I GOT LIKE 3 FEET OF AIR THAT TIME

Sorry it's been a while avid fans, I'm sure your evenings have been cold and lonely without my soothing words...

SO since my last post much has happened. The first thing that springs to mind is the fact that... oh I don't know, I LEARNED TO FLY. Yes. That's right. Linda, Vikki and I (a good solid British contingent) had the pleasure of getting up at 6:45am to go and meet the gang with whom we

went HANG GLIDING.

We learnt the principles in Ground School (Oh yeah, ground school. We're practically in Top Gun.) and got on a training hill on Saturday. Now before you all

get incredibly jealous/terrified [depending on the extremity of your disposition] thinking we jumped off a mountain and SOARED WITH THE EAGLE (as the incredibly patronising and filarious training video kept declaring) we were in fact just running along the ground with incredibly heavy WINGS and deeply sexy headwear. Here is an action shot of me nearly decapitating our nice instructor Rob with my glider having run down a hill. So graceful. As ever.

But it was very very fun and by the end of the morning we'd all felt the glider beginning to lift us off the ground, and the raw

pain of the it, but none of us had managed to fly. We were calling it a day because everyone had got hot and knackered, so as a last abandonment of caution I decided to go higher up the hill and just go for it and then THIS HAPPENED

I don't care how unimpressive it may look. It was so difficult and it felt AMAZING :D. Our second day got cancelled due to high winds (boo) but we can go to another intro course at the end of October if we want, so it's aaaall gooood. The night before out early rise was celebrated by a toga party - for ski club - which we all know cannot fail to be an excellent combination of drinking, dancing [or 'grinding' as it's pronounced in Canada] and going to bed stupidly close to the time you're getting up.

This picture features the heroic forms of (L-R) Laia, Anna, Ailbhe [see below], me and Marine.

Other events from the last couple of weeks have been 3 consecutive nights of going downtown with my splendid new Irish friend Ailbhe (that's Alva to everyone who doesn't understand RIDICULOUS IRISH SPELLING) to watch brilliant improvised theatre, which seemed appropriate as it's been the Calgary International Improv Festival here. The final night we went to see Colin Mochrie (From 'Who's Line is it Anyway?'). The night before I made us slightly late (shocking I know, I'm usually so very punctual) and we arrived at the theatre just as the show started - But I shall use this as a total positive argument for LATENESS -

1. We got there at starting time so got extremely cheap, last-second tickets.

2. Some nice man was holding the door open for us. That nice fella was Colin Mochrie

Neither of these excellent things would've happened if we had been all prompt, dull and on time. So- me: 1, the laws of timekeeping: 0 (this is an independent score that doesn't take into account the various classes/films/buses I have been late for). After the final night we also discovered that Calgary doesn't really function after 9pm. We were Downtown. Yes, Downtown, where all the partying goings on should be taking place - and fast food should be readily available at any hour. but at 9.15 we only managed to locate, after blocks of walking, a single, open, suitable grease-stained-potentially-not-real-meat-serving establishment.

"Why is nothing open really-not-that-late?" We pontificated. Then some horribly drunk, horribly Scottish patrons of the delicatessen we were in the process of trading with came in and were horribly drunk and scottish. and lairy. and drunk. That I think was the answer to our question.

A quick assessment of my finances this weekend illustrated that I am in fact completely shafted in terms of... well... money. I seem to have $700 to last me 11 weeks. AHAHAHHAHA. Oh good. So of course I responsibly declared I couldn't possibly go and see Rusko (an actually decent DJ. IN CALGARY. THERE WOULD BE BASS! sadly a lack of 'Drum and -' and a surplus of WAPWAPWAP) as I couldn't justify the spendingz. And then my lavly frunds bribed me into going with a free ticket. And alcohol. So yeeeeeeeeeeah... that happened. awesome night with Andy and Nic (Leeds massive) and WILLY (token kiwi). So despite the unlikeliness of them reading

this I would like to say A-THANK YOU VAIR MUCH to all involved, apart, of course, from the coordinated person who threw something at Rusko's table in all the excitement near the end and totally fucked his laptop screen, putting an end to the mixing for the night. NICE ONE BRUVAAA.

Beyond these my life has consisted of a few meetings about writing for the student newspaper, improvisation club and writing my PAPER [the length is given in pages, like at primary school. I shall not dignify it with the title 'essay'] for Detective Fiction class - IN WHICH I GOT TO WRITE ABOUT DEXTER. God it was a bit awesome. I'm also studying Frank Miller's graphic novel [BATMAN GRAPHIC NOVEL] 'The Dark Knight Returns' for the same class. So basically wasting $90 to quit Geography was totally worth it.

Oh also, the play I got cast in - oh did I mention that? Well I got a part in these scenes some grad students have to direct for their course - was in an excerpt from 'The Heidi Chronicles'. But my grad student cancelled our first read through, then dropped out of the course. Sooo... OH WELL. I shall just have to perform that little bit more in my every day life. BRING ON THE DANCE ROUTINE. It was English-Ricky's 21st on Wednesday, so we had 'quiet drinks' in his flat. The Dirty Pint I watched him down made me feel incredibly sick and thankful for my singular beer. Which Ricky provided. Because I am now an impoverished freeloader apparently. Though certain people saw me as that in Leeds, so perhaps I'm just realising my true identity. Anyone got some ground I can kiss?

But I am going to get a JOB dammit, and I will go SKIING*. And that is final.

*I'll probably go snowboarding. I assume I will be a natural as I think it will suit my look. Especially the being-on-my-arse-a-lot part.

Going to the Armstrong's for dinner on Sunday for THANKSGIVING which is hugely exciting. And studying for my mid-term in Anthropology which is on Tuesday. Excellent.

quick warning that due to money situations posts may get

a) hugely less exciting as I can't do anything [just noticed I can italicise, may be able stop SHOUTING]

b) hugely more exciting as I have to find unusual free fun [and I've discovered this]

c) a combination of the 2 staying mostly, mundanely the same.

So something to look forward to there. Along with the John Butler Trio concert Tyler bought me a ticket for as my birthday present. and christmas present. for the rest of our lives. hero.

So I shall leave you salivating for that... or recovering from the mindless bombardment of this. Either way, I'm sure counselling will help.