I should be cleaning. I should be throwing the last few things into the suitcase. I should have the vacuum on bust. I don't. I'm blogging.

I'm sitting in my almost empty apartment adding up the weight of all my suitcases in my head. I'm trying to figure out if I am leaving with more than I arrived with-truck not included. I think it is less. I had 1500 pounds shipped up plus I had 7 suitcases upon arrival. My current amount is coming in at aroudn 1000 pounds in total. Tell me, when have you thought of your belongs by weight?

A brilliant friend suggested yesterday that I ship via cargo my excess luggage to AB instead of dragging it to PEI and back again. Excellent suggestion! So later today I am off to cargo to ship out my extra suitcases. Thank god for smart friends. You know how you get into a mind frame of thinking and you just can't seem to see any other possible way of doing it...this has been one of those things. I'm happy she suggested it, I'm even happier she offered to take me to cargo with all my stuff! :)
And I'm grateful that I am not stubborn enough to take a good suggestion when I see/hear it.

I took the truck down to the beach yesterday. The boat is due to arrive at 11pm tonight, will do one tide unload/load and leave by supper time Friday night. If we fly low enough Friday I could see it. And the truck finally has a name...Oliver James.

Ok...I was going to keep this going for a few days but I can't hold out any longer. I'm no good with secrets, esp my own.

I am moving to Calgary, Alberta. 5161141 also known as latitude and longtitude for the city of Calgary. I'll be the ED for a group of professional money raisers for non profits. It is going to be a challenging position, 1st ever of its kind in Canada, and exciting.

I am scheduled to start on September 2.

EDAPF 5161141

5161141

It's Sunday. It's my last Sunday in Nunavut.

I'm watching the tide come in and the barges get ready for the next sealift unloading. If only we had a wharf, then the loading and unloading could happen around the clock and not be dependent on the tides, which extends the process by days.

Latest update on the truck is a possible departure on Thursday. Let's hope so.

I am scheduled to go for a walk with a friend, but my desire has been packed in one of the suitcases or swept into the dust bin. I'm tired. I am doing some of the last minute dusting, sweeping, scrubing and general clean up and frankly I'm tired. I was starting to wonder this afternoon why I only clean my oven when I move out of an apartment...although, it really doesn't seem all that dirty.

Here's some pics from the walk we took earlier in the week.







I haven't been making a list of things to do when I arrive in PEI...but a few things did pop into my head recently. Wandering out into the garden in my bare feet and picking fresh ripe raspberries that still have dew on them. Buying newspapers from all over the globe on the day they were meant to be read...not days later. A drive thru meal from Wendy's. Fresh Island new potatoes with butter for supper. A feed of lobsters fresh from the pound and hot out of the pot. Sitting on an outside deck drinking an ice cold beverage while watching tourists walk by with lost but happy looks on their faces. And sitting around in the evening in front of a nice big fire, roasting marshmallows, looking at the stars and relaxing to the sound of sparks and crackles coming from the fire.

Friday afternoon 4:45pm
"Navigator Restaurant"
"I'd like to place an order for pick up"
"OK"
"Salt 'n pepper shrimps and a singapore noodles."
Ok...twenty minutes.

4:59pm lock office up
-pick up chinese food
-get gas
-stop for movies
-arrange to have apartment check out
5:28pm arrive in apartment

seriously...where else can you do all of this in only 1/2 hour???

Sunglasses.

I love sunglasses. I have many, many pairs. Nunavut is a sunglasses kind of place...year round.

I have my dark sunglasses for reflection off the snow/water/bright sun.
I have a lighter pair for when I go out at night...the light at midnight when you leave the bar can be a bit disconcerting.
A yellow pair I own is great for gloomy days cause everything looks brighter.
A very pale blue pair are perfect for days when the winds are whipping the sand and dirt around.
I have couple of pairs that cover more of the sides than other pairs...these are for out on the skidoo or atv, help block the wind from creeping in around the shades.
I bought a pair of those oversized ones that all of Hollywood (and my sister) seem to be wearing...I just look like a kid wearing her mothers sunglasses.
I usually have a spare pair at the office, in the truck and in my backpacks--you never know when you might need a pair.

Sunglasses are a staple for me...the next time I get my haircut I should ask the stylist to style my hair around the glasses...after all when I am inside they are generally perched on the top of my head...why not work my hairstyle around them?

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Good Byes.

I've been saying good byes almost since the day I made the decision to move. With so many people taking extended holidays over the summer months I was saying good bye in early July and they continue.

It is sad to be leaving so many fabulous people. I have very fond memories of my time here in the North. I will miss so many things. The people I have worked with over the past couple of years will definitely be missed. I have learned so much and grown in so many ways thanks to the wonderful folks working with me.

I said goodbye yesterday to one of my board members. I like him. He's funny, he's serious, he's seriously over stressed and over worked--but takes it in stride. And believe it or not W I have learned much from you. Thanks.

As my time gets shorter I realize that while I have many goodbyes to go I may not get around to them all. If you happen to read this and don't see me before I leave...thanks for being my friend...and goodbye...for now. You never know where in the world people will end up.

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I drink tea.

For years the thought of drinking tea was rather distasteful. It would seem that having strong maritime roots did not completely make me immune to the tea bug. I can not yet stomach the tetley's and red roses, but I do love to brew a strong cup in the am. I drink a lapsang souchong tea (no doubt that is not spelled right), it is a strong smoky tea and I love it. I bought a very fancy tea pot in Vancouver to have my morning tea brew in and I'm very pleased with my purchase.

I got into the habit of tea just within the past year. I know get up in the am, brew my tea, read the news, watch the news, do a crossword and then get ready for work. Ah, life is grand. Thanks P for introducing me to this wonderful ritual. I haven't gotten the hang of the evening tea ritual yet, but I'm sure that eventually it will come.

-----

The cell phone arrived the day after the cell phone bill. I called the company the day the bill arrived and said I wasn't paying for service of a phone I had yet to receive. They agreed. Amazing.

Update on the truck. Yes, it is still here. The shipping company pulled a fast one on me and said it would be headed out on the second boat and not the first. The latest report is that the ship should be in on the 30th and the truck will leave on the 31st. I'm not holding my breath but it would be nice if I could see it go before I do. I'd rather have to take care of that chore than ask a friend to do it. The expected date of arrival in Montreal is now August 6th. Get the car ready Mom...ROAD TRIP!!

I brought an empty box to the office today. I am going to fill it with all my personal stuff. I have a pile of manuals and documents that I have collected over my career that travel everywhere with me including a Canadian Writers Reference book--which I am not going to reference in this entry. I have a fantastic collection of art work from my nephew on the office walls and from some of the other kids I know from Pang. I hope they arrive safe and sound to the next office---wherever that will be.

I am hoping to get one more boat ride in before I leave IQ. One of the GN departments has a boat that is suitable for training our students and last year we had a ride on it. I have been promised a ride again this year and am anxiously awaiting it. In fact the guys and I have been down everyday asking when she is going in the water. Soon they keep saying. If the wind stays down today...the boat might go in this afternoon. I think a great way to spend my Friday would be out on the water.

Depending on how you count I have 7 days left. I leave August 1. That is 8 sleeps. I have 6 working days not including today. 6,7,8,9 days counting today. This Northern math is very confusing isn't it? No wonder I can't tell anyone how many days I have left...I just answer "August 1".

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Getting picked on. I'm not being bullied, but I am feeling picked on lately. It's my own fault really, I'm leaving and I'm selling most of my stuff. As I bring people into my apartment to view their potential purchase they seem to snoop and dig around to see what else is available. I've had people open cupboard doors, my storage closet, look at the dishes on the counter and ask "Is that for sale?"

I understand wanting to pick up things on the cheap and a number of people sell EVERYTHING, but I'm not. I do not feel the need to start over with everything I own when I reach the South. I love some of my things and they have been collected from my many journeys so no, I will not sell them to you. I have people asking on dishes, pots, pans, my left over food, toilet paper--you name it. I feel picked on because often when I answer no, it isn't for sale I get the lecture on taking it with me. Or why am I not willing to part with it. And offering me almost pennies for some of my belongings. It's making me feel really weird about the whole process and at this point I want to tell people it is not for sale, and give it away rather than sell it for the tiny amounts they are offering. Example...I have a few bags of food for the food bank. Seems like the most logical place to dispose of it...and people are asking me to give it to them. And these are people that I know have good incomes. No, it's going to people who need it.

I will be grateful when this weekend it is all over. If the remainder has not gone by Sunday I will be leaving it on the stoop of the church for a rummage sale.


I have photos to add, but likely will not get around to it until the weekend...must continue on with the goodbye socializing!

I don't normally blog during the work day...but I had to share

It is 25 degrees above zero in Iqaluit at the moment. 27 with the humidex. How's that for Global Warming?

Update: It has been 26 degrees for the past 3 hours. Imagine that. :)

Random photos from the past couple of days...btw, the temps have been hovering around 15+ which is unusual for us. Everyone seems to be for the most part enjoying the treat, but the mosqitos that go along with the temps have turned me into a walking case of measles.


Arctic Cotton. It's white, it's puffy, it's oh so soft. And it can be dried. I have some in my truck at the moment that I am hoping to smuggle out of territory. If one was very ambitious one could pick enough to then turn into cotton thread and indeed make clothes out of it. I'm not that ambitious.


Flowers outside the office. Not sure the name...readers? The pods are fabulous looking.


Way off in the distance at the very end of the view are a couple of ships. They were sealift ships and an ice breaker. Around and beside the ships is ice. The ice has been coming closer to town and a number of 'bergs' have landed in the bay. I have a photo of them, but they just look like white dots cause I don't have any zoom left in the camera.


Barefeet weather. The weather has been so nice that barefeet at the beach has been a must for me. Beach is subjective, large rocks along the shore. I have found the odd sandy spot, very odd. Generally I am walking on gravel and wiggling my toes in teh left over puddles after the tide goes out.


Fishing Friday night...or rather throwing line into the river the other night. It was fun, but again, no fish. Lots of bites and nibbles but no landings. It wasn't nearly as dark as the picture shows...sun is still technically not setting...just hours or sunset and sunrise.


Ok, I must admit I posed this photo. I found the caribou antlers over near a building but thought they might look nice with the cotton. If I was a super photographer I would have posed it better and I'd be able to airbrush out the poles and wires in the background.


I really like these pink flowers...anyone? Name? This pic is for F and F...see...green. There is lots and lots of green around now and lots of pinks, purples, yellows, whites and oranges. Soon the berries will be turning blue, red and black..yummy. I will likely miss that this year, but maybe I'll catch some of that in PEI.


View of the city from across the bay.


Some of the purple that seems to carpet the ground. The flowers grow so close together that they seem to blend into one another and form carpets or wallhangings of colour on the tundra and the hills around town.


There is a collection going on in town for junk. Old cars, fridges, metal, old skidoos, etc. The city will pick it up for free and crush it. The crushing machine is doing a great job and it is expected to take two years to finish off the project. I wandered around and took a number of photos. Not everyone finds old crushed junk to be photographic.


Here's one item I'd love to watch being crushed. I'm a Diet Pepsi girl all the way...die Coke...die.







One of the many sheds lining the shore. This one caught my eye the other day. I simply love the look of the door.


The door. Photos have been converted to b&w for effect.


This shed has a beautiful carpet on the roof. I'm not entirely sure the purpose. I suppose it helps keep some of the elements out, but...at least it looks nice.


I really liked the red of the post and the yellow of the dandelions. If I could have managed a shot without the house in the background I think it would have been nicer, but oh well.


It was a great weekend here in town. I spent many hours outside. No tan I'm afraid, but I did come away with lots of bug bites. Hmmm. I could certainly live without the bug bites.

Another tanker has arrived in town. One of the students that I know will be going out on it. I'm very happy. He's a great success story. Go Johnny!

With any luck by the middle of the week I'll have a chance to spend an afternoon out on the water. I am very much looking forward to the opportunity.

Finally...pictures.
Some days I think the internet is against me. I spent a significant amount of time the other morning trying to upload pics only to have the site crash each time. But...the tide is changing and today-pictures.


Puppies! Aren't they sweet? I went down to the Humane Society house the other evening with my friend J. She is a dedicated volunteer and it was her turn for supper duty. That means taking each dog out for a short walk, feeding everyone, cleaning out the cages, fresh water and making sure the cats are ok too. They usually have two people per shift so I was just an extra body who wanted to cuddle the puppies and not clean the cages. The house was full, 7 puppies, 2 cats and 8 dogs. With the exception of the cats all of them were headed to Montreal the next day so they could be adopted. Thanks to a wonderful airline (FA) for donating the space so the animals can be sent South for adoption instead of the alternative if they need to remain in the North and can't find homes. I wanted to adopt all of the puppies, but resisted. Maybe once I am settled somewhere in the South I can make that kind of commitment.


Retro Sealift. These cans are awaiting shipment South. The city introduced a recycling program last year. These cans have been crushed and are now waiting for shipment South for recycling.


Up close to the cans. Believe me, the smell of stale beer and moldy pop from thousands of cans is not pleasant. There was 5 seacans full and ready to go and a mountain of bags of cans waiting for crushing and empty seacans.


Barely visible in the photo is a rainbow. It was very nice. And actually the past 4 evenings I have seen a rainbow in the sky. Hmmm, I wonder where the pot of gold is?


Down at the river fishing...well, you all ready heard that story..but the following pics are from the post fishing, post kite flying trials/errors.


Abby didn't fish for fish, she fished for rocks. And if I must be honest, she did a great job and had a good collection by the end of the night. Maybe next time instead of the rod I will fish for rocks as well.


Look! Fish!
Swear there were fish there. We watched them hover around the rocks at our feet but they would not cooperate and jump onto our hooks or onto the shore at our feet. But at least we now know that indeed there are fish in the river.


Abby chewing on some dried fish she found. Yummy. Look at all the mosquitos on her face. This is very common. The little blood suckers swarm. I have so many bites right now that I can't count and some buy sprays seem to attract them, not repel them.


A bit hard to see, but in the middle of this picture is the tangle of line that I pulled off my rod the other night. What a mess. Thanks though to a visiting Newfoundlander I finally have my rod/reel issues fixed. A combination of factors, reel size, crappy line and my lack of experience were to blame for the line issues earlier in the week. I'm happy to say though that I got the reel fixed Friday afternoon and Friday night I went out and while the line worked wonderfully I lost two hooks to the river and a lot of line. Hmmm. Maybe I should just take pictures and buy fish.


Fishing supplies. The large flat white box is the char pizza. The other supplies required for an evening of fishing...box of wine, extra line, lots of extra hooks, bags, pocket knives, bug spray, snacks, sunglasses and maybe next time just for me...a book!


Chicken enjoys time by the river as well, though I think being dragged off later in the evening by Abby would not be one of the evenings highlights. Luckily J saw Abby take off with chicken otherwise he could have been buried like most of her treasures and I would have lost chicken forever. Phew.


This is where my kite spent a good portion of the evening...in the river.



I managed to get what I think are a few nice pics of some of the sights around the river, so even though I wasn't fishing or flying my kite the evening still produced some nice memories.

I went fishing last night. I had char for supper last night. These two events are not related in the way you are thinking.

I picked up a char pizza from the Frob before J and I hit the river to do some fishing. That was our guarantee of having char for supper....good thing we got the pizza.

Apparently I am not meant to actually catch fish. I am meant to go to the river, entertain the people with me, around me and who read the blog entry the next day...but not catch fish. The last time I was out my casts were falling a bit short. Some sort of snag in the line. No problem I thought, put on new line. Why is it the simple, easy solutions are never that? The new line was attached and wound onto the reel and then the first beautiful cast was made...and fell about 6 feet. Upon looking down I noticed that all of the line I had just wound on had un-wound itself during the cast. I tried again. The line knotted and twisted into a wonderful sculpture of art, but did not allow for winding onto the reel/spool. Hmmm. Cut the line and try again. This time the cast went a good 20 feet and seemed to stop short. I tried again. The line was just over 20 feet long now and could not be cast any farther. I gave up. I put the fishing rod down and decided to entertain myself and J with my kite flying abilities.

I have no kite flying abilities.

The wind seemed to disappear the second I put my dollar store kite together. When the wind finally came back the kite was airborn for a good 10 seconds before crashing into the river. I reeled it in and tried again. And again. And again. I was unable to take a picture of the kite in the air because it didn't stay up long enough. J was laughing at me by this point. Not only could I not fish, but I could also not 'go fly a kite'. Sigh.

I then switched over to the one thing I knew I could do...take pictures. Of course my camera is so near death that I have no functions or zoom left to it...it is essentially a disposable camera with a memory card. I took a number of pics and will uploaad for you in the next day or two. It is too nice to be indoors playing with pictures. At the moment I am enjoying my lunch break from the deck of my office. Desperately trying to get some colour on my pasty white skin before I arrive in PEI.

I brought my rod into the office today in hopes that one of my boys would be able to fix it. The Newfoundlander took a look and admitted to not really doing much rod fishing...so maybe the other one will be able to help me. I did luck out this am, Q brought in three wonderful carvings for me. Kind of a going away gift of sorts. They are wonderful and will provide many memories over the coming years.

Complicated Northern Math



Person A and B had a few dates and called it quits.
Person C hooked up with person D.
D denies to B the hookup with C and then D and B hookup.
B tells A the good news.
C tells A the good news.
A tells B and C that they are dating the same person.
D now dislikes A.
C starts to tell A things that D is saying about A behind their back.
B starts to tell A things that D is saying about A behind their back.
A asks C where the information is coming from. Answer E.
A asks B where the information is coming from. Answer from E to D.
A is tired of the complicated patterns and tells B and C to stop the trail of information.
If D wants to slag off A then A doesn’t want to hear about it.
A,C and E are out for drinks. C says something, E seems to agree. A leaves upset.
C tells A the next day that D wanted to know what C has said to make A leave.
C blames E for the leak.
A tells E to mind their own business.
E denies it and questions D and C on the whole thing.

Now, when you put this into an equation what you get is….
C is a sh*t disturber who wants to be with A and D.
C will do almost anything to have A,B,D and E think that C is their friend.
C is sending emails to A that shouldn’t be sent.
E is an innocent bystander.
B is crazy to stay in the circle.
A is leaving town in 18 days and can’t wait to be rid of Northern Math.

Fish Travel
Apparently the transportation of my fish is of great interest to my readers...so here you go. The fish will travel in tiny tupperware dishes, the same ones they travelled up North in. I hate putting them into these tiny containers but with the 100ml liquid rule I have no other choice.

Once the plane takes off and we have reached our cruising altitude I pop the lids, give them some fresh O2 and then put the lids back on until we land when I once again pop the lids and away we go. I pop the lids to help eliminate the pressure in the containers.

People love to see them and while I have gotten a few odd looks, most people are curious about them and want to see them swim around in their little dishes. I always bring extra water in case of an emergency and this trip will feed them some blood larvea partway through the trip as a treat. It will be a long day of flying and they will need some extra love.

Chicken will also travel with us, but he usually just gets stuffed into my carry on. No special feeding or oxygen needs.

Here's the containers they normally live in (they didn't want to pose for pics)



And here's the containers they will fly to PEI in.

Big Red and J tour Iqaluit...Part II

On the road from Apex heading back into Iqaluit.


Townhouse row.








This empty lot is where the next Habitat house will be built, June 2009.








Random road shot.


Random road shot.


Heading into THE major intersection in downtown.

Big red and I go for a last drive down to Apex. Here's the results...

Down at the end of the road looking back towards Apex.


Looking back on the water as we head back into Apex.


I have no idea what is going through my mind here, I just can't stop laughing everytime I look at the picture.


Random shot.


Crossing the bridge to leave Apex.

Happy Nunavut Day!
For many of us here in the territory it is a day off...yeah. I may wander down to have a musk ox burger later today...I may not. If the weather turns nice I'm going fishing, though, I should probably get the burger first since I never catch anything.

This morning there are 3 ships in the bay. Two with sealift and one tanker. The toilet paper, cat litter, KD crisis will be over shortly. The rioting in the streets can stop. OK, there wasn't rioting, simply people walking down the aisle in the store looking at the empty shelves where the tp should be and grumbling to themselves.

I stopped down last night to find out when I need to hand over my truck, the nice man that talked to me figured they would be here until the 14th, but that "a nice lady like you can stop by everyday and talk to me about it." He may regret that statement after the third day of me stopping by to find out when they want my truck. And now I need to get a bit more gas...not much, just a little. Hmmm. I've never gotten less than a full tank and with current prices I have no idea if $10 or $20 will do. They will likely want the truck on the weekend so it is there for reloading when the tide is high. Sniff, sniff, I'll miss you big red. Safe travels.

On a totally not North related stream...does anyone know anything about fish? One of my Japanese Fighting Fish is depressed. He doesn't swim around a lot anymore and can usually be found at the bottom of the tank nose into the pebbles. I'm sure he is tired of me poking him to make sure he is still alive, but there is definitely a problem. The other fish is quite content and is making lovely bubble nests, but the red one is sad for some reason. Maybe he doesn't want to leave the North. Hmmm.

I spent a portion of Tuesday night weighing out the costs of staying in Montreal vs flying to PEI and renting a car to drive back to Montreal. Still no decision.

Still no cellphone. According to Canada Post it isn't lost yet, it is still in transit and may arrive later this week. So much for 3-5 business days. And I'm not holding my breath awaiting the arrival. One thing I will not miss about living up here is mail service. Yes, I understand that it is a bit trickier to get mail up North...what with the planes and all. What I don't understand is that if food and mail is supposed to have priority over other cargo is why it takes over two weeks to get the mail up on a plane. I am so tired of all my bills arriving after the due date.

Anyway. Enjoy your Wednesday. I wonder what holiday I can celebrate next week in order to get a day off...hmmm. Suggestions?

Oh, there may not be many more photos (I will try though). The camera is really broken. The 'door' that covers the lens will not close and the zoom function is no longer. So what I see thru the finder is what I get. It is like taking a picture with one of those disposable cameras. Can't wait to get my new camera.

Maybe today???

The grey skies and fog have been surrounding Iqaluit for the past __ days...I've lost track. Sealift for 2008 has left the South but can not make it to Iqaluit. According to the company I called on Friday, they are out in Frobisher Bay about 20 miles from 'dock' but stuck in the ice. I can't remember if he said they were waiting for the ice breaker to arrive or if it had arrived and they were just waiting for it to break them free...either way.

The shelves are getting bare. I can only imagine how bare they are in some of the smaller communities. The stores have stopped the larger plane orders and are now just waiting for the ships. So a lot of staples are no longer available. One of the stores is out of juice. And Kraft Dinner...isn't that a staple? Shouldn't they be forced to ship it in by plane? I was never a big fan of KD, its ok, but not a staple in my diet. Lately though it has become a staple. Tired of paying over $5.69 for a can of soup I decided that a box of KD at $2.99 was a better lunch option.

Last night as I crawled into bed and gave one last look towards the end of the bay the oil tanker was still in. During the night it went away. I can only assume that means the ice breaker is near and the oil tanker has gone out to meet it so they can leave and the next ship(s) come in. I have yet to see a ship this am, but will be driving down to Apex at lunch to take a peek if there hasn't been an arrival by then. Certainly this must be the day. Please. [UPDATE: The first sealift ship of the year is here...and according to sources around town it is the ship that my truck will be leaving on. No word from the company on when to have my truck down at the dock and ready for loading, but I'm sure it will be before the end of the week...now I need to rush to cargo tonight to unload my stuff and get the rest of my boxes downstairs and loaded into the truck incase I get the call.]

At this point the ship is 7 days late getting in. Which means it will be close to 7 days late arriving in Quebec. That means the truck will not be sitting on the dock awaiting my arrival. Rather I will likely now fly all the way to PEI and then need to return to Montreal to pick it up later in August. One can never be certain of the timing of ships...so many things could cause a delay. Each day in delay getting into Iqaluit means a delay in arriving in the next community and if there are enough delays and problems getting into (or out of) the communities it could mean that there are only 3 deliveries instead of 4 this season.

Some new neighbours of mine are also anxiously awaiting the boat. All of there 'stuff' is on the boat. They just moved here about 2 weeks ago and had all their belongings shipped up by ship. They are sleeping on the floor, watching a borrowed tv and have managed to scrounge a couple pots and one set of dishes to get them through. They will be very, very happy to see the ship arrive. As will the many folks in town building new homes, renovating or just plain waiting the arrival of their food supply for the year. As the ships arrival becomes later a few people must suddenly make arrangements with friends to have them unload their sealift for them as plane tickets for Southern vacations have been booked. It is asking a lot of a friend to have them unload all of your sealift in a very limited amount of time so the sea-can can be returned prior to departure.

As seen on my way to the office today.
The Kamatiq Restaurant has been torn down. Saturday morning the bulldozer went to it and it didn't last long. Had I of known the date I would have gone to take some pics. No doubt some media type person in town did. In other news, the number of posts around town is increasing. The city decided a couple of years ago that placing posts along the edge of the road will not only beautify the town but will also help distinguish walkway from roadway. The poles increase in numbers almost over night, the latest spot to be hit is across the street from of the the grocery stores in town. The area being blocked off has been used as a parking lot for the store. I'm not sure whose land it is or whose decision it was to block off this area but I think it is a mistake. The parking area is well used and I always felt it was a safer place to park rather than attempting to back out onto the road where children are want to dash out and taxis are likely to be parked behind your vehicle awaiting a passenger. At the moment you can get in from the side road, but I fear that will be blocked eventually as well. It doesn't make sense to me to get rid of parking spaces as the number of vehicles in town continues to rise, but I'm not a city planner.

The question has been asked from a number of people "Why are you shipping your truck out?" "Why not just drive it to PEI?"

First of all, the cost of shipping out the truck is low in comparison to flying things out. The truck is basically paying for itself with the amount of cargo it will be holding...I'm only allowed to put 300 pounds in it.

Secondly, I can't drive it out. I fear that I may not have been a very good blogger...since a number of you have written and asked about my decision not to drive the truck all the way to PEI. Nunavut is not accessible by road. Period. There is no community, no piece of land that you can drive to. Yes, when you look at a map there is a portion of the territory attached to the rest of Canada, but there are no roads leading up that far. I also live on Baffin Island...I-S-L-A-N-D. And unlike PEI there is no bridge connecting it.

Why did I have the truck shipped up in the first place? So I could drive around town. While you can't go far....you can go places and a vehicle certainly makes life simpler for me. It has been quite handy at work for hauling cargo and students, was a godsend during the habitat build (you can fit at least 8 GV people in the pan of the truck), and for my adventures and picture taking the truck has been more than handy. It is a good truck. The KM are high for here...at just over 7,000 of which about 6,500 have been put on during the past 2 years in IQ.

If my drive to work is 1.5km (I like to take the long way), multiple that by the 4 trips per day, and I work 260 days a year, times two years and you get just over 3000km. The other 3,500 is just me bombing around the roads looking for awesome pictures and going out of town for hikes.

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In other news...

I decided in early June that I should get a cell phone with a Southern number to put on my resumes so that when I leave the territory people can still get in touch with me. It seemed so simple, looking back, too simple. I called 'Big Ben' and told them my situation. No problem he says. Go to the local store, give them this number and they will give you a phone. Sounded easy enough. The shack store would not go along with the plan. They would not get commission for setting up my account so they wouldn't give me a phone. My argument was that my company has spent thousands of dollars at the store in the past year and that certainly they were getting their monies worth, but nope. No phone. So I call back 'Big Ben' and explain the situation, no problem, we can mail you the phone. We will Express post it to you. Ok. 3-5 business day. Awesome. I went to Labrador, returned from Labrador and then celebrated Canada Day, still no phone. I have the tracking number. I have been checking daily. According to an unnamed national postal service my package has been sitting in Mississauga since June 19, the day I asked for it to be mailed to me. I called all parties involved and no one has been able to find the phone yet. Frankly at this rate there is not enough time for them to mail me a new one. And I really need the phone to put on my resumes. I can't put the number on the file until I get the phone cause I can't even access the voicemail without having set it up on the phone first. AAARGGHH. Maybe today really is my lucky day and the phone will be on the ship.

The final purchase.

I wanted to buy myself one last carving...something larger and more of a show piece than the other carvings I have purchased...which btw, number 2. I have a ton of prints and wall hangings, but the carvings have been headed to Mom and Dad's instead of my living room. But...this one is for me. The bear is swimming and is perfectly balanced on one paw.





Here's a fun website I found, a great way to waste some time and test out your artistic abilities. Click on the small grey square to get started. My piece is in the gallery under Jane Cousins.

http://www.thisissand.com

I missed blogging on Canada Day...I missed Canada Day. I had intended to hit the parade again this year and maybe stand in line for a few hours to get some cotton candy, but I didn't. I fell asleep and missed the parade.

I have no idea where I will be spending my next Canada Day...that's the fun of this next adventure. There have been a few negative comments from folks up here about my leaving...but it is the right time and the right decision for me. While I don't know where I am going yet, I'm not concerned. I'm young,(ish), I'm adventuress,(is that a word?) and I can be happy anywhere. Life should be about trying new things and living in new places. Every time I move I learn something about the people and places I live and about myself.

I'm looking forward to the next challenge in my life...maybe this time how to survive life in a city of millions, instead of hundreds. That isn't a hint...just a thought.

Right now I am looking out at the bay, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the sealift ships. My truck will be leaving on one of the first ships in and all going well will arrive in Quebec shortly after I do. I had hoped it would be there before me...but that isn't happening. So I may need to endure a couple days of pedicures and massages while I await the truck. It's a rough life. The only issue is that for every day the boat is late getting in to Iqaluit is another day later it arrives just outside of Montreal. I am hoping that it will arrive within a couple days of me...but as I have discovered living in the North...things will happen on their own schedule. You can't rush the process.

Happy Belated Birthday Canada...but more importantly...early B'day greetings to my Dad. Happy Birthday Dad. Wish I was there to share the cake with you. Love...the son you never had--your eldest daughter.