Branded Track Pants?

Anne asks me what I was thinking even considering buying branded track pants. Was I getting sentimental?

Maybe a bit. Nostalgic anyway. I don't do goodbyes well - a certain airport scene about 4 months ago being proof of that.

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Still having trouble deciding where to go. I know that, sensibly, the Rockies are too far and too expensive. But every time I see a picture of them (and my room is decorated with them!) I get great pangs to go there. I can't get that excited about the east - even though I suspect that's just cos there's not so much information around about it. Quebec will be nice, and I'm excited by the Iles de la Madeleine.
Maybe what I'll do is just leave it open. I know I want to see Ottawa, so I'll get on the train for there and then see. Why not. I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to go anywhere I want - the have the chance not to be able to decide.

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I just had a lovely conversation with slightly dotty Bell phone service woman. I was trying finish off my phone bill so that I won't owe them any money when I leave but it appears that's not possible. They will send me a final bill. Which is interesting cos I don't have an address for them to send it to. I aksed if Australia was ok and the lovely women said 'we can try' but didn't sound too hopefull. I get the feeling Bell is losing millions a year in billing people who have moved out of the country. I mean what do I care if Bell thinks I owe them money? Oh well. We'll see what happens.

Now definitely have to move cos I won't have a phone or internet here in a few more days. Sad but true.

Documentary Film Festival

I just had a really lovely evening. I decided to go to to a film at the hot docs festival - actually a short Elvis Italiano and a semi-feature called Juchitan, Queer Paradise . Turns out the film was on at the Royal which is down in little Italy. I took the streetcar down on an absolutely gorgeous evening, and strolled around the village for a while. I've been to little Italy before but it was in the middle of winter. Then it looked very pretty - hell a rubbish dump looks pretty after a good snowfall - but a bit closed off, an insiders type of place. Today all the cafes and restaurants had grown sundecks and all the sundecks were covered in tables of laughing people. It's a little like Melbourne in feel but much more European in feel. There was a huge queue in front of the theatre for stand-by tickets. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay but I thought - why not, even if I don't get a ticket its a nice way to people watch.

I wasn't in the line for 2 minutes before this woman came up asking which line it was for. I told her and she said she had an extra ticket. She thrust it into my hand and strode off. I ran after her to thank her (I offered to at least buy her a cup of coffee) but she looked so uncomfortable I just said thanks.

Then as I was waiting for the film to start I smiled a a woman who sat down in front of me and we got to talking and it turns out she:
- has a friend in Montreal who might rent me a room for a few days; and
- has travelled extensively in Central America and wants to give me lots of tips

Susan reminds me a lot of Sam's mum (hi Sam!) vibrant and confident and aware of her own presence. We're going to meet for a cup of coffee before I leave.

And the film was AMAZING!!!! If you ever get a chance to see Juchitan, Queer Paradise make sure you do. It was a beautiful, insightful and unique look at the queer male community in Juchitan, Mexico; where traditional Indian culture mixes with Mexican spanish. Juchitan might not be an actual 'queer paradise' but its a hell of a lot closer than the rest of Mexico and even much of the West.

My favourite lines include the (straight male) Mayor saying "homosexuals should be our roles models cos they work double the rest of us. They do a man's and a woman's role" and a teacher, "I'm a gay man, a teacher and I love my job" - there are few gay teachers in Canada or Australia who would feel safe enough to make such an open declaration on public tv.

Altogether just one of those serendipitous kinds of days

Squirrels!

There are squirrels everywhere! There were 3 just on one doorstep. They're very cute. I can't see why the Canadians don't like the

I've finished all my subjects!
(if I was into them this is where I'd put a row of smileys but hey)

It's very exciting, but a bit sad. I didn't want to leave campus really so a wandered around for a while, poking in the bookshops and considering buying a pair of York University branded tracksuit pants (they have York written across your bum) - decided against that for obvious reasons.

It was a lovely day, and it was nice seeing York lookig so sunny and green and alive. I took a couple of photos but its a bit misleading cos its really nothing like the way I experienced the campus for most of my time there. It's a sunny 23 degrees today and the Brit girls (and Fiona from Bris Vegas who is an honourary brit) are sun-tanning topless on my our deck.
A nice day all round.

Corny-times

I walked into the supermarket yesterday to be confronted with a scrum of peope madly husking corn cobs from a huge vat. It was a very strange sight. Like a thresherman's had just opened up in the fruit and vege section of the local Dominion.

It was a gorgeous day today. I spent most of it inside, studying for my exam tomorrow. But I did manage to get outside at one point. I sat on the deck and drank coffee and watched squirrels getting frisky. Toronto's a lovely place in the spring.

Rights

So I found this on the web today:
US defends anti-gay rights stance AFP - The United States defended its decision not to support a ground-breaking resolution at the UN Human Rights Commission that would have condemned discrimination against homosexuals. ... But the State Department said the United States would not have supported the resolution if it had come to a vote because it did not believe the commission was the correct forum for the matter to be discussed...

The Human Rights commission is not the appropriate forum to discuss the human rights of queer people?! What is; the phone booth on the corner of Main st and 1st?

Moving

I've moved my blog over here to Xanga. I feel rather absurdly sad about leaving blogger -even though I only joined it on Thursday and I didn't even want it anyway (but I have no friends on live journal). Xanga is nowhere near as customisable as blogger. I might not be very good at html but it irritates me when I can't use it. Still, having an easily accesible comments feature is very important when traveling.
People please leave me comments instead of emailing - unless your comments are really private I guess.

The good thing that the weather pixie seems to have righted itself. She really should have a name though. Any suggestions.

So I had an exam today.
At York they appear to hire students as invigalators (an arrangement that seems fraught with opportunities for abuse but hey!). Personally I just wish they'd hire less cool and funky women! I swear it was very distracting. Although meeting a grrlfriend when she invigalates your exam would make a great story - as long as you don't end up failing.

Actually, much as it would be more interesting for some if I had spent my exams fantasising about funky dreadlocked and dykey examiners the weird thing is that if anything this exam made me bored . I'm serious, I've never yet sat an exam where I've felt bored before. I think I went ok. Just a funny thing. I think my mind might be elsewhere.

I'm excited about going to some movies at not one but two film festivals over the weekend. Toronto is so cool, there's always something on. This week there are two amazing looking festivals: the documentary film festival, where all movies before 4pm are FREE for students (now that's the sort of culture I like); and Sprockets childrens film fest with cool movies like the world premier of the adaptation of "A Wrinkle in Time". Should be good.

My weather pixie appears to be playing up. It's been saying its 9:00pm for the last 24 hours. Maybe its a time warp?

Hey,
Seems my grrlf is all clever and can do pretty coloured text and stuff.
I can't. I can however do exams and then get sleepy and then go to sleep.
Which is almost as good.

I love the bowl'o'fairylights decorating idea. It's much better than my current decorating plan which involves catching two squirrels and sitting them on either end of my mantlepiece with a candle in their paws.
- also kind of more practical as I don't think the squirrels would stand still for long enough
- though they would be cuter than fairy lights

**hope your exam went well, (((becky)))**

an instant home decorating idea i read the other day involves a fishbowl and a string of fairy lights. simply add lights to bowl and place on shelf. i love fairy lights.

ah hah, this is not bec here. strawberries in vegan chocolate. *looks around, nods head to unheard rock music* bec, your postings are simply scrumptious.

Hi Jen,

Yep I'm going off to study.
Right now

Really

This html stuff is tricky
well, if you've never done it before (cos yr old and crotchety), and if you refuse to use a program for it
- or look up any instructions.

Copy and paste and muck around
Yep that's how I learn

edit your blog:
I'm trying out this shortcut thingy - pay no attention to the newbie behind the curtain

... really....
... move it along

Hi to all who have found there way here (inlcuding me, cos you should always include yourself). Hi annie especially. I figure a blog (current fashionability notwithstanding) will be a really useful way to keep in contact with people while I'm travelling.

Well I've been travelling for a while now, but the imminent proposition of being separated from my laptop is causing me great distress. How will I survive????

Anyway, right now I'm supposed to be studying, so I guess I better stop procrastinating with this and ... find something else to procrastinate with. (Key to successful procrastination? Keep switching procrastination activities, that way you can fool yourself into thinking you're being productive)