That's all she wrote

Well, as the famed Bugs Bunny once (and many more times) said, "That's all folks". That's right. I'm home.
Yesterday, I took my last walk along the Valley Trail. Went into the hotel from hell for my last time as an employee. Went to Jody's to take advantage of my unlimited internet access for one final time.
My last night was spent with my entourage at CBB (Cinnamon Bear Bar) and then at the Savage Beagle. I sat on the sidelines and watched as my friends made fools of themselves and it occurred to me, that this was the last time that I would be with all of them at one time.
I later went to the hotel to visit the resident bad girl who was working. I sat with her in the command center chatting until Fernando poked his head in the door.
"You asshole!" I said. "Where the fuck were you tonight? You promised me you'd come."
"Mix, I wanted to come I swear! But I had a big dinner, and then I fell asleep."
"Yeah, that's right, blame it on the turkey!!" I said and turned the other way, "I'm not talking to you. This was the last time we had to hang out with each other, and you decided to spend it sleeping with a bird!!"
"I brought ice cream..." I looked over and in his hand was a small tub of Ben and Jerrys, and in his other, two spoons. Obviously, he hadn't counted on my being there.
"I fucking hope one of those spoons is for me." and so we dug in. He knows that he saved himself with that ice cream.

I didn't realise how much stuff I still had at the Brio house until I started packing yesterday morning. My backpack was stuffed to over flowing and had my pillow tied to one side, my jacket to the other and my sleeping bag in front. I had a plastic bag full of shoes and then an assortment of other smaller bags filled to the brim with knick knacks.
"Mix, please tell me that you're not going to take this much stuff with you to Europe.." Ginger commented as I looked in awe at my amount of belongings. "How the hell am I going to carry all this?" Bond, who was painting the bathroom at the time, stuck his head out the door and suggested putting all the smaller bags into a garbage bag. "You're a genius Bond!" I said. "Tu pense tout jour. I like that."
Bond drove me to the bus in his blue truck donned with a dashboard hula girl, Ginger in the back. It took three people to carry all my luggage to the bus. I turned to the others and said "Right now, they're looking at me and going 'Oh fuck!'"
I stood outside the bus with Ginger, The resident bad girl and New school who had all come to see me off. I remained there until the bus driver's standard call for Vancouver, prolonging my goodbyes. "Mix, just get on the bus before we all start crying!" Bad girl said as she handed me a goodbye present.
As the bus pulled out of the parking lot, I pressed my nose against the glass and waved. I've never been the one leaving before. Only the one saying goodbye.

This morning I was awakened by a fly. It struggled for its life as eight legs made its way to were the wings were buzzing and then even louder as fangs closed in on it and it realised that its life was ending. It took me a moment to realise where I was until I heard the usual morning banter downstairs. I rolled over and groaned as I took in the amount of unpacking I had to do. "This is going to be one hell of a day..." I thought to myself.
I'm now sitting in front of this screen listening to my new "Songs of the Season" CD, a CD that I made filled with songs that remind me of Whistler. Although, even after being here for only one day, because I know I'm not going back, it feels as though Whistler never happened. Crazy how that works eh?
So, now I'm onto bigger and better things in Europe. I'm very excited, but there is also an element of me that is scared shitless at the uncertainty of my trip once I'm there...but it is also exhilarating not knowing what's going to happen. I'm just going to take it in stride, and I've never had the freedom to do that before. It really feels as if I'm leaving the nest now. For good.

So, to my Whistler gang, I love you all. Thank you for making it the best experience ever. To those who await me in my new travels, the ones who I haven't met yet, I'm sure I will love you as well. But we'll have to see won't we? And, to the boys who I will be meeting up with in France, look for me in Paris. I'll be the one by the Eiffel Tower wearing the barrette and eating a bagette. And, to everyone else, peace.