traxis on the run

So it's 11:30 pm on Sunday and I'm in Ottawa... alone, but it's okay. Why? Because this is significantly better than hanging out with my brother's rowdy friends playing nice while he gets hammered. Yes folks, that's what I did yesterday and it sucked. And we also went to Yuk Yuks, and that sucked too. The first guy made me want to walk out and the second guy was ho-hum; he should have stuck to his routine rather than try to interact with the audience - he just couldn't get anywhere with the ad-libbing. Anyhow, back to the other thing, I was so desperate to get out of hanging with the kids who have way too much money to know what's good for them and way too little sense to realize, hmmm... maybe groping each other in front of the world, even in a joking sense, is a little immature - that I called the treebeard guys to see if they wanted to join me for coffee/drink. I have never hung out with them outside of a show, but the new drummer Eric has been very nice and communicative, and offered to hang when I was in town. So, I did call and left two very uncoordinated messages on Eric and Gilles' machines (respectively). I felt like a dork. Anyhow, it was so cute to hear on Gilles' machine message that he's living with a girl - I remember it like it was yesterday that the guys were getting rides to the show with their parents. All grown up now :)

In other news, the week is going okay - better than others. Although my parents are totally focused on David, then themselves, and then my grandparents and then me, I have NOT gotten in an argument with them. I enjoyed seeing my grandparents on Wednesday - it was short and sweet. As for the rest of the week, while I did get a terrible back ache from using a huge pillow the first night, I have been able to go walking through the art gallery, go to the market, go enjoy the Mama Grazzi's blue-cheese and italian saussage penne I was craving, as well as the Gabriel's pizza I was hoping would be the same (and it was!), plus watch some good movies (my choices; Sideways, Finding Neverland and Love Actually with my parents.

Plus, joy of joys, I will be bringing home a very large tub of margarine for our enjoyment.

Tomorrow will be the first (and only) occasion I will see someone I know who is not related to me - I get to have dinner with X, and am greatly looking forward to it. Things are weird without familar faces... know more clerks I recognize, not even any band names on posters, and things have moved places or are no longer hip/showcasing the same stuff. I'm not sure WHAT there is to do in town anymore, and I'm not about to chance things like that with my parents, so I've left it up to them, or else I would be just as happy staying in, watching TV or a movie, or getting to bed early to read my excellent book (The Rituals of Dinner by Margaret Visser). Too bad in a way, but I didn't expect much.

Finally, I am quite happy to say that I packed marvellously this time - there is only 1 skirt that I brought that I will not be wearing, and as for purchases, I have mentioned the margarine, but other than that, I only really bought 1 book (when I went without the above mentioned greatness on a rainy afternoon in the market and had hoped to read somewhere, but again, as mentioned above, couldn't find a suitable cafe - they've all turned into pubs!) and a pair of shoes (same afternoon, back killing me, heals were not helping, these adorable pink loafers in 7W were sold out in ALL of Edmonton) - so all in all, I've been very good.

Oh! And Chris got a very important and major scholarship! He found out on Friday! I cannot wait to get home to celebrate with him! Things will be well funded/covered with an air-tight contract for the next 2 years, so no more worries!

posted by traxis @ 8:27 p.m.