Diary of a Transient

Photography by Teresa Christiansen
You can find a clearer version of this photo and more work by Teresa at www.stillawake.deviantart.com

I freaking LOVE MY LIFE!!!!

During the winter, I tend to forget how much I absolutely love swimming outdoors. Lakes, oceans, rivers....yes, please. Being submersed in natural water makes me so happy. Especially the ocean. That water is so magical. So old, yet fresh.

It amazes me to think that I'm swimming in water that could've very well washed up on the shores of the Mediterranean/Europe/Caribbean. It's all connected and It really just puts everything into perspective for me. As soon as I even think about going to the beach, I am immediately happy. When I finally get to submerge myself in the vast depths of the ocean, I'm completely blissed-out. All my problems/worries seem to float away with the tide.

I've recently fallen in love with night-swimming. The privacy and quiet are like nothing else I've ever experienced. When I'm underwater, I can actually hear the little pebbles on the shore moving with the waves as they crash on the beach. Swimming by the light of the moon and the phosphorescence is so beautiful. I went the other day with a friend of mine and, because it was after 2am, the moon was setting into the water as we swam.

Sigh. I love where I live. It's absolute paradise.

So I went to this punk show tonight, which is kind of a big deal because I haven't been to a show or moshed in probably close to a year. It was really awesome because I got to hang out with Lindsay and Brett and hear the awesome music and breathe in other peoples carbon dioxide and sweat molecules. LOVELOVELOVE.

BUT

I REALLY WANTED TO MOSH AND ALL THOSE 17 YEAR OLD CRAZY-ASS, SEXUALLY DEPRIVED TEENAGERS WERE FUCKING THROWING PUNCHES, MAN! Now I'm no wimp, and I can handle a few fists to the ribs, but they were totally OUT FOR BLOOD!!! One kid was even trapping people's heads in his hoodie! WTF?>???!!!! I WANTED TO MOSH, NOT GET A FIST TO THE FACE, FUCKERS!!!! and, luckily, I didn't....but i feel jipped. I feel like I have blue balls or someshit. There's all this leftover adrenaline in my body and it needs to escape!

SO, next time you're in a moshpit and some kids are fucking shit up for the rest o' yas, dig up the balls that i obviously didn't have and KNOCK THE FUCKERS OUT. Mosh pits are not an excuse to punch someone in the face! They are for moving to the music and releasing aggression in a HEALTHY way. Pushing, OK. Jumping, PLEASE! I can even handle low elbows and fists, but when they're at eye level? COME ON. That's just mean.

ARGH! I'm gonna go listen to some hardcore and scream for a while.

Walking to my own beat tonight,
boots undone, hitting the cold, wet concrete of this quiet, small place.
wondering about my intentions
wondering what the fuck i'm actually doing
wondering if this is all just a game...? or more than that?...
we've been doing this back and forth thing for 6 months now and I'm ready to finally
get to the point.
because I see you watching me watching you watching me.
I feel my heart race when our bodies touch.
I see you grin when I'm being cheeky.
should I have closed the door all the way tonight and looked into your eyes?
would you have pulled away as I inched closer?
I wonder what you would've done if I had put your hand on my heart tonight..... 

Finally, after 6 months, I feel at home here on the coast. I have friends, I know my way around, and I'm happy here. It's so beautiful. I've been taking late-night walks down by the water [I'm only ten minutes from the beach!].

I'm starting school during the second week of January. More education about photography! YAY! I'm really excited....especially since I just got a new piece for my camera that allows me to use a studio flash!

Right after school is finished in April I will be [hopefully] traveling back east to be a farming apprentice until November. I'm not quite sure where yet, but i'm trying to work on a specific farm two hours from Ottawa [closer to Guelph]. If I don't get accepted there, then i will hopefully get accepted by my second choice, which is a farm just an hour outside of Montreal!

I'm really excited because I really want to learn how to be an organic farmer AND I've been wanting to go back east for a long, long time. Most of my family lives in either Toronto or Ottawa and I miss them a lot. I hardly know them! I want to check out Montreal, too. I hear great things and I think I would love it. Who knows, I might end up staying there for a while after my apprenticeship is over....

...and, if my financial situation is favorable, NYC here I come!

I gazed up at the clear, starry night sky and sang Regina to you tonight.
Could you feel it?

I'm getting this big tattoo on my arm in two days.
I'm nervous and excited and anxious and excited.
It's my first real tattoo. and its big. and it's BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
It's an adaptation of this:



wish me luck, lovelies!

I just got some lame news from the big city.
The house I was going to move into on the drive is no longer available!
The landlord and current tenants had a big miscommunication and now they're staying until the house gets torn down.

On the bright side, there's a two bedroom suite available two blocks away from the place I was going to move into!
How cool is that?
Rent is going to be a little more expensive and it's a lot smaller....but it's in Vancouver and I will be living with one of my best friends. AND it's on the Drive. Which is basically a necessity for me right now.
It's also more of a long-term situation, which is very appealing.

I'm pretty disappointed right now. I don't really want to pay that much for rent but, these days, rent is ridiculously expensive!
How's a person supposed to save money and better themselves when they're paying upwards of $500 a month in rent?!
Plus internet, hydro, phone, food, school, transportation, fun,etc...??!!!

Solutions:
Internet:-leach off of someone else's connection.
Phone-try and get the best deal you possibly can!
Food-I know it's kind of gross, but dumpster dive! There's one place behind a vegetarian food bank and it's pretty clean and yummy. Also, there is free dinner at a Sikh Temple in East Van Mon-Fri at  7pm, and lunch at a Hindu Temple by Main Street on Sundays at 2pm. Then, of course, there are food banks around town to get basics and non-perishables.
School- is there any way around paying for school? I guess it depends on what you're trying to learn....ie. apprenticeships, teaching yourself....
Transportation- ride a bike! You can find reasonably priced bikes in this city if you're not picky about style. Vancouver is SO bike-accessible! Plus, it's fun and gets you in shape :-).
FUN- fun is free. Most of the time. If not, volunteer for events that you want to go to. You'll meet awesome people and be a part of the love. Also, sometimes there's a deal like "Free before 10pm" or you could get on the guest list.

I need some free furniture for my new place, so if you see anything cool in a back alley somewhere, grab it! Or, tell me about it!

Hannah aka HONNOH THE HOMO just surprised me at work! I just got off and was just about to enjoy myself a first sip of Irish Cream Ale aka KILKENNY and then, low and behold! Hannah comes and gives me some lovins!! :O WHUUUUT!>??? In my lil tiny town? One of my bestest bestests??? woooah. wow. and everything in between.
We played pool and sucked ass, but won. ha.

I've been listening to a lot of Incubus lately. They are just a bunch of friends that make music together and are so so good. Plus, Brandon Boyd is so beautiful. It kind of weirds me out that in every music video i've seen of theirs, he's shirtless....hmm.

I love Incubus. You should listen to them. You will like them. i promise.
I'm coming to Vancouver tomorrow. We should snuggle in your bed. I'll keep you warm.