Portland...it would be a disappointment without rain...

I made it to Alina's last night around 6:30 after a crazy day of flying...the crop duster we fly in and out of Canada makes for a wild and crazy ride. I have approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes of flying in those planes left and there will be count down as soon as I get back on the plane on Sunday and fly back to Canada for one last time. On Friday for a brief moment I saw my eyes flash before my eyes...half way to Seattle we were all enjoying our complementary drinks and snacks of peanuts and Detour bars when the captain comes on the speaker and asks that we all buckle up and that the flight attendant please take her seat because we are headed toward a bumpy ride...I have been on many flights and many of them have been bumpy and though I never enjoy it, I realize that this comes with the territory...but I have never experienced anything like the 2 minutes I did on flight 2399 on Friday. I can not explain what happened in those brief moments but they will forever be ingrained in my mind. Drinks flying...faint screams...plane dropping...eyes closed...white knuckles...and in the end I have the Merlot a lady across the isle behind me was enjoying just a few moments ago on the front of my pink shirt...and then, just as fast as the wild ride came...a strange stillness comes over the plane as we begin our decent into to Seattle...............

Vegas, Baby, Vegas

It is official, before I head back to Chi town in February I will be stopping off in Vegas...of course the purpose of this trip is for a 'work conference' it should still be a great time. I have never been to Vegas and really didn't have plans to go in the near future so it is a pleasant suprise. I will be staying at the Mirage Hotel on the strip for 4 nights. WOOHOOO!

Speed...

I'm tired of spinning my own wheels,
I need to find a place where my heart can go to heal,
I need to get there pretty quick,
Hey Mr. what do you got out on that lot you can sell me in a pinch.

Maybe one of them souped up muscle cars,
Kinda makes you think you're stronger then you are.
Color don't matter, no I don't need leather seats,
The only thing that concerns me is...

SPE---ED....how fast will it go,
Can it get me, over him quickly, 0 to 60
And out run his memory, yeah what I really need,
Is an o p e n road, and a whole lot of speed.

Throw me them keys so I can put some miles between us,
Tear off that rear view mirror there's nothing else left to see here,
Let me lean on that gas or he catches up fast.

So gimme SPE----ED....how fast will it go,
Can it get me, over him quickly, 0 to 60
Can it out run his memory, yeah what I really need,
Is an o p e n road, and a whole lot of speed....thats what I need.

I'm tired of spinning my wheels...
I'm tired of spinning my wheels...


john michael montgomery

Nothing like being thrown in the fire...

So I have hit week 2 of my Canadian adventure...my time here on a new clients site. My role was to be assisting with testing and documentation...today I was surprised to see that I was not only to be a part of the testing...I was to be ahead of the testing. Major change from what I heard on Thursday. Nothing like getting thrown in a room with 6 clients for 7 hours, it was great fun...or not. I did survive though and I'm sure I'm stronger because of it.
We left the office at 7:30 tonight and I felt guilty...how sad is it that after 11.5 hours I feel guilty for leaving work?? SERIOUSLY!
Anyhow, I didn't write yesterday but on our last day off we went to see 'Along Came Polly' (which was pretty good despite what critics say) and then drove around and checked out some of the scenery. All in all we had a great relaxing weekend. Checked out some restaurants here, except I really wanted Mexican and we could not find a Mexican restaurant anywhere around here. If anyone wants to open up their own Mexican restaurant I've got a great market for you.

Gone and done it...

So I have done it, I missed my first daily post. We all knew it was going to happen so at least its over with. I actually did start typing on Thursday but all I could write about was the Extreme Makeover episode I was watching and I didn't feel it was really Blogworthy. The last night I started again and I was playing MSN's Solitaire Showdown, writing, playing writing some more, playing some more so when I when to post I had timed out of my blogger session and after I signed in again it deleted my post...ahhhh, by then I was to tired to do anything about it.
So Thursday we actually got to leave at a decent time...6:45, it was so exciting. We got Friday off because we had put 51 hours in before we even hit Friday. We decided to explore Kamloops on Friday but due to snow and fog we didn't get to see much. Today is pretty much the same although I think I may have seen the sun peaking through the fog. I will have to wait and see. I did make it to the mall and found some great deals...capri pants for 2.50 (thats Canadian...so even less in the US), no one can pass that up.
Here are some more pictures of Kamloops that I took today.

Its all about the reveal...

I've missed my first post yesterday...I have to say that I did attempt to write but I was having bloggers block and couldn't think of anything to write about besides the Extreme Makeover show I was watching and it didn't seem blog worthy. I got tired and lost hope so I decided that the day where I missed a post would have to come anyway. So therefore I have missed my first post daily post.
Today was our first work free day in Canada, well work free compared to the other days. We had big plans to explore the region today, however we didn't get very far on account of weather. It started out with some snow this morning and then we couldn't shake the fog. As we drove down the street we couldn't even see the restaurants on the side of the road so we decided to pull in the mall and eat in the food court..A&W mmm, we don't have those around Chicago. We drove around Kamloops trying to reach Walmart. We could see it from the top of the mountain where are hotel was but as we drove down the roads twisted and turned...we ended up driving around 20 minutes before we found it.

3 days down...17 more to go...

It has been 2 very long days....13 hours later I have returned to my hotel...exhausted, angry that I missed the third episode of the Apprentice (Why did the have to change it to Wednesday anyway???? )...not wanting to go to bed just because I know I will have to get up in the morning just to do the same thing all over again...
13 hours seriously? It wouldn't be so bad if I had things to keep me busy for 13 hours but they don't. I'm thinking tomorrow should be an early night because the other consultants are flying out and I have already gotten the 'Okay' from my boss to take Friday off so I'm very excited about that. I also found out today that there is a chance I will get to go to Vegas for a 3 day conference for work...I could totally do a conference after getting back from here...and in Vegas at that. The only bad thing is that I get home on the 7th of February and I would need to be in Vegas either on the 8th or the 9th. Talk about quick turn around. Welp, there's work to be done before bed... Here's pictures of Kamloops from my hotel room:

The Life of a Consultant...

We landed safely in Canada about 8:00 pm local time. The airport was 1/4 the size of Tri-cities Airport in Johnson City. I am not even joking. There was one baggage claim which was in the lobby which was also the one and only gate with the check-in and Hertz rental car counter. It is by far the smallest airport I have ever been in. I couldn't help but laugh. I solved the problem about the lack of Canadian money by hitting the 1985 ATM machine that was in the lobby/baggage claim/gate area and was lucky that there was one lonely cab waiting for me when I stepped outside. I think the good Lord was watching over me.
I can't wait to get a good look at my surroundings but I will have to wait for another day. It was dark when I landed last night, this morning it was foggy and I'm still at the office and its dark once again. All I know is that the hotel is at a higher elevation then the office because there is snow up there and none here. Surprisingly enough it doesn't get light until later then Chicago here. When I woke up at 7 it was still pitch black out. I wasn't expecting that, I flung open my curtains to see the landscape but I was sadly disappointed when all I could see was darkness.. From what I can tell it is beautiful and mountainess. I am looking forward to my day off when I can get a good look at everything. For now, it's 7:30, we haven't eaten dinner, I'm trapped in the office because we are 'sharing' rental cars and I want to go home. I'm starving and have eaten every ounce of food in my bag, including left over carrot sticks and shortbread cookies I got on the plane yesterday. I'm going to start getting cranky and I assure you that no one wants that...

A little piece of heaven...

Its 9:33 central...7:33 mountain...i think mountain, I'm not really sure. I'm in flight to Kamloops, British Columbia..man these plane trips would go by so much faster if I could surf the web...blog perhaps. I am on a rickety old plane... that's really really loud...and very shaky...40 minutes and counting. My flight to Seattle may have been the best flight I have ever had. It was four hours, I often have time sitting still for 30 minutes but it didn't seem to bad today. I had my new Gameboy SP to keep me occupied for most of the trip. Our flight got into Seattle at sunset, I could only see clouds below us for most of the trip but about 40 minutes before we landed I started seeing mountains sticking through the clouds....at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me...after all, I had seen Iowa 3 hours ago and it was so far away and now these mountains peaks were right out my window...an amazing an awesome site. Just happened that "I Can Only Imagine" came on during this amazing experience. Made me think that I truly can 'only imagine'. The pilot said one of them was Mt. St. Helen's. I guess I wasn't sure what to expect (the biggest mountains I've ever seen were at good old Milligan College, and I thought those were awesome) but even the tips of these mountains peeking through the clouds during at sunset was surely a treat for anyone's eyes. Click here to check out the pictures of the moutains in the clouds

I'm not really sure what to expect when I get to Canada...my game plan is to grab a cab to the hotel...however, it just dawned on me that Canadian Currency would be really helpful. Guess I will figure that out once on the ground.

Something funny about Karma...

I headed out shopping this afternoon with no intentions of going to Old Navy. For some reason I felt myself gravitating towards the store for no apparent reason (after all I am still bitter towards them for changing the style of my favorite low rise boot cut jeans...they no longer fit like a glove...they now have a 2 inch gap in the back...girls you know what I mean). Anyhow, I find myself strolling the isles, checking out the latest fashion fads, thawing my hands and ears from the Chicago winter blasts. Head towards the clearance section, for those who know me, know I can't pass up a good bargain. Grab a few pairs of jeans that are on sale, knowing that none of them will fit but decide I will try them on anyway...when I spot a familiar face...one I hadn't seen in about 7 years...never the less the face hadn't changed. A girl I went to high school with, and a cheerleader at that (yes, I'm stereotyping here I realize that but this is my blog and I can do that if I want). Her locker was 2 away from mine for 6 years, she was always nice enough, but just enough for that 2.4 minutes we would see each other between each passing period...beyond that I wouldn't know, we weren't exactly in the same social circle. And now, here we are, 41 miles from that high school in the same store...except I'm shopping with the well earned money that I receive from my job in the corporate world and she is stocking shelves. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people that stock shelves...I like when stores are neat and shirts are all folded nice...I don't see myself as any better than those stocking shelves, but still for some reason I can't help but smirk as I head to the register to pay for the pair of jeans I got on clearance that actually fit...and to think, I'm not even sure why I went in the store in the first place.

Does anyone else find it ironic that the word Blog is not in the Blogger dictionary and its picked up on spelled check every time????

It's all about the medium...

People have often told me that journaling is a great way to capture your thoughts...I have never been one to journal though. Not that I haven't made attempts. I buy cute journals and fun pens thinking it will inspire me to write on a regular basis...I write the first day...maybe the second then I forget for another week, write another day then never pick it up again. I can not even tell you how many times this has happened to me in the past. I failed to see why anyone would make such a big deal out of journaling...but I think I have figured it out...it wasn't that I disliked journaling, its that I hadn't found the right medium...my life has been changed, my eyes have been opened...I have seen the light. I finally have a place to put those thoughts that go through my head...the conversations I have with myself...without feeling crazy. The only problem is now everyone else KNOWS I'm crazy. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a secret in the first place though...and it turns out that even though i started this so people could keep tabs of me while traveling, it has been more therapy for myself then anything else.
True this is only my first week...I still have plenty of time for failure...but I believe this may be record for me...and I'm still excited about it and I look forward to what will end up on the page each day.

Canadia

Some of you know that I it won't be long before I leave for Canada. My company has decided to give me the privilege of spending 3 all inclusive weeks with our cold friends to the north. And though I would rather go in the spring or summer I am actually quite excited to go. During this time I will not be able to come home because my total one way trip will probably be around 9 hours (that's including lay overs). I will be spending one weekend with Alina Best (a near and dear friend, please check out her awesome drawings at http://www.geocities.com/alinaestherbest/ in Portland. Since the farthest west I have been is Wichita,Kansas I can assure you I am very excited about my little adventure.

So none of that really has to do with what I intended to post on today...anyway, I have picked up another interesting yet possibly embarrassing habit the past couple of weeks. For some reason I can not simply refer to our neighbors to the North as 'Canada'...on more than one occasion I mix the words Canadian and Canada therefore it comes out as Canadia. The first time I did it, I laughed and joked with my parents in the comfort of their home...the next time I was with co workers at work...slightly more embarrassing but still forgivable...what next? With my Canadian co-workers??? Or worse...Customs? 'Yes I will be staying in Canadia for the next 3 weeks'...

Chipotle lunches of Champions

Randomness
Three post in two days, please don't get use to this. I am setting myself up for failure...and if you continue to check this site, a lifetime of disappointment.
Its 12:14, I'm at work, eating a steak burrito and having a Mountain Dew, listening to internet radio, blogging, anxiously awaiting my Gameboy Advance SP that I am picking up tonight and I suddenly realize to my horror that I am a geek. True, this shouldn't be a new thing, I have often called myself this in the past, never really believing it though. I feel now there is no denying it it...the signs are all there. If it walks like a geek, talks like a geek, chances are...its a geek. Who said that's a bad thing though?
I have noticed through my recent blogging and e-mails (maybe you have also)...that I have picked up a horrible habit...how and when this started I'm not sure...Why can't I just use normal punctuation? I have no idea...I have no intentions of stopping because like most habits...I quite enjoy it.................

The Twisted Webs We Weave

During the holiday season I received a phone call from an ex-boyfriend...lets call him Rob...not only did he call...he happened to call while my new flavor was sitting next to me on the couch. I decided to forego the conversation as it wasn't the best time to take a call from my ex. After checking my voice mail later that evening I discovered that B...Rob had a Christmas present for me in which he was hoping to drop off. Luckily, I was able to head off any meetings of the exes during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
Christmas has come and gone, the new year has been rung in, the flavor has lost its taste and I was yet to receive my Christmas present from Rob. So we met yesterday for old time sake. The long awaited Christmas present, received during our lunch break...a book, 'The Hobbit' actually, which I hadn't asked for. He said he had hoped that 'I hadn't picked it up yet'...I hadn't...the copy the ex 'flavor' gave me just a couple weeks ago is still sitting on my desk...

Keeping up with the Jones

Well I've gone and done it...decided to open myself up and actually show the world, despite the outward appearance of a lifestyle of glitz, glamour, and beauty...don't forget beauty, how boring my life is...
ACTUALLY...I just wanted to keep up with the Jones' (and their life is probably more interesting then mine, well at least their kids are cute..so you may just want to stop reading and check their blog out instead... www.fourjones.com).

I guess some of you who are reading this don't even know what a Blog is, basically its a web log (hence the name) or journal...somewhere I can write about things going on with me or ramble on about...well anything I want to...so there. Hopefully if I'm successful at all you can keep tabs on me while I'm flying all around the world...climbing the corporate ladder...errr...more like being the guinea pig and going where no man (or woman) wants to go. Hopefully this won't be the only way you'll find out what I'm up too, but its a start.