h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello my dear friends,

Long time no post. I figured summer courses would be a breeze. How hard could it be to be just taking one course? I’m used to doing five at a time! ….Oh how wrong I was. Because they’re so short everything moves extremely rapidly. I’ve finished my course on apocalyptic themes in film and it was amazing. I wish I could do it again or that it went on longer. I’m still working away on my German course. Learning another language is hard! But I’m find it rewarding. I just have to put more time into it. Then later in the summer I’m doing a course on medieval Saints and Sinners. That should be good

Yesterday was my brothers Grade 12 Graduation. I don’t know what it’s like wherever you are but here we make a big fuss. He had a fancy rented car for him and three of his friends and a tux. Oh he looked so cute! ….or maybe I should say handsome
I too got dressed up, but not to the same extent. My feet are still killing me! I wore a simple dress and high heeled shoes. I think congratulations are in order. I only tripped once! And I didn’t actually fall when I tripped. Thank goodness! That would have been very painful.
I must take this opportunity to document the fact that as I was crossing the street on campus (I had my German class in the morning and my brother’s ceremony was being held in one of the University auditoriums) three men in a truck stopped whistled and honked the horn. I, being the silly person that I am, had no idea what was going on. I was walking with my friend and couldn’t for the life of me figure out what the fuss was all about but she says it was because I looked good in my dress. I can be thick as a brick. So there we have it. The first and the last time that will ever happen to me.

For those of you who are interested in a fascinating but slightly odd read I’m reading “Memoirs of My Nervous Illness” by Daniel Paul Schraber. Written by a man in a mental institution in the late 1800’s early 1900’s.

In other news…
I don’t actually remember if I told anyone that my Mum’s Mum had breast cancer. I probably did. Well she had the cancer removed months ago and everything was fine but she recently went back to be tested again and they’ve found that she has a rapidly progressing stage four cancer. She’s going to have a double mastectomy and hopefully it hasn’t moved into her lungs yet. I personally am doing fine with this but my Mum is very upset and even though she tries not to show it it makes it hard to be in the house with her. Not that I’m not sympathetic. I understand how very hard it must be. But there is just nothing that I can do and it’s frustrating to not be able to make everything better. On the other hand I’m feeling a little guilty because I think I should feel more sad than I do but it’s hard to feel really sad when it’s not really someone you know or someone that you ever really even liked. Not that I’m not sad that she has breast cancer… but I feel like as she’s my grandma I should be devastated or something. I just worry that perhaps I didn’t make enough of an effort in our relationship.
Still, she may get better and then perhaps there is time to make yet another stab at some kind of relationship.

Okay. I must end on a happy note. Oh! I know! Tomorrow I’m going to a magic show!! I’ve seen this act once before about two years ago. This guy is amazing. He’s done shows all over the world. I’m a very skeptical person and I watched the whole show trying my very hardest to see how the tricks could possibly have been done and I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out! I don’t believe in magic but he’s so good that he makes it believable for that small period of time that I’m watching. It’ll be good to sit back and, at least for a little while, return to that childlike state of wonder and amazement

In conclusion I would like to say that life is good Or at least it seems so at this moment in time

Great to see you posting again. I hope the courses continue to be enjoyable. If you think that's the last time men will whistle at you I think you may be mistaken!

I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. Cancer is such a treacherous beast! She'll probably be having therapies like chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Chemo is normally extremely unpleasant and she'll need a lot of support through it.

Enjoy the magic show. Have you seen the film The Prestige? We saw ti not so long back on DVD and quite enjoyed it. It's about two rival magicians trying to outdo one another.

Glad to see you posting again,
Vestie

Hi Vestie
It's good to be posting again! I've missed you all.

I think the courses will continue to be enjoyable. Fingers crossed anyway

I'm not sure but I think my grandmother has decided that she doesn't want to do any chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Which is of course entirely up to her. I think I'll probably be going to see her the weekend after next when my German final exam is finished.

I haven't seen the film The Prestige. I'm putting it on my list of things to watch though. It sounds really good

Hope everything's going well for you
Arisz

Things are fine with me. I hope your grandma remains well for as long as possible. Diet is meant to help and there's lots of books around to say what is good in fighting cancer.
There's also a method that is used more and more called visioning. The person with cancer has to relax and then think of where the cancer is in their body. They need to think of it as a physical shape (like a rubber ball or something) and then they have to think of it getting smaller. I know it sounds crazy but for lots of people it seems to encourage the immune system to do its work on the cancer and to reduce it.

Keep enjoying your courses

Vestie

I'm glad to hear everything is going well with you

Thanks for the advise I'll pass it on to my Mum who will pass it on to my nana. My Mum is going up on Thursday to see her. No idea when she'll be back. But I guess at least it will make the house nice and quiet for me while she's gone. It'll be good for studying for my German final.
She's going to drive there so I'm about to research where is the best place to get a cheap cell phone. It'll make her feel better because she's driving alone.

I think I will keep enjoying my class. At least I hope I will.
Today there were tons of people walking around in the graduation robes. Lucky them! Although excited as I am about the thought of graduating I don't want to be done school

Arisz

I understand your feelings about not wanting to be done with school. Make the most of it. This is probably the time when you have most time for yourself and have lots of options open to you. Try and take some of the more exciting ones if you can! I got into some really challenging voluntary work when I left school and it has left me with some of my best memories AND best friends!

Thanks Vestie. Sound advise as always I'm certainly doing my best to live in the moment and take my opportunities as they come.

As soon as this darn German final exam is finished I'll have more time for my self to do things. On the other hand I must find a new job. Just the idea of it makes me feel tired.

This is the best time of your life to think about experiences that will help you make sense of the world. Travel, making new friends and so on. I don't think you are lacking in the courage to have a go at a challenge from the way you have written about your life. I think you'll have a great time!

Thanks Vestie

I'm quite excited about my opportunities this summer I've made some new friends in the classes I've had and on Tuesday I'm meeting with my boss to find out if I'll get to do a job working with children and literacy for the rest of the summer. I think that would be very worthwhile.

How are you doing?

I'm fine. I've just taken the last two days of a management course which should give me a qualification - if I can get the written assignments in on time. It was very enjoyable and I made some new friends, too.
I'm sort of looking for a new job but I want to get the qualification out of the way first.

Well good luck in finding a new job. I hope it's going to be something that you enjoy
Have fun with those written assignments, hopefully they're nothing too taxing.

I've registered for all my classes for next year and now I'm planing to go and visit my family (including my Mum's Mum) while I have some time off. I'm looking forward to that for the most part.