Review of 2022

 

2022 started off low-key, but quickly escalated into quite an eventful year.

A lot of reading, writing, and ranting to start, then things turned into a bit of a whirlwind, at least compared to the past two years.

Mid-Winter, I threw caution to the wind and booked a Bucket List trip to Drumheller, Alberta for early in the Summer. 

The week of my birthday the end of May was the year's first big event, and that seemed to kick off the comparative craziness. Ottawa Ribfest, a couple appointments, and a trip back into the office to renew a badge and clear out my desk came in rapid succession. 

Early in June, I was informed that PSPC would not be renewing my contract. It was a shock, but understandable, and LiveWorkPlay quickly had an offer for a two-year Administrative Assistant contract with the Northern Canadian Economic Development Agency, which I happily accepted.

A lull in activity came right in time for my trip out West. One of the worst flights I've ever been on preceded one of the best vacations I've ever been on!

Western-ish stuff, prairie dogs, and dinosaurs everywhere!

Once home, I was avoiding the Summer heat and preparing for the upcoming new job. Para Transpo and home care were set back up and I was psychologically preparing myself to be back in public for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Work with CanNor started in August.  Para Transpo worked well, I was decently busy, working with some nice people, and it was great being downtown again. Unfortunately, after two-and-a-half years of being okay, I finally got COVID in September and spent the majority of the month getting over it.

The rest of the year was fairly packed and productive. The weather, thankfully, was nice enough to allow me to get out lots. More work, with some new, interesting tasks, and a return to Syracuse, New York for a family Thanksgiving barbecue lunch.

Christmas was pretty great, too.

A couple things tentatively planned for 2023, but I'll save those for another post.

Cheers and have a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

 

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Cheers!

Christmas Tradition

 

*Christmas writing prompt*

All the way back during Christmas of 1988, my parents started to make a video tape for me. 

Along with a children's craft show, a holiday-themed episode of a soap opera my Mom (and I, later on) used to watch, and many vintage commercials, my parents recorded Mickey's Christmas Carol, ALF's Christmas Special, and several regular episodes of ALF (was/is/always will be my all-time favourite TV show!)

Nearly every Christmas for the last thirty-four years, I've taken a day to dust off our VCR, slide in the VHS, curl up with a hot chocolate (and cookies if they've been made yet), and relive part of my childhood. And also have a bit of a good cry...

I'm officially on break, so I'm planning on doing this some time tomorrow, shortly after baking a batch of my Nanny Perkins' ginger snaps.

Cheers!

Feeling Unusually Festive

 

Normally around this time of year, especially after the massive amount of snow we've had recently, I'd be complaining about wanting to escape to somewhere warm and Southern.

But this year, I'm feeling unusually pumped for Christmas. Shopping's finished and gifts have begun to get wrapped, work vacation was officially approved this morning, and I've got a Christmas lunch to attend Wednesday afternoon. 

Strangely exciting.

Cheers!

I May Write a Book

 

Several years ago, during the Joubert syndrome conference in Chicago, a couple people said I should write a book. 

Being the literal person I can occasionally be, I took them at their word and thought I could do it. I posted about it in this then-fledgling blog, came up with some rough ideas based around some Transitioning to Adulthood things I'd done, and even ran it by a couple fellow adults with JS.

It was a bold idea, but I seriously had no idea what I was doing, and moved on by the end of that summer.

Since then, I've read books written by a friend of mine about his life as a person who stutters and his experiences becoming a sportswriter, as well as a man with Joubert syndrome who writes about using assistive communication.

Having read these, I notice my problem. Both those books are about the author's personal experiences, nothing more. I came off way too clinical with the Transitioning to Adulthood angle, and it sounded weird re-reading my ideas.

Just for kicks, I wrote a "Before I'm Forty" list a year or two ago, and added a bullet about writing a book based on my own life and journey. So, I might just try and do it this time, for real. Fingers are being crossed!

Cheers

Something for the Playlist

 

Between a cold most of last week, recovering from a dental extraction since Friday, and an unusually crazy past two days of work, it's been something else the last little while.

I've been turning to YouTube and music to keep me in decent spirits or help me unwind, and I've made a pretty impressive find: Celtic Metal. Traditional bagpipes, fiddles, flutes, etc, even some tribal-sounding stuff, mixed with loud, hard rock.

I saw a video a few years ago of three women doing bagpipe covers of Shipping Up To Boston by Dropkick Murphys and Enter Sandman by Metallica. Really good. I watched it again recently, and browsed through the related videos. Lots of good stuff, including the channels of two of the three performers. 

One specific channel I found, and I've been a little hooked on ever since, is for a group called Celtica. Their music is really good. Harder stuff, but they have some softer tracks as well, like a phenomenal version of Amazing Grace. Kind of nerdy too, which was an added bonus. Lots of steampunk, medieval aesthetic at times, and a bit of cosplaying. Highly recommended!

Cheers 

 

Winter Is Coming

 

I'll probably be complaining about this in another month or two, so a positive post now seems like good karma.

I got a glimpse of the weather report this morning and after what's been an amazingly long, warm Fall, it looks like Winter is finally coming to Ottawa this week, with a prediction of flurries by tomorrow night and outright snow on Wednesday.

Snow tires are on our car, Summer clothes are finally (and sadly) being put away for another year, and for the first time in almost three whole years, I'm psyching myself up early for the eventual moment I'll have to go into work in the white stuff. Thankfully, I'm only in the office once a week! 

Cheers

Needles and Netflix

 

A very poke-y few days, this weekend.

Not since pre-pandemic times has my right arm encountered so many needles in such a short amount of time.

It all started early Friday morning with some bloodwork I'd been meaning to get around to. Things were going smoothly until my veins decided to play hide and seek. It took several minutes, two technicians, and two needles in two different parts of my arm to get the desired results. All the while, I'm in a chair, arms flexed and adrenaline pumping, freaking out over everything from poor circulation, to cold hands, to the drop of blood poking out of the first entry site. Too early in the morning, maybe? Everything ended up fine though, and I swung by McDonald's for some breakfast too.

The next morning was flu shots scheduled for my Dad and I. The practice our family doctor works out of holds an excellent clinic (very strange thing to say...) and adapted it well for the pandemic. Anticipating icky feelings over the weekend, I cued up a couple new releases on Netflix to watch while I convalesced. 

Fortunately, I had no ill side affects, but chose to have a lazy weekend at home anyway. Three days, one bag of Doritos, eight episodes of season one of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, nine of  season four of The Dragon Prince (both recommended), and a blast of nice, warm, Summery weather too!

Cheers

Gettin' Out: Fall 2022 Edition

 

Gremlins be gone!

After what seemed like a really screwy kind of week, I decided to book a trip yesterday and get out this afternoon.

Since the address was already plugged into my Para Transpo account (another thing I like about their new online system), I chose to get dropped off outside of where I work. I've only ever been to a couple neighbouring coffee shops or delis, so I thought this would be a nice opportunity to explore the area.

Unfortunately, I came to find out that the surrounding area, the Sparks Street Mall, is virtually dead on weekends. However, the weather was great and it was a short stroll to a slightly livelier part of downtown Ottawa, where I stopped for lunch at a not-too-busy Irish pub. Excellent chicken tenders and Caesar salad!

Afterwards, I made my way back to where I'd gotten dropped off and stopped in at a French bistro I'd seen, but never had the time to try out. Meals themselves were a tad pricey, but their drinks and baked goods were delicious and inexpensive. So, I bought a turnover and an iced coffee, picked a table by the window for some people-watching, and got out a book I was finishing as well as a notebook. 

Very relaxing and I think I may have a new favourite writing spot!

Cheers

  

I Think a Gremlin Got Me

 

I haven't really been feeling Blogtober, or writing period, all that much this month, despite lots of excitement just weeks ago. 

Oh well, must be gremlins or something. Hopefully whatever it is fades soon and I can manage at least one more post before Halloween.

Cheers!

What Was I Thinking?? - Public Relations

 

*Turning to a prompt about looking back on something you're not fond of for this post.*

I've written a lot about most of my college experiences. Taking General Arts & Sciences fresh out of high school, or Scriptwriting several years later. What I've never written about was my attempt at Public Relations in the time between. Probably because PR wasn't my finest moment.

General Arts and Sciences was a great program, but not job material. Learning about Public Relations during a Careers class and being interested in possible public speaking connections, I applied to Algonquin College's PR program and got accepted for September of 2005.

The program started well-enough. Nice teachers, friendly classmates, work seemed okay, and opportunities to get out and socialize around the city. However, things started to get tougher. My first semester went decently, but the second proved more challenging. My grades started to slip and, rather than getting the help I needed, I tried to do too much on my own and started to flounder. 

Socially, people were friendly enough but, looking back, I tried WAY too hard to fit in. Went to a bar one weekend with some classmates and it's still one of the most ridiculously bad experiences I've ever had! 

This coupled with my grades should've been my cue to get out of there but again, I was stubborn. My first year ended with a failed class that I tried to hide and retake the following year. This went on to cause an endless amount of pain, hurt, and guilt on my part. And, for the record, my family knows all about this, it's just that I've never written about it before.

Public Relations: Year Two was fairly similar to Year One. Nice people, decent grades in several classes, but the exact same class continued to get the better of me. A third time wasn't the charm, and I cut my losses and dropped out part way through the course.

What followed was about a year and a half of penance, living out in the middle of the country (often on my own as my parents were working and sister was in college in the city), relying exclusively on my parents for almost everything, and desperately searching for something to do. This went on until I finally applied to Scriptwriting.

It was an awful experience, one I still regret and feel shame for, but if it did one thing, screwing up in Public Relations finally taught me the importance of seeking help and not trying to be so independent, which I applied to Scriptwriting later, taking a reduced course load to make things a little easier on myself.

And despite the many bad bits, and because this post reads as highly depressing, there were at least a few good things about PR:

• Early into the program, I participated in a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire viewing party, which was advertised via a fun press release. 
• Despite a strike in the Winter, the class was able to pull off the programs' annual Spring fundraiser. I was on the Communications committee and got t-shirts made for everyone.

• I got Para Transpo for the very first time.
• I also took a city bus on my own for the first time. The mother flipped, but in a good way.

Cheers

Thankful for American Food

 

This weekend was Thanksgiving, and the family took advantage of the holiday and easement of some travel restrictions to cross into the States and spend a couple days in Syracuse, first trip back in three years!

A return to Syracuse meant a return to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que for a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal (that still managed to cover all the basic Thanksgiving food groups).

Collard greens just out of frame

 Later that evening, we went shopping at Destiny USA, where I thankfully remembered to make a post-pandemic return to Gertrude Hawkes for a load of delicious chocolate-covered goodies. 

Stop for snacks on the way home, then pig-out, lounging, and TV at the hotel.

The next morning, we went to Cracker Barrel for a great brunch of American must-haves like sweet tea, biscuits and gravy, and grits. Found a cheap copy of George RR Martin's Fire and Blood at Walmart later in the day, and bought several of my favourite American junk food items before coming home.

So, this year I'm thankful to have lots more things to be thankful for.

Cheers! 

The Simple Pleasure of a Simple Sandwich

 

Yesterday was my first day back in the office in nearly a month.

I was up early (really, really not fun), face mask, sunglasses, and mini gloves for Para Transpo so I looked equal parts protected, ridiculous, and suspicious. 

Like this, but more business semi-casual

I had a light lunch/snack with me, but just before noon I thought about my day and how incredibly routine it was/was going to be, with Para Transpo, work, more Para Transpo, home care, dinner, etc., and something started gnawing at my brain and I began to get twitchy. With nothing going on at that moment, I took my quick break and ran across the street to a little hole-in-wall deli for a little second lunch. 

Nothing fancy, just an inexpensive chicken sandwich and a can of Pepsi. Quick process and another quick trip back to my office for a working lunch.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm eternally grateful for every bit of help and assistance, as well as every opportunity I have, but sometimes the shear endlessness of all the extra stuff can drive me crazy!

I'm only working in the office one day a week for the foreseeable future, so I think that while the weather's still decent (which won't be for much longer), a super-quick Tuesday lunch run sounds like a nice, simple way to get up and out, and keep the monotony at bay.

Cheers! 

How I Spent My Summer

 

Yo!

Fall is here, which means inclement weather, some upcoming appointments, and incoming flu season are just around the corner.

But before I have to think about that, I want to reflect on what was a pretty great summer (minus most of my COVID-y September, of course).

My Summer started a little early, about the end of May, which, given the scorching heat and work-related experiences of July and August, was a good idea.

This year, I can actually say I went and did stuff! Starting with dinner at Bite Burger and a movie night during the days surrounding my 37th birthday.

The following week, Ribfest returned to Ottawa for the first time since 2019. It was kind of crazy, but always worth the walk downtown, pulled-pork sandwich, cornbread, and iced coffee. 

Another two weeks, and I was boarding a plane for a Bucket List trip to Drumheller, Alberta. An absolutely terrible flight was followed up by one of my all-time favourite vacations (bumping out Cuba for a Top Five position!) Dinosaurs everywhere, prairie dogs, too! And mind-melting scenery.

What followed was a month-and-a-half of avoiding the heat, transitioning between two jobs, and getting things back in order to go back out into the "real world", with a cabin weekend and a couple movies squeezed in there somewhere. 

Home care and Para Transpo were both reactivated, the latter of which I was able to use a couple times for writing and some socializing before using it to go back to work in August.

A fun few months, but if COVID taught me one thing, it's that now is probably a good time to start dialing things down a bit.

Cheers!

Blogtober 2022

 

It's that time of the year again. The best time!

Weather's cool enough to not fry, yet still warm enough for sandals. Nice long Thanksgiving weekend (with an actual trip planned, too!). Blogtober, with some posts prepped in advance. Joubert syndrome Awareness Month. And plenty of awesome, spooky stuff to watch from AMC Fear Fest.

Cheers!

That Time I Got COVID

 

Two-and-a-half years in, and the virus finally gets me. Symptom-wise, I had chronic fatigue and a horrible head-cold at the worst, then just felt kind of blah. Not good, but could've been much worse from what I've heard!

Earlier this month I was feeling like crap. I took a COVID test and it immediately came up positive. My sister, drawing on two years of experience teaching in the pandemic, was quick to help and tell me what to do. I was also lucky enough to quickly get a hold of my family doctor, who went above and beyond to reach out and consult with my Respiratory specialist in order to get me a specific medication. Work was notified (thankfully I had my laptop) and home care postponed.

With that accomplished, the isolation had begun!

I got my own bathroom for the duration, and my sister was great at setting up part of our kitchen and basement exclusively for me. I had what amounted to my own mini-bar of water, snacks, and ginger ale. Meals were quickly and safely delivered or, when it was fast food, basically thrown to me in the bag.

When I wasn't sleeping, I was watching A LOT of television. So, so thankful for streaming services! In about three weeks, I've made it through:

• The entire fourth season of Stranger Things. Done on evening/night two of isolation with Wendy's takeout (the first time since testing positive that I was able to relax!)
• The whole first season of something called The Imperfects
• Two seasons of Samurai Rabbit
• A marathon of pro-wrestling documentaries
• Two or three Disney movies
• Every episode, so far, of House of the Dragon
• 1.5 seasons of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
• Countless amounts of cooking shows, history documentaries, PVR'd stuff, and reruns of Friends and The Big Bang Theory

After a week, I was still unwell, but was beginning to feel a little more like myself; well enough to do a little work from home (coworkers were all very understanding). Week Two, the mini-gloves I'd been wearing for extra protection came off and I was able to go outside for brief walks.

Week Three, I was still faintly congested, but able to move out of the basement and be around family. This past weekend, some time at our cabin provided me with fresh air, good sleeps, and a change of scenery. 

I finally, and thankfully, tested negative last night, and treated myself to a much-needed stack of comics!

It's been a heck of a month, and I'll be glad to, very cautiously, get back to a sense of normalcy. 

Again, thanks to my doctors, folks I work with, parents, et al for helping me. And another massive thanks to my sister for helping, getting things for me, putting up with me, and banishing me to our basement!

Cheers

CanNor - Week One

Work

My first week of work at CanNor, the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, is done. I have to say, it went pretty well!

I began my newest venture by seeing 6 am for the first time since March of 2020. I was very early Monday morning, but that gave me an opportunity to cross the street to a Bridgehead coffee shop and take a moment to relax.

After getting a temporary badge and meeting my supervisor, as well as other coworkers, Day One was mostly setting things up. I'm in a decently sized workspace, with two computer monitors, a desk space behind where I sit, and my own cabinet, complete with a locker.

Over the next three days I learnt more about what they would like me to do. A lot of email monitoring and administrative work, but also some opportunities for writing and maybe even some disability advocacy too. 

Throughout the week, I experimented with different pick-up times and locations. Being downtown is great, and Para Transpo was pretty good, but the building is in an odd spot. One whole street is reserved solely for pedestrians and certain sections are closed off (thanks for that, Freedom Convoy...), so I can only imagine how chaotic things will get as more people start going back to work and the cold weather sets in. Thankfully, there's another entrance to the building with more spaces to park, a ramp, and it looks like it could be easier for a driver to help me if I need it.

Thursday I got my official "Welcome" from the department, learned some Inuktitut (a language spoken by some of Canada's Northern Indigenous residents), and completed my first real task. My supervisor had expressed curiosity about Joubert syndrome, so we chatted about that for a while. 

I made good use of a shorter day by pushing back Para Transpo and going out to enjoy the beautiful Summer weather. I explored the surrounding area, part of which was being used as a filming location for a Hallmark movie.

I saw Santa!

I made it to a nearby deli and grabbed some lunch. The whole afternoon was an experience I haven't had in almost three years and I was so happy I could've cried!

 Starting to alternate between working from home and in the office next week, which should be interesting.

It looks like it will be a busy two years, and I can easily see a few major challenges already, but I'm looking forward to it.

Cheers!

Old Job/New Job

 

Thursday was my last day of work for the job I've held for the past four years, my first real employment, ever! 

It was an oddly emotional, and yet dull day. I had started off-boarding last week, and spent most of this past week cleaning up my computer, then received a nice thank-you email from the department head and some of my coworkers Thursday. I bid my team members farewell, handed off my laptop and what little else I had, work property-wise, to my manager, who luckily lived a short distance away, and I was finished by that evening.

When I was told almost two months ago that my contract would not be renewed, I was pretty nervous. I had remembered all those years ago now, looking for work and relying solely on my parents and ODSP (not that I'm not grateful for either of those!), and slowly all those awful feelings started to creep back.

But, I immediately got in touch with my job coach at LiveWorkPlay, and within a couple weeks he had a job offer for me. It was a two-year contract for an Administrative Assistant position, except this was for more hours, which was something I wanted, and a smaller government department, which meant a wider variety of duties. Shortly after reading over the description, I jumped at the opportunity.

After an interview, rescheduled and modified because Murphy's Law happened and it fell on the day of a nation-wide internet outage, many emails and a nice face-to-face MS Teams meeting with a couple soon-to-be-supervisors, I had the job!

I start this Monday, roughly the same hours as the previous job, only one extra day per week. For the first little while, they want me in the office while I get set up and used to things. On one hand, this means having to deal with Para Transpo, adjust to a new routine, and minor COVID stuff. On the other, it means I get to be back in downtown Ottawa again after two-and-a-half years!!! Silver linings, folks!

Very daunting stuff, but excited for a new adventure.

Cheers!

My Life as Fantasy

 

Disclaimer: This is strictly a nerdy little creative writing project, and will in no way become something bigger. Also, I may use terms like cripple, so apologies in advance to those who may be offended.

Real life has been getting pretty, well, real lately so I've needed a creative interlude. I took another Dungeons and Dragons "personality test" a while ago and again, came up with a Neutral Good Human Wizard/Monk. However this test listed some other classes I'd fit in: Bard, Paladin, and Warlock. 

Reading about these classes, I started to get an idea of how well some parts of my life could be twisted to fit this fantasy stuff. So, my next step was challenging myself to write about my life as if it were a Dungeons and Dragons-style fantasy. The Tale of Scomac Andrellan turned out pretty well!

Basically, I just took as many details and life events as possible and made them seem old-timey or medieval. Some things were easier than others:

Terms like disabled/disability became crippled, sickly, ills, ailment, and so on.

Cell therapy became alchemical knowledge and potions, provided by a far-off man of medicine.

Instead of Taekwondo, I attended a monastic academy.

Instead of using a computer to type, I learned a system of magical writing, where I could put quill to page with no physical exertion.

Easter Seals became a guild called the Seal of Eastar and Camp Merrywood became The Merry Wood.  Also, Eastar allows Scomac to become a bard (speaker) and swear his first oath (Leaders of Tomorrow). Sounds really corny, but it translated really well!

Translating Joubert syndrome to a fantasy world was surprisingly tough. Everything I thought of at first sounded really cheesy or a little offensive, and I didn't want either. Finally, I wrote genetics/genetic testing as a form of magic called internal divination, using spells etc. to diagnose things in people. 

Joubert the syndrome became Joubare the race. Joubares are a very rare type of human, and outwardly present as having a variety of common ills and afflictions. However, very few members of this race are exactly alike, with each Joubare possessing traits unique to the specific individual. 

Wanting to do something creative and fun with Joubert syndrome as fantasy, I turned common issues with communication into an aptitude for magic, using the magic writing/computing from before, and expanding it to include people who can speak psychically (in place of speech devices, I figured), and others who craft words and phrases through complex hand gestures typical of some spell-craft (sign language).

These people had their own society, and Scomac Andrellan was asked to speak at one, telling tales of his life experiences. Eventually he'd start encouraging young Joubares to start sharing their stories and would be asked to sit on the society's council until a great plague spreads through the world.

I ended my tale with Scomac writing a book, something I may do myself someday soon.

Fun times!

Cheers

Back on the Bus

 

March 15, 2020 to July 19, 2022. 

That's how long my Para Transpo account has sat idle. 

Thanks to some recent new opportunities, which I don't want to jinx, so will write about later, it became necessary to reactivate my Para account again. I did it a few days ago, booking a quick trip yesterday, and getting a van/cab this afternoon for a latte and reading at a nearby café, something I haven't been able to do in almost three whole years, and sorely missed! 

Every step of the way was simple, quick, and hassle-free, with Para Transpo having a new online portal for booking. Way more user-friendly than two years ago, and allows for a lot more options like including a phone number (I would assume/hope for delayed pickups) and a way to book multiple trips at once. 

It's a very strange sensation, being out in the world and quasi-independent again, and something I'm going to have to get re-used to. 

Cheers!

Drumheller 2022 part 3 - Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Badlands

 

The next day, following the Royal Tyrrell Museum, my Dad and I had planned to take a drive out and explore Dinosaur Provincial Park. After drive-thru McDonalds and getting turned around by our car's GPS, we set off.

To and from the park was lots more flat farmland, but the sunny weather made it much more enjoyable.

Throughout the trip, we were on the lookout for different kinds of wildlife. Beef cattle, magpies, and prairie dogs (which will be discussed later) were cool, but we wanted something a little more exotic. We got it on a long stretch of road, when my Dad looked out his window and saw pronghorn antelopes grazing just past the side of the road.

And later, while walking a trail in the park, I swear I heard a rattlesnake! At least, that's what I keep telling people.

 So, we arrive at Dinosaur Provincial Park, with lookout Number 2 of the trip.

I buy some more souvenirs at a visitor's centre, and we have a bit of lunch, a Raptor Wrap at the Cretaceous Café!, and we pick a short, relatively accessible trail to walk.

The Fossil Hunter's Trail was quick and bookended by two real fossil beds, covered to preserve them.

There were also tons of neat rock formations. Some had little holes carved or dug into them, and on this trail there was one that was so big it looked like an actual cave!

Kinda looks like a house!

Further along the trail, we walked by tons of cacti and sage brush, which I'd never seen up close before, and I heard that rattlesnake (still sticking to that story), until we reached the trail's end and a quarry with hoodoo formations.

We made our way back and drove back to Drumheller, stopping at the one lone gas station for some much needed snacks.

I mentioned prairie dogs earlier. They're my second-favourite animal, right behind pigs, and where we were was full of them! Our first day there, we went to an outlook (Number 3, for those keeping track) and the place was dotted with prairie dog holes, with the awesome little critters running around every which way!

There's at least four or five just in this photo

I tried to get a close up of one, and it challenged me to a duel.

I backed down first

I can't end this without sharing a couple random photos from a couple different lookouts, canyons and viewpoints. I'm not kidding when I say this is some of the most mind-blowing, jaw-dropping scenery I've ever laid my eyes on, and I'm not normally a "look at the view" kind of person. 

 First though, a face in a cliffside because it was random and cool-looking.

And now, those awe-inspiring shots.

All I could picture when looking out at these views, especially the first two there, was herds of some big animal like bison, mammoths, or even further back to dinosaurs themselves wandering around!

We went to a nice restaurant the next day for breakfast, got even more souvenirs, and stopped by a local brewing company for a drink (sugar-can root beer and coffee-flavoured beer, which was pretty tasty!), and drove to the airport.

Except for Christmas with my grandparents, I haven't been anywhere in over two years, so this Bucket List-worthy vacation was very much needed and well-deserved.

Cheers!