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.