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Adventures in Hollywood North

Monday, March 31st, 2008

As seems to be the trend now, it has been a while since my last post, and much has happened since then.

A few weeks back, my parents made the trek out here for the first time, and it was a great time spent with them. They were here for just over a week, and we got to do a lot of touring and hanging out. I took them to Whistler, Granville Island, Stanley Park, and of course, around my school and residence (which, my mom wasn’t so thrilled about…really, it’s clean…at least by most people’s standards). My dad got to run a workout with the team, and my mom and dad met the coach, although briefly. It’s the first time since I’ve been out here that I’ve really taken the time to actually tour the city. You can see pictures of their visit here: http://gallery.mac.com/tfeens#100050

While they were here, they also got to witness Hollywood North. Just prior to their visit, our school began a transformation to movie set resembling a military base for the upcoming movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. Although I have seen various parts of our campus transformed numerous times since being here, this was by far the most elaborate and widespread work I’ve seen. During the actual filming, there was helicopter flying, lights everywhere, traffic being diverted, etc. It was pretty neat.

To add to this Hollywood theme, during my Sunday long run this week, the park/lake loop I run around also had small parts being adjusted for filming. It seems to be a normal theme out here.

Moving on, this past weekend I opened my outdoor track season with a cold, windy day in Seattle. Luckily, the weather overall has been fantastic out here (in my opinion…unless you like the mass piles of snow that is found in Ontario). I’m looking forward to the season, as there are chances to travel to some exciting places (California, Oregon). We actually have the bulk of our season after the semester has finished, which I like, though it means I likely won’t return home until late May (depending on how well I run).

Continuing with the school end of business… It has been a tad stressful, and I’m definitely looking forward to being finished with it. Almost all my papers are done, and soon the cramming will begin for exams. One last push, and it will be behind me.

All in all, it’s definitely been a great learning experience out here, on so many levels. I came out with the idea of stepping out of my bubble, and well, I definitely feel that I’m far from that bubble. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again and having good times over the summer.

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Feels like home.

Sunday, December 9th, 2007

I looked out the window, revealing a winter-like bliss unfolding before me. The forecast had called for rain in Burnaby, however I just happen to live on a mountain. This actually isn’t the first time I have seen snow up here this year, but this was definitely the most I have seen thus far. However, it did not seem unusual to me; the drivers on the mountain must have felt differently as their cars got stuck. The next day we headed down the mountain for our practice, and it was mostly green…I even saw a guy mowing his lawn. A couple of days later, I look out to mostly melted snow and have already enjoyed one of my two runs today in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt.

The quick snow-storm certainly reminded me of my quick-approaching Christmas break. I realize it has been a while since I made a post; life has definitely busy out here. To quickly summarize the last little while: running, and school.

The cross-country season finished on a bit of low note for me personally, but the team did really well. Our guys and girls team both won NAIA Regionals, with the girls going on to win the NAIA Championships for a record fifth straight year. The guys, having been unranked a couple weeks before regionals (unranked being under the top-25 in the NAIA) pulled off a 4th place finish. Now it’s time to start gearing up for our two track seasons, indoors and outdoors. I’m looking forward to traveling with everyone on the team and having fun at the meets, though it can make for tiring weekends.

School is coming to a quick close. I am buried in my books cramming for my finals; only 2 left. It has been a tough semester, both adjusting to the University academic system, which as I expected, greatly differs from the College one, and trying to survive my Calculus class. I have learned a lot about how everything works in University over the past 4 months…apparently being perpetually behind is quite normal. It truly is a great juggling act, especially with athletics thrown into the mix.

On December 16th I hop on a plane and head back to my true home. I’m really looking forward to the break, and having substantial time (rather than one day to pack in as much as possible) to visit with family and friends. I do believe that this Christmas, that time spent with everyone will seem even a bit sweeter than normal.

Until then, I shall remain in a high state of stress and lock-down as I try and shove as much information as possible into my head and then release it all within a 3-hour time-period. I also want to thank everyone for keeping tabs on me, checking in, and keeping me updated on things back home. It’s always great to hear you.

P.S. More pictures of our lovely snow-storm can be found here: http://gallery.mac.com/tfeens#100042

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38697 feet up.

Monday, October 1st, 2007

As I write this, I look out of a small plastic window and see the world below with pockets of lights scattered around, and the dark horizon in the distance. This caps off what has been an absolutely amazing weekend.

The weekend started off with a visit with my home track club, including a good, tough hills workout. I must admit, I was very excited to see my running friends and my coach again. However, as exciting as this was, it was merely the start.

Saturday marked the wedding of my little sister (Alicia, for those of you who do not know her). Due to a crazy schedule and hectic workload and stresses leading up to this, I think my anticipation was really delayed for this. Friday was spent doing do work up until the rehearsal, and the rehearsal just flew by. In addition, I was trying to learn the song in which I would be joining the other two musicians in. Waking up Saturday morning though, everything came full circle. I couldn’t have been happier for Alicia and Mike. The ceremony suited them perfectly, and was very emotional for all involved, including my grandparents who are in their 90’s. Just seeing them there brought tears to my eyes.

My duties in the wedding were as a groomsman, which is simple enough, and to sing one of the songs. Although I have never been one to be overly comfortable in front of people, I have learned to adjust to this over the years of singing on a worship team at church. Saturday morning was different though, as I quickly learned. I have never been so nervous in my entire life. I was already emotional and I wanted things to be just perfect…Alicia would deserve nothing less. It was such and honour and privilege to be up there participating in her wedding, and is definitely a moment I will never forget. I do believe that Saturday would mark one of my proudest moments for her.

The weekend finished off with some time spent with my close friends, one of whom is getting married in 3 weeks time (which prompts for another brief return to my hometown). It was great spending some time with both family and friends, and it’s nice to know that it won’t be long until I do so again.

The next task at hand is conquering my current state of sleep deprivation, which is never an easy task while in school.

Update: here is a link to the pictures my older sister took at the wedding: http://picasaweb.google.com/tfeens/ALICIAANDMIKEWEDDINGSEPT2007?authkey=P3EuyFsVau8

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Finding my rhythm

Tuesday, September 25th, 2007

A couple of weeks have gone been by since the start of school, and I think I can now accurately put down my thoughts as to how everything is going out here. My life can basically be split into 2 parts right now: studies, and running. Outside of these, I really don’t have much of a life (not that it’s a bad thing…I like how it’s worked out thus far).

As I had expected, University has proven to be much different than College. It’s not that the content is necessarily really hard, but there is a lot more regular work to do, and I have come to understand the importance of scheduling. It has taken a bit, but I finally feel like I am beginning to get a good feel for the academic portion of my life. I have 4 classes, 1 which is my hardest (Calculus), 1 easy one and 2 that fit somewhere in-between. I think it is a good and manageable setup as long as I stay on top of things.

That leaves the other part of my life out here: running. As I’ve mentioned in a few posts already, I’m pretty excited about how this is going. We have now completed 2 races: one in Seattle, WA and the other our home meet here. I have been more than happy with my results, and things are really falling into place. I have finished 7th and 6th on the team, and am running far better than I ever have. Our team is solid this year, and I must say, I am really proud to be an SFU Clan athlete. I can’t wait to see how things progress.

A friend asked me the other day “is it everything you expected out there?”, and I have to say, it’s everything and more. I think I’m really finding myself out here in many areas, and gaining enjoyable experiences and learning new things in the process. I know that before I left, I had a peace about coming out here, and that has really be realized.

On that note, I also have to say that I’m also really looking forward to my brief trip home this weekend, and being able to see my family and friends again. Despite the fact that I love it out here, I still miss everyone and certainly haven’t forgotten them.

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Welcome to my new “backyard”

Thursday, September 13th, 2007

If the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds true, I would argue that no matter how many photos I take, I could still not describe the beauty out here.

Last week during a light run I was introduced to what is now my favorite place on campus. From this park area, I can see Vancouver, the Burrard Inlet, Indian Arm and the Pacific Ocean. All of this with just the turn of my head.

Many of you have asked to see what the campus and area looks like, and I finally had a chance to take a bit of a walk around with my camera. I didn’t have the time to get everything, but do take a gander at some of the sights that I do see on a regular basis at http://picasaweb.google.com/trevor.feeney/AroundSFU

There are plenty areas from atop the school or it’s various patios to have absolutely stunning sights, and I am making use of these for work/study areas. Hopefully the pictures give you a small idea as to what it’s like where I am. The pictures honestly aren’t great in a photographic sense, but I think the views in them will speak for themselves.

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Adventures in Hollywood North

Feels like home.

38697 feet up.

Finding my rhythm

Welcome to my new “backyard”

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