Oh kindred spirit!

I saw Ann yesterday in Toronto. We cooked some rice and stirfry for supper and Ann was extremely proud of the fact that most of the stirfry consisted of veggies from her very own garden! It was delicious. We had her homemade wine as well, which was the best I've ever tasted, and she let me try some of her local Toronto beer. What a great day! I took the bus home. There's something about bus, train, and subway rides that I love. On one hand it makes me feel independant and like I can do anything. On the other hand, I like how it makes me feel very small in a huge world. So many people on them that I don't know. Everyone going to their own little place... But mostly I like the solitude. I find these rides, though someone noisy in a way, to be very peaceful and they quiet my spirits. For that hour or hour and a half, all I can do is sit and let the bus take me where it's going. I don't have to concentrate on driving, or what someone is saying, or what I am doing. Just sit. And read Emma and listen to Modest Mouse, Radiohead, or the Flaming Lips.

I helped with VBS today. Kids can be so exhausting! My aunt broke her ankle so today I had to be her feet, as she put it. I also got a rug burn on my ankle from getting thrown out of the synagogue in one of the skits. But at the end of the day at least the kids had fun. Two more market days and then I'm done. :) I leave Saturday for GR and then Monday for Dordt. It just can't come soon enough!

bits of tid.

I went to St. Catharines straight from the Saturday market and hung out with Dee for the weekend. It was her birthday and she threw a great party which would have been even greater if it had not gotten rained out... But though the beach bonfire didn't work out, the barn dance, face paint, and hacky sack still made my weekend. To be honest, though, I think Dee coulda thrown the suckiest party and I still would have been happy just to be away for a bit and hanging out with a Dordter or two. Now I feel refreshed enough to last the next couple of weeks here before school starts!

I am pretty well into my "leaving" mode, where all I can think about is where I'm going, I should start packing, what do I have to do before I leave, and all that. It's making me antsy!

I brought my little brother Clayton to the greyhound station on Thursday. While standing in line just before he got on the bus, a great friend told me about the greyhound incident from the week before. Shit. Thanks Ann! But he made it safe. At least that's what I'm assuming since I haven't heard any different.

I'm going to bed. I have to be up at 4am tomorrow. (Only 5 more markets for me!!)

china tomare

Mom heard about the rusty nail incident and asked when my last tetanus shot was. Last one I had on record was my DPT in 1991. Mom said I should get another. I said "mooom..." Mom insisted I was due for one anyway, so this would be a good excuse. Why not get one? I said because I don't have insurance and these things aren't free. I can get one in Sioux Center for cheaper. So Mom pulled her trump card - "honor your mother and get one NOW!" and Dad in the background said "GET A TETANUS SHOT" and Dad's not one to worry, so if he deems it neccessary, it must be a good idea.
So off to the clinic I go, grumbling to myself the whole way. The receptionist at the clinic suggested since I have no insurance that I should try the hospital because they cannot refuse patients. She thought it would be free there. So I went there but found out for non-Ontario-residents it costs $250 just to be seen and the doctor's bill is on top of that. F--- that! so I went back to the clinic, paid my 60 bucks and got the needle. Before I left I handed the doc my medical record so he could write it on there. He opened it up and as he was about to write said "oh, look. It says right here you got one in 2004." I said where? And he pointed to something that said "dt 2004". SHIT! I knew what the DPT was that I got in 91 but had no idea what the DT was so I just didn't recognize it!
So I went back home and kept that little bit of information to myself, too embarrassed to admit that I just paid 60 bucks for something I didn't even need and I could blame nobody but my own stupid self for it! GRrrrrrr!!

But at least I got my ice cream. (Amanda knows what I'm talking about.)

good day

At work yesterday a broken board from a broken skid jumped out at me from behind some boxes and the rusty nails in it cut me in the face! Now I shall have a scar (maybe), but at least it is in my smile crease (as in if I had a mustache, it would be on the very edge of it), so it shouldn't matter.
I am attempting to solve a 4 X 4 rubiks cube. :) it is difficult, but possible.
But now I am off to play settlers. So cheers!

and the count-down begins!

One more month and I'm done. 11 or 12 more market days. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

I may or may not see Dee in two weeks as well. Here's to that!

But on the down side, my little bro leaves in a week and a half. I'll miss him. He was my buddy when we were youngsters and I've been spoiled having my buddy here all summer. But alas, all good things must come to an end, or so someone said.

A few weeks ago I was watering plants at my boss's (boss'?) house when I saw a fly on the wall of the house. Right behind it was a little jumping spider, smaller than the fly. The spider slowly walked up behind the fly and I expected the fly to fly away. But it didn't. And a moment later the spider pounced on it and would it up! It was amazing!!!

One month to go.

I don`t know how I`m even still functioning right now after getting up at 3am for two days in a row, working hard all day in the hot humid air, swimming for half an hour, getting no nap, and then working outside with Uncle Oho when I got home! Now it is after 10pm and I still haven`t showered! Yikes! At least I get to `sleep in`tomorrow.
I went for a bike ride today too. To the LCBO. Liquor store. :) I introduced Aunt Anna Marie to the world of Gallo.

Uncle Oho then introduced me to the world of big table saws which I used to cut up the leftover wood he had from a bed he just made to use for firewood in the winter. Neato! I love using that thing, it's impressive. :)

I shaved off a good corner of my pointer fingernail while peeling potatoes for my boss. It didn`t hurt, but the looks of it creep me out. Things with fingernails are always creepy, like chalkboards and nails, or hang nails, or cutting them too short... But now a whole corner is missing. Where there is supposed to be nail there is now only flesh! yugh!

Anyway, I have to shower and get this woody dust and stain off me! Then hopefully I can sleep without getting woke up again by people walking around upstairs.

You know, summer`s been great, but I`m pretty ready to be back at Dordt now so I can hang out with everyone again.

happy canada day-after

The market today was uneventful. We sold some things, packed up, and left. I rode bitch in the beastie van between two other girls from the market, a community bag of cherries in my lap and windows rolled down so we could spit out our pits. At a red light we were all laughing hysterically at our driver's failed attempts to spit her cherry pits out the window and then we noticed a lady in an SUV to our left with her windows down. We offered her some cherries, but she was eating crackers and politely declined. So we drove on and continued to eat our cherries and laugh at Justina who also continued to spit out more cherry juice than pits... Then the nice lady from the SUV pulled up beside us and started saying something to us. Maybe she wanted some cherries afterall? Or maybe our hazards were on again?
"What?" we yelled.
"I said, if you get any cherry pits in my car I'ma kill you. All three of you!"
"Oh, ok" said our driver who didn't hear what she said.
The other two of us were just trying to contain our laughter! WTF? Some people are just funny.
But that's one more thing I can scratch off my bucket list. I've now officially been threatened by someone being serious. :)

aah, the weekend!

mmm... the neighbors are smoking pot in their backyard and it is wafting through the open window in this room I'm writing in. Reminds me of Amsterdam.
I have so many things on my "to do" list that never seem to get done. Partly because I don't have much free time and partly because some of those things are the types of things that never end, like reading, or writing letters to friends... no matter how many letters I write, there are still more and when I finish one book, there's another. Today I'm adding to it something that can be finished though - knitting my cousin a scarf. She is in Australia, so it's winter and I must finish this quickly and send it so she can wear it before the winter is over. I love knitting!
Earlier this summer I helped dig out, lay gravel, remove gravel, remove sticks, etc.. in preparation for the pool my boss put in at his house. Then I helped build a pool deck with my uncle at the same house. I also helped level off a patch of dirt in my boss' yard and plant seed in the leveled dirt. Now I've been swimming in the pool, drying off in the sun on the new deck, and last time I was there, the grass had sprouted and was almost 2" long. There's something fulfilling about seeing hard work pay off!

So here's to a happy ending!

After church yesterday, I went to Canada's Wonderland, a theme park near Toronto I think? It was nice and sunny when we got there, but about ten steps into the park, a nice big cloud crept in front of the sun. We got in line for our first ride. The line was long, it is the first weekend since school got out. We slowly advanced, but got only about a third of the way before all rides were "temporarily shutdown" due to lightning. We stayed in line anyway, hoping the thunderstorm would pass as quickly as it came. Then the cold rain came and many people started leaving to seek shelter, while we braver souls worked our way closer to the front of the line laughing at those leaving for punking out - who can't handle a little rain? - while at the same time trying to squeeze the seven of us under the only two towels we brought in some lame attempt to keep dry. Two hours later when we could no longer feel our hands or feet, we finally admitted defeat and deserted not only the line, but the whole park to hit up a Wendy's/Tim Hortons for food and coffee. Half an hour later we were all warmed up and there was talk of going to Turtle's place so the boys could play Halo (UGH!!). How absolutely miserable to drive 45 min, pay 35 dollars, and stand in the rain for 2 hours only to go home after not having been on a single ride!!
But just then the sun came out, the rain had already stopped and we looked over at the park and saw some rides going again! So we went back to the park, got in with our stamped hands and spent the next 4 and a half hours enjoying the sunshine and many rides with the shortest lines ever because so many people left and never went back! :) When I went to bed last night, every time I closed my eyes I had the sensation that I was still on a roller coaster. The smoothest and longest and most fun one yet!