8 day weekend!

     Yep, today is the first day of my 8 day weekend. I'm sitting at my second airport of the day (Edmonton, having left from Ft. McMurray at 12:15 today) having some lunch and a Margarita. :) I figure I deserve it after 20 days working. I'm off to Winnipeg to visit my "spousal equivalent" for the week. I haven't been to Winnipeg in well over a year....year and a half maybe? Too long, anyway. I'm hoping to get down across the border to check out the e-readers before I make my final purchase. I have it narrowed down to two models, one of which I have seen and tried out, and seeing the other one is my mission. Right now I am loaded down with two heavy books to keep me company on my flights and airport waits. I was so excited to get this lime Margarita and now that I taste it it's not even that good :( Oh well, I guess that means it doesn't count and I can treat myself once more on this trip, haha.
     Staffing is at an all-time low this week that I'm away, and I'm almost feeling guilty. Ok, I am feeling guilty. I know it's nothing for me to feel guilty about, but I just think of the few that are taking on the whole burden and feeling very sorry for them, and if it was me left behind how sad I'd be. Ok, it will probably BE me in a week when I get back so I will get over it, haha.
     Still even lower occupancy as companies are laying off. I am not sure if it has to do with the time of year, as I know some are going to be back next month, or May at the latest. It is eerie, not quite as deserted as Christmas time, but still quiet. The Menu Express service is hot! People like to have nibbles delivered to them, even for a fee. I think the poor delivery girl needs a Segway, or at least some roller blades! Poor girl is sweating buckets whenever I run into her in the evenings.
     Funny how smells trigger memories. Carpet cleaning is underway in A pod (my room is 3rd floor A in A pod) and they were cleaning carpets when I first arrived at the end of August. As soon as the smell hit my nostrils I was immediately taken back to the first walk down the "green mile" way back then. The corridor from mail building to A dorm in A pod is long, and one of the guys made a comment that he calls it the Green Mile and it kind of stuck.
     Speaking of fitness....I thought Hannah was a task master....wow our new guy Ed makes her look like a nursery school gym teacher (no disrespect to Hannah whatsoever!). No messing around with Ed, he makes you work! He just wants to help you, he says with his innocent looking face. A Newfoundlander with all the Newfie jargon (think "yes boy" - only the boy is pronounced Bye), he wants us all to be fit and healthy. No pussy footing around. He's getting me set up with a new and improved fitness plan, and I am going to join the Core class on Sun and Wed nights. This old granny is going to get fit if it kills me! I'm not doing too bad though, up to 30 laps in the a.m. (that's about 1.5 miles) then my gym routine which takes about 15-20 minutes. He's got the same days off as I do, so I can't use the excuse that he's not there for me to skip classes. He does have a lot of people involved so it's very good. He can also carry the load on open mike nights and Karaoke at the bar. He left last night on his first turnaround and he was so excited to see his family he was pretty well dancing all day, lol. When I go back I am in for 22 days so I will definitely need something to burn off the crispiness. Once you hit about day 18...I tell ya, you can sure feel the difference.
     I had an interesting drive in this morning with a couple of the camp attendants heading to Cape Breton. We all laughed so hard we were all hurting. The poor driver got his eyes opened I'll tell ya, as we let loose. He's used to seeing the professional side, haha. I know he couldn't wait to get back and tell Aimee what a bad influence her mother is LOLOL.
     Well, I should make my way to the gate and get comfortable!