so it's my birthday today.

i'm not doing too much; i just invited S&A over for gyoza and fried rice. since last weekend, i've developed a tenacious addiction to the frozen gyoza from capers. i suppose it's not that expensive a habit, since i have to eat anyway, but those mid-evening cravings for vegetarian dumplings can be distracting.

i was asked whether i'd be going to the ubyssey party at wreck beach tonight. i'd thought about it before i made my plans, but i didn't really want to spend my birthday with a bunch of volunteers i don't know. i only found out later, though, that A is bringing a friend who's staying with her, which means that i still have to clean my house, which i thought i could avoid.

this past week has been a bit bizarre; it's felt like i've been working non-stop while i've somehow also managed to do a bunch of leisure activities.

monday, we had to head to school for a seminar on how to write a good internship report. our prof kept talking about how the internship process has been relatively free of problems, with the exception of one firm, and everyone knows that one firm is the one i'm heading to. it was at once sort of funny and disconcerting. i headed straight home that day while the others went out for drinks, i think. i still had my last paper to finish up, and i did a rather shoddy job of it. i am so beyond caring about it, though. the instructor's marking seems completely arbitrary, anyway; it doesn't seem to matter how much effort i put into his papers.

i had my one-on-one self-evaluation with JM on tuesday. afterwards, SD, WF and i headed out for noodles, where we basically gossiped about people in our class for two hours. when i got home, i worked on putting together the contract for the newsletter redesign that i've somehow shafted myself into doing. i've got to learn to say no, although i haven't heard from the old boss since tuesday, so it may be a non-issue.

on wednesday, we had a group photo taken at school, and our yearbook was ready. it was just a side project a few of the students took on for fun, and it's absolutely amazing and rather hilarious. when i got home, i started putting together my year-end report for the production post at the physics journal. i think this is the last big transition report i'll ever have to write. i wrote all day and still wasn't done by 2am, but in one day, i'd already accumulated more words than the history paper that took me three solid days to complete.

thursday, SP, HG, my sweetie and i went to bowen island for a short hike around the lake. it was more of a walk than a hike, but it was really all my decrepit body could handle. we got there at about 10:30 and left the little island of 3500 at 3. i had plans to do work when i got home, but ended up napping and sitting around catatonic for the rest of the evening.

yesterday was pretty cool but sort of bittersweet; i met with AW to talk about the future of MOMENTUM, and pretty much secured the contract to compile their style guide and writer's guidelines, which i'll be starting in a couple of weeks, i think. after my meeting with her, i headed down to an herbal bliss to get some rooibos for my uncle. starting the 16th, the lady told me, everything in the store was going on sale for up to 75% off. it was closing at the end of the month. it was surprising and sad news, but SD and i have pledged to go on a tea-buying binge early next week. i'll also ask the mother-in-law if there's anything i can get her.

i headed over to the greenhouse by my place to pick up a plant for LC; she had originally intended for her party last night to be a garden party where everyone was required to bring a plant of some sort for her yard, which had been dug up when the flood restoration people had to fix her home's drainage problem. i eventually decided on a heather bun evergreen, but as i was picking it out, it kept running through my mind that LC's boyfriend is a landscape artist. i had visions of him taking the plant and saying, 'oh. one of these.'

the party was great; we all got our yearbooks signed high-school style. it was also kind of sad when we left, though. i know i won't see some of these characters again. for a while, anyway.