Powering a Small Planet- Plan A: At Long Last

The Duffy Lake Road runs from just before Cache Creek through to Lilloet and down to Pemberton. It is one of my most favorite drives in BC. Aside from that little drive in Rogers Pass when you go through the Shushwaps (Only in the summer though when the light is shinning down through the trees). And apart from that little stretch between Williams Lake and Quesnel where you look over and there is a field leading to a cliff to where the Fraser River is flowing.
After all the brokeness of the begining of the year, this drive to Pemberton seems whole and complete. Amazing what happens after you hit the ground.




Last week I was in Vancouver and the day after the novel contest I hung out with Lara. We went to Paul's Omlettery for breakfast and we wandered around my old hood and down the road to hers.

Then as all things go, I took her to the airport and she got on a plane back to Saskatchewan.
I met Lara three years ago when I went to Vancouver. I learned so much from her. She left TELUS last week in a grand finale of what we all like to refer to as "Awkward Cake". Its funny, I was pretty sure I wouldn't see her for a while. I wasn't sad. I'll miss her, but there is so much going on in both our lives that its an exciting time.



We had landmark times together. She is the most logical person I know, and probably the smartest. She has taught me how to say no and she said this funny thing once after I told her I learned how to say no from her, "You've learned how to say no to something and people are happy you are telling them no." Which is kind of funny because its true.

I thought I was a strategist and then Lara came along and blew all of those holey plans out of the water. Give her a problem and she's already looked at it a thousand times to find out where the cracks are. If you want to find a hole in a plan you go to her and she'll tell you exactly what is wrong with what you are trying to do. Then she'll give you ten solutions that would be better than what you're planning on doing. And together, well! Let me tell you. We could generate a small planet with all the energy we used talking things out!

I am sooo glad she is taking time off and having a reconcideration of "Home". Happy for her and also thinking that hey, I haven't been to that province yet! And her family makes HAY! Jokes. Its grain.

I am where I am now in this very golden spot because day to day I had Lara to talk out the holes in my plan.



And maybe we did generate enough energy to fuel the little planet called "My Plan".

Thing is, that other life, the one I had before this one I have right now, was plan B. I tell you what! If you are not stoked about plan B, don't do plan B!!!! Plan B is not the plan you should be going with. Unless of course Plan A was to see a live Dodo Bird. Because lets face it, some plan A's need some thinking through. Which is where good friends come in handy. Because they help out with the checks and balances. I need checks and balances.

I would come to my friend and sometimes we nixed the plan right off the bat. Sometimes I'd come to her and she'd nod and I'd get to the end of the plan and she'd say, "Yep that might work."

Those were the ones I put on my list. Frankly I just wouldnt have made it through my little imploding universe if she hadn't have been around.

When you take a risk you always ask yourself, "Are the consequences of my actions something I could live with?"

If you can live with the consequences of your actions then take the risk!

Lara was the perfect person to go over my new life road map with because she could see past my blinders where I wasn't looking. In the procees I think we both got a pretty solid grip on what was wrong and what needed to be changed in our lives. Thank Goodness we both turned thirty around the same time. Wow. Thank you Lara!



Here I am. Saturn has sucessfully come in and wreaked his havock on my life and I am all the better for it. (SATURN RETURN: http://newage-directory.com/saturn.html and for the SATURN MYTH: http://www.saturnreturn.net/mythology.html ) A good thing to check out if you're tunring thirty anytime soon...


The best case scenario in hand, on my plan A, golden path.

I am waking up in the morning excited about my new life.

Its good. I was standing there in front of the airport with Lara and thinking wow, what we are going to have to talk about a year from now!
I have this superstition that all the energy that you wasted on the wrong things comes back to you ten times when you make the change.
If thats the case I've probably got enough coming back to power a big planet. Lets see!


"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars." Og Mandino



All my love,
Angela

Letters from the Junkyard & "Woof"

Dear Friends,

I am in 150 Mile House right now having a visit with my peeps before my winter stint in the Charlottes- Masset, a town of 1500 people. http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=3661

I have to tell you where I am right now. Its pretty creepy.

I am at my dad's shop, an old building from the 1940's thats made out of concrete and sits on top of a hill in the middle of a sea of land wrecked cars, looking out over a hayfield and Highway 97. Cariboo Towing.

As a child this place scared the shit out of me. My grandparents had a house here in the yard and as the cars drove past on the highway they illuminated the cars in the junkyard and I used to scare myself silly lying awake at night thinking about whether or not someone died in the wrecks and if there were ghosts, angry ghosts. Getting myself so scared I would lie awake arms and legs stiff with fear and completely paralized thinking of the many scenarios that could be possible.

Maybe early writerly imaginings.

I would come into this building (The Shop) and when I got to a darkened hallway between the office and the work bays, a deep dark part, I would run, scared something was going to get me. The basement I avoided at all costs and on the ocassions I did venture down, it was never alone and it was with a damn good adult and flashlight. Anyway, it freaked me out.

So here I am. Its not so scary anymore. Still, all the lights in the Shop are on.

I grew up in a tow truck and the junkyard was my playground. Somehow I don't think this dirty face has ever come clean. I think I am okay with that.

The radio is on and the Barenaked Ladies are singing Jane. There are ghost here for me, this counter that I am at, this office is where my people have come to work everyday my whole life, and way before that. This is where it all happened, family. Funny, on the wall here are pictures of the Tow trucks and the baseball teams they've sponsored, a map of the forrest region here in the Cariboo.

I came up on Friday and Dawn and Ben were already here. Christina and Wade came over and we all had dinner and chats and laughs. It was cool. Christina is a saint! What with the impending season looming her husband had the hunt fever.

On Saturday I went shopping for rain gear for my winter season in the Charlottes, back and forth between Mark's Work Wearhouse and Surplus Herbies and Canadian Tire. I got a jacket, wool socks, a rain hat, some rain pants, and the cutest pair of fake eyelashes ever!

No! I am totally excited. Theresa and I hung out for the first time in forever, this is the first time I have been home with no agenda of things to do. No holiday looming and no job to get back to and etc... so it was nice. I had time. We hung out until late late, and I got home and my parents were already in bed.

It is always weird at THIRTY YEARS OLD to sneak into your parents house.

Monday was the first day of hunting season so my parents were up at 3:30 and left to hunt Blue Grouse. Theresa and I had breakfast and looked through the Sears Catalouge. I went and picked up Tori (who is nine and in grade four now!!!!) from school and then we went for a little "us" time which involved Scout Island before we headed out to Springhouse. Tori showed me her horses. She is getting into Barrel Riding now, so thats cool. She is also writing a story about a horse and she read that to me. Kerstin and Mesa came home and Mesa's playing shy with me, I haven't seen her that much but she is adorable... and she dug dirt in the garden while Kerstin dug up potatoes.

Today my dad and I went on a tow call. We call them "Wrecker Calls".
We woudl say it in a sentence like, "Hey you going on a wrecker call?" or "Hey, I haven't been on a wrecker call in so long, can I come?"
We went down to 100 Mile and dropped off a car and then picked one up to bring back to the shop. It was a pretty interesting day. My dad took me to lunch at the Edelweiss Restaurant in Lac La Hache.
Fun times, these wrecker calls.

I am going to head out tomorrow. Off to Pemberton. Then on Sunday I am going to hang out with Uncle Curtis. Its so nice. When I get to thier house, it feels like "Ahhhh home".

Oh how horrible of me actually! I bet you are all waiting to find out!
How rude!

David Hunter and I completed the Three Day Novel contest with a book entry called: "Woof".

It was a tense weekend, and a lot of fun. You never know what you can do! With another writer, you get a microscopic look at your bad habits. Among many other things I have a bad habit of being controlling and writing in the present tense. Dave is a vegetarian who doesn't like pressure and deadlines. I was so proud of him however, he did such an amazing job and I can't think of another writer I could be more proud to do work with than Dave.

Dave and I are little mirrors. On the first day we woke up and were all happy and making little jokes and Dave would start a song and I'd finish it. I think we'd annoyed our Darling Candace before we began! What a saint she was! My darling cousin!!!!

The night before we went and got candy and spent the day writing about our charachters which turned out to be pretty vivid I think. Crashed got up the next day and began our story. It wasnt my day. I was off that morning. Well you know you do what you do. It ended well and by the next day we were well into it. Candace was just sooooooooooo great I can't even stress that enough!

Well okay so Dave and I didnt have any fist fights. Given the stress I think we managed to work together fairly well. Although I think I am an aweful person for emphatically saying over and over " faster, faster, we've got to finish this book."
He was such a good sport!

By the end we were both bleary eyed by the computer looking at each other writing the last chapter and being silly. I looked over at Dave and he looked dead drunk. We were so tired. But we finished it.


You have been amazing, thank you all for stopping by! On my blog stats I saw that in August there were 702 visitors here. You all rock!


On the road again. I am going to Calgary next week and then the Charlottes after that. I can not wait. I am so excited. Seven months.

Well my loves. I have never been happier.
Autum approaches. It makes me long for Toronto. Billy, a sweater and a walk. Nathan and coffee. Elena and anything. If only I could be there now just shrink the world and be sittingat Monzie's table with a cup of tea, and Dave and Liam.
I guess that leg of my journey will happen in the spring. Until then, in the Autum air I will long for them all.



Leaving you on this note. My love as always, Angela

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.
Anais Nin

(I love Matt Pond PA, courtsey find of Dave and Candace)