Matt and Caitlin Bingham

The Binghams rock Quebec and Ontario

2010-07-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

A week ago we got back from a fantastic trip to Quebec and Ontario and we've both struggled to get back into the swing of things with heading back to work and other commitments. Despite this, it's been nice to be back in Victoria with friends and family.

We started our trip in Montreal, staying with our good friends Mathieu, Claudia and their trilingual wonder-child, Fenix. I (Matt) had never been to La Belle Province before, so it was an eye-opening experience. Besides shrieking out things in French almost constantly (mostly when we were driving), the other fascinating aspect of Montreal was the people-watching. The Binghams are avid people-watchers, so the city was a large helping of grist for that particular mill! One conclusion that we both came to: Quebec breeds a LOT of short men. Interesting. We was also able to spend some time (though not nearly enough!) with the lovely Michelle, librarian and humourist/blogger extraordinaire.

One of our favourite sites was St. Joseph's Oratory; the architecture and stories behind the place were fascinating and we spent a couple hours there. We hit the Old Port, Le Village, the shopping districts (Queen Bingham definitely enjoyed said districts), Mount Royal (as we Anglophones call it), Jean Talon market, and the National Library (of Quebec, which isn't an actual nation. Classic Quebec!). Mathieu and I even took in a Montreal Impact football match in the pouring rain, which was a fun, if cold and windy, experience for the two of us! The food in Quebec is fantastic. Of course we had poutine (twice) and I had one of the most incredible meals of my life, accompanied by neon green melon sangria, at a restaurant in the Old Port called Jardin Nelson (click the link, the place is gorgeous! We ate in that garden in the back, which was stunning); I had a crepe called the Newburg, which was stuffed with seafood and this incredible sauce. Caitlin thoroughly enjoyed her meal as well, but I doubt anyone there enjoyed their meal as much as I did! Here is a selection of shots from Montreal:

A couple shots from the Oratory:

Lunch with Michelle and Mathieu at a funky restaurant after the Oratory trip:

Caitlin at Jean Talon market (she loved the garden centre):

The Binghams on Mount Royal:

Caitlin et Claudia:

Fenix, keeping it real in his stroller after a lot of walking:

Matt on some strange sculpture outside the Science Centre:

Our next stop was a highly relaxing week in London, Ontario staying with James and Hilary. We got to see almost everyone we wanted to and it was wonderful to catch up with the community that was so vital to us during our year spent there. It was like nothing had changed: much laughter, good conversation, and excellent food were in abundance! There isn't a lot else to say about London--there isn't a whole lot to see, so for us it was all about the people:

Jimmy gets the flip in the pool:

Pat, Jeff, and Jolene (who looks a bit stunned!):

With the Michael, El, and little Gordo:

Matt with the man, the legend:

At Grand Bend on a gorgeous afternoon:

From London we took the train up to Toronto for what was the main reason we'd come to Ontario: Caitlin's cousin's wedding. They were very close growing up and so there was no way that she was going to miss Melissa's wedding. We had a wonderful time and the wedding was easily one of the most enjoyable we'd ever attended: small, great food, fun people, and a great setting.

Caitlin doing the reading during the marriage ceremony:

The two of us got just enough time during the evening to fire off a couple self-takes--only this one makes the cut:

Caitlin and Melissa, the beautiful bride:

We had a wonderful time out East and it was so great to catch up with people we love, but the funny thing about going away is that it can do a good job of reminding you how much you love home. We were happy to get back to BC, the non-humidity, and the smell of the ocean. However, we hope that we'll make it back East again sometime or, better yet, that our friends will take us up on our offer of coming out here to see us!

March already?

2010-03-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that we're already into March!! Caitlin and I have been incredibly busy with various and sundry things. The weather in Victoria has been incredible thus far in 2010 and we've taken advantage of it to sneak a couple of bike rides, some walks, and a hike in during the last couple months.

Caitlin is now working three jobs, which keeps her happy, but on-the-run. She is still working casual for Canadian Blood Services; she's doing ESL tutoring for two students at her alma mater, St. Michael's University School; and she's working for Landeca, an integrated property services company, doing office work. She hasn't been getting much work from CBS lately, so her days are taken up working as many hours as she can at Landeca (no shortage of work to do, I'm told) and tutoring three afternoons per week at SMUS.

I, too, am busy being a (Renegade) Librarian Super(model)visor at Central Library and still enjoying my work very much...most of the time! Each day bring with it new challenges, new people to deal with, new issues, and exciting things to accomplish.

The two of us celebrated our birthdays in February, Caitlin on the 22nd and me on the 3rd. Our small group had a party for the February birthdays (our friend Rich shares a birthday with Caitlin) down at the Bard & Banker Pub--as you can see from the following pictures, a good time was had by all:

The birthday girl with the Rentons:

Erin gazing lovingly at her husband, Anthony:

The birthday boy, Rich, with his wife Kathleen:

Andy and Jennie-Lynne, looking all...Renton-like (?):

The whole gang (minus the people on the side I couldn't fit in!):

Here are a few other scenes from the last few months:

Caitlin and I making the '2010' sign on New Years Eve:

My sister and brother-in-law, me, and the Rentons celebrating on NYE:

The lovely Caitlin gives 2010 her seal of wifely approval:

My poor little nephew Ryan being woken up at about 1:00 in the morning on New Year's Day--he was not a happy camper!:

A slightly creepy pic of our cat, Neko, sitting under the lamp beside the couch, one of her favourite spots to veg:

We don't have much else to report other than that all is well on the Bingham home front as I type this and we hope that the same goes for you, our readers! Until next time!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-12-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

I realize it's a bit late to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, but better late than never. We had a lovely Christmas in Victoria, spending time with our families and relaxing. We loved that it was not a present-fest, though we did enjoy watching our 17-month old nephew open his gifts. Here is one of our favourite images to come out of this season:

Our nephew, Ryan, loves to be read to and he was very into Thomas the Tank Engine! Anyway, we wish all of our readers a very happy 2010--God bless!

Fall update

2009-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

We have neglected our blog for far too long, the last time we published being August. It's been a really enjoyable Fall for us and it's hard to believe that Christmas is fast approaching!

September was an eventful month, especially for Caitlin. She began her six-week TESL course at Victoria International Academy and found it...challenging, though not necessarily from an academic point of view. However, she excelled (as she always does) and finished the course in mid-October, garnering the top marks in her class. I (Matt) did my best to support her through her course and I must say that she did an excellent job of balancing the demands of school with everything else we have happening on an ongoing basis. I was able to take off to see Pearl Jam in Vancouver with my buddy Jason on September 25, which was a riot. It was my fifth Pearl Jam show--can you tell I'm a big fan? We also crashed with my good friends Dave and Kyle and it was a lot of fun to catch up with them, however briefly.

Caitlin and I had an incredible holiday in Maui in October. We relaxed, enjoyed one another's company, ate great food, beheld beautiful scenery, and enjoyed being in a place that's completely different to where we live. We fell in love with the pace of life there--check out our photos here. When we arrived back in Vancouver, we got to go to the U2 360 show with my sister and my brother-in-law. It was fun to see the show with Laura as the band are a big part of our growing up together and the boys did not disappoint--I, personally, found myself getting pretty emotional at certain points in the concert. The sound is pretty crummy in BC Place, but it was still worth the trip and we had a good time hanging out with Laura and Curtis.

November saw us getting back into the swing of things after our time away. For me, with the provincial cuts, work stresses have increased and I have had to be making a lot of big decisions that will impact both staff and patrons in 2010. Despite this, it's been very good experience for me as a young professional and apart from the occasional strains and frustrations, I am still enjoying my work very much. Caitlin was hired by Canadian Blood Services as a casual Donor Services Rep and she has been enjoying her training and the people she works with very much. She also got her own business cards for her private tutoring business, which were designed by the good folks over at Ameris, and will be working on establishing more contacts so that she can tutor when she's not working at CBS.

We've both been enjoying and Advent and are looking forward to Christmas--though it's difficult, we hope to be able to slow down and reflect as this season means infinitely more to us than the consumer-driven holiday that it has become. As I type this, snow sprinkles down outside our living room window and I am struck with just how blessed we are. We pray for a safe and restful Christmas season to all who read this. God bless you!

introducing...Neko

2009-08-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

After much subtle and not-so-subtle hinting, Caitlin finally got her wish of getting a cat. Recently I had been put under a bit more pressure by my lovely wife to invest in feline companionship. For approximately...the duration of our marriage she'd politely asked me if we could get a cat and my stock answer was always "no, not in a million years." I have been willing to acquiesce to almost every other request Caitlin has made of me, but I had never been able to bring myself to say yes to getting a cat. I still do not really know what changed my mind, but changed it was and thus Neko has entered our life.

Without further ado, Neko:

The character appearing in some of these shots with Neko is called Angry Bird. We don't know why, that's what it said on the package. These days, Neko has settled into Casa del Bingham very nicely and is learning how to be naughty (now that she is comfortable here), including jumping up on the counters/tables and scratching the couch and carpets. Good times.

New job and new (old) vehicle!

2009-07-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

I am now officially the new Librarian Supervisor at the Central Branch of Greater Victoria Public Library and it really feels great! I had my first day today and I'm very much looking forward to being challenged and learning a whole variety of new skills, not to mention getting to supervise and interact with an exceptional staff each day! I moved into my office and spent a lot of time meeting with my boss. It's going to be s steep learning curve, but I'm up to it!

Caitlin and I also just purchased a sweet new vehicle and by new, I mean that it's 19 years old! Behold the new Bingmobile:

It's a 1990 Nissan Axxess (double x = so cool)--a mini mini-van! Caitlin absolutely loves this vehicle more than any newer vehicle that we either looked at or test drove! It's a total dorkmobile, but we're okay with that because it's perfect for hauling camping gear and our guitars/amps/people, plus it's in nice shape, has low mileage, and the price was right! What's not to like?! We're just waiting for an official name for her, which has been commissioned from a valued member of our circle and should arrive soon! Even as I type this, Caitlin is going on about how awesome this vehicle looks and how much she adores it. Earlier, she said it looks 'friendly', whatever that means!

That's all for now!

Voulez-vous aller camper?

2009-07-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have realized that the responsibility for updating the Binghams' blog has fallen to the Renegade Librarian half of the marriage and so I'm going to be doing my best to keep it up for those near and far who like to know what's going on with us.

*

Caitlin and I had our first camping excursion together with some of our friends a few weekends ago. Because I was working all day on Saturday we were only able to go up for one night, but it was such a fun and relaxing time. I love being outdoors and away from everything. Admittedly, our sleeping arrangement was not that comfy, but somehow I managed to get more sleep than I thought I would.

One of the other things we love about camping is the food because it seems everything tastes better when you're outside. My friend Rob made amazing gourmet burgers on these flatbread buns--they were an unforgettable taste sensation! We then sat around the fire that night and talked about...well, a lot of funny stuff to do with flatulence. Yeah, I know, we're a bunch of ten year olds! And the funny thing is, I didn't even start it!

A few shots from the weekend, compliments of Rob and the lovely C.E. Bingham:

We had a great time and look forward to getting out there again later in the summer! Thanks to the Campbells and the Andrews for inviting us up and feeding us! You guys are rad!

the little gardener

2009-06-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

We've been in our new place for a couple of months now and Caitlin recently decided that she wanted to overhaul the back garden, tearing out things she didn't like and replacing them with flowers that she loves. She also planted chives, rosemary, sage, basil, and cilantro. In addition, she was given a baby cedar tree that she transplanted and is now lovingly taking care of out on the back patio! Here are some pictures of the Bingham family's horticulturalist at work:

Proudly digging away, spade in hand:

We've got a lovely clematis that climbs along the trellis on our patio:

Carefully watering her new baby...

Seriously, this is one of the cutest pictures EVER of Caitlin:

Caitlin is very excited about the possibilities for our garden as well as her little planter of herbs out on the balcony! Stay tuned for more home improvements here at Casa del Bingham!

Casa del Bingham

2009-04-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus on our blog, we're back! We are all moved into our new place and are absolutely loving being homeowners. This place immediately felt like home and we did not have to "adjust" to it in any way at all. It's bright, inviting, and so far all of our loved ones have really enjoyed being here and we are winning rave reviews for our choice of home!

The move went very smoothly, though it was not the easiest move due to the fact that it was rainy. We were able to have everything out of our old place in an hour thanks to a first rate team of friends who were focused on the job at hand and were incredibly cooperative and gracious. Getting everything into our new place was far more challenging due to the 3-floor layout of our new home, complete with narrow, winding staircases between levels.

This has been so good for the two of us since we're both highly affected by the space we're in and our old place was getting both too small, was cold, and we were starting to find it a bit dark. We are feeling extremely happy and content as we settle in and we're close to being completely unpacked--getting the boxes of books unpacked has been something we've been actively avoiding, though it's probably my (Matt's) responsibility rather than Caitlin's! Everywhere you look here there's green: huge trees, beautiful flowers, and lawn space, which is one of the biggest factors that sold us on this place...

Rather than post all the pictures here on the blog, which takes a long time, we posted them all on Facebook and you can click here on this public link (i.e. you don't need to be on Facebook) to view them! We didn't bother with pictures of the bottom level because it's a front hall, a big storage room and laundry--not that exciting...

With the technical issues on this blog now all ironed out, we hope to be updating it far more frequently, so watch this space. Hope you enjoy the pictures and we'd love to hear from you via the comments forum--tell us what you think of the place!

the Christmas season

2009-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was much different than Christmases past as the bucketloads of snow Victoria received really threw a kink into our regular rhythms and celebrations. We found that we were unable to attend many of the traditional activities because they were either canceled or we were so snowed in and the roads were so treacherous that it made matters impossible for us out here in the country. We also had the misfortune to have to shovel snow for literally hours and hours over the course of four or five days: Here's what we were dealing with:

One non-family Christmas tradition that we were able to uphold was a trip to Butchart Gardens to see the lights. It was a freezing cold night and so it was the fastest trip through the Gardens we've ever had. However, despite the cold it was gorgeous night and the lights were lovely. As you can see, we had a good time:

Christmas Eve (the traditional family dinner with Matt's family), after we finished shoveling, and Christmas Day/Boxing Day with both families was very restful and relaxing. We truly enjoyed spending time with everyone we got to see. We took so many pictures, so we'll only post a few of the funniest/cutest, including my nephew Ryan as well as my father-in-law as Santa Claus:

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas season and all of God's blessings to you for 2009!

the pastor and the librarian rock Seattle

2008-12-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune of being able to take my best friend Andy down to Seattle to see the Seahawks play the Washington Redskins (his favourite professional sports team ever and that's saying a lot considering he is sports obsessed) on November 23rd. We took the Clipper down on the Saturday night, stayed in a hotel for a couple of nights and then returned to Vic City on the Monday morning Clipper.

Going through Customs was a lot of fun as we have the two most seemingly innocuous professions out there: minister and librarian. We were waved through pretty quickly when we played those cards! The hotel we stayed in was pretty...classic. Hot water? Yeah, not really. TV that worked? Ditto. Huge strip club across the street with giant, piercingly bright neon signs that cut through the black drapes? You bet! When we saw the latter, we both burst out laughing and it didn't stop for awhile...

The day of the game was something I'll never forget. We walked down to Qwest Field a couple hours early and met up with Andy's friend Kevin in the tailgate parties:

I had never seen anything like this circus in my life. There were literally vehicles (such as an old ambulance) that had been converted into tailgate party vehicles. People were drinking beer, flipping burgers and dogs, and munching on a variety of different snacks. Music was pumping and I was lost in a sea of blue (Seahawks jerseys!). Thankfully, most people were very friendly and when Andy walked into the aformentioned sea, no one gave him anything more than some pointed glares. Here I am doing my best (and failing miserably) to look like a badass in my Seahawks hat:

I bought said hat (in Victoria) as a security measure: I was not keen to get my butt kicked for being with Number One Redskins Fan (see above pic) and I wanted security to be kind to me when/if N.O.R.F. was getting pounded by Seahawk rowdies. Andy is the "throw all caution to the wind" side of our friendship. I tend to be the "think of every possible scenario and do your best to make sure the worst doesn't happen while taking care of Andy and appearing to be completely relaxed" guy. Plus, I promised his wife (and my own) that I would take care of us because we all knew that he was going to be too delirious with excitement to display any kind of common sense at the game.

Check out this (very drunk) guy, from Surrey, who made a point of letting us know that he had marijuana stashed in his pillowcase:

Yeah, he was a special one.

Quest Field was absolutely amazing and the two of us were totally awed by the sheer scope of it. It was a bloody zoo too! When we got in there, the Redskins were were warming up so we had a look at our seats and then headed down to field level to take pics and video. Here are some shots I captured of the stadium, the warm-up, and, of course, Andy in all his glory:

And then the game began. To make a long story short, our original seats were pretty good ones in the 200s, but no one showed up to these two aisle seats in the seventh row at the 30-yard line behind the Redskins bench, so we had incredible seats for the entire thing!

Andy wasted no time shrieking and yelling for the 'Skins, including pulling out twin cowbells and shaking them like a drunken belly dancer. The cowbells were a no-no and security came to tell him to put them away. He was also accused of drunkenness (after 1/4 of a beer, the only one he had that day) and we're pretty sure that he was mistaken for the very drunk Redskins fan beside him, who could barely stand. All-in-all, Andy was spoken to twice by security and once by a sheriff--not bad for a day's work. I, happily, was not guilty by association and was not spoken to once, other than being patted on the back and high-fived a number of times by Seahawks fans that were trying to get under Andy's skin since they knew I was with him. Here are some photos of N.O.R.F. in full flight:

Much to Andy's delight, the Redskins won the game, 20-17, helped by an interception thrown my Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck right at the end of the game when he had a chance to get the Seahawks in a position to score. This sent the many Redskins fans in our section into fits of ecstasy, including Andy, as you can see in the picture directly above. An interesting side note: the man and his son that were sitting directly behind (see picture below) were the cousins of Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, up from Oakland to catch their famous family member in action:

We had a great time in Seattle and it was nice for the two of us to be able to hang out together--the reality of marriages, families, and careers have made those times fewer and further between for N.O.R.F and I. I hope that we'll be able to make some kind of tradition! The following shots are one of the things I remember about the weekend: Andy eats/snacks constantly and these catch him at his best in that state of perpetual consumption:

Andy, I'm glad you had such a good weekend and enjoyed the game so much--it was probably the best birthday present I could have thought of and just seeing your face throughout that Sunday afternoon was worth every penny! Thanks to our lovely wives, Jennie-Lynne and Caitlin, for allowing their men to head off for a couple days and enjoy some memorable times and some exciting football!

November

2008-11-25T14:50:00.000-08:00

We are making an effort to update the Bingham blog more often for those of you who live far away and see little of us. We have been remiss in this, for the most part, so we're making sure that we try to stay on top of it.

November has been a good month for Caitlin and I. We celebrated my sister Laura's birthday on November 1st with a trip to one of her favourite restaurants. It is strange for me to watch my little sister grow up; she is now 27, a wife, and a mother. I remember walking her as a toddler and I also have clear memories of walking her to her first day of grade 2. Now, she's all growed up!

Caitlin and I also went up to Nanaimo a couple weekends ago for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner (late this year for a variety of reasons) with my Port Alberni family at the home of lifelong family friends of ours. The meal was fantastic and little Ryan, our nephew, was really well behaved...until the drive down when he screamed for the first 45 minutes to an hour! Here are some photos of the day:

Ryan in one of his peaceful times:

Ryan with my father, a.k.a. Grandpa Bingham:

This past weekend Caitlin and I went away to a lovely little place called Honeysuckle Cottage on Salt Spring Island, one of the southern Gulf Islands for those of you unfamiliar with the geography surrounding Vancouver Island. I had decided a few weeks back that Caitlin needed to get away for a weekend, so off we trekked to Salt Spring together on Friday after we were done work. It was a lovely time of renewal, relaxation, conversation, and beautiful scenery for the two of us. I had an opportunity to catch up on a bit of reading I had wanted to do, we watched a couple movies, went for a really enjoyable walk, had tea at a cute cafe and enjoyed some really good beer and red wine! We even got in a quick visit with my Uncle Ron before we left. Some snaps from the weekend:

It was tough to leave the cottage, but we'll be back there again, I'm sure! It's hard to believe that it's only a month until Christmas! We hope that you and yours are well and happy...

October

2008-11-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

As per usual, it's been a long time since we updated our blog because we've been crazy busy with work and life so we thought we'd take the time on this chilly, damp Remembrance Day to update y'all! October was a really fun month for us and so we thought we'd share some of the highlights with you:

At the beginning of October Tim and Connie Bailey, our close friends from London (Onterrible), came out to the West Coast for their anniversary and stayed a night with us. It was totally fun to catch up with them and great for me (Matt) to be able to talk with Tim, who I really look up to. We also took them to Noodle Box, a Victoria tradition, which they totally loved, as you can see below:

It was actually really tough for us to say goodbye to Tim and Connie--they are the kind of people that you wish were around all the time and who are so incredibly comfortable to be with, even though it had been exactly a year since we'd last seen them (in London, England!).

We also had the pleasure of seeing our nephew Ryan dedicated at church. He screamed when the pastor was praying for him, despite the pastor thinking he had "the magic touch." It's obvious he'd met his match with Ryan Matthew Thiessen, who has a real set of lungs! Here are a couple shots of him in more peaceful times:

Next up came one of our favourite annual events, The Place Retreat. Every year, members of our church spend a weekend up at Pioneer Pacific Camp on Thetis Island. This year's Retreat was probably the most enjoyable one I've been on and it was a great chance for Caitlin and I to catch up with some good friends as well as meet some new people. We even had the privilege of closing the annual Open Mic with a couple of songs. Here are some shots from the Retreat:

With Brad and Christine:

A sweet self-take of Caitlin:

Matt and Randy, pastor extraordinaire:

The view from the lodge:

Caitlin and I playing at open mic:

We also had the opportunity to participate in Victoria's Gulu Walk, a worldwide venture to raise awareness for the plight of war-affected children in Northern Uganda. After the walk, we hung out and had some lunch with Jay Naz, also riding in his sweet Cabriolet (don't let anyone tell you that it's a girl's car!):

A sweet shot of Jay navigating the streets of Victoria:

A sweet rearviewmirrow shot:

As you can see, October was a fun month for the Binghams and now the march to Christmas is on! We pray that our readers are well and we're sorry we don't update as much as you might like--we hope to do so more often! Cheers!

Fall is here

2008-09-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's so hard to believe that it's September already! The kids are back at school, work is getting busier, all the fun Fall stuff is kicking into gear, and hockey season is quickly approaching!

The past few weeks have been both eventful and tiring--it feels like Caitlin and I are still catching up on our sleep. We're also both deciding what commitments to take on for the year and what, if anything, to jettison. Work is getting busier for me and I will be teaching a couple user education sessions this Fall, which should be fun.

We have seen the arrival of two precious babies in the past five weeks. My sister Laura and her husband Curtis had Ryan Matthew Thiessen on August 7 and then just a few days ago, on September 13, my best friend Andy and his wife Jennie-Lynne had Leilani Esther Dorothy Renton. It's exciting for Caitlin and I to be aunt and uncle and we are trying to, and will continue to try to, spend as much time with our newphew and quasi-niece as we can. We have no regrets about our move back to Victoria and know that we chose wisely as we absolutely love being near our family and friends!

Me and my namesake, Ryan Matthew:

Caitlin with Leilani:

On the subject of my nephew Ryan, I asked a fantastic artist I know if she would mind sketching a picture of him, of her choosing, and this was the incredible result, which we had matted and framed for my sister and Curtis:

When Caitlin and I were shown the result, we were reduced to tears because it was so beautifully done.

One of the other highlights of our summer, the majority of which we spent working, was our Labour Day trip up to Port Alberni to my father's place on Sproat Lake. We left early in the morning and headed on up there for a day of hiking, swimming, and a sweet Sea-Doo ride on the choppy lake--I was sore for a few days after that, but Caitlin sure loved watching us from the boat and firing off pictures! Here are a few photos from the day:

As you can see from the above pictures, a good time was had by all and it ended up being a gorgeous day, despite threatening to be quite unpleasant at first, weather-wise.

This Fall is going to be a busy time for the Binghams, but we're hoping to clear more time to spend with our family and friends as they are increasingly becoming even more of a priority for the two of us. We are also excited for everything going on with our church, though we have taken a month and a half off from music since we played almost every week this summer--we decided that we needed a bit of time off to recuperate. The month of October will a quick visit from our friends the Baileys and our church's weekend retreat on Thetis Island, which is always a yearly highlight, one we've missed the past two years as we were in Ontario and then Europe. In November, I am taking my best friend Andy to see the Seattle Seahawks versus the Washington Redskins--for some reason I can't comprehend, Andy has been a diehard Redskins fan since he was a boy and it is a dream come true for him to see his team live. I bought him the tickets for his birthday back in May. Yeah, I know, I'm awesome. You don't need to remind me...

We hope that this finds you all well and that you are as excited about this Fall as we are. Thanks for reading our blog and we'll try to continue to remember to update it to keep everyone apprised of what's going on in our lives. God bless!

post and pics with the new new nephew

2008-08-09T10:33:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are interested, a blog post with pictures of Ryan Matthew Thiessen, our new nephew, can be found here.

our adventures on the TreeGo ropes course

2008-08-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a selection of pictures of Caitlin and I on the TreeGo ropes course a couple weekends back. Ziplines, obstacles, craziness and all of it up to 70 feet in the air! Yeehaw!

Getting ready:

Looking intrepid and fearless:

With Suzanne, the birthday girl and the whole reason for this excursion:

Caught unsuspecting:

The Binghams prepare to scale further heights of daring:

Caitlin, a.k.a. Tarzan, launches herself into space on the rope:

Matt on one of the many big ziplines:

Caitlin scaling one of the most difficult obstacles, approximately 70 feet in the air:

A good time was had by all and we thank Suzanne for inviting us to this exciting and challenging little soiree!

Canada Day Roadtrip or Fun with Ryan and Cindy!

2008-07-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

We had an extremely fun Canada Day as we road-tripped to Coombs (three cheers for the goats on the roof!) with our friends Ryan and Cindy. It was a gorgeous sunny day as we set out at 9:00 in the morning in the Corolla (International Car of the Librarian) with my Oh Canada! playlist blaring (all Canadian artists, all the time!). We stopped at the Pioneer House Restaurant (?) for a tasty breakfast and then continued on to the thriving Coombs market, which was HOPPING. We bought some gourmet stuff from the market, the girls tried on hippie dresses (while Ryan and I talked man stuff like....power tools and stuff), and we scored sweet waffle cones full of ice cream delights. I also rode a bear:

Cindy opted for a more traditional steed, as you can see:

I wonder how successful I was at mimicking this fish's face:

Caitlin and I learned, much to our delight, that Ryan is able to mimic the bleat of a goat better than any human being alive--it's incredible! I thought I was going to stumble into traffic along the highway at one point because I was laughing so hard. That guy is SO money...

It was a really fantastic day of travel and better getting to know two people for whom we have a deep affection and respect. We both look forward to many more good times with Ryan and Cindy in the future!

a (much needed) summer apprising!

2008-07-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's already July! We really must be more diligent about updating our blog for any of you who use it as your primary means of catching up with us!

The most recent big news on the Bingham front is that I (Matt) got a temporary full time position covering a maternity leave for up to a year with Greater Victoria Public Library. I am the World Languages librarian for the GVPL system, in charge of all the non-English language collections available at the library. It is a big score and will be really great experience for me, though I there will be a lot to learn. I am nervous, but excited to face a new challenge.

Caitlin has been doing well at her job and is learning new HR skills constantly. She is also now biking to work every day and it's helping to get her into better shape. We went and got her some biking gear and now she is outfitted nicely and ready to roll.

We have had the opportunity to spend some great time outdoors, going for walks and a recent bike trip with our friends Frank and Megan, taking the gorgeous regional trail out of town. We put in close to 40 kilometres that day and it was fantastic--such a perfect day for cycling!

Caitlin and I are so excited for the upcoming birth of our new niece/nephew as my sister Laura and her husband Curtis are due to have their first child on July 31. Also, my best friend, Andy, and his wife Jennie-Lynne are due about a month after Laura with their first child. We're stoked to be able to "practice" with these two little ones before perhaps having our own in a few years (and by a few years we mean a few years, so don't get any ideas folks!).

Caitlin and Laura

Caitlin and Jennie-Lynne

As you can see, life is going really well for us and we are so blessed and fortunate to be back in Victoria with our loved ones. We look forward to what the future brings and we hope that all of you are well. We will try to make a concerted effort to update our blog more often as there is always lots happening with us and we want you all to keep in touch! Until next time...

sorry for the delay...

2008-05-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

We realize it's been a long time since we updated our blog and so much has happened to us over the past month! We have happily settled into our new home and are very much enjoying having our own space. Here are some pictures:

Here is our living room:

The living room from another angle:

The kitchen, complete with the sweet moveable island we bought to improve our counter space:

Our entrance/dining room complete with our china cabinet and sweet coat hanger thingy:

Our bedroom, small but cozy:

The view of the house from the road (entrance to our suite is through the carport beside my green Corolla):

The lovely green front lawn, which we have a great view of from our place:

The "compound", where Caitlin and guests park their vehicles (street is super narrow and therefore there is no parking):

The backyard is huge:

Another shot from in the backyard:

And a view looking the other way in the backyard--it's really gigantic:

So, that's our place! We are really enjoying it and we hope that the pictures convey at least some of its peace and beauty.

In other news, I (Matt) have been hired as an auxiliary librarian by Greater Victoria Public Library. It's been a long time coming and I am absolutely thrilled to be there--I have been welcomed with open arms and it has been great to both meet new people and also catch up with those whom I spent the better part of eight years working with previously when I was a page. It's wonderful to be a professional and finally be working in my chosen field. Thanks so much to all the GVPL staff who have made me feel so welcome over during my first few days on the job. I am really looking forward to my work and what the future holds for me. I have been told that I will be getting called in a lot and there should be no shortage of hours for me, which is encouraging.

Well, there's the long-awaited (by some of you) update from the Binghams. We hope you are all well--God bless...

moving day!

2008-03-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Moving day has arrived at last for the Binghams, and let me tell you, we're pretty stoked about it. It feels like our lives here are starting to settle down ever so slightly, though the Greater Victoria Public Library is still locked out. However, there are supposed to be mediated talks starting today, according to the word on the street, and so I am hopeful that they will soon find a solution to all the issues.

We will make sure to send out our new address to friends and family very soon so that you will all know how to contact us! Cheers...

Sooke B & B

2008-03-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great time last weekend at a B & B about 45 minutes outside of town near where we spent the first part of our honeymoon. It was my Valentine's Day present to Caitlin--we had a lovely lunch at My Chosen Cafe, a beautiful walk along the coastal trail at East Sooke Park, and a relaxing time hanging out in our cute little suite:

Our hosts, Peter and Gwen, were amazingly hospitable people. They met while working for the UN and had lived and traveled all over the world, thus they had some great stories to tell us. Peter was a great chef and the breakfasts were fantastic!

Next on the Matt/Caitlin agenda: the big move on the evening of Friday, March 28! We can't wait to have our own place...

high time for an update!

2008-03-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Well, we thought that it was high time that we updated our blog and let everyone know what's going on in our lives.

Caitlin found work with Microserve, the company she used to work for before we were married, as the Staffing Coordinator for their Victoria office and she is enjoying the work very much. I am still applying for jobs and waiting to hear back, as well as hoping that the Greater Victoria Public Library lockout/strike ends soon that I can have a long-promised interview, which we all pray will lead to some work for me. I am filling my time with lots of interesting things: seeing friends, volunteering, doing a bit of paid labour here and there, blogging, reading, and taking care of the day-to-day details while Caitlin works. I get discouraged at times, but life is too good and being back in Victoria is too wonderful to stay down for long.

We have gotten involved in helping out with the senior high youth group at our church (my best friend, Andy, is the youth pastor there) and that has been fun so far as there is a great group of kids that we are starting to get to know. In addition, I have been playing some music and Caitlin and I may be doing a show together at our friends' cafe downtown sometime in the next couple months, which is both fun and a bit stressful as we need to find some things to play!

We move into our own place in a couple weeks, which we are both very excited about. We are living in the lower suite of my mother's best friend's new house. It is a lovely large suite, very bright, with lots of storage and it is out in the country in a beautiful area! We are really looking forward to having our own space, as nice as it has been to be hosted by family and live rent-free! We bought a second car, after much deliberation, because Caitlin's work and my (hopefully soon-to-be) work made it necessary do so--there is no bus route where our new place is, sadly.

This weekend we are heading out to a bed and breakfast near where we had the first part of our honeymoon, which was my Valentine's Day gift to Caitlin. The spot is gorgeous--right on the water. We have our own little suite with a kitchenette and bunch of other amenities.

We always welcome comments and e-mails (mattyandcaitlin@yahoo.ca) as we love hearing from all of you, near and far! Until our next post, God bless and take care...

update (BIG news)

2008-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

We just wanted to give you all another quick update on our lives. Caitlin got a job working for the company she used to work for before we were married, but in a far advanced capacity. She is going to be the Human Resources Coordinator for their Victoria office. She is nervous because she has never done this kind of work before, but excited at the challenge it will present. They were extremely eager to have her come back once they found out she was returning to Victoria to settle, which was a great confidence boost for her.

I (Matt) am applying for a few jobs here in Victoria and praying for success. It makes the job hunt a little easier with at least one of us bring in an income--I won't have to jump at the first job that comes along if it's not a good fit or not what I want.

Life is going well and the two of us are so happy to be home with our friends and family. Check this space for updates...

New Year update from the Binghams

2008-01-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

So, we are back in Beautiful BC and now the work begins as we search for jobs and a place to live. We are staying with Caitlin's parents, who are amazingly accommodating and supportive of us, always a good thing. Christmas was relaxing and enjoyable--it has been wonderful catching up with our friends and loved ones as we have been away since we got married.

The job hunting is going all right, though it can be a very daunting task. Both of us struggle at times with self-belief and end up being very pessimistic about our chances of landing jobs we really want. We are working hard to combat our cynicism!

There are so many things to do as we settle into life here, including getting our Europe pictures up online. When that happens, we'll make sure that you, our friends and loyal readers, are the first to know! All the best to y'all for now...

home sweet home (sort of...)

2007-12-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, we have made it safely back to Victoria after an incredible three months of backpacking Europe and visiting relatives in the UK. Though still jetlagged, we are having a great time catching up with our family and friends thus far and it is so nice that everyone is so happy to have us home.

We are staying with Caitlin's parents, who are graciously putting us up while we look for work and a place to live (hence the "sort of" in the title). Since arriving we have had three turkey dinners, insured our (free) car, tried to sleep, and visited with as many people as possible. The trip back to Canada went smoothly and everything (plane, bus, ferry) was on time, therefore we were able to coast into Matt's parents' house for the traditional Christmas Eve feast right on time. We had a great time in Belfast with a number of Caitlin's friends who were kind enough to both put us up and feed us. Belfast is really a lovely city--it seems like there is green everywhere you look, with hillsides and fields everywhere.

We will be continuing to post on our blog as often as possible in order to update everyone on our lives here in Victoria as we look for our own place and new jobs. It's looking good for Matt getting on with Greater Victoria Public Library as a casual librarian, while Caitlin is going to be looking for work also and is hoping to score a job at the University of Victoria or Camosun College because the pay and hours are good. We're hoping our respective connections here will result in reasonable employment opportunities for us. It should be interesting...

Thanks for reading this while we were in Europe and we hope that you will continue to check in with us via this blog. Matt will also be back to posting on The Bing Dynasty, his beloved blog, discussing/ranting about whatever tickles his fancy, be it music, books, etc. Until next time...

the greatest band in the land resides here...

2007-12-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! We are in Dublin right now before taking off for Belfast tomorrow. We have had a wonderful last couple weeks in London, Swindon, and Edinburgh. After leaving London, we went to stay with Margaret, Colin, Becky, Maurice (Caitlin's cousin), and baby Mya--it was awesome!! We relaxed at Margaret and Colin's farm just outside Swindon, called Flaxlands, and played with Maurice and Becky's 5 month old sweetheart, Mya. Matt loved meeting everyone, who treated him as part of the family, and Caitlin was so excited to catch up with family she had not seen in 4 or 5 years. A good time was had by all--we didn't want to leave everyone, but it was off to Edinburgh...

Edinburgh was one of Matt's favourite cities of the entire trip because of it's ancient architecture and relaxed feeling--it didn't hurt that it was a lovely day when we visited. Matt loved meeting Uncle Brian (such a lovely man and the funniest guy ever) and catching up with Auntie Joan (who was very sick with the flu) after first meeting her at the wedding last year. We also met the last aunt/uncle pair of Sally and Robin, as well as Caitlin's cousin Becky, and had a nice dinner with them at their home in Auchenfail.

Being that we are in Dublin, Matt wants to head out and stock Bono and Company, but Caitlin is denying him the privilege in favour of going for dinner and then relaxing this evening. We are taking the bus up to Belfast tomorrow and staying up there for 5 days before flying back to London to stay with Caitlin's aunt and uncle (again!!--they are so hospitable!) on the 23rd and then we are back to Canada the next day. We are having a great time in the UK, but are now ready to come home and not have to live out of backpacks anymore. We are in surprisingly good health and great spirits considering how long we've been away from home. Hope that this post finds everyone doing well, healthy, and happy. We look forward to seeing/talking to you all upon our return to Canada. We will try to update this one or two more times in the next week. Cheers...

greetings from Croxley Green

2007-12-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hello from lovely Croxley Green, west of London. We are staying with Caitlin's Aunt Dot and Uncle John, who have been so incredibly hospitable to us. We arrived in the UK last Thursday and spent the weekend with Caitlin's Uncle Graham and Aunt Karen, as well as her two cousins, Isaac and Caleb who were also wonderfully hospitable--they even gave up their bed for us! A grand time was had by all as we ate well, frequented craft fairs, went to the site of the Battle of Hastings (very cool!), and had some great chats--Matt loved getting to know members of his new family and did his best to give off a good impression. Sadly, he came down with a nasty head/chest cold that he is continuing to fight off.

We had an AMAZING time in Paris--the city ended up being so much more enjoyable than we ever would have expected. We took another free walking tour, run by the same company as the ones we took in Amsterdam and Berlin, and it was great. We were only in Paris for a day and a half, but we managed to see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Versailles, and a bunch of other sights. Our hotel was also very nice, which makes a big difference to the time you have in a place. We were even fortunate enough to be able to attend a concert by DB Clifford, who happened to be playing a free show on the first night we were in Paris--good times!

We are off to Swindon on Saturday to visit family and friends of Caitlin's before taking off to Scotland and then (fingers crossed) to Ireland. We are having a great time in England and our trip has been such a wonderful time for us both individually and as a couple, but we will be happy to get home to family and friends in Victoria at Christmas! We don't know what kind of internet connection we will have over the next little while, so if you don't hear back from us it probably means that we don't have the net or the connection is poor. Much love to you all...

an update from the Confoederatio Helvetica

2007-11-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the Confoederatio Helvetica, also known as Switzerland! Since leaving Nice we have had the most relaxing and enjoyable time in a little town nestled at the base of the Jungfraujoch, called Interlaken. The hostel here is incredible: clean, comfortable, with an amazing free breakfast, and it is run by the Christians also. Everyone here is so sweet and friendly and they seem to love having us here because of how much we love their country. We have day-tripped to Geneva, which was fun, been back up into the Alps today (to Gimmewald this time--another gorgeously sunny day) and explored the town of Interlaken, which itself is wonderful. We have also had the best Pad Thai of our lives at this little Thai place around the corner from the hostel twice. Sorry about the whole blog being one paragraph, but this machine's Enter key doesn't seem to want to work! Upon arrival in Interlaken after a full day of travel from France, and unsure as to whether we would have accommodations for the night, we arrived at this amazing hostel and were promptly booked into a 7-bed dorm (given a discount too!) with four other Canadians, all of whom were also Christians. We had run into this group in a few other cities on our tour and exchanged pleasantries so it was fun actually hanging out and living together for a couple days. We ate dinner together one night, went hiking, listened to music, and discussed our lives, both where we had been and where we were going (literally and figuratively). We then found out that if you stay five nights in a row at the hostel, the sixth night is FREE, hence we are staying here on Monday night as well before leaving for Paris early Tuesday morning. We are both going to find it hard to leave Interlaken, and Switzerland in general, because it has become a sort of home/haven for us. Matt says he has never felt as relaxed as he does here and Caitlin is continually saying how much she wants to live up in the hills above Interlaken in a wooden Swiss chalet. We will have wonderful memories of our time in Switzerland and both of us have said this is the one place that we will definitely return to for holidays. On a downer note, it's not looking good for our flights getting changed to an earlier date. Our good friend Mathieu is doing all he can to get them changed and has even sent this to his superiors, but thus far there has been no change. He said he will keep trying and let us know if there is a possibility closer to the date. Anyways, much love to all of our family and friends and we will do our best to update the blog again soon! Cheers...

changes

2007-11-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

The French train strike has made the possibility of us getting to Spain quite dicey and thus to avoid losing our deposit money and/or being charged for staying in the hostels we had booked in Spain, we canceled our Spanish jaunt and are now heading back into Switzerland (most likely). We may also head back and see some more places in Germany. We must be in Paris by November 27th to make our hotel booking and then we leave on the Eurostar back to the UK on November 29. It is nice to have so much freedom with our Eurail pass that we can just go where we want at the drop of a hat. We just wanted to update all of you and let you know--when we know exactly where we are going, we will do our best to update you here on the blog. Much love to you all!

Nice is nice!

2007-11-19T01:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings to you all. We made it to Nice last night essentially by fluke since there is a train strike in France. We made it on the one train that came to the Italian border town of Ventimiglia from Cannes and were thus able to get to our hostel when we had told them we would. All other French trains were cancelled except for this one train. Obviously someone up there loves us! Now we have to see whether or not we will be able to make it to Spain, since the strike is supposed to be done on Tuesday, or whether we will have to up and take off for parts unknown and cancel our hostel reservations in Barcelona and San Sebastian. Thankfully, our train pass is valid in 18 countries and doesn't expire untiil December 9, so we have options should we not be able to train through France. We will attempt to keep you posted as to where we head next on our adventure.

Our hostel in Nice is called Villa Saint Exupery and it is up on a hillside above Nice. It has been voted one of the top 5 hostels in the world in the last 5 years on hostelworld.com and we can totally see why. We may venture into Nice this afternoon, but are totally into relaxing this morning and using the free internet provided by the hostel.

Our time in the Cinque Terre was one of the best parts of the entire trip so far. We lucked into getting a private apartment in the southernmost town, Riomaggiore, for the price of the dorm beds we originally booked and the weather on the day we hiked the coastal trail between the 5 towns of the Cinque Terre was gorgeous. The trail was incredibly scenic, with some of the best vistas either of us had ever beheld--truly one of the most beautiful places on earth and deserving of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was hard to leave and we could have easily stayed a few more days to relax and perhaps do some of the other trails. We met some other Canadians from Victoria as well as meeting a really cool Aussie couple with whom we spent the five hours of the walk, swapping contact information at the end of the day.

Health-wise, we are definitely feeling much better than we were when in Florence, though Caitlin is fighting a cold and woke up feeling quite under the weather this morning. We have a couple more weeks here on the continent before we head back to the UK and visit with Caitlin's family and friends. We are hoping to change our flight date for coming home to a few days earlier so that we don't risk missing Christmas at home with our family--we'll keep y'all posted on that. Until next time...

the Chunderer of Certaldo

2007-11-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

We arrived at our guesthouse in Tuscany 2 days ago, had a nice meal, met a new friend, and then went to bed in our very comfortable bed. Then, at 4:30 in the morning, came the chunder! Matt fully barfed (and other things!) and spent the first 24 hours of our stay sick as a dog, running back and forth between the WC and bed. Things are getting better today, but still not perfect--at least his appetite is back and he is taking on food without it coming back up. Just as Matt improves, Caitlin gets a sore throat and seems to be fighting a cold. The good news: today it's pouring with rain and hence we wouldn't have been able to do too much anyways!

Fattoria Bassetto, in Certaldo, Italy, is a charming guesthouse which used to be a Benedictine monastery. There is only one other person staying here as of right now so we have pretty much had the place to ourselves, which has been very peaceful and relaxing--I guess if one had to get sick, this was the place for it to happen. We have been doing alot of sleeping and have also watched some movies and read. From here we head to the Cinque Terre, and then on to Nice.

Traveling is so much fun, but we were discussing how the backpacker lifestyle is totally romanticized--sure it is exciting and a real adventure, but it can be uncomfortable, cold, you don't always eat particularly well and it can be very tiring as. We have learned so much about other places, each other, and ourselves, including how excited we will be to be home and to see our friends and family, despite what a great time we have had and the adventure we've shared.

P.S. We had the craziest crossing from Patras, Greece to Bari, Italy in a major storm. We were unable to dock the boat until 5 hours past our scheduled arrival time, missing our train to Rome and causing us a great deal of anxiety. Neither of us have EVER been on seas that rough--it was totally terrifying. Remind us to share stories when we get back to Canada...

The Eternal City

2007-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hello all! So, Rome is AWESOME. We have had such a wonderful day here checking out the Ancient City, including the Fora, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and a host of other things. We are sad that we only have a day and a half here, but are excited to head out to Tuscany for some R&R. Tomorrow morning, we are going to make a trip across town to Vatican City (closed today as it is Sunday) before heading off to a lovely guesthouse in the country between Florence and Siena near a little town called Certaldo (for those of you like Matt's mom, who want to take out your maps and have a look).

Part of what has made Rome so wonderful today has been the reasonable weather, the fact that it wasn't overly busy and touristed (maybe because it's low season or a Sunday), and Caitlin's knowledge of some of the more interesting landmarks such as the Column of Trajan (which has the Apostle Paul on top and not Trajan, according to Wifey Extraordinaire) and The Arch of Titus (which she explained displayed a relief of the sack of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70). We also saw the exact spot where Brutus offed Julius Caesar, which is now home to close to 50 cats, cared for by a city charity, that freely roam and live in the ruins. Good times.

As always, we miss you all and love you. Thanks to those of you who email us or send us Facebook messages--we really appreaciate hearing from you and hope that you will continue to do so. Until next time...

an update from Greece

2007-11-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

Well, our trip to the island paradise of Aegina was anything but enjoyable. The hotel was really close to being a complete dive and the weather was not particularly great. We are so excited to be leaving Greece today--perhaps the islands are awesome in the summer, but Matt thought Athens was gross and Aegina would have been okay had the accommodations been better (we'll post pictures of the bathroom whenever we get a chance...). However, the history and museums were amazing!!!

If anything, our trials on the trip recently have brought the two of us closer together--on Aegina, we huddled under the threadbare, cigarette-burned sheets of our freezing cold room (in a twin bed!) together and told each other stories from our childhood and laughed at some of the commonalities and stories we had never before heard. We are having the time of our lives and don't regret anything we have done, but were just saying that knowing some of the things we now know, there would definitely be things that we would do differently if we did another trip of this nature in the future (or that we would advise friends wanting to do the same sort of trip).

Tonight we leave on the ferry for Italy and we sprung for a private cabin because we did not want to sit in bus-like seats for the next 14 or 15 hours. Call us pansies...

We head to Rome tomorrow, before staying in a beautiful little guesthouse in Certaldo, near Siena and Florence, out in Tuscany, for four nights. This will be our "taste of luxury" for the trip before heading to the Cinque Terre, Nice, Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Bordeaux. We are stoked for this next leg of the trip.

Miss you all and love you all muchly. Cheers...

P.S. Happy birthday to Caitlin's mom who turns 25 tomorrow! We love you, Mom!!!

quick greetings from Athens

2007-11-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

We are in Athens and we definitely have mixed feelings about this city. On one hand, with all the history, it's very cool. However, the reality is that it is smelly, crowded, full of stray animals, and thus a bit gross, to be honest. It's easy to romanticize a place like Athens, but that's calling it like we see it.

Switzerland was amazing and we had a difficult time leaving. We spent some time way up high in the Alps and it was the best day of the trip thus far. We had fun with our friend Elly, who was the most unbelievably hospitable hostess EVER. We had some good chats, excellent food (fondue, pasta, and chocolate), and it was nice to be hanging out with someone with we know and also nice to not have to stay in a dorm with strangers. The Swiss people are awesome, the cities are beautiful, the Alps were incredible, the trains were on time and clean, and therefore Schweiz gets our vote as our "adopted European homeland".

Venice was really cool to see, but far too crowded and "touristy". The throngs of people, the pigeons, the cost, and the smell made this our vote, along with Prague, as "Most Overrated City in Europe". Athens will probably make the grade in that department as well, though Caitlin says it has too much cool stuff to see to be as overrated as the other two. We thought parts of Venice were so cool, including the fact that it is a city on 118 islands in a lagoon, but we could not wait to get out of there. Matt kind of feels the same way about Athens, but has had a great day wandering around the Acropolis and Agora as well as enjoying fine Greek beer at the hostel's bar. We miss you all very much and think about you each and very day. It's amazing how traveling abroad makes you appreciate where you're from, you know. Canada is amazing, especially Victoria and our loved ones! Hope this finds you well! Cheers...

"the hills are alive..."

2007-10-25T07:31:00.001-07:00

Yup, you guessed it, we are in Salzburg, Austria, home of The Sound of Music and some dead dude in a white wig named Mozart (no idea who he is...).

This town is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been to and we have loved every minute of our stay here, even if they do hawk the aforementioned cultural icons like there's no tomorrow. The town is small, the mountains are gorgeous, there are castles and other beautiful buildings everywhere, it is clean, and the people are very friendly. We toured the Festung Hohensalzburg, which is the fortress high above the city, and the views from there were fabulous (we took lots of pics!). In addition, we ate chocolate-covered pretzel-shaped doughnuts that were amazing. We have wandered all over the place, laughing at how you cannot escape ol' Wolfgang Amadeus and that problem Maria, which can't be solved (yes, we watched the movie in our hostel--they show it numerous times per day in the "Amadeus Room"!). Austria has been awesome and we are very sad to be leaving tomorrow, but are looking forward to Munich and then our foray into Switzerland next week. Hope you are all well and we love you all very much...

Greetings from Wien...

2007-10-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

Also known as Vienna. Matt is having fun seeing the word "wiener" everywhere and giggling like an idiot. The weather here is the pits, raining and windy as all get out, which makes the sightseeing really not fun and very cold. Mr. Bingham loves Vienna, despite the weather, and sees musical history around every corner with all the concert halls and statues of famous composers. However, seeing everyone and their dog dressed up as Mozart on street corners selling tickets for concerts gets old pretty quickly. Mozart is definitely flogged in Vienna to a ridiculous degree--we hate to see what it is like when we get to Salzburg, which is his birthplace.

Tonight we are going to see Maria Joao Pires, a pianist whom Matt has listened to a great deal, who is playing at the Konzerthaus downtown. We are excited to see a concert like this here in the City of Music, especially since Pires is a world-renowned pianist!

Other than that, we are healthy, happy, and safe and obviously enjoying ourselves very much, other than European keyboards, which are a pain in the arse (why switch the y and the z??). We love you all and think of you often as we travel. Cheers...

hello from Prague

2007-10-21T00:32:00.000-07:00

The first thing that we noticed about Prague upon our arrival was the fact that it is cold here! The wind has been strong and biting since we got here. For the first time on our trip we have seen rain and also have had to pull out the toques and gloves when out wandering. Heck, about a half hour after the train crossed the border from Germany into the Czech Republic, it started to hail! So far we have had a nice time in Prague, but English is a rare commodity around here--we really feel like we are in a foreign county here, far more than any of the other places we have visited thus far. We have enjoyed some of the restaurant names ('Pizza Go Home!') and the fact that you can say 'Big Mac' at McDonalds (which is how it is written on the Czech menu) and all you will get is a blank stare. Fun times.

Berlin was a brilliant city, full of history and culture. We took a free tour of the city with the same company who did the free tour in Amsterdam and this one was even better. We saw the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, the site of Hitler's bunker, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Holocaust Memorial, among other things. We visited the Pergamon Museum (which Caitlin loved, though Matt got tired of endless rooms of naked Greek man with their business hanging out) and the Holocaust Memorial Museum, which was completely amazing, but, of course, very depressing at the same time. Our hostel in Berlin was INCREDIBLE--you could honestly eat off the floor because it was so clean and the bathroom resembled that of a 5-star hotel. The staff were so wonderful and made the entire stay by far our best hostel experience of the trip so far.

We have Sunday in Prague and then we leave for Vienna on Monday morning, where we finally have a private room at our hostel for the first time in two weeks, which is very exciting when you are sharing a room with anywhere between four and six other people! We have both been saying how relieved we will be to be back in a German speaking nation because, compared to Czech, German is downright understandable to us both!

If there are any of you who are not on Facebook and would like like a link to some of our photos from the trip so far, drop us an e-mail and we'll do our best to get that to you ASAP! Until next time...

unbelievable day

2007-10-15T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today we took the train from Cologne down to Koblenz and jumped on a Rhine River cruise that was free with our Eurail pass. We sat out on the open deck of this ferry sipping wine/beer and watching stunning castles go by high above the banks of the river as well as beautiful, medieval-ish German towns, which line the banks all the way down. The section of the Rhine Valley from Koblenz south to Mainz is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most beautiful places in the world according to the organization. It was so gorgeous outside and we were so relaxed that it made for one of the best days of our trip thus far, if not the best. We got off at Kaub, four hours later, and got on a train back to Cologne. Caitlin said she could have spent the entire trip just cruising the Rhine because it was so wonderful!

The Dom (cathedral) in Cologne is one of the largest and most stunning in Europe--Matt has not been able to take his eyes off of it since we arrived in the city. We climbed the belfry, 322 feet high, for some stunning views of the city yesterday morning before we left for the cruise. We have had a great time in Cologne, but we are very excited to head off to Berlin tomorrow morning. Until next time...

hello from Cologne

2007-10-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

We are sitting in our hostel lobby waiting for our laundry to dry before we head to the chocolate museum here in Cologne.

Amsterdam was really the craziest place that either of us have ever been, by far. We did a lot of walking the first day, essentially exploring the city. In addition we went to the Anne Frank House, which is now a museum--as you can imagine, it was a sobering experience but definitely worth it. Neither of us have seen so many unique and fascinating people in one place. The city never sleeps and there are constantly tons of people around and MILLIONS of bicycles, the combination of which is overwhelming; you are liable to get run over by either a car or a bike if you do not pay attention. On Friday we rented bikes and cycled out of Amsterdam down the River Amstel to the little town of Amstel and then back to the city. It was wonderful to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Yesterday we took a free walking tour of the city and in three hours learned much about its history, which we found really interesting. Because we got up to so much during the day, our evenings were pretty chilled out--last night we did crosswords and watched a European Cup qualifying soccer match between Romania and The Netherlands, which our hometown Dutch lost 1-0. We can safely say that we will never forget our time in Amsterdam...

Tomorrow, we hope to take a cruise down the Rhine and go to a local jazz club which is supposed to be great. After Cologne, we head to Berlin on Tuesday and then Prague on Friday. We love you all and welcome comments here on the blog just so we know that somebody is actually reading it!

Two Canadians in Belgium: the art of eating unhealthily

2007-10-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hello all! We are in the lovely medieval city of Bruges, Belgium--this place is a time warp! We have been awed by the beauty of this quaint little city. The architecture, the culture, and the food have been great.

We spent the last couple days in Brussels and really enjoyed it. We ate badly, having classic "frites" with (European) ketchup for lunch and Belgian waffles drenched in whipped cream and strawberries (Caitlin) and dark chocolate (Matt) for dinner. We don't think all the walking we're doing will be able to counteract the caloric intake. The Grand Place in Brussels was INCREDIBLE--we first saw it in the evening with the facades of the buildings lit up and words cannot even describe how beautiful it was. Matt said he has seldom been so awed by anything in his life. Our sleep the first night was a bit rough, but we slept like corpses last night and awoke ready to take off to Bruges.

The train trip to Bruges was quick and we found our hostel in the city after getting directions from a friendly local since the instructions provided by both our book and the hostel website were completely useless. As we mentioned, Bruges is gorgeous--packed with medieval architecture, including great churches, and lots of excellent restaurants. We bought fresh bread and gouda from a couple stands in the "Markt" and sat in the sunshine eating it--delicious. Dinner was at a cheap, but tasty, little Italian restaurant called Pasta Presto that advertised itself as "pizza, pasta, and rock and roll" and then proceeded to play terrible soft-rock/hip hop hits of the 80's and early 90's', which we both found pretty hilarious. Tomorrow we are off to Amsterdam for 3 days of who-knows-what...

We hope that you are well and we are sorry that we have not been able to post pictures--nowhere has had the facilities to upload pics off of memory cards. If we are able, we will post some whenever we can; if not, you will have to wait until we get home and throw them up on Facebook or Flickr. We'll try to post again in Amsterdam or Cologne. Bye for now...

a (very quick) update

2007-10-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

We are on a dial-up connection here, so this update will be quick. We have landed in London and went into the city on Friday--it was marvellous! I (Matt) was astonished by everything and Caitlin led me around like a 5-year old, trying desperately to make me walk faster in order to catch more. We rode in on "the tube" and saw Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden, the National Gallery, Parliament, the Thames, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Canadian Embassy, Leicester Square, and a million other amazing things. The driving in downtown London is insane and I am still adjusting to the whole "other side of the road/car" thing. London is an incredible city and I fell in love with it almost immediately--so much more character than any other big city to which we have been. Hopefully we will post pictures soon! We had a good flight, are feeling great, having a wonderful time with Caitlin's aunt and uncle (fantastic hosts!) and are excited about meeting up with our friends Tim and Connie tomorrow as well as continuing on to Brussels on Monday. We hope you are all well also! Cheers...

The Binghams' Europe itinerary

2007-10-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Oct. 8-9	Brussels
Oct. 10	Bruges
Oct. 11-13	Amsterdam
Oct. 14-15	Cologne
Oct. 16-18	Berlin

Oct. 19-21	Prague
Oct. 22-23	Vienna
Oct. 24-25	Salzburg
Oct. 26-27	Munich
Oct. 28-30	Bern
Oct. 31- Nov. 2	Venice
Nov. 3	Ferry to Greece
Nov. 4-6	Athens
Nov. 7-8	Aegina
Nov. 9	Ferry to Italy
Nov. 10-12	Rome
Nov.13-15	Florence

Nov. 16-17	Cinque Terre
Nov. 18-20	Nice
Nov. 21-23	Barcelona
Nov. 24-26	San Sebastian
Nov. 27-29	Bordeaux
Nov. 30- Dec. 2	Paris

After Paris, we will be in London and the rest of the UK until we leave on Christmas Eve to come back to Victoria.

the tedium of packing

2007-09-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

We have rediscovered our collective loathing of packing after only one year!! As our life together becomes increasingly boxed up we ask ourselves these key questions:

1. Why don't they just make all books the same size?

2. Why do they make things such odd shapes?

3. Why is there never quite the proper sized box for said odd-shaped object?

4. Why is U.S. Customs so stupid? Who gives a flying fart about whether we bring a can of tuna into the States? Are we packing a bomb in it? Contrary to popular belief, neither Caitlin nor I is McGyver--just so we're clear.

5. When did we ever get so much stuff?

coming your way with big changes!!

2007-09-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we haven't updated our blog for a long time because there has really been little of note to talk about. After our initial trials and tribulations in London, our lives very much settled into the ever-predictable work/school routine with very few hitches. However, our visit to BC in August really changed things for us as we realized that our place is home with our loved ones. So, upon returning to London on August 27 we promptly decided to pack up our lives and move back to Victoria at the end of September--the timing was perfect, plus, we were offered a few "incentives" by our family to make the whole idea even more appealing!

If this wasn't enough, the Binghams are taking off on a whirlwind three month tour of Europe and the United Kingdom from October 3 until December 24. We have been talking about this trip since before we got married and we knew that we are never going to have a time like now to do it: no ties, Matt's degree is finished, and we have no jobs! It is proving to be quite challenging to plan the moving of our lives across Canada and a trip of this magnitude. However, with Caitlin at the helm, we have been pinning down all the details and things are looking good. We will post an itinerary here and, most likely, on Facebook for all our fans to peruse once we have it finalized!

We are going to miss our friends here in London very much as they have become an essential part of our lives and we love them. However, we are beyond excited to get back to the natural beauty, relaxed atmosphere, and the people we love that are only found in Victoria. It's funny how much you take a place like British Columbia, and especially Victoria, for granted until you leave--it is only then you realize how incredibly unique it is as far as cities go and what an amazing blessing it is to have grown up there.

Keep checking this space from now on as we will be trying to update y'all as frequently as possible on all of our adventures on the continent. Cheers!

the tigress

2007-05-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Caitlin helped out at our church's community fun fair this afternoon, while I was in classes, and this was the result:

I am definitely not a cat person, but I will take this sweet kitty anytime! MEOW!

King Bing hits T-Dot

2007-04-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

I took my first trip to Toronto with a couple buddies yesterday to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame and take in a Toronto Blue Jays game (for $2!). Toronto was really quite overwhelming to me, even though I have been to Vancouver countless times, and they really do think they are the Centre of the Universe. However, I had a good time! Here are some pictures:

It was nice to get out with the boys and also nice to get out of London for only the second time since Caitlin and I arrived here. Being able to see a Jays game for $2 was such a sweet deal and I hope that I get another chance to do that! Fun times, fun times!

the Smiths bring their show to the Forest City

2007-04-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Caitlin and I spent the last week with her parents, who arrived in London on March 23. It has been really nice to see family since we have not seen a member of our family since the end of August. We spent much time eating out and relaxing. We introduced Ken and Kathy to the game Settlers of Catan and I must admit that it was the most entertaining game of "Settlers" that Caitlin and I can remember! Here are some shots:

There was also an epic game of the monumentally outdated "Super Quiz", which saw Kathy execute a come-from-behind victory over her husband, while Caitlin and I struggled embarrassingly in the rear!

It was tough to say goodbye yesterday, but some really good memories were made and I gained more weight as a result of the all the good food I ate! Thanks for the fun times, Ken and Kathy! Enjoy the rest of your jaunt through Ontario...

Mathieu et Claudia!

2007-03-20T23:19:00.000-07:00

These are our friends Mathieu and Claudia:

They are French-Canadian (kinda). They are two of the warmest and most generous people we have ever met and we are blessed to have them as friends. The two of them have helped make our transition to London far better than we could have hoped and their friendship, love, and sense of humour (as demonstrated below) have encouraged us more times than we can count. Even though Mathieu is a Montreal Canadiens fan, this hasn't stopped us from being friends--we have even been able to watch Leafs/Habs matchups with complete civility (Matt is way less civil than Mathieu anyways when it comes to watching hockey normally, so Mathieu sets the example). People back home have asked what our other married friends look like, so here is a first installment. We'll deal with Jeff and Jolene in our next installment, when we can get a picture of them. Anyways, here's to Mathieu and Claudia--thanks for all the good times you two! We love you!

the new 'do and the London's most rockin' Leaf fan

2007-02-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Bingham took the plunge and chopped at least 10 or 12 inches of her lovely locks off (with the help of a hairdresser). Mr. Bingham thinks it looks pretty dang hot as the pictures below will attest to:

Check out shaggy-haired Mr. Bingham as he cheers on his Leafs, both with and without his beloved Tangerine:

Happy Birthday sweet stuff!

2007-02-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

I am fortunate to be married to a wonderful woman whose beauty, brains, smile, and sense of humour daily captivate me. Caitlin is 24 today and I wanted to wish her a happy birthday and a wonderful year. I love you, babe, and I am so thankful that you love me and you're my wife! Happy Birthday!

February update

2007-02-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

We are sorry that it has been so long since we have updated our blog, but we have been very busy in the New Year and that shows no signs of abating over the next little while. I (Matt) have started my second semester and so far, it has been extremely busy and, to be truthful, not particulary enjoyable. One of my classes has a prof that cannot teach and so I find that I am having to teach myself about the complications of government information (and believe me, it's complicated!) and complete a nasty, huge assignment that consumes all my time and thoughts. Some of my other classes are really cool, including one called Publishing, Media, and Librarianship, which is my favourite.

Caitlin started her new job at TD Canada Trust yesterday and she is unsure what she thinks of it yet. We went to see the Tragically Hip last night at the John Labatt Centre and we had a great time with our friends Michael and Eleanor (the show ROCKED as well).

I celebrated my 28th birthday on Saturday and we had a great time watching my friend Johnny on the drums again with DB Clifford--it was fortuitous that they were playing here on my birthday. They played a cover of the Beatles' "Come Together" at my request (announcing to the audience that it was my birthday). It was great to spend some time with Johnny, as well as some of my friends from church and school.

Though at time stressful, life is good and we are enjoying being married, having our own home, following the Leafs, being involved in our church, and spending time with some of the great friends we have made here. Hopefully, we will be heading to The Centre of the Universe (Toronto) within the next couple weeks to visit friends and go to the Hockey Hall of Fame (yeah baby!).

We have no idea what the future holds after I have finished my degree--we are preliminarily making plans about what to do/where to go. When we have decided, we will make sure to inform all of you. The one thing we do know is that it's going to be an adventure!!

a very "Bingsley" Christmas!

2006-12-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Binghams and the Kingsleys have been having a rockin' time together this holiday season. It has been great for us to have James and Hil out here--a real taste of home. They continually prove what incredibly 'A-1' people they are and we are going to miss them when they take off for Hil's parents' place tomorrow night and then back to Victoria next week. They came over for a big dinner shindig on Friday where the food and wine flowed freely and the stories and laughter were continuous. They returned the next night for tea and games, including an introduction to euchre for us and a 'boys vs. girls' game of Trivial Pursuit that ended in a hard fought, extremely close victory for the men that saw the girls stage the Comeback of the Century. James and Matt won the game courtesy of James' rally hood seen below:

Mr. Kingsley proved to be a real maverick and cards with every sneaky trick in the book up his sleeve:

We also had Christmas festivities/dinner with the entire clan and that was an EXPERIENCE if we have ever had one! It was by turns raucous, loud, hilarious, and then calm to end the evening. The highlight of the evening was Babs Kingley's new massage chair from her husband, James' father! Her reaction was slightly X-rated and thus won't be repeated here verbatim, but sufficed to say we were all laughing hard, though a bit uncomfortable as well!

Anyways, we would love to thank the Kingsleys for all their love and hospitality and for helping to make this such a special first Christmas for us. You all rock!

the Binghams' Christmas morning

2006-12-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was a bittersweet affair for us this year. It was wonderful because it was our first Christmas together as a married couple, but we truly missed being home with our families in Victoria. Mrs. Bingham surprised her husband by acquiring the recipe for the traditional family breakfast from his mother and then making it for him on Christmas morning. We shared a teary moment over breakfast as we thought of all our loved ones in Victoria (and because Caitlin had to work on Christmas Day for the first time ever, something Matt has never had to do before). However, Mrs. Bingham set the tree up beautifully as well as the stockings, helping to remind us both of home, while Mr. Bingham made a special slideshow for his wife highlighting their lives together thus far.

The presents sent to us by our families were wonderful and we enjoyed opening them so much together. Here is Caitlin's new toque, courtesy of the family in Port Alberni:

Mr. Bingham received TML boxers from his wife and a little TML bear from his in-laws, with which he was very happy:

We want to tell our families how much we appreciate your generosity and that we love you all very much. Though we could not be in Victoria with you, you sent a slice of home with all the gifts you sent out through both Canada Post and through the Kingsleys (you too, Nazzy!). We pray that yours was as wonderful as was ours. Cheers...

guitar hero!

2006-12-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

It's all about the hair:

Rock on, Matthew Bingham, rock on...

a (cold) walk in the park

2006-12-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

The Binghams went for a walk in the park today, after doing a couple errands, and it was COLD out there. However, it was beautiful, sunny, and we had spent all weekend indoors hanging out and watching movies so it was nice to get out. We also got a nice picture for your viewing enjoyment:

According to the picture below, I am sprouting wings and an extra head from the right side of me, turning me into a distant cousin of the multi-headed hydra of Greek mythology. Sweet...

Caitlin kept leaping in front of me when I was trying to take a picture of the river and I got a couple funny pics of her as she repeatedly leapt in front of the camera, disturbing my Ansel Adams-esque shot of the opposite bank of the Thames.

However, she is so cute that's it is pretty hard to get annoyed with her shenanigans. And besides, we were both laughing until our sides ached after we looked at the results so it was worth it. There will be other days to show off my photographic genius, I guess.

why I love my wife...

2006-12-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

Let's be honest here folks, how you can you NOT find someone who makes a face this cute loveable? What a babe...

Ode on a Late-80s Japanese Sedan

2006-12-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Behold the Sentra in all her salty majesty,
Long hath she toiled through snow and sleet,
Her reliability is a joy to her master,
Her gas mileage a wonder to behold.

Many younger cars have long since passed away, oh little grey beauty,
But you continue to motor on, the kilometres rolling,
Like so many raindrops off your ancient windshield,
As you transport the Bing Man to his destination.

Long have you served our family,
Offering very little in the way of problems,
An oil change here, a new hose there,
Transmission fluid, your lifeblood.

May you roll on and on (and on, for Matt & Caitlin's bankbook's sake),
Until the day we are parted,
And you take your rightful place,
In that special scrapheap in the sky.

Long have I loved and admired you, oh steadfast grey sedan
And I am thankful for your service,
While I am comforted by the sound of your tires,
As they continue to roll along the open road.

-By Matthew Paul Bingham

SNOW DAY! ...and the misadventures of Mrs. B.

2006-12-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

whoo! well it might have come later than usual, but i'm pretty sure the volume of London's first snow dump this year has more than made up for its tardiness. this is what the gazebo in our courtyard looks like today, with about a foot and a half of snow sitting on top of the roof: now, at 5:30 this morning when i was getting ready to go to work at 6, it was still dark outside and i couldn't really tell just how snowy it was out. so, ever the dedicated employee, i set out in the Sentra (with its two spanking new front tires for just such an occasion), assuming that the City of London would surely be well-prepared and that roads would be ploughed and salted. as i exited the parking garage and the snowdrifts rose up on either side of the car with only two wheel-ruts to show me where the roadway was, i chuckled to myself and thought, 'this could be quite the adventure...' there had clearly been a few cars that had ventured out before me and i followed their tracks carefully out of the driveway and down Proudfoot Lane to the main drag of Oxford Street. when the van ahead of me had to spin out and fishtail before finally turning left, i knew it was going to be a bit sketchy, but i managed a reasonably controlled turn onto Oxford and pressed on. it had clearly been ploughed but not salted, and those of us braving the roads had to make an educated guess at where the lines lay beneath the remaining thin layer of snow. i tootled along at a comfortable pace for the several blocks to St. George Street, where i usually turn left to get to the restaurant. it was difficult to see the state of things at the roadhead, but i figured the conditions on St. George would be much like they had been on Proudfoot- not clear by any means, but driveable. sadly, once i made the turn i learned differently. no wheel-ruts appeared to guide me, but rather a knee-high snowdrift into which i promptly ploughed, desperately hoping that the all-powerful Sentra might be able to make it through by some miracle. i could see wheel-ruts beyond, but immediately the car's wheels began to spin and my heart sank. here i was, stuck nose-in with my back end still sticking out into the outside lane of Oxford St. and no idea how to get out.

i got out of the car and stepped into the snowdrift, my ankle-high boots immediately filling up with snow, and walked around the front of the car to assess the severity of the situation. my two front wheels were essentially submerged, and i tried to little avail to kick some of the snow out from around them before looking up to see a most welcome sight- a shadowy figure was making its way up St. George with the distinct shape of a snow-shovel in its hand! as he got closer he said, 'hello,' and i replied, 'it looks like you have just what i need... and it also looks like i probably shouldn't have tried to turn in here.' the young man was wearing camouflage military fatigues and a bright orange vest and hat- presumably this was his job, digging unfortunate and underprepared motorists like me out of snowdrifts. within a few minutes, he had dug the wheels out and backed the Sentra out of the drift and back onto Oxford, and i was headed back the way i came. i promptly returned home and upon entering the dry underground parkade after performing some fishtailing of my own on my way into the driveway, uttered a 'Hallelujah' and resolved to stay put for the rest of the day. luckily it seems that most of the city has decided to do the same, so i'm not needed at work anyway! Matt's last day of classes has been canceled, as the entire campus of Western as well as all of its affiliated colleges are closed due to the heavy snowfall. according to my boss, he hasn't seen a dump of snow like this in 15 years! so, contrary to all our expectations, here we are in Ontario and we're having a SNOW DAY!!!! what fun!

Reader's Poll: What should Caitlin be when she Grows Up?

2006-12-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

since over here in Ontario we have not as of yet received sufficient snow in which to go out and play, i have found myself spending a great deal of my free time as of late engaged in an activity which i find altogether disquieting: thinking. i like to avoid too much thinking in general, but with Matt off at school for most of the day and no one to talk to but myself and God (on the rare occasions i think to), it seems to be pervading my otherwise quite comfortable inner life.

one of the topics on my mind lately has been what i shall do once Matt has his very expensive little piece of paper and hopefully a nice steady job. so, i have decided to research my options. and, having picked up snippets of what Matt is learning in his Research Methods course, i have decided that an opinion poll of our loyal readership may offer insight into what sort of future path those who know me can most readily imagine for me. so without further ado, below are some options i am currently considering (both seriously and less so). you have until midnight on December 31st to respond with the option of your choosing, and an explanation if you so desire, and in January, with the expert help of my husband, i will tabulate the data and publish the official results. you may respond by leaving a comment, or if you prefer, by sending an email to mattyandcaitlin@yahoo.ca with the subject heading "Opinion Poll Response".

Q: Should Caitlin...

A. Pursue a life-long career in waitressing? (oh gosh, please no)
B. Continue her university career in Greek and Roman Studies and become a professor/sessional instructor?
C. Go to teacher's college and become a teacher?
D. Go into church ministry or work for a Christian organisation, perhaps youth related?
E. Attempt to get a Master's in Speech-Language Pathology and become a Speech Therapist (working with people who have speech disorders, possibly children in particular)?
F. Copy Matt and get a Master's in Library and Info Science?
G. Go against societal expectations and become a hermit, or perhaps just a bum?

Thank you for taking part in this survey, and please feel free to spread the word to anyone you think may have an opinion on what Caitlin should do with her life.

Caitlin's deep thought for the day

2006-11-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

i wish that someone had told me during high school, or even during university, that what would really be of use to me later in life was not a straight A+ average, but experience in whatever field i should choose to pursue as a career. then maybe i would have spent less time poring over assignments and textbooks and more time out in the real world, doing something useful like volunteering. go figure.

the joys and sorrows of waitresshood

2006-11-13T11:22:00.000-08:00

good afternoon, loyal readers. having spent the morning doing very little of consequence (mainly attempting to hone my mad shredding skills- haha- along to John Mayer's new album Continuum on my husband's beloved Tangerine, and quickly becoming disillusioned and mildly depressed at my lack of dexterity in comparison to Mayer's), i recalled a recent comment from either my sister- or mother-in-law that you the readers would soon be on the verge of rioting should i not publish another post in a timely manner. so, without further ado, here are some thoughts from the rookie waitress on the joys and sorrows of waitresshood.

i feel it is best to start with the positive, not for any particularly good reason other than that it will likely have significantly less comedic value; do not think i am not aware that for some reason humans find the misfortunes of other humans interminably funny. why else would i laugh uncontrollably at the sight of some poor wretch taking an unexpected and unexplainable tumble while strolling down a busy sidewalk? for this reason i feel that beginning with the up-side of things will in fact be saving the best for last.

there are, without a doubt, things i love about my job. number one, it is active enough to keep me at least in decent shape- i have gotten only marginally fatter since getting married, which from what i hear is pretty impressive, especially considering that as far as i can tell everything i eat at work is made with either 50% butter or 50% cream. this brings me to number two: i eat like a queen for at least one meal a day, without having to cook it myself. beautiful! my poor husband practically subsists on tuna sandwiches at school while i'm stuffing my face with bacon and eggs, croissants, freshly made soup, gourmet sandwiches, home-made potato chips and pumpkin pie!

number three is the people i work with, whose company for the most part is what gets me through the day. it's amazing what fun it can be hanging out in a hot, smelly kitchen when you're surrounded by enjoyable people. and last but not least, number four is the section of clientele whom it is nothing short of a delight to serve- these customers are polite, gracious, thoughtful and thankful towards their server, and when you serve someone like this you cannot help but want to go out of your way to serve them well. case in point: there is one dear old lady who lives in the building and is a regular at the restaurant, and despite being no less than one hundred years old, she was the first to ask my name and has remembered it every time i have served her. now whenever i see her hobbling down the hall from her apartment for a bite of lunch, i look forward to serving her, simply because she is such a pleasure to be around.

naturally, there are also those who are considerably less agreeable; these complainers take first place on the list of things i do not love about my job. for complainers, nothing could be good enough. the menu is not exhaustive enough; the coffee doesn't scald their throat on the way down; the food doesn't taste fresh; the prices are outrageous; and, just to round things out, the drapes make the room too dark. sometimes i want to ask them, "is there anything that would make you happy, or shall i just stop trying?" i have a theory that people like this have decided before they even arrive that they can't afford to give their server a good tip, so they'll just complain about everything they can think of to make it look like they have a reason for tipping badly. it seems to have escaped their attention that the heaviness of the drapes really has very little to do with the calibre of my service; in fact, i had no say in the matter at all. (incidentally, the same lady who complained about the drapes was irate when, after she had shared a slice of carrot cake with her friend, i had not taken it upon myself to split up the cost of the carrot cake onto their two separate bills. it was not enough that i had asked the cook to physically split up the cake onto two separate plates, which they are not required to do in the first place.)

number two on this list goes to the people who may not complain about anything and in fact seem to have a nice time, but clearly don't take the time to work out in their head what might be a reasonable tip. i will admit to having done this myself in the past, although i have changed my ways. these people are fully aware that 15% of their bill is the generally accepted amount for gratuity, but haven't figured out that taking 10% and adding a little usually doesn't make 15%. it may seem nit-picky, but you'd be surprised how much it adds up when a lot of people do it. you'd also be surprised how much you care when you're making $6.75 an hour without tips, and you're only getting 25 hours a week of work. yeah, those tips become pretty important! (by the by, i read a rather hilarious article on the Onion this week on the subject of tipping- it is definitely worth a read. click here to go there.)

number three, which really only pertains to high-end, 'fine dining' establishments such as the one in which i serve, is the very unforgiving nature of this line of work. when you enter the dining room, you have stepped into another world, one in which the slightest hesitation in speech or movement, the smallest inefficiency in handling, the most insignificant slip of the tongue is ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN. one is expected to be the epitome of grace and formality, knowing all the unspoken rules of what not to say or do, and being at once always available but never noticeable, all-knowing but without asking and all-seeing but without looking. it's a hard standard to live up to. 'nuff said.

number four, and i have found this the case at most jobs, is the sad lack of formal training which could have prepared me for the scary and unfamiliar world of the dining room. suffice it to say that after having practised the motions of serving a bottle of wine to a table once, in front of a few of my peers, i was expected to be able to do it upon command, expertly and gracefully, for any table that should wish it. now, opening a bottle of wine at home by yourself is easy; opening a bottle of wine which someone else has purchased, right in front of them and without putting it down at any point, is quite another matter. not surprisingly, the first time i tried to do it in the scary world of the dining room, i was so nervous that i broke the cork. a liiiiiitle bit of a faut-pas there, folks. as i stood there helplessly wiggling the blasted thing in vain hope that it might slide out, the crack getting bigger and bigger, the gentleman at the table observed politely, "i think you're breaking the cork." "i am, aren't i?" i replied, trying to appear calm, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. "i'll go and get another bottle." needless to say, this sort of 'on-the-job training', as they might call it, has not made me particularly confident in the art of wine serving.

well, there you have it, folks. the highs and lows of the life of a waitress. it's a good thing there's more to life than work, isn't it? ;)

Mrs. B.

the librarian and the waitress: a love story

2006-11-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Just a quick update to let you know that we are doing well out here in London. Our marriage is going great and we believe that moving out here has really been the best thing for strengthening the relationship between us. Hope you enjoy the re-bearded Matt and the always-lovely Caitlin, the apple of her husband's eye!

a little slice of home

2006-11-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

Last night we were treated to a wonderful concert that reminded us of life on the coast and reunited us with a great friend. DB Clifford came to town to play a show at a club in London, bringing with him his band which includes Johnny "the 5 is Alive" Andrews on the drums!! The show was awesome and they really impressed some of the people who began to trickle in. One dude was just amazed and said he was so happy to have some live soul music in London. It was wonderful to see Johnny and spend some time catching up and talking about music. We ended up playing roadies for Daniel, Rick May (best bassist EVER!) and Johnny, which made us look very important. The band seemed very happy to have us there because we knew their music and because we were so happy to see THEM as well. It was good times all around!

The band has only gotten tighter since the few times that we saw that at Steamers in Victoria and it is very obvious why Daniel was signed by Sony/BMG. The guy has got skills and with an A+ rhythm section behind him (Rick May has toured with many acts, including being the bassist in Michael Jackson's band on the "Thriller" tour and Johnny lays down a sweet drum line, we all know that!) it appears that he is going to continue to slay audiences eith his live performances (based on some reactions last night from onlookers). The label is releasing his first single next week and a full-length album in the New Year.

We look forward to their return to London on November 20th and hope to haul some of our friends and Matt's classmates out to the show as well. Rockin'...

Never trust the weatherman

2006-10-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

well. this morning as we were preparing to walk to school and work- because our car was in the shop, as it frequently is these days thanks to the Province of Ontario's ingenious 'drive-clean' plan (more on that later)- we checked the weatherman's report online to find that the forecast called for a mostly sunny day with a few clouds about and a mild 7-degree temperature. 'we do not expect any precipitation between Thursday morning and Friday morning,' it said. so, spirits were high as we both set off in the chilly morning air, the sun shining brightly. as i went along my merry way, i noticed that the wind was in fact very cold indeed, and had to pull my hood over my ears to keep them from aching, but thought nothing much of it other than wishing for some earmuffs.

about an hour after i arrived at work, however, i received word that the scene outside was now significantly different than it had been earlier. what was the differing factor, you may ask? well, faithful reader, for the answer to that question i bid you have a close look at the photographs below:

do you note the small specks of white floating in the foreground? despite what your better judgment might tell you, those are in fact snowflakes. yes, several times today the heavens opened and down fluttered these little white specks- in quite considerable quantities in fact. evidently the weatherman must have been just as surprised as i at this unforeseen onslaught of not only precipitation, but crystallized precipitation at that! his magical powers of prediction and precise scientific equipment must have been out of alignment today.

so there you have it! October 12th- the first snow of the winter in London, Ontario. i have a feeling we're in for the long haul now. this is how i feel about that:

ah well, we'll take it all in stride- just like we've taken in stride the fact that the Ontario Provincial Government is clearly in cahoots with Murphy and conspiring against us, attempting to bring about our slow and painful (and untimely, if i may say so) demise. incidentally, i think the dryers in the laundry room are also in on it. but let me get back to the Government. a little warning for anyone who ever thinks of moving to Ontario: don't bother bringing your car with you, unless it's fairly new or unless you feel like forking out hundreds of dollars to get it up-to-par for Ontario registration. apparently this province has a bit of a superiority complex about its 'clean and safe' roads, and a 1989 Sentra, no matter how well-taken-care-of, doesn't measure up. meanwhile, London certainly has its fair share of gas-guzzling SUVs, driven by maniacs who feel that it is more important to get to their destination in a timely fashion than to obey the rules of the road. but clearly our missing brake light and aging ball joints are more of a hazard to the safety of London's citizens. as a result we have been getting a whole lot of exercise walking when our car was variously at two different mechanics and the Jiffy Lube being tested, getting repairs done, and being re-tested. she now proudly bears an Ontario Motor Vehicle Safety Standards certificate, and hopefully by the end of tomorrow she will have passed the emissions re-test, have Ontario plates and be legal! but we're not getting our hopes up yet... ;)

let's just say we'll be glad when we're through with all the red tape that is evidently involved in a province-to-province move, and things start settling down into more of a regular schedule.

as a brief addendum, i must apologise to the readership of "adventures of a rookie waitress" for the lack of excerpts of late. to be honest, i'm running out of material. you see, i don't know how many of you picked up on my clever ploy, but the main character is actually loosely based on me- i know, how subtle was that!? i bet you never would have guessed- and as of late things have actually been rather uneventful at work. i seem to have beaten the rebellious ice cubes into submission (mostly) and i haven't had any recent episodes with the dropping of cutlery on people's heads or with uninformed patrons causing a fuss, so for the moment the rookie waitress has nothing much to report. things could change at any time though, so there may still be hope for more future adventures!

Mrs. Bing

blasted Murphy!

2006-09-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

well folks, i'm pretty convinced that the weather in London is conspiring against me. my mom has this idea that in accordance with Murphy's law, if she wears shorts and a t-shirt she will cause it to rain, while if she wears long pants and a warm jacket the sun is sure to shine. well mom, unfortunately it seems that i have now developed a similar knack for conforming to that blasted law. ever since i started working, my last work day in the week will always be gorgeously sunny and breezy, and as i look longingly out the window at the beautiful leaves swirling in the crisp autumn air i'll think, "tomorrow Matt and i will have to finally get out for a walk by the river before the weather gets too bad. yes, it will be perfect!" so i get all excited and imagine us sauntering along the banks of the Thames the next day, with the warm sun filtering down through the changing colours of the trees. and then i wake up the next morning on my much anticipated day off, and what do i see peeking through the curtains? not blue sky-- oh no, because Murphy has struck again! every day we've been planning to have a nice walk, it has been miserable and dreary and wet out. now, granted, there isn't necessarily any reason why this sort of weather should prevent us from having a nice walk-- in fact, today we were planning on getting out there and enjoying the outdoors despite the rain, but once we had been out in it to do a few errands, we were just getting wet and cold. so we opted for a nice hot cup of tea at home instead and admitted yet another defeat to the formidable, and evidently malevolent, Murphy.

The woeful tale of the Tuna Nicoise Salad Lady

2006-09-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

alright folks, drum-roll please... you guessed it: it is time for the next installment of "adventures of a rookie waitress"! tonight's excerpt, which i have entitled "the woeful tale of the Tuna Nicoise Salad Lady", is taken from the part wherein our modest but quietly confident heroine makes her first terrifying foray into the unfamiliar territory of waiting on fine dining customers (i.e. not huge parties with lots of other waitstaff). enjoy the show...

"i received word that the host had just seated two customers: my first table ever. my stomach gave a quick shudder as nerves set in; but then, not allowing myself a moment's pause to let every grim possibility of disaster flash before my mind's eye, i hastily grabbed the nearest water jug and proceeded as gracefully as i could through the swinging doors and into the vast dining room. first complication: the couple, who had been seated in the far corner beside the patio door, were in the midst of re-seating themselves at a table nearer the centre of the room, citing the excessive draughtiness near the door as their reason for moving. now, had i been more experienced, i would perhaps have sensed the impending calamity; however, in my zealous attempt at optimism i assumed the best of this older twosome and waited for them to re-arrange and settle themselves before approaching the table. i filled their water glasses without ado, asking in my most proper English if they should like to see a wine list, and even managed to procure a decent glass of wine for the lady. everything went swimmingly, in fact, as i rattled off the daily specials with a few sly glances down at the cheat-sheet i had carefully copied from the board in the kitchen, and soon decisions were made: a sandwich of the day for the gentleman, and, as she put it, a 'Tuna Nissou' for the lady. i, of course, being no expert in the menu items as yet and unable to get a glance at what it was she had pointed out, hadn't the slightest idea what this 'Tuna Nissou' was. complication number two. not wanting to seem the fool, however, i repeated what the woman had said with a knowing look on my face and a confident "of course", and shuffled off to the kitchen to enquire after this mystery dish and enter the order into the computer. with the help of one of the other waiters, i determined that what the lady wanted was a Tuna Nicoise Salad. still having no inkling as to what this exotic-sounding dish might be like, i punched it in and waited to see what materialised from the other side of the counter. it turned out to be a couple of pieces of seared rare tuna, similar to the kind i had eaten once in a Japanese restaurant, served atop various types of greens, some olives and a few other things. it looked less than appetizing to me personally, but i supposed it must be just the sort of thing people were accustomed to eating in a fancy joint like this, so i faithfully ferried it and the pork sandwich to the table and wished the folks an enjoyable meal. when i placed the Tuna Nicoise Salad in front of its requester, however, she looked mildly confused and asked, half to her husband and half to me, "what's this?", looking at the pinkish masses sitting atop her plate. Just as confused, i replied, "i'm sorry? oh, the tuna?", which seemed to clear things up enough that she settled in and started to poke around at it with her knife and fork. it seemed obvious, though, that i wasn't the only one who didn't know what 'Tuna Nissou' was. i decided to leave her to it and hope for the best.

not ten minutes later, taking the customary walk through the dining room lest my customers feel abandoned, i was motioned over by the Tuna Nicoise Salad lady, who promptly announced, "i can't eat this. it just turns my stomach. i'm sorry, but i can't eat it. it's disgusting." PANIC! Immediately attempting damage-control, i apologised profusely to the woman and asked if she would like something else instead. "No," she whimpered, "my stomach is too upset now, i can't eat anything," waving at the plate to indicate that she wanted the offensive stuff removed from her sight immediately. Stupidly, i asked if she would like to take any of it home with her, but was quickly refused with an even more disgusted grimace. "Can i bring you anything to help settle your stomach at all? Perhaps a tea or a ginger ale?" i asked, trying to redeem myself even a little. Hesitantly she agreed to the ginger ale, and i removed the unfortunate salad and set about getting the poor woman her drink. in the meantime, the other waiter had caught wind of the situation and arrived for backup, so he returned to the table with me to see what else could be done to appease our dissatisfied patron. upon our arrival, the woman seemed slightly improved, and had evidently managed to stomach a nibble of her husband's pork sandwich. "You know, I hate to complain and i never have," she said, "but this pork just isn't fresh, if you ask me." i left this one to Mike, the other waiter, who was clearly just as unsure as i was of what to say to this accusation. he stuttered some sort of reply, and seemed even more taken aback when the woman attempted to force him to eat some of the pork off her husband's plate and see for himself (not only is this clearly against all the rules of fine dining, but incidentally, Mike is also Jewish). eventually, it was agreed that we would voice the complaints of our customers to the chef and bring them each a bowl of soup in the hopes that it would prove more enjoyable for them both. as it turned out, the T.N.S. lady was up and down to the bathroom several times and barely even touched her soup.

Upon receiving the bill the unhappy couple was told that unfortunately, since there was nothing wrong with the Tuna Nicoise Salad (and the management was not about to pick up the bill for patron ignorance), we would have to charge them for it. Suffice it to say that the unhappy couple remained quite unhappy. So unhappy, in fact, that they left a tip of exactly negative 44 cents. This was not a promising start to my career as a fine dining waitress."

... and so the adventures continue!

ode to marital bliss

2006-09-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

It is 10:15 on a hot Saturday night here in London and I am sitting here with my lovely wife, each of us doing our respective thing, her reading her book, me updating the blog. I was just thinking how nice it is to just be together and how much I enjoy jmy wife's company. We don't necessarily have to be doing the same activity together, but just to sit in the same room, hanging out, and having the occasional discussion is a very comfortable place in to be. I really love being married exactly for that reason. The friendship and coexistence factor is wonderful as is going to bed together and waking up next to one another. I can't imagine coming out here and undertaking such a mighty feat as doing my Masters degree without Caitlin being here to share it with me. I would have been really lonely and depressed. Thankfully, she was up the the challenge and together we have faced everything, both good and bad, that has been thrown our way. I can see now why there is nothing on earth as valuable to a man as a good wife. It makes all the difference!

Matt

Adventures of a rookie waitress, and other stories

2006-09-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

i have just been expelled from the kitchen by my husband on the grounds that my assignment for the evening is to update our faithful readers regarding the goings-on in the life of the Family Bing. so here are a couple of highlights from the past week or so. first of all though, i would like to preface tonight's edition by saying, entirely of my own accord and not at all at the bidding of anyone else (least of all a certain co-habitant of mine), that my husband is a most helpful, considerate and altogether exemplary husband. he helps out in the kitchen without complaint (and, sometimes, even without prompting), occasionally asks what sort of music I want to listen to, and only leaves the shower curtain open after showering about 80% of the time. really, who could ask for more? (please note that i actually do think Matt is a wonderful husband, and am only ripping him because of his cheeky request that i sing his praises to you all- in fact he has just done the dishes and is now making tea for us both.)

for our storytime tonight i'll take some episodes from a little volume i'm working on called 'Adventures of a rookie waitress' - an illuminating story of a young married woman in an unfamiliar town who selflessly puts aside her own dreams and aspirations and becomes a waitress to put her brilliant but mentally unstable husband through graduate school. the first excerpt is taken from her first day on the job at a formal dining club, preparing for a group lunch:

"at first glance, my assignment seemed simple enough: go around to all the tables and fill up each water glass with ice cubes. how hard could that be? no problem, i thought. eager to show my new coworkers how easily i would catch on, i grabbed an ice bucket, and- heeding the advice of one of the waiters- i surrounded it with a napkin to make the job a little less cold. after filling it up with ice and locating the nearest scoop, into the dining room i went, confident and in high spirits. to my shock, however, this apparently simple task was considerably more difficult than i had expected. those tricky little ice cubes evidently preferred to go everywhere other than into the glasses, whose mouths were deceptively narrow. this problem was compounded by the fact that people were already starting to trickle into the room and mill around, making a quick retrieval of the rogue ice cubes with my fingers a serious faut-pas. so i was forced to make an utter fool of myself, chasing the little buggers around the table with the plastic scoop, trying in vain to capture them without making a mess of the painstakingly arranged settings and making good-naturedly sheepish comments such as 'ha-ha, it's hard than it looks, isn't it?' or 'oh dear, they really don't want to go in there, do they?' to anyone who noticed my plight. the real piece-de-resistance was the one ice cube i actually managed to drop right into the sugar bowl, so that the finger retrieval was in fact the only real option. this i managed, as far as i could tell, without attracting too much attention, and retreated as fast as my little legs would carry me back into the kitchen, my ears no doubt the colour of the tomato-basil soup the party would soon be tucking into. to make matters worse, i could now feel the early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome setting in to my left wrist, which had had to clutch the heavy ice bucket to my side for the duration of the humiliating episode."

the second story details the hazards of table clearing:

"i felt that perhaps i was starting to get the hang of how to stack the dirty plates and cutlery so as to achieve the balance necessary for a safe transit to the kitchen, when all of a sudden things went awry. as i was leaning in between two ladies to pick up a plate from the table, the cutlery which i had piled on the plate i held in my left hand shifted (it remains a mystery to me why they picked such fat-handled knives, as their disproportionate shape causes them to fly around madly on a plate at the slightest movement), and i, inexperienced as i was, overcompensated in my attempt to regain balance and sent half of the cutlery crashing to the floor. one of the ladies took pity on me and bent down to help me pick up the fallen silverware, whereupon one last knife which had been hovering on the edge of the plate, contemplating whether or not to follow its companions in their plunge, made its decision and plummeted to the floor, barely missing the poor woman's head on the way down. shaken, the woman looked up at me and said with an uncertain chuckle, 'maybe i'd better leave that to you or i might get hurt!' 'yes,' i agreed, cursing the day that i took this job, 'that would be advisable.' "

stay tuned for more...

Food Basics, library school antics, and rockin' the ghetto wardrobe

2006-09-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

It's Friday night in London and as the children scream in the courtyard and mangy dogs howl at the moon I will recount for you some of the recent goings-on:

To start with, Mrs. Bingham and myself found a sweet grocery store from which to purchase our victuals. It's called Food Basics. The produce is great, the prices are low and they are big on taking care of the environment. We bought some reusable bags and it's a pack-your-own groceries kind of place. We have been thoroughly enjoying our shopping experiences together at the local Food Basics and look forward to more trips there in the future.

Library school is INTENSE. This coming week I have five assignments due and so much reading that I am surprised there are any trees left in the world. I am doing well and making friends (and most likely enemies too!) with my razor sharp wit and smart-ass antics (what's new). My friend Michael is convinced that I am rubbing off on him because he says that he is getting snarkier than perhaps he was a couple weeks ago--gotta love converting new disciples to the Way of the Bing! And to anybody who thought that training to be a librarian involved critiquing the newest John Grisham novel or reading the Harry Potter series, it's doesn't so don't think I am just sitting on my arse out here!

Last week, due to a lack of storage space in our bedroom, Caitlin and I purchased THE GHETTO WARDROBE from our nation's most venerable retail outlet: Canadian Tire. This sucker is made of 100% particle board with an "alder finish" that smacks of quality craftsmanship. We set it up and before we put the 'back' on, I touched it lightly and turned it from a rectangle into a parallelogram! The aforementioned 'back' turned out to be a piece of very thin cardboard (!) that we had to nail on, which actually did add a slight (and I cannot emphasize the word slight too much) degree of structural integrity to it. The instructions recommended that we affix the wardrobe to the wall, but since we had no method of doing that we decided to just not put the doors on so that it does not become too top-heavy! If there is one thing that Caitlin and I have in great quantities between the two of us it's ingenuity!

Well, we are going out for a budget date at Starbucks (thanks Janis and Tim for the Starbucks gift card that makes going out actually possible--you guys are romance gurus!) to bond and also to get away from the Screaming Children of Proudfoot Lane. Hope everyone who reads this is well! Cheers...

Matt

Thoughts from Mrs. Bingham, and the long-awaited photos

2006-09-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

alright, alright. it's the other half of the Bing family here, and i know you've all missed hearing my side of the story so i decided to write the chapter wherein we finally post some pictures of the apartment we'll be calling home for the next 2 years or so. besides, Matt doesn't know how to post pictures so it's up to me to figure it out. *wink*

now then. i suppose i should give my feelings about the move and our first week in London briefly before the big pictorial reveal... let me gather my thoughts.

i feel as though the enormity of what we were undertaking in driving clear across the better part of the continent never really hit me quite like it hit Matt. often along the way he would look over at me and say 'are we crazy for doing this!? we're thousands of miles away from home!', and when he put it that way i would think that perhaps we were crazy. but for the most part i was able to just take things a day at a time and not think too much about how far away we were from both our origin and our destination. the hardest part for me was actually fending off boredom and chronic back pain- i found myself constantly fidgeting, and changing my position and the radio station. as ruggedly beautiful as the scenery across America is, when you're spending 12 hours a day watching it go by it doesn't take long for it to get a little 'same-y', to say the least. the most exciting parts of the trip for me were the junctures when the scenery changed significantly- from the mountains and lakes of Idaho to the rolling hills and plains of Montana and North Dakota, then (after three full days) from the plains to the thick forests which lined the roads through Minnesota and Wisconsin, and finally (most exciting of all) to the vast ocean-like expanses of the Great Lakes in Michigan. man, was it good to see shoreline again! the beaches of lake Michigan actually look really beautiful, with fine reddish sand spreading in dunes on both sides of the road as it winds along the shore, but as tempting as the water looked i wasn't about to risk contamination by stopping for a dip as some did. yes, i'd say that reaching the Great Lakes was the high point of the jourey for me. from there, the rest of the trip was sort of a denouement after the climax. it confirmed for me that i really am a coast girl at heart.

as for our first week and a half in London, i would describe it as distinctly up-and-down. it was a significant relief to get all of our worldly possessions out of a moving vehicle and into our apartment, although i'll freely admit that i was on the verge of tears several times during the three hours or so that it took the two of us to empty the contents of the UHaul into our new home. most other undertakings have been similarly double-sided; the excitement of setting up a new home tempered by the seeming explosion of 'stuff' from boxes without number and not enough storage space to fit it all; the fun of exploring a new city and campus sullied by the complications of an unfamiliar road system and the impatience of local drivers; in short, there have been definite highs and lows. the high this week was that i got a job offer from a formal dining club to be a waitress. the perks: full-time daytime hours, training, and from what i can tell the nicest boss ever. the drawbacks: an all black uniform including tie and tights, and the fact that minimum wage in Ontario is something along the lines of $6.75 an hour. let's just say the tips had better be good.

but anyway, here we are, and after a couple good days of unpacking and sorting and storing and tidying, our little place is beginning to feel like a home. the only thing missing now is pictures on the wall, but since most of the walls are concrete, that will take some more drastic measures than we're currently capable of.

so, without further ado, here are some pictures of our place!

here is the dining room:

and here is the bathroom- it's small but it does the job:

this is our palatial bedroom, complete with our new Rubbermaid (yes, Rubbermaid) 'armoire' in the corner. this thing has a CARDBOARD back, no joke. in the instructions it recommended that you affix the unit to the wall, but because of the concrete wall issue, we just decided not to put the doors on it in the hope that this would alleviate the likelihood of a sudden collapse. we shall see...

don 't blink, or you'll miss our kitchen. it's hard to find in this picture, in fact. it's more like a narrow hallway than anything else. but it's full of good stuff!

here are a couple of pictures of the living room from opposite directions. the first one looks towards the entrance to the dining room, the second is taken from just behind the blue and grey couch (which is secretly multicolored and covered with two fleece blankets, as you can just make out in the second picture. shhhh, don't tell!).

and last but not least, our neat and tidy little entryway, with shoe rack- and keyholder, so we don't lose our keys!

so that's about it for now. congratulations if you're still with me at this point. thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers! we miss home, but we're doing fine and things are looking up from here on in!

- Mrs. Bingham

Life in London (after 6 days)

2006-09-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Thus far, life in London has been pretty up and down. The apartment has been the real positive and #408-595 Proudfoot feels like home to us despite the fact that we have only been here for 6 days. As for school, it is going reasonably well also. I have met some nice people, our building and grad lounge are very new and for MLIS student use almost solely. My cohort of 80 is divided into two sections of 40 each so I am not really part of a huge class. Other than a few foreign students, I am the person from farthest away (there is one American and a couple Vancouverites). I had my picture taken for my student card today and I had to remove my ever-present Toronto Maple Leafs hat (a brand new one for starting school, so now my father-in-law won't attempt to burn it!) revealing heinous hat-head and thus I look like an idiot, but it's kind of blurry so you can't really tell as long as you don't look too closely.

Caitlin has been looking for work and is starting to feel more positive about her prospects out here. She stumbled upon a sweet online job database and so she has been e-mailing out resumes like there's no tomorrow. London seems like it has quite a number of job opportunities so it looks like we won't be destitute (presuming that anyone actually calls her for an interview).

That's it for now, but stay tuned for more updates when we have the time and enough stuff has actually happened to be newsworthy. Cheers...

Matt

P.S. For anyone who is interested, Caitlin has a new e-mail address that goes something like this: caitlin_bingham@yahoo.ca

reflections on the wedding from the groom

2006-08-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

Two weeks later, I thought I would take a few minutes to comment on our wedding. Firstly, we really could not have asked for a better day. The weather was gorgeous, the lighting in the church (according to our photographer, Robert S. Campbell) was perfect for pics, the ceremony was beautiful and went off without a hitch, and the reception was a blast. The sheer radiant beauty of my bride brought me to tears and I know that it is a moment that I will never forget. When we recited our vows, it felt like it was just the two of us in that church--everything and everyone else just faded out as I gazed into Caitlin's eyes. Both of us were emotional during the vows as we made one of the most important covenants there is to one another.

Other than when Caitlin came down the aisle, my favourite moment of the day was when Andrew and Brent, our MCs, announced us to those gathered at the reception. "City of Blinding Lights" by U2 was fired up by our friend and DJ, Colin, and we walked in to an EXPLOSION of applause. It was deafening and I got the chills up my spine (similar to the ones I get whenever I hear "Where the Streets Have No Name"). The clapping carried on for what seemed an eternity and we felt so much love from all of our family and friends break like a wave over us. How blessed we are to have the people that we do in our lives!! I have subsequently been told by numerous people that they have never heard a reaction like that to a married couple walking into their reception. Now I know how Bono feels when he walks out onstage to greet his tribe!

We have been given our pictures back from our photographers and they are stunning, many people having said they are the best wedding photos they have ever seen. So, here is a shameless plug for our photographer, Rob Campbell. He is brilliant, amazing, and incredibly fun to work with. His photography is of the highest quality and his abilites are unparalleled. Check out his website at www.robscampbell.ca to see samples of his work. Rob and Julia, thanks so much for your amazing work. We love and are so thankful for the job that you did and the fact that you were able to share the day with us!

And to everyone else, thanks so much for sharing our wedding day with us. We hope that you had as enjoyable a day and Caitlin and myself. We will be emailing out some of our pics when we have more time. If you would like to get some shots, email us and let us know. And keep checking this blog because it will be being updated far more frequently when we move to Ontario, as will The Bing Dynasty (www.homeofthebing.blogspot.com). Thanks again everyone...

Matt

3 days to go...

2006-08-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how much planning goes into a wedding and how many little details there are to remember. With 3 days to go, Caitlin and I are still working hard to finish up everything for the big day and there is a big part of me, despite how excited I am about Saturday, that can't wait for the wedding to be over so that the insanity can end. Things are coming together nicely and our first out of town guests (from the U.K.!) are arriving in town today which means I will get to meet them for the first time. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday...

the countdowns are on!

2006-06-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Krista complained to me yesterday that Caitlin and I had not posted anything on our blog for a long time and thus I decided to quickly update y'all on the goings-on in our lives. The big countdowns are on for me, personally. I have 10 more days of work at Kids Klub (thank the sweet Lord above!) and Caitlin and I are getting married in 50 days! This engagement year has just flown by and I can't believe we're already into the middle of June.

Life is going well, though busy, for both me and my lovely lady. I am living with my best man's parents after having evacuated my old house. It is going great at Renton's, very quiet and peaceful. They treat me like family, they are extremely considerate, and they are always fun to be around and talk to. I am enjoying the World Cup, as is Caitlin who loves soccer, and looking forward to seeing what happens in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Well, that about does it from me. Feel free to e-mail me in July and find out what's going on with me because I won't be working and thus will probably have a little more time to hang out. Durrance Lake trips are going to be many and I would love company. Cheers...

Matt

invites done

2006-04-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, a big piece of the puzzle has fallen into place as we finished our wedding invitations on Sunday. This is a big relief and one less thing for us to worry about. Wedding plans and moving plans are coming along pretty well, though there is a great deal to think about when you are moving your life across this great nation. More updates to come...

blogastination

2006-04-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

this word is a creation of our good friend and resident neologist Jason, who used it to describe my activity here. well, actually i believe he came up with the verb, 'to blogastinate', but i'll credit him with the cognate noun too. i like it so much that i've decided to use it in conversation as regularly as possible. thanks Jay!

in other news, two of my classes are over and done with now, which is very nice! just gotta get this last paper finished, then write two exams and i'm done like dinner. so close i can taste it!

so there's been a new addition to our little family- she's a 1988 VW fox whom i affectionately dubbed 'the vocal vixen', but who seems to have acquired the alternate title of 'the tractor', much to my chagrin. she may sound like a tractor, but lemme tell ya, she accelerates like a porsche and handles like a mini cooper! she and i have been getting acquainted over the last couple of days as Matt teaches me the finer points of handling a manual transmission. he is a most patient teacher.

lastly but not leastly, THE BLACK CROWES ARE COMING TO VICTORIA AND WE HAVE 2nd ROW SEATS!!!! HAHAHA!!!! May 3rd, Save-on-Foods arena, don't miss it!!!

homestretch

2006-04-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

well, i've finally started on my last paper of my undergraduate career... i can hear that 'final lap' bell ringing loud and clear now. still doesn't make it any easier to roll up the sleeves and get down to it though. somehow checking all three of my email accounts and looking up one or two things on the internet always seems more important (or at least more appealing) than just sitting down and getting straight to work. who's with me now?

i was chided by a friend of mine the other day that i don't blog enough, so this is my procrastination activity of choice this morning. but really, what is there to say when it feels like your entire life revolves around archaic greek lyric poetry and athenian archaeology? ... well, you may all be interested to know that i actually cried in my greek class last week. that was fun. well, i didn't full-on bawl, but there were most definitely tears in my eyes as i struggled through my mostly-wrong translation of Pindar (curse that talented wretch of a poet!) with corrections being chirped at me from across the table every other word. the only up-side to the situation was that there are only four of us in the class, and, being subject to the same plight, my classmates were shooting sympathetic glances my way and trying to encourage me as best they could. i'm not actually sure if anyone noticed my tears, because once they started to come i kept my gaze firmly on the page in front of me. oh, who am i kidding- even if they couldn't see the waterworks, they surely noticed my newfound stammer as i struggled to compose myself. the rudolph-red nose probably gave me away as well.

oh, the joys of fourth-year greek class. i'm sure it will build character.

To the Land of Crawford and Kingsley: a change of plans

2006-03-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

There has been a change of plans for the Bingham clan come September. Initially we were heading for Dalhousie University in Halifax until we found out that I was accepted to the University of Western Ontario in London (home of two of the great men that I know, Don Crawford and James Kingsley). As I was applying for grad school, UWO was lowest on my list, but after considering the cost of living, job opportunities for Caitlin, tuition (close to $1500 cheaper!) and learning that London is a very beautiful city Caitlin and I have decided to accept UWO's offer for September 2006. The kicker is that UWO's program is the most cutting-edge, innovative program in Canada for my discipline. We both feel really positive about this choice and are looking forward to this huge change in our lives.

Matt

the monster awakens!

2006-03-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

Caitlin and I are posting our first blog entry from our NEW iMAC G5 COMPUTER! This thing is friggin' sweet! It has a twenty inch screen that you can see from a mile away not to mention a nifty mouse, built in webcam, a remote control that's really tiny and it is really cool! We are very excited about this whole business because we now know that we won't need a TV when we move to lovely Halifax. Also, did we mention the TWENTY INCH SCREEN?!! Oh yeah! Peace to all our homies and we'll be back soon! Posse out...

Matt

oh help

2006-03-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

one paper down, three to go… it makes me want to cry. and perhaps throw up, all at the same time. why do i subject myself to this? is it for the betterment of mankind? i somehow doubt that my new in-depth knowledge of Ovid’s use of mythology in his Ars Amatoria will help make the world a better place. you may call me cynical. i just call me fed up. now don’t get me wrong- i realise how blessed i’ve been to be able to receive “higher education” as they call it, and i’m sure i’ve picked up some useful skills along the way. i just sometimes ask myself why knowing all this stuff matters. i guess it’s just that time of year, eh? papers, papers, papers... can't live with them, can't graduate without them.

i don't have to sign my name any more, right? you can all tell it's me because of the lack of capitalization and the pessimistic attitude.

it's official

2006-03-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

I have been officially accepted by Dalhousie and confirmed with them that I will be attending in September 2006. We're off to the Maritimes, baby!

Halifax-bound

2006-02-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like we are going to Halifax come September 2006. I have been unofficially accepted for my Masters at Dalhousie University. It is very exciting, but this news will also send Caitlin and I into a flurry of activity over the next half year as we attempt to plan our wedding, honeymoon, and a move across this great nation of ours! Keep us in your prayers as we prepare ourselves for this huge change...

like a blog virgin

2006-02-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

well folks, this is it. my first blog posting ever. perhaps i'd better start with a few disclaimers...
first of all, as you'll no doubt already have noted, i'm fairly adamantly opposed to the use of capital letters when i type. the only time i use them, really, is when i'm writing a paper which is going to be read by someone who has a direct influence over my marks at university. on a related note-- and this may come as a terrible shock to those of you who know me-- it's my opinion that 'correct' grammar and syntax (particularly punctuation) are of secondary importance to accurate self-expression in a case such as this, and consequently you may bump in to the odd comma-splice here and there if i deem it necessary to get my point across.
lastly, i can make no promises to post anything of particular import or interest to anyone, since the majority of my activity here will most likely result out of my policy of procrastination and the strict avoidance of doing schoolwork, rather than out of any need to express my extraordinarily insightful thoughts on current events. i'll leave that side of things to my extraordinarily insightful fiancé.
ta-ta for now,
the tait

our first post

2006-02-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Without actually telling Caitlin, my fiancee, I have started this blog to inform all our family and friends about how our lives are going. I believe that this will come in especially handy when we move away for my Masters (which is looking more and more like it will be at Dalhousie University in Halifax). I will be telling Caitlin about this so that she too can post on it.