Where in the World...?

For the most part, over the last few months I've been holed up at home either trying to wind down from work, or catch up on school work. Neither is terribly appealing at the moment, especially when I'm trying not to think about how much work has been stressing me out but coming home and having to read about work-type things. It's been rather a battle. Amongst that, Michael's also moved to Sudbury for a while (a year+, "depending on how much [I] like it there." So generally I've been at home alone. Now of course in some wasy I'm sure I'd be far less productive if Mike was home (why study/do errands when I can do fun things or chill out with my sweetheart?), but I certainly wouldn't mind the company once in a while.

I have been combatting this by spending my free hours (ha!) doing wonderfully fun things, such as:

In November:
Seeing a Charlie Chaplin silent film in its most wonderous form! The Orpheum is 85 years old, so they held a special concert where the Vancouver Symphony played the music to go along with the film on the big screen. As added bonuses, an organist played a special tune on the original hydraulic organ (FYI, the Orpheum is still "wired" for sound and the organ pipes blast music from the  walls!), and the concert master played piano accompanyment to a short film "making it up as he went along." It was a real treat, and totally worth staying out a bit late on a work night!

Attending a Neil Young Concert with a good friend. Michael bought the tickets long before he went to Sudbury, and they couldn't go wasted! I sure wish he was there, though, because there was a whole lotta music that I didn't understand - but the crowd was great!

Walking for ages around the Circle Craft Christmas Market! My mum came to vancouver for the occasion and we were there for hours and hours! I'm still not quite in the Christmas mood yet, but I'm sure it will come!

In October:

Alanis Concert at the last minute - totally worth the price of admission

Dressing up as a Nurse for Hallowe'en! I worked that day, and rather than picking out a costume that might well get in my way all day, I managed to secure myself a white nurse's dress, starched white cap, white cardigan and tights! Many of the other nurses working that day wore jerseys to look like a soccer team, so it was a nice little boost to my self-esteem (it was my first couple of days past my orientation shifts with a buddy holding my hand) to have a patient and his father say when I walked in the room "well, it's nice to finally see a real nurse today - so far we've only had soccer players taking care of us!"

My little jack-o-lantern! He was so happy!

Touring my cousin and her colleagues around Vancouver for a day! My cousin was in town for a physics conference, so I made sure we hit up the hot-spots: sushi (too mad she's not into fish), the steam clock in gastown (where they all giggled at people standing around to wait for the steam, and then sheepishly wanting to stay themselves), and a drive around Stanley Park! Too bad the weather was wreched.

Mike and his dad helping family friends move out of their farm to Chilliwack

Watching the premiere of a Friend's Brother's documentary film at the Rio! The film was The Occupation, and it chronicled the rise and fall of the Occupy movement in Vancouver last year. Good film. Good audience!

A bonus of the Rio theatre: you can buy a beer with your popcorn!

Going home for Thanksgiving! It was good to be home. I didn't have to cook, my sleeping quarters were quiet (no city noise for this girl!), and the weather was exceptionally co-operative. Plus I was able to see some good friends, go to a new farmers' market out on Tranquille, and I might have got lost in a corn maze! I also tried my hand at sweet potato pie. It was excellent. nom.

We got a little lost in the maize maze.....

...lost and hungry.

But we emerged triumphant!

Family Thanksgiving at the Ball House.

Bert really wanted to help make sure the turkey was carved properly.

In September:
Tofino!!! I've been meaning to blog about this for ages (obviously....it's from September) because this trip was totally rad. We drove up to Tofino for a weekend, camped out at Green Point and rented some hardy wetsuits and surfboards with a large group of extended friends. Evenings were spent trying not to be freezing (the wetsuits were excellent for keeping the frigid water at bay until you took them off and any remaining moisture chilled you down. It didn't help that Mike and I forgot to bring towels. That was a mistake), and incresing our intake of alcohol to increase our sense of not caring. I was stiff each morning I work up, but thoroughly happy. I had a moment while standing in the surf on our last morning - 15 really happy novice surfers all "Yeah, Life!" around me. Sunshine, surf, and freedom! I could barely keep my eyes open on the drive home - I'd been staving off surfing exhaustion with getting high on life and it rather caught up on me once I finally took time to sit down!

Kaan and Tess - our fearless leaders!

No place like a lean-to on the beach!

We took a hike up to a Bomber in the woods....

The plane can't be removed because it's now in provincial park lands. Neat story, too

Surfing Victory!

Visited the old forests on the way home...

I thought it could use some hugs!

Just some of our merry gang of wild adventurers!

And other miscellany....

After Mike moved, I bought a small potted tree (Renior), and two gnomes, straight from the Netherlands. They've been named Ilse and Pepe. I don't have a name for the hummingbird. any suggestions?

I took this picture while taking a break from volunteer duties at Bard on the Beach...not so bad

I took a sausage making course a while ago from Save-On-Meats. I woudn't necessarily reccomend the course because they sent me home with a pound of bacon that I had to smoke....in my oven? I doubt the landlord would have appreciated that... The picture above shows different styles of sausage casings. mmmm. Only the one on the far right is non-intestine.

Stuffing sausage!

My little piggy babies! They tasted yummy

and all wrapped up in brown butcher's paper!

but mostly I've been dreaming of more evenings like  this: a coupla friends over for knitting, fresh muffins, a glass 'o wine, fine china, and some smelly candles. Perfect.