Summer School Study Partners

 We had the most glorious May long weekend involving a confluence of several groups of awesome people. I can't help thinking this is going to be quite boring for anyone who isn't me, but I want it in my memories and thinking about it makes me happy.

Eve has been in Hamilton alone in her student house doing organic chemistry and some kind of biology (I keep asking her and resolving to remember what kind of biology and she tells me and I immediately forget again) in extremely compressed fashion. On her second day in the house, some asshole barged in (right after her landlord had left, so the door was unlocked for five minutes) doing the whole "my computer says my phone is in your house" scam. I think men often rely on women's desire to be agreeable for this, and they use it to roam around your house seeing if there's anything worth stealing. Fortunately Eve doesn't have a huge desire to be agreeable, particularly to men, so she said "get out" and slammed the door. NOT the best way to go from living with six other people to living all alone.

She managed to get over this and has been enjoying some aspects of having the house to herself - having the whole fridge available, being able to set up on the couch and watch tv while doing notes -- but her friends have been home from various other provinces and that's been hard, although they Facetime long and often. 

So I scooped up two of them and brought them down to drop at her house for the week.

The trip was super-fun, even though we listened to the same Lana Del Rey song the entire way.

I love these kids, and I could easily spend double the time listening to them be witty and wise and hilarious. I didn't even mind that I was probably going to end up getting Marianna's cold.

Matt had been in Korea and was getting back the same day I was heading down, so he flew back to Toronto instead of Ottawa and was going to take a bus or an Uber the hour or so from the Toronto airport to Eve's house. I wasn't sure if he would be there when we got to her house.

He was.

It's hard to properly articulate how magical I find this group of five friends (three-fifths represented here). They seem like they should be fictional - every time someone says John Green's books aren't realistic because "teenagers don't talk like that", I think "okay, you haven't been hanging around the right teenagers". They are so much more self-aware and self-possessed and socially conscious and insightful than I or anyone I knew was at the same age. I was always wary of trying to be my kids' 'best friends', but I ended up with fairly neurotypical kids that didn't have learning difficulties or personalities that led to conflicts, which I fully recognize is completely down to luck, so I kind of DO get to be a Cool Mom (in that they treat me like one, not that I really think I am one. I don't think I've ever been a Cool Anything in reality).

Two of Eve's roommates had said Marianna and Jackson could use their beds, and left linens. Camille who lives in the attic left them this lovely sign note.

My mom had sent a giant box of baking, as she usually does. My dad's contribution is that he makes a double batch of pancakes and wraps them up and Eve eats them two at a time for breakfast. On the way down at McDonald's Marianna ordered hot cakes, so I knew she would be happy. I asked them to take pancake pictures so I could show my mom.

I also saw the white board in the kitchen, which had some really sweet messages on it along with the chore reminders.

We went off and did some family stuff and left them to their own devices. The next day I went to pick them up and take them grocery shopping.

This is their Grocery Shopping Pose

We went to the checkout and the kids went to the end to bag the stuff. I told Jackson that the heavy stuff should go on the bottom because these kids are very, very smart but not always the most practical. I was looking away and then I heard the checkout guy say to another employee "could you grab another bottle of maple syrup?" and I thought "oh no" and then Marianna said "the bottle was really slippery!" The checkout guy said "it's okay, happens all the time" and Jackson told Marianna "he's just saying that to make you feel better". I told the checkout guy they're gifted in other areas. He said it's okay, it's all going in his book. 

Before we left we took them out for lunch at a pub around the corner. I told Eve I like this picture because the background is a nice colour and they each have a picture growing out of their head. 

Next in my Long Weekend Post Trilogy tomorrow. Or whenever I feel like it.