This is part of a series I have been working on. The Introduction is here. I can't remember how it was I found out that the bus had broken down. What I definitely remember is that it was extremely cold. The bus breaking down did come several hours into a long bus trip from London. From there, … Continue reading Travel and the Art of Mental Maintenance: VIII. Broken Down Somewhere in Belgium
Tag: adventures
Travel and the Art of Mental Maintenance: II. Madrid, the Arrival
This is part of a series I have been working on. The Introduction is here. the arrival I was supposed to take the train from Paris to Madrid. It was one of those things that I had planned out well in advance like the responsible adult I had thought I was. I bought my Eurail … Continue reading Travel and the Art of Mental Maintenance: II. Madrid, the Arrival
Obligatory July Post
I know I haven't posted anything in a while. I have no real excuse other than I have been writing, just not any blog posts. The body of one book is barely cold and I've already started on another. This one is a comedy, which is a nice change. It certainly makes life lighter. I am … Continue reading Obligatory July Post
Travel and the Art of Mental Maintenance: IV. Casablanca
This is part of a series I have been working on. The Introduction is here. I was exhausted and burnt out. For short trips, you rally. But backpacking is a marathon. I dyed my hair from blonde to brown before I left Vancouver because I knew I was going to Morocco, and I’d heard warnings—mostly … Continue reading Travel and the Art of Mental Maintenance: IV. Casablanca
Travel and the Art of Mental Maintenance: Introduction
This is the introduction of what I hope will become a series / retrospective project / diary-after-the-fact / examination of memory-and-place-and-all-that-jazz. All the links to other posts about specific adventures and places are/will be below. Whenever you get back from a long bout of travelling, the world always feels different (at least for a little while, … Continue reading Travel and the Art of Mental Maintenance: Introduction
On the Embarrassing Act of Coming Home
Today we fly back to Vancouver. The great experiment - one might say - has failed. I know that over the next week, the explanation will boil itself down to an easy deflection: one or two lines doing their best to contain both logic and pride. It took us several days and a good dose … Continue reading On the Embarrassing Act of Coming Home
British Bureaucracy for the Impatient
It's been a week on and we've yet to hear anything from the estate agent. It's been more than a month since the first job applications began and we've yet to hear anything from potential employers. Is our luck running low(er)? Or are we victims of the infamous British bureaucracy? It's something we noticed rather … Continue reading British Bureaucracy for the Impatient
Plot Twist: We Flee from London
As my first day of being thirty years old passes, we find ourselves having forsaken London. We went out flat hunting, paperwork in hand like rifles, the tube like horses and hounds. After several false starts, I had to admit to myself that London just wasn't worth it. Paying a thousand pounds for a small … Continue reading Plot Twist: We Flee from London
Stephen Fry – a Fortuitous Symbol?
It seems quite ironic (or perhaps not ironic at all) that after discovering at long last the unencumbered joy of QI and the limitless glee of Stephen Fry's memoirs that we should spot him strolling along Piccadilly as we sip our organic coffee. I do not believe in signs or fate or anything of the … Continue reading Stephen Fry – a Fortuitous Symbol?
Doncaster Minster Wandering
Wandering through Doncaster today, we noticed that the Minster was open to the public. As we stepped inside, a kindly woman handed us some xeroxed pamphlets and launched into a practiced spiel on the history of the church. All was quite interesting; we nodded politely, punctuating her words with Oh really?s whenever felt appropriate. The … Continue reading Doncaster Minster Wandering
The Last Scene of The Graduate
This is dizzying, this running away to England. The excitement! The anxiety! The rollercoaster of emotion! As Husband said, it probably won't feel like we actually live there until months from now when suddenly one moment we realize somewhere along the way we adopted a new routine. Our alarm clock will have a regular setting, … Continue reading The Last Scene of The Graduate
Versailles vs Disneyland Paris
They are both a short train ride from the centre of Paris. They are really one and the same, just two ends of a spectrum that strikes a balance in the middle. And that middle is the French Republic.
Packing my Library
After spending the majority of the years 2001 through to 2007 going to university and working in two different bookstores, I managed to accumulate several hundred books. I counted once mid-2005 and it was about 350. More gathered since, both before and after the Grand Library Merger with Husband's collection in 2011. Even after the … Continue reading Packing my Library
Why I own a pair of High School Musical socks
Because occasionally something seems like a good idea at the time... In 2008, my sister, Bri, and I were backpacking around Europe. We were in the town of Maastricht when, like most stinky travellers, we found that our backpacks were nothing more than cesspools of filthy clothing desperately in need of a good detergent-ridden throw-down. … Continue reading Why I own a pair of High School Musical socks
I *heart* London
So, I was bored at work today. Nothing else is new. In my ever-widening net of random (G-rated) website to scroll through while trying to maintain consciousness, I decided to browse Craigslist. No idea why. I ended up scrolling through people searching flatmates in London. Then jobs in London. Then rideshares. Someone even wants someone … Continue reading I *heart* London
Pueblo Ingles
Ah, finally some free time, for the first time this week. This week has been amazing. I don´t have a lot of time to really write, so this will be short. Pueblo Ingles has been a blast, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to everyone. Spending the entire day talking to people from all over the … Continue reading Pueblo Ingles
Espagne, so far…
So I've been in Madrid for three nights now, but it's flown by. The first night I flew in, but hadn't had my hostel booked, so there was one that I looked up on the internet, that looked like it had free beds. After I got off my flight and got into town on the … Continue reading Espagne, so far…
Off to Spain
I'm leaving Paris today, and am off to Spain. I knows it's been a week, but I feel like I've been in Paris forever. I don't know if it's in a good way or not... hm. Anyway, I did like Paris, but it's PARIS. You expect so much, you know? It was really cool, and … Continue reading Off to Spain
The Final Countdown, Paris-style
I'm on my last full day in Paris right now, and suffering through a bit of a red wine hangover. For that last few nights we had an awesome group in my hostel room, two Californian college guys, Ben and Michael, two Australian radiographers, one of whom lives in London, Lou and Claire, and another … Continue reading The Final Countdown, Paris-style
Still Not Over Jet Lag
Well today was interesting. I wandered around for a while, feeling exactly like a tourist. I know I stuck out like a gangrenous extremity. I made my way over to Notre Dame, which looked exactly like a postcard. I think the fact that it is surrounded by city on either side and seems sort of … Continue reading Still Not Over Jet Lag
The Eagle has Landed
Sorry I wasn't able to come up with a more original blog title, but I've been up for well over 24 hours and still haven't crashed yet (but surely it's to come). Anyway, despite my flight being delayed for over three hours, and my bank issues with my line of credit (I will not recapitulate … Continue reading The Eagle has Landed
