Like & Love

From 10 Things I Hate About You
Bianca: There's a difference between like and love. Because, I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack.
Chastity: But I love my Skechers.
Bianca: That's because you don't have a Prada backpack.

Well I love my Harrods bag, and I don't have Skechers or a Prada backpack. It was 20 Pounds, which is just over $40 Canadian, probably the most I have ever spent on a purse. I have watched friends over the years spend from $50 to over $100 on bags and purses, but I'm just not ready to drop that much cash on something you can get a Sears, Walmart, Bently, or Zellers for about $20, I'm so low class. But Harrods is almost a name. Interestingly it is a department store that has its own gift shop and therefore its own label. But it is the elite luxury department store to end all department stores. Shopping there is an amazing experience. Some people recognize it and are impressed, others don't know what it is, I think that is cool. I love the shape, style, feel, and size of it. I take it everywhere, one of my best fashion purchases thus far.

Morning With The Kitty

For the last 5 days, I have been waking up between 4:30-5:30am because Binx is having a sneezing fit. They tend to last 15-20mins. I get quite worried, but she doesn't do it at any other time of the day, and seems fine besides that. Looking it up on the net it seems that it isn't that big of a deal, most likely just a little kitty cold that will go away. Binx is getting old, almost 14, which is around 75 in people years depending on how you calculate it. A cat is considered to be senior when they are 8 to 10 years of age. Cat's over 12 years of age are considered geriatric. I know she is in the twilight of her little life and that thought makes me so sad that little kitty sneezes scare me.

Jake's Picks

I don't think I have mentioned him before but Jake is the New Boy Roommate. Anna moved out a long time ago with her boyfriend, The Original Boy Roommate, and Jake moved into their old room. Anyway, he went through my pictures (before their upcoming Facebook debut) and decided I was wrong and that these two were my best. Obviously the second is Tower Bridge, but the first is the bank of the Thames at low tide, I think tidal rivers are so cool.

The Money Shots

My two favorite shots from my trip.

1-Tower Of London

2-Stonehenge

I am slowly putting them up on Facebook, so you can see the complete set there soon and decide for yourself which are the best.

London Tidbits

I have had a weekend now to rest and reflect on my London trip. Steph and I had a great time. Here are some random thoughts about my travels from January 15-25, 2008.
--Steph had budgeted $700 for me to bring, I wanted to spend $600, and I ended up only spending $550.
--You can get sick of salami sandwiches.
--London is a clean city in terms of garbage but is very polluted, 'London Fog' is so bad it turns your snot black after about a week.
--The London Bridge is boring, the one everyone thinks of is actually called Tower Bridge.
-Westminster Abby is my favorite of all churches ever visited, it is crazy packed with tombs, graves, and memorials.
--I like chocolate spread on toast in the mornings.
--McDonald's is the international peeing spot, the only place we really felt comfortable walking in to use the toilet when not buying something.
--Central Hostel in London was a steal, $10 a night, surprisingly clean and pleasant.
--I can't sleep on planes.
--The British just went around to different countries and stole tons of shit, it is all now on display at the British Museum.
--YHA hostels are more expensive but very nice as they must adhere to certain standards.
--I function well when getting lots of exercise and eating four small meals a day.
--Every character I like in Les Mis dies, and the ones I don't really care for live happily ever after, I cried through the entire second act.
--You can get tons done in a day when you wake up at 6am.
--I can cross off a Wonder of the World, Stonehenge, seen it.
--First ever reference to traffic law dictated which side of London Bridge travellers entering and leaving London should drive on, historically the British do drive on the correct side of the road.
--Bus system in London puts OC Transpo to shame, but costs more.
--Everything in the UK is so old they don't even really bother putting things from the 1800-1900's in museums because they are too modern.
--Even pub food in London costs $20, expensive fish and chips but very tasty.
--Steph put me to shame photography wise, taking upwards of 1500 pictures compared to my 250.
--Big Ben did not have the same effect on my as the Eiffel Tower.
--English countryside is so beautiful.
--I was more uneasy in The London Eye capsule then the sketchy balcony at the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.
--Everyone thought we were American
--It really hit us where we were when we visited The Brompton Oratory our first morning.
--Harrods is a true shopping experience with food halls and its own gift shop, I bought a purse.
--The only place to buy discounted theatre tickets is at 'tkts' in Leicester Square, everywhere else is most likely a scam.
--Due to constantly looking at London on Google Maps before leaving, I had a really good idea of locations and directions.
--I was coveting a Longchamp travel purse but have since fell out of love with them, at $100 each that was probably a good thing.
--Not getting souvenirs or gifts really cuts down on costs, in Paris they cost me about $150, Steph spent around $130 on them this trip, and I spent $55 getting postcards, stamps, and two things for myself.
--I tend to think girls with British accents are bitchy and guys with British accents are gay, two crazy stereotypes I had to constantly talk myself out of.
--Took a condom, didn't use it.
--Steph got bit by a spider monkey, it put a tiny hole in her camera and her thumb, besides that the London Zoo was really cool.
--Excellent weather, only rained for two or three days, and there were two days with blue skies.
--I can't tell the difference between the British and Australian accent.
--Besides pubs there are alot of pho and curry places.
--Free walking tours are an excellent way to see and learn about any city.
-At The Changing of the Guards the guards change really quickly, the rest of the time it is just the military band playing music, not necessarily military music or even British music.
--I love tiled roofs, sheep, and white washed thatch roof cottages.

Back To Bed

I did go on a bit of a blog hiatus there but now I'm back from my 10-Day trip to the UK with Steph. I am hoping to pretty much sleep the weekend away. Back to Ottawa, into bed. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep..

Safe And Sound

Steph and I landed in London yesterday. We actually got in early, and were already in the long customs line by 10am, the time our plane was scheduled to land. We did way more then planned yesterday, spending the afternoon touring around the city. More money expected spent on London Transit, but more ground covered. Saw many areas and got a good feel for the city. Tube (subway) is more expensive then the bus, and the bus is more fun anyway since they pretty much are all double decker. We got the prime front of the top seats and took in all the views. Today all our plans start and I can't wait to see everything!!

Sexy Colbert

Watching The Colbert Report tonight (along with The Daily Show, since they are both now back on air) I was reminded of the music video he did. It is a parody of the soft rock 80's, very Bowie. As I love Colbert, and Bowie, the video thrills me every time I watch it.

Party Like A Rock Star

I feel like a movie or rock star. This shot has that slightly blurry action shot thing, coupled with me looking away from the camera. Also the crowded room and pose. I think it makes it look like it was pulled from the pages of a tabloid. Maybe it is that my face is shiny or that you can see I have split something on my tank top.

Unnerved By Sound

Today at work, I quickly listened to some music on The Prairie Girl's mp3 player. She was shocked at how good the new Miley Cyrus song 'See You Again' is. Miley Cyris is Hannah Montana (I thought they were two different people) and was born in 1992, making her 15 and the new pop princess. The song was really good. That wasn't what surprised me, what did was listening with the new in-ear style headphones. They aren't that new, the little ear-bud things have been around for a while. I just couldn't believe that you can't hear anything until they are lined up just right inside your ear, and then it isn't like you are listening to music it is like the music exist in your head. I found it really unsettling, also since I couldn't hear anything around me, like my phone ringing. People experience this all the time everyone must think it is normal. Listening to music on the bus, at school, when walking, at work, everyone is used to the way the music sounds and feels coming out of these new headphones. I don't ever listen to music, especially not through headphones, and I found the whole thing really disconcerting.

Random Thought

Are our modern truckers cowboys of the highway?

Wonder Of The World

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
List was originally compiled around the second century BC. The final list was compiled during the Middle Ages, even then most of them were gone.
-Great Pyramid of Giza (the only one left)
-Hanging Gardens of Babylon
-Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
-Statue of Zeus at Olympia
-Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
-Colossus of Rhodes
-Pharos of Alexandria
The Seven Wonders of the Medieval Mind
-Stonehenge (will see in just over a week)
-Colosseum
-Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
-Great Wall of China
-Porcelain Tower of Nanjing (gone)
-Hagia Sophia
-Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Seven Natural Wonders of the World
-Mount Everest
-Great Barrier Reef
-Grand Canyon
-Victoria Falls
-Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
-Paricutin Volcano
-Northern Lights (have seen a number of times)
The Seven Wonders of the Modern World
List compliled by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
-Empire State Building
-Itaipú Dam
-CN Tower (have seen and been up)
-Panama Canal
-Channel Tunnel
-North Sea Protection Works
-Golden Gate Bridge

I am not doing nearly as well as I thought I was with seeing things. If I include lists of 'Forgotten Wonders Of The World' or 'Travel Wonders Of The World' I do a little better, but still not great. There are also other lists like 'Seven Underwater Wonders Of The World' or the new lists recent complied by Internet vote. There are also books with titles like '50 Places To See Before You Die' and even '1000 Places To See Before You Die.' I think the easiest thing would be to make your own list, or don't even think about lists at all.

9:00 - 2:30

I realised a long time ago that I needed some new dress shoes. Actually Teri was down and we were heading out to a nice bar when I realised I only had open-toe heels. I have been on the hunt for a nice, comfortable, cheap pair of dress shoes I can wear out as well as to work ever since. Shopping the other day I found these - a nice pair at Spring, and only $17.95. I bought them and wore them at work today. (Not to work, I wore my usual black winter boots.) Well, I'm still terrible at wearing heels. I made it until 2:30pm in them before they became horribly uncomfortable (not painful, just annoying and unpleasant.) I took them off, putting back on the winter boots. I feel 5.5 hours is pretty good for my first day, but most of the women in my office wear heels all day everyday. Maybe next time.

Jumping The Shark

The phrase 'Jumping The Shark' refers to an episode of Happy Days when Fonzie jumps over a shark on waterskis. Having never seen Happy Days, I only know it as a pop culture term for when a TV show moves away from its original premise and does something ridiculous, or special to regain popularity and viewers. The 'Jump The Shark' moment tends to signal a decline in a series. It can happen a lot of different ways. There is a website that lists the different ways (Birth, Death, New Actor Playing A Character, Moving, etc.) and people can vote on whether a particular show has ever 'Jumped The Shark'. I hold to that Friends never did (and that tends to be the consensus on the site too.)

Count Down

I can hear London calling, and I will be answering that call soon, so very very soon. I can't wait to spend 10 days with Steph seeing England's capital, as well as a quick trip to see Salisbury and Stonehenge. The problem is I don't really know how to count down from now until then. To start I don't know what point to count down to.
-The day we leave, Jan 15th
-The time I leave work to go, 4:00pm Jan 15th *I will use this*
-The time the bus leaves, 5:00pm Jan 15th
-The time we get to the airport, 6:55pm Jan 15th
-The time we are scheduled to take off, 10:25pm Jan 15th
-The day we arrive in London, Jan 16th
-The time we are scheduled to land, 10:00am Jan 16th
-The time we most likely will be in London after landing, baggage claim, customs, and the train into the city, approximately 2:00pm Jan 16th
Then there is the whole issue of how to count down. Using the leaving work date and time there is so many different ways to think about the amount of time left until that point.
-12 days, counting the day we are in
-11 days
-11 days, 5 hours, 31 minutes
-269 hours
-16170 minutes
I still think the easiest thing is to resort back to childhood Decembers and the count downs to Christmas. The age old method of counting 'Sleeps.' It seems to give the best indication of the wait before an event. Similar to days left, but feels easier to picture.
11 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL I LEAVE FOR LONDON!

Best New Years Song

As there are little other New Year songs, it seems to be a hollow win for Auld Lang Syne. I love it, I would even say it is one of my favorite Christmas Carols so as to put it in a bigger category. 'Auld lang syne' is Scots and from the 1700's so to translate, it means literally 'old long since' which is like our current 'long long ago' , or even 'once upon a time'. It is more of a toast like 'To your health,' but is closer to 'For old time's sake' or 'To the good old days.'

Happy New Year

To all those who drank, and those who stayed sober,

To the screamers and cheerers, and ones who are somber,

From my place in the hot tub, looking at stars,

I think of the millions in clubs and in bars.

I think of my family and friends everywhere.

Celebrating it all with their own little flair,

Some working hard with their house party hosting,

Others looking on with their champagne toasting.

Everyone lift up your glasses,

Whether it's home by the fire or out with the masses,

Health and happiness to all, best wishes and cheers.

Lets do this again, for many more years.

-C.S.