Went to Ottawa, our nation's capital, to celebrate and also visit Karen. We went to a vegetarian pot-luck the first night that featured a lot of lawyers and marxists. An interesting mix. But many people who had been to Africa before so i was able to swap stories with them. And the food and endless bottles of wine was also a bonus.Canada Day in Ottawa is pretty nuts with lots of people everywhere. We hiked around and got as much freebies as was possible. It all started with Canadian Farmers Association who was handing out FREE! ice cream and tattoos that said "Farmers Feed Cities". They were protesting subsidized imports. I hope they win. I like people who give me free ice cream. We also got about 10 free packs of a new flavour of gum, a small smoothie, gift certificates for Greyhound, allergy medication, and a free drink from Starbucks (that one was from Karen!). Later we met up with Andrea, a friend of mine from highschool and head to her place over in Quebec (Hull) to have martinis, order pizza and then watch the fireworks from the rooftop patio of her condo. It was FUN.
Did I mention we also got our photos taken with Mounties?
Massive downpour today. Of course happened while I was out walking. But it was kind of fun to splash around. Once you are soaked and there is nothing you can do, you might as well enjoy it.
Tomorrow I go to Ottawa for the weekend. Looking forward to a little escape. Hopping on a bus (even for a short ride) always makes me excited! Any trip is a good trip in my books.
I like the way my puddle photos turned out. Like little pieces of abstract art.
Apparently Stars are playing in Ottawa for Canada day! Yea! One of my current favourites. I remember last Canada Day, I helped Amie & Michele move, then met Mariza at the Harbourfront with her crazy dog Mustard and we saw Feist for free. That was also fun. The wind was really really cold. And I wore this dress that kept blowing up. And I wore the wrong underwear so I had to buy some shorts to wear underneath it. Oh the memories.
Ok. I have been having such a hard time getting anything done this week. I am pretty stressed about moving all my stuff out of my room by Friday, having the entire place be a huge mess, have one roommate move out on Saturday, have a new one move in on Friday, having the new roommate be stressed because she will only be staying for 2 months because our landlady doesn't issue receipts and she works from home, me and my other roommate being stressed because we really like the new roommate and want her to stay but our landlady is crazy and wont' issue receipts for tax purposes, and I still don't have a FUCKING job. Sorry. That last one just slipped out.
But I am zen. Why worry? Right? Instead, I refocused my energy and wrote a list of a bunch of things I want to do before I die. I have done so much in my life that I am really really proud of. The things on this list would just be like icing on the cake. Or something!
1) fly first or business class (long haul) 2) visit Antarctica 3) own property 4) kiss a rock star 5) climb Kilimanjaro 6) run a 1/2 marathon 7) have a kid 8) write a book (or get something published) 9) go to Australia/nz 10) do post-grad 11) go to Newfoundland (and get screeched in) 12) go to the territories 13) go to Jordan (Petra) 14) fall crazy in love 15) buy a car (hybrid) 16) become amazing at cooking Indian cuisine 17) scuba dive 18) donate blood at least once a year 19) see icebergs close up 20) be able to do a headstand in yoga (and maybe even a HANDstand) 21) feel comfortable & confident lead climbing (rock climbing) 22) help build a house (habitat for humanity or one of those things) 23) become really good at doing car repairs 24) learn to play (and be good at) ice hockey 25) fluency in French 26) go to India & Nepal 27) send my parents on a big trip 28) buy and learn to play the accordion 29) buy a round for everyone in a pub (a FULL pub) 30) go camping at least once a year 31) plant a tree(for your tomorrow...) 32) go to the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) 33) spend time in a place where the sun never sets 34) be a contestant on a game show
That puts things more in perspective. I'll check back in a year and see how far I've gotten. It is funny to read the list and think of me doing them in order. Run a 1/2 marathon and THEN have a kid! RIGHT! We'll see about that one. Actually, either of them sound pretty crazy at this point.
Chateau Nice's Pat & his friend Rhain are the Pungents who manufacture puns on a daily basis. Before I shipped off to Kenya I was somehow convinced to be a "Punshine Girl" on their website. Their website is filled with groan-inducing puns and play(s) on words. I take no responsibility for the content (or the terrible pun I am associated with). :)
10 years ago I was a Rotary exchange student for a year to Copenhagen, Denmark. Probably a key factor in my travel addiction, I left my friends and family behind for a year of my life and lived with 4 different families and was enrolled in a Danish gymnasium (high school).
My first weeks in the strange but sweet Scandinavian country were spent at a language camp with about 40 other new exchange students. It was a nice middle ground before we were all shipped off to our respective host families across the country and we all bonded over the potential terrors we were about to experience and the odd way the Danish language sounded. I became friends with a great and fun group of people, including Karen (also from Canada, a friend I have stayed very close with and travelled with - she even came to visit me in Kenya) and Chad (a Bush/SUV-hating Oregonian soil scientist). This past weekend Chad was in Rochester for a wedding and made the trip over to Toronto to catch up with Karen and I. Despite our infrequent email communication, we haven't seen Chad in the 10 years since we left Denmark. Gosh it was strange to see him again. But so great! It is nice to see that people who you remember being really great and fun are still really great and fun 10 years down the road.
10 years! Where the hell does the time go? The funniest part was when we were kind of doing the "so you went home from Denmark and then what happened..." to fill each other in on what we have been up to for the last 10 years. Funny to realize first of all, what you include in that little blurb, and secondly, how quick it is to pretty much get people up to speed on your life. I mean obviously you skip a hell of a lot of stuff, the nitty-gritty details (mostly the embarassing parts), but really aren't our lives perhaps a little like soap operas, where if you miss a couple of years of Young and the Restless, and you are home from work one day and watch one episode you are pretty much caught up and can follow the story of the show within an hour?
I don't even remember what I was like in Denmark. I wore a lot of bad outfits but I think that had as much to do with being there in 1995/96 than anything else. I also ate a lot of Whopper Juniors. And made too many trips to the Carlsberg brewery and Christiania (perhaps a bit of Chad's influence). I was in my highschool's production of Hair (in Danish). I was one of the only brunettes so they turned us into black women. That was my introduction to H&M on every corner and developed my love for a good falafel. I saw Neil Young, Radiohead, Bad Religion and Rancid. I would bring my visitors to the Museum Erotica - where my 18 year old host-sister worked. One of my host-families had an open marriage and would date other people. I ate pickled herring and stinky cheese. I learned Danish and travelled to something like 10 countries around Europe. I was in an audience with the Pope. These were the days of my life. Where the hell does the time go?
At The Dumpling House with Loretta, Mariza & Jon. (discussing our quasi-pretend band) :
J - we need stage names. K - yes. stage names! J - we should all have the same last name. like the Ramones. M - what was their last name? J, L & K - RAMONE! M - Oh!!! (laughter)What? I grew up with 2 greek immigrant parents listening to Nana Mouskouri all the time.
I mock her but our band would be useless without her superior cowbell skills.
Later, in discussing the situation with Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie adopting a 3rd child I came up with the perfect most politically correct AND press-friendly to their "which type of baby should we adopt next?" dilemma. They should adopt a baby seal!!! Take over where Sir Paul and his ex left off! I can see it all now...
I am watching the hockey game. Edmonton is losing. I hope by the time you read this they will have turned it around and won the Cup.
Tonight was my last microeconomics class. I did my final exam. I think I pretty much aced the class. It was way more fun than I thought it would be. And even some cute boys in my class. Too bad they were all like 20. It still doesn't hurt to look, no?
The photo I took on my way home. Trinity Bellwoods is a big park near my house. It is a major dog park and also has a lot of places for people to play sports so it is fun to walk through and see what is happening. Tonight there was a group yoga session where the dogs usually play. I hope they checked the ground for surprises before they did their downward dogs and cobras!
Today Corinna and I interviewed 3 people for our house. It was ok but not great. I don't think we will be going with any of the girls who came to visit the place.
The first one came and seemed about in her mid-30s. Actually, she seemed a bit older. And talked about it being quiet and how much work she will do on her Masters of Physics thesis. Too old.
The second one came and was 20 and kept talking and giggling and squirming around and talking about playing music and having parties and dating and talking and talking and talking. Too young and too chatty. Very, very chatty.
The third one was about our age and seemed mature but was from Japan and didn't really speak much at all. The majority of the time was spent with us sitting in the living room waiting for someone to say something. I kept bursting in with not very funny quips and questions, trying to keep the conversation flowing but it was very very stalled. Too quiet.
When will we get our JUST RIGHT?!? Hmmm. Possibly 2 more will come see it on Tuesday. I might have to re-post the ad. Darnit. I was hoping this could be resolved by now.
I don't think we are being too picky. If Corinna had liked any one of these 3 I would have gone with them but when we were talking after we both seemed to have the same opinions about each of them and saw the potential problems with each. If anything it is encouraging that Corinna and I seem to have the same perspective and seem to be getting along really well. I think she is a great roommate. I hope she thinks the same of me. Not bad for 2 people who didn't know each other before they moved into the same place...
I am too tired to write. Bad idea to go to the gym on the same day I have an ultimate frisbee game. Bad idea. To make things more interesting I went out with the team after and drank a lot of beer. There will be no real post on the old blog tonight.
The photos - first one is us in the midst of a game. We lost horribly but we did get 5 points (which is actually good for us). The second photo is from the stairs at Jane Subway station. Someone obviously needed some lovin'. Poor saps.
Tomorrow, I will take more photos. I promise. I have been a major slacker and there is SO MUCH to take photos of right now.
Went to Ottawa, our nation's capital, to celebrate and also visit Karen. We went to a vegetarian pot-luck the first night that featured a lot of lawyers and marxists. An interesting mix. But many people who had been to Africa before so i was able to swap stories with them. And the food and endless bottles of wine was also a bonus. Canada Day in Ottawa is pretty nuts with lots of people everywhere. We hiked around and got as much freebies as was possible. It all started with Canadian Farmers Association who was handing out FREE! ice cream and tattoos that said "Farmers Feed Cities". They were protesting subsidized imports. I hope they win. I like people who give me free ice cream. We also got about 10 free packs of a new flavour of gum, a small smoothie, gift certificates for Greyhound, allergy medication, and a free drink from Starbucks (that one was from Karen!). Later we met up with Andrea, a friend of mine from highschool and head to her place over in Quebec (Hull) to have martinis, order pizza and then watch the fireworks from the rooftop patio of her condo. It was FUN.
