Erratic Update

The blog seems to have become more of a weekly event than I had intended. I long for high speed internet and an official home to call my own again, since I think that would make the updates much less eratic. Ah, well. This meagre offering will have to do for now.

This past weekend was my fieldtrip up to Lake Simcoe. Lots of accidents around Toronto. I didn't find the roads that awful so it was weird to see all of the little Beemers and VWs smushed against the medians of the 407 and 404. I think learning to drive in the country gives you a different perspective on winter driving, or perhaps, a touch more common sense. Not to say I haven't had my fair share of unfortunate driving incidents (driving into an unplowed laneway after a massive snowstorm and getting horribly stuck, randomly backing into another person's car at a party, in front of, well, an entire party of people) BUT I do think that my winter driving was improved not only by Oxford County, but in particular, the winding wintery roads of Waterloo Region.

After arriving in Keswick, Annie had a great weekend planned for us. We met up with Krista and then the three of us drove into Toronto for the evening where we met up with another friend I went to Waterloo with, Jill. Annie gave me an insider's tour of UofT. I was so jealous to learn that her first year residence was directly across from the ROM and that Victoria College's pub is called the Cat's Eye. I have a weird sort of UofT envy in many ways, largely due to the fact that it's so pretty and to think I might have been taught by some of the greats in the history department is rather envy-inducing. Jill and her boyfriend Kento live in the Forest Hill area of Toronto in an old mansion that has been divided up into 16(!) apartments. We went to the Bedford Academy for supper and then onwards to Features, a very yummy desert place.

Sunday involved a tour around beautiful Georgina Township, and Roche's Point where we walked by the beautiful homes and out to the end of the marina. It was neat to see all of the little ice fishing huts and people zooming across Lake Simcoe on their snowmobiles. Met up with Krista for lunch in Uxbridge and also had a little historical time in Leaskville, where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived with her husband. We saw the church he preached at, along with the manse where the family lived which of course, threw me into fits of delight. I worked with the LMM stuff this summer at Guelph and even though I've always loved her writing, feel very much attached to it and her now in a way that I didn't before.

This week I've applied to jobs in Victoria, Regina, Philadelphia, Maryland and Minnesota. Many other applications are due on Friday, so my plan is to get them done before I leave for the OLA Conference tomorrow.

Currently reading: The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart
Currently listening to: The Wailin' Jennys
Currently being astounded by: Ancient Village Lifts Some of Stonehenge's Mystery