Friday 1 February 2008

Entry HUNDRED-SEVENTY-THREE



BEST FRIEND Basically Bear is the only one I can really count on.  Jess disappeared.  Melissa hasn't answered back.  Neither has Kenny.  And Betty's still working on calling me back.

I say this because Bear "surprised" me so to speak this morning by writing back faster than usual lately and it wasn't bad (although he left out my visa concerns). 

EMAIL "Okay, so I was supposed to go to the TAFE yesterday, but I guess I didn't really feel like it. I went to the movies instead. 3:10 To Yuma. It wasn't too bad. Worth sitting down and zoning out for a couple of hours. It's okay though, I didn't just stupidly not go to TAFE, I called and apparently I just need to turn up on Monday, I managed to leave my name and all of that. So it should be fine.
 
The job agency took all of ten minutes to do, they gave me a few forms to fill out and just said okay, that's it...I have the bad feeling that there are alot more hoops I'm going to have to jump through before it's all done and dusted.
 
New Zealand seems wonderfull, especially down south...problem is I think you need a car to actually do anything, like around here really, without a car...there's just nothing to do.
 
I guess I might as well try to organise looking at some houses on Monday while I'm there too.
 
More conversations with strangers in strange places today. Well, maybe not a strange place, the bus stop, but a perculiar woman. A conspiracy theorist (amatuer) who has the worrying trend to treat strangers kids like she's their grandma or something, but too touchy.
 
Yet to see Juno, although it's on in Maitland, which is kind of surprising (it'd be considered a bit arty in Maitland- no guns or monsters), so it won't be hard to catch. And the nurse at mum's work must be having a bit of trouble finding those movies, but fingers crossed (probably because it's for me, and not mum means she doesn't feel the need to rush any).
 
No mail yet, so I'll be waiting to see if anything turns up.
 
Hmm, I'd consider Chicago central-north, same as Ohio. Not south enough to be mid-west really. I think Tasmania'd be more New Englandish, WA more Washington (perth=seattle?).
 
Apart from that, it'll all be pretty routine today, watch a video, a couple of exercise sessions, eat (salmon in the fridge- 
I'm experimenting with a cooking without heat trick, just chuck it in a bag with some lime juice, vinegar, salt, and sugar, and by the time dinner comes around it should be pickled...I hope), then sleep. That and try to email dad sometime by the end of the day (and check if the gym membership has been cancelled yet).
 
Hope you have a good weekend, seeing I guess today is the start of your weekend right. Don't do anything too crazy!
 
See you,
 
Gareth.
 
I couldn't think of anything worse than camomile tea (except maybe peppermint tea), urgh."







UNI RESIDENTS & CLASSWORK Arthur called me at 8am and I met him in the library at 10am where we both worked on our HW 3 assingment for Analysis and Applications. The only thing we couldn't get was 4D and of course he didn't get it either, so I had to wait until Stephen showed up at 1pm. 

GROWN UP & LIFE HERE I took the time during the wait to call the immigration lawyer back, but first I had diarrhea because I was so nervous and then I just made myself dial (telling myself I could just hang up). I dialled and had to talk to three different people before I finally got the answer I didn't want to hear: I can't use the two year study clause. This won't knock me down since I won't be able to live here off the bat anyway. I need some money first and some experience, so it works out. And meanwhile I can always travel to see Gaz. 

I'm being positive. 

Oh, and the call? I was so proud I called blindly and didn't speak to only one person, but three. I felt like a grown-up. The fear of a phone is about just using it.

UNI RESIDENTS & CLASSWORK At 1:30 Arthur called to let me know and I went over there, but again, I had my meeting with my marketing group at 2pm and I didn't have time to see his answer to 4D. He promised to let me know, but hasn't emailed me yet, making me not trust him again. And so Monday I will have to corner him and ask him what he figured out. And hopefully the rest of my answers are right. 

2pm and I was sitting there smiling while Neva walked past and smiled because of it, and then Shivang showed up first. Ying was in a "queue" and late because of it (as always) and the South American (?) girl was late because she didn't look at the time. Basically I don't like when people aren't early. Being on time is okay, but early is better. And being in a queue even though you know you have to be somewhere is annoying.

I was afraid we wouldn't have anything to talk about but it was surprisingly easy and it was fun and we laughed and smiled a lot. Shivang and I talked the entire bus ride there and the girl was always smiling at me. It was like shopping as a high schooler and feeling cool because you had "cool" people with you. I wasn't afriad to walk in shops because I was confident around them. And, I could tell people wondering why we were so diversed. A white girl with an American accent. An islander with a French accent. A Chinse girl. And an Indian. We were a sight.

YING But first, Ying. We were nice, but I wasn't overly friendly and in fact, I wasn't scared I would mess anything up. She goes unloving, quiet, and doesn't smile around me anymore and so neither do I. But as the day went on I gave in and was nice and she was smiling more and more. I can't be mean, but I'm only giving what she gives.

I'm much more relaxed and easy going about it all. I'm finally not much of a pushover and just going for it, but this only happens after I'm used to a place. Like with my internship. Lake Erie. And Target. But when I stand up for myself, "I'm a bitch". There's no happy in between. I say this because of how Stephen didn't email me back and how my "friends" back home haven't emailed either. 

But I have Gareth.