Of edjumacation n’ book learnin’

Well, now that I've actually gone to all my classes, the due date schedule is looking pretty damn scary – and you really feel all the pressures of being in a 1 yr program when you meet other grad students and they tell you they're only taking 3 courses per term, and then freak out a little on your behalf when you tell them you're taking 5 courses this semester. At least the schedule is fairly reasonable – start at 830 or 10, off the clock by 4 or 5 – it's almost like going to work – trying to do the thing where I work during my breaks so that I'd have time to socialize or do activities after classes are done for the day.

I've signed up for climbing, archery, and inter-mural volleyball. Obviously am not going to be doing all those things every week, be definitely one or more in some combination. The point of course is so that I can lead a double life – little Asian girl who's a diligent university student by day, but a wall-scaling arrow-shooting warrior princess by night, fighting the forces of evil lurking in the sleepy town of Kingston blah blah etc. You know, stuff that bad manga is made of. Perhaps it's time to buy a school girl outfit. Seriously though, I went to archery for the intro session today, I had so much fun – definitely therapeutic... I even hit the bull's eye a few times! =D

Went on a modified Sir John A MacDonald walking tour today after one of my classes. We had a guest speaker today from England, and I guess this was part of our prof's way of having him interact with the students, because we ended the walk at a pub, where the prof bought drinks for everyone. It's such a quiet and pretty town that it's hard to imagine Kingston as a hotbed of political activities in early Canadian history. Especially since these days, Kingston seem to be more a popular destination for old ppl looking to go somewhere for the weekend than anything else – I'd say the senior population about doubles in downtown Kingston (all 10 blocks of it) on Sat and Sun.

Fun fact: For a small town of about 5,000, Kingston had a really high concentration of pubs and taverns back in the day of Sir John A. In fact, there used to be two pubs located in city hall, where John A liked to go to quench his thirst after city council meetings. The Conservative Party was technically born in Kingston – in a tavern owned by Sir John A called the Royal Tavern. Once the pub where dear ol' Johnny debated politics, formed alliances, and bought votes with beer, now the hole in the wall where the local chapter of Hells Angel occasionally congregates, housing a copy of the mortgage signed by Sir John and random assortments of horse harnesses.