Edmonton Exploits

Goodbye

2008-08-27T21:17:00.002-06:00

I'm home from Edmonton. It was an amazing experience, one I wouldn't trade for the world. Now I'm back in the full swing of things and back to my old blogosphere at www.lauraadventure.blogspot.com, so visit me there.

-Laur

Almost the End

2008-08-25T11:54:00.002-06:00

I'm back in Edmonton, and I'm happy to be here. I slept in a quiet, comfortable room in a quiet, comfortable bed, and showered in a clean, well-lit bathroom. It may sound like I'm complaining about the conditions at the Samesun Backpackers Lodge in Vancouver, but really I can sum up my experiences in Vancouver in one simple word: fantastic.
Right now I have so much to do and take care of that I don't have time to write a really great travel post on my VanCity adventures, so instead I'll tell you this:

- I took over a thousand pictures during my 9-day stay
- I cycled around Stanley Park on a rented bike
- I ran into Robin Williams in the bike shop as I was returning said rental bike
- I revelled in the splendour of 3 different professional gardens
- I cooed to a 2.5 month old baby beluga whale, regardless of how ridiculous I sounded
- I ate won ton soup with noodles and bbq pork at a legendary Chinatown restaurant
- I went out for all-u-can-eat sushi and diner-style milkshakes with an old friend and 2 new ones
- I gave a loonie to a homeless guy who held the door for me at 7-Eleven
- I saw the Vancouver skyline from 350 feet above the city in the sun and after dark
- I wouldn't have done a single thing differently

-Laur

Farewell Vancouver Island...

2008-08-20T11:49:00.003-06:00

Until we meet again.

I'll be leaving the island on the 12:55 ferry from Departure Bay, and while I'm sad to go because this place is so amazing, I'm very excited to hit VanCity and see what it's all about.

Yesterday Jim made 17 jars of dill pickles from scratch while I did various things around the house and took Maggie on a walk; after lunch we headed to Parksville where we saw some fantastic sand castles, and then got back in the car and took Maggie to Little Qualicum Falls. It was AMAZING there, so gorgeous and rain-foresty, and even though it was raining it was warm and gorgeous. On our way back from the Falls we stopped in Coombs again to see the goats on the roof and look around a bit; I found a thank-you tee shirt for Reta with some illustrated Cathedral Grove trees on the front, and conversed with the lady who owned the fudge shop, who was originally from Hamilton.
In the evening after dinner Reta and I went 2 doors down to Doreen and Howard's house; they're two older people who have been friends to Jim and Reta since they arrived on the island. They have two cats, Pumpkin who was abused in her first home and rarely greets guests, and Holly who is deliciously tubby and pure black, not to mention very cuddly. We had a chat and some tea with Doreen, who is delightfully British, and then came back to the house. It rained pretty hard so it was cool and not so cheerful, but it was good to experience both ends of Vancouver Island weather instead of being duped into thinking that it's gorgeous and sunny there all the time.
Now I'm waiting for my clothes to dry, and soon we'll head out the door and I'll be gone from this place until the next time I have enough money to visit.
Such experiences!!

-Laur

Tofino Rollercoaster

2008-08-19T11:15:00.002-06:00

I LOVE THIS PLACE!
Yesterday Jim and Maggie and I drove to Tofino, which is a resort town on the other side of the island. We left at 9:45 and arrived at 3...it's a 2+ hour drive. We stopped 4 times in between, once in Coombs at a shop and restaurant that boasted goats on the roof; once at Sproat Lake Provincial Park to stretch Maggie's legs and see some awesome petroglyphs; once at some crazy rocks we found that people were climbing all over; and lastly at Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park. When we finally got to Tofino we only stayed long enough to eat an excellent ice cream cone and wander around for a while, taking in some local sights and asking about whale watching tours.
On the way back we stopped in Cathedral Grove, an area of the rain forest that boasts Red cedar trees that are over 300 years old. By the time we got home we were exhausted, but it was an excellent day.

Highlights of the day:
- jumping around on rocks that had been shaped by the flow of water over thousands of years
- walking down a mysterious and dramatic Long Beach with my shoes and socks off
- watching Maggie chase sandpipers on said mysterious beach
- Moose Tracks ice cream cone in Tofino
- standing inside a 300+ year old cedar tree in Cathedral Grove
- taking a picture of a young black bear from 2.5 feet away, window OPEN
- the Pacific Ocean
- golden retrievers

Lowlights:
- carsickness

Almost 6 more days to go and I haven't even hit Vancouver yet. MADNESS.

-Laur

Tremendous...exhilarating...super, natural British Columbia

2008-08-16T22:28:00.002-06:00

If I had words to describe to you the profound and unbelievable beauty of Lantzville, Vancouver Island, British Columbia...I wouldn't even write them. I would show you through a series of lovingly taken photos, which are currently trapped within the confines of my camera.

Spectacular.

-Laur

So soon...

2008-08-15T01:18:00.003-06:00

The Muamar family returned from Egypt on Wednesday, and on Thursday morning Rachael was kind enough to have us over for tea to celebrate their return.
Shireen managed to get even more gorgeous while they were away. It astounds me. I couldn't catch Hanna, as she was too fast for me. She's also gorgeous, and I think she had a good time.
This picture is on the way home from my WEM adventure with Nicole. We were both tired and a bit sore from crashing through the waves for 2 hours, but it was definitely worth it.

An update:

My possible accomodation plans in Vancouver fell through so I've booked 4 nights at the SameSun Backpacker Lodge in downtown Vancouver, at 1018 Granville Street near Nelson. It's in a co-ed dorm, but the price was right and I could get all 4 nights there without a fuss.

I've never done anything like this before, but seeing as I'm staying with Uncle Jim, a world-class budget traveler, for 4 days before I head back to VanCity, I know I'll get lots of awesome tips and tricks to help make my stay famous.

I should be asleep right now but I'm just too excited! When I couldn't buzz around anymore I watched the extended version of Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, a DVD I wisely brought with me. It helped calm me down, and now at 1:30 am, I'm ready for sleep. In 5.5 hours I'm going to get up, shower, vacuum the basement, pack some lunch and snacks into my trusty red MEC backpack, and head to the airport. My boarding pass is printed, my bag is full to bursting, and I am so excited for the adventure that awaits me.

I'll blog, possibly with photos, if I can. Otherwise, talk to y'all on the 24th :D

-Laur

Musk-rat?

2008-08-13T23:16:00.004-06:00

Nicole and I went to the Servus Heritage Festival in Hawrelak Park a few weeks ago and we had a blast. One of the most fun moments was chilling by the river and feeding Honey Bunches of Oats to overeager ducks AND dun dun duuuuun...a muskrat. Why is it called a muskrat? We didn't smell anything musky when it came near us. It looked more like a beaver with the wrong tail. And it was a fast swimmer; I wasn't fast enough to whip out my camera and take a picture of it swimming across the river with a mouth full of a river grass for its nest. Very cute.
Then in front of the Scandinavian pavillion there were these trolls. If I were a child, like the one in the picture, I would be running for my life from those warty giants. As a 21 year old woman I almost ran screaming. I got close enough to take this picture, get a few explanations about the trolls' presence at the fest, and then booked it back to the Vietnam pavillion for some DELICIOUS beef skewer and hot pork spring rolls.
I love this face. Honestly. Already missing you, babe.
Here I am, in all my squinty glory, picking rhubarb in the backyard. It was HOT that week. I loved every second of it.

I'm just taking a break from packing because tomorrow night I have to clean the bathroom and vacuum in order to be ready for Friday morning. SO EXCITED!

-Laur

No sleep

2008-08-11T00:25:00.003-06:00

So it's 12:25 am, I've got a summer cold, and I can't sleep. I burned a CD of pictures for Keerti so I can finally give them to her and beg forgiveness for putting it off so long, and then I surfed around the web for a while, and now I'm blogging.
I'm obsessing, actually, about my current living non-arrangements for while I'm in Vancouver. The Nanaimo part is easy because Uncle Jim is there, but VanCity? Not so much. It's starting to get to me, this not-knowing business. Sometimes I like to fool myself into thinking that I'm a spontaneous, exciting woman, but I have to tell you, it's not happening. I need to know how everything works and if the plan is up to date or not. The plan is stalled. I'm anxious. Good times.
Meanwhile, my departure date is getting closer and closer, and I have everything planned right up to how I'm getting back to Vancouver from Nanaimo. That can be solved by buying a Greyhound ticket, but if y'all haven't been living under a rock lately, the Greyhound has recently collected a few no-so-legendy urban tales. About beheadings and dismemberments. I'm not a silly girl, but that kind of thing shakes me up a little bit. I guess I just won't sleep on the bus.
On a lighter note, Rebecca, Sami, Hannah and Shireen get back from Egypt on Wednesday! I'm so glad I get to see them before I leave. Gramma and I are invited to tea at Rachael's house on Thursday morning so we can hear of adventures and the like. I can't wait!
I also have to report that I spent a lovely evening with my manager at the floral department, Connie, on Friday. We went to her new house on her acreage in Sherwood Park and had iced tea on the back deck, and then we went for sushi and a movie at South Common. We saw Mamma Mia and ate too much popcorn. It was fantastic. I'm really going to miss her.
Okay, time for another go at this sleep thing!

-Laur

GORGEOUS!

2008-08-09T16:01:00.003-06:00

So check this out! Built-in webcam! WOOHOO! I adore this computer.

Trepidation

2008-08-03T23:31:00.002-06:00

Wow, I am getting SO BAD AT THIS! I really don't mean to leave so long between posts, but I'm so darn busy all the time, and dun dun duuuuuun...my laptop is giving me some serious trouble. It seems about time to get a new one. Oh boy.
So in the last 10 days I have...seen the Dark Knight with Uncle Jim, gone shopping with Auntie Brenda, played with three cats who were not mine (boohoo, miss my babies) at Leslie's house, gone to Calgary to see Janie, driven Auntie Bren to the airport while trying not to be insanely jealous of the fact that she was going to the cottage when she got to Toronto, gone to Heritage Fest with Nicole Nicole Nicoleeeee and last but not lease, booked my flight to Vancouver!
Now comes the tricky part: I have no where to stay in Vancouver. At least no where free. Hmmm. I'm going to Nanaimo first to kind of put off not having a place to stay in Vancouver, but I don't even leave until the 15th so I really need to get my act together and make some sort of plan. Does anyone have any ideas? Keep in mind I'm on a budget and I really don't want this trip to cost as much as, let's say, Cancun for 7 days.
When I get back from BC I'll have about a day to turn around, pack my stuff up and get ready to go home on the 26th. I simply cannot believe how fast this summer has flown by. It seems like only yesterday I was walking into Safeway and interviewing for my job in the floral department. In a few short days I will have been working there for 3 months.
Oh the stories I'll tell when I'm back in T.O.

Hope everyone there is having a delightful Caribana weekend. It's frickin' cold over here.

-Laur

Photojourney: Fort Edmonton Park with Keerti

2008-07-23T21:40:00.003-06:00

This isn't how I meant to start off this post, but HOW HILARIOUS IS THIS PICTURE??? This child would stop at nothing, even if it meant climbing over a pile of cow pies, to get this chicken. And the chicken was so blah about it; it didn't squawk or peck or anything. Funniest thing I've seen in weeks. Her mother was laughing so hard she couldn't do anything about it. Then her cousin joined in and all hell broke loose.
These kids from the YMCA camp were harassing some turkeys in the street. I knew their counsellor, so I went over and gave them a hard time about it. The turkeys could have cared less. They're so stupid, it's almost sad.
Okay, now that I've thoroughly confused you, I went to Fort Edmonton Park with my friend Keerti Takhar today. She's from Punjab in India, and even though she's been living in Edmonton for 11 months now, she hadn't been to the Fort yet. We had an amazing time, and these pictures are photographic evidence of said good times.

Keerti on an accidental bridge we found outside of the park.
Me on the accidental bridge.
Deer antlers over the doorway in the 1846 Fort.
Kegs of Jamaican rum. Those settlers really knew how to throw a party.
Keerti touching some gorgeous Clydesdale horses with much trepidation.

Good times.

-Laur

Photojourney: Erica Kay Bell

2008-07-22T11:39:00.000-06:00

Festival City

2008-07-22T11:19:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday we were lucky enough to receive a phone call from my mom's cousin Linda Adam and her husband Bill. Linda is from the Kidd family, my Grampa's sister's lot. She's a riot and so is Bill, so it was nice to have them come and see everyone while they were here. They were visiting from Calgary, kind of roaming around the Edmonton-Mayerthorpe area and chilling with friends and such. When I go to Calgary on the 30th, hopefully I'll get to see them again. They have a 12-year-old daughter named C/Katherine who was at camp when they came to visit, and I would like to see her again.

On Friday night we headed down to Churchill Square for the Taste of Edmonton festival. Restaurants from all over the city set up booths and serve 2 selections from their restaurant for a set number of tickets. Among the deliciousness we sampled: bacon-wrapped scallops, seafood paella, beef curry, salmon teryaki, garlic dry ribs, lobster and crab rotini, Vietnamese spring rolls, chocoloate peanut butter chunk, and the MacDonald Hotel's scones with saskatoon berry compote, shown above.

We also had a bit to drink, illustrated above.

On Sunday we had Dale, Syrell, Carson, Amanda and Erica over for brunch. Erica is getting big so fast and she's TOO CUTE.

-Laur

Just another Saturday

2008-07-16T23:23:00.001-06:00

Mom asked me to update my blog because she was getting sick of the Peter Pan reference. Sorry for the delay! Here are some pictures from my adventure of last Saturday. I can't believe it's almost Thursday already! Bryna reminded me on the phone yesterday that I'll be home really soon. Pretty amazing.
The picture above is of Edmonton's University LRT station. I was SO EXCITED to take Edmonton's subway! It's way cleaner than the TTC, but lacks the certain "je ne sais quoi" (AKA character) of the Yonge/University line.

On Saturday morning I jumped on the 30 bus and took it to Southgate, transferred onto the 6 and took it to the U of A campus, then got on the LRT at University station and rode to Churchill Station. The above picture is basically the sight that met me when I came up the stairs from underground. I was at the annual Edmonton Street Performer's Festival, 10 days of fabulous performances, great food, games and fun in the heart of Edmonton's downtown. There's no admission; in true "pass the hat" tradition, you donate what you can to the performers you like. I came armed with a bunch on toonies, and wound up giving them all away.

Two words: YUMM and O! Contortionists and strongmen. GOOD GOD!

These guys were the bomb. They practice a form of performance art, kind of setting up tableaux scenes wherever the mood strikes them, and that day they decided to go fishing in the wading pool/fountain. All the kids in the pool thought they were a riot. So did I.

After the festival I wandered around downtown, got myself fantastically lost in the basement of a mall, and then found my way to the biggest, most gorgeous library I've ever seen besides the Toronto Reference Library. Then I hopped back on the LRT and went to the University again to wander around their campus. All I can say is in terms of gorgeous buildings, green spaces and student community centres, York's got NOTHING on U of A. Neither does U of T or Rye High for that matter. Amazing.

Upon returning to Southgate Terminal I kind of flipped a mental coin and decided to wander down Whyte Ave instead of going home; there was an art walk on, and I wanted to see it. I wound up powering past everyone instead, and walked from 109th street to 99th street before turning back and catching the bus back to Southgate. I mosied in the door at around 7 pm, and using Google Pedometer figured that I'd walked about 11 km, give or take.

My calf muscles screamed for the next 2 days. Totally worth it.

-Laur

Peter Pan and 2 Months

2008-07-06T00:01:00.003-06:00

I'm sorry, faithful readers, that I haven't posted in quite a while. Things have not been so good here in E-town lately and I haven't had the heart to write anything.
After the La Senza debacle I fell into a slump that I'm still having trouble pulling out of. I've been here 2 months officially and you know what? I really miss you guys. I miss you so much. If I was living on my own, answering to no one but myself and keeping the hours and pastimes that I wish to keep, I think I would be going out with new friends a lot more than I am. As it is, I have a few friends and only one that I socialize with outside of work (NICOLE, I ADORE YOU, nearest and dearest to my heart <3 ) and the isolation I'm experiencing as a result is not something I'm used to.
I've been getting a lot more hours at the flower shop, and while I'm tired at the end of the day, my bank account likes the attention and I'll continue to work hard as to keep it fat and happy. 40 hours a week is a stability that I enjoy some aspects of, and I'll keep doing it right up until I leave for BC (more on that as details emerge).
I had a scare a few days ago, though, when I got home from work and my Gran told me she had fallen off her bed onto her left hip. She was walking, but I wanted to take her to the hospital immediately. She didn't, and I don't think does yet, have any idea how horrible last October was when we got that fateful email from her neighbour telling us she had fallen in her condo park and shattered her right elbow, and was in the hospital awaiting major orthopedic surgery. I took her to the doctor the next morning and x-rays showed that her hip wasn't broken, but she's in quite a bit of pain and is using a cane her neighbour gave to her to get around the house.
Now that the situation has leveled out a bit, I've come to two realizations: one is that my gramma won't be able to live by herself for much longer. I give it 2, maybe 3 years tops. Driving is uncomfortable for her because of her newly repaired elbow, and her arthritis bothers her a lot too. Soon the two levels of her house will be too much for her. That makes me sad, because unless she comes to Toronto, I don't know where she'd go.
The second realization is that I never want to get old. I'm Peter Pan. I never want to grow up.

It's raining right now, a blessed relief from the pressing dry heat we've been having for almost a week now. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, hopefully, will be a better day. I might even be persuaded to review the movie Wall-E, which I saw a few days ago.

-Laur

My deepening love of nature...

2008-06-25T22:45:00.004-06:00

I manage to accomplish a lot on my days off. I guess it comes from having so many things to do and so little time to do them in. This morning I slept in (whoops, sorry YMCA) and woke when I heard the telephone ring. A little later the doorbell rang and who walked in other than my cousin Joanne and her dad, my fantastic, wonderful Uncle Bob. They were here from Mayerthorpe County for a few doctor's appointments for Uncle Bob and between injections and bone scans they came for a cup of coffee and a cookie. That was the beginning of my day.
When Joanne and Bob left, Gramma and I got organized and headed out to Fort Edmonton Park to spend the afternoon. When we got there, however, there were 21 different school groups screaming and running around the park, and we were pretty turned off. So we walked down the path to the Jon Janzen Nature Reserve, where we wandered around for a few minutes before setting off down one of their fabulous hiking trails.
We did the short loop, thinking that once the school groups started heading out around 2 we'd go into the park and explore until it closed. The short loop was pretty great, and we had a great time exploring it.
This was one of the biggest birch trees I had ever seen.
Until we saw this one, which was thicker than Gramma!

This is the marker for 1905 street; for those of you who don't know how Fort Edmonton Park works, the basic idea is that the actual Fort structure is the real thing, relocated from its original resting place as the beginning of the city of Edmonton. Then there are 3 historical "streets": 1885 street, 1905 street and 1920 street, all constructed with real and simulated buildings from each of those time periods to illustrate what Edmonton was like in its pioneer stages.
This is the train you can take all the way around the park. We usually take it to the fort and then walk the rest of the streets back to the entrance in a big loop.
1905 street in all it's pre-war glory.
The horse stables on 1905 street. The park probably has more than 25 horses and a collection of cows, pigs, sheep, goats and fowl. The horses and ponies are used for rides, pulling wagons, and other such things. And they're cared for very well, which Gramma and I always appreciate.
The entrance to Fort Edmonton Park. The Fort is definitely in my top 5 places in Edmonton, right up there with Scona Market, West Edmonton Mall, Sproule Farm and the river valley. Gramma was saying to me this evening that other women may think she's crazy and ask her why we don't just go shopping together instead of hiking around in the heat and mosquitos, but she wouldn't have it any other way. I agree whole-heartedly.

On an unrelated note, La Senza is fine, but only just. I like Safeway, I like Penningtons, but I'll merely tolerate La Senza until it's time for me to quit. Just another name to add to my resume, I guess.

-Laur

Developments...

2008-06-24T11:04:00.000-06:00

Last night Gramma and I went on an adventure after dinner. We drove to Snow Valley ski hill and headed down the Whitemud Ravine Nature Reserve trail to hike around and check out the sights. There were wild roses everywhere, and to tell you the truth, they made me even more confident in my decision to tattoo one on my shoulder. Look at how gorgeous that is! And not scary or brash at all.

We came to this bridge first after passing the maitnence shed and a HUGE mulch mountain (what do you say to that, Mom? I have a mulch mountain too!) and on either side of this bridge there was a small river or creek or whatever and it was SO GORGEOUS.

See the gorgeousness?

We came to another bridge later on, but it wasn't to cross the creek. This landslide had happened a while back and the parks people built a tremendous bridge and retaining wall to shield runners and hikers from danger. Look at the sky. It was such a gorgeous day.

Today Gramma and I have some shopping to do. I would say it's my day off, but I picked up another job yesterday at La Senza Southgate. Never, EVER thought I'd work at La Senza. It should be an interesting experience. I probably won't have any free time from now on, but the green must come, so work I shall.
Ta ta for now,

-Laur

Photo Journey #2: Whyte Ave and Scona Market

2008-06-21T22:34:00.004-06:00

They're not in order, but they'll do.

-Laur

SUMMER!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-21T22:22:00.002-06:00

For your enjoyment, the updated babies album!

BABIES!

I've had a crazy couple of days, that's for sure. On tuesday last week I went to Whyte Ave with my friend Nicole and we had an awesome time. It reminded me of Queen West in Toronto, complete with goth shops, vintage clothing stores, tattoo parlours and crazy pubs and restaurants. We explored, got awesome tea at a special tea shop, saw some swords and daggers at a weird upstairs shop, ogled baubles, and ate lunch/dinner at an Irish pub.

I worked pretty much the rest of the week and had a two interviews for second jobs, one at the Movie Gallery up Rabbit Hill Road from us (geographically desirable) and one at Southgate La Senza (not so much). Hopefully I'll hear from one or both tomorrow or the next day. I would prefer the movie store job because it's a lot closer and I can wear what I want, and it pays better than La Senza.

I had my first Saturday in weeks off today and went to Old Strathcona Market as a treat. It's the markets 25th anniversary this year, so there were a lot more people and street artists there than usual. I had a good look around and wound up buying pita and tsatziki for tomorrow night's Greek dinner, and some spinach and feta cream cheese because I do so miss good Toronto cream cheese. I also had pork on a stick and a mint chip ice cream cone. WOOHOO!

It was 31 degrees in the sun in Edmonton today, the perfect day for walking around and exploring, but after a few hours I had had enough of the heat and headed home for a shower and a cold drink. At around 5 Gramma and I headed for U of A Michener Park, where the Rob Bell Memorial Tournament was in full swing, just in time to have some dinner and watch Carson play wonderfully in a doubles match. He and his partner Bryce won two out of three games against Marvin and Lane, who also played well. I got to coo and cuddle with Erica while they played, so I was happy.

All in all it has been a great week; if I hear from Movie Gallery tomorrow with a yes, it will have been a near-perfect one.

More news and pictures to come!

-Laur

P.S. On Thursday night I went out with the ladies from the floral department for a farewell dinner (two of our ladies have left us for greener pastures :( ) and we went for Indian food. I ate Indian food. My horizons are expanding!

So lucky

2008-06-16T22:21:00.002-06:00

Today was the first gorgeous day we've had in more than a week, and though I was inside at Safeway for most of it, I got to enjoy the last bits of sun on my drive to and from the gym this evening.
I was driving west on the Anthony Henday, past Sproule's farm, when I came around a bend and there was the sun, hanging above the horizon in the form of a fiery orb. It was so gorgeous that I couldn't even blink, I was so transfixed.
That sun isn't something I would ever have seen in Toronto, and I'm so grateful I'm here to experience that particular facet of nature's grandeur. I have to do something to commemorate my time here, especially now that I've purchased my ticket home (NOT TELLING WHEN! IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG SURPRISE!). I've been thinking about how I'm going to do that, and a few ideas have come to me. They're permanant ideas, reminders of this summer that will stay with me forever, and I'm hoping I can choose an image that will be truly worthy.

Any ideas? For those of you who have managed to wade through the cryptic nature of this post, email me your thoughts.

-Laur

MmmmmmMAC

2008-06-15T22:33:00.002-06:00

I love Southgate. West Ed is bigger and flashier and has a Sephora AND a Lush, but Southgate has MAC and that's all there is to it. I went to Southgate on Friday to just be by myself for a while and hand out a few resumes (looking for a second job to increase the caaaaash flow) and indulged myself in a visit to the MAC store. I talked to a lovely girl named Allison for a minute (she's interested in moving to Toronto) and then she convinced me to sit down and let her play with my face. I like the results (above).
Friday night my friend Nicole and I went to South Common to take in a movie, but seeing as we had lots of time before the show, we decided to investigate a Japanese restaurant across the parking lot from London Drugs, and lo and behold: SUSHI! Real, raw fish and wasabi and soy sauce SUSHI! I ordered miso soup and 3 pieces of salmon nigiri and was in heaven the whole time I was eating them. I'll have to save my pennies and go back there again to order some real sushi (the place is SUPER expensive, seeing as Edmonton is landlocked).
Nicole and I walked out of the restaurant 20 minutes before our show was due to start and found this hilarious little car. It was of Japanese make and it was hilarious. It had British steering (read: steering wheel on the RIGHT side) and it was built like a box with a speedometer that looked like it had come out of a playskool toy. Nicole was enraptured by it, as you can see. Despite the distraction we headed to the movie theatre, which was PACKED, and we were 10 minutes late for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Oh well. I don't know who I love more, Harrison Ford as a somewhat confuzzled old man or Shia LeBeouf because he's Shia LeBeouf. Great movie, thoroughly Indiana Jones, go see it if you haven't.
Last night I went for my first long walk around the Riverbend neighbourhood; I walked up Rabbit Hill Road and turned into a walking path in a hydrocut, and when I got to Carter Crest Road, I took this picture. If I ever move permanently to Alberta, I'll make sure I have enough money to move into the Riverbend neighbourhood, if only for this view.

I've worked the entire weekend and today I battled some very mixed feelings about Father's Day. They're un-mixed now, and I know I've made the right choice. Tomorrow I work all day as well, and then Tuesday Nicole and I are going downtown on a Whyte Avenue adventure! Stay tuned!

-Laur

Thursday Morning Tea and other musings

2008-06-09T22:06:00.001-06:00

Look at this kid. She is too sweet for me. She's got her rice krispie treat in one hand and her juice in the other and she's just as happy as can be. Until Isaac comes over and pulls her hair for no apparent reason. This is Thursday morning tea.

That delightful expression on Rebecca's face would indicate that she doesn't appreciate Shireen spitting mashed banana all over her arm. Understandably so.

I edited this photo with the cookie-cutter tool in Adobe Photoshop Elements. I watched an instructional DVD on the program last night and learned a few things, so now I'll be able to edit my pictures better. I'm well on my way to becoming a champ photographer!

Why not? That's all I have to say. Not much else going on right now. Had a personal training appointment this morning that took 2 hours
and has made jello out of my legs and arms, so that's pretty satisfying. Figured out today that I'm spending too much money, and I think I'll be going out and making a concerted effort to find a second job soon.

-Laur

Continuing plans

2008-06-07T18:51:00.002-06:00

I'm trying to hammer out my plans for the rest of the summer because June has begun and once July hits, a lot of my family will be coming to town and I'll need to take their presence into consideration.
I know that Gramma and I are trying to plan a trip out to Drumheller, to the Royal Tyrell Museum, North American's biggest dinosaur museum. Drumheller is almost desert-like, and its badlands have been a hotbed of fossil discovery since the 19th century. I went for the first time when I was 7, and it astounded me, understandably. Again at 14 I was bamboozled by the sheer size of the prehistoric thunder lizards, and this year, at 21, I want to complete the trifecta with a visit, as an adult, to the wondrous museum. We think we'll go over the 17th and 18th of the month because I have 3 days off in a row (my reward for holding down the fort while my supervisors are on vacation). Drumheller is about 300 km away from Edmonton, past Calgary, and considering Gramma's endurance these days we'll probably stay at a family friend's B and B in the nearby town of Rosebud instead of attempting the drive home on the same day.
I also want to go to Calgary this year, preferably for the Calgary Stampede, but I don't know if that will be possible. I would have a place to stay, with my mom's best high school friend, Jane Bourne, but I don't have anyone to do stuff with. Boo! Someone come to Edmonton right now to be my travel buddy. I figure if I do go, I'll go early and arrive in time to spend the day and some of the evening at the Stampede, and then come home the next day, like a whirlwind of cowboys and cattle-roping. We'll see if it actually happens.
Gramma also said something about doing the Jasper/Banff/Lake Louise corridor, up through the mountains, maybe with Auntie Brenda. I would LOVE to go to the mountains, for sure. The only obstacle is getting everyone to agree to a traven itinerary.

More on this as possibilities develop.

-Laur

Blogging from OneNote

2008-06-05T22:48:00.001-06:00

I'm hoping that the problem of pictures will be solved with Windows Vista, but I think it probably won't. Sigh. I'm writing this blog entry through Microsoft Office OneNote, mostly because I'm getting stoked about all the fantastic courses I will be taking come September.

I took a leap today, only half an hour ago, when I realized that the time of my Teaching Geography course had been changed so that the Fine Arts digital photography course I wanted to take was in conflict. It's only an hour, but I can't very well skip the first hour of Teaching Geography all fall semester for a photography class, no matter how badly I want to take it. So I began to look around for other 3-credit courses I could take that would count towards my Arts degree. This is where the leap comes in: I enrolled in "Acting for Non-Majors" part 1. Pretty crazy, eh? I've asked my friend Monica, who took it a few years ago, to give me her thoughts on the whole thing. I hope it's amazing, because I think I could really benefit from taking it. What better way to become a more effective and effervescent speaker/teacher than by taking an acting class?

That's the story so far, morning glories. I need to email the chair of the Visual Arts department and let her know that I no longer need to be admitted into the photography course. I'm still a little sad about that, but you know what? It could be worse.

On a calmer note, Gramma and I had a lovely day. I woke up, went to the gym (4 days in a row, kids! I think my gigantic butt might actually be gettings slightly flatter), met Kay and the babies and then we all went back to my house (read: Gramma's house) for tea and snacks. We sat on the patio in the sunshine and had a fine time until just before noon, then everyone went their separate ways. At 1, Gramma and I headed to South Common to do some quick shopping. Gramma did groceries at Superstore and I went across the road to buy fake Crocs at The Great 88, a big kitschy dollar store place, and dock shoes at Payless (polka dots, woohoo!), and then headed back to Superstore to find Gramma and ask the PC financial guy some questions. On our way home I tested out my crocs in John and Kay's garden on the Sproule farm, first grooming Shep, who rolled in cow plops the day before and needed to be brushed to get the smell out, and then weeding and breaking up the soil around the long row of Saskatoon bushes alongside the vegetable garden. Grooming a 115-pound Pyrranese Mountain Dog is no walk in the park, especially when he's a puppy at heart and not very well-trained; I have scratches on my legs from his affectionate swipes, but at least now he doesn't smell. Kay worked on removing all the unwanted dill from her herb and flower garden while Gramma tentatively weeded around the vegetable rows.

After the grooming it was peaceful, if not windy, as the horses gazed on from their paddock and Shep, bless him, took a nap in the sun. We had tea on the porch after that, and then Gramma and I came home to do our own thing and then prepare dinner (hamburgers and corn on the cob, YUM!)

Cheers,

-Laur

Ceeeeeelebrate good times, come on!

2008-06-04T06:59:00.003-06:00

AMAZING! It's 7:00 am in Edmonton and I'm sitting in the den, closest to the router. It's been half an hour since my Fall/Winter 2008-2009 enrolment began, and I'm finished. I got every course I wanted except for a Fine Arts digital photography class, but I enrolled in another Ed elective to make up for it. This is the first year I haven't been screwed by York. I have Fridays off, and in the winter only one class on Tuesdays.

This feels good :D I could even go to the gym now, but as a celebration reward I think I'll go back downstairs and go to sleep.

Nighty night.

-Laur

Evening BBQ

2008-06-01T23:36:00.000-06:00

Look at this child. Is she not perfect? What a cuddlebunny! On Saturday night Gramma and I were invited out to Sproule Farm for a farewell BBQ in honour of Luke Marsh, the young Australian guy who has been living at Rachel's house for the last 10 months. He went home this afternoon, back to Calbarra Beach, AU, to his family and friends.

We went on a walk to the fields near a local golf course after dinner to see how many stray golf balls we could find. The grand total was 31, better than anyone has done in a while, though we cheated a bit because one of the Sproule cousins, a 15 year old named Andrew, slid under the fence surrounding the course and picked balls right off the fairway. Pictured above is the view of the prairie sunset as we were walking back to the farm to roast marshmallows. Pretty stupendous.

These are the two horses that live at Sproule Farm. Neither one of them actually belong to the Sproules; instead, a woman named Sue pays to keep them there. Most of the time the horses do as they please, only going into the barn when they want to and eating all the grass they want. While they aren't friendly, the brown one, Roux (pronounced Roo), came over for a nuzzle and a pet when I called to him.

This is my fantastically perfect first marshmallow. It was delicious. I do love a campfire, and this one definitely impressed.

-Laur

Magical Morning

2008-05-29T22:13:00.001-06:00

What a tremendous day I've had. This morning I woke up early to go to the gym as usual, and after my workout Gramma and I were invited over to Rachel Pottinger's house for tea. We had a lovely time playing in the gorgeous backyard, pictured above, and the kids had a great time playing in the stones and sand. Isaac was kind enough to give me some sand to play with, Joanna had a grand time swinging on her playset, and Shireen was just Shireen: perfectly delicious in every way.
It was 25 degrees in the sun today despite the breeze, and I was lucky enough to enjoy an uninterrupted hour and a half on the back deck this afternoon, just reading and soaking up the sun (with sunscreen, of course). Then Gramma and I loaded all her empty bottles into the back of Merc and drove them to the bottle depot, where we got a measly $8.75 for the lot of them. Then we went to Southgate to look at a lot of stores, and thankfully (Mom and Auntie Bren listen up), we found Gramma the elusive bedskirts for her beds. A huge accomplishment!
Now it's after 10 and I work a full day tomorrow. On Saturday evening we're invited out to Sproules'farm for a farewell bbq in honour of Luke, the Australian fellow living with the Pottingers. That should be good, as I think there's going to be a bonfire, which means marshmallows will be involved. Excellent.

-Laur

Photojourney #1- YMCA and West Edmonton Mall

2008-05-28T23:03:00.000-06:00

Let's get physical

2008-05-28T13:28:00.003-06:00

I don't remember if I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I've joined a gym in Edmonton. It's at the William Lutsky YMCA, and I'm really enjoying it. At home when I joined the gym I never had enough time to go, but now that I have a car at my disposal, and no classes to attend or do readings for, I can go whenever I please. It turns out that whenever I please is at 8 in the morning, but that's okay; it's a great way to kick start my day and get everything going.
Yesterday I went to West Edmonton Mall to meet my friend Kaley and her nurse friends to see Iron Man at the Scotiabank Theatre (formerly the sickest Silvercity you've ever seen). I took the bus because Gramma was convinced that the Whitemud Freeway, which is the driving route I'd take to get to the mall, was closed due to an accident with the LRT construction; it took me little more than an hour to make a trip that by car would have taken between 10 and 15 minutes. Ravishing.
Anyways, while I didn't have a lot of time to shop at the mall (thank goodness!), I did see Iron Man and it was FANTASTIC!!! I highly reccommend it to anyone who enjoys a smart, witty, funny and socially aware action movie. That and Robert Downey Jr. just keeps getting better with age. Gweneth Paltrow is also back from quite an absence in this film, playing Iron Man's faithful assistant Pepper; she's stunning, as always, but plays her role, first as an unshakable lady and then as a ruffled and somewhat frightened woman, so naturally it's almost surprising. She is an Oscar-winner, though, so I shouldn't be so shocked. Long story short, GO SEE IT! It's an excellent diversion and a really good time.
I have pictures, but I haven't uploaded them yet. Oh, and guess what? I installed a router in my gramma's house so I am now wireless! Get ready for webcam capabilities and video-blogs, my friends! This should be sweet!!!
Off to work now, pictures after dinner. We bought a wack of ground beef yesterday so I'm in charge of making hamburgers. Yummo!

-Laur

Aspiring Ansel Adams

2008-05-25T21:18:00.000-06:00

I've decided to take a photography class, two actually. They're drop-in digital photography safari classes at the City Arts Centre, on two consecutive Wednesday nights in July. I'm kind of excited; I really want to become more skilled than I am. I seem to be doing alright right now, but it never hurts to be a little more knowledgeable.
How do you like my preliminary efforts? These were all taken just at dusk outside my Gran's house. It smells so beautiful here right now.
-Laur

Fear and Loathing in Edmonton

2008-05-24T15:48:00.002-06:00

I got lost today. Not seriously lost, but lost enough that I stopped and asked the guys at Part Source South Common for directions. Of course, I found South Common by mistake. Kind of like when I found the Canadian Tire and the Penningtons by mistake. I can tell I'm going to have all sorts of fun mistakes this summer.
Last night after work I raced home, changed my clothes, made some dinner and was outside waiting for Kay when she arrived with Joanna and Isaac. I went home with them, bathed the babies, put them in their pajayjays and read them a story before struggling to get Isaac to go to sleep. Joanna was out like a light within minutes. I felt kind of weird because I haven't had to do that in a really long time, not since Matthew and Benjamin were mine to take care of every Saturday night. It was fun, though. Isaac is a clingy monkey child and we had a huge cuddle before he fell asleep. Then I went downstairs, where Luke, the Australian, was watching TV. We watched "Finding Nemo" (what a classic!), I had another huge cuddle with the cat, Smokey, and at 11:45 Rachel and Richard came home from what was probably the longest graduation ceremony in the history of ever.
Today I went to the gym, cleaned the house like a mad woman, got lost coming home from the gym, and now, freshly showered and made up, I will go get Gramma from the airport. When we get home I'll find time between happy hour and dinner to make my famous hot cheese, spinach and artichoke dip to take to Carson and Amanda's place tonight. They're having a get-together and I said I'd make an appearance.

Cheers,

-Laur

Unpredictable Prairie

2008-05-20T11:44:00.000-06:00

I couldn't believe the colour of the sky on Sunday night as I walked back home from Safeway (where I needed to buy some vanilla ice cream to replace Gramma's stock). It was the deepest, most malevolent-looking grey I had ever seen, and I had to get a picture of it as the wind thrashed the trees back and forth.
Turns out it was mostly bluster, though, because they next day when I got up it was almost 30 degrees and sunny as can be. I had a great time setting up the back patio and sanding Gramma's cedar deck chairs in preparation to stain them. Around 3:30 I jumped in the car after google-mapping the directions to the Home Depot at South Common and headed over to find some appropriate stain, but after a minor wrong turn I found a Canadian Tire and decided to go there instead. The bottom picture is of me chilling in my Granny-wagon, a big silver Mercury Grand Marquis that guzzles gas and rides so smoothly I break the speed limit without knowing it.
Today I'm back to work after two days off, and my elbow is sore from sanding, but I'll be okay.

-Laur

Guinea Pig Land!

2008-05-15T17:32:00.002-06:00

The top picture is of Shireen Muamar, the youngest of the Sproule babies. Is she not perfection in 4-month-old form? I had all the Sproule girls and their babies (3 generations in one room) over for coffee this morning and we had a nice visit. Then Kay invited me to the farm for lunch and Rachel invited me to the zoo for the afternoon and how could I say no to either invitation, honestly?
What a lovely, lovely day. I took Gramma to the airport on Tuesday morning so she could fly to Toronto, and I've missed her but been fine ever since. Today was the perfect cap-off to a 3 day-off span from work and I couldn't have had a nicer time.
The 2nd picture is of the Guinea Pig display at Edmonton's Storyland Valley Zoo. I love that Edmonton's idea of a zoo display involves Guinea Pigs. The baby ones were definitely cute, though.
The third picture is of Isaac Pottinger, Rachel's son and the 2nd youngest of the Sproule babies. He's often very frowny around strangers, but by the time we got in the car to go home he was smiling and laughing and having a grand old time.
The last picture is of Joanna Pottinger, Isaac's older sister and the oldest of the Sproule babies, sitting on my shoulders watching the Elephant information session. Don't you love her sunglasses? A birthday gift from Gramma and I.
Anyways, I'm a little sunburned so I have to go relax (any excuse :D) but I'll post again tomorrow.

-Laur

My humble place of employ, and roses

2008-05-12T21:35:00.000-06:00

The aftermath of Mother's Day in a floral shop is a tired and tedious affair. Mostly you spend the day cleaning up, removing abused and dying flowers from the public eye, and opening and cutting the boxes and boxes of stock that arrived to replenish the depleted numbers. I did a lot of cutting this afternoon, and a lot of replenishing. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th pictures above are of the Safeway Floral Department. It's a nice space, though cramped at times, and I'm really getting to like it.
The top picture is of one of the roses I brought home for Gramma. She really likes them.
Three days of work-less bliss begin tomorrow, though I'll be driving Gramma to the airport tomorrow morning as she leaves for Toronto at 10:30 am. It will be strange living alone in this house, in a city I don't know very well. I think I'll catch up on my reading.

-Laur

Flower Shop Cyborgs and Baby Faces

2008-05-11T22:14:00.000-06:00

The top picture is of my first battle wound from the floral shop. I was reaching over to get a flower pick (that plastic pitchfork thing that you attach the card to in a bouquet or arrangement of cut flowers) and I hit the edge of an electrical light override switch really hard. I looked down at my hand and there was this inch-long gash smiling up at me, filling quickly with blood. When I grabbed it it opened further, revealing that my skin was lacerated almost a centimetre into my flesh. Long story short I didn't need stitches, it wound up clotting together after I pinched it shut for 15 minutes, but it's going to leave a shiner of a scar and it's really sore. I was wearing duct tape over the bandaid when it first happened to hold the edges of the cut together better, so I fancied myself a flower shop cyborg. How exciting!
The next pictures are of my cousin Carson's baby daughter, Erica, 2 months tomorrow. She is DELICIOUS even when she's screaming her tiny head off and I am so in love with her. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with her, so more updates on her later. She and her mom (Amanda) and Carson and his mom Syrell and Syrell's husband Dale came over to the house for Mother's Day dinner so I got to hold her, though she shrieked in abject terror the first time I tried to pick her up. By the end of the evening she was a little more used to me, so I'm thinking we'll be friends soon enough. I'm going to photograph her until she's world wide web famous :P

-Laur

A Journey to Ellerslie Nursery

2008-05-09T21:44:00.002-06:00

This picture is of a gorgeous begonia sleeping deep inside a bush at Ellerslie Nursery, where Gramma and I went earlier this evening to buy soil and marigolds and 3 different herb seedlings (Italian flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, and "mint julep" mint).

This picture is of Gramma checking out a crazy plant with paper-thin leaves; she thought it was the neatest thing. I brought my old digital camera (with the loose battery door) with me for Gramma to have and we figured the nursery, with its many beautiful blooms, would be a good place for her to practise her digital photography skills. She didn't take as many pictures as I did, but I think she's getting the hang of it.
Mad sick skills, kids. I can take pictures like Nazia now. Hear that, Naz? I learned your secret! It's called "macro setting" and I hold the power now. Mwahahahaha!
Anyways, here's the nursery, or at least part of it. I can't wait for Gramma to get back from Toronto so we can go buy more plants! The University of Alberta is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and is asking all the gardeners in Edmonton to plant green and gold (yellow) flowers this summer in celebration, hence the yellow marigolds we picked up earlier. But lots of other flowers come in yellow, and purple happens to be one of the best colours to plant with yellow, so I think this is going to be a very colourful summer.

Time to go read my books. I joined the Edmonton Public Library. I totally belong.

-Laur

Adventures

2008-05-07T19:29:00.000-06:00

So this morning I got up and went to my orientation at Safeway. I was looking forward to a tour of the store and all sorts of fun things, but most of the time I was on the computer doing their training exercises and watching videos on WHMIS stuff, so that was a little disappointing. I'm working a full day tomorrow though, from 9:30-6 in the floral shop learning a bit about what they do over there. Right now is the busiest time of year because it's Mother's Day on Sunday and everyone wants to buy flowers for mommy. While making her breakfast in bed and doing all the cleaning for a week is my idea of a good mother's day gift, I can't help but love the rainbow parade of colors in that department; I helped organize a display of rose bouquets with a lovely woman named Darlene and just had such a nice time of it.

When I got home I realized that the weather was going to turn nasty (it's been raining steadily since around 5:30 pm and the temperature is dropping) so I told Gramma we had to go grocery shopping NOW rather than after dinner. She drives now, but her bad elbow was so sore today from driving yesterday that I was given all driving responsibilities today and drove all the way to Superstore and back, weathering massive winter pot-holes, SUVs and the longest train in history to get there, buy a crapload of groceries, visit the Real Canadian Liquorstore (nope, I'm not kidding; there's no such thing as a liquor control board in Alberta) to get 4 bottles of wine (for company, apparently) and a bottle of Gibson's Rye Whiskey (Gramma's poison of choice) and speed home in time for the sky to open up and rain down on us.

I'm baking cookies this evening because Gramma has a taste for a cookie.

Delish.

-Laur

Kind of a big deal

2008-05-06T19:57:00.000-06:00

Check this out. It's a skating rink inside a shopping mall. West Edmonton Mall, to be exact. Gramma and I took a little trip out there today so I could apply for a job at Lush Handmade Fresh Cosmetics (Bryna, they have the cutest setup there, kind of small, but they'll have a regular storefront within 2 years) and to get black sneakers because guess what, kids? I got a job!!!!
I walked around the plaza beside my Gramma's place this morning handing out resumes and when I got to the Safeway, I filled out an application and then someone called the manager and I had an impromptu interview and suddenly I'm meeting the manager of the floral department and I have orientation at 9:30 the next morning. So that's pretty cool. They don't pay the astounding rates that I've heard many places pay but I figure if I have two jobs I'll be doing pretty well.
Anyways, while we were at the mall I took pictures of the crazy fish like a little kid and then later Gramma and I went out for a celebratory dinner at Olive Garden (HA! BREADSTICKS!). The sunset was so pretty when we got home that I asked Gramma to pose on the front step so I could get a picture.

Isn't she beautiful?

-Laur

ARRIVEE!

2008-05-05T12:23:00.000-06:00

I am hereeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Watch out, Edmonton, there's a storm coming and her name is LAURA!

-Laur

Countdown: One Week

2008-04-27T09:39:00.000-06:00

All right, kids! I'm getting excited!

That's what I told my students on Friday as they were wrapping up the period's activities. They all know that I'm leaving soon and many of them are totally enthralled by the idea of picking up and moving away for the summer. Some of them have done the camp thing before, but it's not the same at all. At camp you play all day and chill with your friends. I'm afraid I won't have those luxuries, but all the same, excitement!

-Laur

Departure

2008-03-18T13:38:00.001-06:00

My flight leaves Toronto at 7:15 am on May 5^th. Gramma, according to her plan, leaves for Toronto on the 13^th.

What an adventure.

-Laur