Although I think I'm one of the most patient dudes in the world outside of home; I seem to not have any patience whatsoever around my parents. I don't really know why that is. I'm always thankful for everything they've done for me and for working as hard as they did/do for me. I probably help around the house more than any of my brothers ... but somehow I just can't stand listening to my parents' stories or telling them about my life. It's weird because they would actually be pretty decent listeners. I kinda feel bad because I know they would love to talk to me more and hear about my life, or tell me about their day; but I just can't bring myself to talk to them outside of asking what's for dinner or helping with their computer questions.
Maybe I've just been at home too long. I'm sure once I move out and hardly see them, I'll have urges to come home and have some adult conversation with them.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Possible Road Trip - NB
Okay, so for this Canada East road trip that we're considering, we of course wanted to see all the provinces we haven't seen yet ... New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador; however, the reality is that we only have a week, plus we're driving, so we probably are going to miss a lot.
I honestly don't know where to begin since I know so little about what those provinces have to offer, therefore I'm not sure which ones I am willing to sacrifice seeing this time around. I figure we'll have to narrow it down to one or two provinces. I think off the bat, we may have to eliminate Newfoundland & Labrador, which are the ones I have the desire to see the most, but which are much too far for a one week road trip.
Therefore, I figured I would start off by going through one book and taking note of the things that are offered and, of those, which I'd really like to see ... starting one province at a time.
The book I decided to use for this purpose is CAA's Atlantic Provinces & Quebec TourBook. Why that book? Because it contains information about all the provinces in question, which is good for consistency ... because it's geared towards touring ... because it's CAA approved ... because any book would do as a starting point ... and mostly because it was free and it just so happened to be in my hands at the time I felt motivated to start this post.
So here we go ... starting with New Brunswick, and focusing on tourist attractions and valuable information at this time. I'm just trying to prepare a high level overview right now.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Average temperature in September: Low of 6'C, High of 19'C
SOME POINTS OF INTEREST
- Bouctouche, NB. Irving Eco-Centre. One of the few remaining sand dunes on the northeast coast of North America is preserved here. 2km boardwalk to observe flora and fauna; nature trail from the dune to the town of Bouctouche; interactive displays for all ages; picnicks allowed.
- Le Pays de la Sagouine. Live performance, Acadian food and music. (Bouctouche, NB).
- Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Franklin D. Roosevelt belongings. Scenic drives and walking trails along coves, bogs, beaches, and cliffs. (Campobello Island, NB).
- Cap-pele. 95% of the world's smoked herring is said to be produced in this city. West of town is Parc de L'Aboiteau, a scenic beach with boardwalks, cottages, volleyball courts, and evening concerts during the summer. (Cappele, NB).
- Acadian Historical Village. This historic site interprets the lives of the Acadians from 1770 through to 1939. More than 40 authentic Acadian structures on display. Interpreters in period costumes bring ancestral customer and traditional trades to life. $16. (Caraquet, NB).
- Deer Island. An enormous whirlpool, "Old Sow" can be seen offshore 3 hours before high tide. One of the world's largest whirlpool vortex. (Deer Island, NB).
- Potato World Museum. Florenceville is home to McCain foods, largest producer of French Fries. (Florenceville, NB).
- Fredericton, NB. Self-guided walking tour of the city's historic areas. Shopping and craft shops. Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
- Fundy National Park of Canada. Overlooks the Bay of Fundy and encompasses 206 square km of wooded hills and valleys. Nature hikes, beaches, self-guiding trails, salt-water pool, golf course, trout fishing. Home to Northern flying squirrels, American martens, Atlantic salmon, peregrine falcons, and whitetail deer. $7.80. Located between Moncton and St. John.
- Grand Manan Island. 15km off the coast of Maine in the Bay of Fundy. It is known for its lobster and herring catches and for the preparation of dulse, an edible seaweed. Humpback, finback, and North Atlantic right whales visit the waters off Grand Manan from mid July to mid September; the rare right whales use the area as a mating ground. Deep-sea excursions and whale-watching trips can be scheduled locally. Some hiking trails offer visitors the chance to sight seals. Sea Watch Tours leaves from the Seal Cove Pier. 5-hour whale-watching trip in the Bay of Fundy. Whale sighting is guaranteed or tour is free. Departures daily at 8am and 1pm, early July to late September. $59. Reservations required. (506) 662-8552 or (877) 662-8552.
- King's Landing Historical Settlement. Meticulously restored typical village in the Saint John River Valley, 1820-1890. Historical reenactments. $15.50.
- Moncton, NB. Two natural phenomena, Magnetic Hill (drive downhill to a spot indicated by a white post, then with gears in neutral, an optical illusion seemingly moves the car backward up the hill), and The Tidal Bore, an incoming tide that moves upstream against the regular flow of water, causing a single river-wide wave. Self-guiding tours of the historic area, shopping, Magnetic Hill Zoo.
- St. Andrews, NB. Kingsbrae Garden, horticultural garden featuring more than 50,000 flowers, shrubs, and trees. Tall ship Whale Adventures, $47. Whales & Wildlife Catamaran Style, $45; frequently offer sightings of humpback, finback and minke whales, seals, porpoises, sea bird colonies, and bald eagles.
- St. John, NB. Self-guiding tours, shopping, horticultural gardens, New Brunswick museum, bus tours, city market.
CONCLUSIONS
Clearly, I left out a number of cities and attractions in the list, above. From the list above, I was able to derive at least a sense of what I hope to accomplish by visiting New Brunswick. Here are my conclusions.
- Of all the possible tours and things to see, I want to whale-watch the most. It's something I won't get to do here in Ontario, it's something I've never done before, and it's something natural that I don't have the priviledge of seeing everyday, which I can't help but find fascinating. Therefore, I think we should definitely be near the Bay of Fundy. On that conclusion, I think it is safe to say that we should probably travel through Maine, USA.
- Since we have other provinces we would like to see, such as PEI and Nova Scotia, and since we are constrained by time, I think we should draw the line at travelling too far North in New Brunswick or Quebec.
- I think for NB, we should make it a point to get to St. Andrew's or Grand Manan Island for some whale watching, then travel to a major city like St. John where we can do walking tours to take in the city and drink with the locals, then pass through Moncton to see the natural phenomena and, again, take in the city; then move on to either PEI or Nova Scotia. Of course, we would be able to stop at any other points of interest that grab our attention along the way, so long as we have a general path.
- Ah Yes! I would also love to have lobster somewhere along the coast and maybe even find a beach to relax on, or to play volleyball.
I honestly don't know where to begin since I know so little about what those provinces have to offer, therefore I'm not sure which ones I am willing to sacrifice seeing this time around. I figure we'll have to narrow it down to one or two provinces. I think off the bat, we may have to eliminate Newfoundland & Labrador, which are the ones I have the desire to see the most, but which are much too far for a one week road trip.
Therefore, I figured I would start off by going through one book and taking note of the things that are offered and, of those, which I'd really like to see ... starting one province at a time.
The book I decided to use for this purpose is CAA's Atlantic Provinces & Quebec TourBook. Why that book? Because it contains information about all the provinces in question, which is good for consistency ... because it's geared towards touring ... because it's CAA approved ... because any book would do as a starting point ... and mostly because it was free and it just so happened to be in my hands at the time I felt motivated to start this post.
So here we go ... starting with New Brunswick, and focusing on tourist attractions and valuable information at this time. I'm just trying to prepare a high level overview right now.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Average temperature in September: Low of 6'C, High of 19'C
SOME POINTS OF INTEREST
- Bouctouche, NB. Irving Eco-Centre. One of the few remaining sand dunes on the northeast coast of North America is preserved here. 2km boardwalk to observe flora and fauna; nature trail from the dune to the town of Bouctouche; interactive displays for all ages; picnicks allowed.
- Le Pays de la Sagouine. Live performance, Acadian food and music. (Bouctouche, NB).
- Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Franklin D. Roosevelt belongings. Scenic drives and walking trails along coves, bogs, beaches, and cliffs. (Campobello Island, NB).
- Cap-pele. 95% of the world's smoked herring is said to be produced in this city. West of town is Parc de L'Aboiteau, a scenic beach with boardwalks, cottages, volleyball courts, and evening concerts during the summer. (Cappele, NB).
- Acadian Historical Village. This historic site interprets the lives of the Acadians from 1770 through to 1939. More than 40 authentic Acadian structures on display. Interpreters in period costumes bring ancestral customer and traditional trades to life. $16. (Caraquet, NB).
- Deer Island. An enormous whirlpool, "Old Sow" can be seen offshore 3 hours before high tide. One of the world's largest whirlpool vortex. (Deer Island, NB).
- Potato World Museum. Florenceville is home to McCain foods, largest producer of French Fries. (Florenceville, NB).
- Fredericton, NB. Self-guided walking tour of the city's historic areas. Shopping and craft shops. Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
- Fundy National Park of Canada. Overlooks the Bay of Fundy and encompasses 206 square km of wooded hills and valleys. Nature hikes, beaches, self-guiding trails, salt-water pool, golf course, trout fishing. Home to Northern flying squirrels, American martens, Atlantic salmon, peregrine falcons, and whitetail deer. $7.80. Located between Moncton and St. John.
- Grand Manan Island. 15km off the coast of Maine in the Bay of Fundy. It is known for its lobster and herring catches and for the preparation of dulse, an edible seaweed. Humpback, finback, and North Atlantic right whales visit the waters off Grand Manan from mid July to mid September; the rare right whales use the area as a mating ground. Deep-sea excursions and whale-watching trips can be scheduled locally. Some hiking trails offer visitors the chance to sight seals. Sea Watch Tours leaves from the Seal Cove Pier. 5-hour whale-watching trip in the Bay of Fundy. Whale sighting is guaranteed or tour is free. Departures daily at 8am and 1pm, early July to late September. $59. Reservations required. (506) 662-8552 or (877) 662-8552.
- King's Landing Historical Settlement. Meticulously restored typical village in the Saint John River Valley, 1820-1890. Historical reenactments. $15.50.
- Moncton, NB. Two natural phenomena, Magnetic Hill (drive downhill to a spot indicated by a white post, then with gears in neutral, an optical illusion seemingly moves the car backward up the hill), and The Tidal Bore, an incoming tide that moves upstream against the regular flow of water, causing a single river-wide wave. Self-guiding tours of the historic area, shopping, Magnetic Hill Zoo.
- St. Andrews, NB. Kingsbrae Garden, horticultural garden featuring more than 50,000 flowers, shrubs, and trees. Tall ship Whale Adventures, $47. Whales & Wildlife Catamaran Style, $45; frequently offer sightings of humpback, finback and minke whales, seals, porpoises, sea bird colonies, and bald eagles.
- St. John, NB. Self-guiding tours, shopping, horticultural gardens, New Brunswick museum, bus tours, city market.
CONCLUSIONS
Clearly, I left out a number of cities and attractions in the list, above. From the list above, I was able to derive at least a sense of what I hope to accomplish by visiting New Brunswick. Here are my conclusions.
- Of all the possible tours and things to see, I want to whale-watch the most. It's something I won't get to do here in Ontario, it's something I've never done before, and it's something natural that I don't have the priviledge of seeing everyday, which I can't help but find fascinating. Therefore, I think we should definitely be near the Bay of Fundy. On that conclusion, I think it is safe to say that we should probably travel through Maine, USA.
- Since we have other provinces we would like to see, such as PEI and Nova Scotia, and since we are constrained by time, I think we should draw the line at travelling too far North in New Brunswick or Quebec.
- I think for NB, we should make it a point to get to St. Andrew's or Grand Manan Island for some whale watching, then travel to a major city like St. John where we can do walking tours to take in the city and drink with the locals, then pass through Moncton to see the natural phenomena and, again, take in the city; then move on to either PEI or Nova Scotia. Of course, we would be able to stop at any other points of interest that grab our attention along the way, so long as we have a general path.
- Ah Yes! I would also love to have lobster somewhere along the coast and maybe even find a beach to relax on, or to play volleyball.
Possible Road Trip - Intro. Promises.
So when I was living in Taiwan and travelling Asia, I found beauty in the simple things ... taking a scooter ride through the city or across the mountains ... having a smoke n' sipping on sugar cane juice by the marina ... walking the night market ... hiking in the mountains ... it made me realize something. It made me realize that every place has something to offer; and I started feeling guilty for having seen so much of these foreign countries, knowing that I've seen so little of my own. I promised myself at that time that when I return to Canada, I would explore.
I came back to Canada with my Taiwanese girlfriend (her first time off their tiny, but amazing, island). It gave me every reason to tour my own city all over again, so we did, for about two months. We did a lot of the usual: CN Tower, Niagara Falls, CNE ... I mostly enjoyed how she was excited about the little things ... like how many trees we have on our street. After she returned, I made it a point to continue venturing out of my usual comfort areas of Markham and Richmond Hill. I checked a map and realized for the first time that Lake Simcoe is insanely close to me ... so I took a drive Northbound. The scenery was so-so ... probably the most interesting thing I came across was a tree that was covered in shoes. It was fascinating and eerie at the same time because it was in the middle of nowhere. I wondered what the story was behind the whole thing. I also came across a book of Canada's waterfalls and realized that Hamilton, ON has a lot, so I made it a point to visit a close friend there and go hiking in the mountains. Last summer I was reading up on our National Parks nearby and realized that there are so many. I wanted to plan a camping trip, but never got around to it ... no gear, not enough interested parties, and other various excuses.
Trip #1. It's starting to become tradition that for my birthday, I rent my parents' timeshare in 
Collingwood and have a weekend party with a few close friends. I'm doing it again this year, but this time I took the whole week off work so that after the weekend party and everybody returns to work, I will have five days to myself to ... well, to do whatever the hell I want ... reflect, unwind, read, watch movies, ... Maybe one or two people might even have the time to stick around and keep me company, but even if they don't, I'm happy to hang out by myself. I've always been pretty comfortable being on my own once in a while. I remember once I went to a matinee movie by myself and, consequently, ended up being the only person in the entire theatre. Anyway, the hard part is that this place only sleeps 8 people and since I've met a lot of great people this summer, I don't know who to invite anymore. There's always a few staple people who I have a past with ... my cousins, my bro and his girlfriend, and a few close friends ... but then I'd love to have my newer friends there too this time around. I wonder if I should just ram the place for the weekend and have people sleeping wherever there's floor space. I just hope the neighbour's don't complain in that case. Anyway, that's vacation #1.
Collingwood and have a weekend party with a few close friends. I'm doing it again this year, but this time I took the whole week off work so that after the weekend party and everybody returns to work, I will have five days to myself to ... well, to do whatever the hell I want ... reflect, unwind, read, watch movies, ... Maybe one or two people might even have the time to stick around and keep me company, but even if they don't, I'm happy to hang out by myself. I've always been pretty comfortable being on my own once in a while. I remember once I went to a matinee movie by myself and, consequently, ended up being the only person in the entire theatre. Anyway, the hard part is that this place only sleeps 8 people and since I've met a lot of great people this summer, I don't know who to invite anymore. There's always a few staple people who I have a past with ... my cousins, my bro and his girlfriend, and a few close friends ... but then I'd love to have my newer friends there too this time around. I wonder if I should just ram the place for the weekend and have people sleeping wherever there's floor space. I just hope the neighbour's don't complain in that case. Anyway, that's vacation #1.Trip #2. I was trying to determine how I should use my bounty of vacation days so I sent an email to some close friends, asking if they'd be interested to join me in a road trip to the East of Canada. They all pretty much declined and tried to suade me to change the destination to New York or Atlanta or some other party-spot. That's probably how Trip #3 got started. But I made another promise to myself recently. I promised that, as much as possible, I would stop accommodating other people, and start doing things for me. So in time I found others who shared my interest to travel Eastbound. The plan is for a possible road trip to the East of Canada in early September. I already have the time booked off. We just need to decide if we're really doing this.
Trip #3. In trying to inquire about the interest of Trip #2, I inadvertenly started a conversation about a trip to Las Vegas; somewhere I haven't been since I was a kid on a family trip, and somewhere that I've been told by countless people I need to experience as an adult. I know I had promised myself I wouldn't fly anywhere this year, but the timing seemed so perfect. I'm single, I'm not too young and not yet too old, I've been in party-mode lately, and I have a good group to go with. On top of that, we would be celebrating my cousin's birthday. The trip is scheduled for October and I already have it booked off. On the flip-side, I agreed to this trip when Trip #2 was looking like it wasn't going to happen. Now that Trip #2 is a possibility, I'm thinking of bailing out of Trip #3. I would love to do both, but I have to be realistic about my budget. I can barely afford both trips, and I definitely can't afford to continue living at home with my parents ... my need for freedom is ripping at the seams.
Anyway, moving on. The reason for this blog post, and the next few to follow, is Trip #2. Collingwood is going to happen no matter what, and making invite decisions will just come down to an executive decision; and Vegas is still a while away. I can go or back out as I see fit when the time comes. However, Trip #2 requires more planning and thought. I think I have to weigh some pros and cons right now and make a plan because the time to make decisions is upon us. What does the trip have to offer? What will it cost? Will the things I will see make up for the amount it will set me back in savings to move out? These questions and more need to be addressed ... and I'm pretty methodical in my ways ... so I think I will begin exploring these in future blogs for the next little while. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sappy Story
It started last summer and it's doing it again ... this tree that hangs over my driveway has been leaking sap or something onto our cars overnight; and I swear it covers the whole car in sticky nastiness. The tree's been there about 30 years and still looks relatively healthy, but for some reason it pisses all over the driveway at night.
Normally I would be against sacrificing nature for something as trivial as a dirty car, but I was getting fed-up and chopped a couple o' limbs off it tonight ... that'll teach it =P I'm trying to save money right now and constant car washes, and potential for paint and rust problems on a car I plan to keep a while, were just not helping. In the end, it made the tree and driveway look better anyway.
We've lived in this house my whole life and a lot of the plants in the yard are starting to get out of hand. Actually the inside got out of hand a long time ago. My parents, being pack-rats, have accumulated so much junk that it's hard to move around. In the basement, there's literally a narrow path that can be followed to get around in a semi-square; otherwise, the rest of the basement is just filled with .... stuff. I almost had it clean a few times. It was looking really promising just before I left for Taiwan, but when I came back, it was worse than ever. I used to try my best to keep this place tidy, but I think I've given up. My parents are too set in their ways now ... they're not willing to part with things ... and they don't seem to understand the concept of depreciation because they seem to think everything is still worth what they paid for it decades ago. I wouldn't say my house is dirty ... we somehow manage to keep it clean ... it's just not tidy ... it's ... cluttered! Let me give more examples, I can't sit down and eat anywhere without taking time to clear space from a table; our kitchen table doubles as an office desk, with a computer in the kitchen too because we can never seem to find room for anything despite the house being ample size; and the upstairs hallway has so much furniture there that I sometimes have to walk sideways. It gets frustrating. Ironically, the living room is the room that is lived-in the least, and my parents insist on keeping that one tidy. It doesn't make sense to me personally ... seems like wasted space. I think we should make that room an office and tidy up the rooms that we actually need. The real problem is that my parents won't let us discard anything, and even if we were to sell it at, say, a garage sale, they would ask for more than an item is worth. I see so much potential in this house, but I've given up on trying to uncover it.
I'm really thankful for my parents though. They do a pretty amazing job of keeping a roof over our heads, providing for us, caring, instilling values, etc ... I just wish that they would realize that sometimes cutting off a few branches is necessary.
Normally I would be against sacrificing nature for something as trivial as a dirty car, but I was getting fed-up and chopped a couple o' limbs off it tonight ... that'll teach it =P I'm trying to save money right now and constant car washes, and potential for paint and rust problems on a car I plan to keep a while, were just not helping. In the end, it made the tree and driveway look better anyway.
We've lived in this house my whole life and a lot of the plants in the yard are starting to get out of hand. Actually the inside got out of hand a long time ago. My parents, being pack-rats, have accumulated so much junk that it's hard to move around. In the basement, there's literally a narrow path that can be followed to get around in a semi-square; otherwise, the rest of the basement is just filled with .... stuff. I almost had it clean a few times. It was looking really promising just before I left for Taiwan, but when I came back, it was worse than ever. I used to try my best to keep this place tidy, but I think I've given up. My parents are too set in their ways now ... they're not willing to part with things ... and they don't seem to understand the concept of depreciation because they seem to think everything is still worth what they paid for it decades ago. I wouldn't say my house is dirty ... we somehow manage to keep it clean ... it's just not tidy ... it's ... cluttered! Let me give more examples, I can't sit down and eat anywhere without taking time to clear space from a table; our kitchen table doubles as an office desk, with a computer in the kitchen too because we can never seem to find room for anything despite the house being ample size; and the upstairs hallway has so much furniture there that I sometimes have to walk sideways. It gets frustrating. Ironically, the living room is the room that is lived-in the least, and my parents insist on keeping that one tidy. It doesn't make sense to me personally ... seems like wasted space. I think we should make that room an office and tidy up the rooms that we actually need. The real problem is that my parents won't let us discard anything, and even if we were to sell it at, say, a garage sale, they would ask for more than an item is worth. I see so much potential in this house, but I've given up on trying to uncover it.
I'm really thankful for my parents though. They do a pretty amazing job of keeping a roof over our heads, providing for us, caring, instilling values, etc ... I just wish that they would realize that sometimes cutting off a few branches is necessary.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A New Beginning ....... ?!?
Well, my new friend, Connie, has reminded me that I used to write ... and coincidentally things in my life have become a little unclear again; so that, coupled with other random series of events led to my decision that it's time to start blogging again. Writing just helps me to organize my thoughts and opinions.
I considered restarting from where I left off in an old blog, but eventually decided against it. I over-analyzed everything in that blog ... and I wore my heart on my sleeve. I'll probably try to hover around the realm of vagueness on certain subjects in this blog. More importantly, I felt it was time for a change. A lot has changed in my thoughts and in my life since I last blogged over two years ago .... and I decided it was time to move away from my usual Internet handles, time to move away from my usual written topics, and therefore time for a new blog site and a new blog altogether.
So there you have it ... my long, drawn out reasoning that has led to the inception of "Random Rants on Rye" ...
Speaking of random ... I was looking at the title of this post and something stuck out for me .... "?!?" ... I've noticed that I use that series of symbols a lot lately. I guess it's because I tend to comment with a mixture of confidence and uncertainty.
I considered restarting from where I left off in an old blog, but eventually decided against it. I over-analyzed everything in that blog ... and I wore my heart on my sleeve. I'll probably try to hover around the realm of vagueness on certain subjects in this blog. More importantly, I felt it was time for a change. A lot has changed in my thoughts and in my life since I last blogged over two years ago .... and I decided it was time to move away from my usual Internet handles, time to move away from my usual written topics, and therefore time for a new blog site and a new blog altogether.
So there you have it ... my long, drawn out reasoning that has led to the inception of "Random Rants on Rye" ...
Speaking of random ... I was looking at the title of this post and something stuck out for me .... "?!?" ... I've noticed that I use that series of symbols a lot lately. I guess it's because I tend to comment with a mixture of confidence and uncertainty.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
