I went offline for a few days and a lot happened! Here are the details, with photos for your viewing pleasure.1. I spent a much-needed long weekend on the west coast of Vancouver Island in a lovely little oceanside cabin in the woods. It was so nice to relax after the whirlwind and stress of the last month and as I was graciously treated to a free trip, I didn't have to worry about money either!Me on the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet2. Bad news and then good news ...
A step in the right direction.
A few good things have gone on lately, which is a nice change!I took my new mask and snorkel out for a spin in the pool last night and they were awesome! Mask was a little foggy, but I might not have gotten all the manufacturer's film off the inside, and also my face was super hot because I was working so hard. It won't be like that diving (especially since the water is so much colder) and also I'll be using anti-fog spray when I dive, so I'm sure it will be fine. The semi-dry ...
Keep it on the cheap.
Cubicle Throwdown's Guide to Keeping it CHEAPI have been reading a lot of blogs and websites lately and gotten some good tips on downsizing your spending before a trip (see my post recapping all the links here). I have a few of my own so I am going to share them here to add to the wealth of knowledge on the old interwebs.First, a disclaimer. I am not going to eat packaged ramen and Kraft Dinner every day just so I can go on a trip. I feel like if you're down with that, you probably don't ...
Linkity link link.
This post is mostly for me to keep track of some great links I found, but if you stumbled upon my blog looking for tips on how to get out of the 9-5 grind then these will help you too!Vagablonding's travel tips to get good travel deals - looking forward to seeing more from Ariel as she gears up for another trip (bonus - she was in Roatan and you can read all about it on her site!). She has tons of interesting posts (including a video of her eating a fried spider in Cambodia...putting ...
A case of the Mondays.
I have a total case of the Mondays. Not loving it here right now! It's back to being regular rainy and gross Vancouver weather and that just bums me out even more.This is my desktop background photo, I like to look at it every day when I'm on the computer and pretend I am back there walking up and down the road. I can see my friends houses, the dive shops I did my courses at, and the bay where I did my confined water dives! I like showing this photo to people who don't believe me when I say ...
The things we do.
It's Sunday night and still nothing on the job front. I'm disappointed. I had no idea it would be this hard to get a part-time evenings/weekend job. I don't live anywhere near the big box stores in the suburbs...I guess I could get a job at one of those, but it would probably be an hour of transit each way. If it comes to that I will, but everyone cross your fingers for me that it doesn't!I did manage to get through the weekend without spending any money, and even made a tiny bit! It was my ...
New toys, new money.
An updated budget!But first... diving porn. Here are my new toys:That's right folks, this is the Atomic Aquatics Frameless Mask and matching SV2 Semi-Dry Snorkel (and if you know me, you know I love purple!)I got these bad boys (girls?) at the IDC Dive Shop thanks to the super awesome Royse, who so kindly gave me a discount on my purchase as I waited around the shop for a long time for him one afternoon while he helped other customers. They ...
What I do for a bad day.
When I'm having a bad day, I watch this diving video. It's in Grand Cayman but it looks similar to Roatan's reef (not as good though!) and the person who shot the video has a really nice camera so you can get a good idea of what it looks like when you're diving. This makes me happy, especially when the turtle comes in!I will have an updated budget post tomorrow! ...
Wanderlust.
a story for tomorrow. from gnarly bay productions, Inc. on Vimeo.Is it possible to be happy with this life? Did you enjoy your story?Um hi, I'd like to sign up for one super cute bearded boyfriend who wants to travel the world, have the most fun ever, and document it all so beautifully. ...
Penny pinching.
I came across a really helpful guest post that Alex from Alex in Wanderland did for And Then She Saved called 8 Ways to Save Money While Travelling (Part 1 of 2). I am looking forward to reading part 2 of 2! (And I loved seeing the photo in the article of the Salva Vida from Alex's trip to Roatan!) I am totally addicted to the And Then She Saved site right now... this girl has gotten herself out of over $20K of debt and has a lot of tips for saving (including ...