Packing Procrastination

Here I am in Vancouver, not packing up my stuff.

I am still experiencing problems sleeping, but I have at least two massages tomorrow (possibly more) so I have to try...

Packing is not going so fast. The suitcase is still empty, but I guess I after a year of living out of a backpack I am allowed to put it off until the last week. Thing is, I have to pack up my whole house again too so that is going to take time. If I don't know what I'm taking, I can't pack up the rest so I am going to have to get on it soon. I've been finding so much stuff lately, like my foxes:



This is my first day without a German lesson since I started! It wasn't planned; I just forgot to bring the headset out here and I can't start a new unit without speaking. I did finish the whole first disc of Rosetta stone yesterday though!! Plus, I watched Inglorious Bastards again tonight so I at least listened to the language... recognized more words compared to the first time watching too so that felt good.

My lack of packing and heavy drinking has also allowed me to finish a several-years-long occasional project of mine! I am super happy to see it done!



I still have the pattern and lots of floss left over since I ended up buying this pattern twice (fucked up the first one). Should be enough to repeat; you know how they always give you extra anyway...





if you want to try you are welcome to the supplies :)

It even ended up in a recent photoshoot of mine for stock photography, so maybe one day my cross stitch will be famous hahaha

Stanley Park Photos

I have been reunited with my SLR these days, so I took a drive around Stanley Park and took some photos of Vancouver :)





















These reflection shots are my favourite.... completely unedited too! There are more of them on Flickr :)

























Since I have changed the layout of this to be more photo oriented, I don't want to post EVERY single picture from my Flickr on here... but I will elaborate on that later...

Crazy Times

well I figure I may as well attempt to show what has been going on for the past while...

I failed at the no drinking bit. I didn't beat myself up about it though, because really I have slowed down a LOT since NYE, and this is my one chance to enjoy Vancouver for potentially a while. That is because:

I GOT A VISA!

My original plan when I arrived back here was to use my return flight, mess around some more, come back, then think about a visa. It was the sensible decision. No running away to Europe for a year... too brash! Too sudden! Whoops.

I also originally planned to write the whole time I was home... reflecting on my travels and blather on about what I was thinking about while sitting on my couch eating cheetos and watching Law & Order (god I love that show).

Well I will try to summarize. Some things that have changed:

• I can tolerate olives now. I still don't like them, but I can now tolerate them in stuff.
• I like capers
• I love red wine. I used to think all wine tasted terrible, but now it's the opposite
• People drive crazy slow to me here
• The Guinness doesn't taste as good as Ireland
• I can tolerate mayonnaise now. Thanks to Belgium
• I know how to say cheers in a lot of random languages
• I miss having the option of hitchhiking.
• Drip coffee tastes like crap to me

I'm sure loads of other stuff has changed too, but I am hungry so my brain is focused on food.

Ok. So I leave on Feb 9th overnight to Berlin, with a stop in London Heathrow. It's a tight connection again, but it's in the same terminal and I should be able to check my bag right to Berlin... although that was how it was supposed to be like arriving here....

Well either way that is when I leave. Countdown begins very soon.

That was the big news I was going to find out about on Monday... I went and picked up my passport :)

I want to put up my photos of Stanley Park up, but I have an issue.

I don't want to put up small photos anymore.

These are nicer, and should be bigger. Plus now that I am using my normal sized laptop the layout of this blog looks skinny. I want a wider one.

I have been experiencing some sleep problems again. I had this really bad when I first moved into this basement suite, and now it's the same if not worse. As I am writing this... a theory is forming.

I am not sleeping because I don't feel like I have to down here. While traveling, I couldn't just hang out in people's living rooms at 5am typing... it would be weird. I can have two lights on here though, sit on the couch, even start cleaning or make something to eat at 4am like I did tonight.

Shit.

Excitement

Things are in full swing here again, and I am loving it :D

I'm tempted to try and backtrack and do a daily thing, buuuuuut as of now I'm just too lazy :p

I feel a lot better when I am in the city. Seeing friends again is making my days! Also getting back into the massages is feelin' good. I went from nothing to three in one day and man I felt it in my forearms the next day! I liked it though - the muscles were sore but it's been so long since I had that spent-muscle-soreness it was almost nostalgic. I love that my job is a physically active one :)

I had forgotten how giving massage can ground me too. I am able to forget myself and concentrate on the other person... think about "healthy" things. Relax. I remembered how to do it too so that felt relieving. I was wondering how much I'd forget a year, but it seems like I haven't forgotten much at all. It's just the strength mostly I have to recover.

Living in Langley has forced me into my perpetual couchsurfing habit once again. I have crashed at minimum four different houses in the past little while, and I probably will be staying out for another two.

I potentially have news on Monday. I have filled my weekend till way past bursting; making plans with people I haven't seen in at least a year ( <3 ) so Monday should come faster :)

I took some nice photos of Stanley Park today. I am too lazy to do up the photos right now though, so I will put them up later on.

Supposed to go to a Couchsurfing house party tonight, but probably going on my own... so I am trying to decide whether or not to drink! I chose to take a break from drinking on New Years for my poor stomach, and I've been so good. I had one beer at my birthday sushi, two at the Astoria, and one at Doug and Kat's, but that's it. Arg. I won't be driving either.

Decisions decisions.

CAN I DO IT?!?!

NYC in Vancouver

This is from my NYE celebrations. Bryce and I took the skytrain/bus into Vancouver armed with beer and hats. We drank with some punks. One of them had a three stringed guitar and she serenaded us.








got to the show, ran into lovely friends!












BEE SCARF!!





Mouse!!!





wound up at some hipster party somewhere in East Van





Can't go wrong with animal-themed mittens :)



Ended up back at a house. Much better.