the end is not yet

Last night was good.

I spent the first part unconscious, exhausted from a long week of early morning MSN conversations to Australia, long days at work and late nights with friends. Wednesday was yoga with Emma followed by the Albion for Ian's birthday. Thursday was a quick spin to a secondhand bookstore in Fergus with Emma, and then a party with the people I've been working with the last two weeks.

Shortly after waking from my nap last night Shokes told me that Christa was online. So I went online to talk to her for quite a bit. When I was finally able to drag myself away, I drove over to pick up Jer and we headed to Ian's for Kiernan's going away bash. There is a tiny grass yard in back of their apartment building that is sunken four feet below the parking lot. It was filled with people in varying degrees of drunkeness and a bonfire.

A flashlight held by Ian - who else? - flashed on and shone our way safely down from the parking lot. After being offered whatever pop I wanted - it's now well-known that I'm an a break from alcohol - I was quickly found by Paul, a guy I had two philosophy classes with a couple years ago. We caught up and talked for a bit. Turns out I'm moving into his parents' neighbourhood in September. Also, when he asked where I was from, I didn't have to do the whole song and dance to explain it. He's actually driven through my hometown before and knew someone who had come to Guelph from it (yes, I knew the person too... so what?).

Shortly later I was sitting looking into the flames of the bonfire when Emma announced to me that she had worked out the meaning of life and did I want to hear it? And so began a conversation that lasted for the majority of the night. Forrest joined the conversation at the beginning and left for brief intervals as he got new drinks.

Eventually people started to disappear and it was only Ian, Kiernan, Jer, Emma, Forrest and I around the fire. Emma decided to head out, as she had a roadtrip the next morning and wanted to be well rested for it. So the five of us talked as I fed the flames.

"Where are you going camping?" Jer asked at one point.

"In the bush at my parents'," I said. "They own a fair chunk of land. The truth is, by camping there, the nearest people will be much farther away from me than if I went car camping at a provincial park."

Jer nodded and smiled.

"I know what you mean. I hate camping in places like that for the same reason," he said.

"You can find isolated sites if you look for them," Ian pointed out.

This started a discussion of the relative merits of camping and cottaging that lasted a fair bit.

At about the appropriate time, I stopped feeding the flames and the fire died down to a bed of coals at about the point I decided to leave. Jer asked for a ride and Forrest decided to leave too. We put out the coals. Forrest left on his bike as we all went upstairs so Ian could give me a bunch of books. That done, we said our goodbyes and Jer and I took our leave.

I slept in today and now I must eat, pack and drive. I camp tonight and for a few days. There are many things I want to blog about, not the least of which being the Weapon Project post on fear and pain. I find that I need to organize my thoughts on that a little more first. It will come sometime next week.