Three sleeps away and I'm starting to smell that salt water...

I'm heading home on Friday and it's getting so close that I can practically taste the salt water (and the Christmas cookies, garlic fingers, Lunenburg pudding, etc...).

Central Canada is nice, with its cold that cuts through you rather than seeps into your bones, the regular sunshine, the smooth, straight roads, but it's been too long since I've been home. And, the fact that it's Christmas makes it all the better!

It's going to be a very short visit -- only till boxing day -- followed by a quick stop in Belleville with James' family and then I'll return to reality. But, for the next two weeks-ish, starting today, life will be a flurry of holiday preparations, packing and travelling, and I can't wait!

The news has been getting me down lately -- with seven-year-olds crushed in snow tunnels, old men killed while delivering Christmas cards, bombings, thefts, and so on -- and I think this holiday is exactly what I need to regain some optimism. That, or start my own "good news" site, about cars driving safely, children going on rollercoasters without having their feet chopped off, trick-or-treaters getting great, safe candy, tourists visiting Mexican resorts and having a great time, and of course, how cute kittens, bunnies, puppies and such are (though, someone already beat me to that one). I know there's good news out there, it's just hard to find.

So, to start off these holidays right, I'm going to share some good, festive news before signing off. NORAD's Santa Tracker is up, and ready for action. European scientists estimate that it takes Santa 34 miliseconds to go to a house, drop off presents and take off again. And, the UN says the "elves" who help Santa respond to his over 6 million letters are working hard to make sure all the good girls and toys can pass on their wishes for toys.

So, with happy thoughts, I'm off to pack.

A week until home!

Life has been exhausting this week, with full time work at the CBC and an article for PCWorld.ca, combined with a sore throat and attempts to prepare for Christmas and get ready for my much anticipated first trip back to Nova Scotia since I left last June.

As a result, this will be a short one. Not much has changed since the last post, I'm still chugging away on the job hunt and am trying not to get too dejected. I do think I may give myself a brief break over Christmas, to alleviate the feeling of rejection from every unanswered application (there have been over a hundred by now, I believe)and then hopefully when I come back in January I will be confident, revitalized, and employable. Fingers crossed.

We're bracing for a big snowstorm in Toronto -- which could break records set for December snowfall in 1944 (how's that for a journalism nerd factoid? I should really start doing trivia...) -- so, for those of you who have electricity this weekend, but are trapped inside, I'd love to recommend some light reading generated by yours truly this week:

- North Korea: axis of evil or tourist trap? (CBC)
- Kosovo Q & A (CBC)
- Canadian Internet pioneers (PCWorld)

OK, maybe it's not terribly light. But, compared to the Conrad Black and Pickton trial updates from earlier this week, these topics are seriously lighthearted.

Anyway, I must be off for present wrapping before I bring home a new batch of Christmas shopping tomorrow, providing I don't get stormstayed. I'll be dreaming of homemade cookies and a Nova Scotian Christmas for the next seven sleeps, until the dream becomes a reality!

Happy December

The pre-Christmas flurry of activity has kept me quite busy. I'm about three-quarters of the way through my Christmas shopping, which I hope to finish this week. I'm also getting very excited to get home to Nova Scotia, even if it's only for a few days, to see my family and just be home. Also, because the time is drawing close so quickly, I'm starting to think about other, less sentimental, reasons for visiting, including:

- Mussels that haven't flown halfway across the country
- Peanut butter pie at The Knot
- Lunenburg pudding (which, for those of you who don't know, is kind of a grey, spicy meat -- which James refuses to try)
- Garlic fingers, which I have not been able to find/get here. Also, if you ask, you draw a lot of blank stares
- Saying "Fill your boots" without being mocked
- Travelling by SUV with heated seats, rather than by the crowded, dirty subway

I'm sure as the time draws closer I'll think of more silly reasons too.

Otherwise, not much has been happening. We cook, we clean, we work, we shop and we play video games. Certainly not a bad existence in any way, just not terribly blog-worthy.