Full Circle

I forgot to upload my previous post again last week so double upload. Not that anyone is even reading this blog anyway. I could literally write whatever I wanted to and it wouldn't matter. I could be spouting religious hate doctrine or mildly racist propaganda and I doubt a single person would comment on it to me.

I shall, however, continue to write for myself. For my memories.

Re-reading my previous post there was one thing that stuck out in my mind. The times I spent with my friends in Revelstoke were unbelievably happy for the most part. Whether it was snowboarding, road tripping or sharing my favourite TV shows with them, we had some really good times together. However boring it may sound, sitting watching Misfits with two or three great friends who had never seen anything like it before was incredibly rewarding. Inbetweeners, Misfits and Happy Endings - we watched them all and laughed together. Good times.

It is my penultimate day here in North America and I've been exploring L.A as a last hurrah to the travelling lifestyle I enjoyed for at least half of my time abroad. I must confess in Revelstoke I settled down and made myself a home away from home. 

From Tacoma, Washington, we drove all the way to Redding, California in a day. It was a long day of travel and reminded me just how exhausting sitting in a car can be. With only one helpful encounter with law enforcement during our travels, I can happily say it was a successful trip so far.

The next day we drove through the Californian hills to Napa Valley and enjoyed some wine tasting in a... castle. The eccentric owner of that particular vineyard had an obsession with medieval Italian architecture and had taken it upon himself to ship an entire castle's worth of masonry to the U.S to construct it. We explored the castle and had a wine tasting which was delicious!

The following day took us into San Francisco where we spent two days of touristy goodness. I drove across the Golden Gate bridge, walked along it, hiked up the twin peaks hills, explored downtown as well as taking the cable car. We checked out Pier 39 and fisherman's wharf; not forgetting to pay a visit to the sealions of San Fran. We also got the opportunity to see the Chinese New Year festival parade in San Francisco - one of the top ten in the world apparently! I enjoyed my time in San Francisco and felt it was a wonderful city. I could see myself living there if I even moved to North America and chose to live in a large city.

Leaving San Francisco was when the shit really hit the fan. The day we left San Francisco was the worst day of travelling I have encountered so far in my life. We got a flat tyre 10 minutes down the highway and spent about an hour trying to find a garage that was open on a Sunday. I said I'd pay once it was fixed - at which point I realised I didn't have my wallet. I turned the car inside out looking for it and reached the conclusion it was either on the highway where we changed the tyre or back at the motel we had stayed at. We drove back to the highway but it wasn't there, so we drove all the way back to the motel. Luckily I found my wallet on the maid's cart outside our room! Who knows if they were going to hand it over to the front desk; all I know is I got it back and we hit the road. We were already exhausted and only made it as far as Santa Barbara before calling it a day and booking into our final motel of the journey.

Yesterday we got to L.A and drove around. We went outlet shopping so I replaced all my baby-gap T-shirts... and bought some more trousers and a cap and trainers. Oops!

We drove up into the hollywood hills for some snaps of the sign and chilled out for a bit before heading to my host's house. Mike is a super cool guy living in L.A with his partner Jose and their dog Tito. They had friends over last night to watch 'Ru Paul's Dragrace' which was certainly an eye-opening experience. We had some beers and chilled which was cool. Today I took Tito for a walk and checked out downtown. My legs hurt so much from all the walking I've done in the past week that I couldn't do more than three hours before heading back to Mike's to relax, sort out a ride to the airport and write out this crap. I guess, even though I've not included to much detail, it is a written record of my travels for the future.

As far as thoughts and feelings go... I am exhausted. Physically and mentally. I can feel myself winding down to the inevitable slump of being back in England. I am super excited to see my friends and family, but I know that I will soon become bored of life at home with nothing to do. I am already planning my e-bay auctions and how to kill time without wasting it on computer games. I just hope that I get my work visa for Canada to return next season.

I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from all our shows that we enjoyed at 3491 Catherwood Road, Revelstoke.

"...and then BAM! All hell breaks loose. I tripled myself."

Good day.

California Here We Come

It must have been nearly a month since my last post. I surprised how far I’ve come and how different I feel from just two posts ago – although admittedly that was three months ago. Cheesus Christ… three months. So, as far as my perception of wanting to be in a relationship goes, I can honestly say I have no interest in being in a relationship any time soon. For sure time will tell, and I’m not ruling it out, I’m just saying I don’t need someone else to think about in my life right now. That kind of responsibility is just too overwhelming to consider. It was an epiphany type of moment. I happened to glance across at a couple driving the opposite direction to me in town. She was looking at him in a way that just seemed to scream, ‘I’LL DO WHATEVER YOU DECIDE’. Or something along those lines. Long story short – I miss what I had in terms of a relationship but I’m feeling much freer to do whatever I want.

What is it I want to do? Well… I am trying desperately to apply for a working holiday visa for Canada to come back next season. If I am not successful I will just go to Europe and work a season there. Not sure what I’ll do in between but let’s just take it easy and see what happens.

Let’s concentrate on right now. Since my last post not a great deal has occurred. I was ill for a good week or so and endeavoured to spend as much time in bed as possible. I’m pretty much OK now.

We went exploring one Sunday afternoon, a few weeks back, and drove 7km along a logging trail before chilling out, taking some photos and sharing a beer together. That was a fun afternoon. It was a hairy drive up the rutted mud trail in Jeele’s shitheap of a van, but we made it just fine.

I have managed to spend 31 days total snowboarding on the mountain. One complete month of snowboarding. Wow. My last day I spent with Steve shredding the Stoke laps. We took some beers and my speaker up with us, spending a good couple of hours just chilling on some hammocks hidden in the trees. He got some GoPro footage of me and has promised me a birthday video edit. I am very excited to see it.

We had a party on Sunday night and it was an appropriate send off. Good music, good friends and a fire (with fireworks) in the garden. I don’t remember falling asleep, but I woke up on the sofa at 8am and crawled to bed. We drank; we were merry. There was a girl being followed around the party by her horny co-worker. From the outset this guy was determined to mount her. She was drunk and kept flirting with me; following me whenever I got near enough and - at one point - getting me into my car with her (god knows how that happened). It is an amazing feeling to know someone wants you and for you to be able to shrug them off. Even if she was completely wasted (and the state I was in makes it a minor miracle). Plus Steve had already called dibs. The bastard.

I will miss my friends from Revelstoke and cherish the memories I have made together with them. Particularly Steve who has beyond question been my greatest friend in a long time. (Although I have discovered in my absence that Sam is indeed my very best friend). Even Luke and Kara who bailed on my last night in town; I feel only sadness that I did not get to say goodbye. I believe I learnt a lot about life and friendship during my time there.

Oh yeah. I bought a car. Owning it for a grand total of a week.

Determined to road trip to L.A, I tried desperately to convince Steve and Adam to join me. They couldn’t swing it – but I maintained that determination to reach California by car. I saw a post on the Stokelist by a couple looking for a ride to Vancouver. We continued talking and eventually we ended up trading the car and agreeing to drive together south to California. They’re heading to San Diego and will drop me in L.A before continuing. So far they seem cool. They’re Swedish.

We’ve stopped in Tacoma and will spend the night in a motel before continuing south – hoping to hit halfway to San Francisco tomorrow. I’m now trying to find a couchsurfing host for my final week in North America, at least for this journey. I’m hoping for two things: warm sun on my face and outlet shopping for a few more T-shirts to replace my babygap shrunken disasters.

It feels good to be travelling again. Proper travel.

I surprised!

Sitting here, playing a strange game of peekaboo with Turtle the dog, I am trying hard to think of all the things that have happened since arriving in Revelstoke. This is partly for my own memory; I am finding my mind fails to recall significant events in place of meaningless crap. However, I feel I've barely noted any of my activities since arriving - reeling off some of our weekly activities in my last post didn't really cut it for me.

I can't really put my snowboarding experiences into words. I've spent the best part of a month up on the mountain. I have improved to the point where I can tackle just about any run on the mountain, which fills me with a great sense of accomplishment. I've gone up with everyone and, although slightly slower than the others, I feel as though I don't hold them up too much. The weather conditions are less than ideal and have led to quite a few days of not boarding.

I miss the guys from the house I stayed at when I first arrived. Luke and Kara particularly, whom I felt I had the most in common with and enjoyed their company the most. They were kind and had a very similar sense of humour to me. I hope to see more of them before I leave.

The only other occurrence that is worth mentioning is our trip to the hospital after the Banff road trip. I took Steve to the hospital after he'd taken a huge fall in Lake Louise. Some cunt skied right across him and forced him over a fence. The fence just so happened to be atop a rather large cliff, and Steve tumbled a good 30ft before stopping. 

Nothing remarkable happened during our time IN the hospital. However, once we'd left, Steve wanted a picture in front of the sign with his crutches. I shuffled over into the passenger seat of the car, which was stopped just in the middle of the road, and attempted to put the window down to take a picture from inside the car. It didn't work, so I hopped out and shut the door. We took some snaps and then headed back to get into the car. It just so happened that I'd been pressing the button to the lock the doors earlier, not open the window. We were then stood like two lemons for a good 20-30 minutes, with the car sat in the middle of the entrance road to the hospital, still running, unable to move it because we couldn't get back in! Luckily there were a spare set of keys back at the house, and Ben drove Felix up to us to open the car and get home. These things could not happen to anyone else, I am sure of it.

As I mentioned earlier, the weather is shit. So, we decided this weekend to join the two girls on a winter camping expedition to some hot springs nearby. We set off late on Sunday morning and took the ferry across the arrow lake. The girls, in their wisdom, decided not to wait for us on the other side but continue ahead. We spent a good while driving to the nearby town, finding directions, and then heading back to the correct location. Once we finally arrived, it was getting dark and we were all pretty fucked off. We hiked up the trail to the hot springs and set up our camp - mumbling (or, in Felix's case, yelling) obscenities about the girls and how the could have waited for us.

We had an awesome time in the hot springs after calming down about the whole 'being abandoned' thing. Cristin had brought a friend from work and she was... nice. I can't work out if she was flirting with me or it was the fact she was completely shit-faced, but there was a moment where I thought perhaps... just perhaps, she at the very least didn't think I was absolutely disgusting. Plus, camping out under the stars with just a tarp above and below me was a very interesting experience. Wrapped up in my duvet, squashed between Ben (basically sleeping on top of me) and Adam (smushed up in my face), I was perfectly warm. Ben and I headed back to the hot springs at about 7am after waking up and spent another 4 or so hours just chilling. It was complete relaxation.

As for my future plans, I will not be driving to Toronto. Nor will I be flying. Since I have so much with me and no idea where to go next, I shall simply do nothing and see what opportunities present themselves. Toodles for now.

The long and short of it

Has it really been two weeks since my last post? Cheesus Christ. 

So I struggled through my rough spot and am, hopefully, over the hump and ready to continue forwards positively. I managed to shake off the bugbear of a woman who would actually consider me to be physically attractive, mainly because when I thought about it long and hard I realised she was completely mental and thoroughly unstable. 

All my roommates are smashing. Steve, Jeele (Boogieman), Felix, Adam and now Ben (living in his car outside) plus Cristin and Kristina. I'm bunking in with Jeele for the month rather than pay the $350 for the spare room. It took me a while to warm to the girls, who took said room, for a few reasons I believe. However much I love dogs, they were a huge shift in the dynamics bringing not one but two dogs along with them. I've also discovered I don't cope well with change if it is within my comfort zone. E.G. somewhere I am now living for a month. I was a complete dick to begin with and am making amends where possible.

We went on a road trip to Calgary a few days after my last post, ultimately because Steve wanted to buy his board from Banff and shag the girl he met at new years (she was far more keen than mine). It was a really good time and, although I had a stroppy on the first day, I still enjoyed my boarding on both days. Steve and I shredded together with Jeele and Felix, and we made the most of our time. I did see Laura in Calgary but barely had a chance to speak to her. She'd brought 'Weird Al Yankovic' to the party anyway and this merely solidified my decision to steer clear. 

Last weekend I hit a rough spot after we all had a bit too much to drink and Steve, for some strange reason, ended up getting rather aggressive. I don't really want to dwell on these events as neither of us dealt with the aftermath particularly well. He's apologised and we're back to peas in a pod - so that'll be as much as I discuss on that front.

What I will say in conjunction to these events is I've learnt very quickly to not let what people do/say affect me as much as I have in the past. I'm working through building mental barriers and becoming a more stalwart individual. Not that I'm closing myself off, as I am well aware that I do this already, more that I am shielding myself from other people's nastiness. A lot of the time people will say things that would usually piss me off, but I'm just letting them slide off my back and forgetting about them as soon as possible. Dwelling on negativity simply perpetuates a state of misery. I am hoping these negative events will merely spur me forwards into positivity. What's the point, y'know?

On the horizon I see my plans for the future. Having settled in Revelstoke I don't relish the idea of travelling anymore. This is mainly because of the extra baggage I've accumulated here. Ridesharing with TWO big bags now is going to be a struggle. However, I get the feeling I've become comfortable and this is the main reason I won't be doing anymore solo adventuring for now. Once my month is up I will discuss with Jeele how much longer I can stay. I will raise the idea of $25 a week. I am contemplating driving from Vancouver back to Toronto for Pam's birthday and to see Joscelyn who, out of the blue, messaged me on facebook today asking how I was and if I'd be back in Toronto. A strange coincidence since I'd already broached the subject with Pam a few days ago. I would be using a website where I drive other people's cars for them. First Vancouver - Toronto, then Toronto to San Francisco. It would be long, and boring, but at least I'd eat up a few days driving around and seeing the country again.

 All I am thinking of doing in America is checking out Las Vegas for a night, hitting up the vans outlet there and then getting home. I want to touch base with Rowan, my bro's cousin, and possibly stay with Sam's (my friend) uncle for a few days until my flight. 

My mind is scrambled trying to think of more things to write about now so I'll just jot down some key events that have happened; general things I've been doing in town as I settle into a more comfortable place. I've also started a 'reason to be happy list' in which I have to write one thing each day that has been a highlight or made me happy.

- Snowboarding (obviously)

- Free trips to the swimming pool/hot tub

- Buying more boarding gear (oops!)

- Driving the Boogiebus

- Wings nights!

- Free pool nights at the Grizzlies

- Watching the local hockey team THE GRIZZLIES weekly (Paxman!)

Some of my highlights include these kinds of events so that list pretty much doubles up.

I'll sign off with the thought that right now, right here, I am very content.

It's your world, I'm just living in it

Son of a bitch I have hit my first real struggle of the trip. All the other times I've been a mopey little so-and-so were momentary blips on an otherwise plain sailing journey. Calgary was only tough because I wanted to snowboard so badly... which has all worked out ok as you know. Now I've really hit a funk for a number of reasons, chief among them being a god-damn female.

Women are all such a pain in the ass. There I said it. Sorry. But come on, they make, for the most part, impossible friends and even more complicated partners. Honestly, if I didn't love boobies and vajayjays so much (and find knobs so unpleasant) I'd have turned gay a long time ago. This particular girl was very intriguing. We spent the best part of three days together and she was pretty cool, however she was still into her ex and lives quite a journey away. The trouble is compared to the others I've met on my travels, this one has an allure the others never possessed. I'm hoping it'll just take a little bit longer to get over rather than consuming the rest of my time and energy. I was a complete dick though so I'm sure I ruined any possibility of anything happening.

I've moved out of the hostel downtown and into a 'house' on the outskirts. This has, although fairly stressful, been a good move for me as I'm with a good bunch of guys. I felt as though I was pretending to be someone I wasn't at the hostel to get by, and that I can relax completely here. Once I've sorted out how much money/beer/services (cleaning etc not winkies) they want for my stay.

I rearranged my flight so that I could spend more time here in Revelstoke and the money situation has become a concern. However, this problem has a solution as well and I've pretty much resolved it as well. 'Fuck it'. Only young once, only here travelling once. Europe can be cut short and even cancelled completely depending on how well I budget. I'm going to buy a laptop and new phone here in North America as it's cheaper than home. I figure I have enough to get me home and I'll just have to take stock once I'm home.

As for other interesting events besides finding a lovely lady, it's been a fairly quiet few weeks. There was a powder dump and I had an amazing day of snowboarding in waist deep snow. Snowboarding is amazing... no doubt.

Peace be the journey.