The Last Long Haul....

Three more days of Global Perspectives... I am determined to stick to it till the end. I stayed in the Library Building till 2 AM on Wednesday, doing a country report on Jamaica and was very grumpy yesterday morning. It was hard to stay grumpy for too long however, as we all got a day off classes for Community Day. We ran around blindfolded playing games on the field, and talked with the faculty about classes, food, financial aid, residence policies and co-curriculars. The process of creating Quest is still just beginning, and it is on days like yesterday that we really all realize that. Everyones' opinion counts.
After a nap, baking some cookies, and doing the dishes, my grumpies had fully disappeared. Just recently I got my violin sent down from Juneau, and I have been fiddling away as much as I can between homework, so I went over to the Arts Bay to check out Open Mic night. It was a huge success, and at least half the school was sprawled out on the dozens of couches scattered around the huge room. It went on for hours, and people painted and drew and danced and sang along till at least midnight. It was pretty awesome, and at the end of the night I was very happy that I was part of such a sweet student body.

a little gloomy

I normally love the rain, but today it just isn't doin' it for me. The sloppy weather outside is making me feel dreary and unmotivated. I should go swimming. Swimming at the pool is free in Squamish, if you are a Quest student. It's one of my favorite perks...

On an academic note, I just finished a book report on " Three Cups of Tea" by David Relin and Greg Mortensen. It was a sweet book, an inspirational biography of a man who dedicated his life to helping children in rural Pakistan.. It was an optional read for my Global Perspectives class, and now one of my favorites. I know its a fairly popular book club read these days, but for anyone who has yet to discover it, I would highly recommend it.

Summer is calling to me, and I have been having an increasingly hard time concentrating on work these days. The blocks fly by, but the end of April seems like a long way off still. Ahhhh I can't even look at this computer screen anymore...perhaps later.

Spring?

People are returning to campus, and things are starting to liven up around here for the first time in weeks. Spring break in the dorms was...slow, to put it nicely. But thank goodness I had my trusty list of things to accomplish.

I put my To-Do list up on my wall on a big sheet of paper with red permanent marker, and spend a lot of time looking at it while I ate my granola in the mornings. I am sad to report some failures, and proud to report some successful ventures during my ten day hiatus from the real world. I did not tye-dye an outfit, nor did I make cheese. My closet remains unspeakably filthy, and I somehow managed to spend the measly amount of money I had still lingering in my bank account.

On the brighter side:

I learned to navigate the Whistler public transit system, and used it to make my way to the only thrift store in Whistler. It was quite good, and I found an awesome flannel plaid shirt and some long underwear.

I baked a lot --not cookies as planned-- but tons of bread. Bread rolls, pizza dough, whole wheat, sourdough, cornbread.... I used up a whole jar of yeast and filled many hungry ski bum's bellies. I think it may be my calling.

I found a coffee shop with free Internet in Whistler and wrote a satisfactory letter to my dear father back in Alaska. The baristas were grumpy and the coffee was bad but It feels good to keep in touch.

I got a job! I am going to be doing odd jobs around the Gustavus Inn, a bed and breakfast in the town where I grew up. It took a little pushing and prodding to achieve, but I am very happy to be able to cross that one off my list.

Probably most importantly of all... I became addicted to watching the TV show House, and have started watching it religiously on my laptop. I also am part way through a Matrix marathon... life is good.