Happy New Year everybody. Don’t forget to show up tomorrow at 11h am!!!

I sent an email with all the contact information. Let me know if I missed something.

Looking forward to meeting everybody.

Tonight I was playing Canasta with my parents. I laughed and said: “You know you are a Yukoner when you know what hand and foot Canasta is.”

How would you finish this sentence: “You know you are a Yukoner when: …”

Hi everybody, I am looking forward to meeting everybody in a few weeks. So far, the bloggy brunch consists of:

• Murray and Carole over at ExlporeNorth.
• Fawn and Michael from Fawnahareo and Michael’s Meanderings
• Stacie from Yukon Yahoos. 
• Dave Rogers from What He Said.
• And his significant other Cathy from YukonChatterBug.
• Me: YukonJen (and my parents of course).

Anybody else in? 11 am on 03 January. Bring your skis and we’ll go out to Mary Lake after (work off all that brunch). 

Leave a comment if you are bringing something. I’m making stuffed French toast.

I don’t match my socks. But it’s not as bad as you think. I just don’t match two socks and roll them up and put them in a drawer. I don’t like the rolling bit. I don’t know why. I just don’t. Maybe I read somewhere it’s bad kharma to roll your socks. I-personally-like to have a drawer full of single socks.  Actually, I have two drawers full of socks: one full of white sport socks, and the other full of dark or woolen socks. 

When I do get dressed, it’s not like I have visibly odd-socks. I don’t wear a white sock and a dark sock. Or a dark sock and a woolen sock. I usually wear socks that I buy  in bulk from Costco or some other warehouse place. I put all of the same colours in one drawer. When I need a pair of  socks, I pull out two from the drawer. I have a theory. If I reach into the drawer and pull out one sock, how many times to I have to reach into the drawer and pull out its mate? Once. At most, twice. It’s like a game when I get dressed. Almost a ritual. 

When I opened the package of white sports socks I bought this last time, I saw that they have different-coloured writing on the toes. Meaning, there are now pairs of socks in my bulk purchase (if you look at socks that way). A pair of socks with pink writing. A pair of socks with blue writing. And so on. 

I still put all of the same-coloured socks in one drawer. When I want a pair of white sport socks, I pull out two of the same type (previous bulk purchases have grey bottoms, now some of them have coloured writing), and I put them on. At least I have the same type of sport socks on. I don’t normally care if they are the same colour of writing on the toes or not. I guess I’m just rebellious or something. Or I’m asserting myself by not conforming to wearing a veritable pair of socks. Who really cares anyway? 

So far, I have found four people who have told me I am wearing odd socks. 

And I say: I know. 

I like them that way.

I logged on to my blog today to write a story about socks. Not even Christmas socks, but regular socks. I think I’ll save that for another day. Tonight, I’ll republish a Christmas wish from Fawn. I am so impressed.

Last week, when I knew I was going to have to start hearing Christmas music all over the place, I wanted to hear some different tunes. Alternative. Unique. Different. I am tired of all of the same songs, year after year. I even started finding the ones I really like in YouTube and publishing them here.

Fawn, though–being true to herself, actually wrote and recorded her own Christmas song and published it. I am so impressed.

Head on over to her blog and leave a comment if you like it. I do. I said I’d join the chorus and request the CD.

David Sedaris is one of my absolute favourite authors. I have all of his books. I read, and re-read them from time to time. He makes me laugh out loud. He’s alsoa contributor on one of my favourite radio programs, This American Life.

If you have a few minutes, this is one of my favourite Christmas stories from a cultural perspective.

I asked my friend from school (Grad ‘89!) to go skiing one day this week. We got together on Thursday out here at Mary Lake. Temperature: -16C. Warm for Yukoners. I was getting chilly by the end though.

We skiied half-way around the lake in one direction, then I noticed we were skiing into the shady side of the lake. We changed directions and skiied back into the sunny side. Once we were through, we did it again. That time though, we skiied all the way around the lake.

At this time a year in the Yukon, the sun rises for about 5 hours (10h am to 3h pm). It’s low in the sky and hits the tops of hillsides or the tops of the trees. So, unless you find some open space (like the lake), you may not feel the sun on your face for a few more months.

Here is an action shot of my friend (perfect form, but since I was the photographer, it’s a bit blurry).

We decided we were going to have a ski party sometime out there sometime. Hot drinks, fires, and hotdogs. I’ll have to get organizing that!

This is my favourite Christmas album. . . next to Father Christmas in Smurfland.

It looks like Sunday, 03 January 2010 will be the Urban Yukon Bloggy Brunch. Put it on your calendar. Tell your blogging buddies. Most of all, come on out and meet everybody in person. Put a face on the blog!!

Time: 11h00 am to whenever (probably around 2h00 pm)
Place: Mary Lake subdivision. I’ll send the exact address later.
Bring:

• Your family (kids, pets, significant others, …)
• Something to eat and something to drink (I guess it’s a bloggy brunch potluck).
• Skis or snowshoes (if you have them). Around 2h00 pm, we’ll head out to Mary Lake for an apres brunch ski.

I’ll get my cookbook out. I think I’ll make stuffed French Toast. I bet my Dad will be on top of the crepes. Maybe, I’ll add a bit of homemade Bailey’s to the coffee.

For those who can’t make it, let me know. We’ll have to figure out how we can stream some video.