Three: You won't believe how it ends

I have a few items on the agenda for tonight. I've already accomplished a bit of it, but there's more to be done, some of which I know ultimately will not be by the end of the night. The good news is that it looks like I'm in for the night (wasn't really in doubt, but one never knows, people are in town.) I ought to do some writing, some reading, some drawing. Not everything can happen.

I'm not, as a general rule, a fan of Friday night gatherings. I prefer Saturday nights because if you are like me and have too little stamina to leave the house twice in one weekend you end up with Friday as the high point of the weekend and Saturday as a bust by comparison. If you begin with the bust on Friday, the high point on Saturday seems like a saving grace.

Maybe this all stems from years ago when I bowled on Saturday mornings and thus felt the need to restrict social activities the night before. The last year I bowled (which was about two years too late, or more,) I pre-bowled a lot so I could take the Saturday off and enjoy my Friday night. Nowadays I meet up with Amanda every Saturday unless otherwise specified, but she's understanding about how some days need to start later than others.

So it's Thanksgiving. And I did indeed see a lot of people, although not everyone I expected or hoped, but still plenty, and that was good. I'll get into it momentarily. For starters, the day begins several hours earlier. After an exhausting week made unbearable by the wait for Friday, it arrived at last. I had made arrangements with Vasa to meet up, after spending the first few weeks of the school year going back and forth whether it was possible or not to meet up. I hadn't wanted to come in to the city on a Friday before because in September I was using tokens (I guess this did not stop me when we saw Night On Earth,) but now that I have a Metropass to go along with my GO ticket, it literally costs me nothing extra to get to campus, so why the fuck not, eh?

So rather than sleeping in after a late night getting misty-eyed during the wedding of Jim and Pam, I woke up at my usual hour, after the usual routine of everybody else in the house waking me up with their activities at a time earlier than I wish to be awake (in these cases I roll over, fall back asleep, then accidentally sleep later than I'd intended because of the interruption.) Ahem. Got on the train without the usual stop for coffee because coffee was of course the destination, a little coffee shop Vasa frequents. It was raining and I walked over from Museum station.

I haven't seen her since June, just before she went to BC on an archaeological dig. We had only met a few weeks before she went, purely by chance and by mutual stalkerishness. It's all in the blog. We had hung out that one other time, again at this particular coffee place. We caught up on school and life and stuff, the usual topics of conversation, and delved into other topics, which is always good since the worst friendships one can have are ones where your only topic of conversation is "So, what's new in your life?" If you can actually talk with someone about things, they're worth keeping around. More about that later. Anyhow.

After coffee, we went over to Robarts and I picked up a bunch of books -- plays, to be sure, for my class. I've got a few days to read them, as well as put up with whatever Thanksgiving stuff the family cares to throw my way, and I've already sorta wasted today. My bad.

Sidenote: Bono's version of I Am the Walrus is less enjoyable than Jim Carrey's.

We parted ways after a couple hours or so, and I now have a standing invitation to join a bunch of people at her place to watch Glee Wednesday night after class, which is nice.

After pizza and hanging around killing time, I went over to Cary's. I had been looking forward to this gathering for a while. I had seen most of the people there at least at some point over the summer, mostly for the play but some for other reasons; in any case it was all less time than it usually is between gatherings.

I loaded up my alcohol in my canvas satchel and cinched up my hoodie and coat and set out a little after 8. I got there in time to be the second one there, with Alyssa (of all people!) having been the first. I say "of all people" not because she's not punctual, but because I was surprised she had even RSVP'd to the event, often being elusive. I set down on the couch and the schmoozed -- me, Alyssa, Cary, Linda. Rob, a little bit, too. Chris, CB, Pat, Doug began to arrive, and then very quickly the room started to fill.

Like an even more complete version of Half-Past (which had been split across a few days anyway) more and more people came, many of whom had driven themselves and so did not drink, which did not make me feel silly for drinking near excess, thankfully. Anisah, Adam, the Gurnhams, Janessa, Vanessa, Becky, Jasdeep, Ryan, Lauren (never thought I'd see those two in the same room again although they were certainly not sociable with each other) Jeff and Mackenzie, later Cassie, Nate Prasad. If I've left anyone out, I apologize but I was saucing pretty considerably, as anyone who conversed me must've noticed. I was talking loudly, it was a loud room. As I recall.

I tried to have a conversation with everyone I thought I had something to say to, but I think I missed a few because I can't remember making more than small talk with Becky and Lauren, and that I regret. But they were busy too. I remember having a lengthy discussion with Kenzi about school and life, marveling at how old we've gotten (I've known her, and Becky, since the very early years of grade school) and how much older we've yet to be. Talked Lost with RyLai and Jaz. Ryan also invited me to a potential Halloween thing, so at least I've got some possibilities on tap. I'm thinking Toronto this year rather than Hamilton, but again, nothing is concrete.

Paid special attention to Alyssa while she was there, because I felt a sense of duty. Not that I was hovering around her all night, but if she seemed unoccupied I decided to chat her up because I know what it is to be caught in a swarm of impenetrable conversations. I just feel that I'm the one to whom she has the most connection; not that she can't talk to anyone else (in fact she is a terrific conversationalist) but you know how it is when you fall by the wayside. I sure as hell do. We ended up making less-than-vague plans to hang out in a few weeks when school craziness has died down and hopefully I have replenished my stock of conversational items. It's not a science, I mostly wing it.

Then of course Anisah who, were it not for my intervention, would spend the entire night conversing Adam about their mutual Queen's acquaintances. I say I intervened I mean not on her behalf, mind you. For all I know she rather enjoys talking to Adam about stuff. But it's a damn shame to waste a night in a room full of people you hardly ever see talking to the guy you always see. So I interjected myself and we had serious talks about the nature of farangs (she is visiting Thailand in the near future) and Stephen Harper's compensation for his small penis. Among other things, I'm sure, since the bulk of what I remember is me fighting a 300-pound monster made out of gin. Social lubricant, I say. I exaggerate, though, it was only maybe 4 glasses of Gin/7up spread across 6 hours. No hangover neither. I hope some people got at least a little bit of enjoyment out of my presence. Really, we did have some good one-sidedly drunken conversations, we go well together.

The last major thing I remember was a heated debate with Jeff about KISS and Aerosmith. Had I been more sober, I would've presented a more cohesive argument. I feel I won on style though, or at least passion, because my heart was really in that one.

Hugs, handshakes, altered states (not for me) good nights and good lucks. Some of these people I've no idea when I will see them again, or if. Some I know more or less exactly. Some I won't see nearly as much as I want to. And now we scatter ourselves back to the four winds. Earlier this week, I ran into CB at the train station (hence I did not spend as much time talking to him as I might otherwise) and he mused that it had been nearly two years since our last gathering, a Christmas thing in 2007 where again I had plenty of gin. I remember a Thanksgiving get-together slightly before that where I was disappointed with my performance.

There were no pictures of this one. Nobody takes photos anymore. I think we're all fairly satisfied with the number of pictures of ourselves out there.

There was a break-up. Not at the actual gathering, but, like, a few days or weeks ago. I'm not here to gossip but people familiar with the situation know what I mean. A long-lasting relationship ended abruptly. I didn't want to talk too much about it to the person involved who showed, but it makes me wonder. After so many years, what happens? A line in an aborted project I intend to revisit -- what makes two people stay together? What makes two people fall apart?

The end of the night was me, Cary, and Nathan in Cary's basement. Cary, mostly-asleep, Nate and I bantering, I decided 3:00 was a good time to walk home.

It's unfortunate so few of these people are regularly part of my life. I didn't get enough of them when they were around. It's been years and though I'm quite happy with the friends I have, you know, the grass being greener.

I walked home and slept the night through. Got up and hung out with Manda. I find it remarkable how much things have changed for her this year, exemplified by the ever-changing content of our conversations. A year of conversations. A changing life. Getting married, moving into a basement apartment, and now changing jobs, probably the biggest change (yes, bigger than the wedding.) Then I got comics, which I have yet to read.

I have no special insights today. I really ought to clear my head and tackle some of those to-do list items.

Things will work out.

Keep on rockin'
-Scotto