Meg's mini-vacation so far
So with just barely getting away from work with my sanity in tact (don't ask) on tuesday, I went to the Art Bar poetry series. Clara Blackwood was featuring so that was any added bonus, and I sort of hung out with David Clink and his crowd for a while. We skipped the open stage to go get sushi, which was pretty fun.

It's wierd, because I'm terrible for taking visual cues, especially from people I only hang out with occasionally. An old friend of David's was there, Alan (not Alan Briesmaster, a different Alan) and we shared a couch, and I guess he assumed I was a regular, because when they got up to go for sushi (which included him) he turned and said "so are you coming or what?" At that point I hadn't been invited, so I hadn't taken the initiative, but I can be a bit of a dumard sometimes to this stuff. I have a rather strong paranoia about being 'the tag-along'. However, I have been out for sushi with them before, it's just that they usually say 'you should come too' or something like that. David is a hard fellow to read sometimes, but that's one of the things I like about him. But they didn't seem to mind my presence, and I got to know Lisa (?), whom I had seen several times at a distance but not actually spoken to until now.

Anyway, yesterday, I took the long way up to York (why the long way, who knows) and made it just in time to attend the 'consolidated' Readings at Noon- Eric Winter and a few of the Cobourg poetry group members made it, and did a good job featuring.(Ted Amsden didn't show, but oh well) The usual gang seemed happy to see me. I read a few of my newer poems, and managed to pull off a solid reading of them- even to the point where Eric was impressed (and Eric is not easily impressed).

Of all the things at York that I miss, I think in some ways, I miss the RAN the most, possibly because it has changed the least since I've left. Also because these are people that have seen my progression as a poet from one year to the next, and I feel like they have a keen perspective on how far I've come. They've always been supportive and I hope my little 'reunion' with them is far from being the last.

In other news, Justin (my 6 month old nephew) was admitted to North York general hospital on wednesday and I spent all of thursday there to give Christine and Andrew some support. Justin has some sort of an absess on his neck, but because of the infection, it's hard for them to determine at this time what exactly the problem is. He's been on antibiotics and the swelling has gone down, so he's much more comfortable. So much so that he was waking up most of the pediatric ward with his happy shrieking. :)