.- quantum uncertainty -.

Tickets to a play from a friend: Free.
Cab ride to venue because I was running late: $12.
Enjoyable play with another friend (JB): Free.
A long, walk to a restaurant with JB after the show: Free
Dinner at ~11pm: $22.
Completely losing track of all time and only realizing it at 2:23am: Free.
Cab ride back home because the metro was closed and buses had stopped: $15.

Total cost of the evening: $49.
Total worth of the evening: Priceless.

I got home around 3am and haven't wanted to go to bed because I haven't wanted the evening to end. But the sun's rising and that pretty much means my night is over.

(Tomorrow: drsnicket and St. Hubert's, which will likely rank right up there with Saturday ngiht.)

- Happy birthday to trexphile! I can't believe it's already August.

- I am in the process of moving all my music back to my laptop, and finally tracked down a problem with the authorization on my iTunes-bought music, which is so awesome, because I would have been REALLY sad otherwise.

- I saw MG today and her son X and her 10-week-old daughter H. And I managed to not be peed on, pooped on or thrown up on. GO ME.

- I got the permission of the department to re-enroll in the Honours Seminar (thesis class), so I did that this morning. Gonna get that shit done this time around. :P

- JB and I haven't spoken on the phone for exactly one month now, and she has yet to reply to my latest email, so... I'm about ready to write her off. Whee.

- It's 33C and feels like 42C, because of the humidity. That's 91/108F. I feel like a slug. A very sweaty slug. I may go to my parents' this weekend and live in the air-conditioning goodness.

Don't get me wrong. Italy was great, punctuated with some not-so-great familial moments... but it is AWESOME to be home.

Had a stupidly long phone call with JB, too, which was AWESOME. I didn't realize how much I'd really missed her in my day-to-day life - not just from when I was away, but back to when she left for the first half of the summer.

... OMG, my left ear just popped. I CAN HEAR AGAIN!!!!!!

By the way, there is little that is painful in the same manner as being in a descending aircraft while you're congested. My right ear didn't pop ONCE on the descent into Montreal and the entire half of my face was in agony until well after we landed.

And just now, at 8:27pm, my left ear popped all the way for the first time since Frankfurt. We landed four hours ago.

I should sleep soon, but I should also go to the store, eat, etc. JB is supposed to come by tomorrow around 4pm for some hanging out and catching up. It'll be really nice to see her again.

I sincerely do not want to go anywhere or do anything.

It's snowing. I'm cold. I'm tired. I'm headachey.

And I have to leave here at 12:30 to get to my 1:15 class on time.

Sigh.

Had an alternately lazy and busy weekend. I did very little on Saturday. I dozed in the afternoon, during hockey, and did very little in the evening, too. Spoke to drsnicket, though, which is always nice. :) PF came to town on Saturday evening, so we met up on Sunday afternon (early afternoon, too. Like 1!) and spent the next three and a half hours chatting about all kinds of things -- women, men, hockey, politics, the future, etc. We also talked about her younger sister, which is a whole other can of worms. Let the record show that I am officially happy that my younger brother is not as much of a dumbass as I occasionally make him out to be.

Then, when JB got back from Ottawa Sunday evening, she called me from the bus station to see if I wanted to go meet her for a late dinner at a place near where she lives. I actually hadn't had dinner yet at that point, so I said sure. I managed to pick up a bus pass along the way and she and I had a pleasant dinner for the next hour and a half.

There was this whole conversation while we were walking towards her place (and towards my bus stop) that got interrupted when the damn bus actually showed up and I had to make a run for it. More details in a friendslocked entry later on.

And on that note, it's noon. I should eat and get dressed and get going.

Mondays. Feh.

Well, that was an interesting night... I haven't seen CB since October, easily. I'm not kidding, either. We talk pretty much every day on the phone, but rarely actually see each other in person. I didn't even see her for her birthday, since I didn't want to aggravate my sinuses with a trip to the Polar Bear's Club, like I've done for the past two Januarys, on her birthday.

( My night with CB. )

I have a mid-term exam at 6pm. I have two classes before that. Oh, the joy that is school.

So, here's some random stuff for you that is mostly unrelated to stats and research design.

- I'd forgotten how unflattering that scene with Xander is in the S7 episode with him being suspended over the seal. Ew, Xander. Ew.
- A good Friends episode is still funny, even after the fifth viewing of an episode.
- Even a relatively good Angel episode is, in contrast, not so funny, or good, after first viewing. Unless it has Darla or Dru in it.
- Lost keeps making me ask questions and doesn't give me enough answers.
- I apparently want to name a future daughter of mine Isabelle, like a certain SpyCouple who will always find each other. Go figure.
- I voted last Saturday and it was the first time in my life that I didn't vote Liberal. I voted NDP.
- I felt mildly dirty for voting NDP.
- I felt ashamed for voting NDP when I realized that the NDP candidate in JB's riding (the next one over) is the same crazy ass man who has a cottage just down the road from my parents, who is a TOTAL AND UTTER SEPARATIST who looks down on my family because we're anglos.
- I still managed to tell a good story about it to JB.

And, finally, more election fun...

If you're Canadian, GO VOTE on Monday. Find your voter registration card to make sure the information is right. If it's not, or if you don't have a voter registration card, check with Elections Canada to make sure you're registered to vote. All the information you need is right here.

I saw Jack Layton, head of the NDP, on The National on Tuesday night. He kind of dodged some questions, he kind of pushed his own platform more than answering questions, but he said one thing that really hit me. Peter Mansbridge was asking Layton about ridings that Layton knew the NDP had no chance in, if people should vote strategically, to vote Liberal to prevent the Conservatives from getting in.

And Jack Layton said that there was only one way to make a difference, basically, and that was with your vote. The NDP got 1 million votes in 2000, I think it was. They got 2 million votes in 2004. He encouraged people to go out there and vote for the party they want to win, because it doesn't have to be about voting for the lesser of two evils (the Tories or the Liberals). It can be about voting for a party that you think will do the best job. All it takes is for enough people to think that way.

That was really cool. I know that my riding is Liberal. It will always be Liberal. But I voted NDP, and because of that, there is a small chance that the NDP will have one more seat in the House of Commons.

We can all make a difference. Every single vote counts. Every single vote is important. Everyone has a say, and Canadians will be heard on Monday, January 23rd, when they go out and vote.

So go. Vote. Make a difference. Make your voice heard.

... I gotta study a bit more and then go to bed for a few short hours. More tomorrow.

With seven hours to go until the end of 2005 for me, I thought I'd take a few minutes to write.

First of all, my DSL chose today to come back to me. Welcome home, beautiful. ;)

Second of all, I am in the most demand on NYE than I've ever been. Seriously. It's kind of freaking me out.

( New Year's Eve Plans )

( Thoughts on the last day of 2005. )

( New Year's Resolutions )

And on that note, I have to finish getting ready for dinner, then run to the dep quickly for my emergency "OMG I HAVE A MIGRAINE HELP" caffeine withdrawal supplies and then ... go.

I had more to say, but I can't manage to articulate it all.

Have a very happy (and safe!) new year, everyone!

Despite the snow accumulation on the ground and the rather cold temperatures (it's minus TWELVE with the wind! Which is... TEN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.), and despite my ITALIAN TEST in the next, oh, 4 hours, I am in a good mood.

Why? Let us examine.

1) I FOUND MY BUS PASS, after spending an extra five bucks on the buses last night. It had fallen out of my jeans when I collected my clothes to take them to the bathroom to put on after I took my shower. And NC had even lent me $20 to buy a weekly pass, because I AM SO BROKE right now and did not budget for the additional expense of, you know, A BUS PASS. Or the $5 I wasted in transportation yesterday.

2) The concert last night was AMAZING. I am not the largest Sarah Harmer fan ever, but JB introduced me to her a couple of weeks ago, and I really do like her stuff from her album "You Were Here". Her new album, "I'm a Mountain", is very cool, too. The concert was in a tiny venue, maybe a couple hundred people were there, and it was general admission. There were a bunch of tables to sit around, and through TP's Parking/Table Karma, we wound up RIGHT IN FRONT of the stage. I was, literally, eight feet away from Sarah. It was AMAZING. I felt horrible, not knowing all of the songs, but the ones I did know, I was very enthusiastic about. When she played my favourite song, "Coffee Stain", I (and several others) broke into cheers and applause, and I was even able to call out the name of a song I wanted her to play. She played my three favourites ("Coffee Stain", "Around This Corner" and "Lodestar", all from "You Were Here") and ... it was a very different feel than any other concert I've ever been to. It was very mellow and relaxed, but energetic at the same time. It was GREAT. And her clarinet/piano player is PHENOMENAL. Having played the clarinet for a few years in high school, I really appreciate how difficult it is to do what he was doing with it. And I do love the sound of the clarinet. I love how all these different instruments and voices are melded together in her music. You should all go check it out on iTunes or what have you.

3) Did I mention I found my bus pass? :D

4) Despite not really having studied for my test all that much yet, I feel rather comfortable with the present and the conditional tenses. Sort of. :)

5) New Lost tonight. WHEE! (drsnicket -- you may call me after the ep if you're up/etc because I will definitely be awake and we must discuss Lost!!)

6) No DSL again as of yet. But this whole dialup thing is making me go to bed earlier than usual. Maybe it's not such a horrible thing. ;)

7) I'm going to a NaNo meet tonight (or that's the plan, at least), but am leaving at 8 to make it home for 9. :)

On that note, I MUST study. :)

Last Wednesday, I won tickets to the November 1st hockey game between the Habs and the Panthers.

Thing is, I already HAD tickets to that game, as my friend MG had invited me.

So basically, I went with MG, while giving JB and a friend of hers, M-something, my tickets. Amusingly enough, they were in the same row, just 8 sections away from each other.

We all met up for dinner (well, we were going to meet at 5:45, but JB was late and M was waiting at the wrong restaurant) and we all had a great pre-game dinner, just talking and laughing. MG told some embarassing stories about me, JB was delighted and I was blushy.

We practically RAN to the Bell Centre, and though JB and M were delayed because of M's backpack, MG and I ran up to our seats and settled in just as the puck dropped. :D

Within five minutes of game time played, we were up 2-0.

It promised to be a great night.

At intermission, with the score 2-1, we went and found JB and M and chatted together and placed Canadiens stickers on our faces and laughed and then scurried back to our seats.

MG and I noticed that the two people to our right were, shockingly enough, not there. At all. Through the whole period, which ended 3-2.

At intermission, we went to get JB and M and dragged them back to our seats and the four of us settled in to watch the third period together.

JB sat between me and M, and MG was on my other side, and we were all happily chatting and watching the game and then Florida scored.

MG was sad. I was annoyed.

Then we got two penalties and it was a 5 on 3 for Florida for over a minute, and JB was giggling at my "oh shit, oh shit, we're gonna die, now", because hello, FIVE MINUTES LEFT in the third period, it's TIED and we're down by two men!

She stopped giggling at my reaction when Florida scored the go-ahead goal.

MG looked like she was going to cry.

I was most unhappy. JB scratched my head in time to the 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, LET'S GO cheer, though, which, well, cheered me immensely. ;)

Despite being unhappy with the goal, I was not about to give up. I cheered even harder, yelling at the top of my lungs (I am now somewhat hoarse) and JB and MG and M all got into it.

With under a minute in regulation, we had a power play, we pulled Theodore and we had a 6 on 4 and then, with 8.1 seconds to go, Steve Begin scored the equalizer.

THE ENTIRE BELL CENTRE ERUPTED IN JOY.

MG was, strangly, hugged by the dude to HER right, so I grabbed JB and we hugged in celebration for a few moments, before I grabbed MG and JB grabbed M and then we all put our arms around each other and screamed at the top of our lungs and cheering "GO HABS GO" and "BE-GIN", "BE-GIN"! (which doesn't sound like "begin", but more "Bay-Zhay". I know, French names are weird.)

8 seconds of play in which nothing happened, except the crowd cheering at the announcement of Begin's goal and then a minute break before five minutes of four-on-four overtime. We were still in this! We could still win! It was ELECTRIC.

Jose Theodore made a couple nice overtime saves and then we got a power play in overtime and MG turns to me and says "The only thing I like better than 4-on-4 hockey is 4-on-3 hockey!"

And then Michael Ryder scored the winning goal for the Canadians and AGAIN, the Bell Centre erupted.

It was an incredible experience. The team is GOOD, these days, the fans are totally into it, we can come back from being down in the game with eight seconds left... it's amazing. It's nothing like it used to be, lacklustre with bored fans. Hockey these days is really exciting, and anything can happen. With 5 minutes to go in the third, being down by a goal, that's when people used to just go "oh. We're going to lose." and we WOULD lose.

Not so last night.

I love my Habs, and seeing them play hard, not give up and come up with the win, with two of my good friends with me, was amazing. :D

I now need to study for my Italian test. :)

Pumpkin carving was fun. I have proved my pumpkin carving abilities to four new people. I rule. ;)

Best part of the evening though, IMHO, was when J and N and I were all in J's room and I was sitting at J's desk, J was on her bed, her head at the foot of it, and N was sitting in the chair just across from us. I was scratching J's head. She moved at one point, sitting up to make a point, and when she lay back down, she was like "the scratches don't HAVE to stop or anything". Hee.

And then, the best line of the night, as I was giving J a backrub after N had left and K and A were doing pumpkin seed things, J was like "ohhhhhhh, that feels so GOOD."

And I smiled. "I do foot rubs, too."

"Oh you do not!"

"Do too. Gave my ex foot rubs whenever she wanted."

"Oh, you. ... and they've passed laws to make it legal for me to marry you, now."

"Imagine. Free back rubs and foot rubs for the rest of your life..."

Granted, she replied to that with a "you're so wonderful, we have to find you a girl who deserves you" type of reply, but hee, it amused me nonetheless.

Pictures tomorrow, probably -- just of the pumpkins, though.

Now some TV and then bed.