To Blue Orchid and Back!

We took our first bus trip!

Olivia and TipTip's birthday celebration was in the perfect location: Just one bus away.  So, we packed the stroller and set off to Blue Orchid.

What a hot day.  We arrived to find the air conditioning wasn't working.  I felt a hot sweaty mess, but James had the option on stripping down to his onsie.

Monica and TipTip seemed to have a good time bouncing James around.  But Wendy, Lorena, and Olivia kept their distance.

Wendy: He's not looking at me, I'm not going to play with him.

Ugh, eating was so awkward.  I originally planned on just ordering plain white rice and something separate from the menu, but people wanted to be nice and said, "Oh, just make sure they don't use MSG in any of the dishes..." It likely made everyone's meal less nice.  And, I ended up sticking just to white rice and some chicken that didn't touch the soy sauce (since I just wasn't sure).  And no cake :(

Wendy said I didn't look very cheerful.  I told her I was just so tired.  It was hard to follow the conversation around the table. Even out of my arms, my focus was drawn to James.

The other part, of course, is that leaving the house is a bit a headache even with Paul there to help.  I'm appreciating ramps a lot more and have to think twice about where the stroller can go.  And, it turns out, not all washrooms have a fold down change table!  Thankfully there was a enough counter space near the sink, and James was good enough (this time) not to roll.

Things learned:  Need to pack 2 outfits at least.  (Yep, he messed up both.) 

These beautiful cakes are from T&T.  They say the taro (on the right) was better than the chestnut.

















And wow, downtown sure looks different.

The Secret is Out (In Calgary)

If you measure it, someone will get excited about it...

Finally, after a dinner of kings, we were officially heading south for our early anniversary weekend: To Calgary!

(Right: Burger King's fish sandwich is similar yet different from McDonald's.  I didn't know to ask about the mayo.)

Our stomachs digested, our eyes glossed over the landscape...  I asked Paul if he felt at all inspired to take a photo of what we saw out there.  He wasn’t – it was all too flat. 

Parts of our brains probably still thought about work.  But we broke away from all that when we concentrated instead on fuel efficiency.  Oh, the excitement!  Oh, the insanity!  For Paul that is.

(Above: I admit there is an appeal there in watching the display gauge for changes... it's a bit like my pedometer.)

See how happy he is when noticed another change? 

Despite it being the two of us on a road trip, this felt much more like my Greyhound trip to Calgary with Theresa, Celina, and Kevin (back in 2007), than the car trips in England. 

The sign for Ma-Me-O Beach brought back memories.  But my “Oh, you know the story..." was too much of a build up.  There's no story, only little snippets in my head (and on the blog).

By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was 10:40 p.m.  Despite taking the wrong turn off (the city looked so close!) and circling downtown (roads were blocked for maintenance), we were at an all time fuel efficiency high of 7.4 L / 100 km!

I was feeling pretty tired, but a part of me still entertained the idea of writing about different hotel experiences (like David Rakoff in Fraud, except he was in Japan).  As I tried to decide what exactly I thought of our bachelor suite, Paul noticed this on the couch:

He had a good laugh.  I decided, having sat on it, we didn't need to phone Front Desk for further confirmation of its existence. 

It was the empty dressers that impressed me.  As I unpacked my things into them it felt like a great new start. 

Anyway, this morning we partook in their complimentary breakfast.  It wasn't elegant, but there was an a reasonable amount of choice.  Paul had toast, made toasty by conveyer toaster.  I tried to stay healthy, but eyed the syrup grenade that was on every table with thoughts of "Maybe tomorrow..."

For today, we're off to explore this foreign land. 

Little Bits in Leduc

It was a clear and sunny afternoon, perfect for a road trip. Above freezing temperatures had melted much of the snow. 

Catherine picked me up and we headed south - Leduc here we come!

Our main goal in the City was to descend on Shauna and Jesse's to visit, and to meet Rebekah. 

We managed the first part with only one wrong turn.  As for the second... you can see (below), she wasn't necessarily as excited to see us as we were to see her.  But we managed to not be too heartbroken. 

While Rebekah slept, Shauna, Jesse, Catherine, Shauna's mom, and I sat down for a cup tea.  Alannah was mostly zipped around.

Catherine had made some ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies (irresistable to and fully endorsed by Alannah) which we ate while chatting and catching up on things. 

Jesse had just finished reading Jennifer Cockrall-King's Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution which fell in line with his interest in natural foods and continued urban farming.  He said he learned a lot (must add to my future reading list). 

We saw the latest updates and renovations to the house and Alannah's latest toys (which were mostly ignored in favour of running around and around).

Eventually, when Alannah was ready for a little still-er fun, Catherine and I snuggled up with her on the couch to read aloud Sandra Boynton's Philadelphia Chickens. 

Signature animals danced across the pages as we sang the story / song lyrics.  Catherine's version was like a cantor's. I attempted to make them sound like showtunes.  Somehow, we made the duets work. 

It occurs to me now that with all our effort in singing it still might have not been pleasant if Alannah had already listened to the original star studded cast version (which included Meryl Streep and The Seldom Herd)* - we'd just have been doing it all wrong!  But Alannah had been kind enough not to say so.

* Clips of music available on Sandra Boynton's site. 

Not sure where the time went, but soon we'd found ourselves invited to stay for dinner.  The slow-cooker meal that had been simmering our entire visit was delicious.  And really, was it really that easy to prepare?  Both Catherine and my interest had been piqued.  She is, however, one step ahead of me with an actual slowcooker. 

It's always such a surprise that we'd let the space between seeing each other get so big. 

Congratulations again, Shauna and Jesse! 

(Right: The backyard - still a wilderness.)

Down by the Riverside

Onward to Waypoint Alpha!

After being herded (like cats) at St. Joe's parking lot into various vehicles, we were finally off to Waypoint Alpha. Beth, Paul, and myself were in John's car. As he led the crew, our conversation strangely veered towards clowns and road kill.

At Waypoint Alpha

Turns out the satelite map was a little misleading. Not exactly a Tim Hortons.

At Waypoint Beta

The sun peeked out from behind clouds and we slathered on the sunscreen. John and some of the others went to deliver the vehicles to our trip's endpoint. While this happened, we pump, pump, pump (the iron), and filled the air mattresses that had labels specifically saying they were not meant for use in the water.

We managed to finish before John and the others returned. So we did the obvious - build a fort! Inside we hid and waited. It was a little warm, but we endured. Then our lookout announced John's return: EXPLODE!

Pirates!

The mats are in the water, and we are on the mats.

It soon became apparent that some were not content to merely float down the Pembina. Dread Pirate Andrew used a stick to paddle and overtake other mats. He and Dave Z flipped Beth into the water and stole her mat!

John and I on the Garbage Scow go in for a rescue. But then - Ahhh! I'm in the water! I'm wet! I'd been thrown in when the Garbage Scow hit nearby rocks and was tossed by the rapids. Good thing the water was only about waist deep. I stood up safe, but very annoyed - I don't like wet. I give up on all gear that was supposed to help me stay dry and we all try again.

There were some mat switches and some navigation of small rapids. Paul hands me a one of his flip-flops and we paddle along talking about tattoos. Meanwhile, Queenita of the Nile explored waters close to the bank, discovered tadpoles, and blew out her mat. Sir David the Mustached and others come to her rescue.

We arrived at the landing site happy, but shivering. The sun had gone away and there was a wind. I was very, very glad to change in drier clothes.

Mm... food...

Back now to Riverside Diner, this time to have dinner.

Though I had met some of these people at Swing events, I haven't really talked to most of them before. The Twins were lively and rex like. The others made me laugh.

We eventually settled the bill, and headed back to Edmonton. I was in Amanda's car this time with Sir David the Moustached and the Dread Pirate Roberts - no fights broke out. Instead, we listened intently to Amanda talk about her field of study (and latest paper on African American marriages) and sang along to the music. (Apparently, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" video is totally absurd, according to Andrew.)

* A super big thankyou to Beth for arranging this trip and inviting me along, and to John for driving and bringing along a waterproof camera.

Back in Edmonton

"It's between you, the scientist, and a turkey baster." ~ Brad

Clarence does not disappoint. His big 30 party was a blast. A good number of the Edmonton contigent showed up (us plus Dave, Katherine, and Colin), along with a some of Clarence's new Calgary friends. We played some pool, danced a little, and had lots of great food and conversation. There was even a little practical testing of Alcohol (pseudo) Math.

Noel: Sea urchin melts like butter in your mouth, but every second you wait it the more it takes like puke.

Dave: I'd rather cheap out, and just eat the butter

Noel told us of her Hong Kong trip where she ended up in a high end clothes shop. They sat her down and models paraded by in the clothes (_How to Marry a Millionaire_ style). Maria summed it up: "It's like a clothing dim sum."

What followed were some of Rini's scary Emergency Room stories, and then a great deal of silliness:

Brad: No knifing if we're on the air mattress
Dave: I' might be conservative, but I prefer forking.
Clarence: Sporking is the new 69!

I also end up getting a pep-talk from a doll-like girl named Anna. Her advice to me is to truly enjoy being single, go to Vegas with my girlfriends, and wear the outrageous outfits while they still fit my figure. Sounds good!

Then, there was cake! Clarence's special: Tiramisu.

What happened next has to follow this adage: What happens in room 2113, stays in room 2113.

Maria's Non-sequitur: You know who's really hot? Cops in Germany.

Next morning, I finally caught up with Jeff and saw his new place. There were some panda bears (but definitely not the entire collection), and wires in all directions (speakers in every room!). Right now is a rough time for him, but he is really proud of his place.

I join back with the Edmonton contingent for brunch at the River Cafe. I felt underdressed and had doubts about ordering eggs benedict (I'm not a huge fan, but it was their special). Some of the guys slurped back raw oysters as I photographed the restaurant's upscale rustic decor (does this exist?). I started to relax when my hot water with lemon arrived. I enjoyed the bit of sun and breeze, very happy to have a sugar cube in my mouth. And then our orders came. I finished it all, even the last little smidgens of sauce.

Alas, it was then time for us to go home. We took our parting shots (photos) and headed for the highway.

Happy Birthday, Clarence!

Notes from Calgary.

"I bought luggage for chocolate and other stuff..." The other stuff turned out to be even more chocolate, but we weren't about to fault Maria for her choice of souveniers on her European trip.

"It fridge was so nice to have. It filled up quick..." With chocolate of course!

Darren picked me up from work and once we had Maria too, we were Calgary bound. It was nice to catch up on all that was going on. Both of them made me laugh, and it felt good to be going away even if just for the weekend.

Before you know it, we're at Gasoline Alley. We ordered some foods stuffs from A&W, played their placemat games (if you're stuck, a tip: it's Sirloin), all the while getting some really racy text messages (is it really you Clarence?). Back on the road we determine chartreuse may be Darren's best colour.

We arrive in Calgary, meet up with Clarence, Rini, and Brad and settle into Room 2113. And then I had to bail...

D: You jam tart!
Me: What?
M: That's what she said!
D: Must be a generational thing.
Me: Darren, we're the same generation.

Anyway, the whole "bailing" was because I had to get to Angela's at a decent hour and sleep is a good thing.

This morning, slept in (glorious!), and then got a lift downtown to meet up with Nick for lunch. I take him to a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese sub place; we order (I nod yes to the secret sauce I'd be craving for ages, but close my eyes when they add it [it's either a version of mayo, or plain lard]); and we head out to the park.

What a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there's a hint of breeze. We sit on the grass to eat our lunch, across from a stage where actors and dancers rehearse a musical version of Romeo and Juliet, hip-hop style. We wander downtown a bit and take a bunch of photos. (Maybe one of my shoe photos will end up on Nick's wall?)
Now, only a couple hours to this weekend's main event: Clarence's Birthday Party. Must get ready to be ready. Time to beautify.

MMM - Day Three and Return

We woke up from our late night with one more goal before heading out - getting the living room into living condition!

(Right: Pine nut cone - what we'll be looking forward to from a couple of those trees)

After having some tea and the last of the muffins we take away the blue foam, scrub the floors and move some furniture back in place.


I took a much needed shower. And finally changed out of my "Princess in Training" hoodie. Hm... or more correctly, bunny hug... (I liked how we all had little potbellies from storing things in the pocket while wearing them).

(Above: Lindsey supervises)

(Right: Lindsey's innovation - scrubbing socks, worn outside and under shoes)

(Left: Rhianne's closet / sleeping space)

Rhianne takes the wheel again once we fill up the tank with gas... Chris meanwhile tried to fill my backpack with garbage candy wrappers.

We listened to Lindsey's playlist which included Five For Fighting, the Amelie soundtrack, and some crazy "Zen music" (it came with the player). On occassion a bit of an audio book would play too.

(Right: Bye-bye postcards - the same mailboxes and probably the same dog too!)

We made a brief stop at Lloydminster for a dinner of champions (yes, McDonald's) and we were off again. This time with Chris at the wheel. We all talked about weddings: the best ones, the ones we'd want to crash... what we'd do or not do... with Rem and Steph's as the benchmark.

I was completely lost when we made it to the city, but Chris knew what was going on and got us to my house. We then parted with a group headed south, and another headed... west(?).

Now that I think about it, I didn't get a lot of sleep. Mom had waited for me to return from St. Albert. When she went to bed I did a bit of unpacking. I rewound and reset the clock.

Time felt so different away from here. I can't quite tell if I was away for a long or short time. The problems are still here. My simultaneous wish for things to have moved on, and for things to be "on-hold" didn't quite work out either way. I'm glad nevertheless to get away and do some thing fun and worthwhile with friends.

Back at work: Lots of emails though no crisises... and a lot more pressure for me to be finished with my old department and working on new department tasks. Which is right, but doesn't feel quite right. Oh, stubborn Lana.