home, but jetlagged

We're home now, recovering from three weeks in India and two days traveling back. I'll blog about the trip as soon as my brain catches up to this time zone.

back soon

This time last year, we were getting ready for our honeymoon in Cuba. The photo above was taken at a hotel in Cienfuegos where we paid a few pesos to use their pool for an afternoon. Since we stayed with Cuban families all over the island, and not at resorts, we didn't have much loungy, beachy time. I love this photo of my mohito in the foreground and Rajeev in the pool. Got I miss those mohitos.

I'll be blogging soon about our current adventure. Stay tuned.

where oh where could I be?

I love this

Continuing with 2010's theme of "different," I'm blasting off to a new horizon for a short time. Meanwhile, enjoy this video of people around the world singing the same song.

I need a holiday

Flotsam sits with hind paws on my lap, front paws on the desk, as I work on the computer. She's so adorable. I managed to catch her mid-yawn. Yeah, I'm sick of the computer too.

this chapter: done

Friday was my last day of work, after 8 years with the same employer. With the company shutting down this month, I've spent most of the last year cleaning, recycling, and preparing for the close of business.

The first four years were very busy, and I wore as many hats as I could in order to learn all aspects of commercial video production: production coordinator, editor, camera operator, sound recordist, script consultant, director, producer. The last four years weren't so good, as business ground to a halt and I felt my skills atrophying in what can only be described as a morale-destroying vacuum.

The last day was a bit anticlimactic. My boss forgot that it was my last day. After 8 years of reminding him about things, I should have known that this might have slipped his mind. So there was no send-off, no celebrating. Just a quick hug and then he was off to go golfing or whatever he does on Friday afternoons. I shut down the place myself, took one last look around, locked the door and slipped the key through the mail slot.

I have no idea what I'm going to do next, and it might even be completely unrelated to the business of video production. It's a bit terrifying to be without a regular paycheque for the first time in ages, but I'm looking forward to beginning a new chapter in my life and seeing what that looks like.

Naturally, new chapters need celebrating, so Rajeev and I went to Solomon's with Diane. Had some VERY nice Manhattans and nibblies. Here are a few pics

a little different

And now for something I don't believe I've done before: New Year's Eve in Nanaimo. I know, it doesn't sound as thrilling as New York or Hawaii, but we had a really nice weekend away with our friends Lori and Ron.

We spent the evening at their place, sipping bubbly and eating many courses of wonderful food. We don't get to see them very often, so there was plenty of catching up on the activities of the past few months.

Ron is Dutch, and was telling us about the Christmas traditions he grew up with, including the giving of chocolate letters:


Lori asked everyone to think about, and share, what we'd like to see in our lives in 2010. Rajeev wants a motorcycle (big surprise), Lori wants to be a movie producer, and Ron wants to save the world from global warming.

I don't have anything specific in mind for myself, except that I want to step away from my comfort zone and invite something different into my life. Since my job is ending, it's the perfect time to explore new opportunities, and I'm looking forward to that.

And speaking of different, we spent New Year's Day at Mt. Washington doing something I'd never done before: racing down the hill at top speed in inner tubes.

Here's the long line-up at the O-Zone:

It doesn't look like much of a hill, but trust me, you hit TOP speeds when gravity brings you down. And here we are, waiting in the line-up:

At first we were disappointed that we'd have to wait so long to get up the hill, but it WAS the busiest day of the year so we were expecting the mountain to be busy. After the first exhilarating run down the hill, however, we jumped right back in line for the next one.


That's Lori and Ron, waving at the camera. I'm standing in front of them with ski goggles on, wearing my Norwegian hat that I bought during a sweltering summer in Copenhagen. They're smiling, loving every minute of being in the great outdoors. I'm not smiling. While I like playing in snow once in awhile, I'm a solar-powered being and I prefer warm weather activities. I really don't like bundling up in multiple layers like a Michelin Man, feeling awkward and huge. Give me a margarita and a sunny beach any day. I know it's blasphemous to admit, as a Canadian, that I hate winter activities, but there you are.

Nevertheless, this particular activity was FUN. Check out two views of our runs down the hill in the videos below: