No, I haven't run off with a cowboy....yet

I realize I've been less than faithful at blogging about my adventures in CowTown.  Mainly because in the start, I didn't really have any adventures.

When I moved here, my main focus was on finding my way around...to and from work, to the grocery store, etc. I realized after a few months that I needed something else...friends.  Now how does a single person over 40 make friends in a new town, you might ask? You ask your BFF, Google!  Google recommended a site called meetup.com (no, it's not a dating site). You can read about Meetup here.  Basically, it was a way of meeting people without accosting them on public transit. There are interest groups for everything from hot naked yoga to book clubs to Wine Sisters.  No, I did not partake in the naked yoga group!  For several months I cyber-stalked these groups (don't worry, I'm harmless) looking for just the right one and at the same time, working up my nerve, and eventually I took the plunge and attended an event with the WINE- Women In Need of Excitement Meetup group.  The rest, as they say, is history. I've been to a number of official and unofficial events with these ladies and I'm having a blast!  My calendar is busier than ever and I really feel like I've made some great long-term friendships.  Tomorrow we are trying something new (to me, at least!) and going to The Locked Room...not sure what to expect, but I'm sure we'll have fun.

If you're new in town (any town, not just Calgary!) or just want to meet new people, I highly recommend checking out Meetup.com for groups in your area (no, I'm not paid by Meetup!).

In the coming weeks I plan to return to Weight Watchers (although all these WINE meetups won't make it easy!) and I'll start blogging about my misadventures once again, including my adventures/misadventures in the kitchen.  I'll also have to start using my gym membership. I have a lovely rec centre a stone's throw away from my place that I've been making "donations" to since the summer...it's time to bite the bullet and just go.  Hmmm, maybe I'll look for a Meetup group for this rec centre...

Wish me luck in Mutiny on the High Seas tomorrow morning!

I think Stephen Hawkings works for Calgary Transit

But NOT as a ticket checker... I'm in week 5 of taking transit here in Calgary, and not ONCE have I been asked to produce my pass!  I actually took the train to work this morning and realized mid-day that it's April... and I'm still using my March pass!  Whoops!

Now, onto Stephen...the loud speaker voice at the CTrain platforms totally sounds like Stephen Hawkings!  Train arriving.  Please stand behind the yellow line.... You have to hear it to know what I mean :)

Today marks exactly one month here in CowTown.  I haven't done a whole lot of touristy things yet - I've been to the zoo, the Calgary Farmers Market and I've strolled down 17th Avenue where I had some tasty gelato.  Hopefully this long weekend I'll get out and see some more of this fine city.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Hippos in the river...and other Calgary lessons I've learned so far

I made it to the zoo on the weekend!!  Planned to go Saturday, but the day got away from me - headed out on Sunday to go to the Devonian Gardens downtown and decided when I got in the car to head to the zoo instead... ahh the life of a single girl - I have the right to change my mind...and nobody cares but the penguins!  I had a nice time at the zoo and am looking forward to going back to see what I missed.  I discovered I could get a Calgary Zoo day pass with my Airmiles, so I have it on order and will go back when the warm weather returns.

So two things I learned about Calgary in recent weeks:

When you drive on the "big roads" (Deerfoot, Glenmore, Crowchild, etc.) drive in the MIDDLE lane... you just never know when the right lane will disappear...or become an exit only lane.  If you drive in the far left lane, you'll get run over.  I've kept this "middle lane" suggestion in mind since I got here and it has served me well.

When the flood happened here, there was fear that the hippos would get out and into the Bow River!  Apparently it was quite the thing here in Calgary.  Now when things are going wrong, they say "next thing you know, we'll have hippos in the river".  That cracks me up every time I think about it!!  Of course if one was ACTUALLY in the Bow River, I may not find it so funny.. those things are MASSIVE...and dangerous!  But nice to look at from behind the glass of their tanks at the zoo :)

I experienced my first Calgary snowfall last night/this morning.  It began yesterday as eensy, teensy little flake and my first thought was "little snow, big snow", but that must be another maritime expression that doesn't transfer out to western parts of the country.  Woke up this morning to maybe 2 cm on the ground (sorry, Eastern Canada!) and people off the road, one lady ran into a light pole... oh my.  By the time I left work tonight it was pretty much all gone.  Yep, so far Calgary weather is beating Atlantic weather hands down!

I feel like chicken tonight... and pink skies in the morning means something different here

 I was walking to work this morning (well, to the train to work) and was enjoying the brilliant pink sky, but at the same time, the old saying...pink skies in the morning, sailors take warning was playing in my head.  I was disappointed thinking our weather was about to get stormy.  I ran into another former Atlantic EY-er in the +15 (that's the pedway for those back home) and was mentioning it to him and then he reminded me... not too many sailors in Calgary!  So apparently that saying is a maritime (as in near the water, not the actual Maritime provinces) saying!  In Calgary, it just means a pretty walk to the train, sunshine and +15 degrees at 6:30pm!

I also discovered another Calgary-esque thing... I thought that the BBQ left behind by the previous tenant was broken, but another form Atlantic EY-er told me about this yellow knob thingy that I had to turn to get the natural gas flowing... doh!  Why didn't I think of that?  Even when I used a propane tank at home, I still had to turn it on!  So, all that to say... BBQ chicken tonight and leftovers for lunch tomorrow on a giant Pete's ToGoGo-style salad!

Two Newfoundlanders and a Cape Bretoner

I've been fortunate enough to meet THREE true, honest to goodness East coasters this week.  On Monday I heard a voice in the distance... my first thought was HOME.  Not REALLY home, but close enough.  My cashier was a Newfoundlander.  It was so nice to hear an East coast accent :)  By the end of our chat, she was asking me, in true Newfoundlander-style, to come back some day and meet her for lunch!  Today at work someone asked me where my "drawl" was from, to which I of course replied that I'm from Halifax and we don't have an accent or drawl!  Turns out he is a Cape Bretoner.  Tonight my bus driver started talking to me...another Newfoundlander!

So all that to say, even though the title sounds like the start of a bad joke, it isn't.  It was nice to hear some "almost home" accents.

Oh, I also learned this week that Ontario is referred to as "Eastern Canada" out here in the West... they looked at me funny when I referred to it as Upper Canada...hmmmm

Canmore & Kananaskis

Day 7

Sorry for all the mountain pictures - I just can't get over the changing face of the mountain throughout the day.  This morning was the cloudiest it's been since I arrived and the mountains are still beautiful.  So thankful for this view.

My first week at the office was great.  So many nice people and so many familiar faces, which helps when the homesickness comes around, which I know it will.  The apartment is also great - my property manager had it professionally cleaned for me on Tuesday (the previous tenant had clearly not done a good job cleaning before she left).  My movers were scheduled to arrive today, but after a long song and dance, they will be here tomorrow morning.  Thursday when I was fighting talking with the movers was not a good day.  On my way home from work that day, I was ready to say forget it and move back home.  Thankfully things got better on the mover-front and I no longer feel like jumping ship...wait... I'm in the mountains, no ships around anyways!

I have a car rental for the weekend - a cute little red Nissan Versa.  Last night I did some shopping and finally found myself a new Keurig to replace the one that died before I left Halifax.  I did end up getting one of the newer models - I guess I'll have to figure out how to trick the Keurig when I want to brew my non-Keurig k-cups.  The price couldn't be beat, that's for sure.  I got it at Target's liquidation sale for way less than the original Keurigs are going for - and truly, it is hard to find original Keurigs these days!

I'm off to do a bit more shopping this morning and then this afternoon one of my colleagues is picking me up and we're driving to Kananaskis to go to the EY Ski Weekend dinner (not the whole weekend since the movers come tomorrow morning).  We will spend some time in Canmore, which I'm looking forward to seeing.  I've got my good camera charged up and ready to go!

Happy weekend everyone!
Bluenoser in CowTown