• Got back from Hong Kong yesterday. Very tired.
• Went to buy books today. Surprisingly few people. Also sold out of a bunch of my books.
• Got mistaken for a first-year, just like last year. Prediction: will be mistaken for a first-year for all five years I am here.
• White Spot is replacing 99 Chairs. Are they targeting students or professors?!
• Buchanan B block doesn’t look any different from the outside than it did before it got renovated.
• I gave a lot of Speakeasy fliers out today. For those who don’t know, AMS Speakeasy is a student peer support and information service. If ever you want anyone to talk about a problem you’re having (exam stress, relationship issues, LGBTT questions, etc.), you can drop by the Information Desk in the SUB and a trained volunteer will be available to provide help and resources. This is a one-off, drop-in service, so there’s no need to make an appointment, and it’s all confidential. The desk is open 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. If you’re interested in applying, applications are due this Friday.

I’ve been quiet for the last couple of weeks because — dum dum dum! — I picked up a case of conjunctivitus, better known to the general public as pinkeye. Without going into details about it here, you are welcome to look it up on Wikipedia if you don’t know what it is. My situation was not as bad as some on there, but it was gross enough.

The first week was pretty awful. I went to three doctors and my optometrist before it finally started improving. Dr. Zia at West 4th Optometry Clinic is wonderful and did for me what the other three general doctors did not: stop my swelling and my pain. I faithfully recommend her for anything to do with your eyes.

Anyway, my pinkeye is finally gone and I am just left with a little bit of red in my eye where it haemorraged. This sounds and looks a lot scarier than it really is, but it really isn’t very much for me as I didn’t even feel when it happened. This, too, is finally clearing up and I am so glad. I’m sure my supervisor and coworkers are also delighted not to have to see a red-eyed girl working next to them all the time. I brought a tub of Lysol Clorox wipes to work and was constantly disinfecting all areas I’d touched, particularly common ones, in a fear of spreading pinkeye to others.

A lesson I did learn from this experience is to constantly ask pharmacists if they accept the AMS/GSS extended medical plan. Now, I’ve never really paid much attention to this particular coverage; I’m used to being asked for my CareCard, but not anything else. So it was with a pleasant surprise that the third time I visited the pharmacy, they asked me if I had any extended coverage. I was about to say no when I remembered one of those things I pay fees for — and voila, they accepted it and the plan paid for a portion of my prescription! Judging by previous prescriptions that I had to collect, I’d say I saved about $10 or so. I am now a lot more interested in what the AMS/GSS plan covers and will be sure to look it up the next time I need anything remotely related to it.

I also have plans to look up Fair PharmaCare and see if I can get help from that. Prescription drugs can cost a nice load.

Three cheers for the end of school today! Not that I had a bad term or anything (it was very decent, actually), but it feels so good to finally see the light at the end of a long tunnel. I don’t just speak for myself when I say that I look forward to a break from school.

Unfortunately, we have finals.

I know that this is a very stressful time of year for students, and so I’d just like to mention that the AMS Speakeasy Peer Support service is operating at this time. For those of you who aren’t sure what Speakeasy is or where we are located, we are a confidential peer support service* that offers a safe space in which you can talk about your problems — no matter what they are: academic stress, relationship problems, sexuality, or anything else — with one of our trained volunteers. If you just need someone to listen to you for a while, or if you need assistance with something and don’t know where to turn to, please come and we will try our best to help you.

You can find us at the Information Desk in the SUB’s Main Concourse. We are running from Thursday, April 9th (tomorrow) until Tuesday, April 28th. Our hours are usually from 9 am to 5 pm, Mondays through to Fridays. I say “usually” because, being a volunteer service, volunteers are also doing exams and there may not be anyone on shift at the time. If there isn’t anyone to help you, please come again in a couple of hours — sooner or later there will be someone!

And finally: good luck with exams!

* We are not a professionally accredited counselling service, therefore the name of peer support (students supporting other students).