So, in no particular order, avec beacoup des photographes, je presente...
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Last weekend, we went to Grand Bend on Lake Huron, which is a huge tourist destination in summer and just a cold small empty beach town in winter.I met much of Jonny's extended family, and had a lovely Jewish followed by an epic hangout until like 4am, which was intense. Got some music chat in with one of the uncles who was a studio guitarist, and really got to know Jonny's family a lot better. And, if I may say so myself, I managed to stay completely sober again! I'm not sure if certain okes and/or okettes consider that an achievement, but what the hell...
This is what the "cabins" look like. Susan put it well herself when she said they're not actual cottages or cabins, just more like beach houses. Most of which are, unlike South Africa, not on the beachfront itself. The best thing is, seeing as it's a freshwater lake, you don't get yechy fish smell like rolling thunder twice a day. I mean, some people like it, bu I guess it's an acquired taste ;) Anyway, it's still just a short walk to the beach, and boy was that nice! I didn't manage to get any pictures in the evening :( because my camera was stuck under about 20 bil tons of clothes, which is a pity because there was a lovely quiet little harbour area with lots of piers and lots of little sailing boats chilling in the moonlight. Windy as hell, I went down there to chill for a bit when the other guys were trying to start a fire in crazy wind. It was peaceful and quiet, managed to fall in love again while I was out there...
Back to the future, we went and chilled in the cabin and everyone got drunk except me, and then we just sorta chilled, you know? It's a little bit of a new experience for me, because I always find stuff to do during the day... Well, to be perfectly honest, we did do something directly constructive, ie go illicit late-night longboarding down the main street, which looks like this in the daytime
and is not any busier or brighter at night. The hill is apparently perfect,a gentle slope with lots of side thingies for potential tricks. Hey, this reminds me of the WC champs in Heidelberg, what a smalltown town.... good times, eh? Oh my god, I'm such a Canadian already :D
The beach is also very sick, I loved how everyone camped out at the little booth and pavement, while I was an absolute rebel and walked onto the sand! The wind was pumping so damn hard, but I managed to go and touch the water (didn't get a chance to swim, unfortunately), an it was a really cold yet enjoyable outing. (Spot Kalei hiding from the wind :D she really didn't want her picture taken!)
On the drive back, we got a frozen turkey from Hayter's (don't lol. I will kill you.) and free kittehz to catch mice in the barn. Jonny and I called them Ash and Misty, because Kalei couldn't decide.
That turkey was damn tasty :) My only regret is the lack of bacon strips :D
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As of my arrival at Ridley, my musical capacity has gone from strength to strength, as far as (if you measure instrument-wise) increasing by 150%... Believe it or not, they actually let me into the choir, despite the fact that I am completely tone-deaf. Also, I decided I was fed up with not being able to play guitar so I manned up and started. I can only play power chords for now, but I can play 9 of them, which allows me to play a good deal of songs like Holiday, Paper Wings, She Loves You, Blitzkrieg Bop, The Ring of Fire, One Year Six Months, View From Heaven, etc. etc. and I still plan on learning more! And I think I can sing along to them too, but I'm scared to do that in public for now :D
It's really great because the music department runs rather differently. Firstly, it's underground. Not metaphorically, just literally. I'll have a picture by tomorrow. Anyways, it's not super-well-run like Mitchell's in terms of student buy-in and musical ability, but it's still really insane. I mean, we probably have the same amount of pianos, practice rooms, amps, stuff like that, but here, you can just sign out an instrument and take it home. You don't have to be taking lessons or anything, or even have ever been in the music department before! It's all rather cool...
Wait, so where was I ^kraaaw!^ going? Oh yeah, we're sitting in (Grade 10 :[ ) music class playing and ensemble piece, I'm jamming on the aux percs because I want one of the less experienced guys to have a turn on the drums, and Mr Hutton (our teacher) says, "this would sound really good with a bass part. Mr Dawson (the other music teacher), can I steal one of your lower school students..." And I was like, "No, sir, it's lank chilled [direct quote here :D], I'll play bass! [He knows I'm getting rather bored at present] I don't actually know how to play bass, but I'm sure I can learn. I have a week's experience on guitar, it can't be that bad!"
So now I
My piano playing has also been going swimmingly. I don't have a private teacher, so I'm free to do whatever I want! That means I'm sticking to my usual practice routine, as usual! The Rachmaninov has been coming along nicely, I'm making steady progress after hitting a stubborn patch last week. It'll definitely be done by the end of exchange, maybe I can put on a massive performance or something, it's a really showy piece, true Chopin/Liszt style. The Revolutionary Etude is next!
OHMIGORSH there is a ^kraaaw!^ epic epic epic grand piano right smack-bang in the foyer of the science/art building. Sometimes people will mess around on it in between class, but no one dares to take off the covers in the middle of the night (fine, 9pm) and open it up for the whole deserted building (along with any zombies or vampires hiding out) to hear. It is SO DAMN FREAKY playing really loud minor chords there. Especially something as eerie as the Prelude #2. But it is truly an amazing piano, by far the best on campus, and even Joey would be jealous.
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The problem with getting a short Thursday, no Friday, no Saturday, and no Monday, is that all the teachers suddenly think you can still do the same amount of work over that time period. I haven't become an epic procrastinator yet, and I'm certainly not going to leave all the work until Monday evening, but I still feel like I've become more chilled about schoolwork. I still do it all, but sometimes I just tend to take a breath and chill, and it's doing me a lot of good. I often have to force myself to do something relaxing and de-stressing, because my life is just so busy sometimes. Sometimes I just have to let the words fly; I love writing posts like this one.
Talking of which, I have to write an article for the alternative student magazine about kinda that, but I'll leave it a surprise. Oh wait, I have to write two articles! Well, at least this is what I'm good at...
I also almost finished my first Ridley Radio episode, and goddammit I had an epiphany at the end of school today. Jasper (the other Polish guy who is my roommate's best friend) was hanging around, saw the mike, inquired further, and as far as things are going, he's going to be my co-presenter in our utterly random and completely spontaneous smash hit wonder radio show "Two Polacks and a Mic". I'll see how this goes, but one thing's for sure: expect lots of spontaneity. Oh my god, impromptu speech...
Also, I think if I end up not using it, I'll post up a link to my first episode attempt, after I clean it up a bit, you guys can most certainly hear my first attempts at radio. But not yet, who knows, I might use it after all!
And then I'm also in tons of music ensembles. You know what, for the sake of my friends back home, and my new friends who wonder what I actually do in my spare time, this is my new schedule:
Chapel on Mon and Tues, Assembly on Thurs
Classes (75 mins each) 8.30 until 3.45
In between classes, I chill in my room and play guitar
Play practice for around two hours afterwards
Dinner (Okes get punched in the face if chicken)
Sometimes chill/go to Walmart/Timmies
Sometimes finish off homework
7.30-10.00 either do homework or practice piano/bass/drums
If I'm staying at home, CoD until like 1am.
Jazz Band on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Cadet Drum Corps practice on Wednesdays, choir on Tuesdays, Debating on Thursdays, Hank magazine, Ridley Radio, Student Life Blog........
You can take the Sam out of a busy environment, but you can't take the... stuff that, I will ^kraaaw!^ make a busy environment for myself!!!!!!
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RISE AGAINST ARE LIKE MY FAVOURITE BAND RIGHT NOW!!! A little bit more and I'll do another Sam's Top Ten Countdown again :)
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Talking of popular culture, I have discovered a new YouTube phenomenon, EPIC MEALTIME!!! I love it. Especially the bacon strips! One of these days, I am going to make myself a
Today was actually bacon strips for breakfast, but the ONE TIME the Ridley kitchens serve it, I don't feel like making a two-foot-high epic bacon strip bagel. Damn.
And I'm also watching The InBetweeners. Pure British class, thanks Maddie :D
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Francois (the second one) was having trouble explaining Cape Coloureds to this one girl, and he asked me for help in desperation... Unfortunately, it's one of those concepts you can't be told, a bit like the Matrix. You have to see it for yourself :D but I did my best by regurgitating what Warwick had taught us in history class... I'm afraid it didn't do them justice though :D
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We managed to get out of school at like 3pm today, on account of it being cut ridiculously short due to Thanksgiving. Yes, all you South Africans, that is indeed the turkey holiday. And yes, turkey does taste incredibly like chicken.
Anyway, we went to one of Bill's farms, the one which is two minutes' drive away from the house. As far as I understand, his real industrial-grade farm is out 3 hours away, and we're actually going to go visit it (my first time) tomorrow morning to heave some furniture, an hopefully not put our backs out in the process....
Last time we were at the farm, we took a poke around the basement of the farmhouse (which Bill had never been in either) and found some really cool stuff, such as what could only be described a torture implements (it was such a Hannibal house it's not even funny!) and old-school (empty) beer bottles. Also lots of useful hardware which Bill claimed. It's a real old wooden house with wooden everything, and I didn't take my camera along then! Wait, that's because I didn't have one then.... anyway, whatever.
Today we visited the kittehz, and I also found some old cars. Like, around 20 old cars, most without engines, but most in reasonably good condition. They're all old-school American either sedan or truck, but mostly truck. There's honestly like a giant treasure trove of them. And they're not all in crappy condition too, Bill has like 3 with running engines and sparkly paintjobs and stuff, but I couldn't get to them today. Ah well.
Spot the doggie! :)
I also used my camera's built-in panorama tool for the first time. It's not half bad, although it does lose a bit of perspective. Ah well, nothing a little 'shop can't fix :D
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I'm also rather glad that my mentality about my love life has been set straight. Now I know for sure that I'm not going to be slaying chicks left/right/centre, but instead I'll play the epic bachelor while here in Canada. Because I can. And because it means I won't get my heart smashèd into nineteen pieces, like it almost was.
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Jonny's offering a screening of Van Helsing, but it looks scary, I think I'll just play Call of Duty instead. :D
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As much as I'm having a good time here, I do miss all my friends back home. And that means everyone, not just certain people. I'm sorry if I haven't asked how it's going on your exchange, I hope you're having as awesome a time as I am. Don't do drugs. Guys at home, enjoy Epic (for those of you who know what I'm talking about), and enjoy life! Those lucky few who happen to miss me back, I'll be back soon! Don't fear!
Man, I've already been here an entire month and 1 day!!!! It's crazy; it hardly started and it's already almost over!!
And all ye Canadians reading my blog, thank you so much!! You guys are great you make my time here absolutely amazing!! I love you all!! Platonically!!!
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So, ^kraaaw!^ ^kraaaw!^ I hope you liked that long-ass ^kraaaw!^ post!!!! Becuase today is Thursday Friday!!! Which means we post like it's Friday Friday, not Thursday Friday!!!! Because I worked two and a half ^kraaaw!^ hours on it!!! And as I'm writing this, it's still in alpha testing!!! So you better like it!!! ^kraaaw!^ And comment, ^kraaaw!^s!!! Because I know you want to, even if it's just to tell me how ^kraaaw!^ my blag is in a very constructive and non-spammy way!!!!! Because THIS IS
Love the post!!! why is the doggie sideways?
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