Why I Hate Trains

So last weekend, I visited my home for the first time since I left for university. I’ve been to my cottage since I left, but not my actual house. Every time I’ve been to visit my cottage, one of my parents would pick my up from campus and drive me to the cottage, and drive me back on Monday (I gave myself Mondays off…making your own schedule FTW!). Anyways, so this time I had to go all the way back to Toronto, and my parents were NOT up for the drive. So instead, I became responsible for getting myself home. I was to either take a bus or a train. My dad decided that I should take a train because it would be more comfortable and easier to get work done. He did some research for me and found something that would allow me to have 6 train rides for a cheaper price if I were a student. Which I am. So I went to get an ISIC (International Students Identity Card) which would prove that I was indeed a student. I filled out a form, got my picture taken for five dollars, and was told to return in 2 days. In the meantime, I went online to book my train. The train on the way to Toronto was already booked so I had to pay a higher price to get a train that wasn’t part of my discount. I did get the return trip booked with my pass though. So instead of using up 2 of my 6 trips I used up 1.

Anyways, the day of the trip came and as usual, I procrastinated and rushed at the last minute to pack my things. Luckily I had already found directions to the train station the day before and printed them off, so I vaguely knew where I was going. There were two different routes I could take, one significantly less complicated, but longer. But here was the problem: my train was supposed to leave at 5, and I was supposed to pick up my tickets half an hour in advance. It was about 3:45 when I left the room, and providing the buses came right away, it would take me about a half hour to get there. Therefore, I could not afford to be picky about which bus to take. I would have to take whichever one came first. I ended up having to wait quite a while for one to show up. Guess which one came first? Obviously the infinitely more difficult one. OBVIOUSLY. Thanks, universe. So I get on the bus and at this point it’s about 4:20 already. I’m panicking. I get to the transfer point and it turns out to be some sort of strange bus station. A million buses come, but not the one I need. I swear like thirty 95 buses came to the stop before my 124.

It was about 4:48 by the time I got to the station. I ran for the ticket booth, and luckily there was only one other person there, who happened to be leaving the line just as I arrived. I got my tickets within a minute or two. The following section was written to my boyfriend over MSN, shortly after the incident occurred. They had Wi-Fi on the train and I explained the situation to him as soon as I was settled in. I am showing you this unedited copy instead of writing it out properly in order to give you a more accurate account of how I was feeling at the time. Here is what happened:

-          so i was on the bus

-          then i had to switch

-          the transfer was only supposed to take about five minutes

-          but it took like 10 or so before the bus came

-          then i got to the station

-          got my tickets

-          and the train was leaving in like 8 minutes

-          so im like

-          shit

-          i gotta run.

-          FAST

-          now this is where it gets weird

-          i see a sign that says Toronto

-          i follow the arrows

-          i get to the last arrow and i pull open the doors

-          but

-          the only thing there

-          was escalators...going DOWN

-          so i stood there for a second

-          there was one escalator

-          going down..towards me. i needed to go UP

-          i checked to see if there was a reverse button

-          to make it switch directions so i could go up

-          there wasnt.

-          so

-          i stood there for a minute

-          just

-          contemplating what i should do

-          i knew what i had to do

-          i RAN at the escalator

-          and fought it

-          i ran up while it pushed me down

-          i ran really really hard

-          i was beating it

-          i was almost at the top

-          BAM i lost my balance

-          and started to fall

-          but i knew that if i fell

-          not only would i be back at the bottom but i would be seriously hurt

-          so i got back up as fast as i could

-          I had fallen five or six steps

-          the adrenaline rush kept it from hurting

-          so i RAN to the nearest train

-          and i asked some guy in it if i was on the right train

-          he was like omg no you want that one WAY over there

-          i was like fuuuuuuck

-          he pointed out where to go

-          i ran across the tracks

-          not being able to breathe

-          from all the running

-          the guy i showed my ticket to said i wanted the car that is two doors down

-          i sprinted

-          i made it on

-          and then i noticed the knee of my pants was ripped from the escalator fall

-          and i was like goddammit a perfectly good pair of pants

-          and when i was on the phone with you i put my hand on the rip

-          and when i moved my hand away there was blood.

-          anyways the end.

-          im sorry :(

-          its okay T.T

-          oh and now that the adrenaline rush is gone my knee stings like a bitch

-          and my arms are killing me too from running with three bags

-          and i cant breathe from all the running

-          im so sorry :(

-          I HATE TRAINS

Note: The purple text is me and the teal is my boyfriend.

So anyway. It was quite an adventure. My knee still has a big ugly M-shaped cut on it. I took some pictures of it right after it happened and I shall post one. Do NOT click the following link if you don’t want to see my injury:

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd30/Daellya/2010-11-13_09-44-52_951.jpg

In case you were wondering, the visit home was delightful, and I wasn’t late on my way back. However, annoyingly enough, when I arrived back here I went down the SAME set of escalators I ran up a few days earlier. Also, I took the other route back home and it turns out the 95 bus would have also taken me to the train station.

And THAT’S why I hate trains.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

Haha, don't worry guys. I haven't killed anyone. I haven't ruined any lives. I haven't caused the inevitable destruction of the planet. No, I have made the decision to join AdSense in an attempt to make some extra cash with my blog. Seeing as I have almost no readers, I probably won't be making much at all, if not nothing. But I have no job and I'm poor so I need to try! Hopefully nobody minds too much. I am sorry for any disturbances.

I don't really know what else to say, so FAREWELL FOR NOOOOOOOW. :)

So Last Weekend...

I went to a grocery store. It is actually quite a rare sight to see a Daellya in a grocery store, despite the fact that one has recently posted a recipe which most likely uses ingredients found in such a location. In all seriousness, I am REALLY not used to doing things on my own. Although technically an adult by law, I still feel like a helpless little kid. Especially in a grocery store I've never heard of, in a part of my new city I've never been to.

Do you even know what they had there? They had dragon fruit! ...WHAT THE HELL IS A DRAGON FRUIT? Really, seriously. I walk into a grocery store expecting to see apples and oranges and pears and kumquats and all the standard grocery-store items. But instead there is a pile of pink spiky things! How do these things exist? How are there pink spiky fruits that I've never even heard of before?! Is this normal? Am I the only one? What is happening to me?! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE WORLD?!

That aside, has anyone actually tried one of these things? I'd be curious to know what it tastes like.

WTF?

Duvet

So today I'm going to be talking about a song I really like, but before I do that, I'll need to explain my tastes in music. I pretty much like all kinds of music. I go through phases of liking certain kinds of music more than others. For example, when I was in France I really got into French music and country music (the latter of the two because my friend would send me her country songs while I was gone). Now, I like classic rock a lot more than before because that's my boyfriend's style. Not saying that I copy other people's tastes, just that being around people with certain tastes influences me to listen to their style more...and I get really into it. Anyways, another "music quirk" I have is that I tend to like individual songs more than particular artists (obviously there are still many exceptions to this, though). If you look at my iPod, I have about as many artists as I do songs! Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. One last notable thing to mention is that I download my songs in waves. I hear lyrics to a song, save it as a draft on my phone, and after like 30 or 40 texts build up I go and download them all. Usually within this mass of songs, I find one that I can't stop listening to, and it becomes my temporary favourite song...for about a week or two. The song that I am going to show you is the first "temporary favourite" song I have ever had.

The song I am referring to is called "Duvet" by a U.K. group called Bôa. For some reason, I almost always prefer songs with male singers over female singers, but this is an exception. The singing in the song is very nicely done, and having a female singer suits it very well. The instrumentals in the song are also very complex and unique-sounding. The first time I heard this song was in the anime, "Serial Experiments Lain". It is used as the title song, and as soon as I heard it I knew I needed to download it. So anyways, take a listen. Maybe you'll like it too (and if you don't, then don't worry...I'll be talking about other songs in the future that are nothing like this one).

Spaghetti Carbonara

Hey guys. I know this is a little different from what may be expected here (although I haven't quite established what I'm all about yet), but I've decided to post one of my favourite simple recipes up here. I'm sure a lot of you already know how to make plain spaghetti with tomato sauce (or butter, depending on your preference), but have you tried to spice it up just a little? Well, here it is:

(F.Y.I.: I do this recipe by memory so exact measurements aren't really required.)

You will need:
- Large pot
- Small bowl
- Plate or bowl (to eat from...you may also use this for the bacon, but if you don't then you'll need another plate)
- Cutlery (you know, to eat with)
- Strainer
- Whisk or fork
- Spatula or tongs
- Spaghetti (make a circle with your index finger and your thumb, where your thumbnail lines up with the knuckle closest to your fingernail...this is about one serving)
- Olive oil or vegetable oil
- Bacon (as much or as little as you want, really)
- 1 or 2 eggs (this can also be enough for two people)
- Cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Various spices (I prefer to use basil, but really whatever suits your needs)

1. First you're gonna want to take a large pot, fill it with water, and get it boiling. I also recommend that you pour a little bit of oil into the water to add flavour to the spaghetti. Also, it smells awesome.
2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, take the small bowl and crack the one or two eggs into it. Whisk the eggs and add a bit of cream. Not too much cream is necessary...there should still be more egg than cream in the mixture. Add in your salt, pepper, and various spices. Set this bowl aside for later. Also, put your strainer in the sink.
3. We are now going to deal with the bacon. I'm usually just lazy and microwave it, which isn't that hard. (Note: only microwave the bacon if it is pre-cooked. D: ) So basically, cut the bacon pieces into little squares before you microwave it (as it will be hot after and you don't want to burn your fingers or let it cool down while you waste time cutting it up). So once the bacon is cut up, just leave it on a plate for now. Don't microwave it yet, because it only takes about 30 seconds and again we don't want it to get cold while the spaghetti is cooking.
4. Put the spaghetti in the pot. The pasta should probably take about ten minutes to cook. Every so often, take a spatula or tongs or something and grab a piece. If it falls apart easily when you pinch it, it's probably done. If it still feels hard or doesn't come apart right away, it's gonna need more time. Right before you intend on taking your pasta out, nuke your bacon for about 30 seconds.
5. Once your pasta is ready, take the pot and SLOWLY and CAREFULLY pour the water into the strainer which is in the sink. Be very careful to keep your face out of the steam. Now this part needs to happen FAST. Your sauce contains raw eggs, and you probably noticed that we didn't cook them. We are relying on the heat of the spaghetti to cook them and make them safe to eat. So as soon as your spaghetti is in the strainer, transfer it to a plate or bowl and put the egg mix on it IMMEDIATELY. Mix it and toss it to make sure it all gets heated up. Then add your bacon and continue tossing it. Finally, you can add some parmesan cheese on top if you want.
6. CONGRATULATIONS, you have made spaghetti carbonara. Enjoy!!! :D

YUMMMMMMMMMMMM. :)