Get Out of Thy Funk

I woke up in a blue funk again. It’s been lingering for a while now so I decided to do something about it today. I live in a vibrant neighbourhood full of energy, why not take advantage of it? I packed up my book and my umbrella, and set off to Bridgehead coffee house for my daily coffee. It felt good to sip, read, and people watch. I took in all the sights, smells and sounds my senses would allow. Sometimes this has an exhilarating and dizzying effect on me. This time it felt warm and comfortable, still good, but in a more soothing kind of way.

I sat there and read about the Founding of Narnia, in C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew. Reading about the creation of a brand new world seemed timely and fitting. I leave you with a passage that struck me:

“Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.”

Awake. Get out of thy funk.

Sunday Morning Annoyances

I miss my former home this morning. I miss the convenience of putting in a load of laundry anytime I want, flopping on my couch and simply moseying downstairs to tend to it when I feel like it. I miss the convenience of having my own driveway. I don’t want to have to monitor the weather to see if I can park my car on the street tonight, or if I need to find another place for it until the city’s winter weather parking ban is lifted. Don’t get me wrong, amidst these annoyances there are things for which I am grateful: I have free laundry facilities in my building with a specific time slot assigned to me for their use; I have an open invitation from my sister and brother-in-law to park my car at their place when there’s a city parking ban, and it really isn’t that far to get to.

I’m still annoyed.

Luckily, I’m not allowing these annoyances to usurp my morning. I write while sipping my beloved Sunday morning coffee, listening to classical music on CBC Radio Two. What more could I ask for? I guess my own driveway and laundry facilities.

Just Keep Skating ...

I write this with rosy I-just-came-back-in-from-the-cold cheeks. I just came back from my first skate on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal in quite a few years. I have the luxury of having the World’s Largest Skating Rink at my doorstep. Not only had it been a while since I’d strapped on the skates, it was my first ever solo skate. It felt a little weird being out there on my own. Usually I have someone to lean on if I’m wobbly on my blades. This time, I had to do it on my own or rely on the kindness of strangers to help me out should I fall. Not a bad practice for life really.

It took me a few minutes to feel confident enough to get going, but once I did it felt freeing. I broke into a somewhat smooth rhythm. At my first wobble, I started chanting à la Dory from Finding Nemo: “Just keep skating … just keep skating … just keep skating,” I chanted for an hour, until I took off my skates. Not a shabby way to get a workout. Maybe I'll try it again sometime.

Friendly Beer Drinkers

I went to the local Beer Store the other day for the first time after having lived in Ontario for nearly 12 years. When I told the guy behind the cash, he earnestly stuck out his hand and congratulated me. Another man in the store, older, wearing small wire-rimmed glasses and Sherlock Holmes attire piped up: “I say we should have a libation in honour of this young lady’s first time in a Beer Store!” I didn’t realize beer drinkers could be so friendly. I think I’ll crack open a libation to celebrate.

Introducing ...

Hi.

I’ve joined the masses and started a blog. My intent is to document my experience as a first-time urbanite, but I suspect other things might creep in. There will likely be many firsts for me to share this year.

I’ll fill you in on how I got to be an urbanite a little later. Bottom line is: this is my first time living in a truly urban environment, smack dab in the middle of downtown. When given the opportunity a few months ago, I decided to take the plunge and start my own Urban Living Experiment and see where it leads me. I plan to document my findings here, and see where that leads me.

Enjoy.