A report to say I have nothing to report; a progress report lacking of progress...

I'm still in PEI, enjoying another winter storm (25-30 cm dropped on us in the past day) and now starting to get bored. I brought the New Year in with some fantastic crazy friends in ole Ch'town. Forgot how I missed having musical friends and a live band performing at even the tiniest, most informal of gatherings! It was a great night with a group where there are no pretenses and everyone is completely themselves. No matter where I go or how long I'm there, there will never be a group like these guys who have seen each other through crazy times and know all there is to know. It's a comforting to know that we don't have to be in each others daily life to still maintain that closeness.

uhoh, she's getting reflective again...

New Years day brought me a big ole dose of the flu. Yuck. I was out for about 5 days, absolutely miserable with aches and coughs and fevers and all that other wonderful stuff. As awful as it is to feel sick, it is nice to have a few days of rest after such a long time. And to not get dressed... after a year of shared accomodation, a day of lazing about and not worrying about getting out of your pyjamas is a real treat. Funny the simple things you begin to appreciate. Unfortunately ny family did not appreciate this absence of personal hygiene like I.

But yes, I finally recovered (and bathed) and got a bit of time to spend with another great friend Sarah (rewind 6 months, this is the same Sarah who was in NZ for a month) before she & Paul head back to the UK for an undetermined length of time. Last Saturday I finally drug my arse over to NB, heading straight to my old stomping ground of Saint John to catch up with the ladies of San Juan for an evening. We had good fun, great food, and even a little educational game (a cannery is NOT a little yellow bird), then a bit of dancing to round the night out. Sunday I even got the pleasure of dining with my adopted Quispamsis family, the O'Neills, and then Shannon & I started talking... and talked until 4pm the next day! Didn't realize we had so much to catch up on!

Then off to Moncton so Shawn could have the couch back.... My aunt & uncle are Monctonians now, so it was great to spend some time with them. Dave was in the hospital most of the week (always looking for attention this guy) and Debbie was off work (she's a doting wife like you wouldn't believe... Stand by your man!) so what was going to be a 2 day visit turned into a week. It was fantastic to have the time with them and catch up on goings on in Monkeytown. Grumps (Dave) was released from captivity Saturday and made me stick around to figure out what stuff of his I had hidden... aren't I cute? He's a trooper that old bugger.

So Sunday night, accompanied by the funniest boy I know, my 8 year-old cousin (pronounced cuzint) Logan, I came back to my loving parents who were absolutely lost without me... well maybe not lost, but definitely feeloing the void... Now I guess it's time to start catching up with all the Summerside folk! And possibly start sorting out my life, but that's not as much of a priority.

Some strange things I've had to readjust to...
~Opening the newspaper - Cdn newspapers are narrower the NZ ones, meaning I almost ripped the Journal in half when I opened it first. But as I reflect, the first few times I read the paper in NZ, it was horribly awkward with a lot of folding and greatly extended arms

~Radio - too much top 40 pop here. I miss RDU

~I pulled into Sobey's (a major grocery store) to get a bottle of wine. It was't until I parked the car that I remembered alcohol is only sold in liquor stores here (which are all government run)

~Driving! I think it's taking me longer to get back on the right side than it did to get used to the left

~TV - all these shows I've never heard of, movies that are in the theatres in NZ are on video here, lack of British shows and humour, too many damn channels and too much American crap. And the commercials are done differently breaking the shows at different times

There's loads more things that have made me laugh as I realized my error, but of couse they escape me now. No fear, more babbling will come your way soon.