Just took this picture of the moon reflecting off the water. It's hard to describe just how bright the moon is here. You can see colours clear across the lake! I'll never lose my keys outdoors again!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Life in Dryden
I have arrived safely in Dryden! After sleeping and lazing around for a few delicious days today I feel well rested and ready to tackle my busy schedule of.... well.... nothing. Having been here for a lengthy two and a half days I have a few pictures for your cats and kittens of the local digs around here.
Here is a collection of items which I excitedly arrived to. You'll notice the 5 litres of wine, 3 litres of rum, a metric tub of coffee, Dr Pepper, ketchup and Cheez Whiz all of which are consumables I adore.
There were also ice cream sandwhiches, one of which I am eating while writing this post.
Dad holding the enormous bottle of rum.
Linda taking a crack at it
Here's the back porch where we spend most of our days eating, sitting, chatting and drinking.
Uncle Wayne hanging out on said porch
Dad hanging out on said porch
View from said porch of Thunder Lake (yeah, that's a straight walk down from the back yard!)
Linda has a kayak which I have not yet used due to the water being literally 3 degrees. My first attempt at 'swimming' consisted of me wading out up to my knees and hurrying back to shore.
My Dad's property currently has the saddest dock ever. This thing is about as long as my air mattress.
Speaking of mattresses, I actually get a bed for 3 weeks! Sure beats a tent, b'y!
I also get to practice my shooting with my dad's new air rifle. The thing has some surprising range for the size of it.
The target for most of my air rifle shooting is the abandoned hut and flagpole at the end of my dad's property. The flagpole in particular makes a satisfying 'ping' when you get a direct hit on it.
Linda also stole Kathryn's (my step-sister's) guitar when she moved to Dryden as Kathryn never used it. It's not the biggest or the loudest thing, but it's quite nice sounding and it gives me something to play while I'm here for a month!
When I'm not cooking, drinking, sleeping, singing or attempting to swim I spend some time patronizing the attention hungry puppies that are new to the family. Pictured here are the puppies themselves, Chelsea and Brandy. Both are lovely golden retrievers which means that they have way too much energy and only the slow wheel of time will fix that in a decade or so. Joy! I love them anyway.
Here is a collection of items which I excitedly arrived to. You'll notice the 5 litres of wine, 3 litres of rum, a metric tub of coffee, Dr Pepper, ketchup and Cheez Whiz all of which are consumables I adore.
There were also ice cream sandwhiches, one of which I am eating while writing this post.
Dad holding the enormous bottle of rum.
Linda taking a crack at it
Here's the back porch where we spend most of our days eating, sitting, chatting and drinking.
Uncle Wayne hanging out on said porch
Dad hanging out on said porch
View from said porch of Thunder Lake (yeah, that's a straight walk down from the back yard!)
Linda has a kayak which I have not yet used due to the water being literally 3 degrees. My first attempt at 'swimming' consisted of me wading out up to my knees and hurrying back to shore.
My Dad's property currently has the saddest dock ever. This thing is about as long as my air mattress.
Speaking of mattresses, I actually get a bed for 3 weeks! Sure beats a tent, b'y!
I also get to practice my shooting with my dad's new air rifle. The thing has some surprising range for the size of it.
The target for most of my air rifle shooting is the abandoned hut and flagpole at the end of my dad's property. The flagpole in particular makes a satisfying 'ping' when you get a direct hit on it.
Linda also stole Kathryn's (my step-sister's) guitar when she moved to Dryden as Kathryn never used it. It's not the biggest or the loudest thing, but it's quite nice sounding and it gives me something to play while I'm here for a month!
When I'm not cooking, drinking, sleeping, singing or attempting to swim I spend some time patronizing the attention hungry puppies that are new to the family. Pictured here are the puppies themselves, Chelsea and Brandy. Both are lovely golden retrievers which means that they have way too much energy and only the slow wheel of time will fix that in a decade or so. Joy! I love them anyway.
That's all I have to report from Dryden thus far. I will go out fishing for the first time this week now that I am licenced and if anything else of interest pops up I'll be sure to let you all know! Thanks for staying tuned.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Final Exams, Montreal and Moving Out
On wednesday, April 21st I finished my last exam of my university career thus completing the last of my requirements to graduate from my degree! Every minute after walking out of my exams for several days was complete chaos and excitement. This was mostly due to the fact that my good friend Joseph Gibson (you may remember him from his glory days of living in my apartment) made the important decision to join the Canadian Navy and his parade and basic-training graduation ceremony was scheduled for the day following my exam in Montreal. Events were further compounded by the fact that I had a flight to Dryden to catch leaving from Toronto on the morning of the 24th. This post will document the chaos of those few days.
Tuesday
Figure Table
Figure 1. A napping Kayla
Figure 2. Can't read my pooooker face!
Figure 3. This is Marie, our GPS unit. She is a bitch and will do anything to get us lost including forgetting where locations are or asking us to do illegal, diry things.
Figure 4. My travelling partners for Montreal, my good friends Megan and Cody. Please note Cody's sweet handlebar moustache.
Figure 5. Some graduation candidates
Figure 6. Some more graduation candidates
Figure 7. Finally get to see Joe! Looking sharp if I may say as well
Tuesday
- 11:00pm Leave Karen and Kayla's apartment and arrive at home. Do laundry and pack up some last minute things.
- 1:00am Fall asleep on couch
- 6:00am Wake up to Kayla breaking in front door with coffee. Laze around apartment for several hours and then leave for exam.
- 11:30am Write cognitive neuroscience exam. Silently celebrate despite sleep deprivation
- 1:10pm Recaffeinate
- 1:20pm Get picked up by Megan and Cody and drive to apartment to wake up a napping Kayla. Remind Kayla that she cannot nap there as I no longer live there [figure 1]. Proceed to pack up my last few things at the apartment.
- 1:40pm Say my goodbyes with Kayla and depart for Montreal with Megan and Cody. Along journey listen to Lady Gaga [figure 2] and yell at Marie [figure 3] for trying to get us lost and killed
- 9:00pm Arrive in Montreal, check in to hotel [figure 4].
- 10:00pm Go wandering hopelessly looking for food. Find subpar pizza, become satisfied
- 11:oopm Temporarily break air conditioning unit while it is stuck on "Arctic thunder" mode. Panic. Fix air conditioning unit.
- 11:30pm Retire to bed while watching lame reality tv shows
- 12:00pm Check out of hotel.
- 12:30pm Breakfast at Cora's in Montreal. Eat more fruit and ham than should be considered legal
- 1:00pm Depart for the armed forces base. Marie tries to convince us that no such base exists. Continue anyway despite lack of directions.
- 1:45pm Admit to being desperately lost. Ask for directions at several different gas stations
- 2:30pm Arrive late to base. Megan tries to drive into an authorized military vehicle area and is denied and then attempts to drive on the air strip. Cody stops Megan from doing so and we get directions again to a different part of the base.
- 2:40pm Arrive late to ceremony. Stand in back due to lack of seats and attempt to take photos of Joe to little avail [Figures 5 & 6]
- 3:00pm No sign of Joe in the parade. Become convinced that we have gone to the wrong hanger and are stuck watching a different ceremony.
- 3:30pm Finally see Joe during the final walk around the building. Parade ends and civillians are escorted to the reception area.
- 3:40pm Use military washroom to urinate as the army graduating class is released from a 2 hour drill. I am the only civillian in a washroom of about 60 military graduates. Enter reception hall with graduates awkwardly.
- 3:45pm Meet up with Joe and his family in reception area [Figures 7-13]
- 5:30pm Leave reception to go eat, drink be merry [Figure 14]
- 5:45pm Arrive at Franco Boston Pizza [Figure 15] and start drinking
- 7:30pm Realize that we are definitely not heading back to Ontario tonight. Arrange new plans. Continue drinking. [Figures 16-26]
- 12:00am Say our sad goodbyes to Joe and then leave for a Best Western hotel room occupied by Joe's brother Justin
- 11:ooam Eat some muffins, drink coffee, gingerly nurse our hangovers and then leave with Cody and Megan again to drive to Toronto from Quebec
- 4:00pm Something upsets Marie and she decides to take it out on us. Get hopelessly lost in downtown Toronto and have to drive 12km in downtown rush hour traffic. Curse Marie to the highest heavens aaand
- 6:30pm Arrive at our destination two and half hours later. Get dropped off at Patrick Bull's house to stay overnight to catch my flight to Thunder Bay. Say my goodbyes to Megan and Cody and send them on their way (back through that same traffic) to Orangeville and Oakville.
- 8:00pm Serve a dinner of pan seared chicken breast served with a portabello cream sauce over rice to Patrick, Gabby and Scott
- 11:00pm Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
- 6:00am Wake up in a fit of fatigue and rage to catch my series of buses which will take me to the airport
- 8:00am Arrive at airport, check in, nap
- 9:55am Board my plane for Thunder Bay
- 11:40am Arrive in 'beautiful' 'scenic' Thunderbay airport. Get picked up by dad. Eat voraciously at airport cafeteria. Leave for Dryden. By a miracle dad lets me drive the Jeep, which for those of you who know, he protects with his life more than his dogs and children
- 4:30pm Arrive in Dryden and collapse with exhaustion. Sleep for 15, delicious hours
Figure Table
Figure 1. A napping Kayla
Figure 2. Can't read my pooooker face!
Figure 3. This is Marie, our GPS unit. She is a bitch and will do anything to get us lost including forgetting where locations are or asking us to do illegal, diry things.
Figure 4. My travelling partners for Montreal, my good friends Megan and Cody. Please note Cody's sweet handlebar moustache.
Figure 5. Some graduation candidates
Figure 6. Some more graduation candidates
Figure 7. Finally get to see Joe! Looking sharp if I may say as well
Figure 8. Justin and Cody are evil doppelgangers of one another
Figure 9. Joe and Megan looking quite happy.
Figure 10. Joe and his mommy
Figure 11. Joe and his family
Figure 12. Joe with everyone looking great in a suit except for me. I really regret packing my formal wear and putting it all into storage!
Figure 13. Joe looking a little relaxed with Ian and Cody
Figure 14. Leaving!!
Figure 15. Huh, never been to one of these before. What an authentically French experience!
Figure 16. My newest friends Weins and Leskin who also gradutated with Joe
Figure 17. Ian and Justin looking very Italian
Figure 18. Congratulations, Joe, Imma miss you!
Figure 19. Ian, Mackenzie and Cody all looking very contented
Figure 20. OMG JOE!
Figure 21. My gnome making new friends with my oldest friend and Mackenzie
Figure 22. Joe can`t outdrink the gnome!
Figure 23. Don`t mess with Cody
Figure 24. This needs no caption
Figure 25. My gnome gingerly drinking a pint of Coors Light
Figure 26. God, I`m so cool looking.
Figure 9. Joe and Megan looking quite happy.
Figure 10. Joe and his mommy
Figure 11. Joe and his family
Figure 12. Joe with everyone looking great in a suit except for me. I really regret packing my formal wear and putting it all into storage!
Figure 13. Joe looking a little relaxed with Ian and Cody
Figure 14. Leaving!!
Figure 15. Huh, never been to one of these before. What an authentically French experience!
Figure 16. My newest friends Weins and Leskin who also gradutated with Joe
Figure 17. Ian and Justin looking very Italian
Figure 18. Congratulations, Joe, Imma miss you!
Figure 19. Ian, Mackenzie and Cody all looking very contented
Figure 20. OMG JOE!
Figure 21. My gnome making new friends with my oldest friend and Mackenzie
Figure 22. Joe can`t outdrink the gnome!
Figure 23. Don`t mess with Cody
Figure 24. This needs no caption
Figure 25. My gnome gingerly drinking a pint of Coors Light
Figure 26. God, I`m so cool looking.Goodbye, b'y
I'm now settled in Dryden, but the last few days I spent in Guelph I spent as much time with my newest friends as possible: the lovely Hayden sisters. These newfies made going into Zesty's a real treat every Wednesday.
In my last few weeks in Guelph Karen cooked me a real jig's dinner (the salt is still crawling through my circulatory system), we stayed out all night and went to breakfast afterwards, Kayla and I discovered how much better sunbathing is with a full size air mattress and I even think I might have found $10 on the ground. What good times!
It's very sad to me that as soon as I'm getting to know these girls that I have to leave them behind. I didn't think anything would make me second guess a tour across Canada as much as these two birght and smiling faces could!
Thanks for being awesome, girls. I really hope you both stay in touch.
In my last few weeks in Guelph Karen cooked me a real jig's dinner (the salt is still crawling through my circulatory system), we stayed out all night and went to breakfast afterwards, Kayla and I discovered how much better sunbathing is with a full size air mattress and I even think I might have found $10 on the ground. What good times!
It's very sad to me that as soon as I'm getting to know these girls that I have to leave them behind. I didn't think anything would make me second guess a tour across Canada as much as these two birght and smiling faces could!
Thanks for being awesome, girls. I really hope you both stay in touch.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Going away dinner
I'm moving out of my apartment in 1 week and to mark the occasion had a "Kevin's graduating/moving/starting a new job party"! I catered my own party which was both fun and a little ironic. Thanks to everybody who came out!
First off, the roster for the evening:
Cody and Megan: Happy Couple #1
Scott and Roz: Happy Couple #2
Ian and Mackenzie: Happy Couple #3
Padraic and Alli (with cake): Happy Couple #4
Kevin and Gnome: Happy Couple #5
We had potatoes...
... and fresh buttermilk scones...
...and green beans with blistered cherry tomatoes...
...with red wine and apple cider gravy...
...and turkey with under-the-skin stuffing...
...and my signature cranberry sauce...
...and of course wine!
First off, the roster for the evening:
Cody and Megan: Happy Couple #1
Scott and Roz: Happy Couple #2
Ian and Mackenzie: Happy Couple #3
Padraic and Alli (with cake): Happy Couple #4
Kevin and Gnome: Happy Couple #5Next up, the Food:
We had potatoes...
... and fresh buttermilk scones...
...and green beans with blistered cherry tomatoes...
...with red wine and apple cider gravy...
...and turkey with under-the-skin stuffing...
...and my signature cranberry sauce...
...and of course wine!Festivities for the evening included:
1. Me repeatedly kicking people out of the kitchen
2. Finding creative ways to baste the turkey without a turkey baster
3. Listening to Scott sing and play guitar
4. Charades
5. Additional wine drinking
6. Wearing silly hats
1. Me repeatedly kicking people out of the kitchen
2. Finding creative ways to baste the turkey without a turkey baster
3. Listening to Scott sing and play guitar
4. Charades
5. Additional wine drinking
6. Wearing silly hatsGlad everyone could make it out! I feel this was a very good send off to my time here. I'll hope to see you all when I return from the road!
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