A Coyote did run....
And He ran as fast as he could. (So fast and so shocking that I did not get to take a picture.)
Is a tree with some {fake} monkeys in it.
It is called a monkey puzzle tree.
(aptly named.)
Vancouver keeps me on my toes.
Though not as enchanting as the childhood favorite, "The Indian in the Cupboard,"
my story at least has the "creepy," factor you can't get anywhere else.
First, not to be derogative, but we're talking Dot not Feather.
Okay.
So, I was cooking in our kitchen {duh,} the other day, and had the sliding glass door open.
Ian had run out to get milk or something, so I was home alone.
Suddenly, I hear a knock and a "hello!" at our open sliding glass door.
I peep my head around the corner and see a large Indian man, turban and all, standing in my door.
{secretly grab large kitchen knife...try to think of where cell phone is. Thing "will my neighbors even care if I scream for help?}f
I go up to man and say hello, using my body presence to kind of push him back out of the door way and out onto the front porch.
He, through broken English, explains that he is looking for a new home and would like to tour ours.
Uh....
I explain our house is not for sale, and point to the Realtor signs just feet away and say those are for houses in the complex, but not for ours.
He doesn't really understand me and waits expectantly for his tour.
I say, "no tour, our home."
And close the sliding door.
And lock it.
And bolt it.
And pray for Ian to return.
(strange man hangs around for about 15 Mississippi's until he ambles off.)
See? Not as cool as the book, but definitely more creepy!
It was excellent!
I was reading an article today from MCP about how annoying it is when people ask you what camera you use, implying that the only reason your photos turn out the way they do is the equipment that you use.
Also implying that as soon as they get their hands on the same equipment they will have pictures as good as yours.
And, I have to agree.
Not that I have a ton of experience with that or anything, seeing as I'm not very good, but after recently posting some favorite pictures on FB I was immediately asked what camera I had.
Ummm.
Yeah, it was strange.
To prove my point a little bit, there is a girl, also on FB, who just got a camera that is 3x more expensive than mine and she has been trying her hand at the whole photography thing. And, even though her camera is AWESOME and would totally rock my world, her pictures aren't amazing.
It almost pains me to look at them. (that sounded way more horrible than I meant, please continue reading!) I mean, I can see how great the picture would be if the ISO was lowered, F stop adjusted, or SS messed with.
{remember, I'm not at all talking about how this person is or is not a great photographer, I'm just making a point that the camera doesn't make the pictures great or not.
With all of that said....
I'm so tired of my lens!!!!
I feel so limited in what I can or can't take!
Haha. I'm a walking contradiction, aren't I?
I REALLY want this baby:
From Amazon.
It's inexpensive, it has about the same focal length as the kit lens that my camera came with (which, I really want a bit more, but oh well,) but the great thing is how low the aperture can go. I love getting the "haze," look and bookah in my pictures, but my lens stops at 5.6 ( boo .)
Anyways, that's it for now on my whining. Sorry about that. I've just noticed I've become alot less interested in taking pictures in the past two weeks because I
a.) never carry my camera with me
b.) there is no people around us when I DO have it
and I'm feeling a bit discouraged. Maybe I'll work up the courage to ask some of our friends to let me do a photo shoot with them.....
Our schedule is starting to settle into a routine of sorts.
We get up, get ready, head out to the SkyTrain, and commute to work. We're at training for about 3 hours, and then we're on our own.
Some people bring their own lunches or go out to eat, but since we are on the econo plan this month (and let's face it, probably every month,) we've been trying to eat at home leftovers and other such things.
Today, I was on my own, as Ian was heading downtown to do some work and I had offered to babysit for a family so they could go out and get some work done.
And, being the introvert that I am (not of the shy variety, but of the "I draw my strength and energy from my down time," type,) I was thrilled to have an hour or so to myself...with no hubby in the house!
I had lasagna for lunch (that pan is lasting forever!) watched an episode of The Office online, read a chapter in my book for work, contemplated loading the dishwasher/doing dishes but quickly vetoed that, read some blogs, blogged (and while doing so discovered Ian's keyboard has a malfunctioning letter 'i.'
Glorious.
Can't wait until the next time I get to have some "me," time!
So, the question is, are you an introvert (drawing your energy from being by yourself) or an extrovert (drawing your energy from being around other people?)
Just wondering :)
My big sister is amazing.
Really.
She's like the Martha Stewart of our generation.
And she looks like a living Barbie doll, so, she's got a one up on MS.
Her website, Sugar-and-Butter, is amazing, and filled with all sort of great cooking tips and recipes.
And now she's legit, because she got published!
Better Homes and Gardens used her "Blondes Have More Fun Blondies," in their recent all dessert publication.
Great job sis! Can't wait to see all that you achieve next!
Head on over to Sugar-and-Butter.com to see more!
Alright, ya'll.
I'm really struggling.
I want to read.
I mean, I WANT to read.
But I am at a loss on how to go about it.
You see, I've had the same 4 books in my suitcase for the last 8 months that I have just avoided like the plague {How to Read a Book, Tales from the 1,001 Nights, Great Expectations, and Prayers of the Faithful.}
I just don't want to read those!
Sure, since we began moving around we have read other books and packed/sold/given them away, but as a whole, I've struggled with not wanting to read since the beginning of the year.
Strike that. Not wanting to read what I had on me since the beginning of the year.
I do have books that I really want to read. I want to finish the other 6 books in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Series. I would like to read the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Clavette. Love & Respect tops my charts and The Three Musketeers has been calling to me.
However, I don't have any of those books with me.
Canadian book stores are few and far between and one of the big differences here is the price in books. 19.99 for a normal paperback fiction book. Almost double what we would pay in the states. Sheesh.
Plus, we don't have any leftover weight room on our luggage for our next move.
Boo.
So, we've looked into the local library here and I'm really just trying to stall my desire to read for another 3 1/2 months but I'm not sure how long I can hold out!
Next up...see if Amazon delivers to good ol' Canada.
Canada is, um, neat.
A little different at times
(for instance, what the heck is up with their stick butter? It comes in a huge mambo jambo 4 pack that is fused together. Odd)
But, for the most part, very similar to the ol US of A.
We're getting used to some different parts of being a city dweller {compared to the suburban life I've lived for the last 23 years,} such as loud neighbors, no AC, and public transportation.
Ugh.
Public Transportation is the bane of my existence.
Vancouver has a very good system. Sky Trains (elevated subways) run every 2-3 minutes and they are clean and well policed. The bus routes are numerous, well laid out, easy to figure out, and have very helpful drivers.
We usually have a conversation with a driver just about every day.
Even when we know what we're doing.
It ends up going something like this:
Me: Good morning!
Him: Good morning, eh!
Me: Mmm, Hmmm! (flash my bus pass,)
Me again: Thanks!
I know. Not funny. And not really a conversation.
But talking with strangers is a BIG deal for me.
Oh, right. The bane of my existence.
I can deal with the cramped quarters.
I can deal with the interesting mix of languages and cultures.
But you know what I DON'T deal well with?
That interesting mix of aromas from the variety of cultures.
That paired with the constant stop and go of a bus.
It got so bad that the other day, during our hour long commute, I REALLY thought I was going to be sick.
So, I tried to be resourceful. I mapped out my escape plan.
Sure, I might bump into that Indian man and trample on the {extremely} tiny Chinese woman, but at least I wouldn't throw up on them!
Then the bus stopped and let in another 8 people.
Awesome.
My escape plan was now null and void.
What would I do?
There was only one option.
Use my Coach bag as a barf bag.
Oi.
Had I stooped to this?
Is this what transportation had done to me?!
Would I REALLY use that gorgeous mahogany leather bag for such a hideous moment?
What had I come to?
In the end, our stop came before I lost my lunch.{Huzzah!} I patted my bag and told her it was going to be alright, slipped on my big sunglasses and waltzed into the nearest Starbucks.
Because a girl doesn't often have such a crisis in her life and I needed something to soothe my nerves!
*Disclaimer* I apologize if you thought, from the title, that I actually would throw up in a Coach bag. Sheesh, I'm not a savage. *