and then our exile

THERE WAS A WINDCHILL OF MINUS 47 THIS MORNING PEOPLE IT IS COLD

Passed a bad car accident this morning, really close to home--the corner of Wye and 215. A second-half of English diploma i approached with much-arrogance but inshaAllah 'tis well. Also saw Rob P at Argyll too--over the summer, i'd said the purpose of government (and public education) was to manipulate its citizens into being docile; he'd disagreed and said something idealistic about making individuals think for themselves. And now he went (nearly) 180 and agreed with me. That made me feel good. Ha.
Then, the opening ceremonies of the U of A's international week. Came about twenty minutes late, but still: good stuff. Tom Keating, Andy Knight and Mellissa something-or-other (labonte? lebonte?): on "peacebuilding". At first i was skeptical--talking of humanitarian intervention and all always makes my hair stand on end. But in the end i actually enjoyed myself; they have their ideas straight. Keating's i was uncertain on at first, but okay. Knight: history of US "interventions" with object of regime change/society transforming. Labonte spoke on the role of NGOs "peacebuilding" in conflict zones; her subtitle was "Caught between Iraq and a Hard Place" which was either quite witty or quite lame, depending on you.
Anyhow. After, i scanned the crowd for people i knew, spotted some from the U of A CAWAR, and left. Dhohr at the musalla downstairs, where i ran into Qasim; then on my way awae i met Jason B, which was very strange--haven't seen him for months and months, and there he be, eating pizza. Um. But, the most empathating thing of all was later, at Rutherford--i remember something Someone said as i walk through the Rutherford foyer, check my email, and am about to head out, kind of disappointed that (probability aside) the Feeling has come to naught, when i look up and *boom*! In the flesh! And so i try to keep a straight face but it doesn't work for long.
On the bus home i eavesdropped on conversations (not in the mood to read, although Mann's Doctor Faustus was in my bag) and tried to sleep a bit. In retrospect i probably should've taken the 3.30 bus instead of the 2 o'clock one, for reasons beknown to me, but...i saw the bus and said okay! i'm going home! and only realized the retrospect-thing later.
Who's up tomorrow for the Adopt-a-Town forum? Conflicts with Mel Hurtig, i know.