Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Absence makes the heart grow fonder


Hello my dear friends, I'm back! Done my gallivanting around the world, and am back to reality. Except for the remains of jet lag, I feel pretty good! I managed to relax on my trip and NOT stress about anything (well, except for my Finance grade, but I passed!).

China was incredible, amazing, and everything in between. Yes, there was a significant amount of culture shock, but I think the fact that I have traveled before helped me out a lot. I wasn't unprepared for things to be different. Our first stop, Beijing, is a city of 17 million. That's just over half of the population of Canada! It seems so unthinkable to me . . . mind you, in a country of 1.3 billion, I guess that's a fairly small city.

We spent 5 days in Beijing, 1 day in Hangzhou, and 4 days in Shanghai. Each city was enjoyable, although each was slightly different. Beijing is a more serious city, the centre of China as far as government goes. The architecture is conservative, and so are the people. Hangzhou is beautiful - much smaller than the other two cities, at only 7 million people. It is close to the 3 gorges dam, and site of the West Lake and LinYing Temple. Shanghai is much more cosmopolitan, with more "outgoing" architecture and the people seem more relaxed. Shanghai is how I picture New York to be, with energy and flash. There are 19 million people living in Shanghai.

I promise to spend some time writing about my journeys and adventures, but for now, this small taste is all I can provide. I have a dog show this weekend, and two specialties next weekend, so lots on my plate!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

I'm Leavin' On A Jet Plane

Yep, that's right . . . the big moment is finally here. My trip. The much anticipated "China trip." After planning and buying and packing and dreaming, the big adventure starts tomorrow. And I think I'm ready. I packed everything up today, and bought a few small odds and ends that I still needed. Tomorrow I drive to Edmonton to drop Billy off with his babysitter (hope we're still friends after she spends 2 weeks with Satan), and Tuesday morning I'm outta here!

Today started off well - the dogs let me sleep in, and I got packing done in a fair amount of time. We even had fun at the dog park, although Billy wasn't really into playing until his buddies arrived. Got home from dog park intending to have a quick nap, but Billy had other plans for me (he always does!). I took the dogs outside to play, and my dad was sitting in the hot tub. Does this sound familiar???????? Yep, he went flying in . . . no indication that he was taking the giant leap, yet there he went. BRAT! So anyhow, now he's clean and fresh for his stay with my friend. And I'm pooped, cause of no nap.

Oh well, at least life is exciting for me . . .

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Another Day . . .

Yes, I am running out of interesting things to write about. Unlike my friend Vicky, I haven't even had any good dreams lately! I think the stress of final exams, not being ready for my trip, and work are all working together to prevent any form of creative thought in my head. Which is just great, since I have an article to submit for the Cocker magazine, and no particularly good ideas. Lovely (insert a disgusted face here)

We just finished up with 2 days of rain, so the dogs are very antsy. Billy is driving everyone nuts with his incessant pestering. He really is a good dog, but confinement just doesn't suit him well. He needs to get out for walks, playtime and a chance to stretch his legs. Poor guy is just going nuts with boredom right now!

Quigley needs significant prodding to even stick his nose out the door. He's a firm believer in NOT getting wet, and will hold it for days, if needed. Of course, that just doesn't work for me, so I spend many minutes trying to entice him outside. Even the best treats are not enough to convince him, so invariably I have to physically haul him out the door.

Farley doesn't care - he just goes where I ask him to, without hesitating. Have I mentioned that he is the best dog in the world??? It's not that he enjoys going out in the rain, it's just that he wants to do what I ask of him. I know, I'll never find a man that can measure up to the obedience and loyalty of this dog. Why on earth do you think I'm still single?

So, I should be working, but my mind is on overload. So I think a good cup of hot chocolate and I might be ready to start my day by noon LOL