A Crying Heart

2010-12-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

I have been back to my blog many times over the past few months, nothing ever new to write about until a tragedy took place in my life. My source of happiness, love, motivation and persistence to continue on through this big world came one one tiny little animal I acquired 14 years ago. A tiny little kitten I named, Lexus.

I had many animals as pets in the past growing up, lizards, fish, birds, kittens and even dogs. There was something about Lexus that cannot be described in words. She had an aurora about her that was like that to a human personality. The way her eyes looked at me spoke to me. No vocal communication was ever needed. Body language and her eyes. I had spent 11 amazing years with her building a bond so strong I can't even put that into words for you. I would kill for her.

As silly as this may seem, we were like a couple. The one element for any relationship is love. We had an abundance of it. I could tell her love for me was something to behold. An animal that could love like a human baffled and amazed me at the same time. I had to leave for the great white north and as much as it hurt me, I could not take Lexus with me. We both lived with my uncle for about ten years. I left her with him, knowing she was safe, and well loved. I contemplated bringing her up with me every summer I went home to visit her. But I knew she was aging gracefully and the trip would not sit well with her. So I was content on keeping her with my uncle.

She never skipped a beat with me remembering me every time I went home. It was very hard on me every time I left to come back to my new home in the north. But I knew how safe and comfortable she was at home where she belonged, besides, Casey, our other cat was there. They were content.

Lexus was playful, delightful, intelligent, quiet and most of all, she had a big heart, nearly as big as her appetite. As cute as all that was....it all came to an end Monday December 6th 2010, just this week. My beloved cat Lexus, has died. I am beside myself, heart broken, devastated and though I have people in my life who love me, I feel lonely.

Lexus died of water on the lungs caused by a malignant tumor. She was no breathing right, and once my uncle took her to the emergency vet, even giving her oxygen could not help. She began convulsing and losing her battle for her life. My uncle was with her right up until her last breath. I am now searching for ways to cope. Grieving for an animal may seem silly to some, but to those of you who are animal lovers, you will understand.

Lexus will always be in my memories, pictures and mostly, in my heart. She will never be forgotten. God speed Lexus.

Lexus 1996 - 2010
"Always loved, never forgotten"

Fool's Gold

2010-08-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

I am a fully certified 777F Rock Haulage Truck Operator. One week training completed at Agnico Eagle Mine on that particular heavy equipment following a ten week training course at O.E.T.I.O in Morrisburg, ON. What does a 777F Caterpillar Rock Haul Truck look like you ask? See the below picture to ease your curious mind.

The trucks dimensions are 21.2 feet wide, 17 feet high, 34.50 feet in length. It weighs in at approximately 161,555 lbs. Unloaded. It can haul over it's suggested haulage weight of 100 tonnes. This truck probably falls in the top 5 of world's biggest rock trucks. The biggest in the world is the Terex Titan. Pictured below.

The Terex Titan's dimensions are 24 feet wide, 22 feet high and a whopping 65 feet long. It takes 8 lanes to turn the mammoth beast. The sole duty of the rock truck is simply to transport material from point A to point B. Are the trucks difficult to operate? No, not at all. They are simply like a vehicle of any other you yourself may drive only on a bigger scale. How fast do they go? We have six gears, top speed being approximately 47 km/h. The tires are huge and extremely durable but care must still be taken as to avoid driving over sharp edged rocks and other sorts of debris in the way. We fuel up once a day, even though the trucks don't use that much fuel in a day. As an operator we must perform our daily start up safety procedures to ensure the machine is in good working order. A complete 5 minute inspection is done. 2 to 3 minutes for a walk around of the machine is required to check for anything that may be abnormal such as leaks on the ground, cracked hoses, anything loose and levels of fluids and fuel.

Once done, we enter the cab of the mighty machine. Here we perform a self diagnostic test simply by turning the key into the on position, not start. The gauges on the dash will come to life and light up, the electrical system checks itself. Here we perform the secondary steering test. We check all lights, signals and horn and wipers are working. Once completed, we honk the horn and may start the truck. Now that it is started we now may perform our brake tests. The park brake, service brake and secondary brake test must be completed as well as a manual retarder test. The retarder system basically acts as a way of fine braking the vehicle to a slow from a faster speed. It is not a way of braking, but just to slow us down without over heating the brakes themselves. Then we perform a reverse neutralize test. This makes sure we can reverse the machine and dump the load while using the secondary brake to hold the vehicle at a stop while dumping, letting go of the secondary brake will allow the truck to roll about one and a half truck lengths forward which is enough time for our box to come down. This is the legal distance to operate the machine going forward. The second last test we perform before pulling away is the TCS, or traction control system test. The system kicks in should the primary steering ever should fail, the secondary gives us about a minute of steering time. Finally we lift the box just about eye level to ensure the hydraulics are functional. Once done, we do a radio check, honk once and pull away.

Meetings in the mornings will inform us of where we need to be when we roll out. The mine is much like a small town and is growing every month so we have a map with a legend on it so we know where we are and where we are going. Thus, our day has begun at 6:30 am or pm. The days/nights are both 12 hour shifts. The mine never sleeps. It is always alive 365 days a year 24 hours a day. I fly on a charter plan an hour to the Meadowbank site, where I will be for the next two weeks. This is now my home away from home. When the two weeks is over, I fly back and have two glorious weeks off. My pay is very lucrative. My flights, lodging, meals are all paid for. I pay for nothing on site. Laundry is also free. So what is the food like? We have a team of french chefs in the biggest fully stocked kitchen I have ever seen. It would put most restaurants to shame in a heartbeat. We even have our very own pasta chef every dinner who will cook your favorite kind of pasta right in front of you after you make your selection of which ingredients you want in it. Green & red bell peppers, red or green onion, shrimp, crab, oyster tongues, pesto sauce, regular spaghetti sauce, sausages, zucchini, whatever they have, you can pick and choose. The kitchen in the morning has a wide selection of breakfast and a fruit buffet with yogurts, cheeses, vegetables. If that isn't enough, we have our very own pastry chef with two long tables full of pastry's available as well as prepackaged sandwiches, and juice boxes and fruits for you to pack for the day. If that still isn't enough, stop by the sandwich table to make your own sandwiches with choices of white or whole wheat bread and pita breads and sandwich meats. Oh, we also have coffee. Of course!

Right now as I type this I am 3700 in the air flying home. I am 20 minutes away from landing after my first week of training. I return in a week's time to officially start my first week of employment.....................ok, the dots represent hours later. I am home now and finishing this thing off lol. So anyway, the mine is a great spot to pick up a lot of experience, friends and of course financial gain. Check out some of the pictures below.

This is what it's all about.

Recent, maybe last year.

Just starting.

In the beginning.

Leaving The Rock

2010-08-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today is our (Melissa & mine) last day on the Rock with family and as much as I want to get back to Rankin Inlet to begin working I also feel I am leaving a part of us behind. As you see below, the family keeps getting bigger. The Dunphy's have now conjoined with the McKay's and the Burton's. Together we have come to love one another just as if we were always family for many years.

I hate leaving Newfoundland but I know there is always a return date in the future which keeps me going throughout the year while anticipating our return. I have had an awesome summer this year and the year before wasn't too shabby either for my first time here. Next summer will be hard to beat. But with Allison, my youngest sister in law and her boyfriend Stefan Mackie, Lori my other sister in law and her husband (and brother in law/buddy as I like to think of him) Matt McKay, and my inlaw parents, Gord & Jocelyn Dunphy, we always seem to find ways to enjoy each others company and get on each others nerves all at the same time! That is what makes us a family.

With two weddings this summer back to back, it has been a hectic summer. I have immensely enjoyed my stay with the Dunphy's and the now, McKay's, have been absolutely awesome. Off to Winnipeg tomorrow then back to the great white north on Tuesday.

Return of the Prince

2010-08-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ok so you thought I dropped off the face of the earth maybe? Spent some time reading other blogs did you? Where have I been you ask? If you stuck with me as a committed reader to my blog you would know I was last heading off to Morrisburg, ON for heavy equipment training for ten weeks. Well, I finished and am certified to drive just about any piece of heavy machinery. To add to that, Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd has invited me for a one week training stint with them August 11th till the 18th, to which of course I said "Hell yes!".

Did I also mention I got married 4 weeks ago?! Whew, a lot has happened this summer for sure. Anyway, yes the marriage was a HUGE success and I will be posting as many of the photos as I possibly can once I figure out a way to dedicate just a page to photos on here.

I just wanted to throw up a brief blog post to let you all know I am alive and well and will do my utmost best to keep my blogs updated once again now that my summer vacation has come to an end. Cheers!

A New Horizon

2010-03-18T07:44:00.001-07:00

My goodness. I swear I have not forgotten about you guys! I have been so busy I have had little time to blog for the longest time. I do come back with a vengeance though with some great news. Ok the deal is I have never really had a career. I have always worked at odd jobs, some that have been very good to me over the years, and others that have not been. For once in my life I get a fighting chance like everyone else. A wonderful opportunity has arrived at my feet in the form of a program out of Morrisburg, ON called the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario. It is a ten week long course for obtaining my heavy equipment operators license and I couldn't be happier as I have been chosen as one of the successful candidates yesterday. I leave Rankin Inlet April 10th 2010 and end the course on June 18th. Just in time to fly out to Newfoundland for July 9th to get married!

I have posted for you curious ones the link HERE. I am excited to go as is Melissa but at the same time, we done this 'apart' thing from one another last year under different circumstances and it was tough. I hope this year is a little easier knowing that we are doing this both for good reason. I gotta go as my time is cut short yet again but really had to do an update with you all. Keep in touch!

La Chef Burton

2010-03-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

Not a big blog tonight, just a picture of my first batch of palaugaaq (bannock). If your unaware of what this is, it is basically bread. Inuit style. I actually managed to make a batch of this addictive stuff and it sure goes great with a hot cup of coffee in the morning.

Tough Times

2010-03-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

My goodness, it has been a week since I blogged. I am really slacking in this department. Something I want to discuss today; snowmobiling. I have watched in the past month as two friends have bought NEW machines right out of the Northern store here in Rankin and drive away with lose fitting nuts & bolts, skis dropping off, blown head gaskets and overall just lose parts. Unbelievable that for the amount of money spent on both machines in total in excess of over $20,000 that both would have so many issues. Safety issues. Both riders carry their wive and child with them.

I watched yesterday as literally the right front ski from a brand new Ski Doo Skandic dropped it's ski. Just, fell off. Not broken, just dropped off. The result of this has forced our friends who own the Scandic to return it to the store to get a refund. The refund was easy, but tough on the couple who just bought the new machine and sold me their old one. I feel horrible I am riding around enjoying theirs as they now are walking. The Northern couldn't trade in the machine for another because they simply didn't have that model available. Had his wife been driving with the baby and the ski fell off, could have made for much more horrible of a story than the one I have already told.

Today, without our friends we went to watch the Sunday races on the ocean. It was a blast and unfortunately I didn't have my camera handy as I usually would. I will next Sunday though. The machines they race are great sounding and quick. Rider experience is everything though from what I witnessed.

One final note, the way to make a friend is found by engaging in proper conversation because really you never know how nice of a person you could be talking to really is. I learned this lesson today.

Orca Love

2010-02-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

Tilikum, the killer whale.

Tilikum the killer whale has killed. Again. Despite his name having meaning in Chinook as 'friend', (also named after the Tilikum boat) the marine predator is no stranger to making the news headlines in more ways than one. Aside from the fact this majestic creature is beautiful to watch on any level, let alone up close and personal, it also must be first noted this is a killer whale. A wild animal much like that of a lion or tiger. It has animal instincts.

Tilikum has taken the life of 40 year old Dawn Brancheau. Before we get into the criminal record of this animal, let's find out who Tilikum is. The orca was captured of the coast of Iceland in 1983 at the age of 2 years old. He has sired 13 calves, the first being Kyuguot born in December 24 1991. Tilikum has some of the most impressive measurements I have ever heard of for a killer whale in captivity. He is simply the biggest of his kind right now in captivity. At 22 feet and six inches long, weighing in at a whopping 12,300 pounds and his dorsal fins alone being 6 and a half feet long makes him very immense in size.

Tilikum is an impressive spectacle as seen here during his performance.

Tilikum has found himself in hot water after now building a rather dreadful record for human deaths circulating around him. He is currently at three. Dawn Brancheau was the top trainer at Sea World until earlier this week she was grabbed by Tilikum by the waist just moments after she was bonding with him. He thrashed about before taking her down with him into his world, deep in the tank at the bottom is where he held her in his mouth until she drowned. Dawn was just 40 years old. To her, Tilikum was her aquatic friend. How does a friend do this?

In 1991 her also took the life of another female victim after she accidentally fell in his tank doing research. In 1999 Daniel Dukes, 27 a drifter was found naked in Tilikum's tank floating with multiple bruises on his body. Near by the tank on dry ground his clothes were found in a pile with a joint of marijuana inside them. The bruises were thought to have happened as Tilikum believed Daniel was a toy for his tank and dragged his body along the bottom of the tank. It is unclear whether the man drowned first on his own accord, or Tilikum actually killed the man by drowning him. Daniel died of hypothermia apparently, although there were bite marks on his body from the whale.

Tilikum has become lost in a swirl of controversy over the killings. But it he really to blame? I question now, and have before about the condition of wild animals held captive in zoos and pens alike all over the world. What if we were to be held captive and taught to perform. Is this what we want? No. So what do the wild animals want? Most likely not to be put in funny little hats and forced to jump through hoops I am sure. I would guess they want what we want. Freedom. What freedom does Tilikum have in a tank equivalent to that of a bathtub? Examine the picture below for a minute.

As you see from the above photo, Tilikum has not a lot of room to maneuver for a whale who can easily swim up to 100 miles in a day. This animal has deep psychological damage. It has been studied in primates and humans alike. Confinement drives one to a severe state of depression, boredom and anger. Tilikum has displayed this. He has never been trained to be with humans. To him, a human in his tank is a play toy. He should not be held accountable for something we have created. Snatching up natures wild animals and driving them to the point of insanity.

They had looked at having Tilikum put down. This is a horrible thought, to think to cover up mans mistake by taking the creature out back in a pasture and putting a bullet through it's head is disgusting (though it wouldn't be done this way). The head people at Sea World have vowed Tilikum will not be put down. So they have decided the show must go on. So who will the fourth victim be? Another trainer? A child? Can we do what was done to Keiko the killer whale who was a star in Free Willy? Set free on the coast of Ice Land. He didn't fair well, he only kept coming back to find humans. He later died of pneumonia. Iceland doesn't want Tilikum due to his criminal record.

So Tilikum's future rests in the same hands of the people who brought him into the world of captivity. His demise will only rest on whether or not he can survive the wild on his own. Or whether or not he kills again. We didn't really expect someone to bring in this whale and jump on his back and yell go did we? We don't go jumping on lions and gorillas backs asking them to perform tricks in the jungle. So why are we removing them from their habitats and getting them to do things they really don't want to do and expecting nothing will come of it except revenue for a large corporation?

Sea World and other zoos alike should be ashamed of themselves. Tilikum is not the only orca who has killed. Nor will he be the last.

Dawn & Tilikum. Best friends?

Or wild animal with a lost sense of freedom?

Last Call For Alcohol

2010-02-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Olympic Gold medalists of womens Canadian hockey team.

We all blog about things like, life, money, experiences, disinterest for a certain thing or person, or exciting times. Sometimes we blog about subjects others may not agree with or possibly do agree with. Either way, blogging is simply an open journal with others having the ability to respond if they wish. My blog today might just be one of those types of blogs. Because what I want to discuss, the latest hottest topic is the women’s Olympic hockey team for Canada.

To start, they deserve a big congratulations in their win and the effort it took to get to the podium to accept those gold medals. This certainly can’t be an easy task in any sport to climb all the way to the top of the hill to make the cut for gold. Regardless, they did it. Kudos to them girls. Now, on to the break down of a unclassy celebratory win. They played their hearts out and used sweat, skills and determination. They celebrated on ice just seconds after the win thereafter congratulating team USA on a well fought game. This is sportsmanship at it’s finest is it not. To recognize the other team’s efforts and knowing how hard it was to make it to that final round to do battle is honourable. So far so good.

Now here is the issue I have as do others. Ok, we know there were no fans left in the stadium seats, most reporters were gone...MOST. All but the one(s) who caught the champagne, beer guzzling, zamboni drivin, cigar smoking frolics on ice, including 18-year-old superstar Marie-Philip Poulin. Exactly what is wrong with this? Well, if your all for it, then nothing. Until we break it down a little further. Team Canada in many sports is recognized as a professional team, like any others should be. I for one am 100% Canadian and show my Canadian pride probably more than anyone I know. I stand behind those Canadian Olympians and their efforts over there in Vancouver.

The problem is this: People are always going to be watching. And with watching comes scrutinizing. Did these girls forget they have little ones who look up to them who no doubt by now has seen these photos or the video footage of them getting on they way they did, smoking and drinking? What example does this set for the children who wish to be the next women’s Olympic goaltender or the women’s next Olympic forward? It says that after winning you can showboat, rub it in, drink and enjoy a big fat stogie.

Had they done all this behind closed doors, with no cameras, no video footage, no one would be none the wiser today and the girls would still be happy, as they are now I am sure, and the media and public wouldn’t care. We didn’t see it. This was professionally unacceptable. I would not want to see my daughter getting on like that after winning on camera unless it was in the comforts of her home, my home, her friend’s home. Behind closed doors at least.

It is so bad that the IOC is launching an investigation into their on ice antics. Hey, you’re smoking in a non smoking facility. Way to go, fines all around right there. They are Olympic athletes, put your Canadian pride aside for a moment and understand the problem with they way they behaved for a moment. It was immature of them to think they could get away with partying it up on ice, still in their Olympic gear.

If you have yet to see some of the above mentionable's, take a gander below.

Lost In Thought

2010-02-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hello.

I blogged here nearly a week ago. Since then, I've had no motivation to blog since. After reading fellow blogger Townie Bastard's blog I was reminded how any one of us can go through 'writer's block'. Though I am not truly a writer per say. I still get blocked like anyone else. Since reading his blog, I somewhat got motivated to blog. I have no subject particularly for you. Just sort of winging it today. I really don't want to touch on this issue of, what is an Olympic sport and what isn't, but how do we, the little people know what is or what won't ever be a sport period? Did anyone really think snowboarding on a half pipe would become an Olympic sport? I suppose really anybody can pick on and bully around any sport in the Olympics.

At the end of the day both you and I know there is no way we can ever do what we see those of the Olympics do in their sport. I can never put on long skies and slide down a hill only to jump off the end of it and land in the calculation point area, known as the K point. It is between 300 and 390 feet. 60 points to those who land exactly on the K line. So I'm not fairing well in this sport on my first, second or third try. Most likely, not in my first 6 months.

Men's figure skating. "Oh, it looks gay, men in tights, blah, blah, blah". Yea, it does look a little gay. Men in tights prancing around on the tippy toes of their skates lifting off doing triple and quad's. But can you do it any better? I can't even skate let alone get enough speed to hurl my body in the air to spin around 4 times, land, then launch myself into the air once more for another jump. If this type of routine skating is hard, and only few can do it, maybe it should be in the Olympics.

Now did Heracles, son of Zeus, go bobsledding down an icy hill at speeds to which he had never seen before? No. But is it a sport? It must be, it's in the Olympics isn't it? Ok, so we don't run naked anymore, but we still run in the Olympics. Why do we not question running? Who can't run right?

My firm belief is if it is as hard as it looks to do from the comfort of your home, it probably should be in the Olympics. I used to think curling was ridiculous. Then I tried it.

Ping Pong anyone?

From A 'ROAR' To A 'meow'

2010-02-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

Tiger who? Oh right, Woods. Forgot about him did you? Well if you tune in tomorrow at the right time, on the right channel, you just may catch him live for the first time in months proclaiming his...well, whatever it is he is going to proclaim. Whether that's his innocence or his guilt or his own disbelief he got caught, who knows. More importantly, who cares? Except his wife, close family and immediate friends, who really gives a hoot about Tiger Woods? I like golf as much as the next person and I am fully aware of the fan base he has brought in since coming on the scene. But let's get real about this shall we? He is still just another human being. One who apparently cheats.

Tomorrow he will arise from his own ashes to tell us what? He's sorry? Why is he even apologizing? Too whom is it addressed to really? Erin? His kids? His ex's? Or his fans? Either way, it is a waste of airtime and really if I wasn't working tomorrow when it came on, I would rather watch the white monotone guy with the afro on T.V who paints trees than watch Tiger's big conference. Are you serious Mr. Woods in the fact that you believe you can redeem yourself by an on air apology? Sorry buddy, but the Olympics are on, even if they are timed delayed, at least I can expect to follow a leader, or a hero, or even at least someone who has earned some respect to actually be watched on T.V.

Gotta go now, that tree painting afro guy is on right now and he's painting spruce's!

Dog Gone It !

2010-02-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

So once upon a time I did bring a stray dog home here about 4 months ago. I was told to get rid of it. The dog did crap on the carpet as soon as it got in the door after all. Yes, and I know some of you are saying, "Duh, it's a dog!" I know it's a dog. He was really cute.

Now tonight coming home on the snow machine with Melissa on board, we get off to ......sorry, this sentence comes 35 minutes later. The story was building up to a dog we found, but he is gone. I am posting the picture of the little guy. A friend we know
has seen him in town before and tried to rescue him, she seen me outside with him just now and wanted to take him home badly. Knowing he would be better off with her, I let him go, gave the dog food we had bought and toy and treats and seen him off. In the short hours he was with me following me around the house and cuddling in my arms, I miss him already.

I never knew your name little guy, but I did call you Buddy a lot. So Buddy it was.

Hello There

2010-02-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

If I can ever come away with anything from my blogs it is this: gratification in knowing someone has actually been reading these things. Ok, so I know I have hits per day. I can see my visitor tracker. I know someone is visiting my page, but are they actually reading this stuff? As it turns out, I have an actual reader who confirmed, they do indeed READ my blogs! Not only did they confirm this, but did so IN person! Wow, look at me, a little guy getting fans coming up to me just to meet the famous Prince of the North!

Ok, ok...so it really is just simply more so someone who reads my blog happened upon me while at work knowing full well who I was because they read my blogs. I'm not that famous that people will fly around the world to come meet me, just yet. Give it another couple of blogs. Seriously, I would like to thank her for taking time out of her morning to stop and chat with me. To keep her identity safe, all I will say is, "Hi", she knows who she is. Lol.

She is the second person I have met who reads my blogs. Aside from my fiancee that is and her family, but I know them already. So with that said, I certainly was encouraged, and very enthused by the whole thing. To me, this was the gratification I had been seeking from my blogs even though I never knew I was.

On another note totally not related, tonight I decided a little treat for my fiancee. I made some hot chocolate, put it in a thermos, and loaded up the ski doo. I took her out on the land under the cover of darkness lit only by the green shimmer of the Aurora Borealias above us and a flickering headlight from the snow machine while aiming the skis for the white snow ahead. We arrived at a spot that was great while under the stars to watch the Northern Lights dance with such divinity much like the Roman Goddess of which they were named, Aurora.

We turned off the machine, and heard nothing but the stillness of the land. I unzipped the backpack, took out two plastic white cups and sat them on the seat of the snowmobile and poured in the still steaming hot chocolate from the thermos. We sipped on it and talked and watched the Northern Lights dance around. Small moments like that remind how lucky I am to have had a chance to even meet my fiancee.

I love you Melissa.

Tundra Gods

2010-02-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

I wanted to have more photos this Sunday to put up of my last couple of trips out on the land seeing as how I have a new snow machine. Second hand it is, but ride well she does. Melissa and I purchased it from a friend we have befriended in town. The buy has been a good one thus far, you know usually anything second hand can be a bad consumer buy and I must say, so far it has been a good one. So last Saturday which was an absolutely gorgeous day in Rankin hovering at around a balmy -27 with wind chill, became the perfect day to go out bombing around. Chris & Becca, neighbours from down the hall purchased a brand new 1200hp snowmobile that is more like....um, how can I say this? Like a Continental Jet Airliner with nothing but first class seats available built on two ski's and a track.

Below is a picture of Becca & Chris's newly named 'The Beast' snow machine.

The next snow machine pictured below is ours.

We also saw a lot of this most of the day. It was hard not to notice this sight everywhere we went.

This was Billy, the seller of the snow machine we bought.

And this is Billy's mew machine which he just purchased.

We spent several hours out of the house this day simply because the weather was right, the machines were all running great and it was a total blast. Unfortunately I have to work through the entire weekend :( Isn't there a law against working all weekend?

The Journey

2010-02-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

Something I have been meaning to blog about ever since I began blogging was the road trip my fiancee, Melissa, and I took this past summer in 2009. It began with leaving Kugluktuk, NU. I had left Kug before Melissa did and I had to wait for her to arrive to Toronto before we could begin the long journey we had planned from Toronto, to Ottawa then on through to Nova Scotia and on a cruise boat (even though it's considered a ferry) over on to the Rock, Newfoundland.

This just might well be a extensive blog that will take me a while to put together and hopefully, it won't become so repetitive after a while for you as it will host a whirlwind of photos and explanations. So without further wait... let's begin.

After being in the land of snow and ice for 8 months, I was in desperate need for a familiar sight in my good old home base, Toronto. Particularly, the Beach downtown as it is called. The first picture is the Boardwalk.

After spending some much needed time at the Beach by myself and taking in what I have been missing for so long, I decided to get back to the car to get it in road trip shape before Melissa came home. The Saturn.

Melissa and I, once she got back, decided we needed to visit our secret spot we have. I can only say it is in Ontario somewhere. By the lake, and very peaceful. We used to go there a lot to talk, and spend time with each other discussing our future together. This is the picture you see below as looking out from our car window. It was raining that day we went by. So we never really got out.

Melissa and I have come to learn the word 'compromise' well. In doing so, we were able to make a deal with each other seeing as how I wanted to spend like there was no tomorrow on a hotel, and she did not. The deal was, her hotel (which was just a college dorm turned hotel in the summer for $50 a night) we would book a room for the first week in. The second week was a shorter stay which was in the Delta Chelsey. For a total of $600. Not including food we ordered.

As nice as the room was, the food was just as you would suspect from a 4 star hotel. Below, are a few of the dishes we had tasted, savored and paid for through the nose to enjoy.

After all that food, I needed to just relax on the balcony and enjoy my favorite beer, Steam Whistle made only in Toronto I might add, in the warm evening air. The picture shows the Toronto night life at it's best from a bird's eye view.

At some point we decided to go for a walk in downtown Toronto before we had to leave and head off to Montreal. I had decided what better way to enjoy Toronto than to head out for a few drinks. I finally had a chance to try my first Mojito! I was not disappointed.

Since meeting Melissa, I have come to learn her favorite animal in the world is the Penguin. I have racked my brain for a year trying to think how can I get her to finally see them up close and personal. I finally found it. But we had to get to Montreal. So......

All that driving made me tired and I seriously needed my daily dose of a double double large coffee with a shot of french vanilla. However, the sign was all in french, and I was lost on how to order it. Boo Montreal!

After that interesting episode and a lesson in french, we made our first major destination for Melissa to check off her list something she has always wanted to see, and it was inside the Biodome in Montreal.

I had planned for her to get to see some other interesting things first (although she was sure she knew why she was really there) the animals of the tropics were awesome to see.

This next set of photos doesn't do the actual fish tanks any justice for their size as they were immense in size. Can you spot the cod fish?

After spending nearly over an hour checking out the south tropical animals of the world, many of which weren't posted here, we reached our final destination. Melissa for the first time, got to see her beloved Penguins. And she was enthralled with them.

Ok so off we were through Quebec, which really, wasn't much to see but highway.

Our next stop was Ottawa. The capital of Canada.

I also actually met some very nice policemen who were kind enough to let me take a photo of them while in action on the job! I finally thought this was my chance to catch some very devoted lawmen in action, at their best.

Fast forwarding a wee bit, we finally got to Prince Edward Island.

And on to somewhere I hadn't been in over 20 years, home to Nova Scotia. Seeing this sign made me feel good.

Although it seems if I never really took enough pictures, we did, I just chose not to post everything here. But some just had to be shown.

My stop in Nova Scotia was for one purpose, to see family in Truro and boy it was great to see some faces I hadn't seen in many years. And although I am posting a lot of photos, these don't include many of my family unfortunately. However, I wanted to post a couple of my uncle's horses. He is a harness racer and has some great horses.

Passing through Truro was fun, we came to a great little motel by the name of Berry's Motel and let me tell ya, if your ever in Truro you need to get a room there. Clean, super friendly staff as it is a family owned business and only $75 a night! Wireless internet and just real down home like. I didn't get a photo of this place, I wish I had one for you. However, as we moved on and passed through Cape Brenton, we came upon the strangest thing I ever saw....

The next thing I would have stopped at if we weren't so tired trying to get to North Sydney to get on the ferry boat was Lick A Chick! Supposedly, this is an awesome place for chicken. I never been there. Even though I was so close, we drove right past it....cluck...cluck.

Finally it was on to North Sydney where the Sydney Mines are.

Finally, after a couple of days (our stay on the way back was much longer) we headed off to the ferry boat and on towards Melissa's home, Newfoundland. We boarded the ferry boat, parked our car, got our over night bags out and headed off down the narrow aisle of the ship to find our cabin. This was it.

After settling in, I had to go explore. Then I found the video game room and the most awesome racing ever. The kid beside me thought he was good until I sat down beside him and kicked his butt. Then......busted the game for both of us.....literally.

We made it to Newfoundland as we slept over night, at about 8am in the morning we got up, got in our car and waited for them to let us off. The air smelt great, salty and very home like. Melissa was a very happy girl, and I was excited for her. As it was, I needed a double double coffee from Timmy's.

The place I enjoyed most, was Quidi Vidi Brewery. Why? Because of the beer silly why else!! Check it out, because if my face doesn't say how I feel about beer, then I don't know what does.

Another place I wanted to see was the Geo Centre. A museum built right into the millions of years old rock. Very cool actually.

I really had to make a personal stop somewhere in Newfoundland to update the colour in my body art. So, I stopped in for a tattoo repair.

We did some sight seeing at other places. Like this beach like area that was really spectacular when looking at it from up high on the road.

Ok, we went to two weddings, you all know what happens there, and I really would have posted the photos, but there were so many to choose from so I decided to skip over it and get right to the end of this super long blog. My final shots from atop of Signal Hill over looking St. John's, NFLD at dusk. Enjoy.

You Know You Been In The North Too Long When...

2010-02-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

I was thinking the other day how I am slowly becoming very Northern. By that, I mean how I have become accustomed to the ways of the North, how life is and the way the Inuit do things. You adapt to them. They don't adapt to you. You pick up on the little things they do, you get used to oddities you normally would think is strange when your from the South. So this blog is dedicated to the North and the people who live here. Most importantly, it is dedicated to the Inuit. The ones who make the North what it is. Perhaps, you may be from the North and can relate to these. Feel free to send me any you think of that I can add with your permission. Enjoy.

-You know you been in the North too long when you fall asleep during the daytime and wake up in the dark.

-You know you been in the North too long when your phone rings and you answer the ulu.

-You know you been in the North too long when there is a knock at your door and instead of a Jehovah Witness, you get a carver trying to sell you something .

-You know you been in the North too long when somebody asks you a question and you scrunch your nose for no, or raise your eyebrows for yes without thinking about it.

-You know you been in the North too long when you see the RCMP pulling over a snow machine.

-You know you been in the North too long when you get excited over a pack of cigarettes that cost only $13.95.

-You know you been in the North too long when the biggest news in town is somebody caught a wild animal over the weekend.

-You know you been in the North too long when you really believe "Hey, -40 isn't so cold after all".

-You know you been in the North too long when you find yourself wearing seal skin boots, beaver mitts and a parka lined with wolf fur around the hood.

-You know you been in the North too long when the two Inuit beside you are having a conversation in their traditional language and you can understand them.

A Safe Return To Civilization

2010-02-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

The South has reclaimed one of the good ones. Fellow blogger and recently befriended buddy of mine, Brad Britton will be sorely missed in Rankin Inlet this month as he prepares for the journey back to the real world in Calgary. The situation is understandable, required and sensible. It must be hard to leave your family behind to come to a far away place for months on end. So as of tomorrow, Friday Feb 5th (also my brothers birthday) Brad will make the trip back home. His stay was short but worthy I hope, and I would like to think he had a good taste of the north and made some good friends up here.

I've said it before and will say it again, the North will make or break a couple. On that note, without using name, I am so sorry to see the demolition of a couple I met when I came up here. Today their relationship came to a crashing halt. I am sorry for both parties involved and wish both the best on their future endeavors in life. It has got to be hard whenever we lose someone we love no matter how it happens. To stay strong is key, and to move on is tough. Through support, these things can be achieved.

Thanks for reading you guys, and girls! Till next time.

Have a safe flight home Brad!

An All BeLEAFer

2010-02-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one story shy from handing out heart attacks like a Jehovah Witness does with the Watch Tower pamphlet if they keep pulling moves like this one as of late. This Sunday has seen the the dismissal of such players from the Toronto roster such as Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White in exchange for Fredrik Sjostrom & Dion Phaneuf both of the Calgary Flames organization.

The Leafs brass have also let go the likes of Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake in exchange for Jean Sebastien Giguere both from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The trade comes late in the season where many will tell you, it's too late for them. Let's just say the Leafs chances of making the playoff's are slim to none. Even with the superstar status of Dian Phaneuf and J.S Giguere. But bet your pantyhose that Leaf General Manager, Brian Burke will stop at nothing to shore up the wingers on both left and right sides for Phil Kessel in the coming weeks. This is Burke's team now and though it has taken him an awfully long time to put HIS thumbprint on this team, rest assured, the process began on Sunday with the newly acquired players.

J.S Giguere - Goaltender

Dion Phaneuf - Defence

So what does this mean to the not so die hard fans of hockey? Or even the Leaf fans? You can once again jump on board the bandwagon and cheer the Leafs on again. Last night's game was a spectacle to behold. Phaneuf's hit just 6 minutes plus into the game got the ball rolling and the energy started. It was their night. Their game to take for the win. J.S Giguere's night to do only what one other goaltender has done before in a Leaf jersey, post a shutout in his debut. The other was Ed Belfour.

Can Giguere and Phaneuf turn this otherwise dismal club around? Not by themselves they won't, but with a little more help like they got from an otherwise dried up team who seemed to come to life once Phaneuf made a hit, they can all make a difference. Once again, I am a beLEAFer.

Paranormal Activity

2010-02-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

Ghosts or no ghosts, the show must go on.

This is my motto at the hotel I work at. Ok, so what building or hotel doesn't have some rumor of a haunting or sighting of some kind? The Siniktarvik from what I am learning is no different. Happenings in the kitchen area, sightings in hallways, doors opening and from what I have experienced myself, falling metal gravy boats such as the ones pictured below.

Now, I am caught in between of, believing and not believing. Being a logical person who requires facts first, I am finding all of this stuff hard to swallow. However, when I was working night shift at the hotel doing security work for them during the holidays, I was the ONLY person with access (security codes & door keys) to the rooms, dining room, offices and kitchen areas. Two separate occasions occurred where upon entering the kitchen area, as the time clock is placed in there, to clock myself in I had discovered the above pictured metal gravy boats strewn about on the floor. I found this odd, but thought, the servers or cooks must have knocked them in a rush trying to leave at the end of the day and left them.

A second night I had found sandwich toothpicks all over the floor in the kitchen. In the exact same area as the gravy boats. My third experience was great. I actually had heard the crashing noise of the gravy boats hitting the floor as I was close by the kitchen area. I was in the hallway just outside the kitchen door. Upon entering I began to loudly ask the logical question, "Who's in here?!" With no response I scoured the large kitchen and dining room area with my flash light. Doors were locked, windows shut tight, no breezes or anything of the sort, no alarms going off.

The cooks today told me of their own personal experiences in the kitchen while working. Things being moved when they left them somewhere else. Front desk staff have told me of sightings out of the corner of their eyes. Today took the cake for sure with the house keepers who called me at the front desk from upstairs where they were cleaning. The call brought me to a room where the three house keepers were standing outside the door waiting for me with the room door open. I entered. They pointed out the upside down paper coffee cups they leave for the next guests beside the coffee pot with the two brown stir sticks on top of the cups, in the shape of a cross. They pointed out the bed by the window where the bed cover was shifted as if someone had sat on the corner end of the bed. This was a room where someone had passed away supposedly.

They asked me if I can get the room blessed. I explained to them we would look into it of course. My conclusion on all of this is still a little iffy. Is something really happening at the Siniktarvik Hotel at night, or is someone playing games with us? If this stuff is right up your alley, then the Siniktarvik is the place for you to stay in Rankin.

"Boo!"

Ouch, Yummy, Aaah.

2010-01-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

Haha, ok. So the title of this blog is a little odd. For multiple reasons too. The ouch is for the frost bite I got on my cheek. My first ever frost bite. I wear this frost bite like a decorated solider who wears his medals. I actually remember the moment I am sure I got hit by it too. This war wound I proudly show off to others. Although not blackened, no dead tissue abound, it is red, and hurts to the touch.

Yummy is for the mukta (check spelling) I tried for the first time last night. It was good, I could see myself eating more as long as I had hot sauce for it. I can definitely see the survival side of it out on the land. The whale blubber warms your blood as does caribou meat. One of the natural secrets the Inuit must use to keep so warm out on the land. If you have the chance to eat some, I recommend at least giving a go once. I can now say for myself, I have tried it.

The 'aaahh' was for finally visiting the local Legion here in Rankin Inlet. Having never been and seeing as how fellow blogger BNorthern is leaving the north to go back home in the south, and I wish him all the very best in all his future endeavors, I wanted to go to show him some thanks for helping me out when it was needed.

So another "blizzard" hit Rankin Inlet as of last night and canceled flights across the board. Ha, I seen more blizzards at a Dairy Queen than in Rankin Inlet. Not axing Rankin at all, but c'mon weather guys. Your the experts? I get a better prediction from Nostradamus on the end of days for crying out loud.

Ok, cigar and cognac time....till we met again bloggers.

Who Are You?

2010-01-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

To the person(s) who made it to the Siniktarvik Hotel in Rankin Inlet who reads my blog and took into account my blogs about the hotel, thank you for stopping by! But who are you? Your identity seems to remain shrouded in mystery lol. I would love to know who you are!

Thanks and I hope your stay was enjoyable!

Come Mr. Taliban....

2010-01-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

Is the U.S Government really serious about reconciliation? A theory now being toyed with for attempting to 'lure' out the lower Taliban fighters with money as the bait. Let's assume they pull out even one, the money the Government will spend just to do this will be costly. Let's even assume they pull out 2-5000 Taliban fighters from the lower end, what happens to the bigger fish in the Taliban at the top of the line? Do you really think your going to lure the big fish out of the water (or the sand dunes) with promise of money? They already have their own money. They want the US to stop supporting the Israelis do they not? This of course was according to the big guy himself, Osama bin Laden. Chances are Uncle Sam won't get one fighter.

Speaking of Osama bin Laden; how it is possible he STILL has not been located? Could it be for the fact that the Tora Bora mountains are so complex and the cave systems are so elaborate that Laden can hide for months on end despite the battle that took place in the area in 2001? I highly doubt your not going to be able to spot a 6 foot Arab hooked up to a dialysis machine walking around in the mountains in a white robe. After all, they found a tyrant of a President from Iraq cuddled in a hole in the ground hidden under a mat.

If Osama was caught, the money stops trickling in. Osama is and always will be a US cash grab folks.

Osama, welcome to the free world.

Penny Sale In Rankin Inlet

2010-01-23T17:31:00.000-08:00

Today Rankin Inlet hosted a Penny Sale and a Talent show this evening respectively as a relief effort for Haiti. I do not yet know the outcome of the Talent Show financially what it has brought in, but I do know the Penny Sale has turned out just over $7,000. I would like to say, this sale alone was amazing that it brought in as much as it did. The turn out was huge. Thanks to everyone in Rankin who did come to show support both by setting up the tables, bringing in their wares for sale and the people who contributed financially.

If you are in Rankin Inlet reading this, or ever come to Rankin Inlet, come by the Siniktarvik Hotel and say hello to me. It is my new place of work and I am immensely enjoying it there. The restaurant is busy, and chocked full of wonderful foods on the menu in the dining room section. If you are coming to Rankin Inlet for a visit, book yourself in at the Siniktarvik and stay a spell. The staff are exceptional and friendly.

Well Deserved Win

2010-01-23T06:09:00.001-08:00

Going back to the topic of last night's blog relating to the tragic loss of Nan Dicks, my grandmother in Newfoundland who lost her battle not to cancer which she has been battling for 43 years, but to a car accident. Reports are there were no skid marks on the road indicating she never even attempted to stop. Possibly indicating she may have had a heart attack or stroke while driving. There are many twists in this story behind the scenes that involve coincidences. To start, how is it that while being trained last night at work as I was asked to answer the next phone call that trickled into the hotel was the very phone call that brought the tragic news of my grandmothers death?

Another is even bigger. There has been a riff in the family. Between my step mother and I. This is where my blog gets so personal, it will most likely be the most private thing I may ever discuss on here. And I do so to bring you a little closer to my life, and into my world. As my wedding date speeds fast towards July 9th 2010 my step mother and I hit a speed bump in the road while on that journey. As I was anticipating her, her boyfriend and Nan to arrive this summer at the wedding, she wanted me to invite her sister, and brothers. I really don't know her sister and brothers very well. I had declined her suggestion of inviting them and just wanted to go form there. She had brought to my attention she would not be attending then. I had helped her with that decision by telling her she will not be invited then. Two mature adults acting like children.

Uggh. Ok, so this has come to a stand still and got so bad, we ended up not seeing eye to eye on the matter and ultimately stopped talking to one another. Enter the loss of my grandmother, her mother. I needed to be there for my step mother and made the call to her as soon as I got home last night after receiving the news of the accident. The call was hard for her, in more ways than one, but it was a loving and endearing phone call that was supportive of course as I am the eldest out of her three boys and needed to fulfill my role as such. I firmly believe I need to do the right thing here and let her know she is most certainly invited, as is her siblings in question.

Ironic twists of fate. Or signs from the Lord above that such arguments amongst family are insignificant in comparison to the fact that we are not here for a long time, nor is anything in life guaranteed? Whatever the answer is. It is awfully gut wrenching to think it may have taken the death of a family member to bring a family closer together.

I need to get ready for work. Thanks for reading.

A Great Loss

2010-01-22T17:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight as I blog, I blog with a heavy heart. My grandmother on my step mother's side has passed away, she was in a car accident earlier tonight. Although I have just seen her this past summer during my trip with my fiancee through Ottawa, where my grandmother, or Nan as I call her, was visiting up from Newfoundland to see her daughter (my step mother) I must say, cancer or not, she looked great. A battle she has been fighting for over 40 years.

I received the call tonight while I was at work, in training. It hit me hard, and I am deeply saddened not so much for myself, but for Juanita, my step mother. Her sister and her brothers and the rest of the family. You see, if you know Newfoundlander's at all, it is the are a very tight knit type of people when it comes to family. I would appreciate if you took the time to read this far into my blog, if you could go a little further and view the photos below of my Nan who never asked for anything from anybody. Was tougher than most people I know, and would do anything for you. The way you would know a grandmother would be.

My two younger brothers, Adam on the right in the white shirt, and Brendan, our youngest brother on the left in the black shirt and Nan in the middle on her summer visit in 2009.

My Nan & I during the summer of 2009 in Ottawa at Juanita's home.

Nan, her daughter Juanita (my step mother) & I.

I love you Nan Olive Dicks. R.I.P

Take 2

2010-01-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok. So my blog wasn't so user friendly yesterday lol. Or very pleasant on the eyes. Thanks to some fellow bloggers and advice from them, I did a little more tweaking with my blog page. I hope this is a little more pleasing to the eyes. With that being done, enough on that subject. I removed the poll as to whether or not the page was good, boring, whatever, whatever.

What I really wanted to blog about was this Nutri-System I have been using. Last Saturday was day one. I started at 254lbs. The biggest I have weighed. Today, just 5 days later, a few workouts on the elliptical trainer and a whole lot of Nutri-System meals and glasses of water later I am weighing in at 247 today. I feel good about this weight loss. I hate, hate the portion sizes offered up in Nutri-System however. They are no bigger than what a gerbil would dine on for a late night snack. That goes for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Though I did have a treat today for lunch, whole wheat pita bread with steak cut up into little bite size pieces with mozzarella cheese, green pepper, onion and a little fat free ranch sauce. Mmmmm mmmmm!! Ok, did I deserve it? Was it worth it? Did I cheat myself? I have no idea whatsoever but I can certainly tell you, it was fan-freakin-tastic!

And though I did treat myself today to at least something that resembles a darn meal, I will be right on track again tonight for dinner and have a treat day tomorrow, I will be ok. To see the scale weight looking back at me with a much smaller number than the day before is encouraging. I firmly now believe that daily tracking of your weight is motivating enough. Though I don't expect to see everyday results, I will continue to reap the rewards of what Nutri-System has to offer.

Till next time...

Breaking 1000

2010-01-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

Well I never started blogging on Blogger to gain popularity. I was merely hoping to just use the opportunity as an open journal for anyone to read or follow along my time in the North. And although I do not always blog about the North per say, I still do my best to blog about something. I am hoping to have some better blogs to come as I hone my writing skills and following others, learn how they use words. The art of being able to paint a picture in someone's mind simply by using words has always intrigued me. At times I have been able to paint colourful pictures and other time's I feel I have not been very good at it. I hope by year's end I can weave a tapestry of words for you that will enable you, the reader to understand where I am coming from with ease and enjoyment from reading my amusing little blogs.

With that being said, I thank you very much for visiting my blog and supporting me and encouraging me, even if you didn't realize it, to continue to blog each week at the very least. This morning I seen I have reached 1000 visitors. I am quite proud of this and I am sure my future father in law, Gord Dunphy who has a very professional like blog is laughing at my measly little 1000 visitors, haha, this is big for me.

In conclusion, again, thanks everyone!

Is It June Yet?

2010-01-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

Finally got a chance to get out and about today here in Rankin Inlet as the old man winter let up a little on us today. Warming things up to a balmy -27, got the town out in droves nearly. Made for a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday won't be no exception with temps getting as high as a reported -7 to -11! Come on, I know I am looking forward to May, June and July but this is a little too early isn't it?

Grabbed a couple of photos and finally, a brief short clip of the edge of Hudson's Bay frozen over. I hope to be adding more photos of around Rankin Inlet in the next few weeks. Check out some pics from earlier today below.

This was me trying to recapture my youth by climbing this giant mountain of snow.

Just me stopping for a photo pose.

Because it was so warm today I decided to jump for joy.

Till next time everyone, thanks for coming by...

A New Dawn

2010-01-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks the first day of my new job in the north. Hotel Desk Supervisor at the Siniktarvik here in Rankin Inlet. This isn't a big role, although it carries many duties to the role it is a good start for Melissa and I. We had been hoping CIBC which hired me a few months ago would have been our big ticket in the north to making headway financially up here would work out until I quit that gig. Not the smartest move, but I was very unhappy in what I was doing and was miserable doing it. That was just in the first 3 weeks. After the 4th, decided to leave.

The Siniktarvik offers lot's of room for advancement and a fairly decent offer was put before me after helping them out with security work over the holidays that consisted of me doing that during the nights. Sacrificing our holidays to see what if anything, would come out of the security stint, I did it. Glad I did, as I will be once again, working full time and hope everything works out well for us. Training begins this week, on board fully the week after. I am excited for a new venture and a new beginning. Hopefully, this is the last job I will need to ever apply for.

On another note about making it in the north, I want to wish my future sister in law and her fiancee, Lori & Matt, the very best of luck back in Whitby, Ontario as they left from Kugluktuk, Nunavut after a year and a half. They were coaxed to come up by us last year and had the opportunity to experience the north with us. They did exceptionally well and enjoyed themselves but are very happy to be home. I hope Matt has a good game tonight as he is back playing with his recreational hockey league team, The Mighty Pigs. Looking forward to seeing you both this summer in Newfoundland when we all four of us get married in July!

One last note of recognition goes to my blog readers. I have no idea who some of you are, as many do not post comments and this is perfectly fine. But I definitely want to thank you for taking time out of your lives to stop by and read my blog postings. Not much point in doing this if no one is reading it really. My tracker at the bottom tells me I am close to reaching my first 1000 visitors. That is exciting for me being new to blogging. To the Nunie Award nominees, I wish you all the best of luck as the results are still pending.

Till next time...

Nutrisystem, Tower 200, Elliptical, WeightWatchers & Hope.

2010-01-16T05:19:00.000-08:00

With the Christmas season done, and the new year set in stone, the time is long over due for this fat boy to drop the pounds once & for all. With a bevy of weapons under my wing I am well prepared to say the least to loose enough weight for me and a small army of men. Have my fiancee and I over done things by loading up on all these tools?

I do believe this could work if well played. Nutrisystem. Our first ever order arrived yesterday. Two giant boxes with a month's worth of food for us both. Upon getting the boxes home we opened everything up and were surprised...stunned...maybe a little shocked at what 'portion control' really is all about. My God man, have we been so blind as to not really know what a normal portion of food considered one serving is?

The packages are small, thin and frighteningly light. How does one survive on such small amounts of food? Is this not NASA space food? Hamburger patties you immerse in water and watch it grow like those coin dispensed toys you soak in water for 24 hours as it gets bigger. Chicken salads already made for you in a package that feels like goo inside as you squeeze it in curiosity. The cereals are petite but the cookies look great. The price we pay to loose weight is unforgivable at times and I feel like it consumes us like wildfire sucking up oxygen to survive.

The Tower 200. Body by Jake. Endorsed by Randy 'The Natural' Couture, this single piece of equipment can totally transform you into a fighting machine. Ok, maybe not exactly as such, but will get you toned according to the reviews. It attaches to any door, is secure and by use of pulleys and bungee like cords gives you resistance in the form of 25, 35 and 60 pounds. For both arms/legs, gives you a total of 200 pounds of resistance. With over 200 different exercises to learn, it is a personal home gym.

Our Elliptical gives us our biggest hope in fighting the weight bandit. Making use of this machine is crucial. With less than 6 months left till we leave to marry, we are hoping to motivate each other. I'll keep ya posted folks.

Sham Oww!

2010-01-12T01:35:00.000-08:00

Well good day to you my fellow bloggers and readers alike. Being 3am in the morning here in beautiful downtown Rankin Inlet, with light snow blowing in the cold wind I find myself laying wide awake as my fiancee snores up a storm of her own right beside me(rub it why don't ya sweetie). I decided sleeping is not my best quality as of late. I decided to get up and do the early morning routine that one does when facing this issue and make a bathroom run, a fridge stop along with a 'what's on t.v trip' and a final stop of 'who's online at 3am'. The first two went relatively well, the fridge stop was good for something cold to drink and the final check of the internet dealt me a blow. Let me take you back to your late night infomercials on T.V.

We have all seen em, watched em, talked about them amongst family & friends alike and even hated and liked them. Infomercials. Perhaps, you, like me, have even indulged once or twice to purchasing one of these 'As Seen On TV' products. I have been found guilty of purchasing such items as Dr. Ho's Muscle Massager (sends a ever soothing electrical pulse to the ab muscles creating the biggest idiot walking around with a velcro belt on, you!) or the Ab Doer, a chair that swivels around in many directions as you loose 1400lbs in just 30 seconds a day by sitting in a mini chair looking like a knucklehead just for buying the lamest product out there or perhaps you too have found the chills late at night so frustrating and just couldn't get relaxed all tangled up in that constrictive blanket that grandma knit for you which apparently according to the makers of Snuggie act like a straight jacket, or maybe you are deaf and need the Whisper 2000. This little tiny device looks like and resembles a Bluetooth wireless phone that attaches to your ear yet can deliver up to 9000 decibels just by cranking her up at full tilt so you can listen to birds, snakes, ghosts, farts, space transmissions or whatever the hell else they claim it can do. For you ladies, maybe you have bought the Bumpit from these late night scammers. A hair accessory for your hair that creates the illusion you worked feverishly for hours doing your hair and giving you the most ridiculous Wilma Flintstone hair look ever on your block.

Ok, so I am not saying that these products do not work, nor that they do work. And as I get off track here, let me take you back to what I am getting at. The Sham Wow. The Slap Chop, more precisely the man who endorses the product himself on TV, Vince Shlomi. The hyped up (probably coked out) endless ball of energy of a man who never seems to take one breath in between his sales pitch to us over the 'greatest products' on earth besides Rogaine and Viagra. Or was that sliced bread? Hmmm, whatever the case. Who is this guy? What's his background? Is he real or just an animated string bean who wears the best of what WalMart has to offer that week in T shirts? Well folks, get your cup of java ready, your favorite beer, your tastiest treat and let me lay it on you. I did the research on this clown. Here is the lowdown.

Offer 'Vince' Shlomi was born in Haifa, Israel on April 26th 1964. The man is a director, writer and a comedian. The first anyone ever seen of him was in 1999 comedy film called The Underground Comedy Movie which turned out to be a bust. He sued film makers saying that 14 scenes from the Farrelly Brothers film There's Something About Mary were adapted from his film Underground Comedy Movie. Shlomi also sued Anna Nicole Smith for breach of contract. He claimed that Smith agreed to be in Underground Comedy Movie, but backed out because she was afraid it would hurt her career. I didn't know Anna had a career. He is also a former member of The Church of Scientology, maybe Tom Cruise can teach him a few acting tricks? Shlomi apparently sued the Church for libel in 2004. I have not been able to find out what the outcome was of that.

Enter 2006. The infomercial was filmed in 2007. An absorbent towel he saw at a flea market which he dubbed, the ShamWow sparked the whole idea. The commercial was originally slated has having Vince saying the product held 20 times worth it's weight in liquid. Then re did the commercial saying it held 12 times it's weight, then finally re did to say it only holds really 10 times it's weight. Which apparently, ten is the most it can really adsorb. I won't get into any details of his second pitch, The Slap Chop for fear of my fiancee and her retaliation as she owns, well, not quite the Slap Chop, but a knock off which is deadly close to it in every way minus the name. And let's be honest, the couch sucks for sleeping on and she does read my blogs. With that said, let's move on shall we?

Here is the kicker folks...Vince, on February 7th, 2009 was arrested. Felony battery on a 26 year old prostitute. While in Miami Beach, FL while he was staying at the hotel Setai, an upscale $750 a night room where in the nightclub, he met Sasha Harris, 26 who accompanied Vince to his room. Vince admitted he paid Harris $1000 after she propositioned him for straight sex. Upon commencing of the kissing, she bit his tongue and wouldn't let go. Vince, being the nice guy he is obliged her by punching her several times in the face where Harris sustained facial fractures and lacerations all over her face at 4am. After releasing his tongue, Vince ran to the Setai lobby when the hotel security called for the cops to show. Turns out, Harris was not very cooperative with police and the cops says both parties reeked of alcohol. Bear in mind, Harris was also charged for battery on him. I have posted the actual copies of the police reports below.

Well folks, I hope this was as exciting for you to read as it was for me to type. I should be going I suppose, 4:30 am came quicker than I expected....now, what's on TV?

My Achey Breaky Back

2010-01-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok....I know I been missing my blog updates as I was doing so well. I had some time out. I was doing night shift work for two and a half weeks which totally and utterly ripped up my sleeping schedule and my fiancee's. Threw off our holiday plans and left us feeling alone. Being on different time schedule's is not fun. Her and I found it hard to get used to making time for seeing one another. I ended up finishing my work doing night security between two hotels early due to throwing (I never threw it anywhere) my back out. Let me tell ya, if you have never experienced the wonderful friendship of pain and immobilization, you aren't living then. The fact I originally threw out my back three and a half years ago in Kentucky, US by participating in my own personal strong man competition was a stupid thing to do. That fridge weighed a lot! In any case, I reaggravated it last year in Kugluktuk simply by washing my hands leaning over the sink.

The pain strikes like lightening and brings a grown man to his knees. Then your laid up for a week. My sister in law to be also experienced this about a month ago. So once again, while shaving in the bathroom (why am I always in the can when this happens?) when it struck again. The trick is a couple of key things; ibuprofen 3 times a day, lay on your back on the floor with your knees up, and do 20 minutes of heat compress and 20 minutes of a cold compress. I also think my future mother in law would also suggest Gatorade. Good for everything that ails ya.

With my back feeling a bit better after 3 days, I am still careful not to do anything suddenly. Last thing I need is to be out of commission for an extra week you know.

On another note, six months from this day, my fiancee, Melissa Dunphy and I marry in Newfoundland and it couldn't come any sooner. With such little time left, we still feel there is so much left to do.

Life in Rankin Inlet is just fine. However, I find I do miss certain aspects of life from down home in Ontario. I miss my cats, Lexus and Casey. They are being well cared for and I am grateful for that. I miss driving. I don't yet have a vehicle in Rankin and I love to drive. I could drive for days straight. I miss Tim Horton's. I miss my friends. I miss my idiot brother's. I miss stopping at a garbage sale on someone's property to go through the shit they no longer want, but will try and sell to you. I miss saying hello to people in downtown Toronto only to have them give you the middle finger or tell you where to go. Yea, I miss those things.

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, I will once again try to keep my ever so boring blogs updated more frequently as I once did. Hope your all having a good start to the new year everyone.

Till next time....

Brew Master & Late Nights

2009-12-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

I have been exploring the wonderful world of brewing your own beer at home. The comforts of home. What better way to spend the holidays while awaiting for your favorite beverage to transpire right in the confines of your own home. Never having done this before, I have been extremely excited about the process. The process for the particular set up I have has been a hands off style. Not having to go through more than three steps makes it simple and so easy, 'Even a Caveman can do it'. Haha, I had to get that in there. Seriously, a caveman could do it. A self contained unit, your package of beer mix in powder form, yeast and water. There is your basic ingredients for what can yield you up to 28 beers in one shot in under two weeks.

I have enjoyed the beer thus far, I like that I can experiment with different tastes and colours of the beer. Alcohol content varies on the selection. The darker the beer colour, the higher the alcohol content apparently. That being said, I enjoy the lighter side of the mixes. The fermenting process is awesome, as you can literally see the beer create it's own natural carbonation from the natural fermentation process. In the fridge the beer will slowly loose it's haziness and become clear and bubbly and with a few shots from your CO2 cartridges, you can get that nice frothy head on a beer and keep your beer in the self containment unit fresh tasting with every pour!

On another short note life after CIBC has come and gone in my eyes. Now working the grave yard shift between the two local hotels here in town, The Siniktarvik Hotel which boasts 50 rooms (could be more) and The Turaarvik Inn which sees about 22 rooms, the management is worried about break in's. Lack of people in around the holidays working and staying at the hotels leaves it vulnerable. So for the next couple of weeks, I will be helping out these two hotels by doing late night security checks. Last night was my first on duty. It was lonely, but interesting somehow.

Lastly, Merry Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!

2009-12-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

Eleven days to go until Saint Nick arrives. I've no chimney here. I do however seem to have some connection with the old Jolly man himself. Apparently, sent by Santa Claus himself, I kid you not on this, check the pic below...

....I know not how he got my address. I think it's amusing however. I assure you, I am not leaving a key out for anyone to gain access while I am sleeping. I don't care how jolly they are. Saturday night was a great night here at the Burton/Dunphy residence as we hosted a UFC 107 Fight Night. The fights were great, BJ Penn vs Sanchez as expected. Sanchez was a no show. Frank Mir was monstrous in his fight against Kongo which last well under 40 seconds. Thanks again to everyone who came and enjoyed the show.

Environment Canada, your weather predictions simply suck. You have now issued a 4th warning of imminent blizzard like conditions approaching Rankin Inlet. Deliver the goods or go home! Stop warning us, and tell us when it's arrived on our door step already. Your driving my fiancee up the wall who is begging for a snow day already.

Good night...

Good Times

2009-12-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I got to chat it up with an old buddy of mine I used to work with polishing aircraft for AirCanada Jazz. It was really a complete debacle but nonetheless, this is what we did. Whether or not we maintained or mangled these poor airplanes is beyond me but I had a lot of fun doing it. It was good to hear from him as he has pursued the interesting and painful world of MMA. Mixed Martial Arts. I realized while talking to him that every moment is taken for granted. Time we spend with friends, loved ones and when we have a 'moment' in life, it all will pass and time will go on and one day you may never have that opportunity to enjoy life as it is happening right then and there. Trials and tribulations are all a part of life, and taken out of my buddy's book last night, we cannot go through life pissed off with everything, just take it for what's it worth. Thanks Stranix!

On another note, this whole volunteer firefighting position is becoming fairly lax. I was told by our instructor, that if more of us are not going to show up for weekly practices, some of us are going to face reprecautions. Hello! We volunteer! Are we to be fired from our volunteer positions?! This was a pretty ridiculous statement made but then followed up with, "This wouldn't happen in the south". Well, they also get paid in the south to volunteer my dear. So perhaps looking at another solution such as paying us to show would be your only option. Now, I show either way simply because I am interested in firefighting and always have been all my life. I could care less if I am paid for this particular experience. Although, I could very well use the money.

Lastly, this is the third winter storm watch Rankin Inlet has received in a month and I am really thinking this is either going to be a big blizzard as they say, or just another light dusting with a little blowing wind. How did you guys do over there Whale Cove?

Till next time....

Jolly Saint Nick It's Cold...!

2009-12-09T08:08:00.001-08:00

I asked for it. I begged for it. Now that it's here, I am loving it. The freezing cold of the Arctic. What is the point of being in the Arctic if you can't experience the sheer thrill of stepping out into -50 weather and having your eyelashes freeze together and your nose run cold if you can't appreciate what the land up here has to offer? I have always been a stickler for the ice & cold for some reason. Although I am somewhat prone to it and do enjoy it, it doesn't necessarily mean my skin is adapt to it. I still find after a while my exposed skin on parts of my face begin to hurt or my forehead begins to ache. Thanks Old Man Winter!

I am jobless. Did I pull a wrong move by leaving the bank? Just upright left and see my way out of a possible future? In a way. At the same time I was miserable. More than the Christmas Grinch himself. I hate not being able to have a good sense of foresight on these matters. I can only hope in some way this was a better move than I thought it would have been. Without blasphemy towards anyone, I found it hard to work with an asshole. Yet we all do it, and yes, I have worked with the best of them in previous positions, this person was the worse. I wish I was able to have sucked it up and worked through it, but I have this thing for not being able to stand by and be into somebody's little puppy with outside related work duties. I do not shine shoes, nor start your truck for you. Start it yourself. To boot, I would have slapped this person silly had I seen him down talk to the women employees once more disrespectfully. Keep your chip off your shoulder when you come to work and show some respect to the female workers who actually run the bank, not just work there.

I know where my priorities lay. I am not single anymore and can't afford to be laid back with my feet up. Wedding to be paid for, talk of children next year. I do have something up my sleeve however. I always do.

Till next time...

Smooth As A Baby's Behind

2009-12-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so after a week of experimenting with growing a beard, temptation gave in and I lost my battle to a razor. Enough said on that.

Till next time....

Projects.

2009-12-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

I have two new projects on the go. Both of which are experimental. One is a bit risky perhaps and a bit foolish, but let me be your guinea pig. H1N1; I have not taken the shot for this horrible strain of flu on the go. I also have not taken a regular flu shot against any flu in the last 5 years. I have been either really good at keeping the flu at bay or it has been really weak at finding me. I am unsure about all the reports of H1N1. I am unsure of a resistance shot that was made a year prior to the H1N1 strain even becoming a reality in the Northern hemisphere as far as I know.

I am taking a risk I know. I am young, healthy, and generally pretty careful about washing my hands when I return home, and using little of the hand creams that kill 99% of all germs. I stick strictly with soap and hot water. I do my best to not touch my face in anyway when I am outside of my home for the day. Let's see how far I can make it.

My second project is my whiskers. I am growing a beard. It is my first real attempt at it. I have no real purpose for it other than to see the reactions of others who know me and just to see what it's like to have a beard. No need to post pictures, it's just a beard lol.

Till next time....

The Art Of Graffiti Removal

2009-12-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Interesting story, I used to once remove graffiti for a living. It was actually one of the better jobs I have had. Although the pay was moderately low, with no benefits of any kind and a lot of risk, I loved the job. I cannot name the company nor tell you about the actual product ingredients, but I can tell you the process and the tales of my experience with the company. I worked for a smaller extension of a bigger company out of Toronto, ON. Let me tell you, there was no shortage of graffiti to be removed in the city, and surrounding areas. The entire process of the actual finding the graffiti, link it to a customer, and make a proposal for removal to be done and then remove it is amazing.

It begins with training. I was hired sometime in 2006 and rode in a Dodge Ram 3500 truck fully quipped with product and equipment (pressure washer) to get the job done. I learned the process and daily routine quicker than I thought I would have. I should have taken this as a sign to come I would have enjoyed the job a lot more than I thought I would. A scout or a representative is sent out to scour the vastness of Toronto and surrounding areas for graffiti. High, low, big, small, it never mattered. We could remove it with little damage, if any ever done. Once the rep has located graffiti, the next step is to locate the customer to which property the graffiti is located. Customers of course can also locate us by calling us. Once a contact was established, the proposal can begin. The rep would discuss an appropriate time frame, date, and of course, price to which removal would be acceptable. They would also explain the removal process depending what type of substrate it was on.

Once the proposal was set, the rep would take photos of the graffiti. Back at headquarters, a work sheet or proposal sheet would be printed out and put into the work orders. One of the tech's (Graffiti Technicians) would get the work order and the instructions of best suggested way to remove it, location of exactly where it is, and a thumbnail photo is all on the work order. Once the tech has reached the location of the graffiti, an assessment would be made by the tech as do what he or she wanted to really do here. Now, rule of thumb, if on brick, we use a goop based product (sorry, no product names are given), if on a non porous surface, plastic, glass, paint, we use a different method. The 'goop' used basically restores the paint to which it came out of the can, wet, liquid state form. We brush the goop on and wait for about 20 minutes before we fire up the hot water pressure washer. I will not say what the p.s.i was, nor how hot the water got, except it would strip paint off your car with ease. It could dig into concrete. So there was certainly a skill needed here as to not damage anything.

Brick removal was the best. To ready myself to do a removal off brick was fun. I would gear up, overalls, gloves, boots and a full face mask ready....and get to it, meticulously, like a surgeon remove in strips, in the same width of the bricks, remove the graffiti.

I have edited out the company logo on my hat, clothes as to keep within the respected guidelines of the company. The removal process is a fairly easy thing unless it's a color of green, blue or red which can tend to be trouble. Once the graffiti is off, clean up is simple, as all products are biodegradable and environmental friendly. Everything dissolves with the water. No trace of us ever being there was left behind. End result, is a cleaner looking property, and a happy customer.

I miss this job at times and often wonder, were we ever really winning the battle against graffiti? The answer was no. Simply, we were able to maintain it to a reasonable level of acceptance. Store fronts, business owners who got tagged were told they now have 72 hours to have the graffiti removed from the walls of their businesses. Or pay a fine.

So what is graffiti exactly? Where did it originate from? Is it really an art or just scribble? Let's look further into these questions.

Graffiti has existed since the times of the ancient. From the Pharaohs of Egypt to the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece. Even more so, during the times of the cave man. Who would blast dried earth elements such as red, browns and other colours with saliva in the cave walls that were etched with markings of animals, or themselves, or their own hands. Ta-da, you have graffiti. The terminology used in the graffiti world can be extensive and confusing, to save myself time, I have provided a link to which you can explore the terms used here.

Here are a couple of pictures.

A 'throw-up'.

A 'tag'.

Marc Ecko is a top graffiti artist and well known throughout the graffiti world. He is the one who supposedly tagged, Air Force One, the President's airplane with his logo, 'Still Free". As seen in the picture below.

A goal of a tagger, or artist, is to be seen. To become known amongst his or her peers in the graffiti community. Everyday you can spot graffiti if you just look for it. Seems, we have become very immune to it as we can walk right by it and not even ever notice. At times it is hard to read a taggers signature. Next time you come across graffiti, stop and take it in for a moment. Think to yourself, "What did this person have to go through in order to break the law, and what does it say? What message are they trying to convey? Is it art, or vandalism?"

Till next time .......

It's Too Loud!!

2009-12-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

"Can you turn it down, it's just too loud."

I hear this a lot lately when my neighbour comes over. Can someone please tell me, in an apartment where the walls are tissue thin, how one watches their television or listens to their music without disturbing a neighbour who lives in silence. How can I constantly control the volume of my television with loud commercials, movies that are edited poorly with low talkers, and explosive dramatic scenes? I have the volume button on the remote worn out. If it gets escalated to GN, we could be asked to leave the building that we have made our home. Put our finger print on. Are we to live in silence now as well? Is my neighbour constantly going through this much torment?

Feeling frustrated........

Oh Celebrities....gotta hate em.

2009-12-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

So the latest out of Hollywood is Tiger Woods is apparently a real Tiger after all huh. After bribing, uum, I mean offering his wife, a cool $60 million dollars over the next two years to stay with him it seems nothing good ever comes out of a celebrity marriage. It seems to turn out to be a train wreck of some sort. Why is it actors and actresses cannot get it together. The normal everyday guy & gal can make it work on a daily basis, but athletes and celebs alike have a hard time with this, commitment concept. Penguins are able to stay committed to one partner for life more than any human ever could.

If untamed animals can make it work, why can't humans? Tiger, you are just that, an animal and certainly have let down fans, and your little fans alike. You are to be a role model, something you take on by not asking for, but with your status such as the one you have being a star, you should know, there is nothing you can hide in your life. Eventually, not only will we, the public find out, but so will your wife. What were you possibly thinking? Could you not have been a real man and just gone to her and tell her like it is, "I am not interested in being with you, and I feel I don't love you." That is harsh, but at least it is truthful and honest. You give us other men a bad look. Too further add to my rant about you, as good a golf player as you are, you are really shitty at being a man. Grow up, you have a family to care for and children to take responsibility for.

Progress At Last...!

2009-12-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so found the elliptical trainer last night. It is in Church Hill, Manitoba. Final expected delivery? 3 days to 3 weeks. My solution? Wait three weeks anyway and call Sears and have them honor their word to comp me. Not only did I make progress with the elliptical, but my alcohol finally appeared out of no where. Seems Canadian North actually had it all along. Ugh....can you seriously give me any more white hair than what I got now?

Aside from that we finally got some real curtains today. My good friend from Oshawa sent them up, I spray painted the metal rod, once green, white, and screwed on some flare on the ends of the curtain rod and this is what we came up with. Note, the living room was just painted wolf grey three weeks ago. See below.

Before those, we had some really nasty looking brown drapes up that are GN crap. Well, nothing really further to report.

Shipping Blues

2009-11-30T15:02:00.000-08:00

This blog is going to be negative filled with a topping of hate. The topic? Shipping in the north. Let me start by taking you back to last year when I was back in Kugluktuk, NU and the shipping was fair. Wait times were decent, the ETA on items were expected and appropriate and, and they came in one piece.

Sears can go screw themselves. This company not only charges an arm & a leg for shipping, but they also lost my big ticket item. How can a company not have a way bill number for an elliptical trainer that weighs in excess of 300 pounds and stands 5 feet tall? How does the airline that supposedly retrieved it not be able to account for it either? Are you kidding me? So let me get this right Sears; you took a customers Visa number, charged $1300, followed through with the item to be purchased by sending it out to an airline and then exchanged no papers, with no way to track the item and left the costumer dangling in midair without a hope in Heaven of ever finding it nor a care in the world from your end? By the way, to the dough head woman on the other end of my phone tonight from Sears Corporate....next time either take the damned gum out of your mouth before dealing with a costumer so I can understand what in the blue hell your trying to say, or choke on it and drop dead. You were as useless as Brittany Spears at a Sunday church gathering.

So while I am waiting for Sears and Calm Air to figure out where the hell my elliptical is, on to another airline. First Air. This airline sent me my first tv, an older model tube tv, earlier this year to me, scratched to hell on the glass screen. My fault, it wasn't packed right. But then sent my second tv to me, packed correctly and safely, smashed. Filed a claim on it, two months later, no progress. I am left with a broken brand new, flat screen tv sitting in the bedroom closet fermenting and growing dust like an old baseball mitt. Now, on to my third airline, Canadian North. I had first placed an order for some alcohol. Yes, I am a criminal for wanting to enjoy a drink on a Friday night after work. Anyway, placed it a week ago....nothing has ever arrived, no one has ever contacted me about it, no prayers have been answered. Come to find out, hello over there in Iqaluit, tell the liqueur warehouse I need my order processed and if they can't, to call me!!

Shipping in the north is about as smooth as William Hung's songs.

Tracking You!

2009-11-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

I have stumbled upon an amazing little website tracker that tracks where your viewers are viewing you from. As eerie as it is, it tracks what street you are even on through Google Earth. As well of course it tracks what website you came from to my site, and how long you visited. It tracks your IP as well. Now you might find this a little scary, but rest assured, I have no concern what your IP is, nor what street you live on. I have no malicious intent whatsoever. I am concerned with where my viewers are in the world, and how long you stayed on my site and how many times you visit. I am trying to better my blog hits and what better way to do that than by using a stats tracker. I have provided the link here, for you to check out the site and track your own stats should you wish.

I have been subbing a lot more lately since leaving CIBC. I love it. The kids are awesome to work with and they respond well to me for whatever reason. I enjoy it a lot and yet find it difficult at times subbing for different teachers. I say this because every teacher has his or her own way of leaving lesson plans for me to get on with for the day. Most are very detailed and descriptive whereas others may not be so. I have the next three days booked with the high school, and the only grade that proves a challenge are the grade 9's. They are unruly, wild, and like to test the new subs. Little do they know, this is what I like. I like a challenge. It's a good one with them.

Rankin Inlet had it's first "storm watch". Ha, chicken little. It was a mere breeze. Nice try Mr Weatherman, but you came up a little short I'd say.

Um, ok, so what else? Guess nothing! Till we meet again...

Banking Woes

2009-11-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a bit of negative news from out my way tonight, I quit my job with CIBC. Now, hold the phone, I know what your thinking, "What?!" Let me be clear, I can and did do the job. I was trained very sloppy, unprofessionally, and hastily in my 4 weeks of training. Two of which I was stuck in a room by myself in front of a computer with online courses and left to my own devices while the manager left for two weeks. Now I somehow managed to make the most out of this "Northern" conundrum by doing my 4 week training regardless. I also managed to go through a couple of test runs on till and came away doing well. The issue lies within management and how it is being ran. I will say no more other than I know for a fact how training should properly be done in order to be effective, but it never has happened in that bank with current management unfortunately. I was even offered to be Branch Manager in 6 months time. No thank you. I wish not to be thrown under the bus. So I have gone back on the sub list. Pays more, less stressful, most of all, I enjoy it. So what's the problem? Should I feel guilty, for having doing something that involves that dirty word, "quit"?

I do not believe so. I done nothing wrong so much as I have done something right. Now my timing may have seemed a little off to some, as I have a wedding to pay for in June. Fear not, subbing is abundant here, and have already scored 5 days worth of work thus far. Furthermore, I have also made myself an appointment to test for the Class 2 drivers license which will enable me to drive air brake trucks such as dump trucks, etc. I will also be going for Class 3 which would be for driving bigger trucks, more axles really, such as a firetruck.

Speaking of firetrucks; I have applied and have been hired as a volunteer Firefighter for the Fire Department of Rankin Inlet. I have been issued my bunker gear, radio and pager. I did my first training exercise last night at the station and it was very exciting. To boot, I have been asked to train for the ambulance driver in Rankin Inlet. I have also accepted this role. Tonight I went on my first ever ambulance call. I was picked up, we drove to the hospital and picked up someone from the Emergency room who was being Medivac out. We loaded the injured onto the stretcher and out to the awaiting ambulance and away we went to the airport. I find it difficult and exciting to have the radio on, and with me at all times just as the pager comes with me everywhere too. At night time I respond to a calls when I am required to.

This week has been a whirlwind of excitement, letdowns, failures and happy moments. The Burton Project has been just that, a project and continues to be an on going experiment with life in the North. Till next time everyone....

Thats The Way The Cards Fall

2009-11-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

Oh dear Mr. Atkins.... I'm not entirely sure of your methods to this madness you call a diet, but I hate it. I have fell off the wagon on Friday and Saturday night, beer, pretzels and pizza! Carbs, carbs, carbs. Yet, I am back on today. Perhaps in knowing that Thursday comes the most anticipated item Melissa, & I have purchased together next to the television and bed we bought in the last two years. Our Eliptical trainer. Yes Mr. Atkins, your diet has flaws alright...the lack of freakin carbs!

On another note much more positive, a poker game broke out last night at my place and I came away with the loot! Biggie Smalls would be oh so proud, "Gimmie da loot, gimmie da loot, I'm a bad boy"....ok, so I am making inside jokes with myself I see. Nice to see fellow blogger, Brad, swing by for a visit and try his hand at the game of luck.

I enjoy my weekends a lot, weekend warrior I suppose I am. Now on to another dreadful work week, blah.

2009-11-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

No big news today, Atkins diet is still on the go, no new news to report. Just uploading some beautiful pictures.

Walking Experience

2009-11-11T16:31:00.000-08:00

Today I got out for a walk in around a new area of Rankin Inlet I had never been. It was very beautiful outside today and I took advantage of that as best I could by bringing out my big boy camera, the Nikon D60 DSLR. I made sure to bring a air tight baggie with me as to make sure before I go back inside condensation doesn't build up on the inside of the camera. The air tight baggie defeats this by letting the condensation build up on the outside of the baggie. Letting the camera warm up to room temperature prior to removing it from the baggie finally. Anyway....as I have company sitting here now, rudely I am still blogging away simply because I MUST blog! I am attempting to put up some of my town pictures I took today. I even found an old spot light up top of a hill that is no longer in use. I thought about how it reminded me of the Batman spotlight they use to signal him at night time. I also met two local men who were caring for their racing dogs.

I took the opportunity to just stand up top of a hill, all alone with the silence of my surroundings except for the wind that was blowing cold off the Hudson's Bay. Taking in the sight of the vastness of the land and the frozen over water. I enjoy these 'by myself' moments as they are rare but I am grateful for them due to the one on one feeling with myself and the land. Today was so warm out too, just -10. It would be great if it could remain this was all winter. I know it won't :(

Prints, Carvings & an Eliptical Machine

2009-11-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

So I have added another pound gone to my already 4 missing from my body. To wake up this morning and see 243 lbs on the scale is motivating. I have 2 new prints I bought here in Rankin from a local woman who does them, I own more, but these are the two I am posting for now below.

Also purchased not even an hour ago is this sweet carving made from Caribou bone....

Our carving collection is coming along nicely as is our print collection. I would like to have a nice collection of everything by the time we are ready to leave from the North which won't be for about another 4 and a half years yet. On another note, Rankin Inlet got some snow yesterday. Blowing winds and all. I hope it continues. Till next time...

Update On Atkins

2009-11-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I said I wasn't going to weigh myself, but I did mention I was going to blog for you all so you can follow me along in it. So, the update is three days later, since beginning Atkins, I am down from 247lbs, to 244lbs. One pound a day sounds just fine with me. I feel fine, no dizziness, although I am hungry a lot as I have started controlling my portions and removed carbs. I am still uneasy about providing pictures as I feel uncomfortable with that idea, so no pics :) I'm off to go play badminton now, see you.

3 Days Grace

2009-11-07T07:11:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I am three days into the much debated, Atkins Diet. I have been watching my carb intake and although I am allowed 22 grams of carbs a day, I may have went over last night by double that. So Friday night may or may not have been a washout. Considering Thursday I had no carb intake what so ever, I feel I am still on track to loosing something by November 19th. It has not been THAT difficult buying foods with little or no carbs, and it's been great eating some really healthy delicious foods. Egg omlettes with green/red bell peppers, onion, cheese and mushroom, a cup of coffee with sweetener and a scoop of coffee whitener at 2 grams of carbs. Last night I had turkey stir fry. No added sauces, just plain as anything with a little pepper and a dash of salt. It was very good. I have loads of fish to eat and chicken and other meats as steak. I do find it odd when I start to crave carb foods and want to reach for those pretzels, or a slice of bread.

I will not weigh in either until the 19th. As I last saw my weight before I started this funky diet, was 247lbs, I want to see some kind of an improvement. I would be happy to see 239lbs. Though I have heard of men loosing up to 14lbs in two weeks.

On another note I had a great night playing Bingo with friends and although nobody won out of 15 of us, Lori coming within one number away from $8,000...we had a spectacular time. The game got better once our friends set up their little guy, Sebastian, who is only 4, on the karaoke machine and he began calling out the numbers after they were called out by the man on the radio. Yes, Radio Bingo.

New Horizons

2009-11-05T05:17:00.000-08:00

Today I have begun the Atkins diet. I am more curious about if this really works or not. On the 19th of November, I will have a final say as the first phase is two weeks long and is compiled of eating no carbs. This should be interesting. Although I just ate a big healthy egg omlette, a coffee with whitener powder, and a packet of sweetener, all of which have next to little or no carbs, the breakfast was good. So far ten minutes into it, all is well.

Our food mail was a relatively cost efficient order at a cost of $283.95 though the home delivery was $5, the shopping fee was a mere $21 and the Northern delivery charge was a low $41.58 as was the M&T fee to deliver it to our door, up 3 flights of stairs was $25 with total tax being $4.38. $96.96 in total charges. In essence our food was really $211.99. We paid for half an order in charges/fees alone. Is there not a better way to get this done? Shopping at the local Northern would set us back even more I would be afraid. The local stores here over charge because they know they can? Ugh. Bread & water are sounding better and better.

Things Happen For A Reason

2009-11-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there...to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would never realize your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Illness, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul.

Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create whom you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things. Make every day count. Appreciate everything that you possibly can, for you may never experience it again.

Talk to people whom you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold you head up because you have every right to.

Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it.

Almost There

2009-11-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

As October has come & flew by, I realize how I am looking forward to the new year coming ahead. Not sure what really has me excited about it. Other than the fact my stay last year in Kugluktuk was such a wash out and I truly don't even like to speak about it because it sucked the big one big time, or maybe the fact it's just a change of the date, 2010. Very futuristic. Or possibly the fact that it marks my coming 2nd year anniversary being with my fiancee, Melissa. Could be there may be be great things in store for us. I am unsure what it is exactly, but it always feels the same, like washing your hands clean of a dirty piece of fruit you been handling. Or possibly this is what it feels like to finish a book. I have limited experience in that department.

I want to send a friendly hello to a fellow blogger on here who not only reads my blog, but I had the opportunity last night at a Halloween party,
(not the kid in this picture lol. This was a friend's little boy who joined us in this picture)
to meet with him by chance. Since his identity remained a mystery last night, as his entrance was one to talk about for a while here in Rankin Inlet, I will keep the shroud going with him and just say, "Hello". He knows who he is. Did that mask ever come off last night?

Rankin still awaits it's first snow blast. A storm. A white out. Temperatures have dramatically fallen as we are losing 6 minutes of light a day, now with the clocks gone back, it's an hour and 6 minutes. By 4pm, it's dark. Sun rises at 7:44. I have started to keep a personal track record of this daily happening in this part of the hemisphere. I have already broken out the S.A.D(Seasonal Affective Disorder)lighting and the vitamin D. The winter blues, can really take it's toll on you if not well prepared.

We had a flea market sale in town yesterday and it was very reminiscent to those back home in Toronto. Shoulder to shoulder traffic inside the place making it seem like your battling a raging river going against it's currents in the opposite direction. I missed a great opportunity to purchase a real Pana. This is a men's traditional snow carving knife. It's basically like a mini machete. In Inuit mythology, Pana was the god who cared for souls in the underworld (Adlivun) before they were reincarnated. Pana means 'snow knife' in Inuktitut. The picture below is of a Pana.

I am awaiting my grocery order to get in this Wednesday as I will be starting my weight loss experience for those of you that are following that aspect of my blog knows, I was to begin today. I need the right foods to get here first :) So stay tuned.

Loosing Face

2009-10-28T05:45:00.004-07:00

Ok so now Rankin Inlet got a 'dab' of snow on us. It looks nice, but where is the BIG snow falls I've only heard about? The howling winds with blowing snow and the huge squalls that roll into Rankin? Where is all of this? Yesterday was above seasonal temperatures for what it should have been. For what little snow we did have, it was already beginning to melt. I wore a sweater to work yesterday and back. After already donning my winter Canada Goose parka the other day. The only little sign that winter is ever still creeping in slowly, the is the daily 5 minutes of light we are fast loosing right out from under our noses. Stay aware Rankin, something big is coming, and I hope it has snow written all over it.

Impossible Blankets

2009-10-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I had enough of this damned commercial. I'm talking about, The Snuggie. What the hell kind of moronic individual thought this up one evening in his home while 'trapped' in his blanket with no way to free his/her arms to reach for that hot cup of coca. Is it really that impossible to use the t.v remote because you are trapped? What if I am in my blanket right now, and your commercial comes on telling me to reach for the telephone to call to order but I can't because guess what? I'm trapped under my blanket! I find it hard to release myself and I begin to panic....I find my breathing becoming more and more shallow.....the doorbell is ringing but I can't get up because my feet are tangled in the blanket...the dog is barking at me as he senses I am in a world of distress.....I struggle, but the more I do, I become more entangled in this hell of a situation......wait.....I think I can make it out....I see the way towards the light.....! Yes....yes! I am free....free of that blanket. OK, it's definitely time for me to order that Snuggie. No more will I ever have to be trapped again. Thanks Snuggie. What's next? Socks that won't choke me as I put them on I suppose.

The Burton Project

2009-10-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Although my blog is geared towards my time in the North, I am taking a bit of a turn with it. I need to lose weight. For health purposes more than anything really and for my own peace of mind. So in short I will be allowing you, the reader to experience my weight loss experience as I try to lose a set goal of 67 lbs by June 1st, 2010. Or, 180lbs. That's 7 months. I will be starting this on November 1st, 2009. I will still blog about my northern experience but will be including more photos of my weight loss with my blogs. I will do measurements, weight recordings and photo recordings to track my progress. My goal is to keep myself motivated as well, I may be able to motivate others who are wanting to lose some weight.

I have been skinny most of my life, 170lbs. Up until about age 23 when I started noticing I was gaining weight due to lack of exercise, metabolism and fast foods. Oh, buying a car didn't help me either as I was notorious for walking everywhere I needed to go. Now at age 35 I weigh 248lbs. I stand a mere 5 foot, 8 inch's. I have a speculated BMI (body mass index) of roughly 37.55. Although I like using this BMI as a guide, nothing is perfect. Nor is my BMI score. My fiancee and I are ordering a elliptical trainer in the next coming week.

This northern experience is my time in the north, and my weight loss is, The Burton Project.

Money, Money, Money

2009-10-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

So today was my first day working at the bank. What can I saw about this new experience? It was interesting. To see the daily operations of how the bank operates is something new to me, no longer will I think a teller has it easy peesy. It is countless hours spent counting bills to make sure you got the right amount at all times. I saw another side of what happens when all the systems/computers go down including the ABM. Manual paper work gets done lol. Then when the systems come up, re enter everything on the system. I like the fact that you are helping people handle their money. As at times I found it boring today, I am still new, and still looking for those exciting aspects of the job. I want to be like a sponge to this job and my fellow employees around me and soak up the knowledge they have acquired.

I love the perks and benefits that accompany the position I hold right now. I have two weeks of training that will strike me as boring, and then another two weeks that will be dealing with the public. After the 4 weeks, I should be on my own. I am anticipating mistakes to be made on my part. I do see it as this, if I don't make those mistakes, I may never learn how to correctly do something. The trick, is to learn from those I make.

I would get on a new topic concerning the Toronto Maple Leafs....but I don't have the time to criticize every player on the roster.

Thankful

2009-10-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today was Thanksgiving and I sure was thankful. Thankful for having the opportunity to be able to come to such an amazing community such as Rankin Inlet. Thankful I have enough sense to see myself through to obtain the right career while here that will be new, exciting, interesting and worth it. I am thankful for meeting new friends and sharing our stories about our lives amongst one another. I am thankful for the newly acquired family I have in the Dunphys such as Jocelyn, my future mother in law who is a dear and shares her great hospitality with me when I was there. Gord my future father in law who I can ask questions of things I am not sure about when I need an experienced answer. Lori & Allison the future sisters I have always wanted but never had, now I have two. I am grateful to have them in my life now. Mark who will be my brother in law. One of the smartest young lads I know.

Most of all, and above all.....Melissa. I can come to near tears when I think of her because I realize how lucky of a person I am to just even know her. Let alone to have the utmost wonderful opportunity to marry this spectacular woman puts me beside myself at times. I love her with everything that I am. She doesn't know, but when I look into her eyes, it's like tunnel vision with her. I see, nor hear, nor feel anything else at that moment but her. My life would be dull and void if she were not in it in some way, even in the smallest. Thank you Melissa.

On another note, tomorrow I start my new job and I am ready to take it on. I will keep you up to date what it's like to work in a bank.

Another Usesless Blog

2009-10-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

So Halloween is fast approaching and I have a part of my costume here with me, as you can see from above. It's my Vampire contacts. To complete the costume, I have the modifiable teeth coming and a full ensemble for a male Vampire from the 18th century. As well Melissa will compliment me by going as my Vamprira. That's the female vampire terminology. Or so I have read as I am not into the whole Vampire genre and vowed to never go for Halloween as a Vampire. But alas, here I go. We have been invited to 3 separate parties on that night and it will be a challenge to do them all. But I look forward to it.

On a more exciting note I have finally landed the big career. For years I thought I would be constantly doing hard labour work with my hands and back. Now I get a chance to give those things a rest and exercise the brain as a CSR (customer service representative). A bank teller should be a new exciting role for me at this point in my life. As well, there are some phenomenal benefits to boot. I won't get into them here, but worth it enough to take a try at this position and give it 100% of my best. I hope for my sake, it works out.

The weather here in Rankin Inlet is certainly getting colder as well as the days getting shorter & darker. Good thing for us we have a seasonal disorder light put out in the living room which we need only 15 minutes use of in the mornings to fight the winter blahs this year. We have lot's of vitamin D to boot as well. We have at this point befriended some really nice people up here who we call our friends of the North. Kugluktuk had nice people, but no one I would ever converse with again. This Thanksgiving weekend we have a nice couple with their 4 year old coming over for a turkey feast and spend time with us over this weekend. I couldn't ask for better people, nor a better fiancee to spend it with. For this I am very thankful.

All in all my time in Rankin has been pleasant and fruitful. I foresee us staying here for many years to come. Now I need to get my best friend up here, Lexus my cat.

Is It Worth It?

2009-09-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks since my last blog. I have found myself very busy with work in town. The construction company, the middle school I been substituting at currently and soon, Canada Post. I have had other offers as well, the library, two other schools who want me to substitute there, the Northern for meat manager and the local daycare centre. My highest hopes is for the CIBC bank which I had a good telephone interview with nearly one week ago. The perks are excellent and the location is great. The aspect of being able to be trained and learn as I go is appealing as is the fact I can take this with me back to the south and find work with CIBC in Ontario years down the road. Rankin Inlet has been very good to me thus far with employment being steady and the constant flow of offers for further work.

I have not had to put out ``300`` resumes just to hear back from one place. Roughly ten resumes and some patience is all it took to start receiving the calls. It has definitely been worth the work and the time.

Bang, Bang!

2009-09-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to blog for Friday, yesterday, but seeing as how I was too tired, I thought I would bring you up to speed on the better half of my day. Right to the point, after work yesterday the guy whom I work with knowing I have never shot a firearm before decided it would be a good idea to take me out to the shooting range with his custom built 22 rifle. He couldn't have been more right in doing so. I had a blast. I think it paid off playing shooting video games over the years because I felt comfortable holding and squeezing the trigger and waiting in much anticipation of hearing that muzzle fire off a round and the bullet zinging off a metal pole I was aiming for about 75 feet down the range.

The scope makes a huge difference of course being able to see what it is you wish to hit up close. The trick was trying to keep the thing steady. After the pole, Dave set up some empty 12 gauge shot gun shells down range standing them up right. I believe I hit two out of the 5 or 6 he had. He managed to finish off the rest in single shots. All in all I had a great time and have really seen weaponry in a different light. I can see how it can be a fun hobby or how it would definitely do you a world of wonders if your out on the land by yourself and ever got into a situation where your life depended on it. Because of yesterday, I am now pursuing all the necessary routes to go in order to get licensed to own and shoot a gun. Of course, I am also looking at rifles now.

The rifle at the top of the page is NOT the rifle we used. It is a rifle however I am keen on. Pretty deadly looking if you ask me.

The History On Rankin Inlet

2009-09-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have a decent blog page going now and thought since I am absolutely enthralled with the beauty and the people here, I should do my homework and research a little more about the second largest Nunavut community I am living in. So here goes my homework...

Rankin Inlet, known as Kangliqliniq in the traditional language of Inuktitut is a fjord (pronounced like Fiord). We are located on the northwestern side of Hudson Bay and was discovered by Lieutenant John Rankin. Try as I did, I could not seem to find a date of when this happened. However, the Thule people (pronounced like Tuli) inhabited the area around 1200 A.D.

They hunted for bowhead whales until the 1700's when caribou Inuit hunters arose and hunted in land and for arctic char fish. To speed us up a few years, in 1928, ore was discovered in Rankin Inlet by R.G Johnston which then started the drilling for diamonds by Knight Prospecting Syndicate and Nippising Mines in the 1930's. Still home to the caribou Inuit, or the Padlimiut as they were known, starvation had begun to set upon them. The federal government decided that a subsistence economy was no longer making any sense for the Inuit. During this time there was an increased use for nickel during the Korean war and nickel became high priced. Thus the Nickel Mines of Rankin Inlet were born. Inuit became employed at the mine during the early 1950's and came from Eskimo Point and Chesterfield Inlet. By 1959, 107 Inuit were working in the mines. By 1962, 500 Inuit now lived in Rankin Inlet. Today, I would personally surmise according to the 2006 census, which there was then a 2,358 population could mean today it may be near 2700 approximately.

In 1991 Joe Nattar built the now famous Inukshuk, meaning "Likeness of a man", that stands on a hill over looking Williamson Lake. Rankin Inlet is filled with hotels, stores, and small locally owned businesses alike. We even have a KFC and Pizza Hut along with two banks, RBC and CIBC. Three schools, a junior, middle school and a high school. My fiancee works at the middle school. There is even a pharmacy here.

The temperatures here can be as high as +30 or as low as -60 in the dead of winter where it will get very dark for weeks on end. We have a few paved roads and most are still gravel. The paved roads are the torn up, recycled pavement from the airport here when they repave the airport new, they take the old pavement, grind it up and use it to pave some roads as I have been told. Whale hunting is still on going on here such as Beluga, bowhead. Seals and fish are hunted as is in land foods, caribou and at times, bear.

Last but certainly not least, is this is the home of NHL star, Jordin Tootoo. He plays for the Nashville Predators and still comes home for a visit each year.

New Chat Service Installed

2009-09-02T17:30:00.001-07:00

This is more of a notice for new chat users that you will have to sign up first in order to use the chat I installed on the blog page. It will help me keep spam away and from filling up the chat box. As well, it will allow me to see who I'm talking to otherwise it will just say your a Guest. That's no good to me now is it lol? Thanks everyone.

Thar She Blows!

2009-09-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Wow. Talk about a wind warning. Yup, a wind warning was issued and boy they weren't lying about how windy it was going to get. It was at most, 80kmp/h and with the rain at times, made it hard to walk in. Nothing in town as far as I know was damaged, other than my building lost power this morning and was running on the back up generators until the electrical truck got out here and fixed us up. I wouldn't be surprised if damage was done else where in town. As of right now, the wind is still howling and the building is actually swaying so much, you can feel your body rocking back and forth on the couch. The plate glass window in our living room is buckling.

I can definitely understand now why the locals here say that when we get snowed in by a storm, we get SNOWED IN permanently! Up to a week is nothing unusual here. Kugluktuk got snow, and some wind, but nothing like what we are in for this year. My boss says as it is, this town has had it easy the past two winters making us due for a big one. I'll have the camera ready.

On another note, my birthday was today and I really was not looking forward to turning 35. Why celebrate getting old? I would like to start celebrating getting younger lol. Maybe next year, maybe next year.

Opportunities

2009-08-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

Seems the phone calls for employment opportunities is finally paying off. I thought my resumes were lost amongst the resume Gods. Turns out, people are just slow. Nonetheless, I have now received a phone call back from Canada Post office in regards to my interview. They tell me I passed with flying colours. I need to figure out now according to my inside source whether it's privately owned or is it Federal before I make any decisions.

Until then, the fence at the FOL site is coming along nicely and very fast. According to the boss, if i don't slow down, I will work myself right out of a job. So the guy I am working with, and myself have acquired a nice grove and pace along with a good system to repairing it.

This was to be a two week job that is going for a finished goal of approximately eight working days. Good for me, there is yet another site we need to fix the fence there too.

On another note, speaking to a local today, he tells me of how they catch the bigger whales here or like in Resolute Bay where they caught a 100 foot bowhead whale earlier today, they use a grenade launcher with a harpoon and a grenade attached to the harpoon arrow. You can imagine from there pretty much what happens upon impact of the harpoon and grenade on the whale. KABOOM! Like shooting fish in a barrel. I will hopefully get a chance to see this one year.

Tonka Trucks Anyone?

2009-08-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yea, ok so today i got to drive a front end loader. Exactly like the one you see above there. Not difficult at all, learned it within 3 minutes of getting in it. So I've flown a Cessna with an instructor, Raymond Reach forklift, a gas & electric lift, a scissors lift, a motorcycle, trucks, and now a front end loader and of course, cars. Nice little resume of vehicles. I have yet to attempt one more vehicle of sorts that one day I wish to own as well, a boat.

The work with the construction company I'm with is going great. We just about have the fence for the FOL, Forward Observation Lookout, a building that was constructed in the 80's for the American Army to watch for the Russians, has never been used. I was given a tour of the inside where everything is still new, and unused. A fully stocked kitchen, offices, bathrooms and rooms. It is basically a barracks. But the building is maintained as is the fence around it that has been ruined by snow plowing and permafrost which pushes the fence posts up out of the ground, thus pushing the fence as a whole, upwards and out of the ground. So we cut all the metal ties on it, pull the fence downward level to the ground, pull the posts straight again with the front end loader and a chain and push them downward into the ground and re-post the top post of the fence, cap them, and tie on the metal ties again.

I have an interview tomorrow for meat manager in the Northern. I would basically be a butcher. Lot's of great benefits and I am looking forward to hearing what they have to offer to me tomorrow.

Sick, Sick, Sick.

2009-08-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this is the second year in the north I will be doing and again for the second time in a row within my first month here, I have gotten ill just as I did last year in Kugluktuk. It has been identical, got a touch of flu, accompanied by an ear infection. Only this time to throw into the mix, I also got an eye infection. Cause? My contacts, the sun or the wind. Haven't figured out which one exactly but does it really matter right now? I can't believe I can have so many ailments at once.

On another note to date, the job hunt is still on the go. As September nears, as does my birthday on September 1st, it appears more likely I may be in as daycare assistant manager. I have applied at so many places here, the school, the Northern, the daycare, the library, the health care centre, First Air, Canadian North, CIBC bank, RBC bank, and the Canada Post office. I'm sure I missed a couple to list. It's now become a wait and see game. I had one interview so far that was with Canada Post, it felt liked it went well, but who really knows.

Just A Thought

2009-08-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Ok so tomorrow is Friday and what a busy week it has turned out to be. Still needing to rid our place of unwanted furniture has become a task, but supposedly the right people have caught wind of it and are en route to do so. On a really interesting note, Bell will accept phone calls from complete strangers and let you open and set up complete accounts in another persons name without any verification from you or the person who's name you are putting the account into. I know this, because I did it. Yesterday, in Melissa's name then when I called today to change something, wasn't allowed to do anything because the account wasn't in my name! Problem got resolved suffice to say and all is well.

We are on the hunt this year for some really exciting carvings. We have purchased three already, two inukshuks and one polar bear. They are polished black stone and excellent quality. We hope to acquire enough by the end of this year we can sell down south. As far as employment goes here, I caught wind tonight as Melissa and I went out walking and met a local that the mines here pay a little better than the daycare. They pay four to five thousand every two weeks. I seriously need to look into this. As is, Melissa has found out if after ten years staying here, she can retire with a full pension. After this year, she would already have 2 years punched.

We have some good options here to play with and need to make some serious decisions about what we want to do with our lives together.

Rankin Inlet

2009-08-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

The move from Kugluktuk to Rankin Inlet has been an easy one. Everything we own was already here waiting for us. Staying in Kugluktuk was not an easy move for me after a few months. Lack of work and the feeling of being 'black listed' in a small town was not fun for me. The move to Rankin I hope will be a more positive move this year. Having resumes out there already helps but it is not enough until I am actually working.

Our apartment, yes a real apartment, is smaller but just as nice. We do not need to wait to have our water trucked in or our sewage trucked out. We can use water as freely as we wish here. One downside or upside, depending on how I look at it if I want to loose weight, is we are located on the top floor of this building. Being only three floors is not too bad. But try lugging boxes and groceries up the stairs.

We have public laundry facilities located on our floor just a door down the hall from us. Makes it easy seeing as no one has to lug loads of clothes up and down three flights of stairs. We do not have a garbage chute so our garbage is lugged down the stairs to outside bins. Our neighbours seem nice, as I have only formerly met one so far. She seems nice and works at the CIBC bank in town. Over all the building is clean and quiet.

Today we also got our Bell HD receiver hooked up to the buildings satellite. :)