Biking at 1-degree Celsius

I recently purchased a mountain bike, one with dual suspension and disk breaks. Best of all, it was my size! Only problem was, I hadn't ridden a bike in years. Still, since I'm all about the outdoors and adventure, it just seemed natural to add that to my list.

It has been quite a few years since I had last ridden a bike. Granted, back in Hawaii, I used to go mountain biking on trails out back. The catch is I was still in grade school and crushing on guys who saw me merely as a tomboy. I just told myself to suck it up, life is short, and this would be a great way to have fun and get a good workout.

Me after biking: Jedi or Jawa? Maybe both!

And workout I did.

The hills were plentiful. The trails curvy. The gravel paths were strewn with large pebbly rocks. To make matters worse, by the time the hubby and I got to this tiny grassy horse path, I could barely steer straight. My thighs were on fire but moved as if it were made of jell-o, and the freezing wind felt like -15C.

It wasn't like I was unprepared for the weather: I had three jackets on plus two tops. I warmed up pretty easily while I was peddling away at high gear, but my face felt frozen and my nose started to run in protest. This is something I never had to contend with in my entire life, and it made it all the more challenging.

I will not lie. I complained. I whined. I even swore. But it was worth it. Totaling up my calories burned and the great workout I got made all that pain and perseverance worth it. So, as a fitness goal, I want to do this one very difficult trail before the end of summer.

Ambitious, I know, but it will keep me motivated and ensure lots of use out of my new mountain bike.

Envelope

The envelope box sits half open on my desk. Merely a dollar. Blue, fairly new, and missing one. I think about all the letters that are meant to fill those envelopes, the hope that was purchased along with it.

Being far from the home I once knew has me feeling nostalgic. I think of the letters I used to write, the letters I once received; written pieces of manifested thought. I recall the tears once spilled upon the pages, the scent of perfume and pain. I wonder sometimes what he did with those letters.

Burned them I think.

Perhaps they sit in the middle of a landfill, still in that messenger bag he kept them in. Someday they will build upon it the foundations of a park, or it will become the future digsite of some distant society.

Maybe, he recycled them in his guilt. In the process of wiping me clean from his life, tossed my words into the paper shredder and recycled with the rest of the junk mail and bills. Those in turn were broken down, stripped and mashed into pulp. In time they are sold, reformed, and transformed; shipped to a distant land and has purpose once again.

Now my old envelopes sit upon my desk, in the half opened box, waiting to begin again.

First Snowfall of the Season

The first snowfall was last night, and it isn't even Halloween! Went out to buy lottery tickets and a few other things. The lotto is $50 Million tax-free dollars! Canada is cool like that: no tax to pay on winnings. Also don't have to wait on annual payments either, you get the full lump sum.

If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house here and a place in Hawaii. Maybe not a house, but perhaps a condo on the beach! Then my hubby and I could rent it when we're not there, but always have a place to go to when we visit the family. Until then, I'd get my family and friends to visit me... plus give a few million to our parents :)

Most important of all, I'd have a dressing room. One wall for shoes and one wall for clothes. Bags would also have it's own display area, because bags and shoes are art.

Well, a girl can dream.

Shocking Rain

I was shocked by the rain and the wet. The wind spoke in gasps of chill, but no more than the slippery leaves. I zipper up my jacket and pray my ankle boots don't slip on the slick cement.

First Pub Experience

Hawaii doesn't have many pubs, and the ones we do have, I have never stepped foot in. So, my first night at a pub was interesting. It is much like a bar/lounge, except it has pretty good beer selection and everything looks so... woodsy?

When we went in the door, they put our IDs under a screen thing and took pics of it. Not surprisingly, they commented on my Hawaii ID. Next time someone asks me, "What is a girl from Hawaii doing in Canada?" I'll tell them that this is where Hawaii people go for vacation.

We found a table and ordered drinks. They didn't have Lychee Martinis or Strawberry 'Ritas... so I opted for Rum and Diet Coke. C had a Dirty Hooker and S had what's on tap. We settled in for some surprisingly good karaoke.

Somewhere after a rendition of "Under the Sea" ala Sebastian of Little Mermaid, we ordered another round. This time I got a Bud Lite because I wasn't sure how long we would be there, and I was already tipsy from my R+DC. Much of it is a blur, but sometime along the night, I ended up on C's lap. I think I did a lapdance... Luckily, he's my husband.

So, the guys decide it's time to go, and since I've been sitting there nursing my beer, it's barely half done. So I try to tank it, but can't. C and S both end up finishing the beer for me.

Tottering outside in my red stilettos S and I chat while C is in the restroom. I notice a Cold Beer Store Drive-In, which I think is quite a novelty. Apparently in Canada, alcohol is strictly regulated and you can't get it at regular stores. So, while S smokes, I'm freezing my butt off but S tells some good stories, so I'm distracted.

C pulls up and beeps. I'm startled and nearly fall on my butt (hey, try standing while drunk in 5-inch stilettos.. yeah I thought so). I sit in the back and the guys decide what to do next. Frankly, I'm ready to pass out. Yes, I'm a light weight.

We head to S's so he can change and stuff. C and I are bored and I'm quite tipsy, so we mess around with the camera for a bit. S comes out, and C tries to ambush him with the camera, but he's quite elusive.

We head over to Spanky's, which is like a hole in the wall place with pizza and wings. S knows some of the ppl there and since he's leaving soon, he's gonna stay and hang out so we can go home. Good thing too, because I'm cold and feel like falling over.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, I had to visit the porcelain altar :(

Volunteer Search

I've been researching volunteer opportunities, and have found a few... but with winter fast approaching, it is difficult to find things that I like. All the environmental volunteer things that I've looked up have "no positions available".

Isn't that odd? I mean, who wouldn't want free help? But then again, perhaps they close for the winter... can't exactly maintain trails in the snow I suppose.

So... I'm looking at maybe helping seniors. It reminds me of when I did crafts with the seniors at the Salvation Army back in Honolulu. That was fun and rewarding. But.. since I'm a notorious craft hoarder, I'll settle for doing reception work if needed.

Legislature

I could go on and on about Manitoba's legislature building. The artistic masonry, the marble floors, the beautiful sculptures and artwork, and the limestone walls dotted with fossils. But for now, I'll just talk about the legislature.

They were not in session, but I was able to hear brief talk about the legislative process in the session room. There is a throne (I guess to represent the crown or head of state) sitting prominently at the head of the room. The center of the room has a table with 4 chairs. On the left and right sides of the room is a semi-circle of chairs and tables, like a smaller version of the UN. In the balconies above are viewing areas for the public.

Listening to the talk, it seems that the center table has people who checks and verifies rules. The person sitting at the foot of the table has a gold mace with a crown on top, serving as the head of security.

The left side of the semi-circle is for the rule-makers. The right side is for the opposition. If they don't like what the rule-makers are doing, they oppose them.

The public sitting in the balconies above can only listen and not participate.

Sounds a little odd? Okay, I admit it, the talk was for a group of 10 year-olds, but it made things easier for me to understand. After all, it is based on the British way of doing things. I saw some of this on TV before, and it was all so confusing! However, I loved the pageantry and Old World tradition of it all.