Hey team! How's everybody doing this fine year? I myself am having a fabulous one thus far, and have never been quite so happy to be employed full time! There's been a rather odd reversal of challenges in Whistler this year…ordinarily, housing is near impossible to find, but once you find it, people are lining up to employ you. This year, owing to strange snowfall and a slow start to the season, plus the omnipresent financial crisis it's actually been pretty damn tricky to find a job! When the nannying company hired me they assured me work would be thick on the ground: I would work every day of the week, 3 jobs a day if I chose it, I could make it a full time job, I'd be beating away jobs with a stick!! Hmm…

Once I got up here it became blatantly obvious that was not going to be the case, and after spending the first couple weeks hovering by my computer to pinch the one or two jobs that popped up for each day of the week (to be shared between a WHOLE bunch of nannies!) I decided this simply wouldn't do. I went through a whole bunch of ups and downs…moments of hope when I thought the nannying would pick up (and I did do a couple of jobs working for really lovely families with great kids, just not enough to make ends meet from week to week!) and then despair when I was pretty sure this whole idea was going to blow up in my face and I'd just have to pack up and head home. The thing is, more than earning money, I needed something to do. Skiing is great - but I like variety. And when everyone else is working 5 days a week, it feels oddly emptying not to have something to get up and do in the morning.

So I got back on the internet, scoured the Pique, entered by details on the Whistler Blackcomb website and went off to the library to print off yet another round of resumes and cover letters. And…I got lucky! I managed to get an interview with WB for a position working as a "woman of all trades" up in the Roundhouse - the cafeteria style restaurant at the top of Whistler mountain. I went to the interview bubbling with as much bright eyed enthusiasm as I could muster (YES! I can't imagine anything I'd love more in this WORLD than to clear people's dirty dishes!!! :D) and low and behold I found myself employed! So, I'm now working for the mountain - which means minimum wage BUT seriously good employee benefits. Free meals, ski lessons, discounts on food and WB merchandise etc etc and now I have work colleagues to converse with who are not 2 years old and thus can actually converse! Hurrah!

The past week has been really great cause Matty (my lil' bro - for anyone out there who's been living under a rock) has been visiting so we've been hitting the slopes every day. He stayed at Alpenglow lodge, which is right in the village, hence a much shorter commute to the slopes every day. And although it was rather close quarters in that tiny apartment we had an absolute ball and got in some really good skiing, much to the tremendous pain of my quad muscles! We went to the hot tub the first night and marvelled at sitting outside while the snow was falling…most nights we crashed pretty early, being absolutely knackered from skiing all day. We discovered what I dare say is the best hot chocolate I've ever had, up the mountain in a little log cabin restaurant. And Matty was really great at turning round and checking periodically, waiting for me patiently as I pottered down the mountain.

We have a somewhat different approach to skiing you see - I'm a very low risk person, so for me it's all about control. He points his skis down the hill and goes! That said, he's very good and even got me to go through the terrains park with him a couple of times. I watched through my fingers clasped in horror over my eyes as he went over all sorts of boxes and rails (I can put this up now because it's all over and he didn't break anything hence, Mum, you can keep breathing). And I attempted a few jumps, the first of which I stacked brilliantly, the rest I landed! I was the teeny tiniest most pathetic little jump, but I've never been so proud. Baby steps I say. I'm not going anywhere near a box til I buy myself a helmet thankyou very much! (A helmet that I will now get for 35% off! Being an employee of the mountain and all! Sorry, just can't help myself… :P)

JL came up and skied with us for a few days too, which was SO much fun and a welcome rest for my thighs. Because while Matty went off to do dare devilly things down black slopes, I could go at a far more reasonable pace with JL down the blue runs. Though we did do one black run together, at the bottom of which I got the call from work to say I'd been hired and did a little happy dance in the snow hehe Every evening we'd meet at the Irish pub at 4pm for a glass of wine or beer, or sometimes, on the tougher days, a gin & tonic for me! I had to make an overnight trip down to Van on Friday to get my Social Insurance Number sorted out, and on the way back my bus broke down. Which just seems to be yet another one of the shenanigans that go on in life and on this trip for me in particular! But I guess the more obstacles I come up against, the more satisfying it is when it all works out.

I should count myself lucky really…Maggie has talked about going home if work doesn't pick up because she simply can't afford the living expenses without full time work. Jane broke her arm last week, and the Danish boys had their season passes confiscated yesterday for being in a closed area of the mountain. It's been a pretty dangerous season really, because the late snow fall followed by an unusual cold snap has meant the overall snow build up has been a big dump of powder on top of ice, so none of it is packed down hence…high risk of avalanches. A lot of the mountain is still closed up top and a couple of people have been killed this season in avalanches already, so it's a bit of a tricky year all round. But despite the tricky times, life here is good, and you need only spend one day up on the top of the mountain when the sun is out and the sky is blue to be reminded of why it's all so very worth it!

Last night was Matty's last night in town so I took him to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. He'd decided what he was going to have before we even got there (uh, spaghetti bolognaise! No surprises there!) and boy oh boy - I wish I'd had a video camera to record how fast he ate because I'm pretty sure there woulda been some kinda Guinness World Record for speed of consumption in it. Suffice it to say I think he enjoyed it!

So, that's the story team. That's what's been going on so far in my life this year. I've been orientated at work, fed free lunch and sent home, so I have the afternoon blissfully free for such glorious tasks as catching up on emails and doing laundry (oh please, I live in Whistler, as if you're not jealous!) then I start work officially on the Sunday. One of the Aussies from SFU, Leah, is coming up to Whis on the Friday to celebrate her birthday so I've got the Friday and Saturday off to hang with her, and work has given me the A-OK to take time off when Dad's here visiting in February, which I was absolutely stoked about given that that my main concern about taking on full time work was that I'd miss out on spending time with him.

That's about all for now folks! I hope everyone is safe and well and that the new year is off to a fabulous start for all :)

LIVxo