Oi
It is 3pm, my time. It is 5pm, Ontario time. Is it abnormal that I go through my day with a constant "double consciousness" with respect to my temporal existence? So today this means that I am feeling anxious on two levels: I just woke up and I have mucho work to do and it is both 3pm and 5pm to me. Yikes! This double timing system makes me constantly feel like I am running out of time all too rapidly throughout the day;however, by the end of the night when I talk to Paradise or someone else or no one, I always sigh with relief that I still have "two extra hours" as if I live in this separate timescape, as if Ontario time is the bedrock of real-time and Alberta time is a loose sheet that doesn't quite fit the grid. Wow do I not make sense.
Anyway.. this week went fast fast fast. Last night I went out with friends for beverages and we got bored of being there by 1am but wanted the good times to ensue.
The beauty / ugly of Alberta is that some liquor stores are still open at this time. I live right around the corner from the bar we were at and wanted to have them over to my tiny pad because it was close and I have never had anyone over as of yet for fear of it being too unaccommodatingly small. So while they payed the bill I ran back to my house, got my bike, burned it down the dark, sleet-stained sidewalk of 112th Street to the nearest bottle shop.
I was going to get wine but then I thought: quantity NOT quality and instead settled on a 15 pack of canned Kokanee (don't ask why I chose this brand). The merchants were sweet and helpful as I explained, drunkenly, that I had to haul this case on a bike. They double bagged the package and added extra makeshift handles from other bags. The plan was that by the time I showed up with the beer, the friends would be waiting outside my place. No one was there. As I tried to see through my, by this time, sleet-stained glasses, through the steam of my own breath, I could not see them. So, I started to bike back towards the bar. I found them. They were not standing me up. Phew. Self-esteem loosely in tact again. (these are relatively newer friends). I told them I thought they had stood me up and then gave evidence of my commitment to them and the beer recruiting project by showing the rip in my jeans caused by my furious peddling action.
We headed upstairs and they were grateful for the beer. I got to play all my good music and was delighted to have people over. I permitted light smoking
(even though I don't normally like to do this) and participated in this while opening the windows nice n wide so the smoke wouldn't accumulate in my tiny apartment. After awhile someone was cold so I shut the window. I am not sure if I am allowed to smoke in my apartment.
The fire alarm in my apartment went off. The fire alarm resounded, maniacally, through the halls of the entire building. Fear, panic, nervous laughter. We looked outside. Fire trucks and ambulances showed up. People were evacuating the building. Friend Theo hid the beer-can-cum-ashtray in my closet. We turned off the lights and hid and watched outside. Friends got up and started putting shoes on. The decision was to make like everyone else, like we didn't know what happened. Also, there was always the case that the building might be on fire elsewhere. We all went out into the cold weather and asked questions and played dumb. It was about 3am... people looked annoyed for being hauled out of their apartments.
When the trucks left and all seemed cool, we all headed back to my place minus Theo. He was "tired" and had to go. I believed him, but I also think that maybe he didn't wanna get into trouble. The other three pals didn't abandon me. We went back, had one more beer and listened to Ms. Benetar's Love is a Battlefield. People left by 4:30 am.
And now it's tomorrow and there is snow everywhere. And I'll bet it is here to stay. And I didn't get that winter coat that I've been thinking about. And I hate my canned Robin's Donuts coffee but made it anyway as I contemplated but discarded the idea of the 5 minute trek to Tim Horton's.
And now I am going to go make some salad cuz it is good for me.
And then I will attempt school work.
Anyway.. this week went fast fast fast. Last night I went out with friends for beverages and we got bored of being there by 1am but wanted the good times to ensue.
The beauty / ugly of Alberta is that some liquor stores are still open at this time. I live right around the corner from the bar we were at and wanted to have them over to my tiny pad because it was close and I have never had anyone over as of yet for fear of it being too unaccommodatingly small. So while they payed the bill I ran back to my house, got my bike, burned it down the dark, sleet-stained sidewalk of 112th Street to the nearest bottle shop.
I was going to get wine but then I thought: quantity NOT quality and instead settled on a 15 pack of canned Kokanee (don't ask why I chose this brand). The merchants were sweet and helpful as I explained, drunkenly, that I had to haul this case on a bike. They double bagged the package and added extra makeshift handles from other bags. The plan was that by the time I showed up with the beer, the friends would be waiting outside my place. No one was there. As I tried to see through my, by this time, sleet-stained glasses, through the steam of my own breath, I could not see them. So, I started to bike back towards the bar. I found them. They were not standing me up. Phew. Self-esteem loosely in tact again. (these are relatively newer friends). I told them I thought they had stood me up and then gave evidence of my commitment to them and the beer recruiting project by showing the rip in my jeans caused by my furious peddling action.
We headed upstairs and they were grateful for the beer. I got to play all my good music and was delighted to have people over. I permitted light smoking
(even though I don't normally like to do this) and participated in this while opening the windows nice n wide so the smoke wouldn't accumulate in my tiny apartment. After awhile someone was cold so I shut the window. I am not sure if I am allowed to smoke in my apartment.
The fire alarm in my apartment went off. The fire alarm resounded, maniacally, through the halls of the entire building. Fear, panic, nervous laughter. We looked outside. Fire trucks and ambulances showed up. People were evacuating the building. Friend Theo hid the beer-can-cum-ashtray in my closet. We turned off the lights and hid and watched outside. Friends got up and started putting shoes on. The decision was to make like everyone else, like we didn't know what happened. Also, there was always the case that the building might be on fire elsewhere. We all went out into the cold weather and asked questions and played dumb. It was about 3am... people looked annoyed for being hauled out of their apartments.
When the trucks left and all seemed cool, we all headed back to my place minus Theo. He was "tired" and had to go. I believed him, but I also think that maybe he didn't wanna get into trouble. The other three pals didn't abandon me. We went back, had one more beer and listened to Ms. Benetar's Love is a Battlefield. People left by 4:30 am.
And now it's tomorrow and there is snow everywhere. And I'll bet it is here to stay. And I didn't get that winter coat that I've been thinking about. And I hate my canned Robin's Donuts coffee but made it anyway as I contemplated but discarded the idea of the 5 minute trek to Tim Horton's.
And now I am going to go make some salad cuz it is good for me.
And then I will attempt school work.