Today is Family Day in Alberta, which means I have the day off from work--or at least I don't have to be in the office. I have been traveling quite a bit for work this past month and will be the next two weeks as well, which means that my days in the office have been limited. To catch up a bit, I will be doing some work this afternoon, but I did get to have a massage this morning, so all in all, not a bad "work" day.
I've received several questions about Calgary from my US friends and family. First of all, where is it? Imagine yourself in Western Montana, and then head a few hours north and you'll land in Calgary. Being that I'm not a native and I've only been here for 7 weeks, I'll leave it to wikipedia to provide a summary. Some of you may recall that the 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary. Last week I visited Olympic Plaza, which was the location of the medal ceremonies. Yesterday was the Heritage Classic, an outdoor hockey game between the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens. I did not attend, but RTC and his dad braved the extreme cold and watched the Flames beat the Canadiens 4-0. This event was held at McMahon Stadium, also the site of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics. And here's a fun fact: RTC was part of the yellow ring during the opening ceremonies. His dad told me there are pictures of this, which I am very much looking forward to seeing. Here's a link to the opening ceremony highlights. You'll witness the aforementioned human colored rings and blow up dinosaurs...my, how Olympic opening ceremonies (and television!) have changed!
In honor of the Heritage Classic, the flame on the Calgary Tower was lit, which we can see from our living room window.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Where have you been?
I know, I know. I started the blog and the posts were steady and then...nothing. For almost two weeks. Sorry folks, life got a bit busy.
Last week I was in Montreal for work. This was my first trip to Montreal, and I enjoyed it. I didn't get to see that much because most of my time was taken up with work meetings, but I did enjoy a delicious dinner at Restaurant La Raclette on my birthday with my new work colleagues. It was a four course meal and for my main course I tried la raclette. This involves a contraption that reminded me of an Easy Bake Oven, and a small square pan that is filled with cheese and then slid into the oven. Once the cheese is melted, it is eaten with potatoes or cured meats. Incredibly rich, and I was provided with a ridiculous amount of cheese. It was yummy, though, and fun to try something different.
I am happy to report that I have found one yoga studio that I really like, Hot Yoga on 17th. RTC's sister K and I have gone several times and all the classes have been great. The downside is that it is farther away than I'd like, so it will probably be the studio of choice on the weekends. I will continue to look for something closer to the apartment or to my office so that I can fit in a couple more classes during the week.
We are slowly accumulating more items for the apartment, but mostly small stuff. I purchased a cheese grater over the weekend. Exciting stuff. However, the biggest purchase thus far has been a new bed! The first month in the apartment we slept on a full sized bed. This became uncomfortable the second night. Our original plan was to purchase a new mattress in the US and bring it with us when we move the rest of my belongings, but fortunately we found a good deal here. Fortunate because RTC was considering wearing protective gear to bed since I kept hitting him in the middle of the night (not on purpose, I promise!). So here it is, with its first satisfied customer!
Last week I was in Montreal for work. This was my first trip to Montreal, and I enjoyed it. I didn't get to see that much because most of my time was taken up with work meetings, but I did enjoy a delicious dinner at Restaurant La Raclette on my birthday with my new work colleagues. It was a four course meal and for my main course I tried la raclette. This involves a contraption that reminded me of an Easy Bake Oven, and a small square pan that is filled with cheese and then slid into the oven. Once the cheese is melted, it is eaten with potatoes or cured meats. Incredibly rich, and I was provided with a ridiculous amount of cheese. It was yummy, though, and fun to try something different.
I am happy to report that I have found one yoga studio that I really like, Hot Yoga on 17th. RTC's sister K and I have gone several times and all the classes have been great. The downside is that it is farther away than I'd like, so it will probably be the studio of choice on the weekends. I will continue to look for something closer to the apartment or to my office so that I can fit in a couple more classes during the week.
We are slowly accumulating more items for the apartment, but mostly small stuff. I purchased a cheese grater over the weekend. Exciting stuff. However, the biggest purchase thus far has been a new bed! The first month in the apartment we slept on a full sized bed. This became uncomfortable the second night. Our original plan was to purchase a new mattress in the US and bring it with us when we move the rest of my belongings, but fortunately we found a good deal here. Fortunate because RTC was considering wearing protective gear to bed since I kept hitting him in the middle of the night (not on purpose, I promise!). So here it is, with its first satisfied customer!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Part of making a new city home is discovering the qualities and services that make it unique. Today I discovered Avenue Magazine, which is helping on that front. The most interesting article I read so far is about a breadmaker who delivers break via bike and has regular offerings at stores around town. I am hoping to order in the the coming weeks for delivery. I'll provide an update once we've tasted the loaves.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Airports Schmairports
One reason to finally live in the same place was to cut down on airport time. Have we done that? Yes. Is it non-existent? Far from it. RTC is off to Vancouver this morning. Unfortunately, I am not disciplined enough to get ready for work before I have to take him to the airport. Let's be honest, I'm just pleased with myself for not going back to bed.
So while we are still traveling (I will be in four different Canadian cities this month), our trips are usually 2 or 3 days, which is nothing compared to not seeing one another for 2 weeks, or a month, or even 6 months when we first started out.
So while we are still traveling (I will be in four different Canadian cities this month), our trips are usually 2 or 3 days, which is nothing compared to not seeing one another for 2 weeks, or a month, or even 6 months when we first started out.
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