A man consumed by wanderlust

wanderlust noun [mass noun]
a strong desire to travel: a man consumed by wanderlust
- ORIGIN late 19th cent.: German, literally 'wander year'.


I think wanderlust is one of my favourite words in the English language. It is just so perfect. It describes the longing to travel, to be elsewhere, in the most particular way. It's not a complicated word. It only has one meaning. But the connotations whisper of Romance and adventure to be found. It's quite delightful. I've been rather afflicted with this particular ailment for years now, but like many illnesses it flares up more strongly every so often. The past six months or so have been particularly bad for me. That longing to go somewhere and experience something new has been so strong. I'm trying to think of moving as the ultimate fulfillment of this desire; in fact, I think that my perpetual wanderlust is what has made me choose a school so far away. And when I'm successful in considering the move as a grand adventure it becomes far more exciting than it is terrifying.

Harry Potter

I just got back from (finally!) seeing the last instalment of the Harry Potter films. So good. So so so good. At the risk of sounding like a total nerd, I am sad that they are done. Perhaps I will have to go see it again.

I know that this photo has pretty much nothing to do with Harry Potter, but it is a castle. Blarney Castle to be specific. And one of the things that I've always loved about Harry Potter, again, at the risk of sounding like a total nerd, is imagining that such a world does exist, all full of magic and amazing things. I mean, come on, how cool would it be to go to school in a castle?

The Old Stones Whisper

For some reason when I sat down to put this post together I had a hankering to look at old architecture. So I headed straight for the photos from my Europe trip, in particular the ones from St. Patrick's Cathedral. This picture is definitely one of my favourites from that trip. I like how the window is lit up and just jumps out at you. There is something amazing about really old buildings. Think about it. All of the stone work was done by hand. Isn't that crazy? There were probably people who worked on some of these structures who died before they ever got to see the completed product. And they are just so impressive. Old buildings have a certain ambiance about them. They are hushed and reverent and alive with the past. It is almost as if the buildings themselves are alive. I know that sounds weird, but I can't think of another way to explain it. It is as if every person who worked on the construction of the building and each person who has valued it since has left a mark. New buildings don't have that same sense. They haven't been lived in enough to have a really history in them, and the sense of craftsmanship just isn't there. That's not to say that a building has to be hundreds of years old to have that sort of breathing life, but I think it does have to have a past. It's like memories accumulate in the cracks in the walls and the corners of rooms. You don't know what the memories are, but you know they are there. They make the place come alive. I really wish there were more old buildings around here for me to wander through. I find them very peaceful and restful and relaxing.

Inspiration in a Teacup

You must know that you can swim through every change of tide.

Okay, technically this inspirational quote comes courtesy of my teabag rather than my teacup, but "Inspiration in a Teabag" just sounds weird. One of my favorite teas is Egyptian Licorice by Yogi Tea. Seriously delicious. For some reason a lot of tea companies feel the need to put inspirational quotes somewhere on their packaging and Yogi is no exception. I guess it's part of that whole tea as part of a wholistic healthy living experience. Anyway, Yogi tea has quotes on the little paper part on the end of the teabag string. I've been drinking the stuff for long enough now that I was beginning to believe that I had read them all. Well, either I've missed some or they have started putting new ones on the packaging, but either way, I rather enjoyed the one that I got today. Even though life is pretty smooth sailing for me at the moment (at least in comparison to the past few months) I think it's an important thing to remind oneself that you can make it through anything. I think this is especially true in the good times. Now, don't get me wrong, I think that this is going to become a bit of a motto for my life when things get rough, but sometimes I find things like this end up sounding trite and empty when I'm in the midst of whatever it is life has thrown at me. It becomes more of a case of gritting my teeth and hanging on for dear life than really believing deep down that I'm going to make it through alive. I think that when things are good is the time to really ingrain these kinds of things into my brain. That way when the going gets tough hopefully it will be easier to keep believing it.

This picture is from the grounds of Blarney Castle in Ireland. It was a grey, rainy, windy day (hey, it was spring in Ireland, what did you expect?) and right as we were approaching the castle we passed this river/creek and it was so swollen from the rain and the water was just rushing by. I'm me so I took a picture. It seemed appropriate for this quote.

Asking for Directions

In Dublin, all the crosswalks are labelled like this. At least, the ones in the touristy areas are. It's because they drive on the opposite side of the road and they don't want people to die because they were checking for traffic coming the wrong way. The instruction is nice. Wouldn't it be great if life was like this? Had directions painted on the road, maybe some nice signs along the way? I am starting to formulate an idea of what I want to do with my life. But it's more of the "when I am 25, I would like to be..." kind of idea. Right now I still feel like I'm floundering. I feel like I have too many interests and can't choose what to focus on. I would just really appreciate a very clear indication of what I am supposed to be doing RIGHT NOW, as in this summer. Don't get me wrong, I like having ambitions and dreams for the future, but they are so tenuous. The smallest change now could make them impossible or completely change my mind about what I want. I just feel a little lost. But then again, doesn't everybody feel lost from time to time? I think it's just part of growing up.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I figured that in honor of today it would be appropriate to share a photo from Ireland. I took this one looking out from one of the towers of Blarney Castle (and yes I have kissed the Blarney stone). It rained pretty much the whole time we were in Ireland (big shock, I know), but man was it a beautiful country. Definitely on my list of places that I must go back to.

It was actually kind of grey and rainy (well okay, it was more misty than rainy), which seemed incredibly appropriate for St. Patrick's Day. For all the waxing poetic about sunshine that I do, I actually really enjoy grey, rainy days sometimes. It smelled wonderful this morning and the air felt crisp and clean. Plus, when the weather is like this I like to imagine that I'm somewhere like Nova Scotia or Ireland. Perhaps that is weird, but it keeps me sane so I'm okay with it. Unfortunately, my St. Patrick's Day celebrations consist of paper writing. Since I'm not really one for crowds, beer, or drunk people this is mostly okay with me except for the fact that I am totally experiencing some major writer's block (although this blog entry seems to be coming together just fine). Oh well. Back to it!