Mummy Dearest

I don't know why I ever think that I am going to get any rest on a red-eye. Fatalistic optimism, I suppose. I did have the first row in economy class so the leg-room was spectacular, but the tiny thin blankets and the screaming baby counter-acted any thoughts of shut-eye. I watch 127 Hours and instantly felt better about my situation. At least I have two arms, right?

I arrived in the mother country at about 9 am local time (2 am for you Albertans) and since I couldn't check into my hostel until 2pm, I navigated the warrens of the London Underground well enough to make my way to the British Museum (free all day every day!) and spent the afternoon wandering through sarcophagi and bronze swords. One thing you can say for a colonial empire- they collect a lot of stuff along the way, including the mummy of Cleopatra!. With more marble columns and gold filigree than you could shake a stick at, the highlight of the afternoon was definitely the Rosetta Stone. The archaeologist in me was giddy while the practical traveller in me wished it wasn't a Saturday afternoon. There was a crowd of people 4 deep around the case, but I waited patiently along the edge like a good Canadian and eventually got my hieroglyph fix.

With the jet lag catching up on me, I dragged myself through the rain to my hostel (things would have been quicker if I had looked up the address before leaving home) and passed out in my lovely curtained bunk for the rest of the day. Tomorrow is old building day and I plan to seek out the London Bridge which I briefly managed to glimpse on the approach to Heathrow, along with all the other good stuff like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, British Parliament, etc. Hopefully I will be less of a zombie tomorrow.

-A.

U-Turn

As my services are suddenly no longer required at my previous position of employment, the universe has once again made a decision for me. The peril of contract work is that sometimes you don't get the luxury of notice. It is a good lesson for me if I want to keep doing what I do, as mining is not the most stable of industries on the grander scale, particularly with junior companies. Like a pop band with a hit single, one day you are on top of the charts, and the next day your cd is in the bargain bin at wal-mart. I am already working on my comeback, but it was certainly a shock to the system.

I don't really believe in fate or any grand plan, but all month I have had an on sense of foreboding that I couldn't quite shake; I chalked it up to the February blues and a touch of vitamin D deficiency. When I heard my dad got rather badly hurt after losing a fight with a hot water tank, it felt like something I was anticipating finally happened, but that anxiety I had still didn't go away. Now that my week from hell is complete, there is almost a sense of relief. I think it was that things were going far too well for too long and I was subconsciously waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was making good money at a job I loved and working with people I liked and everyone around me was healthy; perhaps it's because of my history with illness, but I am always suspicious of too much good fortune. Don't get me wrong, I am not a pessimist by any means, as when things are good I relish every second, but I don't like to assume that it will continue in a never ending nirvana of awesomeness. Without the lows, the highs aren't as impressive.

So long QR Mine- it was a blast! (mining pun!)

-A.