When I am not blogging my head is filled with post ideas. When I sit down to blog they all flee madly off in all directions and I sit staring at the screen "like a pudding" as my lovely Scottish bookstore co-worker used to say.
Matt left for Paris on Sunday and I am leaving tomorrow to meet him in Spain. This means I am flying to Paris and then Amsterdam and then Malaga (because you can't fucking get anywhere direct from fucking Ottawa because why would you be able to, we're only the nation's capital ffs, deep breath, regain serenity) alone, rather than trailing after my professional-traveler husband like a lost puppy, which is how I much prefer to do it, but it's fine, it's all fine, everything's fine, I almost certainly won't get lost and never be heard from again and lose my dignity and/or my organs. Did I mention I have zero sense of direction?
The weekend at our friends' cottage was wonderful, as always. I climbed up and down the 25-flight down-the-cliff switchback trail to the water multiple times and my wonky knee actually felt great. It might have had something to do with the very cold water I floated in for hours every day having some anti-inflammatory effect. Tony's signature drink this year (remember the Hurricanes of 2024? Don't worry, many of us don't either) was called a Painkiller, or at least that's what he said, but we decided afterwards it was probably more like Pain+Killer, so I don't think that had much to do with my knee not hurting.
 |
 |
 |
 |
When we were camping, a family on the beach set up this odd looking game consisting of wide sticks with numbers on them and then another stick being thrown at them. Matthew googled "bowling with logs" and found that it is a Finnish game called Mollky (I can't figure out how to make an umlaut, which probably isn't even actually an umlaut because this is Finnish, not German) and that the proper word for 'wide sticks' is actually 'batons'. I bought one because our group is always looking for fun new ways to suck at things, trash talk each other and risk weird injuries. It was fun and very difficult. |
|
|
|
I had classes in my libraries for the first time this week. Most of it went really well and it felt good to have the kids moving through again. There is one group of boys in a 2/3 split that is going to be an issue, but the teacher is aware of it and I have no qualms about sending them all to their various corners and I don't think it will be quite to the level of the 4/5 split at Broadview that made me contemplate quitting library work and interacting with children forever.
 |
|
Angus's first season with the Cleveland Guardians organization is over. He is in Cleveland right now with the Big Boy team, unsure what exactly he will be doing, and then he comes home for a bit and then he goes to Arizona to look for an apartment (the idea is for Arizona to be his primary residence and then he will rent wherever he is during the season). We have procured ALL of the Rubber Ducks merch, because when will there ever be better team merch, and I have also collected as many of my son's baseball card as I can locate - $1.66 on Ebay, (or best offer). Let's just not talk about the fact that he is immortalized with a moustache. It's not the worst he's sported and, well, he's in baseball now, and in baseball there are moustaches.
Going to pack and panic a bit more. See you on the other side, assuming I don't disappear into the Red Light District forever.
11 comments:
Ooh Ooh! My attention is split between the Hurricanes of 2024 (my favorite drink when I went to New Orleans earlier this year, and when I say that you know that favorite = it's a very good thing that I was only there for a week because Hurricanes are very delicious and also very unfortunate) and your woes in getting to the Rest of the World through the Portal that is Ottawa. Speaking as someone who has gone to Ottawa twice in the past 50 years, it was an Ordeal both times and I would like to petition the Powers That Be to do something about it. Like you say, it's only the capital of a fairly important country. Getting to Ottawa is just about as painful as the aftermath of a Hurricane, so I can only imagine that getting out of Ottawa is just as bad.
Anyhoo I forget the point that I was trying to make with this comment, but safe and happy travels! See you on the other side!
I think you are very brave to be doing all that travel. I too prefer to be trailing behind someone who knows what they're doing.
I have had something a friend called a Painkiller, and it involved pineapple and coconut and not remembering the rest of the evening, so I wonder if it was the same concoction!
I'm going to Spain next month! I wish our timing coordinated.
I often complain how you can't get anywhere direct from Kelowna - that is the one thing I miss about Calgary, the airport and direct flights. But OTTAWA IS OUR COUNTRY'S CAPITAL. Kelowna is just a small place in the middle of nowhere! Why aren't there better flights out of Ottawa???
Like you, I have no sense of direction whatsoever, and I dread solo travel because of it. You are Brave And Strong! Hell, you survived a bunch of camping recently; that's a terrific testimonial.
The Guardians are atop the AL Central, and I am completely crediting that to Angus.
I love Angus's baseball card. He looks so cool and professional, mustache and all.
In some ways I am a very Independent and With It kind of a person, and I am imagining traveling to Spain by myself and dealing with all those connections and… I would much rather NOT do that. You are going to be fine, it will all be fine, but I am with you in the anxiety of anticipating such a trek.
The sticks game for some reason it made me think of that Beatrix Potter story "Squirrel Nutkin" -- I think the squirrels play some sort of a game with pinecones that kind of reminds me of your stick game. Did the squirrels/Beatrix call the game 10 pins or something? No idea. And I am probably misremembering the whole thing. Also this is kind of a dumb story. SAFE TRAVELS! You are going to be great!
(This is Suzanne.)
Bon voyage! I got my new passport in the mail yesterday. The last one I had was issued in 1987 when I went to Spain for a semester. I'd kind of been thinking for a year and a half or so I should get another one in case we needed to flee the country suddenly, but what gave me the final push was that North is going to Ireland (probably) next semester and we might visit them there.
I love that Angus has a baseball card. I am not opposed to the mustache. I like facial hair on men, maybe because my dad had a mustache and beard.
Have a great time in Spain etc! Maybe you will see my brother and sister-in-law there.
"When I am not blogging my head is filled with post ideas. When I sit down to blog they all flee madly off in all directions..." Me too me too me too. Oy.
I love the cooking and making drinks facial expressions.
I hope you have a great trip! And that the logistics don't end up being too bad. I get you on just wanting to follow someone who knows what they're doing.
Ha, I really hope you don't disappear into the Red Light District. But if we stop hearing from you, we'll know where to look. I hope you have a great time!!!
I hope you made it safely to Malaga with no blog-worthy incidents (although they would surely be entertaining to read!!). Malaga sounds nice!!
Both of my boys’ classes are extremely boy heavy. I feel for their teachers as early elementary boys are animals much of the time… I hope the challenging groups of boys don’t make you want to quit!!
I’m late to the party and I saw your post on FB about your anniversary, so I know you made it OK - I hope it went smoothly, and if not, hey, at least you’re there. I love your son’s baseball card! I would buy 18,324 of them if it were my kid, which is a lot of money even if they’re only $1.88 each.
Post a Comment