Sighted: Polar Man at the Northmart

I decided to pop into Northmart after work to pick up some supplies for cupcakes for the bake sale on Friday and who do I see....Polar Man! Polar Man is an Iqaluit based super hero. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true. He has an outfit, a secret identity and, the last time I was here, a side kick...a pet rat. The second I saw him memories of the summer of 2004 came flooding back. My friend Steph and I saw him one day walking down the street, so we turned the infamous Tracker around and stalked, I mean followed, him up the street to Fantasy Palace. We wanted a photo, but were unable to get one. And, that is the story of my short lived career as a member of the paparazzi. To read more about him visit this site: http://www.superheroeslives.com/reallife/polarman_(2003).htm
He even went as a Polar Man action figure for Halloween. I saw a picture of the costume and it was AMAZING! Some of the guys at either Northmart or Ventures decorated this big box for him to wear. If I can find a picture of it I'll put it up. I love how quirky this town can be!

FYI:
My six items at the Northmart came to $23.99.....
Lantic Sugar (2 kg) - $6.75
Betty Crocker Whipped Frosting - $3.99
Duncan Hines Cake Mix - $3.95
Oranges (2) - $2.31
Veggie Spinach Nuggets - $6.99

I decided to pass on the diet coke because a 12 pack was $13.99. I know!

Is it me, or is it dry in here?

The air is really dry here and while I do have a humidifier, I keep getting "shocks". I hate shocks, but what I hate even more is the anticipated shock. I sort of feel like I'm in that Vaseline commercial set in Kodiak, Alaska. Buying a better moisturizer is already on my long list of "Things to Buy in Ottawa". Apparently the Hemp body lotion from The Body Shop is really good, so I'm going to try it.

I got to use a little bit of my french in the cab the other night. My cabbie was French and began talking to me en francais when he found out that I could speak it a little. Looks like I'll be able to practice a bit after all! I don't usually like to make idle chit chat, but I've actually been talking to the cabbies....seriously, who am I? I call the same place in the morning when I grab a cab to work, so they get to know you. Most of the drivers for that company are actually from Ottawa, so we chat about that and how I'm a newbie in town. It's actually pretty funny to see their expressions when they find out that I'm staying for 3-4 years versus the one year that everyone else seems to have signed up for.

I came across the craziest thing tonight at Ventures. I was walking around the store and saw this Mary doll. They actually have a Mary barbie doll type toy. So weird! It's on sale for $19.99 (reg. $34.99 - who would buy it at that price?) and I was tempted to get it to go with my Jesus action figure that I picked up at Ventures in 2005 for $4.99, but I passed. I'm not religious, but something about seeing Mary as a barbie just seems wrong. Plus, she was sort of "manly" looking and was two toys over from one of those Bratz dolls....the whole situation just seemed wrong.

I did see the best t-shirt when I was having lunch today. An older Inuk gentleman had this t-shirt on that said "Don't call me Eskimo"....love it!

-41C with the wind chill!

Today was a cold one! I ended up forgetting my lunch in the fridge this morning, so I had to walk about a block at lunch to go and grab a sandwich. I know, a block doesn't sound that far, but when it's -41C and the coldest wind you can possibly imagine is blowing, it might as well have been 100km. Actually, to be honest it wasn't quite that bad. I was dressed for it and it was really only my cheeks that were cold. That said, I can't believe I forgot my lunch, but I did remember to bring my thermos of coffee. That's right people, I now bring a thermos to work as I can't just run down to the Brooke Claxton cafeteria and grab one. I've become a lunch making, thermos carting, long john wearing, fur loving Northerner. What's next? Stay tuned!

The cable problem is solved. Sometimes if you want something done right you just have to do it yourself, or go and buy a new universal remote. Now I’m all set up to pass away the long cold winter days and nights that are ahead of me. I'm actually hoping that I have a rockin' social life so I won't need to watch tv, but just in case I want a night off......

I have nine days until I head to Ottawa for a few days for work and I’ve been trying to put together my shopping/things to do list…..the list is pretty long right now. It’s strange how I never thought that I would be a Costco shopper and now I am….kind of like how I never thought I would wear fur and now I am. I draw the line at hunting though. It's quite possible that I am going to end up being some sort of avid snowmobiler, but you will not be hearing me recount tales of taking down a caribou with one shot or hauling in a seal. Never going to happen.

Cable Woes

Why must cable be this hard?

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm sitting here in my pajamas listening to French television and trying to motivate myself to go to the grocery store instead of crawling back into bed. My old French tutor would be thrilled that I'm watching the tv in French, however it isn't by choice. They finally hooked up my cable, but instead of the full package that I signed up for, I'm only getting channels 2-13! I called the cable company and they were so very helpful in telling me that I have to....program the channels???? And how do I do that? I've never had to do that before, and for a $50 hook up charge they can come and do it for me (but I didn't say that). So, I'm off to Ventures in a bit to go and buy a better universal remote as mine is not bringing up the menu on the tv to "program the channels".

Last night I went to the Elks after work for a couple of drinks and then to the Legion for a steak dinner. Not only that, but at the Legion we all ended up buying Nevada tickets with the hopes of splitting the "big money". Who have I become? =) You would never catch me playing Nevada tickets before, but everyone else was doing it, so apparently the newbie had to as well.

I had Cultural Orientation on Wednesday which meant that I spent the day down in The Red Boat Gallery (one of the old Hudson Bay buildings) learning about Inuit traditional knowledge and how Nunavut came to be. It was actually pretty fun and I ended up meeting some new people. Our instructor, Solomon, brought some frozen caribou and char for us to try. He cut it up with an ulu and we were all able to have some. I tried a tiny piece of the caribou only to realize that it's really not for me, but the char was delicious....just like eating sushi.



I'm off to shower and head to the store before the sun goes down.....which will be in about 2.5 hours!

Pictures

First Glimpse

I couldn't help but smile as the plane flew in over Iqaluit and I began to recognize the buildings and remember all of the good times that I've had here in the past! At that point I realized that I had made the right choice and I started to get really excited about the little adventure that I was about to embark on.

I arrived Wednesday afternoon and was immediately greeted by some very cold weather as I got off the plane. It was -27C....a far cry from the warmer weather I left behind in Ottawa! My Director's husband and my friend Jack met us at the airport and helped to take all of my luggage to the hotel. I was able to drop my stuff, freshen up and then head over to the health building to meet my co-workers and get settled in. The health building is just a short walk from the hotel which has proven to be quite nice given the snow, wind and overall chilly weather! However, while it has been pretty cold, it has also been really sunny, so that helps. I must say that my parka has been one of my greatest purchases of all time....it's so warm!

Work has so far been pretty fantastic and I'm really excited about the direction that we are going to be taking! My co-workers are great and I'm slowly getting to know everyone else on the floor.
I found out today that I've been assigned housing out near the Road to Nowhere....while it is a little far, I'm open to it. I go and see the unit Monday morning and then can hopefully move in Monday afternoon or Tuesday (if I can seeing as it's a holiday). I'll be really happy once I'm all settled in and I start to get in a routine.

Tonight I went outside to watch the northern lights which were BEAUTIFUL! I had heard that they would be really visible tonight and they did not disappoint. I tried to take some picture, but they really didn't do it justice. I wasn't outside for long because I was starting to lose feeling in my fingers (I didn't have my mitten on my camera hand), so I came in and watched them from my window.

Time to head to bed as tomorrow is shaping up to be really busy........

Coming soon.....

I'm going to use this blog as a means to stay in touch with all of you and keep you updated on my latest adventures once I move to Iqaluit.