Concussion and Beer Bottle

So things are going much better back at school. I'm in the middle of training week for Orientation and am working hard with the 14 other executive before the 164 members of Orientation Crew arrive. I am working directly with another executive, Scott, to run the largest committee (40 people!) called Hype! We are responsible for being loud, cheering, energy and keeping the spirit up the entire week. I've been going to the beach and hanging out with everyone quite a bit and it has caused a lot of happiness and chaos. It feels like old times.
Last night I was invited to a party for House Presidents and members of the Student Union council. The party was hosted by Dan Ross, the owner of Ross Screenprint, and maker of all the shirts StFX uses during Orientation Week. As a result he buys a lot of liquor and throws a party. Needless to say, the party was crazy. A bonfire, loud music, and dancing. I was the guest of VP Activities Cory and we had a blast. I saw a lot of people I haven't seen in awhile.
After the liquor was drank and people were getting anxious the party decided to move to the local Bar, Pat's. It was "Twisted Tuesdays" which means $2 drinks. I stuck around with Cory, Mike, and Dan Ross for a bit and then we walked to the bar as the last people to leave the party. Half way there calamity and near disaster struck as Dan went to toss his empty beer bottle but got his finger temporarily stuck in the neck of the bottle. This temporary friction caused a delay in the toss resulting in the beer bottle swinging up and hitting the person directly next to Dan square in the chin, me. I yelled out a profanity as Dan ran towards me and clutched me on the shoulders asking the standard question for such accidents "Are you okay?" I began to laugh a little and just ask, "Am I bleeding?" Worried about getting the second set of stitches in a month (see my foot) I asked, "am I bleeding?" Dan checked and told me I wasn't, but as I went in for my own test it came out positive with blood all over my hand. Mike took me into a nearby house and got me cleaned up. The cut was small and so I headed to the bar.
There I met up with members from the Executive of O-Crew and people from the party. They asked about my chin and I told them it was alright and just bleeding. My chin bled through my beard all night but I just danced and kept a cloth on it. Later that evening as the concussion set in from the ringing in my ears I decided I needed to stay up and not sleep for awhile. I met my roommate Wil outside the bar and he told me of a party. I decided we should go right after I shaved my beard and but a band-aid on the cut. So, I proceeded home to take care of my chin.
Today, I still felt a ringing in my ears and pressure in my head until about 2 hours ago when I got a nap. Things are better now and I just have a lot of people asking me about the band-aid on my chin.

Memories of Ottawa Part 2 - The people I love

I am gone. I have left Ottawa. And, behind me trails a long list of memories I will never forget. In the first part of my ode to Ottawa I spoke about all the places that made up my daily routines in Ottawa. Now I write about the people that filled those places, the days, and my heart. There are handfuls of people that have made leaving Ottawa something harder than I ever expected. To address this I will try to go in chronological order from when I first arrived to when I left.

There are my friends from Whitby that I first hung out with - Mike, Remi, Neil. I could always find hilarity and relaxation at their place. They took me to a few Carleton parties and I had a wicked time. Also, Nicole - my sisters roommate and my long-time friend. I could always count on her for a kind word.

Then there are the friends I knew through my sister - Adam, Christina, Isa, Corrinne. It was cool to finally live someplace close to my sister and get to know her better. Adam was a blast to hang out with the few times I did. The girls from the the sorority boosted my ego and threw some great events.

My first roomates - Martin and Jessica. Marty was hillarious with his women and Jessica was great to watch movies with.

My first Ottawa girlfriend - Lisa. Her and her family made the summer incredible.

My second roommate - Ron. He was amazing to live with. I will cherish all our conversations about business and marketing. All the times we went out. The food we cooked.

Ron's friends - Matt, Pat, Chris, Josh. Hanging out with all of them was a tone of fun. The golf was a great time.

My third roommate - Chris. I only knew him briefly, but he played some wicked guitar.

Everyone I met at the concerts, stores, and movie theaters. There are a lot of people to mention here and I feel I would forget some names. I met a lot of people randomly and maybe only once. However, they all made up my time here. From this point on I will mention a few key players that I met randomly or through an interesting story.

Calum. I met Calum at a Rock Plaza Central concert and we just seemed to click. I enjoyed all the concerts he put on, all our discussions about music, and meeting all his friends.

Mark. I met mark at the Tea Store and we really connected. He took me to a few open mike concerts and I really enjoyed the music and all the people I met there. We lost touch later in my stay and I wish we could have reconnected before I left.

Glenn. I first saw Glenn at a concert he opened for and later spoke with him at a Winks concert. We kept running into each other and talking more and more. Now I know many of his friends and am happy to call them some of mine.

Everyone I met through Katie. If you know her and know me then you should know that our times at the Heart and Crown are cherished.

Everyone I worked with at IBM. All my colleagues in the office: Ted, Bob, Barry, Neville, Yannick, Doug, John, Andrew, Dan, Steve, Laurent, Gord. The other people I met: Brad, Carolina and everyone else. All the students especially Maria and Carolyn.

And there there are the people closest to my heart. My three friends that I will hold closest to me in my memories of Ottawa. All our hellos and goodbyes have reinvigorated my faith in people, my happiness, and all the joy that I feel. Thank you so much for everything.
Katie - You are sweet and funny and kind. I adore your laugh and smile. Every moment with you is a tone of fun. I love dancing with you.
Stephan - Every one of our conversations will be missed. Your style and attitude are just fun to be around and inspiring. You are relaxed and generous and I am happy to know that about you. I will miss all the concerts we went to.
Savanna - You are a darling sweet, beautiful woman. I watched you grow with me and become closer to me than I thought I would allow. Thank you for caring for me, all the time you spent with me, and keeping me and my heart company. I am going to miss all the sharing of thoughts, feelings, memories, and emotions that we did.

I am in love, love, love with everyone I met in Ottawa. When I return I will look forward to seeing everyone mentioned here or elsewhere.

Back to Antigonish

For the first time in 16 months I have spent a night in Antigonish as a resident and not a visitor.

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I have indulged myself with some food from the cornerstone eatery of Antigonish – the Wheel. I watched a the Ladykillers vie with my new roommate Wil. As of yet, I have not unpacked.
It feels weird to be back. First, I am hungry. The hunger before the first grocery shopping trip of the university year is now becoming all too familiar. I am a bit lonely too. I feel that loneliness you do when you realize all the support networks you established have been long left behind in some other city or town. I am beginning to realize that now I will have to make many new friends, my daily routines will change, and I am embarking on a new life.
My time in Ottawa at IBM and the government of Canada has forced me to forget most of university. I know it will be great and exciting, I can never forget that, but it is all these little details that I realize I haven’t had to deal with in quite some time. Setting my own work schedule at random hours of the day. Having tones of free time. Not being anywhere near a metropolis. Unable to visit family for a weekend.
I am trying to take all these new things day by day. Trying to remember there is no Sunday shopping. Adjusting to the slow pace of population 5000 town of Antigonish that I once fell in love with.

Party time in Whitby

So this is last week. This week there are other stories to tell soon. However, I meant to write about this one before.
Last week my friends from Antigonish came down for a visit. My friend Mark was flying out to film school in Vancouver and decided to stop by and visit some friends in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. So, on Saturday morning Mark plus Wil (my future roommate at school) and Aaron left from Ottawa (having already visited Montreal) for my home in Whitby. When they arrived my sister prepared an amazing meal for all of us complete with chilled split-pea soup and bruscetta. Then the four of us jammed in the kitchen. Wil played my dad's acoustic guitar, Mark played my sister's fretless bass, Aaron played his trumpet and I played the drums. It was wicked to play and sing with the guys. I felt like I was back at university.
This got everyone pumped for the party we were going to that evening. Everyone but me was drinking and we were just making music on keyboards and with our voices - singing silly songs. We left for the party at midnight and started driving on the 401. I think Wil and Aarond were scarred at the speed and all the cars. Mark was used to the busy stretch of highway. We balared dance music and beats the whole way.
When we got to the party the house looked abandoned and delapated. The whole place was in the middle of renovations and we had to cut through a bush to the back entrance. However, once inside the house we realized this was a beautiful and expensive home. The ceiling were high, the rooms spacious, everything immaculately clean. Mark's friend Ali was leaving for Denmark so this was a going away party for her. The house belonged to her friend. Ali gave us a tour of the basement and we were all impressed with the cooled and sealed wine cellar, the laundry room with the iPod dock and built in speakers, and the movie room with flat screen, huge DVD collection, and enough room for Wil and I to toss around a football!
The night lasted long into the evening. People were hanging out in all the different rooms. There as liquor everywhere. Wil, Mark, and Aaron all had some Greygoose vodka. I wandered around. At 4am we left the party and headed back to Whitby. The next day I started to pack my thing to head back to Ottawa where I would be picked up by Wil and Aaron in 3 days. I said goodbye to Mark and wished him well. I can't wait 'till we are all together again.

Trip to Ireland Part 8 - The Way Home

Last blog entry of the trip. I write from the plane home right before I am about to land. I’ve gone through the many, many photos I took. Thought about the great memories and soon will decompress from all the travel. Already I miss Ireland. I miss my family. This trip has been filled with highs and lows, but always love. I’ve seen plenty of countryside, heard lots of music and enjoyed everything. The greenery, the ocean, the artifacts, the history. Ireland is truly a beautiful country.
Interestingly, it has made me appreciate the little things in Canada. Things like holding doors, being polite, and feeling secure. When in Ireland it can be hard to remember that they haven’t lived with peace for long. It is hard to imagine that the simple securities we take for granted in Canada didn’t exist there only a few short years ago. As I was taking pictures at the traditional Irish music concert in Belfast my dad told me I couldn’t have done that 5 years ago. He said people would be restless about that kind of thing.
Ireland is really becoming a rich country and it shows. Everything there is changing so fast and it is amazing to see. However, I am glad to come home. I am glad to be among my close friends. I am glad to live in such a culturally diverse country that so openly accepts peace.
However, as I enjoy my time in the country I love I will not forget all the kindness I have experienced on my vacation from many of the people that I love. I will think of the time we spent with fondness. I will take with me all those little memories of Ireland back to Canada, back through the days. Soon we will all be together again.

Trip To Ireland Part 7 - Brunch, Sickness, and the Island

Since my last post a few days have passed. Now, I will try to capture the highlights of the time in between then and now. On Sunday I went to mass in the nearby town of Buncrana at a church on top of a hill. The weather was exactly the opposite of my golfing day, and despite the irony, I still enjoyed the weather. I was surprised at how packed the church was, but, as this is Ireland, they take Catholicism quite seriously. Fortunately, the priest at this mass was nowhere as pessimistic or as much of a doomsayer as the priest who I remember yelled at the entire congregation from when I was here before – I did not need to be reminded that “there is a seat in hell for all of us”.

After mass we went to a beautiful lunch with many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. For the first time in awhile I got to see Joanne, Simon, Cormac, Damien, Kelly, Sinead, Barry, my aunt Shelia, Sean and Yvies. I also got to see, for the first time ever my new cousins Rory, Aoife, and Connor. I was pleased that so many of the family could come and was really happy to see Phillip, Catherine and Martin all again. After lunch and playing with my cousin Elliott for awhile I went online and spoke with Savanna and posted parts 5 & 6. Then I went back to the cottage where many of my cousins from the lunch were along with my cousin Gavin and his beautiful girlfriend Paula. I spoke with them for awhile and then everyone left. By this time I started feeling pretty awful and went to sleep in the back room. When I awoke I was still feeling bad so I took some medicine at the advice of my aunts and went to sleep in my room. I was kept awake for awhile by my uncle Joe at the foot of my bed, my dad standing above him, and people speaking outside my room. It didn’t help that the door was open, but based on the construction of the house, the door being shut wouldn’t have made much of a difference. I awoke later in the night with a fever and a massive sweat.

I took more medicine and slept until the next day when I was awoken to say goodbye to my uncle John. It was good to see him again and be reassured that I have a place to stay in Manchester. Hopefully I can make it there.

By this point I was feeling much better and decided to test my health by going to brunch with everyone to my uncle Joe’s favorite café in Buncrana. I had a light lunch and just drank juice, but everything went well. Thus passing my self-health test I decided I was well enough to venture with everyone into the city of Derry. Derry is a beautiful city surrounded by fortified walls. Pat, my grandfather, Katie, my little sister, and my mom all decided they would go see the Tower Museum and take a bus tour. My older sister and I wanted to do some shopping and walking. We started by visiting a store dedicated to the Irish Gallic football team and then made our way by a historic church (The Tower of Colombo) and outside one of the city gates.

Then we headed another way and met some local children playing with an adorably soft dog. This being the softest dog I have ever encountered I had to ask what kind it was to the owner when he emerged from the nearby store. I know he said it was some kind of Japanese dog that gets very big.


We continued down the side street and passed through the second and third city gates.

Then we ended up at the Tower Museum. Inside we were tolled that the museum closed in ½ hour but that wasn’t enough to get the full experience. We then diverted our plans and walked through the “arts village” of Derry, which seemed more like an abandoned village.

After this I got a coffee and my sister got a coke and we hung out at the main court in Derry, waiting for the rest of the family. Once everyone met we went for dinner at my uncle Joe’s former choir member’s house for dinner. Tony and Collette hosted a beautiful meal in their elegant home. There was a garden outside complete with a bridge over a coi filled pond. The dinner was very Irish with nut loaf, Irish soda bread, and homemade jam. After dinner we enjoyed videos of Tony and my uncle Joe kayaking through a school of dolphins! It was amazing to see dolphins swimming and jumping right next to the kayak. I was so impressed with Colette’s cooking and her and Tony’s hospitality.

Then we stopped by my aunt Kathleen’s to say goodbye to my cousin Colette and her children Elliott and Mora. They stayed with the family at Easter and I was really happy I could see them all again so soon. Her children are adorable and Colette has a very kind heart. Kathleen was there the night I was sick and was asking how I was doing. I ensured her I was doing well and am appreciative of her help. My aunt’s take very good care of me here.

The next day (Today) I decided to go with my older sister, Tony, Colette and my uncle Joe to his island. Yes, my uncle has his own island! He bought it at an auction to the surprise of everyone. We drove the car onto a ferry and then took a ride through the mountains to the point where we cross onto the island. The rode we took was the same that the rally car racers drive on when the tour through Ireland.Once on the island I went for a ride on the kayak. Tony and Joe went fishing while my sister read and Collette made lunch on the fire. I started getting ready to go windsurfing, but decided to eat beforehand. In the middle of lunch it started to rain. We gathered everything and went under the hut in mid-construction. We all sat having buns, onions, cheese, crackers, and tea. I felt very much like I was back camping with my parents in Algonquin park. We then packed everything up and headed back to the car. The tide was now out so I climbed over the rocks and got quite soaked from the rain. My foot was now hurting a bit from the climbing so I tried to take it easy. On the ride home we were all soaked and miserable. It didn’t help much that the ferry to take us back was delayed. Once home I was in good spirits just to be someplace dry, yet I still felt worn out. I said goodbye to Tony and Colette for the final time and thanked them for all their kindness. I will miss them until we meet again.



I then laid my stuff by the fire, took a shower, and got changed. Everyone went to dinner except me. I skipped out as I feel worn out, both physically and emotionally, from today. I just finished watching the Agronomist. That was an inspiring story.

Trip to Ireland Part 6 - Rain and Golf

Yesterday was a long day. Very long. I woke up to rain in the cottage. My dad, grandfather, uncle John and I were all to go play golf at 2pm as part of a tournament fun by my uncle Joe’s choir from boys school. Despite the rain we headed out for the course 1 hour away on the other side of the peninsula. On the way to the course we stopped at one of the piers and I got to see the same ship that was used in “Mutiny on the Bounty” and “Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3”!


It was still raining badly when we got to the course but decided to play anyways. The greens were flooded and the wind was bad. I played 4 holes with my grandfather and then we headed into the bar. We sat around talking for a bit until my dad and John joined us about 1 hour later. Dinner wouldn’t be ‘till 7:30 so we had about 4 hours to kill. We sat around, talked, watched the soccer match ate some food. I started going stir crazy so I talked to some of the staff and just waited around ‘til everyone arrived.
Dinner was great and then it was time for the choir to sing. My uncle Joe did the MC stuff and the former members of the boys choir sang. The highlight of the evening was when I got to meet John Hume, Nobel Peace Prize winner. John has 42 honorary degrees for brining peace to Ireland. He was my dad’s former French teacher so I spoke to him in French for awhile. The I drove home and got a much needed sleep.

The Choir


John Hume and my Dad

Trip to Ireland Part 5 - Birthday Party!

Friday was the first morning of this trip that I awoke in my late grand parents cottage in Buncrana. The house already starting to buzz, I could feel the electricity in the air. That night would welcome many family and friends to the cottage in celebration of my father’s 60th birthday. My older sister had already asked me to assist in decoration and I knew that my many aunt’s would be taking care of the food. The day was slow getting started and I felt worn down from the lack of sleep catching up with me. My parents were heading to the beach for a walk as it was such a nice day and I decided to join them, figuring it would be a good opportunity to get some footage of the movie I am making about this trip. I walked along the lonely beach, listening to the calm waves from the bay of the ocean. The cottage falls on the west side of a northern peninsula of Ireland, with another peninsula to the west of ours. These two forms of land form a coast and, thus, calm ocean waters. I did tai chi with my dad on the beach right before he went into the water for a quick swim. And, although this was the warmest day of the vacation it still was cold for swimming. I, of course, could not join in due to my foot, and my mother refused due to the cold. After the beach I opted out of a walk with my uncle John as to take a much needed nap.
Awhile later I was pleasantly awoken by the sounds of my two cousins Elliott and Mora. My cousin and their mother Collette was with them along with her dad and my other uncle John. I played around with the kids for awhile, kicking soccer balls, playing guitar and drawing. Soon after I started decorating the house with my older sister and we got Elliott to help. In need of more balloons I went with my uncle Joe to the shop and bought some of the balloons that clowns use to make different animals, hats, and shapes. Elliott was quite intrigued with the balloons and started asking for a sword. Before he left with John and his sister I told him I would have a balloon sword ready for the next time I saw him.
Shortly after my aunt Kathleen, Maranna, and Irene arrived with the food and party supplies. My sister and I finished hanging some banners around the house and got to finishing the balloons. Already having a string of traditional balloons over the bar we now decided to use the long skinny balloons to make my dad’s name (Paddy) and the number 60 to hang on the windows. After breaking many balloons the decorations were complete. To the compliments of many, my sister and I were thanked for making everything “look excellent.”
The party was excellent and beautiful. I have to thank my aunts Kathleen, Maranna, Irene, and Pat for handling the food. My cousin Collette for the cake. Mark and Maureen for coming from Belleville Ontario (a surprise to me and my Dad), my uncle Joe for his comedy, my uncle John for staying calm, my two sisters for all their patience and help, my cousin Phillip for being a gentleman, Catherine for keeping him in-line (and looking beautiful), my Grandfather and step-Grandmother for coming from the USA, Katie for coming with them, all my other relatives that I rarely see but love to have around, Tony for the accompaniment on guitar, his wife Collette for looking great and being so nice, and any other guests I may have forgotten. Each and every person helped show my dad how much he is loved and made the evening fun, enjoyable, and memorable. I’ll try to describe the rest through pictures.

Dad cutting the cake

The Cake

Opening presents with my sister and Pat
My aunt's (L to R) Pat, Kathleen, Moranna
Me, my two sisters and Collette
Tony playing guitar with Pat

Trip to Ireland Part 4 - Dublin

Today my little sister and parents left for Dublin at 7am on the bus. My parents, sympathetic to my need for sleep, let my older sister and I take the bus with our uncle Joe at 10am. Despite the rushed shower I felt well rested by the time I was off to the station. The bus ride was 3 hours and I only slept a little as the countryside heading south towards Dublin was beautiful. Here is my uncle Joe sleeping:

Once me made it to Dublin the three of us headed up the main street towards Dublin castle. All the buildings were old, tall, and beautiful. It was a sunny yet cool day, which was perfect for walking around. Dublin castle was big and open. We didn't go in but walked around the courtyards. Here was one of the entrances to the main courtyard.


Inside there were these huge sculptures of sand. It was really amazing to see something that looked like stone yet I knew was so delicate.
After looking around we headed towards the Chester B. Library to meet my parents and sister. Once there we had a wonderful lunch and tried to see the DaVinci exhibit. The exhibit was sold out so we went to see their permanent collection. I found this much more interesting as I got to see some of the oldest pieces of scripture. There were many parts and pages of the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It was truly incredible to see such ancient artifacts.

After the exhibit my little sister and parents split up with us again. I headed to the gardens of the castle. Here I am in the middle:

After that I went to Trinity College. This place was incredibly beautiful and I found it hard to imagine that people get to go to school there. I went to see the Book of Kells, which are stored at the college. These books are an elaborate artistic rendition of the bible. They were created hundreds of years ago and are truly beautiful. Their work and appreciation also marks a lot of Irish pride and the strife the Irish went through. The books were stolen and later recaptured. I was proud to observe the work that went into this piece of Irish history.

After that we all met up again and went on a bus tour of Dublin. I got to see things like the Guinness brewery, the Jameson Whiskey brewery, and Europe's largest park. Now back at home all I have to do is sleep. Tomorrow there may be hiking, depending on my foot.

A building we passed on the bus.

Trip to Ireland Part 3 - Near Belfast

Right now it is 5:42am in Ireland and I am writting this from the office of my Aunt Irene and Uncle David. Irene is my Dad's sister and I have been staying with them since we arrived off the plane at 11am yesterday. Here is a picture of their house:


When we arrived we had some much needed coffee and tea biscuts. I must here explain that the 7 hour plane ride provided little sleep. So, at this point I am running on about 2 hours of rest after the night of being in the hospital.
Then we went in the garden for some lunch of potatoe salad, olive scones, and a thai salad perfect for jet lag. Irene and David are very healthy people and their food is always natural and uplifiting. By the time we were all finishing lunch my older sister had already gone to sleep and the rest of my family was soon to follow. I, knowing how to fight jet lag suggested doing something as to stay awake. My uncle Joe (who is a complete replica of my Dad) decided to take me into Belfast to see my cousin Martin. So, for about an hour I visted Martin at his ''flat'' and we chated about music and such.
Once I returned to the house people were starting to wake up and we soon would be heading back downtown to see some traditional Irish music. I was begining to feel the effects of jet lag and decided to drink some coffee before we left. Once we reached downtown we walked amongst the coble stone walkways and passed pubs until we reached the music. The band played out of an open transformer truck in a courtyard opening in front of two pubs. There were people of all ages gathered with plenty of drinks and a white dog on a leash to complete the scene. An old man with quite a bit of character began to dance among the crowd:

We only stuck around a bit longer and then headed into the mall. I quickly got an energy drink that tasted much better than the ones here and a chocolate bar. I haven't completely delved into the extensive chocolate selection offered here, but will be sure to let you know about it when I do. We shopped a little and I noticed that the fashions back home are just slightly more advanced than here. People were all quite fashionable however, and most people were dressed in tight, tappered jeans, scarves, and plenty of colorful layers.

After shopping we returned back to Irene's for a wonderful lamb dinner. I say wonderful because I enjoyed the keishe that I had along with the rubarb pie for desert. Everyone but myself and my sister hit the wine pretty hard and soon loud discussions were aboud. My uncle and aunt talked about travelling every corner of the world. My Mom spoke about American politics. My Aunt Pat told me how nice I looked. My uncle Joe made jokes.

After dinner I became tired and slept for between 2 and 3 hours. At 1:30am I decided to start working on telling you this story when I got distracted by my older sister. She wanted to have a late night chat, and that lasted until now. In a few hours I will make the 2 hour drive south to Dublin. My parents and little sister will take a bus before us and my older sister and I will ride with Joe. So far sleep 5 Ireland 20.

Trip To Ireland Part 2 - In The Airplane

Dawn on the horizon, a planes wings outstretched across the open sky, and I observe this all through the window in my reclined seat. Below are white clouds that look like the floor of the tundra, pot marked by the blue of the Atlantic Ocean. All around me people sleep, oblivious to the gravity of our surroundings. Some stare blankly, silently, at the screens overhead. They flicker silent images of Will Ferrel and John Heder in “Blades of Glory”. I ignore the screen with a recently read accounting book and a laptop fresh from filling Excel charts. Based on the time on my clock I would say the trip is just over 50% complete. The fact that already boredom is starting to hit me is a sad realization. I now type to avoid those thoughts. If I could remember the other parts of my accounting assignment I would be fine.

The Irish Countryside on decent.

Here you can see the wing of the plane.

Trip to Ireland Part 1 - The Airport

There are 24 minutes left in the listed time I have to wait in the Toronto International Airport before I should be boarding my plane to Belfast Ireland. The seats around me have now become filled with passengers to be of all ages shapes and sizes. You can see the Irish in their features. Many have those eyes of gentle story tellers. Maybe it is that same look that I posses that compels me to tell this story to you. Soon I will be riding for 6 hours in a cramped plane. I have Shrek 3 to pass the time, but I think I may refer to my Accounting work less be bored. As the voice of flight attendant now comes on the overhead I will leave you until my first post from Ireland.

My friends and my foot

Yesterday was the first day in a long while that I hung out with my friends from my home town. It was a full day of fun without any worry in the world. Away from home I live a much busier and stressed life than the people here. Or maybe, it is just that we leave our worries somewhere else when we are all together. Either way, yesterday really felt like a vacation.

It started with photographs in the park with my friend Simon. Then I went to the movies to see the Bourne Ultimatum with him and James. The movie was good but exactly what you expect from that series. While intense in action and excellent in the fight sequences, there wasn't a whole lot more to the movie. There were no twists or complex moments in the plot, there was little character development. However, the Bourne series isn't about that. 

I digress. After the movie I went to my friend Adrian's place with everyone. We played wall Soccer (wall ball but with a soccer ball and feet) and then got bored. When we get bored we get desrtructive. So, for the next few hours we proceeded to hit me in the chest with a broom, break a bored over me - twice - roll me around in a garbage can, and then light me on fire numerous times. We've been doing crazy stuff like this since high school and suprisingly I've never been hurt.

After the day and night of stunts everyone but Adrian and his girlfriend went to Ellen's house to watch movies and catch up. Since I hadn't seen Ellen in awhile it was nice to be with her again. Shortly afterwards I had to leave with Simon back to my place. When I got home I sat down to watch this crazy television show with my sisters. The show was on YTV and was about these highschool kids with a comic book that tells the future. 

While watching TV I drank some cranberry juice and then sat the pint glass beside my chair, on the hardwood floor, to be taken into the kitchen when I got up again. The show intrigued me so much that I wanted to keep watching and eventually forgot about the glass. Finally, when I did get up to go back to the kitchen I forgot about the glass until, as I stepped towards the doorway, the glass shattered under the weight of my foot! Suddenly realizing what I had done I sat on the edge of the couch and brought my foot to my face. Upon my first glance I suddenly clasped my foot tight to close the gapping wound that I just saw closed. I became frightened by the blood that I knew I could loose but quickly put my sisters into action. I told them firmly, "get me some paper towel," my sister stood looking at me blankly. I repeated, "I need paper towel so I don't bleed everywhere!" Still nothing. Finally, at my third request, when the gravity of the situation hit her, when she realized that 165lbs of my weight had gone through my foot into a glass, she came back with 3 paper tissues. Thankfully my mom came down later and got me something to stop the bleeding. After a lot of chaos and first aid kit I was off to the hospital. 3 hours later, and I'm on my way home with 5 stiches in the bottom of my right foot. Today I fly to Ireland for lots of walking, hiking, and sightseeing. 

Memories of Ottawa - Part 1: All of these things are special like the other

In a few short days I will be with my family on a plane headed towards Belfast. This trip will mark the near beginning of the end for me and my time with Ottawa. I have spent 13 amazing months here so far and will only return for a few short days after Ireland to wrap up my work, say goodbyes, pack my belogings and be off to
school. There's a lot that I've given Ottawa but there's even more this beautiful city has given me. I'd like to highlight these things in two insallments. I feel as though I owe it to just about everything that has happened to me in the past while to do the memories justice. Part 1 (aka. what you are reading) will focus on the places that I will miss. Part 2 will be about all the people I've met and the times I've shared with them. I will write Part 2 after I return from Ireland as I feel I need adequate time for the love I've recieved to marinate. For now, here are the places in Ottawa (in no particular order) that I have come to know. I suggest visiting them if you can.

• Bytowne theater - I've seen many a great film here from the obscure to the hillarious. Highlights include "Paris je t'aime" and "The Host"


• Nate's - a great Jewish deli introduced to me by my parents. Even as a vegetarian I found a few things to eat here.


• The Tea Store - this was the first familiar place for me in Ottawa. Calm, soothing, friendly. I met some great people here (Mark, Rio) and saw some great music at the after hours open mikes. Many good memories started with a nice cup of tea.


• Zaphod's - the place you will most likely find me in Ottawa. I saw some of the best concerts here. Danced some of the best dances, and hung out with a really good crowd of strangers and then friends.


• Barrymore's - another great concert venue and club. The 80s on Sundays, the 90s on Fridays are not to be missed. This place always guranteed a good time.


• The many, many parks of Ottawa. Here there are friendly people practicing unicycling, juggling, and just plane hanging out. Ottawa is a vibrant and athletic city and the parks are a great place to observe this
• The Canal - it really is impressive to live in a city with not one, but two water ways that go directly through the downtown core. The canal is great for jogging, walking, and making out. Romantic, beautiful, something that I enjoyed looking at everyday
• The Byward Market - the BWM just adds a much more personal feel to Ottawa. Little shops, great food, and always a tone of people. I recommend the sandwhiches at the Byward Cafe, the chocolate at Rocky Mountain Chocolate, or any of the cool things at the variety of shops.
• Sugar Mountain- open late and a saviour to my candy cravings. Sugar Mountain is not only a fun place to go, but also a source of sugar-fueled energy at work, study time, or when you want to sneak a wider selection of candy into the movie theater.
• The Works - some of the best burgers in my life. From your choice of patty (I go veggie) to over 60 topping combination and a unique atmopsphere this is not to be missed. I am having works withdrawl as I speak.

Well those are the places that stick out in my mind. Please add any of your own Ottawa favorites. Read about my trip to Ireland (I leave in a few days!!) and look forward to Part 2 of my nostalgia.