103: Every now and then I kick the living shit outta me

This title from a lyric to a song called "My Own Worst Enemy," by Lit. Apparently, that song was a #1 Mainstream Rock hit for like three months in 1999, and then everyone forgot it existed. It was a catchy tune, too.

The last couple days have been a little rough but not in a terrible way, if such a notion makes sense. (It doesn't.) Last night we went over to Dad's to celebrate his birthday. We got him a Beatles compilation and the Dark Side of the Moon. His CD collection always grows around his birthday, and (less so) at Christmas. He doesn't listen to CD's too often, mostly during long car trips. At this point, it's as much for my benefit as his, but hey, these were certainly what he asked for.

We then went grocery shopping and they palmed a bunch of cake off on us. Not sure if it's gonna get eaten or maybe already has. I know I tend away from old cake. Hrm. Came home and watched the Office, finished reading Pride and Prejudice, and called it a night.

And there my troubles began.

Sleep oughtta just be a matter of resting one's body, going into a state of, I don't know, stasis, to rejuvenate the body and rest the mind. Though I went to bed around 12:30 last night, I certainly didn't fall asleep then. No, it was a while before I finally drifted off. And then sometime after 2, something in my dream, something ethereal and deeply troubling in my psyche jostled me awake. I tossed and turned, ill at ease for the rest of the night. My stomach was upset, my brain was worse. The universe, the night, my room and my body were against me falling back asleep. In silence I wriggled and twitched trying to settle into a comfortable nook. I popped in a DVD to soothe my nerves and still was disturbed. I bobbed on the surface of sleep for a few hours until at last... 6:45 AM. Time to get up. And the day got worse from there.

Half-alive I went thorugh the morning motions, dressing and feeding the dog, showering and setting on my way, biking a path through the early morning fog. I rested my eyes the whole way to Union. I tried to come to grips with the Philosophy tutorial, and was mostly following, but still felt like I was in chains. So I go between classes to Tim Hortons for that sweet liquid I have been trying to escape... a double-double. By the time I finished, and with an ill-chosen peanut butter/granola breakfast bar thing along with it, I was donefor. My stomach turned. Not good.

At least, feeling totally sick and queasy, I was shocked into wakingness, even if my stomach felt like bubbling tar. I was more attentive and active during the English tutorial. Various tests and papers are coming up in these classes, it's time I smarten up a bit, I guess.

The last tutorial of the day, an hour after that, was Film Study, were we talked mise-en-scene, which is basically anything put in front of the camera. First we talked the elements used in the Kid Brother, and then the TA showed us a clip from an old Judy Garland film called Meet Me In St. Louis and asked us to determine the most important element of mise-en-scene in it. Given that the scene concerned Judy and a male character going around turning off lights, I noted that the most important element was clearly costume. "I mean, did you see what they were wearing?" no, it was lighting. I used that joke when I made my way to the subway with a girl from class I'd been sitting next to. We talked until she got to her stop.

I got to Union, wary of potential panhandlers, finally having regained a bit of hunger. By now it was about 2 and I didn't want a meal, just something to tide me over til dinner. So I picked up a couple bags of Combos and a can of Coke. The plan didn't really work, as I was still a bit off-kilter, meal-wise, by dinner. We went back to dad's, tonight for pizza, and after a spirited conversation, went out to the LCBO and Michael's for Brandon to get a gray Sharpie. B didn't believe me that the Oakville Town Centres are being renamed Dorval Crossing. It's a gentrification thing, I don't much care for it myself.

The evening has proceded low-key. It wasn't a terribly fascinating couple of days, to be sure, but then again, this isn't a terribly fascinating site.

There's an election/referendum coming up. Just remember, MMP is for MMPussies.

Keep on rockin'
-Scott