That day I went to the college and finished up the surprise that I was making (now that it's been delivered, I can happily say that A. it was a card, and B. it was for my teachers. Since that day was so warm and sunny, I grabbed my supplies and finished it while sitting on the stone wall at the Barracks in front of NBCCD. I got a couple of compliments on it from WhiteFeather and the Class of '11 valedictorian, Benita (Jewellery/Metal Arts major).
In the evening I finally started work on the burgers that I was making for the potluck, which I stuck in the fridge to let the flavour develop overnight.
Tuesday (Peter's birthday): After taking my time that morning, I dug the burgers out of the fridge, and started forming them into actual "burgers" and dredging them in cornmeal around noon. Karen picked me, Erin (a fellow Photog), and an FVA student/future Photog up, and then we drove to Peter's place, stopping at the DQ on Northside to pick up an ice cream cake on the way.
The party itself was awesome. It seems like every party we Photogs throw is better than the last, and this one was the best yet. In addition to the burgers, I brought my violin and played a few pieces. But the real showstopper in terms of music was Peter (I played right after him--talk about a tough act to follow), who played several pieces on piano, including Satie's Gnossienne No. 1, and Gymnopédie No. 1, and made Karen and me melt, and Rachael cry (I'll admit that I choked up a bit). He also played Gonzales' Gogol, and at that point I couldn't hold it in any longer, so I slipped past Rachael--and danced.
My burgers were unbelievably popular (even with the non-vegetarians--one of Peter's sons, who I found out had been mentioning them to the other guests, told me that they were really good), and by the time Rachael drove Erin and me to our respective homes, the two layers had been whittled down to less than one--and all of the burgers had been grilled (thanks, Peter).
Towards the end of the party, Peter's wife, Giselle, came home from her job, and hung out with those of us who were still there (some of us had left earlier).
After I got home, I was still unbelievably keyed-up and I stayed up until about 12:30 AM, dancing in my room. I could've partied for another hour, but I wanted to be able to get up in the morning, so I forced myself to go to bed.
I thought some more about Peter's playing, and by the time I finally crashed into bed, I had my first favourite pianist--and my first favourite musician from NBCCD (and my fifth favourite artist overall from that school: three faculty members--WhiteFeather, Adam MacDonald, Peter Gross--and two students--Rachael Flett, Monica Lacey).
When choosing a favourite musician (solo), I look at the musician's ability to play their respective instrument (Peter's really good) and their style--and whether or not I like said style (Peter played the Satie pieces really tenderly, but ramped up the attitude for Gogol). I also look at their ability to move me emotionally and sometimes physically (I stopped everything that I was doing when Peter started to play, moved closer to the piano--I was in the kitchen at the time, the piano is in the living room, and the only thing dividing the two rooms is a counter/shelving unit--and yes, came close to tears)
Wednesday: I slept until about nine-thirty that morning, and after getting breakfast, finishing an NFB (National Film Board of Canada) movie (you can watch a lot of their movies on the NFB website--it's free, too), and taking a shower, I went to school to finish unloading my shelf.
I also told Peter about the fact that he's now my first favourite pianist, which he seemed quite thrilled about.
Thursday: That afternoon I was supposed to have an assessment with Drew, but he was sick, so all his assessments were cancelled. However, I got my marks back on Friday, and I did very well.
Even though the assessment was cancelled, I still went to school because I needed to finish cleaning out my shelf and I wanted to scan the negatives from the Holga assignment. I was there far later than I'd planned, so after I finished I grabbed supper, rushed home, showered, packed a few more things (I'd started packing on Wednesday or Thursday morning), and then crashed for a few hours.
Friday (the Royal Wedding): I was up at 6:30 (I normally set my alarm for 7:30) so that I could get dressed prior to the wedding, which was at 7:00 Atlantic Time (11:00 AM British Summer Time).
I'm not the sort of person who cries at weddings, but this time I was: once at the beginning and once during God Save the Queen (which I usually sing along with, but this time I was way too choked up).
I loved the now-Duchess of Cambridge's dress (the American media keeps calling her a princess, but she's not: as of her marriage to William, who became the the Duke of Cambridge, Kate became the Duchess of Cambridge. If the Queen decides to do so, she'll make Kate a princess.).
After the wedding I went to my last class (Design). When I came into the classroom, the Smart board was on and a couple of the Fashion teachers, one of the staff-members and a fellow classmate were watching the NewsHour's live stream on UStream.
Things didn't get underway class-wise until about 9:30, and since this was the last class, it was more about wrapping things up. My group hadn't finished our chair (we ran out of sticks for the glue gun when we worked on it earlier in the week), so Greg helped Anne-Marie and me finish it (and test it--it had to support weight). I also got my grades for that class--again, really good. Since I didn't want to take the chair home, I took photos before leaving.
After class, Mom met me outside the Photo Studio. I introduced her to Peter (at last), and we had a good conversation. Mom went to art school in Montreal, where Peter's from (he also went to McGill there), and they chatted about that, and about the teachers (Arthur Lismer, etc.), and about how I'm doing (as we all know, I'm doing well), and Peter's plans for me when I go back to school in September (since I love writing and am very good at it, Peter wants to push me in the direction of writing reviews and arts-related articles).
We finished packing my stuff (and I had A LOT of stuff), and then drove home. By the end of all that packing, I was wiped--but I still managed to stay up until about one in the morning dancing to some of my favourite pieces that I hadn't listened to for several months--like some of the pieces from the Carmen and L'Arlésienne suites, recorded by l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, conducted by Charles Dutoit. This recording is considered to be the best recording of the suites from those operas (two suites each).
Tomorrow is Election Day in Canada, and I plan on staying up until the results are in, no matter how late it is (even if it's four in the morning ADT). This is an incredibly important election, and I don't want to miss anything. I hate Stephen Harper about as much as I hated (and still hate) Bush, and I've wanted him out since the moment I heard he'd won the 2006 election. The fun will just be starting when I cast my ballot. Since my family doesn't get CBC or CTV (we get the local HD channels--which amount to MPBN, and now MPBN World--plus whatever Bell is offering as a free sample: although we cancelled our subscription, we still have the setup, which is necessary to get HD TV), I'll be watching the results via internet (something along the lines of the CBC or CTV, maybe the Globe and Mail or the National Post, plus Facebook).
On Wednesday I have two(!) job interviews. Wish me luck!
And at some point this summer, Tom and I are going to finally go through his old darkroom stuff and see what's there--and what works.
So that's it: the school year has come to an end, and with it, another year of blogging about school. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all back here in late-August or early-September.
Happy Summer!
I'll be looking for your next year's postings in 4 months or so; I imagine each year will be better and better as you delve further and further into what you love. Glad you have shared them with us: thanks. Have a great summer yourself!
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