So, apparently, Josh SUCKS at video game baseball... two make that four games, two four complete dominations... Nice boy, but not so skilled with the nintendo gamecube!! It's pitiful really... someone get this boy a coach!!  Preferably the junior varsity equivalent of Joe Torre... now there's a man who knows his baseball... 

PS... he also is a terrible, terrible hockey player... tsk tsk...

Countdown... 2 days until moving day

My basement is currently in a state of massive disorder.  I move to London on Saturday and so the last few days have been spent sorting through my belongings, deciding what is essential, what is disposable...  It's a lot harder than I would have imagined.  When I moved to Windsor for school last year, packing was a breeze... Maybe it's because then I knew that I would be coming home again... that my bedroom would be staying just that - MY bedroom... My mom's already talking about turning my room into a sewing room... Weird... I know this is a rite of passage that is long overdue and I'm all for it, but it's still freaking me out a little (or a lot, depending on the time of day).   I keep having mini breakdowns when I question whether I've made the right decision. 

Don't get me wrong... Most of the time, I'm insanely excited about the big move.  I have these moments where I just think about having my own home and I literally squeal with excitement.  No more sharing a bathroom with 4 other people... Actually having moments of pure silence that I know won't be interrupted by my brothers coming in like gangbusters with their friends... Being able to make Indian food at home without someone complaining about the smell of curry in the house... And joy... no more roommates!!  I'm still not sure what's worse... roommates or brothers, but I don't have to worry about it anymore!!  I'm free, baby...

  

I get home from volunteering in a kindergarten class today and my mom comes running into the kitchen.  "LISTEN TO MESSAGE THREE" she shouts.  Slightly afraid, I push the button on the answering machine and begin listening.  All I can say is YAY!! I finally have an interview for supply teaching!! This means that on Thursday, I get to take a 2.5 hour bus ride to London for what promises to be the shortest interview I've ever had - 10 minutes!! I then have until 5:30 to kill before I can catch the bus home.  Argh... but still YAY!

I'm getting grief from a certain someone (you know who you are!!) about updating... So, this is all for you, baby!!

A couple of weeks ago, I had what will probably count as one of my best birthdays ever.  It ranks up there with the year I had my birthday party at the McDonalds with the caboose and we got to sit in the caboose, pretending we were on a lengthy birthday party train ride.  I also got a stylin' tape recorder complete with microphone!!  I was six... So, up comes my birthday and Tanya takes over the planning.  The second she claimed responsibility for the planning, I knew I was in for an awesome time. 

Tanya and Peter pick me up at the train station in Toronto and thus began the night's adventures.  Confused about the location of the restaurant (was it near the AGO or the ROM???), we drove around for a while before I convinced them to tell me the name of the street for which we were looking.  First victory of the night - I knew where to go!! Sometimes keeping secrets from the birthday girl is counterproductive!!  We ended up on one of my favourite streets in Toronto, eating dinner at one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto.  What are the odds of that?? Of all the many eateries in Toronto, she picks one of my favourites?? We ate a fabulous dinner with my friend Olivia and her sister and I got presents!! WOO for presents!!  Tanya and Peter got me the best t-shirt ever... it's so very me.  It's pink!! And has a sparkly heart and the words "Mrs Joaquin Phoenix" emblazoned on it... sigh, I would marry this shirt if I could... Wait, there are a lot of pieces of clothing or pairs of shoes I would marry... I'm such a fashion whore...   From Olivia, I got a bamboo box (perfect for pencils and other teacherly accoutrements) and a nice little book that has what looks like an abstract-ish version of the london underground symbol on it!  Back at the car, Peter breaks out the last of the brilliant gifts; he hands me his copy of Belle and Sebastian's Tigermilk... ON VINYL!!  Lovely people, these friends of mine.  

After dinner comes the next surprise... we drive along Bloor Street until we come to Little Korea... oh, that's right, it's karaoke time, my friends.  We were joined at this point by my friend Mark which was awesome because I wasn't expecting him to show up.  We get our little room... we pick our songs and the humiliation begins.  Dusty Springfield (you haven't lived until you hear Mark sing in a high, girly voice), Cake, the Spice Girls, Ricky Martin, Aerosmith (I still maintain that Pink is a TERRIBLE song!!), Christmas carols, Blondie... our song selection was varied and at times, highly suspect.  Peter won the singer of the evening award with his rendition of "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" by Cake.  Much embarrassment and a few beers later, we headed for the final stop of the evening. 

Oh Neutral, how deceiving appearances can be... The club looks brightly lit and somehow sketchy at the same time, but we persist.  We head downstairs (I've come to the realization that all good clubs require stairs) and the place is empty... we exchange glances, buy some drinks and claim a table.  We have conversations that are far too serious and eventually the club fills up.  We begin to dance and I decide that this may be on the greatest places on earth.  Since I was 12 years old, I've wanted to dance to "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles and I finally get my wish.  Tanya and I get hit on by two gangsta-type guys... we send random text messages and leave drunken rambles on the voicemail of a friend who is too far away.. and generally have an awesome time.  

On the way up to Yonge Street to catch the drunk bus, I give a guy a fake phone number... the first time I've ever had to do that... Generally I think that's a low thing to do to someone, but if after ten minutes of "no, i'm not interested" he still persists, fake away, ladies... That's my new philosophy... We end up back at Peter's dad's house and sleep until the afternoon... well rested but still feeling the need for more dancing... 

And so went my birthday... 

In other news, I had a dream last night that my family and I were in a forest near a lake when a bear attacked me.  My dad ran for a gun as I tried to swim away from the bear... somehow I ended up crushing its jaw with my bare hands (yes, I am THAT powerful) and then I started to cry because now the bear was going to starve to death.  For this odd dream, I blame Josh... and Mike to some extent. 

P.S. Tanya looked super hot... good job, Peter!!