The Chelsea Chamber

Queen's Homecoming

I've just arrived home, drawing my mad weekend in Kingston to a close- and mad it was, predominantly due to the fact that Queen's students are out of their minds...But more on that to follow. Let's start at the begininng.

Ian walked me to the bus station Friday morning to catch my 10:30 bus to Kingston. The bus ride was uneventful, and I arrived on time and in good order. From there I took a cab to see my relatives. I got to have a second birthday cake with my little cousins. They are so cute, but growing older faster than my mind can really keep pace with.

From there I got a lift to the Queen's campus, and met Dave at the corner of Union and University streets. How delighted I was to see him I cannot explain. He then escorted me back to McNeill House (his residence), at which point I had to endure being introduced to all the people on his floor. Ordinarily there are 53 people on the floor, but with all the guests in the building for homecoming, it was ridiculous. All this considered, I think I did very well at remembering names. I met a great deal of wonderful people: some fun, talented, friendly, utterly insane people. Dave's roommate Alessandro is a hilarious little jackass (I mean that in the nicest possible way), and the two of them seem to get along swimmingly. I am glad to have met all those nutjobs of McNeill 2. Friday night I just partied in Rez with them, and we had a jolly good time.

Saturday morning there was a Pancake Kegger but I did not attend. I chose to sleep in a bit instead. We went for lunch (the lineups were just as crazy as the students all weekend) and then went to the Homecoming football game: the Ottawa Gee-Gees vs. the Queen's Golden Gaels. Of course the Gee-Gees won, and I wore my uOttawa sweater with all the gloating pride I could muster, despite one suggestion that I be lynched.

However, the victory was not the defining aspect of the football game. Honestly, I think any anthropologist or sociologist would have a field day attending that game. Occult madness. When the Gaels scored a touchdown, the entire stadium stood in triumphant applause and commenced the distrubing ritual they call the "oil-thigh": some strange variation of the can-can to bagpipe music and gaelic singing. Then the pipe band played and marched around and the highland dancers danced and the cheerleaders went ballistic... the whole ordeal lasted for over 5 minutes. My inquiry: "If this is what happens for a touchdown, what on Earth happens when the Gaels win?" The answer (as provided by Will, Dave's floormate): "I don't know... that doesn't happen much." Ha. Ha. Ha. And they are so proud of themselves.

The most interesting/frightening part of the game was half time. All the engineering students, who had dyed themselves purple for the occasion (the Queen's colours are red, yellow, and blue), rushed onto the field and began jumping up and down in a mad frenzy. Dave taped this ordeal. It was scary. Then they all took off their leather jackets and began beating the ground with them and shouting madly. This beating of the ground with their clothing continued for a long time, right through the marching of the pipe band through the fray... it did not change until the Alumni began their little march around the track surrounding the field. Then the engineers all lined the track and beat the ground in time with one another at the feet of the Alumni in some strange tribal gesture of respect. I basically watched the whole procedure openmouthed, not sure whether I should laugh or scream. I had a blast.

From there we left and got something to eat before returning to Rez. We chilled there and partied until we decided to go and watch the latter half of the Homecoming concert. Metric was great, though pretty much the same as they were at our Fedstock concert. Billy Talent was also really good, although they played too many new songs and not enough of their hits, in my opinion. So we had fun at the concert.

Walking back to Rez from the concert we went through the student ghetto, past the party on Aberdeen. My God, I am so glad we do not have parties of that scale here at Ottawa. That was truly frightening... and not in the same disconcerting sense as the engineering antics were. The street was a mob of drunken students. People were sitting on rooves and balconies, drinking and shouting at the people below. There was an overturned car on which people were partying in the middle of the street, which rumour says was lit on fire later that night. There were cops left right and centre, most looking helpless to do anything at all, but there were also mounted police and I'm told there were cops breaking out the teargas. I am so glad we did not stick around. As much as that makes for good bragging rights in terms of tales of huge university parties, I am so glad nothing on that scale happens here at the U of O.

So we made it back to Rez by like 2 am, where we chilled for the rest of the night.

This morning, Sunday, Dave had a chemistry tutorial so I stayed in Rez and chipped away at my religion reading until his return. Then we went to lunch with a few people. After that I chilled with Rachael for a while, which was so great because we had not really spoken since before she left for Turkey this summer. We had a great deal of catching up to do.

So at 5:00 a cab arrived to whisk me away from Dave to the bus station. I arrived home just after 8pm with many a story to tell. If you wish to hear more of my weekend (yes, despite the enormity of this post, I could go on), talk to me. I doubt the majority of you have made it to this point anyways. Sorry to be excessive, but this past weekend was full of excess. I had a phenomenal time. Thanks to everyone at Queen's for having me. You all need mental help, and I love you for it.

Now I must reassume my regular existence. Thanks for reading. Thanks for being.

Chelsea out.

posted by Unknown @ 9:30 PM