Saturday, July 31, 2010

Edmonton V. 2

The rest of the days in Edmonton were relatively uneventful. We did the touristy things, like Fort Edmonton Park. While we were there, we hitched a ride with this dude driving around in the 1930's collector car. I don't know what type it was, I'm not really a car person. It was awesome though. Also, we went into an old-style saloon and had a beer. And we also got some old candy, and we also... did other things. Like walked around and looked at old buildings and got a sense of the history and everything.

The next day, we watched an episode of Big Bang Theory (the one where Sheldon tries to become friends with Kripke so he can use his lab only to find out that Kripke has no sway). In the episode, Sheldon goes rock climbing for the first time, and it really made us want to rock climb, so we looked up gyms in Edmonton and settled for Climb Edmonton. It's small, but cheap, i recommend it if you're into bouldering, i guess it's called. it was a relatively new experience for me, i'd never climbed in canada before where i actually needed safety gear. Then we went home, and went out for drinks with Nik and Chris. It was quite the fun day!

The final day in Edmonton, we got up, and then drove out to New Sarepta to visit my great uncle Eric. He's such a great guy. 82 years old and still kickin'! he cracked jokes like it was no big deal and was running around the house the same way he was when he was 40. Then we went to Grandma's, where she cooked us dinner and hung out with us, playing crib and 31. It was very reminiscent of my childhood. Then then, my cousin Taylor came over and we went out on the quads then sat there and talked for hours.

And THAT was Edmonton for realz. woo! next post will be on the mountains! yay!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Edmonton. :)

Hmm, Edmonton, how you made me smile.

We're currently cruising down the Trans-Canada 1, listening to the Born Ruffians, while I try to remember my exploits in Edmonton and the Rockies. The music is distracting, but in a good way. No matter how many times I listen to this album, I can't help but love it. It's just so catchy! HIGHLY recommended. Red, Yellow, and Blue, that is. Not Say It. Their second album was just so-so. ANYWAY, back to the trip deets. In a way, I can't wait to blog about things other than my adventures. That being said, I don't really want this to be over, but I am excited about the normalcy of life to begin once more.

So, anyway. Edmonton. I believe we left off on Sunday, where I woke up on Nikole's love seat to begin our day in a brand new city. That day was a lot of fun. We went to the Street Performer's Festival, which was just ending, and saw a dude juggle 5 basketballs on a unicycle the height of 2 people. Afterwards, we got some lemonade and a hotdog, and Nik and Chris showed us the sights of Edmonton in 3 hours. We went to City Hall to admire the architecture, and then to the Legislature to hang out in front of it, in the wading fountain. It was a lot of fun. :) Then we went to a cute little sushi bar, and home for the evening to chill out and watch some TV.

The next day, we decided to go to West Edmonton Mall to go to the water park. I had been there before, a few times, but luke had never been, and he just didn't understand the attraction of going to a big mall. Once we got there, he understood that it wasn't just a mall. That place has submarine rides, a giant lake, an amusement park, the worlds largest indoor waterpark, and so much more. The stores are nothing special, but he couldnt help but get excited about the attractions. We spent bunches of time going on the waterslides over and over again, and also went on the roller coaster once, because we just had to. Afterwards, we went to visit my grandmother, and had a very awkward couple of hours chatting about whatever came to mind. Then, we got lost going home, but finally made our way home.

The next day we chilled out until it came time to go to my aunt Linda's for dinner. We left at 5:30, were supposed to be there by 6, and didn't get there until around 7:15. We got SO lost, google maps took us in the absolute wrong direction because i put the wrong street in, and then we ended up at a starbucks with no way of contacting my aunt. We eventually got a hold of her because i called my mother who left a message at my uncles, so then my uncle's wife texted me linda's address and phone number. phew. Eventually we got there, and I reunited with my aunt and her new husband, so i guess my uncle, and my 2 cousins, plus my new baby cousin. We had dinner, where I got to try squash lasagna, bought specifically for me, and then we went in the hot tub with the cousins and had dessert. It was certainly an exciting turn of events. :) Then we went home, and DID NOT GET LOST thank god.

okay I'm bored, I'll finish edmonton later. peacee

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

by the way

p.s. sorry i can't figure out how to make my text a consistent size. I'm computer-stupid and can't figure out how to change the text when i copy it from a word document. oh well.

thunder bay to edmonton

The last few days have been a little bit of sight seeing, punctuated by a LOT of driving.
Day 1:
drive 17 hours from Toronto to Thunder Bay through Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. The drive was long, but so beautiful. Not much to report on the drive. We ended up staying the night at Thunder Bay International Hostel, our first hostel experience of the trip, and i must say, it was a good one. :) we got our own room with a queen bed for only $40 ($20 each). The proprietors were very nice, it felt like an oversized b&b. We met some cool people there too, a lot of people who were doing the same thing as us, but the other way across the country. One man drove up from southern Chile! It was nice to get a good sleep, though. :)
Day 2:
The next day was also full of driving. We drove all the way from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg. Then, we crashed with Luke’s mother’s cousin, I do believe. We were tired from the night, but we were hungry, so we went for a walk in search of something to eat. We came upon a restaurant called Salisbury House, which is apparently a Manitoba specialty. We were not impressed, to say the least. The lady taking our orders was super stressed out, telling us what we could and couldn’t order from the menu, and yelling at us while we ate. It was the most stressful dinner I have ever had. I don’t plan on going back in the forseeable future. We also got told that we would get robbed and die and our car would get broken into, etc. Needless to say, I was a little freaked out going to bed.
Day 3:
we hung out in winnipeg for the day, it was exciting. during the day, we went to the royal canadian mint, where we got to see coins being made, then we went downtown for dinner. we ate at this really great pub, called the king’s head, and then walked around where the fringe festival was going on. we saw a few free street performers, but they weren’t very good. We also went to a fringe play called “Freud vs. his Ego”. The actors forgot their lines a few times, but it was pretty good. it was pretty comical. we then got a few more drinks, and headed home for the evening.
Day 4:
we woke up, finished our laundry, and hit the road to Regina. On the way, though, we stopped in Souris, Manitoba, a random stop a little ways off the main highway, to see a really cool swinging bridge. It was one of the longest swinging bridges I’d seen. After that, we drove to Regina, where we checked in at the hostel, then went to dinner. After dinner, we met a few people at the hostel who were planning on going out that night. We went out for a few drinks by ourselves at a fairly popular pub in the area, then the 4 guys picked us up and we went to a crazy sketchy dance bar. I thought that i was going to get drugged or something. Everyone was super intense, and the 4 guys absolutely loved to dance, it was hilarious. Eventually we tired of that club, so we walked to the pub next door, got in without paying cover, and danced to an 80’s disco cover band. It was interesting, to say the least. Finally, we went back to the hostel, and quickly fell asleep.
Day 5:
We drove from Regina to Moosejaw, where we got lunch. We didn’t really do much there, it was kind of an accident that we even ended up there, but then we drove up to saskatoon, where we didn’t stop and eventually made our way to Edmonton, where we met up with my sister Nikole, and went downtown for a few drinks. Then, we went back home and went to bed.
I know i’m super behind, but updates to follow, i’m exhausted.

soooo.....

I'm a horrible person. We're in Calgary right now. Since Toronto, we've been to Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Jasper, Banff, Canmore, and now Calgary. I PROMISE that I'm going to write in the blog SOON! tomorrow! but i really don't have time today.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Torontoooooo

So, I’m currently in a car, traveling at 100 km/h, headed towards Sault Ste. Marie, keeping good on my promise to write this blog post while on the road. I mean really, what else is there to do while we’re driving?
For the last 4 or 5 days, we were in Toronto. Canada’s largest city, ontario’s capital, and the birthplace of... multiculturalism? I don’t really know what else was born in T Dot. We arrived in the evening after a day of Niagara fun. We drove to the cross-street where our apartment was supposed to be, then received a text from Bryce that stated that we had to head over to where he was to pick up the key. So instead of driving, we opted for a 25 minute walk, and finally found the keys to our place.
Keith’s place is amazing. It’s a 1 bedroom basement apartment, but it’s super spacey and he’s done a wonderful job of decorating it, in my opinion. We spent the rest of the night relaxing and watching a few episodes of House, season 1, which I’ve recently become re-addicted to. The next day, we woke up and decided that we’d spend the day resting before we went to the show in the evening. We went for a walk, and had some pad thai at a restaurant that the internet recommended to us, Thai Basil. Then, we went home, watched a few more episodes of House, and decided upon what we were going to do for the next few days. I wanted to do all the touristy stuff, Luke wanted to party. We opted for a compromise, buying the city pass to save us money on the main tourist attractions, and going out in the evenings to check out the city’s nightlife.
Things turned the wrong way, however, when we started walking to the show’s venue. I was cramping super hard, and I figured it was from all the walking right after I had eaten. But when we got there, sat down and watched the show, my stomach started hurting more and more, and it almost took away from the beauty that is Tim Minchin. I say almost because that dude is fucking brilliant, there’s no other way to put it. He’s definitely my favourite comedian, and seeing him live only intensified that fact. He just has such a brilliantly awkwardly hilarious stage presence and his songs would bring anyone to hysterics. Bo Burnham was pretty funny too, and the set was shorter than I’d like, but otherwise it was an amazing night.
The downside, however, is that I woke up the next morning with a stomach that was better, but still in great pain. I truly thought that I had appendicitis. So I went to the clinic, and got my tummy checked out. The doctor told me that I just had a little bit of food poisoning, and that I should be good to go to the zoo as long as I followed the food regimen that he gave me. Soups and clear liquids only the first day, bananas, toast, and apple sauce and rice the next, and bland steamed foods the next day.
So that day we went to the zoo and the ontario science centre and got to be little children all over again. we saw all the pretty animals (such as giraffes and hippos and zebras and elephants and kangaroos and monkeys) and got to play around with science experiments like 10 year olds. It was awesome. We had decided to take public transit to get there, though, which was a nightmare. It took us a 30 minute bus ride and 3 subway transfers to get home from the zoo. We navigated it without an issue, though. I was so proud of myself.
I figured I was fine stomachwise when I got home, but the next morning when I woke up, I had a cup of tea and puked everything I had the day before up. It was kind of gross. Because of this, luke decided I wasn’t okay to continue sight-seeing and we laid in bed all day and watched house. It was not the most fun i’ve ever had, but I probably needed the day of relaxation.
The next day, I felt fine, so we got up, and walked to Casa Loma, which is this huge castle in downtown toronto that some rich dude owned then got to broke to pay for so he had to move his family out. Quite a sad story, but we got an audio tour of the place, which had been turned back into a beautiful castle in the same sort of fashion, and learned some cool things about the house and its owner. Afterwards, we went to the royal ontario museum where I learned some cool things about gems and minerals because of a guided tour we had, and then we spent the rest of the time looking at dinosaur bones and going “look, dinosaurs! oooooooooohhhhhhhh!” it was very exciting, I promise you. Then, we went home, cooked dinner, and went for a long walk to the CN tower, the pinnacle of our touristy crap, where for only $30 you can go up an elevator! It was pretty cool, though. We were up really high, and could see the entire city. We also got a chance to walk on the glass floor, which was absolutely terrifying, but kind of cool. The best part, though, was the motion simulator ride that came with our admission. We pretended we were in a new place called the himalamazon, which was super fun. It was like a roller coaster, except it wasn’t really a roller coaster. Then we went home, rested our weary heads on our beds, and went to sleep.
The next morning, we woke up super early, and were on the road! dum dum dum dummmmmmmmm
more news to follow. :)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Syracuse, NY

Hmm... basically we just drove through new york so that we could save a bit of money on gas, and cuz we had a place to stay, and cuz I hadn't seen my friend Sean in ages. And by ages, I actually mean ages. 6 years. It was crazy to reconnect! other than that, though, there's not much to report on syracuse.

we went to the zoo and saw a bunch of cool animals, like elephants and bears and stuff! there will be photos posted as soon as i buy a USB adapter for my memory card and I can upload them, since i have no camera cord at current. we also went to the mall, where i went underwear shopping and we saw grown ups in the theatre. not a bad movie, but definitely not an oscar winner.

the next day we chilled out and went for a little bit of a drive. we tried to find downtown, failing miserably, and then ended up going for dinner at pastabilities, which was quite a delicious spot, if you're ever in the area. and thennn we headed to niagara falls.

oh oh and we also went to a mall in buffalo because luke promised me that he'd buy me dippin' dots cuz i'd never had them. they were delicious. :) super super delicious. :)

once we'd gotten to niagara falls, we checked into our hotel, showered, changed, and went downstairs to catch the shuttle bus to the restaurant we were going to dinner at. I believe it was called "the Keg"? Anyway, we had a $40 gift card for there, so luke got a 30 dollar steak and i got an 8 dollar salad, and guess who was more satisfied with their meal?

(i'll give you a hint, it was me.)

Then, we caught the same shuttle bus to the falls, where we got out and took pictures while the driver, Dave, had a smoke break. We also got a chance to talk to him. He was a retired newfie who really seemed to enjoy his new work as a bus driver. he was a pretty sweet dude. THEN, we went to Dave & Buster's, where we had $40 in arcade credits. We spent the entire night playing arcade games. Eventually, luke won me a stuffed pug. it is really quite adorable. Then, we went to a little karaoke bar my aunt told us about, and listened to people who couldn't sing while we tried to get drunk enough to find them entertaining. it was a pretty good time! Then finally, we caught the shuttle bus back to the hotel, where we promptly fell asleep after a long and tiring day.

Oh, oh, i forgot. there were fireworks over the falls that night too that we watched!! gorgeous. :) there will be pictures of those too.

The next day, we (or I, more accurately) were determined to get the entire falls experience. We paid for the maid of the mist and the journey behind the falls, coming in at about $15 each. journey behind the falls fell slightly below expectations, but the maid of the mist was absolutely amazing. you got to get soooo close to the falls, and the waves are rocking the boat and you're getting absolutely soaked. it was crazy!! journey behind the falls, on the other hand, you only got to go through to little portals where you could see water rushing down. it was kind of cool, but not half as exciting as anything else. After that, we were ready to go to Toronto.

I'm exhausted right now, and we leave for thunder bay tomorrow, so i will write a post about toronto in the car tomorrow and post it whenever i get internet. i promise!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Photos



in case anyone is interested, here are some photos from the last few months, all courtesy of luke perrin at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lukeperrin/

1. luke and zack and i at their senior prom.


2. ju playing up a storm in halifax


3. David R. Elliott playing his acoustic set.


4. dan tweedie resting in between sets


5. scott mallory playing his set at the same show


6. me and luke going for a hike in Cow Head, NL. i love this shot cuz it looks like i'm swimming into a vortex of nothingness.


7. me in PEI, being all happy and stuff.


8. char and I approaching buffaloland provincial park in PEI


9. me on top of the world at east point, PEI


10. right after we crossed the bridge to pei, this was graveyard road that drove us right down to the beach.


more to come, i'm sure!

OTTAWA

So, ottawa. what is there to say?

Well first, i suppose I must start before Ottawa, in Saint John. We drove from Saint John to Fredericton, where we spent the night with Luke's friend Megan Bird. She was spending the night with her boyfriend, however, so we got the place to ourselves for the night. In the morning, we quickly packed up and headed out to Montreal at around 7 am. quite early for some young'uns like us. The trip was long, but eventually we ended up at my apartment at around 3 pm. Luke had an appointment to see an apartment, so we went downtown to check it out, then went looking for something to eat. Then, we went back home, had a few beer and went downtown to check out Beast's free show. it was pretty kickin. After heading to Benelux to meet up with Ashley, which was awesome, we went home and rested our weary heads on our pillows.

The next day, we went running around to see more apartments, and we also... did some things. i don't really remember what. it was a pretty chill day though, we went over to Andrew's and hung out for a little bit. it was really great to see some good friends again, even if only for a little bit.

the next day, we ran some errands and began our two hour trek to ottawa on canada day. We happened to catch the tail end of the parade in Montreal, which was pretty awesome. Afterwards, we dropped our stuff off at Ross's place, and his girlfriend Sarah-Grace showed us around downtown, while we took in all the craziness that was Ottawa on Canada Day. We then went back to the apartment, where Ross was off work, then we went to see Owen Pallett play a free show. It was incredible. Never before have i seen such brilliant musicianship coming from one person. His use of the delay and loop pedals to create songs that just build and build was absolutely crazy. Ahh. Anyway, then we went back to the hotel, ordered pizza, had a few beer and hung out for a little bit. After that, we walked downtown and continued to party, checking out the fireworks that started at 10, and hanging out around the town. That continued for quite a while, the wandering and drinking, and wandering and drinking. We got back to the apartment, and had a few more drinks, finally passing out at around 4:30 am. It was pretty insane.

The next day, we went to a little diner for poutine for breakfast. Perfect for your tastebuds, not so perfect for your stomach. It was delicious, though. Then, we just hung out for a little bit. We went for another walk, checked out the Bytown market, and in the evening we went to a little pub for a little bit of fun. I don't think that was the most exciting of days.

The third of july, we decided to do a tour of parliament, but they were completely booked by the time we got our asses out of bed, so we went to the national art gallery instead, where they had a pop-art exhibit. It did a great job of showing how modern art had progressed through the years and the really influential people, so i highly recommend it to anyone in ottawa. We then went back to the market for something to eat, then went home for dinner where Ross and Sarah-Grace made us an amazing pasta salad that I still can't get over. So delicious. Then we watched planet earth and passed out.

Our final day in Ottawa, we went to do our tour of parliament, and we got to go up into the peace tower observatory and see ottawa from the top where the clock was. it was absolutely crazy to have that kind of point of view. The tour was kind of cool too, to be able to see where all our governmental stuff happens, but it only covered the basics of parliament, which was nothing i didn't already know. The architecture in the building, however, is absolutely gorgeous. That was probably the part that stunned me the most. We also got a tour of the rideau locks, which is one of 3 or 4 UNESCO heritage sites in the world, and also the place where Ross works. Our very personalized tour was super exciting, i felt very privileged. After that, I got the chance to meet up for coffee with Mickie, one of my friends from school, and we got to catch up, which was really nice. After that, we went to dinner at this little mexican restaurant called Ahora, which was cheap and delicious. I was very impressed. THEN we went to a shisha bar to chill out, and went home and went to sleep.

The next day, today, i suppose, was the hottest day of all, and we felt we were going to die as we gathered our stuff and left ottawa to drive to syracuse. It was a long drive, and we were both completely exhausted, as it was so warm. I feel like I'm going to die right now, in fact, but at least i'm in an air conditioned room.

Anyway, I think that's enough for now! sorry for the length of the post, but I'm in America!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

I have been ridiculously lazy.

And for that, I apologize.

A lot has happened in the last 3 weeks. I don't have time to detail the whole thing now, so I will give a very brief synopsis:

Newfoundland:

We spent about a week in Newfoundland. While there, we did the following things:

1. partied it up on George St. and got screeched in at Trapper Johns. For the low price of $12, we got a shot, the glass it came in, and a pretty little certificate saying that I was now an honourary Newfoundlander.
2. went on a brewery tour at Quidi Vidi brewing co, and got a little tipsy at 3 in the afternoon
3. went to cape spear and saw the easternmost point of North America
4. hung out at the house and played some cribbage.
5. walked around downtown St. John's and had some delicious eats.
6. Went to Gros Morne National Park and hiked and camped. We did one overnight hike/camp thingy, where we hiked in 3 k, dropped off our packs, and then hiked the other 17 k around. It was hell. We went up and down and up and down and up and down stairs until I thought I was going to die. We did, however, see a moose up close (like 10 feet away). It has got to be one of the most majestic things I have ever seen. We also saw a bunch of wild sheep grazing. When we went back to camp in the evening, we awoke to 2 sheep and 2 lambs sitting under our picnic table, staring at us as if we'd invaded their space. It was kind of terrifying, but kind of awesome at the same time. After that hike, we continued up to the top of gros morne by car, and found a new place to do a little day hike. then, we found our camp spot for the night, and continued on our merry little way.
7. hung out in corner brook for about a day, but by that point in time, i could barely walk because i killed my knee on that giant 20 k hike up and down the mountain, so we just got coffee, then drove to port au basque to wait for the ferry. Then, the ferry took us to...

Cape Breton/Nova Scotia:

We were in cape breton for approximately 2 days, and in halifax for 3 nights. While there, we:

1. spent the night in a cute little B&B called the Foghorn Inn in Little Lorraine. The owner was super sweet, and she loved to talk about her kids. She actually opened the B&B because she got so lonely after she had retired and all her kids had moved out. It was the comfiest bed, a good price, and a lot of fun. There's my recommendation.

2. went to the fortress of Louisbourg, where we got to see a bunch of old buildings and people dressed up in costume, and we took a fun little tour and got to learn about the fortress. It was pretty fun, but not the most exciting thing in the world. We got to see more sheep while we were there!

3. went to halifax, where we engaged in a few too many bad habits, and spent a bit too much money at the bars. We also took another brewery tour, this one being Alexander Keith's, which was actually theatrical and everyone was dressed up in costume. It was a lot of fun, and once more, i was slightly tipsy at 3 in the afternoon. We stayed with my friend David R. Elliott, who played a show that night with his band, the Novellas (shameless music plug here: http://www.myspace.com/davidrelliott ), and it was pretty sick. Other than that, we just toured downtown and hung out. It was a lot of fun.

And then we decided that we couldn't hike the dobson cuz my knee still killed, so we went back to Saint John for a couple weeks. And my mommy graduated and so did my little brothers and I painted our entire house and it was very exciting.

and my next post will actually be recent! and have photos, hopefully! yay!