arias and gonads

when a friend asked if i'd be interested in joining her for an evening of opera at the jubilee auditorium, it took me only a few seconds to respond with a resounding yes. i imagined fancy dresses, posh socialites, and a few pretty woman moments.

calgary opera did not disappoint in their rendition of Faust. i had shivers at the high notes, i was transfixed by the singers' voices, and i got to try out a new smokey eye that i learned from Too Much Daytime TV. 6th row tickets were not too shabby either. and the subtitles were surprisingly not distracting, nor terribly necessary.

but the best part of the night was during one of the intermissions when i tried to convince my opera date to go up to the special guest of the evening, calgary mp jason kenney, and kick him in the gonads. she wouldn't even do it for the $50 on the table, but it was still funny to say the word 'gonads' while wearing a fancy new purple dress and a smokey eye!

if you have the chance, go to the opera! what a treat.

inappropriate behaviour

when i first arrived and had all of my money in a money order drawn on canadian funds, the bank told me that it would take 6 weeks and cost money to get it into my account. rather stressful. so today when i went to deposit a money order from canada post, in british pounds, they told me it would take 6 weeks and cost money to get it into my account. i have had it with these silly rules and people who cannot seem to comprehend how frustrating this is. i was told perviously that it was because it was in canadian dollars that it would take so long. but now it is just that it is from canada that it will take so long.

my temper got the best of me and i ended up telling the teller that it was f*cking ridiculous and then i had to apologise before she would continue with my transaction. i realise that i shouldn't have sworn, but it was sort of funny that i had to apologise before she would continue. sort of like a stand off. well, i did cause that is obviously not appropriate.

apart from swearing at the bank teller, i have had quite a nice week. i spent my birthday attending a dissertation workshop, talking to my fam on the phone, and going out for sushi with a nice english boy. i love being out and about on my birthday, like you have secret that no one else knows. and yesterday i visited my auntie, cousin, nana, and second cousin whom i had never met before in liverpool. holy scouse accent on that guy!

last night we had a birthday pyjama party in our kitchen where we had cake and presents because it is my flatmate's birthday today and it was really nice just to sit and talk and not have to rush off to get anything done or attend a lecture. which should be the perfect preparation for our weekend in london. i am going to see the Lion King! i am SO excited about going to the theatre in london and just wander the streets of a big city.

here is something that has made me laugh a few times in the past couple days...there are expiration dates on EVERYTHING here. apparently my onions should not be eaten after november 25th! but they are onions and look fine to me. it is the proper storage of things that is important really, but all the food companies are so paranoid that you'll sue them and they'll make more money if you need to throw out your onions cause the label says they are too old to consume. yeah right. rage against the expiration date!

curiouser and curiouser

the first week back in lectures was a good one. i seem to have found myself in an extra class that i am auditing because it compliments another lecture nicely, but i also signed up for a half hour presentation on conflict and religious extremism... oh well, i like to be busy. and it makes up for the french class that i had intended on taking that was sadly cancelled.

i went for a wonderful afternoon tea in the lake district this past thursday with some friends from my program where we sat and talked politics, so nice to have people to have such specific conversations with; i understand not everyone wants to talk about us foreign policy and bureaucratic international organisations. and i took some photos to put on here but then i realised that i left my cord to do that at home in calgary so my sister will mail it soon. sometimes i think i would misplace my head if it weren't attached.

yesterday i went for a lovely drive to leeds with a friend to see alice in wonderland. the play was fantastic and it made me want to wear the queen of hearts dress with all the crinolins and spin and spin like i was 7 again. i forgot about that horrible part where the baby turns into a pig though, i remember that being rather unsettling. of course, the best part was the mad hatter's tea party. i wonder if twirling around would be as entertaining as it was when i was small? if i try it, i'll let you know!

and on the way to leeds i couldn't help but think of poor old heathcliff from wuthering heights, wandering over the moors. such a depressing book and i must admit that i did not finish the last 10 pages. i can do that, stop reading a book if it loses my interest. no need to continue something if it is not captivating you. and there are so many books i'd like to read in my lifetime, might as well not waste time with the ones you don't love. right now i am reading the constant gardener and perhaps because i have seen the movie, i am ready for it to be done.

until my camera cord arrives in the mail...