Uh oh. Vacation mode.

I'm not going on vacation, but I've got the same free spirit feeling this week. My return to Edmonton continues to bring a smile to my face every time I think about it. No doubt by Wednesday afternoon in the office in Edmonton I will be grumbling under my breath about passive aggressive people and how I wish they would just shut the F up. But...I digress.

I'm sitting here this afternoon with a decreased ability to concentrate and do work.

My list is long, pages long in fact but I just can't seem to pull it together. I am thinking about maybe just doing pretend work. Packing up a few more of the items I will be taking to Edmonton with me and re-arranging some of the stuff in my office...which is about to not be my office. I could take down all the personal stuff I have put up. Pics of the niece and nephew, favorite cartoons, the kind of memento that makes a space comfy.

I have sooo many things to do...someone send my a little bit of ambition to get me through till Friday!

From a distance the tundra looks dead. There is no colour in the summer from afar. And in winter it is wrapped in a blanket of life stealing snow and ice .
From a distance the Arctic seems small and insignificant.
From a distance why would the world care about the lives of only 30,000 people.
From a distance no one sees the pain of poverty, of change or of lost tradition.
From a distance it is difficult to understand that the tundra is made up of colours.
Purple, yellow, green, white, red, black, brown, pink, red and orange.
From a distance the icy whiteness doesn’t show the prisms of colour, the blue and green tones of the ice or the warmth it can provide.
From a distance you wouldn’t see the smiling faces of the people or know about the love they share for each other and the land they call home.
From a distance 30,000 seems like such a tiny number, but up close it is a large community where neighbors look out for one another.
From a distance the struggle to adapt to a world so very different than that of our grandparents isn’t apparent. Their life doesn’t exist long before they are laid to rest.
From a distance you wouldn’t understand. Many don’t understand from up close.

My ticket is booked!! I am heading to Edmonton next Friday. Whoo Hoo! I'm already planning out my first weekend back in MY apartment.

I went swimming this week. Yep, swimming in the Arctic Ocean. Well, technically not the Arctic Ocean, but close enough. One of the other Edmonton office staffers wanted to do a polar dip and I agreed to do it with her. Splash! Brrr! I walked in and then dipped under, she just jumped in. We didn't stay long but it was a great bit of fun.

Plans for this weekend...sleep and work. Oh, and maybe a bit of cleaning up in the apartment. Maybe. I have 'borrowed' a truck from work and may get to drive around for a bit. I'd like to get a few more photos before I head home. The next time I come up things could look very different.

TGIF.

Ok...it is still crazy hairy wild up here. The work never ends. Change is a bithc. Big over-whelming company change is worse than that. My gov't friends will remember the 7% roll-back, the reduction in staffing a few years ago, etc. etc.Imagine that kind of change in a rather small company. People are dropping like flies.

On the plus side, I may get to go home by the end of the month. I'm not holding my breath cause I'm afraid it may not happen, but if you are thinking of me...send good thoughts that I will be able to vacate my Cam Bay apartment at the end of the month!

Had a wonderful day Sunday. Organized a staff outing to Mt Pelly. We had a bbq and everyone who attended had a great time. Turnout was fantastic with about 70% of our in town staff in attendance. And about 1,000,000,000,0007 mosquitos. I think I donated more than my share of blood to the cause. And yes, I have pics...but not yet. Tease!

Cemetary in Cambridge Bay

Banock making contest on Nunavut Day. Cooked over an open fire.

Some of the almost 800 hotdogs that were cooked.

A couple of kids enjoying the festivities.

Me and D cooking the 'dogs.

Heading West from the airport towards some cabins.

Nice flowers.

Caribou heads found outside someones home. I love the expression on his face.

And more flowers...

Yep...still more flowers. Who says the arctic is all snow and ice?

This picture has not been retouched. It is not a black and white with touch up of colour. The ground is that dusty and dirty...cool eh?

I think I will be back in Edmonton by the end of the month. Thank goodness.

I am out of laundry soap and my clothes will become stinky soon. I am a week away from being out of deodorant, shampoo and body wash. Maybe they will just kick me out when that time comes? :)
I don't want to buy new up here, but deodorant is kind of a must. LOL. The girls in Edmonton may be doing some shopping for me in the next couple weeks.

I spent part of my morning working and then went for a lovely drive in the early afternoon. I dropped someone off at the airport and asked the other person with me if they minded a detour. They didn't. If I ever get to Edmonton or sometime in Cam Bay I'll post the pics...just think...almost three months worth of pics to view! Then we spent the rest of the afternoon and are still re-organizing the front desk here at the office. It looks so much better already and it isn't done yet. Such simple things as removing old and outdated posters, taking away clutter....now my office looks like a dump but at least the front area is tidy.

Oh, by the way. I am looking for heavy equipment mechanics, automotive mechanics and a helper for my office. The mechanics can come from the South but to be my office mate you need to be from Cam Bay. Any takers?

Happy Canada Day, eh?

I'm at work...so the festivities are beyond my reach today. Actually, I don't even know if there is anything going on in town today. I am only guessing I am missing out. I know there are celebrations planned for Nunavut Day, but didn't hear about activities for today. Oh well.

I arrived back in Cambridge Bay yesterday afternoon and was in the office within a half hour of landing. Yes, no rest for the wicked. I did get to sleep in this morning which was wonderful and I am looking forward to sleeping in again on the weekend. Ah, weekend.

I am not able to get any internet connection at the house with my personal laptop and may end up dragging home the work one for the weekend just to update the blog and my facebook status.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day. Mine is going ok, other than the fact I'm at the office. Sigh.
Guess I shouldn't complain as I just got back from a wonderful trip.