While I Still Can

No time for chit-chat, we've got a lot to cover here.

My 29th was quite the affair. Of course, it didn't go quite as planned, but it went anyway, as these things tend to do. My three-parter, "It's Not Too Late" bash began by having dinner with a fantastic mish-mash of friends from all areas and eras of my life. Iranian cuisine was not only tasty, but provided a great opportunity to wield peer pressure on my male friends to get them to try lamb testicles. It baffled me as to why they were making such a big deal about it...they don't taste like anything. But now not only can they say they've tried it, they'll have a reference to fall back on. Such as, "This tastes like lamb testicles" or "This is nothing compared to lamb testicles". I'm sure they'll thank me for this experience later (much, much later).

Part two turned out to be a bit of a bust, as most people bailed out on going to the night club. It wasn't a bad idea on their part, but it proved to be challenging for me, since I arrived after the designated time when the guest list was in effect. Naively, I thought that being a single girl would allow me easier access, but I would soon find out that I wasn't pretty enough for the bouncer to pay any attention me. Or, as another friend put it, I wasn't "skanky" enough. I had to resort to calling in my "connection", just like everyone else. Inside, it was an impressive space, except that the ceiling was leaking and the music was less than conducive to dancing. Not to mention the multitudes of skanks. At least it satisified my curiousity about the place, and I'll never have to wonder about it again.

The third part was a bit bumpy, since there was a scheduling mishap and we didn't get to do it the day following the dinner and the night club. But, as always, things worked themselves out for the better. It was a beautiful day, a few more people were able to join us at the circus school, and I wasn't dead tired from the night before. It was an incredibly fun time! We were able to try the mini double trampoline, the trampoline, the aerial hoop, the static trapeze, and...the flying trapeze. Unreal. I suppose a lot of people might think that I was crazy to do something like that, but to be honest, I've never felt more safe. Here's my tip: if you're going to do this, and you need corrective eyewear, DON'T wear your contacts. Bring your glasses, and when it's your turn, take your glasses off. Although I was half blind climbing up the ladder, by the time I got to the top I couldn't see the ground, and therefore couldn't tell how high up I was. Consequently, there was absolutely no fear with regards to the height. The only other challenge was hooking my legs up onto the trapeze while I was swinging. It took three and a half tries, but I finally got it. It was exhilarating, and worth the three days of total body soreness afterwards. I can't wait to go back.

Someone asked me, "Are all of your birthdays going to be like this from now on?" Of course not...only the ends and beginnings of each decade. And maybe the halfway points too. So thanks to everyone who participated this time around. Pencil me in for next year, because plans are already in the works...

"No need to worry 'bout everything I've done, live every second like it was my last one"

Which Way to Look

I really don't know which way to look. With so many things going on, I've hardly had time to blog about my trip! And I've been home for two weeks already.

First things first. South America was awesome. Can't believe how much fun it was. The good news is that my brother and I actually do get along. The bad news is that there are so many stories, I can't think of which ones I can tell here. A lot of spectacular nature and wildlife, some interesting characters that we met, plenty of adventures, and a little hindsight when it came to packing. I've decided that I really like cruising. You spend the day somewhere, you get back on the ship, you go to sleep, and the next day you wake up and you're somewhere else. I think we travelled more than 6,000 km in two weeks. There's food everywhere, but if you take the stairs instead of the elevators, you won't balloon too badly. The only slight downside was that it was definitely an older crowd. But we made the most of it, and it all worked out in the end since, as my brother put it, "Old people seem to like me." I think next time, we'll try something closer to our demographic. (My brother is already planning the "next time". Good sign.)

What else? Trying to organize the photos has been keeping me busy. And I didn't stay put for very long. The week after I came back I packed another bag and spent the weekend at my friend's new house in Brantford. We were even able to take part in Earth Hour, which is something we should be doing more often, in my opinion.

Reality set in pretty quickly once I got back to work. It's almost like they were saving the craziness for when I got back (they weren't, but the illusion is there). It's not all work and no play though. We've celebrated two birthdays already, and look at this, mine is coming up. Which is something that is also taking up a lot of my time. This is the first and likely not the last time I've organized my own birthday party. Well, I'm sure I've hosted parties before, way back in the day, but it's been a long time. And it's never been quite so big before either. Definitely a trial by fire, but if it's successful, I'll be looking forward to doing something like this every year. And so can you.

My list of things to do continues to grow ever longer. I'm back to my original problem: which way to look?

"Head underwater, and they tell me to breathe easy for a while"