Back from a rare trip to the Twin Cities in August

I do miss regularly updating my blog. I'm still not into writing daily like I used to. Yet, I have a lot to share and write about.

In early August, I returned to the Twin Cities for a concert. It was awesome. I had a great time.

It made sense that the band that I had discovered for the first time was in the Twin Cities. Guster was the opening act for John Mayer. This band blew me away and I have been a fan ever since. I returned to see this band, as they rarely cross the border.

It was also nice to return to the Twin Cities in the summertime. I am normally there for a hockey game, when it's colder. I enjoyed wearing shorts and a t-shirt every day.

Let's see if I can write more regularly. I'll start with perhaps once a week and see how all that goes.

Asobu skinny mini insulated bottle that glitters

I found an eco-collective store earlier this year. It's awesome. I love having laundry detergent strips that are especially perfect for travel.

The other day, I was talking to a friend about insulated bottles for beverages. She recommended an Asobu skinny mini bottle. It fits in a purse, which I love. 

I remember seeing it at the eco-collective store. I decided to head back to this store today.

I found this bottle that keeps hot drinks hot for twelve hours and cold drinks cold for 24 hours. Cool!

Originally, I had my eyes set on a pink glittery bottle. The owner was so nice that he showed me a purple-blue glittery bottle. I loved it so much that I didn't even need to think about getting it.

I love this new insulated bottle.

I'm back... again!

It has been well over a month since I last wrote here. It has been both busy and good on my end.

I spent the last 1.5 weeks heading back to the Twin Cities. I took in two Minnesota Wild games. I also made the trip down to Des Moines, IA for the first time to see the farm team, the Iowa Wild.

The drive from Minneapolis to Des Moines is roughly four hours. I don't get why there are so many drivers who simply plop themselves in the left lane and drive the normal speed limit in it. The left lane is for passing, people.

There seemed to be a higher number of folks on this particular route, both northbound and southbound, who occupied the left lane and should have moved over to the right lane. Ugh!

I hope to write more. It has been tough, especially when I'm on the road with my work laptop and don't want to blog from it.

Back from vacation and an update on my left hand

Long time, no write!

A combination of trying to rest my wrist and going on vacation for over two weeks has caused me to stop blogging. All of it was much needed.

My wrist felt good until the end of my trip. I laundered my wrist splint, so I went out without wearing it so it could air-dry. 

I visited the Aquarium Restaurant in Nashville. There's a huge aquarium smack in the middle, so you dine and watch the fish, sharks, stingrays, and more swim. I was looking right up at the aquarium by walking over to it after I was done eating. The base had this slant going upwards and the floor was sticky. I had a slight misstep and needed to balance myself with my left hand that I rested against the glass. So, my hand hurt again. Stupid, sticky floor!

I will say that my left hand's range of motion is much better, but I do need to take it easy and wear my splint all the time. I have a backup splint now, so I should be fine. Here's hoping.

It was a half-step back, but I'm still going forward.

Nashville was so much fun. It was extremely hot and humid, with temperatures at least 31°C and higher.

I hope you are all doing well!

Back from a last-minute trip back to the Twin Cities

Hello! I hope that you're doing well.

I got playoff ticket for the Minnesota Wild. Two Sundays ago, I flew down to the Twin Cities. It was the most rushed trip that I have ever done, but it worked out well.

I saw the Wild lose their first game, but win their second one. It was my first and second times seeing the Wild in playoff hockey mode. I had wonderful experiences.

Taking a break from blogging is both needed and missed. I am currently writing on a Microsoft Surface laptop. I never thought that I'd get one, but I like it so far. The touchscreen takes getting used to!

I returned home on Sunday night. I am relatively settled again to blog. I find writing here to be therapeutic, which I have missed.

Wild have home ice!

The Minnesota Wild have home ice advantage. The team is likely playing its first game on Monday.

I am waiting for the official NHL schedule. It means that I am either flying out on Sunday or on game day Monday to the Twin Cities.

I'm excited to see my first couple of Wild playoff games. The downside is getting my travel plans together. I can't until I see the schedule. There are two other games that are ongoing right now.

Waiting is such a pain sometimes!

I'm back!

Hello! It has been a while.

I spent the last ten days in the Twin Cities. I ended up not posting a thing.

I should get back to writing about having one of my social media accounts hacked. A local business with cool owners reached out to me yesterday when I returned. Their business account got hacked and wanted to know how I got mine back.

Getting you account hacked is scary and frustrating. More later.

Have a great day!

Weekend cooking and trip planing

The weekend is here. Yay!

I'm thinking of making shakshouka this weekend. I have never made it before, but the combination of eggs with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices makes me want to give it a try.

I booked my plane ticket to return to the Twin Cities. I'm taking in a couple of hockey games. It'll be a combination of work and time off.

Have a great weekend!

Booster shot thoughts

My manager and a guy on our team who doesn't do a lot are well over fifty years of age. They are able to book booster shots.

The problem is that they are difficult to book. My manager has an appointment at my local drugstore. He doesn't live near me. His appointment is December 27. The other guy has his on New Year's Eve.

Considering that the province has opened up the appointment floodgates to folks eighteen years of age and older as of next Monday, I doubt that I'll get an appointment until mid- to late-January, if I'm lucky. I don't think that the system is ready for a large number of folks wanting to get booster shots.

Today is my last workday before I go on vacation. I am cautiously optimistic about travelling. My hope is that this advisory causes many to not travel. For folks like me who are taking a risk, but will play it safe while in the States, I hope that it's not too busy.

Travelling when the recommendation is to avoid travel

The recommendation by the Canadian government is to avoid travel outside of Canada. According to a doctor on the news last night, he recommends that folks with travel plans go ahead with them, but exercise caution.

I feel that it's what I want to do. I have been careful during this entire pandemic. Despite rules stateside in my hotel that I could roam around without my mask on if I'm fully vaccinated, I had my mask on in public areas.

Entering a restaurant? Mask on. Huge hockey arena? I wore a mask. The largest mall in the States? I definitely wore a mask.

Booster shots are finally being rolled out to folks 18 years of age and older on Monday. I will need to wait till I return and hope that my being cautious, like I have for month, will serve me well. I doubt that I can get my booster shot before I fly off.

Omicron variant and my upcoming trip

The Omicron variant is threatening the holidays and more. I'm not sure whether it'll affect my travel plans just yet. The good news is that I can change my plane ticket details without a penalty, if required.

Booster shots in Canada are now available for folks fifty years of age and older. I still need to wait for mine. In the meantime, I continue to be cautious, which has always been the case since this pandemic started.

My guess is that capacity limits will be imposed in public places. The Omicron variant seems to be spreading faster in communities than through travel in Canada.

My worst fear is that the border closes between Canada and the United States, and I am in the latter country. Here's hoping that it doesn't happen and I can complete my upcoming trip.

Good people on a plane

When I flew down to Minneapolis, an older woman sat next to me. She had a tough time finding one part of her seatbelt. I managed to scoop it up between our seats. We ended up chatting here and there throughout our flight.

The sun was shining through the window directly in her face. I asked if she wanted me to draw the small blind down. She liked the sunshine and was okay.

"Do you have family in Minneapolis?" she asked me.

"I used to live in Rochester, just south of it. I'm returning after nearly two years," I replied.

"I'm seeing my son and his family," she shared.

"That's so nice. My mom used to visit me when I lived in Minnesota," I replied.

Towards the end of our flight, I wished her happy times reuniting with her son and grandchildren. It has been ages since anyone has gingerly held my arm as a token of affection. She did just that, which was sweet. She thanked me and was thrilled to finally see them.

Travel seems scary during a pandemic, but there are still stories to tell and good people out there.

Checking in to say hi

Hello, everyone! It has been a few days since I last checked in. All is well.

I am in the States and I am having a great time so far. I have been constantly in motion since Thursday. Luckily, it will be a slower-paced Monday.

I did take in a Minnesota Wild game on Sunday afternoon. The team won. Yay! It was my first time seeing the team win at home.

I hope that you are all doing well. I'll write more soon.

Dentist, antigen test, and packing

Several hours from now, I'm getting my COVID-19 antigen test done. It's finally hitting me that I'm about to travel.

Packing is going well. I'm nearly done, although I feel like I'll miss something.

My dental appointment went well. My teeth are great. They feel so clean.

My rolling bag preserved since March 2020

I have a rolling computer bag that has enough room to also be an overnight bag. I haven't used it since early March 2020.

In a few days, I'll be travelling. I took my rolling bag out of hibernation.

It's like time had stood still. I have a few pens in there. They all work. They are there to fill out custom forms and more.

My bag doesn't have any candy or snacks. I was always good at making sure that they were consumed.

It feels both foreign and familiar to rummage through it again. I have missed travelling.

My costco trip

I hadn't stepped foot in a Costco store in 1.5 years. I ended it last night.

It didn't feel intimidating going into the store at 5 pm. There weren't a ton of customers and I felt safe.

I had to get contact lens solution. A box contains two bottles and a small travel-sized version, which is perfect for my trip next week. I can't believe that I'll be flying soon!

It was great finally using my voucher, although it took multiple tries to get scanned on my phone. I hadn't used it in a long time. I did save $88!

I got lobster ravioli. I am definitely looking forward to trying it out tomorrow.

A hot dog with a fountain drink is still $1.50. What's different is that you have to pay at the kiosk and then pick up your order at the counter. You no longer approach the counter to pay and get your food.

I have been living under a rock for 1.5 years when it comes to dropping by Costco. I had a great experience getting reacquainted with the store.

Antigen and PCR COVID-19 tests

I am a researcher. I have been researching COVID-19 tests in my area and in Minnesota.

Here's the weird thing. To get over the border and enter the US, Canadians need an antigen test. A test starts at $40, which isn't horrible.

When coming back to Canada, an antigen test is not accepted. Instead, a PCR test is required. The cheapest price that I have seen to get this test done is $199 USD at MSP airport, which is where I'm flying in and out of.

It's not cheap. I am glad that I am staying for over a week at the end of this month to take in two hockey games. Before this pandemic, I would have made two separate trips. If I did the same thing now, just these two PCR tests would cost me the price of a round-trip flight to the Twin Cities. Yikes!

I am hoping that, down the road, PCR tests won't be required. Either Canada will accept an antigen test or possibly drop the test for those who are fully vaccinated.

Luggage check and a rainbow devil

Yay to the weekend!

It has been over 1.5 years since I looked at the contents of my luggage. Since I am travelling in less than a month, I opened it up to check out what I had there.

I'm glad that I am a planner. I ended up placing a travel facial scrubber in there, along with branded hockey team socks for the hockey games that I'll be attending.

I'll be wearing my quick-and-dirty rainbow devil costume later on today. It'll be fun, although it's supposed to rain all day.

Proof of vaccination and antigen tests

Ontario now has a COVID-19 proof of vaccination certificate. I downloaded mine a couple of hours ago.

I was eligible to download it on Saturday, but didn't know about it until yesterday. I like that it clearly lists both my shots. I no longer need to flag my two receipts on my phone. This one works well and comes with a QR code, which I hope works.

I have been researching places to get my COVID-19 rapid antigen shot here. I have read that Shoppers Drug Mart doesn't issue a professional-looking receipt according to some unhappy customers. Although valid for travel to the States, I have heard some horror stores of negative test results being written by hand and don't look professional when presented at the airport.

After doing quite a bit of research, I have found three other drugstores that provide certificates for the same price as SDM. So, I'll give one of them a try next month and will report back with my findings.

I am excited about travelling again. 

Shorter workweek and travel plans

It's a short workweek. I thought that yesterday was Monday, so I'm already messed up!

I am planning to travel at the end of November. I am contemplating making it a work-from-across-the-border trip. I'll take a couple of days off to be a tourist and I'll also have the weekend to continue exploring. It'll be a decent mix as I ease into travel, but not going crazy like I used to.

I see more of my friends travelling these days. I feel more comfortable planning travel myself.