of the myriad of things that deserve to be posted...

....this is not one of them.

So many lovely things have happened over my break. There are even pictures to accompany these adventures. I promise, they will all get posted in due time. But first, I need some opinions.

I am seriously considering changing the blog template. Now, to some this may not be a big deal, but to me, its pretty serious for this reason.

Once I change, I can NEVER go back.

This is not just me being over-dramatic (which I am), I actually can't. The only way I can get the new template I want is by switching to Blogger Beta. Now, if I switch to Blogger Beta, I can no longer have this current template (my "Scribe" template on Beta looks awful). So, here is what I ask.

1. Click on this link.
2. Look at the template*
3. Give me an opinion if I should change (keeping in mind, it would be permanent), or not. I am looking for your honest opinion here. It's okay, if you say you hate it, and I choose it anyway. I just want to know what the people think.


*If you are thinking "wait a second, how can we go to a link to look at this blog?" and you look up at the URL, yes you will discover that I actually created a fake blog to test it out. I AM that ridiculous.

.the peg.

This weekend Matt and I went to Winnipeg. We visited his family, and I got to see one of my wonderful CP's, Bonnie Dowling. Matt grew up in Winnipeg, so we took a little tour of his childhood spots. I must admit, my affection for the town is growing. The buildings are lovely, and the people are well, inexplicably great. However, not so great - getting almost blown over by the wind, and literally EATING dirt that blew into my mouth.

That being said, the words, and the laughter were irreplaceable.

*Disclaimer: to those expecting to see photos that point to some artistic glory, or even a shred of photographic thought (you know who you are...). Just forget it. I am not the photo taking CP. I never have been. These were a last ditch effort, twenty minutes before we left to at least have SOME pictures of our trip. We can't all have the same skills now can we? And the partially good ones - were taken by Bonnie*

Is that Bonnie and I "rowing" in front of the "Rialto" bridge in Venice?
Perhaps, or it could be the painting on the "Daly Burger". You choose.
Either way, I'm keen.

Are we still posing in front of the Rialto? Yup, we are. I don't even know....

I've always wanted to take Matt to Venice.
And now here we are, caught in a manufactured candid moment :)

Let's Play...

Its my two week break. I have time to do dumb things, so I stole this from Spiro....

• Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
• Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie (or quote them from memory).
• Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
• Fill in the film title once it’s been guessed.

These are the players’ rules:

• No Googling or using IMDb search functions (don’t cheat!).
• Leave your answer(s) in the comments.

I pick the quotes; you guess without internet aid. If someone has answered it already, its in bold at the end.

Thank you to everyone that played. I am truly impressed at your movie knowledge !

You guys did so good. I am impressed!

1. “Maggie, when you grow up and are incredibly beautiful and intelligent and possess a certain sweetness that's... that's like a distant promise to the brave, to the worthy, could you please not beat to a pulp every miserable bastard that comes your way simply because you can? Could you not do that?” - One Fine Day (why no one guessed this sooner is shocking to me! George - my "favourite movie...c'mon...haha)

2. “Love is not a feeling….It's an ability” -Dan in Real Life

3. "She was in Spain, people do stupid things when they're in foreign countries"
"Yes, they buy leather jackets for much more than they're worth but they do NOT fall in love with fascist dictators!" - You've Got Mail


4. "Have you no consideration for my poor nerves"
"You mistake me, my dear. I have the utmost respect for your nerves. They've been my constant companion these twenty years" - Pride and Prejudice

5. "Love gives you wings. It makes you fly. I don't even call it love. I call it Geronimo. When you're in love, you'll jump right from the top of the Empire State and you won't care, screaming "Geronimo" the whole way down. I love her so bad, I just... whoa, she wrecks me. I'd die for her" - Conspiracy Theory

6. "Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love" - Love Actually

7. "We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'." (I don't LOVE this movie, but this is one of the most lovely quotes) - Shall We Dance

8. "You don't have bones of glass. You can take life's knocks. If you let this chance pass, eventually, your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton. So, go get him, for Pete's sake" -Amelie

9. "People say, You must have been the class clown. And I say, No, I wasn't. But I sat next to the class clown, and I studied him." - Waiting for Guffman

10. "You see? That is just like you. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you." - When Harry Met Sally

11. "Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me. It was like remembering something I'd never known before or had always been waiting for, but I didn't know what. Maybe it was something I'd forgotten or something I've been missing all my life. All I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness. But not too much sadness, because I felt alive. Yes, alive" - Paris Je'Taime

12. "I dunno, he must be a king"
"Why?"
"He hasn't got shit all over him" - Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail

13. "Little did he know. That means there's something he doesn't know, which means there's something you don't know, did you know that?" - Stranger Than Fiction

14. "In my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person will still think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with." -Juno

15. "Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place." -Garden State

So now that you have read them, and know what they are, post in the comment box saying which numbers are which movies.

I am interested in the fact that almost half my quotes were about love. I guess I will always be the perpetual English Major Romantic despite my cynicism....

Ch-Ch-Changes....

Seeing as the "I just about died" post has been on the blog a good six weeks now, I suppose it is time for "new" news. And let me tell you, there are things to report. 

Now, let's just play a quick round of "let's make obvious statements about ourselves".

I don't like change.

But that has not stopped the world from changing on me. Since the people have demanded (yes demanded!) a blog post about the recent changes, I figured it was time to post.

.the sbuckles.

Yes the time has come. It is actually hard to believe. It has been four years. This summer I am going to work for Novacom, and PDP is pretty mental. So it was time. 

I really couldn't have asked for a better minimum wage workplace to spend my university years. White Rock I Starbucks really has been good times. We have had ridiculous parties, crazy late night closes and stories that I don't even believe myself. I can't say I won't miss it, because I really will. But is also the end of the era. I can feel it.

So thanks to of you White Rock One Baristas who made it great. And thanks to everyone else who paid me visits. I probably wouldn't have made it through all those closes without you (this is starting to sound like an Oscars speech). I do technically have one more shift, but I am giving it away because....

.the move.

My parents finally sold the house. And now we are moving. As of Friday, I will officially be a White Rock resident. We are moving to a condo on "George" street which translates to about 154th and 14th. Its going to be pretty tight, with me and the parents transitioning from this massive house to a two bedroom condo. We'll get to know each other real well. hehe. But hey, its free rent AND I'll be closer to the beach. Let's focus on the positives right. So I am in the midst of packing my room and finding all kinds of things I didn't even know I owned. 

.the car.

Yes, the car is at the top. It is a 2009 Toyota Matrix. I know, "2009?". I don't get it either, but it smells new, and looks good, so I'm happy. The drive is amazing. The salesman had me where he wanted me, and he sold me on four wheel drive, and all the other safety features. I mean really, "post-ditch" I wanted to buy it all. At least I won't get stuck in the snow again. I do have one complaint though. When the back door opened, some rain water dripped on the seats and they stained! How weird is that? I took it to the dealership to show it to them, and they all joked that they would upgrade to "free leather". I say, no joke, DO IT! We'll see, I'll keep you updated. Matt is still defending his Toyotas. They can do no evil in his eyes. 

So those are the changes. I keep telling myself that in three weeks, it will all be over, and I will have a three week break from PDP. For now, life will be a little crazy....

"Lucky"....

Well I suppose it is time to tell the story. I didn't really feel up to doing it last week, but this way I have to tell it less in person, so here goes:

Last week Wednesday I had a snow day. I was home doing homework when my mom called, asking me to pick up something for Brandon and bring it to the office. The roads seemed okay, so I decided to go. I was driving on 40th avenue, towards 168th (about 5 minutes away from my house), when I looked down for a second. When I looked up, I had crossed the center line. I saw a vehicle farther down on the road, so I swerved. On the slippery road, my vehicle lost control, I spun out, and my car flipped into the ditch in the reverse direction. So somehow, my car did a 180 spin, and flipped.

The next thing I remember, I was inside my car, mud and water all around me I was freaked out. It seemed like an eternity trying to find my window to get out. I got the window down, and climbed out the window onto the bank. My pants, my shoes, my hair, my face was all covered in mud. The people on the other side of the bank seemed shocked to see me standing there. Someone came running around to help me. They laid me down in the backseat of a truck. Then the fireman and ambulance arrived. The paramedics put me in a neck brace, and made me lay on the stretcher and told me not to move my neck or my back. In the ambulance I started crying my eyes out, realizing what had happened.

When I was wheeled into the hospital, the nurse asked my name and the paramedic responded:

"Lucky....her name is Lucky"

The hospital was pretty emotional. My dad, my mom and Matt arrived. Eventually, after six and a half hours, I got the results from my bloodwork, x-rays etc. By some unbelievable miracle, I am okay. I have muscle stifness, neck and back pain, and I suffered a mild concussion. But that is it. When you look at the car, its hard to believe:

just looking at that makes me shudder.

Looking at those pictures, it becomes very clear to me:

It wasn't luck.

I know that it was a miracle. I know that God protected me. I know that my life was spared. It seems crazy to believe, that God would intervene on 40th avenue, for me. But I see no alternative. I wish I had some other miracolous revelation to share. But it still hasn't come. I sure hope it will.

Two more things. One: could you email me your phone number? The phone was killed in the crash. Two: in case you were wondering, yes, it is a write-off. Good-bye Phantom...

Can you deal with silence?

I have a question to pitch to the blogging world:

Do you always listen to music (or something) while you are driving?

Do you ever just drive silently? Listening to nothing but yourself?

*Now, I just need to make a note here, that I am NOT referring to those who have no options of listening to music, because say, they drive a beater car or something of that nature. I mean, you guys probably have the whole 'silent driving' market cased. What I am really talking about here is choosing to turn off your radio, or other noise making device. *

I realized today on the drive home that I always have something on. I always have this little battle with turning something on, whether it be my ipod, the radio, just something. Even today, with a minor headache, I still needed something on. So odd. The thing is, I consider myself a reflective person. I like thinking about things during my day, probably too much most of the time. But I don't really drive silently. Is it that I am afraid of what I might think? I think a therapist might go crazy on me.

The point of this post is not to beat ourselves up, we do that too much in the new year already. It's just a honest query. I wondered as I manically turned on my radio today, "does anyone drive silently anymore?" I am interested....

"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.