On the eve of turning 30

Thirty isn't such a big number. In popular culture it is some kind of gateway into old age, but I don't know if that applies to my generation.

I recently ran into a friend on the street, and when I recounted this later to a friend of mine, she got angry when I referred to my friend as a beautiful woman. "Girl, Krista, we are girls." This declaration of youth made me sad, why shouldn't we step up and claim our adulthood? Why do we need to hide behind a title we hated when we were 13? What is this stubborn denial of a number?

Tomorrow I turn 30. There is no test, there are no judgments outside of the ones I place on myself. I am happy, and have made some achievements. I have good friends, am loved, and love in return. Life is a beautiful adventure, one that continues far beyond my thirtieth birthday.

February 23-26 Saskatoon, SK

If you haven't realized by now, I'm just creating an itinerary...I'll update the posts as I go!

I also wonder how Regina ever got to be the capital of Saskatchewan!  I saw an episode of Corner Gas last night, and all of a sudden it makes sense!

February 22, Regina, SK

February 19-21, Saskatoon, SK, CANADA!

February 18, Malta, MT

February 16, 17 Sheridan, WY

February 15th Billings Montana

February 14th Idaho Falls, ID

Happy Valentine's Day to us!

We saw Zumanity last night....don't go unless you want to be groped by strangers!  Seriously amazing show.  Then we drove to Idaho Falls, and on the way stopped into a little family restaurant that had vomited red sparkles and hearts all over.  Luckily, we did not require a reservation!  Unfortunately, the only thing I could eat there was salad.  It came with half a small piece of ciabatta bread, and I had to request they leave the meat off.

Strange thing about the United States, they like to make salads as UNhealthy as everything else; warm bacon dressing seems to be a staple!  And don't even ask about Country Fried Steak!

February 12th LAS VEGAS

Can you blame me that this post is late?

Yes, Vegas is a fantastical place.  We could see the lights shining from two-hundred miles away (okay, maybe not two-hundred), and we saw the Hoover Dam.

We got our first taste of Homeland Security as we were waved aside from the road to the Hoover Dam and questioned about the contents of our truck.  We pulled out all our luggage at their request, and were deemed to have twelve pieces of official luggage.  If we had 13 pieces, we would not have been able to cross the Dam, as scientists have deemed that 13 pieces of luggage loaded with dynamite could seriously damage the Dam, but 12 would only be a minor inconvenience.  Lesson learned!

Prescott Arizona Feb 11th

Ah, you can tell the wine's vintage by how much the grapes glow!

This place was actually fantastic!  I had Pesto Angel Hair pasta, homemade and delicious.  Arizona is an amazing state, I highly reccomend it.  In one state (and one day), we went through desert and snowy mountains.

Border-sitting

We started off our wonderful trip with Visa troubles.  Not the credit issues everyone in the U.S. seems to be having, but the working papers necessary for border crossing.  We could have lied, but then we would have been blacklisted at some point, like my dad.

A Japanese Sushi place gave us meat dumplings...my fellow vegetarian taste-tested, and is now a raging carnivore....nope, he was just disgusted!

We got an all-the-all-the-outs-in-free call, and drove back to Toronto!  Our general manager and her husband drove the truck to California and I got a few extra days with my hubby!

Guess who I surprised in the bathtub!  Luckily he was alone...

Brace yourself...

Bracebridge, Ontario.  Population 15,682.

I dropped into a certain Crabby restuarant, and peeked at the menu.  Hmm.  Only option: Veggie burger.  Having experienced enough freezerburnt soy hockey pucks (in many more major metropolises), I inquired of the hostess "How often do you serve veggie burgers?".  She leaned in to me, looked furtively about and said "Don't tell anyone I said so, but you should go to Kelsey's!".   I smiled at her, and walked quickly to the grocery store: the vegetarian's Plan B.  

A package of fresh pre-cut vegetables for stir fry, Spelt Flat Bread, hummus and guacamole ran me $15, and has lasted for several snacks afterwards.  I ate my meal sitting on my bed watching 24; it had the added bonus of feeling like a junk-food binge.  

Bracebridge is in Muskoka, and its highlights include Santa's Village, and a Conveyer Belt Factory.  We drove past the factory, and had our minds blown by the idea of conveyer belts conveying conveyer belts, an Escher work of art.

The next day for lunch we were directed to a treasure of a spot, the Muskoka Natural Food Market.  It contained a plethora of health food, and sported a Vegetarian deli with cafe seating.  One rice bowl with mixed greens and tempeh later, I was feeling better about Bracebridge.

In preparation for avoiding roadkill

T minus 33 days until the big departure.

(slurp)

In a sentimental moment, I purchased a few cans of Staropramen beer.  I have worked only one other theatre tour, a brief sit-down at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and the featured beer that week at our regular pub was "a taste of Prague".  I have to say that it tastes better in the company of my husband, who I'll soon be leaving for much more than a week.

I also felt like lifting a glass to my ex (as of today) co-workers at the library.  I must have shelved the whole library ten times over in my four-plus years with the Toronto Public Library.   I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Parkdale and Bloor Gladstone libraries.  I'll always have a special place in my immune system for the patrons of those branches.  I've been inspired so much by the characters and friends that inhabited those libraries in my time there.  

This blog will be my outlet over the next few months, as I prepare and embark for a 16 week North American tour/road trip.  As a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I've had my run-ins with omnivores who'd like to stew me in meat juices.  On my honeymoon in Virginia, I was surprised to discover Prosciutto ham on the bruschetta, especially after explaining my diet to the waitress.  As she placed the steaming plate on the table, she said "Ooooh, you don't want that, do you.  I'm gon' get mah manager".  The good-ol'(and big-ol')-boy-manager of the restaurant (that featured a smoking section) asked incredulously "So where y'alls are all from, whaddaya eat?"  He kindly removed the item from our bill (but not the table), and suggested a baked potato minus the bacon.

I was lucky enough to have a kitchen at my disposal that week.  This time though, I'll be living off the road.  Wish me luck!