so im in Canada and living with a friend, Ashley, who i meet when she was an exchange student at home in nz...and her partner, Robin, in their new house in Grande Prairie, Alberta along with their dog a golden labrador cross something called Kokanee. I have been here since the 9th and am still on the look out for employment..though i must admit the first few weeks i was not trying all that hard:)
I spent most of my time helping them move into and set up the new house...this last weekend was May Long-Weekend...for the Victoria day holiday *which no one can tell me what it is for*..it traditional marks the start of summer...so in honor of the holiday we went on a 4 day camping trip down by the river with some of their friends and family....the trip pretty much consists of eating, sitting around the campfire drinking and shooting the shit...and river boating...which is really just drinking and shooting the shit in the back of a boat and then stopping off to eat some more...ahhh life is hard :)

morning of the 9th...flight is scheduled for 11:25..therefore need to be at airport at approximately 9:30am...wake up after a late night eating one last american meal at Dennys...see time on clock reading 9:48am...think am hallucinating..walk downstairs to kitchen and more reliable time-telling devices...confirm original time and panic....have not finished packing nor clearly at airport as should be!!
ring airlines whilst frantically trying to pack all remaining belongings into bags...finally manage to get person on onther end of telephone who informs me i should be fine get here asap...drive 15mins to LAX...spend some time finding parking...have no change to buy trolley so lug large bags some distance into terminal building...realise i am quite rediculously late...and manage to scam way to front of check in line...try to check self in only to find that my United 8453 flight is actually not run by united at all but instead Air Canada *logical huh* hence correct terminal is in fact one across other side of airport...clinging to hopes of still making flight (the only direct one all day) make way across LAX picking up abandoned trollys along the way...finally reach correct check in desk at 11:15...well and truly missed the flight:)
reassigned new flight stopping over in Calgary for 2hrs making a 3hr 40min direct flight into an 8hr something total travel time....YAY!
However in the end it was not all bad as immigration took so freaking long that i only had about a 30min wait to forage for food...*which i had no time in LA to get* and try to buy some duty free...just m luck the store was closed...as time change meant it was after 5...
finally arrive in Edmonton at 8something pm...yay yay yay...to be meet by Ashley (friend whom i met in NZ 5yrs ago)...
you hafto love travelling....

so after spending four months living the snow-bum lifestyle basically perpetuating the student life but without the inconvenience of classes and wot-not...i am now moving on to less cushy things...like a 40hr a week job and the like..well provided i find one that is :)
I have spent my last 2weeks sitting on my butt..in or out of the sun...and partying it up one last time in good-ol mammoth lakes at the west coast invitationals *a snowboarding/skiing competition* watching some of the best there is ride the pipe and a huge rail-jam party in the middle of town..a great way to bid farewell to my second home-town...
so now i am hoping i have sorted everything out and am trying to stuff my more than doubled possessions into bags that fingers-crossed are not going to break the weight restrictions too much...ie i can not afford excess baggage charges!!
and despite assurances that i will not even need a winter coat, on checking the weather temperature a balmy 54F (thats about 12C) today does not make me think toasty warm...even mammoth has been hitting the 60/70s (about20C+)
but im not going to bitch because i spent far too long laying by the pool the other day and have got myself a rather nice sunburn...hey what was i thinking i havent been in the sun for like 12mths of course i was going to get burnt!! i suppose i just didnt believe that the american sun could do that...what with the smog coverage and all :)
tonight i have an evening of americanism planned...we are going to a friends ice-hockey game and then for beer, pizza and monday night football...
adios america we have had some good times i'll see you in november!!