Happy Pancake Day!

Pancake Day (aka Shrove Tuesday) just sprung up on me this year. I was unprepared. For breakfast, I had my usual granola bars. For lunch, we had a meeting with a rep, so we had pizza. For supper, I had leftover chicken casserole. Not a pancake in sight.

This happenstance is most unfortunate, as I do love pancakes. So fluffy and buttery and syrupy. I like eating little pancakes, all stacked one on top of the other with layers of syrup and butter in between. They are not something I make on a regular basis, however, because it's tricky to make pancakes for one. I like to make them with an egg, and when you do that, you get a lot of batter. It's enough pancakes for lots of people. And I can't let excess batter go to waste, so I end up eating as many pancakes as I can, thus making me sick.

I suppose I could have forgone the chicken casserole for supper. However, I was quite proud of it (I made it from scratch with no recipe) and I was really looking forward to eating it. It would have been okay to eat tomorrow, but it's Ash Wednesday, and I'm not supposed to eat meat on that day. I think saving the chicken till Thursday may have been pushing it a little bit. It could have gone into the freezer, I suppose, but that would have required effort on my part, which is not my forté.

In short, although it was Pancake Day, I did not eat pancakes, and I am sad about it. Not sad enough that it ruins my day, but sad enough to make you read about it.

Seriously.

*spoiler warning*

Do not read if you haven't seen last night's "Grey's Anatomy". This means you, Laura.



spoiler space






more spoiler space











Meredith Grey is an evil cow and I hate her. Seriously.

She messed with my George. I knew this was going to happen. I knew it would happen the minute we found out he liked her, way back when the show started. This kind of "love from afar" can only end in tears. How could she do this to him? She slept with him, and she knew she didn't feel the same way. And then she cried when they were in bed together! How is he supposed to react to that? Evil. Cow.

Okay, I feel much better getting that off my chest. After my initial knee-jerk reaction, I see things more clearly. This is why I love "Grey's Anatomy". I was reading the writers' blog, and they explain that they still want to show that Meredith is a deeply flawed individual (I'll say...). I respect that. It actually makes her a very interesting character, unlike many others on tv. She makes lots of mistakes (like sleeping with my George). And that's okay. Well, it's not okay, but I guess I'll have to live with it.

The events of the last few episodes mark a turning point for George. Hopefully, he can finally deal with his feelings for You Know Who (the evil cow) and move on to better things. Like that orthopedic doctor who snapped his shoulder back in place. Or perhaps this is the right time for him to wander down to the Audiology Department...

To that end, my creative writing juices were flowing this evening, and I wrote a little something for you all. Actually, I wrote it for me, but you can all read it if you want to. It's a missing/continued scene from last night's episode. What would have happened if that Dr. Torres hadn't been so flirty and George had hit his ear and had some tinnitus? Read on and find out. It's horribly, shamelessly bad, but I had fun writing it. I'll leave it up for a few days. Enjoy.

Break a leg, Jim!

This evening my brother's band is playing at the ECMA's 72 hour jam. I'm very very excited for him, and, since I am not able to be there in person, I will be watching him online. They are scheduled to start at 7:50 p.m. Feel free to wander down to Myron's to see him.

In other news, I finally unwrapped a box of chocolates I bought in London, and then I proceeded to spend an ungodly amount of time shoveling them into my mouth. And now I'm sick. How can something so tasty make me feel so bad?

Plus, my Downstairs Neighbour is at it again. All through my apartment, I hear the persistent thumpety-thump of her music. She sure likes her dance mixes. Good thing I already had my nap today.

I wouldn't mind escaping to the outdoors for a walk, but it's frightfully chilly out there today. Plus, there's curling on tv. That'll drown out the music. Take that, Downstairs Neighbour.

Lazy day

It's been an entirely lazy day for me. I spent most of the day alternating between napping and watching more Olympics. More medals for Canada today! I can't believe Cindy Klassen and her awesomenicity. Woot!

As the Olys wind down, I now switch my focus to the Scott Tournament of Hearts. Thank goodness TSN is broadcasting the round robin this year. I don't think I could handle another debacle like CBC's pitiful, pathetic "coverage" last year. Don't even get me started.

My lone outing of the day was to the mall to buy a photo album. I am the worst for putting pictures in photo albums. I don't think I even owned a photo album before today. What I do have is a tower of shoeboxes (not even photo boxes) that are filled with unsorted envelopes of pictures. However, I am determined to show off my trip pictures, so I have actually had some pictures printed, and they are ready to go into their very own photo album.

When I was at the mall, I had an itch to buy some sort of DVD. What do you think? Should I buy Rent? or P&P3? or Grey's Anatomy season one? or Harry Potter 4? or Arrested Development Season 2? All of the above?

Gold for Gushue

Another proud moment for Canada today as Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Russ Howard, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam win gold in men's curling. Have I mentioned that I love curling? This is the team I cheered for all week when I went to the Olympic Trials in December. Mark Nichols is the man. He was on fire this afternoon, or that's what I have heard. I still haven't seen the whole game yet. I spent the afternoon parked in front of the computer at work, following the game on the internet. As soon as I was able, I *ran* out of the building, hopped into my car, and sped home. I ended up seeing the last two rocks and the splendid post-victory festivities. For me, this is as good (if not better) than hockey gold.

Congratulations also to the women for bringing home a bronze medal! They had a tough time this week, and I'm very proud of their perseverance.

I had originally planned to go home this weekend. After all, the ECMA's are in town, and I haven't seen my home peeps for a while. However, I'm still struggling with post-trip fatigue and the lingering effects of my cold. So, I'm staying here this weekend, much to my chagrin. The upside: lots of rest. The downside: lack of human contact. Plus, I hate missing important happenings, like my brother's band (My Compliments) performing at the 72 hour jam (Sunday, 7:50 p.m.). Moo.

Passion lives here

Some random Olympic thoughts:

- Who else is pumped for the men's gold medal game in curling? Any hints on how to get out of working tomorrow afternoon? Should I go media-silent and watch the game Friday night?

- Re: CBC's wardrobe choices for its commentators - those shiny puffy jackets make everyone look like colored marshmallows.

- Also re: CBC - are they not hosting live from Turin? Sure, it's great to have all these "celebrity" analysts in studio (Don Cherry, Lori Nichol (?)), but chatting with the athletes via satellite lacks a certain intimacy.

- How much do I love Frank and Gordon, my new favourite patriotic beavers?

- The men's hockey team lost. Get over it.

- The women's hockey team won! Woot!

- We won four medals yesterday! Four! In one day!

- Cindy Klassen is a medal-winning powerhouse.

- Brian Williams can't tell time.

- Is there any sport more random than nordic combined? Ski-jumping and cross-country skiing? Why not curling and speed skating?

- If Brad Richards or Heather Moyse had managed to win a gold medal, do you think they would have been given VW Beetles covered with decals proudly proclaiming their accomplishments?

- CBC's live coverage is fantastic. In London, there was barely two hours of taped coverage a night. CBC showed a healthy portion of the ladies free skate live, while NBC was showing one hour of snowboarding. Huzzah for live Olympics!

- And lastly, Chandra Crawford is my new hero. She is adorable, and I love her. Love. Her. She should be prime minister.

Lynda's Lovely London Adventure - Conclusion

Saturday - the long way home

It takes a long time to get from London to home.

First, you have to be at the airport early. We managed that part fine, arriving about two and a half hours before our flight was supposed to leave. I like to leave lots of time at the airport, because you never what could happen.

For example, when we arrived at the check-in counter, we noticed that it was taking an inordinate amount of time to check in the people ahead of us. Word on the street was that the computers were down, so all the check-in's were being done manually. It took at least 20 minutes (it felt much longer) for us to get checked in. This is after we waited for about half an hour in line (we were first in line).

While we waited, we discovered that the computers weren't actually down. Oh no, that would be too forgivable. Actually, the airport was conducting a training exercise to make sure its employees knew how to follow procedures in case of power failure. An exercise. Couldn't they do this with imaginary passengers?

Because of the shenanigans, we were not given a gate number. So, after we made it through security, we had no destination. Where did we go? The duty-free shop, where they had copious quantities of chocolate. I ended up with two bagfuls of duty-free goods. Really, that was a questionable decision on my part, because I had to spend the rest of the day lugging around said very bulky bags.

Eventually, the airport decided to inform us the gate our plane was leaving from. We high-tailed it there. We also did not know where we would be sitting. It was a race of sorts, as the plane was being boarded based on the order in which people checked in. Thanks to our speediness, we got to the gate early and boarded ASAP. We actually ended up getting better seats than we originally had. As an afterthought, I feel quite guilty about sitting in other people's seats. However, at the time, I was relieved to be sitting in the plane at all.

On the plane, they gave us Canadian newspapers. It was then that I discovered that Jeff Buttle had won a bronze medal! I was so excited! Then we got to watch highlights of his performance on the in-flight news telecast. The in-flight meal was quite enjoyable - chicken in mushroom sauce with noodles. I did however regret not choosing the lamb meal option, because a) I've never had lamb, and probably wouldn't pay for it just for the sake of trying it and b) the lamb came with potatoes, and the chicken had two sprogs of broccoli (the evilest of the green vegetables). During the flight, I actually managed to get into reading Jane Austen's Persuasion. I have attempted to read this book previously, but I have never been able to get past the first chapter.

After we landed in St. John's, we had to go through customs. This made me apprehensive, due to my longstanding healthy respect for the law and people in uniform. They have some sort of power over me. I got through okay, but my mom, brother, and sister apparently got selected for a random bag search.

I was left alone on the other side of the secure area waiting for them for a very very long time. I'm sure it was worse for them, but I had no idea what was going on, and I had no idea what to do. We had spent the better part of the last week traveling as a single entity. Without them, I was a lost sheep.

Eventually, I decided it would be best to go through security to the boarding gate, as when the three of them were released, that's where they would go too. Once I got through security, I spotted my brother and thought he had spotted me. Then I boarded the plane, as they were calling for our seats to be boarded.

In retrospect, this was probably not the best idea, because although I knew where my family was, they had not seen me, and had no idea where I was. Thus, I added stress to an already stressful situation. Sorry, family.

The highlight of the flight to Halifax was watching The Brady Bunch. Peter and Bobby thought they had spotted a UFO, but it ended up being Greg playing a trick on them. Classic!

The weather in Halifax was quite the shock. It felt like -20 degrees!

I spent most of my long long drive home listening to CBC Radio One, basking in its Canadian content. Once I got home, I spent no time finally getting caught up on all Olympic happenings before collapsing in exhaustion onto my fantastically wonderful bed. Good trip!

Sick day

I went home from work sick today. My head was swimming, and I couldn't concentrate. When I got home, all I could do is sit and stare at the tv.

Fortunately, I was able to stare at the Olympics.

Lynda's Lovely London Adventure - Part Three

*No pictures today. Blogger and I aren't getting along.*

Thursday - Oh brother where art thou?

The day began with a visit to the majestic Westminster Abbey. We decided not to spend £10.00 each to enter inside and look around. Instead, we took a walk around the outside of the church and visited the gift shop. Then it was time to view the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Big Ben is big. It was interesting to note the presence of one armed guard at the gate to Parliament. There were several other security people hanging around, but only one with the big gun.

We walked across the Westminster Bridge, the side of which was partially blocked off for repair. From the bridge, we were able to get a good view of the London Eye. Once we saw the lineup for the Eye, we congratulated ourselves choosing to climb the Monument instead. Still, it was pretty to look at.

Then it was off on a walking excursion to find Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I love trying to find my way through large cities. It makes me feel like I am on the Amazing Race. By this point, I no longer cared whether I looked like a tourist or not, so I carried my map in my hand and referred to it frequently. As my sister pointed out, we already looked like tourists since we were travelling as a group of four. Apparently, Londoners go solo or in pairs.

While we were walking to the Globe, we went through a quiet neighbourhood of small row houses. It looked just like Coronation Street! There was even a pub! I wanted to take a picture, but that was vetoed by the cooler members of our party. So I took a picture in my mind instead.

We signed up for a tour of the Globe Theatre, and it was well worth it. We got to go inside! We sat in the seats! It's amazing. Even with my meagre knowledge of Shakespeare, I was fascinated. It was like stepping back in time, except for the fact that the theater was crawling with tourists. I think it smelled better than it did back then, too. But I kept looking over my shoulder and expecting Colin Firth as Lord Wessex to appear. Sadly, he did not.

After the tour, it was off for Oxford Street for some lunch and shopping. To my delight, I discovered chicken and stuffing sandwiches at the Marks and Spencer food store. I had previously eaten an excellent chicken and stuffing sandwich earlier in the week, and had been unable to find another one since that time. Long live chicken and stuffing!

We had determined that it was best to go our separate ways for shopping, as each of us had different shopping expectations. I went with Katherine, since we had similar shopping needs. Jamie and Mom each went off separately. We decided to meet at the Gap. Familiar and easy to find.

Shopping in London was quite daunting. Clothing sizes are way different. Even from store to store, I found a difference. Plus, there are people everywhere! Everywhere! Katherine and I did manage to make a few purchases before our designated meeting time. We met Mom at the Gap. We waited for Jamie to get there.

We waited.

And waited.

After he was 20 minutes late, I was dispatched to another nearby Gap to find him.

No luck.

My mom headed off in the opposite direction to check other Gap stores. Katherine and I were left to sit on a cold bench and panic.

At last, he came. Apparently, he had gotten turned around and went to another Gap. Once he realized it was the wrong Gap, he had to backtrack and find the right one. I was so relieved! I thought he had been kidnapped!

Anyway, all's well that ends well. We did some more shopping. I bought a lovely scarf at Marks and Spencer. Then it was back to the hotel for supper and to get ready for the theater.

We saw Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. Freaking fantabulous. I have loved this musical for a long time. I saw it in Toronto on a choir trip when I was 14. I have two cast recordings. I have the Dream Cast in Concert DVD, where they have people perform the show while standing in front of microphones. Nothing compares to seeing it performed. In London.

Initially, I was underwhelmed by the actor playing Val Jean. However, in the second act, when he sang "Bring Him Home", he blew me away. He wasn't the greatest actor physically, but his voice was stellar. There were many powerful voices in the cast, which suits the musical well, since many of the characters have show-stopping songs in the second act. I was so overcome with emotion at the end of the show that I cried. A lot. Thankfully, I knew it was coming and brought kleenex. The audience gave a standing ovation. I was surprised, because I had heard that London audiences were subdued and rarely stood at the end of a show.

It was definitely a high point of my trip. I would see it again in a heartbeat.


Friday - blood and guts and gore. and ravens. and the Beatles.

Friday was our last full day in London. We had a lot to get done, so we headed off early for the Tower of London, another impressive must-see. We were led on a tour by an engaging, articulate yeoman warder (aka beefeater). He regaled us with tales of the tower's history. Fascinating stuff! They used to chop people's heads off!

After the tour, we made a beeline for the Crown Jewels. Me likey sparkly things. It took us no time at all to make our way through the convoluted corridors that led to the main viewing room. The best part was the moving sidewalks on either side of the display cases, perhaps to ensure visitors don't linger too long. Then we wandered about the various towers. There was armour! And swords! And bowls! We also saw the tower ravens, and a little raven burial ground.

After a visit to two gift shops, we ate fish and chips for lunch. Well, Mom and Jamie ate overpriced fish and chips, and Kat and I ate overpriced chips. I had a bite of Mom's fish, just to say that I had fish and chips in London. I haven't had fish years. It still tastes awful.

While we were eating, there were way too many pigeons flying around. Not only that, but some small children felt compelled to chase the pigeons away, making them swoop dangerously close to us. I hate pigeons. I don't hate children, but I seriously question the wisdom of parents who let their children chase pigeons.

We were off again, this for a walk along the Thames towards St. Paul's Cathedral. Magnificent. The whole time I was humming "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. I sat on the steps of St. Paul's, just like the little old bird woman. I had tuppence. Wisely, I chose not to feed the birds. It's best not to encourage them.

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. At Marks and Spencer, I was ecstatic to find "cookies in a tube". They are ginger cookies that they used to sell at the Superstore. They are the best cookies in the world, and I haven't seen them in years. I bought three packages. I should have bought out the whole store. They're totally worth it.

I also saw the Mr. Darcy bus again. Squee!

After shopping, we made the pilgrimage to Abbey Road. We had attempted this earlier in the week, but we had forgotten the map and didn't know where to go. This time, we heeded the clearly posted sign at the Tube Station and asked for directions at the Abbey Road Cafe. There was the obligatory picture taking and gawking at Abbey Road Studios. Super fun.

While Mom bravely went back to face the crowds at Oxford Street for some more shopping, Jamie, Kat and I went back to the hotel for some rest. As we flipped through our 6 tv channels, we finally found Coronation Street!! Woot! I was glued to the tv. What's more British than watching Coronation Street? Mom got back from shopping in time to catch the end of it.

We ate supper at an Italian restaurant. Our waiter was amusingly persuasive and talked us into ordering two appetizers.

That night, mom and I went for a walk around the block before packing. I finally got to see Royal Albert Hall (site of the Les Mis Dream Cast Concert). Something important must have been happening that night, as there were armed guards all around. Walking around our peaceful surroundings was a great way to say goodbye to London.

In the epilogue of our tale: another airport adventure. Also forthcoming: an end to excessively long-winded posts.

McSicky

Another interruption in my trip recap to inform you all that I am currently suffering from some sort of flu/cold. I'm tired, I'm achy, and I can't breathe through my nose. You don't realize how much fun it is to breathe through your nose when you can't do it. It makes me feel better to complain about it.

Also, for all you Grey's Anatomy fans, check out this link. It's a MADtv spoof of our favourite McDrama. Speaking of which, George is way too good for Meredith. She is going to break his heart.

On the same site, I found a video of Jeff Buttle's Olympic free skate! If you will recall, my PVR ran out of space and did not tape it for me. In my desperate search to see Jeff skate, I emailed CBC and asked them to replay it for me. I even said pretty please. I received this response from them today:

Thank you for your email to CBC. This is a possibility and we feel it
is something that might be re-aired toward the end of the winter games.
I you would like to have a more exact date and time of the re-airing
please call our Audience Relations Olympic Unit towards the end of the
week. Our phone number is 1-866-479-3639.

Again thank you for writing.

Audience Relations
Olympic Unit

Woot! Ask and ye shall receive. If only they were this nice when I emailed them repeatedly last year about their curling coverage.

I'm going to tuck into bed now. Me tired.

Paris

On Wednesday we went to Paris. We woke up Very Early to catch the Eurostar train from Waterloo train station. While we were waiting for our train to board, we discovered pay internet stations at the gate. I wasted no time plunking down £1.00 for 15 minutes of glorious internet time. It's sad to think how much I rely on the internet to keep me connected with the world.

Unlike our time in London, we had very little idea what we wanted to do in Paris. We really only had about six hours to see stuff, once you factored in travel time. Eventually we determined we really wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, and perhaps a bus tour of the other main attractions.

Once we arrived at the Gare du Nord, we bought our tickets for a hop-on/hop-off bus tour that would take us around the city. Then we needed to find something to eat. Our usual strategy of "sandwiches to go" was not viable, as Parisians seem to have even stranger ideas of what constitutes an edible premade sandwich than Londoners do. Ham and avocado? Where's peanut butter when you need it?

So we took the easy way out. We ate at McDonald's. We all got McNugget meals. Easy to order for picky eaters like ourselves. For the life of me, I couldn't remember how to say "ketchup" in French. Why didn't I retain this valuable life skill from French Immersion?

After a short walking adventure, we managed to find our bus. We eagerly found seats on the top level of the open-air bus and we were on our way. The bus meandered its way through the streets of Paris. We wore headphones the whole time, and when there was a site of interest, a man's voice would describe the site's history and significance. He would also remind us that our bus passes were good for the entire day, so we were at leisure to get off and on the bus as many times as we wanted. This friendly reminder became a source of great amusement for us, because the longer we were on the bus, the more times we heard him repeat it.

I will say that if you are short on time, seeing Paris from the top of a bus is a good way to go. I couldn't believe that I was seeing all the places you see on tv or read about in books. Amazing. And people actually live there!

They even have P&P (I guess it's O&P) there too!

At last, we arrived at the Eiffel Tower.

What can I say? It's big. We briefly considered taking the stairs, but chose to ride the elevator all the way to the top. Magnificent views. Lots of people. I bought overpriced postcards and a mug there, just to say I bought something at the Eiffel Tower. The man at the gift shop was very cranky.

After a bathroom break at the Tower, it was back on the bus to finish our tour. We drove by the Moulin Rouge. Yes, it's in the red light district. No, we didn't see Ewan MacGregor.

Our short time in Paris was coming to a close. On the way back to the train station, we stopped into a tiny tea shop. I asked the shopkeeper for some decaf tea for my mom (again, why didn't they teach us "decaf" in school?). My sister bought some tea, and I bought some chocolates for the people at work. Yes, I spoke French. It went quite well. I'm quite proud of myself, actually.

For supper, we chose McDonald's again (we're fraidy cat wimps, I know). This time my brother tried to order only lettuce, cheese and ketchup on his burger. He ended up getting two burgers - one with the works and one cheeseburger. The rest of us got McNuggets again.

Then it was back on the train and back to London. A day well spent.

Next episode: Shakespeare's Globe, Les Miserables, Beefeaters, Abbey Road, and a lesson learned in going our separate ways to go shopping.

Go Canada!

We interrupt this recap to congratulate the Canadian women's hockey team on their gold medal. Woot!

Congrats also to the men's and women's curling teams for making it to the playoffs.

A big hug for Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, forced to withdraw from the free dance due to injury.

I am so proud of all our Olympic athletes! Thank you for representing our country! We are all cheering for you.

I love the Olympics!

Lynda's Lovely London Adventure - Part Two

Monday - ducks and pigeons and guys and dolls

Buckingham Palace is really big. We spent a good amount of time wandering around the grounds there. They have a Canada Gate, where we had fun finding the PEI emblem. We did not catch a glimpse of the Queen, but we did see some horse and buggy combos walking into the palace area. And, of course, we saw the very still guards. The ones we saw took little brisk walks once and a while. Highly entertaining.

St. James's Park, which is beside the palace, is home to many waterfowl. That's right, ducks live there. And pelicans. And more ducks. Living, breathing, moving ducks. Some of you may be familiar with my fear of ducks. Scary creatures they are. So unpredictable. You never know when they will attack.

Needless to say, I was a little uneasy during our walk through the park.

Imagine how I felt when I discovered the park was also full of pigeons. And squirrels.

I was relieved when we finally got to Trafalgar Square. Then I discovered that it was also home to many many pigeons. And, on the day we were there, a helicopter ambulance.



We spent the rest of the morning exploring the National Gallery. It's full of art. Lots and lots of art. I have never seen so many paintings before. It was overwhelming. I loved the hushed reverence that seemed to take over everyone in the room as they gazed at various paintings.

After lunch at an "authentic" English pub, we set off for some shopping. (Note to self, if a pub has the word "authentic" in its title, chances are it's not.) It was then that I realized that there are a lot of people in London. They're everywhere! And they all walk slower than I do!

Monday evening, we saw "Guys and Dolls" at the Picadilly Theatre. Our seats were in the 3rd row of the top balcony. With child-like glee, I slid 50 pence into the seat back in front of me to release my red binoculars. I spent £3.50 on a program, then another £10.00 for a souvenir program (my weakness. I'm a sucker for souvenir programs).

It was thoroughlyly enjoyable performance. Overall, I was pleased with the production. I thought the actor who played Sky Masterson was very good, particularly during "My Time of Day" and the dialogue that followed, where he expressed his feelings towards Sarah. The Crapshooters' Dance was splendid, as was the show-stopping song "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat". The acting was strong overall, although, as my sister noted, the actress who played Sarah was a little too Anne-like. Hmmm, perhaps there's an opening this summer in Charlottetown for her?

"Guys and Dolls" at thPiccadillyly Theatre was definitely worth seeing once, and I'm glad I did. It's no "Mary Poppins" (don't even get me started), but the musical does hold a soft spot in my heart, and it was great to see it one more time.


Tuesday - stairs and bowls. and figure skating.

On Tuesday we took a trip to Cheapside to climb the 313 steps of The Monument. It's the way to see a panoramic view of London without forking over £16.00 to ride the London Eye. The result - a stunning view of the city and very strong thigh muscles. Plus, we all got certificates celebrating our accomplishment.

313 steps! I did it!

Take that, London Eye!

We also visited the British Museum, home to statues, mummies, and many many bowls. It was another powerful, awesome place to be. However, one can only see so many clay bowls. But I did see the Rosetta Stone! The Rosetta Stone!

Apparently, I was not the only one who wanted to see the Rosetta Stone.

After lunch on the run, we visited the Theatre Museum. Quidisappointinging, I must say. Not what I expected at all. Plus, it was overrun by small children. By this time, the novelty of small children speaking with British accents had worn off. It's less charming when there atwentytly of them whining at the same time.

Next it was off to Denmark Street, home to a multitude of guitar and music stores (guess who picked that one). While my brother was in heaven, my sister and I went to a bookstore.

We didn't have a specific activity planned that night, as we were leaving very early (5:30 a.m.!) the next day for PariParisris!). However, I discovered the men's short program on tv that evening, so naturally I was glued to the tv for the duration of the coverage. Poor Jeff Buttle! The short program is usually his strong suit. I did take comfort in the fact that other skaters were also less than stellar, so all hopes of a respectable finish were not lost.

Next - a day in Paris, where they speak French! Who knew?

Lynda's Lovely London Adventure - Part One

author's note: I'm having trouble posting pictures today. I hope you enjoy the post just the same!

Friday - getting there is half the battle

I drove to Halifax Friday afternoon to meet my mom, my sister, and my brother Jamie at the airport. It was a little hairy getting there, as there seemed to be an abundance of snow squalls along the way. Safely ensconced inside the airport, we headed through security to wait at our gate.

We waited at the gate a long time.

Apparently, there was a snowstorm in St. John's, where our plane would be stopping on the way to London. We were delayed leaving for two hours.

What's a family to do? Well, we discovered a tiger (a dead, stuffed one) in the terminal, had an Uno throwdown (which I lost), and tried to catch glimpses of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics on the airport bar tv's (well, really it was just me who was desparate for any sight of Olympic coverage).

At last, we boarded the plane and took of for London directly, avoiding the stormy St. John's airport.


Saturday - no sleep makes Lynda very cranky

After the novelty of flying wore off, I tried to get some shut-eye. Easier said than done while slightly reclined in an uncomfortable seat and surrounded by strangers who make noise. So I watched the in-flight movie (Shakepeare in Love!) and watched the hours slowly roll by. At 5:00 a.m., they turned on the lights in the plane and fed us breakfast (waffles, fruit, and roll). At 8:30 a.m. (London time), we landed at Heathrow airport.

After collecting our luggage, we had our first adventure with the London Underground. Let me just say that riding on the Tube with luggage is a little tricky. However, I was impressed that we purchased Oyster passes for the Underground, which gave us unlimited access to transportation for the week with minimal cost and fuss. No standing in line to buy tickets!

We managed to arrive at the hotel at around 10:30 a.m. Check-in time was at 1:00 p.m., so we headed out on our first sightseeing trip: Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross train station (guess who picked that one!). It was only a short tube ride away.

I was overcome with excitement. They even have a luggage cart attached to the wall!



Several pictures later, we headed back to the hotel. On the way back, I had my first sighting of the Mr. Darcy bus! Is there any more lovely sight than Mr. Darcy's picture plastered on the side of a red double decker bus? I think not.

We settled into our hotel rooms for some much needed sleep. At this point I had been up for over 24 hours. I can count on my hand the number of times this has happened before.

No sleep makes me cranky.

It also makes my family cranky.

I think it would make anyone cranky.

After we napped, we ate supper at a Mediterranean (I think) restaurant. I paid $4.00 for a glass of Coke.

Then it was back to the hotel for some more sleep.


Sunday - never go sightseeing in the rain

We awoke on Sunday to steady rain. Undaunted, we headed out for Portobello Road (street where the riches of ages are sold), which is around the Notting Hill area of London. It takes a while to walk there from the tube station. It takes even longer to get there when you initally start walking in the wrong direction. I discovered that day that riding the tube messes with my usually excellent sense of direction. It's difficult for me to figure out where north is when I come up from Underground. Thus, my body does not know which way to go.

We got about halfway to the main market on Portobello Road when it was decided that we were too wet to continue. I glanced longingly down the hill and snapped a few photos.

So it was back to the hotel and off to the Science Museum, for some indoor enjoyment. Kat and Jamie and I enjoy science in general, so it was an afternoon well spent. They even had a whole exhibit devoted to math, which pleased my sister (a math major) to no end. Alas, there was no ear exhibit.

Then it was off for a ride on a double decker bus to see the sights of London. We got to ride on the top deck! Another tube adventure brought us back to our home base, where we suppered at another restaurant and then went to bed.

In Part Two of Lynda's Lovely London Adventure -

Buckingham Palace, pigeons, art, Guys and Dolls, pigeons, stair climbing, statues, bowls, and more pigeons.

Longest day ever

I'm back.

So. Tired.

Very long day. Very glad to be home.

Must sleep now.

Details of trip to follow...

Trip Update!

Hi all!

We are going to Paris today. I am typing from an Internet kiosk at the train station. London is lovely. Am having lots of fun. Can't believe I'm really here. Saw Guys and Dolls on Monday night.

Okay, that's it for now. Internet costs money, and I need to check on my Olympics.

Ready, set, go!

Okay, I'm all packed, and I'm about to head out the door!

Just to let you know, I don't know how frequently I'll be able to update when I am in London. So, be prepared for a short hiatus. I'll fill you all in when I come back.

Take care everyone!

One. More. Sleep!

Stupid piece of crap clothes dryer.

Ah, the joys of living in an apartment building. I went to the 3rd floor to do laundry tonight. I only had two loads to do, which seemed quite reasonable as there are two washers and two dryers in the 3rd floor laundry room. The washing went fine. As I was putting my laundry in the washing machine, I noticed that someone was finishing up two loads in the dryer. Not a problem, because people are usually pretty good about emptying their loads in a decent amount of time.

Not Mr. X, though. I came back twice after my wash was done, and his stuff was still there. So, I emptied one of the dryers for him and put my stuff in.

But the dryer didn't work.

That means it didn't dry my clothes. At all.

So when I came back, my still-wet laundry was sitting in the dryer 2, while someone else's load was happily turning round and round in dryer 1. I had to drag my soggy clothing back up to my apartment. Now it is draped around various pieces of furniture so it can air-dry. It may or may not be dry by morning.

I want my $1.25 back.

P.S. One more sleep! I am both excited and scared at the prospect of visiting another country. It's my fear of the unknown rising to the surface.

Two more sleeps!!

I called my mom tonight and she said that it's really one more sleep, cause it's already nighttime, so tonight's sleep doesn't count. I don't think my mom understands "sleeps". That's okay, though, cause she understands lots of other things.

On my Tuesday night shopping expedition, I went to Zellers to take a look at the Olympic gear. Some of you may not understand the fervour that takes over me during the Olympics. I live for the Olympics. I want to be there. I want to watch the Olympics 24/7. I want to cheer on every athlete (mostly the Canadians, of course) and hope they all do their personal bests. Go Canada!

Anyway, back to Zellers and the Olympic gear. I'm not terribly impressed with it. Especially the colours. Red and white and blue? and yellow? and green? I know it's designed by HBC, but still - maybe no one told them about the colours on our flag. When I was at the curling trials in December, the winners got to don some official Olympic gear. They put on navy and white jackets and red scarves. They looked American! It was ridiculous! We don't need navy! Not that I have anything against navy (I actually adore navy), but I don't think it's the best choice to represent our country.

Plus, the gear itself was a little, well, cheap-looking yet overpriced. I tried to find something to wear in London (cause that wouldn't scream "tourist", would it?), but there was nothing I really wanted. Well, maybe a red vest, but I already bought one, so that was out of the question.

Meanwhile, I looked up the schedule for Olympic figure skating on the BBC's website. Conveniently, we don't have any activities planned for the evenings of the pairs short and the men's short. Perhaps a little BBC tv watching is in order while we're in London. It's important to experience many aspects of London culture, after all. Television is a very important part of a country's culture, don't you think?

Three more sleeps

Okay, it's getting increasingly difficult to think about anything else other than my trip, but here goes...

For those of you who missed Grey's Anatomy this weekend, I read that it will be rerun this Thursday night at 9:30-10:30 EST. Right after Dancing with the Stars (go Drew!).

How did I discover this? The Grey's writers have a blog. That's right.

When I grow up, I want to write a tv show and have a blog.

P.S. Four episodes (most likely the last four episodes) of Arrested Development will air on Fox this Friday night. It's the final countdown.

Four more sleeps

Four. More. Sleeps.

Who else saw Grey's Anatomy last night? In deference to Mel, who apparently missed it, I won't go into details, but it was highly highly enjoyable. My love for that show is growing in leaps and bounds, and it's sooo close to being DVD-worthy. The first season will be released on February 14. Only nine episodes, but the special features look somewhat intriguing.

For a show to be DVD-worthy, it must be good enough for me to want to watch the episodes multiple times. The show must possess some sort of unique quality that sucks me in. I have developed deep emotional attachments to my DVD-worthy shows. There are many many shows I really like, but only the special ones sit on my shelf.

X-Files. Sports Night. Once and Again. Alias. All DVD-worthy. Feel free to borrow them.

ER. Simpsons. Gilmore Girls. 24. All fantastic shows, and I do enjoy watching repeat episodes in syndication, yet I do not feel compelled to own them. Rent them? Yes. Borrow a friend's set? Yes. Fork over money for them? No thanks.

Is Grey's Anatomy there? Am I ready to take the leap from serious fan to uber fan?

Talk to me after I see next Sunday's episode.

P.S. Yes, I know the title of this post and the content of this post don't match. It's late and my mind is wandering. Sorry.

Call for submissions

Okay people, I need some new music to keep me happy on the plane ride. I haven't had new music in ages, and I'm open to suggestions. Remember my fondness for musicals and the banjo. Please help!

I've spent the day mired in trip preparations. It's all quite overwhelming. Somehow it has fallen to me to plan pretty much everything (attractions, theatre tickets, day trip, etc). Keep in mind that I've never been to London, so this is presenting quite a challenge. All I have is the internet and a guide book. Plus there are so many small details to take care of, like a credit card PIN, airport transportation, laundry, packing, blah blah blah.

To top it all off, it seems I left my newly-purchased blue sweater somewhere in Moncton, cause I can't find it anywhere. This is a new level of incompetence for me. Why don't I just give my bank card to someone and say, "Take my money. Please." It was such a nice sweater. Navy blue is so hard to find.

Yep, I'm cranky.

Samosas and Shopping

Today I went to the market with Diane and Leslie, two Dal speech students who are doing externships in town. Whenever someone talks about the market, they never fail to mention the samosas. For those of you who have also led sheltered lives like mine, a samosa is a triangular-shaped deep-fried pastry filled with meat or vegetables. Apparently they are to die for.

I tried one from the hospital cafeteria once and was unimpressed.

However, today I decided to take the plunge and buy samosas at the market.

Now I know.

So. Good.

It was the perfect combination of meat and pastry and deep-fried goodness.

Very tasty.

The triangle is my new favourite shape.

I also drove to Moncton (shopping mecca of New Brunswick) this afternoon for a little pre-trip purchasing. I was going to go tomorrow, but it's supposed to rain (25 millimeters. all day. rain. not snow.), so I went today instead. I ran into Sharon at the mall, which was super exciting and surprising! I didn't get a chance to see her over Christmas, so it was great to see her today. And I love her hair!

My shopping was actually quite successful, for once. My purchases included:

- new shoes (ones that don't have cracks in the soles)
- a black vest (to wear outside when it's too warm for my winter coat)
- a blue sweater from RW and Co. (a very happy shopping place)
- two t-shirts (everyone needs t-shirts)
- a white shirt (everyone should also have a nice white shirt)
- a neck pouch to carry my passport (now that I am somewhat of a crime magnet, I have to be careful)
- a bigger suitcase (I need more space for all this stuff)
- a bag of kettle corn from Kernels (every time I eat their popcorn, I hear "California Dreamin'" in my head...)

Tomorrow I'm going to try to plan some more for our trip. Six more sleeps!

Drifted away

When I was little, I used to love it when my dad would take me into his work. He would let me wander on stage (carefully supervised, of course) and look at the sets. My brother and I would get to sit at the Anne school desks and write on the slates. My dad would take me backstage during shows sometimes so I could see behind the scenes and meet the people there. If I was really lucky, he would get me a seat in the old sound booth so I could watch a sold out show. He would tell me stories about the shows that used to play at the theatre. My dad is a man of few words, so when he did talk at length about a topic, I would absorb everything like a sponge and then play the conversation over and over in my mind afterwards. There's so much about him that is a mystery, but I hold on to the tiny bits of himself that he would show me.

When I was little, my mom was always reading to me. She was always bringing home new books for me to read, or taking me to the library so I could wander through the shelves and check out a dozen books at a time. She never seemed to mind reading the same book repeatedly, always using different voices and inflections for each character. She also used to bring home lots of music for me, and never seemed to mind when I played the same tapes over and over again while practicing my self-choreographed dance numbers in the mirror. She always let me lick the beaters when she made cake. Sometimes I used to leave my covers half off at night so she would tuck me in again on her way to bed. She gives great hugs.

Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.

I think (I hope) they're both happy now.

It's been two years.

She's on a journey to who knows where...

As many of you know (who am I kidding - is there anyone reading this who doesn't know me and my circle of aquaintances?), Laura will be leaving for Australia very soon. She's off to have a wonderful adventure, and I'm so excited for her! Of course she will be missed, and I look forward to reading about her Australian hijinks on her blog. Safe travels! Farewell, beloved Laura!!!

In other happenings, I had an encounter this evening with my Downstairs Neighbour, she of the loud music and parties and such. She's so nice and friendly, and she always smiles at me when we pass in the hallway. I can't bear to tell her that she snores so loud she wakes me up sometimes.

Jealous

Seriously.

Why won't it snow here? It snowed in PEI, it snowed in Nova Scotia, why won't it snow here?

Is this my "punishment" for getting new winter tires?

All I want is 15 to 20 cm of snow. All at once. None of this 2 to 4 cm crap. I'll take big fluffy snow, teeny tiny snow, blowing snow, anything!!



This is a picture of PEI's Boxing Day Storm 2004. I'll take one of those, please.

Just not on February 10th. I have a plane to catch.