Happy Epiphany! Normally if I was home, I would be celebrating this day with a run that used to be the number of kilometers as a friend's age (who is now in his 60s or maybe 70s!), so today I will do the same, but probably many less miles than normal! So, happy birthday John! Today I will run your age in km, drop the zero!
Every year I like to make a list of the things that I learned over the year or the new things I discovered and for the last few years I have made it a list of the number of things corresponding to the number of the year. (*Side note: last year one of them was "overnight bikepacking." My how things have changed!) So this year I will give you 24 things that are new to me this year, in no particular order!
1. New to me states. This year, I visited three new to me states, Montana, Wisconsin and Michigan. I really enjoyed all of them, and their specific beauty, as well as the people that I met in each of them. I still have a few left on my list to visit, but I am now up to 43 states visited so far!
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| Montana |
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| Wisconsin |
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| Michigan |
2. Sleeping with strangers. On my bike trip, I stayed with hosts through the Warmshowers network, which is a network of people willing to host a dirty cyclist and sometimes even feed and entertain them. I met a lot of very nice people through this, but I will admit to being a bit nervous the first time I did it. Luckily everyone was super nice, I got to learn about the local culture, and hear stories of their time on the road (most of them are also cyclists).
3. Bike maintenance. Over the last year, I fixed about a dozen flat tires. However, this was already something that I knew how to do. What I did not know how to do and am now good at was how to assess certain problems, like adjusting my derailleur, changing my brake pads or replacing my chain. These were not the most exciting new things to learn but they did come in handy!
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| Fixing a flat |
4. Bike terms. Before this trip, I called the thingy on the back of the bike with all of the teeth on it that the chain goes around a "sprocket." Folks, it is not called a sprocket; it is a cassette. There is also a crank, a bottom bracket, and many other things on the bike that I learned about, sometimes the hard way (I had to replace my bottom bracket, which cost me an arm and a leg!)
5. Native lands. I rode through so many different native lands, and many of them have information about the tribes there. I enjoyed learning more about the natives and first nations as I pedaled through.
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| Map found in Nova Scotia, with my lines of where I went |
6. Fun with AI. As you know from some of my posts, I have been playing around with AI a little this year. The best thing so far has been a table of places I could run or hike near my Airbnb with mileage and possible lunch options on the route. I have not tested it out yet by running there or trying the food, but it is a fun way to get some ideas. I am also enjoying making pictures, like this one below!
7. Pronunciation. After reading Kae and Julie's blogs for a long time and completely pronouncing their family member's names wrong, I finally met them in person and learned how to do it right! Kae's husband is E-van, not I-van and Julie's daughter is May-ah, not My-ah. So now you know. (PS I also pronounced Hermione wrong for a long time in my head, and finally heard it said out loud and was surprised!)
8. How to use a GoPro. I bought a GoPro in 2023 with the intention of using it for hiking and biking adventures and the first time I used it, I filmed my lap and handlebars for several videos without realizing it. I have gotten a little bit better at it since then, but still find out new things, like last week I found out that there is an "action" mode that I have never used. Oops.
9. Too many things about computers. You were all there with me
when I bought a new laptop and learned way too many things about RAM and GB and graphics cards. Something I have not told you though is that Costco has a 30 day price match policy, so I checked the price and it had gone down $300, and Costco adjusted it for me!
10. How to ride a bike in the snow. This is not very fun and I do not really want to do it if I don't have to, unless maybe I got a fat bike. However, it was beautiful, even though I suffered!
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| Near Burney, CA |
11. Video calls make everything better. When I arrived home after being gone for nine months and saw my Mom in person for the first time, it did not feel like I had been away so long. We have a weekly video call and it really made it feel like we had been seeing each other the entire time. I almost forgot that I had not hugged her in nine months!
12. Any coffee is good coffee. I already knew that I could pretty much drink anything due to camping and drinking a lot of instant coffee. However, in the last year, I have had instant, drip, filter, French press, Nespresso, espresso, Tim's, Starbucks, gas station coffee, Kurig...and more! And sometimes an instant coffee and powdered creamer latte on the side of a trail in the rain can be the best coffee you have ever had!
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| Coffee with ice cream in it! |
13. More exercise is better for stomach issues. During my cycling times, I did not really have any issues with bloating! However, once I stopped, sometimes my tummy got a little sad. I think that burning more calories really helped the food to not just settle in the tummy and fester, and I felt so much better when I was active.
14. People are wonderful. I already knew this, but had a great time meeting up with people for walks before leaving the Bay Area, and then meeting so many people along the way! This just cemented the fact that I do actually like people and that people are good! Sometimes the news or social media makes me feel otherwise, and we all need a reminder that there are good people out there!
15. Dogs are okay too. I would not call myself a dog person, but I did have dogs growing up and I did love them. Of course, my Dad trained them and so they were well behaved dogs. I have realized recently that I don't dislike dogs, but I do not really enjoy badly behaved dogs, or their human owners. There is nothing worse than being on a leashed running trail and having an unleashed dog run up to you and jump on you while the human tells you that "he's friendly!" However, I have been with some pretty good dogs in the last year and they have warmed my heart (even Jelly, the crazy Cavapoo, has calmed down a little and now we are better friends).
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| My brother's dog, Freddy |
16. But cats are still better. Sorry dog lovers! I still like cats better. As a pet sitter, cats are so much easier. You can leave the house all day and come back and they are fine. You don't have to walk them; they are often not as needy. However, I did love getting out twice a day with the dogs! But cats are just so much more chill.
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| Volunteering with J at Petco |
17. Verbal journalling. Since I was riding, I often would use the Recorder app on my phone to record audio while I was riding. I tried to do this every day if I could, and would sometimes also record notes for other people and would send them a voice note of what was going on. This saved me having to rewrite it later after I was done riding. Also my app also transcribes and so later if I do want to write a journal, it will be very helpful. I feel like it was like my one line a day journal essentially and sometimes I would talk for a half an hour and sometimes only five minutes. However, I have started to go back and listen to them and it is very fun to hear how I felt nine months ago when I was just starting out.
18. BC has free established camping. In British Columbia, if the provinical park campground is not yet open for the season, you can duck under or around the gate and camp there. Also, there are sites called Recreation sites, that are often free and first come first served. However, some of the rec sites are $10 or $20, depending on where you are.
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| Sunshine Coast |
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| Chain Lakes |
19. People in Ontario have a stronger "Canadian" accent. I kind of knew this, as one of my good friends grew up in Toronto and she says "so-rry" instead of "sari" like we say in California. I also noticed more "ehs" in Ontario than I did in other places. I could be biased though, as the west coast Canadians sound a lot like Californians, so maybe I just did not notice their accent as much.
20. Routing and rerouting. I did a lot of routing and rerouting on the fly for the bike trip. Even though I know how to map, and do it a lot for hiking trips, this really put me in the deep end of bicycle route planning that I had not really been in before. It probably also taught me that I do not need to prepare ahead of time for EVERYTHING, as often that was not a choice and I turned out okay.
21. I can live with just my phone. I was without a laptop for a while and although I do not love it, I can do it if I need to. Isn't that funny though, as there have been so many trips in the past where I did not have a computer, and even ones before that where I did not have a phone, and all of them were just fine (remember mapquest? Or having to ask for directions? In French?) It also maked me really happy to have my laptop back when I finally got it. I defintely took it for granted before!
22. Toilets and hot water are awesome. Speaking of taking for granted, I knew this before but let me say it again, having a toilet and a hot shower is priceless!
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| Even this is better than digging a hole |
23. New to me Provinces. I had been to Ontario to see Niagara Falls when I was younger, but had never really strayed into the rest of the province, so I will call this a "new" one, and also I made it across New Brunswick (but did not stay the night so I will not count it) and into Nova Scotia! I also explored Quebec a little more, and stayed in Montreal for a couple of weeks! Overall I am happy with the time I spent in Canada and can't wait to go back for more!
24. How to sell a house. It feels like that was a long time ago, but it was only last year that I sold my house. I am so happy with the realtor that I picked, as I basically got rid of all of my stuff, quit my job, and left, and he did everything to prep the house for sale, including working with all of the contractors, plumbers, inspectors and electricians! I just wrote the checks and he did everything. It was actually not that bad in the end.
And there you have it! I learned a lot more things, and definitely saw more new places than I could list here, but all in all, I say 2024 was a good year for new things!
What new things did you learn or do in 2024?
Wow! What a year you had. Lol, any coffee is good coffee I AGREE JUST GIVE ME THE COFFEE. It's so interesting to hear regional accents. There is a podcast where the host says rum and ture instead of room and tour, and I just think it's so neat to hear how different everyday words are pronounced.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I say SORE-ee, just as a comparison.
DeleteYeah, my friend from Toronto also says SORE-ee (and she says it a lot)! However, she says Pah-sta like I do, not Pa like Cat Pasta. Do you say Cat Pasta or Paw Pasta? I know I definitely say things differently than some, like I would say CRAN instead of Cray-on, or Car-Mel instead of Ca-ra-mel. But I say sorry like Sari!
DeleteOh I definitely say cray-on and car-a-mel, but how do I say pasta? Paa-sta I guess?
DeleteI'm over here trying to figure out the difference between tour and ture. I think I might have that accent. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I could list 24 things I learned this year! Certainly none of it would be as exciting as some of the items on your list! What an exciting 2024 you had!
I say TOO-ur, I think that's the Canadian coming out in me!
DeleteI say "too-ur" as well! But I grew up in ND and have been told I sound Canadian, especially when I say words like about.
DeleteNow I am confused. How are you supposed to say it? I think I say too-ur? But maybe I say tore. My grandmother (from Mass) would have said toua (no R!)
DeleteI had a boyfriend from MA who said "tore"! I say "toor" rhymes with moor.
DeleteWhat a terrific list, and what a huge year you've had. I'm so glad you took all of us along with you.
ReplyDeleteThe best coffee always has ice cream in it! (Gosh, I learned that a long time ago, and didn't even have to leave my little house LOL.)
I agree with you about cats v dogs. The very best dogs, to me, are someone else's. I love dogs and am fascinated by them and all the different breeds. I watch dog shows like it's my job. Yet, I know that I don't want to be a Dog Owner. Dogs are worky. I prefer cats.
Yes! Dogs are fun to borrow and take for a run! Also, re ice cream, in high school we had a cafe that made a java shake -- espresso and vanilla ice cream, and it was the best thing ever! I am completely on board with ice cream and coffee!
DeleteThis is literally the first time I've ever heard of someone putting ice cream into coffee, but it's perfect that I heard it from you first!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Maya was May-ah. I have definitely been pronouncing that wrong and my head. And is it E-van or E-von? I thought it was E-von (like Yvonne)? Until you told me about it when you were in NS, I 100% thought it was I-van.
I just sent you a voice memo. LOL!
DeleteHaha! Kae is on it! Yes, it is not I-van! But I know that all of you have had trouble with my name too, because when you read it, it is hard to sound out! And you must try an affogado next time you are in Italy! They are the bomb!
DeleteHaha, you are not alone in mispronouncing his name! Actually, it's not even that people mispronounce it, they just say it with the English pronunciation (Ivan, like Ivan the Great), whereas in actuality, there is an accent mark over the "a". (I can never figure out how to make the accent mark on blogs!) Also, the letter "I" in Spanish is pronounced like the English "E". So, yes, it's really like.... "E-vahn" (or like Elisabeth put, E-von would work too?), I would say. With the stressor on the 2nd syllable. No worries- we often just introduce him to people as "Ivan" (English version) because it's easier and people get confused otherwise. Haha.
ReplyDeleteI would hazard a guess that if he is like me, he will just go with it. My name is Greek and most Americans do not speak Greek, so it is okay. Really only foreigners pronounce my name perfectly!
DeleteYou had quite the year and learned a lot of things! I also learned how to pronounce Ivan's name as well! Except I would type it out as "E-vaughn". The 2nd syllable is pronounced quite differently than I would have thought! It sounds like sophisticated! Ha!
ReplyDeleteLet's see, I learned that my company has a "flight risk" list and that I needed to find a way on it. I have no way of confirming if I made the list or not, though, but have pushed more for comp than I have in my entire year. I learned that infusions aren't as terrible as I feared they might be.
I just conjured up Vince Vaughn in my head....but yes, that is probably more phonetic!
DeleteOh, do tell more about the flight risk. So they won't give you a raise unless you basically are about to jump ship? Am I reading this right?
I had dinner with a former manager in Sept and she told me that I would have a better chance at a change in comp if they felt I was looking around/frustrated enough to leave the company. I was the good worker who kept her head down and was thankful for a long time but hit a wall in 2024! Maybe from prednisone rage. lol.
DeleteWell I am glad that you finally stuck up for yourself and am keeping my fingers crossed that you get a raise!
DeleteThese are 24 good things to know! I can't wait to hop across the border to see more provinces and to confirm that Ontario folks have stronger accents - I believe it but I can't wait to get boots on the ground and hear it for myself.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm Team Dog, but I will admit that the disadvantage is that dogs don't purr and you have to be involved to some extent every time they use the bathroom.
I'm not sure I learned anything in 2024 besides that I really do not like my job. But I had a fun time going places and meeting people! Here's to less work and more going places/meeting peeps in 2025!
Hah! You learned a lot! You learned about lighthouses, you learned to meet up with people who you had never met IRL before, you learned more about biking and hiking, you learned about being a dog mama!
DeleteThis is an impressive list. Funny, I pegged you as a dog lover, probably because of the posts when you were dog sitting. I am with you as far as dogs that are badly behaved. I had the unfortunate experience of living with a dog (my son's) who was badly behaved, because my son (not surprising to anyone) did not train the dog well.
ReplyDeleteI have not thought about what I learned this year. I learned more about the foster care to adoption process and lots more about SIBO and low FODMAP. Basically I learned stuff that wasn't all that exciting.
SIBO and low FODMAP suck, that is true. I got so fed up (ha! pun not intended) because I basically found out that I do have SIBO but there really is not much you can do about it, so MEH! You know the drill. Some things we learn are not fun ones that is for sure. I guess I could have included a few of those too, like how to sit on the side of the road in the rain patching a flat tube...and many others!
DeleteHa. Fed up . . . That’s hilarious. I thought getting diagnosed with SIBO was the answer but alas, then I found out that there is nothing I can do aside from barely eating. Not gonna happen.
DeleteI love these! I have questions about your recording app that can transcripts half hour recording? which one is that? I agree that that's a great way to journal on the move. And video calls are much better than call/text, you remind me to do more with my mom.
ReplyDeleteI am learning new things about planning trips with this NZ trip, will share soon.
I use Google Recorder, but if you have an iPhone, I think there is a Voice Memos app, or maybe the Notes app would work? I love Google Recorder though; it also backs it up on the cloud, so you can access them all from your computer too and even send them to people, so I would often record my Mom a note while I was riding and send it to her once I had service.
DeleteSo many things *I* learned in this post and the comment section, haha! I did not know the way Kae's husband's name was pronounced NOR how J's Maya was pronounced. In other pronunciation news, I say "tore" for tour and pah-sta for pasta.
ReplyDeleteI think I could live with just my phone but blogging would be a lot more frustrating, lol. I like having access to my laptop for that!
My mom and I started Facetiming during the pandemic and haven't stopped! Although we see each other regularly anyway, ha.
I agree re the phone for blogging; I hate it! However, I can do it, but it is not my favorite. In fact, the new laptop I bought is a 16 inch screen with a ten key, that is how much I hated using my phone! I love how close you are to your Mom and I know having her as a friend has been priceless!
DeleteLOL that you included my Maya's name in your list. She's named for my sister, who (of course) also pronounces it that way. It's because of a song that my dad and her mom loved way back in 1970, which was a hippy song that sounded like they were chanting 'Maaaaaayyyy-uuuhhhh'. I need to find it I guess. People have been correcting us since she was born, including one of the nurses at the hospital and the director of her preschool. She said, "Is it OK if I call her My-uh, that's how I think of her". I wish I had been quick enough to say, "Can I call you asshole, that's how I think of you." I wasn't, though. My sister Maya has met one other Maya pronounced that way in her life, maybe 2. So yeah. We're saying it wrong. My sister says it's like a New Yorker saying 'Mayor'. HA! Oh, and I used to work with a woman whose husband was named Ivan, and she pronounced it like Yvonne (that's how I heard it, Yvonne is my middle name).
ReplyDeleteThis was a great list. I like cats fine, and they ARE a lot less work. But dogs are the best. Though poorly behaved dogs, or off leash dogs in general, are not my favorites. Those pictures at the top, Wisconsin et al, are stunning.
Well I have to say, coming from a person with a hard to pronounce name, that it is a huge pain when you are a kid, as nobody can pronounce it right and I was embarrased by this and did not want to correct them. Of course now, I just talk it out, but when I was young, I did not know how nor feel comfortable doing that. I love your line about A-hole and I totally agree. You don't get to choose how YOU want to call ME!
DeleteThis is SUCH a fabulous list, Kyria. I love reading about your adventures. Forty-three states!!! That is amazing. The photos you shared are stunning.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow cat lover (who is happy to admire dogs!! no dog hate over here!) your point about caring for cats really resonates. I am also with you on dealing with people who appear to be kind of oblivious about other people's reaction to dogs. We have a neighbor with a puppy who is darling, and my kid loves the puppy, but the owner seems a little lax when it comes to training. The puppy will come bounding toward me, off leash, when I'm walking around the neighborhood, and while her enthusiasm is adorable I could do without the jumping and the puppy biting. (She ripped a hole in my favorite fleece leggings the other day so I may be a little extra salty about it.)
Yes! I think they are cute but prefer they leave me alone or are quiet at least! I think I have been spoiled though, as my Dad must have done a lot of work to train our dogs or we got really lucky!
DeleteNow I really want to know how you pronounce your name! Have I been saying it wrong in my head all this time?
ReplyDeleteYou learned so many cool things this year, and I enjoyed reading about your adventures. I love dogs and cats, but cats are definitely easier. But moodier.
Cats are moody, but so am I, so we give each other a run for our money! My name is pronounced like Curious but without the "s."
DeleteI found you via Julie at Thinking About - what an amazing journey you are on! I love your list of new things, I am stealing it as inspiration for a post, hope you don't mind. Nice that you visited Ontario, I suppose I do have an accent but I've often been told I sound a bit American. Having worked with folks in the Pacific northwest US I find the accent there similar. I'm a dog lover, and would love the convenience of cats (my daughter loves cats) but both my husband and I are allergic. Looking forward to reading more of your feed :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Feel free to use it to your heart's content! You probably do sound like an American, but I wonder if it is a Midwest American. I think a lot of people from BC sound like Californians, which is to say that they don't really have an accent to me! Except that some of them do say Paa-sta instead of Pah-sta!
DeleteBelated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely learned a lot in 2024! Oh, and thanks for reminding me about Costco's price adjustment policy. I finally bought my husband a laptop so I should keep an eye on the price to see if it goes down.
"Toilets and hot water are awesome." LOL Yes, I agree! When we were hiking in Alaska, our guide had spots where he designated pee stops for women and pee stops for men. A woman who is an expert hiker (as opposed to me who's not), very helpfully asked me if I've ever squatted to pee and gave me pointers how to do it! I have, of course, done it many times before and I was surprised to hear from her that she knew/met many women who didn't know how to do do that! LOL
I love both cats and dogs and have/had both...but dogs are more work, for sure. But they also make you go out for walks so depending on the day, I like them a bit more than cats. Our very rambunctious Siberian Husky is definitely a lot more work -- and the shedding!!! But he makes up for it in his personality!
Happy everything to you too! As for the squatting to pee, that is funny that some people don't know how. To me that is like not knowing how to swim or ride a bike; I just assume everyone learned when they were young! However, I know that is not true! I was in Frankfurt and the public restroom had four stalls, but the last one in the row was a squat toilet and you should have seen the looks on these ladies faces when they saw it was free and went to use it! Basically nobody wanted to use it! So I used that restroom several times and there would literally be a line of 10-15 women waiting and none of them would use it, so I would cut in line and use it. I was with my friend's 10 year old and she had to go and I asked her if she wanted to try it and she was game, but it was her first time. It was funny, as I guess they thought it was weird or gross? But I will use anything, a bush, the men's room, whatever, if it means not having to wait in line!
DeleteHi! Daria from momofchildren. Happy new year and happy belated Christmas. What new things I learned or did in 2024… Paris metro map… Italy’s coffee culture (I needed like 4 espressos to fill my cup lol). Jiu jitsu rules, Socratic seminar with students (amazing). Learned how to say no and slowly work on my email boundaries and people pleasing tendencies.
ReplyDeleteI am laughing about your Italy comment, because I went to Rome with some friends and one of them used to order four espressos and an Americano and then ask for a togo cup, and the Italians would look at her SO SIDEWAYS.
DeleteLearning how to say no is hard! But once you get more comfortable doing it, it is life changing!
What a beautiful amazing list!
ReplyDeleteI've never even considered biking in the snow, but with all our snowy weather this week, I've contemplated it, and the thought terrifies me.
I used to think I needed my computer to blog, but I just got a bluetooth keyboard for my phone and iPad and it is LIFE CHANGING!
It really is the keyboard that is the most important; that is true! I hate pecking with my thumbs or fingers on my phone.
DeleteHa, I definitely mispronounced "Hermione" for a long time, and it wasn't just in my head- I was reading aloud to my son. We were both very confused when we heard the correct pronunciation! I did figure Kae's husband's name was pronounced E-van but I didn't know that about Julie's daughter, Maya!
ReplyDeleteI definitely didn't learn as much as you did in 2024, because I didn't get myself out on amazing adventures like you did. "Live and learn" is really true!
Haha! I am glad I am not the only one re Hermione! I called it Her-moyne. Oops! Even though you didn't get out on as many adventures, you learned stuff! Some of it is more local, or more family oriented, but I think there are always things to be learned.
DeleteSo many new things in 2024. What a fun list.. Isn't it amazing that we can not imagine the things at the beginning of a year and then looking back it sometimes has become so easy. Or it is so far in the past that it almost becomes unimportant? I should pay a little bit more intention towards what I am learning. Good reminder.
ReplyDelete