travel fever vs. camp fires

Oh for pete's sake! i just can't seem to settle myself down- constant motion seems to propel me into a state where i have feel i'm burning alive...the one that seeps into your pores, fills your nostrels, and won't let up till my feet touch down on foreign soil...
i've caught the bug, the one that wanderers and dreamers all seem spread like contagion

I have a calling from Paris, my most favorite of European city, and maybe the following weeks will see me gazing down la Seine or perhaps across the wide and beautiful metropolis from La Tour, eventually lazing under the trees and the stars with a bottle of cheap Merlot and someone's hand in mine...

Lately though, i've taken to reading lots, hanging out in one place without the urgency to get up and run off somewhere exotic...I suppose the setting has something to do with that - spending weeks in the country will do that to anyone, i would think..Swimming and gardening, that's joy to me ! Having my city friends over for a long weekend reminds us all the importance of fresh air and water...Hopefully I'll be camping there sometime soon ! Now back in Toronto, i've found a friendly neighbor who's invited myself and all my roommies to use his backyard pool on those unbearably hot and humid typical Torontonian summer days! Thanks man

from sea to shining sea...

...the latest adventures have been quite grand...
This month's schedule was the pits, simple turn without any layovers, so i decided instead to make the most of my time off...Early May saw lots of showers, and hence lots of opportunity to be outdoors ! Yay for gardening in the rain ! On the long mother's day weekend, I sped to Lennoxville to collect Christa from Bishop's to have a short visit at Sally's Pond, where we went hiking and canoeing in the new vessel...pretty sweet ! We also checked out the new farm, where ANYONE reading this is welcome to come stay, you might even get asked to donate a few hours of labour for your stay !! It's really gorgeous, I can already see the fields of purple lavender...
Mid May was open as a book, so I packed for a week out west, where friend from BU had me for a visit in beautiful Victoria...Ahh, the sun was shining, the surf was crashing & the fresh smells of lilacs trees in full bloom filled the winding streets and hilltops. I'm actually considering moving out there temporarily in the Fall, I really do enjoy the pace of life and the admosphere of the people in a such a lovely setting for a small city...

Next stop: Halifax ! I'm going to visit K&C out in Kentville, perhaps squeeze in a visit with good ol' crazy Emily (who has apparently gone for interviews for flight attending !!) and her wonderful family in Dartmouth... Maybe I'll even hang out my little cousin who entering her honours at Dal in September...Oh my ! I sure feel old these days...
Good upcoming news is that I'll be attending a Wholistic Nutrition school in the Fall, something to keep my interests atuned while working for AC...As I've always known, I don't think I'll be flying for much longer, only long enough to see most of the world and to get a taste of it all...Hoping to get over to Italy & South Africa before the summer's out !! Yeehaw !

rockin' out

saturday night rock show.. what a way to ring in a new year !


So after a hectic month of April (i think i worked 20 hours in total !) I took the last week off to play in Montreal - first to a show called Shit Job, then to Worn - a fashion magazine show, followed by some beers and tequila for my pre-birthday celebratory shots...(thanks Syl!)
The following night, I had the pleasure of tasting the world's finest gourmet poutine done by none other than Chefs Raffi & Neale ...mmm, garlic ! Baklava, fruit and wine and of course champagne, strawberries and chocolate were to follow this strumptious feast...Gawd !

Then, Saturday was spent jeans shopping for the lady of the hour...Emilie's first ever rock show, something like 1000 people to perform for that night at Le National...Sat and sipped juice for most of the sunny afternoon people-watching at Latina on St.Viateur, got home with just enough time to catch a bit of the game & have some delicioud bbq teriyaki chicken w/ Nick before heading down to the show to scream my face off ! And watch the entire rock concert from the side line..oh man ! That's the only way to do it !!

Frolockings..

I feel like I've been around the world in way less than 80 days !!

Since March 25th, I've travelled to : Hong Kong, Boston, Montreal, Calgary Halifax, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris, Chicago, New York and back to TO. Oy vey ! I never thought it possible but last night I actually felt 'air-sick' a few hours after landing...Similar to when you land ashore after being at sea for a while and you somehow feel the rocking of the earth beneath you, I had the sensation of turbulence under my covers and thought it best to rest rather than go out for a night at the weekly drum jam in downtown Toronto...Sorry Mike ! Next time

I've just flown into town and will be here to celebrate my 26th (yikes) on Friday night, then hopefully will get a scalper's ticket for the Sam Roberts show on Sat. where Emilie and her band open...GOOD LUCK guys !!
Then on Sunday I'm going to Knowlton to check out the plot of land my parents want to purchase for their organic lavender farm...Crazy stuff !! Im back to work on Tuesday so
I'll try make it to the tamtams then - and maybe to Paris the following day for a week of fun with Sammy while Paolo is away in Sao Paolo for his brother's wedding...!! Yay ! just as long as the bank book balances... :)

hailing from all corners of the globe

I've safety made it back home, with happy memories and a much lighter wallet...
I can't even describe how lucky I felt to be basking in the warm Spanish sun with my feet in the chilly mediterranean watching the sun set over the mountains surrounding Barcelona, thinking to myself " I almost didn't make it !!"

After a hectic day at the airport I found my way home just in time for some home cooking grandma-style...mmmm, gravy...The next day we piled into a convoy of cars up to Tremblant to see Sam Roberts play under grey and rainy skies..talk about dedicated fans !
Sunday morning we made it down to a little cabane-a-sucre near Mt.St-Hilaire for a massive feast, everything smothered in maple syrop of course...Man did my arteries hurt that night !
The next day I had an early start for Calgary then onto Fernie 4 hours away through the Rockies to stay with Emily, where I spent a week spring skiing in warm weather on an almost deserted ski hill ! Lucky for me that spring break ended the week before I arrived !

On my last day I woke up and said "Ems-let's get out of Dodge for a coupla days, what do you say?" So we packed in a hurry and hoped the shuttle bus hadn't left for Calgary yet, as we had booked a flight for Halifax leaving at 2pm...We arrived with minutes to spare, only to realize that the AC dress code stipulated that Emily's sneakers wouldn't allow her to travel on my pass - so I went shopping in the airport looking for any half decent footwear while she arranged a pick up at 3am in Halifax...She settled for a 40$ pair of flashy red leather cowgirl boots, and we were on our way ! Once in Halifax, we drove home in a horrible storm, and finally hitting the hay at 4am, I awoke to the beautiful salty air and clear sky in Dartmouth, NS. That night I went out for dinner with Catherine and her entire graduating class from the architecture program at Dal...They had rented a club that was also hosting an online dating party, so after a few drinks we realized that wasn't our scene and went dancing at somewhere much better suited for occasion. Watching the sun rise from Karl and Catherine's balcony, the next day's wake up call at 10am was rough...Emily wanted to hit the beach to go riding with her aunt, so I tried my best to stay awake while taken on a beautiful tour of the Nova Scotian coast..


Our brief East coast visit ended almost before it began, and we landed in Toronto Monday morning with plans to bike out to the Toronto Island for the afternoon...But by the time we arrived at the Ferry the winds had changed and both of us felt the chill in the air, so we decided to make our way home through the city instead of along the shoreline. That night Emily and I both fell ill and when I heard scratching in my hallway the next morning I was too tired to get up and inquire...Finally the noise made it into my room - a squirrel had found it's way in and was scampering about trying to find an exit !! With all my mental strength, I got up and decided this problem had to be solved before I could even begin thinking about packing for Europe. So in coordinating our efforts, Emily and I built a passage way from the living room couch to the kitchen window, and with great patience we frightened the little creature from his hiding spot and out into the open air !! What a start to the day ! I then raced to get all my stuff for the next 2 weeks into my backpack, locked the door and arrived on the flight to Calgary with time to spare...It's amazing what can be accomplished when time is of essence...
Leaving Emile on her way back to Fernie, I set off to my flight for Frankfurt, where I was given a seat up in First Class - no better to travel overseas !! Upon landing I remembered I haden't printed off a ticket for my connecting flight to Spain and had to bite my lip as I watched the Custer Service Agent gossiping over the phone for a 1/2 hour instead of printing up my boarding pass...AAHH ! Missed my original flight of course, so I arrived in Barcelona at dusk, and not knowing where to sleep... Thus begins the adventure..

paella and sangria cravings..

so spain is awesome. point finale.
i can hardly find the appropriate vocabulary to describe the moment of elation when I finally arrived in this wonderous city that had slipped through my fingers 2 years ago..
suffice to say im in heaven...
to those who've told me so much about this amazing place...thank you for making me feel empty till i'd lived it...it was worth the wait !
once i move into the 21 century, i'll post some of my extraordinary photographic memories...

to those who haven't braved their way into the paris of the south...watch out - you might just fall in love !! but seriously, watch you wallets...i was robbed of 190 euros this morning...

honk kong - what a crazy mess of a city

yup, first day back and they send me to Hong Kong !
booyah! I kick myself for not having my camera, it's such a wonderfully exotic place on Earth...
I think I'll take me a few days to recover after 15 h. in flight each way, and only 24 in the city..of which i spent mostly walking around - they never give us enough time to get in all the sights, smells and shopping deals..but i guess those should be reserved for longer trips (well, the first 2, anyway!)

Despite my lack of proper sleep in the last few days, I pulled myself out of bed early and made it down to the field-to-table coop down near the beaches where I helped assemble food boxes to be delivered to retirement homes, nurseries, hospitals, churches and homes of cancer victims. Although my limbs ached by 3:00 it felt really good to participate in such a good cause, and to compesate me for my effort, they send me home with a recycling bin full of fresh organic veggies ! yum ! I imagine I must have looked pretty ridiculous on my rollerblades, trying to keep my balance with this oversized bag on my back...Going up and down the subway stairs..Oy !
I'm probably not gonna make it out to the drum jam tonight I've been so excited about for the past 2 weeks..There just ain't no more juice, honey !
Next time will be in a month from now, as I start my 3-week vacation as Friday at 5:30...
Hoping Catherine from NS can make it to Spain with me...and maybe Lindsay too !!