GOING TO UPDATE THIS NOW WHILE I HAVE A SPARE MOMENT.

Hi guys!

I'm tired and overwhelmed :( And my hair is getting out of control. On the bright side, I'm going to Granville Island tomorrow and it's going to be totally wonderful amazing. I'll try to put up some photos tomorrow night.

In the meantime, a brief update on what has been going on, and some photos.

Two weeks ago was Thanksgiving. My building put on a turkey dinner, which was nice, but I forgot to take photos of it. Sorry. We had turkey (for the first time. Tastes like weird chicken), stuffing, some sort of cranberry stuff and vegetables. To be honest, it was quite average. I wasn't that impressed. But the company was good. I met a couple of new people from my building and talked to them for a while and it was nice. Unfortunately, I was also pretty sick - I caught a cold, and didn't manage to kill it within the crucial two day period (if you let it go 48 hours it has you). So I was drinking bucketloads of herbal tea in an attempt to fight that off. I was also struggling under a massive load of reading, which is still the case.
So that was Sunday night. We got monday off, and I left in the morning to bus back to North Van and see my family. That was a riot. Even on thanksgiving, the 99 bus is still ridiculously full, and I was fucked if I was giving up my seat while I had a massive backpack and I was trying to drink tea out of a thermos, so I crammed myself into one of the back corners where I knew I'd never have to give up my seat and ended up sitting next to this guy whose backpack was making weird noises the whole way. Then I got off the bus and onto the train and a deranged old woman called me a bitch when she got up to leave and I went to take her seat. Apparently she was saving it for the random Asian couple who were also standing and were totally mortified by the situation :P I was embarrassed, but only for a second. Because the fact is while we're all young and able-bodied, those seats are fair-game as far as I'm concerned. And they got off at the next stop anyway.

From the train I have to get on the seabus, which always has some interesting characters. I spotted a man who looked like Christopher Walken with a woman who looked a bit like Tom Augustine's mother, for those of you who know her. Then I got off the seabus and onto the regular road bus, which unfortunately stopped halfway up the street (WHY, LANDBUS?) so I got my uncle to pick me up and take me the rest of the way. So yeah. Lots of time in transit. I was pretty exhausted. I went to bed at ten that night and slept through till about nine the next morning. I've really fucked up my sleep schedule lately. I just can't seem to get through everything I need to do. My goal for next week is to be in bed every night by 12.

So after half a day of hanging out with my cousins, eating cheesecake and pasta (better than the actual turkey dinner) and hugging their cat, I was back on the bus home. A guy fell asleep on my shoulder.

That was Thanksgiving. The following weekend, last weekend, I went to Victoria Island, which was brilliant. My aunt and uncle took me and since it was

basically a free trip for them we took Melanie with us, and we got to spend the whole time hanging out and catching up on sleep (we both nodded off for a bit on the ferry) and shopping and sightseeing. I would definitely go back there if I get time, because I feel like there was a lot still to see. Here's some of the stuff we got up to.

Melanie by some little houses on the water

Miniature world!

I loved that shit.

Stumbled upon an Occupy Wallstreet-esque rally

This is a musical instrument that you play by running up and down the stairs. We didn't get to try, unfortunately, but on the seocnd day we heard someone else doing it. It was awesome. Sounds like an organ. I can't image what it would be like inside.

Museum! Here we have the 'People Used to Wear That?' section, where I like to think jeggings will someday be laid to rest.

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Anyone else feel really weird about seeing artifacts from their childhood in the museum? Some of this stuff must still be popular right? I mean I can't be the only one who still has a pokemon display in my bedroom. It's awesome btw.

On our way back to the ferry we stopped off at the Butterfly Gardens, which were really lovely. Here are some badass butterflies and stuff.

On the way back my uncle pointed out some of the other islands. They exist in varying states of civilisation and urbanisation. I plan on visiting some more of them after semester.

Long blog post is long. That's not even all I had to tell you guys. A couple days ago I visited the Biodiversity Museum on campus, and that involved a giant whale skeleton. More on that later.

PEACE

I HAD THE TAZO 'AWAKEN' TEA FROM STARBUCKS AND NOW I FEEL FUCKING INCREDIBLE

Srsly I don't know what was in that tea. Like antidepressants or adrenaline or something. But for the hour after my last class I felt like doing cartwheels. I was so hyper I could barely hold a conversation with my roommate because I kept talking too fast. I've calmed down a bit since and now I just feel really happy, which is a nice change from feeling like I'm being stretched way too thin, as I have for the rest of the week.

It's been hard. I got a bit behind on my reading and I haven't really been able to catch up. Fortunately my History professor is very very cool and laidback and gave us a five day extension on our assignment, so I don't have to worry about that so much, but I still had a quiz to study for and I've been doing that and my other reading all week and I've basically been in exile almost. I've only really seen other people in classes or at meals or in the house lounge while studying, which sounds like a lot, but compared to my usual social life here it's really not.

My sleeping habits have also taken a hit. I've gotten into a kind of routine of staying up too late and then getting up too late, and it's started to mess with my head a bit. Last night I couldn't get to sleep till after two, because some bitch in the room above me was like bouncing a ball against my ceiling or something and I couldn't sleep because of the noise, and then I woke up at four am in a total panic thinking all my classes were over and I'd slept through my quiz and having a near heart attack until I realised it was four in the morning, not the afternoon, and went back to sleep. Then a few hours later my alarm (which I've now begun setting to 'obnoxiously and intollerably loud') awoke me again, and again I woke with little memory of what day it was or where I was or what I was meant to be doing. I got through the morning, got through my quiz, but I felt a bit worn out and my voice was all croaky so I thought I'd better hit this cold or whatever it is before it could take hold (after 48 hours it has you). So I went to Starbucks and got a Tazo tea.

Amazing! When I first tasted it it burned my mouth and then it seemed to have a pretty bitter after-taste, so I thought maybe I wouldn't bother with it again, but halfway through my next class my nasal passage cleared and I started to feel really really good. On my way home I literally couldn't stop smiling and I kept sort of skipping. It was the weirdest sensation. I'm getting another one tonight. I'm going to have to buy a kettle too  I guess, since  my cold killing routine requires some seven cups of tea a day.

Anyway, it's the weekend now, and I'm really glad. I'm going to a movie tonight with my new surrogate best friend, and then I'm probably going out with my roommate and maybe a few of the other people from our floor, and then it's a long weekend for Thanksgiving which I WILL NOT WASTE. Saturday is for homework and reading and that pesky history assignment, saturday night I'm going out to dinner with a few friends, Sunday I may be going to the Aquarium with a few exchange people I haven't met yet, and Monday I'm going back home to my aunt and uncle to load up on three day's worth of food and hopefully my hair cut. I'm also planning on blogging a bit this weekend. I want to show you guys my decorated room and some of the prettiest parts of the campus, and the aquarium if I end up going.

Alright I'm out. PEACE