It's been a crazy pressure cooker of stuff around here lately, not all of it so great, but all of it making sure my life is never dull...

Okay, the big things first...

Last weekend I went to the Canadian Swing Championships in Saint-Sauveur (small ski resort town about 1 1/2 hours north of Montreal). Okay, ski resort sounds pretty swank, but really it's just a collection of factory outlet stores and a McDonalds surrounded by small mountains - I'm sure it's lovely in winter, but at this time of year it's just blah. To nutshell it, I had some nice dances, took 2 workshops out of a possible 10 (thanks to a nasty hangover on the third day after a real blowout in the party room the night before), played in a professional poker tournament (more about that below), and met some great people. Not to say it wasn't a bit of fun, but I'm pretty much determined to only go to the swing events where I'm going to be a dance nerd and get my money's worth from the workshops. All told, I kinda wish I'd saved my money. :/

Cat from Adelaide was here in Montreal for a couple of weeks - she went to the swing champs as well, and (after much drama and fuckwittery) had a week of intensive dance lessons with members of the Swinging Air Force. Unfortunately she got sick in the last week and didn't get to do much around town... I'm sorry you didn't have a better time while you were here, Miss Cat! :( Hope you're soaking up being back at home. :)

Work is going okay - I'm back to three days a week (thank god, after busting my ass for months) with optional overtime if I need it. My boss Andrea has been super supportive and understanding over the past few weeks, and has helped me in so many ways. I really fell on my feet with the people I work for (and with). :)

Ian is off to Le Domain-Forgêt on the weekend - it's a 2 week chamber music and masterclass academy in rural Quebecc. It'll be a great opportunity for him, but I'm going to miss him horribly. :(

The biggest news for me personally has been... I had all my hair cut off! *gasp!* I'll post photos soon, but to give you an idea it's above my shoulders now, and I have a fringe! It's a really big change, but I love it and have had heaps of compliments :) Yay!

# posted by Buggs @ 9:27 am ::