New Year! Same Old Me!

Well, folks. We did it. We survived 2016. And given the year it was, that was no small feat!

Before we leave 2016 behind forever, I encourage you to check out Col. Chris Hadfield's Facebook post of good things that happened this past year.

We good to move on to 2017? We are? Good.

I haven't made any resolutions per se this year, but I do have a few items or habits that I'm working on. (But without set goals attached, so I hesitate to call them resolutions. If that makes sense.)

I want to get better about saving money. To do this, I'm using the budget sheet that Liz (One Twenty Five) created. It's not that I'm bad with money, but I'd like to grow my savings. I've been slowly chipping away at it quicker than I'm putting money into it. I'm not a banker, but I'm pretty sure that's not how saving works. I'm hopeful that at the very least this will get me into a better habit of thinking about what I'm buying before I plunk down my cash.

I'm still working on my Swahili. My future plans include more return trips to Tanzania, so this will be on my list for the foreseeable future. I also have visitors coming from Switzerland this summer. If there is anything their last visit taught me, it's that my command of the German language has dropped considerably. I would really like to get through a sentence without pausing to think of the next word. With multiple languages in the plan for this year, I used Lindsay Does Languages Yearly and Monthly Planner. (She's a great resource for tips and tricks to help you learn a language if that's in your plans for 2017.) I'm also participating in the Instagram Language Challenge over on Instagram if you want to hear me speak Swahili. (If you are learning a language and want to participate, check out Lindsay's Instagram for the January prompt.)

Comic by Itchy Feet, a great language and travel comic.
Also, I can't tell you how many times I'd default to
German words when trying to speak Swahili.

In case you missed it above, I HAVE SWISS VISITORS THIS SUMMER!! YAY!

The best surrogate parents you could ask for when you follow a boy to Switzerland.

I also started bullet journaling again. I kept a bullet journal for the first couple of months of 2016 and found it a great help in making sure I actually crossed items off my to-do list every day, but I misplaced the journal in August. With the trip et al, I just never got around to starting another one. Some people have very fancy journals, but I stick to the basics. Who has time to artfully decorate each page and colour-code the washi tape and stickers? Definitely not me! (To see examples of what I'm talking about, click here.) I follow the style in the video below. If you're interested in giving a bullet journal a try, it's a good place to start.

On that note, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful 2017!

Highs, Lows, and Cremations

I seem to be starting a tradition of posting after watching 'Game of Thrones'... but how could I pass up posting this after tonight's episode?

YAS QUEEN!!! 

Ever since reading the books, I've had a soft spot for Sansa because while everyone says they'd be Arya who physically fights their enemy, we know we'd be Sansa who has to trip and fall her way through the political dance.

Other than GoT, I went to see 'Finding Dory' on Friday night. While the story wasn't as good as 'Finding Nemo' (to be expected), I laughed harder at the jokes so there's that.

It was also the Aboriginal Cultural Festival weekend. I went with my mom on Saturday and by myself on Sunday. I have a few extended thoughts but it's late so for now I will leave you with two photos.

Lekwungen Dancer (Songhees Nation)
performing a prayer dance.

Le-La-La Dancer (Kwakwaka'wakw Nation)
performing a dance to bless the stage.

Because I am a big Star Trek fan, I do need to acknowledge that 2016 just doesn't know when to quit. We get it, 2016. You're an asshole!

My dad is memorizing 'The Cremation of Sam McGee' by Robert Service. I memorized this poem in Gr. 5 for some extra marks and Robert Service has been my favourite poet ever since. When my dad told me he was trying to learn it, I recited as much as I could remember. Apparently, my dad was learning this poem because my granddad used to recite it as his party piece. My never-left-Ireland-and-died-in-1954 granddad knew a very Canadian poem.

Why can I recite 'The Cremation of Sam McGee'? It's a family thing!

For my dad (and his dad) on Father's Day, 'The Cremation of Sam McGee' read by Johnny Cash.