these are not my walls

Hmmm, so much for that trend of semi-regular updates I had going there for a while...I guess there's only so many jokes you can make about living in Sudbury before it starts just getting sad. :S

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Ottawa; I drove down Friday night (it took me 7 hours, partly because I stopped a lot, and partly because I got lost trying to get back on the highway from Renfrew and backtracked 20 frickin' km!!) and drove back this afternoon. It only took me about 5 hours and 45 minutes today, despite the fact that I drove slower for most of it because I was driving through a damn snowstorm!

I haven't driven long-distance on a highway in 11 years. Those of you in the know may recall that the LAST time I did - coincidentally also in the snow - I flipped a truck due to the conditions and, undoubtedly, my inexperience. So I was a little worried about this trip, but the only really bad part was between North Bay and Sudbury today. It was dark and wet/snowy, and they were fixing the highway, so they hadn't painted in the divider lines yet. So I mostly spent a lot of time just hoping I was in the right lane...:)

I have officially purchased a winter hat. Boots are next. I got soaked feet in my sneakers today, so I think boots might be *tomorrow*.

I went to Ottawa to visit as many people as humanly possibly - my Mom and stepdad were there, my stepbrother and his partner and their two kids (none of whom I've seen or spoken to in years) live there, my stepsister (also years) flew in from Halifax, and Vinny and Tasha and their imaginary baby were going to drive in from Montreal to see me. It was all good except for the imaginary baby part; apparently he got "sick" and couldn't make it, so Tasha stayed in Montreal with him.

Vinny and Tasha are, of course, the same people who I made a special trip to Montreal to go visit in March and, after agreeing that I could stay with them and telling me they were looking forward to visiting me, they promptly booked a trip to Houston during the exact time I was in Montreal. Anyone else seeing a trend here???? They've invited Alex and I to stay with them over Christmas, so I assume they'll come up with some other reason why their imaginary baby isn't there. Or maybe they'll all just go somewhere warm...

Apparently these mere 2 1/2 months in Sudbury have already hardened me up, because everyone else was complaining about how cold it was in Ottawa, but I was fine.

It could also be that I have several more layers of insulation than all of the rest of my family, I suppose...:)