OK folks, it's two weeks to D-Day. Somehow, the third time around it doesn't seem nearly as daunting, yet still just as surreal. I mean two weeks from today I will be getting on a flight to Glasgow, Scotland and I have absolutely no idea when I will be returning to Canada, when I will see my family again, when I will care about the fact that Harper is our PM, when I will ever be here to catch a season of Canadian Idol and when I will next savor the sweet, sweet taste of North American style Peanut Butter again.

Aside from landing in Scotland and crashing at Ailbhe's for a few days, it's all up in the air. That' right, mega-planner Shannon is going to try flying by the seat of her pants (which she sincerely hopes her butt will continue to fit into upon returning to land of tempting chocolate and haggis!).

Ideally, I'd like to stay in Scotland for the length of my tourist visa (90 days) and then, by that time, have sorted out and arranged my next adventure, which will most likely be Teaching English in Korea or Living it Up Down Under in Oz or NZ.

So..yeah. It's kind of strange. I have started asking myself why I am leaving again. The truth is, I don't know if I really have a good answer, but here's my general rationalization, which sunds pretty good when I get the spiel down pat:

Firstly, I very much miss Edinburgh. I miss everything about the city - Princes Street, with its lovely gardens perfect for lounging an afternoon away and Edinbugrh Castle perched on a rocky cliff, dominating the skyline. From rocking out at the Walk About, trying to catcha glimpse of the Old Guy to the high energy bands that fiddle it up at Drop KIck Murphy's, the cobblestone streets and quaint little shops, the way you can while away a Saturday drinking outside a pub or laying in a park and not feel quilty about it at all. Oh, and did I mention the chocolate and pic n mix.

OK, so that's why I am going to Edinburgh, but as for the rest of my adventure....

WEll, quite frankly, there isn't another, better option here in Canada that appeals to me. My greatest fear if I stay here is that I will find myself in a decent-paying job that is just that - a job. It pays the bills, it provides me with something to do from Monday to Friday, but it does nothing more - it does not stimulate the mind, it does not offer me the cahnce to meet new people from all corners of the earth, it does not encourage me to think outside the box. It simply becomes something I depend on for a steady income...and then I would start accumlating 'stuff' and maybe sign a lease and then, suddenly, I'd have those things called 'commitments' or 'obligations' and I'd find myself trapped. So, yeah that's my fear.

I have been thinking about going back to school and I may very well go back and do my Masters..probably in something related to journalism or writing, but I'm not ready for that either - it's more of a time and financial commitment then I am ready to make at the moment.

So, I guess, by default, travelling the world seems like a pretty good option. It's something I can do now, that I may not be able to do later..especially after I hit the all important 3-0, it keeps me from being tied down, it offers me the chance to meet more incredible people, take on new and interesting challenges, learn more about who I am and what I'm made of and..er...maybe get some sunshine , eat some fine fare and conquer some more countries...

There -that's my rationalisation. So, with two weeks left here on PEI, I'm trying to spend as much time relaxing and with my family as possible. They're all such wonderful people and I am going to miss them a lot...especially during BBQ and harvest season eh Ma & Jim?!

K - gotta go get ready for a Bachelorette shindig!

I am leaving for Scotland in less than three weeks, thus trying to divest myself of all assets. I only have on major asset and it is officially for sale now! Here are the details:

2000 Toyota Echo for Sale - Fuel Efficient & Reliable!!

Silver, 4 dr, 5 spd (standard). Inspected until March 2007. Only 123,000 kms. Extra set of tires (winter) included. In excellent condition, great on gas and ready to be driven home by the right person! Asking $6400 (neg). Please contact me by email if you want further details or would like to take a test drive.

shannoncourtney@hotmail.com

Who knew Pittsburgh would be such a gastronomical experience? If I'd been forewarned I would have brought more stretchy pants...or an additional stomach. As it is I've been sampling numerous All-American specialities such as the Krispy Kreme donut, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Eat'n Park's Smiley Face Cookies. I've also indulged in some Pittsburhg specialities such as Primanti's, The 'O' (no, not THAT one..I wish!) and lots of Hershey goodies..which are made in Hershey, PA :)

Anyways, will get my game plan on for eliminating effects of over-indulgence. Three weeks on PEI, an appt with Alison and all the time in the world. Now I only neeed a new gym outifit since my high quality Roots outfit from Christmas has huge holes in the upper thigh area.

Right, so yesterday I was left to my own devices during the day as Emily was doing that thing called 'work', which has become quite alien to me. Anyways, I decided to take public transit and go downtown. I quickly learned why Americans are sooooo in love with their car. Firstly, I had to walk about twenty minutes to the bus stop along a rather busy road. Despite the fact that there were bus stops along the road and it was a mix of business and residential, there were NO sidewalks!! Evidently, encouragement of walking is not high on the priority list. In fact, I was in a couple of different suburbs of Pittsburgh and there where NO sidewalks anywhere!!!

At one store I asked a worker how long it would take me to get from Point A to Point B even though I pretty much figured it would be less than ten minutes. When I clarified I was walking she looked at me like I had two heads. In another instance I asked Emily's co-worker how to get to the movie theater from the coffee shop (just killing time while Emily was working). The girl started to give me directions as if I were driving until Emily came over and told her I was walking. I got kind of worried it would be a hike cause the driving directions sounded confusing. As it turned out, teh movie theater was just across the street, only seperated by two large parking lots.

I am reading a book called 'Shopped' which is about the grocery retailing world of the UK, although it could easily be applied ot the North American market. Anyways - its extremely disturbing to learn what we've lost in regards to quality and selection for the promise of 'convenience'. But serioulsy, how convenient is it to drive to a grocery store and tripase through its expansive floor space in search of a few staple foods? Every time I head to the grocery store with the intention of picking up one or tow items I leave with five or six. Right, well in any case this book exposes a lot of disturbing truths - especially about the plight of farmers who are prisoners of the retailers' crazy demands. We might as well just go back to teh feudal system for all the freedom farmers and consumers have. All we realy have is the ilusion of choice and freedom. Of course, we could consciously choose to rebuke the system - to go back to shopping at independent stores and farmers' markets (those that have survived anyways). But, well, how convenient would that be right? I mean, who cares if we'd be supporting our local economy, getting better food at better prices and avoiding the tempting aisles of nutritionless, prepackaged, processed food.