Sam I am, I am Green Haired

The mornings are driven by pure adrenaline. The sun, as I've said many times, barely comes up anymore. Life is exhausting. My emotional state pulls every last bit of energy out of me. I have to find new ways to keep my mind occupied and my soul energized.

"Emily, what time is it?"

"6:03 am, why?"

"Good, 6:03 am sounds like a good time for a dance party."

Emily is my new Pat. The joy in my morning. She keeps my mind off of the fact that there is no light outside and she appreciates a good dance party. So in true dance party fashion, she turns off my country music, which she so graciously lets me listen to before I truly wake up, and she turns the Ipod to 'Shots.'

If you don't know 'Shots,' you've been missing out. When I lived in Toronto with my best friends, we would blast this song and dance like all the energy in the world was centered in our little yellow kitchen. 'Shots' sends a message that is both immature and offensive, but it revitalises my cold, arctic-morning, sleepy mind.

We have also started a new trend. Not eating Tim Horton's product. We keep carrots, and grapes, and baby cucumbers close to the kitchen and we eat them all day to keep full and to provide energy for the kitchen party that literally lasts all day. Every third song on my Ipod is Taylor Swift, so we slow it down, get serious, and do some work for the duration of the song. Then a - oh my goodness! I love this song! - song comes on and we turn up the volume and we dance like nobodies watching, because we're alone in the World between 4:30 am and 7 am. Its like the cities sleeping, and in reality when your stuck in Frobisher Bay, the rest of Canada feels like its a world away. You feel alone in the wee hours of the morning. Like you could scream bloody murder and no one would hear you.

I saw the Northern Lights the other night, for the first time. I should have been sleeping but our friend Robert messaged to say the lights were shining. In all of my pajama glory, I threw on my boots and coat and ran out into the night. They were dull, shiny, pale green, but beautiful all the same. They really do dance across the sky. Its like they want to sweep you up and sing and dance with you all night.

"Seeing the Northern Lights," is written on my bucket list. I'd like to see a brighter more vivid display but for now, I feel like I accomplished something worldly.

Something that also speaks volumes about being worldly, is being able to say that I've lived in the Arctic long enough for the hard water to turn the blond in my hair completely green.

I hate to whine and don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it here. Forgive me but I have to let this out. I miss hair dressers, I miss nail polish, stilettos and dresses. I miss wine, I miss bars and cities where the local Legion isn't the most pumping hang out.  I miss church, I miss the people who make church fantastic. I miss book stores and all of my books! I miss sleeping alone. I miss beds that two people can actually fit in without touching each other. I miss my cake stand collection, my fondant rollers, my cake pans, my Chef kit. I miss hiking under trees, my cottage, sitting on grass, camp fires and watching my friends laugh, beers in hand. I want to go to the mall, and I am not even a shopping kind of girl, I just want to shop with a friend and be an advisor. I want to hold hands with people I love. That's right, I want to be able to touch you all. Heh.

Tomorrow is my day off, so tonight I am going to bury my face in one of the few books I actually brought with me. When the morning comes (because I will no doubt be up before six am) I am going to make a huge breakfast, banana pancakes perhaps? Then I'm going to get a library card and hit up the post office because its been closed since Christmas eve and I am hoping to find some written love.

Goodnight World.
With love from Iqaluit.