tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-182523732024-03-12T22:23:28.290-06:00the things i knowhere are some of the things i know.
and many that i don't.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.comBlogger732125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-9986683533049243892012-02-05T08:51:00.000-07:002012-02-05T10:11:40.389-07:0011 randoms<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i just realized that i was tagged by kristen at <a href="http://inspiredbydooce.blogspot.com/">inspired by dooce</a> and it is perfect timing as i am sitting in a hotel lobby in accra waiting for a driver to collect me to transfer to another hotel (because as much as i love <a href="http://www.villamonticello.com/">Villa Monticello</a> where i have spent the last two nights, it is a bit pricey for me to stay for the next 3 nights i have in ghana and this was a birthday gift, a most wonderful birthday gift!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i am not going to tag other people because as a Bad Blogger, it would be a bit rude of me to expect others to complete this, but i love lists, i love reading random things about other people, and i like answering them. so if you do answer any of kristen's (or nicole's, who i don't even know) questions, leave a link as i'd love to read them!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>11 Random Things about Me</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> 1. i have really big feet for being only 5'2"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">2. my sneezes are loud. so loud that people often comment on them.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">3. i love taking long haul flights alone, i find it is a great time to think, catch up on reading, listen to music, be alone. i hope they never introduce wireless to the flights i take as i think it would ruin it for me as i like being disconnected.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">4. i live with a general level of anxiety that would probably surprise most people.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">5. i am not very good at watching tv, i have to be doing something else at the same time, reading a magazine, looking at the internet, or talking (which apparently annoys some people!).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">6. i love running outdoors, but sometimes struggle to motivate myself to do it. but i don't like running races as there are too many people and too much pressure for me (which could be linked to #4 above).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">7. i live in monrovia, the capital city of liberia. i suppose that isn't too random to most people that i know as i have been here for 4 months now, but i suppose it could be considered random because what is a canadian girl doing living in a small west african country?? i moved here to live with my boyfriend is the answer. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">8. i don't know what i want to be when i grow up and i wonder if i will ever know. instead of trying to figure it out, i think i will try and focus on accepting it and seeing it as a positive rather than a negative.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">9. i would like to do a phd one day. and recently, i may have come up with an idea for a research topic.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">10. i went on a solo vacation to spain about 7 months ago to figure out my life. apparently that meant starting a relationship with someone i already knew who came from the uk for a mini break and moving to liberia a few months later.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">11. i have spent 4 birthdays and 3 christmases in africa. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Nicole's Questions</b><br /><b>1.</b> How many languages do you speak? What are they?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">english and spanish and that could likely use some refreshing. i wish i spoke french and have tried to learn it, but never consistently and regularly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b>2.</b> What side of the bed do you sleep on?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">the side that is closest to the wall currently, but if i had it my way, i would sleep diagonally and take up the entire bed with 4 pillows arranged in a 'v' around my head. yes, i have given this some thought and have developed a system that i prefer.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b>3.</b> Are you a morning person or a night owl?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i would like to think a bit of both. i like to get a start on my day, but i also love sleeping until about 9 if i can. i tend to be rather productive in the evenings if i am not too tired from waking up too early. what i do know is that i need my sleep so if i am up early, i am down early and vice versa.<br /><br /><b>4.</b> What's your biggest time waster?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">the internet and tv when i have it</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>5</b>. Mac or PC?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">mac. i converted about a year and a half ago and love it (and my ipad and iphone!)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>6.</b> Can you drive a standard transmission car?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">you bet and i have never owned a car that wasn't manual, i prefer it.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>7.</b> Where did you go on your last trip?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i am on right now in accra, ghana. and before this one, it was to dar es salaam, tanzania.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>8.</b> What's your favourite game (board or video)?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i like all board games that i have played (but i have 2 rules when playing: if you are not playing the game (mom!) then don't help anyone playing and if you start a game, you should finish it!), but i really like scrabble and anything that involves groups of people and lots of laughs.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>9</b>. Did you play any sports growing up?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">when i was wee, i played soccer then i figure skated.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>10.</b> What's your favourite number and why?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">22 and i am not sure why. i like things that are even and i like that 22 divided is 11 and 1 + 1 = 2 and so on.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>11.</b> If you could live anywhere, where would it be?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i would like to live in london, bangkok, cape town, berlin, dar es salaam, nairobi... i think the more interesting part is where i will end up living in a year's time.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Kristen's Questions</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">1- When you're in a job interview, what do you use as your "weakness"? (you know, the weakness that you can turn into a positive somehow)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i don't like to delegate things to other people and i like to have control over all aspects of the work that i am involved in. to be honest, i am not sure i would ever phrase it like that in a job interview, but if i did, i would say that it is because i have high expectations that my work will be delivered to a high standard of quality and on time.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">2- What is your favourite food?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i am not sure. i love macaroni and canned tomatoes because it is a comfort food from when i was kid, same with a roast beef dinner. i would like to say that i have a favourite food place and that is san sebastian, spain. so if something can come with the quality and deliciousness of san sebastian, i will love it.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">3- Why did you start blogging?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i was living in the uk studying my masters degree and it was a good way to keep in touch with friends and family back home without sending out the mass emails that were all about me, which is obnoxious. i guess a blog is somewhere people can visit to see what i am up to.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">4- If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i've always wanted to visit brazil, argentina, and india.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">5- If you're a runner, biker, triathlete, or any other sort of racer, what race is tops on your bucket list?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i don't like races.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">6- What is your dream job? (pretending that it pays well)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">ha, i answered the question above about how i don't know what i want to be when i grow up. but i would like to be a professor or an advisor to a private company or a donor on how to spend their money and which projects are worth supporting.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">7- Who is your celebrity crush?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">apart from David Suzuki in his younger years?! i think that Mike Rowe, Gabriel Garcia Bernal, Hugh Jackman, and Taye Diggs are all quite dreamy.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">8- Did you or do you play an instrument?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">no, but i think the drums could be fun.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">9- What is your favourite "guilty pleasure" movie? (you know, the one that you like to pretend you didn't love)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Love Actually and i watch it every christmas! i just can't get enough.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">10- If you had to pick a last meal, what would you pick?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">macaroni and tomatoes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">11- Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Dazs</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">neither as ice cream gives me a stomach ache (coincidentally, this is also the google search that leads to this blog most often so i am obviously not alone)</span>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-49215364106488425812012-02-05T05:44:00.000-07:002012-02-05T05:45:18.836-07:00back to the working worlda week and a half into working at least 10 hours a day and i am reminded of how tiring working can be. this past thursday, i just came home and flopped on to the couch at the end of the day before peeling myself off and heading out to the pool for a beer with some compoundmates.<br />
<br />
but in this short period of time, i have already had some rather interesting experiences, including:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>government meetings that open with prayers and close with benedictions (and who ask for volunteers to lead these things, where i ducked my head and avoided eye contact).</li>
<li>people repeating the phrase 'we must spread the message to avoid the dangers of human trafficking,' which is just wrong. and not going to be effective in achieving anything.</li>
<li>my new colleagues brought in warm tarts and gave me a gift wrapped go mug on my birthday, neither of which i was expecting and was a lovely surprise.</li>
<li>a meeting where someone used latin to prove their point. then they had to translate the phrase so the rest of the people understood. lame.</li>
<li>working in an office building that sometimes has running water and sometimes does not.</li>
<li>a few peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch and the idea that if someone started a sandwich delivery service, they would have a market completely untapped.</li>
<li>there have been no less than 4 reports on the state of orphanages in liberia done in the last few years. they all say the same thing: illegal international adoptions, majority of children in orphanages have living parents or relatives, substandard conditions, many are unlicensed and unregulated, some reports of child labour. so don't go volunteer in one, please.</li>
<li>i have lots of ideas on what could be done by the agency i am working for and i just hope that at least one of them can be implemented, we shall see</li>
</ul>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-15463675447092404322012-01-25T16:17:00.001-07:002012-01-25T16:17:23.568-07:00season 2, episode 1today was my first day at my new job. it is just a temporary post at the moment as the details of contracts and salaries and technicalities are sorted out, but it didn't stop me from being nervous.<br />
<br />
in the end, there was no reason to worry and it was difficult to slip back into the system that i left a few years ago. the workload will be heavy and the obstacles in front of the team, rather substantial. but if i am up for a challenge, it is there for the taking.<br />
<br />
i can tell that the challenges will include: desks not lined up in any logical order in the office (yes, i am serious), a coworker who likes to listen to music at just audible levels, and utter lack of infrastructure in what is colloquially referred to as a 'resource poor' working environment.<br />
<br />
in many ways, it is a great opportunity and a position that i can shape into my own and define as i go. but it will also involve a lot of ambiguity and a certain degree of risk. a bit like being the underdog and it could go either way, really.<br />
<br />
i am happy for the chance to get involved in some potentially interesting project development and the flexibility that comes when you do not have a long term contract, which means i can still take my upcoming birthday trip to ghana, head home for a visit in march, and decide my own working hours.<br />
<br />
maybe my independent spirit and no-nonsense manner of thinking about the development game will be pleased with this arrangement. or maybe my love for organisation, planning, and preparations will be driven mad with the lack of clarity or clearly defined boundaries and roles.<br />
<br />
only time will tell in this instance. like many before and certainly many more to come.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-84451821185908213952012-01-23T16:57:00.000-07:002012-01-23T16:57:20.270-07:00eat what you kill<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
i know i am going to sound like i’m whining, but getting up
at 6am with an alarm clock on a monday morning is tough!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> and</span> driving (well, being a
passenger) for 6 hours of rural roads in liberia is also a
challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and i am going to blame
the latter on my nap takeover when i finally got home this evening...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the purpose for the early start and travelling was that i
had a job interview to work in a company’s corporate social
responsibility/community investment department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>well, to essentially BE the csr department. while there were moments where i was tempted, i know the role is not for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
after discussions today, i confirmed what i already
suspected – that i didn’t move all the way to liberia to work 10 hours a day 6
days a week while living away from my boyfriend (i still think that ‘partner’
sounds so lame).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>although the
worksite is not geographically that far away from monrovia, the road conditions
make it a bit of a trek and the company’s rather restrictive policies would
make it difficult to get back to the capital city with any regularity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but it was still so interesting to see a new part of the
country with the driver they sent to collect me and to see how a foreign
company operates and attempts to have a lasting positive impact on the
communities where they operate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>there were a few red flags in their programming (they directly support
local orphanages), but it seemed like it would be a challenging and rewarding
position, but it just won’t be the one for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
which is ok as i have another job lined up as of last
week and it will allow me to ease back into the world of international
development with the organisation i used to work for in kenya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and with the mentality of ‘eat what you
kill’ in fund raising and project development, it might also be challenging and
rewarding, but for very different reasons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
i have committed to something of a trial period and i am
banking on previous healthy working relationships and familiarity with the
organisation and the content to lend itself to success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>i am
not so sure that i am ready to give up my weekday workouts, leisurely morning coffees,
and flexible schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but it
could all be worthwhile simply to have regular fast internet at the office!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
above all, in the big, bad world of international development,
having work experience to show for my time in liberia will be beneficial and it
will aid in making the big life decisions that are on the horizon. but if we decide to stay in monrovia, i am getting a kitten! and he is orange! and he was just a week old when i met him and hadn't yet opened his eyes!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-49262095435652649372012-01-20T02:37:00.000-07:002012-01-20T02:37:42.210-07:00neighbours<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
(january 13, 2012)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
i am openly critical of people who visit a country on
holiday and return home needing to do something about the poverty that they
likely witnessed from their safari mobile or while on their wander through a
capital city or rural area.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
i don’t doubt people’s motives or believe that they don’t
mean well in deciding to take up donations of used clothing to ship overseas or
want to start their own foundation to put girls through school, but the reality
is that what is witnessed on a two week vacation is not going to be easily
fixed by starting a new ngo or from someone naively adopting a community or
individual as their personal cause.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
however, these same values have been challenged
recently. first, when i was put on
the spot to explain why stopping our safari mobile on the side of the road in
rural tanzania to give away our football to a stranger was a bad idea hidden by
the good hearts and intentions of family members. trying to explain that by picking out a child from the side
of the road to give away a prized football could cause them and others to
expect or hope that future vehicles travelling by with foreign faces will also
deposit footballs. and the last
thing that is needed is more children hanging around roads waiting for gifts to
come. it would also make more
sense to have the football donated to a school that could ensure it was
available to more children to play with. and to give the ball to the teacher in front of the students
to prevent it from going missing or being taken out of the school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
luckily, we came up with a creative solution that didn’t
make me look like a total asshole and included giving the ball away to a local
tourism company that we were travelling with that has developed a sport and
education programme in a village near their safari lodge that we had recently
stayed at. but it was interesting
to see that as soon as there was effort involved in finding the office, a shop
that sold a pump and other items to include with the ball, and dropping it all
off, the interest in ‘doing good’ decreased, probably because the ‘problem’ was
now no longer in front of our eyes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
another challenge has come whenever i walk out of my house
to head into town. my street is
optimistically called 3<sup>rd</sup> street, but it is really a dirt alleyway
without a street sign and you wouldn’t be blamed if you drove right by it on the
main street (which happens rather regularly with delivery drivers…). on the same street where i live in
relative luxury is a house that was clearly bombed and/or burned during the
civil wars. and now a few families
are living as squatters in the property without electricity or running water.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
on the other side of my house is a similar beachfront lot
with a house that was once undoubtedly a gem on the coastline, but now is a
skeleton of what it once was. and again,
it is occupied by a family with a newborn that sometimes wakes me up in the
early morning hours, our houses are so close to one another. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and i can appreciate how those same people who come to a
place like liberia and are overcome with the poverty and want to do something
to remedy such an ethical wrong would also look at the disparity that exists
right on my street. and part of me
just wants to give the kids that i see, having their daily baths or playing in
their backyard that is cordoned off with pieces of scrap metal, whatever change
i have in my pocket because i know a few liberian dollars will go much further
for them than for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but, i also realize that just as giving away a football on
the side of the road, my few liberian dollars are not going to overcome the
systemic challenges facing a country and its people still rebuilding after
devastating civil wars. and because
someone before me has clearly given something away on my street, i am regularly
asked for ‘a chocolate’ or ‘a dollar’ or ‘a pen’ by the kids.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
instead, i do what i can and purchase local produce and
support the small enterprises in my neighbourhood and the greater city of monrovia. in fact, i am now looking for a good
tailor to make something out of all the fabric i have collected!</div>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-81678589536041793582012-01-11T02:14:00.000-07:002012-01-11T02:14:34.864-07:00would like to go home nowyesterday, i had one of those days where i wanted to have my own car, the yellowpages to find someone to repair my leaking cooking gas hose, and a taste of winter to cool me down from the tropical heat.<br />
<br />
the key to getting over that hump of what i suppose could be described by some as culture shock, was to have a serious in-the-bed nap and go for a run once the heat of the day had passed.<br />
<br />
part of my frustration comes from the fact that although i have a few small projects that i am working on (including writing up a research report that is taking me far too long, but i am enjoying), i am beginning to get slightly stir crazy and need to have something that is mine, that i can accomplish, and that will show that i <i>did something</i> during my time in liberia. it is a bit of a challenge in a city like monrovia, where you often have to do a little digging to figure out how to do more than go to the regular expat haunts and hang out by the pool or beach and the easiest way to go about this would be to find a short term consultancy so that i can have evidence of living in liberia on my cv (because we all know a person's value is based entirely on their cv in some circles...).<br />
<br />
but then i am reminded that soon enough, i will have a job and i will too busy to sip my coffee into the morning hours while watching episodes of tv shows i usually don't have time for or reading book after book sitting poolside. ups and downs, pros and cons, are always there, their content just shifts with time and location.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-75826018423983026112011-12-15T02:21:00.000-07:002011-12-15T02:21:34.487-07:00deep breathsafter moaning about not knowing what i should be when i grow up, recently some options have materialized. my recent flurry of job applications has resulted in 3 job interviews this week. i've only heard back from 1 of them and i have the option of moving to azerbaijan if that were to tickle my fancy.<br />
<br />
and it might. it is just that i am still not really clear on what my next move should be. and yet i am also perilously aware that this indecision can turn into paralysis.* but so many factors need to be weighed. salary, contract length, career direction, my interest in the roles, levels of responsibility, distance from the people i love.<br />
<br />
more than anything, i am wondering if i am ready to relocate after coming to liberia just 2 months ago. and after another few months in another location, if i will be ready to pick and leave again. perhaps i could do it for a year or so, but the idea of having a home base once again is rather appealing.<br />
<br />
but what is equally appealing is more field-based experience and more travel and adventure (even if adventure means sitting by my pool in tropical heat in december). and i keep thinking it is a mutually exclusive decision, but maybe i need to think more creatively and explore ways to achieve both a sense of home and stability with the challenge and excitement of 'the new.'<br />
<br />
i sense a few pro/con lists in my immediate future. and more than a few reminders of deep breaths and that this decision, like all that have preceded it, is not the last i will make and that it is just as much ok to say no as it is to say yes.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">* paralysis is a rather tricky word to spell without spellcheck.</span>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-16196920972117247262011-12-12T14:25:00.001-07:002011-12-12T14:25:11.200-07:00a reminder<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">The good fight is the one that's fought in the name of our dreams. When we're young and our dreams first explode inside us with all of their force, we are very courageous, but we haven't yet learned how to fight. With great effort, we learn how to fight, but by then we no longer have the courage to go into combat. So we turn against ourselves and do battle within. We become our own worst enemy. We say that our dreams were childish, or too difficult to realize, or the result of our not having known enough about life. We kill our dreams because we are afraid to fight the good fight.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><i>Paulo Coelho from The Pilgrimage</i></span>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-3194883071353764042011-12-08T07:53:00.001-07:002011-12-12T15:18:55.264-07:00to town we go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
i can be as guilty as the next traveller/expat of wanting to have a unique and 'authentic' experience when i am in a new country and yet i recognize that even seeking this out takes away its authenticity and leaves you constantly feeling as you didn't do enough, see enough, photograph enough.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
and there are those instances that remind me that authentic experiences are authentic because they just happen. and they just happen when you are open to them and others.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
a bit trite, perhaps, but seems to hold true where ever i have been in the world.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
yesterday was one of those 'authentic' days that i will likely cherish. and largely because it felt so... normal.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVbaTAjmxRq7uBtxp5HS23X4UWENkNx3ydLpMUFmkSqpP2BCRriezBrKCyZUY6RSs0AvXeZnqQeRbSFWS9udchWUzqPnfXgnGi2yUQYsAi8LvS3BkpPS32lUA9TIexhkjt80N/s1600/IMG_0519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVbaTAjmxRq7uBtxp5HS23X4UWENkNx3ydLpMUFmkSqpP2BCRriezBrKCyZUY6RSs0AvXeZnqQeRbSFWS9udchWUzqPnfXgnGi2yUQYsAi8LvS3BkpPS32lUA9TIexhkjt80N/s320/IMG_0519.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">motorcycle taxi driver (with sunglasses, of course!)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">mary had agreed to take me to the waterside market in monrovia to buy lapas, the brightly printed (and ironically, printed in china) fabrics west africa is known for. as much as i wanted to add to my collection and feed my addiction to fabric, i also wanted to hang out with mary and have her show me around town.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
the first decision was how we would get there. the shared taxis were an option, but we decided to spring for the motorcycle taxis at double the price because they are faster and a lot more comfortable, especially if you don't have to share one. mary hailed them down and we got on. she told me later that she was a little nervous when she couldn't see me, but she needn't worry as the only thing that i had to fend off was another motorcycle's passengers, two men who were fighting over talking to me every chance they got (in the middle of the road!). it is times like these i need something that resembles a wedding ring in my back pocket.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine7Vh5TqBW04Y3AGFZ8JvkCFmdeghbzwKsc9EUKzz_At99VbFuEhh_1fFT_EPuT4Bapy6LrhE__MnlQSbcRSdh6d-PJwlWYOKB6YjBQYjOd8gDw9h2AeF5hGYmWOo3XWbHD8f/s1600/IMG_0527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine7Vh5TqBW04Y3AGFZ8JvkCFmdeghbzwKsc9EUKzz_At99VbFuEhh_1fFT_EPuT4Bapy6LrhE__MnlQSbcRSdh6d-PJwlWYOKB6YjBQYjOd8gDw9h2AeF5hGYmWOo3XWbHD8f/s320/IMG_0527.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bustling water street, with wheel barrows for hire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
waterside is less of a market and more of a number of streets lined with vendors selling anything you need of your house. much of the clothing and housewares were used, but there appeared to have been a large shipment of chinese shoes and they were laid out nicely for passersby to take a look. the thought occurred to me a number of times that all those people at home who think donating t shirts and shoes to 'africa' are unaware they are being sold by the bundle and sold on the streets (in fact, there is a documentary made on this very topic: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeCIlgUeYlM&list=WLC8C2F8E5F3A0A29B&index=1&feature=plpp_video">T Shirt Travels</a>).</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXX4lo3i828II51AwdEYh9h7EcQ9eVdI1ISZJcw3hO6kQV4yfm2Cee9K4ipGRAKVCOsBMuo_7oz9rsb2vXegOMpslE8YEpfQuaFkj-kL1j6g6t67x-xZXKXofbafPV7iqOKDq/s1600/IMG_0531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXX4lo3i828II51AwdEYh9h7EcQ9eVdI1ISZJcw3hO6kQV4yfm2Cee9K4ipGRAKVCOsBMuo_7oz9rsb2vXegOMpslE8YEpfQuaFkj-kL1j6g6t67x-xZXKXofbafPV7iqOKDq/s320/IMG_0531.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">merry christmas!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
it seemed as though mary knew a number of people around and we had to make several stops to say hello, but it turns out that she used to work there selling food so still knows many of the salespeople and shop owners. i clearly stuck out, but didn't feel out of place or uncomfortable. it is a pretty broad statement, but i have found monrovians very welcoming and kind to me. but i would be lying if i said i was a lot less worried about getting lost or ripped off by having mary with me.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
like much of the rest of the shops i have seen, many were owned by lebanese people. we poked our heads into the ones selling lapas and i found 12 yards of fabric that i plan on using for sheets and cushions. coincidentally, i got the number of a wonderful tailor today who can hopefully help me out because although learning how to sew (and quilt!) is something i would love to do, i am without a sewing machine.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
it is tough to visualize what the fabric will look like as it is overwhelming to see so many patterns at once. and sometimes is very dim light while you are sweating buckets in the stuffy shops. i picked out some more basic patterns although i might go back for the 'obama' print, which was rather lovely even if it did not have any images of obama on it at all.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
in fact, there are some ma ellen prints i have seen around and like the nelson mandela cloth i bought in south africa, i might pick some up just for the laugh and memories of the time i am here.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF70Y4XQQuxNEPw9VhTKeTS92Zp0QppsDsf12ZRv3q_7TWdAAnnRn3g716pbmldxi3eJ-RiRmvrAmuSN1ruj8C3SC4lKgAWdgiUqcL9QWQ2fBe9-mWMrsCFf-MNq5DTr3kvNd/s1600/IMG_0525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF70Y4XQQuxNEPw9VhTKeTS92Zp0QppsDsf12ZRv3q_7TWdAAnnRn3g716pbmldxi3eJ-RiRmvrAmuSN1ruj8C3SC4lKgAWdgiUqcL9QWQ2fBe9-mWMrsCFf-MNq5DTr3kvNd/s320/IMG_0525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lapas - the purpose of our journey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
as i was unfolding and feeling all the fabric, mary was checking out the shoe selection and making sure my bags didn't get too heavy to carry. one of my favourite parts of monrovia is the shop signs that are painted on the outer walls of buildings. i hope to gain more confidence in bringing my camera along to take more photos next time i go to town, but this time i just took some snaps on my phone (which, by the way, have you downloaded the camera+ app yet?! amazing.)</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
after a wander around, we caught more motorcycle taxis on the way back. this time, my driver was a shyster and made us pay too much and since we had two drivers, the second being a honest guy, i paid him the same exorbitant rate that the first demanded before taking my money, refusing to give change, and driving off. i have no idea if he thought he could rip us off because of where he dropped us off, who he was carrying, or just because he was an ass, but neither mary nor i were impressed. we were also nearly melting so we didn't bother too much and came inside to share a can of coke (which is still one of the most refreshing beverages when it is so hot out!).</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBftbUwCDNXm_DmYvNUK4n81DfyxRk7VUEMy5BxaHvJFsS1SZgizKvcsWOxM-LIbEeUR5PEdnSN22-4-eT7PfDfAJbfI2X15XHiY5BFHIeF1CC_XxU2fjuqlzptteV2wjW3mJ3/s1600/IMG_0532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBftbUwCDNXm_DmYvNUK4n81DfyxRk7VUEMy5BxaHvJFsS1SZgizKvcsWOxM-LIbEeUR5PEdnSN22-4-eT7PfDfAJbfI2X15XHiY5BFHIeF1CC_XxU2fjuqlzptteV2wjW3mJ3/s320/IMG_0532.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is what i look like on the back of a motorcycle taxi, <br />
if ever you wondered</td></tr>
</tbody></table>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-52140489300456981272011-12-06T02:49:00.001-07:002011-12-07T02:33:36.337-07:00the week aheadafter my complaining about having a houseguest (who is a marvellous cook, i do admit), i will be spending the next week on my own in the big city of monrovia.<br />
<br />
truth be told, i wish i was also heading out to the field to see more of the country, but instead i will be making the most of my time. i have found a few shops that i want to check out: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Afropolitan/176949449028041">afropolitan</a> and <a href="http://jolahouseliberia.com/">Jola House Creations</a> and i'd like to take a trip to waterfront market to buy some lapas, but am a bit nervous to go alone partly because i have no idea how much anything should cost and partly because i envision it being a cacophonous and seemingly chaotic place. i could be entirely wrong, but may enlist mary's help to navigate it.<br />
<br />
one of the challenges to life in monrovia for me is that there are few options for transportation and i feel as though i can't be as independent as i'd like. we don't have a car, although i recently learned that we could have one if someone had renewed his license (and knew how to drive standard...). the yellow shared taxis that ply the roads are seemingly ubiquitous, but also come with a queue of people ready to fight their way to squeeze into the car doors and i'm not sure how exactly payment or the system works, which will cause me quite a bit of stress. <br />
<br />
there are the motorcycle taxis, driven by young men often with a version of trendy (and sometimes lens-less) sunglasses regardless of the time of day. the un security briefing includes a prohibition against using these, but we tried them out on the weekend and i must admit that it was a much more pleasant way to come home after a day in the city than being stuck to the synthetic seats of a dilapidated taxi. very breezy and rather exhilarating, if not a bit dangerous.<br />
<br />
the typical mode of transportation i use is a car service operated by 5 guys. their cars are not always so reliable, as we found out while we were stuck for an hour this past weekend, but they are very friendly and a great resource about all things liberian. they tend to be available when you call, but it means that you have to hire them for short journeys or by the hour. and when i am in a shop knowing someone is waiting for me, i can't help but rush through my shopping. i think that this is something that i will just have to get used to otherwise i will spend the next few months rushing about and worrying about how long i am taking. the other downside is that if you just want to wander about and catch a taxi home, you can't. i either plan a pick up time or location or call them and hope they are free to collect me when i'm ready.<br />
<br />
after my week of living like a bachelorette again, i will be packing my own bags to head to dar es salaam, tanzania to celebrate christmas on the other coast of africa. let the countdown begin!luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-67802550836981368272011-12-02T03:39:00.001-07:002011-12-02T04:28:44.422-07:00top tips for being a houseguest<ul>
<li>avoid offending your host by rolling your eyes at the mention of the industry she has worked in for the past 3 years.</li>
<li>try to keep your unsolicited information and knowledge on how the sugar releases the chemicals in tomatoes to yourself at the dinner table.</li>
<li>be mindful of how much you are asking the housekeeper to do and in what you are asking your host to communicate to the compound staff on your behalf.</li>
<li>don't let your host know that you approve of her selection in a partner, she likely doesn't care what you think.</li>
<li>don't complain about the bedding or the mattress or the curtains. just don't.</li>
</ul>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-33121456398069756312011-11-29T01:59:00.001-07:002011-11-29T05:09:23.098-07:00early (temporary) retirementi was guilty of asking friends who were not working at home 'what do you do all day?' as though it would be a struggle to fill your days with activities that had to be done and those you wanted to do. i figured that it must be boring not to be busy, a daytimer full of appointments and to do lists, and a social calendar with other people working full time, regular hours.<br />
<br />
and now when people ask me if i get bored without having a full time job or what i do with myself all day, i am sort of surprised because the answer seems so obvious. i read, i lay by the pool, i grocery shop, i visit with our housekeeper, i cook, i play angry birds, i check facebook and twitter, i send emails, i apply for jobs, i go for walks, i edit photos, i go for lunch, i do yoga, i watch tv series i've always wanted to see, i work out, i get massages and pedicures at home. but only for a few moments this past month have i felt bored.<br />
<br />
i have felt some pangs of guilt that i am not working, not being productive, and not building the years and breadth of experience on my cv. but then i reminded myself that people generally spend their entire careers waiting to retire and live the life i am living right now.<br />
<br />
and it won't last. come march, i will likely have to get a job either in liberia or wherever someone will hire me and then i remember what it feels like to squeeze in a run after rushing home from the office or wake up to an alarm everyday or not having time to fit all my friends and family in. i am in no hurry to get back into the regular workforce and a crammed schedule so i am genuinely enjoying my time. i just wish that people understood that when they ask me what i possibly DO all day!<br />
<br />
now if you'll excuse me, i have another episode of Mad Men, the next chapter of The Hunger Games, and a swimming pool all calling my name.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-21688859783837835082011-11-23T02:32:00.001-07:002011-11-24T01:38:22.971-07:00we are frying, oh!i was all ready to declare my first liberian cooking lesson a success and then the boyfriend had to go and get sick after eating what my housekeeper and i cooked up. but i have felt fine ever since so i am still going with the idea that it was a success, but i might include a disclaimer in all future kitchen endeavours.<br />
<br />
it is not that i can't cook, i just have no idea what to do with all the greens in the market here. and i can still count the number of times i have cooked chicken on one hand (three, if you are wondering). but i am getting better at eating it (it was served a lot on my recent trip to morocco), so there's that.<br />
<br />
mary, my housekeeper extraordinaire (and you will recall, currently my closest friend in monrovia) wanted to teach me to cook and had offered to go and buy what we needed at the market. i figured it was a good opportunity to get a tour of the market so i asked if i could come with her, which she thought was a grand idea and off we went.<br />
<br />
i thought our project would be cut short immediately after leaving my house and seeing the opposition party march going down the main street in protest of the recent elections and to mourn their dead from clashes with police a few weeks ago. i looked at mary as if to inquire on the security of us wandering through the hundreds of people and she, a proud ma ellen supporter, didn't seem concerned so on we carried on amongst the chanting and yelling and shuffling throngs. in fact, mary thought it might be a good photo opportunity, but i am still shy about whipping out my camera (slr or iphone).<br />
<br />
the market is a huge building jammed with stuff and things and bits and bobs. in amongst the kitchen items, there is a small produce section. here are your choices: palm nuts, cassava leaf, potato leaf, collared greens, yams, onions, garlic, banana, plantain. none of which i know what to do with.<br />
<br />
mary and i had previously agreed that she'd teach me how to make collared greens so that is what we bought and had the woman in the market cut them up small, small for us with her giant (and incredibly sharp) knife.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU7YnqbUaEPXkrQT2AsH6VDp9MOUkfglIQURzL717Aj43LQP0QgZAPf2MNj-P-AQTOclCQShWYUVJ_44jbAO2ZahOhTIrFGRpj3SzcG8EjMCTi0iYHVLVmm_CcGGxPhNpam5n/s1600/IMG_0486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU7YnqbUaEPXkrQT2AsH6VDp9MOUkfglIQURzL717Aj43LQP0QgZAPf2MNj-P-AQTOclCQShWYUVJ_44jbAO2ZahOhTIrFGRpj3SzcG8EjMCTi0iYHVLVmm_CcGGxPhNpam5n/s320/IMG_0486.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
after picking up some seasoning, a basin to wash and massage the greens, and onions, we headed back home where mary unceremoniously butchered a frozen chicken on my countertop. i noticed she kept all the trimmings to take home with her, but otherwise all the chicken bits when into the oil. my job was to watch her and ask questions and take photos (often at her request).<br />
<br />
we fried the chicken with some onion and added the greens into the pot while mary sang 'we are frying, oh!' in went the seasoning, tomato paste, chiles and then i manned the greens with instructions from mary not to stir too much and add water occasionally. she got on with making the rice and soon, our meal was complete.<br />
<br />
it tasted better than any west african food i have had before and it received positive reviews (apart from the upset stomach...) and was a fun process. next up, a field trip with mary to the larger market in town.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-1498005096837620742011-11-17T01:03:00.001-07:002011-11-17T05:52:03.436-07:00home sweet home in monroviaremember that deal i made with <a href="http://moreadventurous.com/">kelsey</a>? well, i am really crapping out on it, aren't it?<br />
<br />
and it is not that i have any wonderful excuses as i am not working a regular job, have more free time than i've had in years, and have had literally thousands of thoughts about life in liberia that i have wanted to share.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmDqHllzv0Roi427vDR8OqQZ9H3RSXb3z5D7LyI98XDOWAUt-OHicXob-O53HjfIJae41pHjohcv8Obgbu73PIiEtvYNbACoGw3dWDmQMG1SQ0dE3W221Usq0ZyqbzEB3utgq/s1600/IMG_0468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmDqHllzv0Roi427vDR8OqQZ9H3RSXb3z5D7LyI98XDOWAUt-OHicXob-O53HjfIJae41pHjohcv8Obgbu73PIiEtvYNbACoGw3dWDmQMG1SQ0dE3W221Usq0ZyqbzEB3utgq/s320/IMG_0468.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from my bedroom window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
i arrived about a month ago and was warmly welcomed into my new home that overlooks the atlantic ocean. it is a furnished house, meaning it comes with the basics and all the necessary furniture, but little else. not much on the walls or in the cupboards, but after a few shorts weeks, it does feel like home.<br />
<br />
and you can't beat opening your balcony doors in your bedroom to hear the sound of the waves crashing.<br />
<br />
waves crashing so hard that i actually cannot swim in the ocean near my house, but yoga in my makeshift hot yoga studio (aka my balcony) is wonderful with the background noises of the sea.<br />
<br />
we have a housekeeper who is slowly becoming my closest friend in liberia and i know this isn't exactly how this relationship should go, but it is nice to have company during the days and she is happy to answer all my questions about life in monrovia. for instance: how do i break a $100 dollar bill? (go to the forex and ask for 'pieces'), where do i find towels in the shops? (the big shop in town has them, it's called Abijala), how do i replace our empty cooking gas canister (give $45 to the groundskeeper and 5LD (liberian dollars) for a motorcar and he'll get it for you).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjO9k2yZuy3f-ahWwSvkLRHcgWEr5POCW0GOFEo6KrJDg5duqBjq5GLaH83bSj562PNy1xFB8n01whpUWlBWL8X9_8KXvM3nao2kTK1x0q13wxcG7uT4AjgfxPyX39Ce2feXkO/s1600/IMG_0482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjO9k2yZuy3f-ahWwSvkLRHcgWEr5POCW0GOFEo6KrJDg5duqBjq5GLaH83bSj562PNy1xFB8n01whpUWlBWL8X9_8KXvM3nao2kTK1x0q13wxcG7uT4AjgfxPyX39Ce2feXkO/s320/IMG_0482.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
she was also a wealth of information during the violence that broke out during an opposition party protest a few days before the run off election was held, which was peaceful in the end even if boycotted by the opposition that was crying foul (and also knew they would lose).<br />
<br />
before i left calgary, i was worried that i would be bored and wouldn't have anything to fill my days. i seem to have been wrong and manage to have a growing To Do list on the go as well as very few moments where i am not sure what to do with myself.<br />
<br />
i do have work that needs to be completed from a contract i still have from home and i have been enjoying jumping back into the world of research with it. but otherwise i have been reading books, working out, playing far too much angry birds than is healthy, stocking the fridge and cupboards, reading the internet and sending emails, and utilising the incredibly affordable long distance calling to call friends and family in canada (seriously, i have put $70 on my phone and have made at least 5 calls lasting longer than an hour each and still have $50 left in my account - if liberia can figure out affordable long distance overseas, why oh why can't canada?!).<br />
<br />
and, as promised, i will be spending more time writing (hopefully in a coherent manner) about my impressions of my newest home to post here.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL8eS_QD-IqGm8WvHx-w_IyEAipm-0X5bMqhaqnVWJlrXM0vxCAz7RIFOOg4oUUNqgjKk0HbgW-_trEDmq2TUv0D_DKs2hDMOSRFFaG8T3U8CDevlKUbTxGGbkqYzNZ9e_FJd/s1600/IMG_0477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL8eS_QD-IqGm8WvHx-w_IyEAipm-0X5bMqhaqnVWJlrXM0vxCAz7RIFOOg4oUUNqgjKk0HbgW-_trEDmq2TUv0D_DKs2hDMOSRFFaG8T3U8CDevlKUbTxGGbkqYzNZ9e_FJd/s320/IMG_0477.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">how i spend some afternoons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-67236101427423292802011-10-09T20:59:00.001-06:002011-10-09T20:59:40.692-06:00a lot to processi am just going to ease back into this blogging thing. even though i HAVE made a deal to blog twice weekly.<br />
<br />
and not that i haven't had about a thousand ideas of stuff to write about as i prepare to pick up my life and relocate to monrovia, liberia in 1 short week.<br />
<br />
but baby steps.<br />
<br />
and today those baby steps revolve around my panic that air canada's flight attendants have decided to strike as of this thursday. the first legs of my journey are with air canada so here i am on thanksgiving sunday worrying that i might not be able to get to monrovia. and this is all complicated with the fact that only 3 days after i arrive, i am booked on a non-refundable flight to casablanca, morocco. eesh.<br />
<br />
and this comes at a time where i am struggling with so many conflicting emotions. i suppose that it goes without saying that leaving your hometown (again), your job, your house, and your network and friends and family, is tough. the goodbyes, the realization that i will miss months, if not years, of my new niece's life, and knowing that i am leaving a vibrant social network is sad.<br />
<br />
this is tempered with the excitement i have for moving to a new country, a new city, and a new house that promises to bring adventure and hold a bright future. i am thrilled to be able to enjoy a holiday to morocco, christmas in tanzania, and daily life in a city that will certainly mystify, confound, and surprise me in equal measure. i was ready for a change, as evidenced by my moaning for months about figuring out what i want to be when i grow up, and here it is. it just happens to come with a lot of thoughts, feelings, and stress. but then again, if it were easy, everyone would do it. and if it weren't a challenge, i probably wouldn't be interested.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-44025091534299628252011-09-25T18:10:00.005-06:002011-09-25T18:41:47.109-06:00csr, what is it good for?absolutely nothing? not quite.<br />
<br />
i come at this topic from a potentially unique perspective - i have an academic and professional background in international development, but have spent the last 3 years working in the field that can broadly be described as corporate social responsibility (csr) with an oil and gas company. and i have to say, the two worlds are not as far apart as one would think.<br />
<br />
the last few years have certainly taught me that csr, like development and humanitarian aid, is a diverse field with some fantastic ideas and programmes and a whole lot of crappy ideas and a handful of people who think CSR IS GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD.<br />
<br />
while i certainly don't see the pillars of a good csr strategy as a panacea to the world's problems, i don't think that for-profit organisations are anything to be feared and can 'do good' while also making money.<br />
<br />
and here's a few ways: demanding clean supply chains, hiring local people and contractors, investing in local talent development, supporting established organisations through donations and sponsorships (commonly called 'community investment'), ensuring a safe and healthy worksite for current employees, and minimising the amount of environmental damage or degradation its operations cause.<br />
<br />
to be clear, i don't think that a company does, or necessarily should, do these things out of the goodness of their hearts. i think there are a lot of intrinsic motivators for businesses to implement effective csr strategies, including enhancing local services and recreation to attract the best staff. to improve the talent pool from which they will draw now and in the future (essentially, capacity building in the development sense) by supporting education facilities and programmes. to improve value for their shareholders (however value is described) by demonstrating they are a sustainable enterprise. to build morale within the companies and appealing to their staff who want to work at a responsible company.<br />
<br />
true, companies can leverage their csr initiatives for marketing and to build their reputation with potential customers, and those motivations all seem relatively clear, but i think that csr is too often written off because this is seen as its only purpose.<br />
<br />
csr can be done horribly wrong and i would argue, some companies who think they should get into the world of csr don't think strategically or consider it a professional field that comes with years of research, analysis, successes, and failures. too often, a seemingly 'good cause' is supported through writing a giant cheque or volunteers are sent out for the photo opportunity, with little concern for what impact (positive, negative, or null) it will have.<br />
<br />
in fact, the company that i work for has a csr situation gone sideways. they wanted to improve water and sanitation in a community where they operate and figured they could work with a un agency (because if csr can't save the world, the un will!). their intentions, unsurprisingly, were good and everyone had that warm, fuzzy feeling that doesn't come often for a bunch of engineers working in an extractive industry. <br />
<br />
but those good intentions were not enough. the project is years overdue, has suffered from high-level turnover at both organisations, and has not had the intended positive effects that everyone had hoped. in hindsight, i think they realise they bit off more than they could chew and were ill informed with how the un functions (or does not) and what happens when you improve social services in one village and not the rest (surprise, people migrate!). <br />
<br />
and why? because in this case, the company is not an expert in water and sanitation projects in this particular country. had they hired someone who was, they may have found that in this case, writing a giant cheque would've been more beneficial.<br />
<br />
in other words, csr decisions and strategies should be taken seriously and addressed by professionals, not just those who want to go home from work feeling good (which is similar to Milton Friedman's argument that a business behaves ethically by turning a profit), but often are not seen as important enough to dedicate sufficient people and resources. csr costs companies money, it does not earn companies money. and i think that as long as that is understood and accepted, csr initiatives have a better chance at success.<br />
<br />
and writing this is incredibly self serving as i find myself at a crossroads where i could continue on the csr career path or i could turn back to the world i once knew and work internationally with a humanitarian/development programme. i am not convinced that either will be a perfect fit for me and each comes with challenges and frustrations, but i do believe there is a role for each in meaningful and effective socioeconomic development and humanitarian aid, internationally and locally.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-72816212806888432342011-09-21T16:16:00.000-06:002011-09-21T16:16:33.781-06:00watch this space (and that one over there, too)it appears that my return to blogging has coincided nicely with a new initiative of j at <a href="http://talesfromethehood.com/">tales from the hood</a> (a blog that you should be reading if you want to learn anything about international development and humanitarian aid). check out the details of his <a href="http://talesfromethehood.com/2011/09/19/the-forum-of-aid-bloggers-corporate-social-responsibility/">Aid Blog Forum</a> and participate if you have anything to say.<br />
<br />
the first topic up for discussion is Corporate Social Responsibility. this also happens to be the field i have been working in for 3 years so i am just working through some thoughts in hopes of coming up with something coherent. by tomorrow because there is also a DEADLINE. and if you want to get my to do anything, the way forward is to give me a DEADLINE so i can procrastinate my way towards it and ultimately, get it done.<br />
<br />
also, i am really sick of looking at this blog's design and am sort of sick of having the word 'blogspot' in its title. must think on that too.<br />
<br />
(seems my return to blogging has taken the <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/One-Cares-What-You-Lunch/dp/032144972X">'then i had a pb&j sandwich for lunch and then i had a really hot coffee and then...'</a> format. will work on that.)luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-79249098818625003472011-09-18T20:19:00.000-06:002011-09-18T20:19:33.679-06:00um, hiso, it's been awhile.<br />
<br />
not quite sure why, really. i just didn't have it in me to write and i was generally sick of listening to myself go on about 'i don't know what i should be doing,' 'i wish i knew what to do with my life,' or 'i sure hope i figure out the next step soon.'<br />
<br />
now, i wouldn't say that i have quite figured out the answers to any of those questions, but i have made a pact to write twice a week.<br />
<br />
and well, i am moving to liberia without a job, so i have this suspicion that i might have extra time on my hands for doing things like writing.<br />
<br />
this return to the blogging world means that i will also be reading more blogs too, which i am equally as excited about!luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-631677702004133702011-04-01T15:39:00.000-06:002011-04-01T15:39:34.859-06:00a review or two<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">(march 28, 2011)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">everyone had been raving about the young singing sensation Adele since her recent album, 21, came out so when i inadvertently purchased it from itunes (i still don’t really know how i managed that), i wasn’t disappointed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">but after a few listen throughs and i am not sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it is enjoyable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>i love the song Someone Like You, which is heart wrenchingly sad and exactly what i like in my music, but the rest of the album is a little lacklustre.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>nevermind, i’ll find someone like you.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>i wish nothing but the best for you too</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>don’t forget me, I beg</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>i remember you said</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>sometimes it lasts in love</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>but sometimes it hurts instead</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">eesh, i do love me a sad lyric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and you might recognize the tune from last week’s episode of grey’s anatomy (sidebar: i am totally up in the air about how i feel about that ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>really, you are going to tell me that callie might float above the rest of the cast for an entire show while we wait to find out if she is dead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we’ve been here with meredith and of course, she lives.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">another album i bought recently, after seeing her perform live when she recently opened for Joshua Radin and (no The) Cary Brothers is Laura Jansen’s Bells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>she was an amazing live performer, just her and a piano and the most delicate songs gave me goose pimples.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">her album is also in the range of medium, but i do love her cover of Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody and i will always remember her telling the story of cutting her own hair after breaking up with a ‘douche bag’ on christmas when i listen to her song Single Girls (which, coincidentally, is awesome).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">a band that is making me get up and move lately is Miike Snow, a swedish group that is great to put on your running tunes playlist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>i have been listening to their self titled album over a glass of wine if i am heading out for a night on the town because it makes me smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>i have no idea how this album came to me, but my favs on it are Burial, Animal, Cult Logic, and Black and Blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>awesome.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">and as i mentioned, i saw Joshua Radin and Cary Brothers in concert (at the century casino, formerly known as the silver dollar action centre, of all places on a sunday afternoon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did my homework and listened to both the singer songwriters’ stuff beforehand and have become more obsessed since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there’s never been anything that compares to listening to men sing about heartbreak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and as i announced to the twitter world (or twitterverse, as it pains me to write) the whole evening made me want to fall in love and break up over and over again because they made it sound so wonderfully bittersweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>my favourite Joshua Radin songs are No Envy No Fear, One of Those Days, the most romantical song Today, which he sang for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia di Rossi’s wedding, and You Got Growing Up to Do, which could regularly bring tears to my eyes if i let it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>wake up lonely with you by my side</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>what i’d give for that first night you were mine</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>i don’t belong to you</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">as for Cary Brothers, I wholeheartedly recommend Belong as another soul draining song of broken love (wake up lonely with you by my side…what i’d give for that first night when you were mine… i don’t belong to you), the upbeat Ride, Honestly, and another for the running play list, The Last One, Break Off the Bough, and Someday.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">i have also given a thorough listen to the newest Arcade Fire album, Suburbs, recently and i do believe that it deserves all the accolades it received at this past weekend’s Juno awards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>those dudes continue to rock.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">and with all these amazing artists, life is just too damn short to waste listening to bad music.</div><!--EndFragment-->luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-39380793078389398952011-03-28T15:21:00.000-06:002011-03-28T15:21:18.060-06:00vote compassi am sure there will be detractors somewhere that will say that this is unscientific or overly simplified, but i think that the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/votecompass/">vote compass on the cbc website</a> is one of many tools that we can use during this election season to figure out who we are going to vote for. if we didn't know before.<br />
<br />
i did the questionnaire and wasn't terribly surprised with the results, but what i loved was that you can go through your answers and see where you compare to each of the 5 federal political parties.<br />
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there were a few of the questions that i had no opinion on and a few that would have more weight in my final decision, but i think that this is a great tool, especially if you are wondering who will get your vote this may!<br />
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let's get voting!luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-24685625237374446822011-03-27T22:17:00.000-06:002011-03-27T22:17:22.656-06:00getting serious?not sure what my <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/horoscopes/march-28-your-daily-horoscope/article1955323/">globe and mail horoscope</a> refers to, apart from the person i am semi-stalking on twitter!<br />
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<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font: normal normal normal 12px/1.5 Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19):</strong></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font: normal normal normal 12px/1.5 Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You seem unable to decide whether to get serious about a relationship or whether to keep it at arm’s length. You will have to decide one way or the other by the end of the week, but for now just keep thinking.</div>luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-56610938251984240842011-03-20T22:26:00.001-06:002011-03-20T22:28:31.619-06:00what a weekendwith weekends like the past two i have had in calgary, i could be convinced never to leave the city.<br />
<br />
my weekend started a little early with a shopping trip that ended with new sweaters, a dress i can wear to a stampede festivity this july, tights that remind me eerily of my figure skating days, new fashionable belts, a few little things for my future niece, and a feather for my hair.<br />
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i got to try out the new <a href="http://kol3restaurant.com/">kol3</a> in kensington for vietnamese crepes and iced coffees with a good friend i met through my current job. and we followed it up with a cold beer at <a href="http://mollymalones.ca/">molly malone</a>'s to continue our conversation about all things relationships, career directions, house shopping, women's rights, office gossip... not sure that we solved the world's problems, but we certainly had a great time catching up.<br />
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saturday morning was chillier than i had hoped, with spring shyly poking its head around the corner this past week, so after running back into my house to add a layer, i headed out for a lovely morning run. even though there was some pesky ice on the pathways, i had a great run paired with non-stop chatting with a dear friend facing some pretty daunting challenges at the moment. more listening than talking on my part, but that was just fine.<br />
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i headed out to my neighbourhood pub on saturday evening with a new chum from work to see a local band play. the band was pretty medium, but the company and laughs were pretty awesome. getting a taxi home at the end of the night when the snow started falling, not so awesome.<br />
<br />
and today, a day of phone calls and catching up with friends far away and family nearby was followed by some comfort cooking. after stirring and stirring and adding and adding liquid, i created a most delicious risotto paired with homemade pesto that i whipped up in my food processor (without cutting my finger this time). i needed some time in the kitchen to relax and forget momentarily about the state of the world, which was weighing heavily on my shoulders after following the stories of cote d'ivoire, japan, libya, yemen, bahrain, and haiti on twitter and the news this past week. sometimes having a constant stream of information can work against your sanity and sense of contentment and if there is a silver lining in this cloud it is that i am getting better at recognising when that is happening to me so i can take a step back. and that is what i did tonight with fantastic results and a lot of leftovers!<br />
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the need for distance and perspective is at the heart of my intentions in giving up impatience for lent. it has been a good practice thus far and i have not only recognised when i begin to get antsy or worrisome about my future, but have reminded myself not to allow that anxiety to creep in and that if i really want to worry, i can do it in a few short weeks. reshaping my thinking around my future and how i can get so anxious about it has also helped me appreciate what i do have. the grass might be greener for me elsewhere, but it is pretty damn green where i am right now as well. and having a weekend full of pretty wonderful friends is part of that.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-78169575949948022862011-03-14T00:15:00.002-06:002011-03-14T00:24:27.519-06:00wherein i use a few capsever since i woke up on january 1, 2011, i have felt a change a'coming. i have no idea what it will be nor when it will come, but i feel ready for it.<br />
<br />
going to new york inspired me to get my arse in gear to get out into the world again and find something else to to for a little while. to not be afraid to leave the comforts of my home town again and to explore a little more, knowing that there is a whole lot of awesome to come home to anytime i choose. the beauty of an economy fuelled by a commodity-driven industry that is on the up once again, i suppose.<br />
<br />
i cleaned out my closets, giving away a bunch of stuff and consigning some others (wherein i chose not to consign my clothes at one shop because they give all the unsold merchandise to an 'orphanage in africa' and couldn't answer me which of the 50+ countries they were referring to nor why they made the orphanage pay for the shipping of the clothes to their magical unnamable part of the continent). i updated my vaccines, passing out in the process, so that if i feed the urge to up and leave to a yellow feverish place, i will be covered (in fact, the reason i am up right now, even though it is midnight and i have a week full of early morning and it is the day of the year that daylight savings kicks your ass is because i forgot i have to take a live typhoid vaccine on an empty stomach and well, my stomach is not empty.<br />
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i have also decided to give up impatience and self doubt for lent. yes, i know this is not in the typical spirit of lent, but i needed a time frame and well, it was conveniently timely (is saying conveniently timely redundant??). i am reminding myself that everything has worked out thus far and will continue to do so, in a time frame that is never going to end or stop and as i have always said, there is no finish line and the whole success is not a destination thing (i think you can find some lame quote from me on the interwebs about that, actually).<br />
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i am trying to remember that an opportunity will come my way. no sense in worrying or fretting that time is passing me by (I AM GETTING OLDER, OH MY GOD, I AM BEHIND... you get the idea). if the past two years are any indication, opportunities find me and i do my best to put myself right in their path as best i can. i feel as though i have done that now and so now i just wait.<br />
<br />
but waiting is not so bad. last week i braved the -20* temperatures and went to the joshua radin, cary brothers, laura jansen show and it was amazing. as i said on twitter, it made me want to fall in love and break up again and again. well, not really, but they sure did make it sound poetic and romantic and wonderful and heart wrenching. and a concert at the former silver dollar action centre? not so bad, especially if you like a little greasy pizza with your handsome singer/songwriters.<br />
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i followed that up with so many pints, breakfasts, coffees, and dinners with so many inspiring, intelligent, and hilarious people this past week that i was pleasantly reminded that i am surrounded by a community of people and i have a few greatest fans out there, which is always a nice boost to the confidence.<br />
<br />
oh, and i ate at <a href="http://www.boxwoodcafe.ca/">boxwood</a>, which was a chorizon/polenta delight, had breakfast at <a href="http://www.calgaryrestaurants.com/wakebistro">wake</a> in kensington, where they brew a strong cup of coffee and make mean eggs benedict, and had a perfectly poured latte at <a href="http://www.vendomecafe.com/">vendome cafe</a>. so if you are in the city, go try those newcomers to the ever expanding culinary/coffeehouse scene around these parts.luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-46385988060896450682011-03-07T21:33:00.000-07:002011-03-07T21:33:20.431-07:00ready for thisapart from a really kick ass trip to an amazing city, my visit to new york was actually for another reason entirely and i just appended my own fun to the end of a 5 day training session. as these things often do, it certainly had its ups and its downs, but my overall impression was a positive one and i felt that i walked away with practical skills and a pocket full of contacts that could potentially be helpful for future professional gigs.<br />
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i prepared myself before going that i would likely be the odd one out, the one who is not currently based 'in the field' and who doesn't have scathes of emergency experience, but has been selected just like everyone else to attend. surprisingly, this didn't feel like an impediment throughout the time and i am not sure if that was because i was ready for it, i am more confident now than when i was last in one of these situations, or the other participants and facilitators weren't dickheads. i think it was a little from columns a, b and c.<br />
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the best part of it all was that at a few different points, i thought to myself, i can do this. and not only can i do this, i think i could do it well. as someone who regularly battles with self doubt, internal criticisms, obsessive thinking, and anxiety, this was good, very good.<br />
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the best part of the entire experience was a few days after it finished and i was wandering my way around new york city (rather than long island, where we had been holed up for the training), when i got an email telling me that i was an asset to the training and asking if i was interested in potential positions that could come up. with a resounding yes, i politely responded and there was a little back and forth. i suspect it all comes down to waiting on funding, but i was happy to be considered after what felt like a 5 day job interview. i guess i passed.<br />
<br />
but. of course there is a but! but, now i haven't head for a few weeks and i am terrified that all this momentum is going to come to a screeching halt and i will be Stuck. with a capital S. and that is the terrifying part. i have spent the better part of the past 2 years rebuilding, settling and repairing. and now i am ready to head back out into the big, bad world.<br />
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last year i thought that i wasn't strong enough or interested enough or something enough to start again in a new city or a new country alone. for a long time, i had in my head that i would only ever being doing that with someone. well, that someone isn't around and hasn't been for a few years now, but it took me awhile to feel strong enough and excited enough to uproot again and start a new job and build a new life in a new place. and now that i feel that i am there, i am scared that an opportunity is not going to come my way. i will keep applying for things that interest me, but the anxiety is creeping in.<br />
<br />
and this after i had some serious conversations with myself about what i would be giving up if i left calgary now. the stability, the money, the closeness with my family, the familiarity, the nest... and although i am still not sure how i would manage all that change, i feel like i would figure it out. but now i just need the opportunity to allow me the chance to figure it out.<br />
<br />
eesh.<br />
<br />
and there you have it, interwebs, that is what has been on my mind for the past few weeks since returning from new york. i needed a shake up, but i am also feeling impatient and just want to get on with things now that i have made a decision. so, universe, are you listening?luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18252373.post-82241565955376515022011-03-07T20:55:00.005-07:002011-03-07T21:09:46.850-07:00a nyc successhello internet!<br />
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yes, i am still around and apparently still have a blog. i have been spending a lot of my internetting time on twitter lately, so if you haven't already found me there, go on and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/thingsiknow">do it now</a>. it feels a bit like the lazy person's blog, but i also sort of love it, especially as i had been on a bit of a soap box with all my sharing links and it is a great platform for that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZ_agi_7ZFdA_qyDAHyH0tEatm7iIlL127I9JsHWbS6O_JuGVrx-Ggvy5TROycc6cm_3tUDj3kIa7lsxvO9QQMdAX7waNwi0Oirm3b6rBb6KHSdSjBYDqncen6tT-LB_giUx4/s1600/IMG_9576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZ_agi_7ZFdA_qyDAHyH0tEatm7iIlL127I9JsHWbS6O_JuGVrx-Ggvy5TROycc6cm_3tUDj3kIa7lsxvO9QQMdAX7waNwi0Oirm3b6rBb6KHSdSjBYDqncen6tT-LB_giUx4/s200/IMG_9576.jpg" width="133" /></a>let's get back to that trip i took to new york city though. and how amazing it was. i felt quite at home in a way, in a city where it seems everyone belongs, which i hadn't felt in some time. and i just enjoyed it. the along time to sit and think and walk and think and just be and think was much needed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBODcELVVSpGizzIXJzXHDispm5kmMb1rl_o4lT7lvuRWVAsHxo30GiOGS3reLpojvnXZjmv2GpxUDQey_kYKJOlRvWqayByj8W6LyxdizJDblLvmunqxjRB-Z__ymKGdd8iBi/s1600/IMG_9605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBODcELVVSpGizzIXJzXHDispm5kmMb1rl_o4lT7lvuRWVAsHxo30GiOGS3reLpojvnXZjmv2GpxUDQey_kYKJOlRvWqayByj8W6LyxdizJDblLvmunqxjRB-Z__ymKGdd8iBi/s1600/IMG_9605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBODcELVVSpGizzIXJzXHDispm5kmMb1rl_o4lT7lvuRWVAsHxo30GiOGS3reLpojvnXZjmv2GpxUDQey_kYKJOlRvWqayByj8W6LyxdizJDblLvmunqxjRB-Z__ymKGdd8iBi/s1600/IMG_9605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBODcELVVSpGizzIXJzXHDispm5kmMb1rl_o4lT7lvuRWVAsHxo30GiOGS3reLpojvnXZjmv2GpxUDQey_kYKJOlRvWqayByj8W6LyxdizJDblLvmunqxjRB-Z__ymKGdd8iBi/s200/IMG_9605.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBODcELVVSpGizzIXJzXHDispm5kmMb1rl_o4lT7lvuRWVAsHxo30GiOGS3reLpojvnXZjmv2GpxUDQey_kYKJOlRvWqayByj8W6LyxdizJDblLvmunqxjRB-Z__ymKGdd8iBi/s1600/IMG_9605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBODcELVVSpGizzIXJzXHDispm5kmMb1rl_o4lT7lvuRWVAsHxo30GiOGS3reLpojvnXZjmv2GpxUDQey_kYKJOlRvWqayByj8W6LyxdizJDblLvmunqxjRB-Z__ymKGdd8iBi/s1600/IMG_9605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">it was a little chilly for me, but i managed to bundle up and hit the pavement. i did a few touristy things that i suppose someone out there would say that you 'have to do' like the</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/"></a></span><a href="http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">top of the rock</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">, which was over priced, but did offer a good view of the city at sunset. one of my favourite things was the </span><a href="http://www.foodsofny.com/greenwichvillage.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">greenwich village food tour</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> operated by foods of new york. not only delicious, but really interesting and well worth the money. i also went on a walking tour with the </span><a href="http://www.leshp.org/tours/tour-descriptions/54-east-village-walking-tour"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">lower east side history project</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">, also fascinating. and it all was made more relevant because, like the dork i am, i was reading the historical fiction creatively titled </span><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/New-York-Novel-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0385664273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299556004&sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">new york</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> that covered the various periods of the city and historical events that shaped the city and its communities. a good historical account of the city, if not a little long.</span></div></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAaZUYXI77Xd6HfiZKP7wxUNum2uDhAYiEXoaZMH0OMJZ7Ebj3Lhx_lLG38KjhHJ7pHpf8kG9XptvC5m4JDmEc-pjfe7SO7cM0UfzXpTL6pgRI8CnBnIRls3w7WYWwvKN66tx/s1600/IMG_9293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAaZUYXI77Xd6HfiZKP7wxUNum2uDhAYiEXoaZMH0OMJZ7Ebj3Lhx_lLG38KjhHJ7pHpf8kG9XptvC5m4JDmEc-pjfe7SO7cM0UfzXpTL6pgRI8CnBnIRls3w7WYWwvKN66tx/s200/IMG_9293.jpg" width="200" /></a>i also had the opportunity to meet up with friends and friends (and in one case, an ex girlfriend of a friend) and although it could have felt like an awkward blind date, each of the three women i met up with for a day of sightseeing and photo-adventuring, coffee in midtown, or dinner and drinks in the village were absolutely delightful. it was with these awesome canadians abroad that i rode the<a href="http://www.siferry.com/"> staten island ferry</a> to see the statue of liberty (she's so tiny!), got the perspective of a student and a lawyer working in the city, and ate at the most delightful french bistro whose name i have forgotten, but really wanted to link so i will try and recall it in the coming days and update this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzX3inIg_vOgcVZjsdYivMakKEQktTEJMOBIrGsuap7Swwppv7zQ6FHT3A0qbzL39VSsC5DsCeo-RRHAmcjkDR48g-rMtE-eyNMFk56sBP7cNfulPbG-i1l2sgzNLQfIobd-j/s1600/street+meat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzX3inIg_vOgcVZjsdYivMakKEQktTEJMOBIrGsuap7Swwppv7zQ6FHT3A0qbzL39VSsC5DsCeo-RRHAmcjkDR48g-rMtE-eyNMFk56sBP7cNfulPbG-i1l2sgzNLQfIobd-j/s200/street+meat.jpg" width="133" /></a>new york is certainly a place that i could imagine living one day and one that was not nearly as intimidating as i had thought it would be. i even made friends with an eye doctor and his staff as we bonded over the edmonton oilers (even though i am decidedly not a fan and he certainly is) and got a brand new pair of specs that just arrived in the mail last week.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxUbO7t9cOAHc_xAuVAO8LVUnPA-MBobtbTOk6SFm8BeXhtEugGtUGJz1cNcNec0hF-eldtnnAH8tKHJdkbpUMqEJIMNku3Dl3TJcbIQ9UQkQcSdGn-l5JkWgOhmJIzgzV9Jg/s1600/IMG_9367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxUbO7t9cOAHc_xAuVAO8LVUnPA-MBobtbTOk6SFm8BeXhtEugGtUGJz1cNcNec0hF-eldtnnAH8tKHJdkbpUMqEJIMNku3Dl3TJcbIQ9UQkQcSdGn-l5JkWgOhmJIzgzV9Jg/s200/IMG_9367.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89ZH195kIDtqP-pVJgWY83bRXHqdwaIARVPIhqoluwTSFSA6H0dTTLBHKQXs8JUjdKEPXO4PSId1wt4sKUXtCrJxU4zTKi0pJNNEkdocqOmVFDjzGLTEjwbF5zFCAFzrUQZ2P/s1600/IMG_9332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89ZH195kIDtqP-pVJgWY83bRXHqdwaIARVPIhqoluwTSFSA6H0dTTLBHKQXs8JUjdKEPXO4PSId1wt4sKUXtCrJxU4zTKi0pJNNEkdocqOmVFDjzGLTEjwbF5zFCAFzrUQZ2P/s200/IMG_9332.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlpTz3ZvPh1P3AbwMxVSLv96kKokahRhIRkPXUDpOIteVnLwUyDc2TX4ACbeiL_ZTbqLTwerBzIW4yxp4FbERzY1jltuuYIxVr3YLruPcj6aIsbTwz7eumlzPdJ8zOmUPGLHH/s1600/IMG_9375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlpTz3ZvPh1P3AbwMxVSLv96kKokahRhIRkPXUDpOIteVnLwUyDc2TX4ACbeiL_ZTbqLTwerBzIW4yxp4FbERzY1jltuuYIxVr3YLruPcj6aIsbTwz7eumlzPdJ8zOmUPGLHH/s200/IMG_9375.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ucYnTrQrXo5_uR3XfH-7c-aiVmIkbE9e5DkZXp6q6E9eZNJT9hHazhgYoVaGoydQjS9o3MplBHfFuQz585cKsxGupUNLlX5eHt-8dUrJjez3X1nqbTTlQHyW2_MuCXSiQq0w/s1600/IMG_9431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ucYnTrQrXo5_uR3XfH-7c-aiVmIkbE9e5DkZXp6q6E9eZNJT9hHazhgYoVaGoydQjS9o3MplBHfFuQz585cKsxGupUNLlX5eHt-8dUrJjez3X1nqbTTlQHyW2_MuCXSiQq0w/s200/IMG_9431.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaP2I15WQdyymG-eCm3OTenAdvTw7R5BglclFYZrdLMbEpgFzZjgPuGlPiyj4kt1fj1efS25ExcN6KMBsEY5XYlFDpcMGnZ5nM9UszrI87CZBY53oHYb60kgd5hRbgamxC1JF/s1600/IMG_9444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaP2I15WQdyymG-eCm3OTenAdvTw7R5BglclFYZrdLMbEpgFzZjgPuGlPiyj4kt1fj1efS25ExcN6KMBsEY5XYlFDpcMGnZ5nM9UszrI87CZBY53oHYb60kgd5hRbgamxC1JF/s200/IMG_9444.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZZLOlnBVuINUkEH8K5hgq9OEDeYIuHbJcBjCzO4Zt_7C-YfMmi1-_8o2-7tbAHqRb1YPX7PvtwU0C6nl5ScYa-kRGDKiJOLJlHh-IJnnoa2oldOrNcCTDp9RU8JveJysTUua/s1600/IMG_9506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZZLOlnBVuINUkEH8K5hgq9OEDeYIuHbJcBjCzO4Zt_7C-YfMmi1-_8o2-7tbAHqRb1YPX7PvtwU0C6nl5ScYa-kRGDKiJOLJlHh-IJnnoa2oldOrNcCTDp9RU8JveJysTUua/s200/IMG_9506.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XN5-7b9k9umFudlzpG5Cx8jLDOvr7xK2hzxq1__4PZraMylv35K4hAsYx-7ikUTtf6xAXHBnsrb24Ku5OVU7w-uqv_bIufxNnveve8RFIaRyN6qUAsXb3pMHWZt0FQ8PRbw6/s1600/IMG_9626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XN5-7b9k9umFudlzpG5Cx8jLDOvr7xK2hzxq1__4PZraMylv35K4hAsYx-7ikUTtf6xAXHBnsrb24Ku5OVU7w-uqv_bIufxNnveve8RFIaRyN6qUAsXb3pMHWZt0FQ8PRbw6/s200/IMG_9626.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>my apologies for the disjointed post, but i wanted to have some sort of documentation that i in fact did go to new york, did love it, and can't wait to go back.<br />
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and here i had hoped blogger would've made it easier to upload and format photos, sheesh. they are all over the place!luhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623389405478450863noreply@blogger.com1