Shopping lists (in the rain)

The skies have opened up today, pelting the ground with a cold, hard rain, while I stay snug and dry inside, my dog next to me and happily asleep.

That this is my reality at the moment -- cold autumn rain, soggy autumn leaves sticking to the sidewalk, weather chilly enough that I need to wear (wait for it) a light jacket and maybe some fingerless gloves -- makes my impending big purchases seem even more surreal.

This week, my wife and I are going to trundle down to the local outdoor outfitters shop so that I can try on a variety of sizes and styles of extreme cold parkas (I'm looking at you, Canada Goose!). After spending at least $700 on one of those babies, I'll be searching for some serious boots and snow pants, and other pieces necessary to very cold weather living: hat, gloves, layering pieces, snow goggles.

I'm searching for all of these items, clothing that will actually make it possible for me to step outside the front door in Pond Inlet, while we're barely dipping into autumn here in Nova Scotia. And I know that March will come quickly, but now, in the middle of my courses, it's hard to believe. The gap between where I am now and where I'll be in March seems impossibly wide.

And I can't wait for it to close. I am absolutely desperate to wrap up what I'm doing now and to move to the next phase of my education -- and my life.

Not that I begrudge the time when I consider things practically: I need to buy things! And study hard! And learn a few more words of Inuktitut (I have been practicing saying Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit all weekend -- admittedly not the best starting place, but it sure makes me feel like a winner)! And finish all of my courses! And teach my junior high classes! And somehow squeeze in the time to get my gun license!

So, yes, there is a whole list of things to do between now and then and I am eager to race through it. And although buying a coat designed to keep me toasty and, well, alive in arctic temperatures seems like an odd thing to be doing on a rainy October day, that helps bring me one step closer to taking those flights in March.