My pseudo-sister comes to visit!

My pseudo-sister came for a brief, yet intense, visit just after Christmas. Her family lives far away and she lives even further away so I was very thankful that she took the time to swing by here. We had a great time and were lucky enough to have some sunny days.

Peggy's Cove (the two pictures above, 'cause now I can put pictures up here) is THE toorist (My way of saying this word gets mocked frequently) site 'round these parts and sure enough, even on a cold day in December there were people there. You can see the plaque on the side of the lighthouse and the enlarged version.


We also went to Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of the Bluenose. We managed to fit some shopping in too. The next day we played the tourists around here, taking the ferry across the harbour (aka the cruise ship for poor people)and breaking the law (third picture). I'm a rebel without a cause, what can I say.

It was hard to say good bye (especially since the flight was a red-eye and there were quite the family festivities the night before) but we're hoping to meet up in Turkey or Oman in the New Year!

I'll leave you with one last picture of my city. I love this place!

Happy Boxing Day!

I had a fantastic Christmas. All that white stuff got melted away just in time for the big day. It was a balmy 10 degrees yesterday with a big blue sky and tons of sun! Today, it's also sunny, however it went down about 20 degrees. I've gotta stop giving the weather reports.

Yesterday was low key, just the way I like it. Today is a little more happening, the extended family's coming over for the annual Boxing Day party which is always a good time and a good chance to see everyone. So without much further ado, here is (hopefully) some pictures taken with...my new digital camera! (Welcome to 2008 Steph, I know)

 

The weather is whack.

Because I say things like that now because I'm hip with the kids.

It's snowing. Again. But snow for Christmas, I can't complain. Although word on the Environment Canada street is that this beautiful white stuff will transform into its distant cousin known as RAIN before too long.

*tear*

Everyone likes a rainy Christmas too - it's just doesn't sound so good in a song. I did hear CBC reporting that they think Canada will have its first coast-to-coast White Christmas since, well, ever so I hope Halifax won't let down the team. A shout out to those in British Columbia, the one place in Canada which usually has "warm" weather. I've heard nasty stories of -20 degrees and the like. Is this Global Warming?

I love Christmas Eve, just as the sun sets - I always feel giddy and childlike again. I'll have you know I finished my Christmas shopping circa 10 am this morning (I like to be organized), so it'll be smooth sailing from here. Except I just remembered that my grandmother asked me to buy shrimp and I should get to the store before it closes (Everything closes early afternoon on Christmas Eve here).

Now some random discoveries since I was last home. Gas is now 75 cents a litre. It was never any where near that low when I had a car and had to drive 100 km a day. I'm just saying. As well, you can now buy lobster for 5 bucks a lb. 5 BUCKS A POUND?! Last time I checked it was approximately four times that. Granted this cheap lobster is coming out of the bed of shady pick-ups parked along the side of the road, but still.

Merry Christmas to everyone near and far!!!

The calm before the storm

This holiday season has been filled with traveling nightmares. I'm lucky I elected to come home early and surprise my family - the flight I was to have taken was canceled in New York. Ouch.

I'm enjoying Canada so much. Except for the cold weather. I mean I like -12 as much as the next guy, but why oh why when it is finally sunny does it have to be so cold? Alright all this weather talk is really just a space filler as I attempt to conjure up a funny story of something that has happened to me recently and, I must admit, I am failing quite miserably. Everything is good, seeing old friends, seeing family, 24 hour shopping, snow, so I will conclude this useless post here.

The End.

Vacation

And here I am, sitting in the kitchen, listening to Christmas music and enjoying being home!

After a good night's sleep last night, I am beginning to feel like my body and brain believe I'm in the right time zone. I'm still sick as a dog, but nothing a little bit of self-medication from my local self-serve drug store can't help. I ventured out today as I had a meeting at the University and enjoyed hearing English everywhere. Whenever I come back, it only ever lasts about a day but for one day I can't get over the fact that everyone in the stores, on the streets, on the , etc. speak English. It's as if they have created a whole country designed for English speakers, weird. Fortunatly my meeting was in French to assit me in easing into the change.

There's snow and sun and it's Christmas time!

I'm so happy!!

Now how it really went down.

I was worried my train to Charles de Gaulle would be late and somehow make me miss my plane. That was the least of my worries.

My ill-self made it to the airport with time to spare - and then I got flagged for security checks left right and centre. It's Ok though, I mean it's really a nice way to get to know each other. And then the fateful announcement "Steph's flight is delayed 4 hours".

:(

But I read my book quietly and time passed. Until I finished my book, and still had 4 hours of flight left. It's a really good book though, about time travel (yet not science fiction, I swear) called The Time Traveler's Wife. It was funny to read because when you fly from one place to another it always kind of feels like time travel to me. Something about going quickly to a place you aren't supossed to be. I don't know. In short: Read the book.

There was actually a later flight to my town out of New York (happy dance!) which turned out also to be delayed.........................and the size of a can of soup and in which we got to sped 3 hours on the group...so in the end, instead of getting home at 9:30 and dramatically surprising my family, I got home at 4 am and they all knew because I didn't want them to think there was some random chick breaking into their house.


But it was nice to wake up here this morning! And it's snowing!

T Minus 45 minutes

Until I'm out of town.

SO excited. I will publish this message tomorrow (inshallah) as my arrival this evening in Halifax is (hopefully) going to be a surprise for my family (minus my brother who knows because it's a pretty far walk from the airport to the city). It's funny to think I'm heading off to Paris, then stopping by New York before showing up at home. Traveling is so strange. As I was eating breakfast this morning, it occured to me that tonight, I'll be having dinner (more probably some wine) in the Hdot. Weird weird weird.

I am still ill, but some amount of excitement and copious amounts of tylenol will help me get through the day. I did actually sit down and figure out how often I can have tylenol without poisioning myself (it's complicated with all the time changes).

Wehehehehe. Did I mention I was excited?

I've attempted again to put a picture on this entry - if it shows up, it's a picture of the little Christmas tree that could. :)

The Plague

Once upon a time I woke up, got up, and then got back in bed because my legs couldn't hold myself up. I painfully managed to stumble to the doctor's office where he proceeded to prescribe me two days of bed rest (after telling me not to fall asleep in his office...but that solid oak desk looked so cozy).

I don't DO bed rest.

So periodically throughout the day I kept thinking I felt better, until I stood up, and then sat right back down.

Speaking of which....time to lay back down.

Potato Chip Cookies and other such nonesense

Potato Chip Cookies?

Yeah, that's how I felt when I first heard about them too. Apparently, it's an underground society, there are those that are in the potato chip cookie circle and then those of us on the outside just longing to be "in". I think I'm going to have to do it. I'm just going to have to whip up a batch of these bad boys this weekend. Although I might substitue the pecans for walnuts because my inside source claims it's walnuts or bust.

Christmas is drawing near and Monday night is my last Deutschkurz before the holidays. We are going to have a little Weihnachten celebration and I was nomiated to do something Canadian. I've been mulling (mmm...mulled wine....sorry I got distracted) this over, and quite frankly, what is more Christmas than cookies....of a Potato Chip variety? humm...it would seem everything is coming up Potato Chip Cookies tonight. Seriously though, the only thing that keeps going through my mind when evoking the Christmases of yore (Maybe I need to sleep?) ie my childhood, are those silly "Gingerbread" houses made with Graham crackers and mini-milk cartons. Maybe I teach my German class about those....

In other news, I managed to get myself to the gym TWICE so far this week and if everything proceeds according to my plans, I'll nip in for time number three tomorrow. Go team me! I guess I kind of let it slide there for a bit...."Who are you again? Are you suuurrrre you belong to THIS gym?" Which was followed by a "the only way we can suspend your gym membership while you are away is if you give us a photocopy of your grandmother's birth certificate and a blood sample". Maybe I'm over-exagerating a tad, but still, I paid to have a flexible gym membership and yet it remains so complicated. I'd hate to see what the less flexible options are like....

On the topic of helpful people, today, with my pal Susan we hit up the French Social Insurance Office to attempt to get her a SIN number. Not as easy as one may think. My last experience there was nothing but positive (very odd for a French government office). I had such a utopic vision of the place, I was actually nervous of returning for fear that my warm fuzzy feelings would vanish into thin air. Despite a rocky start involving "queue hopping", the chick was quite helpful and almost...understanding? Craziness I tell you.

Alright, off to start paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccckkkkkkkkkkkiingggggggggg!!!!

I mean, it's not like I'm excited or anything.
You know, whatever.

PS. Nick have a safe trip!!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

I keep reading about all the snow that is plaguing my hometown in Canada. Oh snow, I beg you, please stick around until I get there! I'm coming as fast as I can!!

I'm overdue for an update, but I've been lacking inspiration recently. I'm getting ready for Christmas - the tree has been decorated. I'd post a picture, but I've come to accept that I'm never going to be able to post any pictures on this thing. But the little guy puts a smile on my face when I see him. I also have an advent wreath and something I'd never heard of before this year...an advent candle, which you can see in the picture above (It's the only picture I could find). Every day, instead of opening a little door and getting a chocolate, you get to light the candle and try to remember to put it out before it hits three days from now.

I'm going to a Christmas Party tonight (secret Santa and everything - although it is more of a challenge without Dollarama :) ) and yet again, I've been asked to make something festive and Canadian...so I'm making................Egg Nog.

Yes, Egg Nog can be home made. I made it once before in France, although I'm a bit skeptical with the raw eggs involved, I figure it can't be worse than Steak Tartar, can it?

I'm also going to make some Fruit Punch. I really want to make the ice ring with the red and green maraschino cherries in it, but my lack of freezer is just not going to allow for that.

Alright, off to find all the ingredients. Have a good one!

It's December!

...and so much is in the works. I'm cooking up quite the pot of excitement (this isn't an expression is it? I'm a little bit sick - it might be all the hardcore cough medicine) with a few interesting projects but I don't want to share any of them yet because I'm greedy. Or I don't want to get my hopes up :)

So instead, I'll share a great recipie I made the other day. I was asked to cook something "American"....I was trying to think of something kind of different that my European/African/Asian friends had never had...and so I made...Jambalaya I used that recipie as a base, but I doctored it up a bit to suit my fancy. It was really good.

Also, in my quest to make decent Chocolate Chip Cookies in this country, I tried a new recipie which worked out "quite well" - and I used Smarties instead of Chocolate Chips but if anyone has tried and true recipie I would love to have it. I never have a problem making cookies in Canada but for some reason everything I make here is a bit giant FAIL.

Ok, time to do the laundry that I've been avoiding for the past little while. Have a great day!