Christmas is Coming

(First of all, a note. I have a lot of pictures of myself on this blog. This is not an ego thing, I was just told by my family that they like seeing pictures of me, and I always like seeing pictures of the authors of the blogs I read, so I just want to make the reader(s) happy!)
I'm inching towards some Christmas spirit, but it's largely overshadowed by panic. I'm leaving for Turkey in less than ten days. I think I can get everything done, but it's going to be a tight fit! Besides oral presentations and an intimidating "Best Practices in Teaching Grammar" paper, I have Christmas lunches and dinners, Carole's shopping list, a to-knit list and, of course, I need to travel plan for Sweden and Denmark (I got the guidebooks out of the library, now I just have to figure out how many castles and museums we can fit into a limited number of days!) Yesterday I got tickets for Carole and I to see the nötknäppare in Stockholm (any guesses as to what that is? Clue: it's a ballet!) Anyway, I think I better get back to reading. Here are some pictures from the other night.My friend, Amy (also in the TESL MEd program) and her family took me to the Bright Nights outdoor lights festival. We walked around a park full of whimsical light displays.

Random Tales

You can always count on a blog post when I'm procrastinating! I have two huge papers due on Monday, so I will take this opportunity to update my blog. Besides the paper writing, life in Edmonton is pretty routine. My days revolve around classes, articles and hot beverages (Caramel Apple Spice at Starbucks, anyone?) It's getting colder here (-10C) but still no real snow. I went on a Christmas shopping excursion yesterday and creating some Christmas cheer for under $15. All the ornaments were hot glued from dollar store kits; it's hard to see but they all have jingle bells on the bottom.
Carole's in Monaco today. I have to admit I wish I were there too! I heard all of her Switzerland tales yesterday, and the day before we chatted on facebook. It's always fun when we chat online because we think the same way. In about 10 minutes of typing, we typed the same thing at least five times. Either I would ask a question and she would answer it at the same moment or we would both make the same comment simultaneously (followed, of course, by us both typing "jinx" in the same minute). I love being a twin!

Banff Part 2

Well, I assume most of my readers (aka my family) have seen these photos on facebook. But just to add some colour to my blog, here they are again. Banff was great. It's a very busy time with school, but I came to the conclusion that in five years I will not care if I get an A or a B in this class (seeing as I've decided I definitely will not be doing a PHd in my lifetime) but I would always remember a fabulous weekend in the Rockies with friends. And I'm so glad I went. I was so relaxed and everything was so fresh. The greyhound there and back was uneventful and the tickets were cheap with my student card. I stayed with Louise and her friend Anne-Marie (also Australian, they've been friends since childhood) in an adorable cottage right in "downtown" Banff. It was so nice to return to a warm cabin, drink coffee on the couch and laugh over an old movie or reality show. We did a lot of walking and window shopping in town and had some delicious meals. Thankfully, Anne-Marie, Louise and I are all alike in our love for good food and eating out! The other highlights of the weekend included ice skating (next time I go I want to go ice skating outdoors) and visiting the Banff hotsprings at night. The weather was a few degrees below zero, but the water was 38.7 Celcius. Perfect. Plus, I got to rent the cutest "historic" swimsuit to wear (something like the one on the sign).And, of course, I couldn't go to the Rockies without climbing a mountain. Well, actually, I would have been very content to visit the Rockies without climing a mountain! But Louise told us it only took about 20 minutes to climb up and 20 minutes back down so I agreed (plus we decided we could go to the Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch afterwards since we would have burned off all the calories in advance!) Turns out that Tunnel mountain was not quite as quick as she remembered (the guidebooks online suggest 2-3 hours!) We stopped for lots of water breaks and photo breaks, and I have to admit it wasn't too painful. Plus, we made it to the top and the view was beautiful. Here's the proof:

Banff

I am in Banff for the weekend visiting Louise and Anne-Marie! The town is beautiful, and it's exciting to experience the Rockies for the first time. More adventures to come, and I'll put up some pictures and stories when I'm back in Edmonton on Tuesday.
Main street in Banff

The pool at the famous Fairmont Hotel

He at the famous Fairmont hotel! Louise worked here for a while, but will be working at a restaurant at a ski resort as soon as the snow starts.

Canadian Finals Rodeo

Yes, I went to see the rodeo. I couldn't help myself. I got a vastly discounted ticket (under $10) and I figured this might be my one and only chance. I also got to see all the cowboy hats and boots that I had been (naively) expecting before my arrival in Edmonton. It was certainly an entertaining night. In case you currently find yourself in a foreign country, a metropolitan city or anywhere outside midwest North America, here is a movie to give you the whole experience. Six different events were included, bull riding is the last one on the video. If you are watching this on a public computer, you may want to turn down the sound a bit first!

See, don't you wish you lived in Alberta?