I was at the opening show of Paganfest USA in Toronto a week and a day ago, on April 25th. To all [viking] metalheads who may read this... let me tell you that it was incredible.

Firstly, on the subject of hair... I couldn't even attempt a headbang or windmill this show because of the insane crowd, and because my hair was in mortal peril... it kept getting pinned between people and I could feel it half ripping out of my skull constantly. That was the only horrible thing about that night.

The bands Tyr, Turisas and Ensiferum played... unfortunately Eluveitie couldn't show and had to cancel because they couldn't get some sort of papers to enter Canada or something... it was complicated, but they were replaced by some local band called O'Faolain.

Tyr was up for a mere 30 mins, I reckon... they had the shortest time, save for O'Faolain. But Tyr was amazing live (okay, so all the bands were), and I suppose the tamest band as well.

Turisas was wild... I didn't suppose they would have as many fans as Tyr and Ensiferum especially, but the hardcore fans were absolutely wild... they dressed themselves up as Turisas, facepaint and armour and everything... and they were completely mental in the mosh pit. I wanted to kick those fans for being so annoying, but I admit that Turisas does sound better live than they normally do.

Ensiferum... they were just great. Petri was of course beautiful as usual, and they played my three favourite songs... Ahti, One More Magic Potion and Lai Lai Hei. Petri's growls were crazy as usual and he certainly knows how to charm a crowd Apparently, where my friend was standing... she could see up Pete's kilt... "it was pretty". *snicker*

My friends and I snuck around to the back doors at the end of the concert where the tour buses were (and where nobody else thought to look after the show) and we got a hold of Tyr and Turisas... I got Ragnarok signed by three of the Tyr members and photos with Turisas and Tyr. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long enough to catch Ensiferum... I wanted to cry, because I REALLY wanted a photo with Pete!

We had to leave though, because the LOVELY TTC decided to go on strike at midnight without prior warning... the show ended 1 or 2 hours after that, so everyone who went to the show was obviously enraged and we were all taking taxis home and whatnot... ours costed an outrageous $40, which could have bought us more Paganfest merchandise. Bah.

It was amazing though, I wish they'd tour again... Toronto sold out really quickly.

Yeah, what gives... I did a Chem exam yesterday, and I recall leaving over half of it beautifully blank. Whoever is marking it is going to be absolutely thrilled.

I just got an eyebrow piercing a few days ago, which I absolutely love. It's very sensitive there now though, as it's healing and everything. A friend of mine slammed into my face yesterday and man did it hurt... it bled, too. I want a vertical labret now, but that's going a tad overboard if the lovely mumsy didn't even notice the eyebrow one. I think I'd like to keep it that way.

There was a cadet FTX trip to Fort York this weekend and I couldn't go because I had to "study" for exams, and because I'm not allowed to attend any sort of cadet-related activity or meeting until my marks fly up, which is never going to happen. Trust me. I can promise anyone that I have dyscalculia, but mumsy refuses to do anything about it.

I promised my sister that I would design and make her graduation/prom dress for her, and that I have an amazing idea in mind - which I do - but I am ridiculously lazy.

Anyway.

I think it must be a phase. I've been doing a lot to it lately... measuring my hair constantly, braiding it all sorts of ways, brushing it like my life depended on it, breaking combs, buying new hair toys... much of my energy and time is now devoted to making my hair nice. And I'm completely determined to grow it down to my knees. Dead serious. I'm almost at waist length! The bottom of my hair is really thin though... which really sucks, because the length of it is hard to see. *le pout*

I just bought a new set of hair sticks... should be arriving in the mail any day. I wanted to get an Elven curb chain circlet, but I figured I could probably make my own if I bought the right material. I was also tempted to buy myself a bow-styled Flexi-8 (I heard they hold very well), but I spent too much of my little money on too many hair things already. Perhaps later on.

I'm bored...

I'm off for now.

Another entry. Two months go by reeeealllyyyy quickly... it frightens me a bit. See, when we were all young and carefree, even one hour lasted a century. And now? A day is like a minute. Everything just comes and goes so quickly.

But, at last, my exams are over! I just finished my last one, and I am finally free to do whatever the hell I want with the rest of my summer break.

I have a Renaissance Faire (AT LONG LAST!!) coming up on June 30th at Toronto's Casa Loma... I'll be working there and thankfully, they'll be supplying the garb. Unfortunately, a castle is a castle... and a castle is old. We'll be stuck there for the entire day in Renaissance garb without even a bit of air-conditioning. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Until you realize that I'll be running around in the middle of Summer, dressed up decently, in a packed castle. No air-conditioning. It all sounded like extraordinary fun until I came to that realization.
Ach well... I can't have everything I want in life.

But anyway... *toddles off*

Last year, the archery team fee was a reasonable $40. For transportation, equipment, uniform, etc...

Guess what it is this year?

*hint: it went up*

It is now $60!

Where is the justice in that? They gave us nothing new... no new bows, no new arrows JUST for the team, no new quivers... nothing. I confronted stupid Mr. Smith to ask him about it and all I got was "the costs are going up"... NO REALLY. I could NOT have figured that out on my own. The team shirt is only $20 on its own. What the hell do they need the extra $40 for? Thieves, I say... I could do so much with the money. And it's not like we have any extra tournaments either... nooooooo we only have two, same as last year! Gosh, I am so frustrated. The other sports teams have to pay $60 as well, but that's because this year they get a sports bag as well, unlike last year! NOTHING changed for the archers; we get nothing extra... how is that fair? I should start a petition or something... or we should get together and boycott the stupid department: NOBODY pays

To top that lovelyness off, I have a three-day volunteer position at the India, Philippines, Cyprus and Egypt pavilions at the Hershey Centre for Carassauga. They didn't give me Scotland... and guess what my position is? I have to answer PHONE CALLS about the festival for hours and hours until they let me go. Madness, I say...

My academic life isn't going too smoothly, either. Every single one of my courses dropped in percentage and I cannot bring any of them back up no matter how hard I try. Gosh..... and the pathetic goal that I had set last year isn't even half finished: I wanted to make Haldir's Helm's Deep armour for Halloween (oh, believe me... I do need a few months), and I didn't do it. I have all the material (most of it) and it's just sitting there clean and happy and unused.

But other than that... life's completely giddy. I am floating about in a candyland bliss [/sarcasm]

~Haldir