Oh yes, it seems I always have a story to tell, especially on travel days. So this is the story; I left home about 5:45 yesterday morning. I pretty much had everything packed, so it was basically just throw the suitcases into the car and take off. Oh wait! I forgot to get gas on Sunday, so I didn't leave enough time for that. I thought....I have to stop and get some. None of the gas stations I passed were open that early. When I got to London, I went past the airport looking for a gas station, as I didn't want to leave Aimee's car for Aimee to pick up (half hour after I was leaving) with no gas. I almost turned around, then found a gas station open. Ok, get gas. Now to airport. I was already checked in, so just had to drop off bags. Flight to Calgary is 4 hours long, so I want to pick up breakfast, but now I'm really cutting it close. I stopped at the little restaurant before going through security, and ordered a breakfast burrito to go. This woman working took the LONGEST TIME EVER to put this burrito together. So long, that I had no time to eat it. I stashed it in my purse and headed through security. Then I had to explain to security why I had a breakfast burrito in my purse. It wasn't a liquid, so they let me take it through, and just in time to board the plane. So now my burrito is sitting in my purse until we take off and I can get into my stashed carry on baggage. It was still warm though, and I'm sure made my seatmate jealous, since I was eating breakfast and he wasn't. Then the captain gives us updates on the weather in Calgary. BRRRR!!!! It was something like -27 degrees in Calgary, maybe colder, and LOTS of snow. Now when I left London it was quite balmy at 6 or 7 degrees and a light rain. I left my winter coat at camp here because I didn't figure I would need it at home, so now I'm thinking wow, I'm really going to be cold once I get to Ft. Mac and have to drag my luggage out to the parking lot to find Aimee's other car, which she left at the airport for me. I also knew I'd need boots, so I wore those on the plane. I also remembered to bring warm gloves. However I only had a spring jacket on. About halfway to Calgary I thought I'd better get my gloves out, and lo and behold, but if I didn't lose one somewhere along the line. So now I only have 1 glove, my spring jacket, and my winter boots. Oh yes, my warm hat was left at camp too, although I did bring a scarf. I had a 1 hr layover at Calgary airport, then a short hop to Edmonton airport for a 2 hour layover, then finally the short hop to Ft. Mac. I thought well, 2 hours in Edmonton, surely I'll be able to find a shop there that has gloves. Well once in Calgary, many flights were delayed and/or cancelled, because of the very cold weather, and also lots of snow. So had to sit and wait and wait until my flight was finally called. Good thing I had a 2 hour layover in Edmonton! Ok so we get on the small Dash8 plane to Edmonton, and once everyone is on and seated (oh yes, small plane, you walk out on the tarmac to board. Did I mention I had a spring jacket and only 1 glove??? Also that it was almost -30???) and the captain makes an announcement that the plane doesn't like the extreme cold, and it wouldn't start and not to worry, maintenance crew was on their way. Doesn't everyone want to hear that?? Wow, so now I'm really starting to get nervous that I'm going to miss my connection to Ft. Mac. I asked the flight attendant, and she said I SHOULD be ok, and that if it's really close I can probably just run through the tunnel to get to the gate in Edmonton. I have no idea what that means, but ok. The mechanics arrive, get the plane going and off we go. Once in Edmonton, (again, small airport, get off on tarmac -30 here, spring coat, 1 glove) I run to my gate and find out that flight is delayed. And some earlier ones were cancelled and they were offering ground transportation by bus to Ft. Mac to those people. I'm thinking---fantastic! If I have to take a bus that's another 5 hours! I wandered around the shops while waiting for word on my flight and went into this Great Canadian Outdoors store for gloves. Well, you'd think a store called Canadian Outdoors would have gloves. Nope. They had some on order. Hmm. Ok, actually the flight was only delayed by half an hour so now I'm on another Dash 8 to Ft. Mac. We get word it's -30 in Ft. Mac. I get my luggage and then have to drag my luggage (with only 1 glove) out to the parking lot, find Aimee's car, and pray that it starts since she didn 't have a cord to plug it in. It started, thank goodness! I thought I have to stop at WalMart before I go back to get some gloves! I was driving with my gloved hand on the steering wheel, and when I needed my other hand I had to put my jacket sleeve over it because the steering wheel was SO COLD!! I drove to the Wal-Mart, and on the radio I heard that there was an accident on Hwy 63 North (that's where I had to go) and both lanes were closed until wreckage was cleared. I thought OK, I'll kill an hour in Wal-Mart, that should give them time to clear it up. When I got out, radio said the road was open again but slow because of backed up traffic. Well, from the time I (tried) left the parking lot at Wal-Mart, until the time I hit Hwy 63 (which is 3 blocks away) it took almost a half hour. Then another half hour or maybe more until I finally got out of town and on the way. So it was 7 pm when I pulled into the camp parking lot. There was not one place available close to the doors so I could drop my luggage off, so had to park WAY in the back lot (good thing I stopped at Wal-Mart for those gloves!), and also I couldn't reach ONE PERSON that I could leave my luggage with so I could go to the front desk to check in and get my room key, so I had to drag ALL my luggage from the very back of the parking lot, all the way through A pod, into the core building to get my key, then drag it all the way back to E dorm and up to 3rd floor. THEN I had to run down to Lena's room and get the stuff I left (my work clothes and shoes) as I had to work at 6 am today. THEN I realized that my badge was nowhere to be found. I had it to get through the security gate, but by the time I got to my room it was not anywhere to be found. I figured I'd just deal with that today. Needless to say, I felt it was a Murphy's Law kind of day. And thank goodness it wasn't windy, because as it was with the windchill it was feeling like -38. If you were converting that to Fahrenheit, it would be almost exactly the same. Darn cold!!!!! Frostbite within 5-10 minutes. Oh and I also realized I left my cell phone charger at home! Ugh...however today I found a couple of people that had the same type and they said they'd loan to me. I use that as my clock and my alarm so I really need it!
Anyway, I worked a split shift today (6-11am, then 5-10 pm) and again tomorrow and I know I'm rambling but such is my life!!
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