Sunday, my sister and I made it back safe and sound. I suppose I’m refreshed after being away from everything, in a completely different environment for a week and a half.

What I enjoyed most was seeing such a diverse array of people. I mean, really, I had to actually look for the white people at first, which was a very surreal experience. So many different ethnicities living side by side. Take the couple we stayed with, Maudeline and Frank. Maudeline is from Montreal, born and raised, and her parents are from Haiti. So, French is her first language. Her husband, Frank, is from Union Island, I think. (I’m like, dude, how do you grow up on a place that is only 3 miles long? I guess it’s no biggie if you have all the necessities.)

I had a great time visiting with friends. Hopefully, next summer I’ll be able to see Montreal.

Below the cut you will find a selection of photos that I consider my favorite shots/highlights from the trip.

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Hey guys. I’m writing from Brampton, which is a suburb of Toronto. Been here since Thursday and it’s been lots of fun. Visiting friends, speaking French to a petulant 2-year-old (“Non, Isaiah. Arretes!”) and taking lots of pics. It has snowed every day I’ve been here. Awesome, right?

Saturday, November 29, 2008 . CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, CA.

I’m 26 now. Yay for being old(er).

In other news – I finished my novel, or rather, I reached 50K, so after a breather, I’ll start on the revision process. Basically, I ended up with a few really good scenes, but the plot needs a lot of work. It feels really good to have “won” NaNo my first year, though.

We made it to B’ham safe and sound. I drove the whole way. My mom offered to drive, but in the back of my mind, I knew it was just an offer. She didn’t even volunteer to take over driving when we stopped for a break, which, I didn’t mind. However, I thought I could at least depend on her to give me directions to the hotel. Well. . .it’s a good thing I’ve a fairly good sense of direction that I apparently inherited solely from my father. My mom’s awesome in other ways though, because she’s paying for gas.

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View of downtown B’ham from the skywalk of the BJCC

Alrighty.

I got back home from the trip yesterday evening at around 8pm. I would have gotten home sooner, but when we were about 15 minutes away from home I got lost decided to take the scenic route home down this recently constructed section of highway. My mom was real happy about that, lemme tell ya.

Of course, after I got home I found the battery charger to my dslr. It was miraculously appeared in my computer bag like it had been there the entire time. Then I misplaced my pocket camera, but found it again this morning in the car. So now I can post the few pictures I was able to take. I’ve seriously been neglecting my SD1000 anyway, so I’ll try to used it more from now on. It had just been sitting in its cute little case in the bottom of my bag, all lonely.

But back to the trip. Before we left, my mother expressed the desire to visit a place called The Cheesecake Factory in order to acquire (duh) some cheesecake for my sister. I got a piece as well, while we got my sister a slice of white chocolate macadamia nut caramel. I didn’t taste her slice, but it sounds good enough. I still have a few bites of my piece of original cheesecake chillin’ in the fridge.

Mom & me walking to The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake factory was located in this upscale shopping center known as The Summit. It’s aptly named, because the place is basically built on the top of a mountain. For those of you unfamiliar with the terrain of Birmingham, AL, it’s quite hilly, as a result of the tail end of the Appalachian Mountain range (one of the few things I learned in Alabama history, mandatory in the curriculum in 4th and 9th grade).

The Summit

It’s me!

Right as I was turning into the parking lot of The Cheesecake Factory, I spotted an beacon of light some may call the Apple logo. OMG*SQUEEE!!! An Apple retail store! Of course, I had to check it out. There wasn’t much to the inside. I mean, I like how everything was stocked neatly on the shelves.The people working there were pretty friendly, but the first guy that helped me didn’t seem very knowledgeable about the merchandise.

I ended up buying a new laptop bag and some fonts for my Mac. The bag is awesome, but I’m rethinking the font purchase. At least I can write it off on my taxes for business use. *shrug*

I am so needing my tax return right about now.

Hello again.

Last weekend, my sisters and I visited my parents during their stay at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL. My dad took us on a tour of the grounds. It’s a really awesome place, in our backyard, so to speak, considering it’s just a 45 minute drive across the Mobile Bay to the Eastern Shore.

We arrived shortly before dusk so the view of the setting sun over the water was absolutely breathtaking. It was a clear, virtually cloudless day, and the waters were calm.

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