BEDA 6: The Reality of the Element of Surprise.

Reality slapped me across the face when I got off the bus yesterday. I realized something about myself that I've always known but have very few actual instances I can bring up to support it.

I don't respond well to change. Especially after an insane five day trip, a fifteen hour bus ride and during an intense burnout.

This reality hit me like a brick when I looked out the bus window as it pulled up to my stop and Kaelen and Tatyana were waiting for me. The thing is that Tatyana moved to Ontario in April and decided to come back for a month, only telling two of my friends. She wanted to surprise me.

My first reaction was indeed surprise and by surprise I mean denial and freaking out. It was followed by getting home and laying debilitated on my bed for two hours and trying not to cry or hyperventilate. Now I'm angry. I wish she'd given me advanced notice that she's jumping back into my life for a month. I'd already accepted that she'd moved on and I was happy about it because I knew it had taken a long time for her to finally move on. I take a long time to adjust to things and surprising me with some bullshit like this is a guaranteed way to screw up my entire head. I need a lot of time for mental preparation or I actually can't cope with things. There is absolutely nothing about me that suggests that I can deal with surprises. For goodness sake, I felt uncomfortable and complained for a month after they changed the tea packaging at work. This is far more drastic than tea packaging.

She can't just show up like this and expect me to welcome her back right away. I know she's going to want things to revert back to how they were a year ago and I can't give her that. I don't know what I can give her. I can't even give her much time; I have a job, other friends, and serious university packing to do. I'm legitimately angry that she showed up unexpectedly.

Nobody ever surprise me like this or I will probably maim you.
Hearts,
Julianne

BEDA 2: August 2nd

We spent more time in the art museum. We started a project we're calling "Getting too close to the art (featuring booty)" and it consists entirely of us reaching just a few inches from the art, just enough to make security a little nervous but not enough to say anything. They've turned out well, considering the thoughtful lighting of the art. With the nature of art, there was some booty art in the museum, so we made sure to take pictures with it. That includes this rather cheeky one:

Similarly, in this one, we are going to touch the butt:

This was also first day of an honest to goodness Osheaga musical festival experience. Apparently there's forty thousand people on this park island thing which lends itself to chaos. The two main stages are directly next to each other so the crowds are insane around there. We discovered that the three of us get crowd anxiety which is unfortunate considering the nature of festivals but good because we were understanding to each other when we needed to breathe. We discovered the other stages that allow room for grass and the crowds are such that I didn't need to hold on to Maegan and Hannah to not lose them.

The acts for the day were firstly Daughter, which I found a bit underwhelming. There was a weird vibe happening, where I think it would have worked better on a smaller stage. It was one of the first acts of the festival so the crowd wasn't adjusted yet. I witnessed two people pass out directly beside me in the space of twenty minutes which served me as a pleasant reminder to stay hydrated. 

I watched a bit of Ben Howard who was very nonchalantly attractive, and that's all I remember from the few minutes I caught. Also caught the rather chill Alt-J which I'd never heard of before but who had a pleasant electronic thing going on while the lead guy opened his eyes maybe once. After taking a break and then catching the tail end of Ellie Golding, Vampire Weekend happened. We managed to work our way closeish to the stage. They launched into the set with Diane Young and played all the songs I wanted to hear them play, we brought bubbles, and the crowd was getting into it, especially the crowd of hippies behind us. Ezra Koenig inspired the fangirl in me by being crazy handsome in person. Also, fun fact: there was a person directly in front of the crowd camera with a lawn flamingo on a giant pole.

The last concert of the night for us was Rich Aucoin who we knew very little about but everyone who had heard of him had reccomded him strongly so we figured it was worth He was on a smaller stage but he is a proforming artist genius; he does all the right things to keep the audience engaged. I don't even know how to describe it, really. Someone described it as inspirational techno and its pretty accurate. He jumped off the stage and danced in the crowd a fair amount and we all danced under a giant parachute at the end. It was some good wholesome fun. I highly recommend him.

On the ride back on the incredibly crowded metro, a guy led our car in a chours of Biz Markie. I caught it with the power of crappy iphone camera.

Hearts,
Julianne

BEDA 1: August 1st

Today we with got off a 15 hour bus ride at 6am in Montreal, got breakfast, navigated the metro, got directions from a cute barista who was giving samples of drinks to people outside his shop, explored downtown Montreal, shoped at some cute boutique stores, got frozen yogurt from a guy who did not give a shit about his job to the point that he was napping when we came in so he hit us with a towel 10 seconds after we came in, checking in, took a shower, took a nap, explored some more, went to the fine arts museum, met the group girls our age from PEI that we befriended on the bus for Mexican food and sangria, found out that they are actually super cool and have a lot in common with us, asked the cool waiter directions to the liquor store, got a lot of cheap wine and coolers which we carried without bags because the store didn't have any which is apparently acceptable in Montreal, went back to the dorm with group of newly acquired friends, made friends with other Osheaga people drinking in the dorm one of whom looks like young Ryan Gosling and knowing this quoted many lines of The Notebook with the help of his highly intoxicated buddies, had brief 20 minute party in our room until someone spilled a beer and people scattered, went on a quest with people to find cigarettes, drank more on a relatively empty stomach, and am continuing to do so while sitting in a window sill and typing out this post.

So basically I've shamelessly done almost everything one can do in Montreal at the age of 18 in less than 18 hours. And most of the things Maegan's mom told her not to do, except for drugs.
Hearts,
Julianne
(Due to circumstances, these are going to be shuffled around but you can follow the numbers in the titles.)

BEDA 5: Osheaga recovery 2013

My weekend was a John Green book and Montreal was the manic pixie dream girl that screwed me over.

Montreal is like the Las Vegas of Canada but where people can legally do everything at the age of 18. Some things are going to stay there. 

I'm hungover on freedom. Freedom is overrated; I'm considering becoming a fascist.

All my clothes are coated in a layer of grime and smell like sweat and strangers' beer, weed and cigarette smoke. I unpacked everything into a laundry basket.

My supper was a bowl of broccoli because I have a possibly rational fear of getting scurvy.  

I hope I've recovered by the time Osheaga 2014 rolls around.

(I promise I wrote other posts about the weekend, they just wouldn't publish from my phone. They will come gradually. This is one of those stories that starts at the end and then goes back.)
Hearts,
Julianne