EEP!

Well, not quite today - but on Monday I sure did. I went to a press conference at the Lloyd Richards’ Hangar at the Timmins Victor M. Power Airport (quite the mouthful, eh?) for Young Eagles Day, which is coming up this weekend. I was expecting a quick shoot - bing, bang, boom, vis, interview, done. But, when I arrived, one of the local newspaper reporters had arranged to fly with one of the pilots - and asked if I wanted to go along. Um, YES PLEASE!

Now, I’ll be honest here - I just could not turn down an opportunity like that. But I’m a nervous flyer. I’ve flown a whole total of 6 times in my life - two when I was so young, I can barely remember (both times to Flordia). Another two times to NYC - and yes, I was nervous then. Especially on my most recent NYC trip with friends, when the airline decided to put me miles away from the boy AND my 2 buddies we travelled with (not so fun). Actually, make that 7 times - I just remembered I took a sightseeing helicopter ride over Niagara Falls once, and yes, if I recall correctly, it made me feel pretty sick too. Especially when the pilot turned the damn thing sideways to “give us a better look” at the Falls.

Yup, THIS was what I flew in.

And lastly… two times from Timmins to Toronto, on a little Air Canada Jazz plane - and I thought THAT small a plane was nerve wracking. Let me tell you, it was NOTHING compared to the little guy I was in a few days ago.

But the nerves, the shaky hands, the hours it took me to get my “ground legs” back, and the waves of nausea were so. totally. worth it.

Sitting in the front seat was actually really fun, and I felt fine. Sitting in the back however… lets just say I should have remembered how sick I’d feel as a kid in the back seat of my parent’s SUV before getting into the back of the plane. Let’s just say the plane was 300 times worse. I can liken it to the dizzy, sick feeling I get after spinning around in a desk chair for a good 3 minutes.

It actually was so bad towards the end I couldn’t look out the window for more than a few brief seconds - and let me tell you, there was NO way I could have held my camera steady to film a shot. Sadly, that meant missing out on some potentially amazing shots of the Xstrata Met Site (which is WAY bigger than I ever could have imagined), the open pit Dome Mine, and some other mines in the area. My dad (who used to fly with my grandfather when he was a kid) says it has something to do with not being able to see the horizon - I guess the horizon keeps you feeling more “grounded”, which would help explain why I felt fine when I was in the front of the plane (plus, I had controls and, you know, FLYING THE PLANE! to concentrate on). Good thing I’m not an astronaut  -there’s NO horizon out there to save me! (which possibly explains why 50% of astronauts in NASA’s space program get sick in space).

Now, onto the most important part of my flight - flying the plane! So, our amazing pilot Yvon asked me if I wanted to give it a whirl. And I mean, how could I say no? So, I grabbed the wheel… and he promptly let go. Gulp.

Allow me to show you, rather than tell you, what happens next.

Yup. I might have scared the beejebus out of the newspaper reporter who kindly offered to film my flying attempt (and I may or may not have squeaked “OH MY GOD I CAN’T DO THIS!” at the pilot… but he just said “Hey, I’ll level out the plane for you and then keep trying”. Yvon was really patient, helpful, and trusting  - which was awesome. When I finally got the hang of it, I was so excited - and it felt amazing to be FLYING 3,000 feet in the air, all by myself. Very cool moment. I did give the controls back to Yvon after only a few minutes though, since we were approaching a dark cloud and some rain.

I now totally want to get my pilot’s license one day (and then I’ll fly myself to Bermuda! Or somewhere balmy and warm ;)

Whether you swear by it or scoff at it, love it or hate it – everyone has picked up a newspaper, and read their horoscope at some point in their lives

What the average horoscope reader often doesn’t stop to think about is how those tiny nuggets of wisdom got onto the page – there’s an entire process, history, and method behind a horoscope. It’s all part of a bigger practice – called astrology. It takes years of study, hard work, and practice to understand the art and learn how to read star patterns and natal charts.

History of Astrology

Astrology has been around for thousands of years, with its earliest roots found in the Babylonian era, in 1645 BC. Horoscopes have been around for quite some time too – the first record of a horoscope dates back 410BC.

Astrology is a science involving the sun, star signs, planets, and other astrological bodies and how they relate to certain meanings. According to astrologers, each planet in our solar system has a different energy that subconsciously affects us. In order to understand the deeper meaning of these feelings and energies, we turn to astrology.

Understanding Astrology - And how to use it

Roderick Benns, a journalist-turned-astrologer with 25 years of experience in the science, believes astrology can be a very enriching aspect of one’s life.

“The great gift of astrology is that it helps you understand the nature of [planetary] cycles,” he says, “and when you understand – and can read – cycles, you are empowered to seek the right change at the right time, or you’re able to deal with setbacks because you realize the cyclical nature of life”.

Read more »

“Time for the weather report. It’s cold out folks– Bone crushing cold. The kind of cold which will wrench the spirit out of a young man, or forge it into steel.” –Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, “Northern Exposure”

It’s cold up here. Really, really cold. One of the first things I remember being told when I moved here (and being told many times over the last 6 months, by many different people) is: “It’s cold, but a DIFFERENT cold than Toronto. It’s a dry cold, not a wet cold like down south, so it doesn’t FEEL quite as cold”. I think this is somewhat true - or at least I did, until January 1st when the Olympic Torch Relay took place, outside, in -35 degree weather.

After 2 hours outside, my face was so frozen I couldn't physically smile. I was trying to SO HARD here!

I arrived, like a good media girl, at about 5:45 (though the relay didn’t start unitl 6:15, and didn’t reach my location - by the stage - until just after 7), and by 6pm worked up the courage to go outside and walk to the media zone… a good 5 minutes from where we parked. Granted, not THAT far… unless it’s -35 and you’re carrying a bunch of camera equipment.

I think my coworker Lydia said it best when I called her asking for advice on my Sorels - “Should I get the rated to -32 ones,” I asked her, “Or the rated to -40 ones?” She laughed, and gave me some true Northern Advice: “Lauren, it doesn’t matter whether it’s -32 or -40 outside… it’s still @#*$ing cold! So get the ones you like.”

So I did (and obviously, the ones I liked were the -32 degree ones or I wouldn’t have been asking… ;)

And she was right. The difference between -30 and -40 is really, when it boils down to it, not that big of a difference… either way, you don’t want to be outside for any longer than the run between your car and your house!

“I know it sounds crazy… but it wouldn’t be Timmins if it wasn’t -40 and freezing!”
–Shania Twain, speaking to the crowd at the Olympic Torch Celebrations in Timmins.

I’ve only enjoyed about… one and a half months of the lovely 5-6 months of Winter I’ve been told to expect - we had an unusually mild November, I’m told - but I’ve still managed to learn a whole whack of things I never even thought about before.

Winter Lessons!

1. Whether it’s -30, -35, or -40, it’s still freaking cold outside.
2. Yes, it IS possible for your car to get frost on the inside of the windows… apparently it’s a result of the snow that gets into your mats from your boots, and, of course, never melts (like it does occasionally down south) as it’s never warm enough for it to melt.
3. It’s really, really, REALLY hard to scrape said frost off the inside of your window.
4. Don’t forget to plug your car in. Just don’t.
5. No, you CAN’T drive over the snow bank the plow makes at the bottom of your driveway after a snowfall, despite the fact you did it in Toronto all the time - chances are the overnight snowfall was equivalent to a month’s worth in the city. Your car WILL get stuck, two men WILL have to spend 15 minutes having to help push your car over the damn thing, and your neighbour WILL faceplant into the snow bank that was under your car once it moves… sorry about that, by the way!
6. It’s a bad idea to let your car get below 1/4 of a tank - there’s a really good chance it will freeze up, yes even if plugged in.
7. Remote Car Starters are to Northerners like Fire was to Cavemen… essential.
8. Remote Car Starters ALSO cost an arm and a leg for installation in a ‘97 Chevy Lumina… which is what I drive. D’oh!
9. Add an extra half hour (or more) to your morning, to allow for possible snowfall, snowbanks, frost, etc you’ll have to deal with.
10. Don’t get excited when you see the sun in the morning - although it looks pretty, and the Vitamin D is nice - it feels way, way, WAY colder when the sun is out. I’m told this has something to do with the cloud cover “padding” the atmosphere and trapping heat in. I’ll take it!
11. Vitamin D supplements, Vitamin D supplements, Vitamin D supplements!
12. Kitty Litter: it’s not just for litter boxes anymore.
13. Invest in a loooooong  (and well insulated!) winter jacket. Your butt will thank you.
14. Bad hair days don’t exist in the cold - you won’t care if you’re ruining your perfect ponytail, curls, or straightened mane if the hat is keeping your head warm.
15. Heated blankets = ? (Thanks Gramsey!!)
16. No, after spending Christmas Week in balmy -3 to -10 degree weather and little to no snow, the pilot will NOT let you get back on the plane (no matter HOW cold and HOW windy it is) and let you go back. ;)
17. Yes, there is such a thing as “too cold to ski”… at least for me!
18. Put on those goofy snow pants, the ski mitts, the scarf wrapped around your head and face 10 times, and the 300 layers that make you look like a marshmellow… people will be staring at you if you DON’T, because they’ll be thinking “look at that stupid person whose not dressed for the weather!”

So, I ordered some Chinese food tonight (and for what it’s worth, it was delicious!). Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls, General Tso Chicken, Hot & Sour Soup, and some Veggie Lo Mein.  The Lo Mein, of course, had Broccoli in it (one of my favourites!) and I began to wonder how Broccoli grows. I mean, it’s a veggie, so it obviously grows in the ground - but as a bush? a tree? a vine? in the ground like carrots? A quick google later, and I had my answer:

"broccoli grows not on a tree, not a bush, but it is it's own plant"

(Thanks, Wiki Answers :)

Apparently, bunnies also love Broccoli as much as me:

Yummy!

The most interesting thing I learned however, had to be that the weird purple Broccoli actually grows that way. No, seriously:

I think the only veggie I like that's purple is eggplant.

How bizarre! It’s called “Purple Sprouting Broccoli”, and as you can see in the picture… just the top end (and the tastiest part, in my opinion) grows purple.

I wonder if it tastes the same as normal Broccoli?

About once a year I get deathly, deathly ill. Last year, it happened in the first week of second term, and I was so sick I couldn’t stand up without passing out, and my parents had to come pick me up and take me home. This really sucked because I was excited to start writing for the Et Cetera, and was not impressed about missing the first week of stories. Plus, we only got one “freebie” to miss a deadline without losing marks, and I was bummed about using mine so early in the year.

I’m not that sick at the moment, but I do  I feel like death warmed over- no wait, that would mean I have to feel warm. In fact, while my skin is warm, and I have a lovely temperature of over 99 degrees (Fahrenheit, it’s the only way I can tell if I have a fever or not) - I am freezing. Currently bundled up in a hoodie, pj pants, super warm slipper socks, and blankets galore… and still cold. I hate this!

Things I have learned today:

• Standing in line outside, in -25 degree weather, for 2 hours while really sick is a dumb idea.
• Advil Cold & Sinus works great for a stuffy nose and sore throat, but does dick all for a fever.
• Tylenol is my friend - I think my fever has dropped since I took it, and my body doesn’t ache as much as before.
• Chloraseptic Sore Throat Spray is amazing. And possibly my new best friend (Sorry, Amanda).
• There is nothing I want to eat when I’m sick except Lipton’s Chicken Noodle Soup. Yum!
• Cleaning the pot every time I want to make another bowl sucks.
• Ocean Spray Cranberry juice does indeed go bad, so check for weird floaty things before drinking it. Euuuuyck.
• Doctor’s offices either a) close ridiclously early on the weekend, or b) are so busy they stop taking patients ridiclously early.

Mission for tomorrow: Find a doctor, and get some meds! I’d like to be better for school on Monday, we’re doing a whole switch over of positions for the radio show so it’s kind of important to be there. Although if I do get better in time to go, I’ll probably be bitter all day that I was sick over the weekend (the worst time to be sick - and so not fair) and healthy for school.