Skiing Whitewater, British Columbia

She Loves Me More than Vernon!

My new favourite toque--I need it today--it is so cold!

Waiting at Starbucks to leave for skating with Tabs class. I have worked this morning and now I am burnt. But I only have 1/2 h until I need to meet them skating so I will blog until then.

Paper a challenge. It is as chopped as I can make it. Anymore editing and it will be crap--with the biblio and figures it must be under 5000 words. It is so frustrating. I cannot take out anymore! 

Went to "The King's Speech" last night. Very well done. 

This morning Pip said to me "I love you more than the whole world."

I said, "I love you more than the universe." She thought a moment on how to top that and said,

"I love you more than the whole Hawaii and Vernon." lol

Happy to know she loves me more than Vernon of all places!

Exited about night skiing on Friday at Big White. 

And the next weekend I'm off to help T host her big "Quality Party" in Nelson. T is so funny she's been promoting my arrival as "the sister who is doing the interesting thesis is coming." There will be dancing and karaoke--what more could a girl want?

 But first, another day of skiing at Whitewater with my nephew. Though I told him: "I don't do jumps, trees or moguls." That put a damper on his plans I think...

Oh, yes...blogging is so much more fun than paper writing. 

January 2011

January is upon us and I am celebrating the birthdays of Peter and Tabitha. This picture is of Peter's party. I made him a Death by Chocolate Mousse-Cheesecake. I made up the recipe based on combining a few recipes and inventing here and there. It was to die for (almost).
Tabs spent her birthday (yesterday) at Big White skiing with Mist, her cousin Nem and Uncle John. John was kind enough to ski with 3 little gals all day. Tabs got her own new downhill ski equipment for her birthday. This is the year everyone receives ski equipment for their birthday. Next fall I am buying us all ski passes at Crystal Mountain (20 min from Kelowna). We will all be experts by year's end. Peter seriously damaged his knee snowboarding at Christmas and is awaiting an MRI to see what is up. I believe if he heals well he will go back to skiing and leave boarding for the under 20's. In boarding you fall hard. No escaping it. In skiing, one can actually fall softly.

Waiting for darling niece Artemisia to arrive for a play date with Pip and then I am off to work in my home office. No review board for me anymore! Axed the survey so I don't need ethics review for my study. Full speed ahead on my thesis writing now!
Peter and I saw Black Swan last evening. Weird. Not as good as I thought it would be. I believe they should have delved into the retiring ballerina's life a bit more (Winnona Rider). And a little more into the mother/daughter relationship (Natalie Portman/Barbara Hershey). The dancer's (Portman) innocence and obsession with perfection were well portrayed though. People are so hard on innocent young women--acting like they are freaks if they are sexually naive. I hate that about society. Leave the darling young women alone! 

I am rewarding myself with a trip once I pass my MA review. I haven't decided where yet. Some ideas:
1. Spain & Greece.  2. France  3. India to study with the Dalai Lama  4. Japan

Not a whole bunch on New Year's Resolutions. A few plans though:

-Finish MA in 3 months time.
-Start 1 Bikram's yoga class each week.
-Start Buddhist meditations at Yoga House Monday nights.
-Skate downtown on rink with girls each Tuesday night at 6:30 until it melts.
-Sign up for an international writer's conference and painting work shop once MA complete.
-Sign up for Lake Country Art Walk for this fall.
-Find part time teaching job for next fall.
-Organize writing/painting studio times each day for summer and fall.
-Paint with local group once/week.
-publish Queen and Pizzaface novels (hardcopy and digital).
-Purchase 3 lenses for camera: portrait, macro and super zoom for wildlife.

The Last Continent

The best movie ever (title above). I love, love, love fantasizing about myself onboard the boat, researching climate change in Antarctica. The crew are all French Canadian. Watch it if you are the type that loves nature and adventure.
Yesterday I felt like I was trudging through Antarctic. SILVERSTAR. Yes, that amazing ski resort located in the Okanagan. The day was insane! The 3 big girls enjoyed their ski lesson, however, the moms had a surreal experience of spending the entire day all decked out in the ski boots and gear yet never quite making it down a run! First of all, Miranda and I tried to find this great chair that had easy runs. We walked for 1/2 hour carrying our skis, through deep snow, up hill to discover we couldn't find the chair. By this time it was time to pick up the kids from lessons. After lunch, Miranda decided to stay with Nem and Tabs on the Magic carpet and help them perfect their skills. Mist and I tried to find the only chair that her lift ticket ( from the morning lessons) allowed her to use. We walked up and down hills, in ski boots, through deep snow, carrying the worlds heaviest skis for over an hour to discover the chair was at the bottom of a steep slope. I was OK as I skied for many years before I took up snowboarding, but this was Mist's first day on skis ever (she's only ever boarded). So Mist got going too fast, lost her poles and ended up in a crying heap at the bottom. I decided the runs were too advanced for her. The only way out of this mess? To walk back, only now we were at the bottom of yet another deep valley. It took us forever climbing back out of that place back to the village. We had to scurry across ski runs, carrying our skis. *shuffle, shuffle, scurry, scurry* "Hurry Mist! Ok , break, we're safe behind a tree. Remember Mist, this is a battle field, we have to get across fast, without getting hit," (by the boarders and skiers sailing over the hill above). *shuffle, shuffle, waddle, waddle scurry*
It seems I walked for about 3 hours up and down snow covered slopes, carrying my skies for the entire F'n day! All I could do was laugh, to prevent myself from crying. I did learn much though. Silverstar is no place for beginners--the magic carpet area is too small and easy and the other runs too bloody far away from the village--you're expected to walk, in ski boots, carrying your skis for an hour! I am taking the girls to Crystal for the rest of the year with special trips to Big White or Sunpeaks to spice things up.
 However, Tabs loves skiing and Mist prefers snowboarding but will give skiing another try. Next time I'm taking Pip out with us. Me? I just didn't get to ski enough to know if I like it or want to board again.
Adventure at every turn...though not the kind you'd expect.
Now, a little about the world's worst dog, FERNANDO! He bolted out of the house this AM, like a little black bat out of hell, and chased the school bus up the street, barking ferociously after it. He refused to come and sent me into the garage to start the van and Peter up the street in his flannel pajama bottoms. As I was driving up the street, Peter arrived with Fernando. He'd finally come to Peter's calls. Thank G! I knew he'd chase that huge yellow bus until it stopped and then proceed to bark ferociously at all the kids, preventing them from getting on the bus and then keep chasing it and eventually get run over.