Entry the First

Before I start rambling:

Greetings and salutations to the family! Alas that I couldn't make it to the summer gathering today... I hope you guys will be able to figure everything out without me. Distressing concept, I know, but don't worry. Maybe I'll look for a nice postcard or something.

Perhaps I shall start from the beginning... It is widely recognised as one of the best places to start by the well-rested and insomniacs alike.

Here I am in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. There are almost no bugs. (gasp)

For those unaware, I'm here for the Vineyard '06 conference thingie, which technically hasn't started yet even though I've been here since last evening.

I wonder if I'll get enough time to change this cookie cutter blog template to how I want it.

Here's what I wrote down near the end of me travels yesterday:

No hotspots here. Oh, well. No surprise there. It's currently 2:24 ET and I'm sitting here in Halifax's VIA Rail station, which doubles as the bus depot. Maybe I'll post this up on the blog later.

My brain is doing surprisingly well, considering I got all of two and a half hours of sleep this last night. Still wiiiiiiiide awake! Bet that isn't going to last through tomorrow. Heh heh heh. Good thing I'll have time for a nap (and/or time to wander).

The flights went well... Air Canada was nicer overall than I previously remembered, but the last time I flew with them was... um... well, I was little. I wonder if the change over the years has had anything to do with the constant looming threat that is WestJet. I'd like to think so, because the thought is amusing. As it turned out, I rode the exact same plane from Toronto to Halifax as the one that took me from Winnipeg to Toronto. The CN Tower looks fascinating yet puny from the air, contrasting to when one's up inside it. There was some pretty good scenery as far as clouds went, too. I got a window seat both times (w00t) as per my request, I do believe. I think I might have caught as much as the first half of V For Vendetta between Toronto and Halifax. I found it to be rather fascinating... I think I'll have to watch the rest sometime.

The Toronto airport, while not seeming quite as large as the one in Minneapolis, is nevertheless big.

The Halifax airport is not.

The ground looked more reddish than I'm used to from the air, which wasn't a huge surprise. It was evident on the gravel roads that we flew over, as well as some of the paved areas, and I saw it all over the airport's tarmac and the sidewalks in Halifax. From what I saw of the brief cruise through the city on the way to this station, it has a distinctly European feel to it (no surprise there, either). I loved it... it's got charm. Charm is the right word. The houses all look different from what I'm used to seeing in Winnipeg, as well. It's all Maritimey. Is that a word? No? Well, it is now. Bwaaa.

So since I can't really see any power outlets around here to hook up my adapter to, I guess I'll cut it off here for now. To be continued, rather.

There you have it. I did end up finding an outlet a short time later anyways, and watched a little bit of The Pink Panther, which I had brought along with me just in case I needed to burn time. In the above case, I had four and a half hours to burn. It was luvverly. No, I'm serious. I like hanging around with nothing in particular to do. Maybe it's just me...

Anyways, I've secured a few pictures so far... not too many, but you'll have to be happy with what you get for now. I went to the Trinity United Church this morning at eleven (which is on my to-take-a-picture-of list, among other items of interest), and thus my point & click session outside was interrupted rather early, though I did get a bit of wandering in anyhow. Here's a stream of what I got thus far.

I was in the cemetary just before I went off to church, and found this sign out at the front. I just forgot to take a shot of the metalwork on top... alas. Anyway, the text here serves as a mini history lesson of the area, as well.



Hey, there's someone else who just sat down in here. Looks like she's got a Mac of her own. A 12" PowerBook, I'd guess... See? I fit in here already.

Oh, right. Where I am right now... um... Biscuit something. Oh, yes. The Biscuit Eater. They have an amusing sign out front that I'll have to take a shot of on the way out. Cozy in here... they've got some used books, too. I'll have to be careful, or I'll run out of packing space on the way home. (shifty eyes) I'm rambling. Despite my relatively decent sleep last night (all considered), my brains still feel rather fried. I probably won't be writing with any higher level of sanity while I'm here, though, because I just like this place way too much.

Oh, yeah, and I tried getting a video clip down, but I think YouTube had an issue with the file, because it delayed the audio by a handful of seconds so it's all messed up and confusing. I'll take a few clips later sans narration, p'raps.

And now there's someone who's playing a didgeridoo... or making a brave attempt, at any rate... I could sit here for ages and just watch the activity. But sooner or later I shall have to get up and go get registered for the Vineyard event stuff. I wonder if Pastor Doft & Co. are heading out from Halifax yet...

More later. Ta!