Sunday, my sister and I made it back safe and sound. I suppose I’m refreshed after being away from everything, in a completely different environment for a week and a half.

What I enjoyed most was seeing such a diverse array of people. I mean, really, I had to actually look for the white people at first, which was a very surreal experience. So many different ethnicities living side by side. Take the couple we stayed with, Maudeline and Frank. Maudeline is from Montreal, born and raised, and her parents are from Haiti. So, French is her first language. Her husband, Frank, is from Union Island, I think. (I’m like, dude, how do you grow up on a place that is only 3 miles long? I guess it’s no biggie if you have all the necessities.)

I had a great time visiting with friends. Hopefully, next summer I’ll be able to see Montreal.

Below the cut you will find a selection of photos that I consider my favorite shots/highlights from the trip.

City Hall . Missassauga, Ontario

Me and a “Yummy Mummy” cookie from The Queen of Tarts.

Ryerson University . Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The CN Tower

View from the Observation level of the CN Tower. When I went out here I didn’t know it was open air, and it kind of freaked me out feeling the wind blowing all those stories up. Still, I braved it to get this shot.

I’m not a big drinker but this stuff was pretty good.

I was really enthralled by the look of these massive towers that supported the power lines.

SNOW!

Isaiah. He was sick during most of our stay with his parents, as a result he was rather bratty. Here he started crying when his dad left him in the car with me.

Yay! for Tim Horton’s. Apparently (from what I’ve been told), it’s very addictive.

A bird in the hand. . . feels very weird. Our friends had lovebird hatchlings that had to be hand-fed so they could get accustomed to people. I got to feed them a few times. I was kind of frustrating trying to get them to east the food, or rather, getting them to open their mouths enough for me to get the food in.

Maudeline treated us as this dessert restaurant called Caffe’ Demetre’. It was very good. I ordered a dish called “the Last Straw”: vanilla ice cream topped with strawberries and strawberry syrup on a Belgian waffle.

It was good.

We went skating at the ice rink at Gage Park in Brampton, Ontario.

It was fun. I didn’t fall, but my sister did. I definitely tripped a few times though. Stupid toe pick.

It was nice though, despite the freezing cold. One of the “ice monitors” looked like a slimmer Steven Strait.

Before crossing the border to Buffalo, NY to catch our flight, we stopped off at the Duty Free and I bought a few souvenirs.

I finally know what Mobile, Alabama (my hometown) looks like from the sky. Ever other time we’ve flown out has been from the airport in Gulfport, MS, because it was cheaper.

A sketch I did on the plain ride back home. One of the characters from my novel, Tara.

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Saturday, November 29, 2008 . CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, CA.

I’m 26 now. Yay for being old(er).

In other news – I finished my novel, or rather, I reached 50K, so after a breather, I’ll start on the revision process. Basically, I ended up with a few really good scenes, but the plot needs a lot of work. It feels really good to have “won” NaNo my first year, though.

We made it to B’ham safe and sound. I drove the whole way. My mom offered to drive, but in the back of my mind, I knew it was just an offer. She didn’t even volunteer to take over driving when we stopped for a break, which, I didn’t mind. However, I thought I could at least depend on her to give me directions to the hotel. Well. . .it’s a good thing I’ve a fairly good sense of direction that I apparently inherited solely from my father. My mom’s awesome in other ways though, because she’s paying for gas.

She’s off doing a presentation now for an AEA Convention, and I’m here in the lobby of the hotel, taking advantage of their free wireless (yes!). When we first arrived at the hotel, there were hordes of teenagers all around waiting to check in. There’s something called BETA going on, and, judging by the event program on the table next to me, it’s something for a club that promotes “Leardership • Academics • Character • Service”. I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, knowing when to use your “inside voice” isn’t really that important.

It’s like when I went to NY and stayed in the Chelsea International Hostel. There was a group of kids there from Georgia, USA, who kept running up and down the stairs yelling and slamming doors. My roommates and I got annoyed to the point where we called reported them to the front desk, and security had to tell them to keep it down.

So, I’m planning on checking out the Birmingham Zoo while my mom’s at the convention. Hopefully I can find my way there and back in a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, I the battery has died on my dslr, and I don’t have the charger with me. So I may have to buy a new one. Ugh. I really dread driving around this city. Downtown B’ham is cool, but just getting hear in rush-hour traffic was a nightmare.

On second thought, I don’t think I’ll have time to take a full tour of the zoo while I’m so maybe I’ll just check out the Art Museum since It’s right around the corner. Yeah. Sounds like a plan.

I watched Moliere last night before bed. It was good. Romain Duris is kind of funny looking, but somehow manages to be attractive. I think it only works because he’s French. Though, I’ve only seen him in one other film, L’Auberge Espanole (The Spanish Apartment). Now all I’ve left from my rentals is Away From Her. I’ve been looking forward to seeing it for a while, but after I got it I just wasn’t in the right mood to watch it. I supposed I’ll finally view it after I get home tonight.

Laters.

Alrighty.

I got back home from the trip yesterday evening at around 8pm. I would have gotten home sooner, but when we were about 15 minutes away from home I got lost decided to take the scenic route home down this recently constructed section of highway. My mom was real happy about that, lemme tell ya.

Of course, after I got home I found the battery charger to my dslr. It was miraculously appeared in my computer bag like it had been there the entire time. Then I misplaced my pocket camera, but found it again this morning in the car. So now I can post the few pictures I was able to take. I’ve seriously been neglecting my SD1000 anyway, so I’ll try to used it more from now on. It had just been sitting in its cute little case in the bottom of my bag, all lonely.

But back to the trip. Before we left, my mother expressed the desire to visit a place called The Cheesecake Factory in order to acquire (duh) some cheesecake for my sister. I got a piece as well, while we got my sister a slice of white chocolate macadamia nut caramel. I didn’t taste her slice, but it sounds good enough. I still have a few bites of my piece of original cheesecake chillin’ in the fridge.

Mom & me walking to The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake factory was located in this upscale shopping center known as The Summit. It’s aptly named, because the place is basically built on the top of a mountain. For those of you unfamiliar with the terrain of Birmingham, AL, it’s quite hilly, as a result of the tail end of the Appalachian Mountain range (one of the few things I learned in Alabama history, mandatory in the curriculum in 4th and 9th grade).

The Summit

It’s me!

Right as I was turning into the parking lot of The Cheesecake Factory, I spotted an beacon of light some may call the Apple logo. OMG*SQUEEE!!! An Apple retail store! Of course, I had to check it out. There wasn’t much to the inside. I mean, I like how everything was stocked neatly on the shelves.The people working there were pretty friendly, but the first guy that helped me didn’t seem very knowledgeable about the merchandise.

I ended up buying a new laptop bag and some fonts for my Mac. The bag is awesome, but I’m rethinking the font purchase. At least I can write it off on my taxes for business use. *shrug*

I am so needing my tax return right about now.

Last weekend, my sisters and I visited my parents during their stay at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL. My dad took us on a tour of the grounds. It’s a really awesome place, in our backyard, so to speak, considering it’s just a 45 minute drive across the Mobile Bay to the Eastern Shore.

We arrived shortly before dusk so the view of the setting sun over the water was absolutely breathtaking. It was a clear, virtually cloudless day, and the waters were calm.

The Marina.

Sometimes I forget why I love my camera. . .and then a shot like this happens. :)

Some Spanish moss hanging from branches of live oak trees over water. Can’t be Southern without it.

A ground light surrounded by camellia petals.

We dined at a restaurant called The Blue Marlin. It was in the middle of nowhere, but the food was awesome. They gave really good portions, I only ate about a third of my food. I ordered the Surf & Turf, and they brought out this crazy thick steak.

My plate. Medium-well steak t-bone steak with fried oysters and a baked potato.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and walked the grounds some more. We saw there was a little theater outside with a projection screen. It took us a while to figure out how to get around there, but eventually we made it. There where chairs placed around these little bonfires (two), and blankets in the chairs to cover up with. It turns out Forrest Gump was playing (how quaint), so we sat down and watched it for about an hour and a half.

. . . . .

I’ll be getting my first car sometime next week. I’m trying not to be too terribly excited in case everything doesn’t go as planned. But, it’s definitely long overdue. The best thing about the car buying experience so far is that my salesman looks like a older, slightly less attractive, but more masculine Zac Efron (yes, that Zac Efron, with similar hair and everything). His name is Joe. I’ll try to get a photo of him to post.

Also, I thought I’d plug the SE! podcast once more. It’s awesomely funny, except when the guys tend to nerd out on a hip-hop culture rant. But, it’s good stuff.

Saturday night I attended the Young Wild Things Tour featuring Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Plain White T’s, and Cute Is What We Aim For at the Wharf in Orange Beach, AL. It was about an hour and a half drive, because that was my first time going there, traffic was backed up going across the Bay Way that time of day (6:30ish), and it was dark. And The Wharf, I found, is way out in the boonies.

So, with my two younger sisters along for the trip, we finally made it to the concert. I’m really glad parking was free, however, there was a $3.00 toll going both ways to gain access into/out of The Wharf. Me and Nicole had “seats” (standing) on the floor, right in front of the stage. The crowd was pretty tame so it was cool.

We were a little late getting to the show. Cute Is What We Aim For was the opening act, and I had never heard of them before this concert, so I wasn’t bummed to miss them. We arrived right after their set, and Plain White Ts were preparing to come on. They played four of five songs. The lead singer was good with getting the crowd into it. The only song I know from them is “Hey, There Delilah” (who doesn’t), but it was great to see it live because it’s an acoustic kind of song.

Next was Gym Class Heroes, and I was especially psyched to see them perform. Travis (the lead singer) is very charismatic and did a good job of getting the crowd hyped.

Here’s where I start to take issue with the crowd at the concert. The audience was composed mostly of young, white teenagers (I’m 24 so I felt so old there). And it’s cool for these kids to want to come out and see the band, but a lot of people around me looked so bored to be there. There was one part in particular where Fall Out Boy was playing, and they signaled for the audience to sing along to the song, and hardly anyone was singing because I’m pretty sure they didn’t know the words to the song. Come on, people!

Still Gym Class Heroes and Fall Out Boy did a really awesome job. I didn’t get to see if they’d do a song together, because I had to leaved (guessing) 3/4 of the way through Fall Out Boy’s act. I was extremely annoyed at this because Pete Wentz (bass, band spokesman) explained that there were playing a longer set than usual because they wouldn’t be touring the U.S. for a while after this tour wrapped. So, as didn’t get to see them performing a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”. . . but it sounded awesome. Also, props to Pete for performing with a cast/splint dressed in leather like Edward Scissorhands.

I got lots of pictures though. I’m still not used to shooting with my point-and-shoot so I got a lot of motion blur, a few I was able to salvage, and a couple of really awesomes.

So, that was my concert experience. I’ll post more photos on my flickr account.

Saturday morning, I was awakened by a phone call from my older sister. She informed me that there was a hot air balloon festival going on in Foley, AL, and she wanted to know if I wanted to go. In my haze of recent wakefulness I couldn’t think of a reason not to go, so I agreed.

A few hours later, we set off on what was supposed to be about a 45 minute drive southeast, across the bay to Foley. However, the Father’s Day Weekend traffic (people on their way to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Pensacola, etc.) made the trip more like 2 hours. I was so glad when we finally got there. I didn’t see any balloons up though, so we walked around. They had arts & crafts vendors and games for the kids. Eventually there was live music.

Around 6 pm, teams began to inflate their balloons, and hot air balloons began flying in from the south. It was a breathtaking sight.

A sugarglider—my future pet.

Baby, the police horse.

The return of the “goober.”

Kids helping to pull out the canopy as the balloon inflates.

Flight.

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I’ve seen two movies this weekend: Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Thursday night) and Nancy Drew (Sunday afternoon). The latter was pretty good. The former. . .well, let’s just say, I wasn’t expecting much, so I was entertained, save for the senseless ending.

And. ..I’m finally getting my new camera on Tuesday.

“I’m not taking picture because you can’t capture all this in a picture. You just have to tell people to experience it for themselves.”

That’s pretty much how I feel, too. However, I do believe that photos can move people to go and experience the place for themselves.

The first time I went to New York City, I did take mad photos because everything was new to me. This time around, I opted instead to try to form a narrative of my journey with my photos. I’m pretty happy with the result, except that I didn’t get photos of the celebrities people I saw (Nigel Barker and Talib Kweli).

Still I have some gems in the form of photos I’d like to share, and most of them have stories.

At the B&B in Middletown, NY

Middletown, NY – A squirrel in a maple tree.

Crazy gas prices on the road to Canada. What’s more—as I found out from a young man I met from Egypt—gas is about 40 cents/gallon in Cairo (and it’s getting cheaper).

Canadian Customs – I had to turn over my pepper spray, because it’s illegal to carry it in Canada. The Queen of England has it now.

My little sis actually snapped this since I was driving. The camera settings were wrong so I had to salvage it. I like the surreal quality it has.

Our first time at Tim Horton’s.

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Brampton, Ontario – Sunday brunch.

Brampton, Ontario – Chantel, age 11.
There’s just something so innocent and sweet about this portrait.

Brampton, Ontario – Alva’s rose.

Brampton, Ontario – I do love my sunsets, wherever they may be, in this instance, in the Canadian suburbs.

On tour at the Watch Tower of Canada branch.

You can see a rainbow, see a rainbow . . .

All comfy with our tour group in the elevator.

Crystal, Ann, and Alva (our hostess).

Watchtower Farms, Walkhill, NY – From the embossing machine. I thought it was pretty.

I love the enormity of this painting. Last year I took a photo of my other sister and a friend standing in front of it.

Dining Hall, Watchtower Farms, Walkhill, NY – Oh, garcon. . .

Middletown, NY – Some nice girls we met.

“Can I take your photo? I think you’re so pretty,” I said.
She was really tickled by that, and let me. So, this is Genevieve. I love her freckles.

On the train to New York City – I think she’s a dancer.

Hostelling International, New York City – This is Shota, the Japanese fellow I mentioned in my previous blog entry. He’s from Tokyo, and was really cool and friendly.

Tavern on the Green, Central Park, NY – We at lunch here.

The grass here was sooooooo comfy.

Gotta love that New York Pizza.

A band that was playing at the Times Square subway terminal. They were really good. I should have bought a CD.

. . .

So, those are the highlights of my trip. I had a great time. Personally, it was very spiritually enlightening. It’s really jarring to get back to the grind of everyday life after being in a completely different world. Ah, mais, c’est la vie, n’est-ce que pas?

an excerpt from my travel journal/sketchbook:

May 16, 2007

So we finally reach New York City. After a long journey, the three of us emerge from Penn Station only to encounter tropical storm force winds and pelting rain. It’s noise everywhere, and more than a little intimidating. Though I’ve been to New York the previous year, I’d never had the experience of getting off the train in the midst of rush hour.

[Riding in a taxi to the hostel] I’m so tired right now, and just glad to finally have a break. It’s so foreign being on-the-go so much, after just getting into the monotonous routing I’d established back home.

As I write this I’m relaxing in the lounge of an NYC hostel, loving the free wireless. (I just paused to aide a young Japanese man in connecting to the wireless here . . .so cool. I want to go to Japan one day.) Anyway, If you’d like to see the photos from my trip, check out the link to my flickr account to the right. (I think I may ask the guy if I can take his photo, because I just got the notion, and that’s what travel is all about–spontaneous moments, unique photo opportunities.)

Well, my sisters are bugging me not to spend my entire New York stay on the computer, so I’m off to do find some lunch in the city.

Ciao. ^_^

I’m in Canada right now on vacation. It’s so beautiful here. I’m staying in Brampton, actually, which is a suburb of Toronto. It was a long journey: two planes, a car, a train, a rental car–and finally we’re here. I ache from lugging my baggage so long.

So, of course, I have lots of photos. If I don’t blog while I’m here, I’ll probably never post all of them when I get back. Day 1 was mostly traveling, until reaching our final destination of Middletown, NY.

Leaving Mobile at 5 am.

Classic Southern breakfast from Paschal’s at the Atlanta International Airport.

We missed our train at the stop in New Jersey on or way to Middletown. So we had to take the train back to the stop, and then get back on the right train. Trainmaster Murphy here, found out about our plight and made sure we got back on track (no pun intended).

I was so glad when we finally got to Middletown, NY.