Routinizzle.doc

The routine is going great. From Monday to Friday I park myself in front of my laptop in the dining room, try to pound out the words, and hit the gym after exhausting quotations from Schechner and Butler and surfing the latest new posts on Facebook. It's unfortunate that Facebook is now more like Twitter - how can I not click on the link if it promises that there is one new post in my news feed? Obviously it's unimportant, but one must click it make sure.

The dissertation is going well. When I say it's going well I mean the word count is increasing. At this early stage I don't necessarily care if the connections and points are ground breaking, but rather that they are starting to be made. As I've said before, it's much easier to have a pile of crap and oodles of time to go back and revise it, than writing a 30 000 word dissertation in two months. I don't want to publish my word count since some of the MAIPRS visit this page (sorry guys). Things aren't competitive here but it's just something I want to keep to myself - people tend to freak out if the answer you give is more than them and if its less it bolsters their feeling of progress. I just don't care where anyone else is. It's like marks. I've always been one to keep them close to the cuff so the jockeying for position doesn't lead fellow students to judge and compare, but it's inevitable people always try to pry. Thankfully, I don't get satisfaction from knowing I "did better than you." It's the damn Humanities, everything is subjective. Long story short: if you're from home and want to know how I'm doing, ask me sometime. I'm climbing the mountain!

Friday night we had a party at Courtney and Jamal's. They have a really great place perfect for a gathering. It comes complete with a fantastic little outdoor patio. Both were happy to host in Leamington - Jamal was always ready to fill a glass and Courtney made cheesecake and biscuits for the occasion. We met one of the new MAIPR students who had arrived early, talked about how the work was going, and discussed post-program plans. Luckily, most are in the same boat once the program ends - a shrug of the shoulders is the usual response. We stayed at the house party late and by the time midnight rolled around I couldn't be bothered to head out on the town and pay the 5 pound cover to get into Smack. It's a pro and con of the regular gym going, but after a long day of research and then two hours at the gym I am unlikely to go out for a big night. On one hand I can save a lot of money that way, but on the other I've never been one to say no to a night on the town. It's a more mellow routine, but I most definitely prefer it.

The rest of the weekend was fairly low-key. I took Saturday off from research and slept in. I also started watching episodes of Glee which everyone has been talking about recently. I really enjoyed it - the series is officially added to the list of ones I'm currently following. Thank god for free online television. Sunday I completed some prep for IGLYO - the launch of the website we've been developing is slated for early next month. In the evening I went for two pints in town with a friend of mine I hadn't seen since Warwick autumn. It seems everyone is returning to Leamington for the start of the new school year.

Today Tory and I published plans for our birthday celebrations. We figured that two Canadians with birthdays within a week calls for a Canadian themed birthday celebration! We're having a gathering at ours on October 8 to celebrate (Tory's is on the 3rd and I'm on the 9th). For those without the benefit of facebook the event reads:

A night to celebrate Great Canadians, including: Celine Dion, Alanis Morisette, Mounties, Mike Myers, the cast of Degrassi High, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and of course - yours truly.

Please come wearing red and white, or in your best 'Canadiana' costume! Lumberjacks, hockey players, and famous Canadian songstresses are welcome.

The party will begin at ours at 7:30pm, then we'll head on out to the town. Please BYOB eh? We're polite, but not that polite.

Canadian artist playlist on loop - send in your requests.

It's sure to be a good time, and serves as a nice event to look forward to after an incredibly productive September. As the month comes to a close I can look back at subtle but really rewarding progress - a good handle on the thesis and 22 out of 27 days spent at the gym. Later this week we get to meet the rest of the new MAIPR contingent, and I'm heading to London on Saturday to visit my friend Stuart from Queen's.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: I've discovered there are a lot of negative musings on the dulling effect of a routine. But I've found a lot of structure with one. I appreciate this courtesy of Ben Nicholas: “Most of life is routine - dull and grubby, but routine is the momentum that keeps a man going. If you wait for inspiration you'll be standing on the corner after the parade is a mile down the street.”