Phone Rings, Plans Change

I think I would have liked my great grandmother, if I'd ever had the opportunity to meet her. She did things like juggle eggs well into her eighties, supposedly to keep her mind sharp. And she baked awesome lemon squares (one of my favourite treats).

According to my mother, she also had a great attitude towards life. No matter what happened, she did her best to stay upbeat. Being very involved in the comunity, she rarely had a day all to herself. Whenever the phone would ring, she would announce cheerfully "Oops, my life has changed!" and drop what she was working on at the moment without resentment.

I guess what I'm saying is I want to be more like her someday. So when Sobeys called this morning, asking if I could work the hours I planned to go costume shopping, I agreed and tried not to let my disappointment show.

Oops. My life has changed.

Only a Day Away

The count down has begun! 62 days, 2 hours, and 58 minutes until Halloween.

For those who haven't yet come to this conclusion, Halloween is a big deal in my life. You might even say it's a bit of unhealthy obsession. But hey, costumes, candy and horror movies? Who wouldn't love it?!?

That, by the way, is a rhetorical question. My own mother is less than enthusiastic about this particular holiday. She puts up with it because she loves me, and because I tolerate her preoccupation with all things Christmas, haha. Runs in the family perhaps? Although my father and brother seem to have escaped this characteristic...hmmmm...

Anyway, I do have a reason for bringing up Halloween when it's only the end of August. All true aficionados of this great day know that if you want to get the components of a truly wicked costume, you have to start shopping early. Which is why tomorrow afternoon Geoffrey and I are hitting every Value Village and Frenchys in a 100km radius.

I'm planning on going as Little Orphan Annie. Maybe. I tried to convince Geoff to shave his head and dress as Daddy Warbucks, but he didn't go for it. Can't imagine why... ;) I guess the days of our brother-sister costume combinations have come and gone. Drat.

Oh well, at least he's wearing a costume this year. Last year he didn't. He's going to be Igor Gouzenko. But with a flowered pillowcase so he doesn't get mistaken for a KKK member. That would be bad.

Last Boat Out of Here

I went to Tancook for a couple days. It'll probably be the last time I get down there this year. My grandparents leave for Arizona in November. Maybe I'll be able to visit at Thanksgiving or something.

Best part? Hmmm...It's always so relaxing there. I feel like a little kid again. I brought my brother's kite and me and a couple other girls got it up and flying after much effort: running and screaming and falling and laughing.

And Your Real Life Starts...NOW!

Or in twelve days. That's when I move out of the house I have lived in my whole life and into residence at university. I'm really excited of course, but a little anxious. Especially when I realize that I'm going to have to remember to carry band-aids with me at all times, and buy stuff like shampoo, and Q-tips, and pads for heavens sake!

Those of you who have experienced my scatterbrained-ness firsthand understand why this is funny. For those of you who haven't...in order to remember anything, I have to use a white board marker to write a checklist on my mirror. And then refer to it throughout the day. Several times. And that was when I was living at home!

Oh well. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually. Or die. That's a definite possibility. ;)

Wave Over Wave, Sea Over Bow

I never thought I could change this much in only two weeks. At the beginning I was so homesick for my friends and family. By the end, the crew of the STV Unicorn had become my friends and family, as corny as it sounds. I cried so much when the time came to leave. I even hope to go again next year!

And believe me when I say this. If ever I come into a substantial amount of money, whether through my own hard work or by luck alone, a large chunk of it is so going to Sisters Under Sail so that other girls can have the same experience for years to come. In the words of Dawn Santamaria, our boat-mom, "This ain't no cruise sister, it's the experience of a lifetime."







p.s.: It must be said, however, that I never thought I'd be so happy to see a real bathroom as I was when I got home! Who knew being able to shower everyday, or even every other day, would feel like a luxury reserved for royalty!