...myself. I will blog every day for a week.

Lately, as you may have noticed (to the approximately 4 of you who read this blog or even still stop by occasionally to see what I have NOT written), this blog has lost some steam. The zip is gone. The pizazz is dead. For a little while, I thought about deleting it in its entirety and returning to a world where I wasn't constantly thinking of my poor little neglected blog, outdated, sad and alone, waiting for my inspiration to return. But in the end, OTR won another shot and so, to kickstart myself, I'm challenging my fingers to blog each day for one whole week. Including the weekend. AS WELL AS continuing to post a daily photo on my new and awesome joint project, photopography, my photo-blog with co-blogger Shan (of Banane).

I'm a little out of practice, but I'm up to the challenge.

At the end of the week, if my inspiration and motivation have regurgitated themselves, OTR will continue. If not, well, it will continue on as it has been. Lost and alone, and out there for bored web-surfers to cruise by on their way to more interesting corners of the web.

In the meantime...let's begin.

What have I been doing? Where have I been?

For once, the answer is not going to be "parked on my ass on the couch, watching re-runs of The Office". Last week held one of the highlights of my year, because I snuck back to the Great White North for a teeny little occasion that I like to call my Dad's birthday. The big 6-0. Could I really have missed that? No, I could not.

Back in September, I visited my very favorite webpage (www.aircanada.com) and sent them yet another sum of money for yet another plane ticket (I should probably just have my employer direct deposit a portion of my paycheque directly with good old AC), going totally against our intense and worthwhile budgeting project and screwing Mother Nature by dumping just a bit more carbon into the atmosphere. I figured she'd forgive me when she realized that I wasn't just going because I miss decent coffee, or because I am BORED OUT OF MY MIND, but because I wanted to give my Dad a hug on his birthday, his real birthday, on a landmark birthday, for once. And really, I didn't check any luggage so the plane was at least 50 lbs. lighter thanks to me. You are welcome, ozone layer.

No one knew I was going except for my Mom, my sister, my Kurt and a few other select individuals who were on a need-to-know basis. In that, I needed to share my excitement with them. Last Friday night, after a day of shopping (yay, 0.85 cent Canadian dollar!) and a decent haircut, I snuck out of the kitchen at my cousin's restaurant and nearly gave my Dad a heart attack. Happy birthday! He was totally stunned. And totally delighted. Which totally delighted me, because obviously all parties had kept their traps shut. We had a great dinner and a great weekend together with the whole family, which was the first time the four of us had been in the same place at the same time for quite awhile. It was the perfect present for my Dad. I'm so glad I went.

And then I decided that a redeye that got me back to the Rock at noon last Wednesday meant that I could totally work for the afternoon! Sometimes my unbrilliance astounds me. By the time I got to the office I had been awake for 28 hours and I was, in a word, unimpressive. At least I looked nice, but let me tell you...there was absolutely nothing going on behind my vacant expression. Just dumb, glazed nothingness. I don't think anyone noticed though, because I just focused my eyes on my computer screen, positioned my fingers over the keyboard, and thought about things that would leave a concerned look on my face. Like, why I still don't have my tax return, which I filed in Canada in July. WTF.

So...I'm back. It was a lovely trip and, as usual, reaffirmed all of my fond thoughts about my hometown. It was mostly family time, and unfortunately I didn't think to book the rest of the week off (another glowing showing of unbrilliance...and yes, I am aware that unbrilliance is probably not a word), which meant that I didn't get to visit with all of my lovelies and associates. But, I did go to the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in Oak Bay, which I used to do every year with my Dad until I left home and guess what? Just like much of the rest of Victoria, it was exactly the same as I left it. I'm fairly certain that people were even standing in the same spots as they were circa November 2001. Awesome. I love that about Victoria. I wouldn't change it for anything. Which is good, because it never changes.

On that note, that's part of the latest. There's more to come.