first post!

ahhh so much pressure!

i've been meaning to start writing about my life and life's adventures for some time, and while it's hard to say when exactly my current adventure began, (perhaps as my blog title alludes, it began when i quit my job) now that i am on the other side of the country in beautiful vancouver i'd say it's safe to say that i'm in it.

i could write for days catching you up on the adventures of summer, from winnipeg to sundridge to the haliburton forest to peterborough to ottawa and montreal, but this library computer is going to kick me off in 40 minutes so i'll have to leave that for another day.

well i took off for vancouver monday evening. the flight was filled with marathons of jon and kate plus 8 and ultimate cake-off. i regreted not picking a daytime flight - although the skies were clear, the dark prevented me from seeing the beautiful landscapes that were no doubt below. excitement built as the animated plane on the map on my neighbours screened passed over north dakota, the prairies, alberta and finally b.c. i tried desperately to make out the contours of mountains but the best i could do was imagine them by the valleys lined with the lights of small towns.

getting to my resting place - house of kasper, a friend from highschool - was easy enough on public transportation. i was greeted with open arms. kasper showed me around and made sure i had everything i wanted before i happily went to bed.

i got a good start on the day the next morning. i could see that it was a beautiful day outside, but it wasn't until i saw a photo of vancouver on the wall - beautiful city on the ocean tucked into the mountains - that i thought 'holy crap i'm wasting my life why am i not outside yet'. i hit the road on foot to explore.

as soon as i was out of the house the beauty of the place overwhelmed me - i couldn't believe how much i had missed by arriving in the dark. the mountains! i could see mountains right from outside the door! a few people had told me leading up to the trip that this is a really magical place, and i knew right away that it was true.

my hunch to head in the direction of the university was a good one. it was a longer walk than i expected, but a good one. i passed through the pacific spirit regional park, which has the most spectacular trees and vegetation.

the trees here are like mountains and the mountains are like sky.

i made it to campus, which has a familiar energy of september business. i quickly stumbled on regent college where i found unsecured wireless (which i can access from my ipod) AND free food!!! there was a chapel service going on when i got there, and though i didn't go in i enjoyed the singing from outside, and noticed people setting up to serve bread and soup. of course i waited till the service was let out and helped myself to a hearty bowl of vegetable soup with a crusty bun and extra butter. how i was thankful for this bounty! god bless!

of course i was dying to get to the ocean. after meandering along the top of a cliff for a while i found a long stair path down to the water, and a sign: 'cothing optional beach ahead'. what a serendipitous find! could there be any more romantic, spiritual way to begin my west coast adventure than with a naked swim in the pacific ocean?

in the end the clothing optional beach was a bit of a dissappointment. their was a very subtle creepiness to the beach that was non-threatening but slightly unsettling. walking down the coast i found many many more beaches, beautiful sandy beaches and parks with lots of people enjoying the unseasonally warm september afternoon. in the end i decided that i prefer beaches of the leash optional variety.

day one ended with a lovely campfire with kasper and housemates and friends in their gorgeous back yard. we made smores, sang flight of the conchords and did the hokey pokey. pure joy. times a million.

day two was lazy, and the main activity was a very extended guitar/singing/harmonica-ing session in the backyard, which felt really great. i got to bed early so i can tackle day 3 with all my strength. i plan to go downtown, maybe get my camera fixed and find a harmonica strap/holder. tonight i will have dinner with kate, a former highland dancer who i haven't seen in too long.

kasper and his housemates have been so good to me. They have a beautiful house in a beautiful neighbourhood. they are currently in the process of renting out their basement apartment, which is where i have set up shop for the time being. i have been sleeping on a bed consisting of a bouldering mat, some cushions, some blankets, a pillow and a sleeping bag. it's wonderful. i have been subsisting mainly on pumpkin seed butter and dried apricot sandwiches and other odds and ends picked up from a corner store i stumbled on.

time is running out! i will do my best to update frequently. finding wifi for my ipod has been fairly easy although extended posts are tedious without access to a full computer.

thanks to everyone i've encoutered so far for making my travels so comfortable and enjoyable.

applejax