Morris Family Ski Vacation

On our last day of our fantastic Christmas ski vacation I thought I would post some pictures. We had a really great time - I love snowboarding! Moreass was a great teacher as well as Susie-Q green run. The chairlift is still a bit of a struggle though (getting off it I mean) but it's still troublesome for Mark seeing as he fell on my board getting off the chair and earned himself 5 stitches and a trip to the Big White hospital. He even got a snowboard ride as Sue (who's Ski Patrol ) was with us and had to call in the 40 (injury). What's hilarious is that she had been boarding with us in her uniform and I had been joking that I was going to be a 40 all day and then Mark ends up getting stitches. He had the privelage though of pushing me down 400 times on my first day of snowboarding so that I could figure out how to get off my ass by myself (I still can't - I just flip over and get up on my toe edge and turn around). Christmas has been great and I can now turn from heel edge to toe edge and snowboard relatively comfortably down a green run. Sue scored us a tree (I don't know how she did that and I don't think I should ask) and we had a nice Christmas morning together with Jim, a guy that my sister brought home from the bar on Christmas eve - she's classy. Jim was great though and an excellent addition to Christmas morning. All in all this was a great winter vacation and a good way to shake off my year of clerkship.

This is my sister-in-law Sue in her fantastic Ski Patrol gear. She looks like a real professional doesn't she?

This is the view from the living room of our chalet. Life is tough.

Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Sue is standing there with her house-mate Frith from New Zealand.

We look like the real deal here. This is after my very first chair lift ride with a snowboard where I boarded right down without falling. The subsequent rides were not as successful.


This is from one of those subsequent rides. Don't worry Mark, scars are sexy.
Here we all are after a night at Snowshoe Sam's. My sister is a regular at this Apres Ski watering hole. This is Mark, Chet (Chris from Chetwynn - he's Sue's other housemate), me and Keith after a night of beer chugging contests, punching bag video games, lighting Sambuca shots on fire and creating sparks with cinnamon and Chet completing my dare and going up to
sing "New Orleans is Sinking" with the live band. He's awesome. What a great vacation.

My First Vacation in a Year - Day One

I am sitting here in my pajamas watching Jon Stewart and having a coffee and trying to remember how to relax. I got up when Foreman got up this morning (7am) and actually was WIDE awake at 5am but forced myself to go back to sleep. I was wired this morning and I had no idea what to do. I have stuff to do today, I have to pack for both me and Foreman, clean the house, go to the gym, go to McMaster and return my pager. But I don't need to have that looming idea in the back of my head that I really should be studying...even though I still have that nagging feeling. I'm glad I'm going skiing with the family this weekend so that hopefully I can unwind a bit because I'm not sure if I remember how.

Suit Crisis

Last night I realized that my suit jacket (which I rarely wear) was an ENTIRELY different colour than my suit pants (which I wear all the time). Needless to say I could not wear those two pieces of clothing together for my interview. So today I had to go shopping in the middle of the Christmas rush to get a suit - something difficult to buy at the best of times.
Thank God for RW & CO. There was a fabulous gay boy that helped me out. He brought me all the right stuff and got me a white shirt to try on underneath my suit. I was wearing a blue and brown zebra-print bra today which you could see under the white shirt. This was not a problem when I was wearing the jacket but when I was switching between them....I don't even notice these things anymore.
Anyway, the RW & Co guy was fabulous and the suit crisis was averted...now I just have to get through my interview tomorrow.

Life post-CaRMS

Finally, life is as it should be. No more looking at my stupid personal letters again. Now it's up to the program directors to see something in my applications and give me a chance. Let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope that happens.
Friday I had my HIV Committee meeting and that was good. I am always amazed at how fancy the OMA building is. I sort of feel like a fraud when I'm there- it's very old-school doctors. And all the other doctors on this committee are also older, male doctors. Especially one after discovering I"m interested in OB/GYN wanted to discuss "therapeutic" abortions and how they are not therapeutic, especially for the fetus, and that the terminology should change to elective and that they should not be performed in hospitals. I informed him that they are usually not performed at hospitals and that I had no power over terminology - it was a pleasant conversation but a little uncomfortabe for me.
Yesterday, Keith and I slept in and then we put up our Christmas decorations and our Christmas tree :). I love putting up the tree. The in the evening we went to my birthday present - Foreman bought AMAZING tickets to WICKED. I could see the orchestra conductor's face and Glinda's cleavage - that's how good they were. We both LOVED it. I love being married to a guy that also loves musical theatre. The singing was incredible especially Shoshana Bean (www.shoshanabean.com) - check her website out she's a phenomenal singer.

Today, Foreman went to play Star Trek CCG (I just called him - he won the tournament - I'm so proud) so I had the day to myself - watching stupid movies on TV and making Christmas cookies. It's been a wonderful day and I'm finally, slowly, getting into the holiday season.