Weekly Report: November 18th - November 24th 2024
The Week in Summary:
- On Monday, Calgary woke to its first major snowfall of the season. It was wonderful to wake up to the Weather Network notification and see a thick layer of snow covering the sidewalk, especially after our fairly warm November so far. It led to a lot of challenges throughout the morning with me scrambling through our closet for winter clothing and traffic snarled across the city, but finally, it has arrived!
- The following day, I delivered my botanical workshop for the first time and despite my anxious buzzing around the lab, it went splendidly. Later that evening, Taylor and I drank Irish cream liqueur, put on a Christmas record (including this gem), and put up our Christmas tree for the season. I'm not a big Christmas person, but I do love winter and a Christmas tree certainly sets a mood.
- For Wednesday night, Taylor, Krystal, Alexis, and I went to Mogouyan Hand Pulled Noodle on 17th Ave. For most of us, it was fantastic, especially given the snow outside, but Taylor did not have many menu options due to the peanuts included in many of their dishes' chili oil. Afterwards, we got some dessert, then Krystal joined us to watch an episode of The Ultimatum Queer Love and the pilot of Arcane (which was way better than I thought it would be).
- Given my very sore muscles, I stayed home on Friday and laid on the couch most of the day. I started reading Adrian Tchaikovsky's Alien Clay, listened to my vinyl records, and played a couple games. Over the day, my muscles relaxed a bit, but I think the Advil helped a lot.
- On Saturday, Taylor and our family went to a new Peruvian restaurant called SUMAQ on 17th Ave to celebrate my 30th birthday. The food, service, and ambience of the restaurant was immaculate. Afterwards, we all went back to our home and enjoyed orange jellyroll cake that Taylor made the previous day amongst all the bird decorations that Krystal had sneaked in and put up when we were out dinning! I also received a beautiful Austrian wool coat for my birthday from my family and I am already enamored with it.
- Sunday was my 30th birthday and I started it by opening up some gifts from my dear love (some wool socks, a pair of raw denim jeans, and a Portuguese flannel shirt) and enjoying some Baileys in my morning latte. In the late morning, I went for a walk with Krystal to Elbow River, got croissants, and picked up Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation on vinyl. When I got back home, I was surprised by my lovely friends with an Elden Ring-themed birthday party that Taylor had meticulously planned. I am so grateful for Katelyn, Angela, Alexis, and Krystal for celebrating this day with me. It makes aging a lot more fun when it is with others! Later that night, we ordered delivery from Khao San Thai Kitchen for dinner.
- This week, Taylor and I have been playing Frostpunk 2 and we finished the main story campaign (children were sent into coal mines and political dissidents were deported - as per tradition with in this franchise). By the weekend, I received Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice from our uncle Dan and I have been getting my ass kicked by that game since.
- To end this weekly summary, I want to say that though aging can be bring up a lot of complicated feelings (as it has for me), I keep coming back to a certain sentiment of gratitude expressed in this Mark Twain quote: "Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many." Thankfully, I have been blessed with this life and every day is worth celebrating as a victory against the crushing sadness that this will all end one day, but for this moment right now, I am alive and I share this life with incredible people.
The Week in Images:
The Week in Links:
Will winter redeem its reputation? A sneak peek at winter 2024-25 - The Weather Network
After a historically mild winter last year, here’s what we can potentially expect for this upcoming winter season in Canada
Doug Gillham, PhD
The Ukraine missile crisis: Putin’s shadow war against the west finally breaks cover
After Kyiv used Storm Shadow missiles, Russia’s leader asserted his ‘right’ to attack the UK and US. In truth, he has been doing exactly that for two years now
Simon Tisdall