I know, I've mentioned names, it's shocking. I felt it was appropriate if I'm going to celebrate the event.

First off, I let myself sleep a little later than I had intended, but I wasn't worried because I knew I wasn't in any real hurry. That is, until I discovered I hadn't packed my new pants that I was going to wear at the wedding. Well, frig. I put myself into hustle mode and boogied after that. I left Provost at 8:36 and was at a shopping mall in Edmonton at 10:58. New pants bought! Triumph one for the day.

Got to the hotel, showered. Got dressed and looked stunning for the wedding in my co-worker's orange, beaded halter and my new black capris. Wahoo! My hotel-mates were looking very good as well. Australia-boy in his tux as the best man and his sister is always good looking.

I sat with the gay doctor and the best man's sister at the wedding and we were awful. Giggling at everything but trying to be quiet about it. I let some bubbles go in the church. The first hymn we sang had a line in it about us being God's members. The first passage read from the bible proclaimed that the wife was the property of the husband. Good times! The pastor of the First Mennonite Church in Edmonton is fabulous! She turned most of my giggles into reverent thoughts of what this occasion meant to Owen and Jennifer. I had to tell her after the ceremony how much I'd enjoyed her words and her passion in them. She talked about how important the decision to get married is and wasn't afraid to mention all the crappy things that might happen in the course of a marriage. She very politely mentioned that Owen is levelled headed and likes to talk a lot (BS) and Jennifer is the one in tune with her emotions and is able to cut through all Owen's big words (BS). By the time the wedding ceremony was over, I was in tears, as usual.

After a quick stop at the hotel, we went to the hall to help decorate. We were busy there almost the entire time up to the reception. I hate streamers.

And the reception was great. Short on toasts, but the ones that were there had so much value and meaning in them. I was especially moved by both Owen's parents getting up at different times to welcome Jennifer to their family. I almost cried again. And Owen's mom was smokin' hot! Kudos to her!

She a blushing bride
He a delicate flower
Both now joined as one

This haiku was mostly written by Owen himself for his brother's wedding. The last line was changed to protect the innocent.

Owen asked me to say good things about him here when the evening was almost over. I have no choice because there was nothing bad to say. Owen looked really good and I told him so in the receiving line. He mentioned that he'd lost 45 lbs. Kudos to him. What I was really talking about was the smile on his face at marrying Jennifer. It's making me cry right now thinking about it. True happiness can be seen in a smile and that was it right there. It's one of the most beautiful things in the world because it's unfortunately more rare than I'd like.

The evening included lots of dancing after I got my second wind. And lots of talking with my Calgary friends. I miss them all terribly, but they aren't all in Calgary anymore. I wish I had more time off work so that I could go see them more often. I danced so much that I could barely walk for my ankle was quite unhappy. I didn't really care because I was having too much fun.

There was an open mic for a while and I should have told this story, but was feeling a bit shy. None of the stories we could think of about Owen ended in a proper fashion so we decided to just stay silent. This one is no exception. So, Owen, here it is. When I first met Owen, we were spending every Thursday night at the Unicorn in Calgary drinking, etc. There were some of us that showed up every week and were served by the surly pregnant barmaid Kelly. As everyone knows, Owen loves to cook. So on Valentine's Day he hosted the Bitter Singles Dinner Party(TM). There were quite a few of us invited and I was late because I'm not real good at public transit. So I started off the evening with some straight scotch to warm me up. The menu was filet mignon with some sort of sauce, some vegetables, a great cold soup, and some dessert. The liquor and wine were flowing quite freely that night. One of the guest's ex-boyfriends tracked her down at Owen's because he thought they should get back together. I was the co-hostess for the evening and was helping serve. Bad idea. I managed to spill steak juice on someone's head. And like all successful Owen stories, someone ended up being violently ill from the drink. Good times!

Well, I made it. I'm not exactly sure how because I don't really remember the three hours I was in the car. There was lots of music. I was mostly just thinking the whole time. And maybe being a bit less concentratey on the road as I should have been. I didn't speed either. Most times I looked at the spedometer, I was doing almost exactly 100. That made me feel alright.

I didn't get to hear Miss Otis Regrets by Bette Midler. I love singing that song and I haven't heard it recently enough to remember the tune and words well enough. Pretty soon, they'll be ingrained, but until then I'll have to hear the song periodically which I don't mind at all. The last time I heard it, I was singing it for days afterward. To my boyfriend too which he could've taken in a very bad way. Especially since I was so excited about it. Heh.

There was a thundershower happening in the distance for the last 30minutes or so of my drive which made it go quite quickly. I absolutely love watching the lightning in the sky. I'm always in such awe of these things.

I'm determined to have a really good weekend. I haven't decided yet everyone I'm going to visit or whether I'm going home to Nipawin on Sund.... Hmmm... that's a bit of a slip. Apparently I need to go visit my parents soon. Anyway, haven't decided when I'm going back to Saskatoon yet - either Sunday or Monday. It might be Sunday just so I have the day on Monday to just be at home. I haven't had enough of those lately.

I'm going to see so many people at the wedding that I haven't seen in forever. I haven't been really good at keeping in touch with them so I'm a little worried that they might be mad at me, but I'm sure everything will be fine. I do think about them, but am never in a position to act on it when I do think of them. [sigh] I do think of them. And smile. And wonder what they're up to. It's a good thing I get to find out this weekend.

That's me!

I finally got my pampering at the spa tonight. I was at the Ethos Salon & Spa.

I first got a manicure and a pedicure. I have the most fabulously coloured toenails right now. I'm way too happy about them. Every time I catch a glimpse of them, I just start grinning like mad. Just thinking about them is making me smile.

Then I had a half hour massage which was pretty good and then someone did my hair before I went to see my wonderful boyfriend who was the cause of all this pampering.

We watched his Superbit Spiderman 2 DVD that I got him for his birthday. He noticed a difference in the quality of the picture even though I didn't. He also tried to impress me with the fact that he'd rearranged the surround sound speakers so it was a better experience. Can't say as I noticed. Good for him, though. I'm glad he's happy with it.

For days, I've had this nagging suspicion that there was something that I had to do tonight other than my chiropractor appointment.

Sure enough, looking through my daily planner this morning, I saw huge lettering in the evening slot - supper at friend's. Bring Apples to Apples and LOTR. Hmmm... I should maybe try looking at my daily planner at times other than when I'm at work like, say weekends. Heh.

So I quickly phoned my boyfriend to remind him that we had supper plans. That was also a smart move on my part. I plan ahead so I'd already written down the right address in my daily planner address section as well. Always thinking, that's me!

I stopped to play a little Puzzle Pirates before heading off to supper. There was a very, very excited dog there that I hadn't met before. She likes to jump. A lot. She actually jumped so high that her head was above mine. Quite frightening when you think that there is a very small child around that this clumsy, very excitable dog might accidentally pounce upon in a moment of uninhibited joyous romping. Still very entertaining for me. Between the dog and the baby, there was no lack of giggles coming from me. That baby sure is cute.

Dinner was, as always with that chef, overwhelming and quite fantastic. Barbecued ribs, cabbage salad, caesar salad, potato and carrot pancake fritter type things (yummy despite my description), lemon meringue pie, garlic bread, and I know there was something else because the table couldn't hold all the food. [grin]

After supper, it was time for Apples to Apples. I quite enjoy the game even though I got completely hosed this time. Usually, I do much better. I got no green cards. None. Someone who didn't know some of the words got three cards to my zero. So much for my reading being good for my vocabulary. [sigh] I still had a good time playing the game. I always do.

Somehow, ten o'clock has become late. I remember when one o'clock was still early. One of the tragedies of having a day job, I guess. I don't mind the regular paycheque so I won't complain too much. Heh.

Didn't get up particularly early today and didn't get started on my books as early as I'd planned. There may have been some Mario Kart and some Puzzle Pirates distracting me. Then Calgarian Agent called. And then I started in on my books. And then I was on the phone for another 45 minutes with another friend. And then I finished up my books which I haven't properly balanced since February, but at least I'm still entering everything. Almost finished cleaning the tub which my roommate had started earlier in the day. It's a very big job. Then it was off to see the wizard after dropping off the Top 10 San Francisco book I bought for our trip with a friend who's going this week. I hope she has a great time. And then another great date with my sweetie. Unfortunately, we watched Star Wars Episode I on CBC. I really didn't notice the first time I saw it how bad it was. Although I was not disappointed by the fight scene between the two Jedi and Darth Maul. Fantastic fight.

Had some good kitten petting time today too. I'm really looking forward to next weekend in Edmonton. And seeing my Provost friend again so soon.

It's nice to be thought of and all, but can I really avoid being tagged in cases where I'm going to keep reading my friends blogs? I could choose not to respond, I suppose, but that's no fun either. I have enough of not fun stuff at work. So the question really becomes, would I like not to be tagged? Probably not. [grin] I like talking about me.

Number of CDs I own
About 120, but I think a bit more. I need another CD holder. I need to mount the one I've got on the wall.

Last CD I bought
Do I remember this? I've received more CDs as gifts recently than actually bought. My cat got me a Jacksoul CD for Christmas. The album name was Resurrected and has some fabulous songs on it like "I Still Believe in Love" which got quite a bit of radio play last year and "Getting It On" which will always make me smile. I'd have to be reminded to know if I've bought a CD other than that one since last December.

Recent favourite/new listen
All the names of the CDs I've been wanting to get have fled my brain just now. OOooo... just got one. The new Black Eyed Peas CD with Don't Phunk With My Heart. I really want to pick that one up. It's one of those that I think I'm going to like the whole album so I might as well. Of course, that's what I thought about the Cake album with Short Skirt, Long Jacket and it's new owner loves it way more than I do. [wink] Cake is good for me once in a while in my boyfriend's music collection.

Five CDs that are meaningful to me
Sarah McLachlan (Fumbling Towards Ecstacy) -Ice Cream helped me through a very difficult summer
Maroon 5 (Songs About Jane) -someone gave me this CD because he just wanted to give me music and its a fabulous album
Holly Cole (Treasury) -Holly Cole signed it for me even though I've never met her. She's my favourite singer even though she's changed her style to a bit more experimental jazzy than I like
Wild Strawberries (Quiver) -also signed by the lead singer, Roberta, who I saw in Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary over three days. A wonderful roadtrip with dear friends.
Dr. Hook -anything by Dr. Hook will remind me of my mom. When we lived on an acreage outside Calmar and had to drive home from Edmonton every night, mom would sing to my brother and I because it was the easiest way to keep us settled down. Of course, the only songs she knew all the words to were Dr. Hook songs and especially those from the album Makin' Love and Music. Heh. It makes me giggle to think of these songs being sung to children under 5. And look at how great I turned out!! [GRIN]

It's important to note that almost all my music is meaningful to me because of someone in my life. Lots of music reminds me of my mom, lots of music reminds me of my friend in Fort McMurray, lots of music reminds me of my roommate, and I could go on. There is very little that I have in my collection for me although it seems to be growing more in the past few years than the rest of my life. Up until a few years ago, the only music in my collection that was purely for me was Holly Cole. I'm glad to note that this trend is changing.

So I’m sitting here in the Winnipeg airport after being in the security line up for an hour. Yes, one hour. My flight is delayed. I would have made it anyway because I was at the airport early enough. I’ll have to tell DM she was right about getting to the airport really, really early.

The security line up was due to the second, inept attempts at bombings in London reported in the news today. There were several things that impressed me about the whole situation.
1. My ability to laugh as I walked to the end of the line which ended up going down some stairs.
2. The ability of others who walked by the incredibly long line to laugh at the astoundingly long line up that went downstairs.
3. The general good nature of everyone involved. No hissy-fits, no grumbling and complaining, and most people still willing to laugh and smile in the line up.

There was one thing that did not impress me at all.
1. The people who thought they were better than the rest of us. No one gets special treatment in these cases. (Except the old ladies in wheelchairs who couldn’t move well on their own and I’m more than okay with their special treatment. It’s a respect thing. Of course, I didn’t have to talk to them which might have change my mind.) We’re all in the same boat, which is having the potential for missing out flights. Not really a great risk as all the flights are delayed, but still. And everyone in the line up was being kept abreast the reason for the line up and given reassurance that no one would be left behind. I want to talk to these people, but I know it’s useless. I just made their “line cutting in” a bit more noticed and difficult. What really frosts my cookies is that one particular individual that I noted as having cut into the line wasn’t in any hurry once he got on the other side of security. He went shopping. Is it important that both people who cut in were male? Is this the superiority that they feel? Why don’t they have to follow the rules?

In times like these, rules are necessary things. I’m finding a lot of similarities to the current book club book I’m reading. We live in luxury and for that, there are consequences and prices to be paid. For the luxury of having planes that fly us around the world, we have to pay in dollars for the safety of the aircraft, but in also in lives once in a while. Terrorists, the infrequent failure of the plane, the rare incompetence of the pilot, and more terrorists.

We protect stupidity. We can only have so many safeties in place and it’s already bordering/crossing the line on absurdity in some cases. Would my mother have been reported to child protection services when I was little because she let me eat sand? Gross, dirty, bug filled sand that might have given me pinworms? We’ve gone too far. I’m torn about whether we should interfere in the lives of others. Where should the line be drawn? My way of life works for me, but I will never (or hope I never) force it upon others. And I certainly don’t condone a government that does. I was so pleased with our prime minister when we did not aid the Americans in their attack.

GAH! And this is why I shouldn’t read the news.

Tonight is mine! Wahoo!

I had some great company at supper last night. There were ten of us from training that went to Hu's on First for supper. I didn't particularly enjoy my lemon chicken, but dang, was the dessert good. Basically deep fried spring rolls with bananas inside instead of regular spring roll stuff. Then they had vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and caramel sauce with these things. Mm.. mm.. mmmmmm... Sooooo good.

Then I went walking with one of the trainers through the Forks shops again. Didn't buy anything again. Might have if the stall with the unhelpful lady last time I was here had been more helpful, but had the exact same service from a different person this time. I guess the thought of making money doesn't appeal to any of these people. After I got home from that excursion, I had a great night's sleep.

I went walking tonight to cityplace which closes at 6 p.m. even on Thursdays. [pout] Portage Place mall was still open though so I walked through there for a bit. Got some clothes at Cotton Ginny which will be good for my trip to Los Gatos. And I can't remember the last time... Wait, yes I can. The last time I bought necklaces was last summer or the summer before that when I bought a new shirt at Winners that desparately needed a necklace. In fact, it was definitely two summers ago because I've had that shirt for quite some time. So I got three great necklaces tonight and the service I got at that store was fabulous. She was so helpful and we chatted quite a bit while I was looking at all her wonderful necklaces and jewelry. I even bought some earrings too!! It's been even longer since I bought earrings.

And now I'm talking to the Calgarian Agent. I'll be a while.

And my friend who has been there for the past few months is home today! I'm so excited about that even though I don't get to see him for a while. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....

His family is in Calgary so I'm sure he won't have a chance to come visit me, but I'll definitely get to see him at the wedding in Edmonton on the August long weekend.

But this time, I have my computer and an internet connection so I'm free as a bird and have no dishes to do.

My new boss was nice enough to give me the afternoon off on Friday. It did me a lot of good and gave me some time with my friends who were in visiting. One of them had laser eye surgery that went very well. And I got to spend the rest of the weekend with them. On Friday, we just went to Moxie's for supper after I had a haircut and they went to see Dr. Marshall Montgomery who is our fabulous chiropractor. I hope I get to see him soon.

And one of my friends painted my toenails Typhoon blue. Hee!

Saturday was good. We went to Elephant and Castle for lunch and then went to a store called Atlantis 2000 and bought some rocks. And I already lost the honey calcite today. Then I went home for a nap while they went for massages with my regular massage therapist who I love very much as well. She told me this great joke once or twice.

Q: What did one strawberry say to the other strawberry?

Then my roommate left the house and I had 2 whole hours to myself. The first 15 minutes I spent moping about being all stressed and woe-is-me like and phoned my mom. She was feeling the same so we made a deal. If she got off her butt, I'd get off mine. And it worked for both of us cuz I checked yesterday. I spent the rest of my alone time cleaning, doing dishes, doing laundry and it felt great. Oh and the music may have been a tad loud and I may have frightened my roommate's girlfriend who was incredibly sweet in dropping off a book of my roommate's that I'd wanted to share with my friends. In fact, she had lent the book to another person who she couldn't find so she bought a copy of the book for herself so that she could give a copy back to my roommate cuz I wanted to read it with my friends. Sounds like something I'd have done. She claims she wanted to buy it anyway so I'm going to believe her.

Anyway, I digress. The evening was spent watching the movie Jawbreaker. I love this movie. It's great. It's no Heathers, but it's still great. My friends thought it was cheesey. I thought it was extremist and cheeky, but not really cheesey.

Then Sunday, one friend went her own way as she had much shopping to do before heading home. And the other one came with me and we shopped and had a great time although I was crushed when the shirt that I really, really wanted wasn't at the store anymore. They'd been bought quite quickly. And my co-worker won't sell me hers. I asked. But then I went to another store that I've never shopped in before and they had shirts in my size! I was so very happy. I'll definitely be going back there. Oh and La Senza was having an underwear sale. [grin]

The we joined up with my boyfriend to go see the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. [GRIN] Very much fun, it was. Johnny Depp still rocks and from the looks of this list, will continue to rock for some time. My friend went home shortly after that and then my boyfriend and I watched a few episodes of Firefly. Only two episodes left and then just the wait for Serenity. [sigh]

Ooooo... I just found the honey calcite I thought I'd lost today. It was on the floor in my hotel room. I guess I got lucky this time.

A: If you hadn't been so fresh last night, we wouldn't be in this jam.

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Friendly Belly Dancer. Where You Lived: Poland. How You Died: Hung for treason.

I saw part 2 of Much More Music's Listed for this one. I'm oddly attracted to a lot of top however many things in a category type lists. They just sucker me in. With music, I justify it as culture...

1. Nirvana (Nevermind)
2. U2 (The Joshua Tree)
3. Michael Jackson (Thriller)
4. Guns ‘N Roses (Appetite For Destruction)
5. Radiohead (OK Computer)
6. Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
7. The Clash (London Calling)
8. Prince (Purple Rain)
9. Madonna (Ray of Light)
10. R.E.M. (Out Of Time)
11. Moby ( Play)
12. Eminem (The Eminem Show)
13. Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A.)
14. AC/DC (Back in Black)
15. Alanis Morissette (Jagged Little Pill)
16. The Police (Synchronicity)
17. Public Enemy (Fear Of A Black Planet)
18. Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood, Sugar, Sex Magic)
19. Metallica (Metallica)
20. Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill)
21. Peter Gabriel (So)
22. Oasis (What’s The Story Morning Glory?)
23. Beastie Boys (Ill Communication)
24. The Smiths (The Queen Is Dead)
25. Coldplay (A Sudden Rush of Blood...)
26. Sarah McLachlan (Surfacing)
27. Run DMC (Raising Hell)
28. Pearl Jam (Ten)
29. Alicia Keys (Songs In A Minor)
30. Green Day (Dookie)
31. Mariah Carey (Daydreamer)
32. Soundgarden (Superunknown)
33. Bjork (Debut)
34. Bon Jovi (Slippery When Wet)
35. Notorious B.I.G (Ready to Die)
36. No Doubt (Tragic Kingdom)
37. TLC (Crazy Sexy Cool)
38. Beck (Odelay)
39. U2 (The Unforgettable Fire)
40. Def Leppard (Hysteria)

I was quite happy to see that U2 was on the list twice. When I saw number 39 in the countdown, I was disappointed it wasn't the Joshua Tree. Then I saw it was number 2. Yay!

More happiness when I saw that I already own a significant number of these albums or want to. Just goes to show I have fantastic taste in music. Heh.

After working for 12 hours yesterday and then coming home to play Fading Suns in a hot house with my friends, I was very exhausted. It was a good day, but a very long one.

Today, I opted not to go into work early and sleep an extra hour. It was totally worth it.

I finished talking to all my staff today for the second time. It was really great. I'm loving building these relationships and hopefully being able to make their work lives better. That's going to be my greatest reward if I can accomplish anything that makes their life easier.

Anyway, the good company was the new manager from Winnipeg who is in town visiting my co-worker. She and her husband drove up with their fifth wheel and are camping during the visit. My coworker and her significant other and the manager and her hubby and I went to the Willows for some apps and drinks and good conversation. It was one of the most relaxed and easy outing with people from work that I'd ever attended. Really great. I may have stuck my foot in my mouth a few times and said too much, but whatever. I'm not going to worry about it. It was a great night.

And tonight, my parents are here. My dad is being my saviour and installing my roommate's air conditioner as it's bloody hot this week. I love that my parents are here. I depend on them so much for their support. I phoned them this morning to say, "The heat won't kill me, but my roommate might. Help!" Of course, that was an exageration, but here they are installing the air conditioner. I'd feel more guilty if mom hadn't already been planning on coming up tonight anyway.

And tomorrow night, I get another set of visitors. Friends from high school are coming to visit and I'm totally go to love having them here. Especially once the AC is installed.

So I helped my boyfriend celebrate his first 29th birthday tonight. I spoiled him rotten with presents, supper at Calories, rented a movie, watched an episode of Firefly and finished off dessert that we brought home from Calories after the movie. And he even got a sparkler and I sang to him. I didn't even realize I'd done it until he said something about it.

Supper was delicious. I had the trout - so amazing. But the best thing about the meal besides the birthday boy's company was the glass of wine I had with it. I swear it was one of the best wines I'd ever had. Don't ask me what it was because I couldn't tell you. It was definitely organic white. That's all I remember. The wine lovers who read this will kick my butt for being so ignorant, but I really enjoyed it. It's wonderful that after not drinking for so long, one (maybe two ;) ) glass of wine can make me feel tipsy. Really, I noticed it after 1/2 a glass, but the happiness lastest through the meal and then we went for a walk down Broadway. The real beauty of feeling the alcohol that quickly is the fact that it wears off just as quickly.

I have a hot date tonight. It's my boyfriend birthday and I got him tons of presents. And I'm taking him out to Calories. Totally spoiled rotten. I've been getting more and more excited about it as the day has gone on. He's turning 29. I hope he has a great night.

[GRIN]

It's been busy. Wednesday night, I didn't get to sleep until about 2 a.m. I was so preoccupied with the course that I was taking for work. And just work in general as this was the first day where I had been able to concentrate on one thing all day with no interruptions.

The training and reflection on the past four weeks of my new job continued on Thursday as well as finally getting to sit down with a co-worker that I'd worked with closely and realized that we'd become friends in the process - just solidified by actually meeting in person. All in all, an exhausting two days.

And of course, my plane was delayed again. It's a good thing I don't plan to be somewhere after my plane gets in. It was still an interesting flight home. Everyone seemed so friendly and polite. There was a very small baby and two other children under the age of ten on the plane. In the airport, they'd been quite rambunctious, but didn't make a peep on the plane. My seat was actually next to the father and baby but there were some empty seats at the back so I opted for one of those. The fluorescent light above me was more annoying than I would liked with its buzzing, but fluorescents don't get hot so I was able to tap it with my finger and and make the buzzing stop for quite long intervals. And then I forgot to tell the flight attendant. It was an Air Canada flight and the flight attendant was way more relaxed than any other flight attendant I'd seen on an AC flight. I was sitting sideways in the two seats and he didn't tell me to sit straight in my seat. It was a pleasant surprise. And we chased the sunset all the way from Winnipeg to Saskatoon. You can imagine the incredible colours of the sky for the whole trip - absolutely amazing. My favourite scene was the white clouds being white against the orange sky because we were above them. The clouds take on the colour of the sky when you are looking up at them. Anyway, enough about that hour of my life. [grin]

Friday went well. I was tired, but it went well. I didn't get nearly enough done, but it was still a good day. I came home after work and went straight to bed. I forgot to stop by the Canadian Cancer Society office as I'd promised on Tuesday. And I forgot to go for drinks at Earl's with the United Way crew, but apparently, I was tired. I woke up at midnight from the heat and bothered a friend of mine on the phone until 2 a.m. then finally tried to sleep again with some success after reading for a little bit more.

The book club meeting on Saturday was cancelled due to the lack of people who'd actually finished reading the book. To be fair, my roommate was right and told us three weeks ago that it wasn't enough time. But the rest of us said, no, no, we can read it in three weeks. We all suck except my roommate and his girlfriend who did finish the book.

Instead of book club, most everyone came over anyway and we watched the movie What Dreams May Come. What a great movie. Not a dry eye in the house and a lot of kleenex used too. My roommate made rhubarb cobbler again which was quite tasty. We ended up outside in the backyard chatting in the shade of my large evergreen tree. Quite a lovely afternoon.

Then for the evening adventure, my boyfriend and I ordered a fajita pizza from Panago which was quite yummy and played City of Heroes until midnight when my eyes were burning. And now, I'm very much looking forward to closing my eyes and sleeping a sleep of the dead.

We went to the Star Grill tonight. It was a really great menu and the waiter made me want to order everything on the menu. He was great. The atmosphere was great and everyone else's food seemed great and I should have ordered the fish and chips. [sigh] The pickerel was good, but it was supposed to have cajun spices in it. The roasted red pepper soup was truly amazing though. And the lemon rhubarb cheesecake wasn't near as good as the lemon cheesecake with the lemon curd layer on top that I got at Tastebuds.

I sure wish I was at home right now.

I've seen the Pigs of Saskatoon and the Cows of Calgary and both pale in comparison to the Bears of Winnipeg. They are absolutely wonderful. I absolutely love them. The paint jobs are great and there are so many of them - 60 or so and they're all in one area on Broadway. A friend drove me by them last night after picking me up at the airport. I should go for a walk tomorrow after training is done to get a better look. It's supposed to be hot out tomorrow which will be nice.

After waiting a hlaf hour extra for me at the airport due to my late flight, she then took me for supper which was a great time. I am fortunate to have friends across Canada now through work. There are so many that I wouldn't hesitate to call up and go for supper with from Halifax to Vancouver.

I saw War of the Worlds last night. It was ... good. I'm hesitant to say that because although the movie was very well done thanks to Mr. Spielberg, I noticed Tom Cruise in the movie more than once. I just don't think he did an outstanding job with this one. And he's been sooo nutty lately. Apparently, he's always been that way and how could Nicole have put up with him for almost 10 years, but that's besides the point. And really not that shocking or interesting.

I had a to do list today that I thought was quite unreasonable and I truly managed to get most of it done. It was very impressive. The urgency of the list was due to my flying to Winnipeg tomorrow afternoon. I didn't get packed yet, but I know that I'll get it done in the morning cuz I have to. [grin]

To my delight, I haven't driven my car in two days. What a wondrous thing!

Canada Day included seeing my brother and his kids on their brief stop over on their long journey to Nipawin, a visit from a friend in Saskatoon that I don't see nearly enough, a long phone conversation with a friend in Australia who I get to see in less than a month, a frolick in a brief thunder shower, and a movie in good friends' company.

Unfortunately, Saturday ambushed me with a headache that kept me in vast pain most of the day. A few brief interludes for hugs from my boyfriend which were quite welcome and some rhubarb sex (rhubarb cobbler with vanilla ice cream). I also tried to make dinner plans with baby Z and family, but both her father and I had other plans for the night we tried to book for. Quite amusing really - I have no plans for Wednesday, but I won't be in Saskatoon so it'd be a bit difficult to attend a dinner here and he's working and then playing hockey. What a fine pair! I finally decided to consult my daily planner to be sure.

This morning, I woke up more refreshed than I've felt in ages and ready to take on the world! And as such, I'm defeating all manner of villains in City of Heroes. Maybe I'll get around to some housework tonight, but I'm not worried about it. I feel great.

I was very caffeinated last Sunday night for the drive home which was the only thing that made it possible for me to get home. But being that caffeinated gives way to interesting thoughts.

Fourteen hours in a car by yourself leads to a lot of thinking. And singing out loud so you can have a break from thinking for a while. I tried to make many mental notes as to what I wanted to post here upon my return and I remember almost none of it which just amuses me greatly.

My new boss told me to think about work a bit so I did, but I don't think it did any good because I didn't get anywhere or have any epiphanies so I stopped.

And I noticed halfway home from Calgary that I had only seen dead animals so far on this drive. I hate it when that happens because I find it depressing. So I opened my eyes and mind to try to find the live ones. More than I could count! It was great. Notably, six deer (one still losing his fawn spots and bounding through a field, a group of two and a group of three in the ditch eating), a rabbit in a field, a wolf, and red-winged black bird on a post, an eagle waiting on a post in the middle of a field, and a small black bird which dive-bombed a gopher that was in the weeds right next to road which made the gopher run right in front of my car. I didn't hit him. I love this little lesson - to see the good instead of the bad, just look for it.

Wednesday this week held a surprise visit from my mom which meant I got no housework done, but I'm okay with that. People are more important than doing housework. We had supper at the Saigon Rose. They changed the menu and it was printed on fancy paper that was roses in the background. I thought that a bit odd until just now when I wrote down the name of the restaurant. Just a little slow this week. A day and a half lag time...

Then we went to the new Wal-Mart. I got some presents for my cat because he was still so traumatized from the bat. I had to call several vets before one finally said, "He's had his shots? Then don't worry about it. This is why you get your pets vaccinated." How hard was that? They all just wanted to know about the bat which I didn't care about at all. I digress. After Wal-Mart, I took my mom to campus. I don't know why. We parked by Kirk Hall and walked past physics to the bowl. I hadn't ever taken her there before. We didn't have a lot of time because she had to drive back to Nipawin yet. I took her to the geology building and there was a flaming fish of some sort that was brilliant orange and had bright royal purple edging on his tail fin. I really like that fish. We snooped around in there for a bit. Mom was amazed by everything. Asked me questions like, "You mean just anyone can come into these buildings and walk around anytime they want?" She's so cute. We went through the physics building to get back to the car and tried to get into Physics 165 just to show her a room, but it was locked. Then just back to the car and home. I don't make enough time to do things like that anymore. There's always some obligation that seems to keep me from doing them. And I'm mostly lazy.

My trip to Calgary was fabulous. A little too much caffeine and too little sleep, but really great. Watched a movie with a friend on Friday night when I got there. We watched Good Will Hunting. It always makes me cry at the, "It's not your fault," scene. Was up until 4 a.m. and then up on Saturday when my brother called. [Sidenote: My roommate was entertained by the fact that my brother called Saskatoon to get my friend's phone number and then later in the day, my friend called Saskatoon to get my brother's phone number.]

It was the day of my nephew's birthday party. I have never had so much fun at the Chuck E. Cheese turned Fun Tycoon place for any of my niece's parties. I think it was because there were way less people around. I got tokens and ran around with my niece playing all kinds of games. Watched my nephew being chased around my brother's legs by a cousin with a present. My nephew is so shy and I just thought it was so adorable.

And I think I made it into my nephew's good books this weekend. He didn't get upset when his parents left him with me. He let me carry him to the house from the car without any fuss. And even when he woke up from his nap, I could see that he wasn't going to be upset that I was the only adult in the house - no parents to be seen. Some of that might have been the Harry Potter game I'd got him for his birthday. Of course, it could just be that he's grown out of his having to have his parents cuddle him when he wakes up, but I'd prefer to think that Auntie became cool. My supporting evidence is that later that night, he asked me to help him with his new video game rather than his dad. Heh. Victory!!

After a day of fun and excitement with birthdays and all, I went to visit a friend that I love spending time with and her new baby. I don't think that we know each other really well yet, but she's someone that I respect and admire greatly. [Just had an epiphany about why I enjoy spending time with certain people - sharing a basic belief system. Duh! This is one of those things that I knew, but had forgotten. Maybe now that I've written it down, I might remember.] Now, I'm squeamish about most babies. Sometimes I'm polite and make appropriate comments about how cute the baby is but let my body language speak volumes, "Don't you dare give me that baby to hold!" I apologize if I'm offending anyone, but babies usually just make me cringe. There are notable exceptions such as my niece and nephew. Love them to bits and would walk to the ends of the earth for them. As babies, they still made me a bit uncomfortable and I was willing to get over it for the sake of my love for them. And little baby Z who I adore for other reasons. And then there was my friend's baby in Calgary. Honestly, I've never felt that okay with a baby before. I took one look at her and just wanted to be near her. Her crying and fussing didn't even want to make me give her back to her mother. She just had gas so she wasn't making strange at me. Can't explain it. Anyway, her mother and I spent an evening talking about spiritual stuff that not a lot of people like to talk about with me. I'm real touchy-feely about it all and most people aren't so I try to respect that. Some tall guy told me that once and it has never left me.

Then I made a silly decision to go to a friend's house to watch a movie because I was too tired and should have just gone back to my brother's to sleep. My niece was precious in the morning waking me up. I had left instructions that my nephew and niece could wake me at 7. On my niece's third trip downstairs at 7:45, I let her know that I was indeed somewhat awake. I just wanted to be able to spend more time with them. So it took me forever to get upstairs where I promptly laid down on the couch again. The kids crawled on me like I was a jungle gym and then I started waking up and being all goofy. It was a ton of fun. My nephew is the cutest thing when he's saying goodbye. I laughed really hard. He was playing his game and when told I was leaving, just gave a loud, "Bye!" and continued his game. No distractions, not really caring that I'm leaving. He's always done this and it's just so honest that it's wonderful. Of course, his parents always convince to give me a hug and kiss goodbye. My niece and I are a bit closer and I get big hugs from her. I can't believe she's 7 already.

Breakfast with my two other Calgary friends started off with a lot of traffic and parking monkey business which made me very cranky since I was running on very little sleep. I say them and they were excitedly waving and I was mumbling to myself walking down Stephen Avenue Mall, "Not happy. Really not happy." I saw them and gave hugs and immediately apologized as I knew I needed to rant. Grrrr... One of my friends interrupted my just barely getting started rant with, "I love your hair. You look really good." I've never been deflated so quickly and entirely in my life. I was on top of the world. There may have been other factors in the radical mood swing, but dang, I don't care. That was a fabulous turn of events. I was feeling great after that and flirted with our waiter at the diner horribly. There was no intent behind it, as I'd barely noticed what he looked like. I was just having fun and would have acted the same way to a waitress. Anyone, it was a short time together, but really great. We talked and laughed and it was good.

And then there was Sunday afternoon. Shopping!! I got lots of things. I got some orange Swiss Army luggage for 70% off and a new wallet as my old one died the week before. And I got the third season of Six Feet Under which I shouldn't have, but couldn't help myself. And I got the movie Jawbreaker, which is no Heathers, but still damn funny. And I got a headlight for my car which I fixed in the parking lot of Hy's Steakhouse in downtown Calgary. And the greatest new alarm clock that I'm hoping lasts as long as its predecessor. It's very fancy and I could go on for a while about how neat I think it is. And in fact, I did go on about it at length at work on Monday.

And after a 7 hour drive home to Saskatoon arriving at midnight, I went to my boyfriend's game because I really wanted to see him and see how his event went. And I wanted to see the people from Edmonton as well because they are a lot of fun. But mostly my boyfriend. Sleep finally came at 3:30.

And the whole weekend was exhausting and wonderful and reminded me of how lucky I am to have such great friends and family.