June 12th, 2003 - Thursday

Seven Wonders

The seven wonders of my world - in no particular order.

Halifax. The second I arrived in Halifax a few years ago, I fell head over heels in love. The ocean, the people, everything. I fell even harder when I went back almost a year ago. Someday I hope I can live there. Walking around Montreal, people look at you strangely if you happen to greet them. Strangers just don't chat. It sounds so cliche, but in the Maritimes, everyone is so damn friendly and people will say hello to you as though they've known you for years. Montreal has the Old Port which is lovely but it's got nothing on the ocean. And hell, lobster tastes a million times better out there. Mmm, lobster.

Mason Falls. Up north in Rawdon, a few blocks from where my grandmother lives are a set of falls that I love. There are bigger ones that are a popular tourist attraction and they're definitely spectacular, but I prefer Mason Falls because of the very fact that not everyone knows where they are. It's not the falls themselves so much as the combination of the falls, the river, the trees, the rocks, the peace and the quiet.

Chichen Itza, Mexico. Seeing pictures of the ruins is impressive enough. Actually standing at the foot of El Castillo and staring up in awe, walking between the columns of the Temple of the Warriors, marveling at the Observatory, imagining the games held at the , shuddering at the thought of the virgin sacrifices held at the cenote... Well actually being there was one of the most incredible days of my life. The closest I've ever come to having a religious experience, the time in my life where I truly believed there is a higher power was when I stood inside the buildings of the nunnery. What an experience. Some day I should scan some of my pictures. And some day I should really go back.

Swimming with dolphins, Xcaret, Mexico. I have loved dolphins all my life, enough that I had one permanently tattooed onto my left ankle. While I was in Mexico I went to Xcaret which really amounted to being an overpriced natural amusement park. It was worth every penny right down to the $8.50 cheeseburger when I stepped down into the water to spend 20 minutes swimming and playing with the dolphins. They're like rubber water puppies. It was like heaven.

MASC Broadcast, the studio (R.I.P.). It's enough to say that working at the studio was the best job I've ever had in my entire life. Every morning I actually looked forward to work. I went to work when I was sick. I didn't take a sick day for almost two years. I learned about the music industry (mostly that it sucks ass). I heard a lot of amazing music (and the inevitable duds). It was a great team. But then you can add to that the fact that I met George there. When I first got hired, after I left from my interview, Dino apparently told everyone - since I was the only female employee - that no one could bother me or "go after me". The message was directed at two specific people, but not George because George wasn't that type of guy. Over four years later, look at us now. I guess he WAS that type of guy, and thank God for that. AND, on top of all that, two of our closest friends, Dino the (then) boss and his wife Nancy, came out of my working there too. The studio was a magical place, I tell you.

Giving birth. I was so incredibly lucky with my birth experience. I've already gone into it here in much more detail, but really it was wonderful. Those two hours in between when my water broke and when I got my epidural were hard and it was incredibly painful but it's such a blur once it's over. Pushing was great and my doctor was awesome, and finally meeting my baby was so incredible that I have often wished I could go back and do that last half hour all over again just to experience it one more time. If I'm fortunate enough to have another one (which I would really like in perhaps another two years or so), I can only hope that it goes the same way this one did.

My family. Having George and Hayley in my life amounts to the most wonderful thing in my entire life. They say that having a child changes your relationship and sometimes puts a heavy strain on it. In our case, sleep deprivation put a strain on it because when you're both exhausted, it's easy to show a lack of patience with each other. However, Hayley herself has just made everything stronger. And I would do anything for her.