Pippin Speaks

I wonder, does every traveler, on the edge of the journey, hesitate, one foot poised to move forward, and glance backwards, one more time?
My ride to the airport awaits in the driveway.
It's time to start the adventure. A little nervous, a little excited, a little sad yet filled with anticipation.....

I'll leave you with the words of Peregrin "Pippen" Took, from The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring....


Home is behind
The world ahead.
And there are many paths to tread.
Through shadow,
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight

Mist and shadow
Cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall...fade.

Questions....questions!!

I decided to take a poll of the questions that people immediately ask when they hear that I am heading to Slovenia for 2 months! Here are the top 3 questions and answers...

#1. Are you taking the dogs? If not, what are you doing with them?
Last weekend I loaded up my truck and ATV and all the dogs and headed south to Oregon.

On the way I stopped in at Hyak, Washington to join the K9ScooterNW Club's 5th Annual Snoqualmie Tunnel Run. This is a non-motorized dog powered event, so there were bikes and scooters with 1 and 2 dog teams and 4 larger teams with Carts and ATVs (Keys left behind).

The run consisted of 2.7 miles thru an old railroad tunnel under the mountain, with a rest and water stop at the end of the tunnel after turning around. We then took the same tunnel back again. Just what Gwen and the dogs needed before I leave my dogs in wonderful hands. Mandy is staying with her breeder Alice Watt
(http://kossok.com/) and will be shown this fall in the US.



The rest of them will live with friend and fellow Musher, Karen Yeargain of Tumnatki Siberians. Some of my dogs have lived there before, and I am very sure that all of the dogs will thoroughly enjoy their vacations at Camp Alice and Camp Karen. Thank you ladies!


#2. What does Brad think about you heading off for a couple months. Is he going with you?
Like myself Brad has to work, so Brad will not be coming with me. I am quite sure he will thoroughly enjoy the peace and quiet of being a bachelor for a few months! He is very supportive of any career decisions I make.

#3. Is this for work?
Well yes! Although the BC Cancer Agency is not sending me to Slovenia, they have granted me a leave of absence, and I will be representing both the BC Cancer Agency and the BC Cancer Agency School of Cytotechnology while teaching Cytology at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana. To quote my letter of invitation... "In many ways this is a continuation of long term collaboration of BC Cancer Agency and Institute of Onclolgy in research and practical implementation of clinical processes in prevention of cervical and other cancers that started more than 12 years ago."

However it will not be all work and no play for this Traveling Cell Geek..... so stay tuned!

These Boots Were Made For.... Sweden?

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, those are my boots, my wool socks, and my gloves, which were packed into that box and mailed to Sweden this morning. "Why?" you might ask, am I sending my winter gear to Sweden? Surely the Swedes have perfectly good boots, socks and gloves of their own, and do not need my obviously well worn ones!!

So lets get this straight, currently in Canada, it is summer. Gwen is headed for a southern European country in a few weeks, and is it possible, that in a moment of insanity, she has mailed off her winter gear to a northern European country?
Hmmmmmmm! Well that is all I'm going to post about it now, but if you check back periodically, I promise, all WILL be revealed!



In keeping with being a travelling cell geek, this photo was taken through my microscope. These are NORMAL atrophic squamous cells, that happened to group together to look this way.

30 Days and Counting

On Aug 30, 2007, having been granted a leave of absence from the BC Cancer Agency, I will be travelling to Slovenia to live and teach for a couple of months. As this is my first journal entry, I thought I would tell you a little about the country.
Slovenia is a small country of approximately 2 million people and sits in the heart of Europe. To the north is Austria; Hungary is to the east; Croatia to the south and Italy to the west. Small, beautiful and picturesque Slovenia became an independent country on June 25, 1991. On May 1, 2004 it joined the European Union, and on January 1, of this year, the currency became the Euro. For anyone interested, at the time of posting today, 1.00 EUR = 1.44383 CAD.


The capital city of Slovenia is Ljubljana, and this is where I will live and work. Ljubljana is a delightful city of culture and rich historical legacy. Ljubljana’s geographical position has governed its colourful past, since it is situated on a natural passage leading from Central Europe to the Mediterranean and toward the East called the “Ljubljana Gate.” Both Central Europe and the Mediterranean influence Ljubljana's lifestyle and culture. The people are very friendly and anxious to speak english. It is a city of much to see and do, and where a person can walk almost anywhere.

As most of you are aware, this will be my second visit to Slovenia. My first visit was in 2005, when I assisted my mentor with putting on a series of workshops in Cytology. I'm delighted to be returning to the country. I will post again a couple of times before the end of August, and then will post on a regular basis to keep you all up to date on happenings and adventures. The next post I hope to address some of the questions I have received about Slovenia and my upcoming return.