'...we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the centre of our existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.' Joseph Campbell

I love quote, they provide inspiration & insight that stretches across the ages and cultures. Thank you to Rob for passing these words of wisdom on.

So what is it all about? It's about change - it's about entering that most fearsome thing called the unknown. It's about finding your freedom and altering your future. Change is such a constant thing now. yet we continue to resist it, both as individuals and as societies, with such ferocity. What are we afraid of? Why is change so hard for us?

Well, having just entered the work world again- I can atest to the uneasiness one feels when out of their element. It's unnerving and somewhat stressful. The only thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that soon enough these feelings will subside as the unknow becomes the familiar and I adapt to the new environment that exists.

But I digress and apologise for the seriousness of this post - I've been roped into thinking a lot more as of late - the great side effect of being within Rob Paterson's world of thought again! And now I am taking the intiative myself and reading as much as I can about things that will give me insight and a greater understanding of myself and the world around me.

Ok - end of this topic, I spent a good chunk of time today posting on Earth to Shannon. If you want more of the philosophy I recommend heading over there :)

So, yeah it's been a hectic week. My first week of work. Phew. I am exhausted. OK, so I don't want to say too mcuh about work - I don't think a blog is the place to discuss such matters, but just aquick run-down. I am working the area of Communications & Marketing for a local politician. This week I attended a local community forum he was hosting in the evening, and went to New London to be a part of the announcement regarding a number of investmetns in infrastructure that will see communities across PEI benefit. Amongst these: Summerside has been approved for a wind farm which will provide 40% of its energy!

Anyways, I've spent most of my time at work just trying to get my head around the issues, adjusting to a new workplace climate and trying to see where/how I can be of value. It turns out I want to work with the communcations technology. Go figure - I am a proponent of the blog!

Aside from work, this week I have done the following: enjoyed the company of my relatives from Alberta, gone to the gym numerous times, thought about doing some creative writing but procrastinated & bought a few new clothes for work. Oh, I also bought the first Christmas present of the season and talked to Rae on the phone. All very exciting. To top it off I made bread in the breadmaker today. Try not to be too jealous of my exciting life outside work :)

Well, that's about it. I decided a need to find a friend (well, more than one but th's a different kettle of fish), who likes going to thte movies as much as I. I mean we don't even have to have much in common - it could jsut be a relationship of viewing convenience. Because while I am not opposed to going to the theatre alone in a big city like Edinburgh or Ottawa, I am entirely opposed to it on PEI, where I am bound to run into people I know who would feel sorry for me being solo. Hmm, come to think of it - if friend of movie convenience was a good-looking male that would be looked upon favorably too... OK, so that's wishful thinking I know, but hey I bought a lottery ticket today which is a rarity too! You never know, that's all I'm saying....

Long Weekend Review

In short it was all turkey, turkey and more turkey. Oh and some Chinese and maybe crashing a wedding too.

Friday was loooonnnngggg. After a couple of early hours on the Internet, we were on our way to Summerside (via North Granville and the old homestead). Lunch with Nanny & Daddy was on the agenda. As fmaily ouotings on the Courtney side go it was pretty noneventful actually. We went to Brothers Two and I discovered that all sweet potato fries are not equal and, in fact, some are downright not yummy (yet still somehow addictive!). Anyways, after a drive through Summerside (oh the joy) and a wee visit at my Dad's, we headed back to Long Creek.

Homemade pizza was on the menu. Adam joined us..it's nice to have at least one friend that is within driving distance (rather than flying distance!). Afer a quick editing job on his paper, we headed to the new Roadhouse in Cornwall. No, seriously, that's what it's called. It is the old Bonnie Brae, but apparently it was meant to be renovated and a really happening spot. Not so. Adam and I were in a demographic of our own. The rest of the patrons were 40 plus or underage and hoping the servers at the Roadhouse wouldn't care. The menu was not inspiring. I didn't eat anything, but wondered what Roadhouse Gourge would consist of.

Saturday was Myrtle's step class in the morning. Saturday afternoon was dedicated to helping out with the webcourse and making a blueberry pie for Sunday's feast. When Mom suggested the unthinkable -dinner at the Chinese Restaurant in Cornwall, I was surprisingly unenthusiastic. I mean really I should have jumped at the offer of a free meal at this restaurant which she and Jim had conveniently been frequenting on every occassion that I was out of the house. I had never stepped foot inside and was more than curious. ANywho, although surprisingly not ecstatic I was still easily convinced that this was the way forward minus the agony of making another homemade meal. It turned out to be alright, but I suspect I was spoiled by better Chinese food in Edinburgh- yes that's right, Saigon Saigon is better :) Actually, I'm a lover of Thai cuisine...

Saturday night I went out on the town in my new Echo! Rana had invited me to her boyfriend's place - a bunch of people were going out to celebrate her birthday. And, lo & behold, Becky Coffin of Ottawa was home for the weekend!! Anyways, I had a great time and enoyed meeting some fab new people. After a while at Daniel's Becky & her sister headed down to the Confed Centre for a wedding dance. In a moment of stupidity I decided to join them.

It was only then that I discovered exactly where all the goodlooking, young men on PEI can be found. Yes, the answer is most definitely at wedding dances! It doesn't hurt that their dressed in tuxes! What does hurt is that all the girls are also dressed up..unless you happen to be part of an unplanned wedding crash and are dressed (for once) in jeans and clunky boots. Sigh. We left before I could snag myself anything besides a free sandwich.

Next we headed over to St James Gate to meet up with Rana & her crew. by this time it wsa getting on one o'clock and Becky was plastered. We arrived only to find a line of people waiting in the rain -waiting to pay $5 to get inside St James Gate for the remaining hour! Oh dear me. Anyways, Becky decided she didn't want to wait so somehow she managed to sneak us into the line about a quarter of the way back and within ten minutes we were in. How did she do that??? I felt bad, but I wasn't in a position to argue, being cold & wet and too sober for my own good. The rest of the night was spent amongst throngs of old people and even older people bopping to songs such as The Night That Paddy Murphy Died and Sweet Home Alabama.

Sunday was the big Tom Turkey day. I tried to play it low key during the day by going to the gym & cleaning my room. OH but the feast was still to wipe me of all my remaining energy. Tehre is no point listing all the items on the menu. It will only depress me. It was magical, it wasmy first taste of pure sweetness in a month and I*may* have overindulged.

Monday meant more overindulgence and more gym time. Then a bit of stressing about the first day of work and then some more overindulgence and then a bit of relaxation.

Tuesday. Hmm, well that was today. It went alright. I have A LOT to learn, I have a lot to do. Uncle Dave, Betty, Sarah & her German friend, Sabina are visitng now. I think I must go join the laughter.

This is my last day of freedom. I've become quite accustomed to the flexibily that comes with not having a job - I can get up when I please, go to the gym when I wish and do my errands any time of the day or night. I can eat when I am hungry, and not when the clock tells me to. This will all change come Tuesday, when I'll start the ole 9-5 Monday to Friday regime again. And this routine may, at the end of the day, cost me more than it pays me.

OK, I am jumping ahaed of myself. As the result of assisting with the delivery of the Natural Step webcourse and reading a futurist's (Frank Gould -The Last Book You'll Ever Read) take on the 21st century, I am thoroughly discouraged to be entering the System again. The system traps us - it takes away our freedom, it eats up our time and it often results in a loss of energy and joy. Now don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to working in a position that will challenge me mentally and am grateful for the opportunity to be in a position where I am likely to interact with some inspirational people. What I am not looking forward to is the car payments, fuel costs, half hour commute to and from work, rigid work schedule, etc. I suspect that the job I am going to be doing from an office in Charlottetown could, for the most part, be done from home. How often do us office workers actually have a need to interact physically (mind out of gutter!). When you are emailing coworkers that sit 15 feet away - that's when you konw something is wrong with the System.

You see, every time I log on to the webcourse I am helping with, I never consider it work. I enjoy the interaction with my peers, I love being engaged in a two way communication forum that is give and take, and I love being able to accomplish all this from the comfort of my own home. This weekend past a friend of mine asked me to review auniversity paper for him - basically he was looking for an editor. I love helping peple out with this type of stuff and since I didn't have to go anywhere to do it I was mmore than happy to help. My sister has also asked me to help her revise her resume. I am starting to think there is something to the idea of being a freelancer. Not that I am charging anyone yet, I don't think I have the credentials to do that! But it's nice to know that I have some skills that other people value - it makes me feel worthwhile. And, hey I really do love helping people with anything that involves writing -especially family & friends! SO, yeah that's an invitation - take it on board if you wish!