M - Busy, busy, busy

Life is ticking along, and quite alot has been happening lately:

We might have mentioned the job market here is white hot, and sure enough I was only unemployed for 6 days! Am now working for Integral Designs doing admin, product reviews/redesign, website stuff, project management, marketing, and being a contact point for all our dealers who aren't covered by a rep. It's exciting, and hard work to learn everything, and really interesting.

We are headed to the Banff film fest in a couple of weeks, which I am really looking forward to. Integral are having a booth at the trade show part of it. The Canmore Ice Fest is also coming up soon, helping to deal with the whole onset of winter thing.

Other exciting news is that Josh proposed, and of course I said yes. No-one seems to get very worked up at this news - a little bit of screaming would be nice! We went to the rotating restaurant at the top of the Calgary Tower (like the Auckland Sky Tower but smaller) which sounds really cheesy but was very nice actually. By far the best food I've had since leaving NZ! He presented me with a plastic ring from the loony shop, ($1) but we have been to a real jeweler, and they are creating according to our specifications.

So if that's not enough news for one post well then!....

M - And frosty

Hidden Messages



I have no idea why that is appearing the wrong way around, but you get the idea as I can't be bothered fixing it. This is us trying to set off for a day climbing on the Cowbell cliffs last Sunday. My bike threw a spastic along the way - I think one of the carbs froze!

J - SNOWING !!

SNOW!!
I woke up this morning and it was all white outside. Good that it was Monday and not Sunday because we had ridden home from Canmore about 100km west yesterday. It was cold enough at 10 deg on the bike. We had a fair idea on what the weather was doing though so weren't taking chances really.

I was disappointed to learn today that the Bow river through Calgary doesn't freeze enough to skate on, apparently the weather isn't consistently cold enough as well as it flowing quite fast. It's a big river though so it would have been pretty cool if it froze up nice and solid. I could skate to work.

On the downside there are lots of shivering homeless in Calgary today.

M - respectable clothing

Josh succummed first, we went shopping for him as soon as we arrived in Calgary, and yesterday it was m turn. I went down to the Chinook Centre, a huge mall in the SE. The theory is that I will have job interviews to go to soon...

After four months of Tshirts and shorts, looking at nice clothes was quite distressing, I really could have done with a Christine or a Wendy to help me out! But I am tough and so I shopped alone. Did quite well too I think, pants for under $15 and two shirts, each $24 down from $35. Only trouble is I got grey pants and now that I think about it I'm not sure they go so well with my brown shoes. Might have to go back.

I like the clothing sizes here, I am a 10 again! And when I went into the Gap I became an 8! I think I will buy some of their clothes for that reason alone.

As we travelled through Alaska, I told Josh all about teh big fluffy cotton hoodie I was going to buy the second I arrived in Calgary. This is the kin of item which was totally impractical to have on our trip, but the ultimate in slouchy comfort. I still don't have one! Who would think that such a thing would be so hard to find?

We are of to Canmore for the weekend, to visit Richard our Dutch friend. He is working as a fudgepacker there at the moment, which he takes great delight in telling everyone. He mentioned something about hotpools in Banff too!

Possibility of snow forecast, or at least rain, so we are thinking maybe we won't ride our bikes. Surely there are bus services...

M - My cutie neice

Madeline wearing the hat I crocheted for her birthday while we were in Alaska.

M - I quit!

I have yet to find a new job, but without the time to look for one I have decided to finish up my current job and look for real. So I have to work until Saturday and that will be my last day.

Josh seems to be settling in at his job, and getting used to starting at 8.30am. It has been very funny to hear him complain about me keeping him up at night, he really needs to get to sleep, and about how it would be great if I would only get up at the same time as him... It is music to my ears after all those early morning jobs I used to do, very strange how familiar those complaints are. I have been trying to help by making lunch for us to take some days and I will try to start getting up at the same time in the morning!

The Futon workled out so we now have two places to sit, and we even had a visitor to stay so it has performed it's bed function as well. Our visitor was Richard who we met in Tok when we first got to Alaska. Richard is from the Netherlands, and is currently staying in Canmore, so he drove down to spend a weekend with us. We celebrated by going to a local pub for dinner.

On the sunday we made the most of knowing someone with a car - Josh found a TV on Craigs List and the boys were able to go and pick it up. Bonus was a free DVD player. Unfortunatly reception is almost non-exsistant in our cave, but creative use of the cable internet is helping there.

I still don't really like Calgary much, but we are begining to feel more settled. Having a decent stock of food in the cupboard and plates to eat it off makes a big difference. Not to mention a couch to relax on in the evenings and my knitting!!