a second bite

Sunday I went with some girlfriends to an afternoon matinee of the movie I mentioned in and earlier post: "Let the Right One In". It has been publicly released in the Tinseltown 12 (Cinemark) Theatre 88 W Pender St Vancouver. So go if you have the chance! it was just as good on the second viewing...

emily goes to university

my old school which has had such multiple personalities as Vancouver School of Art, Vancouver College of Art, Emily Carr Institute of Art+Design, and Emily Carr Institute is as of tomorrow, Emily Carr University. This is a once in a life time event and I not only was schooled there, work there, and I now get to be part of the festivities. There is a ceremony tomorrow in the afternoon at which I am an assistant to one of the behind the scenes organizers and then a big party in the evening. So I have my party dress and dancing shoes... bring on the drinks and fan fare!

a long weekend

its the long weekend for the Canadian Thanksgiving. 3 days is lovely. here it is in a nutshell:
friday afternoon slow home from work. party with 2 of 3 high-school boyfriends in attendance. weird. but nice. visit with my brother. texts from afar. amaretto french toast. maple syrup infused sausages with hash-browns. wander on Main Street. buy gift. glass of wine. walk home. sunshine. crisp air. talking on the phone in time zones. missing people. email and facebook. rendez vous with friends. Robson street. yams. sideways rain. cleaning and sorting. cooking dinner. turkey plans. belgium beer. thankful.

bitten, smitten

I have attended the Vancouver International Film Festival for a few flicks so far. some years I have seen as many as 10, but other years just go by. Last night I saw the most lovely movie, look for it if you can:

Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) Sweden 2008

It was a sweet tale of a 12 year old boy, bullied and outcast. who meets his neighbour, a young gal whos a bit odd, but then again so is he. somehow in this northern european place, plunged into winter darkness it seems natural to be on the playground in the dark. she wants to help him and be his friend. he wants her to be his girlfriend. innocent childhood love, simple affections, heartfelt tenderness.
now picture that she is a vampire.

post prairies

so I am back from the farm. so ends a summer and the adventures to many an airport. miss B is settling in there, and I am settling back in to life at home: school, work, laundry, life.
saskatoon was a nice city, we did a fair amount of walking and checked out what we could. the university campus is beautiful, with a more american feel than any school I've been to here. we even crashed a football game between the huskies and whatever team it is them team from calgary call themselves (see? I'm already rooting for the home team). we also went to a cool little cocktail bar on a saturday night to mingle with the locals.
I was very sad to leave, but I'm a good letter writer, so I am sure (I hope) that will tide us over.

Paris of the Prairies

which is not be confused with my previous posts. this 'Paris' has lots of bridges and a river and street names I do not know yet, and thankfully- there is no metro. according to wikipedia, Saskatoon Saskatchewan IS the Paris of the Prairies. according to miss B's new landlords, no one here would say that. according to miss B, this was the major selling feature.
regardless, we are here and the reason is because B has moved here to do her masters at U of S. I am here for moral support and as a mule for her luggage. we flew in this morning and have already had a tour of saskatoon, moved into the house, bought her a bed, unpacked and furnished her room as well as went grocery shopping. it is a lovely house from the 1940's and it perfectly charming and close to the university.

I am here for the weekend and we will do all the running around and site seeing we can fit in. it is the long goodbye. the next 2 days need to be packed with all the fun we can muster to last us this fall and until the snow falls.

flying by the seat of your pants

well I am home. 26 hours in transit yesterday has left me wiped, but I am glad to be here in my apartment. it was a very close call yesterday in Paris as I finally got on the 3rd flight of the day by the skin of my teeth.

I fly stand-by and let me tell you a little about how it works:
the first biggest misconception about flying stand-by is that it is free. it is not, nor has it ever been free. cheapER but never free. even though it has given me many opportunities to travel, see family and friends and see the world- as far as I am concerned, the cost one pays for never knowing if or how you will get home is quite high. you are there "standing by" hoping that a seat might be open on the plane and then the airline wants to fill the seats so they will put you on when space permits. this might sound easy, but it is not.
yesterday was probably in my top 3 most stressful flying experiences in 31 years of stand-by travel. there were something like 80 stand-by passengers (those are currently working employees, everyone from ticket agents to pilots, their families and sometimes friends, then retired employees family members-thats me at the very bottom of the seniority list) and those 80 stand-by people are vying for 5 seats left open on the plane. there were 2 flights to Montreal and 1 to Toronto daily from Paris, and I tried all 3. my last chance was a Montreal flight at 1:30pm... and the flight closed, was full, all of 3 stand-by people got on and they told all of us to come back tomorrow. and then they looked at me. to my advantage I was the only person flying alone, and I only had carry on baggage. and even though the flight was full they allowed me to go down to the gate and make sure there wasn't some last minute change.

* now considering that flying stand-by is often totally dependent upon paying customers not showing up for their flight- this is something I will never understand. if I paid full fare for my plane ticket I would not NOT show up for my flight. ok, maybe you had such a wonderful time you decided to rebook for a later date, or you were in a car accident- but I don't see how you can arrive at the airport, check in, go through customs, security and then not get on the plane.
and this, is how I got home yesterday.

so back to me standing at the gate, and they are calling the names of 2 people who did all of above, and were still not on the plane. and there are about 8 agents all working at the gate and looking at me and calling the other passengers names again, and again... and then finally they decided to give the spot to me. it was something out of a space odyssey movie, they sealed the door at the gate and I stood their on the ramp waiting for an agent to accompany me to the plane. they shuttled me off in a bus to the plane waiting on the tarmac, I got on, and they closed the door.

its almost a day later. you can see why I am relieved to be here. taking it easy today and back at work tomorrow. I missed my apartment and my friends, but over all it was a great trip with so much to see and do. I am grateful for my travel companions and the hosts along the way. now a bit of catch up on life back home...and planning the next get away (sooner than you think)