When in Wemindji...: April 2013

Well, just as things were getting hopeful, ALL HELL HAS BROKEN LOOSE AND THERE IS A BLIZZARD ONCE AGAIN. Sorry for the caps, but you have to understand my frustration. As you peeps in the south are prancing around in flip flops and bikinis, I am - still - wearing my -40 degree rated Sorel boots and SNOWPANTS. What day is it? Is it Christmas? Are we living in Siberia? NO. It is April 19th and I am living in Wemindji, the world's most wonderful snowglobe.

Alright rant over. I keep forgetting to write stuff here because nothing happens but SNOW. That can get boring! I guess I can tell you abboooutttttt.... ummm....

Alright so Facebook updated and magically all of the "Notes" I wrote (like mini blogs) reappeared after years of being lost somewhere on my page! I was really happy to see this today because I am clearly running out of interesting tidbits of my life to share and I thought I would take a walk down memory lane and make comment on some things I wrote a while back - see what has changed, am I still as immature now as I was 4 years ago? Probably yes but let's find out...
25 Things About Me (Written February 19th 2009)

1. I am nearly obsessed with cats. I have 2 boys of my own, Little Baby and Red (Big Red if you're nasty). Little Baby loves me SO MUCH its not even funny. He has massive emotional and anxiety issues and practices a strict "stranger danger" policy which applies to everyone except me. We like to hug. Red is BIG BONED okay people. He ain't fat, look at the size of his hands!

**Okay so I no longer have these cats, sadly. I had to give them up with I moved in with a now-ex-boyfriend. I am probably going to Hell for doing such a terrible thing but seeing as though I now live in the nation's snowbelt, they are probably better off.

2. I am the HUGEST procrastinator, however my best works are often completed the night before the due date or on the due date (before 4 pm for all ya'll Ryerson people!)

**Still true but now that I am apparently a real adult with real responsibilities and "flying by the seat of one's pants" isn't conducive to effective teaching, I take much more care in planning.

3. I live on my own. I thought I would go crazy being alone, but I actually enjoy it most of the time. I don't talk to myself or the kitties nearly as much as I thought I would!

**I once again live on my own and its fantastic. I don't talk to myself at all, but I also have kinda 2 "roommates"/next door neighbors who I spend almost every waking minute with so maybe it doesn't count as living alone?

4. Money (that I technically do not have) flows through my fingers like water.

**Nothing has changed here.

5. I love to read, mostly historical romance novels (ugh I know I can't help it) but also as of late, Twilight series, not a *quality* written book, but entrancing nonetheless.

**Ditto.

6. I am jealous of how well Eryl writes birthday cards, she outdoes me every time.

**A Journalism degree has only intensified her ability to write me into a corner.

7. I do not believe in god, but I pray for him to send me a streetcar when its cold/at night/when I'm running late, just in case.

**Now I curse the lord when he continually dumps snow on my front step.

8. I LOVE Law & Order in the follow order: SVU, Regular, C.I.

**Gonna throw COPS in there too.

9. I own a pair of men's stiletto heels size 10, most of you know this already. They fit Milena like a glove. <3

**I still own these. Best party trick evar.

10. I do not feel like a normal person unless I get about 10 hours of sleep. If I know I am getting less than 7, I get panicky.

**Still the same, especially since I now teach full time which drains every last bit of energy. However in my old age I find it near impossible to sleep in, no matter how late I go to bed. This angers me.

11. I am going to be a teacher one day, hopefully kindergarten, but I currently HATE my placement supervisor, today she told me she wanted my attendance record because she felt that I wasn't there at all for the month of February... I was away once.

**Wow, uber professional nii! Um.... SO at least the teacher part came true!!!

12. I can, and probably will kick all ya'lls asses at Crazy Eights Countdown. I am effing amazing, just ask Hilary. She taught me well.

**I have forgotten how to play this. Shame.

13. My best friend (besides friends my own age) is probably my mother. I moved to Nova Scotia about 3 years ago to get away from it all and came back with a deep appreciation for her and all she does.

**Still the same!! We may live thousands of kilometres away but the time we spend together is quality.

14. I dye my hair.

NAAAAATTT

**Same, except I have wayyyyyy less hair than I did 4 years ago. I'm working on it. Some advice? Avoid "Free" haircuts. Nothing comes for free...

15. I miss my dad everyday! I keep everything that has his writing on it or was his. I have a pair of his glasses in my bathroom drawer so I think of him every morning. He would have loved www.icanhascheezburger.com and facebook.

**Yep!! I actually just got one of the Cree teachers to write his name out in Cree for me so I can have it tattooed on me at Goose Break. It is simple and meaningful and I am really excited.

16. I had a cat who committed suicide. He couldn't handle life on the 14th floor so he ended it all! Goodbye sweet world! RIP Leland!

**Said cat is still dead from suicide.

17. I am SO afraid of lake/ocean water. Rivers too. Streams I am okay with, same with pools. I get palpitations when I can't see the bottom or my feet touch slimy stuff. Or when fish touch me. See photo album.

**This fear was confirmed when I had a panic attack in a cenote in Mexico.

18. I love my family, we are small but very close and traditional in our holiday and special celebrations. My grandad is getting married this spring at the ripe old age of 80 to his sweetie Pam. Woo!

**Still have a small and close-knit family, I miss them all the time!

19. I often eat the same kind of food for weeks until I get so sick of it I never want to eat it again (Sante Fe Rice and Beans ugh) except for peirogies. Those, I could NEVER get sick of.

**Salmon, Lipton Sidekick and steamed broccoli. This is my new "Sante Fe Rice and Beans" except I will never get sick of it!

20. I wanted to learn to cook this year, but all I could manage was a stew. It was pretty tasty.

**Mission accomplished, I can cook.

21. My boobs may be on the large side, but I like em. Now, anyways. Before, them watermelons were damn unmanageable. Hooray for OHIP

**Notice: they are huge again but its cool I can manage.

22. I am currently obsessed with buying movies. I CANT STOP

**See #4. This is why I am working in the North.

23. I believe in ghosts and I try not to do embarassing things while I am alone incase *they are watching*

**Still true. I think I got abducted by aliens the other night, something bright flashed in my eyes while I was sleeping.

24. I believe that I am meant to carry children and give birth to them, just not my own. I am very maternal and domestic but I don't want my own chillens. I just want to birth em.

**Still true hmmmmm

25. Anyone want to buy a Tony Little Gazelle? $100. Seriously. I hate it.

**I sold that piece of crap on Kijiji.
I wont be posting any more pictures of my town covered in snow because I am sure you can use your imagination. It is a snow covered town. There is snow everywhere. Oh but it is BUSH CAMP on Monday so really, I'll be just fine :)

Ah! I realize I haven't written in a while, and that is mostly because nothing has happened ahah!! However, while you lovely people down south are complaining about a little rain and your tulips failing to blossom, we here in the north are dealing with SNOW SQUALLS AND WHITE OUTS.

Never have I seen so much snow fall in the space of 3 days than I have in my whole entire life. Last week after Easter we got some snow. Then some more, and then some more! To the point that on Tuesday night right after the Easter holiday, we were diligently watching the weather reports for winter storm warnings. The winds were up to 95km/hr by the afternoon creating HUGE snow drifts and visibility was 0. I went into school as if it was going to be a normal day, secretly hoping my principal and her boss would see the light (or lack thereof) and cancel school. Just the simple task of walking across the street was near impossible. Just when you thought you were walking in a straight line, you look up from protecting your precious eyes from the whipping wind and snow, and see that you have walked in the completely wrong direction! Everything, and I mean, EVERYTHING was white so one moment you are on flat ground, the next, thigh-high in a snowdrift! I'd say in some areas there was a fresh dumping of at least 5 feet of snow, depending on where the wind carried it. What was the most painful about this whole experience was that the week previous, sooo much snow had melted. I got to see my driveway for the first time in 6 months and I DIDN'T WEAR MY JACKET ONE DAY. I even put away my humidifier. So to wake up to 3 feet of snow in your doorway was a little depressing to say the least. But I made a deal with myself. I refuse to shovel. Refuse. The snow will have to melt before I pick up another shovel this year. And so, when I opened my door to FEET of snow, I kicked at it and stomped it out until I could slide down my front steps. Carmen was not so able to do the same, pretty hilarious! (See pics)

A few minutes after arriving school was called off and I spent the next 30 minutes making phone calls to various teachers breaking the wonderful news!!I, of course, spent most of the day in the classroom prepping and planning which was actually pretty awesome. It was like a Bush Camp day, and you all know how much I love Bush Camp!!

On a side note, last week the store also forgot to order fresh fruit and vegetables which immediately sent me spinning into memories of the Foodpocalypse of '12 when our grocery store burnt down. It was touch and go there but this week fresh produce arrived and I stocked up like I had scurvy.

Anyways, in case my tale of snowdrifts taller than most people and winds gusty enough to blow your socks off isn't so believable, here are some pictures to back up my story!! Enjoy! (thanks Stacy and Carmen for some the pics!)