2:20pm
I just took the obligatory tourist CN tower photo from the corner of King and Spadina just in front of our hostel. The sky is perfectly blue with brilliant billowy clouds. Aaron suggested I take it thru the spiderweb of street car cables above the street. It'll be a nice photo.
We checked out at 11am, but we're still hanging around. Last nite Nicky said people stick around "for ages" after checking out. "Some people stay for days!" Deborah contributed.
Debbie is picking us up here at 6:30. Between now and then I'd like to go out on a new mission. Last nite Lance told me that they sell vegetarian hot dogs on the street here. I have always wanted to have the experience of buying a hot dog from a vendor on the street. But due to my lack of meat-eating, I've never been able to. I don't like hot dogs, I didn't even eat them before I was a vegetarian. I just want the experience. Like standing on the subway. I figure if I do these things once, I never have to do them again, but I'll still have something to tell if I ever decide to write thegreatamericannovel.
I think Aaron's mocking Martha Stewart on TV. Ben the English boy taught me the British way to say "mocking" but I can't remember what it is.
5:02pm
Mission accomplished. Aaron got a great pic of me posing with my veggie dog in front of a really nice lady's cart. It was the first one was came across on Queen Street and it had a sign that claimed it was "the cleanest cart in town!" We're getting all the classic tourist shots. We don't have one of Lake Ontario though. Shit.
We stopped in at the famed (well David made it sound famed) Steve's music where we browsed thru some guitars and I wished I could have a seafoamgreen coloured electric someday. As we were leaving the store, Aaron walked past someone on the stairs that caught his eye. I only briefly glimpsed him so I can't really confirm it (all I saw was a lot of really black hair), but Aaron is convinced it was the drummer from Rage Against The Machine, one of this musical heros. This just might sound more believable if I tell you that Rage is actually in TO for a concert tonite. So there ya go, a little brush with fame. Aaron's all cute and starstruck.
I'm sitting in the bar listening to INXS and watching Aaron play pool with a cute skinny boy named Ian from Wales. It's funny to listen to people introduce themselves here. Last nite we had Ian from Wales, Emma from Glasgow, Scotland (originally), Nicky, Zoe, Lance, and Deborah from various parts of Australia, Tom and Malichy from London, England and Adam from Canada (I assume). A group of supercool people from all parts of the world somehow converging at Global Village Backpackers at this specific point in time.
Aaron has switched pool partners now and the new boy is telling a story about his grama the shuffleboard hustler. Aaron's capacity for human interaction continues to astound me. I don't think he ever gets sick of people.
I tried to search Queen Street for something groovy to bring back for Maggie Ann and Matthew, but the handmade cosmetics store was much too fragrant for me to think and I couldn't find any cool comic book stores. And really, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I could think/find one. I mean, cosmetics and comic books?! I'm way out of my league with both of them. I guess my siblings will just have to be happy with the return of their oldest sister.
I really can't wait to check my email. I could've done it at the public internet access terminals ($1/10min) they have here, but I like getting home from some place and having lots of mail waiting for me. I hope Robert's managed to get himself fully back online. I miss him.
All these Australian people that I've been hanging out with are making the idea of Robert a lot more tangible. I haven't talked about him much with them. I don't know why. I have mentioned my Australia trip to most of them. I told Lance and Ben about Robert. They both told me to be wary of internet boys. I thanked them for their concern.
I'm glad I made this trip. Even besides all the good reasons I've written in his book, it's also been good practice for next year. As I was planning for Australia, it never really occurred to me that it would've been my first flight, my first significantly distant trip from home, *and* all by myself. I'm glad Aaron was here for the firsts. And as long as Robert doesn't pull any of his extremely mean scaringSarahattheairport tricks, I should be just fine on that trip. I couldn't do it the way most of the hostel guests are though. I wouldn't go if I didn't have Robert and his family to stay with. It feels safer. Although some people, like Lance and Ben, may beg to differ.
I've still never heard an Australian accent as sexy as Robert's.
6:00pm
Malichy takes short, precise steps.
8:35pm
We're waiting in the airport now. Debbie dropped us off and Aaron took a picture of her and I. She keeps saying that she wishes she could do more for us, I don't think she realizes how VERY much she's already done.
I should probably be paying more attention to this whole boarding the plane thing, I'm leaving it up to Aaron. I think I could do it on my own though. It's just a matter of asking the right people the right questions and being in the proper place at the proper time.
I bought some orange juice and drank it too quickly. I'm craving oj lately. I think I'm dehydrated.
I got a present for Maggie in the airport's "Great Canadian News" store. I thought it'd be perfect (an issue of GQ with Matt Damon on the cover), but minutes later I found out that mom just bought the very same issue for her this afternoon. Shit. Oh well, now she'll have two.
I couldn't find anything for Meeky and I feel real bad about it. But I wouldn't have even gotten Maggie something if it hadn't been so perfect.
I used the remaining 9 minutes on my phone card to call home and talk to Amy about nothing really in particular. We kept starting stories and then saying "...but I'll tell you about that later when we have time." I can't wait to tell her about the Jono experience and to hear about Bowman coffeehouse.
I'm not going to get any sleep tonite it seems. We don't get into Stoon til midnite and the girls are apparently going to wait up for me and expect stories. (Amy doesn't really have to be in her first two classes tomorrow.) I have a radio interview/performance with Aaron and HOJA at 9am and I think I have to work two jobs after that. But who needs sleep!
I miss my girls. I'm gonna have to do a lot of phoning and emailing when I'm in Australia. For the sake of my sanity. As exciting and consuming as Robert is/will be, I still need a good regular fix of my girls.
10:00pm Saskatoon Time
We've just finished our meal and we're watching an Australian feature.
I really don't know what's up with all the Australian influence I've been getting lately. It makes me crave Robert.
I wonder if "no worries" is as prevalent a phrase where Robert is as the hostel Aussies and this movie would have me believe.
Wow, the turbulence isn't even slightly disturbing me. It's just making it a little more difficult to write.
Well, the Matt Damon GQ wasn't a total unnecessary purchase. It's keeping me amused and I've learned some very valuable techniques to do with the male g-spot.
The captain just asked us to return to our seats and fasten our belts as we make our way thru this "jiggly air" (what a nice way to say turbulence).
Does it rain warm in Australia? Could you stand in it for hours?
"For some bloody reason I drank 6 cups of tea. I mean, I hate the stuff, but she just kept bringing it..." -Paperback Hero
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