The Mid-term is coming! The Mid-term is coming!

As you can no doubt guess by the title, O Gentle Readers, it's fast approaching Mid-term exams here in the Medieval Icelandic Studies program. My fellow MISanthropes and I have an exam on Wednesday for Old Norse, my feelings upon which can be summed up quite succinctly: I'm doomed.* Well, not quite, but it's going to be a long shot for me to do well on it. Fortunately, in situations like this, I tend to do infuriatingly well, despite (or because of?) my utter lack of confidence, but we'll see what we can see.**

Tomorrow is Jimmas*** as well, but as the Mid-term is on Boxer Day****, the celebrations will be truncated slightly. By which I mean a couple of post-studying, morituri te salutant drinks before bed with whichever folk decide to come out for 'em.

Speaking of folk coming out for drinks, Paul, Bond, Ásdís, Barbara and I managed to finally drag Ryder out to a pub on Friday. Now, this may not seem like much of an achievement, but the boy ain't right in the head, strictly speaking. In that he's exceptionally studious and, as such, I have made it my personal mission to induct him into a lifestyle of hedonistic excess. Of course, the down side to that is the fact that people might start getting the impression that I actually like hanging out with him and his clearly inferior (albeit admittedly impressive) beard. That would not do.

Speaking of fun times, on the 15th there were two earthquakes, both 3.8. These were my second and third earthquakes, but the first I was actually awake for. I was excited. Also, Katla is due to blow soon, which is going to be awesome, assuming it pops either before I leave for Yulnukwanzandaanmas or after I return. I'd prefer it happened after I got back, personally, but you know how these things are.

I think that about wraps things up. So it's time to stop procrastinating and start a studying!

* You have no idea how long I spent looking for a video clip of C3PO saying "We're doomed!" Seriously, it's like a three second clip. No-one had it online, except for as a part of the whole 'Devastator disabling and boarding the Tantive IV' scene, and that would have been excessive.
** Ditto with the "Never tell me the odds!" scene from the Hoth asteroid field.
*** Jimmas, for the uninitiated, being the celebration of the birth of Jim. Which makes sense, when you think about it. Traditionally, it involves going to your favourite pub around 7pm and then drinking until you're cut off, kicked out, or out of cash.
**** Boxer Day - or All Pugilist's Day, depending on your preference - is the day after Jimmas. Kind of like Boxing Day, except it's traditionally reserved for sitting around the house in your boxer shorts, nursing the hangover incurred during your Jimmas celebrations.

A day of happenings!

So, today, being Friday, is a fairly short day for me, academically; I have but a single class* and, as such, I generally have a good amount of time that is free. So, today, I took advantage of this is several ways; first, I moved into my new room in the flat with David, Ryder, Paul and the mysterious Swiss man named Jonas.** I also managed to catch both Jenny Hval and Ólafur Arnalds' shows at Norræna Húsið, which was excellent. David, Paul and I also went to Barbara on Wednesday so we could see Guðrið Hansdóttir do an off-venue show.

This week, which is ostensibly*** a Study Week wherein we get 9 days off of class (Saturday through to the following Sunday), happens to coincide with Iceland Airwaves, hence the shows happening. The ones I've been to are off-venue and, thus, free - a good thing, considering the price of a wristband for the actual event!

Now, considering the fact that there have been many things afoot, I've decided to provide for you evidence of both a photographic manner and videos of 3 of 5 of Ólafur's songs (he had to play a short set, as he had another gig to get to.)

For your sanity, though, I've generously put these all below a jump.

Day of Giving of Thanks!

So, we had our Thanksgiving feastbacle* last night at Bahb and Meredith's place. It went off without too many hitches** and, I think, that everyone in the end had a good time. There's a lot of ground to cover with the whole night, but suffice it to say, we all had a good time. We ate, commiserated, played music and sang songs. There are photo!

But because there are a lot, I've included them all under a cut, for your viewing pleasure.

Without further ado, I present the First MIS Canadian Thanksgiving!***

Update!

Sorry that there's not been an update recently, O gentle readers.  It's not that there's been a paucity of things happening - in fact, just the opposite!  Allow me, if you will, to elaborate on what has been happening in the Life of Jim:

First, I'm moving! Again!

Now now, before you get your knickers in a twist, I'm not moving back to Canada. Not yet, at least.* I am, however, moving into a new place. Rouan and I are basically swapping apartments and mine is in the process of being painted. What this means is that I'm currently living in Hana's spare room at her new place while the painters are finishing off the repaint in my old room. Once that's done (hopefully by Wednesday night**) I'll be living with Paul, Ryder, David and Jonas - a quiet Swiss guy whose existence I was unaware until the most recent time I was at the flat.

Unfortunately, this also means that there is a lack of reliable Internet access, as Hana's place has yet to get it's Interwebs up and running. However - and this is a big however, thus the italics - I do have a bed there. Like a proper bed. And I tell you, two months of sleeping on an cot mattress the floor, while not terrible, it was like sleeping on a cloud. A soft, well-sprung cloud.

Secondly, drinking!

No no no, don't worry. I've not done something silly like giving up the booze. As a long-time reader (and hopeful contributor) to Modern Drunkard Magazine, the idea would be anathema to me. However, I was, until recently, bereft of companionship in my pursuit of prolific drinking. No more! Ásdís has volunteered to take on the unenviable task of dealing with me while I'm drinking. Fortunately, in our first foray on Friday, we encountered the talented Reecy Pontiff during a 25-hour layover in Iceland on her way back to the States and, as such, Ásdís' exposure to my drunken asshattery was mitigated somewhat.

Third, Thanksgiving!

This coming Monday (that's the 10th) is Thanksgiving for Canadians and, as such, I decided, quite unilaterally, that there would be a getting-together of folk on Sunday, the 9th, and invited several folk. Who then invited several more. And then the entire thing spiralled out of control. So there is now a feastbacle occurring on Sunday and, as it is a Thanksgiving simulacrum, we will need to have roasted fowl, but turkeys are nowhere to be found. The plan? Roast chicken(s?), duck(s?) and puffin(s?)!

Finally, academia!

I think I may have not embarrassed myself on this most recent Old Norse quiz and have acquired some suggestions as to how I can avoid Doing It*** Wrong from Ryder, which will actually probably help quite a bit with the grammatical end of things. There's also the fact that I'm writing my first essay in 3 years. A touch intimidating, but the rust is coming off the gears and, I hope, I'm going to get going in fairly decent stride once again. Which will be nice.

And now, time to get cracking on this essay!

*I am intending on returning to Canada soonishly.  Hopefully for Yulnukhwanzadanmas, if I can swing it.  If not, then for sure for Mid-May.  I may have to return shortly thereafter to finish work of an academic nature, but still.

**On Wednesday, Siobhan - Hana's flatmate - returns from England, thus requiring the use of her room.  And casting your Humble Narrator into the Streets, to fend for himself amidst the wild folk of Reykjavik.  A not alltogether distressing prospect, to be fair.

***It, in this case, being language acquisition in general.  Óðínn knows I could use it, as I can barely form a coherent sentence in English, let alone French, Italian or any of the other languages I pretend to know.