Manda's Happy Place

New and Improved Update

I'm going to make this short, so you get news in point form and with abhorrent grammar and spelling.

• I had a bad day at work on Friday. I left my hammer up on Bullmoose mountain and got a flat tire. No one stopped to help me, but I got the temporary spare on by myself. Once back in Tumbler Ridge, no tire shop would be open until Monday to fix my tire. Dammit. So I had to drive to Dawson Creek on the donut tire doing 60 the whole way, stopping to let the stupid thing cool off every once in a while.
  
  
• Once in Dawson, Canadian tire, walmart, and other tire shops did not have the right size of tire. Nor could they fix the one that went flat. Plus two of my other tires appear to have sustained enough damage that they too needed replacing. $700 later...I was back on the road.
  
  
• Ran into one peeing man on a trail and several nearly naked teens at Flatbed falls. This being right after I changed my tire, I was not in the mood for dealing with drunken teens and may have frightened one or two of them.
  
  
• I am going to drive my horse Desi in a cart for my friend Robyn's wedding. Should be wicked!
  
  
• Attended North country fair. It was... amazing!!!! Never fails to please, and the hippys are amusing beyond belief. Found a group of old people dressed as pirates here. By the way, if anyone ever gets a chance to see a band called Dr. Draw...It's well worth the show. It's a rock band with a violinist as the lead, it's really phenomenal. I also found out here that I am capable of preparing a meal for 3-400 hippies (we volunteered in the kitchen and Mike and I were the only sober ones and thus were put in charge)
  
  
• I did not remain sober for very long at the fair and had a very grand time sitting in a drum circle with a bunch of stoned hippies and one presumably stoned garter snake which lived in the fire pit. One hippy taught me to play his drum and a 5 gallon water jug, as well as a beer can and some maracas. A particularily hot hippy from vancouver was amazing at drumming and taught us all how to "jam". It was awesome.
  
  
• Mike and I have been discussing wedding plans and I think we've come up with something that will satisfy us both. We've decided not to reveal our plans until due time; just in case. Yes. Very ambiguous.
  
  
• My F***ing boss hasn't paid me yet. I love my job, but I need money sometime. He owes me close to $15,000 now and I am seriously running low on funds especially with gas and the tire situation. Bah. Stupid bureaucracy.
  

I am not done updating but must now go teach some tourist booth operators about geocaching. I'll finish updating later.

Cheers, y'all!! 

I am getting so bad for keeping in touch. My apologies, everyone. Especially to Hollie and Adam and all the other people I should be calling and catching up with!

Here's my news:

• Mike is having a great time at his new job, catching rattlers and garters and a few bull snakes every day. I'm glad he's so happy. At least I get to talk to him every day, even if he can't be here.
  
• I cleared a bunch of trees and bushes from my parent's front yard, built a woven compost bin from the green branches of those trees, built a 10x6x6 ft bird cage outside for my cockatoo for the summer, installed the front steps to my house, shingled the rest of the roof, and washed all my windows (and my parent's).
  
• I joined a Yoga class with my mom
  
• I ordered some chickens from UFA for laying eggs
  
• I'm working on (Geotourism) as a researcher, geocache installer, and geocache monitor. Basically I research a site (such as a fur trade post or haunted house, or birding site at $225/page) and go bolt a metal box filled with stuff to a tree at it ($175). Then a few months later i go back and see if it's still there ($50). Not a bad job, it's kind of like a treasure hunt except I get to hide AND find all the clues. LOL. I also get to man the trade show booth for it too, to promote geotourism ($2500/show). It's stressful, but it will help me alleviate my overwhelming debt.
  
• I *might* be getting a Doberman puppy. My mom is getting a puppy for my Uncle for his birthday (he always loved dobies) but if he doesn't want it, or can't take it, I get it. I'm kind of hoping he doesn't take it, or his wife won't let him. LOL.
  
• I got nearly $8000.00 knocked off my AB student loan! That makes me happy. Apparently once you grad they can assess how much you borrowed and your grades and grant back a chunk of it. I still have a whole whack of debt, but this is helping very much my levels of money stress.
  
• I went to a fundraiser benefit night for the prairie animal rescue society with a bunch of friends, which was pretty fun and had excellent mexican food (mmm...I think i'll make tacos tonight!)
  

Well I guess that's about it...it's clear that I'm keeping myself busy to combat loneliness, but it seems to be working well enough. I'm hoping to get to PG early for grad weekend so I can visit with everyone and chill out.

Cheers!

I have been productive today.

• I have made several important phone calls concerning health care, taxes, and grad convocation. It's not my fault no one answers their phone these days.
  
  
• I have researched a whole whack of stuff for work. I just have to put it all into writing. I have also prepared well for the next trade show coming up this weekend, I just have to put the finishing touches on our signage.
  
  
• I successfully lectured a group of grade three kids about India. Well, anything that involves explaining sacred cows and and allowing them to put red powder dots on their heads and pet peacock feathers is bound to be successful with that age group. They were infinitely impressed with my close encounter with the tigers and lions.
  
  
• My seedlings, which I started a week ago, are sprouting at an alarming rate - I hope the weather changes soon or my house will start to look like an Indian jungle. It already smells like one due to the spices I brought back and Fawkes' box.
  
  
• I had a very good heart to heart with my dad after I caught him in a rather disturbing moment of emotional weakness.
  
  
• I have fished Nutmeg the Cat out of the trashcan 6 times since beginning this entry.
  
  
• I have ambitious plans of making rice krispie squares tonight and dyeing my hair.
  

Mike is off to his new and exciting career as a rattlesnake wrangler in Calgary, so Fawkes and I have been rather lonely holding down the fort. Hopefully the weather smartens up and we can have a real spring and I can actually go and do some serious housework and gardening. I have so many plans for my summer, I wanna get started. I want to get started two weeks ago.

Yesterday I blew a tire while on a gravel road. Hey, does anyone know what might be causing a car's battery to drain really quickly with the exception of 1.leaving lights/radio/ or other source of energy consuming device on while parked, or 2. Alternator needing replacement...?

My offer still stands to all who pass through my way: make yourselves at home! My door is always open! And I feed my visitors well...just ask Justin! lol (He ate almost a dozen cookies and large piece of apple pie at our last game night.) I've been doing a lot of baking...not going to take me long to gain back the 7 lbs i lost in India!