dancing, naked people

The last two years of nursing school have robbed me of my love for writing. For awhile there I actually thought I hated it even. Nope. I just hate writing about things that have no relevance to me. Like nursing theories. It is almost all behind me though and I can continue writing about things that don't really matter but still provide me with entertainment.

For example. There are several shirtless, fit, tanned men running around in my neighborhood at present. In theory my roomies and I should be pleased by this fact but reality is that they are ruining our lives! They steal our parking spots, operate shrill sounding machinery in the wee hours of the morning, leave nails on the roads that flatten our tires, stare into our windows while they eat their lunches...poo in our neighbors yards when they think no one can see them. Seriously! My neighbor actually heard from another neighbor-friend that a wayward construction worker was caught in the act of deficating on a well-maintained, lush suburban lawn. And apparently in the field behind our house in broad daylight. And....who knows where else?! Our garbage cans? Eavestroughs? Under our decks? Like stray dogs they think the world is their choo (that is swahilli for "toilet"...in case you don't speak swahilli). What I'm really trying to say is there is nothing sexier than a man who knows how to drop his pants on the spot and take a dump without interrupting whatever it was he was previously doing. Boys take note! I hope you feel liberated by this...those construction guys obviously did.

At least some of our neighbors are normal and don't dance naked (while brushing their hair) in front of their window for us to see. Well maybe they do, but our house doesn't face the ones we know. Relationships tend to change when you see people dancing naked. I have no experience with naked, dancing people personally but my intuition leads me to believe that I would feel uncomfortable with our friendship later on if I were ever to witness such a phenomena. Especially when they found out I had posted the video to YouTube and it had gone viral in less than two days...

I'm just saying!

SHERWOOD PARK HYUNDAI HAS TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

Sherwood Park Hyundai does not care about customer service. They are dishonest scammers. DO NOT BUY CARS FROM THEM!

identity crisis?

Life happens, and so do distractions. I have to admit that I haven't been totally on track with this whole writing businack but... :) luckily my fans are faithful. And who has the time to sit at their computer when the sun is shining, there is ice cream to be eaten, motorcycles to be ridden, fires to be roasting hot dogs over (or if you're Leigh, plastic), pickup trucks to be hot tubbing in the back of, significant others to be saying goodbye to...

My special friend moved to Revelstoke today and I am...jealous. I mean I miss him and all, but somewhere between sadness and lonliness lies a small tinge of envy. He is living my dream. Snowy winters with deep, beautiful powder, steep skihills, gorgeous valleys and mountains, lakes, peace and quiet, hiking, boating, the nearby okanagan, vineyards, fruit farms...darn him! Why do I live in the city??? I am squandering my youth in this concrete jungle. And as for all those who are taking off to Golden, seriously guys, take me with you. I'll sleep in the bath tub.

Anyway, all ranting aside, life is pretty cool. I've had a few adventures in the last month. I've been eating alot of aquatic life lately (lobster, sushi, octupus, raw tuna), which is a little weird for a fish-hater. Apparently my hatred was unfounded. Nowadays, you can give me anything that formerly had gills, fins, tentacles, or an exo-skeleton and I'm game. If it can swim or hold it's breath for an extended period of time...I'll entertain ideas of it lying on my dinner plate. I've also acquired an addiction to bubble tea, vietnamese soup, and vietnamese coffee. And I know how this might all be sounding, like I'm turning asian or something...it's like I don't even know who I am anymore.

Back to the whole seafood thing. I have to say, I find boiling live lobsters to be a little cruel (even if they do sort of resemble my nemesis, the arachnid). I was sort of tempted to stroke the poor little crustaceans tentacles as it kicked it's numerous legs in a desperate, but futile, attempt to climb out of the scalding liquid. I wanted to console it and tell it that it would be alright and that I really hadn't intended on cracking it apart with my metal tools and scattering it all over my plate (and sometimes the floor...and wall). I kind of wanted to save it from that awful fate and make it my pet. I sort of questioned how well it would have gotten along with Leigh's cats though. I pictured them not playing very fairly with my pet lobster - constantly excluding it from their game of tag (because he would have an unfair advantage with all those legs) and batting at his tentacles. The lobster probably wouldn't be able to climb on the cat jungle very well either. Or jump up on the bed. I dunno, I think he would have been pretty fun to have around though. You know, a different kind of pet. But then I ate him. And he was delicious.

Poor little guy.

life happens

Have you ever noticed how some of the coolest adventures and best times of your life happen randomly? As in, if someone hadn't been spontaneous or creative (either yourself or someone else), you wouldn't have gone on to all those crazy places and have all the fond memories that you do (of course some of the trips took alot of planning...don't think I'm trying to take away from someone's hard work)? At least that is what I have been finding as I look back in time. Things just happen, and some of the best things that have happened I couldn't have conceived on my own. I guess I'm not just talking about events that took place, but also the people I have met and some of the things I have learned. I suppose that is what I mean when I say that life is better lived unplanned. God is so much more creative than I am. I have come to realize that life is so much more fulfilling, exciting, colorful, joy-filled, beautiful, amazing, etc. when we let God guide us through it.

And without further adieu...some of the more amazing moments in my recent past:

The West Coast Trail Summer 2006





Idaho Roadtrip Fall 2006




Hawaii Spring 2007





Kayaking Trip Summer 2007


I thoroughly look forward to the next adventure...I'll just have to wait and see what awesome things 2008 has in store. I'm excited:)

realizations

That it is easy to accumulate alot of useless stuff. that useless stuff is surprisingly difficult to get rid of. that although falling down my staircase is extremely painful, I love battle wounds (if you can call falling down the staircase a battle). that there are alot of interesting places to visit and things to see on this earth. that life is more fun lived mostly unplanned. that doing taxes can be satisfying. that I have a surprising amount of inner geek. that boys who sing and play guitar are easy to fall in love with (ie. jack johnson). that it is nice to have someone to cook for you. that getting mail is one of the loveliest things ever. that it's all in my mind. that I own some of the most resilient tetras ever hatched (they refuse to die!). that humor makes the world a little more bearable. that the sun makes life a little more bareable. that I would really love to reside in a tropical country right now. that, according to the advice of my 89 year-old patient, I should never grow old. that there is a huge need for grace, but so little of it demonstrated. that some of the simplest pleasures can be found in a box of popsicles (that's a little affirmation for julie). that I know alot of really interesting people. that starbucks should never be allowed to play opera music. that life is better lived in the moment. that God is alot more creative than I am. that randomness makes the world go round. that my timing is often very off. that life is very short. that you can dance anywhere. that some of the most thrilling activites are made even more thrilling when done naked (ie. naked cliff jumping, naked bungee jumping, naked bowling). that life is more fun when you rap about it. that bananas aren't all that bad. that is it cooler to speak in sentence fragments.

good morning starshine, the earth says hello!

I never thought I'd be saying this but...I love mornings! I love the feeling of getting up...starting the day early and getting the most out of it. You know, instead of sleeping through the brilliant, rising sun and chirping birds, getting out of bed to enjoy the fresh beauty of a new day...
And yes, this is Jenna writing this post. Shocking hey? Anyone who knows me well knows that historically, morning has been my mortal enemy. In the past, not only did I not wake up until most of it was over, but even after I pulled my sorry, lethargic self out of bed I still wasn't fully conscience until closer to dinner. Yes it's true, I was not born a morning person. But recently I have started to realize that I have been missing out all these years. There really is nothing more enjoyable than getting up and going for a walk first thing in the morning. It is such a wonderful thing. And today while I was strolling down a river valley path with some friends we encountered a loonie and two quarters lying in the middle of the path. How does that old adage go? The early bird gets the cold hard cash? If that's not positive enforcement then I don't know what is. At the very least it was enough to buy a coffee to wake one of us up enough to open our eyes. It is tricky trying to navigate an icy, twisty path with closed eyes...

Jitterbug stroll

knee slap, knee slap...breaktime!