The Truth

The Gig is up! We have figured it out! We are being Punked by the cosmos! Halifax is a cruel (and expensive) joke the universe is playing on us. Sure there's fresh produce, anarchy, and pink Victorian homes, but there is also no employment for Jeff, we can't seem to give the van away, and I have no comment about school. We can take a joke but now we really need a break soon.
Now I have to get back to the medulla oblongata (and all those other annoyingly difficult to remember parts of the brain).

Miss you all. xo

Lunenburg & Mahone Bay

Before putting the van up for sale and before starting school, Jeff and I went on our last road trip in the Oldsmobile mini van that was so reliable in delivering us to Halifax. Despite our soon-to-be status as full time pedestrians, Mahone Bay and Lunenburg have not seen the last of us!

These two south shore towns are not only among my favorite places in Nova Scotia but also, in all of Canada (next only to Regina and Charlottetown)! No family member or friend will visit us without receiving a tour of these special stops. In mid September Kathy and Steve came to visit, and of course, we made the necessary pilgrimage.

The area boasts stunning architecture, colorfully characteristic of Nova Scotia. Both Lunnenburg and Mahone Bay are Unesco World heritage sights. They were settled in the 1700s. Mahone Bay is famous for antiques and, as you will see in the pictures, we managed to take in a treasure-trove flea market when we took Kathy and Steve to visit. Lunnenburg is home of the Blue Nose II, among other worthy sights.

Not to attempt to displace our novice photography skills, but the pictures fail to do justice to the area simply because it is a 360 degree kind of experience which commands the attention of all your senses. In any case, Jeff rightly prefers we don’t rob you all of the surprises to be had upon your own visits.



























And just incase my glossy description has been too ‘over the top,’ I will close with a story which will, if you were anything like me, jerk you from your romantic images of the day into the flatulent reality of life. Just outside Mahone Bay on the way home from our 1st visit, Jeff’s face began to contort into the all-too-familiar I AM GOING TO SHIT MYSELF look. As always, I did my best to stifle my laugh (which I know only irks the very serious situation). To make a long story short, the magical day ended with Jeff taking a “line dump” on the side of the highway. I managed to snap a picture of him as he resurrected from the bush post-poop.

Long Time, No Blog

Hello friends and family. Please accept our apologies for having neglected the blog. Jeff is really rippin’ on his thesis and I am intolerably swamped with school. Turns out my program is obscenely sciency. This is proving to be a mind-blowing challenge for me (and for Jeff, who was tandem learning Physics with me). I dissected a human brain and spinal cord on Thursday, after which we visited the cadaver lab. No sarcasm here. I need not tell you all, who know me so well, that this was quite a feat for me considering I tend to gag when eggs are being fried or diapers are being changed. Sadly, we were not allowed to take pics of the brains because of stupid Face Book.

I will spare you my usual long-winded descriptions (save my south shore blurb) as we have a stack of pictures to post.

Last night we hosted a potluck Thanksgiving dinner for 12 people (fellow out-of-province students and their partners, roommates, siblings, ect). The spread included: turkey, yams, 2 homemade pies, tarts, 2 types of salad (including jello salad), York Shire pudding, shepherd’s pie, lasagna, stuffing, wine, beer, and more! It was a feast!

We miss you all so much. We are thankful for you! Lots of love from the Atlantic. xoxox










Post Saturday Maket visit, with a basket full of fresh local veggies


For my Language Acquisition class I had to take a language sample from a child; the equipment was hilariously dated!


Jeff releshing in his birthday gifts!




Note her pink tongue inside the jar!


In terms of weather, it still feels like mid-July here. Most days have been in the 20s and sunny. It has been unseasonably dry here (but when it rains, it really pours, so we were finally forced to buy suitable rain gear).


After a good rain, you will find slugs everywhere. This is a medium-sized one. Some are like hotdogs!


Lydia scored this werid voodoo looking doll out of someone's garbage on a walk - she too has the Haligonian spirit!

Our Peeps

Our blog posts have been quite sporadic, as any avid reader can testify. This is due to Meg turning into a scientist, which will be quite a transformation. She is getting some buttons implanted in her back which, apparenlty according to her program, is the first step in becoming a scientist. I think it's weird and robot-like, but what do I know?

As for me, I have given myself the deadline of October 15, 2007 to finish the first draft of my thesis. Yeh, I know, nuts. I am going to drink 250 beer and go smash things downtown if this actually happens ( I may smash and drink anyway, time will tell).

We have some more blogs almost ready to go. Stay tuned....

Yowza Minelli

Not too far from our place is a corner store. We have walked passed it on a number of occasions but never stopped. The other night we were at a birthday party for a guy we didn't know (he ate a ton of cake) and, amidst the festivities, a girl from Newfoundland walks in. It's not unusual for a girl from Newfoundland to walk into a house during a party, especially when invited by another "Newfie." The Newfies were excited. Jibber jabber ensued. The Old Newfie ('old' not in age but in time spent in Halifax relative to 'new'), at one point in their conversation, asks New Newfie if she has been to the Newfoundland Cornerstore. New Newfie replies, "no." Old Newfie, whose brown Newfie eyes nearly explode with excitement, responds, "You got to man, they even got Pineapple Crush." The conversation continued but it was hard to cipher their "heembop dungdang boi" east coasterly speak. So, at the outset, when I mentioned the cornerstore, I was making reference to the Newfoundland Cornerstore and hot dam, they have Pineapple Crush. Who knew such a thing existed? Personally, I think it is Newfie fuel by which they get their wicked sense of humour and violent Canadian dialect. I am going to drink many and maybe, just maybe, by the time any y'all see me, I will know jokes-a-plenty about old man Tuckett, his dog and his juice harp.

Follow Up and Other Follies

Sorry we have not posted a new blog entry in awhile but my life has suddenly become overwhelmingly busy now that school has started. My spare time will become less frequent as the semester progresses. Such is the life of a scientist!

To follow up with some of our previous postings:

1. Jeff’s Scorpion mini vac video has unexpectedly received much attention - 74 people have viewed the video on You Tube. One comment has been made: “I'm going to buy a dirt devil scorpion TODAY! (..but only if the guy in the green t-shirt comes with it too).”

2. The recycled lumber gate has been successfully completed. Without access to the dads’ toolboxes, the construction of Lydia’s gate proved to be a labour intensive project for Jeff; the $2 handsaw purchased from the Army & Navy lasted 10 minutes before the blade snapped in 3. Luckily, Jeff’s Swiss Army knife’s minute-sized saw saved the day.

How To Entertain Yourself with Other People's Garbage When You Are New in Town and Have No Friends Yet

click on photo to enlarge