Student Loan $0

It's taken 7 1/2 years, but I have finally made the last payment on my student loan for my time at Queen's.

It's a really nice feeling because it's tied in with my parents, and now I don't have to feel that my inability to pay it off affects their financial lives.

Financial seurity is definitely one of the reasons I volunteered for this deployment to Kuwait. By the time I'm ready to leave here I will have paid off my student and most of my credit card (I know, I know, bad Erica). It's not so much that my pay has gone up (although it has a bit from the allowances for deployment), but I don't really have too many expenses here. I cancelled my internet while I was away, and don't have to buy groceries, leaving just my rent and debts to pay each month.

Long story short...I have finally paid for my Queen's education! It has taken me 9 jobs in 3 provinces and 3 countries to pay off.

Yay me!!!

Frustrating

There really is very little as frustrating as writing an awesome blog post and then realizing that it wasn't posted, and wasn't saved anywhere, and now the energy and enthusiasm used for the post are gone. I will attempt to recapture the magic now, but just know that even I know I am failing miserably....
I spent the last weekend of my HLTA doing a couple of things that have been on the bucket list for a long time. The first, and probably least spectacular, I went snowboarding at Mt Baker. The snowboarding part wasn't what was on the bucket list, but doing it in November was. A friend and I have an unspoken challenge to see who can go snowboarding in all the months of the year first. My trip to Mt Baker reduced my count to 4 (April, May, August and September). The fact that it was pouring rain and pretty crappy doesn't really matter, so much as the getting out there and doing it. I was also really excited to go, because it may be my only chance this year, depeding on when I get back from Kuwait.
More importantly from last weekend, I finally made it to both the Vanier and Grey Cups! Most people who know me probably don't know that I am a closet CFL and university football fanatic, especially since I am a fan of the worst sort....I know next to nothing about the game and it's rules, but still continue to yell and rant and rave at the play and players whenever I get the chance. I've been an Eskimo fan since I watched my first live game in Edmonton with my friend Jennifer Redwood in grade 6. We had received free tickets from school and went to see the game with her dad. If I remember correctly we spent the entire time staring at the players butts (hey, I was in grade 6!), but I was hooked. Eventually the love moved passed a love of looking at butts, although not completely. Going to an American high school with a football team, and then living on West Campus as Queen's with the games just outside my door for two years probably helped to fuel my secret sport love. Anyway, I convinced a friend to go to the Grey Cup with me, and then he amanged to scam some free tickets for the Vanier so I was in the money last weekend.
The Grey Cup was, unfortunately, the lesser of the two games, probably because I was worried about making my ferry back to the island immediately after the game, and therefore kept staring at my watch. Also, my back-up team (Edmonton didn't make it, so Winnipeg as next up) didn't win. Even though I did the hard part of cheering for them in a stadium all rooting for BC. It was fabulous to see all the fans from non-Grey Cup CFL teams decced out in their teams stuff. There were fans for the Allouettes, Roughriders, Stampeders, Eskimos and Ti-Cats everywhere, even though their teams hadn't made it. I am not quite that dedicated. The game was ok, it was dominated early on BC, and neither team had any really spectacular plays. Pretty awesome experience though, and I'm going to try to get tickets for my Dad and I next year, since he's always wanted to go too.
Friday's Vanier Cup was awesome. I had been hoping all season to see Queen's there (even though they never ranked higher than 8 nationally all season). I had even convinced my mom to buy me a new Queen's sweatshirt while I my dad was having surgery at KGH. I mean, the hospital's right on campus, so it wasn't out of her way or anything. But, alas, Queen's had to lose to Mac in the Ontario semi-finals. So I went to the game Friday, still wearing my Queen's shirt, and cheered for Mac against Laval. I love underdog stories, and the Vanier Cup was definitely one. Laval was trying for a record 7th win. Mac was there for the first time in 40 years, and trying to win it for the first time ever. My friend was cheering for Laval. The group of 10 yr old boys beside us were cheering for Mac with me, and kept taunting my friend whenever they got the chance. Our seats (which weren't really ours, but were empty so we scammed them) were awesome, first row, 25 yard line. And we did have the hilarious, also seat-stealing group of boys to keep us entertained if ever the game was paused. Their dance moves were unbelievable, earning them (and me, hey, I was right beside them) at least three shots on the jumbotron. I just hope they continue to play league football and don't end up as strippers, which their dance moves suggest may happen. In the end, after some amazing plays, Mac won in double overtime. Best game ever.
And now I am back in Kuwait. I know that Maddy and Cleo had some questions about Kuwait, or at least wanted me to talk about it some more, but I don't really know what to say. Everything I imagine saying seems sort of anti-clamatic. Anyway, shoot me some questions and I'll do my best. And if anything exciting happens I will be sure to post it, now that I have broken the 7 months silence.
That is all.

Victoria to Kuwait and back again

I guess it's time to update this blog. It's only been 7 months. That's penuts in the span of a life, right?

Major updates:

• This summer I had my first real job in the military. Which means it's the first time the military posted me to an established (and therefore not made up) position, as Transportation Officer for the West coast navy. I had great people that worked for me, and I love the challenge of telling people who out-rank me why they can't do what they want with military vehicles. Wine consumption drastically rose the 2 months I did both my job and my boss's, but hey, I'm in BC, the wine is good.



• At the end of the summer I deployed to Kuwait as a Duty Officer. My job is pretty low-key - I monitor phones and emails for shifts between 8-14 hrs and handle (re-direct) any disaster that comes up. As a Log officer it's pretty awesome to be part of the largest retrograde of military equipment for Canada since WWII. Sometimes they even let me out of my trailer to help clean tanks, and I have even been given a wrench on occasion to scoot under armoured vehicles and attach 'stuff'. What's made the experience incredible is that I've run into a few blasts from the past - one PSP girl I deployed to Kandahar with, and a MCpl who had given me my OJT (on the job training) when I first came to Esquimalt 2 1/2 years ago.
  


• I'm home now on HLTA for two weeks. Mostly I've been bumming around Victoria, shopping, getting my hair done, and treating myself to a massage. This weekend should be pretty fun though, but I'll (hopefully) type about that Monday.

Anyway, after 7 months away that about sums it all up.

Coming home

There's something crazily comforting about coming home. Growing up how I did, moving every three years at the longest, home has always meant where family is, where I feel I have permission to be me without the pressures of the outside world. I have spent the last few days helping with maple syrup at my parents' place in the country. I have spent the last few days tromping through the woods in rubber boots, pj pants, dirty t-shirt, man's work coat and tilley hat. The look is beyond unattractive and only makes me want to grab a camera and post the resulting picture as my profile pic on a dating website.

men dig scars, right?

I think I'm going to have a new scar. Apparently I need to be more careful when cutting the yarn for my friend's baby blanket, because somehow I managed to use my super sharp embroidery scissors to snip into my ring finger. Scissors were so sharp it didn't even bleed until I was already in the bathroom opening the first aid kit for a bandaid.

One day, just one day, I would like to do something that is not clutsy!

Take that OPMEs!

I am a procrastinator. A hardcore procrastinator who probably only handed in a handful of my assignmnets on time during university...mostly the ones where the professors said that failure to do so would result in a zero on the assignment.

For work I've had to complete a number of distance learning or professional development courses on my own initiative. Some I understand the importance of, some just frustrate me.

I'm currently registered in two in-class university level courses. I hate to say it, but I have regressed in all my bad study habits, handing in assignments late, starting them at the last minute, ordering pizza to stay up late and work on them, failing to proof-read and consuming WAY too much cafeine.

I am proud to say that after starting yesterday, staying up until 3am, ordering delivery pizza (and not delissio), I am up at 5:30 am to head into work to put the finishing touches on two presentations...essentially finishing all assignments to complete this semester's two history courses.

Just one more semester to go. But it may be put on hold until the fall to allow for some much needed brain cell vacation time, as they haven't had a break since I joined this operation 26 months ago!

Peace out.

(ps...that was the lack of sleep and high cafeine consumption talking(

Crazy

I lead a pretty quiet and predictable life. I'm not really athletic. I used to be. I look back on my highschool days and amazed by how athletic I was, and how fun it was to be on teams, and miss it.

Now I dabble in athletics...we do PT 3 days a week for work (although I only do 2 right now since I have class during one PT session), I've been getting snowboarding on the weekends since Christmas, and occasionally I make it to the free yoga classes in my condo building. But that's it. It's not the 2 hour workouts 6 days a week that was so normal 13 years ago.

So, to counter the last decade's laziness I have started to sign myself up for crazy athletic challenges. A few years ago I did a 40km adventure challenge with my Dad and Uncle Shorty. This past fall I signed up for an 8k race - and then didn't train.

But the craziest is yet to come. In just over 2 months...15 May to be exact...I will be doing a HALF MARATHON! I don't know if I'll be able to run the whole thing, but by god I will finish it...even if I have to crawl to the finish line, although I sincerely hope walking will be enough. Let the training begin!

it's raining babies!

Forget raining men, apparently the world is raining babies these days. In four days last week three people I knew had babies...and more are currently in the baby cooking stages.

Then on the weekend when I was at Mt Baker snowboarding the cutest little girl - maybe 2yrs old - kept trying to block me from getting up the stairs, backing me against the wall. Too cute. And apparently my friend's toddler that fist-pumps can also do push-ups...adorable!

Let's just say that, I'm not sure if it's because I'm staring 30 down soon, but the biological gumball machine is dropping magic coloured eggs faster than I can imagine. Damn you 'Dating Big Bird' and gumball analogy that is so much cooler than a clock!

I should be doing homework. I graduated university almost 7 years ago, and apparently my study habits have not improved in all that time, since I have a five page essay due tomorrow comparing two articles, and I have only managed to read one so far. I have 20 hours until the paper's due...plenty of time!!! Although I should also review some PERs for work before work tomorrow. And what am I doing instead...laundry, creeping facebook, generally all other sorts of unnessecary things. Although in a sign of growing up and maturing my study snack of choice today is snowpeas and water instead of litres and litres of diet coke with chips and candy. Although if I'm still working on this at midnight I may have to cave and head to the gas station.

I spent my weekend hanging out with a friend, snowboarding and drinking instead of doing homework. Much better use of time.

SNOW!

And so I'm back after a three month hiatus from the blog. There are lots of reasons to take a three month hiatus...nothing's happening, so much has happened you don't know where to start, or sometimes there are just things that happen you want to keep to yourself. I can say that the last three months have been filled with all three (and some computer malfunctions too), but that they've been pretty good. Definitely happy with where I am now. And so, like the world outside this morning, I'm going to start fresh right now.

This morning Victoria got a lot of snow. 10" of snow. An unbelievably large amount of snow that normally has one 'snow event' a year, and we already had that back in November. There's really nothing like looking out in the morning to see the world blanketed in fresh snow. The whole world seems like it's full of possibilities, a blank canvas just waiting for someone to make their mark.

I love how the snow brings out the crazy...the good crazy...in people. On my walk to work this morning I was passing by an apartment complex and there was a woman in her pj's on the balcony singing 'White Christmas.' Love. There were tiny kids out with shovels clearing the sidewalk with their Grandpa who were so excited to show me their pile of snow. Super love. And then there was me...acting like I was four. Thrower of snowballs, maker of snowmen and cooker/baker/mixer (???) of snow icecream.

The walk to work

On my way to work

The snowman I made at work...I forgot his arms