I've recently had another Sydney visitor come through: Elham! Elham lives with Yael & Andy in my old house in Sydney, so every time I go back to Sydney, I stay with her. Now I get to return the favour and have her stay with me.
Elham was supposed to come to the US for a conference. Unfortunately, she was awarded her visa the day after the conference started, and so missed it. She asked the embassy if she could just go anyways, though, as a tourist. As an Iranian, I guess it's difficult to get a visa to the US. They told her she could try, it was legal with the visa she had, but she risked getting turned away at the border if the US border services guard was having a bad day.
Since it's a big deal to get a US visa for her, she decided to give it a shot anyways. When she landed in LA, the border guard asked what her purpose of travel to the US was. She explained about missing her conference, but then went on to say: "But I came anyways. It's always been my dream to travel to America!" Boom, passport stamped! Have a great time in America!
We had a lovely time in the Bay Area together - hiking at Point Reyes, Yosemite, checked out Pier 39, she did Alcatraz and the double-decker bus tour of the city. Then she flew out to NYC just in time for Hurricane Sandy. She had a couple days of loveliness in NY and fell in love with the City, then was holed up in her hostel for a few days, and got to experience all the craziness that ensued with the storm (she was in Queens too...). Yesterday she successfully flew on to Washington D.C., where she can immerse herself in the American election insanity for a few days. Holy crazy trip batman! She's getting all the essence that is America distilled into about 3 weeks.
Monday, November 19, 2012
An Almost Perfect Game
For Alex, as you can see. Man, I had such a good starting position! This is ridiculous.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Well Traveled Art
Finally! Mary, I can post a photo of the lovely painting you gave me, now hanging up on the wall of my room here in California:
So why do I say finally? Well, in addition to this being a lovely forest painting, in now has a bit of a story behind it....
So Mary left this painting for me in Edmonton, when she had to make a move from there to Winnipeg. Phil hung on to the painting for me, then brought it over to Sue & Brock's place when we had dinner together there one night. I wrapped it up in plastic, and took it with me on the plane back to California the next day.
I got on my first flight, the Edmonton-Vancouver leg of the journey, and placed the painting at the front of the plane, where you keep suits and guitars and things, for safe keeping. When I got off the second leg of the flight in San Francisco, I felt "hmmmm, I should be carrying something else.... OH NO!!!!" The painting was on the plane in Vancouver still!
Turns out there's no phone # to call to report lost items with Air Canada, there's just this web form. So I filled it out, and thought that I'd never hear anything about the painting ever again, and I'd never be able to speak of this to Mary. Eternal shame! This was the first week in June.
BUT THEN! I got a call from an Air Canada representative in Montreal at the end of July, and he informed me that they'd found the painting, it was safe in Montreal, and they'd send it on a flight out to San Fran for me! Hooray! And then a week later, the painting arrived. I was busy hosting Aussies and then going camping, so I said I'd pick it up the day I arrived back from Cascades. After some misunderstandings on that day and another trip out to SFO, I am now the proud owner of a well-traveled Hocaliuk Original.
Thanks Mary!
So Mary left this painting for me in Edmonton, when she had to make a move from there to Winnipeg. Phil hung on to the painting for me, then brought it over to Sue & Brock's place when we had dinner together there one night. I wrapped it up in plastic, and took it with me on the plane back to California the next day.
I got on my first flight, the Edmonton-Vancouver leg of the journey, and placed the painting at the front of the plane, where you keep suits and guitars and things, for safe keeping. When I got off the second leg of the flight in San Francisco, I felt "hmmmm, I should be carrying something else.... OH NO!!!!" The painting was on the plane in Vancouver still!
Turns out there's no phone # to call to report lost items with Air Canada, there's just this web form. So I filled it out, and thought that I'd never hear anything about the painting ever again, and I'd never be able to speak of this to Mary. Eternal shame! This was the first week in June.
BUT THEN! I got a call from an Air Canada representative in Montreal at the end of July, and he informed me that they'd found the painting, it was safe in Montreal, and they'd send it on a flight out to San Fran for me! Hooray! And then a week later, the painting arrived. I was busy hosting Aussies and then going camping, so I said I'd pick it up the day I arrived back from Cascades. After some misunderstandings on that day and another trip out to SFO, I am now the proud owner of a well-traveled Hocaliuk Original.
Thanks Mary!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Edmonton bathroom graffiti
Phil also had a graffiti post on his blog recently. Edmonton has some high quality graffiti man.
Wedding venues
Part of my trip back to Ontario in June was to check out wedding venues with Sue, and they only thing important enough to take a photo of on my phone was the geese at Waterloo Park. Where the photos may be done, so there was a reason!
"Mini"
I made a couple trips back to Canada back in June, as I thought I had a job and could afford it, and also didn't know what I was doing with my life. Gah. Anyways, I had an awesome visit with Rob and Tara when I was there.
Start of the story: Sue and I both went home for Lucy's grad, and I stayed for about a week. When my friend Johnson heard I was around, he said "oh! I'm getting married in Toronto on Monday! would you like to come?" So I did! It was most excellent. And then I crashed with Rob and Tara that night.
We had a great catch-up. I got to meet the newest addition to the Markides-Deighan family, little Katie. We all went out for dinner, then had margaritas and watched Win Win on a Monday night. Great start to the week. Tara and I took Maggie and Katie to the park the next day and had a lovely time before I had to catch the bus back to Waterloo.
Rob & Tara also have a couple of dachshounds, one of which is name Finnigan, or "Mini" as Maggie calls him. Maggie really really loves Mini. I had to stop her from poking him in the eye once. Here is a pic of her lavishing her affection on poor Mini:
Poor Mini!
Start of the story: Sue and I both went home for Lucy's grad, and I stayed for about a week. When my friend Johnson heard I was around, he said "oh! I'm getting married in Toronto on Monday! would you like to come?" So I did! It was most excellent. And then I crashed with Rob and Tara that night.
We had a great catch-up. I got to meet the newest addition to the Markides-Deighan family, little Katie. We all went out for dinner, then had margaritas and watched Win Win on a Monday night. Great start to the week. Tara and I took Maggie and Katie to the park the next day and had a lovely time before I had to catch the bus back to Waterloo.
Rob & Tara also have a couple of dachshounds, one of which is name Finnigan, or "Mini" as Maggie calls him. Maggie really really loves Mini. I had to stop her from poking him in the eye once. Here is a pic of her lavishing her affection on poor Mini:
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