More nursing ball pics, Shutter Island

Before I head into more pictures from the Nursing Ball, I gotta say I went to see Shutter Island with my friend, Jables. What a wild ride! I would for sure recommend this movie to anyone considering checking it out. The only qualm I have about it was that there were just a tad too many hard cuts within the same scenes. I think it was supposed to be like that to keep you on your toes, but I found it to be a little too distracting.

Anyways, just a couple more pics from the Ball that I dug out while lurking around Facebook (I'm the guy with the orange tie). I don't typically post peoples faces on this though. However, I had an incredible night! Nice to unwind with everyone. I don't think people are done uploading their pics, so some more may come later on.

Still no real catharsis over the degree yet. I wonder if it'll ever come?

Class ending, Nursing Ball, Thoughts on Graduating

So I had my last exams yesterday for my undergrad in Nursing. It's been a very long six years. Very tough emotionally and financially as the cost of university in the Maritimes and at Dalhousie in particular is STAGGERING! Needless to say, I will not have to attend another lecture for a very long time, which makes me very happy.

What is strange is the lack of excitement I have over this. After an extremely difficult year in 2009, and after six years in this system, I was expecting some form of catharsis in finishing this program up yesterday. After a brutal final exam however, I found the day to be just like any other. It was kind of like a birthday, where you go to sleep expecting to feel different the next day, but lo-and-behold... you're still the same person as the day before.

What was very fun was going to my Nursing ball last night. Although our class isn't the most well bonded bunch, it was really nice to see everyone together and enjoying themselves before we essentially never see each other again. Also, being in a profession full of lady-types... well I had a lot to look at last night! But it wasn't all fun and games (To the lady lady that made me go home to get my ticket: I'm not mad at you for making me waste my money like that, but I still find the sheer surface area of your forehead and thin jawline reminds me of a sperm whale).

These pictures aren't great, but I will try to creep more off of Facebook when people wake up from their hung-over stupors to upload them. But right now I have a week off, and other than doing bike stuff... I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself. Will gladly take suggestions in comments box!

The Dome, Classes coming to an End, a Bike Party and North End Hipsters

Ahhhhh... Sorry y'all for not having been here for a while. My time gets consumed and I essentially sweep little things like this under the rug. But I've had an oddly thrilling week, and thought I should update you all with my goings-on.

Last Friday, a couple friends and I went to the Dome, which if you're not from Halifax, is probably our highest-grossing (and probably most filthy skanky) dance bar on the peninsula. This has been a hard shift for me a far as nights out are concerned (I haven't been here in likely over five years). Needless to say, I didn't know what to do with myself, so I resorted to watching the dancefloor.

The big developments going on down there were a midget going wild over a Black Eyed Peas song, and some lesbians trying to subtly European kiss my straight friend on the dancefloor. THAT was actually extremely funny.

After this event, I entered probably the longest (and ironically last) week of my undergrad. Yes, I will be graduating soon --fingers crossed, knock on wood. Instead of just cooling off at Gasby's at the end of the week as per usual, I did something very bizzar: Met actual people at our school bar and proceeded to drink with them! Call it cathartic, but the afternoon was pretty good and we were lucky enough to get free pizza from an english sonnet competition that was going on at the same time.

Call me a snob, but I could pull a better sonnet out of my ass.

Later that same day, after taking a sobering nap, I went out to a Bike Party in the North End. It was pretty decent. Had some cool biking videos. But by-and-large I was essentially hung over and no one really wanted to talk to me.

Bummer.

What I did notice was that this party, and just the new lower-middle class of the North-End is populated by a high proportion of young adults that are somewhat similar to hipsters, the kind of which you see in the Williamsburg area of New York. What delineates these hipsters from Halifax's Norenders (based on the content of this fabulous blog) is our hipsters are much more into cycling, a little less coked out, and a hair less judgemental. All in all it seems like our hipsters may have a longer lifespan and quality of life than those living in BBurg.

Although I'm not a HUGE fan of hipsters in general, as they are a sign of major gentrification in the neighbourhoods which they immigrate to --almost in fact galvanizing it's gentrification-- I'm finding them very interesting. Also, I'm beginning to find that gentrification isn't such a bad thing for some Halifax communities.

I hope admitting this doesn't mean I'm becoming part of the fold... naw... couldn't be...