Today I made a big decision/purchase.
I decided that I am indeed going to do some solo traveling in Europe before Claire's August wedding in London, and I'm going to opt for the more ambitious itinerary, as opposed to only a city or two.
Today I bought a flight from Toronto to Prague, with a return flight from London to Toronto.
I've already more or less worked out my train itinerary too. I'm going spend a few days in Prague, then take the train to Vienna, and stay there for a couple days. After that, it'll be a quick trip to Munich, where I'll have a full day in that city. Germany isn't high on my list of places to go, but it's in the way of the cities I really wanted to visit (Prague & Vienna) and the city I want to depart to London from (Brussels). With my day in Munich, at least I'll be able to say I've been to Germany properly. Who knows, maybe I'll love it and want to go back?
Then, I'll have a long train ride from Munich to Brussels. After that, a couple of days in Brussels, and then I'll be on the Eurostar to London, where I'll arrive just in time for the wedding rehearsal. I've even booked a few days in London after the wedding, to chill until I fly home. (Hey, when you get free lodging because you're a trans-Atlantic guest, you might as well take advantage of it.)
I am super excited for this trip. I'm cool with traveling solo. I've traveled solo a little bit in my life, but not for a long period. In fact, most of my solo traveling involves me going to places to visit friends, so that doesn't count. I'm a pretty hard core traveler in that I like to pack my days with lots of fun stuff (anyone who's been on a trip with me will attest to this), so I will probably just holiday hard during the day, and get a good night's sleep as opposed to going out in the evening.
I know that some of my visits to these cities will leave me wanting more, but that will come in handy if a potential European 2015 travel buddy (you know who you are) wants to visit any of the destinations that I am hitting this year.
Now, to just make it through the last few weeks of the school year, and the stacks of marking and exam-writing that I still have.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Baseball Addiction
My friend Mathew is really addicted to baseball these days, and I think he's pulled me in.
He ended up missing yesterday's game in a comedy-of-errors where he gave away his tickets to friends who could go early enough to score a free jersey with the intent of buying a ticket to the game later. He ended up being with a friend whose car broke down, and by the time he made it to the game, it was sold out. By the time he got back home he couldn't even watch the game on TV because it was over.
Last night he messaged me to see if I was game for a game this week, but I told him no, I needed to focus on my marking. However by lunchtime today, he'd worn me down and we decided to go to tonight's game.
And I'm totally glad we did, because the Jays won their seventh in a row, saw a tonne of home runs, and I had lots of laughs.
First, we decided to stand behind the 100s to get a good view, as opposed to climbing up to our cheap 500-level seats. At one point, Mathew went to get a drink, and he used a garbage can as a place holder, which made me crack up.
Then, I sort of fell in love with two old men who were sitting in front of us. They were clearly season's ticket holders or something because they knew the staff, and came with promo items from 1992, retro Jays merchandise, and kept score themselves. I told Mathew his goal should be to become them when he's old. However, when it started to rain a bit, they left; I guess they weren't as hard-core as I thought. This left their seats open to be stolen by two other old men, who had been standing like us. What scoundrels, ha-ha! (Seriously, it's too bad my dad doesn't live in Toronto because I would buy him season's tickets so he could make some old-man friends.)
Also we got our pictures taken with Ace, the Jays' mascot! Seriously, I love anything that's corny, and what's cornier than sports mascots?? Totally made my day.
Anyway, an impromptu ball game was such a better choice than marking.
He ended up missing yesterday's game in a comedy-of-errors where he gave away his tickets to friends who could go early enough to score a free jersey with the intent of buying a ticket to the game later. He ended up being with a friend whose car broke down, and by the time he made it to the game, it was sold out. By the time he got back home he couldn't even watch the game on TV because it was over.
Last night he messaged me to see if I was game for a game this week, but I told him no, I needed to focus on my marking. However by lunchtime today, he'd worn me down and we decided to go to tonight's game.
And I'm totally glad we did, because the Jays won their seventh in a row, saw a tonne of home runs, and I had lots of laughs.
First, we decided to stand behind the 100s to get a good view, as opposed to climbing up to our cheap 500-level seats. At one point, Mathew went to get a drink, and he used a garbage can as a place holder, which made me crack up.
Then, I sort of fell in love with two old men who were sitting in front of us. They were clearly season's ticket holders or something because they knew the staff, and came with promo items from 1992, retro Jays merchandise, and kept score themselves. I told Mathew his goal should be to become them when he's old. However, when it started to rain a bit, they left; I guess they weren't as hard-core as I thought. This left their seats open to be stolen by two other old men, who had been standing like us. What scoundrels, ha-ha! (Seriously, it's too bad my dad doesn't live in Toronto because I would buy him season's tickets so he could make some old-man friends.)
Also we got our pictures taken with Ace, the Jays' mascot! Seriously, I love anything that's corny, and what's cornier than sports mascots?? Totally made my day.
Anyway, an impromptu ball game was such a better choice than marking.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Sun-tired
Last week I got some good sun in STL, but nothing like today. I sat in the full sun at the Jays game and wondered how the heck it could be so hot. I forgot about that heat over the long, cruel winter and the cool spring.
I had a fun weekend. My whirlwind roadtrip to visit my parents was super fun. My dad was happy with his Cards hat, and my mom was happy with her Mother's Day/birthday presents.
On Saturday night, I went for impromptu drinks on a patio with a friend. What a perfect evening for that.
Today was the Jays' game. They won. They swept the A's, who are a top team right now. The Jays are first in the AL East, and have won 11 out of their last 13. It's still early in the season, but oh, if they can keep this going...
Okay, my sun-addled brain needs sleep. Better post another time.
I had a fun weekend. My whirlwind roadtrip to visit my parents was super fun. My dad was happy with his Cards hat, and my mom was happy with her Mother's Day/birthday presents.
On Saturday night, I went for impromptu drinks on a patio with a friend. What a perfect evening for that.
Today was the Jays' game. They won. They swept the A's, who are a top team right now. The Jays are first in the AL East, and have won 11 out of their last 13. It's still early in the season, but oh, if they can keep this going...
Okay, my sun-addled brain needs sleep. Better post another time.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Random thoughts from an unfocused Thursday night:
- Sure, a sleeve of temporary tattoos seemed like a great idea while sitting outside on a sunny afternoon (it was my school's fundraiser walkathon; my friend and I were stationed at a checkpoint that we decided to make more fun with temporary tattoos), but now it itches. But, I don't want to take them off because I'd like to scare my mom with them when I roll into St. Ratford tomorrow.
- My baseball obsession of 2014 is ever growing. I am so happy that the Jays swept Boston and are currently in first place in the AL East. Right now the Yankees are losing which will help them more. I know the season is still early, but sill. Enjoy it while it lasts, and hope it lasts 'til the end of September.
- According to iTunes, I have 1.6 days of 90s music. It's all making me feel awkward tonight. Does everyone's teenage music do that to them?
- I need to figure out where to go in Europe before Claire's wedding. My plan is to end up in Brussels and Eurostar over to London. What I'd really like to do is take the train from Vienna - Prague - Germany - Brussels, but unsure if I can really afford it. But maybe I should just say eff it and do it?
- My buddy Matt from Winnipeg made the last minute decision to fly down for Field Trip v 2.0. We're going to just go to the Sunday show with Broken Social Scene, The Constantine, CHVRCHES and more. It's going to be so much fun.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a great album.
- I'm randomly listening to my favourite songs from 2009. How are these half a decade old?
- There's about a month left of school. Yet I feel that I have at least two months of work to accomplish in that time, I'm pretty sure.
- Tim Hudak is officially my least favourite person. He thinks you can create 1 000 000 jobs by firing 100 000 public sector employees. All economic analysts say his plan will stall the economy, not strenghten it. Douchenozzle.
- I'm taking myself on a road trip to Stratford on Friday - Saturday. I am tired of being at the mercy of planes & trains so I'm just going to drive myself.
- Happy short weekend (except if you are American, then it's your long weekend now, right?)!
- My baseball obsession of 2014 is ever growing. I am so happy that the Jays swept Boston and are currently in first place in the AL East. Right now the Yankees are losing which will help them more. I know the season is still early, but sill. Enjoy it while it lasts, and hope it lasts 'til the end of September.
- According to iTunes, I have 1.6 days of 90s music. It's all making me feel awkward tonight. Does everyone's teenage music do that to them?
- I need to figure out where to go in Europe before Claire's wedding. My plan is to end up in Brussels and Eurostar over to London. What I'd really like to do is take the train from Vienna - Prague - Germany - Brussels, but unsure if I can really afford it. But maybe I should just say eff it and do it?
- My buddy Matt from Winnipeg made the last minute decision to fly down for Field Trip v 2.0. We're going to just go to the Sunday show with Broken Social Scene, The Constantine, CHVRCHES and more. It's going to be so much fun.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a great album.
- I'm randomly listening to my favourite songs from 2009. How are these half a decade old?
- There's about a month left of school. Yet I feel that I have at least two months of work to accomplish in that time, I'm pretty sure.
- Tim Hudak is officially my least favourite person. He thinks you can create 1 000 000 jobs by firing 100 000 public sector employees. All economic analysts say his plan will stall the economy, not strenghten it. Douchenozzle.
- I'm taking myself on a road trip to Stratford on Friday - Saturday. I am tired of being at the mercy of planes & trains so I'm just going to drive myself.
- Happy short weekend (except if you are American, then it's your long weekend now, right?)!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
With a heat rash in the perfect shape of the Show Me state.
St. Louis was super fun! Getting to St. Louis and home from St. Louis, not so much. NEVER fly
United, especially if you have to connect somewhere is all I have to
say, but I'm not going to dwell.
On Saturday, we went up the Gateway Arch. Did you know that you can go up the Gateway Arch? I didn't, but you can! They have these trams with super small capsules that fit five people that go up each leg of the arch to a viewing area at the top. This involves waiting in many lines, but it's totally worth it. The view is pretty great. Here's some Arch-related photography.
After fun at the Arch, we headed to the Cardinals versus Braves game. The game was the reason for this trip. Waaaaaaay back in October, I was watching the Cards in the NLCS and the World Series, and I tweeted that the ballpark looked beautiful and that I wanted to go there one day. My friend AlieMalie replied that she lives in Missouri and that I should come visit. Then, our mutual friend Wes tweeted that that sounded like fun, and could he come too. That's how this trip was born, and I love how it got randomly thrown out there and actually happened.
Then we went for an amazing dinner at a downtown restaurant called Bailey's Range. My hamburger and fries with sriracha ketchup were amazing, but I died and went to heaven over this bacon/boubon/salted caramel milkshake.
On Sunday, the first order of the day was to seek out my Starbucks St. Louis city mug. I'm glad my friends always tolerate my weird collection. We had dropped by a couple of locations on Saturday and they did not have mugs. Then, we randomly drove out to a location near Christy Avenue and boom, there it was.
After that we had brunch in the Central West End, and headed off for a brewery tour of the craft brewery Schlafly. We are too snobby to go on the Annheiser-Busch tour, even though it's the biggest one in town. It was fun, and they had the most delicious Pumpkin Ale on tap. We bought growlers of it.
Then we headed to the Schlafly taphouse downtown and did flights of beer.
After that, we tried to get some BBQ at some highly recommended places but they were both sold out of meat for the night, so we just went to a pub instead for dinner. However, we followed that with frozen custard at Ted Drewes, a St. Louis instituiton.
We didn't give up on our BBQ mission. On Monday morning, we waited outside Sugarfire, one of the sold out places, to have lunch before dropping off Wes at the airport. It was rather hilarious to be lined up at a BBQ joint before 11 am on a Monday, but we weren't the only ones. And after eating the food, I could see why. I loved how they just serve their meat on a waxed piece of paper on a tray. And that side of mac 'n cheese. OMG.
After we dropped Wes off at the airport (he was on his way to LA for more vacation), AlieMalie was kind enough to drive me to the mall to buy a second Cardinals hat. The one that I bought was for my dad, but look at how cute it looks on me! The intent was to give my dad the Cards hat with the bird on the bat (his request), but I could part with it, so now my dad and I have matching hats. I do intend to get a selfie of us. It'll be hilarious.
And that was St. Louis. SO MUCH FUN. So much food deliciousness too.
On Saturday, we went up the Gateway Arch. Did you know that you can go up the Gateway Arch? I didn't, but you can! They have these trams with super small capsules that fit five people that go up each leg of the arch to a viewing area at the top. This involves waiting in many lines, but it's totally worth it. The view is pretty great. Here's some Arch-related photography.
Me under the Arch.
 |
| So lovely to look up. |
 |
| View of Busch Stadium from the Arch. |
After fun at the Arch, we headed to the Cardinals versus Braves game. The game was the reason for this trip. Waaaaaaay back in October, I was watching the Cards in the NLCS and the World Series, and I tweeted that the ballpark looked beautiful and that I wanted to go there one day. My friend AlieMalie replied that she lives in Missouri and that I should come visit. Then, our mutual friend Wes tweeted that that sounded like fun, and could he come too. That's how this trip was born, and I love how it got randomly thrown out there and actually happened.
 |
| Panorama of Busch Stadium. Can you see now why this trip was born? |
 |
| I love the bird clock so much. The giant Budweiser sign, not so much. |
 | ||
| Blog buddies at the ball game! |
The game was fun. No home-runs, but the Cardinals beat the Braves 4-1. I've also decided that the Cardinals are officially my favourite NL team because a) they are a bird team and I believe in BIRD ALLIANCE (ppl in bird cities need to stick together, right?) and b) I really St. Louis.
After the Cards game, we went to a really nice neighbourhood called the Loop where we went vinyl shopping. I got a record by a St. Louis band called Sleepy Kitty. I've been listening to it tonight and it's rather good.
Then we went for an amazing dinner at a downtown restaurant called Bailey's Range. My hamburger and fries with sriracha ketchup were amazing, but I died and went to heaven over this bacon/boubon/salted caramel milkshake.
After that we headed to City Museum. The only way I can describe this place is that it is a giant indoor/outdoor playground that kind of Tim Burton/Dr Seussian/Antoni Gaudi in its design. It was so cool. They have lots of slides, including one that's 10 stories. Here's a picture of a cone that I climbed up to get to a slide. It was so much fun. I hadn't been down a slide in years.
After that we had brunch in the Central West End, and headed off for a brewery tour of the craft brewery Schlafly. We are too snobby to go on the Annheiser-Busch tour, even though it's the biggest one in town. It was fun, and they had the most delicious Pumpkin Ale on tap. We bought growlers of it.
Then we headed to the Schlafly taphouse downtown and did flights of beer.
After that, we tried to get some BBQ at some highly recommended places but they were both sold out of meat for the night, so we just went to a pub instead for dinner. However, we followed that with frozen custard at Ted Drewes, a St. Louis instituiton.
We didn't give up on our BBQ mission. On Monday morning, we waited outside Sugarfire, one of the sold out places, to have lunch before dropping off Wes at the airport. It was rather hilarious to be lined up at a BBQ joint before 11 am on a Monday, but we weren't the only ones. And after eating the food, I could see why. I loved how they just serve their meat on a waxed piece of paper on a tray. And that side of mac 'n cheese. OMG.
After we dropped Wes off at the airport (he was on his way to LA for more vacation), AlieMalie was kind enough to drive me to the mall to buy a second Cardinals hat. The one that I bought was for my dad, but look at how cute it looks on me! The intent was to give my dad the Cards hat with the bird on the bat (his request), but I could part with it, so now my dad and I have matching hats. I do intend to get a selfie of us. It'll be hilarious.
And that was St. Louis. SO MUCH FUN. So much food deliciousness too.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Haunted
Tonight is one of those nights where I find that the past can oh-so-surreptitiously sneak up and haunt me. It just slips right in there and takes ahold of me.
(Okay, as I'm writing this maudlin sentence Rilo is literally caterwauling in the background because she has caught her Angry Birds toy. Her nightly ritual is making me laugh right now.)
I rubbed some salt in old wounds, and then I thought that a conversation I had would bring me a little bit of closure, and maybe it did, but I'm not so sure.
My bad habits are creeping up on me. I've been tired, so I haven't been exercising enough, and hence I get more tired. I've been indulging in alcohol, sugar, wheat, and all those carbs that are delicious in the moment but make me feel yucky.
I try to focus on the little things that make me happy, but it gets tiring you know? I try to focus on the things I'm looking forward to, but I know those things will end and I'll be back where I started.
The thing about being older is that I know that this too will pass, and things will look bright and sunny again, but sometimes there is a nagging fear that this time it won't. But luckily, I am a woman of science, and I know the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, and in the past my future always looked up so I think it will again. I mean, I'm flying to St. Louis tomorrow, right?
Emo Update - Apparently my voice changes when I've been emo. When I got to school this morning, I felt super stressed because a) technology sucks; and b) I left my period 1 attendance in the staffroom. Anyway, when I got back to class and start talking, one kid said "Miss, what happened to your voice? It's different!" and then rest all agreed. Weird. But my students always cheer me up, because they always notice the littlest things.
(Okay, as I'm writing this maudlin sentence Rilo is literally caterwauling in the background because she has caught her Angry Birds toy. Her nightly ritual is making me laugh right now.)
I rubbed some salt in old wounds, and then I thought that a conversation I had would bring me a little bit of closure, and maybe it did, but I'm not so sure.
My bad habits are creeping up on me. I've been tired, so I haven't been exercising enough, and hence I get more tired. I've been indulging in alcohol, sugar, wheat, and all those carbs that are delicious in the moment but make me feel yucky.
I try to focus on the little things that make me happy, but it gets tiring you know? I try to focus on the things I'm looking forward to, but I know those things will end and I'll be back where I started.
The thing about being older is that I know that this too will pass, and things will look bright and sunny again, but sometimes there is a nagging fear that this time it won't. But luckily, I am a woman of science, and I know the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, and in the past my future always looked up so I think it will again. I mean, I'm flying to St. Louis tomorrow, right?
Emo Update - Apparently my voice changes when I've been emo. When I got to school this morning, I felt super stressed because a) technology sucks; and b) I left my period 1 attendance in the staffroom. Anyway, when I got back to class and start talking, one kid said "Miss, what happened to your voice? It's different!" and then rest all agreed. Weird. But my students always cheer me up, because they always notice the littlest things.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Weekend Recap
1) Neko Case was amazing, of course. The highlight for me was when she sang "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu" from her latest album. The song is virtually a capella with only Neko and her backing vocalist, Kelly Hogan, singing. The song is about a unloving mother, which was a little ironic considering it's the Mother's Day weekend. Here's an idea of how haunting it sounds.
2) Saturday became my treat yo' self day. I started the day by taking myself out for sushi, then walking up to the Running Room at Yonge and Eglinton to use a coupon and a gift card from my birthday to put towards new running shoes. Mine are about a year old, and after the half marathon, I wanted to retire them. Anyway, I got a nice new pair of Asics which are purple/black/fluorescent green.
I meandered to the Eaton Centre and got new clothes. I needed new skinny jeans, but ended up getting two new shirts and a skirt too. Oops.
I walked in the sunshine to Kensington Market where I sat reading my book with the hippies in the sun on the grass in the park until my 4 pm hair appointment. I got a lot cut off. My neck will be cool this summer!
3) This morning I woke up and walked to the starting line of the Sporting Life 10K. I love that the race starts so close to home. This race is huge. I think 27 000 ppl signed up, and 21 000 of those ran. I'll be nice and not judge the other 6 000.... Anyway, I was kind of tired so my time was mediocre but it was a nice run anyway. Getting home was extra exercise too. Since there were so many people, I gave up trying to get a streetcar/bus/etc to the subway and just walked it, stopping off at Starbucks for a blessed latte.
I had a great afternoon. I called my mom, I napped, then went out for a beer on a patio (yay spring! finally!), and then treated myself to gelato. I came home and watched the movie "Blue Jasmine" on Netflix. I liked it, and Cate Blanchett is amazing. It was depressing though.
Now I'm just finished doing some chores and schoolwork and I'm going to read for a bit before bed. I'm reading this rather good Young Adult book. It's called "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell. It's a really sweet emo teenage romance set in the '80s. I recommend it to anyone looking for a pleasant light read.
Happy Monday!
2) Saturday became my treat yo' self day. I started the day by taking myself out for sushi, then walking up to the Running Room at Yonge and Eglinton to use a coupon and a gift card from my birthday to put towards new running shoes. Mine are about a year old, and after the half marathon, I wanted to retire them. Anyway, I got a nice new pair of Asics which are purple/black/fluorescent green.
I meandered to the Eaton Centre and got new clothes. I needed new skinny jeans, but ended up getting two new shirts and a skirt too. Oops.
I walked in the sunshine to Kensington Market where I sat reading my book with the hippies in the sun on the grass in the park until my 4 pm hair appointment. I got a lot cut off. My neck will be cool this summer!
3) This morning I woke up and walked to the starting line of the Sporting Life 10K. I love that the race starts so close to home. This race is huge. I think 27 000 ppl signed up, and 21 000 of those ran. I'll be nice and not judge the other 6 000.... Anyway, I was kind of tired so my time was mediocre but it was a nice run anyway. Getting home was extra exercise too. Since there were so many people, I gave up trying to get a streetcar/bus/etc to the subway and just walked it, stopping off at Starbucks for a blessed latte.
I had a great afternoon. I called my mom, I napped, then went out for a beer on a patio (yay spring! finally!), and then treated myself to gelato. I came home and watched the movie "Blue Jasmine" on Netflix. I liked it, and Cate Blanchett is amazing. It was depressing though.
Now I'm just finished doing some chores and schoolwork and I'm going to read for a bit before bed. I'm reading this rather good Young Adult book. It's called "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell. It's a really sweet emo teenage romance set in the '80s. I recommend it to anyone looking for a pleasant light read.
Happy Monday!
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Things to look forward to.
This week has been a little bit dull. I took it easy on Monday and Tuesday to recover from my half marathon on Sunday. Yesterday, I went for a run and finished reading a book. Today, I went to the gym, then went for a massage at the spa because I had a gift certificate that was expiring soon, and I figured it would be too busy this weekend with Mother's Day. That was super relaxing.
I've been watching lots of baseball too. And to think, I was going to cancel my cable! My TV hasn't been on this much in a long time. And, the Jays are on an amazing 5-game winning streak, so it's been fun watching so much baseball, as opposed to painful. As Jays' fan, I always expect to feel pain while watching baseball, so it's a pleasant surprise when I don't feel any.
The next while will be more exciting because:
I've been watching lots of baseball too. And to think, I was going to cancel my cable! My TV hasn't been on this much in a long time. And, the Jays are on an amazing 5-game winning streak, so it's been fun watching so much baseball, as opposed to painful. As Jays' fan, I always expect to feel pain while watching baseball, so it's a pleasant surprise when I don't feel any.
The next while will be more exciting because:
- Tomorrow night I'm going to see Neko Case at Massey Hall.
- On Saturday, I'm going to buy a new pair of running shoes, I hope. Mine getting pretty beat up.
- On Sunday, I'm running the Sporting Life 10K. I signed up at the last minute because I'd originally planned to go to Stratford this weekend, but changed plans. I really like the Tshirts you get for this race, so that's really my main incentive to run.
- And, next Friday I'm off to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play, and, more importantly, to catch up with my blog buddies Wes and AlieMalie. I'm most excited for this!
Tuesday, May 06, 2014
The Saga of the Simpsons Lego Minifigures.
As you know, I'm a big fan of the Simpsons. Earlier in the year, I found out that Lego was making a super-awesome looking set of Simpsons Minifigures and I decided that I would get them as soon as I could. (Check out a gallery of them here.)
I have two friends at work both named Alan who are super into Lego (but not so much the Simpsons). I asked them if they would help me get the complete set. For those of you who don't know (aka adults), Lego Minifigures come in opaque packages, and you don't know what you're getting. However, you can use pictures of the minifigures to help you feel through the bags to figure out which one you have. For example, if your minifigure comes with a skateboard, if you feel wheels in the package, you know what you've got. The Alans are pros at feeling out these things.
My friend Mathew, who is super into the Simpsons, but not so much into Lego, also wanted in on a complete set. The initial plan was for all of us to go together and (along with my friend Nadine, who loves the Simpsons) to feel out sets, but they released the figures right on May 1st, and Alan O. went right away to get his (but he was missing Wiggum).
On Friday, I told Mathew that the minifigs had been released. We had plans to go for sushi and then watch Dateline (we love creepy Keith Morrison) that evening, but we scratched it to head to the Lego Store at Yorkdale. (I didn't think we'd be able to go with the Alans as originally planned since one already went, and the other is busy with school stuff.)
When we got there, there was a couple already feeling out the minifigs. We jumped in there to try out our hand at it. One of the Lego Store employees was helping out too. It became apparent that the dude was feeling out the minifigs for his girlfriend, and wasn't into the Simpsons himself. He didn't even know the names of the characters! However, he helped us out because he was very good at it. They were looking for a Nelson, and when we came across a Nelson, we handed it to them. Once they got the complete set, the girlfriend went to go shopping, but Calvin (the dude) opted to stay and help us out some more. By the end of night one, we almost had three complete sets: one for me, one for Mathew, and one for our friend Vic, who was out at a bachelor party like a grown-up instead of feeling out Lego. We were missing three Lisas (we forgot about her), two Milhouses, one Grandpa, one Nelson, and one Wiggum. We also found Alan O. his Wiggum, and ended up with an extra Bart.
On the way home, we planned to be up and at them early the next day to hit up the Lego Store at Fairview Mall. Mathew had called them on Friday, and they said they were out, but would be opening a new shipment on Saturday morning. We also critiqued the figures: "Marge should be reading Sponge & Vacuum magazine, not Donut Fancy," and "Why doesn't Milhouse come with a Radioactive Man comic?" were some of our complaints. Then we looked at each other and realized that in this moment, we were Comic Book Guy.
Mathew picked me up on Saturday morning, and we hit the Lego Store even before getting coffee. But blast! Even though it was barely 10:30 am, they were out! We called the Lego Store and Sherway Gardens, and they had lots. That mall was 34 km away from where we were. But, when you're on a mission, you are on a mission. After we got coffee, off we went.
As soon as we got to Sherway Gardens, we had become Calvin. We were the experts at feeling them out. One lady was looking for Chief Wiggum for her husband. We found it for her quickly. We felt out the rest all of the minifigs quickly. We also helped out an older couple who were hardcore Lego fans build their set. I ended up picking up some random Lego things for my friend Fea, who is planning a Lego-themed birthday party for her daughter.
I'm surprised that Visa didn't call me to inform me that a 10-year old had stolen my card as I racked up about 8 transactions at the Lego Store.
I think getting all of the Simpsons minifigs was almost as tiring as my half marathon.
Here's a picture of Rilo with them, because whenever I take a picture of something, she has to get in it. I think she's rolling her eyes at me. Then she tried to chew Milhouse.
My favourite of the set is Grampa. His "Old Man Yells At Cloud" newspaper makes me laugh so hard. And yes, it's an accurate reference to an episode.
On Sunday, my pals the Alans came over to watch the Simpsons Lego episode. They had gone to Sherway to get sets for Alan K. as well as Nadine. So yay! Everyone got their sets. The episode itself was rather good. I haven't watched a new episode in forever. I just love the old ones. After the new one, I made them watch Rosebud, so they could understand the significance of Maggie's teddy bear, Bobo.
And that's the saga of my set of Simpsons Minifigs. I promise my next post will be at least 50% less geeky, I hope.
I have two friends at work both named Alan who are super into Lego (but not so much the Simpsons). I asked them if they would help me get the complete set. For those of you who don't know (aka adults), Lego Minifigures come in opaque packages, and you don't know what you're getting. However, you can use pictures of the minifigures to help you feel through the bags to figure out which one you have. For example, if your minifigure comes with a skateboard, if you feel wheels in the package, you know what you've got. The Alans are pros at feeling out these things.
My friend Mathew, who is super into the Simpsons, but not so much into Lego, also wanted in on a complete set. The initial plan was for all of us to go together and (along with my friend Nadine, who loves the Simpsons) to feel out sets, but they released the figures right on May 1st, and Alan O. went right away to get his (but he was missing Wiggum).
On Friday, I told Mathew that the minifigs had been released. We had plans to go for sushi and then watch Dateline (we love creepy Keith Morrison) that evening, but we scratched it to head to the Lego Store at Yorkdale. (I didn't think we'd be able to go with the Alans as originally planned since one already went, and the other is busy with school stuff.)
When we got there, there was a couple already feeling out the minifigs. We jumped in there to try out our hand at it. One of the Lego Store employees was helping out too. It became apparent that the dude was feeling out the minifigs for his girlfriend, and wasn't into the Simpsons himself. He didn't even know the names of the characters! However, he helped us out because he was very good at it. They were looking for a Nelson, and when we came across a Nelson, we handed it to them. Once they got the complete set, the girlfriend went to go shopping, but Calvin (the dude) opted to stay and help us out some more. By the end of night one, we almost had three complete sets: one for me, one for Mathew, and one for our friend Vic, who was out at a bachelor party like a grown-up instead of feeling out Lego. We were missing three Lisas (we forgot about her), two Milhouses, one Grandpa, one Nelson, and one Wiggum. We also found Alan O. his Wiggum, and ended up with an extra Bart.
On the way home, we planned to be up and at them early the next day to hit up the Lego Store at Fairview Mall. Mathew had called them on Friday, and they said they were out, but would be opening a new shipment on Saturday morning. We also critiqued the figures: "Marge should be reading Sponge & Vacuum magazine, not Donut Fancy," and "Why doesn't Milhouse come with a Radioactive Man comic?" were some of our complaints. Then we looked at each other and realized that in this moment, we were Comic Book Guy.
Mathew picked me up on Saturday morning, and we hit the Lego Store even before getting coffee. But blast! Even though it was barely 10:30 am, they were out! We called the Lego Store and Sherway Gardens, and they had lots. That mall was 34 km away from where we were. But, when you're on a mission, you are on a mission. After we got coffee, off we went.
As soon as we got to Sherway Gardens, we had become Calvin. We were the experts at feeling them out. One lady was looking for Chief Wiggum for her husband. We found it for her quickly. We felt out the rest all of the minifigs quickly. We also helped out an older couple who were hardcore Lego fans build their set. I ended up picking up some random Lego things for my friend Fea, who is planning a Lego-themed birthday party for her daughter.
I'm surprised that Visa didn't call me to inform me that a 10-year old had stolen my card as I racked up about 8 transactions at the Lego Store.
I think getting all of the Simpsons minifigs was almost as tiring as my half marathon.
Here's a picture of Rilo with them, because whenever I take a picture of something, she has to get in it. I think she's rolling her eyes at me. Then she tried to chew Milhouse.
My favourite of the set is Grampa. His "Old Man Yells At Cloud" newspaper makes me laugh so hard. And yes, it's an accurate reference to an episode.
On Sunday, my pals the Alans came over to watch the Simpsons Lego episode. They had gone to Sherway to get sets for Alan K. as well as Nadine. So yay! Everyone got their sets. The episode itself was rather good. I haven't watched a new episode in forever. I just love the old ones. After the new one, I made them watch Rosebud, so they could understand the significance of Maggie's teddy bear, Bobo.
And that's the saga of my set of Simpsons Minifigs. I promise my next post will be at least 50% less geeky, I hope.
Sunday, May 04, 2014
Who's gonna run this town tonight?
I survived my first half marathon.
I woke up pretty early this morning. You know when you are anxious for something and your body wakes you up a couple hours earlier than you need to be up? That was me today.
I had time for a relaxed breakfast and to get ready and debate hat vs. headband, long-sleeved shirt vs. short-sleeved shirt and all of those important decisions.
I took a cab to the starting line, since the subway doesn't open until 9 am on Sundays. As I was in the cab, I realized how far away the starting line was from my neighbourhood, and how far away the finish line was from my 'hood, but in the opposite direction. And I was going to run the distance between the two? Was I crazy? Clearly.
I left way earlier than I needed to, and usually I hate the part where you stand around at the starting line before a race because I'm under-dressed for the weather. Luckily, the starting line was right near a hotel, and I warmed up in their lobby before the beginning. They were even nice enough to have water and bananas out for waiting runners.
The beginning of the race was lovely. It was sunny, and a perfect running temperature (about 10-12 degrees Celsius). The first stretch was downhill, but that was following by about a 500m hill, which I walked up to save energy. After that though, most of the rest of the race was downhill. Yay for Toronto geography. At the beginning of the race, the CN Tower was so far away, but it felt nice as it got closer and closer.
At about 7 km, I hit my own neighbourhood, and it felt nice to have run home. The race continued down Yonge St., until it detoured along Rosedale Valley Road which is a really pretty area for running. It's mostly just trees, with an isolated out-of-city feel. It then continued down Bayview Ave by the Don River. People were canoeing in the river which was a fun sight! However, there were some portions of by-the-river route that were a little bit smelly.
After that, the route headed through downtown along King St., then along Front St. It was amazing running by the CN Tower after it had been so far away only a couple hours earlier, and to be by the lake after starting so far up north. However, as we were closer to the lake, the wind was really pronounced. At one point, my hat flew off, but I was able to catch it. The last kilometre was into the wind, and it was really difficult.
However, as I approached the finish line, I had enough left in me to sprint across the line, and then exclaim "fuck that was hard", but no one heard. I got a bit emotional as I crossed. My first road race ever was the 5K portion of the Toronto marathon in 2011, and who would have thought three years later that I'd do the half marathon? Also, I don't think I'd ever have thought even a year ago that I'd attempt a half. I wasn't fast, but I was on pace with a lot of people, and I was so proud of finishing. Will I do a half again? I'm not sure. It really takes it out of you, and I don't know if I can commit the time to training enough to improve on this year's time. But who knows?
A couple of my friends from work met me at the finish line, and then were nice enough to drive me home. We went out for food and beer and gelato in my neighbourhood. We caught the last 10 minutes of the heartbreaking Raptors game. Sigh.
Here's a picture of me by the lake after I finished. I always hate post-run pictures because my face is super-swollen, but I love my medal and the scenic backdrop. Oh Toronto, you sometimes break my heart, but I really do love you.
This song randomly came up during the last stretch of the race, and it was super appropriate.
Well, I guess that's another item off of my bucket-list. I hope the next item involves more sitting, ha-ha. Also, for my Vancouver friends, I think the Grouse Grind is more difficult than a half marathon.
Next post will be about my weekend adventures in Lego. Yes, you read that correctly.
I woke up pretty early this morning. You know when you are anxious for something and your body wakes you up a couple hours earlier than you need to be up? That was me today.
I had time for a relaxed breakfast and to get ready and debate hat vs. headband, long-sleeved shirt vs. short-sleeved shirt and all of those important decisions.
I took a cab to the starting line, since the subway doesn't open until 9 am on Sundays. As I was in the cab, I realized how far away the starting line was from my neighbourhood, and how far away the finish line was from my 'hood, but in the opposite direction. And I was going to run the distance between the two? Was I crazy? Clearly.
I left way earlier than I needed to, and usually I hate the part where you stand around at the starting line before a race because I'm under-dressed for the weather. Luckily, the starting line was right near a hotel, and I warmed up in their lobby before the beginning. They were even nice enough to have water and bananas out for waiting runners.
The beginning of the race was lovely. It was sunny, and a perfect running temperature (about 10-12 degrees Celsius). The first stretch was downhill, but that was following by about a 500m hill, which I walked up to save energy. After that though, most of the rest of the race was downhill. Yay for Toronto geography. At the beginning of the race, the CN Tower was so far away, but it felt nice as it got closer and closer.
At about 7 km, I hit my own neighbourhood, and it felt nice to have run home. The race continued down Yonge St., until it detoured along Rosedale Valley Road which is a really pretty area for running. It's mostly just trees, with an isolated out-of-city feel. It then continued down Bayview Ave by the Don River. People were canoeing in the river which was a fun sight! However, there were some portions of by-the-river route that were a little bit smelly.
After that, the route headed through downtown along King St., then along Front St. It was amazing running by the CN Tower after it had been so far away only a couple hours earlier, and to be by the lake after starting so far up north. However, as we were closer to the lake, the wind was really pronounced. At one point, my hat flew off, but I was able to catch it. The last kilometre was into the wind, and it was really difficult.
However, as I approached the finish line, I had enough left in me to sprint across the line, and then exclaim "fuck that was hard", but no one heard. I got a bit emotional as I crossed. My first road race ever was the 5K portion of the Toronto marathon in 2011, and who would have thought three years later that I'd do the half marathon? Also, I don't think I'd ever have thought even a year ago that I'd attempt a half. I wasn't fast, but I was on pace with a lot of people, and I was so proud of finishing. Will I do a half again? I'm not sure. It really takes it out of you, and I don't know if I can commit the time to training enough to improve on this year's time. But who knows?
A couple of my friends from work met me at the finish line, and then were nice enough to drive me home. We went out for food and beer and gelato in my neighbourhood. We caught the last 10 minutes of the heartbreaking Raptors game. Sigh.
Here's a picture of me by the lake after I finished. I always hate post-run pictures because my face is super-swollen, but I love my medal and the scenic backdrop. Oh Toronto, you sometimes break my heart, but I really do love you.
This song randomly came up during the last stretch of the race, and it was super appropriate.
Well, I guess that's another item off of my bucket-list. I hope the next item involves more sitting, ha-ha. Also, for my Vancouver friends, I think the Grouse Grind is more difficult than a half marathon.
Next post will be about my weekend adventures in Lego. Yes, you read that correctly.
Thursday, May 01, 2014
Half Marathon On Sunday.
I am so not ready.
Eep.
Wish me luck.
By luck I mean making it across the finish line alive.
Thanks.
Eep.
Wish me luck.
By luck I mean making it across the finish line alive.
Thanks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)