tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159497562012-02-16T05:55:15.001-04:00let's ride bikes.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.comBlogger2661100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-55565549730549352842012-02-13T22:50:00.000-04:002012-02-13T22:50:44.188-04:00

Hi there! Remember that time we went to school? That was fun. We learned so many useful things: analysis of 18th century poetry, logarithms, what time two trains leaving two different stations would meet, how we will instantly lose weight by travelling to the moon (mass vs. weight), and peeing on a handkerchief and holding it over our mouths would save us during a chlorine-gas attack in World

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-77492888862077266502012-01-25T23:18:00.000-04:002012-01-25T23:18:13.608-04:00

This title of this post suggests an embarrassing event occurred at yoga tonight as a consequence of wearing cheap leggings. That is not the case, but it does seem quite probable. This evening I went to my second yoga class. In theory it should had been my third class, but I skipped class no. 2 because I felt like there was a small Tasmanian devil hitting puberty in my abdominal - so angry! I

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-53003039566156212342012-01-19T10:53:00.009-04:002012-01-19T11:22:54.145-04:00

Interior shot of one of the massiveHalifax - Charlottetown planes.I've been spending a lot of time at the airport lately. Unfortunately, this is not a result of long layovers en route somewhere amazing and wonderful, but is actually for work purposes. The Charlottetown Airport is special because it's tiny and kind of treated more like a train station. You could arrive 90 minutes before your

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-65562571104590701332012-01-18T21:34:00.001-04:002012-01-19T10:14:38.798-04:00

I've been trying to think of a new year's resolution. I realise that January is more than half over (woohoo!!!), but I'm late for most things so being late on a resolution is acceptable, unsurprising, and even expected. I was strongly considering giving up pizza for 2012 and then realised I already ate pizza in 2012. On January 1st. I made it an entire 17.5 hours into the new year until I broke

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-51863258594561678862012-01-12T14:57:00.001-04:002012-01-12T15:36:54.589-04:00

Hey Blog! Don't you look a little rusty and ignored like a pop can collection stored in a flooded basement? Why the temporary abandonment? Well, a variety of reasons, readers. (All two of you. I love you both!) Christmas holidays - Although they arguably provided me with more time, people were home visiting and I preferred to completely overdose myself on holiday cheer in hopes of 'needing a

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-44269253874282071892011-10-25T00:42:00.002-03:002011-11-02T00:13:46.832-03:00

Woo, Florida-land! I love arriving in Orlando, it feels like arriving at my other home. I love wearing summer clothes again, I love falling asleep in the sun reading, I love sweating, and I love two-hundred-thousand-million other things too! I also have the nicest banker ever here. She remembers me from opening a bank account SIX (!!!) years ago, then pissing around with random investments,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-82385195607678629212011-10-17T01:19:00.001-03:002011-10-17T01:19:24.156-03:00

Big Fish, where the end is pretty good. Note: not so well written, but sometimes revisions and rewrites can't capture emotional moments. Deviating from my usual 'make the people laugh LOL LOL LOL OMG' objectives, something not so wonderful happened - my grandfather passed away a little over 24 hours ago. I missed the initial phone call as I was out embracing my secret weekend Bar Star identity

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-36254683211213828502011-10-06T15:14:00.001-03:002011-10-06T15:31:35.762-03:00

The last time I was in Quebec City, for mere hours. It's October long weekend! Thanksgiving weekend, for all the non-Canadian readers. Historically this was celebrated by Europeans giving groups of aboriginals small pox and burning their homes. Now we celebrate by eating too much, laying on the couch, and rolling around on the floor playing with the family pet. It's weird, no one questions

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-17758006321788307252011-09-26T22:30:00.000-03:002011-09-27T10:09:59.917-03:00

Post named after a song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Cinderella. Whoops, apparently Snow White just sings about wishing in a more general way. Although both movies are somewhere in my or my parents' house, I was never a huge fan of either. However, I felt I had to own them after I learned the first release of The Little Mermaid on VHS was worth lots of money about five years after its

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-58398738751131329662011-08-31T17:11:00.000-03:002011-08-31T17:11:46.544-03:00

I feel like I'm coming into the last weekend of the summer. Although I'm not going back to school (although I think about it every year around this time - apparently you have to apply in, like, February pffft), a shift always takes place. I feel like things revolve around PEI and I in the summer. So many friends return to PEI for at least a week, like an annual pilgrimage to a land of sandy,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-13841332094983980972011-08-30T23:15:00.002-03:002011-08-30T23:17:08.566-03:00

I started writing this a few weeks ago. Summer is distracting. Today is the six-month anniversary of me owning a car! In honour of Car's birthday, she is going to the garage to find out why her 'check engine' light is exposing itself. She has been driven about 40 kilometres and has gone through one third of a tank of gas. Not really, but apparently I don't drive very much. However, the past

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-79223906857067417602011-06-17T12:26:00.001-03:002011-06-17T12:38:15.342-03:00

It's summer! Kind of. According to Environment Canada, it's 8C. According to my window and the puddles, it's raining. So, it's kind of sort of possibly starting to be summer. Just a wee bit. However, since weather is a poor indicator of seasonal change that is merely based on a calendar date and the Earth's position relative to the sun, I offer you the following items that are actual signs

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-88248621575032573002011-06-09T00:27:00.002-03:002011-06-09T00:27:30.829-03:00

Nothing like stealing song lyrics when you can't think of a proper title. As one of the my last posts pertained to the Red Island Relay and a few people asked me how it went, here is our very dramatic conclusion! I biked. It went well. I biked again a bit later. It went very well. I kayaked right after that. It went pretty well. Then I ran over the finish line and no one paid attention or

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-15914177474886174742011-06-05T18:56:00.001-03:002011-06-05T18:58:13.687-03:00

Let's ride bikes! View Larger Map That route looks good. Zoom out and it'll look a little more impressive. The entire route is about 67 kilometres and would apparently take 1.5 hours in a *le sigh* terribly boring, non-endorphin-releasing car. Little did we know upon leaving our homes (which are not at the grocery store like the map suggests) what great things would await us on our

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-30976701895742875352011-05-23T22:36:00.007-03:002011-05-23T22:41:31.915-03:00

Hi friends! Apparently lots of self-help "gurus"/"geniuses"/people-who-just-managed-to get-published suggest writing lists of goals. If it is written down, it is more likely to become a reality. I tried a slightly different twist on this and drew a picture of a beautiful birthday cake. I stared at it for awhile but it didn't turn into a real cake. When I ate it, it tasted like paper and

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-8236281999209412572011-05-11T23:40:00.000-03:002011-05-13T17:48:13.062-03:00

Oh, hiiiiii! Sometimes I go for stretches of time without writing. Generally this can be attributed to good weather, but that's not the case right now. Anyone who has been within 800 feet of me in the past 30 hours can pretty much feel the weather hate oozing out of my pores. Three days without seeing blue sky or sun, and having big winds pick at my hair pretty much means I have to be drugged

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-40244058390033552892011-04-16T21:12:00.001-03:002011-04-16T21:12:25.591-03:00

Right, so sleeping is hard. It's about 1:ooam (4 hrs later than home) and I'm wide awake. Not quite jet lag as I've been in this time zone since Wednesday morning. However, being sleep deprived and being unable to keep my eyes open when in a moving vehicle, I managed to sleep for what seemed like most of a 7-hour train ride today. If only workdays would pass so quickly. Apparently my French

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-76247139944766533462011-04-16T19:18:00.001-03:002011-04-16T19:18:06.259-03:00

I'm typing this from my wee phone so all typos *must* be forgiven, otherwise you are permitted to read no further... Unless we are blood relatives or have known me for at least five years. Then you get a free pass.Morocco is amazing! Particularly the yellow food that is becoming a trend on this holiday. On the flight over from Montreal to London, Devin and I were offered, shock, chicken or beef.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-68234006528623540742011-04-12T12:16:00.000-03:002011-04-12T12:16:59.134-03:00

Starting in 2002, PEI implemented an Island-wide waste management scheme. I don't believe it has evolved much since; though I think the proper placement of a Tim Horton's cup still can conjure debate. (It seems compostable, but has a waxy exterior. SO MANY OPTIONS.) We have a large black waste bin, a large green bin for compost, and two recycling bags - one for plastic/glass/stuff, the other

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-39717510186511135722011-03-29T18:25:00.004-03:002011-03-29T22:26:20.516-03:00

Oh, how I have missed you my blog! I'm pretty much my own biggest fan (convenient, stalking oneself is so easy) and was disappointed at my lack of writing over the past two months. I fully blame myself; I've been trying to go to bed earlier which takes away from late night writing time. I have also been a bit sick for the past 10 days and spent most of my time either working or laying in bed

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-56172893810920386092011-03-22T17:13:00.003-03:002011-03-22T17:19:04.843-03:00

Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing out on something by not being a coffee drinker. When someone is curled up by her window, mug of coffee twisted into her hand, watching the rain pour down, she looks happy and warm, enjoying the mood of the weather. When the non-coffee drinker is looking outside at the rain through the window, she looks crazy or depressed. At my first temp job in Scotland I

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-88790382848602695512011-03-14T17:37:00.002-03:002011-03-14T17:37:08.517-03:00

Saturday, March 5, 2011 was officially declared the first day of spring - by me. After a series of international debates among northern countries it was decided that calendar entries for season changes are not an accurate way to establish a new season. Instead, it was agreed that each region would have a season decision maker. After numerous rigorous interviews, blood samples, x-rays, and hot

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-27188923566956567462011-02-22T22:28:00.002-04:002011-02-22T22:29:53.642-04:00

Dear Winter: Ah, still here? Your presence is never subtle. As a guest in my life, I find you take advantage of my positive attitude and kind soul. I let you into my life, and even tried to embrace you. I had to put out financially, purchasing more wool socks, snowshoes, skates, a car, and an icescraper for my car.  But I put in a very solid effort to building our relationship. You are being to

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-38474374496046090102011-02-21T01:14:00.001-04:002011-02-21T01:26:44.022-04:00

Last Monday the University shut down at 5:00pm due to snow blowing through the air and whipping people in the face and winter being, you know, winter-y. I was a little disappointed as after mingling with (eating) a few cookies at our Valentine's Day potluck I was planning on going to the gym and abusing myself to the point of movement causing throngs of pain the following day. Instead, I walked

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-60999593892219419622011-02-03T15:30:00.000-04:002011-02-03T15:32:34.892-04:00

I'm in the process of buying a car. So far I am at step one - selecting the car. I have been at step one for about a month. I haven't even figured out a brand, company, line, whatever they're called. At the rate I'm going, step 5 (driving the car home) should take place on June 23, 2013. Let me know if you need a drive anywhere on that day and we'll have plenty of time to plan ahead and make

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-74168333810066184572011-01-26T15:53:00.004-04:002011-01-26T22:49:54.276-04:00

Today at work I was working on French translations for two surveys. Huge parts of them have been professionally translated before (I only translate simple things like "Are you a banana?" = "Es-tu une banane?") but they are mixed up in a whole bunch of different files. One of these days when work slows down a bit, I plan to execute my organisation skills and make a master file of questions in

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-64751194238660776802011-01-24T00:42:00.001-04:002011-01-24T00:48:20.648-04:00

I'm not Catholic, but one of my Catholic friends insisted Catholics are raised to feel extra guilty about everything. Thus, anytime I feel extreme guilt, I label it "catholic guilt".Things that Deliver Guilt to my Soul - in no particular orderReading chick lit. Everytime I dance home from the library with a Meg Cabot piece of literature you can be sure to note that I have also checked out a

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-1342206279426797722011-01-12T17:30:00.003-04:002011-01-13T10:07:02.623-04:00

There is a famous PEI proverb that states, "She who stops learning will suffer in rust."Note: Proverb not famous, I made it up, but if we work together we can make it famous!I have learned a variety of things thus far in 2011 that I think I should share with the world. Some of these were learned in late 2010, but the lesson is still fresh and reinforced into my soul on a daily basis.When hiring

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-58145794690664557672011-01-02T00:16:00.002-04:002011-01-02T00:48:22.964-04:00

Oh, PS, in case I forget, I'm giving up chocolate in 2011. Apparently I confuse New Years with lent, despite not being catholic and always unintentionally doing that chest/forehead/shoulder touching thing in the wrong order. In 2007 I boycotted non-sandwich related fast food. 2008 was Wal-Mart, but then I went when out of province so stopped after I bought Skittles and sunglasses at an Albertan

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-29953297369189935892010-12-21T00:27:00.003-04:002010-12-21T00:32:55.896-04:00

Sunday night phone conversations:Hannah: Hey Jen, wanna come to a Christmas caroling event thing at 7:00?Jen: No, I know the next week or so will be busy so I think I'm going to clean my room hardcore for an hour. I really need to focus. Otherwise I'll have no clean clothes to wear. Come over after, I'll be done by then. (*****epic lie, will obviously not be done but am secretly hoping Hannah

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-18663255364871583052010-12-18T01:20:00.000-04:002010-12-18T01:20:32.900-04:00

I was Googling myself just mere moments ago to see what bits and pieces of information people could find out about me easily on the Internet. For full name + PEI the first three results are work related, the following two are biking related (fist pump for having an Internet-noted hobby!), then a piece I wrote on our now defunct work blog, and then Summerside's newspaper when I was unknowingly,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-3781342417204090392010-12-12T23:47:00.001-04:002010-12-12T23:53:11.602-04:00

Oh, PEI. I ragged on you pretty hard when I first moved back to Canada four years ago. (Yikes - time flies. That was supposed to be for only two months.) But I eventually grew to like you again. It took awhile, but summers, some time apart, cheap ice cream, and improved flight schedules from the Charlottetown Airport helped re-cement our bond.I was about to go to bed, thinking, "Wow, nothing

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-58516195407987905262010-12-06T21:31:00.006-04:002010-12-06T22:34:55.447-04:00

I'm older soon! Well, I'm always getting older [so are you]. We age in microscopic units of time that can't even be measured. It's my birthday on Wednesday. In traditional birthday fashion, I spent one or two days last week concerned about getting older and then kind of snapped out of it. (Apologies to anyone who saw/spoke to me those few days.)It's not so much that getting older is the

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-57821889839664224052010-12-03T13:20:00.000-04:002010-12-03T13:20:56.797-04:00

I felt very productive this morning. I got up, showered, pulled out handfuls of hair (I am a sexy shedding beast), figured out what I would wear to our work Christmas party this evening, figured out what I would wear to work, seemed to get everything in my backpack, and happily pranced out the door after a strong shot of orange juice. (Note: I don't advocate skipping breakfast and had plans to

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-46453230038266129892010-11-22T17:47:00.002-04:002010-11-22T18:18:12.417-04:00

Generally when I lose something I usually find about 3 bobby pins while I'm looking for the object I lost. Every time I pull something from my pocket a bobby pin is generally attached. The darn things just find their way EVERYWHERE. A package of bobby pins usually contains about sixty of them. One probably thinks, "Wow! Sixty bobby pins! That is more than anyone could ever use in her entire

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-61290195816750518242010-11-20T23:31:00.003-04:002010-11-21T01:33:33.531-04:00

Apparently I'm a little stuck on the English language lately (see previous post berating self-depreciating usages of the word 'just'). Disliked word of the week is exercise. So bland. So un-fun. I'm not opposed to exercise in what it is (physical movement providing health benefits?), but it undermines the activity at hand. It sounds so, "I'm going to do an activity that I don't enjoy because

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-1400679153569647472010-11-05T12:00:00.002-03:002010-11-05T12:26:33.886-03:00

Last night au pub Shannon was explaining the game of Pictionary Telephone. I started listening to the rules, but then was overcome with distraction of memories of the original telephone game and started to get mildly stressed. For the unfamiliar, Person 1 whispers a word or phrase into the ear of the person next to her. That person whispers it to the person next to her. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-51746647918630013602010-10-31T23:12:00.004-03:002010-10-31T23:44:34.290-03:00

Once, a long time ago, (2008!) my car was dieing and refused to pass inspection. Of course, I drove Wee Red anyway. A fine would had been cheaper than a new car. (What's that you say? Dangerous liability?) In May 2009 I sold my car to someone who basically wanted it for parts. The battery was quite new, but he was probably attracted to the well functioning cassette player. You just know he

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-69928389798011423792010-10-23T01:40:00.003-03:002010-10-23T02:45:31.834-03:00

Long, long ago, three brave travellers headed out to climb the summit of PEI. The day prior had been extremely busy: two had dipped into the icy harbour and all three played at the levees during various intervals of the day. Although the crew was slightly fatigued, January 2nd had a big adventure awaiting the Three.Base camp was located in Fredericton, PEI. Poorly armed with a GPS with a

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-19654230957308958182010-10-17T22:39:00.002-03:002010-10-17T23:14:08.940-03:00

I started another post about my new obsession du-jour (effect of left brain vs. right brain dominance on, well, everything) but got inspired for something possibly better, as only 2:30am Saturday night/Sunday morning conversations can do.The word "just" is an awful word. My first note-worthy experience of recognizing its negative nature was at NSO (New Student Orientation) week during first-year

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-31453598827258384022010-10-12T23:58:00.001-03:002010-10-13T00:16:44.528-03:00

If you were part of the solar system, would you be a planet or the sun?I would be a planet. I tried explaining this to someone recently in regards to change. The person nodded like I was making plenty of sense. Good sign.Essentially, I don`t like when change revolves around me and I'm merely a bystander. I'd rather be involved, directing rather than reacting. But once in awhile I play the

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-38819665840404654982010-10-10T12:05:00.006-03:002010-10-10T13:29:49.211-03:00

Do you recognize this flag?It's actually an editted version of the Czech Republic's flag and I haven't been able to find a record of it actually existing. However, I saw it very vividly in a dream a couple of weeks ago.Backstory: About a month in a half ago Indigo was having a massive book sale; the type of sale where one buy books one would generally never buy, but do, because they are only one

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-15283230377939412992010-10-09T08:20:00.000-03:002010-10-09T08:21:36.356-03:00

Heeeeeey! YOU!Eight-thousand four-hundred and sixty eight of my best looking friends have moved away so now I'll write. This week has been stupid and feels like my brain was in a tilt-a-whirl for six days. Now, Jen loves rides, but six days? No thank you. Result would be similar to this scene in Problem Child 2. The most disgusting movie scene ever. I hated it when I was young. Maybe

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-64685922666835155812010-08-19T12:32:00.002-03:002010-08-19T12:47:31.370-03:00

Oh, hello, two-month hiatus.It's summer. Anyone who knows me well and was eagerly awaiting a charming post should have read that sentence (reference: "It's summer") and nodded knowingly. Of course! Maki's summers are filled with the outdoors, adventure, adopting starving children, and eating strawberries. As people fill the Island (friends!!!), the writer fills her social schedule to the

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-64071417204324536442010-06-23T12:42:00.003-03:002010-06-23T15:49:02.469-03:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I signed up for the Biking for Breakfast Challenge, a one-day bike ride across all of this glorious province with all its rolling hills, potholes, and roadkill. I signed up for this with the intention of perhaps doing a relay with a couple of other people or just doing 150-200km. Although, once you already do 200km, what's another 85km? Now I feel pressure

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-44967493494445427752010-06-21T23:36:00.000-03:002010-06-21T23:36:20.290-03:00

Bonsoir mes amis.A friend requested a blog update. Here we go my Darlin' Charlin'!How to tell if your good friend, Jen Maki, has indulged in an adult beverage or two.- French flows from the mouth like water from the tap.- "Let's go on an adventure!" - or, in warmer months - "We should go swimming!"- Why take a cab when you can walk? "Jen, it's snowing with 50 km/hr winds."- "Wouldn't pizza rock

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-38899754077333177502010-06-17T23:28:00.000-03:002010-06-17T23:29:33.773-03:00

Ahh, India. I have a deep connection with you; I did a presentation on India in grade 5. We discussed very basic things, ("This is what the flag looks like and the country is very big, but not nearly as big as Canada, but very hot.") but I think you have developed a crush on me! Since the beginning of May this blog has received almost 500 hits from Varanasi, a city sort of north-eastish. Most

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-36873346107981860312010-06-14T18:30:00.000-03:002010-06-14T18:32:07.103-03:00

Dear PEI motorists:Sorry I flashed you the other day, but I was in a pickle. I know you expected your drive to work to be free of nudity and all things evil, but I have yet to put curtains over my window, despite my window looking over one of the busiest roads in our wee city. But that's okay, I'll assume you're modest and looked away.You see, I was about to be attacked. I was laying in bed

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-85514793199516873862010-06-02T23:36:00.000-03:002010-06-02T23:40:20.216-03:00

Today I bought a new bike from MacQueens. I have yet to take a photo of the bike, seeing as it has been in my possession for about five hours. However, I am eager to share with you what my bike looks like. I could show you the stock photo from Specialized's website, but that's too easy. Instead, I present to you my artist's rendition of what my bike would look like under water.You will note

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-4604819597768338912010-06-01T13:33:00.006-03:002010-06-01T17:24:08.209-03:00

This past Saturday I was one half of a two-person team for the Red Island Relay. Overall, it was tonnes of fun and I'm so glad that I got to go in last minute. The Relay is in five parts: 1) run 7.5 km, 2) road bike 27 km, 3) run 10 km, 4) trail bike 19 km, and 5) two-person canoe or kayak for 6km. I did legs 2, 4, and 5. After a panicked Thursday night, I arranged to borrow a road bike for

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-15638051451030866382010-05-27T00:30:00.000-03:002010-05-27T00:33:08.872-03:00

I generally have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night but then sleep like a drugged baby until my alarm sings in my ears. Sometimes I think of things that I think would be wonderful to write about, but refrain from powering up Laptop and just hope I remember them in the morning. About a week ago I came up with what seemed like WONDERFUL ideas and text them to myself. The text reads, "Blog:

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-76804536321157579572010-05-25T20:43:00.006-03:002010-05-25T21:45:11.047-03:00

Friends:I am here today to offer constructive criticism on your choice as consumers.You may recognize the product featured in this photo. If you have ever consumed this product (and obviously you have otherwise our relationship is quickly spiraling downwards) your brain should have instantly flooded with memories of a delicious, tender chocolate ball sitting on your tongue, the chocolate slowly

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-89425294073708337292010-05-20T15:02:00.002-03:002010-05-20T15:39:00.230-03:00

Once, a long, long time ago, (1995-2004), I was a 'numbers person'. This is mostly evident in school marks, and high school awards that were given nice names but really should have been called, "Science Geek Prize" or "Way to rock finance, Maki!" I'm still a bit of a numbers person, and write many reports involving a plethora of numbers. However, I don't really do anything with numbers anymore

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-2397369913094581442010-05-17T22:15:00.000-03:002010-05-17T22:19:59.527-03:00

Signs summer is coming:Jewell's Country Market is open, which was my savior at kilometre 55 of what was planned to be a simple 40-km bike ride.Boomer, the local weatherman, said winter was ending tonight once the wind died down - and it did die down!Sun still gleams on the horizon at 20h45.Beer Club is being held outside tomorrow!The university feels vacant as profs sneak off for holidays.Season

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-46497355575069875122010-05-11T13:06:00.002-03:002010-05-11T13:16:09.242-03:00

I haven't written in a wee while because I've been off playing on holiday. On a scale of 1-10 of wonderfulness, after careful consideration and using a coefficient multiplier of the cosecent of pi (3.14159), I have determined this vacation deserves an 11.298. I don't know about you, but I find that to be a pleasing rating.Now, just because I did not blog while traversing our great neighbour to

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-725355201835156752010-04-19T21:31:00.002-03:002010-04-19T21:42:44.045-03:00

In an effort not to lose my dashing French skills, I bought two discounted French novels at the campus bookstore last week. They were used in classes, I suspect, last term or recently and were no longer needed in stock. One is meant for ages 10 and up and the other is a proper adult novel.I was just about to start the younglings book "Vendredi ou la vie sauvage" this evening when I decided to

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-59805212101942687672010-04-16T15:06:00.000-03:002010-04-16T15:07:41.600-03:00

Ah, Friday afternoon! Let's discuss something lighthearted yet critical to the development of ones character.I'm heading off to Florida-land soon to wrestle alligators and save manatees from extinction (hobby in my spare time, of course) and thought to myself, "I should probably look into activating my US cellphone for communication ease." Then I thought how foolish I would look using my US

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-32220468063328829312010-04-13T17:33:00.000-03:002010-04-13T17:34:02.760-03:00

The Internet at my house is wonky and broke. So now when I think of random things to write about I tend to read instead. And the book I'm currently reading makes me think of MORE things to write. Then I fall asleep and forget them all.I am a bit of a bum for local news and decided last week that I would hate to be the leader of the opposition. Basically her job is to complain about everything

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-61016139422372102132010-04-04T23:59:00.001-03:002010-04-05T00:07:57.380-03:00

(Things for which to get ready, if we desire to be grammatically correct.)The Red Island Relay. It's a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation consisting of two running legs, two cycling legs, and one canoe/kayak leg. Apparently I am feeling in shape. How misleading I am to myself. The most challenging leg will take place at 7:00am: waking up and being able to function without hissing

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-27698177848730364552010-04-03T01:46:00.000-03:002010-04-03T01:47:16.884-03:00

This afternoon I was sitting in a car waiting for someone and watching a crow hop around on a roof across the street. Having a very scientific mind with both a well developed left and right side, I managed to come up with the following list of the pros and cons of being a bird. The bird being observed was a crow (traditional name: it which caws loudly too early in the morning and poops all over

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-9263287096539126292010-03-31T15:00:00.000-03:002010-03-31T15:04:50.825-03:00

I woke up this morning to the sound of the rain loudly drumming on the windows. Flashback to last night when the front tire of my bike seemed weak and was likely very slowly deflating. I contemplate how I will get from Point A (my bed) to Point B (my office) without spending the first hour of work looking like I just pulled myself out of a pool.My first thought was, "Don't go to work!" which

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-36466526210648292662010-03-29T11:08:00.002-03:002010-03-29T12:00:59.826-03:00

Despite being a quasi-environmentalist (quasi: having some, but not all of the features of) I did not participate in Earth Hour. The primary reason was 1) I forgot, and 2) I'm scared of flames and candles.I was watching the Weather Network a couple of days before the event (such quality tv) and a man was discussing what he hopes people get out of Earth Hour: realising that they do not need to

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-74609266459187870452010-03-23T15:44:00.000-03:002010-03-23T15:48:33.452-03:00

And now, a haiku about the rain.It is raining outSplashes on my windowsillLiking my raincoatWhat I enjoy about haikus is that they don't really have to make sense, but follow the 5-7-5 rule.When I went to the market last Saturday I was wearing a short-sleeved sweater and flip-flops. It was a bit chilly on my feet, but doable since I was going to be inside anyway. But even chillier was the dirty

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-47854322137253571682010-03-15T00:51:00.000-03:002010-03-15T00:51:22.588-03:00

I sucked it up and went to the Doctor to whine about my broken ears. Indeed, my whining turned out to be justified and now I have two fancy pill bottles to make my life less awkward. This brings the prescription grand total of the last two years to.. *drumroll* TWO!Hopefully I'll be able to hear again by Tuesday because that's when I run out of pills. One of them is actually steroids. So now

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-31676871433947494092010-03-09T00:09:00.000-04:002010-03-09T00:10:12.656-04:00

As I rambled to anyone who would listen, I was in Vancouver for most of the last week of the Olympics. I don't even really consider it a trip to Vancouver, more so a trip to Magical Olympic Land of Medals and Line Ups. During this time spent immersed in seas of red and white clothing and capes fashioned from flags, I made careful not of who (what) the real sponsors of the Olympics were. I now

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-47982401091748173452010-02-22T16:37:00.002-04:002010-02-22T16:46:39.462-04:00

I'm flying to an amateur sporting event tomorrow, although some professionals are allowed to participate in select sports (hockey). It takes place mostly in a large city on the west coast of Canada called "Vancouver", which is Canadian for "city without winter". The events which require snow take place in the mountain, such as Whistler. Whistler is Canadian for "mountain that apparently isn't

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-2747325128677056562010-02-16T16:50:00.003-04:002010-02-16T17:21:05.475-04:00

I am in LOVE with the Olympics. I have watched more tv since Friday than I've watched in the previous eight weeks combined.Having watched so many Olympians fly down hills, plunge through moguls, and dash around ovals I have discovered that the Olympics are filled with memories that will never fade.But it is also filled with fashion faux-pas that will be eternal. Actually, I shouldn't say

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-5233034349423895312010-02-11T16:25:00.001-04:002010-02-11T16:33:26.898-04:00

In the last minutes of last night/the first minutes of this morning I encountered bizarre American business practices that reminded me of bizarre British business practices.Last year when travelling to Hawai'i I took a bump. Someone needed on the flight from Chicago to LA (which had already been delayed) and I volunteered to take a bump on the overbooked flight. Since United was so gracious for

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-23587129484954473832010-02-02T17:05:00.001-04:002010-02-02T17:11:47.259-04:00

It's a good day.Okay, so the windchill is minus eight-hundred and thirty-six (aka -27), but I still have my health. (Please don't push me down the stairs. Then my health will likely be temporarily gone.)I'm so pumped for summer. Sure it's months away, but I feel it's reachable. This winter has been lovely and splendid thus far. And, a critical point has been met:JANUARY IS OVER.It's done!

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-6707403017090464602010-01-29T01:03:00.001-04:002010-01-29T01:07:04.391-04:00

Last night around 1am I had very strong urges to text, "Party on, Garth!" to a variety of people.So I did.Anyway. I'm supposed to be sleeping, but I hate going to bed. It's so... not fun.Stranger: You know what's fun?Jen Mac: WHAT?!?! *giddy*Stranger: Going to bed!Jen Mac: *blink*Jen Mac: YOU SLEEP ON A BED OF LIES!Stranger: But at least I go to bed and can function before 9:30 in the morning

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-14789281811275173842010-01-28T16:30:00.003-04:002010-01-28T16:44:43.103-04:00

Today I and co-workers trudged through the spring (printemps!) weather to go downtown for a meeting. A few things usually cross my mind at some point before or during the meeting:1. I shouldn't drink too much water (l'eau!) in the two hours preceding the meeting (meeting! - said in a funny accent).2. I should not eat things with creamy, delicious sauces the day of the meeting.3. Oh yeah, bring a

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-38452686835461645652010-01-26T14:07:00.002-04:002010-01-26T14:43:20.484-04:00

Title above is actually in reference to a book I'm ready. As clearly I, personally, would be polite enough to apologize about my lack of French skills in the actual language. "Désolé, je ne parle pas français."Or, you know, I would just speak French.The book cost a shiny tooney from Indigo, Chapter's sad cousin of uncomfort. If you have not been to an Indigo, but have been to a Chapter's, just

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-92221408558862076622010-01-22T13:46:00.000-04:002010-01-22T13:53:34.702-04:00

In PEI we have 19 retail outlets where we can buy liquor, wine, beer, liqueurs, etc. Omitting bootleggers. Someone (the public? local MLA? not sure) was pushing to get a liquor store constructed in Cavendish, one of the busiest tourist destinations in PEI (think Green Gables). There was a cabinet shuffle last week, and the minister now in charge of the PEI Liquor Control Commission stated that

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-4173281058637965562010-01-12T21:36:00.003-04:002010-01-12T22:22:34.041-04:00

I recently learned that many of the random people that come across my blog (i.e., those to whom I am not related nor am friends with on Facebook) often find me my Googling random things, often in French.Is the French blogosphere so small that I give decent search results?!Not really, because I re-searched the key phrases that people entered into Google to find my blog. I must be on search result

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-41636810914741360822010-01-04T22:58:00.005-04:002010-01-04T23:40:44.907-04:00

Title of this post inspired by friend's terrible, yet terribly entertaining, francais."Le bateau et le cove de Peggy???? Ne pas."NE PAS.Obviously the above is grammatically incorrect, but I let it slide.It's winter! And... I like it. I can't believe I'm saying that. But it's fake winter. The temperature rarely dips below -5C. The snow is wet and heavy, instead of fluffy and soft. Also, it

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-50204101596492434982009-12-28T23:51:00.002-04:002009-12-29T00:25:02.603-04:00

Yesterday two friends and I drove past a dealership which was promoting new cars starting at $9,998.*twiddles thumbs*Remember that time I had a car? That was convenient.Scraping ice and snow off poor car with holes in the floor that I was driving illegally? Not convenient.Walking to work/somewhere with toes so cold you wonder if they are still attached to your foot? Crappy.Insurance? Gas?

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-9361319367077009562009-12-21T23:46:00.002-04:002009-12-22T00:27:38.884-04:00

Inspired by "We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story", which I never had the "pleasure" of viewing.Completely related, speaking English is SO EASY. Ordering food in English? SO EASY. Talking to store employees in English? SO EASY. I mean, I found French much easier by the end than when I arrived, but still.My arrogant pat-myself-on-the-back moment came on my flight from Ottawa to Halifax. I decided

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-26883591812523657182009-12-08T06:27:00.001-04:002009-12-08T06:36:42.409-04:00

Whee!Je suis dans le homestretch (toucher au but, according to mon dictionnaire)… le homestretch de 26 ! Mais l’âge de 27 n’est pas un but… c’est juste un numéro. Je me sens comme une fille de 22 ans, sauf qu’il y a les petites rides à mon visage. Pas parce que je suis vielle, parce que je sourire beaucoup.Il y avait plusieurs jours que j’ai parlé français beaucoup. Nope, j’ai pas parlé

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-54712557889265121802009-11-27T19:01:00.002-04:002009-11-27T19:04:46.800-04:00

More older writing!2009-11-25Ahh! Mon dernière nuit en Aix avant de partir pour le Royaume-Uni. Mon tête est en tren de paniquer un petit-peu. Il croit que je fuit finit de la France et je parte pour le Canada. Tous mes sacs sont remplis (ha, pas vraiment, mais presque, je ferai mes bagages au dernier moment, comme d’habitude) et mes tiroirs sont vides. Mais non, l’Ile-du-Prince-Edouard n’ira

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-17211172852182879722009-11-27T18:56:00.002-04:002009-11-27T19:01:21.601-04:00

I wrote this ages ago... i.e., at least four days ago but couldn't post it until now. Oh Internet, it's nice to see/have you again! Albeit, briefly.2009-11-23C’est bizarre... je sais que la fin s’approchera. Je partirai mon appartement. Lundi, j’ai lave mes vêtements en préparation pour les mettre à un sac. Encore. Jeudi je parts pour Irlande du Nord pour visiter Kathleen ! Puis je

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-9677366282040288822009-11-17T20:21:00.003-04:002009-11-17T21:23:07.663-04:00

Brief list (in English, no less!) of things that cause me to nod in approval a la France:Markets - so much food, all so colourfulBiking - drivers don't freak out when there are cyclists on the road. Just, "Bonjour, Cycliste, nous partagons la rue. Nous ne sommes pas les amies, mais je ne vais pas te frapper avec mon voiture." That being said... I would love to find some flat land for biking.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-24877488842726614492009-11-11T17:29:00.003-04:002009-11-11T18:13:06.319-04:00

November 11th is a very bittersweet holiday. Everyone enjoys a day off - a day free of commitments. (Although the status of Remembrance Day being a stat holiday varies across the country, and even within the same cities.)Remembrance Day always makes me a bit sad. It makes me sad that we need to have this holiday. That we needed to send people young and old, male and female, English and French

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-19628085103145082582009-11-02T18:39:00.004-04:002009-11-02T19:06:31.050-04:00

Aujourd'hui, un mur me frappe. Umm, non. Peut-être ca c'est un phrase qu'on n'utilise pas en français? "Today I hit a wall."Je manque le couleur brun. Ici, j’ai trop des vêtements gris, noir, et violet. Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais c’est une erreur. Je faisais des boutiques un petit peu, mais trop des vêtements aux magasins sont… noir, gris, bleu (foncé), et violet. En revanche, ce soir,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-75234145811759796102009-11-01T18:08:00.005-04:002009-11-01T19:09:22.347-04:00

Plusieurs fois, au Canada, je dirais aux mes parents, "Des fois ca reste bizarre quand je ne fais pas les devoirs dimanche soir."Aujourd'hui est dimanche. J'ai les devoirs. Il a 23h09 et j'ai pas encore fait mes devoirs. Alors, avant que je me permets d'ecrire ce poste, je vais faire mes devoirs. Avec vous. En general je les fais avant cette heure tard, mais j'ai travaille sur un raport pour

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-69035520164754071762009-10-26T19:34:00.002-03:002009-10-26T20:06:12.733-03:00

English below :) I spent all evening writing a large, large, LARGE report for work and need to turn my head French again. *******************************Aujourd'hui j'ai eu une conversation en anglais avec une autre etudiante. C'etait bizarre. En anglais, je peux parler aussi vite! Et je peux conjuger les verbes! Tellement bizarre.C'etait le premier jour de classe pour la fille, une anglais

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-76907937864773465982009-10-21T17:40:00.005-03:002009-10-21T18:04:13.954-03:00

Have I mentioned lately that I like it here?No, seriously - I *really* like it here.Also, it's hard to have a personality in another language. I feel so... boring and unenergetic. I'm not unenergetic, but I can't seem to throw as much excitement into speaking as I want to. I think the last part to come with language is being able to be yourself, and be absolutely hilarious without having to

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-29538365336238991592009-10-13T19:25:00.000-03:002009-10-13T19:27:43.210-03:00

English version below!J'ai decide d'ecrire en francais aujourd'hui parce que nous parlons beaucoup dans nos classes, mais nous n'ecrivons pas beaucoup. Pour moi, ceci est bonne, parce que je peux ecrire en francais (avec beaucoup des erreurs), mais c'est plus difficil de parler la langue. Particulerement si je suis fatiguee. En ce cas, les mots qui tombent de ma bouche sont un melange bizarre

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-65373833379208950592009-10-11T16:07:00.002-03:002009-10-11T16:41:41.771-03:00

Today velo (bicycle) and I went on an adventure together in the mountains. I called them hills, but my landlady said not to call them hills, people call them mountains. And indeed there were mountains around, but I guess it didn't feel like I was biking up a mountain, just one extremely large hill. I think it took me about a quarter of the time to get back to Aix then it did to get me to

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-7166097950393314492009-10-10T11:11:00.002-03:002009-10-10T11:43:32.693-03:00

I cheated in the subject above. There is supposed to be an accent on the 'e', but if you write in all caps you don't need to use accents. Thank you, "A Year in the Merde"!Today was a bit surreal. I was wandering through the old part of Aix thinking, "This is grungy..." But it's been awhile since I've been in Europe and have been in areas more than, oh, 110 years old. It's actually not grungy

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-35325356829924151782009-10-08T19:48:00.003-03:002009-10-08T21:04:01.430-03:00

Allo mes amis!Non non.I have been writing so many emails in French that my brain is turning into mushy French blah blah blah. On the plus side, ecrire-ing many emails in the French has resulted in a temporary home for me.Places to live are good.Now I'm in the Toronto Airport, paying astronomical prices to access the vast, vast interweb, confirming my "chambre meublee" (furnished room).I had a

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-39708587594083069032009-10-01T01:00:00.000-03:002009-10-01T01:00:32.172-03:00

Once, a long time ago, I was on a plane. That plane departed at 6:00am (9:00am PEI time). I had started flying at 6:30 the previous night, had many flight changes due to weather, and had "slept" in an airport for a wee smidgen after arriving at, oh, 2:00am.I was trying to stay awake on the morning flight, and among the gabs of absolute garbage I had wrote was this gem:"Am melting now. Need Mr.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-64764786905934151922009-09-30T22:20:00.002-03:002009-09-30T22:44:27.931-03:00

I'm supposed to be cleaning up my room and packing but... *looks at tornado of stuff strewn across room*... but I found old journals! So very distracting. And it must be said, I was streeeeessed in late January 2008. I come off like a nutter by what I wrote. Even I acknowledge that when February rolled in! Hee. Also, March 2008 rocked the body that rocked the party.So, reoccurring themes

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-9194782075678773842009-09-28T02:20:00.000-03:002009-09-28T02:25:25.057-03:00

The sooner I go to bed, the sooner the weekend ends :(I started sorting things in my room tonight for next week's departure. This resulted in the following finds:- About 8,000 bobby pins. I can now give all of Charlottetown fancy up-dos!- Pennies. Pennies EVERYWHERE.- $5.00 bill- Receipts. A kazillion of them.Receipts are kind of fun, they are like a history book. As per usual when I look

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-41348466711382879092009-09-22T14:50:00.002-03:002009-09-22T15:29:39.708-03:00

Today has felt like a being trapped in an hourglass. I woke up, thrilled with life, actually got out of bed when I woke up (this is a big step compared to last week's mope-fest), and got to work at a real hour. It felt like I was in an hour glass , in the top part, and all the sand had finally flowed to the bottom, just like I wanted it to.Then the phone rang and Person delivered bizarre,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-51036303590316252632009-09-20T13:39:00.000-03:002009-09-20T14:07:10.824-03:00

For some unknown reason Blogger’s website no longer loads on my laptop. Truly tragic, because I like writing when snuggled into bed.In more exciting news, I think I have made plans for the next couple of months! Maybe. I’m indecisive and my heart tends to start beating in a bad pattern at the thought of spending excessive amounts of money. So it turns out French classes in France are, well,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-51731633966553299782009-09-18T14:33:00.002-03:002009-09-18T15:26:22.242-03:00

While sitting in the back of Devin's car on a the long drive from Boston to Fredericton, I started writing notes about things that would be SO GOOD to blog about once I eventually reached a functioning computer. However, since said note scrawling (in the dark, I may add), I have lost my love for the notes I made. My notes are also not with me, so this is mostly going by memory, as I try to do

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-48460706734274572062009-09-02T11:55:00.002-03:002009-09-02T12:22:22.075-03:00

*puts on dancing shoes*Reasons for happy dance today:Disgruntled laptop has become un-disgruntled and now functions again (thank yee, Papa, for being smarter than I).I fixed my GPS by noticing a missing screw and small piece of metal in the adapter. Flashback to finding curious small pieces of metal in my purse many, many days ago. That day I thought, "These look like they could be important.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-15862952696147983952009-08-30T12:10:00.002-03:002009-08-30T12:50:42.357-03:00

Last night I was at the Globe for a mini-dance fest with resident birthday girl, Keri. We were up in the loft area, which is pretty much 100 percent effective for people watching. As the night went on, we watched the drunk folk roll in. Then I wondered,Does alcohol hinder our ability to have fun in "real life"?When I was 19 (legal drinking age here) I used to work most Saturday nights until 12

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-53008866112529506922009-08-21T02:40:00.000-03:002009-08-21T02:40:19.281-03:00

I am sitting in the basement of a hostel in a secret location... No, not so much. Well, yes, actually. Because I *am* sitting the basement, at a hostel, at a location I am not revealing. I shall give hints: I can see the US from this city - a city that I'm convinced occurred after Las Vegas had a mad love affair with I-Drive [Orlando] and Sunset Blvd [LA] stopped in to get in on the action.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15949756.post-47250931941485009802009-08-07T12:18:00.003-03:002009-08-07T12:20:41.113-03:00

My Papa sent me this in a forward ages ago... and now... it's the day!!!1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 . On August 7 , 2009 an amazing occurrance of all digits from 1 to 9 take place. . . .At 12hr 34 minutes and 56 seconds on the 7th of Augustthis year, the time and date will be 12:34:56 07/08/09 .This will never happen in your life again !!!

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00025785698954835400noreply@blogger.com1