This fella comes every week. He is the first to arrive and the last to leave. He is a supremely laid-back chap with a deadpan sense of dry humour and a  stark sense of loyalty. He also giggles a lot. Since he’s started being part of our community, I cannot honestly imagine what thursday night dinners would be like without him.

with Sam Flynn

February 24

House of Commons (obvy)

7 pm

$10 (suggested)

Tell us you’re coming on FACEBOOK!

First of all, my birthday happened. I wanted a hot tub party. We were all out of hot tubs, and my parents’ hot tub was an eight hour drive away. You just can’t get good help these days. Not to worry, though. Necessity is the mother of invention.

We also had a couple of couchsurfers this week, from France. They were so cute, I just wanted to dunk them in my coffee. (That’s a disney quote, in case you find that a bit unnerving.) Their names were Stephanie and Maxime! They spoke a lot of french and we took them to a poutinery. It is the Canadian way. They are traveling the world in 344 days, taking in a total of 15 countries and four continents. I quite admire their spirit and enthusiasm, although for myself I feel rather as Bilbo Baggins does about adventures : “Nasty uncomfortable things that make you late for dinner.” But then, that was before he defeated Smaug and stole the ring from Gollum. Anyway, I digress. I wish I could stop referencing J.R.R. Tolkien in my blog posts, but it’s like a nervous tick. You can’t really control it, you just have to wait it out. BACK TO THE POINT : Check out their website, which chronicles their travels. AND CHECK OUT THEIR FACES! BELOW!

Around this time of year, Paul’s ears get plugged up real bad. Thus, we spent date night watching him curled up fetus-like on the living room floor whilst he tried to suction the wax out of his ear with a burning candle. Jesse was his personal assistant. My favourite part was when Jesse tried to scoop up the black part of the candle so it wouldn’t fall off and burn Paul and he dropped the ashes right on him. Well, not right on him, but perilously close. I believe one of them landed on his cheek. Jesse screamed Ay Carumba and Paul screamed Are You Serious. I laughed for a really long time.

“We work using a consensus based decision model.  Democracy is great, but if 30% of the group are against something that’s a big reason to re-think it.  If even one person is unhappy with something then we all need to know about it and to consider alternatives. Everybody is expected to participate in discussions, and if anybody is really against something they are expected to help to come up with other options.  This all takes time, but we’re building our community here, both the design and the relationships, and those are worth taking the time to get them right.”

That is how community works. Sometimes this aspect of living in community makes me want to light my hair on fire and punch myself in the face. That is because I like to take care of business. You know, [expletive] or get off the pot. I want to do things, and I want to do them effectively and within a pre-designated time frame. Unfortunately for me, community doesn’t allow for a standard operating procedure. Community scraps the procedures, and it becomes about people instead.

I needed that reminder. Actually, I think I might need that reminder every five minutes. We are in constant need of His grace, but thankfully, it is not in short supply.

“I wanted to make sure I was a part of those memories.

So, Embrace the Camera was born.

Whew. It’s almost been a month since this  was last updated! WHAT HAVE Y’ALL BEEN UP TO?!?!?!

As for me, I was doing a bit of this.

I thought it would never end. I thought I would die. Even after I’d dropped the ring in Mount Doom, I said to Sam, “I don’t think there’s going to be a return journey.” I knew I’d never see the Shire again.

Ha, kidding. But seriously, that was the semester straight from hades.THANK YOU SAIT POLYTECHNIC.

Anyway, is it just me or is it Sharing Time? Let’s talk about what everyone did over the holidays! Yay!

Actually, I don’t really know what everyone did over the holidays. I asked them to write a thing up to say what they did, but they all took too long, so I’m just going to attempt to write it myself and we can see if it sounds authentic or completely crackpot. Or authentically crackpot.

TAKE ONE : ALESSA UNRAU

Alessa got together with her family and also fraternized with her boyfriend Colton. She ate pancakes on Christmas morning. These pancakes were delivered to her by a baby unicorn. Then a wood nymph serenaded her while she ate them. Then she exchanged presents with her family, and also with Colton, although not all at the same time. Alessa had a really nice Christmas and enjoyed herself very much.

Yeah, I made that up. (Surprise….) I haven’t heard one word from Alessa as regards to her Christmas. Am I a bad friend? Am I so self-involved that I couldn’t take two seconds from my unemployed schedule to ask Alessa what she did on her Christmas break? Well, not to point fingers, but that does seem to be the case.

BUT, on the other hand, she hasn’t said that she DIDN’T have a good time, so….you know. That could very well all be true, or at least 50% of it.

Back to the problem at hand : I don’t have the imagination or attention span to make up a story for everyone’s Christmas, so I’m just going to leave you with that and “crack on”, as Robert Downey Jr. says in the new Sherlock Holmes movie. That Robert Downey Jr. So hot right now.

UPCOMING SHENANIGANS

Dinners continue on in precisely the same manner and effect as they did before. So come on out! Or, continue to keep coming, if you please. Thursdays at 7.

Very soon, we plan to have some sort of “learning activity” follow some of these dinners. As to what these learning activities will entail, well, you’ll know when I do. It’s Lee’s brainchild. Really, what ISN’T Lee’s brainchild?

ZACHARY LUCKY will be playing this Saturday, January 7th, at 7 pm. I don’t think I need to tell you how awesome he is, even though I kind of just did. Bring a $5-10 donation. If you are in need of valet parking, I’m sure we can accommodate that.

NEXT MONTH we are having a rap artist (not my cousin) named TRANSIT play. Something definitely new for us, but I think (and so does everyone else) that it’s going to be awwwwesoooome. I plan to dance spastically, but in a non-threatening and encouraging way. Dates to be announced soon.

Until we meet again, Happy New Year’s from the House of Commons! May the year 2012 be so…great. I would say more, but Hallmark has already said it all for us.

Picture collage created with Smilebox

One of our regulars, Rohallah, has gotten himself engaged! Congratulations, little buddy! This thursday we celebrated his engagement with a spirited song from Helen on the accordion. And some cake.

What happens when Jesse and Paul forget to do their chores.

It’s called Tony. And it’s about….Tony. And what you can do to stop the oppression of the children of Uganda. YES! PICK ME!

Check out the trailer

And get your loaf to our house this thursday! 6:30 if you want to eat free.