In Toronto. First chance I've had to write. Stayed up all night last night. Mum & Rhiannon came to the station w/ me. Gorgeous security guard helped me carry my bags;... Bus is moving. Got taggys... forgot pen; had to sharpen pencil from sketch book. Some guy asked for $$, but I didn't have any... May have to spend some for a pen; can't believe I didn't pack one.
Don't know where we are, some guy just got kicked off the bus for being drunk. 12:40pm.
Somewhere past Barry... I slept a lot. Been sitting next to a really cool English guy named Mark, who as I write this is making friends with some girl and her dog. We've been chatting back and forth for the parts of the trip that we've both been awake. We're on a 15 minute break right now and I rushed, thinking I was going to miss the bus. Bought a razor & toothpaste & 5 Gum. $10.00. So glad I packed food!
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Bus, Part 1
From my travel journal (started August 2010):
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Right, So.
I started this blog about 100 years ago so that I could record the grand adventure I was sure I would soon be embarking on. Unfortunately, it didn't really work out that way. While I was looking for a job to finance said adventure, though, I found one in British Columbia, so I flew out there and had a very different kind of adventure. I likely would have stayed there forever(ish), had Christmas not come creeping up to make me homesick. I've never missed Christmas with my family, and the resort doesn't give employees time off at that time of year.
Now, my sister Rhiannon and I are planning a different kind of trip to B.C. A trip that involves us, our bicycles and between 35 and 60 days of gruelling, back-country riding. We are not experienced cyclists, we are not athletes and we definitely are not sane. What we are is enthusiastic and mostly hopeful.
Paying for this trip, all things going well, will be medical experiments - and no, I'm not kidding. There is a decent amount of money to be made in the guinea pig business, and there aren't many jobs that will earn you as much that fast.
The kicker in all of this is that we want to leave by the beginning of August. That gives us less than a month to train for something that many experienced cyclists, backpackers and/or campers wouldn't attempt, and there's a chance that we'll spend a large chunk of that month in the basement of a medical research facility. It gives us a month to get our bikes (Gene and Jethro) in top-notch condition and outfitted with things like sadle bags and speedometres - it gives us a month to work out where we'll be staying along the way, to get all the stuff we're not bringing packed away... it gives us one hell of a busy month.
I'm still pretty excited about this. For every daunting task that gets added to our increasingly daunting task pile, I find myself with a new mental image of Rhiannon and I on a beach in Vancouver, looking AMAZING, chugging water and explaining our trip to a rapt audience, or in the very distant future, utterly transfixed little faces looking up at me and saying You did what, Grandma? Basically, if nothing else, this trip will give me one hell of a story to tell.
Now, my sister Rhiannon and I are planning a different kind of trip to B.C. A trip that involves us, our bicycles and between 35 and 60 days of gruelling, back-country riding. We are not experienced cyclists, we are not athletes and we definitely are not sane. What we are is enthusiastic and mostly hopeful.
Paying for this trip, all things going well, will be medical experiments - and no, I'm not kidding. There is a decent amount of money to be made in the guinea pig business, and there aren't many jobs that will earn you as much that fast.
The kicker in all of this is that we want to leave by the beginning of August. That gives us less than a month to train for something that many experienced cyclists, backpackers and/or campers wouldn't attempt, and there's a chance that we'll spend a large chunk of that month in the basement of a medical research facility. It gives us a month to get our bikes (Gene and Jethro) in top-notch condition and outfitted with things like sadle bags and speedometres - it gives us a month to work out where we'll be staying along the way, to get all the stuff we're not bringing packed away... it gives us one hell of a busy month.
I'm still pretty excited about this. For every daunting task that gets added to our increasingly daunting task pile, I find myself with a new mental image of Rhiannon and I on a beach in Vancouver, looking AMAZING, chugging water and explaining our trip to a rapt audience, or in the very distant future, utterly transfixed little faces looking up at me and saying You did what, Grandma? Basically, if nothing else, this trip will give me one hell of a story to tell.
November 10, 2009 - Randomness
I am so sleepy. I'm not sure why, but I am.
In news: My roommate, Jazz, who has become my good friend, has gone back home to Ontario. I now have a room to myself (which everyone keeps pointing out in an effort to cheer me up), but I'd rather have Jazz back. Also, my friend Rolly left yesterday. This place is becoming depressing. I'm trying not to even think about Christmas.
I finally submitted Aigaion Girl for publication. I have to wait a couple of days for them to make sure my files are all good, then I can order my proof copy and then, then, it will be for sale on Amazon, and I'll be a happy camper. Now I just need a bloody website.
Oh, while I'm not thinking about Christmas, I'm almost done writing my Christmas cards. I even got Christmas stamps, with sparkly little trees on them. The guy at the post office gave me a dirty look when I asked for two packs of xmas trees instead of one pack of trees and one Virgin Mary. Seriously, butt out, post office man. Besides, the trees match my envelopes. Also, I bought gift tags, which I have to write out and mail home for the presents that are already there.
I think that's it. Winter here set in around Halloween (I made a snowman named Frankensnow. I'll put up pictures when the Interweb isn't ass) and has not gone anywhere since. I almost want to go tobogganing, but not really.
Oh, that does remind me of one more thing, actually - my shopping trip. I bought really nice winter boots that are good up to -45, some crocs with furry lining (I know: barf!) to wear in the kitchen, the aforementioned Christmas tags, a case of Dr. Pepper and a copy of The Rock, which I've been trying to find on DVD for my brother for probably close to 10 years, and I managed to pick up in a grocery store in the middle of bloddy nowhere. Ugh.
Now that's it. Exciting stuff, I know.
In news: My roommate, Jazz, who has become my good friend, has gone back home to Ontario. I now have a room to myself (which everyone keeps pointing out in an effort to cheer me up), but I'd rather have Jazz back. Also, my friend Rolly left yesterday. This place is becoming depressing. I'm trying not to even think about Christmas.
I finally submitted Aigaion Girl for publication. I have to wait a couple of days for them to make sure my files are all good, then I can order my proof copy and then, then, it will be for sale on Amazon, and I'll be a happy camper. Now I just need a bloody website.
Oh, while I'm not thinking about Christmas, I'm almost done writing my Christmas cards. I even got Christmas stamps, with sparkly little trees on them. The guy at the post office gave me a dirty look when I asked for two packs of xmas trees instead of one pack of trees and one Virgin Mary. Seriously, butt out, post office man. Besides, the trees match my envelopes. Also, I bought gift tags, which I have to write out and mail home for the presents that are already there.
I think that's it. Winter here set in around Halloween (I made a snowman named Frankensnow. I'll put up pictures when the Interweb isn't ass) and has not gone anywhere since. I almost want to go tobogganing, but not really.
Oh, that does remind me of one more thing, actually - my shopping trip. I bought really nice winter boots that are good up to -45, some crocs with furry lining (I know: barf!) to wear in the kitchen, the aforementioned Christmas tags, a case of Dr. Pepper and a copy of The Rock, which I've been trying to find on DVD for my brother for probably close to 10 years, and I managed to pick up in a grocery store in the middle of bloddy nowhere. Ugh.
Now that's it. Exciting stuff, I know.
October 30, 2009 - Aigaion, Yet Again
Well, and other stuff too.I've been going through the final (gruelling) edits of Aigaion Girl for the past couple days. I've also been laying it out as I go so that I don't still have a ridiculous amount of layout work to contend with after I finish edits. Other than the fact that I've become (even more of) an antisocial hermit who has trouble remembering to eat and bathe, I'm having a fair bit of fun.
Mephie is being held together with tape and love, but he's doing very well and I'm proud of him.
I really like the way this book is looking. Really a lot. It manages to look cute but not girly, modern but not unprofessional. I'm quite pleased with myself - and, since I ate my dinner again tonight and am about to shower, I get a gold star.
In other news, my sister had some headshots taken to give to her modelling agency. They're pretty darn good, though I have no idea if they're what the agency is looking for or not. I guess we'll find out. I'm actually thinking that I might (after making use of the gym here for the months between now and May) go to the same agency and see if they've got anything for me. It couldn't hurt, and anyway, then I'd have an excuse to get a bunch of professional pictures taken and not seem totally vain ;)
What else? I'm no longer a housekeeper. There's a whole story there which I won't get into. I now work in the kitchen (well, the hotel is shut down at the moment, which is where I got the time to do the extreme amount of editing I've been doing) as a dishwasher. The su chef is really nice, as is the head chef, so apart from dirty looks from the randomly angry australian chef, I think everything is going to work out fine.
Um, I have a cousin who has H1N1. I guess it's making its rounds. Scary stuff.
Canada's Economic Action Plan is an effing joke.
I think that's close to it. I really need to shower, so I can get up early(ish) tomorrow and get to work.
September 14, 2009 - Some Stuffs
#1: My computer is temporarily fixed! Not that many people knew it was broken, of course, because I couldn't get online to tell anyone I couldn't get online. Ronnie, who is one of my supervisors at work, took it the night before yesterday, and brought it to me last night, having fixed it with duct tape. He is officially my hero.#2: Because Mephie was on the fritz, my edits on Aigaion Girl had pretty much come to a standstill. I had the day off work today, so I decided to spend some time editing. I was sad for a while, because I'd forgotten my computer was fixed, but then I remembered that it was, and I just finished going back through A/G and changing all of the Canadian spellings to American (the main character is from Philly; I thought it would be weird if she spelled colour c-o-l-o-u-r). Now I'm checking grammatical things and then I think (*knock on wood*) I shall be done (*knock on wood again*).
#3: Room inspection again today. I think we did fine. Whatever.
#4: My computer, my MP3 player and my camera all broke last week. So far, just Mephistopheles has been fixed. The camera is dead for sure, but I'm not sure about my MP3. I was thinking about climbing Burges this week, but I'm definitely not going to without my camera; it would be far too depressing.
#5: I sent a lot of letters home the day before yesterday. I got a post card from my brother and sister-in-law, and it got me in a writing mood. I'm looking forward to sending Christmas cards this year, because there's actually a slight chance I'll get some back.
That's the update for now.
August 22, 2009 - Ugh bug also Not Ugh
Updates:
Life in BC is... interesting. My job is a job; it has its pros and cons, like every other. Of course, one of the big pros is location. I can't promise a picture (one of the cons is the craptastic internet access), but it is absolutely beautiful here. Burges, the mountain that I look at every morning when I leave for work, is ginormous and very, very pretty. I looooves it.
I forgot what else I was going to say.
Oh. Right. Aigaion Girl. Edits are coming along nicely. I should be working on them tonight, but I'm sleepy (I had a seizure in my sleep) and there's a birthday party in res tonight, which I guess I'm going to for a bit.
There's probably more, but I'm sooo sleepy. And I miss Clayton.
Life in BC is... interesting. My job is a job; it has its pros and cons, like every other. Of course, one of the big pros is location. I can't promise a picture (one of the cons is the craptastic internet access), but it is absolutely beautiful here. Burges, the mountain that I look at every morning when I leave for work, is ginormous and very, very pretty. I looooves it.
I forgot what else I was going to say.
Oh. Right. Aigaion Girl. Edits are coming along nicely. I should be working on them tonight, but I'm sleepy (I had a seizure in my sleep) and there's a birthday party in res tonight, which I guess I'm going to for a bit.
There's probably more, but I'm sooo sleepy. And I miss Clayton.
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