Odds and Ends

First off, Congrats Canada on winning the Men's World Curling Championships. Howard finally has a trophy of his own after being under brother Russ' shadow for so long.

My parents came up to visit! I was so happy to see them. As I said my dad retired and he and my mom went off to Disneyland. They decided to come and visit me before heading back home, which was sweet of them.

I got some free chocolate out of the deal as well as a free lunch at Mongolie Grill. If you ever find yourself in Whistler I highly recommend this place. You pick your own meal and the price is determined by the weight of what you pick. Then you get to watch these amazing guys grill your food. The best part is they do tricks with their flippers. It's like a mini floor show.

I watched as much of the Vimy 90th Anniversary as I could before I had to go to work. One of my co-workers actually got to go over there and see the ceremony. I was so jealous. But we both have a connection to the place. Both of our great-grandfathers fought there.

I can't even say how proud I am of him and of all the Canadians who fought in the Great War. I really believe that it's the worst war the world has ever seen. The officers in charge were using tactics from the 19th century, facing cavalry off against tanks (it was stupid really). It was a war of attrition, last man standing wins. Not to mention the horrors endured by the men in the trenches. Poor equipment like malfunctioning guns, boots that fell apart on you, mustard gas, drowning in crater puddles, trenches with body parts sticking out of the walls. The ick factor here is off the charts. Part of me really wants to see the Vimy Memorial because it means so much to Canada as a country but part of me thinks I wouldn't even be able to walk up to it. (I have a real problem with cemeteries).

Also, Congrats to the Canadian Women's Hockey Team for the winning the gold at the World Championships. I didn't get to watch the game but apparently it was really brutal.

I leave for Greece in 16 days. I'm starting to get really nervous though. I'm on a flight by myself and I've never been overseas.

Retirement: What is it good for?

One week ago today my dad retired after 35 longs years of working in the same job. All I can say is I admire the guy. I have a tough time doing four month shifts at the same job. Everything just gets so, repetitive. I mean, I'm the kind of person who has to be doing something else while watching tv. Gotta keep busy.

It's gonna be weird though. I'm so used to him going off to work and coming down to Victoria for business meetings. And I can't help but envy him. He's going to have all this free time to fill up and I just wish I had that time.

He and my mom left for a retirement trip right after his last day. Lucky them. But I do have a resaon to smile because they're coming to visit me on Sunday. It's been three long months since they dropped me off. As well, I leave for Greece in 24 days. I can't wait!