passion...schmassion

Day 9859: "Lookin' back it's still surprisin'..."

Wow. This past year has been incredible. So much has happened, so many memories - happy times/not so happy times, the experiences and events are unforgetable. *Natalie Cole singing Unforgetable in my head... Get out! Get out!*

It all began in a lacklustre, haphazard kind of way. 26th B-day came and went. Fun surprise pickup hockey game with friends at Rinx - so much ice to myself, I didn't know what to do. Surprise was only mildly spoiled by a well-meaning, but big mouthed Plboy, but no big deal, since the fact that my friends care enough to even try to surprise me is good enough for me! I love my friends. Funny part of the whole thing, though, is that I distinctly remember calling Rinx for rates and availability a while before - almost like I was doing the research for my own party! *lol* Too funny! Tad disappointed not because of who showed up, but because of who didn't show up. Events of a few weeks before were still fresh in my head. How silly can I be? I think I spent a good couple of months being totally confused and dazed - could it be that I was smitten even then... no way... Bad...

UFE results... the best belated present anyone could ever ask for. Distant memories made all the sharper by this year's good news (YAY KC!!! YOU GO BOY!!!). Tried to get someone to find out for me, but servers were too slow, so I ended up calling the Institute myself. Could not believe my ears!! That was a happy moment - I think my sister and I were both laughing and crying while trying to call some silly hotel in Shanghai to let the parental units in on the good news. Estatically happy for a couple of days at least - until reality sunk in, and I realized that even with the additional letters behind the name, I still had/have no clue what I'm doing with my life...actually just my career, because life is grand!

Experiences as a Quebecois - at least for a weekend - left my toe black, body relaxed (swedish message) and my heart restored (or at least, so I thought). Also realized that I really don't care for driving long distance in snowstorms. But oh well... if that's the price I have to pay to go boarding/skiing at a place where it takes longer to get down the slopes than to sneeze...

And then a blur and fast forward to the summer... oh, but must not forget to mention the -40 degree snowboarding, the frostbite, the dilemmas encountered with people bailing (ironchefbbq... but no worries - you're completely forgiven), one great Mister Happy Head sticker, JP, pushing cars out of ditches, lost 30 lbs, numerous accidents on the slopes a la Duckie-style, climbing for the first time (YAY!) and Tuxedo Sam (I swear, it feels like I've known you for years). :o)

Kick Azz Rubber Duckies!!! Who cares where we finished!! The fact that we did finish this year (i.e. no ramming and no disqualifications) is AMAZING! Pickering festival - family fell apart, got back together, decided to move to Vancouver (changed my mind), and Triscuit...

Centre Island with no tree mishaps just isn't as much fun, is it, Bo? But supersoakers in the park... now that was a sight to remember. I don't think I was dry the whole weekend. Hee hee, at least I didn't get the worse of it. Surprise Triscuit! Commando styles... lucky we didn't kill you, and lucky you didn't jump over the balcony - that would have been bad. Really, really bad... in so many ways.

Fond memories of "Moving John Holland." Trying to make it back for the Festival of Fire, only to get locked in the underground parking garage. Rollerblading at Sunnyside - I still have a scar where I fell going down that hill from High Park. Oh wait - latest climbing scrape is covering it. Lol.

Tearless goodbyes, but joyful reunion hellos in Lille... ahhh France. Viva la France. What can I say about two of the best weeks I've ever had, except thanks to all who made it possible. TWH never happened, but Unsanitary Man, Binny, Mini, Bo, LZ... t'was wonderful. I will never forget. PLUS...the thousands of pictures we took will never let us forget. hee hee. Literally thousands. One day, when I'm sixty, I'll find the time to sit down and organize them. Until then, it's in a box, somewhere in my house. Gotta love the hardcopy pix though. Digi is all cool and dandy, but there's just something about the anticipation of waiting for photos to develop and going back to the store 100 times to see if they're ready yet...only to hear "Come back tomorrow!"

Hardcore camping for the first time in my life! No toilets, no potties... not even a hole in the ground - unless you dug it yourself (with a stick). I now know that there are worse things than going potty in the woods with mosquitos biting at your butt. No worries guys, that one's for the girls. If I can manage that - I can manage anything! Cliff jumping, though. Been there, done that, no big deal. Never has been, never will be! BTW - if you haven't slept the night before, do not even attempt to drive (especially in a traffic jam). No sleeping and driving does not mix well, right ICBBQ?