my little cavern

Hello! Its been awhile since I've blogged, forgive me. The last few weeks have been an epic whirlwind of fun. I had an amazing journey with my lovely Sarah, filled with amazing food, tasty drinks (jellyshots & homemade berry wine = love), hilarious television, smoking galore and many, many outbursts of song. Oh, my sweet Sarah. I can't even put it into words. I didn't stop smiling. I ever so needed to get away from the city for some R&R and it was truly that. If the blueberries had been ripe, it would've been almost too perfect. Trust me, we looked (in our PJs). Best vacation ever.

Since I've been back, I've been mostly working, but I've had time for a few adventures. David and I embarked on a sunny, early morning adventure for breakfast and Johnson Geo Centre times. The Geo Centre is like, a museum devoted to... scientific history, one might say? There are exhibits about human evolution, space technology, the planets, oil, genetics (and the Titanic, but that gets a bit old after seeing it three times for me, really... though I love the old furniture). As you can imagine, we pretty much died of happiness. I was especially awe-struck by this:

This, my friends, is an Amethyst geode, and its pretty much the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. They had big enough for me to put my hand in at the Geo Centre, and it made me ache with sparkly purple love. They had one in the gift shop actually, but sadly it was $300. Someday! We also came across these adorable little buggers there:

OH MY GOD THEY'RE MICROBES. They had so many cute ones there, which were also mostly pathogenic! Yes, yes, their gift shop is kind of nerd heaven.  our day also featured apple walnut french toast, coffee,  strolling in the sunshine, yard sales, odd encounters and lots of giggles. It was pretty much magical. The boy is gone to Stephenville now, so I have my whole apartment to myself. I cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, and have been spending lots of time bonding with my bedroom - right now I have nice lighting, comfy clothes, candles, incense, the smell of clean sheets and music. I couldn't be more relaxed.

I must head to the land of dreams, sadly, friends. Overnight inventory with my boss tomorrow night, which should be a treat. Also tales of graveyard adventures, painting and desserts. There is love.

XO

somebody cure the skies

Today has been rather wonderful so far, despite the fact that it began for me at 7am. Or perhaps its so lovely because it began at 7am. I woke up to kisses and coffee and sunshine, and took the bus downtown to Water Street West to get the last part of my TB skin test, a tetanus shot and some forms signed by the oh-so-sweet nurse Stacy. I love that particular part of downtown so much, and its a shame that I never go there. I still haven't been to the train museum, and I can never seem to get down there when the antique shops are open, but I want to explore both in the near future!

Afterwards, I decided to treat myself to a good breakfast, it being 9am by this point, and my belly still empty. So I dove into Atlantic Place, picked up this month's issue of Wired (James Franco. IUDs. Medical ethics. This issue was more or less made for me!) and went to Cora's, where I had some delicious combination of cottage cheese, a poached egg, toast and of course DELICIOUS FRUIT. It bore the oh-so-cute title of "Peggy's Poached". I was looking for something light and delicious without any grease, and it was pretty much perfection. 

It pretty much looked exactly like that, except with more nectarines! MMMM NECTARINES <3

One thing that - well, I can't say "bothered" exactly, since nothing could cramp my style today, really - but amused me, I guess, was the INSANE weather. When I left my house this morning, I wore shorts and a t-shirt. It was 22 degrees and sunny out. When I left Cora's, it was pouring outside - like the sky had basically just ripped open and flooded the streets. You know the sort of rain where you stand outside for under a minute and you're drenched to the skin. This went on for about an hour or so. By the time I got halfway home on the bus, the sun was crawling out from behind the clouds again and the sky was blue. Its been raining on and off since, really. So weird. St. John's, your skies are ill and confused.

I've spent my time home watching Weeds and doing laundry. I have also enveloped a special special to be mailed to Ms. Jarl very soon! I had funny times at the Post Office buying the envelope, they are so nice there! 

So all and all, I had a good day. This is what you do when you have a silly schedule and the weather is schizophrenic - keep a smile on and make the best of it. It was really a beautiful day. 

What's your favorite thing to do alone on a summer's day? 

XO

from the top of the mountain

I just finished reading Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine's book "Last Chance to See" (for the second time in life) and I am so depressed now. The book is a collection of tales about their travels around the world to look for endangered species, and is essentially about what humans can do to help protect and save these beautiful creatures. If any of you have ever read Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series, you know what a hysterically funny guy he is. The book is filled with the same kind of humor, except picture Douglas Adams himself, say, in China drawing pictures of condoms for baffled store clerks because him and the crew need them to cover a microphone with so they record underwater noise. 

What makes me really sad is the fact that since the book's publication - in the late 80s, early 90s - some of the species they went to look for in the book have actually gone extinct. Like the Baiji river dolphin, which is what they went to China to find. The dolphins were almost entirely blind, since they lived in very murky waters anyways and relied almost entirely on echolocation. But, because the river became filled with traffic from boats and hence a whole lot of noise, the dolphins echolocation wasn't so useful anymore and they started getting killed by boats. And getting caught in nets. And often eaten. Sigh. As of 2006 - almost 6 years ago - apparently they have gone entirely extinct.

Then theres the mountain gorillas - oh, the poor mountain gorillas! While they aren't extinct, as of last year there was only thought to be around 800 of them. Which may seem like a lot, but that number is probably dwindling as I type this. They live in Africa, which is not the easiest environment to live in considering its extremely hot and incredible war torn. They are being poached and their habitats are being destroyed. Also, because they share so much of our DNA, they are susceptible to many human illnesses. They are beautiful, curious, sociable animals. Douglas mentions in his book how he was sitting near one, writing something on a notepad when the gorilla came over and touched his pen and paper. Not to take it, just to see what it was and to see what it felt like. 

Sigh, I want to sit with gorillas just once before I die. It seems like such a beautiful experience. So strange to be around creatures that are so like us and yet so very different. Hopefully, somehow, they'll be around for a long time to come. I want to live in a world where there are still lions and tigers and gorillas and elephants and whales when I'm a little old lady!

I'm done with my rant for today. Save the animals, friends. Save the animals!

XO

skin and bones

I barely feel like I'm in school anymore! Well, as of yesterday I'm not I guess. But despite the fact that I had an incredibly lazy academic summer post-intersession, I still have that stupid stressful school ache at the back of my head. You all know the one. So its exciting to know that I have a bit more time to myself.

I need novels to read. And good ones. People, please make suggestions! <3

Since I made my lovely book purchases yesterday, I've more or less decided that a scientific reading binge is in order again - I go on one every so often. So I will probably be reading (and re-reading) some of the classic ones I have lying around: my new acquisitions "Gray's Anatomy" and "College Zoology", as well as "The Third Chimpanzee" by Jared Diamond, and I've also had a copy of "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin forever and haven't started it yet. When did I become so illiterate? I started re-reading "Last Chance to See" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine today and I am dying, really. Its one of the funniest books in existence, and also one of the most interesting. Douglas Adams was so cool, sigh. If you like his "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" books you'd pretty much fall in love with this: think the exact same kind of humor, but him trekking through the jungle with people and having no idea what's going on and looking for komodo dragons and fat birds and things. So wonderous.

Other books I have a hankering to read:

... its better if you just don't question it. I am really sad about this summer, I feel like its senseless to even keep hoping for consistently nice weather, so I guess I have to enjoy the rain before the snow comes? Damn you, Newfoundland. I am going to make the rest of it count just as much as it would if it were 30 degrees everyday and all my friends just wanted to hit the beach and get ice cream every waking moment of their lives. I'll just do it with sweaters and jackets and good books and hot drinks instead.

XO

anatomically correct

I'm having such a hard week. Not because anything crazy is happening in the least, no worries, I just feeling like I haven't stopped all week! Its all very productive and useful, but I feel very drained by it. This week I've:

- gotten up at 7am three times, tomorrow will be the 4th (not used to this at all anymore, and I still go to bed at 2am every night, er, morning)

- taken the bus about 5 times, which is never fun

- walked for about 4 hours total (no big deal, but i can't even explain how lazy i am lately... walking to the bathroom is an effort for me sometimes)

- volunteered at the regatta with planned parenthood doing this lottery type thing; i spent almost 5 hours yelling at crowds of people at the top of my voice and stayed an hour and a half later than i was supposed to (because i was late and felt bad)

- gone to 1 class... for under a minute (to hand in a paper)

- gotten a TB vaccination which i had to walk/bus down to Water Street for, twice (and I have to return next week)

- worked for 12 hours, so far... today will make it 18, 25 total by midnight on Saturday 

- slept for fewer hours than I'll be working this week

- tomorrow, have to arise early again for four hours of volunteer training at Planned Parenthood

Its all extremely productive and working towards, essentially, my PCA program this fall and my hopeful future RN degree. I comfort myself with images of myself wearing expensive winter coats and new glasses and being able to buy enough groceries to feed 6 people when I'm making over twice the amount of money per hour that I am now. Its a nice image, really. Also, being super duper productive feels a lot better than sitting on the couch in my bathrobe watching reruns of Glee and the Tudors. 

The best part about today: I had delicious coffee downtown at Chatters by myself in the fog, and it was nice and quiet and pretty. Also, I went to Afterwards Secondhand Bookstore and found a copy of "Gray's Anatomy" (the medical textbook, not the series) and a random textbook about zoology from the '40s. I realize I am a nerd, but you don't know how pleased I am - I've wanted a copy of Gray's forever and I got both of these books for under $20! Sometimes I miss living so close to downtown. 

XO

nothing but the rain

Yesterday Sarah and I went on an adventure to look for pretty paper that ended in us giggling in a random parking lot at 10pm, smoking and drinking lemonade. It was a pretty beautiful time. Though we were unsuccessful in our pretty paper search (though there were some cuties, just nothing that was worth spending our last few pennies on), I did pick up a pack of oil pastels, which is a medium I've missed working with a lot. They're like crayons on crack, and are so fun and easy to use. I have watercolor wax pastels but they just aren't the same (though also very fun, and just as portable). I started drawing a self-portrait, and have come to the conclusion (yet again) that I fail at drawing facial features. This is why most of the things I draw don't have faces. NOTHING SHOULD HAVE A FACE.

Between monetary stress, all my friends slowly disappearing into the void and twiddling my thumbs waiting for next semester I feel like I'm pretty much going to go insane. Combine that with volunteering, working and being at the tail-end of my current (absolutely ridiculous) semester and you have a perfect recipe for one stressed out Sierra. Its a hard time to be alive, friends.

Things I want to do over my almost two month break to comfort myself:
- Read about anatomy.
- Get some more Philippa Gregory novels (she writes TERRIBLE historical romance novels about Tudor era England that I'm slightly addicted to, such a guilty pleasure).
- Draw and paint more.
- Write more poetry.
- Take a fuckton of epic, epic baths.
- Try to save up some money for schooltimes, possibly by depositing half of every pay cheque I get into the bank of David Stacey.
- Smoke a thousand cigarettes.
- Actually buy groceries and make myself something delicious to eat. I haven't bought "real" groceries in what feels like months. Can somebody please describe to me what an apple tastes like?
- Write letters to Lenore and Amki and make little things for them.


My boyfriend's 23rd birthday is tomorrow. I remember celebrating his 16th birthday with him over homemade pizza and root beer, so this is an odd thing really. I am trying to think of something I could possibly maybe make for him. Any suggestions, friends?


XO