Quirks and Quarks

We arose at about 11 this morning, the final throes of jetlag behind us (we hope). Sunlight was streaming through our Finsbury window -- replaced an hour later by partly cloudy and a feeling it could drizzle any time. Ah, London.

Reflecting upon our whirlwind Christmas season this year, it was a great adventure that I'm very glad we experienced. Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder, and I met Brianne at the Ottawa airport more in love with her then ever. We both appreciated the chance to work on our vocation solo, and we know that we can manage these solitary sojourns well, so we can welcome them in the future.

I am grateful that I had to chance to spend time with Mom, Dad, and Kat. Family time is always quality time, especially at the holidays. And I was thrilled to criss-cross the Ottawa valley to catch up with all of my "capitol" relations. I thank Stephen and Wendy for their wondrous hospitality, and I thank Brittany for providing the new drool machine in all our lives, Buster!

I've lost count of the number of times that we pulled out our laptop to regale our loved ones with photos and stories of London, Ireland, The Tower, Warwick, and Hampton Court. All I can say is -- you ain't seen nothing yet! We have plenty more adventures to come, and I PROMISE Jean and Charlene that we will have more regular updates in the coming year. God forbid that with your spare time at work you'd actually have to, y'know, work. :)

Our Ottawa visits included the classic Tucker Christmas Day dinner; pea soup and Wii with David, Linda and Amanda (more on that hilarity later); Sarah's welcome home party; lasagna with Jean; tea with Charlene and Glenn (strength and blessings); and a truly frigid New Year's Eve braved by the seekers of the elusive Beaver Tail! Tanya and Dan were lovely hosts, and their wonderful friends split our sides with hilarious tales of Cornwall.

Our brief stop in Toronto brought us a great reunion with John and Maryse of Vintage Video, accompanied by a sensational dinner at the Oyster Boy restaurant. We also got to see Kat's new apartment, which is not only directly across the street from Brianne's first downtown apartment and down the block from where we first co-habited, but was formerly occupied by my Best (Wo)Man Melissa! The world is shrinking. Pizza and beer with our pal Eric capped the whirlwind visit.

Niagara Falls offered us the news that both Susan and Ruth Willick, as well as Janina Knight, are engaged! Ruth will be wed in July of this year, and Janina in August. Talk about incentive for a summer visit . . . we shall see.

The flight back on Air Canada was rather unpleasant. Not disastrous by any means, but chock full of minor delays and unhelpful staff who were clearly reaching the end of their tether. Brisk of tone and rather dismissive, and they knocked B's seat with the cart every single time they went past! Plus we were at the very back of the plane; not a huge thing, but it makes a difference when we really want to get up and leave quickly. Oh well, 'tis the life of the jet set, I suppose.

We've spent the last few days resetting our inner clocks and preparing to head back to work. Brianne is starting up an amazing job with HENS Theatre Company, and I will be returning to my office job and my catering gigs, with a keen eye to snagging as many auditions as possible. We hope for great things this year. We will conquer 2009, we will fight it on the beaches, we will fight it in the air, and they shall say of us "Never have so few owed so much to so many," . . . or something like that.