Last night I found out from my parents that Nic will be moving to Vancouver in August (and possibly to Brazil shortly thereafter). Apparently his Winnipeg experiment just isn't working out: none of the people who promised to come out have ever made the trip, including a series of people who had promised to live with him. It's cold and lonely there, and I think he's too restless at this point in his life to really put down significant roots anywhere.
So the question becomes, what about the house?
If you don't feel like clicking the link, know that my parents bought Nic a house in Winnipeg that they rent to him. They are very sanguine about this matter and seem to have no fear of selling the house again; they even think that they may have a lead in the man who lives next door. And of course, the joke became, "Does the Boy want to go to school in Winnipeg?" Ha ha ha. We all laughed. He was at work during this phone call, so there was no chance to ask him.
This morning, after I had outlined the philosophy of the Sudbury Valley Schools (hey, first things first), I told him the joke. He smiled and looked thoughtful. It was the kind of look that, if it were worn by anyone else, would strike fear into my heart. It was an anything's-possible look. I don't know for sure, but his sister might've worn the same look when Q asked her to go to Minneapolis.
He did some research into programs offered by the University of Manitoba and quickly discovered that a) their entrance requirements are suitable to a man of his - let's say colourful - record, and b) their Arts program offers an opportunity to take a few courses in most of their professional faculties such as Social Work, Education, Midwifery and Kinaesiology. This last point not only appeals to the Boy's wide-spread curiosity about the world, but it also offers a great opportunity to study subjects that will actually be of use in teaching Elementary School (except midwifery, one hopes.)
Early this afternoon he completed a registration form and sent away his application fee. He says that all other things being equal, he will go to Manitoba if they accept him.
What does this mean for me? It means that I get to throw away all my paperwork for Ontario certification, for one thing (there's one $409 cheque that won't go to the Ontario College of Teachers!) I kind of like the idea of living in a little house. My parents say that the neighbourhood is very family, very French, and best yet, very close to the University. Ceilidh is sticking her wet nose on my wrist as I type this, reminding me that she will be far less neurotic in a house with a yard than in an apartment on the whatever floor.
And there is a certain amount of neatness to the idea that's incredibly appealing to me. It's like the beginning of a Dickens novel: young hopeful couple take up residence in a family house that was vacated suddenly and mysteriously, cosmic twists abound. Stacy wailed that we would be 20 hours away from the Garden in Winnipeg, but we're that far away now and I find it amusing that we will pivot around the Savage Garden like a compass. Instead of getting sucked into the gravity well that is Toronto, we're using the gravity to gain momentum and slingshotting around to the other side.
Of course, I also like the idea because then I can punish myself with loneliness and boredom for another 3 years in the name of adventure. I seem to have this unholy desire to make things as hard for myself as humanly possible.
the boy: "We'll be close enough to visit Agamemnon!"
me: "Um, not at all...we'll be a 2-day drive from Agamemnon, 1 1/2 days minimum. We'd be as close to him as we currently are to Toronto."
the boy: [looks at the map, calculates the distance with his fingers spread] "Wow. We're really far away from him."
What was really funny was that my dad made the same comment tonight over the phone. And then he said we'd be close to Chicago...which is, oddly enough, another 2-day drive. When did my life become reduced to 20-hour drives that proceed like clockwork around a given location?
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Today I presented a lesson for my peers on making webpages. It certainly didn't go as well as I planned - I guess I just had an inordinate amount of faith that everyone would be like me and squeal in glee when they saw that they could make a page with just a few lines of gobbledegook.
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3 years ago today: no, that's not what he looks like.
