oyster

photo courtesy lesley (is that ok les?)

i've spent three hours devoted to the strenuous boredom of an online ESL course. oh my god it's tedious!!

but about the pic... i realized a while ago that i'm kind of over the north. stop signs in inuktitut don't give me a thrill anymore, although i fondly remember when they did. i guess i take it for granted. here's a list of things i take for granted up here:

crystal clear air - no pollution unless a skidoo drives right past
glacier water available for a little effort
lots of space
incredibly beautiful scenery - mountains, fjord, ocean
lots of sunshine this time of year,
northern lights other times of year
the experience of watching planes land and take off several times a day
the excitement of receiving mail-order packages
borrowing a truck and offroading while still on the road
the silence of new snow - actual silence, not the sound of a muted highway
a stack of other things i've forgotten that i take advantage of

even with the blues i know that things are really pretty good