From Iqaluit...

Haven't left the house too much, yet. That will change. We get to scramble tommorow to look for the RIGHT applications, and to attempt to keep my wife and I within a few thousand miles of each other during the next 6-12 months.

We got good and bad info before heading this way. And didn't understand some of the better, now that I'm "getting" it, we'll be doing the 1000 yard dash applicationally speaking.

Yay.

Otherwise it's pretty nice here. Remote, but nice, and loaded with subtlety: both cultural and climate wise. Its a rather intricate society for its size. I think that's very intriguing.

OK. Not done blogging from the airport yet

Irony of ironies. We're sitting outside our boarding gate now, B50 actually. Right next to us is gate B52... going to Dallas of all places. a sweet twist of irony. Not going to make anything of it, but it's pretty funny. Also, I ran into a doctor Phil look-a-like at a newstand and a Morgan Freeman look-a-like hauled our livelihoods in a bag off to the loading area when we checked in. Same hair, same freckles. Been an interesting day.

And for my final trick....

I will blog from my uber-phone from a bathroom stall at Denver International Airport! Too cool, right. I'll spare any details. Just over an hour to go until our flight to Ottowa, I hadn't any butterflies in my stomach until we were dropping off the rental car. No car. No set address as of yet, just hanging out in an airport with the Sword of Damacles nearing with each assing moment. Fate you are a cruel and erudite little thing that weathers the nerves of the steeliest of travelers. I love to wax poetic on the john. Goodbye 3G cellphone service, you have served me well.

The Easy Part of the Trip so far....

These are pictures of taxidermed animals at Cabela's original store in Sydney Nebraska. These were from our second day into driving. That's why it was the easy part of the trip. 14 family members in a 1 family home is tough.

How about a little diner grotesquery? Don't eat at Perkin's on Casper, Wyoming's east side. These were just our coffee mugs that were either cracked, had cooked on ketchup or what we assumed must have been remaining gravy. Other than the abominable state of the restaurant visiting with my best bud Ty was good. It's always good to see him, and it never seems long enough.

wave goodbye, dallas...

We have finally physically passed through dallas for the last time in what may become years. we left emotionally and mentally a few months back I think. we are on 35E trolling through midday traffic in denton at the moment (i'm blogging from my still super duper phone on the highway before we lose 3G network). There's this strange phenomena that happens when you cross the border to ohklahoma via highway from texas. everyone's driving demeanor chnages drastically . the frantic competition for lane position stops. people relax. the headlong rush of north texas life sinks behind you and succumbs to a more comfortable, reasonable and less demanding structure. its almost like ditching uncomfortable dress shoes for your favorite sneakers you'd rather live. it's an almost indescribable event that has to be experienced to really be believe. we'll be crossing that border soon, and be closing in on our wandering hearts and affections that left awhile ago. it should be a joyfull reunion. I started dreaming again after I put my two week notice in a few weeks back. I hadn't remembered a dream i'd had the whole time I was in texas, an unusual thing since i've been a lucid dreamer as far back as 3 or 4 years old, and I still remember some of those dreams even. its like a part of had been clouded in dallas. I cants wait to see what mountains will bring! more later.

A snow storm just for us?

Pictures outside my doorway from this evening before it melts away tommorow.

Northern Lights last night...

This was the scene late last night in Iqaluit. That far north it's not unusual to see the aurora borealis so clearly. It comes and goes, dances and fades. We're headed to a truly wonderful and unique destination with absolutely no idea of what all lies ahead. All we know is God keeps smoothing out all the wrinkles of our journey, while we place one foot tentatively in front of the other on our new journey. With our to do list looking more like a scratch pad than a list now, we have almost finished our business in Dallas. There's no telling what tommorow will bring, or even if the snow that came down all day here will still be there in the morning for me to take a picture!

I already miss my boys!

I keep having to stop myself from wondering what kind of stuff the boys are getting into, becuase they're not, at least not here. They're now hanging out with Lila at Auntie Amber's place. They seemed very excited last night. I do miss them. They were ma' boyz!

Karl got to have one last nap in my pants yesterday (he has heat-seeking sensors that lead him to clothing on the floor), and I caught Samson nesting in a pullover while I was packing clothes. I keep looking for them while I'm moving around. They're lovin' will be sorely missed.

LET THE RACES BEGIN!!!

Been off with a shot today. I have been confirming rentals of trailers, rental cars, chainging addresses, buying last little dangling items and I'm on to sort and sift tools and remaining items of mine the next few days. Yippee...

Interment: of a time period

Last day. My efforts have revolved solely around transferring as much crap in my head about keeping this place running to the people who still have to work here.

Been a slow day. Prepped a pool for the weekend, cleaned up the e-mail and took my name off the signture, said some goodbyes and am currently waiting for a few to let my manager in on the details of the place.

I can then lay this place to rest. Bury it. I let it get to me a little, I liked this place, it was home for awhile. A weird mirror lined glass box of a home, but I hung my hat here long enough to wish it the best in the hands of corporate greedy gusses. As much as I hated babysitting the place I suppose I managed to weave it in to the shell I wore here.

The picure above is my mark for the gym, a reminder if you will. Those are a pair of my shoes left in a part of the building for the next guy to find.

Downhill from here...

I came to work today knowing it was the final stretch. I've always liked to finish strong, I knew there would be a pile of work to be done this week.... problem being this company barely enables its employees of my cast to excel beyond playing a game of "almost caught up."

So I don't get to do a lot of work this week because our vendors don't want to honor our warranties, our corporate executives aren't willing to spend any money on keeping the clubs running (they seem content to ruin their company with vast marketing campaigns aimed at the olympics and heavy handed weight loss shows).

In other words, they're paying to keep me around but won't give me the stuff to do my job. I really wanted to go out on a high note of productivity, and try and leave this place without problems to be juggled, but I realized once I ran out of stuff to do by 1 o'clock that nothing about this company has changed for the better in 18 months. What made me think my last week here would change?

I still think my week will effortlessly fly by on my final downhill sprint, but it will only be me transcending the vapid ignomnity of serving the doomed.