Written on July 17, 2011…

Well, this is it…it’s time. I have almost forgotten that I used to regularly blog; in fact, last year I was actually ‘blog-spotted’ in Iqaluit! Ah, where has my writing gone? I would like to blame it on the fact that, for the longest time, I couldn’t format the pictures taken from my new camera (too many pixels to load), but that would be a flimsy excuse. I could also blame it on the fact that I started another blog which is all dog related, but that would be just as bad. I’ll just have to say that other things – not even good things necessarily – have taken over. I require a little bit more writing discipline m’thinks!

If you have been following along, you would know that Qikiqtarjuaq is where I spent the 2010/2011 academic year. One thing I haven’t mentioned in my previous posts, though, was how much of a problem housing was; I won’t get into the details, but the long and the short of it is that when I return to the north next year it will be to Kugluktuk, not Qik. Hmm, three communities in three years? I’m so sick of moving around!

My memories of Qikiqtarjuaq will be good – I had so many good adventures! Thanks to Clint, my Arctic Cat got a lot more cruising time than it got last year, and polar bears were always just a few miles away. Throw in snowshoe treks and exploding coconuts and you have yourself a strange year!

Right now, I’ll just finish up this entry with a few photos from this past year…I’ll try something more regular this summer. Unfortunately, for some reason I can’t load more than these three on this first entry.

This shot is taken from the steps of the local Northern Store.

The Northern and the Post Office...always a place to find goodies when the plane actually made it in!

If you take a ride around the island, this is what you see...

Awesome, awesome, awesome! I got a note from Clare today over at The House and Other Arctic Musings, and what a great surprise! Apparently I’ve been nominated as ‘best new blog’. Now, this kind of feels like cheating…I did, after all, have a different blog last year. However, I’ll take my luck as it comes.

The blogging world in the north is pretty strong…I haven’t yet been able to get used to being referred to as ‘Pang Bound’ (my site last year) or ‘The Daily Muise’, but it’s like family after awhile. ‘The Nunies’ is a yearly contest for northern blogs. If you win, the earned badge is a nice little piece bling to adorn your homepage.

Though I have some pretty tight competition, I’m going to do a little bit of shameless self-promotion here and say: vote for meeeee! Come on lurkers, make yourself known. You can find the ‘vote’ button here.

For the past few months I’ve been having problems with my water. I seemed to run out frequently, and the hamlet started charging me for call-out fees. Not cool.

…for those of you unfamiliar with the north, the first thing to note is that, though there is running water, it’s stored in a tank under your house. Beside it, you generally find the same sized tank filled with sewage…as one decreases, the other increases, and trucks travel the roads to pump and suck. Yuck.

How is it possible to run out of water so quickly? It’s true that the tank is small, but it’s not like I’m a chronic cleaner with the shower and washing machine constantly in use. Finally, I just refused to pay the account until someone came to the place to check out the problem.

As it turns out, the ‘float’ reader wasn’t set right and my taps would stop running when there was still half a tank left! No more weekly $150 call-out fee and, since Clint has started passing out pop to the drivers, we never run dry…

Now, to the main point of this post. When I was under the house, laying on the tank, and peering into the small access hole, I couldn’t help but notice the sediment piled up on the bottom…and that’s literally my drinking water! When I asked around, I learned that the inside of the tank is actually supposed to be cleaned once a year. I have no idea when my unit was cleaned last, but it’s certainly been more than 365 days.

…so I set off on the adventure of trying to get the tank cleaned. In fact, the Co-op in town employs someone to do this – a small someone. She has to actually get in the tank through that tiny hole to scrub it clean after the water has been emptied. Nasty! We drained as much as we could by running the taps and washing every bit of clothing in the apartment, but still more had to be scooped out.

Brace yourself for this…the following picture is not a pot of coffee dumped in the snow. It’s where the bucketfuls of water taken from the tank were dumped. My drinking water.

My drinking water...

It’s time…I cannot tell a lie. Since December 20, 2010 (my last post), I have received so many emails re: my inactivity on this site! Aww, I feel so special. Apparently the day-to-day minutiae of my life and my meandering thought process has hooked a few people; who woulda thought?

Actually, it’s not just the small details that people have been missing; after all, I haven’t written anything about Christmas, New Year’s, or my birthday! Oh, and the constant power outages are noteworthy as well, I suppose. Where should I even start? I think I’ll go with a reverse chronological record of the past few weeks…no reason, just had to start somewhere!

This year – and what seems like most years – I returned to work on my birthday. Not really the most wonderful ‘welcome back’, but at least I had two days of respite before classes started. I figured that being at my desk with my Mac and iPod pumping tunes wouldn’t be so bad. It wasn’t, actually…it was a good way to ease back into the swing of things.

My cherry cake with an insane amount of icing (and candles) on top. In fact, I think there were close to 3 cans of icing throughout the whole thing!

Anyway, my boyfriend did the coolest thing that morning when I was out…he baked me a cake! I’m not sure what it’s like for you readers, but I can’t remember the last time someone put together a cake for me. By the time you hit my age, I suppose, people have moved on to other things. Don’t get me wrong – my friends and family have provided me with my fair share of ‘candled sweets’ served up by a singing staff at random restaurants, but I really can’t recall the last time someone pulled out a Duncan Hines pack and take the time to put it together. This whole episode was doubly impressive considering the fact that he lived on Pizza Pops, Eggos, and PB and J sandwiches until about a month ago.

Oh, and after giving 2 pieces away to co-workers, we took 2 forks and finished the whole thing in 2 days (with about a pot of tea). Although I’m sure it wasn’t the healthiest thing to gorge myself on, isn’t that what birthday’s are all about? My birthday’s on January 4th, so resolutions don’t officially begin until the tree comes down on the 5th. Absolute truth.

And my main gift? A Keurig coffee maker! We’re still waiting for Canada Post to make itself known, but I already have an idea of how awesome it is…a few people have the up here. Oh, and well.ca has finally started to sell the k-cups!

…and that’s my birthday 2011…

Gryphon enjoying his candy-cane striped rawhide chew...

Another Christmas past and another horribly neglected blog…this time I have an excuse, though: no bandwidth to help me along! The computers running in this apartment for the past two weeks have eaten up every extra byte and has left me ‘net-less’. Ahhh!! I believe it’s because of the extra person living here…sounds about right.

I had a lot going on this year. I was here in the north last year for the holidays, but I don’t remember them as being so busy…good busy, though.

Like I mentioned in my last blog entry both my Macbook Pro and Arctic Cat arrived in Qik just in time to make the season enjoyable (or so I thought). Withing 2 days I was as frustrated as h#%* because the computer wasn’t working the way I’d been promised…plug in and go. It was painfully slow to load and, whenever I could access safari, it would “quit unexpectedly”…after awhile I got to expect it. So there I was, days before Christmas, with a bum Mac. Now I realize that a lot of it was because of internet usage.

The Arctic Cat? When it arrived, it was still clicking and scraping with horrible protestations if it were ever put in reverse…sometimes to the point of “outta here bee-otch…I’m not workin’ for you!” with an immediate shut-down. I decided to order a ring plate for the clutch (you could see it was bent out of shape), 2 belts, an extra shock system, skis, and carbides. A bit pricey. Unfortunately, this was all before anyone had a chance to really look at it. When the mechanic in town finally had the opportunity to peek under the hood, he was a bit perplexed as well (having no experience with the new Cats). What we decided was to perform a type of snowmobile appendectomy…he just completely removed the electric start system leaving the pull-cord its only source of life. Gone are the crazy noises and reverse problems as well as the smell of burning rubber. Not bad, right? Bill from the Arctic Cat dealership in Iqaluit? Bad.

Today, though, things are well with the world. My internet anniversary date has passed (resetting my bandwidth allowance), I was able to download firefox, I’m working on downloading the Apple software updates now, I go for a ride-around on the Kitty Cat at least once a day, and I’ll be able to replace the skis and carbides sometime soon. Better steering…yay!

Ready for a trailride!

Aaaaannd…polar bears. They are still everywhere but, as you can see from my picture, I’m more prepared for an encounter than I have been in the past. And don’t worry, there’s someone else with me to do the aiming and actually pull the trigger!

What else? Hmmm…both Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner were spent with recent friends, and it was nice to finally relax over a cup of Keurig coffee. What an awesome rig! Hazelnut coffee brewed to perfection flew me south for just a wee spot of time. I think New Year’s Eve will be another great gathering.

Gryphon and Scarlett, resting after the excitement of tearing open the presents...

Gettin' chilly up here!

So here it is, the shortest day of the year. Not too bad, actually. We were still in a twilight state until around 2 pm, and tomorrow we will start moving towards those wonderful sunny days…the days when kids are outside playing at 3 in the morning and time is spent wishing you could forget work and head out on the land. Though there’s still no reliable sea-ice, snowmobiling out and around the island is still a possibility.

Snowmobiling? Yes. Do I have mine? Has it arrived from Pang? It flew in yesterday. On par with its reputation, it refused to start; however, after several people fiddling around with it, today it has enough juice to run. Though I think the battery might be fried, the pull-cord still works. There is still a problem with the clutch and the possibility of the belt getting damaged, but it will run until I get those parts ordered in.

I also have news on the kamik front! My duffel socks are done and trimmed (though not yet embroidered), and I’ve already bought the sealskin needed to complete the uppers of the main boot. As for the bearded seal required for the sole…I think that will be the one thing I’ll get someone more experienced put together. I’ve been wondering, though…just how comfortable is this sort of footware? My Baffin boots are pretty rockin’ – especially when snowmobiling. Are kamiks just a fashion accessory these days?

BREAK FOR AN AWESOME SNOWMOBILE RIDE AND CONTINUED THE NEXT DAY…

Last night, when Clint got back from work, we decided to take the Arctic Cat out for a spin around. Now, for anyone who followed my blog last year, you would know how nervous I am around the thing. In fact, it rarely made it above 30 mph! Last night, as a passenger on my own machine, I thought I might die…I’m not used to just sitting there, nor am I used to going very fast. Ahhh!!!

…and you know what else I learned? I’m not overly paranoid about the Beast! Last year, whenever there were problems, I had no idea whether it was something I did or because I just didn’t know what a snowmobile should feel like. How much pressure do you have to apply on the throttle to make it move? Is it normal that it seems to slow down after riding for awhile unless I squeeze harder? Is the smell normal? Apparently the answer to all of those questions is ‘no’.

Another problem? The shocks. Yes mom and dad, I think that trip we took out to the fishing derby last year killed them. The reason I didn’t notice was because I prepped it for summer-storage not long after as well as the fact that whenever I rode it, my relatively light weight was on the front. As it stands now, I can take my puny arm and push the back almost to the ground! Money, money, money…lots to fix.

…and, since we didn’t take the gun last night, we didn’t want to venture too far away with the roaming polar bears…it was still pretty awesome though!

Just a few more days till Christmas, and I’m already set with my treasures. The packages my family sent (from Nova Scotia and BC) have arrived as well as the treasure I ordered for myself. I’ll have a report on the previous gifts in a few more days but the latter? My Macbook Pro has finally wound its way into the small hamlet of Qikiqtarjuaq, and I now sit tapping away on the backlit keyboard. Saa-weet! Lovin’ it. For sure, it’s going to take awhile to get used to it, but I’m going to figure it out at some point. Right now my netbook is sitting there on the table looking a little forlorn.

Today I’m finally in-line to get someone to help me cut my sealskin and show me how to put it together…time to start sewing again! What I’m worried about now, though, is actually where I’m going to sew. Does the smell just fade after awhile? The dogs were super-interested in just licking everything as soon as I brought the skins in, and I’m not really interested in fighting them off every time I do some work on the boots.

…I guess we’ll see how it goes…

I wanted fresh figs, not dried dates!

Today I received my second-ever load of foodmail and, though I’m super pumped to finally get a puffy knob of fresh ginger, there were a few discrepancies. For example, I have a fantastic recipe that uses fresh figs; as a fruit, I figured this would fit into the new foodmail allowance. I think it probably does, but the picture shows what I actually received…instead of 6 fresh figs, I got 6 packs of dried dates!!! Grrr…

...I gave them to a lady at the airport...

Order? Deluxe Mini-Pizzas. Received? Bagel things. I guess I see the connection, but if you’re expecting the regular, this is a huge disappointment.

One more thing that arrived today? My Mac Magic Mouse! I still haven’t really moved from my PC yet (no flights to deliver my new computer), but this is a nice type reminder of what’s to come. Ahh!! Just looking at the controls on the thing makes me wonder how I’m going to make the adjustment.

The bulk of the teachers flew out this afternoon on the Canadian North flight; that means it’s officially the holiday season up here. Now what happens? Last year, in Pangnirtung, there were games out on the ice…what happens when there’s no ice? I guess we’ll see soon enough!

T-Shirt says: Cute & Aware...perhaps it should say: Cute & Don't Care!

It hasn’t stopped snowing here in what seems like ages. Shoveling three times a day, though an interesting story, is not exactly the most fun thing to do. But three times a day? Including smashing ice from the metal teeth on the steps? At least I haven’t yet felt that I had to get on the roof to clean out the stink pipe!

…for those of you not from the north, the ‘stink pipe’ is the gas venting system found on the tops of buildings; when they ‘ice over’, the gas backs up and empties into the house…trust me, you don’t want that kind of drama!

Ah, there we go…there’s nothing like hearing the water truck come to fill you up after an evening of bottled water! Yes, I ran out of water again. I suppose I should start getting in the habit of avoiding a complete laundry day; my tank can’t handle it. I’ll have to spread out the washes…can I really be that organized?

Today is my school turkey dinner; the season has officially begun. Though I had a Christmas dinner last weekend, Korean food hardly qualifies as a traditional holiday feast in my world. Nope, for me it’s ‘The Bird’: the gobbles have ceased, and the gobblers are showing up in the roast pans. In fact, I have one ready to be juiced and roasted right now! I suppose that means I should get going.

Even Sophie's getting into the Christmas spirit!

So: water? Check. Turkey? Check. Spices? Check. Cider ingredients? Check. Someone to take Sophie out on her pee run? Hmm, grrr, I guess I’ll say ‘check’…

One more thing – I have to include the following pictures. Sophie guarding her chair, then Scarlett and Gryphon taking over:

"My chair, it's mine!"

"What-ev...the two of us can take you on!"

Warning: This post is an incredibly jumbled mess…gives you an idea how my head works these days…

The temperature has finally turned. It was only last week that I considered taking my chihuahuas for a walk; hovering around zero for weeks was insane. Realizing there might not be sea-ice for Christmas was a glaring reminder of global warming. People dying in Poland because of a cold snap while people here were foregoing coats…it’s just not right.

This is a weird icicle thing outside my door...getting dark at 11:30 am!

Anyway, back to the good news. -15 degrees Celcius is the warmest that it’s been in awhile…right now it’s -21. Of course, that’s with the windchill, but it’s still a good sign. Qikiqtarjuaq has bunches of snow, and this type of weather gives me the feeling that we’ll actually be able to head across the ice sometime soon. Apparently there’s some point nearby with really cool snowcaves to explore.

The one thing that’s bothering me right now is that my snowmobile, the infamous Arctic Cat, is still in Pangnirtung. Though I don’t really like the texture of the snow that’s fallen recently, there’s enough of it to bury the large rocks as opposed to just enough to cover them and blinding you to the fact that they’re there. That type of nastiness threw me on a flight last year.

It’s almost Christmas!!! Well, every now and then I get a reminder of that. One might think that should be every time I look at my tree, but that’s not exactly it. Let me explain…

Last week I organized a Christmas dinner for the teachers here. I’m like Monica, from ‘Friends’ in that way…I have to host the dinners to feel good. What’s that about? It’s just an extra stress and more money, but it’s how I’ve always been (though my friend, Siovone, always throws really kick-butt get-togethers).

…back to the Christmas dinner. Since all the teachers are heading south for the holidays, I didn’t really have a lot of freedom in scheduling. I didn’t want it to be last minute for them, so we have a potluck at the beginning of the month. The theme? Go international. All the food was from other ends of the world. It was awesome. I mean, the traditional turkey’s good, but you can only put up with so much! Stupid me…I forgot to take pictures.

See my beautiful tree, my ugly chair, and my crazy dog?

I decorated early. It felt early. It was warm outside. The tree just seemed like something cluttering up my living room.

…but now it’s time for Christmas. I’ve made my first batch of gingerbread (still need to be decorated and hung on the tree), and my holiday spiced candles have appeared!

I’ve decided to give Sophie a chair. It’s the ugly one in the picture, but it’ll be covered with a crazy blanket. So far, I think she likes it…

…but she doesn’t really fit…

Yes, she uses it as butt support.

Anyway, that’s the news these days. Oh wait! No! One more thing…I broke a few nights ago, decided to pull out my credit card, and ordered a Mac online. Can’t wait till it gets here!

I know this is salty junk, but it's a guilty pleasure when I'm lazy.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the prices and availability of things in the south were actually the same in the north? Obviously, that is a strange sort of fantasy world, but when I visited Ottawa last week, I couldn’t help dreaming about it. I like where I work, but it would be so much better if I could pick up a latte on my way in. What if all the ingredients needed for spicy green papaya thai salad were just sitting there on the shelf at the northern? Phyllo pastry? I would love to have those flaky sheets available.

When I lived in Pangnirtung last year, Thanksgiving was the first time I really noticed the extent of the discrepancy…small turkeys were close to $100. At the time, there was a story in the newspaper about the changes in foodmail and the craziness of it all; there were also a few blog entries about people getting in trouble for taking pics of price-tags in the Northern.

I love my fruit! Not only is this not available in Qik, but it's more expensive to buy 2 oranges here!

…so, instead, I focused my new camera and fascination on the prices at the grocery store across the street from my hotel in downtown Ottawa. I realize that only someone in the north will understand this post, but it’s something that’s been pinging around in my head all day…I’m preparing a shopping list for an early Christmas dinner tomorrow and sifting through recipes to find something that is not only appropriate, but actually possible.

Flowers, flowers...fresh flowers!!!