Winter Wonderland

It's been crazy weather here in the last 24 hours. Yes, we have sneaux* and despite popular belief, here on the Lower Mainland (Vancouver, BC and cities nearby) we don't usually get the white stuff. When we do, it's sheer chaos, as people aren't prepared for winter conditions in these parts. We're more accustom to rain. This shot was taken out my studio window.

I am not sure how long this will last. I nipped out yesterday morning, early to get a few errands done and then carefully made my way home before the weather got worse. I live part way up a rather steep hill and while I have sneaux tires on my car, I am not keen on driving on steep pitches during inclimate weather if I can help it. I'm not worried about my driving skills (I grew up in Winnipeg, home of Canadian winter) but I am worried about everyone else's!

Now's the perfect time to hole up in the studio. I have a batch of pressies to open one by one, for the third annual 12 Days of Xmas exchange that I am hosting. I have fresh tunes from my friend Tara, who shares my taste in music. I have a few stray projects I need to finish up before the Olympics begin and I have Indy, my loyal Lab to keep me company. Failing all that, I have Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol to finish reading. (The new novel is delicious and on a side note, I rented Angels & Demons on the weekend. This new movie was loads better than The Da Vinci Code was! YAY!)

As of today, there are only 56 days till I am on duty at the Olympics! It's hard to believe it's almost here. I pick up my uniform and official ID in a week! I am *so* excited!

I attended a final volunteer workshop last week. It was about harnessing your energy in the most efficient way. The idea was to get us thinking and preparing ourselves for the Games. It's going to be fun, but it's also going to require some hard work and it's good to think about how we're going to cope. My first 3 shifts are a whopping 10 hours long. I can't even wrap my brain around that right now! I am betting that I will be having too much fun to really notice how long the shifts are initially and after the first 3, the rest are only 7 hours long. That's do-able.

We are scheduled to have a bit of a sneaux storm this evening, starting around rush hour. I am glad my guys are on their way home from work now. Nothing's started yet and I hope they get here before it does. Meanwhile Indy and I have been out in the back yard playing fetch, his favourite game. He loves the sneaux and had a good time ripping up and down the yard after the ball. A couple times it was so caked in the white stuff he couldn't see it! He's napping at my feet, keeping my toes warm. I love my dog.

I haven't done much in the way of Xmas preparations. We haven't even purchased our tree yet, let alone decorate it. The only thing I've done so far is I bought a small wreath and hung it on the door over the weekend. Woopie! *laughs* Yeah, holiday decorating is not my thing. My thing is the cooking. That I like doing.

How about you?

*Sneaux: I am not allowed to use the "s" word in this house.