oh barf; feelings!

Today marks 6 months since Steve and I got over our awkwardness and decided that maybe kissing each other would be a good idea. I still stand by it! Steve is a babe and a sweetheart and I feel enormously lucky to someone like him to call a partner. He's in London, On right now with the Rumble Strips, so I miss him a lot but am also a little jealous that he gets to hang out with Davita G. tonight.
I love you Steve, here's to enjoying the warmer half of the year together!

fight fer yer rights Thursday

I woke up this morning to shouts of:

"WOMEN OF COLOUR, UNDER ATTACK, WHAT DO WE DO?"
"STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!"

I was super confused, as it was 8am on a Thursday morning. At first I thought Ryley was watching a movie or something, but then I peeked out my window and saw that there was a big, noisy picket going on at the corner of my block. Metro Housing Coalition, I think. They stayed noisy for several hours, then marched down to the legislature. I guess maybe they didn't get what they want yet because now they're picketing and chanting again and there are a lot of honking horns and stuff.

Well, it's spring, and with spring time comes evictions. Our upstairs neighbors are being informally evicted (they're not really putting up much of a fuss), and our friends across the commons are also getting the boot. After an unofficial notice of eviction showed up at their house (dated April 8th, telling them to be gone by the 30th, with a "thorough inspection" happening on the 14th), they decided to rally support on hold a tea party today to greet the landlord.
At first it didn't seem so bad, there was the aforementioned tea, and a lot of people came out and most dressed up. The landlord and his lackey moved through the apartment taking pictures and writing stuff down. They didn't really engage too much with the guests, but asked if anyone actually lived there a couple times.
Once they left (and slammed the door behind them) we thought we were home free and started to relax a bit...and then the cops showed up.
Long story short, landlords and cops are scummy, neither of them obey their own laws, and bureaucracy is a fucking headache. Incidentally, I stopped attending cop watch meetings and was removed from the mailing list, but I filmed the entire interaction with the police. Heh.
No one got arrested, but it was threatened. Thankfully we were able to keep them from coming inside the house, they're going to "investigate", and try to get an "emergency eviction". Not much has changed, but our friends might just have less time to figure their shit out. As much as I would love to see the land lord get dragged around and embarrassed at a hearing, it's not my house and I can totally understand that people wouldn't want to put that kind of energy into a place they aren't going to live anymore.

oooh man.
picking your nose
after chopping garlic
oooohnooooo

Ronny is the most hilarious cat

"Excuse me for a second, Ronny Boy, I'm just gonna take a self-portrait for my Tumblr"

"YOUR WHAT?!"

I got my GST cheque last week, which was a huge windfall to a person like me. I deposited it yesterday, and as a treat for...I don't know, getting a bunch of money without really having to work for it, I bought myself a new mop (one that I can actually wring out. I swear I have not mopped this apartment more than twice since I've lived here and frankly that's kinda gross) and a chin-up bar (surprise! I have become a huge jock!).
While I was walking back home with Molly, a lady that was walking her (enormous, beautiful) dog shouted out "DON'T BECOME TOO DOMESTIC!"
I assured her that there was no danger of that.

I've been to two punk shows in two days. I didn't know anyone playing! Weird! One was in a shed and one was in a bar. One I went to with my rad roommate and one I went to with my rad friend (not to say that my roommate isn't my friend, of course). One show had a lot of pot smokers, and the other had a lot of leather jackets with silver spikes and dudes wearing their own band's merch and dudes with reeeeeeaaally long hair. One show had a puppy, the other was seriously lacking in that department.

Today I used my new mop and my new chin-up bar and drank wine at work while talking about oppression and racism and then I just set up a TUMBLR what is wrong with me. I also talked to Steve on the phone and it sure as hell did not make me miss him any less.

Canada has 3 seasons: Busking, traveling, and winter

Well it's officially busking season here in Halifax! Despite the fact it was 0 degrees today, Ryley and I went downtown for the third day in a row. Now my fingers are super sore, my freckles are out in full force and my coin purse is significantly heavier. Each day we do a little better as we stay out longer, learn more songs, and become more comfortable with the songs we know.
I ran into another prominent Halifax busker today (his name is Matt, he's older than us and usually plays Beatles and Bob Dylan tunes) and he told us about how he'd just gotten a dish washing job after being "free" for 6 years. I think it was the first time I'd seen him downtown without his guitar, and he agreed he felt naked without it. It funny to think that he got a job to supplement his busking, and I busk to supplement my job.
Ryley and I are going to some random punk show in the north end tonight, so check on DIY Halifax soon for show photos and a review!

Dear The Girl Who Came Up To Me in the Library Today,

I'm sorry if I seemed rude when you told me I looked like someone who was going to the Disturbed concert tonight. And again when you said like I looked like someone who wanted to go. And again when you asked me how long it took me to stretch my ears. You caught me off guard.
When I was your age, I never would've had the guts to approach a stranger, especially one I thought might share common ground with me. Either you worked up some nerve to talk to me, or you are very weird. Also, you are stretching your ears way too fast, but you disappeared into the library before I had a chance to tell you that.
I hope you had fun at the concert.