so, logi (Loy-ee. it's icelandic) had a surprise birthday party thrown for him by marcie. here i am helping prepare a balloon for his arrival. there was much merrymaking, and logi almost had a heart attack when 20 people screamed "surprise" at him when he came in. i thought you all might like to see my pretty face.

insider canadian info...courtesy of my canadian flatmate.

inevitably, things change. elan is moving out of the house that he, charlie and i lived in in california in a couple days. it's weird to think that when i go back now, there won't be that familiar, lived-in space to visit.

on a totally separate note, i went glasgow tuesday night for the reading being given by the glasgow creative writing masters program. it was held at scotia bar, the oldest pub in glasgow. it was a packed house and a good time had by all. next time to glasgow should be a full day trip though.

i'm sure you've heard people talk about having moments in life when things seem very clear. where thought, purpose, meaning, and reality somehow actually come together as a complete whole, rather than a complete hole. those times decisions seem fairly simple to make, everything fits into a pattern and there is a completeness, or at least a cohesiveness to life-at-large.

most people have experienced, or at least known someone to have experienced, a time when the life they're living seems to fall out of its pattern. something feels amiss, and comfortable contentment breaks down. this causes a short period of depression when you might question the whole structure your life is built upon.

maybe these two events of supreme clarity and muddled confusion are almost the same thing. in one, we see the ideal system of happiness and how we play our blissful part. in the other, we see the flaws in the reality of it all.

i just made a fried egg sandwhich and used butter instead of oil. i forgot how good butter can taste.

jen left for london today. we had a good time, just hanging out, and me showing her around where i live and a little of the uni. we did go to the camera obscura, which was really pretty neat. it helped that there was NO RAIN for 5 consecutive days. i think thats considered a drought here. and of course we had a pint at Ensign Ewart, which is fast becoming my favorite pub. all in all it was good to have a friend from home visit; now the 'rents will be here in another week.

but the bad part is that it's now back to reality, and i have to get back to work.

back from bath. cool town and a good time getting out of edinburgh, travelig, and having a friend to hang out with. pictures and more details coming soon. time for some sleep...

i'll be in Bath, England this weekend. see you tuesday.

valentines day is a sham.

4:30am and i'm still awake. no wonder i never get up before 10am.

congratulations to justin and jennifer...there is a new berger in the oven.

ssshhh....do you hear that?
[silence]
silence, my favorite.

a little humour

i saw Cidade de Deus ("city of god") over the weekend. an extremely well done film; one of those powerful movies that keeps you amazed at the brutality of humanity. not for the faint of heart, but a film well worth seeing.

updated pictures of edinburgh

last night i went sled riding with Sam, Steve, and Erin on Calton Hill. i haven't had that sort of crazy kid fun in quite a while. it seems harder and harder to find those opportunities the older you get. bad side is that i forgot my camera, so no pictures.

snow!

my dad sent me the following transcript. anyone that has ever been called at dinner will appreciate it. brilliant!