Summer Review

Mainly, it sucked.

Okay, enough with the complaining. On to the good of this summer, which lasted collectively about one month out of four.

Some general things that were good was that I was able to hang out with friends that I don’t see while I’m in school. For the first month I was also able to spend time with my mom and sister before they left for BC to stay for the  whole summer. I also got to see my best friend Victoria, who just got engaged (I’m her maid of honour), and I spent a lot of time with Paula and a fair amount with Adam. And since I only worked two weeks out of four months, it was especially nice to not have to pay rent. It was also great to get back into boxing this summer. I lucked out on finding a new place that I was able to get more classes and pay less than the previous gym where I boxed. The classes were a bit different but just as good. Besides, no matter where you are, you really do get back what you put into it. If I return to Ottawa on a more permanent basis (which I am considering) I will return to Habada Fight Club. The coach likes the way I worked this summer and is encouraging me to work towards coaching. It’s an option.

I do have two highlighted events to touch on from this summer.

1. Europe … obviously!

It was amazing and quite challenging. I’m so happy I could finally go see a lot of the things I’ve always wanted to see. The challenge was, along with getting really lost at times, there were times that I couldn’t fully enjoy my time there due to various reasons: paranoid of pick-pocketers, knowing how much I’m actually spending on everything, felt lonely sometimes, forgot my awesome favourite hat in Brussels.

My favourite city was Amsterdam. I don’t smoke and I certainly don’t partake the joys of legal prostitution, but the city was beautiful and everyone was so nice. In my last two days I had actually found someone to hang out with and that was really nice too. Even though I got SUPER lost there looking for the hostel, I have mostly nice memories there.

 

1. Fab Cafe, Manchester, UK – Exterminate! Exterminate!

2. Chester Town Centre, UK – Where Paula and I stayed with her mother.

3. The Cavern Club, Liverpool, UK – Wearing my favourite hat.

4. Buckingham Palace, London, UK

5. Manneken Pis, Brussles, Belgium – With my hat before I forgot it there.

6. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

7. A canal, Amsterdam, Holland

8. Me and Pierre, who I hung out with for two days in Amsterdam. He’s from Quebec coincidentally enough. Small world.

2. One Year Reunion:

I’ve seen Kat a few times since she moved back to Brantford, and I’ve seen Adam a few more times since I moved away from Ottawa. Kat and Adam have seen each other at least once since she moved from Ottawa. For a few days in August, this was the first time in a year that, not only all three of us were together, but with her baby and my dog, ALL FIVE OF US REUNITED!! We had a really great time and created so many more inside jokes to add to our vault.

 

1. Adam living the dream with King and Isabelle. King doesn’t like Adam, but Isabelle really had taken to him. Good for her. Fearless!

2. Kat and I taking our babies down the slide.

3. The roller derby event that made Kat and I want to move back to Ottawa so that we can play on opposite teams and create drama. (The team I cheered for won, by the way.)

4. Frozen time! Frozen time! (Misheard lyrics from Leonard Cohen’s Closing Time.)

5. Probably the best thing I've ever done for Kat, was not support during her pregnancy, was not the baby shower, was not being a better roommate that previous roommates... No, it was introducing her to Yo Gabba Gabba featuring a Dancey Dance with Elijah Wood.
Lift the knee, lift the other knee. Lift the foot, lift the other foot. Walk in a circle. Do the Puppet... Master!

6. Somewhat sums up our visit. Party in My Tummy, Manboy and WWWWD (What Would Wil Wheaton Do?).

The only other thing I wish I could have done was spend more time with Victoria. I only really saw her about four times this summer, which isn’t enough. I hope to see here more this year however, when she and her fiancé comes to Toronto to see his family. I look forward to helping her with wedding plans as much as I can from a distance.

I didn’t get to finish the shelf I was painting but I did a fair amount. I will try to finish when I visit at Christmas.