I was able to talk with Andrea for about ten minutes on the phone today. I imagined her in her hostel on the other side of the world as I looked out at the Toronto cityscape. It's hard to account for such an immense distance, to think that a person's voice could travel such a long way almost immediately. I've always disliked talking on the phone, but it kind of amazed me today.

I've been keeping to myself a lot since she left, but I'm hoping to get out a bit in the next couple of weeks. Nuit Blanche is coming up at the end of the month, and I'd like to spend some more time hanging out with Matt and some other folks around Toronto that I don't normally have the chance to see. This is officially the longest stretch of time I've ever spent in the city, and I'm used to packing what time I have here full of visits and excursions. My number one priority is school, however. I'm not going to screw this up. I also need to get on applying for grants. I have the forms and I'm planning to go over them this weekend while I wait for some additional material to show up.

I watched the move Airheads today (a gift from Andrea, some cinematic silliness to give me a break from work), and Rear Window, which is undoubtedly my favorite Hitchcock film. There are so many feminist subtexts at work that it's hard to view the film in any other light, but it's such a great piece of suspenseful, claustrophobic filmmaking. I also finished reading "The Hanging of Angelique," and I don't remember the last time I finished a book so fast. 306 pages in 36 hours. Probably not since my undergraduate years.

This week has felt incredibly long. Tomorrow is my last new class of the week - the Bibliography course. It will, at the very least, finally answer once and for all the question that's been on my mind since I started looking into grad school: namely, what the hell is Bibliography?

I met with Professors Hutcheon, Clark and Columpar today to discuss what they're going to be subjecting me to. Professor Columpar seemed nice and I'm even more excited for the Touch of Evil Project. I'm doing a presentation on Marlene Dietrich, as well as the very first class facilitation of the year on cinematic re-vision. Excellent stuff. I also toured by Gillian Northgrave's office to finally meet her and pick up my CGS award money. Gillian is the Graduate Counsellor and Program Administrator of the English Department, and we'd been conversing for a few months before I was finally able to put a face to her name.

I picked up most of the African-Canadian Lit course material at the U of T book store, which has an overly complicated TOKEN LOCKER system to ensure that no one sneaks out books in their bags. Give me a break. After scoring the texts I stopped by Pita Pit for some grub. "Young Hearts" by Rod Stewart was playing on the PA inside, and it brought back memories of Ottawa. I spent some time mulling over "The Hanging of Angelique" while waiting for my appointment with Professor Columpar. It's a book that unveils the truth behind slavery in Canada as it tells the true story of a 29-year-old bondswoman who was put to death for setting Montreal ablaze. It's a wake up call to anyone willing to think that slave ownership in Canada wasn't that bad. The Underground Railway ran both ways.

For dinner I attempted beef stroganoff from scratch, and it wasn't a complete failure, but I don't think I'll be making it again. I find the recipe's sauce too thin.

Buck 65 is performing on Friday at the Drake Hotel. I might go.