hmm, quite the eternity there.

I've got the Three Tenors' Nessun Dorma playing through my headphones while the biggest snow storm in over 37 years pounds my aunt's house. (total of 50cm+ expected at the end of tomorrow. Wow.) Nessun Dorma is one of my countless favorites from the Three Tenors.

I remember watching their first few concerts on PBS when I was a kid. All I can remember is likening Pavarotti to Santa and thinking Domingo was the coolest name a person could have because it rhymed with 'flamingo'. I thought the three were the greatest to walk the block because of the one concert I saw when they sang O sole mio and Domingo cut off Pavarotti, Pavarotti tried to come back in--he was laughing--and Carreras and Domingo cut him off together. Then, as his ultimate revenge, Pavarotti holds his C longer than usual, much to the amusement of the two and they continue.

Luckily, I found the exact recording from that concert I saw and video during the great download fiesta when Pavarotti unfortunately died. Live recordings can be much funner to listen to sometimes than studio recordings I find.

Ma n'a-----tu sole, cchiu' bello, oi ne'...

Other than that, I'm excited for next year as I graduate (on time! I win!) and pursue other future endeavors. Of course, that won't relieve the stress of taking care of my dad, but *shrugs* I suppose the universe had it out for me to learn about life sooner. Taking care of your own parent is quite the job...especially when you're needed over in one end of the country but are living temporarily on the opposite end.

Hopefully I can transfer him to Montréal soon and without a hitch. He's done terribly in Alberta and has become progressively more depressed (I'd go so far as to say he's close to having depression) staying at the transition hospital in Calgary. Zero diversity, almost no Ethiopian community, and nurses who don't bother or care to notify me when he's contracted some disease that could've potentially killed him had it not been detected sooner (along with a bout of pneumonia) has not helped.

entouka, à la prochain.

Well, long time no post I suppose.

So summer's done, I'm back in Ottawa and giving my future some deep thought.

My summer was bad. The only things close to a "vacation" that I ever had was my day trip to Edmonton and my weekend in Vancouver. It was an infuriating trip and I didn't get all that I wanted to get done, done. As well, people aren't willing to tell me things because I'm still deemed too young to be told so everything is a big mess for me still and I'm at an impasse. I would like to rant and talk about it all because so much happened, but I suppose this isn't the place. Or it is, but I don't want to and I don't like to burden people with the weight and heaviness of my life as it is now. I won't bother with that right now.

In terms of classes, things are good but Socio-Anthropology of the family has presented itself with the greatest block ever--I have a research project which I'm not to comfortable doing so I might drop the class. Or discuss other solutions, but if that means interviewing someone else's family...I'm not too keen on that either.

At the moment now, I'm still busy with dad's things and everything's been delayed and people are mad--things are just peachy keen here.

In other news, I'm the proud aunt of a (likely) beautiful healthy baby boy. Brother's told me he has no name yet but that he looks adorable. I might go by there in October for the weekend.

Earlier this evening I even saw a shooting star while I was walking home.

Also, Ariane Moffatt's "Montréal" is quite a nice song.

Back in Calgary July 18th to August 26th

What the title says.



Mhm.

Well, I haven't posted here in forever

I vote we make a mass exodus for Wordpress

But things have been busy, but at the same time fun. I've got a wonderful job as a volunteer at the U-20 World Cup which has been exciting since the first day and it's been keeping my mind off of many things. I've met great co-workers (most of whom are Communications students at Carleton--but no love lost) and had great discussions about the game I have not been playing for nearly 2 and a half years. I haven't even been able to follow soccer for the last year and my favorite player in the Premier league left for La Liga and my favorite club from Serie A just returned from Serie B, my favorite team in Ligue 1 won the title for the 6th time in a row and I don't normally follow Die Bundesliga (though I had a discussion with a FIFA worker and two co-workers about Bayern München's missing the CL for the first time in several years) Of course, the three of them are German so they yabbered off into German for a few minutes about some of the games (I understood, but couldn't answer) which made me realize I should perhaps follow up on German again and brush up on Spanish which are the only two languages I've "dropped" after one semester.

Pah, I'll probably become quintilingual like dad or something (French, English, Japanese, Spanish, German? I think I've already begun to beat down the path to become quintilingual)

PS. The North Koreans are such a loveable bunch and they have fun practice drills. Anyone wanting to amuse their teams, I'll email you an explanation of one of the funnest drills I have ever seen. :D

So I figure I've become one of those wise old people way too early

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. I've got the grey hair part covered--more permanent greys are popping up in the back of my head so I suspect I'll be grey before I'm 30.

I could flood this blog entry with stories of the very terrible visits to the hospital, but I'll save you all the chagrin and terrible woah sad stuff because really, it is sad; I'm not denying it. Lets just say all the visits involved me looking like this: >=| all the time in my oh-so-futile attempt to bottle things up and ending up like this: >='| afterwards. Good thing is, no one has told me I'm lucky to be going back to Calgary and I'm very much ready to blow up at anyone who tells me that, so just a friendly warning.

The visit to Calgary in general? Wasn't fun. Half the time I wanted to go up to something (like a lamp post) and kick it really, really, really hard out of frustration. Luckily I have strong willpower and apparently nerves of steel so no, I did not dent the nearby lamp post nor knock over a small tree. I'll be back again in August, but only again for a short period of time--I'm thinking of taking up invitations and going to Vancouver and Dallas to visit family most likely in order to visit them and yes, shorten my visit/re-exposure to Calgary as much as possible. I'm finding way too many more reasons to hate it every day. That's not a good thing for Calgary.

Oh and the Ottawa phone number I emailed people some months ago? I'm likely cancelling it. No one's ever called it except for three times since we had it set up in September and it's waste of our money.

In other news, I'm an expectant auntie. Baby due in September-ish. A Swedish-Ethio-Trinidadian-Canadian. Wonder what he'll/she'll look like...Expect me to oogle lots about my niece/nephew. I'm alredy restraining myself from oogling and blogging about my 18-month old niece in Dallas. It's quite difficult.

Ovewhelmed? I most certainly am not!

Or really I am.

I've got a busy day tomorrow and I still have to fill in lots of forms that I should do in preparation for the meeting with the lawyer and I have a dentist appointment too.

Oh and updates for those who care, dad's still got short term memory loss, is confused, disoriented and is still in hospital and is on a waiting list for transitional hospital and a long term care facility. I'm talking with lawyers and a social worker. At this rate, I'll be poor before 3 year.

Oh joy, oh bliss how I love Calgary so! Methinks I should update my profile saying that I'm actually 35 and not 19. :O


And listening to orchestral music on my laptop really, really, really, really loud does wonders.

I'll be in Calgary June 1st to June 12th

I'll get into Calgary at like, 1pm and as soon as I get home I'll be hopping on a bus to the grocery as there is nothing (well, in a way yeah) to eat in the house. (assuming the guys at CT are going to not strike? I hear they're playing the people like mad over there and keeping people on pins and needles on the matter)

So, assuming CT doesn't go on strike, my first order of business is to get food. But yeah, if they go on strike I suppose I'll do like I did in Lyon and walk, walk, walk which will be painful. I'd love to drive buuuut: a) I only have a learners and b) What car?

:)

Going to be in Calgary sometime this week

After suffering through jetlag, witnessing an Algerian get beaten to the ground while his wife and 3-yr old son watched on crying while hundreds of travellers and their children watched on, by the Gendarmerie at the airport and getting kicked in the gut by life, I will be hopping on a plane sometime this week.

Haven't bought the ticket yet but I'll be in Calgary I'm thinking until the 12th at the latest as I have training from FIFA on the 13th.

Not too keen to spend (what I think will be) 900$ for a one and a half-week trip. Why can't we just have the TGV? Seriously. I'm pretty sure I'd only end up spending...300$ or something even at the last minute.

Please, when I get to Calgary, everyone book up all my free days with unnecessary go-to-café time. I don't want to deal with any of this at all right now. (You'll see me again in August) Seriously, what summer break?

I also have a strange desire for croissant with jam, yoghurt and juice for breakfast.

Back in Canada

After having dealt with the evil and mean incarnate that is the Customs office after having forgotten to pick up my second bag. (I got to evil eye from this one woman; the AF lady who got my bag was so, so nice though) I am back.

I had the best last two days of my trip ever though, when I went to the Olympique Lyonnais café and watched their final game of the season there--alone, duh-- against Nantes which they won 3-1. Greatest experience ever, though the next bit beats it by a 1000 miles.

There were celebrations held in Place des Terraux, a square located in front of City Hall beside the Fine Arts museum. Realizing I couldn't stay for long, I walked to the other side of City Hall to catch the metro back (later learning that metro service was extended until 1:30am) and noticed the back side was barricaded and remembered that the players were coming with the Ligue 1 trophy they'd won for the 6th time in a row in a while. So we waited in the rain for 2hrs (I had a lovely chat with an elderly lady) and after listening to brazillian music, a brass quartet play a marching version of Samba (by Bond) and city officials walk into the building, we saw the players' bus slowly pull in.

Then, we could see the trophy (my lord is it big) and Gerard Houllier the coach, who announced his retirement the day before the match, with it. Then one by one, the players got off and it was something. Never seen professional athletes that close before from a sport I've played for 10 years. Ever. I saw Cris, Malouda (who got a loud cheer for his two goals--he like poked his head out curiously and then waved), Juninho (!), Govou, Diarra, Squillaci, Wiltord, Abidal (!!), Toulalan, Caçapa who was retiring had helped the club win the 6 titles, Fred (I think), a bunch of other players and finally Coupet whom everyone cheered for big time.

The match was partly delayed because some fans had lit flares (which are, btw, banned I might add) and the wind was going down towards the field so the whole field was engulfed in smoke for a bit. They resumed the match and at the end during the presentation of the trophy, fans ran onto the field and the stage where the players were, the fans were being held back by a human wall about 6-7ft away. It was such an experience to actually see the players get off the bus and such. I was so happy that I cried on my way back to the residence.

After all that I had to miss the players going ontop of the balcony on the front of the City Hall with the trophy and catch the metro home as I had to transfer lines.

So now I'm back, jetlagged and got a lovely swift hit in the gut by life reminding that now I am no longer on vacation and must deal with everything that I had put (on purpose, duh) on the backburner.

In other news, I may unwillingly be forced back to Calgary very soon as many people who want my monnies and want to burden me with complicated information to help dad request my presence and note that it is imperative I be there. However, due to volunteering commitments at the World Cup in the host city I chose (Ottawa) I can't be there long....actually, I might only be there for less than a week as I believe I have mandatory training from FIFA (silly FIFA...) on the 17th...oh well, if I'm going, I guess it'll have to be soon then.

I'm here in Lyon, alive after one week (barring the crazy homeless and sketchy types on our side streets), homesick and mlehh.

Oh and hating my FLS homework. I could definitely do without a good deal of the assignments we have. (I'm working on the vocab which is taking a while since she, the prof from the UofO with us, wants a whole bunch of specifics and such and it's a bit too much what with all the other assignments she's given us and the big three projects we have for the Lyon II professors)

So far, my French has died more times than I'm comfortable with, I go out on my own (sometimes go out with others but not really), have been followed by homeless types, gotten into "Montreal isn't the dirtiest city on Earth and Ottawa isn't the cleanest and has more homeless people wandering about downtown than you can count" debates with one person (didn't really escalate but she's anti-Montreal and I ended it there and then--she refused to tell me what she found made Montreal dirty), have had deep conversations with women in their late-60s about childhood, walked more than I ever have in a single day, explored the métro and tramway system, procrastinated (though not really), been homesick, scared, somewhat overwhelmed with brief periods of emo and have been near more Olympique Lyonnais soccer merchandise than you can shake a stick at (might be getting a long-sleeved t-shirt)

Oh and have seen the word: (forgive me for using it but oh well) nègre twice. One as graffiti on some guy's car, and another time today at a mall as part of the name of a café.

And through all of this, I forgot it was Mother's Day yesterday. But that's okay, May is a month filled with terrible days I wish never happened the way they had. Second worst month after December with November and January in tow. Notably grad.

At risk of this degenerating into an angsty post, Lyon has been great so far. Some people are nice, and some aren't. I've found stores that I want to go to again, but have to pay in cash as my card doesn't work (or I haven't found stores that I would go to that accept Cirrus/Maestro cards). Professors at Lyon II are amazing so far, FLS prof from the UofO, not so much.

At the end of this week, I'm going to Paris for the weekend. Should be fun.

Back to 20-word vocabulary list with quoted sentences, specific contexts, definitions and conjugations if they're verbs that was due on Sunday for FLS

oh hey, 301 posts

With the way things have been going as of late and the billion decisions I have to take and things that are popping up, I'm very surprised I didn't just drop everything and take a leave of absence from University.

Luckily I have my super-experienced psychotherapist aunt to question the Social Worker and translate everything going on into simple English. Because frankly, I cannot make decisions. She also has experience in this matter and shall be questioning the doctor/nurse about tests that have (or likely haven't as it seems to be--seriously, a black man in a white hospital with no one to advocate for him. Do you think they'll be pulling out all stops to make sure he gets the best care? Asks me, who is le frazzled) been done.

However, this doesn't help me finish my essay due later today to be handed in between 12:00 and 1:30pm that I only have a quarter finished. Actually, barely a page has been started.

For those even remotely curious who number in only 1 here (2 elsewhere) about what's going on, dad's condition seems non-changing and he'll be off to a long-term care facility and will be there for the foreseeable future.

Actually, you know what, I'll give out more details even though no one has been asking for them;

He's suffering from short term memory loss that's been going on since he regained proper consciousness in February along with possible other medical stuff I don't know of. He doesn't remember who some people are and thinks that some people are other people. For example, he mistook someone's daughter (3 years younger) as being me.

He's extremely confused and has no sense of time and still thinks that I'm in Calgary regardless of the number of times I've told him along with others. He also can't talk coherently sometimes and slips into Amharic lots.

In other words,

For the forseable future, I don't think he'll go back to the way he was before all of this happened in December. I want to deny it and think that all will go back to the way it was but I can't see that happening unless the liquid in his brain gets reabsorbed (or something my aunt mentioned) and he's back to normal within the month.

I wish my niece could've met dad before all this--she would've had the greatest and funnest grandad ever. She'd've been spoiled silly and treated to so many things by him.

I still have to tell others what's happened to him. His former co-workers know nothing, some in Montréal know but none of mum's friends yet.

You know, it's almost like I'm really 40+ but I'm trapped in the body of a 20-yr old.

Also, a message to the general 'all of you',
Next person to tell me "I'm lucky" to go back to Calgary will get a very long talk. I never liked it there and I never ever want to go back. Try to tell me otherwise, and you will get an even longer talk.

And yes, this was my emo-angry post. Hurrah. If only I could type essays out this fast, I'd be set for bed right about now.

My soccer bag sits in my closet doing nothing...

Oh wow...did I not use my soccer stuff nor play soccer. I have put on my gloves in the hopes that I would go.

And here I am about to submit a volunteer form to volunteer at the FIFA U-20 World Cup of Soccer. Oh well, I still love the sport and I still want to play; maybe there'll be a chance to play pickup on campus in front of Tabaret. :o

Hm.