Bacon

Mama brought home the bacon tonight.  There was a square dance at the hall in honour of Harold Goobie who is retiring as our superintendent.  Lots of folks attended and there was the usual singing, live music, dancing, and games.  I think I described this game before - but it is the one where there are prizes in the middle of the floor and the people playing make a circle and then roll a die to try and get the given number.  Tonight the number was six.  If you rolled a six you got to grab a prize from the pile and place it in front of you.  Once all the prizes were gone from the middle you then got to "steal" from someone else.  There was a HUGE box of chocolates that was very popular.  So was a rice cooker and surprisingly a bottle of dish soap and a box of dryer sheets.  I had my eye on some light bulbs and an electric heating pad.  There were 5 dice going around and for the life of me I could not throw a six.  However, it only counts at the end -- or if you pick an unpopular prize at the start you just might get to keep it.  I finally got lucky about 10 minutes in and someone had just taken the heating pad.  I could have taken it out of her hands on the fly, but I went for the light bulbs.  Two more throws and then I hit a six in the last minute.  I went for the pad and was able to hold onto it.  From zero to hero; I ended the game with ot one, but two prizes.  Like I said, mama brought home the bacon tonight, kids.

PS I also danced

Blizzard Pic

You can't see how fast the wind is whipping the snow around and you can't hear the howl, but this is the best I can offer in a still photo out my living room window. 

Enjoy.

I'm not going anywhere.

Cindy (who is sorry about the ghost camera upper centre)

Blizzard #1

It is a little after 6 AM and I just got the call that today is an official "Blizzard Day".  I am not going to count that day when the kids left an hour early.  Heck, that day I stayed at school until 7 PM and I had no trouble walking home.  Today looks nasty out the window.  I am wishing I had remembered to bring home the novel study book for my Grade 12 class because I am not going to leave the apartment.  In fact, the Environment Canada website predicts a 2-day blizzard.  It says that the temperature is a balmy -19 but the wind chill is the kicker at -33.

Now to remember the unwritten rules of the North and blizzards:
1. No doing laundry
2. No showers.
3. No doing dishes.
4. If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down.

Now to turn off the computer and go make sure I have spare jugs of water, blankets, flashlights, candles and matches.

Cheers.

Cindy (who is kicking herself that she didn't borrow someone's hard drive with a bunch of movies)

Runway Model

I wish I had paid more attention to shows like Project Runway or Fashion TV.  It would have come in handy up here to have been more of a girly-girl.  Oh, I'm not talking about clothes or anything like that.  I'm talking about knowing how to walk the catwalk -- the ability to walk in a straight line by placing one foot directly in front of the other and not falling over.  I've seen it done, but if I had actually done it in heels I might now be able to do it in boots.  People coming North should have lessons in walking a straight line in a pair of big boots.  Take note any potential future Northerners.

You see, on days when it has snowed there are often tire tracks to follow.  These tracks are narrow, so to walk without sinking in the deeper snow on the sides you have to walk by crossing your thighs.  You don't look graceful but you save yourself boots full of snow.  The not so great option is to save one boot and pant bottom and do the one-foot-in, one-foot-out, hobble walk.  If the snow gods are on your side, the tracks might be from an ATV instead of a truck.  Then you can do the straddle walk -- one foot in each track.  You look like you have a full diaper but you don't get snow inside your boots.  Sometimes you get really lucky and two vehicles have gone by close to each other and you get to walk with one foot in each tire track and only a small ridge in between your feet.  That is heavenly.  Hey - don't make fun of what goes for pleasure around here.

Cheers,
Cindy (who will practice walking in heels)

New Apartment

I've been here for a few weeks now - but never got around to sending out pictures.  I just reviewed them and think I may wait a few more weeks until the place is tidier.  Why I take photos when the mood strikes me rather than when it would look better is beyond me.  However, I do like the one of my new view.  This is from out of my bedroom window:

Of course, the lake is now frozen so the view is not as interesting.  Also, there is now no view at all out of my bedroom window -- as I was busy last weekend.  I call this picture "Sun Protection".

I know we are almost as far from the nights of sun as we can get - but I might as well get the full benfits of my labour.  Besides, this way I don't have to wear my eyemask.  However, I do have to take the phone off the charger and put a towel over the clock radio (pesky light spillage).  At least I don't have to put a towel under the door and hang my robe down the crack like I had to in Tasiujaq.  In this apartment the closet juts out and creates a barrier between the head of my bed and the door.
I thought I would try a combo of garbage bags and tinfoil.  I brought the garbage bags from off the window in the 8-plex (this new place is referred to by everyone as "the 12-plex") and some of them had fused together from the heat!  Any Northerners reading this can feel free to share their experiences.  I failed to look on the internet to see if there was an essay entitled "Plastic vs Tinfoil: Window Coverings in Canada's Arctic".  Hey - anyone out there in need of a thesis?  Science Fair project?


Cheers,
Cindy  (back to cleaning the stovetop; not like the old days in Montreal when I moved if it was time to clean the oven)

Shocking

Winter is really here.  The true test of winter is when you get little electric shocks all day long - and big ones when you touch the light switch.  I thought Baker Lake was going to be different - maybe something with the inland climate....I don't know; but I was wrong (sadly, very wrong).  I hate those little shocks.  I spend my day touching metal so I won't get a great big one.  I get off my chair and touch my filing cabinet.  I move to the whiteboard and touch the metal railing.  Sometimes I keep my hand on it - but if I don't, then I touch the TV before turning away from the board.  (At this point I know that I look like someone with a bad case of the ritual touching need -- OCD, like Monk on TV).  There is nothing metal along the short wall so I have no choice but to get a wee shock as I touch the door jamb.  If I have to turn the lights off I touch the other door jamb and then the metal plate before I touch the switch -- just an added precaution.  Coming into my class is fun.  The door is always locked so I touch my key to the lock and watch the pretty blue spark (hateful things).  At least that one doesn't travel up my arm.  The other day I kept adding water to a kettle in the staffroom because I wouldn't unplug it.  I hate electricity.  Before I got my automatic shut off kettle, the only one I owned was a stovetop deal.  Getting the picture of Cindy and electricity.....  So, I can't wait for winter to be over - and it has nothing to do with parkas and boots and everything to do with being able to walk around freely and not cringe before touching a metal surface.  Hurry up Spring.

Cindy (who is wondering if wearing only cotton will help.  Hmmmm)

Snow Hare

I just saw a huge snow hare hopping across the road.  I was heading home and so was s/he.  I nearly ran into the hare; it might have come right at me if I hadn't yelled at it.  I pointed it out to two of my students and they told me that earlier in the day they saw wolf tracks out on the ice.

 Two of my building mates were out having a smoke and I mentioned the hare.  They told me there is a family of them living under the school. Not so cute was the news that there is a wolf kit under our building. WHAT??!!! Don't tell mom.  Never mind the tracks out on the ice - they saw them at the corner of our place.  Ohhh yay........