About Us


The Open Road Project exists to spread kindness and meet the needs of strangers. We travel in a 1979 GMC Vanguard named Lily. These are our stories.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Casino Night

Quite possibly the best tuesday of my life. It probably wont be any big surprise when i explain why. If you know anything about me, you would know that everything about me would love the idea casino night. The IRC held a casino night called Mo'sino Royale. which combined a charitable fundraiser night with the cause of Movember. motivated by my filth stash and my love for gambling games, i got chosen to be a Blackjack dealer for the event. The IRC went all out, hiring an official dealer instructor black jack tables, roulette, poker. they turned the place into a convincing casino.
Me, like a kid in a candy store i was loving life.
You woulda thought ive been doing it for years, engaging the players, flippin cards at light speed, and taking tips like a pro.
mildly concerned my inclination to gambling has re-surfaced, it was for charity and it was a great night.

However the most bittersweet part of all, tomorrow is December first and i have to bid adieu
to one month of dedication and hard work.



At least now i can talk to girls again... see you next year, friend.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Just Visiting

Since jer so kindly informed you guys i was a little bit sick. i would just like to clear up that i in fact do not suffer from chronic loneliness, i just had a little to much exposure to what they in the medical world refer to as gingerdreaditis, and it was just a little bit to much for my body to handle. i did have to go visit the hospital. nothing too serious, I just needed blood work to determine exactly what i had. Its weird tho eh, that they call it "visiting" the hospital. I don't know why but i think i have a problem with it. It's not like I knew anyone there. Nobody welcomed me at the door, and I could hardly say i enjoyed my stay. when i think of visiting somewhere, i would picture myself on vacation, or maybe a visit to my grandma's eating cookies and milk and sitting on a couch. Not just waiting in different rooms for a long amount of time. But thats exactly what it was. So it wasn't really a visit. more of a wait.

I did however have to occupy my time. blackberry dead, taking brick breaker totally out of the question. in my emaciated state, exploration was out of the question too. i was basically confined to my hospital seat or bed. so i had to settle for the next best, equally curious thing. People watching. and from my open concept hospital bed, i had sniper vision. who would suspect the half dead, guy laying down with the mask covering his face, was listing and watching every word they spoke.

...well i was.

...and it was fun.

I learned a lot about some perfect strangers that day. the most memorable is Vladimir. Vladimir Suibec (pause) S-U-I-B-E-C which is the exact way he introduced himself to every nurse, doctor or patient who spoke to him. this 60+ man, has been in Canada for 12 years since he moved from old country. he looked a little bit goofy in his pants and bare back with his hospital gown. He refused to stop wandering about the room, and he must have touched just about every instrument in the place. After complaining about his thirst, i watch Vladimir get up (slowly) and walk over to a sink to have a drink. as a senior he was clearly above drinking straight from the faucet, so as i watched him reach straight into the trash and pull out a cup i gained instant respect for that man.

that and...

Mr. SUIBEC was in for his heart problems... the doctor noticed his chart read he was a non-smoker, he ask Mr. Suibec how long he has been a non smoker for and Suibec replied three months. the doctor left.

A nurse walked in looking at her papers, then at mr. suibec, then back at her papers. she ask him how long since he had last smoked a cigarette, he paused, then replied: two months maybe... the nurse left.

later the doctor walked back in. He asked Mr. Suibec if he had had any cigarettes in the last 48 hours. (long hesitation) Mr. Suibec maybe one or two or three this morning with his coffee. but he swore it was his first in six months.

the case was solved. Mr. Suibec had a heart condition that could not withstand the nicotine. he was again advised not to smoke and he was sent on his way.

its thanks to people like this that it takes 3 hours to get one needle at a hospital. however, its also thanks to people like this that you can sit and watch perfect strangers and almost always surely be entertained.

Thanks strange people. you make airports, bus stops, malls and of course hospitals all the more bearable.

Sickly.

So I'm sure many of you may have been wondering why there hasn't been a post in a while and I will apologize for that. Lately I have just been sorta down in the dumps cause my buddy Jamie here has fallen ill.

I really don't know the whole story but he is/was pretty sick. After last Tuesdays winning lotto ticket, Jamie's luck ran out and he caught some crazy illness. I tried calling him over and over, but there seemed to be no way to get in touch with him and find out what was wrong. The one day I came to his window, I woke him up from his slumber and chatted briefly, probably accelerating his illness with the freezing wind that was now blowing into his room.

Now all that I have been hearing is crazy rumours of what is wrong with him. I have heard it all: SARS, Mad Cow, Chronic Loneliness, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Swird Flu, Pneumonia... I just don't know what to believe anymore and just wish he was ok.

Anyway, this has been a sad time for me especially because ALL of the boys were home from university this past weekend. Saturday night, we all gathered up at Willms and just had a blast. Pizza, NHL 11, GIANT bonfire, sneaking around old historic sites in Old Town Niagara on the Lake aka... the works. It was a great night but we sure did miss Jamie. So I would just like to take this time to ask everyone who reads this post to send up a quick prayer so that he finds his strength again. GET BETTER BROTHA

Here's a few pics of our antics. The moon was bright and the air was crisp.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Today is Tuesday and what do all university students hope to remember to do on Tuesdays? Hit up Zehrs for the 10% student discount on groceries. So today as planned, Jer picked me up on campus and we made the journey to Zehrs. The key when grocery shopping is never to be influenced by the attractive impulse item. Yes, the pretty colours will inevetably attract your eyes to the dunkaroos and gushers, but be strong, remeber your orgins as a poor university student and avert your eyes. After all, you know all you can afford is that 3 KG pack of Sans Nom noodles for $1.49. So, when we finally had gathered up all of the items on our list, beer nuts and candy somehow snuck their way into the cart, we headed for the check out. To spice life up a little, we placed bets on what the bill would come to. Jamie decided on $29, and Jer picked $22 due to his savvy eye for the discount on soup. So the checkout began and the total rose to 28.50. Myself (Jamie) being victorious! I now had to debated with myself whether it was worth to show him my student card, or remain better than jer at this game... However, I chose the dollars over pride. I showed my student ID, and he took off 3 bucks making the victor now unclear. If you know us at all you can be asured of our cometive nature, (especially versus one another) and as I surveyed the reciept to find an excuse for my victory, I notice Jers chicken was charged twice. CAN THIS BE?!? We had been ripped off by exactly 3 dollars, making Jer the clear winner. He was pleased with this information and wanted to pocket the refund. We had to take our bill to the customer service desk, which happend to also be the lottery centre. In exchange for the chicken that was charged twice, we were refunded exactly 3 dollars. It was almost to meant to be as she slid the loonie and toonie right over the plex-glass concealing the $3 crossword tickets. Fate had already made the decision for us and as we recall, we didn't even speak a word to the lady she knew exactly what we wanted. Returing the coins to the till, she handed us that crossword ticket. We walked away two very happy men.

Almost certain the ticket I was holding was a winner when we walked in to Jers, we scratched that bad boy like a kinder-gardener with the chicken pox. Sure enough, word by word, NOR, FIJI, MILD...we scratched our way once again to success. Now, some people may tell you that 5 dollars isn't worth dancing like the old man from 6 Flags, however, under the circumstances, we were justified. Our proceeds will be re-invested without a doubt, and the dream lives on.
Winner Winner................................................Chicken Dinner

Monday, November 15, 2010

IRC Formal

This past weekend was on of the biggest events for first years offered by Residence Life. It was the IRC or (inter-residence council's) formal. Similar to a prom, it was hosted in a large hall, over almost a thousand people, first years and dons alike. This here beauty was snapped during the festivities.
Now, i would like to draw your attention back to my upper lip. This is in fact, the consequence of the timing of a mid-november social. What you are noticing may appear to be smudged dirt or even a cast shadow... but no, that there- is in fact a fully forming mustache. Today is the fifteenth of Movember and for that past 2 weeks or
so i have been desperately trying to grow a nice stash, and there is no possible way i am letting one dress-up formal impede my facial hair progress. Others have since admitted to conforming to social norms and shaving their Mo, but i rather decided to take a different approach. rather than shying away, or hiding my facial achievement i decided to rather embrace my minimal scruff. Fortunately, (and obviously, i was able to make it look pretty damn good.) Exhibit A is presented on your right. Now, i've lived with Raf before and am fully aware of what a beauty stash can do for one's appeal. So for now, although mine is still becoming, all i can do is wait. Movember really is a great thing. I know jer looks forward to it every year. I can finally understand why. Participating men all share a common bond during the pursuit of moustache month. Waitors, taxi drivers, pedestrians, classmates even my hero prof Jim McCutcheon are all looking foolish for the same great cause. to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. it is a bit of a joke, but its cool that there is a great cause behind it. you would be surprised the actual significance that Movember has towards prostate cancer research. so it is fun and games. and i know behind the facade of a handsome moustache i look like a goof. but if you know some one who is raising money, chuck em a buck or two. its worth it.

But oh yeah, back to the IRC formal for a sec. To all you who thought you knew me. you actually don't- Cause truth be told this white boy likes to dance.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Mystery.

For those of you who are up to date with mainstream music, you would understand that this is Rihanna. No last name needed when you are a celebrity. Now many of you may ask, "But Jeremy, why would you put a picture of Rihanna on your blog? Your a rude boy." However, I would ask you to just take a closer look at the picture. Particularly, the upper left quadrant.

Yes. That is me. Jeremy Enns. In a picture with the artist who performed such hit singles as "S.O.S" and "Please Don't Stop The Music."

This picture was taken in Jerusalem. In May, many of you know that I went on a trip to Israel to explore some of the pertinent social issues that shroud the country. One day near the end of the trip when we were staying in Jerusalem, this snapshot was taken. While there are so many cool aspects of this picture, I would mainly like to point out the subtle smile on her face. As she walked by me, our eyes locked and I could tell that she was diggin the dreads. If it weren't for her posse of macho bodyguards, I'm sure we would have sparked conversation and talked for hours in the streets of Jerusalem. As we were enjoying some ice cream at a local parlor, it would have started raining and she would have told me that I can stand under her umbrella. We would have laughed, perhaps shared a dance in the streets to a cultural rendition of one of her famous songs played by street musicians. It would have been perfect.

Instead, my good buddy Josh Willms and I just had to sit at dinner with our group and wonder about the mysteries of what could have been while Rihanna probably sat 3 rooftops away wondering the same thing about me...

On the flip side, I'm glad this picture surfaced, because at the end of the day, it's a hilarious coincidence that of all the pictures that could have been chosen (the paparazzi were snapping hundreds) the one that made it to the fan website had me looking ridiculously on as Rihanna continued on her journey through the old city.

If your still a skeptic, Google image search Rihanna in Jerusalem and click on the first picture that comes up.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

My Short Lived Modeling Career

Many of you may not know that I used to be a model. I mean, I used to do small advertising gigs here and there, nothing too major, but I kind of was a big deal. Here's a pic of me, back in my prime, when I was working with my buddy Waldo on an Easter ad for Nestle. My golden, shiny strawberry blond hair was insured for like $300. Not bad. Now if only my parents would give me access to my fortune...Lookin good little buddy. Lookin good.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

a very unfortunate shower.

today things were running business as usual. back to the grind, class, study, eat, sleep. so around eleven this morning, after one early class i decided it was about time id get my day started. i grabbed my bodywash, hopped across the hall, and jumped in the shower. I normally would exclude this part of my life from the reading public, but several events, (completely out of my control) made it so that MY shower, did become a public thing. so i might as well share. so waters running, im sufficiently soaked to the point i would consider myself completely in the shower. and of course, its always then and only then does it don on me that i forgot my towel in my room.
i think to myself no worries, i live directly across the hall from the washroom, i may just have to do the naked jump across the hall, that i had to do the last time i forgot it. hopefully this time the cleaning lady's not in the hall watching.

...just kidding.

but i do continue with my shower, procrastinating the annoying fact that im going to have to dry off towel-less, or devise a plan to get back to my room, naked and unseen when all of a sudden, over then sound of the shower, i can hear someones alarm going off. man im thinking, thats a ridiculously loud alarm. so i continue to shower. then dave my roommate opens the door, and yells man it would suck for who ever's in the shower right now... im now putting two and two together, but respond skeptically. Why?! dave yells FIRE ALARM, we gotta go! i look down, im in mid soap, great. i hurry to rinse the majority of soap, i get out, look down, oh ya- no towel. my don runs in, as im drying myself off with paper towel, and starts to yell lets go hurry up, but cant quite finish the sentence without cracking up. what a situation. my doors locked, im being hurried outside by my don, and i make it outside in pajama pants, no shirt, jacket.. still mostly soaking wet. if that wasnt enough its about 11 50, when everybodys out walking to their 12 o clock class. and its november. at least my day is now started

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Christmas Or Halloween?

Sorry that It has been so long since our last post, things have been crazy around these parts.

I had an excellent weekend. I spent it at Camp Mini-Yo-We for a free staff retreat weekend. I made some sweet new friends and had a good time. I took part in a murder mystery game and my character was a Pro Wrester who dropped out of Harvard Law to become the champion. My name: Jacques Strape. The best part or the weekend would have had to have been Sunday morning, when a decent blanket of snow covered the ground, aka, just enough for a sweet snowball fight before breakfast. A little Christmas spirit on Halloween. Sweet.

Me, awake for mere seconds and slightly confused as to what time of year it is.