Week in Review: Back to... Darn, I'm Old

Hands up if you feel like you've been run over by a truck this morning!

I can't believe it's back to school time already. More importantly, I can't believe that I have a niece starting kindergarten today that looked like this when I moved to Alberta:

Growing up should not be allowed. Look at those cheeks!

My stepchildren are starting grade 7 (GRADE 7!), grade 5, grade 2 and grade 1. I have a brother-in-law that's starting a year-long college degree today, and I can't even remember the last time I did anything academic. (Was it 2008? Maybe...) In conclusion, I am feeling my age this morning.

I am also feeling it because we have had such a busy week this past week. On Thursday we went to play trivia as we do every Thursday, and we WON! "The Del(ink)quents" are now in the trivia finals! It was a personal point of pride for us because we are the most heavily tattooed group in the bar (by far), and we managed to beat all of the groups that have been coming to trivia since the dawn of time. What a way to kick off the weekend!

Matt had Friday off, so he dropped me at my psychiatry appointment and went to run "some errands" (his exact words). I have begun my EMDR therapy now, and Friday was my first session. Basically what the doctor tells me to do is, after they hook me up to the incredibly non-complex machine, pull up in my mind the most vivid scene from the accident and hold it, experiencing it again. From there, I am just supposed to go where my mind takes me. Needless to say, the therapy is very powerful. You end up re-experiencing all the emotions and physical sensations associated with your memories. I told the doctor that next session I was wearing a bib because the front of my shirt was soaked with tears. He told me to never ever wear mascara to a session. Also sound advice. So in case you were wondering what happened to Flat-Out Friday last week, it did happen, at least for me. I got my chance to release anxieties and hurt over the accident - it was just in a private forum.

Friday afternoon Matt and I went to paint matching mugs at a pottery studio just off Whyte Ave as part of the celebration of our first anniversary weekend. We decided to do it this past weekend because Matt had four days off and we could properly celebrate. Our "Time Lord" and "Companion" mugs should be ready for pick up by the end of this week, and I can't wait to start using them.

Saturday morning we took off for brunch and then it was off to Calgary for the night! We drove down and stayed in a hotel downtown. Our biggest plans were to visit the giant game store and eat at our favourite two restaurants. With a game store visit under our belt on Saturday afternoon, we headed out for supper. Halfway through supper, we connected with a good friend from Medicine Hat who also happened to be in Calgary that weekend, and so, plans for a quiet evening now only a dream, we met up with her. She brought along her old roomie, who we had known from our time in the Hat as well, and her roomie's new beau. When he showed up wearing a Star Wars t-shirt, I knew we were in for a long night of nerdy conversation. Because if there's one thing my love does best, it's nerd out. We stayed out until 1:30am laughing, chatting, and catching up. The next morning's checkout time came far too early. We had breakfast at our other favourite restaurant, caught some of the Pride Parade (it was Calgary Pride Weekend), and walked around the Eau Claire Market for a bit before hopping in the car and heading home.

I had a nap when we got home, slept all night, had a four-hour nap yesterday, and then last night's sleep, and I STILL don't feel like I've caught up. Oh, to be young and spry again, and not so very old and broken. Last night we went for supper at the home of another Strathcona officer and his wife. It was fabulous and we had a great time, and yes, stayed a lot longer than we intended because of that. Why does having a social life have to be so tiring?! A long, long time ago I was celebrating my Frosh Week on this day. I was a lot less tired then, and Frosh Week is hard work. But I guess I've got a few years and a second lease on life under my belt, so I should just take what I can get.

Now to drag my tired ass to my other psychiatry appointment today, so I can see my other other psychiatrist. Happy Back to School to all the moms, dads, sisters, brothers, kids, teachers, and folk of the periphery I've probably forgotten. You'll have to forgive me: my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. It does that with age.

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Week in Review: Easter's Magic

Happy Passover! I hope everyone had a properly wonderful Easter. Matt and I celebrated in our usual quirky hipster fashion: Thursday was sessions at our tattoo parlour for some colouring; Friday we took in beer and burgers at the Sherlock Holmes pub and cheered on The Rock in the new GI Joe movie; Saturday was a day of rest; Sunday we had sushi and saw a Studio Ghibli movie at the local independent theatre; and yesterday we went to the zoo! In between all this excitement, Matt finished Bioshock Infinite (I'm still trying to wrap my head around the ending) and I played Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (which is a JRPG with graphics and animations done in cooperation with Studio Ghibli).

I feel like we were that couple that everyone is secretly a little jealous of. And I wouldn't blame you if you were. Our philosophy is that, if we don't have any family to celebrate the holiday with, we celebrate it the way we want. So, like Thanksgiving supper was the traditional East Indian buffet, this year's Easter dinner was the classic sushi and tempura.



Opinions!

• The Sherlock Holmes pub was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to get fancied up and go try Moriarty's, the bistro and wine bar next to it. 
• The Rock was classic The Rock. It was a fun movie that didn't need to be in 3D but was full of action and also Bruce Willis.
• If you are looking for a locally owned small business to support and happen to enjoy sushi, definitely visit Kabuki. It's just off Whyte in the Garneau Theatre building. The service was good and the food was great.
• The Ghibli movie we saw was called "Ocean Waves". Apparently, it's rarely ever shown outside Japan, so it was a treat to see it in the original 35mm. It was a coming-of-age story that I was secretly also hoping would be a coming out story, but they went for the staid boy-loves-girl ending instead. However, I am just thrilled to be able to check it off of the Studio Ghibli roster as "watched". Next month they are showing another hard-to-find film called "Only Yesterday", and though Matt will be in Wainwright, I am going to head down the theatre for that one too.
• The Edmonton Zoo was smaller than I thought but they are currently in the middle of doubling the size, and there were quite a lot of very cute animals to see, including a tiny baby Goeldi's Monkey and the adorably fluffy Red Pandas. The day was beautiful and it was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon for a very reasonable price.
• Bioshock Infinite will blow your mind. My brain hurt after it was finished. I'm still not totally sure of what actually happened, but my grasp of quantum mechanics is tenuous at best. Totally deserves a replay through as a trilogy.
• Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is just making my inner fangirl squee in delight. I feel like I'm playing a Studio Ghibli movie. The scenery is like that of Howl's Moving Castle and The Cat Returns. The characters could be extras from Porco Rosso or Castle in the Sky. The actual story is simple and heartwarming. As a teen, I played Final Fantasy VIII for years (honestly), just playing it over and over because I enjoyed it so much. Now I have Ni No Kuni. I'm gonna play this disk until it is unplayable. And then I'm going to download it from the PlayStation store and play it some more.

Oliver and Drippy make some magic

I  hope everyone had a great Easter. I am off to Ontario for three weeks in a couple of days, so I will be updating again on Friday with my Flat-Out post about travelling. Now go watch Studio Ghibli movies! You all might learn something.

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