Andy Rocks.

Well, today I leave for Toronto... tonight at Chantal's and Dave's place, tomorrow "morning" we go to the Ex, then tomorrow afternoon we're in Chinatown, and then finishing up with dinner at East Asian Market-place-something. Woo! Go Chinese food!

Then Saturday I get to stand in line forever to get a ticket to the Fan Expo (such is life), then spend most of the day checking that out, followed by dinner at an awesome Greek restaurant on the Danforth (go figure, ne?), and then... I don't know. Maybe to Harry's place to crash, maybe to the bus station to head home... we shall see, we shall see. At least I'll get to see Bonnie for a few hours...

I hope Heather and Paul can make it... but I'm not holding my breath. I should call 'em tonight before I leave for the train... it would be nice if they can come, but I'm going to have a good time either way! And hopefully sleep like a log tonight...

Speaking of which: Andy came over for dinner last night... ohmygod was it fun! We were going to attempt a variation on Peking Duck (one that doesn't take 2 days to make properly), but unfortunately couldn't find thawed duck anywhere. However, it retrospect, it's probably a good thing... the recipe is supposed to have the duck marinate for 24 hours (it's weird how I keep missing that!), so it's actually pretty lucky it didn't work out. Made chicken instead... it was acceptable (not fabulous, but not bad), and chinese coleslaw (wasn't so good... an interesting experiment, for sure, but not one I'd repeat).

Oh, and then for dessert I made chocolate chip cookies and Death By Chocolate (another variation on that recipe... I've seena bout 20 so far!)... both were good. I have NO idea what I'm going to do with all the Death by Chocolate, though... there's probably enough there for 10 people! Ah well... hopefully it will stay for a few days... although I'll try bringing a bunch of it with me to Port Credit tonight to give to Chantal and Dave. They might like it!

I even got to play a few video games with her... Amplitude (which she didn't mind) and Donkey Konga (which she liked far more... I love those games!). She also mentioned that she'd like to learn DDR... YAY! Can I mention how awesome that is? I LOVE DDR...

The highlight of the evening, though? Andy decided to crash at my place and I offered her something to wear to bed... she said "Oh, a t-shirt would be nice!" so I lent her one of my standard grey t-shirts and she wore that.

And socks.

And panties.

And that's it.

The shirt was just long enough that it covered her butt with about... oh... 2 cm to spare. And Andy has really nice legs...
I think I had to actually consciously keep myself from drooling the whole time. I just kept thinking "Just keep looking at her eyes, don't stare, don't stare, don't stare..."
[contented sigh]

Can I mention briefly how proud I am that I managed to behave myself? I mean, sure, for most people that wouldn't have been such a big deal (although Andy is remarkably good looking... and she was wearing my t-shirt, f'er cryin' out loud!), but this is me we're talking about... a bundle of hormones and primitive urges at the best of times. I'm taking this as a very positive sign, though... and it really was just about the perfect finish to a fabulous night. I'm glad that she felt comfortable enough to be like that around me, and I'm glad that I have enough control that it wasn't debilitatingly distracting... just pleasantly distracting.

Anyway, good times, good times... she's gone to Montreal for the long weekend, so I won't see her again until sometime mid-next week (and I'd be surprised if she has enough time to write at any point!), but that's okay. I don't want her getting sick of me or anything... she really does rock, and it's so nice to have a friend in town.

Andy For Dinner...

Well, Andy's coming over to my place tonight... I cleaned (mostly... didn't vacuum, but with a bit of luck, I should be able to do that after I get home from work and before she shows up... otherwise... ah well!), and the place looks pretty civil... well, relative to what it normally looks like, at least.

She's gonna help pick out what we're going to make, then we're going grocery shopping to buy whatever we're going to make, and then we're going to eat whatever we're making. I may bake a bit somewhere in there... we'll have to wait and see, I suppose! I'm actually really excited... it's been far too long since I've cooked or baked for anyone. And I owe Harry some cookies anyway... and it gives me an opportunity to introduce her to a few of my video games, see if she likes 'em (I'm thinking Donkey Konga and DDR... hmmm... maybe not DDR yet... Donkey Konga and... Amplitude! Of course! Jeez, I can't believe I had to think about that). Ooh, I can't wait... yee!

And then tomorrow I'm off to Toronto after work. Should be good times... Ex and Chinatown on Friday, and CNAnime on Saturday... plus, if I'm really lucky, I might get to see Bonnie on Saturday night... I'm not holding my breath any more, though. I will have to bring a second bag to carry all the stuff I plan on buying at the Anime convention... although I dunno, it depends on how it goes. I've factored about $3-500 for the event, but I'm hoping to spend no more than half that. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

September is gonna be EXPENSIVE...

So, first we have the Anime Convention on September 2nd (CNAnime... I've wanted to go for years but could never afford the trip, much less the ticket or enough monies to buy anything!). That will probably end up costing me around 2-3 hundred bucks, easy.

Then, we have the new games coming out... DDR Supernova, Okami for starters, but they're being followed by Guitar Hero 2, Final Fantasy XII, Panzer Tactics DS, the new DS Lites AND the Wii/PS3's releases, Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, Super Smash Brothers: Brawl... I mean... ye gods... at $50 a game (ha! I wish!) and $250 for the systems (ball-park), that's almost a grand in toys. Yeouch.

But... but... they look so good! Some of 'em I'll have to pick up on release (namely the DDR and GH2), just because the bundles tend to disappear unbelievably quickly, and I REALLY want the bundles. The rest will have to hold off for a few months at least... hopefully the price will drop a little for Christmas and maybe I'll buy myself a few presents. Maybe... we'll see, I suppose.

Oh! And exciting news on the home-front... Andy is coming over for dinner tomorrow! Yee! I have guests (well... A guest). Means I'm going to have to clean my apartment, though... and do a GOOD job this time. Top to bottom clean... shouldn't be too tough, the place is more messy than dirty. Don't know what I'll end up making... but I hope she likes it!

Saturday was good...

What is it with me having one good day a week? Am I on some kinda quota that nobody felt it necessary to inform me of?

Anyway, Saturday was a good day... I spent about 12 hours hangin' out with Andy (the girl who I met last week at Williams). She's pretty cool to hang out with... likes talking (which is a good thing), has a good sense of humour and seems to like the same kinda stuff I like... we walked a lot, but that's okay because we also ate a lot. I spent too much money (about... $120 all told), but that's okay... we definitely went to a fancier restaurant than normal (Black Trumpet... I don't know why I keep suggesting the place... the food is good, but the prices are just way too high for what you get).

Sunday was correspondingly low-key... finished watching the Count of Monte Cristo (well, Gankutsuou, technically) and started watching Kaleido Star... childish, but still a good series thus far. Did a little drawing, but not much... but so far I've managed to update at least 1x a week on my deviantART page... and we're taking that as a good sign, yes?

Now I'm at work and waiting for people to write me... although I do owe Lenka an e-mail, I think she's going or gone camping, so I'm in no particular rush there. I hope Andy writes soon... her e-mails tend to be longer than most people's. Ooh, and I have to get in touch with Heather and Paul...

And I gotta figure out what to do about dinner on Friday. I, personally, would rather go to Astoria for two reasons: 1. I know it's good, and 2. Because Bonnie might be willing to go there. How sad is that? Making plans based on possibilities? Yeah... I don't think I'll do it... I guess we're going to that East-place. Hope it's good!

Bad day. Bad! No biscuit.

Yesterday was not a good day. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't an awful day, but it certainly wasn't a good day. I'll put it down under "bad"... that safely sums things up.

Bonnie cancelled on dinner on September 1st... says the place Chantal picked is A) Too fishy, and since she's deathly allergic to fish it might kill her (good reason), and B) Not very good (not such a good reason). I asked her to recommend someplace she wouldn't die going to, but she doesn't want to bother... she says that if we pick someplace good that won't kill her, she'll come.

I'm a little hurt... okay, I'm kinda crushed, really. I was really looking forward to seeing her... it totally bums me out that I won't be. But she can't be bothered to put in any effort to come see me... which really hurts. I mean, I know she doesn't mean it in a hurtful way... she has plenty on her plate and I suppose any additional work is just too much. But still... here I am trying to bend-over backwards to see her, and she won't go a little out of her way to see me. Can't even be bothered to suggest a place she wouldn't mind going to.
[sigh]

This totally blows.

Anyway, nothing I can do about it now... I'm going to ask Harry to suggest a good Korean or Chinese restaurant in the area... maybe he knows someplace. And if it's good maybe Bon will still come, but I'm not going to bend myself out of shape for her any more... yes, I'd love to see her, but it's getting increasingly obvious that she doesn't care that much, which is fine, but means that I have to take the same attitude or it's gonna kill me.

Etc... etc...

Not much time to write today... boss breathing down my neck to get stuff done. Joy.

Which is okay, really... not much to type about anyway. Yesterday was boring, today will be boring, and tomorrow will, in all likelyhood, be boring. Ah well. There are certainly worse things, I suppose.

Another day.

Well, I wrote Andy (the random girl with a boyfriend that I met at the coffee shop on Sunday)... just to say hello and to see how she was doin'. We'll see if she writes back or not... I also wrote to Margaret real quick off in beautiful Vancouver (I think I've mentioned that I'm jealous), but since she's probably in the middle of a move I'd be surprised if she writes back any time soon.

Ooh, that reminds me... gotta write Lulu as well some day soon.

Had a good trip to the gym yesterday... a bit longer than usual because I'm learning a new exercise set... it was hard, but satisfying... hopefully it'll get quicker as we go along. And my chest and shoulders are KILLING me... but that's a good thing!

Anyway, other than that and work, not a whole lot to say, actually... oh, Dirge of Cerebus is a surprisingly good little title, and MAN did they ever do the CGs properly. They're GORGEOUS. The gameplay itself is fun... not terribly involved and I'm still starving for a really solid RPG I can sink my teeth into, but it'll certainly tide me over for awhile.

Side note, I've also started a deviantART page... just someplace to dump my drawings and to motivate me to do more. So far it's worked... I've finished (well, inked) about 3 drawings in the last three days... not exactly polished works, but it's something. I really hope I can get better at drawing real people... still not as much of a draw as drawing manga-style-stuff for me, but drawing anything is good practice and it's much easier to impress people with "actual" art instead of powder-puff artwork.

Sunday was a Good Day

So, Sunday was a good day... but first things first. I got the volunteer position at Victoria... yay! I'll be volunteering in the Dialysis Unit... basically talking to strangers for my shift. But I'm kinda looking forward to it... it'll be very different from what I'm used to, and that's a good thing. Stretching your boundaries occasionally... a very good thing.

Anyway, so Sunday... I talked to Bonnie for the first time in almost a month... and that was nice. I was in a good mood when she called, which is good... I hate when I'm depressed or upset when she calls because then I'm just a snot on the phone. We swapped stories, compared notes... she is feeling this deep need for solitude right now because she's always surrounded by people, whereas I'm feeling a pretty deep need for company because I'm always alone. We're sorta living each-other's ideal life to an extent... but whatever. I think she's where she needs to be, and she sounds healthy (I mean, relative to her) and happy. She mentioned that she might come on September 1st to hang out with my buddies and I... that'd be awesome! She also invited me to crash at her place that Friday night... can we say "tempted"? Yeah. I'll have to think about that...

Anyway, so then after talkin' to Bon (and buoyed by my resulting good mood), I went to go draw at my coffee shop downtown (Symposium)... but since the waitresses I know weren't working, I decided to try Williams just for a change of pace... a good call on my part! After a couple hours, this girl just comes over, sits down next to me and asks to see my drawings! I'm like... "You know they're crappy, right?" but she doesn't care... flips through them while talking about a friend of hers, an artist, who recently discovered that he loves drawing people in coffee shops and because they had talked about it just recently, she took it as a sign to talk to me. It was utterly random, but still very pleasant... I invited her out for dinner (apparently everything is closed on Sunday nights in downtown London... what kinda dead-beat town is this??), and we talked about just about everything... very pleasant change of pace, I must say.

Now, she was very clear she was only interested in being friends (at the end of the night she mentioned her boyfriend, so there was no uncertainty there), but that's okay... I really don't have a lot of friends in London, and she seems really kosher. And besides... it was fun! I think I'm hangin' out in Williams more often.

Then I went home (riding home in the dark? NOT fun), played BF2 with my brother for an hour or so, MSNed with Gabe for a little while, and watched a few episodes of Gankatsuou (so far an excellent little anime... based on the Count of Monte Cristo). All in all... a very good day.

Fingers Crossed!

Tomorrow is my interview with the hospital for a volunteer position... I got butterflies in my stomach. Very nervous... I hope they have a position for me. That'd be nice... especially if it's a good one that's on Thursdays. That'd be just about freakin' ideal. Something like I did in McMaster...

Oooh, speaking of which, I should check if Mac has my immunization record so I don't have to get the shots again... that'd be nice. Thanks for reminding me!

And plans are being laid for September 1st... hmmm, I wonder if I should call and invite Bonnie. She won't wanna come, of course, but whatever... I should call her. I haven't in a couple weeks. Of course, she never calls me... but I guess that's just the way it works. She probably hasn't even noticed... too busy. Must be nice... ah well. All things in good time, right? Right.

And I have to decide if I'm going to that stupid Master's Programme thing my father wants me to check out at Western... it'll be a colossal waste of time, but it's not like my life isn't full of colossal wastes of time anyway... and being back in school might be better than being stuck at this job. Most things would be, now that I think about it.

Menh. I'll have to think about it.

So tired...

I am tired. Of this job, of this daily routine, of being broke. Tired, tired, tired.

Tracy, who works at STARBUCKS, gets paid more than I do! What the hell is that about? I could make more money and enjoy my job a helluva a lot more serving coffee to ravenous peons than by doing optical design? There's something messed up with the world, I tell you what.

"We can't all be Bobo the clown..."

Anyway, all I'm sayin' is that this collar is startin' to chaff... still 8 more months to go (or was it 9... so hard to keep track some days).

Whatev'. Found some new anime, and that should keep me sedated for a few more days at least... and I may actually be able to afford to go to CN Anime this year. Might even go with Tracy... although I don't know how wise that'd be. Haven't spoken to Bonnie in awhile... wonder how she's doing. Probably busy and happy... but I should call.

But not tonight. Soon, though...

Good Times Had By All

Well, Kingston was fun... which I'm glad. It was short, sadly, but still we got to do most of the things we normally do (namely, eat and play boardgames).

You know, it just occured to me that I don't actually know a "pure" gaming store in London... a few gaming/comic hybrids, but that's it. Huh. Anyway...

Saw Bill, Susan, Dave and Chantal... insulted Chantal's friend Janet because I'm a dumbass and don't know when to keep my mouth shut (she's Catholic, and if you don't know my feelings on Catholics, then you don't really know me at all). Got into a long discussion about time-travel with Dave on the last night (Saturday) before I came back to London... the word "faster" is very annoying.

Seeing Dave and Chantal together was... sweet. They make a very cute couple. I just hope things work out (not that there's any reason to believe they won't), because it would be awful if they broke up on bad terms (although I admit I don't see it happening... they're both adults). Still, it was a little lonely for me, but on the other hand I did deal with it okay... didn't bother me nearly as much as I was worried it might.

Heather's birthday dinner is this Friday, and I don't think I can make it... too expensive for just dinner. A lot of things are becoming too expensive... food being one of 'em. But I'll survive... there are people who do far more with far less.

As a final note: I really, really hate my job. Another 9 months... tops (if the company goes under, it'll be less!).

Toronto today...

Tomorrow, the world.

No, but seriously, I'm going to Toronto today... only for the night (I imagine I'll be crashing at Dave's place while he crashes at Chantal's... call it a hunch), but still, it'll be nice to be with friends for a few days. Then tomorrow we're off to Kingston to hang with Bill and Susan... probably not for anything fancy, but whatev'! At least I won't be alone, and that's normally a good thing.

Next weekend, looks like I'll be in Hamilton... Heather's birfday dinner-thing. I don't think I'll be lucky enough to hitch a ride with Steve, though... he'll probably be out of London on Wednesday night, Thursday at the latest. Is it worth the $100 just to see Heather for a few hours?

Normally I'd say "yes, absolutely!", but normally I'm not as broke as I am currently. I'll really have to think about it... see how much I spend in Kingston (and try to make that amount "Not mcuh at all!").

In other news... doesn't look like I'll get to Vancouver this month... father has dropped the ultimatum. "Ship $120,000 worth of equipment, or I have to start laying people off." Which basically means I have to hustle my butt off for people who don't appreciate the job anyway... why am I working to save THEIR skins, when they won't work to save their OWN?

People bother me sometimes.

Kingston? Why not...

Well, looks like I'm in Kingston on Saturday... only for the day, which is unfortunate, but hey, it still beats being stuck at home alone, right?
Sure, I'll be with two extremely happy couples... and I'll be a fifth wheel... but hey, at least they're friends, right? Right!

I am actually looking forward to the trip... anything to get me out of my apartment for awhile. And it should be fun... Dave and Bill are good guys, I liked Susan (Bill's gf) when I met her, and the drive will be with Chantal as well (she won't be hangin' with us because she's got some family function... which sucks... but oh well. I's takes what I's can gets).

In other news... work still sucks, the gym was hard last night but it was good to be back at it (gotta figure out when I'm going next, though... I could go tonight, but it's lookin' unlikely), and I still don't know when I can go to Vancouver. Hopefully soon... I normally have a good time hangin' wid mah bro.

Nothing else to see here. Carry on.

One more day...

Well, I survived yesterday, and that's normally a good thing... slept like a rock when I got home, and that's always a good thing. Too many nights where I have difficulty sleeping, really... it's like I have too much on my mind or something.

Imagine that.

Anyway, work today will be awful, the gym after work will be rough (first time in a week... I hate having to miss the gym), and then tomorrow will be boring (work always is... either boring, stressful, or more commonly, both).

I have got to figure out what to do with my life... after I get out of here. Anywhere but here.
[sigh]

Anyway... enough waxing poetic for one day. Here's hoping the day passes faster than normal, at least.

Long Rant.

So, herein lies the rants. None work related, of course.

First, Kat says that she and I are no longer friends. Can't take the strain or whatever. Can't say I'm surprised... or unhappy, really. She's PSYCHOTIC, and I feel bad for the few friends she has remaining... and I can only hope that eventually she grows up. I'm starting to doubt it, though... but whatever. No longer my problem... deleted her from MSN, forgot her phone number, and officially stopped caring.

Secondly, Bonnie and her trip to Jamaica. I wish I could say it doesn't bother me, and it doesn't really bother me that much, but I'd be lying if I said I was totally kosher with it. But, again, I know she and I aren't meant to be together... but it still makes me feel a bit empty inside thinking about it. Almost wrote her one of my long rambling e-mails yesterday, but decided against it... maybe I'll try giving her a call sometime. I should probably wait until I'm in a bit better mood, though.

Thirdly, Margaret is now safely in Vancouver, and I'm so jealous that it's almost distracting. She just packed up and left... she's got a month until she starts school again and she's trying to find an apartment and all that. I'm glad she's keeping in touch and seems cool with me writing her... she was kinda my only friend in London that I didn't have to pay (ie: waitresses... get your minds out of the gutters, people).

Next on the list... my brother's breakup with Kitty... ever since then, he's been badgering me to go out there, and I'd love to... but I certainly can't afford to go under my own power (I have slightly less than no money). And I hate always being in debt to him... but, then again, it would be stupid not to go just because of pride. I guess I'll ask him when a good time to travel to BC would be and I'll go then... maybe for longer than 4 days this time! Who knows, who knows... anyway, I hope Kitty will be alright, since I'm pretty sure my brother's not even phased by all this. Just kinda who he is... love him dearly, of course, but certainly not the world's most sensitive soul.

Met a few people on a dating-site... "Plenty of Fish", a free Lavalife sorta deal. It's pretty kosher, and it's nice to have people to write e-mails to... that's always cool. No real prospects, of course, but that's okay... I'm not really looking for anything except to waste some time.

And to finish things off... sex. It's going to be a LONG time before I get laid again... and I think I'm okay with that. Not "happy" with it, certainly... but I'm pretty zen about the whole ordeal. How many months has it been now? 6? 5? 7? Who knows, who cares... it's been a long time, and will likely continue to be a long time.

Back to the Mines.

I hate my job.

The trip to New Hampshire? Awful. I mean, from a work perspective it was fine (at least I THINK it was fine), but everything else... awful.

And my 1 day of holidays? Yeah, it just didn't cut it.



Anyway, can't write... gotta do work. But awful, awful week... hopefully this week will be better.