neilandia – Page 143 – EatingLifeUp

August 10, 2008

The Cabin

Well the plans from yesterday were mostly correct. I did go to the cabin right after my last post and it was exactly what I needed. I got to the cabin mid afternoon. Took a couple pictures of the cabin to share with you. Set-up my screen room on the deck and thought I would read for a bit. The book reading lasted about 2 mins and I decided to “Garfield” the afternoon away with a sun nap. I didn’t wake up until my mom arrived (She has the cabin next door) when she got off work. I sat with my mom and visited for awhile, made a quick supper, and then we went for a drive.

I felt really relaxed and got what I came for so when my mom left I decided to follow her to her house where I could repair/sew my favorite pair of shorts. I love these shorts so much and I had blown the crotch out of them playing with the neighbourhood kids in Cuba. Sew after they were fixed it was about 10:30 and I decided to head back to the city. (Where I waited for a parking spot in front of my apartment where some F’ festers were putting away their tent, lawn chairs, umbrellas, kids, ugly hats, and festival memorabilia).

So here is the cabin…

This is the back of the cabin from the road.

The front of the cabin looking up from the firepit.

The cabin only has electricity so yup I have a cute little outhouse.

This is looking down from the deck at the lake shore, the fire pit and you can see my windsurfer hiding in the trees.

This is a view of the lake. It is looking pretty dismal this time of year. The water level is soooo low that you can now see the tops of the seaweed.

Moving inside this is the kitchen. The inside of the cabin for the most part is half finished. It hasn’t changed much since I bought it due to all the Garfield sun napping that goes on.

This is the dining room.

View of the eclectic living room LOL So many different funky chairs that have been given to me or that came with the cabin. You can also see I have a fireplace but no chimney. It has been my goal for years to install the chimney so I can enjoy the cabin more in the winter but it just hasn’t gotten done yet.

My favorite place to hang out inside. This giant ugly orange chair is so comfortable to sit sideways in with my legs over the side. I like to read here next to the window and catch a breeze.

This is my favorite place to be period at the cabin. This is also the scene of the sun nap attack.

I hope you all enjoyed visiting the cabin with me.

August 9, 2008

Sex and the Cabin

Sex and the City status:

Wow last night was fun! Matt & Jordy picked me up (so I didn’t loose my parking spot to the F’ Festers) and after picking up Hollywood Pizza we headed to their house to continue my Sex and the City marathon. We started on episode 10 of Season 2 and two bottles of Wolf Blass later we ended on episode 15 I think? It was a blast watching and laughing with friends and even more of a blast when Matt sprayed red wine all over the floor when that guy calls Charlotte Charlene instead. This morning I picked up where we left off and I finished Season 2. Episode 17 they all go to the Hamptons together and because of that episode I have decided to head to the cabin right after I type this. I miss the cabin and it is going up to 32 degrees here again today so the cool breeze on the deck will be perfect.
Episode 18 was my favorite Samantha episode. It is the one where Carrie calls Samantha Goldi-cocks. Samantha dates the cocky guy that picks her up on the street (I love that whole pick-up sequence). Then she finds out that he is “Too Big” for her. LOL

Well I am off to the cabin now. I will be back tomorrow night in time to watch Big Brother of course.

Love you all, stay cool, *HUGS*

August 8, 2008

Magic bus? Městské Autobusy?

Sex and the City status:

So I am watching the 9th episode of season 2 and during the opening sequence I notice a huge inconsistency in the editing! We all know how the opening works, shots of Carrie walking down the street in her tutu number looking all happy. Shots of New York buildings and bridges, then SPLOOSH! Carrie is splashed by the city bus (I believe in Season 1 we were told it is the M2) that has the ad for her column pasted on the side of it. Here is where the inconsistency is! Look right after she gets splashed (See frame 1 of the photo below) there are people on the bus including a nice lady (Don’t ask me why I think she is nice I just think she is) with grey/white hair. It was this lady that caught my eye this time. Then BOOM! next shot is the bus turning the corner and THE BUS IS EMPTY! Like everyone off the bus, returning to station empty. (See frame 2)

Magic bus?
Shocking I know right?

Neil’s Travel Tip #3:

The buses, trams, and subways in Prague, Czech Republic are a wonderful way to get around the city. I used them extensively and found them very easy to use. However the Czech language isn’t very easy to use. So I give you these 3 tips:

There are many ticket prices but two main ticket options you will use. There is a limited ticket that is 18 CZK. This ticket cannot transfer on buses or trams and is good only for 20 mins. Or in the subway you can use it for 30 mins and can’t exceed 5 station stops. (Really don’t buy this ticket unless you know that you are only going short distances and not returning right away.) For 26 CZK you get a ticket valid on Buses, Trams, and subway, that you can transfer with and it is valid for 75 mins.
You can buy the tickets from machines at some bus stops (OK option if your stop has one). You can buy them from Tobacco shops (Better option because they are everywhere). You can buy them in the subway from machines (Better option yet because subway stations are on the map and open). You can sometimes buy them from the front desk of your hostel or hotel (BEST option because you are pulling out your money in a secure place, can ask for directions, and get to interact with a human)
The trams and subways make announcements at each stop. However they can trick you. They speak pretty fast but clear in Czech and then they slow down and emphasize the last word. You definitely hear the last word and may recognize it as your transit stop. Do not get off! Your stop is NEXT. That fast bit told you what station you are stopping at NOW… the slow emphasized bit… let’s say Dĕlnická, was really saying “Next Stop Dĕlnická”

Armed with that knowledge you will be whizzing around Prague like a pro!

August 8, 2008

08/08/08 8:08.08

The 2008 summer Olympics really hit home with my EatingLifeUp philosophy. I turned on the TV to RDI aka French CBC to watch the opening ceremonies this morning and was completely engulfed in the emotions of the athletes and the host country China.

I love travel, languages, and cultures so much and this was all three of those presented together with so much excitement surrounding the games. The fact that I was watching the games in French made it that much more enjoyable.

As I watched the athletes march out one country at a time I observed so much and certain countries triggered fantastic memories of travel. I was very excited to see the Czech Republic team because I was just in their wonderful country in May. Then I saw Estonia and that made me think of all the countries that are reading this blog including Ago from Estonia. I longed to be back in Italy when I saw the Italians march out. Italy is currently my favorite country in the world to visit and they had such an energetic group of athletes. The funniest thing happened when Monaco marched out. Monaco up until my many adventures in Italy was my favorite country in the world so it too triggered deep emotions. Then the camera panned to Prince Albert of Monaco waving to the athletes and I waved back at my TV. I realized I was really wrapped up in the excitement at this point. They didn’t even have to tell me in French who I was looking at, I recognized him right away.

That brings me to another thought. What a security nightmare the Olympics must be! In the short time frame I watched I saw the Presidents of the US, Italy, France, Russia, Prince Albert of Monaco, and numerous other heads of state. Almost one for every country in attendance. It was awesome to see the way the athletes reacted when they spotted their countries leader waving at them.

Whether they were proud, happy, stoic, wistful, or just so excited that they couldn’t even walk straight all the athlete’s were on overload being there and you could read in in their eyes. One thing they had in common is for the most part they were all VERY ATTRACTIVE! I thought no wonder they say that sex is a big problem in the camps at the Olympics. All these energy charged perfect specimens of human nature cooped up together you are bound to have some chemistry happening.

I will end this post with a huge wish to all the countries participating. Good Luck! Safety! Prosper! (The Chinese word for eight sounds similar to that meaning “prosper”. Hence why 8 is such a lucky number for them and why the games kicked off at 8:08 and 8 seconds on the 8th day of the 8th month of 2008)

August 7, 2008

Sad day for bodybuilders

OMG that was a tough episode to watch. Since Wednesday’s show I was pretty positive that Jessie would be safe. However as tonight approached I started thinking that usually when you are sure of something in Big Brother, the exact opposite happens. So I was watching tonight totally on the edge of my seat. Then finally the bomb was dropped…

America instructed Dan to vote out Jessie Godderz. Yes, hunky buff Jessie is evicted! In a way it was almost worth it to see the house completely turned upside down when the vote was announced. One thing that I was really shocked by was how much this show got to me. All the sticking up I was doing for Jessie these past few weeks combined with all this blogging I was pretty attached. It was really hard for me to watch Jessie sitting next to Julie Chen shaking. Did anyone else see that? He was barely holding it together. As such I was almost nauseous. Crazy hey? I had sympathy butterflies!

Awww look I just got a thoughtful message from Nick.

Well first I would like to say I’m sorry for your loss, then I would like to say THANK GOD!!!! WOOO HOOO GOODBYE JERKFACE!!

Well we can all move on now. We have many consolation prizes to look forward to:

We still have Memphis in the house!
Michelle won HOH and is going ballistic so she will inflict revenge!
It was announced that members from past seasons are appearing on the show Sunday!
Those house guests include JASE WIREY (My favorite house guest of all time!) and JANELLE PIERZINA!

Here is a picture of Jase and Janelle to refresh your memories.