SELF: Day Six

I've been making a really conscious effort to surround myself with love, since it's one of the four pillars of happiness, and I'm really having a good time doing it. In addition to that, the walks to and from school are a time to reflect (serenity) on how amazing life really is and how far I've come in the last three years. It's hard to imagine a different time and now, in the final stretch of being away from home, as I plan to return to the Great White North, I am filled with all sorts of interesting feelings. It's hard to imagine going home again unless I imagine surrounding myself with those I left behind when I came here. So there you are, friends, in my thoughts.

Anyway, running is going very well. I get up in the mornings feeling ready to rock and roll. I've taken an unprecedented vow to sleep before ten every night and aside from Saturday night when we rolled in rather late, I've been adhering to the schedule. It feels amazing to fuel my body with all the right stuff (I'm even down to two cups of tea a day!) and see the results of this attention to detail. I have always felt limited when I diet, but this time around, I just feel like I'm doing the right thing for myself. Sure, we had a roast chicken dinner on Sunday where we all ate WAY too much of the bird and HEAPS of mashed potatoes, but it was totally worth it.

The bad news is the injuries. Naturally when one thrusts herself wholeheartedly into a new exercise regime, that same someone is bound to hurt herself. Last night I jogged a bit on the way home from Kathleen's house and hurt my knee (running with a large backpack on? What was I thinking?!), and I was awake most of the night, writhing in pain. I'm going to see the doctor on Thursday and we'll see if there's any magic these English can muster up. Remember what they did to me in Korea when I hurt my back? Let's not relive those days ;)

Have a great day, dearest readers. It's 10 degrees here and cloudy. Great day for the race: the human race.

Scrap of Paper

I found this written on a scrap of paper when I cleaned up the house on Sunday. It was a full overhaul. Eventually I have to leave this place and I'm amazed at just how much stuff I've amassed in just over a year. Alas, the recycling bin is quite full at present. So on with the note...

It was ten years ago today that I lost myself to you.
It was then I knew you'd be as much a part of me as
air and water,
family and memories,
weakness and strength.
You were just it.

I wondered what you were doing
lingering just under the surface
through the streets of Paris.

I guess I remembered that night...
those kids...
that pizza...
the beginning.

I love the feeling that comes with moving on. I love something new, something exciting. Leanne asked me recently if the Ghost was back and I told her that no, he is not.

But there is something in me that remains so connected with him, the start, the end, the joyful times in between (because what's the sense in recalling the awful ones?)...

When there is a change when there is a new horizon I remember us with the kind of fondness that would be impossible to articulate.

It's like there is a little part of me who wants to share all my good news with him because I know just how he'd look at me, just what he'd say, and know that he knew...somehow that makes the good news...great.

Weird eh? Maybe this is the last phase: the coming back to the start after putting it all behind me. Maybe this is just awesome.

(side note: I've used up all my available data on the blog, so won't be able to post pictures until I buy me some space. Nearly 20,000 times this blog has been viewed...thank you for reading it xxx)

SELF: Day Four

We had a really great night out last night (sans camera...sorry). I thought we'd go for happy hour at some cool Shoreditch club, but we wound up getting Thai food and heading over to the Porterhouse in Covent Garden. It's a rowdy place and none of us were feeling it when we approached, but it turned out to be a very, very interesting evening ;)

There were a lot of firsts...we met California Jeff for the first time...Kat and I had quite scintillating conversations with English men...

All in all, a good night had by all. And somehow we managed to leave on time and get the train back to good old Dartford. Phew.

The runs are going well. I ran into school yesterday, which resulted in the first twenty minutes of revision being quite sweaty (gross, right?), and I'm really slacking today. I'm probably dehydrated, so that would explain the extreme hunger and lack of get-up-and-go. Eventually I'll get up and go. We're rounding off the weekend with some dinner at my house tonight. I'm sure we'll have plenty of stories to recap over roast chicken and wine. I hope your weekend was swell xx

SELF: Day Two

Some days are hectic enough that the only time one has for a moment's reprieve is during the commute to and from work. C'est la vie. Here are a few of the highlights:

I was woken up at 4:55 this morning: needed for an emergency pep talk.

Shared homemade banana muffins
with peeps at school
(because I baked last night.
Pretty darn domesticated, if you ask me).

I had an interesting conversation with my principal during first period.

I taught pretty much all day, but managed to squeeze in lunch with friends.

My computer was updated so I finally have iTunes (don't laugh...I don't know much about the 21st century) and can finally listen to all the music Frank put on my computer. Gotta love a playlist ;)

It was pay day today, so I treated myself to some anti-wrinkle night cream. Yup. (Laura told me I had to. This is my real life.)
I said this to the woman at the store,
"Um, you didn't tell me I don't need anti-wrinkle cream,"
to which she responded,
"Honey, we all need anti-wrinkle cream."
Hmm...

Since I was tired after getting home at 5, I thought I'd run a short run, but surprised myself and wound up doing a full 5 kms. Whoot whoot. (Side note: there was a time when I thought 5 kms was a short run. Ha!)

Unfortunately, I was guilty of at least two (and quite possibly three) sarcastic comments, but wow, what a decline from the usual! The food part of the SELF ritual is going even better than all the other parts (as if we expected anything else!). The fridge is full of chick peas, tofu, and boiled eggs and I've been snacking on yogurt and bran cereal. It feels so natural to eat whole, natural foods when I think that they're fueling my body. Corny? It's okay...I like it.

I'm marveling that it's nearly 10 pm and I feel completely ready for bed. Why not? Happy Friday!

Waiting...

...what a whimsical way to wait...

image courtesy of wit+delight

SELF: Day One

Running this morning was awesome. Awesome. It was twelve (twelve!) degrees outside, dark when I left, light when I returned, and just really peaceful. I tried to get me some serenity, but kept thinking about my awesome experiment with the Year 7 students for my awesome statistics class.

And you want to know what?

It went SO MUCH BETTER today than yesterday.

AND I have only been guilty of ONE Sarcasm Offense today. Whoot whoot.

I hope your Thursday is going swimmingly well, too. xx

SELF: Year Three

On the eve of lent (or did it start today with Ash Wednesday? I never seem to be able to keep up), I'm heading to bed relatively early to prepare for my early-morning run. Argh...mornings.

I had this really amazing day with this really amazing group of children I teach and I'm still glowing about it. I have to gather my thoughts about it because we're doing it all again tomorrow, then I'll report back.

I think we're headed into the city this Saturday night to hit up some bars (with happy hours) in Shoreditch. I love a good weekend. Moreover, I love Thursdays. They are by far the hardest, longest day of the week, since they end in a whopping three hours of tutoring, but they're so rewarding come 8 pm. Dinner tastes amazing, bed feels its most comfortable, and I can say, "Tomorrow is Friday!"

Well done. Wish me luck tomorrow morning!

Remember: SELF stands for Serenity, Exercise, Love, and Food. Look up Dr. Kathleen Hall if you want to read her book. Wicked.

Oppression

[T]hat’s one of the number one ways to oppress someone - by suggesting that their feelings aren’t valid, that their anger isn’t valid, that they’re overreacting.

Wow...I love this. Long time. This is one of the reasons I refuse to tell anyone that they're TOO anything: too loud, too tall, too beautiful, too opinionated. Too? Yeah right.

Quote via Things She Loves.

connections

...and eventually everything makes sense...

Image courtesy of The Kvelv Blog

Eat Clean

Image courtesy of Bibbity Boppity Boo

Wednesday is the first day of Lent and in the spirit of giving stuff up to make myself better, I'm launching the third annual Forty Runs in Forty Days.

I'm gonna train dirty ;)

In case you haven't been following for that long, here, here, here and here are some posts from when I was in Korea, so many moons ago. This is a part of the journey...it's the sad, starting part of the journey. Gosh, when I read them over again, I literally feel as though I've transformed...metamorphosed. What a trip.

Oh, one more thing, I'm going to take this tip from 1001 Rules for my Unborn Son:

529. Try it without the sarcasm.

Lets see how I do ;)

this universe you speak of...

Kathleen challenged my philosophy on life last night (that things always work out exactly as they're supposed to). She supposes that things aren't "worked out" until everyone is happy. Hmm...deep into bottle three of wine, explaining myself became far more complicated.

Though I do grapple a bit (as everyone in generations V through Z has: I know this is not unique) with the constraints of religion, I do wholeheartedly think that the Universe (God?) has a plan for us all. Yup, something bigger has a hand in all of this. I can't fathom it any other way.

Aside from that though, was the thought that we had to be happy for it all to have been worked out. My rebuttal sounded like this: sometimes it feels awful and it hurts and curling up into a ball is the only thing you can muster for a loooong time, but still, it's right. It's working itself out and things are happening EXACTLY as they're supposed to. Pain and heartache and loss are all natural parts of things working out. We can't be on cloud nine all the time, can we?

I just keep referring back to that (rather cheesy) expression: things work out in the end. If they don't, it's not the end. Perhaps that is the crucial element: things don't work out until the end. Ah.

Anyway, I read this and thought of that conversation from last night. Courtesy of Ving-Nation,

"On the real life side of things I seem to be dealing with things with more thought and at the right time. With the wise words from Shel, I try to see things from a different lense and learn from each situation. There is value in everything we do. There is no room for hate or drama in this life of mine. We all have enough concerns. I am loving people for who they are and what they are. Thats it, thats all. Sometimes its easier then other times. The universe has its plan and as Sam said so many years ago, it will protect me from the world."

Sweet words, non?

Pic is mine, taken on our way to Hamburg

the lost decree

Not the needle, nor the thread,

the lost decree

Saying nothing,

that’s enough for me

~Holocene, Bon Iver

Dinner

Image courtesy of idolator.com

I had a few friends over last night for dinner. We had some vegetarian chili, Caesar salad (ala Jamie's dad), and wine. I made my favourite banana muffins for dessert, then Frank scooted home to pick up a few more bottles of champagne. Then I found out how many Grammy's Bon Iver won this time around. It's the small victories, folks.

What a great way to end what felt like a very long holiday from school. Though I was there Thursday through Saturday in the mornings, it still feels like eons ago that the little rugrats were surrounding me.

Six more weeks until our next vacation and this one is a huge one. We get two full weeks off to celebrate springtime. Whoot whoot. Almost this time last year, I was with Nathan in Spain. My how times flies. Before I know it, I'll be back in Canada.

There is talk of a German road trip, a house in Bordeaux, and a tour of Ireland. The possibilities are endless. For now though, I'm marking some papers and heading to bed early.

Hope your weekend was fantastic.

Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk off the Earth (Gotye - Cover)

Cuuuute foursome

I love a good blurry picture (thanks, Aleisha!). It helps to capture the essence of the moment: frantic, fun, transient.

Have a great weekend!

Jamie's Cooking School!

On Thursday night, Frank and I ventured to Clapham Junction (home of Impact Teachers, the recruiting agency that placed us at Wilmington. It was so strange to be back on that street: that first English street I ever saw across the pond) to Jamie Oliver's Recipease! Seriously? I love this country. Jamie Oliver is a ga-gillion-aire who just so happens to care about the health of his countrymen. Love. In addition to this, he's a crafty businessman: this place is a goldmine!

Because I was so excited, Frank had an interesting question, "What if this place is just some guy's basement kitchen?" Our thought from then on (despite the fact that I'd seen pictures) was to expect little, then hopefully marvel much.

Oh, marvel we did. The place was divine! SO Jamie Oliver.



It was laid out in such a way that we could see the chefs in the centre of the kitchen as well as other patrons, so nothing really could go wrong. They provided all the ingredients, set out so neatly in our little work stations, and so little food turned into a FEAST for dinner. They threw in a glass of wine (Frank threw in a few more) and we were off cookin'!

Frank, thrilled (but not nearly as thrilled as I) at the hand-washing station ;)

The site where we later mowed down on some Mexican deliciousness...



Ceviche! This was a first for me and though I was trepidations about eating it, it certainly dispelled my fears after the first bite.

Cool right? We made everything on that platter (including "the best gorditas in the class").






We topped it all off with some coffee, brownies, train conversations, and a visit to Kathleen, Aleisha, and Seth.



Good times all around :)

A View to Remember

Where we were

Sitting, Swooning

Love me a good patterned chair :)

Image courtesy of Apartment 34

The Drive North

Here is the night sky we saw as we left Dubrovnik...







After sleeping in Zadar in the cutest little place (called Villa Vanilla...don't you just love it?) and deciding we'd have to return when we could fully utilize the pools outside along with the wicked kitchen facilities, we awoke early (the theme of the week) and headed to the GIANT grocery store for some last-minute Croatian food. We still had quite a drive ahead of us (second theme of the week), so we needed fortification.

First up: spill coffee on jeans in the shape of a heart. Well done.









At the airport, it was all business: reading and inhaling any Vitamin C source we could find.

Twas a good week.

Dubrovnik

Our southernmost stop was Dubrovnik, a city on the sea flanked by city walls and a statuesque castle. After leaving Split with tummies full, we drove for about four hours to the balmy city ;) It was about five or ten degrees warmer there than in Zagreb. Still winter coat weather, but certainly a welcomed change.

My traveling companions have all read or are currently reading the Game of Thrones. The film was shot at this castle which, naturally thrilled them. Here's what we saw...

Then we entered the gates of the Old City. It was really a phenomenal little, gated place. We only had two hours in Dubrovnik before we had to head back north, but it was well worth the trek down south.

Amazing clock tower that worked with a sundial...

Dubrovnik's own version of the Spanish Steps...

People actually live inside the Old City, surprisingly, so we were not-so-secretly thrilled to see hanging laundry and folks out doing the weekly shop.

Though a tad unceremonious, this is the town's university...

Oh! And we met this charming American couple who had retired in Dubrovnik (his family is from there). They showed us all around the town square...even in this open-air museum where concerts are held in summer months and the real-life dungeon within!

Just before sundown, we all piled back into the car and headed back up south for the final night of our trip.