I even managed to watch one of the movies I'd downloaded to the laptop before heading up here and I throughly enjoyed Hysteria - it's about 'women's issues' in the 1880s in London - it's very funny and I highly recommend it. Think it was released in 2011 and stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Felicity Jones and Hugh Dancy - if you recognize any of those stars. Loosely based on the facts of the time.
I went for a walk this afternoon just to get out and it was very brisk as I headed towards the airport. Definite error in judgement to not wear the snow pants. The Yak Trax (boot cleats) were sure a good idea as the roads are as slick as a glass bottle from the Hondas packing down the snow to ice. There was a sort of traffic line up on the way back from the First Air flight with passengers and freight being transported back into the hamlet. The snow which fell over the weekend will likely be here until June as last year this time in Cambridge Bay the 'staying snow' arrived. The sea ice is being pushed towards the shore and soon the NW Passage will be closed again. I was pleased to get a new Pang hat, seen above, as the previous one had stretched from putting it in the dryer. It's always nice when you can commission a new piece of clothing to match your jacket from one of the local crafts people.
The days are getting pretty short here now compared to Nova Scotia as today sunrise was at 7:15
sunset at 4:45 pm and less daylight daily. My roommate who was looking out the window about 5:30 pm said "here comes a plane" which we don't usually notice, but with the darkness and their big lights on, it appeared as if it was coming to visit us. My apologies for the fuzzy shot but that's what you get by standing on a chair and taking the photo through the dining room window. It kind of looks like a UFO hovering over Taloyoak. Two planes in one day is a good track record for lately as the flights have been messed up with unsettled weather. The larger planes which can carry enough fuel to fly up and back from Yellowknife have a better chance of making it as they don't have to deal with the legal alternate - another local community which is safe to divert to if necessary - because the smaller prop planes refuel at each stop as they can't carry enough for a return flight plan.
I usually try to include a few links for your educational pleasure and although I haven't completely checked out this micro lending site, it does at first glance look like a good idea. The premise is that you lend a small sum of money to a disadvantaged person and when the loan is repaid you can reinvest it again or take it back. Would be a good suggestion for a don't 'buy gifts for the sake of it' Christmas plan:
And on a kind of sombre note, a story from the Washington Post the speaks of tough decisions for elderly parents:
The other link which interested me is a bit more upbeat - a link to another blog - called Hyperbole and a Half - not sure if all the posts are as good as the most recent one on power, but I loved it :
And as there are a number of posts to this blog, and I've lost track of some of the links, I'm not sure if this link is a reposting, if so, it's good enough to say again:
Did the online check in as prompted for the Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Holland America, Westerdam next month. Had to have the travel partner look up the passport info when we had a FaceTime chat on Sunday, as he would not have the patience for the particulars, such as flight info etc. One of the questions necessitated a quick call to him today as the name of the hotel in Fort Lauderdale post cruise was required. I couldn't find the information as he'd booked the accommodation through Hotwire and printed it out at home. I'm not sure if it wasn't in his email or he couldn't remember the password to check it at the plant as he had put the phone down and was yelling "just give me a minute" from across the office when I was trying to tell him how, without access to the info I was managing fine as I saved info in my email and he should do the same. I was thinking the name of the little boutique hotel in Las Olas was a short name such as The Benches (I know, I know doesn't make sense) but when I Googled boutique hotels in Las Olas and The Pillars jumped out I had an aha moment and he agreed that was it - not too far off. Checked out the stateroom and balcony online, then printed the itinerary and luggage tags, woohoo all that sun and surf look pretty good when the scene outside the window is a winter wonderland - doesn't matter if it's October or February.
The roommate and myself were invited out to supper at the mental health workers place with the SAO (Site Administrative Officer - like the CEO of the hamlet) and it was a great meal and good conversation. So since my turkey supper is settling on my tummy, it's time to get some shut eye and ready myself for a short work week.
