TV on DVD

TV on DVD has to be the best invention in the world. I have really become a fan of watching television series on DVD since I have moved to the North. There are some very great shows out there, but I don't really have the patience anymore to watch a lot of tv. When I was younger, we (my university roommates) would have 'tv nights' quite frequently. I think half the fun was watching the show and then having to wait until the next week, and in some cases, next season, to see what would happen. But as I get older, I just don't have the time or desire to wait to see what will happen. I want to watch a show with no commercials and be able to stop when I feel satiated instead of being left hanging.

There are several new series that I have watched this year on DVD. So far, I've watched the entire series of Felicity, am caught up with True Blood and Dexter, and have season 5 to go in Weeds. Once that is finished, I'm at a loss for what to watch next.



So I'm asking you, dear readers, to offer me some suggestions for television series on DVD. What have you watched that you really enjoy?

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The Biggest Loser

There is a Biggest Loser competition here in Rankin Inlet. A husband and wife team have gotten together and organized a group to support and motivate each other, with a dash of competitiveness thrown in.

The way the competition works is that there is an official weigh in on Tuesdays. Each player must pay $20 a week to weigh in. $5 from this twenty goes towards the weekly winner. The remaining $15 goes into the pot for the grand prizes. As of right now, there are approx. 25 people. That means there is a $125 weekly prize, and a grand prize of $5000 for the Biggest Loser in May.

Now, I've been watching what I eat pretty closely and adding exercise daily, but this is some serious motivation for me. Ever since the new year rang in, my wedding has become more real. I am pretty serious about losing some weight so I feel more comfortable for the big day. The fact that I have a dress that costs more than the rest of my entire wardrobe combined is also a motivator. But, seriously, who wouldn't want an extra $5000? I've joined the competition and am pretty pumped for it. I'm going for gold! I have enough weight to lose that I think I can be a contender. Wish me luck!!

PS. I am so glad to hear that the penny sale for the Haiti relief fund raised over $7000 here in Rankin Inlet this past weekend. We're doing as much as we can through the school and the support has been fantastic! It's easy to see why Nunavutmuit give the most to charity per capita than anywhere else in this country!! Hats off, Rankin Inlet!

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April??

I was shocked outside today while I was on duty. I had to take off my hat and mitts, and unzip my coat because I was too warm. In January. In Nunavut.

Traditionally January is the coldest month in the Arctic. I have no idea what's going on (although I'm sure Global Warming is the culprit) but I have to admit that I'm ok with it. The warmth, that is, not global warming.

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Ranting and Roaring Like A True Newfoundlander

I try really hard not to let things get to me. Especially things that I read on the internet. Often I can laugh things off and poke fun of the author of such things.

Yesterday, I was sent a link to a Facebook group named "F**k off Newfoundland - Leave our Seals Alone!" Out of curiosity, I clicked the link. And now I am paying for that because I'm still fuming.

I won't debate the actual seal hunt here. I support it and that's all I'll say about that. However, I have a lot to say about a group that supports 'disowning Newfoundland". The group states that Newfoundland "has done nothing for Canada, but rape [the] social services and drain [the] EI system". The saddest part of the whole thing for me is that, as of yesterday, the group had over 2200 members. I'm shocked that so many people STILL think this of the people of Newfoundland. With the amount of university garduates and trades people coming out of Newfoundland I really don't understand how this stereotype still exists. I once heard that Newfoundland had more post-secondary educated graduates per capita than the rest of Canada (Disclaimer: this is a statistic that was told to me and I cannot find anywhere online that gives any data about any of the provinces/territories, so I stand to be corrected on this matter).

It blows my mind that some people in Canada still consider Newfoundlanders lazy and a drain on the system. Everywhere I go, I find Newfoundlanders working. Not sitting at home, not doing seasonal work, but holding full-time positions. I know a lot of people that do the rotational shifts of a few weeks on and a few weeks off in Alberta, but this is still full time work. Are there seasonal workers in Newfoundland? Sure! But can there be any more than in the other provinces??

I guess the point of my post is to get rid of some of the frustration that this group causes me. If it were a group that was against the seal hunt, I could live with that. I support people's right to have an opinion even if it's different than mine. But when a group moves past the petitioning for the end to the seal hunt and attacks the nature and ability of the people from my home, then I see red. I guess the only thing I really can do is to ignore these types of things and be very careful about the links that I open when they are sent my way.

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The Year That Was And The Year That Will Be

As 2009 draws to a close, I assume most people spend a few minutes reflecting on the previous year and contemplating the coming year. I guess I'm no different. So, in the spirit of the season, here are a few highlights from 2009 and some of my hopes and wishes for 2010....

2009
~Will asked me to marry him. Although, technically, I guess you could say it was 2008 as he proposed on New Year's Eve last year. But with everything that was going on that night (we were hosting the party for all our friends in Kugluktuk) I don't think it really sunk in until the next day. And because Will had called my parents and asked for their blessing and my sister and her fiance were in on the surprise, there wasn't anyone to call until the next morning. It still get butterflies in my stomach when I think back on it :)

~Will finally got to meet the remainder of my family and spend some time getting to know them. Because I lived in Ontario when Will and I met, he really only got to spend time with my sister (she lived there, too). When we decided to take the plunge and move to Kugluktuk, my dad (ever the traditionalist) flew to Ontario to met the man that I was moving away with. But because my mom was at a family wedding in Finland at that time, she couldn't come to Ontario with my dad. Basically, my mom, youngest sister, and brother only knew Will through phone, Facebook, and MSN until this summer. This summer, we went to Newfoundland and spent three weeks with my family. It was important to me and I'm glad it happened and was successful.

~Our road trip. Will left Kugluktuk in March of last year and I stayed there with my sister to finish off the school year until the end of May. It was hard for me because I missed him terribly and literally counted down the days until I would see him again. We spent those three months apart planning how we would spend our summer before returning to Nunavut. We took our car and drove from Ontario to Newfoundland and back and spent a fair amount of time in both my province and Nova Scotia - where Will was born. On this trip, Will planned a stop at the Montreal Bio-Dome, where we got to see real, live penguins, my favourite animals!!

~Wedding dress shopping. I'm sure a lot of people who know me in real life are probably sick of our wedding. I'm positive Will is. But, I can't help how excited I am for this event. One of the real highlights for me this summer was going wedding dress shopping with my mom and sister and finally choosing the dress I will wear on this day.

~Getting a job in Rankin Inlet. There were some things about Kugluktuk that didn't really work out for us the way we had planned when we moved there. It happens and you live and learn. When Will left there in March (so he could go back to a job in Ontario), we discussed where we would like to go next. We felt that we could be happier in a larger centre like Cambridge Bay, Rankin Inlet, or Iqaluit. When I was offered the position here at the middle school (and in a new role that I was interested in trying) we were very happy. So far, it's been a good move for us.

~My sister got engaged, too! In fact, she's getting married just 7 days before Will and I. For that matter, my best friend got engaged, married, and pregnant in 2009, too!

2010
~ I would like this to finally be the year that I get serious about being healthier. I would like to lose 40-50 lbs for the wedding, and 90lbs by New Year's Eve 2010.

~I will apply for and hopefully get accepted to my Master's program. I have always said that I would like my Master's in Education - even before I finished my Bachelor's Degree. Since I now have 7 years under my belt, it's time to get started.

~I would like to really spend this year working on my student debt. My world would be a happier place without that money coming out of our accounts every. single. month.

~Travel. If there is one aspect of my life that I am most embarrassed about, it's my lack of travel. I am 29 years old, have been from one end of Canada to the other, but haven't traveled outside of it. We're hoping to change that this year with a honeymoon down south, but I want to start a list of placed we want to see and set out to work on them.

I hope 2010 proves to be everything you hope and dream it to be and more. Happy New Year!!

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Merry Christmas

To all my friends and family and readers of this little blog:

I wish you all the joy and peace that this season brings. I hope you have all had a satisfying and rewarding 2009. Here's to a healthy and successful 2010. Merry Christmas!!

~Melissa

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Ready For Christmas

So, it seems that I have everything ready for the holidays. I ordered all my gifts fairly early on and all but one have gotten here. However, when I used my Canada Post tracking number today, it says that it's here in Rankin Inlet, so I think I can officially say that I'm done.

As I keep saying, this has been the hardest year ever to get ready for Christmas. I pride myself on being a really good gift-giver and I put a lot of thought and energy into finding the right gifts for people. Also, because I am cheap, I tirelessly search for the best deals on things and comparison shop for days before I make a purchase, which makes my Christmas budget stretch so much further. Since being in the North, I tend to send my family at home gift cards because I can't shop for them, but I try really hard to get Will things that I think he will enjoy. The problem that I have come across (for the second year in a row, I might add) is that Will has a REALLY bad habit of buying things for himself if he wants them. I spent hours and hours online looking for a beer-making kit for him. He has been saying for a while now that he thinks it's a hobby that he would enjoy and he keeps mentioning that he wants to 'look into getting one'. So, one morning as I was getting ready to go to work, I passed by his computer to see him looking at the exact website where I found the kit and mentioning again he wanted to look into getting himself a kit. I admit that I may not have handled it the best, but I got kind of angry at him for saying it, which I think (actually, I know) let him know that he was getting one. When it arrived, I gave it to him so he could start his first batch to have some ready for the Christmas season. As much as I know he enjoys it, I feel a little cheated that I won't get to see his reaction to opening a gift he would have been really excited about.

Another ruined gift was the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2 video game. Apparently, it's the top selling game this year and it was a pain in ass to find. He only mentioned it in passing and I made no indication of having heard him say it. Last week, again when I was getting ready for work, I was talking about the new Kings of Leon CD that I had received. I had asked Will if it was cool for me to order it (as I know what it feels like when people buy gifts for themselves that they have bought) and he said he didn't have it for me. He laughed at me for talking about buying myself a gift and then mentioned something about Call of Duty. When I asked him what he was talking about, he admitted that he had bought himself the game. Again, when I got mad, he asked if I had that for him because it was so hard to find. In my haste to show him he was wrong and that I actually DO listen to him, I went to my hiding spot and took the game out and tossed it on the couch. When he picked it up, it actually wasn't the video game, but yet another gift I had for him (collectors edition of The Boondock Saints - his favourite movie). I was so upset by the whole situation, I started to cry and couldn't stop. Three of the five gifts I had for him, he knew about and I was devastated that he would only have a couple things to open Christmas morning. I have ALMOST gotten over it because I know the holiday is not about the gifts, but there's still a twinge there even as I write about it.

Another thing about the holidays that I really, really love is the baking. However, with just the two of us this year, it feels over-indulgent to make a variety of cookies to have. God knows I don't need them and there's no one to really share them with. Add to that the cost of baking supplies from the Northern or Co-op and there's really no reason to do it. I did make one pan, though, and so far, it's kept the baking need at bay.

I am looking forward to a quiet Christmas this year. There will be enough to do around town to keep us busy if we want, but we don't have anyone's expectations to keep up with if we feel like having a day in. With the hoopla that will surround both our and my sister's weddings this summer, I'm going to relish the break.

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