Sunday, December 27, 2009

Toronto preparedness course



One month from now Deano and I will be trucking along the Number One, eastward. Destination: Toronto, and our new lives therein.

I have been getting pretty excited about our cross-country/Atlantic move until I got off the plane in Saskatoon this week and met with a rude shock. Negative 25 degrees. There I was with no mitts, no toque, and a coat designed merely to ward off the evils of London's acrid rain—certainly not to cope with Siberian temperatures. Anything below -5 is a shock to this Vancourite's system, but surely these prairie temperatures are unlivable!

The funny thing is, I've endured Saskatchewan Decembers before, but this is the first year I've taken it personally. I realize that, come February, I too will be living in such a cruel climate, and frankly I'm not sure how I'll cope!

Since this holiday is the longest stretch I'v ever spent in the prairies (ten days!) I figure this time is meant to break me in... or beat me down... either way.

So I'm in the market for a warm coat and a sturdy pair of boots. Is it aiming too high to hope to find a marriage of function and fashion in both? Any tips?

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

village past



in the week or so before I left, Dean and I took one last little stroll through Stanton St John, just to say good bye. I shot film. The light was lovely that day.

Monday, December 21, 2009

home

Sorry to be so quiet for so long - visits home always come with a dearth of downtime, and if that time finally does come I'm usually too exhausted to do anything but catch up on all the episodes of What Not to Wear I've been missing.

I got home over a week ago but, after a weekend with best friends, I plunged right away into work at my old stomping grounds, TWU. I set up camp at my old desk and spent five days working on copy for the magazine, notably including a feature on a fascinating artist/prof who survived a heart attack last year and is incorporating her experience (and the moving GIF from her angiogram) into her current art.

Tomorrow I take the first of five cross-Canada flights this month, as I go to join my hubby in Saskatoon/Swift Current for the holidays. And tonight I'll finally indulge in the sushi I've been craving since my last visit. Not a bad start to the week, I'd say.