Arrival and decompression

So, how the vacation has gone so far...

1. Every single flight on Friday that I was supposed to was delayed. The one from Iqaluit was a particular gem as I'm sure when I booked the ticket it was leaving at 1:10, but when I checked on the day of departure it was leaving at 1:45. Add onto that a 45 minute delay while they waited for passengers from Resolute, and the two hour window I had in Ottawa evaporated.

That lead to something that's never happened to me before - I missed a flight. Fortunately, they got me on another one, which was then delayed. It was delayed enough that I would have missed my flight from Montreal to St. John's, but thank God for weather, which made a 100 or so Newfoundlanders sitting for 40 minutes on board of the plane cranky, but enabled me to catch my flight.

2. Loading a bunch of comedy albums onto my iPod was both a good and bad thing. Listening to Patton Oswalt was about the only thing that prevented me from going insane sitting on the tarmac in Iqaluit. The downside is I think I ruptured something
trying not to laughout loud.

The worst of it was during the end of one of his records when he was imitating
a series of radio ads done for ESPN by a coked out 70s movie producer. I actually had to stop the record and compose myself before I exploded. The people sitting next to me (including one reading bible pamphlets)must have thought I was insane.

3. Mexican food at Zapatas. All is better with Mexican food from Zapatas.

4. I still haven't seen my parents yet, who both decided to go out of town the weekend I arrived. I can feel the love.

5. Seeing The Planks for the first time in 10 years at the Folk Festival. Sweet fiddle punk rock awesomeness.

6. Having Colleen Power pop over and say hi when she saw me. Her new kid is also adorable and appears destined to be a rock star, given her determination to crawl towards the stage during the Planks set. Sadly, the only show she's playing in the next two weeks is on the night of the wedding we must go to. Plus the show is at Cape St. Mary's.

We're still tempted to blow off the wedding, for the record.

7. St. John's Councillor Frank Galgay coming over and asking if I wanted to cover council again. Informed him that a frontal lobotomy with a spoon would be preferable.

And that's where we stand. Next up...Wendy's! And then an hour or two at Chapters.

For the record, it feels like I've never left. It always does.

Well, except the part where I hugged a tree. That always weirds out the neighbours...