Long Weekender

At 9:30 last night, I exited my room holding a bottle of laundry detergent in one hand, a box of dryer sheets in the other and found my roommate, Nik, slouched on the steps with her head in a basket full of sheets and towels, ready for the wash. "You know, we don't have to do this tonight. We can do laundry tomorrow. Really, we can do this tomorrow." I waited for a response that would be a testament to how tired she really was. I honestly just wanted to go to bed.

"But we've been laaaazy. And we were supposed to do laundry this weekend. Sunday's a good day for this stuff." Her head was still in the basket.

"But we've already done a load and our darks are clean now! We can do sheets and towels tomorrow! Really! Tomorrow!" I was hopeful, but I knew I couldn't win.

Eventually, she pulled herself up and I trudged behind her into the basement and there it was, my Sunday night at 9:30pm: filling the washer with sheets and towels, and checking on our darks in the dryer. It's funny because it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not. My weekend was exactly what I wanted it to be, even if it did end with lots of laundry.

Friday saw me sleeping in after a night of much fiesta-ing and I woke to an empty house, delighted that I was left to my own devices with no responsibilities. I had a small chocolate themed brekkie (half of a chocolate chip muffin and chocolate milk), got dressed in a super summer outfit (because it was 28 degrees baby!) and went for a walk. I checked out little shops, a used book store, gathered some things (movie listings for the local indie theaters, voice lesson info, prices for hemming jeans), popped in and out of a tea shop and an art store, and bought a money tree. On my way home, I saw a sign for a garage sale nearby. Why not? I thought. So I walked over with my little tree in a bag.

Standing in the giant driveway filled with old housewares and knick-knacks really made me realize how badly I want a home. You know, like, a real home. Of my own. I have no idea how long I spent there, but it was long enough to strike up conversation with the ladies who were running the sale and daydream some more about one day having my own bed and breakfast. After much deliberation, I left with:

- a set of 7 deep red glasses
- a very ornate napkin holder
- a glass spaghetti jar
- a puzzle
- wooden salt and pepper set (one shaker and one grinder, I love freshly ground pepper)
- a vintage weekend bag (I call it a weekend bag because it's the perfect size for a two or three day trip)

It's true, I don't really need any of these things. I already own enough cups and mugs to get me by, and I don't really use a lot of napkins, nor do I need to put them on display in a fancy holder for everyone to see. My spaghetti is fine in the bag it came in, I've already got a salt shaker and pepper grinder, and I have more than enough travel bags. I bought the puzzle because it was marked at 35 cents and my roommate and I just love them. 'Not needing it' wasn't really the point for me that day. I had to restrain myself from buying bake-ware, dishes, old luggage and furniture too. The truth is, I love old things. Which is why I've probably been to more antique stores than the average twenty-three year old. Old things have history and I love using something while wondering how it was previously loved by its old owner. Anyway, I came home with more than enough swag, and still, I suggested going back to get more things when my roommate came home.

That evening, Nik and I both went for a run, I made a nice pot for my money tree, put on some tweed pumps and took a bus across town for a house-warming party. If you have never ridden a bus with a small plant before, I would recommend it. It felt like a small child, my small child, and holding the pot close to me was, in two words, very nice. "This is probably as close as I'll get to parenting for a while," I thought. My friends loved the plant and I loved their dinner party. There was a big backyard, a giant kitchen, and three whole floors for three recent grads. There were platters of fruits, veggies and dip; a spread of crackers, cheeses and meats; there was wine and a whole bar of liquors and liqueurs; and then there was dinner: thai mango salad, four different kinds of meat skewers, and home-made potato salad. And I mean home-made; the potatoes were from the family farm. And then! There was dessert! Chocolate fondue! With amaretto, all sorts of fruits, macaroons and marshmallows! I hadn't ingested that much food all week. I came home full to the brim, my ab muscles just that much tighter from laughing so much, and with a Hong Kong postcard written with much love and friendship in April.

And that was just Friday.

Saturday found my roommate and I at the train station in the morning (after fluffy pancakes with fried bananas on the sun porch), headed north to Amish country. We rode the train with the kiddies, wondered at the countryside and I spoke to the river as we chugged along the bridge that ran over it. We spent the morning wandering in and out of little shops in St. Jacobs and spent lots of time in children's toy stores. Nik bought a puzzle-map of the world (see, what did I tell you about the puzzles?) and a book entitled "Tomorrow" made me cry. We took the train to the market, bought cheap clothes and wandered along aisles of farm fresh produce. I bought jalpeno havarti and she got an empire cookie and sesame seed bread. By three I was exhausted, so we came home and hours later was my favourite part of the weekend: we cooked dinner together (mince and tatties) speaking only in English accents (our meal is properly pronounced "mince and tah'ees").

You won't believe what I did on Sunday morning. I did not sleep in. We went to an aerobics class. At 11am. For an HOUR AND A HALF. During the 45 minutes of extreme cardio workout, I thought I was going to drown in my own sweat. And I swore I could feel my muscles being ripped to shreds inside my arms during the toning part. My thighs were still feeling my run from Friday and I've never done so much exercise in such a condensed amount of time before. Today, I will fully admit that my whole body is feeling that workout from yesterday morn. But it was indeed, the most incredible workout. Aerobics instructors have the best, positive energy and I felt fabulous afterwards. I might even go next Sunday. After taking the World's Best Shower when I got home, I met with my dear friend Ashley for lunch (dim sum! without my parents!), a trip to the mall and lots of catching up. I came home to do some reading and then the roommate and I cooked breakfast for dinner (omelettes, hash browns and sesame toast). We took out the garbage and the compost, and had a reading party. And of course, we did laundry. And it was fabulous.
1:41 pm