1. I’m going to Kingston on Thursday.

2. I got tickets to Marilyn Manson (seeing him live is on my life list).

I’m trying to figure out something fun to do so I’ll have something interesting to blog about.

Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada. I loved being there but it was quite cold (in February). Apparently, this is the most photographed thing in all of Canada. Odd.

This weekly round up is all about my least favourite part about travelling: flying.

Comfortable flying tips
via Venere
Comfortable flying tips for those making the long haul to another continent.

Plane Answers
via Gadling
A pilot answers questions sent in by readers. Always informative and entertaining.

Common questions about flying
via Gadling
Separate from the previous link, just an entry with some questions I think we’ve all asked ourselves.

MyLifeList
This site allows you to keep track of a life list, post stories and maintain a network of other life list keepers!

How To Tell Your Family You’re Leaving
via Travelers Notebook
Great piece on breaking it to your family you plan on doing the extended travel thing. I’ll never need it because my family wishes I’d leave the country for a long term stint.

10 Things to do in Amsterdam
via Matador Trips
There’s more to do in Amsterdam than get high and act like a bad tourist?

Reykavik City Guide
via Katie Hammel
All I want to do is go to Iceland!

My weekly roundup of interesting and relevant articles I’ve found on the wide and vast interwebs. This week it’s all about being unemployed!

The JET Programme
via Matador
Immediately after reading this article I messaged my boyfriend Adam and said “you can find work in Japan with your job skills, right?” This excited me. A year of living in Japan AND a job after I graduate in December? Yes please! Check for official info here


How to Make Travel Look Good on a Resume
via Traveler’s Notebook
Great suggestions for making all of your time spent wandering around work for you in your job search


Save the Economy
This entire site makes me pee myself laughing, and I figure since it has to do with this “tanking” economy of ours it is relevant to my sad state of joblessness. Installing toilets in all the rooms of my house? Yes!


Earn Money on the Road
via Brave New Traveler
This isn’t particularly relevant to my current state of financial affairs, but it could come in handy to other people! I’d rather be broke and living with my parents than broke on the road.


Save Money, Travel Later
via Vagabonish
A great and simple piece about four ways you can easily save money now so you can travel later.

Weekly roundup on the sites and articles I found useful, funny or motivating.

What The Hell in Dubai
via TutzTutz

A long time ago I had “Party Like a Rockstar in Dubai” on my list. I removed it after reading about a string of arrests made to innocent people for having legal prescription drugs on their person or having stepped on a microscopic piece of marijuana. Articles like this make me want to go to Dubai though because it is literally insane. It’s like if Las Vegas took crack, has a baby with Monaco, and that baby had a baby with Thailand. Or something. It’s insanity.

Best Nude Beaches
via Matador Trips
This one might not be on my list, but it caught my eye and was certainly a fascinating read. I suppose a nude beach might help with # 71 Go skinny dipping. Or maybe just something to consider as a new addition altogether.

Best Coffee Shops in Amsterdam
via Matador Nights
One of the first things I added to my list was to smoke pot in Amsterdam. It’s sort of a when in Rome type deal I suppose. This is a nice compiled list of the best places to go to partake whilst in the Netherlands.
Applies to
#72 Smoke pot in Amsterdam

My Life to do List
I’m not going to lie, I took a few items off of this excellent list. I’m not above borrowing great ideas, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Make sure to check out his blog, he seems to have a never ending array of things to do.

Intrepid Lifestyle
New site recently launched, but tons of great articles for the serious traveler. Really practical and well laid out.

Pulpit Rock Photo Montage

image via Dilidou

Heights are not my thing. Thus, Pulpit Rock in Norway scares the crap out of me. Just watching those people sit leisurely on the edge makes me sink to the carpet covered floors of my room in my “safety crouch” (reserved for swinging bridges, gondola lifts, driving on the sides of mountains, the fake Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, and pictures of Pulpit Rock). You can definitely file a visit to Preikestolen as it as known in its Native language under Thanks But No Thanks

This is a new feature I’m starting. Through Twitter and StumbleUpon I end up reading a ton of articles ever week that are relevant to my life list. Some are just other life lists, some are travel blogs, and some are how to guides for silly things. They give me inspiration, a good laugh, or the knowledge I need to get a move on this giant list of goals I’ve accumulated. I’ve decided to start sharing some of the better articles and sites I come across. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

How to make the big move happen
How to plan your get away, get adjusted to living abroad and turn those ex-pat dreams into a reality, via Wild Junket
Applies to
#36. Live in Italy for at least one month on my own
#405. Move the heck out of Calgary

Helsinki – A Modern European City of Culture
This article just furthered my intense desire to get myself completely immersed in everything that is Northern European! Helsinki is at the top of my destination list. via Brilliant Trips
Applies to
#479. Visit the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress in Helsinki
#377. Travel to all of the European countries

Keep Your Travel Blog Alive Between Trips
I often struggle with this, when I get caught up in school and work. Exam season is the worst! via Heather On Her Travels

Squatty Potty
I had never known what a “Squatty Potty” was before. I never knew what pooping would be like in Asia/other places. Now, I do. via Squidoo
Applies to
#611. Use a squatty potty

Well, it is time to head back home to Calgary. My flight leaves this afternoon, I’m flying with Air Canada instead of my favourite Westjet. The only reason for this is because Air Canada flies out of Kingston, saving me a train ride and cab fare into Toronto. I’m happy to be heading home today, I’ve been away a whole month and I have been homesick for the better part of two weeks. I don’t mind being away from my own bed and room, it’s the people. My boyfriend, my cat, my mom I miss them all TONS! I think I could survive quite happily in a cave provided I got to see them all regularly.

Anyways. I am happy to be heading home. In the next few days I’ll blog about my trip to NYC with Irma and my time with my grandparents in Kingston. Lots of things to be crossed off of my list.

In September I have another trip coming up with Adam that should last 10 days. We have no idea where we are going to go! Any suggestions in the mean time?

One of the more nerve racking things I have included on my list is a trip up the CN tower to walk on the glass floor. I am terrified of heights and am not exactly a huge fan of elevators, especially those with glass windows, so this particular item on the list was more a test in will power than a chance to have fun. Though I had every intention of making the trip on my excursion out east, I didn’t have any definite plans. My travel partner Chris and I decided more or less on a whim to go into Toronto from Guelph in the middle of the afternoon and go up the highest building in the world. Greyhound tickets purchased last minute and some clamoring to get onto the bus did nothing to settle my nerves. When we arrived in the core, the tower dominated the skyline, pointing ever upward, reminding us of where we would soon be standing.

We got into the queue to pay for tickets and were informed at the booth that there was an hour wait to get up, another hour wait to get to the sky pod (a higher lookout), and an full 60 minutes wait to get down. Since we had already sat on a Greyhound bus for over an hour and a half, we figured we had no choice but to put on our patient faces and stand in line with all the other tourists. The package we chose was $26.50CND, and included the regular observation deck, the glass floor, and the sky pod, we decided to pay the extra $4 for the sky pod experience and extra hour in line!

We got in line with the rest of the tourist sheep, but noticed that the line was far too short to be over an hour like we were told. We assumed that they gave a “worst case scenario” wait time to avoid angry people, but when we discovered we were only in line a mere 20 minutes, we were a bit baffled. Worst case scenario is one thing, but it seems we were given the “operating with one elevator” wait time instead. I shouldn’t complain too much, as 20 minutes standing with the brats from hell and their douche bag family that were behind us was 20 minutes too long in the first place. Let me warn you: the place is crawling with demon children. If you don’t like small children, I suggest avoiding the CN tower altogether or email them suggesting a child free day or evening so you can actually enjoy the experience.

We got into our elevator, and the first thing I noticed was the fully glassed “walls”, but I had to give thanks to the attendants for not placing me in a glass-floored elevator. As we started our climb the vertigo and fear took over, and I closed my eyes tight, and counted the 58 seconds down in my head. Everyone else was oohing and aahing over the view, but opening my eyes was not an option for me. Once at the top we were thrust into a pulsing orgy of screaming children, running children, and men acting like children. We slowly made our way to the glass floor, slipping through cracks in the crowd and avoiding small children running under our feet.

Of course, the glass floor was plastered with small children crawling and swimming around as they are wont to do. It was a challenge getting close to it. Upon catching glimpses of it through the feet and children’s bodies, my heart starting racing. I couldn’t stand on it, I just couldn’t. Chris over course hopped onto it like no bodies business, walking around and posing for my camera. I knew I had to do it, since if I didn’t do it then it would mean another 26 bucks and a hellish elevator ride up the tower again. I planted a foot onto the see-through floor, heard a creaking sound, but decided to stick to my guns. I was only on there a little bit at first, and had to get off. There are SO many giant fat men jumping on it, shaking what seems to be the entire tower. It’s ridiculous and annoying.

We went out to the observation deck and saw what we could, but by this point we were both overcome with hatred for man kind, especially their offspring. Chris was also battling a major headache, so we decided to forego the sky pod, and head back down. We got into the line, which of course had a screaming/crying brat in it, and waited for our turn on the elevator. While I’m sure it didn’t take an hour, it sure felt like it with the high pitched screaming going on everywhere around us.

My general review of the CN tower is that it’s a giant waste of money. It’s over-priced tourist shit with too many children running wild and being insanely loud. As I said to Chris on the way down, I would only recommend it to people planning on jumping to their death since it would reaffirm why life is not worth living. I guess it’s something you have to do while you’re in Toronto and such things, but maybe bring some ear plugs.

Of and of course you can always high five one of the bears to make yourself feel better!