IE's MP3 Experiment 11

Improv Everywhere is still doing its thing and has posted the outcome of the MP3 Experiment Eleven.
It always looks like a fun time and the 'inventors' always come up with accessible, simple, yet fun ideas.
I hope I can participate in another mission in the future!

Back to "ha ha ha-ing"

Heading back 'home' on another swanky train ride. This train is a little older so the set up is a little different, but the drink cart still rolls by just as frequently.
They just turned off the cabin lights (or whatever you'd call the equivalent in a train) and literally a second later, you see everyone's hand reach up to turn their reading lamp on. I wasn't sure if the delay was people taking a moment to think "What's up with that?!?" or just the time that it takes to send a signal from your brain to your arm. I'd say 95% of the people in this car are on their laptop or iPad and the other 5% are reading an actual book or the newspaper.
The percentage will hopefully change a bit once they bring food out (soon - I can smell it!) or afterwards when I create a new category (people who as asleep). I'm pretty tired.
Anyway, I found it incredibly amusing to see all of those lights being turned on like that.

P.S. Quebec City is beautiful. Hopefully I'll have a chance to return to really see the city.

Still ha ha ha-ing...

Overheard from my swanky seat:
"Can you make a Manhattan? Ok, fine, I'll have another gin and tonic."

HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

Ha ha ha...

And the drink cart rolls by...again...

"Digestif, madame?"

Ha ha ha...I love the Frenchies...
(yes, I know that it's not just Europeans who enjoy a drink after their meal...but I'll always associate it with them)

Train adventures

I loved taking the train when I lived in Switzerland. I really can't speak ill of the SBB. I mean really, what's not to like? I'm not entirely sure if I had the opportunity to take 1er class though. If it did, I think it was just once. And I think it was because we were traveling as a group and they ran out of spaces in 2nd class or something so a couple of us teachers got bumped up for a portion of the trip. Actually, yes, I'm sure that's what happened.

So here I am, back in Canada and I only rode the train here for the first time a couple years ago. Since then, I've taken it a couple times and I think based on my current location, I'll probably ride it more often.

In fact, I write this post on the train. Sitting in my swanky Business class seat. And this is a first for me. It's pretty nice. I hung out in the Business lounge at the train station beforehand. Waited in a special line to board the train. Have my swanky seat and side table. And then quite soon after we started moving forwards (we actually backed out of the train station and then changed direction to head towards our destination), the drink cart came. I wasn't expecting that. It's almost a shame that I don't drink because their selection look pretty decent. Anyway, my l'eau pétillante (I guess they don't say gazeuse here) avec citron was lovely. So mere moments after I finished my grignote (I'll always think of my colleague from CH when I hear that word, because I remember learning it when we went out for dinner one night), the cart came by again with warm towels. Swanky. And then a voice come over the speaker telling us of our three meal options.

So...I had a relatively large snack before going to the train station because I thought that I would miss a meal tonight. Oops.

In classic 'me' style, I ate the entire meal. Darn it, I definitely was going to take advantage of my new experience! Maybe a train meal isn't anything special, but remember, I like airplane meals too, so I was pretty stoked for this. I even ate the stinky cheese (progress!) that came with the cheese course. It was a nice touch to have cheesecake for dessert. I love cheesecake. And they kept offering wine like it was going out of style. I guess my only issue was that the tray table seemed very far away from the seat. I guess they want to ensure that we have enough leg room and errr, that people of all sizes are comfortable.

So this train ride's been fun. They even asked if I needed a taxi once I arrived to my stop ("We want to make sure that there are enough taxis waiting."). Gosh.

Slowly but surely

This morning was probably the first time since I've moved that I almost got that 'glowing' feeling. Step 1: Wake up when your body tells you to.
Step 2: Don't go in to work (it's Saturday, so many of you would think this is obvious, but it's not)

I finally made it to the Jean-Talon Market which is quite close to where I live.
Just a hop, skip and a jump across the Blue line. The look of the stations, the metro on wheels, and the sound of the closing door alarm reminded me that although I'm in the same country, I can still feel like I'm in a foreign land.
I stopped off at a shop on the way there that did remind me of 'home' (which, in itself, I need to assess my understanding about that word) and then onto the market.
Normally a brisk walker, it's a clear sign of 'something' when I slow down (in stride and in life). And that's when I felt it. It might not have been to the degree that it can be, but it was there and that's the most important thing. I also found a Chinese grocery store nearby and that was another nice moment. I think it's not really the 'home' thing, but a sense of reassurance or familiarity that is nice.
I'm just munching on a sandwich (with dijon mustard - oh la la!!!) that I picked up at a local bakery (I have now tried each of the three bakeries in my neighbourhood that neighbours/locals have talked about - one is meant to go to each for different reasons) before heading off on another adventure this afternoon.

Now why has it taken me this long to have a day like today? Lots of reasons, but one of them was that I decided to take on a task (in true, "Darn it, I'm going to try it all!"). The first deadline was yesterday and there were a lot of hours and worry invested into it before taking a break from it for the weekend. But the stress was worth it. I'm doing what I love (so I lied, after a late night at work last week walking to the bus stop, I got a twinge of 'glow').

But really...has anything changed?

Seven years ago, I thought I should be changing the "bio" section of my blog. I never got around to it (partly because I loved the mood I must have been in to write such a bio). As life went on and my blog waned in priority the bio remained untouched.
It's been awhile since I've actually looked at my blog (usually I just type a new post, hit publish and move on) but just moments ago, I clicked through some of its pages and was reminded of this bio. I read it again and thought...maybe there is no need to change it. It still speaks to who I am and what I am doing.

Life lessons

You know, relocating 10 years later seems 10 times more...I don't want to say difficult. It's not that, maybe, complex?

The last time I sprained my ankle was about 7 years after the first (and only other) time I sprained my ankle. It also seemed more "complex".

Whatever happens as a result of time passing (I hope it's not simply "getting older"?), I'm realizing that more patience is needed.

It's very different when something happens again years later. And really, can you compare the two situations? At first glance, they seem to be identical, but looking a little deeper maybe the situations aren't so alike afterall.

Is it that we're not quite as quick to adapt (so thinking that I'm somehow regressing)? Or that because there is so much more with which to contend that it just takes more time to put together this complex Ravensburger puzzle.

I should think that it would be obvious that I am a different person years later as a result of all of the additional experiences that I have had. But I am the same person. My body still inhabits the same physical space that it did before. As does my mind and soul. I may have evolved in some ways, but I hope that it doesn't mean that I have lost some of what I believe to be my best qualities as a result.