Hi LV,

Just got letter, here's a quick run down of the answers to the questions you asked, although you'll see for yourself next week! Plus thanks for the pin I guess I'll have to put it on my lapel.

1. L-I-C-E-N-S-E
2.  No I do not carry around a yoga mat and sip lattes and go to pipeline protests- that sounds more like Victoria folk tbh. I'm still lactose intolerant and broke, so.
3. Jewy is paying me about the same amount of attention, although last night she did wake me up at 1:37 am to be let outside.
4. Reading list= Missoula by John Krakauer, which is frankly freaky and heart breaking. And I finished the Curious Case of Benjamin Button this morning, which was nothing like the movie (like his wife died alone in Italy cause he got bored of her when she was older and he was younger). It's really a short story but they bound and republished this version separately after the movie came out.
5. My practicum was part time during school, at the school library so it was manageable. Made some cool temporary friends and also got a good performance review, although I don't know what I could possibly have done to get a negative one, other than maybe publicly speaking about the things they asked me not to mention to anyone (Don't ask me! I already forget what they are!)

As far as amassing the hike group, basically we had 7 definite yeses after the glory that was Nootka last year, and then a couple people invited their other friends and relatives, and you and Fran finally stepped up.
Please do not count on even one day of sunshine, not sure where you are getting your data. I've heard the last day is the muddiest but maybe that's for the best.

Anyway thanks for the news and the advice and the cool card. See you soon!

Kusawa

Baller, this was us yesterday. Our French friend Pierre, an award winning photojournalist ("The awards are on their way," he says) took it with his fancy-pants camera.

We had a pretty lovely weekend out here in the woods. A cabin-warming party was thrown, and a fire was lit under the gigantic tripod built next to the house. Everyone contributed something sweet, and we all peered intently at the sky and tried to figure out if we could see faint northern lights or just moonlight (it was the moon). Small puppies were brought over and passed around until they fell asleep. Several people stayed the night, including a soft-voiced man from Hungary who would only remain in the cabin if we could assure him that we wouldn't steal his kidneys for resale ("Or any organs, really.") In the morning Kory, two journalists, myself and C-Dawg all trotted up the hill to visit a canyon where, I kid you not, we suddenly heard a chorus of yowling and yipping from the next valley over. I might have thought we had imagined it, but it was picked up by the sled dogs in the valley, who began to sing back. Creepy creepy. Things basically ended with bacon and eggs and a discussion about how the journalists, both being from 'established' (ie. rich) families in Montreal, were the black sheep due to their terrible life choices of not becoming lawyers, doctors etc. It feels as if middle-class North American  kids who grow up wealthy are so traumatized by the lack of happiness in their parent's lives that they strike out to do something that leaves them poor but content, and their kids are seized by a burning desire to be successful and attain all of the wealth that their parents never had. And so the cycle continues.

In other news, if that smug blond poster child wins the Iditarod again this year, I will scream and rip out my hair.

     

Pineapple Princess, I Love You

Glad to see we're all back and together, finally.

I'm in Nanaimo, writing a stupid business report on leadership (in academics)

Everyone is impressed with the girth of the pineapple that I picked up while walking home in a daze of post-buzz. Went for pints after a student (me!) organized tour at the Archives, got more cut than expected, walked 10 km home. Thought I ought to stop in and find some eats at the IGA, store was half empty due to closing down this month. Only thing that looked appealing was this prize pineapple. Yesterday, when running out the door to catch a ferry, room-mate goes "make sure you bring that pineapple!" (clearly less impressed), and so here it is, sitting on the counter next to some other less impressive specimen.

 I dunno why I put myself through this torture each time but now I have to Get Inspired and write FIFTEEN pages of suck-uppy drivel, due Monday.
Bye girls

Once you start listening for the backbeat to this song in other tunes, you will find it everywhere

I have an interview with MacBride Mining Museum on Wednesday, and Brent Sass is leading the Iditarod. All is right with the world. Was reluctant to jump on the fandom train, but this guy. Really. Dropping one-liners that would be ludicrously cheesy coming from anyone else (ex. "PAIN IS JUST AN OPTION!"), but somehow you really feel that he believes them. Plus, his dad is just about the biggest sweetheart in the world.
Mushing is one of the few sports in the world where you can freely rub shoulders with the biggest superstars in the game (although, of course, they will attack you if you try to rub shoulders with their dogs). Where your friend can get drunkenly hit on by a certain 1000-mile race champion (not naming any names) who then manages to pack all 13 of his sled dogs into the scuzziest bar in town. And everyone just keeps sipping at their pints the whole while.

In the Mood to Strut

All this milk talk definitely has me craving pancakes. Preferably banana. With cinnamon. I was looking through my hiking cookbooks today for delicious Juan de Fuca recipes. Found a few, but they are mostly of the "dehydrate this for seventeen hours" variety.

The Big Dog, The Big Man and I all had a little adventure out to Kusawa Lake today. I wish I had a photo to show you, but my camera charger has gone awol. ***king incredible mountains out that way. This badly-behaved Airedale terrier ignored the frantic calls of his owners and bounded over to greet Chaos with far too much enthusiasm. Being an old, strong-willed husky, Chaos promptly tried to eat him, leading to ever louder cries from across the lake. This guy finally yelled over that if I just let my dog off leash, everything would be fine. I didn't capitulate as witnessing a bloodbath would have definitely ruined the day. The dogs above are from the YQ Carmacks checkpoint. Hordes of small schoolchildren descended on the checkpoint and were shunted into the care of an enthusiastic veterinarian from New York.

There have been an incredible amount of elk hanging out on the bluffs behind our cabin for the past few days. Yesterday at dinnertime I watched four of them bound wildly in a straight line across the cliffs, like something in a repetitive cartoon. When I turn on the generator, all twenty-something of them turn to stare down into the valley simultaneously.

Still don't have a job, and it's leading to increased guilt and anxiety on the daily. But at least I spend a lot of time outside.

finding a responsible usage for the infamous cold cream

had really good raw tiramisu today (sorry mascarpone)

I had this internally relaxing day today- it felt good just being in the sun and soaking it up. My sister and I had an exploring Nanaimo day- and it consisted of us just taking a different bus than usual, taking our sweet time and continuing this tradition of buying weird asian snack food from Manlee's and testing them out on the waterfront- I think my personal goal is to try every type of seaweed snack in the shop, wish me luck.

ps your milk is fine- the date is just to assure that the grocery store isn't sued- when in doubt though, don't throw it out. Use it for your baking (or pancakes is my favorite choice.)

pss jarule and jlo 4life.

More Milk Problems.

So I'm in the middle of my practicum right now. Today I hung out with Ngoc and put tattle tape in donated theater magazines from the 1980s.
I guess the worst thing about libraries is that a lot of books and especially magazines go into the landfill once they've been removed from the collection. Apparently the glue used on books makes them really hard to recycle.
And there's an odd amount of snobbery (that maybe only I perceive) displayed by librarians. We library techs tend to dress down and end up in the back cluttered work spaces, away from the windows. Librarians have standing desks and glass water bottles and have 'big picture' plans. Or maybe I'm thinking of one in particular... Anyway I'm sort of wondering if I made the right choice in becoming a tech instead of going whole hog. We will see in the long run.
Mike keeps saying that I'm gonna have to be the bread winner, or that I'm gonna end up supporting him. He's worried because he just turned 27 and he's considering going back to school. Doesn't seem to hit home every time I tell him that I am one of the younger people in my program, and that lots of people do their masters in their 30s. Plus who cares: if you are unhappy doing what you're doing, switch it up. Shouldn't matter what age you are.
Lately I've been obsessed with Ja Rule duets and I don't even care who knows it.

I'm having another milk problem. My milk is 4 days over expiry and it smells fine but I'm pretty sure it tastes bad. It's really hard to say and I keep second guessing myself. Plus my stomach feels weird and I'm bloated which maybe is because of milk? But what if both are psychological side effects of buying half price milk??

I Want to Be Left To My Own Devices.

This is where I went for a walk Saturday. And a gang of young men sped by on bikes whooping.


In the past week, two couples that I know have gotten engaged.
Heather, whose locker used to be next to mine, is marrying Elliott, who is British and whose parents died in high school and who once complimented my dainty feet and proceeded to ask me if I wanted children and what I would like to name them.

My friend Regan, who lives in D.C and is interning at the Smithsonian, is marrying her long time boyfriend.
U next L?

I dunno I guess I knit a sock. I've been plagued for the past week by the second cat, Johnny, who comes in in the middle of the night and stands on my chest. And tries to free climb my leg when I'm eating something tasty and is either blind in one eye or supremely disinterested in things happening to his left.
Other cat news: Jewy's full name is Ju-On, which is the Japanese name for the Grudge (Remember watching that movie at Maddy's birthday party and it was raining outside and we were sleeping in her living room in sort of a circle and there was glare on her TV so I couldn't see any of the scary parts and someone was giggling uncontrollably close to me anyway- Nicky?). Which was a name that came for her when she was malnourished and found, a yowling kitten in a cardboard box in the alley in Montreal. I guess I don't have to worry about telling people her name anymore.

Mike left last night and I went to the store and bought makeup and a pint of ice cream. And then I was embarrassed carrying it home like a cliche next to all the other girls clutching their ice cream and lipstick bags.

I have the worst headache and i'm listening to this