Canada Day: a journey in funk and free things.

 I started my day pretty early by going uptown to take advantage of free admission and events going on. I ate free food in a historic landmark, wandered through the museum, saw all my favorite local politicians in the same place, explored a farmer's market to find a Bingo game going on across the square, and listened to celebratory fiddles. By early afternoon, the group of us had exhausted everything to do.

However, Maegan and I went back uptown in the evening for fireworks, which turned out to be the most downlifting display of bursts of light in thick fog I've ever seen. Our spirits were brought back up when the boardwalk stage was taken by a local funk band, a hilariously diverse collection of individuals including my music teacher's husband, Maegan's hairdresser, and the vice principal of a local high school. We had wandered through the crowd with the purpose of finding people to hang out with and we found a group of friends within three minutes, tops. Now let me tell you, if you ever want to have a really fun time, find a local funk band, a crowd of fun friends and strangers of all ages and various states of inebriation and dance to that funky music. Funk made everyone so happy.

It was a very Canadian day. Mediocre fireworks, fiddles, and the ever present odour of beer and cigarette smoke wafting through uptown really made it feel both celebratory and Canadian.

Hearts,
Julianne

Post grad lyfe.

I figured that after over three hours of sitting on a warm, sticky stage on Sunday, after I was handed a piece of paper that signifies I've passed through a system that takes serious effort to fail, summer would be worth it.

But I don't understand this summer thing. I mean, after eight months of always being crunched for time, I suddenly get weeks where I have nothing planned other than like three shifts and a barbeque?

Between all this free time that I can't possibly fill in addition to being home alone for the weekend, I'm starting to shift to a post grad mindset. Today, I called my university to see just how much I've screwed myself over by pretending that if I ignore things they'll go away: so far, I'm in temporary residence overflow and I can't figure out how to register for courses that I was suppose to for June 8. Well, shit then. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter much. I still have a bed to sleep in and my courses have slots for me anyway, though my tutorial will be later than I would have wanted it to be. I tempt fate way too much with trying to ignore things out of existence. If I was a Shakespearean character, it would probably be my fatal flaw. For now it can just be my signature move.

I also discovered my class's facebook group. This link brought me joy and made me feel like I might be able to relate to people's sense of humour. In another post, students were discussing how much the editions of the books on the reading list matter and this one guy commented under the post "The Lombardo translation of The Odyssey is weak shit, get the Fagles translation." That definitely rubbed in just how 'liberal arts' King's is, even before people actually get there. I may have quoted the guy to multiple of my friends to prove that I will being going to school with a lot of potential pretentious asshats. 

Unfortunately, I also have some pretentious asshat qualities about me but I figure that a liberal arts school might be a collection of people with an overbearing number of pretentious asshat qualities. For example, I hear that spontaneous poetry readings are a common occurrence in residence which could be either annoying or really cool.

Other than university stuff, post grad life has included a lot of Tumblr, Mad Men and Gilmore Girls. Occasionally I sling coffee for minimum wage or hang out with people who tolerate me and don't have conflicting work schedules with me. Exciting, I know. 

What's up with you folks?
Hearts,
Julianne

The Events of Prom: The Collected Works.

I was getting sick of pretty posed pictures so this happened.

• I acquired more selfies for my graduation frame that was given to me with the best intentions by my aunt and uncle, but who don't know me well enough to realize how unsentimental I am and how ill suiting a big picture frame with the numbers '2013' is for me.
• Rachel crashed prom for longer than most people stayed and no one cared. She had a better time than most people there, I think. She's the person I bring with me to random events because she gets along with almost everyone pretty effortlessly.
• A group of 15 people cha cha slid out the doors because they played it at exactly 9, when most people left.
• One of my friend's dates was a cute German boy in a top hat who was a blind date set up by her grandmother. 
• During this song, we stormed back into the dance, formed two lines and people danced through the middle. It felt like something that would be at the end of Footloose. It was followed by the Harlem Shake and it was a happy sequence of songs.
• I danced around outside the dance and yelled super obnoxiously to a Hedley song (hating Hedley is pretty much a patriotic duty) while waving around a fancy water glass and made Ms. Lutz, the scary as hell IB coordinator, laugh. I MADE MS LUTZ LAUGH.
• Maegan and I went to Starbucks to see Missy and Mike right after they locked the doors. I agreed to give 33 year old charming barista Mike a grad photo, and not one of the wimpy wallet sized ones. I'm sad that 33 year old charming barista Mike is getting a real adult job. Maegan and I are proud of him because he's growing up, even if we'll miss him.
• Noah casually changed his pants in the car on the ride with me, Maegan and Nick to the after party at Peter's.
• The 'after party' actually was going to a playground and then watched Atlantis after prom and am totally ok with how tame it was.
•  Accidentally fell asleep during Atlantis curled up with Alan. Definitely didn't help the situation that he may have or may not have been hitting on me lately. I actually can't tell.
• Noah left one dress shoe in my car. One. 
• Driving home at 3am and following a cop car for like 10 minutes while breaking curfew by three hours.

I set my expectations pretty low so prom was a pretty good time, as soon as the cameras were put away after like three hours of non stop pictures. I was surprised.
Hearts,
Julianne

Reasons I want prom to be over:

• People can stop using my school's prom dress facebook group and all the accompanying dress drama and selfies of like 100 girls will stop, hopefully.
• Prom can be a thing of the past instead of an ever present event looming in the future which people are making way too big a deal of.
• I can push aside my vanity for the summer
• I won't have a reason to wear heels anymore.
• I'll probably have more nice pictures of me and my friends
• I can bother hungover people this time tomorrow morning