Trip to Halifax
I know it’s been a while since I posted, but I’ve been insanely busy, so my apologies for that. Moreover, I wanted to take the time to write this up all proper and stuff, cause it’s got some pretty huge news in it, and for that it’s worth every moment I’ve taken to write this up properly.
For those who don’t know, from the 5th thru the 12th of April, I was up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 12 hours each direction of flying, and let me tell you that’s a story that’ll be covered later on in this post, but never the less… you really get an appreciation for the length of the travel when you hear it in terms of hours in flight. My trip over there was quite relaxing, on my hop from Portland, Oregon to Toronto, Ontario, Canada the plane was even only about half full! So we had plenty of room to stretch out and actually enjoy the flight instead of being all cramped up. Quite enjoyable, and make the trip seem less painful as I plugged in my laptop and enjoyed a movie and working on a couple projects.
Then I landed in Halifax at about 10:30pm local time. As per norm for me travelling, I hadn’t slept the night before, so I had been up for going on 40 hours at this point. But I was alive, I was enjoying it, and I was happy to be there. Erin, whom I had gone on the visit to see, was there to meet me, and we used a transport service called Driver Daves, which if you’re ever in the Halifax area and need a ride to and from the Airport? I highly recommend! We gathered my luggage and set off for her place. Getting back to her place about 11:30pm, my travel had finally come to an end. It was so nice to just be able to stretch… ugh, finally.
Over the next couple days, we explored Halifax, and I got to witness first hand this city I had been hearing about for over 2 years. My only regret? That I didn’t stop to take more photos. But I’ll admit I was completely unprepared for the wind portion of the weather there and as such it was rather nippy you might say. It still surprises me as I think back on it how much the area reminded me of a smaller version of the Seattle area I grew up in. Nice people, culturally diverse, wonderful food, wonderful atmosphere, just all around good times.
Over the weekend, we took the 4 hour drive north to Prince Edward Island (PEI) and visited her parents for a night. PEI has a remarkably small population for a province, only something like 130,000 people live there, and as you’re driving from the Confederation Bridge across to Charlottetown you really get an appreciation for all the farm land that exists out there. Then we arrived… and it was almost immediately obvious I was in for a bit of a surprise. (Granted, I knew it was happening, but I had no idea to the extent) I was flat out shocked at the sheer amount of amazing food they decided to make. I could instantly tell it was something her parents enjoyed doing, and I felt honoured and humbled by the entire experience. Not exactly something that happens a lot to me.
It was on the way back from PEI that I had what I’d consider a moment of clarity. Ever have one? Where everything in your world just feels right, everything is going according how you’d think, and you just know? Yea, had one of those…
Needless to say, the end result is, Erin and I are now engaged.
I’m working on getting everything in order to move up (or down as the case may be) to Halifax. I’m working on getting everything locally in order, and I’m going to be leaving Northern Idaho. It’s a big move, and it won’t be without bumps, but it’s something that feels right, and it’s something that I want to do. So here’s to it.
And you know? There was more I was going to say, but that feels like a pretty good place to close this post, and I’ll save that for another one. So in closing, here’s a couple pictures that I took while on the trip. Enjoy.
2011
Life Changes
Life has a funny way of taking you by storm. It surprises you, it shocks you, and it makes you remember that there’s something very powerful worth living for. Life is good, it’s looking up from where I was for a while, and I’m full of hope and desire. For a while, I haven’t been in a good place… it sucks to admit, but it’s the truth. I was a down person, alone, quietly making my way thru existence wondering what actually lay in store for me. That’s completely changed as of December.
For those who haven’t heard, I’m in the process of moving across the continent, to Canada, to start my life a new. It came out of nowhere, and it’s an opportunity I’d be a complete fool to pass up. I won’t make that mistake again, I’m grabbing life by the horns, and doing this. Tickets are purchased, I’ll be flying out for a visit in the beginning of April, and then attempting to make the move sometime there after. I can honestly say I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. It excites me, fills me with energy, and gives me reason to fight thru each day with a smile on my face and a passion in my soul.
While I’m there, you can be sure this site will be filled with photos, experiences, and memories I wish to share with the public. My Canon PowerShot SX20 IS will be taking the trek with me, and I’ll be snapping many many pictures of the new area. It’ll be my first venture living outside the northwest, and I look forward to the different experiences it will bring me. Moreover, since I’ll be moving out of the country, it’ll be even more entertaining, let me tell you what… the process of immigrating is not one I wish on anyone. E-gads.
I guess I’m writing this to catch up, to say yes, I’m alive and well now. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, thinking about what might happen, and I’m ready for it. There’s more to tell, so much more, but for now I’d like to close this one, and save those stories for another day.
My inner muse has returned in part, so you should be seeing more frequent updates from me on this site. I hope everyone is well, and if you want to, drop a line in the comments! I’d love to hear from ya’ll.
Til then.
2010
On a Good Day
Today I got to do one of my absolutely most favourite things in the world. It snowed this morning up here in Coeur d’Alene, and even though as I look out my window now the brief bit of sun we’ve gotten has dissolved most of it, I got a chance to enjoy it. Pouring a hot cup of tea, taking an old chair out back, and just watching it fall. It was peaceful, it was reflective, and it reminds me that the simple things are the most important things.
As a society, we spend too much time running around, not taking time to treasure the moments that allow us to just enjoy the moment for what it is and not worry about what the next will bring. I urge you, take the time this week to just sit down and enjoy a moment. You’ll thank yourself. Hell, grab a friend, and go get your Buy 1 Get 1 Free deal from Starbucks this weekend on their holiday drinks.
In other news, I learned a couple of things… Evidently the gas gauge in my car is off a bit, and I let it get a bit low. Mental note to self: Quarter of a tank == refill. Car wouldn’t start this morning. Oh well, I’m sure it’s happened to more people than just me.
I also learned of this amazing website… Simply entitled: youparklikeanasshole.com. I’m gonna print out a few of these and see how many I can get away with posting on people’s vehicles. Cause damn… I don’t know about where you live, but up here a lot of red-necks with their F-350s that don’t seem to understand there are white lines that separate parking spots. Who knows, maybe they’ll listen, maybe they’ll get offended, but either way, I’ll feel like I’m doing my Boy Scout “Good deed daily” by letting them know they’re being an asshole.
At any rate, today has been a good day thus far, lets hope for many more in the future. I hope everyone out there is ramping up for a great holiday season, and I’ll definitely be posting more as it goes along. I’ve got a lot on my mind.
Til then.
2010
Walking, or lack there of.
I lay here, at 2:30am, unable to get to sleep. I’ve got an appointment tomorrow to have my leg checked out again and a new swell potentially drained, and I just can’t get my brain to slow down. So here I am, writing this post, and wondering (nay, hoping) that it will let me calm my brain down enough that I’ll be able to go to sleep after it’s done.
I’ve had a lot of thoughts running thru my head lately, some good, some not so much, but all growing so I can’t really complain. It’s lead to some interesting conversations, especially with my question posted on Facebook of “what is your biggest fear?”. What’s mine? Dying alone. The idea literally scares me out of my mind, and I don’t quite know why. Maybe posting this will help me figure out why, and if nothing else, it’ll get it out in the open and down on paper, which typically allows me to stop thinking about it non-stop.
In personal news, I’m on the job hunt, and I’m redoing my vCard website. It’s giving me a chance to update my résumé, play around with CSS3, and keep fresh on the details I so very much pride myself on knowing. I’ve found like riding a bike, I never really forget the skills, I just also must admit I still can’t draw worth anything! Good thing I’ve got my camera right? Otherwise I’d never have any source images for anything I want to do! Funny when I think back that in college someone was trying to get me to be a 3D modeller for their start-up business. Oh well, I digress.
I hope this post finds everyone out there well, and if we haven’t spoken in a while, drop me a line! I’d love to hear from you. I’m rebuilding my contact list anyway, and to be entirely honest, I’d like to know how folks are doing and catch up. So hit me up.
2010
Organization, first and foremost…
So I’ve got quite a few things in my life that need organizing. My house situation, I’m working on slowly. For those who know, I own my place, but I’m actively looking at the potential of selling it and moving to one of the neighboring towns. Much better bang for your buck there, and quite frankly, this being my first house, I’ve learned a lot since it’s purchase.
Secondly my websites, peoii.com is still going to remain my official blog, but my other domains (most of which I’m certain not as many know about) are going to undergo some re-defining as to their purpose.
Peoii.com — My main blog, where content shall remain unfiltered. If I need to rant something off, this is where it’ll happen. More frequently, this I promise to myself. I need that outlet in order to resolve things, so here’s where it shall be.
Anpobal.com — I’m working towards a more healthy me, so I’m going to start publishing dishes I’m trying, recipes I’m creating, and a specific focus on the newer healthier me tips that might help others.
JamieHarrell.com — Yes, I actually own it, and now it’s just a quick portal for myself that I made. It’ll continue in that same light, but I want to completely modernize the appearance and jazz it up. Suggestions are completely welcome to this end!
Photos — I’m going to set up a photo blog for myself, I just need to narrow down which platform I want to use. There are quite a few options, and unlike services like Flickr, I really want that security to know that my photos remain mine. Plus, I pay for web space, why should I pay them too?
Facebook — My “a sides” as it were, not fully formed thoughts, just ramblings/etc. More private audience, and if you haven’t befriended me there, by all means send me an invite. It’s filtered, but only just.
Twitter — My twitter account is likely going to be subject to simply a placeholder whereby my activities on all my websites will be syndicated.
To that end, it’s quite a task, centralizing everything and making it flow properly from site to site. Likely you’ll see massive changes on all fronts, but in the end, it’s the goal I’m after anyway.
There are many more changes in the works, but these are the beginning stones to me. I’m anxious to see what this may provide, and how it may change me. It’s been needed for a while, and I’m writing it here as a commitment to myself to get it done. Here’s to the beginning.
