Thursday, May 20, 2004

Back in Waterloo for the summer. Had a very rough start - a complicated and unpleasant first few days. First roommate issues, and then getting yelled at by my boss who is also my thesis supervisor for next year. Add all that to the fact that I really don't want to be here and miss home, and it results in one very unhappy Jo. Everything's better now, but I still don't want to be here.

My first week of my job has been very interesting and simultaneously very boring. This week I was supposed to get myself acquainted with the microscope: i had a few boxes of slides of rat brain slices that I was to go through and identify brain regions and c-fos activated cells. I set my own schedule - come in when I want and leave when I want, as long as the work gets done. So this week I only did about 5 hours of work and will get paid for a full weeks worth. Yay for research grants!

Off to Amy's place on the lake for the long week-end. Looking forward to reading on the lake in the sun. But man, Foucault's Pendulum is killing me - weirdest book I've read in a long time, struggling to get into it. But I'm more than half done, so it's all good.

Song of Susannah is soooooo close - I can't wait! Not to mention the new Harry Potter movie. Summer is good. Most of the time.

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

When I was about 12 or so, I was forced to go to Church one Sunday with my parents. I found myself, shockingly, bored; mainly because my parents had forbidden me to bring a book to read this time. In an attempt to curb the boredom, I decided to pick up the hymn book in front of me and memorize a passage. It turns out I became really moved by it, though I was (and still am) atheist. I found it beautiful. Recently, I just discovered the scrap book in which I had written down the passage when I returned from church that day. It stills moves me. Apparently this passage comes from Isaiah 44:22, but I'm not sure on that. Here it is:

I will sweep away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins will be to me like a mist-dissolved. So return to me, I will heal you, for I love you.
If you say to me: "Father, I am blind," if you say to me: "I cannot see," I will be your light, I'll restore your sight. Place your darkness in me.
If you say to me: "I am in prison Lord, I'm imprisoned by my fears," then I'll come for you, I'll comfort you. Let me wipe away your tears.
If you say to me: "I am poor and lame, I need to be healed and set free. I have sinned O Lord, I am sorry Lord, I need you to live in me".


I am still touched by it, though I can't really articulate why.

Monday, May 10, 2004

So I am officially - well, I hope - Ireland bound. My best friend, MC, left earlier today for a 3 month trip to Dublin, Ireland. She is doing a SWAP program where she'll live and work there for the summer. Since I turn 21 in June, my birthday present is a one week trip to Dublin to visit MC. I am positively thrilled. I love to travel, have been interested in visiting Ireland for a while now, and it will be extra-fun since MC will already be there. We are going to party it up and harass numerous Irish boys. In all honesty, all I want is to hear their yummy accents.. heh, I'm a sucker for a good accent.

I go back to the 'Loo on Saturday for the summer. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I'm not really upset about it either. It'll be cool. I'm going to have fun working, and will be doing a lot of traveling this summer - so it won't be that bad :)

I spent most of the day today cutting out material to sew another skirt. I sewed one last week and it turned out great - the material on this new one is slippery and hard to sew. I completely fucked it up on the sewing machine earlier... heh. Snagged a hem all to hell and definitely had my already thin margin of patience ground down to nothing.

I need new books. I'm currently reading Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. It's pretty fucked up, very weird style of writing so far. Plot hasn't really started and I'm already 100+ pages in. I'll keep at it though. Want to get some more Neil Gaiman and Brent Monahan - I liked Neverwhere by Gaiman and The Book of Common Dread by Monahan very much. Devouring books is my favorite part of summer, I'm excited :)