close your eyes and think of somewhere, somewhere cold and caked in snow.

i cant do a full blog as we are off out again but heres a couple of pics from the hockey. the fernie ghost riders lost 4-2 and we left at half time because this guy got injured and it took forever for him to get sorted out so by the time half time swang round we were pretty bored. but it was 4-2 when we left so we didnt miss much


when they scored a goal folk through teddybears onto the pitch, rather odd...we didnt get the memo.


a house lit up on the way home

All these places feel like home

Debi is off to an acalanche meeting so im goning to update on our adventure this far. So after the ciders we headed out to Debis friends bad taste party, we didnt have time to get an outfit so we just wore our normal clothes. but pretty much everyone else made an effort as you can see from these pics:



check out the motion in that tassel.




whos this girl ? ahaha i seriously didnt recognise myself for like a minute when i looked at this !

it snowed a lot when we were in the party

i was pretty shocked by the deep snow

we became human snowmen


debi grew a snow beard

we got in at around 1am and slept until about 12 the next day, it was so good to catch up on sleep, and today we had the most fun EVER was so good, we took the sledge and snow skate (like a skateboard with a ski stuck on the bottom instead of wheels) and went out the back . we made a track with the sledge then went on it with the snow skate. once we got confident we made a kicker and did some wee jumps. so good. heres some pics and videos :)



after a crash

heres a bunch on videos, first up heres Debi making the track with the sledge

this is Debis first run down with the snow skate, like a pro

i wasn't such a fast learner ! the snow went up my nose

next we tried to ollie at the end but ended up just jumping off the board


then Debi showed off her kickflip skills






So many videos ! we are going to perfect our skills so will post more when we can actually do something ! off to the hockey tonight so il probably post more tomorrow or maybe sunday :)

im in Fernie wooop

picture fest...well the ones iv taken so far. first up here are some pictures of brett playign at the jackpot and the party on satuarday night.





how much does this guy look like the guy from shamless !! twins






dallas airport

skate park in calgary


me on debis bed, i arrived !
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i bought a brand new sexy jacket, its super cool



i think Debi models it best

and that takes us to right now, mmmmmmm LOADS OF FLAVOURS OF CIDER. yum

i will follow you into the dark

(1 cider) I am sitting eating an extremely tasty and messy burger and drinking a pint of cold Strongbow. I feel rather like a loner as I am doing this in an Irish pub in Calgary by myself. Whilst an overly exuberant office party share jokes about the members of staff who have failed to grace the table with their presence. This has been the single most stressful day of my life (exaggeration may be at hand). I suppose I should start at the beginning but this might be long so bear with me, it also may turn into a huge rant…my apologies. So I ended up going out drinking with Alicia and Steph and a few other folk last night. I had a really good night and im pleased I didn’t stay in and sit on the internet. I didn’t drink that much but I didn’t get into bed until around 3. So I set my alarm for 5 (I set 2 alarms because I had a feeling something was going to go wrong) both alarms went off and I got up and dressed just fine. I then went downstairs to wait on the shuttle to the airport. They said they would be there at 6 so I was outside waiting at 5:45 at 6:05 I called just to make sure they were on route. She said he will be there soon. 6:30 rolls round and I call back, just to make sure iv not been forgotten, this time she’s a little angry “he has 7 people to pick up ma’am I just spoke to him he’s on his way” I apologise and hang up. I’m strange like that. 7am comes around, it’s getting light, people are walking to exams I’m wishing I was in bed. My flight is at 8:40am and my head is about to explode with worry if it doesn’t morph into sick and come out of my mouth. Then at 7:05 the guy nonchalantly shows up, heaves himself out of the car and without a sorry or explanation proceeds to ask for my $35. Yes I paid for this privilege. We then have to wait on a student he “forgot” to pick up from Haskell University to be dropped of via taxi. Finally we set off at 7:15. All I’m thinking is I’ll never make this flight. My head is jumping to all sorts of irrational ridiculous conclusions. A day in the airport, extortionate fines, Christmas alone ! Then the radio pipes up and plays the only Christmas song worth listening to. Arguably the only one that means something “so this is Christmas and what have we done, another year older and I new one just begun…” I’m cast back to the comfort of my home with this song being drowned out by laughter and warmth. My eyes well up and I want to cry…perhaps for the first time since I got here. It’s a mix of worry and the fact I have no-one to worry with. We speed along the highway and make it to the airport at 8:05am I run in and check in whilst the flight is boarding. There are no ques and I make it onto the flight on time. Wasn’t worth the stress but everything is just fine. I’m on my way. Woop. The transition in Dallas goes pretty smooth, I even pick up a rather tasty burrito. (+1 beer) the plane that I was on from Kansas is the same one that is going on to Calgary which was rather strange because I was the only person going on to Calgary. Very weird coincidence. But since it was an international flight I had to get off and back on. And when I got back on she took my i90 or whatever it is called…and I seem to have some sort of memory that they aren’t supposed too. So I said “do I not have to keep that?” and she said no. so I just hope there are no issues coming home. Back on the plane and on my way to Canada, I have a wee nap and listen to a few funny podcasts (8 out of 10 cats, ricky gervace, and chris moyles)I even had to stifle a few laughs. The view out of the window was beautiful all the way, because the wind was really strong we had to fly at a lower altitude and I could see land all the way. Which was ultimately rather strange as the flight took 4 hours and I never seen the sea once, a definite first for me. As he journey progressed the scenery got colder as did my feet, at one point im sure they were entirely numb. I seen some mountains and gorgeous frozen over lakes that looked like crystallized wallpaper patterns. There were so many houses out all by themselves along the way. I wondered what they do…the people that is. I wondered if they even feel a part of the same world as me. I wondered a lot more but I can’t articulate it right now. We arrived in Calgary and I was super excited, I headed to the shuttle bus desk but low and behold it really just wasn’t my day for buses, the last one had departed at 12:30 (it was now 2:00) and the next one was not until tomorrow at 12:30. Fernie is over 4 hours from the airport. For the second time I really wanted to just breakdown. The woman explained I could get the greyhound bus from town at 10pm. Although far from ideal, as an alternative to a night in Calgary airport, I was pretty chuffed. But my eyes didn’t seem to notice. I got some money out and headed for the bus stop which would take me to the train station which would in turn take me downtown where I would find the greyhound bus. Obviously this bus had a problem with me too, no change no ride. So I went inside to buy something to get some change and obviously when I returned the bus had moved on. The next one would be another hour. Still not the end of the world. I get on the bus and feel like I’m finally getting somewhere. The guy opposite starts to talk to himself too quiet for me to hear and I deliberate what he could be saying. I hope its poetry, song lyrics or even just a running commentary of his thoughts. I think how many beautiful things would be said everyday if folk just spoke out load. Then he speaks up and its apparent that he is polluting the air with racism and homophobia. Perfect. I arrive at the train station (Sorry for the step by step explanation but I think it expressed the banality of the situation pretty well) The train ride goes fine, but I manage to get off a few stops to early. I ask someone where I am and they really go out there way to help me out, plus the train was free so I just hop back on the next one. Once I get to the greyhound bus station, after a hazardous walk over icy paths with 2 big bags I buy my ticket for a reasonable $52. I check my bag in and head of in the search of cider! Which pretty much takes me to the first sentence of this blog. However this part of the day was going a little too well….I cant find my greyhound ticket. I loose my appetite and leave. I pick up 6 beers on my way back to the bus station, this way I can always drown my sorrows if the ticket is gone for good. Luckily some amazing person who I cannot thank enough found my ticket and handed it in. so now I am in the greyhound bus station typing up this adventure and have been since (beer 1). Its 7 and the bus isn’t until 10 but im staying put, I cant deal if anything else goes wrong. Well I just had to get that out. I hope everybody who reads this had a better day than me, and im thankful beyond verbal acknowledgement that my day went better than an extremely large portion of the worlds. That’s all for now, im sure my next update will be much more upbeat. Now I am going to drink 5 more beers whilst listening to music, contemplating life and people watching. As well as being sly because im not sure if its legal to drink in bus stations here. Hmmmmm.

p.s, im in Canada and im exited.

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race

alrigh' so i's comin up tae christmas an here it is, the sco'ish wan hunner an wan. a rundoon oh all the words ah huv been spraffin an naebody kens wit am talkin aboot. rhonda hus kept trak an here it is the pure dead brilliant sco'ish dictionary two thousan an six.

well its almost the end of the semester and thus its finally here, the scottish 101 ! this is a list of all the words i have said which have left my poor bemused roomates looking at me with totaly confusion. rhonda has kept track of them an here it is the awesome scottish dictionary 2006.

1. squint - tilted
2. rubbish - trash
3. jab - vaccine
4. tea - dinner
5. crisps - chips doritos
6. juice - any (drinkable) liquid
7. apple sours - pucker
8. ice pole - popsicle
9. parcel - package
10. post - mail
11. match - game
12. trainers - tennis shoes
13. cling film - saran wrap
14. adverts - commercials
15. rank - disgusting
16. half eight - 8:30
17. I'll be there “the now”
18. cheers the now - see ya later!
19. knackered - pooped
20. aluminium - a British thing
21. boot - trunk
22. munter - really ugly person
23. muntered - really drunk
24. foosty - moldy
25. bin- trash can
26. bin bags - trash bags
27. trashed, reakened, reeking, trollied, bladdered, pished, sloshed - drunk
28. jumper - sweater
29. porta loo - porta potty
30. pear-shaped - gone wrong
31. 100s and 1000s - sprinkles
32. ice the cake - frost the cake (icing=frosting)
33. shopping trolly - shopping cart
34. snap - same
35. diluting juice - probably the greatest thing ever...why don't we have it
here?
36. fringe - bangs
37. flat - apartment
38. lolipop - suckers
39. plaster - bandaid
40. Miss World - Ms. Teen Kansas (Staci Klingsoidfja)
41. dungarees - overalls
42. pavement - sidewalk
43. slagging someone off - bitching, gossiping about s.o., dissing s.o.
44. tea towel - dish towel kitchen towel
45. boiler suit/overalls - coveralls
46. fizzy juice - soda/pop
47. waist coat - vest
48. vest - undershirt?!
49. willameenaminamary - wilma, great aunt
50. bolt - go away
51. radge - all in your face/crazy person
52. radgy - adj crazy
53. Yer pure aw in my face an tha - You're in my face
54. mental - crazy
55. nappies - diapers and
56. pack lunch - sack lunch
57. ques - lines (as in people)
58. They don't take showers in Scotland, they HAVE them.
59. Cello tape - packing tape
60. tele (telly per debbie) - tv
61. sweets - candy
62. steamin, blootered (pronounced: blue turd) - yet a few more words to
describe being drunk
63. kitchen roll - paper towels
64. skip - dumpster
65. polis - police
66. shotty - what look out says when authorities are coming
67. windy - window
68. weesht - shhhhh
69. Weest its all in the bunker cause thats the way I like it?!?! Yeah I don’t
know
70. hud your weesht woman - be quiet woman
71. lemonade - sprite
72. bunker - counter (only in edinburgh)
73. gutted - disappointed
74. pop - to fart
75. breeks - pants
76. pants - underwear
77. stone - 14 lbs
78. laggit (in sweedish) - how's it going.
79. tack (in sweedish) - thank you
80. cotton bud - q-tip
81. silent but violent - silent but deadly oooooo cool.
82. mizzle - not quite mist, but not quite drizzle
83. peely wally - pale, not tan
84. wide-o - someone slaggin someone off (dissing s.o.)
85. ned - non educated delinquet...really rude children
86. torch - flashlight
87. steamer - someone who's drunk allll the time
88. dummies - pacifiers
89. to niggle - niggling - eating away at your brain, bugging you
90. scaff - debbie cause she was gonna steal from e's. showing up to friends
house in rubbish (trashy) clothes, they'd be called a scaff.
91. engaged - busy (as in telephone line or porta potty thing)
92. guising - trick or treating
93. ace - Phillipa's cool
94. nae doot - no doubt
95. ghetto blaster - boom box
96. smarties - m & m's
97. refreshers - smarties
98. mars bars - milky way (mars bars are 3 musketeers)
99. nail varnish - polish
100. kip - sleep, nap
101. cutlery - silverware