Happy Hallowe'en

It's fright night!!! oooh.... scary.

This year I'm having the most different hallowe'en experience that I can remember. Instead of dressing up and going out (or trick-or-treating as I did many moons ago) I'm staying in. I'm the designated candy passer-outer this year.

I volunteered for the job actually. I did this a few years ago with a friend in the city and it was fun to see all the kiddies dressed up and begging for a sugar high. So, to make sure that the little 'uns come to the house, I organized myself and decorated outside. It's not the graveyard-haunted house-scary amazing kind of look that I would want, but I think it's a good job, given my short notice... and limited funds.

the front of the house

As you can see there are big orange bags - I filled them all with leaves yesterday... what a workout!!! - and there are faces drawn on all of them. I did most of them but Bilal did a couple and so did Alexia. Here's a close-up:

My homage to Kiss! (not really...just came out that way!)

The other day I made a bunch of ghosts with Bilal - they're hanging on the front porch. I also got some of that fake spider web stuff and put it up, rather haphazardly I must admit...

the ghosts and spider webs...

I also carved the jack-o-lantern... it was fun, but not as fun as I remember it being when I was a kid. The best part, I think, is toasting and eating the seeds after.

"before"

his guts... poor guy...

"after"

The seeds turned out okay, but there weren't very many for suck a large pumpkin... This could very well be my last Hallowe'en in Canada... maybe... so I think it's good that I'm staying home this year... who knows when I'll ever have the little munchkins come 'round to my house again? I'll take pictures of them (with parental permission) and post them if I can...

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!!

Back and Forth

This seems to be a theme in my life right now. I'm back in Otterburn - the cats at my (wonderful) friends' house were just too much for my immune system - and I'll be here until I leave in 36 days.

Which brings me to the other "back and forth" part of my life - moving to London. I keep thinking how things would be so much easier if I just stayed here and then I think that I would regret not going (possibly for the rest of my life)... What's a girl to do? No one can make the decision for me, but sometimes I wish there were someone to just tell me what to do. Not that I'd likely listen to them if there was!

So here is a pros and cons list to staying and leaving.

Pros to staying:

• I could set myself up in a nice apartment for WAY less.
• I would be close to my friends and family.

Cons to staying:

• I would always wonder "what if..."
• Finding a job in my field is more difficult here.
• I could get "comfortable" and forget about my dreams of seeing the world.

Pros to leaving:

• I'd get to live in one of the biggest most exciting cities in the world.
• I would never wonder "what if..."
• I can always just come back and settle if I want.
• My visa and flight cost me about $1000.
• I'd be fulfilling a life-long dream.

Cons to leaving:

• My money will be gone the instant I land.
• I will be in a foreign country (again) with no (real) support network.

I guess that I should go... I know that I will, it's just that when you have to wait so long to something so "crazy" you tend to start to wonder why you thought of doing it in the first place. I felt the same way for a few weeks (and especially days) before leaving for Korea, so I know this is part of the process... I just can't help thinking about it.

In other news...
My "cold" developed into something more fierce, but being away from the cats for a couple of days is helping. I hope to be 100% better in a few days.

My new "job" had no hours for me this week. Ya, that's right. I had to log in to a website today to choose my hours for next week and am now waiting on approval. I hope that I get something next week... if not I'm not sure what I'll do for money... though I am awaiting my tax returns...

new digs... again.

I've moved into the city. There are a number of reasons for this, but I won't list them. There is something sad about leaving Otterburn, but it's also a good thing for me. I'm stuck here until the 4th of December, so I might as well make some money in that time, right?

Today I got a job at a market research firm where I will be calling people and asking them questions. Fun. I had some friends way back who did this while they were going to school. I'm just doing it to be able to survive for the next six weeks without spending any of the money currently in my bank account. Hopefully I can stand it enough... if not, maybe I'll head back to the country...

I found a great deal at redtag.ca for my flight to London. $480 one way on British Airways... the same flight is listed at just over $1000 on their site, so I'm looking at it like a 50% off sale! Plus BA lets you bring more luggage than the (only) cheaper flight that I found. Anyway, I've got two days until I start my new job, hopefully the cold that has been lingering in my sinuses for the last five days will be gone by then.

BTW, I was thinking of trying to go to the Gazette or CJAD and ask them if I could be their "bitch" for a day or two a week... just not sure how I should go about it... any ideas are welcome.

a girl and a bike

The other day, feeling like I haven't been exercising enough of late, decided to go for a bike ride/photo expedition out in the country. I opened google earth to map out where I wanted to go, packed some snacks, and took off into the glorious sunshine.

My route

My goal was to get to Chambly. It's a couple of town over and up the river from here. I approximated the ride to be about 30 KM's. I had all afternoon, so I didn't really care how long it took me.

Mont St. Bruno

A barn

It was incredible to be out in the middle of nowhere with no other people in sight (especially since I must have looked a little goofy all decked up in my winter jacket with a camera hanging around my neck!). The sun was shining; there were big puffy white clouds in the sky; the trees were all changing into their autumn glory; the air was crisp, but not cold, it was a perfect day really.

Trees in their fall colours

Down by the river

I stopped a few times to take pictures. I biked through a field to get to a copse of trees. I stopped along a deserted highway to photograph the freshly plowed fields. I stopped by the river and got stuck in the mud. I climbed down to the rivers edge to photograph the water gurgling over the rocks. Then I came home. I stopped stopping and just took pictures while riding the bike. (Those ones didn't turn out very well...)

More trees by the river

Near the rapids... I think I went swimming here once...

Part of the hydro-electric dam

It was a lovely day and hopefully it will be again soon so that I can do the same thing in the opposite direction!

it's about time

I haven't been posting. I'm sorry. I guess I needed a break, or maybe I just thought there was nothing terribly interesting to write about. Here's what I've been up to for the last month...

I landed in Montreal, sans luggage, on September 2nd. My luggage spent the night in Chicago and joined me at Trisha's apartment on the third. I spent the next week at her place in a daze of delicious and naughty food, and sleepless nights. I was waking at 3 or 4 AM every morning no matter what time I went to bed.

It's further than it looks!

A week after getting back I "moved" out to Otterburn Park, my childhood town, to stay with Alexia and Bilal at Alexia's mom's house. It's been nice playing "auntie Liz" to Bilal the cutest six-year-old I know.

"Monkey B"

We walk to school in the morning and home in the afternoon. We play and watch movies. We argue and we hug and make up. I missed him a lot while I was in Korea and actually wrote to him more than anyone else! I don't want him to forget me...

Alexia and I in our Korean "peace sign" picture.

Alexia and I have been puttering around, going to the mall, walking in the forest behind her house, doing garden work, and lazing about. This has truly been like a vacation for me. Now, it's about to all change. I've been accepted for my working holiday maker visa for the UK and I will hopefully be out of Montreal on the 23rd of October. I neeed to verify something with the Embassy and then I'll know for sure. I'm excited and scared. It's not the same feelings I had when I left for Korea, since I at least have a friend across the pond, but it's still scary to think that I'll be away for at least another year and maybe more. At least it isn't the first time!!!

Here are some pictures that I've taken recently. I've been loving the nature photography of late since I'm surrounded by it.

The field behind the house.

In the forest.

Leaf

pretty...

Shrooms, anyone?

I suppose that's it for now. I'm on my way into town today... feels like a big deal, but I go at least once a week, but today is for socializing and not business... woohoo... So until I have more news, I hope this post is enough... I'll let you all know as soon as I have more info...

a month is too long...

So sorry it's been so long since my last post... I guess I just haven't felt like there has been anything interesting to put here. I've been back in the Montreal region for a month now and I will hopefully be getting out of here in the next month! Destination: England.

I'm working on getting my visa right now and then I just have to wait. They've told me the turn around is about 10 days... not sure if that's working days or not, but it probably is.

So that's the plan.

Other than that, I've been playing house with Alexia out in Otterburn Park, about an hour outside of Montreal. It's nice sometimes, but I miss the city and all the conveniences that come with it. I feel very isolated out here.

Being home is strange. It isn't really "home" anymore. It just a place that I know really well, and I'm ready to experience new things, not the same old, same old. Keep your fingers crossed for me and I promise lots of exciting tales from the UK and Europe...

I promise to write again soon... I still have to finish the Tales of Thailand... I have one more post on that and I haven't yet written about my travels from Korea to Canada... but maybe that's a story better left untold, we'll see.