Dream...

I had a dream last night that kind of freaked me out so I had to do a little more research into it. The results were kind of cool so I'm no longer freaked out.

Your dream symbolizes an aspect of yourself or some aspect of your personal life that is growing and developing. You may not be ready to talk about it or act on it. This may also represent the birth of a new idea, direction, project or goal.

Kind of cool since this is totally where I'm at. I love how that all works together.

Started as one thing, turned into another...

I can't believe the year is coming to an end. I've completed most of my goals for 2009 (can't really find the list so going from memory). Among them was to read 20 books. I know, only 20, but reading is still a relatively new concept in my world. I love to read, but have found it difficult to get into some books. I'm getting much better at it. When I returned from Vancouver I had 7 books left to read to complete my goal. I was a little overwhelmed to say the least considering it took me 10 months to read 13! I'm happy to report that today I just completed my 23rd or is it the 24th book?!! In fact, over the past 4 days I've read 3 1/2 books. I think my goal for next year of 30 books will have to be increased. Other goals included changing my eating habits (which I did until the end of the year), working out more (once again did that until the end of the year) and watching less TV (still working on it, but doing better). Basically, I wanted to focus on changing my life in positive ways.

Among the things I've been doing to change my life include delving into crap from my childhood that still affects me today and reading some great self-help books. I like them because they have some great quotes and give guides to changing negative thinking and actions. So instead of dwelling on the negative things in life I'm focusing on the positive, or, more to the point, realizing that I can only control my reactions to the events and people in my life and not the event or the person.

This brings me to a revelation:
I was feeling a little (ok a lot) sorry for myself at Christmas since I was on my own and working. I started to complain that my brothers did the same as all years and asked me what I wanted for Christmas 2 days before the occasion. Normally this would have incensed me and it did at the time, but I now look at it through a different perspective. That will likely never change and it's ok. They don't need to give me anything to make me happy, but a phone call once in a while would be way more enjoyable. Spending time alone was good and it meant I didn't have all those expectaions that normally accompany the holidays. If I wanted a turkey then it was my choice to make it or not.

Then it occurred to me what I like about Christmas. It's connecting. I did that with my family via telephone, but it's still connecting. Getting gifts is not what I like about Christmas. It's about the people. Oh, the tasety foods and the lights are nice too :)

I love giving. And I like giving something that I think someone would either really need or just simply enjoy. I want to bring a smile to someone else's face, which, in turn, will bring a smile to mine. Not that I'm saying I don't like receiving. Let's face it, we all do. What I like is recieving something totally unexpected or straight from the heart. Like a card from someone unexpected, a brief hello on FB or an email, something small works for me. A clear example is the gift I received from Tanya and Andre - a totally cool book which I would never have purchased or heard of or expected, but which made me laugh and grossed me out a bit in parts, but was something that they knew I'd enjoy.

So this coming year I am focusing on the good and working on reacting differently. I have a new list of goals for 2010, which I will not lose this time. And for probably the first time in my life I'm really happy to just be. I have no expectations of others so I'm not anticipating disappointments. Of course I'm sure I may fall, or more likely go flailing off, this new path, but it's already making me feel like a different person. Happy 2010!!

Some updates

OK, I only drunk dialed one person and that's because he told me to so there's no big story. I did get drunk rather quickly off 3 pints, but I think that's because I've been barely eating lately due to my mouth healing.

On another note (Tanya reminded me I haven't updated), my mom is doing better. She is in the step down unit and I talked to her briefly the other day. So, no more tube. I believe she's on oxygen, but it's not all the time. I think her recovery time in the hospital will probably be longer than last time and she'll most likely have a harder time once they release her.

Oh, and my mouth is feeling better! I'm still having difficulty eating but that's more due to my tongue being really sore. Since I haven't been able to fully close my mouth my tongue has been rubbing against one of my really sharp teeth and is having a hard time healing, but the tooth pain is gone so I can't complain!!

Tooth update

Wow do I feel crappy. My teeth still hurt, but no worse than the first day. My tongue has taken a beating. I think while it and my cheeks were swollen it rubbed against one of my sharper teeth a few too many times and now it just continues to do so constantly. It's better than yesterday, but still painful.

My big problem is lack of sleep. I try not to take the painkillers too much. The pain, for the most part, is OK, but it's better not to feel it when I lay on my face. I can't sleep while laying on my back so it's inevitable. I take one painkiller when I go to bed and it takes away the pain, but doesn't really put me to sleep. It kind of makes me drowsy and I end up in this semiconscious dream state. It's rather disturbing. So now I'm just hoping for a good night of sleep. Perhaps no painkillers tonight. I did take today off and just called in for tomorrow too. The swelling is still there and it's still a little difficult to talk so I'd rather not be at work on the radios.

On a good note I've progressed to mashed potatoes!! MMMMMM....they are yummy!!

Ouch!

Yesterday morning I had my wisdom teeth taken out. Apparently there were only 3. The first 2 (top on either side) were ok, but the last one (bottom right) was a nightmare!! He spent nearly a half hour on it and had to pull out the drill to get it all out. When he finally popped out the roots one had a hook on it. That explains why it was so difficult, but the amount of pressure he put on my tooth was unreal!! Oh, and the noises!!! So gross!!

The pain medication he prescribed is stronger than T3's! The pharmacist was a little concerned which concerned me as well. Apparently it's a straight narcotic. I figure it was because it wasn't an easy extraction. Nonetheless, I went home after getting the painkillers and antibiotics and tried to sleep since I slept for all of 20 minutes the night before. Since the pharmacist was sure I'd get drowsy I figured I'd be asleep in no time...not the case.

Anyway, I'm doing OK. I slept fairly well last night so that was great! Trying to get some foods (liquid form) in me and using ice to reduce the chipmunk look. Hope you're all having a fun day!

Not so good

So mom is now in ICU. She was doing OK and her CO2 levels were coming down (started at 75%), but she took a turn for the worse this afternoon. From the sounds of it she was delusional last night when Craig was with her.

They asked if we wanted to intubate her (tube down the throat) or not. Last year she had said not to do it, but they did it anyway in the hurry they were in to make sure she was breathing. After she came through mom said she wanted the tube if it was going to save her so we approved the tube. Now it's a waiting game. She will have the tube in for a few days and, hopefully, at that time she will be getting better.

Either way, they have to take the tube out in a few days and at that point we do not want to use any form of resuscitation because if she can't breathe on her own at that point then there's no point in keeping her on machines.

At this point I am not flying home. I'm having my wisdom teeth out tomorrow morning and then I'll just play it by ear. She won't remember anything from the ICU anyway and my brothers seem to be doing OK. I think we went through the worst part last year when reality hit us that this was how she will eventually leave us.

OK

My mom, although still in the hospital, is doing OK. She'll probably be in there for a week while she's recovering from a cold. It didn't get to the point of infection and she wasn't having memory loss like the last time. So it seems they did the right thing by getting her to the people who could take the best care of her. Her oxygen level in her blood is low so they're working on that ans talking isn't very easy for her, but she's getting a free Turkey dinner tomorrow...lol.

BTW, Chris is cooking turkey dinner tomorrow so that should be interesting. I figure when it goes well he'll be in charge of Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving meals in the future :)

Again

News of the day is my mom is back in the hospital. She went to the doctor today because she got sick and was sent home with new meds that she picked up a few day before. Chris noticed she wasn't able to take in a breath. She couldn't even get to the car so he called an ambulance. She is currently in the hospital and we have no more info.

SIMple Life

My social meter is way up (talked on the phone all day)
My comfort level is fairly high (sitting on a comfy chair)
Feeling the need to boost the hunger
Bladder is ok...until I eat of course
Weather isn't so nice and I'm at work so the room rating is somewhere near 3-4
I think all in all my mood is pretty high!

Hope you're all having a great Saturday! Tomorrow I'm off so I'm going to buy some stuff and cook all day I think (and watch Patrick Swayze movies)!

Word of the day

Learned a new word today and thought I'd share:

Parvenu - one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it.

Stupid CRA

OK, so I'm getting audited by our highly productive and wise government (Note the sarcasm in that). What is really annoying is that I have to send them 14 pages of information, 11 of which they already have. Seriously!?! Do they really need me to send all that AGAIN??!!!

Well, I am and I'm rather annoyed at the fact that I have to send it. I've been told that it happens to a lot of people upon the first year of moving to NWT, but it's rather ridiculous when all they really want to know is if I really live here.

Random Thought

Sometimes we all need a little reminder that there are really spectacular things in the world. For me it was driving home from work last night watching the most beautiful Northern Lights. I might complain about living up here, but that view puts things into perspective.

Vacation Part 7 - The End

Well, I'm sad to say that my vacation is over :(

It was a great vacation even though I went on my own. Although I still believe vacationing with one or more other people is the best way to go, this trip went really well for me. I wandered aimlessly through the streets of London on a daily basis and just enjoyed my time away from work and all the rest of the normal day-to-day happenings.

I spent Thursday relaxing. I did a bit of shopping, but for the most part vegged. My cousin and I spent the evening at a local pub just chatting. It was a really nice way to end my vacation.

Now for Friday. I awoke at 5:15am and got ready. My cab arrived promptly at 6am to take me to the airport. My flight was scheduled to leave at 8:30am. Check-in and security went smoothly. Boarding started on time. Then the excitement happened...delays! Lots and lots of delays. My connection in Toronto was 2 hours from our original estimated time of arrival which would be enough time to get my luggage and go through customs and immigration and still make my plane. Yeah, if only! The captain, although very sincere, told us we were waiting for some connecting passengers who's luggage had just arrived...it would be 15-20 minutes. Then, as it turned out, their luggage was not in the crate that was at the plane so they had to find it. Then, the maintenance guys notice a water leak and had to find the source...another 15-20 minutes?! The maintenance crew were unable to find the source of the leak so they had to drain the water onboard. This meant there was no water in the restrooms for washing hands. They then had to bring on purell and extra bottles of water. OK, so after all that we were airborne 2 hours late!!!! The breakfast we were served was OK, but nothing worth writing home about (I guess I just did though), and we received a snack which was like one of those bistro pastries. The plane was full for the 8 hour flight!! It was a very, very long flight...I think I watched every movie on the plane. A 2 hour dely helps with that...lol!!

Of course I figured they would either hold the connections or find us alternate flights. That works for me normally, but I had a connecting flight with another company in Edmonton. When I initially booked I figured this sort of thing might happen so I allowed for a 3 3/4 hour layover. My new flight that they arranged was scheduled off 2 hours after my original flight from Toronto. OK, so that meant 1.75 hours between flights in Edmonton. Totally enough time to gather my luggage and check in. Of course then I boarded my flight in Toronto only to be delayed again!! This time the PA system wasn't working and that's a 'no fly' item so they spent a good 45 minutes fixing that. We were served free non-alcoholic beverages onboard, but everything else had a price! It was even $3 for a blanket and pillow!! It was a 4 1/2 hour flight!! And there were problems with the individula screens for watching mvies/tv, whatever so that was out for over a 1/2 hour during flight while they rebooted it.

By this point I'm wondering if I'd ever make it home! The flight arrived in Edmonton giving me 1 hour adn 10 minutes to get to my next flight after picking up my luggage, checking in, and going through security again! Well, I made it! My flight from Edmonton was with Canadian North and it was excellent! We pushed back about 10 minutes early, then were breifly delayed while we awaited a part required by another aircraft in Yellowknife. We still departed on time. I had a meal which included wine on a flight less than 2 hours! I had 3 seats to myself so I stretched out and slept. We landed exactly as scheduled!! I was home. I opened my trunk and discovered the documents I was missing when I left!

So, the only complaint I have about my trip is Air Canada! The food was not worth eating...buy your own if you use them. I actually anticipated problems with them which was my reason for the planned layover in Edmonton and they proved me right!

I am home now and very happy about that...not so happy about going back to work in less than 12 hours, but still happy to be back in my own home with all my own stuff and my own pillows :)

Vacation Part 6

Alas it's Thursday, September 3rd - my last day in England. I fly out tomorrow morning at 8:30am. The car will be here at 6am! Another early morning and then many hours of flying. Of course at the end of the day I will get to shower in my own place and sleep in my own bed. I really can't wait for that :)

Tuesday I spent the day wandering and saw Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, and a number of other random attractions as I wandered about. I did go to Harrods, but didn't buy anything there. Tuesday night I went to the theatre. Guess what I saw?!?! Read it at the end :) I paid £15 for the ticket and now know why the ticket was so cheap. Let's just say if the guy in front of me leaned forward he blocked my view. It worked out, but I would spend more next time. I did enjoy the show very much.

Yesterday I woke up before 5am to get to the Aerostar Train station for 6am. It was a good trip. Toured the city on bus and a Seine River cruise and had a champagne lunch at the Eiffel Tower. It was great and the other people on the tour were awesome. Then we went to Le Louvre for a guided tour. I really should have gone on my own at that point, but it was good. We then headed back to the bus for our trip to the train station. It was a very long day, but I'm glad I did it.

Today I took my time getting up and went out for a few last minute things. Now I'm relaxing and waiting for y cousin to come home so we can go to a local pub for dinner. This has been a excellent vacation!!

Oh...almost forgot...I saw the theatrical performance of Dirty Dancing!!

Vacation Part 5

It's hard to believe I only have 3 days left!! It feels like I've been in London for a month...a great month!!

It was a Bank Holiday here yesterday and that meant Carnival! It was Saturday and Sunday and the streets around my cousin's place were packed!! They closed a few of the tube stations and no cars or busses were allowed in the area. There were massive sound systems and crazy people everywhere. The cops were all over and were very nice. I had my picture taken with one :) There were loads of Caribbean food stalls around and it was fun to see people being respectful for the most part. I got a wee bit drunk on both days, but had a blast with my cousin and her friends!!

Saturday my cousin and I vegged and I had real fish and chips at a pub that night. We did a little shopping and vegged some more.

I know I'm going in reverse order, but Friday I went to Stonehenge, Windsor, and Bath! It was a great tour! I must say the tour itself wasn't great, but the cost of the travel and getting right in to the buildings was worth it. Oh, and Stonehenge - Rocks!

Vacation part 4

Today I'm seriously exhausted!! I have no idea where I left off. I went to a rap concert (Asher Roth) on Tuesday night with my cousin. Yesterday I did some more shopping and wandering on Oxford Street. I think I've spent most of my money on clothes :)

Last night I decided to head to the cinema because they have really, really nice leather seats and you can drink alcohol!! I didn't buy any food because what I wanted was popcorn and they sold it by the handful so it wasn't worth it. They had things like smoked salmon and sausage rolls. It was really kind of cool. Oh, and NO previews!! So awesome!!

Today I went on a tout of London which included a flight on the London Eye. Now I'm tired and have blisters so I'm going to go relax. Another tour tomorrow. This time I go to Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor. I think Saturday will be a right off for me!

Oh, and apart from a little rain yesterday the weather has been lovely!

Vacation Part 3

It's now Tuesday morning. I spent Saturday at V Festival and saw a number of bands and DJs, most of whom I had never heard of. I did get to see the Killers from backstage...very cool!! I spent that day with a friend of my cousin and two of her friends. It was a lot of fun. I got free alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) beverages all day!! So much fun! That night I was exhausted and slept very soundly on the floor in my cousin's hotel room.

Sunday I spent the day on my own at the festival. It was soooo hot that day. So the heat combined with my jet lag made for a rather tiring day. I didn't stick around for Lady Gaga or MGMT, but saw a lot of bands I didn't know. Oasis cancelled at the last minute so I didn't get to see them. It was still a good day in all. I headed back to London around 8pm and managed to get myself back to my cousin's flat before 10pm. I had a shower and pretty much crashed by 11pm.

Oh, Tanya, you'll be proud...I ate some sort of pie from one of the food stalls. It had goat cheese and mushrooms in it with some other stuff and they topped it with a heaping scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy...mmmm!! I also had chips and gravy!

Yesterday was a relaxing day for me. I wandered around the area here a bit and then sort of vegged. I'm on vacation after all. My cousin came home from work early, but was totally bagged from the weekend. She napped and then worked a bit and we chatted as we watched tv. For dinner we had Indian! Yep, I ate it and enjoyed it except for the spinach. We had nan, butter chicken, stuffed chillies, Pilau rice, Tarka dall, Pappadum with chutney and mint sauce. I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps we'll try Thai next.

Today I'm heading out on a bus to doa little shopping. I might wander around and see a few landmarks while I'm out and about today.

Vacation Part 2

It's now nearly 1am London time yet I'm wide awake. It could be because I slept most of the day away.

I think I've decided that Air Canada is NOT the way to fly long distances. My flight from Edmonton to Montreal was 4.5 hours yet they didn't serve any food...not even snacks like peanuts!!! Crazy!! I did get a meal (not too bad) on the 8 hour flight from Montreal to Heathrow, but the breakfast was a muffin!! Seriously folks! If you want to keep people flying with you, try giving them some food. Kind of crazy! Oh, also, the seats don't really recline! I enjoyed the choice of movies, but that was the best part of the flight.

My flight was also late and once discovering that my cell doesn't work here (I wasn't sure), I found my taxi to take me to my cousin's. Alas I arrived shortly after 10am London time which was 3am Yellowknife time. I was a wee bit tired. My cousin showed me around her small apartment (it's small, but nice) and I walked with her part way to the tube station as she had to head off to work. She lives a few blocks from Portobello Road Street Market. I took a brief walk along the market and found a Starbucks and a Subway should the need arise. I'll explore a little more tomorrow morning.

That was about it for my day as I headed off to bed. I thought about getting up, but figure I'll still be able to sleep at some point in the middle of the night. I just finished eating some KD (I brought it for my cousin) as she doesn't have ANY food in her place. I'll spend the remainder of my meals out I'm sure unless I pick up some bread for toast in the mornings.

Tomorrow I head to the V Festival with friends of my cousin. Should be fun :)

Vacation Part 1

Yesterday was the official start to my vacation. I managed to get very little sleep the night before...perhaps I was too excited. After procrastinating with a little paper toss (get it free for your ipod or iphone!!) and yahtzee I managed to crawl out of bed and head to Walmart for a few last minute items (read: Original KD for my cousin). I was treated to a very nice lunch and then headed home to begin my packing. I began around 2pm and was finally finished at 6pm. I did stop for a chat with dad and a little spider solitaire in there too.

By 7pm I was completely ready with clothes put away and my suitcases sitting by the door. All my documents were packed right where they were suppose to be and things were looking good for the morning.

I awoke 5 minutes before my alarm went off, had a shower, and double checked everything. I headed out the door just before 6am...flight left at 7:15am so plenty of time. I arrived at the airport and sat in my car eating my scrumptous sausage and egg mcmuffin and apple juice. OK, time to get checked in! WHERE THE HELL IS MY TRAVEL FOLDER?????!!!!! Yeah, that's right, somewhere between my front door and the airport I lost the travel folder with my preprinted boarding passes for my 2nd and 3rd flights as well as all the other info like my itereraries and such. I decided to go check in because I had duplicates of the itineraries. After check in I raced home, grabbed my duplicate boarding passes and raced back only to arrive at the airport and freak out becasue I couldn't find my passport!!!

OK, at this point I was freaked, but thought there was no way I could have lost it. I made a brief panicked call to Bruce to see if he could see it and then decided to board anyway. As I was standing in security checking for loose change I found my passport. It was in my back pocket!!! I was the last to board the plane, but I arrived well in Edmonton. They had banana bread on the plane...yummmm...things are looking up!! I now have a long wait for my flight to Montreal.

Peanut Butter Update...

I tried the organic peanut butter in a milkshake the other day and, despite the slightly different texture, it was actually quite delightful. So I might keep it around for milkshakes. Next test is cookies.

Peanut Butter

I love my peanut butter...it's great with so many things! I was eating it like it was going out of style (or stock as the case may be up here) and really enjoying it. I mean I ate it with apples, on toast, in milkshakes, on celery...with so much.

I was encouraged, due to the high fat/sugar content, to switch to organic peanut butter. I know some of you are huge fans of the stuff, but let me say...I am NOT!

Seriously, if I wanted to spend 10 minutes churning peanut butter I would have taken it up as a profession. Also, the texture is all wrong! And taste! Well, the taste isn't horrible and I've yet to try it in a shake, but it's missing something. Oh, I know...sugar!! I like sugar!!

Ok, that is my rant for the day. I will continue to eat the newly opened jar, but will most likely switch back to my fatty, sugary, yummy Skippy or Jiff very soon.

Busy busy

Back for another crazy week of work...I get July 1st and 2nd off!!! OK, now I've jinxed it and I'm likely to get called in...of course, I can refuse :) Plans are for a BBQ at my place on Canada Day. I'm excited!

I spent the day hanging my new art work (abstract paintings from ebay), potting my new plants, and hanging out at the dentist. That part wasn't so fun, but I did enjoy the freezing. I don't even know if they used a needle. I barely felt anything. My mouth was thus frozen for the next 4 hours. I splurged on death food for the first time in ages and now am regretting it. I must remember this blog for future cravings.







Painting over my couch...it's 4'x3' in total.

Painting over my table.









Oh, and it was Craig's birthday today and I didn't get to talk to him. He turned 21!!! Insane, I know!!! I sent him a text in the morning...he's not a morning person so I chose not to go there and it was 6am your time. He decided to go see Transformers tonight so I didn't get to hear his voice. Well, perhaps I'll give him a shout tomorrow.

I'm working so I guess I'll get back to it. The systems all seem to crash on my shift lately so it makes more work for me...stupid computers!! Have a good one y'all!

Hiya folks!

Hola! Life in Yellowknife is picking up a bit. We think it's getting nice. Hard to say because one day it gets to 20 and windy, but the next it's 6 and rainy/cloudy. Ah, what can you do about the weather?

Soccer season just started and once again I'm on the team that gets walloped 12-1 on a regular basis. We get to play the team we actually beat on Sunday so there should be a good turn out. haha. I played the full 80 minutes last game out in the field and could still feel the pain 3 days later :)

Work has been insane. It's not that it's busy, it's that we have no staff and we work obscene amounts of overtime. Now I know I shouldn't complain since there are a lot of people out of work and wishing they were in my shoes, but it's summer and summer doesn't last long here so I'd like to get to experience a little of it.

I bought a BBQ, then lost my client card and my credit card so I still don't have a propane tank :( The BBQing will commence shortly :)

I've been doing a lot of reading lately and looking into info about adult children of alcoholics. I really wish I'd checked this out earlier because it really explains a lot. Should be an interesting time ahead while I delve further into it.

So that's what's happening up here. Hope you're all enjoying the summer :)

Finally Springish

Ah, it's finally like spring in Yellowknife. Today it's gorgeous outside. There are some scattered clouds in the sky, but they are high and don't hide the sun. It reached 13 degrees and will be sunny until after 11pm.

I went to the driving range this afternoon after a healthy brunch of steak and eggs. Yes, I ate steak. It turns out I like it :)

Now I'm at work, getting a little sun burnt from relaxing in the sun all afternoon and trying to decide when I'll buy my new BBQ. With the double time I'm getting today I can get something really nice :)

Happy nice weather everyone!

Haven't seen me for a while, eh?

It's been quite some time since I added to my blog and I'm at work and bored so I thought I'd pass along a little sampling of Kim's life.

What's new? hmmm...really, not much. I finally got my washer and dryer (that was prior to my trip to Vancouver). Oh, I went to Vancouver. It always seems like such a short visit, but I always manage to miss people. I had a great time and spent way too much time with my mother. I know that sounds bad, but you have to understand my mother. I also spent a lot of money on new clothes. That was fun.

The reason I spent all that money on new clothes is that I've lost over 20 lbs since January. I know this because that's when I bought my Wii Fit. Now I know you must be thinking that you should run out and buy one too, but that is not my reason for losing the weight. In fact, I only use it so it can tell me my BMI, weight, and Wii Fit age.

Of course I can hear you asking, "What's the secret?". Ok, I'll tell you. My secret involves sitting on the couch and aimlessly watching television while drinking beer. If I'd only known this sooner in life I'd be a size 2 by now. haha.

Honestly though, I think it has to do with my change in diet. I am not on a diet, but I've cut out (or at least cut back on) a lot of things. Like?? Chips, potatoes, pizza, desserts (stopped baking), pasta, most white flours and rice, cheese (simply reduced, not eliminated). I eat a lot of chicken, salmon, steamed broccoli and plenty of yams. Oh, I also reduced my meal sizes.

Now I'm back at work, enjoying 8 evening shifts in a row...yeah me! Of course these shifts include 3 at time and a half, 1 double overtime, and 1 day in lieu. The next 2-3 months look pretty much the same. Good thing because I'm saving up for a trip.

Speaking of which, anyone want to go on a trip with me at the end of August. I booked my flight to Edmonton already and now I haven't the faintest clue where to go. Suggestions are welcome. If you know anyone wanting a travel companion and looking to go somewhere interesting let me know.

Oh, I've started reading again and am working my way towards 20 books this year. I just finished 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. Good book about life in Afghanistan told through the eyes of 2 women.

So, that's about it for me. See, not much to share, but I'm still enjoying life up north. I wish the lakes would thaw and the temperatures would average above freezing, but that's all wishful thinking at this point.

Need your help

I have a friend who just moved to Vancouver and needs to find a place: apartment or basement suite that will allow dogs. he's training in Surrey (right near the law office in Newton). He only needs 1 bedroom and has one dog. he's been looking, but doesn't really know the area and he is already studying to be an Air Traffic Controller. If you know of any places that he might be interested in let me know.

Blah

Back at work after a great vacation and now I'm sick. Bruce (yes, that's his name) started feeling sick on the weekend and has missed 3 days of work. That's making him nuts since he's a workaholic. Now I'm sick. I have resorted to Buckley's, but this is one nasty bug. It wipes you out. I think I'm taking the day off tomorrow if I don't feel any better.

By request

I hear there's a request for a picture of my couch. I already have a picture of my couch on here so I'll put up a picture of Bruce.

Ahhhh!

Relaxing in sunny Mexico at the free internet station. No excursions today. Maybe I'll try to tan...haha. Yesterday was sailing with the whales. Very few whales and sailing didn't happen much due to the lack of wind, but still a nice adventure. The previous day it was a trip to Yelapa and some snorkeling. Although not officially a whale tour, there was some really cool whale watching and dolphins followed the boat on the way back.

The food here at the hotel is great. We're treated like royalty. I guess it pays to be in the Royal Suites. Even the food on the tours has been pretty impressive, especially on the sailing trip. I tried new foods...or new to me!! Some was good, others not so much.

My couch is enjoying the trip as well even though he can't swim and nearly fell off the sail boat. Ok, off to get some rays and read a book with a drink in hand. Have a good day!!

Having BLAST

I'm really enjoying my time in Mexico. We arrived at 2am on Saturday morning and fell fast asleep by 4am. We spent the day exploring and enjoying the food, the pool, and Royal Suite amenities. Today, Sunday, we realxed in the morning and then took a Canopy Excursion (Ziplining) which was a blast. We came back and spent a nice evening at one of the exclusive dining rooms. Very nice. We watched the show, which was hilarious. Now that I'm well drunk we're heading to the disco to see what that's all about and then off to an early tour in the morning. Have I told you I'm loving Puerto Vallarta?!!!

It's been a while...

Well, it's a toasty -6.8 right now at the Yellowknife airport and I planned my vacation for this time of year just so I could get out of the -40 weather. Jokes on me...hahaha. The temperatures are suppose to drop to -25 or so by Friday - the day I leave - so I'll feel a tad better about my choice of vacation time.

As for me, I'm currently training our new Supervisor. It's kind of funny since it's really slow. I mean REEEAAALLLLLYYY S L O W. There isn't much to train him on. We've completed 6, almost 7 days of training and I think he's almost ready to check-out. It's rather an uneventful thing to train someone with a lot more experience than I have. He's pretty easy-going so it's not such a drag and I get an extra $8.50 an hour while he's training.

What else? Not much really. I finished my second book of the year and am nicely on my way to completing my goal of 20 books this year. Another goal of mine is to stop wasting so much time. It was working OK, but then the TV started calling me again. I'm working on it. My third goal (I had more, but realized I have limits) is to get back in touch with friends and family I've lost touch with over the years. There are plenty of ways to do that, but my preferred methods is snail mail. Although most of the people reading this I already keep in touch with, you may just end up seeing random cards, letters, recipes, whatever end up in the mail box.

Oh, I'm headed to Puerto Vallarta in a few days (5 to be exact) and am really looking forward to some warm weather and nice pools. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a super day!

Lesson of the Day...

When driving a small car in a place where there is lots of snow, do NOT drive into the unplowed area that doesn't look all THAT deep.