Two Way Stairs

…There Is No Looking At A Building After Seeing Italy…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on April 11th, 2008

…In Theory, Communism Works. In Theory…

As the 3am shuttle finally departed my place at 4:20am, it finally began to sink in that I could forget about the UK for a while and take in Italy for the next week and a half. Before arriving in the England, I remember hearing about the discount airlines in Europe such as RyanAir and Easyjet that offer flights for a penny (a Sterling penny, so like 2 cents Canadian or American). Now of course these don’t include taxes and airport fees but even still, flights often are only £5-10 one way for a one or two hour flight. You can’t even catch a bus in Canada for that price. I wondered how they could possibly make any money. I had my theories but I now have a better understanding.

Such fares are available only when booked weeks in advance and are generally at less convenient times (i.e. early morning, late night, mid week, etc). If you book closer to your departure date, you’re going to pay more. Also, when they say “no-frills,” they mean it. It’s not like Air Canada domestic where you have to pay for your own drinks and food. When they say no frills, this means not only no food or drinks for free, this means you pay £3 to check in; like £9 for checking in one piece of luggage (up to 15kg, not 20-23kg like most airlines); the seats don’t even recline. Seating is also open (i.e. first come, first serve) so you just sit wherever you can find an open seat. To combat this problem, you can opt for “Priority Booking” which allows you on to the plane earlier so that there would be a better selection of seats. However, there are still no guarantees. This, of course, carries an additional fee but in my experience is actually fairly useless as it seems that about two thirds of the flight tends to have priority boarding which really results in no one having it. All these little fees here and there, combined with government subsidization for flying in and out of smaller airports and nearly fully booked flights explains how such airlines can operate successfully.

…Brit Happens…

All this aside, I boarded my Ryanair flight at London’s Stansted Airport around sunrise and found a seat near the rear, by the window. As we took off, I could see the English countryside, dimly lit by the new day’s sun. Having grown up in Ontario where the view from a plane exhibits a very deliberate, polygonal countryside. As we flew towards the English Channel, however, the landscape was anything but calculated. You could see one of the primary differences between the New World and the Old World. While, for the most part, North American had the opportunity to plan and layout an efficient and practical grid system for most (farm)land, in England, you can only imagine the history behind how some of boundaries of the farmers’ fields were determined. The Canadian landscape was divvied up in a mostly premeditated fashion. The English landscape just seems to have happened.

After this deep contemplation, a brief nap seemed to be in order. I awoke later to the stunning view of the majestic Swiss Alps. The sun shimmered from the snow capped peaks as these mighty apexes blended in and out of the clouds almost indistinguishably. My spirits lifted as I started to contemplate the trip ahead of me.

Ryanair claims to have the most flights which arrive on time of any airline and on this occasion, they were actually half an hour early than scheduled. It makes me wonder if it shows a disregard for safety in the same way that led Pizza Pizza to stop offering 30 minutes or free due to traffic accidents by their drivers but regardless, I had arrived in Rome alive.

…When In Rome…

Here’s a small piece of travelling advice that I usually follow myself but decided to neglect on this occasion: when arriving in a new city or country, know where your accommodation is located and how to get there BEFORE you arrive. I wandered around for a while looking for where I thought my hostel was located based on me having looked at Google Maps about three weeks prior. Amazingly, my mind’s cartographic knowledge could not reconstruct as accurate a map as I had hoped and I eventually broke down and consulted the interweb for address and directions to Legends Hostel.

The directions on their website were actually fairly accurate, if not the most efficient way to reach the hostel. As I approached where they said I would find the hostel, there was absolutely no indication that I was going the right way. In fact, I walked right by it at first until I walked back about 10 metres and noticed a small buzzer beside an unmarked door labelled, “Legends Hostel.”

Finally, I was there. I checked in, dropped my pack off in my room and decided I’d take a quick walk around before coming back and treating myself to a few birthday drinks. The “quick walk” took about four hours and took me through many small neighbourhoods, past countless churches, fountains, buildings and ruins, of which many were certainly far older than even the notion of Canada. Most notably, the Colosseum.

…At My Signal, Unleash Hell…

We’ve all seen the Colosseum on TV and in movies like the 2000 (or, seeing as I was in Italy, MM) epic Gladiator or the far more disappointing Jumper (MMVIII), which, perhaps not-so-coincidentally, had its world premiere in Rome, and though it looks exactly as you picture it, it’s somehow nothing like you imagined. I think the thing that first struck me was that it is right in the middle of the city, surrounded by more contemporary buildings and parks and main roads. I always seemed to picture it as a bit of a lone monolith, surrounded by other ruins and perhaps fields or small forests. The stark reality is that life in Italy did not end in the 6^th century AD when the Colosseum fell out of use. Life carried on, as it has everywhere else, and while this ancient relic of another time gives us a glimpse into like nearly two millennia in the past, at no point can you completely escape the fact that you are still in the 21^st century.

Restaurants, bibite (cold fizzy drink) stands, bus stops, construction fences (like Canadian snow fences), a Metro station and other such telltale signs of modern society permeate the area; not to mention the thousands of tourists from across the globe (me included) taking countless digital photos, hoping to capture as ‘authentic’ a photo as possible rather than spending 50 (Euro)cents on a postcard that has captured exactly what they wish they could (me included). That said, it is still a spectacular sight. So much so that I was inclined to stroll past it again the next day during my mostly aimless wandering.

As I stood there and tried to take it in, creating a mental postcard that would far surpass any photo I could ever hope to snap (without a helicopter at least), I decided to forgo the long queue to actually go inside the Colosseum. I also started to realise that the hot, sunny 20 degree day that I had been basking in all afternoon was starting to turn on me and my bald head. Having forgotten my sunscreen back at the hostel, I decided to head back, grab a beer and a wee kip.

I woke up, had a shower and soon realised that I had indeed spent a tad too long in the sun. It was nothing devastating but enough pinkness in my skin that the warm shower could not hide the truth. With this, I moseyed down to the kitchen for promise of a free dinner to accompany the birthday wine I had purchased. There were about a half dozen people also taking advantage of the simple yet abundant and satisfying pasta dinner. It was over dinner that I learned that this day, my birthday, was the final day of “Culture Week” and that everything, including the tour of the Colosseum, had been free all week. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed that all the staff at the hostel and somehow neglected to mention what would probably be the most important thing they might tell a budget traveller. I decided to not worry about it and contented myself with a few glasses of wine before retiring for the night. And so went the next few days in Rome. Daytime wandering, evening dinners and wine with fellow hostel guests, including a couple Brits, Keith and Rob, with whom I visited the Vatican.

…A Very Special Day For A Very Special Person…

Despite not being a religious person, I had a definite interest in seeing the Vatican. Perhaps it’s just cool to say you’ve been to the World’s smallest sovereign state (by population and by area). Perhaps I’ve just watch Eurotrip too many times. Either way, there were countless things to see in the Vatican. On the final Sunday of every month, access to the Vatican museum is free of charge. It’s also supposed to be the most ridiculously busy day of the month. Keith, Rob and I and decided to forgo the free day and decided to go on the Monday. We had walked about an hour from our hostel to arrive at the Vatican. It was a little before 10am and the line for the museum weaved down a long wall and around the corner on the next street. So much for leaving early and beating the crowd. We decided that if we were going to have to endure such a queue, we would need to find a bathroom first.

This, as is often the case in Italy (and yes, we were technically still in Italy at this point as evidenced by the tall, obvious stone wall around which the waiting tourists snaked), proved to be a bit of a challenge. We saw a sign for a McDonalds 300m ahead. I realise that 300m should mean metres but I swear it seemed like kilometres by the time we got there. As we looked at the door, it said on the door that they opened at 10am. Perfect timing, as it was 10:05am. Even more convenient, an employee was just opening the door as we arrived. She looked at us and, in one brief, Italian phrase, quickly shot us down before turning back inside and closing the door behind her. It was at this point that we noticed the white piece of paper that said that today only, for some reason, they did not open until 11am. Doomed. We luckily found a small café around the corner that were kind enough to oblige our needs and we wandered back towards the Vatican Museum.

As we approached, we noticed something very interesting. The throngs of people had all but disappeared. What had appeared to be at least an hour’s had shrunk to a meagre five minute wait and in no time we were exploring the museum. All in all, the museum was interesting in the sense of seeing statues, tapestries and paintings from hundreds and even thousands of years ago. We debated the authenticity of the various works of art in the sense of why would they leave old, fragile, very historic pieces open to thousands of visitors each day. My belief was that a large proportion of them were replicas. Real or not, there were certainly some cool things on display. As we wandered the various exhibits and, more specifically, the Sistine Chapel, we became very content with our decision to avoid ‘free day’ the day prior. Everyone shuffles through slower than Jesus himself carrying the cross (sorry, I couldn’t resist), staring to the ceiling with their cameras leading the way before randomly stopping in unpredictable fashion, causing you to bump into them and utter, “Scooza,” a bastardised version of the Italian word for “excuse me,” despite the fact that you know damn well that that person is not Italian and that this term means about as much to them as it does you. We moved lazily through the sardine canned hallways, flanked by disturbing yet fascinating painted ceilings and tapestry covered walls, leading towards what everyone really wanted to see.

As we rounded a corner, and down some stairs, we were inundated with signs instructing us to be silent and to keep our cameras in our bags. This was it, the big one. The actual Sistine Chapel. The lights were dim and the whispers of such a large crowd still came across as a dull roar. This was a very majestic room. A glance up and you see it. Michelangelo’s God Creates Adam. It’s exactly as you picture it, only smaller. I had this expectation that it would take up more real estate on this masterpiece of a ceiling but it commands no more space than any of the other vignettes. We were quickly snapped back to reality as a security guard came to keep the crowd moving and down the few short steps to the main floor of the chapel. From there, we took it all in a little more comfortably. Sometimes, I wish I didn’t know English so that I too could ignore signs that are blatantly posted in English prohibiting certain behaviour. The number of people who so brazenly had their cameras above their heads, flashing pictures of the ceiling was astonishing. And to be honest, a good proportion of them could certainly read those signs. Some were a little more discreet. Which got me thinking, what’s that saying? When in (a sovereign state landlocked by) Rome?!

…True Majesty…

Having experienced all that the museum had to offer (which, unless you’re a huge art fan, is really not that much), we made our way to St. Peter’s Square and into St. Peter’s Basilica. While the Sistine Chapel was impressive, this piece of architecture was awe inspiring. I’ve only seen a small portion of what the world has to offer but to this point in my life, it is the most amazing building I have ever been in. the scale of it is mind bottling (you know, when things are so crazy it gets your thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle). This massive structure has a capacity of about 60,000 people; more than your average baseball stadium. It took over a century to build and to imagine people in the 16^th century scaling huge scaffolding to complete the upper reaches of the massive dome is unfathomable.

We decided to scale the 551 or so stairs to see the view from the dome. First, you get an amazing view from inside the dome and a closer view of the incredible detail that was put into every square inch of its design. You also get a far better impression of just how high above the main floor the dome is and what an architectural marvel it must have been when it was built, let alone today. From there, a claustrophobic climb trough a very narrow stairway places you atop of the external roof of the dome, giving you a spectacular 360 degree view of both Rome and the Vatican. Blessed by another clear, sunny day, we savoured the view before trudging down the confined passageways back to the ground level and wandered past Trevi Fountain en route to the hostel.

While Rome (and most of Italy for that matter) has an overwhelming amount of fountains (all of which are seen by any typically draught stricken Australian as a huge waste of water) but perhaps the most famous is Trevi Fountain. It is a beautiful fountain as any of the couple thousand people surrounding it any given time would probably agree. Tradition has it that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you will be ensured a return to Rome. I did not partake in this tradition. With the price of flights in Europe, those mere coins themselves could ensure my return to Rome. With that, we retired for our free pasta dinner, a couple beers and an early night to bed for the next day I was to catch a train at 6:50am for Florence.

…Firenze…

After frantically trying to find my train and make sure my ticket was stamped on the platform before embarking, I managed to find my seat and soon learned about the magic of the Italian trains in lulling me to sleep. I managed to awaken a couple times and saw some amazing views of the countryside before my eyes sank again. Upon arrival in Florence, I was this time armed with an address for my hostel and asked at the information desk for directions. This saved a lot of wandering and soon I had arrived and the brand new PLUS Hostel. As it was quite early, I wasn’t able to check in yet but I stored my luggage with them, grabbed some breakfast and hopped another train. This time for Pisa.

Before going to Pisa, I had assumed that my visit would consist of a one hour train ride to Pisa, a couple of quick photos of the tower, then an hour train ride back to Florence but as I arrived in Pisa, and began to walk around Pisa, I decided that I might as well have lunch too. Otherwise, I my expectations were completely realised. Beyond the tower, there is little more to offer a unique experience in over other Italian cities. The tower itself is pretty cool. It definitely looks odd to see a building slanted 3.97 degrees to the side. But once you’ve seen it, the novelty quickly wears off and you check it off your mental “things to see” list.

Back in Florence, I checked into my room and set out to wander the city. Without even trying, I passed by one of the fake statues of David. While the original David is at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, there are a couple replicas scattered about the city. The first stands guard in it’s grey simplicity in front of Palazzo Vecchio and, despite being a fake, still seemed far more authentic than the one in a food court in Surfers Paradise. As it was getting to be about 6pm, I decided to head to Piazzale Michelangelo to see the famed sunset over the Florence cityscape. What I had forgotten was that a couple days earlier, we had set the clocks forward an hour and it wasn’t quite as near sunset as my rushing up to the outlook might have indicated. Regardless, it was a nice, warm day and the view from this park was quite stunning. Also, this was home to the second fake David. Having now seen the other fake David, I was instantly able to discern that this too was a replica as it was significantly smaller than the real one – and green.

I stuck it out for a couple hours to share the sunset with a couple hundred other tourists and was happy that I did. It’s always nice to watch a sunset, especially whilst overlooking such a lovely city as Florence but the highlight of this sunset was the brief minute or two, before the sun had faded from view, when there was a warming glow reflected off the buildings of the city, giving them a majestically surreal feeling that had to that point been washed out by the sun’s rays and that would likely hide away until a little under 24 hours later.

After a passable cannelloni dinner at the hostel, I shared a bottle of wine with a few Australians that were sharing my room before laying down to a well deserved sleep. The next day, I bounced about the streets of Florence, taking in the churches and fountains and piazzas that seem to pop up in Italy as often as a Tim Horton’s in Hamilton.

…If Venice Is Sinking, I’m Going Under…

I caught a mid afternoon train that had me arrive in Venice around dinner time. Well, dinner time in, say, Canada. In Italy, I was a few hours early for dinner still. With carefully considered directions to the hostel, I set off from the train station and, as I reached the third bridge (where the hostel was meant to be located), I paused to scan the area. I was looking for building 2205. Buildings in Venice are numbered in a very curious way in that buildings on your left do not correspond to those on your right. I ventured right and noticed a “2205” painted on an otherwise non-descript building. There was a private bridge crossing the canal directly to the door of this building. I moved closer to read what the small sign on the door said, hoping, of course, that it read “A Venice Fish,” the name of the hostel. It did not. Confident that I had followed the directions correctly, I rang the buzzer and someone stuck their head out the window and just as quickly disappeared. A buzzer rang and the door unlocked. I walked in, happy that I’d still never seen the movie Hostel, and progressed up the stairs. As I climbed, I started to hear English in various accents and felt confident that I was in the right place.

I was greeted by Mimo, the guy who ran the hostel. He had lost his voice but was still able scratch out a “€72” through his raspy voice. He showed me to my room and I chose one of 8 beds in the room. I’ve stayed in places similar to this before but never at anywhere near €40 ($60) per night. From my research however, I’d found that other than campsites that had to accessed by water taxis, everything in Venice was gonna be pricey and I shrugged it off and went for a pre-dinner walk. Through the damp streets, I could see the remnants of the storm that had rolled out of town just as I had rolled in but thankfully it had cleared up as if it had been pre-ordered. So that’s why I was paying so much for this hostel. After taking in a few local views and getting enough of a feel of Venice so as to but a warm smile on my face, I decided it was time to grab a cheap bottle of wine and warmify that smile even more.

When I returned, a handful of other guests were already partaking in a few evening beverages and I decided to join them. Shortly thereafter, Mimo announced that it was time for dinner (well, perhaps announced is not the correct word as he had lost his voice, but made obvious by bringing dinner to the table). This (and the meal the following night) was certainly above par for a “free” hostel meal and a nice excuse to sit and chat and meet some new people.

…Lost And Found…

The next day, after some eggs and toast as supplied by Mimo, I wandered around Venice to take in the sights. When consulting guides for Venice, they always tell you of Piazza San Marco and Ponte di Rialto as the “must see” things about Venice and, without a doubt, they are quite stunning but what really struck me about Venice as opposed to the other cities of Italy was that Venice is not about attractions so much as Venice is the attraction. Everywhere you go in Venice displays uniqueness to almost anywhere else you’ve ever been. As I wandered around, I thought back to the night before, speaking to people over dinner. I asked, since most of them seemed to be departing, if anyone had a Venetian map that they no longer needed. Nobody did. To which an American guy added, “You don’t need one.” He was right. Venice is not a big place. Did I get lost? Lots! Did I feel lost though? Not really. You could never wander more than a minute or two without seeing a sign with an arrow that pointed towards one of the main attractions. Confusing at times were the signs that would say something like “Ponte di Rialto” and then have an arrow pointing left and an arrow pointing right. At first, this seems a little disconcerting but then the more I reflected upon it, it actually felt quite reassuring. It basically meant that no matter which way I went, I’d be fine. If only all of life’s decisions were so easy.

I started to take comfort in the all at once lost yet on track feeling of wandering the footways of Venice but as night started to fall, much like other Italian cities, you quickly start to lose landmarks that have been so helpful in guiding you throughout the day. How so you ask? Well, every little shop that closes simply rolls down plain steel roll bars, all of which are tagged in some type of graffiti, to protect their windows, and what was once a pronounced and obvious location has suddenly become identical to the alley around the corner as well as the one that’s coming up around the next corner. After a few days, I’m sure you’d start to recognise buildings by their spray painted facades but after just one night, I decided that it was probably time to head back for a short nap before another fine meal from Mimo.

An Aussie, Rez, who had been in my room in Florence had checked into A Venice Fish and, when I woke from my nap, he and I, along with a few other backpackers, made our way to the ‘supermercati’ for a few ‘birra’ to go along with our dinner. Much like the previous night, a bunch of people from a bunch of countries hung around and talked travel over a few drinks. The next day, Rez and I walked around with another Aussie and a Texan and, minus Rez, we all caught our respective trains to our respective destinations out of Venice. My next and final stop was Milan.

…Vino In Milano…

In the summer following my second year at McMaster University, I worked at the Lazy Flamingo (and its subsidiary bars) at Hess Village in Hamilton. One of the girls that worked there that summer was an Irish girl by the name of Caroline. Despite having never really hung out other than at work while she was in Canada, for some reason we kept in touch and, as fate would have it, she was now teaching at a school in Milan. Thankfully, she was kind enough to put me up for a few nights and show me the sights. Milan was a nice change of pace from the rest of my trip. Less hectic, more laid back pace. Unless of course you count the Italian band that played in Caroline’s little village of Opera on the Friday night. I learned, in retrospect, that their name was OxxxA and they put on a very enthusiastic performance that really had the crowd enthralled. I’m not even joking in the least. Quite entertaining.

The next day, Caroline showed me around Milan. While there was no doubt that you were in Italy, Milan was very obviously a more contemporary city than the others that I had visited in the past week. While I had pretty much seen enough fountains and churches to last me a good few months at least, I had to admit that the Duomo in Milan was a rather exceptional bit of architecture (even if it too was under construction). On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we paid our €5 and scaled the stairs to the top. When we looked down at the square in front of the Duomo, there was a stage set up and a presidential rally was going to be taking place later that day. If that had been in the US, there is no way in hell that they would be letting people on nearby rooftops during a presidential rally but thankfully it was not the US and we took in the views of Milan atop Italy’s second largest church (with a capacity of about 40,000). By the time we made it back to the square below, OxxxA had taken the stage, evidently in support of the presidential candidate. We were meeting Caroline’s friend, Leah, for dinner and decided to walk as it was still such a lovely day. We stopped at a ‘bibite’ stand and grabbed a couple Beck’s for our walk. Just as we neared central station, we realised we still had another 10-15 minutes to walk and decided to visit another ‘bibite’ stand for another round of travellers.

The rest of the weekend pretty much consisted of wandering around, seeing the sites, enjoying the food and drink and me basking in the final days of my holiday, taking it easy. I caught another Ryanair flight back to London from Milan and, thankfully, seem to have brought the agreeable weather back with me. Caroline has been a little upset that while I brought some good weather back to England, I didn’t actually leave any in the now rain soaked Milan.

All in all, Italy was a great country to visit. Spring was a perfect time to visit as it wasn’t too busy and the weather was phenomenal. I would definitely like to go back some day and take a little more time in some places, check out the South and spend some time in a small, hillside village somewhere in the middle of nowhere. If you have the means, I highly recommend it. for more pictures, check here.

…Considering Its Name, O-Week Was A Little Disappointing…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on February 20th, 2007

well, orientation week at the university of the sunshine coast has come and gone with very little fanfare. monday, february 12th was the first day of O-week as they call it here and it was devoted entirely to international students. i arrived fairly early as the bus system here is pretty useless (more on that later) and had a bit of breakfast with a couple canadians and a few germans that i had met that morning. as the crowd grew steadily, we were directed to a grassy area to listen to an introduction by one of the heads of international relations. thankfully, after his brief introduction, they realized that though it was only 9am, it was ridiculously hot and sunny and that there were many pale people who’d just arrived in the country about to burn to a crisp so we turned things around and sat in a more shaded area. we got to watch an indigenous aboriginal performance including didgeridoo and dance. fairly interesting, as i quite enjoy a good didgeridoo performance (there is absolutely no sarcasm in that statement, btw). the rest of that day was pretty useless. we were herded into one of the school’s lecture halls which, in it’s air conditioned beauty, was a shocking departure from the over 30 degree heat under the sun. basically, they went about telling us all the information that was printed in the various books and brochures they’d already sent us. i guess it was more focused at those who can’t read english well or perhaps those lazy souls who can read english well but can’t be bothered. regardless, it was nice to meet a few new people and my hopes for tuesday were a little higher as it was a more program specific day and might answer more questions.
tuesday morning also began at 9am but was aimed at any and all new students, not just the international ones. this time, because of the bus schedule, i arrived about 15 minutes late but, as i suspected would be the case, it was inconsequential as getting nearly 2400 people to filter into an auditorium inevitably takes quite a while. the welcome speeches were actually fairly entertaining as far as such things go as the MC for the day and the chancellor (equal to dean) were decent speakers. after that, we were divided into 3 large rooms by faculty. ok, well, a few faculties per room. i was in no way happy about being put with kinesiology and nursing students (there is absolutely all sarcasm in that statement, btw). actually, as we waited to be let back into the now partitioned auditorium, i really began to realize that i was about 9 or 10 years older than most of the people there. these kids were a year removed from kids that i might be teaching next year (or even this year during my placements in local schools). this little gathering was a huge let down as it wasn’t all that well organized but thankfully, as is aussie tradition, as the doors opened to let us out of the trifecta of auditoriums and right into a rain soaked outdoor, FREE bbq. student + free food = bargin.

i left the bbq and followed along with a group for a quick tour of the campus. though finding buildings and rooms on this modest campus was far from difficult, the tour actually probably provided me with the most useful information of anything in O-week. the kind of things you don’t learn about until you talk to actual students. as another example of my age gap, as the tour was winding down, our tour guide (who herself was just 18 - the legal drinking age in australia) asked if we’d like to leave her our email addresses in case we had more questions etc. as the sheet made it’s way around, most people jotted down their info and as brigette, the tour guide, read through the names/emails, she noticed one guy’s email address was his name with the word “danger” between his first name and surname. “danger’s your middle name,” she laughed. “yeah, it was just something i came up with when i was 14,” he replied. to which i added, “when i was 14, hotmail didn’t even exist.” and, as i just double checked, it didn’t. that made me laugh. then cry. but mostly laugh.

the rest of the events organized for the week didn’t interest me so i decided it was time to fulfill my goal of finding a decent, but fairly inexpensive car. i stated in an earlier post that i had chosen living near the beach vs near the fairly boring area around the school. as i live about 10 kilometres from my campus, and the bus schedule is absolutely ridiculous (buses arrive at 6:55am, 8:20am, 10:00am, 11:15am, 1:55pm…you get the inconsistent idea) i decided i’d like to get a car. i’d been searching for a couple weeks and was really tired of walking 30-60 minutes to get anywhere just to look at the inevitably disappointing car so decided to hire (rent) a car to do a more efficient tour of the sunshine coast in search of a vehicle. i eventually came upon a 1986 toyota corolla in noosaville about a 45 minute drive from mooloolaba, where i live.

i returned the next day to finalize the purchase and pick up my car. one of the last things that the woman, kylie (which, btw, is about as popular here as jennifer is back home), told me as i left was, “this is the only key so be very careful.” assuring her that making a duplicate was my top priority, first on my list, i drove off, reacclimatizing myself to driving on the left hand side of the road and using my left hand to shift gears. for those who are not aware, in a manual, right hand drive car, the pedals are setup exactly as they are in a left hand drive car as is the series in which the gears appear (i.e. 1st is top left, 2nd is bottom left, 5th is top right, etc). so while it’s technically not different, it does feel a little weird pushing the gear down and away from you for second gear rather than gently pulling it into your hip as you would in canada. i exited the sunshine motorway at maroochydore and pulled into bunnings, the australian home depot equivalent. what i would soon learn however is that while i feel very confident that those who work at home depot are fairly knowledgeable and able to solve my problems, bunnings does not necessarily offer this comfort. the woman at the front door directed me to the customer service desk, where i could see the key cutter against the wall behind the counter. after waiting a couple minutes to reach the front of the queue (line up), that woman directed me to the paint counter where three women stood talking and assured me one of them could help me. “i’ve been told that one of you ladies can cut me a copy of my key,” i said. one woman quickly and eagerly offered up help until she noticed the key in my hand. “is that a car key?” she asked. it obviously was. “i can only cut one sided keys and i wouldn’t want to ruin your key.” strongly asgreeing that i too would not like her to ruin my one and only key, i left to find an alternative key cutting place.

as i looked for the next place that might be able to cut my key, the amber indicator on my dash told me that i needed to refuel. noticing that i was near the warehouse, i decided to stop and grab a desk i’d seen there a few days earlier. after purchasing my assemble-it-yourself-a-la-ikea styled desk and a couple other small supplies, i went to the rear car park (parking lot) to collect my desk from the back door. as the warehouse staff member began to carry it out, i told him to wait right where he was as my eyes had keenly focused through the driver’s side window, right at the ignition and the lone, silver key sitting there quietly behind the locked door. i had actually locked the key in the car, even after having it on my mind just minutes earlier. i’d like to be able to blame this all on the incompetence of the bunnings’ staff but i neglected to mention a small part of this story where, as i left bunnings, i inquired the price of cutting a key. $5.75, i was told and that there was a place in the mall across the street that could cut the key. i went to that place but decided that $11.50, double the price (yeah, i did that math myself), was asking too much and that on principle, i wouldn’t pay it.

so here i was, facing an inaccessible car and the likelihood of at least a $50 charge for having the RACQ (queensland’s automobile association) come to open it for me. as i spoke with the operator on the phone and explained that i’d only bought the car a couple hours earlier and being canadian, i’d never before been a member, she asked me a life saving question: “are you a member of an automobile association in canada?” YES! or at least so i would tell her as i may or may not be. earlier that week, i’d noticed my CAA card in my wallet and thought, “hmm, that’s useless in australia, why am i carrying it around?” apparently it was not and they accepted it despite the fact that i thought i had canceled my membership before leaving canada. the moral of this story? i’m not sure. but maybe it’s that stubbornness of not paying six extra dollars can be canceled out by laziness of not taking a seemingly useless card from your wallet. not much of a moral. don’t share that with your children.

the sunday consisted of a free breakfast at a local surf club and a day tour of the sunshine coast for all the international students. a day which can be better described with the photos above and below.

classes have started this week and as i’m in a graduate program, most people are closer to my age (above or below). it’s been a little strange getting back into the school thing after nearly five years being out of school but after two days now, i’m getting the hang of it. it’s mostly been introductory, “here’s what you’ll be learning” kind of stuff so far so i won’t bore you with it all but i will say that for the second time since arriving, i finally saw some kangaroos on campus as i left my class this evening. didn’t have my camera ready and, as it was quarter to seven, it was already dark. but i’m sure i’ll get some roo pics soon enough. hope all’s well in your world, wherever that might be. time for bed.

…Goodbye, Grandma…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on February 7th, 2007

this is not the most inspirational week for twowaystairs.com but i’m very sad to say that my grandma, my mom’s mom, lil thomson has also passed away wednesday, february 7th. before i left for australia, she was not doing extremely well. she was still up and about and living at home with my grandpa, rus thomson, but she had succumbed to alzheimer’s and was fairly feeble in that she was barely 80lbs and had trouble getting around on her own. it was certainly sad to see someone who had for so long been a rather spry and witty woman in such an unforgiving state. on the plus side though, i at least did get to see her for which i’m thankful. (below was what i thought was the last time i would see my grandma. little did i know we’d run into her on our way out of swiss chalet as she and my grandpa were walking out the next night, the night before i left for australia). while she had trouble expressing her thoughts, you could see that at least she was still reasonably aware and could recognize most of her surroundings, including the people around her. a few days ago, she had a stroke and the right side of her body was paralyzed. she had been in hospital since and my grandpa was told that while she was alive and likely could be for a while, that her state at the time was as good as her life would ever be again, lying half aware in a hospital bed. he had to make the very difficult decision to let her go and i can’t imagine how difficult that would be to have to say goodbye to your best friend of sixty years. i have yet to talk to him and i doubt that when i’ll do, he’ll have much to say but i sincerely hope he pulls through this difficult time and perseveres. as for my grandma, her bright smile and cheerful, oft sarcastic banter will be dearly missed. know that you were loved and, in memory, are loved. goodbye, grandma.

…Goodbye, Anne Henderson…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on February 6th, 2007

so now the less enthusiastic news that nearly kept me from sharing the events of super bowl monday (below). i learned this morning that my stepmother brenda’s mother, anne henderson, has passed away. like the rest of the henderson family, whom i’ve known since i was around ten years old, anne was always very welcoming and supportive. i was always treated just like one of the family at any henderson family functions and anne always had a smile on her face for me or anyone for that matter. she was a truly lovely, happy woman and my thoughts are with brenda, her father bill and the rest of the henderson clan as they mourn the passing of the family matriarch. as she was a very strong believer in god and in heaven, i’m sure that is where she now rests. goodbye anne, you will be missed.

…Super Bowl Sun Day (On A Monday)…1
jscott posted in Day To Day on February 6th, 2007

sometimes when you go to update your blog, you have an amusing or interesting story to tell and you really want to write about it. then before you get the chance, something sorrowful happens (see above) and you’re torn over which to write about. is it alright to write of sophomoric antics in spite of more serious news? i’m going to say yes as i think that death is as good a time as any to be grateful for the life you have and that the departed would want you to go on enjoying it as best you can. lord knows when i’m dead and gone, i hope the people i love can still carry on, enjoying their lives.
as many of you know (and by many, i mean about 1 billion of you), at about 6:30pm EST in north america, the largest sporting event of the year kicked off as the chicago bears faced off against the indianapolis colts in super bowl XLI. i haven’t heard stories from anyone back home but i’m sure that in houses across the east of canada, drinks were shared, bets were made and lost and everyone finished up soundly around 10pm or so just in time for deal or no deal (canadian version! woo!). last year in vancouver, i had to cope with the super bowl starting early, at around 3:30pm, thus leaving the rest of sunday night after about 7pm to continue on with life. that was kinda strange. this year was a little different. the super bowl was not early but actually quite late. monday morning at 9:30am in fact. it’s a very strange time to watch a football game. live. thankfully, a number of people from the hostel were willing to get up and watch the game (which showed on australia’s multicultural channel for the record). a few years back, i’d watched the game at around monday at noon in new zealand. that also was at a hostel but this time was a more successful viewing. the key ingredient? canadians. that is to say a culture that understands the game and is reasonably familiar with the teams. thankfully, there was a fair chunk of canadians staying at the hostel. tim and tom from windsor, ben from calgary and jess from manitoba. coincidentally, tim, tom and ben were all heading north to noosa later that afternoon and a champagne breakfast had been planned for their farewell.

it was actually quite ridiculous how intoxicated people were before the afternoon even hit. it’s amazing what can happen when you mix football, lack of employment and total disregard for any and all braincells. the game itself was entertaining (at least for the first half) in a, “is this college football” kind of farcical way as the two teams fought over the title of who could fuck up the most. by the time prince covered jimi hendrix at half time in the pouring (will not make purple rain joke here) rain, most people at the hostel were sauced enough to find pretty much anything entertaining (which was probably a good thing as the colts kinda took over in the second half and dulled down the excitement). after the game, they bought a couple boxes of goon and we were doing “flippy cup” boat races in the hot, queensland sun. so instead of merely who can drink the fastest, there’s an element of skill in that once you’ve finished your drink, you must sit your plastic cup on the table and flip it upside down so that it lands mouth side down. easier said than done. anyway, this pretty much did me in so i walked home and crashed for most of the afternoon before getting up for dinner and a bit of relaxing in front of the tv. all in all though, one of the most eventful and fun super bowl parties i’ve attended.

…Right Before Left (And Other Things To Remember)…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on February 1st, 2007

so as some of you may have figured out, i have arrived in australia, safe and sound. i got in last thursday night around 7:30 and by the time i went through the seemingly never ending layers of customs and security at the brisbane airport, i caught my shuttle to mooloolaba, queensland. i was booked into the mooloolaba backpackers and there were a few people up and enjoying a few casual beers but it seemed like everyone was kind of saving up for the next day - australia day!

i managed to sleep in til around 11 that morning after getting to sleep roughly around 11:30 the night before and i think that helped me to mostly avoid any rough jet lag. i pulled myself out bed, had a much needed shower and set about to wander the town. mooloolaba is not a very big town. it’s merely a small area of the much larger sunshine coast area. between about moloolaba and maroochydore (mur-itch-ee-dor), the population’s only about 30,000 people. but one thing they do have is plenty of sunshine and plenty of soft-sanded coastline. like most beach towns, the road along the beach (the esplanade) is a fairly built, trendy area with lots of shops and restaurants. the beach is large, full of attractive (and some less attractive) people and is even lit up at night.

it’s taking a little bit to readjust to australian life (of course). most obviously is the weather. leaving toronto, at -10 degrees, and coming to the sunshine coast at over 30 degrees every day is a big change. apparently, summer just kicked in full about a week before i arrived. but basically, it’s hot and humid and sunny 95% of the time. the other odd thing is the sun cycle. queensland does not observe daylight savings so the sun starts coming up before 5am every morning. that’s fairly early but what’s stranger is that by about 7pm, it’s already dark. that’s a big difference from the near 10pm darkness in most areas of canada in the summer. other than that, just gotta get used to all the little things like look right then left, no tax on top of the tag price, no tipping, no quarters, just giant 50 cent pieces and reasonably sized 20 cent pieces and thankfully, no pennies.

so after a long weekend in “vacation mode,” i decided monday that it was time to find a more permanent place to live and visit my new school. the university of the sunshine coast is located about 15 minutes drive from mooloolaba in a community known as sippy downs. there’s really very little to sippy downs so after touring the cozy campus, i decided that i would live in one of the beach towns and commute in. so i hopped a bus north to maroochydore to check it out. as i approached on the bus, i had high hopes that this might be the place to live. it seemed big enough, with all the major grocery stores and various other amenities of a typical city and, as the bus let me off at the sunshine plaza, i grabbed some lunch in the food courst of this very respectable mall. though much of the mall is indoors, there’s an area along the river (which flows under the middle of the mall) which is open air and is again lined with shops and restaurants, similar to the esplanade in mooloolaba. so this area was nice, i decided to head towards the beach. i wandered the various beaches for over an hour and there was hardly anyone to be found. there was no definitive popular area of the beach like there was in mooloolaba. so as it turns out, marychydore has a great mall. and that’s about it. deciding that malls need to be commuted to less often than the beach, i chose mooloolaba as the winning township for my time in australia.

i checked the local classifieds for “shared accomodation” and came across a 2 bdrm townhouse for $90/wk (yes, they rent by the week here, a little odd but just a matter of custom i reckon). i called the guy, andrew, went over right away as it was just a 10 minute walk form the hostel at which i was staying, and checked it out. it’s a fairly new, 2 flr townhouse, attached to the neighbouring houses. as we do the tour, i see that andrew has his master bedroom, an office set up in another room, then the 3rd bedroom which is the one that’s available. there’s 2 full bathrooms and a 3rd toilet in the house as well as laundry machines. but most importantly, the back deck is directly on a canal which stems from the ocean. salt water is a mere walk down the narrow pier to the floating dock from the house. clean house, with laundry, on the water, $90/wk? i’m in! so i tell him of my interest and he says he’ll get back to me he following day.

next time i hear from him, he says he having trouble deciding between me and one other candidate so rather than choose, he decides to rearrange thing, move his office and rent out both bedroooms. so now there’s me, andrew (35, mortgage broker) and amy (22, i think, just moved up here from melbourne) living in the townhouse. it’s only been one night so far but so far so good. we’ll see how things play out.

so for now, that’s where i am. next things to do will likely be to buy a car and then on feb 12th, start orientation for school. anyway, time for lunch. perhaps a meat pie is in order (mmm…pie).

…Lost In Transit…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on January 24th, 2007

well, i left my mom’s house in hamilton at 5:30am tuesday, january 23rd. where i stand right now, at the singapore chiangi airport, it is currently 4:20am thursday, january 25th. of course, in hamilton, it’s still just 3:20pm on wednesday, january 24th. so i missed a large chunk of january 24th. which is alright, i’ve heard it’s overrated.

so my mom was gracious enough to get up at 4am and drive me to the airport (thanks mom!) and assumed that i’d be able to check my baggage then proceed to a little cafe in the airport for some breakfast before going through security to the gates. apparently not the case. i don’t fly enough to know the reason why but i’m assuming it was because i was flying out of terminal which (at least til january 30th before the new wing in terminal 1 opens it’s new wing next month) was for US departures only. regardless, i brought my baggage to the front check in counter and weighed my one gigantic suitcase and it was about 17lbs over the allowed limit. it took some clever repacking and redistributing of my things through all my various luggage but i made it all fit within the allowed restrictions and my mom got to spend a little extra time with me. just as i finished my repacking, and before i’d actually checked the luggage in, city tv approached me and interviewed me about the requirement of having your passport for flight to the US (which became mandatory on wednesday). not sure if i made it on tv or not (my answer of, “no, i was well prepared with my passport” doesn’t make very interesting news) but if anyone happened to see me on breakfast television or city news or anything, let me know.

from there, i waited through the lines at baggage and at the security check, both of which were fairly long but moved at a good pace. i had just enough time to scarf down some breakfast before hopping on my air canada flight heading to los angeles. my flight arrived about a half hour early but all this time was lost since we couldn’t get a gate at which to dock and therefore, as i disembarked, i had to figure out where to go to connect to my singapore airlines flight to singapore via tokyo. (i would just like to state for the record right now that mike derosa is the winner! he was the first retard to ask me about “the future” by wanting to message him to let him know who wins the wwe royal rumble. loser ). i asked one guy where i go to catch singapore airlines connecting flight to which he replied, “go down that way, all the way, you’ll see escalators. take them then keep walking til you see the terminal.” sounds so simple to someone who works there. not so much for a first time visitor. eventually, i DID find the international terminal (down the escalator and way ahead as he had said). after a lovely stroll through the sunny, 22 degree celsius weather and walked into the international terminal like an awe struck yokel who’d never seen such new fangled surroundings. i was searching for the singapore airlines desk in order to get my boarding pass when i was distracted by something you just don’t see everyday - a high power automatic weapon. three guards just standing near the ticket counters, chatting like three walmart employees around the sporting goods area, holding guns you typically see only in movies involving drug trafficking in south america. amazingly nonchalant. i desperately wanted to take a picture but i also desperately did not want to see those weapons in action so i thought best to let it be. i mean, it’s not like secretly taking pictures of a couple lesbians at a bar, these guys are trained to kill you.

i made it into the gate area just in time to sit for about three minutes before boarding the plane. on board, i met a girl named lindsay who is from edmonton and who must also endure this arduous journey to australia however she flies to sydney from singapore rather than brisbane like myself. the flight from l.a. was non eventful enough. like the air canada flight i had been on earlier in the day, there were tv screens in the headrest of the seat ahead of me and movies and tv shows available on demand. (reviews so far: the departed - good, check this one out; little miss sunshine - seen it before - enjoyable; the illusionist - kept my interest, decent twist ending but probably forgettable, prefered the prestige; invincible - as far as feel good disney sports movies go, this one was pretty decent). i think this was the first time i’d ever been on a plane with an uptairs so it was a very large plane and, thankfully, the flight was severely under booked. therefore, had a full line of seats to myself to stretch out.

as far as singapore airlines’ service goes, i highly recommend flying with them. besides the decent plane itself, the service has been amazing. before takeoff, they pass out hot towels before takeoff and before landing. not 100% sure the reasoning but it’s kind of refreshing to wipe your face (or bald, glistening head) with these scented towels to feel a little fresher. from there, as the flight is in the air, they are constantly circulating with cups of water and orange juice and bringing the full drink trolleys by on a regular basis. the meals are decent and of course have an asian twist to them. but the flight crew is always in good moods and, as lindsay described, the stewardesses “look like china dolls.” oh yeah, they even give you a complimentary bag with a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and a pair of socks in their corporate colour (bright purple). sure, there no beer drinkin’ socks but they’re free!

so now i’m just killing time at the singapore chiangi airport as i arrived at about 1:30am and my flight to brisbane doesn’t depart until around 9am. thnkfully, it’s a pretty big airport with free internet, plenty of rest areas and shops and restaurants that stay open 24 hours. seeing as i’ve stayed up all “night” (though my mind has trouble wrapping its head around it), could be a rough time adjustment in oz. luckily, it’s australia day tomorrow and therefore the long weekend starts as i arrive in the country. i can party myself into a coma!

so yeah, all is well, one more plane and a 100km bus ride to go before i arrive at the mooloolaba backpackers later tonight. i’ll be sure to raise a glass to australia for all of you.

cheers

…Three Weeks And 4700kms Later…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on January 19th, 2007

once again, i loaded up my 1992 honda civic with all my worldly possessions and embarked on a cross canada journey back to ontario. actually, loaded up might be an understatement. it took my dad and i a solid 2 or 3 hours of packing, unpacking, repacking to get all my stuff to fit into the back seat and trunk of the car. not a square inch was wasted. typically, my honda rides fairly low to the ground. fully loaded with all my crap, the clearance from the ground was low enough to bring a tear to a young, asian kid’s eye. i reckon there was about four inches of clearance from the ground. perfect for driving across canada in the winter.

i picked my dad up at the airport around 8pm on january 2nd and the journey began on jan 3rd. timing wise, we couldn’t have picked a better day to leave. had we left a day earlier, we would have hit a highway closure between golden, bc and the alberta border. had we left a day later or taken a day longer, we would have hit some mean snow storms in northern ontario. our first night, we made it to salmon arm, bc. while doing the moose tour, i had driven through salmon arm dozens of times and it seemed like a fairly normal little town. this was the first time i’d really stopped in salmon arm and it’s normal exterior belies it’s slightly off kilter interior.

in terms of accommodation, we weren’t looking for anything fancy. just something cheap with a couple beds to lay our heads on. we stopped at the maguire inn and its adjoining bar and grill, intrigued by the ad on the sign promoting a haircut and a beer for $10. my dad didn’t need a haircut and i still had no hair to cut but it was an attention grabbing combination. we headed towards the lobby and noticed that this was a seniors residence/hotel. we basically found out that they let out rooms when they are not filled by seniors. trying not to focus on how many people had died in that room, we dropped our stuff off in the room and went to get some dinner.

we walked into the bar and grill which was part of the same complex (your typical seniors residence/hair salon/liquour store/bar and grill combination) around 8pm and asked if the kitchen was still open, to which the barmaid replied, “we don’t have a kitchen.” perhaps i somehow missed the meaning of “bar and grill.” so we hopped in the car and looked for a place to eat. typically, you’d like to see a few people eating in a restaurant before you go in just to be sure that the place is alright. we could not see one person eating in any restaurant in town. kinda eerie. we settled on some white spot triple O burgers and some tall boys before hitting the hay.

on the 4th, we made it into calgary in the afternoon after making our way through the stunning columbia and rocky mountain ranges. no matter how many times i see them, they’re still awe inspiring. we were staying at my dad’s friends’ place in calgary (thanks peter and cathy!) and had some beers with dinner before my dad and i picked up a pair of tickets at the pengrowth saddledome will call for the calgary flames vs. florida panthers game that night (thanks scotty!).

the game was a pretty exciting one. with about 3 minutes left in the 3rd period, florida went up 4-2 and many “fans” got up and left. i guess they had to beat the traffic or something and those 3 minutes were gonna make a huge difference. it did seem like certain doom but the flames managed to tie it up, force OT, and eventually win 5-4 in overtime. definitely a good game. we met up with scott budau for some after game drinks, learned some life lessons, then headed back to peter and cathy’s place to crash for the night. we decided to hang out an extra day in calgary and then set out across the prairies on the saturday morning.

now, i’m judging solely on the area surrounding the trans-canada highway, but saskatchewan truly is dull. barely a tree to break up the monotony of the endless, flat fields. we made it to brandon, MB that night. seemed like a nice little city. probably the biggest hotel room i’ve ever seen for under $70. and not in an extravagantly big kinda way but in a “we-are-the-prairies-we-have-a-ton-of-space-so-we-can-give-you-more-space-in-your-hotel-room” kinda way.

the next day was the beginning of the re-realization of the immensity of ontario. northern ontario is one of the most beautiful regions of canada. kenora, lake-of-the-woods area is absolutely stunning, even in the oft barren dullness of winter. for about a day and a half, it was like living in a 50’s tv show as the leafless trees, snow covered hills and roads conveyed only a sense of black and white. if it weren’t for the bright flashing red and blue lights of the occasional snow plows, i might have thought that i’d gone colour blind.

our ontario stops consisted of thunder bay then sault ste marie. the final day of driving went from about 6am to 11:30pm. like i said, ontario is massive. the only true inclimate weather we found was just south of parry sound. we stopped, filled the tank in the car and i took over the driving duties for this last little stretch. suddenly, the road went from clear to white out conditions. i was driving about 50km/h down highway 400 towards barrie, trying dearly to see the sides of the road and stay on the highway, not worrying too much about the alleged lanes. in my rearview, i could see a car approaching and he was going faster than me. next thing i know, there’s a cop blasting past me at easily 80 or 90km/h. seemed a little crazy but whatever, he’s probably used to it. luckily, it was just a squall and after about 20 minutes, things were clear again and the rest of the trip to georgetown went fairly smooth.

since getting back to ontario, i’ve basically been bouncing around, visiting people, wrapping up loose ends before i leave for australia. this wekeend, i’m back and forth from hamilton to toronto like 3 times. kinda hectic. but it’s been great seeing everyone. thanks to everyone for making it out to the various functions. if i don’t see you (or even if i do/have), you’re all more than welcome to come visit me in australia. i’ll be there til at least december, give me a shout.

alright, one more weekend of winter before i leave tuesday morning for the sunny, summer beaches of the sunshine coast in australia. i’ve still got my fido phone for the next few days if anyone wants to get ahold of me. 778 317 4787.

cheers

…You Stay Classy, Vancouver…1
jscott posted in Day To Day on December 31st, 2006

so decemeber 29th was my last day of work at future shop. it was mostly uneventful but i did get a cake and said so long to everyone. this was the 4th different future shop location that i had worked at and i stayed at this one longer than any other location. overall, it was a good experience and things i’ve learned from sales i’m sure will help me with my teaching career.

later that night, we had a little going away party at mine and mark’s place. it was a reasonably well attended event, even if it was a bit of a sausage party. still, it was good to see people before i left. here are some pictures from the day and night.

i have really enjoyed living in vancouver and would definitely like to come back some day. i guess we’ll see where life takes me. so to everyone in vancouver that have been a part of my life the past couple years, i just want to say thank you for all the good times and the friendships, you will be missed.

…The Future Is Nearly A Thing Of The Past (Again)…0
jscott posted in Day To Day on December 27th, 2006

so typically, the past four years anyway, working at future shop, december is insanely busy. working 6 days a week, often 10 hours a day, and 14.5hrs on boxing day can really beat the shit out of you. since dec 5th, i’ve had 3 days off. one of which was xmas day. to add to the stress and tiredness, i’ve spent all my days off getting packed and organized to go to australia. finishing registration, getting loans secured, getting medical exams for my visa, etc. hectic to say the least. but i’m glad to say that everything’s pretty much on track. my last shift at future shop is this friday and i’m looking forward to my “going away” party that night here at my kitsilano home. (for anyone in the area who might be reading this, feel free to stop by any time after 7pm). so other than that, i’ll be leaving vancouver on jan. 3rd, driving back across the great white north. riding shot gun will be my dad who is gracious enough to be flying to vancouver in order to drive back across canada with me thus reversing the journey we took nearly 2 years ago on our way out here. so i reckon i’ll get into ontario sometime around the 9th or 10th of january. my flight leaves for australia on jan. 23rd from toronto so i’ve got a couple weeks around the golden horseshoe to meet up with family and friends. i will keep you all abreast of plans as they are developed.

i realize this has been a boring post but i’ve worked over 24 hours in the past 48 and i’m astonished i’ve focused on a screen long enough to get this much out. to all of you in ontario, i’m excited to see you all soon! to those of you in bc, there’s still a few days of good times left! to those of you in neither, hello.