Journey & Adventure

Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Canadians: The saddest part... I can relate to them all. If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Canada . If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Canada . If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Canada . If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialled a wrong number, you may live in Canada . If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of Detroit for the weekend, you may live in Canada . If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Canada . If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Canada . If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day, and back again, you may live in Canada . If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without fl inching, you may live in Canada ...

Instead of my son’s usual trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s when we leave for holidays, he opted to fend for himself and decided to stay at home alone. This was his first “home alone” experience and I’ll be honest, I was a little suspect of how things would turn out. At the best of times, the boy isn’t the most attentive and is certainly not the most organized person I know. When I speak, he typically listens, but does not necessarily grasp the finer details of the conversation. For example, I might say “We are leaving now, so please make sure you turn off the lights and lock the door when you leave.” What he hears is “We are leaving now, so turn off the lights.” He completely tunes out the most important part of the conversation – the instructions to “lock the door”. Anyhow with his attention to detail, I was a little bit concerned that I would return home to an empty house or even nomadic gypsies residing in my backyard. Alas, this was not the case. He a...

First, I wish to say “Happy Thanksgiving” to all my American friends. I know I had my Turkey Day in October, but let’s be honest – that was a century ago. I’m a little behind on my letter writing, so here goes... Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own. Dear Lunch Room Guy, Wearing your sunglasses in the office makes you look like a dork, but I’m sure you already knew that. Oh and just to clarify, wearing those damn Crocs and the fanny pack doesn’t help your appearance either. Best Wishes, SC ************************************ Dear Lazy-Ass Engineer, Stop complaining that the photocopier is out of paper and do something about it already. It’s not my problem, but you are. P.S. In case you didn't already know, I wish to point out that you are a whiney-ass troll. Yours truly, S *************************************** Dear Mall Santa, I would like to know how you got that job. ...

With a vacation, comes reflection - reflection of where I’m at in my life, how I got there and where I want to be in 6 months, 3 years or 10 years from now. This vacation was no different. I spent time once again reflecting on both the good, the bad and the ugly of the past years and what the future may hold. Although I don’t know where I’m going and I certainly don’t have a 10 year plan, I DO know that I’m not where I want to be at this moment in my life – at least not in my career. I took a wrong turn somewhere and I’ve done a bit of backtracking to find where I went wrong, but to no avail. Perhaps it’s time to stop and ask for exact directions to the Golden Path to Career Happiness… I’m confident it exists…somewhere – most likely somewhere in the Caribbean and believe me - I will get there eventually... In the meantime, I leave you with my inspiration for this post: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes by Jimmy Buffett I took off for a weekend last month Just to try and re...

Vacations are a double edged sword – they are great when you are on them, but when you come back, you are made to “pay” for taking time off. I have 107 unread e-mails in my inbox and at least 75 of them are marked with that red exclamation mark indicating they are “urgent”. Does anyone actually think putting the exclamation mark on them is going to make me read them any quicker? It’s great to come back to work only to be greeted by an e-mail from the CEO saying “thanks for all your hard work this year, but no one is getting a raise”. I am not surprised by this and am just thankful to have a job at all, but getting that e-mail still sucks. While I was away, my local radio station had changed its usual format to “all Christmas music, all the time”. WTH? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas music but NOT in November and NOT every damn song. There was something about hearing Alvin and The Chipmunks that almost sent me postal this morning. ...

Just a quick note to thank everyone for their comments yesterday and to let you know that all is right with the world again today - I am still married....for now. *smiles* It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do for common sense and composure. I guess when you have two stubborn people, sparks are bound to fly and yesterday was "our" day for a firestorm of epic proportions.

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to post for a few days. For being on island time, things are very busy. We have been averaging 3 dives a day, so by the time 7:30 comes along, I am ready for bed - at least my body is and my mind doesn't know any better. I guess that bedtime comes with age, but I just thought it would wait a little longer . Today was the first time in my 20 year marriage that I can honestly say that I contemplated my husband's demise...in detail. I know, SHAME on me! But if you were here you would understand that together we were a recipe for disaster. There are days when I need to count to 10 at least 3-4 times daily, but today - counting to 100 backwards wouldn't have helped diffuse the numerous situations we found ourselves in. We are both fairly easy going - especially when we are on holidays, but today was a disaster! We both woke up on the wrong side of the bed and would have been better served to just stay there. One of my pet peeves is indeci...