Vacation Report (10/30/05)

The first flight was a fun-filled trip involving a talkative pilot (on a red-eye) and a lot of turbulence. Not fun. I only cat-napped at best, so was pretty tired deplaning in Toronto-- int 1 degree (celsius) temperatures.

Toronto's airport was interesting and I had to wait about 30 minutes to clear customs, then get my baggage, recheck my baggage, and then get on the pimped shuttle to go the other terminal. It was hectic, never having done that before, but everyone was very helpful and polite.

The second leg was a bit better; the flight was smooth and the pilot kept to himself. The plan was pretty small so that, at my size, I was fairly cramped in my seat. I did make the man next to me smile when I glanced out the window and said, "It's so greeen!"

Desert rat, born and raised.

M met me at the Saint John airport with jacket in-hand. Most of my worries and cares from the flight sloughed away right then and there! We collected my bag and drove to her home.

I got the grand tour of the place, was fascinated by her basement, in awe of her central vac system, and impressed with the decorating job her friends treated her to when she first moved in. Place is very nice and full of warmth and vitality.

We hung out while I absorbed the atmosphere and get used to being here. I was also pretty wigged out after many hours of travel and even longer without sleep. M was very gracious and understanding.

We took a driving tour of M's parent's house, her grandfather's houses, her old schools, and some other points of interest in M's life to date.

Soon, however, it was time to meet Jenn and Stew for dinner and shopping. Being a desert rat, it was quickly decided that little of what I brought would be serviceable by itself to keep me warm in the single digit celsius temperatures of the area.

Jenn and Stew are great. Jenn is a fashion maven and Stew is low key and funny. We got along very well and they made the first pass of "meet and greet" very enjoyable. And I got some new clothes out of it.

Didn't sleep very well that night as I was trying to get used to totally foreign surroundings.

Saturday was a fun day. Made M breakfast (french toast for her and eggs for me), which she enjoyed. I then was given a tour of some of the city, including a walking tour of the downtown area and a walk along the ped-way which allows a person to walk and shop for quite a distance without setting foot outside. That was fun. The architecture and brick work is amazing. It reminded me of some of the places I've visited with my sister in Pennsylvania.

Next up was church. M's Catholic church is a beautiful structure with many stained glass and painted windows. One of her priests is 101 years old! It was interesting to go through the Mass. It's all very prescribed and formal, with the sitting, standing, and kneeling throughout, the singing, and the recitation of certain words and phrases to the priest. I was pleased with myself that I could recite most of the Lord's Prayer when they did that at the end.

Leaving the church, I was introduced to a wonderful new thing called "wind chill factor." Now, obviously I know what this is and have even experienced it feeling colder when the wind blows in CA, but nothing like this! The hard truth is that this place gets Damn Cold™ in winter!! It went from 4 degrees Celsius to feeling well past freezing because of the wind. Ouch!

After church we made supper, and then met up with M's group of friends for an Improv night. Her friends Scott T, Anthony, Chris, and others actually performed the skits. I have to say, it was damn funny! I also got to meet Scott M, Mare, Brian, and Regan and had a late bite to eat and a good time talking. Mare brought for me a care package filled with stuff to make me more Canadian. I can't wait to wear some of it in CA!

Much better night's sleep from Saturday to Sunday. Being that M is hosting a Halloween pumpkin carving evening, we are downloading stencils, cleaning the house, and arranging furniture for the party. M's Dad just stopped by with some long tables for the event, and I got to meet him. Seems like a good guy and there are plans to go to dinner at his house later in the week.

So, I'm sitting here trying to download more stencil from the over-taxed pumpkin stencil site. M is in the kitchen finishing up some preparations for cookies and other treats for the party. And now she's calling because she needs help moving a table....

Okay, table moved. And another stencil just downloaded! Yay.

Tomorrow should be a quiet day of rest and relaxation until the sun goes down and we hand out candy to the neighborhood children.

Having an absolutely fabulous time, even if the cold is deadly! ;-)