Life Update

I can't believe where the past few months have gone.  Crazy busy plus I just got back from a trip to visit family and friends in Calgary.  The purpose of the trip was to begin taking my belongings back to Calgary as I am near graduation, only having had two work related interviews, and no job offers.  My winter gear and all other assorted accoutrements were pack to drive back to Calgary and I received a phone call asking me to come to a job offer meeting.  Yep.  A job offer and I am not finished my degree yet.  This has never happened to me before.  All those hours of volunteering, spent typing at my computer, meeting and greeting people in a new province paid off and I was being offered a job.

When I went to the interview I was ready to negotiate but the organization that wanted to hire me was not.  They had pulled out of their budget what they could and it was a take it or leave it option.  The pay is not great, in fact at my yearly review next summer I will be asking for a big raise, but the opportunity to lead this recreation organization in Manitoba will be phenomenal.  I am excited and surprised, intimidated and in awe of full-time employment.  For the record, this will be the first time in ten years I have to work over the summer.  (No sympathy from you nine readers eh?)

Wish me luck and skill and I venture forward and finish my thesis at the same time!

Cheers!

Women of Note Concert

Come one come all to the concert of Women of Note here in Winnipeg on Sunday, May 5.  We are performing a variety of songs including ABBA, a song from Zambia, a song written in Mexico called Oye, beautiful French tune by Faure and Rutter, the very difficult piece Laudate Dominum by Hovland, one of Eric Whitacre's lullaby's set to music, spiritual Heaven Bound Train, and finally the interesting and progressive song Past Life Melodies by Sarah Hopkins.  You will have the chance to listen and sing along as an audience member.  Come and have some fun this Sunday!

Holi Easter Birthday

Good Friday was March 31, 1972 back on the day I was born.
Easter Sunday is March 31, 2013 my 41st birthday.
Easter and, as it turns out Holi, has always hovered around my birthday, gone off into April, then returned to hover.  This year it is an alignment that is encouraging me to spend time with my closest friends who have shown long term kindness and mutual consideration with a few fun but subdued gatherings.  I will chat with family long distance and enjoy their company further afield since none live in the same city.
Nothing crazy like last year.  Just a few sweet memorable moments.
Enjoy your weekend, whatever you do or do not celebrate.
Thanks for reading!

Against the Grain

I have a friend who is having some troubles lately.  I am having some troubles with a few friends. Love this song because it reminds me that I don't have to fix everything, but I do need to be honest and follow my own instincts and heart.  A dedication to both of us.



I have seen City and Colour in concert twice, once at a festival and again at a performance hall.  Both times I come out having spent several hours just pondering his lyrics and feeling a melodic calmness make its way through my body.  Mind, body and music.  Wonderful.

Grad School Lazy = RUN

It is time to get in shape using my shapely form.  Going from teaching all day and moving around for 6 hours organizing children, teaching lectures, providing supplies, starting projects and the general mayhem of teaching elementary school, grad school has left me lazy.  Yes, I blame grad school.  Other than the research I completed this summer at festivals and interpretive centres, grad school required my brain, fingers and wrists to function on overload, but not my other body parts.  Hence I am less healthy and fit than I have ever been in my life.  A once former athlete, I have been a casual participant in sports and other activities over many years, and several years ago was so frustrated in a crazy job that I began working out 1.5 hours a day, just to deal with the daily stress and bur-ha-ha.  I was tighter after that job but the insanity lead me to other paths in my life.  I moved to London and started to travel, during which I walked and moved for hours every day, and tried every delicious looking European snack possible (have you been to an authentic patisserie lately?).  Then I transitioned to grad school and lost it all, my sleek calves, my Carnival shaped butt, my tighter abs, and my single chin.  I want these back and in order for this to happen, and under the pressure of great friends, I joined a running club.

This means I have joined the Running Room for a 10 week Learn How To Run clinic.  Now those who know me know I am an athletic person and many of the sports I participate in include running.  My shins have always cried out in pain after a long workout, so I am learning how to run properly and will ease into running with this clinic.  Perhaps I will share interesting wipe-outs and other such nonsense on this blog.  Be prepared for shenanigans!

So far one of the runners this evening told me that there is a new basketball team starting up in Manitoba for women aged 40-49.  I have not found the link yet.  I will keep looking and share because I would really like to get back into basketball.

That would be awesome....must finish thesis first!

My new New Balance shoes:

Love New Balance, always have.

My new ICEtrekkers:

So I don't fall down and go boom!

My new underoos care of Costco and Paradox:

Note: my legs are far more luscious and curvy :)

How to Make $$$ During the Holidays

A few weeks ago on Facebook....

On the Road

Once again an inspirational song.  Many year ago a friend of mine, let's call him Joe (because that's his real name) introduced me to a new band after mocking my old school musical tastes.  Yes he did.  So I updated my music library (much like I had updated my wardrobe and bra selection several years earlier....another story...) and have purchased every album/CD/digital release since.  Oh yes, the band is Keane, a harmonious group with poignant lyrics, musical speed, a baby-faced lead singer, and songs that encourage you to ponder and question life.  Great motivators.  Love them.  Thank you 'Joe'.

Here is one song called On The Road from the album Strangeland, about finding your own road of life and helping others down theirs.  



P.S.  Keane, stop touring Europe and the US.  Come to Canada, more specifically, Winnipeg.  Thank you.

The Right Words

Life is good.
Working on a few academic things: methods section, uploading summer data onto computer, planning the graduate student orientation, and even applying for jobs.
May the gods of employment smile down upon me in great measure.
Enjoying friends and meeting some interesting new people.
Still learning both professionally and personally.

In this midst of all this I listen to music.
This song popped up during this evening in a mix/shuffle.
It is a demure and calming song.
Putting the vision of one's life into perspective.

Thought you might enjoy it too thanks to CBC Radio 2



I had a friend tell me recently that she is really enjoying watching me walk through my life right now, seeing me move through the process of re-creation, deciding what do include in it, and observing the choices I am making.  She made me envious of myself.  Perhaps this is why I keep listening to this song, not because I am in a tearful, sorrowful place, but because I feel content and peaceful, throwing my heart and life out into the ocean and wondering what will be sent back anew and what will simply be new.

Remember:
The paradise you long for it's underneath your feet.
What you runnin' for?
Where've you been?

Respect

Pouring June 22

Cuz when it rains, it....

People have this experience over and over again.
Social calendar dies down bit, then WHAM!
Invitations for one night skyrocket to new heights which reminds you, you do have friends, you do have fun things to do, and you must now pick.
The tough part.

As an Enneagram 7, at this juncture, I want to split myself into two separate people (or maybe even three) say yes to all the invitations, attend all the events thus ensuring that I have not missed anything, and have not said yes to the lame thing and no to the fantastic thing.  If you are not a 7, you may not understand.  If you do, you just may be a Dr. Pepper 7 too.

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

June 22, 2012

Red River Ex - completing research for many hours

Job Application - due for a good position

Weekly Summary - due to ensure I am actually working this summer

Graduation Art Show - supporting two friends as they present their art and thesis work

Bryan Adams tickets - given two free tickets to concert 

WSO Lyric Theatre - free symphony concert in the park

Mayer Hawthorne invite - a fabulous musician playing as part of Jazz Fest (free concert for me)

Jazz Festival invite - to attend another part of the festival

So far I need to find a very intelligent geneticist / medical doctor / illusionist who can split me in four, so I don't actually have to make this decision.  Now where does one go about finding one of those....


P.S.  It gets worse!  I am going to miss the World Naked Bike Ride and Party in Solidarity!  What is a social woman who is an Enneagram 7 supposed to do?!?  I hate missing the fun!!!

Still Too Busy?

Gargameg,

One thing you should try it out

Hold a mirror shoulder high

When you're older

Look you in the eye

When you're older

Look you in the eye

- Tsmurf

Projection Ruined This 

or

Dance to These:

Sarah Jarosz - Run Away  

Imaginary Cities - Manitoba Bossa Nova 

Mary Chapin Carpenter - I Have a Need for Solitude 

Sarah Slean - The Right Words 

Spirit of the West - Political

Dar Williams - Closer to Me 

The Swell Season - Two Tongues 

City and Colour - Sam Malone 

Gotye - Somebody I Used to Know  

Keane - My Shadow 

Sarah Slean - Set It Free

40 Fun or New Things in 40 Hours

Over the years I have had many friends and family members organize and celebrate wonderful birthdays with me.  Twenty-one roses and 10 helium balloons, a wake, surprise dinners, distracting movies to a surprise party, 24 cupcakes a cake and many family members, and many more wonderful events.

As my 40th birthday approached I wanted it to be memorable and a real celebration of life and the many wonderful experiences it can posses.  As my brain is wont to do, it connected the dots and in a flash I decided I was going to try and do 40 new and/or fun things in 40 days.  Since that seemed a little long and I am poor (in graduate school), the idea shrunk down to 40 fun or new things in 40 hours, faster, zippier, smaller time frame, shorter things.  The planning began.

I sent out invites asking friends and family to send me ideas and let me know if they wanted to do something specifically with me.  Many friends contacted me and participated in the planning.  At one point I was ready to give up but my Love Manitoba friend's, Christa and Stephanie, would not let me.  They planned much of the last minute new things and saved the day!  As well, my sister Lurene flew in from Calgary for the weekend and things I had done before became new because I was doing them with my sister for the first time (freebees).  See how this works.  None of these new things have to be huge, they just have to be inventive and creative.

So in the end, this is the list, most of which occurred the actual evening of my birthday, March 31 at King's Head Pub in Winnipeg.

40 Fun New or Fun Things in 40 Hours:

1. Drinking Chololate

2. Eating Manitoba

3. Eating Bacon Bark

4. Backwards lunch (started with dessert, ended with main course)

5. Wore steel coloured nail polish

6. Had Henna done on my hands

7. Went rock climbing in Manitoba (indoors, there are no mountains or hills to climb here)

8. Attempted geo-caching

9. Received a flower delivery at home (thanks Marcia!)

10. Visited the crazy purple poster shop at the end of Osbourne Village
(turns out it is not my type of shop)

11. Walked down Osbourne Village streets with one of my sisters

12. Received a mug from my sister (caveat: Marcia - another sister - gave me a mug when I was 19 with her picture on it so I would not miss her.  I still use this mug but I received it on Christmas morning, not on my birthday.)

13. I was hit on by a random stranger on Facebook on my birthday (thank you some guy named Richard or Raymond or something)

14. Ate at the Bonfire Bistro

15. Ate at La Bamba (this is where I had the backwards lunch and the item below)

16. Ate tequila ice-cream

17. Purchased rainbow tights (ready for Folk Fest and other exciting events)

18. Tried Don Jolio tequila (wow, smooth as silk)

19. Played with interactive lights in Central Park, Winnipeg

Project Love Manitoba: Caving

It is important to keep good friends who pay attention when an opportunity arrises.  Such are my I Love Manitoba Adventure friends.  Once of them heard about a caving club and attended a meeting, after which she set up a caving adventure with one of the groups organizers.  Brilliant woman and so excited when she called me!  I have been in several caves in the rockies but it was mostly enter the front portion, peek around, then leave as the cave is too dark  This adventure seemed far more exciting and interesting as special equipment, a membership in the club and a knowledgeable guide were all required.  The excitement of joining a club is a well researched topic and fulfills a layer of human need, as well I am an Enneagram seven, trying new things is a strong motivation in my life.  Oooooo, the excitement built through conversations, emails, and gathering supplies, then the caving day arrived!

We gathered in a Winnipeg parking lot, met the guide Scott and three men who were experienced cavers and already members of the Speleological Society of Manitoba (I am putting that on my resume as it sounds very official and intelligent).  I paid my minimal membership dues ($15) then received a book called Caves and Karst edited by W.D. McRitchie and K.M. Monson.  We jumped into cars and headed north of the city toward the direction of the Peguis Reserve and Fisher Branch, Manitoba.

As we drove along I opened my new book to realize I had joined a secretive and exclusive society as the book contained graphs, charts and a language with which I was unfamiliar.  I joked with my friends that I was excited to receive a book but I had no idea what it was telling me.  More research to come complete once back at home after the adventure's end.

I keep forgetting that I am not in Alberta and that there are no mountains in Manitoba.  In my mind's eye, we were going to climb a slight hill, find a hole in the side of said hill, walk in and cave around a bit, but there are very few, and I mean VERY FEW hills in Manitoba.  My expectations were about to be challenged, as they often are.

When we reached the first location, we parked our cars and dressed in our caving gear.  Protection and physical safety are most important elements to caving, and one's personal sense of style takes a back seat.

Christa and Steph in the hood(?)

Bright colours so hunters don't shoot us.

Wat up?!?
I did not wear bright colours.
Prime hunting target.

We began walking into the flat, densely packed but small treed woods and then stopped.  "Here is it," said Scott and we all looked down as a gently slope in the ground, which opened up into a small hidden subterranean space.  Scott stated that this was just a precursor to the actual caves and we enjoyed looking at the change in rock formations as we slowly descended then crouched underneath a rock shelf to peer into a bit if the earth.

Stephanie with two experienced cavers

After a brief stop, we headed to the first actual cave.  Upon arrival my hill was no where to be seen, but there was a hole in the ground.  That is what we were here to do, crawl into a hole in the ground?!?  I remembered that Scott had warned me that I should not expect huge caves and wondrousness but I flippantly dismissed his comment.  I was not disappointed but I had to adjust my perspective to realize that crawling into the belly of the earth was going to be as cool as walking into a small entrance of a vertical rock formation, which is what I had been expecting.  Mental flexibility in traveling; a requirement for a good experience.

Christa being lowered into the first cave.
We used climbing ropes for safety
and a permanent ladder to descend into the cave.

Me at the bottom of the cave entrance looking up.

Cave wildlife found by Stephanie.
Such a cute frog!

As we crawled on our hands and knees, on our bellies, pushed ourselves backwards we got a feel for the first cave which included changing rock formations, a frog, piles of dried poop and bats.  Very cool!  Hole in the ground or not, I was impressed and excited to be caving.

The bottom of the ladder in the cave.
I am in the first small room looking out into the cave .
Sparkles from the rock formations appeared on most of my pictures.  Think of it as glitz and glamour!

Some of us glowed in the dark.
This was good as the darkness was quite consuming.

We waited at the top of the cave for the last two people inside for what seemed like a long time.  After they appeared one of the men explained to us that they had found a large pile of small bones, and one of the men was a palaeontologist / archeologist who had worked at the Royal Alberta Museum for 25 years, was explaining to the other what they had found.  Are you kidding me?!?  This trip just moved from excitement on the travel scale to phenomenal!!!  

The palaeontologist picked a collection of bones out of his pocket and began to explain, "This is a femur of a small animal, probably a rabbit.  This one is a piece of the arm of a prairie mouse, oh yes, and one half of a hip joint....." and he went on as we stood there is awe at our luck.  The excitement in the group rose to a new level as we headed to the next cave.  

The Provincial Parks officer came out to visit us to ensure we were doing well.
She had a bullet proof vest on and a gun.  Wow, what a job!

Project Love Manitoba: River Tubing

Adventure number two began with the decision to find a river down which to tube.  My two I Love Manitoba Adventure friends had completed the research and we headed east of the city where several rivers were possibilities.  A quick stop at the local information centre once we were nearer to the rivers was not as helpful as we thought it would be, so we tried visiting a few rivers to complete our own research.  After a quick look at two very low, slimy rivers that were not moving in the least, I stopped a man cycling by to see if a local would be able to help us.  The four of us chatted about possible tubing options but this man let us know that no rivers were passable by tube so late in the summer.  He then proceeded to tell us about his northern fishing adventures and invite us to one in the spring.  Tempting....but back to our dashed tubing river hopes.

We regrouped, as adventurous people do, and changed plans.  A provincial park just north of where we were was an option and we headed for the green patch on the map.  We reached Whitemouth Falls Provincial Park along the Winnipeg River (Wikipedia), with few expectations and were surprised by a beautiful outcrop of rocks, short falls, long beaches, clear water, and large picturesque dam.

Gorgeous surprise after we changed tubing plans

Rocky outcrop for floaters or picnickers alike

After the breathtaking view of this rocky area meeting a long lake with a distant bridge, we began blowing up boats and planing our exploring.  I was first in my boat as the others organized their belongings and I set out in the rocky section to observe the details.  I came across what I thought were bubbles on the surface of the water, but upon further inspection were hundreds of water beetles floating about on the top of the water.  

Each spot a bug.
Hundreds were enjoying the water.

Although slightly creepy, I pressed on.  I floated to the other side of this part of the lake, put my boat on the rocks, climbed out and slid down the short water set of water falls on my butt.  Not as slippery as I thought, I spent most of my time pushing myself along, then returned to my boat.

Christa, Stephanie and the dog Charlie starting out.

Christa enjoying her raft

Project Love Manitoba: Gravel Pit Swimming

A friend of mine moved to Manitoba several years ago from Nova Scotia, and is having a difficult time adjusting to a different province.  We may be one country but as many Canadians know, each province and territory has it own unique flavour, feel, natural beauties, and points of interest. Moving is one of the most stressful experiences of life (find more life event stresses here) and the adjustment requires a person to figuratively walk through several stages (there are several theories) but some identify a total of seven:

1. Dread

2. Freneticism

3. Planning

4.Waiting

5. Euphoria

6. Negotiation

7. Adjustment

(from the John Hamilton Network)

Up until the end of the Waiting Stage, you have not actually physically moved as of yet.  If it is a move that you are not really looking forward to, after you arrive, you may not experience the euphoria stage (the honeymoon portion including joy and excitement of the new) for a while.  Once the euphoria is over, you may get stuck in the Negotiation Stage, during which the realities of a new place are evident and frustration, anger or even depression might settle in for a while.  Either way, you just don't want to be in this new place.  You have created a long mental list of what you miss from your old home/city/province, and very little in your new place compares.

So far I have enjoyed many things in Winnipeg and in Manitoba.  After a trip home to see family in August, I returned to Winnipeg and felt the stings of the Negotiation Stage.  So when my friend, and another mutual friend, decided that it was time to form a plan, the I Love Manitoba Adventures, I was very interested.  The idea is to look for as many interesting and enjoyable things we can do in Winnipeg but more importantly all over the province, unique to Manitoba, then do as many as possible.  We have been able to squeeze in several adventures but the plan will be even more important as the long Manitoba winter sets in.  Last January through February we had 6 weeks of -30 to -45 degrees Celsius.  When the temperature rose to -15 degrees Celsius it felt like a spring day.  Like I said, this part of the year is going to be the harder portion.

The two adventures we have managed to squeeze in so far include a swim at a gravel pit and a trip to tube down a river, that morphed into a boat float on Lac de Bonnet.  Here are the shots we took and the commentary from the gravel pit, all of which is helping us enjoy the province in which we are currently living.

Gravel Pit Swimming

This is a gravel pit we did not swim in but a working pit Christa took me to, 

to show me she was not a fool (I had my doubts).

The actual gravel pit Christa came upon by accident one day, 

trying to make her way to a different pool of water in the distance.

The water was the aquamarine colour of lakes in BC.  Unbelievable really!

It was a hot, hot Manitoba day and the cool, refreshing water is exactly what we needed.

This is new for me.  I did not know that water collected in gravels pits (abandoned or currently being used) and that people swam in them.  At first I was very doubtful and asked a few friends about it.  They had been swimming at gravel pits for years but warned not to go near the edges as the leeches would come out to play.  What?!?  Ugh?!?  I did my best to avoid the blood sucking creatures.

In We Go