After weeks of endless events, plans, greetings with people, outtings, and dinners, life has simmered down a little. Which, as most of you probably know, is something I really don't mind. Our church youth group has been preparing for their mission trip--I'm not going, but Debbie is, so while she's away for training, I've finally been able to fully indulge myself in all sorts of stuff. Lately I've been pondering over the beautiful madness that is Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. I'm just about finished, but gosh...it's like a color swirl--I can't explain what it's about without having to include everything that happens. Even the back of the book doesn't do a good job describing everything that the novel is about. But I liked one line from the the back of the book-- it's about "life against the green pressure of nature itself" (Paul West).

some thoughts

I guess back in Philly, being a PK wasn't exactly my biggest concern and now that I'm here, I'm starting to catch a lot of little things that I say or small things that I do that may seem questionable to others. I was slightly alarmed several times in the past few weeks when I was out with friends...As a result, this initiated a kind of urgency for me to start polishing up my act. Of course, a majority of what I'm concerned about may seem insignificant to most people, but now I've come to realize how it's really the subtle actions, not the obvious ones, that end up constructing the image that people have of you. no?

I just finished watching Vicky Cristina Barcelona. It was directed by Woody Allen, so of course I loved it. If you're into artsy lifestyles but deep down in your core you know how silly the world is and you want to laugh at serious situations, especially if they can be portrayed within a peculiar and ridiculous lens, then you'll appreciate this one. Watch it.

Now the HOUSE! I promised I would talk about the house. The house is still in chaos. The house is still in need of cleaning. Our house is always in need to organization. But, nevertheless! I will talk about the house.

I don't hate the house-- but I'm not fond of the house.

It has two flights of stairs. One, from the garage/entrance to the actual living room. The other, from the living room to the actual bedrooms. After having lived in an apartment, I didn't have to deal with stairs. And now that I'm here, I realized how much I secretly hate stairs.

The living room and dining room are quite large. But that's just about the only thing I like about the house. The bedrooms feel small. In general, the house is definitely bigger than our old home, but then in a peculiar sort of way, it's not. Or maybe we're not using our space efficiently. i don't know.

This one will fascinate you: we have a vacuum system built within the walls of our house. No, I'm not joking. I think most Canadian homes are built this way. It's called central vacuum system, or something like that. It's CRAZY. You're probably confused (it blew my mind when I figured this out), so let me visually explain.

In different parts of the house, there are these "vacuum outlet" things.

You take this snakelike tube

and plug it into the "outlet" like so:

and then it sucks everything up! It's really weird, and I've been trying to decide if it's more convenient than a regular vacuum cleaner is, but it's a tough opinion to make. You have to admit though, it's pretty darn fascinating.

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I've been trying to take pictures of all the mountains I pass when we drive around, but my camera will never do justice. Despite how hot it was the past week, the weather finally cooled down. Maybe too much--my toes are cold and I'm wearing sweatpants right now!

this is what everyday driving looks like

this is everyday driving too. in sepia form. yea.

Just so you know, it's blueberry season. And I've been very much occupied with eating blueberries, packing blueberries, and receiving more boxes of blueberries from church members of all shapes and sizes.

blueberries! packed and ready to freeze!

just so you can get a clear perspective

of the massive amount of blueberries i must eat

And I keep forgetting to take pictures of the SkyTrain, but I took a picture of the rails. The SkyTrain is a little like the subway--only it's better, and cleaner, and more efficient, and not underground, and faster, and quieter, and prettier, and cooler, and cheaper, and smoother, and more convenient, and funner, and did I already mention, cheaper?

I have a secret passion for riding SkyTrains. Well--not anymore, now that I've told you ;)

the end.