I am still in the habit of saying Merry Christmas. I think because I was away for Xmas, that I feel like Xmas has not passed yet. And probably because of this, I feel like it's not the new year. I think this is the first year that new year's day has been just another day. Usually, I look forward to the new year and wonder what it'll bring, but this year, I can't seem to muster up that optimistic outlook. The feeling is very strange.

Patrick and I spent Christmas with his family in Red Deer, Alberta. The weather was perfect -- there was only about 20cm of snow on the ground, the skies were clear and the temperature was around -10 to -15 degrees C. That's warm for December in Red Deer. I put on my toque and Patrick's mom said to me "Oh, you won't need your toque. People will laugh at ya. It's too warm. See, there isn't even any frost on the windows." We left the house and five minutes later I was back for my toque. I don't care what they say! It's cold enough! But as long as you are bundled, up it's not too cold. The drive only took us 14.5 hours, due to good weather (except for some really high winds) and excellent road conditions. It was cloudy in Vancouver when we arrived, and I instantly missed the sunshine.

We also visited the local ski hill there. Ski hill in Alberta? Well, it's not a hill. It's build on one side of a canyon, hence the name Canyon Ski Area.

I guess my New Year's Resolution is to get in shape. I'm starting by entering Climb the Wall for Clean Air: The Marathon of Stair Climbers.