wowbunnies and I went to see Nebraska at the Fringe Festival. It was a musical based on the story of Charlie Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugate, two teenagers in love who went on a killing spree across the state of Nebraska in the 50s. The Star had reviewed it and said it was going to be the "next great Canadian musical." So we decided to see it, and decided to get there early to buy tickets. The Fringe Festival doesn't start selling tickets until an hour before the show, so that you don't have to wait in line all day to see the play. Anyways, we met for dinner and figured we'd get there nice and early to ensure getting seats.

( 1-4 )

5. And then I'm pretty sure I witnessed some Mennonites talking dirty to each other on the subway ride home. The evening was amazing, and I don't care that I'll be falling asleep at work tomorrow.

In my government office, we have cleaning staff. They empty our garbage and mop the floors. They work during the day, instead of at night, I assume, because it is on the more secure end of things, as far as government buildings go.

It is awkward for me to interact with them at times, when they empty my garbage can or clean the floor in my area, probably because I am so much younger than them, but have a much more 'specialized' job that requires 'skills' I think. But recently, I have been making small talk with the lady who usually cleans my area. (We talk about the weather, the weekend, things going on around the building, like that special ceremony where a colonel came, it was a pretty big deal, and the garbage). The lady I like the most though, is an older Jamaican woman. She is very small, and will sometimes sing to herself as she cleans. I've started saying hello to her when we pass in the halls, and she always responds. I can never tell exactly what she says in response to me. It almost sounds like she is asking herself how I am doing.

We're not allowed to stream audio or video at work, unless it is work related. So today we got an email reminding us that we were not allowed to stream the Michael Jackson funeral. RIP.

Heather and I were downtown today.

We got on the subway at St. George station. You have to walk down the University subway platform in order to get to the Bloor platform.

As you walk down the University platform, there is a sign that says "Next station: Spadina/North to Downsview". It is indicating the train that goes north from St. George station.

Just thought Amanda should know.

Lowlight of the weekend: I saw Transformers 2. (And really, I don't need to know why I should join the US army or buy GM cars, or that Megan Fox is sexy. I also don't need to know that mimes and escargot, and therefore France, are gross or that the US army's bullets just bounce off the robot aliens, but they manage to seem like they're doing something and have a big part in the outcome of the battle). I also don't need the better part of 3 hours in order to learn this.


( Highlights of the Weekend )

I really like fireworks. I really like Canada day because, for the past three years, I've gone to the same fireworks display that is put on by the city. It's everything I could ask for in a fireworks display-- it's free, goes on for longer than 60 seconds and there's enough space to set up a blanket. I would have been going to the same display tonight, but the event's been canceled because of the city workers' strike.

I feel like the union's stolen my Canada day. Of course, the weather forecast's been calling for rain, so that may have made fireworks messy, but I don't mind blaming the union.

(I am going swing dancing later though, so that's cool).

I have learned a lot of things within the past 30 hours.



( Big Macs, Cute Gay Boys, Cute Straight Boys, Graphic Cards and more... )

With my undying thanks to Katharine, my friend from High School. She's getting married this summer, I am positive that she and Greg will have many happy cakes together.

Also, I did just try this, it does actually work. My advice: make sure the ingredients are very well-mixed, that seems to be the only issue I have with this cake. If you really cared, you might try mixing all the ingredients in a bowl (easier to mix it all up) and then pour it into the mug.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

One tour that I did was on the day a few weeks ago that it poured rain (the Wednesday). The tour was scheduled for 6:30, and at 4:45, the school group called Richard, the owner of the tour company if he could pick up 55 rain ponchos on his way to the tour. He said that he was sorry, he couldn't on such short notice.

Thursday night it was supposed to rain as well.

Richard texted me, telling me where and when we were meeting the tourgroup.

My response:
I'll be there, but I'm not going to pick up any ponchos on the way.

His response:
Don't worry, Poncho is helping me with my Mexican tour next week.

I have a part time job giving ghost tours around the U of T campus. Last night I gave one along with the owner of the tour company, Richard, who is 38 or 39 years old. Richard showed me his wallet: He wasn't sure if everyone would be paying separately or if the group would be writing a cheque, so he had gone to the bank earlier that day, and taken out a roll of toonies, two roles of loonies and a bunch of 10 dollar bills. The group ended up paying with a cheque, so Richard was stuck with all kinds of change.

Since Meagan, another tour guide was visiting from Kingston for her sister's high school graduation, Richard and I met up with her, as well as wowbunnies and her friend Tristan. On the walk to the bar, Richard gave each of us a bar of chocolate. He enjoys giving small gifts to friends for no reason.

At the bar, we are all asked for our IDs. Richard admits that he doesn't actually have an ID, but the host says that it's fine, there's no doubt that he's over the age of 19. So Richard makes a joke about how he's just the old guy hanging around a bunch of kids, and Tristan points out that at least Richard had given us chocolate. Amanda and I point out that him giving us all chocolate makes it even worse.

Our waitress managed to lost the piece of paper with our orders on it. It took over half an hour for her to bring Meagan, who had to catch a train that night, a 'small greek salad.' We were not at all impressed with the service, and as the rest of us were leaving, we didn't leave a good tip, and we also paid her using a $50 roll of toonies.

I've been watching So You Think You Can Dance since the second season. The season that is currently on is the fifth season.

Every year, the judges say that they've found the best, most talented dancers yet. They're probably not lying, either.

( Here's Why.  )

The point of this post is, if you haven't ever watched So You Think You Can Dance before, now is a better time than ever to start, if you think it will intrigue you. Also, it's SO much better than Dancing With The Stars.

My brother came into the kitchen and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was making a livejournal post, and he asked me if it was about him. I told him that it wasn't, because we hadn't been hanging out enough Then I promised him I'd write about that particular encounter. So here it is.

The cellphone has every possible feature I could want in a phone:

1. A screen that doesn't turn solid blue every 3 seconds, and stay that way until I turn the phone off and turn it on again, or until I close and open it about 15 times.

My coworker, Heather, told us last week that she hoped Detroit would win because she "didn't want Sidney Crosby's dirty teen stache to become the new face of the NHL."

( Heather also mentioned that odds were, Detroit would win game seven, since they’d only lost one home game during the entire playoffs.  )

 

So after the free Cirque performance, we ate some food and walked over to a bar in the St. Lawrence Market. As someone who has been passively following the playoffs, I was pleased to find out that the last 3 and a half minutes of the playoffs were on the TV in the bar. So I witnessed teen stache history being made.

I'm sure things could be worse.

Over the Christmas break, Amanda and I went to a cyperpunk goth club that was closing down, Savage Garden. I was wearing bondage pants and she was all steampunk looking. We were some of the youngest people there.

Two guys at the club, who were at least in their 30s, started hitting on us. They were wearing 'nice' clothing that probably would have looked normal anywhere but a cyberpunk club. They started asking us about the music, and if we thought they were going to play any 'normal' music, like Depeche Mode. Amanda and I stopped talking to them, danced like idiots nonstop for 10 ish minutes, and then left the club for the night.

Fast forward to tonight. We're with the U of T swing club, in Yonge and Dundas square, there's a swing band playing, the swing club is dancing. Amanda and I were taking a break, standing by the pile of bags belonging to everyone dancing. I'm talking to her, and my eyes get wide.

"Holy shit. Amanda, remember those creepy guys from Savage Garden?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that them behind you?"

It was.

One of the cool things about working for the department of defense is that we have civilians and military personnel working next to each other. For the past few days, the co op students have been eating lunch with a sub-lieutenant and a lieutenant (who, fun fact, have the same rank. But the army and the navy have different names for the same rank) and they've been telling us wonderful stories about officer field training. So, the sub-lieutenant is in the navy. Which, he says is funny, because he knows next to nothing about boats, whatsoever.

He told us that the air force, apparently, has the best parties.

My response: So what are you doing in the navy?

He went on to tell us about how, another officer who had been in the navy longer was telling him that when the ships dock at any port in Australia, any straight guy looking, no matter how ugly or socially inept, can pick up a girl while he's there. Apparently the culture in Australia is fairly macho, and the guys aren't always nice to women, so all you have to do, as a guy, is be polite to a woman and she'll think you're a real catch.

He went on to explain how Australia really is God's forsaken land, because of the top 10 most poisonous snakes on earth, most (or all?) are in Australia, same thing with the 10 most poisonous spiders. It has the highest percentage of inhospitable land out of any country and has more dangerous sharks and other fish around its coast than almost any other country on earth. In fact, it was so bad there, that when the British empire spanned almost the whole globe, Australia was where they decided to send their CONVICTS.

It's also home of the platypus.

But even the PLATYPUS is poisonous.

It sounds like an interesting place.

Perhaps someday, I shall visit.

So, I recently found out that my cousin's friend, who I have been acquainted with and talked to quite a lot about two years ago, is moving back to Peru.

The fact that he is moving back, to PERU, is incredibly amusing to me.

(Yeah, I'm cool.)

There's a girl I used to take dance lessons with when I was younger. She's 4 years younger than me, and goes to high school north of our neighbourhood. I've seen her on the subway to work at least 2 or 3 times so far.

Every time she sees me, she ignores me.

I used to do this to people when I was in high school. I did it when I didn't want to be seen with them in public.

Am I that uncool?

Lisa: Hey Stephen, see her? She's the former Miss Washington.

Stephen: So was I, Lisa, but you don't hear ME bragging about it.

Yesterday, I got the final Jeopardy question right, and all three contestants got it wrong. I was super proud, and my parents seemed impressed with me.

Today, four coworkers and I were on the subway. Two of my coworkers were sitting right next to a man, and they were talking all the way from Wilson to Spadina. One was telling the other about how fucked up her love life is. At Spadina, the man got off the train. After he got off, one of my other coworkers turned to her and said

"Christina, that guy you were sitting right next to is my boss."

Work: busy. Good.

U of T swing dance club: the same.

Dan and the subs: new Guitar Hero 4 band, that we are taking on tour this summer.

Weekend: sleep, PD, other DE course, re reading Arcadia.

I just watched my first ever episode of Jon and Kate plus 8.

They're totally getting a divorce.