Great Big World Out There

Around the world in 80 blogs

I loved this idea when I read about it here, at Shannon's blog.  It's so bloody cold here in Edmonton my wireless thermometer froze up (only good to -30, which is normally sufficient). On Sunday night it was -46C - the only place colder on earth was somewhere in Siberia.   It was too cold to run around taking pictures today, and I didn't bring home my laptop tonight.  Work-life balance and all that.  I've certainly learned that I need to take more photos of where I live and keep them accessible - I know I have lots of great photos on my work laptop which is sitting where it should be, in my office at work.

This is a dreadful photo, but it illustrates the cold pretty well.  This was taken on my way to church in Leduc, AB yesterday morning.  Ironically, the program on the radio was a garden show.  I switched to a Christmas CD which fit the mood a bit better.
It's odd that I'm featuring the cold so much since most people assume that all Canadians live in igloos.  I've never been in an igloo.  Tried to build one when I was a kid and failed miserably because the snow was all wrong.

I live next to the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, near Nisku, AB.  It's near a major oil industry business park and the Edmonton International Airport.  Some might say it's not particularly lovely here, but it is home:

We raise a lot of crops on my farm and some cows:

 

I have a dog named Agnes who likes to play with jugs and have expensive vet encounters every couple of years:

 

I work in Edmonton, but do my living in the Leduc area.  Here's an artistic type photo of my church:

 

I was baptized and confirmed here:

Leduc and area are pretty big in the oil industry.  A big oil field was found nearby in 1947, the well is known as Leduc #1:

(image from Leduc #1 museum website)

Edmonton is probably best known for their hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers, the one time team of Wayne Gretzky.  Come summer, you'll find me cheering on the local football team, the Edmonton Eskimos in their yearly quest for the Grey Cup:

The Eskimos play in Commonwealth stadium:

Edmonton has a lovely river valley:

While most people wouldn't think of Edmonton or Leduc as lovely places (and today at -35 they're damned right about that) I call this place home.  You can find beauty if you're only willing to look for it a little bit:

Even winter can be pretty:

We get some wickedly lovely sunsets:

There might even be some gold at the end of that rainbow:

I'm a proud Canadian, proud to be from Alberta and perfectly happy to live in this corner of the world.

It is bloody freezing outside. I have my tree decorated, my lights up (put them up before I left on vacation, hah!) and tomorrow I attend my first Christmas party. I must remember to bring my fancy pants camera tomorrow.

I wrapped my first Christmas present. I put away all my new stuff and watched most of the Gilmore Girls series in the past 2 weeks. I am happy.

I ate entirely too much chinese food in mexico today. I bought some fabric for tablecloths and pillowcases. A festive fuzzy blanket.



I have a headache and am therefore exhausted. I ate way too much food. Mein Gott, I am tired. I wish I could think of something interesting to say.

Next year I think I will go for a 5 day a week posting schedule, unless I come up with nothing to say. That could happen.



Until later...

mmm. turkey

I am so pleased I got to spend another Thanksgiving here in the US. Tomorrow I will hit up some Black Friday sales - oddly, there is not a damned thing I need. In fact, I am so full of turkey and other goodness right now I'd be perfectly happy to just stay home. I am most excited about going to Joann's tomorrow. Really cheap deal on a cricut, which I do not need but for the price they have them I might get one.  If they are still in stock by the time I get there.  Then Target, of course. Walmart. Maybe Home Depot if one is nearby.

I have a list for other people but not for me.  I would like a new GPS, but I don't NEED a new GPS.  I would enjoy some new sweaters, and in fact I could use a couple, but I don't NEED a bunch of new sweaters.

I've used my credit card a couple of times on this trip, and every time I do I feel a little bit sick inside.  It pains me to use that stupid thing and I want desperately to pay it off immediately.  Which I have a hard time doing since the internet here sucks donkey balls.

I had a lovely dinner with family and friends.  When I am done writing my scribble for today I will crawl into my festive bed in my end of the RV and watch some gilmore girls.  I love gilmore girls.  I think I could watch the whole series at least once per year - I already went through it once this year when I was writing my thesis.  I wasn't really paying attention then, though.  That was just white noise to keep me company in my basement prison.

What else can I say? I need to look at my list and find my blackberry, charge it up and hope it works while I am in the Palm Springs area.  All my lists and stuff are in email and I don't have a printer here I could use.  Maybe I should pick up a printer for my mom and dad?  If I find a cheap one I just might do that.

I want to do Christmas shopping tomorrow.  I have no plans, which is a problem.  I don't even have a list of who I might be buying for.  This is annoying and stupid.  Possibly also expensive.  le sigh.  Now I must get to bed.

Large trucks

This thing is easier to drive than you would think. Just not in salt lake

city

Utah, the state that never bloody ends

I am a flming idiot fom time to time. I've been drivng for the past couple of days which should give me some leeway.

My inverter has been annoying, not charging laptop while driving (also this keyboard is SUPER ANNOYING WHAT WITH ALL THE RANDOM REFUSALS TO REGISTER KEYSTROKES DIE COMPUTER DIE except not til I am done with you). The rv in which I am travelling is equipped with all manner of fancy gadgets, including a built in generator. The generator apparently only runs the lights, the furnace and the microwave. Not the power outlets.

To which I say, what is the fíng point? I need to charge my laptop! More importantly, I need to keep up with my random mafia wars playing. So I spent 20 minutes in the truckers lounge hoping to get some stuff done. Then it occured to me that I actually had access to another laptop, a faster laptop (for after 20 minutes my laptop had not yet started). There went 20 minutes of my life.



In other news, truckers are nice dudes. If you are driving an abominably long truck and trailer combo and pass a truck, more often than not they will flash their lights when it is safe to move back into the right lane. I'd like a way to thank courteous drivers. Too much too ask, perhaps?



This keyboard, I mut say aygain, really sucks donkey balls. I am leaving the errrs for youto se tat it does not regster many of thekestrokes Iam making. I am fixing my typin erors, of course, but this isstill rdiculous.

Gah.

Driving down the road...

Long time

Been a while since I updated. I've been obsessed with mafia wars on facebook.



Today I graduated.



Tomorrow I leave for california.



My new blackberry is hard to type on.



That's all for now

tired of H1N1 contraversary

So the Calgary Flames jumped the H1N1 queue.  Not enough vaccine coming in fast enough.  Suspension of the flu clinics in Alberta til Thursday.  You'd think the whole world was coming to an end.

I'm not impressed the Flames are trying to get out of a PR snafu by saying everything was approved by Alberta Health Services.  So they would have messed up the lines in public places?  Give me a freaking break.  So that's the price of fame.  I don't envy the AHS person who actually approved the 'special' clinic.  They'll be on the dole soon enough.  I am irritated by the Flames claims that they didn't ask for special treatment.

BULLSHIT.  You got the special treatment.  You jumped the line. Don't claim that the vaccine was available to everyone and that you didn't do anything wrong.  You didn't see the news about the 4-6 hour waits in the cold for a vaccine?  You think it is ok to swan in to your private 'public run' clinic and get your shot WITHOUT WAITING? It was available to everyone WHO WAS FUCKING WILLING TO WAIT. Give me a fucking break. 

I'd feel the same way if it were the Oilers who asked for special treatment.  As an Oilers fan, I cannot deny that I am pleased that they didn't jump the line.  Hell, they got their innoculation the old fashioned way - they all got the flu. 

They say they needed the shot because they travel.  I don't think they travel commercial like the common folk.  The former premier of this province had his wife wait in line so he could get his shot.  I have no problem with that.  These rich hockey players couldn't pay someone to stand in line for them?  Surely they have a nanny with all their money. 

At the end of the day, people will forget the Flames jumped the lines.  They've got their shots and you can't take that away from them.  If a baby dies because they couldn't get the shot - I don't envy the jerks who were too good to wait in line.