i've always been envious of those people who can ride their bikes while their dog runs beside them on a leash. i tried to do do it once. it didn't work. my dog was too unruly and my bicycle riding not adept enough.
sometimes i make funny spelling mistakes. they truly are accidents and not freudian slips. it makes me laugh.
everything's alright.
yes.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
caliber
after being delayed in the arctic for 3 days, beckie finally arrived in ontario. she was going to drive down to kingston and stay overnight at my place. however, she had car trouble and is at the moment trying to find a bus that will take her to toronto. i feel badly for beck, she has the worst luck ever.
speaking of crappy use of time. i drove half way home today before i realized i forgot my purse at work. i only do things like that when i'm excited about leaving, which makes it all that much more disappointing to have to go back again. it added an extra half hour to my commute. how sucky. i would've just left it there until tomorrow, but i needed to get groceries.
while i was at food basics i bought some bran flakes. i'm excited. i'd forgotten how much i like bran flakes.
sometimes i do well. sometimes i don't. most times i learn a little something, and avoid taking a rake in the face. i'm glad.
if these thoughts were trees we'd be surrounded.
speaking of crappy use of time. i drove half way home today before i realized i forgot my purse at work. i only do things like that when i'm excited about leaving, which makes it all that much more disappointing to have to go back again. it added an extra half hour to my commute. how sucky. i would've just left it there until tomorrow, but i needed to get groceries.
while i was at food basics i bought some bran flakes. i'm excited. i'd forgotten how much i like bran flakes.
sometimes i do well. sometimes i don't. most times i learn a little something, and avoid taking a rake in the face. i'm glad.
if these thoughts were trees we'd be surrounded.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
hooks
it's been a full weekend.
yesterday i spent the morning doing chores, hung a new towel rack in the bathroom, then started on my latest project: my bedroom. i'm trying to find a place for everything instead of moving stuff around constantly. while i was at it a baked some banana muffins for shannon's jubilee.
the jubilee was really lovely. it was fun and full of such a positive energy. i had a lot of stuff to give away from the stuff exchange and it was very funny the way that everything joanne took seemed to come from my house. it made me laugh when she said she should just come to my house and take all my things. the confessional booth was fantastic, and sadly i don't have any photos of it, but visit shanno's blog, i'm sure she'll post some.
after that i went home and continued working on my room. it quickly became apparent that i simply needed more shelves, because i found over 2 dozen books in my room in need of a place to belong. so i went to rona, and bought some shelving, went home and went to task. it bothered the carpenter in brendan a great deal that i was going to install shelves without a level, or even so much as a stud finder. but i insisted that i didn't need either, and in the end, installed those shelves wonderfully and he was very proud of me. see below. i got that globe from the stuff-swap at the jubilee, it's at least 40 years old. it still has tibet marked as it's own country, so maybe it's older than 40 years.
while i worked on the shelves i baked a cake for my dad's birthday. it was a day of multitasking for sure. baking and drilling.
my dad turned 65 yesterday. we had a get together at joy's place, it was fun. i met my dad's girlfriend e-anne for the first time, she's very nice, i've spoken to her on the phone quite a bit, so i knew i would like her. that really interesting because i haven't met any of my dad's girlfriends in 17 years. and the fact that i was comfortable with it is super. erin is doing well. she's tiny tiny, and seems to bear a resemblance to joy. she was a little fussy but generally pretty good. the other 3 were doing well too and seem to really be getting used to brendan which is nice.
when i left joy's place i went to the mansion because b was performing with graven. he did well, even thought he felt the set wasn't ace. it was super late and i was super tired, so he walked me home then went back for the last band. i was soon fast asleep.
i must have been lost around the time that i found you.
yesterday i spent the morning doing chores, hung a new towel rack in the bathroom, then started on my latest project: my bedroom. i'm trying to find a place for everything instead of moving stuff around constantly. while i was at it a baked some banana muffins for shannon's jubilee.
the jubilee was really lovely. it was fun and full of such a positive energy. i had a lot of stuff to give away from the stuff exchange and it was very funny the way that everything joanne took seemed to come from my house. it made me laugh when she said she should just come to my house and take all my things. the confessional booth was fantastic, and sadly i don't have any photos of it, but visit shanno's blog, i'm sure she'll post some.
after that i went home and continued working on my room. it quickly became apparent that i simply needed more shelves, because i found over 2 dozen books in my room in need of a place to belong. so i went to rona, and bought some shelving, went home and went to task. it bothered the carpenter in brendan a great deal that i was going to install shelves without a level, or even so much as a stud finder. but i insisted that i didn't need either, and in the end, installed those shelves wonderfully and he was very proud of me. see below. i got that globe from the stuff-swap at the jubilee, it's at least 40 years old. it still has tibet marked as it's own country, so maybe it's older than 40 years.
while i worked on the shelves i baked a cake for my dad's birthday. it was a day of multitasking for sure. baking and drilling.
my dad turned 65 yesterday. we had a get together at joy's place, it was fun. i met my dad's girlfriend e-anne for the first time, she's very nice, i've spoken to her on the phone quite a bit, so i knew i would like her. that really interesting because i haven't met any of my dad's girlfriends in 17 years. and the fact that i was comfortable with it is super. erin is doing well. she's tiny tiny, and seems to bear a resemblance to joy. she was a little fussy but generally pretty good. the other 3 were doing well too and seem to really be getting used to brendan which is nice.
when i left joy's place i went to the mansion because b was performing with graven. he did well, even thought he felt the set wasn't ace. it was super late and i was super tired, so he walked me home then went back for the last band. i was soon fast asleep.
i must have been lost around the time that i found you.
Friday, March 26, 2010
unibrow
i love how at book club, we've digressed from talking about the book to talking about why we didn't read the book :p i like our get togethers. they're good women and i value them a great deal. i also like the regularness of our time together and feel that it adds flavour to my life.
i also had the pleasure of having a visit with melissa in early evening. she's super special person. i like how we bounce stories and thoughts off each other. have i mentioned that she's getting married?? yup, she got engaged after 3 months of dating a guy she's had a crush on for several years. that makes my eyes sparkle. that's pretty rare, and i think of the book "he's just not that into you" when he says that things like that are rare, often the exception. melissa is exceptional :) so they will be wed on october 30, of the year two thousand and ten. it seems that weddings are in the air. i just received a wedding invitation for a friend who lives in red deer alberta, but it's on july 3 and i'll be in the south pacific at that time. i think i know of 5 weddings this year. it's funny how they say that people reach a point when all their friends start to get married. it seems i'm only hitting that stage now - at 30. i'm a late bloomer.
i'm really glad it's the weekend. it's my second last of getting up at 6 am. man, it's been a long road, and i've had to endure 2 long weekends without sleep-ins. i almost think there's no point in an extra day off if you have to get up anyways :S BUT i wouldn't trade those days at home. i think brendan will be glad when lent is over. he thinks i've been more sleepy and cranky over the last 5 weeks. he says that my life-style and my sleeping habits don't align, which is probably true, and has been for long before lent. i'm not sure what to do about that. i just keep hoping that i can hold out until i get older and don't require as much sleep. it seems that old people only need 4 hours of shut-eye. but by that time i'll have less energy and less activities. oh well, it's my burden to bear, and i figure that eventually it'll get better. that's the curse of the nightowl, and the downside to being an extroverted introvert.
my hands feel cold today.
can i handle the seasons of my life?
i also had the pleasure of having a visit with melissa in early evening. she's super special person. i like how we bounce stories and thoughts off each other. have i mentioned that she's getting married?? yup, she got engaged after 3 months of dating a guy she's had a crush on for several years. that makes my eyes sparkle. that's pretty rare, and i think of the book "he's just not that into you" when he says that things like that are rare, often the exception. melissa is exceptional :) so they will be wed on october 30, of the year two thousand and ten. it seems that weddings are in the air. i just received a wedding invitation for a friend who lives in red deer alberta, but it's on july 3 and i'll be in the south pacific at that time. i think i know of 5 weddings this year. it's funny how they say that people reach a point when all their friends start to get married. it seems i'm only hitting that stage now - at 30. i'm a late bloomer.
i'm really glad it's the weekend. it's my second last of getting up at 6 am. man, it's been a long road, and i've had to endure 2 long weekends without sleep-ins. i almost think there's no point in an extra day off if you have to get up anyways :S BUT i wouldn't trade those days at home. i think brendan will be glad when lent is over. he thinks i've been more sleepy and cranky over the last 5 weeks. he says that my life-style and my sleeping habits don't align, which is probably true, and has been for long before lent. i'm not sure what to do about that. i just keep hoping that i can hold out until i get older and don't require as much sleep. it seems that old people only need 4 hours of shut-eye. but by that time i'll have less energy and less activities. oh well, it's my burden to bear, and i figure that eventually it'll get better. that's the curse of the nightowl, and the downside to being an extroverted introvert.
my hands feel cold today.
can i handle the seasons of my life?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
wagon
sometimes i get things in my head and i can't shake them until i do it. i've recently gotten into my head that i need to rearrange some furniture around the maxi pad. when i'd been talking to b on the phone yesterday afternoon we made a plan that he'd come over around 7 to help me move my things. however, when i got home, i started away and was long finished by the time he arrived. what did i do you ask?? well... i took my dresser (which was in an awkward spot in my bedroom, and moved it into the pink entrance room. i'd planned to place it in this nook bedside the closet, but it didn't fit. this did not surprise me because when i'd measured it i was too lazy to find my tape measure and just used my leg as a measuring stick. results are not completely accurate. however, the problem was that the wall was slanted. i was adament that i was going to make it fit, so i pushed, i banged, i wrestled, only to give up and come up with another plan. it seems i learned little from the incident with the facet, but i did stop before something broke. anyways, that new entrance arrangement is fantastic! i love having my clothes right beside the washroom, because i always change in there in the mornings anyways. and now that i have a washing machine they can go right into the dresser when they dry. so handy!!! AND this means that my room won't be ridiculously covered in clothes now. hooray! PLUS, i moved my filing cabinet into my room which is good because that's where i pay bills anyways. so it seems that all's well that ends well.
when b arrived he said "i see you've finished already". so i says to him... "brendan... something you need to understand about me is that when i decide i want to do something, i just do it". to this he responded by saying something about how not everything is up to me, or something like that... i'm not exactly sure, i wasn't fully listening :p
anyways, i'm SUPER excited about my newly tidy pad. i'm making so much progress. tonight i need to do some work in my bedroom, and do my dishes. after those things are done, i need to tackle the back porch because it's getting out of hand. just think... all this change is sparked by one little washing machine :D did i tell you that i'm getting an outside line installed this summer?? it's going to be so great, it's going to be up high connected to a door from my back porch. all my clothes will blow about in the summer breeze. i haven't had my clothes dry on an outside line since the early 90s! my neighbour ruth has a great laundry line, and i admire it so. i'll need to get some more clothes pegs because i don't have many. oh man, i'll be able to get one of those fabric clothes peg holders, this is going to be fantastic. i can't wait for summer!
it looks like today is going to be a beaut! so lovely.
sky over our head.
when b arrived he said "i see you've finished already". so i says to him... "brendan... something you need to understand about me is that when i decide i want to do something, i just do it". to this he responded by saying something about how not everything is up to me, or something like that... i'm not exactly sure, i wasn't fully listening :p
anyways, i'm SUPER excited about my newly tidy pad. i'm making so much progress. tonight i need to do some work in my bedroom, and do my dishes. after those things are done, i need to tackle the back porch because it's getting out of hand. just think... all this change is sparked by one little washing machine :D did i tell you that i'm getting an outside line installed this summer?? it's going to be so great, it's going to be up high connected to a door from my back porch. all my clothes will blow about in the summer breeze. i haven't had my clothes dry on an outside line since the early 90s! my neighbour ruth has a great laundry line, and i admire it so. i'll need to get some more clothes pegs because i don't have many. oh man, i'll be able to get one of those fabric clothes peg holders, this is going to be fantastic. i can't wait for summer!
it looks like today is going to be a beaut! so lovely.
sky over our head.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
velvet
last night i passed out at 9 o'clock. i'm not sure why, i was just tired and wanted to be sleeping. while i dozed, b watched the tv, sat on the end of my bed reading our lonely planet cambodia book, drank some beer (he currently has a keg in my refrigerator). when i woke up this morning i continued to feel tired, all i could think was that i just wanted to be at home. i'm busy a lot, lots of different activities going on and obligations to attend to. this week i have no plans except for on thursday, and i kind of just want to live in this unscheduled week. i want to fall asleep at 9 if i want to. i want to rearrange the furniture in my bedroom. i want to watch mindless tv. at first i found these desires alarming, and wondered if i'm becoming reclusive, that scared me. but as the morning has gone on and i become more awake, i realize that i'm only wanting some downtime because i'm in need of some downtime. once i get enough rest i'll be ready for lots of socializing again. balance. it's hard to attain, and it's hard to give.
i feel guilty when i take time to just be.
as a kid, guilt is associated with knowingly doing something we're not supposed to. for me it was watching certain tv shows, or taking unpermitted snacks, or reading my sister's mail. as a kid guilt was a good measuring stick, it told me things. so now as a grown-up i'm trying to discern the role of guilt in my adult life. does it still tell me things that i should listen to? is there a difference between guilt and my conscience? i think i feel guilty for taking using my evenings to vege out, because i feel like i'm letting my friendships down, that i could/should be spending time with people instead of being cooped up at home. however, i remind myself that healthy friendships are supportive and involve give and take. for that i'm very grateful.
joy and erin had to stay overnight at the hopital again last night. she wasn't happy about that. apparently she and the baby are two different blood types, and for some reason the hospital staff wanted one more day to make sure everything was a-ok.
always pain before the child is born.
i feel guilty when i take time to just be.
as a kid, guilt is associated with knowingly doing something we're not supposed to. for me it was watching certain tv shows, or taking unpermitted snacks, or reading my sister's mail. as a kid guilt was a good measuring stick, it told me things. so now as a grown-up i'm trying to discern the role of guilt in my adult life. does it still tell me things that i should listen to? is there a difference between guilt and my conscience? i think i feel guilty for taking using my evenings to vege out, because i feel like i'm letting my friendships down, that i could/should be spending time with people instead of being cooped up at home. however, i remind myself that healthy friendships are supportive and involve give and take. for that i'm very grateful.
joy and erin had to stay overnight at the hopital again last night. she wasn't happy about that. apparently she and the baby are two different blood types, and for some reason the hospital staff wanted one more day to make sure everything was a-ok.
always pain before the child is born.
Monday, March 22, 2010
peace
this morning i got to work at 7:20. that's VERY unlikely for me, but brendan was scheduled to work at rona at 7-1 and we weren't sure how he could get there on time. so i offered him a drive, it was right after a living room gathering about treating others as we'd want to be treated. in the end it worked out smoothly, and it means i can leave work early, so it worked out pretty good for both of us.
as i mentioned, i have a new niece. let me tell you the story...
i got an email from joy on saturday saying she was feeling weird. she was having contractions, but they weren't regular and not particularly significant either. i was on alert all day, whenever the phone rang i wondered if it was her calling to let me now it was go-time. but the day went on quite uneventfully, and i went to bed earlish because there wasn't much to do. meanwhile, joy had sent joelle to a friend's house for a birthday sleepover, and had arranged a special sleepover for caleb at my mom's place. when my mom went to pick him up, liam was all excited and put on his shoes too. he thought he was going too, and they felt really badly for him, because he really fancies himself as a big boy, so they asked if my mom wouldn't mind taking him too, and she was thrilled. thus, joy and tim were alone without kids and with nothing to do for the first time in 6 years. so (as my mom said), they just had another one :p at 2:30 in the morning joy woke up with a really bad contraction and upon having another one she told tim and they headed out. when they got to the hospital tim called me, and i bolted out of bed to the phone. when we hung-up i was in such a state that i wasn't sure what to do first to get ready, so i turned on the kettle, once i had some water boiling i felt much more on the ball and threw some clothes on, and headed out the door with a fresh cup of tea. the roads were pretty bare, except when i drove thru queen's, there were an odd number of people out and about, you'd like it was 11:00 instead of 3:30. i got a great parking spot out front and headed up to connell 5 (i love KGH, i used to work there and i love knowing my way around, i feel really comfortable there like no time has past at all). when i arrived they were putting in the epidural (or so we thought), but it turns out there wasn't time for one so she only got a spinal drip. when i was allowed in the room, the nurses said "it's time to have this baby" so i put down my knitting (that i brought just in case it was going to be a long wait) and stood up beside joy. she was shaking and i could tell that she was in quite a lot of pain because the spinal tap hadn't kicked in yet. but she managed to get her knees up and gave 3 or 4 mighty pushes and out she came! we would tell her "oh we see a head, she has a lot of hair!" and that really helped spur her forward. on the second last push, when the head was out i heard the nurse say "there's the cord" it seemed to be around the baby's neck, and she put her fingers in between the cord and her neck, then instructed joy to give one more big push and out she came. erin cried a lot more than liam, and didn't look around like he had. she kept her eyes closed because the light was bright, and everytime she tried to open her eyes she'd start to cry again. i got to cut the umbilical cord :D she weighted in at 7 lbs 2 oz, which is actually joy's biggest baby yet which is interesting because she carried the baby pretty small, compared to other people she didn't look 9 months pregnant. the baby's full name is erin joy, erin means peace. she has a whole wack of black hair, and her eyes look slate blue, which means they'll probably go brown. maybe erin will be the one baby that looks like joy, but only time will tell. she was born at 3:45, we hung out all morning chatting and getting caught-up. it was fun. we passed erin around and made calls as the morning went on. i went home around 7:30 and brought brendan to the hospital to meet her after church around 2. when we came in to visit she was still all mucky and still had joy's blood on her face :p her hair was still all goopy but was still super cut, i'm looking forward to seeing her all cleaned up. she was a really good baby, she fed within the first half-hour like a pro. joy's very thankful because joelle was a really big struggle to feed and did not latch on properly. after that she just slept all day, joy said newborns are really tired the first day. in the afternoon she kept her eyes open for much longer and just stared and stared at brendan. my mom came in to visit when we were there too, which was fun. i would've liked to be there when the other kids arrived. very exciting.
so that's that, my very last niece has been born. no more nieces or nephews for me. that's a very interesting feeling. it was very fun, and i have some great photos, i'll post them this evening when i'm back at home.
i'm really overdue in finishing up the entries about my trip to cuba. i still have yet to tell you about the most exciting day of them all! soon i hope soon.
freedom has a scent,
like the top of a new born baby's head.
as i mentioned, i have a new niece. let me tell you the story...
i got an email from joy on saturday saying she was feeling weird. she was having contractions, but they weren't regular and not particularly significant either. i was on alert all day, whenever the phone rang i wondered if it was her calling to let me now it was go-time. but the day went on quite uneventfully, and i went to bed earlish because there wasn't much to do. meanwhile, joy had sent joelle to a friend's house for a birthday sleepover, and had arranged a special sleepover for caleb at my mom's place. when my mom went to pick him up, liam was all excited and put on his shoes too. he thought he was going too, and they felt really badly for him, because he really fancies himself as a big boy, so they asked if my mom wouldn't mind taking him too, and she was thrilled. thus, joy and tim were alone without kids and with nothing to do for the first time in 6 years. so (as my mom said), they just had another one :p at 2:30 in the morning joy woke up with a really bad contraction and upon having another one she told tim and they headed out. when they got to the hospital tim called me, and i bolted out of bed to the phone. when we hung-up i was in such a state that i wasn't sure what to do first to get ready, so i turned on the kettle, once i had some water boiling i felt much more on the ball and threw some clothes on, and headed out the door with a fresh cup of tea. the roads were pretty bare, except when i drove thru queen's, there were an odd number of people out and about, you'd like it was 11:00 instead of 3:30. i got a great parking spot out front and headed up to connell 5 (i love KGH, i used to work there and i love knowing my way around, i feel really comfortable there like no time has past at all). when i arrived they were putting in the epidural (or so we thought), but it turns out there wasn't time for one so she only got a spinal drip. when i was allowed in the room, the nurses said "it's time to have this baby" so i put down my knitting (that i brought just in case it was going to be a long wait) and stood up beside joy. she was shaking and i could tell that she was in quite a lot of pain because the spinal tap hadn't kicked in yet. but she managed to get her knees up and gave 3 or 4 mighty pushes and out she came! we would tell her "oh we see a head, she has a lot of hair!" and that really helped spur her forward. on the second last push, when the head was out i heard the nurse say "there's the cord" it seemed to be around the baby's neck, and she put her fingers in between the cord and her neck, then instructed joy to give one more big push and out she came. erin cried a lot more than liam, and didn't look around like he had. she kept her eyes closed because the light was bright, and everytime she tried to open her eyes she'd start to cry again. i got to cut the umbilical cord :D she weighted in at 7 lbs 2 oz, which is actually joy's biggest baby yet which is interesting because she carried the baby pretty small, compared to other people she didn't look 9 months pregnant. the baby's full name is erin joy, erin means peace. she has a whole wack of black hair, and her eyes look slate blue, which means they'll probably go brown. maybe erin will be the one baby that looks like joy, but only time will tell. she was born at 3:45, we hung out all morning chatting and getting caught-up. it was fun. we passed erin around and made calls as the morning went on. i went home around 7:30 and brought brendan to the hospital to meet her after church around 2. when we came in to visit she was still all mucky and still had joy's blood on her face :p her hair was still all goopy but was still super cut, i'm looking forward to seeing her all cleaned up. she was a really good baby, she fed within the first half-hour like a pro. joy's very thankful because joelle was a really big struggle to feed and did not latch on properly. after that she just slept all day, joy said newborns are really tired the first day. in the afternoon she kept her eyes open for much longer and just stared and stared at brendan. my mom came in to visit when we were there too, which was fun. i would've liked to be there when the other kids arrived. very exciting.
so that's that, my very last niece has been born. no more nieces or nephews for me. that's a very interesting feeling. it was very fun, and i have some great photos, i'll post them this evening when i'm back at home.
i'm really overdue in finishing up the entries about my trip to cuba. i still have yet to tell you about the most exciting day of them all! soon i hope soon.
freedom has a scent,
like the top of a new born baby's head.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
new
guess what?
shhhhh.
i'm not posting this on facebook yet because i want to give tim the chance to announce it, but.....
I HAVE A NEW BABY NIECE!!!!!!!
i got the call at 3 am this morning. i rushed down to the hospital and she was born within minutes of me entering the room. it was fast, very fast. joy pushed 3 times, maybe 4.
her name is erin.
erin joy olding.
more info to follow.
hooray!
shhhhh.
i'm not posting this on facebook yet because i want to give tim the chance to announce it, but.....
I HAVE A NEW BABY NIECE!!!!!!!
i got the call at 3 am this morning. i rushed down to the hospital and she was born within minutes of me entering the room. it was fast, very fast. joy pushed 3 times, maybe 4.
her name is erin.
erin joy olding.
more info to follow.
hooray!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
barber
this evening i did my taxes. usually i take it to glenn my accountant, but this year his secretary suggested i just drop it off and he do it for me while i'm at work. i didn't like that suggestion because part of the pleasure of tax season is spending time with my amusing taxman. anyways, i was given the option to do my taxes for free at the house famous so i accepted the invitation. 2 hours later a very frazzled lesley signed her name on the papers. it didn't go very smoothly and was a bit of a roller coaster, one second it said i had to pay, then it said i didn't. it flip flopped all around, i was quite anxious, but in the end it worked out pretty well. i'm not sure if it was worth it. i could either have spent $45 to have them done in 15 minutes, or spent 2 hours doing them for free. hm. thankfully i don't need to think about it again for another year.
last night rachel was telling us that her grade 12 english writing teacher told her that only being inspired to write during hard times is a sign of an immature writer. i thought a lot about that throughout today. it made me think about faith as well as writing. i felt convicted that turning to God only when life is going crappy is a sign of immature faith. i'm definitely guilty of that, even though my desire stays the same (it's not like when life is good i don't think i need God, i just put less effort in to seeking and finding when i'm satisfied). immature faith. that's all i can think, it feels like an epiphany.
it's starting to grow
with its roots firmly planted
in the earth below.
last night rachel was telling us that her grade 12 english writing teacher told her that only being inspired to write during hard times is a sign of an immature writer. i thought a lot about that throughout today. it made me think about faith as well as writing. i felt convicted that turning to God only when life is going crappy is a sign of immature faith. i'm definitely guilty of that, even though my desire stays the same (it's not like when life is good i don't think i need God, i just put less effort in to seeking and finding when i'm satisfied). immature faith. that's all i can think, it feels like an epiphany.
it's starting to grow
with its roots firmly planted
in the earth below.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
apron
b and i have just booked our trip to cambodia. i'm super excited. we fly out at 1:30 am on july 1st (so we have to be at the airport by 10:30 on june 30th), fly for 15 hours to hong kong, have a 10 hour layover in hong kong (maybe we should visit alison lau-stephens??), then take a quick 2.5 hour flight to phnom pehn and arrive there an friday, july 2 at 5:25 pm. we'll spend the next 2 weeks adventuring around the country - a few days in phnom pehn, take the bus up to siem reap for a week, explore the ancient angkor wat on foot, elephant back, and moped, then take the bus back to phnom pehn, hang-out there a little longer, then head home the way we came (via hong kong). we'll arrive back in toronto at 5:30 am on july 18th. it's both exciting and intimidating. there will be a lot of logistics to work out, hopefully brendan and i can pick up a copy of lonely planet cambodia soon so that we can start figuring stuff out. we have plenty of time to book hostels, but no doubt the next 3 months will fly by. just think how quickly my trip to cuba came, and i'm sure this one will be no different. i'm glad that bren and mike have been there before, they'll be able to give us advise about language barriers and so on. we got a pretty good price on our flights (for asia, shesh some flight to northern canada cost more than that trip), actual accommodations and food will be crazy inexpensive (food $3, hostels $9), so it will balance out pretty well.
we have as of yet to find a way to get to and from toronto. brendan's going to ask his mom if she might be willing to give us a lift.
i can't find my birks or my flipflops. i put them in a plastic bag before i put them in my backpack when coming home from cuba and i can't find them anywhere. b says the key to me finding lost items is panic, he's noticed that shortly after i get panicked about something i've lost i find it. i haven't got panicked about my shoes yet, partly because i'm resigned to the fact that they are most likely on the feet of a cuban resident right now. so disappointing because i only bought those birks last summer :S oh well, i didn't have any money to leave as a tip so i suppose my shoes aren't a bad alternative. there are definitely worse things than that.
i can outline my feelings
but i can't fill them in.
we have as of yet to find a way to get to and from toronto. brendan's going to ask his mom if she might be willing to give us a lift.
i can't find my birks or my flipflops. i put them in a plastic bag before i put them in my backpack when coming home from cuba and i can't find them anywhere. b says the key to me finding lost items is panic, he's noticed that shortly after i get panicked about something i've lost i find it. i haven't got panicked about my shoes yet, partly because i'm resigned to the fact that they are most likely on the feet of a cuban resident right now. so disappointing because i only bought those birks last summer :S oh well, i didn't have any money to leave as a tip so i suppose my shoes aren't a bad alternative. there are definitely worse things than that.
i can outline my feelings
but i can't fill them in.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
endurance
today i saw streams of geese flying north. i feel that's a good sign.
i've discovered that i need to make my bed in the morning to minimize the risk of getting kitty litter in my bed. i HATE having kitty litter in my bed, and it finally clued in that if i covered my bed properly with blankets there'd be less chance of little grains of litter getting between my sheets - i think they get caught on the bottom of the kitties feet and get transported to other parts of the house. sometimes that's the kind of motivation i need to do chores around the pad.
so i finally got the hot water turned back on at home. thank goodness. i was able to do my dishes and am feeling surprisingly on top of things. that always makes me feel good mentally. the bright sun and positive forecast also makes me upbeat. i'm happy to have b back too. i think he took the sun with him when he went to halifax and brought it back with him again.
i've discovered that i need to make my bed in the morning to minimize the risk of getting kitty litter in my bed. i HATE having kitty litter in my bed, and it finally clued in that if i covered my bed properly with blankets there'd be less chance of little grains of litter getting between my sheets - i think they get caught on the bottom of the kitties feet and get transported to other parts of the house. sometimes that's the kind of motivation i need to do chores around the pad.
so i finally got the hot water turned back on at home. thank goodness. i was able to do my dishes and am feeling surprisingly on top of things. that always makes me feel good mentally. the bright sun and positive forecast also makes me upbeat. i'm happy to have b back too. i think he took the sun with him when he went to halifax and brought it back with him again.
i'm beginning to feel like i'm on the out-skirts of our friendship.
some of you already know about this, but i'm sure some of you do not. on march 27 my friend and cuba-companion shannon is holding a jubilee in mcburney park. what's a jubilee you ask? well, it's a time that occurred every 7 years (in old testament time) when debts were forgiven, slaves and prisoners were set free, and God's mercy was particularly manifested. shannon's desire is to have an old fashion jubilee in the park. it will be a time of celebration and reconciliation. her specific themes are christianity and feminism. she's setting up a "confessional booth" and covering it with confessions by both people groups where they confess to falling short in living up to their beliefs, for letting people down, for losing focus and being selfish, for being complacent, for spreading hate, for acts of violence, etc. this is a very bold move and something that not everyone understands. i'd like to invite you to come join us in the park. there will be live music and togetherness. your support would really be appreciated and would help bring young shannon's dreams to fruition. i don't know exactly what time it'll be at, but by way of this blog entry i'm asking shannon h. gendron to post the deets in the comment section. all (ages, genders, faith orientations, etc) are welcome. let's celebrate freedom!
it's true that you're not alone.
some of you already know about this, but i'm sure some of you do not. on march 27 my friend and cuba-companion shannon is holding a jubilee in mcburney park. what's a jubilee you ask? well, it's a time that occurred every 7 years (in old testament time) when debts were forgiven, slaves and prisoners were set free, and God's mercy was particularly manifested. shannon's desire is to have an old fashion jubilee in the park. it will be a time of celebration and reconciliation. her specific themes are christianity and feminism. she's setting up a "confessional booth" and covering it with confessions by both people groups where they confess to falling short in living up to their beliefs, for letting people down, for losing focus and being selfish, for being complacent, for spreading hate, for acts of violence, etc. this is a very bold move and something that not everyone understands. i'd like to invite you to come join us in the park. there will be live music and togetherness. your support would really be appreciated and would help bring young shannon's dreams to fruition. i don't know exactly what time it'll be at, but by way of this blog entry i'm asking shannon h. gendron to post the deets in the comment section. all (ages, genders, faith orientations, etc) are welcome. let's celebrate freedom!
it's true that you're not alone.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
barefeet
it's been a rough day. i don't even have time to get into the whole mess of my massive flood. thankfully nothing was majorly damaged, only majorly wet. well, the facet it broken, but it was not working from the get-go which caused the problem.
i got my laundry done at the melles's, came home for a 3 hour nap, and am about to leave to go see the acorn at the grad club. i'm thinking that will be a nice end to this disaster of a day.
it's been interesting because i've been spending a lot of time thinking about independence over the last week. this day was a great reminder of how much i don't want to endure these types of experiences alone anymore. it coincidentally happened the one weekend brendan was out of town. fighting with an exploding facet was too much for me, the freezing cold water poured all over me and in my face making it hard to breathe. i felt panicky. i needed it to stop but it poured on for 20 to 40 minutes. it leaked thru the opening in my floor, thru the ceiling of the apartment below me, thru their floor into the basement onto our furnace. the whole experience made me miserable. the water eventually got turned off, but the facet is still broken, it won't be replaced until monday. in the process, me and the girl who lives below me tried turned off all the taps we could find in the cellar (and yet missed the one we needed to switch off), and i think one of them was the hot water because i currently have none. but when i went back downstairs i couldn't get the tap to turn again and after this morning's incident i'm gunshy when it comes to forcing unfamiliar taps. i'll just have to make do until monday and i'll leave a note for the plumber.
------
well i just got in from the grad club. the show was great. i love the acorn. it was redemptive.
i was thinking today how it rained both outside and inside my apartment. it was just a plain old yucky day.
on a brighter side of my weekend, i discovered this really awesome website: www.etsy.com it's got the coolest stuff. i'm totally gonna keep scoping it out from time to time. there's nothing i'm particularly in need of right now, but something neat might show up. check it out!
i'm thankful for good friends who helped me get thru the day.
got pulled in by the flood,
and it pulled your body under.
i got my laundry done at the melles's, came home for a 3 hour nap, and am about to leave to go see the acorn at the grad club. i'm thinking that will be a nice end to this disaster of a day.
it's been interesting because i've been spending a lot of time thinking about independence over the last week. this day was a great reminder of how much i don't want to endure these types of experiences alone anymore. it coincidentally happened the one weekend brendan was out of town. fighting with an exploding facet was too much for me, the freezing cold water poured all over me and in my face making it hard to breathe. i felt panicky. i needed it to stop but it poured on for 20 to 40 minutes. it leaked thru the opening in my floor, thru the ceiling of the apartment below me, thru their floor into the basement onto our furnace. the whole experience made me miserable. the water eventually got turned off, but the facet is still broken, it won't be replaced until monday. in the process, me and the girl who lives below me tried turned off all the taps we could find in the cellar (and yet missed the one we needed to switch off), and i think one of them was the hot water because i currently have none. but when i went back downstairs i couldn't get the tap to turn again and after this morning's incident i'm gunshy when it comes to forcing unfamiliar taps. i'll just have to make do until monday and i'll leave a note for the plumber.
------
well i just got in from the grad club. the show was great. i love the acorn. it was redemptive.
i was thinking today how it rained both outside and inside my apartment. it was just a plain old yucky day.
on a brighter side of my weekend, i discovered this really awesome website: www.etsy.com it's got the coolest stuff. i'm totally gonna keep scoping it out from time to time. there's nothing i'm particularly in need of right now, but something neat might show up. check it out!
i'm thankful for good friends who helped me get thru the day.
got pulled in by the flood,
and it pulled your body under.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
tub
upon arriving home from work i started walking. i headed down the street, thru the ghetto, past the old apartment, down to classic video where i returned season 3 of the office. that took a half hour. while i was there i rented the latest season of weeds, i'm super excited to crack that open this weekend. on my way back i stopped at mango for dinner. i decided to take advantage of the fact that i'm on my own for the next few days and it doesn't matter what i do or if i spontaneously change my plans. i ate a delicious dinner while listening to some very stereotypical valley-girl queen's students talk about their dysfunctional romances. to be honest, it took all that is within me to not turn to the girl and tell her "the guy is saying 'i just want to be single right now' because he doesn't actually love you but likes you enough to not leave, and on top of that he's a coward". i bit my tongue, but it was hard, and yet so easy to see why her relationship wasn't working out. anyways, after that i headed home thru the inner habour, i walked to coffee way for a dozen donuts for the board meeting, then walked home. by the time i got to alfred street my left ankle was killing me and i limped to take some of the pain away. i'm tired. i'm pooped. i walked for 2 hours today – by accident. i'm much more tired that i would've expected, but i think that's because i worked an entire day beforehand.
i'm miles from where you are.
i'm miles from where you are.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
figures
day five:
isn't that a great view?? this was from when we went on a group hike. it took us up a mountain and thru several farms. the farmers and their families were very generous and gave us food and snacks. i drank out of a coconut for the first time ever – the kind taken right off the tree and cut with a machete. we saw a baby alligator and a one earred goat. i'd say this was the day that we saw much of cuba's poverty. so it was kind of bittersweet, but it's important to see such things, and regardless we still had a grand time hiking up mountains and down thru palm tree covered valleys. by the fifth day i'd become aware of the fact that my legs were covered in mosquito bites. they would keep me up at night scratching and scratching. my method is to scratch til they bleed, then they stop itching – which probably isn't the best plan. i'm still waiting to see if i have malaria, but i think i'm alright. see in the picture above how there are white waves dividing the two shades of blue in the water? i think there was a bit of a sand bank or something there, it got very shallow so the waves would crash there and didn't really reach the shore. our beach also had a lot of coral reefs in it, which really attracted fish. shannon (among other things) strongly dislikes fish. i'd try to swat at them with my appendages to keep them away from her, and when that didn't work i'd try convincing her they were trying to kiss her. neither worked particularly well.
-----
in other news... i'm loving this mild spring weather. i'm trying to get outside walking as much as possible. i found that shannon and i did a lot of walking in cuba and it made me feel fit, so i want to keep that up. i walked all the way downtown for groceries last night and carried a big 24 roll pack of toilet paper in my hands the whole way. people looked at me funny. i really enjoyed my alone time.
speaking of alone time, brendan is heading to halifax tomorrow. he's going there with his band to perform for 3 nights, which is totally great! road trip, make music with friends, see the ocean, sounds fantastic. i'm very excited for him.
he's the moon.
isn't that a great view?? this was from when we went on a group hike. it took us up a mountain and thru several farms. the farmers and their families were very generous and gave us food and snacks. i drank out of a coconut for the first time ever – the kind taken right off the tree and cut with a machete. we saw a baby alligator and a one earred goat. i'd say this was the day that we saw much of cuba's poverty. so it was kind of bittersweet, but it's important to see such things, and regardless we still had a grand time hiking up mountains and down thru palm tree covered valleys. by the fifth day i'd become aware of the fact that my legs were covered in mosquito bites. they would keep me up at night scratching and scratching. my method is to scratch til they bleed, then they stop itching – which probably isn't the best plan. i'm still waiting to see if i have malaria, but i think i'm alright. see in the picture above how there are white waves dividing the two shades of blue in the water? i think there was a bit of a sand bank or something there, it got very shallow so the waves would crash there and didn't really reach the shore. our beach also had a lot of coral reefs in it, which really attracted fish. shannon (among other things) strongly dislikes fish. i'd try to swat at them with my appendages to keep them away from her, and when that didn't work i'd try convincing her they were trying to kiss her. neither worked particularly well.-----
in other news... i'm loving this mild spring weather. i'm trying to get outside walking as much as possible. i found that shannon and i did a lot of walking in cuba and it made me feel fit, so i want to keep that up. i walked all the way downtown for groceries last night and carried a big 24 roll pack of toilet paper in my hands the whole way. people looked at me funny. i really enjoyed my alone time.
speaking of alone time, brendan is heading to halifax tomorrow. he's going there with his band to perform for 3 nights, which is totally great! road trip, make music with friends, see the ocean, sounds fantastic. i'm very excited for him.
he's the moon.
Monday, March 08, 2010
stained-glass
day four:this was a day of chilling. we hung-out on the beach for much of the day. it was relaxing and vacationy. i got a half hour massage for 10 pesos (i would've gone for the hour for 25 pesos, but i didn't have enough because of my absent wallet). the strangest thing about my massage was my introduction to the masseuse. he arrived at the hut, he introduced himself "hola, i'm juan carlos", "hola" i said in return. then he opened his hand to present some raisins and a few blanched peanuts. like this...
so i accepted them from him with a "gracias" then slipped them into my purse while noting that i probably shouldn't eat them. his heart was in the right place.
that night we had our special a la carte dinner at the restaurant (we usually ate at the dinning hall where there was a buffet). we got all dressed up and ready to go – which was difficult because the power kept going off, but we managed. unfortunately it started raining again, but it wasn't that far of a walk. again we went to the nightly entertainment. each night after the performances they did this thing called "club dance". at first we were very puzzled and didn't understand what was happening. we quickly surmised that it was something like the macarena. but the lyrics went like "do you want to touch me? si!", it took us almost the whole week to figure that out. shanno found this video online.
some day things won't be the same.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
madlibs
day three:
we got up early and went to havana. we hired a taxi at the suggestion of the receptionist, she said that it takes an hour to get there, we have 4 hours in the city, then an hour back. so that's what we did. it was really fun. havana is really beautiful, with it's old architecture and culture. a lot of the buildings were in disrepair, i heard that's the result of the us embargo. our taxi driver/tour guide took us to the christo blanco look out and were able to see over all of la habana. to get to the city we had to drive thru a long tunnel under the river. it was pretty cool. we went to the oldest cigar making factory for a tour. it was really amazing to see, it's a very complicated process. i've concluded that if i worked there i'd want to be in the box making department, or maybe be the person who organizes the cigars in the box by colour. we learned that about 1/3 of the cigars made don't pass the quality inspection, and since they have so many left over cigars every day each employee gets to take 3 home each day. we spent the rest of our time in old havana. it beautiful hot day, so i got an ice cream cone, shannon got a street pizza. we did some shopping at the market, then wandered looking at the buildings and watching the streetdogs. the men would make kissy sounds at us, i never cease to be surprised by that – like seriously, what kind of response are they expecting. hmph. we went swimming when we got back to the resort. the water was AMAZING! it was my first time in the atlantic. we swam and swam and swam. so nice. that night we went to the evening entertainment for the first time. it had it's great qualities and it's awkward qualities. there were these really talented dancers, which was my favourite part. we stayed afterward for the disco, which was when we met the cuban patrick swayze for the first time. we weren't sure of his name, but he's job was similar to that of patrick's in dirty dancing, hence his moniker. it was awkward because he kept trying to get us to dance with him, when really we just wanted to dance with each other. we knew he wasn't trying to hit on us, he was just doing his job, but we would've preferred him to leave us be. however, he eventually broke thru our barriers and we began very friendly with him, he was nice and we liked having a cuban friend.
you shall be my very own
on the day that i cause you to be my special home.
we got up early and went to havana. we hired a taxi at the suggestion of the receptionist, she said that it takes an hour to get there, we have 4 hours in the city, then an hour back. so that's what we did. it was really fun. havana is really beautiful, with it's old architecture and culture. a lot of the buildings were in disrepair, i heard that's the result of the us embargo. our taxi driver/tour guide took us to the christo blanco look out and were able to see over all of la habana. to get to the city we had to drive thru a long tunnel under the river. it was pretty cool. we went to the oldest cigar making factory for a tour. it was really amazing to see, it's a very complicated process. i've concluded that if i worked there i'd want to be in the box making department, or maybe be the person who organizes the cigars in the box by colour. we learned that about 1/3 of the cigars made don't pass the quality inspection, and since they have so many left over cigars every day each employee gets to take 3 home each day. we spent the rest of our time in old havana. it beautiful hot day, so i got an ice cream cone, shannon got a street pizza. we did some shopping at the market, then wandered looking at the buildings and watching the streetdogs. the men would make kissy sounds at us, i never cease to be surprised by that – like seriously, what kind of response are they expecting. hmph. we went swimming when we got back to the resort. the water was AMAZING! it was my first time in the atlantic. we swam and swam and swam. so nice. that night we went to the evening entertainment for the first time. it had it's great qualities and it's awkward qualities. there were these really talented dancers, which was my favourite part. we stayed afterward for the disco, which was when we met the cuban patrick swayze for the first time. we weren't sure of his name, but he's job was similar to that of patrick's in dirty dancing, hence his moniker. it was awkward because he kept trying to get us to dance with him, when really we just wanted to dance with each other. we knew he wasn't trying to hit on us, he was just doing his job, but we would've preferred him to leave us be. however, he eventually broke thru our barriers and we began very friendly with him, he was nice and we liked having a cuban friend.
you shall be my very own
on the day that i cause you to be my special home.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
jibacoa
i'm totally multitasking right now. i'm uploading photos onto facebook using two different tabs and writing a blog entry at the same time.
ok, let me break it down for you. i'm gonna tell you what we did each day, because i feel that's the easiest way of doing it. (i was going to do this in one long entry, but it was getting CRAZY long so instead, i'll post one or two per day for the next while).
day one:
andrew and brendan drove us up to toronto. since it was a sunday morning shannon suggested we have church in the car. it was really fun. we actually did an entire hour: music, awkward sunday, responsive prayer, prayer requests, a 'sermon', communion, a benediction. we called it car church and our slogan was "we're going places". the guys hung out with us at the airport for a while, then left when we went thru security. the flight down went smoothly, although we didn't like the in-flight film and the guys in front of us were somewhat unpleasant. they were a group young guys, clearly going to cuba on their reading week. at one point i turned to shan and asked "are those guys the same age as brendan?" and she said "i was just wondering that too. i don't know". we concluded they were younger than b, but still it was alarming to see guys who are technically the same age as b but are drastically younger than him in every other way. anyways, we arrived and very easily found out bus. the ride thru matanzas to the resort was an hour long and it was pitch black outside so we saw nothing. i told you how when we got checked into our room we sat on the floor eating the food we found in the fridge. it was fun. it was then that i fell in love with pineapple. it was a very pale beige colour so i didn't know what it was, and was surprised because in the past i haven't liked pineapple. we went for a stroll around the resort in the dark, it was a nice night and we could hear the sound music from the disco in the distance.
day two:
it rained. it thunderstormed actually. there wasn't much to do and we didn't have a deck of cards. we drank rum and wandered in the rain. we did some emailing, sat by the pool – i even got in once, then quickly got out again. that evening the weather cleared and there was a beautiful sunset. we walked the beach and had a grand ole time. it was that day that we first noticed heather and madeline. we're not sure what their names actually are, but we assigned them names that we thought were appropriate. they were these two friends in their late 50s, they were grumpy and irritable and kind of lacked social graces. it seemed as though after monday they had soe sort of fight because they didn't speak for 4 days. it made us sad whenever we saw them separately, and couldn't imagine any dispute that would make us not be friends in cuba.
you shall go forth again,
and skip around like calves
coming from the stalls at last.
ok, let me break it down for you. i'm gonna tell you what we did each day, because i feel that's the easiest way of doing it. (i was going to do this in one long entry, but it was getting CRAZY long so instead, i'll post one or two per day for the next while).
day one:
andrew and brendan drove us up to toronto. since it was a sunday morning shannon suggested we have church in the car. it was really fun. we actually did an entire hour: music, awkward sunday, responsive prayer, prayer requests, a 'sermon', communion, a benediction. we called it car church and our slogan was "we're going places". the guys hung out with us at the airport for a while, then left when we went thru security. the flight down went smoothly, although we didn't like the in-flight film and the guys in front of us were somewhat unpleasant. they were a group young guys, clearly going to cuba on their reading week. at one point i turned to shan and asked "are those guys the same age as brendan?" and she said "i was just wondering that too. i don't know". we concluded they were younger than b, but still it was alarming to see guys who are technically the same age as b but are drastically younger than him in every other way. anyways, we arrived and very easily found out bus. the ride thru matanzas to the resort was an hour long and it was pitch black outside so we saw nothing. i told you how when we got checked into our room we sat on the floor eating the food we found in the fridge. it was fun. it was then that i fell in love with pineapple. it was a very pale beige colour so i didn't know what it was, and was surprised because in the past i haven't liked pineapple. we went for a stroll around the resort in the dark, it was a nice night and we could hear the sound music from the disco in the distance.
day two:
it rained. it thunderstormed actually. there wasn't much to do and we didn't have a deck of cards. we drank rum and wandered in the rain. we did some emailing, sat by the pool – i even got in once, then quickly got out again. that evening the weather cleared and there was a beautiful sunset. we walked the beach and had a grand ole time. it was that day that we first noticed heather and madeline. we're not sure what their names actually are, but we assigned them names that we thought were appropriate. they were these two friends in their late 50s, they were grumpy and irritable and kind of lacked social graces. it seemed as though after monday they had soe sort of fight because they didn't speak for 4 days. it made us sad whenever we saw them separately, and couldn't imagine any dispute that would make us not be friends in cuba.
you shall go forth again,
and skip around like calves
coming from the stalls at last.
Friday, March 05, 2010
origami
sometimes when i have too much to say i don't say anything. where does one start when her mind is full of so much?
i'll spend some time tomorrow writing and uploading photos. i promise. getting up at 6 will provide ample opportunity.
i'm excited because in the morning my landlord is bring me a new washing machine and hooking it up at the laundry sink. i'm so psyched because it's been over 3 years since my washer broke and i've been taking my clothes to the wash and fold service. it's going to be SO great to be able to do laundry at my convenience. i can't wait!
on our last day in cuba shannon and i happened upon a litter of kittens!!!! they were awesome! my total favourite – i'm very partial towards stripey tabbies. we hung out with them for a long time, and i even picked one up and cuddled him. he reminded me of fru when he was a baby kitty. when i was in cuba i decided if i were to adopt another kitty i'd name him buk (like boooook). anyways, the kitties looked to be about 2 weeks old, and there were 4 of them. they were as sweet as can be with their tiny little meows and their precious little tails. awwww.
i was swimming in the caribbean.
i'll spend some time tomorrow writing and uploading photos. i promise. getting up at 6 will provide ample opportunity.
i'm excited because in the morning my landlord is bring me a new washing machine and hooking it up at the laundry sink. i'm so psyched because it's been over 3 years since my washer broke and i've been taking my clothes to the wash and fold service. it's going to be SO great to be able to do laundry at my convenience. i can't wait!
on our last day in cuba shannon and i happened upon a litter of kittens!!!! they were awesome! my total favourite – i'm very partial towards stripey tabbies. we hung out with them for a long time, and i even picked one up and cuddled him. he reminded me of fru when he was a baby kitty. when i was in cuba i decided if i were to adopt another kitty i'd name him buk (like boooook). anyways, the kitties looked to be about 2 weeks old, and there were 4 of them. they were as sweet as can be with their tiny little meows and their precious little tails. awwww.
i was swimming in the caribbean.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
rona
this has nothing to do with cuba, but i'm really excited about it and need to share my new discovery.
insoles.
you may or may not remember, but al gave me a box of 30 things for my 30th birthday. in that box there were a pair of insoles. i had planned to put them inside my big tall brown boots, but they didn't fit down it's shaped leg. however, this morning as i got ready for work, i slipped them into my white slip-on roxy boots. my roxy's have been great, really convenient and comfortable, but the soles of those boots - when worn too long - really make my feet hurt. basically, the soles are crap. so once i slipped in my reebok insoles courtesy of mr doseger, i immediately found a huge difference. oh man. i love them i already, wear these boots around the house and when i'm napping, now i'll never take them off! the only logical next step is to wear them in the shower.
this morning i'm listening to blues. anyone who knows brendan, knows that he's a blues savant. he made me this mix cd, and i have to admit, i'm falling in love with it. both musically and lyrically. i love that it's so melodramatic, and that it's melodrama is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. i can see this is the beginning of a lovely friendship between me and blues, we're gonna be good pals.
she's been all around the world making honey,
but now she's coming back home to me.
insoles.
you may or may not remember, but al gave me a box of 30 things for my 30th birthday. in that box there were a pair of insoles. i had planned to put them inside my big tall brown boots, but they didn't fit down it's shaped leg. however, this morning as i got ready for work, i slipped them into my white slip-on roxy boots. my roxy's have been great, really convenient and comfortable, but the soles of those boots - when worn too long - really make my feet hurt. basically, the soles are crap. so once i slipped in my reebok insoles courtesy of mr doseger, i immediately found a huge difference. oh man. i love them i already, wear these boots around the house and when i'm napping, now i'll never take them off! the only logical next step is to wear them in the shower.
this morning i'm listening to blues. anyone who knows brendan, knows that he's a blues savant. he made me this mix cd, and i have to admit, i'm falling in love with it. both musically and lyrically. i love that it's so melodramatic, and that it's melodrama is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. i can see this is the beginning of a lovely friendship between me and blues, we're gonna be good pals.
she's been all around the world making honey,
but now she's coming back home to me.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
pogo
so, let me take a moment to tell of our trip. or at least an excerpt. i feel almost overwhelmed because i don't know where or how to start.
as you know i forgot my wallet. which is totally weird because it's rare for me to go to work without my wallet. thankfully i like to divy up my cash when i travel and i had a large sum in my suitcase. shannon reassured me that she had her credit card, and brendan told me "you don't need health insurance because it's a communist country". so i arrived in the land of cubans with cash only. it turns out that shan's credit card was refused because it had american affiliations and there were no bank machines in the area (plus they don't rarely accept foreign debt cards). thus, we were rather strapped for cash. BUT we did ok. we strategically set aside 25 CUC pesos to exit the country, so if all else failed at least we could go home. thankfully shanno had been given extra money for an expedition, and we were able to go to la habana, which was great. the only disappointment was that i would've liked to tip the staff more than i did. they depend on tipping, so i hated to withhold. i have to admit, it was more stressful on my subconscious than i thought it would be. after our trip to havana i felt much better, like a load was off my shoulders because i had no idea what that was going to cost. phew! well, i won't ever forget my wallet again, that's for sure, but it was an experience :S
what else should i tell you. what else. what else. when i have limited time it's hard to really go into depth with anything.
ok, so our resort was right on the ocean. we thought it was in varadero, but it was actually an hour outside, which put us an hour away from havana. it was really beautiful being smack dab in between the ocean and the mountains. on windy days there was a red flag place in the sand to tell us not to enter the water. when the waves were strong they brought all the jellyfish near the shore and we were in danger of being stung. as we walked the beach we passed a bunch that had washed up onto the sand. they were quite beautiful actually. i touched one, it was dry and resistant. i later tried to squash one with my sandal, i'd expected it to pop like a balloon (to be honest, they looked like an inflated condom), but it just made my shoe bounce back at me and left a sticky residue. hmmmm.
you're the first thing that i'm thinking when i'm taking off and landing.
as you know i forgot my wallet. which is totally weird because it's rare for me to go to work without my wallet. thankfully i like to divy up my cash when i travel and i had a large sum in my suitcase. shannon reassured me that she had her credit card, and brendan told me "you don't need health insurance because it's a communist country". so i arrived in the land of cubans with cash only. it turns out that shan's credit card was refused because it had american affiliations and there were no bank machines in the area (plus they don't rarely accept foreign debt cards). thus, we were rather strapped for cash. BUT we did ok. we strategically set aside 25 CUC pesos to exit the country, so if all else failed at least we could go home. thankfully shanno had been given extra money for an expedition, and we were able to go to la habana, which was great. the only disappointment was that i would've liked to tip the staff more than i did. they depend on tipping, so i hated to withhold. i have to admit, it was more stressful on my subconscious than i thought it would be. after our trip to havana i felt much better, like a load was off my shoulders because i had no idea what that was going to cost. phew! well, i won't ever forget my wallet again, that's for sure, but it was an experience :S
what else should i tell you. what else. what else. when i have limited time it's hard to really go into depth with anything.
ok, so our resort was right on the ocean. we thought it was in varadero, but it was actually an hour outside, which put us an hour away from havana. it was really beautiful being smack dab in between the ocean and the mountains. on windy days there was a red flag place in the sand to tell us not to enter the water. when the waves were strong they brought all the jellyfish near the shore and we were in danger of being stung. as we walked the beach we passed a bunch that had washed up onto the sand. they were quite beautiful actually. i touched one, it was dry and resistant. i later tried to squash one with my sandal, i'd expected it to pop like a balloon (to be honest, they looked like an inflated condom), but it just made my shoe bounce back at me and left a sticky residue. hmmmm.you're the first thing that i'm thinking when i'm taking off and landing.
Monday, March 01, 2010
count down
the day has gone by quickly, and i haven't had time to post my photos or write fine tales of our exploits. shan and i touched ground in toronto at 1:30 am, we went thru customs and collected our things before coming thru the gates to find andrew and brendan waiting. i ran all the way to my b and flung into his arms. it was nice having someone to come home to. we arrived in kingston at 5:30. i slept until 11 something and went to work for 2 then worked til 6. it was weird and yet strangely the same to be back. it was hard to believe as i participated in a conference call that i'd just been lying on a beach in cuba the day before.
i have much to tell you still, and i hope to carve out some time over the next few days to write and write and write. internet time in cuba was expensive, and the connection was slow so there was really no chance to write. i wish i could download all my memories onto a memory stick so you could peruse them, because they'd be worth experiencing first hand. but alas, that's not possible, and somewhat creepy.
i should get going. my contacts are drying out and they feel like their suffocating my eyeballs.
si es verdad que tu eres guapa
yo te voy a poner gozar
tu tiene la boca grande
dale ponte a jugar, como?
i have much to tell you still, and i hope to carve out some time over the next few days to write and write and write. internet time in cuba was expensive, and the connection was slow so there was really no chance to write. i wish i could download all my memories onto a memory stick so you could peruse them, because they'd be worth experiencing first hand. but alas, that's not possible, and somewhat creepy.
i should get going. my contacts are drying out and they feel like their suffocating my eyeballs.
si es verdad que tu eres guapa
yo te voy a poner gozar
tu tiene la boca grande
dale ponte a jugar, como?
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