I'm being spoiled. My friends are just too awesome. I sometimes forget that people aren't as cool as them and don't really think about it. But then they go and do something that makes me love them all the more. There is nothing in the world like realizing how much someone understands you. It makes me want to do something amazing for them right back.
Boxing day this year was my christmas gift exchange with Sarah and Emily. We had a lot of fun. Sarah's parents this year had given us all Doctor Who Sonic Screwdrivers. And here is where the appreciations begin. We had fun with toys. While we are all going on to being full fledged adults we can still play and not deny enjoyment in the small pleasures of life. Too many people take themselves too seriously and loose the fun in the world. What is the point of living if you're not enjoying your life?
Sarah had made us personalized christmas crackers with all sorts of nerdy goodies. Mine had in it a tiny hand made K9 and T.A.R.D.I.S. pin, paper Sherlock Holmes and Watson based on BBC's new Sherlock, fun little mustache on a stick to go with an emergency Tea bag and sugar holder, and bubble blowing stuff that makes solid bubbles (so cool... I don't know how it works yet but it is just too cool).
And to top it all off a paper party hat that looked like an evil over lord's crown. I felt immensely pleased to be wearing it when I opened Emily's gift and found a book on "How to Be a Villain". In just the few minutes I spent reading it I can tell that it is going to be fantastic and hilarious!
We spent the evening goofing around, drinking tea, playing with our toys, watching the Doctor Who Christmas Special and making each other laugh.
Thanks for spoiling me and being big kids with me.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Nerd Carolling Thanks You (final total)
So Nerd Carolling has come to an end. We were really happy with the results!
We had hoped to raise $100 from our two days of singing.
We made that in the first night.
After 5 nights of carolling, (3 more than we had planned thanks to an amazingly positive response) we raised...
$505.58 CAD
Sarah and I made the donation last night to Child's Play. People have also been giving online donations and telling us about them. So our real grand total is
$565.58 CAD
Thank you so much to the people who got excited and sent us around to a variety of people. You started a chain reaction that got us sent to so many different places in the city and got the word out further.
Thanks to Sarah and Emily for putting in their time and singing voices to making this possible.
We had hoped to raise $100 from our two days of singing.
We made that in the first night.
After 5 nights of carolling, (3 more than we had planned thanks to an amazingly positive response) we raised...
$505.58 CAD
Sarah and I made the donation last night to Child's Play. People have also been giving online donations and telling us about them. So our real grand total is
$565.58 CAD
Thank you so much to the people who got excited and sent us around to a variety of people. You started a chain reaction that got us sent to so many different places in the city and got the word out further.
Thanks to Sarah and Emily for putting in their time and singing voices to making this possible.
A huge thank you to Jonathon Coulton (jonathancoulton.com) and The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (cthulhulives.org) who said we could use their music and basically made the whole thing possible. They have really great music, if you haven't done so already you should check them out.
This was a really fun project and we hope to be able to do this again next year!
Merry Christmas
This was a really fun project and we hope to be able to do this again next year!
Merry Christmas
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Nerd Carolling (first night)
We went out singing last night and already have passed our goal of 100 dollars for Child's Play (http://www.childsplaycharity.org). So now we're hoping to double it. We had so many people get into it when we started going around. Once they understood what we were doing it snowballed. We'd sing for one house and they would send us to two more houses.
Also people were really happy to give to Child's Play. Most had been wanting to for a while but didn't feel like it was worth it for their five or ten dollars. But we've also had people from other cities email us to let us know they've donated an amount and want us to sing for someone in Regina. So exciting!
Also people were really happy to give to Child's Play. Most had been wanting to for a while but didn't feel like it was worth it for their five or ten dollars. But we've also had people from other cities email us to let us know they've donated an amount and want us to sing for someone in Regina. So exciting!
Typing
I love typing fast. I love hearing the the variations of the key strokes as I slam down on the board in different levels of intensity. I feel in those moments that I'm playing a new sort of instrument and that the crescendo of my idea is somehow transmuting itself into something new and wonderful. Mostly I love to send off emails as fast as my fingers will allow. Just listen to the keys. I've had so many emails where I simply have to say "Yes, I can do this." or "Right away." that it feels like the phrase is simply part of the motion and not the reason for the email. I would find any reason to send off that email. Now just to find that portion of my brain that is the poet. To coax out some description so that others will understand, what I hear in the beautiful sound of typing the word.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Debate and nerd carolling
Ok so I was realizing that I'm not really letting my nerd flag fly. I mean how can I be a plain nerd if I don't talk about nerdy goodness? So first let me say that I judged debate last week and it was awesome! I had a wonderful time and got to see so many people and chat with them in a very open space. Ran into a guy (thankfully not literally) who was in my physics class in first year. It was really good to see him. He's now substituting at my old high school, funny in that small city way.
We had a really good time judging and listening to all the debaters. There were a few really hilarious moments. One in particular was a kid saying "Am I right?!" realized what he had said and followed up beautifully with "Yes. I. Am." Simply perfect. Sarah had a really great moment where a 14 year old kid clarified something for everyone: "Now I'm not a scientist...." yeah, we guessed that.
An excellent night and got me really pumped up for my real project that I wanted to talk about.
Nerd Carolling.
Sarah and I did this a few years ago but I was off the continent last year so it had to wait. Basically this is a simple concept that requires way more explanation than I expected. We (Sarah, Emily -when she gets back- and I) go around to various houses and sing to people. The people we sing to have either given us money or someone else has given us money to sing to that person. Like sending a singing telegram. We're singing nerdy songs, some to the tune of christmas carols and some that just need to be sung because they're so amusing. The money we collect is going to Child's Play Charity (http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ )
We thought it would be a nice thing to do to encourage people to donate to help sick kids have something fun to do. We emailed Jonathan Coulton and The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. They both said we could use their music. Very exciting!
So our first day of singing starts tomorrow... er later today. I can't wait! I hope to get some recordings and put them up on youtube. Now just to find my camera.
We had a really good time judging and listening to all the debaters. There were a few really hilarious moments. One in particular was a kid saying "Am I right?!" realized what he had said and followed up beautifully with "Yes. I. Am." Simply perfect. Sarah had a really great moment where a 14 year old kid clarified something for everyone: "Now I'm not a scientist...." yeah, we guessed that.
An excellent night and got me really pumped up for my real project that I wanted to talk about.
Nerd Carolling.
Sarah and I did this a few years ago but I was off the continent last year so it had to wait. Basically this is a simple concept that requires way more explanation than I expected. We (Sarah, Emily -when she gets back- and I) go around to various houses and sing to people. The people we sing to have either given us money or someone else has given us money to sing to that person. Like sending a singing telegram. We're singing nerdy songs, some to the tune of christmas carols and some that just need to be sung because they're so amusing. The money we collect is going to Child's Play Charity (http://www.childsplaycharity.
We thought it would be a nice thing to do to encourage people to donate to help sick kids have something fun to do. We emailed Jonathan Coulton and The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. They both said we could use their music. Very exciting!
So our first day of singing starts tomorrow... er later today. I can't wait! I hope to get some recordings and put them up on youtube. Now just to find my camera.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday night -
Last of my yoga classes and wondering if I'm going to go next year. They give me vast amounts of compliments on my flexibility (which I love and is a huge boost to the ego) but I'm not getting anything from the stretches. I'm mostly finding myself feeling as if nothing is a challenge. But that will require more reflection on my own time. I'm here to tell the story of my night.
So I'm sitting there in my sweat pants and old t-shirt and feeling like I'm looking pretty rough around the edges. Then I get a text that turned my night around:
"Hookah. Suits. Now??!"
And I was off. Got showered and changed and got to the hookah lounge around 10. Everyone was looking fantastic and so many hugs came my way. So happy. I spent the evening bouncing from conversation to random statement that would catch my attention for a moment. It really did improve the night to be dressed up. We all seemed that much more focused, interesting and adventurous. It also helped that we were a very large group. I think we might have gotten to a total of 18 or 19 at the largest. We decided that dancing was the thing we needed. Off we all went, loosing people here and there. We eventually got together at the club. Our numbers had dwindled to 12 but we were all ready to dance our asses off. We ended up finding one guy on the dance floor. We all rushed in and joined him. Thus our instant dance party effect took hold. Two girls joined the floor, then another two and more and more. We were dancing with all we had. We looked and felt like an amazing wedding party.
I ran into a friend of mine from elementary and high school and caught up as well as you can in a few lines. "How are you? What are you doing these days? We haven't talked in ages. What is your number now?" All the while my friends keep coming off the floor for drinks, me handing out my community water cup to make sure people stay hydrated. I told her about our dance parties, she said it sounded like fun and then she gave me a huge compliment.
"You look like you're really doing good. It is always good to be around you, you seem to know how to get the most out of life." I was deeply touched. It is an exaggeration for emphasis to be sure but I felt the slight truth to the statement. We were having a lot of fun hanging out and all of us were experiencing a collective joy to the evening. After the 4th or 5th time of my group trying to get me back out on the floor I finally gave in to the pull of the music. After promising my reacquainted friend that we would catch up when she was out of the insanity of finals I dove back into the people.
When the last song had played we headed out. We were rather disappointed with the choice of country song to end the night, so as an alternative Sam and I lead the group in singing Barrett's Privateers outside in the snow. A guy came by and stopped to listen and joined in our circle to dance. Other people stopped and stood around to listen. When finally we finished one of the guys listening, who had started clapping along asked "What channel was that?" Chris in all seriousness, "7." We all dispersed and went home. An excellent end to wonderful night.
So I'm sitting there in my sweat pants and old t-shirt and feeling like I'm looking pretty rough around the edges. Then I get a text that turned my night around:
"Hookah. Suits. Now??!"
And I was off. Got showered and changed and got to the hookah lounge around 10. Everyone was looking fantastic and so many hugs came my way. So happy. I spent the evening bouncing from conversation to random statement that would catch my attention for a moment. It really did improve the night to be dressed up. We all seemed that much more focused, interesting and adventurous. It also helped that we were a very large group. I think we might have gotten to a total of 18 or 19 at the largest. We decided that dancing was the thing we needed. Off we all went, loosing people here and there. We eventually got together at the club. Our numbers had dwindled to 12 but we were all ready to dance our asses off. We ended up finding one guy on the dance floor. We all rushed in and joined him. Thus our instant dance party effect took hold. Two girls joined the floor, then another two and more and more. We were dancing with all we had. We looked and felt like an amazing wedding party.
I ran into a friend of mine from elementary and high school and caught up as well as you can in a few lines. "How are you? What are you doing these days? We haven't talked in ages. What is your number now?" All the while my friends keep coming off the floor for drinks, me handing out my community water cup to make sure people stay hydrated. I told her about our dance parties, she said it sounded like fun and then she gave me a huge compliment.
"You look like you're really doing good. It is always good to be around you, you seem to know how to get the most out of life." I was deeply touched. It is an exaggeration for emphasis to be sure but I felt the slight truth to the statement. We were having a lot of fun hanging out and all of us were experiencing a collective joy to the evening. After the 4th or 5th time of my group trying to get me back out on the floor I finally gave in to the pull of the music. After promising my reacquainted friend that we would catch up when she was out of the insanity of finals I dove back into the people.
When the last song had played we headed out. We were rather disappointed with the choice of country song to end the night, so as an alternative Sam and I lead the group in singing Barrett's Privateers outside in the snow. A guy came by and stopped to listen and joined in our circle to dance. Other people stopped and stood around to listen. When finally we finished one of the guys listening, who had started clapping along asked "What channel was that?" Chris in all seriousness, "7." We all dispersed and went home. An excellent end to wonderful night.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A good start to getting back to writing
Estelle's request for an update was read, mentally agreed to and then pushed away into a back cupboard of my head. So here I am. Back to write and wondering what bits to include. I had started writing up a little observation about the transition to fall, but now with winter actually here and smacking us in the face it seems a little pointless. Winter came at us in a strange way this time around, or maybe this is the way it happens every year but I just noticed this time clearly.
The blizzards kept coming and melting over and over, and then one day it just stuck. Winter was here. No small snowfall, just blizzard after blizzard. I noticed especially because of my job. I've been driving around the province taking pictures for elementary and high schools. Really enjoyable and I got to see a lot of the province that I've never had a reason to go explore. But what caught my attention was just the wall of winter melting into a field of late fall, or a small town being the line where the green grass grew up to and then was replaced by sheets of ice. I especially love the contrast of calling a school to find out if photos can even take place, they say they're having a lovely fall day, while I dug for two hours to get my car out of the drive way.
And yet I'm ridiculously happy. I'm looking forward to Christmas. This is huge for me, I've not been a fan of the season for the past 15 years or so. And now I'm looking around and thinking about hosting Christmas parties and getting gifts for people ahead of time. It isn't a struggle to find SOMETHING good about this season, I'm just over achingly pleased about the days. I'm even getting some of my rage at the cold under control... however I have thought about going to the airport on numerous occasions and just slapping down to some money for a one way ticket to Spain or someplace. I think I'm feeling free. Now being done school and having the options to go anywhere. The possibilities are so vast and everything seems possible. A pep talk from my 95 year old neighbour really helped me along with this.
The blizzards kept coming and melting over and over, and then one day it just stuck. Winter was here. No small snowfall, just blizzard after blizzard. I noticed especially because of my job. I've been driving around the province taking pictures for elementary and high schools. Really enjoyable and I got to see a lot of the province that I've never had a reason to go explore. But what caught my attention was just the wall of winter melting into a field of late fall, or a small town being the line where the green grass grew up to and then was replaced by sheets of ice. I especially love the contrast of calling a school to find out if photos can even take place, they say they're having a lovely fall day, while I dug for two hours to get my car out of the drive way.
And yet I'm ridiculously happy. I'm looking forward to Christmas. This is huge for me, I've not been a fan of the season for the past 15 years or so. And now I'm looking around and thinking about hosting Christmas parties and getting gifts for people ahead of time. It isn't a struggle to find SOMETHING good about this season, I'm just over achingly pleased about the days. I'm even getting some of my rage at the cold under control... however I have thought about going to the airport on numerous occasions and just slapping down to some money for a one way ticket to Spain or someplace. I think I'm feeling free. Now being done school and having the options to go anywhere. The possibilities are so vast and everything seems possible. A pep talk from my 95 year old neighbour really helped me along with this.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wow I seriously missed July?
How does that even happen?
Time just does not flow the same for me as most people apparently.
*update, lost a few more months... have decided to add a twitter feed to keep that from happening again*
Time just does not flow the same for me as most people apparently.
*update, lost a few more months... have decided to add a twitter feed to keep that from happening again*
Monday, June 28, 2010
An evening reveling past dawn.
I had another night of adventure on Saturday. I had talked with Sam about getting together earlier in the evening... that didn't happen.
What did happen is a series of rather convoluted events that make up wonderful memories. I was making pies and having supper with my parents when Sam called. We had planned to get together and do anything really, to hang out before he leaves, but he had some tear down to do for his cousin's band later. He invited me out to a restaurant to meet up with him and his friends until he had to go help.
The guys (Chris, Mitch and Sam) were all in suits when I got there and discussing China in a world market setting. That is, Sam was expounding on how it was setting itself up to be a larger market than the United States with an even greater amount of middle class and with more disposable income... and his friends Mitch and Chris looked bored. Maybe I just don't know them well enough to read their faces but it seemed like this was not the conversation they were looking for. Interesting, but it needed to move on. Sam thankfully was the one to change it by asking about my pie making. He had foolishly said he would bring a home made pie to his work the next day, and didn't know how to make one. He wanted to buy one of mine, but they were both spoken for. As Kaela came in I explained I had some extra pastry, it was decided that he would buy some pie filling and we would go over to my house and make one at some point in the evening. Mesel came in a few minutes later in a suit and we the girls found ourselves woefully under dressed with all the guys looking so great. However Kaela's Captain America t-shirt was pretty kick ass. Mitch tried to get a limo to take us around for the evening, as it was his birthday, but they were all taken for grad.
Sam and I slipped across the road to pick up some pie filling. There were a lot of people dressed up in there. It was strange to see people in suits shopping. I felt like I had fallen into a classier time. I think I should dress up more, as it just makes things better. I decided to go home and suit up. I went with a black and white dress, dark grey suit jacket, red heels and long red earrings. I met them after tear down, where the band's gear is stored and helped haul in. I was feeling rather Utilicool to be hauling while dressed up. Sam noticed I was carrying a keyboard almost as long as I am tall (5'7").
"Is that heavy? Probably too heavy for heels."
Yes, I suppose it was. We shared a laugh and he took it off my hands, I'd proved to myself that I can be helpful even with heels so I was happy to let him take it. I've never had a heel snap on me but I'm sure that was a good recipe for disaster. We chatted out in the alley with Andrew, Sam's brother and decided the next stop should be their house and then possibly a bar.
I drove Chris home as he had work the next day and headed over to Sam's. Just as I pulled up Sam called and told me he was running down the street from Mitch's house where they had really ended up. I picked him up along the way and found that the group was stalling on going out. We managed eventually to get everyone out the door. I drove Mitch's huge SUV and Mesel was right when he said, "You don't drive this car, it drives you." Foolishly we had thought that our suits would stand out... again we forgot grad night. Suits everywhere!
We danced, people got drinks and I ran into my friend Lydia. We had a great time while we were there and then headed back to Mitch's. Suits had been displayed to the world and compliments received. Success! Mesel and I had a dance party all ourselves for a good portion of the evening, starting at the bar and continued to Mitch's living room where we kept the music going all night and into the morning.
It was nice just having some fun and hanging around, and even better getting to know Mesel more. We had a really long discussion by ourselves for almost an hour about everything and nothing. Mesel, Mitch and I were alone for a bit and we were talking about the guy Sam had picked up. Mitch thought it was going to turn into a boyfriend thing and he was really upset by how little we knew about the guy and how much he knew about us. I could see his fear but more so that the guy didn't know Sam at all. There was this great moment of Sam-ness when he was talking about how Bob Dylan was amazing even if he was conceited. Sam used some phrase that was more elaborate than necessary but captured his point, and the guy tried to get us to laugh at Sam... no... Just because you find it funny that he's smarter than you doesn't mean that he's going to dumb himself down, or that we will respect him less. Piss off. We love him and don't even know you, we're not siding with you on this unless you can make witty comments. He seemed nice enough but just chose a poor moment to try and be funny. I think the guy might have picked up on it as there was no reaction to his comment and I encouraged Sam to finish his point.
The guy eventually went home and we teased Sam a bit about it all. People just have different standards for friends vs relationships. It was nearing 6am and we were feeling the lag. Kaela had gone to sleep (presumably in Mitch's bed as they're dating). So it was down now to Mesel, Mitch, Sam and Me. So what to do? Suit walk!
We went for a walk around the south end of town with all the morning dog walkers and joggers out. We looked like an anachronism. But maybe I just looked bizarre as I had borrowed some huge thick skate shoes from Mitch. It looked like I had cartoon feet. I loved it! We had an interesting walk with all of us tired and trying to have discussions. Mitch kept having ideas that would trail off in the middle and Mesel couldn't stop himself from trying to get the ideas to finish. He constantly felt like Mitch was subconsciously on the edge of a breakthrough or revolutionary thought.
We got back to Mitch's around 7 and started talking about time perception and measurement with Mitch's dad. Sam told us about measuring time with cesium oscillations. A very informative morning. But as it got on to 7:30 I headed home for sleep.
So no pie was baked in the end and I've met a few new people, had some great chats and danced till I could dance no more. A great evening.
What did happen is a series of rather convoluted events that make up wonderful memories. I was making pies and having supper with my parents when Sam called. We had planned to get together and do anything really, to hang out before he leaves, but he had some tear down to do for his cousin's band later. He invited me out to a restaurant to meet up with him and his friends until he had to go help.
The guys (Chris, Mitch and Sam) were all in suits when I got there and discussing China in a world market setting. That is, Sam was expounding on how it was setting itself up to be a larger market than the United States with an even greater amount of middle class and with more disposable income... and his friends Mitch and Chris looked bored. Maybe I just don't know them well enough to read their faces but it seemed like this was not the conversation they were looking for. Interesting, but it needed to move on. Sam thankfully was the one to change it by asking about my pie making. He had foolishly said he would bring a home made pie to his work the next day, and didn't know how to make one. He wanted to buy one of mine, but they were both spoken for. As Kaela came in I explained I had some extra pastry, it was decided that he would buy some pie filling and we would go over to my house and make one at some point in the evening. Mesel came in a few minutes later in a suit and we the girls found ourselves woefully under dressed with all the guys looking so great. However Kaela's Captain America t-shirt was pretty kick ass. Mitch tried to get a limo to take us around for the evening, as it was his birthday, but they were all taken for grad.
Sam and I slipped across the road to pick up some pie filling. There were a lot of people dressed up in there. It was strange to see people in suits shopping. I felt like I had fallen into a classier time. I think I should dress up more, as it just makes things better. I decided to go home and suit up. I went with a black and white dress, dark grey suit jacket, red heels and long red earrings. I met them after tear down, where the band's gear is stored and helped haul in. I was feeling rather Utilicool to be hauling while dressed up. Sam noticed I was carrying a keyboard almost as long as I am tall (5'7").
"Is that heavy? Probably too heavy for heels."
Yes, I suppose it was. We shared a laugh and he took it off my hands, I'd proved to myself that I can be helpful even with heels so I was happy to let him take it. I've never had a heel snap on me but I'm sure that was a good recipe for disaster. We chatted out in the alley with Andrew, Sam's brother and decided the next stop should be their house and then possibly a bar.
I drove Chris home as he had work the next day and headed over to Sam's. Just as I pulled up Sam called and told me he was running down the street from Mitch's house where they had really ended up. I picked him up along the way and found that the group was stalling on going out. We managed eventually to get everyone out the door. I drove Mitch's huge SUV and Mesel was right when he said, "You don't drive this car, it drives you." Foolishly we had thought that our suits would stand out... again we forgot grad night. Suits everywhere!
We danced, people got drinks and I ran into my friend Lydia. We had a great time while we were there and then headed back to Mitch's. Suits had been displayed to the world and compliments received. Success! Mesel and I had a dance party all ourselves for a good portion of the evening, starting at the bar and continued to Mitch's living room where we kept the music going all night and into the morning.
It was nice just having some fun and hanging around, and even better getting to know Mesel more. We had a really long discussion by ourselves for almost an hour about everything and nothing. Mesel, Mitch and I were alone for a bit and we were talking about the guy Sam had picked up. Mitch thought it was going to turn into a boyfriend thing and he was really upset by how little we knew about the guy and how much he knew about us. I could see his fear but more so that the guy didn't know Sam at all. There was this great moment of Sam-ness when he was talking about how Bob Dylan was amazing even if he was conceited. Sam used some phrase that was more elaborate than necessary but captured his point, and the guy tried to get us to laugh at Sam... no... Just because you find it funny that he's smarter than you doesn't mean that he's going to dumb himself down, or that we will respect him less. Piss off. We love him and don't even know you, we're not siding with you on this unless you can make witty comments. He seemed nice enough but just chose a poor moment to try and be funny. I think the guy might have picked up on it as there was no reaction to his comment and I encouraged Sam to finish his point.
The guy eventually went home and we teased Sam a bit about it all. People just have different standards for friends vs relationships. It was nearing 6am and we were feeling the lag. Kaela had gone to sleep (presumably in Mitch's bed as they're dating). So it was down now to Mesel, Mitch, Sam and Me. So what to do? Suit walk!
We went for a walk around the south end of town with all the morning dog walkers and joggers out. We looked like an anachronism. But maybe I just looked bizarre as I had borrowed some huge thick skate shoes from Mitch. It looked like I had cartoon feet. I loved it! We had an interesting walk with all of us tired and trying to have discussions. Mitch kept having ideas that would trail off in the middle and Mesel couldn't stop himself from trying to get the ideas to finish. He constantly felt like Mitch was subconsciously on the edge of a breakthrough or revolutionary thought.
We got back to Mitch's around 7 and started talking about time perception and measurement with Mitch's dad. Sam told us about measuring time with cesium oscillations. A very informative morning. But as it got on to 7:30 I headed home for sleep.
So no pie was baked in the end and I've met a few new people, had some great chats and danced till I could dance no more. A great evening.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Yesterday was a nonstop thrill ride of adventure and discovery!
I don't think I can possibly hype this day up any more.
I got together with Joc in the afternoon. We wanted to have an adventure that was as cheap as possible. My mom suggested that we go for a walk around the Government House grounds looking at the flower beds. It was great. The grounds are something I've never explored during the day; there were all sorts of flowers coming up. I think another trip out is necessary after the weather has calmed down enough for the plants to not drown, and get some sun in their systems.
We then went and looked around Gov House itself, there was a type of guide in costume who seemed really familiar but I have no idea where I knew her from. Joc and I did the self directed tour and reminisced about all the childhood field trips out here. Highlights included the rocking horse for the pet monkey, the parrot that only spoke french, the chair that was specially designed to be as uncomfortable as possible for door to door sales men and the day bed for catching ladies who fainted after having their corsets tightened. Some of the furniture was just fantastic and we both found items that we'd love to have in our own homes some day. She found a neon green chair, while I found a rose couch that was all swirls and curved lines. We had great fun listening to all the ambient audio that has been added to rooms to give you a real feel of what the room was for. I appreciated immensely that they refrained from putting a laughing child track in the children's play room, that sounds creepy no matter how hard you try. We found former Lieutenant-Governors conversing together in a side room dinner party and we had a great time giggling at the various conversations. Nothing like a man from 1805 talking with a woman from 1988. Also just really interesting to hear about their lives.
We went out for raspberry lemonade and then back to her house to watch Top Gear. The after noon was like a mouse dancing with a flower in a museum with a bit of lemon on its head.
We were about to start our supper when Sacha called and asked if I could bring him out his spare keys. He was at Lumsden beach, and suspected that his keys were locked in the trunk of his car. It was too funny an opportunity to pass up. We ate, headed over to his parents and then an hour out to them. Joc and I were our own radio on the way out. We sang Bohemian Rhapsody and I'm a Believer, complete with musical interludes. Very fun, with much laughter on the way out. We were on high alert for any deer that might be wandering, as it was dusk when were were leaving the city, finally just as we got to the last turn off there was a deer. It was one of those moments where you can see how someone would give up vigilance for just a moment at the end of their trip and get screwed over. But we were fine, and the deer made its way off to the golf course.
Emily, Sacha, Sam and Jordan were very happy to see us and especially happy to see the keys. They had just been out for a few hours but Sam and Jordan were ravenously hungry, having not had anything to eat and being restricted from food at Emily's cabin. Which meant that they had eaten all the food they had brought, they had cooked potatoes and now were waiting on a German pancake to be finished baking. They told us of their search for food and how they had needed to steal scraps they found around the house. Their strange concoctions of butter, mayo and pickles in a tortilla shell. And how you knew they were hungry because even that tasted good. Sam while we were there ended up slowly eating away at a watermelon rind, until it was just a sliver of green and then he ate that too.
After a couple of rounds of cards, joc got the ball rolling on heading back into the city so that the guys could get some much needed sustenance. Restaurant picked we packed up and drove back. As we were nearing the edge of the city, once again we encountered an animal. Coasting up to a red light there suddenly came this rabbit running across our path. Had we not been slowing it wouldn't have made it. Good luck to you little rabbit! You are one ballsy little guy!
Sacha and Emily went home while Joc and I helped a friend on the phone talk out some worries about her boyfriend and money. Sam and Jordan tried to get a seat in the restaurant but the kitchen was closed. Joc started planning a girls night and Jordan messed up. He was talking with his girlfriend on the phone (his girlfriend's name is Sarah and she is Emily's best friend), and said "I'm so hungry Emily". So Joc was talking about relationships on one cell while Jordan was on another exacerbating the situation with his girlfriend. Sam and I watched as they paced in the exact same way back and forth parallel with each other. Is this the relationship walk? Sam said that the only good thing was that they weren't talking to each other on the phone.
We tried Subway but it was closed. Ended up walking over to McDonalds and being joined by Jordan and Joc when they had figured things out as best they could with their respective conversations. Food acquired, but still they needed something more. We drove over to Dominoes and the guys ordered a pizza. The teen at the till asked for a name and Sam just got this look. He gave his name but you could see something was sitting in his head. I said that I half expected him to debate "what is a name". Without missing a beat the guy at the till gave almost a textbook answer. I liked him instantly. While we waited, we went over to TimHortons' for some coffee and on our way in saw Jordan's twin, doppelganger, future self... we didn't know what we were seeing. He had the same hair, shirt, shorts, body type and similar-ish face. We forced Jordan in and he almost refused, claiming he didn't know what would happen if they were in the same room together. He insisted that they couldn't touch or the world would implode. The guy instantly noticed Jordan and deliberately walked by to get a second look. It was far too funny. He definitely didn't have Jordan's 110% jolliness... more of a 70% Jolly, 30% disdain.
As we were heading off to pickup the pizza our friend Sydney and Chris walked in. I was meeting Chris for the first time, I'm glad that I've seen his face before he, Ben and Sam take off on their 3 week hike to the ocean through the mountains. Crazy! But that's another post all together. Sam made me really happy that he introduced me as one of his favourite people. I'm glad the feeling is mutual. We got the pizza and sat out on a picnic bench as the weather was so gorgeous even past midnight. After a lot of talking and being eaten by mosquitoes Joc took us to Sam's and headed home.
I was going with Sam for company up to Jordan's and back as it is pretty far. We walked around Jordan's area and I found myself completely twisted around. I thought we were heading in one general direction when I suddenly found myself back at Sam's car. I've never experienced that much disorientation. It was a very cool feeling. The walk up in Jordan's area was very shenanigans filled with a variety of topics. It was fun to talk about some mutually known people and be able to say a line that I think sums up my personality.
"Do you know him?"
"Well... I've hugged him"
Jordan headed for bed and Sam and I still felt restless. We drove down to my end but realized that Sam was more tired than he thought. We chatted in my driveway watching the lightning flashes turn into a lightning storm with none touching down. Of course we rolled down the windows for some fresh air and there was an instant downpour. So our walk was out but we had a great chat. Eventually I stood to get out of the car. We started another interesting discussion so I got back in. Eventually around 3:30 we came to a close with Sam saying another line that just made me incredibly pleased.
Me: "No more talking you need sleep."
Sam: "Damn it Randene, you're just too interesting."
Thanks :)
And thanks for a great day everyone.
I got together with Joc in the afternoon. We wanted to have an adventure that was as cheap as possible. My mom suggested that we go for a walk around the Government House grounds looking at the flower beds. It was great. The grounds are something I've never explored during the day; there were all sorts of flowers coming up. I think another trip out is necessary after the weather has calmed down enough for the plants to not drown, and get some sun in their systems.
We then went and looked around Gov House itself, there was a type of guide in costume who seemed really familiar but I have no idea where I knew her from. Joc and I did the self directed tour and reminisced about all the childhood field trips out here. Highlights included the rocking horse for the pet monkey, the parrot that only spoke french, the chair that was specially designed to be as uncomfortable as possible for door to door sales men and the day bed for catching ladies who fainted after having their corsets tightened. Some of the furniture was just fantastic and we both found items that we'd love to have in our own homes some day. She found a neon green chair, while I found a rose couch that was all swirls and curved lines. We had great fun listening to all the ambient audio that has been added to rooms to give you a real feel of what the room was for. I appreciated immensely that they refrained from putting a laughing child track in the children's play room, that sounds creepy no matter how hard you try. We found former Lieutenant-Governors conversing together in a side room dinner party and we had a great time giggling at the various conversations. Nothing like a man from 1805 talking with a woman from 1988. Also just really interesting to hear about their lives.
We went out for raspberry lemonade and then back to her house to watch Top Gear. The after noon was like a mouse dancing with a flower in a museum with a bit of lemon on its head.
We were about to start our supper when Sacha called and asked if I could bring him out his spare keys. He was at Lumsden beach, and suspected that his keys were locked in the trunk of his car. It was too funny an opportunity to pass up. We ate, headed over to his parents and then an hour out to them. Joc and I were our own radio on the way out. We sang Bohemian Rhapsody and I'm a Believer, complete with musical interludes. Very fun, with much laughter on the way out. We were on high alert for any deer that might be wandering, as it was dusk when were were leaving the city, finally just as we got to the last turn off there was a deer. It was one of those moments where you can see how someone would give up vigilance for just a moment at the end of their trip and get screwed over. But we were fine, and the deer made its way off to the golf course.
Emily, Sacha, Sam and Jordan were very happy to see us and especially happy to see the keys. They had just been out for a few hours but Sam and Jordan were ravenously hungry, having not had anything to eat and being restricted from food at Emily's cabin. Which meant that they had eaten all the food they had brought, they had cooked potatoes and now were waiting on a German pancake to be finished baking. They told us of their search for food and how they had needed to steal scraps they found around the house. Their strange concoctions of butter, mayo and pickles in a tortilla shell. And how you knew they were hungry because even that tasted good. Sam while we were there ended up slowly eating away at a watermelon rind, until it was just a sliver of green and then he ate that too.
After a couple of rounds of cards, joc got the ball rolling on heading back into the city so that the guys could get some much needed sustenance. Restaurant picked we packed up and drove back. As we were nearing the edge of the city, once again we encountered an animal. Coasting up to a red light there suddenly came this rabbit running across our path. Had we not been slowing it wouldn't have made it. Good luck to you little rabbit! You are one ballsy little guy!
Sacha and Emily went home while Joc and I helped a friend on the phone talk out some worries about her boyfriend and money. Sam and Jordan tried to get a seat in the restaurant but the kitchen was closed. Joc started planning a girls night and Jordan messed up. He was talking with his girlfriend on the phone (his girlfriend's name is Sarah and she is Emily's best friend), and said "I'm so hungry Emily". So Joc was talking about relationships on one cell while Jordan was on another exacerbating the situation with his girlfriend. Sam and I watched as they paced in the exact same way back and forth parallel with each other. Is this the relationship walk? Sam said that the only good thing was that they weren't talking to each other on the phone.
We tried Subway but it was closed. Ended up walking over to McDonalds and being joined by Jordan and Joc when they had figured things out as best they could with their respective conversations. Food acquired, but still they needed something more. We drove over to Dominoes and the guys ordered a pizza. The teen at the till asked for a name and Sam just got this look. He gave his name but you could see something was sitting in his head. I said that I half expected him to debate "what is a name". Without missing a beat the guy at the till gave almost a textbook answer. I liked him instantly. While we waited, we went over to TimHortons' for some coffee and on our way in saw Jordan's twin, doppelganger, future self... we didn't know what we were seeing. He had the same hair, shirt, shorts, body type and similar-ish face. We forced Jordan in and he almost refused, claiming he didn't know what would happen if they were in the same room together. He insisted that they couldn't touch or the world would implode. The guy instantly noticed Jordan and deliberately walked by to get a second look. It was far too funny. He definitely didn't have Jordan's 110% jolliness... more of a 70% Jolly, 30% disdain.
As we were heading off to pickup the pizza our friend Sydney and Chris walked in. I was meeting Chris for the first time, I'm glad that I've seen his face before he, Ben and Sam take off on their 3 week hike to the ocean through the mountains. Crazy! But that's another post all together. Sam made me really happy that he introduced me as one of his favourite people. I'm glad the feeling is mutual. We got the pizza and sat out on a picnic bench as the weather was so gorgeous even past midnight. After a lot of talking and being eaten by mosquitoes Joc took us to Sam's and headed home.
I was going with Sam for company up to Jordan's and back as it is pretty far. We walked around Jordan's area and I found myself completely twisted around. I thought we were heading in one general direction when I suddenly found myself back at Sam's car. I've never experienced that much disorientation. It was a very cool feeling. The walk up in Jordan's area was very shenanigans filled with a variety of topics. It was fun to talk about some mutually known people and be able to say a line that I think sums up my personality.
"Do you know him?"
"Well... I've hugged him"
Jordan headed for bed and Sam and I still felt restless. We drove down to my end but realized that Sam was more tired than he thought. We chatted in my driveway watching the lightning flashes turn into a lightning storm with none touching down. Of course we rolled down the windows for some fresh air and there was an instant downpour. So our walk was out but we had a great chat. Eventually I stood to get out of the car. We started another interesting discussion so I got back in. Eventually around 3:30 we came to a close with Sam saying another line that just made me incredibly pleased.
Me: "No more talking you need sleep."
Sam: "Damn it Randene, you're just too interesting."
Thanks :)
And thanks for a great day everyone.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Friends not of the city in the city
I find it hilarious to write that as a title... because of the 3 people who might read this... and I think at this time, they are the only friends who know I have a blog at all - Estelle, Emily, and Sarah. All of them are friends who lived in the city for years but then moved away. Estelle and Emily for school and Sarah for missionary work. So really this could be about any of them but this is focused on Estelle coming back for 3 nights and my friend Christine coming into town for 2 days.
Estelle came back into town and we swarmed together in large groups, trying to catch up on life. I feel I got the best of the whole 3 evenings that she was around. Mostly in ratios of time spent with her vs how much time she was in the city... Her dad might have got a bit more... but of her friends I'm victorious! It was really great to see her, refresh our knowledge of each other and just spend time together. All the typical, what are you doings, and how are things that get asked on the phone but more relaxed. Plus we haven't had many phone calls to each other as of late so it was good to get back into the flow and be able to have those little silences that get missed because life gets too busy.
I picked her up from the bus stop the evening she arrived, drove her home, toured her yard with her and her dad, and took her out to meet up with people bowling. After much chatting and relocating the group twice, I took her back to her house. I wish I could capture how funny and wonderful it was that she fell asleep as she talked and woke up and was in mid sentence as if she had dreamed a conversation in the inter medium. The next afternoon and evening was a bbq that was full of chatting and memories from highschool. The end of that evening I drove her home and we chatted for a few hours in her driveway. That was when we really got the chance to talk. The last night was spent at a bar chatting with her, her friend and the friend's boyfriend. I walked with her out to her bike and felt like I was sending her off into the night to bike to Calgary. More a hilarious end than anything and a great way to leave each other laughing.
Christine came into town a couple of days ago to drive her mom to the hospital for surgery and then take her back home. We spent an evening as kids and parents catching up, all together. The next day Christine and I went off thrifting and had a lot of fun. Picked up my friend Joc and went for lunch and ice cream. Oh Ethiopian food how I love you. I said goodbye to them both as Christine needed to get back, to pick up her mom from the hospital. That was 2pm.
I went home and slept for a bit and got a call around 7 and we decided to have an in night as it was raining so much and I wasn't feeling up to go anywhere. We were just going to end up where Christine was staying, so we jumped the middle and just hung out in her grampa's basement all night. We chatted for almost 7 hours, using the game scruples for whenever our conversation got too... ranty? We would get stuck on a topic and one of us would pull a card to say "Ok, that's enough.". Approximately from 7:30 - 2am we talked. Absolutely fantastic! Christine pointed out that I was say goodbye exactly 12 hours apart. A very fun full day.
Anyways for future me, hope this was enough information to remember this little chunk of your life.
Estelle came back into town and we swarmed together in large groups, trying to catch up on life. I feel I got the best of the whole 3 evenings that she was around. Mostly in ratios of time spent with her vs how much time she was in the city... Her dad might have got a bit more... but of her friends I'm victorious! It was really great to see her, refresh our knowledge of each other and just spend time together. All the typical, what are you doings, and how are things that get asked on the phone but more relaxed. Plus we haven't had many phone calls to each other as of late so it was good to get back into the flow and be able to have those little silences that get missed because life gets too busy.
I picked her up from the bus stop the evening she arrived, drove her home, toured her yard with her and her dad, and took her out to meet up with people bowling. After much chatting and relocating the group twice, I took her back to her house. I wish I could capture how funny and wonderful it was that she fell asleep as she talked and woke up and was in mid sentence as if she had dreamed a conversation in the inter medium. The next afternoon and evening was a bbq that was full of chatting and memories from highschool. The end of that evening I drove her home and we chatted for a few hours in her driveway. That was when we really got the chance to talk. The last night was spent at a bar chatting with her, her friend and the friend's boyfriend. I walked with her out to her bike and felt like I was sending her off into the night to bike to Calgary. More a hilarious end than anything and a great way to leave each other laughing.
Christine came into town a couple of days ago to drive her mom to the hospital for surgery and then take her back home. We spent an evening as kids and parents catching up, all together. The next day Christine and I went off thrifting and had a lot of fun. Picked up my friend Joc and went for lunch and ice cream. Oh Ethiopian food how I love you. I said goodbye to them both as Christine needed to get back, to pick up her mom from the hospital. That was 2pm.
I went home and slept for a bit and got a call around 7 and we decided to have an in night as it was raining so much and I wasn't feeling up to go anywhere. We were just going to end up where Christine was staying, so we jumped the middle and just hung out in her grampa's basement all night. We chatted for almost 7 hours, using the game scruples for whenever our conversation got too... ranty? We would get stuck on a topic and one of us would pull a card to say "Ok, that's enough.". Approximately from 7:30 - 2am we talked. Absolutely fantastic! Christine pointed out that I was say goodbye exactly 12 hours apart. A very fun full day.
Anyways for future me, hope this was enough information to remember this little chunk of your life.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
What's a Bieber?
I find it funny how much of the whole pop culture and internet memes I missed out on. While away on my trip, I couldn't really tell how much of the collective consciousness I had been cut off from, but let me just say that I'm only NOW hearing the name Justin Bieber. I just saw him in a clip in the UK a few minutes ago and said "What? Why is he on this show?" A bit of a back story on how this monumental storm of pop-ness missed me.
The first time I ever saw this kid was on Funny or Die maybe 2 months ago? and saw a couple of his videos. There was this joke about making the site Bieber or Die, with a bunch of people having backgrounds with his face or hair... I honestly thought he was just a kid who made funny videos and that taking over the site was a joke that had become a popular meme. So then to suddenly see him come on a random British show, and have these girls absolutely screaming their heads off, well... I was a tad confused.
Hop to Wiki and I find out he's Canadian, well points for him... and he's a singer? And then I see the all important phases. Discovered in the fall of 2009 with a cd out in November... riiiiight about the time that I was traveling through the outback and we were not listening to radio or watching tv. I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I'm also incredibly happy that THIS is the thing I missed.
For some reason, when I'm out of contact with news sources I return to find out horrible things have happened. Like the Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti disaster and most recently the huge oil spill. Usually in a very confused manner people will be talking about it and I'll be left in the dark. The weirdest sensation I have ever had was finding out about the Tsunami and thinking that everyone must be making a joke. Things like islands disappearing just don't really enter my scope of the probable. I left my city for about 5 days this spring, only to be driving back into town just as a swat team was evacuating people from a hotel on the street I was driving on. Its like the world goes mad when I'm not watching it.
So yeah, bizarreness.
The first time I ever saw this kid was on Funny or Die maybe 2 months ago? and saw a couple of his videos. There was this joke about making the site Bieber or Die, with a bunch of people having backgrounds with his face or hair... I honestly thought he was just a kid who made funny videos and that taking over the site was a joke that had become a popular meme. So then to suddenly see him come on a random British show, and have these girls absolutely screaming their heads off, well... I was a tad confused.
Hop to Wiki and I find out he's Canadian, well points for him... and he's a singer? And then I see the all important phases. Discovered in the fall of 2009 with a cd out in November... riiiiight about the time that I was traveling through the outback and we were not listening to radio or watching tv. I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I'm also incredibly happy that THIS is the thing I missed.
For some reason, when I'm out of contact with news sources I return to find out horrible things have happened. Like the Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti disaster and most recently the huge oil spill. Usually in a very confused manner people will be talking about it and I'll be left in the dark. The weirdest sensation I have ever had was finding out about the Tsunami and thinking that everyone must be making a joke. Things like islands disappearing just don't really enter my scope of the probable. I left my city for about 5 days this spring, only to be driving back into town just as a swat team was evacuating people from a hotel on the street I was driving on. Its like the world goes mad when I'm not watching it.
So yeah, bizarreness.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Time with Sam
First thing, I have to get a memory down so that I can remember Sam's observations for years. I had been sharing a story of a woman who had come up to me and been a frightening kind of crazy. I have many a good friend who I would, and they would themselves, describe as unbalanced but she set every alarm in my head ringing.
She asked me my name. Sam said they always do. I told her it was Cathy. And Sam laughed. He followed by saying that you can always judge how unnerved people make you, by your unwillingness to give them even a real name, as if they could do anything with your first name alone. That you would want to be able to walk away with no feeling, if they were suddenly attacked by wolves and were calling out to you. CATHY!!!!
So yes. Sam has been in my head for the past couple of days, and has been filling it up with great amusement and fun stories. We spent a few days together recently for Mosaic... and any internet stalker worth their salt, that I might some day acquire, will now know what city I live in... or did at the time of this writing. Mosaic is a cultural festival in my city, where various organizations, dance groups, singers, musicians and artists come together in their own pavilions to showcase aspects of their cultures. Traditional costumes, foods, songs and performances make up the weekend. A lot of drinking takes place and there are buses that ferry people to various pavilions all around the city. A good time is had by all.
On the Thursday I found Sam and a couple of friends in the Ethiopian pavilion. He made me so happy, saying that it wasn't Mosaic until we had run into each other. We always start out separately each year but usually find one another. Our groups cleaved together and then cleaved apart in a new formation. We went around to the Hungarian, South American and ended the first night of Mosaic at the Scottish pavilion. Sam drove me home after some time at his friends' apartment. We chatted for a couple of hours and it was almost a relief to connect with him after so long. A great van talk, where you feel time as a quick thing you pass over with a variety of topics and then flit back saying: "What?! Has 2 hours passed already?" It was really late at night, we had a great cd on repeat that was just the right mix of interesting (a Latin America version of Stairway to Heaven) and not distracting.
Friday I went for a great long walk where I saw a friend I've known for years and 2 people I'd met the night before (the renters of the apartment). I had a small nap on the back of a large frog statue and then went over to Sam's for a barbecue. Music and dancing all afternoon with an exuberant zest for life. Off to Mosaic again. Ended up leaving Sam as he had had a bit too much to drink to leave his house at the moment, and got picked up by people. At the Chilean pavilion I saw 2 women I'd worked with last summer and at the Philippine pavilion, my group met up with 2 other people who joined us. The webs of connection are way to tangled in this city.
Throughout the night we called Sam's group to find out their progress to see if there was any chance of meeting up with them, but all we managed was to have some hilarious conversations on the phone.
"What are you saying? ....I think he just yelled incoherently and hung up"
"Are you anywhere near _____? Well we're leaving _______."
5 minutes later
"So you're now heading for ____ ? What happened to _____? Why did you get kicked off the bus?"
The group disbanded when Mosaic ended at midnight. Emily and I made our way to her house and we checked in to see if Sam and his group wanted to go for a walk now that the pavilions were closed. Turns out he and 2 friends were a block away. We ended up walking around in the area and then all the way back over to Sam's house... maybe over an hour's walk in total.
We got to his place and he made everyone tea after setting up his computer to play 3 things: a recording of rain, a variety of jazz and a looping video of a fire burning merrily. We all looked at each other and shared a laugh at this delightful quirk of our friend. Messel asked a question that has me still laughing. "Which of us is he trying to seduce?"
She asked me my name. Sam said they always do. I told her it was Cathy. And Sam laughed. He followed by saying that you can always judge how unnerved people make you, by your unwillingness to give them even a real name, as if they could do anything with your first name alone. That you would want to be able to walk away with no feeling, if they were suddenly attacked by wolves and were calling out to you. CATHY!!!!
So yes. Sam has been in my head for the past couple of days, and has been filling it up with great amusement and fun stories. We spent a few days together recently for Mosaic... and any internet stalker worth their salt, that I might some day acquire, will now know what city I live in... or did at the time of this writing. Mosaic is a cultural festival in my city, where various organizations, dance groups, singers, musicians and artists come together in their own pavilions to showcase aspects of their cultures. Traditional costumes, foods, songs and performances make up the weekend. A lot of drinking takes place and there are buses that ferry people to various pavilions all around the city. A good time is had by all.
On the Thursday I found Sam and a couple of friends in the Ethiopian pavilion. He made me so happy, saying that it wasn't Mosaic until we had run into each other. We always start out separately each year but usually find one another. Our groups cleaved together and then cleaved apart in a new formation. We went around to the Hungarian, South American and ended the first night of Mosaic at the Scottish pavilion. Sam drove me home after some time at his friends' apartment. We chatted for a couple of hours and it was almost a relief to connect with him after so long. A great van talk, where you feel time as a quick thing you pass over with a variety of topics and then flit back saying: "What?! Has 2 hours passed already?" It was really late at night, we had a great cd on repeat that was just the right mix of interesting (a Latin America version of Stairway to Heaven) and not distracting.
Friday I went for a great long walk where I saw a friend I've known for years and 2 people I'd met the night before (the renters of the apartment). I had a small nap on the back of a large frog statue and then went over to Sam's for a barbecue. Music and dancing all afternoon with an exuberant zest for life. Off to Mosaic again. Ended up leaving Sam as he had had a bit too much to drink to leave his house at the moment, and got picked up by people. At the Chilean pavilion I saw 2 women I'd worked with last summer and at the Philippine pavilion, my group met up with 2 other people who joined us. The webs of connection are way to tangled in this city.
Throughout the night we called Sam's group to find out their progress to see if there was any chance of meeting up with them, but all we managed was to have some hilarious conversations on the phone.
"What are you saying? ....I think he just yelled incoherently and hung up"
"Are you anywhere near _____? Well we're leaving _______."
5 minutes later
"So you're now heading for ____ ? What happened to _____? Why did you get kicked off the bus?"
The group disbanded when Mosaic ended at midnight. Emily and I made our way to her house and we checked in to see if Sam and his group wanted to go for a walk now that the pavilions were closed. Turns out he and 2 friends were a block away. We ended up walking around in the area and then all the way back over to Sam's house... maybe over an hour's walk in total.
We got to his place and he made everyone tea after setting up his computer to play 3 things: a recording of rain, a variety of jazz and a looping video of a fire burning merrily. We all looked at each other and shared a laugh at this delightful quirk of our friend. Messel asked a question that has me still laughing. "Which of us is he trying to seduce?"
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Whirlwind visit
My grandmother and great aunt came by the house yesterday. This is a big thing as they both live over 6 hours away. They were down for their sister's birthday... which is today actually. They came by in the evening and we had supper. After dessert I spontaneously decided to take my grama for a ride around town. It worked out great. We saw everything that she loves: sculptures, birds, spring flowers, fountains and interesting houses. It was wonderful to just do something with her. I don't think I've ever really had the opportunity to just experience a moment in her presence. All family gatherings are such a production and a carefully choreographed event that even going for a walk almost needs to be agreed on by comity.
We got back and she was so happy. We looked at photos from her 80th birthday on my laptop and she was beaming and practically giddy the whole time. She said she was beginning to understand how people could love being on the computer for hours.
We said good night. And this morning I woke up a little with a kiss goodbye from her on my forehead. Such a lovely visit.
We got back and she was so happy. We looked at photos from her 80th birthday on my laptop and she was beaming and practically giddy the whole time. She said she was beginning to understand how people could love being on the computer for hours.
We said good night. And this morning I woke up a little with a kiss goodbye from her on my forehead. Such a lovely visit.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Eight
This is the number of boxes my dad has brought back into the house from the garage for me to sort. When we went away I cleaned out a bunch of my shelves and closet of books, so the people staying would have room for their things. Now that they're back in the house I have to wonder what I'm going to do with them all. And here I thought I was getting the hang of my room once again. There are just so many textbooks that I can't bring myself to part with. Will I ever really read them again?
So for the most part I've been going through them and pulling out books of interest... but that gets a little grey when I've been accumulating books specifically because they look like they'll be an interesting read.
Trying to save a little of my sanity I've been getting together the books I've been missing since I got back. These are the ones that I've actually reached for before I remembered were packed away. I pulled those out of the boxes first thing and they're already up on my shelves along with my note books and sketch pads. I re-arranged a bunch of shelves and now have a section for my favourite books that are of a specific height... sounds strange but it works. (short shelf that doesn't really hold anything but a specific height of book)
So now just to read 2 library books and 5 loaned books, then start cracking into the boxes and deciding which will stay or go.
So for the most part I've been going through them and pulling out books of interest... but that gets a little grey when I've been accumulating books specifically because they look like they'll be an interesting read.
Trying to save a little of my sanity I've been getting together the books I've been missing since I got back. These are the ones that I've actually reached for before I remembered were packed away. I pulled those out of the boxes first thing and they're already up on my shelves along with my note books and sketch pads. I re-arranged a bunch of shelves and now have a section for my favourite books that are of a specific height... sounds strange but it works. (short shelf that doesn't really hold anything but a specific height of book)
So now just to read 2 library books and 5 loaned books, then start cracking into the boxes and deciding which will stay or go.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Talking
I'm having an introspective day. Well, that's not to say that the day is just me thinking of me but taking things around and analyzing what I'm thinking about it. Also I've been hyper aware of the word "Your" these past few days. Such as: What does "your" mean when it doesn't actually apply to me, as in adds. "Your future home" ...no it's not.
I was just listening to CBC radio and heard people talking about their experiences with a new show at the Guggenheim. They were talking about discovering what a conversation is all about. I found myself feeling incredibly sorry for these people out there that need an exhibit to have a good conversation. How to have someone disagree with you is this radically new way to talk to people. That it can be called a conversation even if you're not having your opinions validated... Your friends fail...
Again that wording. Someone out there... maybe, will read this and think "My friends don't fail" so it doesn't apply to them so what does... I'm getting off topic.
Anyways thinking in regards to this Guggenheim show about interaction and progress, I like the concept. Or, I like the idea that I'm assuming inspired this. I see it, as giving people an open space to talk and someone there to actively start the interaction. Maybe I should start something that uses this idea. I'm thinking of little booths with a couple of chairs and having people be seated by a host. Maybe a little box with conversation starters and a place for people to write down their own ideas. People have to talk for a minimum of maybe 3- 7 minutes. And then they can decide when to break off from there. I'm not talking about speed dating or anything, just meeting someone new and having a conversation. Most people I've started talking with randomly in the street seem almost desperate to talk to someone but never know how to start a conversation or find an appropriate setting.
I think there could be a common room or some larger area where people could take their discussion if their time got to ..20? minutes and they wanted to keep talking. Like a coffee shop with emphasis on talk...
I should think about this.
Goals for today are to find my other slipper and return my library books.
Really ambitious goals for today I'm sure, but I'm not feeling very well so I'm going to take it easy.
I was just listening to CBC radio and heard people talking about their experiences with a new show at the Guggenheim. They were talking about discovering what a conversation is all about. I found myself feeling incredibly sorry for these people out there that need an exhibit to have a good conversation. How to have someone disagree with you is this radically new way to talk to people. That it can be called a conversation even if you're not having your opinions validated... Your friends fail...
Again that wording. Someone out there... maybe, will read this and think "My friends don't fail" so it doesn't apply to them so what does... I'm getting off topic.
Anyways thinking in regards to this Guggenheim show about interaction and progress, I like the concept. Or, I like the idea that I'm assuming inspired this. I see it, as giving people an open space to talk and someone there to actively start the interaction. Maybe I should start something that uses this idea. I'm thinking of little booths with a couple of chairs and having people be seated by a host. Maybe a little box with conversation starters and a place for people to write down their own ideas. People have to talk for a minimum of maybe 3- 7 minutes. And then they can decide when to break off from there. I'm not talking about speed dating or anything, just meeting someone new and having a conversation. Most people I've started talking with randomly in the street seem almost desperate to talk to someone but never know how to start a conversation or find an appropriate setting.
I think there could be a common room or some larger area where people could take their discussion if their time got to ..20? minutes and they wanted to keep talking. Like a coffee shop with emphasis on talk...
I should think about this.
Goals for today are to find my other slipper and return my library books.
Really ambitious goals for today I'm sure, but I'm not feeling very well so I'm going to take it easy.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Karaoke!!!
Yes! I got my fix of Karaoke. There is a Norebang set up in town now! (Karaoke in your own room) I had been thinking of getting one started when I got back and apparently someone else had seen the need first. (thank goodness!) It was such a blast from Korea. The almost exact same set up with all the crazy random music videos from Japan and Korea playing in the background as you sing your English classic rock and pop songs. I got a high five from the guy running the thing for knowing how to work the massively elaborate controller. Made me rather pleased to have made use of something I learned on my trip.
Now this post is rather hard because basically ever memory from last night sends me off on musings of Korea... so lets give this a try.
1) The servers all had gaps in their knowledge of English.
Ok so there is a language gap. There seemed to be a need for a phrase book at times but things got sorted easily enough eventually.
2) The server to my friends for their meal reminded me of Martin.
Martin is one of the Korean translators that my friend Mike uses while he's in Korea. Basically the guy last night just seem to have the same smile and reactions that I would expect Martin to have... Like I was seeing a younger brother of his because he wasn't as nice as Martin... No one on earth can be as nice as Martin.
3) The Karaoke place was advertised on the street with a sign above the door with a big arrow and a 2.
Signs like that have led me to some of my most interesting experiences.
4) We rocked out!
Nothing really that different... just we rocked out hard. 2 hours of singing and then everyone saying "ONE MORE HOUR!" I realized that I can sing ABBA, Aqua, Chumbawamba, and Mika all with great ease. Pleasing, very pleasing.
5) I felt like I could catch a cab back to Mike's at the end of the night.
A flood of memories hit me as I left. I should be going back to Mike's, where is my code for the door?
And even now the little voice of his elevator is singing in my head:
"Chi chin da"
"Levela di da"
And then Mike and I burst into singing Whigfield's Saturday night.
I'm so happy right now.
Now this post is rather hard because basically ever memory from last night sends me off on musings of Korea... so lets give this a try.
1) The servers all had gaps in their knowledge of English.
Ok so there is a language gap. There seemed to be a need for a phrase book at times but things got sorted easily enough eventually.
2) The server to my friends for their meal reminded me of Martin.
Martin is one of the Korean translators that my friend Mike uses while he's in Korea. Basically the guy last night just seem to have the same smile and reactions that I would expect Martin to have... Like I was seeing a younger brother of his because he wasn't as nice as Martin... No one on earth can be as nice as Martin.
3) The Karaoke place was advertised on the street with a sign above the door with a big arrow and a 2.
Signs like that have led me to some of my most interesting experiences.
4) We rocked out!
Nothing really that different... just we rocked out hard. 2 hours of singing and then everyone saying "ONE MORE HOUR!" I realized that I can sing ABBA, Aqua, Chumbawamba, and Mika all with great ease. Pleasing, very pleasing.
5) I felt like I could catch a cab back to Mike's at the end of the night.
A flood of memories hit me as I left. I should be going back to Mike's, where is my code for the door?
And even now the little voice of his elevator is singing in my head:
"Chi chin da"
"Levela di da"
And then Mike and I burst into singing Whigfield's Saturday night.
I'm so happy right now.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
White people
I finished "Stuff White People Like" turns out I like just about 50% of the right kind of white people things. Not a bad job but some of the descriptions (while very amusing) made it hard to say, "Yes! I totally like that!" For now I'll just continue with my self important blog and bask in the endless hours of joy that I get from looking around and spotting all the things that are so white in my life.
Goal for the day is to get Warioware for the wii. Winnipeg does not feel like having any copies new or used to buy so I've returned home with the search.
Goal for the day is to get Warioware for the wii. Winnipeg does not feel like having any copies new or used to buy so I've returned home with the search.
Childhood memories
I get great fulfillment from my childhood observations matching up with my current assessment.
Mostly this comes from my enjoyment of the movie Anastasia this weekend. I headed up/down/over (what ever your point of reference) to Winnipeg and spent time with Sarah and the many people she's living and working with. They had tried to find the movie a few weeks earlier but Winnipeg apparently does not feel like stocking that movie for rental or purchase. Sad news for them. Thankfully they had me coming to visit with a VHS. There was the fear that our fond memories were going to be disappointed but watching was even better than remembered. Bartok maintained his title as the best part of the show as we laughed at his every line.
A second instance of childhood memories being justified is a great deal different. I went to a friend's birthday and we ended up watching The Muppets perform various songs. I was struck with the need to share a song that has been almost haunting me in my memories. For some reason I liked it as a child but remembered it to be creepy. I didn't really know if what still creeped me out was really that strange or just my memories coming in to mess around. For the longest time I had thought it was all a dream. It was one of the first things I looked for on youtube when it first started up. Nothing for several years... eventually someone did upload it.
I got to share it with my friends and have them end with saying:
"WHat the hell was that?!"
"That was on a kids show?!"
30 minutes later....
"...it's still in my head!"
I'll check back with them in 20 years and see if they still remember it. I'm guessing they will.
Enjoy.
You're Always Welcome At Our House.
Mostly this comes from my enjoyment of the movie Anastasia this weekend. I headed up/down/over (what ever your point of reference) to Winnipeg and spent time with Sarah and the many people she's living and working with. They had tried to find the movie a few weeks earlier but Winnipeg apparently does not feel like stocking that movie for rental or purchase. Sad news for them. Thankfully they had me coming to visit with a VHS. There was the fear that our fond memories were going to be disappointed but watching was even better than remembered. Bartok maintained his title as the best part of the show as we laughed at his every line.
A second instance of childhood memories being justified is a great deal different. I went to a friend's birthday and we ended up watching The Muppets perform various songs. I was struck with the need to share a song that has been almost haunting me in my memories. For some reason I liked it as a child but remembered it to be creepy. I didn't really know if what still creeped me out was really that strange or just my memories coming in to mess around. For the longest time I had thought it was all a dream. It was one of the first things I looked for on youtube when it first started up. Nothing for several years... eventually someone did upload it.
I got to share it with my friends and have them end with saying:
"WHat the hell was that?!"
"That was on a kids show?!"
30 minutes later....
"...it's still in my head!"
I'll check back with them in 20 years and see if they still remember it. I'm guessing they will.
Enjoy.
You're Always Welcome At Our House.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Hang out time.
For the past few days I've been getting back into the flow of visiting people. It has been really good to finally get my feet wet with different groups and to figure out where I am in terms of connection. Basically I'm relearning my friend dynamics and seeing who likes what/who now. Mostly just figuring out if I'm going to step on any toes and what subjects have become taboo with some.
Essentially I've been having the easiest time getting back together with people. Any confusions are cleared up within hours and all the drama that television and books say I'm supposed to have is nonexistent.
A fair few number of my hangouts have involved the game a question of scruples. (2nd edition as the first edition was just to full of random cards, hard to take it seriously in several cases). It is an older game from the 80s so there are a few cards that have been removed by us for just being far to offensive and out of date. No in fact you can't do that because a law has been passed and court cases have been fought over it. Very fun and gets conversations going in new and interesting directions. Like the question game but with less pressure.
I've been spending lots of time with friends from highschool. Joc and Meg who I hadn't really seen all that much in University, with Joc being away and Meg being busy. I've been going out with them for coffee, movies, and working out. Estelle I got the chance to talk with on the phone as she lives in another province. Now just to make sure that we connect again before the end of the year! We have these great long chats and then life snatches us up. And I'm keeping in contact with Sarah a great deal but not nearly enough with Emily, which makes me rather sad when I think about how I'd feel in her position.
Spending time with them has really made me feel happy in knowing them. All such great women who are absolutely fantastic.
But even with the old crowd I still have managed to meet a new person. Through Joc at a coffee shop on the 20th and then meeting him again last night as our server at a restaurant. This might be a good start to getting to know the city again and building up my status as "knowing everyone". This is a long term goal that I need to decide if I'm going to go after. If I do, I'll feel like I shouldn't leave the city and moving anywhere will seem harder and scarier. "But I won't know anyone!" Yeah a silly excuse not to move and one that my frightened self is really keen to pump up to unreasonable proportions.
As for my short term goals, today I'll be putting away clothes and seeing if there is anywhere to get raspberry canes and Saskatoon bushes in the city.
Essentially I've been having the easiest time getting back together with people. Any confusions are cleared up within hours and all the drama that television and books say I'm supposed to have is nonexistent.
A fair few number of my hangouts have involved the game a question of scruples. (2nd edition as the first edition was just to full of random cards, hard to take it seriously in several cases). It is an older game from the 80s so there are a few cards that have been removed by us for just being far to offensive and out of date. No in fact you can't do that because a law has been passed and court cases have been fought over it. Very fun and gets conversations going in new and interesting directions. Like the question game but with less pressure.
I've been spending lots of time with friends from highschool. Joc and Meg who I hadn't really seen all that much in University, with Joc being away and Meg being busy. I've been going out with them for coffee, movies, and working out. Estelle I got the chance to talk with on the phone as she lives in another province. Now just to make sure that we connect again before the end of the year! We have these great long chats and then life snatches us up. And I'm keeping in contact with Sarah a great deal but not nearly enough with Emily, which makes me rather sad when I think about how I'd feel in her position.
Spending time with them has really made me feel happy in knowing them. All such great women who are absolutely fantastic.
But even with the old crowd I still have managed to meet a new person. Through Joc at a coffee shop on the 20th and then meeting him again last night as our server at a restaurant. This might be a good start to getting to know the city again and building up my status as "knowing everyone". This is a long term goal that I need to decide if I'm going to go after. If I do, I'll feel like I shouldn't leave the city and moving anywhere will seem harder and scarier. "But I won't know anyone!" Yeah a silly excuse not to move and one that my frightened self is really keen to pump up to unreasonable proportions.
As for my short term goals, today I'll be putting away clothes and seeing if there is anywhere to get raspberry canes and Saskatoon bushes in the city.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Spring has come.
I was pleased this year not to be caught off guard by the release from winter's grip. In the past I would be running home after classes, not have the time to observe, with a brain full of stress about deadlines and exams. I'd go out in the evening on occasion and feel like spring would never be seen again as the dark would steal any warmth that had built up from the day. But that's just a symptom of living essentially in a desert. Then it would hit me that the weather was getting better and I'd always wonder how I had missed it.
This year has been special. I've been taking many more walks during the day watching the snow slowly melt with not a care in the world (me, not the snow... then again it probably could be said to not have a care too...). I saw my first lady bug of the season just a day or two ago and realized that I see them as a true indication of spring over any robin song. The world around me is getting a break. Everything can finally stretch out and breathe.
Yesterday we had a Good Friday BBQ out in the park and I was amazed by the perfection of the day. Our whole way of life is coming back, geese breaking through the ice and carving out a place to swim, beavers chewing on trees and not caring at all that a bunch of people are coming by to look at them. Everyone was so happy. The sun was shinning and as I looked around I wanted this feeling to last longer than it possibly could.
This year has been special. I've been taking many more walks during the day watching the snow slowly melt with not a care in the world (me, not the snow... then again it probably could be said to not have a care too...). I saw my first lady bug of the season just a day or two ago and realized that I see them as a true indication of spring over any robin song. The world around me is getting a break. Everything can finally stretch out and breathe.
Yesterday we had a Good Friday BBQ out in the park and I was amazed by the perfection of the day. Our whole way of life is coming back, geese breaking through the ice and carving out a place to swim, beavers chewing on trees and not caring at all that a bunch of people are coming by to look at them. Everyone was so happy. The sun was shinning and as I looked around I wanted this feeling to last longer than it possibly could.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Back to life.
Well, that title doesn't really work as I was always alive. I am however back in Canada, back to my city and back in my own home. I've taken to reading as much as I can while I have this uninterrupted time. With no responsibilities of school or work I've been getting through a huge pile of books to read. I've just about finished my 5th book of the month (not counting audio books and manga/comics). But my trip count included audio books so maybe I should count those too. Alright revision. I'm about to finish my 9th book of the month. I want to keep up the level of reading that I had on the trip, if not go further with it. In the almost six months I was away I finished 28 books...
The bulk of my reading took place in the four months I was in New Zealand and Australia. Singapore, Korea, and Japan were too packed to get much done. I did borrow a book while I was in Korea, I was staying with my lifelong friend, but I felt more down than inspired. Sitting at home while I could be out exploring? I don't think so. It was different when I was driving around the outback and along the mountains of middle earth with my parents. We would spend maybe 3-5 hours in the morning driving, explore for the rest of the day and have an evening of reading and rest. Wake up the next day and repeat.
"The Asia portion of [my] trip", as most people I met were calling it, was all me planning what to do next and how to get the most out of my time. Hoping trains and buses and finding hostels (or anywhere) to stay in.
I'm thinking of getting all my notes from the trip transferred from my journals into a typed format so I can edit easier, but I also plan on uploading photos. And I have yet to do either. It feels like the trip is entirely an incident in my life that is cut off. I went away and have returned. I don't want to be the person who looks back and says "Those were my glory years." and can't have any conversation that doesn't include "When I was in (insert country name here) I.. Blah blah blah"
But it was a huge part of my life and feels like a starting or jump point. For now I'm just going to focus on getting back to having adventures at home and thinking about what job I want and where I'm going to live to start this "adult" portion of my life.
Goal for today is to finish the next 50 pages of my book, return it to the library, and make some butter tart slice.
The bulk of my reading took place in the four months I was in New Zealand and Australia. Singapore, Korea, and Japan were too packed to get much done. I did borrow a book while I was in Korea, I was staying with my lifelong friend, but I felt more down than inspired. Sitting at home while I could be out exploring? I don't think so. It was different when I was driving around the outback and along the mountains of middle earth with my parents. We would spend maybe 3-5 hours in the morning driving, explore for the rest of the day and have an evening of reading and rest. Wake up the next day and repeat.
"The Asia portion of [my] trip", as most people I met were calling it, was all me planning what to do next and how to get the most out of my time. Hoping trains and buses and finding hostels (or anywhere) to stay in.
I'm thinking of getting all my notes from the trip transferred from my journals into a typed format so I can edit easier, but I also plan on uploading photos. And I have yet to do either. It feels like the trip is entirely an incident in my life that is cut off. I went away and have returned. I don't want to be the person who looks back and says "Those were my glory years." and can't have any conversation that doesn't include "When I was in (insert country name here) I.. Blah blah blah"
But it was a huge part of my life and feels like a starting or jump point. For now I'm just going to focus on getting back to having adventures at home and thinking about what job I want and where I'm going to live to start this "adult" portion of my life.
Goal for today is to finish the next 50 pages of my book, return it to the library, and make some butter tart slice.
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