... I got the vibe, and the vibe was good." -E.A.

I'd have to agree whole-heartedly with that statement. Canada was the most laid-back trip that has ever happened in the history of short, ill-conceived and ill-planned vacations. I wrote the Mapquest directions to my house off of a computer screen at four in the morning on less than two hours of sleep due to a naked Latvian man in my bed.

We made decent time going up; we made incredible time coming back. Chrissy enjoyed herself, I think, but she was really missing Vtalik while we were up there. I also must admit that I missed Zhora a little bit. I also must admit that I tried to quit smoking, succeeded for two days, and then sucked down a cowboy-killah as soon as we crossed the border at 3am and the cigarettes were cheap again in good old Michigan.

I bought a pack of parliament lights yesterday; I have most of my pack left, but I practically chain-smoked Zhora's while we were all at Ride the Nine last night.

Here is an excerpt from one of the letters I wrote while I was up there. Obviously, it has been a little edited:

MONDAY AFTERNOON

Erik says that my cottage is the perfect place to "shroom your fucking balls off". Erik and Chrissy just found a scrapbook/diari that many members of my family write in. The entries in the diary date back to 1985!

Everyone seems to be a little tired... we've [cougheditcoughed] a lot of [cough] and had a bit to drink, so zoning seems to be the method of choice to pass the time. I'm getting a little bit hungry. Erik is talking about making Kraft Dinner with water, since we forgot to pick up milk in town. Our time at the cottage so far has been pretty good. We're listening to some good music and just relaxing...

It's a little too cold to go swimming, since it's evening, but I'm hoping it will be warmer tomorrow. I really want to go swimming!

I'm not sure where Chrissy went; she's been outside for a long while. Maybe she is chain-smoking and missing Vtalik... I don't really want a cigarette right now at all. They're so expensive here. [Cough] was pretty good value, though.

Erik thinks I'm writing something about him, but I'm not. Where the hell is Chrissy?

Nostalgia is very powerful here. I loved this place when I was a kid, so it can never be anything but enjoyable to me.

My Aunt Donna came over here some time ago and told me to keep the [cough] discrete... I think my family is a little surprised at my habits. I was very vindictive and stubborn about being the most innocent kid in the family with regards to a lot of things when I was younger.

Do I contradict myself? So, I contradict myself. I hope my family is not ashamed of me. I hope you are doing well.

Wish you were here!

-M

P.S. Erik just said, "It feels good to scratch my hair!" -- and then he scratched his hair. Ellen just pretended to take... uhm, I lost my train of though. Oh, no, wait! Ellen just pretended to take a fake-looking iron-shaped weight and use it to iron the floor. The wooden floor.

MONDAY EVENING

We went into Powassan and got lost because I have such a terrible sense of direction. It's a civic holiday so we couldn't get milk or butter today. Gas cost me a shit-ton of money and I had to put it on my VISA because the attendant wouldn't accept American money -- I'm going to be so poor this semester! We also bought a [cough] to [cough] with while we're out here.

I wish you wer here with us! You and Vtalik! I'm not sure if you would love it here as much as I love it, but I think you could at least have a decent time. We could all go fishing! And drink "vodka with peeeeeeckle" ^^.

My old friends from Canada seemed a little bit ill-at-ease while they were visiting. I hope they didn't dislike my American friends or dislike who I've become. I haven't spent a lot of time with them since I was sixteen. It was a little strange to hang out with them, and that disappointed me considerably -- I always like to think that people I've laughed and cried with will always be able to have a good time with me, especially if they're my best buddies. It seems that you might be like that; you always speak so fondly of your best buddies back in Latvia. When will you be able to go back to visit? I'm glad that your parents are coming relatively soon (in January) - It seems like you miss them very much.

I missed my brother and my mom so much and I didn't even know it until I saw them again... well, I knew it, but it hit me hardest when I saw them.

I saw my grandma today. She was very funny and sassy, but I've been told by my brother that she is in poor health. I worry for her; I don't know what I'll do without her... but I know that seems silly because people lose their grandparents all the time when they're my age, and usually younger as well.

Right now, the others are trying to build a fire. I'm not sure they're succeeding, although I now smell burning wood. Chrissy thought that the horse-shoe pit was the fire pit earlier; they had better not be lighting a fire in that right now ^^.

I hope you are having fun right now. I'm excited to see if you bought that car today. Also, I have to remember to ask you to tell me what you said at the lake a few nights ago in Russian. You said you would tell me on Sunday, eh? I hope there isn't a fire ban right now. Hmm, I think my friends are having a hard time lighting fire. I think I'll go help them.

[LATER]

I just mixed myself a very stiff drink, but it tastes like fucking cherry coke.... mmm. We've been [coughing] for a long time, and now Chrissy and Ellen are putting out the fire. I was a little worried about falling over and breaking a bone (you know how clumsy I am!). Also, I'm rather [cough] at the moment. Man... friggin' [cough]. Damn. Okay, I'm going to go learn how to play poker.

[LATER]

Back now. I am somewhat drunk, but it's nice. Unfortunately, I'm the most fucked up one here -- I'm "more better" at getting fucked up right now, I guess. Too bad.

But I know that I will have a nice sleep -- sweetness! All right. A bit too drunk to write more. Off to sleep.

-M

I actually wrote almost every day we were up there to Zhora, but I've lost many of the sheets of paper. That's too bad. He stayed over last night and we had a lazy morning. I probably should have gotten up to cook him breakfast, but he said that he wasn't hungry; just needed a cigarette. And he was a bit smelly from drinking too much at the billiard hall and staying up late with me, so he had to shower. I don't mind his hung-over man smell that badly, though. He snores HARD.

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