I woke with a deep chill that was sunk in through my skin and into my bones. The apartment was freezing and with the humidity the cold was far colder than I was expecting. I was wearing a hat for breakfast, and when we were finally ready to go I was wearing a jacket with a hoodie underneath. That kind of outerwear would take me to -20 in Calgary. Crap...
I asked my roomate from Saudi Arabia if he thought that it was cold. He said it was a little cold, but not bad. Let me note that on our way to the University the sleeves of his hoodie were rolled up. It was lucky that we met last night, and would make plans to go to the University together, for the path we took, which was the fastest route to campus on foot, was twisted and complicated and I could never have found it alone. It started out easy as we walked along University Avenue, then, we made a detour through the lot that the hospital rests on. The detour saved us a great deal of time but was confusing to say the least. Up a hill, across a street, up another hill, through a parking lot, around the hospital, up a set of stairs... up a hill. Then through a parking lot and to the campus. Really it is not that bad, but the description I have given you is all true, but not enough to find it on your own.
It was nice though, the walk is often bordered by forest on one side. We cross a creek on the way to school, and the abundant forests leaves no lack of natural beauty around. The colours are something that I would have expected to see in a painting, or on Planet Earth.
Wait wait wait. I am getting ahead of myself. This is all about the End of the Rabbit Hole. What about the Fall down it?
The Fall Down the Rabbit Hole (Part 1)
And what a fall. I packed all day. I double checked everything, and for you cynics out there, know that I have only found one item that I should have packed but didn't... in my defence... it was not on my list.
Anyways. Everything packed. Mom and Dad came home and Dad cooked a final feast that was fit for a King. I'm no King, but I can recognize a feast when I see one. Beef does not grow in the ocean. As obtuse as that may sound that last sentence is a great woe on the year ahead. Beef does not grow in the ocean, it grows in the prairies. Knowing that the prairies would soon be behind me, and the ocean soon in front, the feast was steaks that were large enough to be labelled as small countries, with potatoes as mountains, and well... for me... that was it. Those vegetable eating heathens enjoyed asparagus trees felled from the potato mountains and salad from the fields of the steak nations.
I will keep that meal in my head as a fond memory until I find my way back to Alberta for some real beef. Here, my sirloin hamburgers will have to do. Honestly, with Montreal Steak Spice, they are not half bad.
Supper was at its usual time, which meant that we had to leave immediately after for me to get to the airport in time for my 12:25 am flight. I was delivered to the airport by two lovely ladies who acted as my porters. It truly was the departure of a King, too bad it was wasted on a squire. I did get a kick out of the Air Canada guy watching me hobble towards the baggage drop off on my cane, with the ladies dragging all of my worldly possessions behind. I did however feel badly about it at the same time.
One of my underpaid and overqualified porters choose her own path and left just two of us to walk to security.
The walk was slow, as my cane-ed steps are. Too much walking and a fear of the next few moments further slowed our pace. It was not long until we reached the security before the gate. It was a great door to a new chapter of my life. It was a door that meant growth probably beyond the limits I have experienced before. It was a door that for the life of my I did not want to enter.
At that moment I was faced with the choice: get on the plane, or don't.
I will tell you the truth. I did not want to go through that door, I did not want to get on that plane, and I certainly did not want to go to New Brunswick. At that moment forfeiting my deposit, my work on this venture, and the amazing opportunity almost seemed like a good idea.
Almost.
I thought about it like that, in those words, and saw that path before me. I said before, there are paths and choices everywhere, but some paths are the calling that is the right path. Hell, I cursed hard in my mind when I saw my path running through those doors. When I could see that I had to go there was no turning back.
Leaving then, there, was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do, if not the hardest.
I turned away from her, and took my hobbled steps down my path.
No one but her saw my tears...
The Fall Down the Rabbit Hole (Part 2)
I hobbled through the great gates before me and filed into line. The line was short as the hour was late. When I came up I had the very helpful security employee lift my bag onto the table. I pulled the laptop out, took off my jacked, emptied my pockets, and took off my belt. My cane was whisked from my hands and run through the machine. It must not have been a bomb, because very soon it was back in my hands. All of my swag passed through the x-ray machine as I hobbled through the scanner.
Of course, when I went through it went off. Wait wait. Of course it would go off as the cane is metal... but... I mean in the ironic sense of how I travel... of course the metal detector would find something. When the lady waved it around... it did. My pants beeped at the button... the metal button... as did both of my ankles... don't ask me why. She continually waved the rod over my crotch area, and it continued to beep...
She called over a "male" member of the security team to investigate further. He was a kind looking East Indian man and I will say only this. He and his latex gloves were very gentle.
Finished with security's hand's down my pants I hobbled along. I was soon to be halted by a very nice woman who wanted to search my bag. I was allowed to put my belt back on and refill my pockets, but she wanted to see what was in the bag. Actually, I have never seen so thorough a search of a bag... she took out every item out. For those of you who were not part of my packing process this may not seem significant, however, inside that carry-on was every piece of electronics that I was taking to New Brunswick, every cord to plug everything in, 5 DVD's, 7 Video Games, one favourite book, one journal, one umbrella, one water bottle, and one package of Grandma's Beef Jerky. The woman pulled out every item and put every item back in. I asked her what gets something flagged, and she told me that it was all of the electronics and books. Evidently reading is bad. Also... she did not like that there was a light inside my bag... yep... that was my wireless mouse that got turned on accidentally... real dangerous. She did however find great enjoyment in the bag of Beef Jerky, followed by her telling me that her Grandma only ever makes her Pork Rinds.
I honestly believe that she felt bad about searching me, as she saw my obvious discomfort with standing, but she had to do her job. On the bright side, she prided herself on packing, and where most security agents can unpack a bag but cannot get all of the stuff back in, this one was able to get it in better than I had.
After my longest security clearance ever I was on my way to the gate. It was not far.
Thank God.
There I waited. And paced. And waited.
When the pre-boarding call rang through the waiting area I was on my feet and in line. So were many others who did not need extra time and who were not in first class... huh... well... I hobbled down the ramp getting lapped several times and then I made it to the plane. I told the head flight attendant that I could not lift my own bag and she told me that help would be waiting at my seat.
Help was waiting. The attendant hoisted my bag into the overhead bin... well... tried... then she brought it down, we took the wheels off and she tried to lift my carry-on in as a two piece ensemble. Done and done. My cane was to follow and I was in my seat.
The rest of the plane filled. When I say the rest... I mean it. Every remaining seat was filled. I sat in the middle. I asked the Newfy beside me if he would trade seats since I would have to get up often, but he would not trade. He just told me to wake him up when I needed to stand. When the seatbelt light went off and I woke him to stand he immediately changed seats with me, finding that I was calling his bluff.
Most people tried to sleep through this midnight soar, but I did not. I watched Star Trek, and then I just waited.
We hit Toronto and I somehow managed to depart the plane. I made it to my gate and I waited.
My getting on the plane and most of the flight to Saint John were uneventful. It was on our final descent when we broke through the clouds that we finally saw something of note. Like I said before, it was something that you would expect to see on Planet Earth. For as far as you could see there were forests of many colours. There were reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. Fall in the West is not quite that bright... there is the yellow of the initial poplars for what seems like a day, and then the brown and green of winter. In the East it is something to see.
Amazing.
We landed and I hobbled to the terminal. As was planned my landlady picked me up, and with her was her daughter. We drove from the airport to the house. I was given the quick tour, and then an hour to putter about. When the hour was up my landlady returned to give me a tour of the area and to drive me to the grocery story.
I must thank her for all of this. The ride from the airport would have been at least $30, not to mention the tour of the area, and the priceless assistance of her carrying my bags and groceries. She is a bargain hunter and she told me what was on sale and where. After hitting both Superstore and Sobeys (where I bought four large boxes of honeycombs for $1.97 a piece) we returned home.
I forget that I have just had surgery. The incision is mostly healed, so I forget that just because the surface is healed it does not mean that the insides have. I am weak. When we made it back, I put away the groceries and crashed.
I spent the rest of the day in to rest and sort out my life.
I got Internet in the late evening, spoke with a few people from home, and went to bed.
The End of the Rabbit Hole (Part 2)
The campus is small. No one I've spoken with can tell me how many people attend, but it cannot be more than a few thousand. My goal was to go to the University to get my Student ID, sort out my e-mail, sort out my fees, buy my books, and maybe meet the MBA staff. In a few hours I did just that. I hobbled in with my roomate passed Timmy Ho's and then was shown the bookstore and the ID Place. He left me there. I got my ID, and hobbled on.
It was a strange feeling as I wandered through a tunnel and then outside of a building. I kept looking North to see the building I was looking for, but could not see anything but forest. I turned around and saw that I had just come out of the building I was looking for. Wow. UNBSJ is a small University.
I made it to the top where the MBA's hang out and was able to look into our classroom. I thought that Haskayne was a good school, and for certain it gets better ratings than UNBSJ, but its classroom is nothing compared to this. Our class is theatre style with each row of desks on its own tier. Each space for a student has a very nice chair to go with it, and a microphone for the student to speak into. I could see a number of projectors hanging from the ceiling.
I found one of the MBA staff and proceeded to ask some questions. She asked who I was. I told her. She told me that she thought that I might be me. I don't know if she really thought that I might be me or if she was just saying that she thought that I might be me in order to create that homey feeling. Either way, it was a bit strange.
I went to the fees office and found out that I owe a fortune to the University. I opted to pay online where I didn't think I had a transfer limit... wrong there... now I will be paying over three days.
I hobbled around campus a bit more to see where I am meant to meet on Monday, and where the students eat and drink. Then I headed to the bookstore to load up on a bunch of books that I probably won't read. It is funny that my load on the way home seemed heavier when I had traded so much money for those books.
I walked home in the rain, actually, I walked to the University in the rain, actually, in this walk to and from the University I have been the victim of three totally independent light rain storms. Do you know how you hold a cane, a cart, and an umbrella at the same time?
You don't.
Home.
On this trip I was beaten by the great Mace of Reality. Crap, I've just had surgery.
I had great ambitions of checking out the convenience store nearby but those ambitions have been shattered by the reality that my body is still weak and needs rest, not to mention I really do not have an adequate coping mechanism for the nerve pain savaging my left leg.
So, I will rest, and, I will blog, and I will begrudgingly send an e-mail to our kind landlady when the Internet returns about a list of grievances developed by my roomate and myself including unreliable internet access...
But. Before I go, please know that I have added two albums on Picassa, one for the Last Weekend I was in BC, including bridge building, and one for everything to do with Saint John. The photos in the Saint John Album so far are just what I've seen on my way to and from school.
Ah yes, and where am I living some of you might be wondering? Well, this movie should give you the low down. Please excuse how terrible I look, I've just had surgery you know?!
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