“Is everybody happy now? Is everybody clear? We could drive out to the dunes tonight, ‘Cause Summer’s almost here.” ~counting crows

I wish summer were almost here. They should have made that song a single. There was a petition for making it a single (I signed it). Obviously it didn’t work. Anyway, it’s a really good song. I don’t know why so many people don’t like Hard Candy (the album). I think it’s their second-best album (nothing can beat AEEA). Despite its inclusion of the atrocity that is Big Yellow Taxi. That song really isn’t so bad live, when Vanessa Carlton isn’t “ooohhh, bop bop bop”-ing along. I think the reason that most CC fans hate Big Yellow Taxi is that non-fans love it. People hear that one stupid song on the radio and claim to love Counting Crows when they really know nothing about the band. That’s one of my pet peeves, people claiming to be big fans of bands that they hardly listen to. Go buy their albums (and not just greatest hits albums) before you start raving about them and claiming to be an expert. Sorry, I don’t know how I got into that rant. I’ll move on now.
Last night was an International student party at a nearby pub. They had this Maori band, and they were pretty good. They almost sounded Hawaiian (and they even had dancers in hula skirts). When the band started playing, I found myself surrounded by five Richmond people. It’s strange how we congregate when we’re halfway around the world. I finally saw Betsy and got to hang out with her for a while.
This morning was course approval. It would be so much easier if they just used the Internet like Richmond does. Instead they had advisors from the different departments at tables set up around the Student Union building. You had to go get signatures at each department in which you were taking a class. There was lots of waiting in line. I eventually got through it and I got my student ID card, which means I can use the school’s computers. It was great to get on the Internet for a while; I’ve been feeling so cut off from the world. I still don’t have Internet here at my flat so I can’t get these entries online yet because I’m typing them on my computer in Word.
I had coffee with Anna today and it was good to talk to her. She said I’ll be able to come over to her house (she lives in town with her parents) and have home-cooked meals every once in a while. I’m sure that’ll be much better than the awful food I’m managing to put together.
On Tuesday Perrine and I walked up the hill that our house is on. There’s a really old cemetery up there, and a beautiful view of the ocean. The botanical garden borders the cemetery, so we walked around it a lot. It must be so beautiful in the summer. I walked back up there today because it’s a clear day and I brought my camera with me. Pictures can’t really capture the atmosphere here, but I'll still probably post them later.
Tomorrow they’re taking the International students on a trip to the peninsula. I’m nervous because they warned us how cold it will be out there and instructed us on what clothes to wear, but I think it’ll be fun.

Random Revelation: drunk people are funny