My that's a nice zarf you have there

"Reel men play with their flies." ~ Bob's T-Shirt

I am sick and not surprised: give the body a break (such as a full night's sleep) and things start going wonky. Thankfully the worst of it is now over.

Christmas Day was pretty quiet (more hiding out on my part). When the kids showed up for dinner, it felt like Christmas. They where a whirlwind of energy, laughing at Dad's decorated house plants, and ripping apart wrapping! A small squirmish broke out over the Archie comics I got Celina. Yes! Victory! I am the favourite Auntie! Dad was grumbling about the mess they made, but this was what I needed.

Next day, despite being sick, managed to enjoy a Boxing Day that was spent mostly in a mall. Celina and I moseyed along books and music, while Theresa whipped around Downtown City Centre in a frenzy. At one store, Celina became my fashion consultant, advised on colours, and picked for me a... um... really long shirt that could probably be a dress. It's slinky! And it was on sale!

This was all followed up with a girls' night (the others went to a housewarming party) where the two of us watched Hairspray and High School Musical. I was a little worried that these movies would rot our minds. But they were both pretty good. Hairspray was inspiring and the music had me up and dancing. High School Musical was sweet, if you could dismiss the reality factor - I've never seen people in high school who actually dressed and acted as in the movie - but I'm an old fogey now, and what do I know? She confided her boy issues. She's ten. Uncanny how our troubles seem so similar.

No more hiding. Lots of people to see and only a few days to do it.

Went to Andrea's and caught up on all her renovations. Laughed much at her descriptions of the little kids at church she was attempting to direct in the Christmas pagent, and the explanation she had to come up with to answer child relatives questions about the deer heads mounted on the wall (Bob's trophies). Got a much needed hug.

Met up with Matt, caught up on his house renovations, and then set out for Dave's housewarming. Not before making some detours. When we got there it was pretty funny. Still not used to interactions with drunk people, and Melinda in particular was outrageous. So there was some split red (Beth and I made some headway with water, then baking soda, followed with club soda), but she also gave some hilarious tips on what would make a good date, and was very committed to making the party lively: dancing and encourage others to do a strip-tease, single-handedly (literally, with wine glass in other hand) started a butt grabbing campaign. I looked at Beth with wide eyes as Melinda set to work on Ben... and then Beth grabbed me. What a strange night. But you never know, maybe it's worth incorporating in other party.

And today - waited in line for a very long time (good thing I had Pratchett), and now can finally say: application for passport officially filed.

A Time Away

Quite a crowd at Feast. Cam was highly entertaining with this stories from jury duty. Stephen and Meaghan were there (I finally found out where the nose factory [near her belly button] came from). The gingerbread cathedral was intact (though the house had been completely eaten). We toasted to Winter Solstice and the sun's return.

Should be feeling happy that we got off work early today, and my break starts now... but realistically, feeling too tired to enjoy it. Since Erik is away on Christmas break, I am hiding out at his place. He knows I'm here to "prepare for Christmas" (*cough* procrastinate). I am so glad for the empty space, quiet, and internet access! However, not completely thrilled that I managed to get a parking ticket - in a residential area! Argh! Think it was Mark who said that he would fight in court for me if I ever got speeding ticket (because he would never believe I did it), I guess a parking ticket is practically a ticket for moving too slowly (which I don't think anyone would think I was innocent of).

Visited with Rem and Steph for a little bit on the weekend. Rem made me tea and we read Dr. Suess. I watched them open some presents, and was happy to be there. They make me smile.

Nancy: You're right.
Kerri: Can I hear those words again?

Friday before Christmas break! Was fooled into a sense of great excitement, only to find that the daytimer entry "U of A Closed" wasn't meant for me... Monday the 24th is only a holiday for grad students - Lana still has to go to work. *sigh* Well, it still turned out to be a relatively fun day. My Secret Angel spoiled me even more with a lottery scratch card (no, didn't win millions), and more tasty treats. And in the afternoon, our department had a Filing Party! Yay! Cookies and apple cider while piles on desk and floor were diminishing... um... in theory. Maybe when I finally get rid of the stacks, I'll find the gloves (yes... another pair gone... quite ridiculous). Onward to Feast!

Jeff managed to pick the one day that the Christmas Carol Project was not playing. But things still turned out o.k. We had a late dinner at Original Joe's and headed over to the downtown Wee Book Inn. I attempted to play with the cat - who basically ignored me - and we began our search for interesting books. "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for our Life and Times" had potential, so did Rick Mercer's Streeters. I ended up getting him some sci fi paperbacks (we aimed for cheesy, and picked one by William Shatner), and he gave me a copy of James A. Michener's "The Drifters". Would have been even nicer perhaps if I didn't talk about smoking... and addiction... and Tipping Point's theory on both... um... since he was trying VERY hard not to smoke around me. Brilliant Lana, brilliant. I rationalise: At least I didn't try to hide his smokes... like I used to do with Dad's. Lots of cool new reading material - studying can wait...

The Litterbox Soiree

Could I really be an accountant if I couldn't use my hands for counting? Figuring out month numbers for a fiscal year... remembering how many days in a month (Lidia taught me that trick with the knuckles today). I feel stupid for needing to do it, but I can hear Lidia from the other cubicle doing the same.

Last Saturday, finally got to see Morgan's place at her "Litterbox Soiree". Bali the terror dog was at "Grandma's", but his handy-work was apparent - the destroyed linoleum floor in the hallway peeked out from rugs. Overall though, the place was cosy and cool, and felt almost like Morgan. There were pieces artwork from her travel excursions (scary masks from Thailand, wall hangings from Tibet), but no unicorns or polar bears. There was however a hobbit nook - impressive.


Also met her best friend (who I want to call "Loud Girl" - whoah, where did that cattiness come from?), who had just come back from San Fransisco and had a horrible plane experience. After telling me a lot more than what I wanted to know... she asked "What's your story?" Me: Um... well... I work with Morgan (First thoughts: I'm not telling you. Second thoughts: Do I have story?). At some point people headed to the door, and LG asks me if I smoke. I said no, and she burst out laughing.

LG: Ha-ha. Everywhere I go I'm treated like a pariah because I smoke. I have to sneak outside by myself. Now we're all going to go outside, and you're the one who's going to be alone inside.

O.k. I have to admit I thought that was an interesting twist of fate (for one, I didn't know Morgan smoked!). With everyone outside, what else could I do? Through the fogged-up screendoor, I photographed them as if they were an endangered species. In some ways I hope they are (Cancer! Speeding up the aging process!) I ended up joining them for a bit anyway - it's no fun being inside by myself.

LG: What the heck is that? We should just stop pretending we're not rednecks. We're in Alberta. We're all rednecks.
Lana's Brain: I wasn't pretending.

Later in the warmth, talked to a guy named James (pronouced Yamez) about Harry Potter. O.k. this is territory I can handle. He tells me Dumbledore is gay... uh-oh...

"Wow, you look like you're under control." ~ Nikki

Saw Beowulf with Chris for his birthday. First time I donned a pair of 3D glasses for a movie, and found it a little bit disorientating. The movie itself was great. There were unintended funny moments: Very strategically placed vases and such were probably attempts to lower the rating to PG-13, and Grendel's mother - Angelina Jolie - organic / "natural" stilleto heels. But over all very, very powerful. I liked how Beowulf is a flawed hero. And I felt sad about Griendel. Everything looked so textured and real... Now need to read the poem.

Today was the office open house. Didn't bother inviting people this year... I didn't think I could make a dent in the cleaning required. Nikki though, did come back to visit old co-workers. She looked at the files and papers covering more files and papers... which had also creeped to the floor. I told her she wouldn't even notice it if we had something like snow for the inside... it would make everything look clean. Later realised that there was something like that - it's called dust. And that's not clean at all. Now I'm thinking large, large table cloths.

Getting into the spirit of things

"Donkey!"

Snowball went amazinigly well. A great feeling of relief that we got through the very full Thursday night program. Dinner was pretty good. Re-gifting was really fun: A bidding war broke out over the Olivia Newton John Christmas album! In the end Stefan won... for his wife of course. Poor Wendy kept having her wine picks stolen, and I... well, I ended up with something that will make an appearance again at next year's Snowball (right). Big Boss Bill then enlisted volunteers to enact his skit "Alberta Bond". Cindy as James comes to Alberta for the Oil Royalty Review - and many a bad placed pun - saves the day. Also during the night, the last of the rubber chickens (with baby chick) returned from their adventures (left), and another made an appearance in a red-cocktail dress. It was all closed off with karaoke(Right: Stefan and Michael "getting physical") The night ends when Ingrid and I sing (yell) Bohemian Rapsody. The room cleared nicely and we set out to clean. There were lots of thank-yous and notes of appreciation next day. Maybe all the anxiety was worth it.

Friday's Feast was the much anticipated gingerbread house making! Rem definitely did a lot of planning. By the time Wendy and I arrived (with a big tub of gummy bears) he already had many pieces for his cathedral baked and cooling. The rest of us were not as prepared (unless you count Simon who showed up with a store-bought-ready-to-assemble kit). So we took some paper and started sketching.


Wendy: It's a donkey!
Me (laughing until crying): No!


So goes the first impression of my... no, I'll let everyone guess from the photos. And here, our creations:


(Left) Rem's Cathedral.








(Right) Detail of stained glass window.












(Right) Simon's House (of ill-repute) - where there's always a sordid tale.






(Below) Wendy and Na create their first gingerbread house - where gingerbread snowmen falling off the roof have a waiting catcher - and further decorated by Steph (hm... wonder if the gummies had any thing to do with the fall?)






(Right) Lana's creation (I'm so proud).



Here for more photos on the making of the gingerbread houses.

Class started yesterday. I'd vowed to be good and to concentrate. But I'm already distracted. It's different! The accounting is changing, Gerryl is in my class (completely unexpected), and even more... there is no Loretta. Yes, the dreaded Loretta - the Dragon Lady that all accounting majors encounter at some point (and have nightmares about) - is not teaching the class. Well, it makes sense, I am at NAIT this time around. But it just seems so wrong that this is being taught by Tony. Soft-spoken, "It's just that easy" with a big smile, almost sugary, Tony. I'm not sure which is worse. At least I didn't fall asleep in class.

Work has been kind of nuts... Susan (family emergency) and Lorena (broken leg in a skating accident) are away and Michael is heading out for vacation. We joke that we can all have party, I'd turn up my jazzy mixes, and Janet could mix martinis. But really, it's kind of scary. All in the middle of this, we're madly scrambling for the work Christmas party (tonight).

Almost finished reading Adverbs by Daniel Handler. Picked it up at the library not knowing why the author's name looked so familiar. At some point I connected - it's the real name for Lemony Snicket! Expectations grew a little bit more... disappointment for the actual book grew a little bit more. But the book jacket - "It is not the nouns. The miracle is the adverbs, the way things are done." - had made me think. A lightbulb flared - intent is revealed. A clue into how and then maybe why things happen. Call me fickle, but I think I am very fond of adverbs. And with that - I will need to learn exactly what they are.

Jokingly, Spritely, and Well

Earlier this week at co-worker Betty's Baby Shower:
Cindy: You should wait and have the New Year's baby.
Amy: Yeah, because it's just so easy to hold it in.

Wasn't quite sure what to expect at Chris's work Christmas party, which had billed "Vegas style entertainment". So what does one wear then to such an event? Jenn suggested sequins and feathers. Just so happens I have a pretty snazzy number that has both, but decided it would be better to stick with an LBD.

Chris: Was it Spring?
Mark: It wasn't summer...
Chris: It was after winter, right?
Mark: Yeah.

Arrived and found that a) Santa Maria Goretti really cleans up, b) there are people out there who hurt snowmen, and c) Chris works with some pretty cool people. "The Aussies" Mark and Del were at our table and we had a blast. Mark told me his job was to draw a green and orange lines, (Did I mention I work to get a zero most days?), and Del is a teacher on exchange (which initiated their move here).

"You can tell he's drunk. He's talking to a dummy."

After the fantastic meal the entertainment began. Yes, I looked for showgirls. Instead, it was ventriloquist! I laughed and laughed. This was not Kermit. His last puppet was the most impressive - an old man with a walker (it made lots of wife jokes).


Games followed.


MC: Here's your question, What do people in Australia do the day after Christmas? a) Build a snowman b) Go surfing c) Wombat hunting.
Mark and Del: WOMBAT HUNTING!


(Right) Mild-mannered Wilson is revealed to be a wrapping-ripping machine!

Prizes were awarded and the dance started. No one else seemed interested, but the four of us (Mark, Del, Chris and I) went on and just danced. A very fun night.

I should have expected this since there are plenty of last-minute people like me. Luckily, I happened to be just on the inside the doors for a line that wove back and forth, in and around the SUB building. If everyone had been a little more energetic, we could have been a conga-line -following the person in front of us not quite sure where we were headed. A moment of hope! The Myerhorowitz theatre doors in sight! Only to find that the line goes back down the stairs before looping up again. Good thing I had a book and some people to watch. I watched their reactions to the pamphlet on side effects (the bad of which sounded really bad), as they texted and talked on cell phones, as they madly read text books and notes while wondering if they were going to get through the line and still make it to an exam. And then, 2 hours from the start of the line - I got my mumps shot. So things should be good, another thing out of the way, but instead, I'm slightly anxious. I had just finished a week before The Constant Gardener.

Still trying very hard to see the Edmonton in a different light. I figured I could admire and discover it in the same way I did as Victoria, if only I looked. But the effort of the every day is straining. It's winter, and I'm back to spending my days inside office walls, released only when it's dark.

But I'm not exactly blue. I'm being spoiled my Secret Angel (Santa)! A trashy Life & Style magazine (Britney on the cover) showed up at my desk - the message: A little something for your afternoon break. Hm... a break... well... a break would be nice. I haven't opened the magazine, since it's probably just as bad for me as the cookies my SA left earlier in the week (and those are gone), but it's very, very tempting.

Another cold turn in the weather... really hoping there are no more furnace troubles.

In which football is ignored and much is eaten

"Warm summer days and cool evenings have produced a wine with strong gooseberry aromas and gentle hints of cat."

- Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush 2006 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Dinner at Erik's for his "auxiliary backup turkey day" (American Thanksgiving) was silly as predicted. (right) Rem was not wearing a hat... therefore he had to be bear-headed.

Erik worked at cooking the turkey and the sauces, and supplied us with plenty of carrots, which we all gobbled up. Later, I got the calming duty of peeling potatoes.

After watching a very nice turkey carving tutorial on the laptop, Erik set to dismantle our magnificent bird. And then we ate and ate. Oh, but not before taking some pictures.
(below left - What a feast!)









(above right) Lana uses flash, and figures out how to use the timer... sort of.

After making a sizeable dent in the turkey meant for ten (plus), Michael's wine pick, and Rem's mashed potatoes, we settled down with Jenn's cobbler dessert to watch Robot Chicken. And then we all rolled away.

And now a word from the comos:


"You've assigned the star role to someone in your life. In reality though, this person's merely part of the chorus. As long as you continue to focus on him or her, you're missing out on perfectly solid possibilities. Reassess your priorities."

Back to normal

The flight was overall uneventful. I got a couple of wonderful glimpses out of the window - networks of lights in the dark that made me think of firing neurons and diamonds spilled on black velvet - before loosing my nerve and concentrating on the television screen in the seat ahead. Most importantly, now that I know I can do it alone - it'll be easier next time.

It was snowing while I waited for Mom and Dad to pick me up from the shuttle drop-off. We get home close to midnight and I start unpacking before going to bed. It didn't take long for the house to show it doesn't like the three of us together: by morning the furnace had quit again. This time, instead of waiting for the repairman, I head out for the last errands I'd planned for my vacation (e.g. go to the bank, line up for passport). By afternoon, I'm back at work. Not a good move! Now I know better to take the whole day off since everyone expects you to have read their emails from the morning. And to be fully awake. I claim jetlag.

More photos from Victoria.

Homeward bound

Was so happy to get a hold of Valerie last night (she says hi to everyone!). She met me at the hostel and we wandered around downtown before deciding to forget sushi and instead go for fish and chips at the Irish Times Pub. I made a big fuss over getting cooked vegetables in the meal. She order a chocolate (colour / flavour?) beer and me in on what was going on. We laughed about "The Secret" (she was definitely against). I managed to stump her for a little while: What does a tomato cut in half remind you of? (For me it was a mitochondrion - do you see it?). After dinner we went walking. It started to rain harder, I pulled up my hood (some time ago I decided to stop lugging around the umbrella). We discovered more gems - cool shops and more buildings with murals... a shoe. I really wanted to see her place, but came up against an obstacle - the bridge. I tried and tried and just couldn't cross it. So it was time to call it a night.

Slept fitfully - but thankfully making through another night without falling out of the bunk or kicking anyone. Started to feel a little less out of sorts (but more anonymous for it). Had thought my big suitcase and would have made me stick out - thought most people would have their backpacks and this was just a stop along the way. Instead, my bunkmate had lived there for more than 2 weeks (had left home and deciding what she wanted to do), and the other 2 girls from Japan had been there for almost a month. The four of us had shared a closet of a room, but at the same time managed to keep our own space. Overall, Ocean island is pretty nice.

The plan today was to ventured out of downtown harbour area towards Craigdarroch castle. On the way, bumped into an old stone church. Looking back on the photos I know it was on Courtney, but I don't remember its name.

Went back on course, and was only slight distracted by a pair of shoes and some interesting grasses. But when I did make it there, I didn't feel like going inside anymore. There has been just too much to see. Instead, went back to the hostel made food in the communal kitchen, and set back to the downtown area. Wandered around and took more pictures. Stepped into a secondhand bookstore and managed to pull myself away with just a couple of old National Geographics to read during the waiting. My co-workers had mused that they didn't see any homeless people, but I saw them now just outside of the convention areas.

Anyway, it's only about an hour until the shuttle will come to take me to the airport. This time, the plane ride is all by myself. I'm thoroughly tired from all the exploring and walking these past days. Brain is definitely feeling overloaded and body is very ready to go to a place where I don't feel damp all the time. It feels good to be going home.

Instead of the Empress

I'm sitting in the McDonald's. The one with the chandeliers. Classy stuff - maybe even worth the 430 calories, and 48% of daily sodium intake (yikes!) while I regroup. Already this morning I had gone to the visited the post office, the downtown library, and the Parliament building for a guided tour. I think tours are great (especially when they are informative and free). I got my fill of stained glass and gilt for the day (below left) and need a new plan.

The conference ended about 27 hours ago with "the Passing of the crying towel". I found it really hard to relate to those last sessions, when I realised our university was so much larger than the others here. Some in fact were looking to us for best practices... um... not quite what I had expected. With the last good-bye, Lidia and I were released to go back to our touristy pursuits (our other colleagues had scheduled early flights.)

First stop was to check out Chinatown, which according to our bustour guide was once the largest Chinatown in North America. I laughed over a sign for Pandora Street - which was phonetically translated to mean "Lots of Treasures Come" route. I don't think Lidia understands my humour. The buildings looked very much restored, and there was a Whyte Ave trendiness to Dragon Alley. Everything was very clean, and I could see there were many veggies to be had... but we didn't stay long.

Lidia wanted to see so much more but she only had few hours left before needed to head to the airport. In the end we went to the Royal BC Museum. I didn't drag her there! She wanted to see the IMAX. Almost immediately I was taken into curator's presentation on light damage on textiles and the challenges in lighting items in a museum. I vowed to not use flash in those collections and joined the tour. Again it was practically a private tour with the only other members, 3 ladies from the Philipines (one of which is a nun). Steve walked with us and went through some of the highlights in the museum:

(Left) The Mammoth (featured on many magazines) with the mouse (on trunk - the museum director apparently moved it every month so the employees would have something fun to look for).

Natural History Gallery - I felt as though I had walked into the forest sans bugs. Best part was the animals didn't move when I tried to take a photo.

Modern History Gallery - A short demonstration on how to pan for gold and many, many artifacts that I probably could have spent even more time reading through. The Chinatown looked a little more of what I thought it would.

First Peoples Gallery - Very powerful. The totems were certainly a site that I wasn't familiar with in Edmonton, and here guide Steve gave some very dramatic interpretations. And this is where he left us for some contemplation.

It was then that I realised it was two hours later and I had missed meeting Lidia (she had picked up her luggage and gone to the airport).

My head felt like it was ready to explode with all that I had seen and it was getting dark... so the only thing to really do was take my own luggage and head to the hostel: Ocean Island Backpackers Inn. It was very, very good that the luggage had wheels.

Made it there with only a couple of stares. And was so incredibly relieved that they had pillows, sheets, and other items that I hadn't thought about until Lidia's dismayed protest "Lana! How could you have forgot about that!" had reminded me that morning. Realised how totally inept I can be when I confronted with getting into a bunkbed. I managed to kick my helpful bunk mate, a Neve Cambell look-a-like, in the head in the attempt. Sometimes, I really know how to make friends.

Anyway, what I should do is call Valerie. 27 more hours to go.

And then the bunny brain says...

"I have no problem with children in the abstract, but I do have problems with them in the concrete." ~ Dr. Paul Mohapel

First day of sessions! Already schedule changes. But that's o.k., we're flexible. And so the last (fun) session of the conference is moved up to the first. I have a stab of pessimism - it's all downhill from here.

The talk was on how to harness Emotional Intelligence. The speaker, Dr. Paul Mohapel, was engaging and had some interesting techniques. One of the first exercises was to choose a partner and attempt to tell a story by only using the word "blah". "Blah, blah, blah..." go I. "Blah, blah, blah..." goes Lidia. It was almost impossible to keep a straight face: I remembered all the times I had commanded people to "Converse!" in my photos, and this is what I usually got. Also, I don't have a story. The point of the exercise to focus on body language and to drive in the point that we are both receiving and projecting messages that are wordless - and that we should be more aware of them.

Later on he talked about the Feeling Wheel (boiling human emotions down to the six basic: sad, mad, scared, peaceful, powerful, joyful) and the Triune Brain (Primitive/reptile, Limbic/"bunny", Neocortex/higher-mammals).

Middle conclusion: Emotions preclude our thoughts - so while we can't choose our emotional responses we can choose our actions.

And the rest was how to manage emotions and to become more emotionally aware and mature. Wow, so maybe it is pop psychology, but it was interesting... and potentially helpful. He even touched on how to deal with fear (and other negative emotions that he personifies as "lawn chair people" - people in lawn chairs who sit on your shoulder making negative running commentary).

The rest of the day sessions were fairly forgettable, but ended early enough for my co-workers and I to go do more exploring. Onward to Fisherman's Warf!

So close according to the map, yet so difficult to find. It was getting late and even colder by the time we got there. I felt unsure and wobbly as soon as we stepped on pier. Everything was just floating on the water. The houses were basically boats that had been anchored down. A woman watched as we took pictures of houses with pirate flags, boats painted to look like other boats, and the closed "Barb's Fish and Chips" (another recommended food place). I think it was Lidia who said hi first, and we all chatted for a couple of minutes. This woman had decided to give living on the water try and it was her first year here with her family. I have trouble wrapping my head around giving up solid land for living on water. Each his own.

We rush back for the conference night event: dinner and murder mystery at... *drumroll* Hatley Castle! It had started to seriously rain and the bus ride was long. By the time we got there everything was dark - but the inside certainly lived up to expectations. The Royal Roads University, the conference host, used the castle as office and instructional space. Imagine taking a course here... just like in X-Men (yes, this is where they filmed part of it).

The murder mystery itself was funny. Each table got to play detective and interact with the characters after one of them dies at a Hollywood award show (for the best one-liner in a movie). Inspector Cloooooseau helped direct us and provided us with additional clues (e.g. an autopsy report from an autopsy and lengerie emporium).

It was all in all pretty fun... a close match against a night of dancing and at Winter Waltz. Now I'm back at my hotel room. CBC radio is being co-operative and I manage to do a little bit of dancing. And now, finally, my long awaited bath.

I'm here! I made it! And I'm completely delighted that there's a bathtub and free internet at the hotel. Oh, and fresh flowers in the foyer... but when I commented on it Lidia said "Lana - of course, this is a 4-star hotel." Um... o.k. So is the toilet paper folded in a triangle and what looks like a fluffed first Kleenex in the box also part of the 4-star deal?

Anyway, despite all the anxiety the flight went rather well. I walked onto the plane, saw these screens tiny screens in front of the first row of seats and asked "What are those?" Lidia laughed and laughed. I protested: Can you blame me for not recognising a television?

I had a window seat, which in retrospect was probably a bad idea (that turned out good). My eyes were clamped tight for lift off (there are reasons why I don't do rollercoasters). Though, with a"this would make a great picture" Lidia managed to loosened my death grip on the armrest. I grabbed my camera and got to work. At some point my heart had stopped racing. I'm flying!

Ninety-minutes later (I had been alternatively entertained by Mythbusters on the screen and the scenes out of the window) we were landing.

The taxi trip the hotel must have been strange for the driver. I don't think he could have guessed that we were actually part of an research administration conference; all the two of us would talk about were plants and vegetation (Lidia loves her moss).

We dropped off our luggage (the rooms not yet ready) and set forth to fill our hours before the conference with as much as we could.

We noticed palm trees and bushes with strange fruit. There were flowers everywhere. We kept having to remind each other that it was in fact the middle of November... which only boggles the mind as to what it would look like in the summer. John's Place was recommended for their eggs benedict so we gave it a try. Near the Empress was a tree that puzzled us both. It's bark was peeling in a way that I associated with diseased trees. Only later did Bob, the bus tour guide, answer our question:

It's an arbutus. It looses its bark and keeps its leaves: A very quiet tree.

I had been skeptical about taking the bus tour (it seemed like a lot of money), but in the end I learned a lot of interesting facts about Victoria. I got off the bus with a list of places to visit and explore more in depth.

After that we headed back to the hotel. A little bit of quiet / prep time before meeting up with the others from Edmonton. I've started writing postcards.

It's so different to be here in a room all by myself. The hotel stays in Calgary for competition were always so lively (even when we're exhaused). Here, it seems a little too quiet. But since I had trained myself to share... I limit my personal sprawl to one side of the room.

I laugh from remembering one of Lidia's comments: There aren't that many old people here.

Waiting for a Jet Plane

If there is someone out there who looks like you and is racking up karma points... does that make you the evil twin?

Ended up appearing at Lidia's doorstep earlier than expected and caught her in the middle of changing. Dad, who delivered me, shook my hand, and then went home. I was calm for the most part while Lidia fluttered around with last minute things. But adrenaline kicked in soon enough: Lidia's husband wove through traffic demon-like, while Lidia listed off all things that I should have remembered. But I didn't panic. We made it here in one piece, I managed to get my boarding passes without additional confirmation numbers, and my hand cream and lip gloss were deemed not a threat at the checkpoint.

Past that there's a woman here getting people to sign up for a credit card. She was doing the sell on Lidia, but kept looking at me. Finally, she said she knew me from somewhere (Brain: Breakfast Television? My dreams of fame might not be dashed!), but we couldn't pinpoint it. Moments later caught someone else smiling at me - and I did't have anything in my teeth. Are people just friendlier this early in the morning?

Now, waiting in the boarding area with only a mild hum of anxiety. So far so good...

"Don't bring back any strange boys. " ~ Lorena

Tomorrow I head out to Victoria. I feel completely unprepared. Most of today was about last minute confirmations and mental packing. Tonight actual packing... yes, probably a little too much. I want to be prepared, but I'm really not sure what I'm going to do after the conference. But first - must make it past the flight. Lidia reminds me not to be late. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to sleep. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Warning: Fantasies may be ruined in the reading of this post

"I'd rather eat a dumb human, than a smart chicken." ~ Steph

Jenn and I are dangerous for each other. I picked up Jenn - this time without getting lost - and headed to South Edmonton Common. The goal: Groceries for faux slumber party. Our first stop? That would have to be IKEA... then follwed by Old Navy and Michael's. Truly between the two of us we cannot resist temptation. She bought winterwear and yarn; I bought a T-shirt and Van Gogh calendar. When we finally made it to Superstore it was a bit of a scramble. So much so that it wasn't until we were at the till, payment in hand, did I look at fizzy drinks, carrots, cauliflower, celery, and things on Jenn's shopping list, and then ask "What about the pizza?" (It was the item that had prompted the whole shopping trip.)

We made it back to Erik's where Steph was waiting patiently in the lobby with her knitting (Thankyou Steph!). After a bit more scrambling - Jenn's birthday faux slumber party began!

Six girls in pyjamas. More junkfood for us than I could have imagined. We chatted (and plotted), and ate said junkfood. Some had laughed at my sticks of celery and carrots, and cucumber slices, but they were eaten up (the vegetables, not the people). And then for the main event: Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I have joined the group of people who have seen this movie. One off the list.


At some point I kicked people out and started to clean.

D is for Daisy

It starts out like an A word, as anyone can see
But somewhere in the middle, it gets awfully queer to me.

~ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

In the middle of the furnace debacle, I took off a couple hours to go to Daisy's ABC Wedding Shower. (Forgiven because it was family, and only blocks away.) Letter themes everywhere: an alphabet buffet, a crossword puzzle board for guests to add Daisy adjectives, and pre-designated-letter-themed gifts. Mine was the letter "K". Was stumped, but then I asked Steph, our in-house Scattegories champion, who gave me a list of 17 creative potentional-shower gifts.

In the end I decided on a box with: Kisses (Hershey), Kinder Surprise, Kleenex (travel pack), a kangaroo (stuffed), a Bay gift certificiate (note included: "For Kitchenware or some not-so-kinky knickers", not that I have anything against kinky knickers... just didn't think she would find any at the Bay), and a picture of us when we were kids (right).

Gifts that stole the show included L - a ladder - and J (from Nancy) - a large bag filled with junkfood and *drumroll* ... jewlery! What a combination. I can totally agree with Daisy's enthusiasm for the ladder. (Left: Us now)

We played many shower games, and the day was capped off with a reading of Sunil's account of how he and Daisy met and became a couple... in poem form. Pretty funny. It was great to meet the people currently in Daisy's life... I thought of the times when we played house and I was the husband. Wedding only months away, with still too much talking in the background... but I'll ignore it.

Searching for the photo was a lot of fun. Theresa took (and stores here) lots and lots of photos. I happened to be subject in some of them. One my favourites (right): Already at such a young age, Baby Lana shows great taste in sunglasses.

Home fires not quite burning

Some time Friday morning the furnace broke. Didn't find out until I got home from Friday Feast and saw my parents wearing their fall/winter jackets inside. Oh, so the furnace broke down... and someone already came to take look... and it has broken down again. Hovering around my brain the questions: What exactly are the things they think are important to let me know and what can just be glossed over? Is the furnace part of Theresa's territory?

It seems to be the whole "Only Angela needs to know about medical stuff" situation all over again. But since I was home now, I called and waited for Atco Gas to come back. Dad plugged a little hot plate / heating element in the living room, and crouched close while watching television, reminding me of stories of winters in China. For the 36 hours we bundled up in layers and checked the thermometer every hour. It was surprisingly cold for plus 15 degrees inside. Phone lines were to be clear at all times.

I waited until midnight both Friday and Saturday. Mom's negative side showed, saying that fate was playing a trick on us. Dad was surprisingly positive. The saga ended this morning when a heating contractor came out and replaced a part. It took minutes.

It was all a big hassle, but some good things associated with it:

1. I got to see the insides of a thermostat (above right) - the glossy metallic bead is mercury - brilliant!
2. I got to work exclusively on Andrea's scrapbook (one day it will be done).
3. I rested my ankle.
4. I had another point of consideration when buying an older home
5. The Atco Gas guy was cute and very nice (so what if I was wearing a winter jacket and scarf over mismatched PJs?)

Eventhough the heating contractor said the furnace looked good overall and didn't need to be replaced, Dad asked about replacement costs. Has he finally been pushed over the edge to spend money? Mom figures they're having a bout of bad luck - there was the Macau incident right before getting back home (pickpocket), and the washroom's leaking too. I swear Angela and I did not break the house. Very glad to be able to leave the house. The honeymoon's over.

"Prowst" or "Proost"?

It took about 70 pages, 2 library renewals, and 3 other books in middle, for me to get into Marcel Proust's Swann's Way. I guess of it was mostly me being untrained with my mind wandering off after the third semi-colon. And most like because I'm impatient and there's not a lot of plot going on. But then something stuck. Something that made me feel a little more sad, but also little less broken:

"... once the novelist has brought us to that state, in which, as in all purely mental states, every emotion is multiplied ten-fold, into which his book comes to disturb us as might a dream, but a dream more lucid, and of a more lasting impression than those which come to us in sleep; why, then, for the space of an hour he sets free within us all the joys and sorrows in the world, a few of which, only, we should have to spend years of our actual life in gettingto know, and the keenest, the most intense of which would never have been revealed to us because the slow course of their development stops our perception of them. It is the same in life; the heart changes, and that is our worst misfortune; but we learn of it only from reading or by imagination; for in reality its alteration, like that of certain natural phenomena, is so gradual that, even if we are able to distinguish, successively, each of its different states, we are still spared the actual sensation of change." ~ Marcel Proust Swann's Way, Combray Part I

It was still slow, but I kept reading and reading... not noticing at all that at bus stops there were other people there. Good thing Ryan noticed me. Ryan, of tofu-chicken-burger fame, who just happened to be leaving from work. We caught up on old times. He's engaged to Annie! And Annie is now a forensic accountant. He confirms it's not as glamourous as it sounds. Soon he too will be a CA, moving out of his parents' basement. I'm imagining little Ryans (!) - oh the trouble they'd get in.

Now that you mention it...

Whirlwind of activity with Mom and Dad coming home, and Angela leaving. So far... the atmosphere has been surprisingly good. Unfortunately, I think it's because I'm on extra good behaviour and they're still recovering from jet lag.

Haven't checked one of my email accounts in about a month and found that I'm surprisingly popular. At least with the spam crowd. I know, I should just go and do a mass delete... but it's also kind of amusing to scan through. I'm laughing at the things that emails have tacked on to fool the spam filters. I'm laughing at spelling mistakes and or intentions (again for spam filters?) I'm laughing at the myriad of words for the male anatomy. Then it happened: I started feeling I had a problem and the problem needed a remedy. Namely, a problem with credit (we'll give you a loan!), a problem with investing (check out this new stock!), a problem with finding realistic copies of luxury watches (look here!), a problem with... um... size. Truly all these just point to main problem: I'm highly suggestible. But that last one got me thinking, men have wade through all this too (if they don't just do a mass delete), no wonder so many of them (stereotypically) have complexes (yes, yes, I know, just call me Pot). And then I started thinking that wasn't quite fair. Sure, classically women have had other forms of media to make us feel inferior/inadequate (fashion magazine anyone?), but I think I'm being underrepresented here. Oh wait, this last one is about breasts. I'm not feeling so great... but at least now it's fair.

Angst: collective noun relating to teenagers and drama students.

Rem broke records with 27 eggs used in Jenn's Birthday Feast. It was the Feast of Continued Existence that was, as per Jenn's request, breakfast based: eggs benedict, waffles, fruit, milk, tea, breakfast cake... olives. Yum. I met Jenn's friends Jenna and Nick, and relaxed in the warm. Jenn got a box of socks. And Steph presented me with a handmade scarf. So very, very, very soft. Liam showed up a bit later and showed us his latest portfolio. Now that's photography.

Eventually had to leave, for next morning it was NLC. The schedule started even earlier this year since there were more categories and more youth competiting. The Polish Hall was more magnificient too: more seats (including the balcony), and two additional spotlights that made everything sparkle.

Was again very glad I wasn't competing (even my regular shoe hardly fit), but I definitely felt something was missing. For one, instead of being there with the dancers thinking about callbacks, I worried about whether volunteers were where they were supposed to be; I hovered behind the velvet ropes, while the dancers were out there on the floor. On the other hand (yes, I've probably run out of hands again), I did finally get to see Darren, Linda, Christiana and Ryan dance, and I could take pictures of them. I guess officially being outside makes the voyeuristic side of photos even more sweet (Hm... was that creepy?)

Then came the night event and I was back in the full thick of things: Running like crazy with Olga, eyes and mouth wide-open, mesmerised by the high-calibre dancing. Between Linda and couple 41, yellow is my new favourite colour. I did notice that the Pirate was not there, but the Rizers made up for it. Mmm... eye candy...

The original professional show couldn't make it for medical reasons, so the night ended with a winners showcase. Once the people cleared out (o.k. even before that), I was collecting sparkles. (An additional boon: Unopened bar of Lindt dark chocolate! Though I'm still trying to decide if I should open it or not... a very cryptic "You should buy dark chocolate" in my horoscope adds to my apprehension.) I did help with a little bit of carrying and cleanup too. Snow had started falling. I got home feeling pretty good.

For the event I took a total of 206 photos, most of which are blurry. Strangely enough, Allan decided I looked pretty smashing, and decided I should be in some of his photos (this was backstage, during general dancing). Hey, why not? I'm vain. And it's good to have some nice photos of oneself to counter all those bad ones out there (e.g. passport) Only... I think after many tries and coaxing, the one photo I didn't have a deer-in-headlights look was one where I was making a face. It's something else for me to work on (when was the last time I made faces into the mirror?)... or maybe it's a sign that I should stay behind the camera.

Mom and Dad return late tomorrow. Angela is to rush off back to Alaska to prepare for their move back to Calgary. Her "must clean" side is showing. I'm not sure if anything's changed.