Travelling Kevin: Final Exams, Montreal and Moving Out

On wednesday, April 21st I finished my last exam of my university career thus completing the last of my requirements to graduate from my degree! Every minute after walking out of my exams for several days was complete chaos and excitement. This was mostly due to the fact that my good friend Joseph Gibson (you may remember him from his glory days of living in my apartment) made the important decision to join the Canadian Navy and his parade and basic-training graduation ceremony was scheduled for the day following my exam in Montreal. Events were further compounded by the fact that I had a flight to Dryden to catch leaving from Toronto on the morning of the 24th. This post will document the chaos of those few days.

Tuesday

11:00pm Leave Karen and Kayla's apartment and arrive at home. Do laundry and pack up some last minute things.

Wednesday

1:00am Fall asleep on couch
6:00am Wake up to Kayla breaking in front door with coffee. Laze around apartment for several hours and then leave for exam.
11:30am Write cognitive neuroscience exam. Silently celebrate despite sleep deprivation
1:10pm Recaffeinate
1:20pm Get picked up by Megan and Cody and drive to apartment to wake up a napping Kayla. Remind Kayla that she cannot nap there as I no longer live there [figure 1]. Proceed to pack up my last few things at the apartment.
1:40pm Say my goodbyes with Kayla and depart for Montreal with Megan and Cody. Along journey listen to Lady Gaga [figure 2] and yell at Marie [figure 3] for trying to get us lost and killed
9:00pm Arrive in Montreal, check in to hotel [figure 4].
10:00pm Go wandering hopelessly looking for food. Find subpar pizza, become satisfied
11:oopm Temporarily break air conditioning unit while it is stuck on "Arctic thunder" mode. Panic. Fix air conditioning unit.
11:30pm Retire to bed while watching lame reality tv shows

Thursday

12:00pm Check out of hotel.
12:30pm Breakfast at Cora's in Montreal. Eat more fruit and ham than should be considered legal
1:00pm Depart for the armed forces base. Marie tries to convince us that no such base exists. Continue anyway despite lack of directions.
1:45pm Admit to being desperately lost. Ask for directions at several different gas stations
2:30pm Arrive late to base. Megan tries to drive into an authorized military vehicle area and is denied and then attempts to drive on the air strip. Cody stops Megan from doing so and we get directions again to a different part of the base.
2:40pm Arrive late to ceremony. Stand in back due to lack of seats and attempt to take photos of Joe to little avail [Figures 5 & 6]
3:00pm No sign of Joe in the parade. Become convinced that we have gone to the wrong hanger and are stuck watching a different ceremony.
3:30pm Finally see Joe during the final walk around the building. Parade ends and civillians are escorted to the reception area.
3:40pm Use military washroom to urinate as the army graduating class is released from a 2 hour drill. I am the only civillian in a washroom of about 60 military graduates. Enter reception hall with graduates awkwardly.
3:45pm Meet up with Joe and his family in reception area [Figures 7-13]
5:30pm Leave reception to go eat, drink be merry [Figure 14]
5:45pm Arrive at Franco Boston Pizza [Figure 15] and start drinking
7:30pm Realize that we are definitely not heading back to Ontario tonight. Arrange new plans. Continue drinking. [Figures 16-26]
12:00am Say our sad goodbyes to Joe and then leave for a Best Western hotel room occupied by Joe's brother Justin

Friday

11:ooam Eat some muffins, drink coffee, gingerly nurse our hangovers and then leave with Cody and Megan again to drive to Toronto from Quebec
4:00pm Something upsets Marie and she decides to take it out on us. Get hopelessly lost in downtown Toronto and have to drive 12km in downtown rush hour traffic. Curse Marie to the highest heavens aaand
6:30pm Arrive at our destination two and half hours later. Get dropped off at Patrick Bull's house to stay overnight to catch my flight to Thunder Bay. Say my goodbyes to Megan and Cody and send them on their way (back through that same traffic) to Orangeville and Oakville.
8:00pm Serve a dinner of pan seared chicken breast served with a portabello cream sauce over rice to Patrick, Gabby and Scott
11:00pm Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Saturday

6:00am Wake up in a fit of fatigue and rage to catch my series of buses which will take me to the airport
8:00am Arrive at airport, check in, nap
9:55am Board my plane for Thunder Bay
11:40am Arrive in 'beautiful' 'scenic' Thunderbay airport. Get picked up by dad. Eat voraciously at airport cafeteria. Leave for Dryden. By a miracle dad lets me drive the Jeep, which for those of you who know, he protects with his life more than his dogs and children
4:30pm Arrive in Dryden and collapse with exhaustion. Sleep for 15, delicious hours

Figure Table

Figure 1. A napping Kayla

Figure 2. Can't read my pooooker face!

Figure 3. This is Marie, our GPS unit. She is a bitch and will do anything to get us lost including forgetting where locations are or asking us to do illegal, diry things.