Odd

I just wrote a song about being a writer.

That has to be the weirdest thing that’s happened to me since coming here.

I don’t write songs.

Still Here

Life is moving so fast.

I’m in the home stretch before heading to the East Coast for Christmas – just a few more weeks! – and I’m trying to make the most of it.  I have this fear that I’m going to come back in January and find that I’ve done little to no work.

I was explaining to someone today at dinner how I write stories.  He was asking me what I write about, and I said that most of the time, even I don’t know when I start out.  Usually it’s just a character – someone I find interesting.  Which then makes me wonder what that character’s life would look like – what kind of girl would he date?  Where would he work?  What are some of his best qualities?  What does he do that drives people nuts?  And if I follow those threads long enough, I find conflict, and then story.  Sometimes sad stories.  But human stories.  And that’s what interests me.

And now you know how intense dinner conversations can get at Green College.

I went with a couple girls last weekend to see a concert, which was oodles of fun.  Pop singer Lights sounded even better live than she does on her album (which isn’t to all tastes, and which I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I love), and we went out for crepes afterward.  Really, what evening can’t be fantastic that ends with crepes?

Lights, complete with key-tar.

Missing my friends and family back home.  So looking forward to getting hugs, to being in a comfortable place just for a little while.  To eating home-cooked food.  To watching movies and knitting and hopefully working without any pressure and maybe just taking a breather.

I feel like my whole life is a breather.  I hope I’m getting enough work done.  But how can you tell?

Things are good.  I’m good.

Post Script

I should go to bed, but I’m on a roll.

Why do I always feel like writing when I should be sleeping?

Maybe the irresponsibility makes it all more fun.

First

It’s a disgustingly beautiful day here.

I just walked down to the beach and sat on a rock and looked out over Vancouver and the ocean.  It’s warm enough that I didn’t need a jacket, and the leaves were everywhere and even climbing the four hundred steps back up to the college wasn’t so bad.

Fall, I’m okay with you.

Holy October, Batman

I haven’t posted in so long!

So sorry.

Here are the highlights from the last few weeks.

1. Running Into Greg Hemmings
I surprised Greg by meeting him at a film screening downtown (thanks for the tip, Mom), and got to spend some time with him and his lovely baby Kaiya. It was so great to see a face from home! And then, of course, because basically life is like, “Here’s a present,” he ended up with an extra ticket to the festival closing night gala. Hmm, a fancy event where I get to dress up (cocktail), hang around near fancy people, and catch up on more news from home? Don’t mind if I do.

2. Vineyard Conference
I spent last weekend hanging out with the BC Vineyard folks at the west coast edition of the “Naturally Supernatural” conference. I got to give hugs to Gary and Joy Best, Beth Wood, and Monique Tute, so my life was complete. Also got in some great time with my new church folks (the Strathcona contingent of the North Langley Vineyard), which was two thumbs up. I’m really appreciating having a church family here.

3. Hanging With Program People
I’m slowly getting to know the people in my program, who happen to be a really great group. We get along well, so have had some fun evenings of Wii, writing five-minute stories, and being pals. I’m a fan.

4. U2
Yep, you read it right. U-freaking-2! Last night! Of course, in true Vancouver style it was raining, so by the time I found my way to the stadium (without getting lost, I might add), my feet were wet up to my ankles. But The Black Eyed Peas opened, and then there was Bono! And The Edge! And the other guys that nobody remembers their names but everybody knows they’re stinking amazing! *Hyperventilates*

 

Yeah, that's pretty much Bono.

 

Okay. I’m okay now.

And coming up I’ve got some fun stuff, including, in no particular order:

1. Halloween (I’m going as a Freudian Slip).
2. Regina Spektor concert.
3. Lights concert.
4. Various poetry readings (attending, not reading).
5. Winter gala, Green College style.
6. Heading home for a month on December 7th!

My life is so full here. I’m so rich.

Miss you all.

Thanksgiving

It’s been a long weekend here at Green College.  I hate to say it, but I’m actually starting to get bored – I need to have classes to keep me properly petrified about school.

That said, it’s been a good week.  I discovered the Pacific Centre Mall downtown (oh dear), and spent hours on two separate occasions picking up clothes I couldn’t buy at home (see: Nine West shoes).  There was a poetry reading on Friday evening that was pretty mind-blowing, and I finished knitting a scarf from the fantastically pretty yarn I bought.  Complete with tassels.  The only trick is that the yarn bleeds a bit, so I might end up with a blue neck.  May need to rinse it first.

I think my next goal is going to be getting active and getting off campus.  They’ve got aquasize classes at the university pool that are free for students, so Wednesday evening I think my roommate and I are going to check one out.  And I need to be more determined about leaving my room – I’ve been curled up with movies a lot of this weekend.  But Harry Potter was calling, and sometimes you just have to answer.

So if I were to sum up my life at this present moment in history, I would say that I may have plateaued a bit and need to keep pushing forward.  No point getting comfortable – there’s way more to see and do.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Busy

Um… how is it October?

I’m finding myself busier than a one-armed paper hanger (as my mother would say) these days. I handed in my big scholarship application yesterday (although I put the pages in the wrong order, so I’m reprinting them today and handing them to the department secretary, bless her), and I’m finishing up my very first screenplay assignment for 2:00. We had to write a four-page screenplay adaptation of a couple scenes in A Christmas Carol – when Scrooge comes home to find Marley’s face on his door, and then Marley appears in ghost form.  Lesson learned: screenplay is FUN.

It seems like the Vancouver rain has begun. I’ve been feeling exhausted and head-achy lately, and someone told me today it’s just an adjustment to the air pressure or something that lots of people go through, so that’s a relief. I thought I was dying.

My Editing and Managing a Literary Magazine class is going well – we met today to discuss cover layout (I’m on the design team). Cool stuff.

I bought the most gorgeous yarn (found a yarn store – hooray!) and am knitting myself a scarf. Learned how to do yarn-overs, which is just endless amounts of joy.

SO HAPPY for friend Jen, who got an apartment back home and is moving today. Yay for Jens! Yay for apartments!

I miss my Mom.

I need to get back at it, but if you’re from New Brunswick and I know you, I’m probably missing you. Hope all is well.

Happy Thursday.

Phone

I now have a BC number.  If you need it, feel free to let me know.  I have unlimited texting within North America.  :)

Rest

It’s a lazy Sunday here in Vancouver.  I should go get groceries, but I’m so comfortable and warm and unbothered.

It’s been a good third week of UBCness.  I’m settled in to the point that I can chill out with a movie and have it be restful, which is especially handy after all the running around of this week.  I attended a poetry reading, a program orientation, a residence welcome dinner and party, four classes, a SSHRC (grant) meeting, and had a girls’ night out to see “Bright Star,” all in the span of about five days.  Inactive I am not.

A week from tomorrow the big grant application is due, so I’m sure I’ll be chipping away at my proposal all week – then I’ll actually get to do the work I came here to do!  It’s taking me time to adjust to the idea of getting to do something I really want to be doing.  Very strange.

I like it here.

Happy Sunday.

Week Two

It’s Thursday evening here in Green College, and I’ve wrapped up my first week of classes.  If last week was slow, this week was pretty lightening.

Things continue to go well.  So far I’ve had Fiction, Poetry, and Screenplay, and all the classes seem like they’re going to be a good time.  The Fiction and Poetry classes are mainly workshop-based, meaning the majority of time will be spent handing in and critiquing each others’ work.  I’ve had a bit of experience having my work hung out to dry, so I’m not too worried about the workshops – I’m here to learn.  My Screenplay class is actually an undergraduate course (the grad students without experience were encouraged to start at the bottom and work their way up), so there are about ninety people in the class – it’s weird going from workshops of fifteen to a crowd of a hundred.  Today we were shown a couple early silent films, circa 1915, the prof’s point being that you don’t need dialogue to tell a story.  Which is good, since dialogue isn’t my forté anyway.

Aside from class, I’m starting to feel settled in, and I’m getting to know my roommate Natalie, who is also in the Creative Writing program.  I’ve made a couple forays into Vancouver for groceries (mmm, granola bars), church (tried a couple, will probably try a few more), and house items (HomeSense! Glee!), and the bus system is really manageable.  Hooray for effective transit!  I have a feeling the time is going to go by rather quickly.  My main goal/challenge is to make sure I’m writing every day and being purposeful with my time – the master’s level is very self-motivational, and I want to be sure I’m behaving like a proper writer.  I’m also working on a major scholarship application for the end of the month, so keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.

So I know it’s boring to keep saying that things are good, but things are good!  I’d like to see more of the city, definitely, but I’ll hopefully get into a schedule where I can get my adventures slotted in between my actual work.  I’ve got lots of time.

Missing all the folks back home.  If you want to visit, there are cots here.

Happy Thursday.