Do you agree?

'"Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" - Tennyson.

My expierence is so limited and that makes it hard for me to say. Which my friends - is why I am interested to know what you think, and maybe even why you think it - if you might be so brave. And yes - its a silly blog - so you may not want to bare your soul - but something to think about anyway.

The conculsion I think I came to was this:

I hate the image of the man in his cabin alone, letting the world pass him by. Granted, he might be happy, in the sense that he has found contentment within himself and his surroudings. But I think love, even platonic love, takes us outside of ourselves. And yes it hurts, and I don't even begin to know what that means. Yet even when it hurts the most, I get this feeling that I just wouldn't be whole without it.

There you go, with my inadequate thoughts now on screen, you can veeery easily outdo me...come on!

Lights will Guide you Home...

:White River Ampitheatre/Auburn Washington/August 16.05:

No I did not take this photo, and yes he is a superstar.
A little screen action - kind of lame photo - kind of cool. You decide.
Not to be outdone by the superstar....

On Tuesday night, Megan Howie & I took a trip down to Auburn Washington and took in a concert that I have been waiting a long time to see. A little band I like to call...Coldplay. Definitly up there for one of the best concerts I have been to. I loved the outdoors thing - seeing the open air around you while listening to this incredible music. Of course Chris Martin was a speck - but they had all kinds of great shots of him on the screen. Kudos to Coldplay techy guys - it looked really good. They busted out "Fix you" at the very end - annnnd I probably would have paid just to see that. I feel blessed beyond belief - to be able to see two of your top five bands in concert in one summer - thats happines my friends.

Comical...

"We may not be Dairy Queen, but we sure have great Sundays" -

Actual Church Billboard.

Enough Said.

Now for something completely different....

If you are expecting any kind of insightful post, stop reading now. But if you enjoy a random story - keep reading.

When I was in grade 8, my crazy friend Laura thought it would be funny to smile and wave at a shy kid in a grade lower than us - just to make him embarassed. Upon later reflection - this may have been more mean than funny - but hey we were in grade 8. Anyway, we always waved at this boy called Shaun, and he would get all agitated and embarassed. So success for us basically.

So what's funny about that story? Besides the fact that I was a potentially mean kid in my younger days? Last summer, while working at the ol' Sbux, I notice that a regular customer looks veeery familiar. And for the life of me I can't figure out why. Then it dawns on me - It's Shaun! So one day - on a secret stealth mission, I walk past the insurance company where he works and read his nameplate. Yup - it sure is. Small weird world my friends. Anyway - I think we are friends now, he came in this week and we chatted it up. Mental.


Laura & I taking a cheesy photo with Shaun. Before all the jokes start....I was in grade 8, give me a break!

Ocean of Words...

I bought a Moleskine journal. And I am pretty excited about it. I have been wanting to purchase this journal for a long time.

"For two centuries now Moleskine has been the legendary notebook of European artists and intellectuals, from Van Gogh to Henri Matisse, to Pablo Picasso....and Ernest Hemmingway."

You know, I realize that it is all selling technique, but I feel more artistic just for owning one. Yikes. Honestly, its' great because I can carry it in my bag, and just start writing anywhere. Which I have already done. And it turns out - Moleskine has a following. People using them to travel the world, pass them around, and record ideas. There is even a blog dedicated to it. I love that I get to be a part of that. Cheesy but true.

The title of my first reflection: "How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading". I read a great article about it. I am guessing no one is truly interested, so I wont write about it on here. But if you are - lets talk about it sometime.

I heart Kelowna...

Here is something I love about summer. On tuesday you can decide that a weekend in Kelowna would be nice. And if you have really great friends (in this case one C.Santos & L. Neville) it can actually happen. So we took a little trip. On the road I heard some very wise words from Crista about contentment & happiness. Isn't it interesting how there is always something we could be discontent about? No matter what our stage in life. So I think the trick is, love where you are at. Each stage has difficult things, but usually there are some good things too. And you will probably miss them when they are gone. (I know I do.) Easy to say - hard to do. But all in all, a fantastic weekend.

A classic driving shot.
I love the westcoast...it's true.

My dad dancing to Elvis. It doesn't get much better than that!
Put on your shades for that one - just a little white!

The phantom did us proud. Even on the SEVEN AND A HALF HOUR trip home. Yes you heard me right. I will say it once, and I will say it again - I am NOT a #1 highway fan! We took the #7 highway, and by highway they mean "major road" through aggasiz and mission. Yikes.

CP's in the Emerald City....

This weekend I had the chance to drive to Seattle, and visit some Capernwray Girls...affectionly dubbed the Cp's. For umm...Canadian Pride. Anyway, it was a fantastic weekend, and I was blessed to spend time with these friends again. I am going to post pictures of the other visits too...Spi was just super keen with these photos, so here they are.

Photos courtesy of J. Spiro. (Because lets be serious. My photos DO NOT look this cool...)

Ladies Night...

Here is the "cute one"...and yes Lavonne's eyes are closed.one word. sexellent.

As promised, I posted these fine pictures, of some very nice looking ladies. Props to Howie for hosting a girls night. Its probably one of my favourite things, seeing as there are so many of them I hardly see anymore. We had some good laughs, and some nutella. I mean really - what could be better than that?

Landlocked Blues...

"and the world’s got me dizzy again/
you think after 22 years i’d be used to the spin/
and it only feels worse when I stay in one place/
so I’m always pacing around or walking away/"
-bright eyes. i'm wide awake it's morning. "landlocked blues".

Do you ever one of those moments where you are listening to a new CD and the lines just strike you as being exactly right for that moment and how you feel. I had a moment like that today. I am not telling you to go buy the CD or anything, havent decided what I think of it, but wow - did I ever like those lines.

It's that in between place - between going with the crowd, or choosing for yourself, the middle, where almost nothing is perfectly clear. So something in you tells you to keep moving, to get away from it, but let's face it, I dont think that works. Ahhh the second adolescence....

Caution: Memory Lane Ahead....

Today I took an unexpected trip down memory lane. I went to meet Shaun Gaynor and of course an evening of adventures ensued. I sure didnt expect to end up at "Bear Creek Park" though, across the street from the house I (mostly) grew up in. It's strange how a place can just trigger memories like that. So we walked a little, and I told some stories.

Side Note: In the process we also passed a group of cheerleaders who were very keen and advised that THEY ALL MUST WEAR SHORTS, unless told otherwise. And although it may SEEM like the football players don't notice...they do. Yikes...

Anyway - I will paint a picture of the moment for you. It was the midlight between evening and sunset and the sky was darkening into a deep hue of red which almost seem mirrored by the track below our feet. Everywhere I looked some piece of childhood seemed to jump out at me. I thought of track meets - where your single greatest joy was to get a doughnut at the end of the day. And of coming to the park with your friends - bubbling over with confidence because you could actually walk that far from home. It was a nice moment - one of those where you almost feel like if you shut your eyes you could be a kid again for just 10 minutes. I was just so aware of life as a progression, and where I have come from there.

Sorry for that monologue, it was just an unexpected magical evening. We even drove past my old elementary school and church. Weird. I don't think we realize how far we have come sometimes....

Okay enough of the cheesiness. If you have read all the way to here, you are either a true friend or very bored. Most likely B. I hope the cheesy childhood photo will stand as some consolation.

What really knocks me out...

.... is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though. " - Holden. (Catcher in the Rye)

And you thought it was going to say Mr. Darcy. Well he knocks me out too.

Because I failed to post this on Bonnie's Blog so many months ago. Now you may wonder why 7? While because I just couldnt add those other 3 to the list, even though I tried. So technically I have 10, but only the 7 actually deserve the list. Get it? (I don't). Without futher adieu...

Top 7 Favourite Novels

1. Catcher in the Rye - Salinger (It's been beaten to death, but how can you not love "coming of age" novels, I know I sure do)

2. Pride and Prejudice - Austen (Three things: Mr. Darcy, Pure wittiness, and England...sold!)

3. Mere Christianity - Clive Staples (Lets face it, anything written by Clive deserves to be on a top 10 list, but I just choose the one I have read the most)

4. The Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas (This book is over 1400 pages, and almost every one of them is magic. We're not talking amazing philosophy, just the story of a man...but wow)

5. Mrs Dalloway - Woolf (Two hand cheer for stream of conciousness writing - it really blows my mind, its like I am right in their mind!)

6. A Room with A View - Forrester (Probably the reason I love this book is because its about travelling in Italy and I read it while doing just that, and of course, its a classic)

7. What's so Amazing about Grace - Yancey (This was my first Yancey - and I was sold, felt like I learned so much about Grace, well as much as a book can teach you anyway)

Honorable Mentions:

Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller - I agree with Spi, this could be a fly by night favourite, and does not deserve IN ANY WAY to be on the same list as the likes of Austen or Clive. And yet - right now, I am simply amazed by it.

At Home In Mitford - Jan Karon - Now having put this on the list, I immediatly regret it because one of you might go out and read it and never be my friend again. Its sooo sappy. My only justification is that it was CLEARLY written by someone who loves literature. Little break for the brain I tell ya.

Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - (Now I realize this idea might sicken most of you, but I did not read this book until about 3 years ago, and I found it so enchanting. Added bonus - it's Canadian.)

And thats it friends. Please post yours! For real I would love to read them, and add them to my ever growing list of fantastic novels.

It's a Bird....It's a Plane....

"No...its just a flying man in tights". - random man in crowd.

Last week I rediscovered the joy of "lois & clark". I got a phone call from Beevers on my cell stating that yes, because of Teri Hatchers recent primetime success, they have released Lois & Clark on DVD. And the peasants rejoice.

So, what did I...the avid sold out fan do? I downloaded it. It's just a t.v. series guys...do they really need fifty dollars. Anyway, I have found all kinds of happiness in this show that I had completly forgotten about. Top 3 favourite scenes so far:

1. This is how they NAME the greatest superhero of all time. Picture Lois standing in the Newsroom looking up at Dean Cain saying "he's super...." in a dreamy voice.

2. After a montage of Clark's mom making him various superhero outfits (with Bonnie Tyler "Holding out for a Hero" playing in the background, he steps out is his super suit. His mom says: "well they wont be looking at your face". HIS MOM folks.

3. Dean Cain taking his glasses on and off...saying they wont recognize him because he will be "different". Whatever that means.

Tonight, I will watch as many episodes as possible with Jenny Beevers. My guess is, she will be dressed up.

Zoom Zoom

the day has come. to say good-bye to the legend of pb (powder blue). i'll miss you pb, we had some good times together. A little trip down memory lane: "your dad" or "you're dead" etched into the trunk (no we never really knew), hitting it into neutral on the freeway, cruising the WR strip playing lame tunes. they were good days. the toyota treated me well.
and there it is my friends. a mazda3 GT GFX. yummy. and it's mine! hurrah! i cannot believe it is true. alas, it also does not have a clever name yet. but it will i promise you it will.

The Bandwagon...

Well friends...it's official. I have jumped on the bandwagon. I do not promise anything particularly insightful or deep, just some thoughts maybe. And this way I can post on all blogs - even you jerks that only allow bloggers (ahh pretentiousness). Okay....more soon.