On the mend

Will update with many posts soon once I get myself organized.
It's been an interesting 2 and a half weeks.

Another movie

Last night, I watched Ray. I didn’t know anything about Ray Charles’ life, except for that he was an incredible musician. I was also expecting great things from Jamie Foxx, as I knew he won the Academy Award for this film.
Wow, his life was incredible. I didn’t like the character for basically all of the movie, and I wished that the movie continued on to show more of Ray Charles’ life. More of the stuff closer to present day. More of the stuff after some of the hardships.
I was impressed at Jamie Foxx’s amazing ability to portray Ray’s character. The mannerisms, the whole fact that he had to portray someone with a disability, and of course there’s the whole thing about the piano playing. I love when actors have amazing hidden talents that you never would have suspected. I mean, going to college on a piano scholarship?!? Coolio.
It was a pretty good movie all in all (I’m too picky). The acting was great, but I didn’t like the graphics that they put in every so often. I also felt like it dragged a little bit (could have been the state of mind I was in at the time I was watching it). Like it was going on too much about the same themes. But at the same time, as mentioned before, I wish it would have continued on longer. LOVED the character portrayal. Great casting for all parts. Liked certain nuances, like the fading in slowly from blackout when the sound of the new scene has started (like being blind).
Sorry for the vagueness. I’m trying not to ruin anything for those few who haven’t seen it yet. If you’re one of those people, change that.

A day away

Only a 45-60 minute train ride away is Bern, the capital of Switzerland. When feeling like you need a little bit of a change, or just a day away from Neuch (it's a fab town, but it's always nice to do something a little different every so often) Bern is the perfect place to go.
Berne (the French spelling, "Bern" is the English/German spelling) was actually the first city I revisited from my original travels here in '97. It was pretty exciting remembering certain things from my time here all those years ago.
Bern has a pretty big market compared to Neuch. One half is food stuffs and the other side is crafts and gift ideas. And then there's a whole lot of stores too. It's nice to see a little bit of variety every so often. One big attraction of Bern for many people I know is, disappointingly, the Starbucks (I'm a Second Cup girl, as you all know). The town itself is beautiful as well. I love just walking around and breathing in the air and seeing the sights and sounds of the city.
I love discovering cities by walking around, so I spent a lot of time wandering around myself yesterday. I didn't mind the alone time, I actually enjoyed it, because all week long I'm around people, and sometimes you just need some time to unwind and be completely at peace with yourself. I took the train in with people (only because I happened to bump into them at the train station), then planned to meet them later that day after we'd gone off to do our separate things, and met another group for lunch (and then split up again afterwards).
The one thing I don't like about Bern is that stores close at 4pm on Saturdays. TOO early! Alas, you deal with what you get.
Which means, after everything closes at 4pm, and you're too tired from walking around all day to do anything else, you sit and have a coffee/dessert before going to watch a movie (more selection in Bern compared to Neuch).

Yesterday, we decided to watch The Interpreter. How long ago did this one come out in Canada? We saw the original English version (with German and French subtitles), and because I don't make too much of attempt to stay in the loop with the world of entertainment, I had no idea what the movie was about. I tried to ask about it, but no one else seemed to know that much. Slightly annoying, because I usually like going into movies knowing exactly what's going on (not that I want to know how the movie's going to end, but just what the plot line is and stuff). Oh well, it's something that I'll just have to get used to I guess.
I actually enjoyed the movie (except for the last 10 minutes or so). It was pretty exciting. I've never really seen anything with Nicole Kidman in it (yes, not even Moulin Rouge - shame on me), but I've seen Sean Penn before in some stuff and I really enjoy his acting/movies, so this was (I guess) another reason I was willing to watch a movie that I knew nothing about. I'm sure everyone does this to some extent, but I love guessing what's going to happen in movies. I don't watch that many movies, but the last one that was worth predicting that I saw was Ocean's Twelve, and I pretty much predicted the whole thing. How boring. This one gave me a little bit of a harder time. I could decide which way the story was going to go, and for some things I'd guessed right, but for a couple other things, I just wasn't sure how the director/writer/whoever was going to keep going. I just couldn't read the director/writer/whoever well enough. Anyway, bottom line is that for picky movie watcher me, weighing out the pros and cons of the movie, overall, I would say that I enjoyed the experience!

Week 2 of Spring Break

After a fantastic week with Habitat, I was really sad to leave, but we had to continue on with our itinerary and meet another group in Athens, Greece.

We arrived Saturday late afternoon, and were bussed off to the most extravagant hotel that I've ever stayed at. The Hotel Imperial was out of control. What a change from Beius. It was actually laughable. That evening, we were taken to downtown Athens, and had a chance to walk around. I was in awe. We walked all around the base of the Acropolis, and I just couldn't believe I was there. The Parthenon was lit up, and we walked by the Amphitheatre of Dionysus among other things. The weather was gorgeous, and I had such a wonderful time. It was another truly satisfying moment. We rode the metro home and it was gorgeous. It was all new for the Olympics, so who knows what it's going to look like in a couple years, but still, for now, it was pretty immaculate.

Sunday morning, we went to visit the ruins of Delphi. Now that I could see some ancient ruins up close, I was in even more awe than the night before. I couldn't believe how these structures had been built and what life must have been like back then. Thousands of years prior, there were people walking the same paths and going about their daily lives. (Okay, not "regular" everyday life there, more like worshiping Gods and Goddesses in that particular area.) I really wanted to walk right up to the columns and touch them, for I couldn't believe what I was actually seeing, but we weren't allowed to get too close. It was indescribable. Everyone MUST visit Greece if they get then chance. Lunch was our first experience to sample real Greek food, and boy, was it fantastic. A small group of us ordered every appetizer on the menu, along with a couple other things and shared everything. Incredible. We were SO lucky to have someone Greek travelling with us. He could talk with the locals, and find out the best places to go, to eat, to see. It's always good to have an insider who speaks the language. It gets you in.

That evening, we went back downtown and walked in wonderment yet again. I love cities that are lit up with lights. It's the whole "sparkly" obsession thing I think. There were apartments with balconies that looked out to the Acropolis. How I'd love to sit on one of those balconies and dream.

The next morning, we pack everything up and head to Piraeus to board The Emerald for my first cruise ever. It sounded like a good time. I'm excited to see my little room (a little disturbing that the life jackets are placed on your bed as a reminder of the risk that you're taking), and explore the boat. After we depart, we run through the standard emergency simulation. Kind of interesting to see how it was "supposed" to happen if something serious did occur. I wonder how effective it would be.
We cruise almost all day and arrive to our first stop in Mykonos. What a wonderful port to start at. They had just what I was waiting for. Blue and white buildings. It was absolutely exquisite. So picturesque. Just as the word suggests, it was exactly how I'd imagined Greece would be after seeing pictures in books and on TV. We didn't have much time onshore, but we explored a bit and then found a little eatery to sample some more Greek delights. I wish we could have stayed there longer.
We reboarded (and are scanned in every time so that the crew doesn't leave anyone behind) and settled down for the night.

The next morning, I awoke to the sight of a new port. Kusadasi, Turkey. Another country visited. We disembarked and rode a bus to another site of ancient ruins, of course. Ephesus was pretty impressive. To think how advanced they were thousands of years ago was incredible. The toilet/sewer system was the best! On the way back to the boat, we shopped in the local bazaar, and boy are those Turkish salesmen aggressive. Selling fakes is quite normal in Europe, but never have I witnessed that a bag/shoes/shirt/whatever is fake to be a selling feature! They just don't let up. It's pretty crazy! Some of the fakes were pretty impressive, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy any of it. I'm not a fake person, so I don't want any fake merchandise. Only the real deal for me. I have issues with fakes. The cake topper was what I can only call a "commission stop". We were led into a Turkish Rug Factory (I can say I've seen authentic Turkish rugs now) and the owner and his henchmen proceeded to wine and dine us (okay, apple tea and Turkish Delights) into buying his wares. I could stop laughing. It was actually appalling how blatantly they were trying to make money off of us (even though this was supposed to be an educational stop). I wonder how much commission the tour company got from us visiting the store. I have to say that some of the rugs were very beautiful, but definitely not worth the money (even after bargaining them down). And the whole idea of buying a rug from that place creeped me out. I couldn't believe it. The owner talked for a good half hour about the different rugs as his crew elegantly rolled out various examples on the floor such that by the end of the talk, the floor was a couple inches higher than when we had come in. It was like they choreographed which rugs would be rolled out when, in what manner, and where they would be strategically placed to ensure maximal selling potential. It was just all so wrong.

Back on the boat to cruise to Patmos. A long trek up the hill to see a monastery and some place with some serious Catholic significance (sorry, it all got a little over my head), but the best part of the stop was seeing all of the lemon trees in everyone's gardens. I wanted to take one, but my conscience won out. I'd never seen a lemon tree before! Of course the obligatory pre-dinner stop (which was actually enough food to cover dinner, but this way I could justify eating a second dinner on board to myself - all meals were included onboard the ship) where we sampled perhaps the best calamari I've ever eaten (that's a pretty big statement coming from me).

A full day in Rhodes, which I was quite dismayed in. The medieval town wasn't all too exciting, and it wasn't warm enough for the visit to the beach to be enjoyable. Shouldn't complain too much. I was in Greece! The one cool thing though was seeing jellyfish in the water. Wanted to touch them, but for obvious reasons, I didn't. Part of my group witnessed a cat getting run over by a car. That's not too great. By the time I could walk over to it, an elderly gentleman had pulled it away. There was a lot of blood still left, and what looked like a liver left on the street (sorry, that stuff doesn't gross me out...it's actually kind of cool...yes, I'm a cat lover and owner, sorry if that's disturbing). Speaking of cats, they're all over the place in Greece. They literally take over the streets (well, not when there are cars involved - sorry, sick sense of humour). They're pretty cute and stuff, but I wonder if there's any attempt at controlling the population. I guess the Greeks don't have The Price is Right (har har har). I digress.

Next day is Heraklion and the last day of our cruise. I'm a little tour guided out by this point. I feel like I've seen all of the ruins I can take for awhile (unless they were REALLY spectacular), but we trudge on to Knossos. I actually didn't like this one, because they'd tried to reconstruct the palace, and it just looked too fake. And we didn't get ANY time at all to walk around the town. It was just a stop to see the ruins and then back on board. I was getting a little tired of "cruise life" (see rant below).

We cruise during the day and arrive to Santorini late afternoon. This is our last stop before going back to Athens, and boy did they save the best for last. I wanted to stay there forever. Santorini is up on a cliff, so you either had to take a cable bar (boring!) up...or...ride a donkey! So fun! I felt bad for the donkey's doing all the work (oh, I forgot the option of walking up along the same path as the donkey's), but it was an experience. I hope they're treated well. This was the ultimate. Blue and white buildings. Blue sea. Blue sky that just got bluer as night descended. Shops with ethnic wares. Culture and life everywhere you turned. The last big Greek feast of the trip. Potentially the best (HUGE shrimp!). Lots of Ouzo was imbibed during this trip. (It smelled like black licorice.) I didn't want to reboard the ship.

Friday morning we had some last minute time to discover Athens. This was the day that we trekked up to the Acropolis and walked around and saw the Parthenon from up close. Again...a state of awe. I just couldn't believe that people had built and used this thing. Lots of touristy snaps taken. Driving/walking along the streets of Athens, you could see that the streets were lined with orange trees. After my excitement of seeing lemon trees, this was still pretty exciting. I wondered if the fruit were fair game to passerbyers, but apparently the oranges are inedible as they are of the sour variety. I was a little confused by that. Why not benefit all by planting a species that is edible. That would be so fun! We got to see the original Olympic stadium that was renovated for the recent 2004 Summer Games. It made me wish I could participate in the Olympics. It would be another incredible experience. Alas, I'm SURE that dream cannot come true. I wish I had more time to shop (there was so much to see and do), and I'm disappointed that I did not buy any souvenirs from the trip. I just didn't fall in love with anything I saw. I was hoping to get an oil painting of blue and white buildings overlooking the gorgeous blue sea, but for some reason I was convinced not to. I don't regret it much. I really didn't fall in love with anything, so there's nothing to regret. I did see a cute bag and a hat that I liked, but nothing fabulous. My souvenir was the many pictures I took along with the fantastic food that I ate. I'm ashamed to say that in all of my Torontonian existence, I've never been to Taste of the Danforth, but I think after this trip I'll have to go to see how it stacks up to the real deal. I also brought some Greek pastries back with me to Neuch (for myself, and as a gift to some friends), and they were delicious, but they were SO messy. So messy in fact, that all of the honey leaked all over my stuff on the plane. Not fun. But worth it. Delicious.

What an incredible two weeks it was. I can't believe how fortunate I am, and wish that you could all be here to share my utter bliss with me.


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I'm not sure what I think about cruises themselves. I loved living on a boat. It was something new and exciting. Just like at a hotel, you didn't have to worry about anything. Meals were taken care of (and the pounds were waiting to be packed on), you could ask receptions for anything you needed. There was some entertainment on board, and you could sit and soak up the sun.
I guess it was the timing of our cruise, but the weather was just weird. Everyone got sick after a week onboard. When the sun was out, it was so incredibly hot, but when it went away, it was so incredibly cold. And then there was thing called wind. Being on the water, of course it would be there, but it was bitterly cold. We were lucky in that it didn't rain much (I think only one day), but it was still really difficult to decide what to wear. Layers was the best solution, but even still, it was a little bit annoying.
And then there's the whole idea of cruising itself. We cruised more than we were docked. I realise that this is due to the geographical location of the various ports, but I felt very useless sitting (or more often, napping, because I had nothing else to do) onboard, waiting to arrive to the next port. Sure, we cruised every night to get to the next place, so that was fine, but I really didn't like the days (almost all of them) that hours during the day were spent travelling from one place to another so that we could visit two ports in a day. I would have rather visited less places, but stayed at each one longer. The cruise was more quantity over quality, and the ports that we stayed at the longest seemed like the wrong ones. Sure, it was a good opportunity to get a taste for what Greece has to offer, and like most trips so far this year, I want to go back, and now I know where I want to visit again, but while onboard, I was a little perturbed. This is the same reason I don't like going on tours. You have to stay with the group and do whatever is on the group itinerary. I feel like there's never enough time to explore the things that I really want to see. Sure, tours take you to all the right places, and let you see things that you probably wouldn't see on your own, but the extra time just isn't there.
For something like the Caribbean, maybe it would be better, because there's not as much to see (more scenery and beaches to lounge at), but for Greece, I didn't feel like a cruise was the right venue. I must admit it was so relaxing and enjoyable to lie on the deck and look out to an endless blue sea with islands popping up every so often, but after awhile the wind was really cold. I'm convinced that had it been in the summer, I would have enjoyed the cruise that much more.
Maybe also if we were on a more bling ship, it would be more interesting, but while the liner had all the amenities, it wasn't THAT impressive. Also, the crew left a lot to be desired. There were a couple very friendly and helpful crew members, but I unfortunately have to say that the majority of the staff that I met were most unpleasant. I was not the only one complaining either.
Well, it was yet another experience. You can learn something from everything.

Curious crisps

Forget the standards of BBQ and Sour Cream and Onion, Europe definetely has some unique flavours when it comes to chips/crisps:

Much like with carbonated beverages, I am a sampler. I think it's important to try everything at least once (sometimes it works out and you try something really really good, other times it's crappy - see some previous posts - and you just end up spending a LOT of money on plain, oh okay, refreshing, fresh alp glacier water).

For instance:

In Switzerland:
(of course there's regular chips)
Paprika replaces BBQ
Provence replaces Sour Cream and Onion
and then there's
Bacon
Roasted Chicken

Doritos:
Americano replaces Cool Ranch
(the standard Nachos Cheese)
Mexican Taco
there's some other ones, but I forget what they are

England was kooky:
(regular)
Walkers Nobby's Thick Ridge Cut Chip Shop - Salt 'n' Vinegar
Walker's Sensations - Slow Roasted Lamb and Mint
Walker's Sensations - Thai Sweet Chili
The Real McCoy's Ridge Cut Potato Chips Specials - Thai Sweet Chicken
Walker's Sensations - Oven Roasted Chicken and Thyme
Walker's - Cheese & Onion
Walker's - Prawn Cocktail

I saw but didn't try:
Walker's Sensations - Four Cheese and Red Onion
Walker's Sensations Oriental Crackers - Peking Spare Rib & Five Spice
Walker's Sensations Oriental Crackers - Tangy Malaysian Chutney
The Real McCoy's Specials - Peppered Rib Eye Steak

Everything tasted as they should have. Except the Prawn Cocktail. That one tasted a bit like Ketchup chips. So I didn't like the lamb one, because I don't like the taste of lamb. It was so weird...they've got the flavours down to a T...which is also a little bit weird that they can pack a whole meat and veggie thing into a seasoning.

The ridge cut chips were so good. They were really thick chips, so you felt like you were really getting a lot in your tummy. You could say that they were hearty chips.

Please visit:
Walker's Sensations for other ingenius flavours. Or why not just visit Walker's in general. It's astounding! (I wonder if these flavours would fly in Canada?)

Movie delay in Neuch

Last night I went to see Vanity Fair. It just came out recently. It gives you an idea of how behind we are here in Neuch. How long ago did it come out in Canada?
It was in a cute little theatre that reminded me of the Screening Room in Kingston. Good memories from there. Like, fab friends who brought pieces of licorice for all!
We watched the original version with French and German subtitles. I guess it takes awhile for them to translate it eh? I wonder how much longer it would take for them to dub it?
Million Dollar Baby just came out as well. Coming soon is Shall We Dance?. There's hype for the next Star Wars as well.

Two stores in London

I was also excited to visit two stores in London which remind me of my childhood:

Marks & Spencer
Boots

I didn't get to visit the former, but I did visit the latter...to look for blister remedies (no 2nd Skin unfortunately). I have two wicked blisters on the arches of my feet from playing ultimate. What a fab sport. Darn the combination of cutting when you've got a really fast guy covering you and silly orthotics.


***
In my ballet hair kit, I still have the first gel I bought for my exams. Boots Hair Gel. The ghetto stuff which gives you helmet hair. It's pink. It came in lots of different colours, but did the same thing, so mom told me just to pick out my favorite colour. I had an "indecisive moment" (a frequent occurence in stores), but after some careful analysis, I picked pink. It wasn't even a Boots store on its own. In what is now called "CentrePoint Mall", there used to be a Woolco. It was in there. I never use it anymore, but I still keep it in my kit for memories sake.

London

This past Tuesday, I went on a day trip to London. I was so excited for this trip because I had never been there before, and had heard so many fabulous things about it. I had a couple goals (being the ever so goal oriented person I am) for the trip. In no particular order:

1. Be really touristy and see the major Londony things
2. Shop
3. Have tea and crumpets, or scones, or little tiny sandwiches with the crust cut off
4. See a musical
5. Ride the Underground
and of course:
6. Buy a Burberry scarf.

You may know that I have been planning goal #6 for quite some time. A cashmere, typical brown Burberry plaid, thick, wrap around your neck to give lots of warmth. Not the wrap around once. I mean the one with volume...no, that's not the right word. The one that piles around your neck...oh nevermind. I wanted a scarf. A costly scarf. It would be my belated present to myself for my fabulous current existence.

Anyway, little do I realise that I would only have a limited amount of time to do goals #2-#6. See, Herstmonceux Castle is a good 3 hours away from London...and then there's the time added on to it because of rush hour traffic. It didn't help that our bus broke down, so we had to wait another hour for a new bus.
Then we go on a super rushed bus tour of London. Buckingham Palace (the Queen was in), for a quick photo opp (no changing of the guard that day - rainy), driving past Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, the London Eye, Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, the Thames River...basically everything. And we drove by a HUGE Burberry store...but we kept driving. We didn't have time to stop and walk around on our own.

We had a quick stop for lunch in Covent Gardens, where I realised that things in London are EXPENSIVE!!! The prices seemed normal if they were in CHF or in Canadian dollars, but then with the conversion...jeez. I bought cookies from Ben's Cookies. Heavenly. You MUST try them. I had time to pop into the gift shop at the Royal Opera House (read: the same place that the Royal Ballet performs) and I didn't want to leave. It was fabulous. It also had the same ballet pencil cases that I got in a little stationary shop in Yorkville. The overpriced pencil case that I justified purchasing because I needed a "judging pencil case". Right. I forget the company, but I'll figure it out soon I'm sure.

We went for a walk around the Tower of London and boy do the Royals have a lot of bling. The guards in their get up are surprisingly friendly. They were mingling with the tourists and stuff. And the ones who are supposed to stand without moving do move. At least they were smiling when we were talking to them. We didn't see anyone wearing the big bear fur hats. Oh well.

By the time we were let loose, it was 6:45pm. We were to meet back again at 9:15pm. Luckily, we were dropped off just beside the big Burberry store that I'd seen earlier. Unluckily, it was already closed. I looked in the window in dismay, but noticed that there was another store close by on Oxford St. I knew stores would close at 7pm or so, but as much as I wanted to get my scarf, I wanted to figure out if I could still see a show. I knew that most shows started at 7:30pm, so I figured that none would be over by 9:30pm (the LATEST I figured I could be late), but who knows, maybe I'd get lucky somehow. I quickly went to the half-price booth, and the only show that would be over by the required time was The Vagina Monologues at the Wyndham Theatre. How exciting! I had wanted to see the annual student production of The Vagina Monologues at university, but for some reason, I never ended up going, but here was my chance. Sure, it wasn't a musical, but it was darn better than nothing. So I got tickets (2nd row!), and we were off to go shopping.

Back to Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street (not much time until the 7:45pm start time) and as it happened, only enough time to go into two stores (not even London-chic stores at that - Mango and Zara), and then a quick dash to see TopShop from the outside, and by this time, I've already given up on the scarf, because I know that I'm going to be late for the show. On the way to TopShop, I notice the other Burberry store, and for a moment there's a glimmer of hope. Quickly squashed because it too is closed. Alas. Oh yeah, there was a huge Apple store too. HUGE. (I'm excited to visit Yorkdale and see all of the new and exciting stores there.)
Anyway, we actually run to the theatre, and go in just as they're closing the doors. The theatre was fabulous. A small and cozy venue. The show was fabulous. SO funny, I recommend everyone (women AND men alike) see the show at least once. There are tons of Vagina Monologues all over, so there's no excuse. Turns out the Sharon and Aimee Osbourne were supposed to be in it, but due to some "personal illnesses" they pulled out. Right. Sharon would have been hilarious! Still, the three ladies on stage were so funny, and it was time well spent. A funny ending to the night. At 9:30pm, we're eyeing our watches, because we're still sitting in the theatre as the show has not ended. I'm starting to get antsy, but there's nothing we can do about it. See...there's a lady on stage having an orgasm. And it's been going on for about five minutes, and it doesn't seem like she's coming (no pun intended) to an end anytime soon. I mean, we have to leave, but how rude would we be for standing up and leaving in the middle of her orgasm? So, we sit there awkwardly, hoping that she finishes soon, but all the meanwhile, laughing hysterically. So she finishes her thing, and we rush out of the theatre (the show hasn't ended yet...I hate leaving a show early), and we're late to meet our group...but what else could we have done?!?

So yeah...I only really fulfilled goal #1, and sort of half assed at that. I don't even consider myself to have visited London, because of the lack of stuff that we did. I didn't really get any souvenirs (just a couple postcards). I did see some things, and I have an idea of what to do next time, and where to go, so I did get something out of the trip, but not enough to warrant it being a "first experience in London".
The whole time I was there though, I was in awe. Complete awe. I was actually giddy. It was a fantastic city (from what I could tell), with so much going for it. There's just so much to do and see there. The fact that so many of the museums there are free is just an added bonus. I've already started to look into when I can do next. Even though I will be here for at least another year (although going home for the summer eats away a lot of precious travel time) my time here seems so limited. Which brings me back to my confusion of my not so distant future. It seems like I always get so confused after a trip.


********************
I'm not even sad about not getting the scarf, because I know it was out of my hands. By the time I could make my move, the store was closed, so it wasn't even like I had to chance to buy it...or chicken out for that matter. Some people I was with were sad for me...others said it was a sign. Funny how I've got people discussing this famed purchase, and all that's involved with it. At Gatwick Airport on the way home, there was a Burberry store. I was alone (which was nice after being with people all week) and I went in to eye the merchandise. Probably Tax Free at that, but I decided that it wasn't the right venue. When I bumped into my group, they quickly mentioned to me that there was a Burberry here, and asked if I was going to buy the scarf. Then they started to discuss the pros and cons of buying the scarf there and then. I wasn't even really part of the conversation. It was kind of funny how important this scarf was to them...because they knew how important it was to me. (I just realised that I never really talked about why this scarf is so important to me, but I guess that's not important to you blog-readers.)