TheBurlesqueAdventuress

Inspiration to dance through deaths

2011-06-14T03:12:00.001-06:00

So many times I have had to mourn the passing of friends and loved ones. Each time the world seems to half stop as it non-challantly keeps on turning, a bubble of stillness and timelessness as the world carelessly continues. Friends come together to share memories, laughter and tears....

Recently another good friend took her life. Too many of these passings that still sometimes leave me also longing.... and then these accidents, the most amazing people taken by 'chance' (not that i believe in chance). Twice now I have lost cousins that were not people, by any standards, common. Twice two of the most beautiful people to walk this earth, souls uncommon, people bright in their living.

This weekend Chris passed doing what he loved, motorcycling.

I have long come to terms with death. How many times I've had to say "I'd rather die living my dreams than staying home under a rock till death takes me any way", but the death of such a wonderful, gentle, simply nice guy is tough. It's tough because damn it, there are just so many arse-holes out there... but then, their passing wouldn't be much inspiration. So it is taking what we can of any situation, learning from the greatness of people, their legacy...

I am across the world on the otherside of the sun, unable to come together with the people I love, to share this time with. This is tough. This is tougher than missing weddings or births because it is just so gut wrenchingly present... But the universe provides miraculously. I was brought to a place of the most lovely, affectionate people with a huge bar-outing night. I found out yesterday and was able to be with good people, to share some spirit with the land in his honor, and to drink to his good name, and to do something i dearly love in living this life- to dance.

So I danced all night in the thought of how tender life is, how quick it is over, regardless of years in one lifetime. I danced because I am alive, and because life is so precious and so beautiful and so flimsy and I am so blessed that I can. That is why we are here. To just experience this incredible physical world, to love, to know we are loved.

His passing has inspired me. I've realized that I am going to go at any moment, and I do not want to leave without writing this book that's inside me (at least one, if not a volume) - to share something of this incredible, unusual, blessing I've had of my own life.... and that all I can do is to give the blessings I can, to be as kind and healing and loving and accepting of love.

So I leave you with this, world - Love. It's a blink, a second, a mere moment.

Just love

Melbourne stinks so wonderful

2011-04-08T05:22:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love this city. It's street art is literally insane and I'd love to upload photos of some but i'm hardly online. tomorrow. i'll borrow this awesome comedian's computer and upload some photos tomorrow..yes...

It's insane- serious art pieces that degrade under time and other art and taggers and stickers. Incredible art that must be done right the first time, with accuracy and and eye that through photography brings out the most incredible depths and shades, the eye hardly can pick it up with the street, and all this in alley ways with garbage and stench and bins and smirky water the color of fairie eyes.

This city has lovely architecture and art and music and the comedy fest that I've gotten dragged (happily) into, wrapped up in, promoting a great guy and growing friend- Adam Crow (review)and doing sound for 'shaggers' show, and then also dragging around and occassionally setting up my wee camp table, purple sarong and signs and cards and doing readings and massage.

This city is lovely and offers so much, and so many opportunities... but it stinks. Also incredible. Smoke. Cigarette smoke absolutely everywhere. The city holds it in somehow. SO many people smoke here, I am near constantly choked and nausiated and it aggravates me- literally affecting my emotional chemicals. And there's that whole nose guidance thing i have.... since ...well, Europe. The weird psychic ability of guidance system that my nose has.... Ask and maybe i'll talk about it. but i know. and this is for me. Now i have to go. comedy to see.

journal mental blurting expletives

2011-03-15T06:43:00.001-06:00

How the hell do i put in a spoiler alert roll over?

this site... grrrr

for how long i wonder... i have something I'd like to say that just in case anyone actually reads this, they're probably family and since i don't have a journal this is sort of becoming it, and this specific it includes profanity. (gasp! YES! PRO FANNY T)

I should buy one. A Pro Fanny T shirt... huh. gosh i'm full of all sorts of weird shit tonight...

well, f it... but prettier, like.. f in a pretty scrolling sweeping font that isn't an option on here.

imagine that.

f it

this other thing i actually came to just save on here came out a min ago and since blogs are supposed to be the blurted diatribe of our own strange boringness, this is what i'm journaling.....

"wow... i'm learning... catty bitch comment about a local venue and event and i will not say it. in words it comes back to haunt you, in email it's ends up in court. on facebook it fucks all your friends and leaves you needing a drink in a dry town."

speaking of dry towns, did i tell you the story of a Canadian gal who has this weird desire to get a job in the outback, where many towns are dry.... I think i may be drying out.... which it's about time for... been sort of on and off without meat and sort of eyeing vappassana...while i finish my duty free vodka and get into the rum

Current concoction of this alcoholic mastermind artiste (say "artiste" with a french accent, won't you dear?!) is ~~gin~~ no RUM, i know what i'm drinking... with lemon squeezed in, maple syrup, on ice and water and stirred, tho honestly i'd shake it if i had a shaker and better yet id heat the water and reduce it with much more maple syrup and lemon with some rind and ginger, then add rum later.... but anyhow... i will try that, though if you do, let me know how that goes.

I will tell me later, and they will tell myself. the reader writer and lunatic of this blog.

(an hour later and 22 tabs open and i finally got the noise reducing earphones from static to something i can focus with. Check this out! http://soundcloud.com/subaqueousmusic/sets )

and... while i'm here...

other playfulness of mine...

Note to self: get a video editor for all that awesome mardi gras rehearsal schtufs

Never ending travel play

2011-03-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight's masterpeice

One pot easy traveler food

I love when out of the blue i throw things together with some inspiration and just let-go, and it becomes this insanely scrumptious meal. In tonight's muggy Manly evening on my own, it was just enough risotto rice for one. Absorption method = easier on water and absorbs while doing carrots!

1.5 times water than rice. half a cup risotto rice = one person not over eating. Bring to boil, reduce for 12-14 min, remove from heat, let stand 5-10 min. okie dokie chop some carrots into slices while yer here.... sip some chardonnay. Thanks to the hosts for a half bottle left in the fridge! it's keeping me off the vodka for the moment.

so let rice stand and put the rice in a bowl next to the fish- I'd opened a tin of mackerel fillet . yup. a tin.

then i quick rinsed the pot, threw in those chopped carrots with water to steam - very little! Maybe half a cup. add some cinnamon, don't be a stingy marmy, put a good dollop of cinnamon round those carrots. then add a good couple dollops of real, pure maple syrup. I'm canadian, do NOT insult me, nor your worthy body, by using fake, sugar laden, essence or taste or flavour of maple. That's like ...well... eating mcdonalds and calling it food. (note toself - prob not for book. could they sue me for an opinion? hey, note to you, it's just an opinion. DONT sue me for having it. there is some fairly good documentation to back my opinion up. See the documentary "Food Matters" for more.)

ok, bring this carrot thing to a boil. stiring with something not metal. come on now, don't do that to your ears, the food, the pot. On that note, don't add tobacco, either. Sip some wine

drop the heat and perhaps sultry sydney in summer requires dropping a shirt, too... whatever. I'll sweat. There's a load of canuks drinking in clear view on the balcony opposite and yes, i'm like that, but not at my friend's....

yes, this also meant when the carrot water boils, drop heat to a simmer. Simmer off all the water. Keep an eye on this whole shebobinagle, and stir. and sip some wine. and stir. and then when it's a nice gloopy bit of frothy stuff that moves like syrup, take off the heat and put it in the bowl.

So. I ended up playing round trying to get the video on this insanely high tech tv/sound/computer system working. Easy as, but not so much the sound. Not happy to deal with tinny tv sound, i kept playing at it till the radio came on in the kitchen with **HUGE POWER** so even the neighbors jumped and i ran around and pushed a zillion buttons and FINALLY got it turned off. Then, about 5 minutes and lots of button pushing later, got the sound on in the correct tv room, at an acceptible decible level. This made the carrots set and was perfect.
SO
morale is high

moral is - play with your food...

idea- make this carrot thing first, then move to bowl, to set as you cook rice. Or heck, use two pots. you could be wild like that.

Great idea- same carrot thing (gasp!) in a PAN, in the oven. oh yah baby, roast that sucker!

the fish, by the way, was the thing in the mouth that draws water and oil together, makes me salivate while eating it and makes me want more more more.... amazing. so much yum.

Best make up remover EVER

2011-03-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Shampoo

yup.

Seriously!

Waterproof mascara, sparkles, thick eyeliner ala stage makeup all gone POOF in a split without the scrub, rub, nasty face-removing pain nor the expensive creams and extra pots n jars to carry round - and easy onthe skin. who woulda thought but i stumbled into it via travel - carrying with me only shampoo as soap.

Ah! Devine secrets found...

you guys just don't get what we go through.... ;)

How-to: In-House Royalty

2010-10-29T13:32:00.000-06:00

hmmmm.... rather than rubbing in the grande travels of an adventurer, i will share with you so you can live this adventure a little, yourself.... The great part of "Arm-chair Traveler"!

Buy bits of this, as you go - most of it lasts a long time... also, when i was on my own and poorer I bought a smaller selection - see below, I'll add it. Currently with a group of people it's easier to have more on hand, bits and peices of a wider selection (gosh I love the fridge that stillness for a few months brings!)....

Seedless grapes, goat cheese, havarti cheese, bits of cheddar cheese - on a platter. Some nice hummous - in this case i had lemon and cracked pepper hummous. Sliced peices of roma tomatoe, but any tomatoe does, just what was here. Very thin 'paper' slices of onion - white, some rice cakes and crackers, sliced pickle, a few olives. oh, tahini - awesome! Different than peanut butter- its like peanut butter but rather than peanuts it's sesame...mind you, years and years ago i changed from sugary pb to no sugar, no oil, real pb, so the move to tahini was great... not 'used to' but i much prefer the no sugar or oil type - deeper flavour.

Munch away! I love to sip a glass of white wine... bits of this, bits of that. one bite with this cheese, tomatoe, onion. Another bite with another cheese, different cracker, pickle, some tahini. another bite hummous, .... etc etc... a few slow bites of different combos, eat slow, sip slow, enjoy the nuances of the different tastes....
Nibble grapes but leave some to finish with - they cleanse the palate nicely. Oh and dates... squares of dark chocolate!

eat like royality. ;)
that, btw, was lunch....

Cheap n easier version - hummous, which lasts quite awhile. Now, use your own judgement but i've found hummous to be a good travel food, same as tahini and pb - they do say to refridgerate, and i do know all about bacteria, yet i've traveled with them both for awhile, just fine... i also travel with cheese. they used to do that in the old days - you know, a day to...well, if it's hot out (like it was in Africa), you want to buy ony the cheese of what you'll eat within a few days cause it goes soft and kind of gross, but not necessarily spoil.

ok- cheap n easier

If you can, find a meditteranean shop run by Muslims, Greeks, an Israeli shop, or etc - usually i find muslim shops, they seem to be around. Best for fresh and tasty and cheaper pita bread. also all the rest. meditteraneans know from good olives, cheese, pita, dates, etc etc, rather than your big chain supermarket.

Package of pita, some seedless grapes, dates (often found in the bin section - not nearly so good. Go for the air-locked packs, often with arabic on them - that's where they're grown ya know- mostly in middle east. I look for ones that come from Saudi Arabia).

ok, but let me think... if i were going as simple as possible yet still royalty...

pita, grapes, pack of hummous (that's just chickpeas and sesame mashed with garlic and whatever flavour you may buy, pretty much), a tomatoe, and small chunk of cheese - usually cheddar as it's so versatile and just so good. come you, I'd have some onion around, so onion... maybe a few olives if i was splashing out a bit more, cause i just so LOVE olives. Green or Kalamata with pits... Definitely, some dark chocolate (70%), cause that's always good to have around... you do know how good dark 70% chocolate is for you, right?

Wiki's chocolate and Health article

They're AAAALIIIIIIVVVVEEEEEE

2010-10-17T20:17:00.000-06:00

I've helped create life.

Because of my ~~tender loving~~ errr ~~specialized~~ uhmmm, ok, ok, really freakin easily done, but well researched (I did spend hours to check, and recheck, and be sure about different seeds, different nuts, different grains) efforts -- I have gotten life growing!

Alright, so Sprouts are insanely easy. How could I have waited so long!!!?!?! I've spent hours watching beans boil to end up finally distracted with black pots, burnt beans, and even when they have worked- so many of the nutrients being cooked right on out of them... but SPROUTING THINGS!??! Seemed... complicated !

Wow. Was I wrong!

Take some seeds, nuts, grains etc - like mine - a handful of lentils out of a bag. Chuck em in a glass. You know those glass jars? Put em in... rinse really well - a couple of times, with clean water. Sprouts can have trouble with all that chlorine and fluoride and stuff in city water, better to use cooled boiled water, or filtered. rinse em. Got clean panty-hose, a screen, a filter, cheesecloth etc? stick er on top - rubber band or the outer lid. Add water- fill at least an inch over whatever you threw in, leave em overnight...

Little guys like sunflower seeds really need only 2hrs so i hear. Most 8-10 hrs but those honkin chickpeas (garbanzos) or big stuff, maybe leave 12-14hrs in water. but whatever.. it's just that easy.

Then, rinse em well, turn em up side down - screen / filter down, and leave em tilted on a 45 degree angle. Lean em against a wall, just make sure it's out of sunlight. Some people put em in a pot, or a dark space. You don't want them all hot, either. Nice cool room temp. 22C / 71F

Then rinse them and drain them well, leaving on that tilt, at LEAST twice a day - breakfast and dinner, or others who are more loving maybe do it every 4-6 hrs. Most online folkies say twice a day.

They sprout and you eat. done. done. done.

Ok, a few details - itsy seeds like those sunflowers are only meant to be left up to 18hrs (just a wee day n 'alf, lads n lasses!)
garbanzo chickpeas can take 3-4 days

Sprouting makes them much easier to digest. Because you can eat them raw you are not cooking out all the nutrients, but more so - it somehow makes em all vitamin and nutrient PACKED little POWERHOUSES. I'm excited. I ate some sunflower seeds that didn't have sprouts but had soaked and were YUM...

FURTHER:
when you rinse, if you see bits n bobs floating on top, - skim off with a spoon. Grasses get cut from the husk/seed, others you eat all of it up, yum; some you do need to watch that the film and bits get rinsed and skimmed off or that will rot your lively precious bits... and yes, they can mold.. but by all accounts they seem pretty simple! Ell, they even grew for ME! ;P

Add a touch of love by leaving them in sunlight for just a few hours before you harvest them - that means take em out of the jar- they'll go a lovely bit green which is very good for you chlorophyll. Dry them really well if you're putting in the fridge, and then put em in your belly. And your friends. No cooking required.

Google "sprouts" for info, and "recipe sprouts" for links to elephant toe nail clippings.

Also- did you know you don't have to cook oats? Soak em 30 min and go at em, but to make them easier to digest and bring out nutrients, soak em over night.

Guess what? Supposedly you can do the rest of all that above fun and sprout them, too.

I'll give that a go soon. I'm all excited by my first try lentils having sweet lil sproutie tails on em... I'm trying to find out how long the sprout should be before they're best to eat / they don't die off on me. All says too long makes them too strong of a taste, too AND more likelihood of mold, of course.

I'm also wondering about lazily rinsing through the cheesecloth. I have a dish cloth underneath, to catch the water, but will leaving the cheesecloth filter wet make them moldy??

Well...but that's why I'm an adventuress! Daring do of the Sprout Grower!

On a walk near home

New Directions; A Journey with HEALTH and FOOD

2010-10-16T14:58:00.004-06:00

I get ideas, and go with them- but how often do we know there are issues that we can do something about, yet choose to change it or work on it later, another time... food is a huge part of this and I have been working on changing up my diet, adding more and more healthy choices, and trying to look at choices i do have, rather than what I' can't eat, for many years....
And still, even having repetitive sinus infections, have never tried a candida diet, though all my research shows arrows pointing that way (for my symptoms, but actually, for most with chronic sinus issues!).

That being said, I've also had ongoing issues that all the reading suggests I should try a gluten and dairy free diet and see how it goes. I've had the suggestion come up, again, recently, and now in just wandering around online, researching all sorts of things - with and without success (internet signal to noise ratio is a fickle thing- I'm trying to find out why I get wicked cramps, bloat to all hell and get neon yellow nuclear pee when i take multi-vitamins). So, anyways, I'm looking at trying out a diet that eliminates a whole shwack of known alergens, and then re-introducing them slowly... leaving out gluten and dairy for the longest times. Though, as I've also said, I've long felt it is perhaps yeast / candida that are big issues for me.

Unfortunately, books, diets, detox systems, supplements, medications, and very especially visits to the naturopath, cost money and I seem to have trouble getting and keeping jobs, and like to travel too... I have money saved, and yes - my health is very important,but how easy is it to just make all these slow changes, learn on my own, and never really do the detox?

Difficulties only because i allow them to be, as I also sit on that big blue and white social site, rather than try to create money!

Well, I'm going to give this a go... I must look at the challenges I'll face, so as to know how to deal with them. I'm living with a family that does not and will not eat or help cook these things, also without a job to pay for all the food, detox things, books, etc so I have to figure it all out on my own.... and no car to help me get around.... Positives - i do have a bike! and no job = lots of time to learn to make gluten free bread! And have long been cutting out white flours so at least I know a bit about gluten free. I can live off brown rice, beans, nuts, seeds, and I've just looked up a whole great list of vegetables that are great.

As i've struggled with, and learned to do with foods, I will translate to these choices... rather than what I 'can't' eat /do/buy, I'll look at what I can... i don't need that book to go gluten free. There is a plethora of free info online... Already I've seen there are deficiencies in people who are long term gluten-free, so I'll have to be immediately aware of that. Good thing I really like super greens, like spirulina and wheatgrass!!!

Due to a range of lifestyle issues, and knowing the obvious benefits of getting enough nutrients and vitamins, I'd still like to sort out this pain / nuclear pee thing so i can get a multi-vitamin!

well. OK THEN!

So here we go..... the trial for better health... and last night i started my first ever sprouts!
(whoooooeeee I just got dizzy! what the HELL was THAT!?)

Ski Bunny

2009-10-23T04:28:00.002-06:00

I'm learning so much about skiing!

Imagine that I hadn't even heard of skiing in Japan, till I came here, and now I find that it is one of the best powder places in the world (THE best?!?!). Or skiing June in Norway, with nearly full sun days (perhaps ski under the midnight sun? I do not know, but hope- not that I plan on taking off for there. This next one intrigues me so much more-) -- Kashmere! Skiing Kashmere!

Even * I * am warning Colorado Bob to keep a close eye on the dodgy as all hell situation over there just now. The fighting isn't quite in Kashmere, but sheesh it's mighty close.

Colorado Bob is on sabatical. Skiing sabatical- NZ now, which is ending, a hot vacay in Thailand, then Kashmere, Japan, then Europe and the Alps before hitting up Norway, down to South America and then finally back here next year.. or was that NZ to S. Am? Either way, round the world....

I'm on a ski bunny "silly little thing", myself- just now.

The stars aligned, and then slam dived their message in a home run. Too much info leading towards want that when i was *GIVEN* a pair of GORGEOUS GOOD GODDESS skiis, I just had to...

So I've been on a run around journey bootaliciously hoppin about from pretty and the south of the south, to "Holy crap was I ever WRONG, this is NOTHING like coming along south from Alaska" in the Fiordlands, to now hightailin it out of Queenstown for northwardliness and a last ski of the season where they shot scenes for Mt Doom. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM

Lord of the Rings, Mt Doom- the upclose shots - skiing on the volcano Mt. Ruapehu, ski hill Turoa.

I packed and left Queenstown today. It could be painful leaving that town. Could be. Ok, it kinda really is- but the snow is receding, leaving barren rock which does nothing to hold me still. I had a walk along the lake, to say goodbye, to enjoy the moment of the day. I went to the airport and picked up the wrong agency's car rental relocation cause not only do you get the car free, you get free gas. !!! Relocation deals, to get cars back where they need em, and I followed the ol gut o wonder and got a car that is jaw-droppingly HOT. SEEEXXXXY!!!! Racin pedals that physically hurt not to push into the floor. ....
Tight cornered very twisty country roads with no shoulder on the LEFT... whooooeee WHOOPIE what a car!!! Toyota Aurion.

I've finally ante'd up and been out doing tarot readings, without the market- and seeing the truth that it can be done- and well enough to live my dream in this way. Sunshine and air and travel WHILE making money, rather than battening down and working for someone, finding work, hassle and ... ???

I know I am needed up here somewhere... where? How?? when?? There are shows I am partly involved in- trying, working towards... Garden type shows all their glorious own, not mine, just wanting to be IN... waiting.. looking at where I'm relocating to, but most certainly relocating. "Where," the question really is, "do I leave my little table?".
That's right. Never mind kitchen sinks, it's all about the "Short Arse" Table. Hey- that's what it says on it. "Short Arse Table" ... covered in a gorgeous yellow plaid wool blanket and it's a lovely bright tarot reading table. (oooooh spoooookie!!!!) hahahaha

Methven <--- where I am

XOXO ---> To where you are

ACK this car is sexy!!! I just *have got!!!* to find a place to open her up and beat my record of 210km/hr.....

Powder Bass n Carrot Cake

2009-10-06T21:25:00.009-06:00

Let me set this stage.... two seater wooden table inside a lodge, the walls' bottom half- white slats, top half- old school orange, covered in old school knick naks without the paddy wacks. Ice skates and "tramping" boots (That's "hiking" here, not- you know- like boots to brave the 'ladies of the night' house).

Out the window is the thing that startled me, yet again, this morning. Funny how something can just stay in one place, day after day, and still creep up on you. The big ol mountains with their eerie surreal lighting...

Last night I was brought out to Kinloch, for a wee few days' visit. Remember Kinloch? Where I hopped in the lake on Winter Solstice, and wwoofed for eccentric ol bull Al...well, I'm out visiting. Under the full moon on a clear night, stars gloriously sparkling their present to me, a 'get out of the city' free card. Yes, yes, New Zealand is pretty, so we keep hearing... is it the lack of ozone that gives the highest skin cancer rate in the world or has it always been this clear? The depth and vibrancy makes the mountains look like something pasted on a falsely bright blue-screen.

I'm online at Kinloch lodge having fab coffee and *THE* best carrot cake. Omfgh gRumPfffttth Pthakcaiepfthtt then OMMMMGUmpffff

yummy.

Travelling is wandering, chatting with some person at a shop and ending up going on a long hike with them, finding yourself at such ease and comfort of two people sharing space that know each other well, or just don't care but haveing a great mutual time together. Warren. British geeky math teacher Warren, a top kayaker who also is a free-runner, gymnast and generally fit-as bloke. Thank god he doesn't hike much, we were perfectly matched at hiking speed.

Walking in this country is so calming, and so beautiful. ok, blah blah blah about the PERTY.... There was this SUPER steep bit with a 6 inch track covered in knee high snow- not going well with my fear of heights. I had my inner knowledge tell me it was only that patch, but SCARY!!! If I slipped it was quite a tumble, and vertigo makes me not only nausious but off-balance. Sigh. ...

:) In absolute nausious fear, Leaning against the uphill snow, knee getting wet, I carefully and slowly pulled my pack round, feeling I had to do this, but how? I couldn't even turn back, part way in, near paralyzed yet I pulled out my gloves, breathed through the frozen terror, and slowly made my way. YAY YAY I did it. whoot.
Good thing, it was the last of the snow, and gorgeous, though often very careful in stepping along the thin single-track. This is what the gaining of skills looks like.
And this is what "boy perched on rock, looking over Gorgeous" looks like:

Two days later I went to one of the top Kiwi Drum n Bass djs - a duo called "Up Beats". .... I'm spoilt, and while very novice, it was this: the sound system they rave about here kinda sucks. The speakers point all over the place, and while the speakers aren't that great, they also fill the room horribly. But then, I got to learn drum n bass from PK's speakers. The djs however had some GREAT tracks...Incredible tracks, actually. Too bad they had no cohesion. It was like train wreck after train wreck. Didn't they learn about "mixing". And no build up. Like sex with ...well...locals (uhm, not that I'd know that, but you know- you can tell from the attitude here, the dancing, the way of life). All fast and furious without any tease, or quick rushed tease, before DONE.... next track. Serious. No mixing quite often. Just track. Stop. Track. Stop. Like old school tapes, with the pause between songs. And they'd go from fast n furious, STOP slow and rythmic STOP Fast. ??? Yet they've been flown to RUSSIA to dj. I just don't get it.

It Actually Snowed in Town!!!! OMG OMGdess!!! (I *finally* got to do snow angels!)

Went skiing on Sunday, here's where I have a totally different story.

I kept thinking, "Oh, Cardrona...looks too flat, too boring"

We'd just had snow, and what a surprise. On two accounts. Cardrona ROCKED, largely because for the FIRST time this season we had ACTUAL powder! Serious! They call "Powder" any fresh snow, even though it's wet, heavy, sludge. Fresh- it's "Pow". Not this, no. This was actually dry! WHOOOOEEEEE * AND * Cardrona was just incredible. It's all these linked natural wide bowls, and I was just simply FLYIN.

"Omghfffppt Hargropfffhh....

this carrot cake is SO good. Filled with fruit n nuts, lovely not overly sweet creamy icing topped with nuts. MMMMmmmm.

See, the problem is, I have all these short updates, but can't get online so they turn into these LONG chapters. Now- I'm outta work, looking to hit the road, debating a wee nother ski up north a bit, to saying ENOUGH,and hittin the road south. Hopeing on a couple day tramp, (again, HIKE, *not* cowboy riding) but definitely need to sort out sleeping bag Situation. It has become an orange alert Situation, too....

Oh, before I go- devine moment - sitting on a wooden bench swing (man I love those!), mountains stretching out before me, across the few kilometer plain and river, sunshine, coffee, Pippy the dog on my lap, and the book "Winnie the Pooh".

Sunday things to do

2009-09-20T23:59:00.003-06:00

What are you doing on your Sunday?

Yesterday I went skiing.

I thought that was a great thing to be doing, late September, bright blue skies, spring slush and a lookout at the ridge that gave me aweful vertigo, and great pride in how far I've come with my skiing ability.... A year ago I would have cried trying to come down such slick ice and steep. This time I just (very slowly and carefully) rode it out.

Yay.

Besides a ton of amazing off-piste spring skiing, and the Homeward Bound run with mud n grass walk out to the road and the shuttle bus.

I have video of the most incredible mountains, a whole mountain side of white, and all of it to myself.

Yes. The WHOLE mountain side, and just me on it.

Good way to spend a Sunday!

Changing tides

2009-09-13T19:22:00.002-06:00

Guess as the tides come in, they soon go out.... I was so happy here, so hopeful...

Internal movements let me know. I feel the tides of life just like a sailor can't help the ocean tides- May want to stay, but it's NOW that the tide goes out - and I've felt the inklings. I see realities and know possibilities.

Seems I am being called onward..... or rather, pushed.

This great wave was unfortunately a short one. It taught me a good many thing....much about myself. Things that I'm very sad to so quickly be leaving.

Now I must look at the choices again. I've said more than once in the last week that I love being here, but I'm only staying in this town as long as one thing holds out. The one thing is letting go. But what now? When I do like it so, here. When I've seen a glimmer of the country and see that, HERE, it just SO beautiful. When I want a bike, a car, ideas and hopes for HERE, and very un-backpacker like -have accumulated so much!

On the other hand... it's 25 degrees today. Gorgeous! Is it time to sell the skiis, send the gear home, and go hit the road? I was just very happy to settle in to a great job, a great town, summer coming and makeing some money.... now what?

I can question the great ocean, but really - which direction do I wish to sail in?

I'll tell ya, I am often incredibly amazed at the gifts of the universe, but I do also get the feeling that when ever I get really comfortable, happy and content with a situation, it gets ripped out from beneath me.

A friend once said I thrive on chaos... no,.... but it seems the universe has those plans for me, besides all my intention, work, or efforts...that being said, I am still incredibly blessed, and the right things do come. I was just hoping for ... all these things. But then I do have so many hopes for so many things in New Zealand- so... ;) A different hope can come true now, I guess.

Update on the skiing- With crap weather coming for a few days, a lovely Thursday but high winds, and most mountains closed, I went for a hike along Rakaia Gorge. HOLY CRAP beautiful! Birds and shocking drops and views. A certain silt in the water makes many area lakes and rivers this strange intense blue. And those nifty, 'Dorothy ain't in Kansas and I aint in Canada' bird calls. Strange whoops, and echoing calls. Whistles and chirps.

Hitching back I met Colorodo Bob on his year round the world ski tour, on day 11 of it. Cashmere skiing is *really* starting to play in my mind.... aaaanyhow, YAY sushi! And dancin, and meeting a fellow tribesman - we talked and talked for days. Oahu skiing looked great so Bob decided to road trip to Oahu with me, and I didn't have to hitch, and we each got each other's happy company with intense and real conversations. With little mundanity, much depth about ourselves, our hurts and healings, great sharing convos- besides hours in the hot tub, the Snow Ball- yearly 'fancy dress party' and sharing some incredible skiing.
Oh that Snow Ball! hehehe. Tons of fabulous costumes!! Some guys in 'girl's tennis player outfits' (small red skirts, white tanks, headbands) throwing creamers into rooms down a hall and caught two bananas having sex in the laundry. Some kitty cat girls playing Twister on a human twister board as Santa spun the dial. A live band with great tunes.... Bob in ski mask and Happiness tshirt, the "Ninja of Happiness", and I in all black and a pirate bandana over face a robber of sorts.

Oahu skiing is incredible- when the weather is good. ;)
Never mind lines and runs, it's just a whole mountain, ski everywhere, anywhere. I'm also very happily seeing my ability improving drastically- skiing much steeper (and Oahu is pretty steep), more comfortably with much better control. Conditions were incredibly favorable MOSTLY though, which helps the most. Especially since my boots are too big. A bit thick, super heavy in spots Sunday, I did get thrown from my ski once as I got lodged in a spot, but overall fabulous.

FIRST TIME too- hiked up to the ridge - twice. OH!!! AHHHH.... The views!!! ...and something highly empowering about hiking up there, away from chair lifts, on top of the mountain.

That tiny fall when I got stuck in the thick snow- such a tiny easy fall and I've hurt the cartilege and tendon in my knee. I'm starting to think I need to go learn to snowboard. I hear it's much easier on knees...

Great couple of days. Oh... and what a ride home! (see that, "home"??!?) ... Purple... His name! Purple... His nickname for so long, it really is his name, raised by folk who travelled with the 'gypsy caravan' here. What a COOL house-truck! Gave me a ride from Oahu, and dark when we got to his town, I crashed at his place last night and he drove me in en route to the local mountain, this morn. Great food, and he's into downhill biking, snowboarding, made his house truck. Like a burning man caravan truck. It is just...well, pictures needed... and my memory card is STUCK in this computer. grrrr.

Reminders...

2009-09-09T03:50:00.002-06:00

Today has been filled with reminders. Getting dark out my mind reminds me to bring a tent from now on, regardless of how much else I have- immediately followed by visual calming reminders of sleeping out with only a sleeping bag- church steps, under an awning with a left-for-us mattress... though that was in summer, in a better bag.... blah de blah. Reasonings back and forth, getting chilly, sun going down.

Backtrak: at the Hostel: Near a week in that room and it was fine. Last night it stunk so bad it litereally took my breath away. Aweful. One of those boys is rancid. EGADS. So i turned on the heat and opened the window

and I awoke to a cool, spring breeze. Glorious, fresh, life-giving spring air that reminds me of happy tenting and the road (and I tell myself yes, yes, so soon...but don't forget the nighttime chills, and the room's warmth..not yet...not yet)...

I awoke at 7:30 with this gorgeous air, and the immediate itch of happy travelling. What a FABULOUS morning to hitch hike!

Decision made, I spent the next many hours packing, putting things in storage, shower, breakie, and at last going. Yes, it took hours. ;P Left at about 10:30

Really a beautiful day to hitch, and rides went well enough but they are a touch slow. Darkness came along and I had a ride to the midst of nowhere, by a junction, next to a field of deer. Very curious deer. Thoughts of dinner began to loom, another ride took me a few k further, and the sun began to set. I stood a long while, few cars passing, yet passing each they did... I realized I may be sleeping in the bushes. I remembered those times sleeping out, and started to worry. Cold here. Chill. Annoyance-wanting to ski. So much gear. No tent.... I returned to my heart, to my trust.

"Do you trust?"
"Perhaps I must learn the hard way, to always bring a tent, or else, to stop this and just get a car... yes... I want a car, but how?! " All day I'd realized this, this need of my own movement, for time, for ability to go and do the true things I wish to... how? Ideas for hours of work... for how to afford it... then, easier anyhow in spring, in summer. If wet... tent... sleep bag... dark winter chills...

"Is this my lesson to finally stop this madness"

I knew I had to go, though. So trust. This morning it was clear. To go. GO...Trust.

Trust... and at last, I got a ride...- to another junction. A lovely Tony sheep Shearer with the nickname of Rocket. A junction at least near things, near a pub.

I took heart and waited though, hoping for the ride into Methven- my destination, as there was just a bit of light left. Enough, I thought, to see me. My flashlight in my pocket. Methven only 30 km away, and Mt Hutt's lights up on the mountain shining to me, a beacon in the gloomy deepening dark. Are you lights beconing, bringing me to you, or laughing, bright tongues flapping your laughter at me?

A car passed. Another passed... but then... Slowed. Turned round away up the road. OH WHOOT!? Did you miss your turn to the local pub...or...hope...

In my black pants and black jacket he barely saw me.... I need to get bright strips to add to my jacket! Last second he did see me though! Aha a ride! Says he's going NEAR Methven. ACK! :) But he brought me in....

Trust

Now at a gorgeous hostel.... with further decisions. Be a slacker, or keep pushing. Mt Hutt first thing, pack and bring it all and ski then hitch on ward, or say enough. Enough. Come here, spend a night. Enjoy this GORGEOUS kitchen, hot tub, room? Or go on and try for a great hill further up that MAY have bad weather.... but may be really great.... ski season ends soon.... comfort or adventure? AHA! Now *THAT* is the question!

I'm fed up with hitching with so much gear, with cold and not a good sleep bag. I don't need a tent if i have a good sleep bag. uhm...rain, Aliboo. Rain. Ok, tent is good... WIth a good sleep bag I could go do things I long to, though... like with Ian, my second ride, go HUNTING! Yes, opportunity. maybe. is he having a laugh at me?

wallaby hunting ??!!?! :P

Seriously?!?!

D'uhhhhhh

2009-09-08T02:00:00.004-06:00

I've been just itchin to go git up north and ski a bit on some fields that have snow, and some decent size, weather etc. Last week I worked extra days but then missed working Saturday. Now I'm finishing up Tuesday night work, am due to move from my hostel tomorrow, and have very little desire to sort out packing, food, etc etc etc to MOVE. ahhhh... too much weight of mind.

Lazy livin has kicked in, this week. I want to go chill at Debajo and try their self-proclaimed "gourmet milkshakes", maybe take in a movie (like "Inglorious Bastards"). I've had pretty bad luck on the ski fields so far, over all, and have also had a pretty darned full on week.... so here I am, going, "D'uhhhhhhh.... whattoo i dooo?"

;) It's been something seriously full on too!

Rocky Horror Picture Show played at the Cinema here, last Wednesday, as part of Gay Ski Week. I dressed and got ready at work, with some last minute corset tightening by a Kiwi/Canadian who also dressed up full-out. I printed out a participation guide as few Kiwi's know any of it, and we had a merrily loud time - to some great laughs and merriment of other movie-goers.

Pre and post show fun was held at Bar12, the only gay bar in town. I had my hair FULL ON biggness, and won first place for dress-up. Maybe because the only other person to *really!* dress up- as Columbia - seemed to go missing. Me and my big hair came out as a sort of Magenta... achem... in corset instead of maid outfit...

Then Friday night saw me out with some Auzzie hooligans that I've been drinking with throughout the week. They didn't have any clue as to just how well I actually COULD keep up with their shenanigans and drinking, and I, in GRANDE CANADIAN STYLE, showed them. They were very impressed.

I, on the other hand, had my first full black out, since I was about 16. (shakes head with snicker and groans) Oh dearie!

I'd upload more photos but not only is it time to leave work, I don't have the adaptor for my flippin Sony weird memory card and forgot my old camera's camera to usb cord in Canada. bah... ;P

So...ski, bum, both? Hitch? Drink more? Findaflat? (i'm real sick of hostel bunk beds, love the people).... milkshakes or shakin a leg??

seem to be having something of the same delema as a fav blogger of mine. Check it out, great blog and garden stuff

www.mycoldprairie.com

DO, or Slack....ahhhh, the eternal question.

ps, WHoppin good news.... It's official. I'm now the Queenstown Coco Bella MANAGER.

:)

THAT needs celebration!

Love this crap weather!

2009-08-29T01:47:00.003-06:00

Ski hills closed, I didn't go away. I got great work doing tarot readings and massage, had incredible thai, as well as a few great days with some great people, a treat 'hostel', more like hotel, some skiing in some insane conditions- pouring wet slashing snow and true white outs, but skiing it was, anyhow. Enough to make me know not to continue wasting money on it. Either great conditions, or save those coins for something worth it.

I'm trying something I've never tried before.

Always said I'd do dreads if I couldn't keep my hair clean in my travels. Figured it'd be hard, living on beaches in Europe. But then I never lived on beaches. Thought it'd be hard in Africa, but then I washed near every day, even if it was with a cup over a bucket....

But then I wandered across Canada, living out of a car and a tent. Still I washed.

I know people who don't wash their hair, they just scrub it with water. One guy here hasn't 'washed' his hair since December last year! Over the years I've seen it a few times, and sort of fell into the thought that I'd give it a go. Ideas of it being good for my hair, too. The longest I've ever gone was probably on a California- BC trip, maybe 5 days, or else via Shambhala- about the same.... till now.

It's gloriously disgusting! Though you can't really tell, I still feel pretty gross. Even though I shower and scrub it every day, it's bugging me. It's only been One measly week, so maybe it takes longer to get used to, but I feel pretty gross. I think it's time to end this trial.

Alas, I've failed miserably at this one.... at least that's my thought. Perhaps I'll just have a quick shower tonight and, as I've said the last few days, maybe I'll wash it later.... not a lot of time for it right now either. Ahhh, travel tales.

Yes, I know,... I'm envied. hehehe

Chocolate Goodbyes

2009-08-22T21:51:00.004-06:00

There's all these little steps into letting go, from enjoying the last bite of my Canadian brought dark Cadbury's chocolate, the finishing of my Safeway organic peanut butter, soon to let go of my winter clothes. Little steps of moving on, further away from Canada, from the body memories of there. My skin replenishes itself with Kiwi flavours.

I've moved from my flat, and now back in hostels. Cheap 10 bed stinky moist dorm but it's quite nice in ways. Just really moist from all our bodies and breath and really chilly last night with bottom bunk constant movement. Great kitchen and bathrooms though! I'm at Aspen, this time. Like you care. But I am. It's cheap too! YAY, as I prepare and hope and get nervous of dooms, to finally getting out of here for a ski journey.

I'm taking a break from too little hours, with now 3 jobs. ;) Yah, I really need a break, hey?! hehehe

I feel that this is going to shift things quite a bit. I've been feeling a mighty powerful inner movement to get out and explore.... I've been feeling like I'm at the starting gate, itching to run, see, explore, ADVENTURE, but tethering a great power with words of cold, wait for camping weather, wait for cash flow...wait... But I came to ski, and while I"ve made so little towards funds, I'm going to go live a bit of the ski-bum dream... Enshallah! Spirit Willing! Wed.... (or Thursday if there is a delay, or... well...

Feels like now is the last chance for a getaway. Work is going very well, and really looking towards making some decent money. We're looking at moving locations, and they know completely that they are looking to stay open now, because I am here, because we have the manager and me as a team, because I know about marketing, about the product, because I am outselling all history, because we could maybe actually get a profit going... So they understand I need hours, and to be able to focus on this job, rather than on hardly making enough to pay rent and eat and having to do two other jobs to support my hard work and skills here... I'm also getting worn out from it. It's coming together, though... and shall that continue, I will be happily busy into spring. Perhaps through summer. I would happily work here for my Kiwi stay.

Speaking of kiwis. This morning at the supermarket I mentioned about being able to eat the skin of kiwis. The lad blushed and said "Kiwi fruit"... Kiwis are the people. hehehe.

Anyhow, I've got the markets for 'work' too, and love it. Fresh air, yoga dancing playing on the grass, giving guidance and breathing sunshine... And option to do tarot and massage at my wee table on a park walkway during the week, or to keep this reception position at the high end spa/hotel here.... that last one falls away in my mind, with such a lofty cost to clients being so slightly and meagrely trickled down to the workers, yet so much "WORK"...

Travelling...

Oh ps: that cut is getting better, though I've annoyingly had to go in every day for bandage changes. Cutting into any chance to go walk - partially cause most of last week walking really hurt. grrrr. Which very intensely makes me miss cuddles and having my hair played with... Also part of traveling.

Sick * AND * Deprived

2009-08-15T08:41:00.002-06:00

WARNING: This post is Graphic, a bit rude, and certainly not for the squeamish.

I was really quite prepared to play doctor- a little jekyl and hyde type doctor AND Frankenstein body-modification. You know, - play Do It Yourself Home-Surgery type thing… Ali the DOKTORRRR (and the patient)

Surgery for Dummies?? No, no- I have experience! I would have gone and got a hollow needle, and torn apart a razor… DUH! ;P I even have hand sanitizer. All set!

The way it grew up from a tiny sore spot Wed, to over an inch long and more than half an inch wide- in just a few days- told me imaginings of this lump being cancer or something serious were really not to be worried about.

I could understand the seriousness of leaving this inflamed mass though- a long lost tale of ingrown hair on the back, left unattended till festered and beyond making a man a parapalegic.

I remember thinking then, ‘who on earth would ignore their (precious) body so far?’, yet near enough had to be talked into going to the clinic myself! Ah, but only days… not months- and of course, I could have lacerated it myself....of course the nature of this lump, the area it decided to locate itself it, was not to be ignored, either. Follow from your left ankle straight up your leg, past your knee, continue up your thigh to the crevasse where leg meets body, on the Up side of that lay this mass. on the labia side of things.

I was fairly sure one of my unnaturally thick, unnaturally deep-set hairs had lodged itself, as is wont to do in my strange half-boy body. I’ve many times seen lengths of hairs completely visible and yet completely under the skin.
On the other hand, years of fear of spiders laying eggs made me think that perhaps now, in this most blandly ‘safe’ of countries, near boring really, and after surviving near 2 years of Africa, perhaps NOW a spider has layed it’s eggs beneath my skin. That would be ironic, and somewhat hilarious (with two more glasses of wine).

I very certainly had not ruled out, either, Alien eggs. In fact, I came to reception and asked for the female doctor, if possible, but really much more important – the doctor who was best able to deal with Alien Spawn…. In cases like this, humor and truth are very important. Know thyself – and in this case, Alien babies aren’t really so far fetched….

In the end Dr Alison did preside. Dreams of frightening you all with pictures of the alien abduction/birth were put aside when the tester pictures scared me far more than ideas of spiders under my skin.

Good thing. In the end I had to very much focus on breath, and even then had wet cheeks. Happy memories of other times dealing with pain not only helped but made things interesting. She (the doctor who actually has her credentials, and a scalpel rather than a torn-apart-razor-blade) also believes it was an infected lost hair. I think that she stole my alien baby, but whatever. Dr Alison had red curls and a lovely face and I was far too distracted as she took her scalpel within an inch of all my (apparently not so fantastically gorgeous) woman bits. With a voyeur, even! Oh yes nurse. Of course you can watch! Chaparone all you want!
Shall I leave you there with that most lovely of thoughts? Scalpels and luscious bits… Red headed doctors and a female nurse “chaperone”…. Oh the IRONY! I could cry. Oh wait, I did that.

Walking to the grocery, after, gave me just a moment of travel sadness. Just one of those momentary-moments, I’ve not been gone long so it only lasted but a few seconds. When raining and dark and taped up and sore and the little shit drugs haven’t kicked in (Tylenol and Ibeprophen only), and I’ve no one to call to come walk with me from the hospital (never mind a drive), or hold my hand… It’s better… ? it’s ok… though, really. I have nothing but to get on with it, rather than curl up and pout, just walk on, go buy some things like drugs and eggs, and en route the ibuprophen kicks in.

I really cried my eyes out later, watching “Finding Neverland”….That’s worth tears, the beautiful story of painfilled letting go, playing in spite, or due to, hardships, playing to fulfill life…. completely pain free for the first time in 3 days as the swelling is down a bit, the red wine is adding ambiance, and the simple tiny moments that are life are creating magic….

Life is amazing for things like this. To red wine and ibuprophen, to Finding Neverland being on tv just exactly NOW. Singing as I do dishes, sing songs of how incredibly blessed my life is and how little this pain is in the face of all these dreams come true and in the face of all the real pain I’ve seen, and then this insane BBC documentary comes on. Think Sin Cities geek seriously looking at life. Asking questions. In San Quentin. Shit.

I don’t think this is quite the post for my ‘family’ blog…. I’ll have to come back to it much less doped up on the glories of red wine and shit nothing drugs. Why? Mostly because I thought the red headed doctor was hot. But come ON!!! Does that necessitate hiding? Or because I mention drugs... It must be my missing Shambhala. I don’t care about ‘good drugs’ much, most often thinking along the lines of ‘that’s OK, I can take it’, but I’m feeling a bit put out that I couldn’t get something a bit…more… well- incredibly effective. ;) must be a bit of princess showing through. Or playful. Well, I've got this bottle of wine for tonight and starting tomorrow I'll have to behave for a WHOLE WEEK for these anti-biotics to take full effect. Cause I'm mature like that.

Bondage threads grow stronger

2009-08-13T19:48:00.004-06:00

Queenstown is more expensive than even Auckland, food costs are outrageous - so is accommodation, especially if you can even find anything in town. There's no jobs, and going out for dinner is insane- in 2 months I've not even had a proper dinner out ONCE. A plate of beer battered fries were $10 and not as good as all that.
And there's no snow.

Well, hardly any.

Which makes it pointless to waste my money on the tiny hills HERE....

It keeps missing us, and going north, where there's bigger and more hills, more jobs, more and cheaper accomodations, way cheaper food - at grocers AND at restaurants.

But a thread keeps tripping me. Wrappin around my toe hold of hope, my pinkie of ideas.... and now it need not be there.

And then EVERY. Single. Day. ... I open the curtains and am re-shocked! The view really *IS* **THAT** ** GOOD ** !!

Laugh.... > I am (--laughing). I am highly amused, and have been through it all. The holding line was the bondage of 'feeling'- to STAY, even when Mind reasoned it all out to going, time and again, mind yappin on... I've learned many enough times not to fight the unknown true reasoning behind FEELING, - the feeling of when to stay, when to go, over mind's blabbering on.... The depth of intuition, that is in touch with the things that are coming... with possibilities, and grace.

First helped along by finding a magically gifted place to live, then this sex-store saviour job. The young funky gorgeous manager, Pri, said it best - something along the lines of a little hiding place in all this Queenstown madness.
I've enjoyed cooking. LOTS. Can't go out - I've spent TONS on food anyhow, but on healthy joyous foods.

They love me here at work, and I keep getting extra shifts which helps. Or little graces like consulting at a craaaaazy passion party. Usually 10 is a good number of people... This party had **30** and they were teens and early 20's girls- drinking and carousing and playing games and a few being belligerant drinking louses but *30* of em! It was a bit more than 'crazy' to try to involve in a passion party.... don't know what that is? Think tupperware party for selling sex toys, where we play fun games. And they drank.

One of their mates crashed our party, dressed in a FULL horse costume! HA! So I grabbed the strap on, and made him wear it while we played ring toss for a prize! Alas, the prize was not the hung horse, I had to let the poor thing go. LAUGH! Great party, though exhausting; in my usual way- may as well throw me into the fire.

I make commissions on sales at these parties ;) Which sure is more than the barely more than minimum wage I make hourly at the store.... Not that i mind terribly. It's a bit more than minimum, and I love working here. Sure I make FAR less than in Canada, but I'm learning that I can actually KEEP my job if it's the right one. Not only that, I've doubled their highest ever day's sales, my first full shift here. I've done bar promos, and workshops. I designed a business card and other promo stuff. At long last, it's another job I LOVE to come to, and feel great cause they love me. Also, we have lots and lots of IDEAS, which is GREAT! (Oh, we hope to MOVE locations, out of this awful place... oh I could beat their sound system with a bat...or a big black toy! FWWWHAOOP! Same 2 cds, day in and day out.

More good tidings: I've gotten involved in the Saturday local arts n crafts market. At many years' long last, I'm doing tarot and palm readings, and massage, at the market. With hopes to travel and make some money with it. For now it's a Saturday dressed in near every layer I have, breathing fresh air, and hangin out. I'm waiting to hear about some work at the high end spa - reception and maybe giving massage (though I'm shying away from the massage part now, due to pay vs intensity of massage work). AND I've got an interview next week- to be a guide.

I went walking two hours along the lake yesterday. Misty foggy dark n grey. I love it! Birds are arriving, cormorants and things that look like a cormorant but with a mohawk hairdo.... I walked and planned and think of taking off to do a winter version great walk. It'll happen if I find a good sleeping bag! Wonderful dreams here. Wonderful possibilities. Doesn't matter what happens, what falls through - it keeps building, more forward than back. Doesn't matter either, there's a gorgeous country out here to visit. A tiny glimpse for a bday wander made me gasp at it. Gorgeous. I'm ok being still for now though... There's this wonderful fulfillment of hoped for stillness - of really getting the feel of one place, of enjoying having a base.

And of course, cooking. Gourmet burgers with roasted pumpkin on multigrain bread, topped with fried egg and sauteed onion and mushroom. First try of Jambalaya- chicken and roasted sausage. Made yogurt last night. Made granola. Made stew from my own chicken base. Craved Thai so made a creamy green thai sauce (though I'd love to get out for REAL Thai!)

I feel good today. After only a few lovely days of downpour rain, the sun is back and it's cool and fresh out. I've found cheap merino clothes, and more I hope to go back and buy. I got called into work this morning (extra hrs!)- dusted (shoulda tried on the super cute maid costume!), updated the computer security, fixed the business card design, put my money where my mouth is and joined the Green Party in Canada, making a clear stance not only with hidden quiet donation, but joining. Now I'm updating here. I'll go on facebook and start a page for this store. Maybe I'll pop out to the fudge shop next door and say hi (and get a taste of fudge!).

I'm also taking a break from the depth of soul changes and incredible life-adjustments, helped on by this wonderful thought-provoking book I'm reading ("The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" by Sue Monk Kidd). I'm taking a 'fun break', and reading this VERY STRANGE and easy to just blitz- chill read book. "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore... the guy who wrote "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" (which I'd *LOVE* to find!). It's about this geeky guy becoming Death. As in the Noun, not the verb.

The only things, really, that's not so great is a bit of boredom/ missing having any friends to hang with, the over-eating that seems to be accompanying that, and a lump that I've got to call insurance about, and get to a doctor over. Bah. Probably an annoying ingrown hair that's gotten too deep, but either way, it's a painful annoying lump. But hey, that's part of life and traveling too. It's not mango flies under the skin anyways!

Did I mention I move in ONE week...ahh, probably back to hostel livin for a bit. There ARE more places opening up, which I'll look at.... but I don't mind waiting, use the $$ on a hoped for ski-wander.... It's getting that much warmer though, more and more making me want to set up that tent....

xoxo

Pin up models in the sex store

2009-07-25T02:51:00.003-06:00

I am now the happy new employee of Coca Bella, the only local adult store of all those sexiest of shoes (what clued me in to the hiding gem), lingerie, some toys, and novelties. It's tiny, and I love it. (Deleted/Edited for local concerns...) The Owner loves me and my possibilities for promotions- we give each other a glimmer of hope - so he may move locations. We are all hoping on tippy toes like the cute pin up gals of yore.

(Even on dictionary.com and general googling i can only find the transport device, not the spelling for moving from one idea to another with a 'seguay' transition... Insert correct spelling here anyhow)

I am finishing my shift of looking through a Sex Play book, merry maid dusting of gorgeous shoes, and mostly looking up pin-up models and info from the flapper era 1920's. Saving photos. Time to go cash out.

Happy happy Aliboo.

Great Site

2009-07-23T15:47:00.001-06:00

Anyone been waiting for the news?

Just me??

Boy was I ever in a state of crazy hope, nerves, fear, and anticipation…. Tell you a little secret though… Being denied wasn’t really that bad an idea. I was even sort of ready for it, what with all the many people saying “Everyone I know has been turned down”, or the likes of such.

I was dreaming of school again, and you know – not such a bad idea. I may just shorten all this down anyhow… but then that long road of new foods calls to me. Oh the blogs I could fill with FOOD. Ideas of travel and eating! OH ME OH MY!!! ( I just spent pretty much my whole day looking up recipes!)

Don’t ever believe that I am horridly busy on the road. Nope. Remember at home when I say it’s not always easy (and it isn’t ) but it IS totally opposite of home life. I know hardly anyone, and often have little to do besides wander. This time I’ve decided not to constantly travel, but to base myself here and just look for work, work, ski, etc. Since I’m not skiing, and looking for work only takes so much time, especially when I totally play slacker and spend all day looking at recipes- well, there’s only so much I can wander around this same small town. Boredom has led to weight gain…. But oh how I do love FOOD and the fun of COOKING!!!

I’m also neurotic about food and keep shopping when hungry. Already I have my own small beer fridge filled (Shared house, not enough room in the big fridge for all 4 of us, works great for me!!... I think the Japanese couple think this white girl is going to need more room! HA! Indeed!), but even having so much already and WAY over spending on food (it’s SO bloody expensive here..but I know, I was well warned!) there was a SALE on chicken and sausage and I JUST made blackbeans, and JUST made polenta, with dreams of cornbread…. Ahhhh, dreams of Creole! Jambalaya!!! (I’ll try to keep you in the loop on that one)… So I have recipes and ideas to roast the sausage and make pulled chicken and then throw it all together into jambalaya goodGoddessesness!

Ahhhhh, how shall I spend my life? Where is the work, how long shall this road be… dreams of heat and desserts entertain me, but no longer laugh at my frozen arsed misfortune- I’ve found ways to be warm, I care less in the view of the mountains…. I’ve just booked my special Birthday holiday skiing where there IS some snow!!!!

Why do I get this feeling I’m being POKED very hard, mentally…. Oh OK ALREADY….. (laugh) Maybe you DO want to know what life plan has been laid?!!?!?

So, without further ado. …. >>>>>> I GOT THE EMAIL ABOUT AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WAS ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did profuse happy dances down Queenstown streets. (Worthy of video for the looks I got!)

Shall we do another dance?? HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY !!!!! If only I had a log to throw down stairs, I’d be ready to pick my snot, piss on an electric fence, and call it a day…. Laugh (Wow, that both shows my age, and some old Canadiana!)

it's different, not WEIRD (and certainly NOT "bloody hell this is CRAP"

2009-07-18T22:46:00.002-06:00

New Zealand and why it’s making me say the traveler’s mantra “Different, NOT weird!”; and the God in the Lake

I came here thinking it was near about a muchness to BC, Canada. Mostly because I’ve been told so, countless times. But there are a lot of differences, things that have shocked me, shook me, sunk slowly into my bones.

Shook me literally when I found out, by living through an 8.7 one, that New Zealand gets earthquakes. I found this out as my mind said to my brain, “No, A~, there isn’t any freight train tracks that run through this house”, as the most amazing side to side motion was shaking everything. It kept going on..and on. Wow! My awe finally wore out just enough to get up and check what the roomies were doing. Being from Japan, they were not just laughing like a dumb bat in awe, but doing things to ensure that if the house started falling apart they could get out. You know- sane, practical things. I, rather, went with the dumb bat in awe option (Note: Opening the door, standing away from the windows and light fixtures, rather than gawking out the big picture window at the shaking of the town below).

Slowly sinking into my bones and my slow to give up and just learn-curve, has been the pervasive chilliness that you really just have to wear more layers. It’s not even that cold! The problem lies in the difference that if you get cold in Canada, barring being out (and hopefully prepared) away from any civilization, you can usually go inside to get warm. Here it is sometimes warmer OUTSIDE, than in.
I’m learning about heating, and a very hot topic this last year (why on earth has this only been a topic for a YEAR!??!? It’s not like winter is new, here, people!) – is the lack of insulation in homes. When I say lack, do not think, as I did, that this means thin or cheap insulation. No. It means NO insulation. Bare wall to the outside. Where I was wwoofing this meant bare TIN to the outside, and seeing my breath from bed. What this has also meant is the slow creeping way of learning that I have to wear thermals all the time, and often TWO fleece jacket/pullovers INSIDE. I would be working and warm up outside, then have to cover up to come in for tea.
What this also means is astronomical power bills. I’m hearing small homes can be $400/month.
Also, there is only single-pane windows, another big thing the government is trying to get people to change, and by law – IF I understand right – is only now to be put in new homes- 2 pane windows.

So many people heat by a small wood burning stove, none of which so far have worked terribly well, making me long (even more than I already am) for the big hot lovely one in Alaska….ahhh, how I love and miss Chicken some days (not the kind I roasted, but that lovely big wild place I fell for last year)… Also there are these units that have a bbq size propane tank in the back, and three heat pads in front that are mobile- just shove em around and click em on, and poof, gas powered heat. Careful not to get too near, or you’ll light on fire. Duh. Insurance doesn’t cover homes that burn down from these. Some have” central heating”, but unlike what I’m used to – a big furnace, and ducting, it’s those rectangular things that attach to the walls, or else the water/oil ones that are against walls. Lastly, the big thing here for warmth and comfort which is completely unfamiliar to me, is heat pumps. Still unsure about them, I hear they can be very dangerous, but generally are the warmest.
There you go.

Compareing all this to the big amazing thing B~ had set up in Chicken – outside, a huge enclosed ‘fireplace’ of sorts, that holds big logs of wood, about 8 or 10 feet deep, and high, and tubes of some chemical gets heating which then heats water which pumps somehow out and through the building, around it, and back out (cool) to be re-warmed. This is what gives hot water for taps and showers too. Kept a huge store quite warm!

Shocking has been the sad quiet of the forests.

When Europeans first sailed nearby it is said they could hear ‘a cacophony of birds’ even from out to sea. The introduction of rats, mice, stoats, and possums has all but silenced it to an eerily quiet bunch of trees. (I bet the wood sprites are lonely!) So the big purchase here is not just that lovely warm merino wool, but wool blended with this super soft and never freezing possum hair. It’s gorgeous! (Unfortunately, being a pest and all, it’s still priced high. IE: A thin scarf is about $70, where a zip up sweater is nearer 200, but SO soft!).

And the God in the lake? Lake Wakatipu, which Queenstown cuddles up with, actually rises and falls every few minutes. Always with gentle waves, it does actually have a small tide! I read the story – some fight with a God and now this God, he’s been put to sleep in the lake and his heart beat is what causes the tide.

So was the earthquake his turning over? ;P

So far my attempts at finding good icecream has failed. But I have found good coffee, and while the bars suck, the same coffee place has good chocolate. It's Brazilian though, not Kiwi. Great homemade fudge with free tastings brings me back near nightly for a taste.

Last but not least, NEWS. Much anticipated, highly tense about it – I’ve heard from many, even English, that many people have been denied working holiday visas in Australia. Everyone has said, ‘Due to the recession”. It is a VERY expensive visa to apply for, non refundable if denied ($230 AU / $ 200 CAD), but because I was in Africa all that time, I had to get a chest xray (as I did for New Zealand). Here that equates with a VERY hefty doctor fee just to get the referral, then a very high price for the xray.

I went ahead with hope and many prayers to the feminine and masculine energies of the world, and the Love of the Universe in it’s guidance, and …. Well, generally just hopin and prayin outward- and here, so close to the cut off date to never being able to get one (in two weeks I become ineligible due to my birthday). Bit nervous.

Well, I got the email…. This email that would hugely affect my life, the plan for the future, the very real direction I am setting myself to…..
IF denied, I forsaw a return to Canada and a push for university.
If accepted, Auz next year with a push up through Asia, maybe finally across Mongolia and Russia, to England, and then… perhaps the Uk awhile….
Of course, at any moment I might change all this, but the acceptance or denial of this visa would be pretty big news...

I got the email that moves me towards my next 5 – 10 years……

Wow, this is long! Well then….. Part two, next time…. What will happen.

What is A~ to do?!

ooooh, suspense! ;)

Roasting Birdie

2009-07-16T23:26:00.004-06:00

Roasted Chicken via online Jamie Oliver yumminess. His chicken aint bad, either.

What I did to a bird(the other day). Tasty tasty cluckity chick!

I took a nice size whole chicken and flopped 'er on 'er back (as you do). Had earlier in the day rubbed ‘er all over with salt and pepper, inside and out, (promise, she didn’t mind) and put ‘er back in the bag & into the fridge to sit and think about things.
So floppin her on her back, again, Jamie suggests a few seasonings that I don’t have, but I do have cumin, so I threw in some cumin, and a whole lemon I’d picked up specially (For your overseas knowings, ONE lemon cost 80 cents. One chicken on sale was $11), that was steaming hot from parboiling with the potatoes. oh,oops...

Right, parboil potatoes with a whole lemon and a full clove of garlic, pulled apart. When done, stab the lemon a bunch and shove it in your birdie, along with the garlic, and chuck yer chick in the preheated oven (190- but up here that took bloody ages yet gave me a super moist bird. Play with your own oven/ altitude / need for speed, as you do your spices). I parboiled 12 min as suggested but should have done longer. Remember – >Higher Alititude = Longer cooking times, or higher temperatures. HOWEVER: this worked PERFECTLY for adding to soup later, so they weren't all mush. Maybe think ahead, take some out early for this?
Those potatoes should steam dry and be tossed in their pan for some fluffiness that I didn’t quite get right. I think I forgot about some stabbing thing. After 45 minutes, flop yer winged creature onto a plate. I was supposed to have birdie grease in the pan, but had none yet. If you do, add yer spice, Salt n pepper. Jamie suggests thyme and rosemary, one goes in the bird, one in the pan, whatever. Toss the potatoes in this, - * I added carrot, onion, and garlic- make a hole, put the birdie back in the hole, and roast another 45 min or until done. Supposedly clear juices and thighs pull easily away. Mine were falling away, and the meat was steamy moistness. Lovely, but it also took a helluva lot longer than 45. When done, pull out that lemon and garlic – squish the garlic out of their skins and rub all over the birdie and carve, or generally tear into the wee thing. (she still doesn't mind, 'prolly likes it, the hot bird she is!)
******************

So now, 2 days and 2 excellent birdie meals later, I’ve been taking the bones, carcass and skin and bits of goo and put aside for this. All the liquid crap from the pan that was left I’d cooled and stuck in a ziplock into the freezer, then dethawed when ready. That, the carcass and goo and all the veggie leftover bits I’d gotten together in the last few days, (thanks to roommie for keeping me her celery ends), added some ginger and I’d of added garlic but haven’t got any more yet. Big pot, to the boil, then simmered till the liquid had gone down a ways. Oh, I added a scoop of thai chilli sauce too. And LOTS of ginger. (insert cheesy Italian accent here) WhoaAAA that’s A SPICY !

******
The liquid was low enough and strong enough for today – I’d happily have left it all day but I’m going to have soup tonight…. So I drained off the gunk, and stuck the liquid back on the stove, added basmati rice, all the left over potatoes and carrots and onion and garlic (I’d preplanned this and made LOTS of roasted veg), as well as some left over pumpkin from another dinner, with a fist full of purple cabbage. That’s all simmering merrily away now. (Inserted later: WOW, it turned out Stew, rather than soup, and incredible! YUM! Big tummy thanks to mom, who's excellent cooking must have shaken off on me).

Cooking delights on a New Zealand July winter’s eve, as the clouds are low on a dark and rainy day, just now giving way to a whiter mass with pretty streams of blue, I look through the darkening living room to the lake and parasailers and town and think… !right! I forgot – all this should be done while drinking beer, wine or other happy things!

NOW: I am going to do my lunges, (this time I mean it!) even tho they hurt. I’ll do them because my cute physiotherapist told me to, and because I want to accept this wonderful gift of the universe, of physiotherapy, and get stronger. I’d like to accept the physiotherapist too, but hey… ;) Though I will add an emphirical BAH HUMBUG! After telling me that I’d be wearing shorts today, and to shave my legs, he worked on my BACK!
I shaved for nothing!! My lovely legs went untouched, unseen, hidden! BAH!
......Though, they *DO* feel awfully nice, and so did his fingers digging in the pressure points of my lower back. Alas....These legs are craving AIR, vision, FREEEEEDOOOOM... (achem) , yet here I am with no cute little sheepskin boots to wear with my skirt. Ahhhh, traveler blues. ;) Caught without my shoes.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Note: Last night’s earthquake was 7.8 on the reichter scale!!! Yet no one got hurt, buildings didn’t even come down. WOW…. Tho here it was maybe 5.5 ish, still. Very cool, being that all we had was shaking.

Coming up: New Zealand and what makes me say the traveler’s mantra of “DIFFERENT! (not Weird!!!) “ , the God in the lake, and some stressfully awaited for news!

Quakin Universe

2009-07-15T03:12:00.005-06:00

WOW!

I'm in serious awe and super coolness right NOW... I was sitting here in my new place - that's right - I found an awesome place to actually LIVE, right in town, which is nearly impossible to find, and here I am in the living room, just put down a bowl of icecream and then the living room starts to shake and slide back n forth- is it a really thin old house right next to a train?? No... WOOOOOOWWWW it's my FIRST earthquake!!!!

It's amazing! The whole room went side to side! The couple who live here are Japanese - lived here 7 years, and as the gal is opening the front door, says she's only felt maybe 2 or 3 the whole time she's been here.

She explains that I have to give myself a way out - if I have to go quick, want that door open. She's felt much bigger in Japan, (I think- oh of course, and ask her a few other things).... Silly me, I didn't even know they had earthquakes here! That was SUPER NEATO!!!!

In other super neato news- THIS PLACE! Great great great! Oh, well, to keep it affordable I'm sharing my room with another gal, who hardly speaks a flick of English and leaves her alarm and makes far too much ruckus at currently unreasonably early hours, BUT is just so young with such a sweet big smile that it's thankfully very easy to forgive her. More so cause I'm not working, otherwise I'd probably say more about it. She's here to snowboard. I've still only skiid once and I'm a bit bored.... Still no snow.

Oh, back to the place - the view over the lake is just insane. What a find! Great people, great view, RIGHT in town.... ahhh, sweet haven for a bit as I am not working nor skiing and kinda hurt. Oh yes, I hurt myself. But first: THE VIEW FROM MY ROOM!!!!

So I did something and my hip was out with two days of shooting pain down my back and legs, spasming muscles and PAIN in my knee. The sciatic nerve was pinching in both sides. Not fun.
So I tried to ignore it with three really great days of movie watching- including each day watching one of the Lord of the Ring trilogy!!! YAY!!! Very very cool to watch that here, since they are a large part of what drew me to this country- for the views, the mountain chasing I seem to be on a bit of a run on.

So the sciatic started to abate but then as I was walking my knee gave out with a twinge of some seriously sharp incredible pain. I've NEVER had KNEE issues... so, I hussled my hussle to the doctors. Then I found out about NZ coverage. YAY!

This is long. I'm seeing an Osteopath and Physio... and today started learning to Crochet!

Today's Attempt at Learning:

The universe also seems to be not only giving a nudge but a hard kick over a deep cliff- to go ahead and throw a party here.... WHOOOOOOOOOOEEEEE. What a journey, not even knowing any djs, mcs, or people to do shows; in a conservative town that is TINY with a roving host of young tourists.... achem... maybe that sinus thing I was dealing with last week has moved to affecting my brain - uhmmm, more than usual... :)

More pics.... ahhhhmmm, another time?? So many to post. I LOOOOVE this new camera!!! Yeowzers... but it's 10pm and time to go meet up with another traveler for a drink.

Oh guess what.

I have to SHAVE MY LEGS!!!

:) ........ laugh. My physio therapist might not be very good for me. He's adding to this little issue of my knees going weak. ;P What a cutie! Mentioned my putting on shorts, then said just to roll up my pants, but of course I'm wearing leggings (it's bloody chilly here, but THANK ALL THE POWERS THAT BE!!! ) I warned him he doesn't want to see under just now. laugh. So he told me to wear shorts or shave and i can use the physio clinic's shorts,for tomorrow! HAHAHA. cute.

I told him "Ok, Darling, I'll shave for you"

;P I would for him, in other ways, too! hehehehe

PS: Crochetting is frustrating! But, i'm going to try to keep at it. This time. ... yessssssssireeeee...

OH OH OH OH OH!!! PPS!!!! I did my first ever ROAST too! Chicken. MMMMM, and now have the carcass in a bag and going to make SOUP. MMMMMMMM!!!!

ok, this is super crazy long, cause i'm a slacker slack assed one. So one more 'What's a spacecase up to' photo....

A Hand after Fire Spinning (and after drumming in cold weather)-- Winter Fest

Aclimatizing! (cough hack wheeze!) !!

2009-07-05T17:07:00.003-06:00

At last!

I'm starting to acclimatize! .....

oh wait, right... it's warmer out!

YAAAAAAAYYYYY!

But really, I've started to get used to the humid chill, though it IS quite a bit warmer the last few days. No frost at all, never mind frost till noon, or frost that builds up- like out at Kinloch.

That came to a perfect end and I spent a few days at one hostel, before being sick of having to move beds all time (previous bookings). Moved to a cheaper hostel xtown the morning after meeting a whole WACK of great folks.

Imagine me, popping into my new room after a long day of being out and about, to my glorious find of THREE very lovely, laughter-filled lads all with very different and very nice-on-the-eyes appeal. ;) I just had to pop down and thank the front desk gals for their un-knowing niceties.

The Jaggermeister bus had been out and about all that day, and I was totin my new jag shirt !! (OH yah, Making everyone jealous! whoot Jagger-gear), so a group of us went and met at this Jagger-event.

Let me set the stage: Queenstown is on the lake, surrounded by mountains, and is adventure center of the world. Lots of young people here on holiday- and Base backpacker's is the party bus accomodation. Can you imagine a huge hostel, with it's own bar, just giddy with young partyers? A gaggle full, a gobble full. Jag, of course, was going to try to make a world record there.

800 Jag bombs, that's right !! * 800 * !! set up in a row to have the shots knocked into their glasses, domino style....

We watched, we waited, one would tip over and set others off- with breaks between rows... we patiently waited as they re-set, a thick throng of young drinking hormones- then... then... they started filling in the spacer rows. Slowly slowly, the crowd brattily yelling and trying tofreak them out. WHOAAAAAAAAING and laughing, and jeering.
The staff nervous and shaking and taking breathers.... but it was coming together, this LONG, 7 wide hall of lovely Jag shots atop glasses of energy drink.... Only 3 rows to go... and ...
Ting...

Ting ting ting tingtingtingting.... flippity flop one had tipped and down they came.

Of course a huge chunk went over. It was nearly done, so very cool to watch, but not all went... they said enough and sold shots. Then the manager of the bar opened some champaign, took the lid off a blowup hottub (yes, inside the bar), stripped totally jibbly-bits naked, and got in.

Now THAT is the kind of place I'd like to work! laugh (though I ran from there my first night, wisely knowing it was the LAST place I'd want to try to sleep!).

Got jag gear, played floppy jag frisbee in the bar, then went on. Night clubs are free-entry so we wandered about, checking them out, dwindling numbers till there were two, and we finally found 'sort of kind of' could dance to music....

Great folks, sad to leave, and then to be at a hostel that is cheaper for many reasons and very unhappily so for my first few nights. In it's own way it's the right place for me to be... Met the right people, gained a WWOOF book, got a job, then a place and now to decide.

Ohhh backtrack - have I told of fire dancing on Mardi Gras night, after drumming in the parade?!!? Ah, pics! Must bring them next time! WHOOOT. and the pic of me in the local paper, Winter Solstice morn, in a bikini... hehehe.

I so love the calm of intense concentration with playful dance amidst the whooshing very particular sound of flame!

So, the usual of life, the bits of worry of job - this one is cleaning and I don't know if I'll be kept on now after coming in this morning early to be told she didn't need me today! BAH... but besides the may-bes, and all the flowing goodness of the universe bringing this stuff together so nicely for me - it's good...but.. there's inklings and the whisperings that always guide me right, chirping away somewhat quietly that there may be change and to NOT take this home I found... movement... choices, and besides all that, cooking good food, hanging out with great people in bits and peices, and getting through the usual 3 week homesickness bout.

Now... what great further adventures shall i get up to!??!

My Nanny suggested wine and a nap. I like that idea! Especially as it's not yet noon.

Hiking bliss to Kinloch Freeze

2009-06-13T01:34:00.006-06:00

I decided to stay the day to chill and do pretty much nothing. It's been very successful, except that I've done the latter part too well- been bloody freezing all day till just recently. still, i'm very cold.

I am already learning so very much about the country I've decided to flop myself upon.

Like they are notoriously horrid for insulation of homes.

So I've been inside all day, puttering about online, in a tank top, a long sleeve, a fleece, and mostly in touque and big scarf. I am wearing long johns and pants, wool socks with boots, yet my hands are constantly cold, my throat has started to hurt, i'm still cold. I am seriously considering flying to Auckland (to the part of this country furthest from the Antarctic, unlike here, away down south).... I'm considering hauling ass outta here completely (The middle east is looking real good about now!). I'm very much considering my sanity, but then I find I so often have reason to do that, and it never goes well. It DOES bring me places like this- where for two nights I had a double bed in a dorm room, with a lovely duvet... I got moved and have to pay more for shoddier but got to have some great chats and meet and maybe maybe might piss off even further south (WHAT!??! see what I mean about the sanity considerations!?) to go WWOOF for some people. Willing Workers On Organic Farms. It's become the byline for generally meaning 4ish hours work exchange for room and board.

Anyhow, I met some people who all laugh and say the same about trying to find work in Queenstown. Wrong time, get in line, there's thousands doing just the same. So one way or the other, doesn't seem much like the place to be just now.... but then, in the end, my gut will let me know. Like staying here the day. I got SKYPE activated. WHOOT. hmmmm... that's about all I did. Oh, also got further info on a meditation thing. :) Very productive... oh. and went through photos. I shall get flikr going soon, but here's one of my favs. I saw it and gasped and did a very big inner YAY!

Here's a few more that I also quite like... from my day walk up the "Great Walks" path 'Routeburn'. This first one though is where I'm staying- right in front of the Kinloch Lodge, out away the end of the lake from Queenstown....

First time trying out Bulb setting....

Ahhh, that one was me the last night before leaving.... flopped in the pile that made the final cut, after agonizing over each thing for weeks. I filled my pack, and a large day pack, and a pull case- and seem somehow to have much less than others! Bah. still, without enough warm clothes, I find myself looking to seek out a thrift shop, but quick! I'm inside and long johns with trousers aren't enough, and it's not even really below freezing out! sheeeeeesh.

that's me. i'm done in. enough online time. Next time I'm going to be productive and get my resume worked on, and mail bomb every ski resort, hostel, guideing job, .... and.... well... yah.....

or actually, NOT. I'm just going to be handed a really fabulous perfect job. Yah, i'd much rather that, and am totally able to accept that.

Airport Adventuress

2009-06-11T06:18:00.005-06:00

(from a letter to PEI)

Good morning, or to you- good afternoon.... I figured it out. You are 9 hours ahead of me, I am 9 behind you. Let's not worry about the rest, but it's 9 hrs difference.... (and just for sakes of it, a day difference too, but nevermind. It's easier for calls to at least know it's 9 hours.) (Tho my dad calls this 'woman's logic'. I guess he thinks it's easier to think of it as 15 hrs, which is, sort of. Sort of being when i tried to work out the aheads and behinds for Calgary and Vancouver)....

So at noon here it's 9pm there, or so I've figured (but have to check)....
I've arrived in Auckland and there is a free internet booth at the airport. It's early and dark and I got my first surprise that I should have known. I thought I'd see the sunrise from the plane, as I arrived at 5am ish, and it's just past 7am and still no sunrise.
Of course, it's also near full winter here!
Grin
Guessing from how south I am here, and it being near enough to Winter Solstice, it'll rise sometime in the next half hour. Down around Queenstown it may be even near 8am, though of course, I don't know if they do daylight savings, in which case if they don't, it could be 8:30 to rise and 9ish in Queenstown.... I'll let you know ;) Fun things. Hmmm, I'd like to go outside now and try to find the southern cross again, except it's pissing rain on and off.... The full moon was beautiful to fly under- a grande perfect treat. Amazing the lines and serendipity of the Universe. I booked my ticket without knowing - for the full moon. I have the full 18 months insurance, the most I can get under this policy, and it runs out Dec 09, 2010.
I came home from Europe on Dec 10, and left exactly two years later to Israel, on Dec 10. I become an expat for insurance on Dec 10.... in 2010.
Funny.
Well, here I am. I have a few hours till my next flight. The flight here was 13 hours and it was lovely, easy, and incredibly comfortable really (Besides my coughing fits and general sexiness of sinus colds, and the uneasy feeling from all this hoopla about swine flu and couging and sore chests and such making me a bit self conscience). I actually slept a bit, and really- compared to my lacking of sleep lately anyhow, as good as any night really. Meant to drink much more of the free booze, but only had a few glasses of lovely red pinot noir before I was exhausted and ready to sit up straight and sleep. ;P
My tent had to go through biosecurity, and the guy waiting for me to find my honey packs (not allowed, though cereal, spelt flour, coffee, and trail mix were ok), he thought my job title was amusing.
Title or Occupation: "Adventuress".
;)
Well, this Adventuress needs some soap under her stanky airplane travel nasty arms, and some toothpaste and a good scrub inside her fluffy mouth. I think there is little to be done about the poof ball fluff of hair, but nevermind.
;)
I'm in New Zealand, and have NO clue what the heck I'm doing here.
I think it's going to be a great day!

Oh PS: It got light out around 8, but behind all that rain it just got lighter, don't know actual sunrise times. And it IS 15 hours to PEI. And cold here. No one told me this lovely, very developed, and seasonal nation mostly doesn't have central heating, nor good insulation. It's nearly the dead of winter...again! I do NOT like being cold. I am seriously considering a 'screw this' fly off to Australia. Or hitching north. I might do the latter, yet... brrrrrr! For now, I am reminded yet *AGAIN* why I should follow those strong whims, even over all discernable reason. I ended up in just the perfect place that I've needed.

This part shouldn't surprise me, really, just how fast I moved towards leaving the tourist bubble that is Queenstown, for something a bit quieter.... that "bit" is a little like saying the yukon is a bit quieter than Las Vegas, but whatever. ;P

oh, holy BLOGERSPHERES! It's a real actual *picture*!!!

A Tale of Very One Sided Duel Between a Pirate and a Princess

2009-06-05T03:38:00.003-06:00

This could be a tale of DOOM!!!!!!!!!

DOOOOOOOOOOOM,

I tell ya

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

doom de doom doom doom doooooooom doom doomdoomdoomdoom de doom doom

(but it's not).....

What this * IS *, is a tale of a Swashbuckling (ok, Rum buckling, Tequila buckling, even Beer buckling... ) PIRATE, yes, a tale of a PIRATE, and a somewhat pirate-like PRINCESS, dainty in the way a pirate would be dainty- TALE, and it is a TALE, specifically, of a traveling duel.

Yes, a duel. Except it's completely one sided, like the Pirate has passed out cold, or has fallen in love with this Princess, and at her every whim. (Nearly, anyways. I did take out the cute little burlesque outfit, but with the caveat of needing SOMETHING fun to shop for!)

The Princess has had the luxury of home, of duvet comforts and days filled with blended drinks, yogurt making, warm devinity of a key to a private home that she could come and go from with no one else to make messes, bother her, or interfere with her Princess Beauty Sleep, and that simple goodness of knowing where you're going to be sleeping is GOOD.

But so did the Pirate. And Pirate Ali liked it Too!

So now it comes time to travel and go a vagabonding again, and Princess Ali has raised her not so dainty voice... the only problem is that she is ALSO the Pirate that has to carry the load !

AND oh, MY, GODDESS, what, a, LOAD, it, IS!

But OH, it's wet cold, and OH, if we hike and get wet and then sleep time needs extra long johns, and OH but we're going to work and LIVE, not travel so we need MORE, pretty clothes as well as travel clothes, and ski clothes, and ... and... and what about... and ... and... extra... and ... and....

I'd been in Africa about 2 weeks when I went through and got rid of extras like makeup, nail clippers (I figured - and learned- to cut my nails with my scissors), clothes.... I'd not packed much to begin with. I sent a box home.

I traveled with one short sleeve, one long, two pairs of pants, one sarong. One hoodie pull over, and a very lightweight rain jacket. It was later that I got a tent. Once I got the tent I also got a very light weight but kinda crappy open-cell foam mat. The thin, not warm but super light weight, kind. My whole kit n kaboodle weighed less than my DAYPACK does NOW!

(Achem)....

Now we must have the comfort of long term tent living - a therma rest air mat.... Even tho I lived in my kiddie tent for a year, on the simple foam mat, NOW I just HAVE to have this.... This thing changed my idea of camping. I travelled cross Canada with one of these and slept completely comfortably on a rock bed beach, near an iceburg. No longer did twigs and bits and lumps and cold all dig into my back. No... Well, in fairness, I'd long said I'd get a therma rest.... 7 months solid tenting with a tiny thin mat did me in.

I am bringing that really good bottle of Tequila. It's REALLY good. I have some idea that introducing people to *really good* Tequila makes friends. And best friends from those that are already aquainted. This is where Pirate and Princess get along just fine. We both understand the value of *quality* tequila in road trippin. We both think it makes for a good handshake. And the load gets lighter as I walk! You know, thirsty walking!

I'm also bringing Iceburg Rum. (maybe it's a LONG walk!) And ski gloves (two pairs), long underwear (two pairs), ski pants (nope, only one), but to make up for the *only one* ski pants, there are - get this - ** 5 ** pairs of shoes.

Hiking boots, flip flops (Dorm showers, beach, etc), hiking sandals, black slipper type shoes for working, AND a pair of thinsulate boots - for the winter I'm about to return to. (tho you could make a case that I'm not even IN summer, being that I hear there's to be a HUGE dump of snow in two days).

AND Two jackets. One winter/ski jacket, and a rain jacket, as well as a fleece instead of a cotton hoodie- as cotton makes you cold when it gets wet, is heavy, takes super long to dry, and I have a great fleece hoodie that's warm and comfy. I'm in it now. Also, a wind resistant warm but lightweight jacket midlayer. Socks, undies, and get this, REAL bras! Nope, not travelling with so much easier and even comfier sports bras. NO Sir Eeee.

Sports bras are NOT daily wear for a Princess!

Two tshirts, as well as a nicer third one. A nice skirt, a sarong. THREE pairs of pants. Three tank tops AND a nice button up. Not so bad till you add the DSLR and lenses and accessories, the tiny laptop and cords, the portable harddrive, The contacts and bathing stuff (shampoo, conditioner, cream), the other toiletries, and first aid, and odds n ends, and cook stove with tiny and lightweight Canadian Tire type stove set, and larger tent, remember that therma rest....

60 Litre pack, 30 L daypack (not full at all), and smallish carryon but heavy wheelie luggage.

JOY!

"When are you leaving?", I've been asked so often lately....

"Two days ago" is all I can say. I'm not late though, no, rather just on time.

I had to visit. Pack. Catch up. Do things. So much so that I woke on Wed morning after another shortish sleep, and didn't get to bed again till Thursday night. So many incredible beautiful moments being here, from an old welcome from my true bed, to sleepy happy gardening and excellent red wine, Saying good bye to my things, and that calm of "ready".... three hours of trying to take up pants (yah, really!). Visiting family and birthday blessings of a passed-on Princess, a last beer at Soda, handing over my car, and to end the night - Princess dessert. Try it. Peaches on vanilla icecream well drizzled in Barcardi O orange rum. Of course, 'drizzled' is a good shot n a bit, at least.

It is GOOD!

It's also near 4:30am, and I am falling asleep.

The Yogurt species SURVIVES!

2009-05-28T11:52:00.004-06:00

I saved my dear friend! OH cheering from imaginary crowds, the wee little bacterium stadium are going WILD!

Yes, I SAVED the yogurt!

And it's GOOD!!!!

(I'm going to go make a concoction after this irregularily scheduled blogging break.... I'm imagining cackling, hunched, fingers rubbing together over my magic blueberry brew. The Wild Scientist in her laboratory filled with bubbling steams and mystical scents. MMMmmm, cinnamon!)

Uhmmmm......

Yelling politics.... great conversation though frustrating too. Lots to think on, but what I was left with was yet again being grateful for some semblances of socialism- in taxes going towards our public services. Water! Not having privatized things like police. A point in a debate that was truelly interesting, and with a rarity that I come to love these sometimes fiery visits- they are at least DIFFERENT!

I was reminded of Kenya and how the police would watch you get robbed, waiting for their pay. Thankfully not to me, as I got there just as the corruption was ending, and certainly did not look like I had many pennies on me anyhow, with the edgy watchfullness that usually disinterests theives...... but myriads of stories of such... privatized police ARE going to do their 'job' and who would pay them the most but the gangs, warlords, thieves, criminals... Degenerating into the oft repeated history that is continueing today in many places. We most certainly are not perfect nor in a good 'state', but still I love the good roads, opportunity to education, well paid and at least checked police force - corruption happens of course, but at least it is something we are working AGAINST, rather than outright paying for.

So I am left really wondering his thoughts on this - because surely some people within all the many groups who want our government to stop all these abuses has thought about this.... what does he think, what do they think... what are some ideas out there for a better way?

I like central heating.

I very much am against my taxes going towards the absolutely abysmal mandate in Afghanistan. We should be BUILDING, but what we are doing is killing. We are out there fighting, rather than protecting. And we've put in power the thing the media tells us we were there to stop - shown repetitively over the years, and most recently in the new law being passed allowing men to rape their wives.... and they say they're Muslim! The Quoran tells you to protect your women. sheeesh.... reminds me of the witch burning days, all this madness... I digress....

Yet I really like my taxes paying a police force to stop thieves, rapists, murderers, gangs; with equality, rather than protecting the highest bidder. I like my taxes giving my country, and my fellow community, an education. Builds us ALL. I appreciate the good roads, oh how I appreciate the roads after Africa! (One perfect road in Kenya led to the old long standing despot's house. All the rest had pot holes that would eat a car).

Absolutely- the Apec meetings, Bush, Suharto- all are tellings of a grande scheme of fascism in this beautiful land, one that I am fighting against, and while change may be slow, it is there. I can only imagine what it was like for Ghandi, when he was young and trying, and seeing no progress. When he was marching, not knowing the outcome, knowing the history of violence and repression.... to march anyways....

Well... the point, really, is a great reminder that there is more to this choice to be ALIVE, than going to see pretty mountains, that there is a depth to the mundane, and to our choices, and that yes, there *is* reason and goodness in life to choose carefully what I support, and how,and where I spend my money...

So while we yelled and oft disagreed, this morning I am loving the conversation, how it boosted me and urged me onward to ACT, and to THINK, and the biggest most important thing any of us can EVER do - to QUESTION!

I had gotten that feeling of overwhelmingness - how can we change anything? It's So BIG.... Too big, there is too much! .... *How* do we come to just STOPPING, and re-evaluating it ALL. ... ....

I was reminded, perfectly, looking up Peaceful Civil Disobedience. The picture reminded me, the one on the Wikipedia answer....

Ghandi and Mandela and Hitler and Suharto and Bush and JFK and King were ALL just ONE vote, too.... which vote will I be, will you be?

I am so blessed. Now, after thoughts of this, and images of Darfur in my brain, I can also go and praise the great Universe for her warmth, water, fertility, land, breath -creation and all the magic that is so grande and incredible in creating blueberries, that I am so very incredibly blessed to be able to enjoy.

I have packed for trial number 3. It's HEAVY but guess what!??! IT ALL FITS INTO MY ONE PACK!!! But oh so heavy. So i'm still going to look for one small peice of luggage with wheels.
I've come to all the conclusions, I know what I'm bringing, what I'm not.... The decisions have been made....

;)

For the zillionth time.

;)

Yah, whatever. I'm going through the decisions trying to find alternatives - yet again.

I am laughing at myself, and this whole process.... but then, how can I do all this cool camping, if I can't HIKE, for all the weight!?!!?!?!

xoxo

Constant Contemplative Confoundery

2009-05-19T22:57:00.005-06:00

This morning I woke up and had a lovely lay-in, not allowing myself to move till I focused (Damn it, girl, FOCUS!), through my wandering daydreaming mind. I was visualizing the clothes going into my pack. Visualizing each piece, layers of use, how each layer can work in conjunction, and in total for warmth, weight, size, need, use. Debating. Going through it again, in variations of choice. I shake my head at myself. This will require a "moment" (insert: sip of beer)..... I just spent $40 at the MEC gear swap for a PERFECT zip up jacket that I'm now not taking.....
Pull over, winter jacket, rain jacket for after winter. Fleece or zip jacket... fleece or zip jacket. ACK!!! Both base layer long-johns? Two long sleeves or three? How many tank tops, which t-shirts, how many knickers, socks, bras, skirts, can I take a burlesque costume? (of course, but which, how many!?).... Ahhhhhhhh.... The Pirate and the Princess are fighting like never before.... That and rather than feeling like a backpacking hitchhiking vagabond adventuress journey, it's feeling more like a 'move'....

Oh, sigh! Great these, the decisions for a long term trip. Backpacking, I carry it all. I live the pirate lifestyle, in this way. I carry everything, though this time I am looking at an extra little rolling case, still, my 60L backpack will be full, and a bit heavy. I carry my own gear, and this time I am adding things. Other backpackers- you can laugh all you want.... yup.... cause you know the struggle.... Tent, sleeping bag and liner, sleep roll (another big debate), cook stove and pots and fuel, clothes, jackets... this time winter gear including ski mitts and goggles. This time a good camera. This time a laptop (going for tiny, but still).... This time I need more than the minimal warmer weather vagabond ruffled tuffled gear of poverty Pirate. This time there is a LOT of princess wanting to play. And work wear.

Each layer waded through, imagined being worn, how, when. Thought out for weight, usability, need. Again.

Am I sure????

Hell, no! but this seems to make sense. Today

I had a great deal of "Go get em" after that, with a lot of intention and feeling of actuation - you know, "actually going and DOING *the stuff*"....
(achem! cough cough.... sideways glance.... )

**Instead!!** I spent most of the day with a few FANTASTIC lens review sites, this i found a bit difficult and "BLAH", and this I used with great help while pricing against the very good local prices of The Camera Store.... deciding and re-deciding, and looking at my budget and re-re-re-re-re deciding....

I also did one of my Science experiment shakes. It was...weird. It was just kinda wrong till the end when it did kind of, sort of work, but both *RoommateJ* and I instantly thought it needed rum. Alas, oh sigh and alas, both of us had things requiring driving to do, so maybe try this adding rum. Or just don't try it, cause it's a bit frankensteinish to drink.

Frozen Raspberries, frozen blueberries, some frozen home style vanilla yogurt, a few ice cubes, what little milk was left (if you are a bit more bachelorette than me, smell first!), french press strong coffee (that was just ack so...), cocoa powder (which was tart, so...) brown sugar (which still wasn't enough, but really sweet so....) more coffee...ack ack... some cinnamon. ahhh... hmmmm.... ???? Drinkable. But I needed *RoomateJ*'s oppinion. Agreed. Needs rum.

*right now, however, I need a sip of beer*..... mmMMMmmm Keith's. (Note: While Keith's isn't paying me for advertising, it just so happens I'm enjoying a Keith's right now, but I am not at all adverse to the idea of product funding!). ;P

Finally I left, and went into that lovely world of spring sunshine and after-rain freshness. Returned the cheap tent, after all my deliberations, the decision had come to keeping the airy-maybe-cold-but-airy-lacking-condensation-and-WAY-more-waterproof Tent.
(OMG!!! It's INCREDIBLE!!!! I MADE A DECISION!) I hear imaginary stadium cheering.

I went to the bank! (CHECK on that one)

I went to a pawn shop - but they had only point n clicks. I took a look. Lookie lookie did i tookie. (Yes, I'm shaking my head at myself now... yes, another sip is due... two, maybe two... hahaha). DORK!

I FINALLY went to Japan Camera, where I have decided to buy my DSLR..... But I didn't buy it -- yet. *IF* I am going to buy lots of stuff, I want a deal. So I want to research and see about camera bag, battery, and sd card prices.

So I went to a sewing shop. And Safeway. Safeway has 4 Litre icecream on special. Well! I also decided to believe in myself and buy a large milk, with the prospect of facing off with the yogurt again. Yogurt face off??

10 hours after the sterilization, heating of milk, mixing of yogurt, love, attention - and I actually paid attention this time!!!- then letting my yogurt sit, Oh but ALAS AND WOE IS ME!!!

it was milk with tiny chunks. OH Sad sad SAD day, my yogurt was DEAD!

I have one tiny bit of yogurt left... I'm going to try again....

This is a LONG break from the research on STUFF....

Man, there is so much I could learn even about batteries and rechargers....
Here, Here, Here Too.

Ok... bag pricing.... GLEEE!... first. More... ohhhh... ohhh NO! I'm out of BEER!!!!

Hmmm, Shall the Princess emerge, and go get some of that *sipping rum!??!?!?!* It would be fitting after teh re-heated incredible-ness of the Alaskan wild Salmon (care of that lovely Alaskan guy) with blackbean quinoa I just had for dinner.... btw... Quinoa is said KeenWa.... ;P
Ok, time for rum n icecream.... hmmmm..... hot rum on raspberries on icecream!??!??!?! Oooooohhhh.... see, now, If i weren't such a slacker I could be showing you pictures of all this nearly unbelievable fabulousness....

Holy Bejeeboobles

2009-05-14T12:45:00.004-06:00

I wrote some silly stuff and deleted it....

Taking up ever so much more time in my life: it's been a whirlwind of packing up my beautiful little condo and saying farewell to my living alone in the comfort of HOME. It was blissful and moving was good. Yes, that's right. It was time, and I am ready to move on from that place, so the move felt good and peaceful, and joyful for all I had there. I loved my big room and huge closet. I loved my kitchen, and OH oh ooooh how I loved my bath! But Forward I Go!

These last weeks had me in the difficult decision making process of putting things into long term storage, but keeping out enough of what I'd need for my last month here, without keeping too much. I had a LOT more than I thought in the end.... Wowzers! Lots here to sell and get rid of, and lots in my fabulous Aunt's unused grainery. First I was having stuff at 4 places, then 3, then 2.... now all that i use daily is at one, and stuff I'm selling at another. Cool. Much more content in that. Yah, go figure it was a bit mad hap for the few days of Clothes and sleeping at one house, and all my food across town at another. Bah.

Also went to Edmonton for a week. Some time of farewells and good ol fun, as well as the great opportunity to get really really sore doing a fabulous yard workout on my friend's trees. Go Pruner Queen! Snippity snip with the sheers on a huge pile of crap, old leaves (yuckie Slime!) and TONS of cutting down those tree babies that come up all over the place and were left for years.

So next time you think : BOY I'd like her life, or feel like you want to live vicariously through me... COOL! I'm super lucky to have THESE things to worry and think on, but remember this: If I make the wrong choice I could end up cold and wet and that could actually, very realistically mean death or serious illness. :) If I take too much and lug it around, from very personal and knowing experience, I could (have and done so many times) throw my back out, or worst!, holding me up or...well... worst... So...Pretty important things to think on, the following is a journey into travel preparations... Hey, you want to live vicariously, well then come along for the conundrum ride!!!

Also, perhaps should you wish to travel- this stuff could save you time and consideration of some sorts. Like me letting you now that i have, indeed, tried the Harry Potter Bertie Botts Allsorts jelly beans, and Yes, dirt tastes like dirt. So. Now you don't have to consider and wonder. Now you know. Make your own mind up whether to experience this, but now you know... Also kind of like not having to re-invent the wheel... As I often feel I'm trying to do by doing this alone, rather than having joined, say - the Calgary Outdoor Club. Now THAT would have been nice!!!

BEGIN:.......

I'm trying to figure out flight prices, and have been looking online for weeks. Kayak.com and Travel Cuts, and the many other flight finders, as well as direct to the Airline company sites. Travel Cuts yet again comes in best! At last at last, with only three weeks, that's right three *WEEKS* to go, I have a flight on HOLD. Not even booked. Just on hold. Crazy a little? Well... I had faith. Or slack. Or both! But most CERTAINLY, there was procrastination!

I leave from Vancouver (if I take this flight) on June 14th... First I have to find out if I can get a Westjet buddy pass, and sort out if the cost difference can make up for my travelling there, PLUS some time there to visit, before I go... The flight, by the way, is GREAT! Unlike all the multiple stop ones taking 23- 26 hours, this one is only 13 or so, and goes from Vancouver to Auckland, then to Queenstown. **ONE WAY ** is about $850. Unlike the rest of the world, Auz and NZ for some reason cost very nearly the same one way, as they do return. Just an FYI, you can go RETURN right now for only $1000.

A huge concern has been what Tent to bring! This one has taken up a LOT of my time, and is a big scary concern. The choice has come down to being between a cheapo single wall $30 tent, and a more expensive double wall. This after YEARS of researching tents online, with little chance of getting to use different kinds.

I sleep like a freakin iceberg, and have never ending issues with cold- furthered with the double wall's breathability (read breeze = COLD damnit), plus it's more expensive and would be nice to sell. I already have a buyer... Double wall -those with mesh on the tent body and a fly for rain, allow air to travel, thereby breath and keep moisture out, as well as on hot balmy days, for comfort. They also let sand in, due to having mesh.

I slept in a single wall cheapo in Africa for 7 months SOLID, as well as for a year on and off, and hardly EVER was hot at night. ;) Even in the summer, on the coast.

BUT I hardly dealt with rain, either. AND I can't find the same type of tent here. The cheapo ones here are designed differently and seem to hold more moisture.... and New Zealand rains a LOT.

So I really wanted the single wall as they have practically NO breeze= retain heat, AND is cheap= much less concern... but one that at least has SOME breathability... on the other hand, it's very likely not nearly as waterproof, AND in humidity will get condensation all over the walls, which in turn cause a sort of inside rain. Not good. This means wet gear and wet me. And usually means chilly. As I said, New Zealand gets a LOT of rain. Well, I was at last talked out of it, by a super amazing gear-head at Coast Mountain Sports (Across from MEC), with the idea to bring the warmer sleeping bag, which could be a real problem as I move into summer conditions... ahhh, sigh... difficult choices- that or go spend a whopper amount on, yes, a super sale, but still a LOT - for a higher end single wall... Things that I have to decide on before I get to where I can find out...

I think I have it, but then i start considering again.... Bring the more expensive colder tent and the warmer bag. Later on, with New Zealand prices so high, I can sell the tent and/or sleeping bag as needed, if possible, or just buy a cheapo tent en route. Or as summer comes, see about a lighter weight sleeping bag.... all things that could be a pain in the ass, but I'm going to sleep outside a few more times before I go to help this one along....

Another thing taking up copious amounts of my brain time- has been what camera to buy.

I really need a camera, I love photography as a huge passion and am wanting to move up in the world of photography... Basically it's the same weight vs. versatility debate. A *good* point n shoot camera does a lot, includes video, and lots of featurs- but an SLR moves into real professionalism with added costs, and weight, and bulk, and lenses to carry - and all more things to worry about.... I'm on my way to the Camera Store when I'm done this. I'll let you know. I'm deliberating. Debilitating? that too.

A computer - tiny one with less power to work with those photos, but much less weight, or a Macbook, also more money, as well as more weight!??!

Do I really want my stove? (yes). Should I bring the hiking boots I already have, or finally go buy hiking shoes (lighter and less bulk, but spending money again. Did I mention I don't have much for work?? Laugh)... I found a great jacket, at the MEC gear swap and now have to decide which second hand one will work best. Thankfully I found a great midlayer zip up, but also really want the comfort and versatility of my pullover - but oh it's so HEAVY AND BULKY. I lean towards a great big "who cares" on this one, though. When I'm cold or feeling a bit down, I always go for a big comfy pullover, and for multi years, sometimes you just gotta have a bit of the most important comforts.... Then there are which clothes- for travel, for work, for skiing. Which are most versatile, which layers. Thinking alot about weight / utility / need / just plain want to have around.... And then, for the first time in near 5 years of actual travel time, I'm looking at buying a wheeled pulley suitcase to bring a bit more.

And Oh but wait... there's more.... for another day and another brain gruelling packing session.

oh the joy and joys of preparation.

I have a deep incredible gratitude for my friends who opened up their homes to me, and for the perfection of HERE. One is out of town for quite awhile, at a fabulous house of great friends I much love, and so I get a bed and a duvet still, a kitchen to cook in (I made yogurt and super incredible rum smoothies for J** and I, last night) and even get to hang out with some of my favorite people. YAY. I do get pretty stressed about leaving, about decisions and comforts and worries, and it's just so wonderful to have a place to stay, to know where i can go at the end of the day!

Universe, YAY!

Moments of stillness, breathing in thanks and gratitude
Calm my thoughts, release my worries
Helps me to Know.

Powerful, what we contain in our Breath!

Blended fizzy brains

2009-04-25T11:56:00.004-06:00

GRAB YER BLENDER, I've got a great idea for day-starting (especially after only 4 hrs sleep)...

I have coffee settling in my french press. So this first, then coffee and I'll probably eat a home-made whole wheat chocolate chip cranberry millet cookie, with the coffee. ;P

Heaping tablespoon of concentrated frozen orangejuice. This rather than juice only cause it adds to the frozen-ness, just ol OJ juice - form is fine too...

Some frozen cranberries. -- You know, about "That" much. (? half a cup, 3/4 a cup. Doesn't matter)

banana- chunks

I currently have some fruity variety of frozen yogurt. a scoop. Or two.

Some freshly made plain yogurt, dollop- maybe 3/4 to a cup full

Some Ginger ale.

Blend.

Fizzy goodness, like my fuzzy tired brain.

Saw a friend stumble wander cellphone texting along the street at 4am, as I drove home from work at Soda (Great night there TOO). Wonderful way to end an eve, and bring in the dawn - we sat talking for a long time. I love when you just happenstance get to meet a friend who is fabulous to talk with. Wonderful conversations about real things : about the world, the mess, the whys and hows and how we can change it, and what different studies mean, sort of political. Lovely. His blue haired tatooed self ROCKS. Should he ever see this, Dallas: You ROCK. Yay stumbled upon meetings. And I'm so glad I turned my car around to shout across the street and see if that was you. Yay Universe, it was....
**************************************************

Day's plan includes more packing and the second 'GO-Through' of the New Zealand *STUFF PILE*. I've put aside what I want to bring. Now to whittle down the mountain ;P
Amazing how the universe will help in this. Like through a book. I *finally* got back my 3/4 finished "The Royal Road to Romance" by Richard Halliburton, and reading of his vagabonding, tramping along, and how wonderful it is to pack light... reminding me to be rid of all these extras..
Oh how I want to be ready for EVERYTHING, for every "Season" (you know, the skiing season, the burlesque season, the work season, and the camping tramping season....) silly silly silly..... heavy heavy HEAVY! hahaha ahhh sigh.... oh dear. (it really is a mountain, compared to my nice tiny bundle in Africa....)

Day's plan also includes icecream and finally checking out the north side of Glenmore park, or Weaselhead Flats, AND its a "first date". Oooooh FUN!

Yah yah, I'm leaving, but it's just so NICE to "crush", once in a while, isnt' it!?

MMmmmmmm, fizzy fuzzy drinks and play.

OH! Reminds me. Aaron and I made up a drink at Soda, last night - and it's GOOD! Made for others, and I had to try it myself. Product testing, you know...

oh oooooh, mmmmmm is it *GOOD* !!!

Shot glass... half peach shnapps, then malibu rum topped with just a wee bit of banana liqueur.

Oh yes, there are mouth parties going on. And baths. Lots of baths.

Remember the simple things. (yah, like splashing in water!)

Happy Belly

2009-04-17T01:56:00.003-06:00

Princess day.

My buddy Jeremy crashed on my camping floor, last night. ('Camping floor' is my inflated camp mat with a very soft blanket and sleeping bag) - so in celebration of having a sleep- over, we made my craaaaazy pancakes.

1- 1& 1/4 cups mix of whole grain Kamut, corn meal, whole wheat flour, and corn starch.
1 & 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
5/8 cup milk (but I was out of milk due to yogurt making extravaganza, so we used mostly yogurt with a touch of water. It worked well.
1 egg
1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter

beat up dry stuff, add wet stuff, and beat up more, (all consensual, of course). let sit till bubbles come out. Bang bowl on counter to break bubbles, you know- pancake like, except it's kind of thicker and a bit stickier than regular pancake mix. Stick on a pan on medium medium-low heat and flip when bubbles come on up and it's kinda DONE. Makes two BIG pancakes, or 4-6ish smaller ones. I cook in 'ish' es. The amounts of each ingredient are based on an *Excellent* homemade pancake recipe I found online, then cut in half because I don't need left over pancakes in my fridge. Though you can put leftover pancakes in a ziplock type bag in the freezer and toast them. YUM.

These pancakes are much healthier than wheat flour based, with an earthy heaviness. Jer and I love em, and more so with this new spectacularness of yogurt cream-cheese, and honey. BOOOYAH!

Also had reeeeeeeeeeeeeally nice filet mignon tonight. LOOOOOVE to Rob who took me and his pretty gal to dinner and told me news that makes me quiet with deep oceans of hope...Rob who loves my very garlic-y tzatziki and homemade spelt bread. MMMMMMMMMMmmm Spelt n Milk bread.

The filet mignon was mastication masterbation. Delectable. Delicious. Ohhh Gods are Good! I'd tell you where we went for said feast of delightfulness with creamy topping and then fondue dessert, but ...well, I'm not going to. Mostly because I can't remember the name. Partially because I like to keep you wondering. Hoping. I'll tell you tomorrow.

Yes, you.

You know... You, The imaginatory 'you' of my reading 'public'.

I have no fear or hopes in this. Nopers. Noper-oonies. I do this for practice. And cause it's fun. To write to myself. Online. Where one day someone may come across it and say, .... uhmmmm, right E Oh Then... or something else. But maybe it'll be come apon...

And one day, maybe there'll be photos. ... oh I'm in hopes that one day I'll add photos. Because that would mean I'd have a camera....

I'm a day dreamer. Dreams of being a great adventurer like Sir Richard Burton, or even better - Lady Hester Stanhope, or Isabella Bird... ahhh, yes... or my current bloggity love, The Pioneer Woman. Who inspires me, greatly, with her photography and bloggity blog.

I'm going to go get me a camera. And a plane ticket.

I'm not very fond of my new passport picture, but it has the 'working holiday' visa attached to it, so I like the passport, anyways. I mean, I like the passport, anyways, but I *really* like it with that visa attached. Too bad about that picture, though.

I also like Halibut cheeks sauteed in lemon and butter. I was full from Filet, but they had to be cooked.... no seriously. Couldn't let them go bad in the fridge while I was out gallavanting with other food!

Yeah... well... I TOLD you it was a princess day! and, besides... turns out it suited the taste of the whole. Settling filet and chocolate fondue bits lingering around... quite dandy by me. My tastebuds agreed. My belly didn't argue either, even though it was full. Halibut cheeks in butter and lemon and get this, I didn't over cook the fish!

I should go buy a lottery ticket! I mean, like, WOW.

Alaskan guy had given them to me, and the upcoming exodus from *the universal gifted apartment of glorious homeness' means eating all the stuff I"ve had about. Like halibut cheeks. And soon, moose.

Life is good to be strange.

My big decision currently is this.

Plane ticket to New Zealand.... should i go hang out with Alaska guy, in Alaska, for a few weeks- End of May, as he returns from African hunting safari (don't let's get going on THAT topic (hunting) at 3am).... and THEN go to land o Kiwifruit and Kiwibird and mountains and more winter? Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken.... shall I go to Chicken?

I love love love Chicken. The fresh air. 80 miles to the nearest grocery. One step to WILD, and moose in the front yard. (I wonder if those moose sisters made it through the winter!??!)...

So why not go? .... well..... ......

............

Well... maybe because.... well.... .... because ....

Bah, forget it. You'd understand far too well... ... something like, he's not all that into me but it's kinda nice to have someone to chat with, and I'm SO into Alaska, and he's got a family that amazes me in it's togetherness (freaky togetherness, in a world where I don't know my neighbors after 7 years, nor talk to my brother in months but it's ok, we love each other, we just don't talk all thetime, but they all work together EVERY DAY, and all live on the same property....As travellers often say - it's not weird, it's *different*... except * I *AM* WEIRD* ) and i'm a bit thinking one more trip up there, right now, is going to melt me, or do something dumb again. Yes, Again. Dumb like get mushy. But like I said, ... regardless of how *I* feel... it's how it is...

But Chicken doesn't care about emotion or silly human ...sillinesses. It's just pretty. And wild. And the quiet is so quiet it quietly beckons... So quiet it makes me think I can come on up and pretend that's all I need....

I Like Night

2009-04-15T02:46:00.004-06:00

2:30 am. Oops... later than that.

There's always a few things left to do, oh, one or two more things before I read, go to bed. Hence why I didn't get to bed till 4:30 last night. I still have a few messages I'd like to send, a few things to look into. I feel the exodus from here coming upon me so quick, and there is SO much to do!

I've been here, on the computer, aaaallll day. Well. Except for....

Trying out my first ever homemade yogurt cream cheese.

I made yogurt last night, and gave yogurt #3 the whirl in a cheese cloth, hanging by a cupboard knob, over a pot. Visions of kaplunk SPLASH as I chipped away online at ... Well, I just don't even remember now... probably much more lolligagging than work, but anyways... there was that yogurt hanging, going drippity drip.

I don't like drippity drip. So I turned on the humidifyer, which I don't like the noise of either, but at least it's the steady white noise that shuts out lots of other sounds. Like drippity drip of my darling yogurt thickening into a cheese like thing, or like my computer, on the rare occassion I leave it on (and I can't sleep with the computer noise), or whatever god forsaken contraption they have to run out in the lot by my window at the horrendously early hours of, say 10am.
Well, * I * don't make horrendously loud noises at MY hours of the day.

It's a wonder I get any sleep at all, when I'm on the road... oh wait.. Oh yah.... I often don't.

I'm digressing away from the incredibly tasty cream-cheese yogurt I had on toast. I did. With jam. Then with cucumber and tomatoe. After all, though I was up early, it was 11am by the time I ate. Perfectly good cucumber and tomatoe time, even if it is my breakfast. This is why I can have steak for breakfast. Or shepard's pie. From my days of working nights at the psychic line.... then security. Yes, I've had a myriad of not just jobs, but strange ones. And waking up to family dinner.... I miss Mom's cooking. She's the reason I love to eat. Too bad she's so darned far away and can't taste my yogurt cheese. It's SOOOOOOO good!!!!!!!! Neeener neeener mom, for moving! You too, Dad, cause next time I'm turning it into Frozen Yogurt! So THERE! ;P Pththtttt.

Speaking of weird jobs, ever tell you about the time my work involved cleaning elephant poo? no? oh..well, another time.

I have more foodie stuff to talk about...

Now just keep in mind that everything I say involves dishes. And I started my day with a PILE of them that I decided to let party all over my kitchen *last night*. Yogurt, and all that merrymaking last night stuff...

Spinach Salad -- a recipe of "Let's go see what's in the 'bulk-bin' bag"

*Spinach.
*Big chopped apple (organic).
*Tinned mandarines (I know tins are horribly full of carcinogens, but I haven't made that leap to the so much more expensive plastic container ones. yah yah - well, I'm so far from perfect, lets just say I'm progressing one thing at a time... the organic apples have now become a mainstay, though. I have always tasted the pesticides on the skins of non organic, and now I highly reccommend the change over. For all berries, too (not that I often can). Reminders of being 11 and eating small but flavour packed strawberry tasting strawberries, from Angela's little pathway patch... ahhh, 'the good ol days'... laugh).
*handfull of Pecans. Then a few more. Then some for my mouth, because my mouth needed some right away.
*Raisins (I find Thompsons work better with spinach)
*dried Cranberries (prefer unsweetened)
*a couple of Cashews, but then i decided against them, so I left in the few that escaped my hand, but put the rest in my mouth. I thought the pecans would be best left without other nuts to contend with. I was right. Kinda like how I nearly went out, but then stayed in. There's were enough nuts out there already, for today.
* then Sesame seeds sprinkled generously all over

Then I threw a chicken in the tin foil I'd just used to cover the 'no yeast, no sugar, Spelt n Milk quick-bread' that I'd just baked. Yah, My computer was making me swear out loud in it's slowness, so I went and made spelt bread. Then I used the tinfoil (good little environmental reuser that I am) - to make chicken.

THE CHICKEN: Chicken, salt and pepper, dried chili peppers - the same as they have at pizza places. Lots of em. Two cardamom seeds and three cloves. wrapped up in the tin foil and put in the oven at 400 till done. Then pulled apart over the salad.

YUM!

I ate so much salad that I couldn't eat more than a bite of my super delicious Spelt Bread with butter, dipped in the super garlic-y tzatziki sauce I'd thrown together after putting the chicken in.

Yogurt cheese. toast. spelt bread. tzatziki sauce. salad. chicken....

Well tinder my britches, I'm Miss Merry Homemaker today.

So because I made yogurt CHEESE, I was near out of yogurt for things like breakfast and smoothies. And I eat a LOT of smoothies. So i tried to make some more yogurt. All the time between stuff I'm on the computer and so FIRST the milk boiled over. And then I had a mess. Boiled over milk is sticky. The stove pans are soaking, even now. Then I forgot the milk in the water bath, and had to reheat it. Ahgh. I hope the yogurt takes. Yogurt, I read, is finicky, though I couldn't imagine it being too finicky since my last two experiments went so well. Anyways, by this time the mess might have had the tiniest bit to do with the excellent gin and old style gingerale I was drinking, after having African Cream on ice with french pressed, organic, fair-trade, coffee... which was before the beer.....

There were a LOT of dishes today.

I think each n every one was worth it.....

It's 3:40. I'd still like to enquire about some moving stuff, but I think I'll go read now. Wish I had a camera to show you all pics of this stuff.... ahhhh... camera..... ok, one more thing... here's the one more thing... go find a few prices for that there camera.... ;P

I had, like, three bites of that tzatziki HOURS ago, and all I can taste is garlic. OOOOh yah I'm going to go nibble on some and STINK tomorrow! RIGHT ON!!! Rob's going to LOVE me for coming to scan photos in all my glorious garlic stank. ;P That's ok. I'll bring him some (if i don't eat it all). Then we can be stinky friends together. SFF.

Questioning and where's that sanity?

2009-04-04T12:51:00.007-06:00

Oh you know, hitch hiking back n forth from Calgary to BC so many times over the years, it's the same mountians, same road... same...

Well, sometimes. sure. Sometimes it's all flat looking, the light makes everything a bit two dimensional. Or completely hidden in cloud. Or misty, or in darkness, or tired and watching just the tar-ribbon....sometimes....

But not the last few days. Oh no.

It was like seeing it all for the first time again, except some of that excited energy- lifting-sparkley thing, came from the intensity of remembering a fondly loved mountain, or a landscape. 'Oh, there's Castle Mountain!!!' with the flash memory of early hitching when someone pointed it out, how very much it looks like some insanely wealthy castle built atop a mountain. Still does. And I still want to build a 'castle' up there. You know, helicopter in, have hidden stairs and a lair and some rope n pulley system, a secret elevator from the river, and a boat.... Yah, my imagination is a great playmate.

The last few days around the Canmore to Lk Louise area everything stood out. The colors were just right for full contrast and depth, for visual grandness. Maybe it's because I finally went and saw all those BIG ALASKAN MOUNTAINS, which we never actually went into... mixed with some of that giddy, body-filling hope that I "may" have gotten my New Zealand 'working holiday' visa. The site is down. It won't tell me "What's Happening", but there's a date now, that suggests a visa end date, that *suggests* my visa application went through. oooooh! hope hope. (I now have an xray of my chest to go with that xray of my head that I got after the car crash in Morocco!) The visa thing is making me feel that 'impendingly Away' thing... leaving all this, the 'appreciate it all so much more, cause I only have NOW', thing..

And here I am, driving through the mountians. Unlike pictures of NZ, or being in Alaska, where the mountains always seem to be seen from afar, here I was *IN* the mountains. The #1 highway streaming through these glorious visions, rising so high up, standing out against the perfect sky of contrasts to show every line and color and stream of vision, of hugeness, of....

What am I doing leaving all this!???!?!!?!?!??!

Incredible couple of days.

Skiing on compact crunchy (I called it icy till I saw pure ice) slippery slopes. I'm not a good skiier. I ski blue runs mostly, but I don't really have a lot of control, and as always, speed scares the crap outta me (How is it I like downhill biking, I just don't know, I tell ya, but you betcha I do sure like those brakes!). I just like being outdoors, and when it's powdery, oh! Well, oh MY!

This was very assuredly NOT powdery. I hit powder for 2 seconds and went WHEEEE, out loud (of course). A two second 'WHEEE', and then that icy crunch noise. I struggled. My knees hurt. First my right leg gave me shooting pain- which made me want to leave but I sorted that boot out, then later my left leg hurt. That was the usual ankle pain but it's bad enough to make me not want to put pressure on it. Which seems to make skiing a bit difficult. A lovely guy suggested that rentals kind of just 'do' that. I baraged him with a few ski buying questions. Then he escaped. ;)

I was further rattled by watching a skiier loose control on a corner and go off a steep edge, right next to me, taking a very nasty dive. He crunched and bounced and flipped and was still. One- one thousand - two -one - thousand, three... oh G... then he waved.....

I have been left wondering what the hell is wrong with my sanity to even think to go and try to do this super expensive, very painful, possibly extremely damaging sport, in NEW ZEALAND, where there is wet snow and not really 'powder', away from everyone and... and... and.... .

Ok, so coming back to terms with the understanding that 'sane' doesn't often have much role in my decisions, I took a look around..... and saw everything I wanted, right here.

Glorious mountains, guiding and other job opportunities, WWOOF farms, a city I love, groups I'd like to commit to, gardening places to create, friends, family, places I know, some security in knowing how to get help/lodgings/food if needed.

So why am I going?

uhmmm. Why was that again??

Ok, so I've got a bit of cold feet. That's pretty normal. I'm just deeply grateful that I got to *REALLY* appreciate our mountains, our own beauty.

And more:

I loved not having a camera, to just enjoy the scenes with no chance of pictures. But, I Still want a camera. A good one. I'm currently in love with the Pentax K20D. Journeying now just reminds me of my love for great photography, and for the joy of capturing details, in one great shot.

The hostel has free snow shoes and it was a great first-snowshoe hike out to some "Wow That's Intesely BLUE", blue frozen waterfalls. I'd love to get some really great pictures of what I was seeing. 'Good Camera' kind of pictures, 300mm lens kind of detailed pictures. Dreamy sighs...

Back to my insanity... dentistry, airfare, my apartment, moving, car, camera, computer.... and I've asked to work only part time.... Really now. Am I really THAT insane!??!!

Yet it all somehow makes sense. Except it doesn't. huh. But I *had* to ask to work only part time, instead of full. My inner being REQUIRES it, and I've learned how everything just seems to work out so much better when i follow that spirit, that inner guide. Like here. I'm *finally* writing. Ahhhh, this feels good! Or like waiting and waiting and waiting more days and then BANG, it's time to go right NOW, and that lined me up "just so" not too early for a tiny one week window to vollunteer for one week at the "Walk with the Lions and Swim with the Elephants" Antelope Park, in Zimbabwe. When I got to bottle feed 6 week old cubs, and ... stuff.

Follow that guide, and it'll work. I'll just have to trust that, and work when i can. Like on my writing. Like what I'm happily doing right now.

Apre Ski baths, 'Princess rum' iced drinks (Princess rum is simply good rum, sipping rum, smooooooth rum), laying under a duvet in the morning, coffee chats, frozen grapes, good bread n butter. Writing. Simplicity does my soul so much good!

Still here? I've added features so now you can follow this blog, or subscribe to it via RSS feed.
I hope they work. I'm a dork cause I'm geeky like loving Star Trek (oh Oh OH so excited about the movie!) and staying up all night on the computer, for months and months; but not truelly able to get that wonderful title of "geek" cause I never did learn much about using these contraptions of time consumption. And I'm not going to figure it out, at least not in any near future. South Africans may say "Just Now", as in, it may get done, one day... So I just hope the rss feed works. On their own. Like my oven does. I turn it on, it gets hot. Computers, however, do not always seem to work quite the same. They need tweaking and sorting and settings configured. Bah. I have a bottle run to do for Soda Lounge. And some research. Check that NZ visa... I have some dancing to do, too, while I serve up some libations. I *may* even finish doing dishes, and *may* even get some food into this here rumblin belly... So if you try to subscribe to this, let me know how it goes.

I've mentioned that I love feedback, right? I'm trying to learn to write, donchaknow. So helpful hints, creative criticisms (ie: what exactly doesn't work so well, isn't terribly interesting, could be better, rather then - Yo, you suck!), and hey - shocking shocking, do you see something you like? Let me know. I'd really really REALLY appreciate it!

Here? Thank you! Thanks for sharing, taking time out of your day to read THIS, rather than...oh, anything else. Like my current love, The Pioneer Woman, for instance. Or whatever. You rock. Oh, yes. You do!

MWAH!

amidst good times

2009-02-09T01:34:00.005-07:00

Just back from Mexico. So long between writings with all the amazing happenings. I guess I decided not to blog anymore, really.... Been thinking to just dissappear into the haze of time. Don't we all just want to dissappear sometimes? I think about that a lot. Go on the next trip and just be gone, poof, for awhile. Sort some things out, so to speak. But then, there's always facebook and it's sweet lure out of obscurity.

So, hello, should you find this new update, finding me all bruised up on good times. Big mystery blue n black one on my left hip that I don't know how it got there. Mum keeps saying it's from going to the nightclub, but I climbed that pole just fine! oh yes.... climbing the poles again. Got me kicked off the little podium - for a bit. K and I danced up there till she punched me in the nose and gave me a bloody mess! ... HAHAHA, no no, that's just our little joke. She hardly brushed me but the soccer ball I'd nearly professionally (tho accidentally) blocked with my face earlier that day had really hit hard, and it just set the injury off I guess. That plus the copious amounts of tequila, I'm sure. Great night dancing anyhow, and even got hit on and then made out a little bit with, get this, a 19 year old. HA! ahhhh, (insert some slight sauntering here)

My lil bro and I hopped on the local bus and went for a fab day at Chichen Itza, which was super cool. I'd been far too much of a well behaved lass lately, just itchin for SOMETHING a wee bit naughty, and I did *SO* want to see that specific carving- even though it seemed to be a touch off limits.... The brother agreed, so we just sort of went AROUND the fence, and peeked about the building, inside the building, and finally we thought we found it. Behind a simple wooden post held by two tiny stick like things. Just a little push to the side... Felt MUCH better after that! Besides all the coolness of the place, the echoing off the main pyramid stairs and making noises trying to count the EXACTLY 7 echoes, in the games courtyard (where the captain of the team with the first point had the *honor* of being beheaded), I also was magically drawn to a little statue told to me to be a love god, had a GOOD espresso, and an amazing dinner in a little local place with the mamma grilling slabs of chicken at the entrance (in the nearby town of Piste), before checking out the nifty sound n light show. Under the stars at the ancient sight was incredible.

Months have passed since I last wrote, there is so much, but just being back from Cancun has made me all excited about that. I'm a nice brown, the sand at our hotel was some of the finest I've felt (and I've felt a LOT of different sands). Played lots of beach volleyball, as well as soccer, and darts. Totally melted into the sand nearly everyday after some solitary yoga (once or twice mum or bro joined me for a workout), and generally had a great time. Oh sure, two weeks with your family and there's going to be some tensions, but overall it was good, and my brother and I have forged the beginning of a very nice adult friendship. THAT is fabulous! So while I'm bruised, and quite tired from the long travel and a few days of the Mexican version of Delhi belly, I'm quite content. A bit dissappointed that the last week turned too chilly for snorkling or scuba diving (more so for the latter - 2nd biggest reef in the world and I missed it! WHAAAAA! pout). Yes. But here we are nearly 2am so....

Briefly.

I'm absolutely head over heels in love..... with my first ever of my very own APARTMENT. December was mostly moving in, baking and falling in love. It is brand new, really lovely, has an island, dishwasher (that i don't use), washer and dryer, big bedroom, balcony that gets lots of sun, AND the clincher, an AWESOME bathtub!

January brought a Colorado Ski trip for "The Music Festival" - Texas country music fest and skiing. HA! THAT was super good times. Got to hang out with the Alaskan guy, ski, get much better at skiing, check out some cool music and hottub... and... well, get to visit that there Alaskan.

Now we're into Feb and I've got my new passport, now to finish that visa application..... find out what's going to happen with my apartment (will I be able to keep it for March???), and very importantly, get me some INCOME! Yay Universe, it's been so very gooooood! Sure, there's frustrations (savings running out, the war on the stench of cigarrettes in the bed I lent to a friend, certain friends I'm missing out on) but so very lovely (Sunday movie cuddles and innappropriate comment night, Monday Wo Yo Ho *workout yoga hula hooping*, and all the good friends I *do* get to see, with this big amazing blessing of the apartment AND a sweeeet car - yup, even was universally guided to a crazy cool deal blessing to be able to have a car again)....

Currently, just finished making the start of thai red rice and mixed bean soup.
mmMMMmm, got to go curl up under my feather duvet now.

xoxo

Photo death

2008-11-13T01:45:00.003-07:00

Holy crap I'm exhausted .... decimating a gaz of photos into a slaughtered down rendition that STILL takes up 5 albums ala Facebook, and i've STILL not even put up some, it seems, though I'm really sure I had... did FB LOOSE some albums of mine?

I'm tired of photos. There. done. that's it.... I have GOT to find a better place to store my photos. This is DUMB.... I've about had it with FB on SO many levels..... ;) Why on earth do I so yearn to share these photos?!!?

Oh yah, cause i love it when (those who want to) get to be a PART of my life, my joys and challenges, my adventures and grizzly bear charges. That's why I'm here, too, I guess.... at nearly 1 am... to whinge about the gift of sharing. hahaha. bah humbug, eh!?

well then.... Victoria. lovely city. After all these years I still adore night time wanders downtown. Here where I fell in love with ART, through a window... here where the buskers sing my time away, and $1 pizza has slowly become incredible italian (oooh, the tortellini!), where a good friend lives in all her (4) cat glory. yup. 4. cats. Chaos, Cider, Karma and Shit. oh calm down, Seriously. that's their names, really i'm not swearing at ya! Tho we do often swear at Shit.

Off to Van tomorrow, I say, and it looks like MORE great long time dreams to be a doin- I'm taking the TRAIN!!!! From Van to Edmonton. WHOOOOOT. in a weekISH. "Ish" being the impish, elvish, adventuress wanderish time.

Are you reading this? Does anyone, besides my mom (HI MOM!) read this?? well, ok (Hi Dad! Guess Mom pulled you in to see??).... well....

what do you care about a homecoming party, way out there across the whole darned country hiding from us younguns? Darned it I just miss them crazy Cal-cats all SO much, it's not that they maybe care, anymore, that I go off a wandering, but * I * do... I really really really wanna see em all and hug em and cuddle em and ...drink with em till our lashes fall off...
so if you're out there... :) hehehe.... I'm going to work on some sort of place of grande debaucherously good ol times.... any ideas??

ok. Photos. On facebook. LOTS OF EM...

~and ps: YOU who is so full of yourself and full of bullshit and lies. It's not ALWAYS deceit, that a person can be just genuinely happy for you, you big ol poo poo head of idiotic drama. BAH. There. I'm not always nice and bubbly traveller gal. What you did was MEAN, and I didn'teven LIKE you never mind want more, you dumbass. I'd only JUST forgiven you enough to want to be friends cause until NOW I thought you were really great. BAH. I was missing the hints. You're MEAN! Both of ya. Well my friend is a Knight and he says he's having your balls for breakfast. So there. PTththtththttttt MEH on you.

;) WOW. that felt GREAT! Thanks no man land o blog !

Ansy pants

2008-11-10T18:14:00.005-07:00

There was no overnight Samhein / Halloween ferry. Instead I dressed up as a crazy Canadian hitch hiker - hairy legs and all - and trick or treated.

The guy offered me a beer. Apparently it was a funny costume. He brought me a Molson Canadian!

BOOOYAH.

So then I trick or treated to see what could top that, and got candy. So we went to a bar and got premium - SERIOUSLY premium drinks, for reg drink costs, learned a FABULOUS new drink, very piratey - say it with doom and gloom now..... A Black Pearl....

Also created a new drink of my own, I call it a Traveller's Whim.

You'll have to come to my homecoming to find out.

Oh, but we're not ready for that quite yet.... so the ferry from Scagway was cancelled and my rainjacket was not brought in with the rest of my things- along with my gloves. I really missed those gloves when it was -2 and sparkling with magic and frost on the Queen Charlottes....

But wait.... backup...halloween eve.... Scagway ferry cancelled.... yup. So I had to fly to Juneau, Alaska, to catch the ferry.

They were so late they just weren't coming to Scagway. Just not. Nope.

So there I am, no rain jacket, along the Pacific Coast- the 'rain coast' locals call it. So I swore..ok, a few times.... then I says to myself, 'Well.... Ok. Either the universe is conspiring to get me to do something ELSE, or I will find a better jacket.'

I found a warmer jacket, but I then got soaked on the Queen Charlottes, (not as waterproof as mine was at ALL) which made me pack it up and get my arse for night 2 INSIDE. It was LOVELY! I FINALLY got to watch footage of the election (can we shout some more for joy and hope and YAY !??!!?), and even drink a couple of beers, and warm up.... Meh. So no staying on the Queen Charlottes longer, even tho I then had a great opportunity to, free even, yet I felt it was time to go. It was. I did. I'm in Victoria. whoot. But I did get lots of walking along the coasts, and saw some great totem poles. The Charlottes really are lovely!

BUT, in Juneau, for Halloween, I and Jim from Texas, ate Cuban at their opening night (What a night to open a restaurant, without a liquor licence!). We wandered, we drank a (Say it with menace and cobwebs) BLACK PEARL.... while chatting with Sara Palin and her 3 body guards (GREAT costume!!! The bodyguards scared me tho. hehehe. videos one day to appear....)
... and the owner even stumbled and wobbled out, dropped a panty-filled shotglass (!!! MY FAVORITE !!!) in front of me, proceeded to fling coasters at me starting a coaster war, then gave me a bar t-shirt.

OK THEN!

Fun for all. I do so love Halloween!

Ok, so from Juneau it was ferry time to Prince Rupert. I set up my tent ON THE FERRY! Super cool, but the wind nearly took it so I unset it, and slept under the solarium- heat lamps, one side open. Night in PR, then to the Charlottes. Then back. Then to Port Hardy, then south to Vic. phew. Bit travelled out! Lovely, and super easy (thanks Universe!). But still.... phew....

But here it is, tomorrow is Rememberance Day...

SO GET THEE OUT THERE AND ENJOY ALL THAT FREEDOM !!

And Remember ..... Those who have died for freedom, for what idea and whose ideas?....

Maybe also stop and ask yourself, at what price is *whose* freedom worth? I love that quote by someone really smart but my hamsters are finicky about filing names so it's by someone famous anyways.... here it is ... and i dont think this is a quote, but basically he says:
Those who are willing to give up personal liberty for some security deserve neither.

(ps: I do, now, know who it's attributed to: Benjamin Franklin. Yay google)

Okie. Victoria!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I'm singing it. Ahhhh great city!
VIIIIIIIIIC TOOOOORRRRRRIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Samhein Ferry to the other world...

2008-10-31T11:00:00.002-06:00

Blessed Samhein to you all!

Today the veil is thin as we say good bye to all those passed on this year, and meet with ancestors through the mists....

Also ...it's CANDY DAY!!!!

Not to be mixed up with Spring Candy Day of the great fertility goddess Eostar,
of course....

I am out at a family's 65 acre mountain side paradise, overlooking hundred of kilometers of valley and lake and mountains, fog and snow and trees....heading to Scagway for tonight's ferry, later this afternoon. After we build a donkey fence, of course. !?!?! Yup. A donkey fence. They have two lovely shaggy donkeys for treks into the bush with their two kids. (Super cute 1 yr old waking me up as a waddling penguin this morning. Now THAT is a GREAT way to wake up!)

So the day that brings our newly departed across the dark waters to the otherside, brings me across the waters and out and away from my dearly loved Alaska and Yukon.

Leaving Tok was hard. I was mad at having to hitch-hike in very cold weather, with no winter jacket, which I'd been promised I wouldn't have to... Bronk has decided to go hunting and didn't want to drive me anymore. OOOooohK. Wow..... The Princess was quiet and politely ignoring him for days, but the Pirate came out in the end and tore a big ol strip off his hide, and hoped that he got shot in the ass.

Bronk ended up putting me on the bus (luckily there was one the same day) after no one stopped in 4 hours.

** 4 HOURS!!! ***

Ack!

I stood there quieting my mind and moving into the long stillness of long waits, looking at the bright sunlight- a treat in itself- shine and sparkle the air in front of me.

I was also reminded of many many moons ago. Half my lifetime away, actually...Nights when I would be outside till it was incredibly painful to walk the half block - to warm up and hang out all the rest of the late night at the downtown Husky House.... I didn't get *quite* that cold, but my feet hurt and were SO cold, numb, and heavy- and painful....

I was cold and I was so angry and hurt and finally I blew up while waiting for the bus.... But I was gearing up to that for weeks. For the first time in my life, just the idea of leaving was making me near tears. ME! In tears over leaving a place! sheeesh....
Seriously like this adventursome land of possibilities.

I think I'm traumatized.

I need to eat chocolate.

And make people smile.... so I'm going to find a bag or so of mixed candy and trick or treat on the ferry. If they don't have candy, I'll give them a peice. ;)

BTW: The bus out was blessed. The driver and I spoke politics, and he played some of the new book-tape by Naomi Klein (EXCELLENT!!!!). The universe also gave me a comforting nod - a gift of timing perfection- with my first of the winter sighting of Orion (much meaning for this star wisher). AS well!!! got some GLORIOUS northern lights.

Comforted my sad teary heart..... ahhhh.... this land of big dreams.

Samhein.... for days a certain friend has been in my visions, in my 'space'... So many have left us this year, one near and dear to my wee being... For all of them, I hold some space, for the joy they brought to this world, and for their passing on today, to the otherside of the veil. To you, my dear friend.... I'm sad to not have you with us. I love your presence but wish you well, and health and healing, on your new journey.

To the rest of you.... LOVE AND BLESSINGS and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

now.... CANDY!!!!!

Guns, Spears, and Miles

2008-10-22T19:44:00.003-06:00

Officially I haven't ever killed an animal. Bronk thinks it doesn't count anyways, because it's only a bird, and not a *real* animal... I suppose like a fish, which I've killed numerously...
Anyways, it's pirate style so it's totally unofficial and I admit nothing.

But shot for shot I kept up with Bronk in getting two Ptarmigan.

I fell into Alaska by hopping into Chicken and KaploooFing, staying put and holing up with Bronk. ( I am SUCH a CowGirl! yeeeHaW! Ride em.... ;P ) Chicken was named such for miners not being able to spell Ptarmigan, so REALLY, I got the name sake, *sort of*, of my first Alaskan love-town.... Lovely. Fitting. It's the dream I had of Alaska...hunting and outback and oooooh these Alaskan Boys!....

I decided that if I couldn't see any more of Alaska due to weather and time, then fine, FINE! I thought, "Here I AM, in Chicken, Alaska; having the most amazing experiences and getting to see REAL ALASKAN OUTBACK".... So I accepted staying for awhile, even with the weather turning, even if that meant it was all I saw of Alaska...

Well, acceptance is a good thing. I stayed put, and have seen- never mind SEEN, * I've DONE * some pretty nifty oli things, WAY more than if I'd just hitched around. And the miles have threaded out long and longer still...

As I said, it's totally unofficial, and maybe I'm lieing anyhow, lieing or lyeing or laying down, as there can't be any *real* standing up, standing forth, stepping up with informations. I plead the 5th. This is just chatter.... who says * I * killed any bird? I'm just blogging to neverland...... (Disclaimer: The writer in no way admits hunting, shooting, nor killing of any animal, nor fish, while in the State of Alaska, nor in any State, Reason nor Mental Attitude of functionality- nor even disfunctionality, unless otherwise fully admited to, and this here denies any and all writing as having any amount of truth, distruth, lies, falsehoods, nor half truths, including whatever statements may or may not be made in any or all of this or any other text within this blog, nor stated anywheres else either on the world wide web, interweb, in person, or in dream land. The writer is a writer and must make creative licence. Part or all of any of this text may or may not be any amount of truth or untruths. She does not admit nor in any way profess to have guilt of hunting, fishing, killing nor any other mumbo jumbo legal speak of anyway being in anyhow any amount of guilt in the killing of animals nor in any other guilt for any other thing, most certainly not based on any crap written in these most fabulous of texts. Especially being that she is a princess, and a pirate, and all things being equal is both and those things surely consitute a multitude of diplomatic immunities. ).....
(Killing of birds (and fish and other things) in Alaska DOES, after all, require certain permits, for non-residents especially. They only leave me mosquitos, and I thank Goddess I missed the season for them. Anyhow, I would NEVER do such things to hinder my being able to fully enjoy this interesting country.... Alaska- not the lower part, except maybe Hawaii, San Fransisco, New Orleans and New York, but they really are almost their own countries too)....

but It's really interesting how I feel about this whole killing a living being thing. I thanked it, I realized that Yes, at least on the bird level- which right, i certainly have gone fishing before- is still so much the same as me harvesting vegetables and fruit, which are living beings... different vibrations of living, perhaps, but living. I thank them all.... and try to appreciate them- so last week we dethawed them and Bronk's dad showed me how to clean and prep and hang them to dry- to stuff or keep the wings/feathers/feet etc.... (Visions of featherd costuming float through my fresh-air addled mind). Then he left me to it and there are a bunch of bird peices hanging around the coat/laundry room now. Took me till 4am and they are PRETTY! Ptarmigan may be dumb birds, but they sure are soft and lovely! I was surprisingly ok with it, skinning it's body out of it's skin, rubbing Borax into it, setting wire through the wings and all over. Due to constant school-switching in junior high, I kept missing the science class that disects stuff- so I at last got my own disection class! It was NEAT. Late at night, all on my own, I checked out the whole process, the breathing tubes, the heart and lungs, the belly full of tiny branch peices, the intestines all bundled up got de-bundled and pulled apart till green goo came out when they broke. Only one thing.... I am kind of quite disappointed that car trouble delayed us in Anchorage so the ptarmigan breasts that were in the fridge had to be thrown out.... would really have like to have eaten this first kill.... ahhh, c'est la vie...

ANYHOW, also in news:

Stuck around Chicken till we closed it down, and I like this guy. Oh, it's me, and yes, he pisses me off, but it's fun and he's real nice too. I wasn't sleeping near enough for a nasty ol sinus infection, so it came back.... and started getting bronchitis again, but still much to do I just couldn't rest and had to keep going --eventually to that point of exhaustion from travel and sickness that a LOT of really amazing things were happening yet I wasn't really able to fully enjoy them anymore..... I am SO thankful that I have this crazy amount of energy that pulled me through! I ended up in tears, which helped a lot. I finally just sat and cried and decided ... "That's IT, I'm not sick ANYMORE...nope. Done. Tired, fine, whatever. I've HAD IT with 'sick' ".

And went out that night in the cold, till 2:30 am, sloshing ice water in my boot, under a bright lit just-past-full moon that shone on the snow covered mountains, the ice flowing in the river, the snow covered banks. A lantern and spear passing back and forth between hands, depending where I was, which arm was terribly tired, and where the fish were- lantern shining into the water and showing us the white fish, I walked slowly up, waited..... My first time in hip-boots, and most certainly a big first time for spear-fishing! WOW!

so * THAT'S * how it's done!!! I speared quite a few before I was able to figure out how to get em up and keep em on the spear till I got to the bank. They'd wiggle off, or fall off- and lost a few from spearing them between the spear points, but I still managed to bucket Three. WHOOT. (See Disclaimer Above!) ;P

Only a few days after getting back from Chicken, Bronk and I, with other worker, Scotty, were off to Fairbanks. Did some running around there, Bronk went to an auction while Scotty and I wandered around the really good museum. I spent many lovely hours there! Excellent displays, great to read. Neat about the WWII history. I never realized there was fighting on US soil, but yes- the Japanese actually took over some of Alaskan land- islands, and even took captive the whole (small) population of one island who all had to live a few years in Japanese war camps. Also learned about the natives, with some excellent displays of clothes and crafts. They used to do some amazing basket weaving! As well there was some great gem and gold displays, lots of animals, and the usual art....

Next was south and then long east on the Denali Highway. Barren, no other vehicles, snow covered. Maybe three car tracks from the last few days, we slipped and slid and Bronk generally drove in such a way that I actually was SO scared that I started thinking seriously for survival. I put a spoon in my cargo pockets, my toque in my hoodie pocket. I looked at the windows and worried that, being electric, they wouldn't open in a crash and wondered what i had to break the window with (precious little). I wondered what was better and decided to leave my boots undone. They were on, but easily kicked off if I had to squeeze out of a bad spot. I put my jacket behind me. And cringed..... Seriously, one of the scariest rides of my life.... At least in Morocco, on the Tizi n Test pass, the drop off the road with absolutely no room, tires on the very edge, at least THERE if we were to crash the chance of survival was so slim as to not even worry about it. May as well sit back and enjoy the view! And if I somehow *did* survive a crash, it was warm. Wouldn't freeze to death in the few hours to get some help out there.
Out this back road 'highway' it could be days before anyone passed by....

But we made it, and spent the night at the lovely McLaren Lodge, and at LONG LAST, I got to have my crab.... YAY! Alaskan King Crab- legs in hot butter!...Ahhhh. YUM! Also the last of the leftovers from, yes, sorry to tell you that you missed it, my internationally famous apple peach crisp.... In the morning I even luxuriated in a hot bath with a book before having a much nicer drive back.... where we saw a bunch of ptarmigan just hanging out by the road... didn't even fly off as shot after .22 shot went off. Funny! Finally they flew off as bird 4 ate it, and we walked in a-ways as Bronk went and got another. Hit the fifth and this amazing scene rose up. Bronk was about 100 meters in front of me, so I had a panaramic view of him, the big land, and hundreds of white and brown-speckled birds as they flew up all around him.

Incredible journey out here.. Drove to Anchorage, spent some days, shopped, did cool stuff. There are always so many things! At ONE second hand store I found THREE pairs of SUPER awesome shoes. Cute kneehigh winter boots trimmed in fur, some new Teva sandals and some high heels for the event I was shopping for.... Next was to Homer- down the Aleutian chain - and got to go on a (spelling???) Sainer??? -fishing boat -as his friend Megan pulled up some crab pots.

I was SO happy they had things to do in town, that, ahh alas- we couldn't go on a boat tour. It was an INCREDIBLE view, such scenery! Amazing!!! HUGE mountains rising right up from the water.... but I needed land. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me to go get on these godamn boats all the time when i know better yet i keep on doing it anyways.... All my breakfast, and even some of her really great roasted beets from the previous dinner, all of it came up and became fish food.

Yes, this Pirate Princess gets sea sick. ahhhh.... well..... Yes, I am like a mermaid IN water, I don't do so well ON it. sigh..... it was still incredibly beautiful!

The drive home from Anchorage was mystical. Late to leave, it was pitch black. Went between being shrouded in mist and fog, to opening up to panoramas of snow topped mountains that ran down to the dark salt and pepper of snow-covered trees, stretching out to the shine of rivers and the strange glow of huge glaciers, dark and magical under full moon night.

Full Moon Alaska!

Only 2 days after driving all the way home did we have to turn around and go back, and what was to be one night turned into further car trouble and 3.... So we are both very glad to be 'home', in Tok. (Said TOKE, as in take one of the BC green, with a beer, before reading my long bloggity blog..... but now it's the end, maybe go take such imbibements to chill after reading such lengthy tales of piratey gory. or was that Glory? I have a VERY gorey bird picture.... ahhh, as soon as I can figure out some issues.... I bought a portable harddrive, but it's WEIRD, and is not even a little bit user friendly... argh... so sad about my died one....sigh).... laugh.... yes, I am fully aware that these troubles aren't really troubles. Real troubles are like the worries that come with no bus services, only able to hitchhike, and a blizzard outside the door. Blowing cold snow all day, piling up around everything. Not really wanting to be camping out in it, not really ABLE to.... Bronk, darling worrier friends, has promised to drive me to the ferry- if I can manage to not stomp out of here for another week.... The ferry is two day's drive.... or one very very long one, and then from there the question of feasability of hitching / camping on the Queen Charlotte Islands, and then hitching down Vancouver Island, into November.... Can we all sing "November Rain" together....

I better go help this guy make dinner. We're liable to have charbroiled leather for steaks, cold hard potatoes, and Alaskan King Crab Rubber.... hehehehe.... aha! Seems I'll be leaving him to dinner after all.... avast! Off to Facebookland!

Grande Tales, for now, FINI!

I snow-blow you Alskan Kisses. Mwah like fishface!

~A

Nearly a Bear's Chicken Dinner....

2008-10-07T12:51:00.003-06:00

(yes, if you keep up with me, this is old. but hey.... i'll catch up eventually.... here's the next update.... )

Chicken... and there ain't no sky falling in.

In fact, the skies are clear and blue and filled with open big breath clean air. The kind of air that makes me want to keep on breathing IN, expanding my lungs and body, mind and yes, that too, it breathes right into the soul. Does a woman good, this empty air.

A little bit of my life in Chicken, Alaska....

I got to go booting around on a 6 wheeler bike! My arms are a bit sore, from learning to ride it- an ATV. It's like a 4 wheeler but with a small trailer and 6 wheels. I'm getting a lot better at it, not fighting the big heavy machine so much - at first I really tried to over steer and took WAY too much effort. I was out booting around the back-country, even through and along streams. The premise was to return a welding mask, but I could have returned it to the lovely Robin, up at the post office, and had a great chat while at it.
Instead I took it out to her husband, out the back road- just to get out and play, of course! Went on, beyond their place, through the stream a few times, then up and out a side way.

Got a bit hairy for a minute- thought the bike was going to go over in the creek, then got stuck a bit too, but just rocked er a bit and got er goin. I am just learning to ride so I was a bit nervous of crashing, or having it go over- which these bikes are fairly prone to if gotten into a bad spot, and certainly nervous of animals and bears, but that's because of what happened the other day. Should have brought a pistol... At least the big atv noise should keep them away. I didn't linger long with the bike off, and besides, the other day I'd been making quite the racket too.

I'll tell you what happened the other day, in just a moment....

Anyways, there I was, all alone, out in the back country of remote Alaska, the sun just shining away into the autumn chill, 80 miles from the nearest bank, restaurants, grocery stores, a few miles from the nearest cabin, a few more beyond that from the 'town' (Summer population 25, Winter population - 6-8..that's right. NOT 68, but between 6 and 8 people)....
That put a nice big smile on my face!

I'd like to tell you a little about what I do here in Chicken. Things I've realized that now seem normal actually took a bit of getting used to.

I'm staying with the owner of the GoldPanner, a giftshop, fuel station, old Chicken town and gold panning, as well as having cabins, RV and Camping. His room is one room being the bedroom and only camp kitchen, with dry food stores shelving, fridge, gas stove for cooking, small kitchen table, bed and table piled high with stuff, and then the custom made wood stove made of old scrap metal bits n peices... It's big and very cool! An artpeice of a woodstove! We go from too hot in the night, to waking a bit chilly in the morning. Bronk (that's the owner) will usually get up and relight it first thing, and I usually find a way to make it work for me in the evening. There's frost on the ground every day now and yesterday were even flakes of snow! A few of us had that first snow big ol grin on, the grin that apparently lets the few old timers know we don't winter up here.

I've eaten my first tongue and heart (moose) and made a big ol moose meat shepards pie for a big group when Bronk and some friends moved a huge ol antique bit of mining equipment up here the other day (called a Drag Line, if you want to look it up)- he uses them for the tourists to see, and to put business signs up on. Also recently tried sea bass and Arctic Char which are really nice meaty fish.

In the 'house' there's even a sort of running water- when the pump from the creek is plugged in, and not frozen I have untreated water to wash my hands or such... Have to unplug it or it'll leak all over the floor (I'm starting to wonder how many times I'll wipe up the floor before I stop forgetting to unplug it after!) and the pump can burn out. So I reach below the sink over a wooden 2 by 4, beside the bucket, and find the plug. Then I hope the line isn't frozen. More and more I have to wait till the sun warms everything up a bit, and thaws out that pump. Otherwise I fill a jug with water from the big pots kept on the wood-stove and pour over my hands, or for dish use or veg cleaning. Recently we added a big blue 4 gallon jug, the camping type with the little spout, so we have drinking water in the house... then I have to make sure to keep an eye on that big bucket under the sink. When it gets full I lug it outside, down the porch to the bushes and dump it out. All the water and debris from the sink has plumbing that just drops into that bucket. Not quite 'running water'. ;)

We're gearing up to shut down for winter, so in a few days the purifyer station, in the wooden shed out back, will be turned off. That will mean no more drinking water here at all. We'll fill jugs in Tok, 80 miles away, and they'll be kept in one of the adjoining cabins, thawed out when needed (which made me remember that I must keep room in them for when they freeze and expand), and carryed back to Tok when empty. Yesterday I spent a few hours putting water and bleach into the 4 gallon water jugs, swishing, slooshing, shaking them back n forth, dumping
that water into the next dirty one, rinsing, rinsing a bit again, then filling with drinking water.... They're really heavy, especially when full, and I got soaked once in bleach water and had to run change, throw the stuff in the laundry out back of the store (also fed by a pump from the creek), then run back. COLD! What a treat to have laundry and a sink with water! The store even has a shower with hot water, and real flush toilets! After the last few weeks of outhouses it has been luxurious to have flush toilets! Those will get shut down soon too, but for now, a lovely treat!

The stars are like crystal already too, unlike in Calgary when they don't get that way till it's -35 or more.

These days I find myself running everywhere. I've been asked why, and I think it's this incredible fresh air, besides just having some energy back after having many long days of doing far too much stuff while being horribly ill with the worst sinus infection ever. I laugh at myself a lot out here, how I am. I was rushing to go way up the road with Bronk for that project I mentioned, and got a nose bleed. So there I am just shoving a peice of toilet paper up my nose so I can just hurry up and brush out my scrambled up matted hair to get going. Nose bleed or not I got to GO. I feel aweful, my sinus feels like it's going to explode at times, my head aches, I'm bleeding and brushing my hair at the same time.... but forget staying in bed- i am NOT giving up the opportunity to go out into the back country!

It's just like that here. Tonight, for instance, I'm having local salmon IF ?? all goes well with whatever Bronk is doing up the road tonight and can get back. He said he'd be back. He said by 7... but maybe he'll stay, there could be a breakdown, or he may get to chatting, into bullshitting, from there lead into high tales... It's all very laid back, where nothing ever quite runs by a watch and plans are really understood to be fluid. When it's dinner time and I'm shaking from hunger, this can be a bit frustrating. At the same time, we get up when we wake up and when I was sick and finally was able to sleep Bronk didn't wake me till late in the morning.

Another day Bronk and I went to the local dump, keeping an eye out for ducks or ptarmigan for a dinner and we stopped so I could shoot his .22 and his rifle with the scope. Yup, I got the red dot of the coke can at about 300 meters. I'm hoping they'll teach me how to use the pistol tonight or in the morning so that I can get out hiking with it.... I'm going a bit stir crazy to explore some of these hills, to just go out and listen to the birds.... there are owls all around here, even some Great Horned owls, but I'm nervous to go out walking... which should lead me into what happened the other day...

I'd rushed on out the door, bloody nose n sinus infection and all- I wasn't missing the chance to go way off the main road out past a bunch of mines to this way back area where they were getting that antique-like drag line. We get out there and I go to pick some cranberries but all this yearning to get out into the country has built up and I just kept going up and up and up this hill. I'd been just ansy and itchy-footed to get out hiking, and here I was on the side of a pristine set of mountains and I just couldn't stop. So up I went.

Bears are trying to get meat for winter and moving away from berries, but also moving up the hills, so I talked and sang all the way. Made lots of noise!

Moose are actually quite dangerous and I saw lots of thier droppings as I went, as well as wolf, but not bear. So I'm making noise to warn animals I'm coming (most attacks are due to startling an animal)...

Moose scat is elongated pebbles, wolf looks near like human poop and usually a bit squished or flat, where bear this time of year is big, squishy looking and just filled with berries.

So up and up I go, but getting nervous so I'm making quite a bit of noise.... Leading to it... here you go. SNAP.

MY head jolts to the right. Instant, there's no looking for it, it's right there and not 200 meters from me.

A bear head.

Thoughts can just zoom in instances through the head. It's small. Cub? Maybe it won't do anything and I can back up. Small, brownish. Is that brown bear then, or grizzly. Aren't brown bears actually black?

I really only had about 2 seconds because then it stood up and came at me. That's not a cub...Yup, that's right.

Shit. It's charging. Oh please be a "fake charge". Training came right in. My arms went up, my heart slowed down.

I barked "STOP"... it kept coming.

"STOP!!!"

It stopped. One calm step back, looking right at it, arms still up -make myself look bigger... boy I'd love to get a picture of this, not that I'm even going to entertain the thought of actually getting my camera out- holy shit please just turn...

It turned, I took another step back, arms still up. It went back into the woods.

Wow.

I got charged by a bear.

Well.

I backed up a bit more, still facing where it'd gone till I was sure it was not going to turn back, then I turned and moved down the hill. That's it, that's high enough up the mountain for me! Hike is done. Yup, that's quite enough for one day....

I moved down the hill quick- but my adrenaline was rushing so bloody bad it took a lot to keep my feet stable and I kept tripping on branches. I focused on breathing, focused to try to slow down. Besides that, I knew that moving this fast my chance of startling an animal was MUCH higher, so I talked a lot louder and also clapped my hands in echoing slaps near constantly. I was picturing the bear following me, seeing another one, startling a moose or lynx or.... Fear.

It took a bit for the guys to believe me, not that I cared- I was just glad to be back. Jeff (Bronk's friend who was helping move the drag line) commented that he didn't smell anything... surprised that this fuerte chicka didn't wet herself! Laugh... nope! In the moment I was calm. Deeply powerfully immediate, Now. going Oh S H I T .... Afterwards I was spooked, still am I think....

It's also made me think about a lot of things, revisit old ideas. Why am I glad to be alive, is my life so precious? If so, which spiritually I believe it is, then what am I doing with it...I want to DO something with it... but what? What about next time (I hike)? Should I bring a gun with me? I'd rather bear spray but out here amongst all these hunters, they of course use guns....but could I even kill a bear? It reminds me of the old buddhist story about a monk walking along a remote country path and way far below from the cliff he sees lion cubs around their dead mother. He knows instantly that with out food they'll die, and throws himself from the cliff.

This story always made sense to me.... the idea that we are only tiny little beings, no more or less than any other being....

The encounter has made me think about my place on earth, my path - and my surroundings. I go between being in a very loving place, and feeling closed in... (not that I was far off to begin with, in my joyous traveler mode that is never the less so much about being in someone else's car, space, time )...

Whatever it is, after all this time of not seeing ANY bears, where people said they're all over the highways, where I was SURE to see them....

I've at last seen my first wild bear!

:) Now THAT's something!

Chicken of my Heart

2008-09-18T16:31:00.002-06:00

I finally made it to Alaska!!!

A step.

One, itsy bitsy tiny chicken step.

And stopped. In Chicken. With their gazillion " I got Laid in Chicken, Alaska" touristy bits.... chickens and eggs.... Chicken, with their incredibly cool bar, Gary the saloon bartender with a life tale that took two wonderful afternoons in the telling. A bar covered in ball caps and tattered panties, the remnants of being shot out of their cannon. That's right, ladies, step on up, have your knickers cut off you, stuffed in a cannon and clear shot out across the parking lot with a boom that hits you in a great energy wave and then echos for a good 5-10 seconds lengths. Tho many make it, alas, mine disintegrated so that no pink bits were to be found and added to the ceiling's glorious tale.

The pool table is at odds with everyone evenly, tho we thought to put little arrows on it to help know the bumps and turns and layout of it's golf-course like greens.

The jukebox is something in itself to write home about, having a collection of great (many antique) oldies records to keep us dancin the night away to- for what you can dance in the tiny place.

Attached on the right is an excellent tasty cafe, and on the right a tourist gift shop.

Down below is the GoldPanner, gift shop and goldpanning and old-town of Chicken tours, with in behind another little cafe and gift shop. Each with Rv and camping.

All is closed now for season, but the last nights of the place were a grande ol time! Sickeningly so the next morning perhaps. It'll all freeze so we had to help Gary get rid of the already opened stock.... ;P Good patrons that we are.

So I've made friends with the owner of the GoldPanner and am sticking around to help out, hang out, and get to run around in the wilds- eventually... So far, besides the aforementioned, got to shoot a shotgun a few times- out at the airstrip, being attacked by nats. Wandered around old Chicken with the school house (There's a book about it called, "Tisha") and saw great horned owls! I love birds so this was REALLY cool! Ate moose tongue which was quite good actually and while the texture - a bit flimsy and while meaty seemed a bit flubbery- so wasn't really great for me, it was well hidden with salt on buttered bread. Helped wrap a lot of moose meat, and even wandered around back in forth and up a mountain with a couple of guys on a sadly unsuccessful moose hunt, though we did see FIVE unbelievably HUGE caribou bulls. Wow. Also picked up some wild cranberries and a travelers sinus infection. (YUM and YUCK in succession!) So now besides booting around with Bronk, the owner of the GoldPanner (and another store in Tok besides much else), I'm haggling with my body over resting time and energy to do stuff.

Chicken is neat in a lot of strange ways. A ton of other travelers and tourists told me I had to stop there, even tho there's not much to speak of. Travelers learn to tell the tales like these from generic other towns, and I knew I would have to at least stop in "for a beer and a chat", but somehow felt it might be more. I didn't know it would be this. I'm staying awhile. Going out to near the border to hang out as Bronk pulls a big somethingorother ('scientific name' for whatever it was he said ha!) out of a river. I'm hoping to go on a few little hikes, or wander abouts as I can... And we'll see. I figure I'll spend at least aweek in and around there before moving on, maybe more. maybe less. I'm just following some inner tale and helping out around while I can.

cluck cluck cluck.... hehehe.

Glorious BRRRRrrrrrr.....

2008-09-09T17:42:00.002-06:00

Wow.... just so many wows I've been giggling.

Drinking Trad in the Arctic circle, the ' Scene 67 ' - a partying scene at 67 degrees, in Inuvik.... I helped fly the plane home from - get this! - Tuktoyaktuk.

I FLEW A PLANE!!!

I GOT TO VISIT TUKTOYAKTUK!!! (That's better than Timbuktou!)

I stuck my feet in the Arctic Ocean! (now THAT'S COLD! )

But to describe the beauty of autumn up there, the patchwork and sliding lines, the lakes interspersed with whole hills of bright yellow, the dots and meanderings of reds, orange, yellow and browns with blues and sky. Intense!

Tuktoyuktuk!

hehehehehe!

Went 30 feet down right into the permafrost to visit an icehouse, where they store their meat and such. It's really neat. The walls are in waves and lines of mud and dirt and ice, ice that in spots you can even see through a bit, and shine light through. The ceiling and down the top part of the walls is crystal ice.

Did I mention I had my feet in the Arctic Ocean? The only thing (though quite a strong determining obsticle) that kept me from stripping down and jumping in nude was that the outside temperture was MAYBE 2 degrees Celcius.

Partied and danced in Inuvik. Chris, who drove all the way out from NY and is heading to LA (I think that maybe he actually DID just take a wrong turn and stubbornly wouldn't give up till he hit the very end of the road. laugh..) picked me up in a dusty middle of nothing for 200 km's roadside, and we hung out all the way up n back. Now back south in Dawson City.... Now THAT is a weird 'step out of the body' thought..... I'm WAY SOUTH, in bloody DAWSON CITY! cooooooooool!!!!

This town rocks. It's just so neat, still got a real frontier feel and not just with the very old style buildings that are the town, the old tiny cabins that everyone lives in, the wood stoves and outhouses, but in the people. Like Caveman Bill.... yup. A guy lives in a cave across the river. All year, even in -70 apparently. I hear he's got a chicken, maybe some dogs. And tv.... in a cave. That is the supreme nifty! The buildings are right out of the turn of the century....

well, I'm at a library and a kiddo has signed up for the comp.... so... I'm off towards Alaska, tomorrow.... i think. ;) Who knows. It's all go by the moment and heart round here.... (round here, being round my wee being, whereever it be).

giggling....

I got to fly the plane!

From Tuktoyaktuk!!!!

heheheheheheheheheheheheheheeeeheeeeheee..... ahhhhh, happy sighs..... and giggling.

xoxoxo

Peeping out from hiding....

2008-08-23T19:18:00.003-06:00

BOO!

;)

If you've been following this and wondering, "Where, oh where, has the lil princess/pirate/ali/wanderbean/summerwillow gone?", then here I am to peep out from opened fingers to tell ya....

Tho you probably know much of this first bit....being that I think I have three readers.

I had a lovely PEI mutual Nanny birthday, with so much food, drink, desserts, and lovely family time. Flew home. Ran solid for a week before leaving again, in which I had a wee changing of decade years, a grande wedding to attend, and a party to throw.

My birthday was a mix of frustrations and huge unexpected joys..... 30 years ago I woke to the world at 6:15am. 30 yrs later I awoke, thinking 'I'm never going to be in my twenties again', and checked the time.... 6:13. AH! TWO MORE MINUTES. perfect. happy sighs.... I liked that. Waking for a few more luxurious moments of twenties....

I couldn't sleep so i packed and organized a bit, and when I actually 'got up', my super duper host had yellow roses and a sweet note on the table, two beaming girls, and french toast a cookin... bouncin around through the day, 'tickin off the list o things' amidst seeing some folkies, and finally stopped for a much needed beer (and food) at one of my fav sushi places, 'Globefish'. Followed that up nicely with premium scotch and 'Romeo & Julieta' cigar, still with said host, and a new lovely gal we'd met that morn, Sam.... next we were off and a dancing the late evening away at my favorite lil bar, Soda.... frustrated through the day to not get to hug n kiss some of my longer known friends, it was still magical.

Saturday was packing, organizing, Wedding o' D n T.... gorgeous wedding, very well done, and with getting to see a ton of friends.

Sunday was running about for the pirate party, but FIRST I got to not only hang out with one of my favoritest couple of peoples, but also sit in a hottub overlooking the Bow River and watch a storm come in. WHOOOOT. Then the pirate party. hehehehehe..... that worked out well!
;)

fun fun fun till the sun was a comin up.....

Followed by some chill with my best friends, some good food, and of course, running around like mad to get stuff, organize, and then hitchhike out to BC for Shambhala. (fell in love with New Denver due to early morning warm skyclad swim and a serene Japanese garden, then played chess on a BIG board).....

Then to Shambhala!!! Which rocked. Again. 4th year, totally sober, danced till I hurt myself- mostly (I LOVE PK!!!) up on the Village speakers, or right in front of them..... Mingling with greatly loved and long missed friends, hangin on the river, laughing at the hooligans, and more dancing.....

Hung out and helped tear down a bit. Re-visited Ainsworth hotsprings, camped at the same lil local spot all on my own on the lake, went up to Sorento to family and spent a few days out on a boat learning to wake board, doing some other fun water type sports and generally hanging out on a boat. Oh, and cliff jumping. AND, topped off with the super cherry of visiting my mom and other family, as well as getting to know some cousins, AND getting a new nickname.... they think I'm 'woodsy', hangin out in the bush eatin bark n stuff.... so they named me Willow, or SummerWillow.... laugh.

Left there for Kelowna and a Buddah and the northern version of the Alex's, and tent shopping and such n suches.... then a few days campin around Kamloops till Alex finally was able to get on his way and PEAKABOO - I'm here.

Clearwater.

Nope, not the June version of Clearwater lake, but Clearwater. (Can you find me?)

Off I go again.... yay yay yay!!!!!

After many a very busy nerve wrackin weeks of preppin, worrying, shopping and frustratedly looking for a tent to replace a very not good cheapo super crapo tent that some hot n heavy breathin from the big bad wolf would blow right on over, I DID IT!

Today.

I was leaving with or without a new tent....and i found it. Along with an excellently knowledgeable manager of Valhalla in Kamloops I got the right tent, for an early season sale price, and even put in some long term investment and got an international whisperlite stove, a fleece sleepbag liner to help the not-warm enough bag I have (it's a great bag, but my arse could freeze an iceberg so -9 means +10 to me)......

I've gone. I've started. WHOOOOOOOOT.

;)

so i thought I'd say hello.

Hello. (blowing kisses atcha all)

Uno Momento POR FAVOR!!!

2008-07-24T19:59:00.002-06:00

1. Drink copious amounts of white wine.

2. Drink more wine

3. Watch "Ps. I love you"

Optional but highly recommended, watch this while just very recently single, just before your 30'th birthday....

Not that this wee Princess is saying that's what she did, nor giving you any indication of my age, but then oh well... Indeed, birthdays do come upon Pirates and Princesses alike....

I've been thinking on things.... I had a big ol 1920's style burlesque flapper party for last year's birthday. Something about having a great big do-up for the last of this fabulous decade. Decadent Decade, in fact.... I did. Then I thought, 'well...come now.... Why have ONE day, I'll have THREE, like I always did as a kid....'
I did.

THEN I thought "Well now! Why just enjoy a birthday, when I can just have a whole year of royal good times, and really just fabulousness, and delights...."

Indeed.

Don't get me wrong! I've shed many a tear for very deeply difficult times, I got so sick I could hardly walk up one flight of stairs, I was so exhausted on this fun journey that I just about dropped, but still.... I took what I got and used it to the very best of it's gifts and opportunities. Example: I was so sick...so I stood still for once. Ok, well, LAYED still. I had long luxurious baths, layed in front of the fire....even lost some weight finally...ohhh sure, I was HUNGRY and just couldn't get the energy to get up and eat toast yet again, but as I said- took things for their best opportunity.....

My heart has been hurt quite a bit recently, with a wonderful gift. Oh each time I think I'm learning... I do too...but then... anyhow, I'm looking at things a bit differently.
Somehow I'm at my parents place, been here over a week and quite ok to spend the day tomorrow touring with them.... many things have quite the different hue.

I'm considering selling my car, which is actually deeply difficult for me. It was my first car and it brought me so much security, ease of travel,...Freedom!!!... ahhhh. It's been...well, my own first Home... ;)
I'm also considering coming back out here and seeing the Maple leaves in fall in northern Quebec.... Churchill perhaps, in November (polar bears).... or... south. How far south would she go? Maine has good leaves too.... I sort of want a friend who lives in NY to do a commission painting for me.... Been years since I was in New Orleans..... ahhhhh..... I do so love my opportunities, my options....

I'm considering staying still a year, creating a home, and learning to play fiddle/violin. I've said that I would when I turned 30, that by THEN I would have the money and stability...guess I do, somehow, amidst all this home-free-ness.... Even with some of my items going into flux again, they've got to move and quick! Even though the place I was going to stay has just very quickly changed too.... I am stable enough...to carry it with me and annoy the hell outta everyone at bus stops, on the road, whereever.... I'm going to make an offer on this fiddle tomorrow.

Met an amazing ol guy too, who is going to set it up for me... Violins need that sort of thing. To be "set up". He's 83 and just sort of retiring, but will still fix the odd violin. He has some VERY cool fiddles and bows and told me their stories. He makes all these neat tools to help him in his work, and the whole island knows him. Pictures of the famous islander fiddle players are on his wall, sitting "right there in that seat" as he points to the old red seat. One of those seats you'd see at Deluxe Diner, or in pictures of 1960's kitchens. He's lived there 34 years. He honored me greatly. Said he hadn't played since last year, when his wife died...but he played a bit. Listened to mine, played his two special beautiful old German ones with great stories.... Followed by tea with my nan, and MY MOM'S FAMOUS lasagna.... It was a very cool afternoon....

Otherwise, been working online for days to promote the next big event. whooooot. and uploading vids on youtube. grin.

Ahhhh.... What to do oh what to do what shall i do the day after i get home?..... really. I don't want to spend THAT day just IN, doing nadda.... alone... somehow i just...dunno.... Soda is so wonderful. Gods I love that place, they let me get away with all sorts of awesome hooliganery, parties, shows, dancin on the bar, serving and drinking...did i tell you D invited me for my going away party and paid for all my drinks?? Yes, well. I love them.... and love that they love me. And love that i can just go on in, see they're craaaaazy busy and just know how to give a hand.

Well.... back to that day after I get home.... pretty special I should think, to be lucky enough to have a big birthday like this on a Friday..... Meh... maybe a good night for a quiet walk.... One week.... it's past midnight here. One week left in my twenties.... and I think it's going pretty darned good! ahhh yes... a happy sigh of contentment.... Over 30 countries/principalities. A growing small business. A truelly unique and amazingly brilliant group of friends that I feel, everyday, very lucky and blessed to know. A family with a sense of humor, who are all quite ok with what I do.... even if a few of the gals are starting to talk about that ol settlin down and havin kids thing.... (cringe).... And all the play.... that I get to do performance art ;P , be involved in shows and dress all up in glitter and boas. I still dance in the rain, and climb trees and am exploring so much... so ... hmmmm.... strange though. I sure do feel some of that 'grow up and focus' energy. I sure do have a lot of ideas for it too!

ok ok...enough blathering.

Mwah!!!

PS: Want to see those videos?? www.youtube.com/spacelady

Wow... The Pirate has Parents!

2008-07-14T16:04:00.006-06:00

Oh yesssss..... the princess has reached the fabulous lil red island of princes and the freckled lil orphan gal and those great people who threw together some genes and created lil wandering me.

But first. Getting here.

I finally escaped! Oh, well, it wasn't easy! I was all packed up and ready to go and just going to say good bye and run away, but NO! The hostel staff stopped me cold. Their impervious cheerfulness, friendly warmth and Darned It! The weekly all you can eat bbq, it was too much to bear, too many shackles of good times, to even possibly get away!

- Oh, they were great. I helped out, cleaned a bit, helped with laundry and such and earned my keep, and in return got a great couple of days at one place- and a great one at that..... oh the bbq.
So we laughed ourselves silly, the staff and I. I drank almost a full bottle of a very nice red wine, South Africa's Robertson....oh, I think i had the pinot noir. Of course the special sipping Tequila was brought out for a round.... there was much hilarity between the picnic table going almost right over, and one guy's foot going through a board in the deck.

Slept on the couch three hours and got up at 3am to get out to the eastern most point of North America and watch Teh Sunrise, and yay me! About 30 whales too, saw them playing and even leaping out of the water with a very 30 tons leaping and hitting water type thwack. COOOOOL!

I went back to town because I had to see the veiled virgin. (for an easy peek) Oh.... wow.....
oh wow. Oh wow.

By the Italian sculptor, Giovanni Strazza, it is one marble block that is one of The Most moving art peices I've ever seen. It's quite surreal to look at and try to believe it's actually marble, the virgin's face actually looks like it's being seen through a thin veil... Even the eyelashes from far back.

So I went back to the hostel to shower, but this time I was really actually ready to go.... In my car I called to change my ferry booking to the one on that side of the island, but was given a shock when the amount it had gone up was WAY more than I thought. On the spot I said, keep the old booking and off I was to, rather than wander that side of the island, cross the whole of it. So there I go again, alllll the way back across NFLD.

I went up n along the coast, saw the very cool ol explorer, Captain Bob Bartlett's house (talk about a great role model for me! Hardcore Arctic adventurer, suave debonair socialite), and the lovely lil town of Brigus as well as a few other wee coatal bits, before making my way to a local fruit-wine tasting, (interesting, if not terribly 'good' wine). At last I set up camp by Terra Nova lake, just inland of Terra Nova national park.

Next day up to Twillingate and probably the very last iceberg of the year. HUGE. And apparently I'd missed it's gigantic form as it'd already broken down quite a bit, or as the locals said, it had 'flipped'. (do they actually flip over?!!?) Hung out on a cliff looking at the iceberg then later that night came back to a little crescent beach of rocks and camped right there, just me and the bright stars and the huge white berg in the darkness.... (Have I said how much I'm lovin renegade camping!?!??!)
then I lost my purse....

yup. crap. It's gone....

Instead of going hiking back to the beach, to look around first, I went to town to where I thought it might have been, and then to cancel my visa and bank cards. Oh yes, I'd already torn apart the car two or three times. How could it go? Did someone actually not turn it in? I seriously had very itsy bitsy thought of anyone in NFLD keeping it. Seriously, it's that nice of people, that honest, like Japan maybe. I thought it was some weird place, fallen, in my car. Or fell somewhere.... but the pants I was wearing, if I'd put it in the pocket it would have made my pants fall down- so how could it fall on the beach? I ended up spending HOURS sorting out how to get money for gas, where to send a new visa, and when- and having some stress to make sure it would be there before the ferry in two days. Then figured out about getting a temp bank card (what a saving grace to be able to do that!!! Didn't even have the gas money to get to the ferry)....by the end I just wanted to stay in town and rest a night, check back with the rcmp for it being turned in, and why not- go check the last possible place...the beach. I felt called to be there again anyways. I felt this was a conspiracy, (like so much in my life) to get me to stay, where I wouldn't have if I'd not lost the purse.... And it'd take up to three weeks to get a licence, so I best just go look... set up tent in a new spot, on the same beach, then moved it to higher ground realizing the tide may come in higher than I first thought. Ate a bit of left overs, opened a Guiness, and went off wandering the beach. .....
the bright red 'Emily the Strange' purse was pretty noticeable on the grey rock.... within 5 minutes I found it...and intstantly realized it must have been in my pull over when i went hauling off across the beach to 'save' my big pack from a 'rogue' wave.... the night before....

ahhhhh sigh..... Ali hangs and shakes her head .... sigh.... but, I knew. I was supposed to be there.

Had a LOVELY evening on the beach. Met a gal from Ontario, said two different people had told her about me, the 'young girl' sleeping on the beach by herself. ;P She picked my brain about travelling, then left at sunset and I spent the night listening to the gun-fire cracking and following swooshing of the iceberg falling into the ocean..... Up n out in the morning. Got the bank card, visa not in yet, up to the gorgeous Gros Morne. What a beautiful drive!!! Again!!!

All the next morning and early afternoon I hiked Gros Morne. Wow. Gorgeous. I was up the VERY steep rock slope in 2 hrs, then the path down twists around the mountain, in a lovely long walk. I saw some more moose, and at last, a big huge-horned one. Just lovely! Then back to Deer Lake, and whoot! my new visa!! , some ice cream, a shower, and off I went towards the ferry.

Spent the 6 hrs over night on the ferry and in at 6am, so with little sleep the whole next day was spent on a gorgeous slow drive along the Cabot trail..... I was tired of renegade camping on my cycle, so looking for a hostel and this traveler hears me. Liked my cool car, with it's pirate stickers and cool magnets. ("I followed the road less travelled...Now where the hell am I?") And of course the Alberta plate. We have friends in common, he's in some of the BC scene, shambhalites and such.... invited me to stay at his place.... One of those really special things that happen when traveling, the amazing people we'll meet. He's bought a nearly condemned old Legion, renovated it and lives in it. Has a new fridge and stove, paint and upgrades, three toilets and a shower and his bed is on the stage. It's a whole huge hardwood floor dancehall! SOOOO cool! He makes really nice jewelry, his dad is an excellent photographer and also uses the space as a gallery.... just utterly Cool.

Pole Pole (Slowly slowly, as they say in E. Africa) I spent the next day on the beach - nude sunbathing and turning a tad pinkish, (especially my bum!) then driving and late ferry to PEI. A bit of a long annoying wander to find a good renegade camp spot, but exhaustingly at last, after a touch of getting my car stuck in the sand, and having to haul it out on my own exuberance and creativity, I found a great spot and woke to the calmest ocean and a private beach, in PEI.....

I've now renegade camped all the provinces but for New Brunswick, where I camped with Jay's friends....

So I couldn't wait anymore. I was going to spend the day wandering up the NE loop of PEI but after a nice bit of breakie, coffee, reading and writing I just had to go see my Nan..... Joy!!!!

Sing the 'happy happy joy joy' song here for awhile....

Then sing "LOG"....

And I"m in PEI at my folks. Eating a LOT of good food. Slept SOOOOOO long the first night, (though waking much to strange dreams, ohhh those pesky visitin vampires again!), and long lovely contemplation.... here i am. A loooong update of good travels, amazing vistas, yet alas, my darlings, so little debauchery to tell of!

PEI kind of smells bad, there are bloody houses EVERYWHERE, so I'm glad to be able to stay here at my folks lovely pad o luxery, but I need to get out and find some beach n quiet. The soil is red, the ocean blue and the rest so very green. except me. I'm a tad pink like the sand still.

I love my car and don't want the driving to be over but think it's going to have to get sold and am sad to part with her.... sigh..... She's my first.... my forever love of freedom, the best kind of first- great times, true love, a long and wonderful shared road....

I have a LOT of alcohol to drink yet.... some bit of rum left. A new bottle of ice wine. The tequila left overs can come home with me. Small sake bath shall be needed yet.... tho... maybe that'll return to. I have this growing fondness for the idea of saying screw it all and just making a 'home' for a year..... the sake was a house warming gift...i think it's just waiting till i get 'home'.

with that.... I'm far too sober, so I have to go. The Pirate is tugging at the Princess who just ate half a t-bone steak.... Last night was Filet Mignon. Far cry from the many previous days of crackers n cheese n olives. ;) The Pirate is always a bit princess. The tequila and rum are excellent sipping variety, the beer is guiness, the wine is good. Even the pirate beach food is darned good..... ahhhhh, it's a fine life....

Anyone jealous? Come have a pirate party with me at the next Garden, Aug 3rd. :) Though my two readers will probably know all about it. ;) hmmmm....tough choices on this journey, tonight.....

wine or rum?.....

Sittin Pretty

2008-07-03T10:35:00.002-06:00

Well jeez, if I learned anything from the over wrought nervous tension I ended up with from constant moving and never taking decent stillness breaks, over there on the very bright 'dark continent', across the wee pond of the Atlantic, it was to take breaks.

How was that very British sentence for you all?

I'm still in St John's. Working at the hostel today to pay for some free nights, and it's going well. Been having a real tough time making two big decisions.

One: St Anthony's across the country, where viking nails, and then later a settlement, were found and a whole re-creation thing is set up. Sounds great, but while i was on that side of the country (as I call this fabulously different province, and as it keeps coming out naturally to be called) I was not able to see it due to a rush to get a certain person on a scheduled flight....

So I thought to enjoy the splendors of meeting locals that hitching provides, save gas money and such as well, and go see it, Labrador, a few towns, then hitch back to my car and the ferry on this side.....

But boy e o I'm TIRED. I'm just plum tuckered out. Lack of good full night's sleep for weeks n weeks (except for ONE single solitary day of rest, out in Gros Morne national park where Jay and I layed in and napped on and off till 2pm!!! ahhhh sigh, happy luxury day).

I just haven't felt like leaving... I want to be here. I'm really enjoying Here. This awesome hostel of super friendly people, a great owner, free internet, lovely people; this wonderful colorful town, the ...well...doing nothing. ;) SO I'm about ready to go... i think. I feel...ish...

Wander around this end of the island, the irish loop, a wine tour hopefully, and some easy going travels.... Then over n across on the double the cost and nearly triple the time ferry to briefly explore Cape Breton.... it's warm n muggy here today and I'm thinking a good day to go check out a certain candy store....

So. Get this.... Yesterday was lovely, warm sunny blue skies and gorgeous feeling lovely. It took awhile to sort out but this other Calgarian staying here and I made plans to head south an hour to go on a boat tour to see a small iceberg and puffins.... I just felt the later outing would be better and spent some time trying to talk the owner in actually getting done and coming with us, as he was thinking of doing.... So I went walking to this historic site of brand new lovely houses with ohhhh two or three old neat little places, called Quidi Vidi villiage, and to the local brewery. Tiny little thing where they do everything by hand, including glueing the beer boxes, filling them, recycling the beer bottles and all.... It includes a tasting and I got to taste some of the cleanest, smoothest beers I've tried yet.... AND they give you one for the road. YAY! A new one out, not even on the market yet, is Cranberry Cloud, a beer cooler with real cran juice and is LOVERLY! MMMMMMmmmm.....

This is long, but the evening was AMAZING. Got out there, couldn't leave till much later than scheduled (who cares!). If you're ever out here go with this very laid back company. Cheaper, smaller, better service all in one. Molly Brawn's. WOW. Mike, the owner came with two buds. Total pirate style, non-work type. I shouldn't even say what we did, but it was fun. Drove round a small iceberg and I got some great pics, saw some humpback whales, got up close to an island of MILLIONS of puffins and murre, and then...oh yes... more whales. AND I got video of THREE of them poppin up their tails. Gorgeous... have a wee problem though. I dropped my camera and now the door that holds the memory card in, well, it's not holding it in. And my portable harddrive bit it just before I left and I"m near out of memory space, AND I accidentally deleted a bunch of the early pics and vids- like ALL the pics and vids from Calgary up till Winipeg, sadly including Clearwater lake.

I'm having a psychic photo crisis it seems.

I need to find storage for photos, ie a flashdrive. I need to get out of here and wander a bit. Yes. I also think I'd best set up my tent and give it a once over since it's not been used in weeks, since I met up with Jay and we've been using his....

Okie BYEEEE.
xoxoxoxoxooooxxxx
~A

Quickie from St John's

2008-07-01T15:03:00.002-06:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

I'm in St John's Newfoundland, and rather than spend the day out enjoying the city, or the Canada day celebrations, I've spent the whole darned thing inside, uploading photos and videos and chillin....

I lost a fellow pirate- wanderer to the beck n calls of that scallywag called JOB. Drove him to the airport this morning, and off he goes home. Took a too brief nap and have been online all day. It's a lovely city and finally stopped raining, warmed up a bit, though still cloudy. I hear Calgary is hot n sunny where it's been chilly and blustery- a PERFECT weather to go hiking out on the wild cliffs round Signal Hill and to an old tiny village called The Battery ( which Jay and I did yesterday). Yes, there are many events going on around town; yes, there is a fabulous city to wander... but I've been here. Now my belly calls me outwards. So I am going. I am not even going to properly update you all, except to say that via forging a river Jay and I went backcountry camping in the wild forests of Gros Morne Ntnl Park, that we've done LOTS of renegade camping, that first eve in NFLD some locals took us up a big ol hill for a great 'tour' and look out, and that try as we might we have not found Lobster, due largely to a VERY late leave of the hostel room last night. In fact, we only JUST squeezed in to the fabulous chinese restaurant because they wouldn't close the kitchen till the last guest left and there were two people there. Lucky us!

Oh well... it's been quite the time.... Hellish and wonderful, painful and joyful, adventuresome for sure! I've done a bunch of new things, points off the ol tests, so to speak.... One of em is that I did a front flip off a diving board. Yes indeedie do! Took quite a bit of gettin through nausia to get my body to try it, got a good smack on teh arse for it, and another on the back, but by golly I did it!

It's 6:42 here in the eve and I've still not sorted what I'm doing for sleeping tonight.... thinking of touring round the coast tomorrow.... ideas and things missed cross the whole of the 'country' (as Newfoundland really seems to be), as I had to get here for Jay's flight... things I don't really care to miss but gas prices are high and it is mighty far.... the thumb is itchin to get some use.... we shall see. I'm so so so tired. Weeks and weeks of lack of sleep....

Think I'll see about town and some Crab.

xoxo

Oh,. all those vids I've uploaded??.... www.youtube.com/spacelady

and some pics are up on facebook. I'm behind on both from lack of repeat internet use, and facebook being a bit of an expletive today.

xoxo

The Pirate nears water!

2008-06-25T08:01:00.003-06:00

For now, New Brunswick... A lumpy red-spotted back, dried blood encrusted body, itchy, angry, and quite ready to say I have truelly EXPERIENCED black fly country.

From now on it'll be the experienced screeches of "Don't stop here! This is blackfly country" as if out of a page from Fear and Loathing.... the panic, the pure terror....

;P

I've been encouraged to write about my experience of this fair land, this land- lubbers pirate adventure o're the Canadian landscapes, human scapes, mental maps n drinkin bouts....

Ah yes, lets never leave out the drinkin bouts, which have served oft and well in the forming and renewing of friendships and pirately ways, but think not that my inner gas tank is fueled by such refinery, no. Twas many a sober dancefilled day.

What think I of the peoples and lands.... hmmm... what has struck me, besides an incredible urge to put my back up against a tree and rip it apart? ....

Saskatchewan and the laid back big sky long roads permeated even the thinking for driving-- it's a long straight road, no point in counting down kilometers, sit back and enjoy the drive. I did. A lot. I quite enjoyed the lack of distance counting road signs in the big Saskatchewan prairie-sea. Glad to not know how long and far it was till anywhere, Just driving.

I noticed, immediately, the change in driving from Manitoba to Ontario. The slower ON drivers do this really interesting thing where they'll drive their slow pace while there is oncoming traffic or a no passing lane, but as soon as there are no cars, or the occassional pass lane comes, they hit the accelerator and get going. Fine enough for a zippy car that'll do 80 to 130 in 3 seconds, but my lil boat takes awhile.... there was much shaking of the Ali-fist, until nearer Toronto when lanes opened up and the speed limit was surely a minimum. Unless of course we were full on stopped on the freeway, in which case we crept along. Start. Stop. Stop. start, STOP! roll, stop... oh, I was happy to find that I've been totally relaxed driving in Toronto. There's really not that many people or cars! SHOCKING! I was nervous after all my far out there country time, then realized....well...after Narobi, Kenya, there just aren't many people in ANY city in North America..... But then.... ohhh dear.... the montreal drive.... oohhhh sigh.... Terrible road signs, a horrid map, and streets that just up n change and .... ahhhh...... .... difficult. I had warned Jay but it shocked even him, and frustrated us both into great humor. It was not at all uncommon to hear " Which way is it?"
"Well, the sign says (that way) but I have no faith or pretention that that is correct"

Back up: Winipeg was a bit of a shock. I was thinking to skip it, that there was nothing there, a crap town filled with gangs, nothing to see or do, cars n just nothing I needed. I felt drawn to check it out anyhow, just to have seen it- my country, part of the whole.... I said, "Spirit, Universe, you have always brought me magic, so without my knowing how it could even be possible, I leave it up to you, let there be magic".... and there was.

Not just in the form of amazing people, either, though that is really the only reason I stayed past one night, but in the form of realizing a very beautiful, tree filled town. Lovely. Good air, nice buildings, and a bit of a funky district across the river from downtown.

On the other hand, while I'd been quite excited to finally visit Niagra Falls and quite glad I did, I didn't have the big AWE that I thought it'd be. Oh, sure, it's nice to look at, see all that rushing water going over, but maybe I'm spoiled after seeing Victoria Falls. The tiny 8 foot falls at the Falls Brook Center drew my calm and appreciation of beauty so much more. Sun dappled forest falls with little lanes and winding stairways of water over mossy rock.

People... mostly the people I've met were friends. Visiting people already known, either my friends or Jay's or their friends, so really it's been a driving trip as far as exploring goes.... truckers in truck stops are not the people of a place, and while often great for a chat, a road update etc, are not going to tell me of the locals.... What I did get, a shocker, and a fabulous surprise was in Quebec.

Every time Jay and I were stopped looking at a map, whether far out in the country, or right in Montreal, every time someone came round they stopped to ask if we needed directions, where we were going, with absolutely no problem giving help in English.

Yah.... sweet! Yay Montreal! Oh yah, and while I'm at it, YAY Toronto for the rainbows on the street signs in the gay village!

Well, a long drive ahead... a few vids up....

Should I bother continueing these updates? Seems silly for only me and maybe three people to read them...

Well, Newfoundland, here I come!!!

Dancin Debauchery

2008-06-16T14:44:00.003-06:00

Jay and I met in Niagra Falls and hung out for a few days. We ended up late at his friend's cottage and I even got an invite to stay the night. Gladly shall I stay in a palatial "cottage" on an Ontario lake with a few fabulous people!!! Spent the eve chatting, eating good food, drinking wine. The next day was so pleasant! After breakie Tim and Chris took Jay and I on a cottage walk, to the sailing club and back when Jay and I wrestled and Jay cheated cause I was totally kickin butt, so as I flipped him right over me he elbowed me in the face! hehehe. I ended up with a small bloody nose but not enough to stop this fuerte chicka! We kicked each other's butts all over some neighbor's grass. ;P Very good fun... went swimming for a long while, and AHA!!! I did my first back dive!!! WHOOOO.... ah, good times indeed...
Packed and ready to head out, we all went and had some of the best icecream ever.... and off we went....

back up- Niagra falls is so lovely. Had a lovely late night wander and crashed under a tree at the Carmelite church, except I just couldn't sleep and then a police officer saw us and came up. I was, as Jay said, "Sweet as pie" and he let us stay.... ended up having this huge discussion all day and not leaving so we got a really nice but super great deal hotel room and had us a lovely indoor picnic with wine.... what a treat for this lil renegade campin gal!
Then the night we left the cabin it started POURING. EXCELLENT thunderstorm with great big booming and the long streaking lightening- so we shared a room again. What exuberance!

Now I'm in Ottawa and I couldn't use enough superlatives to describe how amazing it is. I'm hanging out with Dillion, and Jay and him get on fabulously, so we all are having an incredible time. First night wandered parliament with Jay, then when D joined us we wandered the market, even Busking! ha! Me on borrowed Poi, Jay on borrowed guitar and Dillion on his harp (harmonica). Fun... awesome shwarma, some beer, lots of yap and finally sleep to get up early and leave on regular late PST (Pagan Standard Time) at last at last at LAST to Montreal....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH MONTREAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ooooh gush....... the Tam Tams....

Jay is so right in this. When I go dancing I dance, as he says, till I kill myself. Keep me in water and occassional rests and I'll go till I drop. We hiked the mountain later in the afternoon and I could hardly come down because my leg actually shook and gave out if I stood on it fully. hehehe. We got down, drank some water and rested, ohhhh maybe 10 minutes, before the drums moved my soul and my body and I was up dancing again. ;)

Earlier I'd gone to play poi with the circus circles and low n behold who should look up and see me there but my old darling friend Amanda! Hadn't seen her in 3 years and there she is, walking up to me! AH!!! Many xoxo later I got to also see that she can move!

What a day.... Dillion's incredible drumming with an instrument that sings like few others, Jay and his brilliance, dancing, heat n sun, a hike that makes me smile and think that I'm being a terribly GOOD pirate, an old friend and then, at the end of it all, Shwartz's!!! THE place (as far as I'm concerned) that made Montreal smoked meat famous.... ahhhhh content sighs.

Today is a chill, rain filled pirate day where I'm doing EXACTLY the kind of thing I set out to do....

SOOOOOOOO, some things are best left to contented sighs, happy smiles, and I've uploaded a TON of new vids, with more coming all day long....

Kisses. and Kisses....

www.youtube.com/spacelady

Such unexpected debauchLESSness

2008-06-10T08:53:00.004-06:00

Ontario is LONG. Wowzers. sheeshometer is HIGH. But it was ok. It's hard to drive without having someone to switch off with, especially when really tired and sleepless and the stress is high.

Just after getting through the northern part of Ontario, from a very late leave out of Winipeg, I hit major scary rain. Ended up giving up around 2am, crashing in the car and not sleeping well. The next day I moved on through rain where I could hardly see the road. Soon after the major highway was closed and a state of Emergency called. Glad I got through!

Stopped at a Husky truckstop and got a wickedly wonderful shower, some breakie and some nice convo- and breakie was bought for me! Apparently the "Sparkle in my eye" showed him just how very nice I am, and he wanted to do something nice for me. !!! I think he mistook vaguelly humored patience, mingled with mischieviousness, but hey, I'm happy to be called nice, and it was sweet to have breakie bought for me. It all helps in the long long road I have before me (And I don't mean JUST Canada!).... some well needed phone chats and journaling later and off I went. The rain at least let up a little, while at times was so bad I couldn't see 5 feet, hardly the white line and made it so i only just didn't hit oncoming semi's so that I knew where the road was. MEH, at least it let up and at times I had no rain..... till much later when it became sunny even! LOVELY! AND the mugginess crept in. wow.... humidity ! ahhh heat.... ahhh lovely heat.... holy freakin crap the HEAT!

Slept near Sault St. Marie, out at the western tip of a road right on Lake Superior. Gorgeous spot, clear skies and bright stars. I renegade camped on someone's land- empty spot on some grass looking over the lake, listening to the lapping waves.... gorgeous (with the literal HORDES of mozzies! Thank heavens for my tent!!!)... ahhh...the cool air, the lapping waves... my heart pounding.... oh dear. Why oh why!??!?! I was in a state of high adrenaline ALL night. No coffee, no pop, no reason.. just this strange discomfort and a VERY unusual (for me) state of jumpiness... I usually awake to startling noises fairly easily, with an "oh, the wind"; but all night i was jumping and being shocked awake. Then at 2:30am someone set off a loud firecracker. I don't know, it was weird, very nervous, mind running. Slept a few hours in the morning and left..... onward! Begone, it is time to head to see two of my favorite ol friends from the ol days of shows n stuff.

Toronto!!! And three days of Jamieson and Jon-David fabulousness! Video updates will come...there are some fun ones, some really special ones- Jamieson singing! We've walked, just wandering looking at the streets, the people, really chill. Drank beer. Jamieson and I made some fabulous dinner- tortilla chips with my homemade guacomole, and he made a roasted redpepper garlic thing, and all that with black bean chili. It's been a perfect trade off, hanging with Jamieson in the eves, JD in the days, and at night both. Last night it was raining like crazy and is SO hot inside so we took our beer, camera, and Jamieson's guitar and sat in my car hanging out. JD came soon after and we just drank and had an AMAZING time. We're all messin around with beat boxin, being silly, singing.... wonderful sexy thunderstorm backdrop. Later I pulled out the flask of rum and we had rum n cranberry juice. YUM!

Ah yes... The adventurer's liquor stores... I left Calgary with two Guiness, a bit of Sake, a flask of rum, a bottle of Bailey's and a bottle of Tequila. The last is for cheers only- for special places or moments, and is good sippin tequila which was pulled out night one. YES, she's a goodly pirate. Takes what's necessary!

SO... It's Tuesday and I'm starting to move.... seems cooler out today, the apartment isn't sweltering to quite the same degree. I'm getting ready to move on...it's sort of hard. I really love these guys and it's been SO nice catching up and just being with them again. Loverly. But onward calls...and so does Dillon in Ottawa. AH! Joy! More fabulousness!!! With promises of drumming, and jailcell hostels and what I hear is a very pretty city.

Niagra falls today, brings two something specials.

Really interesting.

I'll be meeting Jay there. That's right, Jay.... and it's interesting. The prairies did exactly what I was asking for, expanded my heart, so that now I'm removed from much of things, have had a good look at myself, what I want, and simplicity. Feeling. Feeling things out.... so I'm really in an interested curious state with no expectations. It could so easily go ANY way.... and I'm quite interested to see what's going to happen.

See, I will often make decisions based on simply knowing or not knowing what's going to happen- like which job to take, or city to visit, or just what party to go to even.... doing the thing that I DON'T know what exactly will happen, to allow the magic, the unexpected, the idea of something greater, bigger, just simply for the mystery of things.... and yes, sometimes it all goes a bit sour but that's the joy too.... so this wonder with how it'll be to see Jay is GREAT for me, just not knowing. Great for a kitty's curiosity! And it could be nice to adventure with someone for awhile, it could be bloody amazing since he's a wanderer and I'm a nomad, and he's a playful person too. So we might just create some awesome craziness together. And yes, maybe too it won't be so sweet, but them apples I'll just leave for the composters....

The second VERYSPECIAL: I've long wanted to visit Niagra Falls.... yay! I'm excited....

SO... if you looked at those links from the last post you may have noticed they can link to my youtube page O' videos. There's like 60 vids from all over, from Prague, from past, from friends.... And there are 20 vids up of the first week travel. Havin trouble with internet here so we'll see if I can get a few more up before I go. Here for you now, the direct link to my personal page of videos.....

My Nomadic Journey, on film clips.....

The Road trip ....

2008-06-04T18:30:00.002-06:00

At last, internet, a city, staying still for one day.... been moving every day for the last week and having a Grande time of things too! I'm SO bloody hung over from last night still, even though it's 7:45 at night..... What a hoot! These Kansas brothers, Greg and Sam, up here at the hostel in Winepeg, because of the age limit.... ohhhh boyeO. The owner, Bill, Herman the German, another Kansas guy strangely also here not with the brothers, Adam, and my dirty ass self. Drinkin out back, ended up going to a karaoke bar. ohhh dear.... Haven't drank like that in YEARS. hehe. Almost immediately made the bartender mad, hahaha... eh, he has a mullet! HAHAHA. Oh, seriously made him mad. It was FUNNY.... My dear roommate kansan brothers did so very well with their drinking that they BOTH got cut off. HA! It was a great romp of a night! I have absolutely no recollection of getting home, thank gods for Adam who got me here! Greg suggested we sing and HE picked bloody Norah Jones! HAHAHAHA.... the things I should not inflict upon you all but if i can get to a video editor, so WILL!
I awoke at 8:30am ...there's a video....I'll just let you watch it.... I re-awoke at 12:30pm, and laughed my arse off at videos I found of after the bar...and then promptly deleted them. Probably shouldn't have, they were pretty funny.... so I'm having a few beer, chilling all day with the Kansan bros and our mutual hangovers, and FINALLY just showered. We're going to go play ping pong soon. Yup.

SO I've been making video clips to update you all.... I am uploading them slowly, and will be posting them as I go, as well as uploading pics....

Here's the gist though... got out late after some last minute shopping. Had a fabulous breakie send off with Jay (Thanks Jay!) at Diner Deluxe. Yummmmmy! Immediately hit construction so I took a back route.... Drumheller! Went to an old ghost town bar, a suspension bridge, climbed a hill where I don't think I was supposed to be- very pretty view of the river. Thought "The Right Place" to see Indiana Jones was the badlands, so I did that too. FAB. Had a Very Scary Sleep, out at the hoodoos.... I was worried about getting caught sleeping there- ;) Renegade campground #1, so I didn't set up my tent and it was uncomfortable. I also had food smell in my backpack and was worried about teh Animals eating me.... at least i kept the backpack at my FEET.... seriously a bit nervous. hehehe. Smart enough to put the bag at my feet though. HA! (Ali looks down shaking her head at herself inserted here). FINALLY got up and set up my tent and got some sleep anyway. Lovely view in the morning.

Day 2.... The Tyrrell Museum at loooong last. I've been wanting to go out there for years! Very cool. Had a great time, some lunch, then the lovely long road.... got out nearish to Saskatoon but not quite. Really wanted to sleep out in the Big Open- with long prairies stretchin out all around me, huge big sky.... sometimes it takes letting good things go, to get where we really need to be. Turned down a ladies offer of her backyard and a shower in the morning, then turned down a real campsite- free one and lovely in the trees, and found a "side of the road" ... a side road near the highway, in the, well, yes, in the ditch. Set up my tent after a gorgeous sunset, and woke to the open prairies around me....

Day 3.... Showered at a truck stop in Saskatoon (oh good memories of the one in Kamloops, when Evan and I were stuck for 2 days....). The very chilly nights I'd had I realized sleepbag oh ali sucked the boo bigtime. So right next to the truckstop was, grandly, a camping store. AND I got a cheapo bag for $30. COOL! Went and stocked up on veg and stuff, popped into town and had lunch by the river. LOVERLY! I really like Saskatoon from the looks of it. VERY PRETTY!. ... and on the road again for a LONG drive... WHOOT. Up north, took the back road through the reservation. VERY COOL. Rainy, loose gravel on dirt...kinda sketchy but so nice! AND I made it all the way to The Pas (said The Paw).
Ahhh....the universe provides so amazingly.... in a convenience store asking about hotels and camp sites. Really chilly and rainy, but don't want to spend too much on a room and no hostels... well this guy hears me and is trying to say to come to the hotel he's staying at, it's nice and the cheapest one in town besides The Town Dive, ie like the Cecil hotel... then he says, "Don't think about it, don't ask questions, but I can't have you come to my town and have a bad time". Pops $40 on the counter and quickly walks out.

HOLY CRAP! So i, of course, went to the hotel but it was full. Across the street the lady said it was full but in fact she was cleaning all the blankets of the rooms cause a bunch of people taken out of their homes from the big fires raging all across the Northern part of the province had been taken there. So I asked and she let me stay, in my sleep bag. For free.

So I'm using that money to stay here, as the gift was meant to be used, to take a room when needed, and tonight it's needed. Lovely.

That's enough for now. I'll give more later... here's some vids....

Video ONE

Video TWO

Also good.

2008-05-28T22:19:00.003-06:00

Alrigggghty then.

A toast to you all.... to this sweet nectar-air'd city, to my nothingness, to the fullness.

Sore throats be damned, if tequila couldn't kill it, at least I can hurt but care less with some bubbles to boot, and toast the world and you, and me... be things what they may, my heart and soul and world be, oh just be and be and be what you may, I'll sing "Happy Tree Friends" and the Doom song from Invader Zim and carry on and on and on....

And toast you all with bubbly spirits.

Be off, I say. Be off.... I cast off, seemingly into stillness as you all float ever further away.

I wave, I kiss my fingers and throw them out at you. Repeat.

I've Been Felled!!! (well, momentarily)

2008-05-28T10:26:00.005-06:00

I don't know what happened... it always worked in the past!! This time, alas, I have been caught, struck down, wiped out! "Avast", the blimey virus screeched....

I have been out done. I saw it coming.... I took precautions, oh yes...but in the end I have been hit.

Ahhhh, the many previous instances when I did so well slash and defend myself with a few well- timed shots n stabs with Tequila, it's curative powers mighty, leaving no chance of survival in it's wake....

Alas, this time there must have been a few hiders, who lay quiet for a few days and snuck up on me in the night.

I'd gotten some not at all unexpected congestion after the overbooked, somewhat stressed insanity of moving, loosing a friend, stress with- and then a break up with- a person this seemingly perpetual solo chicka had actually partnered with, all meanwhile organizing, and running the big show I do. It seems when I added packing and organizing and preparing for this upcoming tour of hooliganery, this congestion- even with tlc, echinacea, and vit C, turned into a touch of sore throat.

Well, No Problem, says I! I was out dancing and sweatin ALL night - from chakra raisin kundalini dance to Drum n Bass at soda, two nights in a row. Add some tequila to kill off any last standing bacterium, and I should be peachy keen n good to fly.....

Ahhhh, me.... it was not so... I thought I was on the mend, but alas, the little buggers stole away, lurked, and Leaped! Now swallowing jolts me awake, and makes me cringe... So I am staying a day of rest. No running my arse off today, trying for last minute things. Ahhh no.... Bed. My coffee calls.... (but I knew. I wasn't this sick last night, and had pretty well decided to stay anyhow, have ONE day, rest, meditate, write.... tis the Universe making sure, I s'pose.)

BTW: feel free to laugh at me.... I've been researching and looking for tents for months. In the last minute not-having-of-tent, I hoped to get a single-walled cheap and light tent from Canadian Tire - just a bit longer than my too short cheapo tent I got at the end of Africa to replace older worn out cheapo tent that was also too short.
I found one! $30... it's long enough, but not worthy in other ways... so, I went to MEC and what was going to be a pop in and pop out turned into hours, and STILL walked away without a tent. SO, In the end...after aaaall that, I'm bringing my old tent from Africa.... craaaaaaaaaazy. GARRRR.

PS: DOOOOOOOOOOM.

DOoom di doomdoomdoom doom de doom doom... doom doom doom.... DOOM! DOOM DI DOOM!

I think I'm outta here tomorrow anyways..... Cheerio! Off I go. Tata then! Ok pretty people, I love ya, Bye Bye!

Rainy love

2008-05-22T11:30:00.004-06:00

I really love the rain. It's soothing.... ahhhh sigh. so lovely. I think I'll go dance out in the street......

hehehehe. back. I slept in my red dress. Good 'dancin-in-the-rain' dress. Barefoot. Now my feet are cold, but invigoratingly so.... yes. AHHhhhmmmMMMmmmm.... Out with my arms WAY out, head back and jumping around with a big ol smile in soft abandonment. Standing there, feeling the lovely pavement and bits of rocks under my feet, still, just still.... soft mist and drops... abandoned to the moment... to the graces.... I highly recommend a few moments, face up to the rain in stillness....

Ahhh, I've noticed that word "Abandonment" lately... the duality of it. Interesting....

Roller skating was Awesome! And I learned how good I am at being a grumpy ol cat but getting through it and dealing with my anger.... acceptance is an interesting thing... I'll get to this- why I'm so very glad I dealt....

I also had a lovely day of being 12 in all sorts of ways. I was broken up with at the roller rink. HAHAHA. Amusing! And all that sappy crap has ooozed it's way out to leave the lightbulb to come on... OH YAH... I'd been getting there for weeks. It only just finalized at the rollerrink.... I really do need someone strong enough to stand up and tell me when I'm wrong. (shrugs) Cause come on guys, I'm wrong a lot. I know this... But if you don' t say anything about my ideas being not in line with your ideas, then how am I to know anything different?!?!! Or even just to tell me when I'm being F*@&ed... And I'm only a tad itty bitty wee bit strange, right?!, so thinking I can have a totally normal relationship seems out of place. I find all this amusing now. Lovely like the rain. And now I can miss his amazingness in a calmer peace.... so that part about being glad I dealt with my anger.... He stuck around, and I had to watch his wonderful self hanging out with my friends...but then I calmed down and remembered we'd wanted to go skating together for a month, (which is WHY I chose this activity for a party) so once, for a short bit we got that. We skated together.... And it was wonderful. A great thing to share for a moment.
And Then I moved on....

Other things of being 12: The OOOLD music (seriously guys, like Move It, and I think Pump up the Jam type stuff anyhow! Ohhh the OLD DAYS ... damn, you know you're old when your growing up tunes are RETRO! HAHAHAHA)

Good friends, playing roller-tag, it was also a friend's birthday there and my bud Jason and I ganged up on her and sang sexy Marilyn style Happy Birthday to her.

I got to hang out with Aiden a bit too, for all general purposes basically my nephew. I love hanging out with him, chasin him around and "flobbling" him, enjoying giggling together.... Apparently Jay asked his mom who the bigger kid is. HAHAHA. Well, I'm BIGGER! hehehe... awesome.

So let's see. Tried out rollerblading. That was cool. I was able to stand and sort of kind of stop, too, which I suppose is useful. I could cross over my legs around corners, but was still a wobbly pirate.... probably having to do with the 'sort of stopping'.

Then I went to rollerskates and WOW..... like all things, I started out really slow, figuring things out, testing out the sides, the moves, being wobbly, getting my ....wheels...under me. Then I was dancin, and easy breezy. It was FUN! .... except stopping isn't my forte. I even gave backwards a go....this created a lot of freaking out and very loud laughing/cringing.

SO: Here's the run down for anyone who wants to meet up / hang out, before I go. Fri Kundalini dancing then SODA for the latenight drum n bass dj showdown. I'll be there about 11.
Sat at Vern's at 7:30 to support some cause and Mandi's band. Vern's on 8th Ave about 6St.

I also need to take apart my bike, and the only thing I can't do is take the cranks off, cause i don't have that tool.....

SOOOOOOOOO..... I realized about this blog... Am I going to just go, disappear into the wilds of my own fancies, or am I going to come in all the time, to post about it? I suppose when I get that craving for a mocha.... but while I'm gone, there may be absences... I'm so excited. Me and my pirate ship, my first car. I feel so good in her, sitting behind her wheel, at one with our destiny in movement and expansion. ....

(I'm listening to a cd DJ Jinx made me, of the old school swing/charleston type that she grabbed to mix at my show... just boppin along as I sit here, drinkin my coffee...thinking that I could feel a lot more rain on a lot more skin out in the back yard.... )

the Universe seems to be breaking my heart

2008-05-21T13:18:00.003-06:00

Is it to create in me such a total fullness of Home Free ness, lacking any ties, bonds, links ? Break all my heart up into cookie crumbles to leave me with nothing, to leave me with the openess and acceptance that the Nothing brings?? Does the universe conspire to teach me to keep solitude? Is it trying to teach me and give me the great big love of itself, the huge, magical, mystical full power of the All....
(by keeping me from being able to have the simple soft comforts of human companionship?)

The road and the adventure are wonderful. I hope to find solace in it, in the endless tarmac, in the rivers and under the stars.

More and more each day my heart pours out, seemingly to leave me with nothing.

I can only leave myself in the hands of the All, the One, the Empty.
(and that's a pretty big thing in itself)

At times the aching is strong, at other times it releases and I am left with a feeling of pure freedom, being a child of the Universe- rather than of any place, having no home, but living in the moments one by one, and letting the universe provide.... It is freeing, but still- having a place I *know* is there, safe, loving, healing.... it would be nice. Having someone I *know* is there, safe, loving, healing.... laugh... yah...

I love my friends, and between them and the natural inclinations I have about this incredibly beautiful city, my roots here are deep. They flow with our rivers and abundunt trees and open spaces. The city at night, the clouds and sky unlike anywhere I've ever been, this high altitude air like nectar....

Then there is the people... I love so deeply the "underground" city- the events I get to do, be part of. This past weekend was Awesome! I get to organize and promote and create this wonderful event that I then get to have so much fun at, AND hang out with all the people I like!!! Hundreds of them!!! AND THEY THANK ME FOR IT!!! HAHAHAHAA.... That's the kinda work I wanted. Something I LOVE *THIS* much....

But still my heart is aching and I am feeling so lost, amidst such grande magic. Well, That is WHY I decided to go ahead with this trip, way back when... To go and be ok with being lost with hope to find some direction in the many roads and pathways ahead. As I've said, to just let my heart expand into the huge prairies, and just let go.... isnt' it just amusing how when we are in love, in partnership with someone all the world's chaos isn't really a big deal, we can take it on together; but no matter how perfect everything is around us, how exhilerating, when our heart's hurt it seems all the magic is really just a fun distraction? It's all heart. Feeling. Our whole lives are really just about our feelings about everything else around us....

The kundalini dance weekend has been cancelled, but i find myself somewhat unprepared to leave earlier anyhow.... Perhaps. I have a bike to take apart. Packing. Things.... Even though I could pack up and be insane and go...well...sheesh, tomorrow really.... I think I'll stick around a few days....

I wanted to do something *SILLY* for a going away party, rather than the same old pub-drink thing. So I'm going ROLLERSKATING! Exciting. I really love my life. It's so much FUN! There are so many amazing people I get to know, that I am so lucky to get to hang out with! It's incredible, just absolutely incredible...

But hey, what's this all about then? Well, even grande Adventurers, fuerte chicka's who love the open road and the solitude, even independent crazy folks who are quite ok with wandering day after day after month after month over years, really on there own, still get the craving to take on this big ol world with someone.... I guess it'd not be much of a story if I didn't stay honest, even about the hard stuff....I was kinda ready to do that with someone.... but alas.... a bit more ache.

Funny. It kinda sucks (of course), but it's ok, too... the stars and moonlight, the fire, the ... oh hell, it sucks. SOOOO much possibility.... no... no... here's why it's ok... i was starting to think this whole settling thing would be ok. He came along and reminded me of possibility. Getting better and better all the time.... and that, my dear friends, is really really OK!

Prepping to Set Sail Apon the Prairie Ocean

2008-05-15T00:48:00.005-06:00

Only a tidbit left... a tiny tidbit more than a week... ahhhh, "the long road" has called for so long, this stretched out country of amazingly diverse beauty, beckons at me in screeching, mind splitting awareness.
"YOU!" , it screams... "COME!"

The universe has conspired in full, overwhelming majesty, once again!

I am finishing preparations for this weekend's party that i am throwing- a big event which I'm hoping will bring in 300+ people (in which I have some prizes yet to collect, ticket sales, sorting out some shows' last minute needs and purchases, some personal touches on the music, and last minute chats with MC and DJ's, besides prepping for my little skit)...the reason I stuck around through May, when I could have left over a week ago.... But no, also this brings me closer to the weekend after, where I have an opportunity to do a very special workshop. Music, breathing, and movement incorporated into chakra raising extatic dance. I've done it before, the whole weekend, as well as a few times at Shambhala's few hours workshop, but this time we are graced with the facilitator being the creator, Leyolah Antara from Australia!

What does this mean? A weekend of serious dancing, using breath techniques and some guided movements which are set to music, to focus in on areas of our lives, and our bodies, in an incredible healing, dealing, consciousness raising experience. This all leaves me highly in tuned with my place in the universe, in this life, and in this body.... THE body.

Sounds about "Quite Right"... the right that is in universal Karmatic (tm) perfection... the quite right for the send off of a journey that is specifically about exploring my new path, and new life choices... ;)

There are a lot of emotional things happening right now too, leaving me quite frazzled. That exhaustion that comes from emotional overload. It's all good, sure sure. Riding the waves, feeling things out, healing... Dealing... but yes, it's also incredibly difficult to continue riding this emotional wavy rollercoaster. I'm looking forward to "actually" being alone, out there under all that huge prairie sky- to just expand my heart way way out, and let go.... and let go... and roll...

Roll and roll and roll all the way along that blacktop ribbon in the big open hearted lands heading East.

PS:
For more info about the dance workshop and all things Ekstasis dance:
http://www.ekstasisdance.com/

Wanna see old posts?? Yahoo group of my older wanderings: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spaceladywandersgroup/

The journey begins

2008-04-29T12:49:00.004-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen!!!

Beginning now, a new blog of grande hooliganery!!! The wanderings and adventurings of an experience pirate on the high seas of life, heart beating out a path of glorious movement, play, dance, and many a footstep.

This here begins my adventure blog.

I begin with being slightly north (a few hundred kilometers) of my home base, doing silly little things by ditching out for a few days in the midst of the chaos of moving to nowhere. Yes. I am moving to NoWhere.

My things are about to go in storage, I to serf the rolling waves of friend's couches and beds, and then after an event I've created / organzied, to go a travelling across this here amazing and humongous land o the Canadians.

Yes, I yearn for home, stability, sameness, for the wonderful joy of my own food in my own kitchen, curling up on my own couch and reading a book in my own place.... but Upheaval comes and forces a shaking off of cobwebs...

I have been given the gift of the adventurer, all it's blessings, and it's sorrows... I must not waste this unique creation by giving up the grande for that sticky web called 'comfort'.... I am called and directed by the great winds, the four directions, the One.....

LIVE!

The time comes, and time calls me onwards....

Spirit lays out the pathway so perfectly. Even when I am forgetful, trying to stop or turn, there it is in ass kicking, blindsiding, forcefullness of perfection. I will loose my home, my job, my blindness - all in the universe's conspiracy for me. I will also gain the mode and means, the right time and place and people- oh it's always the people!

Ahoy Life!

Safari Njema!!!