que faisiez-vous le week-end?

reach © Raffaella Loro

Last year I spent the majority of May in Trinidad. I missed the real transition from winter to spring. I left the city when the leaves were beginning to turn and when I came back it wasn't such a shock to find that spring had arrived. This year, however, I have not had any happy escape from the inconsistencies of spring. I have endured it all, the early tease of warm weather, followed by a few spectacular thunder showers, and much to my dismay, a few days of horrid snow. But I think we might be done with Mother Nature's mood swings for a little bit. This weekend was particularly fine and I took it upon myself to leave the confines of my apartment as often and as long as I could. Mostly I just went for some aimless walks, wandering across the High Level Bridge half listening to really bad pop music on my iPod to drown out the sound of traffic beside me. I wandered through the residential areas of Garneau and poked about a bit on campus, but mostly I was just out for a random stroll. Destinationless walking is always a bit intoxicating. I usually want to go a little bit farther and don't really want to turn around. Eventually I would though and I would be a little bit disappointed passing by spots for a second time.

On Friday I realized that I didn't have any good walking shoes so I popped into a shoe store on Whyte with the hopes of finding some plain black leather flats that could serve as my summer walking shoes. Of course it would seem that anything over size 10 in women's footwear is deemed unfit for sale. It's not as if my feet are really that big. They don't look out of proportion to the rest of my body, they're not gnarled or unsightly, they're normal feet. So, why is it so bloody difficult to find shoes for them? Why is this my curse? I've gone to so many stores and it seems that the only shoes that come in sizes above 10 are these clunky things that you might put on an elephant with orthopedic issues. Needless to say I'm not impressed. I try to support local businesses and they fail to take my needs into consideration. But I digress.

Today I spent a lovely afternoon in the park with my friends Wade, Phil, Christy and Marc. We were a relatively quiet bunch today, snacking on our makeshift picnic and lying prone on an eclectic collection of blankets and beach mats near the water, some of us reading, some sleeping, and others still performing a hybrid of the two. I attempted to assemble my thoughts on the lecture I attended on Friday, but my brain needed a rest. Later I told it, later I'll let you think.

I spent the last bit of the afternoon watching my amigos toss a frisbee back and forth, snapping a few shots of the action (although my 70-200 would have been much better suited than the lenses I was using). I was reluctant to join in myself, mostly because my arm is completely erratic, but I've realized that is no excuse. Perhaps this summer will be the one where I learn how to throw a frisbee properly. I've already decided that this summer I will take golf lessons, so what's another goal to add to the list?