Weather Network Weather Watch*

*Say that 3 times fast.**

____________________________________________
Special weather statement issued for regions of southern alberta by

ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 3:10 PM MST SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2006.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ISSUED FOR..

CITY OF CALGARY - AIRDRIE - COCHRANE - OLDS - SUNDRE - OKOTOKS - HIGH RIVER - CLARESHOLM DRUMHELLER - THREE HILLS - BROOKS - STRATHMORE - VULCAN - KANANASKIS - CANMORE - BANFF NATIONAL PARK - JASPER NATIONAL PARK - MEDICINE HAT - BOW ISLAND - SUFFIELD - CYPRESS HILLS PROVINCIAL PARK - FOREMOST - LETHBRIDGE - TABER - MILK RIVER - CARDSTON - FORT MACLEOD - MAGRATH - CROWSNEST PASS - PINCHER CREEK - WATERTON PARK - NORDEGG - FORESTRY TRUNK ROAD - HIGHWAY 734 - ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE - CAROLINE ***- RED DEER - PONOKA - INNISFAIL - STETTLER - HANNA - CORONATION - OYEN.

A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE COAST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN ALBERTA ON SUNDAY.

SNOW WILL BEGIN SUNDAY MORNING IN WESTERN REGIONS AND SPREAD EASTWARD DURING THE DAY.

SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 10 CENTIMETRES ARE POSSIBLE BY MONDAY EVENING WITH THIS SYSTEM.

ADDITIONALLY, EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW MAY GENERATE HIGHER AMOUNTS ALONG THE FOOTHILLS.

THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF LATE MONDAY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES EASTWARD INTO SASKATCHEWAN.

FURTHER DETAILS FOLLOW IN THE NEXT REGULAR PUBLIC FORECAST AT 4.00 PM MST.
______________end of weather warning_________________

**If you actually did, you should leave a comment saying so... :)

***Sucks to be her... (Caroline... get it? bah. Bad joke. Anyway.)

Styling the water pipes

While I wasn't aware that water pipes had hair, let alone needed to be styled irst thing in the morning in the coldest day of the year, so far... I did happen to have an extra hair dryer that I don't care too much about.

I woke up, a little over an hour ago, to LOUD, SCARY banging noises coming from the general area of my bedroom closet. (Right next to the bedroom closet is the hot water tank).

Chris and his Dad were outside (poor frozen guys) trying to figure out which pipes were frozen...

Then they came and got a hair dryer from me to try to thaw the pipes, which we still don't know which ones are frozen... so it was little better than futile.

As a result of waking up earlier than expected (by about 4 hours) and the sheer way I woke up, I am not feeling well. The jolt of adrenaline from being semi terrified is making me feel sick, and plus lack of sleep with the pills I am taking (prescribed...) I feel really sick.

I think it's either time to switch pills, or actively work on coming off of them. The side effects are getting noticeable more often. Or maybe I am just screwing up my sleep patterns too much...

Either way, not feeling well for no reason that you can really deal with, SUCKS.

And that's me today.

Plus the way I woke up has gotten me so tensed I keep clenching my jaw... not only does that hurt but I am getting a head ache. No matter how much I try to relax and focus on not clenching, it ends up happening.

Meh. Such is life.

So, yeah... That's me today. How are you? How freaking cold is it where you are?

If you say anything warmer than -20 (ahem, CELSIUS), I may not be held responsible for my own actions (jealousy, envy...)

It got to -33 ish Celsius, which is... hold on... about -27.4 Fahrenheit.

Which doesn't seem so bad.


Here's the last nine hours, according to the weather network.

What does "dew point" mean? Cause those numbers aren't friendly, either...

I want to hibernate. I am all for snow, and wintry driving conditions, and starting your car to warm up a few minutes before you leave the house, and I can deal with the lower fuel mileage, but this is ridiculous.

I can't remember the last time I experienced temperatures that felt this cold... (Meaning of course that it may have been colder, but that I probably wasn't outside for it).

And everyone was saying it would be a mild winter. Yeah, in California...

I have to go, and try to sleep some more, I am feeling worse.

So, yeah.

Anybody got any ideas on how to fix frozen water pipes that you don't know where the problem is?

(I forgot to mention, we have heat wrap around most of the pipes, and it's been plugged in since the beginning of winter... So the whole freezing thing is a bit of a piss off)

:) Blaine

Homesick at 1 a.m.

I have been sitting up, listening to random ring tunes on Rogers.ca, and because Chris mentioned I could make my own ring tunes, I have been fooling around with that idea... so far so good. It's easy! (If your phone has the capabilities to add data from a computer... other wise, don't know how)

But anyway, just listening to music, and thinking about what ring tones to use/make for some family members has made me homesick.

I basically try to avoid thinking about home (that's why I never call, sorry) because it makes me feel homesick and lonely. I am truly glad to hear a familiar voice whenever you guys call, and please don't get worried, I am fine...

Just felt like writing about it, is all.

I can't wait to see my big sisters new house, and wish I could have helped her move. I can't wait to just hang out with my whole family again, just be in the same house again. It's only Nov. 25, and I can't wait for Christmas now.

With all of the positive things that have come of our moving to Hinton, including a new friendship and 'niece', I knew that above all, I would miss my family. Just like I did in Edmonton. I just keep underestimating how bad it is until it gets here, you know? I catch a glimpse of a picture from Home and I feel a jerk in my heart...

Is it bad that I block out thoughts of home so that I won't get upset? Now that I think about it, it sure sounds bad...

Oh, well, whatever gets you through, right?

Fair warning: Just like Thanksgiving, when I come home for Christmas, I know I will cry. Not because I am upset or anything, just happy to be home. So bring an extra shirt.

:)

Love you all, and miss you terribly. Can't wait to see you at Christmas!

xoxoxo (x a lot more)

Blaine

Behind with the blogging

I have thought about blogging a few times this past week, but keep forgetting about it, or don't have the time... (rather, don't make the time)

Umm... let's see, what's happened since I last 'blogged'...

- Quit working at the source... got a different job with more hours, and better pay... oh, and it's nowhere near as stressful...
- started working at IGA (privately owned- there's 13 in alberta owed by the same company, one of the founders is Chris's best friends grandfather)
- Chris got an interview with CN (YAY!!!) He had it today, and we won't know for a few days if they are going to hire him or not... (5 people in the tests and went for interview, and there were 3 positions)

ummmm... can't remember much else...

oh, I upgraded my cell phone... and got a new one in the mail (the one in the picture is white, mine is black)

ummm... not much else is new... have a headache, so going to go now... will (*hopefully*) update more later!

Miss everybody (I am homesick again already....)

Love ya lots

Blaine

What's a Meme? This is a Meme...

1. What is your craft, & how long have you been doing it? I guess I would say that my craft is taking pictures. I have been doing it since approximately October 10, 2004, which is the date I got my digital camera. Since then, I've just been taking more and more pictures.

2. Are you a vegan, vegetarian, veg-curious, veg-friendly or other? I guess I would say that I am veg-friendly. There are certainly a lot of veggies I like, but there's probably more that I either just don't like, or will only eat a certain way. (Like green/red/yellow/orange peppers... either cut up in small pieces and cooked or cooked thoroughly in a sauce- stirfry... And only like tomatoes in sauce. Not fresh. Ever.)

3. What is your favorite color(s)? Do you particularly dislike a color(s)? Oooh... good one... I LOVE a darkish sage color, kind of in between sage and a light forest green, and I adore Navy Blue. I also like every color that I see day to day in Nature... as I could easily prove by showing you some pictures... Earth tones are my newest favorites... yummy browns and tans...

4. Do you have any allergies (such as pets, foods or cigarette smoke?) Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You either must be joking or really don't know me. I am allergic to just about everything under the sun now. It started out small: cats, rabbits, bigger dogs. Now I am allergic to almost all animals, and can't even be around cats for 10 minutes (and I am on a daily antihistamine) without my throat swelling up. My allergies also trigger my athsma, which has continually gotten worse since I was diagnosed in my teens.

My allergy list has grown to also contain some sort of seafood (they weren't overly specific when I went for the allergy test, so I just avoid all of it - I also don't like it) and trees. I am certain that mold is on the list, too, and most other things like strong perfumes - read ' teenage girls' - and smoke, etc. also aggravate me. I'm not sure that I can even stop taking my antihistamines over the winter months anymore. Last time I tried was 2 1/2 years ago...

5. Do you have any companion animals? If so, names and types? Well, Pookie was one of them, and since she passed, I am certain she is still here. She was a Poodle/Terrier/Cocker Spaniel Mix. One of the most polite and mild mannered dogs I have ever met. (Unless she's around a young child- she had always been uneasy around them, since she was a puppy and was bombarded with not-so-great attention from a toddler.) And she is always great company. Her son, Patches, who is now 6 1/2 years old, lives with my parents, but I still call him my dog, too. He is super cute, and puts up with my camera. A lot. I have hundreds of pictures of him, if not thousands.

6. Do you collect anything? Pictures. Old money, funny money. (Funny Money referring to strange and exotic coins or bills from other countries. Years ago, I even collected U.S. Quarters when I came across them because they were so foreign to me.

7. Do you have a favorite vegan food, snack or dish? If no fav that's vegan (for those who aren't vegan), what's your favorite food? Uhhh... Err... I can't think right now. There's too many to list. I love a great chicken caesar salad. Chicken Souvlaki, with warm pita bread and tzatziki sauce. Ribeye steak BBQ'd to rare or medium rare with Montreal steal spice on it. Potatoes. (You name it, potato wise, I probably like it. (Lately been eating a lot of the packaged scalloped type... Yum!) Sorbet... I have been making my own here at home, and Oh. My. God. Strawberry and Peach are so far in my 'fighting for #1' list. Want to try Banana Sorbet, so I can mix it with strawberry... or orange... or pineapple...

8. What tools/supplies/accessories for your craft(s) are you wishing you had but don't? Also, what do you have TOO many of? (basically a wish and anti-wish list) I am hoping to someday be able to buy a more professional camera... Probably with help from my sister... She took the 2 year course... I'd also need more memory cards if I was to buy a better camera... and probably batteries/battery pack. Oh, and photo paper and ink... or whatever else. Too many of? Does that happen?

9. What type of handmade item would tickle your fancy? What don't you like? (Keep in mind this swap is open to all types of crafters.)

The kind of handmade item that tickles my fancy is paintings... I like them much better when I know the artist. How do you get into painting when you know nothing of the materials? I think I would like anything homemade if it was made for me, because someone took the time to make it for me. One of my most treasured items is a handmade journal I got for Christmas from my Mom, who got my Auntie to make. It rocks.

10. Is there anything else you would like your pal to know about you? Uh... I swear I am not clumsy, I just hurt myself lots... I love animals, just can't really be with them. :( My idea of a great day is one where I spend a lot fo time with nature, either just driving and looking at it, or taking pictures... (of course).

And I'd also like my pal to know that I love them very much! (And miss them, too!)

:) T.A.K.

My Boo

My Boo. With her baby. I miss her. She must miss me, too, because she comes to visit.

:)

T.A.K.