as in, i feel like i have been...
although i am not sure what being hit by a truck feels like and i would imagine it hurts more than having strep throat. but i have strep throat and it is really cutting into my plans.
i had plans to go hiking, an offer to attend a film fest gala, and tickets to a flames game, all of which i had to cancel/turn down.
and i had been feeling slightly bored. timing, sheesh.
in other news, i think i found myself a place to live in nairobi, so that makes me feel slightly more settled.
even if i concurrently feel as though i have been hit by a truck.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
bumper sticker
today i saw a bumper sticker that said 'friends don't drive friends to abortion clinics,' and although i respect people's right to their own opinion, the sticker made me sad. because i sort of like to think that even if you disagreed with your friend's decision to have an abortion (and i could go on and on about all the different reasons and situations a woman could be in to make that decision), you would want to be supportive of them. i guess it would be more difficult if i was against the whole thing, but i suppose that is what the right to choose is all about. anyways, i just don't understand that kind of unsolicited pontificating. to me, it was just there to make other people feel badly whilst making a statement. and i would bet that any woman who has had an abortion does not need one more person telling her that it is wrong or that it was a bad decision, because i would imagine that they struggle with that without anyone else's help.
so friends, whether or not i agreed with your decision to have an abortion, i'd drive you to the clinic.
so friends, whether or not i agreed with your decision to have an abortion, i'd drive you to the clinic.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
dark and twisty
i am getting used to life with tv again, it is admittedly not difficult at all. tonight my sister and i revived thursday p & c nights (pop and chips) but instead of pop we drank water and instead of chips we had vietnamese. from bagolac. or bachalogacha or however you pronounce it.
we were slightly confused with the mixed-upness of grey's anatomy tonight. but once we figured out we watched episode 2 before episode 1, we were fine. and then the mcdreamy goodness began...
how can anyone watch that and think that meredith should not choose derek? of course she should. he made her cry! and the vet did not make her cry (finn or whatever his name is) and picking him is obviously the smart move, but since when do we (especially i) make decisions based on what is best for us?! she should be with derek. end of story.
sort of like how i was always rooting for joey to chose pacey and i still cannot believe that some people thought she should have been with dawson.
we were slightly confused with the mixed-upness of grey's anatomy tonight. but once we figured out we watched episode 2 before episode 1, we were fine. and then the mcdreamy goodness began...
how can anyone watch that and think that meredith should not choose derek? of course she should. he made her cry! and the vet did not make her cry (finn or whatever his name is) and picking him is obviously the smart move, but since when do we (especially i) make decisions based on what is best for us?! she should be with derek. end of story.
sort of like how i was always rooting for joey to chose pacey and i still cannot believe that some people thought she should have been with dawson.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
excess baggage
i am so confused with technology. what does 'beta' mean?? i have no idea, but i think i have signed myself up for the new blogger beta thing.
and i got myself another new email address in case my university kicks me off mine. so that brings my email addresses to a grand total of 4. which is about 3 too many and is taking up too much of my time.
it is amazing how much time is wasted using seemingly efficient computer programmes and services.
right now my biggest concern is whether or not to bring my laptop to kenya with me. it might be useful for me to have something to do but i have no idea what the status of the world wide web is there and it might just invite burglery or unnecessary excess bag. thoughts??
and i got myself another new email address in case my university kicks me off mine. so that brings my email addresses to a grand total of 4. which is about 3 too many and is taking up too much of my time.
it is amazing how much time is wasted using seemingly efficient computer programmes and services.
right now my biggest concern is whether or not to bring my laptop to kenya with me. it might be useful for me to have something to do but i have no idea what the status of the world wide web is there and it might just invite burglery or unnecessary excess bag. thoughts??
Saturday, September 16, 2006
wear socks
if i have to eat the cheese pizza on a trans-atlantic air canada flight one more time... but at least it was better than the chickpea curry!
i am home and calgary decided to welcome me here with english weather!! what is going on? i have been bragging about how warm and sunny my hometown has been while it has been grey and rainy in england and now i am eating my words.
so far, i have bought some lovely shoes to go with a dress named pheobe and had my toes taken care of at yet another vietnamese pedicure assembly line they call a nail shop. (here is some advice, when it is hot in london and you are taking the train to a job interview and you do not want to arrive hot and sweaty cause you've had to walk from the station, wear socks. even if you think that by not wearing socks you might actually be less hot and sweaty. even if the only socks you brought are thick, sports socks because you were not packing smart. wear them. because otherwise you cut your feet so badly in your black boots that you have to stop and buy socks!! and they will only come in packs of three and will cost far more than a pack of three socks should because you are in london paying for them in pounds, but you will have to buy them and go out on to the bridge over the river thames and put them on, looking a bit silly. it will also be at this time that you will look at your own feet, notice the open flesh and cringe at the damage you have done.)
for some reason, it is easier to come home when i know when i am leaving again and this time it will be mid-october and instead of going back to london, which was the original plan, i will be going to kenya! i have been offered a 6 month internship there and will be working with the international orgnization for migration's health and human trafficking programme in east africa. i am looking forward to going back to africa, seeing the eastern part of the continent, and actually working in the field that i have been studying for years! i have no idea what to expect at this point, but i do know that i need to make a doctor's appointment, get chest x-rays, have a TB test, book flights, get a visa, do some shopping, learn as much as i can about my new home and my new place of employment...
but first, my cousin's wedding and lots of laughter and fun country times!
i am home and calgary decided to welcome me here with english weather!! what is going on? i have been bragging about how warm and sunny my hometown has been while it has been grey and rainy in england and now i am eating my words.
so far, i have bought some lovely shoes to go with a dress named pheobe and had my toes taken care of at yet another vietnamese pedicure assembly line they call a nail shop. (here is some advice, when it is hot in london and you are taking the train to a job interview and you do not want to arrive hot and sweaty cause you've had to walk from the station, wear socks. even if you think that by not wearing socks you might actually be less hot and sweaty. even if the only socks you brought are thick, sports socks because you were not packing smart. wear them. because otherwise you cut your feet so badly in your black boots that you have to stop and buy socks!! and they will only come in packs of three and will cost far more than a pack of three socks should because you are in london paying for them in pounds, but you will have to buy them and go out on to the bridge over the river thames and put them on, looking a bit silly. it will also be at this time that you will look at your own feet, notice the open flesh and cringe at the damage you have done.)
for some reason, it is easier to come home when i know when i am leaving again and this time it will be mid-october and instead of going back to london, which was the original plan, i will be going to kenya! i have been offered a 6 month internship there and will be working with the international orgnization for migration's health and human trafficking programme in east africa. i am looking forward to going back to africa, seeing the eastern part of the continent, and actually working in the field that i have been studying for years! i have no idea what to expect at this point, but i do know that i need to make a doctor's appointment, get chest x-rays, have a TB test, book flights, get a visa, do some shopping, learn as much as i can about my new home and my new place of employment...
but first, my cousin's wedding and lots of laughter and fun country times!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
if you try sometimes, you get what you need
i am almost there. almost done my dissertation. i re-read parts of it yesterday and started the conclusion and i am pleased with what i have done. but it is now sunday afternoon, i have a touch of the hang over, and i haven't even started working today. let me explain.
yesterday afternoon, a perfectly wonderful autumn saturday afternoon, a friend and i went to the shop to get some tomatoes and milk (the necessities when tomatoes are your favourite vegetable (fruit, whatever) and you love lattes) and that is when i had what i will now refer to as The Sighting. the first time you see an exboyfriend following a break up. now sometimes this happens immediately after the break up and is not so awkward, just tough. but when the last time you saw the person was almost 4 months ago and at that time you were still together, it is incredibly awkward.
so what do i do when he smiles at me? yes, i give the ummmm.......yeah.......sure.......hi smile. it was not a nice one and one i wasn't sure i was even capable of that sends the message of ef off. which is not the message i want to send at all!
and then all those wounds that you have been tending and mending for the past 3 months felt as though they were torn back open. as i was mildly (ok, more like totally) shaken by the entire encounter, i procrastinated my way through the afternoon and then got motivated to work only after i was invited out for drinks by a gentleman suitor. i managed to write half a conclusion and put make up on and do my hair (which once i took out of its permanent bun-like contraption, realised has been neglected and is far Too Long) to which aforementioned suitor remarked, 'you look like a girl.' and i don't even think we can blame this one on language barriers.
a night of drinking and dancing ensued and i had a really great time. no thinking about how foreign aid is disastrous or about The Sighting. red wine, late night pasta, hips don't lie, and lots of laughing. however, now i am doing anything and everything (save for clean and pack) to avoid finishing this conclusion. i kinda don't want it to be done. partly because i have really enjoyed doing it and partly because that means that the next phase of my life has to begin and i have no idea where my next home will be.
i had heard of this "Your Name AND needs" google thing before but did it today and the results were too good not to share. i never thought having the same name as a video game super heroine and a cricketer would be so entertaining on a lazy sunday afternoon.
Lara Needs...
yesterday afternoon, a perfectly wonderful autumn saturday afternoon, a friend and i went to the shop to get some tomatoes and milk (the necessities when tomatoes are your favourite vegetable (fruit, whatever) and you love lattes) and that is when i had what i will now refer to as The Sighting. the first time you see an exboyfriend following a break up. now sometimes this happens immediately after the break up and is not so awkward, just tough. but when the last time you saw the person was almost 4 months ago and at that time you were still together, it is incredibly awkward.
so what do i do when he smiles at me? yes, i give the ummmm.......yeah.......sure.......hi smile. it was not a nice one and one i wasn't sure i was even capable of that sends the message of ef off. which is not the message i want to send at all!
and then all those wounds that you have been tending and mending for the past 3 months felt as though they were torn back open. as i was mildly (ok, more like totally) shaken by the entire encounter, i procrastinated my way through the afternoon and then got motivated to work only after i was invited out for drinks by a gentleman suitor. i managed to write half a conclusion and put make up on and do my hair (which once i took out of its permanent bun-like contraption, realised has been neglected and is far Too Long) to which aforementioned suitor remarked, 'you look like a girl.' and i don't even think we can blame this one on language barriers.
a night of drinking and dancing ensued and i had a really great time. no thinking about how foreign aid is disastrous or about The Sighting. red wine, late night pasta, hips don't lie, and lots of laughing. however, now i am doing anything and everything (save for clean and pack) to avoid finishing this conclusion. i kinda don't want it to be done. partly because i have really enjoyed doing it and partly because that means that the next phase of my life has to begin and i have no idea where my next home will be.
i had heard of this "Your Name AND needs" google thing before but did it today and the results were too good not to share. i never thought having the same name as a video game super heroine and a cricketer would be so entertaining on a lazy sunday afternoon.
Lara Needs...
- a hair cut (how did they know?)
- to make the running water around a small barn stop
- to use stealth just as much as she does combat maneuvers and jumps (my favourite)
- new breasts (i kid you not, that actually came up, however, i disagree!)
- a Sussex lift (maybe related to the previous need??)
- him to be happy
- to move boxes from one side of a giant balance to the other (with an impending move, this one seems pertinent)
- 212 runs
- to be praised for her tenacity and courage
- a magnetic grapple
- to interact with her environment to solve a puzzle (another fav)
- the help of some of her friends to accomplish this goal (i don't know what goal, but i couldn't agree more)
- 6MB of hard disk space
- to be stronger
- no lessons on tact or diplomacy from anyone (i could seriously use lessons on tact)
- to go to Chen Lo in China (sounds good to me!)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
fearless city pigeons
in the last year i have been to london 3 times. guess how many of those times a PIGEON FLEW INTO MY HEAD???
no, not just 1 time that would not be grounds for posting.
no, not 3, that would be a sign from the gods that i should not consider moving there.
yes, 2 times!! once in the back of the head and i swear a claw probably touched me. the other time was on tuesday when a wing touched my face. my face! a wing! of a dirty city pigeon.
a greek told me that it is supposed to be good luck. i think he was just trying to make me feel better while stifling laughter.
no, not just 1 time that would not be grounds for posting.
no, not 3, that would be a sign from the gods that i should not consider moving there.
yes, 2 times!! once in the back of the head and i swear a claw probably touched me. the other time was on tuesday when a wing touched my face. my face! a wing! of a dirty city pigeon.
a greek told me that it is supposed to be good luck. i think he was just trying to make me feel better while stifling laughter.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Monday, September 04, 2006
Friday, September 01, 2006
a dress named pheobe
i love september, it has always represented the beginning. the beginning of school, of the 4 seasons, of new jobs, of new clothes, of new pencils, of new colours, of new friends, of new experiences. a few years ago my best ladies and i decided that the labour day long weekend would signify the new year. since things seem to change like the leaves and the school year in september and not january, like the calendar would have you believe.
each year we have made resolutions for the 'real' new year. once it was to Do More Things and another year it was to Where Ever You Are, Be There. this past year, i think mine was to Make A Home and this coming year? i haven't quite decided yet. but since we celebrate the new year with the labour day classic football game (go stamps!), i still have a few days to come up with this year's resolution but i will let you know and at the same time, give it to the universe to help me take care of.
in the meantime, i will celebrate the autumnal new year with my newest purchase that put me
over my month's clothing budget (and it is the 1st of the month!!) and i wouldn't normally share such a silly thing on the www, but i love it and i am going to wear it to my cousin's wedding in a few weeks and i even bought some new golden gems to wear with it. i don't think i've ever seen a piece of clothing that represents the new year quite so well!
happy new year to one and all.
each year we have made resolutions for the 'real' new year. once it was to Do More Things and another year it was to Where Ever You Are, Be There. this past year, i think mine was to Make A Home and this coming year? i haven't quite decided yet. but since we celebrate the new year with the labour day classic football game (go stamps!), i still have a few days to come up with this year's resolution but i will let you know and at the same time, give it to the universe to help me take care of.
in the meantime, i will celebrate the autumnal new year with my newest purchase that put me
over my month's clothing budget (and it is the 1st of the month!!) and i wouldn't normally share such a silly thing on the www, but i love it and i am going to wear it to my cousin's wedding in a few weeks and i even bought some new golden gems to wear with it. i don't think i've ever seen a piece of clothing that represents the new year quite so well!
happy new year to one and all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)