The Ever Present Journey

Long fairy tales have a tendency to dragon.

2007-03-29T15:56:00.000-05:00

Ode to Laura

2007-03-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

I work with Laura - she is WONDERFUL!!! She's also super punny - for those of you that know Carla you will appreciate that they are kindred spirits. Carla is Diana Berry to Laura's Anne Shirley. Laura sends out daily puns and today I share them with you.

His wife loved pottery making but for him it was just kiln time.

She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.

as free to delight

2006-11-09T21:20:00.000-06:00

Birds sing after a storm;
why shouldn't people
feel as free to delight
in whatever sunlight remains to them?
-Rose Kennedy-

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels...These are a few of my favorite things.

2006-11-08T17:17:00.000-06:00

Life on the road is a GREAT experience it can however get boring and repetitive and lonely. There are some things though that make such a wonderful difference in an average day...let me share:

1. A good rice pudding. I like well cooked rice, not grainy undercooked stuff. I love raisins in the rice pudding and if you top it off with some whip cream and cinnamon - WOW. Best RP this year was in Clinton, Ontario. Little, independent grocery store - the pick-up-and-go section next to sandwiches.

2. Good toilet paper. If I wanted to use my hand I would use my hand. A soft yet durable roll of t.p. can make all the difference. Think about it, you get to choose your brand, your favorite softness, the number of ply...I on the other hand get whatever toilet paper that doubles as gift tissue paper some owner thought would save them money. Don't worry; I'm a good hand washer.

3. A curved shower curtain rod. Let me explain - and please feel free to refer to your own shower curtain as the visual - most shower curtains have a straight rod - what this means is that the curtain hangs right next to you (or in this case, me) and it has the option of sticking to my body. Well, most places change sheets and towels every day, they don't however change the shower curtain. So that shower curtain that is sticking to my naked body acting as a second layer of skin has stuck to dozens of other bodies and has never been washed. I'm sorry for the visual but it is VERY true. Insert any sort of draft and there is not possible way, short of removing the curtain, to avoid that wet germ blanket from becoming my new best friend. Or is there?...enter the curved shower curtain. The rod is gently curved and thus the shower curtain hangs 1/2 a foot or more away from me. Hallelujah! Risk is decreased, shower joy increased.

4. A fair sized towel. While we're on the topic of bathrooms can we talk about the face cloths that are supposed to be towels?! I am not a slim woman but I'm not the biggest woman that has ever existed - these so called "towels have a couple of problems - length and width. So the length - can we talk about full wrapage - I would like to have the full circumference of my body covered in a towel...I have great legs but I don't want my thigh exposed and I don't want my towel exploding off my body because it is "just" holding on. Secondly, some mini-skirts work on some people - I am not one of those people. The only cheeks I want exposed are the ones on my face. Please, buy a proper bath sheet - not a pornographic hand towel.

5. Heated bathroom floors. The environmentalist in me screams NO, the warm feet on my body when I first get up in the morning says "Oh yes!" It's just like it sounds - warm ceramic tiles caressing the bottom of your feet. Nuf said.

6. A good bed. The components of a good bed are many...a solid mattress...not solid as in firm but a good mattress where you don't feel like the springs are providing you with a complementary acupuncture appointment. Also, a mattress with a "pillow-top" is a nice little hug for your body. Sheets make all the difference as well - this is everything from thread count to the comforter/duvet that's on the bed. Many comforters feel like they are made out of the same material as your grandma's 1960s industrial couch and they, not unlike the shower curtain, have not been washed in ages...it's like cuddling up with someone else’s dandruff without the inconvenience of their body...how thoughtful. Best bed so far this year was also the winner from the 2005 Best Bed competition...drum-roll please...is the Intercontinental in downtown Toronto. For the price you would hope they would win (a can of pop is $4.50) - thread count is at least 400 and there is a real duvet...the king size bed doesn't hurt either.

That's all for now. The funny thing is that once you're on the road for a while you start becoming a little bit elitist..."My toilet paper wasn't folded over when I arrived."...."The echo off the ceiling in the foyer rebounded towards my room and woke me before I intended to wake up."..."The television channels were fuzzy. I had to resort to watching Gilmor Girls season 3 on my lap-top, it was inconvenient." I'm not actually cranky about it, sometimes I provide feedback - constructive - you more just think those things in your head...and then laugh at yourself.

Huron-Bruce part Deux

2006-11-01T22:00:00.000-06:00

North Western Ontario

2006-11-01T17:16:00.000-06:00

It was a bus week again last week. We drove over 1800kms in a bus...bouncing across North-western Ontario. Really nice communities. There was already snow that has decided to stay in a number of areas. We flew into Thunder Bay - drove as far west as Kenora (it's only 1.5 hours away from Winnipeg) - back to Thunder Bay and then across to Timmins.

The Sleeping Giant in Thunder Bay

There was a huge forest fire years ago in the area - as you drive there are kilometres of remnants of trees. There is some new growth but mostly coniferous trees.

Heather got Married!

2006-10-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

Many Heathers in my life - another one got married this weekend. This post is mostly so Heather (Johhny Mac) can see what Heather (the married kind) looked like. So, yes Heather, it was beautiful.

Cam did a skit with one of the bridesmaids about how Heather and Brian first met. Cam played Lifeguard Brian - this did mean that Cam came running into the hall in his Baywatch outfit while the Baywatch music played. It also meant that Cam did not want to take the wig sunglasses and zinc off for most of the night.

The church was packed with people. And yes Heather, it was beautiful and you probably would have cried.

Heather and Brian are now honeymooning in the Caribbean and they will be living in their new apartment in Mississauga when they return - though there are two rooms in Mary's house so I'm not sure why they don't just move there.

A Week With Bruce

2006-10-19T16:34:00.000-05:00

Lion's Head

Colleen & I on the way to dinner in Dyers Bay (just south of Tobermory). Rocky Raccoons, a restaurant, opened up just because we were coming.

We enjoyed some wonderful Nepalese food.

Look carefully at the eggs...they're wearing hats.

Goderich Beach

And then there was SNOW

2006-10-12T14:02:00.000-05:00

I would just like to point out that it s STILL October. Not even close to December...weeks away from November and there are proper flurries falling outside. Furthermore, it is really really cold. This is not alright with me.

A Week of Heathers

2006-10-11T22:18:00.000-05:00

At the Ontario Universities Fair we have a huge Trent set-up...my friend Cam is on it. First Responding never looked so good.

York Durham is hosting me this week and what a fine week it is. I had two GREAT schools today with really engaged students. Overall I've found students less engaged in the entire process than they were last year...they are, as Eric Romkema noted, "tough crowds, tough crowds." Sometimes I'm presenting and I'm thinking "I'm funny...laugh...laugh." This week I also have the pleasure of staying with Heather and Heather. Subsequently I am also staying with their families as well - I like them too. It was so nice to just sit and watch t.v. with Heather and Eric tonight...a simple pleasure really. Beyond that not a whole lot of excitement -which in my life is just fine.

Scholarships?

2006-10-03T22:12:00.000-05:00

I'm back on the road again for another season of recruitment!
Week four and I'm in the Muskoka/Grey/Bruce areas on a bus. 24 reps from all the Ontario universities are on a coach bus visiting schools in the area. It's nice because you have people to share stories with and eat dinner with.
There's a couple of reps that I know from last year and a couple of newbies who are great. We were having breakfast this morning in Kincardine and were talking about when we get questions we don't know the answers to...realistically I would always acknowledge that I didn't know the answer...we joked that it would be funny if, instead of the acknowledgement, all the reps just referred to scholarships. It was much funnier in person than over a blog. Try it with your friends - when they ask a question that you don't feel like answering try using the same line all the time. We also had a rep from RMC who had a mum who acted as if Canada being involved in wars was her fault...we decided that she should grab her in a hug and then say..."I learned that in army..." It's our new tactic for dealing with angry people. I think it would be fun if you tried that as well.
We have an early morning tomorrow so I'm out like trout. I'll try and post some pictures and more regular updates for you - my dedicated fans.

Outside of Sobeys on Towerhill this summer.

Adventure of the summer...

2006-08-02T18:34:00.000-05:00

As far as adventures go, this one was fun and not so eventful (in the negative sense of eventful - no drunk drivers to pull from cars, turtles to save, Zoro's to scream at etc). However, I had a Mexican with me - so hilarity was prevalent.

It was Heather Blacklock's (now Romkema) marriage to Eric Romkema (still Romkema) this past weekend. Denise returned from Turks & Caicos, Diana flew in from Mexico, Heather made the trek from Whitby, Carrie came from down the street, and Meaghan was in the same house. We had a fantastic time with Heather and Eric pre and post wedding.

Please enjoy a few pictures from the days we spent together.

On our drive up Diana and I stopped at a field. I made her climb hail bails (she had never tried before) and she frolicked in the meadow.

We had to dress for the rehersal dinner - it ended up being a five minute change in the Upper Canada mall...we got some stares from ladies who were wondering "What is that crazy Mexican doing?" but we still ended up looking like babes.

Heather McClure and Denise put on a great presentation for the rehersal dinner and provided Heather Blacklock and Eric with a few memories of Blacklock's maiden life. They included a black lock, the book Black Beauty, a dvd copy of Blackhawk Down, a magazing article that had Be Bop written on it and...this was amazing... a foot tall figure of Bebop from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eric is in love for the second time.

Denise, Meaghan, Heather, Carrie, Diana, Heather & Me
(The top row of girls were bridesmaids and Diana and I were MC's)

Meaghan & Heather
Meaghan is Heather's younger sister and she was also the maid of honour.

I have more pictures that didn't work so I will try and add them later in the week for everyone's enjoyment.

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.

2006-01-03T20:30:00.000-06:00

Willa Cather - O Pioneers

Choose Life

2005-12-26T22:55:00.000-06:00

I cried...hard...borderline ugly cry tonight. But I was thankful that I did. It was over a book - more specifically, over a book about a little man. If you live in Peterborough, and maybe if you live elsewhere, you may of heard of a young boy named James Birrell. He was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (cancer) when he was three and went to be with his Maker when he was eight. He lived in Peterborough. His dad would send out e-mails updating those intereseted in James' well-being while he battled the disease and even after his death. His dad took those e-mails and had a book made called "Ya Can't Let Cancer Ruin Your Day" (a quote from James and a motto his entire family lived by). I want to share with you a part of the book that hit me hard. James and his dad were having a candid conversation, as most of their conversations were, about the reality of living with the disease. His dad asks "how he puts up with living with all the...indignities of living with cancer?"

James responds, "I've made my choice. I'm always gonna be choosing life."

This little man was seven years old. I will not analize the power of this comment. If you have time, read the book...it's even more powerful in context.

Ya Can't Let Cancer Ruin Your Day: The James Emails
Syd Birrell
Green Train Books
ISBN 097380800-4

P-Dot

2005-12-04T22:47:00.000-06:00

I'm back! This is the first Sunday in almost three months where I'm NOT driving or hunkering down in a random hotel. As of this past Thursday I finished school visits for this recruitment season. I ended in Bradford, Ontario...school number 120. Being back in the Pete's I've already been able to see many wonderful people and have been able to enjoy my own bed - not that those two things are related. I LOVE knowing where I'm going - move over Google Maps. I am still noticing all the hotels in town. It will be funny not doing a presentation on Monday morning - I will shed a tear and be fine. I will be posting some pictures and funny notes that I took on the road over the next little bit.

You can't spell Hangin' Tough without T.

A Few Pictures of Bruce

2005-11-24T22:54:00.000-06:00

I just got a roll of film developed from back in the day when I was in the Bruce Peninsula. I was also able to hike part of the Bruce Trail over a weekend which was so incredible.

There was this incredible crag that you could climb horizontally or vertically - when you got to the far edge you were still feet above the shore line.

Our hosts at the bed and breakfast sent us to this great restaurant called Rocky Raccoons. On the way there we were given the option of "the highway" or the "race car" route - race car it was. It followed along the shore and it was so beautiful.

It was the perfect day for hiking - windy but as long as the sun was out you didn't get too cold.

The Trail followed the edge of the escarpment and would jet out in certain places. Really helped to put yourself in perspective. Here Colin's just hanging out on the edge of the cliff - it only got a little unnerving when the wind blew hard or when other hikers came along with a bounding puppy.

This tastes like...

2005-11-22T21:20:00.000-06:00

Sitting at dinner tonight and I overheard a guy talking about the liver meal he was having. "Oh yeah, the liver here is great. Yeah, it actually tastes like steak with a hint of liver." Can someone please explain to me how liver can taste like steak and what is a hint of liver? Who knows.

Another funny thing...I went to work out tonight and the treadmill (about the only thing that worked) was a Star Trac...too punny.

Highlight for this week is being able to hang out with some of my dear friends AGAIN this week. Julia, Frase, Cole & Zeb have dinner every Thursday night. Well, this week I'm hosting. They're all coming up to the booming metropolis of Brantford where we'll hang out in my executive suite...my king size bed and t.v. on one side...microwave and fridge...then a double bed pull out couch with another t.v. in the sitting area. I also get to stay in one place for three whole nights which is a rare thing.

Roadies

2005-11-15T17:03:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures to go with some of the people I've met on the road - well they weren't on the road - well, Tink was, but beyond that it would be dangerous.

Danielle, Beth and I (Beth is on the phone). We were on our way to dinner with Al.

Mary and Heather (Cam's Momma and Sista)

This is a new friend of mine Virginia - she does the same job as I do except she works for Guelph. We met on a bus week.

Cathy, Julia, Cole

Fraser

Linda and Mike the Paramedic (Lynn thinks he looks good in a uniform.)

Dinner with some of my favorite ladies in the world. It was incredible to see Diana again. She and I will be MCing Heather B's wedding this summer and Denise and Heather M will be brides maids. It'll be a tonne of fun.

I literally found Tink on the road today...Fairy dust is a crock.

Later this week I'll publish a couple of funny trucks I saw on the road - it'll make more sense when you see it.

The Who (great band) and the Where

2005-11-12T22:05:00.000-06:00

So...I saw a friend this weekend and was "strongly encouraged" to post something more recent...sorry dudes and dudettes for the lack of posting.

I bought a digi cam so have some sweet pictures to share - they're more funny then stunning...however, I haven't downloaded them yet so you'll have to wait until later this week when the moons align themselves.

For those of you that would like to know I thought I'd update you on where I've been and whom I've seen.

Week of October 28th - Northeastern Ontario - Bus week which means I traveled with 21 other reps all over Northern Ontario. They were some of the coolest people I have met on the job so far. I also got to have dinner with my Aunt Bernie, Cousin Bonnie, Uncle Darryl and his mom Noni one night while I was in Timmins. Aunt Bernie is my mom's sista friend and it totally felt like I was with my mum. It was fantastic - I was even given by the friendly fairy (Uncle Darryl) an envelope full of Halloween chocolates and some Timmy's cash - they are wonderful people.

Week of October 31 - Peel/Halton - First three nights were spent with my friend Danielle and her dad Al. I also was able to hang out with a friend named Beth who I haven't seen in ages - maybe since she and her fam moved to BC. I also had one hilarious night with Karen, Julien and their 2 and 2/3 year old daughter Alexandria. It was a great night of Swiss Chalet, advice, laughter and one intelligent and hilarious little girl. The next two nights were spent with my friend Stephen -oops, I mean Steve, and his parents. We were also able to visit with Julia, Cole, their mom Cathy as well as Zeb and a quick visit by his fiance (woooo) Laura. By the way, Peel/Halton is the Brampton, Missisauga area. That weekend it was our open house at Trent and I saw some wonderful students that I had seen on the road - was lovely.

Week of November 7 - Peel Halton Reunion Tour - Three nights at Danielle's and Al's and a great meal out with them at Danielle's old job - Montana's - I got to meet some of her fans. Sietze (Al's puppy) was also sick this week which was not a highlight. The rest of the week and the weekend has been spent with Mary and Heather - Cam's momma and sister. It's been wonderful. I've also been able to experience the legendary "centre of the universe." Though I was dissapointed that no dry cleaners in the centre of the universe provides same day cleaning on weekends. I'm sure they're working on that. I was also able to see Julia, Fraser, Cole, Cathy, Lynn & Mike today in Cambridge. I feel so spoiled to have seen some of them two weeks in a row...we even had homemade pizza - mmmm pizza. I also was able to stay later and saw Fraser's parents (Bob and Nancy) as well as Frases brother Aaron and his new fiance (woooo) Sarah.

This coming week - Well, I'm back to the Western parts of Ontario - Lambton Kent - Home of great people Like Fraser and Denise, Elspeth and Patty - if I missed you, sorry. I'll actually be staying with Fraser's parents for a night or two and as long as I get in touch with them, move over Wayne and Shirley (Denise's mom and step dad) T's in the house. One highligt of the week is that a guidance counsellor is named Ann Murray. Too good.

Here's to a great week for everyone!
Hangin' Tough - T

Too Funny....

2005-10-31T17:25:00.000-06:00

This is in response to Josh who wanted to know some of the funniest questions we've encountered on the road...I'm going to expand it to funny stuff in general.

-During a presentation I stare at a kid while he has his finger, no joke, up to his knuckle in his nose. Grade 12 nose picker. The next time I looked over his buddy was picking stuff out of his back teeth. Did I mention we were a really small group - 6 or less. There was nothing discreet about it.

-Student yells..."Hey Lady!" I was like, "Are you talking to me?" He laughs awkwardly and says, "Ah, yeah." I laugh.

-Student, "So what's the most I can bench press in the weight room?" Liaison officer, "I'll have to get back to you on that." Student was dead serious.

- When taking an airport shuttle to the hotel we had a lot of stuff so the driver had to pack everything around us. When she's got everything in she jumps in the drivers seat and says "Well, now we can go seeing as I'm loaded." We all wet our pants at this point.

-While out at lunch with a bunch of other university reps the York rep asks for no cheese on her sandwich...another rep asks her if that's because she was a vegetarian...she was ordering a steak sandwich.

-We do presentations called General Information Sessions (GIS') - we explain the general process of choosing a university without speaking directly about our institutions. I was tag teaming one with another rep and had to tell the students that they could find a complete directory of all the different programs in the INFO 69 magazine. The students all started giggling...I laughed and said, "yeah, 69." It's actually the issue number which is unfortunate.

-You know how in shi shi poo poo bathrooms there are people who offer cologne and towels etc. We were at a university bar and there was one in the male washroom. We figure he had a hand fetish.

That's all for now. I have more written down but they're not with me. I hope you enjoy most of them.

Worth A Thousand Words

2005-10-29T14:28:00.000-05:00

While in The Bruce I was able to stay in a lot of towns which bordered Lake Huron. It was gorgeous. I tried to get out for a walk every night. These are a few pictures - though the disposable camera didn't do the scenery justice it gives you an idea of what it was like. I think this may be one of my new favorite areas of Ontario.

The Power of Kindness

2005-10-24T16:27:00.000-05:00

This will be an update on last week spent in the Bruce peninsula. Firstly, it is STUNNING. I was literally breath-taken on a couple of occasions. Such a pretty part of Ontario - I felt so lucky to have seen it. The thing that stood out however was the kindness of the people I met. I would like to share with you a few of those occasions...

1.Barbara & Dave from the first B&B I have ever stayed at. She is a wonderful German woman, librarian and the "mum" to the most wonderful dog ever named Mazi. He is a Canadian bus driver. They are both bikers (Harley D's) and are the most lovely people. They were married in Las Vegas at a drive through wedding chapel on a Harley - she had an orange hat on...we got to see the tape. These people were so welcoming and down to earth - I actually picked their B&B because she was wearing overalls in the picture. They were wonderful company and completely easy going. I felt so well cared for that I came back with a friend to hike some of the Bruce Trail for the weekend and we stayed there. Funny part of this was that there was always a guest named Barbara there as well as our host. They were so thoughtful.

2.The schools I visited with were some of the most easy going teachers and students I have had the pleasure of interacting with. Very easy going, interested in who you were not just the school you were representing. Many of the secretary's were also avid hikers which was helpful in deciding where to go. I really also felt I had the opportunity to invest in some of the students I spoke with. Some are so afraid of "getting it wrong" or failing and I LOVE being able to tell them that they should be proud of being in the position that they're at (able to go to university) and that they're going to make a fantastic choice. One girl almost cried just having someone tell her that she was wonderful.

3.Being away from home. This may sound odd in a lot of senses but let me explain. I have loved my job thus far and loved my adventures. It's also helped me realize what wonderful people I know. My mum for example and her husband have been a regular contact for me. I've talked to them more in the past 2 months then I have in the past 7 years. My mum is an incredible lady and is always good to give me the latest on what's happening at home or to remind me that she thinks I'm wonderful. I've also been able to keep up with some friends on a more regular basis then I've been able to over the past couple of years. I get to call them in the middle of the day at work or chat at the end of a long day and it's so refreshing. There's also my friends who have been great to make time for me...Whether it's a meal or a movie or a walk in the park or a phone call or an 18.5km hike.

4.Another, and the last of my examples, are two new friends of mine: Jordan and Christopher. Age 9 and 10 respectively. I was able to stay with them in their families home as their grandparents run the B&B and their dad lives there too. I played sequence with the boys, and had my butt kicked, we read books on horse back riding and talked about how angles are not only found in grade four homework but all around us. We spoke in British accents and shared scones together. They even wanted me to come back and visit now that I know where they live. They were so wonderful.

The theme that I'm constantly reminded of is how kind all these people have been to me and how it has often, and quite literally, "made my day." I'm sure those little boys weren't trying to go out of their way to be nice to the random lady in their living room...but they totally changed my experience. I feel so blessed. There's that totally overused quote by Margaret Mead that says "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." I wonder if her point wasn't just in reference to "thoughtful" as people who put cognizant, analytical work into their cause but also that those who were thoughtful. As in being kind and considerate of the feelings or well-being of others.

Why Would They Call it That?

2005-10-12T21:17:00.000-05:00

So, this week has been fairly quiet. I've been able to stay with my mom and travel throughout the area - it was neat to go back to my own high school. I also had the pleasure of having breakfast with a couple of friends from high school. We would sometimes pull pranks together - shocking I'm sure. One nearly fell down a 25 foot ladder while hunting with his girlfriends dad. He caught himself at the last minute. I asked if his girlfriends dad was around in case he had fallen...his reply was "He was close enough that he would have heard me hit the ground." Funny guy. My other friend is working on his masters. He created a machine that can give a quantitative answer for whether someone has an ear infection or not - why is this important?...Mis-diagnosed ear infections are the number one reason that antibiotics are wrongly prescribed...that leads into immunity to certain antibiotics...yada yada yada. So I think his project is cool. He's also going to ultimate frisby world championships. It was great to see both of them.

Beyond that I've just been going to schools - doing the presentation. I had a fantastic group today. They laughed so hard at my jokes and were really focused on their choices...good for them.

For today's fun I will let you know about some of the funny signs my colleagues and I have seen while on the road...this is just the beginning.

Beer Road ... the next day I saw Barr Road ... coincidence? I think not.
Go Home Road
Hore Sale ... It was one of those boards that have removable letters ... some had falled off ... he he.
Balls Falls Conservation Area
Ralphs Slaughter House "Custom Killing Available"

Good Laugh

I Survived 214

2005-10-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

Another week, another code red.

So, I'm setting up for a presentation in a high school. All of a sudden the teacher of that class enters and informs me that we're entering a code red and initiating a lock-down. "Oh" I say nonchalantly, as if the old code red lock-down was my invention. Then he locks us in the room. We shut the windows. Everyone sits against the inner wall out of the way of the window in the door. For anyone who doesn't know, that's the usual code red procedure.

The students are quick to tell me that they started practicing these things after Columbine. The teacher informs me that it's not a drill but he doesn't know what's happening. The principal got on the announcements periodically informing us that there was police presence (he didn't mention that it was the SWAT team) and that we were continuing in a, you guessed it, code red.

We talked about financial aid, played "bum" (censored for your own good). We even came up with a t-shirt slogan: "better bored then dead." Some of my colleagues were scared and unnerved. I really had peace about the situation - thank you donning. I even had peace when a girl got a text message from a friend who heard from a friend that said that their was a student walking around the halls with a gun...this ended up being a partial truth. It was actually a fake gun, the guy was 15, they didn't find him right away and when they did he was arrested.

My friend Julia would probably laugh and say "It's because T was there." She might be right...I attract these things it seems. I was just thankful I wasn't the teacher who was about eight months pregnant and had to pee like a racehorse.

Everyone is fine. It worked out in the end. It's a first in Liaison history as far as anyone can remember.

Just the beginning...

2005-09-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

This is my first week on the road represent the university I graduated from and now work for. I'm in Northern Ontario - not even the really far North but it's different. The leaves are beautiful. The weather on the colder side and the smog from local factories the same as anywhere else in Canada. I'm driving a 2006 Chrysler Impala for the week - cop car. Red. It has some pretty sweet pick-up. Though it really doesn't have that well worn feel that my 1990 Toyota Tercel does.

I headed out this morning with 200km to cover and three schools. I ended up realizing (thankfully before any presentations) that I had a hole in my pants and that my bright pink underwear were shining through. I changed. Skirt on I also ran into the problem that I was proliferating one of the stereo-type's of the university I was representing - no one shaves. Lacking time I continued on to my first school. At the beginning of the adventure I was 40 minutes ahead of schedule...now I was on time. Did I mention it was pouring rain and I had neglected to pack anything that remotely resembled a jacket? I arrived at the school and had to trek the equivalent of Mount Everest to get to their guidance office. With over 75lbs of "product" I climbed, as gracefully as one can climb in a skirt, up two flights of stairs. Finally reaching the office I realized that no, I had brought the wrong box with me. Down two flights of stairs, around the school in the pouring rain, to the car and back again...only to have the guidance counselor greet me, again. The presentation was fine. I started sounding like Kermit the Frog half way through. The nine people there all took turns yawning - I blame it on the rain.

I ate steak and bought brown nylons. I think tomorrow will be a great day.