join the circus

the new vanilla and chocolate

2009-01-29T14:28:00.003-07:00

Saturday I twisted Matt's rubber arm to go to Casa Gelato.

I had already decided on the theme for my next double scoop the last time we were there. That time I went for gourmet sophistication and got a scoop of Cantaloupe on top of a scoop of Wild Fennel. It was very refined and refreshing.

That day I sampled the Marscapone, which was so creamy and rich, but delicate. I decided that it could only be paired with a bold, contrasting flavour. So this time I proceeded to try all the chocolate heavy-hitters in the shop. In the end I settled on "Chocolate Super Montego." This really is the best chocolate ice cream I have ever tasted. You won't believe all the flavour contained in just a scoop.

(contented sigh)

Again, I've already decided what I'm going to get next time. The Nut Kulfi is calling to me, and I think it might go well with something like Fig & Lemon Zest, or Ginger.

Just thinking about it has my mouth watering for Indian Sweets!

I scream

2009-01-20T11:41:00.003-07:00

I must apologize for not posting in a while.

I have been busy deconstruction and reformulating my entire world view.

I must say that right now I don't really feel like talking about my life, or social justice or pop culture or philosophy.

Instead, for the next while I will be writing exclusively about ice cream. It is sweet, inoffensive, and I can still muster up a certain amount of passion for it.

My favorite place for ice cream is La Casa Gelato. I think it's about time for another visit.

I would love to hear about other great ice cream spots, and the best/craziest flavours you've ever had.

laptop envy

2008-09-23T15:50:00.001-06:00

I have a wicked case of it right now. How do all these starving students afford their sleek and slender little devices?

Mine is huge and heavy and scuffed.

Poor me!

meaningless, meaningless

2008-09-09T12:03:00.001-06:00

Love is the only good thing in the world. Humble, self-sacrificing love. It is the only good purpose. The only thing to strive for.

So why do I recoil from it? Why do I sometimes loathe to give it, and resent receiving it?

my solo journey

2008-09-02T13:55:00.004-06:00

I traveled 1337 kms in 3 days on my motorcycle down the Crowsnest highway from Medicine Hat to Hope, and then down the busy #1 to Vancouver.

It was an amazing drive, with lots of heart-stopping twisties. It was also very cold in the mountains! I wore my rain gear even when I didn't need it, and I still couldn't feel my legs by the end of the day.

When I travel alone, I like to stay in B&Bs, for a little company.

The first night I stayed at the Three Bears Bed and Breakfast, in a little town called Jaffrey, just shy of Cranbrook. What a beautiful spot. Doug and Doris were friendly and chatty, the wildlife were plentiful, the breakfast was hearty and delicious. I can't wait to go visit them again.

The second night I stayed at the Italian Garden Bed and Breakfast in Osoyoos. Maria is a feisty little Italian woman with the most amazing garden in her back yard. The rooms are nothing special, but eating a breakfast of fresh fruit & vegetables under a canopy of grapes is! I would go back again, even just to eat her fresh figs.The highway west of Osoyoos is flanked by picture-perfect vineyards and fruit stands. I wish I could have lingered.

I can't wait to explore more wild and winding highways on my motorcycle! In a few weeks, I will be riding down to Portland, Oregon. It's just a quick jaunt to see a show, but I'm told there are some amazing back roads there.

simple pleasures.

2008-09-01T12:58:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I took public transit downtown to the Vancouver Art Gallery for an exhibit I really wanted to see. Then I went for coffee with my brother-in-law. It was a very pleasant way to spend some time, but the one thing that really stood out as the highlight of my day was reading a book on the train.

It has been so long since I had the opportunity to sit in once spot with nothing better to do than read. It felt luxurious, blissful even.

I can't wait to do it again.

hello from sunny, sunny Vancouver

2008-08-29T14:22:00.002-06:00

I have been just a tad busy of late. I apologize for not squeezing in a few blog posts amongst the painting and the packing and the moving and the starting school.

I am temporarily staying in Langley, hopefully moving to Burnaby or East Vancouver for October. Next Tuesday I start classes at Simon Fraser University. I am finally getting a degree - hopefully majoring in Linguistics, with an extended minor in Canada-Asia studies.

It's going to be a busy fall, but I promise I will work hard to keep posting what I hope are interesting stories and insights about my attempts to interact with the world outside my head.

And soon I will be able to post photos again, as well.

I miss you all!

I'm NOT calling this Lisa's Motorcycle Diaries

2008-07-30T08:43:00.003-06:00

OK.

I've had over a week to recover from my holiday, and I got up extra-early this morning, so I have no more excuses to postpone a blog entry.

I love my motorcycle.

My first long-distance trip went very well. As I was zooming along, I kept catching myself thinking,

"I'm doing this! I'm really doing this!" and then,

"Why am I doing this?!"

My end conclusion was always the same: because I can.

My body won't be pliable and compliant forever. I can't guarantee that five years down the road I will have my sight, or all my limbs, or even breath left in me. If I want to ride a motorcycle, I better do it now.

We drove 3400 km.

The first night we drove to Calgary. The gusting winds were increadibly strong. I clung to the bike for dear life. I'm glad I had to go through that at the beginning, as it got me over any nervousness about the wind right away. It took way longer to get there than I expected, and I got chilled once the sun started to go down, but I did enjoy how much easier it is to maneuver through stupid Calgary traffic on a bike.

Day two we headed for Kamloops - an overly ambitious goal. We stopped in Banff for a really nice lunch on a roof-top patio. The mountain air was cool. Why didn't I take my jacket liner? Why did I only bring tank tops? Well, my first highway ride was in 35 degree heat, so I didn't realize how cold it would feel at more normal temperatures. Oh well.

It is hard to describe how much more connected you feel to the world around you on a motorbike compared to a car. Everything looks closer, more real. You can smell the wildflowers, trees, water, cows (and, unfortunately, the odd roadkill).

As we got closer to Golden, BC, I finally got to experience some 'twisties'. Yay! This section of the Trans Canada Highway always made me tense driving in a car, but on the bike it felt mellow.

The only injury I sustained on the whole trip was on this leg. Don't worry, it was not bike related. As we stretched our legs at a rest stop overlooking the new section of bridge near Golden, I was walking backwards to fit more into a photo, tripped over a curb, and hit my head on the pavement. Yup.

I remember feeling glad that I wasn't wearing my $600 helmet. Priorities, you know.

I was dangerously tired as we pulled up to our motel. I had learned that 7 hours in the saddle was past my limit.

Another motel patron saw Matt's Ducati and came over to chat with us. Ducati lovers are a special breed of motorcycle enthusiasts. I wouldn't be surprised if they have secret handshakes and other hidden rituals.

Stay tuned for day 3 and my first rain gear experience!

gotta sing!

2008-07-21T22:09:00.003-06:00

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog made me happy.

We were on holidays, so we just missed getting to see it for free, but I was happy to pay 6 bucks to watch the latest Joss Whedon creation.

See what it's all about and download it from itunes.
Joss, if you see this, you should really set yourself up on Paypal so that I can send you more money. I would have gladly paid full movie theatre price for two to see that!

get your motor running, head out on the hightway...

2008-07-03T18:52:00.003-06:00

Last weekend I took my motorcycle out onto the highway for the first time.

It was an intense experience - so different than riding in town! The wind reminded me of that time I went skydiving, when they first opened the door of the plane and expended me to climb out.

We just drove an hour to Elkwater, at the edge of the Cypress Hills Inter-Provincial Park. We wanted to have a meal at the lodge there, but it turned out to be closed when we arrived, and we didn't want to wait around in our riding gear for 2 hours until it opened again. It was over 30 degrees that day.

Now I have my confidence back for riding that big, heavy beast. I'm going to need it.

This weekend we are riding our bikes to Calgary, Kamloops, Prince George, and Edmonton over our 2 weeks of vacation.

Pray for good weather, and wish me luck!

When you assume...

2008-07-03T09:21:00.002-06:00

I think the only way I will be able to get people to stop asking when I'm going to have kids is to start wearing a t-shirt like this:I know, it's offensive. It's insensitive. But so are people who ask such a personal question of someone without thinking that maybe the issue is a point of stress for them. I often feel tempted to burst into fake tears so that they will never ask anyone that question again.

I am well aware that they mean no harm, but I wish people would think before opening their mouths.

Shawna, where are you?

2008-06-30T22:17:00.004-06:00

This is Shawna. She's 20.

She has been missing for 2 months.

She has FASD and is a very generous person, so she's in danger from predatory people.

Her Mom is sick with worry.

If you have seen her, or know anything about where she is, please let me know and, of course, call the police.

And please pray for her, and her Mom.

sign of the apocolypse

2008-06-20T13:16:00.003-06:00

I have started watching The OC.

On purpose.

My therapist says my biggest problem is that I have too much time to think.

Apparently, this time the problem actually is all in my head.

Two and a half more months before we move.

Two and a half more months where my main form of contact with the outside world is TV. At least I haven't started watching daytime soaps yet. The OC is terrible, but it's not as bad as daytime soaps. I guess I finally understand why so many people watch them, though. Sometimes other (fictitious) people's problems are a great distraction from your own.

Now I get to actually leave the house and go to the lawn shop for sprinkler system parts. It's important to do something special every day.

gourmet guilt

2008-06-09T21:30:00.003-06:00

I got to go shopping at the Asian market recently, so for the past week we have been eating Japanese food every night. We've had yudofu, tonjiru, stir-fired lotus root with steamed edamame, pan-seared tuna with noodles, gomoku takikomi gohan, and even omurice!

I really enjoyed every meal, but each night as I prepared the rice, I couldn't help but think of the rice shortage going on all over the world.

Rice is the foundation of so many different cultures' diets. How will they do without? We can't just say "Let them eat cake."

I have four different kinds of rice in my cupboard.

I like rice, but I would stop eating it if I thought it would fix the problem.

Some scientists are starting to talk about algae and jellyfish becoming the most plentiful food sources in the world. Once we eat all of that, what's next?

Soylent Green, anyone?

mine

2008-06-02T11:29:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I am overcome by the most voracious selfishness.

Yar!

2008-05-21T10:09:00.002-06:00

Yesterday the dentist gave me a gold tooth.

I like it.

It's shiny and very smooth feeling.

I am so grateful that we can afford dental work right now. Even though the procedure was painful, it's not as bad as it would be if I left that tooth alone, or had to get it pulled with no anesthetic.

tattoo-two

2008-05-15T12:51:00.004-06:00

Well, here he is.

He looks a little skewed because it's harder than it looks to photograph your own bicep.

My arm is still numb - index finger and thumb, up the side of my forearm, top of the bicep all the way to the tip of the shoulder. After a little reading online, I think it's a combination of the position I was lying in, and the vibration of the tool irritating my delicate nerves. I really hope it goes away by tomorrow. It's left me kind-of useless.

I have just a little more understanding of the frustration felt by someone who has lost use of a limb due to stroke. You should have seen me trying to eat corn on the cobb last night. It surprised me that the numbness would affect control over those muscles.

suffering for my art

2008-05-14T14:13:00.004-06:00

I got my new tattoo today!

I think it looks great. Once the redness and swelling are gone I'll show you a picture.

Because of the way I had to hold my arm for 1 1/2 hours, it went completely numb. In fact, it's still not completely back to normal. It's just like when the freezing comes out at the dentist. You'd be surprised how hard it is to type with numb fingers.

It's about twice as big as my first tattoo, and filled in with colour, so it was a very different experience. It actually hurt this time!

Now I'm not so sure I want a big one across my shoulders anymore. Although I'm sure the discomfort will fade from memory in time and Ill do it anyway. Once you start you can't quit.

It was a good experience, and I would heartily recommend Gwen from Monster's Ink for your next work of art.

bruises to prove it

2008-05-04T16:34:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I was in my third kick boxing light tournament, at Trevor Smandych's club in Calgary.
I'm in the pink trunks

This time they put the middle weights and the heavy weights together, and there were 6 of us in total.

I had to fight 3 times. with very little time in between, and it really showed me how far I have left to go with my cardio fitness.

I got fourth place, with a nice little medal. The other girl from our club got first, and I am so proud of her.

Today I have a dinner plate-sized bruise on my leg, stiff shoulders, and a few cuts on the inside of my mouth, but I had so much fun.

There's another tournament in Lethbridge next weekend.

I haven't decided if I'll go yet.

the cat came back

2008-05-04T16:25:00.002-06:00

The other night I had the patio door open for some air while I was frying onions.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a dark blur as stalker cat ran inside.

He started sniffing and rubbing up against everything. and strode around investigating the house as if to say,

"Not bad, not bad. I think I'm going to like my new home."

Luckily he came running when I called him and we managed to get him back out the door. Matt sat out on the patio and scratched his ears for a while, and then he disappeared into the night.

Last night we were out enjoying the last bit of day light when we heard that now familiar meowing again. He ran up the patio steps and started begging for attention.

Now he's not just satisfied with a good scratch from Matt. He insisted on rubbing his deadly hair all over my legs as well.

I wonder what time he'll stop by tonight.

making the rounds

2008-04-30T12:03:00.003-06:00

There is a black cat in our neighbourhood who seems to be trying to adopt us.

We've been seeing paw prints all over the yard and the back patio for a while. Then we came home one evening and were walking from the garage to house when he came running across the street toward us, meowing and meowing. He was acting so glad to see us. Matt bent down to pet him, and he was exuberant about the attention to say the least.

The other night we came home and he was waiting on the steps for us. He ran towards us and it was like he was saying "thank goodness you're home!"

He even tried to come in the house with us, and then ran around to the patio doors and meowed until we went into the bedroom to escape him.

This little guy wears a red collar and looks clean and well fed, so he obviously belongs to someone.

Does he only come to visit us, or is he spreading the love all around the block? The yellow house on Mondays, the brick two-storey on Tuesdays...?

I have such a soft heart, it's difficult not to give in and feed him a snack.

Wiley cat.

done like dinner

2008-04-23T15:59:00.003-06:00

Last night I wrote my Applied Statistics final exam.

It was 3 hours long.

My brain still hurts.

But that's it. I'm hopeful that I'll get an A- in this course.

Now I'm done school until I find a university to go to in my next home.

I feel very impatient.

green soon

2008-04-15T09:54:00.003-06:00

Ah, the rain has come
to wash the dust from my car
it's cool on my skin

disconnected

2008-04-03T15:16:00.002-06:00

I think everyone should have to go without plumbing once in a while. And household appliances, too. Just for a few days.

And camping doesn't count. It has to be in your own house. When you're camping, it's so removed from your everyday existence that it's hard to take insights and lessons home with you.

We've been doing renovations again.

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've had a stove. The fridge is on the patio. We just got a new toilet upstairs yesterday.

It gave me great anxiety to go without running water for a day. It was a hardship to have to go downstairs in the middle of the night to pee. Having all my dishes and canned goods on the living room floor is a pain in the ass.

When I have my house back in order it will feel like such a luxury. It will be a luxury. I forget regularly how much luxury I live with on a daily basis. It's good to remember that I can actually live without a dish washer, or a toaster. It's good to have to think about how much water or electricity are necessary for survival.

The majority of the people on this planet are aware of how much clean water they've used in a day, and how much work they need to do in order to eat, and where their poop goes.

Most of us North Americans act as if we believe that water and electricity magically flow out of the walls, that our homes generate their own heat, and that when we flush the toilet our waste disappears into thin air.

I have been reminded that it's just not true.

no cigar

2008-03-12T10:36:00.001-06:00

It's funny how feeling guilty and feeling sorry are not the same thing.

Looking for a fight

2008-03-10T10:32:00.003-06:00

It took me several days to get over the disappointment of it.

My coach can't find anyone in my weight class for me to fight at the big 'Fists of Fury' event at the end of the month.

Instead, I will be in another light tournament in Lethbridge this weekend, and then, if I can loose some more weight and get down into the next weight class, coach says he can find me some fights.

The pressure is on.

No more McDonalds. No more beer. No more frozen pizza.

But I am NOT giving up dairy.

I can do this.

But, as a final attempt, I would like to put a call out to any female amateur kick boxers within driving distance of Medicine Hat: if you weigh in at 147-160 pounds and you don't have too many fights under your belt, are you available on Saturday, March 29th? If so, please call these guys.

Thank you.

I'm always it.

2008-03-05T10:46:00.002-07:00

OK. I've never been 'tagged' before, but Dave says all I have to do is post a list of six non-important facts/quirks about myself.

This is much harder than it looks.

1. I am still afraid of the dark.
2. I enjoy the smell of marijuanna. I wish they would make a perfume of it.
3. Most of the people I like have had a brush with electric shock in their childhood.
4. I would like to have a harem of younger men.
5. Robots make me feel uncomfortable.
6. I never step on the seams between sidewalk blocks. It's not that I think anything bad will happen, I just don't like to.

So, Dave, how was that?

I have to break the chain, though, because I don't know enough other people with public blogs.

Sorry.

frost fairies

2008-02-20T10:38:00.005-07:00

Last month we had an amazing hoar frost. I'm not usually into snow and ice, but when I was out walking that morning I was gripped by the beauty of it and inspired to take some photos.

I meant to post them right away, but got distracted and forgot about them for a while.

Here are a few of the best ones:

As the temperature increased the air started to move, lifting the ice crystals of the branches and swirling them around like a snow storm under a clear sky.

It was all magical.

a pinch of this and a dash of that

2008-02-19T12:27:00.005-07:00

Yesterday I was cleaning out cupboards to get ready to paint my kitchen.

It was then that I discovered I own 3 grocery bags full of spices.

That's in addition to all the vinegars, sauces, spreads, dips, mustards, chutneys and pickles that fill the rest of my kitchen to the point of bulging.

I may have gone too far.

well it sure ain't disco fever

2008-02-18T14:50:00.004-07:00

This morning when I woke up the sun was shining.

I could see a sliver of blue sky and the green fuzz of a spruce tree between my bedroom blinds.

There was a chorus of birds chirping, and for a brief, beautiful moment my sleepy brain thought it was spring.

I felt like I was waking up from months of hibernation, coming to life again.

And then I came fully awake, and remembered the date.

Then I shook my fist at the birds in the spruce tree for taunting me that way.

It's these last two icy months that are the hardest to get through.

I love my veggies

2008-02-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

I bought a beautiful kabocha squash and some lotus root (rinkon) in Calgary last week. We feasted on them all weekend, culminating in a tempura marathon on Sunday night. We cooked for an hour and a half, but the crispy goodness was worth it!

We sat down to salted edamame pods with beer, and a heaping plate of squash and rinkon tempura with Japanese candies for dessert. We even watched anime.

I was really impressed at the results of our first tempura effort. It can't compare, though, to what we had in Tokyo.

a fine line

2008-02-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

We've watched two film clips recently in my Mass Media class. One was about Hitler's propaganda films and the other was about Coca Cola's international marketing. It was unsettling to me how much these two have in common.

Now, before you start writing angry comments about how I shouldn't compare the horrors of Nazi Germany with something as trivial as soft drinks, let me say that I'm not putting the two on the same level.

But I need to ask why we view Hitler's propaganda war against the mentally and physically frail as a menacing evil, but sit passively as Coca Cola wages cultural warfare across the globe?

Why are persuasive tactics deemed sinister or saintly based on the motives of the speaker? What exactly is the difference between propaganda and public relations?

It keeps moving when I try to put my finger on it.

not quite the eye of the tiger

2008-01-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

It seems to always be feast or famine.

Either I am too busy doing fun things to blog about them, or my life is boring and I can't think of anything to say.

Blogging on a regular basis is much harder than I thought it would be.

Today I actually have something to talk about, and just enough time to say it.

Saturday I went to my first kick boxing tournament in Lethbridge. It was just a light sparring tournament - nothing major, but I was really nervous about it.

The worst part turned out to be before the tournament even started. After registering we had to wait for an hour and a half. All these tough guys standing around trying to look relaxed while they sized each other up. It made me feel really tense, but once it was time to fight, I relaxed right away.

There was only one other woman there, so we just had one two-round match. It was totally thrilling when, 10 seconds in, I realized that it was possible for me to beat her. I didn't, but it was a close match. I lost a contact lens, but just kept on going. I felt good about my performance, and could really see what I did wrong - much better than in class.

It turned out that it was her first tournament, too. She was really nice, and we chatted a bit afterwards.

Because there were just the two of us, they gave us the first and second place medals. I think of it as my participation award.

It was a really great experience, and I can't wait to get in the ring again.

If only I'd had the confidence to try something like this 10 years ago. Ah well, I'm having fun now!

shopping with the enemy

2008-01-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

I went to Walmart on Friday.

I had to buy a wedding present for friends who were registered there.

It was probably the 3rd or 4th time I've ever been in that store.

It makes me feel weird, like I'm afraid the employees and other shoppers will suddenly recognize me as an interloper and kick me out, or take me in the back and brainwash me into a loyal Walmart consumer.

I know it's not just Walmart with less than sparkling business ethics. It's just that they are the biggest and most visible, blatant example of what's wrong with our consumerist society.

I fully understand that my avoidance of Walmart will not fix anything, nor wash my hands of any guilt. That's why I try to avoid shopping in general, buy fair trade products when I can, and send the odd annoying letter to companies who need a kick in the pants.

I must confess that I did buy some kitchen implements for myself while I was there (I'm not completely immune to the shopping bug).

I also saw nuns there. I did

n't know there were nuns in Medicine Hat.

Now I do.

ever elusive

2007-12-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes,

when I pause briefly from complaining about my job,

I wonder if maybe the problem isn't all the idiots around me, but something within myself.

Maybe it's true that every organization I've ever worked for has been poorly run, but maybe it's really that I am stubborn, grumpy and unrealistic.

Nah.

It was there a minute ago

2007-12-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

You know,

I had something very witty that I wanted to post.

Now it's gone.

Just like the answers to those four easy questions on my Linguistics final.

I'll let you know if it comes back to me.

Is there a safe haven left?

2007-12-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Last night we ended up watching American news while we ate supper. A story about those church shootings in Colorado came on, and the first thing out of Matt's mouth was

"They have armed security guards at churches down there?"

I was thinking the same thing. I can't imagine it. Our church doesn't even have security cameras. Sometimes I forget that the culture is different than my own.

It's awful that they feel it's necessary - it apparently is necessary.

A church shouldn't have to take steps to keep anyone out. That's not what church is about.

Sometimes I don't know how to deal with the way our society is changing.

I love Noam Chomsky

2007-12-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

and you should read this.

female troubles

2007-11-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today I was all set to write a whiny post about how I can't register for the courses I want next semester, until I read Campaign 2000's 2007 Alberta Report Card.

There's no way I can complain about my college education in light of the fact that approx. 21 percent of Albertans earn less that $12 an hour, and that two thirds of them are women.

I want to know how many of them are single moms.

bunny trail: Want a truly surreal experience? Try channel surfing back and forth between a CBC documentary on human trafficking and the movie 'Hitch'. That's how I spent Sunday night. We live in a strange and perverse world.

No, I don't want to join Facebook

2007-11-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Stupid Facebook.

One can only belong to so many online communities without giving up on their real world communities.

Now it seems that even email requires too much effort for staying in touch. Now that many people have free long distance calling, no one can bother to pick up the phone.

Sometimes I hate convenience. Sometimes I hate technology. I get very close to throwing out everything electrical in my house and becoming a Luddite.

If you miss me, there are several ways you can get a hold of me that do not require me to fill out another form or create another account and password.

Please and thank you.

advice

2007-11-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

For much of my life I have been fairly focused when it comes to my career. Choices have always seemed straight forward.

Now I finally understand how people feel when they "don't know what to do with their lives."

I'm trying to pick a major for my degree - or maybe a double minor. I have three areas in mind, but there's only room for two.

I think it would be best if you just told me what to do. So, why don't I give you a little more information and then you can make an informed decision:

I am trying to choose between Sociology, Linguistics, and Asian studies. I want to move to Japan, but what if I pay for all this formal study in that area and then decide I don't like it and want to come home?

Linguistics is the most fun, but it feels indulgent of me to get a degree in something just because it's fun. Will I be useful to society? Can I use linguistics to fight poverty and injustice?

Sociology seems the most practical. It's very interesting, but not exactly fun. It's also the most difficult. Could I find a job in Japan?

So, to sum up, I want a degree that will be useful in Japan as well as once I get home to Canada, will help me to save the world, be fun and fulfilling and not too difficult. Please direct me to my perfect career.

in the woods

2007-10-30T11:51:00.000-06:00

When you walk into the woods with a group of people, and all the static of daily life is left behind, I think you begin to see the essence of each individual. You interact with each other on a simpler level.

This is the way I like to get to know people.

One Saturday in September, we went on a leisurely hike up King Creek in Kananaskis with a handful of friends and aquaintances.

After walking for 3 hours with someone I have met twice before, I can feel more kinship than with many people that I have worked beside or gone to church with for years.

Whether this kinship is real and mutual, or just a product of my mind, I can't say. But it definitely affects the way I interact with that person.

So how can we get more people to hang out in the woods together? A monthly lottery to send groups of strangers for a picnic together? Make it part of the school curriculum? We could arrange for the next G8 summit in Kananaskis to be in tents. However we do it, I think it's essential to build more solitude together into our lives.

(Half way up the trail we stepped into the Goider Forrest. It felt like a very special place. All the trees were covered in huge knots.

I recommend this hike if you need a quick shot of wilderness in your life. It's not far from Calgary, right across from the entrance to Peter Lougheed Park. You don't need advanced skills or anything, but you might want to bring an extra pair of shoes. We did fall in the creek a few times.)

new opiate for the masses

2007-10-29T09:51:00.000-06:00

Guitar Hero is the only video game I have ever "rushed out and bought."

After playing it once I was fully supportive of Matthew buying a video game.

First time.

If you've never played it before, I will caution you that it's just a little bit all-consuming. You'll dream it. You'll catch yourself air-guitar-hero-ing. When you're out with friends who've played it you'll keep saying to each other,

"hey, this would make an awesome guitar hero song!"

I play it when I get home from work to unwind. I play it while I'm waiting for the rice to boil when I'm making supper. I play it while I'm waiting for Matt to get out of the bathroom, and instead of watching TV right before bed.

Next month we're going to buy Guitar Hero 3 so that we can have 2 player battles. I have no concern about the cost. I must own the entire Guitar Hero Set. It's an investment.

Well, I should wrap this up. Maybe I can practice that tough solo a bit before I have to go to class.

Sigh

2007-10-25T15:42:00.000-06:00

My schedule has been so disrupted since I started school this fall. I just can't seem to get back into the swing of things, into a rhythm.

In the last 2 weeks I have made several attempts to blog again, but they have all been thwarted. First Blogger wouldn't let me upload photos, then I kept sleeping in, and now Matt is building a new computer and I am cut off from all my great photos and important files.

I have a backlog of things I want to tell you all about: video games and hiking trips and Mexican food and...they'll all have to wait until next week.

Sorry.

I appreciate the patience of everyone who is still bothering to check back here for new posts.

I'll be back.

Life is short

2007-09-30T09:38:00.000-06:00

Last night we had apple pie and ice cream for supper.

And then popcorn for dessert.

It's good to do that once in a while.

late for class

2007-09-24T09:14:00.001-06:00

I wish I had time to tell you all about the things I saw and experienced in Halifax, like sail boat races and candy shops and seaweed and abandoned military bunkers, but now that I am a student again free time is getting pretty scarce.

That's right, I've gone back to college part time.

You can tell that I've been out of school for a very long time because I'm really excited to be back. I'm taking Sociology and Linguistics and I'm having a really good time.

It does get kind of hard sometimes, though, not to cuff the younger students upside the head and tell them to "Shaddup!" in the middle of class.

Halifax

2007-09-19T10:12:00.000-06:00

Misspend time, or misplaced guilt?

2007-09-10T13:47:00.000-06:00

I feel guilty for not having posted in the last few weeks.

The thing is, I've just been having too much fun.

Sometimes it ruins the moment when you stop to document it.

I promise, though, to post some photos from my vacation in Halifax tomorrow.

the emperor's new bracelet

2007-08-14T09:55:00.000-06:00

Last week I got my first rubber cause-supporting bracelet. It's for ending family violence.

It doesn't really count, though, because I didn't even pay for it. All I did was show up at the grand opening for some women's housing.

That's why these bracelets kind of bug me.

I understand that they work really well to make people who do work to support a cause feel good about themselves, and that they are positive peer pressure, but they are also a fashion trend, and a little too easy to come by if you ask me.

Anyone can pay ten bucks at some boutique in the mall and proceed to walk around with a little rubber bracelet in their favorite colour, saying "look, I'm a good person. I support a worthy cause."

Will they even remember what that cause is later, without having to read it off the bracelet?

I don't think I'm going to wear mine. It's way too big for my wrist and gets in my way. I can feel good knowing that I support all kinds of good causes as a donor, volunteer and employee without any bracelets.

drink up

2007-08-11T18:58:00.000-06:00

OK, I know cherry juice is not something people frequently have in the fridge, but if you do have some after, say, pitting 15 pounds of sour cherries for canning, then you HAVE TO try this:

2 oz. cherry juice
1 bottle of any pale ale beer, cold
1 tall beer glass

pour the juice into the glass first, then fill with beer.

ahhhhhhhh.

If you prefer things sweeter and non-alcoholic, it also is quite tasty with ginger ale.

drama queen

2007-08-11T18:23:00.000-06:00

I guess I must be getting depressed.

I have become completely addicted to Japanese Teen dramas. I watch them all day on my laptop while I'm doing other things.

I can watch a whole season of episodes over a weekend.

I know, I know.

panic attack

2007-08-03T16:07:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I think about all the things I still want to do and experience, and I start to panic. By this point in my life I have realized that there is no way I will get to everything on my list. Many things are, in fact, totally exclusive of each other and so I'd need several lifetimes for all of them.

The other day, when I was feeling close to hyperventilating over this fact, my friend Suzanne, who has lived a long life full of adventures and sorrows, told me not to worry. She said that I should just do as much as I can in the time given, and that everything else could be explored at my leisure in eternity.

I'm not sure if hold to the same view of what the afterlife will be like, but I felt comforted anyway.

Gather

2007-07-31T12:33:00.000-06:00

Harvest season is like a time-machine to me.

As I gather in the fruit, vegetables and herbs that spring up around my home, with or without my help, I feel like I'm moving in step with generations upon generations of women who have gone through the same motions each year.

It feels mystical and significant.

It also makes me think about community.

There is always more than I can use myself, and so the obvious thing to do is share.

Yesterday one of Matt's coworkers sent out an open invitation to pick sour cherries from the trees in his back yard. As we picked we chatted with his wife, sharing recipe ideas. The evening was a blessing to all of us in many ways. Now I'll share my pies and jams, sauces and breads with others through the fall and winter.

Harvest is not just about food.

Imagine if we shared our surplus of other things.

Oasis

2007-07-30T16:04:00.000-06:00

Cycling with Caitlynn in Cypress Hills had a different feel than Revelstoke. The trip to BC was laid back and focused on friendship, but cycling with Caitlynn was just as much about pushing our bodies to the limit as it was about enjoying each other's company.

Caitlynn and I are pretty well matched in our technical skills, so neither one feels like they're holding the other back.

The trails in this park were created for cross-country skiing, but work well for biking, too. The handful that we picked were not too technical, but they were physically demanding, with grueling climbs to lookout points before rewarding us with roller coaster descents. Evening rains made things a little messier. I'd say we tackled about 30 kms of trails in 2 days.

I felt really proud of myself, especially after the muddy, rooty, rock-strewn ride down the Beaver Creek trail. More advanced riders will have a blast on that one.

Cypress Hills is an amazing anomaly; a mountain getaway smack in the middle of the bald prairie. It's like a trompe l'oeil. Everything looks normal and then suddenly, as you come over the crest of a gentle hill, boom. The lookout points are breathtaking. I bet we could see for 60 kms. It looked like a fairy tale kingdom, all shimmery in the heat and humidity.

Lodgepole campground was the nicest one in the Elkwater area. There was a cute little forestry museum dedicated to Tom Trott at the top of the Beaver Creek trail, and the wild flowers were in bloom everywhere. The biggest highlight for me was seeing the swarms of dragonflies along the Horseshoe Canyon trail. Every time we rode into a little clearing they filled the air. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. I could hear the hum of there wings all around me, and see the sun glinting off their transparent wings. It was other-worldly.

weekend warrior

2007-07-28T17:55:00.000-06:00

This has been the summer of weekend road trips for me.

We started out with a wedding in Calgary, then Drumheller, then mountain biking in Revelstoke, BC, and Cypress Hills Park.

It was wonderful to avoid the crowded major national parks. In Revelstoke we did not come across a single other biker or hiker on the trails. Just us and a whole lot of trees.It was so much fun having our own little tent city in the KOA campground. We were camped right under a cherry tree loaded with ripe fruit and an oak tree with cute little acorns. There were about 15 of us, all sharing meals swatting mosquitos off each other.
Ironically, it was just as hot in the mountains as it was at home in Medicine Hat. It was good to spend the hottest part of the day at the lake before a cooler evening ride.

on a grand scale

2007-07-12T10:25:00.000-06:00

The city of Nara was the first capital of Japan, for a brief 30 years in the 700's. Now it is a tourist hot spot with 8 Unesco World Heritage sites. We went to visit the Toodai-Ji and Daibutsu-den - the hall of the Great Buddha. This site is located in a large park filled with cute but smelly deer.The deer are quite used to people and spend most of their time begging for food. You can buy deer biscuits for them from vendors, but watch out! If you don't feed them fast enough for their liking, they get violent. In the photo below, the deer at the bottom is about to bite Matt in the leg.
The Daibutsu-den is the world's largest wooden building. Photos just don't do it justice. To stand there in person, looking up at it from any distance is awe inspiring.
The giant Buddha inside is one of the largest bronze statues in the world. It's eyes are a metre wide each. I can easily imagine the wonder it must have filled the people with 2000 years ago.
There were several other scary and wonderful statues inside, as well as a plethora of truly tacky souvenirs.
It was a deep experience for me to be surrounded by so many strange and ancient things on this trip.

enchanted forest

2007-07-06T14:52:00.000-06:00

My favorite place in Kyoto (one of my favorite places in all of Japan) was the bamboo forest in Arashiyama on the northwest edge of the city.
Ten minutes down a perpetually shady road is the villa of a famous silent film star named Okoochi Denjiro.

It was so relaxing to tour his beautiful gardens and enjoy tea looking out into the bamboo.

sun shower

2007-06-29T16:35:00.000-06:00

Today our sewer line was backed up, so I couldn't run any water in the house 'til Matt could come home and fix it.

It was a hot day, so I put on my bathing suit and took my shampoo bottle out into the back yard.

That was the best shower I have had in a long time.

mine is bigger than yours

2007-06-28T12:07:00.000-06:00

I never did finish showing you my trip to Japan. There are just two more cities left. The first place that we visited in Kyoto was the Shogunate Palace. The Shogun spent most of his time in Tokyo, but wanted to show the Emperor who was really boss, and so he build a huge palace designed to make anyone who entered feel small. It was built as a fortress against his enemies as well, with special floor boards that sing like mocking birds when you walk on them. There was no sneaking up on the Shogun.
Everything is on a grand scale, covered in gold leaf and intricate hand carvings. There are beautiful murals throughout the palace on the rice paper walls, but we weren't allowed to take pictures (they want you to buy them). Skilled artists were in the middle of restoring the murals while we were there. Rice paper walls and thatch roofs are not impervious to fluctuations in temperature and moisture, and so these paintings must be restored on a regular basis.
The gardens around the palace looked too good to be true. They were perfectly balanced and so serene - just like a painting.

There were carp and turtles in the moat, expansive lawns that we weren't allowed to walk on, and numerous shops near the exit selling tasty treats and tacky souvenirs.

get your daily dose

2007-06-21T11:31:00.000-06:00

This week I saw a very funny show called Flight of the Conchords. In the same vein as Tenacious D, and The Lonely Island, these lads from New Zealand write the most hilarious tongue-in-cheek lyrics. The show is airing on HBO, but for a few more days you can watch the first episode online.

I think Jemaine is quite reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger.

If you need your mood lightened further, Ember Swift has a song that I can totally identify with today. Have a listen to the Underwear Song on CBC Radio 3.

pain

2007-06-20T11:08:00.000-06:00

I started kickboxing classes again this week, after a 20 month hiatus.

I hurt.

Bu it's a good kind of hurt.

I'm actually quite pleased with myself that I survived that first class. It will feel really good to put my handwraps on again tonight and beat the living tar out of that heavy bag.

I can't find many ways to relieve stress in my daily life. The only surefire technique for me is hard physical training.

And punching things.

When I turn off my brain and make my body into a machine, I work out all the negativity that builds up during the day.

you must be THIS BIG to go on this ride

2007-06-15T12:57:00.000-06:00

OK, I've finally cooled down enough to post about this.

I broke my bike.

It's too heavy for me and I can't maneuver it properly. I'm fine while it's moving. It feels great while I'm cruising down the road, but it becomes a problem when it's stopped.

I dropped it.

Twice.

Both times on an uneven road surface. My right foot was just a little further away from the ground than my left, it started to tilt, and that was the end of it. It takes 2 people to pick it up.

The first time I dropped it there wasn't even a scratch and I was so relieved. The second time things must have been weakened by the first fall. The front brake leaver and the right foot peg snapped off, I scratched up the right mirror, handle bar end, and there are some tiny scratches on the tank from the snaps on my jacket when I fell.

Now I have to pay for replacement parts and try to sell it, then go looking for another bike.

I feel like a huge loser.

I was so eager to ride, and I didn't want to be stuck on the back of Matt's bike. I really did think it was a good fit, and I don't think even a test drive would have convinced me that it was too big. I thought I just needed to adjust to it. It took over a week before I was certain that I couldn't handle it.

Even Matt has difficulty getting it in and out of the garage, and a 3 point turn is tricky indeed. I think you'd need to be over 6 feet tall and have some nice big muscles to really do well with this bike. None of the reviews I read said anything about how top-heavy it is.

If anyone knows of a used 2006 Ninja 650R for sale, please let me know. Now I really have an itch to ride, and every day that I look at that thing stuck in the garage is torture.

I know lots of people survive just fine without a motorcycle, but this was a big dream for me.

Thanks for letting me whine. I promise not to write about motorbikes for a while.

new wheels

2007-06-12T19:48:00.000-06:00

OK.

I took this photo with the timer on my camera, so I had no idea that I was obscuring all the important bits of my new Kawasaki Versys with my body and helmet.

I will take another picture tonight and stand behind the bike, so you can see it properly.
This sucker is a lot heavier than the Ninja 650R that I tested. I've been having huge difficulty getting it in and out of the garage. I feel very wimpy. I'm also a little disappointed that I had to buy brand-new instead of used. The break-in period is a real drag.

It is super comfortable to ride, though.

I can't wait 'til my first road trip.

my bike

2007-06-07T11:38:00.000-06:00

I bought a 2007 Kawasaki Versys, black, 650 cc.

My first choice was a used BMW F650 GS, but they are hard to come by.

It's big and shiny and intimidates the hell out of me right now.

I'll post a photo tomorrow.

moto-snobs

2007-06-01T00:14:00.000-06:00

Motorcycle riders in Medicine Hat are snobs.

Riders in Edmonton are just so happy to have good riding weather, and to see other riders out, that they'll even wave at bicyclists sometimes.

Down here, while buzzing around on my little red scooter, not one person on a 'real' motorcycle has acknowledged my existence.

Well, Friday I'm getting my own motorcycle, and I'm going to be damned-sure to wave at every scooter rider in town.

Hmpf.

tasty surprise

2007-05-28T14:19:00.000-06:00

I have three words for you:

pineapple

grilled

cheese.

In the Company's Coming Kids' Snack cookbook there is a recipe for such a thing. Feeling adventurous, I substituted real cheddar for the processed stuff, multi-grain bread for the fluffy white crap, and fresh chopped pineapple instead of canned.

Wow. Crazy and gourmet.

You just spoon 2 Tbsp. of crushed pineapple onto the first layer of cheese, then top with another layer. Then finish the sandwich in the usual grilled way.

It's my new favorite.

false advertising?

2007-05-27T21:08:00.000-06:00

The other night we drove past a Chinese food place called Dynasty Restaurant.

The first quarter of the neon sign had burnt out so that it just read

NASTY RESTAURANT.

We went back the next day with the camera, but they had already fixed it.

great pretender

2007-05-24T10:44:00.000-06:00

Funny anecdote from the weekend:

My sister has two vegetarian roommates. One had a BBQ for her birthday on Saturday. She bought special mushroom and cheese veggie patties that she knew roommate #2 likes, and tossed them on the grill.

We all had one, and I couldn't believe how veggie burger technology had advanced. This was the most realistic veggie burger I had ever had. We all exclaimed about how strangely juicy and delicious they were.

Then roommate #2 became suspicious.

"Where did you get these, again?"

"At Superstore. They're the portabello and cheese ones, like you always get."

"OK, I trust you, but I just want to have a look at the box."

It turns out that Superstore has two kinds of portabello and cheese patties. Roommate #1 had accidentally bought the kind with meat in them.

Roommate #2 had already eaten 2 burgers. Thank goodness she didn't get sick.

I'm glad you can still tell the difference between the two. As a vegetarian-friendly omnivore, I like my veggies to taste like veggies, and my meat to taste like meat.

She's got a nice personality

2007-05-16T21:12:00.000-06:00

I started volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters this year. I am a mentor for a 13 year old girl. Every week I go to her junior high school and we hang out for an hour. I really like getting to know her, and watching her warm up to me. This week we finished making a sock monkey.Her name is Monica Monkey. She's not the best sock monkey ever made - in fact she kind of looks like Frankenstein's monkey, but that's what you get sometimes with a collaberative, inter-generational project.

We still need to add earrings and a "tattoo" of her initial.

Balance

2007-05-12T17:06:00.000-06:00

I would give up some of my physical safety to protect my other freedoms.

Takayama, aka Little Kyoto

2007-05-07T14:42:00.000-06:00

Takayama is 2 hours north of Nagoya, in the mountainous Hida district. It is filled with wonderful museums and historical buildrings, and small enough (almost 70, 000 people) to get around to most of them on foot. It is very popular with Japanese tourists.They have an outdoor museum similar to the Ukrainian Cultural Village outside of Edmonton. Hida no sato was the only place we had to travel to by bus, but it was definitely worth it. The buildings looked so beautiful surrounded by the fall colours.
The town has it's share of gift shops and tourist traps, but they are of a high calibur. I enjoyed the shops, displays and morning markets.
The Hida district is home to the world's most expensive beef, which we sampled at it's best in Shabu Shabu.Other highlights included sleeping in a Buddist Temple (cheapest place in town!), eating Hida milk pudding (dairy is quite rare in Japan), and visiting a 1200 year old ginko tree.

I also found the convenience store next to the train station very entertaining. I recommend it for lunch on the way out.

lazy bread

2007-05-01T12:16:00.000-06:00

The whole world needs to know about this recipe! Well, maybe just the people who don't have bread machines.

I heard about this no-knead bread recipe from Julie Van Rosendaal on CBC's 'The Eye Opener', who got it from the New York Times, who got it from Jim Lahey, of the Sullivan Street Bakery.

I am intimidated by traditional bread making, so up until now I have stuck with quick breads and steered clear of yeast in general.

I didn't get the consistency quite right the first time, but it still turned out delicious. Matt raved about it until he got annoying.

Watching the video on the NY Times site helped to clarify a few things.

I tried it with 2 cups unbleached white, and 1 cup barley flour. I used the liner from my crock pot to bake it in. Apparently you can use 1 cup whole wheat or rye with good success. I intend to try many other combinations.

art imitating life?

2007-04-30T14:13:00.000-06:00

This morning I watched a TV show - it was a murder mystery show from the 80's - that had Latoya Jackson playing an insane, voo-doo practicing, incestuous fashion designer.

Hmm.

jackpot!

2007-04-23T14:20:00.000-06:00

We finally sold our house in Edmonton!

Hooray for money!

Because the market is so crazy, we got $30,000 over our asking price!

It really does feel like winning the lottery. We certainly didn't do much to earn this money. Well, Phil did do a very nice job of finishing the renovations. But that certainly wasn't enough to warrant triple what we paid for it a mere 6 years ago.

I almost feel guilty - as if we were stealing.

When we were taking the offers, I felt tempted to interview each family, to find out which one needed it the most, instead of choosing the highest bidder. All this capital gain makes a poor little socialist feel a bit uncomfortable.

I'm sure, though, that I won't have any difficulty figuring out what to spend it on.

whirlwind tour

2007-04-19T10:22:00.000-06:00

The train ride from Nagano to Nagoya was breathtaking. We travelled along a rugged river with a ton of dams, including one huge one with a resort. Someday, when I have lots of disposable income, I'd like to go back there.

Nagoya is Japan's fourth largest city, and is midway between Osaka and Tokyo along the coast.We only gave ourselves one day to rest and explore before heading back into the mountains.

It wasn't enough, but we made the best of it.

Downtown Nagoya is quite nice, with lively crowds of youth and good upscale restaurants along the canal. The best department store we went through in all of our travels was Tokyu Hands. There was a whole floor of hobby supplies; everything from model trains to silver clay.

Nagoya apparently has a wonderful crafts district and I really wanted to get some cloisonee beads right from the source for my sister, but there just wasn't time.

In the morning, we even tried walking to the Noritake garden with all our luggage before we caught our train, but we got lost yet again and ran out of steam.

I'll be back, Nagoya.

more monkey photos

2007-04-16T15:01:00.000-06:00

They were so cute and fuzzy, I was compelled to take many, many pictures.

Jigokudani Monkey Park

2007-04-16T14:04:00.000-06:00

We travelled inland from Tokyo, past Nagano to Yudanaka, a hotsprings resort town. We stayed at Uotoshi Ryokan, which is getting a little saggy, but the English-speaking owner is truly hospitable, as noted in the Lonely Planet guide. On the downside, it smelled of dog, and was festooned with mouldy jack-o-lanterns when we arrived at the beginning of Novermber. On the upside, it's the cheapest place in town, had the best traditional meals with homemade sweet ume pickles, as well as a glorious, super-hot natural spring bath, and comfy little quilted jackets to wear over our yukata. The owner drove us up to Jigokudani Yaen-koen, a mountain park filled with Japanese Macaque (snow monkeys).The name of the park translates as "Hell's Valley" because of the many hot springs and geysers sending steam rising from the valley floor. There is an old onsen hotel just across the river from the park. The monkeys sometimes visit and take a dip in the outdoor baths, but they have their own hot springs in the park, where staff scatter grain for them to munch on while they swim.
The monkeys will let you get very close. They actually ignore you for the most part, as if humans were not worth paying attention to. But be careful that you don't startle them from behind. Matt had one challenge him to a fight.
They are tough little guys, and scrap amoungst themselves constantly.

They also smel terrible.
And they have no modesty, showing off their bright red bums and scrotums shamelessly.

Stinky Revenge

2007-04-11T10:22:00.000-06:00

We spent the Easter weekend in Prince George, BC, with Matt's parents.

The weather was pleasant, we ate a lot, and saw some old friends. It was a nice getaway.

Then, on the morning of our departure, the cat peed on my laptop bag. Nothing was damaged, thank goodness.

I think he was mad because I wouldn't let him outside. I was sitting at the table, looked over and saw him crouching akwardly on top of it. He was staring right at me. Then we all realized what he was doing and jumped up, shouting at him.

I could still smell it in the airport.

p.s. - I recommend the White Goose Bistro to anyone wishing to spend a lot of money on very tasty continental food while in Prince George.

Tokyo Bay, Tokyo

2007-04-04T09:45:00.000-06:00

Tokyo Bay is worth a day trip. The views are lovely, the trails are nice, and there are some impressive buildings, a few nice statues, and a couple museums.
Palette town will keep you busy for hours. It includes 3 very expensive malls, the cleanest MacDonalds I have ever been in, and the Tokyo Megaweb Exhibition.
If you have any interest in cars, you should check it out. Admission is free, and the few activities with a price tag are pretty cheap.
Visit the History Garage Museum to see famous and quirky old vehicles, view the concept car display, learn about hybrid engines and handicap accessability options, and take a ride in a car that drives itself! You'll exhaust yourself before you see everything.
Before it gets dark, make sure you take a ride on one of the world's largest ferris wheels. If you're lucky and have the stomach for it, you might even get a glass-bottomed compartment.

National Noodles

2007-03-30T13:40:00.000-06:00

One of the highlights of our trip was going to be Runshi Rekishi Shiryokan, the tattoo museum run by Horiyoshi the Third, the most talented tattoo master in Japan.

We took the short train ride from Tokyo to Yokohama, armed with directions from the Lonely Planet Guide.

Trying to line up the vague directions with a confusing Japanese map outside the train station was too great a challenge for us. We wandered through a residential area for at least an hour, until I needed to pee urgently.

It was hard to give up the search, but we could still salvage the day with a trip to the Ramen Museum.

After more wandering, we decided to ignore the guide book directions and then quickly found the museum on the opposide side of the station from where we had been directed. So much for guide books.

The main floor of the museum was a big, cheesy marketing campaign, but the lower floors were transformed into a 1950's Tokyo street scene. The way the Japanese rave about their ramen noodles, I thought they'd been eating them for thousands of years, but they are really no older than the Beatles.
After sampling "small" bowls of noodles from several famous shops my stomach was bursting at the seams and sloshing around uncomfortably.

I had my fill of ramen and couldn't quite see what was so great about it.

However you feel about noodle soup, the museum is a neat glimpse into history. If you go, note that they won't let you into any of the noodle shops unless you are actually buying a bowl yourself, so be prepared to try all the same noodles as your travel mates or dine separately.

Noodle Nazis.

Some observations on Ottawa

2007-03-29T11:16:00.000-06:00

Matt was going to Ottawa for some training, so I joined him for a long weekend to celebrate our 8th anniversary.

Here are my thoughts on the place:

lots of beautiful stone architecture

not very cheery or warm at this time of year

real bagels

impatient pedestrians lunging into traffic

parliament was much more impressive than I had imagined

they have a thing for baked beans

vibrant city core

a strangely large number of "Irish" pubs

big, fat-bottomed black squirrels everywhere

We ate at several restaurants, cafes & delis:

The Cornerstone Bar & Grill - not bad, good meatloaf, and most importantly, deep-fried snickers!

Nate's Deli, 316 Rideau St., 789-9191 - good value, terrific smoked meat on rye, lots of old people & lots of grease.

The Whalesbone Oyster House - pricey but fabulous. Sit at the bar and chat up the staff. Great atmosphere, big flavour, tiny portions. Don't go famished.

Continental Bagel in the Byward Market has real, soft, chewy bagels. The veggie sandwich with marinated eggplant was heavenly and very messy.

Chez Lucien is a fashionable pub with good burgers and tasty Quebec beers like Unibroue's Blanche de Chambly on tap.

One last note, directed toward hotels:

I give my hearty recommendation to the Residence Inn by Marriott. It's not the spiffiest hotel, but it is neat and clean and very generous with amenities, including a decent complimentary breakfast buffet. The price was great for what we got.

Novotel, by comparison, was incredibly stingy with an overpriced restaurant.

better than fireworks

2007-03-24T19:40:00.000-06:00

The Northern Lights were phenominal last night. I've never seen them so full of life, or take up so much of the sky.

I wonder how many other pairs of eyes were gazing up at them last night?

Ginza, Tokyo

2007-03-16T11:24:00.000-06:00

This is someone's legal home. There's power hook-up, and a washing machine and tiny garden by the door. This is in Ginza, the riches district in Tokyo. This windowless tin shack is surrounded by extravagant high-rise condos and shopping complexes.
The Imperial Detached Garden was once used by the Emperor and his family to fish and hunt ducks. It has a salt water pond fed by the bay. This was the image I had in my head of a "Japanese Garden". It was picture-perfect and felt surreal with the sky scrapers looming behind it.

Land of Plastic Sushi

2007-03-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Kappabashi-dori is the main street of the restaurant supply district in Tokyo. For anyone who enjoys cooking, this is window shopping at it's best.
And with some shops we definitely stuck to the windows, as it would have been very dangerous to enter the narrow isles stacked with multiple Jenga games of pottery. Our backpacks would have set off a nasty chain reaction for sure.

I bought a pair of the largest cooking chopsticks I have ever seen. They are like cheerleading batons.

Our favourite shops were the plastic food stores.

Japanese restaurants often have displace cases out front, filled with plastic versions of their dishes rather than menus. You can get anything from ice cream cones and chocolates to watermelons, to frothy beer and 3-foot long fish. I thought the forks twirling pasta, suspended above their plates were pretty amusing.

We brought home some delicious looking plastic sushi to put on our fridge as magnets.Japan is filled with unusual art in places you would never think to look. I'm not sure what this giant beetle was all about, but it sure caught my eye sitting on the front of this apartment building.

Tokyo Hospitality

2007-03-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

At this point in my travel journal some pages have fallen out and shortly thereafter I gave up writing at all. Here is my last entry, and then I'll try to jog my memory with a few photos of my last week in Japan.

We were again searching for a restaurant down a dark street armed with 'directions', but no address or map. This one was supposed to be an 'all tuna' restaurant, and examples of menu items had really excited my tastebuds. If we had the name in kanji, it would have been easier. Everything looked so non-descript and similar on the outside. We had a strong suspicion that it was a small place we found just around the corner on a side street, but peeking inside, and making note of people's attire as they came out, we felt most definitely under-dressed.

And rumpled.

And sweaty.

And grumpy and tired from walking all day.

We gave up and decided to head back to the train station for fast food, walking on the other side of the wide street in case we found the real restaurant on the way.

We passed a yakitori stand I decided to ask the salary men sitting at the make-shift counter if I could take their picture. They thought this was hilarious and posed several times for me (unfortunately, my simple digital camera and shaky hands are not a good mix at night).

They invited us to join them and asked us all kinds of questions about how we liked Japan - in English, of course. The cook was a high spirited guy and enjoyed showing off for us. He teased us and embarrassed his daughter.

An older couple making the rounds joined us. They gave us sabisu (complimentary refreshments). We sat there and made as much conversation as possible. They all acted politely amazed whenever I used a japanese word. We ate our chicken skewers, drank sake and ate tiny bowls of macaroni salad (?).

The older gentleman kepts putting his hand on my shoulder, which I guess is getting quite fresh in Japan. The others kept scolding him and his wife cuffed him.

A Vancouverite who lived in the building above came by and promised to keep him in line. I guess this guy had a reputation!

It feels so good when the local people invite you into their world. This is the only way to travel.

Cos Play Kids in Yoyogi Park

2007-03-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

You might think they're crazy, but they could find hobbies at lot worse than this.

Yoyogi Park

2007-02-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

October 29 cont.

Before we even crossed the street from Yoyogi station I could smell the ginko trees.

The oxygen and moisture felt delicious in my nose and lungs.

This is a huge park (133 acres) of the most ancient tree alive today. The trees were dense, barely letting in light, with a few broad, paved paths winding through.

I was starved for greenery and wanted to walk through the moss, running my hands along the bark of the big trees, but tidy fences made it clear that this is not allowed. Or maybe the fences are meant to keep the trees back.

A courtyard on the other side of the park is home to a famous gathering of youth every Sunday afternoon. 'Cosplay' is dressing up as charaters from manga & anime. The kids are like peacocks, primping and competing for attention.

introduction to Tokyo

2007-02-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

October 28 cont.

We didn't have a hotel booked ahead of time, so we took what we could get at the tourist office. The New Izu Hotel turned out to be a simple (probably more on the spiffy side at one time) hotel with a free massage chair in the lobby, english-speaking staff (phew!) and a very uncomfortable bed.

It was great to stay in the Ueno district. We were a short walk from a major train station/mall, a fun shopping district, and some other tourist sights.

Ueno station made me think of the Jetsons with its multiple levels of concrete walkways.

There was an Andersen bakery at the station. It fed my pastry habit nicely (almost every day for breakfast). I tried to have juice or yogurt or something else 'healthy' to ease my guilt. These were the best pastries I have ever eaten in my life. Withdrawl was ugly when I got home.

October 29th

We took the train down to Shinjuku, the bustling business core of Tokyo and home to the Metropolitan Government buildings. We craned our necks to look up, way up at the two towers.

On the way around to find the doors, we came upon a crazy man with a cat. He was shouting at the top of his lungs, so we gave him a wide berth.

My feet were so sore from blisters by this point, I was really tired and it was very humid. It wasn't even lunchtime yet and I was wondering how I was going to make it through the day.

We took an elevator up to the observation deck on the 45th floor (not even the top of the building). This seemed to be a popular place, filled with Japanese tourists milling around in a huge central gift shop.Walking around the windows, the view was amazing despite the heavy smog that day. They say on a clear day you can see Fuji San. I saw a couple of window washers and got nasty vertigo for a minute. We could not see the borders of the city. It was like looking out into the ocean.

The gift shop was almost as fun as the view. We found all kinds of Astro Boy stuff, cool science toys, and merchandise from quite a few popular cartoons. Do you remember Monchichis? I hadn't seen these things in 20 years. What strange little thumb-sucking monkeys, all decked out in little japanese costumes.

We set out in search of a highly recommended tempura restaurant for lunch. It's very difficult to find addresses in Japan, even with directions and a well-drawn map. Tsunahachi was not a departure from this. When we finally found it, there was a long line-up of well-dressed people outside, which we took as a good sign. It was so worth the extra effort! We sat at the counter and watched the other diners to figure out proper tempura etiquette. The flavour & texture were Amazing! Now I'm ruined for the North American version.

wireless wonder

2007-02-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is my first post on my new laptop computer. I am currently sitting in the waiting room at Canadian Blood Services in Calgary while Matt donates platelets.

I feel so sophisticated.

Now I just need a cell phone, pda, Ipod and cable TV to catch up with everyone else.

sometimes I hate people

2007-02-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

I woke up angry this morning.

Angry at selfish middle class people who say "not in my back yard."

It's bad enough to wake up to news of how many car bombs exploded last night and which politician was indicted yesterday, but when, in the midst of all this crap that's going on in the world, I hear about some community group crying out against organizations who are trying to help people simply because of their own unscrutinized, knee-jerk fear (and perhaps concern for their property value), well, that's the last straw.

(big breath here)

I am referring to the neighbourhoods of Sunalta and Scarboro in Calgary who are in an uproar over the half-way house the John Howard Society would like to build there.

Everyone praises the John Howard Society for the work they do, but no one wants them down the street. The idea of giving ex-cons a second chance, grace, forgiveness, rehabilitation, is lovely as long as they don't have to participate.

Why can't they give the JHS a little credit? They've been doing this kind of thing for a long time. They have results and studies and research backing them up. They want to do this right and make it a success. They're not going to thoughtlessly put children's lives at risk. It is not in their best interests to do a crappy job and let a bunch of child molesters loose on local schools.

If it was their brother just getting out of jail and needing a hand to reintegrate into the community, they would be singing a different tune. Then it would be "our callous society is filled with prejudice. No one will let the past be the past. If he can't get a job and start a new life, he's in danger of re offending."

No one has any empathy.

No one can step outside their little bubble of personal experience to look around and see other people's lives going on, other people needing their help, other people being affected by them.

Instead of pressuring city hall to keep all the down-trodden and disenfranchised corralled in a ghetto to protect the rest of us, each one of us, 'the privileged', needs to take responsibility for our role in a society where so much suffering and crime exists, and help to find solutions.

I get tired of people telling me "it's so wonderful that you help people with your job. Keep up the good work!"

I bite my tongue to keep from saying "why don't you shut up and help me?"

Onion & Chick Pea Hot Dip

2007-02-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe scribbled on the inside back cover of a cookbook my friend Phil gave me. It's simple, quite tasty, and filled with fabulous flavinoids.

Try it!

2-3 large red onions (chopped)
1/2 19 oz. can of chick peas (strained)*
1/4 c. red wine
1 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar (I actually used basil white wine)
parsley

*I think I'll use the whole can next time I make it

1. saute onions 3 min.

2. add chick peas, saute 2 more min., covered.

3. add wine, cook 5 min.

4. add vinegar and blend until hummous consistency.

5. sprinkle parsley on top and serve hot or chilled with veggie sticks or "imagine" (this is the exact wording).

lunch at 250 km an hour

2007-02-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2006

Even on the bullet train, it took more than 5 hours to get from Hiroshima to Tokyo. Japan is longer than it looks!

The view along the coast was not that interesting: houses, fields, industrial buildings, train station, repeat.

The highlight of the trip was actually the Ekiben, the boxed lunch we ate on the train. The japanese eat cold cooked food more than I expected. Certainly more than we do in the west.

Tasty. Except for the pickles.

There were no pickles that I liked in this meal. The bright pink pickled plum sitting on top of my rice was particularly unpalatable to me. I tried not to speculate about what foul chemicals it had been soaked in. At this point I was starting to get discouraged about the number of japanese foods I didn't like so far.

laundry

2007-01-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

October 27, Hiroshima cont.

Funny how even doing your laundry can become an adventure in a foreign country.

The instructional pictograms on the washing machines in Japan were a little cryptic, but our clothes came out ok. Matt found some house-wife manga (kind-of their version of Good Housekeeping). There was a lot of sex but most of it was everyday husband wife sex.

I find cartoon sex to be very odd.

My culture shock still hadn't quite worn off, so we had lunch at Subway. I find the subtle differences with chain restaurants interesting. They had guacamole and shrimp toppings, and sweet potato fries with basil powder. It felt strange when we ordered, as the staff person spoke perfect english with a North American accent. We had been rehersing our order in Japanese but were so stunned that we couldn't manage to order properly in Japanese or English!

There's a lot of rain in Japan, so there are a lot of umbrellas. Shops have rows of tiny compact ones with handles shaped like penguins, monkeys and Barbapapas (do you remember them?), and cute jinglish phrases printed on them. I chose a little pink one with a cartoon pig head handle.

By supper time, I was finally feeling brave enough to venture as far as gyoza with asian food. We found a little shop, Gyoza-honpo Tachimachi, near the neighbourhood where we were staying. Suzuki-san fed us a variety of tasty fish and braised veggies and taught Matt a bit about good sake. In fact, Matt had quite a bit of good sake and went off later, giddy, to find a bottle of the local product to take home. We found out later that the place is even organic.

playing it loose

2007-01-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

October 27th

We decided not to go to Beppu.

We had spent enough time on the train lately, thank you very much. I felt so burnt out, and we needed to do laundry.

I had really wanted to see the island of Kyushu. I had been so excited about the 3000 year old camphor trees, the mud baths and the gaudy resort glitz of Beppu. It was just too much to cram into one vacation. I'll just have to stick to one island per visit and go back at least 3 more times.

I twisted my ankle on the way to the laundromat. Leave it to me to come away unscathed from such activities as sky diving, mountain biking and kick boxing, but twist my ankle walking down a nice, level side walk. We weren't even half-way through our vacation yet.

Our hosts put some kind of magic Japanese adhesive tape on it. it didn't look like it would do much, but it worked like you wouldn't believe. I was still very careful after that. I almost twisted my other ankle at least 3 times. Gotta keep everyone alert!

drooling

2007-01-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny that women are more visually stimulated by food than by sex?

I spent the last 3 days doing nothing but reading cookbooks.

like a Magritte painting

2007-01-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

October 26 cont. again

In Tsuwano we bought some bananas and an apple the size of my head at a corner store. This turned out to be the cheapest fruit we found in Japan, probably because we're close to the orchards. Most fruit and vegetables there seem to be uniformly gigantic and perfect. And expensive.

We rented bicycles and rode around the quiet little town. The absense of crowds and chimes and flashing lights felt good. It was so clean, with tidy little cobblestone streets filled with very expensive shops.

In the oldest part of town, the impressive old walls and gates make me feel like I was in a samurai movie and a feudal lord was going to step around the corner any minute.

The ditches along the road are filled with brightly coloured koi. Even the river was flecked with the orange and gold of carp as we rode across the bridge.

We wanted to take the lift up the side of the mountain to see the castle ruins and panoramic view, but were told that the last loop had already started. Instead, we wandered over to the Taikodani-Inari Jinja (shrine). It had vending machines lining the outside wall and 1000 red torii (gates) on the foot path up the hill. I saw several fox statues and figures in the complex.

Back in town we didn't have time for a full supper, so we stopped into a small restaurant with long benches and huge wooden beams. They had a sign out front with a picture of ice cream sundaes. It had vanilla soft serve, corn flakes, some kind of berry jam and these little, round, chewy, green rice cakes here and there. Quite tasty if a little strange in texture.

Then it was back on the train. The ride home was less interesting in the dark, but at least we caught the faster trains and napped on the way.

I want my BNW

2007-01-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

I read in the news this week that CBC is ditching Brave New Waves in mid-March. Their logic tells them that this will help them attract more listeners between 40 and 65.

I think their logic stinks.

Anyone in this age group that listens to the radio in the middle of the night may very well appreciate BNW.

Brave New Waves is the best radio show I have ever heard. Even without Patti Schmidt, it is still so worth listening to.

In between sobs, I am writing emails to Brave New Waves and CBC's head office begging them to change their minds.

Maybe we have taken BNW for granted, and haven't told them how much we love and appreciate them.

If you have ever enjoyed BNW, I encourage you to let them know. Especially if you are between the ages of 40 and 65.

Home Security

2007-01-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I was doing a bit of research on the local rental market for a newsletter article, and the statistics that I found formed a dreary picture.

By October 2006 the vacancy rate for a 2 bedroom apartment in a multi-unit building was 0.6 percent. That means all the single moms and college students and families new to town who were looking for a place that month had to compete over just 8 apartments.

We have a 3 bedroom townhouse in Edmonton that we rent out and I looked up the going rate in the city. I don't understand how a family is supposed to be able to come up with $1500 a month for rent. A few single roommates could probably come up with it together, but who else? The single income 'family' is a dying breed.

view from the train

2007-01-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

October 26 continued

We took a day trip to Tsuwano, a japanese version of Banff. Of course we got away late and were in a rush when we got to the train station. We found a counter and asked where to catch the train to Yamaguchi, our transfer point. This is where we learned a valuable lesson. He said

Hurry, the next one leaves xxx platform in five minutes!

So we ran.

There was the train. It didn't look like a bullet train, but it was about to leave, so we hopped on.

Well, it wasn't a bullet train. It was the slow train, and took two hours longer to get to Yamaguchi, so we only had 2 hours to spend in Tsuwano. Sigh.

Next time we'll know to specifically ask for the 'Shinkansen'.
The ride from Yamaguchi to Tsuwano soothed me considerably, though. We rode deep into the mountains, passing countless remote villages filled with gardens, orchards and small fields. Walled compounds with beautiful old houses sat high like little islands in the fields. The hillsides were covered with thick stands of bamboo and cedar.

These are smaller mountains than we're used to at home in the Rockies, but the valleys are so narrow, bringing the hills in close and making it feel cozy and lush (or claustrophobic, if you're from the prairies).

New Year's discipline

2007-01-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

I know I'm not the only one who hasn't posted a entry for weeks, but I still feel guilty.

This is my first step to getting back on track. Without regimented schedules and daily routines, my world dissolves into a blurry mess.

And now to the laundry.