discover something new everyday.

Hi there! I'm Alisha. I'm a twenty-something with a huge love for reading and writing. This is a blog about my accident-prone life, how the world can be against you sometimes, and how you discover something new everyday. follow my adventures on twitter! Follow @alishagroves

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me vs. the dead battery

welcome back to the blog! (it’s only been a couple years). in my defense, it’s been a busy couple of years. first, a little explanation: since I wrote last, I moved out, graduated college, got a full-time-real-adult job (with benefits!), got a new car, moved back home, and have been saving up for a down payment for my very own house. of course, that reality stopped real fast when last week I came to the realization that I will not be owning a house for quite some time (house prices are insane right now - and working in real estate, I get a first-hand look). all that being said, i’ve been a little down this week and am looking for a new outlet. what’s better than one you already had? so let’s dive into today’s adventure. I was driving up to a meeting tonight, giving myself lots of extra time. when I was about a fourth of the way there, this guy in front of me slammed on his brakes. to avoid a pretty nasty accident, I also slammed on my brakes. everything was fine, except for what happened next. all of a sudden, my emergency break light came on, followed with my battery light. my car then decided that it was just going to stop driving. on the middle of the highway. great. I pulled off as soon as I could and tried to figure out my next move. for some dumb reason, I thought that maybe I could just turn off the car and turn it back on again. smart, right? well, after I turned the car off, it wouldn’t turn back on again. now, I have mentioned that I live in Canada. it’s January. therefore, it’s very cold outside. so now I am sitting in the dark, right off of the highway, with a dead car. in the cold. luckily, I have my emergency kit in the car. so I put my hazards on, go into the trunk, and get a blanket and gloves. I call CAA, only to find out that it’s going to be an hour and a half before anyone can come to me. why do I pay for this again? I additionally called my parents and they were on their way to get me (i’ve figured out already that I will need a tow truck). so one CAA guy comes, takes one look at my car, says “I can’t help you” and literally drives off - leaves me in the cold. on the side of the road. fortunately, my parents were on their way and arrived shortly after. once I was in a warm and running car, I called CAA again. they told me it was going to be at least an hour and a half to get a tow truck (what the heck was I waiting for already!?). at this point, my dad decides that he’s going to drive me home and get one of his friends who has a tow truck to get my car in the morning. so now my poor car is         sitting in some terrible lot off the highway until we can tow it back to my mechanic. I can only hope for the best tomorrow morning in the sense that it won’t be terribly expensive to fix (there goes my vacation fund). I had to cancel my meeting and my babysitting job for tomorrow morning because I have no idea how long I will be without a car for. things I am grateful for tonight: my parents, warm cars, mechanics, pajamas, hot water, blankets, and a loving God that didn’t let anything worse happen. after all, it’s just a car (that I just put brand new brakes on) and the important thing is that i’m safe. you discover something new everyday. 

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me vs. the states

about a month ago, I travelled down to the states with my mom for a weekend road trip. I had a couple of good friends getting married in Pennsylvania on the Saturday, and didn’t have anything else planned for the weekend. so, I decided to take advantage of this little “vacation”. right after my Friday afternoon test finished, I raced home to meet my mom and we were off. crossing the boarder at 6pm seemed like a dangerous thing to do, but it was one of the quickest lines I have even been through. one of the benefits of driving in the states is that you can get basically anywhere by staying on one of the main highways. one big con, however, is when you get lost from said highway getting gas, and you don’t have data on your phone because you didn’t get a data plan, your GPS has no idea where you are, and every single store charges fourteen dollars for a map, your only real option is to ask a gas station attendant for directions. we were supposed to get there at 10pm, and we didn’t pull into our hotel until 2am (just don’t trust anyone with directions). sleeping in on Saturday morning was a real treat, because I was exhausted from the drive and had a long day ahead. the wedding was absolutely beautiful and a lot of fun! after the wedding, my mom and I decided to drive down a half an hour to downtown Philadelphia. we found a great salad place (go to sweetgreen if you’re ever there) and some really cute clothing shops. we walked around for a while but it was so hot we didn’t last very long (side note, for any of “The Office” fans out there, I was basically freaking out the entire time we were in Pennsylvania, and almost made my mom miss a turn because I yelled “SCRANTON! THAT’S WHERE THE OFFICE IS!”). we went back to the hotel and packed up, planning to leave for NYC the next day. I had convinced my mom that it was on the way back, and I wasn’t completely wrong. at least we had managed not to get lost anymore. NYC was beautiful, as always, and I managed to see a couple of things that I didn’t get to on my first trip down there (the Statue of Liberty, Battery Park, the 9/11 Memorial). we also got some really good pizza in Brooklyn and attempted to drive into New Jersey so I could go to Cake Boss, but there was a festival going on and there was no way I was getting a parking spot. of course, we had to do a Target run (because of its non-existent presence in Canada) and also fit in a couple of the outlet stores in Buffalo. this was also the first time that I drove in the states, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of terrifying. there are so many times were you just have to stop on the interstate because you randomly have to pay a toll. I don’t even remember paying any tolls on route to Atlanta a few months back, but I swear these tolls were every 100 feet. also, when we were nearing NYC, my mom got really nervous about driving and didn’t think we would be able to go. I really wanted to obviously, and before I knew it, I was driving across the Brooklyn Bridge. I think I was freaking out too much to appreciate the views on either side of me, so I made a mental note to go back and do it again. there are many other things I plan to see in the states, and my adventures have only just begun. you discover something new everyday. 

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me vs. road trips

it’s been on my bucket list for a while to do a cross-country road trip. so when the opportunity came for me to attend the Orange Conference again in Atlanta, Georgia (April 2016), and the plane tickets were crazy expensive, I found three other ladies who seemed as equally as crazy (excited) as me who wanted to drive down. we planned to leave at 5:30am and get to Georgia at approximately 10:00pm. (we got in at 1:30am, not too bad). we were trying to stop as little as possible, but the need for energy though food was strong and often overwhelmed and controlled us. more than a couple of times we got distracted (including stopping for an hour-long Target run because stupid Canada doesn’t have Target anymore) and I tried to be the navigator (which ended horribly as I fell asleep when I was supposed to be giving directions). when we finally got there though, it was nice to say we accomplished the drive and were plenty filled with snacks, laughs, and memories only four women in a car for twenty hours can experience. some of these memories include: the boarder security lady being super nasty to us because we didn’t declare our road-trip snacks (that were from America anyways), playing car bingo provided by the conference we were going to, making up our own car bingo after the first one proved to be too challenging, and sharing personal stories and experiences. of course, there were many times were I questioned why I was driving across the states with these people, especially when one of them took away my head rest so I wouldn’t fall asleep again (side note: I still managed to find a way to fall asleep). despite all of the challenges, including almost dying on the drive back because of sleep deprivation, it was one of the best things I have ever done. even though none of us vow ever to do it again, it was a once in a lifetime experience and I wouldn’t have wanted to share it with anyone else. I also have a super awesome map coloured in of all of the states I have been to. I’m hoping to colour more of it very soon. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. moving out

hello friends! I’ve been pretty absent for the last six months, but my life has been a little bit crazy. in January, I got a text from some family friends asking me if I wanted to move out, as they were looking to rent their basement apartment out. I was hesitant at first, but after a couple of weeks thinking about it, I didn’t think it would be the worst thing in the world. so, in April I packed up all of my things into boxed, moved across town, and unloaded. I have never moved before, so I had absolutely no clue as to what I was doing. luckily, I have some pretty awesome friends and they were able to help me through the whole thing. unpacking was actually pretty fun, and having been to their house and stayed overnight in their basement before, I had some fun ideas in mind of how I wanted my new apartment to look. before I knew it, I was totally unpacked and decorated just the way I wanted it. these past three months have flown by, and it is fantastic living on my own. I have a better relationship with my parents and my brother, and I have learned a lot of independence. for example, I can cook a pretty decent meal without causing fires of any sort. that’s a huge win for me. I have also learned a TON about being a “real adult”, such as learning how to hang pictures, paint, and properly clean my apartment. moving out has been one of the best things I have ever done, and though it can be challenging and lonely sometimes, I have grown a lot through it. I was never really okay with being alone for a long time, and I have learned to appreciate the balance between people time and alone time. I have also discovered a lot about myself, and I have been enjoying the experience of living on my own. now, preparing to graduate post-secondary, I am continuing the first step of a brand new chapter in my life. you discover something new everyday. 

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me vs. MEC

for years there has been this store up the road from me that I have never gone in, mostly because it looked way too high-tech for me. I had heard around that it was super expensive and I had never looked into it because it was just for people who liked camping and the outdoors (I like neither). but recently, I have gotten into a lot more products that are fair-trade (which basically means that it is sweatshop-free and every person working there has good working conditions and gets paid a good wage). I discovered that everything MEC branded is fair trade, and while it might be pricey, it was good quality and going to last for a long time. walking in the store for the first time was a little intimidating. I really didn’t know anything about what was in the store, and everyone else knew exactly what they were doing. I also apparently went on their open house (I had no idea) so the entire store was packed. immediately I was taken aback by the amount of bikes and sleeping bags that were in the store. I almost just ran out because the outdoors and I are not friends. I think for the first twenty minutes I was just walking around in awe that people actually spend enough time in the wilderness to need some of these products. but the fact that I hated the outdoors wasn’t going to stop me from looking around (in fact, I wanted to go to this store to start liking the outdoors more). after about an hour, I had a water bottle and some chocolate in my hand (accomplished, right?) when I went to the counter, I discovered that you needed to be a member to purchase products there, it was almost like Costco. but it was five dollars to be a lifetime member, and I really wanted the chocolate that I was holding. while I was checking out, the store was doing trivia for their open house, and the cashier told me the answer so that I would get a prize. I won a really nice hat, and walked out of the store a happy camper. recently, I’ve gone back to purchase a jacket and let me tell you, it was one of the best things I have ever bought. it’s very lightweight and insulated, long, and keeps me warm (I live in Canada people, i’m going to need it). overall, i’m just really happy that I finally worked up the courage to go into this store, and maybe one day, i’ll like the outdoors more. or maybe i’ll just keep going back for the chocolate. you discover something new everyday. 

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me vs. skipping class

let the record state that last Monday was a first for me. after never once missing a class in my entire high school and first year of college career, the inevitable has happened. i’m entering the final month of my third semester at school, and have just been completed stressed out by the amount of work that i’ve had to do. particularly, last week was a very busy week where a lot of work and assignments were due at the same time. I had a Statistics assignment due Wednesday, and for some reason, I could just not understand any of the questions. one of my friends at school suggested that we spend the morning in the library where there is a math help centre. it seemed like a good idea, and if we got there at 10:00am, we would surely be out of there by 3:00pm, when my class started. wow, was I mistaken. at some point in the afternoon, I looked up at the clock and saw that it was 4:30pm. I had completely missed the start time of my class and there was almost no point of me running to the other side of the school to attempt so sit in the class for an hour and catch up. in a word, I was devastated. I mean, when you have never skipped one entire class in your life, the first time has got to feel weird. I mean, you’re supposed to be somewhere, and it just gets into your weekly routine. but there are some more “big picture” things that I discovered at about 4:35pm. 1) i didn’t die. not actually thinking I would, but something inside me told me that I was never ever supposed to miss class...or else. 2) my professor doesn’t hate me. in fact, he probably didn’t even notice I wasn’t there (until I emailed him apologizing profusely). and 3) I learned about priorities, because that extremely frustrating assignment was worth way more of my grade than one potential in-class assignment in Macroeconomics. it’s not something that I can see myself doing again at any time, but it’s good to know that the world didn’t end just because I didn’t go to 1/15 of my classes for the semester. I tend to work thing up in my head, and last Monday proved to be a good reminder that I can’t sweat the small stuff, and I have to make real life, adult decisions (at least sometimes). you discover something new everyday. 

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me vs. grocery shopping

let’s be clear: i’ve been grocery shopping many, many times. how many times have I been grocery shopping without my parents? well, yesterday was a first. my very good friend who lives out of town was back home for the week. her parents were away and she needed to get some food for the house - so off to the store we went. I should mention that both of us had absolutely no clue as to what we were doing the entire time and just started putting random food together in the shopping cart. we started with the food that we thought that she needed, and by the end of the trip, we weren’t even sure what was in the cart anymore. we started out with really good intentions, carrots, salad, milk, but it all went downhill when we saw donuts. it also occurred to me that you need to ask yourself a lot of questions when you’re shopping. like “how would I like the cold cut meat cut up?” or “what kind of apples are the best and the cheapest?” overall, it was one of the best shopping trips I have ever experienced, just based solely on the fact that this is one of my best friends and we’re pretty certain we are the same person. we got distracted by the sparkly sweaters they put right next to the food, and had to make a quick stop to look at all the makeup before we got cat food. it was the most amusing grocery shopping trip I have ever been on...I could get used to this whole adult thing. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. ikea

so here's the thing about Ikea - it can be the most facinating and terrifying place that you will ever venture in your life. we live about an hour from the closest one, so everytime we go, it's pretty exciting. one Sunday afternoon (after an exhausting morning and previous Saturday) I decided it was a brilliant idea that (instead of sleeping) that I wanted to take a road trip to the place of ultimate organization. the first thing to do on the list was obviously to go to the cafe and get some meatballs. I mean, you can't really go wrong there. they have the best food. after that was the showroom, where I pretended I lived in all of the rooms we went in and I wanted to take all of the clothes home. after that, it was the warehouse where you can actually buy the items that you imagine that your future house will be chalked full of. this is a particularly dangerous place for me because everytime I walk in Ikea, i've just so happened that I want to completely change my room around. but this is where the story gets interesting. halfway through the lighting section, my body just decided to have a little bit of a breakdown (due to the crazy lack of sleep) and I just wanted to lay down in the towels and never move again. fortunately, my mom snapped me out of it before security found us and told us to leave. she also bribed me with frozen yogurt. once we left the store and I got home (with plans to wear my new Ikea bathrobe - stop judging I know you want one) I tried to put together my storage box I bought. I quickly discovered that this box was clearly way too but to fit under my bed. do you think that stopped me though? I spent forty-five minutes tonight loading all of my things into that box, bending and twisting it to fit it under, only to take it all apart to put it back together while it was under the bed. the moral of the story here is really two things. 1) never ever (ever) go to Ikea without getting a full night sleep before hand. and 2) measure things that you would like to buy BEFORE YOU BUY THEM to make sure that you have enough room for them in your house. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. sparky

as many of you know, I work at the fire department. we generally do a lot of tours around the fire station, which is no problem. mostly because they do not involve me. but yesterday was different. I was just minding my own business, typing away at my computer, when a firefighter came over and asked if anyone was available to put on the sparky mascot costume. me, being me, tried to avoid it like the plague. I literally hid under my desk. but this was ruined when I heard the words “maybe Alisha could do it”. so I made my way to the back room and put on the sparky costume. big shoes, pants, a jacket, gloves, and the worst part of all - the head. it wouldn’t fit around my face because of my glasses, so it kept tilting. then, I started walking and nearly fell flat on my face because of my shoes. and it had not even started yet. I made my way to the kids by the fire trucks and they went wild as soon as they saw me. there are three things to know about sparky: 1) he does not talk 2) he makes exaggerated hand movements and 3) you never take off the head or gloves until no children can see you. I was having enough trouble with those rules even before I walked over to the kids. let me tell you, I have never been hugged, high-fived, and attacked more than when I was in the costume. these kids went crazy for sparky, and he is pretty awesome. when the whole thing was over (more hugs, pictures, and showing me colouring pages), I was able to take it off and tell a co-worker that it was one of the most terrifying yet joyful experiences of my entire life. as long as I never have to do it again. you discover something new everyday.  

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me vs. the steam cleaner

well, i’m back. with yet another story about a hate-hate relationship with an inanimate object (see previous post). today at work, someone asked me to clean the tablecloths we had just used at an event. it seemed pretty simple. but they didn’t want me to just use the washing machine, no, I had to use the steam cleaner. the big, scary, i’m-going-to-find-a-way-to-hurt-myself-with-this steam cleaner. well, are you surprised that I did find a way? yeah, neither was I. It started with turning the actual thing on. turns out that hot water turns into steam, which is hot. and unfortunately, I discovered that while my hand was gripping onto the attachment that was heating up. when I actual put the tablecloth on the counter, the steam cleaner started making this awful ticking noise, which couldn’t have been good, forcing me to turn it off and start all over again. then, when I got it restarted and went to clean the first section, it started dripping water all down and soaking the table. not a very good experience - and I still believe this had nothing to do with the steam cleaner, but the accident-prone person holding it. cleaning it was actually very interesting, to see just how a bunch of steam could make wrinkles in fabric go away. and I must say that the tablecloth looked pretty good when I was done with it. I do have two more to do tomorrow, and judging on the awkwardness of the first experience, I doubt that it will go any better. but at least I have it all set up, ready to go. let’s just hope that the attachment hasn’t find a way to fill the entire back room with steam and it causes a fire...that would just be ironic (did I mention I work at the fire department?). but with my luck, very plausible. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. the wholesale club cart

my co-op job has already brought me so many wonderful and exciting opportunities. one of the more...interesting opportunities occurred when I was buying some supplies for a work party we were having. I found this place that would have everything I needed, and at a good price too. pulling in the parking lot, I realized that this was going to be more complicated than it looked. this place is initially a public Costco, and there were a lot of people there. upon entering the store, I realized that I had enough items on my list that it would be a struggle to go without a shopping cart. only when I went to get a cart, they were all locked up and you needed a quarter to unlock it. well, guess who just cleaned out their wallet the night before and didn’t have any change? i’ll give you a hint - it’s this girl, the one who has enough unfortunate experience to make a blog post about it. I quickly had to also abandon the idea of using a basket, as I would end up with about eight little buckets following me around the store. then I discovered something that would quickly become my first nightmare. this is when I found out that they had big industrial carts to use for people apparently buying a restaurant. well, I took one and started the trek into the store. let me tell you something, maneuvering that big cart was quite the challenge. I spent the next twenty minutes looking for everything I needed while trying not to run over people’s toes (which, by the way, sorry to the man in front of me who I was pushing with my cart for five seconds), and trying not to crash into walls and shelves. I avoided aisles and just tried to get out of there as quickly as I could. when it came to checkout, I discovered that the carts were not big enough to fit in the checkout aisles (who planned that?) and I had to individually carry all of the items to the checkout. luckily, they had boxes instead of bags to put your things in, and I managed to stick them all in, and have someone help me to my car and load up. putting the cart back was a huge challenge too (did I mention that the cart might have been missing a wheel?) and I was about to owe somebody a new car door when some lady came up to me and offered to take the cart for her shopping. I gladly handed it over and went to my car, letting out a huge breath and determined to make my way back to work. moral of the story here, is that you should never leave home without quarters. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. the fire department

this week i’ve started my very first co-op job as part of my college program. i’m a clerical assistant (I work the front desk) at a fire department and oh man has the first week been a whirlwind of an adventure. my first day was a little bit crazy. there was a lot of information and training to be covered and I was distracted my the constant noises of the fire alarms, trucks, and new software programs. very quickly I was trained to issue fire permits so that people could have fires in their backyards. if that doesn’t sound like a crazy job, i’ve been there five days and have probably done close to four hundred permits. on my second day they let me drive one of the fire prevention vehicles (a sparky the fire dog mini-van) to drive to different schools. I got back and handed over the keys, only to find out that it was being towed later that afternoon because it wouldn’t start. oh great, i’ve already broken something. one of the biggest changes i’ve had to adapt to is to go back to windows software. i’ve been so used to a mac for the last two years and it’s very challenging trying to do all of these little tricks i’m so used to and have them not work. but overall, it’s an extremely fun place to work. everyone there is so nice and welcoming, and they don’t seem to mind if I haven’t remembered everyone’s names yet. they might be a little less fond of me when they realize how accident prone I am. I mean, i’ve already wounded myself twice there, once slamming my leg on a desk and one on a paper cut. they probably already think i’m crazy. one thing that i’m really looking forward to is getting to attend all of these events with kids that we put on and making all of the activity packs for them (I mean, is this like LDP all over again or what!? :) ) i’m already so excited for the rest of the summer and all that it will bring. and no, I haven’t met any cute firefighters yet...alright maybe one or two...you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. 100 happy days

back in November I was feeling a little down, so I decided to try a new challenge. every day for one hundred days, I would find something to be happy about and Instagram it. in the beginning, it was very easy and there was lots of things that would make me happy that I would take a picture of. but near the middle of the challenge, it became more challenging (see what I did there) and I would often find myself looking for something to take a picture of before it was the next day. there were a couple of days where I completely forgot that I hadn't posted a picture yet, and that usually involved me lying in bed at 11:30 at night, remembering that I hadn't posted today, and had to get up and take a picture of something in a state of panic. there were also some days that I was rushing without wi-fi to make it before midnight to get my picture online. I have no idea why it became such a big deal, but I liked that I had to find ways to be happy about anything, even the little things. it also taught me that I don't always have to be happy about something big and obvious. yes, it made it a lot easier to Instagram a picture when I was at an event or hanging out with my friends, but if I was having a bad day or was by myself, it was a lot harder (that's where some of the "throwback" pictures came into play). even though I complained a couple of times about how exhausting it was, and that I understood how people gave up on the eighth day, now that i've finished it, I recommend anyone to do it. this challenge just makes life so much fun, and really highlights all the joys and blessings you can find in your life. it was a great experience, and I hope to do something like it again soon! you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. co-parenting

well, i've just returned home from spending a week "parenting" (and woken up from my nap to sleep off the exhaustion) - but let me explain that a bit more. so this family is like a second family to me, i've been babysitting for them for years and the parents are like my own. they went on a missions trip last week and asked me if I would be interested in living at their house and watching their kids. they even brought up the idea of having one of my friends live with me and be my "co-parent" for the week. when I said yes, I didn't really know what the week had in store. coming back from it now, I can say with confidence that it will definitely be a long time before I have kids of my own. let me tell you some of the adventures and lessons I experienced from my life this past week.

kids are messy, sometimes gross, and really weird

they probably have a busier and more fun-filled social life than you do

they have to be constantly reminded about tasks...a lot

sometimes they walk at a glacial pace and you have to keep a hand on their back and push them to keep them moving

you have to pick your battles - some things are just not worth getting worked up about

the house will NOT stay clean...ever

more often than not, the house will be chaotic

kids need to be reminded about the difference between "indoor" and "outdoor" voices

keep an eye on everything...kids lose things very easily

when looking for said lost items, look in the weirdest places imaginable

cooking dinner can take longer than you think - don't forget to defrost items before hand

don't open a box that says "do not open"

make friends with your neighbours...they can be very helpful and kind when you have no idea what you are doing (or when your co-parent breaks the kitchen sink)

lots of time can be killed having the kids play toys in the bath

be sure to arrive at the school early if you would like to get a parking spot

know the directions to places before you try to go there

if there are siblings, the younger one is most likely going to copy whatever the older one does

if siblings are fighting, sometimes you need to just let them fight it out. sometimes you need to pull them apart before they kill each other

the way to talk to a kid can determine how they take things - communication is everything

and finally, you need to make things fun! don't be afraid to experiment and try new things :)

well, I hope you enjoyed my "parenting-advice-from-a-non-parent". it was definitely an adventure, and I think I might be willing to do it again...eventually. sleep is just too high on my priority list right now. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. David's tea

up until recently, I had never heard of a "David's Tea" and I sure wasn't a fan of loose leaf tea. I just thought it was weird, and I didn't like the thought of tea leaves everywhere and it was just going to be a mess and...oh man was I ever wrong. at christmas, our city got our very fist David's tea in the mall. it was super exciting for a lot of people and I just didn't know why. my friend got me some as a present and I was willing to give it a try. I may or may not had about six cups of tea that day. regardless, I was now hooked on this new way of drinking tea. when I actually managed to build up the courage to walk into one of these stores, it was very intimidating. there were tins of tea everywhere. and I didn't actually know that you could buy a cup of hot tea while you were right at the store (even better!) so, I think the staff working could tell it was my first time in there because I was just fascinated by everything. I left the store in a daze and a teal paper bag contained my new favourite tea. the next time I went in there, I discovered that I actually needed something to put the tea leaves in, otherwise it would just be a disaster. I went and got a professional steeper and some more tea (because what else is new). it was at this point I discovered that having a David's tea so close to my school was going to be a very dangerous thing. i've declared every Thursday to be "David's tea" day. yesterday I may or may not have bought tea-infused chocolate. one of the greatest things about the store is that you don't ever have to look at the same thing twice. there is always a new tea, smell, or something else wonderful going on in there. they also give me free tea samples when i'm in the store, which is never a bad thing. so...the moral of the story is...I can be bribed with tea. also, if i'm ever lost in the mall, you should just look for me at a David's tea. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. fancy hotels

recently I took a trip to Atlanta for a conference. we were there for a few days, and being across country, we needed to spend the nights at a hotel. since the conference was sold out, we were going to need to book the room far in advance. what happens when you forget to book it far in advance and are then stuck with whatever place you can get? the results ended up with an extremely fancy hotel with some interesting twists. when we got there on Friday night, we discovered that a lot of other people were staying there (not to our surprise) and there was about a twenty minute wait for any elevator. so, for the next three days, we hopped on whatever elevator we could, rode it to the fifty-fifth floor (our hotel has seventy-four floors) and had contests to see who could run down thirty flights of stairs the fastest to get to our room. the second interesting thing was that there was no in-room wi-fi. well, there was, if you wanted to pay twelve dollars a day for it. that ended with us coming home at midnight from the conference and spending an hour in the lobby downstairs where there was free wi-fi. the actual hotel room was pretty decent, and had a very nice view of the city. but there were some other unexpected perks; I almost accidentally opened the water on the desk that cost four dollars, I accidentally opened the fridge and cost the room five dollars (which I then got taken off because I pleaded with the front desk and used my "Canadian charm"), and the in-room movies were eighteen dollars (there went our girls movie night). man, it seems like a lot of this would not have happened if I wasn't there. luckily, I wasn't the only one getting frustrated. the poor people at the front desk must have had some interesting names to call us as well. we probably used the phone about ten times within the three days we were there, asking the most ridiculous questions to them (i.e.: do you have a hot tub, do you have a deck of cards, do you charge for wi-fi, can I drink the water in the room?). there was also two ridiculous stories I must share. the first is when Natasha and I just wanted a couple towels so we could shower. we called down to the front and after an apparant "accent barrier", we opened the door to an employee holding fifteen towels. apparently one set has three towels, and the front desk heard us say five sets. the second story is when we ordered an extremely messy pizza and then discovered we had nothing to eat it with. we called down to ask for plates and forks and they took so long that we just used our hands and pieces of cardboard. after a good twenty minutes of finishing the pizza, we heard a knock on the door and opened it to the same, poor employee, standing with 5 full sets of plates and cutlery (there was only four of us staying in the room). we ended up just throwing the forks around at each other and eventually we found other ways to keep ourselves busy. by Sunday night, there was a significantly less amount of people. the conference had ended and we were staying an extra day. no longer was there a twenty minute wait to get to our room, no more lines in Starbucks getting coffee in the morning, and way less noise (although the people beside us could argue that was the next night for them when we left). all in all, it was a pretty good stay there and I couldn't have done it without the super awesome girls I was staying with. next time, we'll be sure to book our hotel twelve months in advance. you discover something new everyday.

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me vs. blue mountain

this past Thursday and Friday I went to Blue Mountain resort for a marketing competition. I wasn't participating, but my teacher made a community service assignment and needed volunteers. let's just say it was the most interesting way I could have gotten a 100% for the project. it started on Thursday afternoon when we couldn't find the place where the bus was meeting. it took us over an hour to get there because the highway was closed and the roads were awful. when we got to the resort, the bus driver had no idea where we were going, so we just drove around until he dropped us off at a random building. we went inside to check in and found out there was no record of a reservation for us. they told us to sit inside a lounge while they figured everything out. while we were sitting there, I made friends with some girls and said it would be really cool if our hotel rooms were close to each other. fast forward an hour and I am opening up the condo door where I am staying to their four faces. (we were all staying in the same house!) we unloaded everything and headed back to volunteer. we were assigned a team for a "quiz bowl" and had to escort them on and off the stage, and made sure they were in the right places. it was actually really intense to see them press the buzzer that fast and see how much they had to study! once that was over, it was time for dinner. the food there was delicious! we were able to go back to the rooms and just hang out and have fun. we were up until two in the morning just hanging out, watching movies, and giving me fruit punch that gave me hives. the next morning, we realized that we were supposed to be up at five o'clock and were extremely tired from the night before. we got to the hotel and discovered that we were not going to get breakfast before we had to start volunteering. but we were able to sneak in some muffins and other breakfast foods at the last second! Friday consisted of escorting the teams to their case study prep rooms, presentation rooms, and making sure they didn't cheat while they were working. the worst part was you couldn't talk while you were with them to keep everything official, and it was killing me that I had to stay quiet all day. but after that was over, we got to go to a really fancy gala dinner and get all dressed up. it was quite the adventure, and I only managed to cause one ruckus the entire weekend, when I got up from a table and started to take the tablecloth with me, knocking over most of the glasses and silverware on the table. overall, it was a really great weekend with tons of memories. you discover something new everyday.