dreaming over the ocean

was quiet for me this year.  No family around, which is something I normally like.  but, it was beautiful. I think easter is my favourite holiday of the year, and Maundy Thursday is my favourite day in the church calendar. so, I began easter celebrations on thursday with a dinner at St Stephen's, then I went to swim, and then I made my way at 11pm to go and pray for an hour at St John's the Evangelist (the Montreal Anglo-Catholic Church). Friday included a lot of paper writing, and Tenebrae at St John's again, with my friend Annie.  We then went to Benelux (and met my friend Leanna, who handing in her Master's Research project that day!!!)  where I had a 12-Beer sampler.  Which, was probably too much beer, but it was delicious.   Saturday included brunch with nursing friends, a long bike ride (100km!!!), and more paper writing.   Sunday included Sunday service at St Stephen's, post-service lunch, thanksgiving for the Presiden...

In Celebration of the official first day of spring, that happened 5 days ago, I present to you a time-lapse video of flowers blooming.  I really like how some go super fast, and some are slower.  And how they all go with the catchy background music.  It just makes you feel good. Couple of big things going on. #1: it has been BEAUTIFUL in Montreal this last week.  We had a couple days of 20+ weather.  All the snow has melted, and little sprouts are coming out of the ground.  the most disapointing thing, though, is that i only have winter shoes.  and my toes want to be free.  yet, they can't be, because my sandals are in vancouver.  I think that makes a big difference in training, because you just want to be outside.  Despite the HUGE amount of school work that is happening right now, I was able to get a quality 14 hour week in.  but, it has now returned to the seasonal norms, which means: training goes back inside, and toes are...

Things are certainly busy these days. But, thus is life for a graduate in the last month (yep. last month.) of a degree. Papers are being written and revised again and again and again. Literature is being searched. Assignments for the class i am TAing are being graded. training is putting along (hitting about 13.5 hrs on my biggest week thus far). I leave Montreal on the 18th of April to  race in New Orleans on the 22nd of April and then go back to live in Vancouver. Those dates are really soon. But, with all that is going on, there is something about st paddy's day that causes a social obligation to engage in shenanigans and tomfoolery.  I finished an epic 3hr and 40 minute triple brick on saturday morning, only to meet a classmate on my way out of the gym.  Apparently, we were meeting at 2pm to start celebrating this made-up holiday. 2pm?!?!?  really? ugh.  ok, fine.  BUT my social obligations do not require me to stay all night long, FYI. ...

and, right now is one of those times.  I was in Edmonton last week, for a family thing.  not a great family thing, but a family thing nonetheless.  Because I was there, it meant that I also missed a week of school stuff, and productive work time. I arrived back to Montreal this week, and have felt like i have been consistently walking around with tears welling up in my eyes.   For some reason, montreal never makes me feel "Sigh, I'm back at home."  or "sigh, i love being here." there are nice things about it... but it is not the feeling that I get in other places.  I almost cried in yoga on tuesday, when I looked at my Chitenje (African cloth used for various things , most notably carrying children on a back, and wrapped around as a skirt) that I had brought to cover myself up at the end of the session to stay warm.  i think i just looked at it and thought "damn... what would I do to be back there..."   i miss malawi. ...

I have been back in Montreal since Friday the 6th.   And, in many ways, it actually feels really good to be back.  Which, I know, might be shocking to you!  the first few days didn't feel good... I missed the boy I like love, it is fricken cold here, conversations that i was having were somewhat frustrating, and I was just wanting to be half way around the world again.  but, things have been going on an upward swing, which is a relief. In the past couple days, I have had great conversations that have just hit the spot.  You know those conversations... the ones that allow you to reflect on the past, and get prepared for the future. I am sub-letting a room for 4 months, with two beautiful girls, L and R.  And, to tell you the truth, it is a big risk (for both them and me) to sub-lease to someone they have never met... no matter how much you exchange via email and "social media" you truely cannot know someone until you meet them face to face.  The ot...

So, I am sitting in my bed, taking the day off of my clinical rotation.  why?  Well, for no other reason than "we get one sick day"  and it is sunny, and I want to do my tempo ride on the beautiful grand prix circuit, which has uninterrupted baby-butt smooth pavement.  and, as long as i have a productive day (i.e., grocery shopping, training, cleaning, and packing), then, i will call it a good day to skip. it has been a while since I have blogged.  Not because there is nothing to say, but, because days are quite filled!  My Clinical takes up most of my time, but, so does training, wrapping up final school things for the last semester, and talking to the boy I like.   Last week, at this time, I was sitting in my supervisor's office, awaiting for someone awaiting the final forms for my proposal.  I am done!  WAHOOO!  On friday, with the submission of (18 fricken copies) my proposal for the Malawi project to the  internal review boar...

today, i have had a lovely day. After yesterday, where I didn't really leave the house at all, it was time to wander outside. Despite the fact that I do enjoy "work at home" days, I also find that I can feel quite isolated. Especially this semester, where it now seems like we are finally in a graduate program... everyone in my class is spread out between supervisors, and locations, and different placements, and different practice times, etc. We don't get so see each other much, especially compared to this first year and a half. But, I suppose, if I am going to be spending 4 months in Malawi next fall , I need to get used to it! So, knowing that I had strength and a run on tap for today, I thought that I would use the morning to do some work in a cafe, eat breakfast, then yoga and run it up. But, I woke up with a bit of a headache (and was really worried it was going to end up being a full fledged migrane), so I went back to sleep. 1.5 hrs later, I woke up, an...

You can tell by the wind By fresh cut wood All stacked to dry That autumn's here... I love the autumn. I love the crispyness of it. The cold air at night, and the warm air during the day. I love that in the East, the colours of the trees are unmatchable. I love winter vegetables like squash and beets. I love that death means that new life will come. I love thanksgiving (HURRAY for the upcoming long weekend !!!) and the memories that go with it. The only thing that I don't love is that it normally doesn't last that long. This past weekend, along with doing my photo session with Will, we also went apple picking. Apple picking, or, en Francais: "Cueillir Les Pommes," in Quebec is somewhat of a cult following. Almost as good as la cabane a sucre. I found us a Vergers biologiques. A organic Apple orchard. Despite the fact that it was at least an hour away, and .70$ more than the regular apples, I still insisted. I mean, comon... if you are going to spend ...

So, i have this friend. His name is Will Swanson, and he takes phenomenal photographs. Will is pretty much within the top 3 people I have here in Montreal, and is such a phenomenal friend. He has a heart of gold, a quarky personality, a history in movie making and social work. He is going to be a nurse. Last year, he told me that he would photograph me. This is a little intimidating to think about having a "professional" photo session.. mostly because I look at the photos he takes, and think "dang. there is no way I can look that good." and "i have NO idea how to pose." and... most of all "Wow. I had no idea how self-concious and critical I can be of myself." in addition, i was totally convinced that he is unable to take a good photo of me. and, i am in a post-season, out of shape state. However, on friday, he proved me wrong. We shot into the night, and I was stunned at watchinghim work, how much fun it was... and, mostly, what were some o...

this is what i have been thinking the past few days since I have arrived back in this city. there is *loads* of snow here. the street cleaners have been a bit of a gong show, and the sidewalks... well... let's just say that they aren't completely clean. pretty much, my biggest pet peeve about snow is when it hovers a couple degrees below freezing, so the snow wants to melt, and then creates this very slick little layer of slushy brown stuff which is a mixture of everything that people have been walking through, snow, salt, water, and ice. anyway. not very nice. especially for this girl who doesn't have a great pair of winter boots. that is due to the fact that the boots that i have had for the last 5 years are now making my ankle sore. and. it. is. not. even. my. "bad" ankle. go figure. at any rate, running in the snow (especially uphill) is challenging. but, it is beautiful. and it is crisp. and you see skiers. and, i like that. also how it feels ...

about so many things... about the things that have happened this past week. about poverty. about what i like about triathlon. about christmas events and the current advent season and the feeling in the air... Earlier this week, I had the unfortunate occurrence of having my wallet, apartment keys and cell phone stolen out of my pocket. Even more unfortunate, it was at a place where things are meant to be safe. A place where people should be able to relax, and not be worried about things going missing, or whatnot. and, this is the second time that something of mine has been stolen at church. and, it is quite ironic. but, i choose to go to churches that have outreaches to individuals who are of lower income, individuals who may be homeless, individuals who live in poverty. photo courtesy and, i have been dealing with poverty on a number of different levels recently, but, this incident got me thinking about a few things.... not as much of the *Causes* of poverty, but what effects pove...

Sunday was an exceptionally long day of paper writing. I have 3 short papers (about4-6 pages each) to write to finish up my clinical semester. I am trying to get them done early, so that they are not hanging on my neck for the remainder of this week, when I am starting to get ready for finals. I got one done, and was able to get a good handle on the two others. and the two are "reflective journals" so... they aren't so bad. yup, finals. they are just around the corner! Only 2 more weeks of classes, and that is shocking to me! this past week has been exceptionally busy, but filled with everywhere from the awful to the wonderful happenings. and, so, I present you with the highlights (holy moley this is a long post!): late night wanderings: last thursday night, we had a wonderful rowing dinner. Filled with videos, fancy people (have i mentioned that i love the fact that word for "fancy" in quebecois is "chic." for example: comment chic vas-tu se s...

wish i could be... part of that world... so, i have a new look. it is sunshiney, and it has a bike. but, it lost all my web connections, which i am slightly annoyed with. argh! if you know that I read your blog, please make a comment, so I can reconnect with you! so, it has seemed, that recently, a theme in my life has been one of surrender, freedom, and trust . a friend of mine, that i have not seen in a long time, but holds a special place in my heart reminded me of surrender, and it was definitely not a long way off of a conversation that I had recently with a different friend of mine... and, i know that in times of transition, those qualities are perhaps the most important things to remember... "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." yeah. good advice. today w...

so, I woke up at 4:45, with the intention of going to le bassin d'aviron, to coach this morning. this, to me, is normal. remember how I have said that something strange happens to me every day in Montreal. Well, it is 7:30, and I am sitting in a cafe, not at practice. My girls are probably just coming off the water now. first off, I missed my bus, by about 15 seconds* At that point, I though: "hmmmm, so this is how the day is going to go..." so, i speed walk 15 minutes down the hill, to get to the metro. get into the metro on time, and wait for it to start (if I ride it to practice in the morning, I have to get the first one.) We hear the electricity start up, and promptly in about 1 minute, there is an announcement: Le service de metro est introrumpter pour une temps indeterminer. The metro service is down for an undetermined amount of time. oh crap. so, I wait. and wait. and wait. 45 minutes- an hour later, i determine that there is no point in going to the ...

so, i woke up this morning, with the intention that I was going to ride my bike to rowing practice. It was a bit damp outside, but, okay. I can deal with that. but, I was still hesitant, since I have not been riding it as of late. but, today was the day that I was going to drop it off a shop. So, here we go... got on my bike, and left. cruised down the hill. and, the weird thing about it is that i ride my bike to practice every morning.* nothing new, here. but, i was riding, and then i crossed the bridge, and then i looked up. there i was, in the middle of who-knows-where. same path that i take everyday. and, all of a sudden, I was lost. It took me a good 7 minutes to figure out what was happening, and where i was going. i mean. comon'. who gets lost on a bike ride that they take every day?!?! [apparently: i. do.] got to the boat house, and realized that i didn't bring any "regular clothes" for the day. only warm "morning practice" clothes, an...

so, I finally have been able to bring my bike to a shop. sigh. so excited to get it worked on, and to not be afraid to ride it, with fear of hurting it.... but, it is also a little scary to bring it to a shop that i know nothing about, except for the fact that online, it seems pretty good. but, i left feeling like I was going to feel slightly violated once I get the invoice. sigh. We'll see. today includes: going to gym, going and visiting a client in the community, and eating yummy meals with my rowing team, and my mum's close friend. sounds pretty good to me. so much going on in life right now, that i will follow up with a big long post in a day or two. Heading down to Saratoga, NY, this weekend, to go to a regatta.... Ahhhh, Fall in New York state. Beautiful .... i suppose. as long as it is not freezing. and raining.

first off, "hello" to all the people linking over from bikesnob. this is me. with (maybe not) my bike. and a mountain... so, i guess that it has been a while since i have had a fairly decent post. yesterday, was a day that was laced with annoyances, and kinda made me realize that there are so many things right now that are wearing on me. my student loan got screwed up . I am still waiting for the $ which was supposed to arrive in my account on the 1st of september. I have eaten through my savings with moving and "getting started in school" expenses, and I HATE that I have had to ask many people to help me out, especially my parents. I feel like virtually every day is a day that i am thinking "if i spend this 2$ on coffee, what am going to have to cut out later." or, "dang, i have to phone my automatic withdrawals, and tell them that they cannot take it out because it will bounce." I HATE that I am 26, and feel like i have to rely totally on othe...