Saturday, January 7th, 2012
Looks like a new year started. Guess it's time for a review (apparently English doesn't have a word for "bilan" when used in an abstract or non-monetary way) of 2011.
Early in January, my godmother died of cancer. As I probably state somewhere on this site, I am atheist. I was, however, baptised as a child and, regardless of my (lack of) faith, I loved my godmother. She was a wonderful woman. Talking about her still tends to bring tears to my eyes.
In late winter, I moved into this here flat with my sister, her partner, their daughter and their cat (who, for the record, is hungry). It was, and still is, a difficult transition for me. I have a dire need of money and I don't have enough furniture (or other storage space).
I am, however, in the process of returning to this world thing. I'm trying to find some place to volunteer. I had started looking in December, but I got sick and then it was the holidays, so I got kind of delayed with that. My plan is to to some volunteering for at least a few weeks before starting an actual, paying job. At first I want something small, not too stressful, just to be in a better financial situation.
Late in the year, my parents announced that they had purchased a new house and sold theirs. It was quite a shock to me. I can understand their decision. They lived by themselves in a two-storey house with far too much room for just two people. They also wouldn't have bought just any house. My father owns a land in the countryside, the land he grew up on that used to belong to his parents. His childhood home was destroyed a while ago and the lot was split, the largest part belonging to him and the smallest part belonging to other people, with their own house on it. This is the house they bought. (On a more technical note: zoning laws prevented my father from building a house on his lot, as it's in an agricultural zone)
I could be very happy for them, but I find it very difficult to accept the loss of the house I grew up in. (Go ahead, call me stupid and childish and materialistic. I LOVE THIS HOUSE.)
The end of the year was a moment of great stress for me. The holidays in themselves are stressful: having to leave my comfy flat for a long trip home to my parents and then attending four million family meetings. I also spent several hours going through the many things I had left at my parents' home. I got rid of lots of paper I didn't need and gave away lots of clothes that don't fit anymore. That doesn't mean I didn't keep lots of things too. Books, texts I wrote, some clothes (that fit), photos (of course I didn't actually got rid of any of those), movies (I did get rid of some. I'm not keeping terrible movies on VHS.)...
In December was also Mario and I's second anniversary of togetherness. 
All in all, last year was filled with changes, some for the better, but nearly all stressful for me.
Tags: 2011, death, family, godmother, holidays, home, home town, love, mario, moving, sorting, stress, year review
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011
On August 22nd, Canada suffered a great loss as the leader of the New Democratic Party, Jack Layton, passed away from cancer. I don't believe I have much to add that hasn't already been said by others. I only hope that his party can continue making this a better world, something for which I don't count on the currently leading Conservative Party.
P.S. Cancer sucks.
P.S. #2 You can read the letter he addressed us. Bring a tissue or 40.
Tags: canadian politics, cancer, death, jack layton, ndp, new democratic party
Posted in Politics | Comments Off
Sunday, July 17th, 2011
Quite a few things have changed in the past few months. I suppose it's those things that have made me regain interest in blogging.
First, I am far, far less interested in personal blogs than I used to be. I still read a few such blogs, like Jem's, but I'm not interested in starting to read new ones. This will surely reflect itself on the contents of this very blog. I will continue posting about my life, but it will not be the sole focus of this blog. As a side note, there will be no apologies from me for not blogging for x amount of time. I should hope none of you relies on my blog to continue a satisfying life. 
Second, I have moved in with my sister. I used to live with her a few years ago. Things were quite different back then and I feel much better about myself now. I also have the pleasure of living with my cat again. I can also move about whenever I want and there are no rules against drinking alcohol or respecting a curfew. Of course, I still apply my usual respect for others by not yelling around the flat while my not-quite-3-year-old niece is sleeping.
Third, the aforementioned sister is pregnant. It's been less than two months now.
Fourth, in much sadder news, my godmother has passed away. She had had cancer a few years ago. It was gone, but then she went to Brazil and, upon returning, she felt great pain in her back. Turns out her cancer was back. She passed away in January. Naturally, it greatly saddens me. She was a wonderful person and I enjoyed visiting her. I spent a week or so with her every summer for a few years. I wish I could call her sometimes. 
Fifth, I have been in a relationship for a bit over a year and a half now, since December 2009. He's a man named Mario. I met him while living in the house of crazies. We are not living together yet. I don't know if we ever will. We love each other, of course, but my own problems coupled with the fact that he is bipolar can cause occasional difficulties. We seldom argue, that's not the problem. It's his manic episodes that make any relationship difficult. I will probably speak more on the matter in a later post.
Sixth, I have spent a lot of time lately reading a lot of different blogs on lots of topics. Some are your regular thing-to-read-online like digg, others still are oriented towards science or social progress. I'll surely put up a list of blogs I enjoy eventually. Yes, that's two things I promised, but I really do have the intention of keeping up with this blog here. It's possible that there will be weeks during which I don't post at all, just like there could be multiple unrelated posts in a single day. It all depends on many factors.
Tags: blogs, cancer, cat, death, famiy, godmother, house of crazies, love, mario, mental health, mourning, online life, relationships
Posted in Personal Life, Updates | 1 Comment »
