Days 151-158: Officially on the road again!

Day 151 started off by getting some unfinished business from 150 taken care of. I got a call back from TV5 – turns out they had SKIPPED MY EPISODES. What? Turns out that they were trying to get back in sync with the France 3 airings (they had been about a month behind, now they’re much closer – maybe a week out, tops). After chatting for awhile, kindly she said that she would send me copies due to the skippage. Which was pretty nice of them actually, as I realize that does take her time. So thumbs up, way up, TV5.

Day 152 and it was still more of the same running around. It was slowly sinking in that I was leaving… very soon. Dropped by the currency exchange booth at the mall before heading up to Barrie to stay the night in antici (pause) pation for the next day’s activities.

It was an early start to Day 153 as it was all day first aid training with the dive club. It’s pretty intensive at times but with humour to lighten the seriousness and real-life situations in hand it made it go by quickly.

Day 154 and it was off to run around (re: walk) to get things done. I look forward to owning a vehicle again! In any case it was good exercise topped off with a long chat with my friend Kari from my Tintamarre days.

I was also lucky to get a hold of the Deal or No Deal episodes that I saw taped back in October in Bristol. It was so wonderful to see them again, and to spot myself a few times in the audience – particularly in Tracey’s and Mo’s games. Evidence!

please note all Deal or No Deal images remain copyright of Cheetah Television and Channel Four - no challenge to any ownership implied - I'm just spreading the love of my time in the dream factory!

Day 155 and everything was creeping closer… and it was about time to pack. Sort of, at least. I figured the best thing was to put out everything that I wanted to pack, leave it for a day, figure out what I really needed, didn’t need and what I’d forgotten to pack and then firm it up on the next day.

I also got to go out for a nice lunch at the local eatery and as I ate a wee bit too much I thought it would be good to head out for a walk to get my haircut. Save for the fact that there was a massive lineup and I would have to come back later (read: the next day) it was GREAT!
I arrived home and started putting a gift together for a friend. It took four hours but I’m very proud of of the “homemade” present that I was able to deliver.

While I was doing that Hans and Helga shouted that the mail had arrived. I walked up, expecting nothing and blammo, what do we have here? It’s my Des Chiffres et Des Lettres episodes! We sat down and watched a couple of clips…


Here’s me being asked if I use the word “picossé”. I said I had never heard of it, to which the host quipped “That’s great! You came all the way from Canada to learn a Canadian word!”.


As I had mentioned before on the blog, in between the first and second shows I was talking to the host and the judges , which lead to me being interviewed at the top of the second show. Proof!

Day 156 and it was now or never time. I headed over to work to meet up with a couple of people and then finally got over to the hairdresser’s to get my mop top lopped off. Say that five times fast.

I got home at about 1.30 pm and after lunch (and catching up one some overdue episodes of Glee) I was in a bit of a funk. I started to realize what was going to happen in a couple of days. I was going away… but to a good place. I put on some musical theatre (thanks, Die Hexen von Oz) and pushed those concerns away. I got everything packed and ready to go for the next day.

My friend Jan came at about 6 pm to pick me up and we went out for dinner at Chalet Suisse. It was great to catch up and hear about all the goings on. After running a few errands (and another futile search for maple butter) she dropped me back home. Flipped on 22 Minutes; another stellar episode. It’s the one show that makes me totally guffaw when watching it. That Jay Leno bit especially was dead on the money.

And at 8.22 pm Eastern from my friends at CBC Halifax, the following popped on screen:



I had made my debut as a part of The Kids in The Hall! I was now part of Canadian comedy lore!

I think I made it to about 10 pm and then gave up. Time to hit the hay.

Yesterday, day 157, and it was time to head out. Got a few last minute things done (and the discovery of some discrepancy of travel arrangements). Stopped at another health food store (maple butter? Strike two). Stopped at Chapters to grab a book of puzzles. Got dropped at the bus stop.

I exit the terminal to get in line and I hear “so, how was your dive?”. This throws me. How do I know this woman? “Barrie, remember?”. Of course! I ended up getting the same driver as I had on new year’s day. It was nice to chat and just shoot the breeze.

Switched at York U and then got dropped off at Square One mall. Kelly Kelly Kelly was along shortly after the drop to pick me up and head to her swim practice. Once we got to the pool I got to sit in the “observation deck”. This was totally foreign to me; you want me to SIT by the pool? It was really bizarre but I made it through, mostly because I got to chat with Kelly’s co-coach, who is a French teacher and Reach for the top coach by trade. We swapped war stories.

Kelly’s mom met us at a gorgeous Thai restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. Kelly and I then returned to her house to just relax. Which I did after getting my hotel straightened out from LA (shuttle issues). By 10 pm I was once again out like a light, it was time to get some zzzzzzzzzzzz before the early wakeup.

I got up at 5 on day 158. I’d like to say that there was fun in fives, or five makes you feel alive, something like that. But the fact is that it’s REALLY EARLY. Super early in fact. We were out the door at 5.30 am on the road, and after a quick stop at Timmie’s, it was time to get in line.
I won’t mention the airline that I took although I will state that they weren’t being extremely helpful in line. You have to get your own boarding card printed out… which requires you to have passport, flight number and the location you’re staying at. I helped two different passengers… time to staff more helpers, (*mumbles airline name*)!

As I was flying into the US, it’s a bit more work these days. One – get boarding card. Two – check in with staff. Three – wait for your call time for the customs line. Four, go through customs where some lady yelled to somewhere near me “DON’T EVEN LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. I’LL THROW YOU OUT”. I wish I’d have known her name, I’d have had her reported. Five – still lugging your luggage, drop it off on the conveyor belt (wheeled suitcases turned up please and thank you!). Six – clear security. Seven – realize what has all just happened and regroup.

So I get in the plane shortly before 9 am. I look up and my goodness, it’s getting scary. Two cast members who were formerly main players on Degrassi: The Next Generation are on my plane. Currently one is sitting diagonally behind me two rows. While I have not talked to either of them yet (although you can bet your sweep bippy that I want to) it has occurred to me that she was in Dog Sees God that I saw in March of this past year. Maybe that’s an angle…

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!
Cheers,
Vick.

AND NOW, THE EXCITING CONCLUSION.
So the fun started near the end of the flight. We were delayed as the bridge wasn’t ready. I saw my chance and turned around to say hello to the one of the two that was near me, asking if indeed she was in Dog Sees God back in Toronto (which I saw in March and was EXCELLENT). We chatted briefly.

Later I’m at the baggage claim. I see my dive bag come down the chute. Excellent. Then my clothes backpack pops out. Perfect. I’m on the opposite side of the rotation, so I just have to watch in the meantime to pick them both up.

But there’s a problem.

My clothes pack – which popped out SECOND is now first. Umm, that’s not good. How have I missed it?

I wait a few more rotations and see it. Ah! This is good. I pick it up. There’s a heavy/lourd sticker on it.

It clicks in. It’s not mine.

Oh dear.

It turns out someone has the same exact bag as me (and having never seen said bag in stores, I find that mind boggling). I let it go back on the rotation.

In the meantime, I figure “well, considering the day I’m having, we might as well go for it”.
I approach Paula (who I talked to before) and Lauren. Slightly sheepishly, I confirm that yes they are indeed two of the cast members from Degrassi: The Next Generation. I explain that I have students that watch the show and ask politely if I might be able to get a picture to show to my students. They are more than happy to oblige!



I have to say, all things considered, this is an EPIC WIN.

I then go immediately and flag down the baggage attendant. Apparently this happens all the time.

I just have to laugh. That’s the best way to deal with it. I go and grab a nutrigrain bar at the snack shop – it was now getting to the point where it was later in the day (ie. supper back east) and I hadn’t even had lunch yet (don’t get me started about paying 7$ for a sandwich on the plane). I have a nice chat with one of the baggage attendants and she is quite helpful in arranging for my later shuttle.

And soon enough my bag turns up again! I find it ever so hilarious that it turns out that a LAPD officer took it… isn’t that against the law???

After some confusion I finally get my shuttle to the Econo Lodge, where I now sit. Sadly there seems to be some problem with the internet – I have a serious issue with you advertising wireless and then not being able to deliver as I am not able to get it in my room. It’s not that it’s do or die; rather, I’d like to update this blog!

We’ll see, however. I think I might go get some pizza for the evening meal. Depends if I can get a slice or two.

Wheel of Fortune taping tomorrow!

Cheers again,
Vick.

Day 145 to 150

Well let's cut to the chase, then, shant we?

Day 145 and 146 were a bit of a blur. Why? Well, I've been knee deep in planning for my upcoming trip. And frankly, it sucked in day 147 too.

Status for the trip?

CONFIRMED - All flights are now booked. Tickets for Wheel of Fortune in LA are confirmed. Places to stay are confirmed for Los Angeles, Dunedin, Queenstown, Wellington, Coromandel Town, Whitianga, Auckland and Melbourne. Tickets confirmed for Millionaire: Hot Seat in Melbourne. Attending circus class in Melbourne at famous Circus Oz.

IN PLANNING STAGES
Riversurfing and paragliding in Queenstown, diving in Whitianga, canyoning in Auckland (outskirts), diving on the great barrier reef.

Still a lot to do, mind you.

Day 148 included a trip up to Barrie. I did some paperwork in the afternoon and then helped teach a class in the evening. It's been awhile since I've been able to help out but I was pleased to do it.

Day 149 was filled with puppy love. No, seriously, I helped look after my friend's new pup, such a cutie! I also learned a valuable lesson: when the pup wakes up, you take it outside, or you have a new surprise on carpet number one.

After arriving back home I was rewarded by a visit by my friend Sarah. We were going to sit down and watch my appearance on Des Chiffres et Des Lettres. More on that later. We had dinner and then a certain blog owner won the game quite handily.

Today is day one-five-oh. And one of the first things that happened was I got a call from TV5 in Montreal. You see, after I watched DCEDL yesterday I thought that the airings were a bit off. It turns out that they had skipped my episodes. This of course didn't please me... but after a nice chat with someone at the network I received an email this afternoon saying they would send me the episodes!!! I am quite thrilled - and props to TV5, that was pretty classy.

I went for walk today in the "snow storm" in town... freezing cold!!!

There is some other good news on the horizon... but I'm not really going to discuss it yet because it's not public yet! Soon hopefully, although if you send me an email, I'll tell you :)

Seven more sleeps!!

Cheers,
Vick

Days 139 to Day Number Gross

That's day number 144 at the end, just to clarify.

GOOD NEWS TO FOLLOW NEAR THE END!

Day 139 on Monday was flight mobilization. It was getting to the point where I was getting anxious... if I didn't get the flight booked soon, it wouldn't happen as it would be out of control. So I started doing some poking around and followed up with my travel agent. He told me that we could wrap it up soon... so that was good.

Day 140 on Tuesday and it was public transit mobilization up north to Barrie. After a quick chat on the way up with a former student of mine I headed over to my friend's place of employment to catch up for a bit.

Following supper I met up with a couple of people that I was doing a refresh with. They were very down to earth which was helpful as it's been a while since I was in the classroom proper!

Day 141 and I ran around doing some dive related stuff. That was pretty much theme for the day, had to do some organization with some gear, but enjoyed a nice relaxing afternoon highlighted with a visit to Quizno's for lunch.

That evening we headed down south to get in the pool. I was working with Brendan, whom I had worked with the night before. We had a good laugh with his brother's girlfriend (the connection to the club) underwater and I think he enjoyed when I showed him how to walk around the side of the pool like we were in The Matrix. None of us are sane in the dive club, I justify to you.

Day 142 brought two things. First was a walk to the bank and back - not mine, as it's close, but Hans and Helga's, as it's right near the main mall and a good trot and great exercise.

The slightly more exciting thing? my flight is booked!!! I wasn't able to get all of the stops I wanted in (Seoul and Palau cost tons to add to the itinerary) but basically it boils down to:

Los Angeles 4-6 Feb

New Zealand 8 Feb - 9 March

Australia 9 March - 2 April

I am now in the process of getting things worked out... visits in LA with friends and to see a little show called Wheel of Fortune (in fairness, I've never actually sat in the audience). New Zealand to visit a former student and his family, as well as canyoning, zorbing, river sledding, diving and visiting Maori culture. Australia to visit Who Wants to be a Millionaire, go surfing and dive the Great Barrier Reef.

SUPER EXCITED!!!!

Day 143 and it was another walk, this time to the library to pick up a book I've been jonesing to read for awhile. Helga and I then headed out to the Superstore in Aurora which always means excitement! I was thrilled that Irene was working at the self-checkout as she usually is when I've been there - Hello Irene if you're reading this - it was great to catch up for a minute or two amongst customers.

When we got home I threw a pizza in the oven and Hans and Helga came downstairs so we could watch Wer Wird Millionar. It was a hoot watching it for the first time, as someone had been kind enough to send it over and I shelled out to convert it (at $30, it was a good deal). Proof that I made it...

I haven't made it through the second episode yet but so far, that's the best shot! And, for the sake of completionism, here's a screen grab of me at Who Wants to be a Millionaire way back in September in New York City.

I figured that you knew that I wasn't the pregnant woman or host Meredith Vieira, but just in case...

Today, Day 144, saw distinct breaks in the day. In the morning I did a couple of hours planning for the upcoming trip. I was fascinated to find out that taking the bus in New Zealand is SUPER CHEAP. Seriously. Plus the fact that $1CDN=about $1.32NZD and it means that I'm going to be able to do quite a few things in New Zealand, adventure and travel wise.

In the afternoon it was off to the mall to pick up a CD and a converter. It's quite amazing to me that I can use all of my electrical needs (plugs for both cameras, computer) with one adapter when I go to Europe but sadly I have to buy a voltage converter to use my electric razor in the south Pacific. At $20 though, for the set, I don't mind that much.

And speaking of travelling, good news - carry ons are back on board! Which means I can bring a small backpack on board along with my camera. That's a load off of my mind.

Well, dear readers, if you don't mind, I'll now bid you adieu - supper is almost ready!

Cheers,

Vick.

Days 131 to 138

Sunday brought an interesting time. Although the dead of winter was upon us, I got invited to go kayaking.

What?

Kayaking?

On the 10th of January?

Are you serious?

Of course I said yes. Because it was indoors. It was weird being in a pool and not wearing scuba gear but there you are. It was a great time just to kick back and enjoy. I did my first underwater exit, surprisingly I’d never had this experience. We had a couple of experts in our group which did help things.

Afterwards we headed out to Swiss Chalet for dinner. As it was nearing 8 pm I was concerned that I’d miss the last bus out of town; as it turned out, I needn’t have worried as someone offered me a ride home! I only had to get the gentleman a cup of coffee. And as we were nearing the end of the meal, everyone was getting their bill and suddenly I turned around and was gobsmacked – the nutty group of friends had arranged for a slice of birthday cake. CLEVER! I still can’t understand how they got it done; I like to think that I have a handle on things.

Day 132 was supposed to be the day that I was heading down to the CBC for the Kids in the Hall sneak peek. Unfortunately something else intervened – Mom needed me to help to drive Dad and her up to North Bay as he had been injured on holiday. We had a nice drive up (ok except for Dad’s pain of course) and then I met up with my sister for some quality grocery time.

Day 133 and we were up early to take Dad to an appointment at the doctor’s to get his leg checked out. I took the time to drop by the travel agent to try to get my flight arranged. It’s not done yet, but I’m a big believer of the phrase “good things come to those who wait” and thus I will continue to go on that path!

That evening I borrowed the family sedan (or whatever the Volkswagen equivalent is) and headed over to Don Cherry’s (a restaurant, not the hockey commentator) for the North Bay premiere of Kids in the Hall: Death comes to town. I was very excited as Kate and Krista – the extra casting directors from the summer – had blocked off a section of the restaurant so that we could sit and enjoy! I was thrilled to walk in and immediately see Kate, followed by Geoff and Tracy who had “served” on the jury with me.

Just before the show started we were able to sit and chat with Krista who had came up from Toronto to be with us (being the cast and crew from North Bay and area) which I thought was really nice. As you can see, we're all big hams...

... especially when I pull out my Stuart impression from MadTV.

We also touched base and there’s a certain show that she does for casting in Toronto that she said she could get me some work on which would be really cool for the experience !

The show itself was really great. It was fun to watch, and although it is a bit edgy, I’m sure it will do quite well! In fact according to a tv writer in Toronto it got over a million viewers country wide! AWESOME!

On Day 134 I got up early, grabbed a cab and headed down to Barrie on the bus. It was quite nice on the bus – brand spanking new, and as a result, I was able to stretch out like I had never stretched out before. I kicked back, had breakfast and watched Deal or No Deal UK. It’s getting exciting – some of the players that I saw in person are starting to show up on the programme – just under two weeks until I get to see those episodes!

I took it easy in Barrie and helped out my friend get some dive related stuff done and as a thank you he drove me home! What a stand up guy (and if you know him, don’t tell him I said that!). As a reply to that, I bought him ice cream. We had a long discussion about everything under the sun, which was always nice.

Day 135 and I woke up at a decent time. I had gotten a reply the day before re my flight and it wasn’t particularly the route I wanted so I replied and pretty much set things out point by point. I was quite pleased to have done that, it felt like a weight off of my shoulders. I’m getting a bit antsy to get going, considering I have an event that I’ve been invited to attend in Dunedin on 8th February.

It was also time for a walk. The nice thing about not having a car is that I pretty much have to walk everywhere in town. I took a nice stroll with Hans down to the bank and the library to run some errands, as well as dropping my Wer Wird Millionar episodes off to get converted so that I can watch them. Later on it was off to Costco for what seems to be a weekly visit (hey, it’s an excuse to get out of the house).

Day 136 brought house cleaning. I was having a number of friends over the next day so it was time to get everything straightened up again. It was also a day of massive DVD copying – I had a lot of stuff in “backlog” (dating back to just before I left for Europe) so I wanted to reorganize. Unsurprisingly, an hour show takes about an hour and ten minutes to convert due to the fact that you’ve got to let everything read, finalize, etc.

Day 137 and I was up early to make my dish for the Pot Luck/Chance aux Casseroles. I had decided on Turkey Pad Thai which actually turned out quite well.

Around 11 am my friends started arriving. It was a great afternoon of fun – we ended up eating most of the food that arrived (although thankfully there were some leftovers of which I was the benefactor!), as well as getting in a few games –Buzz on the PS2 (which works quite well with six players), $25,000 Pyramid, where 2 of 3 Winner's Circle rounds were won (this is quite good, all things considered),

(one group after their second $10,000 win)

The Newlywed Game (unsurprisingly the only actual couple won, but not until the last question where my stand-in spouse and I missed the last question)

(a not-quite lovers' spat!)

and also a round of “Things” which is a party game that you have to see to understand.

(frankly I was surprised that we could fit eight people on the couch as well!)

And thus ends the birthday fortnight! I headed up to Barrie to do some pool work in the evening. As you can see, self-photos are easy on land but not really that easy in the water. Clean my teeth, chloreen!

When someone takes them for you, it's a bit easier.

By the time we left the rec centre (around 10 pm) I was pretty bushed. I went out for a bit of a social wrap up and once my head hit the couch back in my celebrity suite (it’s a real long story) I was out for the night.

Yesterday, Day 138, I mentioned to my friends that there were leftovers that I was going to eat, and the next thing you knew I had a ride home! It was great to have more friends over – that was three groups that I had entertained within 10 days, and I think that was a new record! Once they left mid afternoon I took a nice long nap. Because I could!

I am so close to getting my flight confirmed … I can smell it! Hopefully good news to report next time!

Cheers,
Vick

Days 125 through 130 (including my 2^5th!)

Look, like so many people I've already broken my effort to change!!! Ha ha ha. It's just that sometimes I actually have down days... but let's catch up, shall we?

Days 125 and 126, a Sunday and Monday, were low key. To be honest, I'm sure I did some exciting things - actually I know I did, I kept at my planning for the next massive journey. Speaking of which, in the late evening of day 126 I found the phone number for the production offices of the company who makes Deal or No Deal in Australia; I hope to be able to see the show. Their version works a bit differently; everyone in the audience is eligible to play, thus you have to pass a tryout just to get into the audience. Everyone is then eligible to be a case holder. It is my hope they'll just let me sit off camera, or fill a seat of someone who doesn't meet requirements (and the way that I see it, that means I save them money, right?).

Still waiting to hear about Millionaire: Hot Seat. I think in the next couple of days (as of when I'm writing this) I'll actually call the Nine Network directly. I'm told by my friend in Melbourne that tickets are not hard to get, it's just a matter of getting a hold of them, I guess!

Day 127 brought another shopping expedition. It was meant to be doubled with a Tuesday cheapie movie, however that was kiboshed for reasons you'll find out about in a minute. Costco to return non-fitting roller bag. Bulk barn for peanut butter. Superstore for a few groceries.

And then Wal-Mart. Now as some of you may know, most Wal-Marts in Canada have a quick printing machine so you can get 4x6 prints instantly. Usually you're in, out and driving off in five minutes.

Not so this time. All three machines are taken up. Contestant number one has decided to take the quick-print option (for 10 cents less per pic, you can pick em up a couple of hour later). I look over her shoulder to see how many she has to do... one hundred and eighty-five. And this is at a rate of pairs of pics spitting out maybe every 20-30 seconds. Maybe.

At wicket number two is someone who apparently has NO CLUE how to work a computer as she's decided that this is the perfect place to crop every single picture she's decided to print. Now this wouldn't be so bad if she only had two or three; however while I couldn't determine how many she was going to edit, but I look and see how many are available - over TWO THOUSAND.

I am (somewhat) saved by screen number three as she has decided that she can print her 120+ pictures later, thus saving her $12 and me my sanity. I get the pictures done, and then head home where I hang up my new frame.

So that we can watch the World Jr Hockey Championship game. Now that was a good piece of hockey. Don't get me wrong, as I would have liked Canada to have won but to be honest the US outplayed us for about 54 of 60 minutes of regulation. Well done to both teams; I hope to see a game in Buffalo when they host next year.

Day 2^7 (I'll leave it to you to figure out) and I headed up to Barrie. I had to help a friend rearrange some dive gear, discovered this little nifty thing at Timmie's



and all in all a nice day out, then I hopped home due to a ride with a friend and a quick dip in the pool in Aurora to help out my friends with something they were working on. PLUS! A ride on the waterslide, which was quite refreshing and fast. Hey Newmarket, why again didn't you get the same pool setup as Aurora? Hmm? Yeah.

Day 129 and IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! I'm officially 2^5. And faced with a day where I had no commitments, I enjoyed myself thouroughly. I had found out while up in North Bay that there was going to be a CBC News: Marketplace meet and greet at the CBC downtown in Toronto, so I headed out. It was really fun... and disturbing to hear how many homes in Canada were grow-ops and then sold to unsuspecting owners left to deal with the structural damage.

Once the "town hall" portion of the event was done, the personalities were happy to take pictures.

When this guy says "CROSS YOUR ARMS!", you do it.



It's Canada's most trusted contractor, Mike Holmes! Yes he is intimidating in person but he's actually really down to earth and really enjoys what he does.

And then it was time to meet the hosts... Wendy Mesley and Erica Johnson.


Actual discussion I had with Wendy Mesley -

Me: I miss undercurrents!
Wendy: Me too!

I had some time to kill at this point so I wandered over to Queen West and grabbed some pizza pizza for lunch, as well as some ice cream. 2.45 pm found me back at the CBC to get in line for The Hour; Jian Gomeshi passed by the line and I suspect that I was one of only a few to recognize him! The guests were good; a man who had both legs blown off in Afghanistan and now runs marathons and the lead in the CBC show The Border.

I got back to Newmarket after all of that happened and was ambushed and taken to Boston Pizza for dinner. Actually it just ended up being wings and beer, but it was fun nevertheless. Someone paid for dinner, and really on your birthday, isn't that what you want?

As a result of a wild and public transport filled birthday, I took it easy on day 130. Going out for a walk to Shopper's was the biggest thing I did and at approx -20C with the windchill, it was pretty much all the energy I had.

Day 131 meant more planning for the trip. Right now the New Zealand section is done; it's looking like time in Dunedin/Queensland, Rotorua, Wellington, the Coromandel Peninsula and Auckland will tieup the better part of about 4-5 weeks. Now I've got to get the Australia section pinned down.

I also spent time cleaning my apartment and discovered, among other things, that I have a table that fits six people at it; which was good, as I was having three of my friends over for our long delayed Angry Gorillas bbq. I would have invited more but there was no room!


We had a great time... and at one point we got onto the topic of stacking which lead to me breaking out the cups and Victoria taking a set home to practice - along with the DVD!

That's all for now!

Cheers,
Vick.

Days 117-124

Day lucky 117 was boxing day so there were SALES SALES SALES so we avoided the Northgate Mall, which, having been there before on Boxing Day, is NUTS. I actually would like to get a newer television, so perhaps I’ll give it a run next year. However on this day, Dad and I went up to Zellers to get some storage containers for Rhiannon and next door to Staples to pick up a memory card for my camera (which, as it turned out, doesn’t work, but I’ve resold it). The rest of Boxing Day was just cleaning up after ourselves from the day before. Of note though was that Mom and Dad sat down and watched Countdown with me, and we had a good laugh! Still can’t believe it happened.

Day 118 was a smattering of things here and there. Dad and I started off the day by heading to Demarco’s for breakfast. This is pretty much Dad’s breakfast hangout – he is one of the regulars there, just like Norm on Cheers. And I finally remembered to get a picture with Lisa and Mr. Demarco! I wonder if they’ll put it on the wall like the other famous people.

Mom and Dad were getting ready to go on a bit of a vacation, and I was busy packing up to head back home (and get a ride with them!). It was also massive celebration day as we celebrated Rhiannon’s birthday (day 108), the ‘rents anniversary (day 120) and my upcoming birthday (day 129) over dinner and cake! No complaints. I got some money towards my next journey, which pleased me ever so much! We had a rousing round of Pictionary and then everyone tucked in for the next sleep.

Day 119 – ROADTRIP!!! It started off slow, with a mad dash to find maple candies for a certain game show production staff in Manchester and to pick up sandwiches for the road at Demarco’s. I was roadtripping back with the parents to Newmarket. Except for a Timmie’s run in Huntsville, we drove straight through and my legs were cramped! Not complaining for a free ride though.

Day 120 arrived and a phone call woke me up: “We’re in the neighbourhood and were going to hit costco – do you want to come?”. Sure! My friends were visiting from away and so we hit the Costco. I had to return some luggage so it worked out well.

I meant to head back out later for a trip to a cheap movie but I blanked and took a nap otherwise!

Day 121 was low key. Was going to see a play but it didn’t work out. I had to get ready for…

Day 122 – the last day of the decade! I wasn’t feeling 100% but I figured I should still go see the play I had tickets for. I was off to Toronto to see The Toxic Avenger.

I had heard about this when I was in NYC back in September, so I lined up tickets for me and a friend. It wasn’t that bad, just marred with some technical issues. As the time of this writing, sadly, it has closed four months earlier than they expected. Hopefully it will be back at some point – but, much like Evil Dead: The Musical, it was a bit of a niche play and I had heard that they had severely cut prices to fill the seats.

Took the VIVA bus back up north. We have to major bus lines that run up to Newmarket: The GO is more direct and less frequent, while VIVA has more stops but runs every 15 minutes. As it turned out, once I got to Newmarket my connecting bus was free, as were all buses in the region for NYE. I spent NYE at home by myself, but frankly, that was ok, because I was a bit pooped.

The next day was Easy as 1-2-3. Or at least that’s the number of day that it was – hey – this means four months in! I just realized that as I was typing it.

And so 2010 was beginning.

The first thing I did when I woke up? I headed up North. There might have been 5 people on the bus, but I had a great chat with the driver and it passed like nothing.

However I got off the bus, loaded with dive gear and weight… wait… wait… something’s wrong… crap, I’ve forgotten something.

Thankfully, after a few calls I did get it right and found someone with what I needed. This further came into play at the dive site; someone actually drove home to get me a piece of gear as one of mine wasn’t working. Thank you to that person – they know who they are!

We ended up having nine divers, which was a great turn out, and by all accounts, everyone accomplished what they wanted. I was just happy to get into the water – although it was really cold (35F/2C) it was a great dive, clear as a bell… although look at how I turned out on shore!

We all headed back to Poppa D’s for some cake and cookies and of course, the nectar of life, coffee. I don’t drink it but I love the smell of freshly brewed beans. I meant to leave but I just took it easy and stayed the night.

Day 124 featured a nice surprise – I got a ride home from one of my friends in the dive club after having a coffee (for me, a muffin) in Barrie. It was nice just chatting and taking it easy on the way home.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning up… 2010 has to look nice and precious, after all!
And now, enough of these omnibus entries – 2010 will be the day of more frequent blogging!

Cheers,

Vick.

Days 110-116

I will, eventually, get back to less infrequent blogging but this omnibus style is working well during the holiday season!

Why do mornings come so early? After not too late a night after being at the staff party I got up to head to the pool. It was quite busy – there was probably about 20 of us – but all in all we made it work. I brought a festive hat to the pool, and once we arranged how to not make it rise without the exhaust bubbles, I got a couple of pictures, one of which is pictured below.

Since we were in the area, I was offered to take a jaunt to IKEA. Reluctantly I accepted. Start the car! Start the car! Actually we started at the café – another run for the Swedish meatballs. You can’t match the excitement of the lingonberry sauce and its matching juice; however Chuck Woolery was nowhere to be found. At the end of it, what did I buy? Canned lingonberry sauce.

On the way home we stopped at Lush in the mall to get some Christmas gifts. They were very efficient for which I was happy, because by the time that I made it home I just felt absolutely wretched and pretty much wanted to just curl up and fall off something. After a long nap I had recovered, but it wasn’t pretty for awhile.

Day 111 was a SUPERWALK day. Walk to Emily’s parents’ house, drop off the phone and adapter and have a nice chat. Walk to CAA to get maps and find out that they’re not open. Walk to Chapters to use my 25% off coupon. Walk to the mall as I forgot to get one other thing at Lush. Walk to the bus station to catch the number 57 to get home to find out its left 10 minutes before I got there and there won’t be another one for 45 minutes. Walk home. Sit for 30 minutes, then walk over to Caleb’s house.

I hadn’t had the time yet to catch up with them and it was nice so to do. As it is, it was a Sunday, which was my usual night over at the house, as I’ve been watching Amazing Race with them since 2003. I ended up staying for dinner and then getting in some good rounds of ping-pong. It is always nice to spend time with la familia Sturrup. I ended up my SUPERWALK day by getting a ride home.

Day 112 and I was off like a herd of turtles after some super ultimate final shopping and then I caught the bus up to Barrie. I was staying the night and went out with a couple of the boys from the club for some beverages and wings. Nice always to just shoot the breeze.

Day 113 was the bus ride up to North Bay. Getting the bus to North Bay is an art; you really have to time it just right. If you get it on the weekend or too close to Christmas you risk not getting a seat. Thankfully this time my thinking was correct – I got a seat, and didn’t have anyone sitting beside me past Bracebridge (the last 90 minutes or so).

It was nice to see the whole family again – I had missed them while travelling! My sister and I decided to have a sibling night – she was kind enough to make dinner and then we headed out to the movies. We saw New Moon. On the suggestion of one my drama students I read all four books last year, however this one was my least favourite and the movie had its challenges. But it was fun to go out for the evening nevertheless and I saw some good trailers for other movies coming up.

Day 114, and Christmas was approaching. I finalized my final Christmas gifts that I needed to get and then started on “the project”.

At this point it had been about two weeks since I got home from Europe and as such I now feel ready to plan the next jaunt! I holed myself up in the spare room where I was staying at my folks’ house and tried to sketch out a rough idea of where I wanted to be and when I wanted to be there; this was then followed by a call to the travel agent my family uses to set up an appointment.

Rhiannon came over for dinner and we then continued the family tradition of Euchre. We like to play this all the time when the four of us are together; surprisingly, not once did Dad state his famous line If I order up my partner do I have to go alone? for which I was slightly disappointed! I think Mom and I won the best two out of three however it was due to euchring Dad and Rhiannon five times in one game!

Day 115 was Christmas Eve and thankfully I went nowhere near a mall. I did head to downtown North Bay to pick up some money at the bank (and missed being in the bank when it got robbed not an hour later), a final Christmas gift and an appointment with the travel agent. Surprisingly my elaborate route (that hits three continents!) is not a common one and as a result he is working on it but it will be a bit!

We went over to church around 5 pm for the Christmas Eve service. Funniest moment was the exchange between our minister Marie and one of the children when they were listening to her up front of the hall:

Marie: What would you do right now if an angel appeared?
Kid: I’d freak out!

It was our own proper version of Kids Say The Darndest Things.

Following Church we went back to Rhiannon’s with our friend Bev to enjoy our Christmas Eve dinner. It was very tasty and the company was great.

Day 116 and I felt lucky to be around my wonderful family. We opened gifts in the morning and among others Santa knows that it gets cold here and brought us some Olympic mittens! We enjoyed our traditional Christmas dinner in the evening that involved great foods, another Euchre game, and an impromptu cranberry food fight. RED EYE REDUCTION! is now destined to become a catchphrase within the family, if things go right.

Next entry will bring the start of my second decade of this blog… I tell you, this is EXCITING!

Cheers,
Vick.