Chapter 37: GN/BN

nerd blog post #42

It has been awhile, dear subscribers. Since the last post, things have been a bit of a gentle roller coaster. Gentle because nothing too crazy has happened, roller coaster because it has been filled with bad news and good news.. And so, this nerd blog post will outline all BN and GN. Notice how they come in packs... Ahem..

***A string of GN

GN: The mussels and fries were a success! I was pumped. The sauce was good.. Made with a bunch of things, including sour cream and wine. We ate like kings. And they're cheap. I think about visitors that come, and what I'll make. This is on the list.

GN: Then Cynthia and I went dancing. It was great. The DJ was better than usual, and we avoided the shark tank like pros.

GN: Upon my return, I talked to SLS on his b-day. He downloaded Skype and I got to chat with all of Westview Haus in Kingston! It was actually kind of overwhelming to see them all for the first time since I left - and all at once. But really good.

GN: I then Skyped with four Queen's Drama friends who were gathered for a pre-game at DC's place. That was also fun.

***A string of BN

BN: When I woke up the next morning, Stefano had e-mailed me, telling me that he'd be away when we were in Milan, and canceling our couch surfing plans.. So back to square 1 with that. It's been my priority the past few days, but still no luck on that front.. I remain optimistic.

BN: Cynthia and I tried to make cookies. Tripled the recipe. Due to a language barrier ingredient confusion, they did not work out. At all. This was annoying for multiple reasons. The ones I will mention, so I'm not mean on nerd blog, is the waste of ingredients. Both the money and the food. So wasteful. The other is that I wanted to bake cookies for my students, and I hate baking. So it was a waste of time. Anyways, that sent Cynthia and I into crusty moods, and we decided the only remedy was a kebab for dindins.

BN: Hossoen wasn't there, so we thought we'd try a new kebab stand. The new one we tried didn't have veggie option (I'm not that into pounds of pork) and so I got a fish one. It was average, and since I don't eat out that much, I was disappointed that we had missed Hossoen.

***Back to GN

GN: We returned to the apartment and made a delicious batch of cookies! I prepared them for school the next day.

GN: My roommate came back at night with our mail. I had received a lovely card from Christina and Jim in Kingston! They requested points for multiple reasons. The committee reviewed their arguments, and they receive 18 points for each of the five points mentioned. Thank-you both.

GN: I went to bed happy, despite the BN of the day.

**The trend now turns to BN/GN

BN: I somehow reaaalllly messed up Monday morning. Completely forgot my schedule. I was chilling at home, eating cereal, when I received a t-bomb from a student, wondering where I was.. I had somehow mixed up the days and thought I was starting at 1030, and not 915. Completely rattled, I zoomed to school and was half an hour late.. The class is only an hour. Brutal.

GN: My students are wonderful. They all waited for me outside the classroom, and accepted my peace offering of cookies.

BN: Internet wasn't working in my office so I was unable to nerd blog! That's BN for alllll of us.

GN: The next class was the last one for the first years, before they switch instructors. They are who the cookies were really for. It was sad to say goodbye.. They're a great group. But we had a wonderful class. I taught them about Jeopardy (shout-out, Doc) and had created a Jeopardy-like game. Answering in the form of a question was hilarious for me. And the whole thing was pretty funny. I (obvi) had an entire category entitled "Oh Canada" and it was horribly answered across the board.. Some favourites? .. What is Canada's national animal? "Who is an caribou!" No. "That is a maple leaf?" Umm.. also no. Etc. Good fun.

BN: I noticed on the way home that the leaves are falling off of the trees. I don't want to say that I hate Winter, but I'd be lying if I said anything else. I just really, really like Summer. So Fall is equally horrible. The leaves are the first sign of what's coming. "What about the beautiful colours!?" They don't really make up for it for me.. That's like running a race and getting a participation ribbon. Doesn't really cut it. Anyways.. That's not really so much BN as it is life...

GN: re: weather. No snow in Rennes.

**The trend now turns to GN/GN

GN: So.. Random meeting. Last Christmas, my family went to Cuba. While there, I met a plethora of folks. One was a couple from TO. I'm now f-book friends with them, but haven't seen them since. So the other day, the woman f-books me and tells me that her little brother is also in Rennes! So obviously we befriend each other over f-book immediately, and yesterday afternoon we met for a coffee. Brock is taking a year off of university just to live here. He works at H&M part-time and then just chills in Rennes. He's really awesome. He seems to have a big circle of friends here. I'ma join them. It was great to talk to someone from TO. Best part: He lived on Isabella last year! I was 135 Isabella, he was at 105. A block apart. Too weird? Not for me.. This stuff happens all the time and I can't be weirded out anymore.. Of course he lived on my three-block street! Where else would he have lived?

GN: I taught that new course yesterday evening. It's really cool. A creative writing workshop for advanced students. It's led by a French lady who's an English prof, and I'm there as the English peep. So they bring in their writing, and first I correct the English, and then we talk about it creatively. Which is fun. The writing is in English, but most of the discussion is in French.. At the end of the class, the prof suggested that I write, too, but in French. I cringe at the idea of writing in French.. Unlike how most French students work, my talking is best, despite years of French in school. I think my writing might be pretty rusty in French, as I'm completely out of practice. So .. I said yes. And will now be under the scrutiny of an entire class when I bring my homework in next time. But I think it's probably good for me.

GN: Cynthia continues to impress me with delicious Mexican meals. This morning we had a Mexican breakie. Corn tortilla with a fried egg, salsa and cheese on top. The salsa is home-made, and sooo spicy and good. I'm glad I eat Mexican sometimes here. French food is unreal, but has no spice. I miss the kick sometimes..

GN: Dario is our new couch surfing buddy. JUST received an e-mail from him. He lives in Milan's entertainment district. Cynthia and I get our own room, which is great (often you have to share with the host..) and he's providing blankets. Hopefully this works out! (Loret - thanks for the concern! And yes, I'll do a lot of number taking.. And leave my parents' number with my roommates here.. We'll be careful.)

Today is my day off. I was asked to do some acting for a class at 2pm, so I'll go to campus in a bit. Then I have to return to the Prefacture (that awful land) to hand in more documents for my work visa. If all works out, this will be the last time I worry about it, which would be wonderful. Not too sure what the rest of the day holds..

Love to Canada.

Hincks.