It happens to the best of us

I sent a text to Kate's friend the other day.

(it was while I was driving)

Kate was asleep in the passenger seat and we were on our way back
from something; I'm not sure what, though I am sure it doesn't matter
for the story.

I had stopped to fuel up.

The text'ng went like this...

"So it's twenty to ten, we're still in London and Kate just hit her
proverbial wall."

"I don't know what that means but i hope you're not beating her"

"No, not beating. I think I miss used the word. She's tired. Asleep
nearly. Also, I just noticed that when we filled up I likely left the
gas cap on her hood.
It's no longer there."

"Hahaha oh man. You 2 are hilarious. Hope you're home safe and sound.
I am done for the night so maybe see you tmrw!"

A day later we're out at Boars Head for a pint with Amy when Kate asks
me if there's something I wanted to tell her.

I, of course, had not mentioned the gas cap incident as I, of course,
had expected to have had it replaced before she noticed.

What I didn't realize is that the absence of a gas cap turned the
check engine light on which the turned the car into the shop class of
Kate's school.

They made a crack about blonds, which would later be a crack over my
head.

Meanwhile, back at the Boars Head, I was, of course, blaming all this on Amy because she had already told Kate a out our text'ng the night
before.

"Why would you think something like that?"

*crack*

ouch

..in other news:

One for the road

Since katey's gone to work i've sent myself out on a few errands
around Stratford. As I'm sitting here at the boatshead pub on Ontario
street I realize how I had forgotten that I liked Stratford. And how
much I liked it. At least, this quiet little pub.

I turned in here because my other favourite spot was closing at seven.
Instead of a hot chocolate I get a pint of Guinness.

I like the trade off.

I'm taking a break front being trapped inside katey's place, watching
the olympics.

Also, I needed a card and some chocolates.

Tis the season, right?

They'll Think of That

Reading week started today. I'm sitting in the library on campus, hanging out while Katey writes a paper for her online course.

The paper has to be four pages, single spaced.

That's three and a half longer than most of the paper I've had to write so far this semester.

And I'm the one doing an English degree.


(Why doesn't that girl at the next table understand what a no cellphone zone means?

I should have tipped that maître d' better)


I lost my keys this morning; at least I couldn't find them. Katey and I searched and searched, which also means didn't speak because both of us would have got angry over the missing keys.

I wish Ikea could come up with some sort of key-storage-device that I could use. Then they could use us in their line of commercials that have been focusing on spousal abuse.

You've likely seen them. There's one that has a family quietly watching television while the narrator, Fraser Crane's brother, tells us how the evening would have gone horribly wrong had the family not have invested in Ikea furniture. There's another one where a husband and wife avoid a battle because of their closet arrangement.



When I first saw these commercials they made me angry; how dare Ikea assume that couples everywhere are so angry that they're prone to boil over at the slightest thing.

But I understand now. If I had a do-ad or thingy that kept my keys in the same place everyday, not to mention my phone, wallet or glasses, I'd be a whole lot safer.

Wasn't life easier when we could leave our doors unlocked and phones stayed attached to the walls? I wouldn't have keys to eventually find next to the washing machine in the basement, nor would I have had the desire to stomp my size 14 through that girls blackberry storm her parents bought her for getting a B on intro to psych.

We Are More

by Shane Koyczan
Performed at the
Opening Cerermonies
in Vancouver

When defining Canada
you might list some statistics
you might mention our tallest building
or biggest lake
you might shake a tree in the fall
and call a red leaf Canada
you might rattle off some celebrities
might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie
might even mention the fact that we've got a few
Barenaked Ladies
or that we made these crazy things
like zippers
electric cars
and washing machines
when defining Canada
it seems the world's anthem has been
" been there done that"
and maybe that's where we used to be at
it's true
we've done and we've been
we've seen
all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine
and turned into theme parks
but when defining Canada
don't forget to mention that we have set sparks
we are not just fishing stories
about the one that got away
we do more than sit around and say "eh?"
and yes
we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One
who inspired little number nines
and little number ninety-nines
but we're more than just hockey and fishing lines
off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes
and some say what defines us
is something as simple as please and thank you
and as for you're welcome
well we say that too
but we are more
than genteel or civilized
we are an idea in the process
of being realized
we are young
we are cultures strung together
then woven into a tapestry
and the design
is what makes us more
than the sum total of our history
we are an experiment going right for a change
with influences that range from a to zed
and yes we say zed instead of zee
we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy
we dream so big that there are those
who would call our ambition an industry
because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow
we do more than grow wheat and brew beer
we are vineyards of good year after good year
we reforest what we clear
because we believe in generations beyond our own
knowing now that so many of us
have grown past what used to be
we can stand here today
filled with all the hope people have
when they say things like "someday"
someday we'll be great
someday we'll be this
or that
someday we'll be at a point
when someday was yesterday
and all of our aspirations will pay the way
for those who on that day
look towards tomorrow
and still they say someday
we will reach the goals we set
and we will get interest on our inspiration
because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks
more than backpacks and hiking trails
we are hammers and nails building bridges
towards those who are willing to walk across
we are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss
we are not the see-through gloss or glamour
of those who clamour for the failings of others
we are fathers brothers sisters and mothers
uncles and nephews aunts and nieces
we are cousins
we are found missing puzzle pieces
we are families with room at the table for newcomers
we are more than summers and winters
more than on and off seasons
we are the reasons people have for wanting to stay
because we are more than what we say or do
we live to get past what we go through
and learn who we are
we are students
students who study the studiousness of studying
so we know what as well as why
we don't have all the answers
but we try
and the effort is what makes us more
we don't all know what it is in life we're looking for
so keep exploring
go far and wide
or go inside but go deep
go deep
as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss
and suddenly there was this location scout
trying to figure some way out
to get inside you
because you've been through hell and high water
and you went deep
keep exploring
because we are more
than a laundry list of things to do and places to see
we are more than hills to ski
or countryside ponds to skate
we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait
we are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes
a country that is all the ways you choose to live
a land that can give you variety
because we are choices
we are millions upon millions of voices shouting
" keep exploring... we are more"
we are the surprise the world has in store for you
it's true
Canada is the "what" in "what's new?"
so don't say "been there done that"
unless you've sat on the sidewalk
while chalk artists draw still lifes
on the concrete of a kid in the street
beatboxing to Neil Young for fun
don't say you've been there done that
unless you've been here doing it
let this country be your first-aid kit
for all the times you get sick of the same old same old
let us be the story told to your friends
and when that story ends
leave chapters for the next time you'll come back
next time pack for all the things
you didn't pack for the first time
but don't let your luggage define your travels
each life unravels differently
and experiences are what make up
the colours of our tapestry
we are the true north
strong and free
and what's more
is that we didn't just say it
we made it be.


Vancouver Sun, Feb 12, 2010

one love

I finished the first part of sense and sensibility, but I've another two parts to read before Monday's class.

Not to mention a movie review, poetry midterm and a take-home all due this week.

My café is getting cold, so I'd better get working on it to. I just wanted to give a quick hello from the local European coffee shack in Stratford.

I'd been having a craving for an espresso for about a week; I felt it time to succumb to the temptation.

Adieu,

--b

sent, with love, from Nowhere, Particular.