And our hands feel empty though they’re full, all the time

I am again in a land where French words do not profane traffic signs and dollar bills are circulated and it feels dandy. I visited a couple of ulterior universities, and everywhere I’ve been is massive compared to Redeemer, but that is to be expected. Pearl River High School was massive compared to Redeemer. Anyhow, next year will be quite the experience. Prospects include James Madison University and Christopher Newport University. If my grades are not abysmal, possibly William & Mary and the University of Virginia. If my grades are abysmal, I might consider Virginia Commonwealth or another year at Redeemer. My first choice at the moment is JMU because their website is witty and rumor has it their food is excellent and Theresa recently gave me about twenty reasons why it is the best school on the planet and it’s in Virginia without being too close to home and a host of other such favorable attributes. Oh, the complexity of it all. Incomprehensible muttering regarding my future and how grades are just relative letters and numbers and the profundity of my art is where it’s at. Go check out the photographic powerhouse that is ashleyrattner.com if you don’t believe me. What I lack in academic strength I make up for in sheer egotism.

First semesters of college are baloney. I did well academically in high school.

It’s been busy as a bee ’round here. Driving in Richmond is terrifying, but I’m catching on, a bit. It’s much warmer than Ontario, and for this I am glad. Good times.

And so, my first semester of Redeemer now draws to a close. My exams are done. I think that Cuthill will know that I didn’t actually know all of the short answers. On one question it asked why a certain artist did not like the color green. The real answer should have been something about how blue dots in close proximity to yellow dots make the eye perceive the color green. I wrote that green was indicative of the natural, untouched state of the world and the artist saw hope in a more industrial future. Oops.

I fly home Thursday morning. I absent mindedly purchased a plasma ball for Zach. Either I’ll risk breaking it and drop it in the mail or I’ll lug it along with me on my flight and layover. Plasma balls are dumb anyhow.

Sometimes we all sit around in the living room on our respective laptops and play Snood.

Thank you, Amyann, for featuring my photos in the Minstrel this issue! I appreciate it greatly.

Two weeks ’til I go home.

It is a time of great milestones in my life as a pseudo-Canadian. My MSN contacts list has just hit 50. My Facebook friend count in the Redeemer network is currently at 99. When I go home to the States I will be able to purchase cigars. Not Cuban cigars as I could here if I was older. We are not on friendly terms with Cuba, and Canada is not on friendly terms with selling eighteen year olds tobacco products.

As this semester draws to a close, I feel the need to reminisce of days past. I’m going to miss English 103 greatly. I won’t miss any of my other classes, I’ll just think I will because they are ending, but in reality I will not. Exam season is upon us, then break, and for this I am excited.

There is a potential Guster/Barenaked Ladies concert I have my eye on, and I am very excited. If it happens, that is. Else my excitement will fade to disappointment. Note how I waste precious creativity here that I could be using on, say, my Art Review. But the Barenaked Ladies AND Guster! Together! My mind is blown just thinking about it!

I walk around outside in shorts and bare feet in the harsh Canadian December so as to try to desensitize myself to the bitter winter that I’m told is coming.

My English paper is written. I have exhausted my current potential for philosophical meanderings and their religious implications and tigers in lifeboats. I have satisfactorily gotten through a day on three hours of sleep and no caffeine. I’ve also endured another excercise in futility: a Religion quiz. I believe I need tutoring for the exam, else my GPA is most likely toast. And we can’t have that.

But now I’ve had a nap! All is peachy in the world again! Keep It Together is an outstanding album! It’s brings to mind summers past and throwing rocks into Lake Champlain at twilight and good stuff. Guster is OK.

Exams are imminent.

The future is imminent.