Exodus

So the Great Iqaluit Exodus (part of the larger Great Nunavut Exodus) is in full swing this weekend. By all reports the airport was madness the past few days, with people trying to get out of here. Most are heading south, but you'll also find some Inuit trying to get back to their home communities for the holidays. I heard the lines were especially bad on Saturday (all the teachers leaving for the holidays). And considering the flights heading south were a solid hour late leaving today, I suspect the lines were equally bad.

We're not going anywhere this Christmas and honestly, if I had the choice between Nunavut or Newfoundland for Christmas I'll take Nunavut any day of the week. Visiting Newfoundland is just madness. It feels like there's a massive checklist of things to do, places to go and friends and family to see. And if you don't complete that checklist, there's always someone pissed off with you. Yes, some of it is an awful lot of fun. For example, I really do wish I could be home for New Year's at the Smiths and their recently renovated Bond Street home. But that's about it.

I came back from Newfoundland last year absolutely exhausted. At the end of this Christmas season I suspect I'll be perfectly rested and not at all stressed. That'll last about a week if the schedule I have right now holds up, but I'd sooner face all that after a relaxing Christmas than what I would be facing if I were heading south now.

Cathy'll get home next summer. I'm hoping to get home next fall for a week or so. Trust me, it'll be a lot more fun and relaxing for both of us.

With us remaining in Iqaluit, we're settling in. The tree is decorated and the outside of the house is lit up. Here are a few photos. And to give credit where it is due, Cathy put up all the lights.

We are no where close to having the most lights on our house in Iqaluit. There are some truly insane houses around town. However, as we spend more years in town, I suspect we'll eventually reach truly ludicrous levels. Cathy loves Christmas and has the motto that lights should be as tacky as possible.

That's an ill omen, if ever there was one.

Most of our gifts have safely arrived here. I'm still waiting on one piece, but that's not directly Christmas related (well, it's a gift for me that I bought for myself). We'll probably have a few people over for the holidays, but we'll see (Jordan and Steph, for example, assuming his sanity is in tact after the Christmas rush at the post office). There's no real plan, other than relaxing and lounging around. Sounds like a good holidays to me. And with the temperatures remaining unnaturally warm - it's 0C today and forecast to get no colder than -13C between now and Christmas - it should be a pretty stress free few days.

We just have to remember to do all of our laundry and dishes either by Thursday night or early Friday. There will be no water delivery on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Well, there is, but it's $250. I would prefer not to spend that much for water if I can help it.

Last Five
1. Leather (live) - Tori Amos*
2. Viva la Gloria - Green Day
3. Free in the harbour (live) - Stan Rogers
4. The glorious life - Joel Plaskett Emergency
5. All I'm thinkin' about - Bruce Springsteen