Worst. Day. Ever.

What better way to beat the worst day of work ever than 4 pints of beer with your minister....awwww yeah.

Day 2 of 3

Grrr....blogger is on drugs and pissing me off. It seems to have deleted the post I just made, but the gist of it was this: Rich and I went to Warwick Castle today, here is the proof.




More shenanigans found here. Enjoy!

The Happiest Boy Alive

I do declare myself to be the happiest boy alive. Y'see, it's like this:

I have today, tomorrow and wednesday off, however I didn't find this out until Saturday. At first I was angry because if I had known further in advance, I could have planned a trip to Ireland or something. I still looked into it, however it was quite expensive and considering that I had just been in Belgium a week ago, I decided it was better to stick around here (Rich and I may still go exploring tomorrow and wednesday, we'll see). It worked out for the best anyway, for this morning I hopped on my bike and just rode for a good 2 1/2 hours. And let me tell ya, it was beautiful! The weather was perfect and the scenery was amazing! Spring is definitely my favourite season.

I had no idea that Oxford had such gorgeous paths along the Thames and its various canals and waterways. It was awesome to go just out of town and see the 13th, 14th and 15th century buildings still standing there. I loved it! Now, don't get me wrong, I love home too, but in checking the weather, it's currently -2 degrees celsius there and you sure aren't going to find any 500 year old buildings where I come from! So anyhow, I'm just home for a bite to eat and to share this wonderful news with you folks before I hop back onto my bike and go back downtown for a housewarming party. There's going to be an easter egg hunt in the meadow! This definitely means chocolate, and there's likely to be beer involved too. Today really couldn't get any better.

I'll try and find a map of where I cycled and put it up here later...

Only YOU have the power to Save Toby!

My new friend Rich told me about this site this morning.

I must admit, whoever is hosting that site is a genius, even if it's of the evil, maniacal kind. I don't recommend donating any money to the bastard, but I do think the site is worth checking out...hilarious and clever, if nothing else...

More school?

I realize that they're expensive, but these look absolutely delicious and I'd love to get one...

(or from here or here)

Not a good, but great friday!

What a wonderful day! It went like this:

Work from 8:30am-noon...paid time and a half of course, since it was what they call a 'bank holiday' over here (statutory holiday for folks back home). On my way home, I stopped and purchased a folding bike. I've been meaning to get a bicycle for a while, and after witnessing a guy taking his folding bike on the train to Belgium, I thought that was the way to go (much easier to move and store since I don't really have a fixed address). It was used and I got it for half price (and from a bike shop, so I'm fairly certain it wasn't stolen).

After that, I went to a Good Friday service put on by hOME. There was less than a dozen of us there, but it was extremely powerful and really got me thinking. Quite glad I attended. Then, from about 3pm to 9:30pm, Rich and I hung out at his place. It was a lovely day and his room has a great view of a meadow. He gave me supper and Belgian beer. He listened to me fret and complain and wonder and philosophize. He is good people. We finished by watching an episode of the Simpsons on Channel 4...it was the one where Homer starts a motorcycle gang and calls it "Hell's Satans" although Moe's suggestion ("Christ-Punchers") was much funnier and had me laughing during my whole walk home. Rich lent me a copy of the new Jack Johnson album (I didn't even know he had a new album out!) which I am currently listening to, while reading a great e-mail from Matt! I have to be at work early tomorrow morning (7:30!) but for now, I am a very happy Langston. Quite possibly the best, most upbeat good friday I've ever had...

Chocolates, beer and waffles, man those Belgians have their act together!

Well, I'm back from my quick jaunt to Belgium. I gotta say, my soul feels refreshed... I think I just need that jumpstart every now and again to keep me going. The weather in Brussels on Monday was gorgeous, so much so that I spent a couple of hours in a t-shirt in the park, drinking beer and eating chocolate (the way every monday should be spent!) but the real kicker was Bruges...man that's a gorgeous place! It rained in the afternoon, but I just sought refuge (and Belgian beer) in a little pub on the water, and it was perfect. The sun came back out just in time to set and I had a lovely walk around the city before catching the train back across the channel. I think I might have liked Bruges even more than Venice...maybe.

Speaking of which, I think I'd like to take part in a new hobby. I use that language specifically because I don't actually do this yet, and I'm pretty sure no one else does either, but here it is: urban canoeing! That's right, canoeing through world famous cities! But it's tricky because you have to find places where you can easily enter/exit the water as well as see lots of the city. Bruges and Venice are definitely on the list, but I don't think it would work in cities like London or Paris or New York or Montreal where the river is too big and really only has one path. I want options, and I want to be be able to tour the place from my canoe, so that's gotta be like moats and canals and stuff. Does anyone know of any other places in the world where this would work? Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments section. Also, if anyone would like to join in my urban canoeing adventures, let me know and I'll sign you up! I need at least one more anyway.

I took lots of pictures, but I'm afraid I won't be able to post them until I get my laptop back, whenever that may be. Actually, I could probably have them put on CD...or just use someone else's computer. We'll see. At any rate, have a somber Good Friday, a joyful Easter Sunday and a relaxing Easter Monday. I'll be working all of those days, but dreaming of Bruges. God bless all.

'SPRING CLEANING' or 'EVERYTHING MUST GO!' or 'OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD' or 'FREEDOM THROUGH SHAVING'

Well I realize that it has been a while since I've updated this thing. The past couple weeks have been strange...maybe I'll elaborate more later, but probably not.

So, after working six 8 1/2 hour shifts consecutively a few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to get the hell out of Oxford the next chance I got (as well as progress on Matt's challenge of visiting 23 places for the first time in my life during this year), and it turns out that this will be tomorrow and Tuesday. I booked a train to go to Brussels via the chunnel. I think it will be nice to have a couple of days to explore and remind myself why I'm over here, as well as to just generally think about life and the future. I need to refocus myself again, and in preparation of this, I shaved my head and my face, with clippers I borrowed from Jim. Gone are the shoulder-length locks and the beard. With spring around the corner it's time to shed the cocoon and face the world anew. It's a physical representation of an inner change.

Well, I'd like to write more, but I have to be up in 6 hours to catch a bus to London and then take the underground to Waterloo station followed by the train to Belgium, so I must bid you adieu. Adieu.

The British Empire is a Great Thing

Ok, so maybe the British Empire wasn't a great thing for everyone when it existed (like, say, the Indians) but now that colonialism has more or less had its hey-day (with a few exceptions...*cough*afghanistan/iraq*cough*), it turns out to be rather beneficial.

In thinking to the future, I found this:


"The visa allows a stay of up to 12 months from the date of first entry to Australia, regardless of whether or not you spend the whole time in Australia.

You are allowed to do any kind of work of a temporary or casual nature, but work for more than three months with any one employer is not permitted.

Australia has reciprocal Working Holiday maker arrangements in effect with the United Kingdom, Canada......"

and:

• New Zealand will grant 2,000 young citizens of Canada Work Visas or Permits for a working holiday annually.
• Visas or permits allow a working holiday of 12 months.

To be eligible

You must:

• be a citizen of Canada when you apply
• satisfy us your main reason for coming to New Zealand is to holiday, not work
• have a minimum of NZ$4,200 available funds to meet your living costs while you’re here.

So who knows what the future may hold...I'm just throwing a couple thoughts out there...

Short Posts

Sorry for the short crappy posts lately...I've been working a lot and will be continuing to do so until early next week.

If you were hoping for an in-depth, introverted birthday reflection, well then I'm sorry I let you down (conversely, if you were dreading such a post than I'm pleased to have spared you!) My birthday was simple yet fun. Rich hosted a party for me at his place and a bunch of folks from hOME turned up. A good time was had by all. At least, I think a good time was had by all. A good time was had by me for sure.

I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday, either in person or by e-mail, voicemail, text, MSN message, blog comment or some other medium I've forgotten. It's nice to know that you all care :) In related news, I have decided to publicly accept Mattyboy's challenge to visit 23 places for the first time in my life this year (seeing as how I am in Europe and 23 years old). We will have to agree on the exact rules, but I propose that every major city count as a 'place'

I never know how to end these things...I don't want to leave my thoughts dangling but I feel like I've typed 'ok that's it for now!' too many times....

Ok, that's it for now!

Birthday Confessions

I must confess that I am an information junkie, and because of this, I bought myself two early birthday presents today.

The first present I bought from Allders, which is a department store in downtown Oxford that is going out of business or moving, I'm not sure which. Anyway, I was going to go to the library to check my e-mail, but a sign on the front door said that their 'air-handling system' had broken down and was being repaired....the library would open a 1pm which was 15 minutes from the time that I read the sign. I decided to kill the time by wandering around Allders which is next door to the library. Since they are moving and/or going out of business, they have reduced their remaining stock to ridiculous prices. Anyway, as I was wandering through the toys and games section I came across a clock that is powered entirely by water. That's right, there's a big digital LCD on the front, and you make it work by filling up the back with water. A frivolous purchase? Perhaps, however it struck me that where ever I travelled, there was likely going to be water available. This means I'll always have a working clock and calendar no matter where I go, and I'll never have to pay to replace batteries! How much would you pay for such an amazing device? Well, they originally sold for £15 (if they actually sold any at all), but I got mine for £3.75. At a bargain like that, how can you afford not to buy one? Hurry folks, before they're all gone!

My second purchase was a bit of a bigger ticket item, and cost me £50. That's right, a days wages, or the cost of a flight to somewhere in Europe! But I reckon it was worth it. What was it, you ask? A computer! That's right, I'm such an info addict that I bought myself an old computer to use while my laptop is being repaired. So what did I get for my 50 quid? Quite a lot actually...a monitor with speakers built-in, a keyboard, a mouse, a mouse pad, the cpu and a lift home (which was awfully nice, since I was going to haul it all back on the bus). Now, just for fun, I have created the following table to compare my laptop which is being repaired, with my new computer:

Computer:	Laptop	Clunker
CPU Speed	3200 mhz	100 mhz
Hard Drive Space	80 gb	3 gb
RAM	512 mb	64 mb
Optical Drive	Read: DVD-ROM 16x, CD-ROM 48x, Write: DVD-R 4x, DVD+R 4x, DVD-RW 2x, DVD+RW 2x, CD-R 24x, CD-RW 8x	Read: CD-ROM....8x
USB Ports	4	0
Firewire Ports	1	0

And so on and so forth...that being said though, I'm actually pretty impressed with what this thing can do! It will play MP3's off of my burned CDs (mind you it won't do much else simultaneously) and it can almost play MPEG1 video files at full speed. It has no problems running Firefox or Outlook (Outlook 97 that is), and really, e-mail and web access is the main reason I bought it. I bet that when my laptop finally gets back here, I can sell this thing for £50 again, or maybe even more. Hell, I saw ads in there for monitors like this one which were advertised for more than £50!

So happy birthday to me! I would show you pictures of my new toys, but like the table says, this thing has no USB ports ;)

Why I Love the CBC

Another short entry...

I was just reading this story on the CBC website about how the United States is abolishing the death penalty for those under 18 years old. The story itself is nothing special (other than the fact that news about not killing people is always a good thing), but the end of the article has an ironic, passive-aggressive jab at the United States while still maintaining the air of professional journalism. It is executed (pardon the pun) in perfect Canadian fashion:

"Other countries that have used the death penalty against people younger than 18 are Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia."

Amazing.

Let's Go Eat Babies...

Well, I can honestly say that when I moved to Oxford I never expected that I would see Manchester’s lesbian vampire cabaret queen singing songs about zombie cannibalism, but that's exactly what I saw last night at the Hammer & Tongue poetry slam...and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

I would write more, but I kind of like the mystique that is left with those words alone, so I shall end it there.