a light breeze

i looked out the window across the lake, and was taken aback to see that the world was going in reverse! snow was gusting across the lake and i could see four people heading north, all walking backwards. Step by step they plodded into the past, like someone had hit rewind. like when superman flew so fast around the earth the time rolled back! The illusion was ruined when a snowmobile zipped across, going in boring old regular forward motion. but then it was out of the picture and we returned to backwards land. It really was sort of surreal to watch. Briefly one of the four turned around and tried to walk straight on into the wind, but quickly spun back around and resumed his blind trek.

and no wonder; that wind stings! i barely had any exposed skin, but where the wind did hit was like thousands of little fingers pinching me with tiny nails. i want to say it's like being pelted in a sandstorm, but i have no idea what that feels like. maybe if i ever experience it, i'll say it's like the wind in rankin inlet.

but now i'm home, stripped down to a normal amount of clothing layers, enjoying a glass of red wine, and perfectly cozy.

10 days in, 10 degrees colder

My second weekend in Nunavut. Funny how when i first got here i posted a screenshot of the weather at -30, thinking that was cold. oh for a day when the windchill was only -30! the the actual temperature is now -31, with the windchill making it -43. It's been like that every day. i check the forecast regularly. it's predicting that next week sunday will get up to -27. oooh, nice!! seriously, that sounds nice. oh how my standards have changed!

anyway, friday nights the big event in town is Bingo. people even come in from other hamlets to play. so of course i joined in. everyone goes to the community centre to buy their cards, but the game is played over the radio. i had dinner with my supervisor and co-worker, dabbing along excitedly as the numbers were called. i was getting pretty giddy on the big bingo as i was only 3 away... and the pot was $15,000! oh well.

because it is a small town, my co-worker knew almost every winner that called in. Oh that's Laurie from downstairs. That's my cousin. That's my aunt. that's my other cousin. probably would have been pretty awkward if i'd won. people would be thinking, who the hell is that? she's not from here! damn southerner taking our winnings! haha. it was a fun night, and seeing as it's another $15k next weekend, i may just have to play again.

Today is the big craft sale. i'm looking forward to it; hopefully there will be something cool i can get for a souvenir. and again, people from all around the area will be coming in.

ooh, yesterday there were three polar bears just on the outskirts of town (at the dump). my co-worker was going to have her husband come get me to go see them, but he said they were already being chased away. but really, they were pretty damn close to the town, and thinking about my little solo walk last weekend, it turns out my polar bear fears were actually not all that irrational. my co-worker said she was chased by a bear about a year ago. how shit, how terrifying. i think i will have to reign in my inner explorer and keep safety a bit more at the forefront.

one final note. i think i'm going to rejoin facebook. 10 days of the isolation up here and i think this may be as good a reason as any to get back on. it's all about staying in touch and sharing with friends, right? well, seeing as i've got no cell service and can't even send a text, i'm feeling the need to reach out. how else will they know that i'm in such a cool (pun, har har) place?!

roaming around Rankin Inlet

there is no point hiding out in my hotel waiting for better weather. that just isn't going to happen. so i decided to go for a nice leisurely walk to explore the town today. but seeing as it was -37C, i just had to get prepared...

leggings: check.
2nd pair of leggings: check.
socks: check.
2nd pair of socks, extra thick: check
leg warmers: check
jeans: check.
sweater, hoodie, scarf, tuque, snow pants, coat, : check, check, check, check, check, and check.
boots: ugh, hard to bend over with this puffalump body.... check
and mitts: check!
...and only 20 minutes later i was ready to go

it was all worth it! i wandered about for nearly two and a half hours and was perfectly cozy! i ended up walking a little bit out of town, towards the Hudson Bay. i ventured off the road onto some snowmobile tracks, and then off the tracks to climb some rocks for a slightly higher vantage point. i really felt like quite the adventurer; not a soul around, the snow crunching beneath my boots, huge black birds soaring above, the faint barking of dogs somewhere in the distance, and snow and ice stretching endlessly before me. and then i started freaking myself out thinking of polar bears or encountering some other disastrous fate and decided to head back.

i wandered up and down the streets, blinking away ice crystals on my eyelashes. with about half an hour of daylight left (ie: around 2:45), i returned to the hotel and peeled off the many layers. aah!

here are some more photos:

downtown

off the path and up some rocks for a view... ooh, so pretty!

looking out over Hudson Bay

this is what -37 looks like.

I know i look a bit frosty, but i was totally comfortable. well, my eyeballs felt cold once in a while (who knew eyeballs could get cold!), and my hand when i took it out of my mitt for photos, but otherwise i was perfectly content. Looking forward to more bundled up strolls.

snow and ice and everyone is nice

ok, i realize i've only been here for two and a half days, but so far, i love rankin inlet. i love the small town vibe; the friendly community is so welcoming. whenever i pass someone as i walk, they smile and say hello. i love the openness, i love the clean, crisp air, i love walking down the wide roads and across the lake as ribbons of snow sweep across my path.

today was lovely, it went up to -7 or something (-13 with windchill). i went for a nice walk over my lunch break, wandering into the core area where the grocery store, banks, post office, etc are. it's as close to a downtown as there is. i chatted with a couple of people as i went, and with those i didn't speak to, we still exchanged big smiles and hellos.

i snapped a few shots on my phone today.

walking to work at 8am

walking across Williamson Lake to work (the red building at the end) after lunch

the sun heading down... and it's only 1pm

Rankin's Inukshuk

I might bundle up later and step outside to see if i can see any northern lights. or i might just bundle up in my pjs with a glass of wine and watch tv. unfortunately, tomorrow is going to be a doozy of a cold day with temperatures going down to -30... -45 with the windchill. makes it pretty hard to wander around and sightsee or take photos. 

but i will definitely head out in the evening because i bought my ticket to.... the beer dance!! there will be two bands playing, and beer brought in for purchase (Rankin allows booze to be brought in, but there is nowhere to buy it in town). anyway, i'm really excited about the beer dance because apparently they only happen a couple of times a year, so this is a big event. yay! and how can i not attend something called a "beer dance"? BEER DANCE!!! i will let you know what it's like.

but now i'm going to sit back and relax in my room, with the sound of skidoos zipping around outside

the call of the north

Friday morning an email was sent out at work, asking if anyone was interested in helping out at the office in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. They needed someone urgently, and for about 3 weeks. Naturally i jumped at it. An adventure! Another part of this big beautiful world I could explore. I have never been to northern Canada before, so this was going to be a whole new experience. And i love those!!

By Friday afternoon my flight was booked for Wednesday morning. I spent the weekend shopping and packing. I bought a new winter coat and boots (I'd been planning on it anyway, this just spurred me on). I was also told to pack food, seeing as it is very expensive and selection limited. I felt like I was packing for some kind of arctic expedition with my tub full of food. Such a strange trip!

The flight was smooth and all the staff so friendly. Before I even arrived I was getting these warm and welcoming vibes. As we neared the town, flying over nothing but snow, ice, and freezing waters, I wondered why on earth anyone would want to settle down here. It sure didn't look very inviting.

I got off the plane and walked up to the small airport, wisps of snow blowing over the tarmac. I was told that Rankin Inlet was known for its strong, harsh winds, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. It was brisk, but refreshing. Then again, that was the warmest point in the day. I felt quite different walking back to the hotel at 5pm, when it was already pitch black and noticeably colder.

Anyway, time to get ready for work. I will write more later. Especially once I have had a chance to go look around during the daylight (which will have to be the weekend) I really have to bundle up today - it's ridiculously cold out! Check out what the windchill makes it "feel like".

brr!!!

I'm jammin'

i'm jammin' i'm jamming i'm jamming i'm jamming, i wanna jam it wit you. i'm jammin' i'm jamming i'm jamming i'm jamming, i hope you like jammin' too.

but if you've got any sense, you will not like jammin'. sorry, that's just plain old jamming, with the "g". i spent a whole afternoon jamming. as in, making jam. you see, we have all these lovely concord grapes growing on our garage, and every day i looked at them admiringly, smitten with those deep purple spheres that seemed almost fake in their perfection. it seemed a shame to just let them all freeze or rot as winter approached. i should do something with them, i thought to myself. i should be all martha stewarty and make homemade grape jam! yes, what a fabulous idea.

i googled how to make it, and it seemed pretty straightforward. all of the various sites i looked at mentioned that it takes a bit of patience to peel the grapes, but they all kind of breezed by that point. i guess if they didn't, no one in their right mind would make the jam. so let me be clear: peeling the grapes takes a very, very long time. it's easy but mind-numbingly tedious. your fingers will wrinkle and stain. your eyeballs will glaze over. your bowl of peeled grapes will very slowly start to fill.... but the bucket of unpeeled grapes still to go will never seem to dwindle. you will hate the grapes. you will hate martha stewart. you will hate the websites for not warning you that jam making is for crazies.

anyhoo, without further ado, here is the play by play of my jam making adventure.

requirements for jam:
3 lbs concord grapes
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
immeasurable amounts of patience
glass(es) of wine or other booze to keep you from going bonkers

step 1: ah... beautiful grapes on the vine spark jam-making inspiration

 

 

step 2: collect big pile of gorgeous grapes. continue to admire them and marvel at your wonderful idea.

 

 

step 3: pluck grapes from the stems. they look like a bucket of blueberries. start to nervously realize that this is a lot of grapes

 

 

step 4: squeeze the end of the grape, allowing the inside to plop right out of its skin.

 

 

step 5: peel. peel. peel peelpeelpeelpeel approximately 1200 grapes for approximately 2 hours. stare at pile of grapes. detest grapes. kick yourself over stupid jam-making idea.

 

 

step 6: put all the skins in a food processer and puree with 1 cup of sugar until smooth.

 

step 7: regroup. admire that incredible colour. go have a glass of wine or something.

 

step 8: back to work. put the grapes, purple skin puree, the rest of the sugar, and the lemon juice into a pot.

 

 

step 9: bring to a boil. then turn down heat and let simmer to thicken. stir occasionally.

 

 

step 10: more tedium as you strain out the seeds, mashing the mixture patiently to get out all the sticky purple goodness.

 

 

step 11: i didn't think it was thick enough so i put it back on the stove for a bit. oooh, looks so perdy. my love of the grapes is renewed.

 

 

 

step 12: pour into jars. woohoo, we're done!!!

 

 

step 13: enjoy the unbelievably delicious results. YUM!! 

 

 

 

i was actually crazy enough to do this whole thing twice. the second time around i set up my peeling station so i could sit at a table within view of the tv. much better than standing at the kitchen counter, staring out the window, the occasional squirrel running along the fence my only entertainment.

 

and i have to say, the jam is amazing. thick, rich, and sweet. my mom, brother, and sister have all raved about it. and clearly, if i put myself through this a second time, it goes to show that i think the product is worth the effort :)



Saturday night tv....

Just a quick post from the iPad because I can't tear myself away from the couch and this crazy show about crazy people. I'm watching Obsessions and this episode is titled "Animism". It's about people who have emotional and sexual relationships with inanimate objects. One guy was talking about his relationship with his car, how he mostly kisses her and caresses her, can spend an hour with her and just masturbate. And a woman who was shown with her arms draped around Big Zee, as she described her love for him. Big Zee is a crane, by the way. That's right, a big yellow metal crane. A priest explained that when he gets intimate with his sound boards, he is fully clothed - it's just an exchange of energy. He also wonders about his first sound board love. He has photos of "her" and wonders if she's still "alive" etc. But they don't hold a candle to Linda and her love affair with Bruce. She calls him her soul mate. And she married him. She married him and refers to him as her husband. Bruce is a Ferris wheel. She married a friggin Ferris wheel! How the hell is that possible?

So some people get their panties all in a bunch over gay marriage, but human/steel unions are just hunky dory? What the -

Oh wait, they're showing the marriage ceremony.... which is being performed by the sound board priest.

I guess I'm just not open minded enough to accept the love of these people and their inanimate object life partners. Man, I'm such a prude.

back to our roots

It's been a long, long time, but we are finally going back to where it all began.

I feel like a nostalgic parent, wistfully reminiscing about your first hesitant days when you were so unsure of  yourself. and then you found your voice, made friends, and blossomed. you were very different back then: young and excited because everything was so new and there was always a story you wanted to share. now that you're older you've grown distant, most of your pals have gone their own ways, and you don't say much at all. but you will still always be precious to me. you are, and will always be, my dear, sweet, never-to-be-completely-parted-with blog.

that's right, I'm talking about my blog. and like I said, we are going back to where it all started:

China!!

I really wanted to use one of my own old china pix but don't have any on the computer :(

I confirmed the flights today! We (Blair and myself - the blog doesn't get its own seat) are heading to China in about 6 1/2 months, and staying for just over 3 weeks. Wahoo!! It will be almost a decade since I was there (wow, I can't believe how fast time goes!), and at the rate China changes, I wouldn't be surprised if everything is completely unrecognizable. I am so excited, and yet a bit nervous too. It's always a bit weird going back to a place you once called home. I really want to go to Dalian (the city where I lived and taught) but it is inconveniently quite out of the way. Bah! But I feel really determined to get there. Yes, it is a must (for me - Blair not so convinced).

Anyway, I just had to share the news. At first I wasn't super keen on going back to China, because there are so many other places I've never been to and want to see. But now that it's booked, I'm super excited. I am going to say "tai guai le!" (too expensive!), no matter what the price. I'm going to haggle over 50 cents. I'm going to eat rice noodle soup and real kung pao chicken. I'm going to give bai jiu (yucky Chinese alcohol) another shot. I'm not going to have the version infused with dog penis. I'm going to walk the great wall in spring, just like I did in winter and summer. I'm going to use squat toilets like a natural. I'm going to skip the crappy light show in Yangshuo. I'm going to have a beer and play liar's dice with an old friend. I'm going to remember so many things - the good and the bad - that I'm forgetting right now.

I can't wait. I hope you'll join me :)

my first staycation

Ah, holidays.

I'm enjoying a different kind of holiday this week. a holiday where I have absolutely no plans and nothing specific to do. normally when I take time off work, I try to do something with that time. take a trip somewhere, or even just go to the farm. but not this time. I had booked this time off way back in april, and I thought something might pop up between then and now. maybe a cheap last minute flight, a spontaneous trip somewhere. but nothing. I contemplated canceling my holiday request, but decided to give this whole "staycation" thing a whirl.

So far, I have to say it's pretty great. the weather has been gorgeous: sunny and 30 something degrees. We had our families over for a bbq and everything went super well. it was hot, there was lots of delicious food, and everyone was chatting and having fun. Canada day was another scorcher, and I had a beautiful day riding my bike, hanging outside with family, checking out the various festivities, watching fireworks, and collapsing exhausted at the end of the day. today I discovered the fun of a pressure washer! I decided it would be fun to have a project this week, but nothing too overwhelming or urgent. something that if I don't finish it, it's no big deal. so I decided to paint our fence. or stain it, varnish it, treat it, whatever it is you're supposed to do to fences. how exciting! handyman Amanda, that's what they'll call me! the pressure washer is so cool. i'd never used one before and I was just mesmerized watching the layer of dirt that I didn't even know was dirt come off, leaving a brand new fence behind! well, after an hour of spraying, I was soaking wet and covered in fence scum. But I had 2 and half beautifully clean and new looking sections of fence! ....which leaves about 15 more sections to go. this is where the whole 'no big deal if I can't finish this project' mentality comes in.

I will do more on the fence throughout the week. maybe i'll get the whole thing cleaned, maybe not. for now, at least the novelty of the pressure washer makes it fun, and it doesn't feel like work.

other than that, nothing else planned. other than have coffee outside while doing the crosswords. visit my sister. lay in the sun. make sangria. drink sangria. relax. that's it. nothing else on the agenda! yay!! so what if i'm not off to some exotic destination this holiday. my backyard is exactly where i want to be :)

Oh goodie, another phobia

maybe phobia isn't quite the right word. i mean, i'm not afraid of them, like i am of moths. but i think that's only because these are stationary. i definitely have an irrational and hyperbolic disgust of them, which leads to extremely ludicrous overreactions.

I've discovered that i am revolted by toadstools.

seriously, i don't know how i'm going to get through this blog, because just the thought of them - the mere writing of the word - sends shudders down my spine. we have some growing around a tree on the boulevard (oh god oh god, they're so gross), and now they've even spread so that a few are in our yard (barf barf barf). the clumps around the base of the tree are really big, like the size of cats and loaves of bread (blech, gag), then about half a dozen smaller clusters have popped up along the boulevard and a blob or two on our lawn (i have to stop, i'm going to be sick).


i'm back. feeling queasy, but i shall persevere.

i can't think of anything more nauseating than those mushrooms. repulsive fungal growths infesting our grass. they make my skin crawl. i almost couldn't walk up my front sidewalk because they were only a few feet away. oh so gross so gross so gross! squishy, lumpy, dense, moist, pop-up-overnight, cankerous blight infecting my lawn!!



blair digging out the vile toadstools. I took a photo of him
 while peeking through the blinds in the upstairs window.
this is as close as i could get, and even then i was trembling

ok, i must stop. retching and having mini-convulsions at the thought of them. i made blair go outside and dig them all up to get rid of them. but he's not allowed to talk about it because i start freaking out when they are mentioned and may break into tears. now i must go have a hot shower and scrub the thoughts of them away.