The Life of Brian
Things so exciting, I decided to tell everyone on the internets.I generally try to make these things a little more frequent, and a little less like monthly updates, but there just hasn't been a whole lot to report. After such a busy spring/summer, I've really shut 'er down for most of the fall... only curling two nights a week and most weekends, volleyball one night a week, school work, regular work and so on... actually is a little more boring than you think.
Having played 30+ games already in the curling season, I'm not really thrilled with that way that is going. I don't feel I've been playing that well, nor have my teams in various leagues and events. I finally got a couple good games in yesterday, which made me feel a LITTLE bit better. I think I've finally worked my way back to a winning record, which is not ever a struggle I like to have.
Planning is well underway for the second edition of the 12 Bars of Christmas. It looks like it will be well attended, and may actually pose a logistics problem for the organizer... me. I've got some ideas though, and I'm sure it will be a smashing success.
In other news... I had a friend pop in for a visit from Edmonton. Jen was in town for some work stuff, so I made sure we got her fed with a healthy diet of Burrito Boyz, Big Slice, and poutine from Dangerous Dans. I've also been nerding it up with thoughts of a new business venture putting some school-acquired knowledge to good use. More on that later, as it develops.
That's about it for now... I think I'll be taking a trip in January. I've been sitting still for too long :)
Okay, I've stopped moving... mostly. Other than a couple of short visits to Maitland to see the parents, sisters, nieces and nephews, I've been pretty low key. I'm settled back into work in Toronto for now, getting excited for curling season, and back to playing volleyball once a week. So far we haven't lost at volleyball, but unfortunately Thornhill curling didn't treat us so kindly.
Starting this weekend, the curling season takes off. We're in Barrie this weekend, leagues start for me on Tuesday AND Thursday, then we're playing in Guelph next weekend. After that, there's a week off... then three more weeks of spiels.
In other news, I'm doing my LAST course for school. Pretty soon, I'll actually get my act in gear and start progressing on my final project. That will be a ton of work, but it has to be done. Also, I may be planning a little trip with some buddies from high school, but it depends on if I can get the time off in January. More to follow...
And finally, I'm just trying to write more... movies, sketches, books, columns, blogs. Anything.
Since the end of April, I've been to Las Vegas, Edmonton, New York City, Germany, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Wilberforce, Perth, Maitland, Guelph, and Gananoque. I don't think I've been home for more than 3 weeks at time, and in most cases it was less than that. I am happy to say, however, that I'm finally able to relax and stop moving.
There are a million things to share about the last month and a half. Boozefest at Steve's cottage was a little tamer than last year, which was a good thing. My team came in 2nd place in the Fleming Olympics, which again was a great improvement over last year's results. I also took home the individual honours in Home Run Derby, which was a source of great pride for me.
Trillium was awesome as usual. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones is always a blast. I played a round of golf with Mark and Kaitlyn on Friday of Week A, which was a lot of fun, but certainly not good golfing. Kaitlyn hung around with me downtown for the weekend, before flying back to Winnipeg on Sunday, as week B was beginning. Week B was just as good. Teaching with Megan was a blast, having Josh around was fun, and we all managed to exhaust ourselves before heading to Gananoque to curl and camp for another few days. The ice was garbage, but we won all 3 games, and had a blast camping.
I've wrapped up my 10th course for my masters, and only one more remains (on top of a massive research project). I'll start the last course this week and be that much closer to finishing! In other news... well I don't have much other news. I'm happy to sit still.
The following was written over the course of the last few days in a variety of countries...
Note to self: Avoid Belgian trains. Three simple words that would have saved me a heart-attack and a half today, if only I’d known ahead of time that finding a train from
Brussels
to
Munich
would be more difficult than building a flying machine to take me there in the first place. The fact that I assumed a six hour train ride would be simple to arrange was my own fault, the panic caused by the lady at the train station who said everything was booked but she JUST might find me a train that got me in JUST on time to catch my flight out of Munich seemed a little unnecessary.
So what did I do? I got on a train to
Luxembourg
. After playing a little game of travel agent, I decided that flying out of a small town in
Germany
would be a better option, but the bus to that small town left from
Luxembourg
. So I got on a train to
Luxembourg
. The train however, left late, went slow, and stopped for chips and dip before easing into its final destination about 25 minutes late, which was great, because the bus I was trying to catch to the airport had left 5 minutes before that from that exact spot. So there, I was… in
Luxembourg
, wondering what I was supposed to do now, knowing that ALL the trains to
Munich
were sold out.
So I went to the desk in
Luxembourg
and asked for a ticket to
Munich
, as soon as possible. He asked if a train leaving in an hour would be okay, and that it would cost half the price I was quoted in
Belgium
. I said that would be fine. So here I am, on a train… in
Luxembourg
, about to head to
France
, so I can fly out of
Munich
in the morning.
I obviously never thought that I’d end up in
Luxembourg
on this trip. I didn’t think I’d go to
Austria
either, but we needed gas and beer.
Germany
, The Netherlands,
England
,
France
,
Spain
, and
Belgium
were all expected. But
Luxembourg
was a bonus. I hadn’t been here before… one more country off the list.
For the record, the train station here looks like it was bombed by the Germans… sometime this week.
I prefer flying to taking trains, but sometimes there are just no options. Like where this all began, in
Fuessen
,
Germany
. There is no airport in the small Bavarian
village
of
Fuessen
. Just lakes and mountains and cobble stone streets lined by buildings that look like they were stolen from
Canada
’s Wonderland.
The train to Fuessen was right on time. As was the train out of Fuessen a week later. In fact, every German train I was on was perfect, right to the minute. I look forward to leaving
France
on another German train later on today.
The camp in Fuessen was amazing. There were 119 campers (due to a last minute cancellation) from 17 countries. I had 20 campers, from 8 countries in my group. It was much like the other camps I’ve done, except for the obvious cultural differences. One of my colleagues was presented with a six-pack of Czech beer as a thank you gift. One of the other coaches was asked if they were going to go to the same bar as last year when the camp was done, because the 18-year old campers wanted to meet up.
But there was curling and coaching, mini golf and barbecues. All the things that make a camp a camp. The scenery was terrific, as were all the people, and I would go back in a heartbeat if I was ever invited.
In many respects, it was better than Trillium, the camp that I’ve worked at for the last ten years. The scenery is nicer, the lodging is better, the schedule is kinder, and the connections made bridge nations and continents instead of
Ontario
area codes. There is a giant medieval castle a few minutes away that one can tour when he has a free period during his week.
Neuschwanstein
Castle
is perched on the side of a Bavarian Alp and actually was the inspiration for the
Disney
Castle
.
Guelph
has… a Wal-Mart. In other respects, however, Fuessen was still 2nd to Trillium. The kids aren’t as well behaved (in my humble opinion) due to both language barriers and cultural differences, the variety in ages, skill levels, and nationalities lead to clumping within a group, which is already larger than the 16 campers I’m used to. Regardless, the camp was amazing and before long Saturday afternoon rolled around and the campers were set free.
During the week, there was supposed to be an outing to a downhill slide/bobsled run that was cancelled because of rain. After our wrap up meetings on Saturday, much of the staff went over to the mountain and took a couple rides down before rushing back to the hotel to change for our closing party, courtesy of Keith and the WCF.
The closing party was a pretty little boat cruise on one of Fuessen’s many lakes which afforded us a lovely view of the mountain and the castle, while we joked, and laughed, and sang until we docked a few hours later. Some folks went into town, others went back to the hotel. I was part of the group that did some of each… and ended up going to
Austria
for gas and beer, before heading back to the hotel.
My train left for
Amsterdam
at 5:50am. Bjorn (my Swiss roomie and drinking buddy) was kind enough to drop me at the train station and keep right on going back to
Switzerland
. At one point, a few hours later, I woke up in a fog, dreading that I had slept through a stop where I was supposed to change trains. Eventually I realized that I was still almost three hours away from that stop, and that I was tired, perhaps still a little drunk, and certainly not familiar with the geography of
Germany
.
As planned, I ended up in
Amsterdam
around 2:30pm. After a brief stop in a Hemp Shop/Internet Café (there are many of them in Amsterdam) to locate my hotel information, I eventually walked the few blocks through streets that were at least moderately familiar from my visit two years ago.
I’m always amazed how a brain can do that. Of all the places I’ve ever been, I suddenly recognize that a shop seems familiar, or the feel of a particular neighbourhood reminds me that I’ve been there before.
Amsterdam
was a constant source of amazement in that experiment, because I constantly would feel that knew roughly where I was, without really having a clue… yet, I was always right.
For the day or two, things were pretty relaxed. A lot of walking around, a few drinks, a couple nice meals, and tours through the Red Light District. For those of you who are curious, I only ever partook of the internet offered in the special coffee shops, and none of the other local delicacies. The biggest letdown of the whole city, however, was that I couldn’t find any good clothes at Sissy Boy this time, where I got two great shirts on my last visit.
After
Amsterdam
, I kicked off one of the silliest days I’ve experienced in quite some time (honestly, for a 24 hour period, it destroys the “NYC and Back for 2 Ballgames” trip). Wake up in Amsterdam, train to Eindhoven, flight to Stanstead, England flight to Biarritz, France, taxi to Irun, Spain, and then a train to Pamplona, and a taxi to a place to stay. For the next 14 hours or so, I was surrounded by folks in white suits and red scarves and sashes, 99% of whom were absolutely trashed. There was music in the streets, crowds dancing and singing, and a general sense of festivity in every corner of every narrow street in the city.
I don’t think anybody does anything in Pamplona for the week of the San Fermin festival except party and sleep (but mostly party), from the time the bulls run in the morning until they pass out in a park sometime later that day. After watching the famed Running of the Bulls (and being dangerously close to deciding to participate), I split from Pamplona on a bus headed to Zaragoza which, if you must know, is almost two hours south of Pamplona. Almost exactly 24 hours after taking a taxi into
Spain
, I was on a flight out of it.
Before too long, I landed in
Belgium
. As is often the case with RyanAir flights, we landed in a city’s secondary airport, or a town only kinda nearby. So there I was at
Charleroi
, on a shuttle to the shiny metropolis of
Brussels
. After a nice steak at a local brasserie, I crashed pretty early at my 4 star hotel which was nice and cheap on Priceline.
The next day was filled with touristy things like Mini-Europe, the Atomium, and the Mannekin Pis, which I think will be my favourite thing about
Brussels
for a long time. The little statue of a peeing boy draws thousands of visitors a day, and is such an attraction that he has more than 800 costumes to wear depending on what sort of festivities need attention. Christmas, World Cup, holidays, etc. all require a special costume for the normally naked boy… which is how he was the day I saw him. There is, however, the Mannekin Pis tavern across the street from the statue, which has many of the costumes and artifacts on display to be enjoyed over a pint of La Chouffe.
The next day, I decided I should figure out how to get back to
Munich
to catch my flight home… which is where I left this last time. I was still on that train… leaving
Luxembourg
for
Munich
. I arrived in
Munich
around 3:30am. I took a taxi to another nice hotel I got on Priceline (oddly enough the same one that Greg stayed at when we were there two years ago… *talk about recognizing things when you’re not sure where you are! Try that at 3:30am after 7 hours on the train and a crazy taxi ride!).
I wish I could have spent more time in that room. It was a suite with three beds. I used one bed for about three hours, and I don’t think I moved for that whole time. The lines in my skin imprinted from the sheets and pillows were as deep as I’ve ever seen them. Regardless, I was up at 7:10am, on the shuttle to the airport at 7:30 and on a plane to
Atlanta
at 10:00. That was roughly 13 hours ago. As far as I can tell, I’m about one hour from
Toronto
, and I should arrive safely with all my bags. I’m just going to assume the rest of this all goes according to plan.
I land. I get through customs. I get my bags. I get a shuttle downtown. I walk into my apartment. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll change this later…
Saying that I'm in a funk doesn't really begin to describe what I'm feeling. I think everybody goes through something like this every now and then, but I'd have to figure that this one is mainly self inflicted. After Vegas, then Edmonton, then New York, and a few days in Maitland visiting mom and dad, I feel like I want to stop moving around for a while... of course, that's not going to happen for a while yet because I leave for Germany on Friday to work at a World Curling Federation Junior Camp. This weeks goal is to prepare some lessons for the kiddies.
On top of that, work has been getting me down a bit lately. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it, but hopefully it's just a result of feeling otherwise scattered. They've been great about school, and days off for everything, so I can't complain that much. I'm just not feeling like I'm supposed to do it for much longer. I've discussed it a few times with my boss, but I think it's about time something gets done about it.
In happier news, New York was a great trip. It was fun to see Bry, and Kyle really enjoyed his first trip to the Big Apple. We hung out at Bethy's bar for a bit, did Times Square, Rockerfeller Center, and Yankee Stadium, and had a really good few days.
Now, let's hope I can relax a little bit...
I have returned from Edmonton. I almost finished two courses (I still have some papers to write), I visited with friends, and I went to Calgary for a weekend to see my nieces and nephews... and sisters and brothers-in-law. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and I'm happy to be home. I also saw a soccer game featuring David Beckham at Commonwealth Stadium, although I'm stilll not sure why the LA Galaxy played the Vancouver Whitecaps in Edmonton. That's not important though.
So I've been back for a few days and have tried to settle in to the Toronto routine. Of course that involves going to as many Jays games as possible, playing in two different softball games, and having a work schedule that has to fit around all these other things. And oh yeah... the papers to write are still lingering over my head.
Next week, I'm taking advantage of a good ebay deal on tickets and a good JetBlue deal on a flight from Buffalo to take a long mid-week weekend (don't ask) to see the Blue Jays play in NYC against the Yankees. Bry Fink is coming down for one, and my buddy Kyle will be joining me from Toronto. I'm sure I don't need another vacation quite yet, but this one was too good to pass up.
In other news, I booked my flight for Germany today. I'll be off to work at the WCF Fuessen Curling Camp in July. So many things to do, and none of them work!
To prove that I actually did work in Alberta, here's a picture of my research poster presentation... which explains what I'll be doing for the next year.
So I've been back for a few days and have tried to settle in to the Toronto routine. Of course that involves going to as many Jays games as possible, playing in two different softball games, and having a work schedule that has to fit around all these other things. And oh yeah... the papers to write are still lingering over my head.
Next week, I'm taking advantage of a good ebay deal on tickets and a good JetBlue deal on a flight from Buffalo to take a long mid-week weekend (don't ask) to see the Blue Jays play in NYC against the Yankees. Bry Fink is coming down for one, and my buddy Kyle will be joining me from Toronto. I'm sure I don't need another vacation quite yet, but this one was too good to pass up.
In other news, I booked my flight for Germany today. I'll be off to work at the WCF Fuessen Curling Camp in July. So many things to do, and none of them work!
To prove that I actually did work in Alberta, here's a picture of my research poster presentation... which explains what I'll be doing for the next year.
First things first, Vegas was amazing. The strip is exactly what you think it is. The casinos are pretty much exactly as you picture them. Everything is as promised, from blackjack to the free drinks. The six of us had an amazing time capped off by an amazing steak dinner at the Bellagio, Loaded Landsharks at Margaritaville, and bottle service at the Rum Jungle. Of course there was craps, roulette, blackjack, and sports wagering, but none of that was kind enough to write a whole entry about. I finished the gambling only a little down. Much less than expected, anyway. Everything else, on the other hand, was a bit pricier than expected, but what else are you gonna do when you're acting like high rollers? (Appropriate answers include: don't go to the Bellagio for steak, don't get bottle service anywhere, and don't act like a high roller unless you're not going to notice the money!).
So then the fun and excitement moved home for a couple days. And by fun and excitement, I meant laundry, drycleaning, unpacking, and repacking. At the crack of dawn on Sunday morning I was off to the airport, heading for Edmonton for the Spring Institute associated with my Masters program.
So now, I'm here. Classes started today, and it all feels very familiar. My body is really confused having not slept enough in the last week or two, then changing time zones three times. It's good so far, and I'm sure there will be something more exciting to share later when I'm more awake, but that's it for now!
First to recap: The curling season ended on April 19th. After an unexpected run through the playoffs, our mens team ended up in the final, at the same time as our mixed team (following that expected run). We decided I would skip the mixed team and Josh would skip the mens team. We were on neighbouring sheets for Finals Night, so it was easy to keep an eye on each other. As fate would have it, we ended up winning both games and being named Club Champion for both. Winning the Mixed wasn't a huge shock (as arrogant as that may sound), but Mens was a real treat... we beat the first, second, and third seed on our way to the championship. We were 7th going into it. I finished the year winning 61 of my 95 games, a percentage around .642. I'll take it.
And then there were a bunch of Jays games. They've been fun so far, but the Toronto bats are a little inconsistent, sparking my early worries. I did manage to win $104 worth of 6/49 lotto tickets and a Blue Jays bag and golf shirt for my Happy Dance, which was displayed prominently on the Jumbotron. 20,000 fans chose ME!!
And then there were a few more courses for the old Masters. One is done, with a pretty good grade, and the other is half over and will be completed in Edmonton for the Spring Institute (starting May 4th). I've settled on my research project which you can read all about at my research project blog, A Big Sensation.
And then there's Vegas. Six of us are heading down in about 5 hours, staying at the MGM Grand. My brother and some friends will be down as well, staying across the street at Excalibur. So we have plans to gamble and party, watch hockey and sit by the pool, and really take in the whole Las Vegas experience. It'll be a first for most of us. Needless to say, we're excited.
Dammit... I just had a bunch written, and then clicked on something by accident, so I deleted it all. So anyway, I'll recap.
Glenmore was great. 16 people came from Toronto, 8 came up from the states. Good times were had by all. A giant pyramid was built from empty cups. Kevin bumped his head on the ice and passed out in my arms (full recovery ensued). Megan and I took turns singing with the band. You know... the usual.
Royals was the week after, and it was also great... as usual. The curling, food, drink, entertainment, and people were all great and the bonspiel was a great success. Tai brought me a birthday cake on Saturday night, albeit a few days early. Dad and his team were out, and all parties involved really enjoyed themselves, I think.
Then Tuesday was actually my birthday. We curled and made it a boozy event. I got some cards and some drinks bought for me. I got a few nice presents too like a new jersey and bag from Tai, and a new shirt from my parents. I had the following Wednesday off to recover, and write a paper... lucky me.
Since then, my life has been about going to Blue Jays games, keeping up on work and school, and getting my shtuff together for upcoming challenges. I'm trying to write more, keep Sportsguys updated frequently, and keep everything else under control too. Seems like I've got a lot going on lately. A few days to chillax and catch up on everything (laundry, reading, writing, web projects) etc. would be very welcome... and that may be happening this weekend.
While most of the competitive mixed teams out there were playing in regions this weekend, our decided to tank at zones so we could play in the Trenton Mixed Skins Bonspiel. Lynds and Michelle were on board, so we sent the cheque in right away. Tuesday rolls around this week, and Lynds figures out that there is no way she could make it from Kitchener because she had to work late on Friday, so we suddenly had to scramble to find a new player. After a couple stressful days, we finally secured Darrelle Johnson on Thursday night around 10pm. Michelle called around midnight and said she wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to make the trip either... so the scramble began again. Amazingly, we managed to find another player, Kim Brown, who was confirmed on Friday morning.
Despite a ridiculous snowstorm on Friday night, we all managed to get there on time and blow our opponents out of the water. We took all the skins (6 of 6) and sent them home broke. Then we had beers and sat in the hottub.
Despite a ridiculous snowstorm on Saturday, we all managed to make it back to the club for two games on Saturday, where we (again) blew our opponents out of the water, taking 6 of 6 in the first game, and 5 of 6 in the 2nd game, putting us in first place entering the Main Event semi-finals. Then we had beers and sat in the hottub.
Despite the 6-foot high snowbanks, we all managed to make it back to the club for our semi-final on what was actually a beautiful sunny day. We weren't quite as sharp as the previous games, but somehow managed to squeak out the win, taking only 4 of 8 skins (but we got the meaningful one), moving us to the final. The final was almost a carbon-copy of the first, but instead of taking the winning skin in the last end by hitting the 8-foot with a wide open draw, we left that one a few inches short, to force a draw-to-the-button tiebreaker... which we won by only a couple inches. Yay! 5-0, Bonspiel Champs!
So when all was said and done, we made enough money to cover our entry fee, the cost of our rental car and gas, Kim's train ticket from Kingston, and another bit of change for each person to take home (which offset some of the weekends bar bill). Tons of fun however, and now my name is on a trophy in Trenton!
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