between the rock and the cold, cold sea

That was... interesting.

I am never ever again travelling in excess of eight hours for less than two weeks. It's not worth it.

However. Toronto is a very interesting city, and cristalia is a most excellent person.

Calgary is a less interesting city, but WFC was a very interesting experience, with a number of very interesting people. Sean McMullen, for example, is a very nice man. (And surprisingly enough, the excuse I gave my lecturers as reason for going turned out to be mostly true: I did learn stuff that would be relevent to a potential career, so I feel justified.)

(I also got much Greek and some bits of essays done.)

I now have far more books than I started out with.

Now I must go fall over again and prepare to go to college in the morning. I really don't want to: I could surely use another half day to unpack. But I have absented myself six working days already. More than this I truly cannot justify, unless I fall ill tomorrow or something.

Today I ran ten minutes in a row for the first time in over eighteen months. Without wanting to die of it. Control the breath, you control the pain, right? I'm finding the old trick of even breaths and an even pace is working to let me keep going a little longer every time.

The new fitness program's working. In less than four weeks, I've shed 4 kilos that were doing nothing but slowing me down, and started converting some of the rest back to muscle. This fills me with joy.

(A short summary: this time three years ago, I was in the best condition of my short life: karate twice a week, hockey twice a week, gym twice a week - I could run a mile and a half inside thirteen minutes, damnit. This time two years ago, I fretted myself into something that probably wasn't far off a nervous breakdown and proceeded to have a year of not exactly great health, things which are probably connected. I've been clawing my way back into some kind of equilibrium ever since.)

It may be time to consider adding regular karate back in. If I gym Mon-Wed-Fri, instead of trying to hit five days a week, that leaves some space for climbing on Tuesday and karate on Thursday - and, possibly, some extra of one or both at the weekend.

'Course, I can't attempt any kind of crazy all exercise, all the time, approach just yet, much as I'd like to. First, I need to square away a few more assignments, and see if I can't score a finals exemption or two with these scholarship exams. The scholarship itself is beyond my reach, but an exemption in even one course could cut the number of exams I have to do in June in half.

(The Schols start in ten days. I have yet to study. But there's nothing to lose by chancing my arm, and quite a bit to gain.)

I consider it another minor achievement how calm I have remained as these exams draw closer. See? Calm. Not trembling, freaking, running in circles, or attempting to flee the country.*

Perhaps that's because the end of the year's in sight. And the summer, with any luck, will be full of happy non-stressful things to do.

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I booked accomodation for WFC. No single rooms left, but rooms with two double beds?

Any of you guys going to Calgary make quiet, polite, decent friendly room-sharers? :P

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*Any one of which actions I'd consider myself to have been justified in taking, these last couple of months. For when my uncle got out of hospital? My grandmother had a car accident. When we were once more reassured that said grandmother would probably continue to lovingly tyrannise the family for a little while yet? My mother became briefly, if unusually, ill. And me, I've had a iron deficiency and a bucketload of worry. But mostly all better now.