Update?

It's been two weeks to the day since I last posted.

Like I mentioned to my aunt yesterday...I've settled down into a routine here and whilst I don't find the routine boring... there really is nothing spectacular to write about.

I tick along with assignments and the like; still doing well on them and enjoying the fact. Pretty soon, I will confirm (next week I think) if the Spring assistantship for the STE is going to be possible. Otherwise, I think I'm going to approach Dr. K (Happy/Funny/Silly Panda... or whatever I called him last time...) and ask if he will have me as an assistant. I spent an afternoon with my peer mentor here today and I asked her if that was kosher and she was like: Go for it! So let's see...

Today is Halloween. I was looking forward to this for a long time. We always visited in October but left before Oct 31 thanks to the school schedules...but this year, I'm here. Given that I live in a graduate student community, there aren't actually hordes of ghouls running around but they started at about 6pm - it was still light and one of the first people I saw was a teen in drag... He definitely scared Andrew, my neighbour...
I volunteered at a party for the community kiddies two weeks ago and that was fun enough...saw the cutest ever Care Bear running about that evening. I wasn't sure of doing the whole distribute candy to trick or treaters thing especially since I didn't know what my workload would be like during this weekend.
The usual protocol here is that if the porch light is on, you're OK to knock and ask for candy. No light. No candy. Since I hadn't planned on handing any out, my light was out. However, one motley group did knock and I had some candy lying around, so that was good. I was a little unsure as to how it works? What sort of candy? How much? etc. I had to make do with what I had and they each got one little bar but no complaints and 'thank you's all round so that was fun. Next year, I'll have legit candy I think. It was also interesting to see the parents hanging about in the background playing chaperone. Heh...
Andrew got a "not cool" stare from the same group though when they went a-knocking at his door... he hadn't stocked up. Poor him. At least they didn't egg his door... the usual trick for lack of a treat...

I'd gone into college earlier today and I saw people dressed up and attending classes. Those people are brave... I saw Raggedy Anne, a lady bug (that's right) and some guy in a fur lines sleeveless tunic with a pseudo cow lick... Definitely interesting.
I had an appointment with Saint Mary, our all wise and all knowing "academic program specialist" because I'm doing a Job/Task analysis of her job and she mentioned she considered coming in as a witch but she had a meeting. Too bad. I'd have liked to analyze her witchly duties...

Hehe...

After that meeting, my mentor took me shopping for the monthly stockpiling that I do... I'd gotten my cart and was just picking up some tomatoes when a random guy came up to us and asked what our collective education level was. Well, she's a Masters student in the same program as me and we answered accordingly. He said that that seemed appropriate because he could tell that we were very well educated. She asked if that was just by looking at us and he said yes. That was amusing...I responded with a thank you...because that's possibly the only reaction one could give. He mentioned some sort of "intellectual awesomeness" being radiated by our respective glasses (spectacles), wished us a good day and went away...

Now my mentor is a big anti Walmart fanatic because of the way they undercut brands and mom and pop stores but she said that something like this happens every time she visits one; even though she goes there rarely. I should probably make her my monthly ride... that should make for some interesting shopping trips...

We came back and I gave her an olfactory tour of Indian spices as we chatted. Fun... looks like we will a cookout at some point of time.

What happened in the last couple of weeks?
Like I said - nothing spectacular.
I came to the realization that the Coen Brothers are slightly weird film makers. One really shouldn't go to their movies with expectations of a mind blowing story line but they definitely give you something to think about... watched Burn After Reading two weeks ago and followed that up with Fargo (a much older movie). Should look into There Will Be Blood.
They get a lot of stick for unnecessary violence but somehow I didn't get grossed out... they do have absolutely ridiculous numbers of deaths in their movies (at least the two I saw) but they are not outright bloody or gory. Maybe I'm just weird. Oh well...

This was just a sort of "touch base" post. The fact that I'm struggling to think of something to write about means that it's time to wrap up!

See you in November!