waterslides and themeparks, crab cakes and hockey games

Hello all you beautiful folks out there!
\i haven't been writing because frankly, I haven't thought that Kamloops in October was really all that exotic and exciting for anyone and you know I would never ever want to bore you.
That being said... there's a couple things to say....

The Sojourn to New York was something else. I loved the city itself. Truly. I love NY. It was a whirlwind 31 hr tour of NY though, of which I slept only about 4 hours. Really, the city never sleeps.
Massachusetts was cool. New England. Had some clam chowder and crab cakes. Stuck my toe in the Atlantic ocean. Warm. Marvelled at the Americaness of everything and mulled over how I hadn't noticed such stark cultural differences before between Canada and the States during previous visits. Is it just me? am i getting older or something? or are Canada and the States less similar to one another than they seemed to be in the 70's and 80's? (of course, the perspective of an eight year old travelling in the U.S. is slightly skewed towards waterslides and themeparks, oh well). Ya, so it was a good trip. Happy to be back home here though.

It is true that I am setting my sights on the Indian sub-continent again for the autumn of 2010. I really miss the writing that is involved with blogging. I look forward to another adventure so that I may take you all with me and we may explore the shores and hills of far away lands again. I would write about my time here in Kamloops but since many of you are already wowed daily by your own personal adventures in this beautiful Canada, none of it is news to you. Not as strange or weird as a herd of elephants ridden over the bridge in Delhi or snake charmers knocking on your front gate. Enough of you are having your own adventures with Canadian wildlife I hear (dad!), with the bears, deer, and coyotes that are getting all up-close and friendly with you and your dog in your neck of the woods.

Canada has a unique brand of wild-ness and adventure that I wouldn't trade for anywhere. Its just that we get de-sensitized to it, it is just normal Canadian life, day to day to us, isn't it? But it IS adventure, if we look at it that way. Just imagine this: to some people on the other side of the world, OUR way of life here is exotic to THEM!

I was at the hockey game the other day. Now here is a distinctly Canadian affair... and this is why I love going to hockey games. I grew up on hockey, just like most Canadians. The hockey anthem was like a lullaby to my childhood days, you could hear its excited melody building to its climax all the way down the hallway from the t.v. to my bedroom where I was supposed to be fast asleep. I would creep out of bed and peak into the livingroom and upon being reprimanded for it being past my bedtime I would plead innocently to stay up. This was my excuse: "but this is my favourite song. Really!".
To be in attendance at a live hockey game is the quintessential Canadian experience. If I were recommending a cultural experience not to be missed for a visitor to Canada, it would be taking in a game, just for the spectacle, the festivity, the fights! What other sport (besides fighting), is fighting an actual valid recognized part of the sport itself? Not to mention the athletic marvel of being able to skate with such precision and speed WHILE handling a very small puck with a curved stick. Amazing! I admit I am a bit of an amateur hockey spectator. My ignorance must have been obvious when, during the game last week as I was asking a million interested questions about the game, my friend Missy turned to me and said "you don't watch alot of hockey, do you?"

Oh, and so the snow bum contest is going along swimmingly, or snowboardingly, whatever the case may be. There are some really great entries, great videos submitted and I wish everyone the best of luck. I can't say enough thank you's to those of you who wrote in your comments. wow. thanks. You guys are amazing. Truly.

And my yoga classes are underway at Let's Move Studio here in Kamloops, BC (http://www.letsmovestudio.com/)
if you are in Kamloops drop in for a class, all levels, first class is free of course
Tuesday nights at 6:45
and Wednesday at 10am
don't be shy!

Lastly, I just wanted to say....

Dream seeker, story keeper
Soul weeper, subtle teacher

Spirit dancer, song believer
Life creator, vision peeker

Plate breaker, kitchen sweeper
Camp flagger, river leaper

Chance taker, silent preacher
Fun flavour, rythm shaker

Love talker, omen watcher
Take me higher, hawk flyer.