floating

why oh why can blogger not remedy their photo uploading issues so i can post this nicely formatted with photos prettily placed throughout the text?

moving on...

hot air ballooning is amazing. i had been once before (when i was in egypt and all hyped up on generic egyptian anti-malarial drugs to treat the malaria that i contracted on the coast of kenya) and had thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of floating weightlessly in the winds.

this time was no different. i woke up at 5am (which is about 5 hours earlier than i normally do. just kidding! sort of) and made myself some coffee in my go mug to drink while i waited for the pilot in a random parking lot in east calgary. (i feel it is important to mention this because somehow, someway my mini bladder did not scream at me as i was stuck in a basket with 7 other adults).

after meeting up with our pilot and fellow air ballooners, we got to 'help' set up the giant size balloon (7 stories high!) and watch science at work as it inflated with warm air. after jumping in the basket and releasing the rope tying us to the truck on the ground, we quickly ascended, leaving the streets of calgary behind to see the city with a bird's eye view.

we had taken off (do air balloons really 'take off'?) from a field in west hillhurst and the day couldn't have been more perfect for a morning of floating in alberta - there was not a cloud in the sky, the sun was bright and shiny, and there was the slight crispness of autumn in the air.

apparently, they said we were very lucky in that we had a great flightpath. the thing with floating above the city is that you really are at the mercy of the winds and you can only move in the direction that the winds take you (although you can move up and down to enter different zones of wind to change your direction). we got to fly past downtown, over mount royal, above the river, across the industrial area, over rush hour traffic, and residential neighbourhoods and golf courses.

the best part of a hot air balloon is how peaceful everything seems at that altitude. and the perspective that you see things at cannot be beat (except for perhaps if you were in a helicopter, but i honestly don't think there would be another way). it puts a different spin on existential ideas like privacy and space and it was nice to be lost in my thoughts with that view on a thursday morning.

and to think, this was for work! i still think someone better pinch me, because it just shouldn't be this easy!

better blog management

hello internet! i have some exciting news for you. i have gone through all my posts (ever!) and tagged them appropriately (because i was not kidding when i said i love organisational tools and was dumbfounded when i realised i had not used the tagging feature of blogger to its full potential). this is perhaps less exciting for you as i am sure you had no intention of searching through my ALL posts for the ones labelled sven or egyptology or kahawa, but it makes me feel better knowing that it can be done.

i've also added a new link to my dear friend's website. she is a children's author who will soon be published and i cannot wait to read her next story - the tale of noah and his ark from the perspective of a caterpillar. i wonder what eric carle would think of that?!

26

dear 26,

man, was that a year. you were so much easier to deal with than 25, thank the good lord.

we did a lot together, you and i. we travelled to a few different african countries – we got stung by sea urchins in zanzibar, we safaried with the fam in kenya in the safarimobile, we hung out on a few different indian ocean beaches, we hiked and camped in the rift valley, we fell in love with ethiopia and the smell of frankincense, we melted and battled malaria in egypt, and we roadtripped in tanzania. we also visited in london, and were canadian bound twice.

together we met some pretty fantastic people and have a lot of stories to tell about our year together. some that can only be brought out when children are not present and some that we have photographic proof of (thank you facebook). we worked harder than we’ve ever had to work at a job. and got paid less than we’ve ever gotten paid for a real job.

there was a good amount of stress that we shared though, and i think we can partially blame that for the new creases i found with you. i won’t blame you though, i know it is not your fault. i believe that you wanted the best for me and i trusted you. unlike that 25. jerk.

between current jobs and future careers, i worried a lot this year. i will probably never stop worrying, but it would be nice if you could have told me that it will All Be OK when i was in mid-crisis. and there were a few.

together we met a soldier and had cheese and wine on patios during thunder storms, field trips to war cemetaries, safari lodges, african camp sites, the produce section, and a lot of indian food. we dealt with distance, work commitments, directional changes, differing perspectives, previous relationships, travels to south africa (him), egypt (me), and tanzania and canada (us). i began to rethink all the things i thought i wanted. most are still on the table, but i was challenged in new ways and i think you knew all along it would be ok. thanks for that, if i haven’t said it before.

26, we’ve moved into a new nest together and in the process had to navigate some friendships that were heading off the map. but i would say we built more than we tore down this year, much of which will last through 27 and beyond. i think we made a good team. here’s hoping your friend 27 will be into teamwork as well.

but what is up with being sick so much this year? i have never been the sick kid before, but between sinus infections, malaria, coughs, colds, sore kidneys, and a touch of the laryngitis, i think that i need to pay more attention to my health in future years and perhaps this was a gentle reminder. and sunscreen, i must remember sunscreen. but really, enough with the sick. it doesn’t suit me.

and here i must bid you adieu. keep up the good work. and if you she her, tell 27 that i have some big expectations for the upcoming year.

lu

a busy 3 weeks

i am not feeling so creative and haven't been writing much lately. maybe because i am overcoming my addiction to facebook. i am on the 5th step of a 12 step programme. or something like that.

here is what i have been up to the last 3 weeks:

• i rubbed shoulders with the vice president of kenya in mombasa
• i contracted malaria because i slept without a mosquito net during the rainy season in mombasa (i direct you to http://www.spreadthenet.org/ again because now that i know what malaria feels like and that it can be prevented so easily and treated for very little money yet most who get it cannot afford the drugs, i really think that we should keep spreading the net)
• i went to egypt and although it was hot as balls, it rocked the casbah and maybe i will get around to articulating how much it rocked in the near future, for now my smattering of photos will have to do (there are more on my facebook, if you are so inclined)
• i found some generic egyptian drugs to treat the malaria
• i went hot air ballooning over the valley of the kings in luxor
• i dodged taxis and other vehicles on the streets of cairo, which put the streets of nairobi to shame even though i wasn't sure that was possible
• i saw a half naked fat man in his flimsy white boxer shorts and am still laughing about it
• i was defeated at trivial pursuit (but it was the british version so i had a slight disadvantage)
• i kicked butt at ping pong on the beach of the red sea
• i hung out in king tut's final resting place
• i ate hummous, tabouleh, baba ganouj, tahini, and grape leaves
• i read some books, including A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (7/10), Blessings (7.5/10), and A Thousand Splendid Suns (8.5/10 and this would be higher but it just doesn't compare to the author's other book, The Kite Runner)
• i went snorkelling in the red sea and got windswept
• i floated on the red sea (but not over to saudi arabia)
• i had my bum fondled on the metro and my photo taken on a ferry
• i broke into kenya and snuck my way around buying a visa thinking that i could just leave on my other passport to avoid paying for yet another visa, that was NOT a good idea and they almost made me miss my flight to london by insisting i go home and locate my 'misplaced' passport, but they let me on the flight after making their point, pulling my luggage off the plane, and delaying the flight
• i gave up my seat that had extra leg room (mine aren't so long) and they gave me a first class bag of goodies with khiel's products
• i visited my sister in london and bought my first pair of skinny jeans
• i ate the best sushi with some pretty good company
• i am also a full fledged hippy as i do not have a tv, like to knit, and now own a pair of birkenstocks
• air canada is perhaps the most miserable airline to fly with - i don't want to hear what my flight attendants are doing on the weekend, what their hobbies are, nor do i want to be barked at or be forced to overhear their rude conversations with other passengers
• i flew next to refugees being resettled to the us, it was nice to look over and smile at the well-behaved kids laughing out loud at the cartoons
• a man tried to lasso me as i came through the arrivals gates at the airport in calgary and i have been slightly afraid of the stampede ever since
• i arrived home after 3 long weeks of travelling through kenya, egypt, and london
• i am attempting to readjust to life in the developed world and the pace of calgary while avoiding the stampede

walking like an egyptian

brown

i am still alive and well (and very brown) in egypt. although there was a slight concern that i might float on the red sea over to saudi arabia. only joking, of course.

vacations rock.

egypt is hot as balls

yep, that's right. hot as balls.

but it has been nothing less than amazing so far. i will collect my thoughts into some semblance of order and hopefully post some photos of this beautiful place soon.

until then, i must retire to my air conditioned room after visiting the valley of the kings in luxor this morning and eating a home-cooked egyptian meal.

things are good. if not a little hot.

i've only got time for a list

• i saw a store called Guns & Cameras the other day in town, clever name
• i am leaving this sunday for egypt and am not properly mentally prepared
• i have to go to mombasa for work on friday. not many people can really say that. i wish i were more excited.
• the day of the african child is this saturday, an african union day to commemorate protesting children killed in soweto, south africa during apartheid. so ummmm.... think of the african children.
• they are cleaning computers in the office next to mine with what sounds like a leaf blower, it makes me want to bang my head against the wall
• i joined facebook and i think it was responsible for my bleak mood yesterday, more to come on this
• smooks made me laugh out loud about the crops today. man, i miss lady time
• there are suspicions that the bomb in nairobi was intended to be detonated at the airport, not exactly what i wanted to hear, good thing i am getting out of here for awhile (although via the airport...)
• this might explain why there has been more violence in nairobi lately, i hope that it ends soon even though it is an election year
• i went to a war cemetary on the weekend and it is quite possibly the nicest park i have been to in nairobi, perhaps one of the only parks i have been to in nairobi
• my leky (as my scottish flatmate calls it) has been on the fritz recently and i spent saturday evening wrapped in blankets on my patio, drinking tea, and watching an electrical storm with a soldier
• pieces of advice given to me recently: 'play dumb' & 'honesty is always the best policy except for now'
• my cousin was passing through nairobi this past weekend (not many people can say that either) and we got to have breakfast. no maple syrup or bottomless coffees, but it was great to catch up.

bizay

(may 15, 2007)

one thing that rather annoys me about people is when they talk about how busy they are. i know that when i talk about how busy i am, it is usually because i have nothing else to say or that i am actually not as busy as i could be because i still have time to discuss the intricacies of how busy i am.

but lately, i have been busy.

the working until 9:00pm, the working on weekends, and the forgetting to eat lunch busy. the busy where i wake up and think about what i have to do in the course of the day and the busy where i put my head down on my pillow only to open my eyes what feels like minutes later in the exact same spot.

i have really enjoyed the work i have had the opportunity to do lately. i am learning a lot about project development and i am delighted that the work i have done over the past months is going to be useful and leave a lasting impact on the organisation and its beneficiaries.

but this busy-ness has caused my immune system to go on leave and i have been battling this cold/cough/upset stomach for a few weeks and i am debating taking a day off tomorrow so that i can rest and recuperate but i am not good at resting and recuperating and i get bored of being sick very quickly. i usually believe my mom’s age-old advise that you will feel better if you just get up and go out but this time i am wondering if i just need to slow down.

*may 17th, 2007*
i took the day off, i went to the doctor, i found out i have a sinus infection, i reserved my flight to egypt, i went home and rested and rested and rested some more. feeling a little better now and although i liked the doctor and his prescription of anti-biotics AND eucalyptus oil, i don't know about his prescription for 2 thin layers of clothing (1 tucked in), warm feet, and no wet hair. just seems like old wives' tales but i will abide because i am done with being sick.

in my rest, i managed to finish The Birth House by Ami McKay and you should too.