colder now

i started writing this last night, and after one paragraph began falling asleep so i scribbled some reminders and passed out. i was under a giant, fluffy duvet in a house that already feels like home.

---tuesday:

we packed until the very last moment. it was stressful.

---yesterday:

pg's mom drove us to the airport. check-in was a nightmare (the new girl really took too long for each pre-checked-in passenger) but security was a breeze. we weren't tired enough to sleep but too tired to actually do something aside from waiting.

that last sentiment covers most of the day, really. and every now and again i remembered that it was international talk-like-a-pirate day.

we had a few hours in amsterdam, so we took a train to the city centre, got lost, got found, and walked around for a bit. we waited for fifteen minutes for a coffee shop to open because i'd been told that one of the guys who works there is my doppelganger; i caught of glimpse of him just as i stepped in - he was just going upstairs not to be seen again - and i *think* i recognized myself. the music was awesome but the place was super-dodgy, so we swiftly reversed ourselves and found another place to relax with some drinks before heading back to the airport. the weather didn't really justify our umbrella (it rained on us for all of five minutes), it was chilly but not really cold.

amsterdam is very cool. surprisingly laid back - it felt like practically nothing opens until noon.

we flew a long flight back through time back to the hour that we took off (more or less), a flight of dehydration, crappy toilets and freaky you-can't-crap-here policy enforcement when the aisles were blocked and i was desperate. thanks, klm. at least we had enough leg room, even if we had to pay an extra $100 for it :S

the only movie i had energy for was pirates! band of misfits; it was okay, but not great. it really was a cutesy kiddie's film :(

i'm not sure what caused it, but i suspect my indulgence in the ice cream they handed out was a factor: i left the plane with the most horrendous belly-ache, and i suffered for hours after.

customs was smooth, even though we'd marked ourselves as having something to declare (chocolate gifts and nut snacks), and my aunt picked us up and drove us home. there's an indefinable quality to the air in this place that immediately reminded me of how much i love it - montreal, it's great to be back!

we dropped our gear and had drinks, and then more drinks, then dinner. the gifts we brought with were greatly appreciated, and the evening ended with a hot shower and a unhealthily comfortable bed.

we slept the night away in deepest oblivion.

---today:

we have nothing to fear from jetlag, because we usually sleep so late that this morning we woke up at normal-people hours. we had bagels for breakfast, and then walked all the way to downtown. the walk felt much longer there than back. we stopped for second breakfast at a little arab-run coffee shop with no wireless, then came back to meet up with my aunt and hit the mall.

it's been sunny all day, but rather nippy. we like it.

my iphone's network locked, and apparently in order to unlock it i'd need to perform a factory reset. i've backed up my iphone, but only to my home pc and i now have to learn about backing up and restoring with a linux box... if i can't get that right tonight, then i'll just use my cousin's old phone and be without internets in my pocket.

which will be awkward.

we did some serious supermarket shopping, and since i've been back i've done a little consulting, chatted with my mum and learned a little about skyrim. things're all very cool. now it's definitely dinner time.