Shipping Blues

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!

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

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

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.

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

Walking Experience

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

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...