"I don't run"....

*warning: what follows, is a very long post, essentially about nothing, but somewhat amusing if you enjoy imagining me looking ridicolous*

When we were in Europe, Brenda would randomly turn to me as we were walking somewhere and say "want to run?". For no good reason. I would turn to her point blank and say: "I don't run". Sometimes, we had to run...with backpacks on, in flip flops, across roads and train stations. And in this scenario, I could do it. But just for no good reason, absolutely not.

It makes me think of Lynn: "I don't run for the bus". One time we missed the bus in Guelph, and we walked in the cold for another twenty minutes, just because Lynn didn't run for the bus. Which always makes me wonder now, who is the type of person who runs for the bus?

All of this to say, the past week and a half has been filled with frantic running:

Bid Closing Sinclair Centre
About a week ago, I closed a tender downtown at this horrible building. It has about four different towers, with seperate elevators. What does closing a tender mean (the construction lingo)? Novacom has to submit an estimated price for a project we hope to do. This price only comes in about 10 minutes before it is due, so someone is meant to be sitting waiting for the price, and then run it into the office. But no, I was not sitting abd waiting. I was running, and yes I meaning dodging people in the streets through downtown Vancouver. Then up the stairs of the wrong tower, then down, then up again. Eventually I found an delightful old security guard who calmly told me directions before I booked it away from him. I did get there, but it was literally stamped at the last exact minute it could be there.

Granville Island
This weekend, we went to "Its a Wonderful Life" at Granville Island Stage (which by the way, I absolutely loved...you must go see it, sooo well acted and delightful). Matt had to work in the morning and we got the wires crossed on the time to meet. So we get to Granville Island at 1.54 (the play starts at 2.00 pm). I got out of the car, ran to the parking lot, secured Matt a spot (stood in it, while other cars drove by thinking I was crazy). Then Matt and I ran to the theatre...pretty much the whole way. In dress clothes. Brandon and Lindsday (who were later than us) actually saw us running. She said it was a sight to see. She considered rolling down the window to yell at us, but did not follow through on the impulse. She figured running people might not want to be yelled at. Good call on her part. We got there, as the doors were shutting, into our seats for the whole play.

Bid Closing Linden Architecture
Today, once again, I found myself running down Vancouver streets. This time, picture me, carrying a christmas basket, all tied up with a bow, a tender envelope, and holding my cell phone for directions. At one point, I put the phone in my pocket to run across six lanes of traffic. I had the wrong address to start with, so I drove to two different locations in vain. By the time I got close to the correct address, I just started to run with my mom giving me a play by play of where to go next. It was crazy. People must have thought I had gone mad. Delievered the tender in the nick of time.

You might not have wanted to hear my frantic running stories, but there you have them. The point that I am shocked by in all of this is this : sometimes running actually makes a difference. You actually make it there quicker, and save those few short minutes you really needed in order to make it there on time. I mean, there isn't a lot of dignity in running clad in full dress clothes downtown, but it got the job done.

Maybe Brenda is onto something...

"Something in the way she moves...."

I know, the album cover is a little odd. But honestly, if you like James Taylor at all, you need to get this CD.

Normally, I am not into the 'live sessions' thing. But the acoustic sound in this one is just unbelievable. At work, we have this joke, because one day I caught Trevor just staring out the (foggy) window. I said "Trevor, what are you doing?", and he was just lost in the music. He says "I don't even know how he does that...." and just trails off in wonder. I sort of laughed at him, and then...

It happened to me.

I just got caught up in it. I know this is probably a function of nostalgia as well as James Taylor. That, and I am a sap. But still, it really is incredible. It comes on, and just makes me stop where I am. Some sounds and voices are just classic. And to me, this is one them. Go listen to it.
Better yet, come in to Starbucks, and I will put it on for you.

"The Anxiety of Authorship"....

I am not going to lie.

I don't know what to blog anymore.

I mean, I went to Europe, and I posted stories, and they were very dramatic. We visited foreign countries, saw unreal sights, met up with friends, jumped out of trains (okay, Brenda jumped out of trains, but the blog told the story). And now, here we are.

So, I keep thinking "what will be the first post?". What could be epic enough to follow up Europe? And then I realized, nothing will be. So, I am going to post about Mandarin Oranges, in an attempt to salvage the whole blogging process. I won't lie to you. I have been on facebook for the past twenty minutes, and it provided me with nothing more, so I came here. I don't know why that is. But there are some things for which blogs are better, and one is this, random thoughts:

Why are all my mandarin oranges so small this year?

Yes, I know, it was my facebook status, so its old news. Let me just explain though. When I was a kid, I couldn't even finish a mandarin orange. Now, I have to eat two. I don't know if this is a classic case of things looking different on the 'other side' of childhood. Or, are they actually getting smaller? I seriously want to know. Your thoughts please. Let's try this blogging thing again shall we?

Euro Photos....A Teaser....

Prague, the beautiful.....

Brenda in Prague...I realize this one is sideways. I am doing the best I can okay...haha.

Glamorous... hehe. Me in Prague Gardens.

Vienna...with our friend Stephanie (not pictured here)

So I lost our first two weeks of pictures (camera error or something). So we will need to get some more from Brenda later.

But the people demanded pictures, and I am demanding replies. What is the deal with NO COMMENTS. People I am in Europe..come on....

But no, seriously, please comment. I would love it...

You know you are a backpacker when....

-you watch lavonne produce a small spoon she has packed with her since italy in the grocery store in order to eat her yogurt. she resolutely states: you just have to keep one with you at all times. -brenda asking the gelato lady for a sample AFTER she is already eating her cone, because she needs a yogurt spoon -the first thought in my head after getting an espresso is...hey that spoon is little and useful. -you walk over to a cardboard bin IN YOUR PACK, and start rifling through for a box that would be suitable to send across the ocean. hey, its free and its on the street, fair game right? i defenitely did this and brenda was shocked to see me leaning over a bin.. -putting your money on the table in the room without locking it up is the best feeling in the world (yay for the russells) -you sit in a train stairwell and are pleased because you have a seat...(this happened to me yesterday), but i made a german friend and thats the main thing -you adopt of the attitude of 'no problem, another train will come in a little while' when trains are missed. -a meal of bread is well received, and a meal with bread AND nutellla is celebrated. -a homecooked meal (graciously provided by the russells tonight) is the greatest thing of your life -a shower where flip flops are not required calls for celebration -free internet is considered a gift...such as right now, at the russells again. i am so grateful.... backpacking is wonderful, but an entirely different culture. you meet a city, and take in on in only a few days. as soon as you figure out the transit, the street names, the language, you pack up and leave. its an odd feeling but it certainly teaches you ingenuity. its a whirlwind tour, but right now, at this stage of life, i wouldnt have it any other way. we are meeting so many people in the hostels and i am loving it.

Our adventures in Wien and Munchen....

Its been a while hasnt it, since I left you with us jumping off trains in Prague. And now, here we are, having gone through Vienna and finishing Munich. Its crazy how fast these cities go.

 

.Vienna.

Well I always say that I love Austria, and I still do, but we sure did get rained out. The first day we experienced some pretty schizophrenic rain. We went to these beautiful gardens and the weather just couldnt decide how it wanted to go. There was sun, rain, then torrential downpour. Hail and everything. But nevertheless, we enjoyed the Royal Gardens. Brenda and I are both shocked at our love of gardens. Who would have thought we would come to Europe and look at Gardens...but these my friends are beautiful gardens. LIke small theme parks. And dont we all love a good theme park. In fact, on this trip we have been accused of being 'typical North AMericans who treat Europe like a theme park'. I tried to deny it, but its true, I love getting the passport stamped, when the man comes through the train. THen Brenda and I peer at the passport pleased at our new stamp. We are theme parkers through and through. And I am okay with it. Small tangent, but the point was, the gardens were beautiful.

In Vienna, we also took in a music event, which I am going to leave for telling in person, because you cant know all the stories through the blog. We also went on a random 'underground tour' which Brenda thought would be a good idea. We saw a lot of bones and preserved bodies. Very creepy. 

All in all, Vienna was enjoyable but we returned our hostel both days very very wet. Climbing uphill to the hostel in the rain is never a good time. But we are Europe, so I will stop complaining. We were in Austria after all. And we did have a great hostel mate, Stephanie, who became our friend and came around with us. She was in Austria to teach German, so she could actually speak to the locals which was wonderful. Particularly on the day we went for Wiener Schnitzel (no, this is not a hot dog, go look it up). Best meal so far. Loved it. 

 

.Munich.

I think a love affair may be starting with Munich. I love this city. I dont know if it is our amazing hostel (three cheers for Wombats with an indoor garden, a private bathroom, wonderful amenties and nice rooms), the amazing location our hostel (in the city centre), or the city itself, but I am loving it here despite the rain. We went on a great tour with the hostel yesterday, in which a man took us around in the city in lederhosen (how do you even spell that word?). He was a wonderful, silly, Canadian, black man. (yes its true). So people stared at him a lot which was pretty funny. He was so informative and showed us so many great spots. At the end of the tour, I loved the city. Now that is a good tour guide.

The environment of Munich is great. Being the capital of Bavaria, it has a very traditional feel. The stores actually sell Lederhosen and people buy them. Today I saw a man finding his size. They are also staunch Catholics which is interesting considering it is the beer captial of the world. Brenda and I have enjoyed being out in this city where people are willing to meet us and have us join in.

More on Munich later...this silly 'easy internet cost' is killing me. Tommorow, internet is hopefully free as we join Karlin and Charles for a very nice break in Basel, Switzerland.

 

Continue to keep us in your thoughts, prayers, and emails....hehe. But no seriously, send some our way, its nice to hear some words from home, no matter what they are.

 

Bourne Movie #4: The Trip to Praha

We are safe and sound in Prague...barely.

Now I wish that were entirely a joke but it isn't. Here is the skinny of what happened today. We missed our bus in the morning so we ended up running, yes literally running for the train to Prague from Berlin. Picture us in flip flops, huge packs running through train station. Once safely on the train, we breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed for a couple of hours. As we arrived at our destination we had some confusion about the stop. See, in the past couple of cities there has been two stops in major cities. One is the main train station, and the other a little station. We wanted to get to the main one, so we didnt get off. I know this seems odd, but almost all trains stop at both. In any case, this train didnt, which we realized about two seconds too late.

So there we were on the train going past Prague and wondering how to get back. We end up having to buy a return ticket from the next tiny town. This turns into its own adventure as we get off thre train in Kolin. We go into the shop and start doing the conversion on the prices. And they are soooo cheap. You know those Eastern European stories you hear, where people become gluttons - well that was us. We start throwing choclate bars, ice cream, pop, chips, candy, and other random items on the counter. And the funniest part, Brenda is leading the show, saying "get it" because its so cheap. The lady ends ups laughing at us and giving a bag for ALL our stuff. So silly, so North American. But wonderful.

So now were are headed back to Prague. We get to the station and are gathering our stuff to get off. Standing in the doorway the train begins to shut for leaving. Brenda says "no way" and I say "go". Brenda starts to leap off the platform and the trains begins to move. She falls onto the platform with the door hanging open, backpack hanging off. She is laying on the ground and I am freaking out. I manage to pull the bag off the door where it is caught and wonder if Brenda is ok. I get off at the next stop, hoping to find a way back. I go to the board to find a return train with no luck. The information man says the only way to get there is the subway. So I go find it and I am standing there, trying to determine if I should go or stay, angonizing over what to do when Brenda comes running up behind me. We just stood there for a minute hugging because I was shocked she was actually there. Brenda is doing okay, but she thinks a bruise on her leg is forming. I can't believe she is alright and we were reunited so quickly.

You might all be judging us right now for our poor travel skills, but I am telling you, these things happen and we had the presnce of mind to figure it out. We defintely did thank God for our safety. And we decided no more train jumping:) Today, someone at our hostel, upon hearing the story called Brenda "Jason Bourne". Pretty true. Keep praying for us, we will need them for safety. But I promise we are good travellers...really:) Love and miss you all. I said it once, and I will say it again, send email, probably to my hotmail right now, or both, because Gmail is being weird.

And once again, I promise, Brenda is fine. Not just Brenda fine, but really fine. That and Prague is beautiful, we are looking forward to seeing it tommorow. All is well.

Icn bin ein Berliner....

If anyone knows what that title is a reference to, I will award you many points....

 

First, an update...

Brenda got her luggage. You probably all know this  by now, but it arrived. At literally, the 11th hour. We were to leave London at 4.00 am (yes, its true). And the luggage arrived at 11.30 pm. Can you believe that? I really didnt. It was honestly a miracle. Somehow, some way (probably Larry Baloun) it got there. So we were glad...particularly Budds who pretty much hugged her bag for 10 minutes.

 

Thal, Switzerland

So, our journey has advanced. Since my last post, we have travelled to Thal, Switzerland to witness a wedding reception of our dear friends Jon and Katie VanLaake. It was the most beautiful four days. I dont even know how to begin to describe them. We arrived in a small city with winding streets and charming walks, perched up against a hillside. Katie and Jons apartment is in the greatest building ever, complete with a garden gate, wood floors, a loft and wooden cases with locks that harken to Lion,the Witch and the Wardrobe. We attending their reception on Saturday, which took place on the lawn of a ´castle´, a beautiful building with towers from 1604 and small fountains out front. After the reception we went to the Van Laakes (Katies new family) and were served the Van Laakes own wine and fresh cheese by candlelight. Being part of this wedding wind down with the family was probably the best thing I could imagine. The Bruins and Van Laakes welcomed us in as if we were one of their own. Wilbur (Jons dad) took Brenda and I on a tour of their Vineyard and we reflected on the meaning behind 'I am the vine and you are the branches'. Perched on the hillside at his vineyard, listening to Wilbur talk about the love of wine and tending his grapes was probably the most wonderful moment I can imagine. Between the wine, the coffee and the chocolate, we were spoiled with amazing food.But it was also so much more, we got to be a part of "swiss life" as silly as that sounds. We experienced the organic life of a family, as they brought us into their home, their garden and their vineyard. They took us to places we could have never found on our own (Bodensee Lake!), and fed us meals, cakes, sweets, cheese, wine that is important to them. I am so grateful for these days. As I said to Brenda, I would have done this whole trip, JUST for those four days, truly magnificent.

 

Berlin, Germany

I guess it is pretty obvious that Berlin is in Germany, but hey, you never know. So now as I write this, I sit in Berlin. It is also an amazing city. Thanks to Lavonne and Monicas great tip, we caught the New Berlin free tour of the city. These tours are great. The guides work off of tips at the end, so the tour is ´free´´. They work so hard and condense so much history into 3 hours. If you go to that site, you might be able to see a picture of us, or so they said, I dont know. On the tour, we walked through the Brandeburg gate, passed the Rheistag (German Parliment) saw the Berlin wall, walked through the Holocaust memorial, saw where Hitler died and so much more. This city is chalked full of incredible history. Just think, two world wars and the Cold War with Soviet Occupation. This city is basically the centre of 20th century history. So I am loving it. If England was my literary paradise, this is the history one....everywhere I go, my history texts are coming to life. This is a pretty amazing city as it tries to move away from its past and strive for more, pretty interesting. Today we went to a concentration camp...this is far too tough to describe on a blog so ask me one day in person.

 

So, things are well. We are safe, and so is our stuff. One funny thing is, Brenda and I keep forgetting to eat and end up wandering around starving until we must stop to eat. Needless to say, it has resulted in some funny meals. Tommorow we leave for Prague. Its strange to think we have already covered 3 cities, but also crazy to think there are so many more ahead. Send me a line if you get the chance, just saying anything at all...its good to hear from you.

 

I am suddenly realizing this post lacks incredible stories...so let me say this, they are happening, but you might have to ask me about them in real life...some things just cant be blogged..hehe. Love and miss you all my friends. Write me!

 

 

 

Locks, Laughter, Lost Luggage, Les Miserables= LONDON LOVE

Lost Baggage

Well here I am in my first European entry. Sitting in a London internet cafe because my dear compatriot needs to sort out her baggage. Yes, Brenda STILL does not have her bags. They never arrived with Air Transat, so she has been wearing the same clothes/borrowing things until today. We are hoping that it all gets processed very soon, because it is pretty hard to be a backpacker without a backpack. Brenda is taking it far better than I ever would - putting up with it and showing that characteristic resilience. We pushed her to give the airline a hell of a time though. In any case, if you think of us, pray for this, because we are leaving at 4 am from London tommorow, and not sure how she will get her baggage before then.

 

Locks

Now if you ever needed a good travel story, I got one, and on day one no less. So we are staying at this fine establishment called the EasyHotel. The rooms fit a bed, a plastic washroom and a tiny hallway. Its clean but oh so small and silly. Brenda had not yet arrived and I went to have a shower. I finish my shower, and turn to the lock when it FALLS OFF. So picture yourself in a tiny, locked, plastic airplane size bathroom UNABLE TO ESCAPE. I am standing there dripping wet, without a towel and freaking out. I try to play McGyver and whip out a bobby pin to no avail. Finally, quite a bit later I hear Brenda at the door to which I yell 'I AM LOCKED IN THE BATHROOM'. She thinks I am kidding, and laughs and then finally gets it. After getting a freakin hotel clerk to open the door (the room key was inside clearly), she comes in and starts laughing uncontrollably (picture Brenda, you know the one, barely breathing). I am yelling for rescue and she finds the piece of the lock on the other side. Eventually I get out, but I am having claustrophobic nightmares. Hows THAT for your first hour in London?

 

Low Classes and Les Miserables

Okay, not the best title, but I had to fit into the alliteration. We have saw Le Miserables with Lavonne and her mom, and we were shocked with awe. That Jean Valjean could sing, it was so moving. Then today, went to SHAKESPEARES GLOBE. I pretty much died. It POURED rain, and of course to be authentic I bought a groundling ticket, standing in the open air auditorium. Pretty silly, but we found a covering, after Brenda got soaked int he line (no bag=no jacket..ugh). We saw Merchant of Venice, and I was in love.

 

The truth is, I am desperatly in love with this city. The rain has continued the entire time we have been here unabated. But my love stays strong. I just cant get enough of London. It brings me such joy. In the evening, we have enjoyed pints in the local pub meeting wonderful Brits. In the day, we explore, find sites of literature, history, culture, theatre...I love Britain. I forgot how much it feels like my home. Its great to be back. I dont really want to leave in the morning.

 

Yet...I am still thinking of all of you. I would absolutely love to get an email or a comment if you get a second. It means a lot when you are in a foreign land:) Something about travelling that is so invorgrating and so lonely all at the same time..Send me a line...I miss you all...

 

 

 

T - 6 days.

I am trying desperately to think of something clever to say. It really has been far too long. I promise I have been doing wonderful things, well sort of. I have been mostly working and doing homework. But I have sneaked in a few weddings, showers, stagettes and other general wedding mayham.

 

To be honest, this is mostly a test blog. I am sending this from my email to "try it out" for my Europe trip. Yes, my Europe trip. I defenitely leave in 5 days (August 19th). This is both exciting and frightening all at the same time. Today I submitted a paper for my summer class. To finally be done that is a huge relief. Now I am trying to get everything together for Sunday (while working everyday). So it should be...interesting. But how can I be complaining right? I am going to Europe!

 

In an effort to revive this silly post, which mentions almost nothing and involves no great pictures, I tell you this - I WILL be posting Europe stories here. Now don't expect pictures - because I think the chances of me getting those up in Europe are low. But do expect silly tales of adventure. I was going to start a travel blog, but I just don't have time...so we'll stick with what we know. Come back soon for Europe adventures...

 

.symphony and summer.

As only a true blogging geek can, I was thinking about how to link these two sets of photos together when the obvious answer came to me: symphony of music and of light. For the sake of the blog, we must return to the titles of years past. And let's face it - "celebration of light" isn't a very good name anyway.

.symphony in the park.

Two weekends ago, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra did a free show in Deer Lake park. So we trudged out there, complete with cooler full of drinks, dinner, brie and red pepper jelly. No, we didn't mess around. This year, we roped in a few others: Lana, Brenda, Rick, Shaun, Jon and Katie. Heck, even my parents joined our blanket. It was the place to be. As always it was a wonderful event: listening to beautiful music as you stare up at that beautiful sky. It's hard to get any better than that.

.the symphony of light.

As it turns out, these weeks are getting quite busy as I try to finish off my course, plan for Europe, and attend weddings. I had this sudden fear I wouldn't be able to attend any of the fireworks. But Stef and Heather came through for me. Here's the thing: I just love the fireworks. I know its a hassle getting down there, finding a parking space, taking on the crowds and all of that. But when I am sitting there, experiencing the solidarity of the crowd all around me, I am taken in. All of the silly "fireworks madness" seems worth it - at least to me. I feel like a little kid, resisting every urge to yell "ooo" and "ahhh" as they go off in the sky. This time, we sat on Kits beach, thereby avoiding the downtown madness. It was a great call, we were many feet away from fellow sweaty bodies (I don't want that much solidarity). Not one, but two of our fellow fireworks attenders had radios out for clear reception. We ate candy, Heather took pictures with the new SLR, and life was good.

In all honesty, I think this post was just for myself, to proove that I am actually finding time to do fun things in the midst of my mental summer. But hey, at least I had pictures right?

.true story.

i am sitting on matt's back porch.

through the trees i can hear a barbershop quartet.

no, it's not a radio, it's real men. i can hear them talking.

they are sitting on a porch rehearsing.

there is also some sort of harmonica (a tuning device?)

and their harmony is amazing.

they are singing "in the still of the night".

they are telling me they love me.

i couldn't be happier.

this is one of those summer moments you couldn't create if you tried.

i imagine they look like this:

except maybe with those amazing striped vest and hats. but i guess you don't wear those during rehearsal....

"reviews are usually well received"....

So I realized that I go to a lot of movies. This may be a bad thing, but I am alright with it. I don't really like that facebook thing that rates them. I decided I would do it the "old fashioned" way on the ol' blogger. For your reading pleasure, a few reviews of drastically different films. So don't accuse me of being too "artsy" or too "hollywood".

.License to Wed.

I have very little to say about this movie except this:


Do NOT go see it. It is a waste of time and money - even if you like Robin (which I do). The acting is horrible, the plot line is weak and the characters are implausible. If you must see it, rent it.


.Paris Je t'aime.


"Through the neighborhoods of Paris, love is veiled, revealed, imitated, sucked dry, reinvented and awakened"


One Friday night, I found the preview for this movie, and I had to see it right then. So we drove downtown to Fifth Avenue (which I also just love, everything is so well done at that theatre). The film is comprised of 18 vignettes created by world renowned directors and writers. They have only one common thread: Paris, the city of Love. It was a truly refreshing change of pace. Some were funny, others were heartbreaking or strange. The list of actors is crazy. In every short, you are surprised by the people on screen. Some are in English and some are in French with subtitles. Basically, they are just moments of humanity. You get up from your seat at the end and feel like you have just witnessed something very real. I don't think its for everyone, but I really loved it. Just do me a favor and go watch the preview, its a work of art in and of itself.


.Live Free or Die Hard.

I am going to go ahead and say that I liked it. About two weeks ago, I didn't know anything about these movies. Then one night, Die Hard 2 was on. It's a total cop movie, but in all the best ways. Basically, Bruce Willis would have died 12 times if it were real. This one was a "technological" plot. So there was lots of talk about the "server" and the "main frame". Sort of an advanced version of Sandra's Bullock's hit "The Net" - only 10 years later. haha. But seriously, I liked it. If you enjoy Bruce, and the Die Hard movies, I reccomend it.

found on postsecret.....

and the legend lives on......

(check out the original post, there are some funny responses)

......

Apparently people like Brenda exist out there, but I still maintain that she has become a lower mainland legend.

I remember when she was making it during our grade 12 year, and I would come over. It was meant to be a big secret so suddenly the whole house would "mobilize" to hide it away when I came upstairs. It seemed pretty sketchy, like an illegal drug operation or something. But oh no, in true Brenda style, a dress like no other, proving she was still outside the norm.

This one goes out to you Brenda- my soon to be travel buddy. You are one of a kind.

.the long weekend.

.granville island.

.a random sea tormented teddy bear on the dock.

.a play called 'suds'.

.cheap student tickets.

.gelato.

.fresh brewed loose leaf tea.

=

happiness.

where have i been?

.novacom golf tourney.

Somehow, for some reason I was asked to participate in Novacom's first annual golf tournament. So I bought a glove. I played 18 holes on a PGA course and it was amazing. Where I lacked in golfing ability, I made up for in language. haha. That golf exam treated me right. I knew what they were talking about even if I didnt know how to hit the ball. In any case, the boys were nice to me and we had a great day busting around in the carts. The weird MJ glove pic? I don't know, it just happened.

......

.megan howie bachlorette.

You would think there would be a picture of Megan in her own bachlorette photos, but it appears that I don't have one. Sad. I am sure we can all see one soon on facebook. First we hit a pinata's head off at the Howie's. Watching grown women swing a bat at a pinata - now thats a good time. After, we went to a place downtown called the "Kino" cafe. There was Flamenco dancing and beautiful Spanish music. One of those places that doesnt look like much but lights up when filled with music, people and culture. It was nice to see a caveat of cultural life in the middle of the city. That and we had Sangria with some great girls, a good night was had.

Another one bites the dust....

I have done it. I have initated Lavonne into the blogging world. You can all thank me later. I played around with it a little and put a pretty sweet picture on there. I figured I better take credit for it, because my travel blog is going to look EXACTLY the same. Perhaps even a similar name...

So my dear friend Lavonne is heading off to Europe for 2 months - so what better time to blog right? We will be meeting up at the end of her journey, and the beggining of mine. Such good times ahead.

www.eurolavonne.blogspot.com

Geocaching and George...

So I was going to post on Thursday, and it was going to be amazing. I was going to talk about my eventful Thursday night, and Rachel was going to be shocked and say "on a Thursday?!?". And then, I forgot to post....

Now, I am going to tell of my adventures anyway. On Thursday night, I was sitting around, trying to avoid my homework, looking for something to do. I left my house at 8:00, and by the time the evening was through I had: gone for coffee with Laura, gone geocaching with Shaun Gaynor and visited Lavonne.

Oh yes, you might have picked up on the italics there. I went geocaching. Now, if you don't know the MacDonalds, you might be wondering "What is geocaching?". Its this international game that is monitored online. People sign up, and use their GPS unit to find co-ordinates. At this co-ordinates is a little box, filled with.....nothing. Well sort of. Everyone who finds the "cache" records their name inside. It's strange and wonderful all at the same time. It's sort of a "thrill of the hunt" type of scenario. On Thursday night, Shaun and I climbed up tree roots, hopped a fence and discovered our treasure - a film canister. I know, it sounds quite odd, but it's actually great times.

And now, its Sunday and truth be told, the weekend hasn't provided too much more entertainment. Yesterday, we moved my brother from "Denim" to a beautiful house in Langley. Sadly, it was raining, so it made for a pretty wet day for some. On Friday, Matt and I did get a chance to see Ocean's 13. Of course, I was already on board because it was an excuse to watch George for two hours straight. But the boys actually redeemed themselves from Ocean's 12. I heard that they made it simply for this purpose. Even so, it was well executed. The cast was on their game pulling sly maneouvers and just being charming. This is truly George at his best, in his suit grinning with those beautiful eye wrinkles. Umm..sorry random George tangent there. Truly though, I do recommend the movie, for more than just George. If you liked the first, you will like this.

Soooo true....

(http://xkcd.com/c77.html)

Just replace "live-journal" with blogger there, or even facebook and you've got me. On more than one occasion, during the actual event I have said "this is going to be great for the blog".

Seriously.

Even now, as I anticipate my upcoming Europe trip, I am thinking about the great posts that will come. That my friends is ridicolous. Yet, I am still a blog lover. I just can't help myself. People are writing about their lives, and that is amazing. Just saying, some days we have to realize how silly we are. Or at least I do.

This weekend....

Apparently, the Trinity Human Kinetics department is onto something. For this one time in my life, they may have actually succeeded in promoting healthy living. Shaun Gaynor emailed out a list of hikes for this current year, and I called Matt to see if he wanted to go. I thought "hey, why not, I have the shoes and the shirt". This is how I decide if I can do things, based almost purely on apparel. Oh man.

So I spent my Sunday hiking up Cypress Mountain. The view was very rewarding, birds ate off all of our hands, and we ran down the mountain in snow. Literally - ran. I am not a "run down the mountain" type, but when its snow, it's good times. I can't say the same for the way up unfortunately. Snow makes it twice as hard to make every step without slipping. But alas - we got the joy on the way home.

.........
An eventful weekend all in all:

Friday
Dublin Crossing Pub with Brandon, Lindsay, Geoff and Lavonne. Go to that Pub -its amazing. Then after Dinner - WONDERLAND Outdoor Golf, you might think I am kidding, but I'm not.

Saturday
Breakfast with Heather Hastings
Packing with Lavonne
Closing Sbux with one man down (equals crazy times)

Sunday
Hike
Church

There you go, just what you always wanted, a detailed itinerary of my weekend. Oh wait, you never asked. haha. Oh well, you got it anyway. Isn't that what blogs are for? To show the eventful life we lead. Geez. The Camera is back, so photos are accompanying posts again. Hurrah!

And it turns out...

...that I have not lost my marbles!

Hurrah!

What was lost is now found. I'll tell you this much, to find out you were right all along, and that you are not crazy but actually quite sane...

....that is a beautiful thing.

Sublime...

I thought I would try...but the video in no way does it justice. I'm telling you.

A little late for this post I realize, and STILL not the wedding recap, I feel it might be much too late for that now. But there is still time for an Arcade Fire Recap. As I write this, I don’t even know how to fully express how amazing this show was. The last concert I went to (which was deliberately omitted here) was so mediocre, and was beginning to doubt the reasons for going to shows.

Then came the Arcade Fire.

The sound was bang on. It was in Deer Lake Park, so you didn’t have to sit in a stuffy arena. Instead, on a blanket waiting for the music, it felt like a fair (probably because Rebecca and I ate mini donuts, pizza and ice cream). But then, it was even better than the fair because the band was incredible. They just got every song. The pitch, the tone was perfect. I was taken in. It was one of those times where the music just comes alive at the performance. There were ten people on stage and they would randomly switch instruments. These were actual musicians my friends.

And as if the music, the venue and the perfect sunny day weren’t enough, I got more. There were so many great people there. And as we know, the people make it for me. I went with Rebecca- which was so fun, and we sat with the Spiros. Yes, multiple Spiros. This is the greatest part. Jay Spiro (Jamie’s cousin…did I just call her Jamie?) was in Rebecca’s wedding, so it actually made sense that we were all together. So there we were, Rebecca, Sharelle and five Spiros. About ten feet away were Lana, Rick, Melissa and Shaun. And then, just to top it all off, another CP showed up – Kristina Janzen. So, it was the best of both worlds – Capernwrayers and White Rockers. How can you beat that?

But man, just so incredible. This long post is well merited. I have been listening to them ever since. If you haven’t yet, go take a listen. It won’t be the same, but it will be good.

Real Life...

I'm telling you right now, this is not the much anticipated wedding recap. It's coming, but you demanded blogging, and these are todays thoughts:

Today marked the return to the "work world" for me. Canadian Geography finished, so I headed back to Novacom this morning with the throng of commuters. It was also the day after a long weekend. Also, at the end of the day, I had to write a relatively significant cheque. Although little, these things added to a day that needed to be redeemed. And then:

-A Beautiful White Rock Moment-

I was just saying today how I already missed my dear TWU friends. Specifically today, I was thinking of my friend Laura Van Dyke. We became friends this semester, having two classes together and talking "literary" things. For some reason recently, I have been looking at similar cars thinking it might be one of my TWU friends. Today, coming through the 32nd Avenue Diversion, and who did I see? Laura was turning the corner. What are the chances? Provindential I think.

So we roll down the windows at the light, and decide to go to Wendy's. I am sitting there eating a JBCB just thinking - "it doesn't get any better than this". We sat and talked until almost 10.00 pm about life, proffessors, books and silly things. These are the beautiful moments of summer...

Even the bleak "real world" life can be redeemed by random moments on the commute home. During our conversation, we decided that the only thing to do is find the beautiful moments in the day and live for them. So that was my "moment" today. Long story? Yes. Beautiful moment? You better believe it.

Join the Font Revolution....

I just love finding out that there are people as crazy as you. I got an email from Christy Childers today telling me about Helvetica's 50th birthday. You are thinking, "what is Helvetica?". Oh yes, its a font my friend. Here is my confession:

I love fonts.

I don't know why but a font can make or break something for me. You walk into a restaurant that appears nice and read the menu, and its a cheesy font, and I'm thinking "why bother".

So the font that gets me the most is Comic Sans. Every time I see it, I get agitated. Okay, a little extreme, but you get the point. The worst part is - people use it all the time. School posters, menus, letterhead, signage! You might not believe me, but you will notice it now (or not, because you aren't crazy like me). In any case, the BBC article mentioned that in Canada there is an "ban comic sans" coalition! There is a website that sells ani-comic sans stickers and memorabilia. There is even a flickr group with pictures of the font's flagrant misuses. The slogan: "putting the sans back in comic sans". Soo geeky, and sooo great.

A Series of Unfortunate Events....

.the cell phone.
You might have already heard this story from my "informative" email, but I lost my cell phone on Monday. Not only lost, but randomly "picked up" again. The thing was, I was convinced that I had just left it at home on my desk. I pick Brenda up, and she tells me that she phoned it three times, from different phones and some girl answered each time. The girl carried out a conversation with Brenda, saying it was her "friend's phone". Brenda said "Is your friend Sharelle?", which apparently confused her.

Then the kicker - I phone Matt to ask him about the last time I called him. He says..."well your phone called me ten minutes ago but it wasn't you". The girl called him and said: "Hi Matt...", then giggled and hung up. That seriously happened. Apart from the "lost phone" thing, it actually makes for a pretty funny/random story.

.the tooth.
On Friday night, we had a little girls night which involved dinner up on the Boathouse patio. Things were all well and good, I was eating my Coconut shrimp when I hear a "crack". I chipped my tooth on the fork! It's not a big chip, but its definitelythere. I feel a strange tingly sensation when I eat cold things now. I probably shouldn't have told this story because now people will be looking at my tooth. Actually, that would be pretty awkward.

.the shoes.
This story is actually pretty boring, so I will keep it simple. Aldo double-charged me for a pair of shoes. That isn't even the worst part. I convinced myself they were great, because they were just what I wanted: brown flats. They were on sale and I thought "walking around the house" a bit would break them in. Not so much. So alas, they are going back to the store. So, now I have a double-charge and a return. Lame-o.

Perhaps this post was too negative. To lighten the mood, I suggest you go read this excerpt from the new self-help sensation: The Secret. Its the funniest thing I have read in a while. It's hard to believe people actually believe this stuff. An excerpt:

"Let go of all those limiting thoughts. Food cannot cause you to put on weight, unless you think it can."

........

Really? That's phenomenal. I am going to eat a bowl of Ben & Jerry's right now, and I don't think it will have any fat in it. Oh I like this philosophy....

The Pseudo-Graduation...

my name in the program. and next to my name? you read for yourself. ohhh yeah.

Proffesor Pearson....such a character.

the family.

guess who showed up at grad? miss kiki tegs.

sarah and christie - my dear on campus friends that took me in and bought me food.

........

So here I sit, on Sunday night, posting graduation photos, only to wake up and drive to TWU tomorrows for a summer class. Not too pleased about that. But yes, this was grad weekend, and yes it was great times. On Friday, I went for pedicures with my mom and Lindsay. Then my mom and I went to the English Department Tea. This was probably one my favourite parts. My mom was standing around and talking to my proffessors. Picture yourself in that situation. It's crazy. My family took me out to dinner on Friday night, and then we went to the Baccalaureate service at TWU.

On Saturday, there was commencements. I absolutely loved watching the professors parade in their academic regalia. I was kind of sad, because I wasn't able to participate in the Humanities ceremony because of my current degree. So there weren't too many of my proffessors there. However - the speaker was Dr. Barbara Pell, whom I respect and admire beyond words. I felt truly honored to partipate in the ceremony. The joy of my academic life was manifest on the stage and all around me. That and I got the blue cord! That means something special (refer to 1st picture). All in all, a wonderful time. I felt truly celebrated and honored.

Confessions of a Trin-Keen....

It's official. I'm over the Top -

Lavonne is never going to speak to me again.

.........

I am lamenting graduation. Who laments graduation? Who is this sad to leave their school? Absolutely no one – except me. Oh how ridiculous I am. But truly, I feel a deep sadness. I just love it here. It’s so rare to find a place in your life like that. When you do, you just want to hold onto it. Not only will I love the memories, but I love it now, in the moment. That is truly a gift.

The more I think about it, I know I will be back. Actually, I will be backer sooner than I think. I am further considering Grad work which means I will need to update my degree to an English Major. I have sadly sacrificed my English Major in order to do PDP. I am going to graduate with General Studies, so I can get my Bachelor of Education (ugh..so complicating). All this to say -essentially this is a “Pseudo-Graduation” of sorts. We will celebrate the BA, but it’s certainly not the end. Don’t be shocked if you ask me what I am doing in fall and I say “Back at TWU”. I just can’t get enough…

I thought of a good metaphor. It’s like a relationship. If you really love something or someone, it is harder to let go. But wait! It goes further – the world around you tells you to move on, that you are “better” than this relationship. “Just let go” they say. But you are sitting there going “no, this is it, this is what I love, for better or for worse”. In this case, for worse may mean unfortunate student debt. Hehe.

........

There you go, I have truly gone off the deep end, using analogies to describe my ridiculous state. Perhaps one person reading this will understand me. The rest of you, please just refrain from making fun of me, and maybe come to a “Grad BBQ” if I organize one. We need to celebrate graduation and the end of the semester. Heck – maybe next year we can have another one when I graduate again! More reasons to party….

"A-Drewlo"

I wish I knew how to get cell-phone pictures onto my computer because I have the best picture EVER of today. I go over to the ol' TWUSA BBQ to get my yearbook, and I am looking for the right line to stand in, and then I see it:

A sign that says "A-Drewlo" in big letters.

Thats right, my name was the cut-off so it was written on the big signs for people to line up. Okay, so they weren't that big, and its only TWU, but c'mon! You would be excited if your name was on a sign! I was pretty excited and took a keener photo with the sign. The yearbook people thought I was ridicolous. Sad thing was- I didn't take a grad photo, so I wasn't really represented. My baby picture did make it though. Leave it to my mom to get me in the yearbook somehow....

Good Things...

Today was an expectedly wonderful day. I am currently housesitting for my brother which meant that waking up 20 minutes late today did not matter. I got to school in 8 minutes. Wonderful. Then, came the joys:

....Golf Carts....

Today I drove around a golf cart on Redwoods Golf Course, for a class! I know hard to believe right? This is one of my few solaces in my 7 class crazy busy semester. I "have" to take a human kinetics course - golf. Oh Trinity Western and the Liberal Arts Education. We got to class today and he told us we were taking carts out on the course. Have you driven one of these things? Its' fun times. We definitely "lost our way" at one point and ended up back at the clubhouse. Good times in golf class.

...Mars Hill...
I have always, always wanted to be published in the school newspaper. I promise, unlike other school papers, it is not lame at all. Its very hip, and usually the people writing it have witty comments and hipster things to say. Then I found out one of my English friends was going to be the Editor next year and she suggested I get an article in before graduation. She liked it, and I got published. It's certainly not my best work, but the paper also publishes online if you want to read it. Sneaked it in for the last issue of my graduation year. Hurrah!

....Dr. John Klassen...
Just to top the day off, I finished my history class today with one of my favourite proffessors Dr. John Klassen. This man is wonderful, and I always just want him to like me, because he is sooo brilliant, and also witty. He likes to talk about things as they are. I basically just think he is great. After class, he walked over to me and said "Sharelle, I loved your article in the Mars Hill, well done". True story! That seriously happened. This is beggining to sound like I think I am awesome, which I don't, I promise you, but this was a sincere moment of sheer joy. That was my greatest fear with the article, that profs would read it and laugh. But Klassen liked it, and that made my day.

"Hello My Name is Sharelle"

I got April Fool's pranked by Gmail! Pranked by an email service! I feel so ridiculous. Now I am posting about it, because it truly was a "Hello my name is Sharelle" moment.

On Sunday, I went to check my Gmail and there was a link that said: "New! Gmail Paper". So, I was a little curious and clicked on it. It said that Gmail had a new service where they would print any emails you wanted and send them to you free of charge. There was little pictures and testimonials and what not. I actually told Matt about it, thinking that it was pretty crazy that the service was free.

The service isn't free, because it doesn't exist! I actually looked for the "Paper" button in my account and couldn't find it. I wanted to click it and get one sent to me. Seriously.

Today, I signed in and it said "Missed our April Fool's Day Joke? - Click Here". So I did, only to see that I had been scammed, and fully did not know it. Now you might be wondering why I am spending time clicking Google links. Great question, I would like to know myself actually. It's the fine art of procrastination. Did anyone else get sucked in? Please tell me if you did. Oh wait, you probably aren't spending your time clicking on google links...right.

Stranger than Fiction....

" Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method."

What do I even begin to say about this film? I was actually going to write up a little "review" about immediately after I saw in theatres, but probably at the time I had more exciting things in my life than six research papers. Now, a Friday night movie is the best thing I have got...

Considering the content, it isn't too surprising that this movie won me over in the first ten minutes. The basic plot is that Will Ferrell actually hears a writer narrating his life but “accurately and with a better vocabulary". Literary humor abounded at every turn. Dustin Hoffman is a literary theory professor - can it get better than this? His rant just killed me: "I have written papers on 'little did he know', I used to teach a class based on 'little did he know', I once gave an entire seminar on 'little did he know'". The first time I saw this I just about died laughing. This is my life. Entire papers are written about four words. Oh just thinking about it right now makes me laugh at how ridiculous we English people are.

Okay, at this point you are thinking “Sharelle is an English geek”. And you are right, but you still need to see this movie. The writing is so well done. It may be a comedy, but the characters actually are characters. You feel like you meet them and know them better once the movie is done. Hypothetically, if I had watched the featurettes (which of course I didn’t do…ummm right) I may have seen an interview in which the wonderful Emma Thompson said: “I would love to serve this writing”. I found that inspiring. Thinking that actors are actually looking for good writing and they are willing to give themselves up for it. Okay, sorry for the digression once again, but the point is, every single actor in this film fulfills their role, and that is rare my friends.

So, do a service to yourself and rent this movie. It may not be Oscar-worthy, but it is clever, and honestly sometimes I think that is a greater feat. I loved it more the second time I watched it, seeing how all the pieces come together. And if none of this persuades you, it has Will Ferrell, Mr. SNL comedy himself and it turns out he can act. Go watch it, you won’t regret it. How’s that for a passionate movie review?

What's going on?

I didn't want to do it. I really didn't. I wanted to leave the comments open to anyone. But this is ridicolous. My curiosity is too great, I need to know who the anon. people are.

That and its a little creepy. (refer to last post)

So, I changed the settings. From now on, no more anonymous posters. You have to have either a blogger account, or a google account. I assume most people have one or the other. If not, please get one and post. If I know you, I really want you to post! Even if I don't know you, but you are fine with being identified, then please post! I -like every other blogger- love comments, so please keep commenting!

This post is strange. Even as I write it, I am debating whether or not to post it. Its like policing, of my own blog. Something I normally don't approve of.

I suppose if the anon is reading this...I'm pretty sure you are someone I know, some white rocker just trying to get me. So you win. I'm fine with that...

This is getting out of hand....

I am changing my facebook profile
I am looking at my friend's facebook profiles
I am talking to two different people on msn about facebook.

I wish I was kidding, but I am not. I don't know about you, but it seems like in the last three days, everyone I know has joined facebook. Here is the thing. I don't even like facebook. There is that stupid "mini-feed" which tells you 8,000 things you didn't need to know about your friends. "Cheryl took the bible off of her favourite books"*. Then you are sitting there for a minute, pondering why Cheryl is no longer reading the bible. "Katie is no longer single"*. As if this one wasn't bad enough, if you break up, there is a cracked heart, telling the facebook world.

Granted, looking at the stupid pictures people post of you is fun. But why are we sitting around tagging photos anyway? I mean, how about I don't know CALLING the person we are tagging in the photo. I cannot talk, because I was inspired by Lavonne to create an album today, and tag people in it. So there you go, I am as guilty as the next guy. This rant is directed at myself.

If you don't have facebook, don't get it. I am telling you right now. If you do, oh boy, what have we gotten ourselves into. And hey - add me....

*The names have been changed to protect their facebook identities. You know who you are...hehe.

Keener Spirit #4

I am a Keener, yes I am
I say what? Oh! Yes Ma’am!
I ALWAYS do my poetry form
In fact I go way beyond the norm!
I love Keats, Byron, Wordsworth too
And in fact I am way smarter than you!

-by Katie Haworth

This poem is about me, and it was written on my computer by the girl that sits next to me in English class. I was calling her a keener, and she responded by saying that I was the biggest keener ever. Which...is pretty true. I went up (okay I volunteered) to read Byron's poem "Manfred", and while I was gone Katie wrote this poem.

Am I Keener? - As much as I would like to deny it, yes. Do I always do my poetry worksheet? - Again guilty as charged. Did I reformat the sheet and post it on ecourses for my class? - sadly yes. Do I love Keats, Wordsworth and Byron - yes. Am I smarter than you? - no!

There you go Katie - you are famous....

Surprises...

Hey! Bonnie Dowling! What the Heck!?!?

I get a call today in the afternoon from Miss Kristina Janzen. She asks if we can go for coffee. I tell her that today was Matt and Sharelle date day, so it wouldnt really work. And she was like "are you sure you can't meet just for a few minutes". I am wondering what the urgency is all about when she says "hold on..." and passes the phone off to none other than Bonnie...in freakin Abbotsford, surprise visiting from good ol' Winnipeg. Only Bonnie.

It is really true. Some things are just bettert as a suprise. We sat and drank coffee for a couple of hours at Ethical Addictions mid Saturday afternoon. Now, under normal circumstances, this little event would not have qualified as exciting times. In fact, if it was pre-planned it would have been borderline lame (I mean Ethical in Langley c'mon) But spur of the moment, friend showing up from out of town just for kicks - now THAT is a good coffee date. And as usual, with Bonnie and Kristina it was a pleasure. It was nice to be able to talk in person, without that pesky phone in the way. We all noticed how normal it seemed, to be sitting around and talking, as if we all lived in the same city. I liked that.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

If this wasn't enough for random events in the day! I went downtown for date day with Matt, and we are walking along in Gastown when I full on slip on the pavement. This in itself - not too shocking, I am sure all that know me have witnessed at least one good trip/fall of mine. But the crazy part was:

I slipped on a Banana Peel!

True Story. I am not lying. Matt looked down and was literally shocked - "It was a banana peel! I didn't think that actually happened!" Anyway - you may not be surprised by these events, but I sure was. Then we stumbled upon a wonderful restaurant called "Joe Forte's Seafood and Chop House" which is apparently a Vancouver legend. They sat us up on the rooftop, which may sound strange in the winter, but was truly delightful. There were tiny lights and heat lamps around the table. It was preettty nice I have to say. So how is that for a day huh? I wouldn't call myself a lover of surprises but today, they sure treated me good

go.listen.now.

I am going to have to agree with Rachel on this one. You should be listening to Regina Spektor. Don't be thrown off by the funny spelling and the name (Bec). Just go out and listen to it.


This is good stuff. Great stuff in fact.

Can you tell its my reading break?

I am posting about albums!

I love Seattle....

Just when we thought the "I love revolution" was over. I can't help myself. I went to Seattle this weekend and I got this. Joanna Beaver and Christy Childers. How can you beat that? It is such an amazing gift to be able to drive two short hours and be in the presence of people you love so much. There is something great about enduring friendship. You don't need to see them every weekend (although you want to) But when you do, its like you never left.

I have been given a wonderful gift with my Capernwray friends. I love that I can drive down to Seattle and its like a whole other world of good times. Took care of a few Northwest Traditions this time around (Dick's Burgers Drive In, Tully's) and I hit up Mars Hill Church. Thats basically a whole other blog post. The emergent church - what do you guys think?

Anyway, another wonderful weekend in Seattle. This weekend I had: friends that bring light to my soul, laughter, coffee and Target. Hard to beat...

Can it be true?

Now that I have shamelessly admitted how much of a Grey's Anatomy fan I am, its time for me to ask this important question:

Were the last scenes of tonight's episode what they seemed to be? Can it be?Was it real?

Now, this is NOT intended to be a give-away post, and I absolutely do not want to be accused of that by the "we are waiting for DVD" types. So - if you watched it, and I know you do, simple answer: "It's true" or "It can't be true". Variations on the theme are acceptable, but absolutely no explanations.

And for the record, I definitly cried again tonight. Its getting ridcolous actually...

I love my friends....

Now you might be thinking "who writes a cliche post titled 'I love my friends'?!?" or you might be thinking "does Sharelle think that the girls in this beloved show are her friends?"

And the answers are me and yes. No not really, but sort of. There is some incredible friendship in that show, and this post is to commemorate a wonderful week I had with my good friend Lavonne. Since the parents took off on yet another vacation, I brought in the good times - Lavonne Neville, S&C, and McCain Cake. This my friends in a winning combo. It's such a gift to have a friend at the end of the day to "recap" with. I absolutely love the weeks when Lavonne stays with me. It's magical. It reminds me why I love good friends so much. We don't need to be with each other all the time. Yet when we do need them, we need them. For the sillyness, the reflection, the laughter, the security and heck even the cyncism.

It might sound cheesy, or perhaps even ridicolous but....I will always be a being orientated towards friends. I live for these moments.

I love London....

I am so in love with this city....

Where do I begin. Its the metropolis meeting the old world. Its Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Chaucer's grave in Westminster Abbey, the Tube, the Theatre, the books, the history, the people. And the thing is, its not only these things. You can walk around all day taking in the 100's of years of history and literature. Yet in the evening, you can go to a show, or H &M, or Ben and Jerrys. Thats pretty good.

The thing is - I got so comfortable with London. I walked around the tube and the city and I always felt safe. I don't know why. I know it isn't really. But I just love it...so much.

I love Grey's Anatomy...

Look at them....I just love them.

Here's the thing. I don't watch too much t.v...but I am hooked on this show. All it took was a couple of episodes with Lavonne and Kira and I was sucked in. Now I just can't get enough. I download the music (which by the way, you should check out because it is great). There is some wisdom on this show too. Unconventional wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless. This past week, I learned not to be "judgy" with my friends, because it ruins people.

For two weeks in a row, I just saw there crying my eyes out. If you watch the show, you know why. Later I was trying to explain it to Matt and I just about cried again. This is me at my most ridicolous, and it is because of this show. But it's good crying, because the writers know how to draw you in, how to make you feel.

You didn't think I could write that much about a t.v. show, but I just did. That is why I love Grey's Anatomy...

I love Antique Books...

My limited collection.

When I was in England there was this bookstore near Capernwray where you could buy Jane Austen and Charles Dickens 1912 editions for 3 pounds. That translates to about 7 dollars. I only bought 3 books. I feel like there is something incredibly wrong with me. When I go back (I can say that now!), I am going to buy books, and send them home. Its an obsession really. I look at classics in ordinary bookstores now, and they make me sad. Who wants a paperback when you can have this?

I wasn't going to post an "I love" today, but then I read a comment from my dear friend Christy, who has joined the "I love" revolution. So I thought I better not let Wednesday go by without a post. I snuck in right under the clock. The post time says 11.56 pm. Whew, that was close. And I am the biggest geek ever..