The Pickwick Portfolio

Please Note...

2011-11-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I like to think I'm funny, and yes, this includes self deprecating humour.

No, I'm not utterly depressed.

A Quarter Century.

2011-10-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

In a week, I will be 25. Aside from the usual melodramatic quarter life crisis which begs the question: "what will I do with my life?", I had some other thoughts about myself:
:
1. I am incredibly unreliable and flakey
2. I still don't know how to prioritize my time properly
3. I think Money is the devil and that by pretending it doesn't exist that it will somehow leave me alone, but I actually know this isn't true and the reality is that I just can't deal with it
4. I am still afraid of the doctor
5. and the dentist
6. and I still hate brushing my teeth
7. Little kids really love me, and I have decided it is probably because they sense my reluctance to grow up and take responsibility for myself and my life
8. I always thought I was pretty good on carrying out the things I said I would do.... However, please refer to number 1&2, and note that I still haven't learned every country in the world and their corresponding capital cities
9. I like reggae now... so what?
10. I often find myself talking about all the things I used to do with a sort of nostalgia and contempt that should be reserved for people past the age of 80
11. I was always the youngest of all my friends, but am just realising that I may now be one of the oldest.

Cheers to almost being a quarter century old, and still not having the slightest clue!!

In Defense of Beyonce.

2011-10-08T04:41:00.000-07:00

Before I start talking shit about Beyonce, let me start by asking you to read about these incredible women:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/10/201110773943904523.html

and then if you have a few moments watch this:

Please note that at about 0:35 that Beyonce shows off her pregnant belly. How awesome is that? In a celebrity culture where women are encouraged to get their bod[ies] back as soon as possible after a pregnancy, because obviously, a body that is about to give birth or just has given birth is something disgusting and ugly to be rid of, I find Beyonce's video really refreshing. Respect. Actually, Beyonce showing off her body, especially her legs, is pretty cool. Her body is not average, but it is different from the emaciated bodies of fashion. I also like this video because she's using 1950's fashion to point out the 1950's mentality of "standing by your man and making him dinner" present in the song lyrics, but at the same time saying things like "Yup, I put it on him, it ain't nothing that I can't do/ Yup, I buy my own, if he deserve it, buy his shit too/ All up in the store, shorty, tricking if I want to/ All up in the store, shorty, fly as we want to", which suggests some definite agency.

I have a soft spot for Beyonce. She is a talented musician, incredibly beautiful, and a great performer. I do not like her because I agree with everything that she does, but rather, because I think what she is doing in pop-culture is really interesting and important. After spending so much time away from North America I would by no means claim to be in touch with the subtleties of North American popular culture, but I always try to keep an eye on what Beyonce is doing, and Jezebel has largely aided this process.

Beyonce is by no means a radical feminist, but she somehow makes feminism (yes, the dirty word) accessible to a lot of women, especially young women, and that is part of what makes her so powerful and successful. One of the most important parts of good rhetoric is considering your audience. Perhaps, Beyonce really is about empowering women; I can't argue her intent, but when it comes to marketing she's really hitting a wide audience. Yeah, her message is often confused, for example by often equating financial independence with personal empowerment, but there is still an under lying element of awesome. The way Beyonce is being marketed shows that big businesses in some way have realized that women are frustrated with being treated like wimps who only care about fashion and make-up. In the midst of hegemony, offering a slight alternative can make a world of difference.

Beyonce has really taken the lead in a generation where feminism seems to be dying. I grew up with girls who bullied anyone who said something that could be considered feminist. Should we expect more from Beyonce and popular culture in general? Yes, of course. When I watched Beyonce's most recent "Girls Rule the World" video I was also angry and cynical, but at the same time, I don't see another major pop star getting anything remotely close to a gender or visible minority empowerment message across to so many girls. It will take time, and maybe when such ideas are considered to be more acceptable, or even "cool", then more radical ideas will be digestible for more people. Right now, feminism as a whole is so "uncool" that most teenage girls aren't going to end up reading Judith Butler.

What I hope for, is that maybe young women will notice that Beyonce is trying the way I noticed Gwen Stefani in her "No Doubt" days. Whatever Beyonce's reasons may be, maybe at some point more little girls will realize that they there are many options for their lives. For now, I'm just going rejoice that I can watch incredibly popular catchy music videos by a woman, and still not want to kill myself. Beyonce really is only one person after all, and I think it is worth noticing that her performances question and play with ideology while still being a part of it.

Here's to hoping that women like Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakul Karman, are as famous and talked about one day as celebrity pop icons like Beyonce.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

2011-10-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

	S’io credesse che mia risposta fosse
	A persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
	Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
	Ma perciocche giammai di questo fondo
	Non torno vivo alcun, s’i’odo il vero,
	Senza tema d’infamia ti rispondo.


LET us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats	5
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question….	10
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,	15
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,	20
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window panes;	25
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;	30
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

In the room the women come and go	35
Talking of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—	40
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)
Do I dare	45
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

For I have known them all already, known them all:
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,	50
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And I have known the eyes already, known them all—	55
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?	60
And how should I presume?

And I have known the arms already, known them all—
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)
Is it perfume from a dress	65
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
And should I then presume?
And how should I begin? . . . . . . . .
Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets	70
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?…

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas. . . . . . . . .
And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!	75
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep … tired … or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?	80
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet—and here’s no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,	85
And in short, I was afraid.

And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while,	90
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”—	95
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
Should say: “That is not what I meant at all;
That is not it, at all.”

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,	100
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:	105
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
“That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.” . . . . . . . .	110
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,	115
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.

I grow old … I grow old …	120
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.	125

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown	130
Till human voices wake us, and we drown. -T.S Eliot

We are all Khaled Said.

2011-09-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned that I am reading a book by Rohinton Mistry. The work is titled "A Fine Balance", and although the book is taking me forever to read, there has been a few times where his words fit just right: "…God is a giant quiltmaker. With an infinite variety of designs. And the quilt is grown so big and confusing, the pattern is impossible to see, the squares and diamonds and triangles don’t fit well together anymore, it’s all become meaningless. So He has abandoned it.”

I had a short conversation with a good friend about this quote. She said: "it's true... it's all become way too convoluted and shitty", and by all, I know it is a bit of a leap, but we were referring to international politics, and more specifically, the death of the former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. As the head of Aghanistan's High Peace Council, Rabbani's death is highly symbolic.

Nearly a year has passed since I left Afghanistan, and I could have never imagined what a huge part of my life the time I spent there would become. Some days, when I'm feeling selfish and pessimistic, I curse the day that I went to Kabul, and how complicated my emotions have become because of it. And yet, the hardest day of my life was the day I left Afghanistan. Every time I read the news, and every time I get a message from a friend that lives there, my stomach drops. How much more can be taken away from the Afghan people? How much more must they endure? I want my friends and my students to not have to fear for their lives. Rabbani's death is one of several high profile assassinations in the recent past. What is in the future for Afghanistan? More violence? More uncertainty?

Honestly, without the war it is hard to say whether or not I would have traveled to Afghanistan. Without the war, it is likely the work I did there would not have been possible. I know a small part of how ugly the war really is, but I also know a small part of how amazing the Afghan people are. It is common knowledge that the reasons for the invasion of Iraq, and later Afghanistan, were unlawful, unclear and largely unfounded. A lot of people are left wondering if it could have been prevented, or now if anything else can really be done. Like Iraq, once Afghanistan is no longer the center of attention in the media, will the country disappear from the thoughts of the people whose own countries meddled there? Perhaps I never belonged in Afghanistan in the first place, but I refuse to abandon it.

The more I know about U.S (and Canadian) foreign policy, the more angry and motivated I become. I want to know more and I want to write more. I know I am naive and idealistic. Do I want someone to be held responsible? Yes, even if it means starting with a talking head like George Bush II.

Everything just seems so complicated, but maybe it is time I really start informing myself.

Speaking of complicated politics. It all seems suiting. This mural was just painted in Berlin on a piece of the wall.
We are all Khaled Said.

That's all for today.

So good, but incredibly sad.

2011-09-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

"But nobody ever forgot anything, not really, though sometimes they pretended, when it suited them. Memories are permanent. Sorrowful ones remained sad even with the passing of time, yet happy ones could never be recreated--not with the same joy. Remembering bred its own peculiar sorrow. It seemed so unfair: that time should render both sadness and happiness to a source of pain."

Still trying to finish this Rohinton Mistry book.

Pennies from heaven?

2011-08-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

It you want the things you love/ You must have showers.

You know what I love... hot sunny days. Went bowl skating with Caroline and had so much fun, and then the next day went to the lake with Henryk and Saskia. Two lovely days followed by more wet wet wet.

Billie Holiday is helping me to stay optimistic about all this rain.

Boo-yah-kah-sha.

2011-08-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

So many nice things came in the mail in the past days:
a letter from the FU. I'm officially "Immatrikulated"... nearly everything is set for my Master;
a package from Canada, I received a couple copies of "Space/Time" in the mail from Mel. The Zine and article both look amazing;
and, last but definitely not least... a really nice card from my Pappa. I miss you too, and I am really thankful for the gesture.

I would complain about being too busy and stressed out to do things like blog, but that is boring, so instead... I'll just tell you I'm listening to a lot Corb Lund, and watching crap movies. I won't even tell you what I watched this morning because it is embarassing.

What happened to summer, by the way?

When I hug.. I leave room for an open spirit.

2011-06-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Maybe he says "room for the Holy Spirit"... either way...
I really forgot how funny this video is.

My New Flat+ GSD 2011

2011-06-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

My new room!

Roomies are cool!

Our trip to Hamburg on Tuesday was meant to be! Other pirates were waiting for us.

WTF right? Even if we didn't actually skate Flora bowl, we got to see it, and know that we need to return.

Shitty motorbikes on the frontside, and killer bowls on the backside. Coolest spot I've been in Germany I think.

Hope you don't mind this post is short.... less talk, more rock. I'm all about it these days.

"What do pirates sound like in English?"

2011-06-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

"RRRRRRRent a bike"

Weisst du, the lady skaters of Berlin will unite this summer to create the most amazing of Pirate films. I'm not going to give away too many details but it will definitely be as stupid as possible. Sneak peak.. the title will be "Pfandpiraten.. a.k.a. gettin' ghetto in Berlin".

Today it rained in the middle of our Hasenheide session making it the perfect opportunity to talk about weird shit (as usual) and go to the petting zoo, woohoo! 50 CENT, kennst du?

Osi
Spassti
Alte
Opfa

Booyahkashaa.

"Get a skateboard, buy a Tom Waits record, win."

2011-06-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

Berlin has a new skatepark!! But, if I hear someone call me "skater girl" one more time I'm going to puke on their face.

See you there Thursday night.

Oh yes, and while I'm quoting funny things that people have said to me today: "Okay, let's be honest, I was just playing too many guys at once." Well, if all else fails on a date, you can always run away. Oh my! There is nothing quite like a 3 hr skype call with your best friend.

This just made my day.

2011-06-06T01:58:00.000-07:00

So good!

Fuck shit up.

2011-06-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

The last couple days have been so nice. Went swimming and to a bbq yesterday with the boys, and then hung out with the lovely Ms. Schreiber before work today.

I have a new place to live in Kreuzberg. Yaaaaaah. I really still like Kreuzberg so much more than Freidrichshain.

It's summertime and the living is easy

I guess I'm not the only one fixed on the warm weather. My pal Toby (boy Toby, not girl Tobey) has also been super stoked on sunshine. You can find his lovely artwork here.

"Sunburn"

eeeeeeehehehe

2011-05-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Germans are funny.

ouuuulala!

2011-05-26T01:27:00.000-07:00

You really can teach an old dog new tricks. Looks like I'm out of my slump. Westside till I die...

Will said he would buy me an icecream if I learned a blunt... does a blunt-5-0 count?

Zwei kulgeln bitte!

Photo by Sean Eckenfelds.

Ich vermisse dich!

2011-05-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

I miss you all. Pals, I miss you so! It's pretty bad when you remember you haven't seen someone you love for more than a year. I really try not to, but nostalgia is one hell of a drug.

Today I watched this little ditty: www.camerabag.t v/scottpommier, and it made me miss vegan dinners, the smell of used motorcycle oil, and 50's music combined with the coolest dance moves, but most of all it made me miss the people that made Vancouver beautiful. Scotterbots, we should have learned to swing dance together. Maybe some day we'll meet again, and dance to Del Shannon better than everyone else.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could put everyone we loved in one place? Even just for a little while....

I don't know if you remember this night Mr. Corey Hamhands, but you told me that no matter how much shit talking was going down about me, that you were still my friend, and that you check my ramblings often. You're the only person who told me so. I really appreciated it,.Maybe, even as much as you appreciated the pie I gave you for your Birthday a few years ago.

Hope you're well, wherever y'all be's.

Na, wie gehts Alte?

2011-05-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Those bs feebs are a real pain, especially on a ledge, but 27 degrees is soooooo lovely. I would like even more to learn a bs smith, but guess what! After 6 years I'm still a shitty skateboarder, and I prefer to skate mini because I'm really an old man.

I'm going to Hamburg this weekend for a Surf Festival: "Little hand says it's time to rock and roll."

Bodhi Zapha, I love love love you.

Live to get radical. I'll post some pictures when I get back.

summertime.

2011-05-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

So sunny and warm today. There is not a single cloud in the sky here in Berlin. I think I will go skateboarding at Hasenheide. It is time to learn some new shit. Who knows who else you'll see out and about on a skateboard on a sunny day...

Fly fly fly little Starling.. fly fly fly.

Hast du Hunger für Deutsch sprechen?

2011-05-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Get this: the more German that I learn the more I alarmed I become. Not only do they live up to the cliche that most German words are incredibly long and super ugly sounding (Wohnberechtigungsschein--need I say more?), but the language has other much more perverse effects on me such as a loss of appetite and hearing. Sometimes learning a new language can be a bit of a pain in the ass.

Call me hippy dippy, but I don't want things that should be delicious to be named after various animal parts. For example, a light and flaky pastry is not a "Schwein Ohr" (pig's ear) it is a lovely heart shaped mess of flour, sugar and lard, a small danish is not a "Katze Auge" (cat's eye) it is a danish, and chocolate is always CHOCOLATE it is never "Katzen Zungen" (Cats' tongues).

I suppose I can concede that since the German diet largely consists of two types of carbohydrates and cheese that it is only natural to want to get a bit creative with what you name said carbohydrates. Nevertheless, I don't think I will ever relish the idea of feasting on a pig's ear or find it particularly charming to share a box of Cats' tongues with a friend.

As far as the negative effects on my hearing goes, it is not just that someone tried nibbling on my ear because they couldn't find a bakery, it is the high-pitched repetition of questions from children between the ages of 5 and 11 that I have heard everyday for the past two weeks. Not only are the same questions asked over and over and over again, they are always preceded by the sentence "English Lehrerin, Ich habe eine Frage". Don't tell me that you have a question, just ask the same two questions you always do because I'm not going to answer anyways: "Was machen wir Jetzt?" oder "Was machen wir Heute?" have been permanently tuned out.

In short, I fear that my days of blissful ignorance will soon be behind me. Limited are my days where understanding nothing means peaceful rides on public transit or surprise grocery items and improvised dinners. Learning a new language means that I'll soon be able to understand again why people are so annoying. I guess I just have to keep telling myself that understanding a language means that speaking it will soon follow. It is only a matter of time before people understand that I am in fact German, and that I can be a bit of a pain in the ass too.

First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.

2011-04-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Happy long weekend. Eat lots of chocolate! I know I sure will be, but not because I believe in Jesus. I'm just a junk food junky since leaving Afghanistan.

Speaking of behinds... I have chamomile scented toilet paper. I still don't understand why there is scented toilet paper here... I'm pretty sure it doesn't make my ass smell any better.

Ahhh yes, "The Triumph of Bullshit".

Skate in the day? No way!

2011-04-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

Best music video ever. Thanks Caroline.

Oh me, oh my.

2011-04-12T05:06:00.000-07:00

I just can't get excited about planning lessons, so I'm going to procrastinate by writing a blog post. I'm sure that no one checks this thing anymore.

Right now I'm hanging out in my apartment in my underwear (as usual) and wasting time before going to work at the pizza joint. I think this might be the last summer I get to do something so frivolous.. working a job that doesn't consume me, and skateboarding everyday. I feel guilty about it in some ways, but also very excited. I'm trying to push my energy in new directions. I'm trying to do some more writing, freelance teaching, and to learn some German, but it's hard. Sometimes I wish I could be 3 years old again and that I had a pocket full of rocks to be excited about. I guess that is an oversimplification though... life is still hard when you're 3.

I think this one is the best. Don't you?

Prinz Eisenherz, you're just too damn cute. You're going to make my heart melt if you keep that up. So much like your Pappa.

For those of you living in Berlin, there is a show this weekend featuring the works of Mr. Andrew Pommier. Don't miss it! It's at Okazi Gallery, and starts at 18:00 and ends at 22:30.

See you there!

Kassy, you were right.

2011-03-26T12:38:00.001-07:00

There has been so much happening these days, and not enough time to write.

Amazing trip to Italy.
Temporary, but very nice apartment in Berlin.
Caught up with Henryk.
Employment aquired.
An evening with Katarina.
Soon a day with Zahra Jan.
Sunshine.
YAAM.
Getting Lost.
SALAD WITH THE YOGHURT DRESSING
Not learning much German.
Looking forward, and not back.
Seeing skateboarders that I know, and they even remember me.
And, maybe a wee bit of partying.

Right now I'm going to sleep. So, SO exhausted.

Antisocial worker bees... did you get my postcards? heeeh

p.s.

2011-03-15T15:06:00.001-07:00

This is so good.

Alles Deutsch.

2011-03-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

Even my google has switched to German and I have absolutely no clue how to make it go back. That little story that I told about a year ago about possibly learning more about technology, well, that has yet to happen. Max is letting me use his other iphone as I'm no longer able to charge my German mobile. I'm sure watching me is pretty funny. I think Max's 3 year old son probably knows more about operating it than I do.

I left Canada one week ago, and have been pretty busy since. I'm going to try and update my blog more often, as I'm sure my new country blunders won't be few and far between. Hmm, so, what has happened thus far:

-Went to Freiburg and Gengenbach (also known as Gangsta-bach and G-town) via train on the weekend. Both were so beautiful and I took a lot of pictures (with the iphone, yep, still have to figure out how to put those online). It was good to see Mark and to meet some of the others.
-Spent tonnes of time playing with the little man here in Weinheim. I even learned some new words from him including "Anfangen Spielen", and "Kaputt Gemacht". I'm often struggling with understanding him, but I'm still pretty good at "Auto Spielen"--I probably just sound like a total ass making sound effects.
-Have two job interviews next week, and both are for jobs I would actually like to do.
-Going to Italy on the weekend, but won't see Jessica. I'll see her next month in Berlin for Easter.
-Tobey turned 25. Holy smokes--my bestie is a quarter century. Happy Birthday again my friend. I have to plan a trip to France very soon. I promise you it is very high on the list of priorities.

Fertig.

This is why I love Vancouver.

2011-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

After spending so many days in the rain you start to wonder: "how did I ever live in this place?". And then, the sun comes out and you think: "Oh yeah! that's why!".

Lina went and bought herself a 1971 VW beetle. Oh so cute, and very handy for spending a day in the sunshine!

After our excursion to Lighthouse Point, we went to Whole Foods. Mmmm colon cookies, anyone?

I think I want a sailboat some day. Looks like a fun way to get around the world.

But, that means missing this smile.

Seynt Volantynys Day

2011-02-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's day to me. Nothing says "I LOVE YOU" like being soaking wet, cold, and sick. Actually, mix a little SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in there, and you've got the perfect day. Good thing I think romance is BS, or I might feel even more sorry for myself. I will probably just end up spending the evening reading Chaucer, which sounds pathetic, but if you are/were an English major you'll understand.

Raccoon Masquerade

2011-02-02T01:09:00.000-08:00

I recently had a request to post a little story about a lovely cat named Peter.
The "fette katze", not the "nicht so fette katze". So here it goes:

Raccoon Masquerade

Making new friends, especially friends that you view as much different than yourself, can be, at times, incredibly difficult. And then, once you've befriended someone, you never really know how it will turn out. Will the friendship last? Will you share sauerkraut and beans for years to come? Or, is the relationship a momentary lapse in judgement that begins with too much Flensburger and ends with 40 people you don't know invading your house party?

If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Peter, you know that it isn't at all hard for him to make friends. He's a cool cat. He is so cool, in fact, that he's managed to make friends with several of our less social neighbours. As far as I know, raccoons and cats generally don't get along, but Peter, well, he's special. He's one of those cats that is natural at everything--cuddling, scratching, eating, and meowing. Nevertheless, every rose has its thorns. James has found him chillin' in the kitchen with his band of bandits, and they've also joined together to surround James while he slept one night. Both occasions with sinister intentions, no doubt.

While the odd relationship might be attributed to Peter's good looks (from behind his chubby belly and the dark rings on his tail make Peter look very much like a raccoon), I don't think that Peter's style is the main reason he's made these new friends. I'm willing to bet that it is Peter's passion for eating anything and everything that has brought him together with his new crew. Raccoons, and Peter, are both notorious eaters. I do, however, have to hand it to Peter for the ingenuity of stealing Bit's food out from under his nose rather than digging through week-old garbage. Like most of the popular crowd, Peter knows how to get exactly what he wants. He can secretly take advantage of those lower on the social ladder in the guise of friendship, while continuing to look fabulous and promote his own interests.

Like Peter, there have been times, that I now will admit to, where I have been a little overly concerned about popularity. If you were thirteen, slightly overweight, and your favorite pants were iridescent bell bottoms--you might also worry about what people thought of you. I did all sorts of things to try and get people to like me including sharing my own, or my close friends highly confidential secrets. I never imagined that the popular kids had to stoop to these sorts of lows, but I now know from watching Peter that they were working a strategy similar to mine. Call it schadenfreude, but I'm a little bummed that I never had the opportunity to see if they too ended up being publicly humiliated.

So, the other night after enjoying a delicious pot of minestrone soup with friends, and gossiping about Peter's physique and questionable choice of new friends, a scratch came at the door. Thinking that Peter had overheard us talking about him, Kassy sheepishly answered the door, but Peter was no where to be found. Instead, three incredibly large raccoons sat on the front step waiting to storm the house. Maybe they came in defense of their friend, but I doubt it. I think they just wanted to raid the cupboards in the kitchen, but I didn't have a chance to ask them what their excuse was . Startled by this unexpected visit Kassy met the raccoon's aggression with a fearful wail, "RACCOONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

I only made it to the window in time to see them waddle down the last two front steps and walk to their hiding spot in the back yard. If Kassy had been alone in the house, who knows what could have happened! I still can't believe that Peter shared his special door scratching technique, but what bothers me more, is that Peter wasn't even in the general vicinity and these worthless raccoons came to rob our house of all its edible contents. Just like me, Peter had been fooled by cool kids. "A friend in need is a friend indeed" and if it ever comes down to survival of the fittest, I hope Peter will reconsider who he's sharing his secrets with. I also hope that he'll realise, as I have, that he already has great friends worth holding onto. We might not have the right rings around our tails, but we'll always be around to fill the food dish.

here, there, and everywhere.

2011-01-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

Got the Beatles on my brain... Johnny Cash singing the Beatles? Awesome.

Maybe it is because I'm on the move again tomorrow. Ho hum.. Time to go go go. Looking forward to having a German bed bug in Vancouver this weekend.

Ms. McScruffles has arrived.

2011-01-09T18:41:00.001-08:00

50% Beagle+ 25% Pug+ 25% Shih Tzu = 100% adorable

Things are happening...

2010-12-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

It must almost be the start of a new year!

Tobey is off (tomorrow!!!) to Marseille in the south of France for a student exchange; Amanda is leaving Vancouver to work in Shanghai at the end of January; Rhianon is going to return to Kabul soon after what sounds like a crazy motorcycle trip through South America; and it looks like Michelle is actually going to leave her usual insanity for some of another kind. Here's to hoping she's going to take some time off to join Ray Ray in the ol' AFG! All of these adventurers are making me incredibly jealous. I suppose my time will come again soon enough. Besides, I'm pretty hyped about spending some more time with Nat, Kass, and Em.

AND! Sometimes if you can't travel then others travel to you. Also on the menu for the start of 2011 is a very special guest coming all the way to Vancouver from Kabul. Now, I'm not usually one to be a very good tour guide, but in this case, I will make an exception. If you haven't noticed, I'm very excited.

I have to say--2010 was pretty amazing. Possibly epic.. as much as I really HATE that word. There were some incredibly high highs, and also some down and dirty lows. In all of my travels this year I met incredible new people, spent time with old friends, and said goodbye (in many ways) to people I really care about, but I think above everything else, I've noticed how privileged I am. Not only to have seen a wee bit of the world, places I never dreamt I'd ever be, but also to realise that I really do love people, especially kids. I've also discovered that I love cheese.. if you didn't notice the over abundance of it in this paragraph.

I am, however, a little sick of living like a vagrant, and I am really looking forward to putting down some roots soon. Looks like I will be drinking delicious cheap beer for a little while at least. It's all in the plan. Things just seem to keep on getting better every year.

Happy New Year Y'all.

Busy busy busy.

2010-12-28T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sure that I don't have to tell you that December is a very busy month.

Just after I flew from Vancouver to Winnipeg, my Mum and I drove out to Brandon for my Grandmother's 85th birthday. Yah Grandma! Still healthy for an old bird!

For those of you who don't know my Mom... well... let's just say she can throw a really amazing party. We had two parties in my Mom's house, which is decorated so beautifully it should be in a magazine. There was plenty of food, mulled wine, and good times to be had. This picture (above) is of my mom with her little neighbour Ilene.

I also had the opportunity to meet some of my Mom's good friends that she grew up with--including Cathy and her daughter Mandi (above), and Barb (below). We went for dinner at a really good restaurant in Brandon (yes, we made two trips to Brandon) before heading to the Grandparent's place for Christmas.

We went to my Grandparents house in the little town of Boissevain (population 1500) for a few days. The women in my family tend to be pack rats. I'm trying not to be, but genetics might turn me into my Grandmother. In twenty years this cooking thermometer will probably still be around... even if it doesn't work. Please note #2 "candy, icing, and deep fat frying thermometer" --MMMMM.

The last family get together I attended was at my Auntie Diana's yesterday. A lot of my cousins were there, as well as my Oma, Auntie Leona, and Uncle Ernie. This picture is of my cousin Kendra's little girl, Sophia. We watched some of Cinderella together. What a sweetheart.

It has been really nice to spend so much time with family and friends in the past few weeks.

Oh dear.

2010-12-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

Looks like December will be an all time low for bloggings for me. I have been at my Mom's place, and unable to connect my computer to the internet. Excuses, excuses. Guess I will have to post up some pictures in the next couple days.

A trip to Manland and other assorted goodness on a Wednesday night.

2010-12-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

Rhianon riding her table chopper.

Yesterday I went to Manland and then out for drinks at the Anza and I learned all kinds of new things. For example, if you want to take your relationship to the next level with a guy, you definitely need to "eat shrimp [together] in the rain".

Apparently Manland isn't actually called Manland anymore--even before it was invaded by five loud bitches with their skateboards-- but I'm fond of the name so I'm going to continue to use it anyway. If you're wondering what exactly this mystical destination is, it is actually a warehouse with no lights in the entry where you may or may not fall down a very steep flight of stairs while trying to find a miniramp. In Manland if you light the way you're a pussy.

I would post photos of us skating, but we only take pictures once a year, and we've got a zine to make. We did have a good session; spirits were high because skateboarding really is the fucking best, so we got these t-shirts (Thanks dudes!!). Everyone there was super friendly and having so much fun it was almost like we weren't in Vancouver.

To everyone else that stayed home... Hey, remember when you used to skateboard?

Phat Natty strikes again.

Well we're still trying. I'm convinced my ladies are the best in the world. So great to be back to spend some time with you all.

"Sweaty titty slaps"

"GET OFF THE ROAD"

Things I've noticed:

2010-11-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

1.the doors on the skytrain stay open for exactly 15 seconds.
2.when my guy friends go to hug me I get weirded out and try to give them a high five, and then I think "oh yah, you're not an teenage Afghan boy, so it isn't weird for me to hug you".
3.everyone here seems to be really worried about fashion, but few people have a really interesting sense of style (myself included--well, the not interesting style part... I don't know that I'm particularly concerned about fashion).
4.besides my few good lady friends, i get the feeling that most women don't really like me.
5.Vancouver is really expensive.
6.I really like having a flat to myself.
7.even after two weeks my body is really messed up.
8.I hardly eat any fresh fruit or vegetables anymore.
9.I really miss teaching classes. I miss the girls and I think about them every damn day.
10.free mcdonalds coffee...
11.I don't look very suspicious and should use it to my advantage.

Fun-draiser!

2010-11-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks for everyone that came out this past Saturday night. If you didn't make it give me a call on my mobile that doesn't exist, or just send me a message on the online outlet of your choice. I think I'm going to leave soon, so don't procrastinate for too long.

Must have been a really good party if Kassy had to read a magazine... hah!

I'm serious Jeff... if you want to talk some more get in touch.

Possibly the cutest part of my night. Can I put them all in my pocket? I love Japanese skateboarders.

Amanda and Braden!! Yeah!!!!!! But what happened to Michael and Chris? You left before I got out my camera. Shame shame. I don't know why this text is underlined..

Oops, there we go.

Look at all those cokes. I'm pretty sure the annoying fat guy drank all three of those flats to himself... that would explain why I look like an alien.

Home is wherever I'm with you.

I love cats.

2010-11-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

There is no cat here, but it sure looks like there could be one living in that mess...

Peter!!!

and Bits and Bits and Bits.

I'm home!

2010-11-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

Imagine that.

Had a lovely time in Weinheim with Herr Henninger. Thanks again for having me!

Trying to get it into my head that not every child in the world speaks Dari.. and that not every child wants to talk to me.

Might go skate the "Dry Spot" tonight.. Hmm. Got new shoes. Hung out with Michelle and Small Fry last night--chatted until 3am. Went for lunch with Nat!!! Ran into Amanda and Kolin. So good to be home. Vancouver sure is lovely on a sunny day.

Homeward Bound

2010-11-11T02:43:00.000-08:00

There is nothing quite like a banana bike is there? How much does my new tracksuit rule?

A.N.O.C for life!

Goodbye Kabul. Khoda Afez. Oh, my chest hurts--big pains in my heart. I don't think I've ever cried so much when I had to leave. I can't seem to stop no matter how much Murza and Mumtaz make fun of me. Usually I'm not allowing myself to get so attached to people. I think I needed these little people much more than they needed me...

What I did yesterday.

2010-11-05T20:22:00.001-07:00

One word... BUZKASHI!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi

I'm so glad I saw this sport before leaving the country.
Beautiful scenery + dead calf carcass + aggression + gambling = good times.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm turning 24-- how totally amazing.

All good things must come to an end.

2010-11-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

What am I missing today? I'll give you a hint... both things start with R.
Photo: Mati Milstein

I feel like I should post something half decent before I leave Afghanistan. I just found this picture of Rhianon and I from Israel. Man, it hasn't even been a week and I am already missing my travel buddy.

I went to a soccer game on my day off last week. Ollie drove his brother Chris and I to ISAF HQ (also known as the "I suck at fighting" headquarters) for a match between the Afghan Women's Football Federation and the ISAF Women's Football Team. The Afghan girls won 1-0, which made me very happy. After the game we saw some of the Saturday dirty boys (Patrick your witticisms really have stuck with me) and had a mini street session with them, and then went to Macroyan fountain for a much longer session with some of the older boys. Good day... good day.

It's the fire downtown.

2010-10-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

Only two more weeks in AFG. See you on the 13th Vancouver!

Today is a good day.

2010-10-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

The earth is my body; my head is in the stars.

Baby Garfunkle

2010-10-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have my books, and my poetry to protect me.
I am shielded in my armor.
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb,
I touch no one and no one touches me.

Did I mention that I'm listening to a lot of Simon and Garfunkle, and really missing school lately?

Back by popular request.

2010-10-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to think of a good story to tell, but most of what happens here stays here. I've been warned about sharing too many details, so what I have to tell is pretty limited...

I went shopping in the city the other day with my co-worker (one of the only female drivers in Kabul), Zahra and Ray Ray. Looked for gifts to bring home, bought some super nice slippers, and found a traditional afghan outfit that I would like to buy myself for my birthday. However, the space in my bag, and the amount of money I have is next to nothing, so there won't be many presents coming back with me. I saw an Afghan shopping mall, and an outdoor bizarre and heard more crazy stories about being a woman under Taliban rule. I realise that I've been here nearly 5 months, and it is sort of pathetic to only being seeing these parts of the city now, but better later than never I suppose. I also skated some pretty good spots recently--including a massive downhill and this dounut shaped fountain at a roundabout.

I don't know if we'll be celebrating Halloween here, but my costumes always suck anyways (except maybe last year when I dressed up as Michael) so I can't really say I'm that upset about it. I do like seeing what other people come up with though...

I guess my life seems pretty boring right now, but when I see you all there will be more stories to tell.

Alright, time for some instant coffee.

I'll have you know

2010-08-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

I stopped biting my fingernails. Yes, strange I know. I have been so sick that I am ready to do just about anything to not feel like total garbage every day.

Today I am dreaming of eating something delicious, like falafel from Nuba, or a Burrito from Budgies, or a Naam burger platter. I haven't been out for dinner for months! Who wants to take me when I get back to Vancouver? I am also dreaming of riding bicycles on a hot sunny day in short sleeves with no head scarf. Sometimes I really miss the little things. It has only taken me seven months to realise that. Just wait, I will get back to Vancouver, and I will miss Kabul immensely, but this is life. Some days, but not all, you just want to be anywhere but here.

When you've already been at work for ten hours...

2010-08-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

you start to feel a little crazy.

I'm still going to have an Afghan birthday. I just received my visa extension.

Last Thursday we went on a trip to the Panjshir Valley. The valley is rumoured to be one of the only places in Afghanistan that has never been invaded by foreign troops. The valley is also home to one of the country's most famous war martyrs Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Here is a picture of Rhianon and I in an old Russian tank from around the Massoud monument.

Oh the Places You'll Go
Photo: Jake Simkin

HAH!

2010-08-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

This video rules:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOCDoKsXjP0

Ramadan

2010-08-15T01:45:00.000-07:00

back at it. hungry and sleepy. that is all.

the only boy that could ever teach me...

2010-08-08T02:32:00.000-07:00

A quick update.

We went to a party at the Norwegian embassy, and Simon took over the tunes--infiltrating the standard (horrible) Kabuli playlist with Dusty Springfield's "son of a preacher man". This means, as usual, that we started the party and with some pretty ugly dancing at that. Eventually the ambassador joined in, and I must say, he had some pretty amazing moves. He also told me where to piss, which as Max pointed out, was pretty cool.

Yep. We have good times.

Next week we will be doing some ugly dance moves at our house. Basement party. Alllllllllllllright.

An oldie, but goodie. Rhianon and I looking super Canadian on a motorcycle ride to Deep Cove.

anybody want a peanut?

2010-07-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

It is nearly the end of my second month here, and the end of the semester at school. The kids will be off for two weeks while we get some work done, and I'm really going to miss them. I can't imagine what it will be like leaving here at the end of November. I don't even really want to think about it.

Things that have happened in the recent past: Rhianon and I went to our first Afghan wedding a couple weeks ago, we went on a day trip to go climbing, we had a super cool new volunteer arrive from Germany, and as always I'm onto plan B with everything. Actually, more like plan G or J... but you know how it goes. You never end up where you think you will, and right now, I think that is the best possible place to be.

Peas in a pod. My co-worker Mumtaz with one of her little girls. I would never want to engage in a stare down with either of these ladies.

The party.

I guess the Afghan bride wears green. Mumtaz was telling me that the bride also wears 4 different dresses during the day, and that each dress usually costs a small fortune.

I want to remember to remember to forget that you forgot me

2010-07-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

In case you forgot how good Modest Mouse is... Listen to "The Moon and Antarctica" one more time.

Magicstan

2010-07-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

Good call Natalie.

For three days I went to two of the most beautiful places--Bamiyan and Band-E-Amir. I never thought I would say this, but they might even rival the White Desert. A few days off to soak up the sun, and eat a tonne of dust. The drive was super long and bumpy and today I am exhausted, but as you can see above, it was all worth it!

We had some visitors

2010-07-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

Look at this cute little guy that ended up in our yard. Ricky and Cookie were up all night chasing him and barking. In the morning my housemate, Ty, managed to capture this photo when the dogs finally left him alone.

Jake and Julie also found a scorpion in their room this morning. Note to self: check sheets before getting into bed, and shake out clothes before putting them on.

Near the end of month one.

2010-06-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

I have been here nearly a month, and haven't really taken many photos. My days have almost been busier than when I was in the last semesters of my degree. A feat I didn't think was at all possible. Sometimes I get up before 6am, and get to the park by 7 or 7:30 and then stick around until 5 or 6. Then there is dinner to be made, house chores to be done, and of course, hanging out with my housemates. Sometimes I get a decent sleep before starting the whole process all over again. We've also done some gardening and mini trips on our days off. All of my time here has been a mix of hard work and great fun.

I have grown fond of Afghan radio on the trips between home and the office, especially, a song called "nosy neighbor" by Akon. Totally absurd lyrics combined with an extremely catchy beat has come to summarize the way I feel about being here in Kabul. There are so many crazy little things that should drive me mental, but I'm caught in the web and I really like it.

A photo from our roof of one of the many wedding halls near our house.

Weddings are a big deal. At night the wedding halls are the brightest buildings in the city.

Part of my little yellow room. Messy as usual.

Summer Solstice

2010-06-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

Today is GSD. Get out on your board. Grip it and rip it. It is also summer solstice so if you don't skate then make sure you get outside.

This morning I was thinking about this sign I saw at one of the entrances to Kabul: "Welcome to Kabul. Technology is Our Passion--Winning is Our Attitude". Underneath was a nice painting of insurgents handing over weapons for cash. This is a crazy place, and today is going to be a crazy day.

There are no more monsters in my belly. For now anyway...

Still alive.

2010-06-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

Just sleepy. I will post something before the weekend.

The end of my first week of classes.

2010-06-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

Well the first week of classes is over and I'm heading home for the weekend. The kids have been great and I'm sort of starting to get the swing of things. At times it feels like I have been here for months, and at times it feels like only a couple hours. I haven't been taking many photos since our hike last week, so I am finally going to post some good ones from Berlin:

Skating the bowl at the Skatehalle

Before things got messy at Karneval

Some parade photos

I promise I'll put some more up for you later Tobey.

If only there were more hours in a day

2010-06-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Rhianon's birthday and my first day teaching classes. I have been super busy, but have also been having a lot of fun. The little guys I helped Rhianon teach yesterday were full of energy and tonnes of fun to be with. I look forward to meeting the rest of the kids throughout the week. Before classes started this week we had a couple days off to go just outside of Kabul to visit a small village and go for a hike the surrounding mountains. Here are some photos:

After our hike and a really delicious lunch we hung out outside in the garden. The tree in the background has mulberries on it. So delicious.

A view from our hike into the valley where Kabul is.

One of my housemates Julie washing her hands and drinking some of the water from the mountain spring. Unlike the water in Kabul the water in this particular village was very clean and safe to drink.

On the way out of the city we stopped on the river and ate fish in a little hut.

This little guy went cruising by a couple times while we were eating.

First days in Kabul.

2010-06-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

So, I've arrived in Kabul and have already started to work. The other volunteers (aside from Rhianon of course) are really cool, and the house is massive. We've had a bunch of meetings to get me up to speed and I'm already working on a lesson plan for next week. I can't wait to meet some of the kids on saturday. I actually haven't skated the park yet because we're working from home this week. I'll just have to wait until the new school week starts. Today I took a couple photos at home though:

This is Cookie she's a real suck

and Ricky... as Patrick says that he's the bark and Cookie is the bite.

Found this photo of Rhianon and me from our trip to Seattle last november.

Today we were looking slightly more red from the hot Kabul sun, but we're still wearing matching garb.

Running on Berliner time.

2010-05-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

I would tell you what time it is right now, but because I know my father is reading this I will spare the details. Let's just say it is really late, or really early, whatever way you want to look at it. Tobey got her first taste of Berlin nightlife and it is only Thursday, so we're going to have to keep this up all weekend. We started out the night by watching Point Break, and received a call at around 1am from Kata asking if we wanted to go to a Vice Magazine party. The party was pretty mellow and we had a great time, but mostly because we were with great people. My favorite part of the venue (which reminded me of a high school dance) was these really neat translucent giant blocks stacked up in this one room that had lights inside them, and flashed accordingly with the techno (or whatever electronic music it was).

Kata also signed me up to do a interview for German Television on Monday about skateboarding as a foreigner in Berlin, so that should be funny. I have to answer some questions and then maybe they will film me skating the bowl a bit? I feel sorry for those who end up watching it, but I love Kata, and as she is helping to organize a really big contest here at the Skate Halle on the 29th and 30th, so I will do my best. The interview is part of a story on the Clash Contest.

The day after the contest I'm leaving Berlin, and I feel like I need to give a little explanation of what has been going on in my life. I am going to join my good friend and Siamese traveling companion, Rhianon, in Kabul to teach and be taught all sorts of different things--including skateboarding. I am so excited, but I don't think it has really set in yet because I am in the process of getting myself together. Before leaving Canada I had made up my mind that I wasn't going to go to school this year, and I didn't finish any applications or really even think about them once I left Scotland. Upon arriving in Berlin I thought a lot about what I wanted to do with my life and all the crazy things I experienced on my journey so far and decided that I wanted to be an English teacher so I could continue to travel, learn a lot, and most importantly, develop relationships with amazing people doing what I love!

I applied at several language schools, including some preschools that have English instructors, in Berlin and had a few call backs and interviews, but Rhianon also expressed that Skateistan needed female instructors. So, I applied to the organization in the midst of establishing myself in Berlin and they contacted me a few weeks later. Once I knew they were interested in me everything happened really quickly, and now I am leaving in about a week and a half. I'm really ecstatic about the project there as it combines all the things I care most about in the world and has turned it into something really special. For example, just think about this: I am probably going to skateboard every day for the next six months. Ahhh. So exciting.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated on what is going on as I have been since I left Canada. So, until next time....

Look who came to Berlin for a visit!

2010-05-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Only one of the coolest ladies I know/my bff for the last 14 years.
Welcome to Berlin Ms. Berriault.

I was thinking about the first time I met this lady when I was about ten years old and it doesn't seem like all that long ago. It really felt like not much has changed over the years--there we were last night, drinking together, but this time we were downing mojitos at a hip Mexican Restaurant in a foreign country instead of stealing her Dad's shitty wine coolers from the fridge in the basement.

Double trouble. Look out Berlin my kindred spirit is here and there is going to be some seriously good times!

I'm officially sick.

2010-05-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

A little bit homesick, and my body is starting to shut down on me. I have a pretty nasty cold, and I'm sure it's because it has been so cold in Berlin, not because I've been going out a whole lot. Seriously. I'm so glad Rhianon left her jacket with me, or I'd be even worse off.

There was a holiday here yesterday, but don't ask any Germans what the holiday is for because they don't really know. I've heard a few things: it is the day when Christ ascended to heaven, it is the day where rural German men ride around on bicycles and get drunk, and lastly it is another day that no one here is working and no one knows why, which has sort of made getting any real business done this week next to impossible. So, Monday all day, the job hunt continues.

I haven't really taken any photos since I've been in Berlin, so it was slim pickins for this post:

Check out this babe that came in a mojito I was drinking at the 1st of May festival. So festive.

On the 1st of May I also attended one of the big protest marches. Originally this protest started as a way to demand better working conditions, but from what I could gather, has, or will, by the end of the evening turn into more of an anti-capitalist riot. This is why you can see riot police in full gear on the roof tops, and why I almost couldn't get back to my house because the riot police where blocking certain streets in my neighborhood. Throughout the day people get into fights with the police, tonnes of things get broken and set on fire, and most people are getting totally wasted, which I have learned, are all parts of good clean German fun. There were also other marches during the day. I think there was a Nazi march of about 500 people, and then an anti-Nazi march of about 10, 000 people. I'm really glad that that latter outweighs the former, but I still can't believe there are Nazi marches. This is disconcerting to say the least.

This is my new girl crush Katharina. She's so sweet, a rad skater, and obviously insanely cute. So nice to have a bud to skate with since Ray Ray has left me and I miss her so. Skating with dudes is fun, but not quite the same (no offense). I've known Kata for just under a week, but I feel like I've known her forever. This is the best kind of new friend!

Also, Will and Alex have been making some pretty funny videos here in Berlin and on their recent trip to Tel Aviv. There is even some guest appearances by some of my favorite Israeli skaters. Check them out for a good laugh and some good skateboarding.

The best night in Cairo.

2010-05-08T03:16:00.000-07:00

On one of our first days in Cairo Rhianon and I chatted with the owner of a small coffee and shisha shop by our hostel, and because he is a totally rad dude, "Rocky" told us about some really neat things to see in Cairo. We were originally going to go see the Sufi dancers that are a main tourist attraction (and lovely I'm sure), but Rocky directed us to the Egyptian Center for Culture & Art where once a week there is traditional Mazaher music. The Mazaher music and dance is inspired by several different styles of Zar traditions: the Eyptian or Upper Egyptian Zar, Abu el Gheit Zar, and the Sudanese or African Zar. The music is performed with women in the main roles, and traditionally functions as a cathartic/spiritual release to help work out the tensions of daily life. The music has become somewhat underground because of its "complex dynamic of magic, mystery, suspiciously un-Islamic spirits and its function as an alternative to mainstream social, healing, and religious practises" (from a hand-out I got at the show). There are only approximately 25 people in Egypt that have knowledge of this music and continue to perform it, and only about a dozen people within the Cairo area. One Egyptian man asked how we ended up at the performance exclaiming, "I've lived in Egypt my entire life, and I never knew about this! How did you girls find out about this performance? You are so fortunate to see this!". And he's right, we really were.

The woman in this photo was one of the two main female performers, and it was obvious that she loved attention. She was constantly interacting with the audience, posing for photos, and smiling. What a lady.

One of the rare moments where the men took center stage.

It was really fun to watch her be coy with her beautiful head scarf. She would hold shake her hands to the music, stop, hold the head covering over the bottom half of her face, pick out a particular person in the audience and sing right to them, smile, and then continue to dance.

In this photo there are two really interesting instruments. In the background is a six-stringed lyre used for the Zar called the Tamboura. Around the waist of the man in the foreground of this picture is a Mangour, which is a leather belt sewn with many goat hooves that makes a "shaker" type sound when combined with a twisting of the hips. Other instruments included various drums, some sort of wind instrument, and hand held symbols. The man wearing the Mangour kept an incredibly serious face while doing some incredibly serious booty shaking.

Below is a photo with the other leads in the performance. She always seemed to guide the music to some of its most intense moments--jumping around, dancing, and singing like she meant it.

What to do when you're funemployed?

2010-05-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

Go skateboarding... obviously. I have been feeling really overwhelmed lately, so I decided I am going to take today off from looking for work to just skate and try to forget that my bank account is slowly dwindling. I just have to hope that something will turn up if I keep trying. To aid the employment process I think I also need to try and learn more German when I haven't been drinking, which in this country is turning out to be a feat in itself. A decent bottle of wine for two and a half euros is a dangerous thing.

Yesterday I went on a tour of one of Berlin's many museums with an Egyptologist. I think that being an "Egyptologist" is probably one of the coolest titles you could have as an academic--aside from "Medievalist" of course. I learned more about ancient Egyptian society in two hours than I did the whole time I was in Egypt, and he even read out some of the hieroglyphics in the original language and then translated them into English. I had a lot of fun.

Well, that is all I have energy for right now, so I'll write more later. I just realised that I never blogged about something really neat we saw in Cairo, so I will definitely do that next.

Just discovered an unopened week old package of Gouda.

2010-05-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

I must be in Germany and eating too much cheese if I forgot that there was a whole pack of Gouda just sitting in my leather bag... for the past week. So gross.

Today is cold and overcast in Berlin, which makes me even more jealous that Will and Alex are in Tel Aviv. Not that I just spent four weeks in Tel Aviv or anything. So, because I miss Israel I am going to post some photos from our day trip to Jerusalem.

An overview of part of the Old City. On the far right is the Dome of the Rock, which is stunning even from so far away. Unfortunately we didn't make it inside the grounds because we neglected to read the guidebook until we were in the Old City causing us to be too late. We wouldn't have been able to go inside the mosque regardless, so I was almost satisfied to just admire it from afar, or at least that is what I keep telling myself. Side note: I find the amount of satellite dishes in this photo really amusing. It was really strange for me to see people going about their lives in a somewhat normal way in a place so burdened with history.

Because we didn't really know anything about Jerusalem, we went to the Tower of David to learn the ins and outs of the tumultuous history of the Old City. At the start of the museum there is a really great animated video that pointed out how the walls of the city can tell a lot of its history. I guess I must have had this in mind for the rest of the day... because I have a lot of pictures of walls. But really, when you think about how old some of the walls are, and how much they have seen, you can almost get lost in your thoughts while wandering from one street to the next. This particular wall (above) was inside the Holy Sepulchre Church.

Also in the Holy Sepulchre Church. So beautiful.

We lucked out and just happened to end up walking the Via Dolorosa at 4pm. We then proceeded to infiltrate (or as Noa would say "pass") and follow the Christian Pilgrims that were carrying a cross and praying at each station. Pretty wild stuff.

Following in Jesus's footsteps we began either in, or near the Muslim Quarter and ended up at the site of his crucifixion in the Christian Quarter. To get to the Holy Sepulchre we had to pass through the sukh (some of the stations of the cross are actually right in the market), and after studying so much Chaucer and talking extensively about the economics of religion, it was fascinating to watch the religious memorabilia change in the market as you passed from one religious quarter to the next.

The pilgrims.

Some graffiti in Arabic that I really liked in the Muslim Quarter. Considering how small the Old City is and how many people seem to be there, as soon as you leave the main streets everything really slows down and you feel like you're not only in an ancient place but also a secret one. I felt like that in some parts of the old city, Yafo, in Tel Aviv too.

Yep. More walls.

Scheiss Soupe

2010-05-01T00:16:00.000-07:00

Germany, is all about efficiency. I love this place, but obviously for different reasons than I love every other place I've travelled so far. Trains run on time to the second, when Henryk was moving ten people showed up to help and made an assembly line to carry the boxes up the stairs... Even the toilet paper is about efficiency. I'd say you need to use about 75% less toilet paper here because the stuff is like cardboard, or as one of Henryk's friends, Thomas, so eloquently described it: "You are in Germany now, so you have to use the rough toilet paper. Your ass isn't clean unless it bleeds". Lovely.

I just dropped Rhianon off at the train this morning, and I have to say, saying goodbye to her was like loosing a limb. We've spent every single day together since February 4th, and I'm really going to miss her. She's gone to Afghanistan to work and I'm so proud of her and excited for her. Skateboarding has taken us some pretty crazy and amazing places. Stay safe and keep in touch. Maybe I will see you sooner than originally planned.

Have you ever read a book that changed your life, and I mean REALLY changed it? I just read a book by Nawal El Saadawi titled Death of an ex-minister, and it did just that. In other words, reading this book on this trip clarified what I want to do with the next couple years and possibly the rest of my life. I want to travel, teach English, study, and skateboard, and I think I might have thought up a way to combine all these things.

Sometimes I wonder why I keep wanting to wander. I don't really know what I'm looking for, or if I'm really looking for anything at all, but I know that I can't stay put right now and I don't know when I will be able to.

"Oh well I roam from town to town
I go through life without a care
'Til I'm as happy as a clown
With my two fists of iron and I'm going nowhere

I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
I'm never in one place I roam from town to town
And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl
I hop right into that car of mine and ride around the world
Yeah I'm the wanderer yeah the wanderer
I roam around around around...

Oh yeah I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
I'm never in one place I roam from town to town
And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl
I hop right into that car of mine and ride around the world
Yeah 'cause I'm a wanderer yeah a wanderer
I roam around around around...
'Cause I'm a wanderer yeah a wanderer
I roam around around around..."

"Ich bin ein Berliner"

2010-04-22T03:39:00.001-07:00

We made it to Berlin.
Thanks again for harbouring us Mati, and for being such a swell chap. We will miss you. Come to Germany soon. Same goes for the rest of you Israelis. You will be sorely missed!

Our last night in Israel.

2010-04-21T04:18:00.000-07:00

After a very disappointing attempt to skate Galit one last time (the rollerblader rave/bbq that was happening was more than we could handle) we went out last night to a bar called Prozdor in the center for some goodbye drinks. Maybe too many drinks, but nothing a little Shakshuka, turkish coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice couldn't remedy this morning.

The sacred Bamba. Oh, I will miss you so.

Now that I think about it, our seating arrangement actually worked out perfectly. We sat on the side of the bar with the Candian-ish mountainous background (above), and the guys sat on the side with the Israeli-ish sea background (below). Same, same, but different (in an Israeli accent). Skateboarders are some of the best of people. Idlewood makin' waves in Israel.

Fernandez, so stoked on his stolen lighter. Also quite fitting.

Maybe not as stoked as Mohammed though. His energy is highly contagious.

Nothing like a little drunken bicycle riding to end off the night. Things get a little fuzzy when you're trying to take a photo, keep up to a moped, and avoid potholes.

Independence Day Party

2010-04-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

Mati was telling us that his cousins that live in Jerusalem don't like coming to Tel Aviv-Yafo because there is always weird shit happening here. Well, I love the weird shit, and the weird shit was happening all over Israel last night for Independence Day. A certain journalist I know was arrested last night in Jerusalem for mooning some right-wing fascists, we saw some crazy dancing Jews, Orna stepped on some glass and got a bloody foot, we went to a rooftop party, and we drank copious amounts of vodka, beer, and sparkling wine (don't ask) to try and make it all make sense. Tel Aviv-Yafo sure knows how to party. The whole city was a party last night. Street parties, house parties, bar parties. I read in a guidebook somewhere that "Jerusalem prays, Haifa pays, and Tel Aviv plays"--so true.

Judging by the mannequin I'd say they've got their target market cornered.

A view of the Tel Aviv-Yafo coastline from our neighborhood.

Orna's bloody foot.

I love that you can hear Rhianon's confusion: "What the fuck?!". I think you can hear me yelling in the background for Rhianon to film the van. The big purple van was the source of the tunes and these guys were dancing all over the city. We even saw someone dancing on top of the van at a different location around 3am.

What a night... what a night.

Sangria Saturday was successful

2010-04-19T10:20:00.001-07:00

Here are some randoms for you. When I stop being lazy my next post will be of Jerusalem's Old City. For now, however, this is all you get:

Orna, Noa, Mati, Jen, and friends came over for delicious Sangria. We made two giant batches--one red, and one white. The girls brought yummy snacks.

Speaking of which, someone needs to make Bamba in Canada. Bamba, for those of you who have yet to experience it, is a delicious peanut butter snack masquerading as a cheesy in form. Yes, it is Kosher and sooooo delicious.

At a Cafe in Tel-Aviv-Yafo. Evidence that I was a cat in a past life.

Another pretty little kitty, but this one was in Cairo. There were so many people and so much going on that we didn't really get to skate much. We did manage to pop some ollies on the roads surrounding the American embassy because all the traffic is stopped for a one block radius. Guess the Americans aren't all that popular in Arab countries right now. I wonder why? Egyptian guards closely monitor all the foot traffic, and they let us skate through so long as we didn't stop. One of the guys at our hostel couldn't believe we were even going to bother trying. He almost busted a gut thinking about us skateboarding: "What are you doing with that? I have never seen anything like this in Egypt. Egyptians don't skateboard in public. I just can't believe this. Hah ha ha."

Surprisingly, people could have cared less about us carrying boards around except for a few little kids. I think we were actually bothered less when we stuck out more.

Let me upgrade you

2010-04-14T14:34:00.001-07:00

Beyonce is amazing.

Just got back from Shaffa Bar, a really cool spot in the flea market that is very close to our temporary home. Orna played some great tunes for us (no Beyonce though--she couldn't quite work her in with Pavement and T-rex) and some people drank a lot of beer. Not me, tonight I was like a "fifty year old Arab man". Just hanging out and drinking my Turkish coffee.

Our neighborhood is crazy. In the last fifteen minutes I've heard Arab pop music blasting, some sort of bongo drum chanting ritual type noise, construction workers driving around on some sort of paving machine (did I mention it's 12:30am?), random yelling, an alarm or two, car horns, and bats. The bats are huge here and they seem to be all over Jaffa squeaking and almost flying into me. One will most likely take me out when I am riding my bicycle.

Totally unrelated side-note: We chatted with Michelle on skype last night which was really nice! Tommy is going to have to get that webcam up for her so we can see that pretty face. Having phone and skype conversations with such a time difference has proved to be really difficult.

Right now I'm going to go and read my book. It's called The Bookseller of Kabul. I've only read a couple chapters and I'm hooked. Always a good sign. I just read a book of short stories by Sherman Alexi as well as Reservation Blues and some short stories by Amos Oz. I'm not so sure about Oz's writing. I know that some of the subtleties of language can be lost in translation, and this particular translation from Hebrew to English, I fear, is no exception. However, because I'm feeling generous, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I won't write him off completely until I read something else he's written that also confuses and frustrates me. I'm not exactly an expert on the intricacies of the Jewish/Arab conflict in Israel, but I felt that some of his stories just lacked the complexity that such a riff deserves.

I will, however, hastily criticize the movie Notting Hill that we watched this evening because it was total crap. Thinking about it makes me want to puke in my mouth. An 82% rating on rotten tomatoes? Seriously? Another movie with a bullshit female lead. Am I supposed to identify with Julia Roberts just because she's the egocentric prick with no personality instead of Hugh Grant? Oh that's right--she's a "lost soul", which in Notting Hill is equivalent to having no soul. Manohla Dargis, I'm with you.

Also, I had to re-post this article that Mati sent me because I think you might like it. I sure do.

I'm a bit scattered this evening. Sorry about that.

I really love Tel Aviv-Yafo

2010-04-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today, we're taking a train up to Haifa and are going to try and get some touristy stuff "out of the way". It stresses me out to think that we only have just over a week left here and we still haven't done a proper trip to Jerusalem. I just want to stay in Tel Aviv. Soon we'll be on the move again, and in many ways I'll have to get back to real life. In other words, get a job and an apartment when all I really want to do is continue to go to the beach and go skateboarding. A combination of things in Tel Aviv has made me fall in love with this city. It has some of the best food I have ever tasted (seriously, the fruits and vegetables taste the way you've always wanted them to and every restaurant I've eaten at has been great), really nice warm weather, good skate spots, and really great people, all of which have made me so much more excited about travelling and skateboarding. Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to do both, but I rarely get a fluttery stomach just thinking about what I'm going to do next. I can't wait to see Tobey, Will, and Henrick, in Germany.

We were chatting with some kids at the Galit park last night, and when we asked if we should take our boards to Haifa today they just looked at us like we were crazy and said "you should just take your board with you everywhere you go!" and I think they're right. Maybe we will have to take our skateboards with us today. We skated around Tel Aviv on Sunday and people just don't know what to do with themselves when they see us. When I've been riding a bicycle around town cars will honk at me and be sort of aggressive, but when Rhianon and I were following some skaters through the streets weaving between cars, people just looked really confused. I find it comforting that regardless of where you are in the world skaters always act the same way in traffic.

Bloggerific

2010-04-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

I've added a links list to my page (and some other things) inspired by the updated website of Mr. Andrew Pommier. Your site looks great AP. I don't know if you noticed but the other Pommier brother has also been blogging up a storm. In other news, the new Motorcycho (#24) is out with an article about some old bags on bikes known popularly as the Majestic Unicorns Motorcycle Club.

It's days like today that make me remember how much I miss you all.

Just cranking his Michael (Jackson that is).

2010-04-11T01:52:00.001-07:00

We've been going to the beach quite frequently, and according to Mati, I'm "getting kind of brown". Other things that are brown: the dog shit I got all over my shoe last night; the many turds to be dodged on the sidewalks in Tel Aviv during late night bicycle/skateboard missions; the couch I am sitting on (in our place!!); my leather bag, which has been a smash hit in every country we've visited; and oh yes--the mountains of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt.

Here are some photos of the mountain and surrounding area where Moses ("Jesus's dad's friend") may, or may not have received the ten commandments:

See that little white dot on the top of that mountain? That's a church--one of many on surrounding mountains. It appears that building churches on the top of mountains was pretty trendy at one point.

At St. Catherine's Monastery. This may, or may not be the original burning bush... People still seemed pretty excited about it.

I think there should be a motorcycle episode of "pimp my ride" inspired by Egyptian bikes.

The bag making its way up Mount Sinai. Thanks Rob.

Rhianon keeping the sun off.

A Greek Orthodox Church at the summit.

I couldn't decide what photo I liked better. From the top of the Mountain (above) or the bottom (below).

Being here makes me think about politics

2010-04-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

We've been hanging out with a lot of journalists. Good debates over beer whilst learning a wee bit about Israel. Here is an article from the NYT that explains some of what we were talking about last night. This seems crazy to me. This young woman is about the same age as me and could get 14 years in prison for leaking top secret government documents that she felt were morally dubious.

I also happened upon an article about a protest in Midan Tahrir in Cairo. We walked through the square almost everyday when we were there. I'm glad we didn't happen upon Egyptian authorities beating and arresting protesters. You can read more here.

Speaking of Egypt. Here are some photos from when we went to the Pyramids in Giza:

This photo of Rhianon and some Egyptian girls is my favorite photo I have taken on the trip so far. I think it captures some of the extreme emotions we've experienced perfectly. We were surprised and delighted to see so many Egyptians visiting the pyramids (I hardly remember seeing any people that were visibly foreign) and these girls were so excited to chat with us and find out what we liked about their country.

"Do you like Egypt?" "Yes" "Why?"

Rhianon's camel had some gangsta lean and mine had a sweaty saddle. The smell lingered on me and my clothing for days...

Here you can see Giza in the background, and beyond that, Cairo. The Giza pyramids are way closer to the city than I thought they would be!

On the Nile. Agriculture right in the city. I am still having a hard time comprehending that the greater area of Cairo has nearly as many people as Canada. Our driver, Osama, who actually took this photo, told us that there is over 22 million people.

"This is not my baby"

2010-04-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

"If this was my baby I'd kill it" *long pause* "Do you have a knife?"

Our trip to the Bahariya Oasis and the Black, Old White, and New White deserts was one of my favorite parts of Egypt, so I am going to post a bunch of photos. Little hellian babies, great conversations about Egypt (Did you know that Egyptian men can have four wives?), hot springs, tea with moms and little girls, and dates right from the tree, amongst many other wonderful things. I don't think we could have had more fun.

I like to call this "adventurer" or "explorer pose" (above)

So stoked that we made it to the hot spring at 7am in tights and t-shirts before any dudes showed up

The place we stayed in Bahariya.

The chicken and the tree!!!!!

Sunset on another planet

Sunrise on the moon

Pretty, don't you think?

DESERT SAFARY FOR EVER OF ROAD

We're back in Israel... A.k.a...

2010-04-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

And we went for drinks in our new neighborhood with Orna and Mati

Lobster, the scorpion of the sea.

2010-03-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

When we were staying in Cairo Rhianon overheard a really funny conversation:

Man 1: "Do you have any toilet paper?"
Man 2: "I do not have any toilet paper!"
Man 1: "Are you sitting or standing?"

It's better when Rhianon imitates their accents but you can imagine each time I think about this I smile. Carrying your own toilet paper is one of the many little things I've had to get used to on this trip. I never knew how much I appreciated a clean washroom or being able to flush toilet paper instead of awkwardly folding it and then throwing it in the waste basket until now. Some other things that take getting used to: the restaurant we've been going to has a million cats that you have to spray with a water bottle to keep them from stealing your food--actually, the sheer amount of cats in Egypt and Israel is crazy. Cats everywhere. Michael you would be in heaven. I'm also getting better at ignoring the constant heckling and the machine guns everywhere. Though I do feel better about the presence of machine guns in Israel and not just because there are really foxy people carrying them. I feel comforted that both men and women have possession of them. Being foreign and female without any male companions in a country like Egypt is a really wild experience.

On a totally different note, Dad you'll like this... I had to learn to say "there is no hot water" in Arabic and all I could think of is you. Dodgy hostel in Alexandria: "Ma-feesh maya sukh-na".

This is likely my last post from Egypt, but I have so many incredible photos to post when we get to Tel Aviv. I'll try to get some stuff up as soon as possible.

Highs and lows

2010-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Peaks and Valleys. So our trip in Egypt has progressed. The really good things making up for the real shit. We're in a little beach town right now called Dahab. It's sort of a tourist trap but in the best way possible. Sunny and hot with restaurants where you can drink beer (which seems novel right now), eat really good food, and smoke sheesha, all along the waterfront. Tomorrow we'll hike up Mount Sinai, and maybe go snorkeling in the Red Sea the day after. Then it's back through Taba (I dread this after our hellish bus ride last time) into Eliat and from there to Tel Aviv. I can't wait to eat some hummous in Tel Aviv. I kept asking for hummous in Cairo, and I don't think it's chickpeas with tahini. We've sort of deduced that it is candied peanuts.. or something. Maybe I'm just not saying it correctly. Alright, I need a beer, and I'm wearing sandals--causally linked? Who am I? What is happening to me?

Libraries truly are wonderful places

2010-03-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Library in Alexandria right now and I think it is the most incredible library I have ever been to. The architecture is amazing, and all of the shelves have lights on them so the bookcases look like little high-rises. Brilliant. I feel like I can go into any library in the world and feel some what normal. In Egypt, this is a good feeling. Last night we found a really cool little cafe on the beach, smoked sheesha, and had fruity non-alcoholic cocktails. Delightful. Tonight we're going back.

Today we also checked out some underground tombs. A really nice older fellow helped us find them, and by helped I mean that he walked with us for some time to find someone who could tell us where to go. Then the man's friend (who also almost made my heart melt) told our taxi where to go and then paid for our taxi and sent us on our way. It was really sweet. So many beautiful people.

Beautiful books and beautiful people.

"Hey Sunglasses, You walk like an Egyptian"

2010-03-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

Some of the many things I love about Egypt:

1.Ko-shah-REE (Kochary.. Cocherie?). Mmmm.. so tasty
2.7am secret trips to a hot spring
3.The way the wrinkles in sand feel when you walk on them
4.Seeing the night sky with two eyes
5.Bahariya Oasis locals
6.Che (tea) with fresh mint and sugar
7.Ping pong
8.Walking really really slowly
9.Coffee at Rocky's
10.A different approach to safety
11.Desert Foxes
12.Sand and rock that looks like snow and a chicken or a camel
13.Cruising up the Nile with a bunch of rowdy teenagers

My eye is all better, and so many good things have happened. We just camped in the White Desert, and spent time at Bahariya Oasis, and tomorrow we're going to Alexandria, and then to Dahab. I'll write more run-on sentences later. I am keeping a journal. I can count to twenty in Arabic. I can also say Hello, Goodbye, How's it going, star, stars, and a couple other things.

Alright. Goodnight. Now try it in Arabic. Not so easy is it? I'm sooooooooooo tired. Just let me sleep in my clothes.

A'hoy there matees

2010-03-21T04:15:00.000-07:00

I am writing this to you with only the use of one eye. While on a wonderful tour of the city of Cairo yesterday, God tried to tell me to get lost, by lodging a sharp rusty metal shard into my eye in front of a beautiful church. I could hardly see anything all day yesterday, and I couldn't see if there was anything in my eye still because it was swollen, and this morning when I looked like Quasi Moto we knew we had to find a doctor. Words of advice: if in doubt/distress go to the Canadian Embassy. They are so helpful and friendly. They gave us a list of the doctors they recommend to their employees and called the doctors office to find out times and everything. My travel insurance company was not helpful (not surprisingly), but we made it through.

Okay. Really really great things have happened too. We rode camels around the great pyramids in Giza, and we went to the opera, but that is probably so much less interesting for you to imagine than me looking all messed up, so I'll tell you more about that later.

Organized Chaos

2010-03-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

We're in Cairo, and I have to say, I don't recommend taking a local bus from the Egyptian town, Taba, bordering with Israel if you want to feel at all sane. I made the mistake of allowing the bus attendant to keep our ticket and even though he purposely took it from me. He then proceeded to hassle us for nearly the rest of the 8 hour trip for our ticket. To their credit, it was a pretty well organized scam. At the low point of the journey, we thought we might get left in the middle of the desert, but we made it. Thank goodness for deep breathes, really nice locals that are willing to stand up for you, and french workers to commiserate with. It also helps to have Rhianon on your side because she's not taking any shit. We're thinking about hanging out in Cairo for a couple days, and then maybe heading to the white desert, and Luxor, and maybe (time permitting) a couple days in the Sinai Peninsula at a beach resort. I don't have so much time to write or post as I have in the past, but our hostel is amazing (thanks for the recommendation Noa), and I think we'll get used to things here fairly quickly.

Also, even the fast food in Egypt is amazing.

False alarm

2010-03-14T04:01:00.000-07:00

We couldn't get our visas for Egypt until tomorrow, so I have a couple more photos.

Missing majestic cat. Have you seen her?

On the front of a Synagogue in Florentin. Close by is another tag with the words "Jew Tang" above a couple illustrations of what appear to be blue and orange Orthodox Jewish men. I haven't taken a photo, but I will, and I'll post it later.

Put that bee in your bonnet

2010-03-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

Communism that works? For example, in a Kibbutz when there are a lot of people in one small room and there needs to be one more chair, everyone systematically shuffles down six inches to the left and makes space for the extra person. No blank stares that basically say:"serves you right for being thirty seconds later, you asshole". I thought the vibe was a little creepy in Be'eri, but that could be because I'm foreign and they know it, and I have no idea how they know, but they can tell even before I start speaking. It's like their instincts told them I was from a right-wing Canadian family and that any hope of a true belief in communal living had more than likely been drummed out of me by the third grade. Either that or I just look funny--which, I'd have to say, is far more likely.

At any rate, the photo show was really something. The show was organized by an international collective known as "Elsewhere" that includes both Israeli and Palestinian artists, such as Eman Mohammed, and focuses on creating a space for dialogue in the midst of conflict. Several artists showcased works depicting how problematic boundaries and segregation can be when some sort of common ground is needed. One of the many smart things I heard today: the show was deliberately held just outside of Gaza to emphasize the importance of creating discourse in areas that are more severely confronted by war on a daily basis. A lively discussion (though somewhat off topic I'm told) followed the opening in the gallery, and Mati gave us a running translation of the Hebrew, which was really nice.

So far all I know is "shalom", "toda", and "koma ze ole", and am still a little shy about saying them. When we get back from Egypt on the 1st of April, I will have to put in a much better effort, as we will no longer have help on a 24hr basis.

Which reminds me, today is the last photo post until I get back. Sorry kids.

You can't tell in this photo but just beyond this field is Gaza City. At one point the farmers that worked this field had to wear protective gear to plow their crops.

The large structure in the background of this photo is a warning system that tracks rockets that have been fired and sends out a warning signal to the members of the Be'eri Kibbutz

Intra-Kibbutz vehicles of choice

You've got the universe reclining in your hair

2010-03-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

My camera is back in action and all for the bargain price of 180 shekels. Which doesn't seem like a bargain, but compared with shipping with fedex, it was a steal of a deal.

We walked around town and took some photos:

Some of the neighbors

The door behind this gentleman is signed by various famous Israeli musicians

Fresh squeezed juice in part of a market in Jaffa

I'm not really sure what is going on here !?!?

But Rhianon sure is cute

Then we whipped up some dinner:

With Mati's lovely friends Noa and Jen

Mati looking quite content

A new challenge

2010-03-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

Can I possibly become sick of eating hummous? I highly doubt it, and I am going to continue eating copious amounts because... well... because I want to.

Today we wiped the dust off of some of Mati's cassettes and went road tripin'. Mati and his friend Daniella are both journalists and Daniella was writing a story about the economy in Jericho, so the two of them were kind enough to bring Rhianon and I along to see a small portion of the West Bank while they worked. Although Neil Young, Taj Mahal, and Bob Dylan, are always good travel companions, friends definitely make the day. A couple highlights of todays adventure: really good falafels and hummous; lemonade to fight the heat; Hisham's Palace, that is thought to have been built in the 8th century; and some parts of the "old city" (Jericho claims to be the oldest city in the world--good wording Mati) that are still being excavated. We were really fortunate to visit Jericho today for various reasons, but the mosaics at Hisham's Palace were incredible, as they were recently uncovered from a layer of sand. We also tried to find the strawberry man but were unsuccessful. Maybe there will be more strawberry men elsewhere.

Until I get a charger for my camera tomorrow I bummed some photos off of Rhianon (I pushed the button on a couple) but you should know because you're checking her site anyways!

Some Jericho Locals

I love goats!

Putting my birthday shades to use

A school created at Hisham's Palace by a partnership between Palestine and Italy to teach Mosaic artistry (above), and a stunning shot Rhianon took of the ancient mosaic floor (below).

It's really warm here

2010-03-09T22:43:00.000-08:00

I'm currently sitting on Mati's balcony on what has been called the "the most romantic street in Tel Aviv". Apparently the locals don't think it's so romantic, but I think this place is pretty amazing. There are orange trees blossoming (that smell delicious) and a tonnes of little restaurants and wine bars. I'm still trying to figure out my camera situation, but for now I have a couple photos from the balcony:

Mati's place is near the older portion of the city called Jaffa, and I believe his neighborhood is called the "Florentine", but I could be wrong. On the agenda today: get Egyptian visas, eat some hummus for lunch and then go to check out the beach. Tomorrow we'll travel to Jericho, which is a little northeast of Jerusalem, close to the border with Jordan.

My camera died...

2010-03-08T02:13:00.000-08:00

and I didn't bring the charger, so Chris has to send it to me in Israel. I'm in London right now and will be in Tel Aviv tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have some photos to post soon!

Yesterday we wandered around London for about 8 hours with Shane. It was sunny and warm, and everywhere we went was absolute chaos--so many people. Brick Lane was packed and so was the flower market, and yet, in spite of all the people that were out and about we still managed to see a free show by the "London Gypsy Orchestra" (which was totally fabulous). I think I'm sort of starting to understand why so many people love living in London.

The Isle of Arran

2010-03-02T05:08:00.001-08:00

We went to the Isle of Arran yesterday, and
took a bus around the perimeter. By the time
we got back we had missed the ferry and had
to wait three hours until the next one. While it
was sunny and beatiful in the morning, the
afternoon turned out to be more typical of March
weather, that is, cold and either rainy or not far from it.
After over staying our welcome in a shitty pub,
where Aidrian had a very delighful "100% angus
beef" burger, we decided to wander around the town of
Brodick. We didn't know if we had enough time
to walk to the Castle of Brodick and back and while
deliberating we ducked into a little art gallery by the
Ferry Terminal to seek shelter.

Inside the gallery we were greeted by Rusty (See Rhianon and
furry friend above), and although he was a brilliant talker,
we found that the very dapper Gallery owner, Michael,
was a much better tour guide. He temporarily closed up shop and
took us all around town.

I've really liked Scotland in Feb/March.
Another lovely day in a really lovely place.

Thanks Michael.

Just when you thought the Anchor couldn't get any better...

2010-03-02T04:47:00.000-08:00

This gentleman shows up to play
his accordion there every weekend.
Understandably, this makes me wish
I was more familiar with Scottish
folk songs. There were a couple
Robbie Burns songs and it
shouldn't surprise you that I couldn't
make out a single word.

But even if I could decipher the
Scottish accent a little better, and
I knew at all what the chap
was singing about, I think I would still
like this Burns poem the best. Maybe
I will have to request that it be set to
music:

O, my luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O, my luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

He looks like a proper Scotsman

2010-03-02T04:44:00.000-08:00

Don't you think?

Goodbye

2010-02-26T09:45:00.001-08:00

I miss you already.

We saw "North by Northwest"

2010-02-24T03:42:00.000-08:00

At the Glasgow International Film Festival.

I like this hat

2010-02-24T03:39:00.000-08:00

But that doesn't mean that you can start buying me hats Mom.

Ed-in-bur-gh

2010-02-24T03:30:00.001-08:00

The Ayr Car Boot Sale

2010-02-21T06:16:00.000-08:00

Don't see "Wolfman"

2010-02-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

Dinner at Stereo

Kerry's bump

The lane where the Grosvenor Cinema is located