Hardcore. It's a word I've been employing quite liberally over the past few months to describe my workout and nutrition efforts. Unfortunately, words only mean so much, and I've not been particularly diligent about following up with actions. The last few weeks have taken an especially hard toll on my body. A combination of stress, lack of energy and urge to indulge my sweet tooth have resulted in a weight gain. Boo! OK, but now I have no excuse because I've dealt with all issues causing stress and that is the only reason I had a lack of energy and urge to eat excessively. So now I really am going hardcore. Monday I started a new workout regimen which includes a daily 4 K jog, at least 45minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of weight training. Also going back on Lifewise eating plan. I intend to lose 9 lbs in three weeks. Ambitious, yes. Impossible, no.

Yesterday I went on a road trip with Tony (the Aussie), Thomas (the French guy) and Danielle (K'town origin). We headed 'Up West' in search of rubber boots and the image of Jesus, which has apparently made an appearance at the church in Tignish. We stopped at the Acadian Museum in Tignish. I re-learned a lot about the history of the Acadians. I sometimes forget I am 1/4 Acadian - a Gallant. It was nice and Danielle made a great observation - the older you get the more you understand the importance of museums. Which explains why most museums are visited by senior citizens.

We stopped for lunch at a pub in Tignish. We had checked out SHirley's, which was one of those combo 'Grocery, Laundromat & Cafe' type places, but the smell of grease was a bit too overwhelming. The pub fare was actually really decent. The only complaint I had was with the lack of empathy from my fellow travellers. Danielle & Tony shared a lovely Coconut Cream Pie while Thomas raved on and on about his ice cream crepes smothered in chocolate sauce. Sigh. Damn me and my sinfree plan!

Next we headed to North Cape, the very Western tip of the Island and home to the Wind Test Site. It was absolutey breathtaking in its beauty. We drove up along the coast. To our left we could see an unending expanse of blue seas dotted with snow-covered chunks of ice. To our right, we watched in awe as row upon row of windmills gracefully cut through the sky.

We got out of the car and made our way down the ragged red cliffs to the rocky shore, where chunks of ice were bobbing gently in tune with the waves. Tony decided to take the opportunity to invent a new sport, called ice surfing. He managed to make his way onto a chunk of ice and stay on it while the waves pushed it up and then let it fall back. Eventually Tony decided ice surfing wasn't enough...so he went ice-chunk hopping. It was all fine and dandy until he got out a certain distance and then realised he had to find his way back. And the ice chunks had moved further away. Oops. Aw, but in true Aussie style, he found his way out of trouble and landed back on the shore mostly dry.

We headed back to civilisation and I decided to take my friends to my father's place. It was a lovely ending to a fabulous day. I was super tired by the end of it, but managed to stay up to watch American Idol which was disappointingly mediocre this week. Oh well.

I am listening to harpsicord music and while I'd love to say it's melodic and soothing...it simply is not. It was for the first ten minutes, but now it's just stringy. Really really stringy. Gotta love the public library music selection.

Life on PEI is getting more interesting by the day. Of course 'more interesting' is a relative term, so by most people's standards (including my own), I'd say the term 'interesting' may be slightly misleading. Oh, I know, how about 'dynamic'? Hmmm...nope, that's still too generous a descriptor. OK, how about 'socially accessible'?
Yes, yes, I think that will do. PEI has become more socially accessible to me in the last week.

Why? you might ask (if you were bored)? What changed? Well, well, let me tell you. The return of one great friend and an introduction to a new and equally awesome friend were the main factors.

So, first I discover that Daniell J is back on PEI, in K'town to be precise. Fresh off a six month contract with a cruise ship (poor girl had to cruise around the Mediterranean and then Carribean), she's in the same state as me (roughly): no job, no definite plans for the future and a lot of time on her hands. As the saying goes...Boredom loves company. OK, so that's not exactly how it goes, but you get the idea!

So we head to Baba's on Sunday night for a beer/wine and catch up session. I can't believe I've never been to Baba's before..I don't know how that happened, it just did. Anyways, loved the little bar and loved the male to female ratio. We ended up playing trivia because, well, we were there. The Ktwon Kool Kowgirls (KKK for short) did not do too badly either - 3rd place!

Tuesday Adam called me up and asked if I wanted to go see V for Vendetta at the cinema. Now, excuse me for jumping to conclusions, but with a title like that, I just presumed it would be a horrible movie...you konw a 'guy' movie with lots of blood and blond girls and absolutely no plot. Well, good thing I had a second thought and realised Adam had better taste than that. He really does. In fact, when we go to the movies he usually suggests one, and I dismiss it and we end up going to my pick, which ends up being crap. And then I hear everyone raving about the movie Adam had suggested. So we went. And I loved the movie. The plot was brilliant - it was remniscient of 1984, but the paralells to today's America were, in my opinion, quite pronounced. And now I really really want to read more about Guy Fawkes. Remember, remember the fifth of November...

Wednesday I hung out with Danielle, her bro, his girlfriend and Tony, the couch-surfing Aussie from Melbourne. We had a brilliant time and I ended up at Baba's for the second time in a week!! It was open-mic night..unlike trivia night, we opted not to partake. There were some good singers there though!

Friday evening I went out with Danielle & Tony again.this time to the Olde Dublin. It was a pretty quiet evening..I guess everyone was at Great Big Sea or maybe on spring break vacation? Anyways, it was enjoyable company and conversation so all was good.

Saturday was the routine morning workout and then in the afternoon I picked up Tony and we hung out with Mom & Jim on the deck all afternoon. The sun was shining, the beer was flowing and the topics of conversatoin were...er...dynamic!!! It was brilliant. We talked about the substance abuse of sugar. I polished off a bag of licorice, a tube of SweetTarts and then a tube of Lovehearts, just for good measure. Tony had quite a micture of substances and,well, the poor guy did not represent his country v. well. I believe it was midway through our lovely dinner of Salmon & potatoes that he got a wee bit dizzy and had to take a time out. In the washroom. In his defense, he did come round quite well about an hour later.

Today I did my best to work off the candy consumed in yesterday's sinfulness. I spent all afternoon trying to book hotels in Florida and then went for mediocre Chinese food with MOm & JIm.

Like I said, it was a socially accessible week. I daresay it was even great fun!!! I hope it keeps up! It will as long as Danielle is around! Road trip with the Aussie planned for Tuesday :)

I am listening to harpsicord music and while I'd love to say it's melodic and soothing...it simply is not. It was for the first ten minutes, but now it's just stringy. Really really stringy. Gotta love the public library music selection.

Life on PEI is getting more interesting by the day. Of course 'more interesting' is a relative term, so by most people's standards (including my own), I'd say the term 'interesting' may be slightly misleading. Oh, I know, how about 'dynamic'? Hmmm...nope, that's still too generous a descriptor. OK, how about 'socially accessible'?
Yes, yes, I think that will do. PEI has become more socially accessible to me in the last week.

Why? you might ask (if you were bored)? What changed? Well, well, let me tell you. The return of one great friend and an introduction to a new and equally awesome friend were the main factors.

So, first I discover that Daniell J is back on PEI, in K'town to be precise. Fresh off a six month contract with a cruise ship (poor girl had to cruise around the Mediterranean and then Carribean), she's in the same state as me (roughly): no job, no definite plans for the future and a lot of time on her hands. As the saying goes...Boredom loves company. OK, so that's not exactly how it goes, but you get the idea!

So we head to Baba's on Sunday night for a beer/wine and catch up session. I can't believe I've never been to Baba's before..I don't know how that happened, it just did. Anyways, loved the little bar and loved the male to female ratio. We ended up playing trivia because, well, we were there. The Ktwon Kool Kowgirls (KKK for short) did not do too badly either - 3rd place!

Tuesday Adam called me up and asked if I wanted to go see V for Vendetta at the cinema. Now, excuse me for jumping to conclusions, but with a title like that, I just presumed it would be a horrible movie...you konw a 'guy' movie with lots of blood and blond girls and absolutely no plot. Well, good thing I had a second thought and realised Adam had better taste than that. He really does. In fact, when we go to the movies he usually suggests one, and I dismiss it and we end up going to my pick, which ends up being crap. And then I hear everyone raving about the movie Adam had suggested. So we went. And I loved the movie. The plot was brilliant - it was remniscient of 1984, but the paralells to today's America were, in my opinion, quite pronounced. And now I really really want to read more about Guy Fawkes. Remember, remember the fifth of November...

Wednesday I hung out with Danielle, her bro, his girlfriend and Tony, the couch-surfing Aussie from Melbourne. We had a brilliant time and I ended up at Baba's for the second time in a week!! It was open-mic night..unlike trivia night, we opted not to partake. There were some good singers there though!

Friday evening I went out with Danielle & Tony again.this time to the Olde Dublin. It was a pretty quiet evening..I guess everyone was at Great Big Sea or maybe on spring break vacation? Anyways, it was enjoyable company and conversation so all was good.

Saturday was the routine morning workout and then in the afternoon I picked up Tony and we hung out with Mom & Jim on the deck all afternoon. The sun was shining, the beer was flowing and the topics of conversatoin were...er...dynamic!!! It was brilliant. We talked about the substance abuse of sugar. I polished off a bag of licorice, a tube of SweetTarts and then a tube of Lovehearts, just for good measure. Tony had quite a micture of substances and,well, the poor guy did not represent his country v. well. I believe it was midway through our lovely dinner of Salmon & potatoes that he got a wee bit dizzy and had to take a time out. In the washroom. In his defense, he did come round quite well about an hour later.

Today I did my best to work off the candy consumed in yesterday's sinfulness. I spent all afternoon trying to book hotels in Florida and then went for mediocre Chinese food with MOm & JIm.

Like I said, it was a socially accessible week. I daresay it was even great fun!!! I hope it keeps up! It will as long as Danielle is around! Road trip with the Aussie planned for Tuesday :)

Ahhhh. That's me sighing a breath of relief. It seems my life has been slightly comparable to a rollercoaster as of late. A few weeks ago I was at the very, very top - everything seemed brilliant, my plans for the future were neatly ordered. And then it seemed to all come crumbling down around me. The airline ticket to Orlando was the first to fall. Then the lack of expected mail. Finally, the planned end of May departure for Korea was deflated by forces outside my control.

Of course, the indirect consequences of all these issues were just as significant. Particularly what to do with an airline credit that has to be used before one departs for her next adventure somewhere half way around the world? Oh, andwhat of the planned April 19th departure to Scotland?

So much to think about, way too much chocolate and candy consumed in reflection.

So there I was, with the wind knocked out of my sails, seemingly at the bottom of the rollercoaster, when I got the notion that I had a choice: I could continue agonizing over all the decisions that needed to be made and worry insufferably about the consequences of making a decision OR I could simply take control of all the things that were within my control and let the chips fall where they may.

Obviously, I saw the merit in the latter option. Then it was just a matter of taking control. Amazing how productive one can be when one puts one's mind to it! Here are the main things I've sorted out:

1. I am NOT staying on PEI for any length of time. I cannot accept any invitations of employment.

2. I miss Scotland dearly. I will return to the Bonnie Land at the end of May and spend 4 - 6 weeks travelling, enjoying Edinburgh and planning for my next adventure.

3. My next adventure will take place in Asia teaching English(probably Korea) or somewhere Down Under (probably Australia to begin with)

4. I am going to use my Continental credit to go to TWO states. First I will spend 10 days in Florida with Schemida. We will drink margaritas on the beach in Miami and then maybe visit a couple of theme parks in Orlando. Then I will make my way to the tourist mecca of Pittsburgh where I will explore the rich tapestry of this great American city and maybe crash at Emily's and have a few good nights out on the town with my fav American !

5. I am dedicating the next month to two things: writing loads of stuff and getting my body in bathing suit condition. I might also think about getting some paperwork and stuff done..like a criminal record check and medical exam. Oh and selling my car :)


Yah - the pendulum is coming back to the middle!

If I were to write a personals ad at this moment in time it would read:

1 very confused, very single female looking for: counsellor and travel agent. Must provide good advice, be efficient and, above all, be reliable. Not seeking a romantic relationship, only a general direction in life, therefore age and gender are not important.


Phew. OK, if the prospect of losing my job (see January 06) was rather stressful, I am now trying on the mega stress of having TOO MANY choices to make and destinations to go to.

For the record, my gamble on Orlando was not a wise one. I guess the cards were stacked against me in the form of cowardice and a soap opera-like situation. Yes, I must admit I am slightly embarrassed and fully aware of how risky my decision to book teh flight was in the first place. TO be honest, I didn't consider 'not going' a risk to be considered. I was wrong.


So now I have a flight credit to be used with Continental. I've already checked, it makes no sense to use it to go to Edinburgh as I would have to pay a difference of $416 which is what a Zoom flight costs anyways.

Speaking of which..it looks like I may have to delay my trip to Scotland..maybe even cancel it altogether. Ailbhe won't be ready to go to korea until maybe August. I am not going to go alone, but at the same time I can't wait around for months in Scotland or PEI for that matter.


And then there's the trip Schemida & I were planning for the end of April - Spain and France. Now we are looking at Florida, Las Vegas or California.

And then there's the job propspect here and Australia..my original plan...is still sitting on the table.

So, as you can see, I need someone to help me figure out where to go, what to do and whent o do it. I don't want any more complications (ie men). I just want some concrete plans. Is that so miuch to ask?

If I were to write a personals ad at this moment in time it would read:

1 very confused, very single female looking for: counsellor and travel agent. Must provide good advice, be efficient and, above all, be reliable. Not seeking a romantic relationship, only a general direction in life, therefore age and gender are not important.


Phew. OK, if the prospect of losing my job (see January 06) was rather stressful, I am now trying on the mega stress of having TOO MANY choices to make and destinations to go to.

For the record, my gamble on Orlando was not a wise one. I guess the cards were stacked against me in the form of cowardice and a soap opera-like situation. Yes, I must admit I am slightly embarrassed and fully aware of how risky my decision to book teh flight was in the first place. TO be honest, I didn't consider 'not going' a risk to be considered. I was wrong.


So now I have a flight credit to be used with Continental. I've already checked, it makes no sense to use it to go to Edinburgh as I would have to pay a difference of $416 which is what a Zoom flight costs anyways.

Speaking of which..it looks like I may have to delay my trip to Scotland..maybe even cancel it altogether. Ailbhe won't be ready to go to korea until maybe August. I am not going to go alone, but at the same time I can't wait around for months in Scotland or PEI for that matter.


And then there's the trip Schemida & I were planning for the end of April - Spain and France. Now we are looking at Florida, Las Vegas or California.

And then there's the job propspect here and Australia..my original plan...is still sitting on the table.

So, as you can see, I need someone to help me figure out where to go, what to do and whent o do it. I don't want any more complications (ie men). I just want some concrete plans. Is that so miuch to ask?

Oh dear. I've succumbed to it. So embarrassed. I shouldn't even be admitting this... I actually went on Fox's American Idol website last night because I'd missed the elimination night last Thursday and couldn't wait one more night to find out who had been turfed. Gads! What is unemployment doing to me??

On a completely related note I've decided that American Idol is fixed. They know which people they want to bring forward so Simon just does his thing and tells the contestants whether they are staying or going and I don't think it's based on their performance..it's based on predetermined decision. Then the Americans do what they do best - they vote blindly with their leader..not questioning his credibility.

There is something scratching my bedroom wall as I write this. I suspect it's a rodent. Mom will be all surprised when I tell her..she'll secretly think I am imagining things. But I am not!!

Today was the first day I was genuinely bored since I lost my job. I decided to stay home today to do some writing. I accomplished this goal and also took a nice walk outside and did my weights inside. And then I spent a painful amount of time worrying about things out of my contro. Gotta love it. It seems I have brought my boredom to this post. I apologise profusely.

So I talk to my name twin on messenger quite regularly . The 16 hour time difference seems to suit well. It's slightly disconcerting how many similarities we seem to have...welll aside from the whole gender thing...

I bought new luggage yesterday. I figured it was a sound investment, unlike some of the other investments I have made recently. Damn me and my trusting nature. Which is a nice way of saying I can be stupid sometimes. Ah well you have to roll with the punches right?

Erm..so yeah..how bout those Leafs eh? Tick tock tick tock.

God I hate waiting for a specific time to arrive...espeically when that time is past my usual bed time...

So yeah..life is weird sometimes...

I did it. I booked a flight back to Orlando. A few simple clicks of the mouse and suddenly I'm on a Continental flight back to sunny Florida on March 16th. You know there are just times in life when you have to take a chance and see what happens. So often we are presented with opportunities to do something out of the ordinary, something completely absurd and slightly irresponsible and most of the time we have a valid excuse not to (finances, timing, circumstances). Well, this time I didn't have a valid excuse not to, so I decided to take a leap of faith. A leap that will land me in 85 degree weather, a land of theme parks and hopefully the company of some very enjoyable people (hey, this is guaranteed since Jen is still there!!) .

Aside from that little adventure, I am in full swing, planning my return to Scotland and move to Korea. OK, by 'ful lswing' I mean I am thinking about it A LOT. I haven't actually DONE much to move these plans forward, aside from apply for a new passport, get sealed transcripts from UPEI and apply for a teaching position with one employer. Well, it's a start. My next big chore is to get my Echo fixed and then sell it! Anyone looking for a goo, used car with great fuel efficiency and low mileage? Email me, I'll tell you more :)

K, must go do hardcore workout now. Get in shape for bathing suit weather ;)

So I should be writing for my creative writing class, but I seem to have a bit of writer's block (aka - having too much else on my mind!!). Ah, so I retreat to Blogger to write where I will not be judged (because I've put restrictions on my comments and now no one comments!).

Life has been a bit crazy since I got home, especially considering I am an unemployed bum with no social life. Craziness, for the most part, was related to East Coast Music Awards. I was volunteering all weekend at the Delta & Rodd. It was great fun, especially meeting some of the other volunteers. Of course, Monday night was the icing on the cake - the Gala Awards Show. Somehow I managed to get into the show, volunteering to look after the corporate boxes. When I arrived, it was discovered that I, along with the other 11 ladies selected to look after the boxes, were not required after all. So they had us taking tickets and stapming people for about an hour (the show was four hours), then they let us sit up near the stage and enjoy the show. It was a brilliant piece of entertainment - I especially enjoyed The Chucky Danger Band and, to tbe fair, the Trailer Park Boys did a pretty good job as hosts. For the last segment of the show I got to sit down in the floor section, which was pretty cool!!

The post-awards party was spectacular - bands were playing, people were dancing, the liquor was flowing and I didn't even have to buy my own drinks ;) So yeah, I didn't get home until 5 am. . . oops. Who knew one could have so much fun on PEI.

Anyhoo - now I am back to being unemployed bum without volunteer stint...but lots of gym time is on the horizon!! Also, I am still considering a return to Orlando, we shall see how that pans out....