...meet the press...

I read the first few sentences of Tobi Cohen's article on the death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan two or three times before zeroing in on what bothered me so much - he flippantly refers to Kandahar Airfield as "relatively cushy".

I think it's disrespectful to the situation faced by our soldiers in Afghanistan to refer to the airbase that they temporarily call "home" as cushy, despite the improvements that have been made there in the last year and a half. It certainly seems inappropriately casual coming from a journalist. Definately another disappointing show from The Toronto Star, whose standards seem to fall increasingly with every year.

...two dixie chicks...

Today is slow-thinking and fuzzy-mouth, the tangible evidence of a night of so much fun. Scrabble and a quiet bar, wine and a Maggie-girl, more wine then the bar is less quiet. I fall hard, but recover nicely.

...a dixie chick...

This clearly falls into the category of things I should have known YESTERDAY!

I need to get out of this city. Waiting for 8 months to pass quickly.

...in watching "Sound of Music"...

i) Rachel: She just said 12th governess in 7 years. Isn't the littlest one 5? How does that work?
Sanam: Why are you poking holes in the movie? Why do you have to ruin this for me?
Rachel: I'm just saying. 5 years old. Mother has been dead for 7 years.

ii) I miss Joe. That thought occured to me randomly tonight. A few years ago at the Apostles I was upset since we were missing Sound of Music on TV, and Joe mentioned he had never seen it, and we made plans to one day see it together. Obviously, we never got the chance.

...so many times the man...

I don't care how ridiculous I am. Sometimes you just have to have fun with things and play with them and chat, and to get to know them. And for all that I got myself into the middle of a dynamic that was pretty much a... conflict of interest?... in every respect, I still had a great day.

...twice the man...

Previous entry: scrapped in favour of telling my news to people in person if they ask.

...lesson learned...

I'm a little worried about the ads on the sides of some webpages that have cartoon characters in them that talk and say odd things, like the blonde girl who says "hello?!" when you accidentally scroll over her, or the fish on the hook that screams "help me!" when you innocently pass the cursor over him on your way to the back button on the browser. What are they for? What is the point?

I started two new blogs yesterday because I increasingly hate this one. I have to find again my original thoughts, and a voice that speaks of more than everyday trivials and boys that have tunnel vision when they look at you. So new blogs, new templates, new focus, new voice. New me? No, old me. Back to me.

Addendum: I fully intend to keep this one, make no mistake. Because we DO need trivialities, and I DO think it necessary that you have a forum in which to learn that I spoke with my current crush for a full half hour this week and made a teensy weensy breakthrough. These are all important things. The new blogs will just discuss other important things, more specifically. Literature in one, social trends and media semiotics in the other. Sound good? Links to come, once there are actual entries written.

...too much tension breaks the bow...

I'm ready to give notice now. In equal measures extremely frustrated and uncomfortable.

...it seemed like a good idea at the time...

i) Adamently disparaging my worst prof to her colleagues.

ii) With a little sigh, and my hand on my VISA, walking into the One of A Kind Christmas Show

iii) Cutting my own hair over the bathroom sink after finishing the term and celebrating with wine. I'll let you visualise that one, since you will not be seeing me for the next month.

iv) Shortcutting across iced-over Queen's Park to get to my favorite coffee joint, in boots with skinny heels.

...tired of being sexy...

I read a short story the summer before 12th grade called Two Words, by Isabel Allende, and it stayed with me for such a long time after. The past couple weeks I have been wanting to read it again with a physical intensity, and I've spent days thinking about buying "The Stories of Eva Luna" and immersing myself in the short tale of Belisa Crepusculario. I held off until today because I knew I needed to focus on this absurd Anthropology of Food exam. Finally this morning I stopped into the store and bought the book, took it back to campus with me and spent the 45 minutes immediately before my exam reading this gorgeous, powerful story again. I think it was the best thing I could have done before this test - it took my mind off this ridiculous test for this ridiculous class with this ridiculous prof and reminded me of important things, like love and words and storytelling and loneliness and powerful Colonels whose eyes soften at the sight of someone they didn't expect to see again...

Who needs to know how meals relate to the articulation of selves and cultures when there are stories like this in the world?