Round Up

Okay, clearly, I'm slacking in the blogosphere... You would think for someone who calls herself a 'writer' that actually sitting down and writing a blog would be easy.
Well, it is. When there's something to Blog about.
And, after two LONG months, there finally is.
Sort of.

When we last left off, the rents had just made a major surprise visit to the JPL for their 25th anniversary (aww)

Since then, things have been pretty busy. Rather than bore you with the details, i figure i'll just give you the important points.

November:
- More friends leaving HSKP, and getting a traditional "Last Sunday Funday" send off.

December:
-Crazy Weekends. Corporate Christmas Groups invade the lodge.
-Sweet VIP night at the Horseshoe (a local bar) because we're awesome like that. And one of the DJs is a supervisor in HSKP. 2 Hrs of free drinks make for an interesting night.
-JPL Christmas Party!!!

Okay, this deserves a little fleshing out I suppose (and pics!)
The JPL Staff Christmas party is the one big night of the year where everyone can get all glammed up, chill at the lodge and eat absolutely DELICIOUS real food.
I'm talking Roast Beef and Halibut - and Pecan Pie for desert. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN.
You know me - i love to take a day to chill out and pamper myself - so having the day off was a real blessing. It meant I could take my time and get ready and actually enjoy the experience, rather than feeling rushed and half-dressed.
Over all, the night was a real success. We had a blast at the Lodge, and they brought a DJ in after dinner, so the music was going until midnight.

Plus, some great photo-ops with the rest of the crew.

The DJ may have shut down at midnight - but that didn't mean the party was over.

Everyone made their way over to New Staff to one of the apartments, where Mark had set up his turntables to DJ the night away. 

8 am came too early the next morning, but at least it was an easier day at work!!

Now, back to December...

There was a not-so-great bit about this month, and that was when I strained my wrist (again) early on.

It's not like it was a new injury, so I didn't really think anything of it. I mentioned it to my supervisor and got to work with a friend so I wasn't lifting things on my sore hand, and everything seemed to be okay. I made sure to mention the minor injury to a manager, but I mean, it was old, and it always fixed itself after a few days, so I wasn't really worried.

Except, it didn't get better. Like, at all.

I spent almost two and a half weeks dealing with the pain in my wrist at work before I finally managed to get it checked out... but more on that later ;)

December did bring a few good memories.

The first? A new tattoo.

Sweet, non?

Now, for the million dollar question: What is it?

Well, what it IS is a stylized version of my sun sign/star sign/astrological sign/horoscope (please don't make me get into the technicalities and errors of calling it most of these)

In short, its the Greek symbol for Libra, stylized, with a pink star beneath it.

This one is a representation of me. Kinda a "Never forget who you are and where you came from" deal. Also, designed by moi, inspired by the net. 

Now, I have ink that represents some of the most important people in my life - my family, my grandmother and myself. Full circle.

Another good memory from December? Christmas! (Weird as it was)

Next to my new MEGA COZY Uggs, the best thing was getting to work in the Beauvert rooms. It was a cool experience, and if I had to work, at least it was somewhere kinda neat.

New Years Eve was pretty uneventful. I ended up working the Kids Christmas Party here at the lodge, which meant I pulled a like... 16 hour day at work because we started in HSKP that morning. 

We did finished the night off on a high note with some Champagne (still gross...) and a few drinks at Tent City, the hotel Bar.

January was... quiet.

I finally made it in to see a doctor about my wrist with the help of our HR department, and was told I had some very inflamed tendons in my right wrist and needed to be on Light Duties at work for at least 2 weeks. So, after a few days of shuffling me around trying to see what work was best for me, I was put to work full time in Human Resources, which I absolutely LOVED.

In the middle of my HR stint, I applied for a new position working in our Recreation department, went through the interview, and got the job.

So, now I'm back to working 8-hour days, 5 days a week by the Pool and LOVING it!! 

Its a great opportunity because I get to talk to guests and really interact with the patrons of the hotel. 

Plus, its almost like being back at BPC with the early morning hours - I'm doing morning shifts, which means I work 6 am - 2:30 pm, and then try and stay awake for the rest of the day so I can do it all again the next morning!!

One highlight from January?? New Hair!

Yea... I'm Blonde. It's like, no biggie, but I totally love it!!!

Until next time... just call me Goldilocks!

xoxo Kara

Christmas In November

All I can really say is: WOW. Amazingly enough, my parents can STILL Surprise me. (Okay... So the fact that i can still go shopping for MY X-Mass gifts with my Mom should tell me that but... shh!)
But back to the surprise part...
Maybe it's just me being oblivious, but, after planning a trip for my aunt and her hiking buddies for a month and a half, I was pretty shell-shocked to walk into their hotel room and find my parents sitting there *facepalm*
See, my parents take two different approaches to surprises.
My dad, he just shuts up and pretends he doesn't know anything (And, lets face it, most of the time, he doesn't.)
My mother on the other hand... is conniving, and pretty apt at throwing  me off any trail I may have picked up. (I think I know where I get my aptitude for lying from...) The text early Monday afternoon, inquiring as to the date of my Aunt's visit was pretty sneaky... even for her.
But I really loved the week they spent here - though I almost wish it could have been longer (I'll get to that later.)
So, they show up Monday and I'm stuck at work until just after 8 (yay for due-out days...) so after work, I go home and change before heading to my Aunt's room where there is a real surprise (and Muffins!) waiting for me. Spend a few hours there before the 'rents decide to turn in because they've had an uber long day (Yes - I know what that one feels like... it was called moving to Jasper.)
Tuesday was an absolute BLAST. It was my parents silver anniversary (seriously... how they put up with each other for 25 years, AND managed 2 kids and 4 dogs... saints. Especially when those kids are Dev and I) so they went for a nice little walk in the morning then we all piled (and I do mean piled) into my Aunt's car and drove to HINTON (and yes, I was WAYYYY to excited.)
We hit up Boston Pizza (FINALLY) for my very belated birthday lunch, and I was quite content with my Martini and brownie dessert, because, I miss, I miss my BP dates with the bestie, and it was a bit of a throw-back to that. After BP I got some much-needed shopping done at Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire (Vacuum and Space Heaters anyone?) before we headed back to the Lodge to relax a little before dinner.
Dinner was fantastic.... though the restaurant was absolutely DEAD. Great Salmon though, I need to have that again - and soon!
Wednesday was an event all to itself. After embarrassing me by taking (cheesy) pictures in the lodge on the bears and in front of the Christmas tree, we spent the day in Jasper - and I didn't know you COULD spend 3.5 hours in town without going absolutely crazy, but we managed it. Lots of window shopping in the local boutiques and such... which all start to look the same after about 5 minutes.
Wednesday night turned into a mini-Christmas, because my PARENTS couldn't imagine not having me around for Christmas, and not being there when I opened my x-mas gifts. I wasn't too sure I wanted to open  gifts A MONTH AND A HALF early, but... well, they wouldn't have lasted in the back of my closet that long, so opening a few little things did help tide me over till the actual X-Mas season. And I LOVE the Clarks rabbit-fur slippers Mom found for me in the states. SO COZY. It really was nice :)
 We grabbed dinner at the Brew Pub that night, and it was amazing, though veryyyyyyy filling. (VERY. No need for apps there!!) and ended up saying our good-byes Wednesday night because they were leaving early Thursday morning and I figured I'd need a bar night to get my head clear. So, saying good-bye to dad meant I booked it out of there before he could start crying (and start me crying by default) and wandered around the property with Mom for a while... that's always a hard good-bye.
Needless to say, trudging home through the tears, I sent quite a few people 'We NEED to hit up Champs & 'Shoe tonight' texts, giving very few the option to say no.
Okay, so Champs that night SUCKED, and the quasi-creeper at the 'Shoe (who SEEMED nice, at first) did damped the mood, but meeting Drummer Boy (as he shall be refereed to) totally made up for the night.
So Mel (who is AWESOME) introduced me to this guy she'd been chatting up who offered to buy us drinks (which he did, even though we adamantly refused.) and we spent the night talking and dancing. So, I find out there just in Jasper for the night, because the driver could only drive so long and they'd been on the road form Vancouver all day, heading to Edmonton. So we're chatting and as Mel and Jon and everyone I went to the bar with are getting ready to leave, I was like, 'shoot me a text if you get board on the bus' and throw my number in his phone.
We're half-way back to the lodge and Drummer Boy and I have been texting a while and he invites us back to the hotel they're at for 'some drinks on the tour bus' which I'm not putting together at this point. So we decline, but keep texting. Eventually, I ask about the bus and everything... turns out, he plays Drums for 'a pop singer' (which is all he actually tells me) and they have a show in Edmonton the next night. Which is kinda really cool.
I just... don't even know. I mean, I'd always had this kinda idea that, no matter how nice someone may be, if you're any kinda famous, it's gonna go to your head and you'll be a total jerk. Although, I really should know better, considering David... but besides the point.
Its pretty cool to know your still in contact with some hot-shot drummer, ain't it?

Ciaoz for now!!

xoxo Kara

Hallowe'en Hi-jinx... and more Shenanigans!

So QUIET.
The last week of October and first week of November were pretty dead at the hotel, and I really didn't do anything exciting - unless you count catch up on some sleep and let my body recover from all the crazy work/parting that goes on up here.
Hallowe'en was AMAZING. Jenna and I went out Saturday night to Tent City - the on-site bar for a staff Hallowe'en party just to get a feel for the weekend. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to glam with one of your girlfriends before the bar and have a few drinks before you head out! Deffinetly a must for future nights. A few of the new guys joined us for pre-drinks, and quickly learned that if you want a shot, you ask me what to try first, before (drunkenly) raving that I should totally be a bartender (love you too... now go sober up)
So, even if TC was pretty lame when we went at 11, and still not that great when we left at 12, it was totally worth it to see Jenna smash herself in the face with the cane for her costume, and was a perfect time to try out my Spider-Girl look (which went over great!)
Monday night was even more fun (and made even better by NOT having to work on Tuesday - yay for recovery days!) We once again got all glammed here before heading over to a party in New Staff (where it's more apartment-style rooms that college dorms) and then heading into the bar with a bunch of co-workers. The one thing I will say is never assume that leaning against a wall will keep you upright after a few drinks when the floor is slipery - more like than not, you`ll wind up flat on your butt with your shoes somewhere else. Not the most glamorous experience, but its definitely good for a laugh!
Hallowe'en at the B was awesome, because we got to hang out with a bunch of our supervisors and managers in a pretty chill setting, and we really got to see Logan let his hair down, making the night extra-memorable.
Tuesday and Wednesday were spent quietly, just hanging out and catching up on the sleep lost over the weekend. Thursday was a remarkably short day at work, and very uneventful afterwards.
Friday actually tried to kill me. We (Mel, Iris and I) went on a beautiful hike of Maligne Canyon which ate up the entire day. We got up bright and early, and grabbed a quick lunch at the bean before we left (Burger day... YUM!) and then hit the trail at 11:30 am. we took our time getting to the Canyon, and got some absolutely breathtaking pictures of the lakes on the way up. The views were very reminiscent of my time in New Zealand, even if the hike was 10xs more difficult than the hike around Mt. Doom. The trails wound around the side of a mountain, and were fairly slick at times, and always climbing up higher and higher. it was a great workout, and was totally worth it! Except for the whole trying-to-fall-down the mountain thing I did on the way back, but... What's a hike without a few scrapes and bruises? And a pulled shoulder and strained ankle...
At least no one can say I'm not still a Klutz in Jasper!
And finally... last night, we went into Town again, because it's Jenna's last weekend in town, and Matt's birthday, so we pulled out all the stops... and the night is basically one big blur.
So, no news there unfortunately. I spent most of the day in bed, nursing a nasty little hangover, and cursing the texts that kept coming into my phone though.
Tomorrow... well, tomorrow is another day, and a day with big plans!
So, you'll just have to wait and see!! ;)
xoxo

Sit back, Relax and just have fun!

Jasper leaves little time for much but work and sleep, so even when I start to write something, I may not have a chance to finish it - or post it! Which is why I found this little draft saved from October 15th (Wow...) So we'll get this up, before another update :)

October 15th::
Whew!! Well, the craziness has subsided for a little while (yay!!) Which means I'll actually get some time off (Three whole days this week - what an awesome b-day gift!)
So, maybe I'll finally have time to see the sights before it get really cold and i have to break out the super-cute pink winter jacket!!
Wednesday, I FINALLY made it into Hinton. NBD - I mean, its just another small town about 45 minutes away but they have REAL stores and franchises. I mean... Boston Pizza, McDonalds, Walmart.... Seriously, real recognizable places! It is kind of awesome, and, even though I didn't find shoes (Darn...) I did manage to get some shopping in, to stay the addiction for a little while : )
Thursday was spent nice and quiet, letting my poor liver recover from last night. As the start of my 'weekend' and the first day of my 'birthday week' a bunch of us went out to Champs - a local bar - for wings and drinks before heading on to Horseshoe. It was a lot of fun with a lot of cool people, and more kinds of shots than I'm really sure what to do with... but we had a great time.
Although, you definetly remember to watch yourself when one of your managers is at the same bar... lol
Which takes me to my next story, and the department thanksgiving party last week.
SO MUCH FUN. The managers ran the event so we could all just relax and have a good time (yay!) And provided all the food and free drinks... which is a good idea, sometimes!
The night was fun - we spent a good four hours just relaxing and mingling and then dancing when one of the guys hooked his iPod up to the Bose system in the room, but it was the after party that really was memorable.
At 12:30 or so, after insisting I help my manager with the clean-up and tear down, we brought all the left-over beer (Probably 36 cans) to one of the Supervisors houses, where everyone ended up staying untill 4:30 when the poker game was done... And then showed up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for work the next morning.
I spent my birthday pampering myself with an awesome pedicure. Seriously, I'd almost forgotten how nice it is to just sit back, relax and let someone ELSE do the work for a little while, while I de-stress!! Spent the night in with a good book, and just had a quiet evening all to myself.
We're going out again tomorrow... so it should be lots of fun.
Until next time!
xoxo

Two Week Check

Wow... has it really been two weeks since I last posted? Yikes!! That's what happens when working tires you out so much.
I've been in my job for almost two whole weeks (two weeks Wednesday!) And even if it's not my favourite thing in the world (I don't even like cleaning my OWN room...) It's not all bad. I'm getting quicker at flipping rooms (complete clean) and have managed to get most of my time under an hour - so close to the ideal 45 minute mark. The days that doesn't happen... tend to be the days I'm not feeling 100% (stupid cold!!)
So... where to start?
Well, last Wednesday (Sept 14th) we just learned the basics of doing bathrooms to the Fairmont Standard, before doing beds on Thursday and tying the whole rooms together on Friday (and that was hard being rather sleep-deprived.) You know how everyone scoffs when they hear 'housekeeping'? How it's such an EASY job to do?
Throw something at them.
Or, make them do it.
Because Housekeeping is probably one of the most demanding jobs around.
It's stressful, requires lots of physical exertion, and you really don't get a chance to rest until your shift is over.
10-12 hours of labour.
So not fun.
But, it pays the bills.
So far, Sunday (Sept. 18th) has to have been our HARDEST day. I mean, 12-hour shift, I just want to pass out and sleep for a week, hand me that vodka (yes i'll take it straight!) hard.
We were absolutely EXHAUSTED.
I'm pretty sure the only thing that got a lot of the staff through the day was the promise of a night out at the local club afterwards. (and by that time, everyone needed it.)
Thankfully, I had the day off with a few of the girls i started with, so we didn't have to worry (as much!) about the after-effects of a night on the town - a good thing to.
Everyone says to watch out for the altitude, because it will mess with your system - and they know.
You might be able to handle half the liquor up here you could back home - sometimes, not even that much.
But, as the JPL says, we're here to turn moments into memories - even splotchy, fuzzy ones that are missing half the pieces.
Tuesday and Wednesday were good, the weather started to get a little warmer, and we met up with some friends at the local bar after work for a few 'farewell' drinks (okay, drink.) because one of the guys was leaving the JPL.
Thursday was a surprisingly easy day, just a few rooms and nothing too major. A good day to get accustomed to the job.
Oh, and they gave me my own list on Tuesday... that was interesting. These lists... are SO confusing. I mean, they have the basics - room number, if they're staying over or leaving, the guest's names (mostly) and everything, but still - they can get realllllyyyy confusing if you don't know what you're looking for. So, sometimes they can be... interesting to decipher if you aren't sure of all the codes and lingo.
Friday SUCKED. I was sick (something with my stomach, we thought it was a flu or a cold) so they sent me home early (I mean, would YOU want me looking after your room when I'd as soon be sick in the toilet as clean it? Didn't think so.
Saturday was our last 'busy' day, and we got off at about 6pm (yay for a 10 hr shift)
Sunday... just not fun.
The temperature hit an unseasonable spike on Thursday and it was a good 20+ around here for the following three days.
So, when I woke up freezing or sweating in the middle of the night Sunday, I figured it was the outside air competing with the radiators in the room.
And I assumed that my throat was all dry and sore because I was dehydrated from sweating all night.
Strep throat didn't cross my mind until almost 11 am when I could hardly move to make a bed, was getting head-rushes every time I went to tuck in a sheet and wanted to puke the empty contents of my stomach up every time I swallowed. Needless to say - my super sent me home (again.) It took my manager all of two seconds of seeing me to agree that I shouldn't be at work.
So, I spent the afternoon in emerge. Because I do not need another horrible case of strep that lays me out for a week or more.
No thank you.
Unfortunately, by the time the nurses called me up (after the asthmatic, strep prone, high-fever prone, pneumonia prone, can't even look at food I'm so sick sob story) The advil I'd taken had kicked in, and they decided it was just 'viral' and to come back in if it got any worse.
Thanks... antibiotics may have been a better idea.
So, I've spent the last... however many hours, curled up in bed with a book or my laptop, whittling away the time and hoping I feel well enough to work tomorrow and that this viral infection leaves my head (which is currently pounding) and my neck (which hurts whenever I try to move) alone.
Until next time....

Ciaoz!!

Welcome to Jasper

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

Sunday was my first full day in Jasper, and it was nothing short of amazing.
Other than waking up at 5:30 and not getting my phone until 11 but hey, who cares??
In addition to fretting and running down to the front desk every 30 minutes to see if my cell had been dropped off, I had a very productive morning.
I signed my lease at 8 am when the office opened, and got a tour of the important places on site, like the staff cafeteria, the staff services centre (Where we get our Uniforms) and the buildings in the staff area. I also went and got the internet hooked up in my room and my wireless router all set up, which makes typing this blog a thousand times easier.
Sure, JPL has computers for the staff to use, but they're mega slow and probably riddled with viruses.

The first thing I did when I got my cell back was text Andrew to apologize for flipping out over losing my phone, then call my mother.
And yes, she just laughed.
Typical.

I went into 'town' with Andrew and his roomie Carlos to get a feel for the place Sunday afternoon, and we managed to cover the main part of town in all of 20 minutes. Which meant we still had an hour and forty minutes to kill.
And there was NO decent shopping.
Like, at all.
It sucked.

Anyhow, after being in town for the afternoon, I came back and tidied up my room (shock, i know...) then went down to the Grizzly Cafe (fondly known as 'The Griz') for drinks with Kayla and Cassandra, two of the girls from my floor. We ran into Andrew and Carlos and a bunch of old staff and ended up having a couple of drinks with them at the Griz and at Cory's place before we decided to go into town to hit the 'big' club, Atha-B.
Apparently, it's tradition for the newest staff to go and get totally drunk the night before their orientation.
Now, we get it.
The club was fun, and it was a great way to just get out and unwind after a long weekend of travelling and stress over moving away from home.
Even if you do get in at 3 am
and need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for your Orientation at 9 am the next morning.
We all managed just fine.

Monday was a little long, spent in a board room going over all the do's and don't's of the JPL, getting everyone familiar with the standards and the site, and finishing off all the paperwork.
It was a lot of information to cram into 8 hours, but the fact that Daisy, the staff dog (she's a cute caramel and white bichon/poodle mix) was in and out of the room, up on everyone's lap and begging for pets for the duration  helped the time race by.
We were treated to lunch in the Emerald Lounge, one of the guest dinning rooms, and it was delicious!
The staff were given a menu of three options: a pulled-pork sandwich, a spicy chicken pita or an Alberta steak burger with mushrooms.
I had the Pita, as did Kayla, Cassandra and April, one of the other new staff members, and it was amazing, if not a little confusing to eat.
(The guys assure the sandwich and burger were good too)
We wrapped Monday night up at the Griz again, with a few coolers for the girls and Kayla, April and I getting ready for our day off while the rest of the new recruits were prepping for their first day of work.

Tuesday came and went without much to say. It's a little weird having your second official day on the job as a day off, but it still managed to be productive.
In addition to starting this blog (yay!) Kayla and I hit up the Gym and checked out the Bean (the staff cafeteria) for a good lunch of roast pork and mashed potatoes and LOTS of Salad. I also managed to get my room moved around (pics to follow) so it feels a little bigger and looks a whole lot cleaner (...mostly).

Wednesday was day one on the job. Kayla, April and I are the only new Housekeeping staff this week, so we had training bright and early at nine am. After an hour in the HSKP office, we got to see the rooms and learn how to clean the bathrooms to the Fairmont Standard. Which we did, for the rest of the day.
It really wasn't boring, surprisingly (I have to say I was a little worried...) The repetition is a great way to learn, and things just breezed by. Between the three of us, we got a good 20-30 bathrooms cleaned, and by 3:30 were out of work, so we got to head out early.
The best part of today though, I must say, was lunch. We went to the Bean again, and got some AMAZING Fish and Chips <3 which was made even better because the department arranged for all the housekeeping staff to get free lunch today.

And that, is my week thus far.
Tomorrow we're going to be learning how to make the beds, and Friday is putting the rooms together, so it's going to be a busy couple of nights. Plus, we're all pretty stoked to hit 'The B' again this Sunday - made even sweeter because we get Monday off!!

Ciaoz for now;

xoxo Kara

The super easy 'follow me!' tutorial!!

Well, I decided that I was just going to be doing this blog, rather than sending out an email daily. So here is a quick little guide on HOW to follow the blog.

What does following get you??

It gets you an email or notification when I update =)

So, see the little button here? 

Well, all you have to do is click on it!

Yeah. it's THAT simple!

After clicking the button, you'll get a window like this one:

Yeah yeah yeah, I know what you're thinking.

But I don't HAVE one of those

No biggie!! that's why you click here

And make a Google account. This is just a way to keep up with all the sites Google seems to preside over, and you still keep your old address!

and, VIOLA

you can follow my (awesome and inspired) blogs =)

Xoxo

Kara