However, I definitely feel like I’m getting more and more into the flow of life here. Beyond that, slowly but surely I seem to be making friends with folks in the ARC, so it’s not like I’m without social contact either. In fact, last night, I hung out with some of the nerd crew on campus. It’s much more my pace. I still have some disorienting moments sometimes when I wake up, but on the whole, I seem to be getting used to being at least quasi-adult.

In fact, I even feel comfortable enough to indulge a little. I’m going out for a Starbucks at the mall.

Now, some may also assume this means that now I’m automatically in an environment that I’m fairly familiar with, but the truth is the SFU Burnaby campus is far enough removed from the places I know in Vancouver (namely Commercial Drive, Strathcona and Metrotown,) that’s it’s akin difference between living on Capitol Hill and living in Kent. One is a cool neighborhood in a big city, and one is formerly industrial area that’s been gentrified with Ikeas and such. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t made a point to visit some familiar areas. In addition to visiting the Ikea for some odds and ends, I made a point to visit the Metrotown mall to get some other essentials square too. The interesting thing was coming up the street that intersected the one Metrotown is on, I saw the Crystal Mall, an Asian-centric shopping mall where Danielle and I would visit when I was in Vancouver in years past, and I was somewhat overwhelmed. It was bittersweet; I was so happy to have a familiar beacon with such fond memories attached to it, yet I truly wished that she was here with me so that we could enjoy it together. Even being in Metrotown, there were a lot of things that reminded me of those times.

Perhaps nothing is more motivating to me than to know that if I do put in the effort to finish school here, I will be joined by the person who introduced this lovely city to me, and who makes it a 1000 times more lovely with her presence. Of course, even Castlegar is fun with her.

In the interim though, it’s keeping in contact with phone calls, and where as I at least had friends and family in Seattle to socialize a little with, I really don’t have super tight contacts in the same fashion here. Hopefully, this translates into getting school work done with massive efficiency, but I hope I can keep in contact with with people often enough that I don’t feel too lonely either. Yeah, there are school clubs and such that should let me make some local contacts, but on the whole, the last thing I think I need is to feel isolated from the connections I do have. In short, don’t be surprised if I’m on skype, google chat and other stuff a bunch, and feel free to say hello.

So, I’d get while the getting is good, or really can even be got in some cases.

Full Disclosure
Nerdcore Life
He’s an OG
Chocolat Cay-kee
Fashionable
It’s The Beat
Surprise Suprise

Looking good, no? Romance Language 2 be shipping no later than Friday, which means the preorder window is until tomorrow night. Also, orders after Monday afternoon won’t ship for a couple weeks as I’ll be out of town, so, that’s all the more reason to get a move on if you’re impatient, though I guess the truly impatient will always be able to hit up bandcamp, as I should have it for sale there by Sunday/Monday.

Only 10 days until Romance Language 2 joins the rest of that catalog.

Also, I finally got registered for classes at SFU. Next week: getting a study permit/student visa.