Photos from Montreal. I had Thai take-out both nights I was downtown. What a great way to get take-out, in a box with chop sticks. Just like I always imagined it would be when I was young. I love the warning on the box: The content is hot, delicious and may create dependance.








Pictures taken on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day. -16 to start and then warmed up to -8 by the time the picture taking was done. My friend Melanie and I took "Flat Stanley" out to have his pic taken around Iqaluit. She was asked by a 8 year old from TO to do this and we had a blast doing it. If you don't know about Flat Stanley, google him. It's a children's book.

Mel and Stanley posing on the breakwater in front of Iqaluit.


Me squinting into the camera.


I'm not sure what happened here...scary.



More scenery.



Beautiful sled dogs.



Tomorrow is calling for sunny skies so if I'm feeling ambitious after Coronation Street I may go out for a hike and take more pictures....of snow and rocks....oh the excitment never stops here North of 60.

As found on the Go'vt website down home.

Friday, January 5, 2007
SCHOOLS RECEIVE GIFT OF ISLAND HISTORY BOOKS

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- The PEI Home Economics Association donated copies of its new book today to all Island schools that offer home economics courses.
The book documents the evolution of home economics in Prince Edward Island during the past century. Entitled Who We Are: Our Heritage and Horizons, the 350-page book includes stories of home economists and over 260 photographs. The book was written by members of the Home Economics History Committee.

...

Ok, I actually saw the book at Indigo in Charlottetown and I thought, oh this is kinda neat. Then I saw my name in the book. I was upset and then disappointed. Upset cause no one asked my permission to put my name in the book and then disappointed to learn that the information about me was incorrect. According to the book I went on to George Brown College in TO and did a fashion program of some kind...and I can't remember what it said about my employment situation. WRONG! I did not even end up applying to GB college, just thought about it. The girl who did go didn't get credit for it in the book either...so someone screwed up.

In the book anyone not from PEI was referred to as a CFA (Come From Away) and while I think that is a funny Island term that I have used with friends (always in jest, never as part of serious thought!), I don't think it is appropriate in a book. It is saying that everyone who attended UPEI from outside of the province wasn't welcome and we feel the need to point out that they were not born in PEI.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my information was incorrect, I never did fit into the mold of what a proper HomeEc student should be. I didn't want a house with white picket fence and kids. I made no bones about telling people I wanted to remain childless and that I wanted a career and not necessarily a husband. Not what a good HomeEc student should say. I wore short skirts and partied till class started, I had my belly button pierced and had no problem showing it. (I still have it, but due to the current number on the scale, I'm the only one that sees it.) I went against the grain and liked to argue with people just for the sake of arguing (haven't changed one bit) and I didn't move up North to save the locals, as a good Home Economist would. I came for the amazing experiences and the muktuk.

I am proud of my degree and proud that I didn't fit into the mold. I'm proud to say I can't cook, can't sew, wouldn't know how to care for a baby, but I can tell the difference between a dress from 1890 and 1910. Anyway, enough of that rant...onto the pics.

Here's a few taken in PEI while I was out in April.

Flowers that appeared for one brief morning.



Niles...up to no good as usual.



Bud the Spud rolling down the highway smilin'.


And of course the Frosty Treat. Opened in 1973...a good year.

Hello faithful readers, I'm back.

While I hadn't planned to be away this long, circumstances beyond my control have kept me from filling a few minutes of your day with useless information. The trip home to PEI was nice, but let me say this...I was robbed. No, no one stole my money (I parted willingly with it), but the weather. During the 10 days I was on PEI there was more snow then the Island had received all winter...that's just not fair! I went home expecting some of the nice srping temps people had been bragging about....I was robbed, cheated, lied to and I demand my money back.

I'm in the post-vacation blues. Those of you who have experienced this will understand. I simply think the world has been working against me the past little while...and here's why...

Before I left PEI I picked up my wonderful red parka from the dry cleaners (STERNS). I didn't check it over until I started packing my bags...and found that they had left a white residue all over the jacket. I was very upset. I took the coat back in the next day a few hours before my flight and asked what the white stuff was and how to get rid of it...just wipe it off she says...I tried that last night and it didn't work. So the lady calls the main office where they cleaned the coat to find out what they did. Apparently someone in their infinite wisdom decided that it was a survial suit and not a down filled parka. NOPE. The white substance was residue from the cleaning...and apparently they didn't dry clean it, which I had asked for. I was extremely upset...this is a $600 parka...I NEED this coat to survive the winter. So she agress to refund my money and clean the coat again. "I'm flying out in less that two hours." "Oh." This reaction put me over the top. I drove down to the main office and demanded an answer to what they had done to my coat. Again, I'm told they didn't dry clean it...again I point out that I had asked for dry cleaning and that the coat comes with a warranty and it is void if the coat isn't dry cleaned. "Oh." They blow air through it and remove some of the white residue, tell me the coat is wearing out and return it to me. They will be receiving a letter from me soon. PLEASE...boycott Sterns (they own the store next to Great Canadian Bagel...among others). Apparently the people at Sterns do not know how to read labels...the label in the coat specifically says DRY CLEAN ONLY and it is obvious that it is not a survival suit, but a down jacket.

My flight left without any issues. Next morning in Montreal I get ready to head to Ikea. What I thought was going to be a 15 minutes walk turned into a $15 cab ride...only to find out that Ikea was closed. I had to then pay an additional $8 to get dropped off at the closet metro station and went to hang out in Old Montreal. Weather was great by the way. My second and last day in Montreal the temp was +16 and basically all I did was lay out down at the water front.

I email my folks to let them know I arrived and realize I left the power cord to my laptop in PEI....it is still enroute with Canada Post...so yes, I may never see it again.

Arrived back in Iqaluit with no issues...heck, the airline didn't even charge me for my extra bag...nice! Unfortunately my fish died while I was away. I knew this before I left and had purchased two new fish prior to leaving PEI. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are living a quiet yet comfortable life here in my apartment.

What else went wrong? Nothing major...just a whole lot of little things that make one wish for sunnier skies and better luck. AAUUGGHH. So for now I have borrowed the laptop from work and while I can't download any photos (did I mention I also forgot the connector cord for the camera in PEI?) I can keep updating you.

Next week is the big Iqaluit trade show and the week after I will be in Arctic Bay, Resolute and Grise Fiord. (Look them up to see where they are...) And More travelling after that....so at least May might be better than April.

Happy early Birthday to my sister. And Kelly, while you can cut your cake with your new ulu, I wouldn't suggest it!

Surprise!!!!

I arrived this afternoon in Crapaud/Charlottetown. I've been planning a visit home for a couple of months...but it was/is a surprise. I flew down to Montreal on Friday and then into Moncton this morning. My sister picked me up and away we went to the mall. After a little shopping, where frankly I was freaking out. There are more people at the Champlain Mall on a Saturday afternoon than in the entire territory of Nunavut. Anyway, after a quick trip to the mall it was off to Crapaud where my Dad sort of stopped and stammered for a second before it fully clicked that I was there. "Surprise!" Then off to Ch'town where my Mom was baby sitting my neice and nephew. My sister went in first and got the camera ready. I walked in a minute later, "Hi Mom." Her mouth literally dropped open and she went..."Are you really here?" Well, yep.

So it was a lot of fun. Indeed I have lied to all my faithful viewers, there is no turkey dinner with Lindsay this weekend, but there might be Frosty Treat tomorrow afternoon...snow storm or not.

I'm here till the 17th and can't wait to see some of you. (I'd say all, but I simply don't have enough time.) And no, I'm not coming home in June, that was just to throw my folks off the trail...it worked. There may not be many/any updates until I return to Iqaluit. I mean, afterall, who wants to read about my trip to PEI...esp. considering most of you live here!

Hope I'm forgiven for the misleading statements in previous posts.

Welcome to my work...the two windows downstairs are in my office.
This is my desk...and I think I have the best space, two big windows.


Our 'kitchen'. The sink is outside the office down the hall, shared with the Barber. Yep, the Barber. For $25 you can get a buzz cut.


The other room, where I keep the boys locked up during the day...oh, sorry, where my staff members devote themselves to our cause.


View out my window. See how blue the sky is? Who could resist that?


Another wonderful day in Iqaluit, great way to start the weekend. Around 2pm this afternoon the outside temp got up to around -15. Everyone found an excuse to get out and run an errand. The snow was dripping off the roof and melting on the roads. You wouldn't believe how nice -15 can be. Mike and I were having this exact conversation today. Back home -15 would be cold and gross...the snow would not be melting and you certainly wouldn't be wandering around without your gloves or hat on. But in the North, -15 is a wonderful thing and makes you feel like Spring is actually here.

A perfect start to the long weekend. I hope everyone has/had a great one. Seeing as most of you are at work readers you won't read this till sometime on Tuesday. Hope the Easter bunny found you!

It was a fabulous day in Iqaluit. It's amazing what sunshine and -18 temps can do for ones mood. Yes, I know some of you are enjoying temps on the plus side and are waiting for temps to hit the 10 degree mark but trust me -18 in the Arctic is just as good.

Tomorrow is likely not going to be as nice, there are some clouds expected and that kinda brings the mood down some...but I guess we can't have clear blue skies every day.

What we do have though...is lots of light. Even as late at 9pm the faint outline of the hills can be seen...and in the morning starting at around 4:30-4:45am you can see the sky starting to lighten. Two weeks from today there will be an additional 1 1/2 hours of light. Woo Hoo...

Next week is Toonik Tyme...which is a week long festival here in Iqaluit. There are races, dances, contests, the usual type of events oh, and did I mention time off. not only do we have Good Friday and Easter Monday off, but the Friday after is a civic holiday for Iqaluit...so another day of holiday...YEAH!!! Can you tell I really need a vacation. Sure I was fretting last week because of all the time off, but that was heading towards year end, now that year end has come and gone...bring on the time off.

Plans for the holiday weekend. Turkey with a friend. And maybe I'll take a page from my sister's book and celebrate Easter the same way she suggested I celebrate Christmas. What do I mean? Getting drunk on Saturday night and hiding eggs all over my apartment then finding them Sunday morning when I've sobered up...it will be like a surprise.

I took pics of my office today...I just might post them at lunch time tomorrow, once I take a couple of shots from the outside.

Sights and images from a walk last Saturday.



Random pictures taken at the same bridge I found last November.



It was a terrific Northern Spring day...blue sky and crisp air.



Snow crystals. I found a wonderful spot where all kinds of snow crystals were at the edge of snow cliff. The crystals were very hard to capture on 'film' but were quite nice in person...you will have to take my word for it. This is where a macro type camera would come in handy. I can never zoom in close enough.



This time last year I was on my way into Iqaluit...for my first trip out of Pangnirtung. Where I spent outrageous sums of money in Iqaluit on food at Ventures and the North Mart.

Easter weekend is coming up...yeah! I have big plans for a turkey dinner with my friend L. Hopefully we have good weather on the weekend so we can walk off the turkey by walking the dogs. So far it looks good...a nice sunny four-day weekend is just what the doctor ordered.

If the Frosty Treat opens this coming weekend someone should ship my up an ice cream.