Sunday, October 29, 2006

BBQing up here in the artic


pic was taken Oct 29 2006

we had steak, chicken, burgers and giant yams on the barbie

I did it in the snow... it was -12C out and we had 8cm of snow... but oh so much fun
I know Jobelle and Phillip in Australia would love to see a true Canuk Barbie... I dont have a winter coat yet so I am wearing 3 sweaters a vest.. and 2 pairs of pants and long johns to keep warm

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

I can bounce





Sorry I haven't blogged in like forever…but things here in redneck-ville are turning fairly routine…and I seem to be adjusting to the culture shock really well now that I'm in a warm friendly house.

As you may have heard I was run over in the parking lot of a grocery store… I'm totally fine.. just sorta bounced on the hood of the car and rolled off to the side…the guy had pulled into the lot really fast and made a turn without looking… even though I was fine the guy didn't bother to apologize.. he just rolled down his window asked if I was ok and then drove off….just your typical Albertan…

Its interesting too note that I have since learned that the people in Alberta actually have to pass an assessment of their driving before being issued a license to operate a motor vechile… I was really floored when I learned this.. because if you ever drove in this city you would really wonder if road rules and regulations actually applied to Calgarians. Like in the other countries I have driven in such as Ontario, the States and Australia.. .. the random signs on the side of the street that say STOP usually means you are required to bring your vehicle to a stop by that sign…not here in Alberta though…. Also the signs on the road with a number such as " 80KM/HR" are only suggested min. speeds at which to travel at…my personal favourite is when I go to the mall or a store… most malls have a large paved area in front of them in which people can leave their cars while they are shopping… I have always tried to park my car in-between the lines that are painted in these paved lots outside of the malls, however it is very difficult to do this since the other cars are parked on an angle over the lines… twice when I was at the farmers market and once at Walmart I was unable to leave the parking lot because of the cars that were parked on such an angle they were blocking the only exit out of the lot.

About a month ago… Tom and Neil came for a visit to Calgary which was totally amazing… we went up to Banff and showed them the wild mountain goats that would come right up to the car…and we did a little hike along Moraine Lake which was nice… as those roads have now been closed down for the season because of the snow.

I am also turning into a combination of Rachel Ray and Bree Vandercamp…

For Thanksgiving I had some people over along with my roomies for a big turkey dinner.. which was a smash success… I really enjoy entertaining and making big meals for a group….. so now every weekend since then I have had a big Sunday dinner.. just like how my mom would make…one week was a big roast with tons of food and even Yorkshire pudding.. and I even went out and bought a BBQ…

It was totally funny me putting this BBQ together… I am sooooo NOT good with tools nor working with my hands… it took me 4 hours of slugging away trying to put it together and make things fit before I realized I had mixed up the right and left sides of the bbq.. and when I tried to hook up the gas tank it wouldn't fit.. so I had to take everything apart and try again…

Finally around 1am I had the BBQ together and it looks fabulous..

I had a big group over and we had hamburgers and steak.. and now BBQing is my new passion… nothing like grilling meat over an open flame up here in the Artic while drinking a beer and wearing my touque.. so much fun

And this past Sunday we had a very interesting mix of people at the house…

My gay roommates& friends and a Straight muscle guy I work out with at the gym… it was a total clash of two cultures.. but somehow we made the evening work… the str8 guy can dead lift over 500lbs,a big muscle dude who rides a motorcycle, owns 5 guns and loves to bake… so I grilled the steaks and burgers while he made the most amazing brownies with home made icing on the top.

Im looking forward to next weekend.. as now word as gotten out that Sunday night's at our house is the place to be.. guys are asking to come over…

I figure BBQing is a great first date… it sure beats the typical coffee and movie thing…I mean that's sooo been done… but grilling meat out in the freezing cold with someone is a great way to bond and get to know them

As for the job front.. things have been good there as well…. I know now how to carry myself in class… I'm kinda like the African American lady on the show Grey's Antomy .. and the nurses know that I will not take any gruff from them… I have even started to shave my head to look more butch

The only thing is my boss doesn't know what my team will be doing after November 15th… so who knows.. I may be looking for work shortly.. maybe you guys in Ontario will take me back??? I promise to stop at those red signs..

Cheers,…