Thursday, September 30th:
Well shucks, it’s been an awful long and eventful week, which basically means you’re in for a really long and boring entry, because every single damn thing that happened was really goshdarn important. I remember back when I started this thing if I went four days without a bumbling journal entry I’d say “Don’t worry guys, I’m still alive!” Well I see now that that really wasn’t funny, or even a useful use of space. And I humbly apologize. Actually, I just checked and I only did that once. But the short and long of it is that I’m going to stop wasting time talking about utterly pointless shit that not even I care about.*
So today after my afternoon class, in awe of the lovely weather we have been having, I thought it might be fun to go on a bike ride, but I didn’t know much about the bunches of bike trails that allegedly fill Hamilton to bursting, so I had to weasel IanD into coming with me. We brought some paper and reading to maybe get some work done (boy, did we ignore all of that or what!) and then decided to bring IanH as well. So the three of us travelled down toward the harbour, and along the park-like trails. It was a good example of a fairly unattractive area trying pretty hard to look beautiful and for the most part not really succeeding. Then we got toward the end of the trail, saw a map of all the waterfront trails and decided unanimously that we might as well go up to Lake Ontario, and follow near the skyway over to Burlington. And before we know it we’re riding along Burling St E, in the heart of Hamilton’s seemingly unending steel producing industries. Now this is the part of Hamilton people refer to when they’re thinking about the smelly, pollutionating, ugly part of it. Regardless, I thought it was neat. Then the road started getting more and more unsuitable for bicyclists. There were big trucks, awkward intersections, and the whole bit, but no real obvious way to get anywhere else. So we kept going. Eventually it became evident, as we were riding along the grassy hump beside the street, that the busy, truck-infested road we were on was leading toward the QEW and there wasn’t much of a way of getting off it. But we found a fenced off residential area and passed our bikes over the fence and then hopped it. I really wish I’d thought to bring my camera with me, though. Well there’s always next time! It gets a bit less exciting from there on in, we eventually found the lakefront trail (had some food at a little hot dog stand) and followed it into Burlington (over a little lift bridge that was dwarfed by the gigantic skyway), and then back through Burlington and back home. Now that was fun! Definitely something I feel should become a regular occurence down in the Emerson continuum.
Back this past weekend I was back in London, and I recall that I probably did something. Those things included James’ birthday party, and the second Sadies concert in two weeks (which was unsurprisingly very great) and this time I managed to get some pictures of it! We were talking about how my digital camera thingie was broken, and then my dad randomly plopped the thing I needed to fix it on my desk and now it’s even better than before! (how’s that for skimping on the techno-geek talk?) My dad’s the best. It was also particularly awesome to have a delicious homecooked meal. My mom’s the best. I had to wake up absurdly early on Sunday to get back to Hamilton for primary orientation at CFMU (the campus radiostation). I have On-Air Training on Wednesday, at which point I can be put on the fill-in list! In related news, I was on ‘Early Morning Rebel’ on Tuesday morning because the host, Adam, is awesome and invited me to come on. It was pretty cool, and I suggested that I’d be happy to do it any time, and he said that might be cool, but, since there’s a chance he was just being polite, I’m leaving the ball in his court on that one.
I finished my first essay last night (comparative literature, Gulliver’s Travels.. which really was a great book), skipped my first two classes today. I really need to get back into the essay writing frame of mind, it just wasn’t coming. Less procrastination might help as well. I’m doing a very, very slender version of my favourite monologue ever in Acting class, which is quite exciting. And now I reaaally need to think of an idea for my Creative Writing class major project, since the first installment is due Tuesday! (the postcard story I wrote for that class is now available of public consumption as well). A lot of other things have also changed in this town recently, and you can be brought up to speed on all of it by checking the newly updated update page!
And most importantly, The Arcade Fire on Saturday!! Sweet Jesus.
* Yeah right, suckers!