Thursday, November 30, 2006

So you finally left school, so now what are you going to do?


Is this the light of a new day dawning? A future bright that you can walk in?

posted by Aleksandra @ 7:49 AM 0 Comments

Friday, November 17, 2006

Five months in five minutes

I know the blog has been a little quiet in the last while. So for posterity's sake, a 5-month megapost!

JULY: Domestic in Delta
Most of July was spent house sitting and taking care of Zoe (our dog) and Paddington (my sister's unruly puppy). I cooked and cleaned and fed and walked. I watered the plants. I made tea and pretended to do work on my thesis. But if there is ever a time to be domestic in Delta, it's summer. It's a great place to walk around in, most particularly the Nature Reserve down at the foot of the hill we live on. The way to the entrance involves crossing an old railroad and finding a path ridded with a maze of roots. Then a boardwalk takes you through a cedar forest, then bog brush to the loveliest hushed view of the Alex Fraser. Then back out to an alder forest and along an open trail that is watched over by two gorgeous grey owls. It's wild and quiet and one of my favourite places.

That said, my July highlight was Mike dragging me out of my domestic stupor for the Raconteurs at Malkin Bowl, fireworks from Stanley Park, and designer ice cream. A perfect night with a perfect friend - that's what summer is all about, isn't it?

AUGUST: Portland definitely is Rock n Roll Fun

Last year's The Woods made me fall irrevocably in love with Sleater-Kinney, so I was gutted to hear that the band was breaking up before I'd get the chance to see them live. Then Quinn and I managed to get tickets for their last ever shows in Portland - another "new travel buddies unite for rock n roll" road trip. And what a success!

The shows were amazing. The first was super high energy - I don't think I have bounced up and down like that in FOREVER. The second was sweeter and sadder and nostalgic. And there couldn't have been a more prefect venue than the Crystal Ballroom - a music fan's dream.

Portland itself was super cool. Quinn and I grabbed a crappy motel room on Burnside and lived the indie life PDX style. Quinn didn't believe me when I told him I would spend the entire day in Powell's... he has learned to never question me again. Indie record shops, funky organic diners, weird donut places, Crafty Wonderland - Portland is just so cool. Thanks Quinn, for being such a wicked travel buddy!

SEPTEMBER: Aleks and Erin's High School Reunion

Ten years go by quicker than you think, especially when you spend most of it in a collegiate coccoon. I hadn't kept in touch with many people from my graduating class, so the only person I knew was going was Erin but (unlike many people our age) we were both excited to see everyone again.

A little background on my grad class. At 750 people a grade, we were more like a small town than a mere high school. And like a little town, we were a lively and varied bunch. Case in point - the "regrets" comments on the Reunion Webpage.

(I would say statistically the percentage of UN-employed Jackie Hansens run low, the bitter pride of the Lisas n Sarahs a little higher, with the vast non-attendees falling into the alwayshungry camp: they want to see us, but they want to see Mariah Carey more...)

The event was held in a ballroom at River Rock. Strike 1. I wore a fun outfit, completely forgetting the "glamour and sparkle" dress code noted on the evite... Strike 2. And as reunions go, it was pretty lame, like a really bad dance. For most, that would be strike 3, but nothing could be more fitting. ND was always too big to be good at these events; nobody gave speeches, nobody was celebrated and the lack of dancing meant that people mingled simply because there was nothing else to do.

Surprisingly, the people I most wanted to see weren't my closer friends from senior years, but the kids I had gone to school with for years. Old pal Paul and I had met up earlier in the year - he was anxious to see all the 'borderline' folk: the kids that when we graduated were either going to figure themselves out and get right, or try too hard to make it and wind up in a bad way. We had had a lot of borderline friends.

They were all amazing. Whatever it was they were up to, they were happy. You could see it in their face. And that was the question people wanted to know - not what job you now had or if you had gotten married - just if you were happy and healthy. Of course, with 750 possible attendees, there were plenty of people we missed. But those that were there were just such a treat (Jen Waters, you were a highlight!)

High School Reunions. Aleks recommends.

OCTOBER: Is that all there is?

It's done. Elise, Lisa, and I presented our projects to our adjudicators on Oct 3rd. The presentation went perfectly, no changes needed to be made.

(Thank you James, for your lovely words of encouragement the day before... they were simple but they helped immensely.)

The picture at right was taken in the glorious exhale between "when will this be over?" and "now what?"

November: Now we are 26
I think this was the first birthday I spent at home on a weekday. Meaning no one to see and nothing to do, which is weird for someone who thinks the world should stop for a little bit to celebrate the day one arrived into the world... So I went for a walk in the Nature Reserve; it was a nice crisp day, the leaves had turned and were falling. And I felt overwhelmingly unsure and alone. This time last year I had fled the country in order to escape my commitments, now I had completed all of them with no idea where to go next. This throwing-things-out-there-to-see-what-sticks thing is fine for summer jobs and internships, but is this really how one goes about starting their career? Or is this what happens when you become an adult, just stumble along until we fall into stabilty?

Anyway, I graduate next week. An incredible 9-year chapter of my life about to end. Farewell UBC, hello world.

posted by Aleksandra @ 1:28 AM 0 Comments