the Mountie to catch up with him.

Pulling in behind him, the officer walked up to the driver's side of the

Corvette, looked at his watch and said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go."

The man, looking very seriously at the Mountie, said, "Years ago, my wife ran off with an RCMP officer.

I thought you were bringing her back.

"Have a good day, Sir," said the Mountie."

----------------------------

I'm making light, but inside I am devastated. There is no way of sugar coating this, it is just... the pits. I was just absolutely floored today when I heard this, and not just because I assumed there would be some kind of height restriction (jokes! just jokes!). Aw man.

1. Canada's special police. They have horses, and funny hats. Apparently, they have to move to Alberta.
2. Someone too smart for the company, hence the more-or-less lack of surprise that he's moving on.

...complain much...

You're right of course, I haven't been updating lately. I have no reason for it at all either, except that I've been busy doing nothing healthy and enjoying every moment of it. Since tonight holds more enjoyment for me, I will summarize the goods, the bads, and the uglies from the past week or so.

In brief:

i) I'm in love and he is not (with me).
ii) Sri Lanka calling, I'm still in the mind of a Brahmin God.
iii) Major academia just around the corner, can't wait.
iv) Re-reading Cunt.
v) Spent summer drinking, ipso facto am now fat and miserable.
vi) My hair is still hot though.
vii) So are my shoes.

...brought to you by the city of thornhill...

Tired of the usual drinking games and dancing nights, tonights get-together of the Indicrew is going to be done mystyle, with nerdiness in full. To that end, we will be convening in my Suburban basement for the first of (hopefully many more) MarioKart tournaments.

I'm not only going to bring it, I am going to rock it.

...bitter bob makes an appearance...

I dragged my mother grocery shopping tonight so I could get a start on buying some healthy foods to replace the crap I've been ingesting this summer. Tomorrow morning I am going to go for a run and do some pilates. This summer has been a mess of lazing, drinking and gaining - it *has* to stop.

...my childhood sang the gipsy kings...

She's done it again, the incredible Persian hair. Oh my goodness with those curls, if I could pull that off believe me I wouldn't wrestle with my straightening iron as much, let me tell you.

Does anyone remember that episode of Sex and the City, I think it was the finale of the second season, where it was decided that Big broke up with Carrie because of the curly hair? Because curly-haired ladies are so quirky and cool, and guys are intimidated? I love that episode. The end of the episode she saunters away in that gorgeous white dress... I first saw that episode after a particularly heinous breakup, it made me feel so much better.

...i prefer men to cauliflowers...

I'm self-editing again, modifying a post here, deleting one there. Isn't that completely antithetical to the blogger ideal? What does this mean?

I tried last night to read Eluard for enlightenment and grounding, but I just ended up sad.

...orphelin world...

If Family Feud asked the survey for the top ways to beat a down spell, the survey would say: family, then friends, then shopping.

This weekend held all three. Drinks with Aimable at Panorama (on the patio, in the thunderstorm, so a little scary). A full day in Oakville for barbecue and babies, chatting and catching up. Afsoon and I are going to Atlanta together over Thanksgiving; Pouneh and I have a coffee-date coming up and Bloor St. shopping. At one point we decided to take a picture, just one (really five). But it involved getting all 45-or so of us in a big smoosh for one big family shot. I can't wait to see it! Next weekend I'm back in Oakville to see Darian play in a basketball game. This little superstar cuz of mine has been invited to try out for rep in the fall, woot!

Earlier this morning, my mother and I bought out Vaughan Mills; mostly on her, but a little on me. The list:

- two sweaters, a white ruffled skirt, brown newsboy vest, and a black pinstripe blazer with a bow from Holt's
- jeans and black cords from Tommy
- pointed purple flats and white/blue velcro Lacoste sneakers from Town Shoes

...won't you come out and play with me...

Has anyone seen the Activia yoghurt commercial with the dancing people in it? The pregnant women's exercise class, and the businessmen in the elevator? I have a problem with this commercial, aside from the simple fact that the music is so darn catchy. My problem is the fact that for all I know from watching the commercial, the yoghurt is not meant for normal people. As near as I can gather it is meant for pregnant women and yuppies. What gives?

...lolita, reading between the lines...

I'm supposed to be cleaning my room, organizing my desk, and getting things together to toss out to the Salvation Army. Instead, I'm sitting at my laptop being educated in Ghostbusters and trying to convince Deanna to come out tomorrow night. My productivity is paramount.

Cody and I were talking last night about my ex-best friend and the disappearance of her. It really was like that for me. She excised herself from my life, but not completely because she is still there on campus, on mutual networks, and in the casual conversations of people I run into on the street. Botched amputation. He asked me if I was jealous, and I told him I'm not, but that's not entirely true. I am jealous, but not of her. I'm jealous of them because they have this fizziness and bright she brought to greyscale.

I saw someone I know from school in the store yesterday - nice enough girl, but I never really enjoyed her. She seems so empty to me. She writes to be famous, likes music if it's scene, and wants to be. Sometimes you even think she *is*. Then inevitably she gets -shitfaced- and you realise, not quite. Her profile online is a mini-me of my ex-friend. My first thought was "you don't deserve her". Depending on my mood that thought actually runs from "Maybe I'm overestimating her, memories are always kinder" to "Maybe I just didn't deserve her". It's so funny. You'd think this was an ex-boyfriend the way I'm talking.

I just reread the little description of my acquaintance from school, above, and it occurred to me that maybe my former friend is really just as insincere and flaky. Maybe she, too, just wants to be, and everyone just thinks she is. A good friend of mine certainly tried to tell me as much. Although if I never speak to her again, I don't suppose I will ever know for sure.