Trips and Other Madness

It's been awhile! I figure that few enough people read this that no one really notices if I go awol for a month or two, but it turns out that a good friend from back home has actually been checking it out. Shout out to Gun'r!! Lol, look at that darling, yer in print. Kind of...

Although I have very clearly stated that I won't talking about work, I will say that I have been crazy friggen busy the last bit, which is why I've been slacking on the blog front.


Let's see, where were we when we last chatted... ah that's right, we were heading to Qiliqtarjuaq. Believe it or not, I can say it 10 times fast, and I can even properly pronounce it!

And it was fabulous (insert note - fabulous is my very favoritist word, expect to see it a lot). I had, sadly, heard some rather disparaging things about this very small community, and I am glad to inform all of you that they were completely incorrect. It was very picturesque, and to be honest, the cleanest community I have seen in all the north, even before spring clean up!!

The people, both local and southern, that I met treated me wonderfully and I would've liked to have been in there longer.

This was also where I got to experience my first taste of northern fog, and it was like nothing I have ever seen in my life. 'London fog' has nothing on Nunavut!! It sits on the ground or the water like a solid object. Although hugely inconvenient for travel purposes, it is startlingly beautiful.

What renderred me speechless though, was the plane ride in between Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq. It was the first and only time I have ever taken pictures from a plane, and god help me I couldn't stop!! In spite of my shitty, shitty camera, I got some beautiful shots. (Picked up 2 double a batteries in Qik for $9. Nice.)

I got to Iqaluit, and said fog trapped all of us Dorset-miut there for the next 4 days. Went out with a girlfriend for dinner and a drink (this is code for many, many drinks), and the last game of the playoffs, where we were fkn thrilled to watch Detroit get their asses kicked!! Filled the next few days w/ as many 'outtings' as possible, knowing that once I got home I was pretty much on house arrest. Other than Saturday night poker, I don't get out much...

AND..... I bought a new camera!! Nothing super fantastic, but it's what I was looking for, and was nestled comfortably into my price range. Yay!! I will post some pics, but I will let everyone know now that I am NOT a photographer, so keep all expectations to a minimum!!

I managed to get home for about 6 days (and one grand night of poker!), and then headed out for the marathon tour... booked 5 communities and 19 days of travel.

Sounds like a lot (shit, it IS a lot), but it actually takes less time to do it this way then coming back home after each. The school year here runs on a bit of a different schedule, and conventiently for my (un-named) job, a lot of people clear out in the summer, making it easier for me to do my thing.

First was a quick jaunt to Hall Beach, which was crazy warm!! (insert note - this means it was around 5 degrees and I braved a smoke or two with no coat on; I am truly a rebel.)

Next was a jump over to Igloolik. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I friggen love this place. First of all, it's called Igloolik. Yep. Spoken like it's written; ig-loo-lick. Nice.

Then there are the people. The people are fabulous (<- see?! Great word!!). In my previous blog I spoke about spending a night out at the c-hall last time I was here watching 7 local bands play. The hotel owner, Elijah, had mentioned to me that it was going on and said I should go. I took Terry with me, and we had a great time. I ran into him today and he remembered me, as did the cook in his hotel! How sweet is that! They let me know what kind of celebrations were going on for Canada Day.

Terry, who is the Foreman at the LHO, is also great. I was invited over for 'coffee' on Friday night to meet his wife and play some Canasta, which I had never heard of but is quite fun! We had a fabulous night, and did brunch and cards on Sunday too. His lovely wife Michelle and I went out on Canada Day and we had some great bonding time over a windy trip on the four-wheeler and a nice fire.


Really, I could go on and on. I'll condense and just tell you that I love going there, and can't wait to go back.

Off to Pond Inlet, which is where I am now. Beautiful community, and one of the bigger ones up here. The new hotel isn't done yet, unfortunately, but there are some great people here so that makes up for it!!

Next is Clyde River and then home sweet home for a few more days and (hopefully) another poker game before I head out again.





Now that all of that is over with, back to me!! As I am sure I have mentioned before, it is all about me after all!!



As I am sure many folk up here can relate to, I seem to have an abundance of ‘spare time’ on my hands. In fact, I imagine that I actually have a bit more than others, as I don’t have cable, internet, or a phone line at home. (Before I get accosted as to a)how I can possibly be so primitive , or b)where in the hell I am posting these from, I have all of these amenities in the hotels that I spend a good portion of my time in.)

I read. A lot. In fact, more than anyone I know. You’ll remember from a previous post that if I could get paid to read, I would have my dream job.

I also do some craft type stuff. I crochet, I cross-stitch, I dabble in drawing and photography. Really though, other than my job, I have no life at all. *sniff*.

So, I have decided to do something about that. I just haven’t decided what yet. But here’s how I see it; I plan on staying in the north until I retire. Yes, I said retire. This, by my calculations, should be by the ripe young age of 45, leaving me more than enough time to enjoy the spoils of my labour. Since I will be staying, I will be building. (if you build it, they will come, right? maybe this means someone will finally come visit me??) As the cost of building anything in Nunavut is enough to make you get sick a little bit in your mouth, I may as well find a hobby that I can make some money off of. After all, a business license is cheap enough, and I have to have some talent, albeit obviously very, very hidden.

I’ve been contemplating what I might like to try my hand at. It has to be something that I can do from anywhere, as I am on the road so often. Also something that I will stick with; I have a notoriously short attention span when it comes to anything other than books. Something that requires no artistic talent, which I certainly don’t have enough of to be paid for. And something that requires no capital. Hah! This should be easy!!

Until we meet again...

Walk a Mile in my Cowboy Boots...

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I've been thinking about this question a lot lately; how I responded to it as a child, and wondering if it's a normal query of yourself when nearing 30.

Thinking back to the early years of Des...

My mum tells me my first response to this was a fire-truck. Yep. Not the fire(wo)man, but the truck itself. As I grew, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. I didn't know why, other than it sounded fancy and important.

My mum however, tried with all her might to convince me I wanted to be an orthodontist. I think that was after she realized how much it was going to cost to keep me in braces for 2 years...

One thing I distinctly remember thinking, from the fire-truck age, was that I always knew I wanted to be the boss of me.

By about midway through high school, I knew what I wanted to do. I had dreams of a uber chic, high end getaway spa, catering to very wealthy women who needed a few days away from the chaos of life. I know, it doesn't sound like much of a dream to most, but it was mine.

At the ripe age of 18, I began hairstyling and esthetics school, thinking that this would be the best way to get into the industry. Unfortunately, lifelong back problems and severe medical concerns with my hands rendered me unable to continue in a trade I had quickly come to love.

So, from there I kind of fell into a series of different jobs, some of which I loved, some that were just bringing in a paycheque, most of which brought wonderful people into my life, and all of which taught me something about the world, and about those in it; but most of all about myself.

A few years ago, after being laid off from a much loved position in the automotive field, and somehow ended up getting into Property Management. The people that I have met in this industry have become my best friends, my mentors, my family.

And so now I ask myself: is this what I want to do when I grow up?

If you could do anything in the world and get paid for it, what would it be? Would you watch TV? Travel? Write? Play video games? Me, I'd read. If someone would pay me to read, I would be the happiest woman around. Unfortunately, I am not quite sure how to get out into that exclusive literary field.

So I think that yes, this is what I am going to do. It's a field I love, it's new every day, and it's never dull.

And then, when I retire disgustingly young, I will buy me a few hundred acres, find all my animals (2 horses, 2 cows, 2 pigs, 2 goats, 2 chickens... you get the idea), own far too many toys, open my little country bar, and grow old teaching line dancing lessons in my cute little cowboy boots. Most importantly, I will be the boss of me.

So there you go, I wanna be a redneck when I grow up.

Until we meet again...

The Best of Paint-your-tongue...

This is the second time I've been to Pangnirtung, and any of you who read my now-deleted blog, know that I fell in love with both the community and the French chef at the Lodge. Yep, I heart Louis, and I don't care if the whole world knows it. Any man who cares that much about my food is all good in my books!!

This time though, I met even more people, and that really is the best part of being in any of the communities. Anyone who knows me will tell you how very much I love to talk, and there is never a shortage of people here who share that passion!

This trip, in addition to getting to know one of the gentlemen from Dorset, I also shared stories with several wonderful teachers, an amazing photographer, a quirky nurse, a dentist and his assistant son, and a jail guard.

Although I have done a lot of walking this trip, the stupid battery in my stupid camera have died. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to take any pics. *le sigh*

I am off again in the morning, this time to Qikiqtarjuaq (say it 10 times fast...), and will hopefully have new batteries for the trip. Hehehe...

Until we meet again...

A Rose by Any Other Name... Is Still a Bitch.

So here’s the thing.

A couple weeks ago, I received some rather disappointing news regarding a singular pathetic reader of my blog, and deleted the entire thing in a moment of displaced rage. Tonight, after a completely unrelated conversation, I am back, and although I have a few ‘choice’ statements regarding that person in particular, they will not be made here.

But here is my disclaimer.

Although I am a ‘public servant’, that does not separate me from being human, a woman, a pioneer, or a… well…. Bitch. This is me, so suck it up.

That being said, this blog will not contain any direct reference to my job, my company, or my peers without their consent.

It WILL contain reference to my life, my travels, my home, my friends, my hopes, dreams, family, wants, needs, angers, pleasures, and yes, my opinions. Believe it or not, whether or not everyone shares my opinions, or anything else named here, is of no concern or consequence to me. Remember, I did mention up there somewhere that I am a bitch. You have a problem with that? Heh, here’s a quarter.

Until we meet again….