The toe bone's connected to the heel bone (what?)*

I was stopped on the way to school today. It was by an elderly but well dressed couple who wished to compliment me on my sartorial choices saying that it was nice to see a vraie femme.

Tomorrow night I plan to go to a gig for the first time in weeks. I've really not been to enough gigs this year, it is a bit pathetic. Now, had I been in Montreal....

*Doing The Body with Sec 1s and using Fats Waller's version of Dem Dry Bones. Does include some questionable science (the chin bone's connected to the nose bone?) but has almost all the essential body vocabulary.

15 minutes till 24

Canada is great. Having cable in Canada is better. Getting to watch 24 before the peeps at home makes me feel special and privileged, as well I should for braving temperatures below -20 Celsius just to teach some Quebeckers how to speak properly...

Passing my time in one of my most favourite ways - no, not dying my hair - reading style blogs, I come across many many people bemoaning the prevalence of Uggs. My favourite part about the one linked to there is that it points out the shuffly nature of Ugg-wearers. If I was to do a Monday Rage List (Artur Boruc stylee @Miss Duck (oh the internets)) it would go something like this...

I REALLY HATE PEOPLE WHO DON'T PICK THEIR FEET UP!!!!!!!!!! YOU LOOK STUPID AND YOU DESERVE TO FALL OVER ON ICE!!!!!!!! AND BE IN PAAAAAIN!!!!! YOU LOOK ESPECIALLY STUPID BECAUSE YOU'RE WEARING YOUR MORONIC UGG BOOTS!!!!!!!! YOU NEED TO BE DROP KICKED INTO ALDO/OFFICE/RUSSELL&BROMLEY!!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! PEOPLE AREN'T TRYING TO BE WITTY WHEN THEY SAY YOUR BOOTS ARE UGGLY!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE TRYING TO HELP BUT YOU'RE SO BLINDED BY SHEEPSKIN YOU WOULDN'T KNOW!!!!!!!! SHEEP SHOULD EAT YOUR FACE!!!!!!

Also I forgot to say: I'm going to the 2010 Montreal GP. But Kimi won't be there. MS will. I'm still not over Kimi not getting a championship when he was at McLaren (I WILL CRUSH RON'S FACE WITH STOMPY STOMPY BOOTS!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!)

That was far too geeky. 24!

Best laid plans etc

Yes yes yes. I did mean to keep a nice blog here of all my adventures on the North American continent. Unfortunately as soon as something becomes an obligation it loses its fun, hence the dearth of entries.

On the plus side (for me) I have kept something of a record of my doings in a notebook.

Since Christmas (in Chicago with Added Abby And Eric Awesomeness) and 2010-welcoming at Stoneham (the ski resort near Quebec City not the small village in East Sussex) followed by the incredible Cirque du Soleil and particularly fabulous outfit on my part, even if I do say so myself, I've not really done a whole lot.

I bought ice skates! Hockey ones. And I'm getting there, slowly. I've been skating six times since I bought them just over two weeks ago - only need to go three more times until the cost-per-wear is less than skate hire. Hurrah! Maybe by April I will have a new skill. Or maybe I will have so thoroughly destroyed my knees that I will never dance again. Who knows?

Today one of the teachers who works with Eibhlin took us skidooing with another teacher and a head teacher. They really are too generous round here. It was AH-MAY-ZING. They found my need for speed amusing. But I kept it upright and got some good speed up, also got a bit of air at one point... I love the snow.

Talking of snow, we have really great snow right now. On Friday it was a snow day so Eibhlin and I celebrated by playing in the back garden like children.

Rather unfortunately this is not snowman building snow. We attempted snowballs but they didn't work either. However, I believe there is some sort of ice-sculpture competition in town tomorrow. Eibhlin and I spotted some industrious types hard at work on Friday.

A frustrating aspect of Canadian (or is it just Quebec?) life is that they're really behind with the whole mobile/internet thing. Basically phones and internets are on complicated and expensive plans that wring all the money they can out of you then change the rules and bully you for more. Bastards. This means I must spend less time on YouTube watching swing videos and more time reading/knitting/drawing/skating/learning German but no. In reality I have replaced video footage with fashion blogs. And shopping websites. I'm planning my amazing teachering outfits so that I will become my students' favourite. Well, I realise some sort of teaching ability will probably be the main thing here but stunning dresses and fabulous shoes can't hurt...? I feel this dress would go down well - good job it isn't on sale just yet.

Can I come back to England for the shopping please? I know where I can get the stuff I like and I don't have to worry about how much it'll cost to ship across the Atlantic. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a great time and totally not ready to leave but my superficial streak is clawing at me. Probably because the more I buy here the more it'll cost to post home and I'm yet to discover a shop I love here. This has inspired a lot of "if..." shopping - I decided on a look I want, I find the components for it on the internet, I do not buy it. But I would. If I was in England, employed, with cash and a fabulous little Karmann Ghia to set it all off with. This article didn't help although I do wish I could be even bolder with my outfits. Like Katie.

More reading French, less reading fashion blogs/style sections.

Unless they're in French.

In these shoes?

It feels like something that may have happened some months ago but it was only yesterday that I met my Mum and sister and went to the Clothes Show Live.

Talking to Mum today we worked out that so far in 2008 I've seen my parents for less than 3 weeks. That's less than a short uni holiday. We predict that this trend is likely to continue as I grow up more.

With any luck I'll be running off to Quebec some time in August (2009) until sometime in June (2010) - best part of ten months.

Anyway, yes, the Clothes Show was on tv when I was little and I loved it. Mum always wanted to take me and my sister and has been waiting for us to be old enough.

I feel that I was pretty cunning about the shopping element of it: I got two items that I'd seen in town but couldn't justify at that price and managed to get them for considerably less. I got a pair of shoes that fitted a description I had in my head but didn't know existed for less than expected. Also they are Irregular Choice - a brand I've lusted over for some time. I got a handmade prototype one-of-a-kind top that just happened to be my size and my colour (has a bit of Westwood feel about it).

We saw the main show (from afar) introduced by Dave Berry and Alex Pettyfer, featuring the Saturdays (wearing two-tone tights). The models were accompanied by dancers including a bit to a big band version of Wonderwall - it totally worked.

There was another, smaller, show pretty much just with models but you could get a lot closer which was good as the clothes were the main event there. It featured Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Gareth Pugh, Giles Deacon and some I've forgotten.

I walked home from the station. It was a really good end to the day - a woman outside Vodka Revolution wearing black with gold hotpants and a gold headband was firespinning - I didn't see a hat for collecting money but didn't get close enough to check. When I got to the Co-op I nipped in for Camomile tea thinking that I wanted it enough to pay 79p for 20 bags and then the label said £1.19! Fortunately when the girl bleeped it it said 79p and then we discussed the 50 pence piece I gave her. It had a soldier carrying another - I already had one like it in my small connection of coins with interesting pictures on.

Pretty darned excited at the prospect of wearing my new shoes tomorrow and SWING DANCE! It has been like nine days since I last did it. I'm gasping for a dance. Err?

Also feeling somewhat more smug about Christmas now that I've spent some money on other people (even if it hasn't been dispatched yet). At least I know what I'm doing. Well, not entirely. Don't know about housemates at all. Previously we did Secret Santa but it is different this year as there are very old and very new friendships within the house - don't know half of them at all well enough. I'll make cards. Soon. Yes.

www.cbcradio.ca/radio2 - Drive with Rich Terfry. Yes. It is keeping me up because I don't want to miss any but I know I need to sleep. Poetry on the radio.

Talking of radio, listened to Peach's show today. Started off very well but did go a bit downhill when they started sorting out their social life. Hello, audience *waves*!

Ten days left to get sorted before I go home for Christmas. It doesn't feel like long but I like the pressure.