Golden memories

This last weekend officially marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring for me. When the last run has been skiied (or in my case, viciously ripped up by the sharp edges of my snowboard)for me there is no longer any other reason for winter to linger. Snow has no other purpose than to provide Warren Miller with a subject for all his films and for the rest of us winter sport enthusiasts with something to do in the winter. And even then, I don't have much use for it in places other than the mountains.
Hengen, Kevan, Leah, Duane, Karyn, Matt, and I just came back from a glorious, muscle-aching weekend of snowboarding at Kicking Horse. I love that resort. I am starting to love it almost as much as I love Fernie. Given enough time there I think I could love it more than Fernie. It is steep, it is deep - it is heaven in the form of cornices, powder, cliffs, and gondolas. It has everything...even a live grizzly in a little hut on the edge of one of the runs. His name is Boo and he is the keeper of the Kicking Horse.
I took my camera but mostly forgot to use it. For everyone who was not on the trip the highlight of the weekend might appear to be Duane brushing his teeth after his morning bagel.


So now that I am back and have satisfied my snowboarding needs I am ready to fully embrace spring. And since Edmonton is not as ready as I am for warm weather and sunshine, I intend to find it elsewhere. Elsewhere = Hawaii. Our plane leaves this saturday afternoon and we don't plan on coming back until Edmonton sheds its winter skin. For 9 days we will bask in the warm Hawaiian sun, splash in shark-infested waters, fling ourselves off cliffs into the sea, and picnic on active volcanos. Hopefully when we return Alberta will be ready for Anna's flip flop...because I know I will be.

Upon requests I am graciously willing to spend some of my time in Hawaii thinking about my friends back home. Just ask where and when you want me to think about you (example: Kristy Bidne, day 5, on the beach) and I will arrange a moment for it to happen. It will almost be as good as being there yourself...you may never feel the need to visit tropical paradise again.

Jenna

March 8 was the day

March 8 was the day that I decided was the day to take out my thongs (flip flops for those of you uncomfortable with the proper term)

five months of winter and counting...I am too impatient to wait any longer. Normally I start wearing my flip flop thongs in February, but these are snowy times. March 8 was also the first time that I got to see the sights of Innisfail. In a long story shortened, I was walking around Innisfail in my flip flop thongs looking for the local impound lot, and there was mud, and ice, and snow.

Mud + ice + snow = dirty & cold feet.

I looked down at my unfortunately clad feet and laughed out loud for all the townies to hear.


This adventure did not stop me from wearing flip flop thongs again. I have been wearing them ever since. Even though it is a little bit crazy.


Anna

On a scale of cold...

There are exactly 20 days until I arrive in Hawaii. It seems quite far away still. 3 weeks is the equivalent of 2 papers and four finals. When you look at it in those terms it feels like 20 days will never finish before I get to feel the hot sun burning the top layer of my flesh. After five months of snow a sun burn will be a welcome change. Normally I try to protect against skin damage, but this may be the first time that I dare the sun to alter my skin colour to a nice rouge.

Yesterday was soo lovely that I had to go outside and wade through the slush. But, when I use the word lovely it has to be understod from the context of a comparison to the day before. Friday was soo cold that I could hear ice crystals crunching inside my legs when I quit waiting for the bus after 25 minutes and then went back home. This said, I find it humourous that nice weather in Edmonton is relative to the weather the day before. On a scale of cold...

Hawaii will be a nice reprieve from Edmonton. If I could, I would bring our hosts a bucket of snow to treasure. The locals have probably never seen it before.

This moment of thinking about Hawaii was a vacation in itself from thinking about homework stuff. I may not even need to go. Just Kidding!


Anna

yogging

I have finally discovered a good use for this frigid artic north weather we are most often uncerimoniously subjected to. Jogging. Normally when I engage in strenuous activities that make me sweat I get far too overheated and then want to give up. Now I still want to give up just because jogging mostly sucks, but strangely enough I feel like I want to give up less. By the time I am finished and am arriving back at my house (10 minutes after leaving my house), I am a nice temperature. And if I find a way to ignore the stabbing pain in my chest and abdomen, and the lack of oxygen in my lungs, I figure I will eventually begin to somewhat tolerate jogging in the winter. Jogging in the summer is a entirely different thing altogether. The only way I can figure out how to get around the overheating issue is to jog naked. Yeah, exactly...the solution seems far too easy. I guess I still have awhile to think about it.

Someone once told me you feel something called a joggers high after jogging. The only high I feel is attributed to the fact that I am usually about to pass out due to the lack of oxygen going to my brain. Frankly smoking something seems easier.

Jenna

We are soo bad at this

We are terribe at keeping this thing updated! But, since I have homework to procrastinate from doing, finding something to blog about seems rather appealing. Back in the days of University in Lethbridge, it was much easier to procrastinate from homework. There were always people that wanted to play Rook or go to a movie. If Liane was not home then Jenna and I would think of some way to PUNK Liane's room. Like the time that we stuffed everything into balloons or when we placed a hundred post-it-notes on every available surface. I am sure that Liane remembers those times with just as much fondness. I think that since going back to University I have created a schedule of cleaning my room that correlates quite accuratley with the due dates of all my major assignments and exams.

Hmm... only 5 minutes have passed. This is hard. There has got to be better things to do to procrastinate. I need some ideas.

A.W.

just a spoon full of sugar...

As usual, Anna Horgus is right. It has been far too long since I shared my story with the peoples. Sadly, my story is rather short and uneventful. I will spare you all from my many "epic" tales of exam-writing and employment. It is my desire to bring words of great cheer and joy instead. Unfortunately, I cannot think of any at this time as my head is full of sinus fluid and might, at any given moment, explode and spray little bits of jenna cerebrum and cerebellum everywhere. As you might already have guessed, I am ill. Unlike my dear friend anna, I will not be attempting any courageous feats such as 'tire changing' or 'dance class' in the near future. Instead I will remain a prisoner of my spacious, comfortable loft, that is, at least for the next 24 hours. And oh, what a long 24 hours it will be. There is not even a television or good old fashioned game of twister in the vicinity.
I am still quite contagious so any gifts, flowers, money, soft, furry animals, and/or sympathy notes may be placed at the bottom of my staircase. I have positioned a little bell on the third stair from the bottom that people may ring to inform me that they have left me something. I do not have any masks or gloves available at this time so I advise gift-bearers not to linger. Although, I will leave a scheduler at the bottom of the stairs next to the bell so that my fan...I mean, friends, may request to spend time with me later on in the week when I not so close to death's door. Time slots are limited and will go fast so come early and bring the biggest gift.

Jenna

Man Skills

Today was a markable day. I added to my list of skills, a man skill. My friend Liane came to pick me up to go out for coffee and just before we left she noticed that the back tire on the passenger's side was flat. While she was looking for the phone number for Roadside assistance, I worked on getting the lugnuts off the tire. I had one left by the time she found it. So she didnt call. She hoisted the jack and I put on the donut. This may be presumptuous, but for one afternoon I was her hero. When you read this Liane: "I can be your hero baby..." Play this song in your head. You know the one.


Today Tire changing, tuesday dancing, thursday...... I may bake something.



Anna