This week has been a weird one for me, being back at work after a few months off is taking some time to get adjusted to! It feels good to have something to get up and go to but the early mornings have not been easy for sure. I start at 7am which means I have to wake up at 5:40 in order to get there in time. I take the SkyTrain though so I don't exactly have to be fully alert and also at that time there are less smelly / weird people (note I say "less")! I don't get so lucky on the way back, yesterday there was an ultra filthy person onboard who could have made rubbing onions in your eyes seem more pleasant. I'm arriving at work before the light but luckily leaving before dark so at least I get to see some daylight apart from on my lunch break, even if it is for only for an hour or so. I walk by the steam clock in Gastown on my way to the office, it's weird seeing it in the dark with nobody around as it's usually surrounded by tourists taking photos (...and yes I've been one of them).

The job itself is ok, most of the people I've met in the office are nice, welcoming and helpful. It really helps knowing two cool guys that have already been working there for a few months. I think it will be better once I'm no longer the new boy and I've picked things up and got settled. At the moment there are times where I feel a bit like a spare part. We'll see how things go over the next few weeks, it's a bit too early to judge it just yet. One of the things which is weird is that now I'm constantly surrounded by Canadian accents I don't really notice it anymore, however when I talk and hear my own British voice it sounds really weird. Lou said the same thing happens to her when she's at work. It's almost as if you get used to not listening to your own voice but when you hear it after listening to a lot of Canadian accents it sounds really different and even stands out to yourself.

Lou is on evenings this week starting at 3, meaning by the time I get home just after 4 she's already gone and by the time she is home I'm fast asleep. It's a bit strange! We have the weekend off together in a few days though and then she's on days for 8 days so at least we'll get plenty of time in the evenings from 4pm onwards. One of the great things over the last few months has been spending so much time together, even when Lou was working we seemed to get more time than before and it's a shame this is going to become limited. Oh well it can't all be fun, we need to get that dollar!

We promised ourselves not to get into winter mode too and go into 'hibernation' but we still seem to be getting sucked in to it a little. I think it's because that's just how everyone else around us seem to be going too (not that we have tons of friends, I'm talking about the general public). There are less people around on the streets now that the evenings are dark and people just seem to be in a rush to get home - just like we've always experienced in the UK.

I'm looking forward to the weekend!