So the cherry blossoms are blooming here, and things are feeling rather spring-like, I must say. I crave the beginning of spring since living in Salt Lake (that first winter was sooo long--it lasted until May!), so now whenever I see those first blooms, and the weather becomes just a tad warmer, and the days are just a little bit longer, my heart feels glad, and I know it's almost SANDAL weather! Strange thing to look forward to, I know...but man I love wearing sandals and skirts and tanktops. In fact, my summer wardrobe is my favorite. All those bright colors...all those flowy skirts! Anyway, I digress--the real reason for a blog is that I have pictures to share, and a story to tell (although, it's really just a version of the same old story)....
I guess it begins with this semester. I have two classes that aren't really in my field, and they pose problems for me because I am so ready to be working on my own project; you know, that thing they admitted me into PhD school to do... I feel like I have a mixture of Spring Fever/Senioritis--that strange blend of apathy with a pinch of I'd rather be having a brownie. Lucky for me, a little thing called the Olympics came into town.
This two week vacation (oh, my!) turned out to be what I dubbed a "brain break." It was really just an excuse for me to do nothing and hang out with Tommy and our friends in Salt Lake City. I had such a good time with everyone, but when I got back, the proverbial poop definitely hit the fan. Sigh. The good news is that Tommy surprised me by coming back with me. He will leave here on Thursday, but I've had him to myself for the past three weeks now. Today, after three days of cramming in all the work I was supposed to do on my Olympic break, we headed to Vancouver for some sight-seeing. Like a true tourist, Tommy carried his camera around his neck and took some neat pictures before his battery died. We visited the Vancouver Art Gallery (we especially enjoyed the Da Vinci exhibit and the British Columbia exhibit), Little India (where we had a rather interesting lunch buffet), and then we went to Granville island via the new streetcar named the Olympic Line. We actually spent most of the day on public transit (I swear we rode the SkyTrain at least 12 times, and I used almost all my hand sanitizer trying not to catch the raging swiner), but it was so nice just to be out and about (or, oot and aboot, if you prefer to speak Canadianese).
My favorite pictures are from the SkyTrain station (I think it was Burrard Station) where the Cherry Blossoms were blooming. As we walked up into the daylight from the SkyTrain platform, all you could see were the blossoms. I knew that outside of them lay the concrete jungle of Vancouver and all the little failures of this week, but for some reason, all I could focus on was the smell and the sheer canopy of them. As I watched Tommy get out his camera, I remembered how important it is to focus on something other than my work and my troubles...sometimes you just need someone to help you see the sights and the ability to actually open your eyes and see them...
To Cherry Blossoms!
xo,
s
