This, That & The Other

I'm bored and I don't really have anything good to say... So here goes another post. So what have I been up to lately, you ask.

Well as I said, not much.

For example, in an effort to do something more productive with my time, I applied to a graduate program through a university in Sweden last week. Pray for me to your respective higher power that I get in. It's a Master of Child Studies, which I don't know what I'll do with or if I actually want to break my back to get, but since I've about the most indecisive person I know when it comes to my life and I'll likely not make a decision as to what I'm doing with my post-volleyball career anytime soon... I figure it's something. Whatcha gon' do. Great reasoning, I know.

Also related to life direction & time usage, I decided to make a new year's resolution for the first time ever this year. This is normally the part of the post where I have a passionate reason for not doing one before... but in this case, I guess it's just 'cause I was too lazy for the first 22 years of my life. Anyway, instead of only one grand 2009 resolution that I'd never remember, let alone fulfill, I decided I'd do 12. One per month. If I like it, I'll keep doin it... If not, it's out. It's all dramatic like that. Anyway these mini-resolutions aren't exciting enough to mention here but I'll indulge y'all on one example.

I unfortunately have a genetic weakness for chocolate (runs in the fam. It's my cross to bear...) and February is that time of the year where I realize I have 3 months til people I know will see me again and will be horrified by the way French cuisine has treated my bod. So I decided it was time to reign in the beast and give up my vice. (See what I mean about the resolutions not being exciting...) Unfortunately I shared this idea with The American back in January and a couple days later she decided she was gonna give up drinking for 4 months. I couldn't be shown up just like that, and so to make it fair and due to the challenge, my chocolate-less life has been extended to 2 months, starting yesterday. It sucks already. For example, in the 2 days since starting I've
had the following eaten in front of me - chocolate-filled crepes, a box of belgian chocolates, and homemade white chocolate mousse. I knew this endeavour would suck, but it's like people are inadvertently pullin' out all the stops for me to fail. Why do bad things have to happen to good people?! Why.

Cancel the Valentine's shipment

In other areas of life, things are little better. Kidding, life is good for the most part but we're going to Italy for a match soon and it's about to be rough. We made it to 1/4 finals of CEV cup and consequently we get to play Vini Monteschiavo Jesi, aka the 3rd ranked team in Italy's A1 Series. Italy is the best league in Europe and who knows if we would've even beaten the Ukrainian team we didn't have to play in the 1/8 finals... this might all sound pessimistic but for those in the know, it's more like reality. To break it down, think of it like we're a high school team playing the Bulls in their MJ heyday. I've had at least 5 different fans tell me we have absolutely no chance whatsoever... Oh the love. Those would be our "fans". So yeah, the people are behind us and should be fun. On the bright side, free trip to Italy?

Are you there God? Its me, Co.

I won't get into personal volleyball frustrations, but this is about the time of year where one feels the need to start a countdown to the end of the season... Which I'd be looking forward to if, for various reasons, I had any idea what or where I'm gonna be for the summer... And that about wraps up another round of super optimistic upate of the latest whatnot that's goin' down in my hood. Don't say I didn't warn.

Things I Learned Today

Rather than pretend my week/weekend was exciting and attempt to write something half-decent, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Yesterday, Desma, her boyfriend Benoît and his friend Benoît (I know. Either it's a popular name or French people just roll in twin-name crews) and I went to Toulouse to Ikea, volume 2.

It also kind of inadvertently turned out to be a makeshift International Day since we started out with a solid Canadian breakfast, followed by a Swedish lunch and an attempt at a Mexican dinner. The French chocolates didn't disappoint and did us right as well. The festivities ended with a bang thanks to our discovering an authentic Cuban straw hat at Benoît's straight off the streets of Havana.

Enjoy.

Breakfast of Champions



Nothing starts the day off right like a little taste of home...
O Canada.

To all the haters:
ya'll can see that I don't dance for a reason...I'm tall & gangly and it doesn't end well. To those who have been so unfortunate to have seen my mom cut a rug at any a wedding, you understand.

Today I learned that French people are very obedient:
Take a stack of pylons out of your trunk and throw down on a busy road... Cars will merge and voila - instant traffic jam.

Doing my best 4-year-old on Christmas imitation...

Unfortunately, children's furniture - while cute - is best left to the smaller folks out there.
(See mini Benoît on left)

Modern day Goldilocks?

After a nap, I recommend enjoying tea while sitting in chairs that bend your legs at sharper than a 90 degree angle. Curse my giganticness.

Between training, I'm considering moonlighting as a Swede.
Then again, maybe not if I ever make that face again...

I learned our club has sick scarves a la Euro soccer teams...
To all the Canadians - order yours today. Nothing protects against a brutal Canadian winter, or says warmth meets style quite like a polyester blend.

I learned this the hard way:
Though you think you might have found the equivalent of Cheddar, don't be deceived. It's not the same, nor will your taste buds be at the end.

Sadly, an attempt at Mexican food falls pitifully short when the "fajita mix" tastes disturbingly of cat food.
The look on my and Benoît's face are proof enough.

I also learned that French TV sucks sometimes.

French headgear on the other hand....

I'm more inclined to a Cuban piece myself.
Havana Noche? It's the title of the next Bond film I'm working on.