Hit me off

Since my blog template isn't one of those standard ones offered by Blogger I decided to add in my Blogger profile manually onto the sidebar over there ===>

I don't remember when I wrote the "About me" blurb, but I'm guessing it would have been when I first started this thing almost 2 years ago. (It'll be 2 years on the 10th, this coming Friday, can you believe it?) Anyway, good or bad, it's kind of interesting that my "About me" piece is still relevant after 2 years.

"I'm a 20-something girl living in Calgary, Canada. A cancer survivor (Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma) and dance addict who can't stay still if her life counted on it. Read about what my friends and I find to do around here...'cuz there's no point in staying home unless you're sick."

I mean, just these past couple of days, I've been a trooper heading out with my friends despite being in a state of serious malaise. "I'm just a girl that can't say 'no.'"

Friday, Daisy and I headed out to Mortal Coil since it's been a while since we've been...that and I was craving their Caesar salad like you wouldn't believe. Never mind that my throat was really scratchy, I was fatigued beyond hope, and my head was operating my body in slow motion. So we had our salads and martinis (Step Into The Light for myself, but of course, followed by a Can't Stand To See Your Face) and I was feeling happy. Not sure if it was a psychological feeling-better-and-feeling-happy effect of the Can't Stand To See Your Face martini...due to the banana liqueur and the cream in the drink it fondly reminded me of an anti-biotic medicine I used to get as a kid when I was sick. I was a strange child, and I was always thrilled when that anti-biotic was prescribed to me to cure my ails. Not that I was sick that often, but that medicine was always a highlight.

Since we started the evening early we also finished our Mortal Coil thing early. 11:30. Feeling that it was too early to end the night (yes, we're suckers) we went over to Bad Ass Coffee Co. for some more convo and bevvies. It was musician night, and the guitarist on feature was strongly reminiscent of SunMoon's old ex. A bit creepy, but also amusing. He played Sweet Caroline, the cafe sang along.

"Sweet Caroline, bah bah bah, good times never seemed so good. I've been inclined, bah bah bah, to believe they never would."

SunMoon's ex doesn't strike me as a Neil Diamond fan, and thus the similarities ended.

When I woke up on Saturday, I felt worse and to top it all off, my back was aching. In truth, my whole body was aching (perhaps I had the flu?) so I called in sick for work. I felt kinda bad, plus I'd be losing some money, but there was no way I'd be of any good to them today anyway. Rearranging the luggage and lugging it around the salesfloor would have been the death of me.

So yeah, I felt sick right? So I stayed home, right?

Not really.

Daisy still doesn't have the Ireland bug out of her system yet so last week the Urban Singleton Family had made it a part of our weekend plans to hit the James Joyce on 4th so she could have her "chips and curry" with a pint of Guinness and all that jazz. All I wanted was fish and chips. Since I didn't work we started our jaunt early. I don't know what it is about my friends but all my ailments flee me, or at least they're greatly subdued, whenever I'm with them. I've been to concerts with them while being nuked with a fever and I can still have a good time. A fever. I'm convinced I could be on death's door and I wouldn't feel a thing so long as my friends are by my side. Anyway, that's just a long-winded way of saying/justifying that it was better for me to get out with my friends than to stay at home whining about my sickly state. I think it's the extrovert in me. I gain healthy vibes and energetic vibes from my friends.

It was the most ironic thing at the Joyce. There was a private function going on, a high school reunion. We were quipping that it would be amusing to go sign the guestbook.

"Bishop Grandin, Class of '97. Go Ghosts!"

As luck would have it, the reunion was for BISHOP GRANDIN, Class of '84.

I didn't see my aunt there, which brought the three of us to discussing how our 10 year reunion was going to go down. How would everyone be invited? It was so easy to meld into the background in high school. Nobody was necessarily UNpopular ('cuz in that respect, you would then be remembered) but there wasn't a cut-and-dried POPULAR group, either. For everyone in your graduating class who could remember you, there would certainly be another person who wouldn't be able to recognize your face. This distressed Daisy somewhat, since she was certain people would remember her. We weren't trying to say that she was forgettable or unpopular...it's just easy to fall through the cracks. Unless you were notorious (and I can't say I can recall anyone with such a reputation) or high profile then you were just another body in the crowd. But even if you were one of those "types" that doesn't mean that everyone remembers you. I mean, I can't even remember the names of our student body president, or the captain of our football team, or anything like that.

It all boils down to interactions. I would hope that most of my friends from choir and band would remember me, just as I wouldn't expect anyone from the debate team or the volleyball team to known my name.

So yeah, the chances that some people will be omitted from the invitations are highly likely. Not out of spite, just 'cuz they were forgotten. Which is why I don't think that any one person can plan this reunion if you want everybody there. You need far reaching connections.

I also noticed that smaller groups of reunion-ers were having dinner at Earl's across the street and then crossing over to join the reunion later on. It was nice to see that after 20 years some of them still had strong friendships going on. Sure, maybe they don't get together as much as they used to, but they knew enough about each other to be able to plan dinner together beforehand.

We finished our dinner and let the old-school Grandinites do their thing. Took a walk around 4th to ease our digestion and just to carry on with conversation. 4th St turned into 17th Ave, which turned into coffee for Daisy and Phillip's Forbidden Flavors for Civic and I. I'm sure if any of my co-workers saw me walking around I would be called out as a fraud...but oh well. I was seriously feeling great with my buds. Sure, I still had the sniffles, but otherwise I was feeling fine.

Walking back down 4th we decided (or maybe I decided and they came along to appease me) to go to Latin Corner for some mojitos. Civic, great friend that he is, had never had a mojito with us! Can you believe it?

He loved it, just like I knew he would. Also, the mojitos there taste soooo much better than the ones at Joey Tomato's AND they're considerably less expensive. Good times, good times.

Yeah, I've found a new joint to love. I'd always wanted to go there, and now I know that it's a great place for me. Los Morenos were performing there that night, though it was a tad confusing since there were only two of them. I mean, where was David Joseph? Oh well, they still play some hot guitar.

And of course, Leah was the designated lush yet again. Since Daisy was driving she only consumed half of her mojito which meant more yummy mojito-ness for myself. Whereas Civic finished his own bevvie, I think he was feeling it more than me.

Walking back to the cars we noticed that the reunion was still going on at the Joyce. (I swear) They dared me to yell out "Class of '97!" to all the reunion-ers. Unfortunately, as soon as I belted it out (in my croaking losing-my-voice-'cuz-of-my-sore-throat voice) the two of them immediately bolted out of embarassment. Later, when we were telling my parents about the evening's events, they said they had meant for me to walk back into the Joyce and yell it out...AND that if I had stepped back into the Joyce they would have joined in on my shouting. I don't know how much I believe them about that. :)

We sort of ended off the evening like a bunch of fuddie-duddies...playing my Friends trivia board game at my house until 1. But I doubt anyone would say we had had an uneventful evening and it's not like we sat at my house all night. I thought it was a wonderful evening.