"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to..."

Ya know, I've had some rough birthdays in my past, like the time I broke my arm the day before. This one, though, has to be the capper. This SHOULD be the weekend I spend celebrating all that I've accomplished in the past year with joyful reflection interrupted by bouts of wild abandon. Instead, I am hastily making preparations to return to Canada before I get deported; yep, the application for the leave to remain was denied. This was on the grounds that I entered as a holiday maker instead of as a work permit holder (as my agency instructed me to do when they failed to produce a work permit for me prior to my arrival in the UK). Fortunately, this can be readily resolved by a trip to the UK embassy in Canada. Unfortunately, between two lost weeks of work and the cost of airfare, it's going to brutalize my finances.

I must, however, take the time from fretting about to thank my friends, family, and staff at the school who are doing all they can to help me out, which so far includes: helping me find the cheapest air fare, providing a place for me to stay in Toronto for the duration of my stay, writing letters to support my reapplication, giving me a rent free place to stay so I can get back on my feet when I return, desperately needed distraction to keep me from going completely buggy with stress, and loads of moral support. I would be having a much rougher time of it all if it weren't for you. Thank you!

Leavin' on a jet plane...

'Tis done. I've purchased my plane tickets. I'll be leaving next Sunday and returning two weeks from then (hopefully!). Fortunately, the tickets weren't as expensive as I first thought they would be. The total price came just under 690 dollars CDN (£292). Still, the missing two weeks will be a major setback. 'Course, I did manage to get an appointment with the embassy for the Monday following my arrival and, as such, there is the potential to have everything wrapped up by the end of the first week, allowing me to return sooner. One can hope...

Meanwhile, I must return to the company of a dear friend and spend an evening relaxing. I'll need the rest; the birthday BBQ for my flatmate and I will demand much energy! (chuckle) Yes, I could be spending the time more wisely by doing stuff like packing and sorting out stuff, but, dammit, my birthday only comes once year ('course, getting booted out of a country is a pretty rare event, too (okay, okay, I'm leaving voluntarily, as opposed to being deported, but still...)).

Yep, never a dull moment in my life (although, dammit, I'm really missing them!)...