there's so much more to go then this
Edit: I'm a moron. Hellos and his to trex_in_boots and lisal825! Looking forward to getting to know you guys better! It's always fun to meet new people, and I hope I won't drive you too crazy!
I ramble a lot, so this is probably a decent example of the kind of journal entry you can expect from me. I think there's an about me post somewhere... not sure where though, so I'll find that later and link it, haha!
Still bitter. Not as bitter. Baby steps, darlings.
(My Pens have actually made me smile the last couple of days. Extending my precious coach, Dan Bylsma yesterday, and extending my precious Geno, Evgeni Malkin today. I adore them both more than a rational person should probably adore anyone. And I have a Pens bubble, guys. I do not let people out of my Pens bubble. It's a lifelong commitment, you see, so the extended leases are appreciated).
Basically just here to do a meme snagged from half my f-list, including the tweaked version stolen from stuffy34. Pity for the sad state of my list is appreciated.
List all the US states, Canadian provinces, and countries you've been to with a brief explanation for your trip to each one.
Ontario:
Home and native land, yo. I was born in Scarborough, lived in Bowmanville as a toddler, spent a couple years in London (still too young to have many memories of anything other than a wasp explaining to me exactly why I was going to spend the rest of my life fearing its brethren), grew up and still today live in Whitby (NOT Oshawa). (I share a hometown with James Neal dudes! And also bad!ass Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk), lived in Kingston for four years of university (Queen's babes, go Gaels).
I've got family up north in Haliburton/Muskoka, I work in Aurora. Durham Region / the GTA is my playground. I've done the touristy thing to Niagara Falls several times.
And, of course, I consider Toronto my favourite city on the planet. That's the future plan. Someday I want to live right downtown, with an awesome city view. That's the goal, dream apartment building picked out and all. Even in a time in my life where I don't have a fucking clue what I want anymore, I still know I want that.
Quebec:
Grade seven school trip. Though I struggled with homesickness pretty badly, it was still an amazing trip. Quebec City is gorgeous in a way that I know - but still haven't really experienced for myself - that this whole damn country is. Amazing history, amazing culture. And if a city can be photogenic, Quebec City pulls it off.
Also, pretty awesome water park. Which, you know, is an important factor for a 13-year-old.
Florida:
The only real vacation I've ever been on, one week to Florida when I was in eighth grade. It was basically the typical family amusement park trip. As far as Disney goes, we went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios. As is typical for me, Animal Kingdom was probably my favourite of the Disney parks. Again, typical me, my favourite part of Disney was probably Downtown Disney. I still have an old-fashioned-Pooh-Bear stuffed animal from Pooh Corner sitting on my dresser. It's one of, if not my favourite stuffed animals.
Again, me, me, me (I guess though I've changed a shit-ton, there's a lot of me that's stayed the same for the last decade), I loved Sea World more than anything else in Florida. Dolphins, dolphins, dolphins you guys. Feeding them, petting them - there was something so pure and innocent about that kind of joy. I don't know if I've ever felt something similar.
And we drove to Clearwater Beach one night, the only time in my life I've ever set foot in the ocean.
I've got a scrapbook from that trip under my bed. It really was great. Amazing weather, SO hot, and sunny every single day. The condo we rented to stay in was great - I was particularly fond of the walk-in closet in my room. Usually we end up in crappy hotels, but that was good.
Really, I'd go back to Florida in a minute. Gonna have to some day. Wizarding World of Harry Potter is calling my name.
Pennsylvania:
PENS. PENS PENS PENS PENS PENS. PENS.
Also, a 2 day trip to Gettysburg that was traumatizing and I prefer not to think about. But. PITTSBURGH. My favourite American land! The one city outside of Canada I'd ever even consider moving to, I loved it that much. And I was only there for a day.
Basically, late 2009, my Dad and I went down to Pittsburgh for a game because I never went to Maple Leaf Gardens, and so hell if I was going to let them close the Igloo without my having been there. We went a couple days after Christmas because we both had time off, it was a Pens/Leafs game, I went with the 'when in Rome' theory and went as a Pens fan, though Dad was cheering for the Leafs. The crowd was INSANELY awesome, or maybe it just seemed that way to me because I'm used to ACC crowds. Either way, Dad insists he's never heard me scream so loud for the Leafs as I cheered for the Pens that game. Mob mentality, I insisted.
Or maybe I was figuring myself out even back then.
I just couldn't get past how much people in Pittsburgh loved their sports teams. It was just... everywhere. And it was fantastic.
I bought a shit-ton of Pens stuff, and I met Marc-Andre Fleury and Max Talbot and got their autographs. Was able to go straight down to the glass during warm-ups and get a bunch of amazing pictures. And it was just... I was just so happy. It was like a 24 hour trip, if that, and I fell in love... further with the team, but with the city too.
Maybe I just have a thing for spectacular skylines, who knows.
Michigan:
Not much to say here. We go down to one of the outlet malls - Birch Run? - every once in awhile for shopping. Last time we went I wasn't actually all that impressed with the deals. We had more fun at Walmart. CHEAP ALCOHOL FOR EVERYONE!
IN CONCLUSION, I've been next to nowhere and for a person who wants to go everywhere that is sad. Hopefully in the next couple of years I can fix that.
In the meantime, there's Postcrossing, because I find it so fun to get pieces of all these places I've never been in the mail. Point to this? I'm planning on doing a big old postcard sending bonanza this weekend for both Postcrossing and some of my online friends. So if you find mail as much fun as I do and you'd like a Toronto postcard from me, let me know by either sending me a message or commenting to this post (screened) with your mailing address, and I'll be WAY too happy to send you one.
I ramble a lot, so this is probably a decent example of the kind of journal entry you can expect from me. I think there's an about me post somewhere... not sure where though, so I'll find that later and link it, haha!
Still bitter. Not as bitter. Baby steps, darlings.
(My Pens have actually made me smile the last couple of days. Extending my precious coach, Dan Bylsma yesterday, and extending my precious Geno, Evgeni Malkin today. I adore them both more than a rational person should probably adore anyone. And I have a Pens bubble, guys. I do not let people out of my Pens bubble. It's a lifelong commitment, you see, so the extended leases are appreciated).
Basically just here to do a meme snagged from half my f-list, including the tweaked version stolen from stuffy34. Pity for the sad state of my list is appreciated.
List all the US states, Canadian provinces, and countries you've been to with a brief explanation for your trip to each one.
Ontario:
Home and native land, yo. I was born in Scarborough, lived in Bowmanville as a toddler, spent a couple years in London (still too young to have many memories of anything other than a wasp explaining to me exactly why I was going to spend the rest of my life fearing its brethren), grew up and still today live in Whitby (NOT Oshawa). (I share a hometown with James Neal dudes! And also bad!ass Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk), lived in Kingston for four years of university (Queen's babes, go Gaels).
I've got family up north in Haliburton/Muskoka, I work in Aurora. Durham Region / the GTA is my playground. I've done the touristy thing to Niagara Falls several times.
And, of course, I consider Toronto my favourite city on the planet. That's the future plan. Someday I want to live right downtown, with an awesome city view. That's the goal, dream apartment building picked out and all. Even in a time in my life where I don't have a fucking clue what I want anymore, I still know I want that.
Quebec:
Grade seven school trip. Though I struggled with homesickness pretty badly, it was still an amazing trip. Quebec City is gorgeous in a way that I know - but still haven't really experienced for myself - that this whole damn country is. Amazing history, amazing culture. And if a city can be photogenic, Quebec City pulls it off.
Also, pretty awesome water park. Which, you know, is an important factor for a 13-year-old.
Florida:
The only real vacation I've ever been on, one week to Florida when I was in eighth grade. It was basically the typical family amusement park trip. As far as Disney goes, we went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios. As is typical for me, Animal Kingdom was probably my favourite of the Disney parks. Again, typical me, my favourite part of Disney was probably Downtown Disney. I still have an old-fashioned-Pooh-Bear stuffed animal from Pooh Corner sitting on my dresser. It's one of, if not my favourite stuffed animals.
Again, me, me, me (I guess though I've changed a shit-ton, there's a lot of me that's stayed the same for the last decade), I loved Sea World more than anything else in Florida. Dolphins, dolphins, dolphins you guys. Feeding them, petting them - there was something so pure and innocent about that kind of joy. I don't know if I've ever felt something similar.
And we drove to Clearwater Beach one night, the only time in my life I've ever set foot in the ocean.
I've got a scrapbook from that trip under my bed. It really was great. Amazing weather, SO hot, and sunny every single day. The condo we rented to stay in was great - I was particularly fond of the walk-in closet in my room. Usually we end up in crappy hotels, but that was good.
Really, I'd go back to Florida in a minute. Gonna have to some day. Wizarding World of Harry Potter is calling my name.
Pennsylvania:
PENS. PENS PENS PENS PENS PENS. PENS.
Also, a 2 day trip to Gettysburg that was traumatizing and I prefer not to think about. But. PITTSBURGH. My favourite American land! The one city outside of Canada I'd ever even consider moving to, I loved it that much. And I was only there for a day.
Basically, late 2009, my Dad and I went down to Pittsburgh for a game because I never went to Maple Leaf Gardens, and so hell if I was going to let them close the Igloo without my having been there. We went a couple days after Christmas because we both had time off, it was a Pens/Leafs game, I went with the 'when in Rome' theory and went as a Pens fan, though Dad was cheering for the Leafs. The crowd was INSANELY awesome, or maybe it just seemed that way to me because I'm used to ACC crowds. Either way, Dad insists he's never heard me scream so loud for the Leafs as I cheered for the Pens that game. Mob mentality, I insisted.
Or maybe I was figuring myself out even back then.
I just couldn't get past how much people in Pittsburgh loved their sports teams. It was just... everywhere. And it was fantastic.
I bought a shit-ton of Pens stuff, and I met Marc-Andre Fleury and Max Talbot and got their autographs. Was able to go straight down to the glass during warm-ups and get a bunch of amazing pictures. And it was just... I was just so happy. It was like a 24 hour trip, if that, and I fell in love... further with the team, but with the city too.
Maybe I just have a thing for spectacular skylines, who knows.
Michigan:
Not much to say here. We go down to one of the outlet malls - Birch Run? - every once in awhile for shopping. Last time we went I wasn't actually all that impressed with the deals. We had more fun at Walmart. CHEAP ALCOHOL FOR EVERYONE!
IN CONCLUSION, I've been next to nowhere and for a person who wants to go everywhere that is sad. Hopefully in the next couple of years I can fix that.
In the meantime, there's Postcrossing, because I find it so fun to get pieces of all these places I've never been in the mail. Point to this? I'm planning on doing a big old postcard sending bonanza this weekend for both Postcrossing and some of my online friends. So if you find mail as much fun as I do and you'd like a Toronto postcard from me, let me know by either sending me a message or commenting to this post (screened) with your mailing address, and I'll be WAY too happy to send you one.