parked

today i went to church in a park, with blankets, hot and iced tea, two different kinds of watermelon, four different kinds of muffins, thirty degrees of celcius, sixty two per cent of relative humidity, bug spray, one bush for a toilet, and three different kinds of people with each their own perspectives. Mesh that together and you have one enlightening moment with the universe, its Creator and all the little bugs that fly around picnics and crawl between blades of grass.

who?

In the past week and a half I've forgotten the name of three different people (to their face!). Ack. I hate that. The inevitable comes when I'm about to introduce who I'm with to the person I've just bumped into, and I start panicking, wondering if this time I'll forget the name again, and before I can even think about not thinking about it, I start fumbling for their name as my speech moves ahead without me, and starts the introductions - nameless. Shameful. I'm so happy when I bump into people I know but then I look like a complete idiot, having to ASK them what their name is. Wow. How insulting.

The worst is when the person calls me - says their name and our affiliation - and my mind still comes up blank. Who? "It's (name) from (place)." Who? *awkward laugh* "It's (name) from (place)." I'm sorry, who again? *mortification blush* "It's (NAME) from (PLACE)!"

Yes that was an actual conversation I had yesterday on the phone. Send me to social school or maybe I should eat more omega 3 fats. That memory-aid stuff you get from eating eggs. Yikes. And it's not like I can say that I'm good I recognizing people's faces either. I was at the lake last weekend and stared at a guy who was maybe or maybe not my hairdresser. The girlfriend gave me a bizarre look like "Who's the freak gawking at us". Now I can't wait to go for a haircut and confirm whether it was actually him or not! It'll appease my gimp mind. help.

Folked for life

This past weekend I made the discovery of a little diddy of a shin dig known as the Winnipeg Folk Festival. I-can't-believe-I've-never-gone-until-this-year. I only got to go for one day, and even though it was the winding down day, it still was good enough for me to never want to miss it again! The music was great, the dancing was fun, the people were warm and friendly, the food stands offered more choices than I could have ever wanted, and the porta-potties were surprisingly tolerably clean.

I made a new musical discovery, for which the 65 dollars I spent at the gate was finally justified - Final Fantasy (not the video game, but the great genius of Owen Pallett, that is). I ditched the main stage and 5 of us squeezed our way into the thick crowd of eager listeners to this incredible show. One dude with a violon, looping different melodies and rhythms, and his sidekick chick placing moving images on an overhead projector. What an experience. Loved it.

The first chance I got I scurried my way half way across the city to get my hot little hands on the cd. Mmm. Good music tastes good.

tough campers, we are

Camping is therapeutic. In a few senses... it pulls you out of the ordinary, mundane routine of city life, and throws you flat into the backwoods of life where you seldom expect to ride through. I got to relax, but I also was pushed to my physical and psychological limits by means of 2 excruciating hikes. I've gone camping and hiking a few times already, but for some reason, this past weekend was a test of my endurance and nerves! Hot, humid heat, super long hikes, heavy camera-gear-laden backpack, and infestations of woodticks was enough to certainly toughen me up. Well... maybe my fellow camp-mates might not say that I was toughened up (they might say that I was a basket case when dealing with an attack of woodticks), but it certainly pulled me out of my element and put me face to face with the harsh trials of the woods.

Sounds worse than it was... but all in all, I know it was good for me. I was stinky, sweaty, matty-haired and dirt-footed for a few days... and I learned that I don't think I could ever endure going to Africa. I am seriously reconsidering. As for bugs? I didn't know so many existed out in the woods of Manitoba! I can now say I picked ticks off my feet with my bare hands, and brushed my teeth at a sink sprinkled with dead (and half-dead) bugs, survived having a daddy long leg spider prancing around on my neck and crossed paths with a hognose snake. And I'm still alive! Miracle!

On another note, we had KILLER s'mores, a smokin' good fire (and firestarters. thanks ladies!), a nice tan, a comfy tent, and great company. The laughs and the no-limits conversations made it all worth-while. Who's in for next year!!?? (and now I know that you guys are all reading my blog! You sneaky anonymous readers, you...)

wish I was there

I'm watching Radiohead performing a live acoustic performance on my computer right now. I love their music. They just played "I might be wrong" and I love how intense they can get, even though it's just acoustic. They're subdued, yet when the intensity comes, it seems that much greater because they can't blow it out of the water with drums and electric guitars and amps. So good. It's like they want to take off flying but they're held back. Makes the release that much better. You miss something, but you appreciate it that much more knowing where they could go with it, but they choose not to.

aaaah. I love lounging in bed with my laptop and watching great stuff like this.

marathon madness

One thing: I will never understand marathon runners. But good on them!

It was my first time at the marathon, and I was very happy to be there with a camera in hand at the finish line. Anywhere else, and I'd have to be crazy to participate.

But what a great way to unite all of Manitoba! (and what a crazy place for getting an overdose of different faces. too much to look at, especially when you're scanning everyone to find whoever you're looking for at the finish line!)

Taking the leafy plunge

"Organic Rooibos Manitoba". Loose tea leaves from Cornelia Bean on Academy Road. THE best tea ever. I sipped it on my deck in the blazing sun today, and though I wished the sun wasn't so sweltering hot, I couldn't have asked for a better cup of tea.

I started drinking tea when I was about 18 years old. When my friend found out that I never drank tea, she thought it was absolutely necessary that I come over for an introduction to this wonderful world of tea drinking. She sat me down at her kitchen table, took out her china tea set and made me a delicious cup of black tea. From that moment on, I was hooked. She made it into such a delicacy. I threw all my misconceptions about tea out the window. Not just grannies and the elite class of snobs drink this... and it doesn't just taste like flavoured burnt water either...

As my tea options continue to expand before my pallet, so does my appreciation for a good moment of tea-sippage. As for coffee? I can't say that I've ever had a cup of regular coffee. I do, on occasion, enjoy a strong cappuccino, but that took me going to Belgium and being sat down by my sister in a coffee bar and forced to order an espresso. Again, I had to throw my misconceptions out the window (and into the Brugge canal), and was pleasently surprised. It also made me feel more euro-sified.

I think in the end, it's not about *what* it is that you drink, but it's *how* you experience it.